Katie Bishop

April 17, 2008

Katie Bishop It is so hard to believe that such beauty can come and go so quickly. Can you believe the cherry blossoms in Japan only last a week and a half to three weeks? Unfortunately, this year, they only lasted the week and a half; though a gorgeous time it was! Due to the short amount of time that nature allows itself to place the heavenly cherry blossom on exhibit, one must take advantage! So from the morning you wake to find the blossoms have fully bloomed to the final day that they fall, you'll find cameras snapping in every direction and a lot of foreigners in town to marvel.

On one of the last days that they are in full bloom, everyone gathers in parks and whatnot to enjoy the Sakura (cherry blossoms). You'll find tarps covering every inch of green ground, and beer and food everywhere. A few of my girlfriends and I went to Ueno Park in Tokyo last weekend. It was so beautiful! And we actually caught cherry blossoms blowing away in the wind on video!

Following enjoying the last of the beauty the Sakura season had to offer, we went to Ueno Park's Zoo! We saw everything from flamingos, kangaroos, lions, penguins, birds, elephants, and baboons to panda and polar bears. All was well, however the polar bears looked starved, so we couldn't stay in that section any longer because it absolutely broke our hearts.

So... unless you really need to, I wouldn't suggest going to a hospital in Japan! I had to get some tests done to make sure I wasn't sick, and the visit cost me $150!! (Luckily I was insured) I also had to have my blood taken, and they burst my vein! I had a bruise from the puncture wound in the vein all the way up my arm to the point where the vein had stopped bursting. Pretty crazy, huh?! So don't go to the hospital unless you need to! Haha

Last weekend I had an underwater photo shoot! I must say that it was physically challenging as well as challenging as a model. Because they didn't give me oxygen underneath the water, I constantly had to dive down, and hold my breath, pose underwater with ribbons choking me and ravelling themselves around my legs so I couldn't swim properly; and then go back to the surface to get more air. It was challenging because I've never been taught these skills, as I've only competitively swam, and do not have my scuba licence. All in all though, it was an amazing experience, I've learned a lot from it, and would not hesitate in doing another underwater photo shoot.

It's funny, because you think that I would hesitate at least a little. Why? After SMASHING my lip and having half of it BLOW UP to the size of Angelina Jolie's! Haha, they asked me to dive off of the ledge into the water, and because the pool was very narrow and I'm used to diving long as a competitive swimmer, well...you guessed it! I dove deep and long, smashing into the wall. I got lucky though! Because the ribbons around my neck were choking me, I looked forward at the last second, literally RIGHT before hitting the wall... so I had just enough time to turn my head slightly, only hitting one side of the bridge of my nose, and the whole right side of my lip. I would definitely have had a broken nose and teeth if I hadn't looked in those last vital seconds. Needless to say, everyone freaked out, the inside of my lip was bleeding and it looked like a balloon, but we shot another look and half, and all was well. I went home looking slightly disfigured, but within a couple days the swelling went down, and the inside of my lip healed! Lucky!

Well, it is officially a month and a half down, and one more to go! After that, no one knows! I have contract offers for Shanghai or Australia following Tokyo, though Aus is too expensive, and I'm not sure that I want to model in China yet, but you never know! Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore all look like good options as well. So, we'll see!

Until then, I'm going to go out and enjoy this sunny, 18 degree Celsius, weather and live it up my last month here! Hope all is well with everyone back home!

Katie xx

Katie Bishop is a Ford model, currently with Team in Tokyo.