Thursday May 19, 10:47 p.m.
Had a couple of experiences with red tape today. The one just now was a 30-minute odyssey through VISA card bureaucracy...at international phone rates. I had received my re-issue card and so decided to call up VISA Central to activate the darn thing. It's not as if I use the card all that much...it's just an emergency measure. I called up Central and ended up getting passed to four different people. One guy, in the Security branch, was rather mystified as to why I'd been passed along to his section. The first two ladies said that they had trouble verifying my identity...probably due to my rather unique living arrangements. In any case, I kept remarkably calm despite knowing that KDD was enjoying the yen rack up on my bill for next month. However, I did get a taste of what monolithic buck passing is like.
The second brush with bureaucracy was of the homegrown variety. The tax office called up today to point that there was yet another error on my return. And here I thought our little visit to the office 2 weeks ago cleared everything up...NOT. I knew the old guy was trying his darndest to explain my situation in Japanese, but I could only understand a fraction of his mumbo-jumbo. I could get that he is going to send me something, and once I got that from him, I just thought, "OK, whatever". I'll figure it out later. Most likely with my luck, my wonderful rebate is gonna turn into a hefty payment after all.
Ah...the hell with it. I'm not even gonna bother doing any more training tonight. I'm just a little too wired after my long phone call. I'm gonna clean up, take a shower and then hit the hay with my 6 million little buddies in the mattresses.
Just a place to deposit my thoughts on life here in the Kanto and about anything else that sticks to my walls.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Thursday May 19, 9:36 p.m.
Succumbed to the Dark Side, he has. The Doctor did make that midnight showing. He was not sorry he did....a happy camper he was. In fact, he's gonna try for a second viewing in the near future (read: today) to get some more details. And I got word from the Egg. In his capacity as one of the regional managers for a theatre chain, he told me that his complex had to add two more theatres to the other three he'd originally slated to cope with the demand for "Revenge of the Sith"....for a midnight showing. He hadn't even put on midnight showings for the previous two due to bad word-of-mouth. This may be the beginning as well as the ending of something big.
In more mundane news, I had MK for her regular lesson tonight. She's progressng steadily, and I was flattered that she remembered about my Star Wars mania.
Heard Anderson Cooper's report on the dust mites that inhabit mattresses in the millions. This probably means that I have the equivalent of the population of Toronto wriggling about underneath me every night. I did kinda wonder how I always felt like I was on a waterbed. Well, I guess something was creating waves after all.
Succumbed to the Dark Side, he has. The Doctor did make that midnight showing. He was not sorry he did....a happy camper he was. In fact, he's gonna try for a second viewing in the near future (read: today) to get some more details. And I got word from the Egg. In his capacity as one of the regional managers for a theatre chain, he told me that his complex had to add two more theatres to the other three he'd originally slated to cope with the demand for "Revenge of the Sith"....for a midnight showing. He hadn't even put on midnight showings for the previous two due to bad word-of-mouth. This may be the beginning as well as the ending of something big.
In more mundane news, I had MK for her regular lesson tonight. She's progressng steadily, and I was flattered that she remembered about my Star Wars mania.
Heard Anderson Cooper's report on the dust mites that inhabit mattresses in the millions. This probably means that I have the equivalent of the population of Toronto wriggling about underneath me every night. I did kinda wonder how I always felt like I was on a waterbed. Well, I guess something was creating waves after all.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Thursday May 19, 9:10 a.m.
Well, in a few hours, the Force will be here supposedly for the final time. I'm wondering if my good friend, The Doctor, will succumb to the Dark Side and attend the midnight showing in Washington D.C. Taking on the role of Palpatine, I gently nudged him that I would if I could. I read Entertainment Weekly's review on it; not surprisingly, it didn't get a rave...just a B-. I think after all of the initial gushing reports, cooler and saner heads are prevailing and reviewers are re-discovering the hokey dialogue and wooden acting. Still, even the EW reviewer had to admit that it was great summer entertainment, which in a way then signifies that "Revenge of the Sith" has brought the saga full circle to the heady days of 1977 when "A New Hope" premiered. After all, that was what George Lucas had originally envisioned for his space opus: a modern love letter to the Flash Gordon serials of his youth with all of its cardboard characters and pithy scripts. I'm reminded of what Roger Ebert had said in his commentary over "Casablanca". He pointed out several plotholes in that classic, but then said that those weren't the point...the point was to tell a romantic story during wartime. And perhaps so it should go with Episode III. But (and I say this with a pretty heavy sigh), why did George feel so hellbent on writing such cringeworthy dialogue?
Well, continuing on with my reminisces of Star Wars, last time you were here you were reading up on my first encounter with "A New Hope". Now, let's get on with Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The first I'd heard about this new Star Wars was during the last of my five or seven times that I'd seen ANH. Everyone had known that at the end of the movie, there would be a sneak preview for the new flick so of course everyone stayed. We got to see Darth Vader come out of his meditation chamber, the snowspeeders take on the Imperial Walkers, and then that notorious scene of Luke and Leia getting close to sample some forbidden love (which does make me wonder if Lucas had really truly mapped out the whole saga by that point). However, the winning scene was the one in which the Millenium Falcon swooped through the asteroid field leaving wrecked TIE fighters in its wake...one of the best scenes of the whole saga. Once the trailer was over, all the kids flew out in joy and started acting out their lightsaber battles with siblings or buddies. It was truly a happy moment.
Then , some months later came the hoopla as the premiere approached. There was an entertainment interview show called "City Lights" in Toronto which was hosted by the late Brian Linehan. Linehan was an entertainment journalist that comedian Martin Short satirized wickedly well as Brock Linehan (years before he discovered Jiminy Glick) due to his victim's informative but overextended questioning techniques. "City Lights" had a special on the upcoming Episode V, so you can imagine a lot of kids decided to stay indoors that Sunday evening. And suddenly, the Star Wars hype machine actually kicked in for the very first time. Obviously, there was nothing quite like that when ANH had first opened since it was an unknown commodity. Not anymore...lots of interviews with Mark, Carrie and Harrison.
And then, D-Day arrived. My brother and I took the subway and bus down from North York to downtown Toronto where the grand University theatre once stood and tried to get in to see the most awaited sequel in movie history up to that point on only its second day. Now, remember that this was the day before anything approaching DVD and Internet technology was available to the masses. There was none of this "Ach...I'll wait for it when it comes out on (name your format)". If you had decided not to see it for some insane reason, well, then you would've had to wait for literally years. And of course, teens and young folks with raging hormones couldn't wait. Anyways, we went down there, naively, in the early afternoon (some of you folks of my generation must now be laughing: "...in the early afternoon?! Idiots, they are!"). Well, we got our education pretty fast when we saw a scene of pandemonium to match any battle scene over the Death Star. Hundreds of people were waiting in a line which spiraled around the block like a broken Slinky. Theatre staff and police officers were out en masse with megaphones ordering the masses to be orderly as well as risking their lives by telling the stragglers that they would have to come back the next day since the entirety of the day's shows were all sold out. Well, my brother and I took a look for a bit and decided to abort the mission.
We made another attempt the next day, although I'm sure my mother wasn't too thrilled about that. However, we learned our lesson and got there in the morning although Mom drew the line at 10 a.m. I was quite nervous that our Mom's reverse curfew would once again mean another defeat. However, we actually did get in after a 2-hour wait in line. Strangely enough, the two of us were pretty patient...certainly, Yoda would've been proud. And in retrospect, I think the wait amongst fellow Star Wars fans enhanced the already-messianic anticipation. And when we finally got into our seats, and the lights came down...once again, the pandemonium erupted like Mt. Vesuvius. I was telling Shard a couple of nights ago that I haven't been to a movie since "Empire" that had so much audience participation: cheering, yelling and clapping. My moments of clarity were the opening credits, the reappearance of Vader, the Hoth battle, the asteroid field, Yoda's Force-assisted tow of Luke's X-wing fighter and of course, that great revelation by Darth Vader to the broken Luke. It would certainly go down as one of my most treasured cinematic experiences.
Before I finish up this segment of my Star Wars memories, I do have to mention about that notorious ABC Star Wars TV special based on the Wookie's holiday celebration of Life Day. Yup, I'm one of the very few who got to see it in its apparently one and only showing on TV. In retrospect, it was intriguing to watch Harrison Ford, a person who has hardly appeared on TV since his guest appearances on shows like "Love, American Style" or "Ironside", running around in his Han Solo outfit with Chewie. But I remember the special for two things, the debut of Boba Fett as an animated character, and Carrie Fisher's "rendition" of the Star Wars theme (!)...oh, my golly! I think that the original master must be lying deep in the vaults of the US government along side the Ark of the Covenant and an alien embryo.
Well, in a few hours, the Force will be here supposedly for the final time. I'm wondering if my good friend, The Doctor, will succumb to the Dark Side and attend the midnight showing in Washington D.C. Taking on the role of Palpatine, I gently nudged him that I would if I could. I read Entertainment Weekly's review on it; not surprisingly, it didn't get a rave...just a B-. I think after all of the initial gushing reports, cooler and saner heads are prevailing and reviewers are re-discovering the hokey dialogue and wooden acting. Still, even the EW reviewer had to admit that it was great summer entertainment, which in a way then signifies that "Revenge of the Sith" has brought the saga full circle to the heady days of 1977 when "A New Hope" premiered. After all, that was what George Lucas had originally envisioned for his space opus: a modern love letter to the Flash Gordon serials of his youth with all of its cardboard characters and pithy scripts. I'm reminded of what Roger Ebert had said in his commentary over "Casablanca". He pointed out several plotholes in that classic, but then said that those weren't the point...the point was to tell a romantic story during wartime. And perhaps so it should go with Episode III. But (and I say this with a pretty heavy sigh), why did George feel so hellbent on writing such cringeworthy dialogue?
Well, continuing on with my reminisces of Star Wars, last time you were here you were reading up on my first encounter with "A New Hope". Now, let's get on with Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The first I'd heard about this new Star Wars was during the last of my five or seven times that I'd seen ANH. Everyone had known that at the end of the movie, there would be a sneak preview for the new flick so of course everyone stayed. We got to see Darth Vader come out of his meditation chamber, the snowspeeders take on the Imperial Walkers, and then that notorious scene of Luke and Leia getting close to sample some forbidden love (which does make me wonder if Lucas had really truly mapped out the whole saga by that point). However, the winning scene was the one in which the Millenium Falcon swooped through the asteroid field leaving wrecked TIE fighters in its wake...one of the best scenes of the whole saga. Once the trailer was over, all the kids flew out in joy and started acting out their lightsaber battles with siblings or buddies. It was truly a happy moment.
Then , some months later came the hoopla as the premiere approached. There was an entertainment interview show called "City Lights" in Toronto which was hosted by the late Brian Linehan. Linehan was an entertainment journalist that comedian Martin Short satirized wickedly well as Brock Linehan (years before he discovered Jiminy Glick) due to his victim's informative but overextended questioning techniques. "City Lights" had a special on the upcoming Episode V, so you can imagine a lot of kids decided to stay indoors that Sunday evening. And suddenly, the Star Wars hype machine actually kicked in for the very first time. Obviously, there was nothing quite like that when ANH had first opened since it was an unknown commodity. Not anymore...lots of interviews with Mark, Carrie and Harrison.
And then, D-Day arrived. My brother and I took the subway and bus down from North York to downtown Toronto where the grand University theatre once stood and tried to get in to see the most awaited sequel in movie history up to that point on only its second day. Now, remember that this was the day before anything approaching DVD and Internet technology was available to the masses. There was none of this "Ach...I'll wait for it when it comes out on (name your format)". If you had decided not to see it for some insane reason, well, then you would've had to wait for literally years. And of course, teens and young folks with raging hormones couldn't wait. Anyways, we went down there, naively, in the early afternoon (some of you folks of my generation must now be laughing: "...in the early afternoon?! Idiots, they are!"). Well, we got our education pretty fast when we saw a scene of pandemonium to match any battle scene over the Death Star. Hundreds of people were waiting in a line which spiraled around the block like a broken Slinky. Theatre staff and police officers were out en masse with megaphones ordering the masses to be orderly as well as risking their lives by telling the stragglers that they would have to come back the next day since the entirety of the day's shows were all sold out. Well, my brother and I took a look for a bit and decided to abort the mission.
We made another attempt the next day, although I'm sure my mother wasn't too thrilled about that. However, we learned our lesson and got there in the morning although Mom drew the line at 10 a.m. I was quite nervous that our Mom's reverse curfew would once again mean another defeat. However, we actually did get in after a 2-hour wait in line. Strangely enough, the two of us were pretty patient...certainly, Yoda would've been proud. And in retrospect, I think the wait amongst fellow Star Wars fans enhanced the already-messianic anticipation. And when we finally got into our seats, and the lights came down...once again, the pandemonium erupted like Mt. Vesuvius. I was telling Shard a couple of nights ago that I haven't been to a movie since "Empire" that had so much audience participation: cheering, yelling and clapping. My moments of clarity were the opening credits, the reappearance of Vader, the Hoth battle, the asteroid field, Yoda's Force-assisted tow of Luke's X-wing fighter and of course, that great revelation by Darth Vader to the broken Luke. It would certainly go down as one of my most treasured cinematic experiences.
Before I finish up this segment of my Star Wars memories, I do have to mention about that notorious ABC Star Wars TV special based on the Wookie's holiday celebration of Life Day. Yup, I'm one of the very few who got to see it in its apparently one and only showing on TV. In retrospect, it was intriguing to watch Harrison Ford, a person who has hardly appeared on TV since his guest appearances on shows like "Love, American Style" or "Ironside", running around in his Han Solo outfit with Chewie. But I remember the special for two things, the debut of Boba Fett as an animated character, and Carrie Fisher's "rendition" of the Star Wars theme (!)...oh, my golly! I think that the original master must be lying deep in the vaults of the US government along side the Ark of the Covenant and an alien embryo.
Wednesday May 18, 11:04 p.m.
Feeling rather sore all over after the workout at the gym. At least, I got one in this week. Maybe I'll be able to get one more in on Friday between lessons. The Hawaiian was fun as usual. We focused on intonation and pronunciation. She's still rather hung up on that little misunderstanding years ago when some waitress in Australia couldn't understand her order. And yet, I can't fault for her aspirations to linguistic perfection. Her lessons with me are now numbered since she's confirmed to go to Oz from late June. She may be away for anything from 1 to 3 months.
We had a bit of a mini-typhoon in Tokyo today. The winds were really blowing like crazy in Speedy's neighbourhood although the tall skyscrapers helped out in creating wind tunnels. Student 001 and I were able to smoothen out the lesson today so I can consider tonight's class as our first big success.
Speaking of storms, it feels like the calm before one in terms of the cinema. I'm in between the end of Star Trek (there's none of that SAVE ENTERPRISE stuff anymore...the site looks deserted now) and the explosion that will be the final Star Wars film tomorrow. Looks like Chip Guy will indeed be heading for the movie on opening day. Just couldn't resist, could he? Mind you, I'd join him if I were back in Canada. Shard and I had a brisk, informative talk on the Star Wars phenomenon.
I got a message from my friend up in Karuizawa. She was wondering if I were still interested in coming out to visit the family one May weekend. Well, it won't be this weekend since I'm already committed but I did propose the final weekend. Speaking of new families, I do have to make plans to visit the Chipmunk and her new son.
The winds are still whistling out there. I just chowed down on a Haagen-Dazs Berry Berry Parfait as a bit of a treat for getting two classes done. Well, I still have to get that training done for my certification as a test examiner tomorrow. I was hoping to get a massage in but I almost forgot that I do have to wait for that certified letter to come in.
Almost on the scale of the Oscar nomnation announcements, the annual tax reports of celebrities made themselves known this week all over the channels. There seems to be this nearly rabid desire to know how much money these actors and singers give each year. Well, the top tax-paying singer is Hikaru Utada which strikes me a bit strange since she's been pretty much a non-entity for the past couple of years aside from a recent PSX game commercial. Even stranger, the biggest taxpayer of all in Japan this year is a salaryman...just one of the cogs, albeit a gold-plated one. Apparently, the drone is in a performance-based job in an investment company which explains his rather surprising wealth.
I just heard that Kelsey "Frasier" Grammer is slated to become The Beast in the next X-Men. I guess it must've been that pompous vocabulary his character used since The Beast is also well known as a very erudite mutant. Now, we're gonna have three stentoriously voiced leads.
Feeling rather sore all over after the workout at the gym. At least, I got one in this week. Maybe I'll be able to get one more in on Friday between lessons. The Hawaiian was fun as usual. We focused on intonation and pronunciation. She's still rather hung up on that little misunderstanding years ago when some waitress in Australia couldn't understand her order. And yet, I can't fault for her aspirations to linguistic perfection. Her lessons with me are now numbered since she's confirmed to go to Oz from late June. She may be away for anything from 1 to 3 months.
We had a bit of a mini-typhoon in Tokyo today. The winds were really blowing like crazy in Speedy's neighbourhood although the tall skyscrapers helped out in creating wind tunnels. Student 001 and I were able to smoothen out the lesson today so I can consider tonight's class as our first big success.
Speaking of storms, it feels like the calm before one in terms of the cinema. I'm in between the end of Star Trek (there's none of that SAVE ENTERPRISE stuff anymore...the site looks deserted now) and the explosion that will be the final Star Wars film tomorrow. Looks like Chip Guy will indeed be heading for the movie on opening day. Just couldn't resist, could he? Mind you, I'd join him if I were back in Canada. Shard and I had a brisk, informative talk on the Star Wars phenomenon.
I got a message from my friend up in Karuizawa. She was wondering if I were still interested in coming out to visit the family one May weekend. Well, it won't be this weekend since I'm already committed but I did propose the final weekend. Speaking of new families, I do have to make plans to visit the Chipmunk and her new son.
The winds are still whistling out there. I just chowed down on a Haagen-Dazs Berry Berry Parfait as a bit of a treat for getting two classes done. Well, I still have to get that training done for my certification as a test examiner tomorrow. I was hoping to get a massage in but I almost forgot that I do have to wait for that certified letter to come in.
Almost on the scale of the Oscar nomnation announcements, the annual tax reports of celebrities made themselves known this week all over the channels. There seems to be this nearly rabid desire to know how much money these actors and singers give each year. Well, the top tax-paying singer is Hikaru Utada which strikes me a bit strange since she's been pretty much a non-entity for the past couple of years aside from a recent PSX game commercial. Even stranger, the biggest taxpayer of all in Japan this year is a salaryman...just one of the cogs, albeit a gold-plated one. Apparently, the drone is in a performance-based job in an investment company which explains his rather surprising wealth.
I just heard that Kelsey "Frasier" Grammer is slated to become The Beast in the next X-Men. I guess it must've been that pompous vocabulary his character used since The Beast is also well known as a very erudite mutant. Now, we're gonna have three stentoriously voiced leads.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Wednesday May 18, 8:00 a.m.
Had a talk with Shard. Looks like our current topic du jour is appropriately the Star Wars saga since the two of us had grown up in the shiny era of the first trilogy. Our conversation brought out some reminiscences in me about my experiences with the movies. My first encounter with "A New Hope" came from a small bit by gossip columnist Rona Barrett on "Good Morning America". She reported in that nasal twang of hers about this sci-fi motion picture which according to the clip had a walking carpet, a gold-plated robot and a pretty woman with a cinnabon bun for a hairstyle. The scene was the Millenium Falcon going up against the TIE fighters as it was escaping the Death Star.
I guess the scene, or the movie in general, didn't really impact on me. It would be years before movies became part of my social ritual, and I was a child of people who were really not into the theatre scene. Star Wars incredibly didn't draw me into its world for a good 2 years after its premiere. Between then and the time that I finally did catch it, I saw the iconic opening scene of the Imperial Star Destroyer going after the Tantive IV over Tatooine, the various appearances of Darth Vader and the droids on shows such as Donny & Marie, and of course there was the disco theme to Star Wars by Meco; actually, that was my first exposure to the theme song. I remember hearing the original John Williams version and thinking that "Wow! They actually came out with a classical version of the disco song!" And oh yes, Star Wars actually got nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Movie. It was so popular that the usually conservative Academy panel overlooked the bad acting. Well, I certainly did.
Well, I guess the hints over the 24 months finally got to me and I managed to drag my reluctant Dad to take me to the theater in a Toronto mall to see this movie. I think it still hadn't been re-titled "A New Hope" at that time. The theater boasted that the flick had been playing Star Wars for 2 years straight. And yet when we got there, there was a huge lineup snaking all around the floor. On these two observations, allow me a point. This was 1979, a time in which VCRs were still relatively rare and were about the size of coffee tables. There were no Blockbuster Video outlets, no Internet (even Al Gore was too young) and Lucas had a tight clamp about having his magnum opus out on the TV. It was no wonder that the theaters back then could play a movie that long. Nowadays, if a movie plays for even 2 months straight, it's considered a megahit.
I saw the movie and I was treated not only to a great visual fest but also to the wonders of audience participation. Everyone laughed and cheered like crazy. To this day, those last 20 minutes still get my heart rate up. Star Wars as a media-implanted endorphin. Gotta figure. Dad, on the other hand, wasn't particularly all that impressed. As I said, he was never a movie guy. Plus, he couldn't get past the sci-fi vocabulary. I guess being a parent can be a hellish experience.
Since then, I'd seen "A New Hope" about 5 times at the theater. There's something about watching it on the big screen that will always beat watching it even on the largest home theater screen. Still, I'm grateful for the DVDs that I have now.
Had a talk with Shard. Looks like our current topic du jour is appropriately the Star Wars saga since the two of us had grown up in the shiny era of the first trilogy. Our conversation brought out some reminiscences in me about my experiences with the movies. My first encounter with "A New Hope" came from a small bit by gossip columnist Rona Barrett on "Good Morning America". She reported in that nasal twang of hers about this sci-fi motion picture which according to the clip had a walking carpet, a gold-plated robot and a pretty woman with a cinnabon bun for a hairstyle. The scene was the Millenium Falcon going up against the TIE fighters as it was escaping the Death Star.
I guess the scene, or the movie in general, didn't really impact on me. It would be years before movies became part of my social ritual, and I was a child of people who were really not into the theatre scene. Star Wars incredibly didn't draw me into its world for a good 2 years after its premiere. Between then and the time that I finally did catch it, I saw the iconic opening scene of the Imperial Star Destroyer going after the Tantive IV over Tatooine, the various appearances of Darth Vader and the droids on shows such as Donny & Marie, and of course there was the disco theme to Star Wars by Meco; actually, that was my first exposure to the theme song. I remember hearing the original John Williams version and thinking that "Wow! They actually came out with a classical version of the disco song!" And oh yes, Star Wars actually got nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Movie. It was so popular that the usually conservative Academy panel overlooked the bad acting. Well, I certainly did.
Well, I guess the hints over the 24 months finally got to me and I managed to drag my reluctant Dad to take me to the theater in a Toronto mall to see this movie. I think it still hadn't been re-titled "A New Hope" at that time. The theater boasted that the flick had been playing Star Wars for 2 years straight. And yet when we got there, there was a huge lineup snaking all around the floor. On these two observations, allow me a point. This was 1979, a time in which VCRs were still relatively rare and were about the size of coffee tables. There were no Blockbuster Video outlets, no Internet (even Al Gore was too young) and Lucas had a tight clamp about having his magnum opus out on the TV. It was no wonder that the theaters back then could play a movie that long. Nowadays, if a movie plays for even 2 months straight, it's considered a megahit.
I saw the movie and I was treated not only to a great visual fest but also to the wonders of audience participation. Everyone laughed and cheered like crazy. To this day, those last 20 minutes still get my heart rate up. Star Wars as a media-implanted endorphin. Gotta figure. Dad, on the other hand, wasn't particularly all that impressed. As I said, he was never a movie guy. Plus, he couldn't get past the sci-fi vocabulary. I guess being a parent can be a hellish experience.
Since then, I'd seen "A New Hope" about 5 times at the theater. There's something about watching it on the big screen that will always beat watching it even on the largest home theater screen. Still, I'm grateful for the DVDs that I have now.
Tuesday May 17, 11:24 p.m.
Another long day comes to an end. I'm lucky in that the rest of my week won't be as crammed. After my usual stint at the juku, I sometimes wonder if I'm like the Wizard of Oz in that my teaching is just a lot of smoke and mirrors with my combination of sense of humour and actual education. For each of my classes, I have to rely on that combo to get through the night. The boss and I had a little talk about my last student, The Bohemian. As I've said before, I think the lad is a good kid but he's also a bit of a space cadet. The boss concurred with my assessment about him not being the most decisive of fellows. I found out tonight that he's planned a trip to Australia, his very first outside of this country. Good thing for him...hopefully, it'll be a major turning point in his life.
Looks like some of the gang back at home is getting revved up for the big Star Wars premiere on Thursday. The Entrepreneur, Chip Guy and the Egg will be heading for a viewing this weekend. Apparently, Chip may not be able to hold on even that long. Hmmm....I'm not sure what his wife will say about that.
The Satyr just contacted me by chat to talk about the Sunday movie with Movie Buddy and myself. I'll have to get in contact with MB to confirm things up.
Would like to get some work done but I'm just getting tired. I'll just write the lesson reports and then hit the shower.
Another long day comes to an end. I'm lucky in that the rest of my week won't be as crammed. After my usual stint at the juku, I sometimes wonder if I'm like the Wizard of Oz in that my teaching is just a lot of smoke and mirrors with my combination of sense of humour and actual education. For each of my classes, I have to rely on that combo to get through the night. The boss and I had a little talk about my last student, The Bohemian. As I've said before, I think the lad is a good kid but he's also a bit of a space cadet. The boss concurred with my assessment about him not being the most decisive of fellows. I found out tonight that he's planned a trip to Australia, his very first outside of this country. Good thing for him...hopefully, it'll be a major turning point in his life.
Looks like some of the gang back at home is getting revved up for the big Star Wars premiere on Thursday. The Entrepreneur, Chip Guy and the Egg will be heading for a viewing this weekend. Apparently, Chip may not be able to hold on even that long. Hmmm....I'm not sure what his wife will say about that.
The Satyr just contacted me by chat to talk about the Sunday movie with Movie Buddy and myself. I'll have to get in contact with MB to confirm things up.
Would like to get some work done but I'm just getting tired. I'll just write the lesson reports and then hit the shower.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Tuesday May 17, 8:11 a.m.
Kinda rushing right now so the probability of spelling errors wil be rather high. Just thought I'd warn you...
Got word from across the Pacific that The Doctor is mulling an invitation to join his buddies Stateside to catch the very first midnight showing of "Revenge of the Sith" on Thursday morning. He's mulling it over?!
Had a nice little chat with The Entrepreneur about the last tape of "Enterprise" he'd sent me. He's just sent me another one with the series finale; apparently, it's quite awful...not a particularly great way to end up the Star Trek canon. But then again, look at the downers that wrapped up "Seinfeld" and "X-Files".
Will be leaving the mattresses to air out this morning since it seems that the rest of the week will be rather wet.
Kinda rushing right now so the probability of spelling errors wil be rather high. Just thought I'd warn you...
Got word from across the Pacific that The Doctor is mulling an invitation to join his buddies Stateside to catch the very first midnight showing of "Revenge of the Sith" on Thursday morning. He's mulling it over?!
Had a nice little chat with The Entrepreneur about the last tape of "Enterprise" he'd sent me. He's just sent me another one with the series finale; apparently, it's quite awful...not a particularly great way to end up the Star Trek canon. But then again, look at the downers that wrapped up "Seinfeld" and "X-Files".
Will be leaving the mattresses to air out this morning since it seems that the rest of the week will be rather wet.
Monday May 16, 9:41 p.m.
My computer has been acting up again. I'm kinda wondering if its days are numbered. I've defragged it, put Ad-Aware on it, had it go through the Symantec, and checked for viruses. Still, I've got that periodic crash that makes me have to reboot thereby costing me an extra 5 minutes. May not be much time but when one deals with the Internet...
It was pretty much the same-ol, same-ol today although I almost strangled that lone student at The Company for his slowness. I may be sounding a bit harsh here but it's been 18 months now. I should be getting performance than I did today.
I received a message from Kei. Looks like she came across my changepurse in her car last night. I noticed that my little pocket full of coins went missing when I was at Urayasu Station fumbling for some loose change for the trip home. Since it was just loose change and the pocket itself wasn't worth all that much, I wasn't too put out that I'd lost it. However, I appreciate that it's still safe and sound.
Well, gotta prep for tomorrow's lessons.
My computer has been acting up again. I'm kinda wondering if its days are numbered. I've defragged it, put Ad-Aware on it, had it go through the Symantec, and checked for viruses. Still, I've got that periodic crash that makes me have to reboot thereby costing me an extra 5 minutes. May not be much time but when one deals with the Internet...
It was pretty much the same-ol, same-ol today although I almost strangled that lone student at The Company for his slowness. I may be sounding a bit harsh here but it's been 18 months now. I should be getting performance than I did today.
I received a message from Kei. Looks like she came across my changepurse in her car last night. I noticed that my little pocket full of coins went missing when I was at Urayasu Station fumbling for some loose change for the trip home. Since it was just loose change and the pocket itself wasn't worth all that much, I wasn't too put out that I'd lost it. However, I appreciate that it's still safe and sound.
Well, gotta prep for tomorrow's lessons.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Monday May 16, 7:40 a.m.
Well, caught that two-parter episode from "Enterprise", one of the last shows before the Star Trek franchise before it finally becomes one with history. There must be that extra oomph that cancellation brings which makes a Star Trek producer pull out all the stops to pull off a fun episode. All I can say is that I think Linda Park got compensated for her character's relative inaction this season from "In a Mirror, Darkly". And I'm sure all those basement-ridden Trekkies like us have a new goddess (Empress?) to pray to, so move aside Seven of Nine. Some rather interesting trivia concerning the actress on Wikipedia...she's dating the actor who played the villain, Shinzon, from Star Trek: Nemesis.
Seeing that Star Trek had its final episode last Friday, and noting that Star Wars will be having its supposed final chapter on the screen from this Thursday, it's interesting to note the parallels between the two soon-to-be retired franchises. Both started out...Star Trek all the way back in 1966, Star Wars in 1977...as these shiny new entities full of hope for the future. And the love was reciprocated in full measure by ravenous fans over the decades. Now, the two rather limp back home. Although the final Star Wars movie is getting some unexpected kudos and a nice slap on the back, this prequel trilogy has hardly been a success. Meanwhile, Star Trek, aside from an extremely devoted core group, has largely been ignored at the box office and in the Nielsens for a number of years. It looks like the baton has been passed to the likes of Babylon 5 and the rejuvenated Battlestar Galactica...not a bad thing. In the meantime, we can wait a while before Trek and Wars come back from hibernation.
Well, caught that two-parter episode from "Enterprise", one of the last shows before the Star Trek franchise before it finally becomes one with history. There must be that extra oomph that cancellation brings which makes a Star Trek producer pull out all the stops to pull off a fun episode. All I can say is that I think Linda Park got compensated for her character's relative inaction this season from "In a Mirror, Darkly". And I'm sure all those basement-ridden Trekkies like us have a new goddess (Empress?) to pray to, so move aside Seven of Nine. Some rather interesting trivia concerning the actress on Wikipedia...she's dating the actor who played the villain, Shinzon, from Star Trek: Nemesis.
Seeing that Star Trek had its final episode last Friday, and noting that Star Wars will be having its supposed final chapter on the screen from this Thursday, it's interesting to note the parallels between the two soon-to-be retired franchises. Both started out...Star Trek all the way back in 1966, Star Wars in 1977...as these shiny new entities full of hope for the future. And the love was reciprocated in full measure by ravenous fans over the decades. Now, the two rather limp back home. Although the final Star Wars movie is getting some unexpected kudos and a nice slap on the back, this prequel trilogy has hardly been a success. Meanwhile, Star Trek, aside from an extremely devoted core group, has largely been ignored at the box office and in the Nielsens for a number of years. It looks like the baton has been passed to the likes of Babylon 5 and the rejuvenated Battlestar Galactica...not a bad thing. In the meantime, we can wait a while before Trek and Wars come back from hibernation.
Sunday May 15, 9:24 p.m.
Well, today was pretty much all for Tokyo Disney Sea. The Beauty Pair picked me and Mr. Eccentric up at Urayasu Station this morning and we drove over to the south of the city where Disneyland, some major hotels and this relatively new complex called Disney Sea were located. To lift one line from a song that was playing all day in the amusement park, the area was definitely "a whole new world". It's interesting that within a proverbial stone's throw away from my motley neighbourhood, one of the largest and most famous playgrounds in the world exists with a huge amount of tourist infrastructure as backup.
Disney Sea was certainly not a cheap trip, though. I paid out 5500 yen for a one-day passport, about the same as the one to get into Disneyland. What is the difference between the two places? Well, they're within close proximity of each other but they're separate entities. However, don't let the "Sea" in the title fool you into thinking that this is the Marineland version of The Magic Kingdom. There are no Willies or Flippers to be found anywhere there. Basically, it is just a more adult version of the original which means that there are fewer roller coasters and more shows and classier food fare. Still, I saw a lot of families along with the couples traversing within its gates. And some of the Disney characters were still ever present gladhanding the customers, although some of the little ones were traumatized by the sights of these overgrown animals greeting them.
The theme park has based its raison d'etre on the recent musical Disney productions such as "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin". However, apparently Paramount was allowed to get its "Indiana Jones" ride squeezed in. Despite the relative dearth of rides, all four of us, as a first experience, tried "Stormrider", a virtual ride similar but better than the creaky ol' Star Wars ride that used to be the big hit at Tokyo Disneyland so many years ago. Basically, it's us in a fuselage of a Spruce Goose flying through a massive hurricane with a Han Solo at the controls. During the thrilling ride, we even had water sprayed in through the supposed cracks in the hull.
Then, we tried the "Indiana Jones" ride. For a guy who hasn't been on a roller coaster in many, many years, the speed and the twists and turns definitely got my blood running. Luckily, the final drop wasn't much of one so I didn't have to show everyone what I'd had at McDonalds for breakfast. The Pair and Eccentric did try it a second time later on in the day, but I wisely demurred. However, after that first attempt, we did go on a kiddy roller coaster. I still majorly clenched for the 30 seconds I was on it.
After that, it was all gravy though. We went out to lunch at what was basically an overdressed cafeteria called "Vulcania". However, the food was surprisingly good and not too badly priced considering what amusement park food usually goes for. All four of us had the course set of stir-fry chicken and veggies, shrimp in chili sauce, spicy sesame chicken salad and a chocolate roll cake. During lunch, I told them about the food museums in Ikebukuro; looks like we may have another excursion there in the not-so-distant future.
The afternoon was spent looking at shows. First off, we saw a small musical performance based on "The Little Mermaid"...a lot of cool puppets and trapeze artists flying around to the tunes from the famous movie. Then, we went to see a 3-D magic show based on "Aladdin"combining live action with an evil magician (who closely resembled Orson Welles at his most bombastic) and a quite convincing show with the Robin Williams-inspired Genie on the screen. The 3-D effects were quite spectacular.
After that show, all four of us hitched a ride on the merry-go-round. Eccentric and I had another thing in common aside from the fact that we're both confirmed bachelors. Neither of us had ridden on a carousel before. Very pleasant, and safe, ride.
We did some more walking around and took a breather inside a cafe. It was just as well since a thundersquall brought things to a halt for about an hour. When we got the all-clear from the P.A., we made our way to the "Indy" ride again where as I'd said previously, the Pair and Eccentric decided to give the mine shaft another try. When they came out surprisingly early, we walked all the way back near the entrance and into the Jazz Age zone...which was done up as a mockup of ol' 30s Broadway. The rest of the group was getting pretty tuckered out by then; I was also a bit tired but I seemed to have been better...probably because I walk like this almost every day as part of my job.
We caught the final show, "Encore" at a mockup of a musical theatre. This was the show that impressed me the most. I was at first a little mystified that this show was just 30 minutes with 60-minute breaks in between. However, after watching it, I can understand why the cast needs the longer down time. You know those musical segments in the Oscars where all of the nominees for Best Song are interpreted through dance and music? Well, that usually takes about 10 minutes at most and looks pretty darn difficult even watching from TV. Now, just mulitiply that by 3 and you've got "Encore". You have 20 hoofers and crooners on the stage singing their lungs out and dancing their legs off as they pay tribute to just about every musical hit from Broadway for 30 minutes non-stop. It was a whirlwind history of the musical from the 20s to the 70s as sets changed rapidly but as smoothly as silk. They had homages to "Oklahoma", "42nd Street", "Crazy for You" and "West Side Story" among others. It was a great incentive to try and catch these musicals in their entirety after what these guys managed to pull off. I was almost disappointed that the show ended but I think if any of these guys had continued any longer, there would have been need for ambulances and a cardiac unit.
Well, after 6 hours on our feet, we made our way back to the car and drove off to the nearest Denny's for what turned out to be a pretty full dinner considering that we'd quite a bit to eat for lunch. Still, it was a very pleasant two hours of talk. The Denny's was in a strip mall....a strip mall. I'd never seen one of those places here in Japan. It just looked like someone had pulled one from Toronto and threw it down near Disneyland. Only one difference....no teen gangs to worry about.
Got home tonight. Mom contacted me and complained slightly that I haven't been home. What else is new? Apparently, I'm getting three...count 'em, three...boxes of Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix. Mom always liked to send three when one would do. Plus, I'm getting a dress shirt. I also got a phone message from the juku boss...she just acknowledged that she'd gotten my response to her request but she'd like me to call her back. It probably won't be tonight so I'll just send her a message. And then, I got another message from The Coffeemaker thanking me for coming last night. And finally, I got my first message from The Satryr; it was addressed to both me and Movie Buddy. Hopefully, he can tag along for the next movie outing.
Well, got me some lesson planning to do...
Well, today was pretty much all for Tokyo Disney Sea. The Beauty Pair picked me and Mr. Eccentric up at Urayasu Station this morning and we drove over to the south of the city where Disneyland, some major hotels and this relatively new complex called Disney Sea were located. To lift one line from a song that was playing all day in the amusement park, the area was definitely "a whole new world". It's interesting that within a proverbial stone's throw away from my motley neighbourhood, one of the largest and most famous playgrounds in the world exists with a huge amount of tourist infrastructure as backup.
Disney Sea was certainly not a cheap trip, though. I paid out 5500 yen for a one-day passport, about the same as the one to get into Disneyland. What is the difference between the two places? Well, they're within close proximity of each other but they're separate entities. However, don't let the "Sea" in the title fool you into thinking that this is the Marineland version of The Magic Kingdom. There are no Willies or Flippers to be found anywhere there. Basically, it is just a more adult version of the original which means that there are fewer roller coasters and more shows and classier food fare. Still, I saw a lot of families along with the couples traversing within its gates. And some of the Disney characters were still ever present gladhanding the customers, although some of the little ones were traumatized by the sights of these overgrown animals greeting them.
The theme park has based its raison d'etre on the recent musical Disney productions such as "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin". However, apparently Paramount was allowed to get its "Indiana Jones" ride squeezed in. Despite the relative dearth of rides, all four of us, as a first experience, tried "Stormrider", a virtual ride similar but better than the creaky ol' Star Wars ride that used to be the big hit at Tokyo Disneyland so many years ago. Basically, it's us in a fuselage of a Spruce Goose flying through a massive hurricane with a Han Solo at the controls. During the thrilling ride, we even had water sprayed in through the supposed cracks in the hull.
Then, we tried the "Indiana Jones" ride. For a guy who hasn't been on a roller coaster in many, many years, the speed and the twists and turns definitely got my blood running. Luckily, the final drop wasn't much of one so I didn't have to show everyone what I'd had at McDonalds for breakfast. The Pair and Eccentric did try it a second time later on in the day, but I wisely demurred. However, after that first attempt, we did go on a kiddy roller coaster. I still majorly clenched for the 30 seconds I was on it.
After that, it was all gravy though. We went out to lunch at what was basically an overdressed cafeteria called "Vulcania". However, the food was surprisingly good and not too badly priced considering what amusement park food usually goes for. All four of us had the course set of stir-fry chicken and veggies, shrimp in chili sauce, spicy sesame chicken salad and a chocolate roll cake. During lunch, I told them about the food museums in Ikebukuro; looks like we may have another excursion there in the not-so-distant future.
The afternoon was spent looking at shows. First off, we saw a small musical performance based on "The Little Mermaid"...a lot of cool puppets and trapeze artists flying around to the tunes from the famous movie. Then, we went to see a 3-D magic show based on "Aladdin"combining live action with an evil magician (who closely resembled Orson Welles at his most bombastic) and a quite convincing show with the Robin Williams-inspired Genie on the screen. The 3-D effects were quite spectacular.
After that show, all four of us hitched a ride on the merry-go-round. Eccentric and I had another thing in common aside from the fact that we're both confirmed bachelors. Neither of us had ridden on a carousel before. Very pleasant, and safe, ride.
We did some more walking around and took a breather inside a cafe. It was just as well since a thundersquall brought things to a halt for about an hour. When we got the all-clear from the P.A., we made our way to the "Indy" ride again where as I'd said previously, the Pair and Eccentric decided to give the mine shaft another try. When they came out surprisingly early, we walked all the way back near the entrance and into the Jazz Age zone...which was done up as a mockup of ol' 30s Broadway. The rest of the group was getting pretty tuckered out by then; I was also a bit tired but I seemed to have been better...probably because I walk like this almost every day as part of my job.
We caught the final show, "Encore" at a mockup of a musical theatre. This was the show that impressed me the most. I was at first a little mystified that this show was just 30 minutes with 60-minute breaks in between. However, after watching it, I can understand why the cast needs the longer down time. You know those musical segments in the Oscars where all of the nominees for Best Song are interpreted through dance and music? Well, that usually takes about 10 minutes at most and looks pretty darn difficult even watching from TV. Now, just mulitiply that by 3 and you've got "Encore". You have 20 hoofers and crooners on the stage singing their lungs out and dancing their legs off as they pay tribute to just about every musical hit from Broadway for 30 minutes non-stop. It was a whirlwind history of the musical from the 20s to the 70s as sets changed rapidly but as smoothly as silk. They had homages to "Oklahoma", "42nd Street", "Crazy for You" and "West Side Story" among others. It was a great incentive to try and catch these musicals in their entirety after what these guys managed to pull off. I was almost disappointed that the show ended but I think if any of these guys had continued any longer, there would have been need for ambulances and a cardiac unit.
Well, after 6 hours on our feet, we made our way back to the car and drove off to the nearest Denny's for what turned out to be a pretty full dinner considering that we'd quite a bit to eat for lunch. Still, it was a very pleasant two hours of talk. The Denny's was in a strip mall....a strip mall. I'd never seen one of those places here in Japan. It just looked like someone had pulled one from Toronto and threw it down near Disneyland. Only one difference....no teen gangs to worry about.
Got home tonight. Mom contacted me and complained slightly that I haven't been home. What else is new? Apparently, I'm getting three...count 'em, three...boxes of Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix. Mom always liked to send three when one would do. Plus, I'm getting a dress shirt. I also got a phone message from the juku boss...she just acknowledged that she'd gotten my response to her request but she'd like me to call her back. It probably won't be tonight so I'll just send her a message. And then, I got another message from The Coffeemaker thanking me for coming last night. And finally, I got my first message from The Satryr; it was addressed to both me and Movie Buddy. Hopefully, he can tag along for the next movie outing.
Well, got me some lesson planning to do...
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Saturday May 14, 11:29 p.m.
Long day today. I had the two sisters. I won't be seeing them for about a couple of weeks due to family obligations on their side. The mother asked me how long it's been since I first started teaching them. I replied almost 2 years. Hmm...I didn't think too deeply about the question but I have to wonder how long I can continue to teach these kids. I'm sure that there are probably other better teachers out there for them. I kinda wonder if the mother is thinking those same thoughts herself.
After seeing JJ, I went over to Ichigaya for another reunion of the past year's crew. The other two teachers who came were Movie Buddy and The Satyr, who's now working for a boys' high school. It was a group of 10 which included The Coffeemaker, The Barmaiden, and Scully. I found out that at the welcome party today, the coordinator came uncharacteristically dressed in a gym trainer. I'm not quite sure what kind of message she was sending with that. In any case, it was a good five hours of noshing, drinking and talking as usual. Coffeemaker stated that there would probably be another get-together early in June when The Okinawan returns from her Canadian odyssey. And then probably when another alumna comes in from the States later in June, there will be another gathering.
Well, I've also got another student-inspired function to go to tomorrow. The Beauty Pair, along with Mr. Eccentric, have invited me to go to Disney Sea near my neighbourhood. It isn't too far from the main Tokyo Disneyland. Basically, Disney Sea is a more adult version of the Magic Kingdom...more for the couples and adults who are looking for a more sedate experience in the form of musicals and cuisine. The Pair told me that there was one ride, though, which is based on that mine ride from "Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom". Not sure about that...but the ladies assured me that it isn't anywhere as frenetic as a roller coaster. Another boost to my confidence came from an unlikely source. The elder sister of the Saturday kids told me that she was rather bored there. Great! If the kids don't like it, then it can't be that bad.
I got a rather intriguing message from the juku boss. She asked if I could dub a 150-page real estate book in English for a client within an hour before my regular classes on Tuesday. I had to laugh a bit sarcastically at that request.
Talking with JJ today got me wondering if I should try for another Yokohama retreat like I did last summer. Hmmm...wouldn't be a bad thing. But wouldn't it be nice if I could bring somebody along?
Long day today. I had the two sisters. I won't be seeing them for about a couple of weeks due to family obligations on their side. The mother asked me how long it's been since I first started teaching them. I replied almost 2 years. Hmm...I didn't think too deeply about the question but I have to wonder how long I can continue to teach these kids. I'm sure that there are probably other better teachers out there for them. I kinda wonder if the mother is thinking those same thoughts herself.
After seeing JJ, I went over to Ichigaya for another reunion of the past year's crew. The other two teachers who came were Movie Buddy and The Satyr, who's now working for a boys' high school. It was a group of 10 which included The Coffeemaker, The Barmaiden, and Scully. I found out that at the welcome party today, the coordinator came uncharacteristically dressed in a gym trainer. I'm not quite sure what kind of message she was sending with that. In any case, it was a good five hours of noshing, drinking and talking as usual. Coffeemaker stated that there would probably be another get-together early in June when The Okinawan returns from her Canadian odyssey. And then probably when another alumna comes in from the States later in June, there will be another gathering.
Well, I've also got another student-inspired function to go to tomorrow. The Beauty Pair, along with Mr. Eccentric, have invited me to go to Disney Sea near my neighbourhood. It isn't too far from the main Tokyo Disneyland. Basically, Disney Sea is a more adult version of the Magic Kingdom...more for the couples and adults who are looking for a more sedate experience in the form of musicals and cuisine. The Pair told me that there was one ride, though, which is based on that mine ride from "Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom". Not sure about that...but the ladies assured me that it isn't anywhere as frenetic as a roller coaster. Another boost to my confidence came from an unlikely source. The elder sister of the Saturday kids told me that she was rather bored there. Great! If the kids don't like it, then it can't be that bad.
I got a rather intriguing message from the juku boss. She asked if I could dub a 150-page real estate book in English for a client within an hour before my regular classes on Tuesday. I had to laugh a bit sarcastically at that request.
Talking with JJ today got me wondering if I should try for another Yokohama retreat like I did last summer. Hmmm...wouldn't be a bad thing. But wouldn't it be nice if I could bring somebody along?
Friday, May 13, 2005
Saturday May 14, 8:31 a.m.
Looks like the big news on NHK right now is about this so-called bank heist that occurred last night. If I didn't hear incorrectly, I think one of the suspects is a former cop. It's rather quaint that in a country which doesn't allow handguns in the vast majority of the public that the media reports exactly how many shots were fired by pursuing police. All of two! Quite a scandal, that.
Just caught the opening credits for the "Enterprise" mirror universe episode. Genious! Too bad the series ended last night.
I listened to that international Kaori Iida album. Hmm...I may have to listen to it again but my first hearing of it left me rather mixed. Since I don't understand Greek or Italian, I could accept her voice but since I do have some knowledge of French, I found her Gallic interpretations of "Downtown" (yes, the Petula Clark classic) and "The Girl From Ipanema" a bit mangled but I can't be too harsh since she was probably going at it all phonetically. Judging from the album and the single that I'd heard the night before, I think Ms. Iida shouldn't give up her day language. Nana Mouskouri needn't worry about any competition.
Well, off to work.
Looks like the big news on NHK right now is about this so-called bank heist that occurred last night. If I didn't hear incorrectly, I think one of the suspects is a former cop. It's rather quaint that in a country which doesn't allow handguns in the vast majority of the public that the media reports exactly how many shots were fired by pursuing police. All of two! Quite a scandal, that.
Just caught the opening credits for the "Enterprise" mirror universe episode. Genious! Too bad the series ended last night.
I listened to that international Kaori Iida album. Hmm...I may have to listen to it again but my first hearing of it left me rather mixed. Since I don't understand Greek or Italian, I could accept her voice but since I do have some knowledge of French, I found her Gallic interpretations of "Downtown" (yes, the Petula Clark classic) and "The Girl From Ipanema" a bit mangled but I can't be too harsh since she was probably going at it all phonetically. Judging from the album and the single that I'd heard the night before, I think Ms. Iida shouldn't give up her day language. Nana Mouskouri needn't worry about any competition.
Well, off to work.
Friday May 13, 9:27 p.m.
Well, so far so good, knock on wood. 2.5 hours left but nothing bad has occurred to me despite the unlucky day...although I did get that message from the coordinator about the welcome party. I just responded that since I no longer teach at the ol' school, it would be a bit silly and awkward for me to show up. Not sure how she'll react. Her message was pretty straightforward until she added that smarmy bit at the end that the Barmaiden was waiting for me. Uh...not exactly, I'd already told The Barmaiden why I wouldn't attend a number of weeks ago.
Did my usual Friday routine of teaching/talking to The Teacher and SR. I had lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant in Oazo. Looks like one of the staffers had decided to add a bit of "atmosphere" by yelling out a very enthusiastic "Thank you and have a very nice day!" to every customer who left. Can't damn the man for his gumption but frankly I couldn't wait to get out of there...unless it was his intention to ensure a short stay for each eater in the little place.
Went over to the HMV in Yurakucho and put my filled point card to good use and bought that full Kaori Iida album. It should be interesting...the former Morning Musume leader apparently sings in Greek, French and Italian. And she sings "The Girl From Ipanema". Talk about the acid test.
Hmm...looks like Channel 4 has put on "Evolution", that David Duchovny flick that's proven to be his only relative non-X-Files hit so far. It kinda strikes me as a lower copy of "Ghostbusters" with an alien bent instead of a supernatural one. Not particularly funny but there have been some snickerworthy lines.
Well, so far so good, knock on wood. 2.5 hours left but nothing bad has occurred to me despite the unlucky day...although I did get that message from the coordinator about the welcome party. I just responded that since I no longer teach at the ol' school, it would be a bit silly and awkward for me to show up. Not sure how she'll react. Her message was pretty straightforward until she added that smarmy bit at the end that the Barmaiden was waiting for me. Uh...not exactly, I'd already told The Barmaiden why I wouldn't attend a number of weeks ago.
Did my usual Friday routine of teaching/talking to The Teacher and SR. I had lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant in Oazo. Looks like one of the staffers had decided to add a bit of "atmosphere" by yelling out a very enthusiastic "Thank you and have a very nice day!" to every customer who left. Can't damn the man for his gumption but frankly I couldn't wait to get out of there...unless it was his intention to ensure a short stay for each eater in the little place.
Went over to the HMV in Yurakucho and put my filled point card to good use and bought that full Kaori Iida album. It should be interesting...the former Morning Musume leader apparently sings in Greek, French and Italian. And she sings "The Girl From Ipanema". Talk about the acid test.
Hmm...looks like Channel 4 has put on "Evolution", that David Duchovny flick that's proven to be his only relative non-X-Files hit so far. It kinda strikes me as a lower copy of "Ghostbusters" with an alien bent instead of a supernatural one. Not particularly funny but there have been some snickerworthy lines.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Friday May 13, 8:26 a.m.
Let's see...it's the unlucky day today and the Fuji-TV morning horoscope indicated that Libras are gonna have a bad day. Hmmm...I wonder if I should stay home....nahhh.
I taught the New Yorker last night. Yep, she's trying hard but she still mixes up her possessive pronouns with her personal ones (you can tell that I've been teaching for a long time, can't you?). And I've been teaching her twice a month for the past few months; I still have yet to get her onto Simple Present. So I'm now thinking that perhaps I'm going about the low-levels all wrong. My old group classes at the ol' school used a similar textbook everyday, 2 hours a day. As I said, the New Yorker only meets me twice a month, an hour a time. The pacing is wrong...I'm now considering accelerating the pace a bit. However, I also have to consider that the New Yorker isn't exactly the most confident of people...I may overwhelm her; still, I'll see if I can get some Simple Past into her before she and her sister take off for Las Vegas in June.
The tremors are still rumbling through my apartment, and in fact, my computer monitor is shivering as I type this. I'm now wondering if these aren't quakes but some sort of construction going on. In the past few years, we've had quite a bit of condo-building in the neighbourhood. All the Tokyo guides mention that earthquakes occur everyday continuously but the vast majority are undetectable. Well, I'd like to counter that statement right now. Mind you, the tremors actually did add to the sensurround experience of watching the latest thrilling episode of "Enterprise".
The Coffeemaker contacted me to say that there's another reunion coming up tomorrow in my old haunt. I'm sure that there is some influence from the fact that there is a welcome party for the new guys at the school. The Barmaiden is still part of the veteran class there so I'm sure it was her idea....not sure, though, if she'll bring some of the new folks over. The coordinator had sent me an "invitation" of sorts a few days ago but I didn't bother responding. It's rather silly to accept it when I'm persona non grata there.
Pretty gloomy outside right now...certainly adds to that Friday the 13th feeling. Nothing really to prepare for my two lessons today. It's the usual Friday that way...just The Teacher and SR. I do have to talk with SR, though, what she would like to do for the future. We've pretty much exhausted the grammar option. I think in between classes, I may drop by HMV again. I filled out my point card there when I bought the two CDS and magazine on Wednesday. So I've got a 2500 yen discount coming to me. Well, if I do find that full Kaori Iida CD, I'll grab that.
Speaking of CDs, I listened to Mika Nakashima's release last night, the rather obviously titled "Music". When I first heard her a few years ago, she had some good promise but found her voice a bit off tune which prevented me from getting more with her program. However, she's improved although I don't think she's quite reached the top of her game just yet. What I do like about this album and the last one is that she's explored a few genres, mostly in black music. There are examples of funk, R&B and jazz, and one song has her backed up with a bit of hard rock. Her jazz outing, a torch song called "Fake", is OK but it's obvious that she doesn't quite the range that Misia does. Mind you, Mika's star seems to be higher than Misia's at this time.
I've been watching this "developing story" on CNN's Anderson Cooper about these two parents who have been struggling to find a name for their daughter for the past 18 months. Not surprisingly, they've gotten their share of bricks from unbelieving people. Well, let me throw my own masonry into the fire. NAME HER, FOR BLOODY SAKE! STOP TAKING UP NEWS TIME! What do you think she is, Commander Data or the Doctor?! Ah...I feel better now.
Anyways, off to the salt mines.
Let's see...it's the unlucky day today and the Fuji-TV morning horoscope indicated that Libras are gonna have a bad day. Hmmm...I wonder if I should stay home....nahhh.
I taught the New Yorker last night. Yep, she's trying hard but she still mixes up her possessive pronouns with her personal ones (you can tell that I've been teaching for a long time, can't you?). And I've been teaching her twice a month for the past few months; I still have yet to get her onto Simple Present. So I'm now thinking that perhaps I'm going about the low-levels all wrong. My old group classes at the ol' school used a similar textbook everyday, 2 hours a day. As I said, the New Yorker only meets me twice a month, an hour a time. The pacing is wrong...I'm now considering accelerating the pace a bit. However, I also have to consider that the New Yorker isn't exactly the most confident of people...I may overwhelm her; still, I'll see if I can get some Simple Past into her before she and her sister take off for Las Vegas in June.
The tremors are still rumbling through my apartment, and in fact, my computer monitor is shivering as I type this. I'm now wondering if these aren't quakes but some sort of construction going on. In the past few years, we've had quite a bit of condo-building in the neighbourhood. All the Tokyo guides mention that earthquakes occur everyday continuously but the vast majority are undetectable. Well, I'd like to counter that statement right now. Mind you, the tremors actually did add to the sensurround experience of watching the latest thrilling episode of "Enterprise".
The Coffeemaker contacted me to say that there's another reunion coming up tomorrow in my old haunt. I'm sure that there is some influence from the fact that there is a welcome party for the new guys at the school. The Barmaiden is still part of the veteran class there so I'm sure it was her idea....not sure, though, if she'll bring some of the new folks over. The coordinator had sent me an "invitation" of sorts a few days ago but I didn't bother responding. It's rather silly to accept it when I'm persona non grata there.
Pretty gloomy outside right now...certainly adds to that Friday the 13th feeling. Nothing really to prepare for my two lessons today. It's the usual Friday that way...just The Teacher and SR. I do have to talk with SR, though, what she would like to do for the future. We've pretty much exhausted the grammar option. I think in between classes, I may drop by HMV again. I filled out my point card there when I bought the two CDS and magazine on Wednesday. So I've got a 2500 yen discount coming to me. Well, if I do find that full Kaori Iida CD, I'll grab that.
Speaking of CDs, I listened to Mika Nakashima's release last night, the rather obviously titled "Music". When I first heard her a few years ago, she had some good promise but found her voice a bit off tune which prevented me from getting more with her program. However, she's improved although I don't think she's quite reached the top of her game just yet. What I do like about this album and the last one is that she's explored a few genres, mostly in black music. There are examples of funk, R&B and jazz, and one song has her backed up with a bit of hard rock. Her jazz outing, a torch song called "Fake", is OK but it's obvious that she doesn't quite the range that Misia does. Mind you, Mika's star seems to be higher than Misia's at this time.
I've been watching this "developing story" on CNN's Anderson Cooper about these two parents who have been struggling to find a name for their daughter for the past 18 months. Not surprisingly, they've gotten their share of bricks from unbelieving people. Well, let me throw my own masonry into the fire. NAME HER, FOR BLOODY SAKE! STOP TAKING UP NEWS TIME! What do you think she is, Commander Data or the Doctor?! Ah...I feel better now.
Anyways, off to the salt mines.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Thursday May 12, 12:00 p.m.
Started perusing the tape that The Entrepreneur had sent me the night before. There was the "Enterprise" episode at the beginning, and then next up was an ep of the new "Doctor Who". Well, I can say that it's not my father's Doctor Who...or for that matter, my own "Doctor Who". A Doctor Who ep with musical interjections by Soft Cell and Britney Spears? And better special effects?
The new Doctor, by Chris Eccleston, resembles Movie Buddy in appearance and character, I have to admit. And the new companion is quite comely. The ep definitively, and perhaps even defiantly, sheds the production values and overall feel of the old series right from its opening credits to its slightly more profane dialogue to its bigger feel of pathos. At certain points, I thought I was watching "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". And I'm not quite sure if the new producer, Russell T. Davies, is actually continuing from the old series or if he has actually given it a re-imagination a la Tim Burton. I'm not quite sure about this Doctor's pitieous proclamation that he is the last of the Time Lords due to a great war...after all the Gallifreyans are supposedly the masters of time and space; Time Lords can then pop in at any time and in any number before this cataclysm occurs. The Doctor really doesn't have to look like MacBeth during his "Is this a dagger that I see..." soliloquy. Still, I'm willing to give the show a good shake as an old childhood fan of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.
Started perusing the tape that The Entrepreneur had sent me the night before. There was the "Enterprise" episode at the beginning, and then next up was an ep of the new "Doctor Who". Well, I can say that it's not my father's Doctor Who...or for that matter, my own "Doctor Who". A Doctor Who ep with musical interjections by Soft Cell and Britney Spears? And better special effects?
The new Doctor, by Chris Eccleston, resembles Movie Buddy in appearance and character, I have to admit. And the new companion is quite comely. The ep definitively, and perhaps even defiantly, sheds the production values and overall feel of the old series right from its opening credits to its slightly more profane dialogue to its bigger feel of pathos. At certain points, I thought I was watching "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". And I'm not quite sure if the new producer, Russell T. Davies, is actually continuing from the old series or if he has actually given it a re-imagination a la Tim Burton. I'm not quite sure about this Doctor's pitieous proclamation that he is the last of the Time Lords due to a great war...after all the Gallifreyans are supposedly the masters of time and space; Time Lords can then pop in at any time and in any number before this cataclysm occurs. The Doctor really doesn't have to look like MacBeth during his "Is this a dagger that I see..." soliloquy. Still, I'm willing to give the show a good shake as an old childhood fan of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.
Thursday May 12, 9:55 a.m.
Well, looks like there was some fun in Washington just when I turned the lights off here for bed. A couple of morons flew their Cessna into the no-fly zone around the White House. Luckily for their hides, the security protocols worked well and they're still alive although I hear that they're getting enough elephant dung piled on them by fellow pilots to fill the Astrodome. CNN at least has been having a field day with the coverage. Now I know what the protocols are.
For some reason, I've been feeling a lot of small tremors rumbling through my neighbourhood for the past number of days now. Nothing too serious...just feels as if a subway were going under my apartment building, and my computer shakes a bit. I can see this as a good thing...that the Earth is bleeding off its seismic energy in dribs and drabs thereby negating the need for a major quake, or on other other hand, this is a prelude to something infinitely worse.
I actually did listen to that Kaori Iida CD last night. Certainly, I don't think her music was one of those "Hold the presses"-type epiphanies, but she acquitted herself pretty well. She sounded no worse than any of those singers back in the 80s here who were exploring more European and South American sounds. The songs actually made me reminisce a bit to that era of non-idol adult contemporary stuff which was hiding under that rather thick slab of pop idol music that was prevalent 20 years ago. The two songs on the single were written by Morning Musume svengali, Tsunku, and they certainly sounded like Tsunku songs according to some of the stuff he's written for some of the other Musume. Still, it's nice to hear Iida singing more than the one line she's thrown on an average MM song. My only criticism of the single is that the two songs sound even more alike than the first two Rick Astley hits.
Well, I'm waiting for a package. Then in the afternoon it's back to the gym before having the sisters tonight.
Well, looks like there was some fun in Washington just when I turned the lights off here for bed. A couple of morons flew their Cessna into the no-fly zone around the White House. Luckily for their hides, the security protocols worked well and they're still alive although I hear that they're getting enough elephant dung piled on them by fellow pilots to fill the Astrodome. CNN at least has been having a field day with the coverage. Now I know what the protocols are.
For some reason, I've been feeling a lot of small tremors rumbling through my neighbourhood for the past number of days now. Nothing too serious...just feels as if a subway were going under my apartment building, and my computer shakes a bit. I can see this as a good thing...that the Earth is bleeding off its seismic energy in dribs and drabs thereby negating the need for a major quake, or on other other hand, this is a prelude to something infinitely worse.
I actually did listen to that Kaori Iida CD last night. Certainly, I don't think her music was one of those "Hold the presses"-type epiphanies, but she acquitted herself pretty well. She sounded no worse than any of those singers back in the 80s here who were exploring more European and South American sounds. The songs actually made me reminisce a bit to that era of non-idol adult contemporary stuff which was hiding under that rather thick slab of pop idol music that was prevalent 20 years ago. The two songs on the single were written by Morning Musume svengali, Tsunku, and they certainly sounded like Tsunku songs according to some of the stuff he's written for some of the other Musume. Still, it's nice to hear Iida singing more than the one line she's thrown on an average MM song. My only criticism of the single is that the two songs sound even more alike than the first two Rick Astley hits.
Well, I'm waiting for a package. Then in the afternoon it's back to the gym before having the sisters tonight.
Wednesday May 11, 10:18 p.m.
Finally got that workout in this morning after a couple of weeks of nothing. I didn't gain all that much for my fortnight of sloth...just 400 g. I was able to shave 75% of it off by the end. I'll probably be doing the same thing tomorrow afternoon before I have the The Carolinan and The New Yorker in the evening. It'll also be about a couple of weeks since I've been to The Tea Room.
After the workout, I had some lunch at that family restaurant just a few floors down from the gym. I went a bit cheaper since the lunch specials changed. I had a small piece of grilled chicken and Tatsuta-style fried mackerel with rice on the side...very Japanese family-style. Then, I popped on the subway. I had a fairly schizo old woman sitting not too far away from me; I could "feel" her staring at me through peripheral vision. Luckily, she didn't do anything that both she and I would regret, but she immediately jumped with a start when a salaryman sat right next to her which meant that she snuggled a bit closer to me. No harm done, though. On the way home, I also had an obnoxious guy standing over me snorting and flapping his paper very loudly. Not quite sure if he was also a nut but once he got a seat next to me, he calmed down.
On the way to The Hawaiian's lesson, I stopped off at HMV in Yurakucho. I bought a couple of CDs and an EMPIRE magazine which boasted and has delivered the largest amount of coverage on the next Star Wars movie. As for the CDs, I got Mika Nakashima's latest. She didn't let me down with her last album so I'm hopeful for this one. Actually, I had listened to it on a listening post some weeks ago and found it quite promising. The other one is a bit of a risk, though, since it is by a former Morning Musume member. Kaori Iida, one of the first generation, has released 3 albums so far in her solo career, all of which seem to be on the Meditteranean side of things musically which got me interested. And frankly speaking, she isn't all that bad to look at (settle down, kids). Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Actually, the disc I got is a single. If she sounds promising, I may actually go for that full album.
I finally got that debut as teacher at Speedy's school tonight. Student No. 001 was one of my charity lesson students from February. She's still wondering about which book to go with so I taught her the first lesson from the lower textbook. Not too surprisingly, she found it rather easy but I think she could stand to use it since her fluency and vocab aren't that high. It's all a matter of challenging her outside the text and having her use the text as review at home. All in all, though, she was quite happy with the lesson which was for an hour. In Speedy's system, the hour lesson is followed by a 15-minute break and then comes the 30-minute lounge session with a no-notebook, no-text policy. I think there will be some adjustments needed but Speedy may be onto a good thing. That is, if the students start to come in. I hope 001 will bring in some more numbers through word-of-mouth.
I was doing some research on the Net last night. Basically, I was looking for a new barber or hairstylist since my previous one has moved to the wilds of Gunma. Boy, it is NOT easy to do so since this time I was hoping to find a place that has bilingual service and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. However, I couldn't get any info at all on either criteria. The big hotels should have the bilingual service and I don't mind making the trek outside of my neighbourhood since I consider a Japanese tonsorial one of the few non-teaching events that I would venture long kilometres for, but the price is the thing. Kei of the Beauty Pair had mentioned last night that her stylist in Omotesando "only" charges about 10,000 yen! Ooops...obviously, she hasn't been to a suburban place. Well, I guess I'll have to start asking people. I'm due for a cut in another couple of weeks.
Well, I finally saw my first balanced review of "Revenge of the Sith" on Dark Horizons right now. He said that it was an enjoyable movie (and what Star Wars movie has gotten that tag in the over-2 decades since "Return of the Jedi"?) but he pointed out the good and bad points in equal measure. I knew that I had to temper my enthusiasm for those over-the-top raves. Mind you, the reviewer thought the final cut very cheesy. I know what the final scene is...and I guess my Star Wars colours are showing when I say that I'll heartily disagree.
Gotta do a bit of ironing and showering before hitting bed. Ahh...I also forgot about the dishes.
Quite cool today, though. Only went to 15 degrees in Tokyo. And Hokkaido is still getting snowed on.
Finally got that workout in this morning after a couple of weeks of nothing. I didn't gain all that much for my fortnight of sloth...just 400 g. I was able to shave 75% of it off by the end. I'll probably be doing the same thing tomorrow afternoon before I have the The Carolinan and The New Yorker in the evening. It'll also be about a couple of weeks since I've been to The Tea Room.
After the workout, I had some lunch at that family restaurant just a few floors down from the gym. I went a bit cheaper since the lunch specials changed. I had a small piece of grilled chicken and Tatsuta-style fried mackerel with rice on the side...very Japanese family-style. Then, I popped on the subway. I had a fairly schizo old woman sitting not too far away from me; I could "feel" her staring at me through peripheral vision. Luckily, she didn't do anything that both she and I would regret, but she immediately jumped with a start when a salaryman sat right next to her which meant that she snuggled a bit closer to me. No harm done, though. On the way home, I also had an obnoxious guy standing over me snorting and flapping his paper very loudly. Not quite sure if he was also a nut but once he got a seat next to me, he calmed down.
On the way to The Hawaiian's lesson, I stopped off at HMV in Yurakucho. I bought a couple of CDs and an EMPIRE magazine which boasted and has delivered the largest amount of coverage on the next Star Wars movie. As for the CDs, I got Mika Nakashima's latest. She didn't let me down with her last album so I'm hopeful for this one. Actually, I had listened to it on a listening post some weeks ago and found it quite promising. The other one is a bit of a risk, though, since it is by a former Morning Musume member. Kaori Iida, one of the first generation, has released 3 albums so far in her solo career, all of which seem to be on the Meditteranean side of things musically which got me interested. And frankly speaking, she isn't all that bad to look at (settle down, kids). Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Actually, the disc I got is a single. If she sounds promising, I may actually go for that full album.
I finally got that debut as teacher at Speedy's school tonight. Student No. 001 was one of my charity lesson students from February. She's still wondering about which book to go with so I taught her the first lesson from the lower textbook. Not too surprisingly, she found it rather easy but I think she could stand to use it since her fluency and vocab aren't that high. It's all a matter of challenging her outside the text and having her use the text as review at home. All in all, though, she was quite happy with the lesson which was for an hour. In Speedy's system, the hour lesson is followed by a 15-minute break and then comes the 30-minute lounge session with a no-notebook, no-text policy. I think there will be some adjustments needed but Speedy may be onto a good thing. That is, if the students start to come in. I hope 001 will bring in some more numbers through word-of-mouth.
I was doing some research on the Net last night. Basically, I was looking for a new barber or hairstylist since my previous one has moved to the wilds of Gunma. Boy, it is NOT easy to do so since this time I was hoping to find a place that has bilingual service and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. However, I couldn't get any info at all on either criteria. The big hotels should have the bilingual service and I don't mind making the trek outside of my neighbourhood since I consider a Japanese tonsorial one of the few non-teaching events that I would venture long kilometres for, but the price is the thing. Kei of the Beauty Pair had mentioned last night that her stylist in Omotesando "only" charges about 10,000 yen! Ooops...obviously, she hasn't been to a suburban place. Well, I guess I'll have to start asking people. I'm due for a cut in another couple of weeks.
Well, I finally saw my first balanced review of "Revenge of the Sith" on Dark Horizons right now. He said that it was an enjoyable movie (and what Star Wars movie has gotten that tag in the over-2 decades since "Return of the Jedi"?) but he pointed out the good and bad points in equal measure. I knew that I had to temper my enthusiasm for those over-the-top raves. Mind you, the reviewer thought the final cut very cheesy. I know what the final scene is...and I guess my Star Wars colours are showing when I say that I'll heartily disagree.
Gotta do a bit of ironing and showering before hitting bed. Ahh...I also forgot about the dishes.
Quite cool today, though. Only went to 15 degrees in Tokyo. And Hokkaido is still getting snowed on.
Monday, May 09, 2005
Tuesday May 10, 2:19 p.m.
Just had lunch and prepped lessons for the juku tonight. May not have been able to hit the gym today but at least I'm not fretting over my work. The Beehive was pretty self-generating in terms of conversation. The ladies, at one point, got into a comparison between the Japanese and American elementary school systems. All this was started over the fact that there's apparently been a special zone in Gunma Prefecture created whose elementary schools will teach everything only in English. Some families have even gone to the expense of moving into the zone. Interesting experiment but I'm not sure what the point is if the surrounding area is still Japan.
For lunch today, I had one of the usual supermarket offerings of bento, or boxed lunches. Japan is probably THE place to get a very efficently packed lunch for picnics or just the office noon hour. I hear that every JR station has its own special box lunch according to area. But for me, since I don't travel all that much, I'm content with whatever is available in my supermarket. And the supply is quite considerable; however, I think there are some food items which fit the box lunch image and some that don't. I think I had the one that doesn't. I had a bowl of Korean Bibimpap. Sorry...nice idea but I don't think it quite passes muster. The meat was all stringy and fatty like that of a typical Yoshinoya bowl (no, I'm not a fan of the place) and I wasn't crazy about the raw egg, either. I'll stick with the real thing at a Korean BBQ place. I think box lunches work best with fried chicken, sashimi and good ol' hamburger.
Well, it looks like "Revenge of the Sith" is getting lavish praise according to the IMDB site. So far, I've heard nothing but good-to-great reviews from the lucky ones who've gotten the sneak peek (mostly journos). The dialogue is still clunky in parts, and at this point, what's a Star Wars without lousy lines? But the story and the effects have finally come into tune...just in time.
Just had lunch and prepped lessons for the juku tonight. May not have been able to hit the gym today but at least I'm not fretting over my work. The Beehive was pretty self-generating in terms of conversation. The ladies, at one point, got into a comparison between the Japanese and American elementary school systems. All this was started over the fact that there's apparently been a special zone in Gunma Prefecture created whose elementary schools will teach everything only in English. Some families have even gone to the expense of moving into the zone. Interesting experiment but I'm not sure what the point is if the surrounding area is still Japan.
For lunch today, I had one of the usual supermarket offerings of bento, or boxed lunches. Japan is probably THE place to get a very efficently packed lunch for picnics or just the office noon hour. I hear that every JR station has its own special box lunch according to area. But for me, since I don't travel all that much, I'm content with whatever is available in my supermarket. And the supply is quite considerable; however, I think there are some food items which fit the box lunch image and some that don't. I think I had the one that doesn't. I had a bowl of Korean Bibimpap. Sorry...nice idea but I don't think it quite passes muster. The meat was all stringy and fatty like that of a typical Yoshinoya bowl (no, I'm not a fan of the place) and I wasn't crazy about the raw egg, either. I'll stick with the real thing at a Korean BBQ place. I think box lunches work best with fried chicken, sashimi and good ol' hamburger.
Well, it looks like "Revenge of the Sith" is getting lavish praise according to the IMDB site. So far, I've heard nothing but good-to-great reviews from the lucky ones who've gotten the sneak peek (mostly journos). The dialogue is still clunky in parts, and at this point, what's a Star Wars without lousy lines? But the story and the effects have finally come into tune...just in time.
Monday May 9, 11:00 p.m.
Pretty long day today. I had my first regular Monday lineup since GW finished up yesterday. The Class Act, as expected, talked about their respective trips to Hawaii. And as expected, I got my bountiful souvenirs: macadamia nuts, Godiva coffee and the wonderful H & H bagels from NYC thanks to the Lady's son-in-law. I bought some butter tonight so I can have a great breakfast tomorrow. SIL also had a great time in the Aloha State but none of the ladies spoke much English since Hawaii is more of a Japanese prefecture nowadays than an American state.
En route to The Company, I found out that Chip had to bail out due to some sudden business stuff. Luckily, I was able to get in contact with The Bohemian to make some adjustments. As for The Company, I just had the one student but managed to pull out some good stuff from him tonight.
Then I made my way over to the Odakyu Line gates to pick up The Bohemian. We spent about 30 minutes searching for a decent izakaya since he's more for drinking. We finally found some place that boasted cheap beer (for 180 yen...that IS indeed bargain basement). The place itself was on the west side of Shinjuku Station. It was smaller than the usual chains and the place was very much salt-of-the-earth. I think The Bohemian referred to it as "unsophisticated". But we had to admit that the beer tasted just as fine as well as the food. Certainly, I didn't have to pull out the big bucks like I did last night at Toraji but still I had to shuck out 3000 yen. To add to the ambience, our waitress was a tall lanky one draped by tattoos and various piercings on her face. She could've been fairly threatening but actually she was a pretty nice sort...good service, too. I don't think I'll make that place a regular hangout but for what it was worth, it was a good Monday night out.
Noticed on the Yamanote train interior monitors that there were a lot of accidents and mechanical breakdowns on the other JR lines around Tokyo. Well, I'm sure that a lot of the affected commuters must have been wondering about that accident in Amagasaki two weeks ago.
I'm just gonna forego the prep work on tomorrow's lessons. I'll see if I can get them done before I go to the Beehive. If worse comes to worse, I'll just sacrifice my return to the gym and plan over the afternoon.
Pretty long day today. I had my first regular Monday lineup since GW finished up yesterday. The Class Act, as expected, talked about their respective trips to Hawaii. And as expected, I got my bountiful souvenirs: macadamia nuts, Godiva coffee and the wonderful H & H bagels from NYC thanks to the Lady's son-in-law. I bought some butter tonight so I can have a great breakfast tomorrow. SIL also had a great time in the Aloha State but none of the ladies spoke much English since Hawaii is more of a Japanese prefecture nowadays than an American state.
En route to The Company, I found out that Chip had to bail out due to some sudden business stuff. Luckily, I was able to get in contact with The Bohemian to make some adjustments. As for The Company, I just had the one student but managed to pull out some good stuff from him tonight.
Then I made my way over to the Odakyu Line gates to pick up The Bohemian. We spent about 30 minutes searching for a decent izakaya since he's more for drinking. We finally found some place that boasted cheap beer (for 180 yen...that IS indeed bargain basement). The place itself was on the west side of Shinjuku Station. It was smaller than the usual chains and the place was very much salt-of-the-earth. I think The Bohemian referred to it as "unsophisticated". But we had to admit that the beer tasted just as fine as well as the food. Certainly, I didn't have to pull out the big bucks like I did last night at Toraji but still I had to shuck out 3000 yen. To add to the ambience, our waitress was a tall lanky one draped by tattoos and various piercings on her face. She could've been fairly threatening but actually she was a pretty nice sort...good service, too. I don't think I'll make that place a regular hangout but for what it was worth, it was a good Monday night out.
Noticed on the Yamanote train interior monitors that there were a lot of accidents and mechanical breakdowns on the other JR lines around Tokyo. Well, I'm sure that a lot of the affected commuters must have been wondering about that accident in Amagasaki two weeks ago.
I'm just gonna forego the prep work on tomorrow's lessons. I'll see if I can get them done before I go to the Beehive. If worse comes to worse, I'll just sacrifice my return to the gym and plan over the afternoon.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Monday May 9, 12:04 a.m.
Gotta get this done pretty quickly since I gotta get some shuteye. It's back to full duty from the morning.
Picked up a TIME at Tower Records before I met up with Chip and the bunch for dinner. It had a surprisingly positive review for the new Star Wars movie. Well, I'll be looking forward to that then.
Ten of us got together for dinner at Toraji, that Korean BBQ place on the 7th floor of the Parco 1 Building. We had a great 4 hours there but boy, did it cost us. I opened up the bill and saw this whopping bill for 75,000 yen. I knew beforehand that Toraji wasn't exactly bargain basement in the price department but some of us were a bit thrown by that figure. However, we cooled down when we realized that we'd ordered quite a bit to drink and quite a bit to eat. Chip was getting quite excited about seeing the new Star Wars movie. I lent him the TIME so that he could read the special on Lucas and his supposedly final movie. While we munched away on our succulent pieces of marinated beef, there was an interesting dichotomy of conversation. On the Chip's side of the table, the men talked about work while the women on the other side had a good time entertaining and being entertained by Chip's daughter.
Well, it looks like tonight will not be the last night I see him and the family before they take off for home this week. I may catch him for one final meal in Shinjuku after work. I've left a message with The Bohemian to see if he's available. I'm thinking of taking him to a tempura place in Takashimaya Times Square since Chip said that's the only thing he hasn't had in his 3 weeks back in Japan. We'll play it by ear.
Gotta get this done pretty quickly since I gotta get some shuteye. It's back to full duty from the morning.
Picked up a TIME at Tower Records before I met up with Chip and the bunch for dinner. It had a surprisingly positive review for the new Star Wars movie. Well, I'll be looking forward to that then.
Ten of us got together for dinner at Toraji, that Korean BBQ place on the 7th floor of the Parco 1 Building. We had a great 4 hours there but boy, did it cost us. I opened up the bill and saw this whopping bill for 75,000 yen. I knew beforehand that Toraji wasn't exactly bargain basement in the price department but some of us were a bit thrown by that figure. However, we cooled down when we realized that we'd ordered quite a bit to drink and quite a bit to eat. Chip was getting quite excited about seeing the new Star Wars movie. I lent him the TIME so that he could read the special on Lucas and his supposedly final movie. While we munched away on our succulent pieces of marinated beef, there was an interesting dichotomy of conversation. On the Chip's side of the table, the men talked about work while the women on the other side had a good time entertaining and being entertained by Chip's daughter.
Well, it looks like tonight will not be the last night I see him and the family before they take off for home this week. I may catch him for one final meal in Shinjuku after work. I've left a message with The Bohemian to see if he's available. I'm thinking of taking him to a tempura place in Takashimaya Times Square since Chip said that's the only thing he hasn't had in his 3 weeks back in Japan. We'll play it by ear.