delfiend

bye bye okinawa

2007-05-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

It feels great to be unemployed! We've had four beautiful sunny vacation days so far and we've taken full advantage of them. Papa left on Monday morning with a bit of a sunburn and Matt and I are trying to squeeze as much in as possible before heading to Tokyo on the 8th.

Here's a lovely picture our student Shoko drew...

Here are some pics from our BBQ at Tropical Beach

We ate delicious yakisoba, bbq'd chicken, beef and pork.....yum!

See y'all soon!!!
Xoxoxoxx
Delphine

on and around kokusai

2007-03-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

here's an idea of what i see to and from work...

Listening to okinawan rappers outside my bedroom window.

good holiday so far

2007-03-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

here's a birthday card miriam made for me : ) i think the d in delphine is from disney and the p is for peanut in some sort of peanut butter bar. any other ideas?

on saturday morning matt showered me with gifts and we had cake for breakfast. we were a little groggy from 100 yen beers the night before but that didn't stop the celebrations.
after that we met our friend toshie at 10am and headed to the famous italian restaurant.i had the hair of the dog that bit me with this delicious apricot liquer drink...

then our delicious pizza arrived...yum!

this little cat peared out from some sakura to wish me a good day...

on the 25th kokusai street shut down and kids had the opportunity to show their talent with chalk drawings...

today yoshiko and her niece noriko made us a delicious tsukiyaki meal...

here's a pic matt took...

here's a photo of matt being scolded for putting some trash in the wrong bin...tsk tsk.

and here's some more cake...

one more day off, it's been a fabulous few days so far!

listening to LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

five days off

2007-03-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh one more day of work and then I have five days off. It’s going to be great! On Saturday we have a friend who’s going to drive us north for a wonderful birthday lunch at Pizza Café Kajinhou. We’ve heard terrific things about this place. It’s a small restaurant located right on the coast with a great view of Ie, Minna and Sesoko Islands. The owner is a French chef and the only items on the menu are pizza, salad and fresh juices…sounds intriguing n’est pas? We think so too. Hopefully the weather will be nice and clear.

On Monday my student Yoshiko is going to have us over for tsukiyaki. First we’re going to go to the local market to help her out with the shopping and then we’ll watch and learn as she works her magic.

I saw Yoshiko on Monday and she was kind enough to show me her wide selection of kimonos. She has 20 in total! It was a real treat sitting on the tatami mat and having her show me all the beautiful fabrics and sashes. It takes the average person about an hour to put a kimono on and they aren’t built for comfort.

Here are a few pics I took on Monday afternoon…

Listening to Fugiya Miyagi – Transparent Things

back on line

2007-03-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long pause. We lost our free internet back in January and finally got some wireless hooked up yesterday.

Well, my time working here in Japan has paid off. I finally got my baby a couple of weeks ago and she’s so sweet. I especially love shooting from the hip. I’ve never had the luxury of an auto focus camera so I’m having so much fun.

7 more weeks of work and I can kiss my job goodbye. I’m a little nervous about what I’m going to do when I get home but hopefully I’ll find something quickly…but not too quickly. Our sense of time has been so bizarre as of late. The days are long but the weeks are fast. Summer is teasing us here and there, we caught ourselves some sunburns whilst whale watching with our friend Sao a few weeks ago but nowadays our cheeks are rosy due to more chilly temperatures.

This is my private student Yoshiko. I go to her place once a week where she serves me tea and mochie and we chat about current events. She's wonderful to hang out with.

Here's a pic taken inside a noodle shop we like going to...

I’ve posted a few pics on my flickr site so check em out when you get a
chance.

Listening to Air – Pocket Symphony

the adventures of rowsom in okinawa

2007-01-02T01:08:00.000-08:00

After a pleasant flight back to the island via the Pokemon plane, we did a little grocery shopping then had a delicious meal at home whilst watching Little Britain and Borat.

On Thursday we cashed in on Justin’s Christmas present of 4 hours of all you can drink karaoke! It was great fun! We pulled out such great hits as “Barbie Girl”, “Run To The Hills”, “Pour Some Sugar”, “Burning Ring of Fire” and Matt serenaded us with “Delilah”. Unfortunately Jenny accidentally smacked her wrist on the edge of the table as we were leaving but she courageously ventured on.

On our way back home we hit a local Canadian bar where Jenny requested some Trooper but the bartender had no idea what she was talking about…hrmmm. They are also known for carrying Labatt Blue on tap but I guess too many local Canadian’s felt like taking a swig of home during the holidays and simply drank the bar dry. After listening to too many Chili Pepper songs we headed to a local watering hole called The Good Life. We ordered some fancy coloured martinis, took flash photographs of strangers at the bar then called it a night.

The next day was cold and rainy so we decided to rest our tired, hungover little heads.

On Saturday we rented a car and headed south to Itoman city. We went to Okinawa World Cave Park, walked around in some humid caves with mini lights and stalagmites.

We found a photo booth on site...

Jenny was still suffering after our karaoke shenanigans but still soldiered on. I can't believe she was lifting her arm in these pics!!! We managed to find a pharmacy with some tensor-type bandages and put some ice on her wrist to keep the swelling down. She was in a lot of pain but she kept taking super shots. Her left-handed photography just may be her best pictures yet!

On Sunday (New Years Eve) we headed north towards Cape Hedo. Matt and I decided to take the East road for a little change in scenery. On our way there we dropped into a store called The Ammo Box to look at some army fashions and used goods. We came across these fashionable ball caps.

"Go Ahead Buck...Make My Day"
"GOD GUNS GUTS Made America FREE. Let's Keep All Three"
Heeeeere's Johnny!

After that we stopped in a ghost town across from Kadena Air Base in Ginoza city. It was very bizarre. I felt like I was walking around the set of Carnival of Souls. There were old weather-beaten bars and eateries and only a handful of people walking around.

A few military boys were walking around and givin their New Year celebrations a kick start but other than that it was pretty much abandoned. I’m curious to see what it would be like at night. Perhaps it’s a hopping town when the sun goes down and the marquees start winking at passers by.

When we got home we popped open a bottle of Moet and started to celebrate. Jenny was still in a lot of pain so we made her a sling out of her fancy orange scarf and took a cab over to a coworkers place for the countdown.

After some delicious sandwiches and a few Coronas we headed to The Good Life bar for some martinis. I was rather tired so I left the bar around 4 am but Matty and Jenny hung in there until the sun came up, about 7am.

On New Years Day we woke up to a beautiful, peaceful neighbourhood. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it has been living here since the construction peeps went on vacation.

When Jenny woke up, her arm had gone from bad to worse so we decided it would best to have someone look at it. We went to the hospital where some very friendly doctors and nurses took great care of us. After a bit of poking and prodding we were sent up to the xray room and the results were not so good. Jenny had broken her Ulna (the lower part of her forearm)!!!!! Nooooooo!!!!

We were all in quite a bit of shock. How could such a small fall have broken her arm?

So yeah, Miss Rowsom is heading back to Canada with her arm in a cast. I have to admit, she has been very brave for the past 4 days. To top it all off, it’s her right arm so she’s going to be out of commission for a little while. Send her lots of flowers (preferably orange or pink coloured ones) give her lots of kisses and shower her with love.

This morning we went to the local market to find her a much more fashionable sling. Here’s a photo of Jenny in the cab on the way to the airport.

Matt drew a picture of Anpaman on her cast to give her strength on her long journey home. I wish I could have accompanied her back. I hope she’ll meet some good travelers who will help her out and cheer that pretty little face of hers up.

It’s now 5pm and a balmy 23 degrees. The holidays went by quickly and now it feels like spring. I’m going to miss my sassy red headed friend. There were tears at the airport as I watched Jenny pass through another x-ray machine. I hate being so far away but the time here is so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. I need to enjoy my life here while it lasts.

Happy New Year!!!!!
xoxoxoxxoxod

Listening to Peter Bjorn and John - Writer's Block

2nd jenny in tokyo

2006-12-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

hello, it's me Jenny, reporting from Okinawa after a whirlwind tour of Tokyo. The rocking back and forth of the trains (and we took many many trains ) could put anyone to sleep...witness this gentleman making himself a little too comfortable...

on Christmas day we went for a very decadent brunch at the Park Hyatt Tokyo (as featured in Lost in Translation). We were feeling a little bit woozy being on the 52nd floor

or was it the combination of jet lag, train journeys or champagne?
after that we walked off our dessert with a little window shopping and much to my delight, discovered an orange foyer!

where I decided to show a little leg in an impromptu fashion shoot. cheers!

happy holidays

2006-12-22T04:11:00.000-08:00

I called in sick today. I haven’t had a day off in two weeks and I want to nip this cold in the bud before it has its way with me ; )

2 more sleeps until my sassy red headed friend lands in Tokyo and I’m a little more than excited. We haven’t planned too many things to do but on Christmas day, Shelley, Jenny, Matt and I are going to have lunch at the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku. Yes indeed, we’re going to dine with champagne at the New York Grill located on the 52^nd floor. We’ll dress up like we’re rich and hob knob with the elite for an hour or two. After that we’ll do a little site seeing, take in a gallery or two then make change for the train and head back to Saitama.

On the 27^th Jenny, Matt and I are going to fly back to Okinawa where we’ll spend the rest of 2006. I’ll post pictures of Jenny and Delphine’s adventures in Japan as soon as I can.

For now I want to thank everyone who’s been keeping in touch with me for the past year. It warms my heart that although I’m so far away, I’m still in your thoughts.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season and the best of luck in 2007. Hopefully we’ll see each other in the New Year.

Xxxxoxoxo

Delphine

work place shenanigans part deux

2006-12-17T02:30:00.000-08:00

another sunday at work, a couple more no shows...

see you next tuesday

2006-12-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

we rented a car on sunday and monday. sunday was spent perusing the southern part of the island and monday was spent at pineapple park. here's some footage of our time spent in the car. don't be afraid...there was no accident at the end...the dash is just a little slippery is all...

here's some night footage...

i'm sorry if this is out of sync, youtube does some funky stuff to my camera footage when i upload to their site : (

the first jenny has arrived

2006-12-09T03:34:00.000-08:00

matt's mom jenny is here for 10 days. she arrived here on tuesday evening after the longest route i've heard of. she flew from london to amsterdam then to bangkok then taipei and finally okinawa! what a trooper! we've been chilling out at home for the past few days.

today we went to the market for a little gift shopping, these goods are my personal favs...

then we headed for some more photo booth shenanigans...

work place shenanigans

2006-12-03T02:03:00.000-08:00

Typhoon radio has the strangest playlist I have ever encountered. I usually listen to it during my break or when I have a free lesson. Today’s mix was some traditional Okinawan Sanshin music, followed by some Ice Cube, a dash of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons then this…

Company policy states that couples aren’t supposed to work together…we don’t know why.

Listening to Gorillaz - Dare on repeat

playing with fire

2006-11-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

staff room

2006-11-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

I can’t complain about my new branch, the people are good and it’s pretty quiet. I have about 1 free lesson per shift and most of my classes are only with one student. Here’s some fuzzy footage of the staff room and teaching area. This is where I usually sit on my break or during a free lesson.

25 more sleeps til miss rowsom lands!

Listening to The Album Leaf - Into The Blue Again

self walking 1

2006-11-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

I’ve started a little project, it’s a series of videos of me going through some of my routines (happy lewis?). Hopefully these will give you a little taste of my surroundings…

2006-11-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

A strange thing happens when you move so far away, you start to feel a little bit left behind. I feel like I’m living on a small island at the end of the world. Time seems to stand still here while the word ‘busy’ hovers over everywhere else.

The holidays are coming up rapidly. Naha city is decorated with Christmas trees and mini lights, holiday music fills the air and Starbucks has started making their holiday drinks.
There’s something peculiar about sipping a gingerbread latte on a warm summers afternoon.

Matt and I went to the movies on Monday night which is quite a treat. I can’t believe it’s only my second movie in a year! Children of Men was nothing to write home about but the snack bar was, once again, amazing. Where else can you get a ‘Beer Set’? 1 medium popcorn and a large beer for only $5.00.

A major thunder storm’s circling above as I type. It’s been going on for at least an hour now and the construction workers have decided to stop. I’ll take this weather over jackhammers any day. The city, between thunder claps, is quiet which is a nice change. I think this afternoon will be spent sorting out Christmas cards and watching reruns of Sex and the City.

Listening to Carly Simon – Coming Around Again

grrr

2006-11-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

I awoke to the sound of jackhammers this morning. To top things off another house has been knocked down about a stones throw away. Last night Matt and I were lulled to sleep by more jackhammers as the Sunday night construction crew attacked Kokusai Street. The most frustrating part off all of this is that there’s just no end in sight.

We could call accommodations and ask to be moved to another apartment but I’d rather be spared the humiliation of them laughing in our ears. A simple task like repairing a screen door or leaky gas oven was enough stress to last me a few months.

Thankfully the election is now over so we don’t have to endure any more speakers screaming down the streets.

It’s been overcast and rainy for the past few days which is a little nice. Matt and I have been watching such quality programs as Ugly Betty, Prison Break (questionable), Extras, Lost, Smith, South Park, The Simpsons, Family Guy and sometimes Smith. We tried to watch Superman Returns last night but it wasn’t so good. Sleeper was quite funny. I’m really looking forward to For Your Consideration but I doubt that will hit the theatres here. Right now we have a choice of seeing The Devil Wears Prada which is awful, Basic Instinct II, World Trade Centre, Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Flags of Our Fathers…hrmm. Oh, Matt just called from work and we’ve decided to see Children of Men aka Tomorrow World. I’m meeting him at work tonight and we’re going to a 6:30 screening. YAY! My second movie experience in Japan! Monday is ‘Men’s Day’ and Wednesday is ‘Woman’s day’, half price movies! woo

In other news, I noticed that Porky’s is due to be released on DVD tomorrow, I haven’t seen it since I was a child. I don’t know if I should watch it again or leave it in my memory as it is.

Not too much else to report these days, just working, eating, sleeping, watching TV dramas and movies. We’re trying to be good with the spending so that we can come home in the spring, as planned. I have my year end/contract renewal observation this Thursday which is always a little nerve racking.

Ok, I need to get ready and leave my place for a while. I’m going to search for a little peace elsewhere because the option of locking myself in my bathroom with headphones on just isn’t very appealing to me.

Listening to The Best of Ray Charles (buried under a pile of rubble)

propaganda, jackhammers and roaring engines

2006-11-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

I think I’m living in the noisiest city in the world.

Japan

has a serious problem with noise pollution and I think I’m living in the heart of it.

About three weeks ago the city of Naha started tearing down a theatre located right in front of our apartment, this is what it looks like today.

Construction starts around 7:30 am and finishes at sundown. So much for a nice relaxing time in Okinawa. The theatre will probably be complete by summer 2007 which by that time I hope to be back in TO all settled into a new job.

When night falls down on this noisy little town, motorcycle gangs hit the streets and bless us with they’re little man syndrome. Apparently the person with the loudest and longest revving ability is the most admired…or so he thinks. I can’t count the many times I’ve been jolted out of a deep sleep to the sound of roaring engines. They just park themselves in front of Lawsons convenience store and rev their engines as loud as humanly possible. The later in the evening the better. Motorcycle gangs are a problem in Okinawa, the police try to catch them but end up in high speed chases and lose.

It also appears to be election time so we have the pleasure of hearing announcements on loud speakers about every 10 minutes down Kokusai street. I think I’m slowly going insane.

Listening to Propaganda, Jackhammers and Roaring Engines – Naha City

WARNING

2006-11-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

EVERY person who comes to visit me will be subjected to photo booth shenanigans.
Thank you for your attention and have a nice day...

human error

2006-11-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

Another visit come and gone…sigh. It’s tough having visitors from home, I always get a little homesick when they leave. Momma left for Tokyo this morning, Matt’s at work and now I’m here, on my own in the apartment and it feels empty : (

Yesterday we hired a car and headed north. It was so beautiful, kinda what I imagine Newfoundland to look like. Steep, jagged cliffs with crashing waves. It also looks a little bit like the Oregon coast. Funny how we always compare to places we’ve visited before.

We went to the northern tip of the island where you can see small towns with typhoon weathered houses. It’s low season right now so all of the tourist sites are quiet and there is very little traffic. On the way there we stopped at Paradise Beach...

for some Okinawan Soba...

It’s so wonderful to finally have our driver’s licenses!

Getting a Japanese licenses or obtaining anything to do with the government requires a lot of patience. We can’t get international drivers licenses because we live in Japan so we need to get Japanese drivers licenses. First we needed to go to the Wards office to change our address and pay about $3.00 for a piece of paper stating our address. Then we needed to pay for a translation of our current drivers licenses, about $30. This needed to be done in a neighbouring city which meant taking the monorail for a few stops then jumping into a cab for the remainder of the journey. After that we headed to the licensing bureau for the final stage…or so we thought. We entered the building and went to the first window we could find, window #1. The fellow kindly pointed us down the hall to window #12 where a disgruntled gentleman went over our documents with a fine toothed comb. I could feel he really wanted to find a missing document so he could send us away to get to more important matters but the only thing he found was that Matt’s photos were too big so we quickly found a photo lab around the corner.

We handed over the correct sized photos and took a seat with other soon to be drivers. As we sat down we looked around the room and felt as though we were back in time. How could such a technically advanced country have such old government offices? Some of the machines looked like they were from the 50’s. The ceilings were stained with what looked like coffee and the numbers above the counters were held up with whatever string or rope they could find at the time. Some of the numbers on the wall were held up with silver electricians tape while others had multi coloured tacks. There were coiled extension cords dangling from the ceiling and file folders and papers everywhere.

The man sorted through our documents, entered all the necessary digits into the ancient computer then called us over. “Ok, now you must go to window #5, #3, #1, #10 and #13” we took note and headed to #5 where we paid about $40. Then we headed to #3 where we had our eyes tested, after that we headed to window #1 where a kind lady proofread our documents and sealed them with a stamp. Then we went to #10 where we had our photos taken and then we finally made it to lucky #13. We were so happy, we had finally made it!

We handed over our documents and the smiling lady showed is a piece of paper. She circled the numbers “13:10” and said “lecture”. After everything we went through we were required to sit through a half hour lecture about rules of the road. The lectures only take place Monday to Friday at 13:10, It was about 16:30 at that time so we had to wait another week to go back : ( Fine, we understand the importance of attending a quick lecture, I’m sure it would be very informative, especially for foreigners driving in Japan BUT the whole thing is in Japanese!! The lady kind of shrugged her shoulders and agreed with our disappointment but this was the last requirement, the very last document for our approval. I can’t complain, it’s far easier for English and Canadian people to obtain drivers licenses than Americans, unfortunately they have to take an actual drivers examination!.

So, we went to the Japanese driving lecture on Monday afternoon. After a minor detour of wrong numbered windows we finally found where we were supposed to go and it was something. We walked up to the second floor where we were greeted with glossy 20 x 24 inch colour photo prints of car crashes.

Yes indeed, welcome to the final stage of getting your drivers license. Here’s a photo of the entrance to the lecture room, if you look towards the right of the door you will see a demolished automobile with blood smeared on the hood. Please drive safely and congratulations!

The lecture probably would have been informative had I understood but then again, maybe not. The young Japanese guy sitting next to me had a severe case of bus head while the guy in front of me kept looking down at the desk and cracking his knuckles. Over to the left I kept hearing people whispering to each other and a girl sitting far right near the front was looking at her phone probably surfing the net or texting one of her friends. Matt kept looking at the man giving the lecture, his eyebrows were furrowed as he struggled to understand even a few words. In the end he managed to understand the words “human error”, because it was said in English, and a few numbers here and there.

When the man finished his lecture, there was applause and then he started calling out peoples names. We had to go to the front where he kindly handed us our new licenses and bowed. So it’s official we now have our licenses! Woo hoo! We went home and celebrated with gin and tonics.

Momma’s visit was really nice. She treated us very well with her cooking and I have new clothes!!! Yay!!! I can finally wear pants to work and free my legs and butt from the discomfort of nylons. The weather was pretty grey at the start of momma's stay but it ended with beautiful sunny skies. The temperature has dropped a fair bit as well but it’s really comfortable. I expect we’ll be warmer clothes during December and January but nothing compared to Tokyo or Toronto.

Listening to Grizzly Bear – Yellow House

ocean expo

2006-10-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Shaggy, my old roomie from Yono, is here for a visit so we did a little bit of site seeing near Nago city this afternoon. Unfortunately Matt and I have had very little time to sort out our drivers licenses so we had to cab it which was a little pricey but well worth the cost.

We went to Ocean Expo Park which was rather breathtaking. First we went to the aquarium which was the largest I had ever seen. The tanks were huge and we got to walk through one of those glass tunnels! I’ve always wanted to walk through one of those things so I can now scratch that off the list. There were whale sharkes, mantas, stingrays, turtles, video cameras, digital cameras, camera phones, you name it!

We had lunch in the cafeteria where we had a front row view of these creatures from the deep blue sea. There’s nothing like spooning some soft mango ice cream into your mouth while a giant whale shark drifts by barely two feet away from you.

After spending about 3 hours underwater we headed to Emerald Beach. I finally felt we had arrived in the Okinawa our students told us about. Move over Hawaii!!! I have to keep reminding myself that I live here, in Japan, on a tropical island…yup. We took off our shoes and walked in the white sand to the sight of, as the scissor sisters put it, a “creamsicle sky” (insert groovy bass line).

Now here I am, back at the apartment with another work week ahead of me. It’s tough having these teeny tiny hints of vacation sprinkled a few hours here and there. The only thing I can compare it too is going on the road with your band, playing one great show and having to go home the next day. I just want to keep going. I just want to keep lying in the sand, listening to the ocean and not have to worry about being at work the next day. It’s time for a holiday, I haven’t had one since last summer and it’s beginning to wear on me. It’s tough having to be genki all of the time, the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is attempt any socializing whatsoever.

There’s a light at the end of this coming very soon, I just have to keep thinking about momma’s visit, the arrival of my sassy redheaded girlie on December 24^th and 10 days off over the Christmas holidays!! 10 whole days off with no work…at all…nothing…phew!

music and visits

2006-10-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Last Monday Matt and I went to a big used items warehouse called “Manga Souka” on a quest for musical instruments. Part of the deal with moving to Okinawa was to get our butts in gear to write music, so we found some stuff.

We found this bass for $60.00, the guitar for $90.00, an old toy Casio for a measly $3.00 and a new bass amp for $70.00. So far we have about 5 song ideas, now it’s just a matter of giving them some structure which is always the hard part. I’ve been having a great time mixing various drum loops and samples on Acid Pro and recording stuff into Cool Edit.

I’m happy to report that I’m moving branches and my next location will be a 10 minute walk from my place…yay!! No more 45 minute bus rides!

In other news, my momma arrives here on November 1^st and Jenny will be spending her Christmas holidays here in Japan!!! I’ll be standing at the gate, eagerly awaiting her grand entrance at Narita Airport on December 24th. What a great Christmas gift. We will be spending New Years in sunny Okinawa.

Listening to The Devil Wears Prada books on tape : )

snakes and the beach

2006-10-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the beach today and it was lovely. Even the American fighter planes circling above didn't deter us from the warmth of the sun and the feeling of sand between our toes. Matt was kind enough to rub things in by taking a photo of himself and text messaging friends back in Saitama.

On our way to the beach we walked down Kokusai St. where there are many tourist shops. We came across this local sake called 'Habu Saki'. Habu means snake in Japanese, this is pretty much the Okinawan version of tequila with a worm at the bottom. Apparently the habu venom is supposed to increase male virility…

bus work beach

2006-10-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

This is our new view. Over to the right you can see this...
I had my first day at work yesterday and it went fairly well. I'm going through a little bit of reversed culture shock due to the American base located across from my work place. Many military folks go shopping in the department store I work at, I haven't seen this many westerners in a very long time and it feels very strange. My place of work reminds me of California. On my break, I can go sit on Sunset Beach and catch a couple of rays...
Here's some footage of me on my bus ride to work...

Sadly, I have to take a 45 minute bus journey to work. I'm not fond of buses, they're not very reliable and I think I'll forever hold a deep hatred for them after growing up in a suburb and having buses as my only mode of transportation into the city. There are no trains in Okinawa, only one monorail that gets you from the airport to the castle. It's pretty cool looking down on the city from the train though and they play happy disney-like music during the ride, we'll see how long that takes to wear off.

bye bye saitama hello ohhhkinawa

2006-09-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

Our last night in Tokyo was spent at a concert containing a piece my friend Seiko composed for a local percussion group. Also in the line up was a percussion group from

Bulgaria

called Via Nova, four mighty talented young men playing vibraphones and bass drums.

After the show we went out for Indian food in Shinjuku then watched some drunken salary men on the Shonan-Shinjuku platform as we waited for the train. When the train pulled up we found ourselves standing in front of the “women only” car so we decided to play stupid along with some other couple of men and hopped on anyways. All of the other cars were jam packed so we thought we’d take our chances. We all got busted by an attended about 2 minutes into the ride who motioned for us to go to the next car. We all walked to the other end of the ‘women only’ car, the two other men squeezed into the next car and we decided to take our chances again and stay. Matt was the only man in the car. There were a few evil stares but nothing too threatening. We got a little paranoid whenever the train stopped at stations. Luckily due to the ever changing summer to fall season I had a trusty scarf around my neck so I put it on Matt’s head and it was smooth sailing from there.
Yesterdays travel went quite smoothly and I was so impressed with security. The past couple of times I’ve traveled to through security I’ve had to take my shoes off and stand bare feet on cold ceramic tile flooring while security guards inspect my shoes. It’s very uncomfortable and a little rude in my opinion. In Japan the guard gives you little slippers to wear while you wait!! It’s true, I saw it with my own eyes. Also near the end of our 2.5 hr flight we viewed a 15 minute video on stretching exercises you can do while sitting down with your seat belt firmly fastened. The three cute flight attendants in the video looked like synchronized swimmers on a plane….oh I hear a new block buster Hollywood hit.

So here we are in sunny Okinawa. The temperature is about 28 degrees and our apartment and its location are simply wonderful. We live two steps away from Naha’s version of Queen St. There are many restaurants and shops and there’s a huge market nearby (Lewis! like the one in Kyoto).

We haven’t had much time to explore yet. Last night was spent chilling out, doing some laundry and watching The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Today we tried to find a dollar store for some household goodies but instead we found not one, not two but five Mexican taco restaurants within a five block radius! Also, our neighbourhood is riddled with second hand clothing shops. So far so good.

We received our boxes from Japan post this evening which by the way absolutely rocks! It’s cheap and you can set a time for delivery and they tell you which day it will arrive. Wow! None of that 3-5 day rubbish…it’s true, I just wrote the word rubbish. I’m also saying words like reckon (think) and summat (something). Matt’s been saying ‘eh’ and he’s trying to perfect ‘give’r like you stole’r’and my personal favorite ‘keep r outta the rubarb’ and also ‘beauty night for the sleds eh?’ Jenny will give him a few tips on pronunciation when she comes to visit in the new year…eh?

Tomorrow we’re going to scout out our new work places so we don’t get lost on Sunday then on Monday our plan is to head for the beach.

Here's a pic of Matt and I with my two roommates Shaggy, Mikala and our friend Shelley with her mama Michelle...

This is a pic of my Saturday class, don't let their cuteness fool you...

My Tuesday senior kid class...

These were my Saturday seniors, we had some good times...

Listening to The Album Leaf Into The Blue Again

on our way...

2006-09-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my roommate Shaggy and I went to Ryogoku to watch some sumo which was fantastic! I took some photos which have yet to be processed. I'm a little bit concerned about Okinawa's film processing situation. I've been really spoilt with Bic Camera's services here in the Tokyo area. Oh well, worse case scenario I'll just have to process my 1600/3200 black n white and infrared colour film when I get home.

Matt and I are slowly packing our things and taking in as much Tokyo fun as possible before moving to the island. We got information on our new apartment last week and it's going to be sweet! We're moving into a two bedroom, two balcony place on the 6th floor in the heart of Naha city. Come one, come all to sunny Okinawa : )

This is my roommate Shaggy standing beside Matt who might be on his knees...

Here are a few pics of the fish market...

Listening to Margaret Leng Tan's The Art of the Toy Piano

le fish market

2006-09-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

A rainy day in good ol Yono. It’s been an interesting few days. Last Saturday I got to work, looked at the schedule and apparently I’m an elementary school teacher, I found myself having to teach 5 kid classes. 2 groups and 3 man to man. I never look forward to Saturday’s at work, there are always too many kids to teach but this shift put me over the edge. I was not a happy camper. Then, to top it all off, one of my co-workers was sick on Sunday so I found myself having to teach his two kid classes as well. Don’t get me wrong, teaching kids can be really quite refreshing here and there but 5 lessons in one day is just too much.

I got home on Sunday evening, vented to Matt and my roommates and drank a couple of stiff vodkas. After some food and a little relaxation Matt and I headed into Tokyo for an all nighter. We took the last train to Shimbashi station and walked around for a couple of hours killing time before going to Tsukiji fish market. There’s something so surreal about walking around the city of Tokyo at 3am. It’s like being in a different world. Sleep deprivation does funny things to the mind and so does the Ginza district. Ginza is about 3 times the size of Yorkville and has every high end brand name store imaginable. 3 floor Prada, Louis Vuitton, Bvulgari etc. Basically if you pick up any fashion magazine and open to one of its many ads you will find the store in Ginza. Matt made a funny remark that rings very true, many stores contain la, le and chez in their names. French articles = posh. The best thing we noticed was a certain coffee shop. I go to Doutour coffee shop most mornings on my way to work. Doutour is exactly like Coffee Time, practically the same colour scheme the same tasting coffee and atmosphere. Well, in Ginza they changed the name to Le Doutour and the font is different too, kinda dainty like it’s been written with a fancy French feather pen. We didn’t see the interior but it probably has big comfortable sofas where people can sip on their café au laits, read le cosmopolitan, or have les conversations with les amis. So bizarre.

Ginza was quite a contrast to Shimbashi where we saw a lot of sex shops and various people sleeping in the streets. Some people were homeless, other people looked like business men who had missed their last train or had been kicked out of the house. Cabs kept following us around as we desperately tried to find ourselves an internet café to rest our tired feet. We settled for a trusty Yoshinoya restaurant instead where we ordered some beef on rice.

A strange thing happened around 3:30am. We looked up at the sky and there appeared to be some kind of strobe light show going on in the distance. We thought perhaps there was some sort of outdoor concert going on. Matt thought it might be lightening but it was way too frequent and there was no thunder. Anyways, we finally found a clearing between a couple of buildings and watched the most amazing lightening storm we had ever seen. The sky was clear above us, there was a full moon, but only a few blocks ahead there was a sky like something out of the 1988 Demi Moore movie The Seventh Sign. My arm hair was standing on end; it was exciting and quite frightening.

After watching for about 15 minutes we walked around a little bit more then hopped in a cab to Tsukiji Market. It was huge and bustling with fishermen setting up for the morning market. We walked around the small fish market area which was pretty crazy. We had to watch our backs everywhere we went to avoid getting hit by small transport vehicles. The drivers were relentless. We tried to sneak a peek at the large fish auction area but they were setting up behind closed doors. All we managed to see was about 2 minutes of people hulling huge frozen tuna out of a truck and dragging them along the floor to display them for potential bidders. Smoke from the ice was looming along the wet ground as the fishermen milled about sporting gumboots and loose overalls. I tried to take a photo but a small man wielding a large hook started waving his arms in protest so I backed off and then a large orange door came down with a boom.

The large fish auction starts around 5:30 and it was only 4:30. We were tired, it was a little smelly and the storm had finally landed above us so it was time to go home. We took a cab back to the station and caught the first train back to Yono.

We woke up around 1:30, did some grocery shopping, made a greasy breakfast, watched a sci fi movie called Event Horizon, some sumo wrestling on the tele followed by TheTriplets of Belleville. It was a nice lazy day.

Listening to Mylo Destroy Rock & Roll

bugs

2006-09-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago matt and I were strolling down my street just heading home from a nice dinner in omiya when suddenly a big flying insect came out of no where. It flew towards our ankles while making the spookiest clicking noise. The only sound I could compare it to is the sound of a baseball card smacking against bicycle spokes. It was loud and scary so we both yelped and ran away.

The next day I brought the story up in a ‘voice’ class and my students informed me that it was a cicada. Ok, I don’t know if we have these insects in Canada but they’re bloody loud and the fluttering sound of their wings sends chills down my spine…not the good kind. Their bodies are about the length of my thumb and their wings even longer.
photo taken by Jon Allen

According to my students it takes a cicada about 7 years to fully bloom from a larvae to a winged terror and then they only live for about 7 days. Hearing this gave me a new found interest in these noisy bugs. The deafening sound I hear as I walk through the park is being created by beasties that were conceived up to 7 years ago!

I had the pleasure of seeing another insect last week called a praying matis. It was gracefully standing on the station platform as I stepped off the train. This particular mantis was a brownish colour in preparation for fall. I watched its tiny head turn from side to side as commuters shuffled about. Watching this insect brought some kind of inexplicable inner calm, it was really beautiful.

photo taken by Andrzej Urbaniec

Here’s another huge butterfly/moth that was sitting outside of shelley and lola’s flat a couple of weeks ago. Sorry about the blurriness, blame it on the chu hi.

In other news, it’s official, Matt and I are heading south for the winter. We’re going to go live in Okinawa for a little while (see Karate Kid II). Our departure date is September 28^th and our first day at work is on October 1^st. We’re heading to a tropical island with crystal blue water and white sandy beaches. The average temperature in winter is about 20-25 degrees. Unfortunately there are a few problems like huge cockroaches, poisonous snakes, cicadas all year ‘round, typhoons and get this, it’s one of the most haunted places in the world.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=140&article=32897&archive=true

Oh well, if all of this is true, I guess I may be home sooner than you think

x d

Listening to Hot Chip's The Warning

sunflower hostess typhoon

2006-08-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

One night about 6 weeks ago Matt, my roommate Amy and I met some fellow employees at a karaoke bar in Omiya. Many drinks were consumed in a two hour period and we sang great hits such as “the right stuff” by nkotb, “the land down under” by men at work and matt and I are slowly perfecting our “smooth operator” sade duet.

Anyways, when it came time to go home we had missed the last train so we went to a 7-11, bought some travelers and walked home. On the way home Amy and I stole a big plastic sunflower from a restaurant display. It was terrible but oh so thrilling. We kept whacking each other with it for good times, I guess we were blowing some roommate steam off? So, after we got bored of carrying the flower around I decided to put a slight accent on a mural I pass on my walk to work. There’s a brick wall along the railroad tracks with some very colourful paintings and I thought the sunflower would fit rather nicely so I shoved it into one of the drain pipes and no one has touched it since.

I wonder how long it will stay there.

Here are a couple more views of my walk to work.

This is Omiya during the day. At night all the hostess ladies come out to play and it looks like grad all over again. You’ve got your sequined up do’s and slinky floor length strapless numbers seasoned with forced uncomfortable smiles and bad mc’s trying to lure horny patrons into their establishment.

Typhoon season is just around the corner, we experienced a small one a couple of nights ago and it was pretty thrilling. The next day Matt and I went to my favorite photography museum in Ebisu to see an underwater photo exhibit. This was our view on the way home.

how fuji rocked

2006-08-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

A rock festival these days just ain't the same without an abundance of Chuck Taylors.

Fuji Rock was possibly one of the best organized festivals I have ever attended.

Upon entering the site everyone was handed a plastic bag in which to put their trash. All smokers carried their own personal portable ashtrays and the recycling receptacles were amazing, they even had people working at the bins to make sure items were thrown into the appropriate places.

The crowd was great, I was up front for 2 of the 4 shows I attended and I didn’t get crushed. The only time people started getting a little bit rowdy was during Broken Social Scene’s encore song? A small yet very civilized mosh formed in front of me, I think one person may have crowd surfed. Broken Social Scene were the only band I saw get an encore! It was my first time seeing them live and they played a really great set. All the Canadians gathered at the front for a little taste of home.

The highlight of the day was a band called Rhinoceros from France. They’re AC/DC meets Daft Punk/Chemical Brothers. Everyone was dancing up a storm for their set, I’m now a fan! Check them out if you get a chance. www.rinocerose.com.

I tried to watch the Raconteurs but I had to leave after the first two songs. It felt like I was watching a band who had rehearsed maybe a handful of times before playing this massive festival. I had never seen Jack White before so I thought I’d give his music a whirl but this project was really disappointing. Matt and I decided to go check out Buffalo Daughter instead which was rather interesting. I needed to be on hallucinogens for these guys, their average song was about 20mins long. Good times.

Another highlight was the Happy Mondays set!! They were in fine form. The sound was amazing and many happy gaijin jumped up and down at the front. They ended their set with 24hr party people which was very appropriate.

After the live entertainment died down Matt and I got some food at the international food fair and tried to find somewhere a little quiet time before Bez’s 4am dj set. It was really cold outside. We didn’t bring any warm clothes so the only solution was to warm up to these candles for a while and just keep dancing.

Bez’s set was like going to any Britpop night in good ol Toronto. He played Primal Scream, Oasis, Kasabian, Charlatans, Gorillaz, and many other great hits. Happy Monday members were dancing on the stage as the crowd went wild and Bez did his little signature hop dance. It was a terrific way to end the festival! An intimate gathering with the Mondays in a festival tent on a ski resort in Japan.

This isn't Bez as you may have guessed but Bez was whispering in this guys ear what he wanted to hear next.

Any disappointments? As usual it’s always tough having to endure portopoties at any big event but squat toilets are definitely heaps better. Here’s a shot of the men’s room…

I’d definitely attend this festival again if given the chance. Next time I’d get some camping gear and go for all three days.

Listening to rinôçérôse

where i work

2006-07-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos of where I work...

This is a photo of me punching in at the beginning of my shift.

This is the teaching area. We sit in these cubicles with a maximum of four students. It can get pretty loud sometimes on busy days but we make due.

This was taken at Mister Donut where I usually go for coffee in the mornings.

It looks like Matt and I might be moving to Naha, Okinawa in the fall. We’re crossing our fingers!
listening to the sweet sweet hum of our air conditioning unit.

above average

2006-07-14T05:58:00.000-07:00

I got my mid-term report card today and I’m happy to say that that I’m above average. This sheet bares a striking resemblance to my elementary school report cards. Look mom and dad, I made it above the satisfactory mark!!! Don’t worry about the attendance and punctuality thing, my boss has changed it to a good because I have paper work to prove my eyes decided to take on a k-1 fighter look for a while.

I do realize I still have a lot to work on, my goal for my year end review is to turn as many of those g’s into e’s. I’ve posted this fine work of art on my tiny fridge. It has a Pizza Hut and Mister Donut magnet holding it up for all to see. I done good! Here’s to a successful 6 months!

In other news, I went to the Tokyo Museum of Modern Photography today where I saw a couple of terrific exhibits. The first one, World Press Photo, was a tough pill to swallow. Some of the images were so powerful they pretty much moved me to tears. I have never seen such an overwhelming show in my life. People were sitting on benches in the middle of the gallery wiping their tears away…some of these photographs will haunt me for years to come. Seeing such powerful photographs shakes you out of your bubble and makes you realise, unfortunately for only a brief while, how very lucky we are. There is so much pain and hatred in this world. Kudos to the photographers who have the strength and courage to lift their cameras under such conditions. It could be argued that they do it for the money but I prefer to think their intentions dig deeper than newspaper pockets.

After that dose of reality I headed down to the basement where there was a show on the many faces of the lovely and talented French actor Isabelle Hupert.

Don’t get me wrong I think she’s terrific but it’s tough walking into a show about the life of a beautiful rich actress after seeing so much pain and suffering. She been fortunate to pose for such great artists such as Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, Herb Ritts, Robert Doisneau, Nan Goldin and Philip-Lorca diCorcia. It was a great show but I think I should have seen it before the World Press show.

I broke down and bought myself a fancy Holga camera at the museum gift shop. It has a built in multicoloured flash and an optional 35mm back. I think I may have loaded it the wrong way…I guess I’ll have to shoot the roll and find out. I want to capture my Fuji Rocks experience with my new toy : )

It’s Friday night, the calm before my stormy work week. Summer has hit us with full force, we had a high of 37 today and apparently this is nothing. I never thought I’d hear myself say ‘thank god we have air conditioning’! I bought myself an ever so popular sweat rag last week and I’m putting it to good use. I’ve never experienced such humidity in my life.

Peace and kisses

let's go to the movies

2006-07-05T23:46:00.000-07:00

i had my first movie theatre experience in japan last wednesday.

imagine a scaled down version of the paramount without the smell of grease and sound of a million trailers going on at once.

imagine buying a plain popcorn, a caramel popcorn and a large grapefruit juice for the low cost of $5.00.

imagine getting a reserved seat.

imagine half price tickets for women on wednesdays!

imagine the person who makes an announcement to the audience about turning off cell phones (at least I think that’s what he was saying) taking a bow before stepping off of the stage.

imagine forgetting a small sweater to cover your shoulders from the air conditioning and finding a cartload of blankets at the entrance of the theatre and last but not least
IMAGINE seeing a movie with no one talking or eating loudly.

needless to say i like going to the movies here. unfortunately there isn’t a heck of a lot of variety but spike lee’s latest flick ‘inside man’ was quite entertaining.

matt and i are going to the fuji rock festival on july 30^th. i vowed never to go to another huge outdoor festival but it will be worth seeing not only for the bands but also for how civilized a festival of this magnitude will be here. i’m soooo happy to hear the happy mondays have been added to the bill. it was sheer torture only hearing their music pour out onto granville street when they played the commodore ballroom back in 1990…sigh. other great bands on sunday include mogwai, jenny lewis, the raconteurs, the strokes, broken social scene, super furry animals, rinocerose and buffalo daughter. i haven’t seen a rock show since january, hopefully this will satisfy my ears for the next few months.

listening to asobi seksu - citrus

Izu

2006-06-26T01:08:00.000-07:00

Matt and I got to enjoy some time away from the daily grind last week. We went to Izu-Atagawa for some well deserved R&R and stayed in a traditional Japanese Ryokan where we enjoyed living in Yukatas (bath robes) for two full days and bathing in a couple of private onsens (hot springs). We were the only gaijin in the building but managed to communicate with the usual art of hand gestures and pointing. The only two staff members who spoke English were the chef and hotel driver. We made a bit of a faux pas on the first day, one of the staff members caught us walking through the hotel lobby and ran up to the driver who was outside at the time. He came to let us know that we had our Yukatas on the wrong way, the front is supposed to cross left over right and we both had ours on right over left. Apparently right over left is a sign of death. I found out my cat Caesar died when I got home….hrm.

We didn’t do any site seeing which was such a refreshing change. We simply lounged around in our robes slept, tested some tasty and not so tasty traditional food...

and relaxed in a soothing onsen full of floating oranges...

Here's Matt at the train station getting a massage before boarding the train...

Our train ride home was quite funny. Our seats weren’t so good so we decided to go to the smoking car where there were plenty of available seats. A couple of stops down the line a few business men got on the train, looked at their tickets, looked at us, looked at their tickets and looked at us again. We told them we were in their seats and that we could move but they smiled, said “ok ok ok” and sat in the empty seats in front of us. Two stops later two more passengers boarded the train, they looked at their tickets, looked at the business men, looked back down at their tickets, and back at the business men again. We felt awful and once again told them we could move but instead they took the available seats in front of the business men. We felt quite bad about messing up the whole row but an elderly woman and her husband seated next to us motioned for us to stay where we were and not to worry. Next thing we knew it the woman was passing us little pots of vanilla ice cream and we graciously accepted. She was such a ray of sunshine. We gave her a little gift in exchange and she was beaming. Why can’t strangers do this kind of thing for each other more often?

lazy thursday

2006-06-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

i saw a blind man sitting in a courtesy seat on the train this morning. he was wearing a baseball cap which read "marriage isn't a word, it's a sentence"

hrm

i’m spending a lazy rainy afternoon at home watching a japanese film called battle royal. A cat keeps meowing outside wanting to be let into a neighbouring house and my washing machine is in spin cycle mode. my eyelids are getting heavy, I better get some rest before this evening’s soccer game at the george in omiya.

d

great news

2006-06-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

i found some nylons that fit !!! the size is L-LL and this helpful diagram is printed on the back...

i miss you
d

papa in japan part 1

2006-06-02T04:18:00.000-07:00

on wednesday evening i brought papa to a traditional shabu-shabu restaurant and it was delicious. joe took dave and i to the very same place in march and i really wanted to go back. shabu-shabu consists of thin slices of beef, a variety of fresh vegetables and a boiling pot of broth containing a sake, soya and sugar mixture. the pot sits in the centre of your table and you boil your food to perfection. after the food is cooked you have a choice of two sauces, vinaigrette or creamy sesame. after that you're served mochi, noodles, green tea and a scoop of ice cream....yumm!

we decided to walk home from omiya

and ducked into a games centre along the way…

our personal favorite...

here’s a shot of papa walking along a pedestrian path i take regularly to and from work…

we went to kamakura yesterday and i made the mistake of taking the regular commuter route, it took us 1.5 hours each way. luckily we boarded the train and got seats at its starting point on the way home, rush hour was in full swing a couple of stations later.

here’s papa taking a rest on the beach. it was soooooo fantastic seeing the ocean again, i hadn’t seen it since last summer’s magdalene island road trip extravaganza.

we met matt for dinner in ageo after a hour long train mistake on my part. commuter rapid trains are a thorn in my side!!!

today papa and i had lunch and did a little shopping in omiya. we got home around 5pm and papa took a nap.

i made tacos for dinner and now we're just relaxing to the sounds of crickets or what ever the heck those bugs are that sound like power lines.

tomorrow we're going on a hato bus tour of tokyo. we'll spend the first part of our day sitting on an air conditioned bus and boat and the other part walking behind a tour guide holding up a yellow coloured flag. i'll post more pictures soon.

xo d

hearing really loud tropical-type bugs

2006-05-28T23:37:00.000-07:00

last wednesday matt met me in iwatsuki for indian food in saty market. there's a small games centre on the same floor as the restaurant so we played some taiko drums then headed for the crazy photo booth. this one was quite different from the one we tried before. upon hitting the button a crazy techno song starts and a high pitched japanese lady commands you to pose...at least i think that's what she's doing. this booth had three camera angles and about four back drops. we had to look in a small monitor to see where the next shot was being taken from. while we were concentrating on looking our best, backdrops kept changing and dropping down on our heads. here's one of the results. please excuse the quality as i have no scanner : (

my papa lands in about 10 minutes!!! he'll be crashing at my place for about a week. xo d

Reading Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

when your food looks at you

2006-05-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

there’s nothing like taking a short pause in the day, sitting back and eating a savory snack. i’ve always been a fan of delicious rice crackers and recently i’ve discovered a variety with a peanut in the centre! just the other day i decided to partake in a package at the train station. i gently opened the bag, poured some of its contents into my hand and much to my surprise i found these little fellows peeking out from under the treats.
i tried one and it tasted fishy. i think i'll send some to jenny in her next care package. then again maybe not cuze she might have second thoughts about coming to visit ; )

strange saturday

2006-05-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

i had a strange day last saturday.

my morning was the same routine: i got up nice and early, walked to omiya station to the sound of royskopp then I got my train nice and early so I had plenty of time to ease into my day. i got a usual seat in the front, women only car, and changed my soundtrack to some lloyd cole. when the train got to omiya koen station it didn’t move for a very long time. i chilled out a bit, relieved that i had plenty of time to spare. the conductor kept making announcements and the only thing i could make out was that something had gone wrong at the station one stop ahead.

the first thing anyone says when there’s a major train delay is “it must be a jumper”. there’s such a strange feeling when you see people frustrated about getting somewhere and some poor soul has just died a brutal death. i decided to go sit on a platform bench and take in a little bit of 30 degree weather. it was very quiet and there was a gentle breeze.

my manager called to see if i was going to make my first lesson of the day and i told him it didn’t look like we were going to move any time soon. at this point the conductor was no where in sight and people slowly started searching for other ways to get to their destinations.

about half an hour later another work staff member called to see what the status was on my train and i told her it would probably be another hour. she told me i should take a cab and that the company would cover the cost. i exited the station and joined the taxi lineup. by this time i was already going to miss my second lesson of the day.

omiya koen is a small town so taxis are few and far between. the lineup finally dwindled down to myself and a salary man. he was kind enough to turn around and ask me where i was going. he too was headed for iwatsuki so we shared the cab. of course the traffic was horrendous so i missed yet another lesson.

i finally got to work about 2 hours late and the salary man refused to take my money when it came time to pay. i insisted but he would have none of it so i politely accepted his generosity.

here’s the kicker, i don’t get paid for any of the classes i missed !!!! oh i tell you it’s such a joy working for this company. there was no way i could make it to work and it gets docked off my cheque…i’m just a LITTLE fumed about it. luckily i’m getting reimbursed for the cab ride which was the cost of about 2 lessons. thank you mr.salary man for helping me make some of my wages back.

that afternoon was also a little strange. my first lesson was man to man with a kinder which was fine but then i had to take my lunch break. after my break i had three no shows and ended my shift with a junior man to man. we had a small earthquake around 2pm and a typhoon around 4pm.

that evening matt and i went to say one last goodbye to joe : ( i’m sad that my gay boyfriend is gone, workdays at iwatsuki and all nighter karaoke will never be the same…sniff.

today was jaime’s last day at work as well, she’s off to america to attend graduate school at yale and i wish her all the best. i can’t wait to be in joe and jaime’s shoes, it will be such a good feeling to walk into my very last day at work. only 8 months to go !!!

here's a picture of me at work

listening to sunset rubdown shut up i am dreaming

beck's soundtrack

2006-05-11T02:21:00.000-07:00

i'm sitting in a coffee shop chain called beck's fueling up for my 2pm private lesson and the soundtrack to this little pause in the day is really rather interesting. i took my first sip of 'american coffee' to lou reed and the velvet underground and my last sip to "jesus christ superstar do you think you're what they say you are?". i'm now listening to the original, non moulin rouge version of lady marmalade...it may be too early in the day for this...any day.

a suave business man is sitting behind me desperately trying to suck every last drop of his iced coffee through a straw. he’s creating a racket but every so often he stops to take a drag off of his lark-brand cigarette.

i wonder what song will accompany my grand exit...here it comes...ah tears of a clown. the caffeine has settled in, i'm now going to twirl my umbrella and skip on down to the platform.

the strangest thing happens here with westerners.

2006-05-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

i was walking home this evening in yono when suddenly i noticed a westerner coming from the opposite direction. it was just the two of us walking on a quiet suburban street. we quickly did a double take glance to see if perhaps we had maybe met one another other somewhere before. i didn’t recognize her nor she me so we simply avoided eye contact and passed in silence.

it kinda feels like when you’re walking in your home town, you see a familiar face and try your darnest to figure out where you know them from. could it have been a drunken embarrassing night? could it have been at work? instead of smiling you pretend you didn’t see them. oh dear, I sound like a terrible person. am i the only one who does this?....anyways back to the japan thing. it’s common here to eventually ignore other westerners. i guess maybe you get so used to being a ghost that you become afraid of your own reflection.

Listening to Radiohead - Kid A

golden week

2006-05-05T00:43:00.000-07:00

it feels like summer here, the past two days have been simply beautiful. unfortunately rainy season is just around the corner so we have to enjoy it while it lasts. it's golden week here in japan and yono feels like a ghost town cuz everyone's gone on vacation.

matt and i went to ikebukuro for dinner last night. we found a quaint little 4 table Indian food restaurant hidden in the basement of a side street. the chef was rather excited about us being there. he told us he had 5 brothers and sisters who are all chefs as well. one lives in toronto, one in new york, one in tokyo, one in osaka and one in london. he asked for matty’s email address and told him we will eat for free in london if we go to his brothers restaurant. he also gave us a delicious mango dessert.

i’m still taking pictures of myself in public washrooms and i think i’ve finally mastered the art of the squat toilet.

X o d

Listening to CBC Podcast #42 (SXSW Edition)

love hotel

2006-04-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

last week matt and i went to shibuya to an all you can eat indian buffet and it was delicious! our taste buds didn’t know what hit them, it had been a long while since spicy foods had taken them out for a little dance.

after the delicious meal we went to a new orleans-style bar where we ordered gin and tonics followed by a jack n ginger for me and a good ol rum n coke for matty. we smoked cigarettes and listened to some jazz amongst a who lotta gaijin. It felt so strange seeing so many other gaijin roaming the streets, we’re so used to being the only ones walking around our neighbourhood. i’m going to have some severe culture shock when i get home.

so after a couple of drinks we decided we’d go for a stroll on love hotel hill. it was pretty cool. we found ourselves walking along these small streets with a plethora of hotels surrounding us. names like hotel passion in red letters and rates for “rest stay” were a dead give away that we had located our destination.

we were hell bent on finding a themed hotel, apparently they are pretty hard to come by these days but we browsed around a little. immediately upon entering a hotel lobby you can see a large panel with photographs illuminated from behind. they look just like those hotel panels you used to see in an airport arrivals section. all the vacant rooms are lit up while the occupied ones are turned off. when you see a room that suites your needs, you press a little button below the picture that has the room number printed on it. you then go to a wicket and pay your money to a pair of faceless hands.

it was quite funny walking into these places. sometimes there were other couples browsing for rooms as well. no eye contact was made but we all knew we were there for one thing. i think it would be fascinating to work in a love hotel, i’d make some serious use of my camera that’s for darn sure.

the rooms are really nice! if you’re ever looking for a cheap place to stay while in tokyo love hotels are the answer!! our room had a crazy 70’s style radio with every station under the sun…all music all the time. we had our own karaoke machine, a nice jacuzzi tub and a fancy toilet with a heated seat. i have yet to try the crazy bum cleaning jets, i’m a little frightened.

there were two vending machines, one with toys and lubricants to suite all of your personal needs and another with beer, soda and water. the room was also loaded with complimentary tea, coffee, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, hair brush, and this fancy hair band…

Listening to Gllia - Kazumasa Hashimoto

saitama shuffle

2006-04-17T02:24:00.000-07:00

I never thought I’d live to see the day where I wear running shoes with business attire. It’s happened, I look like Melanie Griffith’s Tess McGill in Working Girl. All I need to complete the package is to dye my hair red and listen to Carly Simon’s Let The River Run on my ipod.

I’ve now made it my daily routine walking from Yono to Omiya station. It takes me about 40 minutes each way. There’s a lovely path between Yono and Saitama’s famous Superdome. It’s kinda like walking around the Skydome but there are flowers and many small sculptures that look as though they were made by elementary students. I also pass a single row of 6 palm trees which is a lovely site to see. There’s nothing like spotting the odd palm tree here and there to remind me that the best weather has yet to come.

When heading towards the Superdome I walk in the opposite direction of many business people. They all wear black. Black jackets, pants and shoes. I stand out in the crowd as I dodge people here and there sporting my pink shirt, blue rain coat, red scarf and white Adidas. Tess McGill’s attire wasn’t as loud but you could probably spot her hair in the river of black suits.

Today I decided to put my ipod on shuffle and I can’t believe the difference it makes when I walk. As I was getting off the Iwatsuki train at Omiya station, Explosions in the Sky accompanied the action of searching for my metro pass in my enormous purse. Who knew such a simple action like that could contain such drama? People were coming at me from all directions as I fished for my wallet, I was afraid to look down as the music escalated. Suddenly I felt the leather at my finger tips and the music swelled out of control. I pulled out my wallet just as I reached the gate, I could feel the urgency of the people behind me as I swiftly removed my pass and inserted it in the machine…phew! I nearly fumbled that one.

As I went up the escalator to catch my connecting train Loverboy’s Workin for the Weekend came on and what a strange sensation that was. I didn’t know what to think. I was in a busy train station listening to…well…Loverboy. I guess there’s a time and place for it like karaoke or casinos but that just wasn’t right. Plus it was Monday, it might have felt a little more genuine on a Thursday or Friday…I dunno I got through half the song and had to fast forward it. After that I heard Sparklehorse’s Painbirds and it was perfect. There’s something really cool about listening to mellow music in the thick of madness.

I wonder what Tess would have had on a mixed tape. What was she listening to as she rode the ferry into Manhattan? Was it George Michaels’ Faith? Perhaps Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance? Maybe Chicago’s Look Away? My vote is Poison’s Every Rose Has It’s Thorn because, after all she’s just a small town girl trying to make it in the big crazy city.

Listening to whatever my ipod chooses

missing food

2006-04-15T04:31:00.000-07:00

There’s a nice food shop in Saitama-Shintoshin where I can but some lovely foreign goods. I went in there this evening to buy some Dijon mustard and Celestial Seasoning tea and I was delighted to find some green salsa sauce and taco chips!!! Of course they do cost a mint but I bought them as a small treat for my taste buds. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about food. My roommate Amy was laughing at me because I was soooooo happy about chips and salsa…no seriously, I’m so excited right now. Ok, here I go…first test…BLARGH!!! It doesn’t taste like delicious Herdez! I’m gonna have to add some Tabasco. Spice is a problem…you need to carry a bottle of hot sauce in your pocket if you want any kick.

Here are some foods I have been missing as of late:

Breakfast at Mimi’s restaurant
Gandhi Roti
Island Food Patties
Sandwich Box
Epicure
cheese
Irene’s delicious cooking
brie and avocado sandwiches at Squirrly’s
Beaconsfield brunches
falafel with grape leaves
poutine
Creemore
mint chocolate.

I don’t think I can take rice, noodles and bread for much longer and I’ve only been here 3 months! Sigh, I’ll be ok. For now I’ll just keep adding to the list of things I can’t get my hands on here. I think Matt and I might go on a quest for Indian food on Monday evening. A girl named Stacey and her boyfriend Eddie from Pickering just moved in downstairs and they found an all you can eat place in Shinjuku. Tandoori chicken here I come…hold the rice please.
Xo

Listening to Tapes n’ Tapes – The Loon

photo booth

2006-04-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

my eyes have recovered, i can see the world clearly again...well sort of. here are a couple photos of dave, matt and i in a fancy photo booth. if you look very closely you can see a box of meji chocolate almonds tucked away in my jacket pocket. never leave home without them.
xo
d

Listening to Royskopp - The Understanding

beware the eyes of march

2006-03-31T00:11:00.000-08:00

My experience at the dermatologist was really cold and detached. I left there feeling like I deserved to look the way I do. Perhaps I may have been a little fragile but it felt strange.The first thing I found a little bit frustrating was that he looked at me and asked me what my problem was. I gestured up to my face and he nodded inquisitively. This is kind of how it went…

Doc - have you any allergies?
Me – not to my knowledge
Doc – are you taking any medication?
Me – no

Ok I may have told a little white lie at this point. I had taken a Sudafed earlier that morning and I was feeling a little woozy because unbeknownst to me it was a night time pill but I didn’t want to get into all of that because Sudafed, Reactin, Advil and the many drugs we have access to at home are all illegal here and well, I get caught at EVERYTHING so I lied.

Doc – is it itchy?
Me – yes
Doc – does it sting?
Me – a little bit yes
Doc – do you drink alcohol?
Me – yes
Doc – you shouldn’t because it’s bad for the skin
Me – ok

He then gestured over to the nurse and told me he was going to prescribe me an ointment for my eyes that I was to apply twice a day. The nurse gingerly dabbed my swollen eyes with a Vaseline-type goo. The doctor then told me he was going to prescribe me pills that I was to take twice a day then he sent me on my way. I paid my bill, got my prescription papers and headed down to the pharmacist. The woman at the counter gave me a form to fill out but I was completely useless. In the end I got my drugs neatly tucked in their proper paper bags. Each bag has a small digital image of the drug printed on the outside. The lady at the counter had a translation book, we communicated the twice a day dosage with hand gestures and then she asked me to look down at a translation which read ‘do not drive or operate any heavy machinery’. Check.

I’ve been in a bit of a daze since Tuesday, I didn’t take anything this morning and it’s probably good. Things are beginning to come clearer to me now, my eyes have deflated and I feel I can now ride a bicycle without any threat of injury.

Unfortunately I pinched a nerve in my back while I was in the shower yesterday, I must have been quite the sight hunched over in pain with a swollen face. Yes, this week has been quite stellar in Delphine world.

I worked from 10 – 2 today so I got to enjoy some of my afternoon off. I think I’m going to hobble down to the corner store and stuff my face with Meji chocolate almonds. I have an addiction…it’s becoming a BIG problem…pretty much a box a day. I should stop, they’re probably bad for my skin.

Listening to Band of Horses – Everything All The Time

dave in nippon

2006-03-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

sorry for the delay, things have been a little busy as of late.

kyoto was an amazing trip and dave is the best tour guide i’ve ever had. our first day in kyoto was pouring with rain but our second was perfect. we went to fushimi inari where walked through tunnels of these orange gates.

along the way there were shrines with many different fox statues sporting red bibs.

we walked for a good 7 hours that day!! yiks!

we parted ways on friday, dave went to a hill to pray with some monks for a couple of days and i headed home on the bullet train. my birthday was well spent. i boarded the train around 12pm and gazed out the window to the sounds of Max Richter, Kings of Convenience and Ulrich Schnauss, it was nice and sunny as I watched the world go by at high speeds. i treated myself to a lovely bento box of goodies and some beers.

i got home around 5pm then met matt at omiya where he showered me with treats : )

dave got back on sunday evening and we pulled an all nighter. we started out with drinks and food at an izakaya. joe and matt joined us for food and later we had shelley, lisa and lola come ‘round for some drinks. after that we all headed to a karaoke bar. i had never heard dave sing before…he’s got quite a set of pipes on him!! 3000 yen for all you can sing and drink is alright by me. here's a pic of dave and matt tearin' it up, i think they might have been singing toto's africa...

toto's a problem, you can't escape it. crane does not make toilets and sinks here, toto does. everytime you go to the bathroom you're guaranteed to come out humming one of their tunes.

we took a cab home and walked through this tunnel under yono station. it was late and the many gin and tonics had kicked in at that point. dave was prepared to protect me from any intruders...

yesterday dave and i walked around tokyo. we went to yoyogi park where we saw many cherry blossoms!! next week the trees will reach full bloom and i can’t wait. many people go to the park for picnics under the trees and apparently you can also go at night cuz they illuminate the tress from below which sounds beautiful. some parks also have karaoke set up as well…good times!

today is dave’s departure and i don’t know where the time has gone. it was lovely seeing a friend from home, i think he’s going home with fond memories of nippon.

today i'm going to go see a doctor in omiya. my eyes are practically swollen shut and i look really pretty. i may not go into work tomorrow in fear of scaring my little kinders away.

Listening to Gllia Kazumasa Hashimoto

off to kyoto

2006-03-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

dave's here, it's 23:20 and we're watching smap. he's actually staring into space and giggling at the odd commercials. we're off to tokyo tomorrow then kyoto on wednesday. i have four days off this week which is going to be a wonderful treat. i think i may actually get some sight seeing done. i don't understand the above sign, someone please feel free to translate.
xo
d

Africa in Japan

2006-03-13T06:17:00.000-08:00

Time is starting to fly over here and I can’t believe Dave gets here in one week. We plan to go to Kyoto which is going to be a nice change from the daily grind. It’s tough, whenever I have time off all I want to do is laundry, go grocery shopping and relax to a movie or two. It’s quite sad to think I’ve only been to Toyko about 4 times in 6 weeks, I guess I’m preparing for Dave’s whirlwind tour. It’s going to be so great having 5 days off to explore some temples and view the beginning stages of cherry blossom season.

I haven’t seen a rock show in 2 months and this has got to change soon. Concerts here are a little high in price so I’m waiting for something I’m willing to pay a lot of money for. Regular Lee’s Palace-type shows average about $60 - $70 here…ouch! Right now the only tempting shows are Kings of Convenience or Arctic Monkeys but the tickets are about $60, I’ll have to think about it. Of course I could always opt for the fromage and see Toto for $75. I could bob my head to such hits as Rosanna, Pamela, I’ll Be Over You, Hold The Line and of course Africa.

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She’s coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you

Chorus:
It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what’s right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus
(instrumental break)
Chorus
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Wow, I’ve never read the lyrics to that song before….interesting. I always think of the writer when I read lyrics. Where were they? What were they thinking? What books were they reading at the time? My guess is maybe National Geographic and a good dose of Discovery channel although it didn’t exist when the song was written. Hrmmm maybe The Alchemist? Maybe the writer had some travel brochures on his or her coffee table that morning? Oh dear, why am I analyzing Toto lyrics? I must find something better to do with my time.

Another interesting show that caught my eye is the 80’s Dance Pop Summit. Did you know you can also catch Belinda Carlisle and Rick Astley together for the low cost of $80? I’m not going to quote you any lyrics, all I need is to see the name Rick Astley to have Never Gonna Give You Up in my head…how’bout you?

So yeah, not too much is new. My work branch had a little welcome Delphine and Stacey party in Iwatsuki last night. We went to an izakaya, drank plenty of beers and gin and tonics and sang. It could have easily turned into another all nighter but I had to be at work for 10am this morning. I got home to a couple of tipsy roommates and ended up on MSN for a good couple of hours spewing too many truthful words to the new man in my life.

Today I worked then went to Omiya where I bought myself some Celestial Seasons tea at a specialty shop. I got home, watched Walk The Line and took a nice long cat nap. It’s 10:30pm and my roommate Shaggy and I are watching a really famous program called Smap. Today’s guest is the latest Japanese Olympic Gold figure skater. I don’t know what to compare this program to, perhaps Regis and Kelly meets the cooking channel? Celebrities are invited to sit and eat a variety of dishes by top notch Japanese chefs. That’s all I could understand. They make a sour face if they don’t like it and smile if it’s to their liking. Laugh tracks kick in here and there. Good times.

Listening to Toto’s Greatest Hits

2nd all nighter

2006-03-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

On Monday evening Joe invited me out with him and his friend Max after work to a swanky little restaurant in Omiya. I invited Matt to join us as well. Many beers were consumed as well as delicious caesar salad, sushi and yaki tori. After food, things got a little warmer as the saki, shogu and gin and tonics hit the table. We had every intention of hitting the last train back but all of a sudden the karaoke bug kicked in and well...so did the alcohol. I think we were inspired by the restaurant playing Atlantic Starr’s ever so popular wedding tune called Always, you know the one ‘and we both know that our love will grow and forever it will be you and meeeeee…yyeaahhh ohhhh’ total fromage but a perfect drunken duet. I think Joe and I pulled that one off ok.

So yeah, we found a karaoke place and had only half an hour to sing due to the train curfew and…well…we were there til about 5am. Yes folks, five quality hours of karaoke in our own private booth. 3000 yen for all you can drink/all you can sing, this is my kinda night! We sang such hits as “Can’t Get You Outta My Head” by Kylie and “Touch me” by Samantha Fox. I dedicated “Love Bites” to Jenny. I also had to pull out “I Touch Myself” for Mike and Bev. Matt swooned us with “My Delilah”, Boston’s “More Than A Feelin” and I helped him out with harmonies on “Smooth Operator” and Mister Mister’s “Broken Wings”. Joe impressed us with some J-pop hits and dirty dancing on the couch. This was a night to remember!

What else is new? Umm I’ve got a fever and the prescription is not more cowbell. It’s been a very long time since my temperature has risen to such a level and I think it may get worse. Symptoms include endless amounts of day dreaming, springs on the soles of my shoes and butterflies dusting off their wings in my stomach. It’s a frighteningly wonderful place to be and I shall not let fear defeat me.

Xo
d

Listening to Lali Puna Scary World Theory

lexington queen

2006-03-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

This rain has got to stop. I guess I’ve been living out of Vancouver for so long I forgot how depressing it can be. I’ll take snow over this wet stuff any day. It’s so damp and chilly I don’t want to do anything. The average temperature is about 5 degrees but it feels like minus 10 with the dampness factor. Carrying an umbrella is too much; I have a hard enough time juggling my train pass and ipod.

My face now morphs into one of those sad commuter looks when I’m on the train. The routine is starting to catch up to me and this has me a little worried. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in another funk it’s just I tend to notice how much the weather can affect my state of mind.

Ah, two well deserved days off ahead of me. I think I’ll hunker down and catch up with you fine folks for a while.

On Sunday evening Joe and I went to a gaijin bar in Omiya called The George. The bartender looked like a person out of “Heavy Metal Parking Lot”. Long blonde mullet, really bad tattoos, a wife beater and a pair of Ray-Bans…wow! I wanted to know what his story was but I didn’t have nearly enough drinks to be so forward. He did have rather good taste in music though; I heard some Echo and the Bunnymen, PIL and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Unfortunately I left before Joe started dancing on the bar…tis a darn shame.

Poor Joe was quite “sick” the next day so I had to work by myself on Monday morning. It’s was rather nice, I like how quiet it can get at the Iwatsuki branch.

I pulled a 10 – 2 shift then went home, did some grocery shopping, danced to some music in the comfort of my dank apartment and got ready for the evenings plans.

My first all nighter in Tokyo was quite fun. I met my new friend Matt at Omiya station on the last car of the Takasaki line. He was kind enough to bring a couple of Asahi’s along for the ride. It’s quite lovely that one can crack open a can of beer where one chooses in this city. There’s nothing like swinging by the grocery store on your way home from work, picking up a tall can of beer and realizing “hey…wait a minute, I can crack this baby open right now!” It’s a beautiful thing.

So yeah, Matt and I met his friends Adam, Josh and Darren in Roppongi. We went to some famous bar called Lexington Queen. It was ladies night which means it cost me only 300yen for unlimited drinks. 300 yen = $3.00. Why pay anything at all? That’s almost the price of a street car token. The boys had to pay 4000 yen which is around $40.00. This is the second night club in the span of a month…not to worry though, I’m not sporting any Richmond Street attire just yet!

So yeah, Lexington Queen is quite the famous Tokyo night club and has had many celebrity patrons such as Charlie Sheen, Jean Claude Van Damme, Keanu Reeves, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Vin Diesel, Boston, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Def Leppard, Duran Duran, Earth Wind and Fire, Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Motley Crue, Toto, Yngwie Malmsteen, David Copperfield, and Canada’s very own Sum 41, Celine Dion and Cheap Trick. There many Polaroid’s on the walls for people to peruse at their leisure.

Many gin and tonics were consumed and many beautiful people were there to be looked at. Every time I went to the washroom I found myself surrounded by tall Russian models elbowing each other for mirror space. I felt like an ugly duckling as they tossed me sideways glances. They were all very pretty girls but young young young and I don’t want to sound all catty but they really weren’t sexy at all. Just walking sticks with many a chip on their shoulder. Anyways, I had a good time chatting about this with Matt’s friend Adam from St. Louis. He said something interesting I hadn’t heard before. Men go to these bars and dress for the ladies, ladies go to these bars and dress for the other ladies…so so true.

5am came quickly. As the gin coursed through our blood streams, Matt and I sunk into a VIP couch. We were rebels you see, we hopped the velvet rope when the bouncer was looking the other way. Two slow songs were played and the florescent lights came on. I didn’t know they played slow songs at the end of club nights anymore, I felt like I was back at the Smokin’ Turtle Cabaret in good ol Ladner. They didn’t play “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places” or “Patience” but close enough. Shows how long it’s been since I’ve been clubbing. This place may sound swishy but it looked like a scaled down Dance Cave.

After the club Matt and I found a place to snack on some delicious udon, tempura and sushi. We hit the train home around 7am which was the beginning of rush hour. Matt was nice enough to wake me up at our transfer stations and supply my head with a shoulder to drool on during the ride.

I was in fine form for work the next day. I had slept about three hours and it was actually a nice experience. I was giddy with sleep deprivation and Joe managed to crack me up between lessons.

I may go out again tonight; I think I’m now caught up on sleep.

Cheers

Listening to Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan Ballad of Broken Seas

trash talk

2006-02-27T00:39:00.000-08:00

I went to a cool department store last night called Loft and they have some great great stuff. It’s kind of a cross between Shoppers Drug Mart, Urban Outfitters and Ikea all under on roof. I tried on some vintage dresses that actually fit but the dressing room was about two sizes too small. I came across these interesting trash cans and had to take a photograph. I don’t quite understand what it means but it’s a little bit twisted. What I do know is that I don’t want one of these trash cans in my home when I’m PMSing.

I also had to own this notebook…

Listening to Explosions in the Sky Those Who Tell The Truth…

good day sunshine?

2006-02-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

Why are kids so scary?

I think our trainer put it correctly when she said they are ten times more perceptive than adults.

I had Kids Training on Wednesday and…well…I guess I’m now qualified to teach kids?
Training was ok but I found it to be quite rushed, my head was spinning for the rest of the evening. We were taught to teach three different levels Kinder 3 – 6, Junior 6 – 9 and Senior 9 – 12 years old. We got to sing such classics as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes. I have a fascinating bit of information for you, did you know that the Head and Shoulders song varies with each country? Apparently the North American version is a song taken from My Fair Lady. I think we’re the only ones who ripped off an original tune. Every other country made up their own. I’m not sure who’s version we’re singing here, I think it might be the Australian one.

The ABC song also created a bit of conflict with the zed and zee situation. Which one’s right and which one’s wrong? We can’t very well end the song with zed because it doesn’t rhyme with vee. Oh the dilemma!

So there were some moments where we struggled a bit and tried to meet eye to eye but in the end there were no tears or bloody noses. In my case there were just a few aching muscles. I guess we just go with whatever feels right. So, never fear, I’m going to sing the letter zed with my fist planted close to my heart while the kinders will be climbing things, the juniors will be fighting over what colour crayon they want and the seniors will be…I dunno, I have yet to teach some.

The following day I was faced with my biggest fear…the little people. My heart was beating out of my chest, what if they know I’m nervous? Will they start crying uncontrollably? Will I be charged for traumatizing an innocent child with my Canadian English? Will parents grab their children and run in fear from a 5 11” female instructor who can’t teach their 3 year old how to hop slowly? I’m sure I was quite the vision in my first class. Imagine me in a suit, on my knees (no comments from the boys or Jenny please) trying to get one 5 year old to get off the table and trying to get a 3 year old to clap fast, hop slowly, jump slowly and run slowly. It was a no win situation, I gave up about half way through and just started running after them and tickling them…my roommate said this is pretty much her answer to everything. I think the worse part was the parents watching. I have to keep reminding myself that they’re not watching the 5 11” Canadian girl jump slowly, they’re simply there to see if their kids are behaving…right?

My second lesson that day was a “Man to Man”. Yuuki is a very sweet little junior who likes to kick the ball around. I was trying to teach her the four seasons and the appropriate clothing for each but she just couldn’t keep her eye off the ball. We started kicking it around and things got a little fun. We shared a lovely moment Yuuki and I. At one point I looked outside and saw a glowing orange sun on the horizon, I lifted her up to the window so she could see. She smiled and I asked her what it was, she responded by singing “Don’t let the sun go down on me”

I was absolutely floored! I didn’t know this little 7 year old was such an Elton John fan! Suddenly I was having a Bjork moment from Dancer in the Dark. All of the adult students in the other room started singing along, raising their hands towards the sky and shaping them like a sun “Don’t let the sun go down on me”, making goggles out of their hands and placing them over their eyes for “Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see”, miming a piece of something out of their hand and letting it fly away for “I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free” and raising their hands towards the sky again making a circle like the sun “Cause losing everything is like the sun going down on me”.

OK, I’m kidding about the whole Elton John thing, she didn’t even know what the word sun meant but do look forward to kicking her butt at soccer in the very near future.

I now need to get some shut eye after yet another day of training and a couple few beers.

I miss you all

Good night

Delphine

TV

2006-02-19T15:16:00.000-08:00

A show set in somewhere in

Egypt

with some ape hosts.

Television here is a little wacky. Every time I watch there’s either a cook off, men dressed like women and/or people smacking each other with things.

One program I watched had 8 grown men, about 40 years of age, sporting tutus, long wigs and rollerblades. They were all crowded at the top of a big slide waiting to attack an obstacle course below. Their goal was to roll down the slide and jump through a foam cut out of an outstretched body. Most of the men managed to roll down the slide unscathed except for one; thankfully he was wearing a helmet over his long mane of blonde hair. I think he hurt himself pretty badly but the roaring laugh track and cut aways of pointing and mocking from his competition took away from any evidence of a concussion.

If Jeopardy were a game show in Japan Alex Trebec would have a giant anvil above each contestant and conk them over the head whenever they didn’t phrase their response as a question. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, without knowing a word of Japanese, it’s that people really get a kick out of causing bodily harm to one another. It’s a bit like watching Benny Hill I suppose.

If people aren’t hurling themselves into foam cut outs or hitting each other over the head, they’re eating. You cannot flip through all seven channels without coming across some sort of cook off competition. The iron chef has about 100 different spin off shows here. Often times there are a panels of about 5 people tasting the food and rating it. This seems simple enough until they put on a crazy techno tune and cut away to a leather boy gyrating his hips with his hands behind his head. He’s even sporting a moustache !! It’s like he jumped straight (eh hem) out of a Tom of Finland illustration.

So those are my impressions so far. The only thing I find remotely similar to television in Canada is The Home Shopping Network and David Curuso’s cheesy comments on CSI Miami. “Let’s question the man in the…tutu”, “ I think the victim’s rollerblade may have been…tampered with.”

Listening to Cat Power The Greatest

take the last train to yono

2006-02-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

I have a curfew and I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing. The trains here stop running around 12:30am and it’s really tough to get used to after the freedom of walking or cabbing it home for years. I feel like I’m stuck in Ladner again. I used to have to take the last 601 bus from Vancouver and it was such a pain. I hated having to come home so early. Thankfully I finally got a car and found a few couches to crash on if need be.

So here I am, back in Ladner with no car. I enjoy my nights in Tokyo but the end of my evenings are spent stressing out over whether or not I’ll make my last train to Yono. I think I may have to move soon or find myself some couches to surf on. Last night Joe and I ran like mad to catch our connecting trains and we just barely caught our last one. Booking it up and down steps after 5 pints of Asahi is not a good idea, I felt like an accident waiting to happen.

The other option is to pull an all nighter. If I miss my last train I can head back to the bar and put my heels up until the first train at 5am. I have yet to attempt this, it could be ugly, especially if I have to teach screaming children the same day.

Went to a lovely Okinawan restaurant last night with Joe and a couple of his friends. The food was quite interesting. One particular noodle dish was quite delicious but after I had consumed it I was a little bit shocked when I found out the pieces of meat were SPAM. What the hell? I’ve managed to avoid that stuff for 32 years and I encounter it at an Okinawan restaurant in Tokyo? Dear god, what next?

We all had a giggle after seeing this air freshener in the restaurant washroom...

Listening to The Ladies and Gentlemen Small Sins

tall tear flavoured mocca

2006-02-15T05:46:00.000-08:00

No matter how much I try to ignore Valentines Day it always gets me down. I sat at Starbucks in Omiya station yesterday morning sipping on an afternoon mocca watching the people pass below. I had a card in my purse from Margot in Vancouver. For some odd reason I felt like crying. I don’t know who I am right now, I don’t think I’ve ever been so confused in my life. Margot’s words of encouragement brought me to tears. I have so many special people in my life and yet here I am on the other side of the world. I don’t understand what I’m doing here. A little voice inside my head associates a city I love with a whole lot of heartache and I don’t know how to make the pain stop. I thought it would stay in Toronto but it manages to find me here. It hides in the oddest places, a bottle of shampoo when I’m in the shower, a reflection of myself when I’m on the train, a look of complete wonderment in a little child’s eyes or in a cup of coffee at a busy train station. These momentary lapses of reason pass by quickly though, it’s nothing a couple of big breaths can’t help.

Thankfully I have a new gay boyfriend. We shared the same sentiments at work yesterday over a ton of chocolates. I think I had the perfect Valentines date last night. There’s nothing better than going out for beers and revealing your most inner self to a perfect stranger.

Listening to Kings of Convenience Quiet is the New Loud

californiaaaa

2006-02-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

Monday February 13, 2006

Tradition here in Japan states that St.Valentine’s Day is actually for the men. Women buy men chocolates and one month from now on March 14^th men return the favor with candy or lingerie. So, today I went to Omiya Station where there’s a Lumini department store and bought my coworkers some chocolates for tomorrow. There are many treats to eat at work on a regular basis. The boys are always getting interesting flavored cakes and candies from their students, naturally they share : )

Today was the first day I had to work mildly hungover and I did alright if I do say so myself. Nothing a little Starbucks mocca couldn’t help.

Sunday night was my first so called club night in Tokyo. My roommate Amy invited me out with friends from her Nova orientation class and we had a good time. I felt like a giant towering over everyone and it didn’t help that I was wearing my work cloths. The heels I was wearing weren’t really the best choice. It was freezing outside and we had a little trouble finding the place but the power of text messaging helped get us there.

I wasn’t feeling too social after a long day at work and my feet were killing me so I decided to pull out my digital camera and geek out for a while. Amy’s friends thought I was a bit strange putting my camera up on shelves and snapping longish exposure pics. She said I was an “artist” to which they responded with “ooooooohhh”. So yeah, I guess I’m now Amy’s strange artist roommate. I’m comfortable with this. I guess I’ve been in my Toronto bubble so long I completely forgot what it’s like to live outside of such an artistic community. Of course there are many artists living here, I just haven’t made contact with any yet. I did exchange emails with a cute Japanese DJ that night, he checked out the blueScreen website while we were at the club and he was so thrilled. Perhaps maybe we’ll hang out soon.

So, when you meet a fellow teacher the same questions always come up.

1) Where are you teaching?

2) Where do you live?

3) Where are you from?

I’ve had this discussion about 15 times in three weeks...

Instructor A – Hi I’m Matt

Instructor B – Hey I’m Delphine

Matt – I’m sorry?

Delphine – Del feeen

Matt – Pleased to meet you

Delphine – Pleased to me you too

Matt – So you work for Nova?

Delphine – Yup and you?

Matt – Yeah me too.

Delphine – Where are you working?

Matt – Yoyogi

Delphine – Hrmm?

Matt – It’s on the Saikyo line, just after Shinjuku.

Delphine – Ahh, ok. So where are you living?

Matt – Oh I live at Nishinippori.

Delphine – (blank look on her face)

Matt – The next station after Tabata

Delphine – (looks clueless)

Matt – It’s on the Saikyo line too, just a little to the north/east.

Delphine – Ah

Matt – Where are you working?

Delphine – I work at Iwatsuki (pronounced e watt ski), it’s a nice little place.

I like that it’s small and quiet, some of the branches sound really busy.

Matt – Yeah mine’s alright.

Delphine – I live at Yono, it’s just below Omiya on the Keihin-Tohoku line.

Matt – Oh (clueless) So where are you from?

Delphine – I’m from Toronto, Canada.

Matt – Oh yeah, I’m from Minnesota, Missouri

Delphine – Oh yeah. So how long have you been here?

Matt – It’s been 5 months.

Delphine – I’ve been here 3 weeks.

Matt – Wow, only three weeks! How are you liking Japan?

Delphine – It’s pretty good and you.

Matt – Yeah, it’s alright.

Delphine – How long are you staying?

Matt – I think a year, I don’t really know yet…

It’s quite repetitive and no one really likes going through the drill but I guess it’s the best ice breaker.

I’m hiding out in my room, listening to David Bowie. Both of my roommates have the day off so they’re doing their laundry etc. I feel it’s best to stay out of the way. I don’t work until 5pm this evening so I think I’ll catch up on some writing and perhaps attack my mini casio at some point.

My roommates and I watched three episodes of The OC back to back last night while sipping tea and nibbling on chocolate goodies. I had a small moment while my butt was numbing on the yoga matt I had placed on the floor. I looked at my surroundings and smiled. Who knew I would one day be lying on the floor of a small apartment on the outskirts of Tokyo watching the OC with two American gals hearing “California here we ccccccccccccccccooooooooooooooooooommmmee” ? Life can be so strange.

me a bored

2006-02-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

Today I compiled a list of my favorite train-riding/station-walking songs. Test it out some time when you take a train somewhere…sometime...good times.

The Juan McLean – Give Me Every Little Thing
Junior Boys – Under The Sun
Air – Universal Traveler
The Album Leaf – Easter Glow
Boards Of Canada – Chromakey Dreamcoat
The Church – City
The Cure – A Forest (Tree Mix)
Final Fantasy – This is the Dream of Win and Regine
Hood – Any Hopeful Thoughts Arrive
Laltra – Mail Bomb
Lush – Undertow
The Notwist – This Room
Orbital – Adnan’s
Simple Minds – Love Song
Max Richter – Vladimir’s Blues
Out Hud – Dear Mr. Bush, There are over 100 words for shit and only 1 for Music. Fuck You,Out Hud
Tom Vek – Nothing But Green Lights
Underworld – Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love

I found some more postcards today, here’s one of them…

Listening to my roommate watch Garden State

stuffy subway?

2006-02-08T04:49:00.000-08:00

I was sandwiched next to this advert this morning and started to fantasize about a special spray that can miraculously decongest the trains at rush hour. Now that would be something worth smiling about.

Listening to Lush 'Split'

...like a race horse

2006-02-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

Not too much to report at this end. I'm slowly getting back into the reality of work but quickly adjusting to my new work place. The people I work with are very cool and the students have all been very nice so far, I look forward to working with many of them again.

I went to Shibuya this morning in search of a bank machine. I finally ran out of the cash I brought with me. Finding a bank machine that takes foreign cards is a workout in this town. The only place that will accept our bank cards is Citibank which takes about 45mins to an hour via train. Oh well, it got me out of my place and into Tokyo for a couple of hours. Now I have to dress for work...sigh. I thought my short 4 hour shifts would be great but they're actually quite the marathon! I worked 10 - 2 yesterday which means I taught 5 lessons in a row. We get a 10min break between each lesson to grade the previous one and prepare for the next, I've never had to pee so badly in my life! They really don't allow enough time for bathroom breaks in this company, I'll have to watch my liquid consumption before I work these shifts.

One of these things is not like the others...

Listening to The Juan Mclean

strawberry punch!

2006-02-03T02:19:00.000-08:00

The 100 yen store in Yono is a lot of fun. I think I spent about an hour in there this afternoon looking at all of the goodies in the stationary section. I stumbled across the cutest post cards I have ever seen. One of the things you quickly notice here is how English words or phrases are put on various things but don’t necessarily make a lot of sense, they get lost in translation…

This next one is my favorite, I laughed out loud and people thought I was strange...
Here are few more characters I found interesting...

MILK CARAMEL

"A caramel is very sweet. And it is delicious. Everybody is pleased with it. I also laugh together. It is my pleasure. Do you eat?"

RETRO GIRL

"Have favorite clothes on and have a red bag. A girl walks vigorously. A surely good day should come!"

This delicious bag of chocolates also caught my eye...

Listening to Jacques Dutronc's Greatest Hits

i feel the earth move under my feet

2006-02-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

wednesday February 1, 2006

I experienced my first Japanese earthquake this evening. Our training was in session when all of a sudden my chair appeared to be moving back and forth. I informed the group we were having an earthquake, the lesson stopped as the shaking got stronger and stronger. The florescent lights above rattled a little bit then everything calmed down. I had felt a few earthquakes when I lived in Vancouver but they were always over before I realized what was happening, this was quite different.

Our trainer said it was a pretty big one. She told us that she has felt earthquakes during some of her lessons and her students have been completely oblivious. I found it quite exciting to tell you the truth. Apparently the best way to know you’re experiencing a serious earthquake is when you see the locals panic. I think I’ll start freaking out when I start seeing debris fall from the ceiling and hearing people scream…ah happy thoughts. My friend Paul was nice enough to let me know about the big HUGE earthquake that is due to hit Japan. If anything happens to me, just know that my final moments were spent in a karaoke bar singing “you’re the one that I want, ooh oooh ooh honey…” sporting black satin pants with a matching jacket accompanied by a non-scientologist dashing middle-aged emaciated non-musician. Hell yes I’m teaching English.

love
d-boughten

orientation and hot coffee

2006-01-31T15:25:00.000-08:00

tuesday january 31, 2006

Orientation on Monday went alright. It took place at Nova headquarters located at Shibuya station. If you’re a Lost in Translation fan this is near the place where that crazy diagonal intersection lies and where you can see life-size dinosaurs walking across tall building fronts. I didn’t get to walk into the madness because Nova is located on the other side of the station but I’ll be sure to visit soon.

I decided to sport my vintage tweed suit and shoes from Stella Luna, I don't know how business-like this attire was but no one said anything. I suppose my branch manager will pull me aside and give me a talking to if it's inappropriate...sigh, gone are the days of bright coloured stockings and comfortable jeans and here are the days of black black black pin stripped pant suits, simple skirts and grrrr nylons! I hadn't worn a pair of nylons in YEARS but I got through the day alright, my legs felt smooth and crossing my legs was a new found forgotten experience ; )

Some peeps and I went out to a delicious sushi boat bar afterwards followed by happy hour at a British pub. I drank half price Shirley Temples that tasted a little like watered down strawberry Canada Coolers…delicious. That was my first drink in a week and it felt like months, do I have a problem? Amy, Dave, Alison, you don’t know me.

Had my first training day today and it went alright. The first half of the day was spent going step by step through our lessons then there was a little bit of role playing (insert clever comment here).

Tokyo is never ending. Every time I step out of a train station it’s like being at Yonge and Dundas amplified by ten. Huge malls, Gap, Starbucks, McDonalds, am pm convenient stores and 100 yen shops aka dollar stores cover every inch of the horizon. Apparently the Nova branch I will be working in at Iwatsuki is a little bit out of the city. They call it the countryside so maybe it will look a little bit more like Queen and Bathurst? I don’t mind, I keep hearing super things about my branch so that’s cool.

I had my first vending machine coffee around 6pm and it was damn delicious. Imagine little V8-like cans full of warm coffee. I think I may have found a solution to my soon to be expensive Starbuck habit. Of course I will still have to cave in and get myself a delicious chai latte or mocca but damn these vending machine coffees are great and only about $1.50. It might take me a while to find sleep, I’m still wired.

Ueno and Electric Town

2006-01-29T02:32:00.000-08:00

Went to Ueno and Akihabana aka Electric Town this afternoon. I managed to find myself a cheap alarm clock and a small table side lamp for my bedroom. I wandered around for what seemed like hours in a sea of arcade-like noises. Every store here seems to have about 3 radio stations going on at once plus people yelling about the latest deals on cell phones or computer discounts. I like walking in this place, I feel like I'm in a dream. A swarm of people all around me and yet I have a strange inner calm. I simply float along in the wave and let it carry me wherever it may.

Walking with a camera in hand makes all the difference, I feel myself having to look harder.

I think I may have spotted one of those famous Gwen Stefani-type side kicks today and it was a little disturbing. Young girls who look like they're about 12 years old stand in the street with teddy bears and Charlie Brown blankets as men flock around holding every type of recording device possible. The girls simply giggle, smile and thank everyone profusely for taking pictures. What's the deal? Are they hired by someone or do they simply show up and start posing? I need to do some research, it's really rather intriguing.

Ummm, something to make your body and soul warm.

Wild Drip

2006-01-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

7:45am and I can’t sleep, hopefully my next night will see an end to this jetlag. I just finished watching the last episode of Six Feet Under and I think I’m pretty relieved. The past 4 episodes have been total tear jerkers and I think I’m also a little sensitive to things right now, emotions are still running a little high.

It’s going to be another beautiful sunny day. Yesterday I went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and saw a Shoji Ueda exhibition. Beautiful black and white prints of people strategically placed in sand dunes and children in a Japanese countryside.
It took me a while to find the gallery but about 30 minutes of my intuition finally got me there. I bought myself a little gift at the gallery shop, a Fisheye Lomo camera! I can’t wait to take it out for a test drive this week! So fun : )

The trains here are a little intimidating but I think I’ll get the hang of it soon enough, people are very helpful. They play happiest music in the stations, it’s like being on the “It’s a small world” ride at Disney Land. Happy little sing song music accompanies a swirl of black business attire and brightly coloured advertising for Wild Drip and CC Lemon beverages. After ordering your ticket through a machine, a lovely cartoon of a Japanese lady bows and thanks you for your purchase “domo arigato gozaimasu”.

When I was on the train, I couldn’t help but notice how easily people fall asleep. Everywhere you look everyone’s bobbing their heads after a long day at work. People are even sleeping on their feet. I don’t know how they wake up for their stops, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

I passed by a laundromat on my way to the museum and one of the signs inside caught my eye…

I think I’ll go take a stroll in the Akihabara district this afternoon. I need to find myself a small bedside lamp, the florescent overhead lighting in my bedroom simply ain’t doin’ for me.

touch the button you like

2006-01-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

I applied for my Certificate of Alien Registration card yesterday and needed a couple of photographs . The photo booths here are top notch! I thought it might be tough finding a booth but they pop up like vending machines here. The lovely female voice spoke to me in English during my photo experience then only had me wait one minute for my prints!

I went grocery shopping for the first time today and couldn't help but smile at what situation I had gotten myself into. It's so cool trying to buy food when you have no idea what's written on the package. The check out was a trip as well, I have never felt so appreciated as a consumer. The cashier kept bowing and thanking me for my patronage. Customer service is a very different thing in Japan.

At rush hour I saw two men sitting in chairs at each major intersection with little counters in their hands and clipboards in their arms. I wonder what they're all doing? It looks like they're city workers counting every car that passes through. Hrmmm.

destination saitama

2006-01-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

Good morning Saitama!

The past two days have been a bit of a blur. I got about 2 hours of sleep before my departure then headed to the airport for 7am. My Toronto – Vancouver flight was pretty good, I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep thanks to The Cinderella Man. Times have certainly changed with Air Canada, gone are the days of continental breakfasts and hot lunches. Their domestic flights now a small selection of Subway sandwiches and Pringles at a small fee…I tiredly declined.

It was a beautiful day in Vancouver, during my two hour lay over anyways. I found an outlet and powered up my little baby. I would have check my email but unfortunately I’ve had very little luck finding wireless networks to piggy back on. Please bare with me while I try to sort things out.

Vancouver to Tokyo was smooth sailing but I started to get a little antsy by the 7^th hour. I got to a point where I was staring at the video screen in a zombie-like state. The Notwist and Elbow contributed to my journey into the fog, I don’t remember what I was thinking about but I think it was a whole lot of nothing. I couldn’t concentrate.

I landed at Narita airport around 3pm. There, myself and others were greeted by a Nova representative named Deborah. We all got information packages on how to get to our new homes, banking, shopping etc. and a very informative weekly magazine called Metropolis. There are many cool things going on in Tokyo and I’m happy to say that I’m only a 20 minute train ride away!! M.I.A.? The Album Leaf? You wanna sing karaoke in a private pool? Go cosmic-bowling with Hello Kitty? Hire a puppy by the hour?

I was super tired upon my arrival and my heavy carry on bags did not help the situation. Deborah was kind enough to accompany me to my new place and boy am I ever glad she did. By the time she waited for another plane from London to arrive and helped some more Nova instructors with directions it was 6:30pm. We hit the subway stations just after rush hour and got to Yono station around 8:00pm. Everything from Narita airport to Yono station is a blur, I’m just a little frightened about taking the trains by myself. I here I thought New York was bad!

It was bloody cold outside, Tokyo got dumped with snow on the weekend and the cold chill is still kicking up in the wind so Deborah thought it would be nice to take a taxi.

Rule number one, never take a taxi unless you know where you’re going. We had a detailed map of the area but this proved to be useless.

Rule number 2, never get into a cab when the driver’s been drinking.

This guy was psycho, at one point he was headed full speed towards a red light and we both started screaming for him to stop. Admitting defeat he pulled into a local police station where they told him where we needed to go. Deborah told the police she thought our driver was drunk but they claimed they couldn’t smell anything on his breath. Anyways, we got dropped off in front of an apartment building we thought was Prime Court Yono but it wasn’t. So there we were lost on some small street in Saitama freezing our asses off and my shoulders were about to fall off. We circled the area for about 45 minutes on foot, asked two people who kept pointing us in the direction we had just walked from…we eventually found the building just around the corner. I got home all tired and achy, talked to my roommates for about 5 minutes, took a hot shower and hit my new mattress.

Here I am, it’s 9am and my room is sunny and bright. I have no idea where I am, I’m starving, and I have no cloths to wear cuze my luggage will be delivered between 10am and 12pm. Happy? Absolutely. Today I get to walk around in my new neighbourhood, I get to shop in a store where I won’t be able to read what’s what. The next few months are going to be full of risks…something my life has been lacking in quite a while.

Top Tens

2006-01-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, here are my top ten movies and concerts in order of preference.

Top Ten Movies

1) Brokeback Mountain - This is probably one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever seen. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are extraordinary!

2) Junebug - A total gem! Once again the acting is superb. I was transported back to my hometown with this film. So many great shots with the camera standing still on a tripod simply allowing the viewer to settle into the pace of the countryside. An unlived in living room with the sound of a grandfather clock, a well-groomed lawn with leaves rustling on a nearby tree, a well made bed on a beige carpeted floor. So calm yet so unsettling.

3) Shopgirl - Alison came up with a perfect term for this kind of film "shadowlands". I don't know why but we were blubbering uncontrollably at the end. We lost it when Steve Martin's character apologizes for the way he treated the Claire Danes character. I guess we can both relate to being mistreated by a significant other.

4) Wedding Crashers - So many funny moments. I haven't seen a good comedy like this in years.

5) Squid and the Whale - Very dark but so true to life.

6) Sin City - Visually stunning.

7) C.R.A.Z.Y. - A trip back in time, beautiful characters!

8) Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Nice little jabs at Hollywood which is always enjoyable.

9) Lord of War - Nicholas Cage is back!!! FINALLY!

10) Munich - I'm still on the fence about this film but I keep thinking about it, it stirred up a lot of questions which to me is a good sign. I could have done without the last half hour, the scene where he's making love to his wife and sweat is beading off his locks of hair...c'mon, the guy's super hot but that was over the top.

Top Ten Concerts

1) Out Hud at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC with Mimi, Geraldine and Josuee. That was my third time seeing this band in 2005 and they were on FIRE! Thanks for introducing their music to me Dave.

2) The Go! Team at Lee’s Palace with Isy, Jenny, Bev and Alison. Lee's Palace was an oven that night, many Stella and ice cubes were melted on sweaty skin.

3) M.I.A. and LCD Soundsystem at The Opera House with Isy and Alison. The second hottest show I have ever been to next to The Go! Team. Jeezuz! I danced for about 2 hours straight "London quieten down I need to make a sound!"

4) Kasabian at Kool Haus with Alison, Brad and Duncan. "I just can't stop losing control" WOW! Thanks for enhancing our experience Duncan! Too bad about the opening band, yiks!

5) Tom Vek at The Drake with Jenny and Dave. Too bad poor little Tom started losing his voice during " I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes", his cuteness made up for it though : )

6) Arcade Fire, Final Fantasy, Wolf Parade at Danforth Music Hall with Bev, Jenny, Rob and Duncan. Sweet little Owen Palette !

7) Controller.Controller and VHS or Beta at Lee’s Palace with Dave. VHS or Beta blew my socks off!Dave saved my life that night.

8) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Fembots at The Horseshoe Tavern with Mimi. We were a tad bit loaded on Cinquante when CYHSY came on then somehow ended up at a skater boy/musician/painter named Terry's place where we learned how to sign "woman". CREEPY

9) Motley Crue at Molson Amphitheatre with Jenny, Brent and Mike. Umm yeah, we watched most of the show on TV from the members only AMEX lounge. At least we got to see "Wild Side" live : ) Good times!

10) The Octopus Project at The Horseshoe Tavern with Dave. These guys are the cutest! I love how they dress the stage up with cardboard robots and wear fun little masks.

I'm sure I've forgotten some good ones. It's been a stellar year for shows.

Checking For Bands

2005-12-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

I’ve finally reached an age where I have to check for wedding bands.
Last night Jenny and I went to the Horseshoe to check out a recent crushes band and she immediately pointed out the mark of a significant other on his left hand.

I’m not the marrying kind, I will never wear a white dress down a church aisle and find myself at the end of the walk repeating the words "until death do us part"
but I’m beginning to see the importance of a tag.

My crush is now fading, his wife can rest easy knowing women like myself see her presence on her husbands hand and move on to greener open pastures.

3) parkdalien watering holes

2005-12-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, over the past few years I've come to realize that I have the best friends a person could ever ask for. The most kind, generous and loving people I've ever encountered live in good ol Ontario. I never thought I'd say this considering I'm from the west coast. Who knew that such a hated part of Canada would become the centre of my universe? Who knew I'd find myself at a Christmas party, 10 years after moving from Ladner, unwrapping a new lap top from my friends??!! It felt so strange being offered such a lavish gift but Rob set me straight in an email:

...if you want to know why your friends have no problems being so generous and appreciative of you...simply look in the mirror. It's because of who you are that makes us all love you so much. I'm not going to get all mushy on you, but you mean the world to us all and a simple gesture like this is only a way to show you how we feel. So there. :-P If you want to know what kind of a person someone is...simply look at their friends.

It’s been a tough year but I’ve finally pulled through and here are some reasons why:

1) Life is too short to waste time with my back facing the future

2) My friends let me carry on like a broken record knowing full well that something
will eventually come along to nudge the needle forward and put me back into my
groove

3) Any number of pints can be consumed on any night of the week at great local
parkdalien watering holes

4) When in need of a chuckle, an unflattering photograph of myself set to the sound
of Sammy Davis Jr's "The Candy Man" works every time

5) My psycho neighbour got hauled away from the cops after one last blow out
with this girlfriend and finally got evicted

6) blueScreen finally finished "A Survival Guide to Mishaps and Losses"

7) I've never made so many long distance calls in my life but they're worth every
penny

8) Road trips, road trips and road trips

9) Concerts: The Go! Team, Kasabian, Tom Vek, LCD Soundsystem w/MIA, Outhud x 3,
Motley Crue, Loverboy, Wolf Parade, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah & Octopus Project

10) Did I mention my awesome friends?

A New Neighbourhood

2005-12-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

My stomach has been in spin cycle mode for a good week now, there are too many things to think about before I leave. My apartment is slowly emptying out which has me rather sad but I know I'm making the right decision, there are so many signs pointing towards a better place for me.

Boxed photographs are my enemy as of late. No matter how tightly I seal my boxes some images still manage to slip through the cracks and no matter how focused my eyes stay to the pavement, upward glances to maintain my direction capture the stare I'm trying my best to avoid.

I see myself January 24th during take off. I'm looking down out the window towards a place I won't be seeing for a year. As the plane reaches high towards its destined altitude, I feel the cool air from an overhead nozzle. I breath deep and feel the weight of one thousand cries grasping to keep their homes in a bustling neighbourhood of my warm heart. They lose their grip one by one as my lungs fill with new life. Hopefully the real estate in this neighbourhood will skyrocket in the next year, I've never looked so forward to new housing developments.

take off

2005-12-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

January 24th 2006...stay tuned.