So the cherry blossoms have come. I haven’t actually seen them so much, but I have heard they have arrived. Today at work we had a sakura party, but unfortuneatly it was raining hard as hell so we had to have the party just at school. Only about ten students came but it was a pretty fun relaxed party. We ate 20 bucks for a medium pizza, which is usual for Japan. The highlight was probably the students making me drink insane amounts of beer at one time because its so entertaining for them. People can drink in Japan, but chugging seems to be an unknown art form. So when I chug like half a beer I get applause. Cool.
Afterwords when one a first date with a new girl I just met. She’s bad at English but really wants to learn, and is so excited to talk to someone that speaks English that it was pretty fun. It’s never bad when someone is floored to talk to you, even if it just because of where you were born. She’s cutish, and this will make me sound like a dick, but I’m ready for a date with a hot girl. With this good weather it seems they are out more than ever. Now that I’ve had some experiences with some people, my next goal is to meet a true knock-out. See how I’m never satisfied? Oh the prison I live in my own head.
Soooo I took the Level 4 Japanese test and passed! By.5%. You have to get a 60%, and I got 60.5%. Talk about lame. I wasn’t happy. I know I technically passed, but 40% of that fucker I didn’t know. Ugh. More studying must commence. I should be happy of how far I have came. It has only been 3 months of studying and that test usual takes much longer to pass. But, yeah yeah I know
Today after my lesson I took some pictures of the sakura….. Here are the best..I’m not like a flower guy, but they do look pretty…
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Japanese of the Day…i’m tired so not much…
Sugoi! = Wow!
But it is used WAY more than wow is in English. Anything that mildly impresses you, just say sugoi! and your ok. trust me.
Guest Japanese Source = The Singer Ayaka
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Music of the Day…From Final Fantasy 3..”Aria de Mezzo Carattere” It’s amazing how much emotion this has, even though its shitty digital sound, with badly translated lyrics. Sometimes when a melody is good enough, it can just be amazing no matter how it is heard. It’s awesome.
You know when you that last hour of work comes and all you can think about it getting home and relazing? Well that happened to me, and THEN I got asked to go to karaoke with the kids teacher in my school. I was SOOOO against it in my head, but it seems she really wanted to go so I went. It turned out to be really fun. My song list…..I’m quickly learning the best songs for my voice in karaoke, but it just takes time haha… Ok
“More than a Feeling” – Boston
“I Would Do Anything for Love” – Meatloaf
“American Idiot” – Greenday
“Under the Sea” – Ummm the Little Mermaid
“Beauty and the Beast” – Ummm yeah the movie
“The Origin of Love” -= Hedwig and the Angry Itch <—my go-to song by far
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Japanese of the Day..My teacher just gave me the unofficial Level 4 the (lowest of 4) Japanese test. Not sure if I passed, but I asked for a copy after so I could study it… So here is a couple of questions- Maybe just one if it takes too long….
さかな たくさん ＿＿＿＿＿ います。
A. およぎて B. およぐて C. およいで D. およんで
さかな=fish たくさん=lots います=-ing
Ok so this question is trying to get the correct verb form of Oyogu(泳ぐ) which means swim.
So the correct answer is……. C. -te form of oyogu is… およいで
The fish are swimming a lot.
Next one…
その カメラ ＿＿＿＿ きのう かいました。
A. が B. は C. の D. で
その カメラ=that camera きのう=yesterday かいました=bought
Ok so particle question….
This one is difficult for me..so I might be incorrect, because A and B can be used so interchangeably.
But the sentence is saying..
I bought this camera yesterday.
My guess is C, but that’s an educated scribble on the scantron sheet.
Scantrons = only multiple choice tests… yesssssssss
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Music of the Day… I guess a song from karaoke… Meatloaf – “I would do anything for love” What is this song about? Does anyone actually know?
I haven’t wrote much recently. I think it’s mainly because I don’t want to really write about whats going on. Just girl drama that I don’t want. Be careful what you wish for.
Anyways, recently I have been doing a class about environmental issues with 2 of my classes. I always bring up the USA’s issue with the killing of whales by Japan for research. I don’t fully understand the issues so I really have no side on the subject. But, the conversation eventually leads to the old ways of killing whales, which involved spearing the animal and letting it swim untill the blood loss and fatigue kill it.
My students then point out we kill cows and pigs and such. Then I point out the way we kill those animals is usually instant death, like shocking or beheading. (even though from doing more research, it seems cutting of the throat is more popular)
Tough Video Warning..
Anyways when posing the question to my students of How would you rather die? The way of the whale, or the way of American beef?—EVERYONE has chosen the whale, spearing than waiting for death method.
The reason? Tradition
They say it is a tradition to die this way so it is much better than being not respected and just having your neck slit.
Interesting thought…. I would rather choose the neck slit, since it definitly involves less suffering, but it is interesting to hear how much tradition means to Japanese people, even in death.
What would you choose?
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Japanese of the Day..I guess some animals would be ok for this post…Let’s go Animal Farm on this bitch…
Music of the Day………Cool little video I found.チャットモンチー「ヒラヒラヒラク秘密ノ扉) Good luck with the title. But the band name is Chattomonchi! and the song name starts with birabirabirabirabira something. Its a cool little song
I think I have mono. I could always sleep if I wanted. If I lay down for any amount of time, I really could sleep. I guess I’m not worried, but it sucks sometimes. Don’t know what I should do, but I will just see if it stops eventually. Hopefully.
Japanese of the Day…Japanese has many verb forms…. For example..au(会う)…(meet)
1st Negative form: Awanai = I don’t meet
2nd Conjunctive form: Ai(masu/mashita) = I meet/met(normal-polite)
3rd Dictionary form: Au = I meet(casual)
4th Conditional form: Ae(ba) = If I meet
5th Volitional form: Aou = Let’s meet
6th TE form: Atte = I meet and…(indicates another verb will follow)
7th TA form: Atta = I met(casual)
difficult……..ne? Misaki Ito..thoughts?
<—“you suck”
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Music of the Day…It’s not music but it’s awesome..Bobby Lee from MadTV doing “Memiors of a Geisha” parody…. funny as hell..
Ok so for the past two days, I have attempted to write down everything that I do, that I shouldn’t and wish I could change. Any weird quirk I recorded, for no other reason than to maybe stop doing them or for my own humour. To make this post less , I will put some pictures of good looking people inside haha.
Random Shit
-I always like my bike up in the exact same place, in the exact same manner, even though it takes much longer just because that is the first way I locked it. When my spot is taken I just feel off for a while.
-(Same as above for train)
-Before leaving my apartment, everyday I walk down the first set of stairs then am forced to return to check on something, if I locked the door, if I have keys, etc.
-I never change the speed on my bike while actually on my bike. If I start the trip on let’s say speed 6, I keep it at that speed untill the trip is over. I guess to punish myself for leaving it on that speed. Or something retarded like that.
Studying Related……..
-It’s difficult to sleep with my tv on, becuase whenever I hear a Japanese word I sort of think I should now, I have no choice but to eventually look it up. I have tried to fight it, but the word just sticks in my mind untill I have no choice. Good for remembering but bad for sleeping.
-If I get a text message in Japanese, I can’t sleep untill I translate it.
-If my teacher assigns me homework, I can’t sleep untill I finish it the day she gives it to me
I could go on, but I think that’s enough. Reading the list I laugh and say yeah I could stop doing that, but I won’t sort of like an alcoholic says well “I could stop drinking beer if I wanted to”. Basically I don’t know what any of that means, but maybe I’ll check back in a month and see If I stopped doing any of that. I guess we all have little quirky things we do.
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Since this I have been in a self analysis mood recently, a big issue with me is satisfaction. Since as long as I can remember, I have never been satisfied. The closest I can remember is senior year in high school, knowing I was living in the easiest time in all of my life. But even then, knowing that the clock was ticking hindered enjoyment. I am an incredibly goal driven person. So I work hard and acheive goals that I do set. Problem here is, once I do acheive, I never enjoy the actually acheivement. That goes with women as well. I have in the past spent months chasing after a girl, only for my feelings to wane DAYS after wooing her.
I realize all these things is very human. It is evolutionarily beneficial to never be satisfied. I think in some ways my life is better because I am like this. I have done many things just because of my first thought, “I wonder if I could do that”. After thinking that, my life becomes dedicated to that goal untill it has been accomplished. So I have accomplished many things. My current goal, Japanese, is a difficult one but I have never studied harder for anything in my entire life. I know in enough time I will accomplish it.
But my fear is, will anything ever be good enough for me for any length of time? I left a country because I had a goal of going to a new one to see what it was like. I can’t jump from country to country every 5 years or so for the rest of my life. I can’t NEVER have a girlfriend again in my life.
Saying that, I find joy in many many small things that most people would not. Seeing a koi in a river while on the train, seeing an old person praying at a mini-shrine, seeing a teenage couple, millions of other examples. Any huge problem that comes my way I can ignore with a good song, playing guitar or watching a hockey game. I can shut off my mind when I choose. I am a very relaxed person. I never truly worry, except about my future.
I cry sometimes. If a song hits me and connects with a memory of the past, I cry. Not often, but I definitily am not a guy that says I’m to manly to cry. I would say once a month I cry thinking about my past, how awesome it was then and how it’s not coming back. But it feels good. Sometimes pain feels good. Without pain there would be no pleasure.
Next issue: I have an insane problem with being liked. I need to be liked by everyone EXCEPT for the ones I don’t like. In that case, I will do anything so that DON’T like me. I worry to much about how I am seen. I like to be in the spotlight and loved. I have dreams all the time about recieving a standing ovations. The best singular moments in my life involve an audience giving me admiration.
#3 – Playoff Hockey Game – I made a huge save on a breakaway with a minute left in the game. Crowd erupted and my head almost exploded because I was so pleased with myself.
#2 – My band playing at Nations in Washington, DC. – Our band was playing in a big local band concert. We went over big.
#1 – My band playing at a coffee house the summer of our graduation – My whole high school class came to see us play. There wasn’t enough room in the store for all the people. It was a perfect night.
Seems normal enough but how other people think of me shouldn’t matter so much.
That’s enough self study for one day. I have problems like everyone else in this world. Japan so far has kept me fairly satisfied, but that also might be because I know I will enjoy it more when I can speak Japanese….
Follow your dreams people!
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Japanese of the Day………Suru…. Makes any noun into a verb..easy enough right?Medical Terms…
So yeah.. date girl student stayed over my place all night last night. And I didn’t sleep at all. Before the optimists out there want to throw me the “you da mans!” All we did was kiss. Then again, a gentleman never feels someone up and tells. But this is one of those events I should be happy about, but I am not. Seconds after the first poorly coordinated, trans-contintental kiss happened, I was instantly thinking I shouldn’t be doing this. She wants a bf, and I don’t want to be that. So that is why I am a jerk.
The next day I recieved an email from her saying how she was a “(悪い女) warui onna” or bad woman, for doing that without me being her boyfriend. To compound my assholeness, I was actually happy because then I I knew she didn’t think we were going out. We will stay being friends, as I should see her tonight at least.
I just can never stop and enjoy anything. I can enjoy the fact that I am in Japan, but I want so much more. It’s been like that my whole life.
I wonder if it will ever change.
Music of the Day.. I’ve posted it before but who cares. Perfect for this post.. Nocturnal Rites-“Me”
The party was pretty sweet. It was a easter based party, so there was a few interesting jesus based costumes like a jesus, a nun(played by a guy) and a girls with rabbit ears, which I think I have a fetish for haha. It was about half foreigners half japanese which I think is a good mix. I always end up talking to the Japanese people, and to be honest, sometimes I feel like the foreigners treat me different;y because of this. It’s fine and I’m not going to stop, but I got a few comments that made me think. But anyways it was fun and I drank a lot. I also got the “here put your email in my phone” once, and somehow my phone has 2 new people in it which is good news I guess. I think some Japanese like just having foreigners in there phone, but I do the same thing so its ok lol…
This warm weather is really causing me to fall in love every three seconds. The scenery has gotten A LOT better, not that it was ever bad in the first place but DAMN.
So last night student date girl said she wanted to bring over food out of the blue, so of course I said yes. We ended up chilling for a while, watching a movie, I showcased classic Youtube videos for a long time. Still didn’t hook up. Yeah I know. I’m a joke. But it is fun to just hang out sometimes you know! But yeah I know. We’re going to Yanagawa Thursday which has some sort of canal thing, which should be cool…
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Japanese of the Day……Just some random words…
YAPPARI – やっぱりー(as one expected,after all)<—very common
KEKKOU － けっこうー(quite, very well)
TSUITSUI － ついついー(unintentionally, unconsciously),
NAKANAKA - なかなかー(not easily)
Yeah no sentences I have to go to work….Guest source Chihiro from the best Miyazaki movie “Spirited Away”
<—“lazy”
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Music of the Day…….Blind Guardian – ” Noldor” Epic German Band… kind of nerd metal but they have some good songs… for example….Rock out.
haha not really.. but yeah i was supposed to go out with student date girl last night, but about an hour before she said she had a work meeting….mmm…suspicious…nah I believe it this time. We’re supposed to hang out tomorrow so we will see. Oh interesting story.. Whiteday, the holiday that is like the American Valentine’s Day, happened last week. I totally had no clue, but I got a few gifts from my students. I had a class with student date girl that same day… so i regifted a small cookie thing or something. She was surprised and pleased. But it was a regift. I know I’m a dick but it was alright.
Tonite is a party! Some people’s leaving party. It’s the group of people that I know now but meeting a foreigner by chance at the curry house in town. I was really lucky to meet him I now realize. It has let to a lot more of a social life. Sometimes luck just happens to you I guess. I’m going solo so we’ll see what happens. Full report tomorrow.
Japanese of the Day..something short and stupid but useful..
Japanese use like a million plastic bags for everything. When you get groceries, each individual piece of produce, meat, fish gets a seperate plastic bag before getting put into another plastic bag, then is put into the actual carrying plastic bag. It’s Captian Planet’s worst nightmare.
SO I don’t need a bag is….
fukuro wa iranai
ふくろ は いらない。
袋 は 要らない.
Fukuro=bag iru=need iranai=informal negative form
<–“good looking out bro”
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Music of the Day…Megadeth – “Washington is Next” Stupid political lyrics but awesome song nonetheless… hopefully tonite is fun. Party hard wherever you are!
I should go to sleep, but since I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I can’t sleep before I translate two text messages. So I figured might as well do it on here for a little entertainment. Both are from student/date/guest girl. I have not read them before hand so whatever is said is not edited or anything. Here we go.
そうか！！私も久留米にー年近く住んでるけど、知らない所ばかりです。
外へ出かけないから。。。。
じゃあ、久留米をー緒に探検しょうね！！
End of Pt. 1
Start of Pt. 2
私もジエームスに仕事仲間ですけど、友達を紹介しますね（SMILEYFACE)
友達を増やして日本語の練習練習（few smileys)
End of Pt. 2
As I was writing this she emailed saying… “sorry if its difficult!” hahah if she only knew. Let’s break down this bitch!
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Sentence #1
そうか！！私も久留米にー年近く住んでるけど、知らない所ばかりです。
I see!! 私=I,me 年=countword for years近く=near住んでる=living nowけど=but,知らない=I don’t know 所=place -ばかり=approximately です =it’s
so ka! watashi mo city ni nen chikaku sunderu kedo, shiranai tokoro-bakai desu.
I have been living in the city for (seems to be missing the amount) of years but, I don’t know the places around where I live.
Sentence #2.
外へ出かけないから。。。。
外=outside へ=direction particle 出かけない=not go out kara=because(many other things)
soto e dekakenai kara…..
Because I don’t go out. (context fits with sentence one) Semi easy one! sweet!
Sentence #3
じゃあ、久留米をー緒に探検しょうね
jaa, city o issho ni tanken shou ne!
じゃあ=so, in that case 緒に=together 探検しょう=Let’s explore!
So, let’s explore together!
Pt. #2.
Sentence #1
私もジエームスに仕事仲間ですけど、友達を紹介しますね（SMILEYFACE)
私=me,I も =particle like also ジエームス=James(me) 仕事=work 仲間=group,company です=it’s けど=but 友達=friend を=object marking particle 紹介します= introduce.
watashi mo jimusu ni shigoto nakama desu kedo, tomodachi o shokaimasu ne 🙂
(I also or Me too something) james’s company friends, but I will also introduce you to my friends.
I’m sure everyone that got this far is…. so I have two guest sources today Koda Kumi And…………
<–“I’m asleep”
….Atsushi from the Hugely Popular Exile..Got to take care of the ladies sometimes!
<–“my head shave job makes me the man bitch”
Music of the Day….I actually took note of the playlist my itunes went through… Here you go….Yes it took that long to translate the text message…
Random Playlist (ok it was on metal for the first bit)
Judas Priest ” Burn in Hell”
Avenged Sevenfold “And all things will End”
Black Sabbath “Computer God”
Metallica “Wherever I May Roam”
Queensryche “Take Hold of the Flame”
Unearth “March of the Mutes”
Killswitch Engage “Rose of Sharyn”
Ozzy “Mr. Tinkertrain”
Mudvayne “Happy”
Queensryche “The Lady Wore Black”
Angel Dust ” Come into Resistance”
Super Mario 64 opening
Epica “Never Again”
From Howard Stern “Ultimate Prank Call”<– search it on youtube!
Bob Carlise “Butterfly Kisses”
Kamelot “The Haunting”
So the video will be from this list….ummmmm Black Sabbath – ” Computer God”
I should of been asleep 2 hours ago! Rock the FUCK out!
Well people, I had someone in my apartment for the first time since that first day of my arrival November 25th, 2007. Taking only 110 days(CANNOT BELEIVE IVE BEEN HERE THAT LONG) a companion of mine came over at 2 am and stayed till about 6 am (she got off work late). I was a little tired today but I did get to sleep about 6 hours before work. We watched The Prestige. Drank a little. Yeah that’s it. I’m really not dissapointed, because for some reason Im so fucking scared of hurting someone it’s amazing. At the end of the night, “well, it was fun” talk, I grabbed her hand and went for the kiss, but she thought I was going for hug and gave the hug. It was more funny than anything. She did enjoy herself though and wanted to stay after the movie, but I was just too tired. I will see her again tomorrow night. I will keep you all updated.
High School is tough here. Like really tough. Every student I’ve spoken too seems to study like ALL THE TIME. I know its the Japanese way to say you are working harder and are more busy than you actually are, but I don’t know seeing the books and the schedules of these kids make me beleive it. A few students get to class 15-20 minutes early, sit down and are INSTANTLY asleep. I’m not talking like “let me rest” but OUT out. Like they need to be woken up. There is so much pressure on the kids to get into a good college. After high school, most kids go to another school just to prepare for the college entrance exams. Then on Saturday, more school. It’s tough. No one seems to have much fun either. I loved high school so I try to convey that high school should be fun, but it’s a tough sell here.
Japanese of the Day….Mimetic Words!! Not quite onamatopoeia….because some of these words don’t even make a noise, but enjoy nonetheless!
<—“you suck”
<–“I’m asleep”
<–“my head shave job makes me the man bitch”
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Chapter Shi 
