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Tuesday, March 23, 2004
solid
whenever i try to remember popo, i usually recall one specific memory, or rather period of time. it was when we were still living in scarborough (scarlem), 61 Dundalk. mom was still working at mt.sinai, ots at north american life. seiji and i stayed at home with popo during the day. ee was living with uncle david at the time. so i guess i was probably around 5 or 6? my memory includes a perspective where i can only see popo from a depressed angle i.e. i am always looking up at her. sono toki wa meccha mijikai =) she is moving around the kitchen, sometimes in her black and gold housecoat, always near the stove. when she asks us what we want to eat, we always say, "Supa meee!" and then she says ok, and makes it for us. I never knew why she called instant noodles Supa meee! the name always made the noodles sound like something superman (christopher reeves) would eat. We never got Supa meee! when mom or ots were home.
in the afternoon, popo would sit in the wicker rocking chair, which she used in the day, and then at night, ots claimed it for himself. then, seiji would clamber onto her lap, and i would usually perch on the arm, trying not to slide off. then we would wait together quietly, for mom to come through the front door, always with sunlight spilling in front of her. magic time.
popo would always get her hair permed every few months, usually in Chinatown. Kuku would drive her to this old salon that seemed like it collected old Chinese women in curlers and displayed them under big dryers. she always used a big afro pick to brush her hair back away from her face.
when my parents would fight, seiji would usually run to popo. i thought i was too old for that, and let him have her.
in the basement of 61 Dundalk, i would speak to her in Hokkein. I thought everyone in my mom`s family spoke Hokkein, thinking that they were just saying different words/phrases, which was why i couldn`t understand them. then i found out that they were actually speaking Indonesian, and it disappointed me. it was me and popo against everyone else. suddenly my baby hokkein was clearly outmatched when compared to the smooth and fast streams of indonesian pouring out of my mother and aunt`s mouths, their phonetic inventions so much more complicated and advanced. but i still regretted not learning more hokkein when later, when she was beginning her painful spiral she would cry out impassioned arias, and i had no idea what she was saying to me.
"no, gwa uda cha."
whenever i try to remember popo, i usually recall one specific memory, or rather period of time. it was when we were still living in scarborough (scarlem), 61 Dundalk. mom was still working at mt.sinai, ots at north american life. seiji and i stayed at home with popo during the day. ee was living with uncle david at the time. so i guess i was probably around 5 or 6? my memory includes a perspective where i can only see popo from a depressed angle i.e. i am always looking up at her. sono toki wa meccha mijikai =) she is moving around the kitchen, sometimes in her black and gold housecoat, always near the stove. when she asks us what we want to eat, we always say, "Supa meee!" and then she says ok, and makes it for us. I never knew why she called instant noodles Supa meee! the name always made the noodles sound like something superman (christopher reeves) would eat. We never got Supa meee! when mom or ots were home.
in the afternoon, popo would sit in the wicker rocking chair, which she used in the day, and then at night, ots claimed it for himself. then, seiji would clamber onto her lap, and i would usually perch on the arm, trying not to slide off. then we would wait together quietly, for mom to come through the front door, always with sunlight spilling in front of her. magic time.
popo would always get her hair permed every few months, usually in Chinatown. Kuku would drive her to this old salon that seemed like it collected old Chinese women in curlers and displayed them under big dryers. she always used a big afro pick to brush her hair back away from her face.
when my parents would fight, seiji would usually run to popo. i thought i was too old for that, and let him have her.
in the basement of 61 Dundalk, i would speak to her in Hokkein. I thought everyone in my mom`s family spoke Hokkein, thinking that they were just saying different words/phrases, which was why i couldn`t understand them. then i found out that they were actually speaking Indonesian, and it disappointed me. it was me and popo against everyone else. suddenly my baby hokkein was clearly outmatched when compared to the smooth and fast streams of indonesian pouring out of my mother and aunt`s mouths, their phonetic inventions so much more complicated and advanced. but i still regretted not learning more hokkein when later, when she was beginning her painful spiral she would cry out impassioned arias, and i had no idea what she was saying to me.
"no, gwa uda cha."
peekchurs
http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp?aid=67b0de21b3f705ec844d
http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp?aid=67b0de21b3f705dd054c
http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp?aid=67b0de21b3f705d08471
pswrd:pics
i haven`t had an album fit me this well... in a long long time... (approaching never)
i
feel
a
LIST
coming
on...
japan? i likes you because...
1. u give me quality serial dramas like Pride (puraido), where english crashes headlong into japanese culture , resulting in touching last scenes where Halu (kimu taku) says, "Maybe? No. Must be." and sweeps Aki into his arms. cue swooning.
2. i can get spectacular cheesecakes, which are light as air, and have raisins in the base for 500 yen
3. your people are small and/or cute and/or genki which makes work really fun. your miniature OLs still startle me sometimes
4. no one can protest and humble themselves in the face of compliments and gifts like your people. fascinating.
5. after leaving my CLAIR textbook in a store, i got a call the next morning telling me i could come and pick it up
6. re: no-money-on-bus nightmare
7. your more than ideal climate (well in Osaka) is deeeelightful
8. senior members of your population often use a youth serum. or are just incredibly genki. kakkoi obaachan ga naritai.
9. you offer me anonymity and refuge, despite the swells of people surging around me at all times. (spell is broken when i speak though. s'ok)
10. your people`s love of food is meccha enjoyable. i have paid close attention to tv food shows and have been practicing proper exclamations such as: "UMAAI!!" "YAWARAKAI!!" and "AAHHH OISHII SO!", as well as the appropriate facial expressions accompanying afore mentioned utterances :O, :))), =D...
http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp?aid=67b0de21b3f705ec844d
http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp?aid=67b0de21b3f705dd054c
http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp?aid=67b0de21b3f705d08471
pswrd:pics
i haven`t had an album fit me this well... in a long long time... (approaching never)
i
feel
a
LIST
coming
on...
japan? i likes you because...
1. u give me quality serial dramas like Pride (puraido), where english crashes headlong into japanese culture , resulting in touching last scenes where Halu (kimu taku) says, "Maybe? No. Must be." and sweeps Aki into his arms. cue swooning.
2. i can get spectacular cheesecakes, which are light as air, and have raisins in the base for 500 yen
3. your people are small and/or cute and/or genki which makes work really fun. your miniature OLs still startle me sometimes
4. no one can protest and humble themselves in the face of compliments and gifts like your people. fascinating.
5. after leaving my CLAIR textbook in a store, i got a call the next morning telling me i could come and pick it up
6. re: no-money-on-bus nightmare
7. your more than ideal climate (well in Osaka) is deeeelightful
8. senior members of your population often use a youth serum. or are just incredibly genki. kakkoi obaachan ga naritai.
9. you offer me anonymity and refuge, despite the swells of people surging around me at all times. (spell is broken when i speak though. s'ok)
10. your people`s love of food is meccha enjoyable. i have paid close attention to tv food shows and have been practicing proper exclamations such as: "UMAAI!!" "YAWARAKAI!!" and "AAHHH OISHII SO!", as well as the appropriate facial expressions accompanying afore mentioned utterances :O, :))), =D...
Monday, March 22, 2004
finally!!
pictures from day out with the matsumotos in kyoto
kokeshi dolls in the kinkakuji gift store =)
a maiko-san who was down the hall from us
______________________
haruka on the left during Fruits! lesson at shikitsu
making easter eggs at hirano
pictures from day out with the matsumotos in kyoto
kokeshi dolls in the kinkakuji gift store =)
a maiko-san who was down the hall from us
______________________
haruka on the left during Fruits! lesson at shikitsu
making easter eggs at hirano
the past 15 hours
Diary of a sleepless wonder
10:30pm
-am so ready for sleep. BUT still have to do a devo since I promised myself I would, “sometime this weekend”… notice ample wiggle room due to inevitable procrastination…the WHOLE weekend at my disposal, and it`s still the last thing I do. am-A-zing.
11:20
-done! Sleeeeep!! And it`s going to be a good one… I decided on a blanket/comforter combo that will protect me from any sneaky chills that may creep up during the night. Hah! And I WILL get up at 645 in time for a shower and a proper breakfast, and be early for work!
11:40
-but still feel incredibly guilty that I didn`t call Ee… write this in my journal, and try to fall asleep… now guilty and upset.
12:27
-can`t sleep. Ugh what`s wrong with me… annoying…
12:53
-text from kartik saying I should link my blog to this other site… weirdo.
1:03
-argghhh!!!!
2:39
-text from liz, where she elaborates on previously mysterious email. A few bikkurishita statements cut through the mental fogginess.
4:46
-I can`t believe this. I seriously feel like crying i`m so frustrated. Starting to feel like a character from a banana yoshimoto story. It`s pretty noisy outside… raining?
4:47
-it Is raining… SHOOT, blankets still out on the fire escape. Well since i`m UP, I might as well be useful
4:52
-have decided to drape half-wet blankets on the door of my closet and hang the other. Have also decided to eat an orange, in the dark… something which I have never done before. Less than thrilling.
4:56
-decide to text liz back,
6:19
-have just been awakened by a text from kartik, where he tells me he can`t spell. This, I already know. Thanks.
7:05
-what the crap????!!! Alarm didn`t go off!!!!!
-have also been pulled out of a dream where all of a sudden, recent circumstances have been switched. This time, Ee has passed away, and Popo is the one left behind. For some reason she is still living in the house by herself, amongst all of their possessions. While in the middle of the room, I start yelling at my family, telling them how stupid they are to let her be by herself, in that house, where everything will remind her of Ee. Didn`t they remember how close she came to ending her own life just 2 summers ago?? Suddenly, Ee is Ee again… I remember actually pointing a finger at my mother while I am yelling this.
7:32
-have showered, and eaten a small breakfast, and carefully packed schoolbag. Umbrella! It`s raining!
7:38
-I will be late. Darn this big umbrella…
7:40
-hmm, let me check to see if I have 300 yen… OH MY GOD… MY WALLET IS AT HOME…options are: to make a break for it through the back door when the driver pulls into the taisho-station stop… AAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nightmare #21 coming true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7:47
-he`s…NOT OPENING THE BACK DOOR… whaaaaaaaaaaaaat????? Oh my..aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh..
-ok…agggghhhhhh...well maybe I can just say I lost my wallet? Sob
8:03
-wow, I can`t believe the driver was so nice about it!! He had to repeat himself 3 times because I was completely stupefied! “It`s okay if I leave????” “Yes!”
-I LOVE JAPAN!!! I would have been raked over the coals if this was a TTC bus
-dilemma now though… will have to walk back home to retrieve wallet, thus making me impossibly late. Call Nagano sensei!
8:05
-hmmm..I don`t think she understood the whole story.. oh well. Wow, so windy! Sooo glad I have this big umbrella!!
9:37
-wow, incredibly late! Why did the head of the teachers say “gokurousama?”
10:44
-what????!!! PRIDE is ending tonight cuz some extra got bonked in the head with a stray puck during filming? Booooooooooooooo.
12:10
-wow, that farewell party game was kind of embarrassing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1:02
-started reading White Oleander this morning, and missed lunch as a result. Ishida sensei brought lunch to me… eeeeee…
1:54
-I remember how to make friendship bracelets via finger knitting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Diary of a sleepless wonder
10:30pm
-am so ready for sleep. BUT still have to do a devo since I promised myself I would, “sometime this weekend”… notice ample wiggle room due to inevitable procrastination…the WHOLE weekend at my disposal, and it`s still the last thing I do. am-A-zing.
11:20
-done! Sleeeeep!! And it`s going to be a good one… I decided on a blanket/comforter combo that will protect me from any sneaky chills that may creep up during the night. Hah! And I WILL get up at 645 in time for a shower and a proper breakfast, and be early for work!
11:40
-but still feel incredibly guilty that I didn`t call Ee… write this in my journal, and try to fall asleep… now guilty and upset.
12:27
-can`t sleep. Ugh what`s wrong with me… annoying…
12:53
-text from kartik saying I should link my blog to this other site… weirdo.
1:03
-argghhh!!!!
2:39
-text from liz, where she elaborates on previously mysterious email. A few bikkurishita statements cut through the mental fogginess.
4:46
-I can`t believe this. I seriously feel like crying i`m so frustrated. Starting to feel like a character from a banana yoshimoto story. It`s pretty noisy outside… raining?
4:47
-it Is raining… SHOOT, blankets still out on the fire escape. Well since i`m UP, I might as well be useful
4:52
-have decided to drape half-wet blankets on the door of my closet and hang the other. Have also decided to eat an orange, in the dark… something which I have never done before. Less than thrilling.
4:56
-decide to text liz back,
6:19
-have just been awakened by a text from kartik, where he tells me he can`t spell. This, I already know. Thanks.
7:05
-what the crap????!!! Alarm didn`t go off!!!!!
-have also been pulled out of a dream where all of a sudden, recent circumstances have been switched. This time, Ee has passed away, and Popo is the one left behind. For some reason she is still living in the house by herself, amongst all of their possessions. While in the middle of the room, I start yelling at my family, telling them how stupid they are to let her be by herself, in that house, where everything will remind her of Ee. Didn`t they remember how close she came to ending her own life just 2 summers ago?? Suddenly, Ee is Ee again… I remember actually pointing a finger at my mother while I am yelling this.
7:32
-have showered, and eaten a small breakfast, and carefully packed schoolbag. Umbrella! It`s raining!
7:38
-I will be late. Darn this big umbrella…
7:40
-hmm, let me check to see if I have 300 yen… OH MY GOD… MY WALLET IS AT HOME…options are: to make a break for it through the back door when the driver pulls into the taisho-station stop… AAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nightmare #21 coming true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7:47
-he`s…NOT OPENING THE BACK DOOR… whaaaaaaaaaaaaat????? Oh my..aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh..
-ok…agggghhhhhh...well maybe I can just say I lost my wallet? Sob
8:03
-wow, I can`t believe the driver was so nice about it!! He had to repeat himself 3 times because I was completely stupefied! “It`s okay if I leave????” “Yes!”
-I LOVE JAPAN!!! I would have been raked over the coals if this was a TTC bus
-dilemma now though… will have to walk back home to retrieve wallet, thus making me impossibly late. Call Nagano sensei!
8:05
-hmmm..I don`t think she understood the whole story.. oh well. Wow, so windy! Sooo glad I have this big umbrella!!
9:37
-wow, incredibly late! Why did the head of the teachers say “gokurousama?”
10:44
-what????!!! PRIDE is ending tonight cuz some extra got bonked in the head with a stray puck during filming? Booooooooooooooo.
12:10
-wow, that farewell party game was kind of embarrassing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1:02
-started reading White Oleander this morning, and missed lunch as a result. Ishida sensei brought lunch to me… eeeeee…
1:54
-I remember how to make friendship bracelets via finger knitting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, March 21, 2004
ashita || hirahara ayaka
zutto soba ni iru to anna ni itta noni
ima wa hitori miteru yozora hakanai yakusoku
kitto kono machi nara dokoka de surechigau
sonna toki wa warainagara aetara ii noni
mou nakanai mou makenai
omoide wo koerareru ashita ga aru kara
sotto tojita hon ni tsudzuki ga aru nara
mada nan ni mo kakarete'nai pe-ji ga aru dake
mou nakanai mou nigenai
natsukashii yume datte owari ja nai mono
ano hoshikuzu ano kagayaki
te wo nobashite ima kokoro ni shimaou
ashita wa atarashii watashi ga hajimaru
zutto soba ni iru to anna ni itta noni
ima wa hitori miteru yozora hakanai yakusoku
kitto kono machi nara dokoka de surechigau
sonna toki wa warainagara aetara ii noni
mou nakanai mou makenai
omoide wo koerareru ashita ga aru kara
sotto tojita hon ni tsudzuki ga aru nara
mada nan ni mo kakarete'nai pe-ji ga aru dake
mou nakanai mou nigenai
natsukashii yume datte owari ja nai mono
ano hoshikuzu ano kagayaki
te wo nobashite ima kokoro ni shimaou
ashita wa atarashii watashi ga hajimaru
Saturday, March 20, 2004
goodbye
on tuesday i had a farewell ceremony at shikitsu, since i mostlikelyprobablyalmostpositive won`t be returning in april. apparently it`ll be really rare if anyone keeps any of their schools since the ALTs now have to accomodate 20 more elementary schools in the new year. it was weird, the whole time i was at the school, i was pretty smiley and up. i got to walk under the the paper flower canopy =)) ramu in 1nen started crying which really surprised me... and i thought tanaka-san was going to start tearing too when i said goodbye. but i didn`t feel that affected...but as soon as i left and started cycling home, i realized just how much i will miss going to Shikitsu. it`s just a really great school. and this week i have to say goodbye to hirano and Joyo. this constant readjustment and transition to schools would really wear me down i think, if i had decided to stay another year. i`m a slow starter... it takes me a while to get used to and get comfortable with new things (AHEM Liz). granted, being faced with constant change, i think my learning curve has gotten dramatically steeper...but still, i think i have the soul of a snail =) [Look at that S car go! wheeee!! ]
but...
despite this...
I`ve been so lucky with all of my schools...I`ve really enjoyed being at work for 99% of the time (those slow-time afternoons at nankominami i could definitely do withOUT). so blessed to be able to work at hirano this term...and how much do i love japanese teachers?! so I`m pretty confident next term will be okay.
I`m leaving japan soon...
!!!
ots called this afternoon, right before i was going to turn on the vacuum cleaner. i had to go outside to try and find better reception, and was looking at the trees in chishima park when he told me that something bad had happened. at first my heart stopped beating and crazily i thought, did you lose your job??!! but then he continued in a calm voice, slowly setting up the fall, in that careful and clean manner he uses only for bad stories. my popo died last week, on my birthday actually. they hesitated telling me because of the date of the event, and this week everyone was rushing around, arranging this and that. thursday was the visitation, and a lot of my mom`s cell group came out. they found a nice funeral home, near sheppard and midland. popo was buried on friday, in graveyard in pickering.
new words, phrases to get used to.
it just feels surreal. like, i know it happened. but i can`t feel anything. I`m worried about ee though... apparently her and kuku were really upset at the funeral. everything just feels so disjointed.
mary`s grandfather died a few weeks ago. it`s almost like i felt more moved by that event than i do this. what`s wrong with me????!!!!!
argh.
i suddenly find myself with all of these loose ends...work, matt, popo, post-JET, faith... and i don`t know what to do with myself. i`m scrambling.
on tuesday i had a farewell ceremony at shikitsu, since i mostlikelyprobablyalmostpositive won`t be returning in april. apparently it`ll be really rare if anyone keeps any of their schools since the ALTs now have to accomodate 20 more elementary schools in the new year. it was weird, the whole time i was at the school, i was pretty smiley and up. i got to walk under the the paper flower canopy =)) ramu in 1nen started crying which really surprised me... and i thought tanaka-san was going to start tearing too when i said goodbye. but i didn`t feel that affected...but as soon as i left and started cycling home, i realized just how much i will miss going to Shikitsu. it`s just a really great school. and this week i have to say goodbye to hirano and Joyo. this constant readjustment and transition to schools would really wear me down i think, if i had decided to stay another year. i`m a slow starter... it takes me a while to get used to and get comfortable with new things (AHEM Liz). granted, being faced with constant change, i think my learning curve has gotten dramatically steeper...but still, i think i have the soul of a snail =) [Look at that S car go! wheeee!! ]
but...
despite this...
I`ve been so lucky with all of my schools...I`ve really enjoyed being at work for 99% of the time (those slow-time afternoons at nankominami i could definitely do withOUT). so blessed to be able to work at hirano this term...and how much do i love japanese teachers?! so I`m pretty confident next term will be okay.
I`m leaving japan soon...
!!!
ots called this afternoon, right before i was going to turn on the vacuum cleaner. i had to go outside to try and find better reception, and was looking at the trees in chishima park when he told me that something bad had happened. at first my heart stopped beating and crazily i thought, did you lose your job??!! but then he continued in a calm voice, slowly setting up the fall, in that careful and clean manner he uses only for bad stories. my popo died last week, on my birthday actually. they hesitated telling me because of the date of the event, and this week everyone was rushing around, arranging this and that. thursday was the visitation, and a lot of my mom`s cell group came out. they found a nice funeral home, near sheppard and midland. popo was buried on friday, in graveyard in pickering.
new words, phrases to get used to.
it just feels surreal. like, i know it happened. but i can`t feel anything. I`m worried about ee though... apparently her and kuku were really upset at the funeral. everything just feels so disjointed.
mary`s grandfather died a few weeks ago. it`s almost like i felt more moved by that event than i do this. what`s wrong with me????!!!!!
argh.
i suddenly find myself with all of these loose ends...work, matt, popo, post-JET, faith... and i don`t know what to do with myself. i`m scrambling.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
word of the day
wind·fall n.
1. A sudden, unexpected piece of good fortune or personal gain.
2. Something, such as a ripened fruit, that has been blown down by the wind
as in... I`ve recently been PrEseNted with a windfall of really good CDs.
Currently on death repeat: Cannonball by Damien Rice. Damien/Kathy, how did you know?! =)
Also, Sunshine by ms.jones, and the first english album by Dorikamu.
as in...Osaka has been experiencing a windfall of good weather.
um, like i said, it`s JUNE my friends, JUNE!! and since students are graduating and moving on to the next thing it makes teaching classes feel a little ho hum, like it`s time to say goodbye, to all our company...=). but one thing that kind of bugged me this morning, were how listless the girls appeared. in 6kumi, it`s two extremes: crazy off the wall boys, and these corpse-like girls. i had the urge to grab a few of the girls by the collar and shake them until they became genkified. it`s so annoying!! "i am death. watch me kill the spirit of your review game. gooo gaaaaah." TAKAHASHI, HAYASHI. IGUCHI AND GIRL WITH GLASSES THAT SITS IN THE FIRST ROW, SECOND DESK!!! WAKE UP!!! and seriously, how could you Not be at least a little bit cheery with weather like this?? it`s fascinating really. at least smile!!! sigh.
__________________________________
um, i`m locked in the shokuinshitsu??? but mari and yajima just gave me a bowling pin clock and a hamburger pillow, and sang happy birthday to me in the women`s locker room. hahahah... crazycute.
"kore wa ne, tottemo crazy na! strange strange!"
"so na. [mari and yajima] onaji kanji desho?"
"na! kawaiiiii desho!"
wind·fall n.
1. A sudden, unexpected piece of good fortune or personal gain.
2. Something, such as a ripened fruit, that has been blown down by the wind
as in... I`ve recently been PrEseNted with a windfall of really good CDs.
Currently on death repeat: Cannonball by Damien Rice. Damien/Kathy, how did you know?! =)
Also, Sunshine by ms.jones, and the first english album by Dorikamu.
as in...Osaka has been experiencing a windfall of good weather.
um, like i said, it`s JUNE my friends, JUNE!! and since students are graduating and moving on to the next thing it makes teaching classes feel a little ho hum, like it`s time to say goodbye, to all our company...=). but one thing that kind of bugged me this morning, were how listless the girls appeared. in 6kumi, it`s two extremes: crazy off the wall boys, and these corpse-like girls. i had the urge to grab a few of the girls by the collar and shake them until they became genkified. it`s so annoying!! "i am death. watch me kill the spirit of your review game. gooo gaaaaah." TAKAHASHI, HAYASHI. IGUCHI AND GIRL WITH GLASSES THAT SITS IN THE FIRST ROW, SECOND DESK!!! WAKE UP!!! and seriously, how could you Not be at least a little bit cheery with weather like this?? it`s fascinating really. at least smile!!! sigh.
__________________________________
um, i`m locked in the shokuinshitsu??? but mari and yajima just gave me a bowling pin clock and a hamburger pillow, and sang happy birthday to me in the women`s locker room. hahahah... crazycute.
"kore wa ne, tottemo crazy na! strange strange!"
"so na. [mari and yajima] onaji kanji desho?"
"na! kawaiiiii desho!"
Monday, March 15, 2004
uphill | downhill
geezers unite! rawr!
well, actually 24 sounds like a throwaway year. not as significant as 25 ("quarter-life crisis") and somehow doesn`t sound as hip as 23.
24/2004?
hmmm.
anyways, went hiking in kobe yesterday which was super fun! david, jolean, matt and i went to kobe`s mt. kabutoyama (i think) which is beside mt. rokko. it was funny cuz before we were supposed to meet matt, ots called and i told him what i was doing. he was like, oh that`s really good! i used to go hiking there a lot! and after he said that i felt a little surge of happiness cuz it was yet another link to who my father was when he was younger, something that i never really had access to until this year. and they certainly do breed `em differently in BC as david and jolean were tra-la-la-ing ahead of me with ease when we were climbing up the mountain (i suspect matt lagged due to pity =)) and it was a really beautiful day...a june day in toronto, i swear! the kind of day where u just feel like everything is in sync, and you have stuffed the day with Life. i got to ring a huge bell at the shrine which was near the base of the mountain! bonus! and when i got home flowers, cake and presents from family were waiting for me =)
But i still can`t upload pictures. sigh.
i can`t stop waking up in the middle of night (4/5am). I`m not having good sleeps.
i started rereading Simple Recipes and Asleep.
and yet another failed trip. but at least i`m going to nishiumi. mountains! ocean! sun!
ugh, starving.
geezers unite! rawr!
well, actually 24 sounds like a throwaway year. not as significant as 25 ("quarter-life crisis") and somehow doesn`t sound as hip as 23.
24/2004?
hmmm.
anyways, went hiking in kobe yesterday which was super fun! david, jolean, matt and i went to kobe`s mt. kabutoyama (i think) which is beside mt. rokko. it was funny cuz before we were supposed to meet matt, ots called and i told him what i was doing. he was like, oh that`s really good! i used to go hiking there a lot! and after he said that i felt a little surge of happiness cuz it was yet another link to who my father was when he was younger, something that i never really had access to until this year. and they certainly do breed `em differently in BC as david and jolean were tra-la-la-ing ahead of me with ease when we were climbing up the mountain (i suspect matt lagged due to pity =)) and it was a really beautiful day...a june day in toronto, i swear! the kind of day where u just feel like everything is in sync, and you have stuffed the day with Life. i got to ring a huge bell at the shrine which was near the base of the mountain! bonus! and when i got home flowers, cake and presents from family were waiting for me =)
But i still can`t upload pictures. sigh.
i can`t stop waking up in the middle of night (4/5am). I`m not having good sleeps.
i started rereading Simple Recipes and Asleep.
and yet another failed trip. but at least i`m going to nishiumi. mountains! ocean! sun!
ugh, starving.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
success! finally!
so i was thinking about what i wanted for dinner last night... and then i got the idea for renkon chips! it`s funny how japan has totally overthrown my stands against iwashi, kabocha and renkon... i used to run away from the table screaming whenever mom would serve them up. but in december at watami, upon shaki`s insistence, i reluctantly tried renkon, chip style...and man! that was some good eating!! who knew! renkon! so i ended up buying my own overpriced stub of renkon in the hopes of recreating watami magic. and guess what? not bad! a little bit heavy on the salt cuz i think i went a little giddy thinking my cooking project might actually work... and the occassional flare ups freaked me out a bit, but otherwise, smooooove!
someone else`s renkon:
-it`s funny cuz before coming here, if someone asked me if i could cook, i would beam modestly and say "yeah!" but now if u ask me...
itsumo, TOTTEMO mazui desu. joudan janai.
it`s pouring!!!! and as usual i didn`t bring an umbrella! boooooooooo
so i was thinking about what i wanted for dinner last night... and then i got the idea for renkon chips! it`s funny how japan has totally overthrown my stands against iwashi, kabocha and renkon... i used to run away from the table screaming whenever mom would serve them up. but in december at watami, upon shaki`s insistence, i reluctantly tried renkon, chip style...and man! that was some good eating!! who knew! renkon! so i ended up buying my own overpriced stub of renkon in the hopes of recreating watami magic. and guess what? not bad! a little bit heavy on the salt cuz i think i went a little giddy thinking my cooking project might actually work... and the occassional flare ups freaked me out a bit, but otherwise, smooooove!
someone else`s renkon:
-it`s funny cuz before coming here, if someone asked me if i could cook, i would beam modestly and say "yeah!" but now if u ask me...
itsumo, TOTTEMO mazui desu. joudan janai.
it`s pouring!!!! and as usual i didn`t bring an umbrella! boooooooooo
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
u know what?
i really miss Remy, that crazy bundle of Labrador goodness, especially on days like today (oh the weather outside is delightful...)
and I`ve officially been mullet-ed. thanks to my inclination to be fancy free, throwing caution to the wind, and give an untested hairdresser carte blanche. mind you, it`s a supremely Subtle mullet... u can`t really tell it`s there once I`ve tamed it with hair wax and my beloved air-brush-pseudo-curling-iron won from bowling (team yusho!!!)...but on harried mornings like today, it rears its ugly and extremely short-layered mug... which makes the first words out of my mouth be "i can`t believe this."
i really miss Remy, that crazy bundle of Labrador goodness, especially on days like today (oh the weather outside is delightful...)
and I`ve officially been mullet-ed. thanks to my inclination to be fancy free, throwing caution to the wind, and give an untested hairdresser carte blanche. mind you, it`s a supremely Subtle mullet... u can`t really tell it`s there once I`ve tamed it with hair wax and my beloved air-brush-pseudo-curling-iron won from bowling (team yusho!!!)...but on harried mornings like today, it rears its ugly and extremely short-layered mug... which makes the first words out of my mouth be "i can`t believe this."
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
in flux
When he saw me in the Doutour, he had that stunned “oh” look on his face… not really sure why. It hadn`t been that long. It felt weird for about two seconds, and then everything fell back into place, like nothing had happened.
How is it so easy to be around him? But I guess it`s like that for everyone who meets him.
Admittedly, it was a bit strange to be asking him about events that I only knew about because he had blogged about them, and when he referred to my failure to siphon money from him, but in the past tense. But it just felt comfortable, u know?
Like the chorus from that John Mayer song (which was on death repeat a few days ago).
Later I had to go to the Starbucks to use the washroom, and on the way in, I caught my reflection in the mirrored border around the glass door. I looked flushed, and more spacey than usual. I think it was because it just felt like there was more to say at the point of goodbye than a measly “see ya.” I wanted him to be there, waiting when I came out of the washroom, so maybe something could be said that would settle the night, and solidify who i was supposed to be. But he wasn`t, so I headed home, restless.
When he saw me in the Doutour, he had that stunned “oh” look on his face… not really sure why. It hadn`t been that long. It felt weird for about two seconds, and then everything fell back into place, like nothing had happened.
How is it so easy to be around him? But I guess it`s like that for everyone who meets him.
Admittedly, it was a bit strange to be asking him about events that I only knew about because he had blogged about them, and when he referred to my failure to siphon money from him, but in the past tense. But it just felt comfortable, u know?
Like the chorus from that John Mayer song (which was on death repeat a few days ago).
Later I had to go to the Starbucks to use the washroom, and on the way in, I caught my reflection in the mirrored border around the glass door. I looked flushed, and more spacey than usual. I think it was because it just felt like there was more to say at the point of goodbye than a measly “see ya.” I wanted him to be there, waiting when I came out of the washroom, so maybe something could be said that would settle the night, and solidify who i was supposed to be. But he wasn`t, so I headed home, restless.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
reasons why
on friday i had a funny incident at nishi kujo (who have, by the way, totally won me over in terms of their lunch. staff are pretty good, had a really relaxed and fun time at my welcome thing, but am still emerging from my classes with the third and fourth graders with an extremely battered voice. i am NOT a shouter). I had no classes in the afternoon, matsushita sensei wasn`t holding her Japanese language class, and I had finished my Book 3 test by 2:30. So maybe sensing that i was on the brink of utter boredom, Kawagura (...actually not sure, will refer to her as "K" for now) sensei approached me while i was standing in the doorway of the shokuinshitsu, not sure if i wanted to wander or stay inside. K sensei is actually one of my favourite teachers at nishi kujo. she teaches the special needs class, and is a soft bespectacled woman, overflowing with genkiness, with a cherubic face to match. on my first day at nishi kujo, she invited me to repair the spines of old picture books with her in her classroom. it was a really great moment... i mean a warm friday afternoon, in a quiet and colourful classroom, fortifying old but lovely picture books with library tape... i`ve always wanted to be a librarian, and actually thought to myself, this is so perfect. it doesn`t get any better than this. and she made me throw a bean bag at the huge red oni they had made for setsubun =) i was a little hazukashii, especially after she cheered for me =) but it was sweet nevertheless.
anyways, this afternoon, k began saying something about moving aquarium creatures, dojou, that usually burrow underneath the gravel from the bottom floor tank to the one in front of the shokuinshitsu. well that`s what i understood anyway. but then after grabbing a big red bucket and filling it with a bit of water, and walking past the 1st floor aquarium and out the school gates, i was totally confused. we walked to this small restaurant across the street, and were irrashaimase`d by the store owner. After a brief exchange with K, the owner handed us a small jar filled with long squirming eel-like things... which K accepted excitedly and turned to me and exclaimed "Suuuuugoi na~! doJOU!!!!" i was pretty repulsed. =) They looked kind of creepy, and then K introduced me to the staff of the restaurant, and asked if there were dojou in Canada... I wasn`t sure and then she pointed to a HUGE jar of the squirming eel things on the counter in front of the grill/stove... "dojou? ours are pets... those... for eat!" GROSS man! i was like, uh yeah, i`ve never eaten those or had them for pets... i think i looked a bit manaical, grinning like crazy to hide my urge to run away. it wasn`t so much as they were ICK, but more the fact that every so often one of them would just spaz out and slam up against the side of the jar which made them look like worms (uuuuugh) more than eel things.
so anyways, we left, K triumphantly holding the jar, while i followed behind with the red bucket. on the walk back, K would every so often hoist up the jar to peer at the dojou. sigh. then she asked me what doJOU! were in english... i looked closely at them and noticed they had baby whiskers on the sides of their mouths, and were a mottled brown colour... so I thought, hey, baby catfish? maybe not so gross after all.. i can deal with catfish..
"Oh, i think in english, it`s catfish..."
"Catfish?? AH!! CAT-FISH!!"
who knew the word "catfish" would be so popular?
afterwards, every teacher or staff member we ran into, K would ta-dah! the jar of doJOU! and then follow that by asking what they thought doJOU! were in english, to which i would then automatically reply, "catfish! kao ga neko mitai!" and then the surprised victim would nod understandingly. it was great =) we went back to K`s classroom, to transfer the doJOU! into her aquarium. she dumped the jar of doJOU! rather unceremoniously into the red bucket, and then bent down to watch them swim about for a few seconds. one of them decided to pretend to gimpy in the hopes that we would maybe take pity and release him back... into the large jar at the restaurant? he just kind of floated to the top and played dead... but after K poked him a bit with the fish net, he wriggled away resignedly =) after we had finished moving them, K showed me a children`s book with various species of sea life... and after a few minutes I discovered i was oh so wrong... doJOU! weren`t baby catfish at all, but actually a "cousin" of the eel... she started laughing when i was like, "uh... unagi no itoko?" hazukashii man.
so doJOU! are Not catfish... but they still made for a pretty fun moment.
on friday i had a funny incident at nishi kujo (who have, by the way, totally won me over in terms of their lunch. staff are pretty good, had a really relaxed and fun time at my welcome thing, but am still emerging from my classes with the third and fourth graders with an extremely battered voice. i am NOT a shouter). I had no classes in the afternoon, matsushita sensei wasn`t holding her Japanese language class, and I had finished my Book 3 test by 2:30. So maybe sensing that i was on the brink of utter boredom, Kawagura (...actually not sure, will refer to her as "K" for now) sensei approached me while i was standing in the doorway of the shokuinshitsu, not sure if i wanted to wander or stay inside. K sensei is actually one of my favourite teachers at nishi kujo. she teaches the special needs class, and is a soft bespectacled woman, overflowing with genkiness, with a cherubic face to match. on my first day at nishi kujo, she invited me to repair the spines of old picture books with her in her classroom. it was a really great moment... i mean a warm friday afternoon, in a quiet and colourful classroom, fortifying old but lovely picture books with library tape... i`ve always wanted to be a librarian, and actually thought to myself, this is so perfect. it doesn`t get any better than this. and she made me throw a bean bag at the huge red oni they had made for setsubun =) i was a little hazukashii, especially after she cheered for me =) but it was sweet nevertheless.
anyways, this afternoon, k began saying something about moving aquarium creatures, dojou, that usually burrow underneath the gravel from the bottom floor tank to the one in front of the shokuinshitsu. well that`s what i understood anyway. but then after grabbing a big red bucket and filling it with a bit of water, and walking past the 1st floor aquarium and out the school gates, i was totally confused. we walked to this small restaurant across the street, and were irrashaimase`d by the store owner. After a brief exchange with K, the owner handed us a small jar filled with long squirming eel-like things... which K accepted excitedly and turned to me and exclaimed "Suuuuugoi na~! doJOU!!!!" i was pretty repulsed. =) They looked kind of creepy, and then K introduced me to the staff of the restaurant, and asked if there were dojou in Canada... I wasn`t sure and then she pointed to a HUGE jar of the squirming eel things on the counter in front of the grill/stove... "dojou? ours are pets... those... for eat!" GROSS man! i was like, uh yeah, i`ve never eaten those or had them for pets... i think i looked a bit manaical, grinning like crazy to hide my urge to run away. it wasn`t so much as they were ICK, but more the fact that every so often one of them would just spaz out and slam up against the side of the jar which made them look like worms (uuuuugh) more than eel things.
so anyways, we left, K triumphantly holding the jar, while i followed behind with the red bucket. on the walk back, K would every so often hoist up the jar to peer at the dojou. sigh. then she asked me what doJOU! were in english... i looked closely at them and noticed they had baby whiskers on the sides of their mouths, and were a mottled brown colour... so I thought, hey, baby catfish? maybe not so gross after all.. i can deal with catfish..
"Oh, i think in english, it`s catfish..."
"Catfish?? AH!! CAT-FISH!!"
who knew the word "catfish" would be so popular?
afterwards, every teacher or staff member we ran into, K would ta-dah! the jar of doJOU! and then follow that by asking what they thought doJOU! were in english, to which i would then automatically reply, "catfish! kao ga neko mitai!" and then the surprised victim would nod understandingly. it was great =) we went back to K`s classroom, to transfer the doJOU! into her aquarium. she dumped the jar of doJOU! rather unceremoniously into the red bucket, and then bent down to watch them swim about for a few seconds. one of them decided to pretend to gimpy in the hopes that we would maybe take pity and release him back... into the large jar at the restaurant? he just kind of floated to the top and played dead... but after K poked him a bit with the fish net, he wriggled away resignedly =) after we had finished moving them, K showed me a children`s book with various species of sea life... and after a few minutes I discovered i was oh so wrong... doJOU! weren`t baby catfish at all, but actually a "cousin" of the eel... she started laughing when i was like, "uh... unagi no itoko?" hazukashii man.
so doJOU! are Not catfish... but they still made for a pretty fun moment.
