First and foremost, Tammy won her match against Shinobu Asagoe! The remaining two games were just as tough fought as the rest of the match earlier this morning, but the final score was 6-3, 7-5. It looks pretty good for her to win the next round and set up a Last 16 showdown with #2 Kim Clijsters of Belgium! Go, Tammy, go!
I didn't have classes at school today, so I spent the morning cleaning out my desk. While I was cleaning, the teachers that I sit with in the 2nd year section asked me if I wanted to join them on the peace studies trip to Hiroshima next Thursday.
FINALLY!!!!! After three years of wondering when I would get to do a field trip with one of my schools, I get invited along! Woo hoo! So, I joked that I can teach the kids "Imagine" on the bus. Or help them speak to tourists at the Peace Park, or be field trip photographer.
I hope I can enjoy this more than the trip to Okinawa last year. I really hate playing "bad cop" and telling the kids to behave, but there were jokes about sitting me next to the problem girls on the ride to Hiroshima.
Oh, joy...
29 June 2006
Whew...
Tammy's match was called due to darkness. She is up 1 set and the second set is tied at 5-5, but it easily could have been much, much worse because she was clearly upset by the umpire and tournament referee's refusals to suspend play when she complained several times that she couldn't see the ball anymore.
"How can you force players to play when they can't see?" She was self destructing right before my eyes. From 2-3, it quickly became 3-5, and I feared that her opponent would win the second set and, worse yet, maybe even a few games of the 3rd and final set.
But to my ultimate surprise, she managed to keep her cool (and my chants of "double fault, double fault, double fault" helped her a bit) and she managed to win the last two very nerve-wracking games to tie it up at 5-5.
That was the best $4.95 I ever spent, but I don't think I will be doing it again tonight. My heart can't take it. I think I'll just watch the internet scores on the scoreboard!
But maybe NHK will re-broadcast the whole match if I'm lucky! Then again, Ai Sugiyama and Akiko Morigami squared off today, too, with Sugiyama winning. Maybe they'll show both matches?
I'm sooooo sleepy now. The match went from about 3:20 a.m. until 5:10 a.m. What to do--go back to sleep? Or get up and do some chores? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
"How can you force players to play when they can't see?" She was self destructing right before my eyes. From 2-3, it quickly became 3-5, and I feared that her opponent would win the second set and, worse yet, maybe even a few games of the 3rd and final set.
But to my ultimate surprise, she managed to keep her cool (and my chants of "double fault, double fault, double fault" helped her a bit) and she managed to win the last two very nerve-wracking games to tie it up at 5-5.
That was the best $4.95 I ever spent, but I don't think I will be doing it again tonight. My heart can't take it. I think I'll just watch the internet scores on the scoreboard!
But maybe NHK will re-broadcast the whole match if I'm lucky! Then again, Ai Sugiyama and Akiko Morigami squared off today, too, with Sugiyama winning. Maybe they'll show both matches?
I'm sooooo sleepy now. The match went from about 3:20 a.m. until 5:10 a.m. What to do--go back to sleep? Or get up and do some chores? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
"You've Come a Long Way, Baby!"
That was the old motto of Virginia Slims cigarettes, the old sponsor of the WTA tour.
I am saying the same of Wimbledon coverage. It used to be that I stayed up late at night watching my sister's scores update, settling for Netcam photos (if she happened to be on a court with Netcam), and listening to Radio Wimbledon.
Well, I just plopped down $4.95 for a day pass for video feed! And I put it on my Amex which is earning double miles for the summer--hee hee.
It turns out that her match may not be televised in Japan, and she is definitely worth $5 to watch!!!!!
Go, Tammy, go!
I am saying the same of Wimbledon coverage. It used to be that I stayed up late at night watching my sister's scores update, settling for Netcam photos (if she happened to be on a court with Netcam), and listening to Radio Wimbledon.
Well, I just plopped down $4.95 for a day pass for video feed! And I put it on my Amex which is earning double miles for the summer--hee hee.
It turns out that her match may not be televised in Japan, and she is definitely worth $5 to watch!!!!!
Go, Tammy, go!
27 June 2006
If At First You Don't Succeed...
Take 1 Doh--perfect except for the flash!
Take 2
Take 3
Perfection!Actually, I had about 10 takes, but I had a great time walking around Hamada, shooting to my hearts content on a drizzly Sunday. That's the beauty of digital photography--snap away and just delete the ones you don't like. Ah, I wish I had invested in a good digital camera since the beginning of my stay in Japan, but I don't regret buying the Canon Digital Kiss last August.
I wasn't in the best of moods in the early afternoon, but after shooting a few pictures, I seemed to regain my sanity.
These are my favorites...
26 June 2006
Hamada Must Be "Rennai NEET" Capital of Japan...
Although the guys I went after in Hamada are gainfully employed, both are now in their 30s without girlfriends (as far as I can tell). However, I am happy to report that M still says hello...today we were both in the Board of Education on errands, and he caught me off guard as I was trying to figure out my US income taxes. *Tap, tap,* he gently rapped on the vinyl desk blotter to get my attention. "Hello," he smiled. The smile no longer has the power to reduce me to a pool of mush, but I was still touched.
From the June 26, 2006 Mainichi English News:
Rennai NEETs, the new generation of social dropouts: No job, no prospects and no nookie
Japan's future is in peril due to growing numbers of young people not looking for love, according to Weekly Playboy (7/3).
In hard-working Japan, the country's current whipping boys are those who've been lumped in the category of NEET -- an acronym for those Not in Employment, Education or Training - with the word carrying connotations of being bums with no interest in life.
Now, according to the men's weekly, Japan is witnessing a proliferation of Rennai NEETs, or bums who couldn't care about love.
The magazine bases its judgment on a survey of 3,000 single men aged from 20 to 39 in which it discovered two thirds do not have a girlfriend and a startling one-third haven't had a partner for three years or more.
The main reason for not interacting with the opposite sex was that there was no chance to meet, but following close behind was that looking for a girlfriend was simply a nuisance.
"That's precisely why I'm unattached," says Dragon Odawara, a manga artist who's become famous by drawing cartoons about remaining a virgin well into adulthood. "When you go out with a woman, you've got to meet once a week, call her up and all that stuff. I hate all that obligation. Besides, how often do relationships go as you want them to? For our generation, who've grown up in our modern society, which gives us whatever we want, going without at times, as you have to do with a relationship, isn't really an attractive option."
Psychoanalyst Yu Yuki is sympathetic to the Rennai NEETs.
"Starting a relationship really is hard work. You've got to make a lot of effort and there's a lot of pain if you're dumped, which probably leads many people to create imaginary relationships," the shrink tells Weekly Playboy. "Guys who don't have much of a chance to meet women, and instead relieve themselves through such alternatives as adult movies or sex services, get used to being aroused by the beautifully-built women they see in these things and can't be satisfied by the average woman on the street."
Economic analyst Takuro Morinaga blames the government.
"Once upon a time, a man used to be able to promise a woman that he would protect her for life and be pretty sure of his ability to keep that pledge. Thanks to the creation of an economy determined entirely by market principles, as set up under the (Prime Minister Junichiro) Koizumi Administration, things have changed," the bean counter tells Weekly Playboy. "The dream of lifetime employment has been destroyed, and any reality that one person could protect another for life has completely disappeared."
While it's easy to snigger at a problem whose solution appears to be just a few sweet whispers away, the growth in Rennai NEETs could have fatal implications for Japan, especially its economy.
"Half Japan's men in their 30s are currently unmarried and it appears likely this figure will continue to grow. It won't be long until only the very elite and extremely good-looking men are the only guys who'll be able to marry," Morinaga says, adding that Japan's birthrate has notched up a new record low every year for the past five years. "Growing numbers of Rennai NEETs could have disastrous economic implications for Japan. German economist Werner Sombart said that economic growth is the result of income, which is produced through a combination of love, luxury and capitalism. About 10 percent of Japan's GDP is generated by love through such things as dating, purchases of jewelry as presents, fashion and buying trendy cars. If love ends, Japan's economy will be in a perilous state."
Despite the warning, it seems unlikely things will change, judging by proud virgin Odawara.
"One problem that won't directly affect them is not going to change the Rennai NEET. I wouldn't expect too much from them at all," the chaste manga artist tells Weekly Playboy before offering his solution. "All we can do is make sure kids grow up with ambition. Just like a kid who grows up eating only wheat rice will eat anything put in front of them, you've got to take sex away from everybody so even the ugliest people appear desirable." (By Ryann Connell)
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/archive/news/2006/06/20060626p2g00m0dm002000c.html
From the June 26, 2006 Mainichi English News:
Rennai NEETs, the new generation of social dropouts: No job, no prospects and no nookie
Japan's future is in peril due to growing numbers of young people not looking for love, according to Weekly Playboy (7/3).
In hard-working Japan, the country's current whipping boys are those who've been lumped in the category of NEET -- an acronym for those Not in Employment, Education or Training - with the word carrying connotations of being bums with no interest in life.
Now, according to the men's weekly, Japan is witnessing a proliferation of Rennai NEETs, or bums who couldn't care about love.
The magazine bases its judgment on a survey of 3,000 single men aged from 20 to 39 in which it discovered two thirds do not have a girlfriend and a startling one-third haven't had a partner for three years or more.
The main reason for not interacting with the opposite sex was that there was no chance to meet, but following close behind was that looking for a girlfriend was simply a nuisance.
"That's precisely why I'm unattached," says Dragon Odawara, a manga artist who's become famous by drawing cartoons about remaining a virgin well into adulthood. "When you go out with a woman, you've got to meet once a week, call her up and all that stuff. I hate all that obligation. Besides, how often do relationships go as you want them to? For our generation, who've grown up in our modern society, which gives us whatever we want, going without at times, as you have to do with a relationship, isn't really an attractive option."
Psychoanalyst Yu Yuki is sympathetic to the Rennai NEETs.
"Starting a relationship really is hard work. You've got to make a lot of effort and there's a lot of pain if you're dumped, which probably leads many people to create imaginary relationships," the shrink tells Weekly Playboy. "Guys who don't have much of a chance to meet women, and instead relieve themselves through such alternatives as adult movies or sex services, get used to being aroused by the beautifully-built women they see in these things and can't be satisfied by the average woman on the street."
Economic analyst Takuro Morinaga blames the government.
"Once upon a time, a man used to be able to promise a woman that he would protect her for life and be pretty sure of his ability to keep that pledge. Thanks to the creation of an economy determined entirely by market principles, as set up under the (Prime Minister Junichiro) Koizumi Administration, things have changed," the bean counter tells Weekly Playboy. "The dream of lifetime employment has been destroyed, and any reality that one person could protect another for life has completely disappeared."
While it's easy to snigger at a problem whose solution appears to be just a few sweet whispers away, the growth in Rennai NEETs could have fatal implications for Japan, especially its economy.
"Half Japan's men in their 30s are currently unmarried and it appears likely this figure will continue to grow. It won't be long until only the very elite and extremely good-looking men are the only guys who'll be able to marry," Morinaga says, adding that Japan's birthrate has notched up a new record low every year for the past five years. "Growing numbers of Rennai NEETs could have disastrous economic implications for Japan. German economist Werner Sombart said that economic growth is the result of income, which is produced through a combination of love, luxury and capitalism. About 10 percent of Japan's GDP is generated by love through such things as dating, purchases of jewelry as presents, fashion and buying trendy cars. If love ends, Japan's economy will be in a perilous state."
Despite the warning, it seems unlikely things will change, judging by proud virgin Odawara.
"One problem that won't directly affect them is not going to change the Rennai NEET. I wouldn't expect too much from them at all," the chaste manga artist tells Weekly Playboy before offering his solution. "All we can do is make sure kids grow up with ambition. Just like a kid who grows up eating only wheat rice will eat anything put in front of them, you've got to take sex away from everybody so even the ugliest people appear desirable." (By Ryann Connell)
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/archive/news/2006/06/20060626p2g00m0dm002000c.html
22 June 2006
No News is What News?!
Well, the King of Schmoozing has still not replied to the Baroness of Butt-Kissing.
I guess it's good that I didn't get an e-mail with a flat out "No" on Monday afternoon. But the suspense is KILLING me! Is he just that busy, or is he carefully reading my activity list, resume, cover letter and the proposed things I can do and thinking it over? Man, if he only knew of the other things I propose to do to HIM if he lets me have a chance...;D
Or has he already written a reply and sent it by snail mail?
Oh, what I'd give for a *private audience* with the King. I'd love to show him how adept I am at extending VIP treatment, especially to incredibly suave, intelligent men like him! Actually though, it's been so long that I am most likely out of practice, but you know what they say about riding bikes ;D
And I still have yet to see the inside of a love hotel, but something tells me that if the King and Baroness do somehow manage to hook up, he wouldn't be caught dead inside one of those cheap places with the mirrors and toys. I'm always ready to make a return trip to that awesome room at the Portopia! Or maybe he wants to play emperor and concubine at a fancy Kyoto ryokan with a private rotemburo?
I'm enjoying these fantasies (hey, when you can't get any action, the next best thing is daydreaming about it)!
I guess it's good that I didn't get an e-mail with a flat out "No" on Monday afternoon. But the suspense is KILLING me! Is he just that busy, or is he carefully reading my activity list, resume, cover letter and the proposed things I can do and thinking it over? Man, if he only knew of the other things I propose to do to HIM if he lets me have a chance...;D
Or has he already written a reply and sent it by snail mail?
Oh, what I'd give for a *private audience* with the King. I'd love to show him how adept I am at extending VIP treatment, especially to incredibly suave, intelligent men like him! Actually though, it's been so long that I am most likely out of practice, but you know what they say about riding bikes ;D
And I still have yet to see the inside of a love hotel, but something tells me that if the King and Baroness do somehow manage to hook up, he wouldn't be caught dead inside one of those cheap places with the mirrors and toys. I'm always ready to make a return trip to that awesome room at the Portopia! Or maybe he wants to play emperor and concubine at a fancy Kyoto ryokan with a private rotemburo?
I'm enjoying these fantasies (hey, when you can't get any action, the next best thing is daydreaming about it)!
21 June 2006
Yet Another Reason I LOVE Ling Woo
***Updated 25 June 2006-- Ling grabs 2nd place!***
I guess I didn't watch Ally McBeal enough to know that Ling is a fictional Cornell alumna, but I saw this poll at the Cornell web site this morning:
Charles Foster Kane (expelled), newspaper baron played by Orson Welles in Citizen Kane
18% 24 votes
Sideshow Mel, cartoon performer, voiced by Kelsey Grammar in The Simpsons
41% 56 votes
Ling Woo, attorney, played by Lucy Liu in Ally McBeal
20% 28 votes
Vicky Lathum, student, played by Tara Reid in American Pie
18% 25 votes
Christina Luisa Pagniacci, franchise owner, played by Cameron Diaz in Any Given Sunday
3% 4 votes
Total : 137 votes
I guess I didn't watch Ally McBeal enough to know that Ling is a fictional Cornell alumna, but I saw this poll at the Cornell web site this morning:
Charles Foster Kane (expelled), newspaper baron played by Orson Welles in Citizen Kane
18% 24 votes
Sideshow Mel, cartoon performer, voiced by Kelsey Grammar in The Simpsons
41% 56 votes
Ling Woo, attorney, played by Lucy Liu in Ally McBeal
20% 28 votes
Vicky Lathum, student, played by Tara Reid in American Pie
18% 25 votes
Christina Luisa Pagniacci, franchise owner, played by Cameron Diaz in Any Given Sunday
3% 4 votes
Total : 137 votes
19 June 2006
HAS HE READ IT YET? HAS HE? HAS HE?!?!?!
I just ran the tracking number for the EXPACK letter I sent to S on Friday. It was delivered on Saturday at 11:31 a.m.
Assuming he wasn't at work over the weekend, he definitely saw it today. Or maybe he's reading it as I type this post, if he doesn't go through his mail until the end of the day. I know he is in the office because Ann was in touch with him (or maybe his secretary) about the Cornell party in August. He is free and clear for August 2, which is a date that is more convenient for the new International Region director to meet us. AND he seems like he is definitely making efforts to attend the "Hello, Goodbye" dinner in Osaka! Woo hoo!
But we interrupt this giddy moment to realize that the e-mails that S was cc'd on today from Ann and the new director to me have probably raised my value points at least a couple levels in terms of Cornell networking power. Yes, he is the King of Schmoozing, but does he realize he has met the Baroness of Butt-kissing?
In any case, I'm hoping I will hear from him sometime this week. By phone? By e-mail? Or is he writing a snail mail?
As I told my friends, there was no harm in writing to ask about a job at his school. All I'm losing is 500 yen for postage, about another 300 yen for the paper and plastic sleeve, and maybe a little face if he declines. But then again, maybe he likes gutsy chicks who take calculated risks.
I wish I weren't so "gutsy" in the other sense. Too scared for liposuction, too lazy for situps. What's a girl with a pot belly to do?!
Assuming he wasn't at work over the weekend, he definitely saw it today. Or maybe he's reading it as I type this post, if he doesn't go through his mail until the end of the day. I know he is in the office because Ann was in touch with him (or maybe his secretary) about the Cornell party in August. He is free and clear for August 2, which is a date that is more convenient for the new International Region director to meet us. AND he seems like he is definitely making efforts to attend the "Hello, Goodbye" dinner in Osaka! Woo hoo!
But we interrupt this giddy moment to realize that the e-mails that S was cc'd on today from Ann and the new director to me have probably raised my value points at least a couple levels in terms of Cornell networking power. Yes, he is the King of Schmoozing, but does he realize he has met the Baroness of Butt-kissing?
In any case, I'm hoping I will hear from him sometime this week. By phone? By e-mail? Or is he writing a snail mail?
As I told my friends, there was no harm in writing to ask about a job at his school. All I'm losing is 500 yen for postage, about another 300 yen for the paper and plastic sleeve, and maybe a little face if he declines. But then again, maybe he likes gutsy chicks who take calculated risks.
I wish I weren't so "gutsy" in the other sense. Too scared for liposuction, too lazy for situps. What's a girl with a pot belly to do?!
My Reputation Precedes Me...
I woke up to this e-mail today:
Dear Rose,
Greetings from Cornell!
I am writing in my capacity as the new Director of the International Regional office at Cornell to let you know that I will be visiting Tokyo August 2-10. I have heard much about you from my colleague SWK and it would be wonderful to meet you sometime during this period as your schedule allows. The main purpose of my visit is connecting with (and helping to connect) all international Cornellians like yourself and to give you an update on our alma mater. Needless to say, Cornellians in Japan are a very important part of our larger Cornell family!
I look forward to hearing back from you as to the possibility of a meeting.
With all best wishes,
B
Hmmmm. I wonder if B needs a new assistant to take over her Japan rounds!
Dear Rose,
Greetings from Cornell!
I am writing in my capacity as the new Director of the International Regional office at Cornell to let you know that I will be visiting Tokyo August 2-10. I have heard much about you from my colleague SWK and it would be wonderful to meet you sometime during this period as your schedule allows. The main purpose of my visit is connecting with (and helping to connect) all international Cornellians like yourself and to give you an update on our alma mater. Needless to say, Cornellians in Japan are a very important part of our larger Cornell family!
I look forward to hearing back from you as to the possibility of a meeting.
With all best wishes,
B
Hmmmm. I wonder if B needs a new assistant to take over her Japan rounds!
13 June 2006
I am LOVED!!!!!!!!
Woo hoo!
Last night I sent out an "I'm safe" broadcast e-mail after the 5.0+ earthquake that rocked my world (how I wish it was a naked hottie instead) yesterday morning at 5 a.m. [It was centered in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, and measured 6.2 on the Richter scale...my Californian instincts guestimate the Shimane shakes to be 5.0+]
I just received this e-mail from one of the Kobe dinner guests (hey, a little box of cookies goes a long way--see for yourself ;D)
Dear Rose,
Thank you for you mail.
It will be few more months before you leave Japan, and I am glad to have had a chance to meet you before you go back to the U.S.
Maybe in July or August, a few of us can get together in Kobe and have a chat with you. Let me know about your schedule, and I will discuss with the Portopia GM about the gathering.
Take care, and enjoy your life in Japan!
Ann MPS '93
A chat? Maybe about jobs? Hooking me up with S? I am flying as high as a kite again!!!!!! Oooh...just had a manic brainstorm--maybe the party can be after the Cornell golf event on the long weekend next month. Woo hoo! Man, am I glad I went to Cornell!!!!!
Last night I sent out an "I'm safe" broadcast e-mail after the 5.0+ earthquake that rocked my world (how I wish it was a naked hottie instead) yesterday morning at 5 a.m. [It was centered in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, and measured 6.2 on the Richter scale...my Californian instincts guestimate the Shimane shakes to be 5.0+]
I just received this e-mail from one of the Kobe dinner guests (hey, a little box of cookies goes a long way--see for yourself ;D)
Dear Rose,
Thank you for you mail.
It will be few more months before you leave Japan, and I am glad to have had a chance to meet you before you go back to the U.S.
Maybe in July or August, a few of us can get together in Kobe and have a chat with you. Let me know about your schedule, and I will discuss with the Portopia GM about the gathering.
Take care, and enjoy your life in Japan!
Ann MPS '93
A chat? Maybe about jobs? Hooking me up with S? I am flying as high as a kite again!!!!!! Oooh...just had a manic brainstorm--maybe the party can be after the Cornell golf event on the long weekend next month. Woo hoo! Man, am I glad I went to Cornell!!!!!
10 June 2006
Fear Factor Dining
Thursday I had my regular English dinner with Mayuko. We were trying to have okonomiyaki, a Japanese savoury pancake, for dinner, but when I saw her standing outside waiting for me, I knew the owners must have taken a trip somewhere. I suggested Umaimonya, a small place with decent set dinners for 500 yen, but the lights were off, so they were closed, too.
As the rain was getting progressively harder, I suggested that we go into Kuishinbo, a restaurant I'd only been to once. We were given seats at the counter in front of the sashimi case. On the restaurant's recommendation list, I saw "kaeru" and "suzume." I asked Mayuko, "Is that 'kaeru' frog?" As she hadn't been to the place, she wasn't sure. We also saw "basashi," horse sashimi.
I decided to have an egg and leek bowl, but I was surprised when Mayuko said, "I'm going to have the 'kaeru.' " "You're joking, right?" I asked. "No, I want to try it!" she said. The master, Akira, was very helpful and suggested that she should have the deep fried version as the salt barbequed version would probably be a bit too challenging for the first time frog eater.
Not too long after, a plate with two skewers of frogs legs were placed between us. Mayuko offered me one. *Gulp.* Well, I figured if she was game enough, so was I, so we did a mock toast. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, frog DOES take like chicken. It looks like it, too when it's covered in a light batter.
Akira heard us speaking in English and struck up conversation. Mayuko said she was at Hamada High School, but the master mistakenly thought she was an English teacher. "No, she's only a second year student, but her English is amazing, isn't it?" I commented. I identified myself as an ALT at Hamada 2nd JHS, and then I asked him if he knew some former ALTs. We shared a few reminisces.
Just as Mayuko and I were getting ready to go, Akira said, "Here, for you!" What should our wondering eyes should see...two wriggling octopus tentacles, each about the length of a finger. Gee, thanks! I couldn't even pry mine off the plate with chopsticks, so I had to use my fingers. Boy, it was weird feeling the tentacles grabbing my skin.
"Oh, it's my first time to eat 'odorigui,' " Mayuko said. Mine, too. 'Odorigui' is the word used to describe dining on freshly slaughtered fish, etc, as the flesh still "dances."
Lovely...(insert sarcasm here). But I was in a pretty brave mood, so, being careful not to let the tentacles touch my tongue or the sides of my mouth, I started chewing, and chewing, and chewing, and chewing...
Finally, I managed to chew it enough to swallow. But Mayuko was still sitting there, chewing, and chewing, and chewing...
I don't know if I can eat sheep eyeballs or that other gross stuff on Fear Factor, but for $50K, BRING IT ON!!!!!!
As the rain was getting progressively harder, I suggested that we go into Kuishinbo, a restaurant I'd only been to once. We were given seats at the counter in front of the sashimi case. On the restaurant's recommendation list, I saw "kaeru" and "suzume." I asked Mayuko, "Is that 'kaeru' frog?" As she hadn't been to the place, she wasn't sure. We also saw "basashi," horse sashimi.
I decided to have an egg and leek bowl, but I was surprised when Mayuko said, "I'm going to have the 'kaeru.' " "You're joking, right?" I asked. "No, I want to try it!" she said. The master, Akira, was very helpful and suggested that she should have the deep fried version as the salt barbequed version would probably be a bit too challenging for the first time frog eater.
Not too long after, a plate with two skewers of frogs legs were placed between us. Mayuko offered me one. *Gulp.* Well, I figured if she was game enough, so was I, so we did a mock toast. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, frog DOES take like chicken. It looks like it, too when it's covered in a light batter.
Akira heard us speaking in English and struck up conversation. Mayuko said she was at Hamada High School, but the master mistakenly thought she was an English teacher. "No, she's only a second year student, but her English is amazing, isn't it?" I commented. I identified myself as an ALT at Hamada 2nd JHS, and then I asked him if he knew some former ALTs. We shared a few reminisces.
Just as Mayuko and I were getting ready to go, Akira said, "Here, for you!" What should our wondering eyes should see...two wriggling octopus tentacles, each about the length of a finger. Gee, thanks! I couldn't even pry mine off the plate with chopsticks, so I had to use my fingers. Boy, it was weird feeling the tentacles grabbing my skin.
"Oh, it's my first time to eat 'odorigui,' " Mayuko said. Mine, too. 'Odorigui' is the word used to describe dining on freshly slaughtered fish, etc, as the flesh still "dances."
Lovely...(insert sarcasm here). But I was in a pretty brave mood, so, being careful not to let the tentacles touch my tongue or the sides of my mouth, I started chewing, and chewing, and chewing, and chewing...
Finally, I managed to chew it enough to swallow. But Mayuko was still sitting there, chewing, and chewing, and chewing...
I don't know if I can eat sheep eyeballs or that other gross stuff on Fear Factor, but for $50K, BRING IT ON!!!!!!
Long Live the King
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand celebrated his 60th anniversary as monarch yesterday.
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the hang of this iBook yet, so I don't know how to grab images yet, but there is a site where you can learn more about the kings of the current dynasty...
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the hang of this iBook yet, so I don't know how to grab images yet, but there is a site where you can learn more about the kings of the current dynasty...
06 June 2006
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!
I can tell the next 50 or so days is going to be pure hell.
Not only do I have to try to find a job to keep me in Japan, but I may have to find a way to convince my office to let me buy my own ticket home instead of having them do it for me. In past years, it's been good enough to show them an estimate and get the cash equivalent, but my current supervisor seems to be by the book.
Then I have to figure out WHEN I want to go home,
WHOM I want to visit before I leave, and whether or not to buy a Japan railpass or use a different kind of pass,
WHAT I am going to ship back to the US and what I may leave in Japan in case I am coming back,
and HOW I am going to keep my sanity during this highly stressful time.
I should be happy...a magnanimous Token Asian* reader has donated his seldom used iBook to me (woo hoo!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!), just in time to help me continue with the job search. My POS (piece o' sh*t) Toshiba will be picked up this afternoon, but now I don't have to worry so much about whether or not the repair will be covered and how long it will take. 10-Q, 10-Q, 10-Q!!!!!! You SO rule!!!!!!!!! [*Bowing down* I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy..]
Plus, I got a lovely thank you letter in the mail from the General Manager of the Portopia yesterday, and a phone call in answer to an e-mail I sent him. I'm hoping to crash the Cornell golf event in July for one last mingle with the high-powered alumni before I leave. There's also a Hakone weekend at the historic Hakone Hotel the following weekend. Color me THERE!
Someone took me to dinner last night because she wanted some advice about wholesale shopping in Thailand.
And the scale is telling me that I've lost about 2 kgs since the Kobe trip, but I don't feel thinner or healthier. Time to work on that "Sport" part of the STRESS relief formula.
Things aren't all that bad. It's all in my head!
Note to self: OK...one thing at a time. And remember to BREATHE.
Not only do I have to try to find a job to keep me in Japan, but I may have to find a way to convince my office to let me buy my own ticket home instead of having them do it for me. In past years, it's been good enough to show them an estimate and get the cash equivalent, but my current supervisor seems to be by the book.
Then I have to figure out WHEN I want to go home,
WHOM I want to visit before I leave, and whether or not to buy a Japan railpass or use a different kind of pass,
WHAT I am going to ship back to the US and what I may leave in Japan in case I am coming back,
and HOW I am going to keep my sanity during this highly stressful time.
I should be happy...a magnanimous Token Asian* reader has donated his seldom used iBook to me (woo hoo!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!), just in time to help me continue with the job search. My POS (piece o' sh*t) Toshiba will be picked up this afternoon, but now I don't have to worry so much about whether or not the repair will be covered and how long it will take. 10-Q, 10-Q, 10-Q!!!!!! You SO rule!!!!!!!!! [*Bowing down* I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy..]
Plus, I got a lovely thank you letter in the mail from the General Manager of the Portopia yesterday, and a phone call in answer to an e-mail I sent him. I'm hoping to crash the Cornell golf event in July for one last mingle with the high-powered alumni before I leave. There's also a Hakone weekend at the historic Hakone Hotel the following weekend. Color me THERE!
Someone took me to dinner last night because she wanted some advice about wholesale shopping in Thailand.
And the scale is telling me that I've lost about 2 kgs since the Kobe trip, but I don't feel thinner or healthier. Time to work on that "Sport" part of the STRESS relief formula.
Things aren't all that bad. It's all in my head!
Note to self: OK...one thing at a time. And remember to BREATHE.
05 June 2006
STRESS Management Advice
Printed on the back of Mr. Morita's business card (he's the new principal of one of the elementary schools I visit):
S Sleep
T Travel
R Rest
E Eat
S Sport
S Smile
I just wanted to share it with you, too!
S Sleep
T Travel
R Rest
E Eat
S Sport
S Smile
I just wanted to share it with you, too!
04 June 2006
02 June 2006
Amanohashidate Fortune
Last Saturday, as I was having a lunch break after my five-mile walk to Heaven and back, I noticed a fortune machine on the ledge of the window I sat by. I invested 100 yen in a fortune, and just took a look at it again today.
It's not the most positive fortune as it tells me I will have money troubles (um, yeah...sending all my savings home WITHOUT leaving much between pay periods wasn't very smart, and my laptop seems to have pooped out on me just after the warranty period according to Toshiba Japan...but I know I didn't buy it until just before I flew back to Tokyo last June 19th, so May 31, 2006 should not be the warranty expiration date).
BUT, it's telling me that I am about to have a fateful meeting with that special someone, and it's forecasting a sudden skyrocketing increase in the romantic luck department. Woo hoo!!!!!
However, it also warns that when I am in love (and for me this happens even when I am infatuated with someone), I tend to think of the other person during every waking and sleeping moment which leads to an imbalance of energy. The fortune warns me to make a clear distinction between this love interest and other things. I suppose "other things" in this case would be my job hunt, but the distinction is a bit fuzzy when I am trying to get a job with the love interest!
I requested for my laptop to be picked up next Tuesday. Who knows how long it will take to repair, and if the repair will be covered. If it isn't, I think I'm going to splurge and go Apple! iBook, anyone?
It's not the most positive fortune as it tells me I will have money troubles (um, yeah...sending all my savings home WITHOUT leaving much between pay periods wasn't very smart, and my laptop seems to have pooped out on me just after the warranty period according to Toshiba Japan...but I know I didn't buy it until just before I flew back to Tokyo last June 19th, so May 31, 2006 should not be the warranty expiration date).
BUT, it's telling me that I am about to have a fateful meeting with that special someone, and it's forecasting a sudden skyrocketing increase in the romantic luck department. Woo hoo!!!!!
However, it also warns that when I am in love (and for me this happens even when I am infatuated with someone), I tend to think of the other person during every waking and sleeping moment which leads to an imbalance of energy. The fortune warns me to make a clear distinction between this love interest and other things. I suppose "other things" in this case would be my job hunt, but the distinction is a bit fuzzy when I am trying to get a job with the love interest!
I requested for my laptop to be picked up next Tuesday. Who knows how long it will take to repair, and if the repair will be covered. If it isn't, I think I'm going to splurge and go Apple! iBook, anyone?
01 June 2006
Sadly Out of Shape
I was climbing the stairs to class today and wondering why my the backs of my thighs were sore...then I remembered that I had sang a few rounds of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with the 4th graders at Harai Elementary yesterday with no warm up stretching. You wouldn't think that song needs a warm-up, but the fourth or fifth time we sang it, we did it super fast.
No excuse--I am in bad need of exercise, and yet when it gets to be late afternoon, my energy is suddenly nowhere to be found.
However, I only have about three weeks left to keep my promise to the soft tennis team to practice with them. The city tournament is coming up, and after that, the 9th grade girls "retire" from the team, unless they qualify for the summer prefectural tournament.
In any case, I only have about seven weeks left as an ALT. As I reflected on it being June 1 out loud in the 7th graders' class this morning, I suddenly found my eyes welling up.
Better make it a good 7 weeks!!!!!!!
No excuse--I am in bad need of exercise, and yet when it gets to be late afternoon, my energy is suddenly nowhere to be found.
However, I only have about three weeks left to keep my promise to the soft tennis team to practice with them. The city tournament is coming up, and after that, the 9th grade girls "retire" from the team, unless they qualify for the summer prefectural tournament.
In any case, I only have about seven weeks left as an ALT. As I reflected on it being June 1 out loud in the 7th graders' class this morning, I suddenly found my eyes welling up.
Better make it a good 7 weeks!!!!!!!
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