Now and Zen

Someone you (shouldn't) Admire?

2007-10-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm on the road now....my second move in the last month. Back at a school. The old same same.

Or is it?

Wonderful first day....let me tell you. Everything was going great; nice staff, nice students, old building, but wait...

So I started my second class of the day. It was a speech unit....so that mean students have to write a speech before class about a selected topic, we workshop it a little in the lesson, and then they give it. Easy lesson-not much preparation is needed. However, this time a student dropped a bomb in class. An atomic bomb. (I know I lived in Hiroshima, but trust me on this, the metaphor kind of works.) The topic of the day was something like 'a person you admire'....easy, I picked my grandfather.

However this one student comes in with a speech about Leni Rienfenstahl, an old German director. "Oh! Interesting," I thought to myself. Her speech seemed pretty normal, apparently this lady made some controversial movies and went to jail for a while, and made her last movie when she was over 100, shortly before her death.

"What kind of movies did she make," I unwittingly asked.

And the Enola Gay flew overhead.

"Well, she was friends with Hitler, and he asked her to make a movie, so she did. Actually she made many movies for him. When the Allies arrived in Germany, she was arrested for making propaganda films." She boldly stated. (Grammatical mistakes omitted)

"Well, yeah. That's...um...great. Holy, she's, um, quite a lady. Wow, Hitler." I cleverly responded.

Now, upon looking it up, this lady directed Triumph of the Will!!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_the_Will (sorry, I cant get hyperlinks working on this Mac yet.) So to sum it up, this lady has great admiration for the foremost World War II Nazi propagandist.

Other than that she was a really nice lady, and I get to see her every week for now on.

Moving

2007-09-11T05:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a move. I moved from one small place into a smaller place. I traded a nice quiet road for a busy street. Now I have a hallway, rather than a kitchen.

No. All in all it's decent. I mean, aside from the apartment. Moving to a new city and having friends waiting was really nice. Even a few people came up and helped me unpack. Or watch me and Yuko unpack at least.

I guess I'm never that far from home. (Not Canada, I'm damn far from that place)

This weekend I'm heading to...you guessed it, Hiroshima. I have to go to an old students dance show! I think I should say 'want to' rather than 'have to' though, 'cuase I went last year and it was about the cutest thing I've ever seen. She's 6. Also, there's a little birthday I have to attend. Gotta go. I have evil to battle.

‫‬‭‮‪‫‬‭‮҉

2007-08-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, try copying the character below into anywhere you put text. Like the comment box of this entry and then type me a message. WTF. (The thing that looks like a circle of commas.

‫‬‭‮‪‫‬‭‮
what the hell is this thing?҉

Old neighbours.

2007-08-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've always admired the cars parked in the parking lot below my building. Although I don't really know anything about them, I can tell most of them are pretty damn nice. For a while there was even a Blazer. In Japan, that's a pretty flashy vehicle to drive. My place is small but nice, but the cars never seemed fit the neighbourhood.

A few moments ago I just figured it out.

I was parking my bike at the back when a car alarm went off. What? No big deal. Some girl I'd seen in the building before was playing with her remote starter thingy. A moment later a short, stalky, tough looking guy walked out toward her. Nothing new, I'd seen these two together before too.

Wait...something was very very new.

I'd seen him before, but never in a t-shirt and shorts. Although he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, he was still wearing long sleeves and long pants. Follow? That is, he had FULL BODY TATTOOS. Down to his ankles, up to his wrists. In Japan, this mean only ONE thing. Yakuza. The Japanese Mafia. Tattoo are not very common in Japan. Especially among people over lets say 25 years old. And a full body tattoo means you are in the mob. Period.

I casually said 'konbonwa,' (good evening) smiled, and headed off to bed.

Packing

2007-08-16T00:38:00.000-07:00

Packing sucks. Put crap in a box, then take it out. Rock goes up the hill, rock comes down the hill. Seems that way anyway. After seeing my new place in Okayama, it makes me want to leave here even less. This place is small, but that place is SMALL. I'll really miss seeing the mountains out my window, my tatami mats, my big closet, and having a sink in my bathroom (come on, is that really too much to ask for?!). I'll have no mountains to run up, no cheap supermarkets nearby to dash too, no Filipino prostitutio.....wait forget about that one.

I feel when I'm sorting my stuff, I'm kind of sorting memories. Is this card worth keeping? Will it cause me to remember something special next year? In two years? In 20 years? Damn I really liked this book the first time, maybe I'll want to read it again sometime...should I really carry it for so long? I think I take a distinct pleasure in getting rid of crap I don't need. I'm sure I get this from my father. So perhaps my mother causes the mixed feelings about it. This is a nice shirt! I haven't worn it in so long....I wonder if it still fits me....

Oh yeah, counter space? Forget it.

Camupingu

2007-08-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

People here often confuse the word 'camping' with other things. Other things like 'picnic,' 'hiking,' or 'leaving the city.' We were camping. We had tents, a barbecue, a tarp, and a cooler. I think the people down the beach from us had tables, chairs, a kitchen, a stove, a microwave, a television, oh--and maybe a tent but I couldn't tell just by looking at it.

Our camp site was about 10meters off the beach and 10 meters off the road creating a strange dichotomy when you're trying to relax/sleep. Waves...relaxing. Motorbikes...not so relaxing. In the end camping was much much more on the relaxing side. I ate, slept, swam, ate, drank, slept, and so on. The beach was pretty nice, the weather was great except for a touch of rain, which could have been far worse had the typhoon come.

Only two days left....then back to work.

big day

2007-08-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

Gonna head to my new apartment today in Okayama...I heard it was small...but nice. Sounds like Japan. After a day exploring the area around my apartment I'm heading down near Kochi (a city in the south) to go camping. Oh, during my exploring I need to get something to sleep in. I think I tent would be the best.

On a strange note, my folks are in...Alaska. Or on a cruse ship heading there....or heading away from there, I'm not really sure. I think my dad decided a while ago that he wanted to see all of Canada, and I have to say he seems to be doing a pretty good job. Now if only he could get to Japan.

I'll post some pictures when I get back...I'm heading to the really cool looking rope bridge that I'm sure will make some great shots.

d.

Vacation

2007-08-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Everyone has 'em

2007-08-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

Everyone has those days...where we say I hate Japan. Today, er...yesterday more so, I had one of those days. They just start with something not going your way, and every little thing builds up. What may have started it was reading about this. After reading that, molehills can become mountains. Japan is a really friendly place, but every now and then you see something questionable. A little sign that reads 'no gaijin,' the empty seat next to you on the full train, or just noticing how close the glass ceiling really is.

Today I was informed that in English we call these the dog days of summer. Do we now? Although I've heard that before, I've never had any idea what it meant. But I guess I must say it. Did you know that I use chopsticks really well? It's truly amazing how well I use them. Oh, and 2 year old children use them well too.

It's not so bad I guess, I think that publication I linked earlier got yanked after one or two issues and then the publishing company went out of business or something. But somebody wanted to make and it then somebody let them.

Moving on, I got a big vacation coming in a few days, and that's going to feel really really good. Too bad my folks are going to be in Alaska during it so I can't head back to the motherland. Between camping and maybe going to visit my old friend Dan, it should prove to be a pretty relaxing time. For relaxing time, make it Suntory time? That shit is terrible. Whatever I'm on about, a few days in the sun should clear it all up.

2007-07-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

Wow I cut all my hair off today. Well I didn't really do it, my barber did. (sorry, inside joke, kind of...)

Big day today! I put up my "I'm leaving" poster in the school lobby. So only my Tuesday students know about it so far. If you don't know what I'm talking about, well, um, I'm not leaving japan I'm just changing jobs...but I actually changed jobs about a month ago just nothing changed.

Good, now you're up to date. So I head to Okayama in a Month or so, and in about 3 minutes I'll have an apartment there. (it's 11:47 on July 31st...I think you can figure that out)

What does this mean for me....a hell of a lot I guess. I might be in an office for a while doing indirectly related teaching duties, which will be a welcome change. I'll be sitting right near some of the higher ups, or at least might be.

Japan right now is in the middle of summer, and that means it's dreadfully hot. And let me say this on the net where I can't get slapped, it's NOT a dry heat. I sweat when I wake up in the morning, I sweat when I ride my bike, I sweat when I step outside, hell-I sweat when I'm taking a shower. But then again, so does everyone else. I really want SOMEBODY to come visit me, but I don't know if I'd wish J-summer on my worst enemy. Ok, I would. I'm not sure how all my students survive who have been telling me for the last two months, "it's berry hot, neh?" Anyway, I'm going to miss this place a lot.

On a brighter note, I think traveling should make for a more exciting blog.

2007-07-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking about heading home for my summer vacation next month. I got two days off next to my already week long holiday, which will connect it to another weekend, giving me a total of 11 days. So, -2 days for flying, one day I'll need back in Hiro to get over jet lag and relax, leaves me about 8 days back home. Now only if I can afford a ticket.....more on that later.

Oh, and my buddy Dan is back, although I haven't heard from him yet he's working on a tiny island off the coast of Nagasaki. What's with me and tragic cities...

If the trip home falls through, I think we're going to head down to Kyushu and go camping. It'll be pretty cool, and I really really hope to see some huge spiders....even though I hate them. Evan took a picture of one down there...and damn. I think I remember him saying he saw it eating a dog-with a knife and fork. There are no poisonous spiders in Japan though, only poisonous snakes.

Taste of a New Generation?!

2007-06-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

I really just have to know...does Ice Cucumber Pepsi exist anywhere outside of my own strange little world? I tried some the other day and it's not too bad, I think I'll buy some today not because I really like it...more so because I want a good picture of it.

What the hell were they on during that marketing meeting? I think cucumber is alright, but all in all it's a pretty lukewarm vegetable. I've never met anyone who either hates or loves it. I was talking to Mimi about it last night (very serious discussion) and we decided to categorize cucumber with maybe, lettuce. I mean both have very little taste and are mostly water, right? I've never craved lettuce or cucumber.

Anyway, enough about such a boring subject, but I just have to know, is this anywhere outside of Japan?

(edit, added pic)

New Coworker.

2007-06-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

K, I got a new coworker. The one and the only Mimi Gosh. It was a pretty strange week, telling students that Lauren just up and left. Some were quite heartbroken, while others were rather indifferent (probably 'cause they didn't really know her). The first person I told of the week started to cry...and I though 'wow, this week is going to be great.' However, she was the only one I saw react like that.

Anyway, Mimi is super. She's a trainer at Honsha (head office) and she knows her stuff much better than I do. I gotta go study.

Sayonara Lauren Sensei.

Something to write about..

2007-05-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, now I really have something to write about. I got back from Kyoto yesterday, although it was really great, if I see another temple or shrine I'm going to douse myself in gasoline and light myself on fire. More on Kyoto later perhaps...'cause my world just got rocked.

I don't really know where to begin with this....

So Lauren, my coworker, she heard on Thursday that her dad had a heart attack and was in the hospital. Terrible news, but the good news is he's OK. Her folks are split up and are not on good terms, so her dad really doesn't have anyone to turn too, except Lauren, who is in the land of the rising sun.

So Lauren is going home, for good. She's leaving on Tuesday. She's at the travel agent right now buying her ticket I think. She's packed and cleaned her room, and we're having a little goodbye lunch in about half an hour. We'll all miss you Lauren!

As for me, I'll be working with Mimi Gosh for the next month...and this is where things get confusing. As for June 28th, I am finished this job, and starting my new job....which if you don't know/remember is where I get to travel around and teach at other schools that need some help, like what Mimi is going to do at my school.

At the end of June, my replacement is coming to take over my job/life. But that really sucks for my school, getting two noob teachers within a month of each other. (someone will have to replace Mimi too as soon as possible) Now Mimi isn't a 'proper' emergency teacher (ET) she's in fact a trainer, who ETs from time to time. So if all went as originally planned, the n00b would take my place, I would go to honsha (head office) to work...and then the trainer would be teaching at my school....Now that would be just plain dumb.

So from the outside it looks like my first job as an ET will be replacing...myself. Kind of. So the noob (ok, her name is Jessica), will come, and replace me, and then I will replace Mimi, and Mimi will go back to honsha. I'll be working with my own replacement...who will be teaching lauren's classes. I'll be working at my school for Ihavenoideahowlong. 'Till they find a replacement.

How do I feel about all this? Strange...

Lauren is leaving----BAD
Mimi is coming-------GOOD
Staying in Midorii---???
Heart attack---------REALLY BAD
He's ok--------------RELIEVED

I'll leave you with a photo which represents the speed at which life can travel:

That's right: ASTROBOY!

Any Day

2007-05-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

I might be back here any day now....any day.

I signed.

2007-04-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

Well, last week I signed up to be an emergency teacher...that was a huge, huge choice. I think that choice was more difficult than coming here in the fist place. What does that mean? It means a whole new world...of both fun stuff and trouble I'm sure. Either it will destroy the poor attempt at a blog...and give it some life. I think that could be really interesting...posting about my upcoming travels. However, this means I'll need a laptop (oh damn!), an internet connection wherever I go, but there may no always be one. What's really kind of funny is that my first posting might be in ...of all cities, Hiroshima. Not at my school of course. I'll update about that whenever I figure it out.

Oh, and HOT DAMN I'm heading to Hokkaido really, really soon! It's really warm outside...it's hard to believe I'll be snowboarding in about 5 days. Gotta role. Please tell me, what the hell is this thing?!

Long time

2007-04-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

Yo, been a while again...I think I have to write that too often. Anyway, some stuff is new here. I got some wicked Golden Week plans...Tony, Mike, and I are all heading to Hokkaido (the Northern island) to go snowboarding for 7 days. We'll probably spend about 1 day in the city, which will leave 6 days for boarding. The flight is SUPER cheap too. 25000 Yen and it includes one night in a hotel in Sapporo. (to make that CAD, just add a decimal where you think it should go)

Not much else new that I'm willing to write right now, but soon.

d.

The insult

2007-03-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

27th..days are getting longer, the day is getting sooner. Oh F*%$, I forgot to pay my internet bill. Isn't that the worst? I get paid on the 25th and my bill is due two days later. I realize I could just save some money for when I get it, but...meh.

I insulted my friend in a strange way the other day, it was meant just as a joke, but she took a little offense. I called her a 'tourist.' Is she really a tourist? Am I still a tourist? Why is that so insulting anyway? See the sights, learn enough of the language to order beer, take some pictures, have some fun. Tourist, no? As bad as my Japanese is, I feel as though I've moved beyond most of those things. I study, I work on my calligraphy, I work harder because I feel terrible when I teach a crappy lesson, I can be HELLA indirect, to just name a few things.

Where all this is going is back to my decision. Am I thinking about staying for touristy reasons, or is it something else? If my reasons are the former, is that so bad? Maybe I just like it here, and I want to stay a bit longer before this exciting part of my life is over. It's late, I need some sleep.

Rome, the best show ever, is over.

going gone?

2007-03-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a while...so much on my mind and so much to worry about. On top of all else that has happened recently, I have a huge choice to make soon. My contract at my school is done on June 28th, and that can't be changed. However, on a surreal Monday a few weeks ago I got a call from head office offering me a new job at head office...well, kind of at head office. It's an emergency teacher position, which means I'd get to travel around and help out at other schools within west Japan. Travel? Get paid? What what? Not to mention the money is better.

But I guess it's not all cotton candy and fluffy puppies. I would be on the road a lot, so it would be a harder to keep up with my friends, both at home and here in Japan. Not to mention, it's another year of my life signed to a piece of paper. But would a chance like this ever show it's face again? If it did, would I then be to old to seize it? I don't know what I'm going to do. I recently spoke to Nancy and told her if I'm staying she is coming to visit me. So that invitation goes out everyone. Nancy gets special stipulations though.

My geekdom

2007-02-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think I can be a cool guy. Hell, now I even snowboard, that's cool, right?! I dress nice enough, I have enough friends, my hair isn't always spot on, but it'll do. However, sometimes my inner geek show up....then it's all over. I was watching browsing spikedhumo(u)r the other day, and I came across I hadn't seen a long time.

Now, this guy, Basshunter, called his second album "LOL <(^^,)>" How the HELL do you pronounce that?!!!

The song is about a player created custom map series in Warcraft III. I have played these maps more times than I'm willing to admit... (note, the video is in Swedish)

I can't quite figure out how he goes from a computer room, to a champaign party, to a LAN party with a dance floor, but whatever.

Whoa, I'm such a geek.

Sicky McSick Sick

2007-02-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I was really sick over the weekend. I guess I was sick longer than that, but the weekend is when being sick hurts the most...'cause you can't do what you want. On Friday I took my first sick-day in Japan, or half sick-day. I went in, taught one class, started loosing my voice and my bosses decided saving what was left of my voice for Saturday was more...economical. I agreed with this as well seeing I teach more students on Saturday than Friday night. I mean, who wants to come to an English class on Friday night?

Quite a few people, that's who.

So that killed my snowboarding plans for the weekend, seeing as I was trapped in my shoe box all struggling the speak and breathe (I'm a weezer).

Then, my new(ish) neighbour Tabby messaged me and told me there was a festival in my neighbourhood!!! Perfect timing. I figured it was the festival for Bishamondai Temple on the mountain where I run, so I had to go out. At the bottom of the mountain there were lots of little food vendors and stuff set up and lots of families walking around. I was very sick, so I walked very slowly and tried not to make eye contact in-case I saw someone I knew. Anyway, here's a picture of part of the temple from a while ago. I never made it up to the temple, seeing it's a good 45 minute walk...uphill. It's a really nice run...when I have full control of my lung power.

Anyway, I walked around for about half an hour and then headed back to sit in the warmth of my stuffy apartment. What a weekend. :/

Haven't been here in a while

2007-02-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I went snowboarding again on Monday. I'm really really getting into this. I think this time I only fell about 40 times! I'm pretty sure I didn't get any bruises this time either. And guess what I'm doing this weekend. Yup, that's right. Snowboarding.

Oh, as for work right now, damn I can't wait till my next pay cheque..which is coming in this Friday night. This past month I did my week at tax college, I had a meeting in Okayama, I ran my own meeting at Hiroshima Eki, and I went flyering (Aeon Desu!). This is going to be huge.

But I can't help it, I'm not really the person who gets a big pay cheque and goes and just buys something cool with it anymore. I figure I'll send 30% home, save another 30% for my vacation in March or April, and keep the rest as my spending money this month. I'd really love to go buy an Ipod, a new Hard drive, or a new suit, but damn, there's just too much crap in my apartment as it is. I sound like my dad.

d.

Daft Punk vs The Charleston

2007-02-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, just wow.

SU-NO BO-DO

2007-02-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

w00t! another day of snowboarding. And another day without pictures. My mom, who really likes to read blogs sent me a link to some girl's trip to Nagano. I must stay, those are some really nice pictures. I have nothing, but it's not that I didn't want to take any pictures, au contraire, I really did. I just don't know long any camera could last in my pocket with me falling on it every couple minutes.

Holy F*#% am I sore. Again.

I haven't dared to check my left ass cheek yet, but I'm sure there is a bruise unlike anything I have seen before there. It wasn't so bad this time, but I had a couple duzies. This time we went to Mizuho. It was much nicer than Osa, but that's what the extra money on the receipt was for. I'm going to try to head out again this weekend if I can and the snow is still around.

d.

Ret's brog!

2007-02-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I am going to go to snowboarding. Tony and mike and julie-anne go to too. Last time I was go snowboarding I could fall. I can fall often, and in various fashions. today, maybe I buy snowboard pants for reduce price. I hope i can do.

Just had to get that off my chest. I'm pretty sure that's when (lol) my Japanese blog sounds like.

d.

Anniversary

2007-02-05T04:08:00.000-08:00

Happy anniversary to me, I guess. Let's do the math...

[(60x24)x365]x2=1051200 minutes have I been in Japan.

Two years as of February fourth, assuming there wasn't a leap year somewhere in there I forgot about.

That's some crazy shit.

Saturday night we had a party for Ron and Lauren's birthdays, but I was secretly celebrating for myself as well. It was a nice night, we went to an Izakaya and then to a Gaijin club called Mac. I rolled home at about 4 am, crashed on Tony's floor and slept till about 1 pm the next day. How did I celebrate the 4th? I toured around downtown with Mike Ashbey with a thundering headache. When I got home, I was greeted with a Windows' error, which caused me to reinstall the entire thing. Earlier today, I got it up and running. It's a PAIN IN THE ASS to initialize a RAID when you can't remember what make or model you have. You know what I mean, right?

Anyway, two years in tow and I'm happy enough. Sayonara.

Back to life

2007-01-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, my hell week is over, no more overtime and no more 6:30 wake ups.

Anyway, I can't remember if I wrote it before, but I was working on the other side of the city teaching English to tax officers so they can help people with their taxes in English. Needless to say, the English they were learning was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

However, about halfway through the week something hit me. The main character in a book they were working out of was and English teacher in Japan trying to file his taxes. I am an English teacher in Japan. I am teaching them English so they can help people like me file my taxes. Let me get this straight: I teach them English so they can help me do my taxes so I can work here and teach them English so they can help me do my taxes so I can work here to teach them English and......see where I'm going with this?

I haven't taken many pictures in a while, so I think I'll dust off the old camera again.

Crazy crazy week + a mistake

2007-01-23T05:24:00.000-08:00

6:30 - wake up
7:30 - get on the train
8:30 - get off the train
9:00 - teach English lessons to tax officers
5:10 - stop teaching tax officers
5:30 - get on train
6:30 - get off train, go to 'real' work
7:00 - start teaching
9:00 - stop teaching
9:15 - go home

And that was my day today, and that is also pretty much my next three days as well, although the schedule will vary a bit, but not the length. Jeez, my mind is just blank. Heroes is downloading, so it'll be nice to watch that in a minute. Hey, I have to download these things to keep myself sane. Japanese TV is not our TV. Every game show has the same people on it. Every dish on a cooking show is OISHII!!!!!!! (DELICIOUS!!!!) And wait...it's all in JAPANESE! However, I should watch more children's shows to improve my vocabulary. Sakana sakana sakanaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! (Fish fish fiiiiiiiiiiiiish!!!!)

And ok, MAYBE I made a mistake in a previous entry on this thing. I mean, perhaps I was just living my little zen moment, but it was the wrong moment. I was informed by someone motherly in my life that Jessica, is in fact not evil, but actually a very nice person. Hmmmmmmm, I'm suspicious about this. When I'm suspicious, I like to make a table.

Not that kind of table. Sorry I was watching Airplane this week. (SURELY YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!) Here's the table we really need:

Jessica

THE GOOD
-sponsors a child
-is a nurse
-a children's nurse
-in Emerge (ER)
-Worked up North in an
underprivileged community

THE EVIL
-tried to eat all my leftovers
-didn't do my laundry
-she told me she would do my laundry
-What? she said she would!!
-Shutup.

(It was going to be a table, but it the formatting wouldn't work right, so now it's more of a list...er...two lists)

Ok, maybe she's not so evil and perhaps I was over reacting a bit. Now, back to my mindlessness. (drool)

Snowboarding

2007-01-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

This past Monday, I went snowboarding for my first time. It seems strange being from Canada and having my first experience being here in Japan. However, it was pretty cool. I've been skiing before, and I'm now too bad at it, or at least I wasn't. (I haven't been in about 5 years) It takes ankle strength that is similar to skating...but snowboarding is a totally different game. I think that one summer of wake boarding at Camp Walden did nothing for me. I was on my ass every 20 seconds.

The worst was when I was trying to ride on the toes side of my board...and I'd fall backward down the hill and smoke my tail bone and head in the same fall.

Seeing I have a snowboard and boots now I'm pretty invested in this, so I have to keep at it. I won't be able to go for a couple weeks 'cause I working crazy overtime next week. From 9-5 I'm teaching tax officers to help people with their taxes in English, then, I head back to my branch school to work finish up my day with my regular classes until 9.

Not to mention I have to prepare everything in advance.

snowboarding is cool.

Mime sucks.

2007-01-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

Back in Japan. Back in Midorii. Back in Class. Back in a suit.

Wow, in a few weeks I'll have been here for two years. It doesn't seem like near that long though. There's still so much I haven't done...or can't do. For instance, right now I'm putting off going to FuruFuru to get some pants hemmed and a jacket repaired....because I know how bloody difficult communication is going to be. I mean, I can buy stuff, ask for directions, talk about myself, but I haven't the SLIGHTEST clue how to say 'can you hem these pants?' or 'can you repair the lining in the jacket?'

I guess I can always go with gestures, but mime sucks.

2007-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

"It's the journey, not the destination"

Although I don't really know who first said this, it's been quoted, rearranged, and mutilated countless times since. Is it true? Is life truly about the journey, and not the destination? (according to AeroSmith, it is) This notion seems to work well with my tittle "now and zen". Try to be mindful in everything you do; every action in your life should be as important as the next. Whether you are working, writing, or chopping vegetables. But seriously, what's so good about the Journey anyway? Usually my seat sucks, I'm tired, jet lagging and the dude next to me smells.

Recently I had the worst journey of my life, but the destination was damn near paradise.

It all started on the morning of my trip to Canada. I woke up on time, got to the train station on time, but the train didn't come on time. The trains in Japan are ALWAYS on time. Anyway, I missed the bullet train my buddies were on at Hiroshima central station. But no big deal, I can get to Osaka easily, and I have plenty of time. So I jumped the next train and arrived alone. Next step: get to the airport. Almost as soon as I got off the train, I saw signs for a bus to Osaka airport. It was cheaper than I thought it would be. Great, and the bus ride only took about 30 minutes. When I arrived, the first thing I thought was 'wow, this place is smaller than I remember.' I checked the terminal listings, looking for my airline....but all I could see where Japanese airlines and a few other Asian ones......

MOTHERF#$% B*LLSH!T D@MN!T

And there it was right behind me...a bus to take me to...Kansai Osaka airport. Where I should be. I now had two hours before my flight left....the bus was leaving in 20 minutes and it takes 70 minutes to get there. Hello Christmas in Japan. So I asked a taxi:

Kansai Kuko made ikura desuka? (how much is it to kansai airport?)

He said something I couldn't understand and pointed to a sign that said 5000 Yen. That's like 50 bucks Canadian. So I said:

Kansai Kuko made dono gurai kakarimasuka? (how long does it take?)

50 minutes. Not to bad, maybe I can make this.

So I hoped in, and watched the meter climb and climb. Past 2000, past 5000 past 10000, then past 15000. I don't know what the hell that sign was he pointed at was, but took my first 155 dollar cab ride that day.

I ran inside that airport. I was totally that asshole. Wow did I run, from one line to the next. This little Japanese lady needed to search my big suitcase but couldn't lift it onto the table. So in my haste I just heaved it up for her. Ow, my back. Double ow. It hurts right now still. Well, I made the flight all right, and after about a three hour delay and having to change to a functional plane in Detroit, I made it to Canada with a light wallet and a sore back.

This journey sucked, but the destination was heaven. But it's kind of funny how the journey makes the best story, isn't it?

d.

2007-01-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

TADAIMA!!! (I'm back...sort of)

I'm back in Japan now...and I believe something strange has happened. While away, a construction crew somehow got into my apartment....I believe they moved all the walls about half a foot closer together making it that much smaller. I swear it didn't feel this small when I left.

Anyway, I haven't done anything yet other than sleep. I work up at 6:30 am, and if that's what time my jetlag wants to wake me up--perfect.

I have no milk, eggs, cheese, vegetables, fruit, or meat. But I do have one jumbo sized can of Tim's coffee. Thanks Karen.

It's derisious.

Who needs 'l' anyway.

Oh Canada,....

2007-01-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Holy crap, 9 days has gone by SO fast. I can't believe that was all the time I had. I have to get up at 4:30 tomorrow morning to make it to the airport...which means I have under 11 hours left in the country. What have I done?

-Christmas dinner (x2)
-Hang with Dan
-Visit Toronto
-Chilled with Ray
-Went to a sweet party at Nancy's house
-Played guitar hero 'till the wee hours of the morning
-Realized my sister is evil (Jessica, not Karen)
-Saw my grandparents
-Went to a local horror movie festival (show?)
-Gave lots of presents (yup, I had one for you too)
-Drank lots of Tims
-Realized how great Japanese service really is
-Ate loads of pumpkin pie
-Went shopping with my sister (not the evil one)
-Bought presents
-Drank Strongbow

that's all I can think of right now. There are some things I didn't get to do that I really wish I could have. Like fill my suitcase with cereal, meet up with Erin, see a movie, go dancing, have an awkward conversation, got a hold of Scholey....and so on. It's getting late and I got to crash. Tomorrow is going to just horrible. On the bright side, I don't think it could be any worse than the flight here. I'll post about that later if I remember. Anyway, I really wish I had a few more days. The 2k I spent to get here was defiantly worth every penny.

Ottawa ni

2006-12-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

Ore wa ashita Ottawa ni iku. Ore wa totemo genki desu nazenara Nancy ga 'nu yiiru' no paati o suru!

Orewa bikurishita! Canada ga samui ja arimasen. Ma ma desu.

(yoshi!)

Ima tsukareta desu nazenara okasan no computa o tsukuta.

Otsukaresamadeshita.

2006-12-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

Happy new year! And it is a pretty happy new year at that. Jeez I missed Canada and my family a lot. Speaking of family, while I was all these kids just sprung up like weeds. Generally the Hartwick Family Christmas(TM) is way wilder than the Ferbeek Family Christmas(TM) just due to sheer number of brothers and sisters. (my dad has 10, and my mom has 2) However, the amount of children coming from the Ferbeeks is insane! I don't even know all their names.

Anyway, I've had some great pizza, lots of Tims, and loads of cereal. Honey Bunches of Oats is THE BOMB (heh, I can't say that so freely back in Japan). I think all the extra space in my suitcase that was filled with presents is now going to be filled with...Honey Bunches of Oats.

Oh, and I bought snow-board boots! Since my boss's boyfriend gave me a snowboard, they've been the only thing between me and a broken collarbone/wrist. The other great news is that my licenses hasn't expired. I lost it a while ago (like under the bed, not taken away) and I was worried it had expired since then. (woot, past perfect) But it hasn't. Like I said, good news.

I can feel the engrish factory creeping toward me. I really like that place but damn it feels nice to be home.

Home for the holidays

2006-12-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's going to be almost two years when I arrive back in Canada on the 23rd. I'm a little nervous but there are some things I'm really really looking forward to. Like seeing my family, friends, and oh ya, having some tims--and that's going to be at the airport.

Damn I can't wait to have some nice pizza. It doesn't even have to be nice, I want Dominos or some crappy stuff like that. The pizza here is terrible.....I mean...have you ever ordered corn on your pizza? Or mayonaise? (shutter)

I hope you have some new years eve plans for me nancy! Don't let me down here. Ray, I'll need a place to crash for a night or too. You too Dan if you are in Toronto.

Oh, I miss cereal too.

2006-12-06T16:39:00.000-08:00

Work these days have been nuts. Generaly, we use our own company books in our classes, which is nice 'cause they have dialoges, homework, listening exercises, ect.. The teaching structure we follow is pretty strict, but I think it's pretty good. The only problem is that sometimes it doesn't feel like teaching because you just have to follow a formula.

However, there are these kind of new classes we've added at our school. Grammar in Use.

(shutter)

The book is big, heavy, grey, and it's full of homework. Only homework. So it takes me about a full two hours to prepare one of these lessons because I have to make everything...from the homework.

So yesterday I put a solid two hours into one of my classes, and the class went really well. Now that sucks. 'cause I was thinking 'if this class doesn't go so well, maybe I don't need to put so much time into it.' But no, it went really well. So I'm cursed with working this hard until doomsday. Or quitting day. Whatever comes first.

On a higher note, it totaly feels like real teaching. silver lining I guess.

(bow to the internets)

2006-11-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

Wow...I haven't blogged in like a month. I'm sorry, Mr. Internet, I'll never neglect you this long again. So what's new...I ran another marathon, which made me feel like this guy ------------>
(why is the bottom guy smiling?)
Sara went back to Texas. I have a new coworker named Lauren from new Jersy. I'm flying home to Canada on the 23rd. Nancy is making my New Year's plans. Right Nancy? I think while I was sleeping the other night they secretly made the Japanese language even harder. Bastards. gtg brb.

2006-10-30T03:23:00.000-08:00

I'm all about the blag these days.

Been so busy. Working tax college has just killed me. I was working on the other end of the city from 9:00 am (had to get up at 6:30 to make it on time) until 5:00. What made it just great was heading back to my branch for 7 to teach two more classes. The overtime was great, and my next paycheque should be epic. Guess I'm going to need it though....

Because I'm coming home for Christmas!!! I'll be home for about 11 days, so people, you better find something for me to do on new year's. I should have lot of presents and other Eastern oddities to show off. I don't have my full flight schedule on me right now, but I'll post it later.

On another note, I think I'm running two more 'Marathons' in the months to come! One seems to be about 10k uphill....not really looking forward to that one. And the other is 10k again, but this time on flat ground. I really gotta start training for this....

No one's watching my back...

2006-10-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

It feels like the safety net is totally gone. No one is me watching anymore.

My head teacher, Lyu Sensei, a veteran of about 5 years at the company, has left. My manager, Yumi, of about the same, has also left. Now those two knew their shit. Although I've been here a while, I have always felt like they had an eye on me. On everything for that matter. Lyu was always prodding with loaded questions to make sure I'm getting everything done. Yumi always knew what I needed to do, how much time I needed and what I could do in how much time.

Now they're just gone. Yayoi, our new manager had been working as an assistant manager for about three years. I think she'll be a great manager, but she has her hands full and has no time to worry about me. And Naoko, our new head teacher is so sweet, but she has more important things to look out for what I'm doing.

It's a strange feeling. If I don't do things correctly, no one will notice-at least not for like 6 months.

Now the question....do I work hard or take a 6 month metal vacation...

Back online!

2006-10-08T17:45:00.001-07:00

After about two weeks I finally have my monitor back. It's nice to be able to read 12 point font again. The only thing I could do with my computer for the past two weeks was play 'Call of Duty 2.' Although it's a great game, one can only shoot so many Germans (or Nazis I guess I should say) in a day.

But the more interesting news would be my marathon yesterday. Or my '10 kilometer' family run as some tools like to call it. My legs are so sore today. I can run 10k easily enough-I did it last week on Saturday morning before work. However this was up in the mountains--so damn, there were some hills. The race went something like this:

0-500 meters: straight uphill (lots of energy still)
500-2 kilometers: gradual slope up (easy enough)
2-6k: gradual slope down (easy enough, I should have ran faster)
6-8k: Steep slope up (HOLY CRAP KILL ME)
8-10: race to the finish. (not to bad)

All it all it was pretty sweet. I placed 80th in my class and finished in 57 minutes and 42 seconds.

Again, sorry for the blag.

Gotta go play Call of Duty.

d.

Pain and more Pain

2006-10-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

Holy crap this monitor business is driving me nuts. That thing was so expensive and now this bull shit.

Shogunai I guess.

On a more positive note, I’m going to have a wickedly painful weekend coming up.
Coming up REALLY soon.
THIS weekend to be specific.

Tony, Adam, Mikey, and I are in a marathon! I guess there’s a little masochist in all of us. Technically it’s not a full marathon but 10k is still a long way to run. However, I will continue to call it a marathon because my signup sheet says ‘marasan’ on it.

I’ve been running up this mountain near my place for a while now. It’s maybe about 2 or 3k to get to this little Shinto temple up top.

Although this is a pretty solid uphill run, I had no idea if I could last anywhere near 10k. So on Saturday morning, after crashing on Ron’s floor in town, I decided to run back to my place before work. It’s about a 20-25 minute train ride, and I ran it in about 1 ½ hours. Not too bad. I figure it’s about 10k. I just hope there aren’t many big hills….

Clotheses

2006-09-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

I wish my grass were emo. Then, maybe it would cut itself.

Heh.

Anyway, my 19” plasma monitor has been recalled. For at least two weeks. I got into the store, tried to show the guy my receipt, but all he did was look at the serial number and say, ‘ah, recall.’ Why didn’t they phone me before?!

Ok, and another thing. The word ‘clothes’ really pisses me off. Because it doesn’t follow any grammatical rules at all.

First off, it has no plural. It is singular and plural at the same time. Technicaly, it’s uncountable. You would never say ‘one clothes, two clothes, three clothes…ect.” Am I right?

Second, with uncountable nouns you always use ‘much’ instead of ‘many.’ How MUCH milk do you want? However, we say, “how MANY clothes did bring.” Am I right? Tell me I’m right.

Third. Ok ok ok. Maybe there’s an easier answer for this…oh I know! MOOSE! Moose are countable, but the word itself is uncountable! (so are all animals with antlers…not horns…antlers) Wait wait wait…”I saw a moose,” “I have a clothes.” I AM SO RIGHT! THIS WORD SUCKS.

Clothes follows no grammatical rules that I can think off. It seems to be an anomaly front and centre stage. It’s no wonder so many of my students say ‘clothes’ like ‘closes.’

Ok that’s my rant. Stupid monitor. So right.

BLAG

2006-09-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the blog-lag. Web-log-lag. Blag. My monitor is broken. I have my computer hooked up to my television and the resolution is terrible. I can't even read what I"m typing.

d.

Back at the grind

2006-09-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Work is up in full force right now, nothing terribly interesting to report. We have a new perspective teacher in though. And her story is pretty interesting.

At my school we have foreign teachers and Japanese teachers. The system works pretty good. The Japanese teachers teach most of the lower classes, and we do all the higher ones (some lower ones too). This works cause we have study meetings with ALL of our students to talk about how to study, why they are here...ect...

The really really low level students wouldn't be able to tell me any of this, but they can tell the Japanese teachers. However, our 'possible' new teacher isn't Japanese; she's Brazilian. She moved to Japan when she was 10 and acts (and looks for the most part), Japanese.

In a country where there is some real backward racism problems, it's really nice to see our school is not afraid of being progressive.

kudos.

2006-08-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

I realize that there are weird people everywhere in the world. Canada has loads of 'em. England has more. However, Japan breeds a kind of weird that I've never encountered before.

The silent type.

And we're not talking 'the strong, silent type' we all grew up loving in that McCains French Fries ad. I'm talking about the silent, weird type who will barely look at you.

Today this just got to me a little. I work at and Ekaiwa (pronounced Eh-ka-ee-wa). The 'E' means 'English' and 'kaiwa' means 'conversation.'

After I had finished my last class and punched in all my attendance for the day, I noticed there were two perspective students in the interview rooms. Part of my job is to talk to them, and often judge their English level and place them in a class. Lyu had already placed them, so I just dropped in to say hello.

The first girl was sweet. Her name was Kyoko and she worked in a bookstore and she is going BACK to Canada soon. Wicked.

The second girls name is _____. She works at ______. She is _______. She really likes ______. _________.

She was the silent type. I walked in and said 'hi, how are you.' She looked at me, then looked at the floor. I said, 'my name is Derek, what's your name.' She looked harder at the floor. Ok...so maybe her English isn't very good. I pointed at myself and said 'I'm Derek. What's your name?' She looked at me, looked around, then looked at the floor. So, I said 'um...Nice to meet you!' and left.

What a winner.

Let me remind you that kaiwa means 'conversation.'

If you're wondering if she's just too low to say anything, well, she's not. Anyone in Japan can say their name. Or at least knows the word 'name,' cause it's the same word in Japanese. My gestured indicated what was being said. And trust me, I know gestures.

The staff told me she doesn't speak in Japanese either. She just doesn't like to talk. It made me feel like shit when she did that. The office staff weren't so surprised by her though, because apparently, there are many more people like her.....I guess they just don't associate with me.

Thankfully.

This is in JAPANESE!

2006-08-29T19:57:00.001-07:00

To quote my aussie buddy tony when trying to read a free comic he picked up at some anime shop: "this is in Japanese!"

Japanese. It's everywhere. On my cereal, on my bills, and on my clothes. Well the obvious response to this is 'duh,' it's Japan. Right right, I forgot. All I need to do is learn some more and then all will be fine. However, it's easier said than done. Seeing English is the international language, (sorry French, you may be 'officially', but you're really not) studying it is much easier. School, books, and other mediums are everywhere. I had a Japanese teacher for a few months, but he canceled or no-showed my last 5 lessons. There are a couple schools downtown, but I can't get to them in time for lessons seeing as I live in the burbs.

So I study on my own. Which is really really hard cause it's so easy to lose motivation.

Another notion is that the world around me should be my school. Whatever I do should be in Japanese. That doesn't always work; here's what happens:

Situation #1
Derek: Toire wa doko desuka? (where's the bathroom?)
Local: Sumimasen, watashi was eigo ga dekimasen. (Sorry, I can't speak English)
Derek: ....

Situation #2
Derek: Toire wa doko desuka? (where's the bathroom?)
Local: eh?!! (runs away)

Situation #3
Derek: Toire wa doko desuka? (where's the bathroom?)
Local: THERE!!! EETO....where from?! Nice meet you! eh....gomen gomen...you like japan...
Derek: (runs away)

My coworker Melissa who's half Japanese and can speak it fluently has even had similar experiences. She's asked for directions or when a train leaves only to be answered with 'No!' People are either too excited or too afraid.

Well, that's the end of my venting, I'm going to study a little.

d.

New game + my Japanese in action

2006-08-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

I've had a Nintendo DS for a few months now and it's pretty damn cool. One of these days it may even be practical when the web browser comes out or I get the Kanji writing program.

But in the mean time, it's just games. Today I picked up the new Starfox command. Yes, it's in Japanese. However, I believe flying around in an interstellar starship is something that transcends language. Besides, all it's going to tell me is 'kill the bad guys, you dope.'

So I start up the game and it goes to a conversation between a the fox guy and some robot....wow...lot's of Kanji.

Luckily my Japanese was good enough to navigate through this. I could make out the word 'skip.' I did so.

d.

Pay day in Japan!

2006-08-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

YES! Pay day is FINALLY HERE. Oh, most people in Japan only get paid once a month-myself included. Which is kind of cool, but it encourages you to make big purchases. What sucks about today is that the lines at the bank machines are going to be huge.

Japanese bank machines. (shudder)

Why does anyone like them so much? Or even like them a little? Cause they do what banks don't; they stay open late. So at three in the morning when you're stumbling around you can take out some cash and catch a cab to anywhere.

Then please tell me why Japanese bank machines close. Maybe they hire itty-bitty Filipinos to hide inside, and they need to go home to their itty-bitty families. After about 10 o'clock, the bank machines won't give you money anymore. Well, I gotta go watch about 15 housewives update their bankbooks in front of me.

peace and oatmeal. (that's for dan)

No money, no honey.

2006-08-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

Damn! I am so broke. And this really, really isn't my fault. It's ok, payday the day after tomorrow. For the folks in North America, that's three days from yesterday, for me. ehhhhh....

Ok, This all began during my trip. Well, before my trip actually.

Tony my friend, you suck.

The dude has a degree in comp-eng, and can't manage numbers what-so-ever. He spent way to much money earlier in the month, and took about 30 000 Yen on the trip with him. (just take away two zeros to the price in $$)

Japan is expensive. And I mean EXPENSIVE. It's just sneaks up on you...I've heard many people tell me they must have lost money on a trip cause they can't account for a big chunk of it. I'm betting they got smashed and forgot what they spent it on, or just the rising sun got to their wallet.

So I took 50 000 with me, and I had about another 30 000 in the bank if I needed it. I figured I might need another 10 000, and I did. However, Tony needed more than that. Even Ron needed a little. Knowing I had a 10 000 Yen gas bill waiting at home, I was trying to be conservative. But alas, had I not had dove deep into my funds, Tony might still be somewhere on Kyushu.

So in the end, I had to feed both Tony and Ron for the last day, buying food at 7/11. Tony owes me 15 000+ and I had no money for my gas bill. When I got back to Hiroshima, the gas company had called and gave me to the 20th to pay my bill or bye-bye to hot water and cooking.

:(

I had to borrow money myself in the end to pay that. Next trip I take with Tony, I'm taking his trip money AS SOON AS HE GETS PAID.

Ocean Dome

2006-08-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to get to the Ocean Dome first while it's still fresh on my brain. I when I say fresh I mean I can't get it off. Now this place...THIS PLACE....holy shit I don't know where to start. It's kind of like what Paradise would be like if it were written by Japanese people who were obsessed with playing The Sims.

Think of a beautiful beach...nice sun, sand, a nice blue sky, no stinky rotting seaweed around, no one trying to sell you crap or steal your stuff....then, they turn on the wave machine.

I'm torn about this place: it's beautiful, fun, clean, and warm. And it's only 200 meters away from a real beach! To me it's a big figurative middle finger waving itself at mothernature, God, the ocean, and the whole earth in general.

"WE DON'T NEED YOUR DAMN OCEAN! WE MADE OUR OWN!!!!!!! " (insert evil laughter)

I have some sweet pics but they don't seem to want to upload right now. So here you go:

http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_sep2005/Manmade_Japan_Beach.htm

You have to go there. I think Tony, Ron, and I stayed there for about 6 hours, just getting in and out of the ocean (pool?). There were families, and even a sort of Mighty Morphing Power Rangers show going on. I had no idea what was happening. If you EVER go to Japan, this place is little out of the way, but it's totaly worth it.

d.

Back home.

2006-08-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Back in Midorii, safe and sound. I just got back from my summer vacation, and it was pretty rad. The island of Kyushu is a really really cool place. I'd really like to live in Kagoshima of Miyazaki...both are on the beach, the weather is nice, and the pace is just a little slower than here in Hiroshima. Jeez, Tokyo would just kill me then.

Tony, Ron, and I took trains, busses, and boats to get around. I have so many stories I don't know where to start. We were gone for five days (about) and we stayed hotels and ryokans.

A ryokan is a Japanese traditional lodging. Althouth that sounds really nice and cool, I think it's just a secret Japanese codeword for 'empty room without a shower.' There is usually a room full of sit-down showers in the basement, with a big hot bath next to it that everyone shares.

I have to say, that was pretty relaxing.

We went to Fukuoka, Shizuoka, Kagoshima, and Miyazaki. From this trip there are a few things I need to cover, and I will try to do so with photos over the next few days.

1 - the indoor beach
2 - tony's inability to grasp the concept of currency and how to use it
3 - all the small places

d.

Flying below the radar.

2006-08-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I got into work at about 3:00, my boss seemed in a terrible mood. She didn’t say hi, and when she finally acknowledged me about 20 minutes later, she didn’t have much to say.

So I thought to myself, 'it's a great day to keep a low profile.' For the rest of the day I did my lobby talk, and every moment between I snuck back to the preparation room to lurk in the shadows.

The last three hours were a breeze because I had three classes. At the end of the day, I gave myself a big pat on the back for a job well done. I had barely even seen my boss all day! I was quite proud of myself.

On the way out, I said to Sara, 'What a day, I flew below the radar all day because Yumi was in a bad mood.'

"Derek, Yumi was really sick and went home at 4:00."

Now that is some low flying.

"Derek, Yumi was really sick and went home at 4:00."

Now that is some low flying.

I forgot baseball was boring.

2006-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

That's where this is going. Baseball. Boring.

Let's go back to the beginning. I was Roka Sarah's birthday-her big thirty at that, so she invited a whole bunch of her friends and planned a big weekend. It was pretty sweet, we did about 2 hours of Karaoke, followed by dancing until about 4 or 5. New Tim, or 'newt' as he is becoming known, had a few too many and his party ended a little earlier.

I have to admit, Japanese karaoke is pretty cool. I think they have it right, and we, in the west, have it way way wrong (sorry Nancy). It's not about standing up in front of a bar and trying to show off, or getting hammered and then standing up, trying to show off, and untimely embarrassing yourself, it's about just singing with your friends. If you've seen 'Lost in Translation' - then you've seen a pretty good image of Japanese Karaoke. However, it's often much more pink, and fluffy, and Hello-Kitty-ish. Oh, and it's usually all-you-can-drink. :)

The next day I rolled out of bed onto the floor (I was sleeping on the floor, as I always do) at about 1:30 pm. And everyone from the night before slowly made it down to Carp Stadium to catch a game.

Now I'm glad I went, but I don't think I'll be going to a baseball game for a while. Besides, it was only 15 bucks. But HOLY CRAP after like two innings I was bored out of my mind. It you want to make baseball more exciting, just add hitting. And ice. And skates. And then rename it hockey.

I think possibly the only more boring sport in the world is Cricket.

Don't even get me started on Cricket.

Thanks for a great weekend Roka!

Things are getting better.

2006-07-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Things are starting to look better around this blog thingy. The last few weeks I've been working pretty hard to make it look better. It's been tough seeing I haven't dealt with HTML since...oh let's see....grade 10? maybe? It's been a learning experience.

Speaking of learning experiences....

Holy crap giving directions in Japanese is hard. HOLY CRAP.

Tsugi no kosaten o hidari ni magatte kudasia. = please turn left at the next intersection (crossroad).

I'll break it down.

Tsugi no kosaten - o - hidari - ni - magatte - kudasia
the next intersection - at - left - ? - turn - please

And I'm not even using any of the Japanese alphabets.

Yes, there are three.

Rain Rain go away

2006-07-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

Come back next year.

So rainy season was supposed to be over last week I believe...however it's been raining ever since. Seeing I have a washing machine, no dryer, and only enough space to hang my clothes on my balcony...

Let's just say I've had some clothes that have being 'drying' for about 3 days now.

Summer here is gross. It's hotter than Canada, about 4 times as humid. The humidity is just terrible. However, on the flip side, the winters are quite mild. I wanted to post some more ‘new years resolutions’, but the battery in my camera is dead.

d.

Students

2006-07-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

When I think about my job, it isn't the money that makes me really stay. It's my students. The worst parts of my day at work are generally when I'm not teaching. Doing hours of prep and sorting through infinite Japanese paperwork in the office drives me nuts. Whether they are just learning, or producing some of the worst (and often funniest) sentences known to English ears, they are usually pretty great.

Back in January, I had all my students write 'English New Years Resolutions.' Here's a really sweet one:

(removed)

However, some people have good intentions but they come out sounding a little muffled:

I think leaving the names is ok, seeing they're not really their names. Just Roman representations of how their names sound.

Oh, and please read the post below this if you haven't yet and give me your thoughts.

d.

What to do...

2006-07-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

So, I'm having a little dilemma here, and I need some advice.

Right now my contract is until January 28th or something like that. By July 25th I have to tell my work if I want to extend. Now don't get me wrong, I like it here a lot, but I miss home a lot too (everything about it). Sounds like an easy question so far right?

'just come home'

The problem is that I want to go back to school in September 2007. So that means after about 1-2 months of traveling in Asia, I'd be back in Canada April-Mayish. Sounds ok. But by that point I won't know about school yet, so I won't know where to live. Also, I'll have like 3-4 months to work...which will probably be a crappy job because I'll be a student again a few months after. So I won't be able to save much money. So I'll come home, not know where to live, and I'll probably have to work a crappy job.

For every month I say here I can save $1000 CAD, so two of three months makes a huge difference. Plus, if I stay a little longer, then I'll be home for Christmas anyway, seeing I've already taken the days off. Plus, in March I get a raise. I dunno. Any suggestions?

I gotta get ready for work.

2006-07-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

WOW WHAT A MEETING.

not like super awesome or anything...I just had 12 people there. So it's me, a ton of information that I guess I know pretty well, and two hours to get it across.

My tools:

A whiteboard
Markers
CD player
Notebook
Chocolates

My legs and brain are tired. Otsukaesamadesu.

early morning

2006-07-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

8 am. (ish)

coffee is perkin'.

I'm all out of Tim's, anyone wanna send me some more? Today is the Area teachers Meeting (ATM) where I get to go to Eki Biru (Central Station) Aeon and have a meeting with all the little nublets. (noobs) It's pretty cool actualy, I get to go to Honsha (head office) once a month on the Shinkonsen (bullet train) and have a meeting with the other area leaders, and then run my own meeting two weeks later. Plus, I get paid a little for it. This month it's about Study Strategy Meetings (SSM), set up councilings, and renewal councilings. Now doesn't that sound exciting? I bet those are the kind of things you think about when you think about teaching English. thinking about thinking about...drinking?

Sigh, I miss good music.

Maybe I'll post about how it went later.

d.

Farewell

2006-07-16T04:13:00.000-07:00

And Amy is off this week, finished her ekaiwa career. It's been fun. We had a good party last night, went to an izakaya, an Irish bar, and then...you guessed it: karaoke. I think our crowd was about 25 people at one point. Mild drama occurred.

Best of luck aim, hope the East treats you well.

Not much else new on the J-front here. I'm getting stoked about my road trip about Kyushu. I kind of want to see Nagasaki. Hey, maybe on my next vacation I'll go check out Auschwitz. I've heard it's nice in the winter.

d.

2006-07-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well this sucks. Hamada camping may be off. It's the end of rainy season now, or getting near the end at least....but it seems there is a typhoon coming to hit Japan. More specificly, hit Hamada. This morning it looked as though it was going to miss, but it'll probably dump some heavy rain all over the beach for about 4 days.

Amy and Yuji (yugi) -------------------->

What makes this worse is that Amy has about one week left in Japan, so this was going to be a nice weekend for us all to say goodbye. What gives this event double the suckyness is that it's not even typhoon season. It's just momma nature giving us all the finger I think. I think I won't sort my garbage this week. That'll show her.

2006-07-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

Sweet. I have an Obon plan. I know what you're asking. What is it, Derek? What's your plan? And wtf is Obon?!

Obon is a weeklong summer holiday over here. It's in the middle of August, and it's similar to....Halloween. When I say it's similar to Halloween...I mean that really loosely. In the Shinto religion, there are hundreds of gods (so I've been told), and during this time they all go to a certain shrine on Shikoku to honour the dead. I think some dead are supposed to roam around too. I may be way off with this, but the stories I get from my students never make much sense. Trying to figure out what Shintoism is, is even harder.

It has something to do with bowing and clapping for good luck.

So, back to my plan. So far on my holidays I've been to Shikoku, Osaka, Tokyo, and Thailand. Now I'm heading down too Kyushu...the sound western island. However, it's going to be a road trip! Tony got his drivers license, so we're renting a car and hitting the road for about a week. I think this will be an entirely different Japanese experience. I'll post more details as I find them out.

New blog up

2006-06-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hi, welcome to the Internet. er...my new blog...spot.

It's been a while since I updated ( I seem to say that a lot) and I've had a bit of new stuff going on. The most notable thing that's been on my mind recently, is how I know I'm getting a bit older. I don't feel older--I can still run pretty well and I go to the gym enough. I have no problem staying up all night dancing or whatever. I still like video games. Although I had to quit WoW because it was trying to own my life. I sure showed it. Guess I'd rather own my addictions than have them own me. Now where did I leave my coffee....

So where can I feel it? Well, I can feel it often enough. I get a headache every now and then...for no real reason-I thought. I'd be at work, working on something (working at work?), and it would hit me. I'd be leaning back at my PC (which sits in a mini table on the floor) and it would hit me. This headache. And now I'm pretty sure I know what is causing it. I think I'm losing my eyesight. My right eye is still ok, I can still see pretty clearly out of that one....but my left one...oh me or my. If I close my right eye I see a whole world a blur. Whoo-hoo. Sigh. Well, it's not that bad, but it's not what it used to be.

I may go get an eye test this weekend.

d.

Testing

2006-06-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Testing.