Sunday, May 24, 2009

I've been busy and sad

Well....I haven't blogged in a while because I've been both busy and very sad. My mom's husband, George, passed away May 15th. He had cancer and we were told that he had 6 months but he died within about 6 weeks so we weren't prepared for how soon it would happen. Needless to say I've been on the phone a lot to my mom and supporting her as much as I can from Japan. I better stop writing about this before I cry.

We also have been busy trying to and finally getting tickets to Canada to visit her in August. It is only May but there aren't many tickets left!! But we got ours so that is good.

I've also been running around trying to get my spousal visa (I have a working visa right now) and there are so many papers to get and sign etc. But finally we are almost at the last step for that one.

We are also preparing to open yet another store....vintage!! We are in the process of buying and preparing items so I'm not sure when we will open but I 'm very excited about this as Japan is a treasure trove of wonderful old things!! I feel like telling my older students not to throw anything away...call me instead!!! Hmmm....that could be a business....going and collecting things! Anyway, when we open I will post it here.

Tonight I got to watch my favorite Japanese TV show called "beforeafter". I LOVE this show!! And I found a clip on youtube!! This is a reform show but I don't remember seeing this kind on TV back home. Basically the family lives in some UNBELIEVABLE house and they usually pay around $100,000~$150,000 and basically they get a new house. You can't buy a house for that little so it is amazing!! They sometimes basically tear it all down to the very basics structure. They have an architect come in and do it all. The "after" usually makes the family cry....I really wish they could do it to our place but 1) we rent and 2) our place is good. If you have some time (each one is about9 mins) watch the clips!!! Each segment is a separate house but it gives you a taste of what the show is about. Oh and in the first clip....the father and brother climb up into their beds and then you see the sister climb into bed...that is actually part of a closet she is sleeping in!!













9 comments:

Grace said...

First off - my condolences to you and to your family.... I am so sorry to hear about George's death. Living with cancer is such a scary thing.

Wow - that architecture was amazing! They absolutely utilized it so nicely - what a beautiful home. I still can't believe how they managed to live prior to the reno...

FromJapanWithLove said...

Thanks Grace...at least he didn't suffer but it is really hard on my mom since I live in Japan, my sister lives in Vancouver and my brother in Seattle...my mom lives a few hours from Toronto so none of us are close. Which is my answer to those Japanese that say you should have kids to take care of you...my mom has 3 kids and the closest one is a 5 hour plane ride! Oh well...I will see her in August.

And yes....that show is amazing!! I wish I could show a whole show...it is truly scary how some people live ...but what wonderful places they get after! Better than buying a new place!!

Jennifer Rose said...

sorry to read about your mother's husband passing :(

I thought we lived in a small flat but that is insanely small o.0

Kelly Kilmer said...

I'm so sorry on your loss...Thinking of you and your family...

maoiliosa said...

i'm so sorry to hear about your mom's husband passing away. that's terrible that you expect to have 6 nonths to say goodbye, and even that short amount of time is cut drastically short.

but on a lighter note, i am very excited to see what vintage items you come across/put up for sale!

take care!

Grace said...

Oh - your sister is in Vancouver!! Neato - she's so close to me!! Where is she located?

I'm so glad to hear that George didn't suffer!!

catwrangler said...

OMG I saw this show when I was in Japan visiting. It was this old couple who lived in this small hovel and the husband had stored hundreds of VHS copies of some show he loved. They tore out the house and who knows where they hauled out all the stuff and did it all modern. But the thing is that I could only think they were doing it for the kids to inherit because I couldn't imagine them living in their old house for 70 years and suddenly loving this brand new modern house. I love Japanese TV.

I am sorry to hear about you mom's boyfriend. I hate this getting older business.

catwrangler said...

PS: I am AnnaMLincoln who is now following you on Twitter and have also purchased stuff from you on etsy as plumdream. A lot of aliases!

FromJapanWithLove said...

Thanks everyone for the kind words....

Grace-my sister is on Barclay and...I forget...I used to live at barclay and denman....my apartment building had a pool on the roof and a fireplace in the living room...things you can never get here...I miss that place! I should introduce to my sis...she is pretty cool-she has a store on etsy but is focusing on some craft fairs held somewhere in Vancouver.

catwrangler-hi! Oh I love Japanese tv too...it really is amazing how much crap people have in such small places. But I LOVE seeing how the "after" looks and for the most part...Japanese don't generally hand down their homes like we do in the west...when I talked about it my friends/students were surprised we do that. But yeah...if you renovate/reform a house you might as well pass it down!

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