Cutie Hello Kitty

I'm trying to be a good girl (trying to control my impulse buying urge), so I did not buy much at Duty Free Kansai when I left for Singapore last Wednesday.  Anyway, I found some cutie hello kitty items while I was walking around, so I bought these items for me :).  I told you, hello kitty is something that is too hard for me to resist buying.

Hello Kitty Lover

If you know me well, you know I love hello kitty more than anything. To those who don't know me, now you know why I have a touch of hello kitty in my blog :).

Happy to be a hello kitty lover :)

Hello Kitty (Haro Kiti in Japanese) is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. Hello kitty character is a staple of the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Originally aimed at pre-adolescent female, Hello Kitty's market has broadened to include grown up consumers. She can be found on a variety of products ranging from school supplies to fashion accessories and high-end consumer products (source: Wikipanion).

Hello kitty is just so "kawaii" (cute) and it's something that is too hard for me to resist buying :).


My wall clock. I bought this wall clock puzzle and assembled it in 2000 (while I was on business trip here in Japan). Now 12 years with me and it's still up and running.

I bought these stuff toys for my girls, but they are not that fond of hello kitty (just trying to justify why I bought these stuff toys, hehehe).

Japanese wedding

Hello kitty kids

Happy family :))

Some of my hello kitty stuffs.

My alarm clock

Make up kit and other accessories

Bathroom stuff

Kitchen stuff

  

My Kokeshi Dolls

Kokeshi are Japanese dolls, originally from northern Japan.  They are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face. The body has a floral design painted in red, black, and sometimes yellow, and covered with a layer of wax. One characteristic of kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms or legs. The bottom is marked with the signature of the artist. (Wikipedia).

I've heard that kokeshi has a spiritual significance to some Japanese. The wood that is used for making the kokeshi doll's face (Mizuki), literally translates as "water tree" and is thought to have fire-resistant properties. They consider kokeshi a lucky charm in the belief that kokeshi will protect their homes against fire.

Kokeshi doll makes a great souvenir if you have been to Japan.  Price range of kokeshi that I have seen so far is ~ 1000 - 10,000 JPY depending on the size and design (medyo mahal din).

There are just some of the kokeshi dolls in my collection. I don't have much in my collection now, but I plan to start collecting more (before I move to Singapore next year).

Books and Reading

A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend.  ~Author Unknown

Books I have read and more books to read.  More hidden books inside that I have no plan to re-read.

If I want to continue buying and reading book series, I need to clean up my bookshelf to give room for new ones.  I have heard about Kindle and e-books, but I still believe that nothing beats a printed book.  It's easier to read,  easy to carry, feels good in the hands...and it's better for my eyes (mahirap talaga pag nagkaka edad na :).  But if I have to choose between buying a new bookshelf or buying Kindle, then I may opt for Kindle, given the circumstances :). Time to check my favorite on-line shopping - Amazon Japan.

My Love for Book Series

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. ~Paul Sweeney

My love for book series started during the Harry Potter days. I remember I bought the first 2 Harry Potter books for my 2 girls to read. The girls didn't read the books, so I ended up reading the books instead. I got hooked to Harry Potter, and that started it all. I bought all the 7 books and I watched all the Harry Potter movies. I felt sad when the Harry Potter story ended in book 7.

After Harry Potter, the Twilight book series came out. It was my girl who requested me to buy the first book. She said she had read some parts of the book in her school library and she wanted to read the whole book. Yeah, I know the book series is for younger generation, but that did not stop me from reading the first book. I enjoyed reading the book. I fell in love with the main characters Bella, Edward, and Jacob and I got hooked to Twilight. So, I ended up buying, reading, and re-reading all the 4 books :).

My hunt for book series continued after Harry Potter and Twilight.

These are the other book series that I enjoyed reading. These are are as good as Harry Potter and Twilight and I would definitely recommend to other book series lovers as well.

• A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

• House of Night Series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

I still have to buy the last book - Awakened.

• The Immortals by Alyson Noel

I am now reading the 5th book - Night Star

• Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

Book 1

Book 2

• Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins