Wednesday, February 22, 2006

This won't be long, but I felt it was probably once again time to let everyone know I'm not dead. I've just been very busy telling my students about my departure, and packing and cleaning. You know the dirll. I also went to an okonomiyaki party at Manager's house on Sunday, so I have lots of pictures I will need to put up when I find some time! At any rate, I need to get dressed for work, but I will write as soon as I have more time.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

So, on Sunday, Candice, Ray and I headed to Kyoto. It was a great day, albeit a little cold. Here are some photographic highlights!

Kyoto Station... quite a nifty piece of architecture.


More Kyoto Station...


More Kyoto Station...


At the top of Kyoto Station when we arrived, Candice and Ray acting like weirdos.


Some fairly realistic geisha girls we found in Kyoto. Quite lovely, although, we couldn't actually speak to them. Lol, I kind of muttered, "samui des ka?" to them under my breath, because, DAMN, it was chilly.


And now for something completely different.
Oh. my. God. What in the...? Has anyone ever beheld such an oddity as this? I call it, "breasthead." Can you imagine the panic if you woke up one morning after a bender and saw THIS staring you back in the mirror? *shudder*


As if breasthead wasn't frightening enough, check out kidhead. This poor soul not only has an unusual growth, it has a CHILD growing out of the top of its' head. What would possess anyone to create such a thing is beyond me. Ahhhh, Japan.


I'm not entirely sure why, but this sort of captues the elegance and old school beauty present in Kyoto.


Ray, Candice and I saw these faux geishas (they had digital cameras) while wondering near Kiyomizu in Kyoto. Very exciting! Although, I'd imagien they're used to people randomyl photographing them and whatnot. Apparently, you can pay and dress up like one, but it's rather pricey. Like everything else here...


Corner of a temple at Kiyomizu...


A whole field of children's memorial stones near Kiyomizu... I don't know the history behind them, but they were fascinating. Even sporting little aprons.


A close-up of one of the child memorial stones near Kiyomizu... a very strange phenomenon indeed.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

I am officially addicted to Grey's Anatomy. Candice and I watched an episode last night, 216, where (spoiler?) Izzy tells some girl she has a daughter! And Carev has a heart, and Meredith and McDreamy have a serious moment in the supply closet.

I was waiting for the next one, apparently there's a code black, which I think means some sort of deadly contagion/infection. AND I GOT IT! Tonight, despite Thursday being the crappiest day of my week, is going to rock. Saizeriya with Keiko and Candice and then some Grey's action!

Gotta get prepped for work now, Ciao!

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

[Let me preface this entry by saying I TOTALLY punked this whole thing from Candice's blog, because, truthfully, I am too lazy to write my own account of the long evening that transpired. All my additions to the original text are added in square brackets, just so you can tell the original from the garbage I will no doubt add here and there. And with that I hope you enjoy the story of the Longest Night.]

Sunday started out pretty normal. Lily, Keiko and myself headed out to walk around Motomachi and Sannomiya for the afternoon, a very, very cold afternoon at that! We went to China Town because Lily and Keiko wanted to see the festivities that I had seen last week. It was intense. Not a good idea to go on a Sunday soooo many people! It was crazy.



[More people than any one gaijin should EVER be faced with, even if you're in Umeda... Annoying. And the old people... For the love of all that is holy, move your ass!]



[Candichan looking rather amused.]

After China Town we went window shopping and came across some BEAUTIFUL purses! Absolutely stunning...



[Some animal died for THIS? You have got to be kidding me. Fur is very in right now in Japan, however, so everything from coats, to socks, to boots, to gloves, has fur on it. A bit disturbing, really.]



[Keiko seemed to like this patchwork purse. I can't remember if we were dissing or enjoying the purses. I suspect we were doing the former, though, because, good heavens, this is hideous.]



[My favourite purse, and OH was it ever tough to pick!, was this metallic, slain-mermaid-look one. Wherever did they even think a girl could wear this? Maybe when they unearth {un-sea?} Atlantis, I can wear this to opening party?]

I really enjoyed the sheep dog purse, Keiko loved her faux stitch purse and Lily looked stunning in her metallic purse. My favourite has to be the purse that looks like a dog is is almost 200 dollars! Ladies please place your orders with me soon!



Later that night we headed over to Osaka so I could meet up with the fellas from training week. We hadn't seen each other in a few weeks so I was super excited to see them. We met up and had dinner and many, many drinks. We decided that dinner and beers were not enough...therefore...why not stay out all night. See in Japan the JR train stops running at 12. That was WAY too early for us to leave. So we decided that we would drink all night....


(L-R: Damien, Lily, Candi, Killian) [All drunk out of our tree, to the tune of many a beer and tequila shot... what a NIGHT. This bar, however, was quite cute, and the staff were very friendly. I ended up speaking to Damien en francais for a good long time at the bar. Very fun, indeed.]

12am- Left the restaurant after a 100 bill and made our way to another bar
12:30am- found a little bar that would serve us. Got to catch up over beers and tequila shots. Oh yes, I don't even like tequila that much but it was A FLOWING last night! Another 100 bill....

3amish- we were told last call at the bar, we still have a few hours to kill before the first train. Why not go to Karaoke???? We rented a room for a few hours, sang, drank unlimited drinks, Lily passed out (she had to work today...ouch!!!) and stayed up until 5:30am ...when it was our time to leave
6am- went to a restaurant across the street and went to have breakfast. Breakfast is not the same in Japan so I ate RICE AND PORK for breakfast. I dont even remember what anyone else ate, but Killian had a few bowls and I remember Damien having noodles, veggies and an egg. Damien and I were were having so much fun!! We were laughing so much, drunk and delirious I am sure!! We split rice everywhere!!! Finally we all boarded our trains at 7am and went our seperate ways. We each had a 30 min train ride. I fell asleep and we got home around 8:30. I slept all day, until 3pm. Ahhh c'est la vie!! I think we are going to hook up next weekend, it is my first HOLIDAY!!!! WOOOO HOOOO No work on saturday, I have a 3 day weekend! I am sooo excited!!! Saturdays are my busiest days, 6 classes! So it will be nice to relax maybe get to go partying and sight see!



Damien loves to sing! [Yes, he does. Apparently, he always sang standing up, but by the time I came to, he was sleepy and was reclining with the mic on the sofa...]



He found a tambourine?!? [I slept through the tambourine episode... I seriously had no idea they had percussion at Karaoke. You learn something everyday.]



Poor Lily! She tried, what a trooper!!! [In my defense.... Oh, who am I kidding, there is no decent defense for falling asleep at Karaoke, least of all after one requests a song, holds the mic lying down and says "no" into it, thereby ending the chance at singing the song. Wherever did I leave my dignity?]



The drinking Champions, no quitting for us! [I was thoroughly impressed by Candice and Killian. Those two were TIRELESS! And they did it all with a smile on their faces. I can not say I managed as well. Plus, I always seem to think a spaced-out stare is cuter than a grin in drunk pics...]



Damien, I still don't remember what was so funny...but apparently it was FUNNY! [We ate the most disgusting food for breakfast. I still felt sick, so I didn't order at first. You had to get the food ticket out of a machine and hand it to the waiter-guy. I eventually stood up and ordered myself some kitsune udon, but ew, it was NASTY.]



I ate that for BREAKFAST?!? [I can't believe it either. What were we thinking?!]



Killian and Lily enjoying their breakfast [Trying to, really. I ate the tofu off the top and then gave up on the noodles. At least it was cheap...]



I think they are spent.... [I don't even have a vague recollection of Candice taking this photo, which worries me, as that is often the case with these types of evenings. We do look a little the worse for wear.]



It's 7am, time to get our trains!! [Cute group shot. We look tired, but suprisingly, NOT CRAPPY. How do we manage? I did have a small sleep, so that's where the fire in my eyes is from... haha, I jest, there is no such thing going on. But the sun was about to come up and you only live once, so do what you want to!]

Hope you had a great weekend, and Superbowl Sunday was super fantastic. I just read on my trusty CBC news that Martin just resigned from Prime Minister... I am glad that I will be coming back to America aka Canada!!! Random thought but one that I felt the need to add!!!!

[I gotta start reading the news, seriously. I have no clue what's happening at home in the Great White North, but on that note, I need some rest!]

Sunday, February 05, 2006

This song is potentially my new favourite song for karaoke, if only I can learn the Japanese lyrics. It's HILARIOUS.
Care of someone named Cori, and this site, http://www.corichan.com/lyrics2/albums2/exile-exileent.html#top, here is "Choo Choo Train" by EXILE.

Choo Choo TRAIN
Romaji by: cori

* Fun Fun We hit the step step
onaji kaze no naka We know We love Oh
Heat Heat (The) beat's like a skip skip
tokimeki wo hakobu yo Choo Choo TRAIN

mada shiranai Zone
mezasu yo tonight
RIARU na toki ga tomaru edge of time
dare mo cry or smile
kinou I forget
nugisutete jiyuu ni naru good trip

tsukiakari ni freak
sasoeba my bro
minna makikomi isogu edge of time
mune ni Who's that guy
todoku I don't care
merry sympathy
hitotsu ni naru just now

Fun Fun We hit the step step
So don't keep yourself to yourself We know We love Oh
Heat Heat (The) beat's like a skip skip
To the paradise Take me please Oh
Choo Choo TRAIN

kawarisou na scene
oikake one night
dekakeyou kono DOA ni Say good-bye
BIRU no up side down
mori wo round and round
nukedashite hajimeru no sa good trip

** Fun Fun We hit the step step
kata wo dakiaeba We know We love Oh
Heat Heat (The) beat's like a skip skip
kakedashite tobinoru Choo Choo TRAIN

* repeat
** repeat

Lalala...

Fun Fun We hit the step step
Heat Heat (The) beat's like a skip skip


Yesterday, Keiko and I went to WTC and saw the view from the tallest building in Kansai. Also went to a wicked cheap restaurant called Saizeriya... Soup, pizza and foccaccia. AND DRINK BAR for only 189yen, WTF. After that, we headed back to Osaka and wandered around in Yodobashi Camera for a bit,because a friend back home wants some dvd, Final Fantasy Advent Children. Looked semi-creepy, but I guess to each their own!



We spent a little while searching for Christon, the catholic restaurant/cafe we went to last weekend. Had some brulee with raspberry sauce; why it was frozen I will never comprehend. And a nice cup of cafe. Then we ended up eating at Aruna with Jon, and then going to karaoke. Which is what inspired the posting of the above lyrics. I would like to learn them in the next month. Seems like a reasonable enough goal. We shall see!

Headed to Kobe today with Candice and Keiko, for the Chinese New Year Festival. Candice said they have delicious food there, so I am quite looking forward to it.

Oh, and I got my hair cut yesterday. Voila!