11:15pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Ryan’s gone again; he left just after I woke up at about 12. So here I am alone again. It’s kinda cool actually. I just had my workout session, and was dancing around the room in my undies to the music on my laptop; too much information – I thought so. Anyway, couldn’t have done it if I wasn’t alone. Today was both lazy and productive… I went about cleaning the room, vacuuming, and sorting out my shelfs for much of the afternoon, with a lunch break in between at 4. It was sheet changing day again, so I had to do that too. My shelves are very slowly filling up with books and paraphernalia; can’t wait to get some more stuff. I watched a bit of the sumo on TV during lunch, and it was really interesting to watch the rituals that take place before the matches even begin. There’s like a sumo version of kata; looks really cool.
After I was satisfied with how the room was, I alternated between my DS and computer until dinner at 8; made gyudon. Getting back down, I listened to the new music I’ve just downloaded from iTunes, while trying to beat the high score on Facebook’s Bejewelled 2 Blitz. Unsuccessful, I got up and had my workout session, which was a lot of fun. Now I’m just backing up all my photos and music onto my portable hard drive. After that, I’m going to have a shower, and then settle down and watch some Hetalia. Tomorrow, I want to send some postcards, go to animate in Hirakata, and do some sightseeing. I think I’m going to go to Yodo, on the Kyoto end of the Keihan line. There seems to be heaps of stuff to see there, as far as I can tell every time I go past; the number of signs in the station… just wait and see what happens.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Day135 - 12th of January
10:17pm セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Ryan’s finally back! He got here at 10 this morning; I hopped out of bed to let him in since he left his key at his girlfriend’s house. I didn’t mind getting up; it was getting late in the day anyway, and I had had a good night’s sleep. Since I didn’t have any milk, I went to Sanko to pick some up; and of course bought some other things. I got back and had breakfast, and then went downstairs, and took my laptop out into the lounge, since Ryan had gone to sleep. Following that, I spent the next few hours updating my blog and listening to music. It was a long and detailed entry, and it wasn’t finished till 3:30. I went up and had lunch, having put on rice over 30 minutes prior. I enjoyed my lunch, and then went out again at 4; to uni.
I got an email from Chiharu sempai (now our new club president), informing me that club practice would be starting up again; since Japanese students were already back in school. Of course I wanted to go; so excited about playing again. It was nice to see everyone again too. All of the Japanese students are still there; graduation isn’t until March. As for the international students, it’s just Marika and I; everyone else left, and Brittney won’t be back from America until late this month. So unless new people join, I’ll be the only male, which is kinda cool, xD. Anyway, we got straight back into it. Marika and I are now practicing sandan furiously, in preparation for a concert coming up in February; we’ll be performing hanagoromo too. I’ve decided to give the second koto part a shot; it’s a lot more difficult. I’ll still be practicing the first part with sensei though, so I figure if I just can’t get the second part good enough in time, I’ll have the first part to fall back on.
We had a meeting at about quarter past 6; to discuss dates for club practices since this time of year can be trick with the Japanese, and international student’s spring breaks falling at different times. Many of the girls are going doing study overseas programs, like Midori sempai, who will be doing another short program in Australia; she’d done one over the break. Another will be studying in Italy for a year. So that, and the fact that at least 2 girls are graduating, means that our club is going to diminish in numbers quite dramatically. I wonder if many international students will join. After practice, I went to the CIE to check my mail, and got another letter from Nanny and Poppy; probably should send another bout of postcards shortly. I then went to Kirindo to pick up a few more things; namely cereal and bread. Got back and had dinner (yakisoba), and then helped cleaning the kitchen; felt good. I’ll just be stuffing around on the computer for the rest of the night, and possibly playing DS…
天気：雨天
Ryan’s finally back! He got here at 10 this morning; I hopped out of bed to let him in since he left his key at his girlfriend’s house. I didn’t mind getting up; it was getting late in the day anyway, and I had had a good night’s sleep. Since I didn’t have any milk, I went to Sanko to pick some up; and of course bought some other things. I got back and had breakfast, and then went downstairs, and took my laptop out into the lounge, since Ryan had gone to sleep. Following that, I spent the next few hours updating my blog and listening to music. It was a long and detailed entry, and it wasn’t finished till 3:30. I went up and had lunch, having put on rice over 30 minutes prior. I enjoyed my lunch, and then went out again at 4; to uni.
I got an email from Chiharu sempai (now our new club president), informing me that club practice would be starting up again; since Japanese students were already back in school. Of course I wanted to go; so excited about playing again. It was nice to see everyone again too. All of the Japanese students are still there; graduation isn’t until March. As for the international students, it’s just Marika and I; everyone else left, and Brittney won’t be back from America until late this month. So unless new people join, I’ll be the only male, which is kinda cool, xD. Anyway, we got straight back into it. Marika and I are now practicing sandan furiously, in preparation for a concert coming up in February; we’ll be performing hanagoromo too. I’ve decided to give the second koto part a shot; it’s a lot more difficult. I’ll still be practicing the first part with sensei though, so I figure if I just can’t get the second part good enough in time, I’ll have the first part to fall back on.
We had a meeting at about quarter past 6; to discuss dates for club practices since this time of year can be trick with the Japanese, and international student’s spring breaks falling at different times. Many of the girls are going doing study overseas programs, like Midori sempai, who will be doing another short program in Australia; she’d done one over the break. Another will be studying in Italy for a year. So that, and the fact that at least 2 girls are graduating, means that our club is going to diminish in numbers quite dramatically. I wonder if many international students will join. After practice, I went to the CIE to check my mail, and got another letter from Nanny and Poppy; probably should send another bout of postcards shortly. I then went to Kirindo to pick up a few more things; namely cereal and bread. Got back and had dinner (yakisoba), and then helped cleaning the kitchen; felt good. I’ll just be stuffing around on the computer for the rest of the night, and possibly playing DS…
Day 134 - 11th of January
10:36am 普通
天気：曇り
I forgot to bring my journal, so I’m writing this in my iPod. I’m on the local train to Hirakata, where I’ll be switching over for a rapid express to Kyobashi. From there, I’ll take the subway to Shinsaibashi. I know it’s a bit of a late start, but I had a terrible night’s sleep, so we’ll see how I go… I’m not sure if it’s some sort of holiday today, but when I went over to the bank, it charged me overtime. Anyway, I think today will be a lot of fun; hopefully find some interesting things.
11:18am 地下鉄
I’m just getting on the subway at Kyobashi. I love the sound of the warning signals in the subway; so pretty. I’ve decided to go to 長堀橋 (Nagahoribashi), which is one stop from Shinsaibashi, and walk down to 恵美須町 (Ebisucho), through Den den town.
.jpg)
6:15pm 地下鉄
I’m on the subway back to Kyobashi now; still standing. I haven’t sat down since lunch at about 2; found a really great, cheap ramen shop in Den den town. Well no, I lie, I did sit down (on the floor) in the Yamaha music shop in Shinsaibashi, before purchasing two Studio Ghibli piano solo books; that was about 30 minutes ago. Today has been… long; so much walking around! I basically made a big “U”, going from Nagahoribashi, down through to Den den town to Ebisucho, before going across to Namba, and then up to Shinsaibashi; actually it was more like a backwards “Y”, since I went all the way down to Ebisucho, but anyway. I spent most of my time in Den den town, which was amazing; total overload of stuff! My bag is now filled to the brim with goodies…
6:46pm 特急
Now I’m on the limited express back to Hirakata, and I’m still not sitting down; so sad… so as I was saying, my bag is filled with goods; I can’t recall everything I bought to be honest. I found lots of Final Fantasy paraphernalia and some Hetalia stuff too. I was really tempted to buy a model (either from Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts) actually, but decided against it this time. My biggest purchase was a DS lite; yes, I finally got one. It’s crimson and black. I did a lot of shopping around for it, and got one for a decent price; unfortunately the one time I found them for really cheap (like half the retail price), they were sold out. I was determined to buy one today though, so I just went ahead and did it. As for games, I bought Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (really cheap), and Pokémon: Heart Gold (best price I could find); very happy.
Yes, Den den town was amazing, but it was also a lot of the same. It basically.jpg)
went like this: Electronics, CDs, manga, adult shop, video games, second hand goods, furniture, DVDs, manga, CDs, models, records, adult shop, electronics, adult shop, second hand goods, CDs, electronics, video games, manga… with a sprinkling of restaurants and duty-free shops, two Makkas, and at least six convenience stores. Yeah, there were a lot of adult shops (mostly selling DVDs and comics) in plain sight, all the way along the right side of the street, which I walked down first; many of the multi-storey shops had adult sections in their top floors as well. I was pretty indifferent to it; a whole lot of all-too-busty females and yaoi…
7:04pm 枚方市駅
In the station now, waiting for the train to Makino…
7:06pm 準急
Yay, I’m sitting down; in the train… I walked all the way down the right side of Den den town, and reached Ebisucho, where I wondered down a street under the Hanshin Expressway, past stalls, to find myself amidst a festival; how lucky. I’ll have to look up what it was all about; there were so many people and stalls. After walking around the shrine that was hosting the festival, I found a taiyaki stand, bought two custard filled, and walked a bit further south to the 通天閣 (tsutenkaku)…
.jpg)
The tsutenkaku (lit. tower reaching heaven), was a really great sight to see. I really wish I could have seen it at night though; maybe next time. I was disappointed you couldn’t actually climb it (as far as I could tell), but I thought it was cool how a road past underneath it. So to date, I have seen 4 towers in Japan; 5 if you count the Umeda Sky Building. I walked back from the tower, and back up the other side of Den den town. The limits of the “town” are clearly defined by the decorative pipe-like structures of different colours that bordered the walkways. There wasn’t as much on this side, so I went back to the other side for a while, looking for a good price for the DS. There were some video game shops, a few with heaps of retro games and consoles; I’m sure dad would’ve loved it. And in all of them, I was beckoned by Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and Final Fantasy XIII, bellowing from the speakers, and playing on the flat screen TVs. I really want a PSP now; might be my next big purchase!
.jpg)
I finally left Den den town at around 5; it was almost night. I got to see it with the lights, which wasn’t all that fantastic. I walked back up and across to namba, just taking in the sights and the night life. The 南海難波駅 (Nankai Namba station) was very beautiful; European influenced architecture. And across the way, there was what looked to be a Kabuki theatre. It was closed off for construction though, so I wasn’t entirely sure. I soon found myself in familiar territory, and went to find the hotel the Devoys had stayed at, in Dotonbori. Happy with a shot of the 4 statues .jpg)
out the front, I continued on and soon found myself in Shinsaibashi. I was actually really surprised how close everything was in terms of walking; I guess the subway stops aren’t that far apart when I think about it. I didn’t have that much money left, and I didn’t really see anything of interest anyway, until I found the Yamaha shop. It was a 4 storey shop and wow, there were so many instruments. It also had a great selection of sheet music, so I took me a while to choose the books I wanted; high grade, and jazz arrangements. My feet now sore, and bag felling very heavy, I decided it was time to head home… the walk back from Makino wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t that cold. I noticed a banner on the way back, with information about the Ebisu festival celebrations in Makino; so that was it.
The 十日戎 (tooka ebisu), is a festival that celebrates Ebisu, one of the 七福神 (shishifukujin – seven lucky gods), and a patron of business and commerce. For this reason, he is particularly popular in Osaka, being the merchant capita.jpg)
l. It’s a three day festival, from the 9th to the 11th, with the 10th being the main day (tooka means 10th of the month). The shrine I went to is called the 今宮戎 (Imamiyaebisu), which is apparently the place to go during the festival. I consider myself really lucky to be there, especially considering that fact that I had no prior knowledge of it; I basically stumbled upon it. I mean, I could have gone any day, but I managed to pick a day when a huge festival was on; so cool. And it was huge! The amount of people pouring in, making offerings to Ebisu was incredible; there was a continuous clinging sound from all the money being thrown into the shrine.
.jpg)
The priests were giving out bamboo fronds, and people would then proceed to buy charms to hang from them; I first noticed them when I saw a man walking around with one in Den den town. I found out that these are called 吉兆笹 (kichousasa – “lucky bamboo grass”), and are decorated with models of 鯛 (sea bream), 小判 (koban – former Japanese oval gold coin), and 米俵 (komedawara – bags of rice), which represent flourishing success in business. I’ll definitely have to come back and get one, when I get into the market. Today though, I was just happy to look on. I noticed that there were lots of people coming into the shrine with their old bamboo fronds, presumably from last year; they had browned. There was actually a bin in the shrine, called 古笹納所 (furusasanasho – “old fronds offerings”), and inside there was indeed the old fronds, charms and all; I hope that the charms are recycled. Apart for food, there were an abundance of stalls that were also selling ornaments featuring Ebisu himself, with his benevolent smiling face. I wish I’d brought my video camera, but at least I got some decent photos.
Getting back to the seminar house, I found my room still Ryan-less, chucked my bag down, and went up to have dinner. Katie was back from Singapore, and I talked with her and Ash until they went back to their room. I decided to just make another pizza, since I hadn’t gotten any meat out of the fridge. With the crust defrosted, I went about making it, and talked with Jacinthe. She was making a cake, and I helped her with it. The recipe was really simple, but the end result was amazing; I love Jacinthe’s cooking! After that, I went back down and unpacked my bag. Soon, everything was strewn across my futon; ba.jpg)
gs, plastic, books, and other miscellanea. When I opened the DS box, I realised there was already an adapter included, and, of course, I had bought one separately for it; so stupid of me. So now I have two, which I won’t be able to use in Australia anyway; might come in handy later on in life I guess. Apart from that, I’m really happy with my other purposes, and would really like going back again. I had a lot of fun just browsing; there was just so much stuff. Most of it, I wasn’t interested in buying, but it was still cool to look at; especially all the models. I’m kinda glad I’m not really into manga or anime; otherwise I’m sure I would have spent a heck of a lot more money there.
天気：曇り
I forgot to bring my journal, so I’m writing this in my iPod. I’m on the local train to Hirakata, where I’ll be switching over for a rapid express to Kyobashi. From there, I’ll take the subway to Shinsaibashi. I know it’s a bit of a late start, but I had a terrible night’s sleep, so we’ll see how I go… I’m not sure if it’s some sort of holiday today, but when I went over to the bank, it charged me overtime. Anyway, I think today will be a lot of fun; hopefully find some interesting things.
11:18am 地下鉄
I’m just getting on the subway at Kyobashi. I love the sound of the warning signals in the subway; so pretty. I’ve decided to go to 長堀橋 (Nagahoribashi), which is one stop from Shinsaibashi, and walk down to 恵美須町 (Ebisucho), through Den den town.
.jpg)
6:15pm 地下鉄I’m on the subway back to Kyobashi now; still standing. I haven’t sat down since lunch at about 2; found a really great, cheap ramen shop in Den den town. Well no, I lie, I did sit down (on the floor) in the Yamaha music shop in Shinsaibashi, before purchasing two Studio Ghibli piano solo books; that was about 30 minutes ago. Today has been… long; so much walking around! I basically made a big “U”, going from Nagahoribashi, down through to Den den town to Ebisucho, before going across to Namba, and then up to Shinsaibashi; actually it was more like a backwards “Y”, since I went all the way down to Ebisucho, but anyway. I spent most of my time in Den den town, which was amazing; total overload of stuff! My bag is now filled to the brim with goodies…
6:46pm 特急
Now I’m on the limited express back to Hirakata, and I’m still not sitting down; so sad… so as I was saying, my bag is filled with goods; I can’t recall everything I bought to be honest. I found lots of Final Fantasy paraphernalia and some Hetalia stuff too. I was really tempted to buy a model (either from Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts) actually, but decided against it this time. My biggest purchase was a DS lite; yes, I finally got one. It’s crimson and black. I did a lot of shopping around for it, and got one for a decent price; unfortunately the one time I found them for really cheap (like half the retail price), they were sold out. I was determined to buy one today though, so I just went ahead and did it. As for games, I bought Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (really cheap), and Pokémon: Heart Gold (best price I could find); very happy.
Yes, Den den town was amazing, but it was also a lot of the same. It basically
.jpg)
went like this: Electronics, CDs, manga, adult shop, video games, second hand goods, furniture, DVDs, manga, CDs, models, records, adult shop, electronics, adult shop, second hand goods, CDs, electronics, video games, manga… with a sprinkling of restaurants and duty-free shops, two Makkas, and at least six convenience stores. Yeah, there were a lot of adult shops (mostly selling DVDs and comics) in plain sight, all the way along the right side of the street, which I walked down first; many of the multi-storey shops had adult sections in their top floors as well. I was pretty indifferent to it; a whole lot of all-too-busty females and yaoi…7:04pm 枚方市駅
In the station now, waiting for the train to Makino…
7:06pm 準急
Yay, I’m sitting down; in the train… I walked all the way down the right side of Den den town, and reached Ebisucho, where I wondered down a street under the Hanshin Expressway, past stalls, to find myself amidst a festival; how lucky. I’ll have to look up what it was all about; there were so many people and stalls. After walking around the shrine that was hosting the festival, I found a taiyaki stand, bought two custard filled, and walked a bit further south to the 通天閣 (tsutenkaku)…
.jpg)
The tsutenkaku (lit. tower reaching heaven), was a really great sight to see. I really wish I could have seen it at night though; maybe next time. I was disappointed you couldn’t actually climb it (as far as I could tell), but I thought it was cool how a road past underneath it. So to date, I have seen 4 towers in Japan; 5 if you count the Umeda Sky Building. I walked back from the tower, and back up the other side of Den den town. The limits of the “town” are clearly defined by the decorative pipe-like structures of different colours that bordered the walkways. There wasn’t as much on this side, so I went back to the other side for a while, looking for a good price for the DS. There were some video game shops, a few with heaps of retro games and consoles; I’m sure dad would’ve loved it. And in all of them, I was beckoned by Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and Final Fantasy XIII, bellowing from the speakers, and playing on the flat screen TVs. I really want a PSP now; might be my next big purchase!.jpg)
I finally left Den den town at around 5; it was almost night. I got to see it with the lights, which wasn’t all that fantastic. I walked back up and across to namba, just taking in the sights and the night life. The 南海難波駅 (Nankai Namba station) was very beautiful; European influenced architecture. And across the way, there was what looked to be a Kabuki theatre. It was closed off for construction though, so I wasn’t entirely sure. I soon found myself in familiar territory, and went to find the hotel the Devoys had stayed at, in Dotonbori. Happy with a shot of the 4 statues .jpg)
out the front, I continued on and soon found myself in Shinsaibashi. I was actually really surprised how close everything was in terms of walking; I guess the subway stops aren’t that far apart when I think about it. I didn’t have that much money left, and I didn’t really see anything of interest anyway, until I found the Yamaha shop. It was a 4 storey shop and wow, there were so many instruments. It also had a great selection of sheet music, so I took me a while to choose the books I wanted; high grade, and jazz arrangements. My feet now sore, and bag felling very heavy, I decided it was time to head home… the walk back from Makino wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t that cold. I noticed a banner on the way back, with information about the Ebisu festival celebrations in Makino; so that was it.The 十日戎 (tooka ebisu), is a festival that celebrates Ebisu, one of the 七福神 (shishifukujin – seven lucky gods), and a patron of business and commerce. For this reason, he is particularly popular in Osaka, being the merchant capita
.jpg)
l. It’s a three day festival, from the 9th to the 11th, with the 10th being the main day (tooka means 10th of the month). The shrine I went to is called the 今宮戎 (Imamiyaebisu), which is apparently the place to go during the festival. I consider myself really lucky to be there, especially considering that fact that I had no prior knowledge of it; I basically stumbled upon it. I mean, I could have gone any day, but I managed to pick a day when a huge festival was on; so cool. And it was huge! The amount of people pouring in, making offerings to Ebisu was incredible; there was a continuous clinging sound from all the money being thrown into the shrine..jpg)
The priests were giving out bamboo fronds, and people would then proceed to buy charms to hang from them; I first noticed them when I saw a man walking around with one in Den den town. I found out that these are called 吉兆笹 (kichousasa – “lucky bamboo grass”), and are decorated with models of 鯛 (sea bream), 小判 (koban – former Japanese oval gold coin), and 米俵 (komedawara – bags of rice), which represent flourishing success in business. I’ll definitely have to come back and get one, when I get into the market. Today though, I was just happy to look on. I noticed that there were lots of people coming into the shrine with their old bamboo fronds, presumably from last year; they had browned. There was actually a bin in the shrine, called 古笹納所 (furusasanasho – “old fronds offerings”), and inside there was indeed the old fronds, charms and all; I hope that the charms are recycled. Apart for food, there were an abundance of stalls that were also selling ornaments featuring Ebisu himself, with his benevolent smiling face. I wish I’d brought my video camera, but at least I got some decent photos.Getting back to the seminar house, I found my room still Ryan-less, chucked my bag down, and went up to have dinner. Katie was back from Singapore, and I talked with her and Ash until they went back to their room. I decided to just make another pizza, since I hadn’t gotten any meat out of the fridge. With the crust defrosted, I went about making it, and talked with Jacinthe. She was making a cake, and I helped her with it. The recipe was really simple, but the end result was amazing; I love Jacinthe’s cooking! After that, I went back down and unpacked my bag. Soon, everything was strewn across my futon; ba
.jpg)
gs, plastic, books, and other miscellanea. When I opened the DS box, I realised there was already an adapter included, and, of course, I had bought one separately for it; so stupid of me. So now I have two, which I won’t be able to use in Australia anyway; might come in handy later on in life I guess. Apart from that, I’m really happy with my other purposes, and would really like going back again. I had a lot of fun just browsing; there was just so much stuff. Most of it, I wasn’t interested in buying, but it was still cool to look at; especially all the models. I’m kinda glad I’m not really into manga or anime; otherwise I’m sure I would have spent a heck of a lot more money there.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Day 133 - 10th of January
10:09pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Well I guess I decided that today would be the end of my lazy week; I didn’t get up until 11. Oh well, it was a nice day… I made pancakes, and all but one turned out to be complete disasters. I tried to make them really big and thin, but they cooked too fast and I couldn’t manoeuvre the spatula well; just ended up a big mess. Of course, I’ll eat it eventually. After that, I talked with Mum for a while, and then continued watching Hetalia. By the time I had lunch, at about 2, I had watched up to episode 29. I sat in the dining room for a few hours, and talked with Ash and Jeremy, while watching this before and after show on TV; it was a house renovation, and there were some really great innovations. At about 5:30, I went and did some more grocery shopping at Sanko; got what I needed for pizza tonight.
Getting back, I watched some more Hetalia, before finally having dinner at about 8. I organised with Ash a Karaoke session as soon as Katie gets back; we’re both hanging to sing. Also, we’re hopefully going to go see Avatar soon; really looking forward to it. Pizza was really great, even though it was messy. Again, chatted with Ash and Jeremy; well I listened for most of it, when they started talking about Star Trek. But anyway, came back down to find that Ryan’s still not back, which makes me wonder maybe he’ll be coming back tomorrow morning. Regardless, I’ve decided to go and explore Osaka tomorrow; Shinsaibashi and Den den town. I’ve wanted to do it for a while, so I figure I might as well do it tomorrow. I’ll try to get there as early as possible, and hopefully get back not too late, because we might be going to karaoke! So, early night tonight…
天気：曇り
Well I guess I decided that today would be the end of my lazy week; I didn’t get up until 11. Oh well, it was a nice day… I made pancakes, and all but one turned out to be complete disasters. I tried to make them really big and thin, but they cooked too fast and I couldn’t manoeuvre the spatula well; just ended up a big mess. Of course, I’ll eat it eventually. After that, I talked with Mum for a while, and then continued watching Hetalia. By the time I had lunch, at about 2, I had watched up to episode 29. I sat in the dining room for a few hours, and talked with Ash and Jeremy, while watching this before and after show on TV; it was a house renovation, and there were some really great innovations. At about 5:30, I went and did some more grocery shopping at Sanko; got what I needed for pizza tonight.
Getting back, I watched some more Hetalia, before finally having dinner at about 8. I organised with Ash a Karaoke session as soon as Katie gets back; we’re both hanging to sing. Also, we’re hopefully going to go see Avatar soon; really looking forward to it. Pizza was really great, even though it was messy. Again, chatted with Ash and Jeremy; well I listened for most of it, when they started talking about Star Trek. But anyway, came back down to find that Ryan’s still not back, which makes me wonder maybe he’ll be coming back tomorrow morning. Regardless, I’ve decided to go and explore Osaka tomorrow; Shinsaibashi and Den den town. I’ve wanted to do it for a while, so I figure I might as well do it tomorrow. I’ll try to get there as early as possible, and hopefully get back not too late, because we might be going to karaoke! So, early night tonight…
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Day 132 - 9th of January
9:10pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Another cloudy day spent inside doing practically nothing; aren’t I boring. Oh well, at least I’m saving money… I got up at 9, had breakfast and enjoyed doodling with Alex for a few hours on isribble.net; so cool. I also talked with Carly. Around 2, I was craving food again, so went up and made lunch. I chatted some more afterwards, and then had a nap, getting up at about 5. I decided to bleach my hair; that took about an hour. The difference is very subtle; my hair looks kinda orangey now. I only used half the bottle though, so I’m going to try again next week. At 6:30 I went up and had dinner. I mixed last night’s leftover meat with veggies and macaroni in a yakitori sauce; it tasted really good. I sat with Ash, while watching this horrendous show on TV, where contestants who obviously can’t sing, battle it out in front of a live audience, looking very foolish; people will do anything to get on TV. After dinner I read some more of Deltora.
Now am going to watch some Hetalia: Axis Powers. This is the anime, Alex, Ash, and many others are obsessed with. It presents an allegorical interpretation of historical events, particularly in the WWII era, and the countries are represented by anthropomorphic characters. ヘタリア (Hetalia) is a portmanteau combining へたれ (hetare - useless) and イタリア (Italia). This is to make light of Italy's apparent cowardice during World War II; thank you Wikipedia. The episodes are really short (5 mins), so I thought, what the heck, might as well take a look. I’ve watched a few episodes already, and it’s pretty interesting so far. There are only 49 episodes, so I might watch them all tonight, if the internet is kind. Tomorrow is Sunday, the beginning of a new week; a week where I will no longer be lazy…
天気：曇り
Another cloudy day spent inside doing practically nothing; aren’t I boring. Oh well, at least I’m saving money… I got up at 9, had breakfast and enjoyed doodling with Alex for a few hours on isribble.net; so cool. I also talked with Carly. Around 2, I was craving food again, so went up and made lunch. I chatted some more afterwards, and then had a nap, getting up at about 5. I decided to bleach my hair; that took about an hour. The difference is very subtle; my hair looks kinda orangey now. I only used half the bottle though, so I’m going to try again next week. At 6:30 I went up and had dinner. I mixed last night’s leftover meat with veggies and macaroni in a yakitori sauce; it tasted really good. I sat with Ash, while watching this horrendous show on TV, where contestants who obviously can’t sing, battle it out in front of a live audience, looking very foolish; people will do anything to get on TV. After dinner I read some more of Deltora.
Now am going to watch some Hetalia: Axis Powers. This is the anime, Alex, Ash, and many others are obsessed with. It presents an allegorical interpretation of historical events, particularly in the WWII era, and the countries are represented by anthropomorphic characters. ヘタリア (Hetalia) is a portmanteau combining へたれ (hetare - useless) and イタリア (Italia). This is to make light of Italy's apparent cowardice during World War II; thank you Wikipedia. The episodes are really short (5 mins), so I thought, what the heck, might as well take a look. I’ve watched a few episodes already, and it’s pretty interesting so far. There are only 49 episodes, so I might watch them all tonight, if the internet is kind. Tomorrow is Sunday, the beginning of a new week; a week where I will no longer be lazy…
Friday, 8 January 2010
Day 131 - 8th of January
10:26pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Yay, finally finished reading the first chapter of Deltora Quest; 330 translations later… anyway, today was another short day. I woke up at 9, then fell back to sleep, and then didn’t get up again till 1; and I didn’t even go to bed that late! This is getting rather bothersome but still, might as well keep it up; at least for this week. Next week I will be much more productive; I hope. After lunch, I walked to uni, and checked my mailbox, finding a letter from Nanny and Poppy; a nice surprise. I then did some more grocery shopping at Kirindo and Fresco; oh how I love grocery shopping. Oh well, it got me out for a few hours. Getting back, I chatted with Alex, and then had a nap; did I really need it? At about 6:30 I went up and made dinner (spag bol), and watched Doraemon on TV. At about 8, I went up again and ate some bananas, and talked with Ash for a while, which was quite refreshing; like me, she hadn’t been doing very much. She gave me an ice cream, and I gave her a mask in return. I’ve just spent the last hour reading, and now feel very satisfied. Just going to do some exercise, shower, and then hop into bed…
天気：曇り
Yay, finally finished reading the first chapter of Deltora Quest; 330 translations later… anyway, today was another short day. I woke up at 9, then fell back to sleep, and then didn’t get up again till 1; and I didn’t even go to bed that late! This is getting rather bothersome but still, might as well keep it up; at least for this week. Next week I will be much more productive; I hope. After lunch, I walked to uni, and checked my mailbox, finding a letter from Nanny and Poppy; a nice surprise. I then did some more grocery shopping at Kirindo and Fresco; oh how I love grocery shopping. Oh well, it got me out for a few hours. Getting back, I chatted with Alex, and then had a nap; did I really need it? At about 6:30 I went up and made dinner (spag bol), and watched Doraemon on TV. At about 8, I went up again and ate some bananas, and talked with Ash for a while, which was quite refreshing; like me, she hadn’t been doing very much. She gave me an ice cream, and I gave her a mask in return. I’ve just spent the last hour reading, and now feel very satisfied. Just going to do some exercise, shower, and then hop into bed…
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Day 130 - 7th of January
10:24pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Just been watching movie trailers for the past hour; so many epic new movies coming out this year. Well, today was certainly a much longer day; I woke up at 9. Still, I didn’t really do that much… In the morning, I made eggs on toast for breakfast, and then vacuumed the floor. I had a nap at noon, and then talked with Alex and Carly for most of the afternoon, before going grocery shopping at Sanko. I had a late lunch at 4, and then enjoyed downloading a whole heap of new music from iTunes, including the Sweeny Todd OST. I did a bit of exercise, since my muscles were killing me (from exercising yesterday no doubt), and then read a bit more of Deltora Quest. It’s such a good feeling when I can actually understand most of it; even if I have to translate it before-hand. But believe me, translating is one thing, making sense of the sentence is a completely different matter; so I think I’m doing a pretty good job considering. I didn’t end up having dinner till about 8. Upon arriving in the kitchen, I noticed everyone was wearing masks, and recalled the email we got today informing us of a confirmed case of influenza in the seminar house.
So of course, as the Japanese have a need for cleanliness at their very core, it was expected that everyone wear a mask, at all times; except when eating of course. I didn’t have a mask in the kitchen at the time, but assured Yuji and Otousan that I would be wearing one afterwards. I’m just going to stay as far away from everyone as possible. I’m in a pretty good position here, as far as room location goes; secluded. Hiroshi is the only other person living in this section, and I know he’ll be very hygienic. Also, I don’t have to worry about Ryan contracting anything since he’s not here; I should be fine. So yeah, made gyudon for dinner, although I used pork meat not beef, so technically it’s not gyudon. Still come out the same way, and tasted great; I don’t know how I stuffed it up last time. So although I didn’t do much, I still very satisfied about the day. Hopefully I can get out and do something tomorrow; I really don’t know what though… anyway, time for shower, shave, and then bed!
天気：曇り
Just been watching movie trailers for the past hour; so many epic new movies coming out this year. Well, today was certainly a much longer day; I woke up at 9. Still, I didn’t really do that much… In the morning, I made eggs on toast for breakfast, and then vacuumed the floor. I had a nap at noon, and then talked with Alex and Carly for most of the afternoon, before going grocery shopping at Sanko. I had a late lunch at 4, and then enjoyed downloading a whole heap of new music from iTunes, including the Sweeny Todd OST. I did a bit of exercise, since my muscles were killing me (from exercising yesterday no doubt), and then read a bit more of Deltora Quest. It’s such a good feeling when I can actually understand most of it; even if I have to translate it before-hand. But believe me, translating is one thing, making sense of the sentence is a completely different matter; so I think I’m doing a pretty good job considering. I didn’t end up having dinner till about 8. Upon arriving in the kitchen, I noticed everyone was wearing masks, and recalled the email we got today informing us of a confirmed case of influenza in the seminar house.
So of course, as the Japanese have a need for cleanliness at their very core, it was expected that everyone wear a mask, at all times; except when eating of course. I didn’t have a mask in the kitchen at the time, but assured Yuji and Otousan that I would be wearing one afterwards. I’m just going to stay as far away from everyone as possible. I’m in a pretty good position here, as far as room location goes; secluded. Hiroshi is the only other person living in this section, and I know he’ll be very hygienic. Also, I don’t have to worry about Ryan contracting anything since he’s not here; I should be fine. So yeah, made gyudon for dinner, although I used pork meat not beef, so technically it’s not gyudon. Still come out the same way, and tasted great; I don’t know how I stuffed it up last time. So although I didn’t do much, I still very satisfied about the day. Hopefully I can get out and do something tomorrow; I really don’t know what though… anyway, time for shower, shave, and then bed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)