According to my mother, today is my father's birthday. She reminded me this morning. She wants me to go out and buy something nice for him. I suppose my father is still holding a grudge about not getting anything from us for Father's Day.
The thing is, he wouldn't have remembered Father's Day if it weren't for my sister in law who just HAD TO go and get him a couple of T-shirts and something called TV Pillow* for him. (*a TV pillow is a cube-shaped cushion with holes in each of the 6 sides for your ear. It lets you listen to the TV better when you are lying on your side watching the telly because these holes would prevent your ear to from being blocked.)
Anyway, although today is a national holiday here in Japan (The Ocean Day! Yay!), I have to work. That means I have to come up with something brilliant like...NOW. I will have to go wherever and buy whatever during my lunch break.
I really do not like giving practical gifts. Gifts should be something fun... something s/he would NOT buy for themselves. You might as well be giving them cash is you were giving them a pair of socks or a tie?
For example, a few months ago, I was invited to a house warming party for my cousin and his wife. They had just built their first house. The other guests all brought your typical "house" gifts. Picture frames. Vases. Chinaware. Coffee. Tea. His father even brought a bunch of clothes hangers ( "You can't have too many of THESE!"). What did I bring? I brought FUN! I got each of them his/her own "Heli-Q".
A Heli-Q is a tiny radio-controled helicopter that can be flown indoors. They LOVED them. OR they were doing a damn fine job pretending to love them. Of course, my mother was apologizing to them that her son had brought them "toys". What does SHE know? I give GOOD GIFTS! My former colleagues, who had ever picked my name out of the basket for Secret Santa, know I give good gifts.
OK, so for my father, I am thinking a "guitar". I remember him playing it waaaaaay back when. The only thing is it'd be quite expensive. There is a chance he has had lost all interest in music as I haven't seen him play the guitar since I was....5 or 6? Did I just imagine seeing him play it!? I am not sure anymore. My mother suggested a nice T-Shirt with a pocket for his glasses. I am sure UNICLO has it for under 2000 yen.
Maybe that's just about what he deserves. I mean, what did he (or my entire family for that matter) get ME for my birthday back in May? Nothing. It was not even mentioned. Not only that, none of them even made the few hour drive to Narita airport to pick me up when I came home last summer. Did my father thank me when I gave him the gift certificate I got from work for the catalogue for gourmet gifts so he could buy the dried fish he loves?
I guess I will hit the mall and see what they have and how generous I will be feeling then.
The thing is, he wouldn't have remembered Father's Day if it weren't for my sister in law who just HAD TO go and get him a couple of T-shirts and something called TV Pillow* for him. (*a TV pillow is a cube-shaped cushion with holes in each of the 6 sides for your ear. It lets you listen to the TV better when you are lying on your side watching the telly because these holes would prevent your ear to from being blocked.)
Anyway, although today is a national holiday here in Japan (The Ocean Day! Yay!), I have to work. That means I have to come up with something brilliant like...NOW. I will have to go wherever and buy whatever during my lunch break.
I really do not like giving practical gifts. Gifts should be something fun... something s/he would NOT buy for themselves. You might as well be giving them cash is you were giving them a pair of socks or a tie?
For example, a few months ago, I was invited to a house warming party for my cousin and his wife. They had just built their first house. The other guests all brought your typical "house" gifts. Picture frames. Vases. Chinaware. Coffee. Tea. His father even brought a bunch of clothes hangers ( "You can't have too many of THESE!"). What did I bring? I brought FUN! I got each of them his/her own "Heli-Q".
A Heli-Q is a tiny radio-controled helicopter that can be flown indoors. They LOVED them. OR they were doing a damn fine job pretending to love them. Of course, my mother was apologizing to them that her son had brought them "toys". What does SHE know? I give GOOD GIFTS! My former colleagues, who had ever picked my name out of the basket for Secret Santa, know I give good gifts.
OK, so for my father, I am thinking a "guitar". I remember him playing it waaaaaay back when. The only thing is it'd be quite expensive. There is a chance he has had lost all interest in music as I haven't seen him play the guitar since I was....5 or 6? Did I just imagine seeing him play it!? I am not sure anymore. My mother suggested a nice T-Shirt with a pocket for his glasses. I am sure UNICLO has it for under 2000 yen.
Maybe that's just about what he deserves. I mean, what did he (or my entire family for that matter) get ME for my birthday back in May? Nothing. It was not even mentioned. Not only that, none of them even made the few hour drive to Narita airport to pick me up when I came home last summer. Did my father thank me when I gave him the gift certificate I got from work for the catalogue for gourmet gifts so he could buy the dried fish he loves?
I guess I will hit the mall and see what they have and how generous I will be feeling then.