65 posts from 2008

I meant to have this up on the 23rd but I got side tracked.  Oh well.  It's still Christmas somewhere in the world...

Went and got my hair did today. I won't be doing anything but a cut for a long time. I went in for a cut and colour today since the blonde had to go. They told me it was an hour wait (I got there just after 11) so I came back at 12:15 but it wasn't til nearly 1pm that I got into a chair. No problem. I've waited that long before. So I told him I wanted a trim - 1-2cm off since I haven't cut it since August; to which he replied, "Why?!" - and colour and he said cool, thought about what to do and then said let's rock. He said that when the colour fades in a few weeks, there would be a difference because half of my hair was bleached and the other was natural. Anyway, after the girl dried my hair... the top was a nice golden brown but the bottom was.. like black. Really dark brown. It would have faded out to the same in about 2 weeks he said but he wanted to dye it again. So they did and this time I had 2 people working on me and then in the end it came out nice. A polished up tone of my natural colour. By the time I got out of there, it was 5pm. Holy fuck.

The upside of getting coloured at the salon: if it looks shitty, they'll do it again on the spot for free.

I'm 75$ poorer, but I look like new hotness. :D 

Now all I want to do is sleep. Or play Nintendo. I have to wrap this gift for tomorrow but couldn't find fucking wine wrapping anywhere. Found proper fabric paint so I can start on Andrew's shirt; I now need a ruler and tape to put the design on. Then paint, iron, wash. Luckily I have 2 days left.

Wrapping is done.  Man, wrapping bottles is a pain in the fucking ass.  I feel like a bit of a cheap ass for just buying a bottle of Canadian Club but it was supposed to be 1000 yen present and dude, I would fucking love to get this present.  I was going to go for shochu but I don't know about sake.  But I do know that CC&G is awesome.  Also wrapped it in my new furoshiki for transport!

I cried today.  Three times.  I'm really going to miss Keigo.  It never felt like work or a chore to go and play for an hour.  His mom couldn't be there but she wanted to.  She gave me a gorgeous furoshiki and Keigo wrote a card for me.  He even drew the doll I gave him on it.  And his grandma gave me a small coin purse as parting gifts.  We took a few pictures together so I'm going to print them out and send them to him.  I forgot my camera so I just hope they turn out alright from my phone.  He didn't really seem to bent but grandma was sad and she said they'll always be there in that house ("Til we die," were her words) and I can call them anytime if I need help.  She hopes that Keigo will be able to meet me again in Canada one day.  That would be really nice. 

I'm really sad.  Really, really sad.

I'm going to have to not think about it because I'll start crying.

And other pictures I've taken on my phone but haven't gotten around to getting of: my new furoshiki which I covered my tissue box at work with.

And hamburgers that the kids made in home ec.

So, Kaneko-sensei had another break down.  At least that's what I'm deciding has happened because no one will tell me voluntarily and would probably give me a roundabout answer if I asked.  In any case, he's been off for two days and no one expects him to come back for the rest of the term.  Just great.  So that means, I'm teaching.  Jun seems to have faith in me (at least someone does) and I spent all day planning a 6-8 lesson spread.  I don't have a schedule so I don't know exactly how many classes I'll have or when I'll have them.  It really chaps my ass because I spent so much time working on my quiz show for the 3rd years and now I probably won't get to do it.  At least not until January and then... I don't think so.  I think they don't have any classes come January -- just self-study for exams.  D<  Jerkface! 

The second years are so behind.  They should be finishing (or at least halfway through) program 7 but they are just starting.  Jun said there's about 8 lessons left til the end of term (per class) so I figured if I plan to spend 2 lessons on each section and 1 on the practice/extra bits at the end, and then have 1 lesson buffer in case things take longer than expected... I should be okay.  At least that's what I'm hoping.  I'm more afraid of going too fast.  Because then I'll have to make stuff up to fill the time.  And it's not like Nova where I can just shoot the shit and chat with them if we finish early.

I spent the entire day writing up grammar worksheets and trying to think of how to organize.  I figure if I just stick to how Jun-sensei or Imai-sensei do their lessons -- lots of reading practice -- I should be okay.  The kids who get the grammar points are going to get it (gerunddd grrr!  Apparently one of the hardests things for them to get and I have to teach it to them) and the ones who don't, won't no matter how long I spend on it.  Or even if I was a Japanese teacher.  They just don't care.

I'm a bit pissed that I haven't heard anything from work.  I emailed Tatsuya and gave him a heads up to my situation (and he hasn't come for his visit yet) and I haven't heard anything back.  Maybe I'll hear something tomorrow.  If I'm lucky.  I'm hoping they give me a bonus for working more than I'm "supposed to" but I doubt it.  A couple 3rd year girls also asked me to record a couple of English listening questions for their high school exams.  Another thing on my plate this week.

Ugh.  I'm in a foul mood.  This calls for carbohydrates.

I saw 「太一Ｘケンタロウ　男子ごはん」 (Man's Meal) with Kokubun Taichi on TV yesterday and I made the recipes I saw.  The gratin was kind of... bland but that leaves room to add stuff.  It could have used some mushrooms or something in it, and a bit more flavour.  I think adding parmesan to it would be nice.  But the salad... OMG.  I don't think I'm going to eat persimmons any other way.  I could probably do the same thing with other fruit.  Please ignore how gross my stovetop/kitchen looks.

Burned til Delicious Macaroni Gratin (serves 4)

• 1 chicken thigh, cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 1 small can crab meat
• 1/2 onion, sliced thinly
• 150g macaroni
• 2-3 tbsp minced parsley (I used dried)
• 1/2 tbsp (salad) oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp "weak flour" (薄力粉 (はくりきこ), low viscosity flour)
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cream
• Salt, pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup pizza cheese (strong)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

1. Slice the onion thinly lengthwise.  Remove excess fat from the chicken and cut into small bite-sized pieces.
2. In a frying pan, heat the oil.  Add butter. 


Arrange the chicken in the pan skin-side down. Cook over medium heat until both sides are browned. 


Add the onion and fry.


3. When the onions turn transparent, add the flour in two halves, frying well. 




When the powder is dissolved, turn off the heat and add 1/2 cup of milk, mixing well until pasty. 


When smooth, add the remaining milk a little at a time.




4. Add the crab and juice and mix, turning the heat to high. 




Stir, bring to a simmer then turn the heat down to medium and boil down for 7-8 minutes, stiring occasionally. 


Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and stir in the cream. 


5. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain the water and stir into the mixture from step 4. 


Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper.


6. Use oven-safe dishes, first wet with water. 


Spoon in the macaroni mixture and top with cheese and bread crumbs.






Bake in 250C oven for 8-10 mins, or until the top is golden.  (Or in my case, about 10 minutes in the toaster oven.)


When the cheese is melted and has a crispy colour, take it out and enjoy.


Persimmon Yogurt Salad (supposed to serve 4 but more like serves 2... or 1 if you're me)

• 1 persimmon
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp honey

1. Remove persimmon skin and cut into large bite-sized pieces. 
2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.



Ittadakimasu~!

The salad was super simple to make -- it's not really a salad so much as a dessert.  I never really knew what to do with persimmons.  The lemon gave it a nice fresh bite that balanced out the sweetness of the honey; it tasted a bit like pineapple.  I only used 1 heaping tablespoon of honey and it was bordering on too sweet.  The plain in yogurt in Japan comes with sugar that you add yourself so if you can, get unsweetened plain yogurt or use less honey to compensate for the sweetness.  I would probably use two persimmons next time too.

The gratin... was bland.  I ended up drizzling cesar dressing on top to give it some flavour.  Otherwise, the topping was nice and crunchy and the pasta was nicely cooked and the sauce was nice and creamy.  Maybe I'll add some paprika and basil next time.  Otherwise, two thumps up! 

So yesterday, Andrew and I went to Asakusa and Kappabashi-doori.  Kappabashi-doori is where all the kitchen/restaurant wholesale shops are.  You can get everything under the sun from kitchen and baking utensils, tables, chairs, menus, signs... even the fake food they use to display menus here in Japan.  I will have to make a trip back and get some fun things before I leave for souveniers.  Then Andrew and I walked from Asakusa to Ueno (which is only 15 minutes from Kappabashi-doori).  There's a gay sex shop near Ueno station that Andrew knows about so we went in to check it out.  We weren't even in there for five minutes before the clerks come up and tell us that I have to leave.  Andrew asked him why (and he had to ask his friend) and they said that it's a store for gay men only and women might make the other customer's feel uncomfortable so I have to leave.  Andrew even said, "でも、彼女は僕のおこげ。" (Demo, kanojo wa boku no okoge, "But, she's my fag-hag") and they still said no.  The shops in Shinjuku Ni-chome (the gay neighbourhood) allow it but they don't.   Andrew told them they were discriminating straight to their faces but they didn't care.  Uglkjadfsadf.  What the fuck?!  It wasn't like we were making a ruckus or bothering other people.  That's such crap.  I've never had that happen to me before.  What if I was a guy?  Would you come up and say "Are you gay?  No?  Sorry, then you have to leave."  What if I was MTF?  They just assumed.  Ugh.  Welcome to Japan.

I've got so many pictures and things to talk about but I just haven't had the energy to sit and write for an hour about all the stuff.  I'll get to it... maybe Sunday.

Today I got to watch a folk dance group, Araumaza, at school.  They did some folk dances and songs and taiko!  It was really awesome.  They did few songs from each season.  The last was a winter festival song that accompanies the Chichibu floats and I just found out that the Chichibu night festival is one of the 3 big festivals in Japan (along with the Gion Festival and Takayama Festival).  It happens every year on December 2nd and 3rd and I did some research thinking it would be cool to go to as least one of the big three, especially since it's in Saitama prefecture.  Except, it's on the other side of Saitama prefecture -- 3 hours and 2000+ yen away.  There goes that idea.  They also did the Shishimai (Lion dance for New Year) and did you know that the lion is supposed to bite your head to bring you good luck?  All the teachers got their heads knocked and a bunch of the kids.  They also did a few songs from Okinawa as well.  I love Okinawan music.  I have to go out and search for a CD of sanshin music before I leave Japan.  At the end, the vice-principal pointed me out and I can't help but feel a little bit used.  He gave some spiel about how next year the 5th grade will start studying English and the 6th graders will have moved up to middle school, and when they meet foreign people or go study overseas they can talk about Japanese culture and the folk dances that they saw today. 

I wish I had my camera on me to take some video but I'm never well prepared.  So I did some YouTube searching and found some of the things I saw today. :)

Andrew wanted to go enjoy 紅葉 (kouyou, "red leaves") before all the leaves fall off the trees so we treked out to Tsukuba today.  I've only taken the Tsukuba Express once and was appalled at the price.  It cost 700 yen one way but the rapid only takes 25 minutes from Nagareyama Ootakanomori and stops only once.  From the station we had to take a 40-minute shuttle bus (another 750 yen) to Tsukuba Jinja on Mount Tsukuba and there we visited the shrine and walked up the mountain.  OH MY GOD.  I just did my exercise for 2008.  It was a 2.3km course up to the 871m (2,858ft) summit of 男体山 (Nantai-san, "Man Body Mountain").  It took us about 2 hours with all my breaks.  I have much respect for Japanese old folks that climb mountains in their free time.  Whenever we passed people, we greeted them (or they greeted us) "Konnichiwa~".  It was really cool.

It started raining when we got to the top and we couldn't see shit because of the fog/clouds and it was fucking cold.  We took the cable car down (570yen) back to the shrine and then at some udon at a nice shop that had a pregnant kitty. :D  And then came home, cold and wet.  I brought my camera but it sucks so I didn't take that many pictures.  I'm going to snake Justin's when he gets his uploaded to Flicker.

Andrew passes out on the bus so we take embarassing pictures. :D

View from the foot of the shrine.

Blast off!

Cute little boy by the pond! :D  You totally know he's weighing his chances of getting wet without getting in trouble.

Pond at the shrine.

Ibaraki Prefecture Chrysanthemum Competition.  Apparently winter is chrysanthemum season?

Andrew says, "Todai smells like ass." (FYI the symbol of Tokyo University is two gingko leaves and gingko leaves actually do smell like shit.)

How to pray at Shinto shrines:  Bow twice, clap twice, pray, bow once.

Before setting off.

I am so excited about this drama, Bloody Monday.  I just watched the first episode (an hour and a half! woo!) and Miura Haruma can totally have my babies.  That kid has a grin to die for.  What kills me is he's only 18.  He's born in the Heisei era (1989~) and that's where I draw the line.  Sigh... I can at least admire is amazing acting.  I can't wait for more of this drama.  It's got that serious note that I was sort of expecting from Ryuusei no Kizuna (another drama).  I wish I could read that book; I wonder if Higashino is translated into English.  I don't think he's as popular as Murakami but I should try looking.  I finished A Short History of Nearly Everything (by Bill Bryson) yesterday (I definitely recommend it!) so I'm looking for a new read.  I've finished everything in my wee library.

Maybe I should go to bed and wake up earlier.  I went to sleep at 9:45 last night and got up at 6 and I feel refreshed and productive.  I could take a shower and actually eat breakfast (I love my new toaster oven!) and watch an hour of drama and mail myself some fics to read at work.  And still have time to kill by writing this entry! 

My echeck finally cleared yesterday and my new Animal Crossing game is in the mail!  Hopefully I have it by the end of the week but I don't know how fast HK mail is.  I'm also waiting for mail from mom.  And Kevin is about two months overdue for a letter but I knew it was too good to last with that boy.  Maybe he'll get off his ass and write me after he gets my last "threatening" postcard.  I'm feeling kind of neglected these days.

I'm having Amanda and Nikki over for dinner tonight.  I'm trying this tara-pizza recipe and making burgers.  I hope they like it.  Amanda is flying out on the 18th but that weekend is going to be crazy.  I have to work that Saturday (only 1 period) and that night is her supposed "surprise" leaving party and then I'm gone away to Nagano for a night and probably most of the Monday on the staff trip.  I will go over to Shin-Matsudo and hang out that night, for sure because her last night.  I hope (and kind of doubt she will) she doesn't make plans to go out or something.  We kept saying we should go party in Abiko one last time but they both are whining about money and such so I don't think that's going to happen.  I don't know if Nikki would be up for it eventually down the road either.  They are both having so much grief with companies not paying finally month's salary, even though it's the law.  It makes me really hesitant to leave in November next year if I'm going to lose out on my last month's pay.  Even if I got half, it would be alright.  I'd like to stay until the end of the term but I don't know how welcome I would be imposing on Andrew for a month and commuting from Tokyo to Kashiwa (if that's even where I am) every day.  I wonder if the company would pay that.  They say they pay up to 20,000 a month for transport.  I will have to talk it out with Tatsuya if that's what I'm going to do.  I need to make sure I keep in touch with Jun because I want him to write a recommendation for me for UBC.  I wanted Steve Ng from Orientations to write my other because he loves me and I was with Orientations for 3 years but he's gone off to Toronto although, I'm sure he would still do it.  Maybe I could ask Alex, my old boss from Nova, to write one even though I only worked at Nova for 2 months but I got great reviews from them.  I really wonder what the results of my final evaluation were...

Ahh, I'm thinking too far ahead of myself again.  I just need to try and get through November.  It feels so busy even though there is only one full week (plus a day) for me.  I have to think about my 6th grade lessons this Friday as well.  It's another four lesson day today so I wonder how much I will get done.  At least I am finished my round of anitbiotics so I'm not feeling sleepy all day.

This short entry turned into a monster.  But I haven't written about life stuff in a while, I guess.

Wasn't on TV. LAME. They totally were angling for the Yamanote party, I knew it.  From what I could understand, they made it out like it was completely the fault/idea of foreigners to party on the train and that this random crazy holiday is the import of foreigners.  The comments at the end by this ancient fart were like "What's with those weird costumes?  Japanese people would never do that."  UGklajdfakj shit like that makes me so angry to live in this country.  You're 75 and set in your ways, dude.  Pull your head out of the ground.  You want this holiday?  Take it all, do it 100%.  You can just pick the parts that you like.  If you want Hallowe'en, you take the kids knocking on your door in cute costumes asking for candy as well as the punk ass bastards egging your house and TPing your trees.  That's reality.

Got a new bed from Ikea~  It didn't arrive until 4, as usual, and then I find out that I need a hammer to put it together.  So I had to run out for that but it's all good. It's not as short as I thought now that I have my futon on it.  The other mattress even fits underneath so I can hide that shit away.  Yeeah!