For all you sad late-comers, I think you may have missed the best cupcakes {but, not to worry - they were delicious }

Eve - thanks for the welcome! So you are the owner of the famous {infamous?} George? How delightful! *shakes hands* Ah, the work of dragon writing, I'm sure it must be so very exhausting indeed . Actually, come to think of it, I've *never* written about a dragon {well, except once in lame short story that really doesn't count}... how odd!

My interests, you ask? Well, I enjoy drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, piano {to an extent}, horseback riding {which I've only done for six months back a few years ago, but it was amazing}, writing short stories and poetry and novels-in-progress, making jewelry {or really most crafty stuff}, acting {never done much of it though}, washing dishes {I might as well, since I've been doing it over a thousand hours in the past three point five years}, watching LotR {Note: I'm not a total fan of Arwen, especially as played by Liv Tyler, but I *love* the name "Evenstar"/"Undomiel" so I delightedly snatched it for myself}, reading, schoolwork *gasp*, writing essays and academic works, traveling {only with movies-on-demand }... and that's all I can think of for now! What about you?

Miri ~ you make my heart sing!! Thanks for allowing the use of your new nickname!

eru ~ Aw, thanks for the pie! *nibbles daintily and gobbles it up as soon as no one's looking* & for the welcome, too!

You are so cute, Estar! XD *bear hugs*

Oh! Oh! Crafting! Yay! Crafting is my occupation when I'm not writing. Do you paper-craft? I'm primarily a card-crafter. I also love crochet and knitting (crochet more ), and I'm just learning to weave. I can spin, too. Well, sorta...

Acting! Do you screenwrite? I'm a screenwriter, as much as I am a novel-writer.

Philli, you knit and crochet and weave??!! Wow! I can hand-knit {it's all the rage among elementary school girls in Japan, for some reason}, but that limits me to scarves. Speaking of Japanese schoolgirls, I can also ride the stilts {another popular activity in Japan - and potentially helpful experience in future missionary or writing activities, perhaps?} and putter around on the unicycle {yet again, popular in Japan. Don't ask me why }. I used to own my own stilts that had bells on the top. And my sister can ride the unicycle *much* better than I can . I've tried normal knitting and crocheting a few years ago, but basically forgot everything .

And no, sadly, I'm not much of a screenwriter. The only plays I've written were for school assignments on Pilgrims, where I used like half a page for describing the set ! Very, umm, *inn~teresting*. Oh, and in third grade I wrote a ten-page handwritten play on Pocahontas. It was my masterpiece .

Miri! *swan hugs back* Thanks a million!

I keep reading this thread and my smile is lighting bigger and bigger. Hehe. You look like you have settled in already Dawn!

I love horse riding but since falling off I haven't had the nerve to really get back into it again, however my sister wants to be a Parelli Instructor and Mum and Dad have promised her her own horse, so she says she will teach me kindly, I am looking forward to that! At the moment she just loans one.

Are you, perchance, an MK from Japan?

eru

Lady Elanor - Thanks! It was my express intent to extract profound smiles from everyone reading this thread . And nice, your sister does horseback riding? Sounds so splendid. And - *gasp* - no way! A real live *horse*??!!



Former MK from Japan, eru. Lived there my first twelve years, and yes, I speak Japanese. But I've been back to visit several times since, and a large part of my heart is still there :NoSmilieThatProperlyConveysThisEmotionOfBittersweetJoy: . I'm still an MK and still in Asia, though .

~ Dawn

*blubbers dramatically * I can't believe I missed so much talk about Japan and welcome, and food, and- *sighs * Welcome again, Dawn. *trudges away glumly *

Aw, Airi, don't cry!! *hands some onigiri {rice balls}, cupcakes, apple pie {just baked = really delish!}, and plenty of glitter* You are one of the main sources of loveliness and welcome on the forum, really, and this thread wouldn't be complete without you . So don't be glum!

*brightens * I really shouldn't... *gives up the fight and gobbles food with a big grin on her face * I suddenly feel much better. Maybe it is my very full tummy *pats torso for effect * You know, my Daddy always said the way to his heart was through his stomach... *bad visual *

So I take it you do not eat raw fish sushi *almost gags at the thought of raw fish sushi *

*Random side note: we just broke four pages!! Yessss!! : DiesReallyHappy : *

ooh...bad visual indeed, Airi

I used to eat sashimi (the raw fish sushi), but I've been vegetarian since I was 14, after I left Japan, so now you're right I don't. It's not that bad, I assure you! Haven't you ever had raw smoked salmon on salad? It's delish! Now you know, there's also this kind of sushi where you eat a 2-inch-long poisonous wasp. Never tried it myself, though... wonder why... .

I'm a visual person, and I give everyone else a hard time for giving me bad mental images... I did that one to myself...

*smiles ruefully * I’ve lived in Japan, so I’ve eaten it. I did not like it. Sushi is good, just not when it has raw meat in it

True, true *twoo, twoo*

Y'know, I never actually loved the raw fish stuff myself either. It's not bad but it's not nearly as good as, say, raw fish eggs. Haha. Made you grossed out . My favorite is probably just the sweet eggs on sushi, or the sushi wrapped in salty bean curd. {people, if you have no idea what we're talking about, go to a Japanese restaurant tonight}

So, Airi, how long were ya in Japan? And where were you living?

*laughs * I knew exactly what you were talking about! I could even picture it!

2 years. Okinawa Japan, a little Island off the mainland. Okinawa was America's gift to the Japanese after WWII.

*would love the visit Japan* Tokyo has 1/4 the crime of NYC, y'know.

It's an old saying. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

*forgot Airi has been all over the place, but should have known better*

eru

You mean... *gasp* You would eat maple syrup plain too!?

Airi ~ Okinawa, y'say? Awesome! Several of my parent's close ministry partners from when I was little live there now. But when you said Okinawa was "America's gift"... sorry, but I get a really *kimochiwarui* feeling {that translates to approximately queasy-strange}. Because...well honestly it didn't belong to the US in the first place. But anyhoo, that aside, Okinawa is an amazing place and has got the most delicious purple satsumaimo (yam type potatoes)

Philli ~ Tokyo may have 1/4 the crime of NYC, perhaps... but it certainly has its own "besetting sins." Still, setting those aside, it's a dearly beloved amazing place. Watch out for earthquakes though. They get those there a lot. But some of my dearest friends in the world live in Tokyo .

Shawn ~ I know you were gasping at Airi with the maple syrup thing, but might I say, it's pretty fabulous just plain. If it's real syrup. But it tastes the most amazingly unbelievable in real maple syrup candies. Ah, divine!

@Andrew: *smiles * What?! I'm starting to lose my shock factor? Noooo!!!

@Dawn: *chuckles * I know it didn't “technically” belong to America, but it didn't belong to Japan, either. It was originally of Chinese decent.

I actually attended a Japanese school while I was there (unheard of, for a Military Brat) because the Japanese missionaries who ran the school could speak English. The teachers couldn't, but I learned fast. I’ve always been a sink or swim person. The inability to communicate with anyone (don’t laugh you guys) fueled my desire to learn the language. I picked it up in a couple weeks, and began translating for my parents whenever we were off base.

The food is amazing, and Sushi is such a small part of the food culture.

One of the highlights of my stay (scuba diving aside) was being a Makio (don’t wiki this, because you will be very uniformed about what a Geisha dancer is) in the Geisha festivals. I performed three times (fully decked out in amazing kimonos) and participated in “the games”. My Daddy and I won the three legged race, by the way, which as I was told was quite amusing to watch.

*dreamy eyes* I just love hearing about Japan. I would really enjoy learning to speak it, but writing the kanji would be a challenge, I think.


Oyasuminasai (goodnight)!

~Calen

P.S. Yes, I looked up "goodnight" because I didn't think konbanwa (which I knew before) was the correct term to use. Which I was right.

Airi ~ wow, girl, that is one unique experience!! Must've been quite amazing, aye? I went to an all-Japanese preschool & kindergarten (youchien), where no one spoke any English except "ha-lo," even the teachers. So I definitely picked up the language pretty quick too . Plus, there was only one other Christian in the whole school of 150+ kids. Ah, the good ole days...

Miri ~ ah, I share your delight entirely. My dad's going next week for a relief trip. In many ways, I wish I could go with him... And thanks for the oyasuminasai! Great usage.

Sayonara! さようなら。

~ Dawn

Hahaha, thanks, I try. ^^;; As a kid, I always thought sayonara was was a slang term for goodbye, until I learned it was Japanese. XD

*laughs *

Airi: You SCUBA dive?

My parents are both certified scuba divers, and have done lots of it. There was one point in our lives where we were going to live on a boat and train scuba divers. But no, I'm not certified. I got to "play" at scuba diving as a kid, but I got to watch my parents and help harvest what they would bring back. I intend to get certified though. It would come in handy for underwater caves.

That's cool. I'm planning on getting my license this summer at the nearest dive center.

Living on a boat training divers sounds like a pretty good life to me. Underwater caves, that would be quite an adventure.

Perhaps I'll make a topic in GD on adventures, extreme sports, and what people do or want to do.

In case I haven't already said this, welcome to Holy Worlds!

*tries not to veer off topic * I'd love that, Varon.

Asian culture is one of the many foreign essences that intrigues me, particularly Japan. I have a fan hand-painted with calligraphy made and purchased in Japan, as well as some postcards. The fan is one of my prized possessions - a fan is just one of those singularly beautiful lady accessories. And the postcards are gorgeous. *should send one to Airi* I have some other knickknacks from China and Hong Kong... including this amazing plastic bill from Hong Kong. It's the weirdest thing. Asian art is one of my little collections. Do either of you have any trinkets from your days in Japan?

Varon ~ Thanks for the welcome! Scuba diving does sound quite exciting, doesn't it? Sorry, Airi, but I don't think I'd be all too keen for underwater cave scuba-diving ...

Philli ~ Aw, that fan sounds lovely. I've always loved fans myself (pun totally intended) . For me, I don't so much have "trinkets" from Japan, since most of my normal ordinary stuff is from Japan, or one of the places around the world I've lived! I value sentimental stuff more than just trinkets. It's best when you can get both for the price of one .

Yeah, SCUBA is pretty exciting.

You're welcome for the welcome.

Cave Scuba is very dangerous. It takes great skill and focus. Certainly not something for everyone.

@Philli: I do, yes, although some of our things we got rid of after salvation, due to the fact that they were temple gods and so forth.

Firstly, I too have a beautiful fan that we display on a stand. The fans are so lovely! My mom also has one of the beautiful blue china tea sets used in Japan.

When we came back to the states I brought some Japanese currency with me that now accompany the rest of my coin collection.

Unbeknownst to most of you, I have always collected music boxes and music figurines since I was 3 (my parents started the tradition). So one of the things that were gifted to me during my stay in Japan was a lovely musical figurine. It was very Japanese in style. A geisha girl is performing her dance, fan open, and the tinkling music plays as she spins on her platform. It's beautiful, and one of my favorite possessions.

But my favorite piece is very special to me personally. I was well loved at my school by the Japanese children. For my birthday they all created a collage of Japanese drawings and origami which they presented to me. It was beautiful. I love it for the simplistic beauty of it, but also for its sentimental value.

We have some other things, but those are the most noteworthy.

That all sounds lovely! Alas, my international travels have been limited to a day trip into Canada, but I treasure the gifts family members have brought back from their trips abroad. I've thought about getting a stand for my fan, but right now I have some display shelves with a slot for standing plates. The fan rests nicely in that.

Do you have any fans, Evenstar?

I have only traveled around the United State, mainly on the west side. My grandpa has brought me and my brother back souvenirs from his world travels though.

I have one fan, but I think it's Chinese. I got it from my great-aunt's house after she passed away. I really think it'd be fun to learn fan language!

Confession: I read this and my first thought was: fans = ardent and passionate supporters of my writing . Well, I wish . But in terms of actual fluttery fans, yes, I've got a couple. One's a dark purple very large paper fan with gold leaf design; another was a handmade one I watercolored one year at camp (in Japan); and yet another is a lovely pink cloth fan with cherry blossom print.

But in general, for keepsakes, I prefer small stones or pressed leaves and flowers, or perhaps jewelry that I would use more frequently . I also have a bookmark collection with bookmarks from at least 15-20 different countries. The bookmarks are made out of anything from papyrus from Egypt to woven cloth from Turkey to Chinese watercolor from Singapore to beads from Germany to leather from Gettysburg printed with the entire Gettysburg Address. Quite a fascinating pastime!

*hugs* I'll be your fan! I have yet to read your writings though. ^^;;

I think it'd be fun to make a handmade fan. I've only made the really elementary kind from computer paper folded accordion style. *sheepish grin*

I think it is cool to have one thing that you specifically collect when traveling abroad, like your bookmarks, Dawn. It shows where you've been.

I agree! That sounds like a fascinating collection! I seem to amass a ton of bookmarks without trying, but they're just cute or fun, not from anywhere epic. The nice thing about a bookmark collection is that it is useful and doesn't take up a lot of space.

Haha! Maybe I should have specified on the "fan" thing. Methinks, if you post some of your writing here, you'll end up with some bloodthirsty little fans...

Or hounds.

Yes, it is very fun to collect bookmarks. But they don't necessarily show where I've been - my grandma, a world traveler, has sent me at least a fourth of them (for example, I've *sigh* never been to Europe or the Mediterranean. Maybe someday!)

Ooh, bloodthirsty fans/hounds? Sounds pretty sweet!

~ Dawn

Just don't ask me about the bloodthirsty hounds Bad experiences.... *glares at Shawn and Elanhil and whoever else hounded me*

eru

Yes! *high-fives* First person I know who does such a thing!

My Dad travels sometimes for work, and he'll bring back things like purses, shirts, binoculars (for my brother), and generally cool things he finds... I'm unable to think of any really specific ones at the moment... Sometimes he brings back Turkish Delight, though.

eru ~ I'll reminisce someday about those hounds, I'm sure

Shawn ~ yippee for maple syrup! *high-fives back* Turkish Delight? For some reason I never quite cared for it myself... it sounded so exotic, but I thought it tasted rather nasty . Ah, well.

Please tell me I was not the only kid who envisioned Turkish Delight being chocolate when they first read LWW. Then I got the recipe to make it... Totally texture revolt! (for those who don't know, I have food texture dislikes...)

Oh, Airi

I don't believe I ever thought it was chocolate, but I did think it would be better than it was!

I love texture Haven't ever had Turkish Delight, but then I've never run up against much I dislike, so it would be interesting to try

eru

Yick! *grimace *

Wait, wait, wait- I didn't say I didn't like texture. I'm just very sensitive to it. There are some food I absolutely love because of their texture.

I like all textures - especially when they're mixed together; like coconut, rice, and chicken. Or like coconut milk and bananas - that is very good

Evenstar, what foods do you like?

eru

....EWWWW!!! eru, that post is officially labeled disgusting. I dislike many foods: bananas, cheese {as I've mentioned *several* times}... and meat. I'm vegetarian

But foods I do like, well, I've mentioned several over this thread...JAPANESE FOOD!!!!! *likelikelikelikelike!!* As well as maple syrup candy, frozen corn, onigiri {rice balls} and so forth. Just not that wasp sushi.