I fear I may never....

...get around to actually posting the details of our honeymoon, so I am going to posts links to our photos first, in the hope that one day I will find the time to document our travels.

To check out all the photos from Vienna, click here!
And for a look at Prague, chick here!

The photo above is taken from the stairs up to Prague castle, where we had the most magic views of the city and Charlse Bridge.

Wedding Photos in Full!

Finally, I have figured out how to use Flickr! I even managed to post a flickr badge on my blog! Still yet to fill in decriptions of the photos, but at least they are up there! There are three albums so far. The first is the long awaited wedding album.

Click here to view. These photos were taken by my dear old friend Richard, who kindly agreed to take photos on the day with my camera. He did a fabulous job and we are really happy with the photos! I am yet to upload the hundred or so photos that my brother-in-law and other friends have given us. That may be a job for a long weekend!

Stay Tuned...

Long time no posts...But I have a good excuse! Today is day 8 of our honeymoon adventures in Vienna and Prague. Tomorrow morning we fly out of Prague, after spending four days here, back to Vienna. We already spent 4 days in Vienna at the start of our trip, and are heading back tomorrow morning to spend one more night there, before we head home to Tokes. We have taken more than 2000 photos and walked for miles and miles exploring the streets of these two beautiful cities. It truely has been an amazing adventure, and I cant wait to share the details and photos with you all when we get back. For now, I will share two photos of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. This was one of the highlights of our time in Wein. We toured the palace and stood in the same room where Mozart performed at the tender age of 6 years old! Below is a picture of the grand ballroom. To stand in this room is breathtaking and the photos just dont do it justice. Check back in about a week, and I should have the full story for you!

The Perfect Day!

Hellllloooo! Sorry for the delay in posting! I put up the photos first last night as I knew that there were a few people hanging out for a glimpse at our big day!
Let me start with a recap of the day. It was about 17 degrees on Saturday March 29th and the sun was shining; not a cloud in the sky! It was like someone up there was smiling down at us, cos we couldnt have asked for more perfect weather!
We got up early at Koiwa House that morning. The family were all staying at a hotel minutes down the road, so we were free to get ready. We had to pick up the rental car at 9am, and be on the road by 10:30am. I had laid out all the things to take to the chapel and reception venue the night before, so it was just a matter of checking them off my list when we put them in bags and into the car. We left the house on time, picked up the family at the hotel and headed to the chapel. We had to be there by 12 noon, so that I could have make-up and hair done as well as be dressed in my wedding gown. It turned out that the chapel/studio were short on staff that day, and I had to do my make up myself, while the girl did my hair. At first I was really annoyed about it, but then after I got my false eyelashes glued on I was relieved that I was doing it myself. It would have been a nightmare if they screwed up my make-up, so it all worked out for the best! I was happy with the hair, the make-up and my dress. The shoes were too high and a little painful, but I made it through the ceremony in them, and changed into flats for the party. No one could see my feet anyway! So, no stress there!
Nemo was also dressed in his rental tux, and when we first saw eachother it was then the photo studio doors opened. He looked so smart in his tux! We had professional studio photos from 1pm, and the dress rehersal from 1:30. First we had two poses with just us, and then we had both our parents in with us, then all 12 people from both sides of the family in with us. The girls (my sister's two) were flower girls and just looked so adorable in their dresses! We had professional studio photos from 1pm, and the dress rehersal from 1:30. But we were running a little late, which was just as well as we found out later that the trains were delayed and some of our guests were running late too. We started the ceremony shortly after 2pm. And all the guests were there! It was perfect timing!
The priest, Father Suzuki, was an old Japanese priest, who spoke English and Japanese and did the ceremony in both languages. When he spoke in Japanese, he had a sing-songy preachy voice, which made us all smerk and giggle! My neices were in stiches in the front row listening to him chant away. It made for a fun ceremony, and will certainly be something we all remember!
After the ceremony, we had the reception at a restaurant nearby, and the food was great, even thought Nemo and I were too busy talking to guests to be able to have a proper meal. But everyone there said how great the food was, so it made us happy!
We hovered around talking to friends and family and constantly being snapped in photos. By the time 6:30pm rolled around and the end of the party, we were both ready to head home and after being laced up in my dress for 5 hours, I couldnt wait to get it off. Turned out that we only had less than an hour to change, get back in the car, head to the ward office and submit our marriage papers before 9pm when the after-hours clerk service closed. So, Nemo unlaced my dress and helped me de-gown in the lobby and we threw on clothes and raced back out again and submitted our forms. not eactly a romantic de-gowning, but one we will certainly remember!!! From Saturday night until Monday, Nemo referred to me as his temporary wife as we were to wait for a phone call from the Ward Office to confirm that all the paperwork had been processed without any issues before we were official husband and wife. Turns out that we had to submit another form on Monday, but the offical date of marriage was still dated with Saturday's date so no problems there.
The whole day just worked out perfectly and everything fell into place! Like I said it was almost like someone up above was watching over us the whole weekend and helping things go smoothly! We truely were blessed with beautiful weather, great friends and family from near and far to share the day with, no glitches with the cermony or party, or the submission of forms! It truely was a perfect day!

What a Crazy Life!!

It has been a long time in between posts. These last 5 weeks it has just been non-stop at work with project upon project coming in, and I have been completely snowed under. I dont think I have managed to get out of the office before 10pm, and most nights it has been a race for the last train or a long taxi ride home in the wee hours of the morning, only to get up at the crack of dawn and do it all over again. The weekends too have been focused on the job, making it hard to tie-up all those loose ends for the wedding.
Speaking of wedding, we are a week out tomorrow! And I still cant believe it! Basically, because I have had so little time to focus on it! I still need to do a few things on my list, and have friends arriving from next Monday and family arriving on the Thursday. The good news is that I will be off work from the Wednesday, so will have one full day to clean the house before the family arrives, get my nails done for the wedding, and collect the necessary paperwork from the ward office to submit our marriage forms on Saturday next week!
My mum asked me if I was looking forward to the wedding, and it got me wondering...I am looking forward to getting married and being Mrs. Nemo, but in all honesty the wedding itself is a bit of a worry. I feel so unorganized and havent been able to focus on it, that I am afraid it will be an organizational mess.
We only have this weekend to tie-up those loose ends, and I still need to think about logistics and detailed itinerary for the family's visit.
Brenda arrives Monday and will be staying with us till Thursday morning. Nemo wont be able to take any time off work sadly, so he will only have the wedding weekend with my family.
I am looking forward to seeing them and it will be so great to have my parents finally see Japan.
I dont know how often I will be able to post in the next week, but I will be sure to share the photos once it is all over!

The Wedding Planner!

This last week, plans for the wedding, reception and honeymoon have really been prgressing. It is 6 weeks until the wedding and on the weekend, my dress arrived!!! It is so beautiful, and I am really happy with it. It fits well, and looks lovely! I cant show you the full picture, but here is a little peak!
It has beading over the bodice, short sleeves and train, as well as running down the center of the gown. Here are a few snapshots to give you a sneak peak!
Below is the bodice...

The train...

And the little sleeve...


We have also booked our flights for the honeymoon. As well as the hotels for Vienna and Prague. In Vienna we are staying at a place called The Veinnart, which is a little four-star boutique hotel, in the inner city of Vienna. With the value of the Euro right now, even this cute little four star hotel is going to cost us about AUD850 for three nights accomodation. But, on the bright side, the hotel is offering a special deal called "In Love in Vienna" and includes breakfasts, a 72-hrs-Vienna Card: valid for unlimited free travel by underground, bus and tram for 72 hours as well as numerous benefits and reductions at 210 museums and sights, theatres, concerts, shops, restaurants, cafés and taverns. Dinner for two at the Restaurant Halle by Motto, Massage-oil and bath-salt or rose-petal bath and bath-oil in the room, all day coffee and juices for free in the hotel lobby, plus a city map, information and recommendations for your romantic stay in Vienna at check-in! I thought it was a pretty good deal.
In Prague, we are staying in a suite apartment called Residence Mala Strana, which is also in a great location. Four nights for again another AUD850, but this breakfasts, and the room has a little kitchenette, where we can cook ourselves if we want to stay in. Our last night in Vienna on the way back after Prague, we have decided to splurge a little and are currently looking for a reasonable 5-star hotel to end the honeymoon in absolute style!
I have been reading my lonely planets on Prague and Vienna in the train to and from work each day, reading up about the sights and gourmet delights. I am getting so excited about it all!
I cant believe I am going to be married in 6 weeks! I realized how close it was when I went to the Australian Embassy last Thursday to get some of the necessary paperwork to submit our marriage forms at the ward office. There is a fair bit of paperwork involved and a lot of running around to do, for those of you who are thinking of getting married in Japan.
Anyway, with all this planning going on, it is really starting to hit me (in a good way!) that I will be Mrs. Nemo in just over a month. Wooooh Hooo!!! I am getting so excited!

Emerging from the Craziness...

It has been so long since I have posted... I dont know where to start.
Firstly, Happy New Year to all. I hope this year is a good one for everyone. For Nemo and I, it looks set to be a busy and exciting year. Nemo started at his new job on January 4, and has already been trecking around Korea on a business trip for 4 days in his 3rd week on the job. As for my work front, we welcomed a new general manager for the Japan office the first day back in January, and well... let me just say things are certainly different and interesting, with Gramps on board. I call him Gramps because well, he is... I reckon he must be close to 65 if not more. He is an American but has lived in Japan for 30 years. I think he has a good heart and is a good person deep down, but I have serious doubts about what he can contribute to the company and a small office like ours with only 12 people in it now. Work has been so busy this first month back, and I havent been getting out of the office till rather late, sometimes 10 or 10:30pm. It means that by the time I get home it is 11:30 or so, and it is really getting to me. There have been days when I have seriously considering quitting the job, looking for something less demanding, less hours, and closer to home, or best working from home. But I am not quite ready to go freelance, especially with the wedding on the way, and Nemo just starting out at his new job.
Anyway, enough about work... let me fill you in on the wedding. We have sent out the invitations, and got most of the rsvps back. It looks like we will have about 30 people there, which will be lovely and intimate... just how we planned. We have chosen the flights for our honeymoon, and I will be booking them tomorrow. We are flying Austrian Airlines from Narita to Vienna, Vienna to Prague, before flying back to Vienna and on to Narita. The ticket includes domestic flights as well, and will set us back about AUD 1,800 per person. We will be gone for about 9 nights 10 days, and a honeymoon is about the only time in life when you can get far away and take a long break from work, so we thought lets just do it!!
Other wedding preparations are coming along, and my dress is currently in transit making its way to me. Our wedding rings have also been made and are ready for pick up, and we are set to meet with the chapel and reception venue in 2 weeks time to decide on the finer details of flowers and menu, etc.
We were supposed to do that today, but it snowed like crazy in the Big City today. I think we must have got between 5-7 cms of snow out here. We decided to stay in and postpone it till later in the month. These shots are taking from our 3rd floor balconies.





It is pretty to look out at but it is a pain in the butt to try and get around in. Tokyo isnt used to snow and so when it gets like this, the trains and buses get deleyed or cancels, and there are so many accidents on the roads. Today some 120 people were injured and taken to hospital, because they slipped and fell in the snow. They say that tomorrow will be worse, as the snow starts to melt and turns to slippery ice. Not looking forward to the commute to work tomorrow morning.
Back in early Janaury, I wrote a blog post in email, thinking that I would post it when I had time. This was back in the first week of Janaury and I am just getting to it now. This is what I wrote about my trip back home at Christmas...
My vacation just flew by! I left Japan on the 20th of December, arrived in Brisbane on the 21st and from then it was just non-stop! I went shopping and running errands everyday practically. I picked up my drivers license history so that I can transfer my Aussie license over to a Japanese drivers license, bought shoes, bridal underwear and a handbag for the wedding, bought the material to make the wedding invitations, made the invitations, bought flowergirl dresses for my two neices, braved the Boxing Day sales with my sister, and had many a delicious meal with the family. I also managed to catch up with my Aunt M, an old friend Joey and met her beautiful daughter Alice, and caught up with Cath B on the phone. It was great to hear everyone's news and see the family. But I did miss my Nemo while I was away. He came to pick me up from the airport on the 31st night, and he had sold the old (month old!) BMW coupe for a new BMW 750 series. Very nice car, but I just cant keep up with him when it comes to cars and gadgets!! We ate dinner on the way home and caught up with all the news.
On the 1st, we spent most of the day with Nemo's mum downstairs. She had made her ozoni soup dish, a tradiational soup that Japanese families have at the begining of each year and we nibbled on yummy treats while we sat under the kotatsu and chatted. On the 2nd, we headed over to Aunt and Uncle's place for a New Year meal. Nemo and Oji-san talked about cars, audio and the latest technology, while Oka-san, Oba-san and I served dinner and talked about random things like TV, work, the wedding, and food. It was a nice day, but I was glad to get home. I still hadnt unpacked and I had a lot to do at home. The 3rd was spent at home washing, unpacking and getting organised. Nemo started his new job on the 4th, and his winter work coat was still in a box in the spare room. He ironed his suit pants and packed his new leather work briefcase that I had bought him in Australia. I think he was looking forward to starting the new job, but also feeling a little aprehensive at the same time. It all seemed to go well though on his first day. It was mainly orientation, but they told him he would be heading to Korea at the end of this month for a 4-day work trip. On Friday last week, while Nemo was at work, I posted the wedding invitations, got a new mobile phone, and did some shopping for dinner, cleaned and vacummed the house, and packed away the Christmas tree. It felt good to have a lovely clean home, have dinner ready when Nemo got home, and I thought for a moment that I could quite easily get used to the idea of being a full-time houswife! But then I dont think I would like the idea of not being financially independant and having to ask hubby for grocery money each week. So today I am back at the office and feeling a little blah about being back at work. The holidays flew by way too soon.
So now that we are in early Feb, the schedule doesnt seem to be settling down, and we are still trying to catch up with people we havent seen in the new year yet. LAst month, we managed to catch up with James and Kyal at a bbq Kyal threw at his place, and I had dinner the week before with the fellas. Then last week Nemo and I had dinner with Richard and Haruyo, which was lovely. All these mates are invited to the wedding, and are all good friends of ours in Tokyo. We are yet to see a number of other buddies like Saxon, and Lisa and Momo, and Jun-chan. But we hope to catch up before the wedding sometime. This last weekend, we had Oji-san, Ob-san and Oka-san over for dinner last night. It was the first time for them to havea proper meal at our house, and it was a lovely night. Tonight we went down to Nemo's mum's place aand had dinner there. We took down some of the leftovers from the night before, we jsut had so much food left over it was insane!
All in all, a lovely yet busy weekend. I feel like I need another day at least to relax. Especially after working such long and late hours last week. Lets hope this coming week is a little less crazy, and more balanced.
I hope to be able to posts more regularly. The longer I left not posted the harder it was to try and catch up on all the news. But now it is up here! I finally did it! My first post for 2008, and it is already February 3! That is rather shamefull. So mnay friends have told me about how they check in and still no posts...
I guess with work, the new boss, Nemo's new job, the wedding plans and just being that busy time in the new year, the blog was so easy to let go... Please check back soon, for some more not-so-exciting adventures of Nooh Girl and Nemo in Tokyo!
XXX

Summer Christmas Ahead

This is likely to be my last post for the year from the Big City, Tokes! This time tomorrow I will be in the Southern Hemisphere, lapping up the sun and warmth surrounded by family, catching up with old friends and enjoying some Christmas cheer! This year Nemo wont be coming with me for Christmas, so despite being excited to see the family and a few old friends in Brissie, I will be missing my boy back home at the Koiwa House. I will be in Brisbane for 10 days, back in the Big City before the clock strikes midnight for the end of the year. My trip back to Brisbane will be somewhat of a whirlwind trip I expect, with a lot of running around doing preparations for the wedding. Little things like making the wedding invitations, buying bridal underwear, shoes for the wedding, picking out patterns and fabric for the flower girl dresses, and looking at wedding rings, etc. Also, I need to apply for my drivers license history so I can get a Japanese drivers license in the New Year, as well as picking up some new clothes and the old favorites like face creams and other toiletries that we like. Nemo will only use Rexona deoderant, and so each trip home he has me pick up cans of Men's Rexona, not to mention stocking up on cold and flu tablets and panadol, etc.
Last night, apart from packing my carry-on luggage, I wrapped Nemo's Christmas presents and put them under the tree. Jsut a few items that I know he needs. Something to open on Christmas. And a lovely little card. It will be lonely for him in the big Koiwa House all alone. At least he has his family downstairs. I ordered a Christmas Cake for him and his mum to share on Christmas Day too.
At least we will have skype and mail and of course there is the telephone. But I am sure my 10 days will go a lot quicker than his 10 days. He is coing to pick me up at the airport when I return to Japan. Our New Year will be spent with his mum and visiting relatives. I also hope to do some end-of-year cleaning and organising at Koiwa House to start the new year off with a clean slate so to speak. I dont start back at work till January 7th, so will have a week to get into the swing of things.
This Christmas our family will all get together at the B's house. It will be nice to spend my first Christmas in 2 years with family and the little ones. Having kids around at Christmas makes it even more exciting! All that pretending about Santa and his raindeers makes you almost believe again for a split second. And it is the best Christmas present to see their little faces on Christmas morning! I wonder now that Bella is at school how long that will last? I hope for a few more years yet! She will be in grade two next year, so her classmates with older siblings may have already caught on to the secret of Santa and his elves.
My suitcase is filled three quarters full of gifts and munchies. My family love rice crackers and I bought a few extra little things to give to friends. Not to mention the stack of stuff for the girls. Lots of little things from Nooh and Nemo. Nemo even gave me $5 each to give the girls. He had saved the two bills from our last trip to Australia. We also went to the disney store and he got some cute candy Christmas ornaments for the girls to hang on the tree. One in the shape of a Christmas tree, the other the shape of Micky's head.
I hope to take lots of photos while I am away and post them on the blog every few days. So stay tuned folks!

Elf Yourself!

Today Riss sent me this cool link of her dancing in an elf's costume. It was so cool, I had to try it out for myself. So, this is Nemo and I doing our own little Christmas jig! Click here to see us!


No soon after I sent it out I got a mail from my sister with my two neices doing the same little elf dance! I guess she thought it was pretty cool too, coz she sent it out to almost everyone we know! The girls do look very cute though! Much cuter than Mr. Nemo and me, that's for sure!
For those of you who also want to try it out, check out this site.

Better Late Than Never

On Saturday night, we finally put up the Christmas tree. It is a bit late, but there is a story behind that. Apparently, I threw out a bag thtq contained the stand to Nemo's tree. We have the box with the rest of it in there, and when I went to set it up three weeks ago, I discovered that the stand wasnt in there. When I asked Nemo where it was, he told me it was in a bag that contained the decorations, some of which he has had since he was a chld. I looked at him in disbelief and shock when he said that, as I vaguely recalled throwing out a plastic bag that looked like rubish but kind of jingled, amidst cleaning out his spare room cupboard. I know it is no excuse and I feel terrible about throwing away his ornaments from when he was a kid. Nothing will replace them, and all the sorrys in the world wont bring them back now. I have learnt a good lesson. Dont assume that Nemo keeps things stored in the normal places or all parts together in one place. Chances are everything is all mixed up and stored in many places, in a Nemo style logic. I now know to check everything over with a fine-toothed comb before I do anything with it. After I told him that I think I threw out the bag, you could tell he was angry, and he said to me "Nooh. dont go throwing things away like that! I had ornaments in there from when I was a kid, you know!" And as soon as I heard that, I started to cry as I knew I couldnt replace them, and I felt so bad. So, on the weekend when I bought a new christmas tree and decorated it, there was a slight air of tension in the air that was almost detectable. An unspoken sense that things werent right between us and the tree. The atmosphere was filled with my guilt and Nemo's anger. Even though the tree looks so pretty, I cant look at it without feeling lousy.

Wedding Hair Pins

On Saturday, Nemo and I went to do some Christmas shopping and we headed to a nearby mall in Kinshi-cho. The first time we went there, I had spotted some hair pins that I thought would be nice for the wedding, and Nemo promised to buy them for me for my birthday, so when we decided to go shopping this weekend, he suggested that we head back to the same mall and he would get me the hair accessories. He also bought me another large hair clasp, with lots of bling bling on it. It is one that you twist in your hair and then poke through to make a french-roll type bun. I am yet to work out how to put it in properly, but when the girl at the store showed me it looked really easy. Will need to practise putting it in myself. Anyway, I am delighted with my belated birthday gift from Nemo. And it makes it even more special that he bought me my hair accessories for our wedding.