It's Saturday just after noon, and I'm sitting here sipping a beer (Suntory The Premiun Malt's), snacking on moyashi (bean sprouts) and strawberries, and calling it a form of lunch while the pot of water boils on the stove for the laundry and I swish my straightened hair into and out of my face just for fun. Later I'll cook up some bacon for another snack/rest of lunch and hang the laundry outside to dry in the sunshine.
It's so warm that I've got the windows open and my hands aren't even bluing up.
At the store just now, I ran into one of my students who hardly recognized me. And don't get me wrong, I love my wavy hair.. I consider the color and consistency to kind of be part or representative of my personality; but I look older with it straightened (I just got it cut, so the guy just kind of does stuff to it), and tonight there is a sort of goth-Valentine party that I'm attending, so in those kind of situations I like to look a little like someone else.
The hairstylist did ask me again about doing a straight perm, and although I almost never consider changing my hair in such a way (color it, never, perm it, what for?), I had thought about his earlier question about it and to be honest, it might be fun to try. To me, I look like a stranger in straight hair, but I wonder what it would be like to get used to something like that..! And if I were ever in my life going to do it, June in Japan would be the time. That's the month where it rains every day, and no matter how I cut, dry, style, or attempt to tame this hair of mine, it refuses to do anything but explode upward in a frizzstorm of wild curling chaos. Oh but curls are so nice, you say, especially big loops like yours! Yeah, you haven't seen Japan in June. Neither mousse nor dryer has any say.
June was a rough month last year anyway, because every day rain means every day grey, and after a while, that crap wears you out.
Last February, if I recall correctly, was a little bit of a bear too. What's different this year?
Well for one thing, it's warmer now. And I'm not fool enough to think the cold is over, but I do believe the worst is over. I also believe that unlike last year, spring will come in March, not freaking May. Not that that makes a difference in either February. The other thing is Jermaine and how much better my life is without him. I mean, it's not something I think about every day, even, but when I do, I'm so glad to be going through a winter without that mess.
Jermaineless, I was able to go skiing last weekend with Adina. There's a snow park just about an hour up the road. Even then it had been warm for a couple of days, and by the afternoon, the snow was a bit slushy. It was only my second time skiing (and my ass has the bruise to prove it), but I really had a good time doing it. Back when we went to Takarazuka, we also stopped at the outlets for a total of like 45 minutes. I managed to find a good deal on some ski wear which I was buying both for ski trips and for Hokkaido. I got a pretty awesome teal jacket and some khaki-colored snow pants (which made me feel pretty invincible up in Hokkaido). The whole set had at some point been priced at around $600, but of course I would never have paid that much for these wonderful clothes, even if it is the brand that all the popular girls wear (Roxy). I just wanted ski clothes that would last me approximately forever.
While I was at the store, having accomplished the other goals I'd set for the morning (and all before noon! Hurrah!), I decided that I wanted a beer. The problem is that since Hokkaido, I've been more of a beer snob than before. We had some truly good brew up in Otaru that made me realize I'd been settling for the local nama all this time. So I bought two, with the intention of tasting them on a new quest to discover what beer that is widely available here I might like best.
The other news I have to report is, last night Rob came out to Shorinji class. It was excellent to be in a class for the first time with someone who speaks English, and also who is a black belt (and not just a shodan, either!). I was asked to do all my required test techniques on him, and learned a great deal from it. One thing that was totally different was.. Rob is tall. Every other person I have worked with has been approximately my own height (Japanese dudes) or way smaller (the kids). Fighting Rob was kinda scary (in that he's-not-actually-gonna-hurt-me kind of way.. you can always trust black belts' sense of control a lot better than any lower rank). Afterward, I asked him if he had any advice for me and he said "You really need to relax."
Excellent. Not "make sure you do this hand thing" or "kick harder," but "slow down." Which is of course, for me, perhaps the single hardest thing to do. Let go, stop freaking out, stop trying so damn hard. This is not a new suggestion to me, of course, but it is an important one. I try too hard sometimes. He said if I go to fast, even if I am doing something correctly, I might get marked down for it. Plus, doing a technique right will work even if it's done slowly. If you rush it, you can cheat it. Gaaah.
But it was a good class, and I feel like a good little karateka, or kempoka, or whatever I am. And you know what? Life is pretty good.
It's Saturday, bright and clear and warm, and as I pulled out of the parking lot, I sipped my strawberry milk. Yep, that's good.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Randomness Roundup
There is so much to do. so much going on, that I think I may be losing it.
But it has been a pleasant way to go.
I really do want to write about Hokkaido.. I haven't even looked at the photos I did manage to offload from my camera. It really was amazing. I really do have things to share, about Japan, and my adventures.
But right now, my mind is kind of in this loop. Let me tell you what that's like:
I keep listening to the Zed soundtrack, like kind of obsessively. I like driving just so I can listen to it. I drove to work today (partly because I didn't want to rush for the bus). I've just now remembered that I can leave the CD in the car and still listen to the music in my house because I have the CD on my hard drive. Score! I keep listening to it because there's something in it that is driving forward the ideas for that novel I haven't actually started-- and taking notes for it doesn't count because that file got corrupted and whoosh-- there they went, just the other day!
I have been totally entranced by the vocal talents of that CD's lead male singer, whose beautiful voice (srsly, find one of his Zed songs, or get me to send you something) intimidated me as it inspired, until I pulled out the CD booklet and looked him up. Surely, I thought, he must be a foreign starlet of some kind, maybe a minor opera star from like, Italy, or something.
Um, no, he's totally from Huntsville, Alabama, and can be found at his website. Whatever, he's still making me want to write my novel.
WHICH is so poorly timed, because really, I have a lot to do. I'm trying to put the Hyogo Times out again, on time again, and this month has been pretty short! And I have to plan my summer strategy.. like, am I going to go to the US, and exactly when will I hope to do that? I have to plan that by the 4th of March, and fill out the forms for Tokyo Orientation (so I can go volunteer there rather than sit around in the nice hot dusty inaka). I also have to fill out the response forms for the Shorinji Kempo meeting happening in Okayama, also by the 4th. And I mean, it's not a huge thing, but forms in all Japanese just get pushed off to the side because, jeez, who wants to deal with all that right this moment?
Oh and speaking of the 4th, heh, that is my Shorinji Kempo testing date. A while back, I set my status as something like "In my day, we had to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways, with a hot potato in my pocket to keep my hands warm, and then I ate if for lunch, AND I LIKED IT!" This was based on many things, one of which was that I was in fact carrying something to work to keep my hands warm, then consuming it after arrival (it was a cup of milk tea). The other was a sense of badassery brought on by reading about someone else's martial arts test which lasted three hours.
Three hours! Well. In MY day, karate tests lasted six, and they were outside, with the ants! And the deer poo! Under the hot Georgia sun!
But. They were also conducted in my first language and I trained for, like, ever before I even considered it. My teachers wouldn't let me test unless I was a sure-fire pass (barring, I don't know, passing out or whatever). Because you don't test to pass. You test to experience that six-hour-outdoor-extravaganza!
Anyway, until today I have been a little majorly stressed about that little thing, and it's rough when something you do for fun or to blow off steam becomes another of your stressors! But tonight for some reason, it was going okay. I figure, there's a good chance that something will happen at the test for which I am not at all prepared, and I will just have to go with the flow. Because no matter how shikkarily I try to prepare, there's always something, around here, always something. (I tried to get "lemon" in kanji on my gi, but it was too difficult for the embroidery machines..! So it'll be in katakana)
And of course, graduation coming up. I might be writing letters.. to all those damn cats. Because I don't see how I can just write congratulatory cards to the ones I like. That would be, like, unfair. Unfair as the way some of them talk to me, and some of them try in class, and some of them study.. and some don't.
I'm also beginning a prefectural events/news round up. Not prefectural. NATIONAL. By prefecture. Which means signing up for every info letter available (which I have not yet done) and combing them for interesting tidbits to post on a central location. Yeah. I broke my New Year's resolution for this.
And then, finals are happening, which means more elementary school than ever, the planning for which is my biggest official time consumer.. which is okay when at the middle school I have no classes. But I do, for some reason, despite finals coming, I have a lot of classes. There has not been a day with less than four classes in over a week.. it's been averaging around five (I hear from others that their periods of classlessness have already begun)!
And what the hell, the laundry still wants doing, and the dishes want washing? Don't I have someone to do this stuff for me? Menial tasks like clearing up or driving to the store, or vacuuming?!
Spring break is coming! Do you have your tickets? I think I'll just take the train south until I run out of money. Just kidding.. I'm going south to see my high school friend Manderines in her brand newly acquired home and job in Kyushu. Might stop along the way in Kita-Kyushu.. the.. birthplace.. of.. Yoshukai.
Send Derg!
But it has been a pleasant way to go.
I really do want to write about Hokkaido.. I haven't even looked at the photos I did manage to offload from my camera. It really was amazing. I really do have things to share, about Japan, and my adventures.
But right now, my mind is kind of in this loop. Let me tell you what that's like:
I keep listening to the Zed soundtrack, like kind of obsessively. I like driving just so I can listen to it. I drove to work today (partly because I didn't want to rush for the bus). I've just now remembered that I can leave the CD in the car and still listen to the music in my house because I have the CD on my hard drive. Score! I keep listening to it because there's something in it that is driving forward the ideas for that novel I haven't actually started-- and taking notes for it doesn't count because that file got corrupted and whoosh-- there they went, just the other day!
I have been totally entranced by the vocal talents of that CD's lead male singer, whose beautiful voice (srsly, find one of his Zed songs, or get me to send you something) intimidated me as it inspired, until I pulled out the CD booklet and looked him up. Surely, I thought, he must be a foreign starlet of some kind, maybe a minor opera star from like, Italy, or something.
Um, no, he's totally from Huntsville, Alabama, and can be found at his website. Whatever, he's still making me want to write my novel.
WHICH is so poorly timed, because really, I have a lot to do. I'm trying to put the Hyogo Times out again, on time again, and this month has been pretty short! And I have to plan my summer strategy.. like, am I going to go to the US, and exactly when will I hope to do that? I have to plan that by the 4th of March, and fill out the forms for Tokyo Orientation (so I can go volunteer there rather than sit around in the nice hot dusty inaka). I also have to fill out the response forms for the Shorinji Kempo meeting happening in Okayama, also by the 4th. And I mean, it's not a huge thing, but forms in all Japanese just get pushed off to the side because, jeez, who wants to deal with all that right this moment?
Oh and speaking of the 4th, heh, that is my Shorinji Kempo testing date. A while back, I set my status as something like "In my day, we had to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways, with a hot potato in my pocket to keep my hands warm, and then I ate if for lunch, AND I LIKED IT!" This was based on many things, one of which was that I was in fact carrying something to work to keep my hands warm, then consuming it after arrival (it was a cup of milk tea). The other was a sense of badassery brought on by reading about someone else's martial arts test which lasted three hours.
Three hours! Well. In MY day, karate tests lasted six, and they were outside, with the ants! And the deer poo! Under the hot Georgia sun!
But. They were also conducted in my first language and I trained for, like, ever before I even considered it. My teachers wouldn't let me test unless I was a sure-fire pass (barring, I don't know, passing out or whatever). Because you don't test to pass. You test to experience that six-hour-outdoor-extravaganza!
Anyway, until today I have been a little majorly stressed about that little thing, and it's rough when something you do for fun or to blow off steam becomes another of your stressors! But tonight for some reason, it was going okay. I figure, there's a good chance that something will happen at the test for which I am not at all prepared, and I will just have to go with the flow. Because no matter how shikkarily I try to prepare, there's always something, around here, always something. (I tried to get "lemon" in kanji on my gi, but it was too difficult for the embroidery machines..! So it'll be in katakana)
And of course, graduation coming up. I might be writing letters.. to all those damn cats. Because I don't see how I can just write congratulatory cards to the ones I like. That would be, like, unfair. Unfair as the way some of them talk to me, and some of them try in class, and some of them study.. and some don't.
I'm also beginning a prefectural events/news round up. Not prefectural. NATIONAL. By prefecture. Which means signing up for every info letter available (which I have not yet done) and combing them for interesting tidbits to post on a central location. Yeah. I broke my New Year's resolution for this.
And then, finals are happening, which means more elementary school than ever, the planning for which is my biggest official time consumer.. which is okay when at the middle school I have no classes. But I do, for some reason, despite finals coming, I have a lot of classes. There has not been a day with less than four classes in over a week.. it's been averaging around five (I hear from others that their periods of classlessness have already begun)!
And what the hell, the laundry still wants doing, and the dishes want washing? Don't I have someone to do this stuff for me? Menial tasks like clearing up or driving to the store, or vacuuming?!
Spring break is coming! Do you have your tickets? I think I'll just take the train south until I run out of money. Just kidding.. I'm going south to see my high school friend Manderines in her brand newly acquired home and job in Kyushu. Might stop along the way in Kita-Kyushu.. the.. birthplace.. of.. Yoshukai.
Send Derg!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Neko-gumi
I'm wearing "Festive-Funereal" to school today. I don't think I've done that before. I wore it to enkais and LNFs and Prisms, though. Basically it serves well at any function that is both a celebration and an ending. So, graduation parties are a good example. Anything that is a loss, but much more than a loss.
Today is my last class with the Cats.
And yeah it's like that. I think that the teachers were more impressed, overall, with the Dogs class that went before them. But if I am honest, I was too new when I struggled to get to know them. I was terrified of the Dogs, and their class, at that time. But the Cats have been special to me, at least, despite (because of?) their rougher edges, their less bright-shiny aspect. I feel a lot more connected with them. Also, my favorite students (so far) are all Cats.
My speech kids, my Sequim girls, "my" this or "my" that. I am a proud person, and I have adopted them to be proud of. I am thrilled, at least for those I know, and I believe in them, I think they have good hearts that will go a long way.
And I'll miss them. I love the old class president (also my speech boy). He has been, and I mean this, a joy to have in class. I am not sure I really understood that phrase that appeared on my report cards until this class came along. I would look at the schedule board and think, yes I have a bunch of class today, but I get to have him, or Kumi, or Maho, or Keisuke. I liked going to their classes, I hoped the random selection process of daily conversation would land on them, because I wanted to see what they would do or say when it did.
They have been bright sparks, fueling my curiousity and sometimes even hope.. every JET has those days where they think (realize?) that their job doesn't reeeally have all that much impact. But with a Kumi in your class, it isn't so. (I think my speech boy would shine with or without me, but I like to just sit back and spectate on that for some of them.. I like that I can understand a lot more of what gets said now).
The truth is, I love them, and I hate to lose them, even though I am happy for their futures. Some of them got into even better schools than I expected. They are really going places, even getting out of this small town.
So it's good. But, it's sad too. I'm reading them this, although we won't have time to translate all of it for them.
And I'm still so busy with getting ready for my Shorinji Kempo test (aaah!!! OMFG), trying to put out the March issue of Hyogo Times, along with a huge pile of elementary classes (stupid final exams in middle school)... That I don't have time to do what I would like to do. Which is sit here contemplatively; or go take a walk. Or just go hang out with them, watch them cut up.
Today is my last class with the Cats.
And yeah it's like that. I think that the teachers were more impressed, overall, with the Dogs class that went before them. But if I am honest, I was too new when I struggled to get to know them. I was terrified of the Dogs, and their class, at that time. But the Cats have been special to me, at least, despite (because of?) their rougher edges, their less bright-shiny aspect. I feel a lot more connected with them. Also, my favorite students (so far) are all Cats.
My speech kids, my Sequim girls, "my" this or "my" that. I am a proud person, and I have adopted them to be proud of. I am thrilled, at least for those I know, and I believe in them, I think they have good hearts that will go a long way.
And I'll miss them. I love the old class president (also my speech boy). He has been, and I mean this, a joy to have in class. I am not sure I really understood that phrase that appeared on my report cards until this class came along. I would look at the schedule board and think, yes I have a bunch of class today, but I get to have him, or Kumi, or Maho, or Keisuke. I liked going to their classes, I hoped the random selection process of daily conversation would land on them, because I wanted to see what they would do or say when it did.
They have been bright sparks, fueling my curiousity and sometimes even hope.. every JET has those days where they think (realize?) that their job doesn't reeeally have all that much impact. But with a Kumi in your class, it isn't so. (I think my speech boy would shine with or without me, but I like to just sit back and spectate on that for some of them.. I like that I can understand a lot more of what gets said now).
The truth is, I love them, and I hate to lose them, even though I am happy for their futures. Some of them got into even better schools than I expected. They are really going places, even getting out of this small town.
So it's good. But, it's sad too. I'm reading them this, although we won't have time to translate all of it for them.
And I'm still so busy with getting ready for my Shorinji Kempo test (aaah!!! OMFG), trying to put out the March issue of Hyogo Times, along with a huge pile of elementary classes (stupid final exams in middle school)... That I don't have time to do what I would like to do. Which is sit here contemplatively; or go take a walk. Or just go hang out with them, watch them cut up.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Winter Vacation: Kluang
M and I referred to Kluang as "the Shiso of Malaysia," and it became more and more apparent that this was the case the longer we stayed there.
In the bigger cities in Japan, it's not too hard to get around or make yourself understood in English. Many people speak it, if only a little. You need know no Japanese to get around in Tokyo. You can manage Kobe and Osaka, too, as well as lots of other big cities with a bit of willingness to look around for the English there. But if you get out in the countryside (liiiike Shiso?), fewer and fewer people really speak English. This isn't a problem for us in Japan, because we either know some Japanese or know people who do.. but Miriam and I would have only the phrases outlined in the guidebook, and no knowledge whatever.
Happily, Zul and his mother met us at the bus station, dissolving instantly our worries about not knowing either a, where we were in town, or b, how we would get in touch with them. They took us to dinner and we spent the evening enjoying their company.
We went back to their wide, airy home where we looked at some photos of childhood Zul before getting caught up in a Malaysian movie (Adnan Sempit) which was excellently bilingual (with subtitles switching between Malay and English at the screen bottom). The movie was a good illustration of the way people around us were often talking in Malaysia. It also made more apparent the way that English is kind of a class marker. The movie's protagonist is not good at English, but the high-born object of his affections (his boss) certainly is, and a Malaysian dude who has been spending time in London is threatening to steal her away. The movie was really fun, all the more so because Zul explained the points we would have otherwise missed, having not been steeped in Malaysian (popular) culture ourselves. Things like the meaning of the word sempit (narrow-minded), the culture of the motorbiking ruffians, etc. I don't know if you can find this movie in your local rental shop, and I of course would never advocate illegal downloading just so you might enjoy it, so...
The next morning, we went to breakfast at Zul's favorite coffee shop, Kluang Rail Coffee. It is an establishment of some renown, and that was where we first tried kaya (coconut jam). Our various breads came slathered in it, with slabs of butter wedged in too. It was heavenly. Zul's mom taught us how to properly open the soft-boiled eggs (after his attempt failed), and I also tried the cham, a brew of coffee grounds and tea leaves together.
Then we went to the post office and to a market area to shop for souveneirs. Most of the goods we brought back for friends (and selves), we got in the market at Kluang. Zul's mom even bargained with the shopkeepers for us, pulling the (already in ringgits) price down further.
On the way back, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant reported (by Zul) to have been the favorite of the old king.What stands out in my mind there, and in all of Kluang really, is the bougainvillea growing everywhere I looked. The restaurant had a picture of the old king up on the wall, and had the feel of a very classy, high-style hangout from a long time ago. Made me think of rich people in old movies.
After this, we needed to go catch our bus to KL, so we loaded up the car, exchanged hugs and promises to write, and M and I got one last look at Malaysian suburbia through the windows of the car.
The bus rolled north through tamed-jungle looking miles of ..maybe rubber trees? I don't really know. On our way to meet Anis in the capital, and our last stop!
In the bigger cities in Japan, it's not too hard to get around or make yourself understood in English. Many people speak it, if only a little. You need know no Japanese to get around in Tokyo. You can manage Kobe and Osaka, too, as well as lots of other big cities with a bit of willingness to look around for the English there. But if you get out in the countryside (liiiike Shiso?), fewer and fewer people really speak English. This isn't a problem for us in Japan, because we either know some Japanese or know people who do.. but Miriam and I would have only the phrases outlined in the guidebook, and no knowledge whatever.
Happily, Zul and his mother met us at the bus station, dissolving instantly our worries about not knowing either a, where we were in town, or b, how we would get in touch with them. They took us to dinner and we spent the evening enjoying their company.
| ||
| From Winter Vacation Part IV: Kluang to KL |
We went back to their wide, airy home where we looked at some photos of childhood Zul before getting caught up in a Malaysian movie (Adnan Sempit) which was excellently bilingual (with subtitles switching between Malay and English at the screen bottom). The movie was a good illustration of the way people around us were often talking in Malaysia. It also made more apparent the way that English is kind of a class marker. The movie's protagonist is not good at English, but the high-born object of his affections (his boss) certainly is, and a Malaysian dude who has been spending time in London is threatening to steal her away. The movie was really fun, all the more so because Zul explained the points we would have otherwise missed, having not been steeped in Malaysian (popular) culture ourselves. Things like the meaning of the word sempit (narrow-minded), the culture of the motorbiking ruffians, etc. I don't know if you can find this movie in your local rental shop, and I of course would never advocate illegal downloading just so you might enjoy it, so...
The next morning, we went to breakfast at Zul's favorite coffee shop, Kluang Rail Coffee. It is an establishment of some renown, and that was where we first tried kaya (coconut jam). Our various breads came slathered in it, with slabs of butter wedged in too. It was heavenly. Zul's mom taught us how to properly open the soft-boiled eggs (after his attempt failed), and I also tried the cham, a brew of coffee grounds and tea leaves together.
| ||
| From Winter Vacation Part IV: Kluang to KL |
Then we went to the post office and to a market area to shop for souveneirs. Most of the goods we brought back for friends (and selves), we got in the market at Kluang. Zul's mom even bargained with the shopkeepers for us, pulling the (already in ringgits) price down further.
| ||
| From Winter Vacation Part IV: Kluang to KL |
On the way back, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant reported (by Zul) to have been the favorite of the old king.What stands out in my mind there, and in all of Kluang really, is the bougainvillea growing everywhere I looked. The restaurant had a picture of the old king up on the wall, and had the feel of a very classy, high-style hangout from a long time ago. Made me think of rich people in old movies.
| ||
| From Winter Vacation Part IV: Kluang to KL |
| ||
| From Winter Vacation Part IV: Kluang to KL |
After this, we needed to go catch our bus to KL, so we loaded up the car, exchanged hugs and promises to write, and M and I got one last look at Malaysian suburbia through the windows of the car.
The bus rolled north through tamed-jungle looking miles of ..maybe rubber trees? I don't really know. On our way to meet Anis in the capital, and our last stop!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Rascism!
We had a little bit of a 'come to Jesus' moment with the cats' class today (no I didn't proselytize any of my Japanese students). I call them beloved ruffians because that's just what they are. One student in particular (actually one of my favorites, partly for these reasons) is extremely loud and playfully irreverent. He's good at doing voices and mocking or imitating tones, all of which make him an excellent student for me (if not for those having to teach him grammar and give him tests). He is the opposite of the feared silent-student, paralyzed by shyness.
I've called him out countless times for being loud, or being rude, but his playful irreverence, so useful in compelling him to talk, basically makes any attempt at sternness fall flat. Which is fine with me; I'd rather merrily point out that he's rude and that might be why he has no girlfriend (I told him this when he said some other guy's girl was chubby).
So today before class, he was playing with a piece of cardboard folded in thirds, which he discovered made a great Cyclops of the X-Men visor, and was playing with it as such here and there during class. At some point when everyone was supposed to be talking to their neighbor, discussing the answer to the little quiz we'd just done, I borrowed it from him and pretended to shoot lazers (SIC) from my eyes. He made a comment that blue eyes are the best, and I said it was too bad mine are green. The girls were like "really?" and I was like "..maybe." (Because in actual fact they are kinda blue, but look very green if I wear green)
They laughed, and in Japanese he went on to say whatever, it was cool, and mostly he thought brown eyes weren't pretty. "No, I don't like brown eyes, or black eyes. I hate Chinese people!" I sort of stopped shuffling the papers I'd gone back to the front podium to shuffle and stared at him. "Excuse me?" (in English) I was stunned by a blatant statement of racism, although I have heard lots of Japanese people feel this way about Chinese people. And as we wrapped up that moment, I told him, "You said a bad thing just now, and I am not impressed."
I knew he wouldn't understand all my words but I hoped my disapproval would be apparent anyway. But his inability to be serious was showing itself, and I wasn't sure whether to push the point. Luckily, Mikan-sensei stepped in right then. Normally he is really easygoing in the classroom, laughs a lot, and isn't overly strict on them. He gives the first impression of a young teacher whose students just love him; I always thought of him as very kind. But he can make students cry (maybe not this loud kid) when he gets serious.. it's always blown my mind when I'm in the staff room and a student is by his desk, and Mikan-sensei speaks to them in deadly quiet tones dripping with disapproval and the kids are just desperate to fix whatever it was they did wrong. Good lord. One first-year asked me if I thought Mikan-sensei kind, and I said yes. He told me, "Well, in club time, he's scary."
Anyway I almost didn't notice when he began because it was in Japanese and I thought we were just moving to the next part of the lesson. From what I could gather, he asked them "Why do we study English? Your entrance exams are already over, anyway, so why are we doing this?" and the loud kid responded with something I didn't understand, which I later imagined to be something about international citizens of the world, globalization, etc. Mikan-sensei asked "Oh is that why? Is that why you are studying?" and the loud kid said that was why he was, at least.
Mikan-sensei said something I didn't fully follow, but I heard the words "say bad things" in there. He paused, then added a bit about thinking before you open your mouth to speak.
It wasn't til just a moment ago I remembered his wife lived in China for a while (London, too; she's a cool lady, very international, her English is amazing!).
Anyway, he totally did exactly what I would have hoped to do with the moment were it my own class in my own language! Yay for internationalization!
I've called him out countless times for being loud, or being rude, but his playful irreverence, so useful in compelling him to talk, basically makes any attempt at sternness fall flat. Which is fine with me; I'd rather merrily point out that he's rude and that might be why he has no girlfriend (I told him this when he said some other guy's girl was chubby).
So today before class, he was playing with a piece of cardboard folded in thirds, which he discovered made a great Cyclops of the X-Men visor, and was playing with it as such here and there during class. At some point when everyone was supposed to be talking to their neighbor, discussing the answer to the little quiz we'd just done, I borrowed it from him and pretended to shoot lazers (SIC) from my eyes. He made a comment that blue eyes are the best, and I said it was too bad mine are green. The girls were like "really?" and I was like "..maybe." (Because in actual fact they are kinda blue, but look very green if I wear green)
They laughed, and in Japanese he went on to say whatever, it was cool, and mostly he thought brown eyes weren't pretty. "No, I don't like brown eyes, or black eyes. I hate Chinese people!" I sort of stopped shuffling the papers I'd gone back to the front podium to shuffle and stared at him. "Excuse me?" (in English) I was stunned by a blatant statement of racism, although I have heard lots of Japanese people feel this way about Chinese people. And as we wrapped up that moment, I told him, "You said a bad thing just now, and I am not impressed."
I knew he wouldn't understand all my words but I hoped my disapproval would be apparent anyway. But his inability to be serious was showing itself, and I wasn't sure whether to push the point. Luckily, Mikan-sensei stepped in right then. Normally he is really easygoing in the classroom, laughs a lot, and isn't overly strict on them. He gives the first impression of a young teacher whose students just love him; I always thought of him as very kind. But he can make students cry (maybe not this loud kid) when he gets serious.. it's always blown my mind when I'm in the staff room and a student is by his desk, and Mikan-sensei speaks to them in deadly quiet tones dripping with disapproval and the kids are just desperate to fix whatever it was they did wrong. Good lord. One first-year asked me if I thought Mikan-sensei kind, and I said yes. He told me, "Well, in club time, he's scary."
Anyway I almost didn't notice when he began because it was in Japanese and I thought we were just moving to the next part of the lesson. From what I could gather, he asked them "Why do we study English? Your entrance exams are already over, anyway, so why are we doing this?" and the loud kid responded with something I didn't understand, which I later imagined to be something about international citizens of the world, globalization, etc. Mikan-sensei asked "Oh is that why? Is that why you are studying?" and the loud kid said that was why he was, at least.
Mikan-sensei said something I didn't fully follow, but I heard the words "say bad things" in there. He paused, then added a bit about thinking before you open your mouth to speak.
It wasn't til just a moment ago I remembered his wife lived in China for a while (London, too; she's a cool lady, very international, her English is amazing!).
Anyway, he totally did exactly what I would have hoped to do with the moment were it my own class in my own language! Yay for internationalization!
Status: Less Cold Than Hokkaido. Kind of.
Hokkaido was, of course, amazing. I like being on vacation. I don't much like recovering from it!
As soon as I got back to work, I was thrown right into full-class days (five or six out of six.. in tomorrow's case, 7 our of 6, haha), excluding today which is only two (enabling me to catch up somewhat on the Hyogo Timez and plan for upcoming classes, and try to get a little Japanese handled, but not much on other things).
Of course the house is barely above "wreck" status, and I have no time for anything.
The photos will go up (and blow your mind) in a bit. But until then I've gotta be shikkari about my work! I think they're pulling me into class a lot now because it's nearly the end of the semester (seriously, where did it go?).. graduation is March 11th, and the oldest students have taken their major high school entrance exams. My last class with those beloved ruffians, the 3-nens (also called "the cats" in tagging) will be next Wednesday.
The others have finals coming up, so I have no idea what's going on with that. I'll spend several days in a row at elementary (which also requires much more intense planning) coming up, so I'll be prepping for that, too.
Just an update to let you know I'm alive and pretty genki (pretty genki, not 100%), and busy!
As soon as I got back to work, I was thrown right into full-class days (five or six out of six.. in tomorrow's case, 7 our of 6, haha), excluding today which is only two (enabling me to catch up somewhat on the Hyogo Timez and plan for upcoming classes, and try to get a little Japanese handled, but not much on other things).
Of course the house is barely above "wreck" status, and I have no time for anything.
The photos will go up (and blow your mind) in a bit. But until then I've gotta be shikkari about my work! I think they're pulling me into class a lot now because it's nearly the end of the semester (seriously, where did it go?).. graduation is March 11th, and the oldest students have taken their major high school entrance exams. My last class with those beloved ruffians, the 3-nens (also called "the cats" in tagging) will be next Wednesday.
The others have finals coming up, so I have no idea what's going on with that. I'll spend several days in a row at elementary (which also requires much more intense planning) coming up, so I'll be prepping for that, too.
Just an update to let you know I'm alive and pretty genki (pretty genki, not 100%), and busy!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Denki carpet! ...and socks. Etc.
Here I sit, windows open on this grey Sunday afternoon, about 12 degrees in here, but I like the smell of the air enough to just wear a coat and double socks.
Socks have been my latest quest at the clothing store. Socks and carpets. I used to hate socks, as you might if you lived in a place where the best state of feet was bare, and socks just meant you were wearing shoes. But if your apartment isn't heated and your floors are made of tatami mat or linoleum-wood, well..
At some point in the past (Kansas) I had bought some long socks to reach above the knee. I kind of wish I had done this sooner; I might have been more comfortable in Tennessee had I not continued daily to venture out in thin or ankle-cut socks. Alas.
But my long socks are thin, and many of them are made of synthetic material. You might not think this is a big deal, and maybe it's not, but if your feet have to spend exactly all day long (excepting only the time you are darting to/standing in the shower) inside of socks, you might find that cotton socks make your feet sweat less, or breathe better, or something. So I developed the habit of wearing double socks (along with the rest of my double clothing habits). I would put on a pair of the old cotton ankle-socks, and over that don a longer pair.
But when you're wearing under-pants (leggings under your pants), you don't need knee-length socks, because you can just tuck your under-pants into shorter (though not ankle-cut) socks! so I started longing for good old regular cotton thick-woven things that were not threadbare excuses for white socks I had owned in some other life.
So I went to the damn store. I didn't know the kanji for cotton (though I figured it out), but words like "acrylic" and "polyester" are written in katakana, so I avoided socks in which those were the first listed ingredients. I had seen the kanji for "wool" before (羊毛) and the last part with the hook is recognizeable, and finally found cotton (綿) socks. I bought many pairs in many patterns and colors.. a few with the familiar "Wrangler" logo on them. And so I was made happier.
I also wanted to find a decent-sized carpet to put under my kotatsu. The one I had was about the same size as the kotatsu, so anytime I wanted to slide the table over a little, the rug just got bunched up underneath it. I wanted a big, nearly room-sized, soft thing that would tempt me to lie down on it. I stared for a long time at the furnishings, finally deducing that the 'rugs' I wanted were actually bedcovers (wtf?) and eventually picked a white-ish (hahahaha) one of large proportions.
I also saw a runner that looks like this:
I had to get it because I could use a rug in front of the kitchen sink, and it says "The character of the sheep is quiet and gentle." I like to have ridiculous things. It too is soft, though the sheepy parts are greying a bit.
But the final coup occurred at Setsubun on Thursday night. Setsubun is the beginning of the end of winter.. whereas the solstice is the turnaround point for the light but the start of winter, setsubun is kind of the midwinter time halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox. The light is halfway back! I went up to Iwa Jinja with E-Love to partake in the festivities. I was hoping to see more of my favorite kids, but instead we ended up standing by the giant fire eating tai-yaki and choco-bananas until a drunkish man came along to talk with us at length. We also bought a bunch of lottery-esque tickets which won us a great deal of Qoo (a sort of orange-juice drink), snacks (caramel corn! I'm eating it now.. it's kind of like cheesy poofs, only caramel), and soda. Oh, and I won a denki carpet.
The lottery thing was set up so that you pulled little flags out of bundles in the hands of shrine guys. Out of five times, I got "ku".. ku was the lowest you could get, or level 7 (hence the juice and snack prizes to choose from.. someone snagged the last dishsoap before I could get any of that). E-Love got some 7s, but also some 6s, which is one step up. But one of my pulls was "wo" which was level 3! Amongst the choices were wheelbarrows, and weed whckers. "What can I get?" I asked the guy at the window. He named the stuff I had seen, and gestured to some cardboard boxes, "oh and denki carpet."
"Denki-carpet?!"
"Also we have kerosene tanks. Do you want one of those?"
"Denki carpet."
Denki means "electric." Think of an electric blanket. Yeeeeaaaaah. Osaki-san has a denki-carpet under the dining room table, but it's the sort of thing I would never buy myself, assuming as I do that they are expensive and that I have nowhere to put such a thing. They belong in real houses, not my apartment. But of course I gleefully took my denki-carpet home and found a place. Right under my feet where I currently sit. Munchin on caramel corn and contemplating
Socks have been my latest quest at the clothing store. Socks and carpets. I used to hate socks, as you might if you lived in a place where the best state of feet was bare, and socks just meant you were wearing shoes. But if your apartment isn't heated and your floors are made of tatami mat or linoleum-wood, well..
At some point in the past (Kansas) I had bought some long socks to reach above the knee. I kind of wish I had done this sooner; I might have been more comfortable in Tennessee had I not continued daily to venture out in thin or ankle-cut socks. Alas.
But my long socks are thin, and many of them are made of synthetic material. You might not think this is a big deal, and maybe it's not, but if your feet have to spend exactly all day long (excepting only the time you are darting to/standing in the shower) inside of socks, you might find that cotton socks make your feet sweat less, or breathe better, or something. So I developed the habit of wearing double socks (along with the rest of my double clothing habits). I would put on a pair of the old cotton ankle-socks, and over that don a longer pair.
But when you're wearing under-pants (leggings under your pants), you don't need knee-length socks, because you can just tuck your under-pants into shorter (though not ankle-cut) socks! so I started longing for good old regular cotton thick-woven things that were not threadbare excuses for white socks I had owned in some other life.
So I went to the damn store. I didn't know the kanji for cotton (though I figured it out), but words like "acrylic" and "polyester" are written in katakana, so I avoided socks in which those were the first listed ingredients. I had seen the kanji for "wool" before (羊毛) and the last part with the hook is recognizeable, and finally found cotton (綿) socks. I bought many pairs in many patterns and colors.. a few with the familiar "Wrangler" logo on them. And so I was made happier.
I also wanted to find a decent-sized carpet to put under my kotatsu. The one I had was about the same size as the kotatsu, so anytime I wanted to slide the table over a little, the rug just got bunched up underneath it. I wanted a big, nearly room-sized, soft thing that would tempt me to lie down on it. I stared for a long time at the furnishings, finally deducing that the 'rugs' I wanted were actually bedcovers (wtf?) and eventually picked a white-ish (hahahaha) one of large proportions.
I also saw a runner that looks like this:
 |
| Baa. |
I had to get it because I could use a rug in front of the kitchen sink, and it says "The character of the sheep is quiet and gentle." I like to have ridiculous things. It too is soft, though the sheepy parts are greying a bit.
But the final coup occurred at Setsubun on Thursday night. Setsubun is the beginning of the end of winter.. whereas the solstice is the turnaround point for the light but the start of winter, setsubun is kind of the midwinter time halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox. The light is halfway back! I went up to Iwa Jinja with E-Love to partake in the festivities. I was hoping to see more of my favorite kids, but instead we ended up standing by the giant fire eating tai-yaki and choco-bananas until a drunkish man came along to talk with us at length. We also bought a bunch of lottery-esque tickets which won us a great deal of Qoo (a sort of orange-juice drink), snacks (caramel corn! I'm eating it now.. it's kind of like cheesy poofs, only caramel), and soda. Oh, and I won a denki carpet.
 |
| Choco-bananas! |
"Denki-carpet?!"
"Also we have kerosene tanks. Do you want one of those?"
"Denki carpet."
Denki means "electric." Think of an electric blanket. Yeeeeaaaaah. Osaki-san has a denki-carpet under the dining room table, but it's the sort of thing I would never buy myself, assuming as I do that they are expensive and that I have nowhere to put such a thing. They belong in real houses, not my apartment. But of course I gleefully took my denki-carpet home and found a place. Right under my feet where I currently sit. Munchin on caramel corn and contemplating
"What I'm Reading"
Because of construction along the river, my commute has nearly doubled in time. I am consistently late for the morning meeting, missing it entirely. My VP says he thinks I am stressed about it.
Actually I'm not bothered at all. Aside from making extra sure I don't miss the bus (because driving yourself through the waiting turns of traffic IS actually stressful.. also then your lateness belongs entirely to you and is not the fault of the 'silly rules that make you take the bus'), I'm kind of enjoying the extra time. It makes it much more necessary for me to take a book along, but it also makes it much more rewarding to take a book along.
I realized after finishing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo that my construction-road companions had become that book's characters. I was resistant at first to pick up a different story. I get like that sometimes.
I also have a tendency to be unduly influenced in thought pattern by what I am reading at the time. So I figured I'd keep a little bit on the sidebar letting you know what I'm consuming every morning from 7:30 to 8:10 (and beyond). Just another little 'what's up' I guess. So you can ask me how something was, or tell me what you thought of it when you read it years ago, or whatever.
Actually I'm not bothered at all. Aside from making extra sure I don't miss the bus (because driving yourself through the waiting turns of traffic IS actually stressful.. also then your lateness belongs entirely to you and is not the fault of the 'silly rules that make you take the bus'), I'm kind of enjoying the extra time. It makes it much more necessary for me to take a book along, but it also makes it much more rewarding to take a book along.
I realized after finishing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo that my construction-road companions had become that book's characters. I was resistant at first to pick up a different story. I get like that sometimes.
I also have a tendency to be unduly influenced in thought pattern by what I am reading at the time. So I figured I'd keep a little bit on the sidebar letting you know what I'm consuming every morning from 7:30 to 8:10 (and beyond). Just another little 'what's up' I guess. So you can ask me how something was, or tell me what you thought of it when you read it years ago, or whatever.
Winter Vacation: Singapore
Crammed back into a tiny airline seat, rushed around by harried airline workers, we endured some more horribly noisy children until touching down in one of the nicest airports in the world. Singapore's airport fee, I noticed when buying, was quite a bit higher than any of the other airports we were using for this trip. When we got there, I understood why.
Clean, sleek, and very modern, we passed through to the metro system, following directions carefully copied on my travel sheet. Signs in the metro proclaimed fines for messing with the alarms at $500 SD. (Singapore dollars are about twice the value of Malaysian ringgits, so around 60 or 65 cents each) Eating or drinking on the train would be $50. They don't mess around.
We found our hostel, Sleepy Sam's, neat and friendly and on a well-visited street not accessible to cars. The top of the street is dominated by the golden domes of the Sultan Mosque, and the area is lined with trees, shops, and restaurants. I recommend it to anyone seeking a budget place in Singapore! We dropped off our stuff, showered gratefully in the strangely-open-air bathroom (the sink area, not the shower itself), and got a late lunch in a nearby Turkish restaurant, plotting our next move.
In Singapore, the thing I most wanted to see was the zoo, as I'd read reviews about it being very impressive (I guess especially when compared to most zoos in Asia). There were also the botanical gardens, and then the city's districts (Little India, Chinatown, etc.) which were already familiar concepts to us from Penang, as well as reading about KL.
We also needed to get bus tickets to Kluang for the following afternoon. This proved to be much more difficult than I anticipated, mostly because the bus companies could not understand why we wanted to go to Kluang (if they in fact knew of the place). Everyone assumed we wanted to go to Klang, which is near KL. Not so, we wanted that town in the middle of Johor. ("Johor Bahru?" "No, Kluang. Right here?") We finally found a coach and booked some tickets.
We decided to go to the botanical gardens first, then make our way to the Night Safari, a complex next door to the zoo and the world's only night zoo. It's a great concept, especially since everyone's had that zoo day where all the animals were asleep.
The botanical gardens were gorgeous, but a rain started just after we arrived, and did not let up until after dark. I was disappointed because I had really wanted to explore the gardens better, but what we did get to see was pretty cool.
We had dinner at Subway in one of the big modern buildings, excited that we could get our hands on those cookies (which the Japanese Subway for some reason LACKS). I spilled my entire cup of tea at Miriam (luckily, only a little bit actually got on the white lacy dress she wore) after tasting it and finding my combination of flavors displeasing yet myself unable to get free refills. Then we got on a bus and went to the Night Safari.
I don't have any photos of that, unfortunately, because it was a no-flash zone. We saw an animal show which was really cool. The otters were the best. All the zoo-related shows had conservationist undertones messages, naturally, so they had three otters come out to pick up paper cups, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans and put them in the correct recycling bins. The first two were done in a flash and getting their treats, but the alumican guy became mesmerized by the shiny thing it was carrying and spun the thing around for a very long time. The host laughed and said something about "quality control," and it did look like the creature was possibly checking to make sure this was in fact an aluminum can before putting it in the bin, but I thought it was hilariously cute to see the otter twirl that can. It happened a lot less on the second can, and the otters left the stage.
We saw a lot of nocturnal and semi-nocturnal animals doing their thing. Took a ride on the tram, and by the end of that, it was nearly closing time, and we were exhausted. We took a cap back to our hostel, telling the driver we wanted to go to the Sultan Mosque. He was a new driver, and also quite worried about our safety since it was late and we were asking to be dropped off somewhere a bit away from the main road. We kept saying our hotel was there, but he didn't really believe us because there were no "hotels" there, actually. We fell asleep pretty fast upon return.
The next morning after complimentary breakfast and handing over my laundry to be washed while I frolicked, we set out for the zoo, where we spent most of the day; the Singapore Zoo is world class, though it also made me realize that I've been to a couple world-class zoos in my life. We had a good time and enjoyed some shows and watched some animals. I could have sat and watched some of the animals for a lot longer, but our bus was at 5 and we had a lot to do before then.
Fun fact: the word orang utan is Malaysian for "man of the forest".. I had wondered about this when I saw mentions of the "Orang Asli" in the guidebook, wondering why this name for primates was being applied to a group of people native to Malaysia. But I later realized, it goes the other way. "Orang" is the term used for a people. The orangutans are certainly people-like, too. One sat right next to the glass on one side of the enclosure and looked up at us with eyes to which it was impossible not to ascribe human qualities.
Once we got back, it was getting fairly late. I showered while Miriam got some souveneirs, then we went to catch our bus. I realized upon getting to the bus place that I hadn't gotten my air-dry items from the laundry yet, so I actually jogged all the way back to the hostel to get them.
There were three people on the bus (including us two) and I was baffled as to why they even ran buses to Kluang at all, much less twice a day. Spent the bus trip as it has become my custom to.. mostly writing postcards. Once we crossed the border and stopped in Johor Bahru, the bus filled up with loud-talking passengers and a really intense movie came on the TV screen (about a kidnapped kid and his desperate, taxi-driving father).. we didn't get to see the end of the movie! ...but that was because we had arrived in Kluang!
Bye Singapore!
Clean, sleek, and very modern, we passed through to the metro system, following directions carefully copied on my travel sheet. Signs in the metro proclaimed fines for messing with the alarms at $500 SD. (Singapore dollars are about twice the value of Malaysian ringgits, so around 60 or 65 cents each) Eating or drinking on the train would be $50. They don't mess around.
 |
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
We found our hostel, Sleepy Sam's, neat and friendly and on a well-visited street not accessible to cars. The top of the street is dominated by the golden domes of the Sultan Mosque, and the area is lined with trees, shops, and restaurants. I recommend it to anyone seeking a budget place in Singapore! We dropped off our stuff, showered gratefully in the strangely-open-air bathroom (the sink area, not the shower itself), and got a late lunch in a nearby Turkish restaurant, plotting our next move.
| |||
 |
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
In Singapore, the thing I most wanted to see was the zoo, as I'd read reviews about it being very impressive (I guess especially when compared to most zoos in Asia). There were also the botanical gardens, and then the city's districts (Little India, Chinatown, etc.) which were already familiar concepts to us from Penang, as well as reading about KL.
 |
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
We also needed to get bus tickets to Kluang for the following afternoon. This proved to be much more difficult than I anticipated, mostly because the bus companies could not understand why we wanted to go to Kluang (if they in fact knew of the place). Everyone assumed we wanted to go to Klang, which is near KL. Not so, we wanted that town in the middle of Johor. ("Johor Bahru?" "No, Kluang. Right here?") We finally found a coach and booked some tickets.
We decided to go to the botanical gardens first, then make our way to the Night Safari, a complex next door to the zoo and the world's only night zoo. It's a great concept, especially since everyone's had that zoo day where all the animals were asleep.
The botanical gardens were gorgeous, but a rain started just after we arrived, and did not let up until after dark. I was disappointed because I had really wanted to explore the gardens better, but what we did get to see was pretty cool.
 |
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
We had dinner at Subway in one of the big modern buildings, excited that we could get our hands on those cookies (which the Japanese Subway for some reason LACKS). I spilled my entire cup of tea at Miriam (luckily, only a little bit actually got on the white lacy dress she wore) after tasting it and finding my combination of flavors displeasing yet myself unable to get free refills. Then we got on a bus and went to the Night Safari.
I don't have any photos of that, unfortunately, because it was a no-flash zone. We saw an animal show which was really cool. The otters were the best. All the zoo-related shows had conservationist undertones messages, naturally, so they had three otters come out to pick up paper cups, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans and put them in the correct recycling bins. The first two were done in a flash and getting their treats, but the alumican guy became mesmerized by the shiny thing it was carrying and spun the thing around for a very long time. The host laughed and said something about "quality control," and it did look like the creature was possibly checking to make sure this was in fact an aluminum can before putting it in the bin, but I thought it was hilariously cute to see the otter twirl that can. It happened a lot less on the second can, and the otters left the stage.
We saw a lot of nocturnal and semi-nocturnal animals doing their thing. Took a ride on the tram, and by the end of that, it was nearly closing time, and we were exhausted. We took a cap back to our hostel, telling the driver we wanted to go to the Sultan Mosque. He was a new driver, and also quite worried about our safety since it was late and we were asking to be dropped off somewhere a bit away from the main road. We kept saying our hotel was there, but he didn't really believe us because there were no "hotels" there, actually. We fell asleep pretty fast upon return.
The next morning after complimentary breakfast and handing over my laundry to be washed while I frolicked, we set out for the zoo, where we spent most of the day; the Singapore Zoo is world class, though it also made me realize that I've been to a couple world-class zoos in my life. We had a good time and enjoyed some shows and watched some animals. I could have sat and watched some of the animals for a lot longer, but our bus was at 5 and we had a lot to do before then.
| ||
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
Fun fact: the word orang utan is Malaysian for "man of the forest".. I had wondered about this when I saw mentions of the "Orang Asli" in the guidebook, wondering why this name for primates was being applied to a group of people native to Malaysia. But I later realized, it goes the other way. "Orang" is the term used for a people. The orangutans are certainly people-like, too. One sat right next to the glass on one side of the enclosure and looked up at us with eyes to which it was impossible not to ascribe human qualities.
| |||
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
| |||
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
Once we got back, it was getting fairly late. I showered while Miriam got some souveneirs, then we went to catch our bus. I realized upon getting to the bus place that I hadn't gotten my air-dry items from the laundry yet, so I actually jogged all the way back to the hostel to get them.
 |
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
There were three people on the bus (including us two) and I was baffled as to why they even ran buses to Kluang at all, much less twice a day. Spent the bus trip as it has become my custom to.. mostly writing postcards. Once we crossed the border and stopped in Johor Bahru, the bus filled up with loud-talking passengers and a really intense movie came on the TV screen (about a kidnapped kid and his desperate, taxi-driving father).. we didn't get to see the end of the movie! ...but that was because we had arrived in Kluang!
 |
| From Winter Vacation Part III: Singapore |
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Decent
You're probably wondering, did she even go to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur? I haven't seen any evidence.
Don't worry.. those posts are coming.
For now I've got this to share: Hyogo Times Online
I spent Sunday night in a gleeful reverie, as you may have read. Then I spent Monday harried and wanting to tear out all my hair by the roots, rushed and irrational and pissed off for no good reason because people were just being jerks is all, only they weren't really. Also I had four classes and then one period of standing in the freezing gym while the kids received a bosai lecture about how to handle fires and earthquakes.
Monday night, my HT staff members rallied (turns out, they are actually rock stars, and not the 'jerks' I spent all midday believing every last person on earth to be) and I woke up Tuesday happy and ready to roll.
The website is under construction. I gave both my designer and my web editor long laundry lists of notes about changes of all varieties. Not everything is quite finished, but it's in the works. And it's decent, for now.
Don't worry.. those posts are coming.
For now I've got this to share: Hyogo Times Online
I spent Sunday night in a gleeful reverie, as you may have read. Then I spent Monday harried and wanting to tear out all my hair by the roots, rushed and irrational and pissed off for no good reason because people were just being jerks is all, only they weren't really. Also I had four classes and then one period of standing in the freezing gym while the kids received a bosai lecture about how to handle fires and earthquakes.
Monday night, my HT staff members rallied (turns out, they are actually rock stars, and not the 'jerks' I spent all midday believing every last person on earth to be) and I woke up Tuesday happy and ready to roll.
The website is under construction. I gave both my designer and my web editor long laundry lists of notes about changes of all varieties. Not everything is quite finished, but it's in the works. And it's decent, for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)