40 before 40 - My new macbook pro

Soooooo, I think I've mention here that my 4.5 year old macbook died on me back in mid-July. I was without a real laptop until the end of August when I bought this baby. Ugh, this was the most expensive thing I have ever purchased in my life!! Apple, seriously, this Pro better survive for more than five years or else I'm going back to PCs.... heh, I'm so kidding. I love Macbooks. I can't see myself using a PC again.

I'm such a gadget girl. I really would like to own an iPad, but I'm not in love with the weight; it's pretty heavy. Rumors say that a mini may come out sometime next year. If so, then I'll be on it! It would be nice to have a small tablet while traveling to surf the web or read a book/magazine. Even more useful for my commute to and from work!

Good Times

I was invited to my friend's home in Fukuoka City. There, I met her parents and aunt for the first time. She mentioned that her father loves to use the amount of random English that he knows. Her father really enjoyed talking with me though and I thought his English was rather good compared to the average Japanese person.

Anyway, we had a little BBQ, which had me completely filled up; it was sooooo good. 

Hong Kong

Above photos are from Google image

My Japanese friend and I will spend our winter vacation in Hong Kong! I absolutely cannot wait for this trip! I am going to stuff my stomach with yummy food and empty my wallet from all the clothes and accessories that I'm going to purchase.

Fukuoka Tower

Inside the elevator going up!

I have visited Fukuoka City numerous times since I've been living in Japan, however, I never bothered to visit the 234 meter-tall tower until yesterday. My friend tagged along with me and we enjoyed the amazing 360 degree panoramic view of the city. I need to make my way back here for a night view!

GOAL ---> Europe Summer 2013

Ok, I am super-duper serious about this.

Initially, I had planned on going to Europe this past summer, but I never made it happen. Never looked up information on a country I'd like to visit. Never looked up on airfare and hotel costs. Yup, laziness.

Now, I'm serious and my planning starts now!

Ideally, I would like to visit Europe in August 2013 and stay there for at least one month... not the cheapest time of the year, I know, but I have no choice. It's the only time I'm available from work for an entire month.

Geared towards college students and recent graduates, but still very useful to me.

This book was purchased to help me decide on which European country to visit. Even though I do have few countries that I'd like to see, this book has profiles on 28 countries that may help me make a final decision. It also contains information on budgeting, visas, air and rail, etc. Very useful!

My aim is to visit only one country... maybe two, but one country sounds good enough. I'm trying not to rush through visits of various cities for only a couple of days. I would like to spend at least five days in each city that I visit and not as a tourist, but as a traveler. I'm not going to try to see all the must see sites, get my picture taken in front of said sites and then run off to the next site. I'm going to focus more on doing things instead of seeing things: take a cooking class, go bike riding, ride on a hot air ballon, relax and just enjoy the scenery! 

Seeing that my trip will be next summer, I have ample time to save money! I'm going to need quite a bit since I'll be traveling during peak season and I don't plan on staying at hostels this time. B&Bs and apartment rentals will get the most love from me this time. So, I plan on saving money everyday and cutting down on my spending. My aim is to save between $1000-$2000 USD depending on which country I plan on visiting. Thankfully, the Japanese yen is strong (almost equal to the euro). I'm so grateful that I'm not paid in USD.

Getting my savings under way!

xoxo

Diana