hey all,
Last week on Wednesday we had the graduation ceremony for my class. It was really touching, and emotional, and it went pretty well. The odd thing of course is that everyone came to school the next day and we tried to have regular class. The students were all afflicted with a severe case of "senioritis," which seems like it will continue until March 27th, the last day of class for the school year.
On Friday last week I asked my teachers to complete some worksheets from a curriculum design book to help them think about the big ideas, skills, goals and concepts we wanted our students to walk away from class with. The more books I read about curriculum design, classroom instruction, school management, and classroom discipline, the more books that get added to my "to read" shelf over at Good Reads.
My hope is to get some teacher development started, and maybe change the school for the better. We'll see. I stayed late at the school yesterday to have a conference with the boss and the father of one of our graduating students. He gave us some wonderful comments and some things that he thought we might want to focus our attention on in the future. And one of his best points was not whether or not we listened to him, or were thankful for his advice, but whether we actually did anything about it. Reading all those books will be interesting, I'm sure (as one of the proverbs in the "Kushiel" fantasy series goes, "All knowledge is worth having"), but what really matters is whether anything changes at the school.
I've got my trip to the US coming up, with all the attendant worries, concerns, plans, intentions, etc that go with an international trip. Also coming up is the second season of Game of Thrones on HBO, which I'm highly looking forward to catching. The new season of South Park has already started, with their first episode being a satirical take on the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), or Toilet Safety Administration in the episode. Speaking of which, it just occurred to me to check my visa status and I realized that my re-entry permit expired last year and I need to go to the immigration bureau and renew it. Luckily, this can be done in one day, and I have two days off before I leave for the US. I could probably even go to the bureau early on the morning that I leave and get it done in time, but there's no reason to push it so far.
Today was a national holiday, so Michi and I went to see Star Wars: Episode 1 in 3D. Not bad, but not great either. Michi can't stop saying "May the Force be with you" and talking about how cute the young Anikin was.
Cheers,
Showing posts with label Date. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Date. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Another Quick Note
hey all,
Just another quick note here. The anniversary went really well. I got a cortisol shot from the doctors, who having heard my story about there being no problem with my x-rays last time and my arm still not back to normal despite not going rock climbing, not going swimming, not doing push-ups, pull-ups, or anything else for the last month; decided that it was probably tendinitis. It still hurts a little, but I think it should get be getting better. There's a lot less pain when I move my arm now, but there is still some soreness and it still feels like two rocks grinding against each other when I lower my arm from above my head.
Anyway, for dinner we came to my place and made lentil soup, karage (Japanese version of KFC), and apple crumble. After that we watched Avatar, which was pretty good. I don't know if it justifies the millions of dollars that it made, but it was fun.
Today was more house shopping, with lots of surfing the web, calling offices, and sending emails. We also went to a cool burger shop called Brozer's in Nihonbashi, which was expensive but quite tasty.
I've got four days of work this week, but on Friday I'm heading out to look at a guest house. Next week will be my last week of work for my current company. They still haven't told my schools, and have asked me not to tell them yet. I feel a little bad about that, but I've been working hard and have asked for higher pay, or advancement opportunities, and my company just asked me to wait. My schools can be fun to work at, but I'm really more of a nuisance than anything else for them, as my being there disrupts the normal schedule.
That's all for now.
Cheers,
Just another quick note here. The anniversary went really well. I got a cortisol shot from the doctors, who having heard my story about there being no problem with my x-rays last time and my arm still not back to normal despite not going rock climbing, not going swimming, not doing push-ups, pull-ups, or anything else for the last month; decided that it was probably tendinitis. It still hurts a little, but I think it should get be getting better. There's a lot less pain when I move my arm now, but there is still some soreness and it still feels like two rocks grinding against each other when I lower my arm from above my head.
Anyway, for dinner we came to my place and made lentil soup, karage (Japanese version of KFC), and apple crumble. After that we watched Avatar, which was pretty good. I don't know if it justifies the millions of dollars that it made, but it was fun.
Today was more house shopping, with lots of surfing the web, calling offices, and sending emails. We also went to a cool burger shop called Brozer's in Nihonbashi, which was expensive but quite tasty.
I've got four days of work this week, but on Friday I'm heading out to look at a guest house. Next week will be my last week of work for my current company. They still haven't told my schools, and have asked me not to tell them yet. I feel a little bad about that, but I've been working hard and have asked for higher pay, or advancement opportunities, and my company just asked me to wait. My schools can be fun to work at, but I'm really more of a nuisance than anything else for them, as my being there disrupts the normal schedule.
That's all for now.
Cheers,
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Day Off, Housing
hey all,
Just a quick note. I had the day off today, and spent a small chunk of it helping Michi buy and install 1GB of RAM for her laptop, which was previously painfully slow. Now, it is almost tolerable. We also watched Shallow Hal, which for some reason she owns on VHS.
I've also been looking for housing, and as usual, because I talk about this kind of thing to most of the people I know here in Japan, I got some good advice on apartment hunting.
In other news, Saturday is Michi and I's 1 year anniversary. We're planning on doing that most romantic of all things, going to the hospital so she can check up with some of her doctors, and I'm also making an appointment because my arm is still not normal. After that, however, we're planning on cooking a meal at my place and watching Avatar.
Cheers,
Just a quick note. I had the day off today, and spent a small chunk of it helping Michi buy and install 1GB of RAM for her laptop, which was previously painfully slow. Now, it is almost tolerable. We also watched Shallow Hal, which for some reason she owns on VHS.
I've also been looking for housing, and as usual, because I talk about this kind of thing to most of the people I know here in Japan, I got some good advice on apartment hunting.
In other news, Saturday is Michi and I's 1 year anniversary. We're planning on doing that most romantic of all things, going to the hospital so she can check up with some of her doctors, and I'm also making an appointment because my arm is still not normal. After that, however, we're planning on cooking a meal at my place and watching Avatar.
Cheers,
Monday, August 16, 2010
Waterfalls
hey all,
The weekend ended up being pretty fun. Michi invited me up to the second house again, and we went hiking basically all day Saturday. During the hike, we got to check out a couple waterfalls.
The second one was very popular, but for some reason Michi was more impressed by the first waterfall. Personally, I agree with everyone else: the first water fall is very much a normal, average waterfall, while the second is interesting. It has a very rare horseshoe shape that is a little hard to see in the picture, but it basically wraps around about 270 degrees, so you can almost turn in a full circle and see the water streaming down.
Dinner for Saturday night was pretty amazing. We all went to a Chinese restaurant called Ken-chan (chan is a diminutive, usually added to the end of names for younger female girls, but can also be used for men). We ordered two Ken-chan sets to be split between the 4 of us. In one set, you get a huge steaming bowl of ramen, which by itself should be a meal, but added to it is a small bowl of rice, a plate of what looked and tasted like chow mein, and a plate of barbequed liver with veggies. And how much you pay for all this is just as surprising as the amount and the high quality of the food: about $10 per set.
Sunday we returned to the swelter of Tokyo. Michi and I stayed in and I helped her clean up her laptop a bit, and she went over some questions with me in my level 3 Japanese study book. When I came back to my place, I used one of my cans of root beer to make my first root beer float since coming to Japan.
Cheers,
The weekend ended up being pretty fun. Michi invited me up to the second house again, and we went hiking basically all day Saturday. During the hike, we got to check out a couple waterfalls.
The second one was very popular, but for some reason Michi was more impressed by the first waterfall. Personally, I agree with everyone else: the first water fall is very much a normal, average waterfall, while the second is interesting. It has a very rare horseshoe shape that is a little hard to see in the picture, but it basically wraps around about 270 degrees, so you can almost turn in a full circle and see the water streaming down.
Dinner for Saturday night was pretty amazing. We all went to a Chinese restaurant called Ken-chan (chan is a diminutive, usually added to the end of names for younger female girls, but can also be used for men). We ordered two Ken-chan sets to be split between the 4 of us. In one set, you get a huge steaming bowl of ramen, which by itself should be a meal, but added to it is a small bowl of rice, a plate of what looked and tasted like chow mein, and a plate of barbequed liver with veggies. And how much you pay for all this is just as surprising as the amount and the high quality of the food: about $10 per set.
Sunday we returned to the swelter of Tokyo. Michi and I stayed in and I helped her clean up her laptop a bit, and she went over some questions with me in my level 3 Japanese study book. When I came back to my place, I used one of my cans of root beer to make my first root beer float since coming to Japan.
Cheers,
Monday, July 26, 2010
Myogi-san, Again
hey all,
Seems like it has been a while, but for once my weekend was really fun. On Saturday, Michi and I made mabodofu, which is a spicy Chinese ground pork and tofu dish. Below is my version of it that I made earlier this week. It is literally just spice, ground pork and tofu, as that is what the recipe calls for. Next to it is my homemade version of ginger ale: Mitsuya cider and whiskey.
400g firm tofu
100g ground pork
2 cloves garlic
chunk of ginger to match the garlic
1 tsp sake
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs tobanjan
beef bullion
2 tsp corn starch
seseme oil
salt and pepper to taste
1. chop the tofu into 1cc cubes and boil for 1 minute. remove and drain.
2. finely chop the ginger and garlic, and saute them together with the tobanjan sauce in some seseme oil in a soup pan.
3. add the ground pork and 1.5 tbs of soy sauce.
4. when browned, add beef broth (beef bullion dissolved in 1 cup of water), rest of soy suace, sugar, sake, salt and pepper, tofu, and corn starch dissolved into cold water.
5. heat until it reaches the desired consistency.
Serve with rice. Quite tasty, and a lot spicier than the store bought sauces. If you're not careful while cooking it, the tobanjan sauce will start to smoke a little while cooking, and sear your nostrils and throat.
Michi's version is a lot less spicy, because she insisted on adding onion and chives to it, which really dilutes the power of the chili sauce. Still good, but I like mine better.
On Sunday, we got up around 6:30 and took several trains over to Matsuida station in Gunma prefecture in order to hike Myougi-san again. We went there several months ago, but we only saw about 1/3 of the sights, so we came back.
I decided I'd try my hand at meditating under a waterfall. There were subsequent reports of a hairless, pale ape creature seen wandering around Gunma.
What we didn't get to see last time was this: four large stone arches, called sekimon in Japanese (stone gate).
Showing off the muscles.
The second gate is particularly scary: you have to climb the chained paths to get through it, and by that time it had started raining a little.
Michi using her Force powers to hold up the stone arch.
It started raining a little during our lunch break at the 4th gate, and after we crossed the 2nd gate it really started to come down, with some of the loudest thunder that I've heard since coming to Japan. After getting through all 4 gates, we took shelter in a public rest area and called a taxi. I guess we could have tried to wait the rain out, but we had hiked from about 11AM to 4PM, and Michi was tired from the heat and the rain and just hiking for 5 hours in 36C temperatures. If we had waited, we could have hiked back to our starting point, but that would have taken another 2 hours or so, and we needed to get back to Tokyo.
Cheers,
Seems like it has been a while, but for once my weekend was really fun. On Saturday, Michi and I made mabodofu, which is a spicy Chinese ground pork and tofu dish. Below is my version of it that I made earlier this week. It is literally just spice, ground pork and tofu, as that is what the recipe calls for. Next to it is my homemade version of ginger ale: Mitsuya cider and whiskey.
100g ground pork
2 cloves garlic
chunk of ginger to match the garlic
1 tsp sake
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs tobanjan
beef bullion
2 tsp corn starch
seseme oil
salt and pepper to taste
1. chop the tofu into 1cc cubes and boil for 1 minute. remove and drain.
2. finely chop the ginger and garlic, and saute them together with the tobanjan sauce in some seseme oil in a soup pan.
3. add the ground pork and 1.5 tbs of soy sauce.
4. when browned, add beef broth (beef bullion dissolved in 1 cup of water), rest of soy suace, sugar, sake, salt and pepper, tofu, and corn starch dissolved into cold water.
5. heat until it reaches the desired consistency.
Serve with rice. Quite tasty, and a lot spicier than the store bought sauces. If you're not careful while cooking it, the tobanjan sauce will start to smoke a little while cooking, and sear your nostrils and throat.
Michi's version is a lot less spicy, because she insisted on adding onion and chives to it, which really dilutes the power of the chili sauce. Still good, but I like mine better.
On Sunday, we got up around 6:30 and took several trains over to Matsuida station in Gunma prefecture in order to hike Myougi-san again. We went there several months ago, but we only saw about 1/3 of the sights, so we came back.
It started raining a little during our lunch break at the 4th gate, and after we crossed the 2nd gate it really started to come down, with some of the loudest thunder that I've heard since coming to Japan. After getting through all 4 gates, we took shelter in a public rest area and called a taxi. I guess we could have tried to wait the rain out, but we had hiked from about 11AM to 4PM, and Michi was tired from the heat and the rain and just hiking for 5 hours in 36C temperatures. If we had waited, we could have hiked back to our starting point, but that would have taken another 2 hours or so, and we needed to get back to Tokyo.
Cheers,
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, Culture Note
hey all,
Got another busy week here. Job applications, maybe teaching as a substitute on Thursday, and the rest of the time just teaching. I've even got a special lesson this Sunday: a special lesson so parents can come and see their kids' classes.
The weekend was nice and relaxing though. Michi, her father, and I went to her family's second house near Karuizawa. The place has a lot of interesting history. Several hundred years ago, a nearby volcano erupted, and the area is still strewn about with lots of rocks, boulders, and solidified lava. More recently, John Lennon took a liking to the place as a good getaway from the heat and crowds of Tokyo.
So Michi and I got to do a little bouldering, but the rock was really weak: maybe half the hand holds would start to crumble or just break away completely when you tried to put your body weight on them. We also ate some incredible duck soba, and did a little gardening. Can't say the gardening was too exciting, but I did get to climb a tree and hack off some branches that had been creating unwanted shade in their yard. (Of course, I got to use my rock climbing harness and some slings to make sure I was safe while in the tree, too.)
I'm still on a tight budget: I have 25 days until my next pay day. But there is light at the end of the tunnel: my next several paychecks should be good, plus this past weekend I hardly spent any money at all. It is hard to refuse when your girlfriend's dad (who is built like a football player, and actually reminds me of a lot of my late grandfather) insists on paying for everything.
Something of a culture note. When you first come here and start to ride the buses, trains, subways, and what have you, you might notice that the Japanese announcement seems to last a lot longer than the English announcement. This is because they are telling you things that have apparently been deemed not important to tell foreigners. They tell you to watch your step when you get off the train, sometimes they tell you what side of the train the exit will be on at the next stop. On my bus, they tell you all about the shops and sights close to each stop, none of which would be interesting to foreigners, of course. We hate shopping and seeing things in the countries we're visiting/living in.
Also, as you start to become a little better at the local language, you'll start to wonder what people are talking about. They'll sound so upset, or excited, or it'll just seem like a really fun conversation, and you wish you could understand what they were saying. And then one day, on your morning commute, you'll find yourself wishing that the two school girls behind you would stop talking about how there are no cool, handsome, fun, sensitive guys at their school, and how so-and-so is so lame, or such-and-such is nice but lives too far away. And you'll realize that these are the same conversations that people are having in English in the US, it's just that you understand English perfectly, and so they're boring and even annoying to you, while the foreign language around you is just that: foreign, with different sounds, a different writing system, and a vastly different grammar, used by people coming from a wildly different history than your own country. And yet the school girls are still talking about how there are no cool, blah blah blah blah BLAH.
Anyway, I need to shower, brush my teeth, and shut my brain down for the evening.
Cheers,
Got another busy week here. Job applications, maybe teaching as a substitute on Thursday, and the rest of the time just teaching. I've even got a special lesson this Sunday: a special lesson so parents can come and see their kids' classes.
The weekend was nice and relaxing though. Michi, her father, and I went to her family's second house near Karuizawa. The place has a lot of interesting history. Several hundred years ago, a nearby volcano erupted, and the area is still strewn about with lots of rocks, boulders, and solidified lava. More recently, John Lennon took a liking to the place as a good getaway from the heat and crowds of Tokyo.
So Michi and I got to do a little bouldering, but the rock was really weak: maybe half the hand holds would start to crumble or just break away completely when you tried to put your body weight on them. We also ate some incredible duck soba, and did a little gardening. Can't say the gardening was too exciting, but I did get to climb a tree and hack off some branches that had been creating unwanted shade in their yard. (Of course, I got to use my rock climbing harness and some slings to make sure I was safe while in the tree, too.)
I'm still on a tight budget: I have 25 days until my next pay day. But there is light at the end of the tunnel: my next several paychecks should be good, plus this past weekend I hardly spent any money at all. It is hard to refuse when your girlfriend's dad (who is built like a football player, and actually reminds me of a lot of my late grandfather) insists on paying for everything.
Something of a culture note. When you first come here and start to ride the buses, trains, subways, and what have you, you might notice that the Japanese announcement seems to last a lot longer than the English announcement. This is because they are telling you things that have apparently been deemed not important to tell foreigners. They tell you to watch your step when you get off the train, sometimes they tell you what side of the train the exit will be on at the next stop. On my bus, they tell you all about the shops and sights close to each stop, none of which would be interesting to foreigners, of course. We hate shopping and seeing things in the countries we're visiting/living in.
Also, as you start to become a little better at the local language, you'll start to wonder what people are talking about. They'll sound so upset, or excited, or it'll just seem like a really fun conversation, and you wish you could understand what they were saying. And then one day, on your morning commute, you'll find yourself wishing that the two school girls behind you would stop talking about how there are no cool, handsome, fun, sensitive guys at their school, and how so-and-so is so lame, or such-and-such is nice but lives too far away. And you'll realize that these are the same conversations that people are having in English in the US, it's just that you understand English perfectly, and so they're boring and even annoying to you, while the foreign language around you is just that: foreign, with different sounds, a different writing system, and a vastly different grammar, used by people coming from a wildly different history than your own country. And yet the school girls are still talking about how there are no cool, blah blah blah blah BLAH.
Anyway, I need to shower, brush my teeth, and shut my brain down for the evening.
Cheers,
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Rainy Season
hey all,
This weekend was full of surprises. Friday, Michi and I suddenly decided to go rock climbing at our favorite outdoor spot, Yugawara, on Sunday. On Saturday, we were going to make gyoza, but her parents invited us over for dinner, and all of a sudden I was meeting her parents for the first time. I was really nervous, but they were really nice and dinner was good: barbecued eel with rice and vegetables, with a side dish of sea urchin (pretty sour, with an aftertaste that is similar to a vegetable or spice that I can't quite remember the name of).
One of her younger brothers all came to dinner (the one who cooked us dinner several months ago), but he wasn't too talkative: it looks like he and his wife might be getting divorced.
After dinner, we talked about movies and rock climbing, and finally Michi and I left and did a final check on the weather, only to find that the forecast had changed from cloudy to 100% rain. So we stayed indoors today: lunch at Jonathan's (a kind of Denny's or Howard Johnson's or similar family-themed restaurant), then we watched Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which was surprisingly good.
To top it off, on Saturday before meeting Michi, I received a call from the company that I interviewed with last weekend. I thought they would reply by email, and since I didn't receive a reply for a week, I thought they had decided not to continue the interviewing process. But now I will be doing a demonstration lesson for them this Thursday. I still have lots of questions about benefits, vacations, etc, but it's also just good to know that they are still interested.
Cheers,
This weekend was full of surprises. Friday, Michi and I suddenly decided to go rock climbing at our favorite outdoor spot, Yugawara, on Sunday. On Saturday, we were going to make gyoza, but her parents invited us over for dinner, and all of a sudden I was meeting her parents for the first time. I was really nervous, but they were really nice and dinner was good: barbecued eel with rice and vegetables, with a side dish of sea urchin (pretty sour, with an aftertaste that is similar to a vegetable or spice that I can't quite remember the name of).
One of her younger brothers all came to dinner (the one who cooked us dinner several months ago), but he wasn't too talkative: it looks like he and his wife might be getting divorced.
After dinner, we talked about movies and rock climbing, and finally Michi and I left and did a final check on the weather, only to find that the forecast had changed from cloudy to 100% rain. So we stayed indoors today: lunch at Jonathan's (a kind of Denny's or Howard Johnson's or similar family-themed restaurant), then we watched Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which was surprisingly good.
To top it off, on Saturday before meeting Michi, I received a call from the company that I interviewed with last weekend. I thought they would reply by email, and since I didn't receive a reply for a week, I thought they had decided not to continue the interviewing process. But now I will be doing a demonstration lesson for them this Thursday. I still have lots of questions about benefits, vacations, etc, but it's also just good to know that they are still interested.
Cheers,
Monday, May 17, 2010
Spontaneous Delicious Food
hey all,
This weekend went pretty well. I did an interview Saturday morning, which was interesting and might lead to a full time job.
After that, Michi and I met up and hung out in a cafe for a bit, and then we made dinner. I've been thinking about food that I used to make in Holland and specifically about food that you can make with peanut butter. This lead to a spontaneous attempt to make my own version of satay, chicken with vegetables covered in a peanut butter-based sauce. It turned out really well, so well that I can't believe I didn't follow a recipe, which is something I almost never do.
After dinner, we watched a movie about a Japanese climbing couple who lost most of their toes and fingers after being trapped on a mountain in the Himalayas. Five years later, they successfully achieved a first ascent on a 1000m mountain in Greenland. Pretty inspiring, but also a little weird. I love rock climbing, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to come back (or if I'd want to) after losing half of my fingers.
Sunday was just hanging out in a park: cheap, but really great. we got to talk a lot, and the weather was sunny and warm, plus the park was bright green with all the trees. Money-wise, I've canceled my yoga classes, don't intend to buy any video games, or go to the rock climbing gym, until I get paid in June or unless I get a part time job or change to a full time job. The next 33 days will be pretty tight, but I'm shopping pretty smart, and I'm still eating well and having fun, so I'm not incredibly worried.
Cheers,
This weekend went pretty well. I did an interview Saturday morning, which was interesting and might lead to a full time job.
After that, Michi and I met up and hung out in a cafe for a bit, and then we made dinner. I've been thinking about food that I used to make in Holland and specifically about food that you can make with peanut butter. This lead to a spontaneous attempt to make my own version of satay, chicken with vegetables covered in a peanut butter-based sauce. It turned out really well, so well that I can't believe I didn't follow a recipe, which is something I almost never do.
- 100g peanuts
- peanut oil to taste
- salt to taste
- 1-2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons yuzu liquor (a Japanese citrus fruit)
- chili powder
- black pepper
After dinner, we watched a movie about a Japanese climbing couple who lost most of their toes and fingers after being trapped on a mountain in the Himalayas. Five years later, they successfully achieved a first ascent on a 1000m mountain in Greenland. Pretty inspiring, but also a little weird. I love rock climbing, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to come back (or if I'd want to) after losing half of my fingers.
Sunday was just hanging out in a park: cheap, but really great. we got to talk a lot, and the weather was sunny and warm, plus the park was bright green with all the trees. Money-wise, I've canceled my yoga classes, don't intend to buy any video games, or go to the rock climbing gym, until I get paid in June or unless I get a part time job or change to a full time job. The next 33 days will be pretty tight, but I'm shopping pretty smart, and I'm still eating well and having fun, so I'm not incredibly worried.
Cheers,
Friday, May 14, 2010
First Full Week
hey all,
Today marks the end of my first full Mon.-Fri. work week. I must say I'm beat. Teaching at 3 schools is tough: 3 schools means that I have roughly 72 classes: 3 schools X 6 grades X 4 classrooms. So, I have to do each lesson a lot. Not 72 times, because my lessons are concentrated on the 5th and 6th graders, but still: that's doing each lesson 24 times. Probably the only lesson I will have to do 72 times is my intro lesson where I introduce myself.
I have an interview for a full time job tomorrow, but I have a lot of questions of about the working environment, actual teaching hours, and what sort of compensation I'll get for developing course materials, etc.
Aside from the interview, the plan is to relax. I won't be receiving too much money in my paycheck this month, so I canceled my yoga classes, haven't bought any games (although I have bought several CDs, which I've been using for my classes), or gone traveling where I've needed to stay in a hotel. I think Michi and I might cook some dinner tomorrow, and visit a park on Sunday, but that is about all.
My last note is that this Sunday will mark 1 year and 2 months here in Japan.
Cheers,
Today marks the end of my first full Mon.-Fri. work week. I must say I'm beat. Teaching at 3 schools is tough: 3 schools means that I have roughly 72 classes: 3 schools X 6 grades X 4 classrooms. So, I have to do each lesson a lot. Not 72 times, because my lessons are concentrated on the 5th and 6th graders, but still: that's doing each lesson 24 times. Probably the only lesson I will have to do 72 times is my intro lesson where I introduce myself.
I have an interview for a full time job tomorrow, but I have a lot of questions of about the working environment, actual teaching hours, and what sort of compensation I'll get for developing course materials, etc.
Aside from the interview, the plan is to relax. I won't be receiving too much money in my paycheck this month, so I canceled my yoga classes, haven't bought any games (although I have bought several CDs, which I've been using for my classes), or gone traveling where I've needed to stay in a hotel. I think Michi and I might cook some dinner tomorrow, and visit a park on Sunday, but that is about all.
My last note is that this Sunday will mark 1 year and 2 months here in Japan.
Cheers,
Sunday, May 09, 2010
More Climbing
hey all,
More climbing this weekend. Michi and I went to the climbing gym Friday night after work, and there was hardly a soul there. We got to climb a lot, but they haven't changed any of the routes recently, so I think I have climbed almost all of them several times now. I was actually able to climb a 5.11a, which surprised me. After climbing a few routes, even 5.10c's and 5.10d's become hard if not impossible.
Just relaxed on Saturday and met up with a friend back in Omiya for drinks, but Sunday Michi and I went to Yugawara yet again. The weather was nice, and we arrived a little late, so it was even more crowded than usual. Still, I lead a couple 5.10b's, a 5.10b/c, and top roped a 5.10c. I tried a 5.10d on lead, but I had to come down after three bolts. That was the second time I'd tried that route, and the second time I failed it. At the gym, and outside, I want to start practicing lead climbing 5.10c's and 5.10d's more, so I can eventually climb it. The fact that I successfully climbed an 5.11a makes me think that I might be able to do a 5.12 eventually, which would put me into the "pro" category of climbers.
Tomorrow, I start my first full week of work: until now, I've been working 2 or 3 days a week, so this will mean for next month's paycheck I can finally make some decent cash. Still looking for part time work, or even a full time replacement job, but no luck so far.
My only other news is that I watched part of 300 on Japanese cable today. It was dubbed into Japanese, so I could get a few new words and phrases from it, and also just enjoy the pictures, since 300 is easily one of the most beautifully shot films in recent years. Unfortunately, they cut some of the good parts out, but left some odd ones in: they cut a couple scenes that didn't really further the plot much, cut a bunch of violence out, cut some nude/sex scenes, but then left in some nude scenes latter on, though why I can't really understand.
Cheers,
More climbing this weekend. Michi and I went to the climbing gym Friday night after work, and there was hardly a soul there. We got to climb a lot, but they haven't changed any of the routes recently, so I think I have climbed almost all of them several times now. I was actually able to climb a 5.11a, which surprised me. After climbing a few routes, even 5.10c's and 5.10d's become hard if not impossible.
Just relaxed on Saturday and met up with a friend back in Omiya for drinks, but Sunday Michi and I went to Yugawara yet again. The weather was nice, and we arrived a little late, so it was even more crowded than usual. Still, I lead a couple 5.10b's, a 5.10b/c, and top roped a 5.10c. I tried a 5.10d on lead, but I had to come down after three bolts. That was the second time I'd tried that route, and the second time I failed it. At the gym, and outside, I want to start practicing lead climbing 5.10c's and 5.10d's more, so I can eventually climb it. The fact that I successfully climbed an 5.11a makes me think that I might be able to do a 5.12 eventually, which would put me into the "pro" category of climbers.
Tomorrow, I start my first full week of work: until now, I've been working 2 or 3 days a week, so this will mean for next month's paycheck I can finally make some decent cash. Still looking for part time work, or even a full time replacement job, but no luck so far.
My only other news is that I watched part of 300 on Japanese cable today. It was dubbed into Japanese, so I could get a few new words and phrases from it, and also just enjoy the pictures, since 300 is easily one of the most beautifully shot films in recent years. Unfortunately, they cut some of the good parts out, but left some odd ones in: they cut a couple scenes that didn't really further the plot much, cut a bunch of violence out, cut some nude/sex scenes, but then left in some nude scenes latter on, though why I can't really understand.
Cheers,
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Joyama Camping/Climbing
hey all,
I just returned today from a 3-day trip to Joyama. I organized the event through the outdoor club, but the first meet up was really a mash-up: I sent everyone an email the night before changing the meeting time, so one member left 2 hours early, while I accidentally showed up even later than I had wanted to. In the end, everyone took separate trains to Mishima, where we all met up. From there, we took a taxi to go grocery shopping, then rode it up to the top of the hiking trail, where we camped.
This was "real" camping: no toilet, no running water, no electricity.
The first day, we just setup camp and then hiked around the mountain looking for climbing spots. After 5 minutes, we realized that my guide book was pathetically inadequate: it lacked most of the climbing areas that we saw signs for, didn't have a detailed map showing where each of the climbing areas could be found, nor any kind of map which just showed the basic paths on the mountain. The terrible thing is that it was not possible to know that before getting on the mountain and trying to navigate using my book: on the page the mountain looks simple, but I've never been on a mountain so crazy: it has winding, wicked steep ravines and gorges, normal forested slopes which suddenly drop off into 70-100m cliffs, and hair-raising rope lined trails and chain ladders which no sane person would ever venture down.
Anyway, that first day we did manage to find at least one probable climbing area, and we also ran into a group a climbers who gave us a photocopy of part of a decent guidebook, which we used throughout the rest of the trip. After cooking dinner, we went to bed early.
The second day was hair-raising, for me at least. I partnered up with Michi and I on-sighted (a climbing term for successfully climbing a route the first try) a pretty easy route. It wasn't shown on either of the guides, so I'm not sure what it is actually rated. Meanwhile, our two other club members decided to climb a wall that was clearly too difficult: there was almost no possibility to get to the top. Stupidly, I switched places with one of them, and helped them get a little higher up this impossible wall, then went back and climbed with Michi for a bit. Again, stupidly, I went back to the impossible wall and got even higher up before getting too tired/scared. At this point, I had a bunch of gear stuck on the wall: at least 2 quickdraws, which is about $40 worth of equipment. After walking around for a bit trying to find a way to the top that didn't involve climbing, we gave up and I preceded to do some really stupid dangerous stuff because I didn't want to lose $40. In the end, nobody was hurt, nobody died, and I only had to leave one 'biner on the wall (which didn't really matter because it was a 'biner I'd found an another rock climbing wall last year), but I was really shaken by it all the same.
After another good dinner and early-to-bed-early-to-rise routine, we went to a different wall which had been recommended to us on the very first day. It turned out to be just perfect, for me at least. Still jittery from the day before, I top roped the first two climbs, then switched to lead climbing, and on-sighted a 5.10a, and two 5.10b's. In the gym, I frequently top rope 5.10a, b, and c's, and have successfully completed some 5.10d's on occasion. but lead climbing outside is a different beast, at least for me. For one, on certain parts of the wall, you can get acute attacks of agoraphobia because suddenly it is just you and the rock, and this gi-normous sky: you've climbed above the trees, and it feels like you could fall off the edge of the world. Second, you've got the wind, the dust, and the fungus and mold that make climbing outside interesting. Last, is just the fact that you're lead climbing: until you clip into the next bolt, if you fall you're going to fall back to the previous bolt. Maybe it is only 1 meter or 2 meters, but it can be dangerous and is definitely scary.
The rest of the day, we spent looking for the next climbing area, and spent at least an hour first going down an incredibly dangerous rope trail, then, after discovering that it ended in a 20m descent straight down a cliff face with only a rickety rope ladder for safety (and everyone carrying a heavy pack of climbing gear), backtracking to the main path.
That night, we were running low on water, gas for our cooking stoves, food, and energy, so me and Michi decided we'd head back after breakfast the next day. Our climbing partners hadn't had quite enough, so they decided to head to the coast to see Jogasaki, which Michi and I went to last November. On our way back to Tokyo, we stopped by an onsen, which was amazing. After sleeping on a mat for 3 nights, constantly carrying 15kg of climbing gear up and down a mountain, and not showering for 3 days, a good shower and a long soak in the hot water just melted the tension and knots from my body.
So, I'm back in Tokyo. Tomorrow we're still on vacation, so Michi and I plan on heading to where else but an outdoor sports shop. She still frequently has to borrow pieces of climbing equipment (and would like her own), needs new hiking shoes, etc, and I'd like to pick up a special brush to clean my rope, and maybe some more slings, and a 'biner or two.
Cheers,
I just returned today from a 3-day trip to Joyama. I organized the event through the outdoor club, but the first meet up was really a mash-up: I sent everyone an email the night before changing the meeting time, so one member left 2 hours early, while I accidentally showed up even later than I had wanted to. In the end, everyone took separate trains to Mishima, where we all met up. From there, we took a taxi to go grocery shopping, then rode it up to the top of the hiking trail, where we camped.
This was "real" camping: no toilet, no running water, no electricity.
Anyway, that first day we did manage to find at least one probable climbing area, and we also ran into a group a climbers who gave us a photocopy of part of a decent guidebook, which we used throughout the rest of the trip. After cooking dinner, we went to bed early.
The second day was hair-raising, for me at least. I partnered up with Michi and I on-sighted (a climbing term for successfully climbing a route the first try) a pretty easy route. It wasn't shown on either of the guides, so I'm not sure what it is actually rated. Meanwhile, our two other club members decided to climb a wall that was clearly too difficult: there was almost no possibility to get to the top. Stupidly, I switched places with one of them, and helped them get a little higher up this impossible wall, then went back and climbed with Michi for a bit. Again, stupidly, I went back to the impossible wall and got even higher up before getting too tired/scared. At this point, I had a bunch of gear stuck on the wall: at least 2 quickdraws, which is about $40 worth of equipment. After walking around for a bit trying to find a way to the top that didn't involve climbing, we gave up and I preceded to do some really stupid dangerous stuff because I didn't want to lose $40. In the end, nobody was hurt, nobody died, and I only had to leave one 'biner on the wall (which didn't really matter because it was a 'biner I'd found an another rock climbing wall last year), but I was really shaken by it all the same.
After another good dinner and early-to-bed-early-to-rise routine, we went to a different wall which had been recommended to us on the very first day. It turned out to be just perfect, for me at least. Still jittery from the day before, I top roped the first two climbs, then switched to lead climbing, and on-sighted a 5.10a, and two 5.10b's. In the gym, I frequently top rope 5.10a, b, and c's, and have successfully completed some 5.10d's on occasion. but lead climbing outside is a different beast, at least for me. For one, on certain parts of the wall, you can get acute attacks of agoraphobia because suddenly it is just you and the rock, and this gi-normous sky: you've climbed above the trees, and it feels like you could fall off the edge of the world. Second, you've got the wind, the dust, and the fungus and mold that make climbing outside interesting. Last, is just the fact that you're lead climbing: until you clip into the next bolt, if you fall you're going to fall back to the previous bolt. Maybe it is only 1 meter or 2 meters, but it can be dangerous and is definitely scary.
The rest of the day, we spent looking for the next climbing area, and spent at least an hour first going down an incredibly dangerous rope trail, then, after discovering that it ended in a 20m descent straight down a cliff face with only a rickety rope ladder for safety (and everyone carrying a heavy pack of climbing gear), backtracking to the main path.
That night, we were running low on water, gas for our cooking stoves, food, and energy, so me and Michi decided we'd head back after breakfast the next day. Our climbing partners hadn't had quite enough, so they decided to head to the coast to see Jogasaki, which Michi and I went to last November. On our way back to Tokyo, we stopped by an onsen, which was amazing. After sleeping on a mat for 3 nights, constantly carrying 15kg of climbing gear up and down a mountain, and not showering for 3 days, a good shower and a long soak in the hot water just melted the tension and knots from my body.
So, I'm back in Tokyo. Tomorrow we're still on vacation, so Michi and I plan on heading to where else but an outdoor sports shop. She still frequently has to borrow pieces of climbing equipment (and would like her own), needs new hiking shoes, etc, and I'd like to pick up a special brush to clean my rope, and maybe some more slings, and a 'biner or two.
Cheers,
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Third School, Weekend
hey all,
Last Friday I went to my third and final school. My classes there also went pretty well, but I ended up having to stay until my regular finishing time. By the end of the week, my voice was kinda shot, since I'd been speaking loudly in front of the classes, and also singing/chanting, etc.
Saturday, I did my regular yoga lesson with Michi, then we went shopping for outdoor gear. I picked up a sleeping mat, plus cooking gear: gas tank, stove, and camping pot. The last time I went camping, I relied on other people to bring the cooking gear, but next time (when I go camping/rock climbing with the outdoor club in Joyama starting next weekend), I'll be the most experienced climber/camper, so I should have my own gear.
Today has been a long day. For Michi's birthday, we decided to go to Myougi-san (Mt. Myougi, for Westerners), which is in the neighborhood of Ogawayama (the biggest rock climbing site in Japan that I went to in September last year). So, we met up early in the morning, trained for about 3 hours into Gunma prefecture, than hiked to the top of Myougi-san, had lunch at the top, and came back down. I left my room at about 6:50 this morning, and got back around 21:00.
Myougi-san is really cool looking: imagine 1000m tall really savage, jagged-edged knife made of stone, and that's what the mountains around Myougi-san (and Myougi-san itself) look like. It also has chained-hiking trails: long chains that are bolted into the rock-side which you climb you: Michi and I brought our harnesses and some climbing gear, so we were able to clip into the chains for extra safety. There's still a lot that we didn't get to see, so I'd like to come again. What we did get to see was unique and pretty grand. I've got a few pictures which I'll try to upload tomorrow, since I have the day off.
Aside from that, I'll be heading to Omiya to pick up a free blender, and preparing my lessons for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Cheers,
Last Friday I went to my third and final school. My classes there also went pretty well, but I ended up having to stay until my regular finishing time. By the end of the week, my voice was kinda shot, since I'd been speaking loudly in front of the classes, and also singing/chanting, etc.
Saturday, I did my regular yoga lesson with Michi, then we went shopping for outdoor gear. I picked up a sleeping mat, plus cooking gear: gas tank, stove, and camping pot. The last time I went camping, I relied on other people to bring the cooking gear, but next time (when I go camping/rock climbing with the outdoor club in Joyama starting next weekend), I'll be the most experienced climber/camper, so I should have my own gear.
Today has been a long day. For Michi's birthday, we decided to go to Myougi-san (Mt. Myougi, for Westerners), which is in the neighborhood of Ogawayama (the biggest rock climbing site in Japan that I went to in September last year). So, we met up early in the morning, trained for about 3 hours into Gunma prefecture, than hiked to the top of Myougi-san, had lunch at the top, and came back down. I left my room at about 6:50 this morning, and got back around 21:00.
Myougi-san is really cool looking: imagine 1000m tall really savage, jagged-edged knife made of stone, and that's what the mountains around Myougi-san (and Myougi-san itself) look like. It also has chained-hiking trails: long chains that are bolted into the rock-side which you climb you: Michi and I brought our harnesses and some climbing gear, so we were able to clip into the chains for extra safety. There's still a lot that we didn't get to see, so I'd like to come again. What we did get to see was unique and pretty grand. I've got a few pictures which I'll try to upload tomorrow, since I have the day off.
Aside from that, I'll be heading to Omiya to pick up a free blender, and preparing my lessons for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Cheers,
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Family Matters
hey all,
So last weekend, Michi and I skyped with my family, which went well. This weekend, just earlier today in fact, I ate dinner with her younger brother's family. But let me start from my last post.
Still no word from the company about positions, visas, or anything. I'm sure if I asked them how to spell their own names they won't be able to answer that either. Work has been slowing down a little: my 3rd year students are basically finished with school, and my 1st and 2nd year students are taking their final exams at the beginning of next week, so there hasn't been an incredible amount of class work lately, although my fellow teachers are all running around really busy because they have to do the tests and everything.
I took another yoga lesson with Michi on Saturday, and then after that we had lunch and talked with one of her friends for several hours in Japanese. So I guess we're both slowly introducing members of our inner circles to each other, and gauging their reactions to our significant other. So far, the reactions on both sides have been positive.
Today was another busy day. I renewed my housing contract for another month (only one month because I have no clue where I'll be next school year), and then I bought the God of War collection for PS3 in Akihabara. God of War III is coming out for PS3 next month, and I remember playing number 1, but not number 2. The first two games in the series are widely regarded as two of the best video games ever made, and I'd have to say that from the couple hours I've spent replaying number 1 today, the comparison still holds up after all this time (the first game was released in 2005).
After going shopping, I met up with Michi to head over to her younger brother's apartment. He married a Korean woman, and they have a baby girl. I think he is a chef, at least from what I gathered. Today's conversation, like yesterday, was almost entirely in Japanese. I see why maybe sometimes Michi doesn't feel up to meeting: speaking and listening to a foreign language that you aren't very proficient in really takes patience and energy to sort out who is talking to who, what are they saying. did I just get asked a question?, etc. Especially tough is the fact that Michi and her family are native Tokyo-ites: they probably speak the fastest out of any Japanese dialect, making it especially difficult to follow for a non-native speaker.
Her brother cooked us a really tasty dinner/lunch, and we all chatted a bit and played with the baby. That was pretty much it. Her brother seems really nice, and Michi said they think the same about me. So for now, no worries, at least from that department.
Cheers,
So last weekend, Michi and I skyped with my family, which went well. This weekend, just earlier today in fact, I ate dinner with her younger brother's family. But let me start from my last post.
Still no word from the company about positions, visas, or anything. I'm sure if I asked them how to spell their own names they won't be able to answer that either. Work has been slowing down a little: my 3rd year students are basically finished with school, and my 1st and 2nd year students are taking their final exams at the beginning of next week, so there hasn't been an incredible amount of class work lately, although my fellow teachers are all running around really busy because they have to do the tests and everything.
I took another yoga lesson with Michi on Saturday, and then after that we had lunch and talked with one of her friends for several hours in Japanese. So I guess we're both slowly introducing members of our inner circles to each other, and gauging their reactions to our significant other. So far, the reactions on both sides have been positive.
Today was another busy day. I renewed my housing contract for another month (only one month because I have no clue where I'll be next school year), and then I bought the God of War collection for PS3 in Akihabara. God of War III is coming out for PS3 next month, and I remember playing number 1, but not number 2. The first two games in the series are widely regarded as two of the best video games ever made, and I'd have to say that from the couple hours I've spent replaying number 1 today, the comparison still holds up after all this time (the first game was released in 2005).
After going shopping, I met up with Michi to head over to her younger brother's apartment. He married a Korean woman, and they have a baby girl. I think he is a chef, at least from what I gathered. Today's conversation, like yesterday, was almost entirely in Japanese. I see why maybe sometimes Michi doesn't feel up to meeting: speaking and listening to a foreign language that you aren't very proficient in really takes patience and energy to sort out who is talking to who, what are they saying. did I just get asked a question?, etc. Especially tough is the fact that Michi and her family are native Tokyo-ites: they probably speak the fastest out of any Japanese dialect, making it especially difficult to follow for a non-native speaker.
Her brother cooked us a really tasty dinner/lunch, and we all chatted a bit and played with the baby. That was pretty much it. Her brother seems really nice, and Michi said they think the same about me. So for now, no worries, at least from that department.
Cheers,
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Last Lesson, Valentine's Plus One
hey all,
I had another good couple of days here in Japan. Friday was my last day at my elementary school. I was pretty sad about it. I made a brief good-bye speech to my teachers, and the principal told me to cheer up while I was listening to his speech thanking me for a good year of lessons. They gave me a bouquet of flowers of all things, but I accidentally left it at my desk when I left.
Saturday day was skyping with a friend, talking with Bri, and a yoga lesson with Michi. It is getting to the point where I can follow most of the instructions without looking at the teacher; that is, as long as we've done that exercise several times before. If we do a new one, I still need to look, and sometimes Michi has to translate for me on the fly.
Sunday (today) was even more skyping: this time with Michi and the family back in the US. She was still a bit shy about her English, but I think it went really well. I can only hope that my (as yet unscheduled) meeting with her parents goes as smoothly. The original plan was to go rock climbing, but we were feeling a bit tired, so we thought we might go to a park. However, none really presented themselves: we've gone to a bunch of parks, and sometimes even if there is one we haven't gone to yet, it might require more travel than we feel up to or might just be inconvenient to get to.
So instead we saw The Lovely Bones, directed by Peter Jackson. Although the movie is rated PG-13 in the US, it received a G rating here in Japan, which seems too low somehow, considering that it is about what happens after the narrator (a 14 year old girl) is raped and murdered by a serial killer. But that's Japan for you. Like some of Jackson's previous projects, it is really well structured and paced, with some incredible visuals, but still leaves you feeling a little incomplete or unsatisfied at the end. One item of interest: I have spoken with many people about Lord of the Rings (also directed by Jackson), and come to the conclusion that most people are somehow brain damaged, because they absolutely love Return of the King. In similar vein, I asked Michi which of the three movies she liked best, and she actually likes The Two Towers best, which is also my favorite of the three.
After that, we had some soup at an interesting soup-curry restaurant in Saitama-Shin-Toshin. Cool decor, good prices, and awesome food. One of the irritating things about most of my food experiences in Japan, is that I find it taxing my off-the-top-of-my-head adjective supply: I have to describe the food as tasty, delicious, scrumptious, exquisite, delectable, or some other adjective, but I find myself using nice, good, delicious, etc all the time. As I have noted before, there are many things that I find annoying about Japan, but I love the food. The food was really good in Amsterdam, as well, but I think Japan easily wins that contest. Maybe one of the few negatives is that Japanese chocolate is underwhelming: too sweet, too much milk; but foreign made chocolate (Lindt, Godiva, etc) is readily available at most international food shops.
Cheers,
I had another good couple of days here in Japan. Friday was my last day at my elementary school. I was pretty sad about it. I made a brief good-bye speech to my teachers, and the principal told me to cheer up while I was listening to his speech thanking me for a good year of lessons. They gave me a bouquet of flowers of all things, but I accidentally left it at my desk when I left.
Saturday day was skyping with a friend, talking with Bri, and a yoga lesson with Michi. It is getting to the point where I can follow most of the instructions without looking at the teacher; that is, as long as we've done that exercise several times before. If we do a new one, I still need to look, and sometimes Michi has to translate for me on the fly.
Sunday (today) was even more skyping: this time with Michi and the family back in the US. She was still a bit shy about her English, but I think it went really well. I can only hope that my (as yet unscheduled) meeting with her parents goes as smoothly. The original plan was to go rock climbing, but we were feeling a bit tired, so we thought we might go to a park. However, none really presented themselves: we've gone to a bunch of parks, and sometimes even if there is one we haven't gone to yet, it might require more travel than we feel up to or might just be inconvenient to get to.
So instead we saw The Lovely Bones, directed by Peter Jackson. Although the movie is rated PG-13 in the US, it received a G rating here in Japan, which seems too low somehow, considering that it is about what happens after the narrator (a 14 year old girl) is raped and murdered by a serial killer. But that's Japan for you. Like some of Jackson's previous projects, it is really well structured and paced, with some incredible visuals, but still leaves you feeling a little incomplete or unsatisfied at the end. One item of interest: I have spoken with many people about Lord of the Rings (also directed by Jackson), and come to the conclusion that most people are somehow brain damaged, because they absolutely love Return of the King. In similar vein, I asked Michi which of the three movies she liked best, and she actually likes The Two Towers best, which is also my favorite of the three.
After that, we had some soup at an interesting soup-curry restaurant in Saitama-Shin-Toshin. Cool decor, good prices, and awesome food. One of the irritating things about most of my food experiences in Japan, is that I find it taxing my off-the-top-of-my-head adjective supply: I have to describe the food as tasty, delicious, scrumptious, exquisite, delectable, or some other adjective, but I find myself using nice, good, delicious, etc all the time. As I have noted before, there are many things that I find annoying about Japan, but I love the food. The food was really good in Amsterdam, as well, but I think Japan easily wins that contest. Maybe one of the few negatives is that Japanese chocolate is underwhelming: too sweet, too much milk; but foreign made chocolate (Lindt, Godiva, etc) is readily available at most international food shops.
Cheers,
Sunday, February 14, 2010
One Lesson To Go, Job Ideas, Valentine's Day
hey all,
So it feels like it has been a long time since I posted here, so this will probably be a long one. It seems like a lot has happened.
Thursday was a holiday here in Japan, so Michi and I planned on going rock climbing indoors but decided to visit a cafe instead.
Friday was my second to last lesson at the elementary school: I teach there next week, but then I don't teach there at all in March. I'm really sad to be leaving that school. The kids were pretty good, the teachers treated me well, and the lessons were fun to do.
I've been brainstorming some things that we ALTs could do instead of teaching.
After yoga, we picked up ingredients for dinner. I can't really give you the recipe for our main dish, as it involves an ultra spicy Malaysian curry mix that I have no idea where to find. For some reason, the Malaysian guy across from my room sometimes gives a pack of it to me, and I told Michi about it, and she wanted to eat it since she loves spicy food. The dessert is as follows:
200g 70% pure chocolate
300g soft tofu
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dark rum
All you have to do is melt the chocolate, honey and rum in the microwave, then blend everything together in a blender or food processor. This produces a thick, nicely textured vegetarian dairy free chocolate mousse. The important part for me, aside from the fact that it is immaculately delicious, is that it's dairy free.
Sunday, we walked around Kawagoe, which was also really good. For once, the weather was OK: the previous two times I've visited there, I've been rained out. Just a little on the cloudy and cold side, but otherwise fine weather. Michi wasn't familiar with it, and seemed really astonished about all the old buildings and cool shops.
That's all for now.
Cheers,
So it feels like it has been a long time since I posted here, so this will probably be a long one. It seems like a lot has happened.
Thursday was a holiday here in Japan, so Michi and I planned on going rock climbing indoors but decided to visit a cafe instead.
Friday was my second to last lesson at the elementary school: I teach there next week, but then I don't teach there at all in March. I'm really sad to be leaving that school. The kids were pretty good, the teachers treated me well, and the lessons were fun to do.
I've been brainstorming some things that we ALTs could do instead of teaching.
- subscription website with worksheets, games, teaching tips
- problem: content has to draw enough people in to support 5-10 people for a year
- good point: relatively low cost to start, already have lots of worksheets, games, etc
- game company
- problem: most of us have no programming, art, or marketing experience
- good point: already a large market for cell phone games, DS and PSP games, which are comparatively cheaper to make than PC or console games
- magazine
- problem: lots of competition, limited English market
- good point: we're smart people who notice what's going on around us, and can tell you about it in an entertaining fashion
- escort company
- problem: quasi legal
- good point: we are already basically whoring ourselves out for pittance, at least this way we'd be making decent cash
- translation
- problem: only a few of us have the certifications to really make this work
- good point: definitely a wide market
- proofreading/editing
- problem: already lots of competition???
- good point: a huge market. There are public signs with weird English everywhere which have obviously never been edited or proofread by a native speaker. Product use instructions, English versions of Japanese websites, T-shirts. There are lots of areas to this that we can try to tap into, and this doesn't really take too much Japanese skill.
After yoga, we picked up ingredients for dinner. I can't really give you the recipe for our main dish, as it involves an ultra spicy Malaysian curry mix that I have no idea where to find. For some reason, the Malaysian guy across from my room sometimes gives a pack of it to me, and I told Michi about it, and she wanted to eat it since she loves spicy food. The dessert is as follows:
200g 70% pure chocolate
300g soft tofu
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dark rum
All you have to do is melt the chocolate, honey and rum in the microwave, then blend everything together in a blender or food processor. This produces a thick, nicely textured vegetarian dairy free chocolate mousse. The important part for me, aside from the fact that it is immaculately delicious, is that it's dairy free.
Sunday, we walked around Kawagoe, which was also really good. For once, the weather was OK: the previous two times I've visited there, I've been rained out. Just a little on the cloudy and cold side, but otherwise fine weather. Michi wasn't familiar with it, and seemed really astonished about all the old buildings and cool shops.
That's all for now.
Cheers,
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Yoga Climber
hey all,
Pretty good weekend. Saturday was catching up with Bri, doing yoga and going shopping with Michi, and today Michi and I hit up a climbing gym a few stops away from my house. No bad falls for either of us lately, but Michi told me that recently there were 2 serious accidents at Jogasaki, where we went climbing towards the end of last November. It really was a kinda dangerous climbing location, so we should be glad that we came through OK.
Yoga class was a little easier this time, but some of the poses are still really difficult to do. Like the superman pose, for instance. The more difficult stretches for me involve sitting on the ground with one leg stretched out in front of you, and the other leg making a triangle: knee sticking out, and foot pressed against the other leg's thigh. You then grab (with the opposite side's hand: right leg, left hand; left leg, right hand) the foot of the stretched out leg, and twist it towards the middle of your body, rolling your whole torso onto one side.
Anyway, last week I took the class for free, but this time was number two so I had to register and decide what kind of visit plan I wanted to get. I went for 1 month/4 visits, since it is kinda fun, and it gives me an excuse to hang out with Michi. Michi herself goes something like 4 times a week. Only about $70, which is really cheap, but the registration fee by itself was something like $50.
One of my ALT friends has been itching to go to a maid cafe, and Michi actually said I should go once to see what it is like, so we're going to give that a try tomorrow.
That's all for now. Cheers,
Pretty good weekend. Saturday was catching up with Bri, doing yoga and going shopping with Michi, and today Michi and I hit up a climbing gym a few stops away from my house. No bad falls for either of us lately, but Michi told me that recently there were 2 serious accidents at Jogasaki, where we went climbing towards the end of last November. It really was a kinda dangerous climbing location, so we should be glad that we came through OK.
Yoga class was a little easier this time, but some of the poses are still really difficult to do. Like the superman pose, for instance. The more difficult stretches for me involve sitting on the ground with one leg stretched out in front of you, and the other leg making a triangle: knee sticking out, and foot pressed against the other leg's thigh. You then grab (with the opposite side's hand: right leg, left hand; left leg, right hand) the foot of the stretched out leg, and twist it towards the middle of your body, rolling your whole torso onto one side.
Anyway, last week I took the class for free, but this time was number two so I had to register and decide what kind of visit plan I wanted to get. I went for 1 month/4 visits, since it is kinda fun, and it gives me an excuse to hang out with Michi. Michi herself goes something like 4 times a week. Only about $70, which is really cheap, but the registration fee by itself was something like $50.
One of my ALT friends has been itching to go to a maid cafe, and Michi actually said I should go once to see what it is like, so we're going to give that a try tomorrow.
That's all for now. Cheers,
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Oh Bother
hey all,
I did not teach any classes today or yesterday, and as usual nobody seems to care. I've been studying Japanese, and also making some grammar worksheets which I will probably use for my next school. My ear infection seems to be getting a bit better: at least the pain and sensitivity are going down a bit. I ran into one of my fellow ALTs while shopping for a binder, and we ended up talking in a donut shop for an hour or so before my part time job. He used to work at my junior high school, so he really knows what's wrong with it and can sympathize, since most other schools in our city are better than mine. We did manage to put a positive spin on it though: at least I'm learning a lot of ways NOT to do things.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow because I teach at my elementary school. The weekend should be good as well, but we'll see. The current plan is to do yoga Saturday afternoon with Michi, then go shopping, and probably go climbing Sunday.
Cheers,
I did not teach any classes today or yesterday, and as usual nobody seems to care. I've been studying Japanese, and also making some grammar worksheets which I will probably use for my next school. My ear infection seems to be getting a bit better: at least the pain and sensitivity are going down a bit. I ran into one of my fellow ALTs while shopping for a binder, and we ended up talking in a donut shop for an hour or so before my part time job. He used to work at my junior high school, so he really knows what's wrong with it and can sympathize, since most other schools in our city are better than mine. We did manage to put a positive spin on it though: at least I'm learning a lot of ways NOT to do things.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow because I teach at my elementary school. The weekend should be good as well, but we'll see. The current plan is to do yoga Saturday afternoon with Michi, then go shopping, and probably go climbing Sunday.
Cheers,
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Weekend
hey all,
Pretty good weekend. Saturday I finally got to skype with one of my friends, and then I took a yoga class with Michi. I actually sweated a bunch and couldn't do some of their postures, which was a little surprising. Breaking our No Dates proposal, Michi and I hung out at a cafe and mostly talked about Japanese, and whether I could pass level 2 of the JLPT this July. Today I organized an indoor climbing event, and Michi showed up for part of that. Again breaking our no dates proposal, we had some dinner together at a Thai place afterwards.
I'm not sure I'll be doing the running tomorrow morning with my kids. My legs were still sore today from yoga yesterday, and I think I pulled a muscle in my right leg climbing today, so we'll see.
Cheers,
Pretty good weekend. Saturday I finally got to skype with one of my friends, and then I took a yoga class with Michi. I actually sweated a bunch and couldn't do some of their postures, which was a little surprising. Breaking our No Dates proposal, Michi and I hung out at a cafe and mostly talked about Japanese, and whether I could pass level 2 of the JLPT this July. Today I organized an indoor climbing event, and Michi showed up for part of that. Again breaking our no dates proposal, we had some dinner together at a Thai place afterwards.
I'm not sure I'll be doing the running tomorrow morning with my kids. My legs were still sore today from yoga yesterday, and I think I pulled a muscle in my right leg climbing today, so we'll see.
Cheers,
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Over
hey all,
So first off, please relax and most importantly, don't panic, as Douglas Adams has constantly reminded us. This weekend went really well. Friday night, I spoke with Michi a little bit, and I spoke with my randomly met ALT friend. He gave me some great advice, and just ranting about my problems usually helps a lot.
Saturday morning, I spoke with Bri for quite a while before we started the usual routine of shooting at imaginary people. The one friend that I really wanted to talk to seems to have vanished without a trace. Later, Saturday afternoon, Michi and I met up, and talked on the way to the grocery store, bought groceries, and sat down and talked even more before making dinner: nabe, which is basically some fried, then boiled chicken, plus lettuce, mushrooms, green onion, and some noodle-like substance. The whole mixture is boiled, then dipped into soy sauce, and eaten. Simple and tasty.
We watched Fight Club, and this time since I knew the movie so well, we put on the Japanese audio (it is hard to eat and read tiny subtitles at the same time), which was an excellent decision, because I was listening to what they were saying, and it didn't match the subtitles at all. To my great surprise, Michi seemed to get the movie right off the bat and we got to talk about it for a bit afterwards as well. In case anyone is wondering, she thinks that I am Edward Norton's character, and she is Brad Pitt's character. Wrap your head around that.
Today, I went rock climbing with the outdoor club and did much better than last time. Michi wanted to come, but had a party with her inlaws. Can't win them all.
Tonight I need to go to bed early, so I can get to work a little earlier, and go jogging with some of my teachers and students. I'm shooting for 3.8km each day, but that might be a bit too much. We'll see.
The plan for the next few weeks is to not see Michi at all, at least in a dating context. She might come to some of my rock climbing events, and I might go to some of her yoga classes, but until Valentine's Day, the plan is to give each other a little time and space. She needs to get used to having a needy, somewhat anxious foreigner as a boyfriend, and I need to get used to having a busy, "quiet-loner", Japanese person as a girlfriend. I have the JLPT to study for, she has an extra law license to study for, and neither of us really needs to rush things the way that we have the last four months. I think up to this weekend, we've been handling both our tough situations as best we could, but I think after this weekend, we can do so a little better and with each others' support.
So in this context, what does the title of this post ("Over") mean? Well, January is almost over, and the end of the school year (and my current contract), is coming up at the end of March. My housing contract is finishing up about half way through March, as well. A lot of things are coming to an end, but many things are just beginning. To borrow a phrase from Rosencranz & Guildenstern are Dead: "look upon an exit as an entrance leading somewhere else." As I did when I first came to Japan, I'm going to try to look upon the challenges ahead as opportunities to learn something and better myself, as opposed to obstacles and road blocks impeding the flow of my life.
Cheers,
So first off, please relax and most importantly, don't panic, as Douglas Adams has constantly reminded us. This weekend went really well. Friday night, I spoke with Michi a little bit, and I spoke with my randomly met ALT friend. He gave me some great advice, and just ranting about my problems usually helps a lot.
Saturday morning, I spoke with Bri for quite a while before we started the usual routine of shooting at imaginary people. The one friend that I really wanted to talk to seems to have vanished without a trace. Later, Saturday afternoon, Michi and I met up, and talked on the way to the grocery store, bought groceries, and sat down and talked even more before making dinner: nabe, which is basically some fried, then boiled chicken, plus lettuce, mushrooms, green onion, and some noodle-like substance. The whole mixture is boiled, then dipped into soy sauce, and eaten. Simple and tasty.
We watched Fight Club, and this time since I knew the movie so well, we put on the Japanese audio (it is hard to eat and read tiny subtitles at the same time), which was an excellent decision, because I was listening to what they were saying, and it didn't match the subtitles at all. To my great surprise, Michi seemed to get the movie right off the bat and we got to talk about it for a bit afterwards as well. In case anyone is wondering, she thinks that I am Edward Norton's character, and she is Brad Pitt's character. Wrap your head around that.
Today, I went rock climbing with the outdoor club and did much better than last time. Michi wanted to come, but had a party with her inlaws. Can't win them all.
Tonight I need to go to bed early, so I can get to work a little earlier, and go jogging with some of my teachers and students. I'm shooting for 3.8km each day, but that might be a bit too much. We'll see.
The plan for the next few weeks is to not see Michi at all, at least in a dating context. She might come to some of my rock climbing events, and I might go to some of her yoga classes, but until Valentine's Day, the plan is to give each other a little time and space. She needs to get used to having a needy, somewhat anxious foreigner as a boyfriend, and I need to get used to having a busy, "quiet-loner", Japanese person as a girlfriend. I have the JLPT to study for, she has an extra law license to study for, and neither of us really needs to rush things the way that we have the last four months. I think up to this weekend, we've been handling both our tough situations as best we could, but I think after this weekend, we can do so a little better and with each others' support.
So in this context, what does the title of this post ("Over") mean? Well, January is almost over, and the end of the school year (and my current contract), is coming up at the end of March. My housing contract is finishing up about half way through March, as well. A lot of things are coming to an end, but many things are just beginning. To borrow a phrase from Rosencranz & Guildenstern are Dead: "look upon an exit as an entrance leading somewhere else." As I did when I first came to Japan, I'm going to try to look upon the challenges ahead as opportunities to learn something and better myself, as opposed to obstacles and road blocks impeding the flow of my life.
Cheers,
Thursday, January 21, 2010
News Flash
hey all,
So things are...exactly the same, if not worse than when I last wrote. I still don't know where, or for what company I'll be working next year, don't know about my living situation (which is dependent on my work situation), and Michi and I are still...I don't know what we are.
However, I'm not in a constant state of anxiety anymore. I've been reaching out and cornering anyone who might help me, or just let me vent some steam and rant a bit. I've managed to keep relatively busy at work, which has also helped keep my mind off my problems. I mentioned that I committed to taking the JLPT test, so I've been printing out sample test questions for different levels, reading about how and when to register and all those glorious time consuming details. I started hitting the Japanese again, and my writing ability has improved quite a bit. I also started another round of applications, for all the good that the past ones have done me.
As I've mentioned in some of my emails to some of you, part of the problem was just thinking about these things ALL AT ONCE, and realizing that I couldn't fix any of it right now. That my future was not entirely in my own hands, but dependent on: my company, which is a pack of...I can't even go there; other companies that may accept or reject my applications; and a host of other ifs, on the other hands, and other imponderables.
As for Michi, God knows I like her, but...I can't get into that either. I feel like this weekend will be some kind of crucible: either we'll come out of it stronger, together, or I (at least) will have learned some valuable life lessons, found out more about what I need (and don't need) from a partner, and be ready to move on.
The stage for this momentous event is our usual dinner & a movie date. I've organized another rock climbing event for this Sunday, and starting Monday, there is some kind of running practice just before school starts that I decided I'd join my teachers and students in. I need to catch an earlier train in order to attend, but I've been going to bed early lately so I don't think it should be a problem.
Cheers,
So things are...exactly the same, if not worse than when I last wrote. I still don't know where, or for what company I'll be working next year, don't know about my living situation (which is dependent on my work situation), and Michi and I are still...I don't know what we are.
However, I'm not in a constant state of anxiety anymore. I've been reaching out and cornering anyone who might help me, or just let me vent some steam and rant a bit. I've managed to keep relatively busy at work, which has also helped keep my mind off my problems. I mentioned that I committed to taking the JLPT test, so I've been printing out sample test questions for different levels, reading about how and when to register and all those glorious time consuming details. I started hitting the Japanese again, and my writing ability has improved quite a bit. I also started another round of applications, for all the good that the past ones have done me.
As I've mentioned in some of my emails to some of you, part of the problem was just thinking about these things ALL AT ONCE, and realizing that I couldn't fix any of it right now. That my future was not entirely in my own hands, but dependent on: my company, which is a pack of...I can't even go there; other companies that may accept or reject my applications; and a host of other ifs, on the other hands, and other imponderables.
As for Michi, God knows I like her, but...I can't get into that either. I feel like this weekend will be some kind of crucible: either we'll come out of it stronger, together, or I (at least) will have learned some valuable life lessons, found out more about what I need (and don't need) from a partner, and be ready to move on.
The stage for this momentous event is our usual dinner & a movie date. I've organized another rock climbing event for this Sunday, and starting Monday, there is some kind of running practice just before school starts that I decided I'd join my teachers and students in. I need to catch an earlier train in order to attend, but I've been going to bed early lately so I don't think it should be a problem.
Cheers,
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