だるま人形 [Daruma Doll]

How do you mark the beginning and end of your goals? Do you keep a mental note or do you like to physically see yourself put a line through it once it has been accomplished? I'm more of a visual person, so those to-do lists do a lot for my mental sanity some how.
Daruma Dolls are a cuter, rounder, and luckier version of your plain old to-do list, but you might want to keep only the important goals for the daruma dolls.
So, how does it work?
The round blank white eyes of the daruma doll are not meant to stay that way forever. After you've decided what your big important goal is you color in one of the daruma doll's eyes and upon completion color in the other. (As you can tell I have not made my wish yet, but I will soon) What better reminder, to get your act together and reach your goal, than a cute one-eyed round version of Bodhidharma staring at you everyday. They say the daruma doll will bring you good fortune while you work towards your goal in hopes of gaining full sight.
Before the end of the month I'd like to give my daruma doll an eye.


So, how do you mark the beginning and end of goals? Do you feel the need to celebrate them? What kinds of things do you believe bring you luck?
On a related note - my roommate recently brought me back a Blarney Stone from her trip to Ireland. Kiss it. Rub it. Get some luck. Reminds me of all the Buddha bellies I rubbed while in Japan :)

Check out next Monday's update!

おさしぶりーーーー!

Long time no see.
New video will be coming up soon.
For now I wanted to show you guys what I was wearing on Sunday when I went to hang out with
my friends. - Went to Lalaport in Minami-Funabashi (JR Keiyo / Musashino Line) to see 2012!

Bought this sweater in a store on Takeshita Dori last week. (Harajuku is really one of my fav. places in Tokyo)
The store's called "Good Day House". ￥1500
I love teddy bears! ~ :3 so this was a must buy!


These are the earrings I was rocking with my brand new sweater. These are also brand new. They're from this store called "Paris Kid's" right on Takeshita Dori. It's in front of the JR Harajuku Station on your left hand side.
You really should stop in there, I'm sure you'll find something and you can't beat ￥315 / item.


And for those of you who didn't get a chance to see my winter themed nails - Here's what they look like right now.
It's getting pretty hectic and I'm not sure how many more posts I can put up before I'm out of here. Lots of papers, presentations, and events to go to in the next 3 weeks.
I wish I could have more hours in the day

IES Study Abroad: Tokyo

こんにちは！

So I've officially been here in Japan for a week and a half. ( 10 days )
These days have been the busiest, but the most exciting, of my college life.

Daily life here in Japan is so interesting to observe or better yet be a part of. Anime, Manga, Dramas, Movies, etc. are really all we have when trying to piece together an image of Japanese culture, society, and the nation as a whole. What you end up realizing is that most of the things you see are an exaggeration of the reality, and some things are no exaggeration at all.

So, I'll do my best to keep the updates rolling in.

Before I sign off, here's a little bit about the program and where I'm actually staying...
I'm in the IES program. Although it's called the "Tokyo Program", none of us actually live or go to school in Tokyo. It's a 20-30 train ride from where my homestay is and about a 15 minute train ride from Meikai University, where I'll be doing most of my studying this semester. My school's located at Shin Urayasu which is a stop away from Tokyo Disneyland. I live with my host family in Ichigawa city in Chiba prefecture.
I've been placed in my Japanese class and classes start next week. This is going to be one hell of a semester.

Signing off.
Paprika :)