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Comment by Alan S on November 1, 2011 at 4:56am

G'day all.

I just found I'm a member of this group - but I can't recall joining :)

Probably before I wrote my book.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.

Comment by Osob on August 7, 2010 at 1:27pm

Love to write esp when I was having such a hard time with diabetes it helped a lot.
These days I dnt have a lot of time to write but I do have a blog if anyone wants to take a look.
http://africandoll33.wordpress.com/

Comment by Morghan on July 11, 2010 at 2:47pm

Wow, I've never passed out before and hope not to! THe lowest I've ever gotten is 42.But thats not low nough to pass out. How does it feel is it scary?

Comment by LavanderBlue on May 5, 2010 at 4:49pm

I'll start the ball with a story of mine.

It is called: Pour some sugar on me- A Japanese fable.

Pour some sugar on me

I enjoy travelling, i do. Seeing other faces, being surrounded with unknown languages and having to get by, and of course, tasting some exciting new cuisine is part of what makes my journey interesting. This way, i built up found memories that will certainly keep me company, in my old days. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, France, Spain. Sí.

For the average person- not me-, taking vacations implies having a relaxing time at the beach, visiting museums, sleep late, and exotic drinks. It’s even possible to find places, that will remind you of home.
I don’t want any of that, i want adventure. If i wanted home, i’d stay home.
When you step in Japan, you are not only in another country, but you are on another planet. In the land of the rising sun, all is unknown. All is colours and noise, fast and slow, all is contrast and contradiction. The day is the night and the nights never end. Japanese are everything except usual, they are friendly and in a constant evolution. It is one of the most exciting cultural shock you can experience, but the last place where an hypoglycemic shock, is exciting to have.
I saved for several years, in order to fulfil my Nippon dreams. Being a hard core tea lover, i had previously took note of places in Kyoto where the best tea was served and sold. I was so ready. Ai, a long time friend had it all set for my beddy times, and food at her grandparents house. I would be experiencing the true Japanese immersion in the most traditional ways. What could i ask more? Nandemo naiyo. Nothing.
But alas, like most of the adventures in my life, the offer was way more than my demand.
Travelling 101, for diabetics. This is the book i should have read instead of the very inspiring “101 Places Not to Visit: Your Essential Guide to the World's Most Miserable, Ugly, Boring and Inbred Destinations”. I would have learned that Japan is one of the least d-friendly place i could find. The paradise of the sweet tooth, like swimming in a honeysea. The joy for any teen, candies with amusing faces, food that is not food but candy . I’m a candy lover. Everywhere i looked, here there was a sugary hello kitty, staring at me. So i did hit the stores and decided that i could treat myself a wee bit.

In Japan, Kyoto is definitely the capital of confection. Among the foodstuffs for which Kyoto is known, candy ranks right up there with freshly baked rice crackers, superb pickles and multi-course kaiseiki meals( sort of like banquet ) . There seems to be an artisan confectioner on every street. For the most part, candy in Japan is intimately connected to tea consumption and the ceremony surrounding it. Most candymakers specialize in wagashi, confections meant to accompany tea. Most are made from bean paste and/or sticky rice, with the exception of higashi, which are hard candies made from a special type of Japanese sugar pressed into moulds. Without exception, they are beautifully made. The flavours tend to be more subtle and less sweet than American or European candies. But the amount of sugar in it is just as much.
In Kyoto, one of our favourite streets is Shijo-dori, on the east side of the Kamo river right in the heart of the Gion district. The sidewalks of the street are covered, creating an arcade-like effect, and the storefronts are typically open entirely to the street, so that there is little distinction between the interior and exterior of the store. The art of merchandising takes on a whole new meaning in Japan – I have never seen anything like it. Whether selling pickles, candy, or fans, the shops are exquisitely designed and the products are displayed like jewellery. Every single thing is attractive. The area has a touch of unreality about it, highlighted by the Geisha that begin to appear on the streets in the early evening, pursued by tourist photographers. You feel sad for them, but strangely they are happy to be seen i was told. And them Geisha, have a love for candy, they buy a lot, and it seems to be festive when they do. A lot of smiles and laughs are shared.
The most famous confectioner is called Kagizen, which is over 100 years old! In the front section of the store, amazing hand-carved cabinetry holds wonderful teapots and antique moulds used to make wagashi ( the sweets that comes along with tea) . This is also where you purchase the candies. The back section of the store’s houses a small but very quiet tea house, where you can enjoy their candies along with a cup of matcha (pure taste of green) . But i cannot drink matcha, it makes my heart races like a horse. So i tried a Kukicha. It tastes of grilled corn, and fresh coffee. Since then, i have it every morning.
At the end, the whole experience was very civilized, not kitschy like most western candy stores. I have chosen everything with care and took my time. Needless to say, that i walked away from this shop with my bags filled of utterly prettiness. The lady sold me some sugar free candies for me, they looked just like the regular ones, but one exception for the wrapping. The d-friendly one had a green koala on it. I bought both kinds, since my daughter would simply kill me if i would come back candy free. I made a stop at the post office, to send the package to Canada, and kept mine with me. I came back at my host’s guest house, with a happy heart.
I was in Japan.


We ate Japanese Udon noodles, with beef and eggs. It was quite the portion, and i happily swallowed it since my afternoon excursion made me extremely hungry. Then they served me sake, and i hated every sip of it. Ending my cup was a torture. As soon as the dinner ended , i retired to my room for a bit of reading. I was full and exhausted.
I loved their home. It was filled with silence, and flowers. The pictures of my friend Ai were hanging everywhere in wood frames , back at the time when she was a toddler. I could tell they were proud of her.
I felt love out there, and i felt low...inside. A sudden awful low , i was damp with sweat, i could hear my heart spinning some techno beats. But i sure didn’t feel like dancing. Music was playing from the clock alarm radio, an American hits program, scheduled to make fun of me. The current song was “ Pour some sugar on me”, from Deff Leppard. My green koala sugar free candies wouldn’t help me, and i got confused as i was forcing my brain to remember where was my dextrose gel, i violently grabbed my purse and throw it’s all content on the floor and cried.
And probably because i was too scared of passing out, i did indeed passed out . When i woke up , Ai’s grandmother was giving me a drink saying: sugal, sugal. At least that’s how it sounded like. They drove me to the hospital and i nearly ended my vacation on the most uncomfortable bed ever . But after a few days, i was out and well, and i decided to go back to Canada.
After all, maybe i’ll come to appreciate while i travel, a bit of home on my road.