When I say that the fashion sense in Japan is awful, dammit I mean it. I thought that after the 70's, anybody caught wearing leopard print was beheaded by order of the queen. Leopard-print fingerless gloves shouldn't sound like a good idea to ANYBODY that isn't a mid-African tribal hunter that killed the beast with his bare hands (which may or may not be actual bear hands, depending on the hunter).
That was a nice break from blogging. I'm not sure how long it was. Probably a day. Time moves differently here....in the wild.
There is this site called Mogulus that you should all look into. They have "channels" which are user run where people upload content and you can watch it like a tv. Except there are no commercials, its free, and there are 5000 channels with more than nothing to watch. Also if you feel so oriented, there is a chat room attached to the side that usually proves to be as entertaining as the video itself. I watched the entirety of Batman Beyond on one of them, and Tintin on a different one. I wasn't aware that Tintin was entertaining at all, so that was a revelation.
In other news, I finally made it out to an Internet Cafe to have something to say about Japan again! And in the great words of The Critic, "It stinks!". Honestly. I went there for the express purpose of downloading things on my laptop. And they told me I could when I stopped in the time before. So when I come in today and they tell me that I'm not allowed to use it, you know, AFTER I buy the minutes, that kinda stinks. Ah, well. I removed the firewall and installed Steam and Team Fortress 2 so I did what I intended to anyways.
The place is basically a crowded mixture of a bar, a library, and your computer lab. All the computers are in one space which is a row of doored cubicles. So the tops are open. And smoking is allowed, which really got on my nerves and had me feeling kinda sick for a bit after leaving. There is also a "room service" phone in each booth an a menu so you can order food. Which is... odd. Some of the food looked delicious, but considering I was screwing with their computers I didn't order anything on the risk of being caught. There is also a set of billiard tables, some video games consoles, dart boards, and a manga and reading section with free books to check out. Also, all the machines have an English setting, but none of the workers do.
My inability to do things on my own, leaving me in a dullop like state of infancy in the midst of the Japanese renders me to do some quite silly looking things. For example, going into the mall's information booth to ask where to buy bus tickets, and then being directed to the booth directly across from them.
Ah.
I could very well write this blog in a way that made me look intelligent, instead of a bumbling fool. But where's the fun in that?
Along those lines, my friends screwed with me. I came home from the cafe and passed out as a result of being awake for two days, so when I came out to get a drink my friends wished me Happy New Years and confused the living daylights out of me. They're all "Yeah, it's 2009 now." To which my response was "Whaaaat?" and a going back to my room to check the calendar and then go back to call them all jerks.
Wankers.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
One might question
The purpose of updating my blog when I don't DO ANYTHING.
I ran around a whole bunch with my Flash hoodie on and missed the food hours at the bus station. Which sucked. That's pretty much it. Talked with some friends.
I did some writing practice, but hey, whatever.
I might take a break from blogging. Winter break has severely dropped my viewcount anyways, and I hate blogging when I don't have anything to talk about. If I do stop for a couple days, I'll start updating the Twitter more often, so you can check that right over on the side ========>
In the meantime, check out the site Nedroid.com The comics there are hilarious, and some of the drawings are cool too.
I ran around a whole bunch with my Flash hoodie on and missed the food hours at the bus station. Which sucked. That's pretty much it. Talked with some friends.
I did some writing practice, but hey, whatever.
I might take a break from blogging. Winter break has severely dropped my viewcount anyways, and I hate blogging when I don't have anything to talk about. If I do stop for a couple days, I'll start updating the Twitter more often, so you can check that right over on the side ========>
In the meantime, check out the site Nedroid.com The comics there are hilarious, and some of the drawings are cool too.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Japanese Racism
Ho. Ly. Crap.
So, my chair broke. I'm not sure how these things happen, but they do. It's been sort of busted since the beginning of the year, but it was still useable so I dind't make a big fuss about it. It kinda just...snapped today, so I brought it and a friend who speaks better Japanese than I do up to the security office to trade it in for a better one.
Now, I know that at the beginning of the year I put that the chair was fine (because I didn't, you know, meticulously examine everything in my room and annotate every wrong feature. Like most people.) so I was fully prepared to go in and just fill out the I need a new chair report and trade it in for a new one. I was aware that I'd most likely be charged for this chair, but whatever. I just want something to sit on.
But when I got to the details it's all... I'm not sure what to write. It just sort of broke. So I left it blank. And the guard pestered me to explain how it broke, so I tried to say that when I came back to my room it was broken, so I'm not sure what happened. I guess I did that wrong or something cause he kept questioning me. I tried saying (and my friend tried explaining) that it was a little broken from the beginning of the year and it must have just given out.
They called me a liar.
Like... flat out. I heard them say the word liar. In Japanese granted but I heard it.
I said that I don't care if I have to pay for it or whatever, I just want a new chair. So they got me one and told me to test it out and leave, and then began muttering stuff in Japanese about how I was a liar and I was just trying to trick them into a free chair.
What.
The.
Hell.
It's probably my worse experience since coming to this country. And to top it all off, the chair they gave me is ALSO broken. If I raise it any higher than halfway it becomes deatched and falls apart. Really though, I don't even care anymore. I'm going to Beppu and seeing if I can get a cheap chair or a stool or something and just keep this in the closet for the rest of the year. Freakin ridiculous.
So, my chair broke. I'm not sure how these things happen, but they do. It's been sort of busted since the beginning of the year, but it was still useable so I dind't make a big fuss about it. It kinda just...snapped today, so I brought it and a friend who speaks better Japanese than I do up to the security office to trade it in for a better one.
Now, I know that at the beginning of the year I put that the chair was fine (because I didn't, you know, meticulously examine everything in my room and annotate every wrong feature. Like most people.) so I was fully prepared to go in and just fill out the I need a new chair report and trade it in for a new one. I was aware that I'd most likely be charged for this chair, but whatever. I just want something to sit on.
But when I got to the details it's all... I'm not sure what to write. It just sort of broke. So I left it blank. And the guard pestered me to explain how it broke, so I tried to say that when I came back to my room it was broken, so I'm not sure what happened. I guess I did that wrong or something cause he kept questioning me. I tried saying (and my friend tried explaining) that it was a little broken from the beginning of the year and it must have just given out.
They called me a liar.
Like... flat out. I heard them say the word liar. In Japanese granted but I heard it.
I said that I don't care if I have to pay for it or whatever, I just want a new chair. So they got me one and told me to test it out and leave, and then began muttering stuff in Japanese about how I was a liar and I was just trying to trick them into a free chair.
What.
The.
Hell.
It's probably my worse experience since coming to this country. And to top it all off, the chair they gave me is ALSO broken. If I raise it any higher than halfway it becomes deatched and falls apart. Really though, I don't even care anymore. I'm going to Beppu and seeing if I can get a cheap chair or a stool or something and just keep this in the closet for the rest of the year. Freakin ridiculous.
Friday, December 26, 2008
God Bless Us, Every One
And if you don't believe in God, well then, Bruce Campbell will bless you. Try and prove me wrong.
Anyways, I got to open my presents this morning. And by morning I mean 2 or 3 in the afternoon, because for some reason that's when I woke up. I legitimately got up at 11 and was actually up and about doing things. And then I woke up again at a bit before 3. I'm still not sure how it happened, because I don't even remember crawling back into bed, especially because I remember getting onto the computer and checking my e-mail and reading comics.
Oh well, Christmas miracle.
Got a pretty good haul I think. A full book series that I like, a Spanish copy of Don Quijote de la Mancha, a bunch of random comics, a Flash (AAAaaaAAAH! Saviour of the Universe![actually no, the DC one]) hoodie, and a whole bunch of snack food. Also some cards and a guide book about Japan (?). So pretty good stuff. Here's a picture of it all on my unkempt bed:
The hoodie is made of goesfast, and when you where it you are filled with an overwhelming urge to go fast. Until you realize that you are a gigantic nerd for wearing it, and being a gigantic nerd, you aren't exactly suited to running long distances at top speed. So after about the first set of stairs and a block or two you lean over, start hacking up phlegm and blood, and pass out where you stand. But thanks to the powers of the hoodie, when you wake up 2 hours later with frostbite in your toes, missing your pants and shoes, you still feel fantastic!
On a more somber note, I got a phone card and called home. My mom almost sounded like she was in tears when she picked up and heard me say "Merry Christmas". She woke my dad up who apparently had only been asleep for about an hour, and we all spoke for a good amount of time. And the topic of my cat came up because we normally buy the cats Christmas presents every year, so I was kind of sad about it. The other ones are doing well and Captain has stepped up as the pack leader, so that's good that they've adjusted. Still though, miss my kitty.
Anyways, after that I went around bothering people to go get food. I was actually planning on treating a bunch of people to some horrible pizza, but nobody wanted to go out. Jason was planning to go to KFC with a friend and said I could come along, though. Apparently Japanese people think Americans all go to KFC on Christmas, so we proved the stereotype right! I apparently do that constantly, so hey. It was decent and there was this honey maple kind of....sauce? for the biscuits. Was delicious.
Now I'm back in my room playing games on the computer so that I can avoid cleaning up the mess from all my Christmas junk. Wowzers.
That's all for now. Merry Christmas to everyone, and a late Happy Hannukah. I'm not sure if I missed Kwanzaa, but I'm not sure I mind either because from my understanding it's a holiday simply made up to counter Christmas. But I could be wrong, because nobody actually knows anything about the thing.
And now I leave you with the Marvel character biography of Santa Claus:
Ho ho ho.
Anyways, I got to open my presents this morning. And by morning I mean 2 or 3 in the afternoon, because for some reason that's when I woke up. I legitimately got up at 11 and was actually up and about doing things. And then I woke up again at a bit before 3. I'm still not sure how it happened, because I don't even remember crawling back into bed, especially because I remember getting onto the computer and checking my e-mail and reading comics.
Oh well, Christmas miracle.
Got a pretty good haul I think. A full book series that I like, a Spanish copy of Don Quijote de la Mancha, a bunch of random comics, a Flash (AAAaaaAAAH! Saviour of the Universe![actually no, the DC one]) hoodie, and a whole bunch of snack food. Also some cards and a guide book about Japan (?). So pretty good stuff. Here's a picture of it all on my unkempt bed:
The hoodie is made of goesfast, and when you where it you are filled with an overwhelming urge to go fast. Until you realize that you are a gigantic nerd for wearing it, and being a gigantic nerd, you aren't exactly suited to running long distances at top speed. So after about the first set of stairs and a block or two you lean over, start hacking up phlegm and blood, and pass out where you stand. But thanks to the powers of the hoodie, when you wake up 2 hours later with frostbite in your toes, missing your pants and shoes, you still feel fantastic!
On a more somber note, I got a phone card and called home. My mom almost sounded like she was in tears when she picked up and heard me say "Merry Christmas". She woke my dad up who apparently had only been asleep for about an hour, and we all spoke for a good amount of time. And the topic of my cat came up because we normally buy the cats Christmas presents every year, so I was kind of sad about it. The other ones are doing well and Captain has stepped up as the pack leader, so that's good that they've adjusted. Still though, miss my kitty.
Anyways, after that I went around bothering people to go get food. I was actually planning on treating a bunch of people to some horrible pizza, but nobody wanted to go out. Jason was planning to go to KFC with a friend and said I could come along, though. Apparently Japanese people think Americans all go to KFC on Christmas, so we proved the stereotype right! I apparently do that constantly, so hey. It was decent and there was this honey maple kind of....sauce? for the biscuits. Was delicious.
Now I'm back in my room playing games on the computer so that I can avoid cleaning up the mess from all my Christmas junk. Wowzers.
That's all for now. Merry Christmas to everyone, and a late Happy Hannukah. I'm not sure if I missed Kwanzaa, but I'm not sure I mind either because from my understanding it's a holiday simply made up to counter Christmas. But I could be wrong, because nobody actually knows anything about the thing.
And now I leave you with the Marvel character biography of Santa Claus:
Ho ho ho.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Oh Crap
I forgot to write a blog.
Haha...wow.
Addicted to this stupid game. Seriously. Never play an MMO.
Made tacos today for Christmas Eve dinner. Shared them with a bunch of people, and I think I'm going downtown with a friend on Friday. Possibly. Should be fun.
And I watched a movie with Fanxing. American Beauty hurrah! How have I never seen half of these films? Honestly. I need to stop watching cartoons or something.
Christmas pictures will be up for tomorrow's blog. Merry Christmas to you all. It's Christmas here right now. I need sleep though.
Haha...wow.
Addicted to this stupid game. Seriously. Never play an MMO.
Made tacos today for Christmas Eve dinner. Shared them with a bunch of people, and I think I'm going downtown with a friend on Friday. Possibly. Should be fun.
And I watched a movie with Fanxing. American Beauty hurrah! How have I never seen half of these films? Honestly. I need to stop watching cartoons or something.
Christmas pictures will be up for tomorrow's blog. Merry Christmas to you all. It's Christmas here right now. I need sleep though.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Iiiiit's Christmas Time ALRIGHT
And man thank God for that.
Classes went out nicely with the Japanese Exchange class again today. First half of the class was entirely in Japanese and we had to talk about the countries we're from and what we like to do in Japan. That's pretty cake, and my partner did most of the talking anyway. If you're pretty, people pay more attention to you. Which works out for me, cause I got to sit there and do less work. HA! In your face, system (I think I made myself sad....) The second half was on food we liked and how to make it. I picked... TACOS. Oh god I don't know why. I should've extolled the wonders of the western New York pizza and chicken wing industry. But I love tacos. I'm sorry.
I was going to make them tonight, but the kicthen was a disaster area. Seriously. Not one surface was clean. I'm glad it wasn't my night to clean it. That's disgusting.
I found this soft chewy apple candy. It's delicious. And I was eating it while I was drinking apple juice.
I think I may just have some sort of addiction...
No plans for Christmas yet. Neighbour suggested a movie watching magic, but I sort of want to go into Beppu for dinner or something.
Nothing says Christmas like pizza.
Classes went out nicely with the Japanese Exchange class again today. First half of the class was entirely in Japanese and we had to talk about the countries we're from and what we like to do in Japan. That's pretty cake, and my partner did most of the talking anyway. If you're pretty, people pay more attention to you. Which works out for me, cause I got to sit there and do less work. HA! In your face, system (I think I made myself sad....) The second half was on food we liked and how to make it. I picked... TACOS. Oh god I don't know why. I should've extolled the wonders of the western New York pizza and chicken wing industry. But I love tacos. I'm sorry.
I was going to make them tonight, but the kicthen was a disaster area. Seriously. Not one surface was clean. I'm glad it wasn't my night to clean it. That's disgusting.
I found this soft chewy apple candy. It's delicious. And I was eating it while I was drinking apple juice.
I think I may just have some sort of addiction...
No plans for Christmas yet. Neighbour suggested a movie watching magic, but I sort of want to go into Beppu for dinner or something.
Nothing says Christmas like pizza.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
All play and no work make something something
So, I rememebered today why I stopped playing so many online games.
"Oh hey!" I say to myself. "I should do some questin'! Just a few, and then I can get right back to studying!"
"That sounds reasonable" I say back to myself, because the long hours have made me psychotic. "It should only take about an hour or two to get some quests done. That will leave me plenty of time to study for tomorrow's quiz!"
And then 6 hours later I realize it's 1 in the morning.
Well hey...these things happen.
Frequently.
Also, I got this e-mail notification just now:
Maybe it's just me... but that really does not encourage me to give my photos to "Santa" for his "uses". I'm not sure why he wants pictures of me in the first place. I'm a 20 year old man. Doesn't he cater to children?
Japan is windy. Just sayin. I don't mind the cold. At all. But dear god, this wind is horrendous. I had to hold onto my hat. LITERALLY. Not just as an expression.
"Oh hey!" I say to myself. "I should do some questin'! Just a few, and then I can get right back to studying!"
"That sounds reasonable" I say back to myself, because the long hours have made me psychotic. "It should only take about an hour or two to get some quests done. That will leave me plenty of time to study for tomorrow's quiz!"
And then 6 hours later I realize it's 1 in the morning.
Well hey...these things happen.
Frequently.
Also, I got this e-mail notification just now:
Maybe it's just me... but that really does not encourage me to give my photos to "Santa" for his "uses". I'm not sure why he wants pictures of me in the first place. I'm a 20 year old man. Doesn't he cater to children?
Japan is windy. Just sayin. I don't mind the cold. At all. But dear god, this wind is horrendous. I had to hold onto my hat. LITERALLY. Not just as an expression.
Monday, December 22, 2008
New season, new pringles
I went grocery shopping today. And saw that there were Christmas Season pringles for sale. Now, in case we've forgotten, last season's pringles were Smoky Salami flavoured. It really can't get weirder than that.
Which is why I'm happy to announce that the Honey Roasted Chicken flavor is fantastic. Seriously, I should've spent the 30 dollars on just tubes of these instead of any other real food.
Also, I bought a Marimo. Which is a Japanese spherical algae. It's like a pet, see. You have to care for it or it'll die.
And honestly.... it's about the same as owning a fish, so what the heck. And it only cost 300 yen so I'm done with that.
Yeah, I just used 90's slang. So sue me.
Also, here's some odd facts about me you may not have known:
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Roshi!
1. In Japan it is considered rude to talk with Roshi in your mouth.
2. All shrimp are born as Roshi, but gradually mature into females.
3. Roshi was named after Roshi the taxi driver in Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life'!
4. Roshi can last longer without water than a camel can!
5. The porpoise is second to Roshi as the most intelligent animal on the planet.
6. People used to believe that dressing their male children as Roshi would protect them from evil spirits.
7. The International Space Station weighs about 500 tons and is the same size as Roshi!
8. Native Americans never actually ate Roshi; killing such a timid prey was thought to indicate laziness.
9. Three seagulls flying overhead are a warning that Roshi is near!
10. South Australia was the first place to allow Roshi to stand for parliament.
These brought to you by the fun trivia generator that you can find at this link.
Fill out yours and post them in the comments. Or if you don't want to use your name you can put a random object or a celebrity in there.
Which is why I'm happy to announce that the Honey Roasted Chicken flavor is fantastic. Seriously, I should've spent the 30 dollars on just tubes of these instead of any other real food.
Also, I bought a Marimo. Which is a Japanese spherical algae. It's like a pet, see. You have to care for it or it'll die.
And honestly.... it's about the same as owning a fish, so what the heck. And it only cost 300 yen so I'm done with that.
Yeah, I just used 90's slang. So sue me.
Also, here's some odd facts about me you may not have known:
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Roshi!
1. In Japan it is considered rude to talk with Roshi in your mouth.
2. All shrimp are born as Roshi, but gradually mature into females.
3. Roshi was named after Roshi the taxi driver in Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life'!
4. Roshi can last longer without water than a camel can!
5. The porpoise is second to Roshi as the most intelligent animal on the planet.
6. People used to believe that dressing their male children as Roshi would protect them from evil spirits.
7. The International Space Station weighs about 500 tons and is the same size as Roshi!
8. Native Americans never actually ate Roshi; killing such a timid prey was thought to indicate laziness.
9. Three seagulls flying overhead are a warning that Roshi is near!
10. South Australia was the first place to allow Roshi to stand for parliament.
These brought to you by the fun trivia generator that you can find at this link.
Fill out yours and post them in the comments. Or if you don't want to use your name you can put a random object or a celebrity in there.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Oreos taste like burning
If you forget to take a drink every few cookies. Ack, sugar is poison apparently.
Also so is salmonella. Probably. I don't know.
I think I mentioned here that I got some eggs from the bank. If I didn't, then hey. I got some eggs from the bank. Places in Japan like to give out customer appreciation gifts at random, and this one was eggs. From the bank.
Anyways, I walked around town for something like 8 hours after I got them. Any normal American would just throw them out after that, but my trash can is small so I saw no harm until storing them in my fridge.
Cause I was totally gonna eat them.
The internet says if an egg floats in the water then it's bad. Well, I put one in the water and it sank, so bon apetite!
But I only tested one. So I think that was a bad idea, cause I feel kinda ill now...
Also, need to clean my room. I invited people to come watch Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog because I needed an excuse to watch it for the....23rd time. Shut up. It's only 45 minutes long. Don't judge me!
You all should go pick it up if you haven't seen it already. I think it's fantastic, but why would you care what I think? You only check my website 7 times a week and click on the links I post.
(I'm on the internets, controllin your mind)
Also so is salmonella. Probably. I don't know.
I think I mentioned here that I got some eggs from the bank. If I didn't, then hey. I got some eggs from the bank. Places in Japan like to give out customer appreciation gifts at random, and this one was eggs. From the bank.
Anyways, I walked around town for something like 8 hours after I got them. Any normal American would just throw them out after that, but my trash can is small so I saw no harm until storing them in my fridge.
Cause I was totally gonna eat them.
The internet says if an egg floats in the water then it's bad. Well, I put one in the water and it sank, so bon apetite!
But I only tested one. So I think that was a bad idea, cause I feel kinda ill now...
Also, need to clean my room. I invited people to come watch Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog because I needed an excuse to watch it for the....23rd time. Shut up. It's only 45 minutes long. Don't judge me!
You all should go pick it up if you haven't seen it already. I think it's fantastic, but why would you care what I think? You only check my website 7 times a week and click on the links I post.
(I'm on the internets, controllin your mind)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Linguistic Misinterpretations
Apparently a Dutch Oven is a legitimate cooking term. Who woulda thunkit.
Today's plans were enacted quite elegantly. Woke up on time, showered, ate breakfast (fried chicken is breakfast, right? I ran out of churros. Which are also breakfast. If you're Spanish. Shut up.) went to class, went to other class. Other class let out early, so I had plenty of time to grab everything and go to the bank while it was still open. In fact, I took EXTRA things to make sure this time. It's redundant to carry an alien registration card AND a passport, but I did it anyways, dammit.
So everything is going peachy getting the passbook and all that. My Japanese is surprisingly capable and I manage to explain that I am an exchange student and therefore have no need for their feeble dorm payment plan (except in Japanese, so it sounded like I was apologizing and promising to commit suicide the whole time). Then I asked if she can exchange my AMERIKAN DORU and she said okay, then I figured I'd test out my magic passbook and withdraw the money I just put into my account.
Except hey, check this out. Apparently American Dollars are worthless because my account read exactly zero (no more no less). So I was very confused and went in to try to complain in Japanese (this is where things get tricky. Keep reading, I punch a woman in the face).
I go in and tell the clerk that I don't know how to use the machine. Cause I'm almost positive I'm doing it entirely wrong. So she gets someone who speaks English (No...not really.) to come help me. Because her English is so broken we end up speaking in Japanese but with English nouns. Which is....actually fairly similar to regular Japanese, actually. Hurray cultural diffusion! Anyways, it went something like this:
Me: I don't know how to use the ATM.
Lady: Here, I'll show you.
Me: kay.
Her: Alright and.... you have nothing in here.
Me: Really?
Her: Really. Did you want to Deposit?
Me: I did
Her: You did?
Me: I did
Her: Where is it?
Me: I don't know.
Her: Do you want to depost?
Me: I gave my american doru to the lady at the counter.
Her: Really?
Me: Really.
::walk walk walk::
Her: He gave you American money?
Clerk: Yes
Her: It's not in his account
Clerk: Did he put it in?
Her: He gave it to you.
Clerk: That's right.
Me: I want my money
Her: Okay. One moment please.
::goes into the back room. Grabs the slip of paper I handed in and a pile of money::
Her: Okay. Let's put it in manually
Me: kay.
Her: Coins can't go into the machine though. So we can only use bills.
Me: Really?
Her: Really.
And that's about that.
So I got back on the bus in time to go to campus and eat some Janbo Chickin Katsu no Tamago Toji. I still don't know what it is but I think it's my favorite food ever.
Rest of the day was lame. After all that hassle at the bank I managed to forget to draw enough money for the rest of the night and ended up only having enough for french fries for dinner, because I got to the ATM THREE MINUTE SLATE. Seriously. Wow.
Ah well, another day another doru (Yeah, I'm aware it was never funny. And if you're wondering about the woman I punched in the face, it was in a video game. Sorry to let you all down.)
Today's plans were enacted quite elegantly. Woke up on time, showered, ate breakfast (fried chicken is breakfast, right? I ran out of churros. Which are also breakfast. If you're Spanish. Shut up.) went to class, went to other class. Other class let out early, so I had plenty of time to grab everything and go to the bank while it was still open. In fact, I took EXTRA things to make sure this time. It's redundant to carry an alien registration card AND a passport, but I did it anyways, dammit.
So everything is going peachy getting the passbook and all that. My Japanese is surprisingly capable and I manage to explain that I am an exchange student and therefore have no need for their feeble dorm payment plan (except in Japanese, so it sounded like I was apologizing and promising to commit suicide the whole time). Then I asked if she can exchange my AMERIKAN DORU and she said okay, then I figured I'd test out my magic passbook and withdraw the money I just put into my account.
Except hey, check this out. Apparently American Dollars are worthless because my account read exactly zero (no more no less). So I was very confused and went in to try to complain in Japanese (this is where things get tricky. Keep reading, I punch a woman in the face).
I go in and tell the clerk that I don't know how to use the machine. Cause I'm almost positive I'm doing it entirely wrong. So she gets someone who speaks English (No...not really.) to come help me. Because her English is so broken we end up speaking in Japanese but with English nouns. Which is....actually fairly similar to regular Japanese, actually. Hurray cultural diffusion! Anyways, it went something like this:
Me: I don't know how to use the ATM.
Lady: Here, I'll show you.
Me: kay.
Her: Alright and.... you have nothing in here.
Me: Really?
Her: Really. Did you want to Deposit?
Me: I did
Her: You did?
Me: I did
Her: Where is it?
Me: I don't know.
Her: Do you want to depost?
Me: I gave my american doru to the lady at the counter.
Her: Really?
Me: Really.
::walk walk walk::
Her: He gave you American money?
Clerk: Yes
Her: It's not in his account
Clerk: Did he put it in?
Her: He gave it to you.
Clerk: That's right.
Me: I want my money
Her: Okay. One moment please.
::goes into the back room. Grabs the slip of paper I handed in and a pile of money::
Her: Okay. Let's put it in manually
Me: kay.
Her: Coins can't go into the machine though. So we can only use bills.
Me: Really?
Her: Really.
And that's about that.
So I got back on the bus in time to go to campus and eat some Janbo Chickin Katsu no Tamago Toji. I still don't know what it is but I think it's my favorite food ever.
Rest of the day was lame. After all that hassle at the bank I managed to forget to draw enough money for the rest of the night and ended up only having enough for french fries for dinner, because I got to the ATM THREE MINUTE SLATE. Seriously. Wow.
Ah well, another day another doru (Yeah, I'm aware it was never funny. And if you're wondering about the woman I punched in the face, it was in a video game. Sorry to let you all down.)
Friday, December 19, 2008
Barbecue Pringles
Japanes bands have the best names ever, seriously. A music video just came on for the "Funky Monkey Babys".
So... it's been crap, I'll be honest. Don't worry, I'll make sure to only list the funny stuff.
I wasn't able to sleep last night. Was thinking really hard and I had an intense headache on top of that. And laying down made it hurt WORSE. I wasn't aware that could happen. So I figured I'd just stay up until class and go and all, I mean I had a test and all. So I should study for it.
Unfortunately I was studying on my bed, and, I eventually passed out. And since I wasn't planning on sleeping...I had no alarms set. Well, that's awesome. And I had to make it to the bank to pick up my passbook today or tomorrow, And due to scheduling I HAD to go to the class tomorrow that would be going on at the time the bank closed, cause it's test review. Besides, I had already missed the test today, missing another class shouldn't be a problem. I can just explain that I had to go to the post office for study abroad stuff and the teachers are more or less obligated to let it slide and give you a retest. I love that clause.
I made it to the bank on time which was awesome. But then apparently I needed my inkan. Which... was not listed on the instructions. It told me the address, the phone number, where to get a map, all this stuff, and it told me to swing by and grab my passbook. But it didn't say anything about my inkan, which granted I should've known but I was in a hurry. And the banker girl was all "Well, it's written in the Japanese part."
Damn and hell to my native language!
So because of the way life works out, I had no time to go back to campus and get my inkan and then go back to the bank. That'd take roughly an hour. So the situation where I have to skip an important class to go do it tomorrow is now unavoidable.
Well, at least I can still do the make up test, right?
Instead of eating across from the bank, I decided that since I was already 45 minutes late to class and by the time I got back it would be over, there was no point in worrying about that, and I should just go to the mall and do some more christmas shopping and eat there. And hey, I should stop at that book off on the way to get a Christmas present I saw there! This could be a good day after all!
And then I got off the bus at the book off stop to run into the teacher who's class I had just skipped standing there.
What. Are. The. Odds.
She said hi, and I said hi, and I wandered off in an arbitrary direction for a few moments cursing the gods and their toying with me.
Also it turns off I could have avoided that altogether because I got off at the wrong book off anyways.
So after walking 8 blocks down to get to the RIGHT one, I decided I needed some pizza. Remember when I made fun of California Pizza?
It really is that bad. IT's as though someone had been described pizza and the person made what they thought it should be. And then they tasted it, but their inexperienced palate simply went "I'm SURE this is what pizza is supposed to taste like. Let's sell this to people".
Also they don't deliver to APU. Not that I can blame them what with it being a 45 minute drive away from their location, but I'd pitch an extra 500 yen for the gas in delivery. The pizza is dirt cheap.
The rest of the day went decently well. So you can all just reread that to laugh at my misery again if you need to.
Also, here is that picture of the hat I promised.
I like it, and the ladies love it.
Also because my vanity needs a counter, here's an advertisement for Beppu:
Come to Beppu! Our chickens bathe in public!
So... it's been crap, I'll be honest. Don't worry, I'll make sure to only list the funny stuff.
I wasn't able to sleep last night. Was thinking really hard and I had an intense headache on top of that. And laying down made it hurt WORSE. I wasn't aware that could happen. So I figured I'd just stay up until class and go and all, I mean I had a test and all. So I should study for it.
Unfortunately I was studying on my bed, and, I eventually passed out. And since I wasn't planning on sleeping...I had no alarms set. Well, that's awesome. And I had to make it to the bank to pick up my passbook today or tomorrow, And due to scheduling I HAD to go to the class tomorrow that would be going on at the time the bank closed, cause it's test review. Besides, I had already missed the test today, missing another class shouldn't be a problem. I can just explain that I had to go to the post office for study abroad stuff and the teachers are more or less obligated to let it slide and give you a retest. I love that clause.
I made it to the bank on time which was awesome. But then apparently I needed my inkan. Which... was not listed on the instructions. It told me the address, the phone number, where to get a map, all this stuff, and it told me to swing by and grab my passbook. But it didn't say anything about my inkan, which granted I should've known but I was in a hurry. And the banker girl was all "Well, it's written in the Japanese part."
Damn and hell to my native language!
So because of the way life works out, I had no time to go back to campus and get my inkan and then go back to the bank. That'd take roughly an hour. So the situation where I have to skip an important class to go do it tomorrow is now unavoidable.
Well, at least I can still do the make up test, right?
Instead of eating across from the bank, I decided that since I was already 45 minutes late to class and by the time I got back it would be over, there was no point in worrying about that, and I should just go to the mall and do some more christmas shopping and eat there. And hey, I should stop at that book off on the way to get a Christmas present I saw there! This could be a good day after all!
And then I got off the bus at the book off stop to run into the teacher who's class I had just skipped standing there.
What. Are. The. Odds.
She said hi, and I said hi, and I wandered off in an arbitrary direction for a few moments cursing the gods and their toying with me.
Also it turns off I could have avoided that altogether because I got off at the wrong book off anyways.
So after walking 8 blocks down to get to the RIGHT one, I decided I needed some pizza. Remember when I made fun of California Pizza?
It really is that bad. IT's as though someone had been described pizza and the person made what they thought it should be. And then they tasted it, but their inexperienced palate simply went "I'm SURE this is what pizza is supposed to taste like. Let's sell this to people".
Also they don't deliver to APU. Not that I can blame them what with it being a 45 minute drive away from their location, but I'd pitch an extra 500 yen for the gas in delivery. The pizza is dirt cheap.
The rest of the day went decently well. So you can all just reread that to laugh at my misery again if you need to.
Also, here is that picture of the hat I promised.
I like it, and the ladies love it.
Also because my vanity needs a counter, here's an advertisement for Beppu:
Come to Beppu! Our chickens bathe in public!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Californiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
That's the theme song to the OC. Or all that I can remember from it, cause I haven't watched it in like 3 weeks.
So, today I intended to go to Beppu. But I didn't wake up til 2.
Still went, dammit!
I missed the first bus that I wanted though which kinda sucked, but in doing so I was still around for a package from home to arrive. So hey, that's good. Cause I was actually on my way to the post office.
But I also had to go to the bank! So I did!
And they were closed cause I slept in til 2. Well dammit.... You think they would've said something on the invoice paper they gave me about times they're open! What? They did? It says open weekdays until 3? Well fine, shut up.
On a better note, I was thirsty after the bank so I went to a convenience store and managed to accidentally stumble upon some maple syrup that didn't cost 10 dollars. So I bought two bottles and now I'm gonna be eating myself silly with stacks of pamcakes.
Also, it costs 400 yen less to take the bus whilst in Beppu than it does from APU. Someone try and convince me that that isn't absurd. What the hell happened to student discounts?
Oh well. I was looking for Ishigaki on foot, and since I'm bad at that, I ended up turning down the wrong street three streets before it, and it took me a good 40 minutes out of my way. But I found a dollar store that sold pillows.
Let me repeat: A DOLLAR STORE that sold PILLOWS. Pillows normally cost much more than I'm willing to spend on them. But this was a dollar. And it felt very nice to walk around town with it in my messenger bag squished comfortably against my back.
It was a good outing actually. Nice walk, ran into some friends surprisingly, picked up a California Pizza menu (now if they deliver to APU and I can communicate with them on the phone this will truly be revolutionary.) Got some Christmas shopping done and I ate at KFC.
And this strikes me as odd. Both KFC and Lotteria had advertisements saying that they cook and sell whole chickens for Christmas. I guess Japanese families can't be bothered to do it themselves. Even so, it's 56 dollars that you're paying for convenience. I don't know if that's the regular price for chicken in Japan, but I'm under the impression that it's a bit much.
Also: Ah bought a hat. I think it looks good on meh. I'll post some pictures tomorrow, I'm kinda exhausted to be bothered by it right now.
And I'm off!
So, today I intended to go to Beppu. But I didn't wake up til 2.
Still went, dammit!
I missed the first bus that I wanted though which kinda sucked, but in doing so I was still around for a package from home to arrive. So hey, that's good. Cause I was actually on my way to the post office.
But I also had to go to the bank! So I did!
And they were closed cause I slept in til 2. Well dammit.... You think they would've said something on the invoice paper they gave me about times they're open! What? They did? It says open weekdays until 3? Well fine, shut up.
On a better note, I was thirsty after the bank so I went to a convenience store and managed to accidentally stumble upon some maple syrup that didn't cost 10 dollars. So I bought two bottles and now I'm gonna be eating myself silly with stacks of pamcakes.
Also, it costs 400 yen less to take the bus whilst in Beppu than it does from APU. Someone try and convince me that that isn't absurd. What the hell happened to student discounts?
Oh well. I was looking for Ishigaki on foot, and since I'm bad at that, I ended up turning down the wrong street three streets before it, and it took me a good 40 minutes out of my way. But I found a dollar store that sold pillows.
Let me repeat: A DOLLAR STORE that sold PILLOWS. Pillows normally cost much more than I'm willing to spend on them. But this was a dollar. And it felt very nice to walk around town with it in my messenger bag squished comfortably against my back.
It was a good outing actually. Nice walk, ran into some friends surprisingly, picked up a California Pizza menu (now if they deliver to APU and I can communicate with them on the phone this will truly be revolutionary.) Got some Christmas shopping done and I ate at KFC.
And this strikes me as odd. Both KFC and Lotteria had advertisements saying that they cook and sell whole chickens for Christmas. I guess Japanese families can't be bothered to do it themselves. Even so, it's 56 dollars that you're paying for convenience. I don't know if that's the regular price for chicken in Japan, but I'm under the impression that it's a bit much.
Also: Ah bought a hat. I think it looks good on meh. I'll post some pictures tomorrow, I'm kinda exhausted to be bothered by it right now.
And I'm off!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saved by the DS
Seriously. My second Japanese class today. I whipped out my DS Terebi to show my friend, and the teacher spotted it and became enamoured by it. So I spent like the first 10 minutes of class time showing her what it did and she wanted to know where she could get one. And then later in the class she used it as an example for stuff just so she could play with it again.
So yeah, I should write a thank you letter to Nintendo for making class go by faster. Maybe I'll get a free pink stylus or something.
I really need to eat healthier. And by healthier I mean less from vending machines more from actual food. Or at least include some rice in my diet. I've cooked it maybe once and I've got a 10 kilo bag. I should really get on that...
Fanxing and I watched a movie called Leon with Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. Apparently he gets these movies from a list of greatest hits or something, so I don't know why I've never heard of half of them. I should probably watch more than cartoons come to think of it.
Movie's great though so I recommend it.
Tomorrow I gotta go to the bank and point and grunt until they understand what I'm saying. Also, possibly to the post office to pick up my package. I think. If I'm allowed to do that. Japan is silly.
Tomorrow I get lost in Beppu!
...again.
Edit: Apparently the movie is The Professional in America.
Yeah, I am an idiot.
So yeah, I should write a thank you letter to Nintendo for making class go by faster. Maybe I'll get a free pink stylus or something.
I really need to eat healthier. And by healthier I mean less from vending machines more from actual food. Or at least include some rice in my diet. I've cooked it maybe once and I've got a 10 kilo bag. I should really get on that...
Fanxing and I watched a movie called Leon with Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. Apparently he gets these movies from a list of greatest hits or something, so I don't know why I've never heard of half of them. I should probably watch more than cartoons come to think of it.
Movie's great though so I recommend it.
Tomorrow I gotta go to the bank and point and grunt until they understand what I'm saying. Also, possibly to the post office to pick up my package. I think. If I'm allowed to do that. Japan is silly.
Tomorrow I get lost in Beppu!
...again.
Edit: Apparently the movie is The Professional in America.
Yeah, I am an idiot.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Zombiiiiiiies
So yeah, Japanese TV.
Most of it is just uninteresting. A lot of it is also terrible. Some of it is good in a way that it shouldn't be. Most of it is soap operas and variety shows.
In this case, the variety is different amounts of crap.
There are a lot of weird things on them. As an example, there was a show where they had some guy crawl low to the ground with a camera and poke things with a cat paw while some girl narrated as if she was a cat. Then there was also a fashion show where you could get special panties that made your ass look bigger.
Not a joke.
I did find out that at about 11 starts a 2 hour power block of language learning programming. Starts out with Chinese, then it goes to English, then Spanish, then I turned it off. But there was definitely something else after Spanish. I probably shouldn't be watching it while I'm doing homework... but hey, Chinese characters can only improve my score, right?
Also, a certain cartoon character comes to mind.
DORAEMON!
That loveable blue scamp is supposed to be a cat. A cat with no ears and a big round red ball for a tail. He's also possibly the most beloved character that exists in Japan. He's more popular than Pikachu and Stitch COMBINED. Unlike other cartoons in Japan, you're a loser if you HAVEN'T seen Doraemon. Whimsical, truly.
Also for all the nerds that are reading this after seeing the title and going "TALK ABOUT IT. TALK ABOUT IT YOU JERKWAD WE KNOW YOU PLAYED IT" yes, I got Left 4 Dead. I went to go bother JM and him and Jason were playing it in his room. So we took turns being torn apart by zombies and talking about generally really nerdy things, which it's good to know that I'm not the only one into those things around here.
Anyways, JM made me a copy and Iv'e been playing it a bit here. It promptly caused my PC to overheat because I didn't realize the battery was in and the fan was off. So hey, fancy that.
And yes. I play as the girl.
No, I don't want to talk about it.
(back to shooting zombies)
Most of it is just uninteresting. A lot of it is also terrible. Some of it is good in a way that it shouldn't be. Most of it is soap operas and variety shows.
In this case, the variety is different amounts of crap.
There are a lot of weird things on them. As an example, there was a show where they had some guy crawl low to the ground with a camera and poke things with a cat paw while some girl narrated as if she was a cat. Then there was also a fashion show where you could get special panties that made your ass look bigger.
Not a joke.
I did find out that at about 11 starts a 2 hour power block of language learning programming. Starts out with Chinese, then it goes to English, then Spanish, then I turned it off. But there was definitely something else after Spanish. I probably shouldn't be watching it while I'm doing homework... but hey, Chinese characters can only improve my score, right?
Also, a certain cartoon character comes to mind.
DORAEMON!
That loveable blue scamp is supposed to be a cat. A cat with no ears and a big round red ball for a tail. He's also possibly the most beloved character that exists in Japan. He's more popular than Pikachu and Stitch COMBINED. Unlike other cartoons in Japan, you're a loser if you HAVEN'T seen Doraemon. Whimsical, truly.
Also for all the nerds that are reading this after seeing the title and going "TALK ABOUT IT. TALK ABOUT IT YOU JERKWAD WE KNOW YOU PLAYED IT" yes, I got Left 4 Dead. I went to go bother JM and him and Jason were playing it in his room. So we took turns being torn apart by zombies and talking about generally really nerdy things, which it's good to know that I'm not the only one into those things around here.
Anyways, JM made me a copy and Iv'e been playing it a bit here. It promptly caused my PC to overheat because I didn't realize the battery was in and the fan was off. So hey, fancy that.
And yes. I play as the girl.
No, I don't want to talk about it.
(back to shooting zombies)
Monday, December 15, 2008
Walkin Around the Christmas Tree
Nah, that's just Totoro. He was used to advertise for that musical festival I went to the other day, along with some giant chicken. This is my way of telling you I PUT SOME IMAGES IN PHOTOBUCKET OMG WHAT. Not many though, sorry to say. My camera was filled with videos of the concert that you'll never see.
Also look at these cookies.
Yes, they go on forever. And they're soft and chewy. And they cost me 40 yen.
So awesome....
But I did walk around Beppu today. All around. Almost quite literally.
Alright, it was more of a semicircle.
I went out to get the DS TV Tuner and was prepared to spend a lot of money in the process. Came out to about 70 dollars in addition to the other toys I had to buy, which brought another 20 into the matter.
Turns out I'm completely retarded as well. Know how I got lost last time? In Beppu, there are two landmarks. There are the mountains, and there is the bay. You can usually see both wherever you are (you can see the mountains wherever, cause the ones across the bay are visible too). However, where I was I could only see the mountains. Turns out two blocks over was the bay and I'm just mentally handicapped.
So I followed that and wound up in three different Book Off stores. Turns out that there is a porn aisle that I was completely oblivious to last time I went. I actually BOUGHT something from that aisle without realizing I was in a porn aisle (I checked what I bought and it's not porn though, surprisingly. It's just a video game comic like I thought it was. So....good). But they also had used clothes and games and stuff. Not so surprisingly, none of the clothes were in my size. I managed to find one pair of pants that would fit, but they were essentially steel gray polyester gangsta jogging pants.
Yes, they ARE as ugly as they sound.
After not buying anything at any of the stores (to be honest, I have a stack of 8 mangas I haven't read yet. I really suck at this) I wound up in a McDonald's because it was the first place along the strip I recognized as having food.
I have to keep in mind to smile more often. Not smiling really inhibits my ability to not have children stare at me in open mouthed terror.
On the way to the other side of town I came across a big Christmas tree.
Can someone tell me if I just suck at taking pictures of trees or something? Why do they always look like they're on FIRE? Does anyone else have this problem? The camera was actually sitting on a ledge at the time, so shaky hands isn't the issue.
I decided I should go shopping for more than myself, but while I was out I realized I don't know what half the people I'm shopping for would want. So, made some mental tabs and just bought some essentials for myself (totally needed moisturizer, my skin is so damn dry. What? Men can use moisturizer. It takes strength to admit when you need moisturizing!) Also, one of the things I was going to buy was 40 dollars. And shipping is about 40 dollars from here.
I'm sorry, but very few of my friends are worth 80 dollars to me.
On a college budget. With no income.
Otherwise sure totally.
I tested out the DS Tv Tuner in Lotteria Burger later after passing some real life gangsters! (They were wearing identical suits and shades and smoking. How edgy!) Works pretty well. Has closed captioning, clear picture, and four antennae to make sure you never lose it. It's also got some mini games built into it in case your show is too boring or the commercials can't hold your attention (that's a lie, Japanese commercials are better than the tv). When I got back I proceeded to show it off to anyone who would listen (Jason and JM were in the hallway and dammit they'd like it if I had to stab them with it) and then hoarded it in my room.
Japanese TV really is awful. Although I did come across this show where a woman was living with a monkey. And everytime she started talking the monkey just slapped her.
I'm not going to lie, that was pretty awesome.
But I did go out of my way, like the gigantic loser nerd I am, to go to the broadcasting station websites and look up anime showings.
If I'm using TV to practice Japanese, it's going to be something worth watching, alright? And I just happen to think that Power Rangers and Pokemon are worth watching.
Apparently.
God, Japanese tv sucks.....
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Dear Vanessa Carlton
I think that we should get married.
Hear me out. I've thought about this long and hard. Especially long. Keep that in mind. Hours and hours. All in one go. I didn't even have to stop for a few minutes to get a glass of water or something.
Here are some of the points I've thought of that I could argue make us not only compatible, but possibly the perfect couple ever conceivable.
Point the First: We are both beautiful people.
Honestly, this is the first one that comes to mind. You're absolutely gorgeous, and I myself am as well, possibly even a bit more, and that's being modest. If I were anymore humble I'd be saying things like "Possibly not the sexiest man ever to live." So self deprecating, I know.
Another good trait is my honesty, as demonstrated by this not photoshopped picture of me standing topless in the white zone
People would pass by us and heads would turn. Cars would crash and children would cry out in jealousy. We'd be the man and wife equivalent of a train wreck, except at least three times as sexy. And you can only imagine what our babies would look like. You'd probably birth beings of solid gold and silver with precious gems for eyes. (as a sub point, I promise not to sell our children on the black market, even in the case of this outcome.)
Point the second: I love your music
It's true. I can't get enough of hearing you sing. I'll listen to all of your tracks on one sitting and just enjoy the whole thing. Sometimes I'm wearing pants, sometimes I'm not. It's really a gamble. In both situations, I promise it's all about the music though.
I can tell from your music that you love to sing. This is good, as when we're married I expect you to carry out your wifely duties of singing around the house (And in an odd turn I enjoy cooking, so that would be one hell of a switch! I wouldn't get the opportunity to say "BACK IN THE KITCHEN" but you would. Man, we'd be a progressive couple.) And since you'd enjoy the singing I wouldn't need to say, lock you in a cage like a songbird and provoke you into singing until I'm pleased. That's terrible.
In fact, I like your music so much that I think you should hear my version of it. I've recorded three cds, just like you. In fact, I simply redid all your songs, track by track, sung by me with a toy keyboard replaying the background music, and released them unlicensed. I think you'd love it. We're both music lovers, so this would be great.
Point C: My love is unending.
You don't ever have to worry about that spark running out of our relationship. I promise I'll never let it die. I'd do anything to keep it going. Anything short of a double suicide pact that is - hahahahaha(unless you REALLY wanted that, if course.) And to ensure this, I'll never give up on you. You can wave those silly divorce papers and restraining orders that you kept joking about in my face, and still my love will be undying. Forever. Til the ends of the Earth.
Point 4: I'm not crazy
Just because I happen to be typing this from a padded room with a man overlooking my every word and sighing in disgruntled abandon means absolutely nothing. The man is my father, and I simply happen to enjoy literally bouncing off the walls. It's a past time of mine, one that really irritates my handlers.
Point 11: My mad skillz
Especially in Super Smash Brothers Brawl for the Wii. Seriously, you should see me play sometime. I'm pretty awesome in the game. And the best part isn't beating other people in the game, it's telling people online that I did.
Point 5: My sense of humor
For you Ms Carlton, and anybody else reading this who hasn't figured it out, this was all me joking around. I'm good at that. I don't take anything seriously. I'm loads of fun. That's the best thing about our marriage is that you'll never be bored.
With this marriage, you'll get these things and much more. More than you could imagine. Like, how when you go to Olive Garden and get the endless soup and salad and breadsticks and they bring it out to you and you go "I'm gonna eat like 40 of these" then by the time you get to set number 5 you go "goddamn this was so much more than I imagined. It's fantastic but I don't know if I can handle this because of how awesome it is."
That's basically how it'd be. Endless Roshi and Awesome (and breadsticks).
---------------------------------------------
Should the real Vanessa Carlton actually come across this, shoot me a message and let me know how funny/disturbing you found it. Preferably not in the form of a restraining order.
Hear me out. I've thought about this long and hard. Especially long. Keep that in mind. Hours and hours. All in one go. I didn't even have to stop for a few minutes to get a glass of water or something.
Here are some of the points I've thought of that I could argue make us not only compatible, but possibly the perfect couple ever conceivable.
Point the First: We are both beautiful people.
Honestly, this is the first one that comes to mind. You're absolutely gorgeous, and I myself am as well, possibly even a bit more, and that's being modest. If I were anymore humble I'd be saying things like "Possibly not the sexiest man ever to live." So self deprecating, I know.
People would pass by us and heads would turn. Cars would crash and children would cry out in jealousy. We'd be the man and wife equivalent of a train wreck, except at least three times as sexy. And you can only imagine what our babies would look like. You'd probably birth beings of solid gold and silver with precious gems for eyes. (as a sub point, I promise not to sell our children on the black market, even in the case of this outcome.)
Point the second: I love your music
It's true. I can't get enough of hearing you sing. I'll listen to all of your tracks on one sitting and just enjoy the whole thing. Sometimes I'm wearing pants, sometimes I'm not. It's really a gamble. In both situations, I promise it's all about the music though.
I can tell from your music that you love to sing. This is good, as when we're married I expect you to carry out your wifely duties of singing around the house (And in an odd turn I enjoy cooking, so that would be one hell of a switch! I wouldn't get the opportunity to say "BACK IN THE KITCHEN" but you would. Man, we'd be a progressive couple.) And since you'd enjoy the singing I wouldn't need to say, lock you in a cage like a songbird and provoke you into singing until I'm pleased. That's terrible.
In fact, I like your music so much that I think you should hear my version of it. I've recorded three cds, just like you. In fact, I simply redid all your songs, track by track, sung by me with a toy keyboard replaying the background music, and released them unlicensed. I think you'd love it. We're both music lovers, so this would be great.
Point C: My love is unending.
You don't ever have to worry about that spark running out of our relationship. I promise I'll never let it die. I'd do anything to keep it going. Anything short of a double suicide pact that is - hahahahaha(unless you REALLY wanted that, if course.) And to ensure this, I'll never give up on you. You can wave those silly divorce papers and restraining orders that you kept joking about in my face, and still my love will be undying. Forever. Til the ends of the Earth.
Point 4: I'm not crazy
Just because I happen to be typing this from a padded room with a man overlooking my every word and sighing in disgruntled abandon means absolutely nothing. The man is my father, and I simply happen to enjoy literally bouncing off the walls. It's a past time of mine, one that really irritates my handlers.
Point 11: My mad skillz
Especially in Super Smash Brothers Brawl for the Wii. Seriously, you should see me play sometime. I'm pretty awesome in the game. And the best part isn't beating other people in the game, it's telling people online that I did.
Point 5: My sense of humor
For you Ms Carlton, and anybody else reading this who hasn't figured it out, this was all me joking around. I'm good at that. I don't take anything seriously. I'm loads of fun. That's the best thing about our marriage is that you'll never be bored.
With this marriage, you'll get these things and much more. More than you could imagine. Like, how when you go to Olive Garden and get the endless soup and salad and breadsticks and they bring it out to you and you go "I'm gonna eat like 40 of these" then by the time you get to set number 5 you go "goddamn this was so much more than I imagined. It's fantastic but I don't know if I can handle this because of how awesome it is."
That's basically how it'd be. Endless Roshi and Awesome (and breadsticks).
---------------------------------------------
Should the real Vanessa Carlton actually come across this, shoot me a message and let me know how funny/disturbing you found it. Preferably not in the form of a restraining order.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
You just lost the game.
Today was...interesting. Okay, not that interesting. But first period was a surprise (not really a surprise, I just forgot) visit from a bunch of random Beppu city inhabitants so that we could practice our humble forms in Japanese. We got a person to interview and struggle conversational Japanese with. The guy I got was awesome. He had a totally wicked beard and he played the Jazz drum. He was also a Vice Principle of a school in Beppu, and spoke English really well. This came up because I'd ask him a question an he'd give me a long answer and I would says "Ah, sou desu[Is that so]" and he would ask "Wakarimasuka? [Do you understand?]" and I would go "No. [No.]" So then he'd explain things. Turns out Japan is in a severe depression. A...what? Maybe it's a result of the nerd sites I visit, but everywhere online told me they were doing pretty well. But I'm more inclined to believe a Japanese person than an American gaming site, so I'll go with what this guy said.
And to top that off I bought a newspaper for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. 20 years and I've managed to not do that, but since I have nobody telling me what's really going on of interest and there's nobody around for me to eavesdrop on to get current affairs, this is my source aside from going online and looking for stuff. So I decided to pick up a Herald Tribune and see what's going on.
The paper is under my bed right now, and I don't think I actually ever plan on reading it.
I love when my plans come to fruition.
Kitchen duty was tonight. The RAs are supposed to help out with it, but they both went to Beppu. That's....cool I guess? They do it every day, I'm not going to complain. But then the other dude that was supposed to help me never showed up. Well crap and dammit! Anh prepared for this and asked one of the other floor guys to help out, so that was cool. And he was speaking in Indonesian to some people in the hallway. I've never heard Indonesian before, that was cool. Lots of weird languages here at APU.
I still haven't uploaded that cryptograph I made, did I? Oh well.
Also SOMEONE was whining to me that they want more pictures. I figure you guys should be content with flipping through the photobucket album a few times, but FINE, I'll get more pictures. Probably going into Beppu tomorrow. I actually have some pictures that I just haven't bothered uploading yet, so I should get on that.
Also, some four chonners did some art requests in a thread earlier that I'd like to share cause they're awesome. Credit goes to Voo for most of the pictures, and some other anonymous guy did one too.
The Incredible Hulk incredibly failing at using chopsticks
Iron Man sitting politely next to an old lady on a bench
Batman as a kid dancing in his boxers and cowl with a bunch of happy bats
Yeah that last one was done twice. First by Voo, second by anonymous. Still awesome though.
Wind orchestra concert tomorrow. Should be incredibly boring or something. But I bought some bacon to cook in the morning so that makes it aaaaaaall good.
Delicious dead pigs.
Edit: Anybody who wants a link to their blog or a website in the side bar let me know. If I know you in the real world chances are I'll just link you, but if you want advertisements for a site you happen to run, it's on a whether or not I like it basis.
And to top that off I bought a newspaper for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. 20 years and I've managed to not do that, but since I have nobody telling me what's really going on of interest and there's nobody around for me to eavesdrop on to get current affairs, this is my source aside from going online and looking for stuff. So I decided to pick up a Herald Tribune and see what's going on.
The paper is under my bed right now, and I don't think I actually ever plan on reading it.
I love when my plans come to fruition.
Kitchen duty was tonight. The RAs are supposed to help out with it, but they both went to Beppu. That's....cool I guess? They do it every day, I'm not going to complain. But then the other dude that was supposed to help me never showed up. Well crap and dammit! Anh prepared for this and asked one of the other floor guys to help out, so that was cool. And he was speaking in Indonesian to some people in the hallway. I've never heard Indonesian before, that was cool. Lots of weird languages here at APU.
I still haven't uploaded that cryptograph I made, did I? Oh well.
Also SOMEONE was whining to me that they want more pictures. I figure you guys should be content with flipping through the photobucket album a few times, but FINE, I'll get more pictures. Probably going into Beppu tomorrow. I actually have some pictures that I just haven't bothered uploading yet, so I should get on that.
Also, some four chonners did some art requests in a thread earlier that I'd like to share cause they're awesome. Credit goes to Voo for most of the pictures, and some other anonymous guy did one too.
Yeah that last one was done twice. First by Voo, second by anonymous. Still awesome though.
Wind orchestra concert tomorrow. Should be incredibly boring or something. But I bought some bacon to cook in the morning so that makes it aaaaaaall good.
Delicious dead pigs.
Edit: Anybody who wants a link to their blog or a website in the side bar let me know. If I know you in the real world chances are I'll just link you, but if you want advertisements for a site you happen to run, it's on a whether or not I like it basis.
Friday, December 12, 2008
We gather here today to pay tribute
To Steve the Fly, born today, died today, forever in our hearts.
Yeah, I'm a pretty weird kid.
A little tiny fly dropped out of the sky and landed right on my textbook. I poked him with my pen and he twitched a bit and a bit of his wing came off. So I poured some gatorade onto my desk and laid him next to it. And he walked around a bit and took a few sips and seemed really content with it. By the end of class he'd drunk almost half so I was happy for him.
IT was really awesome, cause I felt bad that I hurt him. He was gone when I came back for my second half of the class though, so someone must have...done something. OR he really had two full wings and he tricked me for free Gatorade.
Makes me wonder how the potato kitties are doing. Also, I named a fish potato. Potato the Fish. Sounds like it could be a children's book about the stupidest named fish ever that everyone makes fun of cause he's fat.
You can't be named Potato and NOT be fat, come on.
My Gaia account got unhacked too, so that's exciting. Wary about wearing the items now though. But I got out of the sewers so everything is working well in my account. Also, my avatar is destroying Tokyo and sipping cocoa.
Nobody wants to go to the wind orchestra concert with me on Saturday. Probably because it's really lame.
Ah well.
I'm beseeching my readers for help. If anybody knows the names of things in your everyday life that nobody knows the name of, let me know. Things like the little tips on shoelaces being called aglets. I was disappointed to find out that the name for the toilet paper roll holder is actually a toilet paper roll holder. Check it out on wikipedia. Depressing. So just get those ideas to me somehow. On AIM or via e-mail or in the comments section right here.
Also, let it be known that this is my second draft. The first one deleted itself when I tried to post it and I got really upset. Then a veoh video in another window got reset somehow on top of that and has to reload another hour again. Just my luck. I need to turn off the touchpad on my laptop.
If it's any consolation, this one reads better.
Yeah, I'm a pretty weird kid.
A little tiny fly dropped out of the sky and landed right on my textbook. I poked him with my pen and he twitched a bit and a bit of his wing came off. So I poured some gatorade onto my desk and laid him next to it. And he walked around a bit and took a few sips and seemed really content with it. By the end of class he'd drunk almost half so I was happy for him.
IT was really awesome, cause I felt bad that I hurt him. He was gone when I came back for my second half of the class though, so someone must have...done something. OR he really had two full wings and he tricked me for free Gatorade.
Makes me wonder how the potato kitties are doing. Also, I named a fish potato. Potato the Fish. Sounds like it could be a children's book about the stupidest named fish ever that everyone makes fun of cause he's fat.
You can't be named Potato and NOT be fat, come on.
My Gaia account got unhacked too, so that's exciting. Wary about wearing the items now though. But I got out of the sewers so everything is working well in my account. Also, my avatar is destroying Tokyo and sipping cocoa.
Nobody wants to go to the wind orchestra concert with me on Saturday. Probably because it's really lame.
Ah well.
I'm beseeching my readers for help. If anybody knows the names of things in your everyday life that nobody knows the name of, let me know. Things like the little tips on shoelaces being called aglets. I was disappointed to find out that the name for the toilet paper roll holder is actually a toilet paper roll holder. Check it out on wikipedia. Depressing. So just get those ideas to me somehow. On AIM or via e-mail or in the comments section right here.
Also, let it be known that this is my second draft. The first one deleted itself when I tried to post it and I got really upset. Then a veoh video in another window got reset somehow on top of that and has to reload another hour again. Just my luck. I need to turn off the touchpad on my laptop.
If it's any consolation, this one reads better.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Stark Raven Mad
I decided I must learn more about our avian overlords. They may be watching us, but I'm watching them back, just as intently. Okay, probably much less intently, considering birds don't wear glasses. And tend to have better eyesight than humans anyways. But I'm still watching them just the same.
Actually, I looked into obtaining one as a pet, and apparently it's illegal in the US. Some protective law over migratory birds. But there are so many accounts on line of people who own a raven or a crow, or even small murders (murder, Marge. A flock of crows is called a murder.) that I'm positive that there is a way around this. If anyone knows how to do this, lemme know so that I can take this opportunity to live with the enemy.
It's either that or put up with the pet alligator I get instead. Which I've already spent plenty of time researching enough to know how to get one. So pick which you'd rather see me walking around the neighborhood with.
I should really get photoshop.
I picked up an eraser today and one of those triple pens. The eraser is awesome, and is one of those push erasers. But it's triangular, so everytime I use it I feel like I'm watching the temple scene from the Fifth Element. Which is an awesome feeling, cause that movie is fan tastic (emphasis on the tastic).
The problem is I hate using erasers. It's a weird tic. I used to collect them when I was younger, and I still have a box of them in the attack at home somewhere. None of them were ever used once. I feel like I'm ruining something awesome when I do it. I've been known to use pencil erasers to erase the smudge marks off my normal erasers.
But that backfires, because I hate using the pencil erasers too. Gah. Such a circle of minor tics.
Oh, right, that horrible meeting.
Suffice it to say that it was less me getting depeorted and more the exact opposite of that. Essentially my dorm fees for next semester are paid off. Which is awesome. So that's exciting.
Yep.
Edit: Does anyone still watch the Ask a Ninja videos? I keep forgetting he even exists, but I just watched the newest one and he seems to have run out of steam. And it seems like every one has multiple questions instead of just being dedicated to one question with the occasional omnibus. It's pretty unfortunate, cause those used to be hilarious.
Actually, I looked into obtaining one as a pet, and apparently it's illegal in the US. Some protective law over migratory birds. But there are so many accounts on line of people who own a raven or a crow, or even small murders (murder, Marge. A flock of crows is called a murder.) that I'm positive that there is a way around this. If anyone knows how to do this, lemme know so that I can take this opportunity to live with the enemy.
It's either that or put up with the pet alligator I get instead. Which I've already spent plenty of time researching enough to know how to get one. So pick which you'd rather see me walking around the neighborhood with.
I picked up an eraser today and one of those triple pens. The eraser is awesome, and is one of those push erasers. But it's triangular, so everytime I use it I feel like I'm watching the temple scene from the Fifth Element. Which is an awesome feeling, cause that movie is fan tastic (emphasis on the tastic).
The problem is I hate using erasers. It's a weird tic. I used to collect them when I was younger, and I still have a box of them in the attack at home somewhere. None of them were ever used once. I feel like I'm ruining something awesome when I do it. I've been known to use pencil erasers to erase the smudge marks off my normal erasers.
But that backfires, because I hate using the pencil erasers too. Gah. Such a circle of minor tics.
Oh, right, that horrible meeting.
Suffice it to say that it was less me getting depeorted and more the exact opposite of that. Essentially my dorm fees for next semester are paid off. Which is awesome. So that's exciting.
Yep.
Edit: Does anyone still watch the Ask a Ninja videos? I keep forgetting he even exists, but I just watched the newest one and he seems to have run out of steam. And it seems like every one has multiple questions instead of just being dedicated to one question with the occasional omnibus. It's pretty unfortunate, cause those used to be hilarious.
Ominous tidings
Not much happened today.
Not much GOOD that is.
I came back from my break in classes to a note on my door saying I need to go to the bank because I need to pick up some passbook or else my account is invalid. Which is weird, cause nobody actually told me I needed to do that in the first place. So that's awesome.
But then I got an e-mail from the academic advisor's office saying that I need to go there tomorrow morning at 10 for a meeting. The message also said "No need to worry, you may think of this as a good news. "
When you have to point out that there's no need to worry, that tends to have the exact opposite effect. Knowing the Japanese optimistic view on things, the good news is that I'm not doing well enough in my classes, so I have the opportunity to go home and see my friends and family because I'm no longer wanted here.
Truly, a blessing.
There is another guy who's supposed to be there too, though, so if he's meeting with two of us, I'm vaguely optimistic that something personal isn't up for conversation here.
Then again, I'm not in Kansas anymore.
Not much GOOD that is.
I came back from my break in classes to a note on my door saying I need to go to the bank because I need to pick up some passbook or else my account is invalid. Which is weird, cause nobody actually told me I needed to do that in the first place. So that's awesome.
But then I got an e-mail from the academic advisor's office saying that I need to go there tomorrow morning at 10 for a meeting. The message also said "No need to worry, you may think of this as a good news. "
When you have to point out that there's no need to worry, that tends to have the exact opposite effect. Knowing the Japanese optimistic view on things, the good news is that I'm not doing well enough in my classes, so I have the opportunity to go home and see my friends and family because I'm no longer wanted here.
Truly, a blessing.
There is another guy who's supposed to be there too, though, so if he's meeting with two of us, I'm vaguely optimistic that something personal isn't up for conversation here.
Then again, I'm not in Kansas anymore.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The trick to passing an oral exam
Is to pick a topic you know the teacher either has little wiggle room for choosing questions, or a topic that you know they'll know nothing about.
For me it was the first option. The topic I chose was about foods I liked and my cooking ability. Kinda results in a narrow field of questions. One of the girls in my class chose fashion and shopping, and our middle aged male Japanese teacher just sort of sat there mouth agape unable to think of questions about it. Poor guy.
Or you could get stuck with a sadistic teacher who likes to pretend that there is unlimited wiggle room in the questions. One of the guys in the class said he liked snowboarding, and was stuck answering questions, in Japanese, about why snowboarding was dangerous.
That had to be fun.
Today was the first time I went to a Senjinkai meeting from start to end, as I always arrived after class let out last quarter. It consists of a whole lot of planning on where to go, and a whole lot of me pretending to understand Japanese. Also one of the girls put the birthday hat on me and one of the other members took a photo of me wearing it and making a stupid face which, no, I don't have a copy of, and I'm afraid that I really don't want to see the picture myself anyways. Also, I wore my pretty piggy shirt, and apparently it's hilarious to people, despite the fact that I bought it IN Japan. I'm sort of confused by that. One of the Senjinkai members took a picture of the shirt and everyone has been asking me about it all day.
Somebody really needs to explain to me what is so confusing about a shirt with a pig flying superman style, wearing a cape, with the words Beautiful Pig written underneath him.
I don't think I quite get it.
For me it was the first option. The topic I chose was about foods I liked and my cooking ability. Kinda results in a narrow field of questions. One of the girls in my class chose fashion and shopping, and our middle aged male Japanese teacher just sort of sat there mouth agape unable to think of questions about it. Poor guy.
Or you could get stuck with a sadistic teacher who likes to pretend that there is unlimited wiggle room in the questions. One of the guys in the class said he liked snowboarding, and was stuck answering questions, in Japanese, about why snowboarding was dangerous.
That had to be fun.
Today was the first time I went to a Senjinkai meeting from start to end, as I always arrived after class let out last quarter. It consists of a whole lot of planning on where to go, and a whole lot of me pretending to understand Japanese. Also one of the girls put the birthday hat on me and one of the other members took a photo of me wearing it and making a stupid face which, no, I don't have a copy of, and I'm afraid that I really don't want to see the picture myself anyways. Also, I wore my pretty piggy shirt, and apparently it's hilarious to people, despite the fact that I bought it IN Japan. I'm sort of confused by that. One of the Senjinkai members took a picture of the shirt and everyone has been asking me about it all day.
Somebody really needs to explain to me what is so confusing about a shirt with a pig flying superman style, wearing a cape, with the words Beautiful Pig written underneath him.
I don't think I quite get it.
Monday, December 8, 2008
I just flew in from Beppu
And boy are my wings tired!
I meant arms. My arms are tired. I don't have wings.
Didn't I use that joke in my first blog? I wouldn't be surprised.
Anyways, sorry for the lack of update yesterday, folks. I had every intention of updating, but I kinda...passed out....for 12 hours....instead.
So totally an accident. Allow me to recant and tell you yesterday's events today!
Wooooo tiiiime travelly flaaaashbaaaaaack
So yesterday (dammit, I ruined the illusion already!) I decided to go to Ishigaki. Cause I was bored and I knew they had video game shops there. I figured I'd go looking for a G4 adapter for my DS so I can download games.
Unfortunately, none of the stores I went to had that. I did make my way to a book off though, and managed to waste something like an hour and a half wandering around that trying to find titles. There were "NO READING" signs posted every three feet, but the aisles were still filled with nerds reading their manga. Oh well. I gathered a pretty large pile and headed for the checkout when I saw the video games rack. HUrrah! Cheap used books AND cheap used video games! I got excited over a few titles and then realized that I'm not very good at gaming in Japanese, so I just picked up Metroid because it has no important text in it. Ah well, someday.
I managed to leave with 6 books and a game for 22 dollars. TWENTY TWO DOLLARS. Where in America can I get that kind of deal? These books are in practically new condition too! Maybe if I went to the flea market, sure, but I doubt they carry the books I want there for that cheap. Plus you have to deal with that leather and booze scented funk that everyone who works there has.
Anyways I found this, and if you don't think this is awesome you might not be American (And if you aren't American this probably isn't the first comment you've been offended by reading my blog. I apologize for that, but maybe you should put some consideration into not being a dirty commie, for all of our sake).
That's right. Japanese Spiderman. And I mean JAPANESE Spiderman. As in he's Japanese. And he does kendo. And has a motorcycle. I'm...not sure why.
Anyways, found myself in a Mos Burger for the first time after that. Food was.....alright. Not as good as I've been hyped to believe. I actually prefer Lotellia burger. Don't know why, but I do. Also, picked up a whole bunch of gashapon on top of that. Good times. WHOLE bunch of it. Some that I wanted more than others, but you know, that's what you get with random selections. There was a DS TV tuner there as well, but I didn't have enough for that, so I'm making another trip next weekend probably. Maybe I should bring a friend so I don't get lost.
That's right, I got lost.
I thought I was headed in the right direction to get to Beppu station. You know, same route the bus was going.
An hour and a half of cold, snowy, uphill walking later, I wound up in KANNAWA. That's essentially a good 20 hour bus ride in the opposite direction from where I should have been headed. I still don't know how I wound up there, but I should've taken advantage of it and gone to an onsen. Ah, regrets. Anyways, I went to the bus station and one of the guys from Senjinkai was there, so he helped me get discombobulated. That was cool. I decided to go to the station like I had planned anyways, and took the bus there instead of to APU.
Aaaand Tokiwa was closed. Which sucked. I thought they were open til 8 but I guess they closed at 7. And I wanted to go to the 100 yen store really badly. I was too tired to walk to You Me town, so I just went next door to Yamada Denki to look at the DS products and MP3 players. All the MP3 players absolutely suck. So that's out. And they had nothing good/cheap in the DS section. Depressing. So, Lotellia Burger, come home, and after I checked my e-mail I figured I'd take a quick nap and get up and blog.
Then Sunday morning at 10:45 am I realized that I totally screwed the pooch on that end. Kinda worth it though. Earliest I've gone to sleep in 6 years, but I definitely needed it. So no regrets there.
Anyways, today was shower and study. Then I got food from the cafeteria and am apparently friends with one of the guys working there. Quick memory scan (they have machines for that in Japan. They're touchscreen too. Pretty useful. I'm absolutely not pulling your leg. Does sarcasm transfer well over the internet?) I realized that he was the guy I spoke to from my class who has an American girlfriend. So hey, good for him. He made me a good donburi, so he's good people. You can judge people based on how well they cook. Which means most of the people I know read this enjoy kicking puppies in their free time.
Movie night is Sundays, so me and a bunch of guys in an act of manly manlitude went to it as they were showing 300. I managed to notice an important plot point in the movie for the first time today. I'm....I'm not sure how I missed it the other 6 times I watched the movie. Oh well.
And then more studying. It's exhausting, really.
Maybe I'll sleep through another blog.
I meant arms. My arms are tired. I don't have wings.
Didn't I use that joke in my first blog? I wouldn't be surprised.
Anyways, sorry for the lack of update yesterday, folks. I had every intention of updating, but I kinda...passed out....for 12 hours....instead.
So totally an accident. Allow me to recant and tell you yesterday's events today!
Wooooo tiiiime travelly flaaaashbaaaaaack
So yesterday (dammit, I ruined the illusion already!) I decided to go to Ishigaki. Cause I was bored and I knew they had video game shops there. I figured I'd go looking for a G4 adapter for my DS so I can download games.
Unfortunately, none of the stores I went to had that. I did make my way to a book off though, and managed to waste something like an hour and a half wandering around that trying to find titles. There were "NO READING" signs posted every three feet, but the aisles were still filled with nerds reading their manga. Oh well. I gathered a pretty large pile and headed for the checkout when I saw the video games rack. HUrrah! Cheap used books AND cheap used video games! I got excited over a few titles and then realized that I'm not very good at gaming in Japanese, so I just picked up Metroid because it has no important text in it. Ah well, someday.
I managed to leave with 6 books and a game for 22 dollars. TWENTY TWO DOLLARS. Where in America can I get that kind of deal? These books are in practically new condition too! Maybe if I went to the flea market, sure, but I doubt they carry the books I want there for that cheap. Plus you have to deal with that leather and booze scented funk that everyone who works there has.
Anyways I found this, and if you don't think this is awesome you might not be American (And if you aren't American this probably isn't the first comment you've been offended by reading my blog. I apologize for that, but maybe you should put some consideration into not being a dirty commie, for all of our sake).
That's right. Japanese Spiderman. And I mean JAPANESE Spiderman. As in he's Japanese. And he does kendo. And has a motorcycle. I'm...not sure why.
Anyways, found myself in a Mos Burger for the first time after that. Food was.....alright. Not as good as I've been hyped to believe. I actually prefer Lotellia burger. Don't know why, but I do. Also, picked up a whole bunch of gashapon on top of that. Good times. WHOLE bunch of it. Some that I wanted more than others, but you know, that's what you get with random selections. There was a DS TV tuner there as well, but I didn't have enough for that, so I'm making another trip next weekend probably. Maybe I should bring a friend so I don't get lost.
That's right, I got lost.
I thought I was headed in the right direction to get to Beppu station. You know, same route the bus was going.
An hour and a half of cold, snowy, uphill walking later, I wound up in KANNAWA. That's essentially a good 20 hour bus ride in the opposite direction from where I should have been headed. I still don't know how I wound up there, but I should've taken advantage of it and gone to an onsen. Ah, regrets. Anyways, I went to the bus station and one of the guys from Senjinkai was there, so he helped me get discombobulated. That was cool. I decided to go to the station like I had planned anyways, and took the bus there instead of to APU.
Aaaand Tokiwa was closed. Which sucked. I thought they were open til 8 but I guess they closed at 7. And I wanted to go to the 100 yen store really badly. I was too tired to walk to You Me town, so I just went next door to Yamada Denki to look at the DS products and MP3 players. All the MP3 players absolutely suck. So that's out. And they had nothing good/cheap in the DS section. Depressing. So, Lotellia Burger, come home, and after I checked my e-mail I figured I'd take a quick nap and get up and blog.
Then Sunday morning at 10:45 am I realized that I totally screwed the pooch on that end. Kinda worth it though. Earliest I've gone to sleep in 6 years, but I definitely needed it. So no regrets there.
Anyways, today was shower and study. Then I got food from the cafeteria and am apparently friends with one of the guys working there. Quick memory scan (they have machines for that in Japan. They're touchscreen too. Pretty useful. I'm absolutely not pulling your leg. Does sarcasm transfer well over the internet?) I realized that he was the guy I spoke to from my class who has an American girlfriend. So hey, good for him. He made me a good donburi, so he's good people. You can judge people based on how well they cook. Which means most of the people I know read this enjoy kicking puppies in their free time.
Movie night is Sundays, so me and a bunch of guys in an act of manly manlitude went to it as they were showing 300. I managed to notice an important plot point in the movie for the first time today. I'm....I'm not sure how I missed it the other 6 times I watched the movie. Oh well.
And then more studying. It's exhausting, really.
Maybe I'll sleep through another blog.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
I don't know Japanese!
According to my test results at least. We'll not discuss that here though. I'll just say that it encouraged me to go buy a Japanese grammar book from the school store. Which only was like...8 bucks with my student discount, so hey, why not. I might even by a SECOND one.
I will say it's bull when you aren't learning enough from the 4 hour a day classes plus homework plus occasional studying to do very well in a class. I don't think it's entirely my fault that I don't want to devote the entirety of my day to studying.
Well I didn't, but I'm gonna now. Gyack. Oh well.
Today was WINDY. Like.... WINDY. Seriously. I'm wearing a sweater and it didn't matter, cause the wind was just weaving in, around, and through it. I wouldn't have been surprised if I saw a group of girls just get knocked over. They were screaming during the big gusts. We had a typhoon run through last night that I was optimistic class would be canceled over (HAW!) but never was. Ah well. At least we got a peaceful night's rest with the ghost wails of the wind running through the shrubbery, and the hallways due to the drafty exits, and also our individual bathroom vents.
You know, when you're freaking out that your room is haunted and you hear things going "WoooOOOOoooOOOOoooOOOoo" that usually makes you a bit uptight.
Today was the Latin American festival. So hey, that's cool, right? Festivals eh? Fiesta etcetera. Nope. It was all a sham!
No, not that kind of sham.
If you call a whole bunch of Japanese students on stage dancing to spanish hip hop a celebration of Latin American culture then I call you a liar. Especially cause there was no food. I need food for celebrations! Especially spanish food!
The 12 or so spanish speakers on campus were included in it, and the overall thing WAS entertaining so I'll give them that. I'd post pictures, but they didn't come out well. I took some videos, but I've tried uploading things to youtube on this connection like EIGHT TIMES and it just does not work.
Ah well. I get to enjoy them without you.
Which means I enjoy them twice as much.
Edit:
OH HOLY CRAP! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS!
Kitties love potatoes.
It's true.
I had some extra time after Japanese class so I went to get some potato croquette. and on the way down this family of three cats was running around the mountain. I tried calling them but they wouldn't come, so I tossed some potato a few feet ahead in a hopeless attempt to get attention, and it so worked. The little one came by and then the other one came and then the mom came and I gave them each potatoes and then I played with the kitties.
Now before anyone bursts in with a "THEY'RE GOING TO DEPEND ON PEOPLE!" nah, the cats in Japan are pretty solidary. Or something. They can fend for themselves, and I can't think of the word for that right now. Even the house cats are free to come and go. So they live off of both people and nature regardless if what I do.
I will say it's bull when you aren't learning enough from the 4 hour a day classes plus homework plus occasional studying to do very well in a class. I don't think it's entirely my fault that I don't want to devote the entirety of my day to studying.
Well I didn't, but I'm gonna now. Gyack. Oh well.
Today was WINDY. Like.... WINDY. Seriously. I'm wearing a sweater and it didn't matter, cause the wind was just weaving in, around, and through it. I wouldn't have been surprised if I saw a group of girls just get knocked over. They were screaming during the big gusts. We had a typhoon run through last night that I was optimistic class would be canceled over (HAW!) but never was. Ah well. At least we got a peaceful night's rest with the ghost wails of the wind running through the shrubbery, and the hallways due to the drafty exits, and also our individual bathroom vents.
You know, when you're freaking out that your room is haunted and you hear things going "WoooOOOOoooOOOOoooOOOoo" that usually makes you a bit uptight.
Today was the Latin American festival. So hey, that's cool, right? Festivals eh? Fiesta etcetera. Nope. It was all a sham!
If you call a whole bunch of Japanese students on stage dancing to spanish hip hop a celebration of Latin American culture then I call you a liar. Especially cause there was no food. I need food for celebrations! Especially spanish food!
The 12 or so spanish speakers on campus were included in it, and the overall thing WAS entertaining so I'll give them that. I'd post pictures, but they didn't come out well. I took some videos, but I've tried uploading things to youtube on this connection like EIGHT TIMES and it just does not work.
Ah well. I get to enjoy them without you.
Which means I enjoy them twice as much.
Edit:
OH HOLY CRAP! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS!
Kitties love potatoes.
It's true.
I had some extra time after Japanese class so I went to get some potato croquette. and on the way down this family of three cats was running around the mountain. I tried calling them but they wouldn't come, so I tossed some potato a few feet ahead in a hopeless attempt to get attention, and it so worked. The little one came by and then the other one came and then the mom came and I gave them each potatoes and then I played with the kitties.
Now before anyone bursts in with a "THEY'RE GOING TO DEPEND ON PEOPLE!" nah, the cats in Japan are pretty solidary. Or something. They can fend for themselves, and I can't think of the word for that right now. Even the house cats are free to come and go. So they live off of both people and nature regardless if what I do.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Go Go Gadget Narcolepsy!
I is tired.
I'm not sure why. I got pretty close to a full amount of sleep last night, but after classes I just had to take a nap. And it sucked, cause I hate napping, and because Kenjo was talking to me about how ghosts in Japan will appear underneath my blankets and creep me out for a few minutes before just pulling me straight into hell.
So yeah, fuck him.
The Japanese test results came back, or at least half of it, and the one part I was worried about was in that half. And I didn't do as poorly as I thought on that, so hey, that's exciting.
Also, when I got bored in class the other day I made up a language cipher. I'm gonna write something up and post it tomorrow. If anybody can figure out what it says by some date I'll decide on, I'll send you a postcard. ooo. I know, awesome.
As another gift, here's some pornography. I'm serious, click that. It's really good porn.
And by porn I mean food porn. If any of you clicked that before reading this far, you're perverts. The site is awesome though. It's just really close high res pictures of delicious looking food. It's also got a recipes section, so that's useful.
Tomorrow shall be a good day. Hopefully my professor doesn't show me any more scary movies that keep me up at night.
You know, hunting ghosts down. To take them out.
Not sitting in my bed whimpering like a little girl.
Definitely not that.
I'm not sure why. I got pretty close to a full amount of sleep last night, but after classes I just had to take a nap. And it sucked, cause I hate napping, and because Kenjo was talking to me about how ghosts in Japan will appear underneath my blankets and creep me out for a few minutes before just pulling me straight into hell.
So yeah, fuck him.
The Japanese test results came back, or at least half of it, and the one part I was worried about was in that half. And I didn't do as poorly as I thought on that, so hey, that's exciting.
Also, when I got bored in class the other day I made up a language cipher. I'm gonna write something up and post it tomorrow. If anybody can figure out what it says by some date I'll decide on, I'll send you a postcard. ooo. I know, awesome.
As another gift, here's some pornography. I'm serious, click that. It's really good porn.
And by porn I mean food porn. If any of you clicked that before reading this far, you're perverts. The site is awesome though. It's just really close high res pictures of delicious looking food. It's also got a recipes section, so that's useful.
Tomorrow shall be a good day. Hopefully my professor doesn't show me any more scary movies that keep me up at night.
You know, hunting ghosts down. To take them out.
Not sitting in my bed whimpering like a little girl.
Definitely not that.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Yum. Pork Bao.
Left over from yesterday. I put it on top of my fridge and forgot about it. It's platic wrapped though, so it's coo'. Also, the store had those little maple pan in stock that I like so much. Oh little maple pan, how I've missed you!
I love having Wednesdays off. Seriously. I'm fully rested, I studied just a little bit, watched a movie. Finished off Shutter actually cause I didn't really bother watching the whole thing. It's pretty good I think. Also, there was a movie playing in AP House 2. Syriana. It's not bad. Not really my thing, but I didn't really struggle to sit through it so that's good. I just hate being reminded of how the country I'm from is run by dillholes.
Surprisingly nobody brings that up here.
I've had an emergency blog entry to post up since like..Thursday and have had no need for it.
You have no idea how disappointing that is. I really want to use it, but I've had things to talk about every day. Granted not important things, or interesting things, but more things than "Hey. I sat around in my room all day on the internet."
So there's that.
Guess I'll go back to my dull life of ninja bear fighting.
Ninja GRIZZLY bear fighting.
Edit:
This picture just made me laugh, so now I'm forcing you all to look at it.
LOOK AT IT.
I love having Wednesdays off. Seriously. I'm fully rested, I studied just a little bit, watched a movie. Finished off Shutter actually cause I didn't really bother watching the whole thing. It's pretty good I think. Also, there was a movie playing in AP House 2. Syriana. It's not bad. Not really my thing, but I didn't really struggle to sit through it so that's good. I just hate being reminded of how the country I'm from is run by dillholes.
Surprisingly nobody brings that up here.
I've had an emergency blog entry to post up since like..Thursday and have had no need for it.
You have no idea how disappointing that is. I really want to use it, but I've had things to talk about every day. Granted not important things, or interesting things, but more things than "Hey. I sat around in my room all day on the internet."
So there's that.
Guess I'll go back to my dull life of ninja bear fighting.
Ninja GRIZZLY bear fighting.
Edit:
This picture just made me laugh, so now I'm forcing you all to look at it.
LOOK AT IT.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Holy crap!
[shoots his monitor 12 times with the gun that all Americans carry]
We'll come back to that later.
You ever leave from one of those tests where you're almost positive you failed, but you hold onto the hope that you passed by accident because it was mostly multiple choice?
Yeah, let's hold out for that.
I've come up with a theorem. The more crazy looking a professor is, the better he is. No, I don't mean that they'll be stoic and serious and down to business. No, they'll be down to biz-nass. That's like business, but cooler. It's been my experience at least that the more unkempt the professor, the more impassioned they are about the subject. It's usually pretty awesome, because their excitedness about the subject really passes to you.
For example my Peoples and Religions class. My god, the class is amazing. We went over significance of numbers today. The teacher showed us a bunch of movie clips showing superstitions behind them. Most of them seemed pretty good. One of them stuck out pretty well.
[pokes at the bullet holes]
Yeah, let's say the movie "Shutter" is suitably horrifying. The Thai version, not the American crap. This movie literally got me to jump out of my chair at one point and close the browser. Gyah. Yeah. Whole thing is on youtube. Keep in mind that I'm jumpy, so your mileage may vary. But I do recommend it anyways.
I'm probably gonna sleep with my lights on tonight. Although I imagine that would just make me more visible to whatever is trying to kill me. Such terrible logic for feeling safer.
Hey look! A distracting picture in lieu of an intelligent segue!
Wednesdays are off which is fantastic. No plans, but I think I may try my microwave concoction tomorrow. Finally. Should prove interesting.
Also, apparently, you can't microwave fish. That's 100 yen down the drain (get it? Cause fish and....ah you ain't worth it).
My construction is more or less done. I'll probably get on cleaning my room for once (it manages to distract me from studying, so that's always good) and then afterwards I'll photograph things. Probably.
Also, I've been thinking about crows and ravens a lot since I read that wikipedia article. I think I'm going to try to befriend some of the karasu that live around here. Maybe get them to do my bidding. Steal my a yakitori and I'll let them eat half, use them as a postal service, get 18 birds together to fly me to Beppu. You know, that kind of stuff.
For those of you who don't know Pokemon as well as the rest of my nerds, the picture is funny becausethe Pokemon are named Kakuna and Rattata, respectively. So the picture reads Kakuna Rattata it's a wonderful thing. You know, play on Hakunah Mattata. From the Lion King.
Listen, if you've never seen the Lion King, your parents probably just didn't love you.
We'll come back to that later.
You ever leave from one of those tests where you're almost positive you failed, but you hold onto the hope that you passed by accident because it was mostly multiple choice?
Yeah, let's hold out for that.
I've come up with a theorem. The more crazy looking a professor is, the better he is. No, I don't mean that they'll be stoic and serious and down to business. No, they'll be down to biz-nass. That's like business, but cooler. It's been my experience at least that the more unkempt the professor, the more impassioned they are about the subject. It's usually pretty awesome, because their excitedness about the subject really passes to you.
For example my Peoples and Religions class. My god, the class is amazing. We went over significance of numbers today. The teacher showed us a bunch of movie clips showing superstitions behind them. Most of them seemed pretty good. One of them stuck out pretty well.
[pokes at the bullet holes]
Yeah, let's say the movie "Shutter" is suitably horrifying. The Thai version, not the American crap. This movie literally got me to jump out of my chair at one point and close the browser. Gyah. Yeah. Whole thing is on youtube. Keep in mind that I'm jumpy, so your mileage may vary. But I do recommend it anyways.
I'm probably gonna sleep with my lights on tonight. Although I imagine that would just make me more visible to whatever is trying to kill me. Such terrible logic for feeling safer.
Hey look! A distracting picture in lieu of an intelligent segue!
Wednesdays are off which is fantastic. No plans, but I think I may try my microwave concoction tomorrow. Finally. Should prove interesting.
Also, apparently, you can't microwave fish. That's 100 yen down the drain (get it? Cause fish and....ah you ain't worth it).
My construction is more or less done. I'll probably get on cleaning my room for once (it manages to distract me from studying, so that's always good) and then afterwards I'll photograph things. Probably.
Also, I've been thinking about crows and ravens a lot since I read that wikipedia article. I think I'm going to try to befriend some of the karasu that live around here. Maybe get them to do my bidding. Steal my a yakitori and I'll let them eat half, use them as a postal service, get 18 birds together to fly me to Beppu. You know, that kind of stuff.
For those of you who don't know Pokemon as well as the rest of my nerds, the picture is funny because
Listen, if you've never seen the Lion King, your parents probably just didn't love you.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Oogie Boogie
So my room is definitely haunted.
I finally got fed up with my laptop muting itself for some odd reason (I thought I had figured out away around it, but I didn't) and my DS seemingly turning itself off (I figure I turn it off and forget about it, or the rare occasion I forget to plug it in it runs out of power) so I bought a brand new alarm. A brand new alarms, with a physical switch that you have to flick to turn it off. And it's loud, and I put it on top of my dresser so I actually have to get up and go over and reach up to turn it off in the morning.
Well, I was exhausted after classes so I took a nap. I decided to set the new alarm so I wouldn't miss club and catch a few Z's.
Well, an hour after club let out, which is three hours longer than I wanted to sleep, I wake up.
It's almost impossible for me to reach the alarm clock in the position unless I'm awake. It's far back enough where I have to actually make an effort to get to it. And there are 3 different switches on it, so hitting one at random won't make it go off, and chances are it'll just go into snooze mode.
So my alarm clock was off. That's weird in and of itself, but for some reason the power in my room was also turned off. Meaning the key in the power generator had been turned.
I'm kind of disturbed by all this. My door was locked so nobody could come in.
I just hope that if my evil ghost decides to kill me in my sleep instead of just making me late for things, that he has the courtesy to tell you all about it.
I finally got fed up with my laptop muting itself for some odd reason (I thought I had figured out away around it, but I didn't) and my DS seemingly turning itself off (I figure I turn it off and forget about it, or the rare occasion I forget to plug it in it runs out of power) so I bought a brand new alarm. A brand new alarms, with a physical switch that you have to flick to turn it off. And it's loud, and I put it on top of my dresser so I actually have to get up and go over and reach up to turn it off in the morning.
Well, I was exhausted after classes so I took a nap. I decided to set the new alarm so I wouldn't miss club and catch a few Z's.
Well, an hour after club let out, which is three hours longer than I wanted to sleep, I wake up.
It's almost impossible for me to reach the alarm clock in the position unless I'm awake. It's far back enough where I have to actually make an effort to get to it. And there are 3 different switches on it, so hitting one at random won't make it go off, and chances are it'll just go into snooze mode.
So my alarm clock was off. That's weird in and of itself, but for some reason the power in my room was also turned off. Meaning the key in the power generator had been turned.
I'm kind of disturbed by all this. My door was locked so nobody could come in.
I just hope that if my evil ghost decides to kill me in my sleep instead of just making me late for things, that he has the courtesy to tell you all about it.
Monday, December 1, 2008
I've been hit!
Poor taste in humor, but I found it amusing that I got a "hit" from Vietnam.
I took a different route to the mall today. Partly because I should see more of the city I live "in", and partly because I missed the first bus. Let's pretend it was on purpose though.
I found a few useful shops on the way to mentally footnote for later, and figured out "Ishigaki" basically means "Commercial strip" as far as I'm concerned. Lots of pretty electric neon signs. Mmmmm. Also, there was an area called "Harukigawa" that the bus "Refuses to stop at for safety reasons". I'm.... I'm kind of concerned about that. Considering when I go for walks through the city, often by myself cause nobody else is stupid enough to not use the bus, I don't generally know WHERE I am. I should probably order a suit of armor or something. That'll keep people away (especially the women).
Prime reason for going to the mall was for FOOD. That still seems weird to me. I should probably go to Mochigahama and go to the actual grocer there, but it costs about the same as the mall, and there is more stuff to do at You Me town, so whatever. I get to buy toys this way. Also, my new favorite t shirt (apologies to a certain little bird):
Yeah, that's right. It's a pig with a cape. It says 美豚 (mibuta) which apparently means "Beautiful Pig". I'm not sure why. I'm really not going to question it. (Also a quick google search proves that men wear the brand, so no jokes for you.)
If you need an explanation, that's the Colonol Sanders in front of KFC.
I know, I know. That really doesn't explain a damn thing.
Moving on.
I came across what I dubbed "Hip Hop Mannequin." He is phresher and doper than any other mannequin out there. He was built in the streets, dawg.
It's inspiring that he has such an upbeat attitude even with such impediments as being decapitated. Really, we don't give enough credit to our capitated-impaired (I don't think that's even a thing) citizens. Japan truly is progressive.
Also, finally got a picture of Play Station:
The contrast is horrible, granted, but you can make it out and there is another picture in the album that shows it sorta more legible. Yes, my camera has a night mode, but I wasn't going to stand outside of a whorehouse adjusting the parameters on my camera to take pictures, again of a whorehouse. I may not know that much about Japanese culture, but I'm pretty sure that sort of thing is frowned upon.
At least out in the open.
I took a different route to the mall today. Partly because I should see more of the city I live "in", and partly because I missed the first bus. Let's pretend it was on purpose though.
I found a few useful shops on the way to mentally footnote for later, and figured out "Ishigaki" basically means "Commercial strip" as far as I'm concerned. Lots of pretty electric neon signs. Mmmmm. Also, there was an area called "Harukigawa" that the bus "Refuses to stop at for safety reasons". I'm.... I'm kind of concerned about that. Considering when I go for walks through the city, often by myself cause nobody else is stupid enough to not use the bus, I don't generally know WHERE I am. I should probably order a suit of armor or something. That'll keep people away (especially the women).
Prime reason for going to the mall was for FOOD. That still seems weird to me. I should probably go to Mochigahama and go to the actual grocer there, but it costs about the same as the mall, and there is more stuff to do at You Me town, so whatever. I get to buy toys this way. Also, my new favorite t shirt (apologies to a certain little bird):
Yeah, that's right. It's a pig with a cape. It says 美豚 (mibuta) which apparently means "Beautiful Pig". I'm not sure why. I'm really not going to question it. (Also a quick google search proves that men wear the brand, so no jokes for you.)
If you need an explanation, that's the Colonol Sanders in front of KFC.
I know, I know. That really doesn't explain a damn thing.
Moving on.
I came across what I dubbed "Hip Hop Mannequin." He is phresher and doper than any other mannequin out there. He was built in the streets, dawg.
It's inspiring that he has such an upbeat attitude even with such impediments as being decapitated. Really, we don't give enough credit to our capitated-impaired (I don't think that's even a thing) citizens. Japan truly is progressive.
Also, finally got a picture of Play Station:
The contrast is horrible, granted, but you can make it out and there is another picture in the album that shows it sorta more legible. Yes, my camera has a night mode, but I wasn't going to stand outside of a whorehouse adjusting the parameters on my camera to take pictures, again of a whorehouse. I may not know that much about Japanese culture, but I'm pretty sure that sort of thing is frowned upon.
At least out in the open.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
