mixing the old with the new

...is a fabulous philosophy for dealing with leftovers. I finished off the last of my hong siu dofu (red-cooked tofu) and garlic mashed potatoes with dill with the new addition of pineapple-glazed chicken wings. SO GOOD! I can never resist a succulent wing.

And now I will transition gracefully from talk of food to talk of bodily fluids, as I am wont to do. I do this by talking about how I'm transitioning! Right now! Like this! So elegant. So meta.

Anyway, how freaking awesome are medical exams in Japan? We just had a compulsory one for everyone at my work. In snappy assembly-line fashion, about 30 teachers were funneled into a room, checked through a series of stations, and pointed out of the room only to end up awkwardly in a trailer with the Mystery Machine (you press your boobs up against something that looks like an olde tyme television).

Fantastic, you say, but the best part is that you get to do a little traditional origami before the exam! Check out the pee test cup, plus folding instructions and wee (snirk) vial:



Total genius, although I got a little flustered in the bathroom when I had to pee like the dickens but, argh, I had to make some precise folds first. Uh, I couldn't tell from the packaging whether or not it was flushable, but that seems like the point of a folded paper cup...soooo I flushed it. Possible apologies, environment.