part 2 emphasis on the "beauty" contest

2007-09-11T23:14:00.001+09:00

how many additional dead americans is saddam worth?

2007-08-14T03:23:00.000+09:00

me practicing kendō 剣道の練習をしてる

2007-07-11T23:44:00.000+09:00

2007-07-03T03:11:00.000+09:00

you're one sick mother
you're one sick mother
you're one one sick sick
mother mother mother mother

2007-06-16T06:42:00.000+09:00

your mom's been pregnant before
I guess maybe she has.. But i don't remember so don't know for sure..

amazingly cute

2007-06-06T00:37:00.001+09:00

arigatz BBQ

2007-05-28T03:29:00.000+09:00

view as slideshow

お帰りパイ

2007-05-14T23:07:00.000+09:00

for fusa

planting rice 田植え

2007-05-12T22:57:00.001+09:00

hiroshima 広島

2007-05-06T04:24:00.000+09:00

japan has an abundance of national holidays. the 1st week of may alone has three and is a time when many businesses just stop for over a week. therefore, it's a great opportunity for those who usually don't have time to travel and relax. 2 years ago i went to kamikōchi with co-workers.

last year i was busy and couldn't travel. this year, i did a ton of stuff. i'm glad my experience and confidence has allowed me to be so adventurous. first, i went to ōsaka with 3 other people last saturday. we had awesome mexican food and hung out at an okinawan bar called zumi. after a couple days there i went to hiroshima on a bullet train. it was my first time to ride shinkansen, so i was pretty lame and didn't get a reserved ticket. i had to stand for most of the 90-min trip, but was pleasantly surprised when a complete stranger started to talk to me. we went over the obligatory where are you from and how old are you, and at the stop before hiroshima my new friend went to hunt for some seats. luckily he found some and called me over.

suddenly, he asked me if i was interested in arm wrestling. um, i've done it before was all i could decide to be an easy answer. well, it turned out that he was in ōsaka as well, but to do arm wrestling training. he was the regional champion of kyūshū! i asked about various things, given the rare chance to have answered my most pressing questions regarding arm wrestling. how many people meet? (about 25) who is currently the strongest arm wrestler? (an american, "they're strong") what's the most important thing? (of course it's form—keeping your hand from twisting) he whipped out a video camera and played the video of the training session, showing off his strength.

i arrived in hiroshima, went to my hotel on trams/stree cars that run throughout the city, and found a place to eat. in fact, i went to a building that had about 15 restaurants all serving the same thing. hiroshima is famous for okonomiyaki, which is like a cabbage pancake. i don't like them usually, but since those in hiroshima were supposed to be different from regular ones, i tried one and i actually liked it better. a random person sitting next to me and i started to talk, and it turned out that he lived in spain for many years and often travels abroad. kinda cool coincidence. then i went to a bar. went home at like 3.

the next day i went to the atomic bomb dome, peace park, and a museum about the atomic bomb dropped on hiroshima. i cried. i decided to go to a japanese garden that was recommended on a webpage about hiroshima, and i concerned myself with the life and beauty there. then i walked to the castle nearby. after my busy day i found an indian curry restaurant and small café for dessert. then i went to another bar. went home a little earlier, maybe 2.

the next morning (now wednesday) i ate breakfast, checked out of my hotel, and headed to a famous island with many shrines. the most famous shrine has a gate, or torii, which, depending on the tide, is either standing in water or open like all others. when i arrived it was noon, but a sign said low tide was at about 3pm. a little disappointed that i would miss the time when i could walk through the torii, i decided to make the best of my camera (as if i hadn't already!) and the way the shrine overlooks the gate. to my surprise, by the time i had explored all around the shrine and taken a ton of pictures, the water had gone down enough that people were wading out to stand underneath the gate, and in the end i got a picture by it. satisfied with my trip, i packed up and headed back to the station.

view as slideshow

new bike 新車, chocolates チョコ, cupcakes カップケーキ, bamboo swords 竹刀

2007-04-26T01:34:00.000+09:00

i bought a bike a couple weeks ago. i decided that i ride bike around ise enough to justify it. i finally got a proper picture of it:
２週間前新しい自転車を買った。理由はいつもあちこちに自転車に乗っていくからね。ちゃんと写真撮った。

it doesn't have a kick stand, chain guard, or any fenders to protect me on rainy days. hmm. it turns out i accidentally bought a mountain bike. ah well.
スタンド, chain guard, フェンダーがなくて、ちょっとね。まぁ、マウンテンバイクを買ってしまったらしい。

a student of mine went to south korea, russia, and two places in germany all in the span of like 10 days. he brought me back some chocolates from moscow and munich!
１人の生徒さんが出張で１０日間に韓国、ロシア、ドイツに行ってきた。モスクワとミュンヘンのおみあやを買ってくれた！

sunday was shimada-fusai's wedding anniversary, so i made them some cupcakes. then, i found out that it was also the wedding day of one of my students and another's birthday today. so, i made more of the same cupcakes.
日曜は島田夫妻の結婚記念日で、カップケーキを作ってあげた。それから、月曜に１人の生徒さんが同じ日に結婚したことと聞いたので、もういっぺん作った。今日はほかの生徒さんの誕生日だったので、その２人にあげようと思った。

and finally, here is my shinai that i got today during kendō practice.
最後は、ぼくのために作ってくれた竹刀や。今日練習前にもらった。

swanky, eh? such a 剣道的なstanceやよね！

one awesome hedgehog

2007-04-22T23:30:00.000+09:00

i was looking at hedgehog pics on flickr and came across this guy. he's a pretty cool little hedgehog, Herman Hedgehog!

here are some little ones sleeping; i guess they like to sleep like they are in burrows or dens

here's one at bath-time, but i don't see the water really

kendō newbie 剣道を初めてした

2007-04-19T00:12:00.000+09:00

about Kendō at wikipedia

手作りチョコケーキをもらいました。

2007-02-19T01:14:00.000+09:00

A friend of mine, Mami, made this chocolate cake and gave it to me for Valentine's Day!

cute little peach pies

2007-02-01T03:41:00.000+09:00

there & back again

2007-01-17T18:37:00.000+09:00

went back to the usa to see everyone, and stayed for almost 3 weeks. ily

if i only knew my blood type

2006-12-29T15:51:00.000+09:00

You Have A Type B+ Personality

You're a pro at going with the flow

You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer

A total joy to be around, people crave your stability.

While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity.

Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done

You're passionate - just selective about your passions

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

年賀状 New Year's cards

2006-12-21T01:48:00.000+09:00

today i have been working on making new year's cards before i go back to usa for a vacation. on the front they will show several wild boars, which is the symbol for next year according to the chinese calendar. they will say, basically, "Happy" "New" "Year!" then, for the back, i came up with several small conversations for two small boars to have. i chose the conversations based on the recipient's sense of humor.

Card #1
"Happy New Year!"
「英語喋れるってすごいね。」 (Wow, it's pretty sweet that you can speak English.)
「いえいえ、まだまだだよ」 (No, I'm not that good.)

Card #2
「なんでそんなかっこうで？」 (What's with your hair?)
「寝癖や」 (Bed head.)
「あー、そっか…」 (Oh.)

Card #3
「好きな餅はどれ？」 (What's your favorite kind of mochi?)
「全部好きだけど、返馬餅がいいな。」 (I like them all, but hemba mochi is pretty good.)

Card #4
「日本の料理で何が好き？」 (What's your favorite Japanese food?)
「とんかつがいいね。」 (Pork cutlets are pretty good.)
「へえぇ？」 (What?!)

お茶碗

2006-12-08T20:51:00.000+09:00

the cookies were actually because i wanted to thank the pottery teacher who helped me make this tea bowl. i made the shape as best i could, he fixed it up, then painted and fired it in the kiln after it dried. the cookies were nummy and the bowl rocks. i already used it last night at tea practice. it's a little heavier than normal ones, but it rocks cuz it's mine.

oatmeal + raisin

2006-12-07T07:06:00.000+09:00

my back thanks me

2006-12-03T23:33:00.000+09:00

finally i got a proper desk & a nice chair to go with it! i don't know why i've put it off for so long, but it will be much nicer for my back & wrists. before i was using a table loaned to me by my roommate's family.

2006-11-30T06:05:00.000+09:00

my computer was sent to apple's repair place around noon on mon, then today (wed) i got a call from the delivery dude asking when he could drop it off! so, i got it back today, but with it was a sheet that said they couldn't find any problems but replaced the drive anyway. i mean, it's good, but also bad because 1) i suspect a problem elsewhere in my computer, not just the hard drive 2) it soo was making noise and then when i was like "hey, check it out" the problem stopped & the repair people probably think i'm nuts.

also, i had a lesson today that went so amazingly well that, dare-say, it was possibly my best lesson ever. i was really happy how it progressed according to plan and seeing the students "get it" one by one or helping each other. pretty sweet.

apple muffinや

2006-11-27T02:28:00.000+09:00

you can see the apples in the back, i sacrificed one of their friends to make these muffins!

hard drive, again!

2006-11-26T06:54:00.000+09:00

well, i'm having flashbacks to earlier this year when my hard drive started to die. i quickly got my data safe, then didn't keep important things on it. about 1.5 months ago i finally sent it in & got a replacement. i've been using it since with no issues, but today the new drive started to freak on me! it's making grindy-type sounds, which just isn't good for a drive. if you go back to this page it's not a #1 like my old drive, but more like the end part of #2. grr

kyoto

2006-11-08T02:17:00.000+09:00

view as slideshow

money is an issue

2006-09-20T02:28:00.000+09:00

monthly
¥31,950 rent
¥10,000 utilities
¥10,000 internet & cell phone
¥22,000 health insurance
$250 bills back home

one-time
¥38,000 repair camera
¥40,000 borrowed
¥10,000 new bike
¥4,000 visa renewal

grrrrr!

2006-09-07T01:13:00.000+09:00

cool breeze past the window
distant thunder tumbles our way
tired rain that falls
then trickles down buildings

a subtle expression of love
to hold & be held
these nights
are when i miss you most

2006-08-30T17:52:00.000+09:00

こんな時に
どうすればいいか
なに考えばいいか
分からなくても
いいの？

catch up

2006-08-28T04:23:00.000+09:00

last week i was sick, so now that i'm starting to feel better i'd like to use this week to catch up on some things. also, my main lessons have technically finished (although my student & i have some make-up lessons to do), so that will give me more time.

although they're old, here are some pics i recently uploaded. they are from behind my parents' house.

view as slideshow

view as slideshow

yukata festival

2006-08-10T00:51:00.000+09:00

view as slideshow

wow, it's been a while. here are some pics from a festival at 外宮 (gekū) where people wear traditional japanese ゆかた (yukata). Mikako's grandma helped me get dressed. she also said that it looks better if you are slightly fat, so she stuffed my tummy area with towels. huh, ok.

two cute lil わんちゃん

2006-04-08T21:24:00.000+09:00

嶋田家と遊んだ

2006-03-19T22:57:00.000+09:00

computer issues

2006-03-15T00:33:00.000+09:00

i feel that i should also mention something that happened to me 2 nights ago. actually, it started about 2 weeks ago when computer made some really weird sounds. i shut it down, then it was fine. but, late sun night / early mon morning it started to make sounds again. but, this time, it was repeatedly & wouldn't read data from the drive.

i freaked. i have almost 5 years worth of photos on my comp, including those since coming to japan. i didn't have backups of them either. i worked for nearly 6 hours trying to sort it out, & think i might have. my data is safe now, & i won't keep single copies of things on that drive in case it dies for real. scary!

i found this page, & i think my drive was making #1 sounds.

i found some pictures on the internet which i believe fairly acurately depict sun 23:00 ~ mon 6:00 for me.

i made cookies, many many cookies

2006-03-15T00:23:00.000+09:00

White Day

on the right you can see the bags i used to deliver them. 3 each for friends, 10 for families.

餅を撒け！撒け！

2006-03-09T02:44:00.000+09:00

view as slideshow

spring's a comin

2006-03-07T22:31:00.000+09:00

today's wether was the nicest in a long time. according to the weather report, it should continue to be nice all this week. tomorrow my lessons are cancelled, so maybe i'll ride my bike off somewhere for lunch.

new gb song

2006-03-05T02:27:00.000+09:00

peeing outside

2006-02-18T13:56:00.000+09:00

about japan #2, urinating outside. not like, i'm mountain climbing or in a forest and there's no toilet so i'll just go. it's, i'm at work and there's a rice field nearby & somehow i feel more comfortable peeing there, in plain view, than just going to the real toilet.

that's what i saw today on my way back from work.

なんか違うなぁ

2006-02-16T14:29:00.000+09:00

things uniquely japanese

2006-02-16T05:47:00.000+09:00

i've been asked many times what i think about japan, what i like (only once what i don't), but it's so hard to pick stuff like that out of no where. i usually just say stuff like food & the nature, stuff that people really can't refute. i've decided to document, as they come to mind, things that are uniquely japanese (or so i think).

#1 i just ate some chocolate that could have been weeks if not months old. the color had changed to a lighter brown as if it had melted then become solid again or maybe been exposed to moisture. but, one wouldn't think so as there was, packaged along with the small choco squares, a packet of silica gel.

now, of course silica in itself is not special to japan. HOWEVER, the sheer amount in which food companies use silica never ceases to amaze me. and not in a good way. so much packaged food includes at least one of the packets, and it definitely alters the flavor of the food (which scares me). once i got a gift from a student who went to disneyland. it was a large pooh head containing many small cakes shaped like pooh's head. each pooh cake was individually wrapped, and, on top of that, each one was accompanied by a silica packet!

今日の良かったこと

2006-02-13T23:28:00.000+09:00

today i got a sweet valentine's gift from 嶋田家. fusa brought it by, but i wasn't home. when i came back i found it in my room. fusa's dad works for a local dairy company, so they gave me a pack of 山村 brand jars of pudding! there's 3 vanilla & 3 chocolate, each with a layer of whipped cream at the top. it comes with a bundle of shovel spoons & a sharp stick (the blue thing) for prying off the tops. おいしいな。

earlier, i had a bad experience with the town hall people when i tried to file my taxes. frustrated, i went to the main city hall office (actually Ise City Plaza 1F), where everyone was MUCH nicer. i successfully completed the form with much help from 山口さん (random ise person). 良かったな。

tomorrow morning i will begin weekly japanese lessons (Ise City Plaza 2F), while today Yuka & i started regular language exchange meetings. it was really nice to get to know each other more, as before we had only met through mutual friends. also, i think we can really learn a lot from each other since we have similar personalities. 嬉しいな。

2006-02-06T22:43:00.000+09:00

recently it's become quite cold (around freezing), & today it snowed, a lot. i'll try to get some pics if it's still around tomorrow morning. (note: it was already gone the next morning, だから雪の写真取らなかった)

btw, here is a link to my hatsugama vid

2006-01-30T19:51:00.000+09:00

2006-01-27T20:14:00.000+09:00

昨日ふさと私はおもしろいslippersを買いにいったけど、三つの￥１００ショップにはなかった。それをちょっと諦めて、スーパーで夕飯の食材を買って、その当たりでもう一回探した。すっごいあったかくてかっこいいの見つけ買った。千円ぐらいだった。その後、一緒に両親のために夕飯とデザート作った。ディナーはtacosで、デザートはapple crispだったから、とてもおいしかった。みんな嬉しかった。

tacosを食べてた時に両親はちょっとびっくりした。tacosの食べ方が分からなかったからみんなに教えた。でも、お父さんは「えー、手で？」って、お母さんも「えー、手で？」って、ふさだけ手でtacos作った。それから、茶の湯に行った時に、車の中にはふさと私だけだったから、両親の答えについて話した。手でご飯あまり食べないから、おもしろかった。

でも、いつも茶の湯でおもがし食べて、抹茶飲む。今回先生がちっちゃいマンジュウみたいなおもがし買った。私は見て、先の事をぜんぜん考えずにふさに「えー、手で？」聞いた。とてもおもしろかった。

2006-01-18T03:58:00.000+09:00

yesterday i went to the supermarket early in the morning (around 10am, that's early for me on my day off). anyway, i got there at about 9:50, and the parking lot was practically empty. i noticed there were people waiting in their cars, probably waiting for the store to open. i pulled up on my bike, parked, then walked toward the doors to see if they would open. nope.

after this, my story has two interesting points. first, shops in japan have really weird hours. why would a supermarket which closes at 11pm open at 10am? in america, i think the supermarket in my hometown (which is a TINY town) opens at least at 9am, maybe 8am. also, sometimes shops here have weird days off. like, thursdays & mondays are holidays. or only tuesday. sometimes you go there with friends to eat & find you chose the one day they aren't open. i don't get it.

second, after i tested the automatic doors, i turned around and noticed a woman riding toward the bike parking area. she whizzed past to park her bike near mine, then said something to me in japanese. given her hasty parking i didn't catch it at first & asked what she said. she plainly looked at me & asked again. "not open yet?" "i don't think so," i replied.

now, this is significant, and it made me really happy. usually people see me & would rather not talk to me. i've been told (by my japanese friends) it's because people fear having to speak english, but i suspect most of the time it's just xenophobia/racism. this woman not only had the courage to speak to me, but she spoke to me completely assuming i could understand (i.e. didn't treat me like i'm an idiot).

the store opened, then i bought orange juice & went home.

初釜 first tea ceremony of the year

2006-01-14T02:24:00.000+09:00

trip to thailand

2006-01-07T19:01:00.000+09:00

いい犬石印 sweet stone silter stamps

2005-12-05T02:27:00.000+09:00

ほんまのビーウィー

thank you gift

2005-12-01T11:38:00.000+09:00

pictures from fusa's camera:

view as slideshow

pictures from my camera:

view as slideshow

recently i went to kyoto with my friend, fusa, & her parents. linda went, too. as a thank you gift i painted a watercolor picture of one of the photographs i took, and linda & i bought a cake for them as well.

more leaves in gifu

2005-11-21T15:20:00.000+09:00

view as slideshow

紅葉くん autumn leaves

2005-11-15T12:36:00.000+09:00

view as slideshow

here are many pics from a trip to 高野山 (kōyasan). the kanji for this mountain & maro's last name are the same but with different pronunciation.

the apartment

2005-11-10T00:48:00.000+09:00

click on the red arrows below to see a picture from that vantage-point!

またdesert

2005-11-09T14:05:00.000+09:00

today i made special k bars. my mom gave me the recipe. here they are, chillin':

i'm going to give them to my friends.

i have a lot of stringies (party)

2005-11-07T00:14:00.000+09:00

sat was linda's last day of teaching at ges, so that night we had a party to celebrate her liberation & subsequent bright future.

many students & co-workers were there, so it was very exciting. i attempted to make ambrosia/watergate/pistachio salad. i found a recipe online, mixed everything together, & the end result tasted pretty good. typically, the pistachio pudding in the recipe makes the salad green, but i had to make some substitutions (one of which was pistachio pudding) and intentionally colored it green. everyone was really worried / curious about the color, so perhaps a purple or pink would have been better??

i found some sweet gifts for linda—a shirt & some dishes. she liked them.

congratulations, linda

view as slideshow

モクモク moku-moku

2005-10-31T02:23:00.000+09:00

today i went to a farm. i made bread.

so, we headed out and made our way to moku-moku farm. it so reminded me of minnesota because of the open space & farm-style buildings. it was a rather huge place with many things to do. 5 of us went, and we had 2 reservations for making bread & 3 for making sausages. so, as maro, yuka, & fusa aligned themselves on the side of packing chopped meat, masumi & i declared our desire to mix & knead bread.

we went to our building. it was like a bread-making laboratory—many tables, each with the same ingredients & utensils. we were instructed to mix, knead, & hit our bread against the table. finally, we could make a shape & put our bread on the moku-moku bread rack. i made an eel & a squid, while masumi made more conventionally-shaped bread. during our bread's baking, our groups reunited & ate lunch. we were able to go out on these boat type things and row around, which was kinda cool. we picked up our bread & headed home.

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when we got back it was kinda late, but i made a quick dash to mister donut. they give out these cards when you buy ¥300 of donuts, & you can get free dishes!! which are adorned with their adorable PON DE LION character (his mane is a donut, yo!). i mean, how could you turn this down??:

(my translation of the above:
Let's PLAY!
Welcome to Pon de Lion & his friends' savanna.
Let's take a walk through Pon de Lion and his friends' home in nature. Who will we meet, & what might happen??)

so, i bought six donuts to bring my total over ¥600, got the two additional cards i needed, & chose a two (2) salad bowl set. but, they ran out so i have to go back next month & pick them up! that sucks.

same as last week

2005-10-30T00:58:00.000+09:00

exactly one week ago, i pretty much did the same thing as today. me, maro, & a friend of mine hang out, eat dinner, & watch a movie. today we went to margaret's place. thanks for a great time, margaret, love ya!

roommates

2005-10-23T01:08:00.000+09:00

ordered pizza, watched a movie, had some gin&juice, talked about guys

i love mikako

熊野と和歌山 (Kumano & Wakayama)

2005-10-22T02:57:00.001+09:00

view slideshow

quite an interesting week

2005-10-21T15:24:00.000+09:00

last week i met my friend, Fusa. we made some doughnuts at her house, then went to her friend's house & made cake. now Fusa's friend, Masumi, decided to have lessons with me. sweet! btw, those are Fusa's red glasses, not mine.

a-fryin' a-mixin' a-frostin' finished product: we made that!

then, on the weekend i hung out with my friend, Maro. we went mountain climbing & to the baths. then we went to the southern part of Mie Prefecture & into Wakayama Prefecture. we saw some temples & a famous waterfall, then went to the baths. visit 山登り (mountain climin') for all the pics!

on wed i started a new lesson. until now i had a private lesson 3 times a week. now, there is also a group lesson 2 times a week. it's at 8:30 am!! blech.

山登り (mountain climin')

2005-10-18T01:49:00.000+09:00

view as slideshow

mikako's motorcycle

2005-10-13T00:50:00.000+09:00

i told myself i wouldn't post something like this

2005-10-12T01:25:00.000+09:00

today i talked with my ex-boyfriend for the first time in almost 6 months.

we caught up
we miss each other
we belong apart
we realize that

dragonflies at the castle ruins

2005-10-09T19:59:00.000+09:00

2005-10-08T04:53:00.000+09:00

at tamaru castle:

me, ken-chan, & fusa's parents:

friendmap

2005-10-07T15:52:00.000+09:00

2005-10-03T12:22:00.000+09:00

view as slideshow

hey look, it's ise (where i live)!

2005-10-02T01:13:00.000+09:00

today i went to 内宮 (Naikū) with my...friend. under the impression that he was going to be selling some things there, i went with him. but, it turned out that there was an art show for 判子 (stamps) and 掛軸 (wall scrolls). odd even for miscommunication, i know, but the part i got confused was that people could pay money to make their own stone stamps. so, after looking around & people talking to me because i'm a foreigner who is interested in things that even many japanese people couldn't care less about, i made two stamps! one is my name in japanese, the second is a 漢字 (kanji) that i like.

picture 1: MY NAME. Please notice 1) the box of nerds which were conveniently able to prop my stamp up & 2) the roll of apple flavored mentos in the background)

picture 2: a chinese character that i like (quoth my dictionary, "mutual; reciprocal")
i think that character is cool because its meaning is something i value. also, to me, the meaning is reflected in its shape.

互

もう一年間！ (one more year!)

2005-10-01T03:11:00.000+09:00

this is a trial. we'll see how it works form here on out. i'll be here for another year. i got my visa renewed, so i decided to get a web site running again.

this is a trial.