2005-11-28

Still Sick

Man... this blows... It's 5 days before the stupid JLPT and I'm still sick... meaning that the only thing that I can think about when I get home from work is crawling under my wonderful duvet and sleeping until the sun comes up again (because usually by the time I get home, the sun has already set)... needless to say, my studying is not going as planned. I have my Japanese lesson tonight so hopefully I can get some of my grammar issues sorted out before Sunday. I just need a 60%...
On the Okinawa front, things are progressing very slowly as well. I just haven't had the time to plan due to the JLPT consuming most of my thoughts these days. It's also the last week of classes before the December finals so it's a busy time at work too. Homework to finish correcting, speeches and skits to watch... It will all be over in just a few days though... and then I get rewarded with 4 days at Showa Shogakko (^_^) Gambarimasu.
Now it's time for more studying and hot chocolate.

2005-11-25

I Need to Start Reading...

My homepage is set to the BBC World website, and since many JETs here in Nara are usually up to date on American political events, I'm usually pretty well informed as to what is going on in the world outside of Japan... with one minor exception: Canada... You'd think that seeing as it is my home country, I'd be a little bit more interested in goings-on back home but let's face it, as much as I love Canada, Canadian politics is less than riveting...
So today, I opened the BBC and under the "Americas" heading, it says "No-confidence vote for Canada PM"... I'm thinking: WTF?! Where the heck have I been? On the moon?! Wasn't there a no-confidence vote in the summer? There is going to be another one? Why doesn't anybody tell me these things?! So after further investigation, I realized that I have indeed been living under a rock. If the reports are indeed correct, it looks like the Liberals aren't going to be in power for much longer... I need to follow the blogosphere a little bit more religiously...

2005-11-22

Maybe.... Just Maybe

Being home alone stinks. And it stinks worse when you're sick... However, my gimpiness gave me the opportunity to study Japanese. I just did a JLPT practice test, in full, with the time limits and everything, and I got a 71%... Ok so it's not great but it's a passing grade. I got a 62/100 in the vocabulary part, an 85/100 on the listening (!) and a 139/200 on the grammar (which would have been higher if not for the stupid honourifics... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... I can't express how much I hate that stuff...) for a grand total of 286/400. I need 240 to pass. So I have 2 more weeks to study and if I study hard enough, maybe I can get over 80%... but I'm not banking on it because I relied a lot on guesswork in the one I just did.
Here's hoping.

2005-11-21

Sick Malade Can't Travaille...

Well my immune system is apparently not very strong... it's barely started getting cold and I'm already sick. Didn't take me long. Last year this time I was sick as well. However, last year, I had a lingering cold until January. Hopefully this year it won't last that long.
I'm at school, probably infecting everyone around me though... I wish I could have called in sick but unfortunately there is no such thing as sick leave in my contract unless I actually go to the doctor and get a prescription. Otherwise I have to take a vacation day. And my vacation days are precious.... I don't need drugs, people... I just need sleep.
Tomorrow is "Labour Thnksgiving Day" in Japan. Holiday. Hooray! If I'm not dying, I'll probably be going to Kyoto again to check out the Tetsugaku no Michi i.e. the Path of Philosophy. The autumn colours are supposed to be at their peak. I'll post pics again too.

2005-11-16

Bye Bye Backache!

It's getting cold here... My fleece shirts and my gorilla slippers have become my new best friends. It's probably not as cold as in Montreal but I swear that it's warmer outside the school than inside.

I had craptastic classes yesterday, cementing my position on returning home next summer. I had considered staying an extra year after my excellent weekend but on Wednesday I realized that I don't like my job enough to stay. I do indeed enjoy it most of the time but I doubt I could handle another year. I just don't feel like I'm making enough of a difference. I seem to have lost interested in teaching those who aren't interested in learning and I don't know if that's the way to go about it. The other teachers say yes but I just don't think it should be that way... Am I wrong? Am I just discouraging myself for nothing? Is there a such thing as caring too much?

I got a new mattress yesterday from the Moritanis. What a difference it made! I was so excited to have a comfortable futon that I went to sleep at 8:00PM... It was awesome! And best part, I didn't wake up with a sore back. Things are looking up in the sleep department. Hooray!

2005-11-15

Halloween Revisited


I know Halloween was over ages ago but I just couldn't pass this up... This is my puppy back home in Montreal ^^ Posted by Picasa


Supergirl pookie guarding the door... Posted by Picasa


Isn't she just the cutest pookie ever?! Posted by Picasa

2005-11-14

More pics...

OK well I promised pics from Halloween ages ago and here they are... If you are easily offended, don't look at Adam and Angie's costumes...
If you're checking this to see the pics from Jamie's birthday... scroll down to the previous post.

LOOP LINE
PARTY
The gang at Nabata Station.


Me and Aaron waiting for the train. No, I have no idea what my costume is. Maybe I'm a German beer girl...


On the Loop Line... Vinh and Virginia


Helen and Yohei... Kowaii


Pierrot crowd surfing... Dunno who this guy was but he ended up lodged between the ceiling and the baggage rack above the seats.

AJET HALLOWEEN













2005-11-13

My Awesome Weekend

Well this weekend certainly made up for the crappy one last week. It started off Friday. I had the day off because I worked Open Campus on Saturday. I spent Thursday night at the Moritanis. They made me dinner and then I watched Miss Congeniality 2 with Kimiyo and then went to sleep on the most comfortable futon ever... Unfortunately, I had to wake up at 5:30 the next morning because Kimiyo and her sister were taking me to a public market.
The market is in Osaka near Namba Station. Apparently, it's where all the restaurants in Osaka get their food. It was certainly pretty cool. I saw some of the strangest food. And I watched some guy take an electric saw to a tuna fish. I had no idea how big a tuna fish was... We wandered around the market from 6:30-8AM. Finally, we headed back and I got to take a short nap. ^^
I spent the rest of the day with the Moritanis. They made me lunch, I gave the twins their French lesson in the afternoon, Kimiyo helped me study Japanese and then for dinner we had nabe. I love nabe. But you already new that.
Saturday I was supposed to go to Kyoto on my own but Kimiyo asked me if I wanted company, so I said of course. So I went to Arashiyama with Kimiyo and her mom. My Japanese is getting better. I can feel it. I don't know if it's good enough to pass the exam but I'm certainly working on it. So I spent 6 hours with Kimiyo and her mom, checking out the temples and the fall colours. It was a perfect day! Not too warm, not too cold, sunny, blue skies. It was gorgeous. I had a great time.
I got home around 6PM but I wasn't there for long because I was off to Oji to meet up with people for Jamie's birthday. Started off at an izakaya and then we took a late train into Osaka. Spent the night at a fun little club called "Rock Rock", where, surprise surprise, they only play rock music. We left the club around 3AM with quite a few drinks in our system then crashed at a friend of a friend's. Got back to my place around 3:30PM and slept...
And now it is Monday. Back to the grind. I'm working this Saturday so it's another 6-day work week for me. yay... can't even contain my enthusiasm.

And now the pictures.... DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

Nabe dinner on Friday night...

Arashiyama... First stop. Crossing the Moon Bridge (渡月橋)

Maiko (Geisha in training) outside a silk dying (yuzen) workshop. It was my cultural activity for the day. Watching traditional methods of kimono making.

This is me in the most expensive thing I will ever wear. The people at the workshop seemed so happy to get a foreigner that they gave me the grand tour of their kimono workshop. This is an unfinished kimono and obi. The 2 pieces together are worth 3,100,000 yen (soit environs $40,000 CAD)... It takes 15 different skilled craftsmen and up to 6 months to make one of these babies!

A few autumn scenes...

This is the temple where I got my fortune. When you choose a fortune at the temple, you put 100 yen in the money box, then you shake another long box until a stick comes out. The stick has a number on it (I got #9) and then you pick up the fortune that matches that number. Each fortune is rated from worst to best. I got 大吉 (daikicchi) which is supposed to be the best fortune you can possibly get. YAY FOR ME!!!^^

And this is my illegal picture. I took this before I found out that it's forbidden to take pictures of the stone graves... oops.

A few choice pics from Jamie's party...

2005-11-10

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

...for Okinawa!!! December 24th... Just confirmed my flight! ^^ Round-trip for only 26,800 with one night in a hotel in Naha included! WOOHOO!!! What a bargain! Now I have something to look forward to!!! d(^_^)b

2005-11-09

Use Your Rockstar Know-How

Oh my God... I obtained last season's episodes of the Teen Titans from Zack and I've been watching them over the last few days or so. The theme song is performed by J-Pop "sensation" Puffy Ami Yumi, who are old hat here in Japan but apparently in America, they are quite popular with the young'uns. They even have their own cartoon on The Cartoon Network. It's called the Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Show: the happiest and funnest rock band cartoon invasion this side of the Pacific. Apparently someone wants to introduce J-Pop into America and this is the way they are going about it.

As an aside... for you non-Canadians who read my blog (all 2 of you), we don't get the Cartoon Network in Quebec unless you have satellite or digital cable or something of the sort (we get Teletoon which is lamer than lame... unless of course it's changed in the last 15 months but I doubt it... Ah Canadian protectionism. Gotta love it.)

Anyway, I was checking out the clips that they have on the CN website and I almost died laughing. Puffy Ami Yumi are cute little non-anime characters (oddly resembling the Powerpuff Girls actually) that sing in Japanese and English but when they start to talk, their voices sound oddly American...
I wonder what people in Japan would have to say about that...
And I thought the Japanese were gifted for making cartoons about nothing. Apparently, America isn't far behind. T-E-E-N-T-I-T-A-N-S, Teen Titans, LET'S GO! Yes, I know. I'm a geek. At least I don't watch Star Trek... anymore.

2005-11-08

Homesick

Man... I was checking out Katlos' pics on her website and I clicked on the album that had pics from Montreal. I miss home. I really should have gone home this Christmas, as originally planned... Everyone looks happy and fantastic and I feel so far away... I've been getting those bouts of homesickness more and more lately. Maybe it's because of the emotional rollercoaster I've been on this last month. But whatever.
Life in Japan is great for the most part but there are indeed some days that I'd give anything to be back home again. To be with the people I've known my whole life. I've learned so much in my 15 months here. I've had the experience of lifetime. I've made great friends here... But nothing beats the old crew, ya know... Sometimes I miss you guys so much! So this post is a shout out to all my friends back home... Thanks for the memories! Just because I'm on the other side of the world doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about you.

Katlos:
Whoop, there it is! Je t'adore! Je n'est vraiment plus rien à dire. Any more than that would be overkill... besides, sometimes words just aren't enough... I can't wait until you come see me next spring. Congrats on becoming an aunt... again.

Vicky: Even though you're not actually in Montreal anymore, I know that that's where your heart will always be. Hope to see you in the spring. I'll sing Tubthumping at karaoke just for you. Or maybe that other song we used to sing on our chairs in Physics class... Hope winter in Fort Mac won't be too harsh...

Caleb: My African God... I miss your bear hugs... I miss you... You were always the only person who really understood me and my issues. You're also the only one to have witnessed me at my wildest... Remember Marianopolis Rugby initiation? Two words... Saran... Wrap... ;) When I get back, you're taking me dancing!

Suzie: I never really properly congratulated you on your wedding. I really wish that I could have been there. Can you believe that we've been friends for almost 20 years?! Makes you feel like an old maid, huh? Oh wait... nevermind... makes me feel like an old maid ;)

Guillaume:
You have helped me understand a lot this last month and for that I thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you talking me through it all. It's always nice to be known as someone's first love. Oh, how long ago that was... You know, I still remember the day we met... big hair and a really strong stomach... the good old days ^_^

M-E:
Même si on ne se parle pas souvent, je pense toujours à toi. J'espère que tu pourras venir me voir au Japon avec la gang. Félicitations pour ton stage à Montréal. You can be my doctor any day ;)

Sean:
You may not know this, but those hours spent with you by the lake were always some of my favorite times. You are patient, Grasshopper... Not many people can listen to my endless whining without going insane... and I will always appreciate it. I know that you're stuck in "the town that fun forgot" right now but consider yourself lucky... at least it isn't Flin Flon.

Anna:
I don't even know if you know that my blog exists but nevertheless... I miss your stories, woman. You always had awesome stories. I hope to see you in Japan next spring as well. Ça sera serré avec 4 personnes dans mon apparte mais j'suis certaine que ça va aller.

Rosana: Where you at girl? Did you ever make it Venice or Vienna or wherever it is you were going to go? Ça fait des mois et je n'est aucune nouvelle de toi. Je vais faire mon barreau l'an prochain (probablement)... I'll be tracking you down, you can be sure of that.

I miss you guys...Sorry for using your pics Kat but I don't have any of my own...


To my oldest and dearest friends... so long and thanks for all the shoes...