: notes to self :

ready...set...

man. i so want to get out of here. I`m done classes at nanko, and I just really want to go home and take care of errands that i desperately need to do... kimoto sensei said i could leave at any time... what does that mean??!! give me a time!!!! ugh... i hate being decisive. the official school day is over... oh! i guess i could make the dice for monday`s games and THEN leave... ah brilliant! *pat on the back*

Joyo christmas party tonight, woohooooo break out the boots!

mommys and dads that work and have families are amazing people. not only because they go to work everyday, doing the 9~5 thing for an essentially noble cause (providing for their family), but they still manage to have Lives outside of work. I can barely juggle work, apartment and life, so i can`t even imagine having a family on top of all of that. I think my need to veg out is a huge hamper to any sort of domestic productivity... i kind of want to put in the fake hardwood floor in my kitchen (re: linoleum city), make some card hangers and shoot a roll of black and white... but we`ll see at the end of the vacation how committed i am to these projects. whenever the ladies from church would have prayer requests for better time management so that they could fit in their bible studies, I prayed for them automatically, not really understanding what they needed. I used to feel that I had gobs of time, to do anything and everything (finances permitting) so I never got how compressed life becomes when you are a real adult... but now, i never have enough time to get everything done, especially when I need to be in bed so early (i think i`m turning into a morning person! ai ya!). sigh. respectrespectrespect for the working masses. I pray that you have tons of energy to get you through the day, and that you have daily moments of joy to remind you of the good things in life.

yaritai!!!

booooooooooooo

what a crappy morning. i got to work, and had to face tashiro and yajima, cd-less and with a ugly/scary looking snowman head and my forehead burning with the word AHO inscribed on it... then as tashiro was leaving to attend the second-year assembly, i asked her what the order was for the class... third on the list was the "Pass the Present" game, for which I HAD FORGOTTEN TO MAKE PRESENTS FOR... one internal scream and one outward utterance of "oh my god..." later, tashiro sensei was halfway to yajima`s desk, about to mutter something about my incompetency, when i improvised and claimed that I was going to use the Santa stocking instead... heart don`t fail me now. The classes themselves were completely underwhelming. Something about fourteen year olds NOT enjoying games that my elementary kids really liked... and the climax to this sad tale was during 2-4`s class, when tashiro asked them to stand up for the game. NO ONE STOOD UP for literally 7 minutes. it was the worst. i attribute this to the absence of okazaki, who is undoubtedly the leader of the class. he`s a really good student, and will do the right thing... i was so surprised that one student could make such a difference.

i was remembering what it was like to be 14 during that torturous lull in 2-4... worrying/wondering if you were popular or not, keeping within the lines so that you would not be labelled weird (i.e. ostracized)... i guess that`s why i like teaching elementary kids better than junior/senior high in terms of getting them excited about learning, but actually getting to know jhs/shs kids as people would be a lot more interesting.

i hope this day gets better. sigh.

i dunno, i have been feeling kind of crappy lately... it comes in spurts... maybe it`s some sort of negative reaction to the happyhappyhappy of Christmas time, like I`ve become imbalanced by being too happy recently or something? omg i`m turning into strong sad. i think i need more endorphins. i should go running... will make me feel less chumpy. argharghargh... i don`t know how people work and manage to get other stuff done... i am chumptastic.


____________________________

2:58

so the day has definitely gotten better... went around to some of the club practices, and got to spend an hour in the glorious outdoors... kimochi ga iiiiiiiiiiiiii... happyhappy... not feeling so chumpy anymore. sigh.

uh huh!!

after all of this time, after countless debates and denials, i have accepted the judgement made by my brother: i am not funny.

seiji, you win. i shall defer to your character judgements in the future. loser.

note to self: i may not be funny, but i sure can be bitter


at dinner last night, i had gratin for the first time and it was sooooooooo good... woweeeee! i even considered buying it today for lunch, but held back. gratin goodness is limited to once a week max. apparently, uncle yukio and otousan used to sing beatles songs together at home, yukio on guitar and my dad on vocals... hahahaha... coolness. their interest in the beatles was piqued after the fab four came to japan for a concert, and as a result of trying to learn beatles` songs, they pursued studies in English conversation. i love my family, and will continue to love them, even if they never make me gratin. it`s funny cuz pre-Japan i was anxious/excited to see them, and wanted to try and re/connect with them, but i never imagined that i would fall in love with them... or gratin. =)

oy!

i am SO sleepy!! and tired of making ornaments!! and i want to sleep!! and find my peacoat!! and i want yamaguchi (Joe) sensei to stop smoking!! and did i mention i want to sleep!!??


oh yeah, and i want a nap too!!





hoshii..

it`s getting cold in here...

ok, so I am officially cold. but am still just wearing the fleece to and fro, mainly because I haven`t been able to find THE peacoat yet... but my mittens have become a staple. Being a Canadian in winter is tough. You`re expected to shrug off an arctic wind chill with ease, sniffing in disdain at the shuddering masses weakened by the "cold"... it`s tough being in Japan, when you the Canadian are sometimes prone to a shiver or two, and upon doing so, feel massively guilty and begin to question the true nature of your loyalty as a citizen of the great white north... and it`s even worse when fellow Canadians (re: fellow patrons of Tim`s) belittle your weakened constitution... David (from Victoria, BC) made fun of me for wearing mitts the other day, as he frolicked to and fro in the cold morning, mitt/scarf/hat-less... grrrrrr... i have POOR CIRCULATION which makes my hands even more cold!!!!! argh. and also, the fact that the shokuin is heated to approximately 63 degrees Celsius while the rest of the school remains frigid doesn`t help. ANYBODY`s constitution would be thrown out of whack if they constantly had to go from the sahara to siberia...


I REALLY AM CANADIAN, PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got my hair cut last night, at a salon called Si:Zn ("season"). Keichi made the appointment since he wouldn`t let us go to his salon... The day/morning before I got phrases to say from Miharu and Yajima, because I was kind of worried they would go razor-crazy and give me a feathery mullet (noooo mama noooo!!!). But it turned out well! it kind of looks the same, but feels a lot better. when i was getting my hair washed, the shampoo girl was asking me a bunch of questions, and i was totally not understanding her. for my first response, i used the trusty "daijoubu desu" and that seemed to prolong an enjoyable shampoo. for the second question, i decided to be crazy and spontaneous and answer with "kekko desu," a response i have been wanting to use for a while but haven`t. unfortunately, by saying it, it prompted the girl to wreak havoc on my scalp, scrubbing like there was no tomorrow. after the inital shock concerning the intense abrasion, it was sort of okay... after i was done, and got up, leaving behind the standard issue gray burberry blanket that was covering my lap to keep me comfy, it was on to the cutting floor. my stylist (the Chief) was pretty fast, and was done in about half an hour. i would totally go back there, the salon was really nice and bright, i enjoyed the post haircut massage, and i was super amused by their enthusiasm for saying "otsukaresamadesu!" to their patrons, after every little event. for example, patron A finishes getting her hair washed, sits up, walks to the cutting floor and sits down in front of the mirror.... "OTSUKARESAMADESU!!" heehehe.... yes, because getting your hair cut is SUCH a taxing exercise. hahah... ah japan.

i`m STARVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

weekend update

discuss amongst yourselves: ...norm macdonald really did make that a strong sketch BUT tina fey and jimmy fallon made it must-see...

it`s been a good weekend... on friday at dinner, i got a call from Nao Yano, who i thought had ditched me for the great white north. apparently he had arrived in Japan on the 21st, and was hanging around kansai with his gf (!), who lives in Yao City. btw, doesn`t Yao City sound Chinese? i was really happy to hear from him, even though i was his second choice, kris being his first *shakes fist* the first half of saturday consisted of thwarted plans, much lollygagging, listening to strong bad [=)] answer his email, BIG samples of the new pantene pro-v (wahooooooo!), and refuge at Royal Host. I was so tired at taiko, that i actually closed my eyes for 6 seconds when the teacher was explaining page 5..eek. i noticed that i look really mad/disinterested when i drum... aaahhhhhh!! sucks, cuz the thing that stuck out the most when i was watching the kids drum at the midyear seminar was how HAPPY (re: joyous) they looked drumming... it was infectious really. i am the grim reaper of taiko drumming. doh. afterwards i went to mommy vball to return the uniform... ugh, i need to start playing soon, maybe on wednesday again.. but ikewaki sensei is kind of scaryeee at practice.....eeeeeeee...

sunday...i made it to church. yayayayayayayyayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayyayayyayaya like times a billion. really good. pastor jeff invited me to take communion with him and his family which was super nice. ahh his kids are so cute, esp the son. i can`t wait to get back to jgct. or go for service at tomo`s church in hawaii. after church i began christmas shopping for real... i bought seiji`s watch at big camera, and then headed over to junkyudo. i was browsing when the family called. they amuse me so much, especially when mom is giggling in the background and seiji is complaining he can`t hear anything... aahh family. i miss piling into the car at night, and driving to metro for chinese food with them... sigh. also, ee called me earlier and told me that popo`s bday went well.. apparently daniel is saying that he regrets getting married to his (ex)wife already? ai ya... i hope uncle david is not gloating too much. then off to meet nao and kazune at umeda, for which i was super late... i need major help with my inevitable lateness. argh. i am late for everything! i was late for work today cuz i spaced out on the subway and missed my transfer! annoyance!!!!

anyways. we went to fugetsu for goooooood okonomiyaki, note to self: Always order the modan version of okonomiyaki at fugetsu, then to pig and whistle to meet up with julia, justin and matt who had gone to the digital film fest and had indulged in a Gloomy shopping spree. (cue theme from Psycho) Let me explain what kind of bizarro world Japan is at times. Gloomy is this pretty popular bear with long white claws from which drips the blood of small children. Gloomy comes in a variety of pretty pastel colours including pink, and to match this attractive palette of colour, you can purchase different versions of Gloomy: Gloomy kicking a small child in the abdomen, Gloomy decapitating a small child, Gloomy rupturing the spleen of a small child... and so on and so forth. Gloomy is super popular and cool! peace peace. I`m not a fan, but I think i understand how Gloomy`s bizarro nature is amusing.. only in Japan eh?

in the end, it became really cold, and we went home.

life in japan... has become normal. stamped it. but God still blesses me with little revelations everyday, for which i am super thankful.

actually...

you know you are old when one day you get a note from a student asking if you know Aaron. Immediately the first Aaron image that pops up in your brain is that of Aaron Kwok, king of HK pop, and possibly the only possessor of a youth serum, since he`s like 80 years old and still appealing to squealing hordes of young `uns. So glibly you answer your student by saying, yeah, you know Aaron, smug in your knowledge of the golden boy of HK pop. Then a few weeks later, student and student`s friend motion you over, and flip open a tiny agenda, inside of which you see a 3x5 picture of Aaron... Carter. the squeaky nasal voiced younger brother of Nick I-am-like-so-a-ROCK-star Carter. Oh. THAT Aaron. Pressed for an opinion, you mutter incredulously, "he`s really young!!".. as if you could form any opinion about some munchkin 12 year old... then you remember, your students are only 14, and Aaron is probably already 16 by now.. and you, former guru of Western celebrity gossip, are 23 and out of it.

oh yeah, december, and still sunny and beautiful outside... *gloatgloatgloat*

i need a good old fashioned girls night, complete with Blockbuster/Rogers` rentals, stupid laughing, POPCORN by Orville, btea and pie... (or at least those mini croissant bins from Costco) and it kind of stinks that Love Actually is out now... well maybe it`s good cuz then it`ll be ready for rental when i get back... woooo! perfect chick flick to go gaga and starry-eyed over.