Curse is over?
August 16, 2008
Maybe it’s a bit early to announce this but I think my curse is over.
I mentioned a few days ago that my camera is being fixed. That’s one good piece of news as of late.
On Monday, wifey and I hauled the dead laptop, dead camera, and a bunch of Haagen Dazs gift certificates out to Yodobashi Camera. I recently noticed a repair center in the basement and thought I’d give it a try. What would I have to lose with a dead camera and computer already?
For one thing, I would lose my life savings. To fix the camera, the dude gave an estimate of 18,000 yen. No way guy! Again, reading some forums online, Fuji is repairing this problem for free. Hence we made our way to the Service Center.
Next, we went to the computer repair center - it’s in the same place but they have an individual counter for computers. The guy did a quick looksee. He plugged in the AC, tried turning it on, and then turned it off. What the heck? Just from that he said it was probably a motherboard problem. Oh yeah, he estimated that it would cost about 60 to 70,000 yen. I can buy a new laptop for that.
Actually he didn’t say “motherboard” exactly, he said, and I translate, “It’s a foundation problem”. OK. A computer’s foundation can mean anything. For me, the fundamental component is the motherboard but to my lovely, hardware-illiterate wife, it just might well be the nice shiny plastic box or case. Unfortunately I also thought the same but I made my guess by opening up the laptop and testing stuff out piece by piece.
The vast quantities of ice cream consumed after helped sooth my frayed nerves. I was hauling my very heavy laptop in the hottest time of the year, oh and with a big sunburn on my back. Ice cream saves all. Whenever I feel my temper flaring, I will think, “What would Ice Cream do?”
Wifey tried to console me on the loss of my laptop. I, however, would not give up so easily. Coming home, I opened up the laptop and examined each component down to the dust particles. I noticed a couple of things: a screw holder thingy had become very loose - it was hanging on by millimeters of metal. It came off completely as well. Since the issue was power, I guessed that maybe this little metal thingy was somehow shorting out the board. Out it went. Then I noticed some melted paint near some transistors near the video card. The video card gets really hot and probably melted it a long time ago. I wasn’t sure how the melted paint might affect things but I scraped it off.
Slapping everything back together and plugging in the AC… hmm… no amber light! Power on… Yup. It booted up. Whatever it was, it wasn’t the motherboard. I had won. I wanted to go back and spit on the guy who didn’t even bother looking at my computer.
I just hope it stays alive this time. I’m writing this update on the laptop watching some George Carlin as I speak. I hope that only George rests in piece and my laptop continues to work, albeit very slowly, for another few years.
A bright flash
August 12, 2008
When all’s said and done, nothing beats watching the Yodogawa fireworks (August 9 annually) from my very own apartment. I open the window and get a very good view. The view can’t come close to my mother in-law’s place but I’m most relaxed in my own domain.
Since my camera is down I played around with the webcamera to capture a few shots. They all turned out terribly but this shot looked interesting. It looked like a nuclear blast or the Ultima spell in Final Fantasy. This was the closing salvo of fireworks and was supposed to many many bright white sparkles in the sky.
On a side note, the awesome Fuji Service Center in Hommachi is currently repairing my camera! Looking around online, Fuji apparently installed a faulty CCD and will replace it for free. Also I’ve asked for a replacement internal battery so I don’t have to keep changing the damn date each time I take out and replace the regular batteries. The old gentleman working at this very quiet office was one of the nicest working people I’ve met in a long time. What a champ.
The Performing Arts
August 04, 2008
I love visiting Tempozan every now and then. It’s always bustling with activity and seeing the harbor always reminds me of home. The big mall is filled with strange and interesting stores. This time You-san and I visited a ninja store and I was half tempted to try out the ninja house, where you try to sneak about undetected. It’s for kids so we decided not to embarrass ourselves too much. He did however, embarrass himself by freaking out at a samurai dummy that sits up and down every few seconds. Never have I seen a grown man jump and scream like that.
There’s always some sort of performance going on in the area. Today we caught some strange spectacles. A man dressed in aluminum sucks on a lemon and lipsynchs to Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. Then as we were cooling off at the juicebar in the center of the mall we see a trio of Japanese performers with hair that makes Marge Simpson cringe.
The Storm
July 31, 2008
I was in class on Monday when I noticed the clouds just come billowing in. The very clear sky almost suddenly became a dark blue, light gray, then finally, a very ominous dark gray. It was remarkable how fast the sky changed.
Feeling the window, the temperature must have dropped by a whole lot too because the window was cool to the touch instead of being hot as it usually is in the summertime in Japan. Looking onto the street I could see not only the trees waving around from the wind, but even the lamp posts were swaying slightly.
This was to be some storm.
At around 2pm, hail suddenly started falling. People were running into the convenience store while others jumped into their cars for cover. The hail lasted barely a couple of minutes and it actually cleared up a little. “So much for that storm,” I thought. It turned out I was a bit too early to call the end of the storm.
In a few minutes time it began to rain. Nay, it began to pour. No, water began to drench the streets. It was one of the heaviest rainfalls I’ve ever experienced in Japan. In Kyoto, one of the river banks actually rose up by a meter in 10 minutes, that’s 10cm of rain per minute! Unfortunately, four people died from being swept by this sudden rise in water level.
I was a lot safer in class. However, of all days to leave my umbrella behind, I chose this day to do so. Earlier that day at home I looked out the window and had decided that there was no way it would rain today. I decided to leave my windows open to try to keep the place as cool as possible in this 30+ humid weather. My bad.
As class ended, everyone just stood near the window. I couldn’t help but keep my face pressed against the window the whole time. I love lightning too much to miss this. I was told by Steve that this brought one of the most impressive lightning storms. I couldn’t see much other than bright flashes reflected off buildings but our building had the power knocked out for a few minutes. The thunder was most superb though. Several students screamed.
I decided that I couldn’t waste any more time waiting for this rainstorm to end. I had to go home. Some of the students downstairs watched with puzzled looks as I walked out without any sort of cover. I had to stop by the convenience store and pick up an umbrella though - the rain was really heavy. I jumped into the JR train from Shin-Osaka station and after a few minutes noticed we weren’t leaving.
Unfortunately, the lightning had knocked something out and all trains had stopped. They did not mention how long we would be stuck here so I just decided to stay and listen to my Coast To Coast on my Ipod. In the end I waited a whole hour in the train. It still didn’t move. I decided to leave the exit and take the subway home. It was a bit of a detour but getting home late was better than sitting next to grumpy people in an overheated train. There were a lot of people waiting outside the ticket gates waiting for the trains to restart too.
Finally I get home and as expected my place was soaked. Water had soaked into the tatami as far as meters from the window. My kotatsu had a nice coating of water. My laptop was unfortunately placed on the kotatsu. It is with much sadness that I have to announce that both my laptop and my phone have drowned to death due to my carelessness with the window.
I don’t feel too bad. The laptop was super old and now it gives us a reason to get a new one. The tatami mats dried quickly and everything else has been cleaned. In the end, it was one fantastic day experiencing the strongest storm I’ve seen in a long long time.
Push
July 22, 2008
Another sign of summer in Japan.
I Hate Banks in Japan
July 19, 2008
Back in March, for whatever it was I did, I got a money order from the ELI when Maki came to Japan for an Alumni gathering. I was reluctant to take it because I really didn’t do anything that I felt needed compensation. Regardless, a few weeks later, I received a mail order for 8,832 yen. It’s not a huge amount of money but it’s enough for 4-5 days on my spending habits.
Well this year has kept me rather busy and I put off cashing in this money order until last week. This one little trip to the bank has reaffirmed my hatred of Japanese banks.
First, after a bit of a wait, I get to the regular teller window and the bank girl has no idea what it is I’m holding in my hand. She actually starts turning it around in her hand, ie. turning the paper upside down so that the print is upside down, and turning it back over in a perfect 360. It was like watching a toddler handle a book or a caveman handling a PDA. She starts asking the girls around her and then finally calling what must be the resident answer girl.
The resident answer girl seemed to recognize this financial instrument and told me to go over to the foreign currency area. There, the older seemingly less-intelligent woman now handles the money order. Just as before, she inspects this piece of paper with a very puzzled look - her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips puckered, and her eyes were squinting through those very coke bottle glasses she was wearing. She then goes and asks some boring guy in a suit about it and to see whether or not this bank can continue this transaction.
A bit of a side note.
This money order is from HSBC, the 4th largest bank in the world, (Wiki) not exactly some shitty credit union run by radish farmers. Next, the money order is endorsed by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, the 5th largest bank in the world, and incidentally, the VERY BANK I’M IN! I’m no financial expert but this piece of paper had all the legal requirements to make it a legal financial instrument. In all practical purposes, this is just like a check.
Back to the story.
Well, finally, the older seemingly less-intelligent woman must have gotten clearance to continue this and starts collecting application papers. Yes, to cash a money order you have to fill out an application form. While I’m doing this, the woman calls another branch, presumably head office and asks questions. The one question that stuck in my mind was, “Can we receive these?” You fucking idiot. You work in a bank, remember? I finish the application form and she goes over it and makes another call and asks a few more questions.
Just as I feel a bit better for finishing and hopefully leaving the bank 8,832 yen richer, she starts explaining administrative costs. Shit.
Anyway I’ll cut to the finale:
- I couldn’t receive the money that day because it would take 2-3 days, possibly a week before this would be done. It actually took two days.
- I end up being at the bank for just over an hour.
- The administrative fees would run between 1,500-4,000 yen. The END RESULT: 4,000 yen fee. 1,500 transaction fee, 2,500 currency exchange fee.
What a fucking joke. Of my 8,832 yen I receive 4,432. That’s almost 50% gone because of this fucking bank. Can you imagine paying 40 bucks to get a money order done in your country? What really drives me mad is that when the ELI purchased this money order, they paid administrative fees. Furthermore, the money order was made out in YEN - WHY is there a currency exchange fee? Are they exchanging the yen to Indian Rupees to bushels of wheat and then back to yen?
I can understand that Japan does not use money orders regularly but to have the biggest bank in Japan not know how to deal with them, and then take up 40 bucks to get it done, is just a joke.
I hate banks in Japan.
三十三間堂
May 31, 2008
Water
May 27, 2008
Kamogawa River in Kyoto, near Shichijo Station
Freaky paintings
May 10, 2008
As suggested by Thomas, the Kyosai exhibit at the Kyoto National Museum was fantastic.
The most fantastic mural ever
After having visited so many museums and exhibits in Japan, I am rather tired of your run of the mill nature paintings and bamboo prints. This exhibit was very refreshing. Kyosai spent a big part of his life drawing things like demons, ghosts, tengu, and satirical drawings. Sadly he was punished by the government for this.
Let me be even lazier than Thomas and paraphrase his paraphrasing:
The paintings were in a kind of ukiyo-e style but with lots of little ghosts, demons, blood and other funny stuff including a great painting that went by the name of “Fart Battle”. Let me be lazy and just plagiarise from the museums website… “The Japanese catch phrase for the exhibition might be translated, “His works are so bizarre, they’ll make you want to cry.” Be shocked and surprised to discover both the bizarre and the beautiful in this artist’s stunning repertoire.” - Thomas
A must-see!
Yamanobe no michi
May 06, 2008
I haven’t been on a good hike in a long while and this, my very first Golden Week holiday, seemed like the perfect occasion. I was eyeing the very scenic 山之辺の道 Yamanobe no michi, or “The road alongside mountains” and was planning out the 16km hike when the woman said she wanted to go too. This changes everything. Frankly I wasn’t sure if I could pull through with the 16km and she being the weakling that she is, would not stand a chance. So, we decided to make it a cycling tour!
We got up early and took a few trains out to Tenri, in Nara. From Tenri station, we rented a couple of bicycles from a very nice old man. He gave us maps, umbrellas, and tips because we were first timers here. The map he gave us was fairly good but like all the maps we saw of the area, it was lacking in details. And much to my surprise, renting bicycles in Japan is unlike back home - you don’t get a mountain bike, nor street bike, but a regular shopping bike with a basket and bell.
I am now going to look for a mountain bike because climbing uphill in a shopping bike is nasty. Gears! Gears! People, gears are a good thing! Gears are your friend when climbing uphill, or going downhill for that matter.
Anyway, since we were on bikes we couldn’t follow the foot path but detoured around some major sites. We stopped at many temples and historical sites. My favorite sites were the kofun, ancient Japanese burial mounds shaped like keyholes, or other shapes. From a distance, they appear like a hill but most of the bigger ones were surrounded by a moat.
The temples were nothing special -typical fare. The one temple I was really looking forward to was the “ruined temple at Nakayama”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so much “ruined” as it was “dilapidated”. There were a couple of small wooden buildings in a rather dark wooded area.
The road itself is not a road per se. It’s more of a marked trail through a few cities and lots of farmland. It’s not well-marked and we did a few u-turns to find the way. We ended the tour at Sakurai city and stayed the night at a very quaint guest house run by a guy who writes books about the area and of Japanese history.
I thoroughly enjoyed biking through fields and farms and getting much needed fresh air. People were very friendly and greeted you as you biked by. Although it sporadically showered, the rain helped cool us off and it was a much better alternative to sunlight beating down on us.
We went through the entire course in about 6 hours with many stops for pictures and rest. I will most definitely be coming back here and going on foot - there were many sites that we missed including some waterfalls near the mountains.
Modest Beginnings
April 08, 2008
There’s only three of us and Sifu Steve but soon enough I’ll miss these days of small classes. The website is beginning to generate some hits. Ian, on the left there, found us through this page. I’m hoping that the Golden Harvest Wing Chun page will begin to pay off as well.
ずっと一緒さ : Take 2
March 30, 2008
抱きしめて 静寂（しじま）のなかで
あなたの声を 聞かせて
こびりつく涙をとかして
冬はもうすぐ終わるよ
いくつもの悲しみを
くぐりぬけたその後で
つないだ手の暖かさが
すべてを知っている
あなたと二人で生きて行きたい
それだけで何もいらない
昼も夜も夢の中まで
ずっとずっと一緒さ
傷付いた心のかけらを
ひとつ残らずひろって
愛という不思議なジグソー
つなぐ欠片（ピース）を探すよ
本当の強さは
「ひとりじゃない」って言えること
風の中で寄り添う花のように
秘めやかに
あなたと二人で生きて行けたら
何度でも生まれ変われる
たどり着いた 僕らの場所で
ずっとずっと一緒さ
あなたと二人で生きて行きたい
それだけで何もいらない
時の海に 未来を浮かべ
ずっとずっと一緒さ
I found the regular version of this most excellent song.
Sumo
March 24, 2008
One would think watching extremely overweight guys clad in nothing but diapers and shoving each other around would not be a very entertaining thing. Still, it was something I had to decide for myself. I’m glad to say, it was a lot more interesting than it sounds.
I have put off going to a sumo tournament for the last five years. I really didn’t think I would enjoy it. But last week at the behest of some classmates and not having done many Japanesey things in awhile, it was the perfect opportunity.
The place was packed but not in the beginning. I realized that most people didn’t bother watching the first half of the tournament. It seems that the lesser known sumo wrestlers are just not as crowd-pleasing as the well known wrestlers and the top-tiered wrestlers. We got there fairly early but had the chance to walk around the different stands and take pictures. There were some a few wrestlers who even let us pose for pictures with them.
The event really started picking up towards the latter half of the event. The stadium was finally packed and wrestlers who have appeared on television commercials started competing. It was interesting to see some of the idiosyncrasies that really got people roaring.
The highlights were certainly when the top ranked ozeki and yokozuna wrestlers did their thing. People were yelling and screaming!
Compared to other sporting events, sumo was “easy” to watch. In most other sports, you need to sit through the entire thing hoping to catch something amazing like a breakaway, a slam dunk, or a goal. With sumo, each match realistically lasts no more than 10 seconds and it’s preceded by a lot of traditional rituals. Although it was my first sumo tournament, I quickly learned to block out and ignore those boring rituals, instead enjoying my snacks and drinks and talking to my friends. Only when the action was about to begin when my attention refocussed on the fatties in the center of the room.
I don’t know if I will go again but I certainly enjoyed my first sumo tournament.
Celebrations
March 16, 2008
Being unemployed is certainly not an indication of being free. I think I’ve been busier in this last little while than I have been in a very long time. Thankfully a couple of things keeping me busy were extremely fun and memorable things.
新大阪予備校 Graduation Day
The school term ended on Friday with a Graduation Day for all the students who were moving on to new pursuits.
I look so lonely over there
Although I am continuing my studies and although I have only finished one term so far, a part of me felt like this was the Graduation Day that I would not be attending next year because I don’t intend to study for the whole school year.
My homeroom teacher - possibly the best teacher ever
It was one of the few chances I’ve had recently to put on a suit! And since I didn’t have to wear it, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The unanimously-decided most serious Shou-san
More pictures here.
2008 ELI Alumni Party - Osaka
Maki was in town! On official ELI business, she set up a most excellent party with many ELI alumni. I think at the peak, close to 30 people showed up. It has been years since I have been on an ELI event but last night reminded of all the fun I had when I was a Cultural Assistant.
Although I only knew a handful of the people, by the end of the night, we were all drinking and laughing as if we knew each other for a long while. Catching up with Maki about how everyone is doing made me really miss the ELI family as well. I think my time at the ELI gave me some of the best memories in my life.
More pictures here.
Classmates
March 10, 2008
新大阪予備校
中級II
2008-01-09 - 2008-03-14
皆、ありがとう！新学期もよろしく。
Overheard
March 08, 2008
I went to a bar last night with Laura. It was my first bar visit in months. As much as I enjoyed catching up with Laura, I had the unfortunate luck of overhearing this rather inane conversation by some fellow gaijins. They were not young - they were at least in their mid twenties.
Gaijin A: I could kick his ass. (referring to Gaijin C)
Gaijin B: I don’t know about that.
Gaijin A: What? Really?
Gaijin B: Yeah, C has the training factor.
Gaijin C: Yeah I train a lot. … not that you don’t train at all.
Gaijin A: Oh come on…
Gaijin B: Yeah, C has the martial arts factor.
Gaijin C: Yeah I do.
Gaijin A: Well I have the marital arts factor.
Gaijin B and C: That’s true that’s true.
Gaijin A: I can handle crazy bitches.
I now remember why I don’t frequent bars anymore.
Wing Chun Kung Fu in Osaka
February 28, 2008
I’ve been googling everything Wing Chun lately and found the lack of information quite appalling. Anyway, I just wanted to let the world know that there is at least our Wing Chun class going on in Osaka and Kyoto that is English-friendly. (日本語でもいいけど)
The class currently takes place once a week on Saturday from 3pm very close to Kitakagaya Station. The class has only been running for a few months so space is still available. You can contact me directly and I’ll refer you to Sifu Steve. I’m handling the web requests. I’m more than happy to answer any questions that you might have.
To answer some of the possible questions that might come up:
- the class is very relaxed
- monthly fees are very reasonable
- Sifu Steve is very welcoming of anyone and will wholeheartedly teach everything he knows
- Sifu Steve allows you to refer to him as “Steve”
- dress code is very relaxed: no strict uniform requirements
- the venue where we practice is not the biggest place but it’s enough (it’s a dance studio). It does not have any equipment (like a wooden dummy) but Sifu Steve brings a lot of gear to class each week
- In my humble opinion, WC is a very effective martial art. With the right training and application, anyone, regardless of size, age, or experience, can become effective in combat.
We’re waiting for you!
ずっと一緒さ - 山下達郎
February 20, 2008
Once in awhile I get suckered into J-dramas. This is the most current one I’m watching. The theme song is excellent.
抱きしめて 静寂（しじま）のなかで
あなたの声を 聞かせて
こびりつく涙をとかして
冬はもうすぐ終わるよ
いくつもの悲しみを くぐりぬけたその後で
つないだ手の暖かさが すべてを知っている
あなたと二人で生きて行きたい
それだけで何もいらない
昼も夜も夢の中まで
ずっとずっと一緒さ
あなたと二人で生きて行けたら
何度でも生まれ変われる
時の海に 未来を浮かべ
ずっとずっと一緒さ
Kyushu weekend
February 04, 2008
I can finally cross Kyushu island off my list of places to go! A simple invitation from Kyle was all it took for us to spend a short and sweet 2 and a half day weekend in western Japan. I’ve always wanted to visit Kyushu and wished we only had more time to explore more places. We only had enough time to see Kumamoto City, Fukuoka City (Hakata), and Mojiko in Kitakyushu.
The lady took this opportunity to visit some work-related places and thus I had a couple hours on my own on Saturday and Monday.
Kumamoto
I found Kumamoto to be a snug and small little city with its own pace of life. Compared to Osaka, everything seemed much more relaxed. We had our first bowl of Kyushu ramen in a place called Kokutei 黒亭. We waited about 20 minutes before the noodles came - something unheard of in Osaka. In 20 minutes, you would have finished eating, paid, and be a few meters away from the restaurant already.
The lady left me after lunch and I had a nice trek from Kumamoto Station to Kumamoto Castle. It’s not as far as it seems on the map. Along the way I stopped by at a couple of tiny temples. I strolled by a park that look really nice but unfortunately it was being renovated so I couldn’t enter to explore.
The main attraction of the city is definitely Kumamoto Castle. It sits in a beautiful park that is packed with gardens and historic buildings. I also remember the Traditional Arts Museum in very close proximity to the castle. Unfortunately for us, it was a very rainy day and trudging through wet grass and rocks is not fun. Also, the castle is being renovated and access to the highest levels was denied. Admission was lowered from 500 to 300 yen though. The castle is not as enthralling as Himeji-jo but I think it’s worth a visit. The interior, unfortunately, has been gutted and converted into a museum, much like Osaka Castle. The turrets have remained as they are - very cold and worth the trouble of taking off your shoes and walking up the structure.
The only other area we to was the Shimotori Arcade Street, a huge covered shopping area. We had bubble tea there and that was about it.
The ELI people including Kyle and Nate! Raw horse meat was had by all!
Hakata
Hakata, in Fukuoka City, was a much bigger and more metropolitan city than Kumamoto. We didn’t do much here neither except visit the Fukuoka City Museum, Hawks Town, and the Tenjin Underground Arcade.
The museum is quite interesting but my feet were too tired for my brain to effectively absorb the information. The lady seemed quite immersed in it and really took the time to read every little thing. I, on the other hand, just sat back and caught up with a couple of Coast to Coast shows downloaded from the night before. Hawks Town is more for kids, the Dessert Forest is interesting but there were too many kids running around and not enough tables (and too much sugar being dispensed as well). The Tenjin Underground Arcade is quite huge! Lots of people, 99.99% of the stores are women’s clothing.
I did have one gripe with the ramen place called Ichiran 一蘭. First off the line outside the restaurant was split into two lines, one against the wall of the restaurant, and the other, on the opposite wall. So, it looked like one line for the ramen store and another line for some other restaurant or shop. They had to have one staff come out every few minutes and make sure that people weren’t accidentally budging. What a waste of labor.
Next, instead of normal tables and counter seats, they had a really restarted booth system where everyone had their own very tiny cubicle to eat the noodles. In each cubicle was your own personal water faucet to pour your own water, a “curtain” so that you wouldn’t have to see the server, and a small metallic plate on which you can place additional orders. The cubicles were too small for me to really enjoy lunch. I couldn’t seen see my wife who sat next to me because of the divider.
Honestly, in the end, this was JUST a ramen restaurant! They went to all this trouble to make their store unique that they’ve placed this retarded hindrance on their customers. For me, it was one confusing new fad to the next. I couldn’t rely on conventional restaurant practices and had to rely on the staff that was placed in guiding customers from line to cubicle. I don’t think this system even saves on labor as I heard or saw at least 6 people working this tiny place anyway.
So in the end, I didn’t have such a great time in Hakata. I didn’t do enough planning to find interesting places to visit. Plus my feet were really killing me!
Mojiko
This morning we got up early to visit the small port of Mojiko. The lady met another work-related person and went on her way leaving me about an hour in this very beautiful place. I most unexpectedly fell in love and had a great time here. This tiny port town used to be a trade center for many European traders. As such many buildings here are European in style and many of them still stand today. It almost felt like being in a different country and I just wished I had more time here.
Mojiko Station is one of the oldest stations in Japan and probably one of the more interesting ones.
I walked past the Kyushu Railway History Museum and decided not to pay the 300 yen to enter. As far as I could tell, there were a couple of old steam engines and that was about it. I’m not a big train person anyway.
The harbor is beautiful and offers a few shops, restaurants, and cafes. There was a boat restaurant that I really wanted to visit but couldn’t due to the lack of time. You get a great view of a bridge that connects Kyushu to Honshu island as well.
We rode the elevator up to the Mojiko Observation Deck and had a nice time until two dozen grandmothers in a tour came up and made it grandma day. They were quite chatty and ruined the picturesque view, for me anyway.
And that was our nice weekend. We hopped on the bullet train and back into the Osaka grind!
One week
January 12, 2008
This week was one for the books, literally. I finished my first week of Japanese school and it has exhausted me.
I had a lot of fun actually but even on the first day I wrote a test and subsequently three more. I had thought that since I was jumping into the course in the middle of the school year I would be excused from the tests. Nope! Considering this, I thought I did well on the tests. For one, I had only 20 minutes to prepare and still managed to get an “A”, as if that matters anymore.
There are only 11 or 12 students in my class - one girl who I saw on the first day doesn’t seem to come anymore. I think the average age in the class is maybe 20-22, a few seemed to have just turned 20! A few more seemed to be studying Japanese to enter a Japanese university. Aside from me and a Korean girl, everyone else is Chinese or Taiwanese (I think).
I’ve spoken with a few people about boring things and they seemed nice. There are a few who seem to act like children though and I am certain I will not be speaking with them often. There are a couple of kids who are playing video games in class, one who acts like a demented 5 year old, and one who speaks to me through another person. I am even more sure now that I am not there to make friends.
There are 4 different teachers I think and each is very different in personality and style. The teacher in charge of our class is absolutely amazing. She has a bubbling personality that reminds me very much of good manzai comedians! She was able to make a lot of rather boring language concepts interesting. Even though it’s only been a week, I can say that she is one of the best teachers I’ve ever met.
I have a lot of catching up to do to keep on pace with the class but I’ve put in a good 2 hours a day on top of 5 hours of class each in studying. If I can keep this up for a few weeks, I’ll have made a big start in preparing for Level 2 (the test which I “forgot” to go there last year).
I don’t think I’ve ever been this motivated in a structured educational environment. I think the main thing is that I’ve completely chosen to be there and I have good reason to be there. It saddens me that there are some in the class that are completely goofing off and wasting mommy’s money and the teacher’s time.
Kids, study hard!
Ebisu Matsuri
January 11, 2008
Yesterday the Noda Ebisu festival took place as it does every year in my neighborhood. I’m not exactly sure what the festival is about and I’m too lazy to google it. I know that it’s more oriented towards business owners although people of all ages were there last night.
For some reason that yet again I have failed to find, the Ebisu Shrine was selling various things that I assume are good for businesses. They were expensive: up to 5000 yen. The wife (or The Boss) wanted to get one and I stated my objection to sparing 5000 yen for something that someone says is lucky. In the end, she got a 3000 plant that is now decorating our entrance.
Personally, I think it would be better business to keep the 3000 yen, but again, who am I but a lowly subordinate.
The shrine itself is fairly similar to most shrines I’ve been to. I found this about Ebisu Shrine:
Popularly know as “Noda no Ebessan”, it is not known exactly when Ebisu Shrine was built. However, within the grounds there are granite stones with “Ebisu no Miya” carved into the front, and the date March 1115 on the side. The stones themselves were erected afterwards, but it is thought that the shrine itself was built around this time. From ancient times, the god Ebisu has been revered at the god of fishing and the area around the shrine was called Naniwa Yasojima, and was a centre of the fishing industry. On the 10th of January every year many worshippers come to Ebisu, and he has also gathered many followers as the local god due to big parades during the summer festival with “Danjiri”, taiko drums, and “Taihoko” etc. [source]
Spinning Around
December 30, 2007
Yesterday I went to my very first ever figure skating event. You can imagine that it was not my idea and the option of going or not was not quite an option. I don’t care what people think about it but I’ve never once enjoyed watching figure skating on TV.
2007 All Japan Medalists On Ice
All I ever notice is that aside from the costume and uniform changes, everyone does the same spins, kicks, twists, hand gestures, and even facial expressions. I don’t see the self-expression involved and thus I don’t enjoy it. Furthermore, the scoring systems always seem so arbitrary. I’m going to avoid commenting on the skimpiness of the costumes completely.
I wish I could say that watching figure skating live changed my opinion about it. Certainly, watching things live are much more exciting but it was still the same stuff. Luckily, skate routines are short, maybe 3 or 4 minutes in length, so boredom is limited to short spurts. Listening to many children shout out their favorite skater’s name was quite interesting; it’s something that you can hardly ever hear on TV.
Now the thing that I will give credit to is that although I personally don’t enjoy watching figure skating, I can easily see the training needed to perfect it. The fitness, flexibility, and strength needed to just hold your leg up almost vertically against your body is tremendous. I totally respect all the hard work that these very young people are putting into something that they love. It certainly is a beautiful art.
NOW WHY CAN’T I ENJOY IT?
Fun At Tennoji
December 24, 2007
Last Friday I get a call from Thomas with an invite to the monthly flea market at Shitennoji. Being one for randomness, how could I refuse?
As one can expect from a flea market, you only had old people rummaging through bins for discounted items that only the feebleminded could get excited about. Grandmas at the least in their 70s forgot their back problems and bent down to find cheap shoes. We even saw an old lady get out of her electric wheelchair to go search through a bin of clothes. Flea markets can perform miracles.
What was different from flea markets was the kind of items you can buy. Of course there were old cultural items that essentially can only be found in Japan but also there were many collectibles, more than what I’ve seen back in Canada. Prices were fairly good as well. A lot of stuff was actually worth buying if you didn’t mind crud-covered goods. There were many food-stands that sold really delicious-looking food for very cheap.
Polly Scary Doll
I almost felt bad for not buying anything at all. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything that I absolutely must have - the closest thing was a bowling pin with a clock in it. What household can go without a bowling pin clock?
Why not buy a tombstone?
After that Thomas and I parted ways and having the rest of the day, I decided to stroll through Tennoji and the weird Shinseki area (reputably very dangerous but it’s no more dangerous than a Chuck E. Cheese on a Saturday afternoon). I like going through the area as it has more rabble and color than most brand-loving pachinko-parlored urban areas that I normally frequent.
Another day well spent.
Pet phlebotomy
December 20, 2007
For all your bloodletting needs, visit:
I hope they mean breeder…
Hello!! Mr. Butch!
December 16, 2007
Who doesn’t want to look like Mr. Butch?
A hairsalon fairly close to my place.
How octopi get you jobs and help pass exams
December 13, 2007
In Japanese, wordplay and homonyms are quite common. As a lazy Japanese student, this humor often escapes me and I need them explained slowly, with graphs, drawings, and finger puppets. Here’s an example:
Octopus / おくとパス
This little delicious character has 合格, or “pass” written on it. The English word “octopus” can be broken into the syllables “o-ku-to-pa-su”. Taking this, “oku” is the verb for “to place (down)” “okuto” would mean, “When placed down” and finally “pa-su” = “pass”. So “Octopus” becomes “When this is placed down on a table, you pass”.
This is a small little good luck charm that my lovely mother in law gave me to bolster my job search adventure. With this I should be able to become president of a small budding nation. Octopus!
Babies!
December 09, 2007
Yuko-sensei and her very cute and tiny 9 month old Rio! I’ve met him a few times this year and it’s amazing to see the pace of development. I think he understands Japanese better than I do and it will be a matter of months before he speaks better too.
Excuse me, no really, me
December 06, 2007
Today while I was at Shin Osaka station, I decided to make a pitstop at the washroom.
Before I further this story, let me digress for a moment and explain something about washrooms in Japan. You will undoubtedly at some point visit a washroom while someone is in there cleaning. More likely than not, it will be an elderly woman cleaning. It took quite awhile to get used to peeing in front of someone who’s possibly my grandmother’s age. Sometimes I deliberately take the stalls just for that hint of privacy. It’s something that I’m sure most male foreigners here will attest to.
Back to the story.
At this washroom at the station, the cleaning lady was not an old woman, but a very young girl, perhaps early twenties, possibly even younger (it’s impossible to tell age in this country). I literally stopped dead in my tracks there and doubted whether or not I could pee, not in front of an old woman, but a rather young lass. I was about to forego this pitstop and maybe try to make it all the way home. Then I noticed other guys by the urinals already and collective agreement that I’ve picked up here kicked in and all inhibitions fell away. If other guys are peeing in front of her, it’s ok if I do it, right?
To top it off, when girl finished her cleaning in the washroom, she walked towards the entrance, stopped, turned back around and faced us and said, “失礼致します” - a very polite way of saying “Excuse me (I’m about to leave)”. No Miss, I am the one who is peeing timidly in your presence, please excuse me.
Horsies
October 30, 2007
On Sunday, Thomas introduced me to the world of horse petting zoos.
We made our way to the Kyoto Horserace Track and he taught me how to pet the horses nicely and admire the sheen of their coats and their muscular tones.
It was my first time at a track and I had a lot of fun. I’m not exactly a gambler so I followed Thomas’ picks and bet the minimum 100 yen on a few races. Total winnings: 0. It was quite impressive to see the Tokyo Emperor’s Cup on the big ass TV in the middle of the track. One race netted 1,400,000 yen on a 100 yen bet for the triple something bet. (I don’t remember the jargon).
All in all, I spent a good afternoon with a good friend with some pretty ponies. I would go again but would try to take more pictures of silly old Japanese men who took their whole family here.
Thomas studying the stock indices
Closure
October 27, 2007
It just so happened that an informal MM center party was held at the big HUB on the same day Nova had its big d-day. Thoughts aside about the whole bankrupcy protection, it was a great party.
A lot more people came out than expected and I got a chance to thank and say goodbye to many people. It was a great rowdy night and I didn’t even drink a drop of beer! I made a realization that after tonight there would be a lot of people I would never see anymore and some people I might accidentally run into on the streets. I didn’t speak with my friends too much knowing full well I would see them, just as often as before.
For me it was closure to a fairly big part of my life in the past five years. I left quickly, abruptly, and definitely not publicly. Some people didn’t know I had quit since so many people were on “holidays” or were “sick”. Today, I was able to have my say with many good people that I will miss.
Thank you everyone. お疲れ様でした.
D-Day
October 26, 2007
This is a huge day. Nova has filed for bankrupcy protection, ousted the president, and suspended operations. This is it.
Just on the news - the Hello Work office in Umeda has set up a counseling service for Nova employees. Enjoy!
Housewife
October 24, 2007
It has just been a week since I quit my job and it has just been a week of fun and games! It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do whatever I want everyday for any extended amount of time.
So far I’ve been to one interview that I felt wasn’t as spectacular as I had hoped for but I’m hoping I’ll get a second interview. I’ve played a couple of Llorwyn sealeds - it’s a very nicely themed set with beautiful art. Some of the mechanics I don’t care for so much though. I’ve been hanging out and had a few drinks with various people.
5 packs of Llorywn and the pile that goes with it
Any level of stress I had has completely disappeared. I’m not sleeping very well though - I’m trying to stay up late but I can’t sleep in anymore. The early shift has broken my ability to sleep.
As most of you already know, I’ve been addicted to facebook.com. Seeing those little messages and that friend number go up little by little is quite satisfying. Now though, the friend count has lost steam and should I want to see the same kind of growth, I’d have to dig into the seamy past. Eww.
I’ve been taking my camera out wherever I go and trying to bike more around Osaka. I can’t believe that I didn’t bike so much before. I’ve missed out on strange shops and neighborhoods. Pictures will follow I’m sure.
Those in Japan: Da Ole HUB this Friday after 7pm for an informal MM center get-together!
It’s finally done
October 16, 2007
Today was my final day at Nova.
The bunny that fucked us all over
I decided yesterday that it was finally time to end this chapter of my life. Today I submitted my notice, had my holidays arranged, and said my goodbyes.
As expected, the amount of sick calls skyrocketed this week and today I essentially had a full schedule of lessons. It has truly been a long time since my last full-lesson day. I enjoyed each lesson and had good chats with some of them. During the whole time I couldn’t help but run through all five years and think about all the people I had met and interacted with.
I am very fortunate to be able to walk away from MM with only positive memories. Although I’ve seen my share of crap there, I have let it go and will truly remember my experience as one of learning and cooperation between people from so many walks of life.
I said goodbyes and thank yous to many today but my favorite was LS superstar Yumi. She was so shocked by the sudden news that she started crying a little! I didn’t know how to respond. I was touched that someone would have such an emotional response to my leaving.
I have no idea what the next few months will hold but I am very happy about starting a new chapter. My time at Nova has been wonderful and I sincerely hope that all instructors and staff will be able to come out of this with an experience as positive as mine.
The only original core group instructor from when I first started AND my meat shield
HFK! And/or Mr. Squigg Voice
Who could ever forget Billy Bastard?
My boss, the one who lets me run rampant
A few more pictures.
The End
October 13, 2007
I’ve always refrained from writing about Nova for a lot of reasons but the crazy roller coaster ride that has been happening over the last couple of months has helped change my mind.
I am a Center Trainer (CT) at Nova. That’s equivalent to a Branch Trainer (BT), the next step above an Assistant Trainer (AT). At work I wear a dark green tag to differentiate us from the light green ATs, and the purple instructors. Just to let you know now, the colors mean nothing and really, the positions don’t exactly mean much neither. It is and always has just been a job. I hope I can say without a lot of people flaming me that I’ve always tried to keep it real. I never carried the “company line” and always called it as I saw it. I almost never gave bullshit to anyone and the times I did, well, those fuckers must have been really out of line.
I feel the end is nigh and I’m just about ready to close this chapter of my life.
So just a quick overview of the past couple of months:
- Japanese and Foreign staff (ie. permanent, salaried employees) had their salaries delayed each month since July.
- Titled Instructors (ATs, BTs, CTs) and many regular instructors outside of major cities had their August pay delayed for two weeks in September.
- Instructors living in apartments subleased by Nova have been evicted because Nova did not pay rents (the rent was deducted from instructor salaries).
- Branches have been closing all over the country - hundreds of schools are done.
- Rumors of a lot of people quitting in gaiji, payroll, everywhere “higher up”.
Just yesterday the useless president sent a fax to all branches saying that our salary on the 15th will be delayed until the 19th. This refers to ALL instructors now, across Japan. This will be the final straw.
This morning I woke up early and contacted LS (the administrative area at the MM) and confirmed the contents of the fax. Already then, I was told of 20 sick calls and this was at 6:40AM. I can only imagine the chaos happening right now as hundreds of branches across Japan will be unmanned and hundreds of lessons being cancelled. This will only continue all week until there’s nothing left.
Surprisingly, I am not at all angry right now. This has been expected and in fact, I’m looking forward to the end so that I can finally move on and start something else. When my salary was delayed last month, that really caught me by surprise. I didn’t think it would ever come to that because the instructors are the company’s final line. I was completely shocked that they crossed it. Now, the end is all but inevitable - it will be drawn out and ugly but I am glad.
I do want to say that I have really loved working with the people at MM over the last 5 years and 4 days (not that I’m counting). Many have become excellent friends and I have learned a lot from them and my position. The experience I gained working with people will last and I’ve made a fair bit of coin as well.
To friends and family back home, you need not worry about me. The lady and I have funds saved up, she’s still working, and hopefully I can get unemployment insurance in a timely manner. I have held out on job applications because there are literally hundreds of people applying for the same jobs right now. I am applying for the couple of jobs here and there that really appeal to me and skipping out on the crap. Worst comes to worst, I can bunker down and enjoy a bit of a holiday.
I’m on my weekend but I will be going in on Monday because that’s our scheduled pay day and technically they can still pay us on that day. I am planning to go in on Tuesday so that my pay will “officially” be late and also I will help out LS staff as much as I can. Wednesday… let’s leave Wednesday optional for now.
If anyone at Nova has questions feel free to contact me and I’ll try to answer them if I can.
Sports Day again!
October 07, 2007
Kiyomizu-dera
October 05, 2007
I went with my new buddy Gerard to see Kiyomizu-dera; one of the more beautiful and famous places in Kyoto. That temple sits on the side of a mountain and some of the structures are over 1200 years old!
The lack of updates is intentional. I have been going through a tough time at work. I’ll keep it brief but last month my salary came two weeks late and the company always seems to be on the brink of bankrupcy with staff salaries having been late for months now, teachers being evicted from their apartments because the company has not paid the rent, advertisers not having been paid, and branches being closed.
This has led to a mass exodus of teachers all over the country and floods of rumors coming in every day. The company has not exactly been forthcoming with any news. This is the worst part - being kept in the dark when motivation and confidence is at an all time low.
I am not having a fun time at work. It’s like climbing a mountain everyday just to get there and climbing it again to stay. I have some plans but basically I’m going to ride it out and try to get on the dole.
Nova handed suspension order over tuition fee practices
June 14, 2007
From Mainichi yesterday. Thanks fearless leaders. Rest assured that my confidence in you is not as low as the stock price. Thanks.
Nova handed suspension order over tuition fee practices
Nova handed suspension order over tuition fee practices
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Wednesday ordered major English-language school operator Nova Corp. to suspend part of its business operations for holding back money from students who cancelled their contracts, ministry officials said.The ministry issued an order prohibiting Nova from soliciting customers or accepting applications for contracts exceeding one year or new contracts exceeding 70 hours. The suspension will be in place for six months.
It is the first time for the ministry to issue a business suspension order to an English language school under Japan’s special transaction law. People who are currently taking lessons at the language school will not be affected by the order.
Ministry officials explained Nova operates a system in which students buy points enabling them to take lessons. When they buy a large number of points in advance, they can take lessons at a cheaper price.
However, when people cancelled their contracts before finishing their courses, the company lowered the amount of lesson fees it returned to them. In addition the company didn’t inform people about the procedures for canceling contracts.
In April this year, the Supreme Court ruled that Nova’s policy of demanding penalties when students cancelled their contracts violated a law regulating commercial practices. It said the policy restricted students’ right to initiate the cancellation of their contracts, and ruled the practice invalid.
It has also emerged that the company prevented students from canceling their contracts under Japan’s “cooling off” law which states that people can cancel contracts without any obligation if they do so within eight days of forming the contract, by listing students’ contract day as the day they took tours of classes or received explanations about lessons.
Furthermore, when inviting students to take lessons, the company advertised that they could book lessons any time they wanted, but because of the difficulty in securing teachers, it remained difficult to make bookings. Because of this, the ministry reportedly decided to issue a business improvement order to the firm.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government conducted an inspection of Nova in February in connection with the law regulating commercial practices. It found that several practices that violated the law had been ordered by the company’s general headquarters. The ministry said it judged the company’s practices to be “organized and malicious.”
Nova operates over 900 schools across Japan, and has about 480,000 students. Since 1996, the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has received over 7,000 complaints and inquiries about the company. (Mainichi)
(A) would make me very happy
June 07, 2007
Me: “I am now asking you to stop playing Sudoku in lessons.”
Dumbass: “How am I supposed to stop from falling asleep?”
Me: [choose your answer].
Possible answers that I wanted to say.
A. “Take your right hand, make a fist, and repeatedly hit your orcish-looking face with it until you reach skull, or through skull.”
B. “Sign your name on this sheet of paper called Resignation Form.”
C. “Step onto a highway blindfolded. Wear black clothes and do this at night if necessary.”
D. “Choose another guy to give lip to.”
Congratulations dumbass, you’ve made my list.
Exploding Gyoza
May 31, 2007
A term coined by Guillaume, Exploding Gyoza becomes the very first episode of Dumbass Chronicles, a new category I’ve decided to add to my blog.
Yesterday at work, our first ever dumbass decided to heat some food in a plastic container in our new microwaves at work. They were literally installed that morning.
She decides to heat up this tiny plastic container for 10 minutes.
The plastic melts, the food is set aflame.
As I walk up the stairs to the standby room, I see the room filled with white smoke and several staff members opening doors and turning on air conditioners trying to help clear the air a bit. I work for the next hour or so in the office, eyes becoming sore, throat becoming irritated, anger and disbelief enveloping my common sense.
Because of this dumbass’ ability to realize that exciting water molecules in a small plastic container will melt it, super heat the food so that it bursts aflame, the microwaves have now been temporarily suspended from action, resulting in 700 people not having access to the microwaves. Thank you, dumbass.
A Japanese garage
May 10, 2007
Melting Clocks and Plastic Cup Beer
April 19, 2007
Joined by cohorts Thomas and Jonathan, we did something cultured today and went to see the Dali exhibit at Suntory Museum. You see, us societal elitists must keep up with the what’s new in town and Salvatore Dali seemed like just the thing for a very sunny Thursday afternoon.
I profess that aside from the melty clock painting, anything I know of Dali comes from the Simpsons. I had no expectations in mind aside from a good beer after the show. Thomas, on the other hand, has decided to quit drinking. He is a party pooper.
The reflective can building
It was my first time in Suntory Museum, home to the Imax theater. As respected as Dali must be I was quite bored. The whole time I was looking at fucked up paintings and photographs, the words “beer beer beer” kept repeating itself. I bought a framed melty clock picture (to grace my home collection of master pieces) and we headed off to that crazy market place.
This is going next to my wedding pictures!
Sadly the beer we got came in cheap plastic cups. You get what you pay for I guess. Regardless, a very fun afternoon being entertained by my favorite Australian.
I’m a big boy now!
Use Your Common Sense
April 16, 2007
The death of fellow Nova teacher Lindsay Walker sparked a big media response in England. It got the attention of media in Japan as well and the company had to release public statements and also internal memos relating to the case. The suspect is still at large.
A new article on Mainichi has a few anecdotes of private teachers and students having terrible experiences with creepy assholes. I don’t doubt that these stories are real and/or there are other similar stories like them.
To all foreigners thinking of coming to Japan I only have these words: use your common sense. To all students learning English from foreigners: use your common sense.
It is true that Japan’s crime rate is very low compared to most western countries. I feel very safe when walking at night in dark alleys. I think people are more scared of me than I of them since I always walk like I’m about to mow someone over. Regardless of this, use your common sense.
Don’t walk around at night alone. Don’t visit the homes of people you hardly know. Don’t leave your valuables unattended. Don’t go out with your students/teachers (whatever happened to professional distance). Don’t let someone touch you or if they do, raise hell and make sure they pay for it. Don’t sleep with someone unless you have the same idea of what kind of relationship the other person wants. (Trust me… there are some scary scary stalking / angry girlfriend stories).
Do let someone know where you will be. Do meet students/teachers in public places. Do get references or ask to speak with other students/teachers that this person is teaching/was taught by. Do be on guard.
Foreigners have a bad name in this country because of the actions of a few dumbasses. Having met my fair share of them I can only hope that the image of our countries isn’t tarnished too badly. Trust no one. The truth is out there. United we stand. Divided we fall.
The Beach
April 09, 2007
Totally forgot about this place until I started playing with my camera. The woman and I went to Suma near Kobe last year to get the last rays of sun in September. The aquarium there was lame but the dolphins were… lame.
Beethoven-approved
March 31, 2007
That’s right B-dog. That’s right.
Important notice for Canadians living or traveling in the Kansai and the Kyushu areas
March 29, 2007
From Mainichi News
Important notice for Canadians living or traveling in the Kansai and the Kyushu areas
As publicly announced in January, all consular services currently performed by Canadian consulates in Osaka and Fukuoka will be transferred to the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo as of April 2.
Canadian citizens living or travelling in the Kansai and the Kyushu areas can reach the Consular Section by using the following coordinates:
You can reach the Consular section by:
Telephone at (03) 5412-6200;
Fax at (03) 5412-6289;
E-mail at tokyo-consul@international.gc.ca;
Mail at Attn. Consular Section, Canadian Embassy, 7-3-38 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-8503
Canadian Embassy Announcement
LinkMarch 29, 2007
Quake!
March 25, 2007
This morning at 9:42am there was a pretty strong earthquake off the coast of Ishikawa prefecture, north side of central Japan. It measured a 6+ on the Japanese rating system and a 7.1 on the Richter.
Here in Osaka, I had just woken up and was in bed when I felt my building sway a bit, then increase in frequency, and then subside gently. It lasted 10 seconds or so here. My biggest fear here was my new computer getting destroyed by falling things or my bookshelf toppling and crushing my wife (in that particular order).
Ishikawa and Osaka prefecture highlighted. The green X is the epicenter.
I got up and turned on the TV to see where it was. Sure enough, a tsunami warning had already been issued and they expected a 50cm wave at 9:50am. It’s amazing how fast they were able to send out a warning so fast compared to the big wave in Thailand a couple years ago.
I concede
March 20, 2007
I’ve met my match.
Up to this point I thought there was no one I couldn’t train. No one who wouldn’t demonstrate a semblance of teaching after spending a few days with me. I would never officially admit it but the majority of those I get from the beginning do alright for themselves.
Wrong!
I have met one who goes beyond words. I had never been so helpless at work. I literally sat down and just stared into nothingness because I had no game plan. No corrective feedback, no training module to run through to fix something or to improve something. I had never been so stressed at work because I thought it was me! It was my training. I was doing something, or NOT doing something that was causing this.
I sent for reinforcements.
I had a few experienced trainers who spent time with said person going through stuff we did. This is personal time that is generally not given at this point in teaching. Mostly, it’s group work with me and the other trainees. Even after individualized, personal time, it wasn’t enough. At that point I realized it wasn’t me. It was, said person.
I’ve met my share of terrible people at work. Mostly it comes down to attitude, holier-than-thou personas, always blaming something else, or just plain angry people. Unfortunately our test subject did not fit any of these templates. This was something brand new.
The best word that comes to mind is “thick”. What we do is not brain surgery. What we do is a simple skill that can be acquired. What I expect from those I train at this point is the bare minimal. Our test subject was unable to meet most goals at the end of training, something I had not personally seen in my trainees until now.
Our test subject had no attitude problems. However I cannot say our test subject was personable neither. Quite the opposite - a blank sheet of A4 paper comes to mind.
I’m sorry for being so vague on everything. It would just be plain mean to name names and go into details. I’m not stressed anymore because as of 3pm five days ago, my obligations to our test subject were done. It will just remain a blemish on my otherwise unspotted record.
You win.
Haircuts
February 12, 2007
Strangely enough one of my least favorite things to do in Japan is to get a haircut. It is one of my more uncomfortable events that I have to put up with once every one or two months depending on my level of laziness.
The salon I go to is just around the corner from where I live and they have this hip and trendy feel to it. I am the antithesis of hip and cool. More obvious is my non-native use of the language. I’m still having trouble understanding the kinds of questions people ask in hair salons simply because they’re so low frequency. Also, the guy that usually cuts my hair tends to speak rather quietly - just adding to my list of worries.
When he whispers and asks me how I want my hair I usually just tell him “the same as before” but sometimes he doesn’t understand and then proceeds to show me the hairstyle catalogs and questions me on length of each hair that I’d like. Usually I can tell him what I want but end up feeling so embarrassed in the process. I then start sweating like I’m about to get an enema and the vinyl sheets they use to cover people up isn’t exactly the best conductors of embarrassment heat.
Just as my body runs out of water to sweat out, the ordeal ends and the best part comes next. I pay my expensive dues and give my thanks and at that point is the longest possible amount of time before my next visit to the hair salon.
Agh it’s all gone!
February 08, 2007
All my Japanese entries were lost in translation! Or the encoding messed up. Whichever.
もう一度日本語で書く！
My test results
February 07, 2007
I slightly beat my goal of 80% by a whopping 5.25%! Not only that, surprisingly my worst section was Listening while my best was Reading/Grammar. I was expecting the exact opposite. With level 3 out of the way I now look at level 2 without the same level of confidence. Ten months to go. Will I be ready?
1 Year Anniversary
January 25, 2007
The Lady and I survived our first year as wife and manslave together! It has truly been a fast year and both of us have been rather busy. We didn’t do anything too special because we both had to work but she was able to book us into a fairly nice restaurant near our apartment.
This was in many ways your typical Japanese restaurant, with the staff wearing kimonos, and the customers were mostly old stinky Japanese men drunk out of their minds. (Guys, it’s Monday only! Save some for the rest of the week!) Most of the food was served in very tiny portions and were unidentifiable - as most kaiseki places tend to be.
Towards the end of dinner though we were served a rather interesting dish. It was definitely fishy - I’m sure one part of it was fish liver. It was not the most appealing in taste but I’ve had livers of various animals before so I was able to eat most of it. The other thing though was more of a mystery.
It was rather pale and looked like small intestine so I assumed it was fish intestine. I sampled it, didn’t like it very much and asked The Lady what it was. She had no idea and she didn’t eat it neither. We carefully hid it around other things and let the kimono-clad waitress take it away.
The next day in my Japanese lesson, I asked my teacher about that particular dish. She pulled out her dictionary and showed me: “testis”
I thought, “testis”? I didn’t think fish had balls! So anyway I go home and wiki it and even worse… I ate me some fish jizz. Yup. I took it in the mouth. Does that mean I’m gay now?
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December 12, 2006
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