Books

1. The book I’m currently reading:

Signs of life by Natalie Taylor



2. The last book I finished:

The day I ate whatever I wanted by Elizabeth Berg



3. The next book I want to read:

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro because I adored the film.



4. The last book I bought:

Lonely Planet Japan, for obvious reasons



5. The last book I was given:

70 Japanese gestures Thanks boyfriend! xx

Kinokawa, Japan

Looks like I'm officially heading to Kinokawa, Japan on the JET programme. Kinokawa is a town in Wakayama, south of Osaka, and is famous for good strawberries and Tama, the station master cat.



What the hell I am doing? At 28, I'm probably far too old to be packing up my life in Melbourne and moving to Japan to teach English for a year or two. But it's now or never, so why not?

Want to know more about life in Kinokawa? Check out Pearls of Truth, by Kaila.

Some things I would like to learn

1. French

2. Japanese

3. How to take pretty pictures



4. Guitar

5. How to cook well

6. Ukulele



7. How to be more positive and less negative/cynical

8. How to make movies

9. How to sail

10. How to ride a motorcycle

LOL

Thanks to A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette for this:



Can you tell I'm struggling to blog every day in June?

Beautiful Kindle Covers from Etsy

Kindle has arrived! Waiting for it load so I can play! If I like it I want to get an iPad next.

Now, to find a cover on Etsy! So much amazing creativity!

I like:

CW creations by dobeeubags:












Glam Baby by GlamBaby:



Britgal designs:



I'm deciding between the first and second cover pictured. Thoughts?

Public Service Announcement

The This American Life podcast enriches my life a little each time I listen to it.

I recommend it to everyone.

Shhhh

I can't tell you about today. You may ask me again in about three years time, if you like.



Photo from Kel-Z

Melbourne love

5pm, Monday evening. Free jazz at Federation Square. Band: The Shuffle Club

Melbourne, why is it only now that I'm really appreciating your awesomeness again? Because I'm leaving you!

How to enjoy a lazy winter Sunday morning in Melbourne

Step 1: Sleep in with electric blanket turned up.

Step 2: Read The Age in bed. Laugh at streetseen. Blush at about last night. Analyse winter fashion trends.

Step 3: Put on thermal top, tights, skirt, shirt, cropped jacket, big jacket. Layers, people, layers.

Step 4: Let the smell of coffee lead you to your local hipster cafe. How to identify hispter cafe? Look for clever use of op-shop items. This morning's cafe featured retro saucepan lids stuck to the wall. Other signs? Low-fi aesthetic. Good coffee. Menu written on blackboard. Good vegetarian selection. Staff who dress more fashionably than you ever did at 20.

Step 5: Coffee!!!!! Step 5 is very important.

Step 6: Free range poached eggs with fava baked beans, avocado and goats cheese. Review: Nice combination of fresh ingredients. Could have used a little more oomph though... some extra flavouring or spice wouldn't have gone astray.

Step 7: Eat half, swap other half for half of your boyfriend's meal.

Step 8: Catch tram to your next destination.

This morning's cafe:

Little Byrd Cafe
160 Union Street, Ascot Vale
9375 1793

New toy!

I just bought my first e-reader! Hello to the future of reading.

Review of I Carusi Pizza in Brunswick - would it be wrong to call it the rich man's Bimbo Deluxe? Yes, yes it would.

When I move to Japan in seven weeks time, I'm sure I will miss Melbourne's amazing food.

One of the best parts of my hometown is the diverse range of food and restaurants available, reflecting our varied, multicultural society. Having lived in London, a city full of chain restaurants and wilted vegetables, I appreciate Melbourne's generally outstanding coffee and food.

Living in Samoa, I occasionally missed luxuries like Thai food and berries, but the amazing fresh fish and local dishes I grew to love - oka, palusami - more than made up for that. My mouth is watering thinking of the piles of sashimi or juicy, tender yellowfin tuna steak the the yacht club would serve for about $A10.

Dinner last night at I Carusi, Brunswick, represented all that is good about eating out in Melbourne - a warm, cosy atmosphere away from the cold winter chill, efficient and friendly service, reasonable prices, and great pizza. It's well worth the tram journey to just past the end of Lygon Street.



While I played it safe with their pizza for a friend with lots of my favourite pizza toppings - pumpkin, pine nuts, goats cheese and rocket, my boyfriend's broccoli pizza with a touch of chilli was tastier.
The dessert pizza of quality dark chocolate and pear was sublime. So simple, yet so good!

Is I Carusi the best pizza place in Melbourne? There's probably better places out there, but for a reasonably priced, lazy weeknight dinner out, it was ideal.

I Carusi Pizza
46a Holmes Street, Brunswick
9386 5522

Doomed!

Yes, I work in an inherently daggy profession.

But if this is really the best in library branding, we're doomed!

I'm off to Japan on the JET Programme!

In 53 days time, I'll be in Tokyo, Japan, ready to start the JET programme.

I can't wait to start my next adventure.

Where in Japan? It's not official yet, so all I can offer is this picture of a cat wearing a tiny hat. Any ideas?


Disclaimer: I may have been inspired to blog today by the blog every day in June thing all the kids are talking about, but for me, this is more likely to end up being 'blog one time in June'.