The Japanese Office

Christmas Eve

"...blimey! No, no, no, no, hold on. Wait there! I've got something to say. I've got something I had to tell you. Something important, what was it? No, no, no, hold on. Tch tch tch tch... Oh, I know! Merry Christmas!"

-The Tenth Doctor, "The Christmas Invasion"



















Merry Christmas, everyone!

Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your holidays are full of love, light, and bright hopes for the New Year!


Xoxo ~Sarah


Photo and card design courtesy of Patricia Zeleny

Fifteen minutes of fame

Internet fame sometimes perplexes me. Like this song, Dragostea din tei:



Romanian and weird, but admittedly catchy. Apparently the rest of the world and internet thought so too, because it's been re-made in South Africa, China, Cambodia, Finland, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Hungary, Thailand, Brazil, and Vietnam. Some of these other versions are hilarious.

Here is Shabu, Shabu in Mandarin:



And Net Die Een Vir My in the Afrikaans language



And Koi no Buchiage Tengoku: Koi no Maiahi~Chiwawa~Banzai in Japanese



A Hungarian cover by Minisztár



And in Korean...(this one is almost too cute)



Last, but not least, the Hebrew version

Snow Princess

Oh. Snap.

I have waited YEARS to see Gambit. Seriously cannot wait until May.

Until the old life is a dream life

Sometimes even I, the one who was there to live it, can't believe that this was my life... I have to remind myself, 'Don't forget the things you saw, the places you went, the people you met there. You did great things once; you'll do them again someday."

Elf Yourself!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Another day spent snowed-in. Thank God for Jib-Jab!

Snow, snow, snow snow!

I had the pleasure of waking up to a winter wonderland this morning! It's still coming down and hopefully won't start to melt, as I'd like to bundle up and make snow creatures in it ;)


Miroku, being a Texas cat, isn't sure what to make of this cold, white stuff. He ran back inside shortly after this picture was taken.




There is nothing more satisfying than the sound of tightly packed snow crunching under your boots!


Miroku keeps watch over our blissfully quiet neighborhood.

Diesel jacket

My Diesel jacket arrived from the UK yesterday! Huzzah! :D

Also, prayers, hugs, and good thoughts to Kami and her little baby girl!

Puppet Drama

Wow. Predictably, I found Twilight Puppet Theater much much more amusing than the book itself. Though the OMG!dramaz seems to be at the same level ;)

*is murdered in her sleep by legions of die hard Edward fangirls*

Lady killer

I've been waiting for someone to make this video. Sheer awesome-ness!



Is it wrong that I'm addicted to this song? Just a little bit?

Weekend geekery

Here, have a little slice of random to start off your weekend ;)


Look who came with me to work this week!

Sometimes, as an admittedly dorky hobby, I like to scour ebay UK for pieces of Rose's wardrobe:


Rose's jacket from "The Impossible Planet" has always been one of my favorites. Suspected it was of the Diesel label, and sure enough...


It is!


There was a time I would have given my left kidney for this trendy Oasis leather bomber that was heavily featured in series 4.


Now I don't have to, because I'm getting it for Christmas ;)

In other news, after brooding about not doing enough for the community and less fortunate, I spoke with my mother about assisting with LOPD's Salvation Army "Adopt-a-Family" project. My office was too late in our planning to enroll by ourselves, but my boss loved the idea of helping out both the police department and a local family, so now we're partnering with them! The response has been great so far, and I'm so pleased to be working for an office full of generous and compassionate people. Yay for Christmas spirit!

And speaking of Christmas, the Adventure Advent Calendar over at BBC's Doctor Who site is pretty darn amusing. I remember playing around on it last Christmas!

Holiday spirit

Christmas is my favorite holiday season. However, as wonderful as all of the music, food, and beautiful decorations are, it's so easy to get caught up in the hassle, hustle, and bustle of frivolous details and anxieties that have nothing to do with the true meaning of the holiday itself.

I am so blessed in my life that sometimes I feel quite guilty about it. I've done many amazing things, traveled to incredible places, and continue to live each day in comfort and relative abundance. When I think of those who have so little (and not necessarily in far-off, third world countries, but right here in downtown Portland), my mouth goes dry and I get this huge lump in my throat.

I want this year to be different. I want to feel Christmas for what it is, share what it's about, and reflect the gift that it represents. Mercy, compassion, grace, and love. I want to bless other people, as I have been blessed.

Years ago, when I worked for Provenance Fine Art, our boss gave us a paid day to volunteer with Toys for Tots. We worked in the warehouse, sorting toys or taking families through the showroom to pick out gifts for their children. That experience has never left me, and lately I've been thinking about what I can do this year to help fill someone else's holidays with hope.

When I stop and think about just how much I take for granted, I am humbled and ashamed. I don't ever want to get to the point where I become ungrateful, focusing only on the things I don't have and can't ever obtain. I want to consider the needs of others first. It's definitely something to keep praying about. God has been leading me down a different path the last few weeks. I wonder where it will take me.

LOL!

I just found this picture of my old co-worker Hitomi, doing her impression of Mulan. She promised me to never show it to anyone because she felt bad for being silly. Well, I kept my promise for over a year-- that counts, right? ;)

Eye candy

After snobbishly dismissing the Showtime series, "The Tudors", as being historically inaccurate and froofy, I've finally caved and started watching it for myself. While I won't recant my accusation of some serious artistic liberties taken, I will admit that the show is eye candy of the highest caliber. Gorgeous locations and sets, a beautiful and talented cast, sumptuous costumes, and court intrigue. Henry VIII + Anne Boleyn = juicy drama.

I was skeptical of their casting choice regarding Henry himself, but Jonathan Rhys Meyers, despite being a bit too dark and handsome for the role, is intriguing and irresistible as the power-hungry, reckless young king. I'll be interested to see how they age and, er, plump him up the closer we get to his Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard years.

Natalie Dormer, who makes for a brilliant, stunning Anne, may be my new girl crush. She's very unusual looking, and though her eyes aren't black like Anne's, she fits the historical description of being able to use them to her advantage. Oh, and her gowns are to die for. Literally, check out her iridescent blue/purple silk execution dress! ;) I'm still on season one, but will definitely be moving onto season two when I'm finished. In spite of some naughtiness, this show is a keeper!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Just wanted to take this opportunity to list a few of the many things I'm thankful for:

1.) My incredible friends and family, who have never failed me.

2.) Faith, resilience, and the capacity for hope-- none of which would be possible without my God.

3.) A steady job. I may complain from time to time, but all in all, I work for a busy office full of caring individuals despite the tumultuous economy.

4.) A satisfying and privileged life. I've enjoyed a first-rate education and many wonderful adventures abroad. I have clothes on my back, good food in my stomach, drive a reliable car, and live in a safe neighborhood, in a comfortable house. There are so many people out there who fight to survive on far less.

5.) The ability to move beyond past hurts and put my trust in the bright future that the Lord has promised me. The knowledge that God not only listens to my prayers, but also answers them.

6.) The little reminders that, no matter how crummy things might seem, life, in all of its fragile beauties and amazing complexities, goes on. All of you are part of that ;)

Ju-ju and Auntie Suzzah

Jude is everyone's best accessory ;)





Funny...I don't think I have one picture of me and Samuel from last Saturday. I guess the Trunk was just too busy for me!

Wii athlete

At Saturday's pot-luck, I decided to try my hand at Wii boxing. Two days later, I'm still sore...


My ninja blocking skills


Pow! Bam! Zap!


Tired now...

Etsy and Doctor Who

Sometimes I think I take dorkdom to staggering new levels...

I love almost everything Rose Tyler wears and have swooned over her eggplant purple "Doomsday" arm warmers for over a year now. After unsuccessfully searching the 'net for a close alternative, I finally put an alchemy request up on Etsy and let the artists there bid on the chance to make them for me. The woman I commissioned was not only an excellent knitter/crocheter, but also a Doctor Who fan, and she did an awesome job!










And apparently I also really needed a little "Tooth and Claw" Rose dolly for my car ;)