2006

December 29, 2006

Since I’m on the verge of losing this year without another post, I thought I’d better slap some memories down here while I still can. It’s not everyday a year like 2006 comes by.

Aside from being one of the fastest and least memorable years I’ve ever had (in terms of daily happenings – it’s been a year of Groundhog Days), it was, as contradicting as it is, one that will hold many memories. The highlight for me happened early in the year when I got married with The Lady. I wish we could’ve had a bigger thing with more friends and family but it was what it was and it went as well as it could. I’ve finally posted two pages that I used to transmit information from the wedding and from the nijikai party – see the previous two posts.

While this was our first year as wife and manslave, it went by business as usual. I’m really glad I had the chance to live with The Lady for extended periods of time before getting married because there were no surprises, I was, to my furthest extent, used to her bad habits and she’s learning all the new ones I make up each and every day. Note to self: she hates it when I start tapping her head… with a fountain pen… leaking… blood… from a rotting carcass… of… a mountain gorilla. I really can’t wait until we celebrate our one year anniversary, coming up in slightly less than one month.

Then another highlight this year was getting promoted. I have to say, this promotion did not feel as satisfying as the first one. This may be for many reasons of which I won’t bore you with right now. It involves blurry visions in my mind and wispy opinions about my job and the company I work for.

This year I also clamped down on renegade studying habits and decided to take the JLPT. While I certainly did not study as much as I could and should have, it definitely focussed my efforts more and made me learn more than I would’ve. I hope this steam not only continues next year but grows in magnitude as I will be needing essentially a miracle to pass level 2. But hey, only the difficult stuff is worth pursuing in life.

Since the summer I’ve also gotten back into a little card game called Magic The Gathering that I used to play all those many years ago. It all started when a couple of people from the French team started playing next to us during lunch and while explaining the game to another friend, I peaked my interest and decided to join them. Since then, I’ve bought over 500,000,000 cards and wallpapered my apartment building with cards. I basically play two or three times a week after work casually with one or two friends. Now, with a disposable income, the game is much more exciting. I’ve managed to keep my sanity and kept the game purely as a pursuit of fun and entertainment. It’s not about winning, it’s all about making fun of Guillaume as much as possible. (Hi Guillaume!)

I didn’t do much hiking or traveling this year unfortunately. I mostly stayed at home and tried not to move to retain energy. Next year though, in fact, next week, I’m going to get some outdoor action going for sure. I’m currently one week into my 16 day holiday and I do intend to balance out the mental celebration with some physical exertion.

2006, thank you very much. You have been a kind time period. I hope your slightly older sibling will also be nice and kind!

Jerry wrote this in: Default
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Nijikai party information

Note: This was the Nijikai wedding party page used to show information to my friends about the small gig we did in Osaka in March 2006. I’ve posted it now to be part of my electronic scrapbook. (Jerry – December 29th, 2006)
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Nijikai Party Invitation

Hello! As you may or may not know, The Lady and I got married in January in Hawaii! It was a very small ceremony with family and a few friends. The weather could not have been nicer and we got many excellent photos.

We are planning a dinner party in Osaka for our friends to celebrate our marriage. We would love for you to come join us for a nice meal with games and prizes.

It will be on Saturday, March 4th at around 6:00pm in Umeda (Osaka). Cost per person is around 5000 yen and may change depending on the number of guests. We need to have a rough estimate of the number of people attending so please respond by February 15th. (You can change your mind after that date)

If you would like to bring a guest, they’re more than welcome. Please let us know if you can make it and if you’ll be bringing a guest. We hope to hear from you soon!

Nijikai Party Details

Date: Saturday, March 4th
Time: 18:30 reception
Place: Tiara Restaurant & Bar

Address and contact: Diamondo Bldg B1
5-8 Taiyuji, Kita-ku
530-0051
phone: 06-6315-7372

Dress: semi-formal (but hey, what can I do if you’re not?)

Guests: We have limited space so only those who have confirmed with me can go. If you haven’t confirmed, sorry it’s too late.

Cost: At reception, 5000 yen will be collected. There’ll be 6 prizes (1 in 8′s a winner!) Winners will be drawn using playing cards and choice of prizes determined by darts.

Menu: A buffet dinner including 3 kinds of antipasto, fried chicken and fries, 2 kinds of pizza, 2 kinds of pasta, and dessert. It’s nomihodai: all you can drink from a set drink menu.

Features: there are 3 electronic dartboards at Tiara. A magician will be putting on a little show. The magician also doubles as a fortune teller (uranaishi) for 1000 yen a reading. [Edit: the magician quit a few days before our party. That bastard.]

Nijikai Party Directions

Hot Pepper’s map page for Tiara
Hot Pepper’s keitai map page for Tiara

The simplest way is to take the Tanimachi Line (Purple line):

From Namba:

  1. Take the Sennichimae line (pink line) to Tanimachi 9-chome (2 stations away)
  2. Transfer to the Tanimachi Line (purple line) and get off at Higashi-Umeda Station (5 stations away)
  3. Go to exits 1, 2, and 3
  4. Turn left after exiting the ticket gates and continue until you come to an “intersection”. You will see a shopping area to the left.
  5. At the intersection turn right into the East Mall (You will see “East Mall” on a big sign on the ceiling). You will see signs at the intersection pointing to the Izumino Hiroba 泉広場
  6. Keep on walking straight until you come to the big water fountain. Find exit M14 and go up the left set of stairs
  7. Walk straight until you see Tiara. It’s on the right hand side. You will pass a Daily Yamazaki Convenient Store on the way to Tiara and there’s a dental clinic called Ono right beside the restaurant

If you are arriving to Umeda from another line it will be best to stay underground and follow the signs leading to the Tanimachi Line (Higashi Umeda Station) and you should run into the East Mall. Follow the directions from there.

Jerry wrote this in: Getting married
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Wedding Information page

Note: This was the wedding page used to show information to my friends and family before actually leaving for Hawaii. I’ve posted it now to be part of my electronic scrapbook. (Jerry – December 29th, 2006)
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Last updated: January 13 – lunch venue updated

Hi guys, I’ll be posting information about the wedding on this page and I’ll update it here so please check back here maybe once a week until the big day. I’ll also put down when I last updated so you won’t have to find every small change. If you guys have any questions, you know where to find me on MSN or I’m a cell phone message away as well. Some of this stuff was just taken directly off the net – I’m not trying to sell you any company or whatnot.
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The Wedding Ceremony

Hotels

Suggestions

Transportation

Jerry wrote this in: Getting married
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