Only in Japan - Hello Kitty bowling balls

Only in Japan - Hello Kitty bowling balls
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

Only in Japan - Nighmare before Christmas everything

Only in Japan
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

Nightmare before Christmas felt pyjamas anyone?

Only in Japan
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

Nighmare before Christmas traditional warm home jacket perhaps?

Only in Japan
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

A felt spiderman costume ( movie number 20 when he's gained a few pounds) and yeas, people actually wear these!

Only in Japan
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

And last but not leat the Nightmare before Christmas heart shaped pillows to give to your loved one ;-)

Only in Japan-Pocket Monster Planes

Only in Japan-Pocket Monster Planes
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

Gleðileg Jól! Merry Christmas!

´
Well we're off to Akita for a fortnight to celebrate newyears with my former hostfamily there. Threw the Christmas photos quickly up on flickr as well as ones from a karaoke party the night before ;-)

Merry Christmas!!

Only in Japan

wee ones with ~tute

wee ones with ~tute
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

My Bouncing monkey and Policeman

The kids had their annual winter show the weekend before last. Needless to say they were amazing ;-) Elena was a monkey in a large production involving all the first year students. Pretty with a monkey mask, wearing a brown sweater on loan from Ragga and proudly displaying a very red butt I diligently sewed unto the trousers as per instructions. She even had a dance scene which I hope to post once I figure this condencing of videos out ;-P

The festival was actually to a great extent surrounding the fact that the fourth year students, one of which is incidentally my Ragnar, were now 10 years old and as such officially half-adults ;-D puzzled? Well at 20 they have this grand coming of age ceremony and apparently this was a chance for them to express their future plans and give thanks for what has gone before. Ragnar had a small part to play, he came out unto the stage, bowed, and the quickly expressed his interest in becoming a police officer when he grew up ;-)
Surpriced? Well I most definitely was, seeing as he's adamantly professed his interest in becoming an etymologist but apparently that was too illunderstandable and hence his future was simplified ;-P But they both did great and I'm incredibly proud of them! As well as proud of us, specifically Halldor for surviving four straight hours in uncomfortable chairs watching endless recitals, songs and some incredibly longwinded what seemed like science presentations ;-)

I of course spoilt them with hot chocholate and cake afterwards ;-)

In other news I managed to pass my first exams, well admittedly the kanji one I had to retake but went from 25 to 69 for which I was fairly chuffed. School won't end until the 22. Apparently they discussed the matter and decided to let us foreign students out early ;-) Us foreign students being the handsome four on the right. Luxurious what, four pupils to a teacher. It pays off it would seem being ill definable as was the case with all four ;-) Just looking at the picture it strikes me..."An Irish woman, Brazilian, American and an Icelandic one walk into a bar ..........."

Been trying to prepare for Christmas in between giving papers and taking tests but have it would seem only succeeded in totally messing up our precious livingroom. Hopefully though a mini Cristmastree will be procured today :^D Managed anyway to get presents sent off to dad and STeini, as well as their siblings and a couple of friends. In order to stay on the (semi)right side of sanity however I have decided the rest will be in e-mail form. Impersonal as it may be, after calculating the cost and even counting in child labour and hence mass productions of Christmas cards ... yeah well you get the pic ;-D

The kids pounding rice ;-)

Hiroki invited us to an end of year barbeque at his bosses home. Great fun, tons of food, which would have been slightly more appreciated had we not all (kids aside) been suffering the aftereffects of the Icelandiclate night beer drinking summit of the night before ;-) Amongst things to do was the traditional pounding if rice in order to make rice sweets and both kids got the chance to do some pounding ;-)

The fare was intrigueing, at Icelandic barbeques one has the traditional hot dogs, steaks and hamburger, here we had meat soup, crab, two types of shellfish, steaks, chicken, gigantic shrimp and mini fish ;-)
Ragnar with a barbequed mini fish and Elena post eating/rice cake making ;-)
Ragga and Hiroki
Ragga, Kristo and Halldor
Elena busily making ricecakes

Christmas spagetti

Christmas spagetti
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

saw this today at the school cafeteria, half redsauce half whitewith a half cooked egg in the centre. How christmassy is that? On another note, were all fine with the schools being hectic and me taking exams.