Alright, it's finally Christmas break for me and I'm done totally relaxing, so I'm going to try and catch up blogging for the last month I was in Japan! It was a big flurry of excitement and adventure and finals, so there was no way I could blog at the time! Here goes =)
So we last left off at the Tokyo Toy Show, which was pretty cool! A weekend or two after the Toy Show, I went to go visit my best friend Sada and her boyfriend David! They had studied abroad in Kyoto last year during the Spring semester and were back there again staying with their friend Sae before Sada went up north to Aomori to work at an archaeology field site (wow!). So I took a few days off from school plus the weekend to go visit them! Since they had been there for a semester before, they already know all the great places to take me =D I was sooo super excited to get out of the city and actually see some historical Japanese culture! And being in Japan together was one of my and Sada's dreams =D
So how did I get there? By bus! Kyoto is a pretty good distance away from Tokyo. You can take the Shinkansen (bullet train) I think, but it's majorly expensive! Instead, I took the night bus! It's a bus that goes during the night and is therefore cheaper than the regular bus. The total for the round trip was about $116. I bought my tickets online and just printed out a piece of paper and took it to the station! I was surprised how easy it was. I got really nervous waiting for my bus though. There were so many different buses and they each had a different name, I was scared I'd miss mine! It came right on time though and I got on just fine with my luggage and everything.
The bus was totally awesome. It was three levels, and it was a woman's only bus! Japan is cool about that sort of thing, probably because there are so many lecherous men in Japan it seems.. but on busy mornings, some trains make the first two cars of the train ladies only because it gets suuuuuper crowded and there are a lot of cases of men taking advantage of the situation to grope women >_< class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">decker night buses too, but as a foreigner and a woman it made me and my parents feel a lot better about me traveling alone to be on a women-only bus =) Plus there was like nobody on it. I was on the third floor and there were maybe three other women there!
The windows all had curtains so you could sleep, the chairs reclined super far, and they gave you slippers and a blanket! It was all pretty sweet =D I had a hard time sleeping, as I usually do in that sort of situation, but I really enjoyed looking out the window to see just how Tokyo connects to the rest of Japan, and getting my first glimpse of Japan outside of the city. I got to Kyoto a little earlier than expected, and it was really early in the morning (like 6:45), so the train station was pretty much closed. I tried to go in and use the restroom, but discovered something about Kyoto culture: public restrooms don't provide toilet paper in Kyoto! I think this is a pretty common Japan thing actually, but Tokyo is so modernized/westernized that I never ran into this in Tokyo. In Kyoto, people usually just carry around the free tissue packets that advertisers are often handing out, and there's also usually a tissue packet vending machine in the restroom. I also learned that most public toilets in Kyoto are the traditional Japanese "squatter" toilets, which I do not like at all! I think I only used those twice my whole time in Japan, and it was only in the locker room at school. Ughh it was majorly gross! So with not much else to do I just waited around for Sada and David, and they showed up pretty quickly! Hooray! I was so happy to see them ^^
We did so much on our first day that I'll leave this post for now and start a new one for Day 1 in Kyoto!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Friday, October 24, 2008
New Website - Japanotes.com
Hi everyone! I got back to America in one piece, and I'll try to write a recap of my last month in Japan sometime soon, but in the meantime I'm here to announce the new website Nick and I made! It's called Japanotes, and it's a database for all the websites that feature anime and video game sheet music. We're indexing all the songs on those sites so you can browse or search them and easily find the song you're looking for! Be sure to check it out at www.japanotes.com!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Tokyo Toy Show
Finally! It's my pics from the Tokyo Toy Show like....three weeks ago, haha!
Tokyo Big Sight! It's a crazy looking convention center! I think the top pyramid parts make up one large hall.. but all of the toy stuff was actually below all of this.
There was a big saw art piece over to the right... not sure what that's all about, haha.
It's a pretty big sight after all!
Stroller parking lot. I found this pretty interesting =)
One of the toys that won in this year's Japan best toy thing, the Unicorn Gundam, or some such.
This toy is HOT right now it seems. Japanese girls are big into things that have a dessert motif. I think because they want to appear cute and sweet, that's what their fashion is all about right now, and desserts are also cute and sweet. So this toy gives you some kind of mixture that you put into a decorating bag and design your own little dessert toys and accessories. Mom, I thought this one would be particularly interesting to you =) Notice the how-to sheets down there that show you how to use the different tips! There were ones on how to do different borders and lines too.
Some examples of what you can make.
Puzzles were also really big at the show. I was surprised! They were especially advertising these reeaallly tiny pieced puzzles.
Such tiny pieces!
They also had these 3-D food themed puzzles where you have to fit the blocks together to make some sushi or whatever. Some of them were kind of lame, like... fit these pieces of pineapple together in this glass the right way to get....a glass full of pineapple?
This one just made me laugh. This UFO thing kinda hovers magically in midair or whatever and wows your friends, but the whole setup and commercial was just full of these white kids being overdramatically impressed/surprised/frightened over the mystery UFO. Kinda reminded me of something you'd see on American TV, where you have to call in the 1-800 number, sorry no CODS (do they still even have those commercials?)
These were way cute! This whole booth was movie-based toys =) Tiny batmans!
Star Wars nesting dolls!
They also had really realistic figures, like this Joker!
I like to freak people out with this photo! Creeepy!
I'm too young to really remember Popples, but I remember some of my older cousins having their stuff, so I was really surprised to see them here! Are they making a comeback in the states? Maybe they're just hoping to market to the super sugary cute Japanese crowd right now.
View from the escalator (that you had to stand in about a 5 minute, roller-coaster style line for), where you can see all the families watching the act on the main stage (usually a young lady singing and acting with characters in costume, like Hello Kitty)
Yaay a Speed Racer booth! Small children could get their photo taken in the Mach 5! If only I was a small child..
Yeah you keep looking for a Trixie doll in there, little girl. You're not gonna find her.
Speeeeeeeeeeeed!
Hey! It's a Blue Dragon! From the new game, Blue Dragon!
Zomg Speed and Trixie Barbies! Two of my favorite childhood memories combined! These are probably on the store shelves in America, but I'm never in any store that might sell toys so I just saw them at the show!! They look great!!!
Aaaahhh I haven't really wanted a Barbie doll in a loooong time, but... it's Trixie!! Maybe when I get home I'll go find one.. She looks so cute and mod!
Speeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!! Speed > Ken. I wonder how his hair looks!
An R2-D2 USB port! There was a Darth Vader head one too.
Power Rangers! They're still big as ever over here it seems! These guys were just mannequins, but there was a big stage to the right where they were acting out a battle for the little ones!
I thought this was cool. You go in this cave looking thing, which is the booth for this card game. Then they have these tables where you can sit and they teach you how to play! It reminded me of an anime called Angelic Layer where they kind of do the same thing, really help you get started in the game. It seemed like good marketing =)
This time, a red dragon! For that card game.
So they have these win-a-card little games around in the arcades and stuff, and I think you have to play some little game and depending on how you do you get some trading cards or playing cards for your series? They had a whole bunch set up here. It was fun to see the different types of people lined up. Kind of older kids to adults for like the DBZ, Naruto, and that monkey thing.. then younger kids... mostly boys, and then on the right was stuff like Pretty Cure 5 where it was all just little tiny girls lined up, hehehe.
So that was the toy show! Nothing crazy innovative or whatever, but it was fun to go see =)
Tokyo Big Sight! It's a crazy looking convention center! I think the top pyramid parts make up one large hall.. but all of the toy stuff was actually below all of this.
There was a big saw art piece over to the right... not sure what that's all about, haha.
It's a pretty big sight after all!
Stroller parking lot. I found this pretty interesting =)
One of the toys that won in this year's Japan best toy thing, the Unicorn Gundam, or some such.
This toy is HOT right now it seems. Japanese girls are big into things that have a dessert motif. I think because they want to appear cute and sweet, that's what their fashion is all about right now, and desserts are also cute and sweet. So this toy gives you some kind of mixture that you put into a decorating bag and design your own little dessert toys and accessories. Mom, I thought this one would be particularly interesting to you =) Notice the how-to sheets down there that show you how to use the different tips! There were ones on how to do different borders and lines too.
Some examples of what you can make.
Puzzles were also really big at the show. I was surprised! They were especially advertising these reeaallly tiny pieced puzzles.
Such tiny pieces!
They also had these 3-D food themed puzzles where you have to fit the blocks together to make some sushi or whatever. Some of them were kind of lame, like... fit these pieces of pineapple together in this glass the right way to get....a glass full of pineapple?
This one just made me laugh. This UFO thing kinda hovers magically in midair or whatever and wows your friends, but the whole setup and commercial was just full of these white kids being overdramatically impressed/surprised/frightened over the mystery UFO. Kinda reminded me of something you'd see on American TV, where you have to call in the 1-800 number, sorry no CODS (do they still even have those commercials?)
These were way cute! This whole booth was movie-based toys =) Tiny batmans!
Star Wars nesting dolls!
They also had really realistic figures, like this Joker! 
I like to freak people out with this photo! Creeepy!
I'm too young to really remember Popples, but I remember some of my older cousins having their stuff, so I was really surprised to see them here! Are they making a comeback in the states? Maybe they're just hoping to market to the super sugary cute Japanese crowd right now.
View from the escalator (that you had to stand in about a 5 minute, roller-coaster style line for), where you can see all the families watching the act on the main stage (usually a young lady singing and acting with characters in costume, like Hello Kitty)
Yaay a Speed Racer booth! Small children could get their photo taken in the Mach 5! If only I was a small child..
Yeah you keep looking for a Trixie doll in there, little girl. You're not gonna find her.
Speeeeeeeeeeeed!
Hey! It's a Blue Dragon! From the new game, Blue Dragon!
Zomg Speed and Trixie Barbies! Two of my favorite childhood memories combined! These are probably on the store shelves in America, but I'm never in any store that might sell toys so I just saw them at the show!! They look great!!!
Aaaahhh I haven't really wanted a Barbie doll in a loooong time, but... it's Trixie!! Maybe when I get home I'll go find one.. She looks so cute and mod!
Speeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!! Speed > Ken. I wonder how his hair looks!
An R2-D2 USB port! There was a Darth Vader head one too.
Power Rangers! They're still big as ever over here it seems! These guys were just mannequins, but there was a big stage to the right where they were acting out a battle for the little ones!
I thought this was cool. You go in this cave looking thing, which is the booth for this card game. Then they have these tables where you can sit and they teach you how to play! It reminded me of an anime called Angelic Layer where they kind of do the same thing, really help you get started in the game. It seemed like good marketing =)
This time, a red dragon! For that card game.
So they have these win-a-card little games around in the arcades and stuff, and I think you have to play some little game and depending on how you do you get some trading cards or playing cards for your series? They had a whole bunch set up here. It was fun to see the different types of people lined up. Kind of older kids to adults for like the DBZ, Naruto, and that monkey thing.. then younger kids... mostly boys, and then on the right was stuff like Pretty Cure 5 where it was all just little tiny girls lined up, hehehe.So that was the toy show! Nothing crazy innovative or whatever, but it was fun to go see =)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
3 Months!
Happy 3 Month Anniversary to us!
In celebration, here's that photos-only post I promised =) Photos of the Tokyo Toy Show will be next post!
The view from the 8th floor of the library, where I usually like to study! It's beautiful when it's not raining =)
A crepe from the crepe place in the station. The insides were great, but the crepe part was kind of tasteless.
A big lion statue on a building! This is in Kawaguchi, next to the arcade I usually observe for my class.
Here's some of the food from the really nice 1st year lock nomikai!
Ansen and Kay choosing drinks
Hunter and Jiro
Me and Diana!
Me and my new friends Emi and Mai!
My knees after learning the lock routine. Yeaah.. there was a ridiculous fall that had no trick to lessening the pain, except to not do it much until the day of the performance. Oof. Needless to say I bought kneepads after that.
The eel dinner I got with Greg and Jen for our two month anniversary!
Hunter and Kay
This is a famous statue in Shibuya of a dog named Hachiko. The story goes that after Hachiko's owner died, the dog continued its routine of waiting for him at the station every evening, for 10 years. The Hachiko statue is a well-known place for people to meet up when they leave Shibuya station.
A big ad for the new Indiana Jones movie in Shibuya.
Ansen in line to get into Studio Coast for our performance, eating a bento like some busy salaryman!
Studio Coast, aka ageHa! Party People!
Jen and I after a VERY long week and performance day... my makeup turned into zombie eyes.
Speed Racer poster in Ikebukuro station, woooooooo!!
The ice cream place that Jeannette and Julie and I went to in Ikebukuro, called Milky
This isn't the one we got, but if I go again this is the one I'm getting.
Everything was star-themed! I thought this lamp tower thing next to us was really cool..
..so I took two photos of it!
Jeannette and Julie!
Our crazy ice cream dish! I think it was the Gemini? It was banana-chocolate themed. That spaghetti looking stuff on the outside was some kind of banana foam! Weird! And those brown things seemed to be azuki beans without any sweetening......you can pass on those if you get this dish, haha. Whose crazy idea...
Cute!!
Hahahaha
We also had to get two pieces of cake so we were all paying customers. This is the aftermath. I should go back and steal that star-shaped dish........
Come see scenic Kawaguchi! You can see this crazy water sculpture from the train, so I went to go check it out!
Turns out there's a huge nature trail in Kawaguchi and it's really pretty! Here's a waterfall they made I guess!
On an unrelated note... I was disappointed when I bought these Country Ma'am cookies and opened them up only to reveal that each cookie was individually wrapped. Sure, I guess it keeps them soft. Sure, I guess it makes them easy to put in a lunchbox or something. But for as particular as they are about separating trash and stuff like that, they suuuure don't hold back when it comes to packaging. (They were delicious though. Thanks Country Ma'am, whoever you are.)
In celebration, here's that photos-only post I promised =) Photos of the Tokyo Toy Show will be next post!
The view from the 8th floor of the library, where I usually like to study! It's beautiful when it's not raining =)
A crepe from the crepe place in the station. The insides were great, but the crepe part was kind of tasteless.
A big lion statue on a building! This is in Kawaguchi, next to the arcade I usually observe for my class.
Here's some of the food from the really nice 1st year lock nomikai!
Ansen and Kay choosing drinks
Hunter and Jiro
Me and Diana!
Me and my new friends Emi and Mai!
My knees after learning the lock routine. Yeaah.. there was a ridiculous fall that had no trick to lessening the pain, except to not do it much until the day of the performance. Oof. Needless to say I bought kneepads after that.
The eel dinner I got with Greg and Jen for our two month anniversary!
Hunter and Kay
This is a famous statue in Shibuya of a dog named Hachiko. The story goes that after Hachiko's owner died, the dog continued its routine of waiting for him at the station every evening, for 10 years. The Hachiko statue is a well-known place for people to meet up when they leave Shibuya station.
A big ad for the new Indiana Jones movie in Shibuya.
Ansen in line to get into Studio Coast for our performance, eating a bento like some busy salaryman!
Studio Coast, aka ageHa! Party People!
Jen and I after a VERY long week and performance day... my makeup turned into zombie eyes.
Speed Racer poster in Ikebukuro station, woooooooo!!
The ice cream place that Jeannette and Julie and I went to in Ikebukuro, called Milky 
This isn't the one we got, but if I go again this is the one I'm getting.
Everything was star-themed! I thought this lamp tower thing next to us was really cool..
..so I took two photos of it!
Jeannette and Julie!
Our crazy ice cream dish! I think it was the Gemini? It was banana-chocolate themed. That spaghetti looking stuff on the outside was some kind of banana foam! Weird! And those brown things seemed to be azuki beans without any sweetening......you can pass on those if you get this dish, haha. Whose crazy idea...
Cute!!
Hahahaha
We also had to get two pieces of cake so we were all paying customers. This is the aftermath. I should go back and steal that star-shaped dish........
Come see scenic Kawaguchi! You can see this crazy water sculpture from the train, so I went to go check it out!
Turns out there's a huge nature trail in Kawaguchi and it's really pretty! Here's a waterfall they made I guess!
On an unrelated note... I was disappointed when I bought these Country Ma'am cookies and opened them up only to reveal that each cookie was individually wrapped. Sure, I guess it keeps them soft. Sure, I guess it makes them easy to put in a lunchbox or something. But for as particular as they are about separating trash and stuff like that, they suuuure don't hold back when it comes to packaging. (They were delicious though. Thanks Country Ma'am, whoever you are.)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Happy Happy Happy: 3 Weeks of Happiness!
Jen made me promise to blog tonight, so here I am =) Things got really busy right after my last post with our G Splash performance and midterms, but now they've calmed down and I actually have some free time! It's been hard to make myself get back to blogging though, thus the absence so far. Hopefully I can get back in the groove!
First of all I want to say a big big big thank you to everyone who responded to my last post. I was just feeling so frustrating and overwhelmed with all those thoughts, and being able to express them helped in itself, but reading everyone else's thoughts and input made me feel so much better. It really helps to be able to see a lot of different perspectives on an issue like that, and I was so touched by everyone's support. I also had no idea so many people were reading the blog! =) So thank you very much to everyone who responded. I still haven't got it all figured out yet, but I at least am not consumed with troubles thoughts about my existence anymore =) I think I've resolved to just enjoy my time while I'm here and start figuring all of that future stuff out once I get home and can actually make some headway on it.
And speaking of enjoying my time here... things have really picked up! But before I get into that, let me hit you with some highlights from the past over-a-month!
Tomorrow I'm going to try and make it out to Odaiba (a man-made island in Tokyo Bay that has a ton of crazy stuff on it) for the International Tokyo Toy Show! It's supposed to rain all day, but.... it's toys! I'm going! Then the next week is either Mt. Fuji and then Fuji Q Highland (a theme park at the bottom of Mt. Fuji) with SADA MY BEST FRIEND!! or GOING TO VISIT SADA MY BEST FRIEND! XD Sada is coming to Japan and I get to escape the city for a weekend in Kyoto! Hooray!! I'll either go that weekend or the next, depending on schedules and such. At some point Jen and I also want to make it to the Studio Ghibli Museum (Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki are responsible for movies like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Howl's Moving Castle. The museum is apparently magical). So yup, I'm cramming all my Japan travel into my last 6 weeks here. Woaah, last 6 weeks!
I'm trying to decide when it'll be an appropriate time to let my brain switch to thinking-about-band-camp mode. I get really really excited when I think about the new band season and how fun and exciting camp is and meeting all the new first years. I'm a section leader this year and I'm really excited about the responsibility, but I have a lot of thinking and planning to do to be able to step into that role. Up until now I've been making myself not think about camp because I know I'll get carried away thinking about it and lose focus on studying and what I'm doing here, so I think I'll still wait a little longer to give in =) Although, there's only two weeks between when I get home and when camp starts!
If I have time on Sunday I'll try and maybe post a photos-only post to get you all caught up on photos! All these super long text-only posts are too boring and hard to read, so thanks if you made it through =) I think I'll do some homework now!
First of all I want to say a big big big thank you to everyone who responded to my last post. I was just feeling so frustrating and overwhelmed with all those thoughts, and being able to express them helped in itself, but reading everyone else's thoughts and input made me feel so much better. It really helps to be able to see a lot of different perspectives on an issue like that, and I was so touched by everyone's support. I also had no idea so many people were reading the blog! =) So thank you very much to everyone who responded. I still haven't got it all figured out yet, but I at least am not consumed with troubles thoughts about my existence anymore =) I think I've resolved to just enjoy my time while I'm here and start figuring all of that future stuff out once I get home and can actually make some headway on it.
And speaking of enjoying my time here... things have really picked up! But before I get into that, let me hit you with some highlights from the past over-a-month!
- I made a friend! So we had a big nomikai for first year lock at some point in May (I can't believe I didn't really blog since the first practice! That just shows how busy it kept me I guess!). It was at this craazy nice pub/grill that one of the first years works at. It was $30 for only like 3 hours, so we were all a little skeptical, but it was crazy fancy food and they just kept bringing stuff out! We definitely ate $30 in fancy food. Plus it was all-you-can-drink, but luckily they had this amazing mango juice that I had a few of since I don't really drink. It was delicious! After a while, everyone got up and was mingling around the bar, so a few of us went over and I started talking to a girl we had met earlier named Emi. The standard "What department are you in" question took us pretty far! We hit it off just chit chatting and when we both complained about how smoky it was by the bar, Emi suggested we move over to a little table to talk! We had such a cool casual conversation, it was a lot of fun, and the very best part was that she agreed to help me with my Japanese and me to help her with her English! She was so super sweet and I like her a lot. We emailed a few times after that, but I haven't emailed her back in a while so I need to do that tonight and ask her to lunch or something!
- Two Month Anniversary! We couldn't believe it, but May 26th was the sannin's two month anniversary for being in Japan! (Even more unbelievable: 3 months will be next week!) So to celebrate we walked over to Warabi and found a sort of traditional looking place to get dinner together. The selling point for this place was that they served eel, which is Greg's favorite! So we all got eel on rice dinner sets! It's not just like... plain old eel sitting on some rice though, they cook it somehow with some kind of marinade and it actually tastes really good! I especially like how the sauce or whatever made the rice taste. It was a nice dinner! The best part was there was this older Japanese couple sititng near us, and the old man was just tickled to death when all of us gaijin got our cameras out to photograph our eel dinners, haha. I also broke my no-sweets pact that day by buying ice cream with everyone on the way home. Ooooh well we knew it wouldn't last.
- G-Splash Performance! Finally, the weekend we had all been working for! The week before the performance (on June 7th), we had to start coming to practice every day, including two all-day practices. Several of us were getting preeetty frustrated with the club at that point (things like.. if you're late, they make you stand up while they give a speech about how being late hurts the group, having to buy costumes and in general drop tons of money on the club, they say practice is over at 8 but keep you til 9 listening to critiques from g splash alumni and giving announcements, general wasting of time at practice, etc. see Jen's blog for more, and pics of that weekend!) but I think the performance made up for most of it. We performed at Club ageHa, aka Studio Coast, where a lot of pretty big concerts have happened (MADONNA.) so that was cool! The place was crraazzy huge. We were first to perform and maybe about 70 other school dance groups performed throughout the day. It was a big rush, and even though we didn't get to dance very long, it was a neat experience overall. Jen and I could only handle staying through the second of three blocks of performances before we just had too bad of headaches and too strong of a desire to go home. What I liked most about the day was seeing this sort of dancing student subculture of Tokyo. I can't think of anywhere in America where I would've seen that many student dance groups gathered together (well, street dancers like that), and they had some open dance floor times when it was just a bunch of good dancers dancing together in a club, so that was neat =) You can see our performance at http://www.g-splash.com/moviestr/14th.html , just make sure you scroll on the right to the very top video called 14th Spring Party 08. The genres go: Hip Hop, Girls, 1st year Hip Hop, 1st year Lock (that's me!), House, Lock, Ending.
- Midterms! =( So unfortunately, that everyday rehearsal week fell right in the middle of midterms week... I ended up with a 65% on my grammar midterm (which was kind of a ridiculous test to begin with... basically memorize 5 reading passages and you have a shot at getting a good grade..) which I absolutely blame G Splash for, hah. There just was no time to study, no time to even recoop enough to stay awake long enough to study. Most days during practice, you'd see me studying vocab or something during the breaks, but it didn't help much. The listening and speaking midterm was actually a breeze, though we haven't gotten grades back for it. Kanji on the other hand was absolutely awful. We haven't gotten that one back either, but it was a lot of basically having to call up the kanji without much to jog your memory... just like... an example sentence with a blank, and what would fit well in this blank? Or, a similar word or something.... and there was an entire bakc page that pretty much everyone failed on. I really don't understand these teachers and classes. Almost every week, at least one of them will test us on something like a new reading passage or kanji questions, and afterwards they say "That was kind of hard wasn't it? Yeah, that was maybe a little too hard, even Japanese people would have trouble understanding what the author is trying to say here/which kanji is best to put here." but they don't seem to be making any changes to the material they give us. A lot of times they come across as if they've never taught this class before, or never taught this level of students before. They just seem unprepared and like they don't really know what's appropriate to teach us or test us on or how to get through all the material they've scheduled for one class in time.
- SYTYCD STARTED!!! So I mentioned So You Think You Can Dance in my last post I think, and I'm finally all caught up on the episodes! At first I didn't really feel a connection for any of the dancers this year, but that was just because I hadn't seen them perform yet! I'm really in love with Mark of course, he's just amazing and so interesting, and he's perfect with Chelsie! I also love Matt's crazy legs and toes, he looks so graceful and cool in his dances! I keep getting Kourtni (or however you spell that) and Kherrington mixed up.. and Jessica hasn't really made an impact on me yet. We'll see how the girls end up! *SPOILER WARNING* I was not happy that Marquis went home last night though.. that "too many tricks" excuse is bull crap. Neil's solos were nothing but spins and kicks and jumps and flips, and he made it to the top 4. I thought Marquis gave a beautiful solo and I saw moves I'd never seen before. I think just having to be the male partner in dances like the waltz and salsa, he didn't really get a chance to express himself. He was so quiet and technical that he reminded me of Danny a lot. I think he probably would've gotten a lot farther if he hadn't been paired with Suzie... A lot of people were saying Chris should've gone home last week, but I really like him.... after Thayne's lukewarm performance in the prince routine this week I defintiely expected him to be gone. *sigh* I'll miss you Marquis!!
Tomorrow I'm going to try and make it out to Odaiba (a man-made island in Tokyo Bay that has a ton of crazy stuff on it) for the International Tokyo Toy Show! It's supposed to rain all day, but.... it's toys! I'm going! Then the next week is either Mt. Fuji and then Fuji Q Highland (a theme park at the bottom of Mt. Fuji) with SADA MY BEST FRIEND!! or GOING TO VISIT SADA MY BEST FRIEND! XD Sada is coming to Japan and I get to escape the city for a weekend in Kyoto! Hooray!! I'll either go that weekend or the next, depending on schedules and such. At some point Jen and I also want to make it to the Studio Ghibli Museum (Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki are responsible for movies like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Howl's Moving Castle. The museum is apparently magical). So yup, I'm cramming all my Japan travel into my last 6 weeks here. Woaah, last 6 weeks!
I'm trying to decide when it'll be an appropriate time to let my brain switch to thinking-about-band-camp mode. I get really really excited when I think about the new band season and how fun and exciting camp is and meeting all the new first years. I'm a section leader this year and I'm really excited about the responsibility, but I have a lot of thinking and planning to do to be able to step into that role. Up until now I've been making myself not think about camp because I know I'll get carried away thinking about it and lose focus on studying and what I'm doing here, so I think I'll still wait a little longer to give in =) Although, there's only two weeks between when I get home and when camp starts!
If I have time on Sunday I'll try and maybe post a photos-only post to get you all caught up on photos! All these super long text-only posts are too boring and hard to read, so thanks if you made it through =) I think I'll do some homework now!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Contemplative Month
Woooah I haven't blogged in like 3 weeks! I've been so busy during the week and then the weekend just never seems right for blogging somehow.. it takes so long and I forget a lot that's happened during the week and I feel like I should be studying or something instead, but right now I'm kinda down and frustrated so I don't think I'll be very good for studying! Sooooo just a warning, this became a super super long post with not much to do with Japan and a whole lot to do with me contemplating my existence and future, soooo.... if you're looking for "We ate *eel* on rice the other day, isn't that wacky?!" you can just go ahead and not read this one ^^;;
The last three weeks have kinda stabilized in terms of my schedule and stuff. Japanese class is getting more predictable which means I know better what parts I need to study for the tests so I'm doing a little better. I've still been frustrated with the whole learning process though. I know I need to spend a lot of extra time studying to catch up for the proficiency test in the fall, but I feel like.. a sponge that's already completely saturated and nothing else is gonna soak in right now. And the stuff I'm studying in class feels so far beyond what I have a foundation in that it's like not even that wants to stick, so everything is just being sort of thrown at me and it feels like not much is really staying with me. I know that doesn't change the fact that I have to do as much as I can while I'm here if I wanna finish my major easily when I get back, it just gets to be really overwhelming emotionally sometimes.
G Splash practice is Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, though it's gonna be every day for next week since we have a performance on Saturday. I'm still having fun, but there have been a few annoying things with that, mostly in just the way the practices are run, lack of information, and the amount of money they expect you to spend on the club. After club fees, two nomikais (meet and drink parties, pretty much the only way to get to know people in the club), performance fee (what?), and buying my "costume" for our performance I've spent almost $200 on this club. I understand that I'm paying for the experience, and the lessons, and meeting new people, it just seems excessive. On the upside, I did get to know this really nice girl at the last nomikai and she's absolutely perfect in that she wants to help me with my Japanese and wants me to help her with her English. I'm very excited for that =)
Speaking of dance, So You Think You Can Dance Season 4 started last week! I got totally hooked on that show last summer and it's the only thing I'm going to let myself watch on YouTube for the rest of the semester. I totally love it. I got nostalgic and started watching some videos from last year, and I really wish I could do the sort of moves Danny and Neil could do. They were both suuuuper trained in ballet. I kinda might like to take some real dance classes once I'm back in the states.
Watching that show really inspires me because of the way the people there can control their bodies and move so beautifully, but at the same it gets me so depressed and confused in a lot of ways. Once I start reading about how they've been doing dance for so long and worked so hard at it and now they're amazing dancers, I start wondering what I've done with my 21 years here. I've kind of gotten into some hobbies here and there, I was pretty good at music for a while, but I've always struggled with knowing that I've never really found that "passion" for anything. I've thought I might have found it a couple of times, but in the end I never keep the dedication or interest. I've always been extremely jealous of those kinds of people who find something, anything, that they're absolutely in love with doing and dedicate their lives to it and work really hard to become great at. I think this is different from the "What are you gonna do for the rest of your life" vs "Most people go through a lot of different professions in their lifetime" discussion. I feel like that discussion is for one type of people, the me type, and then there's the other people who find something they just must commit themselves to because they're so passionate about it.
I've always been a creative person. When I was little I always said I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, and I was always drawing or making something. I gave up that goal in high school on the basis that it didn't really seem like a practical profession where I could support myself, and I was getting irritated by my art classes then. I've played piano and French Horn since I was very young, and at about the time I moved on from my artist dreams, I decided I should probably go to music school for college since I wasn't really interested in anything else. I really really really didn't have the discipline or passion for it though and I couldn't even practice for my weekly lessons as it was. Then I really fell in love with my Chemistry class for a while and thought that would be my thing, I had encouragement from all around that someone who was a scientist and creative at the same time could go far. Chem II really kicked my butt unfortunately and I realized that dream was just a passing whim brought on from a really good teacher.
Then I discovered brain machine interfacing, a type of new technology that links up a person's brain waves with a computer so that you can basically command a computer or robotics with your thoughts. This was right when I was starting to apply for college, so I applied to the engineering departments of all my potential universities. I really had no background in math or science though, and all my extracurriculars were in the humanities, and in the end I had two offers: 1) University of Illinois couldn't let me into their Biomedical Engineering program, but I could choose another area and transfer later, 2) UVa suggested I apply to the College Arts and Science instead. I chose the second one for financial reasons, with intentions to transfer to the E-school after a year, but my C- in Calculus 131 first semester quickly made me realize that just because I got an A in AP Calculus at my tiny high school didn't mean I was actually able to do any math.
I was also taking a Psychology class then and really really liked the teacher and content, started working in that professor's lab, and was pretty seriously considering a psych major. My grades were pretty dismal in that department too, though, and I didn't really think I'd like a career as a researcher or professor. By this time I was really enjoying my Japanese classes and learning a new language, so in the end I decided on a Japanese major because I was getting the best grades in those classes and it was the only homework I looked forward to doing. At the time I remember telling my mom "Choosing the Japanese major is the most sure I've felt about anything since I came to college." At her encouragement though, I also picked up the Media Studies major to add some more marketable skills to my resume.
I still haven't been able to answer the question of what I'm going to do with a Japanese major after college. At one point I was thinking that working for a magazine like Shoujo Beat (an English manga magazine) would be a lot of fun and use both of my majors. I think one of my big turning points in my philosophy on what I should do with my skills and career, however, happened when I went on the NYC Media Studies trip in January of this year. We went to a lot of different media places like magazine and newspaper publications, and heard from a lot of people in the media business. At this point, some feelings I had started to notice during the fall semester were becoming more defined. I started feeling very strongly that I didn't want to just work on another magazine to be put out there for someone to buy, or make another TV show for someone to watch. I think to put it simply, there's already enough consumerism in the world, and I don't feel like it would be a very justifiable use of my education and skills to just add to that. Nobody needs another magazine or TV show and there will always be people out there to make more without me in the group too.
My time in Japan has made that feeling even stronger, after visiting places like Shibuya and Shinjuku, and Harajuku, where consumerism is the very heartbeat of the city, but now I'm starting to question my position on creativity and art as well. This thought has just been wracking my brain for the last two months, and I don't even know how to begin to think about it, but more and more I'm just feeling like... art is selfish, hobbies are selfish, who am I to spend my time and energy and abilities just on things that are fun for me or something that I enjoy doing, when I've been so blessed with opportunities and have the power and option to use my existence to help others and the less fortunate. Some might argue that doing art and music is a wonderful thing that gives back to people and inspires people, etc etc, and I do feel it's a wonderful thing and its something I've loved my whole life, but what about those people who aren't in a position where they have the option of enjoying art? What about people who are barely making it day to day, or who live in a place that doesn't even have drinkable water anywhere nearby, or whose homes have been destroyed by a natural disaster? Is it really ok for me to use my education and stable financial condition to play on the computer, draw pictures somebody might like, become a dancer, sew myself some silly costumes, or have a career that can only help the people who don't really need it that much?
I feel responsible, and I feel guilty for being so far away from accepting that responsibility right now. Thoughts like these make me wonder how I made the decisions that got me here, learning a language I don't intend to use once I've graduated, just living day to day, spending money, using energy, the ridiculous things I've spent money on, the food I've thrown away, the sweets I've spent too much money on, the shoes I've bought, the pointless research I'm doing on game centers for my class that isn't going to help anyone, the time I'm wasting. I know none of these things change the situation I'm in and the fact that I just have to get through this semester and get home, but I can't shut these thoughts off somehow and they fill my head every single day and are just making it difficult to stay focused and positive.
I feel like a lot of people might tell me that it's crazy to feel guilty about doing things for yourself, and that I'm setting myself up for a miserable life to have that expectation of myself, and I agree that you'll go crazy without having things you just do for yourself and your own gratification, things you're interested in. But I don't believe in myself making a career out of it, as much as I enjoy art I don't have the passion for it first of all, and I don't believe in it as a justifiable career for me. Yet at the same time I watch these shows and see other people in artistic careers and just start longing for the things I might have done like that, or the ability to express myself that way. I need something in between somehow. Something that lets me truly help others but in a way that is satisfying to me. Now that I think about it, in all of my essays for study abroad programs/scholarships, when asked how I wanted to use Japanese in my future career, I said I didn't have any idea yet, and the only two things I did know I wanted to do was to help people and be creative. I think I'm just starting to understand the depths of those feelings now.
I would hate to say all these things and then say that I'm just being completely static here in Japan and not living in accordance to any of those life philosophies I believe in. I try and use as little energy as I can in my room, I've stopped buying sweets on a regular basis after I realized how much money I was just wasting away on them (particularly after I foolishly bought a really expensive piece of cake because it was a whole 10% off), when researching the game centers for my paper I don't really play any games while I'm there, I always give something to the homeless guy by my school if he's out, but that's about the extent of what my time and opportunities allow right now. I feel very stuck here, almost tricked. I tricked myself into coming here and now I have to finish what I've started whether I like it or not.
I'm not sure where I'll begin to look for jobs or career plans once I'm back in the states.. it's a matter of finding that passion in some kind of service. It's clear with my moves from art, to music, to chemistry, to biomedical engineering, to psychology, to japanese, to something completely different, that I am very very quick to fall for an idea and then abandon it after not too long. I'm just going to keep praying as hard as I can that God will show me the way to the most appropriate jobs for me, the ones that will make me the most happy and use my abilities as well as possible. Over Christmas break I started developing this feeling that I feel very powerful. I have my education, I have my financial stability, I can write, I have a computer, I can create, I have the venues and abilities to influence. I hold a lot of power and so do a great number of people in the world, I just don't think we realize it. I have an amazing power, I just don't know how to control it, or where to use it yet. I just know I have to use it somehow for good. I could try and ignore it and go back to the way I've lived most of my life, but I'm not sure I could. I think I could be happy in waves by ignoring it, but I'd have to keep trying to justify it to myself and make excuses, and I think knowing I was doing that would just make me unhappy.
I also want to say that I don't think these feelings apply to everyone. If your passion is art or dance or making a magazine or movie or TV show, then go for it. I know a lot of artists, musicians, actors, and other people who are doing things I could never do and I think it's a perfect fit for them. I think if you have a passion, that sort of trumps everything, there's no way you could try and do anything else and be happy. Maybe it's that I don't have a passion for something so specific, but my passion is for using my abilities in a certain way.
Sooooooo, that was a very long and personal post, which is kind of weird I guess, but it's been something I've been wanting/needing to talk about for a long time and I'm interested to see what others think about it. I guess I'm also trying to justify to myself why I can't seem to concentrate on anything and I'm getting lost in thought so often these days, and feeling frustrated. I think prayer is the answer for me, I just have to remember it and trust God and not get so caught up in my own emotions.
I should be about the same level of busy as I am now for the rest of the semester, so I'm not sure how much more interesting blogging I'll be doing from here on out, but if I have some time or something interesting happens, I'll try and post! Thanks to anyone who read through all this, and I'd be interested in hearing if you have an opinion on it. I hope I don't sound too serious or dramatic or whatever, I think just being here in general puts all my thoughts on hyper mode and emotions seem more extreme. Having an hour on the packed train every day with nothing to do but stare out the window and think might have something to do with it too!
Some things other people wrote that sound a little better:
"My mind races with all my longings
But can't keep up with what I got" - Bright Eyes, "Road to Joy"
"I noticed tonight that the world has been turning
while I've been stuck here, dithering around
...
I noticed tonight that the world has been turning
while I've been stuck here, withering away" - Keane, "Can't Stop Now"
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." - Proverbs 16:9
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." - Proverbs 19:21
"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." - Proverbs 23:4-5
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." - Proverbs 31:8
"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." - James 4:17
"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet; so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." - Hebrews 12:12-13
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own: you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The last three weeks have kinda stabilized in terms of my schedule and stuff. Japanese class is getting more predictable which means I know better what parts I need to study for the tests so I'm doing a little better. I've still been frustrated with the whole learning process though. I know I need to spend a lot of extra time studying to catch up for the proficiency test in the fall, but I feel like.. a sponge that's already completely saturated and nothing else is gonna soak in right now. And the stuff I'm studying in class feels so far beyond what I have a foundation in that it's like not even that wants to stick, so everything is just being sort of thrown at me and it feels like not much is really staying with me. I know that doesn't change the fact that I have to do as much as I can while I'm here if I wanna finish my major easily when I get back, it just gets to be really overwhelming emotionally sometimes.
G Splash practice is Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, though it's gonna be every day for next week since we have a performance on Saturday. I'm still having fun, but there have been a few annoying things with that, mostly in just the way the practices are run, lack of information, and the amount of money they expect you to spend on the club. After club fees, two nomikais (meet and drink parties, pretty much the only way to get to know people in the club), performance fee (what?), and buying my "costume" for our performance I've spent almost $200 on this club. I understand that I'm paying for the experience, and the lessons, and meeting new people, it just seems excessive. On the upside, I did get to know this really nice girl at the last nomikai and she's absolutely perfect in that she wants to help me with my Japanese and wants me to help her with her English. I'm very excited for that =)
Speaking of dance, So You Think You Can Dance Season 4 started last week! I got totally hooked on that show last summer and it's the only thing I'm going to let myself watch on YouTube for the rest of the semester. I totally love it. I got nostalgic and started watching some videos from last year, and I really wish I could do the sort of moves Danny and Neil could do. They were both suuuuper trained in ballet. I kinda might like to take some real dance classes once I'm back in the states.
Watching that show really inspires me because of the way the people there can control their bodies and move so beautifully, but at the same it gets me so depressed and confused in a lot of ways. Once I start reading about how they've been doing dance for so long and worked so hard at it and now they're amazing dancers, I start wondering what I've done with my 21 years here. I've kind of gotten into some hobbies here and there, I was pretty good at music for a while, but I've always struggled with knowing that I've never really found that "passion" for anything. I've thought I might have found it a couple of times, but in the end I never keep the dedication or interest. I've always been extremely jealous of those kinds of people who find something, anything, that they're absolutely in love with doing and dedicate their lives to it and work really hard to become great at. I think this is different from the "What are you gonna do for the rest of your life" vs "Most people go through a lot of different professions in their lifetime" discussion. I feel like that discussion is for one type of people, the me type, and then there's the other people who find something they just must commit themselves to because they're so passionate about it.
I've always been a creative person. When I was little I always said I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, and I was always drawing or making something. I gave up that goal in high school on the basis that it didn't really seem like a practical profession where I could support myself, and I was getting irritated by my art classes then. I've played piano and French Horn since I was very young, and at about the time I moved on from my artist dreams, I decided I should probably go to music school for college since I wasn't really interested in anything else. I really really really didn't have the discipline or passion for it though and I couldn't even practice for my weekly lessons as it was. Then I really fell in love with my Chemistry class for a while and thought that would be my thing, I had encouragement from all around that someone who was a scientist and creative at the same time could go far. Chem II really kicked my butt unfortunately and I realized that dream was just a passing whim brought on from a really good teacher.
Then I discovered brain machine interfacing, a type of new technology that links up a person's brain waves with a computer so that you can basically command a computer or robotics with your thoughts. This was right when I was starting to apply for college, so I applied to the engineering departments of all my potential universities. I really had no background in math or science though, and all my extracurriculars were in the humanities, and in the end I had two offers: 1) University of Illinois couldn't let me into their Biomedical Engineering program, but I could choose another area and transfer later, 2) UVa suggested I apply to the College Arts and Science instead. I chose the second one for financial reasons, with intentions to transfer to the E-school after a year, but my C- in Calculus 131 first semester quickly made me realize that just because I got an A in AP Calculus at my tiny high school didn't mean I was actually able to do any math.
I was also taking a Psychology class then and really really liked the teacher and content, started working in that professor's lab, and was pretty seriously considering a psych major. My grades were pretty dismal in that department too, though, and I didn't really think I'd like a career as a researcher or professor. By this time I was really enjoying my Japanese classes and learning a new language, so in the end I decided on a Japanese major because I was getting the best grades in those classes and it was the only homework I looked forward to doing. At the time I remember telling my mom "Choosing the Japanese major is the most sure I've felt about anything since I came to college." At her encouragement though, I also picked up the Media Studies major to add some more marketable skills to my resume.
I still haven't been able to answer the question of what I'm going to do with a Japanese major after college. At one point I was thinking that working for a magazine like Shoujo Beat (an English manga magazine) would be a lot of fun and use both of my majors. I think one of my big turning points in my philosophy on what I should do with my skills and career, however, happened when I went on the NYC Media Studies trip in January of this year. We went to a lot of different media places like magazine and newspaper publications, and heard from a lot of people in the media business. At this point, some feelings I had started to notice during the fall semester were becoming more defined. I started feeling very strongly that I didn't want to just work on another magazine to be put out there for someone to buy, or make another TV show for someone to watch. I think to put it simply, there's already enough consumerism in the world, and I don't feel like it would be a very justifiable use of my education and skills to just add to that. Nobody needs another magazine or TV show and there will always be people out there to make more without me in the group too.
My time in Japan has made that feeling even stronger, after visiting places like Shibuya and Shinjuku, and Harajuku, where consumerism is the very heartbeat of the city, but now I'm starting to question my position on creativity and art as well. This thought has just been wracking my brain for the last two months, and I don't even know how to begin to think about it, but more and more I'm just feeling like... art is selfish, hobbies are selfish, who am I to spend my time and energy and abilities just on things that are fun for me or something that I enjoy doing, when I've been so blessed with opportunities and have the power and option to use my existence to help others and the less fortunate. Some might argue that doing art and music is a wonderful thing that gives back to people and inspires people, etc etc, and I do feel it's a wonderful thing and its something I've loved my whole life, but what about those people who aren't in a position where they have the option of enjoying art? What about people who are barely making it day to day, or who live in a place that doesn't even have drinkable water anywhere nearby, or whose homes have been destroyed by a natural disaster? Is it really ok for me to use my education and stable financial condition to play on the computer, draw pictures somebody might like, become a dancer, sew myself some silly costumes, or have a career that can only help the people who don't really need it that much?
I feel responsible, and I feel guilty for being so far away from accepting that responsibility right now. Thoughts like these make me wonder how I made the decisions that got me here, learning a language I don't intend to use once I've graduated, just living day to day, spending money, using energy, the ridiculous things I've spent money on, the food I've thrown away, the sweets I've spent too much money on, the shoes I've bought, the pointless research I'm doing on game centers for my class that isn't going to help anyone, the time I'm wasting. I know none of these things change the situation I'm in and the fact that I just have to get through this semester and get home, but I can't shut these thoughts off somehow and they fill my head every single day and are just making it difficult to stay focused and positive.
I feel like a lot of people might tell me that it's crazy to feel guilty about doing things for yourself, and that I'm setting myself up for a miserable life to have that expectation of myself, and I agree that you'll go crazy without having things you just do for yourself and your own gratification, things you're interested in. But I don't believe in myself making a career out of it, as much as I enjoy art I don't have the passion for it first of all, and I don't believe in it as a justifiable career for me. Yet at the same time I watch these shows and see other people in artistic careers and just start longing for the things I might have done like that, or the ability to express myself that way. I need something in between somehow. Something that lets me truly help others but in a way that is satisfying to me. Now that I think about it, in all of my essays for study abroad programs/scholarships, when asked how I wanted to use Japanese in my future career, I said I didn't have any idea yet, and the only two things I did know I wanted to do was to help people and be creative. I think I'm just starting to understand the depths of those feelings now.
I would hate to say all these things and then say that I'm just being completely static here in Japan and not living in accordance to any of those life philosophies I believe in. I try and use as little energy as I can in my room, I've stopped buying sweets on a regular basis after I realized how much money I was just wasting away on them (particularly after I foolishly bought a really expensive piece of cake because it was a whole 10% off), when researching the game centers for my paper I don't really play any games while I'm there, I always give something to the homeless guy by my school if he's out, but that's about the extent of what my time and opportunities allow right now. I feel very stuck here, almost tricked. I tricked myself into coming here and now I have to finish what I've started whether I like it or not.
I'm not sure where I'll begin to look for jobs or career plans once I'm back in the states.. it's a matter of finding that passion in some kind of service. It's clear with my moves from art, to music, to chemistry, to biomedical engineering, to psychology, to japanese, to something completely different, that I am very very quick to fall for an idea and then abandon it after not too long. I'm just going to keep praying as hard as I can that God will show me the way to the most appropriate jobs for me, the ones that will make me the most happy and use my abilities as well as possible. Over Christmas break I started developing this feeling that I feel very powerful. I have my education, I have my financial stability, I can write, I have a computer, I can create, I have the venues and abilities to influence. I hold a lot of power and so do a great number of people in the world, I just don't think we realize it. I have an amazing power, I just don't know how to control it, or where to use it yet. I just know I have to use it somehow for good. I could try and ignore it and go back to the way I've lived most of my life, but I'm not sure I could. I think I could be happy in waves by ignoring it, but I'd have to keep trying to justify it to myself and make excuses, and I think knowing I was doing that would just make me unhappy.
I also want to say that I don't think these feelings apply to everyone. If your passion is art or dance or making a magazine or movie or TV show, then go for it. I know a lot of artists, musicians, actors, and other people who are doing things I could never do and I think it's a perfect fit for them. I think if you have a passion, that sort of trumps everything, there's no way you could try and do anything else and be happy. Maybe it's that I don't have a passion for something so specific, but my passion is for using my abilities in a certain way.
Sooooooo, that was a very long and personal post, which is kind of weird I guess, but it's been something I've been wanting/needing to talk about for a long time and I'm interested to see what others think about it. I guess I'm also trying to justify to myself why I can't seem to concentrate on anything and I'm getting lost in thought so often these days, and feeling frustrated. I think prayer is the answer for me, I just have to remember it and trust God and not get so caught up in my own emotions.
I should be about the same level of busy as I am now for the rest of the semester, so I'm not sure how much more interesting blogging I'll be doing from here on out, but if I have some time or something interesting happens, I'll try and post! Thanks to anyone who read through all this, and I'd be interested in hearing if you have an opinion on it. I hope I don't sound too serious or dramatic or whatever, I think just being here in general puts all my thoughts on hyper mode and emotions seem more extreme. Having an hour on the packed train every day with nothing to do but stare out the window and think might have something to do with it too!
Some things other people wrote that sound a little better:
"My mind races with all my longings
But can't keep up with what I got" - Bright Eyes, "Road to Joy"
"I noticed tonight that the world has been turning
while I've been stuck here, dithering around
...
I noticed tonight that the world has been turning
while I've been stuck here, withering away" - Keane, "Can't Stop Now"
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." - Proverbs 16:9
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." - Proverbs 19:21
"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." - Proverbs 23:4-5
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." - Proverbs 31:8
"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." - James 4:17
"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet; so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." - Hebrews 12:12-13
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own: you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Sunday, May 11, 2008
3 Day Week
I have been toooo busy/lazy to blog!
Tuesday
The rest of this weekend has been ok, but suuper rainy. And now my room is suddenly super cold again and it's making me just want to lay in bed all day! =/ Arrrg it seems Golden Week didn't recharge me as well as I had hoped it would.. I need to get my head in the game, I know. Bleh.
Tuesday
- After my big day of travel on Monday (haha) I stayed in on Tuesday and rested up since it was the last day of Golden Week and all. And I studied! I continued studying kanji and such and kind of did my homework. Yawn, I don't think anything important happened on Tuesday.
- School again, ho hum.
- We got our kanji tests back from last week, and I got a 44% on my kanji test. Yep you read it. I studied for like 8 hours for that thing. I think the key is to have studied properly for the quizzes and reviewed in between, and I had forgotten we had quizzes and not reviewed, thus the 44%. The cool part though was that I totally aced the kanji quiz we took Wednesday, so don't worry parents and teachers, I'm trying to get back on the right track =)
- At lunch I went and picked up my hanko (stamp with your name on it for signing things) which is totally sweet. The guy at the shop is so nice though, and when I showed him my pickup slip, he was like "Ah! Wilson-saaan, Wiilsoon-saan" in kind of a sing-songy voice while he looked for my hanko, haha. After he found it, he started asking me things about America and New York and 9-11, and maybe about how he knew someone who died in 9-11.. I wasn't really sure, and I didn't really know what to say, so I left pretty soon after that.
- I had some stuff to do for my other class so I didn't try and do the bank thing that day, and did class stuff instead.
- Hometime after that, or so I intended. Instead, I ended up finding a place to get a haircut! I went to a place called "Wiki Wiki: A Beauty Shop" (that's right Mom and Dad and John, I went to the beauty shop this week! =D ) I knew I wanted it shorter, but I thought I might try and go for way shorter like I've always been wanting to since I'm in a foreign country and everything.
- The haircut guy was soooo super nice and awesome, and talked to me a long time about the style I was choosing and my concerns about it and stuff. Then the whole time he kept coming up with things to talk to me about and he was just really nice and cool =) It was the second longest Japanese conversation experience I've had here so far. I've really gotta fix that somehow... but being in class with foreigners all morning (and sometimes afternoon) and knowing if I don't go home and do my homework and study I'm gonna keep getting 44% on my kanji tests, I'm really not sure what else to do..
- My haircut turned out great! I was a little unsure at first if I really liked it or not, but I've been getting lots of nice compliments. It takes a little effort to style in the morning, but it's not bad at all. I feel hip and fresh. I'll put up pics some other time.
- After haircut, I met up with Hunter, Greg, and Jeannette for dinner, except Jeannette and I didn't want what the guys picked so we ditched them for Mos Burger. I had a big late lunch, so I just got some chicken nuggets (JUST 5 CHICKEN NUGGETS COST OVER 300 YEN THERE, UUGHH MOSBURGER WHY)
- Finally home, homework, you know the drill.
- Class, yeah, whatever. We had a test on the last unit.
- We presented our research topics in ethnography which was way cool! Three of ours were on some aspect of arcade gaming, so that was neat, and the class had a lot of good input. I love that class!
- Then I went home, and that's about all I remember about Thursday!
- Class. We got back our chapter tests from last week, and I got a 66% on my chapter test. *Sigh* But, again! I felt a whooole lot better about this week's test. I finished early, I didn't feel stumped by anything, etc etc.
- I tried to get a bank account at Mizuho bank after that, but the lady was saying that I had to be living in Japan for 6 months to get one? I don't understand at all, Hunter and Teresa both got accounts at the same bank... I need to go back with some better dialogue prepared or a Japanese person or something... maybe Yuujiro could help me out.
- I went to Harajuku and did some clothes shopping that afternoon and some other stuff that evening.
The rest of this weekend has been ok, but suuper rainy. And now my room is suddenly super cold again and it's making me just want to lay in bed all day! =/ Arrrg it seems Golden Week didn't recharge me as well as I had hoped it would.. I need to get my head in the game, I know. Bleh.
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