Day 197 - 15th of March

11:24pm　セミナーハウス

天気：雨天

Well, the nice weather certainly didn’t last; it’s been cloudy all day. It just started raining this afternoon… I woke up early, so I could spend some more time memorising my sakubun, and got to school just before 10; I talked with Rachael on the way. Checking my mail, I got yet another card from Nanny and Poppy; i feel loved. Today, we all had to pick up our new ID cards, so Rachael and I went straight there. They’re kind of plain, and the crappy picture of me is even bigger; I really preferred the other ones. Oh well, can’t be helped. I went to Speaking, and we spent the whole class revising for the exam; we actually got out 30 minutes early. So, I had plenty more time to memorise my sakubun, and I went in feeling really good. Apart from a few kanji (ones that I didn’t have to know anyway), I got the whole thing done perfectly. After that, I went to Avail because I thought some shopping would make me feel better (not that I was feeling bad), but didn’t end up finding anything I liked. So I soon returned home.

After lunch, and watching a bit of sumo on TV while talking to Adam, I got ready to go to the gym. When Simon got back at 3, we made our way over, and after signing in and changing shoes, we got started. I really enjoyed the session, and it was helpful watching others using the equipment; I tried out a few new things. Simon ended up getting bored, which was a shame, but says he’s going to stick with it; we shall see. Regardless of what he decides, I know I’m going to continue with it; I felt really good afterwards. Getting back home, I made a solid start on my Gender and Sexuality essay, spending a bit over two hours scanning the textbook for any useful information or quotes; it was pretty interesting actually. I’m going to talk about how gender norms and attitudes are constructed in Japan through language, institutions such as schools, religion, and marketing; should be good. I was feeling very hungry by about 6, but decided to put on some rice to eat with my dinner (leftovers), so had to wait another half an hour.

It was almost 7 by the time I got round to eating, but that only made the food taste even better. I found the anime channel, and started watching Tamagochi’s; who would have thought they’d make an animated TV show out of those little guys. I remember having them when I was little, and I know that Alex still has them now, so she would have loved to have seen this. The rest of the group filtered in, and we talked for a while, before they filtered out again. I stayed behind a bit longer, talking with Yuji and Julie, and then Hugo and Simon, and then finally went back to my room. There, I started memorising my script for my speaking exam tomorrow. I’m trying not to stress about it too much; I want it to be natural. At around 10, Biancha came knocking at our door, and beckoned my out to the lounge. She had made a cake for Hugo since it’s his Birthday tomorrow. So, we gathered together a few people and had a little, early celebration for him; the cake was amazing. Eventually I got back to my room, and finished off getting the script in order; I’m happy with it now. Well, I should probably get some sleep now; one day down, four more to go…

Day 81 - 19th of November

11:54pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! Today was another very long, but productive day. Since it is almost at a close, I will be writing this into tomorrow, but anyway... I received a big shock this morning. Just after I went to bed, there came a knock on the door. Diego got up and opened it, and there was Aki (the other of our resident assistants) beckoning me to come out. Quickly getting my clothes on, I went out to the lounge, and was pleasantly surprised when everyone began singing happy birthday; there was even a cake. It is Yuji's birthday today also (he's 20). Both our names appeared on the cake, and we blew it out, and cut it together; it was highly amusing. Aki, and the other girls made the cake, and it tasted really good. Yuji and I both thanked every one. I felt so elated afterwards that it was hard for me to get back to sleep, but I did eventually.

Woke up to the morning at about 8 and made scrambled eggs for breakfast; since I didn't have any milk for cereal. I talked to my parents and grandparents and opened their wonderful cards. Got my history essay printed out, then went to uni. There are stalls and decorations going up everywhere in preparation for the festival. Throughout the day I received birthday wishes, and all my classes went by smoothly and enjoyably. After classes, I had to wait around for the singing booth meeting at 5 30. We all got to practice our songs one last time, and got told the schedule for Sat and Sun. Since Niky and I are in Koto club also, we're going to miss a few things, but it's fine. At the end of it, I received another surprise. Since I was the last to go practice singing, I came back to the room and the board had been covered with pictures and congratulations; I felt so overwhelmed, receiving a third "Happy Birthday" song. They even presented me with a card that everyone had written in; I feel so blessed to be around such caring people. I went grocery shopping afterwards, and managed to pick up all the ingredients I needed for my cake. Got home and found this beautiful flower arrangement with orange roses made by Carly.

Soon after dinner, Carly and I made the cake. It was a rather laborious affair; we made it from scratch. After 2 hours (including baking, in which we had to turn the dish periodically since the revolving plate in the microwave is broken) we were presented with a slightly lopsided chocolate cake. Nevertheless, it is definitely the best cake I've ever made, and one of the best I've ever tasted. And the awesome part is, there's enough batter to make another after we've finished eating this one; I am seriously happy. We made icing too, but that needed a little bit more time to set, so we just drizzled it over our slices. Wow though, it really is perfect; soft and moist, but not too sticky, and a little crispy on the outside. Anyway, all in all, today was a good day. The only drawback was the fact that I didn't speak to my little bro; I forgot. I feel really bad about it, so I'll have to see him tomorrow. Good bye birthday, hello Mr 19 year old...

Day 68 - 6th of November

9:51pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I'm feeling a little better today. I think I've flushed out the worst of it. The morning went by slowly; probably because I didn't do much. After class, I went to the cafeteria craving katsudon. Soon after, I came home and had a nap. I decided to go to the sentou, thinking it would help with my cold. I did feel better afterwards, although I didn't stay that long. I walked to Sanko and picked up a few things. Dinner was chicken parmigiana which took way to long to make. And for some reason, I am missing my large plate and knife and fork. I seriously can't even remember to last time I used them. I'm sure they'll turn up, and if not I'll just buy replacements. Cleaning time at 9 and no one showed up; everyone was out drinking. It was Deigo and I, another guy and Yuji (our RA), and Carly who's not even supposed to be cleaning this week. I took us half an hour but we got it done. It's getting to be more than just annoying. People leave food, dirty dishes and there personal belongings all over the place. Now, I'm just feeling tired. We're going to play cards now...

Day 41 - 10th of October

10:35pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I ended up staying in bed until 10, when I had to force my self up to have breakfast. After breakfast I did my laundry. Then I did some work on my research project; basically just writing down my goals and what exactly I wanted to research. It's a start. Since half the day was already over, I decided to leave Kuzuha mall for another day and instead went into Hirakata. I took a leap of faith and decided to go get my hair cut. I walk in to the 美容院 (biyouin - hairdressing salon), and was immediately shown to a seat. Mum, I apologise in advance; I got it cut short. You're gonna hate me sooooo much. I'm sorry, but it feels great, they thinned it out really well, and I still have a bit of a fringe.

So after my cut, I went to get it coloured on the floor above. I love Japanese people so much. The service is so amazing, and they are always mega polite. And basically, when they asked me a question I didn't understand, I just replied with はい (yes!!!). It got me through, and I'm so happy with the colour. On the chart, it didn't look like much, but they explained I'd have to get that, unless I wanted to bleach my hair white. So yeah, I was a little worried. After putting about five towels over my neck, little plastic bags over my ears, and a gel around my hair line (that prevented the colour coming in contact with my skin - very cool), they applied the colour. It was a very long process, but very well done. By the time he'd finished applying it (for almost 20 minutes I'd guess), it only took 10 more minutes to set; they wrapped it in plastic and then covered it with a towel. Then, I got it washed out and shampooed. Through the whole process my face was covered by a towel, and he must have washed it about 5 times.

Towel covering my hair, I was lead over to the mirror to the grand unveiling. I was amazed; it's so vibrant! The highlights look great, and the rest of my hair looks really warm. I'm so happy with it, and it was surprisingly cheap. Definitely cheaper than I would have gotten in Australia. So, very satisfied I walked out, being thanked by the all the staff as I left, and went over to the shopping centre; I was on the hunt for clothes. I'd seen these jeans before and really wanted them, and now that I had the money, I got them, and a shirt to go with. It was a very fruitful day. I came back, and found Diego and Jessica in the room. Soon after, Amber came knocking and said they were ordering pizza, and asked if we wanted some; we did. We ended up getting four pieces each (it was really nice, with brie cheese on it), and I made a salad to eat too. We had a card playing night, but only played for a couple of hours, as we would be getting up early in the morning; we're going into Osaka tomorrow. I love my new hair...

Day 34 - 2nd of October

9:18pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Gotta keep this brief; a bunch of as are going to be playing cards in Amber - and Ash's room shorty. I felt pretty good about my test today. I knew all but one word in Japanese. And I got 10/10 on my map quiz; I was happy about that. Came home at about 3. Stuffed around on the computer then went to make dinner. I had fun experimenting tonight. I basically just put carrots, spinach, and cucumber in the fry pan, and fried them with some rice, soy sauce, and an egg. It tasted really nice. I also had my first attempt at making mashed potatoes, and I did everything wrong. I put them in the water before it had boiled; I left them in too long I think and; I didn't add any milk when I mashed them. I did add butter though, and parsley. Still, they tasted really good.

Interesting fact of the day: The name Wendy was made up by the guy who wrote Peter Pan!!! Ash told us that; that's pretty cool! Anyway, not entirely sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. Every one's got something different planned... I know I have to clean the room, wash my clothes, buy some more groceries, and get started on my assignments. So, maybe I'll just stick around here.

Day 32 - 30th of September

10:21pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Another rainy day... I didn't do much today, which was actually a nice change. Went to uni, hung out with people and went to classes, got back, had lunch, did some homework, had a nap... I woke up at about 3:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon uploading photos on deviant art, and my Japanese homework. I made dinner pretty early 6:30; spaghetti bolognese, with chicken mince. I was soooo full afterwards; I actually felt a bit sick. But I feel fine now. After dinner I chatted with people, and got into playing a card game called spoons.

Basically, you get 4 cards, and you have to get four of a kind, by picking up and discarding cards as they move around the table. There are a number of spoons in the centre; one less than the number of people playing. Once you get four of a kind you have to grab a spoon, then the other players must scramble for the remaining spoons. Whoever doesn't get the spoon, gets a letter; S-P-O-O-N. The first person to spell spoon loses. It's actually a really fast paced game, and you have to be constantly watching the spoons while keeping an eye on your cards. We ended up playing for a couple of hours. More people joined in as the time went by and we ended up with 7 players. It was a lot of fun!

It was actually really nice to have an easy day for a change, especially when Thursday's tomorrow!! Well, this is probably the shortest entry I've written so far. Amazing O.O
Anyway, I'm gonna do some reading. Yay, tomorrow's the first day of October, then only 5 more days till I get my scholarship money!!!