BY GABBI BRADSHAW “You said that at the rate you were going, you would be dead by the time you were 40.” “I said that?” My friend Catherine nods her head over a glass of pinot noir while overlooking the lights of Shibuya and a view of Tokyo Tower. “Well, cheers to that,” I reply. [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW In the May issue of BAB, Gabbi recounted the adventure she went through simply to find the correct doctor to examine a possible hole in her heart. In this issue, she explains how the appointment went. Bret Michaels has been diagnosed with a hole in his heart. The doctors say it’s operable. [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW From across the table, my friend grabbed my hands, held them in hers, and said, “I think you have a hole in your heart.” Made sense. I had many of the symptoms. An unexplainable stroke in my 20s, aura migraines, head injury as a child, low heart rate, wacky heart stuff in [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW It’s that time again. Blue tarps, white cans of Yebisu beer, banana-flavoured Kit Kats, curry-seasoned Meiji puffs, specially flavoured frappuccinos, and pink and green splashed everywhere. It’s also the time of year when State Minister for Consumer Affairs and Gender Equality, Mizuho Fukushima, hands out free tissue to people at the train [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW “Do you believe in God?” asked 17B. I’m en route to Tokyo after a week away and dread going back. What do I say? The truth? I want to believe in God. I think of an older Japanese man who believes. Every morning on my way to the train station, I see [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW In November of 2009, Sal9000 said, “I do” to Nene Anegasaki. Sal9000, a 27-year old Japanese otaku (geek) who lives in Tokyo, wore a white tux and black Buddy Holly glasses. The bride wore her usual school girl attire of a navy blue pleated skirt, sky blue knee socks, and a white [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW Bonenkai means ‘year forgetting,’ a Japanese concept I rather like. Not only for the free-flowing beeru, but also the idea. Forget what you didn’t like and remember what you did. A whole year’s worth. It’s better than a genie. My girlfriends and I decided to not only have a party to forget [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW Beauty is important in Tokyo. Before living here, I never knew you could buy yourself eyelashes. Not only do my Japanese friends get them implanted, but so do my gaijin girlfriends. Before living here, I never knew that it was OK to wear open-toed sandals with white frilly socks in December. Before [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW I cried in the cab last night. It was 1:30am, and I was d-o-n-e with trying to fit in here. My terrible, horrible, no good, very bad night started with rain. I had to change into less fashionable shoes that had a bit more traction. Then I doubted my look. I looked [...]
BY GABBI BRADSHAW “I am not your consolation prize” is one of my favourite lines from the movie When Harry Met Sally, and frankly, I’ve had to use it a couple of times in my own life. Another one of my favourite lines is when Sally finds out that her ex-boyfriend is getting married. Harry [...]
