Day 224 - 11th of April

10:58pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Today, at least study-wise, I was very productive. I had hoped to go and get my hair cut today, but I decided it would be in my best interests to just stay home and study for tomorrow’s lesson test, which I’m feeling very confident about now… I got up at about 9:30, and went straight to the kitchen to eat breakfast; porridge again. This time I got to enjoy it though, while talking to Rachel’s parent’s over skype; they asked me if crocodiles lived nearby. I soon left the kitchen, and it was nice to see that Hugo was up too; he had come back at around 12 last night. After a shower, I got straight into study and I spent a good two hours on that. Then I turned the computer on, and made a start on my blog. Soon enough it was time for lunch (1:30), and I made eggs on toast. I had a nice little conversation with okaasan too, who was cleaning the kitchen; bless her. Coming back downstairs, I did some more study, and then went back on the computer, hoping to talk with my family. That didn’t happen until around 3, and it was just mum that I got to talk with; the other two were down in the garage. But that was nice, until my computer decided to turn itself off; I’m seriously going to have to get the fan checked out when I get back home.

So, that was the end of that. Letting the fan cool down, I changed my linen while Hugo vacuumed the floor (that was nice of him), and then went back on again to get my blog entry finished off; I was finally done at 7:30. By this time, I was ready to eat, and went up to the kitchen to find it relatively quite again; Ash, Rachel and Katie were there though. I put a pizza in the oven (different toppings), and that was done in about 10 minutes; it was really yummy. Katie and Rachel had already left by the time I began eating, so it was just Ash and I. We talked a little while, and then retired ourselves; it was certainly very uncharacteristic of us to leave the kitchen so early. It was only 8:30 when I got back down, so I had plenty more time to study and relax a little too; it has been an easy day. Just taling with Carly for a bit now. Tomorrow, I have my test at 10, so I might get a little bit more study in (just do some vocab revision), and then call it a night…

Day 218 - 5th of April

10:59pm　セミナーハウス

Just finished watching 崖の上のポンヨ (Gake no ue no Ponyo – Ponyo on the cliff) with a big group in the lounge, which meant that I didn’t end up going to sentou with Yuji and Hugo; I’m happy that I stayed and watched the rest of it. It was a wonderfully simple and touching movie; I really enjoyed it. Because I assumed it wouldn’t have subtitles, I was a little tentative to watch it, but Rebecca assured us that the Japanese was really easy. But then it turned out that there were English subtitles, which was nice; although I could understand most of it, it was nice to have them. Actually, we all had a good time ridiculing the translations for a lot of it. But I really glad I finally got to see it; it’s been a long time coming. So, about my day…It’s finally started to warm up here, and I was more than comfortable going to uni with just a jumper; no need for scarf, jacket, or gloves. This is good because it means I can start thinking about sending the majority of my winter clothes back home; along with a whole bunch of books no doubt. In Speaking, we finished off the last grammar point for chapter 7, and then went over the more difficult ones again. In the break, I got some money out (thankfully), and did my homework in the lounge, before practicing some kanji. Reading and Writing consisted of reading part of the dialogue at the beginning of the chapter, and answering questions about it; and that was another Monday at uni finished.

I went grocery shopping at Kirindo and Fresco, and then got back to eat lunch. It was almost 4 when I went to the gym, and I got a good hour in; I was very satisfied. Getting back, i got my blog up-to-date, and then studied Religion until 7; I’m feeling good about it. For dinner, I made spaghetti bolognese, trying a 茄子 (nasu – eggplant) sauce; tasted great. I turned the tv on, and flicked over to a channel to find one of the most shocking sights I’ve ever seen. A woman, presumably American, was on a Japanese game show, breaking boards with her breasts; in the spirit of karate!!! I was impressed, but mostly horrified. Her breasts were huge, and the way she flung them at the boards was terrifying; the strange things people do. The show continued, presenting a kind of countdown of weird and wacky human achievements; it was pretty interesting. One guy managed to free dive down to a depth of 88m, having to hold his breath for over 3 minutes, and another could shoot an earring off a manikin with a sniper rifle. It was just about 8:30 when Rebecca let us know she’d be putting the movie on shortly. Ash and Rachael decided to go back to their own devices, but Rachel wanted to watch it; she did bring her homework down with her though. I was then bombarded with food; Rebecca’s yatsuhashi and chocopie; Will’s pineapple cake; Liz’s Madeline (small sponge cakes originating from France); and Jeremy’s Easter themed peeps (marshmallow candies from the US); I was very, very appreciative. Also, I finished off the last two crème eggs, so now I have no more chocolate left; I’m surprised it lasted this long. Well, I’ve got a mid-term tomorrow, and then I think I’m going to bake some biscuits for Rachael’s birthday on Wednesday…

Day 217 - 4th of April

11:12pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Happy Easter; chocolate overdose!!! I have a headache now, but it was so totally worth it; all I have left is two Cadbury crème eggs. Today was great…We didn’t end up getting home from Karaoke until 3 this morning; it was so much fun. I slept until about 9:30, and then went up to have breakfast; vegemite and cheese on English muffins. I was joined by Ash and Katie, and we sat for a while, before drifting off to our own devices. Since Hugo was still in bed (he no doubt had a late night too) I set my laptop up in the lounge to Skype with Mum, Nanny and Poppy; my Dad and brother are off camping with scouts. I tucked into my first crème egg, and soon had another; best Easter eggs ever! We talked until my laptop put itself into safety mode as the batteries were almost dead. By this time, Hugo had gotten up, so I went back to my room and set up once more. I ended up talking with them till about 2, after my laptop had shut itself down twice from overheating; silly thing. After that, I gave it a rest, and got stuck into some study. I spent almost 3 hours just going over the grammar patterns for chapter 7, and now I have a much better understanding of them; I’m really pleased with myself. From now on I’m going to try to revise every day, even if it’s only for half an hour; I really need to do it.

During that time, I started on my dark chocolate bunny, and got halfway through it before I didn’t feel so good. I worked on my blog until a bit after 7, and then went up to make gyudon for dinner. I sat with Rachel and Ash, and Jacinthe joined us. After finishing my meal, I decided to play Easter bunny, and went downstairs to get my bag of Lindor chocolate eggs. I gave the first one to Hugo, and then went to the computer room to give one to Simon; we caught up on each other’s weekends. I went upstairs to find Jazz just about to enter the elevator, and quickly gave her one, before deciding to jump in with her; I need her battery charger. After getting that, I went to Rachael and Sarah’s room, and gave them an egg each, and heard about their wonderful weekends. Then I went downstairs to find Katie and Julie in the kitchen, and dispersed the rest of the eggs to them, and Ash and Rachel; and I even had one left for me. I stayed in the kitchen till 9, when I remembered I had told Carly I’d be online, and quickly went down. I had a good chat with her, and Jamie, while continuing on my blog; almost up-to-date. I’m feeling a lot better now, and I’m sure I’ll be 100% tomorrow; just need a good sleep…

Day 138 - 15th of January

11:02pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Today was another half-day; got up at 11:30. After breakfast, I did the laundry, and hand washed my new jumper, turning my hands to ice. The sun only reaches my balcony after noon anyway, so it wouldn’t have made very much difference if I’d gotten the laundry out earlier in the day. At around 2:30, I made a quick visit to Sanko, to get bread and milk, and also mailed postcards at the nearby post office. I had lunch after returning, and after that, talked with Mum. Ben and Dad were back from Jamboree, but Ben was sleeping (totally wiped out), and Dad was mowing the lawn (typical), so I didn’t get to talk with them; oh well, hopefully tomorrow. I got the washing in at about 4, and hang it up inside, as I have to do all the time now since it’s too cold, and the sun is too weak. I went up and made dinner at 7. It was sliced chicken, in sauce with crushed Ritz crackers; lolz, aren’t I avant-garde.

The crackers really helped soak up the excess liquid. That, on top of spaghetti, and garlic bread as a side and I was set. I talked with Ash and Katie for a while, making plans for next week. After that, I came back down and read some more of Deltora Quest. I’m up to chapter three now, and my pace is increasing somewhat; I read 6 pages in under an hour. I soon felt hungry again, so returned to the kitchen and made 卵かけご飯 (Tamogo kake gohan – “egg over rice”). Basically crack a raw egg in boiled rice and you’ve got Tamago kake gohan; soy sauce is optional. It’s actually a really popular breakfast meal in Japan, because is quick and cheap to make, and it’s healthy; perfect for the hectic lifestyle of the Japanese. So yeah, now I feel content. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything tomorrow; probably just put on another load of washing. I have however, made plans to go to Nijo castle in Kyoto, with Nadezhda; should be fun.

Day 116 - 24th of December

11:15pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
It’s Christmas Eve, but it really doesn’t feel like it. If I were at home, I would have been helping Mum put the Christmas presents around the tree. Instead, I’ve been packing for Nagoya tomorrow; can’t wait to see Alex. We’ve planned to go find a nice restaurant to eat at, and then pull an all-nighter at karaoke; Alex won’t be able to get back into her dorm till at least 7am. At least with ours, we have a key and can come in at any time. Anyway, today… Well, I got up late (I’m starting to make a bad habit of that), had the last of the cereal, and then found out from Yuji that my new roommate would be coming today or tomorrow; okay cool, I thought. Then, as I was going back to my room, Otousan came over and told me that my roommate would be coming today; soon! So I thought, okay, I’ll just have a quick shower and then be ready.

Just as I was getting into the shower, Otousan came through with him; whoops. It was all good though; after getting out I went to introduce myself to Ryan. He’s from New York City, he’s already been here a semester, he’s an Asian Studies major, and has a Japanese girlfriend. I know this because he will be spending Christmas with her; he’s already left. He’s also informed me that I’ll probably only see him on Monday’s and Tuesday’s; this is going to be weird. I’m kinda disappointed, but I guess some alone time will be good for me. So, I left him at his computer, wishing him a Merry Christmas, as I went off to uni at about 1:30. There, I checked my mail, got a new ID card (having been accepted to continue my studies here next semester), and had lunch; ah my beloved katsudon.

Shortly after, I made my way back to find myself alone once more. I finished off as much as I could for dinner tonight; 5 eggs, mushrooms, Diego’s tomatoes, and Jacinthe’s capsicum and spring onion she left for me. And, I just ate a heap of mandarin, and some cake, so just got rice and 4 eggs left for tomorrow; unfortunately I had to throw away Jacinthe’s milk. Oh yeah, and I got to do my washing today; finally. I folded all that, packed what I needed, and uploaded some more video to my computer. Now, time for bed. Merry Christmas…

Day 105 - 13th of December

天気：曇り
Another cloudy day; perfect weather to be stuck inside all day. And that I was. I fiercely worked at my report and was able to get it done; 16 pages and 4000 words later. And had drink breaks throughout the day, which for me is always helpful when writing a report; when I get up and move around, it helps me think. And of course, I had a rather large break at lunch time. I made scrambled eggs, and egg, tomato, and cheese toasted sandwiches; very fulfilling. And it help me to get through to dinner. I had completely forgotten about the farewell party, and when it was announced over the intercom, I was really surprised. Most people will be leaving by next week, and since we have exams all this week, tonight was the best night for it; it's all come to an end so quickly. We had a make-it-yourself sushi party in the dining room. Basically, get a square sheet of 海苔 (nori - seaweed), plonk a bit of rice on it, and add any fillings you wanted; fried egg, raw fish, crab, cucumber, lettuce etc.

I had a few, but also had to eat the leftovers from last night. Everyone was being bombarded by flashing cameras; it was a lot of fun. Our RA's even wrote letters to all of us; I gave them both hugs. It died down after about an hour, and then I went back to my paper. The kitchen beckoned me once more however, for cleaning at 9. I stayed up there while Carly made cookies, and talked with Katie, Ash and Eaaf. The cookies turned out a little dry, but they were okay; can't expect too much from a packet mix. Next time, I want to make them from scratch. Finally finished my report at about 11:30, and then got to bed. Diego and I talked about the immediate future; how he would be going back to America, and I would be staying here. I think that since I got the hang of things here now, next semester will be even better, or at the very least, easier.