And so this was Christmas...

phew.

Last trip of the year

There is no better way to end 2007 than with a trip to Miyazaki in Kyushu relaxing in the foot onsen by the station and reflecting on all the treats the Universe has in store for 2008.

So with a gentle rub to buddha's belly I asked for happy memories this holiday season to get me through 2008.

And the universe is as the universe does, for here is my first surreptitious holiday memory of the season of my G-ma sending good will to all who have touched her. Watching her write just reminds of why she always was/is/will be my happy thought. What's yours?


Happy Holidays,
Leila

Hand in Hand

Performances like this are why I support the arts.
Create the arts,
and am an artist.

Amazing.



Simply amazing.

Flight of the Conchords

Procrastination technique #157

Prolonged viewing of New Zealand's fourth most popular folk band.



still not quite ready to resume your work??

...there's always more.

Ping Mag

So the whole reason why I decided to travel abroad is because of a guy I met at a bar nearly four years. He shared his adventures with me. Planted the seed. We lost touch. I moved away (in the around-the-world sense of the word) and then we randomly and quite literally bumped into each other on the streets of Brooklyn last summer.

Law of attraction (so spooky)

It's The Secret.

Recently my bar buddy turned me on to PingMag a cool Tokyo based online magazine highlighting fun and interesting Art happenings in and around Tokyo.

This month features a designer best known for his haute couture paper dresses which are on the highest order of awesomeness!

Inner monologue on speed

I liked this so I lifted it right from the pages of Sushizume's blog which always posts blogger eye candy.

Curious Traveler issue 12 vol 13 #421

Another day.
Another yen.
Another Shinkansen ride to North Obscuria Japan.
This weekend's adventure to Fukushima got me thinking.
Why the hell is there no Shinkansen in America?
As I sat aboard the luxuriously speedy, monotonously relaxing, scenic thrill ride, reading The Secret I decided right then and there that if I was ever to return to the homeland, Shinkansens would be at the top of my laundry list of stipulations!

Thoughts become things and I am soooo only choosing the good ones.

How do you like my outfit?

A Very Sketchy Christmas

A good time was had by all.
Special thanks goes out to Alison Lloyd,this month's model and Dr. Sketchy Tokyo co-founder. She has done an outstanding job creating this event and unfortunately for us she has decided to step down to pursue new adventures in Tokyo.
Best of luck Al!
You will certainly be missed.

Stepping into her shoes is my new partner Pawel Pohl, web designer extrodinaire. The new year will bring a bevy of changes not the least of which will be a new Sketchy website!
Stay tuned Sketchers!
Join the Dr. Sketchy Tokyo group on Facebook for more details and information.
The next Dr. Sketchy will be in next January.
Until then...
...keep on sketchin!

Photos courtesy of Harold Maison

Too funny

not to share.

Foodie Dream

This time around I knew exactly where I was going.
SAPPORO in HOKKAIDO
Home of:
Ice Festivals
Expensive Melons
Beer
and Cheese!
Doing these shows all over Japan I don't have much time to get out and see the lay of the land like a real tourist so I take it in spurts.
Allow me to show you MY SAPPORO

Warning: blog entry may cause hunger pains...or not

Somewhere in Japan

I boarded a plane on Saturday of sound mind and body and traveled far far away on this island nation and could not for all the tea in China tell you where I was but here is what I saw.

This store. I didn't try to conceal my disappointment when there were no sex toys inside.

and this guy, who happens to make the best Okonomiyaki this side of the Tamagawa.

and this clock hanging as if suspended in air like a giant time keeping chandelier.


Stay tuned next week as I travel to Anywhere, Japan!

The Secret is...

the key to staying thin in Japan is not sushi.

Dr. Sketchy Tomorrow Night

Dr. Sketchy Tokyo presents:
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
The Pink Cow
Dr. Sketchy Tokyo
Doors open at 8pm.

Bloodshot

The keyboard overheats the fingertips while the feet remain cold.
The eyes are creeks of red more vacant than bold.
The head bobs about its pendulous axis held steady by sudden reflex.
The mouth is hunger's prisoner all smells are held as suspect.
The mind has grown quite dim though the flourecents glow so brightly.
The body takes the glory as the mind shuts down to spite me.

Good night Tokyo.

New Adventures

So my very dear friend Dillon Font is leaving Tokyo forever and he just so happens to be the co-creator of Tokyo's biggest art craze right now. And who did he ask to run this event in his stead...
...why little ole me that's who.
Take a look at what I've gotten myself into.

Dr. Sketchy's Tokyo is now my baby along with another new gal pal. I hope to do it justice. So come on out support. This month's theme is The Phantom of the Opera.
More details to come later.

Blogger Block

Here's an example of something a blogger might blog about when they have absolutely nothing significant to say.



My boredom was brought to you by My Heritage.

Holding the Pose

Holding this pose...

...not so tricky.

Holding this pose...

...nearly took my back out.

Wednesday night I had the unique opportunity to step into the shoes of the visual artist's muse and be the live model for another exciting installment of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-art School.

What I learned...


Think about your poses ahead of time...


...your lower lumbar vertebrae will thank you.

Dr. Sketchy's Tonight!

If you're not doing anything tonight you should come on Down to The Pink Cow for another exciting installment of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-art school sketch-o-rama. It promises to be interesting.

Shiko-who?

I gotta call last Thursday for a children's theater gig beginning in two weeks.
Then I gotta call on Friday asking me if I was available for some on-the-job training over the weekend.
Sure.
Why not!
Picked up my tickets to get there but it turns out there is WAY over there as in SHIKOKU
as in off the mainland damn near to Okinawa
Wow!
So I got a new job and a prepaid vacation to gorgeouslandia.
Not even the rain could detract from its beauty.

The world's smallest marching band greeted me at my gate.


The actors were all very welcoming!


And the macha was delicious.


This job rocks so far!

Stormy Weather

If the weather must be inclement
and the sun temporarily timid,
relief is in the artist,
bold of stroke and light of hand
with power to illuminate all the land.

Channeling Thoreau

Today I will go confidently in the direction of my dreams.
I will live the live the life that I have imagined.

...but first I have to pee.

Brazilian Spice

Funtivities abounded this weekend with a fond farewell party to my good friend Julie a fellow Tokyo thespian with an enormous heart. We will miss you Juliebeuboolie! Good luck on the left coast!

Spirits were high as the girls and I pumped our fists carnival style at the Brazilian Festival in Yoyogi Park.

Tokyo's cheap knock off the colorful celebration was enough to whet our appetites for the real thing.

Look out Sao Paulo here we come!

Chandelier Fetish Party

If you haven't been to a Chandelier Fetish party, you haven't lived.


Sushizume's soiree last night was both succulent and posh.


In keeping with the theme I brought what may look like Shaquille O'neal poo to some but was actually my tribute to my dear friend Akiko


who's birthday we observed like The Queen (well after the initial day) and as a token of my love I thought it only appropriate that she should get this


After she gave me these for my special day.

Worldwind

What's the first thing you do when you get back to town?
Why everything of course.

Upon arriving back in the land of Karaoke I came home to this.


Which I turned into this.


Then I went on down to The Tokyo Comedy Store for a little of this.


But the highlight of this whole past week was the Yukata party thrown by my friend Raymon, Creative Director of Cloud Nine. This month Cloud Nine featured stunning Yukatas by Hirko of Hirocoledge who joined forces with hair and make-up legend Noboru Tomizawa who always gaurantees that getting ready for the party is half the fun!

I'm Baaack!

LA was gorgeous. To go from a Broadway playhouse, to the beaches of LA and then on to the stage at the Tokyo Comedy Store in just one week feels like a bit of a world wind. For all those who haven't seen me in the last couple months please come on out to the Tokyo Comedy Store Friday August 24th for a rip roaring good time.

Here's a sneak peak at some of the explosive energy you'll be witness to.



See you FRIDAY!!!!

I HEART NYC

Oh New York how I love thee let me count the ways...
Can you tell I just saw Shakespeare in the Park?
So many Broadway shows...so little time.
Who knew you could have so much fun in one week.
I have nobody but my friends to thank.
Big shout out to the Game nite crew.



Next stop on the 2007 U.S. tour
California's City of Angeles!
Look out LA here I come!

Holiday Update

I am now more than 2/3 through my summer holiday and kicking myself for not being more diligent with the blog. Sure, I've got no real vacation photos except this one with new DC pal Stephan.

but other bloggers never let that get in the way. So here's to creative blogging. Being in America is always good for a laugh. Mostly we wish people were laughing with us but not everyone can be that fortunate.

God Bless America!

to the faithful

I am not dead.
Apologies for the significant delay between entries.
I've made it up the coast to the nation's capitol and have yet to be able to steal any internet from any of my tech savy neighbors.
The holiday is going well and it's been wonderful seeing all of my crazy family.
Of course no vacation is complete without a little holiday boy booty and I've got enough juicy gossip to keep ya going until my next grand adventure.
I miss Tokyo like a phantom limb and can't wait see you all again.

kisses from the capitol city!

No photos...no thank u

I can't take it any more. I found these birthday pics Tomomi sent to me a couple of weeks ago and while I realize you're all probably way over me talking about my freakin birthday it's all I got man. So apologies, I'll be going into town tomorrow to see if I can squeeze a charger and a camera cable out of the local hardware shop. It's probably an exercise in futility but I got nothing but time here in podunk and the quaintness of being disconnected is slowly wearing off.
Wish me luck!

Holiday

I survived June.
Although my birthday was truly amazing I am soooo glad to put this month behind me. A big thank you goes out to all you party people out there who made my special day a night to remember. Currently I'm on holiday in a sleepy town in podunk North Carolina and I couldn't be happier. Unfortunately, I forgot not only my camera charger but also the cable that connects it to my computer so all blog entries will be really low tech this summer. With no phone, no camera and no charger you'd think a girl would go insane but actually it's quite liberating to be so utterly disconnected. I'll plug myself back in Japan by the end of August so mark your calenders.

kisses from podunk,
L

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

AND YOU'RE INVITED!!!! This SATURDAY NITE JUNE 9th at Sakuratei
Details are in the Slideshow!
RSVP by leaving a comment on this post!
Hope to see you there!!!!

Spontaneous Confusion

Friday May 25th will now and forever mark the day I had the most fun on stage. Spontaneous Confusion Tokyo's only professional English speaking improvisational comedy troupe (10 years strong and counting) invited me to fill in for one of their regulars at the Tokyo Comedy Store and it was an experience I will always remember. I have never felt so well taken care of on stage and improvising with this well oiled machine was truly a dream come true.

Thanks Spon Con.