Good things come in fives

     Nothing new to report, no new clothes to share. So I decided to do one of those "Five Things" posts that other bloggers such as Cupcakes and Cashmere commonly feature, sharing things that made me happy this week. Not exactly original or revolutionary, but hey, it's summer, and I'm a wee bit lazy. And by wee bit I mean utterly and completely.

1. Haircut! Straightened out those pesky roots, got a deep conditioning treatment and finally got my bangs trimmed so that I can see again. Still trying to grow my hair out, but it's taking a butt ton of time.

There's something a bit Cleopatra-esque about this shot... top is an old Zara purchase.

2. Peaches! Japanese fruit and veg is nowhere near as tasty or varied as back home in California, but some things are absolutely delicious here. Peaches are at the top of that list, only available from mid July to the end of August, and pretty damn pricey (you can get cheaper ones, but they're half the size and not as sweet as the expensive varieties). We usually get the normal sunset-colored ones, but if we happen to spot these rarer, larger, sweeter and MORE EXPEN$IVE golden-skin versions, we snatch them up. Well worth it.

Looking at this picture, all I can think is "Marge Simpson's bosom"

3. Old-school American summer drinks! Lemonade has got to be one of my favorite drinks of all time. The problem? Almost nobody in Japan has ever heard of lemonade, let alone drank it. To my amazement I recently stumbled across a selection of Joe Tea beverages at a random boutique in Omotesando. Joe Tea stuff is all natural (cane sugar sweetened) and apparently is sold at Whole Foods back in the States. I got myself a bottle of half&half, a southern beverage that is just 1 part lemonade to 1 part iced tea (usually lemon, sometimes peach). Delish.

4. New bling! Got this awesome necklace for about $15 at a random shop in Omotesando metro station. I'm a sucker for all things sparkly.

5. Fruit yogurt that is a) cheap b) decently sized c) natural tasting! The Japanese do plain yogurt surprisingly well, and kefir and Bulgarian selections are easy enough to find. But fruit flavored ones? Yech. Usually only available in strawberry and blueberry (yawn), the brands found in most supermarkets or convenience stores are downright awful. They're cheap, sure, but are so chemically sweet and artificial tasting that you'd have to have never had decent fruit yogurt in your life in order to stomach it. But recently at some more upscale grocers I've come across a variety that offers interesting flavors that actually taste good, yet are priced the same as the cheapo crap from the convenience stores. I aim to enjoy these as much as I can before they disappear into the ether of Japan's fickle food market.

This being Japan, even yogurt has to be endorsed by some random celebrity. Well, at least it's actually a good product. The bottom two are orange-cassis and passion fruit-lemon. The one on top probably tastes like crap, but I got it at 7-11 because I can't resist anything that calls itself peach melba. Kinda funny how aggressively these yogurts are targeted towards female consumers. As if guys don't eat fruit yogurt!