und das wetter?

its almost christmas...in other words, its almost time for me to come home for the holidays! i've been counting down the days for months now, i can't believe december 27 is just a few days away. after living over a year in this very foreign country, i can't help but scream/jump with excitement when i think about going home. food. family. driving. shopping. boston. hair cut. being able to understand what the wanker people are saying. buckley. snuggling. boston symphony orchestra. friends. twinkles. sleeping in. baking. ping pong. playing piano...

i can't wait.

one thing i can wait for is the weather. i've heard is terrible this winter--blah. i've been constantly checking boston's weather with this awesome website. check it out! i've made it my daily routine not only clicking on boston, but other cities around the world just to see how their weather is. the pictures are so great!

evian. live young.

let's observe the effect of evian on your body.

ok--this commercial just made my day.

eat. pray. love.

i'm currently reading eat pray love by the amazing elizabeth gilbert, a very talented author & journalist. my sister mailed me the book last month, & it is such an inspirational read. i can't help but highlight at least 2 sentences on every page--because her words are just that engaging.

this is one of my favorite passages, which i can't seem to get out of my mind. these are words from an indonesian medicine man, which gilbert met on one of her many journeys.

"you must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have four legs, instead of two. that way, you can stay in the world. but you must stop looking at the world through your head. you must look through your heart, instead. that way, you will know God. "

the first days of spring.

dear noah & the whale,

did y'all write this song for me?

"cause blue skies are calling...but i know that it's hard."

love, leah bell.

bored to death.

after seeing rushmore for the first time, jason schwartzman stole my heart. i'm not sure what it is about him; but i love everything he's involved in from his films (darjeeling limited & i heart huckabees are definitely my favorite movies) to his music (coconut records--definitely my favorite) & now to his hbo series, bored to death.

jason schwartzman plays jonathan ames, who leads a double life as a writer & a private detective. also starring ted danson & zach galifianakis, who are both equally odd, hilarious & entertaining. this show is seriously amazing...you must watch it. oh, & the theme song is so great (because jason wrote it).

what my heart looks like.

i do:

*like sushi.

*learn so much everyday.

*cherish my new friends.

*adore my students (some more than others).

*realize my time in japan is flying by.

*enjoy each moment (because of the aforementioned bullet point).

*miss home (because that's where my heart is).

*print society is awesome.

44.

my president is so amazing. & classically handsome...might i add.

then you can start to make it better.

my night is complete, thanks to this awesome flow chart & the lovely lady at

far out brussel sprout.

& i do my little turn on the catwalk.

i'd like to briefly recap the event, which occurred right before my ugly swine flu diagnosis. anthea, a fantastic fashion journalist & great friend, had a VIP press pass to this seasons' japan fashion week & invited me to tag along. it was my first fashion show experience & let me tell you, it was unbelievable. we went to several shows, all of which were equally impressive & inspiring. we even got to party with the models at the kick off event! it was so much fun & i want to go again!

i can't help but post this song (which i can't stop singing). oh, right said fred--thank you for writing such an inspiring song...ha!

i'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts.
& i'm too sexy for Milan too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan...

i'm a model you know what I mean & i do my little turn on the catwalk.
yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah i do my little turn on the catwalk....

its so swiney.

yesterday i had a high fever, left work early & went to the doctor. guess what? i have THE flu, yes, that's right--swine flu. for the next 5 days i must stay locked up in my apartment, away from everyone & everything in order to prevent this crazy sickness from spreading. yuck! instead of wallowing in my misery & pain, i'm determined to take advantage of this time of rest & relaxation. i plan to catch up on my reading, studying, gradschool applying, writing & blogging. yay for optimism! :)

japan has turned me into a huge bike lover. whenever i pass by a train station or grocery store, i am bound to spot a fantastic bike that i can't take my eyes off of. a couple months ago, i started photographing these bikes, which i find so appealing. how great are these bikes? i wish i could have them all...

& last but not least, my bike!