12 posts tagged “random”
Yesterday was the graduation ceremony at school. I vaguely remember my middle school graduation and I'm pretty sure it wasn't as sombre and dull as this one. Even when I graduated from UBC it wasn't as dull as this. If I thought school was regimented and army-like before... It started off fine, like any other grad-like ceremony I've attended with the graduating students entering in a procession with their teachers. When they were seated, Mr Miyoshi (head teacher) said the opening words. Everyone had to stand while Mr Kitajima (the vice principal) said the date and "Graudation Ceremony is starting". Those were the opening words. We had to bow to him and to the flag. Then we stood for the anthem which I had never heard before. I think it's pretty, but sombre, and just ends abruptly. Then they read out the names of all the grads, and they came up on stage and more bowing and each recieved their diploma. Then the speeches... the principal, some random woman (from the city?), the head of the PTA, the incoming student council president, and a grad class rep... it was long and tedius. Then some songs, and then closing words ("The ceremony is over") and then leading the grads out of the gym. It was scheduled to take 2hrs but only lasted for 1.5. I took some pictures!
After the ceremony the students all milled around outside taking pictures and such. I just watched. The girls who gave me birthday presents came up and talked to me, asking if I was coming back next year (99% yes) and asked me some other random questions. Teachers had bento (lunch boxes) for lunch and I was allowed to leave at 12:30 because there were no classes.
I had asked if I would be able to leave early because I had to go do my taxes and city hall closes at 5:15 and I wouldn't be able to get there until 5:30 at least if I left after work. When I got there, I asked the girl at the info desk and she said something about e-Tax and I said no, so she directed me to some counter. While standing looking lost, some guy came up to help me and directed me to the tax desk upstairs. When I went there, and showed the woman the forms I had (since I didn't have the foggiest idea what to say) she said I had to go somewhere else and pulled out a map. It wasn't far but I was just so frustrated with the whole system because no one had given me clear instructions on any of it. So I went to this place, I think it's a union building or something, and showed my stuff and the guy was like "Ok" and gave me a bunch of paper to fill out. This little portable building was FULL of desks and people milling around helping to fill out tax papers. They showed me to a little desk and said to flag down anyone in a blue or green jacket for help. People kept coming up to help me which was a relief. One girl basically did my return for me, I just had to do my name and address. I will get $150 in 2 weeks. :D
I've been asked recently how my life is and it's become so boring and tedious lately that I don't even realize when something noteworthy happens. So I stole this questionaire from some magazine for your enjoyment. I got a call from Bic Camera today and my camera is finally fixed. I've got only 5 more days of work, so hopefully I will have something more interesting to post about from now on.
How much TV do you watch in a day?
None, I don't have a TV. I download shows. So I'd say... maybe 2 or 3 hours.
How many hours of music do you listen to in a day?
I have music on constantly when I'm at home and play music off my phone when I'm traveling. If I added it all up, it might be something like 6 hours?
How much sleep on average do you get presently?
8 hours
What time did you get up today?
1:45pm. It was a late day.
What did you have for breakfast?
I didn't eat breakfast. I ate dinner at 6pm.
Something you eat often as of late?
Curry. I make curry about once a week. I eat onigiri (rice balls) almost everyday from the convenience store.
Which foot do you start with when you put on socks?
I think my right.
What do you do when you first wake up in the morning?
Pee and shower.
Tell us about the atmosphere of your room!
It's homey. There's just the right amount of clutter to look lived in. I cleaned last weekend, but didn't do the bathroom which is getting kind of grimey. :(
What about the size of your bed?
Single futon!
Do you sleep well?
I do. Except my pillow is getting kind of flat so I sleep weird sometimes.
What kinds of things do you put beside your pillow?
I put my phone beside my pillow which also doubles as my alarm clock.
What do you wear to bed?
Because its still (technically) winter, I wear flannel pj pants and a hoodie. If it's really cold, I'll wear my hanten in addition to the 2 quilts and blanket that I sleep with because I'm too cheap to turn the heat on.
Bath? Or shower?
Shower, it's faster and my bath is gross these days.
In what order do you wash your body?
Hair, face, body starting with my arms.
How about a favorite scent?
Fresh brewed coffee.
How about your favorite time of day?
Lunchtime. Because the day is nearly over!
Do you do some sort of training?
No. I should start running again since the weather is warming up, but I say that all the time and never do.
Are any parts of your body stiff?
My shoulders.
Things with your body you get worried about?
Excema that won't go away because I can't stop scratching in my sleep. Boo.
Things in your life you see to?
I am trying to eat more vegetables and not eat out as much as before.
Things you buy completely on impulse from the convenience store?
Cookies.
Something you want to eat now?
Cookies.
Something you recently laughed about?
Andrew who misread a message I sent him on MSN. We were talking about the L-Word and I didn't realized there were so many seasons and he thought I was talking about the weather.
Something you got angry (annoyed) with recently?
Japanese bureaucracy and trying to do my freaking taxes.
Something that’s surprised you recently?
That bok choy is called qing geng cai in Shanghai.
Something you can’t help being concerned about recently?
Planning my trip to Nagoya with Andrew. We're going in 3 weeks!
If you had two hours of free time right now, what would you do?
I wanted to go out today since it was nice, but no one was free. It's a Saturday night so I'm free anyway. I'm going to watch the L-Word on a streaming site!
Do you have a sense of the days of the week?
Vaguely. I know when it's Wednesday because of my lessons with Keigo and Friday because it's the weekend.
Something necessary and essential in your life at present?
My computer. It's got my whole life on it and my connection to the outside world! Speaking of, I need to invest in an external harddrive to back up everything. And I'm tired of burning shows off to DVD because I keep running out of space.
I hope that was enjoyable for you. Haha. Can you tell how bored I am? It's time for a konbini run.
Hisashiburi. It's been a while. I don't have anything epic to post, but I've neglected my blog for over a week. I spent over 2 hours trying to format that last entry so I didn't think about blogging for a while. Haha.
Things have been slow lately. Nothing super exciting has happened. I dyed Andrew's hair last weekend. We did some highlights and it was awesome. Then we went and farted around the Fuji TV station because it's right next to where Andrew's dorm is. I was hoping to see some famous people or the taping of a show (you can actually look down from the "visitor" deck at the studios below if they're filming) but Fuji TV doesn't produce anything that I'm watching at the moment. It was kind of shit, but it was free. At least I can say I've been to the Death Star now.
School has been paining me. I had no lessons on Thursday or Friday because of exams and then Monday and Tuesday I had no lessons either Today, I was supposed to have 2 but 1 got cut because of schedule changes or something. It's not so great having no lessons, like I thought it would be. For the first hour, it's alright. I can properly wake up and have a coffee and check my email. But then it just gets boring. I don't have anything to do! I planned a couple lessons, like I was asked, but I'm done those. They could use me and give me some marking to do or something! I spent Thursday and Friday last week making lessons and stuff for Keigo in his book. I finished reading Princess Masako yesterday, and forgot to bring the other book I've got on the go to work today so I had to make myself look busy somehow.
After lunch there was a farewell assembaly for the 3rd year students. The school band and drama club performed, and each grade sang a song. It was so long and kind of... disorganized. I don't know. There was a lot of unecessary moving, I thought. But it was good to get out of the teachers room for a while and watch. I hadn't planned on going, but Nakamura sensei said "If you have time, you should come". Haha. I have all the time in the world.
I finally got around to taking a picture with Keigo. He's the new love of my life. He's only 7 and smart as hell. I love going to do lessons with him because we just read books and chat. And his grandma always brings us snacks after and coffee for me. :D They are a super nice family.
Here we are, both looking like chubby monkeys.
I've been so frugal and not doing anything (excluding my little trip) for the last 2 months, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when my bank account bulges this Friday. Well, it won't be anything compared to my check in January, but it'll be more money than I've seen in a long time. The logical, rational, worrisome side of me says, "Squirrel as much as you can away, its only another month wait for the big one", but the other goodie-goodie, spontaneous, stupid side says, "You've been so good so far, you deserve a treat". But I don't know what I want, if I were to splurge on something. Maybe something else for the house? A new pair of jeans (if I can find any that fit me)? A new pair of shoes (again, if I can find any to fit me)? I've been living on "needs" for so long, I have forgotten what its like to want something.
Today, the grade 8 classes were practicing "become". They were asking each other "What did you want to become...?" It made me think back to all the jobs that I thought I would want to do when I was a kid: marine biologist, translator, graphic designer, paediatrician, teacher. Not necessarily in that order. I think I wanted to be a marine biologist for the longest time, until I realised that they don't make any money if they aren't doing current research. And even then, they aren't rolling in it. Not that teachers are millionaires either, but it's a secure job at least. And I just had an epiphany... also after talking with Meghan and Heather who are steps away from finishing their B.Eds, I'm almost there. Well, realistically I'm about 4 years off from getting my certifications, but I'm one step closer. It makes me feel a bit happier.
Jenna comes back from Kyoto tomorrow and it'll be her last night in Japan. I have to go work at IKOI (well, don't HAVE to, but I said I'd go and I'll just guilt trip myself) so I won't get home until 11pm and then should sleep so I'm not bushed at work the next day, but will probably stay up since I can't send her off from Narita. I need to start making a routine with people, since I've been having lonely streaks lately. It's hard though because you don't feel like doing anything when it's dark outside, but you know its only 5pm.
My horoscope for tomorrow is a good one (for once):
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Christian moves out tomorrow after his stint at our place, aka the Onsen. Nikki and I had some quality roommate time on the balcony tonight with some 3300Y wine which was great. I hadn't planned on drinking extensively but it's 4:30am and I just got back from Watami. Christian and Nikki are still there. Stupid English bastard, can't abandon beers even if it kills him.
Our plan tomorrow is to go find the biggest burger in Japan in Shinjuku. This should be interesting. Need to clean the house up before the new girl arrives on Wednesday, if she does. Seeing as how the last 3 people supposedly coming to our area didn't show up I wouldn't be surprised if she No Showed as well.
Maybe I should censor what I write a little bit. Will told me he found my blog at work the other day, but said he didn't read too much into it. I learned that lesson last time when I had a blog - people find shit. Maybe just for work purposes since Nova might come hunt me down and kill me.
Andrew comes back on the weekend. It feels like ages since I've seen him and its only been 3 weeks.
It's weird being up so early, I can hear a rooster crowing somewhere. And yes, this was totally useless and random.
Photos from the post-Kids Training drinking party... I mean typhoon.
The title kind of says it all. I've been in Japan for 6 weeks and have finally started to feel settled. Hannah is gone for good, I've moved rooms and cleaned some more of the house (I scrubbed kitchen cupboards today). I got a few odds and ends for the house today (a bathmat, frying pan, wall-pocket organizer, a knife sharpener) and got a new top from Uniqlo that was on sale. Uniqlo is like Japanese Old Navy, cheap but actually decent quality. It's actually chilly today, and I was tempted to buy a hoody because they are soo nice and soft but I will wait until fall starts in earnest since I probably won't actually get to wear it for a few weeks. Andrew says in -1 in Edmonton which blows my mind. It's still September! WTF?
Mom hasn't received anything from Cara yet which worries me. Chris was supposed to get my last check and deposit it for me but they said they sent it to Ontario. I hope that money hasn't gone missing because that was a whole pay period and vacation pay. I wonder who he talked to. Hopefully it will be sorted out and I'll get that money. It'll be hard for me to do something about it from Japan if it got lost or something.
I feel like I had something more to say. Not something more interesting because its been rather mundane this past week, but at least I thought I had more to say. I had my 3 week observation 2 weeks late, on Monday. It was fine, Simon said I'm doing great and the students really like me. :D That's good to hear. I've made it half way through probation without being late or absent and if my obs are that good, there shouldn't be any reason for them to extend it. Right on track! We have our Welcome Party this Sunday at an izakaya in Kashiwa: 2500Y for nomihodai (all you can drink). I don't know who all is going, besides us new folks, but it should be fun. It doesn't start til 8pm, so I should have a chance to go home and change I finish at 6. I'll have to remember to get Nikki to bring her camera so we can remember our drunken escapades.
I had a TERRIBLE day today because when I got home from work, our fish decided to attempt suicide and jumped out of the bowl. I, being the girly one that I am, freaked out and screamed every time he flopped around. I tried to pick him up with a ladle so I get him back into the water, but he flopped around every time I touched him. Then he went and flopped OFF the top of the fridge onto the floor. I'm surprised he didn't die from the impact. I finally scooped up him with 2 bowls and got him back into the water after screaming a few more times every time he flailed. Half because it was gross and freaky, half because I was afraid he was actually going to die. Who knew I would become attached to the stupid guy after 5 weeks of neglect? He was out of the water for at least 2 minutes and survived. I'm sure I must have shocked him with the bowl and spoon. Crazy fucker. I cleaned out his bowl after rescuing him and fed him so hopefully he's happy now. Got rid of some of the crap (dumb plastic toys) from his bowl to give him more space, so we'll see how that works. I put a little toy shrine in his bowl, maybe that'll calm him down.
After that, Nikki came home and went out for dinner. However, there was a GIANT spider spinning a web outside our door. There is only a web at night; it's not there in the morning so I never noticed it before. So we ran past it, only to find a cicada camped out on the floor next to the front door in the lobby of our building. I actually considered jumping over the wall from the stairs: it was only a 6' drop. These friggin' things are the size of your hand almost. Well, maybe half of your palm. FUCKING HUGE. So we threw a book at it but it didn't move.. it was being covered by the book at least so we ran out of the door. Nikki felt bad because we littered (and it was in English so it could only be us or the Nova boys from the 6th floor) but I didn't want to go back and clean up in case the cicada came after us. So we went out for dinner, stopping at the the book store on the way home in which I came face to face with something big and flying. Audibly gasping, I hid behind Nikki in the middle of the store. I made a total ass of myself as I cowered and ran out the store, since it only turned out to be a moth. We encountered a cockroach on the way home as well, and the cicada had moved into the other corner of the lobby, but it was actually dead. We killed the massive spider with our newly bought bug spray and ran to our door. That was my day. Lots of screaming. And I feel a sore throat coming on so that probably didn't help matters. I just hope it doesn't become a full blown cold - especially since my ears have been feeling weird and extra waxy lately (does that mean anything?).
I found this on Facebook and am curious to see when I'll supposedly get married. Since that old fortune teller said my love life is "asleep" til I turn 25.
TAKE THiS QUiZ TO FiND OUT WHAT YOUR MARRYING AGE iS:
[x] I know how to make a pot of coffee.
[x] I keep track of dates using a calendar.
[ ] I own more than one credit card.
[ ] I know how to change the oil in my dads car.
[x] I do my own laundry.
[x] I vote every election.
[x] I can cook for myself.
[ ] I think politics are exciting.
[ ] I balance my checkbook.
[ ] My parents have better things to say than my friends.
subtotal: 5
[x] I show up for school/college/work every day early.
[x] I always carry a pen in my pocket/purse
[x] I've never gotten a detention.
[x] I have never smoked a cigarette.
[x] I have never gotten completely trashed.
[ ] I have forgotten my own birthday at least once.
[x] I like to take walks by myself.
[x] I've watched talk shows.
[x] I know what 'credibility' means without looking it up.
[x]I drink coffee at least once a week.
subtotal: 14
[x] I know how to do the dishes
[x] I can count to 10 in another language.
[x] When I say I'm going to do something, I do it.
[x] My parents trust me.
[x] I can mow the lawn.
[x] I can make adults laugh without being stupid.
[ ] I remember to water the plants.
[x] I study when I have to.
[x] I pay attention at school/college.
[x] I remember to feed my pets.
subtotal: 23
[x] I can spell 'experience' without looking it up
[ ] I work out on a regular basis.
[x] I clean up my own mess.
[ ] The people at Gloria Jeans know me by name.
[ ] My favorite kind of food is take out.
[x] I have gained weight since middle/high school.
[x] The first thing I do when I wake up is get caffeine.
[ ] I can't go out of the store without getting something I don't need.
[ ] I understand political jokes the first time they are said.
[x] I can type quickly.
subtotal: 28
[ ] I have realized that the weather forecast changes every hour.
[ ] My only friends are from my place of employment.
[ ] I have been to a tupperware party
[ ] I have realized that no one will take you seriously unless you are over the age of 25 and have a job.
[x] I have more bills that I can pay.
[ ] Most of my friends are older than I am.
[x] I can say no to staying out all night.
[x] I use the internet every day.
[ ] My wardrobe hasn't changed in a while.
[x] I can read a book and actually finish it.
TOTAL: 32
Hannah is gone forever. Leaving a nuclear test site in her wake. Nikki and I took a turns doing some cleaning, she did some stuff this morning, and I cleaned up Hannah's old room tonight after getting home from Tokyo so I could move in. Went to Ueno and got a haircut and paid for my contacts finally. They should arrive next week. Just in time for rainy season. Apparently, there is a typhoon in the forecast for tomorrow, and we have to go to Tsudanuma for Kids Training. It's kind of a pain because its an hour by train to get there. So we need to leave home (Nikki and I are training together) at 8:30 to get there on time. And apparently we are being observed closely so no slacking off allowed.
It's the first of September, I've been here for one month. I can hardly believe it. I doesn't feel like it's been a month yet... It's a weird feeling because this is the first year in sixteen years that I won't be starting school in September. I'm going to miss it. If you haven't noticed by skimming through my last couple entries, I'm pretty wordy and pedantic and like to write (which is why I've decided to write a book one day about living in Japan, using this blog as notes) and would probably be suited to a life of academia. It must suck being a writer though sometimes, because even now I don't get as much feedback as I would like. Maybe its because Vox is totalitarian and makes people sign up in order to post comments (my bad for not doing my research on blogs, but it was pretty!). Jon so subtly told me "Brevity is the soul of wit" so I must not be that witty. Pity. I can rhyme though!
Anyway... I'm chalking it up to the impending doom of school for the reason that I haven't heard a peep from a great number of people I would like to hear from and try not to think I've been black listed.
On a brighter note - Nikki and I were recommended to this delicious South East Asian restaurant in Kashiwa that makes the most delicious green curry I've ever had. Although, they don't serve pad thai which you would think is a staple Thai dish. But delicious, and cheap! We also were entertained by some local talent at the train station. I had actually been watching him for about 10 minutes while waiting for Nikki after work, playing his guitar outside the station. He sang some English songs, Aerosmith and Green Day, and we waved to him on our way off to dinner, since obviously I had been watching for so long. And I kind of stand out, being the only white person around. He was still there when we came back from dinner, so we stopped and listened to "She Loves You" and talked a bit and then made our way home. Being the creeper I am, I plugged his name into Google to see what would come up. Found his website, left him a nice complimentary note on his blog, and will probably see him next week since he plays there every Wednesday and Friday.
Nikki and I spent the day walking around Tokyo. We started at Ueno and walked all the way to the National Diet Building (which means nothing to you, so I shall find a map pour vous) and then trained it to Shinjuku and spent the evening trawling the busy night streets. We left the house around noon, and didn't get home until 1am. Needless to say... we are exhausted. And coincidentally, we left the air con on and our doors open so it's not so unbearably hot tonight. We're so beat anyway, though, that it probably wouldn't matter. More detailed (and fun) entry tomorrow.
