nani nani!
last night i was lying in bed, drifting off into the wonderful dreams where i'm a viking! when i feel my bed shaking. i start freaking out cuz i think there's some escaped convict trying to tunnel his way into my apartment (okay, so i'm not always the most rational when i'm sleep deprived). i breathe a sigh of relief when i realize it's not some pervert trying to grab my ass but an earthquake! OoOoOoO my first earthquake! quite titillating. what started as a slight tremor beneath my bed turned into a full fledged entire-building-shaking that rattled the pots in my kitchen. it lasted maybe about a minute. some people might have been too scared to fall asleep after that, but i have faith in japanese technology. i mean, you don't build a city beside an active volcano without some precautionary action. so that's another natural disaster i can check off my to do list. typhoon? check. earthquake? check. what's left? hmmm....volcanic eruption (sakurajima is one of the world's most active volcanos), tsunami (thailand in 3 weeks)...avalanche (hokaiddo in february), yup yup. it's official. i have a death wish.
speaking of more irrational behaviour. i was bored yesterday. and i had access to something sharp and pointy. so i gave myself a demi-mullet. or as the french say it - un moolay. i reintroduced the fun-hawk. since i've had to give up my nose ring, i thought i'd defy the "system" with some funkified hair. i just have to sort me out a banjo and i'm all set. YEEHAW!
tomolo is my deaf school's culture day. it's technically a holiday, but i thought i'd be a trooper and give these kids my support. i was watching this british skit show called katherine something. funny stuff. in one of the skits, she's introduced to a deaf person but doesn't realize that. so when he starts signing, she thinks he's playing charades with her. "film! two words! no? is it a book?"
i was at this party in kanoya over the weekend, and there were a lot of j-people there. well, a lot of j-GIRLS. anyhoo, j-girls for the most part are a sweet bunch, but so domesticated! it's like they complain about how badly they're treated by japanese men, but then they fall over their feet to please gaijin boys. one of the j-girls had hooked up with this 40ish ALT, and even though they were sleeping in another room i could hear them giggling. i'm like stop laughing, he's not that interesting! you probably don't even understand what he's saying!!! seriously, if you're having girl problems, COME TO JAPAN. if you are a blue eyed, blond haired male...dear god, you will have a fan club within a week. if you speak english, you'll still do pretty well. normal dudes become demi-gods here. do i sound a bit resentful? a bit. sorry if i'm not exactly pleased at how some of these guys take advantage of these girls. or the way some of these girls throw themselves at men. it's all a bit degrading. when we woke up the next morning, the j-girls had already cleaned up the entire house. chris was joking that he's always gonna have at least one j-girl at his parties to do clean up. *sweat drop* T__T but i guess i can't really blame 'em - a hot asian who can keep a house, and thinks everything you say is "sugoi" or "oishii"? even i'd consider going gay for that
vocab:
nani - what
j-girl - japanese girl
gaijin- foreigner
sugoi - cool
oishii - delicious
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Monday, November 14, 2005
it breaks my heart
usually so cavalier. normally so hardened. what's becoming of me? what's this i'm feeling? i feel my heart bleeding over everything and nothing. Maybe it’s that time of the month, i've never been very good at keeping track. hormones are over ruling my sensibilities.
i basically spent last week in a snot clogged haze, to the point where i had to call in sick on friday morning. i lay in bed staring at the ceiling, willing myself to get up. it didn't help that it was a soul darkening grey day, with heavy rain perforating the cement city below. i thought “bugger it”, i can't do it. I absolutely cannot do this today.
We're just a million little god's causin rain storms turnin' every good thing to rust. I guess we'll just have to adjust.
It rained all day on Friday, but there was a tall ship festival at the bay. I am absolutely enamoured with tall ships. It’s the fairy tale romance of it, the aesthetic beauty of it, the idea of living life on the ocean miles away from normality. So I trudged valiantly to the kagoshima port, pelted upon by rain, barely protected by my umbrella. Foolish thing to do really in my state of health, all for a silly boat. But there it was, floating majestically among the choppy waves. And I stood there gazing upon it all alone, thoroughly soaked. most people have better sense than me I suppose.
I figure my cold was a symptom of the hectic pace I had been pushing my body through (and my affinity for water). To remedy this, I planned on going to Kanoya for a weekend retreat. But due to the stormy weather, I was having second thoughts. If I could pick a theme for my life right now, it would have to be indecision.
So Saturday morning rolls around, and I’m in the familiar position of not knowing what to do with myself. I’m lying in bed debating whether or not I want to trek to kanoya for a hike in the woods and such. I’m quickly running out of time. It’s 7:25 am. I have to be at the ferry port at 7:50. fuck it! Let’s do this!!! I jump out of bed, pull on some pants, throw together a bag and start racing down the street looking for a taxi. The taxi driver is a sweetheart, and he seems more anxious whether I’ll make my boat more than me. He’s constantly checking his watch, and when we pull up to the port he wishes me luck. I JUST catch the ferry, talk about a ‘sliding doors’ moment. I sit outside on the deck, the chill breeze whipping around me, and I wonder if I made the right choice in going. Doubts were instantly calmed when I step into the terminal and see the brilliant smiling face of mista Christopher sherrif awaiting my arrival. He and Vanessa gave me so much reassurance over the weekend. They fed me breakfast and lunch cuz I had forgone all that in my last minute decision to go.
The “hike” was amazing and def not what I expected. I should’ve read the itinerary better, because this was no mere walk in the forest. oh no, this was a full fledged hike in a RIVER…upstream! We were up to our waists in water, fighting the current and climbing over waterfalls. Again, I was going against all rationality, and forgoing my health, but I did all this with gusto. Soaked, freezing, and never feeling more alive. It was like a scene out of lord of the rings. The serene setting, warmed by the sunlight filtering through the canopy, and drinking the purest of water that flowed off the mossy cliffs.
To complete my dream like weekend, I went over to my neighbor rich’s for a dinner party last night. It was weird –surreal- to be surrounded by such…warmth and intimacy. Rich’s friends are lovely. I met a guy named Christian, from the Philippines, who has invited me to join his ikedo club (a form of self defense). And another guy ash, from texas, who’s helping me find a dojo to study karate. Which is great, cuz I’ve already gotten rather bored of kendo. I’ve decided it’s not for me. I’ve yet to tell the kendo club yet tho. Errghh, not looking forward to that. The decision was hard to make, but in retrospect the obvious conclusion.
i basically spent last week in a snot clogged haze, to the point where i had to call in sick on friday morning. i lay in bed staring at the ceiling, willing myself to get up. it didn't help that it was a soul darkening grey day, with heavy rain perforating the cement city below. i thought “bugger it”, i can't do it. I absolutely cannot do this today.
We're just a million little god's causin rain storms turnin' every good thing to rust. I guess we'll just have to adjust.
It rained all day on Friday, but there was a tall ship festival at the bay. I am absolutely enamoured with tall ships. It’s the fairy tale romance of it, the aesthetic beauty of it, the idea of living life on the ocean miles away from normality. So I trudged valiantly to the kagoshima port, pelted upon by rain, barely protected by my umbrella. Foolish thing to do really in my state of health, all for a silly boat. But there it was, floating majestically among the choppy waves. And I stood there gazing upon it all alone, thoroughly soaked. most people have better sense than me I suppose.
I figure my cold was a symptom of the hectic pace I had been pushing my body through (and my affinity for water). To remedy this, I planned on going to Kanoya for a weekend retreat. But due to the stormy weather, I was having second thoughts. If I could pick a theme for my life right now, it would have to be indecision.
So Saturday morning rolls around, and I’m in the familiar position of not knowing what to do with myself. I’m lying in bed debating whether or not I want to trek to kanoya for a hike in the woods and such. I’m quickly running out of time. It’s 7:25 am. I have to be at the ferry port at 7:50. fuck it! Let’s do this!!! I jump out of bed, pull on some pants, throw together a bag and start racing down the street looking for a taxi. The taxi driver is a sweetheart, and he seems more anxious whether I’ll make my boat more than me. He’s constantly checking his watch, and when we pull up to the port he wishes me luck. I JUST catch the ferry, talk about a ‘sliding doors’ moment. I sit outside on the deck, the chill breeze whipping around me, and I wonder if I made the right choice in going. Doubts were instantly calmed when I step into the terminal and see the brilliant smiling face of mista Christopher sherrif awaiting my arrival. He and Vanessa gave me so much reassurance over the weekend. They fed me breakfast and lunch cuz I had forgone all that in my last minute decision to go.
The “hike” was amazing and def not what I expected. I should’ve read the itinerary better, because this was no mere walk in the forest. oh no, this was a full fledged hike in a RIVER…upstream! We were up to our waists in water, fighting the current and climbing over waterfalls. Again, I was going against all rationality, and forgoing my health, but I did all this with gusto. Soaked, freezing, and never feeling more alive. It was like a scene out of lord of the rings. The serene setting, warmed by the sunlight filtering through the canopy, and drinking the purest of water that flowed off the mossy cliffs.
To complete my dream like weekend, I went over to my neighbor rich’s for a dinner party last night. It was weird –surreal- to be surrounded by such…warmth and intimacy. Rich’s friends are lovely. I met a guy named Christian, from the Philippines, who has invited me to join his ikedo club (a form of self defense). And another guy ash, from texas, who’s helping me find a dojo to study karate. Which is great, cuz I’ve already gotten rather bored of kendo. I’ve decided it’s not for me. I’ve yet to tell the kendo club yet tho. Errghh, not looking forward to that. The decision was hard to make, but in retrospect the obvious conclusion.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
ambivilosity, learn it and love it
another day in paradise, with my nose clogged with snot. gah, i have a cold. and today was mid-year seminar as well. so i had to sit through speeches, demonstration classes, and what not feeling like shit. i was so out of it. we were doing discussions, and i ...wait for it...fell asleep. to be fair, i do have a cold. absolutely no energy. i was looking at the clock and i'm like "geez, another hour and a half till i can go home". i zone in and out, and when i look at the clock again theres only five minutes left. oh shit. i did it again. i fell asleep. my japanese teacher (JTE) was sitting beside me, and i was like why didn't you wake me up??? and she was like, ohh, i guess i should have. lol...you gotta love the japanese. always afraid to impose.
after that, we had to go to a reception. and being a trooper that i was went bar hopping with my friends after. i made it through two bars before i said, that's it, i'm done. when you start using ur drink to cool your burning forehead, that's a sign that maybe u should go to bed. so here i am, on my bed typing an entry instead of resting. oh me, when will i learn? but it was lovely hanging with everyone. i've gotten really close with so many cool people in my prefecture. i would like to stay another year in japan, but sometimes i feel so...ambivalous (word of the day!). it's just too much sometimes.
anyways, i've left my door unlocked so lorna and amy can come in when they're done with clubbing. they're crashing at my place. we've unofficially decided that amy is the hottest girl in the ken (aka prefecture, similar to provinces in canada). wooooo, i got the hottest girl staying at my place ;-) i should start charging admission. last night, i was sick as well so i didnt go out. but i left my door unlocked for my friend shane. he stumbles in at 3 in the morning. i listen to him in my half conscious state as he bashes his head against my door (cuz he's pretty tall, things in japan arent made for gaigin "foreigner" bodies). i feel him shaking me awake, and he says "hey, it's me shane. i just wanted to let u know it's me and not some random stranger in ur apartment" i grunt to let him know i appreciate the gesture. i'm pissing like a fiend tonight. tiny bladder and narcoleptic. man, i feel great.
tomorrow is another day of workshops. i better get some rest now so i can make it through in a semi-conscious state at least. lol...there are going to be so many hung over people tomorrow. i'll have fun poking at them with sharp pointy things.
after that, we had to go to a reception. and being a trooper that i was went bar hopping with my friends after. i made it through two bars before i said, that's it, i'm done. when you start using ur drink to cool your burning forehead, that's a sign that maybe u should go to bed. so here i am, on my bed typing an entry instead of resting. oh me, when will i learn? but it was lovely hanging with everyone. i've gotten really close with so many cool people in my prefecture. i would like to stay another year in japan, but sometimes i feel so...ambivalous (word of the day!). it's just too much sometimes.
anyways, i've left my door unlocked so lorna and amy can come in when they're done with clubbing. they're crashing at my place. we've unofficially decided that amy is the hottest girl in the ken (aka prefecture, similar to provinces in canada). wooooo, i got the hottest girl staying at my place ;-) i should start charging admission. last night, i was sick as well so i didnt go out. but i left my door unlocked for my friend shane. he stumbles in at 3 in the morning. i listen to him in my half conscious state as he bashes his head against my door (cuz he's pretty tall, things in japan arent made for gaigin "foreigner" bodies). i feel him shaking me awake, and he says "hey, it's me shane. i just wanted to let u know it's me and not some random stranger in ur apartment" i grunt to let him know i appreciate the gesture. i'm pissing like a fiend tonight. tiny bladder and narcoleptic. man, i feel great.
tomorrow is another day of workshops. i better get some rest now so i can make it through in a semi-conscious state at least. lol...there are going to be so many hung over people tomorrow. i'll have fun poking at them with sharp pointy things.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
it's another day in the nieghborhood
Nov 7
hmmm...i can't figure out how to change comment settings. i had it so anybody could post, but i didn't literally mean anybody. i have stupid comments that link to some commercial sites. bah!
on the brighter side, i had a much better day of classes today. after getting right pissed off at a class last time, they were much better behaved today. the 4 chatty girls at the back were even considerate enough to have their books out today. and otesha folks will be happy to hear i am still the best dressed cat around :-P one of my students christine told me i have good style. giggle blush, you mean this old thing? actually, i've been getting quite rightly addicted to vintage stores. kagcity has awesome second hand stores. sometimes i think i'm too trendy for my own good, i wore my shirt inside out today just cuz i liked the rough edge, and more than a couple people have pointed it out. i'm like yeah, i did that on purpose. and then they're like "wow, ur soooo cool karen"
anyways, i walk into the english office today and find a gift on my desk! it was from teh vice principal thanking me for correcting (i.e. changing every word) of his speech. i know japanese are generally shy about their english, and i feel shitty for changing his speech so much. but hes gonna be talking to a room full of native english speakers, so i figure it's done more good than harm. and he did tell me to be ruthless. he got me hankerchiefs from yamakataya. ummm...thanks? it was very generous of him to give me a present, so i dont mean to be knocking his gift. but hankerchiefs? i guess it'll go along with my smoking jacket and pipe that i got for my birthday.
today i go to my first japanese cooking class! yee haw! learning to cook me a traditional japanese new years dinner. i however will not even be in the country for new years, but hey, could come in handy somewhere down the line. i'm so proud of myself, most of the food i cook these days i actually ENJOY eating! wooot wooot. like last night, i had thai curry on rice. granted the curry was from a package, but packages don't open themselves now do they?
and tomorrow is the great dreaded/anticipated mid-year seminar where all the ALT's in the prefecture come together for two days of tedious workshops and demonstration classes. gahhh...but it'll be nice to see some faces. cheers ya wankas!
hmmm...i can't figure out how to change comment settings. i had it so anybody could post, but i didn't literally mean anybody. i have stupid comments that link to some commercial sites. bah!
on the brighter side, i had a much better day of classes today. after getting right pissed off at a class last time, they were much better behaved today. the 4 chatty girls at the back were even considerate enough to have their books out today. and otesha folks will be happy to hear i am still the best dressed cat around :-P one of my students christine told me i have good style. giggle blush, you mean this old thing? actually, i've been getting quite rightly addicted to vintage stores. kagcity has awesome second hand stores. sometimes i think i'm too trendy for my own good, i wore my shirt inside out today just cuz i liked the rough edge, and more than a couple people have pointed it out. i'm like yeah, i did that on purpose. and then they're like "wow, ur soooo cool karen"
anyways, i walk into the english office today and find a gift on my desk! it was from teh vice principal thanking me for correcting (i.e. changing every word) of his speech. i know japanese are generally shy about their english, and i feel shitty for changing his speech so much. but hes gonna be talking to a room full of native english speakers, so i figure it's done more good than harm. and he did tell me to be ruthless. he got me hankerchiefs from yamakataya. ummm...thanks? it was very generous of him to give me a present, so i dont mean to be knocking his gift. but hankerchiefs? i guess it'll go along with my smoking jacket and pipe that i got for my birthday.
today i go to my first japanese cooking class! yee haw! learning to cook me a traditional japanese new years dinner. i however will not even be in the country for new years, but hey, could come in handy somewhere down the line. i'm so proud of myself, most of the food i cook these days i actually ENJOY eating! wooot wooot. like last night, i had thai curry on rice. granted the curry was from a package, but packages don't open themselves now do they?
and tomorrow is the great dreaded/anticipated mid-year seminar where all the ALT's in the prefecture come together for two days of tedious workshops and demonstration classes. gahhh...but it'll be nice to see some faces. cheers ya wankas!
Sunday, November 06, 2005
this fire is out of control
well well well. this weekend was a def change of pace. or alternate universe i should say. i ventured beyond kagocity into the great abyss otherwise known as Kajiki (jazz hands). it was mark san's birthday. the big 4-5. i don't really know mark, and i didn't even know it was his birthday. Lorna san had invited me to brunch, which turned into a mid afternoon potluck affair, which turned into mark's birthday party. his wife junko is pregnant with their first baby. hehe...i offered my babysitting services, along with every other girl there. i asked him if this was his first kid. he told me he has two other children back in australia. 16 and 13 years old. both whom he hasn't seen in a few years. i asked him if that was a personal choice, and he said that's just how things turned out.
after the party we decided to hit the local karaoke bar. thats when things started getting chaotic. i was rocking out to some random song...probably celine dion cuz she's so rock worthy, when will lifts me up and carries me on his shoulders. then we both fall forwards and knock over ALL the drinks. my kaluha milk!!! i waited half an hour for that bugger! nooooo. the others weren't too pleased either. and to end the night, mark and will get into a proper fight. apparently mark and will have this thing where they fight all the time. every single time. japanese people were peering out of their rooms to watch the action, and were all like "daijobu, no worries. they're friends" at first it was funny, but then it started to get right serious. mark's face was bleeding! plenty of swearing involved. and to think this happens everytime...no one can say we had a boring time at kajiki. i don't wanna go to work tomorrow. i wish i was in osaka and kyoto with everyone else. but must save money for thailand. HURRAH!!!
after the party we decided to hit the local karaoke bar. thats when things started getting chaotic. i was rocking out to some random song...probably celine dion cuz she's so rock worthy, when will lifts me up and carries me on his shoulders. then we both fall forwards and knock over ALL the drinks. my kaluha milk!!! i waited half an hour for that bugger! nooooo. the others weren't too pleased either. and to end the night, mark and will get into a proper fight. apparently mark and will have this thing where they fight all the time. every single time. japanese people were peering out of their rooms to watch the action, and were all like "daijobu, no worries. they're friends" at first it was funny, but then it started to get right serious. mark's face was bleeding! plenty of swearing involved. and to think this happens everytime...no one can say we had a boring time at kajiki. i don't wanna go to work tomorrow. i wish i was in osaka and kyoto with everyone else. but must save money for thailand. HURRAH!!!
Saturday, November 05, 2005
the motion keeps my heart running
it's hard for me to believe sometimes that this is my life. i drift, and at times free fall, in this surreal existence. i look outside my window, and see a live volcano spanning the distance. i leave my apartment building and lose myself in the crowd of people who look just like me, but are literally a world apart. the home i left behind still exists without me, but the memories fade more and more everyday.
i have to go
it breaks my heart to say
that i can't stop now
i got troubles of my own
cuz i'm short on time
i'm lonely and i'm too tired to talk to no one back home
i've got troubles of my own
and i can't slow down for no one in town
and i can't stop now
lol...those are lyrics by keane, and don't exactly describe what i'm feeling. but i thought it was quite coincidental that this song was playing just as i was writing this entry.
sometimes i wonder how i appear to other people. people think i'm a certain way, and it's not a conscious decision for me to give off that vibe. interestingly enough, being here in japan gives me the perfect chance to reinvent myself into anyone i want. but i feel this is the most honest i've ever been with myself and with others. i can be as cheeky as i want, as irrelavant, and not have a single care in the world. this is me at my core. and i've never been at more peace with who i am. i've received emails from a few of you noting how relaxed i seem in my updates. i don't remember how anxious i was before, but yeah, i feel i can finally breathe. any problems i might have are purely self inflicted. and it's made me realize how many of my past disappointments were also self-prophesized. happiness is only in the mind. i've been through so many dark times, and fought so many demons to arrive at this point. my closet isn't cleared yet, but the door is open.
it's hard for me to believe sometimes that this is my life. i drift, and at times free fall, in this surreal existence. i look outside my window, and see a live volcano spanning the distance. i leave my apartment building and lose myself in the crowd of people who look just like me, but are literally a world apart. the home i left behind still exists without me, but the memories fade more and more everyday.
i have to go
it breaks my heart to say
that i can't stop now
i got troubles of my own
cuz i'm short on time
i'm lonely and i'm too tired to talk to no one back home
i've got troubles of my own
and i can't slow down for no one in town
and i can't stop now
lol...those are lyrics by keane, and don't exactly describe what i'm feeling. but i thought it was quite coincidental that this song was playing just as i was writing this entry.
sometimes i wonder how i appear to other people. people think i'm a certain way, and it's not a conscious decision for me to give off that vibe. interestingly enough, being here in japan gives me the perfect chance to reinvent myself into anyone i want. but i feel this is the most honest i've ever been with myself and with others. i can be as cheeky as i want, as irrelavant, and not have a single care in the world. this is me at my core. and i've never been at more peace with who i am. i've received emails from a few of you noting how relaxed i seem in my updates. i don't remember how anxious i was before, but yeah, i feel i can finally breathe. any problems i might have are purely self inflicted. and it's made me realize how many of my past disappointments were also self-prophesized. happiness is only in the mind. i've been through so many dark times, and fought so many demons to arrive at this point. my closet isn't cleared yet, but the door is open.
if we were feckless, we'd be fine
what a horrible day! days like this make me question my sanity in staying in japan another year! two classes, TWO classes of absolute...holy shit, why are there so many cars in the courtyard? and why are they all silver? i lie, i see one blue and one red car. oh yes, i remember. today is parent-teacher interview day. i have a good mind to walk into some of these interviews and tell them what shit students their kids are. the disrespect that teachers here have to put up with! i thought j-kids were supposed to be well behaved.
so anyways, i'm used to a bit of background talking. but today, these kids were out of control. they talked over me, they talked over the teacher. i went up to them and talked to them directly. they pretended i wasn't even there. i got so pissed off! and the second class! well, they didn't talk over me. they just didn't talk. repeat after me. silence. repeat after me. silence. the teacher says repeat after karen. SILENCE. come on now, i know it's tedious, but can't u just humour us?
and a student told me today some of the teachers are a bit resentful of us ALTs cuz we get paid so much. yeah, we get paid a lot for what we do. i won't deny it. were pampered monkeys basically. the entire system is flawed. there is so much i would like to change, but like the japanese teachers there are things we don't like but cant do a damn thing about it. teachers can't kick any misbehaving students out of the classroom because they have a "right to an education". bullshit. the other students have a right to learn undisrupted. the kind of disrespect that gets handed out in the classrooms just would not go down in canada. and i'm sorry, a lot of my teachers are incompetent. they don't know how to discipline. and as an ALT, an ASSISTANT language teacher, it's not my job to discipline.
am i insane to do this for another year? just when i thought i'd arrived at a decision, a day like today happens which makes me re-evaluate everything.
i feel like i'm on a boat. most times i'm calmly sailing across the crystal blue waters. suddenly the boat has sprung a leak, and i'm bailing water as quickly as i can. and man, am i getting tired.
so anyways, i'm used to a bit of background talking. but today, these kids were out of control. they talked over me, they talked over the teacher. i went up to them and talked to them directly. they pretended i wasn't even there. i got so pissed off! and the second class! well, they didn't talk over me. they just didn't talk. repeat after me. silence. repeat after me. silence. the teacher says repeat after karen. SILENCE. come on now, i know it's tedious, but can't u just humour us?
and a student told me today some of the teachers are a bit resentful of us ALTs cuz we get paid so much. yeah, we get paid a lot for what we do. i won't deny it. were pampered monkeys basically. the entire system is flawed. there is so much i would like to change, but like the japanese teachers there are things we don't like but cant do a damn thing about it. teachers can't kick any misbehaving students out of the classroom because they have a "right to an education". bullshit. the other students have a right to learn undisrupted. the kind of disrespect that gets handed out in the classrooms just would not go down in canada. and i'm sorry, a lot of my teachers are incompetent. they don't know how to discipline. and as an ALT, an ASSISTANT language teacher, it's not my job to discipline.
am i insane to do this for another year? just when i thought i'd arrived at a decision, a day like today happens which makes me re-evaluate everything.
i feel like i'm on a boat. most times i'm calmly sailing across the crystal blue waters. suddenly the boat has sprung a leak, and i'm bailing water as quickly as i can. and man, am i getting tired.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
New Blog!! wooo. i said WOOOOOOOO!!! enuf of the fanfare, lets get started on my update.
okay, today is...tuesday. nothing particularily fascinating happening today except i have japanese classes. but tomolo...oh yes, oh yes, its ohara pre-party night. ohara, biggest festival in Kagoshima about to rock the house down. i was supposed to dance in the festival but i have a speech competition to judge that day. oh well, i've already had enough dancing this week. halloween was freaking sugoiiiiiiiiiiiii (swicked!).
highlights:
Shane makes a sexy snacku girl (a snack girl in japan is a girl that stands in front of bars trying to entice men to come inside for "snacks and conversation"). except someone stole "her" tray of snacks, and abducted her poor little puppy choko. luckily, choko was returned by the end of the night, after shane paid the ransom of dried octapus tentacles and jello shots.
finding poor caleb hanging out of a cab puking his intestines out. (how in the world do u get vomit in ur own hair???) game over before the nights even begun
our ghostbuster dance was "brilliant" according to the ever lovely Sir Ped. haha, when i got down on my back for emma to spin me, instead of laughing everyone was like ooo0000OOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! emma was like "its supposed to be funny, not sexy!!!" Sir. Ped wants us to do another dance at his christmas party. this time i'm gonna recruit more of the girls. watch out anna, were gonna have u whining with the best of them.
we hit doggy bar afterwards cuz we were craving some hip hop beats. man, we are now LEGENDS there. we all saunter in with our halloween costumes, and shane "snacku" brock gets hit on by more girls AND guys then he can handle. emma, michelle and i, being the cheeky catholic school girls that we are, jump up on stage behind the DJ booth, and get our dance on. it was awesome, we got the crowd so hyped up, making them JUMP JUMP!!! Ash assaults a poor japanese bloke with his onion garland (he was dressed as a rude frenchman), "i said take it!!!" and who else do we find there, but mr. guy drake himself, fresh off the boat as it were :-P a night full of surprises
in two months, i have to make a decision that will shape my life for the next two years. whether or not i stay another year in japan. i've been trying to avoid thinking about it, because i'm still so confused as to what i want. life is sweet here, but it lacks meaning as harsh as that sounds. i know it's up to me to find my own meaning in life, and i guess i just need to re-evaluate my perceptions. before i came to japan, i had already decided i would only stay a year. and this was the same with emma and anna, but now were all thinking of staying two. we have good lives here: good money, easy jobs, awesome friends, what more could u ask for? for me, a lot of it is the communication barrier. i'm the kind of person that gets off on bantering with people, and the majority of people i meet in japan can't even form a simple english sentence.
my problems are insignificant in the bigger scheme of things, thats why i try not to stress over them. take it as it comes. we'll all float on, okay? two years in japan...wow...i think i'm gonna do it. :-) here's to tomorrow!
okay, today is...tuesday. nothing particularily fascinating happening today except i have japanese classes. but tomolo...oh yes, oh yes, its ohara pre-party night. ohara, biggest festival in Kagoshima about to rock the house down. i was supposed to dance in the festival but i have a speech competition to judge that day. oh well, i've already had enough dancing this week. halloween was freaking sugoiiiiiiiiiiiii (swicked!).
highlights:
Shane makes a sexy snacku girl (a snack girl in japan is a girl that stands in front of bars trying to entice men to come inside for "snacks and conversation"). except someone stole "her" tray of snacks, and abducted her poor little puppy choko. luckily, choko was returned by the end of the night, after shane paid the ransom of dried octapus tentacles and jello shots.
finding poor caleb hanging out of a cab puking his intestines out. (how in the world do u get vomit in ur own hair???) game over before the nights even begun
our ghostbuster dance was "brilliant" according to the ever lovely Sir Ped. haha, when i got down on my back for emma to spin me, instead of laughing everyone was like ooo0000OOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! emma was like "its supposed to be funny, not sexy!!!" Sir. Ped wants us to do another dance at his christmas party. this time i'm gonna recruit more of the girls. watch out anna, were gonna have u whining with the best of them.
we hit doggy bar afterwards cuz we were craving some hip hop beats. man, we are now LEGENDS there. we all saunter in with our halloween costumes, and shane "snacku" brock gets hit on by more girls AND guys then he can handle. emma, michelle and i, being the cheeky catholic school girls that we are, jump up on stage behind the DJ booth, and get our dance on. it was awesome, we got the crowd so hyped up, making them JUMP JUMP!!! Ash assaults a poor japanese bloke with his onion garland (he was dressed as a rude frenchman), "i said take it!!!" and who else do we find there, but mr. guy drake himself, fresh off the boat as it were :-P a night full of surprises
in two months, i have to make a decision that will shape my life for the next two years. whether or not i stay another year in japan. i've been trying to avoid thinking about it, because i'm still so confused as to what i want. life is sweet here, but it lacks meaning as harsh as that sounds. i know it's up to me to find my own meaning in life, and i guess i just need to re-evaluate my perceptions. before i came to japan, i had already decided i would only stay a year. and this was the same with emma and anna, but now were all thinking of staying two. we have good lives here: good money, easy jobs, awesome friends, what more could u ask for? for me, a lot of it is the communication barrier. i'm the kind of person that gets off on bantering with people, and the majority of people i meet in japan can't even form a simple english sentence.
my problems are insignificant in the bigger scheme of things, thats why i try not to stress over them. take it as it comes. we'll all float on, okay? two years in japan...wow...i think i'm gonna do it. :-) here's to tomorrow!
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