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Monday, June 28, 2004
KIT (Kohai In Training)
so on friday, i pulled all nighter, with nishino. and...my VICE PRINCIPAL.
hahahahahha eh? i went out to dinner with VP (Chuck), nino and mami cuz chuck wanted to take me/us out for rock crab. i have laura to thank for this dinner though bc when chuck found out she was from florida, he went into this huge impassioned monologue about the Delicious Rock Crab Flown From Florida. Sadly my girl left on monday and couldn`t join us. Dinner was great, though the appetizers were seriously lacking. And the poor Japanese... they decided to order the manhattan version of clam chowder, while i stuck to the new england option... I alone emerged victorious. Rock crab was awesome, and I got a really good picture of Chuck`s "oiishiiiii!!!" face =) I`ve been eating out a lot recently, and have actually been consuming more of the osake too... Matt, you`ll be interested to know that I actually had a moment of genuine appreciation for the beer I had at dinner. Seriously! Who woulda thunk it eh? Post-dinner, after a lengthy debate over whether to go to the Cavern Club to see a Beatles cover band play, or to Betty`s, a New-Half (i.e. drag queen) bar, the lads from Liverpool won out. Nino and Chuck were in heaven, since the Cavern Club is a faithful recreation of the original Liverpool club that the Beatles played their first gig in. It was pretty cool, and the band was really good. Chuck is trying to set Mami up with his son, so the whole night he was taking pictures of her and sending the best ones to the son, who lives in Hiroshima, and just bought his own mansion apartment... erai na~? hahaha...
After three sets, we decided to leave, but at point of departure, Chuck groaned and said he wasn`t going to go home that night. And thus the All-nighter was born. Mami went home, chuck headed off to a restaurant for more food, and I went to the post office. I met up with Nino and then we got fantastically lost in the back streets in some Umeda shotengai...u know, That One. We found him eventually, half an hour later... and he was kind of mad. Oohhhh... sempai kohai dynamics at work. Nino was extra nice to him at the restaurant. Around 1:30 we left the restaurant and were trying to decide what to do. Inspired by the Cavern Club, the two wanted to wail the night away lovingly, paying homage to Strawberry Fields and women named Eleanor Rigby and Michelle. How could I refuse such dedication? But in the end, it was I, the Young One, the Super Kohai that outlasted them all. Chuck fell asleep first, and then Nino conceded defeat, after telling me my head was bumpy =( So it was me, myself and I, in a Karaoke Box, singing the songs I always wanted to sing at karaoke but never did because it was too embarrassing... like... Barry Manilow`s Mandy.. heeheee... However I did find a Stevie Wonder song I could sing (I Never Thought You`d Leave in Summer). Two grown men, passed out on the couches, and me singing Reunited by Atlantic Starr. hahaha.... it was just so funny....they got up in time to leave around 5:30, and i was still really awake. The two of them looked very creased and worn around the edges, and I smiled inwardly at the strength of my genkiness. Then I came home, did a load of laundry, and crashed. and missed a softball game as a result.
obahan mitai.
_________________________________________________________________
it`s official!! I have a sempai! I guess technically, all of the teachers at my schools except for Mami, Owaku and Fukuda would be my sempais... but it`s never been explicitly spelled out. and you know me, i need brick-in-the-head-obvious assurance. I went out to dinner with Miwako from Tokiwa, and we had a good talk over various chicken dishes. The restaurant was beautiful... panels and panels of smooth dark wood, high ceilings, soft-focus lighting, and a single row of happily potted plants in the main entrance. But they totally messed up the spinach salad. When it first arrived, it looked oh so oishiso~ Then the waiter (who had frighteningly manicured nails for a MAN), crouched down beside me and started softly beating an onsen egg. Hmm, thought I, onsen egg and spinach? I`m not sure... aaaggghh!!! why are you pouring it over the entire salad???? sigh. needless to say, it was gross-tastic. anyways, my sempai and i (wheeee!) talked about work and about kids...well mostly she talked and i wavered in and out of comprehension. japanese is hard man. but i managed to find out some interesting things about the school and about my sempai (wheeee!). And my sempai (wheeee!) doesn`t drink! heehee...
i feel very japanese today.
i was able to book tickets to Yamanashi, at JTB, managing to get shinkansen one way and bus back.
i remember thinking, "i LOVE japan" while walking in one of the back alleys of shinsaibashi. and even later, when a sad salaryman blew smoke in my face, i shrugged it off, and triumphantly restated my love for this country, .
i also felt very japanese last weekend when i was leaving oji and oba`s place, and i called out from the entrance "obaachan, bai bai!" i dunno why, but i just felt SO japanese. eeeeeeeeeeeeee! stop me before i get another mullet.
so on friday, i pulled all nighter, with nishino. and...my VICE PRINCIPAL.
hahahahahha eh? i went out to dinner with VP (Chuck), nino and mami cuz chuck wanted to take me/us out for rock crab. i have laura to thank for this dinner though bc when chuck found out she was from florida, he went into this huge impassioned monologue about the Delicious Rock Crab Flown From Florida. Sadly my girl left on monday and couldn`t join us. Dinner was great, though the appetizers were seriously lacking. And the poor Japanese... they decided to order the manhattan version of clam chowder, while i stuck to the new england option... I alone emerged victorious. Rock crab was awesome, and I got a really good picture of Chuck`s "oiishiiiii!!!" face =) I`ve been eating out a lot recently, and have actually been consuming more of the osake too... Matt, you`ll be interested to know that I actually had a moment of genuine appreciation for the beer I had at dinner. Seriously! Who woulda thunk it eh? Post-dinner, after a lengthy debate over whether to go to the Cavern Club to see a Beatles cover band play, or to Betty`s, a New-Half (i.e. drag queen) bar, the lads from Liverpool won out. Nino and Chuck were in heaven, since the Cavern Club is a faithful recreation of the original Liverpool club that the Beatles played their first gig in. It was pretty cool, and the band was really good. Chuck is trying to set Mami up with his son, so the whole night he was taking pictures of her and sending the best ones to the son, who lives in Hiroshima, and just bought his own mansion apartment... erai na~? hahaha...
After three sets, we decided to leave, but at point of departure, Chuck groaned and said he wasn`t going to go home that night. And thus the All-nighter was born. Mami went home, chuck headed off to a restaurant for more food, and I went to the post office. I met up with Nino and then we got fantastically lost in the back streets in some Umeda shotengai...u know, That One. We found him eventually, half an hour later... and he was kind of mad. Oohhhh... sempai kohai dynamics at work. Nino was extra nice to him at the restaurant. Around 1:30 we left the restaurant and were trying to decide what to do. Inspired by the Cavern Club, the two wanted to wail the night away lovingly, paying homage to Strawberry Fields and women named Eleanor Rigby and Michelle. How could I refuse such dedication? But in the end, it was I, the Young One, the Super Kohai that outlasted them all. Chuck fell asleep first, and then Nino conceded defeat, after telling me my head was bumpy =( So it was me, myself and I, in a Karaoke Box, singing the songs I always wanted to sing at karaoke but never did because it was too embarrassing... like... Barry Manilow`s Mandy.. heeheee... However I did find a Stevie Wonder song I could sing (I Never Thought You`d Leave in Summer). Two grown men, passed out on the couches, and me singing Reunited by Atlantic Starr. hahaha.... it was just so funny....they got up in time to leave around 5:30, and i was still really awake. The two of them looked very creased and worn around the edges, and I smiled inwardly at the strength of my genkiness. Then I came home, did a load of laundry, and crashed. and missed a softball game as a result.
obahan mitai.
_________________________________________________________________
it`s official!! I have a sempai! I guess technically, all of the teachers at my schools except for Mami, Owaku and Fukuda would be my sempais... but it`s never been explicitly spelled out. and you know me, i need brick-in-the-head-obvious assurance. I went out to dinner with Miwako from Tokiwa, and we had a good talk over various chicken dishes. The restaurant was beautiful... panels and panels of smooth dark wood, high ceilings, soft-focus lighting, and a single row of happily potted plants in the main entrance. But they totally messed up the spinach salad. When it first arrived, it looked oh so oishiso~ Then the waiter (who had frighteningly manicured nails for a MAN), crouched down beside me and started softly beating an onsen egg. Hmm, thought I, onsen egg and spinach? I`m not sure... aaaggghh!!! why are you pouring it over the entire salad???? sigh. needless to say, it was gross-tastic. anyways, my sempai and i (wheeee!) talked about work and about kids...well mostly she talked and i wavered in and out of comprehension. japanese is hard man. but i managed to find out some interesting things about the school and about my sempai (wheeee!). And my sempai (wheeee!) doesn`t drink! heehee...
i feel very japanese today.
i was able to book tickets to Yamanashi, at JTB, managing to get shinkansen one way and bus back.
i remember thinking, "i LOVE japan" while walking in one of the back alleys of shinsaibashi. and even later, when a sad salaryman blew smoke in my face, i shrugged it off, and triumphantly restated my love for this country, .
i also felt very japanese last weekend when i was leaving oji and oba`s place, and i called out from the entrance "obaachan, bai bai!" i dunno why, but i just felt SO japanese. eeeeeeeeeeeeee! stop me before i get another mullet.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
proceed with caution
So. There`s been a recent development that is downright embarrassing... a rather unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on your persepective) recognition. We`re talking hazukashii of epic proportions.
I can`t dance anymore.
(SILENCE all of those who question bleatingly, “But Naomi, when could you??” TRAITOROUS FOLLOWERS)
The brother recently sent me a couple of Supa Mix CDs, and while bopping along to one of them, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror...
I looked like humpbacked old aunty with two broken legs, trying to balance a 30lb fish on her head.
Needless to say, it was oogly.
What has happened to me? It never used to be this bad. I was supposed to be destined for a rhythmically secure life...I mean I lived in UHS`s music department (formative clubbing/dancing years), have friends who sure can cut a rug, and was even a figure skater for seven years (proud owner of a Junior Bronze sew-on patch)! Alas, it`s probably my horrid lack of coordination that is warping any sense of rhythmic sensibility. But it was at least passable before. I could get through a night by showcasing some old standards like the esthetically pleasing Running Man or the reliable Robot, usually for moments of levity needed during long sets of heavy hip hop. Mix that in with some dancey-shoulder-hicupping moves, and I was set. But now...ugh... let`s just say movement is less than inspired.
Maybe you`re thinking, “Naomi, you should just try some other forms of dancing instead?” Well, two days after watching Billy Elliot, I found myself in an empty meeting room at Shikitsu during lunch. It was clean, quiet... and had smooth, polished hardwood flooring. And I was in socks. I couldn`t resist. I tried doing a bunch of pirouettes a la Billy, checking myself after each turn in the mirror (like a real dancer!), and waited for genius. By the third time I felt horribly dizzy and almost fell on my butt. Though it was fun at the time, ballet is definitely not an option.
Being in Japan hasn`t helped in my search for grooviness. I`ve started to listen to more Japanese and guitar music, which is light years away from groovy a la Mary. And watching Japanese pop stars perform is probably stunting any inclinations towards creativity. Is “cool Japanese dancer” an oxymoron? (apologies to the cats at OCAT). But I am still charmed by fantastic Western beats, like that first Outkast song on Supa Mix CD 1. It`s too bad my bodily interpretation can`t do justice to deeliteful songs. Sigh. You know it`s time to retire from public dance venues when the coolest accompaniment you can come up with is jumping from side to side. Yet another vestige of my youth disappearing.
So don`t expect anything when I`m back and we`re out and about. It`s safer that way…no one will be traumatized, and I won`t have to invest in that MiB memory-erasing doo-hickey.
So. There`s been a recent development that is downright embarrassing... a rather unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on your persepective) recognition. We`re talking hazukashii of epic proportions.
I can`t dance anymore.
(SILENCE all of those who question bleatingly, “But Naomi, when could you??” TRAITOROUS FOLLOWERS)
The brother recently sent me a couple of Supa Mix CDs, and while bopping along to one of them, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror...
I looked like humpbacked old aunty with two broken legs, trying to balance a 30lb fish on her head.
Needless to say, it was oogly.
What has happened to me? It never used to be this bad. I was supposed to be destined for a rhythmically secure life...I mean I lived in UHS`s music department (formative clubbing/dancing years), have friends who sure can cut a rug, and was even a figure skater for seven years (proud owner of a Junior Bronze sew-on patch)! Alas, it`s probably my horrid lack of coordination that is warping any sense of rhythmic sensibility. But it was at least passable before. I could get through a night by showcasing some old standards like the esthetically pleasing Running Man or the reliable Robot, usually for moments of levity needed during long sets of heavy hip hop. Mix that in with some dancey-shoulder-hicupping moves, and I was set. But now...ugh... let`s just say movement is less than inspired.
Maybe you`re thinking, “Naomi, you should just try some other forms of dancing instead?” Well, two days after watching Billy Elliot, I found myself in an empty meeting room at Shikitsu during lunch. It was clean, quiet... and had smooth, polished hardwood flooring. And I was in socks. I couldn`t resist. I tried doing a bunch of pirouettes a la Billy, checking myself after each turn in the mirror (like a real dancer!), and waited for genius. By the third time I felt horribly dizzy and almost fell on my butt. Though it was fun at the time, ballet is definitely not an option.
Being in Japan hasn`t helped in my search for grooviness. I`ve started to listen to more Japanese and guitar music, which is light years away from groovy a la Mary. And watching Japanese pop stars perform is probably stunting any inclinations towards creativity. Is “cool Japanese dancer” an oxymoron? (apologies to the cats at OCAT). But I am still charmed by fantastic Western beats, like that first Outkast song on Supa Mix CD 1. It`s too bad my bodily interpretation can`t do justice to deeliteful songs. Sigh. You know it`s time to retire from public dance venues when the coolest accompaniment you can come up with is jumping from side to side. Yet another vestige of my youth disappearing.
So don`t expect anything when I`m back and we`re out and about. It`s safer that way…no one will be traumatized, and I won`t have to invest in that MiB memory-erasing doo-hickey.
Monday, June 21, 2004
picture update
cute girl i Lisa-ed (yukata hoshiiii)
a temple in kyoto
laura
macdougall-kun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nishino
when a japanese person eats thai food
cute girl i Lisa-ed (yukata hoshiiii)
a temple in kyoto
laura
macdougall-kun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nishino
when a japanese person eats thai food
seiji
so seiji sends me mail, one of which reads: what`s up, don`t be jealous hater
the nerve!!
anways, i open up the mail, and it`s a bunch of pictures of his trip from the beeyoootiful dominican with leila, as well as some pics from christmas, since he wanted to let me see what things were like for him at home.
i almost died after seeing how happy he looked in all of his pictures. my little brother. my heart stopped, and i felt nauseous, cuz i think it was just so... amaSUGI =) i know, not very sisterly of me eh? hahahah...
this is leila and seiji, at their hotel probably...dunno
and this is seiji, stretching my beloved bucket hat with his fat head (argh!!)
so.
should i get used to the idea that leila may someday be my sister-in-law? hmmm.... well, upon arrival, i will definitely make more of an effort to get to know her. yes. i will.
okay, so where do i get the t-shirt that says "I Survived Typhoon No.6 and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt!"? cuz i am having a great day! typhoons ain`t all they`re cracked up to be =) Aaaand i bought my tickets!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so seiji sends me mail, one of which reads: what`s up, don`t be jealous hater
the nerve!!
anways, i open up the mail, and it`s a bunch of pictures of his trip from the beeyoootiful dominican with leila, as well as some pics from christmas, since he wanted to let me see what things were like for him at home.
i almost died after seeing how happy he looked in all of his pictures. my little brother. my heart stopped, and i felt nauseous, cuz i think it was just so... amaSUGI =) i know, not very sisterly of me eh? hahahah...
this is leila and seiji, at their hotel probably...dunno
and this is seiji, stretching my beloved bucket hat with his fat head (argh!!)
so.
should i get used to the idea that leila may someday be my sister-in-law? hmmm.... well, upon arrival, i will definitely make more of an effort to get to know her. yes. i will.
okay, so where do i get the t-shirt that says "I Survived Typhoon No.6 and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt!"? cuz i am having a great day! typhoons ain`t all they`re cracked up to be =) Aaaand i bought my tickets!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
an email from junko
Good evening.
It`s raining now.And A typhoon is coming to Japan.
Today, I go to school for Open school.
Many Junior high school students came to my school for know about my
school.
We looked like animal in zoo.
I knew about hostfamily yesterday.I excited!
I am having a stomachache.
My mother is being on the trots.
We need toilet now!!
See you later.
Junko
bwhahahahhah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good evening.
It`s raining now.And A typhoon is coming to Japan.
Today, I go to school for Open school.
Many Junior high school students came to my school for know about my
school.
We looked like animal in zoo.
I knew about hostfamily yesterday.I excited!
I am having a stomachache.
My mother is being on the trots.
We need toilet now!!
See you later.
Junko
bwhahahahhah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, June 19, 2004
mukaaashi mukashi
i like it when people who are close to me use really polite and old fashioned phrases when we`re talking
i like it when people who are close to me use really polite and old fashioned phrases when we`re talking
Thursday, June 17, 2004
ashita...
i go to nakamoto. where i will have my first welcome party with them. this, three days after i packed my first box of winter clothes to ship home. bizarro!
anyways, some nice things about nakamoto:
1. i get to use the meeting room as my classroom, where i can stare out the window and blast justin timberlake and mandy moore songs without any shame during breaks
2. lunch is always good, but i haven`t met the caf ladies yet (shikitsu...sniff)
3. nishimura sensei played me the sarah mclachlan/avril lavigne concert on his laptop because they were from canada =)
4. some of the cutest kids go there
5. i`m glad maeda sensei is able to get a lot of rest at home these days.
and last, but not least,
6. it was there, that i played soft volleyball again. and didn`t suck as much.
nishiumi mommies: i am no longer afraid of you.
i go to nakamoto. where i will have my first welcome party with them. this, three days after i packed my first box of winter clothes to ship home. bizarro!
anyways, some nice things about nakamoto:
1. i get to use the meeting room as my classroom, where i can stare out the window and blast justin timberlake and mandy moore songs without any shame during breaks
2. lunch is always good, but i haven`t met the caf ladies yet (shikitsu...sniff)
3. nishimura sensei played me the sarah mclachlan/avril lavigne concert on his laptop because they were from canada =)
4. some of the cutest kids go there
5. i`m glad maeda sensei is able to get a lot of rest at home these days.
and last, but not least,
6. it was there, that i played soft volleyball again. and didn`t suck as much.
asia me
there is nothing more amusing than watching japanese people eat spicy foods.
last night, Mami, Nishino and Fukuda went out for Laura`s Goodbye Party. so sweet eh? and Laura had mentioned last week that she liked shaved ice (kokigouri??), and Nakagawa sensei promised to bring her some. I wasn`t sure it would happen, cuz what was the woman going to do, haul in an ice machine and chip away at a big block with an ice pick? highly unlikely. Instead, Japanese ingenuity/desire for convenient sweets surprised me once again. We each got a little plastic cup that had sweetened ice in it (consistency of a slushy), poured some green tea powder over it, and added a generous spoonful of anko and voila! a spectacular maccha anko ice dessert! it was AWESOME. i`m so making some at home. anyways, Nishino suggested Thai food and all parties agreed enthusiastically. When we were ordering, Fukuda made all of us adhere to one rule: order dishes with Red Stars ONLY. and who am i to disagree with a fantastically cuteandlittle, chain-smoking japanese woman? everything looked amazing, and...harmless. but u would never know it the way the three of them were sweating and yelping. mami started tearing as soon as she had some of the PAPAYA SALAD, and fukuda kept blowing out streams of invisible chili flames every five minutes. Both of them would alternate between proclaiming ecstatically that everything was so delicious and then immediately start sobbing because everything was so spicy. it was hilarous. nishino was not that bad, but there were definitely some small pools of sweat forming at the base of his nose.
Laura and I hardly blinked.
During dinner, Laura and I gave them all "American" names: Sabrina (F), Emma (M) and Micah (N). Laura managed to score a Japanese name for herself as well: Mitsuki (beautiful moon). She also made quite an impression by showing them a picture of her "sky-high!!" boyfriend and promised to hook Sabrina up with Sky-high`s friend. hahahaha.. that was the best.
They`ve only met Laura twice, yet wanted to give her this dinner...stuff like this makes me love Ikuno even more, and makes it harder to leave Japan...
I`ve started to extend my departure date.
I`m still leaving though. I swear.
________________________________________
so i think Koreans are some of the coolest people. They have awesome food, have lots of labour demonstrations, can rap better than any other Asians, make interesting films, and their language sounds super cool. So for next week`s activity at Nanko, we`re combining english and hangul, since they`re learning about Korea. I got to phonetically spell out "Chocolate kimchi is not delicious" in hangul heeheeeeeee... so fun. and on tuesday, Konishi sensei gave me a recipe for chijimi. And i keep on having this recurring delusion that when i get back to Japan, i will somehow convince Linda and Wayne to go to Korea for a weekend during the first week in September.
i swear i`m leaving.
there is nothing more amusing than watching japanese people eat spicy foods.
last night, Mami, Nishino and Fukuda went out for Laura`s Goodbye Party. so sweet eh? and Laura had mentioned last week that she liked shaved ice (kokigouri??), and Nakagawa sensei promised to bring her some. I wasn`t sure it would happen, cuz what was the woman going to do, haul in an ice machine and chip away at a big block with an ice pick? highly unlikely. Instead, Japanese ingenuity/desire for convenient sweets surprised me once again. We each got a little plastic cup that had sweetened ice in it (consistency of a slushy), poured some green tea powder over it, and added a generous spoonful of anko and voila! a spectacular maccha anko ice dessert! it was AWESOME. i`m so making some at home. anyways, Nishino suggested Thai food and all parties agreed enthusiastically. When we were ordering, Fukuda made all of us adhere to one rule: order dishes with Red Stars ONLY. and who am i to disagree with a fantastically cuteandlittle, chain-smoking japanese woman? everything looked amazing, and...harmless. but u would never know it the way the three of them were sweating and yelping. mami started tearing as soon as she had some of the PAPAYA SALAD, and fukuda kept blowing out streams of invisible chili flames every five minutes. Both of them would alternate between proclaiming ecstatically that everything was so delicious and then immediately start sobbing because everything was so spicy. it was hilarous. nishino was not that bad, but there were definitely some small pools of sweat forming at the base of his nose.
Laura and I hardly blinked.
During dinner, Laura and I gave them all "American" names: Sabrina (F), Emma (M) and Micah (N). Laura managed to score a Japanese name for herself as well: Mitsuki (beautiful moon). She also made quite an impression by showing them a picture of her "sky-high!!" boyfriend and promised to hook Sabrina up with Sky-high`s friend. hahahaha.. that was the best.
They`ve only met Laura twice, yet wanted to give her this dinner...stuff like this makes me love Ikuno even more, and makes it harder to leave Japan...
I`ve started to extend my departure date.
I`m still leaving though. I swear.
________________________________________
so i think Koreans are some of the coolest people. They have awesome food, have lots of labour demonstrations, can rap better than any other Asians, make interesting films, and their language sounds super cool. So for next week`s activity at Nanko, we`re combining english and hangul, since they`re learning about Korea. I got to phonetically spell out "Chocolate kimchi is not delicious" in hangul heeheeeeeee... so fun. and on tuesday, Konishi sensei gave me a recipe for chijimi. And i keep on having this recurring delusion that when i get back to Japan, i will somehow convince Linda and Wayne to go to Korea for a weekend during the first week in September.
i swear i`m leaving.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
"surpraaz"
Day 17 of Rainy Season:
-am doing incredibly well. rain has managed to be practically non-existent. sunny days forecasted for this entire week. am beside myself with glee.
i noticed that I now sometimes drop particles. and my sentences are becoming. really choppy. because i am just sticking words together. word words. because that is how i speak. japanese.
laura and i went to nara yesterday, our "country day," and it was awesome. we took the JR there, and so beautiful... the one other time i`ve been to deer country was via the Kintetsu line, which will now be blacklisted since they don`t have the captain chair cars or the spectacular scenery. i felt so relaxed. we didn`t do the whole get-off-at-a-random-stop-and-search-for-rice-fields plan, but i will definitely get around to doing that before i leave. Japan is really beautiful. sigh. and then to top it off, we had the promised salaryman dinner at Yoshinoya and watched SMAPxSMAP. the perfect day =)
HfH still seems kind of surreal.. i had a mini anxiety attack while waiting for the bus on friday. i just feel really really horribly unprepared...my only contact with this group is via email and the message board, and so i can`t get that immediate reassurance/assistance with things. i haven`t emailed any of my aunties or uncles in malaysia or indonesia yet... no tickets or anything. eeeeeeeeee!! sigh.
Day 17 of Rainy Season:
-am doing incredibly well. rain has managed to be practically non-existent. sunny days forecasted for this entire week. am beside myself with glee.
i noticed that I now sometimes drop particles. and my sentences are becoming. really choppy. because i am just sticking words together. word words. because that is how i speak. japanese.
laura and i went to nara yesterday, our "country day," and it was awesome. we took the JR there, and so beautiful... the one other time i`ve been to deer country was via the Kintetsu line, which will now be blacklisted since they don`t have the captain chair cars or the spectacular scenery. i felt so relaxed. we didn`t do the whole get-off-at-a-random-stop-and-search-for-rice-fields plan, but i will definitely get around to doing that before i leave. Japan is really beautiful. sigh. and then to top it off, we had the promised salaryman dinner at Yoshinoya and watched SMAPxSMAP. the perfect day =)
HfH still seems kind of surreal.. i had a mini anxiety attack while waiting for the bus on friday. i just feel really really horribly unprepared...my only contact with this group is via email and the message board, and so i can`t get that immediate reassurance/assistance with things. i haven`t emailed any of my aunties or uncles in malaysia or indonesia yet... no tickets or anything. eeeeeeeeee!! sigh.
oh yeah!
he is awesome!!!!!!
i never thought i`d say this, but Go Pistons, rawr!
he is awesome!!!!!!
i never thought i`d say this, but Go Pistons, rawr!
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
ugh
i am so tired. so TIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i need to sleep for like another hour or something. ugh. reading has become painful. SO TIRED!!
Laura is getting her hair done today, going to the hair salon by herself. Ihope know nothing bad will happen...after all, when we went in for the consultation, the guy with the fun sock hat assured her that, yes your hair will have a little hurt, but won`t break =)
more proof that i am slowly losing the english:
(while looking over a lesson plan I made, at Ikuno)
N: Laura, does this make sense, `the remainding 5 students will play TV Star`
L: what? Don`t you mean remaining?
N: .........
(moment of silence to mourn loss of intellect. large sucking noise fills the room.)
I noticed that whenever I take the chuo line in the morning out to Nankominami, I usually have a frenzied conversation in my head with the patrons lucky enough to have seats. It usually consists of me pleading with the person i am standing in front of to get off at the next station so I can have their seat, in attempts to ward off heavy exhaustion. If someone does happen to get up out of their seat, I usually exclaim ecstatically, in my head I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This has happened more times that I`d like to admit.
and my camera`s broken =( something is wrong with the sensor grip, so it`ll be about three weeks till minolty is back. and i lost the warranty. =((((
i am so tired. so TIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i need to sleep for like another hour or something. ugh. reading has become painful. SO TIRED!!
Laura is getting her hair done today, going to the hair salon by herself. I
more proof that i am slowly losing the english:
(while looking over a lesson plan I made, at Ikuno)
N: Laura, does this make sense, `the remainding 5 students will play TV Star`
L: what? Don`t you mean remaining?
N: .........
(moment of silence to mourn loss of intellect. large sucking noise fills the room.)
I noticed that whenever I take the chuo line in the morning out to Nankominami, I usually have a frenzied conversation in my head with the patrons lucky enough to have seats. It usually consists of me pleading with the person i am standing in front of to get off at the next station so I can have their seat, in attempts to ward off heavy exhaustion. If someone does happen to get up out of their seat, I usually exclaim ecstatically, in my head I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This has happened more times that I`d like to admit.
and my camera`s broken =( something is wrong with the sensor grip, so it`ll be about three weeks till minolty is back. and i lost the warranty. =((((
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
i`ve always wanted to be this cool
from www.xanga.com/chrischoi
thehorange
in conjunction with hoofhartid
its a known fact that only cool people make up slang words...words like "kicks", "rides", "FOBs", "24-7" "cool" etc....so if cool people can make slang words can people who make slang words be cool? so one day, team hoofhartid chrischoi monkey & sons wanted to test this out. it was time to make a slang word.
but a lot of cool people who also happened to be elementary school dropouts, made slangs words that just plain sucked. think about it, how many times were you confused when they said things were "bad" or when they said "dope" you couldn't figure out if they were excited or on drugs (probably both.) so hoofhartid chrischoi monkey & sons wanted to create a word carefully and strategically...and that word was
horange
A horange story:
Years later when kids and armadillos of all sizes colors and genders are using the word horange like Korean churches drink tang, you can tell them the story of how it all began:
chrischoi: what rhymes with orange?
chrischoi: there is like no word that rhymes with it
HOofhartID: nope
HOofhartID: unless you make one up
chrischoi: lets make one up
HOofhartID: horange
HOofhartID: wut will our word mean?
chrischoi: lets make it a word that just explains things
chrischoi: its just the way it is
HOofhartID: and just use it horangely
yes, thats right horange. lets delineate its definition:
horange (adj/n/v/adv/pron/prep) of,or pertaining to everything and anything good or bad or ugly or cool or monkey.
It's a very useful word. i'm sure you've experienced times of frustration or joy or anything where you wanted to find a word but just couldn't think of it. the "tip of my tongue" feeling....well horange is the word for you. it means anything and everything you want it to mean. its the most versatile word on the planet. Heck it's the most versatile world in the entire horange universe. It's freakin horange!
got hit by a cab? just say "HOLY HORANGE"
want to tell a girl how you feel? "i horange you"
want to win jeopardy? "what is horange?" "thats correct"
people being annoyingly indecisive? "stop being so horange you horanges!!"
read a sucky blog? "that was the most horange thing ever!"
read an awesome blog? "that was the most horange thing ever!"
in addition...horange will also excite the poets of the world...for finally there's a word that rhymes with 'orange.' for years and years archaeologists and linguists have been searching for the golden word that rhymes with the delectable fruit and color. hoofhartid chrischoi monkeys & sons have found it. horange!
whats great about horange is that its also non-discriminatory....unlike any other word in the world, horange can be used in any language.
spanish "tan horange!"
korean "ya hornage"
japanese "tomo arihorange!"
hawaiian "aloha horange!"
monkey "ooo ooo eee ee horange aa aa!"
here's how you can use it in conversation:
You: wut's up
friend: hey buddy
You: sup
friend: chillin
friend: deciding what to eat
You: horange
friend: culture show practice later tonight
You: wut time is your horange practice?
friend: in two hours
You: dang...so horange
friend: sup with you?
You: not much...@ work on a saturday
You: the usual horange
friend: ooooooooh
so yes....horange is the wave of the future. horange is the uber ultimate word of all time. and thanks to the efforts of team hoofhartid chrischoi monkeys & sons, it is now yours. ain't that horange?
HOofhartID:you're so horange
chrischoi: you're so horange
add horange to your Microsoft word dictionary today so that it won't be underlined in that annoying red squiggly line every time you have to write that horange 10 page paper!
from www.xanga.com/chrischoi
thehorange
in conjunction with hoofhartid
its a known fact that only cool people make up slang words...words like "kicks", "rides", "FOBs", "24-7" "cool" etc....so if cool people can make slang words can people who make slang words be cool? so one day, team hoofhartid chrischoi monkey & sons wanted to test this out. it was time to make a slang word.
but a lot of cool people who also happened to be elementary school dropouts, made slangs words that just plain sucked. think about it, how many times were you confused when they said things were "bad" or when they said "dope" you couldn't figure out if they were excited or on drugs (probably both.) so hoofhartid chrischoi monkey & sons wanted to create a word carefully and strategically...and that word was
horange
A horange story:
Years later when kids and armadillos of all sizes colors and genders are using the word horange like Korean churches drink tang, you can tell them the story of how it all began:
chrischoi: what rhymes with orange?
chrischoi: there is like no word that rhymes with it
HOofhartID: nope
HOofhartID: unless you make one up
chrischoi: lets make one up
HOofhartID: horange
HOofhartID: wut will our word mean?
chrischoi: lets make it a word that just explains things
chrischoi: its just the way it is
HOofhartID: and just use it horangely
yes, thats right horange. lets delineate its definition:
horange (adj/n/v/adv/pron/prep) of,or pertaining to everything and anything good or bad or ugly or cool or monkey.
It's a very useful word. i'm sure you've experienced times of frustration or joy or anything where you wanted to find a word but just couldn't think of it. the "tip of my tongue" feeling....well horange is the word for you. it means anything and everything you want it to mean. its the most versatile word on the planet. Heck it's the most versatile world in the entire horange universe. It's freakin horange!
got hit by a cab? just say "HOLY HORANGE"
want to tell a girl how you feel? "i horange you"
want to win jeopardy? "what is horange?" "thats correct"
people being annoyingly indecisive? "stop being so horange you horanges!!"
read a sucky blog? "that was the most horange thing ever!"
read an awesome blog? "that was the most horange thing ever!"
in addition...horange will also excite the poets of the world...for finally there's a word that rhymes with 'orange.' for years and years archaeologists and linguists have been searching for the golden word that rhymes with the delectable fruit and color. hoofhartid chrischoi monkeys & sons have found it. horange!
whats great about horange is that its also non-discriminatory....unlike any other word in the world, horange can be used in any language.
spanish "tan horange!"
korean "ya hornage"
japanese "tomo arihorange!"
hawaiian "aloha horange!"
monkey "ooo ooo eee ee horange aa aa!"
here's how you can use it in conversation:
You: wut's up
friend: hey buddy
You: sup
friend: chillin
friend: deciding what to eat
You: horange
friend: culture show practice later tonight
You: wut time is your horange practice?
friend: in two hours
You: dang...so horange
friend: sup with you?
You: not much...@ work on a saturday
You: the usual horange
friend: ooooooooh
so yes....horange is the wave of the future. horange is the uber ultimate word of all time. and thanks to the efforts of team hoofhartid chrischoi monkeys & sons, it is now yours. ain't that horange?
HOofhartID:you're so horange
chrischoi: you're so horange
add horange to your Microsoft word dictionary today so that it won't be underlined in that annoying red squiggly line every time you have to write that horange 10 page paper!
Monday, June 07, 2004
rawr!!
and i`m going to see "the best singer in the world" with Mami on July 20th!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last day of work Ever!!! Moriyama Naotaro concert!!!!! AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
i taped his appearance on Music Station, and love love love "Itoshi Kimi E"
kocchi ni muite, waraeteiruyo...
and i`m going to see "the best singer in the world" with Mami on July 20th!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last day of work Ever!!! Moriyama Naotaro concert!!!!! AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
i taped his appearance on Music Station, and love love love "Itoshi Kimi E"
kocchi ni muite, waraeteiruyo...
transplanted
Laura is here and it`s great. She says she feels like she`s changed a lot during college... especially after spending time with Shaki and Richard, who according to her, are still the same guys they were before they left Toronto. I hate to say it, but Laura seems the same to me, the same effervescent and astutely funny girl that I know. I know she`s changed (how could you not after all of those experiences), but the core of Miss Ashley is still familiar. During the meet-up mishap at Shin-Osaka, we were on the phone and exasperated yet amused, she gave her characteristic giggle, and hung up. When I heard that, I thought happily, Yup, Laura is here.
I was trying to figure out if I`ve changed considerably over the past 9 months. The best I could come up with is that I know I`ve been through a lot, but somehow it doesn`t feel like the experiences have had their intended emotional impact. For instance, I didn`t crash and burn in November like I was supposed to according to the culture shock graph, I still don`t feel anything more than a vague sense of loss concerning Popo`s death (the word itself still feels strange)...Maybe I`m an emotional android. Maybe I`m Shaun =)
I always thought that you change less the older you become, but maybe that`s not true anymore. Maybe there is more room for variation nowadays. Laura and I were comparing how our dads had changed over the years, and if I place present-day Ots beside Ots from the 80s, the difference is remarkable. Of course he still believes/says/does some things the same, but who he is now is, I think, the best version.
Laura is here and it`s great. She says she feels like she`s changed a lot during college... especially after spending time with Shaki and Richard, who according to her, are still the same guys they were before they left Toronto. I hate to say it, but Laura seems the same to me, the same effervescent and astutely funny girl that I know. I know she`s changed (how could you not after all of those experiences), but the core of Miss Ashley is still familiar. During the meet-up mishap at Shin-Osaka, we were on the phone and exasperated yet amused, she gave her characteristic giggle, and hung up. When I heard that, I thought happily, Yup, Laura is here.
I was trying to figure out if I`ve changed considerably over the past 9 months. The best I could come up with is that I know I`ve been through a lot, but somehow it doesn`t feel like the experiences have had their intended emotional impact. For instance, I didn`t crash and burn in November like I was supposed to according to the culture shock graph, I still don`t feel anything more than a vague sense of loss concerning Popo`s death (the word itself still feels strange)...Maybe I`m an emotional android. Maybe I`m Shaun =)
I always thought that you change less the older you become, but maybe that`s not true anymore. Maybe there is more room for variation nowadays. Laura and I were comparing how our dads had changed over the years, and if I place present-day Ots beside Ots from the 80s, the difference is remarkable. Of course he still believes/says/does some things the same, but who he is now is, I think, the best version.
Thursday, June 03, 2004
list me
1. yesterday after work, the four food items I bought were all yellow. Banana Pocky in a yellow box, cereal in a yellow box, chijimi, and lemon tea in a yellow carton. Colour therapy indeed!
2. I really want to learn how to make chijimi. All right, I shall master this before I leave.
3. I am not liking The Sound and the Fury. Gambarimasu.
4. When asked "if you were a sea creature, what would you be?" I said a beluga whale because like me they are slow swimmers, have close ties to family, and I really liked Raffi`s version of "Baby Beluga" (remember Raffi??!!)
5. My pet peeve is no longer spelling mistakes, but people who cut their nails while riding public transportation...it`s all fun and games until someone loses an eye
6. So many people have gotten their hair cut this past week...all of the kids in 2-3 at Ikuno, and a whole bunch of teachers at different schools. Is there some sort of Rainy Season special??
7. Kartik Sundar aka Fake Chicano, is hereby banned from this blog. Forever x infinity.
8. I am working on acquiring the Most spectacular farmer tan…it`ll be stunning. Softball-season-farmer-tan will pale in comparison.
9. I went to a dental hygiene presentation at Ikuno during 2nd period. Dental hygiene is taught differently here. For one, the way kids are taught how to brush their teeth is unnerving. Instead of learning to brush down from the gums, Japanese kids are taught to brush the sides of each tooth and sideways across the tops of their teeth.
!!!!
When I was in public school I remember one hygienist who freaked everyone out because she told us to never EVER brush from side to side across our teeth, because we would eventually get this awful groove*. I also noticed there was no mention of flossing, and the props they used looked really old and outdated. No Murphy the Molar or big oversized plastic toothbrushes here. In the video (which looked like it was made by the same people who did that bizarre JET video everyone saw in Tokyo, featuring Gary and his Pink Shirt), the teacher used what looked like an ancient paper mache work up of three teeth and a SCRUBBING BRUSH that sort of resembled a toothbrush if you squinted, to explain brushing technique. The majority of the video showed everyone dyeing their teeth using a q-tip dripping with fuschia plaque dye...after seeing the teacher and five kids do it, I felt really gross. Egh...but then again I get queasy if I see those pictures of Dental Hygiene Gone Wrong plastered around dentists` waiting rooms.
10. ten!
*i think she also told us that there was no such thing as santa claus, and that the easter bunny secretly hated all children. then she hit stewart reitinger over the head with her plastic dentures, hopped on her broom and flew out the window. i think.
1. yesterday after work, the four food items I bought were all yellow. Banana Pocky in a yellow box, cereal in a yellow box, chijimi, and lemon tea in a yellow carton. Colour therapy indeed!
2. I really want to learn how to make chijimi. All right, I shall master this before I leave.
3. I am not liking The Sound and the Fury. Gambarimasu.
4. When asked "if you were a sea creature, what would you be?" I said a beluga whale because like me they are slow swimmers, have close ties to family, and I really liked Raffi`s version of "Baby Beluga" (remember Raffi??!!)
5. My pet peeve is no longer spelling mistakes, but people who cut their nails while riding public transportation...it`s all fun and games until someone loses an eye
6. So many people have gotten their hair cut this past week...all of the kids in 2-3 at Ikuno, and a whole bunch of teachers at different schools. Is there some sort of Rainy Season special??
7. Kartik Sundar aka Fake Chicano, is hereby banned from this blog. Forever x infinity.
8. I am working on acquiring the Most spectacular farmer tan…it`ll be stunning. Softball-season-farmer-tan will pale in comparison.
9. I went to a dental hygiene presentation at Ikuno during 2nd period. Dental hygiene is taught differently here. For one, the way kids are taught how to brush their teeth is unnerving. Instead of learning to brush down from the gums, Japanese kids are taught to brush the sides of each tooth and sideways across the tops of their teeth.
!!!!
When I was in public school I remember one hygienist who freaked everyone out because she told us to never EVER brush from side to side across our teeth, because we would eventually get this awful groove*. I also noticed there was no mention of flossing, and the props they used looked really old and outdated. No Murphy the Molar or big oversized plastic toothbrushes here. In the video (which looked like it was made by the same people who did that bizarre JET video everyone saw in Tokyo, featuring Gary and his Pink Shirt), the teacher used what looked like an ancient paper mache work up of three teeth and a SCRUBBING BRUSH that sort of resembled a toothbrush if you squinted, to explain brushing technique. The majority of the video showed everyone dyeing their teeth using a q-tip dripping with fuschia plaque dye...after seeing the teacher and five kids do it, I felt really gross. Egh...but then again I get queasy if I see those pictures of Dental Hygiene Gone Wrong plastered around dentists` waiting rooms.
10. ten!
*i think she also told us that there was no such thing as santa claus, and that the easter bunny secretly hated all children. then she hit stewart reitinger over the head with her plastic dentures, hopped on her broom and flew out the window. i think.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
funniest text ever
apologies to liz, but this was too funny:
"guess wat wayne said. he stood in front of mirror, does this make me look fat?!"
a text from linda, describing wayne checking himself out in one of his many new track suits. well, okay maybe it`s only funny to me because i can only imagine linda`s initial reaction, and wayne`s expression. i will only worry if he starts dressing his gundam figures in matching track suits...=)
apologies to liz, but this was too funny:
"guess wat wayne said. he stood in front of mirror, does this make me look fat?!"
a text from linda, describing wayne checking himself out in one of his many new track suits. well, okay maybe it`s only funny to me because i can only imagine linda`s initial reaction, and wayne`s expression. i will only worry if he starts dressing his gundam figures in matching track suits...=)
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
i spy
Success!! I have bullied Konishi sensei into changing allegiances from that gross bitter tea with the blue label, to OOOOI Ocha! Woohoooooooooo! I win! =)
Harry Potter 3 comes out June 26! Rawr! But Ron Weasley looks all frumpy and floppy haired… like a…TEENAGER… shudder. But I`m excited… this is the one where Sirus Black enters the picture.
At the end of April, I went out for dinner with the “young” teachers from Nankominami. It was cool, because I never realized how big of a gossip Kuniko sensei is… you would never really suspect it since he`s the stone-faced gym teacher most of the time. But boys Do gossip!! At dinner I found out that everyone suspects Wada sensei really really likes Maki sensei, but alas, it is probably just a one way love because they think Maki thinks Wada is annoying (phew). So now, everytime the two of them interact, I find myself paying really close attention to their mannerisms. Like today for instance, why did she wear a headband? To look more carefree, festive? Does Maki like festive women? I know he likes maps, but what about festive women? I want to know!!
Success!! I have bullied Konishi sensei into changing allegiances from that gross bitter tea with the blue label, to OOOOI Ocha! Woohoooooooooo! I win! =)
Harry Potter 3 comes out June 26! Rawr! But Ron Weasley looks all frumpy and floppy haired… like a…TEENAGER… shudder. But I`m excited… this is the one where Sirus Black enters the picture.
At the end of April, I went out for dinner with the “young” teachers from Nankominami. It was cool, because I never realized how big of a gossip Kuniko sensei is… you would never really suspect it since he`s the stone-faced gym teacher most of the time. But boys Do gossip!! At dinner I found out that everyone suspects Wada sensei really really likes Maki sensei, but alas, it is probably just a one way love because they think Maki thinks Wada is annoying (phew). So now, everytime the two of them interact, I find myself paying really close attention to their mannerisms. Like today for instance, why did she wear a headband? To look more carefree, festive? Does Maki like festive women? I know he likes maps, but what about festive women? I want to know!!
