2008年06月30日 Tired!

Aaaah Tsukareta
I am soo tired these days. I’m not overworked per-say, but you know when you’re in a routine too long and you need a change of pace… well that’s where I’m at. I just want a vacation – a distraction. What that might be has yet to be determined. This will all depend on how long it takes to renew my work visa if I want any major plans..

Summer vacation begins August. The board of education for my city is reevaluating when ALTs will start summer vacation. For starters, students are done 3rd week of July AND they want me to work the last week of July. What d’want me to do with no students around! F*cken scratch me ass all day?! I do enough of that…LOL! Anyways I hope they make a decision to give us the last week off cause it’s pointless for me to be at school that week.

Abigail’s Brother in Town
I met up with my friend Abs’ brother this past Friday for some dinner in Shinjuku. Chilled a bit there and went to Shibuya before heading home. I was telling him about my many adventures in Japan. And now, come to think about it you could write a book about what I’ve done and experienced. Such things can be read here on my blog… and the rest … well, are stored in the Disney vault so-to-speak. :P Here are some pics we took at purikura. He hadn’t done purikura yet! *SAY WHAAA!* It’s like a MUST do while in Japan! Random tangent… that day was mad tiring as the night before I had only 3 hours sleep cause I was chatting online with friends talking about NOTHING as always. I swear I almost past out at school. Though no one would care, I think, cause I be seeing teachers napping in the teacher’s room all the time! OK anyways, so now for those pictures… I’m like a f*cken purikura pro…LOL

  

Why you got to be holding a shopping bag… amateur! LOL Jokes!

2008年06月27日 The Writing on the Wall…um I mean Desk!

*Yawn*
The 3rd Years were away in Kyoto and in general this weeks has been quite uneventful for me lesson wise. It reminds me of that time when NOVA started up again under G Communications and we had so many instructors but no students, so all we did was play poker! :P But I can’t be playing poker at school… perish the thought! As always I just look busy and make frequent stops to the bathroom so my ass doesn’t fall asleep at my desk! :P

Wednesday I was bored out of my mind! I had finished all my prep work and even the prep work for my elementary schools. I had even studies conjugation of Japanese verbs… THAT’s how bored I was! I decided to stretch my legs and walk the 3rd Year’s floor since all of them are in Kyoto and the floor is deserted.

Oh Me Oh My!
A Japanese classroom is relatively unremarkable to me. They’re more-or-less the same. Though what stuck out (and I wonder if other ALTs have this at their schools) is students’ write on their desks. And I don’t mean small scribbles, but write up on their ENTIRE desks! I must admit it looks visually pleasing :P, but that would never pass back home. F*cken get booked for that! Anyways I took a few cellphone shots just to show you guys the extent. Any remarks?

2008年06月25日 The Blog With No Title

Current Events
Abigail’s brother in town and I plan to meet him up for dinner or something this Friday. Still planning on a destination, but perhaps we’ll go the same place I took Vivian & Derek when they came to visit a while back. If you can’t recall, it was an okonomiyaki place in Shinjuku that was pretty good. However, I wanna go to new places so I’m still searching for ideas. Maybe I’ll just ask him what he wants to see/do.

In other news, Heather wants to go to Kamakura. Plus on a totally random thought… my tan is fading (it’s been a month already since Sport’s Day) and I hope our venture to Kamakura will be greeted with much sun! I need to be ba-rown! :P I wanna head to Enoshima as well, but I think that’ll have to be another day as Kamakura is a day trip in itself, I think. At least this time around the beach should be nicer and I might be able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji.

The year mark is slowly approaching. I need to renew my work visa and get a multiple reentry permit on top of it cause I wanna do some traveling in August, December and after my contracts up. No plans yet, so just keep reading for possible updates.

Slow School Days
School has been slow this week. Fact being I have no lessons until Friday. AND in fact just ONE lesson this whole week! Reason being is Year 3 is off in Kyoto until Thursday. Year 2 is on work study Tuesday and Wednesday and Year 1 has no English lesson for the rest of the month since Ueno-sensei is away on seminar in Tsukuba City,

I’m not complaining… ok maybe a little cause I wish they would just send me home (with pay of course ;P) because there’s nothing to do but pretend to be busy… as is the Japanese motto.

*begin rant*
Gawd! Japanese folk work too much! They need to relax! As people I think they are too stressed and that goes for the kids who have juku 塾 (cram school) and after-school sh*t! I mean when I was a kid I went straight home and watched TV and I think I turned out decent enough! :P I understand parents want to give their kids the advantage,　but I have sympathy for those kids who are soo drained from school, more school and so on. It’s the norm to see kids sleeping in class with little repercussion from the teacher. Again, this is the Japanese way, All I’m saying is people need some R&R sometimes.
*end rant… and breath*

Last But Not least
Cause I was bored I was playing with the movie-making software that came with my laptop. I found this random video I had of me and spliced things together. Of course the production values are amazing ^^ Anyways enjoy the randomness!

2008年06月22日 Rainy Days

Rain Rain Go Away!
I’ve been trying to be all touristy lately by going to one place new on the weekends. I wanna be able to explore Japan more. But it was raining and I couldn’t go anywhere. So I video blogged to amuse myself and run my mouth again about nothing as I’m so skilled in that department. :P

Also I just noticed that my shirt says, “Groping in the dark”…LOL ^^ I have some questionable Japanese t-shirts. Meh when in Rome Tokyo! Anyways check this bitch out. Oh! And it gets f*cked halfway though and I am not in no way a person who is into multiple takes…. so take what you can get!

2008年06月18日 I Ramble On…

Episode 03: A Lot About Nothing
Back with another video blog deally. I can’t promise that it’ll be interesting cause as many of you know I like babbling on about nothing and go off on various tangents with no point in site. But besides that, be glad I posted something. I mean, I’m hot and gross in this blog I think. I don’t mention it, but it’s hot & sticky these past couple of days… ugh Summer is upon us and it like a fat kids armpit! It just ain’t pretty. Anyways enjoy and don’t forget to comment. :)

Video: Crystal Kay – 涙のさきに (Namida nosaki ni)

Dreaming?
Crystal Kay finally comes out with a new single and video. The song itself is pretty good I think. The video is a bit strange. Like something out of a dream. Filled with cheerleaders and a masked-murderer. What attracts me the most is the fried egg on the wall. SO random! But I loves me a fried egg, so I ain’t complaining! Let her have her artistic/creative merit and let’s enjoy.

Crystal Kay – 涙のさきに (Namida nosaki ni)

2008年06月12日 Blue! あおい!

ジャステインの青舌　(The blue tongue of Justin)
Or at least I think the Japanese is relatively close enough! ^^ Once again I’m in the store and I see something that catches my attention. I’m like one of those crows or something drawn to something metal & shiny! :P

I saw this product before school in the morning, but I knew it would make my tongue blue and of course my elementary school kids would get a kick out of it, but I must remain professional. I can’t be showing up to school with a blue tongue. I have enough problems trying not to get soaked because of the tsuyu (rainy season). I showed up one day drenched head to toe! And having to explain to everyone why I’m sooo wet (despite the obvious) is not something I want to do. Lucky I had a change of clothes. But what I’m saying is I don’t wanna be explaining a blue tongue to everyone. Anyways…

It’s blue! It’s Pepsi Blue Hawaii! *Ooo Aaa* My blue tongue!

After classes I pick up this blue Pepsi bottle. It’s new Pepsi ブルーハワイ (Blue Hawaii)… and as you might have guest I bought it cause it was blue. I know, I know, I’m a sucka for product packaging and marketing. It’s Pepsi with lemon and pineapple. It’s blue cause Hawaii has blue water (?)…. I don’t know their methodology here, I just assume! Anyways it’s taste like ass! I’m not impressed by the taste. Making my tongue blue I suppose was the interesting part. I think back in the day they had a blue Pepsi back in Canada. And as I recall THAT wasn’t that great either. Maybe slightly better, but not amazing or anything. Hahaha I never learn! Meh! I’ll try anything once. As I always say… you can’t have an opinion on something without actually having experienced it. I mean people say they don’t like sushi and they’ve NEVER tried it! Come now!… You have no right to judgment on something you’ve never tried. How do you know you don’t like sushi!? Same goes for this product. Okay, enough with my rant. :P Try Pepsi Blue Hawaii and judge for yourself. Small Update Before I go, I’ll give you an update. Beside the constant rain. It’s begun to get humid again! It’s like a fat kid’s armpit up in here! Gawd! I’m not looking forward to summer! I already looking forward to the fall! Okay, until next blog!

2008年06月10日 Busy Weekend

I’m a Weekender
It’s been a busy weekend! I did a lot more then I intended. But I’m not complaining, I’m happy to have such a socially filled weekend cause it beats laying around the apartment like a log. Something I do way too much!

Friday Night
After work I had to get things ready for Andrew’s second birthday celebration. The first was organized by Heather. I don’t remember if I mentioned it, but I’ll mention it again just in case. It was at this small Italian restaurant in Shibuya who’s name I can’t recall. It was nomihodai AND tabehodai. A deadly combination for only 3000 yen!

We were all supposed to be at the place before-hand to surprise Andrew, but as always I was late. I’m permanently on Filipino time or something! Plus I couldn’t find the place. Tokyo has too many nooks & crannies for a restaurant to be located in. In the end I made it! First words out of my mouth upon arrival, “Surprise! I made it!” We all had a little laugh!

Anyways ya… back to Friday. If you live in Japan you’ve probably heard of Round 1. It’s this big gaming and amusement complex where you can do pretty much anything. I went once before when I went to Kyoto with Ivan. However, the one we went to in Tokyo (near Shimura-sanchome Station) I think it’s way bigger. We roller-skated (something I don’t know how to do), roller-bladed (another thing I can’t do!) and played arcades. I even road the mechanical bull and went fishing! Oh! And did I mention I was in a costume?! It was a costumed event. So I searched my closet and came up with something to wear. I was kind of like those waiters dressed in all black you see at fancy restaurants. I got this cute ass panda apron to seal the deal! …Like I worked at some classy Panda Express chain. :P It was a fun evening! I’m scared to see the pics people took that night! :S

Saturday
I visited a friend in Chiba. All my friends are so spread out over the greater Tokyo area… It’s such a pain. But I made my way to Makuhari for a movie and some plain chillin’ talking and relaxing. :) I slept over that night as I missed last train.

The next morning I headed back home. I made a pit-stop in Akihabara to see if could pick up cheap, but decent headphones. No luck!

Later that evening I found out there was a horrific stabbing in Akihabara about half an hour after I had left. I was walking that area only minutes before! Read the full story here. It’s been big news the past couple of days. Quite sad and tragic. The man is in custody now, but unfortunately this after 7 were killed and number a injured. It’s already on wikipedia listed as the Akihabara Massacre!

Sunday
I was gonna head out to Andrew’s Housewarming Party near Saitama-shintoshin (another Andrew I know). But something came up which couldn’t be avoided. So in an attempt to salvage the night my friend came over to chill out and talk. Nothing too exciting, but it was nice and out of routine. So it’s approved! I like a routine, but sometimes you need change from the familiar.

It’s Tuesday as I write this. Sorry no real pictures, but I will be sure to get some from the others or from Facebook when they become available. Also Facebook is f*cking up my blog feed and the pictures are not displaying. But for this blog it’s not a concern. I just wanted to point out my frustration with this glith. That’s it for now!