Episode 22: A Sneek Peek(er chup)

Konnichiwa Mina-san! Genki?

So, just a few more little developments going on in my life that I want to brush up on: So check it out! It's coming at you like a Spider Monkey.


Okay, so my last Japanese lesson on Monday went quite well. I felt like Tomo-san had a bit more preparation going on, and though we were covering a topic that I had already covered before, this time we expanded on it to include more variations. Anywho, though that was all fine and dandy, and I did learn how to say some things in a pretty casual fashion, I was more impressed by the fact that I finally started writing in Japanese! YOSHA!!! Honto-ni, it's been really cool to be able to actually fashion my sentences out of Hiragana, Katakana, and even the odd Kanji. Now, working in the Kanji seems most impressive to me, but it all seems really cool. I mean, I figured that after about six months, I should be writing in the Japanese alphabet, but it's just so cool once it actually starts happeneing. It's like learning how to ride a bike for the first time. You just get this great feeling inside, like you've finally accomplished something that's a pretty crucial step in life. (Okay, not that most people need to learn how to write in Japanese, but still...)

Anywho, Tomo-kun also bought a text-book for me up in Nagoya. My morning thusfar has been filled with studying Japanese, drinking some Tim Horton's Coffee, and of course, relaxing to some tunes on my luscious laptop. This Laptop has been great btw, and I know that I often go ahead and plug that I've recently become a Mac user, but seriously, once you go Mac you'll never go back. They're sexy machines, and they've recently become a lot more affordable to the average person who wants a cool laptop. Check out the site. Also, if you're a university student, you can get a free ipod if you buy one right now. Pretty sick.

The MOST exciting thing going on right now is the promise of Laura's arrival here in Japan. I kinda want to post our temporary itinerary online here, but I don't really want to wreck the surprise... ah well, here goes nothing:

August 14-17: Tokyo
August 18-19: Mie-ken
August 20: Day trip to Nara
August 21-23: Ise, Nagoya, and Iga
August 24-25: Climbing Mt. Fuji
August 26-29: Kyoto for 2 days, Hiroshima, Himeji, and Osaka.
August 30: Chill
August 31: Baii baii Laura. :(

Obviously I haven't listed all the details here, but that's because you're gonna have to stay tuned and check out the nigh daily updates that we'll be posting over this time-line. Be on the look-out for the key moments, like the Peace Memorial, Disneyland Tokyo, Himeji Castle, and Tsukiji fish market!

Alright, I'm done my break, and I'm gonna head back into doing my studying before work. There's still so much to learn... life is study....

-ja mattane,

-benjamin

Nothing gets me hungry like cream filled colon. Mmmmm... now a snack you can enjoy at any time of the day!






I love this picture! I can't believe that the Japanese have managed to do the impossible, and place God in a can of coffee!!! It tastes divine... (okay, sorry, that was a bad one...)



Nothing can wash down God Coffee like a nice cold bottle of... Tap water?! Hahahahaha.

Episode 17: There's never enough time...

Konnichiwa mina-san! (Hello Everyone!)

Yes, it has been another heck of a week for me over here in Tsu, and as promised, I'm going to deliver some new and exciting news in the life of a Canadian abroad. To any of my attentive readers, I'm sure you've noticed that today's entry is a little, well, tardy to say the least. Let me explain why:

Here in Nova, it can be difficult to get a day off. In order to alleviate this, there is a "Shift Swap" program, where you can exchange certain days off with other teachers, allowing you to "Work each other's shifts" to grant you a three day weekend, etc. Well, this week, my new roommate Jon went back to Canada, and my good friend Karen had her cousin come up from Australia. Due to conflicts, etc, I ended up working a shift for Jon, AND a shift for Karen, which happened to be both of my days off this week. Thus today was my first day off in about eight days, which when you've pulled a muscle in your neck and managed to catch the first bit of a cold in four months, can be trying at best. Anywho, it's over, and I've actually had a great week, despite all this, so I've got Sunday off, and then I work Monday & Tuesday, and then back to another two days off. That'll be sweet. (This picture is a picture of me with our Tsuminami Nova worker Kaori. Recently Ashanthi has been teaching her and our other worker Nao some great English words. They're wicked fun people.)



To get back to the 'thesis' of today's entry, I have to say that this last week has been full of ups and downs, back-flips, the like, but mostly, it has been a mad dash to a finish line. I've got mainly three things I'd like to talk about, so let me 'get at'er!'

Two of my good friends left for England this past week. Neil and Ellen, you will be sadly missed. (Yes that's them on the left.) That being said, they went out with a serious bang, and not only did those two deliver the goods, but they also 'cut the mustard' like the best of 'em. The stage was set for success, and from the beginning of the night we all knew that we were going to be going on a wicked ride until the early morning... or late morning...

The plan was a simple tri-pronged attack. First Bar, then Bowling, finally Karaoke at the one and only Shidax. Bar at 7, Bowling at 9:30, Shidax from 12:00 until 5:00am. It went as planned, and then some.


Ashanthi, Rachel and myself were working that night, so we met up with the slightly intoxicated gang at Grandbowl! (The bowling place I mentioned a couple weeks ago.) Not only did they give us a royal welcome for our approximately 40 bowlers, but they gave Neil a special ball, and told him that the festivities would begin on his 'opening pitch.' Well, the ball didn't look that special, since it was just a clear plastic ball with white inner plastic as the center. Of course, that would be merely to the mortal eye, for if a divine being, such as "Bowl-ar" (lord of bowling), placed his icy gaze upon the solid ball of majesty, he would have seen the motion sensitive LEDs implanted within its Titanium exoskeleton. After everyone had quieted down, and Neil took a microphone to announce the opening bowl, he placed the ball in his hands, and a hush fell over the audience. Surely enough, he threw that ball with all of his might, and as it hit the lacquered surface, the spinning ball of rainbow LED goodness went straight and true. STRIKE!!! Now that's an opening to a good night. There was much rejoicing, and much fun to be had.


After a riveting couple games of bowling, many of us were ready for the Karaoke to begin. I remember Ellen specifically being so excited that she grabbed a few of us and just began walking out the door, leading the train to the excitement that is Shidax! In case you didn't know about how much the Karaoke costs at Shidax, let me explain it for you. That night we opted for the "Special 12-to-4am" price, which was 3400 yen (approx $32). That is four hours of Karaoke in a beautiful private area, and all you can drink alcohol & coffee/tea/pop, etc. Not bad, eh?

The night began rather simply, with a few fan favourites, and after about the first hour or so, it became an all out brawl, with music from all facets of life. We had Billy Joel, followed by White Snake, followed by Queen, Boys 2 men, Madonna, and Billy Idol. We had single singers, duets, teams, choirs, and pretty much everyone in the room singing with, or without, mics.



One particular highlight of the night came in form of getting our friend Rachel (in the middle), who, well, let's just say 'isn't a professional singer' to sing "All By Myself." Pretty much... all by herself. It was one of the best Karaoke moments I have yet to experience, and as I'm sure you can see by the picture, I look particularly happy during the singing of the song. Kudos go out to my sister from another mister, Ashanthi who took a lot of the pictures for this night.



Right! I almost forgot! Here are a few pictures of my brand new apartment! Yes, I managed to make my first move from my old Nova apartment (which wasn't to my liking) to this newer, and better location (still Nova accommodations.) My room is now bigger, my storage space more plentiful, I have a beautiful shower, my place is in a better location AND it costs less! Can you think of a better move? I can't. My only worry is that I'll have to do a lot of work on my old place for the inspection that will occur sometime soon. Frankly, the place was in quite the disarray when I arrived, so I hope they don't ding me on anything. My old place actually got much better when I moved in. (I replaced some things, and cleaned like mad.)






Anywho, that's it for me this week. But stay tuned for next week... I try out a few new restaurants, and also, I go down to the beach with Tomo-san and light off some 2" wide Fire-crackers that we had to get a Fire-Marshall's license to ignite! Do I blow my hand off? Does Tomo-san make his mouth even wider?! WAIT AND FIND OUT!




Ja matta ne,

-benjamin


p.s. Check out these funny pics I found!

No smoking adds have never been better. "But he lives in an old movie." diss!









Ahh.. Bubble man 2, return of the beverage that tastes like sugar. Yes, I purchased one, and I can tell you this stuff gets you wired more than coffee any day of the week.





I just love this guys facial expression... he's so bitter... and sharp. Just like the beer.

Episode 12: A quarter don't come for free

I'm a quarter finished my stay here, and as I sit at my computer I can't help but think of all the experiences that I've missed back home. Three months without my family, my mom's cooking, my brothers, my sister, my girlfriend, her graduation, my friends and their continuingly interesting obsessions. I'll be missing another summer at the laboratory, some good cash, Canadian food, BBQs... okay, lots of BBQs... extended family get-togethers... essentially, I have, or will be missing everything that was a normal part of my life for one full year, including some events that only happen once in a lifetime. Does this bother me? Does it make me want to return early? Kind of yes, but kind of no. I love my friends and family and Canada, but in exchange for all this, I have made new friends, seen new things, and experienced so much culture. I know for me this was a good deal, an enlightening experience and totally worth it in every sense. If you feel yourself in a similar situation where you're not sure about taking that leap, then I can tell you that I feel your pain, and I know how hard it is to make that decision... still, I'm reminded of a quotation I heard recently where "a one point in our lives, the cost to remain a bud is more expensive than the cost to blossom." Here's hoping that the next three months are as exciting and interesting to me as the past three.

Okay, now onto the pictures and the explanations of fun!

First thing I want to touch up on is the toilet situation... now I know most of you have probably heard that some Asian countries don't have traditional Western toilets and that they have to take a crap into a hole in the ground... well this just isn't the case with Japan... They have something that resembles more of an outwards facing scoop, not a hole. You squat, you do your business, and then water shoots along the scoop like thing, and voila, you're done! Now there are a couple things you'll need to know of course. First, most bathrooms have a bar for you to hold on to in order to keep your balance. Second, if you make it a quick go, you might not even cramp up! Third, they don't normally have toilet paper in the toilets, so you have to bring tissues wherever you go. Of course, this isn't always the case in Japan, since many places will have normal Western style throne toilets to do your business on. Still, if you use the scoop, then you can be guaranteed that your buttocks won't touch the hairy remains of the person before you. It's cleaner! Many Japanese would say "good situation." I just wanted to give you all a heads-up in case you visit.


With that delectable tidbit of information out of the way, I want to touch up on some new hobbies of mine. I just recently bought some Calligraphy paper, a big paint brush, and lots of india ink. Yes, that's right, Benjamin is trying to get into the art of Calligraphy... well at least a little... You see, the problem is, I don't have the technique, a teacher, or even any necessary skills. Furthermore, I lack an understanding of brush stroke order. Finally, I'm also lacking the knowledge of volumes of Kanji that most adults here possess. That being said, here's what Takeda Shingen's Chinese banner would have looked like back in the day. FURIN KAZAN. (As quick as the wind, as silent as the forest, as fierce as fire, as immovable as mountains.) With all my calligraphy ineptitudes in mind, I have also taken up a second hobby, water colour painting. This doesn't require any level of Kanji memorization, and in fact, I can do much research and learning about techniques through self-practice and internet searching. This one here on the left is my first work. Yes, I know, it's a little cliche to be putting a mountain that resembles Fuji-san in the background, but hey, it's my first day. ...Quack quack quack (Simpson's reference.)


I'd like to extend a special thank you to everyone who as sent me any goodies in the mail as of late. I'm kitted out in Canadian coffee for the moment, and for that I feel especially blessed. Domo Arigato Gozaimas Mina-san!!! (translation = Thank you all so very much!)




Now, I'd really like to get into some beautiful advice that I read at the "Foods Garden" in Kuwana the other day. I think it applies to all of us, and will aid us in our understanding of what is acceptable in terms of eating, drinking tea, serving dinner, as well as bringing our simple lives back into perspective. Without any further ado, I present my search for meaning in the Foods Garden of Kuwana!!!


"Please spend such great time by all means in this place." This one is very deep, so please allow me to interpret. What this Foods Garden proverb decrees is that you should always spend your time, your time here on Earth, by all means. Not any means, but ALL means. You shall experience all different walks of life, through this place (Earth) and thus, it would be folly to deny yourself some of it's experiences. Deep.


"A pleasant meal is... 1/Eat with a precious family and friends, 2/Eat with a your lover, 3/Eat a delcious and reasonable foods." Ahhh yes... I happen to especially enjoy dining with 'a your' lover. Though delicious and reasonable foods are quite wholesome for both the stomach as well as the wallet. Such good advice, how could you refute such a statement? The answer = it is impossible to do so.


"Isn't tea drunk for just for a moment after doing some shopping?" Definitely deep. What this one is saying is that material acquisition is but a long moment between what really matters... taking sips of the world. Ahhh... O'cha. (green tea)



"Resting will also become time important for you." This one is simply stating that after life we have no rest for we are reborn into a new state of being. Therefore rest is one goal that all can acheive but few understand is intrinsic to our soul's existance on all planes of being. Or something like that.



Since my head is spinning from all that deep advice, I'm gonna cut it short this week. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure to check back next Thursday (Canadian Thursday) same Ben time, same Ben channel!


Ja mattane,

-benjamin


p.s. Here's some delicious Engrish on a magnetic basket I saw in a 100 yen store. In case you didn't know... "It is possible easily to install and to detatch and to do by tha magnet type." Beautiful.