† ☆A v R i L★ †

Avril Lavigne is one of my favorite foriegn artists♥♥

I listened all of her 3 albums and went to her live,

"The Best Damn Tour 2008" at Tokyo Dome with Aoi!! :-D

My favorite album is "Under My Skin" which is Avril's 2nd album.

She is very cute and I like her fashion, very stylish!! :-)

I hope for her future success and hope to go to her live again someday★☆

These are my favorite Avril's songs.

Both songs are from the album, "Under My Skin".

My Happy Ending

He Wasn't

† Heart Blossom †

Today, I went to work at SB from 9 to 13. I haven't been working these days because I was quite busy at school. ;-( My store manager said to work more, so I decided to work today even though it's the exam period... I need money anyway for shopping and club fees. :-p My superiors say to me "Long time no see!! How'd you been??" I was shifted in the bar at 12 when business men come for lunch. Oh God, how many espresso shots have I done... ;-(

Today, a new promotion started!! Have you tried the new beverage, Honey Orange Latte?? Also there's Furappechino of Honey Orange. Please try it when you go to SB. Check the Web for details!! :-D

Our spring promotion theme is "Heart Blossom". It has a meaning that we partners want to contribute our customers to enjoy spring time. I'll do my best to serve my customers a wonderful time!! ;-)

Better start my studies for tomorrow.... Bye for today!!

† IE Girls Party †

Today, I went to Marunouchi with Aoi, Kako and Masayo. It's our late New Years Party!! I have met them personally (one on one), but about 6 months have passed since the four of us met the last time.

Masayo found a restaurant called MUS MUS which is located in Shin Marunouchi Building. There it serves Japanese steamed dishes.The lunch I had was reasonable and very delicious!!

After our lunch, we window shopped in the Shin-Marunouchi building. Then, we walked to Ginza, and first stopped by at Printemps and Maronie building. The sale is still held, so we all looked around many shops. Masayo bought a pretty dress for spring time at her favorite shop in Printemps!!

Then we moved on to Matsuzakaya department store to go to Benoist to have afternoon tea. Do you know Benoist?? If you don't know, check the movie, "The train man"(電車男)!! lol This tea room appears in the movie. I've wanted to have tea here for a long time and I 've finally went there!! Thank you so much!! The tea and the tarte I had was soooo delicious!! X-) I had an elegant time there.

Last off, we went to ZARA and H&M to shop!! Kako bought clothes and a pair of shoes at ZARA. Aoi and I bought accessories at H&M. I wanted to buy a dress because ZARA is still holding a sale!! But I didn't have enough money to buy what I want. :-( I'm planing to go to Ginza tomorrow because I only have one test!! :-p

Time flies quickly and it was almost six!! :-0 I decided to go home and study.

Thank you very much Aoi, Kako, Masayo!! I had a great time!! I hope I can go out with you girls again!! :-D

† Study for Exams †

The exams are coming up!!! How are your studies?? My first exam is from Monday the 26th. I haven't studied that much. ;-(

Today I studied English Literature Introduction with Aoi at Shibuya. We studied at Starbucks for about 3 hours. Bunkamura Street's Starbucks is not so crowded so we can stay for a long time. Other students were there to study!! :-O After studying, it was past two and lunch time was over!! We went to Soup-ya which serves various soup. The naming of the menu are fascinating. We ordered soup with a set of desert. They were delicious. :-D I recommend you going to this restaurant. See it for yourself. ;-)

★http://www.soup-ya.com/☆

After our late lunch, we went to ZARA, LOFT and TSUTAYA.

I've enjoyed my day. Thank you Aoi♥♥
See you tomorrow at the IE party #2!! ;-D

† Dreams Come True x One Piece †

Do you know this song?? It's the theme song of the 9th One Piece movie; 『ONE PIECE THE MOVIE エピソードオブチョッパー+冬に咲く、奇跡の桜』 (2008). This is Dreams Come True's 43rd single featuring the One Piece main characters; Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Ussopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Dr.Hiluluku and Dr.Kureha. You can hear the characters singing with Miwa Yoshida (vocalist of Dreams Come True).

The jacket of the CD is illustrated by the author of One Piece; Eiichiro Oda. You can see Miwa crossing arms with Luffy (the hero of One Piece) and Masato Nakamura (bassist of D.C.T) holding a guitar and is pinched by Chopper (the reindeer)!! :-D lol

I borrowed this CD last year from my best friend who is a big fan of "One Piece". It was the perfect time to borrow because my best friend and I were graduating high school and going to different universities. It's my memorial song with her. I recommend listening this song around this time. It's a message song saying we'll meet again someday even you have to say good-bye to your friends.

† To all my Friends †

I really enjoyed my first year with you!!

Thanks you so much!! X-D

I don't know how many times I should say "Thank you!!".

Sorry for being selfish and noisy. ;-p

I also want to apologize if I had hurt any one's feelings.

I hope I can see you all at the rest of the academic years at AGU.

Please keep in touch by mail or LIZ.COM!! :-D

Wish you luck for the exams and see you at the IE party!!☆★


With all the Best Wishes and Love from....

♥Lydia♥(･∀･)♥Preston♥

† Reflecting IEⅢCORE †

Good Points

★Blogging made me a practice to write English periodically.

☆Watching "Spirited Away" made me compare how the lines are expressed in English to the Japanese lines.
(Different from the Japanese version!! I like the voice of Haku, which is acted by Jason Marsden. :-D)

★Vocabulary notebooks made me learn new words and make sentences to input the definitions of the words I don't know easier.

Points to be improved

★Handouts should be prepared to understand lectures better.

☆Time management should be reviewed in order to do more activities (such as time for reading, blogging) efficiently.

Thank you for the 2nd semester, Mr. Richardson. I will keep blogging and hope I can see you around at the campus.

† Plastic Tree †

I don't know much about "Visual-kei artists". But my friend introduced me "Plastic Tree"(so-called "Pla" for short) when I was in junior high school. Also, my senior of my club (I was in the broadcasting club in senior high.) liked them and she lended me their albums. They were pretty good!! :-) After graduating high school, I've met my senior only once so I still don't know much about "Pla". I hope I can meet my senior after she finishes her enterance exams for univ. and learn more about V-kei artists from her. She must be studying very hard by now...Gambatte!!!

I surfed around You Tube to get some Pla's PVs. I casually chose these two songs. They are good balads!! :-D

【スピカ】 "Spica"

【真っ赤な糸】 "Makka na Ito"

† Tokyo Jihenn PVs †

Shiina Ringo is one of my favorite female artists.

She is a solo singer, but she also leads 【東京事変】"Tokyo Jihenn"

I'll post my favorite "Tokyo Jihenn"' song (PV)!! :-D

"Himitsu ~For DJ~" 【秘密~For DJ~】

† New Drama☆★ †

"Uta no Oniisann" 【歌のおにいさん】is going to start in 7 minutes!! :-D

This drama is going to be on air every Friday from 23:15~.

I heard it's so hilarious!! Hahaha~~~ X-D I think Satoshi Leader is really good at acting!! :-D Very different from "Maou"【魔王】, the drama Leader starred last time. I recommend you watching it!!

Check out the website for more details!! ;-)

http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/utaoni/index.html

† Arashi MVｓ Data #1 †

Here are the data's about the Arashi MVs I've posted until today.
Works Cited: Wikipedia (Eng.&Jp.)

Beautiful Days　Released on November 5th 2008. Theme song of the drama; "Ryusei no Kizuna" which Kazunari Ninomiya starred. The single debuted at the top spot on the Japanese chart with total index sales figure of 83,052 (an estimated 145,341 copies sold on the first day). This is Arashi's 13th straight number one release and their 21 number one overall with a total of 352,000 copies sold in the first week.It is ranked as the 10th most single sold in 2008 by Oricon.

One Love The theme song of the movie, " Hana yori Dango ~Final~ " which was released on June 25 2008. The single debuted at the top spot on Oricon daily singles ranking with total index sales figure of 74,610 (130,568 estimated copies sold), and the weekly charts with sales in excess of 300,000 copies. The single tied "Love so sweet" in terms of the number of consecutive weeks in the Top 10, with 5, before falling out to the 14th spot in its sixth week in the chart. The single peaked to the second spot in the daily rankings in its seventh week and landing fifth in the ranking that week. It has spent a total of eight weeks in the Top 10, longer than any Arashi single and a total of eleven weeks in the Top 30. It is the 2nd best selling single of 2008, behind their single, Truth/Kaze no mukou e.

Truth Relased on August 20, 2008. It is their fourth double A-side single with the song, "Kaze no Mukou e". The song is the theme song of the television drama Maō (魔王), which starred Arashi member Satoshi Ohno in his first lead role. The single debuted at the top spot on the Japanese chart with total index sales figure of 119,227 (an estimated 208,647 copies sold) which surpassed the first day sales indexes for their previous singles released during the year ("Step and Go" with 107,689 copies sold; and "One Love" with 74,610). Also during the single's week of release, was the eighth and final week of "One Love" in the Oricon Top 10, the first time two Arashi singles shared spots in the weekly Top 10. The single sold an estimated 467,288 copies in its first week, overtaking fellow Johnny's KAT-TUN's first week sales of their 7th single Don't U Ever Stop (381,672 copies), making it the biggest first week sales for a single in Japan in 2008. It is the top selling single of 2008 according to Oricon.
"Truth / Kaze no Mukō e" is certified Double Platinum by RIAJ for shipment of 500,000 copies in Japan.

A Day in our Life 7th single which was released on February 2, 2002. The theme song of the drama 【木更津キャッツアイ】"Kisarazu Kyatsu-eye" which Sho Sakurai starred.


A.RA.SHI Arashi's debut single which was released in November 3 1999. It is the image song of Fuji TV's "Volleyball World cup 1999". The single is the group's best selling single, with over 970,000 copies sold, reaching triple platinum status in Japan. When it was released, about 80,000 fans attended to the debut event.



きっと大丈夫 ("Kitto Daijyoubu". lit. "Certainly All Right") is the 16th single released on May 17 2006. The single debuted at the number one spot on the Oricon chart, with initial sales of 160,240 copies. This song was used as the CM song of "C1000 X Arashi".

ナイスな心意気 Released on April 17 2002 in two editions; a normal 12 centimeter CD edition and a limited, 8 centimeter CD edition.　It was the theme song of the animation 【こちら葛飾区亀有公園前派出所】(Episode 248~274).

サクラ咲ケ Arashi's 14th single which was released on March 25 2005. The CM song of 【城南予備校】(Jounan cram school). The single debuted at the number one spot on the Oricon chart, with initial sales of 115,114 copies.

瞳の中のGalaxy ("Hitomi no naka no Galaxy"Japanese text, translates to "The galaxy in your eyes") Arashi's 13th single which was released in August 18, 2004. This is their third double A-side single tracked with "HERO". It is the theme song of the drama, "Minami-kun no koibito" 【南くんの恋人】(translates to "Minani's Lover"), which Kazunari Ninomiya starred. The single debuted at the number one spot on the Oricon chart, with initial sales of 170,564 copies. Iterestingly, all the songs tracked in the single starts with the letter "H".

Happiness The single is the theme song for Arashi members' Sakurai Sho and Kazunari Ninomiya drama, Yamada Taro Monogatari. The single is the group's ninth consecutive and seventeenth overall number one release, as well as their third consecutive English-titled release. The single debuted at the number one spot on the Oricon chart, with initial sales of 192,196 copies.

風の向こうへ The song is the theme song for NTV's 2008 Summer Olympics Coverage which featured Sakurai Sho as the main caster. The promotional video premiered on August 8, 2008, in time for the opening ceremony. Arashi also sang the theme song for NTV's coverage of the 2004 Olympic Games four years earlier, with the song "Hero". In stark contrast to "Truth", "Kaze no Mukō e" which translates to "Beyond the Wind", is a more upbeat pop song that, in tradition with other songs used by Japanese broadcasters for their respective Olympic coverage, tries to inspire athletes. See 【Truth】for sales data.


とまどいながら The 10th single which was released on February 13, 2003. It is the theme song of the drama,【よい子の味方 〜新米保育士物語〜】"Yoiko no Mikata ~Shinmai Hoikushi Monogatari~" which Sho Sakurai starred.

アオゾラペダル
(translates to "Blue sky pedal") Arashi's 17th single released on August 2, 2006. It is the theme song of a movie "Honey and Clover" which Sho Sakurai starred. The single debuted at the number one spot on the Oricon chart, with initial sales of 154,832 copies.

† IEⅢWriting ~Classification Essay~†

The History of the Meiji Era

The Meiji era is one of the most important periods throughout Japanese history. During this period, many Japanese were influenced by Europeans since Japan was isolated from other countries until the Meiji Restoration. This is the beginning of Japans present Western lifestyles. The history of the Meiji Era can be classified on the basis of European styles influence on Japan.

After the Tokugawa shogunate collapsed, the new government led by leaders of the Satsuma and Choushu domain changed Japan from a feudal to a capitalist society, in which many Japanese citizens felt reluctant to accept Western influence. This period is called the Meiji Restoration. The restoration first began when the Black Ships led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived and demanded that Japan should open their country in 1853. The new government introduced Western styles in politics with a mixture of ancient Japanese institutions. In addition, the Imperial Constitution (Meiji Constitution) promulgated in 1889 and abolished in 1945, was based on the German Constitution. Hirobumi Ito, the first prime minister of Japan studied in Germany in order to draft the Meiji Constitution.

The economy and business climate during the Meiji period has also changed. According to Wikipedia, “There were at least two reasons for the speed of Japan's modernization: the employment of over 3,000 foreign experts (called o-yatoi gaikokujin or ‘hired foreigners') in a variety of specialist fields such as teaching English, Science, engineering, the army and navy etc.; and the dispatch of many Japanese students overseas to Europe and America, based on the fifth and last article of the Charter Oath of 1868: ‘Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations of Imperial rule.'” Also, Wikipedia says that The Meiji Restoration accelerated industrialization in Japan, which led to its rise as a military authority by the year 1905, under the slogan of "Enrich the country, strengthen the military" (fukoku-kyouhei). From this point, Japan became the first industrialized and capitalist country in Asia.

The culture, especially lifestyle of the Japanese changed remarkably. It is not too much to say that it is the most point influenced by Europeans. For example, the streets of Tokyo, especially Ginza, had petroleum lights, carriages and brick walled buildings. Rich people wore long dresses and suits, ate Western food such as beef and participated in ballroom dances which Japanese during the Edo era had never done before. Not only citizens, but also painters, writers and architects were inspired by Europeans during this period. Many workers and craftsmen studied abroad to show citizens about the outside world. There are many Western paintings, sculptures and architectures created by Japanese, which still exists right now. In addition, many foreigners came to Japan to teach their culture, points of view and life-styles.

From these points, many Japanese were influenced by Europeans and other foreign countries. Japan was the first country to modernize and enlighten their nation in Asia. If Japan was still an isolated country, there would not be a modern and Western life like in present, which the new government and many people such as artists, authors, craftsmen, workers and citizens accepted as the new style. The people recognized that the nation must change its circumstances and expand their point of views and minds in order to live on and for the future of Japan. The history of the Meiji Era can be told by the influences that the Europeans and foreigners gave to Japanese.

【Works Cited】
＊ Wikipedia “Meiji period”　

(last modified on 9 January 2009, 07:59)

† IEⅢ Book Report #2 †

1B4 Anna Inaba

1) MLA Citation
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women (Part 2). New York: Barnes & Nobel Books, 1994. 266pages.

2) Responding to the plot
“So are women; don’t blame John till you see where you are wrong yourself.” (page429)

This is Mrs. March’s words responding Meg’s complaint, “Men are very selfish, even the best of them.” After Meg gets married to John Brook and bears twins, she complains that John comes home late continually meeting the Scotts’ and Meg always had to do the hardest work at home not having her own free time. As Meg has vanity, she often envies her friend, Sallie Gardiner that she is rich and has anything she wants while Meg cannot afford what she wants even after she got married. Meg’s vanity came out and once complained to John that she wants to have luxurious items like Sallie. 　Meg thought that her mother would sympathize her. Unfortunately,　Mrs. March told Meg to think about John’s feelings and what she did to him before she complains or take any action.
I thought that Mrs. March’s points of view towards people are very broad and she can say such words to her daughter because Mrs. March always thinks of others before she takes action. Women may think men are selfish and difficult to understand, but men would also think like that. From Mrs. March’s words, I understood that being patient, forgiving and thinking of others before yourself is another meaning of loving your husband, wife or anyone who cares about you. I think this is a very important quotation that you should always keep in mind when you take action because we often blame others before we think about ourselves whether we did something wrong.

3) Analyzing 7 literary Terms
Setting: United States of America.　　After the Civil War (1861-65)

Point of View: This story is told from omniscient.

Conflict: The March Girls vs. flaws in character
Each girl had to overcome flaws in character; Meg’s vanity, Jo’s short-tempered, Beth’s shyness and Amy’s selfishness. Each girl faces problems because of their flaws in daily life.

Climax: Each girl has different paths of life after they grow up as an excellent woman; Meg gets married to John Brook and has twins, Jo got married to Professor Friedrich and opens a homelike school for boys, Beth passed away from the aftereffects of scarlet fever and Amy gets married to Laurie, who was a rich young man and lived next door to the March family during childhood.

Symbol: “guidebooks”
Each March girl was given a “guidebook” as a Christmas present from Mrs. March. The “guidebook” which are copies of the New Testament, and “The Pilgrim’s Progress” (Written by John Bunyan) were guidelines for the girls to　become an excellent woman.

Irony: Jo refused Laurie’s proposal even though they were intimate friends because of her pride to her studies and short-tempered character.

Theme: family relations
Even though the March girls each led a different life, they never forgot that they were always together and often met each other as if they were living together like childhood. Family relations and events are mainly written and also tells that family relations and loving each other is important than anything even if you are poor or in a tough situation.

4) Reflecting on the story
As I wrote in the “Irony”, I was very surprised that Jo refused Laurie’s proposal even though they were intimate friends and Laurie married to Amy in the end. I had thought that Jo and Laurie would get married when I was reading (part1). As Jo is a tomboy, she didn’t think that Laurie would even love her and thought him as a good friend. Unfortunately in the other hand, Laurie loved Jo ever since he met her during childhood.
I understand both characters’ feelings. If I were Jo, I might have also refused Laurie’s proposal because I would had been with him and cared about him as a friend. Also, I would rather do hard what I’m found of, than getting married and have children. On the other hand, if I was in Laurie’s place, I might also become passionate to tell how much I love that person. I was also surprised that Laurie had been keeping his love as a secret for many years until his proposal.

† IEⅢBook Report #1 †

1B4 Anna Inaba

1) MLA Citation
Alcott, Louisa May
Little Women (Part 1)
New York
Barnes & Nobel Books
1994
265pages

2) Responding to the plot
Page100:”I’ve been trying to cure it for forty years, and have only succeed in controlling it. I am angry nearly every day of my life, Jo; but I have learned not to show it; and I still hope to learn not to feel it, though it may take me another forty years to do so.”

This is Mrs. March’s words to Jo’s question, “Why are you never angry?”. Jo had a fight with Amy and could not forgive her because Amy burned Jo’s books which she had been working on for a long time. Jo was a short –tempered girl and she could not control her anger or other emotions. For Jo, her mother seemed to be kind and generous to her daughters and people around her and never got angry or emotional because of her personal situations. I thought Mrs. March was a wise mother raising four girls not showing her emotions and enduring the hard situation the family was facing.　　Not only Mrs. March had cared about her daughters, she even cared about the poor family living near-by the March family. On Christmas day, she decided to give their breakfast and share blankets and other supplies to the poor family even though the March family did not have enough for themselves. I was impressed how Mrs. March showed her generosity and I thought I should model my actions on hers.

3) Analyzing 7 literary Terms
Setting: United States of America. During the Civil War (1861-65)

Point of View: This story is told from omniscient.

Conflict: The March Girls vs. flaws in character
Each girl had to struggle to overcome flawｓ in character; Meg’s vanity, Jo’s short-tempered, Beth’s shyness and Amy’s selfishness, in order to become a good woman in any position they are placed.

Climax: Though Mr. March got seriously injured as he served as a chaplain for the Union Army in the American Civil War, he came home safely to see the girls and Mrs. March.

Symbol: “guidebooks”
Each March girl was given a “guidebook” as a Christmas present from Mrs. March. The “guidebook” which are copies of the New Testament, and “The Pilgrim’s Progress” (Written by John Bunyan) were guidelines for the girls to　become an excellent woman.
“Little Women”
As the title, the March Girls grow up each time they experience pleasant, bitter events and incidents through their daily life and become “Little Women”.

Irony: Though the March family was rich at first, Mr. March had helped pay debts for his unscrupulous friends, which led the family into poverty.

Theme: This story is about family relationships and family life which tells that no matter how rich or poor situation you are in, you must accept and overcome your bad personalities and become a kind, devoted, splendid woman at any social position you are placed in the future.

4) Reflecting on the story
The story starts with Jo’s complaint, “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.” which was an impressing starting for me. The March Girls endured from poverty and waited for their father to come home safely from the Civil War, even though many other girls around their age were enjoying a pleasant Christmas like they used to spend before the March family got poor.
As I researched Alcott’s life, this story is based on her childhood with her three other sisters. Alcott’s father also used to call his daughters “Little Women”, not only meaning that they are young girls but also meaning that they are growing up each day and becoming an excellent woman for the future. I agree with Alcott’s view how woman should become in the future and I finally knew why this masterpiece enchanted many girls for many years.

† Lunch@Ginza #2 †

Today I had lunch with Yuma after working at SB. We met at the entrance of Mitsukoshi at 2PM. We went to a French restaurant which is located in the 7th floor of Printemps Ginza. We had pasta and drank glass wine.. I had red wine as usual.. I'm starting to drink even in the afternoon!! :-0 But a glass is enough for me. ;-) The pasta was very delicious. The shrimp, tomatoes, spinach and red pepper flavoured with white wine matched very much!! I'd like to cook it once at home!! ;-9 We chatted for a long time because we don't have enough chances to talk at school. I feel sorry that I spoke too much about my sad story.. Of course, we had other stories too. But mainly, Girls Talk!!!! lol. We window shopped at Printemps and bought ourselves stockings at Dolly Girl. We wanted to shop for clothes, but I had to go home early. :-( So we last stopped by at the Gucci building. It was my first time to enter. It was great!! I like the designs of Gucci bags so I'd like one someday. I didn't know they had clothes and shoes. The designs were simple and it may be difficult to recognize it's Gucci.

I had a great time!! Thank you Yuma and I hope I can meet you again after the exams. :-D

† Sweets Buffet †

Today I went to a sweets buffet with Masayo at Hilton Tokyo Bay.

We met at Maihama station in 2PM and used the Disney Resort Line to go the hotel. The buffet started from 2:30. Not only sweets but also sandwiches and light meals were served. :-) Various foods were served. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures and just enjoyed the delicious food!! X-9 You can enjoy this buffet for 90 minutes. We ate and chatted till the end♪♪ If you use a discount coupon, it's only 2300 yen!! OMG, how reasonable!!! I really recommend the buffet. See it for yourself!! ;-) http://www.hiltontokyobay.jp/restaurant/info/baylounge_jan.html

After our wonderful meal, we went to Ikspiari to shop. Ikspiari has many shops that I like so I sometimes go shopping with my family. Unfortunately, I bought enough clothes last time, so I didn't buy anything today. ;-6

Time flies fast when you have fun, it was already past 6!! We last went to Bon Voyage, a large shop which has TDL and TDS's souvenirs. Masayo and I bought the same Lucky charms together.

You can write your wish and put it inside the charm...

Of course, can't tell you what I wrote!! ;-9

I really enjoyed my day, thank you Masayo!!! I'm looking forward meeting you after the exams!! X-D

† Study Day †

I met my friends, Miwa and Mai at Shibuya. We are classmates at SFL-B (French) class. We have a French test this Thursday, so we decieded to meet and study together. We managed to finish by noon so we had lunch and chatted for a long time. Girls talk!! :-D We went to SB to have a coffee break too. Mai had to go home after our coffee break, so Miwa and I stayed until 6PM and window shopped more!! :-)

I had a good day. Thank you Miwa and Mai☆★
I hope I can meet you two again. ;-9

† Who's Sistem?? †

I found a cool and catchy song when I was surfing You Tube. :-D

Do you know an artist called "Sistem"??

I tried to get more info., but there wasn't enough. :-( All I knew was that they are from Romania and that they have many collaborations with other artists..

If you know anything about them, please tell me. :-D

Sistem 【Never】

† Shop for Luck★☆ †

Did you buy anything this winter???

Today I went to Ginza to buy Lucky Bags ("fuku-bukuro" 福袋 in Japanese).

It was my first time to buy Lucky Bags at Ginza. Ginza is one of the famous closely contested districts for Lucky Bags, so I tried L'Occitane's for the first time. :-D

When I arrived at L'Occitane Ginza before 8AM, people were already lined up in front of the store!! :-O At L'Occitane, order tickets are handed out to avoid confusion. The tickets are handed out at 10AM which is the hour before the opening (11AM). So I lined and waited for 2 hours to get the ticket!! X-( It was very cold waiting outside. I had a chat with the person who was lining in front of me. She said she couldn't buy the L'Occitane Lucky Bag yesterday, so she came to revenge!! But she said it's worth lining up to buy it.

This is what I got from my Lucky Bag!! :-D

(Sorry, the picture is not clear enough. :-( )

The Lucky Bag was 10500 yen. But if you buy all these items at a proper price, it worths about 30000 yen in total!! I recommend to buy this LB. ;-)

After I got the ticket at L'Occitane, I went to Mitsukoshi, Matsuya and Printemps Ginza. All department stores were so crowded!!!!! :-( OMG, how many times have I bumped into people!! Many TV station reporters came to interview and take the scenery of the LB battle, since Ginza is the battle fields of LB's!!! ;-) lol Of course, all the LB's of my favorite fashion brands were sold out. I'd better go earlier in the morning to get them next year. I wonder since when had the first person in line had lined up....Hmmm... had they stayed up all night in the cold???

Instead, I bought clothes for myself since a big winter sale was held at each department stores!!! :-D I got what I wanted at a reasonable price!!! Lucky me!! X-9

After that, I went to Nihonbashi with my parents. I stopped by at Maruzen Nihonbashi because I had to buy a book for my English Literature exam. I bought 【Mrs. Dalloway】 written by Virginia Woolf. It looks difficult.... I'll try my best to read... Also, I bought a weekly music magazine. :-) lol

After Maruzen, I helped my mum to buy foodstuff at Mitsukoshi. We bought LB's of foods and convenience goods there!!! My mum also bought clothes for herself too.

By the time I got home, I was so tired that I fell asleep after dinner and a bath.

Boy, have I shopped alot!!! But I love it!! X-D

I hope good luck would come this year since I got good things at a reasonable price!!☆★

† Welcome 2009!! :-D †

Hey guys!! Happy New Year!! :-D

Well, I'm not supposed to celebrate New Years Day because I'm in mourning... My grandfather passed away last year. I might as well spend the day as usual... So I can't send New Years Greeting Cards.. I'm very sorry who sent me one. :-(

But I'd like to say that I'm very happy to have relations with all my family, friends and seniors at SB. I'd also like to say a very big "Thank You" for being kind and helpful to me. I had a lot of fun last year and I hope I'll have more fun with you guys this year!! I wish everyone will have a wonderful year!! :-D

I've posted a New Years Greeting Movie from one of my favorite animations, "Shaman King"!! X-9 PLZ check it out!!

【Shaman King~New Years Greeting~】

With all the best wishes and love from Liz. ;-)