Thursday October 7, 11:57 a.m.
Yep still here. After an animated conversation about an hour ago amongst Miss Efficiency, new addition Miss Revlon and myself on movies, things have settled into an easy calm. Speedy has yet to show up. I'll probably have to leave within the next few hours since we may have the arrival of Miss Schmooze and The Babydoll coming to fill up the desks here. Maybe at that time, I'll head out for lunch. I don't feel particularly hungry at the moment but then again when one is just sitting down and teaching/surfing, calories don't disappear too quickly.
Now that "Heroes" is slowly fading away from Japanese shores now that the final season is here, "Fringe" is getting ready to take its place. It'll be starting up on SuperDrama TV from the 23rd. Looks interesting and the station has been hitting the campaign trail for it for the past few months. Most likely, one or two of the stars will probably head over here.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Thursday October 7, 9:38 a.m.
Just finished with The Patent Attorney. Our conversations are great but slogging through those patent document proofreadings can be murder...especially for a teacher who only got 5 hours of sleep.
Part of our discussion was on the one piece of good news for Japan this week. Another two Japanese scientists got the Nobel Prize for Chemistry yesterday. Whenever any Japanese national gets some sort of international award, it's almost Pavlovian at how the media starts to salivate. A few weeks ago, it was gamine actress Eri Fukatsu who got Best Actress at the Montreal Film Festival. Now it's these two fellows, Professors Akira Suzuki and Eiichi Negishi. I heard Professor Negishi's English acceptance; he basically sounded like a Nisei or Sansei Japanese-American, and his Japanese had a bit of an odd delivery...I gather that was because of his decades-long residence in America. It was a bit unfortunate to watch on NHK News this morning to see his Japanese reply to his win mostly consist of his insistence that he was still Japanese to the bone.
Well, now that my first student has come and gone, my second student won't be showing up until 6 p.m. tonight. I've gotta prepare for the long-awaited inaugural lesson for The Journo...that is, if he doesn't yet again dotakyan. But I figure that I'll be going out at some point in the early afternoon just to refresh myself.
I received a rather interesting job offer from an acquaintance of mine through Facebook last night. Apparently for the past 6 months, he had been working under a former Minister in Prime Minister Abe's short-lived regime at some sort of science council but was planning to leave. He thought I would be ideal for the position. Frankly, it took me all but a minute to make my decision of NO. He did mention that it could be difficult working under a politician....I sensed some political spinning in that statement. My current job has plenty of ups and downs to keep me going here without having to work under some sort of nebulous personality.
Just finished with The Patent Attorney. Our conversations are great but slogging through those patent document proofreadings can be murder...especially for a teacher who only got 5 hours of sleep.
Part of our discussion was on the one piece of good news for Japan this week. Another two Japanese scientists got the Nobel Prize for Chemistry yesterday. Whenever any Japanese national gets some sort of international award, it's almost Pavlovian at how the media starts to salivate. A few weeks ago, it was gamine actress Eri Fukatsu who got Best Actress at the Montreal Film Festival. Now it's these two fellows, Professors Akira Suzuki and Eiichi Negishi. I heard Professor Negishi's English acceptance; he basically sounded like a Nisei or Sansei Japanese-American, and his Japanese had a bit of an odd delivery...I gather that was because of his decades-long residence in America. It was a bit unfortunate to watch on NHK News this morning to see his Japanese reply to his win mostly consist of his insistence that he was still Japanese to the bone.
Well, now that my first student has come and gone, my second student won't be showing up until 6 p.m. tonight. I've gotta prepare for the long-awaited inaugural lesson for The Journo...that is, if he doesn't yet again dotakyan. But I figure that I'll be going out at some point in the early afternoon just to refresh myself.
I received a rather interesting job offer from an acquaintance of mine through Facebook last night. Apparently for the past 6 months, he had been working under a former Minister in Prime Minister Abe's short-lived regime at some sort of science council but was planning to leave. He thought I would be ideal for the position. Frankly, it took me all but a minute to make my decision of NO. He did mention that it could be difficult working under a politician....I sensed some political spinning in that statement. My current job has plenty of ups and downs to keep me going here without having to work under some sort of nebulous personality.
Wednesday October 6, 7:21 p.m.
The big lug here is ex-yokozuna Asashoryu...and I would like to emphasize "ex". This is a fellow who had become notorious in his short tenure at the very top of the sumo ranks by being seen on film playing soccer in Mongolia while he was supposed to have been out sick, inciting a major brawl at a pub, slagging off Japan right after his ouster, etc. In any case, he resigned before he was ousted by the Japan Sumo Association. Basically, he was persona non grata.
And yet a few days ago, he got the grand retirement ceremony that every rikishi gets when it's time to hang up the mawashi. It was obvious that his most ardent supporters (apparently around 300...not all that many) filled up...or tried to...the Kokugikan in Ryogoku on Sunday. And a lot of the current wrestlers came up one by one to snip a lock of his hair as is custom. Even his unofficial rival, yokozuna Hakuho arrived to snip a lock of hair although he only gave a very terse greeting. But it was also interesting that there was one old woman in front row who refused to applaud and just gave Hakuho a murderous glare while he was coming up to the dohyo. No love from her at least.
My beef is that if Asashoryu is a disgraced rikishi, then why did he get this extravaganza? I can only wonder what the other ranked sumo wrestlers must have thought. But then again, a lot of those folks are no longer as pure as the driven snow, at least not since this summer when the gambling scandals happened. Perhaps this was the "in" that Asashoryu needed to get his official goodbye party. If there had been no scandal, then he wouldn't have gotten it. It was something that The Milds and I were scratching our heads about last night in class. And it just makes the JSA look that much more ineffectual.
Wednesday October 6, 5:52 p.m.
My stint with The Overachiever went well although I think I'll have to set up something with him about boosting his vocabulary.
In the meantime, it looks like I've had a bumper crop in cancellations. First, Mr. Swank has to head off on a business trip this Friday. Now, The Shareholder cancelled this Friday which means that I'll have nothing to do with Speedy students. I just have The New Yorker at Starbucks in Shinjuku and then it'll be the juku...whether or not The Journo actually can make it. Not quite sure yet and the boss is also rather skeptical. And there has been an incident in which some young teenage boy got stabbed to death in Kobe...The Journo may have to head on out there.
And I did forget to mention that once again Grandma Dynamite has cancelled since apparently her husband has also ended up in hospital along with her brother-in-law. I heard that The Publicity Assistant will not be showing on Speedy's doorsteps for about a month due to work. She may in for a shock when I tell her that I will no longer be working on Saturdays from January.
My stint with The Overachiever went well although I think I'll have to set up something with him about boosting his vocabulary.
In the meantime, it looks like I've had a bumper crop in cancellations. First, Mr. Swank has to head off on a business trip this Friday. Now, The Shareholder cancelled this Friday which means that I'll have nothing to do with Speedy students. I just have The New Yorker at Starbucks in Shinjuku and then it'll be the juku...whether or not The Journo actually can make it. Not quite sure yet and the boss is also rather skeptical. And there has been an incident in which some young teenage boy got stabbed to death in Kobe...The Journo may have to head on out there.
And I did forget to mention that once again Grandma Dynamite has cancelled since apparently her husband has also ended up in hospital along with her brother-in-law. I heard that The Publicity Assistant will not be showing on Speedy's doorsteps for about a month due to work. She may in for a shock when I tell her that I will no longer be working on Saturdays from January.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Wednesday October 6, 2:57 p.m.
Not much of a Hump Day today. Just have The Overachiever in about an hour and then Miss Sony later tonight.
Ended up going to Ginza in the morning to check out Yamano Music. As it turned out, there was nothing that I really wanted to buy there so I just went over to Hong Kong Dim Sum, that Chinese buffet restaurant in Yurakucho that I frequent perhaps twice a year for lunch. I guess I really am slowing down in my gluttonous ways. In past years, I would've been going back and forth between the buffet tables and my table. But nowadays, I'm just taking it easy, chewing each bite the requisite 42 times, going up just three times and even getting lots of salad for bulk and vitamins. Not like the old days.
Before heading over to Speedy's, I dropped by Marronier Gate, the new Yurakucho complex which seems to be designed for the sophisticated (read: rich) ladies. Not surprisingly, the upper floors had tons of restaurants. There was a buffet at some place called Jim Thomson's which looks interesting.
I got the word straight from Mr. Swank that he will have to cancel his lesson this Friday due to a business trip. It'll be too bad to miss that one but at least I can breathe some sigh of relief since I was worried about the commute time from Shinjuku that day to the juku since I'm supposed to have The Journo for his very belated first lesson. Then again, The Journo may also cancel, too.
My bank account is now somewhat lighter as I transferred the money for my air ticket over to the travel agency. But the deed is done...I'll be heading over to Narita in December for the trip home.
Not much of a Hump Day today. Just have The Overachiever in about an hour and then Miss Sony later tonight.
Ended up going to Ginza in the morning to check out Yamano Music. As it turned out, there was nothing that I really wanted to buy there so I just went over to Hong Kong Dim Sum, that Chinese buffet restaurant in Yurakucho that I frequent perhaps twice a year for lunch. I guess I really am slowing down in my gluttonous ways. In past years, I would've been going back and forth between the buffet tables and my table. But nowadays, I'm just taking it easy, chewing each bite the requisite 42 times, going up just three times and even getting lots of salad for bulk and vitamins. Not like the old days.
Before heading over to Speedy's, I dropped by Marronier Gate, the new Yurakucho complex which seems to be designed for the sophisticated (read: rich) ladies. Not surprisingly, the upper floors had tons of restaurants. There was a buffet at some place called Jim Thomson's which looks interesting.
I got the word straight from Mr. Swank that he will have to cancel his lesson this Friday due to a business trip. It'll be too bad to miss that one but at least I can breathe some sigh of relief since I was worried about the commute time from Shinjuku that day to the juku since I'm supposed to have The Journo for his very belated first lesson. Then again, The Journo may also cancel, too.
My bank account is now somewhat lighter as I transferred the money for my air ticket over to the travel agency. But the deed is done...I'll be heading over to Narita in December for the trip home.
Tuesday October 5, 6:47 p.m.
Peaceful interlude right now although it's gone back to humid. Went up to about 25 or 26 today. Not exactly the blistering temps we were getting a month ago but there's still a bit of Summer that's kicking about.
Sent off my niece's birthday card and present this morning. Apparently, she's into little white mice so my brother belatedly advised me to get something of that sort for her present but I'd already gotten her a Miffy book...not quite mice but still little and white.
We had the 2nd Beehive class in our new home of the nearby community centre to Tsudanuma Station. Instead of the small tatami room, we got the bigger room with table, chairs and blackboard. It reminded me of our old home at the Ace Lanes Bowling Alley that we had had to vacate a few years ago. Mrs. Travel, as is her nature, did a bit of downright civic traveling via the English-language Hato Bus tour in Tokyo. She had been so impressed with it that she suggested going on a similar metropolitan jaunt for one of our final lessons of the year as a field trip. Sounds nice to them but since the only tours available are either all-day or evening, I'm pretty much out of the loop. Mrs. Jade had a gripe...a very rare one and not too violent, although it was obvious she was consternated...about her other English teacher, a middle-aged British woman who also has a side business as a gaijin tarento in commercials. According to Jade, her teacher of 4 years is very self-possessed but tends to look down upon (at least to her) her students, and especially Japanese women apparently, since they seemingly come off as being shallow and too obedient (obviously, this British woman hasn't been to Shibuya although some of the young folk there are probably as shallow as they come). In any case, Jade and a few of her classmates felt that their teacher crossed the line when she assigned them the homework assignment of show n' tell; Jade felt insulted in getting a children's activity. I suggested to her that she and her classmates should make it clear to her about their feelings but Jade said that they will demur and endure for the remaining lessons in the year since their teacher will be leaving for home permanently after Xmas. After hearing that, I kinda wondered if the teacher had a point.
Then I was off to Urayasu City Hall to help out my old friend who wants to get a divorce. That website wasn't too helpful in telling me exactly where the Foreign Assistance Desk was. I first ended up at Shin-Urayasu Station, in the heart of Chiba's trendiest neighbourhood, where the nearest government building only had an International Friendship Association but nothing to help me about my friend. However, it was evident that Shopper's Plaza or MONA had gotten some major upgrading to match the surrounding area's rise to Aoyama-dom.
Nope, in actual fact, I had to take the bus for a couple of kilometres to reach my intended destination of City Hall where a kind lady from Poland took me down to the relevant desk and the staffer there hashed things out amongst the three of us. Basically, it ended up that my friend and I will be doing some correspondence tag with various documents unless the Canadian Embassy in Malaysia gets its act together.
My main gripe with Urayasu City Hall is that it's a devil to get to...although maybe that was the intent. Buses heading back to Urayasu Station come only once every 30 minutes and it's probably a 40-minute trek on foot. Most likely, I'll be making another trip there next week to follow up on my friend's request.
At the juku, I've had Mr. White. He's got a rather fragile constitution but was all smiles for today at least. The Milds will be here in less than an hour.
For tomorrow, I found out that Grandma Enka won't be making it for her monthly chat session with me. Speedy informed me that her husband had collapsed and was rushed to hospital. That doesn't sound good at all. So, she'll be away for the rest of the month. I kinda wonder how that might affect her sister, Grandma Dynamite, although unless things get really bad, I think she will still come for her lessons. Therefore, my first lesson tomorrow will be with The Overachiever at 4 followed by Miss Sony at 8:30. Yup, 001 will be away for one more week. My most senior student at Speedy's is coming perilously close to the end of her contract, and methinks that she's dragging it out. I think she may have two more left but I'm frankly doubtful that she would want to continue after 5 years.
On the nice front, Speedy also told me that Mr. TOEFL will be coming back for just two more lessons after his 3-month stint in North Carolina. He's actually supposed to be heading to Toronto in 2 weeks for another multi-month session so it's very likely that he and I could meet for lunch or dinner. Would love to introduce him to some of the folks back at home.
And after an absence of several weeks, The Satyr and MB have called in. The Satyr is planning a little BBQ at their apartment sometime in mid-October. And MB has asked me to do the usual DVD Night beforehand although I do have Yajima on that Sunday morning. In any case, it'll be great to see them again.
Anyways, I got a lot off my chest today.
Peaceful interlude right now although it's gone back to humid. Went up to about 25 or 26 today. Not exactly the blistering temps we were getting a month ago but there's still a bit of Summer that's kicking about.
Sent off my niece's birthday card and present this morning. Apparently, she's into little white mice so my brother belatedly advised me to get something of that sort for her present but I'd already gotten her a Miffy book...not quite mice but still little and white.
We had the 2nd Beehive class in our new home of the nearby community centre to Tsudanuma Station. Instead of the small tatami room, we got the bigger room with table, chairs and blackboard. It reminded me of our old home at the Ace Lanes Bowling Alley that we had had to vacate a few years ago. Mrs. Travel, as is her nature, did a bit of downright civic traveling via the English-language Hato Bus tour in Tokyo. She had been so impressed with it that she suggested going on a similar metropolitan jaunt for one of our final lessons of the year as a field trip. Sounds nice to them but since the only tours available are either all-day or evening, I'm pretty much out of the loop. Mrs. Jade had a gripe...a very rare one and not too violent, although it was obvious she was consternated...about her other English teacher, a middle-aged British woman who also has a side business as a gaijin tarento in commercials. According to Jade, her teacher of 4 years is very self-possessed but tends to look down upon (at least to her) her students, and especially Japanese women apparently, since they seemingly come off as being shallow and too obedient (obviously, this British woman hasn't been to Shibuya although some of the young folk there are probably as shallow as they come). In any case, Jade and a few of her classmates felt that their teacher crossed the line when she assigned them the homework assignment of show n' tell; Jade felt insulted in getting a children's activity. I suggested to her that she and her classmates should make it clear to her about their feelings but Jade said that they will demur and endure for the remaining lessons in the year since their teacher will be leaving for home permanently after Xmas. After hearing that, I kinda wondered if the teacher had a point.
Then I was off to Urayasu City Hall to help out my old friend who wants to get a divorce. That website wasn't too helpful in telling me exactly where the Foreign Assistance Desk was. I first ended up at Shin-Urayasu Station, in the heart of Chiba's trendiest neighbourhood, where the nearest government building only had an International Friendship Association but nothing to help me about my friend. However, it was evident that Shopper's Plaza or MONA had gotten some major upgrading to match the surrounding area's rise to Aoyama-dom.
Nope, in actual fact, I had to take the bus for a couple of kilometres to reach my intended destination of City Hall where a kind lady from Poland took me down to the relevant desk and the staffer there hashed things out amongst the three of us. Basically, it ended up that my friend and I will be doing some correspondence tag with various documents unless the Canadian Embassy in Malaysia gets its act together.
My main gripe with Urayasu City Hall is that it's a devil to get to...although maybe that was the intent. Buses heading back to Urayasu Station come only once every 30 minutes and it's probably a 40-minute trek on foot. Most likely, I'll be making another trip there next week to follow up on my friend's request.
At the juku, I've had Mr. White. He's got a rather fragile constitution but was all smiles for today at least. The Milds will be here in less than an hour.
For tomorrow, I found out that Grandma Enka won't be making it for her monthly chat session with me. Speedy informed me that her husband had collapsed and was rushed to hospital. That doesn't sound good at all. So, she'll be away for the rest of the month. I kinda wonder how that might affect her sister, Grandma Dynamite, although unless things get really bad, I think she will still come for her lessons. Therefore, my first lesson tomorrow will be with The Overachiever at 4 followed by Miss Sony at 8:30. Yup, 001 will be away for one more week. My most senior student at Speedy's is coming perilously close to the end of her contract, and methinks that she's dragging it out. I think she may have two more left but I'm frankly doubtful that she would want to continue after 5 years.
On the nice front, Speedy also told me that Mr. TOEFL will be coming back for just two more lessons after his 3-month stint in North Carolina. He's actually supposed to be heading to Toronto in 2 weeks for another multi-month session so it's very likely that he and I could meet for lunch or dinner. Would love to introduce him to some of the folks back at home.
And after an absence of several weeks, The Satyr and MB have called in. The Satyr is planning a little BBQ at their apartment sometime in mid-October. And MB has asked me to do the usual DVD Night beforehand although I do have Yajima on that Sunday morning. In any case, it'll be great to see them again.
Anyways, I got a lot off my chest today.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Monday October 4, 8:46 p.m.
A fairly busy day. I had my usual tandem of Cozy and then Swank before I headed off to Ginza, but unfortunately Yamano Music was closed that day. Then I crossed the street over to the new Jenga-ized Mitsukoshi...I say, Jenga-ized since three new floors got built upon the original in the past several months. All of them are restaurant floors. As expected with something that is new in Tokyo, there were tons of lineups. Never meant to have any hope of entering any of them.
Then I ended up going to Shinjuku where I directly went to No. 1 Travel's office on the edge of Kabukicho to purchase my ticket for Toronto. Yep, for the third consecutive year, I'll be heading back to The Great White North for Xmas. When I checked their website, I'd thought that I didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of getting an Air Canada ticket since I couldn't find anything there. However, as I made my request to the young lady at the counter, I could snap up one with no problem. As usual, all of the taxes and surcharges pretty much threw out the discount out of the ticket.
However, I'll be seeing my parents even more than average since I got the heads-up from Mom that she and Dad will be hopping over next month. And they'll be spending a few nights at least at my place...which means the next few weeks will be busy with cleaning, defumigating and exorcising. Nothing like the parents coming over to visit to spark a son into action.
Strangely, I've got The Medicine Man on the slate, and he hasn't called to cancel yet.
A fairly busy day. I had my usual tandem of Cozy and then Swank before I headed off to Ginza, but unfortunately Yamano Music was closed that day. Then I crossed the street over to the new Jenga-ized Mitsukoshi...I say, Jenga-ized since three new floors got built upon the original in the past several months. All of them are restaurant floors. As expected with something that is new in Tokyo, there were tons of lineups. Never meant to have any hope of entering any of them.
Then I ended up going to Shinjuku where I directly went to No. 1 Travel's office on the edge of Kabukicho to purchase my ticket for Toronto. Yep, for the third consecutive year, I'll be heading back to The Great White North for Xmas. When I checked their website, I'd thought that I didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of getting an Air Canada ticket since I couldn't find anything there. However, as I made my request to the young lady at the counter, I could snap up one with no problem. As usual, all of the taxes and surcharges pretty much threw out the discount out of the ticket.
However, I'll be seeing my parents even more than average since I got the heads-up from Mom that she and Dad will be hopping over next month. And they'll be spending a few nights at least at my place...which means the next few weeks will be busy with cleaning, defumigating and exorcising. Nothing like the parents coming over to visit to spark a son into action.
Strangely, I've got The Medicine Man on the slate, and he hasn't called to cancel yet.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Saturday October 3, 3:05 p.m.
Got through the two lessons but I was struggling to stay awake during The Intellectual's lesson for some reason...I gather that lunch was getting digested. Well, in any case, I'm done for the day. I've started searching for that air ticket to get me back home for Xmas once more. I'll probably be dropping by No. 1 Travel sometime between The Artist's and Miss Genki's lessons on Monday.
Got through the two lessons but I was struggling to stay awake during The Intellectual's lesson for some reason...I gather that lunch was getting digested. Well, in any case, I'm done for the day. I've started searching for that air ticket to get me back home for Xmas once more. I'll probably be dropping by No. 1 Travel sometime between The Artist's and Miss Genki's lessons on Monday.
Saturday October 2, 10:39 a.m.
Bernard Schwarz, aka Tony Curtis, has passed on. However, I did get to see the last hour of "Sweet Smell of Success", probably one of the most ironic titles for a motion picture ever produced, since the overarching thematic aroma is one of corrosive acid. Sad to say, but even the last 60 minutes of this movie was the first time I'd ever seen a Curtis movie. The only other time I did see the fellow was when he came on "The Flintstones" as "Stony Curtis". There are some more movies that I have to see of him.
I also ended up catching the last hour of "Shaft" with Samuel Jackson which was chock-filled with stars but I think the amalgam of 70s blaxploitation styling with turn-of-the-century reality didn't quite take, although it was interesting to see Jeffrey Wright hamming it up as Peoples Hernandez and Christian "Batman" Bale as one of his mid-career psycho killers.
I was supposed to have the full 3 for my Saturday shift. But The Publicity Assistant baled out suddenly last night. So it's just Miss Prissy and The Intellectual. Both are coming up to the ends of their current contracts so I'm not sure what they will do. The Intellectual will probably renew but again since I'll only be teaching them regardless for several more weeks, having either or both of them leave the nest will not trouble me too much. They put in their dues.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday October 1, 1:22 p.m.
Gotta get this down fast since The Shareholder is on his way here. But it is indeed October. And still pretty warm out there but not like the hellish conditions of a month ago.
Of course, with Fall firmly settled in, it's time for all those warm dishes that Japan loves to rail about ad nauseum in magazines and on TV. For me, Fall means lots of minestrone...homemade, of course. I made my first batch in about a couple of years last weekend. Was able to get five bowls of the stuff over 2 days. Not too fussy about what goes in. This batch had potatoes, carrots, garlic, onions and a zucchini...and of course, bacon.
Had my lesson with The Bass this morning in Funabashi. Yep, he did contact The Matron's hubby who's the high-powered lawyer. But it looks like he won't be of much help since this involves an errant distributor in America. The Bass would have to contract not only him but an American attorney to track down one single person. Would be prohibitively expensive. As usual, the Bass was pretty sanguine about it and said he'll just keep plugging away.
After The Shareholder, I'll be heading over to Shibuya to pick up a CD or two and some magazines since I've just gotten paid. And then it'll be off to have dinner at The Restauranteur's in Urayasu. The Journo's inaugural class will be held off for one more week. Then, he promises to be there next week for 2 hours.
Heard over the wire that Tony Curtis has left this mortal coil. Was never a fan of his but I knew of his 50s/60s stature as one of the last great idols of Golden Age Hollywood. I may decide to watch "Some Like It Hot" one of these days. Anyways, The Shareholder is here....
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday September 30, 3:51 p.m.
It's been a nice comedown from the stresses of the last few days. I got all the translations done that The Corner had dumped on me, and for about half an hour, I had a pleasant conversation with the latest addition to the staff who'll be heading up the kids' school in about a few weeks' time. She'll be The Tahitian and will be joining Miss Sussex and The Babydoll at the new school. The bossman is aiming for a mid-October launch perhaps with the mind to get some sort of Halloween vibe going to attract the little ones.
I just heard from the juku boss that The Journo has actually committed to having his first class on the 8th. Well, we'll see. This will mean that I'll be done here at Speedy's at 2:30 tomorrow and then have the Friday night juku classes from 9 p.m. I can perhaps get some CD/magazine shopping done at Tower Records in Shibuya and even have one more dinner at The Restauranteur's place.
If the above comic strip looks familiar to you, then you're either middle-aged or a Peanuts fan. That was the first Peanuts strip ever shown on October 2, 1950, and starts the Charlie Brown legend on a pretty mild note, though the punch line has a bit of the venom which will stream through the strip for half a century. So on Saturday, Snoopy and the gang turn 60, some 10 years after their creator, Charles Schulz, left this mortal coil. Here in Japan, Snoopy remains the most beloved of the characters and I'm sure the Peanuts store in Omotesando's Kiddyland will have some sort of celebration.
Thursday September 30, 8:31 a.m.
And now we are at the end of September. Meterologically, it's been the equivalent of a blockbuster action picture. Torrid conditions at the beginning, followed by typhoons in the middle and now it's just a gloomy denouement. What will October bring?
It's been a busy week for me, I gather, to compensate for the relatively free last week. The Corner keeps sending me translations starting with the quote, "Oh, I need to send another..."; kinda like Columbo and his questions. I can now see why the criminals were driven mad. Still, it's money in the bank for me.
Just got three today but I've got that huge donut in the middle. I'll probably be using some of it for the translations but I would prefer not to end up spending my entire day inside Speedy's. I've got Grandma Dynamite for the first time in a few weeks. I've basically given up thinking of any sort of curriculum for her since she's so erratic in her schedule...maybe she'll end up practicing another show tune in front of me like last time. Later in the evening, I've got a triple in the form of The Carolinan, Mrs Thursday and The Music Man. The Carolinan has just gotten back from a trip to Thailand which she had apparently enjoyed, so I figure that some of the lesson will be centered around the report on her vacation.
And now we are at the end of September. Meterologically, it's been the equivalent of a blockbuster action picture. Torrid conditions at the beginning, followed by typhoons in the middle and now it's just a gloomy denouement. What will October bring?
It's been a busy week for me, I gather, to compensate for the relatively free last week. The Corner keeps sending me translations starting with the quote, "Oh, I need to send another..."; kinda like Columbo and his questions. I can now see why the criminals were driven mad. Still, it's money in the bank for me.
Just got three today but I've got that huge donut in the middle. I'll probably be using some of it for the translations but I would prefer not to end up spending my entire day inside Speedy's. I've got Grandma Dynamite for the first time in a few weeks. I've basically given up thinking of any sort of curriculum for her since she's so erratic in her schedule...maybe she'll end up practicing another show tune in front of me like last time. Later in the evening, I've got a triple in the form of The Carolinan, Mrs Thursday and The Music Man. The Carolinan has just gotten back from a trip to Thailand which she had apparently enjoyed, so I figure that some of the lesson will be centered around the report on her vacation.
Wednesday September 29, 10:22 p.m.
It's definitely been a long time since my last entry. Just got saddled with so much translation stuff from The Corner. I even had to go into the I-Cafe early Tuesday morning before seeing The Beehive.
I had a bit of a respite on Sunday afternoon, though, when I saw The Jyuppies for their regular lesson in Futako-Tamagawa. However, before the lessons, though, they were kind enough to take me to a fave restaurant of theirs in their old neighbourhood of Komazawa Park. It was called The Bowery Kitchen, and at first thought, I was reminded of old and dangerous 19th-century New York neighbourhoods, but The Bowery actually looked like a 21st-century trendy little cafe. My main course is shown in the above picture...yup, Japanese steak. I emphasize the Japanese since this is not a cut you will ever see in a typical American steakhouse. It was thin and tender and came with a huge dollar of herb butter. In Japan, steak is not steak unless it comes up with at least a pat of butter on top. At first, I was rather disgusted by the thought of adding extra cholesterol on top of something that is full of the stuff already, but I can see the madness in the method. Adding that extra bit of flavour. Still, The Bowery Kitchen really liked to slap on the Land O' Lakes. I had the waffles as well for dessert...to add insult to injury (to my heart). That also came with two huge pats of fruit-infused butter. I couldn't even eat the 2nd pat...it would've necessitated the defibrillator.
Apparently, The Jyuppies made at least 3 celeb sightings in the restaurant while we were there. There was model/TV personality SHIHO with her K-1 fighter husband, old 90s rock singer Nanase Aikawa and actor Yutaka Takenouchi. I didn't notice a soul...was just too much into the food and besides, I'm very cognizant of the fact that celebs are also people who require their privacy. I wouldn't even want to venture forth and ask for their autographs....not that I was a fan of any of the three anyways.
Anyways, the bossman wants to go home so I'll just cut it here. The Corner is still sending me translation requests, but I'm done for tonight.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Friday September 24, 10:25 a.m.
Politically, it's still blazing here due to the current row between China and Japan. Now, China has detained 4 Japanese nationals on some unverified charges in what is looking like a tit-for-tat battle since Japan hasn't bowed down to Beijing pressure to release the Chinese captain. What it's starting to look like is that the incident will string itself out with a lot of hurt feelings and cancelled exchanges and culminate with a swap of sorts between the two brats. In any case, any sort of "prisoner" exchange is a face-saving ploy on the Chinese side.
Meterologically, Autumn has officially come. It's still nice and cool outside without any of the downpours that characterized yesterday's weather. Probably there will be no more ambushes by Summer for the next several months.
Athletically, it's been a good week. A Mongolian in Japan did himself proud earlier in the sumo dohyo (and is still keeping the winning streak alive), and just this morning a Japanese did the same thing in America. Ichiro Suzuki broke the record for the longest number of 200-hit seasons, and right in my hometown. It's hard to believe that he's been with Seattle for a decade now.
As for me, I got some early shuteye last night in the now-errant assumption that I would be teaching The Photog at about this time. However, with just 15 minutes before showtime, he called up to dotakyan. I could just imagine his reaction at having to cancel his lesson. He would be squirming all over the place and giving his deep apologies in that squeaky voice of his...just like Jerry Lewis in his 50s prime. Well, I still get paid and I now have a lot of time to plow through some more of my latest translation assignment from The Corner. Plus, I did get a nice scrambled egg breakfast at the nearby Jonathan's.
Had a near-meltdown on Tuesday over at the juku. That will teach me from having a Quarter Pounder Set for dinner and then a Peach Jelly with two Iced Coffees for dessert. While I was teaching The Milds...professionally and calmly as usual...my insides were basically threatening eruption. However, from vast experience, I was able to hold my intestines under control (though it was a huge matter of mind over lots of matter) for 50 minutes. As soon as I said goodbye to my senior students, I just rushed into the bathroom and finally let everything go. I could only hope that my sigh wasn't too loud.
Well, now that my 1st class has been wiped from the slate, I just have Mr. Swank at his company before the juku classes later in the evening. With my luck, he'll end up calling the school to cancel due to some emergency meeting or business trip. Plus, I've gotta go out to the post office to send off a letter to The Matron's wife...The Lawyer...since The Bass may need some help with that errant distributor out in California.
Politically, it's still blazing here due to the current row between China and Japan. Now, China has detained 4 Japanese nationals on some unverified charges in what is looking like a tit-for-tat battle since Japan hasn't bowed down to Beijing pressure to release the Chinese captain. What it's starting to look like is that the incident will string itself out with a lot of hurt feelings and cancelled exchanges and culminate with a swap of sorts between the two brats. In any case, any sort of "prisoner" exchange is a face-saving ploy on the Chinese side.
Meterologically, Autumn has officially come. It's still nice and cool outside without any of the downpours that characterized yesterday's weather. Probably there will be no more ambushes by Summer for the next several months.
Athletically, it's been a good week. A Mongolian in Japan did himself proud earlier in the sumo dohyo (and is still keeping the winning streak alive), and just this morning a Japanese did the same thing in America. Ichiro Suzuki broke the record for the longest number of 200-hit seasons, and right in my hometown. It's hard to believe that he's been with Seattle for a decade now.
As for me, I got some early shuteye last night in the now-errant assumption that I would be teaching The Photog at about this time. However, with just 15 minutes before showtime, he called up to dotakyan. I could just imagine his reaction at having to cancel his lesson. He would be squirming all over the place and giving his deep apologies in that squeaky voice of his...just like Jerry Lewis in his 50s prime. Well, I still get paid and I now have a lot of time to plow through some more of my latest translation assignment from The Corner. Plus, I did get a nice scrambled egg breakfast at the nearby Jonathan's.
Had a near-meltdown on Tuesday over at the juku. That will teach me from having a Quarter Pounder Set for dinner and then a Peach Jelly with two Iced Coffees for dessert. While I was teaching The Milds...professionally and calmly as usual...my insides were basically threatening eruption. However, from vast experience, I was able to hold my intestines under control (though it was a huge matter of mind over lots of matter) for 50 minutes. As soon as I said goodbye to my senior students, I just rushed into the bathroom and finally let everything go. I could only hope that my sigh wasn't too loud.
Well, now that my 1st class has been wiped from the slate, I just have Mr. Swank at his company before the juku classes later in the evening. With my luck, he'll end up calling the school to cancel due to some emergency meeting or business trip. Plus, I've gotta go out to the post office to send off a letter to The Matron's wife...The Lawyer...since The Bass may need some help with that errant distributor out in California.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Thursday September 23, 12:37 p.m.
Well, the weather gods have fulfilled their end of the bargain very well. Yesterday it was officially the final day of Summer and it was sunny with a high of 33 C. Today, the first day of Autumn came in with a pet shop's worth of rain and temps are struggling to go beyond 18 C. So, within 24 hours, we've dropped 15 degrees.
It is the 2nd national holiday of the week since the Autumnal Equinox is deemed in this country as important enough to demand everyone...or almost everyone...to take the day off. I'm sure a lot of people here will not refute that policy. I was talking with Miss Sony last night about her plans for today which are just to sleep all day. For a lot of corporate drones, sleep is now considered a pastime. She told me that on average she gets just 3 hours of sleep a night during the regular workweek. That would just have me jumping off a JR track. It is with some irony that I reacted to that since I had heard some 15 years ago that Japan would now be entering a period of leisure and try to unloosen their ties. But in the 21st century, it's still an inu-eat-inu world in The Land of the Rising Blood Pressure.
The Japanese government is also earning my above sobriquet due to its current and latest feud with China over its arrest of a Chinese captain for ramming its boat into a Japan Coast Guard ship. Friendship exchanges have been postponed at the very least and even SMAP cannot go perform in Shanghai next month....although I'm not sure if that is necessarily a bad thing. And then there has been news of a possible coverup involving a fellow in the Osaka Prosecutor's Office doing a bit of data-tampering.
However, Japan can take solace that it isn't in India's shoes considering the potential fiasco that may explode in about 11 days in Delhi, I believe. Less than 2 weeks to go before The Commonwealth Games arrive there and apparently less than 50% of the athletes' dormitories are ready and a major skywalk between a stadium and a parking lot has collapsed injuring several construction workers. A majority of the athletes are now considering to engage in one mass event....the thousand-kilometre walkout.
Back to Japan, Paris Hilton wasn't allowed to officially enter the country due to her little cocaine pouch in Las Vegas. At least, the twit could stay in a Narita hotel. 30 years ago, Sir Paul McCartney ended up in handcuffs for just having a bit of weed.
I've been catching bits and pieces of movies on cable....saw an old chestnut by the title of "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" starring a relatively youthful Jason Robards, George Segal and Bruce Dern. It was an old-style tribute to the 20s with all of the characters all talking and sneering out of the sides of their muoths. And there was a bit of a "Star Trek" alert with Celia (T'Pau) Lovsky as one of the massacre victims' mother and Joseph Campanella who relatively recenty had appeared on an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager". Then, I also caught the tail end of "The Presidio", the late 80s movie starring James Bond and Agent Gibbs. I could see where Mark Harmon got some of his snarl as Gibbs. But it was the first time I'd ever seen Sean Connery cry on screen.
I'm taking it nice and easy today but tomorrow will be a relatively busy day...perhaps in quality if not in quantity. I've got The Photog early in the morning, and he's always rather loosey-goosey about what he wants to talk about. Then it's Mr. Swank who's just got that Tahitian vibe about him. I've made up a tentative curriculum for him which should corral him into line for the next several weeks...at least up to Xmas.
But the important thing is that I'm happy it's Autumn...and it feels like it!
Well, the weather gods have fulfilled their end of the bargain very well. Yesterday it was officially the final day of Summer and it was sunny with a high of 33 C. Today, the first day of Autumn came in with a pet shop's worth of rain and temps are struggling to go beyond 18 C. So, within 24 hours, we've dropped 15 degrees.
It is the 2nd national holiday of the week since the Autumnal Equinox is deemed in this country as important enough to demand everyone...or almost everyone...to take the day off. I'm sure a lot of people here will not refute that policy. I was talking with Miss Sony last night about her plans for today which are just to sleep all day. For a lot of corporate drones, sleep is now considered a pastime. She told me that on average she gets just 3 hours of sleep a night during the regular workweek. That would just have me jumping off a JR track. It is with some irony that I reacted to that since I had heard some 15 years ago that Japan would now be entering a period of leisure and try to unloosen their ties. But in the 21st century, it's still an inu-eat-inu world in The Land of the Rising Blood Pressure.
The Japanese government is also earning my above sobriquet due to its current and latest feud with China over its arrest of a Chinese captain for ramming its boat into a Japan Coast Guard ship. Friendship exchanges have been postponed at the very least and even SMAP cannot go perform in Shanghai next month....although I'm not sure if that is necessarily a bad thing. And then there has been news of a possible coverup involving a fellow in the Osaka Prosecutor's Office doing a bit of data-tampering.
However, Japan can take solace that it isn't in India's shoes considering the potential fiasco that may explode in about 11 days in Delhi, I believe. Less than 2 weeks to go before The Commonwealth Games arrive there and apparently less than 50% of the athletes' dormitories are ready and a major skywalk between a stadium and a parking lot has collapsed injuring several construction workers. A majority of the athletes are now considering to engage in one mass event....the thousand-kilometre walkout.
Back to Japan, Paris Hilton wasn't allowed to officially enter the country due to her little cocaine pouch in Las Vegas. At least, the twit could stay in a Narita hotel. 30 years ago, Sir Paul McCartney ended up in handcuffs for just having a bit of weed.
I've been catching bits and pieces of movies on cable....saw an old chestnut by the title of "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" starring a relatively youthful Jason Robards, George Segal and Bruce Dern. It was an old-style tribute to the 20s with all of the characters all talking and sneering out of the sides of their muoths. And there was a bit of a "Star Trek" alert with Celia (T'Pau) Lovsky as one of the massacre victims' mother and Joseph Campanella who relatively recenty had appeared on an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager". Then, I also caught the tail end of "The Presidio", the late 80s movie starring James Bond and Agent Gibbs. I could see where Mark Harmon got some of his snarl as Gibbs. But it was the first time I'd ever seen Sean Connery cry on screen.
I'm taking it nice and easy today but tomorrow will be a relatively busy day...perhaps in quality if not in quantity. I've got The Photog early in the morning, and he's always rather loosey-goosey about what he wants to talk about. Then it's Mr. Swank who's just got that Tahitian vibe about him. I've made up a tentative curriculum for him which should corral him into line for the next several weeks...at least up to Xmas.
But the important thing is that I'm happy it's Autumn...and it feels like it!
Wednesday September 22, 7:48 p.m.
It's been a light week thus far. The holiday Monday, the two lessons at the juku last night and only Miss Sony tonight at Speedy's since 001 is gone for the month and The Overachiever cancelled for the month. Plus, Thursday is yet another holiday to celebrate the arrival of Autumn. And the timing could be excellent. It was another hot one in the country...up to 33 C today but tomorrow supposedly promises rain and far cooler temps for the Equinox.
With only the lone student tonight here, I came in just a few hours ago and I've been doing a lot of other stuff along with the prep for Miss Sony's lesson. I've also been coming up with some sort of coherent plan for Mr. Swank since things have been getting a little too loose with him, and at the same time, I've been tackling the new translation assignment from The Corner.
It's been a light week thus far. The holiday Monday, the two lessons at the juku last night and only Miss Sony tonight at Speedy's since 001 is gone for the month and The Overachiever cancelled for the month. Plus, Thursday is yet another holiday to celebrate the arrival of Autumn. And the timing could be excellent. It was another hot one in the country...up to 33 C today but tomorrow supposedly promises rain and far cooler temps for the Equinox.
With only the lone student tonight here, I came in just a few hours ago and I've been doing a lot of other stuff along with the prep for Miss Sony's lesson. I've also been coming up with some sort of coherent plan for Mr. Swank since things have been getting a little too loose with him, and at the same time, I've been tackling the new translation assignment from The Corner.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Monday September 20, 1:23 p.m.
If there were something that the beleaguered world of sumo needed, it would be this news. And ironic that it would come in the form of a Mongolian. Mind you, this is Hakuho, the lone yokozuna. And just like John Wayne, he cleaned up by himself to possess the longest postwar winning streak since legendary Chiyonofuji The Wolf did it a couple of decades ago. He also won yesterday which means that he now has 55 wins under his mawashi. He needs 15 more to become the all-time winner. The original Futabayama still has that 69-win streak, unbeaten since the 30s. Now, every time Hakuho goes up from now until the 7th game of the next tournament in November, the media and everyone else will be focusing laser-like on him.
I actually did get my day off after all. I was supposed to have taught Cozy earlier this morning, but I got a call from him last night that he had to go some urgent business outside of the city so he cancelled. Got to wake up gloriously later than expected and had a 200 yen-combi for my MacBreakfast...a Sausage McMuffin and an iced coffee. The usual set with the hash brown comes to 440 yen...good golly, does that mean the potato costs more than then the McMuffin and coffee put together?
Got to teach Yajima yesterday in Den'en-Chofu. Usually during the break, the guy brings out some sweets to munch on. I actually got some coffee-infused chocolates straight from Buckingham Palace since his brother came back from a trip to London recently. Had no idea the Queen was into entrepreneurship.
It'll be a light week by any stretch of the imagination. I've got the 2 days off today and Thursday due to national holidays and the rest of the schedule looks pretty sparse. Basically just two or three lessons on the days that I am working.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Saturday September 17, 3:27 p.m.
I just had The Intellectual for the one lesson today. We have more staff than students in the office today: La Fille, Miss Prim and The Kewpie Doll (she'll be heading to the new school) plus Speedy. I'll be taking off pretty soon since I've got washing to do.
The Corner has sent me a new translation assignment of a website. I don't know quite yet how long I've got to get this done but the next week will be relatively un-busy because of the two national holidays and some sparse scheduling. I may actually get enough sleep.
Still, I will have to get up early tomorrow and Monday for Yajima and Cozy respectively. A bit of a pity, though both guys are nice guys and students. Ah, c'est la vie.
I just had The Intellectual for the one lesson today. We have more staff than students in the office today: La Fille, Miss Prim and The Kewpie Doll (she'll be heading to the new school) plus Speedy. I'll be taking off pretty soon since I've got washing to do.
The Corner has sent me a new translation assignment of a website. I don't know quite yet how long I've got to get this done but the next week will be relatively un-busy because of the two national holidays and some sparse scheduling. I may actually get enough sleep.
Still, I will have to get up early tomorrow and Monday for Yajima and Cozy respectively. A bit of a pity, though both guys are nice guys and students. Ah, c'est la vie.
Saturday September 18, 3:10 p.m.
A tale of two junkies today. The first one is Manabu Oshio, the guy right above me in the police car. Strangely enough, until his arrest a year ago for MDMA possession and letting his lover die of an overdose, he was frankly not exactly on the A-list of Japanese celebrities. He was a tough-guy actor and "singer". Since then, he's popped up on TV over the past 12 months as his case finally culminated in court over the past couple of weeks, culminating in his conviction yesterday with a 2.5-year sentence. A lot of folks feel that he got off easy, but he and his legal team are screaming appeal.
However, the true tragedy is represented in the two pictures on either side. It's a Before-After thing involving the very former tarento Masashi Tashiro. The Before side is to the right with him parodying the announcement of the new Imperial reign period from 2 decades ago. He'd been a member of the 80s doo-wop band The Chanels (later to be horribly re-named Rats & Stars) with lead crooner Masayuki Suzuki before he really hit the big time as a TV personality in the late 80s and 90s,usually alongside comedy legend Ken Shimura. He could've ended up being as big a host as any of the big 3 of Beat Takeshi, Tamori or Akashiya Sanma.
But as the left side After pic shows, things really turned for the worse for him over the past decade. First, he got caught taking pictures up a high school girl's skirt back in 2000. And then came a series of busts for illegal weapons and drug possession. Finally, came the news a couple of days ago that Tashiro was arrested in a parking lot right by the Aka-Renga buildings in Yokohama (a place that I'd visited a couple of weeks ago) doing cocaine in his car with his girlfriend by the cops. Things take a sadly humourous quality in that they were doing this as whole hordes of cops were patrolling the area in a tune-up leading to the APEC conference in Minato Mirai in November. As he was taken away for booking, the After picture shows him as a combination of his old self and Munch's "The Scream" picture. Acquaintances had suspected that he was doing the stuff but Tashiro kept denying it.
This man has hit rock bottom. Oshio should take a look at Tashiro and thank his lucky stars. Noriko Sakai, the poster girl of aidorus-gone-bad, should also look at Tashiro and just thank heavens it was merely her career that has been destroyed. Tashiro has repeatedly bleated his intention to repent only to get thrown back into the gutter. Now, I think there's a pretty good chance that he's not going to survive much longer. He's lost his family, his friends and his career. There's really nothing left but his life to sacrifice now.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Friday September 17, 1:06 p.m.
Quite dry for the first time in a few days here in The Big Sushi. I was indeed able to confirm that The Journo did cancel on me and the juku boss once again...this time for the remainder of this month. The boss relayed to me that The Journo was worried that I might be rather furious. No, I'm not but I do wonder what possessed him to take lessons with us if he were going to be this busy.
The Bass is still recovering from his injuries after that wicked motorcycle accident he'd been involved in a few weeks back. He had some X-rays done and luckily there were no broken bones but just residual pain. But he's also asked me for some legal help since he's been having problems with an errant American distributor. I'll be calling up The Matron's husband sometime soon.
I've got The Shareholder in about 20 minutes. Then I have to run off to Shinjuku for my session with Mr. Swank. Both guys have their challenges. The Shareholder is a self-admitted humorless fellow while Mr. Swank has a very Tahitian attitude toward studying. In any case, I think The Journo's dotakyan is a blessing in disguise. So I don't have to run off at warp speed from Shinjuku to get to Urayasu in time.
Quite dry for the first time in a few days here in The Big Sushi. I was indeed able to confirm that The Journo did cancel on me and the juku boss once again...this time for the remainder of this month. The boss relayed to me that The Journo was worried that I might be rather furious. No, I'm not but I do wonder what possessed him to take lessons with us if he were going to be this busy.
The Bass is still recovering from his injuries after that wicked motorcycle accident he'd been involved in a few weeks back. He had some X-rays done and luckily there were no broken bones but just residual pain. But he's also asked me for some legal help since he's been having problems with an errant American distributor. I'll be calling up The Matron's husband sometime soon.
I've got The Shareholder in about 20 minutes. Then I have to run off to Shinjuku for my session with Mr. Swank. Both guys have their challenges. The Shareholder is a self-admitted humorless fellow while Mr. Swank has a very Tahitian attitude toward studying. In any case, I think The Journo's dotakyan is a blessing in disguise. So I don't have to run off at warp speed from Shinjuku to get to Urayasu in time.
Thursday September 16, 10:48 p.m.
Been another long day. Finished with Mrs. Thursday and The Music Man. Both had gone down to Guam last week. Both figured that English wasn't needed since the hospitality industry rightly pegged the Japanese as the main source of tourism. It'll be another 2 weeks before I see them since next Thursday is a national holiday.
Feeling pretty tired now, but I've got another long day ahead of me tomorrow since I've got The Bass, The Shareholder, Mr. Swank and then the juku classes. Luckily, The Journo did cancel once again.
Been another long day. Finished with Mrs. Thursday and The Music Man. Both had gone down to Guam last week. Both figured that English wasn't needed since the hospitality industry rightly pegged the Japanese as the main source of tourism. It'll be another 2 weeks before I see them since next Thursday is a national holiday.
Feeling pretty tired now, but I've got another long day ahead of me tomorrow since I've got The Bass, The Shareholder, Mr. Swank and then the juku classes. Luckily, The Journo did cancel once again.
Thursday September 16, 6:29 p.m.
As expected, I got a message from the juku boss concerning The Journo. Once again, he's cancelled...this time for the duration of September. I've got a feeling that this one's gonna be a goner. Well, at least that's one student I won't have to plan for.
I caught half of a movie yesterday called "Apt Pupil", a late 90s flick starring Sir Ian McKellen and the late Brad Renfro. It's about an old psychopathic Nazi (a redundant term, I know) hiding out in middle America who, in much of the way of Faust, teaches a latent sociopathic teen the ways of being evil. This was just before McKellen hit the big time with "X-Men" and "Lord of the Rings"; he was his masterful self, but I just thought the story didn't quite come to a particularly satisfying resolution. Todd, Renfro's character, uses his master's exact words to threaten David "Friends" Schwimmer...thus showing that he has made the successful transition to evil being at the end of the movie, but unlike what critics had said, I didn't think that Schwimmer looked particularly intimidated so that he would shut up.
As expected, I got a message from the juku boss concerning The Journo. Once again, he's cancelled...this time for the duration of September. I've got a feeling that this one's gonna be a goner. Well, at least that's one student I won't have to plan for.
I caught half of a movie yesterday called "Apt Pupil", a late 90s flick starring Sir Ian McKellen and the late Brad Renfro. It's about an old psychopathic Nazi (a redundant term, I know) hiding out in middle America who, in much of the way of Faust, teaches a latent sociopathic teen the ways of being evil. This was just before McKellen hit the big time with "X-Men" and "Lord of the Rings"; he was his masterful self, but I just thought the story didn't quite come to a particularly satisfying resolution. Todd, Renfro's character, uses his master's exact words to threaten David "Friends" Schwimmer...thus showing that he has made the successful transition to evil being at the end of the movie, but unlike what critics had said, I didn't think that Schwimmer looked particularly intimidated so that he would shut up.
Thursday September 16, 6:10 p.m.
The German and I had a half-gab, half-text lesson which meant that things went inordinately well. She'll be taking off for London next week for a few days of vacation. Hopefully, she'll be taking lots of pics there, so I can vicariously enjoy life in another country.
Miss Thursday is next on the list in a couple of hours.
The German and I had a half-gab, half-text lesson which meant that things went inordinately well. She'll be taking off for London next week for a few days of vacation. Hopefully, she'll be taking lots of pics there, so I can vicariously enjoy life in another country.
Miss Thursday is next on the list in a couple of hours.
Thursday September 16, 4:17 p.m.
Came back from my little recce on the rainy Tokyo streets. Took a short hop on the bus over to Tokyo Opera City between here and Shinjuku. As the name would imply, it is a centre devoted to concerts of a highly classical nature but the actual auditorium is surrounded by layers of corporate offices and restaurants. I ended up having lunch at the Hub, an English pub chain. With all of the chestnut wood and leather, it's ideal for the kacho class of executive. I had the Fish N' Chip plate which was actually fairly good...not an easy thing in this area of the world. However, the cooks could make the batter a bit more crispy.
Afterwards, I walked all the way over to Takashimaya Times Square and checked out Kinokuniya before I took a small break at Krispy Kreme #1. Yep, the place's heyday as an excuse to line up for 2 hours for donuts is now officially over. Got in within a couple of minutes. Still got a free sample of what I was gonna eat, the Apple Pie donut with a cup of jo. Lasted up on the 2nd floor for about half an hour before sleep threatened to claim me so I decided to head on out to Tower Records for a while before getting back to Speedy's.
Came back from my little recce on the rainy Tokyo streets. Took a short hop on the bus over to Tokyo Opera City between here and Shinjuku. As the name would imply, it is a centre devoted to concerts of a highly classical nature but the actual auditorium is surrounded by layers of corporate offices and restaurants. I ended up having lunch at the Hub, an English pub chain. With all of the chestnut wood and leather, it's ideal for the kacho class of executive. I had the Fish N' Chip plate which was actually fairly good...not an easy thing in this area of the world. However, the cooks could make the batter a bit more crispy.
Afterwards, I walked all the way over to Takashimaya Times Square and checked out Kinokuniya before I took a small break at Krispy Kreme #1. Yep, the place's heyday as an excuse to line up for 2 hours for donuts is now officially over. Got in within a couple of minutes. Still got a free sample of what I was gonna eat, the Apple Pie donut with a cup of jo. Lasted up on the 2nd floor for about half an hour before sleep threatened to claim me so I decided to head on out to Tower Records for a while before getting back to Speedy's.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thursday September 16, 7:58 a.m.
I guess this is Number 3,600. And a rainy entry it is, too. The skies are just carpetbombing us with precipitation right now. Not sure how long it's gonna last but it makes for a fine contrast with some of the last of those torrid and horrid days of Summer.
It'll be a long day. I've got The Patent Attorney in half an hour but then there'll be a huge temporal void until I have The German at 5 this afternoon. Then it'll be a relatively quick lineup of Mrs. Thursday and The Music Man. I'll probably be going out for lunch later on, though I'm not sure where quite yet. May try West Park Cafe in Times Square for the roast chicken.
Japan finally had to get in on the act and sit on the yen like a frustrated tourist on an overstuffed suitcase. It has gone up twice to the 82 yen mark to the dollar. Frustrated tourists from overseas but a lot of happy Japanese ones going the other way.
I guess this is Number 3,600. And a rainy entry it is, too. The skies are just carpetbombing us with precipitation right now. Not sure how long it's gonna last but it makes for a fine contrast with some of the last of those torrid and horrid days of Summer.
It'll be a long day. I've got The Patent Attorney in half an hour but then there'll be a huge temporal void until I have The German at 5 this afternoon. Then it'll be a relatively quick lineup of Mrs. Thursday and The Music Man. I'll probably be going out for lunch later on, though I'm not sure where quite yet. May try West Park Cafe in Times Square for the roast chicken.
Japan finally had to get in on the act and sit on the yen like a frustrated tourist on an overstuffed suitcase. It has gone up twice to the 82 yen mark to the dollar. Frustrated tourists from overseas but a lot of happy Japanese ones going the other way.
Wednesday September 15, 10:47 p.m.
Just about ready to pack up for home...only to come back here in several hours to teach The Patent Attorney (sigh). Nice guy, but it's starting to be a drag to have to leave late and come in early.
Miss Sony is always pleasant to talk with...not quite as crazily happy as 001 but still very good at conversing.
At least, I've got a huge donut hole between The PA and The German. So I'll just head on out and enjoy Tokyo.
Just about ready to pack up for home...only to come back here in several hours to teach The Patent Attorney (sigh). Nice guy, but it's starting to be a drag to have to leave late and come in early.
Miss Sony is always pleasant to talk with...not quite as crazily happy as 001 but still very good at conversing.
At least, I've got a huge donut hole between The PA and The German. So I'll just head on out and enjoy Tokyo.
Wednesday September 15, 8:23 p.m.
The class with 001 was, unsurprisingly, all about attending that big concert of Arashi almost a couple of weeks ago. She had a blast with her friend watching the likes of Aiba-kun and Ono-kun. She only has a few lessons left on her current contract and she's spreading them out. I won't see her for about a month due to work and a trip to Turkey later this month.
Well, Miss Sony's here...
The class with 001 was, unsurprisingly, all about attending that big concert of Arashi almost a couple of weeks ago. She had a blast with her friend watching the likes of Aiba-kun and Ono-kun. She only has a few lessons left on her current contract and she's spreading them out. I won't see her for about a month due to work and a trip to Turkey later this month.
Well, Miss Sony's here...
Wednesday September 15, 5:55 p.m.
Finished with The Overachiever an hour ago. Very good for conversation. He seems to have an interest in postwar American culture, if only for his GRE test. He may have given me some hooks for future lessons. Luckily, he has renewed.
It's cooler today although the warmth is still there. But the important thing is that Fall may finally be on its way.
001 should be here in a few minutes. She should have lots to talk about concerning her Arashi concert about a couple of weeks ago. With luck, it could last all class.
Finished with The Overachiever an hour ago. Very good for conversation. He seems to have an interest in postwar American culture, if only for his GRE test. He may have given me some hooks for future lessons. Luckily, he has renewed.
It's cooler today although the warmth is still there. But the important thing is that Fall may finally be on its way.
001 should be here in a few minutes. She should have lots to talk about concerning her Arashi concert about a couple of weeks ago. With luck, it could last all class.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday September 15, 3:45 p.m.
Looks like The Beehive actually hit a jackpot with a new place. From the next time we meet onwards, we will be meeting at a community centre near JR Tsudanuma. So, hopefully, we can have proper classes without having any irate old bitties telling us to be quiet because we're too loud (or Mrs. Alp, to be more accurate).
I'm starting to get that feeling of being slowly phased out at Speedy's. After getting that little talk from the bossman about giving priority to the female staff concering the computers, I'm now in his office typing this since the outer office is now fully occupied. I'm gonna have The Overachiever here in a few minutes, and then it'll be 001 and Miss Sony. I figure I'll have my Saturdays off from January and then in the Spring I'll let Speedy know that I'll be making my way out.
Looks like The Beehive actually hit a jackpot with a new place. From the next time we meet onwards, we will be meeting at a community centre near JR Tsudanuma. So, hopefully, we can have proper classes without having any irate old bitties telling us to be quiet because we're too loud (or Mrs. Alp, to be more accurate).
I'm starting to get that feeling of being slowly phased out at Speedy's. After getting that little talk from the bossman about giving priority to the female staff concering the computers, I'm now in his office typing this since the outer office is now fully occupied. I'm gonna have The Overachiever here in a few minutes, and then it'll be 001 and Miss Sony. I figure I'll have my Saturdays off from January and then in the Spring I'll let Speedy know that I'll be making my way out.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Monday September 13, 9:27 p.m.
Forgot to mention one thing...an obituary of sorts. A veteran fixture of local TV and movies passed away a few days ago. His name was Tani Kei...and I'm giving the name this time in the original Japanese way of family name first, first name last for reasons that will become evident later.
He was a member of an old 50s comedy group/band called The Krazy Kats, and Tani was the trombonist. He came across as a regular portly uncle that would be welcome anytime in anyone's abode and was famous for his catchphrase "Ga-chon!" which, I assume, is the way a 'bone blast would sound. In any case, even when his band broke up, he became a familiar face on television throughout the decades and the last time I saw him, he was doing a cute duet with J-Pop legend Yumi Matsutoya a few years ago.
As for the name, Tani Kei, the comedian formed his nom de plume by shaping it phonetically after US comedian/actor Danny Kaye who was a big thing back in the 50s. I also just found out that he had been the Japanese voice behind Charlie Brown, although I can't understand why they would choose a middle-aged man to voice the world's youngest loser.
Forgot to mention one thing...an obituary of sorts. A veteran fixture of local TV and movies passed away a few days ago. His name was Tani Kei...and I'm giving the name this time in the original Japanese way of family name first, first name last for reasons that will become evident later.
He was a member of an old 50s comedy group/band called The Krazy Kats, and Tani was the trombonist. He came across as a regular portly uncle that would be welcome anytime in anyone's abode and was famous for his catchphrase "Ga-chon!" which, I assume, is the way a 'bone blast would sound. In any case, even when his band broke up, he became a familiar face on television throughout the decades and the last time I saw him, he was doing a cute duet with J-Pop legend Yumi Matsutoya a few years ago.
As for the name, Tani Kei, the comedian formed his nom de plume by shaping it phonetically after US comedian/actor Danny Kaye who was a big thing back in the 50s. I also just found out that he had been the Japanese voice behind Charlie Brown, although I can't understand why they would choose a middle-aged man to voice the world's youngest loser.
Monday September 13, 9:14 p.m.
As it turned out, the e-mail came in from The Medicine Man that he will be AWOL for the duration of September. No reason given but I'm pretty sure that the current troubles with the Superbug at Teikyo University Hospital have something to do with it. In any case, next week is a national holiday so none of us will have to worry about it.
I should get going home. I have to take advantage of this early night off.
Tomorrow will be the election within the Democratic Party of Japan for leader. Will it be PM Kan or shadowmaster Ozawa? It's looking like Kan although this is pretty much a battle for the lesser of two evils.
As it turned out, the e-mail came in from The Medicine Man that he will be AWOL for the duration of September. No reason given but I'm pretty sure that the current troubles with the Superbug at Teikyo University Hospital have something to do with it. In any case, next week is a national holiday so none of us will have to worry about it.
I should get going home. I have to take advantage of this early night off.
Tomorrow will be the election within the Democratic Party of Japan for leader. Will it be PM Kan or shadowmaster Ozawa? It's looking like Kan although this is pretty much a battle for the lesser of two evils.
Monday September 13, 5:47 p.m.
Well, that was a bit of a surprise. All of us realized that after Medicine Man's sudden cancellation last week that he hadn't officially booked for his next lesson. Technically speaking, there is nothing for me after Miss Genki's lesson. Miss Efficiency has called him on his cell (no response, no surprise) and has just sent an e-mail message over to him. He may not be coming at all or he may have done the same as me and just assumed that he had made the reservation. In any case, I am waiting.
Supposedly, The Journo will finally be coming for his first lesson, over a month after his first meeting with me. No cancellation as of yet. But I've got 4 more days to go.
After that Mixi friend's defriending of me last week, I decided to also do a bit of housecleaning of my own as well. I got rid of some more friends that I haven't had any contact with on Facebook and Mixi. I kinda figured like my former friend that if we're not communicating, why are we still sticking around? Divorce, I say!
Well, that was a bit of a surprise. All of us realized that after Medicine Man's sudden cancellation last week that he hadn't officially booked for his next lesson. Technically speaking, there is nothing for me after Miss Genki's lesson. Miss Efficiency has called him on his cell (no response, no surprise) and has just sent an e-mail message over to him. He may not be coming at all or he may have done the same as me and just assumed that he had made the reservation. In any case, I am waiting.
Supposedly, The Journo will finally be coming for his first lesson, over a month after his first meeting with me. No cancellation as of yet. But I've got 4 more days to go.
After that Mixi friend's defriending of me last week, I decided to also do a bit of housecleaning of my own as well. I got rid of some more friends that I haven't had any contact with on Facebook and Mixi. I kinda figured like my former friend that if we're not communicating, why are we still sticking around? Divorce, I say!
Monday September 13, 4:50 p.m.
Well, Summer still won't let us go. Not exactly over 35 C, but definitely not below 30 C either. Needed the Gatsby wipes for sure today.
Strangely enough, the request to Speedy for Saturdays off from next January was given the OK. I had half-expected him to put his head in his hands and scream "WHY?!" However, he was cool with it although he did faintly hint at why I hadn't let go of Sundays. But the important thing is that I will have at least one day totally off from 2011, although I will have to sacrifice Miss Prissy, The Publicity Assistant and The Intellectual...all good students; a pity that they'll have to go off my schedule but I need my sanity still there for my remaining time on Earth.
My sessions with The Jyuppies went well. Unlike the last time, Mr. Jyuppie had a good time with me yesterday...whenever he says "Interesting...", it's always a good sign. As for Mrs. Jyuppie, she's starting to show with a little more than 2 months to go before she has her second child. I'm pretty sure that it might be hard to see them from the last half of November onwards, especially if I'm headed back for Toronto. The family invited me for a Sunday brunch on the 26th at a restaurant near their old place in Komazawa Park. It's called The Bowery and Mr. Jyuppie says that it's the probable birthplace of cafe culture in Tokyo, although Starbucks may want to rebut that.
Had my usual crowd so far for Mondays. Cozy was fine with the last test of his first textbook, so I've given him the big Final test before we start up with the next text. Swank and I had our usual kaffeeklatsch/lesson at Roppongi Hills. After that, it was just traipsing through Ginza, especially Yamano Music. There was one somewhat unhinged woman at one of the listening stations just dancing like the animated Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Of course over here, we just ignore her.
I've got Miss Genki and The Medicine Man...supposedly the latter will come, although with this problem of the Superbug killing patients at Teikyo University Hospital and his status as a doctor specializing in infectious diseases, he may just as easily dotakyan tonight.
Finally, Speedy also informed me that since things are getting a bit bigger and hopefully better at the school nowadays, I'll most likely be losing my Most Favored Nation status at my desk and computer since staff and future teachers will be fighting it out to work at it. Apparently, folks like Miss Prim and Miss Efficiency asked the bossman to delicately ask me to see if I could refrain from playing games and blogging so that they can get at it (I rather sinisterly like it when staffers are somewhat afraid of me) for work. Yup, no problems on that but I will take the change as a sign that perhaps my time at Speedy's is slowly coming to a close. I definitely got NOVA vibes when Speedy told me of the situation...and frankly, I'm never gonna enjoy working at a big place ever again.
Well, Summer still won't let us go. Not exactly over 35 C, but definitely not below 30 C either. Needed the Gatsby wipes for sure today.
Strangely enough, the request to Speedy for Saturdays off from next January was given the OK. I had half-expected him to put his head in his hands and scream "WHY?!" However, he was cool with it although he did faintly hint at why I hadn't let go of Sundays. But the important thing is that I will have at least one day totally off from 2011, although I will have to sacrifice Miss Prissy, The Publicity Assistant and The Intellectual...all good students; a pity that they'll have to go off my schedule but I need my sanity still there for my remaining time on Earth.
My sessions with The Jyuppies went well. Unlike the last time, Mr. Jyuppie had a good time with me yesterday...whenever he says "Interesting...", it's always a good sign. As for Mrs. Jyuppie, she's starting to show with a little more than 2 months to go before she has her second child. I'm pretty sure that it might be hard to see them from the last half of November onwards, especially if I'm headed back for Toronto. The family invited me for a Sunday brunch on the 26th at a restaurant near their old place in Komazawa Park. It's called The Bowery and Mr. Jyuppie says that it's the probable birthplace of cafe culture in Tokyo, although Starbucks may want to rebut that.
Had my usual crowd so far for Mondays. Cozy was fine with the last test of his first textbook, so I've given him the big Final test before we start up with the next text. Swank and I had our usual kaffeeklatsch/lesson at Roppongi Hills. After that, it was just traipsing through Ginza, especially Yamano Music. There was one somewhat unhinged woman at one of the listening stations just dancing like the animated Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Of course over here, we just ignore her.
I've got Miss Genki and The Medicine Man...supposedly the latter will come, although with this problem of the Superbug killing patients at Teikyo University Hospital and his status as a doctor specializing in infectious diseases, he may just as easily dotakyan tonight.
Finally, Speedy also informed me that since things are getting a bit bigger and hopefully better at the school nowadays, I'll most likely be losing my Most Favored Nation status at my desk and computer since staff and future teachers will be fighting it out to work at it. Apparently, folks like Miss Prim and Miss Efficiency asked the bossman to delicately ask me to see if I could refrain from playing games and blogging so that they can get at it (I rather sinisterly like it when staffers are somewhat afraid of me) for work. Yup, no problems on that but I will take the change as a sign that perhaps my time at Speedy's is slowly coming to a close. I definitely got NOVA vibes when Speedy told me of the situation...and frankly, I'm never gonna enjoy working at a big place ever again.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Saturday September 11, 1:52 p.m.
Hard to believe it's been 9 years since 9/11. Of course, there is always something going on to muck up with the works for reconciliation between Islam and Christianity. For example, that nutball Christian extremist in Florida who wants to burn Qu'rans today. But I think he's rather backed off that literally incendiary display of hate.
Was surprised to hear from The Bass that he'd suffered a motorcycle accident between his concert and yesterday's lesson. He showed me a picture of his cycle...looked pretty totaled. It was a miracle that he came out of it with just some pain all over.
Pretty much stayed within the neighbourhood yesterday. Did some domestic stuff before I went out to The Restauranteur's establishment for the usual Sauteed Chicken. I figure it could be the last time in a while since The Journo, supposedly, will be coming in for lessons from next Friday at 6:30. He's already cancelled twice...considering his job, I can't really be too churlish about it but I just wonder if he'll do another cancellation next week.
I have completed my two lessons with Miss Prissy and The Publicity Agent today. It's gonna be another steamy one out there despite the typhoon and the cool 2 days afterwards back on Wednesday night. We may be done with Summer but Summer is, apparently, not done with us just yet.
But apparently, one of my now-former Mixi friends is done with me. I got a polite letter from this lady who had initially requested my friendship some months ago, which I graciously accepted. However, she sent me a letter this morning stating that she'll be de-friending me since there really wasn't much going between us and that she prefers to have Mixi friends who want to keep up a steady dialogue. Perfectly understandable...I never really could comment on her entries and she only commented on mine a couple of times when I'd written about some food I'd had and stating that I should watch my weight. I kinda noticed then that perhaps the lady wouldn't be commenting too much longer. I have to say though, that she was very nice about cutting off ties with me by sending me that letter. I would've just cut any people I no longer wanted without saying a thing. In fact, I've already de-friended a number of people on Facebook in the same way.
I'll be heading off to National Azabu Supermarket just to get a Mennen's Speed Stick. Yes, I have to go all the way to Hiroo just to pick up a deodorant since the Japanese variety isn't anywhere strong enough. I may even pick up a big can of Campbell's Soup there for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow, I've just got The Jyuppies but Mr. Jyuppie is a concern since he didn't really like the lesson a couple of weeks ago. I'll have to take a look at what I've got.
And I'm about to send a letter to Speedy asking him to take me off of Saturday lessons once the new year starts. I'm just getting tired of doing 3-week stints without a single day off. I would definitely miss folks such as Miss Prissy but my mind could use the weekly break.
Hard to believe it's been 9 years since 9/11. Of course, there is always something going on to muck up with the works for reconciliation between Islam and Christianity. For example, that nutball Christian extremist in Florida who wants to burn Qu'rans today. But I think he's rather backed off that literally incendiary display of hate.
Was surprised to hear from The Bass that he'd suffered a motorcycle accident between his concert and yesterday's lesson. He showed me a picture of his cycle...looked pretty totaled. It was a miracle that he came out of it with just some pain all over.
Pretty much stayed within the neighbourhood yesterday. Did some domestic stuff before I went out to The Restauranteur's establishment for the usual Sauteed Chicken. I figure it could be the last time in a while since The Journo, supposedly, will be coming in for lessons from next Friday at 6:30. He's already cancelled twice...considering his job, I can't really be too churlish about it but I just wonder if he'll do another cancellation next week.
I have completed my two lessons with Miss Prissy and The Publicity Agent today. It's gonna be another steamy one out there despite the typhoon and the cool 2 days afterwards back on Wednesday night. We may be done with Summer but Summer is, apparently, not done with us just yet.
But apparently, one of my now-former Mixi friends is done with me. I got a polite letter from this lady who had initially requested my friendship some months ago, which I graciously accepted. However, she sent me a letter this morning stating that she'll be de-friending me since there really wasn't much going between us and that she prefers to have Mixi friends who want to keep up a steady dialogue. Perfectly understandable...I never really could comment on her entries and she only commented on mine a couple of times when I'd written about some food I'd had and stating that I should watch my weight. I kinda noticed then that perhaps the lady wouldn't be commenting too much longer. I have to say though, that she was very nice about cutting off ties with me by sending me that letter. I would've just cut any people I no longer wanted without saying a thing. In fact, I've already de-friended a number of people on Facebook in the same way.
I'll be heading off to National Azabu Supermarket just to get a Mennen's Speed Stick. Yes, I have to go all the way to Hiroo just to pick up a deodorant since the Japanese variety isn't anywhere strong enough. I may even pick up a big can of Campbell's Soup there for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow, I've just got The Jyuppies but Mr. Jyuppie is a concern since he didn't really like the lesson a couple of weeks ago. I'll have to take a look at what I've got.
And I'm about to send a letter to Speedy asking him to take me off of Saturday lessons once the new year starts. I'm just getting tired of doing 3-week stints without a single day off. I would definitely miss folks such as Miss Prissy but my mind could use the weekly break.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Thursday September 9, 2:10 p.m.
The Photog was his usual loosey-goosey self. Managed to go through a whole rigamarole of topics before I asked him whether he was satisfied with this stream-of-consciousness type of lesson. He said he was OK with it, although he did acknowledge that perhaps he was too OK with it. Miss Efficiency suggested some homework assignments although I'm not sure if the lad will have the energy, time or desire to complete it.
Then, Miss Efficiency and I had a talk on our grand poobah, the bossman. I, of 6 years' acquaintance, while she has known him for as many weeks. There was a bit of griping (and some praise) about him...the usual stuff: his anal-ity and his general stubborness. And Efficiency talked about how much happier her predecessor Ray felt after she finally finished her stint at Speedy's. Apparently, the bossman has been trying to contact her for several days just to make sure she was doing OK, while Ray has been trying to avoid contact with him so that she can completely decompress.
The Photog was his usual loosey-goosey self. Managed to go through a whole rigamarole of topics before I asked him whether he was satisfied with this stream-of-consciousness type of lesson. He said he was OK with it, although he did acknowledge that perhaps he was too OK with it. Miss Efficiency suggested some homework assignments although I'm not sure if the lad will have the energy, time or desire to complete it.
Then, Miss Efficiency and I had a talk on our grand poobah, the bossman. I, of 6 years' acquaintance, while she has known him for as many weeks. There was a bit of griping (and some praise) about him...the usual stuff: his anal-ity and his general stubborness. And Efficiency talked about how much happier her predecessor Ray felt after she finally finished her stint at Speedy's. Apparently, the bossman has been trying to contact her for several days just to make sure she was doing OK, while Ray has been trying to avoid contact with him so that she can completely decompress.
Thursday September 9, 11:31 a.m.
Since it's just Miss Efficiency and me in the school right now, she has been engaging me in conversation off-and-on over the course of the past hour. I found out that she's quite the spiritualist so words like "synchronicity" and "enneagrams" have been bandied about. The latter I'd never heard about, and the former I knew just as the title of a hit song by The Police. In any case, Miss Efficiency is somewhat mellower about her beliefs than that of my former friend, The Mademoiselle...a bit of a psycho, that one.
Since it's just Miss Efficiency and me in the school right now, she has been engaging me in conversation off-and-on over the course of the past hour. I found out that she's quite the spiritualist so words like "synchronicity" and "enneagrams" have been bandied about. The latter I'd never heard about, and the former I knew just as the title of a hit song by The Police. In any case, Miss Efficiency is somewhat mellower about her beliefs than that of my former friend, The Mademoiselle...a bit of a psycho, that one.
Thursday September 9, 10:03 a.m.
Well, it looks like we may have gotten our Fall. Heading home last night and coming into work this morning, it was actually pleasantly cool. Still didn't need a jacket but didn't have any need to pull out a handkerchief even once either.
That 24-hour transition period of tons of rain kinda felt as if Mother Nature finally got fed up with Heat Meister and just blasted him with the massive precip as punishment. Somewhere Heat Meister is pouting and reflecting on 6 weeks of tropical torture. In any case, I'm not complaining. I would be quite happy not to see him again for another several months. Apparently JR Chiba Station got very flooded last night. However, when I came out of the school last night, it was wet outside but very walkable and the same was true for my neighbourhood.
The Tiny Dancer and her family have made their homecoming back to Toronto after several years in England. I got word from her this morning that they've moved into their new digs. But they're planning to come back to Japan for one of her troupe's dance recitals, and she was interested in visiting The Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. Getting tickets there is somewhat akin to visiting The Pentagon...you can reserve tickets 3 months ahead and you can only go on a day designated by the museum; you have no choice in the matter. Plus, you're not allowed to bring any sort of camera equipment. The museum insists that the displays are to be recorded through the eyes (can I roll mine?) and the mind.
Well, it looks like we may have gotten our Fall. Heading home last night and coming into work this morning, it was actually pleasantly cool. Still didn't need a jacket but didn't have any need to pull out a handkerchief even once either.
That 24-hour transition period of tons of rain kinda felt as if Mother Nature finally got fed up with Heat Meister and just blasted him with the massive precip as punishment. Somewhere Heat Meister is pouting and reflecting on 6 weeks of tropical torture. In any case, I'm not complaining. I would be quite happy not to see him again for another several months. Apparently JR Chiba Station got very flooded last night. However, when I came out of the school last night, it was wet outside but very walkable and the same was true for my neighbourhood.
The Tiny Dancer and her family have made their homecoming back to Toronto after several years in England. I got word from her this morning that they've moved into their new digs. But they're planning to come back to Japan for one of her troupe's dance recitals, and she was interested in visiting The Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. Getting tickets there is somewhat akin to visiting The Pentagon...you can reserve tickets 3 months ahead and you can only go on a day designated by the museum; you have no choice in the matter. Plus, you're not allowed to bring any sort of camera equipment. The museum insists that the displays are to be recorded through the eyes (can I roll mine?) and the mind.
Wednesday September 8, 10:42 p.m.
Another long day has come to an end...a rather meterologically significant end. My day started out sweating over to the subway station...just like every day since late July. But between then and now, we had some major dumpings of rain on The Big Sushi as a result of former typhoon-turned-tropical storm 9 which finally brought down the temperature to a far more reasonable level, and turned several areas of the city into gigantic pools. Luckily, I was here dry and sound at Speedy's for the duration. It felt like a welcome blast of Fall, though we are still 2 weeks away from that heady day, when I went out to get dinner from the conbini. Not quite sure what tomorrow will bring, but I know that I will be looking forward to a far drier sleep tonight.
Gonna have just three lessons tomorrow. The Patent Attorney will be coming in....I think it's safe to say that there won't be any risk of disruption of commuting due to typhoon. And then I've got The Photog once more at noon, before I go off and see The Carolinan later in the evening. I also have to get Cozy's new text and CD ordered at Kinokuniya as well.
Anyways, time to go home in rather comfortable surroundings.
Another long day has come to an end...a rather meterologically significant end. My day started out sweating over to the subway station...just like every day since late July. But between then and now, we had some major dumpings of rain on The Big Sushi as a result of former typhoon-turned-tropical storm 9 which finally brought down the temperature to a far more reasonable level, and turned several areas of the city into gigantic pools. Luckily, I was here dry and sound at Speedy's for the duration. It felt like a welcome blast of Fall, though we are still 2 weeks away from that heady day, when I went out to get dinner from the conbini. Not quite sure what tomorrow will bring, but I know that I will be looking forward to a far drier sleep tonight.
Gonna have just three lessons tomorrow. The Patent Attorney will be coming in....I think it's safe to say that there won't be any risk of disruption of commuting due to typhoon. And then I've got The Photog once more at noon, before I go off and see The Carolinan later in the evening. I also have to get Cozy's new text and CD ordered at Kinokuniya as well.
Anyways, time to go home in rather comfortable surroundings.
Wednesday September 8, 7:18 p.m.
Just had my dinner of fried chicken and fried rice...yep, not healthy.
But the big thing is when I stepped out to head over to the convenience store....it was COOL! As in refreshingly cool...the wind hit me and I didn't automatically break out in a sweat. I haven't felt that way since early July. I hope that this is a harbinger of things to come meterologically.
As you can imagine from the time, 001 is not here. She's got some sort of work-related thingie. I was kinda hoping to hear how her Arashi concert was.
Just had my dinner of fried chicken and fried rice...yep, not healthy.
But the big thing is when I stepped out to head over to the convenience store....it was COOL! As in refreshingly cool...the wind hit me and I didn't automatically break out in a sweat. I haven't felt that way since early July. I hope that this is a harbinger of things to come meterologically.
As you can imagine from the time, 001 is not here. She's got some sort of work-related thingie. I was kinda hoping to hear how her Arashi concert was.
Wednesday September 8, 6:11 p.m.
It's certainly been quite a different Speedy's since Miss Efficiency came in last month. I have to admit that after a little bit of uncertainty in the first week or so, she's settled in just fine. I do miss Ray but Miss Efficiency has given the school quite a bit more push with her business know-how. She's even given people like Miss London and La Fille tips on tagging potential customers through cold calling, something that Ray (and me) would avoid like the plague. And she's definitely gotten along with some of the other new staff. We've got Miss Sussex who was also in the UK for a few years like Miss London (but doesn't have as much of a British accent as Miss London). There is also Miss Prim who at first appearance looks like a stern headmistress with her glasses and tied-back hair but she's actually quite friendly. And the bossman has brought yet another staffer for the future school...a young lady who looks like she's dressed for teaching kindergarten. I gather that the moniker Miss Kindergarten will have to do.
Still not sure what the weather is like outside...it sounds like the rain has stopped but there is still that 12-hour window in which Typhoon 9 will track across the Kanto.
Some happy news in the world of entertainment. One of my few favourite Japanese actresses, Eri Fukatsu, grabbed Top Actress honours at the Montreal Film Festival the night before for a movie that's gotten a lot of trailer play at the theatres and will finally be released this Saturday called "Akunin" ("Villain"). Scoring this prize is certainly not gonna hurt ticket sales this weekend. For me, though, she'll always be feisty, suffer-no-fools, Sgt. Sumire Onda from the "Odoru Dai Sosasen" series. Didn't really like the latest entry that I saw earlier in the summer, but it looks like Fukatsu has made for all that with this starring role. Kinda wonder if the movie itself may see some Oscar potential like "Okuribito" did a couple of years back.
It's certainly been quite a different Speedy's since Miss Efficiency came in last month. I have to admit that after a little bit of uncertainty in the first week or so, she's settled in just fine. I do miss Ray but Miss Efficiency has given the school quite a bit more push with her business know-how. She's even given people like Miss London and La Fille tips on tagging potential customers through cold calling, something that Ray (and me) would avoid like the plague. And she's definitely gotten along with some of the other new staff. We've got Miss Sussex who was also in the UK for a few years like Miss London (but doesn't have as much of a British accent as Miss London). There is also Miss Prim who at first appearance looks like a stern headmistress with her glasses and tied-back hair but she's actually quite friendly. And the bossman has brought yet another staffer for the future school...a young lady who looks like she's dressed for teaching kindergarten. I gather that the moniker Miss Kindergarten will have to do.
Still not sure what the weather is like outside...it sounds like the rain has stopped but there is still that 12-hour window in which Typhoon 9 will track across the Kanto.
Some happy news in the world of entertainment. One of my few favourite Japanese actresses, Eri Fukatsu, grabbed Top Actress honours at the Montreal Film Festival the night before for a movie that's gotten a lot of trailer play at the theatres and will finally be released this Saturday called "Akunin" ("Villain"). Scoring this prize is certainly not gonna hurt ticket sales this weekend. For me, though, she'll always be feisty, suffer-no-fools, Sgt. Sumire Onda from the "Odoru Dai Sosasen" series. Didn't really like the latest entry that I saw earlier in the summer, but it looks like Fukatsu has made for all that with this starring role. Kinda wonder if the movie itself may see some Oscar potential like "Okuribito" did a couple of years back.
Wednesday September 8, 4:38 p.m.
Managed to survive The Photog...he's a nice guy but his stream-of-consciousness approach to learning English is pretty wearying. The squalls due to Typhoon No. 9 have been coming in and out. Right now, we've got a respite but not quite sure what the rest of the night will bring. I now just have Miss Sony and that won't be for almost 4 hours. Speedy and I were discussing the possibility of having to cancel The Patent Attorney's lesson tomorrow morning just in case the Tozai Line decides to stop service due to high winds, but at this point, it looks like things should be OK.
I've been in contact with another blogger via Mixi, although her actual blog is on this site. She's kinda like the antipodean version of me in that she's a Japanese living in Toronto. Not sure if she'll respond positively since any schmo can contact her.
Managed to survive The Photog...he's a nice guy but his stream-of-consciousness approach to learning English is pretty wearying. The squalls due to Typhoon No. 9 have been coming in and out. Right now, we've got a respite but not quite sure what the rest of the night will bring. I now just have Miss Sony and that won't be for almost 4 hours. Speedy and I were discussing the possibility of having to cancel The Patent Attorney's lesson tomorrow morning just in case the Tozai Line decides to stop service due to high winds, but at this point, it looks like things should be OK.
I've been in contact with another blogger via Mixi, although her actual blog is on this site. She's kinda like the antipodean version of me in that she's a Japanese living in Toronto. Not sure if she'll respond positively since any schmo can contact her.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Wednesday September 8, 2:15 p.m.
Just a generic image of a typhoon wreaking havoc on East Asia, but it might as well be Typhoon No. 9, which is really entering Japan at this moment. For the first time in a month, we've actually gotten something that looks like precipitation...and it's coming down in buckets. For an area that bordered on desert conditions, this is quite the godsend. The eye should be coming over The Kanto overnight so I'm wondering what transportation will be like tomorrow since I have the early class with The Patent Attorney.
Met up with The Beehive, sans Mrs. Travel who's off in Switzerland. So, it was Mrs. Tee, Mrs. Alp and Mrs. Jade, whom we hadn't seen in almost 2 months since she's been a bit sensitive to the heat wave. Looks like that talk about moving venues is starting to gain steam. Mrs. Alp approached Mrs. Jade about having the lesson once a month at The Spring Hotel cafe in Makuhari-Messe, but Jade didn't look too enthused about that due to commuting reasons. So, Alp is now thinking about renting a room at Funabashi City Hall. I'm keeping my fingers crossed since it would be really nice if we could actually have real lessons again without worrying about ticking off some coffee drinker at the next table.
Now that Sugar N' Spice and Mr. Nice Guy have flown the coop, I have my veterans of The Milds and Mr. White as my Tuesday night core. The Milds took another road trip up into the wilds of Takayama over the weekend. They said that even there, temperatures were soaring into the high 30s. No respite for the weary.
I've gone through half of my lessons today already with Grandma Enka and The Businesswoman under my belt (no snickering). Grandma Enka had just come back from Singapore with her family, and got me the typical omiyage in the form of some cookies. Would love to go to Singapore someday. All that well-ordered urbanism holds some appeal to me.
The Photog should be here in about 15 minutes, and then it'll be a few hours before Miss Sony comes by for the final slot.
Monday, September 06, 2010
Monday September 6, 9:25 p.m.
Well, I gotta thank The Medicine Man. Called up with 9 minutes to spare before his lesson was to begin to cancel it. Got my money without so much as lifting a page. And Miss Genki and I had a grand old time chatting about extracting tonsils and Japanese girl groups of the present (hello, AKB 48) and past (hi there, Morning Musume and Onyanko Club); just cannot complain about this state of affairs. And for the past hour, Miss London and I have been exchanging YouTube videos of British comedians.
Well, I gotta thank The Medicine Man. Called up with 9 minutes to spare before his lesson was to begin to cancel it. Got my money without so much as lifting a page. And Miss Genki and I had a grand old time chatting about extracting tonsils and Japanese girl groups of the present (hello, AKB 48) and past (hi there, Morning Musume and Onyanko Club); just cannot complain about this state of affairs. And for the past hour, Miss London and I have been exchanging YouTube videos of British comedians.
Monday September 6, 6:23 p.m.
Finally had a listen to the "Inception" soundtrack last night about a week after I'd bought it at Tower Records. Hans Zimmer, who seems to have inherited the mantle of Master Movie Soundtrack Composer from John Williams, has made a slightly zippier contribution when compared to "The Dark Knight". Some critics have stated that it could also be an extension to the second Batman movie; but I think the music is sufficiently different that it is its own animal.
Then, it was to something completely different with my latest Miharu Koshi disc that I got from Recomints. "Boy Soprano" seems to be the third in the triumvirate of 80s techno CDs that she'd released after "Tutu" and "Parallelisme". "Boy Soprano" is well-titled since in some of the tracks, Koshi sounds like a castralto. And there seems to be a bit of transition that came into play since she sings German for a couple of the tracks...a pattern that got more pronounced in later discs such as "Father and the Pistol" in 1990.
Met Yajima for the first time in a month in Den'en-Chofu. He and his wife had a trip to Australia earlier last month. He definitely sounds more confident and assured in his delivery but for the meantime, my services are still needed.
It looks like the gang is coming back together. After my time with Cozy this morning, I saw Swank...also for the first time in a month at Roppongi Hills. A lot of the time, she was haranguing about the principal at her daughters' school in terms of how they're being educated. I don't know both sides of the story but I did try to sympathize with her. I think the fates may have decided that she had spoken enough since her drink then decided to spill itself all over her dress. I did receive those souvenirs via their month-long trip in Hawaii. I got an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt; Swank had the good observational powers to know that I was at least an XL.
Then, it was The New Yorker who had also been absent for about a month. She and her sister, The Carolinan, had gone to see "Inception" on The New Yorker's birthday. But The New Yorker slept through most of it since she'd had gone drinking the night before until about 5 a.m. And "Inception" is definitely a movie that needs a fully alert mind.
I've just got Miss Genki and then The Medicine Man tonight. I also a couple of cancellations for this week's worth of classes. First off, The Overachiever has canned his lesson this week. And I got a message from the juku boss stating that new student, The Journo, has once again put off his inaugural lesson this Friday. Well, at least, I can have dinner at The Restauranteur's later that evening.
Friday, September 03, 2010
Saturday September 4, 3:28 p.m.
Just about ready to get out of here. I got through my three classes without little trouble, although my lunch was kinda getting me to sleep during The Intellectual's lesson today. However, with Miss Prissy and The Publicity Assistant, we had quite a good time talking about cockroaches and good Tokyo hotels respectively. I was especially surprised with Prissy's apparent fearlessness when it comes to picking up roaches with her bare hands; she doesn't look like the super tough type in appearance but she doesn't end up like a quivering jelly mold on seeing the shiny brown insect in her house, unlike 99.9% of the population. And I thought I was the only superhero around.
The picture above is that of Tottori Prefecture's pear-flavored caramel that I got from the juku boss last night as a present. Her story about her experience with this candy is something that could only happen to the scatterbrain. Apparently, when she decided to chew on a cube of the stuff, she ended up pulling out one of her molars and had to go for some emergency work at the dentist. Luckily, my dental hygiene must be somewhat better since I could chew down on the caramel easily. I put up this news as a new topic on one of the Mixi communities dealing with sweet stuff. Within an hour, about 8 folks put down their favorite caramels...which is about the fastest reply I've ever gotten for anything in my 18 months on the SNS. For a country that's known for sushi and tempura, it's interesting that every prefecture apparently has their own contribution for caramel. And there was even a boom a few years back for something called raw caramel.
Well, I'm ready to go. Gonna head on over to Nakano Broadway and see if I can find something at Recomints in an attempt to repeat the luck I had at Tacto yesterday with that Ruiko Kurahashi CD.
Saturday September 4, 9:44 a.m.
I think we may have broken some sort of record for longest heat wave in Japan. In any case, it's plenty steamy out there. No sign of rain at all. I'm surprised that we haven't be given any water rationing announcements, but then again I haven't been able to catch up on the news recently. And unlike last year, there has been a distinct dearth of typhoons coming up to the Kanto, not that I'm complaining all that much.
Went down to Jimbocho yesterday after my lone class at Speedy's to check out that old CD shop. I was lucky to find a Ruiko Kurahashi disc that I hadn't had previously. Basically, it's a compilation of seven of her singles including the B-sides. The B-sides were unknown songs and though they were pretty enough to listen to, I could understand why they never made it onto one of the number of Best CDs. It's a rare one, too, judging by the cost. I paid about 3700 yen for it, which is 700 yen more than a contemporary disc.
Got my usual 3 Saturday students: Miss Prissy, The Publicity Assistant and The Intellectual. Also had to make some tests for Cozy and Miss Prissy, and grammar material for Yajima whom I'm seeing for the first time in about a month tomorrow.
I think we may have broken some sort of record for longest heat wave in Japan. In any case, it's plenty steamy out there. No sign of rain at all. I'm surprised that we haven't be given any water rationing announcements, but then again I haven't been able to catch up on the news recently. And unlike last year, there has been a distinct dearth of typhoons coming up to the Kanto, not that I'm complaining all that much.
Went down to Jimbocho yesterday after my lone class at Speedy's to check out that old CD shop. I was lucky to find a Ruiko Kurahashi disc that I hadn't had previously. Basically, it's a compilation of seven of her singles including the B-sides. The B-sides were unknown songs and though they were pretty enough to listen to, I could understand why they never made it onto one of the number of Best CDs. It's a rare one, too, judging by the cost. I paid about 3700 yen for it, which is 700 yen more than a contemporary disc.
Got my usual 3 Saturday students: Miss Prissy, The Publicity Assistant and The Intellectual. Also had to make some tests for Cozy and Miss Prissy, and grammar material for Yajima whom I'm seeing for the first time in about a month tomorrow.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Friday September 3, 11:56 a.m.
The Ramen Museum is probably the first of the food emporiums that now populate the big cities like Tokyo. I made my latest visit back on that steamy Monday after checking out of the Sakuragicho Washington. Walking out of the massive JR Shin-Yokohama Station, I was already feeling like a limp dishrag during the 10-minute walk to the museum and it was only 10:45 a.m. I'd been told that it was good to get to the place early since the place gets crowded between 1 and 5 p.m. Looks like there were some others who got the message since there was already a small group of people who were waiting in front of the locked doors. Then, when that busload of Chinese tourists arrived some 5 minutes before opening time, we all got into line lickety-split.
As you can see from the picture right here, the front of the Ramen Museum looks pretty austere but there is an interesting spiral design at the right which probably refers to one of the de rigueur toppings on a bowl of noodles, the naruto, a thin pink-and-white spiral of steamed fish cake.
Of course, one doesn't go to The Ramen Museum to look at the history of noodles but to actively partake in the digestion of said noodles. But it'll cost you...300 yen just to get into the place and then the average price of a bowl once you get into the sub-basements is around 800 yen. But the museum has gone all out to provide a depiction of old Showa Era-Tokyo from the 1950s; just think of Marty McFly ending up in The Big Sushi instead of that small town from "Back to the Future". There are even ancient announcements of arriving subways from the time period which occasionally get barked out through the speakers.
As I said, it's good to get to the ramen as soon as possible since lineups can get pretty long. So I held off on the photography until I finished my main business there. I ended up going for the Kumamoto representative, Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire), and got myself a bowl of their cha-shiu men for 950 yen. Usually the image of Kyushu ramen is of a pretty thick, artery-hardening broth coating noodles and just about anything else in its path, but the Kumamoto soup was actually rather light though the chefs didn't skimp on the rich flavor. And they didn't skimp on the pieces of BBQ pork.
Afterwards, I tried to walk off some of my added cholesterol by going through the mock-up of old Tokyo. It's rather nice to walk through the rusticity of the postwar era when a lot of buildings were still constructed in dilapidated wood instead of the huge concrete behemoths of today...including the soon-to-be-completed Tokyo Sky Tree. I could imagine hearing a jazz standard being crooned by legendary Hibari Misora as I walked through the alleys.
Some minutes later, I came across a paper sign which said in kanji, "The Future" on the stairway. So I returned to the present in the form of the 1st floor gift shop. I ended up buying a couple of boxes of ramen noodle pieces covered in chocolate for a couple of the juku students. I did try some with Mr. Mild later that night; well, let's say that I had good intentions in mind when I bought the stuff.
Friday September 3, 9:26 a.m.
Back at Speedy's again early for the 2nd day in a row. Somehow, this sort of habit has gotta stop sooner or later. This time's culprit is The Photog. Something has also gotta be done about this guy. He can't just keep rambling in classes, especially now since his New York project has been set back half a year. He's a nice guy and all but that sort of thing is gonna get old fast.
Basically once I'm done with him in a couple of hours, I have several hours of nothing until the juku lessons at 9. I'll probably head over to Jimbocho and check out that old CD shop with all of the obscure 80s discs. The important thing is that I just wanna chill out at home for a few hours until game time.
Back at Speedy's again early for the 2nd day in a row. Somehow, this sort of habit has gotta stop sooner or later. This time's culprit is The Photog. Something has also gotta be done about this guy. He can't just keep rambling in classes, especially now since his New York project has been set back half a year. He's a nice guy and all but that sort of thing is gonna get old fast.
Basically once I'm done with him in a couple of hours, I have several hours of nothing until the juku lessons at 9. I'll probably head over to Jimbocho and check out that old CD shop with all of the obscure 80s discs. The important thing is that I just wanna chill out at home for a few hours until game time.
Thursday September 2, 10:36 p.m.
And thus another Hump Day comes to a slow end. Mrs. Thursday was shy but quite capable in her inaugural lesson tonight. Hopefully, she'll be a stayer. And The Music Man was his dependable self. I found out that both students will be absent next week since they'll both be heading for Guam for a short vacation. Can't complain about that. Besides, that will mean that I'll also have a rather early start to my Thursday night with The Carolinan being my final student.
Tomorrow, I've just got The Photog in the morning and then just the juku students. I heard that The Photog's assignment to New York has been thrown back until early next year. Doesn't make any of our jobs any easier.
And thus another Hump Day comes to a slow end. Mrs. Thursday was shy but quite capable in her inaugural lesson tonight. Hopefully, she'll be a stayer. And The Music Man was his dependable self. I found out that both students will be absent next week since they'll both be heading for Guam for a short vacation. Can't complain about that. Besides, that will mean that I'll also have a rather early start to my Thursday night with The Carolinan being my final student.
Tomorrow, I've just got The Photog in the morning and then just the juku students. I heard that The Photog's assignment to New York has been thrown back until early next year. Doesn't make any of our jobs any easier.
Thursday September 2, 7:38 p.m.
About to get the last third of my classes under way. I've gone through The Patent Attorney, Grandma Dynamite, The Shareholder and The German. Grandma Dynamite's lesson was interesting in that it basically had her practicing the ol' show tune from "Fiddler on the Roof", "Sunrise, Sunset" in English. With The German, it was another gab session...mostly on the upcoming battle between PM Kan and former political strongman Ozawa.
I've now got a new student, Mrs. Thursday (couldn't come up with a better moniker for her, sorry), in about 20 minutes, followed by The Music Man.
About to get the last third of my classes under way. I've gone through The Patent Attorney, Grandma Dynamite, The Shareholder and The German. Grandma Dynamite's lesson was interesting in that it basically had her practicing the ol' show tune from "Fiddler on the Roof", "Sunrise, Sunset" in English. With The German, it was another gab session...mostly on the upcoming battle between PM Kan and former political strongman Ozawa.
I've now got a new student, Mrs. Thursday (couldn't come up with a better moniker for her, sorry), in about 20 minutes, followed by The Music Man.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Thursday September 2, 8:24 a.m.
Another beginning to a hot one in The Big Sushi. Drank down another isotonic drink on the way here. Gonna be another Hump Day with six students under my belt.
I've been doing some damage control vis-a-vis my e-mail. I rather foolishly answered to an acquaintance's so-called request to join an SNS called Tubely, and when I did so, it automatically sent requests to everyone in my contact list. So I've had to send apologies to everyone because of this virus.
Another beginning to a hot one in The Big Sushi. Drank down another isotonic drink on the way here. Gonna be another Hump Day with six students under my belt.
I've been doing some damage control vis-a-vis my e-mail. I rather foolishly answered to an acquaintance's so-called request to join an SNS called Tubely, and when I did so, it automatically sent requests to everyone in my contact list. So I've had to send apologies to everyone because of this virus.
Wednesday September 1, 9:56 p.m.
It may officially be September now, but the weather is still saying mid-August. Still scorching hot out there with nary any sign that Autumn is on its way. That timer on my AC has already gone off so I will be greeted with some cooler air when I get home and when I hit bed I can feel comfortable.
The above is a couple of pics from my annual Yokohama Chinatown dinner. For 1,980 yen, I was able to the pick of the litter for food. It was an all-you-can-eat but not a buffet. I just order it and the waiters or waitresses bring it over. I could order as much as I could handle, and what I could handle was 9 dishes by my lonesome. The food was good but not great. Although I could get as much Peking Duck as I wanted, I was still a little nonplussed by the fact that each serving of duck only consisted of two slivers of duck skin. Also the soup dumplings came with very little soup. Not all that impressed, but even with the all-you-can-drink option, it was a good 500 yen cheaper than the place that I had gone to last year.
I had three students today for my first round of students at Speedy's after Yokohama. The Overachiever and I had a great talk about political scandals (too bad he said that he may be leaving Tokyo for some sort of work in the near future). And then with 001, it was basically on the upcoming Arashi concert this Friday. She's even made up a couple of hand fans with her hero's name on it. Then Miss Sony was fine as usual.
Tomorrow will be Hump Day with 6 on the slate, including Grandma Dynamite who seems to be making just cameo appearances lately.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tuesday August 31, 10:02 a.m.
Well, the mini-vacation in Yokohama is just about over and again I have to write quickly since I'm at a coin-operated I-stop in the hotel. I guess I know why Twitter is so popular, but I've always enjoyed writing prose more than little tweets.
By and large, the culinary experience was good, not great. I don't think I've ever had a soup dumpling that didn't have any soup in it...more on that later.
On my way to the Ramen Museum to get some noodles before I have to whiz on back home and get ready for the juku lessons. I think Speedy is right...I really ought to have 2 nights here rather than just the one.
Saw "Monsters and Aliens" on the hotel video. Missed this one at the theatre, and I think it was OK to catch this one on the small screen. Not quite as fun as "The Incredibles" or as legendary as "Toy Story". This was basically a meeting of funny voices from the A-list of the Fox Japan lineup (Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland) and "Saturday Night Live"; there were some funny sight gags and the inevitable topical in-genre humour but a lot of the jokes were pretty much limited to old Warner Bros. cartoons. Not a home run by any means, but a nice solid double.
Anyways, gotta go.
Well, the mini-vacation in Yokohama is just about over and again I have to write quickly since I'm at a coin-operated I-stop in the hotel. I guess I know why Twitter is so popular, but I've always enjoyed writing prose more than little tweets.
By and large, the culinary experience was good, not great. I don't think I've ever had a soup dumpling that didn't have any soup in it...more on that later.
On my way to the Ramen Museum to get some noodles before I have to whiz on back home and get ready for the juku lessons. I think Speedy is right...I really ought to have 2 nights here rather than just the one.
Saw "Monsters and Aliens" on the hotel video. Missed this one at the theatre, and I think it was OK to catch this one on the small screen. Not quite as fun as "The Incredibles" or as legendary as "Toy Story". This was basically a meeting of funny voices from the A-list of the Fox Japan lineup (Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland) and "Saturday Night Live"; there were some funny sight gags and the inevitable topical in-genre humour but a lot of the jokes were pretty much limited to old Warner Bros. cartoons. Not a home run by any means, but a nice solid double.
Anyways, gotta go.
Monday August 30, 6:55 p.m.
Yep, I'm here in Yokohama. Man, I couldn't ask for a hotter day to arrive in Japan's 2nd-largest city. I was pretty much melting when I got to the hotel at check-in time. Had to buy an extra undershirt but doing OK if feeling pretty bloated after the annual Chinese buffet, but this time, it was a different restaurant. More to follow when I get home.
Yep, I'm here in Yokohama. Man, I couldn't ask for a hotter day to arrive in Japan's 2nd-largest city. I was pretty much melting when I got to the hotel at check-in time. Had to buy an extra undershirt but doing OK if feeling pretty bloated after the annual Chinese buffet, but this time, it was a different restaurant. More to follow when I get home.