Yeah, this happened to me. I can't believe it either.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Meddlesome Gods #1 - The Grinning God
So I thought I'd translate a book of short stories that I'm reading. They're by Shinichi Hoshi, a pioneer in the field of what's called "the short-short story". It's only 4 pages long. I might do another one from the book later. Enjoy!
-----------------------------
The Grinning God
Once upon a time, there existed a small village somewhere. The lives of the villagers were uneventful. To one and all, it was neither good, nor bad.
And so, in the village there lived a man. "No matter what I do, I'll never be rich", he said as he passed the time. However, this wasn't because he was lazy. In short, he had a half-hopeful, half-resigned frame of mind. No different from anyone else, everyday he simply continued his work in the fields.
However, one day, as the man casually struck the riverbank with his hoe, he met a strange resistance. Seized by curiosity, he dug it out and washed it, only to find a small, wooden figure. As he stared at it, he mumbled to himself, "What's this boring thing? No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like it'll sell well. Maybe I'll just use it as kindling. Even so, it does have a bizarre face."
The figure looked as if it were grinning. Had it been an austere or a virtuous face, it might have made for a better story and he might have been able to sell it. But with that innocent, joyful face, it was hopeless.
Just then, a voice spoke from somewhere.
"How impertinent. Saying that you're going to make me into kindling, and that I have a bizarre face..."
The man blinked and then looked around him. There wasn't a soul around. From the content of the remark, it seemed to be referring to him. Moving his eyes to the statue in his hand, the voice spoke again.
"Yup. That's me speaking."
"I'm shocked. That a wooden carving like this spoke...."
"You could say that I'm just taking shelter in this figure, that this figure is an my incarnation. In other words, I am the figure, and the figure is me."
"I don't really understand that, but I do understand that you seem to be a figure. Still, what in the world are you?"
"I'm a god."
The man replied with suspicion, "Sure, it's convenient for you to assert that you're a god given the situation, but a wooden carving like this..."
"What a fool. If I was an ordinary wooden carving, and if I'd been buried in the dirt for such a long time, wouldn't I have rotted? Try putting me on the fire. I'll never burn. Proof that I'm a god."
If you put it that way, it might be true. Just as the man nodded in agreement, his lifelong wish came to mind. Maybe it could be granted. Even if it's a hopeless endeavor, I'll be none the worse for it. There's value in trying.
The man took the figure home and enshrined it in his home's alcove. Then, he reverently expressed his desire. "Lord, please make me a man of means."
"Alright. Leave it to me."
The god had immediately complied. So, he's a god of luck, then? However, it was a little too simple. He couldn't help but be a little incredulous. The man decided that he shouldn't expect much.
Soon, the harvest season arrived, and again, the typhoon came. However, it turned out to be a streak of good luck. The man had finished his harvest just a single day earlier. The man had avoided disaster, and the other villagers had suffered damages both great and small.
This was an opportunity, and everything started to take a turn for the better. The villagers relied on him for finances, and so the man took and lent with a high interest. He'd started to make money. At first, it was only little by little, but depending on the size of the loan...
He told the god, "I should probably say that this is all thanks to you. My fortune continues to grow."
"Of course. That's my power."
"I concede that it is your power. And so, how shall I give thanks?"
"Don't even worry about that sort of thing. But how about this? If you allowed others to worship me as well..."
Although the god had made a suggestion, the man panicked and waved his hands.
"Don't be ridiculous. We can't have that."
"I guess you're right. That might be better. It was like that in the last house I was in, as well."
"I didn't know about that. Did you make them rich, too?"
"It should scarcely need saying, That's what I live for."
The man calmed down, and then began to panic again. He felt assured by the effects of the god's power, but the fact that the previous owners had lost possession of this god concerned him. At that, he moved the figure to from the alcove to a newly built storehouse. This way it wouldn't be stolen or prayed to by the other villagers.
Having hid the figure, the man's fortune grew and grew. The interest on his loans came in one payment after another. Furthermore, he established a monopoly on goods coming into the village. For as you know, a god was a work.
The man prostrated himself before the statue and spoke.
"All is by your good graces. From this tract of land, to the mountain and forest--no matter what, it falls into my grasp. I've started to be called the head of this village."
"I'm also very pleased!" the figure answered with its grinning face.
"How gracious of you. I had no idea that the true powers of a luck god were this wonderful."
"You're welcome, but I think there seems to be a misunderstanding. Although my powers are indeed wonderful, I'm not the kind of luck god you think I am!"
"No need for jokes. This fortune that you've given me--if you're not a god of luck, then what are you?"
"What do you think?"
"I don't know. Still, at any rate, you're a gracious god," the man said with an unchanging smile on his face. The god replied with the same, innocent grin as always.
"I'm a god of poverty. As people suffer, they become impoverished. To see this makes me happier than anything else. However, I've thoroughly tasted and enjoyed my fill, so soon we will part. Even if I wanted to savor it a bit more, the villagers have already hit rock bottom. Momentarily, a group of rioting villagers will close in on you. They'll lay waste to this house, and then probably throw me out by the river with the rest of this junk. Imagining what kind of jerk will pick me up next... It's almost too funny for me to bear."
-------------------------------------------------------
Okay, so it's pretty rough. Please leave me some constructive comments if you have the time (strangely worded sections, unclear parts). Thanks!
-----------------------------
The Grinning God
Once upon a time, there existed a small village somewhere. The lives of the villagers were uneventful. To one and all, it was neither good, nor bad.
And so, in the village there lived a man. "No matter what I do, I'll never be rich", he said as he passed the time. However, this wasn't because he was lazy. In short, he had a half-hopeful, half-resigned frame of mind. No different from anyone else, everyday he simply continued his work in the fields.
However, one day, as the man casually struck the riverbank with his hoe, he met a strange resistance. Seized by curiosity, he dug it out and washed it, only to find a small, wooden figure. As he stared at it, he mumbled to himself, "What's this boring thing? No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like it'll sell well. Maybe I'll just use it as kindling. Even so, it does have a bizarre face."
The figure looked as if it were grinning. Had it been an austere or a virtuous face, it might have made for a better story and he might have been able to sell it. But with that innocent, joyful face, it was hopeless.
Just then, a voice spoke from somewhere.
"How impertinent. Saying that you're going to make me into kindling, and that I have a bizarre face..."
The man blinked and then looked around him. There wasn't a soul around. From the content of the remark, it seemed to be referring to him. Moving his eyes to the statue in his hand, the voice spoke again.
"Yup. That's me speaking."
"I'm shocked. That a wooden carving like this spoke...."
"You could say that I'm just taking shelter in this figure, that this figure is an my incarnation. In other words, I am the figure, and the figure is me."
"I don't really understand that, but I do understand that you seem to be a figure. Still, what in the world are you?"
"I'm a god."
The man replied with suspicion, "Sure, it's convenient for you to assert that you're a god given the situation, but a wooden carving like this..."
"What a fool. If I was an ordinary wooden carving, and if I'd been buried in the dirt for such a long time, wouldn't I have rotted? Try putting me on the fire. I'll never burn. Proof that I'm a god."
If you put it that way, it might be true. Just as the man nodded in agreement, his lifelong wish came to mind. Maybe it could be granted. Even if it's a hopeless endeavor, I'll be none the worse for it. There's value in trying.
The man took the figure home and enshrined it in his home's alcove. Then, he reverently expressed his desire. "Lord, please make me a man of means."
"Alright. Leave it to me."
The god had immediately complied. So, he's a god of luck, then? However, it was a little too simple. He couldn't help but be a little incredulous. The man decided that he shouldn't expect much.
Soon, the harvest season arrived, and again, the typhoon came. However, it turned out to be a streak of good luck. The man had finished his harvest just a single day earlier. The man had avoided disaster, and the other villagers had suffered damages both great and small.
This was an opportunity, and everything started to take a turn for the better. The villagers relied on him for finances, and so the man took and lent with a high interest. He'd started to make money. At first, it was only little by little, but depending on the size of the loan...
He told the god, "I should probably say that this is all thanks to you. My fortune continues to grow."
"Of course. That's my power."
"I concede that it is your power. And so, how shall I give thanks?"
"Don't even worry about that sort of thing. But how about this? If you allowed others to worship me as well..."
Although the god had made a suggestion, the man panicked and waved his hands.
"Don't be ridiculous. We can't have that."
"I guess you're right. That might be better. It was like that in the last house I was in, as well."
"I didn't know about that. Did you make them rich, too?"
"It should scarcely need saying, That's what I live for."
The man calmed down, and then began to panic again. He felt assured by the effects of the god's power, but the fact that the previous owners had lost possession of this god concerned him. At that, he moved the figure to from the alcove to a newly built storehouse. This way it wouldn't be stolen or prayed to by the other villagers.
Having hid the figure, the man's fortune grew and grew. The interest on his loans came in one payment after another. Furthermore, he established a monopoly on goods coming into the village. For as you know, a god was a work.
The man prostrated himself before the statue and spoke.
"All is by your good graces. From this tract of land, to the mountain and forest--no matter what, it falls into my grasp. I've started to be called the head of this village."
"I'm also very pleased!" the figure answered with its grinning face.
"How gracious of you. I had no idea that the true powers of a luck god were this wonderful."
"You're welcome, but I think there seems to be a misunderstanding. Although my powers are indeed wonderful, I'm not the kind of luck god you think I am!"
"No need for jokes. This fortune that you've given me--if you're not a god of luck, then what are you?"
"What do you think?"
"I don't know. Still, at any rate, you're a gracious god," the man said with an unchanging smile on his face. The god replied with the same, innocent grin as always.
"I'm a god of poverty. As people suffer, they become impoverished. To see this makes me happier than anything else. However, I've thoroughly tasted and enjoyed my fill, so soon we will part. Even if I wanted to savor it a bit more, the villagers have already hit rock bottom. Momentarily, a group of rioting villagers will close in on you. They'll lay waste to this house, and then probably throw me out by the river with the rest of this junk. Imagining what kind of jerk will pick me up next... It's almost too funny for me to bear."
-------------------------------------------------------
Okay, so it's pretty rough. Please leave me some constructive comments if you have the time (strangely worded sections, unclear parts). Thanks!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Mochitsuki Adventure: The Movie
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I've Been Thinking
... about my doorbell. When ya gonna ring it? When ya gonna ring it?
White Stripes references out of the way, I'd like to talk about something weighing heavily upon me: the fact that I don't know what I want to talk about. I've done roughly 5,000 things since my last post (give or take a thousand), and I really don't want to make a list of it. That's really the impetus behind the long gaps between posts, too. Even if I tell you all these things I've done, I don't have any confidence that it would sufficiently convey anything other than cold, hard fact. And the last thing I want my blog to be is cold and hard. It should be brimming with life, vitality. Just like me.
I'm reading "Yes Man" right now. Yes, the one that the movie is based on. However, while the movie is fiction, the book is nonfiction; and as unbelievable as the events of the book are, they are supposedly true.
It's one of the most inspiring books I've ever read.
I think Danny Wallace is now one of my all-time heroes. He's right above Gandhi and Magritte on the list. Yes, he's above Gandhi (now that I've written that, I'm not sure I mean it. At any rate, I think you get the point).
In short, the book's effectively used it's giant life-affirming highlighter to underline every choice I make. I can feel the weight of every potential opportunity, and so, within reason, I've been pouncing on just about every Yes that floats my way.
I have certain friends (who will remain anonymous) who I've always admired for their ability to seemingly live a life free of regret. How do they do it? For me, Regret can push down on you so hard as to be debilitating.
I think that Yes is the key to seeing the good in every experience, the key that negates regret. When you see the potential opportunity of every action, you realize that opportunities are everywhere, abundant as air. Just say yes to them.
It sort of goes back to my epiphany about human will back in the summer after Freshman year of college. I "conquered boredom" then because it dawned on me that you can do anything you want. The only thing that really limits you is your willpower; and if you really tap into the amazing reservoir of the human spirit, you might find that it's practically bottomless. Will yourself to just do something, because doing something is always a lot more interesting than doing nothing. You might think that's simple, but society makes it so hard for people to realize their potential because it bombards them with a never-ending string of potential excuses. "I'm too fat", "they live too far away", "hasn't been online lately", "well, Idol was on..." For me, when I realized this is when I think I stopped being a child. I wasn't an adult (I'm still not), but I wasn't a child anymore.
I'm still guilty of making excuses, piling on regrets. It's hard to remember how amazing people can be when you can summarize your entire impression of someone based on a Facebook status message. That's why it's good I have this book. When I forget, I can just read this book. And then say yes more.
I suppose this leads me to the conclusion of this little post. Here's a weekend of Yessing.
I said yes to Mr. Ogushi's ramen dinner invitation in Shiraoka. I said yes to getting coffee with him afterwards. It turned into a three and a half hour conversation.
I said yes to going to Mr. Ogushi's takoyaki party the next day. I met a man there who told me an amusing story about how once in America, he said "kyuu-zero-four" at the front desk of a hotel instead of "nine-zero-four" and subsequently had a lot of trouble getting into his room. I also learned how to make expert takoyaki (fried dough balls with octopus in the center).
I said yes to the invitation to attend my friend Koichi's gay choir recital. I said yes to going to Tokyo Tower with Stef and Teresa afterwards. I said yes to Chris' request that I contact him afterward if I was bored.
And then I slipped a little. I was invited to go to Odaiba with Stef, Teresa, and Lucille and I said no. I said, "No, just leave me here at Tokyo Tower. I'll find something". But as I said it, I was worried that I wouldn't find something. I was in Tokyo. Was I really just going to go home early and sleep when I had the day off on Monday? So then, acting quickly, I called Chris and said yes to his invitation to join him at the Hub in Harajuku.
I said yes when Naoko wanted to teach Joe English and I the Japanese version of "Eeny Meeny". I said yes to fish and chips. I said yes to a gin and tonic.
Here's the part I considered leaving out, but I figure if I've already gotten this far in this embarrassing post, I might at well take it all the way to the end.
I said yes to going to a bar with Chris to meet up with Koichi, who happens to be Chris' boyfriend. I said yes to going to a bar in Nichome. I said yes to another Moscow Mule. I said yes to singing Lady Gaga with Koichi at a gay bar. I said yes when Koichi and Chris invited me to sleep on their extra futon after I missed my last train due to too much Yessing.
I said yes to a New Year's nabe (stew-like food) party with all the friends I've made. I said yes to a game of Hoopla. I said yes to all-you-can-drink karaoke. I said yes to having fun.
Today, I said yes to myself. This is stupid, but why not write it. Why not.
White Stripes references out of the way, I'd like to talk about something weighing heavily upon me: the fact that I don't know what I want to talk about. I've done roughly 5,000 things since my last post (give or take a thousand), and I really don't want to make a list of it. That's really the impetus behind the long gaps between posts, too. Even if I tell you all these things I've done, I don't have any confidence that it would sufficiently convey anything other than cold, hard fact. And the last thing I want my blog to be is cold and hard. It should be brimming with life, vitality. Just like me.
I'm reading "Yes Man" right now. Yes, the one that the movie is based on. However, while the movie is fiction, the book is nonfiction; and as unbelievable as the events of the book are, they are supposedly true.
It's one of the most inspiring books I've ever read.
I think Danny Wallace is now one of my all-time heroes. He's right above Gandhi and Magritte on the list. Yes, he's above Gandhi (now that I've written that, I'm not sure I mean it. At any rate, I think you get the point).
In short, the book's effectively used it's giant life-affirming highlighter to underline every choice I make. I can feel the weight of every potential opportunity, and so, within reason, I've been pouncing on just about every Yes that floats my way.
I have certain friends (who will remain anonymous) who I've always admired for their ability to seemingly live a life free of regret. How do they do it? For me, Regret can push down on you so hard as to be debilitating.
I think that Yes is the key to seeing the good in every experience, the key that negates regret. When you see the potential opportunity of every action, you realize that opportunities are everywhere, abundant as air. Just say yes to them.
It sort of goes back to my epiphany about human will back in the summer after Freshman year of college. I "conquered boredom" then because it dawned on me that you can do anything you want. The only thing that really limits you is your willpower; and if you really tap into the amazing reservoir of the human spirit, you might find that it's practically bottomless. Will yourself to just do something, because doing something is always a lot more interesting than doing nothing. You might think that's simple, but society makes it so hard for people to realize their potential because it bombards them with a never-ending string of potential excuses. "I'm too fat", "they live too far away", "hasn't been online lately", "well, Idol was on..." For me, when I realized this is when I think I stopped being a child. I wasn't an adult (I'm still not), but I wasn't a child anymore.
I'm still guilty of making excuses, piling on regrets. It's hard to remember how amazing people can be when you can summarize your entire impression of someone based on a Facebook status message. That's why it's good I have this book. When I forget, I can just read this book. And then say yes more.
I suppose this leads me to the conclusion of this little post. Here's a weekend of Yessing.
I said yes to Mr. Ogushi's ramen dinner invitation in Shiraoka. I said yes to getting coffee with him afterwards. It turned into a three and a half hour conversation.
I said yes to going to Mr. Ogushi's takoyaki party the next day. I met a man there who told me an amusing story about how once in America, he said "kyuu-zero-four" at the front desk of a hotel instead of "nine-zero-four" and subsequently had a lot of trouble getting into his room. I also learned how to make expert takoyaki (fried dough balls with octopus in the center).
I said yes to the invitation to attend my friend Koichi's gay choir recital. I said yes to going to Tokyo Tower with Stef and Teresa afterwards. I said yes to Chris' request that I contact him afterward if I was bored.
And then I slipped a little. I was invited to go to Odaiba with Stef, Teresa, and Lucille and I said no. I said, "No, just leave me here at Tokyo Tower. I'll find something". But as I said it, I was worried that I wouldn't find something. I was in Tokyo. Was I really just going to go home early and sleep when I had the day off on Monday? So then, acting quickly, I called Chris and said yes to his invitation to join him at the Hub in Harajuku.
I said yes when Naoko wanted to teach Joe English and I the Japanese version of "Eeny Meeny". I said yes to fish and chips. I said yes to a gin and tonic.
Here's the part I considered leaving out, but I figure if I've already gotten this far in this embarrassing post, I might at well take it all the way to the end.
I said yes to going to a bar with Chris to meet up with Koichi, who happens to be Chris' boyfriend. I said yes to going to a bar in Nichome. I said yes to another Moscow Mule. I said yes to singing Lady Gaga with Koichi at a gay bar. I said yes when Koichi and Chris invited me to sleep on their extra futon after I missed my last train due to too much Yessing.
I said yes to a New Year's nabe (stew-like food) party with all the friends I've made. I said yes to a game of Hoopla. I said yes to all-you-can-drink karaoke. I said yes to having fun.
Today, I said yes to myself. This is stupid, but why not write it. Why not.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Now a Monthly Publication!
Just kidding. Seriously, though. It's been forever since I've updated this.
So Thanksgiving was fantastic. Mr. Oogushi invited Marisa and I over to his house for a feast. We spent the evening eating turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and other traditional Thanksgiving foods with his friends and family, and you know what? It actually felt really homey and comforting. I started to realize something that I'll talk about a little bit later because I just realized it fully today and want to share the good news with everyone. Moving on....
Over the long weekend, Marisa and I went to Mt. Takao, just west of Tokyo to see the leaves changing color. It was my first real experience hiking up a mountain, and the pain in my legs the next day stood as an testament to that. On the way up, I was just fine. On the way down, we said to ourselves, "Well, let's take the ropeway", but by that time of day the ropeway was full and we had no choice but to hobble all the way down. Marisa was a lot better at it than I. At any rate, the mountain was absolutely gorgeous, awash of gold, red, and brown.
This is only tangentially related, but I'm pretty sure that Ginko trees sport the most impressive fall colors. They turn this brilliant, golden yellow, and when the leaves fall they make the ground this sea of gold. I just love it.
Okay, so December. A month of frigidity. There's very little insulation in Japan, so seeing your breath in your own house is a regular occurrence. The kotatsu has become my holy sanctuary, and I dare not leave it lest I become Popsicle-sensei. For the unaware, a kotatsu is a coffee table with a heater built in to the bottom. You cover the table with a blanket, put your feet inside, and voila! Comfort!
Last weekend (was it only last weekend?!?), Mr. Oogushi surprised me and Marisa with an early Christmas gift. He bought us tickets to a helicopter ride over Tokyo. I was stunned by his generosity. I mean, really? A helicopter ride over Tokyo? Needless to say, it was amazing. Marisa is uploading the video now, so you'll see it shortly.
This weekend, I visited my host family again. I got to see the extended family too, this time. Ryou is still so cute. We played New Super Mario Bros. Wii together and it was a blast. Stayed up with my family chatting and watched the Nodame Cantabile season finale. Just a great time.
(You might want to skip with next part. Just nerdy stuff.)
I saw the One Piece: Strong World movie today and my mind was blown. Amazingly fun, amazing animation. I've been a fan of One Piece since the beginning of high school, and I'll continue to be a One Piece fan for the next 10 years that I expect it'll be around. It's become one of the most epic adventure stories ever written. *gushing*
This week Joseph and Randy arrive along with a slew of year-end parties. Karaoke Monday, enkai Tuesday, Festivus Wednesday, rest on Thursday, two Christmas parties on Friday, die on Saturday, and wake up at the crack of dawn to find out how mochi is made on Sunday.
Which brings me to the point: I'm finally starting to feel really settled. I have new friends now--Akiko, my Japanese teacher, Mr. Oogushi, Mr. Endo from the cooking class, my host family. I speak Japanese most of the day. I have to eat weird food all the time. But all of this has stopped feeling incongruent with me. Like somehow it fits together in a comforting way. I don't want to suggest that I'm not coming back. I miss the U.S. very much. It's just that I have roots now. I feel comfortable. It's nice.
It's real nice.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=215044665377
So Thanksgiving was fantastic. Mr. Oogushi invited Marisa and I over to his house for a feast. We spent the evening eating turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and other traditional Thanksgiving foods with his friends and family, and you know what? It actually felt really homey and comforting. I started to realize something that I'll talk about a little bit later because I just realized it fully today and want to share the good news with everyone. Moving on....
Over the long weekend, Marisa and I went to Mt. Takao, just west of Tokyo to see the leaves changing color. It was my first real experience hiking up a mountain, and the pain in my legs the next day stood as an testament to that. On the way up, I was just fine. On the way down, we said to ourselves, "Well, let's take the ropeway", but by that time of day the ropeway was full and we had no choice but to hobble all the way down. Marisa was a lot better at it than I. At any rate, the mountain was absolutely gorgeous, awash of gold, red, and brown.
This is only tangentially related, but I'm pretty sure that Ginko trees sport the most impressive fall colors. They turn this brilliant, golden yellow, and when the leaves fall they make the ground this sea of gold. I just love it.
Okay, so December. A month of frigidity. There's very little insulation in Japan, so seeing your breath in your own house is a regular occurrence. The kotatsu has become my holy sanctuary, and I dare not leave it lest I become Popsicle-sensei. For the unaware, a kotatsu is a coffee table with a heater built in to the bottom. You cover the table with a blanket, put your feet inside, and voila! Comfort!
Last weekend (was it only last weekend?!?), Mr. Oogushi surprised me and Marisa with an early Christmas gift. He bought us tickets to a helicopter ride over Tokyo. I was stunned by his generosity. I mean, really? A helicopter ride over Tokyo? Needless to say, it was amazing. Marisa is uploading the video now, so you'll see it shortly.
This weekend, I visited my host family again. I got to see the extended family too, this time. Ryou is still so cute. We played New Super Mario Bros. Wii together and it was a blast. Stayed up with my family chatting and watched the Nodame Cantabile season finale. Just a great time.
(You might want to skip with next part. Just nerdy stuff.)
I saw the One Piece: Strong World movie today and my mind was blown. Amazingly fun, amazing animation. I've been a fan of One Piece since the beginning of high school, and I'll continue to be a One Piece fan for the next 10 years that I expect it'll be around. It's become one of the most epic adventure stories ever written. *gushing*
This week Joseph and Randy arrive along with a slew of year-end parties. Karaoke Monday, enkai Tuesday, Festivus Wednesday, rest on Thursday, two Christmas parties on Friday, die on Saturday, and wake up at the crack of dawn to find out how mochi is made on Sunday.
Which brings me to the point: I'm finally starting to feel really settled. I have new friends now--Akiko, my Japanese teacher, Mr. Oogushi, Mr. Endo from the cooking class, my host family. I speak Japanese most of the day. I have to eat weird food all the time. But all of this has stopped feeling incongruent with me. Like somehow it fits together in a comforting way. I don't want to suggest that I'm not coming back. I miss the U.S. very much. It's just that I have roots now. I feel comfortable. It's nice.
It's real nice.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=215044665377
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Lucky Curry
Now where was I?
Right. The weekend before last, I went with my the staff of my junior high school on their trip. The first destination on our trip was a theatre. "Oh! A theatre!" I hear you cry. "Something classy and cultural, am I right?" No. You're most certainly wrong about that. We went to see 'Muscle Musical', a circus-like variety show featuring a bevy of shirtless men. I mean, it had broader appeal than just that (some of the stunts were genuinely impressive), but I couldn't help but feel that I was just watching a trashy version of a Cirque show. Speaking of Cirque, 'Muscle Musical' is actually playing in Las Vegas at the Imperial Palace under the name 'Matsuri', I think. Anyway, the most exciting part of the show was when they broke the record for the most jumps on a jump rope in 60 seconds. They did it live and had it verified and everything.
Sorry about my English tonight. I sometimes feel like it's becoming my second language.
After that, we went over to Ebisu and made a quick stop at the Beer Museum before heading off to dinner. Drinking and dining with your co-workers is a cultural embedded activity in which the professionalism of the workplace is thrown out the window... on the condition that it is never spoke of again after that night. Summarily, my vice-principal got quite drunk. We went out to karaoke afterwards, and at one point he started singing a song by Kinki Kids, and he turned to me and said in English, "Kinky. Get it?" He also bought a bicycle horn beforehand which he honked whenever someone said something inappropriate.
I had canceled my hotel reservation earlier that week because of my cold, so after karaoke, I made the long trek home. Probably about an hour and a half of trains.
Flashing forward to Tuesday: We had the first day of our Saitama JET mid-year conference. One of my junior high teachers, Mr. Takeuchi went with me. During the first day, I discovered that the way my junior high classes are run is not necessarily 'normal', and if I think they suck (which they do), I should really try harder to do something about it. So now I am. It's a slow process, but I'm just going to be a persistent little mosquito buzzing in the ears of my English teachers. On day two, the guest speaker in the morning was fantastic (gave me a lot of great ideas for class), but the afternoon workshops were a bore because they were mostly pertinent only to high school ALTs.
Moving on to the weekend now:
Right. The weekend before last, I went with my the staff of my junior high school on their trip. The first destination on our trip was a theatre. "Oh! A theatre!" I hear you cry. "Something classy and cultural, am I right?" No. You're most certainly wrong about that. We went to see 'Muscle Musical', a circus-like variety show featuring a bevy of shirtless men. I mean, it had broader appeal than just that (some of the stunts were genuinely impressive), but I couldn't help but feel that I was just watching a trashy version of a Cirque show. Speaking of Cirque, 'Muscle Musical' is actually playing in Las Vegas at the Imperial Palace under the name 'Matsuri', I think. Anyway, the most exciting part of the show was when they broke the record for the most jumps on a jump rope in 60 seconds. They did it live and had it verified and everything.
Sorry about my English tonight. I sometimes feel like it's becoming my second language.
After that, we went over to Ebisu and made a quick stop at the Beer Museum before heading off to dinner. Drinking and dining with your co-workers is a cultural embedded activity in which the professionalism of the workplace is thrown out the window... on the condition that it is never spoke of again after that night. Summarily, my vice-principal got quite drunk. We went out to karaoke afterwards, and at one point he started singing a song by Kinki Kids, and he turned to me and said in English, "Kinky. Get it?" He also bought a bicycle horn beforehand which he honked whenever someone said something inappropriate.
I had canceled my hotel reservation earlier that week because of my cold, so after karaoke, I made the long trek home. Probably about an hour and a half of trains.
Flashing forward to Tuesday: We had the first day of our Saitama JET mid-year conference. One of my junior high teachers, Mr. Takeuchi went with me. During the first day, I discovered that the way my junior high classes are run is not necessarily 'normal', and if I think they suck (which they do), I should really try harder to do something about it. So now I am. It's a slow process, but I'm just going to be a persistent little mosquito buzzing in the ears of my English teachers. On day two, the guest speaker in the morning was fantastic (gave me a lot of great ideas for class), but the afternoon workshops were a bore because they were mostly pertinent only to high school ALTs.
Moving on to the weekend now:
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Pall is Lifted
Two weeks ago, I went with Marisa to far away Waseda University to see an amazing concert. Three acts were playing: Eiko Ishibashi & (some other guy), mama!Milk, and the performer who we'd really come to see, Shugo Tokumaru. The concert took place in a campus hall that doubles as a Christian church on Sundays. The spectators sat in rows of chairs arranged like pews facing a small stage with a giant organ behind it. In front of the organ, a painting of a desolate beach dune; to the right, a bunch of twigs propped up to invoke a tree; and to the right, a number of glass vessels filled with water, illuminated by a strategically placed spotlight.
The first act was basically some guy using delay pedals and an electric violin to layer a sound that was mirrored in the desolate picture behind him. As he did this, Ishibashi blew into a flute to make the sound of the wind, played piano a little, and sang.
Tokumaru was on next. His 30 minute set was painfully short considering how mind-blowingly fantabulous the performance was. I was already a huge fan of his after last year's 'Exit', but now he's pretty much been elevated to the pinnacle of awesome. We were treated with compositions consisting of a percussion part played on overturned ashtrays, buckets, and wood blocks, and accompanied by one of those cans that when you shake it, bird noises come out. It was pretty much everything I like about music on display. Most mind-blowing part? When I learned that the intro to 'Parachute' is not played on multiple guitars, but just played by him. On guitar. By himself. It looked like his fingers were going to fall off.
Mama!milk, on the other hand, was just about the sexiest contra-bass and accordion duo I'd ever seen. In fact, I'm almost sure it's the only contra-bass and accordion duo I'd ever seen, but even still... The way the man kept smacking the bass and the way the woman would breath so heavily before arching her back to open up the red folds of her accordion... It was really bizarre.
After that amazing Sunday concert day, came Halloween week. I say "week" because I wore my costume 3 out of the 5 days. I was permitted to teach my classes dressed as Spiderman, and, of course, I couldn't resist. Here's a picture.
On Saturday, I attended two Halloween party. The first was at the house of the head of the PTA at my junior high school, Mr. Oogushi. Marisa came with me (dressed as Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction) expecting that it would probably be an adult costume party sort of situation, analogous to what you might see in the U.S. Not so. People don't really celebrate Halloween in Japan, so I guess I should have seen this coming, but it was actually a party thrown for the neighborhood kids, mostly my students from Gongendo Elementary. There was a costume contest, bingo, and Mr. Oogushi even set up the chance for kids to trick or treat at one of the other parent's houses. It was adorable.
From there, Marisa and I biked across town in the dead of night to our friend Lauren's party. Long story incredibly short: I fell asleep on one of her extra futons.
I rode home through the brisk morning air and later that day, by 7pm, my throat felt like sandpaper. Sandpaper lined with hot coals. I was sick through the rest of the week (luckily Tuesday was a holiday; Culture Day! You remember, right?). On Wednesday, they sent me home from work so that I could go to the hospital for a fever. Everyone's so H1N1 crazy that they can't take any chances, so the hospital it is. It was an educational experience. When the nurse moves to put a tiny q-tip like object up your nose and says, "This is going to hurt", you can bet that it's going to hurt. Luckily, I didn't have the flu. I use the past tense here to emphasize that I'm nearly cured! Huzzah!
Stay tuned for another update soon. (P.S. I embeded a video of 'Parachute' just in case anyone was curious about that intro I mentioned)
The first act was basically some guy using delay pedals and an electric violin to layer a sound that was mirrored in the desolate picture behind him. As he did this, Ishibashi blew into a flute to make the sound of the wind, played piano a little, and sang.
Tokumaru was on next. His 30 minute set was painfully short considering how mind-blowingly fantabulous the performance was. I was already a huge fan of his after last year's 'Exit', but now he's pretty much been elevated to the pinnacle of awesome. We were treated with compositions consisting of a percussion part played on overturned ashtrays, buckets, and wood blocks, and accompanied by one of those cans that when you shake it, bird noises come out. It was pretty much everything I like about music on display. Most mind-blowing part? When I learned that the intro to 'Parachute' is not played on multiple guitars, but just played by him. On guitar. By himself. It looked like his fingers were going to fall off.
Mama!milk, on the other hand, was just about the sexiest contra-bass and accordion duo I'd ever seen. In fact, I'm almost sure it's the only contra-bass and accordion duo I'd ever seen, but even still... The way the man kept smacking the bass and the way the woman would breath so heavily before arching her back to open up the red folds of her accordion... It was really bizarre.
After that amazing Sunday concert day, came Halloween week. I say "week" because I wore my costume 3 out of the 5 days. I was permitted to teach my classes dressed as Spiderman, and, of course, I couldn't resist. Here's a picture.
On Saturday, I attended two Halloween party. The first was at the house of the head of the PTA at my junior high school, Mr. Oogushi. Marisa came with me (dressed as Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction) expecting that it would probably be an adult costume party sort of situation, analogous to what you might see in the U.S. Not so. People don't really celebrate Halloween in Japan, so I guess I should have seen this coming, but it was actually a party thrown for the neighborhood kids, mostly my students from Gongendo Elementary. There was a costume contest, bingo, and Mr. Oogushi even set up the chance for kids to trick or treat at one of the other parent's houses. It was adorable.
From there, Marisa and I biked across town in the dead of night to our friend Lauren's party. Long story incredibly short: I fell asleep on one of her extra futons.
I rode home through the brisk morning air and later that day, by 7pm, my throat felt like sandpaper. Sandpaper lined with hot coals. I was sick through the rest of the week (luckily Tuesday was a holiday; Culture Day! You remember, right?). On Wednesday, they sent me home from work so that I could go to the hospital for a fever. Everyone's so H1N1 crazy that they can't take any chances, so the hospital it is. It was an educational experience. When the nurse moves to put a tiny q-tip like object up your nose and says, "This is going to hurt", you can bet that it's going to hurt. Luckily, I didn't have the flu. I use the past tense here to emphasize that I'm nearly cured! Huzzah!
Stay tuned for another update soon. (P.S. I embeded a video of 'Parachute' just in case anyone was curious about that intro I mentioned)
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