child devil of tuna

I must be going ever so slightly insane. Maybe I need a shrink. Or a good vacation. Possibly both? The last week or so of my life in a nutshell:

New Apartment: is da BOMB! I'm so happy about this one! Absolutely blows my Harima apartment out of the water.
The Pug (Ask me about the reference, I'm trying to cover my tracks): has bombed the personality test. He has the social skills of a rock and the charm of a small scaly lizard. Tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he's already offended me numerous times. Oh well, must continue to be nice; I've endured worse.
New Irish JETs in Kuwana and Yokkaichi: are really really cool. Yokatta! (rough translation: "Whew! Thank God!") But in order for there to be positions make available to new JETs,
Old JETs have to leave. Booo. I will miss you so much Natalie!
Days spent in the office: are a complete waste of time. I'm so bored.
The Ishi Dori Matsuri (Kuwana's annual festival, known as the noisiest festival in Japan): was super-cool! I have never had so much fun doing something so Japanese! And wearing a yukata makes it all so much more fun! Pictures forthcoming (I promise! I somehow managed to take about 140 in one night!).
Tako Yaki: Highly underrated festival food of choice. Mmmmm, octopus balls...
The DaVinci Code: Good but not THAT good. Entertaining enough. A book like that would cause such a ruckus in a closet-Puritan country like America.
Twenty-Four (season 2): Such flag-waving patriotic propaganda! But I did like subtle subversive ideas. I won't include any spoilers. It's worth watching if there's a video store nearby and you're really bored. Oh wait, that sounds a lot like my life in Japan...

Currently reading: Isabel Allende - Daughter of Fortune
Currently playing: Less than Jake - Welcome to the New South

posted by Grace @ 7/29/2004 06:35:00 PM 0 comments

I'm moving in about two hours and this might be the last chance to post before I have to go and find a new internet connection.  Ah, the joys of procrastination.  Goodbye, crappy little apartment in Harima.  Hello beautiful spacious new place in Masuo!

Currently reading:  Dan Brown - The DaVinci Code
Currently playing:  Limp - Strut

posted by Grace @ 7/25/2004 03:50:00 PM 0 comments

School is OUT for the summer!  I can't tell you how happy I am!  In light of my new-found happiness, I will dedicate this entry to things about Japan that I like, especially since most of you are convinced that all I can do is complain about Japan.  No, I really do like it here--otherwise, I wouldn't stay another 12 months--and while I do miss the good ol' west, the Land of the Rising Sun has stuff to offer that America just can't provide.

* Cocktails and beer are the SAME price.  No discrimination against girly beverages.
* Punctual trains and buses.  Never be late again!
* Tacky shoes.  I love tacky shoes and I can get away with it here!
* Chicken kara-age.  Kind of like a chicken nugget, but made of UNprocessed meat.
* Safety.  I carried $1500 in cash around with me yesterday so that I could pay my travel agent after work.  Never once did I feel unsafe. 
* Snow.  Awesome snow and wicked powder during the winter.  As a Southern Californian, I couldn't ask for better boarding conditions.
* Okinawa.  Like Hawaii, but much less crowded, and cheaper to get to.
* Fesitvals.  Fireworks, food, music, yukatas, and basically the only time where you just MIGHT see Japanese people acting uncharacteristically rambunctious!
* Location location location.  Ideally situated so that the entire Asian continent is practically at my doorstep.  Added bonus: Nagoya International Airport is less than an hour away.
* Keitai (aka cell phone).  Automatically raises your "social leper" status.
* Fresh produce.  Despite costing an arm and a leg (two days ago, I bought three peaches for about $7), fruits and veggies here taste good and are hardly ever bruised or moldy or squishy.
* Japanese "western-style"  bakeries. 
* Convenient stores.  They are truly convenient.  You can pay your bills at them, buy food/snacks/groceries, buy event tickets, purchase DVDs...
* Ladies' night at the movies.  Half price for women every Wednesday.  Sometimes gender inequality works in the women's favor.
* Shopping.  Stuff is usually expensive, but the sales make everything worthwhile.
* My local video store.  Kept me sane all these months. 
* Beautiful rivers and beaches.  Often deserted and usually clean and highly swimmable. 
* Onsens.  Where it is perfectly acceptable to get naked with strangers and sit in nice hot water together.  A nice way to escape (albeit only temporarily) the winter freeze. 
* The "good" student.  One out of every 600 students will actually be interested in you and your country.  They actually pay attention in class.  They will actually participate in discussions.  They will NOT hate learning English.  It makes me feel like the 50 minutes I just spent talking at a bunch of sleeping students was worth it.
* The "JET collectors" (aka Japanese people who love to hang out with Westerners).  They're the Japanese people who take you on fun road trips, who bring you to cool bars/restaurants/clubs, help you move furniture, dress you up in antique kimonos, and generally make your stay in Japan highly worthwhile and easier to deal with.
* Other JETs and foreigners.  I've met some really amazing people.  Good thing they're all staying here with me for the long haul!

Moshi moshi?  Me and Jenny G.

posted by Grace @ 7/21/2004 07:11:00 PM 0 comments

Time keeps on slipping, slipping...
 
I officially started this blog on April 7, 2003 and this is my 134th post.  My how much time I've wasted on this thing.  And in commemoration of all that time wasted, I spent two additional hours giving my blog a total makeover. 
 
New and improved links section coming soon.  New and improved website coming soon as well (yes, I'm shamelessly plugging my currently-in-the-works tribute to myself!).  New and improved, uh, whatever.  I'm done reporting my updates.  I need for school to end, like, NOW because I'm tired of teaching in this ungodly heat. 
 
Currently reading:  Mario Puzo - The Last Don
Currently playing:  Eve6 - Open Road Song

posted by Grace @ 7/15/2004 06:50:00 PM 0 comments

Disclaimer: This is going to be the mother of all posts and most of the ensuing garbly-gook probably doesn’t even apply to you. I’m just airing out some dirty laundry.

For the last couple of months, I’ve been a total stress case. I’ve been on the verge of a mental meltdown, something I haven’t had to deal with since that honors-thesis-finals-lab-presentation-PSP crunch that I put myself through over a year ago. But unlike that time, I haven’t been able to pinpoint what the cause of my anxiety was and it was driving me nuts that I couldn’t sleep at night, that I woke up in the middle of the night grinding my teeth, that I was so apathetic about my job. A general displeasure with my life here planted thoughts of breeching my contract and leaving Japan in my head and while I never seriously considered that an option, I did go through my first ever bout with homesickness in 23 years.

Some of you know this and I am grateful that you have been so patient with me. Most of you didn’t know this, but don’t worry. It’s not because you’re oblivious or inconsiderate or unsympathetic. It’s because I don’t like to trouble people with my problems and despite whatever is festering inside of me, I tend to greet the world with a smile and a “Fine thank you, and you?” I’m a firm believer in sorting out my own problems but it’s not always so easy, as I have discovered recently.

I think that I’m a nice person. Some people have told me that I’m nice to the point where it’s almost a flaw. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and I like to think that if people behave badly/rudely/stupidly that they must have a good reason. Because I would never act maliciously out of jealousy or anger, I expect people to do the same. However, I’ve learned that that’s not always the case and people are perfectly capable of doing what I consider practically impossible and I am no longer going to make excuses to myself to justify their actions.

People who don’t know me well assume me to be naïve and innocent, to need their guidance, or worst of all, to need to be fed half-chewed versions of the truth because maybe I can’t handle the whole story. To those who think this of me: I don’t need insincere sympathy nor do I need false affirmations as to what you may or may not believe is my strength of character. Don’t tell me what you think I need to hear or make promises you have no intentions to keep because in all honestly, it’s patronizing and I believe that being genuine and forthright shows me the respect that I know I deserve.

I’ve done a lot of thinking this weekend and I know who it is that I can trust, that I can depend on to provide support, and that I know will give me real advice as opposed to just telling me what I want to hear. I also know that in recent weeks, I’ve met some amazing people; I have had the opportunity to hang out with some great potentials who I hope in time will become great friends as well. I’m optimistic again. I’ve unloaded a lot of this metaphorical weight that’s been dragging me down and while I’m still a little nervous about all of the change that’s going on as the JET community goes through a complete facelift, I feel more prepared to take it on since I’ve finally sorted out and organized some of the mental/emotional crap that’s been polluting my mind.

Now if only the mess in my apartment would organize and sort itself out…

posted by Grace @ 7/12/2004 04:16:00 AM 0 comments

How is it possible that a country that can be this HOT in the summer be so dang COLD in the winter? Like so many other things, the climate here boggles my mind.

Lately my life has been full of melodrama, courtesy of the craziness of the people around me as well as my own wine-induced idiocy. So as if emotional drama weren't enough, I decided to go see a Japanese dentist last weekend. If you know me, you know that there's nothing in the world I hate more than dentists. Aside from maybe public speaking or something, but I digress. For the FIRST TIME EVER, it was good news. This dentist assured me that there was nothing wrong with me, except for maybe that I'm a paranoid hypochondriac that loves to diagnose herself and expect the worst in all cases. He took an x-ray of the problem area and found nothing wrong, but I insisted that there must be something wrong and made him double-check his work. How's that for annoying patient? He was so patient and nice and reassuring. All qualities that one would value in a medical practitioner of any kind. My dentist back home was a mean nasty old man who had zero people skills and always made those tsk-tsk sounds while shaking his head. Like, what's that supposed to mean anyway?? While this Japanese dentist gave me a glimpse into the wonderful world of shinsetsu-na dentists, I can still say that I still don't like getting my teeth checked. I'd rather go to the doctor and get 10 shots. Seriously. Which reminds me, I'd better get going. I have a date with Oral B floss and Listerine. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but superstrong antiseptic mouthwash may keep the dentist at bay...

And this is just too cool(?). Swiss Army finds a way to wed computer geekiness with resourceful practicality. Now that takes creativity.

posted by Grace @ 7/07/2004 06:23:00 AM 0 comments