Sunday May 30, 8:32 a.m.
It was indeed a quiet night last night. I cleaned up my place, and sure enough, it just took a few hours for the living room to get lived in again.
I made the final adjustments for the reservations at Fujimamas. It's only an increase of one, and I'm pretty sure that if I didn't say anything, they would just get another place setting arranged easily enough but I'm not one to leave things to chance when I'm planning something. Which is why some of the students have called me a "mame" or a bean. Over here, the lowly bean gets a promotion in that its slang meaning is "diligent one". I checked my e-mail; no messages from any of the participants which I'll take as a good sign. The last thing I need is a wholesale cancellation or more people all of a sudden.
I also did a dry run packing a single bag with my clothes and other stuff for Hokkaido. Keeping it light with just an extra pair of trousers, no pajamas among other things, I think I can pull it off. Also saw my hotel on the Internet; I took down the address and number; I'm happy about the check-in time but I would've liked a later check-out time, but I'm just grousing.
Not quite sure what I'll do after the brunch. Those two students from my juku never called up for the cheesecake thing in Ikebukuro so my stomach has been saved from a "Seven"-like fate. Most likely some of us will just head out for some form of coffee. In fact, I think I may even end up doing the course I did with Betty and The Office Lady a couple of weeks earlier. However, back then, it was pretty cold and rainy. From my vantage point, it looks far better today. Perhaps a walk around Harajuku and Omotesando would be in order.
Just a place to deposit my thoughts on life here in the Kanto and about anything else that sticks to my walls.
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Friday, May 28, 2004
Saturday May 29, 11:40 a.m.
Yup, really glad to have the day off. I've hung out the mattresses out to air out in what is a glorious day. It looks like my kids' schools aren't the only ones to have their festivals. The two elementary schools in my neighbourhood are currently having their own little sports festivals out in the schoolyards. The glacee stands are out there and families are bringing their picnic baskets and blankets. The usual John Phillip Sousa marches are playing while the kids are racing around the track.
Of course, I see this as an outsider since I have no connection with family which suits me just fine. I took my now-rare opportunity of getting my rubdown. I've always respected my massage clinic. I don't think I go there all that often and with all of the other customers that come in, I'm impressed that the receptionist and the director of the clinic not only know my name but what I usually want: work on my shoulders, neck and scalp. The place has become the equivalent of the neighbourhood tavern or even the old Japanese sento. Lots of banter among the techs and customers.
Well, I got my shopping done and now after lunch, I'll be cleaning up the apartment before dinner. Nice to do something not related to teaching once in a while. SR sent me a note stating that she won't be able to make our Friday lesson. I let her know that that was alright since I probably would appreciate the extra time off after coming back from Sapporo Thursday night.
I heard that a couple of Japanese journalists got shot and killed in Iraq. But I haven't heard anything in the wide shows which is rather strange, although I did see some headlines of the fact last night.
In a way, I hope I can get that cleaning done fairly quickly. On a day like today, I could sure use a nap.
Yup, really glad to have the day off. I've hung out the mattresses out to air out in what is a glorious day. It looks like my kids' schools aren't the only ones to have their festivals. The two elementary schools in my neighbourhood are currently having their own little sports festivals out in the schoolyards. The glacee stands are out there and families are bringing their picnic baskets and blankets. The usual John Phillip Sousa marches are playing while the kids are racing around the track.
Of course, I see this as an outsider since I have no connection with family which suits me just fine. I took my now-rare opportunity of getting my rubdown. I've always respected my massage clinic. I don't think I go there all that often and with all of the other customers that come in, I'm impressed that the receptionist and the director of the clinic not only know my name but what I usually want: work on my shoulders, neck and scalp. The place has become the equivalent of the neighbourhood tavern or even the old Japanese sento. Lots of banter among the techs and customers.
Well, I got my shopping done and now after lunch, I'll be cleaning up the apartment before dinner. Nice to do something not related to teaching once in a while. SR sent me a note stating that she won't be able to make our Friday lesson. I let her know that that was alright since I probably would appreciate the extra time off after coming back from Sapporo Thursday night.
I heard that a couple of Japanese journalists got shot and killed in Iraq. But I haven't heard anything in the wide shows which is rather strange, although I did see some headlines of the fact last night.
In a way, I hope I can get that cleaning done fairly quickly. On a day like today, I could sure use a nap.
Saturday May 29, 12:33 a.m.
Man, it was one of those boner days again yesterday with Arwen, 77 and Automan.The day before it was my fault for forgetting to call Automan, Today, however, was multi-pronged. First, 77 accidentally tipped over my teapot...well, that didn't really cramp my style since the owner of the tea room was more than happy to fill up the pot once again. But I found out that I hadn't given them some handouts which would've supplied some homework for them, so I looked pretty foolish there. And then Movie Buddy dropped in, so I wasn't sure if 77 were too happy about having another chatfest instead of some substantial work being done. MB is a great guy but sometimes he doesn't know when not to stay out of stuff.
Then, it was trying to contact Automan several times and just getting his message machine. I finally had to leave the Tea Room's number on it so that Automan could reach me. It turned out that his cellphone batteries had died. So the trio of us and MB ended up spending an extra 2 hours there before we could get some sort of idea of what was happening. I felt doubly bad since I had asked Arwen and 77 if they wanted to tag along. I wasn't sure if they were thinking of coming along initially since I hadn't heard any sort of response but obviously when they hung on for the extra 2 hours, I knew that something was up. Well, it wasn't over yet. Automan and I decided that we would meet him at Akihabara Station at 5:30. He didn't show up until 6:00 p.m. which didn't exactly please me but I didn't say anything since I had company. But the fact that the two women were left hanging (at one point, they even wrote placards with Automan's name on it to flag him down) left me feeling even more guilty.
As it turned out, we ended up going to a nearby Denny's where some of us just had some juice. During the usual interrogation by the ladies of our guest, Automan decided to correct the ladies on their grammar which embarrassed and irked me. There is a time to correct students and there is a time NOT to do so. Overall, I felt very uncomfortable; I realize that I had informed Arwen about the fact that we would meet him for some coffee and then dinner but with his tardiness and just the long lag time, I felt like I was responsible for wasting their time. He can be feckless.
Luckily, he left a bit early so that he could meet up with some more old friends in Ikebukuro. The three of us, alone again, could talk up a bit before I went to catch up with Automan at the restaurant in Ikebukuro. There, I met up with one old friend, The Veteran, whom I hadn't seen in years since our time in the old club together. He'd gotten married with a Japanese woman and was now living in Matsudo. There were quite a few people there, all who had lived in Toronto at some period in the last decade. One of them had a rather massive decolletage. However, most of the time was spent talking with The Veteran. He'd only been in the Big Sushi a few months but he's already grumbling about the chaos of life here, and he has yet to experience a Japanese summer. Some people get used to it; others beg to get on the first plane out of the country.
We were restricted to 2 hours at the place. It was another one of those classier izakaya with the burnt wood interiors, dim lighting and jazz music and somewhat imaginatively produced food. Afterwards, we had the prerequisite spate of reunion photos and surprisingly enough, I believe that most of us called it a night. I certainly wanted to; not that I didn't enjoy the company but it was a Friday night and that means a lot of drunken idiots on the train. Sure enough, my train back home had some besotted fool attempting to stay standing beside me while I had my seat. His bag kept hitting me on the knee; I coddled fanstasies of taking ripping into the leather until I remembered from the conversation with Arwen and 77. Arwen mentioned that a week previously, when she, the coordinator and a couple of other former students went off to a concert, the coordinator, rather drunk and smoking heavily, gleefully admitted to vandalizing a neighbour's dog which was barking too much. Knowing the coordinator was just one book short of a shelf, I rather held back on my foul thoughts. In any case, the drunk got off a couple of stations before I did.
I got home, took a shower and then sent off an e-mail apologizing to Arwen about the past day. I know that she'll probably fend off any apology for both her and 77 but I think things just didn't work out. I'll have to be pretty careful about inviting them next time.
I'm so happy that I don't have to teach the kids today. I'll be getting that long-needed rubdown at my massage clinic before I tackle cleaning the place up. And then I'm gonna try and see if I can pack just one bag for Hokkaido.
Saw Macauley Culkin on Larry King tonight. Man, he's annoyingly chirpy. I can't really say that he's turned out all that physically handsome either.
Man, it was one of those boner days again yesterday with Arwen, 77 and Automan.The day before it was my fault for forgetting to call Automan, Today, however, was multi-pronged. First, 77 accidentally tipped over my teapot...well, that didn't really cramp my style since the owner of the tea room was more than happy to fill up the pot once again. But I found out that I hadn't given them some handouts which would've supplied some homework for them, so I looked pretty foolish there. And then Movie Buddy dropped in, so I wasn't sure if 77 were too happy about having another chatfest instead of some substantial work being done. MB is a great guy but sometimes he doesn't know when not to stay out of stuff.
Then, it was trying to contact Automan several times and just getting his message machine. I finally had to leave the Tea Room's number on it so that Automan could reach me. It turned out that his cellphone batteries had died. So the trio of us and MB ended up spending an extra 2 hours there before we could get some sort of idea of what was happening. I felt doubly bad since I had asked Arwen and 77 if they wanted to tag along. I wasn't sure if they were thinking of coming along initially since I hadn't heard any sort of response but obviously when they hung on for the extra 2 hours, I knew that something was up. Well, it wasn't over yet. Automan and I decided that we would meet him at Akihabara Station at 5:30. He didn't show up until 6:00 p.m. which didn't exactly please me but I didn't say anything since I had company. But the fact that the two women were left hanging (at one point, they even wrote placards with Automan's name on it to flag him down) left me feeling even more guilty.
As it turned out, we ended up going to a nearby Denny's where some of us just had some juice. During the usual interrogation by the ladies of our guest, Automan decided to correct the ladies on their grammar which embarrassed and irked me. There is a time to correct students and there is a time NOT to do so. Overall, I felt very uncomfortable; I realize that I had informed Arwen about the fact that we would meet him for some coffee and then dinner but with his tardiness and just the long lag time, I felt like I was responsible for wasting their time. He can be feckless.
Luckily, he left a bit early so that he could meet up with some more old friends in Ikebukuro. The three of us, alone again, could talk up a bit before I went to catch up with Automan at the restaurant in Ikebukuro. There, I met up with one old friend, The Veteran, whom I hadn't seen in years since our time in the old club together. He'd gotten married with a Japanese woman and was now living in Matsudo. There were quite a few people there, all who had lived in Toronto at some period in the last decade. One of them had a rather massive decolletage. However, most of the time was spent talking with The Veteran. He'd only been in the Big Sushi a few months but he's already grumbling about the chaos of life here, and he has yet to experience a Japanese summer. Some people get used to it; others beg to get on the first plane out of the country.
We were restricted to 2 hours at the place. It was another one of those classier izakaya with the burnt wood interiors, dim lighting and jazz music and somewhat imaginatively produced food. Afterwards, we had the prerequisite spate of reunion photos and surprisingly enough, I believe that most of us called it a night. I certainly wanted to; not that I didn't enjoy the company but it was a Friday night and that means a lot of drunken idiots on the train. Sure enough, my train back home had some besotted fool attempting to stay standing beside me while I had my seat. His bag kept hitting me on the knee; I coddled fanstasies of taking ripping into the leather until I remembered from the conversation with Arwen and 77. Arwen mentioned that a week previously, when she, the coordinator and a couple of other former students went off to a concert, the coordinator, rather drunk and smoking heavily, gleefully admitted to vandalizing a neighbour's dog which was barking too much. Knowing the coordinator was just one book short of a shelf, I rather held back on my foul thoughts. In any case, the drunk got off a couple of stations before I did.
I got home, took a shower and then sent off an e-mail apologizing to Arwen about the past day. I know that she'll probably fend off any apology for both her and 77 but I think things just didn't work out. I'll have to be pretty careful about inviting them next time.
I'm so happy that I don't have to teach the kids today. I'll be getting that long-needed rubdown at my massage clinic before I tackle cleaning the place up. And then I'm gonna try and see if I can pack just one bag for Hokkaido.
Saw Macauley Culkin on Larry King tonight. Man, he's annoyingly chirpy. I can't really say that he's turned out all that physically handsome either.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Friday May 28, 8:47 a.m.
Pretty warm start to the day. I've got the fan on at full blast right now.
My juku boss let me know not to worry about next Tuesday classes. She'll probably just cancel them. I think it's much better that way and I'd feel more at ease.
Now, for one of my observations on the paradoxes of this society. For a country that has a pacifistic constitution (albeit one written by the United States), the Japanese seem to have a very high gore threshold. In the past few weeks, I've gone through some of their tabloids...glossier than their American or British equivalents but tabloids nonetheless. They have shown the pics of those American engineers who were shot and immolated by the Iraqis, and they actually showed the beheading of Nick Berg, including the picture of the terrorist holding Berg's head. Now, one can point out that the grisly video is on the Internet for anyone to access, but I think that people here have much easier access to a magazine at a kiosk than to a computer website. Also, in the video stores I've come across stuff like "Faces of Death". In another mini-paradox of the horror genre, the traditional Japanese horror has very little gore, relying on mood and centuries-old horror characters to scare the pants off of the audience. However, there are also the Japanese take on Western-style "splatter" horror movies which seem to outgore "Friday the 13th" or "Elm Street" by a good country mile. I'll save the...gory..details, but one traipse through a video store here will bear my observation out.
Pretty warm start to the day. I've got the fan on at full blast right now.
My juku boss let me know not to worry about next Tuesday classes. She'll probably just cancel them. I think it's much better that way and I'd feel more at ease.
Now, for one of my observations on the paradoxes of this society. For a country that has a pacifistic constitution (albeit one written by the United States), the Japanese seem to have a very high gore threshold. In the past few weeks, I've gone through some of their tabloids...glossier than their American or British equivalents but tabloids nonetheless. They have shown the pics of those American engineers who were shot and immolated by the Iraqis, and they actually showed the beheading of Nick Berg, including the picture of the terrorist holding Berg's head. Now, one can point out that the grisly video is on the Internet for anyone to access, but I think that people here have much easier access to a magazine at a kiosk than to a computer website. Also, in the video stores I've come across stuff like "Faces of Death". In another mini-paradox of the horror genre, the traditional Japanese horror has very little gore, relying on mood and centuries-old horror characters to scare the pants off of the audience. However, there are also the Japanese take on Western-style "splatter" horror movies which seem to outgore "Friday the 13th" or "Elm Street" by a good country mile. I'll save the...gory..details, but one traipse through a video store here will bear my observation out.
Thursday May 27, 9:19 p.m.
Today's class went well. Unfortunately, I pulled a bit of a boner by forgetting to call Automan after the class to let him know my availability. He contacted me so I'll definitely be meeting him tomorrow afternoon.
The Curry Master informed me that there is a possibility that it might be rather difficult from now on to have Thursday classes because of some job training. I'm not sure if she's telling the truth or if she's doing the usual Japanese white lie to save face, but I let her know that if she won't be available, perhaps I can teach that other woman she had mentioned weeks ago.
Well, I've got those reservations in for Sunday. Sure enough, the first e-mail I get is from OA asking if her buddy can join in the fun. I'll hold on and see if someone decides to cancel out before I make any changes.
Today's class went well. Unfortunately, I pulled a bit of a boner by forgetting to call Automan after the class to let him know my availability. He contacted me so I'll definitely be meeting him tomorrow afternoon.
The Curry Master informed me that there is a possibility that it might be rather difficult from now on to have Thursday classes because of some job training. I'm not sure if she's telling the truth or if she's doing the usual Japanese white lie to save face, but I let her know that if she won't be available, perhaps I can teach that other woman she had mentioned weeks ago.
Well, I've got those reservations in for Sunday. Sure enough, the first e-mail I get is from OA asking if her buddy can join in the fun. I'll hold on and see if someone decides to cancel out before I make any changes.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Wednesday May 26, 10:10 p.m.
Another appearance of the Dancing Bear for another class at the school. The kids had a great time as usual but I'm kinda wondering if I just acted a little too much like fellow Canadian Jim Carrey instead of the professional teacher. In retrospect, I think I should've pulled myself in a bit. However, tomorrow's lesson is with the lowest class which I didn't exactly set on fire the first time around, so I may have to pull out the stops for them.
Once I got home I had a few housekeeping things to set up. It looks like I got a party of 7 for the brunch so I'll have to get that reservation at Fujimamas tomorrow morning. But I figure even if I can't snag it, we'll just show up 30 minutes earlier and just grab some seats.
I actually got my coupons for Hokkaido tonight from a rather forlorn delivery man. Looks like everything is in order. And I don't have to show up hours earlier for my morning flight. 40 minutes will do just nicely.
I called up The Curry Master since I didn't get any response from her by e-mail. It looks like she's had a bout with tonsillitis. Over here, it's not the custom to have the tonsils out during childhood. In fact, the philsophy about the tissue is exactly opposite from that of North America. Over here, apparently, the tonsils are kept to protect oneself from bacteria. Well, CM managed to survive the past two days without having to rid herself of them. So, it looks like the lessons are on tomorrow. However, she has told me that most likely she won't be subbing for me on Tuesday since she's gonna be too busy and with her energy levels rather sapped from the tonsillitis, she won't be in too good of a condition for teaching. I'm not exactly disappointed with her decision. Call it a bit of Mother Hen Syndrome but after a year of teaching my Tuesday nighters, I feel a bit defensive of anyone taking over. Plus, the logistics involved would be a bit difficult to pull off since I'm gonna have to write reports and make a lot of copies. However, I'm not sure how the boss is gonna take it, though. There is one more veteran teacher that she could ask, but that teacher is a bit on the strict side.
It looks like the party for Automan last night went off well. It turned out to be a regular reunion for the U of T guys. I haven't heard anything from him yet about tomorrow afternoon, the only window of opportunity that we have to meet.
I called up the mother of my Saturday afternoon kid. Yup, the morning students' mother called it right. The afternoon kid will be out at that school festival. I've got the entire day off. I can do some prelim planning for the trip next week.
Another appearance of the Dancing Bear for another class at the school. The kids had a great time as usual but I'm kinda wondering if I just acted a little too much like fellow Canadian Jim Carrey instead of the professional teacher. In retrospect, I think I should've pulled myself in a bit. However, tomorrow's lesson is with the lowest class which I didn't exactly set on fire the first time around, so I may have to pull out the stops for them.
Once I got home I had a few housekeeping things to set up. It looks like I got a party of 7 for the brunch so I'll have to get that reservation at Fujimamas tomorrow morning. But I figure even if I can't snag it, we'll just show up 30 minutes earlier and just grab some seats.
I actually got my coupons for Hokkaido tonight from a rather forlorn delivery man. Looks like everything is in order. And I don't have to show up hours earlier for my morning flight. 40 minutes will do just nicely.
I called up The Curry Master since I didn't get any response from her by e-mail. It looks like she's had a bout with tonsillitis. Over here, it's not the custom to have the tonsils out during childhood. In fact, the philsophy about the tissue is exactly opposite from that of North America. Over here, apparently, the tonsils are kept to protect oneself from bacteria. Well, CM managed to survive the past two days without having to rid herself of them. So, it looks like the lessons are on tomorrow. However, she has told me that most likely she won't be subbing for me on Tuesday since she's gonna be too busy and with her energy levels rather sapped from the tonsillitis, she won't be in too good of a condition for teaching. I'm not exactly disappointed with her decision. Call it a bit of Mother Hen Syndrome but after a year of teaching my Tuesday nighters, I feel a bit defensive of anyone taking over. Plus, the logistics involved would be a bit difficult to pull off since I'm gonna have to write reports and make a lot of copies. However, I'm not sure how the boss is gonna take it, though. There is one more veteran teacher that she could ask, but that teacher is a bit on the strict side.
It looks like the party for Automan last night went off well. It turned out to be a regular reunion for the U of T guys. I haven't heard anything from him yet about tomorrow afternoon, the only window of opportunity that we have to meet.
I called up the mother of my Saturday afternoon kid. Yup, the morning students' mother called it right. The afternoon kid will be out at that school festival. I've got the entire day off. I can do some prelim planning for the trip next week.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Wednesday May 26, 8:39 a.m.
It hasn't gotten mentioned on CNN, so I'll do the honours. It looks like the Japanese authorities have started moving in on some places for the Al Qaeda connection. Apparently, there is one fellow that they really want to meet.
Looks like another potential blockbuster threat to the United States has surfaced again. Must be summer...
I checked the e-mail. I haven't received any acknowledgement from the Curry Master about the assignment that I'd sent earlier this morning. She usually checks her e-mail around midnight so I'm wondering if her mother is keeping her away from the computer.
Well, I'm facing far less work today. I'm only a third as busy as I was yesterday. Just three hours worth of classes.
That Japanese kid who won the Best Actor prize at Cannes hasn't made too much of a splash here in the media since grabbing it. It looks like the abductees are still taking the front page. In a way, I think it's quite right.
It hasn't gotten mentioned on CNN, so I'll do the honours. It looks like the Japanese authorities have started moving in on some places for the Al Qaeda connection. Apparently, there is one fellow that they really want to meet.
Looks like another potential blockbuster threat to the United States has surfaced again. Must be summer...
I checked the e-mail. I haven't received any acknowledgement from the Curry Master about the assignment that I'd sent earlier this morning. She usually checks her e-mail around midnight so I'm wondering if her mother is keeping her away from the computer.
Well, I'm facing far less work today. I'm only a third as busy as I was yesterday. Just three hours worth of classes.
That Japanese kid who won the Best Actor prize at Cannes hasn't made too much of a splash here in the media since grabbing it. It looks like the abductees are still taking the front page. In a way, I think it's quite right.
Wednesday May 26, 12:21 a.m.
I ran through the gauntlet of classes yesterday more or less intact. I didn't even have to rely on the vitamin drinks. My juku boss' 3 cups of coffee got me through the night. However, I was happy to get that shower when I got home. That spruced me up a bit to get through the e-mail and blogging business before I hit the hay.
The two classes at the school went well. I kept my streak of reducing students to giggling mounds of jelly alive with my Dancing Bear act. Basically, I was brought in to teach the top class yesterday since the coordinator got an earful from the kids the day before for some lousy teaching from the others. Basically put, I was the English teaching equivalent of the stopper. The students quickly picked up on that as soon as I came in, and sure enough, I got the job done. But boy, it's not a good situation if I have to be brought in for that sort of thing too often.
I raced to the juku after my classes with a quick stop at a convenience store for a very small dinner of two rice balls, a tangy salad and some strawberry chocolates. My first pair of students got pretty interested in my flyer of that Cheesecake Exhibition in Namjatown at the Sunshine 60 Building in Ikebukuro. The older sullen sister on Saturday gave it to me after her visit there. One of them suggested a potential visit there on the 30th since the exhibition will be wrapping up on June 6th. The 30th is also the day for that brunch with Arwen and 77. In a way, I'm kinda hoping that the plans for this visit to munch on cheesecake falls through since I'm not sure what my condition will be after another brunch at Fujimamas. Plus, the exhibition will probably be packed with people on Sunday anyways.
Speaking of Fujimamas, I so far have 5 people including myself ready to go for brunch. I need one more person to get those reservations in. However, if noone else shows up, I can save myself the phone call and just tell everyone to show up in Harajuku at 10:30 a.m.
By the end of my juku classes, I was fit to be tied. And yet, I still had to make some copies for the sub teacher for my Thursday night student and then talk with the boss about next Tuesday's classes. There's a possibility that the Curry Master will be taking over for me then so I've gotta get some info out to her. I still have to get an assignment made up for her lesson on Thursday night. But the boss told me last night that CM's mother is in town staying at her place so I'm not sure what her situation will be.
Another old friend of mine from years past, Seiko, sent me a message about an upcoming alumni reunion party in July. She quickly pointed out the fact that she's back to her maiden name. Uh-oh. I remember some years ago when she boasted that she and her hubby had never had a spat since tying the knot. I guess they both caught up on that part to their detriment.
The Persian's friend sent me a message stating that she won't be able to make it out for Saturday since she'll probably be packing for her trip back to Taiwan on Sunday. A pity but totally understandable. I also wonder how that party for Automan went last night. With the 9 hours of classes, I forgot about this wingding.
I wrapped up the Charlie Brown retrospective with that 1987 interview with Schulz. He may have been a somewhat neurotic fellow with chronic self-doubt but he certainly didn't hold back on his opinions about other artists. He sure had a chip on his shoulder about Garry Trudeau and Doonesbury. I certainly could relate with Schulz though with a number of his personal issues. A number of parallels can be drawn between the two of us. Either we could have been good friends or the worst of enemies.
Well, gotta get that assignment done and it's already almost 1.
I ran through the gauntlet of classes yesterday more or less intact. I didn't even have to rely on the vitamin drinks. My juku boss' 3 cups of coffee got me through the night. However, I was happy to get that shower when I got home. That spruced me up a bit to get through the e-mail and blogging business before I hit the hay.
The two classes at the school went well. I kept my streak of reducing students to giggling mounds of jelly alive with my Dancing Bear act. Basically, I was brought in to teach the top class yesterday since the coordinator got an earful from the kids the day before for some lousy teaching from the others. Basically put, I was the English teaching equivalent of the stopper. The students quickly picked up on that as soon as I came in, and sure enough, I got the job done. But boy, it's not a good situation if I have to be brought in for that sort of thing too often.
I raced to the juku after my classes with a quick stop at a convenience store for a very small dinner of two rice balls, a tangy salad and some strawberry chocolates. My first pair of students got pretty interested in my flyer of that Cheesecake Exhibition in Namjatown at the Sunshine 60 Building in Ikebukuro. The older sullen sister on Saturday gave it to me after her visit there. One of them suggested a potential visit there on the 30th since the exhibition will be wrapping up on June 6th. The 30th is also the day for that brunch with Arwen and 77. In a way, I'm kinda hoping that the plans for this visit to munch on cheesecake falls through since I'm not sure what my condition will be after another brunch at Fujimamas. Plus, the exhibition will probably be packed with people on Sunday anyways.
Speaking of Fujimamas, I so far have 5 people including myself ready to go for brunch. I need one more person to get those reservations in. However, if noone else shows up, I can save myself the phone call and just tell everyone to show up in Harajuku at 10:30 a.m.
By the end of my juku classes, I was fit to be tied. And yet, I still had to make some copies for the sub teacher for my Thursday night student and then talk with the boss about next Tuesday's classes. There's a possibility that the Curry Master will be taking over for me then so I've gotta get some info out to her. I still have to get an assignment made up for her lesson on Thursday night. But the boss told me last night that CM's mother is in town staying at her place so I'm not sure what her situation will be.
Another old friend of mine from years past, Seiko, sent me a message about an upcoming alumni reunion party in July. She quickly pointed out the fact that she's back to her maiden name. Uh-oh. I remember some years ago when she boasted that she and her hubby had never had a spat since tying the knot. I guess they both caught up on that part to their detriment.
The Persian's friend sent me a message stating that she won't be able to make it out for Saturday since she'll probably be packing for her trip back to Taiwan on Sunday. A pity but totally understandable. I also wonder how that party for Automan went last night. With the 9 hours of classes, I forgot about this wingding.
I wrapped up the Charlie Brown retrospective with that 1987 interview with Schulz. He may have been a somewhat neurotic fellow with chronic self-doubt but he certainly didn't hold back on his opinions about other artists. He sure had a chip on his shoulder about Garry Trudeau and Doonesbury. I certainly could relate with Schulz though with a number of his personal issues. A number of parallels can be drawn between the two of us. Either we could have been good friends or the worst of enemies.
Well, gotta get that assignment done and it's already almost 1.
Monday, May 24, 2004
Monday May 24, 9:48 p.m.
Feeling pretty tired right now after 5 hours of classes. Not a good omen for tomorrow's marathon of classes. Well, I guess I'll have to load up on the vitamin drinks and coffee.
My first class with the ladies ended up as another gabfest. One of them, the owner of the house that I teach at, asked if we could actually tackle some written material in the form of a short story or an article. Knowing them, I think an article would be better since they sidetrack so easily. It's almost like throwing a bowling ball down an alley which has been bent upwards in the middle.
My final class with the company folks wasn't as bad as last week's slogfest but it certainly wasn't any thriller. I was saved by the fact that the weakest link in the class was out on a business trip and the fact that for some reason, the guys got pretty obsessed with trying to distinguish [r] and [l] in pronunciation. Go fig!
It was another bipolar day meterologically. After the freeze and rain of yesterday, the morning and afternoon were pretty much in the slow broil zone. However, the rain has come back tonight. Apparently, this checkerboard approach to weather will continue tomorrow with another sunny day.
I'm rather lucky that I was able to start planning for tomorrow's classes during the brief break that I had before the company class. I'm not much up for doing anything academic right now. I'll probably just wash the dishes, throw out the garbage and take a shower. I would hit the hay right at 11 as well if it weren't for the fact that I ate dinner at 9. If I'm gonna save my stomach from morning turmoil, I don't dare go to bed until at least midnight.
I made it through the first volume of strips from THE COMPLETE PEANUTS and now I'm starting the rather deep analysis of Schulz's masterpiece by some sort of expert. Going through the first two years of PEANUTS (1950-1952) was a revelation for me. I was born some 15 years after its debut so the characters had already evolved into their "mature" state, so to speak, starting with my first exposure to the annual Xmas special. The less shaky, even more simplistic drawings aside, it was interesting to note that Charlie Brown had often been as vindictive as his friends in the early days...far from the lovable loser that we know today. Snoopy was much more conventional as a mostly mute beagle which walked on all four feet, Linus and Schroeder were barely toddlers, Patty, Violet and Shermy were Chuck's main buddies, and Lucy was not just a little companion who looked up to Charlie but she was actually sweet. It'll probably cost me a fair bit of coin but I'm definitely looking forward to Volume 2.
In more contemporary and localized pop culture, it looks like Morning Musume will be ousting another couple of members come January. One, the current leader, won't be any major loss since she seems to just exist as a living totem pole, but the other is a fairly popular figure. With the defections of three other popular members this year, some of the young'uns on the MM maillist have been crying out for the hide of Tsunku, the Svengali of the group. It's hard to say what the guy's motives are with this huge Spring Cleaning. Perhaps he's trying to induce a quick demise to a group that has peaked a few years ago or perhaps he's trying to pull off a rather drastic Hail Mary.
What else is new? Well, according to CNN, PM Koizumi's approval ratings have gone up a bit since the weekend's summit which got those kids out of North Korea. I'm pretty confident that those families whose missing members are still such weren't responsible for the rise in the polls.
I got word from my contact at Japan Tours about my travel coupons for Hokkaido next week. It'd been a week since I had heard anything from her so I was getting a bit antsy. I'm wondering if she's just a rookie, though, she seems to ask a lot of questions like a greenhorn. Well, I gotta get a bag to carry some of my clothes. I don't particularly want to carry a suitcase for a trip like this.
And that giggly friend of the Persian's contacted me again by e-mail. I suggested that we could meet up on Saturday night for dinner before she finally heads out back to the home country.
Feeling pretty tired right now after 5 hours of classes. Not a good omen for tomorrow's marathon of classes. Well, I guess I'll have to load up on the vitamin drinks and coffee.
My first class with the ladies ended up as another gabfest. One of them, the owner of the house that I teach at, asked if we could actually tackle some written material in the form of a short story or an article. Knowing them, I think an article would be better since they sidetrack so easily. It's almost like throwing a bowling ball down an alley which has been bent upwards in the middle.
My final class with the company folks wasn't as bad as last week's slogfest but it certainly wasn't any thriller. I was saved by the fact that the weakest link in the class was out on a business trip and the fact that for some reason, the guys got pretty obsessed with trying to distinguish [r] and [l] in pronunciation. Go fig!
It was another bipolar day meterologically. After the freeze and rain of yesterday, the morning and afternoon were pretty much in the slow broil zone. However, the rain has come back tonight. Apparently, this checkerboard approach to weather will continue tomorrow with another sunny day.
I'm rather lucky that I was able to start planning for tomorrow's classes during the brief break that I had before the company class. I'm not much up for doing anything academic right now. I'll probably just wash the dishes, throw out the garbage and take a shower. I would hit the hay right at 11 as well if it weren't for the fact that I ate dinner at 9. If I'm gonna save my stomach from morning turmoil, I don't dare go to bed until at least midnight.
I made it through the first volume of strips from THE COMPLETE PEANUTS and now I'm starting the rather deep analysis of Schulz's masterpiece by some sort of expert. Going through the first two years of PEANUTS (1950-1952) was a revelation for me. I was born some 15 years after its debut so the characters had already evolved into their "mature" state, so to speak, starting with my first exposure to the annual Xmas special. The less shaky, even more simplistic drawings aside, it was interesting to note that Charlie Brown had often been as vindictive as his friends in the early days...far from the lovable loser that we know today. Snoopy was much more conventional as a mostly mute beagle which walked on all four feet, Linus and Schroeder were barely toddlers, Patty, Violet and Shermy were Chuck's main buddies, and Lucy was not just a little companion who looked up to Charlie but she was actually sweet. It'll probably cost me a fair bit of coin but I'm definitely looking forward to Volume 2.
In more contemporary and localized pop culture, it looks like Morning Musume will be ousting another couple of members come January. One, the current leader, won't be any major loss since she seems to just exist as a living totem pole, but the other is a fairly popular figure. With the defections of three other popular members this year, some of the young'uns on the MM maillist have been crying out for the hide of Tsunku, the Svengali of the group. It's hard to say what the guy's motives are with this huge Spring Cleaning. Perhaps he's trying to induce a quick demise to a group that has peaked a few years ago or perhaps he's trying to pull off a rather drastic Hail Mary.
What else is new? Well, according to CNN, PM Koizumi's approval ratings have gone up a bit since the weekend's summit which got those kids out of North Korea. I'm pretty confident that those families whose missing members are still such weren't responsible for the rise in the polls.
I got word from my contact at Japan Tours about my travel coupons for Hokkaido next week. It'd been a week since I had heard anything from her so I was getting a bit antsy. I'm wondering if she's just a rookie, though, she seems to ask a lot of questions like a greenhorn. Well, I gotta get a bag to carry some of my clothes. I don't particularly want to carry a suitcase for a trip like this.
And that giggly friend of the Persian's contacted me again by e-mail. I suggested that we could meet up on Saturday night for dinner before she finally heads out back to the home country.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Sunday May 23, 9:25 p.m.
Got together with some of the gang to catch TROY. But first I picked up that first volume of the Peanuts gang. I saved a good 1000 yen by picking it up at Towers instead of another bookstore. I guess I've got that case of Snoopy fever now.
I had a half-hour before the group met up at the Picadilly in Shinjuku so I took a walk down to check out the Virgin Megastore only to find that it has been replaced by a furniture shop. I guess unless it has moved its digs elsewhere, Richard Branson is making even less of a mark now than ever. His Virgin cola didn't last too long here and I guess the same is true about his CD store. It really couldn't compete with HMV and Towers.
Skippy and the Maid were the first to show up. They told me that three of the others including The Madame were going to be scratches. However, Movie Buddy saved the day by bringing Frodo and another friend of his. TROY was an OK movie as blockbusters go...plenty of action and the two stars comported themselves quite well. I think Eric Bana is starting to make inroads toward the A-list, for example. I can't even imagine him as a sketch comedian as he was back in Oz, but then again, who would have thought that Tom Hanks would become the Jimmy Stewart of the early 21st century back in his Bosom Buddies days?
Anyways, storywise, Homer would have been spinning in his grave somewhat. The movie itself probably gets a 6 or 7 in my estimation; it just didn't have all that epic a feel despite all that CG of marching armies and sailing ships. But I've got a feeling that Achilles' line of "Take it!...It's yours!" could become the catchphrase of the summer.
Afterwards, all of us went to this nearby cafe with very stylish sensibilities and jazz music. MB and Frodo picked up their better halves and one other lad to join our group. There was some transitional time necessary to get everyone comfy with each other but it did get accomplished. Mind you, it isn't everyday that the extraction of wisdom teeth becomes one of the main topics for discussion. OA called up on Skippy's phone. She couldn't make it because of her TOEIC test; it'd been a few weeks since I'd heard from her. I think the last time was during the Ballerina's dinner when she got obnoxiously drunk.
All of us split up but Skippy, The Maid and I decided to head to the wilds of Kabukicho into the Theatre Plaza facing the Koma Theater to see the actual Trojan Horse used in TROY. Somehow, the powers-that-be managed to deconstruct, ship and then reconstruct it in the plaza. The two ladies took some pics standing in front of it with their cellphone cameras.
More info got talked about concerning the brunch next Sunday and then even the next movie. Most likely, it'll be THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW.
In other news, those family members of the abductees finally got home from North Korea in what was another live event across all of the channels. Cameras were following every kilometre from Haneda Airport to the Akasaka Prince Hotel as the bus and police escort made its way across downtown Tokyo. Meanwhile, the guy who got them out of there, PM Koizumi, is in pretty hot water with the families of 10 still-missing abductees. They were uncharacteristically blunt and furious at the Prime Minister for not doing nearly enough to get info on what has happened to their long-lost loved ones. I can understand the families' frustrations but I also gotta feel for the PM as well. It was pretty much a no-win situation; there was no way that enough info would have satisfied the families and one has to be very careful negotiating with a self-made delusional god like Kim Jong Il.
I forgot to mention that Automan called me up this morning. Apparently, he was already on the tarmac running when he got in last night. He'd already gotten invited to some sort of do out in Yokohama which would be a good 2 hours from Narita on a good day. Surprisingly, he accepted and trudged all the way out there. He said he was still in pretty good condition. But I'm not sure if we will be able to get together considering the tightness of both our schedules this week.
Well, off to take a shower, get a cup of chai into me, and then read some more Peanuts to Vince Guaraldi before hitting the hay. The lesson planning can wait til the morning.
Got together with some of the gang to catch TROY. But first I picked up that first volume of the Peanuts gang. I saved a good 1000 yen by picking it up at Towers instead of another bookstore. I guess I've got that case of Snoopy fever now.
I had a half-hour before the group met up at the Picadilly in Shinjuku so I took a walk down to check out the Virgin Megastore only to find that it has been replaced by a furniture shop. I guess unless it has moved its digs elsewhere, Richard Branson is making even less of a mark now than ever. His Virgin cola didn't last too long here and I guess the same is true about his CD store. It really couldn't compete with HMV and Towers.
Skippy and the Maid were the first to show up. They told me that three of the others including The Madame were going to be scratches. However, Movie Buddy saved the day by bringing Frodo and another friend of his. TROY was an OK movie as blockbusters go...plenty of action and the two stars comported themselves quite well. I think Eric Bana is starting to make inroads toward the A-list, for example. I can't even imagine him as a sketch comedian as he was back in Oz, but then again, who would have thought that Tom Hanks would become the Jimmy Stewart of the early 21st century back in his Bosom Buddies days?
Anyways, storywise, Homer would have been spinning in his grave somewhat. The movie itself probably gets a 6 or 7 in my estimation; it just didn't have all that epic a feel despite all that CG of marching armies and sailing ships. But I've got a feeling that Achilles' line of "Take it!...It's yours!" could become the catchphrase of the summer.
Afterwards, all of us went to this nearby cafe with very stylish sensibilities and jazz music. MB and Frodo picked up their better halves and one other lad to join our group. There was some transitional time necessary to get everyone comfy with each other but it did get accomplished. Mind you, it isn't everyday that the extraction of wisdom teeth becomes one of the main topics for discussion. OA called up on Skippy's phone. She couldn't make it because of her TOEIC test; it'd been a few weeks since I'd heard from her. I think the last time was during the Ballerina's dinner when she got obnoxiously drunk.
All of us split up but Skippy, The Maid and I decided to head to the wilds of Kabukicho into the Theatre Plaza facing the Koma Theater to see the actual Trojan Horse used in TROY. Somehow, the powers-that-be managed to deconstruct, ship and then reconstruct it in the plaza. The two ladies took some pics standing in front of it with their cellphone cameras.
More info got talked about concerning the brunch next Sunday and then even the next movie. Most likely, it'll be THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW.
In other news, those family members of the abductees finally got home from North Korea in what was another live event across all of the channels. Cameras were following every kilometre from Haneda Airport to the Akasaka Prince Hotel as the bus and police escort made its way across downtown Tokyo. Meanwhile, the guy who got them out of there, PM Koizumi, is in pretty hot water with the families of 10 still-missing abductees. They were uncharacteristically blunt and furious at the Prime Minister for not doing nearly enough to get info on what has happened to their long-lost loved ones. I can understand the families' frustrations but I also gotta feel for the PM as well. It was pretty much a no-win situation; there was no way that enough info would have satisfied the families and one has to be very careful negotiating with a self-made delusional god like Kim Jong Il.
I forgot to mention that Automan called me up this morning. Apparently, he was already on the tarmac running when he got in last night. He'd already gotten invited to some sort of do out in Yokohama which would be a good 2 hours from Narita on a good day. Surprisingly, he accepted and trudged all the way out there. He said he was still in pretty good condition. But I'm not sure if we will be able to get together considering the tightness of both our schedules this week.
Well, off to take a shower, get a cup of chai into me, and then read some more Peanuts to Vince Guaraldi before hitting the hay. The lesson planning can wait til the morning.
Friday, May 21, 2004
Saturday May 22, 7:51 a.m.
Looks like my classes have been cut in half. The mother of my youngest called up last night to say that today's lesson is a scrub. So, I'm off at 1.
The Scarecrow also sent a message stating that he's also a scrub for Sunday's TROY outing. He'd thought that the outing was for today. Ach, but he is interested for the 30th for brunch. So, we're looking at 4 right now.
The Weather Office noted that yesterday was the first day in a week that the sun actually deigned to show itself. It's decided to go into hiding again for at least the weekend.
It also looks like I'm still negotiating between the Iconclast and the Prez. Now, it's just trying to arrange how the two are gonna meet in Hong Kong.
The big news here is that the PM has headed for North Korea for another rescue mission: this time to scoop up the remaining family members of those 5 former kidnapees from over 25 years ago. If he is successful, the weekend news should be focusing on that fact almost exclusively.
On a totally different note, I see that "Enterprise" has been saved from the axe and given a 1-year reprieve. It'll probably be the final year for the show, the shortest duration for any of the Treks. It's kinda too bad since I've liked Scott Bakula as good Captain Archer, but I think the show was just one show too many for the exhausted Trekkies.
And on a related note, it looks like the next and presumably final Star Wars movie is getting the first good title since "RETURN OF THE JEDI". It's apparently going to be called "BIRTH OF THE EMPIRE" although admittedly I don't think that will improve Hayden Christensen's acting any.
Looks like my classes have been cut in half. The mother of my youngest called up last night to say that today's lesson is a scrub. So, I'm off at 1.
The Scarecrow also sent a message stating that he's also a scrub for Sunday's TROY outing. He'd thought that the outing was for today. Ach, but he is interested for the 30th for brunch. So, we're looking at 4 right now.
The Weather Office noted that yesterday was the first day in a week that the sun actually deigned to show itself. It's decided to go into hiding again for at least the weekend.
It also looks like I'm still negotiating between the Iconclast and the Prez. Now, it's just trying to arrange how the two are gonna meet in Hong Kong.
The big news here is that the PM has headed for North Korea for another rescue mission: this time to scoop up the remaining family members of those 5 former kidnapees from over 25 years ago. If he is successful, the weekend news should be focusing on that fact almost exclusively.
On a totally different note, I see that "Enterprise" has been saved from the axe and given a 1-year reprieve. It'll probably be the final year for the show, the shortest duration for any of the Treks. It's kinda too bad since I've liked Scott Bakula as good Captain Archer, but I think the show was just one show too many for the exhausted Trekkies.
And on a related note, it looks like the next and presumably final Star Wars movie is getting the first good title since "RETURN OF THE JEDI". It's apparently going to be called "BIRTH OF THE EMPIRE" although admittedly I don't think that will improve Hayden Christensen's acting any.
Friday May 21, 8:19 p.m.
Well, barely half an hour after my last entry in which I described the Sturm und Drang of Typhoon 2, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was almost like a Tex Avery version of a sunrise..that dramatic. So my lesson with the Teacher was on.
From our lesson today, I gained a bit more insight into her character. She's definitely got more high-falutin' tastes than me. She's into Italian antiques and somewhat more esoteric movies. She even mentioned M. Butterfly, a flick that had been filmed more than a decade ago at my workplace at the U of T. She was relatively flabbergasted at that admission, so I said I would bring over some photos from the location next week. On a totally different note, she has a way of speaking past me...not quite answering my comments accurately...it didn't quite annoy me like the Stylist did on Wednesday.
Then I sped off to the Tea Room to teach Arwen and 77. It was an earlier-than-usual slot for them since Arwen had an engagment to see jazz singer Chie Ayado with the school coordinator and Jazz Expert. At one point in our lesson, we were all rather surprised to see Jazz Buddy and the rest of her old classmates in the top class of the school come traipsing into the Tea Room. I'm not sure if this were going to become a regular thing with them. I also started the ball rolling on a potential brunch with them and some other former students for brunch at Fujimamas on the 30th.
SR then entered and we started talking on singledom vs. marriage thanks to some of the material I provided her. We also wondered how the rest of the alumni from her year were doing. It was quite the school reunion today at the Tea Room since lo and behold Movie Buddy dropped in for a few minutes. He also gave his promise to show up for TROY on Sunday.
I used that postcard I got from my kaiten sushi place the other day for dinner there tonight. Not too bad. I was able to get a free plate of BBQ eel sushi.
Gotta get started on my kids' lessons for tomorrow. Right now, the regular edition of MUSIC STATION is on TV Asahi. I hardly ever catch it since I'm out most Fridays with Arwen and occasionally 77 but since I've got an early night off, I have it on for old times' sake. The usual hitmakers like Glay and Morning Musume are on. I can't say that I give it the same devotion that I used to since my interest in J-Pop has waned over the years.
It looks like I got swamped with school classes next week. Tuesday should be especially exhausting since I'll be teaching 8.5 hours worth. Ack...at least I'll be getting money for my troubles and I've got that trip to Hokkaido the week after. Plus, I've pretty much equaled the average monthly expenditure for miscellaneous items thanks to the payment for the trip so the extra money will be welcome.
Well, barely half an hour after my last entry in which I described the Sturm und Drang of Typhoon 2, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was almost like a Tex Avery version of a sunrise..that dramatic. So my lesson with the Teacher was on.
From our lesson today, I gained a bit more insight into her character. She's definitely got more high-falutin' tastes than me. She's into Italian antiques and somewhat more esoteric movies. She even mentioned M. Butterfly, a flick that had been filmed more than a decade ago at my workplace at the U of T. She was relatively flabbergasted at that admission, so I said I would bring over some photos from the location next week. On a totally different note, she has a way of speaking past me...not quite answering my comments accurately...it didn't quite annoy me like the Stylist did on Wednesday.
Then I sped off to the Tea Room to teach Arwen and 77. It was an earlier-than-usual slot for them since Arwen had an engagment to see jazz singer Chie Ayado with the school coordinator and Jazz Expert. At one point in our lesson, we were all rather surprised to see Jazz Buddy and the rest of her old classmates in the top class of the school come traipsing into the Tea Room. I'm not sure if this were going to become a regular thing with them. I also started the ball rolling on a potential brunch with them and some other former students for brunch at Fujimamas on the 30th.
SR then entered and we started talking on singledom vs. marriage thanks to some of the material I provided her. We also wondered how the rest of the alumni from her year were doing. It was quite the school reunion today at the Tea Room since lo and behold Movie Buddy dropped in for a few minutes. He also gave his promise to show up for TROY on Sunday.
I used that postcard I got from my kaiten sushi place the other day for dinner there tonight. Not too bad. I was able to get a free plate of BBQ eel sushi.
Gotta get started on my kids' lessons for tomorrow. Right now, the regular edition of MUSIC STATION is on TV Asahi. I hardly ever catch it since I'm out most Fridays with Arwen and occasionally 77 but since I've got an early night off, I have it on for old times' sake. The usual hitmakers like Glay and Morning Musume are on. I can't say that I give it the same devotion that I used to since my interest in J-Pop has waned over the years.
It looks like I got swamped with school classes next week. Tuesday should be especially exhausting since I'll be teaching 8.5 hours worth. Ack...at least I'll be getting money for my troubles and I've got that trip to Hokkaido the week after. Plus, I've pretty much equaled the average monthly expenditure for miscellaneous items thanks to the payment for the trip so the extra money will be welcome.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Friday May 21, 7:23 a.m.
T2 has arrived. I'm hearing spates of heavy rain and howling winds out there. I already received a midnight message from The Teacher after she got my e-mail; it looks like she'll be a scratch today. Can't say that I blame her. However, the other two students should be OK since the afternoon bodes well for the sun.
T2 has arrived. I'm hearing spates of heavy rain and howling winds out there. I already received a midnight message from The Teacher after she got my e-mail; it looks like she'll be a scratch today. Can't say that I blame her. However, the other two students should be OK since the afternoon bodes well for the sun.
Thursday May 20, 11:00 p.m.
Well, Typhoon No. 2 is coming on into the Kanto with the closest approach slated for 9 a.m. tomorrow. However, once it passes, the afternoon should be nice and sunny. My only concern is for the first lesson with the Teacher, so I sent off a message to her. I'll probably be taking down the clothes poles lest they get blown away overnight.
It looks like another storm of sorts has been slowly simmering over the months at my old school. I had a chat with the DJ this afternoon while I was just knocking back time in the lounge. With the decrease in classes and some danger of retaining some of the company clients, the DJ has told me that there has been some rumbling between the top two idiots. Neither of us are surprised at the current events; this has been coming for years now. The DJ is the longest-serving SANE teacher at the school. Our most veteran teacher seems to be slowly stretching apart at the seams. We both wonder why he continues to remain as the staff's whipping boy. I kinda liken it to a wife who continues to remain with an abusive husband.
My class with the oft-absent student tonight went pretty well. However, his next class will be with the other only foreign teacher in about 10 days since he has to make up a lot of missed classes and I'm not available on Saturdays. I hope everything is OK; I've only met her once and she's very nice but she's also very no-nonsense. My student comes off a bit Gomer Pyle-ish at times.
My juku boss also informed me that that rather argumentative student who's part of that trio I teach in my middle class on Tuesdays is coming back in June. She has apologized for missing out on the last few classes, but my juku boss, in one of her very few instances of frustration, could only shake her head. She told me that in the past three years that the student's been with the juku, none of the other teachers had really liked her because of her somewhat dour demeanor. She does have that side to her but she also has shown a lighter side as well. I can also understand some of her frustration at having to wait for her two lower classmates to catch up but she could use a bit more patience.
The Prez actually CC'ed a message to me which was targeted for the Anime Master. He wanted to find out how to get to the Iconoclast's wedding party on Monday. Hey, that was my assignment. I don't think the Prez would be that smarmy to actually give me a shot across the bow to get me to hurry up on that answer, so I'm assuming that he was just trying to milk all the udders, so to speak. In any case, the timing couldn't have been better since the Iconoclast did reply. He said he would pick the Prez up whenever and wherever he arrived in Hong Kong. I just hope my reply reaches the Prez in time.
In any case, I've got to fill out that report on my student. Then, I have to take a quick look at tomorrow's lessons before hopping into a shower and then bedtime.
Well, Typhoon No. 2 is coming on into the Kanto with the closest approach slated for 9 a.m. tomorrow. However, once it passes, the afternoon should be nice and sunny. My only concern is for the first lesson with the Teacher, so I sent off a message to her. I'll probably be taking down the clothes poles lest they get blown away overnight.
It looks like another storm of sorts has been slowly simmering over the months at my old school. I had a chat with the DJ this afternoon while I was just knocking back time in the lounge. With the decrease in classes and some danger of retaining some of the company clients, the DJ has told me that there has been some rumbling between the top two idiots. Neither of us are surprised at the current events; this has been coming for years now. The DJ is the longest-serving SANE teacher at the school. Our most veteran teacher seems to be slowly stretching apart at the seams. We both wonder why he continues to remain as the staff's whipping boy. I kinda liken it to a wife who continues to remain with an abusive husband.
My class with the oft-absent student tonight went pretty well. However, his next class will be with the other only foreign teacher in about 10 days since he has to make up a lot of missed classes and I'm not available on Saturdays. I hope everything is OK; I've only met her once and she's very nice but she's also very no-nonsense. My student comes off a bit Gomer Pyle-ish at times.
My juku boss also informed me that that rather argumentative student who's part of that trio I teach in my middle class on Tuesdays is coming back in June. She has apologized for missing out on the last few classes, but my juku boss, in one of her very few instances of frustration, could only shake her head. She told me that in the past three years that the student's been with the juku, none of the other teachers had really liked her because of her somewhat dour demeanor. She does have that side to her but she also has shown a lighter side as well. I can also understand some of her frustration at having to wait for her two lower classmates to catch up but she could use a bit more patience.
The Prez actually CC'ed a message to me which was targeted for the Anime Master. He wanted to find out how to get to the Iconoclast's wedding party on Monday. Hey, that was my assignment. I don't think the Prez would be that smarmy to actually give me a shot across the bow to get me to hurry up on that answer, so I'm assuming that he was just trying to milk all the udders, so to speak. In any case, the timing couldn't have been better since the Iconoclast did reply. He said he would pick the Prez up whenever and wherever he arrived in Hong Kong. I just hope my reply reaches the Prez in time.
In any case, I've got to fill out that report on my student. Then, I have to take a quick look at tomorrow's lessons before hopping into a shower and then bedtime.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Thursday May 20, 8:34 a.m.
Looks like that steady rain is a mere prelude to the second typhoon of the season which will sideswipe the islands in the next couple of days. The last couple of years, we've been getting our dose of heavy rain and winds a lot earlier, and Tokyo seems to have inherited Typhoon Alley from Okinawa. Well, Typhoon No. 2 (they number their storms here instead of giving names) is expected to hit us sometime tomorrow afternoon. I'm just kinda wondering how this will affect my classes for Friday since Fridays are usually among my busiest days. I'll be smack dab in the middle of work when this storm hits. I may face some cancellations.
Well, at this point, I've got The Madame, Skippy and her buddies, and the Scarecrow coming for TROY on Sunday. Strangely, I haven't heard anything from Movie Buddy for a couple of weeks. Not even one of his terse e-mail messages. Curry Master spoke of a possible falling-out between him and her last week, but I'm not sure how that would influence this situation.
I was going through my Japan travel book last night. It is pretty comprehensive. It even included who the hot singers and TV personalities are. Good heavens...even Morning Musume was mentioned, but admittedly, they've become a permanent fixture in local pop culture. Yet another spinoff group has been spawned from the main tribe of pre-pubescent and post-pubescent girls. Two of the most popular members, the twins-who-are-not-twins, Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji, have flown from the nest to become W. The entire MM phenomenon is the J-Pop equivalent of the X-Men comic book franchise, although I think W is most akin to the Wonder Twins.
The last couple of days, there had been a case of a Yakuza gangster holed up in an apartment with a hostage keeping police at bay. Apparently, the mobster had done the same sort of thing before several years ago. Well, this time was his swan song. The hostage apparently committed suicide and the Yakuza is dead after police finally stormed the apartment. Not a happy ending but at least a piece of scum is out of the way.
Looks like that steady rain is a mere prelude to the second typhoon of the season which will sideswipe the islands in the next couple of days. The last couple of years, we've been getting our dose of heavy rain and winds a lot earlier, and Tokyo seems to have inherited Typhoon Alley from Okinawa. Well, Typhoon No. 2 (they number their storms here instead of giving names) is expected to hit us sometime tomorrow afternoon. I'm just kinda wondering how this will affect my classes for Friday since Fridays are usually among my busiest days. I'll be smack dab in the middle of work when this storm hits. I may face some cancellations.
Well, at this point, I've got The Madame, Skippy and her buddies, and the Scarecrow coming for TROY on Sunday. Strangely, I haven't heard anything from Movie Buddy for a couple of weeks. Not even one of his terse e-mail messages. Curry Master spoke of a possible falling-out between him and her last week, but I'm not sure how that would influence this situation.
I was going through my Japan travel book last night. It is pretty comprehensive. It even included who the hot singers and TV personalities are. Good heavens...even Morning Musume was mentioned, but admittedly, they've become a permanent fixture in local pop culture. Yet another spinoff group has been spawned from the main tribe of pre-pubescent and post-pubescent girls. Two of the most popular members, the twins-who-are-not-twins, Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji, have flown from the nest to become W. The entire MM phenomenon is the J-Pop equivalent of the X-Men comic book franchise, although I think W is most akin to the Wonder Twins.
The last couple of days, there had been a case of a Yakuza gangster holed up in an apartment with a hostage keeping police at bay. Apparently, the mobster had done the same sort of thing before several years ago. Well, this time was his swan song. The hostage apparently committed suicide and the Yakuza is dead after police finally stormed the apartment. Not a happy ending but at least a piece of scum is out of the way.
Wednesday May 19, 9:22 p.m.
The Stylist was in a bit of a strange mood today. I'm not sure if she had been ticked off at me or not, but a couple of times during the lesson we were discussing about the fact that she didn't like me waiting for her at the salon. I said that I didn't mind doing so since I could always rely on my crosswords or magazines to keep me company. I also asked if I were cramping her style by having her clean up quickly while I waited inside. She stated that that wasn't the case; it's just that she felt a bit pressured as if I were one of HER customers waiting for her. Whatever...then she acted with some surprise and a bit of dismay when she found out that I would be paying 35800 yen for my trip to Hokkaido. On both topics, she seemed to dwell a lot. I'm not sure if she had been trying to get back at me with the second topic for the first topic. On top of that,I was playing a bit of Counselor Troi with her Spring Lethargy. Maybe menopause is coming a bit early for her. In any case, I got a bit stricter with her about her English which got her structure back up.
Rather happy to get out of the salon, I went off for lunch at the nearby Chinese place before getting over to Towers. I was able to get that new book on Japan for my Hokkaido trip. I did make a few more purchases which will probably mean that I'll be breaking the bank this week for miscellaneous stuff.
The rain is coming down pretty steadily tonight. A bit of a pain while carrying two bags plus a bag of groceries and an umbrella. However, I am reminded that there is a summer coming and we need to save up as much water for that.
I got a postcard from that kaiten sushi restaurant under my station. It looks like they're having some sort of "thank-you" campaign. When I show up with the postcard, I'll get a complementary plate of sushi. Time to get that eel!
I finally got those times for TROY by calling up the theater. I don't know why they were being so secretive about it. Anyways, I got the word out to the rest of the bunch. So far, it'll be a party of five.
The Stylist was in a bit of a strange mood today. I'm not sure if she had been ticked off at me or not, but a couple of times during the lesson we were discussing about the fact that she didn't like me waiting for her at the salon. I said that I didn't mind doing so since I could always rely on my crosswords or magazines to keep me company. I also asked if I were cramping her style by having her clean up quickly while I waited inside. She stated that that wasn't the case; it's just that she felt a bit pressured as if I were one of HER customers waiting for her. Whatever...then she acted with some surprise and a bit of dismay when she found out that I would be paying 35800 yen for my trip to Hokkaido. On both topics, she seemed to dwell a lot. I'm not sure if she had been trying to get back at me with the second topic for the first topic. On top of that,I was playing a bit of Counselor Troi with her Spring Lethargy. Maybe menopause is coming a bit early for her. In any case, I got a bit stricter with her about her English which got her structure back up.
Rather happy to get out of the salon, I went off for lunch at the nearby Chinese place before getting over to Towers. I was able to get that new book on Japan for my Hokkaido trip. I did make a few more purchases which will probably mean that I'll be breaking the bank this week for miscellaneous stuff.
The rain is coming down pretty steadily tonight. A bit of a pain while carrying two bags plus a bag of groceries and an umbrella. However, I am reminded that there is a summer coming and we need to save up as much water for that.
I got a postcard from that kaiten sushi restaurant under my station. It looks like they're having some sort of "thank-you" campaign. When I show up with the postcard, I'll get a complementary plate of sushi. Time to get that eel!
I finally got those times for TROY by calling up the theater. I don't know why they were being so secretive about it. Anyways, I got the word out to the rest of the bunch. So far, it'll be a party of five.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Tuesday May 18, 10:15 p.m.
Another long day comes to a close. I taught the fourth and final class of the school today; good crew..a mix of quiet and chatty students. Then I had my juku folks. The boss actually did remember the fact that I'm heading out to Hokkaido. The mock phone interview with the first student was OK; I could only ask general questions since I have no idea about auditing. It looks like that trio of students that I usually have in the middle is now permanently down to a duo. That one student who had always complained about when we would finally get to her level of text finally gave up the ghost apparently. The boss and I agreed that it was good that she had left since she could now go somewhere she would be properly taken care of and I wouldn't have to worry about trying to balance an unbalanced class.
I've just got my two students tomorrow, The Stylist and the Office Lady. It'll be kinda nice to have that type of Wednesday again before I got my posting back at the school. Not that the scheduler hasn't tried to get me back for more classes. Looks like they've been kinda tight on teachers recently.
Another long day comes to a close. I taught the fourth and final class of the school today; good crew..a mix of quiet and chatty students. Then I had my juku folks. The boss actually did remember the fact that I'm heading out to Hokkaido. The mock phone interview with the first student was OK; I could only ask general questions since I have no idea about auditing. It looks like that trio of students that I usually have in the middle is now permanently down to a duo. That one student who had always complained about when we would finally get to her level of text finally gave up the ghost apparently. The boss and I agreed that it was good that she had left since she could now go somewhere she would be properly taken care of and I wouldn't have to worry about trying to balance an unbalanced class.
I've just got my two students tomorrow, The Stylist and the Office Lady. It'll be kinda nice to have that type of Wednesday again before I got my posting back at the school. Not that the scheduler hasn't tried to get me back for more classes. Looks like they've been kinda tight on teachers recently.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Monday May 17, 10:08 p.m.
A pretty full day with three classes, two of which I haven't had in about a month. Unsurprisingly, my Monday morning ladies ended up just gabbing with me for the entire 90-minute session which is something that they tend to do after a long absence. One of the ladies kindly lent me a cookbook by that American fave Japanese chef and toast of New York, Nobu. Taking a quick look at it, I found that the recipes are quite easy to read and of course, the pictures look suitably appetizing, but I'm still not sure if I can get some of the more exotic ingredients.
During my break between classes, I went out to Towers only to find that it was taking a rare day off. I tried HMV to see if they had a book on Hokkaido but it's not nearly as comprehensive as Towers, so I just made a quick beeline back to the McDonalds closest to the lady's house for lunch.
My second class went pretty well. The student was still full of beans in spite of or because of the absence. I found out that I will indeed be having the ladies next week instead of having Monday morning off which means that my expected lunch with Automan next week is now off, so I've sent off a missive to him to see if we can reschedule. His time is rather limited so things are pretty iffy right now. It would be a pity if cannot meet him.
My final class today at the Iconoclast's company was back to slogsville in contrast to the pepped-up one last week. I'm not sure what they put into the water today. The Prez showed me an invitation to the Iconoclast's wedding reception in Hong Kong next Monday. He would like to go except that the Iconoclast failed to give directions. Also, the data that he gave me to give to the staff to access his old computer didn't work. If he's trying to drive his old mates up a wall, he's doing a pretty good job.
It was definitely an early summer day today. Pretty warm and muggy in my shirt. It didn't feel like an August day though thankfully since the night has cooled down. We don't even get that luxury in the dog days.
I got a couple of calls in terms of work. The juku boss called me up to see if I can start teaching my regular final student at 6 p.m instead of his usual 9 slot so that he can practice his telephone interview. Hey, anything to get home a bit earlier. Then, the scheduler at the school called me to see if I can teach on Wednesday. I gave her a straight NO via e-mail since I've got the Stylist on Wednesday morning. There's no way I would even want to attempt to get back there in time.
I got some more mail from The Persian. He wanted to know how his old flame was doing. She actually lives not too far from me but we've had a parting of the ways several years ago, partially due to temporal drift and partially (possibly) due to her husband who may not be too fond of me. I wasn't too impressed with him when I met him initially and somehow a message hinting at my feelings got over to the flame's mail server. It was supposed to have just gone to someone else completely but the CC must have been feeling pretty ornery that day. In any case, she responded back with a seemingly innocent response asking for clarification. I did some hemming and hawing but the damage was done. For some reason, until recently, she still kept inviting me to her annual glee club concert for a number of years but that was it. No other communication. Well, I'm not much for keeping that sort of relationship, so I just stopped replying. It's a pity...she was one of the core members of the gang back in the early 90s in Toronto.
I've been trying to find out what time our favorite theater will be playing TROY this Sunday but those guys refuse to put anything up on the screen. Speaking of the movie, Brad Pitt dropped by Tokyo this past weekend to a throng of 1000 squealing fans and clicking cellphone cameras.
This stupid pension scandal is claiming more politicians. Of course, it would be happening during the annual announcements of celeb taxpayers. In the singer category, one half of the rock duo, B'z, got the top spot while in the TV personality category, (annoying) announcer and host of the Japanese version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Mino Monta, was number one. He's even more annoying than Regis.
A pretty full day with three classes, two of which I haven't had in about a month. Unsurprisingly, my Monday morning ladies ended up just gabbing with me for the entire 90-minute session which is something that they tend to do after a long absence. One of the ladies kindly lent me a cookbook by that American fave Japanese chef and toast of New York, Nobu. Taking a quick look at it, I found that the recipes are quite easy to read and of course, the pictures look suitably appetizing, but I'm still not sure if I can get some of the more exotic ingredients.
During my break between classes, I went out to Towers only to find that it was taking a rare day off. I tried HMV to see if they had a book on Hokkaido but it's not nearly as comprehensive as Towers, so I just made a quick beeline back to the McDonalds closest to the lady's house for lunch.
My second class went pretty well. The student was still full of beans in spite of or because of the absence. I found out that I will indeed be having the ladies next week instead of having Monday morning off which means that my expected lunch with Automan next week is now off, so I've sent off a missive to him to see if we can reschedule. His time is rather limited so things are pretty iffy right now. It would be a pity if cannot meet him.
My final class today at the Iconoclast's company was back to slogsville in contrast to the pepped-up one last week. I'm not sure what they put into the water today. The Prez showed me an invitation to the Iconoclast's wedding reception in Hong Kong next Monday. He would like to go except that the Iconoclast failed to give directions. Also, the data that he gave me to give to the staff to access his old computer didn't work. If he's trying to drive his old mates up a wall, he's doing a pretty good job.
It was definitely an early summer day today. Pretty warm and muggy in my shirt. It didn't feel like an August day though thankfully since the night has cooled down. We don't even get that luxury in the dog days.
I got a couple of calls in terms of work. The juku boss called me up to see if I can start teaching my regular final student at 6 p.m instead of his usual 9 slot so that he can practice his telephone interview. Hey, anything to get home a bit earlier. Then, the scheduler at the school called me to see if I can teach on Wednesday. I gave her a straight NO via e-mail since I've got the Stylist on Wednesday morning. There's no way I would even want to attempt to get back there in time.
I got some more mail from The Persian. He wanted to know how his old flame was doing. She actually lives not too far from me but we've had a parting of the ways several years ago, partially due to temporal drift and partially (possibly) due to her husband who may not be too fond of me. I wasn't too impressed with him when I met him initially and somehow a message hinting at my feelings got over to the flame's mail server. It was supposed to have just gone to someone else completely but the CC must have been feeling pretty ornery that day. In any case, she responded back with a seemingly innocent response asking for clarification. I did some hemming and hawing but the damage was done. For some reason, until recently, she still kept inviting me to her annual glee club concert for a number of years but that was it. No other communication. Well, I'm not much for keeping that sort of relationship, so I just stopped replying. It's a pity...she was one of the core members of the gang back in the early 90s in Toronto.
I've been trying to find out what time our favorite theater will be playing TROY this Sunday but those guys refuse to put anything up on the screen. Speaking of the movie, Brad Pitt dropped by Tokyo this past weekend to a throng of 1000 squealing fans and clicking cellphone cameras.
This stupid pension scandal is claiming more politicians. Of course, it would be happening during the annual announcements of celeb taxpayers. In the singer category, one half of the rock duo, B'z, got the top spot while in the TV personality category, (annoying) announcer and host of the Japanese version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Mino Monta, was number one. He's even more annoying than Regis.
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Sunday May 16, 10:43 p.m.
Well, I got the place all fixed up this morning for the arrival of the Persian's friend all the way out from Tokorozawa, Saitama. She even brought her sister with her. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to make of her on the phone since she seemed to always be giggling. However, after an afternoon with them at the apartment, the sisters turned out to be really nice folk. We looked over some old photos of the Persian when he used to be the master here. The friend remarked that the Persian has gotten somewhat bigger in the decade hence.
We stopped by at the neighbourhood ramen shop with the Mao pictures and the Anne Murray music for dinner before they had to take off for Tsudanuma for another bunch of friends. Hopefully, we can see each other one more time before she has to take off for Taiwan again. Her sister apparently will be staying in Japan for another several months, so perhaps we can keep in touch periodically. I'm considering whether to introduce her to Party Hearty's BBQ.
Well, back to work again as of tomorrow. I've gotta pick up a guide book for Hokkaido during my break between classes.
Well, I got the place all fixed up this morning for the arrival of the Persian's friend all the way out from Tokorozawa, Saitama. She even brought her sister with her. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to make of her on the phone since she seemed to always be giggling. However, after an afternoon with them at the apartment, the sisters turned out to be really nice folk. We looked over some old photos of the Persian when he used to be the master here. The friend remarked that the Persian has gotten somewhat bigger in the decade hence.
We stopped by at the neighbourhood ramen shop with the Mao pictures and the Anne Murray music for dinner before they had to take off for Tsudanuma for another bunch of friends. Hopefully, we can see each other one more time before she has to take off for Taiwan again. Her sister apparently will be staying in Japan for another several months, so perhaps we can keep in touch periodically. I'm considering whether to introduce her to Party Hearty's BBQ.
Well, back to work again as of tomorrow. I've gotta pick up a guide book for Hokkaido during my break between classes.
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Saturday May 15, 9:14 p.m.
Pretty much a run-of-the-mill day. My three kids were their normal selves although the mother of the first two was on a rampage today, but not with either kid but the family dog.
Quiet evening for me. No calls from anyone and since Chip Guy is no longer around and Movie Buddy seems to have made himself scarce, I don't think I'll be getting many social calls. However, I do have Automan's arrival next week and then the semi-regular movie outing for TROY on the 23rd.
Speaking of Automan, I'm pretty glad that I let Party Hearty in on the act. She's already gotten some sort of wingding for him on the 25th. However, I'll be at work that night.
I just gotta get some ironing done and then I have to get the place cleaned up for that visit tomorrow from the Persian's friend. I'm still wondering about her coming here.
Pretty much a run-of-the-mill day. My three kids were their normal selves although the mother of the first two was on a rampage today, but not with either kid but the family dog.
Quiet evening for me. No calls from anyone and since Chip Guy is no longer around and Movie Buddy seems to have made himself scarce, I don't think I'll be getting many social calls. However, I do have Automan's arrival next week and then the semi-regular movie outing for TROY on the 23rd.
Speaking of Automan, I'm pretty glad that I let Party Hearty in on the act. She's already gotten some sort of wingding for him on the 25th. However, I'll be at work that night.
I just gotta get some ironing done and then I have to get the place cleaned up for that visit tomorrow from the Persian's friend. I'm still wondering about her coming here.