on my mind.

current things on my mind before i go to sleep:

1 : so most of my best friends here are leaving after the first semester. i just found out about them all on the same day, save for Justin, whom i was preparing to lose already.

Justin is a shiny soul, he's someone that cant be replaced so easily, i dont think ever. ive never really met anyone like him who can be so optimistic, almost blindly. but its so refreshing, he is like a fresh breath of air, and is always genki. some of the best adventures i've had in japan have been with and because of him. he's always our planner, deciding what to do for us, so we just follow along and are always splendidly surprized. everytime i do my nails i scratch his head because he has puppy-hair, and its funny when he leans into it, even miud-conversation. i love making jokes around him, or telling him something and it takes him a second then he says "oh wait what was that?" as if his head is always in the clouds, or in some distant happy-land filled with ponies and rainbows. and waffles. i think it's adorable how he runs up to A.J. when they are reunited after maybe an hour of being apart, Justin is just so special. sometimes he says something at random, like when he told sensei he wanted her life in japanese. the look on Ikeda-Sensei's face was priceless. as Jaqui and i had to try and explain what Justin had said, he just sat there smiling. i dont know if he puts on an act sometimes, so we just think he doesnt get things, or not, but Justin, you will sorely be missed.

Mat, i was introduced to Mat by Jacob, and he quickly became someone i cared about. firstly it was nice to meet someone who shared similair understandings of life and the world. it was aawesome to talk about anime, and being republican in the same sentance. he's a good concience for anyone, even though he makes some of the meanest jokes you'd never expect out of a church-goer. he oft tells Te, the chinese girl in our class, that he hates her. because japanese has kanji, and the counting system because of the chinese. Mat is one of those guys that has a pretty face, and a really great personality that will find a good job, marry a beautiful woman and have a happy family that sticks together through the roughest of times. he will be a good friend to all those around him, and his kids will brag about how their dad can "beat your dad up".

Alex started out a shy guy, i didnt think we'd ever hang out, nor did i ever think i could miss him so much in his absence. it's been very interesting to see him come out of his shell more and more, and now its to the point that he just makes synical jokes which seemingly come from thin air.
Lindsey : "it's all your fault Alex!! your faaaace!"
Alex : "i'm sorry my mom just doesnt make good babies"
Alex has become a person that i dont ever want to be without, he's the guy that usually doesnt say much in the group, but when he does its sooo funny. he makes great facial expressions and i will always remember when i got to draw the curly mustache on his face for Halloween, it was so suiting. he's the kind of guy that you know has a deep personality that just takes time to unearth. and now that i have i dont want to see him go.

Jacob was a surprize. i knew Justin was leaving, and i was pretty sure that Obirin would allow Mat and Alex to stay, but Jacob was supposed to be here for a year, its just that he lacks the funds to do so, and america's economy sucks. *ahem*OBAMA*ahem* Jacob was probably the best friend i've had in a long time, at the beginning of the semester we always hung out. it's especially funny because one of the first things he asked me was if i watched "The Office" and all i could think of was how much he reminded me of Kevin. what's awesome about Jacob is he still has this huuuuge inner child in him, but if he has to he does have a great deal more wisdom to him then he lets on, or even knows. i think Jacob has alot of inner quarrels but if he can get over them, he will definately be able to overcome anything and do what he wants. all it takes is the will to want something, then you never give up until you get it. and if you fail, you learn from your mistakes and try again. i feel bad i never finished pokemon with him, but it was so cute that he was entirely addicted to the game. for the rest of my life whenever i see something pokemon (which will be forever, since the damn thing will never end) i will think of the big guy who thinks he's a walrus.

i really dont know how to deal with losing these people yet, i'm generally an untrusting-rather cold bitch in america. i just dont like people. i grew sick of so many shallow shells that i forgot that individuals exsisted. and now that i've been reminded and am looking to the future and when i see them gone, it really slices a piece out of me. being in japan has made me feel alive in some ways i havent for a long time. socially, primarily. but, even when the time comes i wont be saying "farewell". i've learned in my life that most people forget you when they're gone. i've been forgotten by many of my friends in my life, and i've come to accept this fate. when Justin, Mat, Alex and Jacob go home, they'll return to their normal lives, their families and friends. and they may stay in contact with some of us through facebook, but eventually it will fade. which is normal. the diference between them and me, is that this, now, is my normal life. and i will never forget a one of them.

2 : it's cold.

3 : it's very hard to type with these long friggin nails, this thing would normally only take like 7 mins to type but its gone on about 25 now. -_____-;;

4 : i miss David so much... i really hope law school isnt destroying him, and i know he's doing well on his exams. i have so muh faith in him, something ive never had in anything else in my life. not to this extent. i cant wait to see him for christmas, its the best present i could recieve. the only thing better would be if he tied a red ribbon around his neck when i pick him up at Narita, because that'd just be hillarious.

5 : Kaede sounds funny when shes trying to brush her teeth.

6 : Taco is a strange turtle... he still hasnt seemed to have eaten anything, and i cant figure nout his temperature settings. he gets hot and goes in the water when its cold in the room, and he gets cold and stands on the rock under the light when its hot. i try to take care of him but i dont know what the hell he wants. the lil prick.

taco

let me first tell the story about my baby turtle.

so... Saturday i went to Yokohama with A.J, Justin, Alex, and Sakana for a festival. we didnt know what the festival was for, we never know what happens at any given place that the japanese take us. they cant answer questions. when you ask something like, "oh, so what's at this festival?" they tilt their head and give you a look that you'd expect from a newborn who spotted a shiny object. we ask "is there food?" they respond quickly "oh yes!" we think, "oh, so they understand, maybe now they know what we're trying to get at." so we ask again, "what else is at this festival?" and we get the same doe-eyed response.

once we got to the festival, it pretty much was just food. and expensive at that. i bought a waffle full of chocolate pudding first, which was amazings. then Justin bought a steak-on-a-stick as A.J. and i eyeball the "furanku furatas" and wonder if they taste anything like a hot dog. i eventually buy one that has an omellete-like wrapping,. and alternating mayo to ketchup. it was delicious. and five dollars. we pass by many stands selling golden shiny obects on sticks and the japanese students cant really explain what they're for, but we know that they're expensive, and that after a year they will be burned. probably for goodluck or a wish or something of the sort. some had bells....

we buy more food, and then i see it again. the "Giant Tub of Tiny Baby Turtles Swimming for Their Lives Away from Waffle Bowls on Sticks" and my heart melts. i ask if anyone wants a baby turtle, no one does. but omg i wanna try to catch one, because apparently the japanese think that it's hard. and i catch like 4 right off the bat but i did it hastily since i only wanted to keep *one*, and so i only got to keep one. you have to catch 3 to keep 1, 6 to keep 2. so i was glad i broke my waffle-bowl-on-a-stick. so the vendor puts it in a bag, and for the rest of the day, random japanese people will come up to me and tell me "oh how cute!" and "wow!" (in japanese though, of course). i worry about carrying the tiny bag for the first ten minutes until i spot an strawberry-on-stick dip-in-chocolate stand. so i get strawberries on a stick that you get to stick in a chocolate fountain. omdfaoisfoasdf amazing. but while i stuffed my mouth, i asked A.J to hold my turtle. they tell me to name him "Noodle" but i decline. and apparently, in A.J.'s hands is when turtle decides to play dead for the first time. he does this also, when Alex holds him, and then later Me. my turtle is very good at playing dead, and scaring the living daylights out of the foreign students, but eventually, exhausted and dying, i make it home with the baby turtle and some turtle food, toss him (gently) into a plastic thing, pour in some water, and drop the rock i found on the road walking home, feed him, then pass out.

Day One With Turtle

i wake up the next morning, and all he seems to want to do is this >>>
which, he does very well. i've concluded that turtle can do tricks. he can ;

Play Dead
Hide In Shell
Flinch
(and my favourite...)
Stare At Vera As She Sleeps Until She Rolls Over

he also is apparently on a diet, since he hasn't taken any of the food i gave him yet. so i worry, since all he does is sit on the rock, that he's cold. and i read online that they usually require Heat Lamps and carry Salmonilla, so i cant play with him like i once thought i could, as i gazed at him through a plastic baggie full of water that had touched hundreds of baby turtles, just like him. so i turn on my lamp, which, when turned onto *bright* (it has a brightness knobbie thing) creates quite a bit of heat. and then i left it on until i went to bed.


Day Two With Turtle

so it was Monday, and i had school. so i left the light on for him and left for school. i also fed him and changed the water. i had a decent day at school, especially when Linguistics was cancelled *angels sing* but i wasnt prepared for what i found when i got home.

now, i clean my room weekly, sometimes bi-weekly. but this is japan and there isnt room for anything, so my room gets pretty messy after a day or two. and i havent had time to clean for a week or so, so you can picture the state of my room at this very moment. (which makes me think, wow, i could be cleaning it right now instead of typing this long and boring story...)

nevertheless, i come home, set down my things, and look at turtle (who is still un-named at this time) who is no longer in his plastic box. the look of fear on my face is something i wish i had eyes on my fingertips like in Beatlejuice so that i could point them at my face and see my own astonishment. i think i stood there for a good 10 seconds before the shock settled and i began my search. there were so many hiding places on the floor, and a shapely rug, that i quickly threw everything i could onto my bed, without moving from my current position. (which isnt hard considering my room is maybe 6'x12' in its entirety, however, it still looked like a lonely game of Twister) after that was taken care of, i searched my messy desk, which would be his first landing point. and since it was practically full as well, there were only two routes he could have taken. so i check the one to the left first, which is by the trash can and also the messiest side of the table. i carefully lift things, including my rug, hoping i dont step on the 2.5" long shelled reptile.. which i dont. because i cant FIND him. i search and search and then i realize there was a second route. i followed it, and casting aside my snot-rags from my battle against influenza, i find him, huddled in a corner near my bed. "AHA!~" i yell, then i pick his ass up and toss him in the water. he *plops* hard enough to create bubbles, and then i begin my search for a deeper container. i swear at the baby turtle as i am searching throuhg my things for potential Turtle Homes. i had a clear plastic-bag... but i didnt want to get it all turtle-yucky. then i think about emptying one of my host families tiny plastic boxes that was left in my room, but where would i pur the wires? then, i find the perfect host for my Turtle-Punishment. the case from the creepy-solar-powered-head-bobbly-toy i got for a birthday gift from my host family's apartment friends. i tear the plastic off that sucker, which must have been about 7' deep, and literally pour turtle into the new vat. i know he needs more space, but he needs to learn a lesson, and i have to remember to go to the hyaku-en store. i tell him that he doesnt deserve a name yet, and that because of his actions he could go to bed without dinner.


Day Three With Turtle

i've been battling with different name ideas for turtle. i usually like food names, so i thought of Melon (but pronounced mheron, since in im japan). i was told to name him after one of the Ninja Turtles, but i figured that was too cliche. then, when i began to type this entry out the name Tasuki popped into my head. which would be an amazing name, considering Tasuki is a sexy fireweilding fighter in Fushigi Yuugi. but i want turtle to have a cute name. so that when i curse at him, it sounds horrendous.

and then i return to the food. because all pets should be named after food.

and i've now decided on Taco. because taco's are funny and why would you name a turtle after mexican food? do they even have turtles in mexico?

omgwtfbbq!1?

wow, so alot happens but i'm always too tired to type it.

so lets see....

last friday i got to see Kt for the first time in years. it was akward only because we were both in japan o___o she was pretty much the same Kt and we had a good time. i felt bad though since she lives in a small town and i have Machida nearby with so much shoppings. she met Jake, Mat and some of the Japanese girls. i think all we did was talk nonstop and try on boots. then we went to Yakiniku and i think the guy didnt charge us for our beers XD!~ it was deliciousness.

saturday i went with Jake, Ramone, Justin, and A.J. to the Kirin Brewery factory. which they called "Beer Village" we had fun but all anyone was waiting for was the free beer. i got the Stout which was very good, (i just wish i could find it in stores) and bought some omiyage. however, i was sad the tshirt i wanted only came in L and LL so i got what i THOUGHT was a tote bag. WRONG~!! and i didnt open it until AFTER my two large beers, so needless to say it was hillarious when Sensei and the others found out i had bought an apron when i thought it was a bag. and of course A.J. had to tie it on me. *le sigh*

then later; Alex, Kana, Sakiko, and PChan met us in Yokohama at the Landmark Tower, so we did things there. rode a swirly ride which was hella fun, and the huge ferris wheel. which, by the way, is romantic and gorgeous at night. (they have it in alot of animes where the boy confesses his love on it) interesting to see it in person. then we went to the shopping mall Sakiko works in, wandered around, found interesting things and then ate. stole some ice creams from Jake and fed my boyfriend Sakiko. she's so cute :3 A.J. jumped over some steps like the Kaizoku he is, and we went home. i was home alone that night so i ate the curry my host fam made for me, filled the bathtub all on my own (yay!) and made a Kahlua and Milk and relaxed in the tub ^^ havent done that for awhile since in japan they love baths but they dont really drink anything or light candles.... then i slept.

then yesterda, sunday, i met up with Jake, A.J, Ramone and Justin and we went to HaraJuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Jake left before everything. so in HaraJuku we saw like 5 people dressed up, and some cranky japanese mad approached us and guessed off the bat that A.J. was canadian. said he was awesome, then started to talk shit about america, and A.J. was like "uhh well they're all american" pointing to me, Ramone and Justin. but the old fella kept going, saying how we wont let him come to our country and then about how we kill everyone. at that point i was no longer amiused and just walked away. we think he wanted monies but we cant figure out how it would work if he just insulted us?

anywho, the temple was amazing and i took over 40 photos of just the wish blocks. in the japanese temples they always hang these wish blocks, you buy one and fill it out and hang it, and every 3 months or so, they take all the wishes and burn them in a ceremony that makes the wish real. but what was so neat about this place was that there were wishes from every country imaginable. i found german, russian, thai, korean, chinese, japanese, english, french, arabian. it was amazing. and some in english were hillarious, especially ones written by little kids. and many had drawings or lists. i think i might do a project on them, they were particularly inspiring.

then we went to NHK Broadcasting station (Home of Domo-Kun!!!) and it was pretty fun. A.J and i did a dub of an anime together, but i couldnt read the japanese very quickly. it was funny, he played this fat white man who stroked his mustache and i was the Mable the akward and quiet secretary. there were birds and mustache stroking and thats all i remember. then Justin did one (ramone decided he didnt want to join us for the tour) and it was hillarious, he was this little kid that fell from the sky and the second half of his lines he sorta just "domo--nani-------whatever whatever" it was hillllaaarious. then we went to the first Glasses-less 3D movie theatre, which was awesome but hurt your neck, because you had to sit funny to make it work. and the second half was a story with......dundundun... KAIZOKU! it was funny. and ironic. then we went to the store... i wanted the 50$ huge domo soooooooo bad. i still do. but i settled for the tiny one, a washcloth, and a really spiffy lego calendar. which was together 40$ so im still wondering if i shoulda just got the huge domo....

then we met up with ramone and ate at Freshness Burger. which i didnt like as much as Mos Burger and it was hella expensive and small. so we went to Krispy Kreme! and were treated like VIP's, since we wanted 2 dozen donuts. however when we were whisked to the front of the line, they told us we couldnt choose our donuts..... which we later realized.. sucked. since half the donuts we got.. sucked. and they werent fresh. BUT we didnt have to wait forever in line so it wasnt THAT bad. and when we sat down to eat them out on the curb, some random man asked us (in perfect english) if we had any spare donuts. he didnt look like a bum, but it was so random and ballsy that i gave him the plain donut i didnt want, and A.J gave him half of his crueller (which he later regretted)

then we searched for the Oxygen Bar that no longer exsisted... but we saw a man with a monkey! which was interesting...

then we went to the Square Enix store, which was much smaller then anticipated, but awesome none-the-less. and i bought a Cactuar!!! omg ive wanted one for YEARS! ;D! the store was in two sections, the stuffed animals and then the expensive jewelery. and in the jewelery place there was amazing beautiful silver jewelery from all the final fantasies, chrono trigger, kingdom hearts and fullmetal alchemist. they had quite astounding resin models, and the coolest part, was there was a lifesize half-naked sephiroth in the floor under us. he had his one wing and was laying on a bed of glowwy. it was... so... cool...... i will post photos someday.

then we went home. i drank with the host fam, we all got drunk. and watched the new Gundam 00 in japanese. when i woke up this morning i remembered seeing Tieria Erde in a dress.... and thought i dreamt it. since i WAS drunkish. but no.... i remembered it was real and really wanna know wtf was going on? annnnd i decided to skip today because those boys tired me out this weekend. which im now oh-so thankful for. i cleaned alot (which was needed) and started laundry a bit ago.

about half ab hour ago, i went out to the main room to do some drawing (since i have ALOT to finish for christmas >< you people better know how much i loves you! rawr!) but kaede wanted to steal my markers and kept messing me up... which was beyond irritating but she was so cute i couldnt do anything. so she sat in my lap and wanted to see all the colours i had, but i had to be sooo careful because theyre copics.. and expensive... but she was so adamant... but i safely got them away from her, tempting her with chocolate. but then she didnt want the chocolate that took me forever to break apart. so i offered her a Yogurito (her fav) and tried to escape. but no.. she found me. she can open doors now. so the only way i can get her to stop from entering my room is to turn off the light, which she yells "kurai!!!" and runs away. so i go with her to the main room again and decide ill make another kahlua and milk and sit with her for a bit. but as i do so she says that the Yogurito was tasty and she wants another. well i cant, so i tell her "sorry but no". and then she cries. which FINALLY woke up her sleeping parents, since none of the aforementioned things would have taken place had one of them been awake. it was okay though, i'd love to help them out. so as Yusuke woke up, i escaped. and here i am!

bang!

Meet Billy

so.. i woke up this morning and used my towel from last night that was laying on the floor of my newly cleaned room, to wipe the make-up off my face so i would be presentable for breakfast. but when i threw the towel carelessly upon the ground once more, a giant cockroach-thing popped out from under it. it was quite massive, so i didnt really want to squish it for fear that i'd have to clean up a puddle of buggy-ooze, so i grabbed my glass cup from last night's wine and put it over him.

i didnt have time to figure out what to do with him, so i left him there as i hurried off to school. i thought about him in class... i wondered "how long could a buggy live with a glass full of air?" and "i wonder if the sugar from the wine tastes good?" when i got home i was sort of... glad.. to find him alive. it was almost like having a pet. i considered keeping him, and feeding him M'n'M's or Skittles, but then i realized.... he's just a yucky buggy.

so, in honor of him, i named him Billy, after my favourite Power Ranger, then put a piece of paper under his House and carried him off to the Totoro Toilet where i flushed him to his eternal grave.

so may you rest in peace, Dear Billy, and may your family not come to my room seeking revenge.

......

why obama.... whyyyy...

that's a terrible birthday present, if i wanted disappointment i'd take off the pants from a japanese boy <<

damn you Nikko >D

let me first explain the series of events over the past two days.

so, i was going on a trip with some friends, i was just happy that they planned it out and figured out how to get there so that i didnt have to, but i didnt realize how far we were really going until it was too late. so we were going to Nikko, which is like.... far.... and all i knew was that they had onsen and i wanted to go. (the hot springs) since it was a birthday wish, i was all but too glad to attend. SO! first, we ride trains for like, ever, starting from 7.30-like 2 or 3, which was long and drawn out, but we were still okay. (by "we" i mean three friends from school, A.J the Canadian, Jake, and Justin). so, we finally arrive at like 2.30 ish and all the shrines close at 4, so we walk forevers up to the first shrine, which, surprizingly, was the same shrine i fell in love with four years ago when i visited japan, Toshogu Shrine. it was gorgeous, like it was last time, and we ended up spending a few hours there. we also got in line to climb up this 218 stair-rediculousness to get to something unknown, which ended up being a wish box, a bell, a statue of a crane with a fish in its mouth, and a souvinir stand. -____-;; so, i made three wishes. bought my dad and larissa a "have a good marraige!" thing, and we climbed back down the incredibly steep 218 steps.

so we see more pretties, and then decide, "hey! what about the onsen?" so we get on a bus that some very helpful japanese women tell us will only take 17, or 70 minutes (we couldnt tell) and head for the onsen! we climbed that god-damned mountain for over three hours. it was the worst traffic jam i have ever seen in my life. when we came down that same mt. this mornin, it took like 11 minutes. it was hell. we were starving, cold, and didnt know where we were going to sleep, because the bus we were on that night was the LAST ONE until morning. so! we get to our destination, have a celebration dance that we survived (after hours of slowly going mad) and get some food. the food sucked and was overpriced, but it was warm and food-like. so then i leave with Jake, so we can pose as a "couple" and get a room in a hotel that we can later sneak the other two into. however, every-single-hotel was booked. "ippai!" but one hotel night-manager was particularly helpful, until he had to lock the doors at 12 and asked us politely to leave. so we did... and we were prepared to sleep in the toilets at the bus station, when my host family becomes God's Angels and find us a room. it was a shitty hotel, the dirtiest thing i've ever seen in japan. but it was warm, had beds for each of us (seperate thank goodness) and an onsen. an onsen! it wasnt the BEST onsen... but i got an onsen for my birthday! it was so scary when we thought we had to sleep on the cold ground outside, that when we got that room (which, they put us in the T.V. Room) we didnt mind when we chased a half-cricket-half-cockroach thing out of our room. we did it with smiles.

we used the onsen, then passed out. i woke up happy, and thinking "yay! this wasnt so bad afterall!" and we went and saw a couple more sights before ultimately, heading back down the mountain on the bus again, at around 11. now, we went DOWN the mt. at top speed (which felt like a roller coaster because of all the sharp turns) so we thought "hey, we can make it!" however, when we reached the bottom of the mt. , the same friggin traffic jam appeared and all hope was lost. so we get out early so we can get to a 7/11 (which, ironically, is the only place other then a post office that i can use an ATM in japan), and then we walk. we walk forever.... for....ev........er....... to get to the eki (station) so we can go home. we finally make it and ride the train for 3 hours. then another hour. and another.... so i was on trains and buses for a total upwards of 8 hours today. yay.... and i felt really bad about not being able to talk to dad, or David... it sucked.

but... when i got home and found the box David sent me, which my host family said was from my dad originally, my heart melted. it made me so happy i cant even describe. and then my host family took me out to an amazing dinner with live piano music, and they played all my favourite classical melodies, it was amazing. so i got home now, and am about to take a shower and go to bed, and i had to get creative with a vase for the flowers (apparently "budou" is rose in japanese) so i cut the top off of a Matsuya Cider plastic jug and make it work >3 and now they are sitting, gorgeously, upon my desk.

and maybe i will talk about Tokyo Disney when i come home early tomorrow for my nap. because i am friggin tired.

night.

zombie highschool student with a paper hat

so two nights ago i got hit on for the first time in japan by a japanese boy. we were waiting in line to get on the gakuen bus to fuchinobe station and we were being pretty loud (primarily A.J.) and this group of japanese highschool students were watching us, and i think, making fun of us. so i look over and see that... one of them is wearing a paper hat. so i say "we may be baka gaijin (stupid forigners) but atleast we arent wearing paper hats!!!" and so i keep looking over, and eventually the paper hat boy says hello to me in decent english, and says it is his magic hat. and shows me a picture of a zombie he drew, we ask if it is him and he says yes. so he starts trying to talk to me and blushes everytime i look at him, and so i ask if he is a Gundam Pilot, and he freaks out, like im some sort of goddess for knowing what a Gundam is. so we introduce ourselves and get on the bus. he sits first and is relatively far away, but when he sees where i'm sitting, he asks the person behind me to switch with him XD!! so right as we get off the bus, i turn around and wave "baibai!" and he blushes and bows to me. XD

so the first japanese boy to hit on me was a zombie highschool student wearing a paper hat.

yesterday was Lindsey's birthday and we went to Outback Steakhouse in Shibuya. shibuya is insane.. there were so many people that they didnt look like people anymore... more like... obstacles in my path just waiting for my huge american ass to run them off the street. dinner was delicious, it was like being in america for three hours, which is sad because aparently we can only feel like we are in america if we are stuffing our faces in a fat-ass restaurante. Lindsey and i went to the ladies room and were hugging and admiring how awesome of a lesbian couple we look like, when a japanese woman came in the bathroom XD we giggled like schoolgirls and ran out, right as Emily walked by us like "double-you-tee-eff mate?" the whole night was fun until kareoke was a million dollars. but our room DID have astro dolphins and a jellyfish city named "kareoke land". today i think im sleeping... and..... sleeping. yea.

10 - Pas Si Simple

peh.

i realize more and more that i'm more of an outcast here as well. i hang out with alot of people but really, i think im akward. it's been awhile for me to be around so many people, and it's rather overwhelming. i usually am a people hater, but everyone here is so interesting, so all i want to do is spend time with everyone, but it's still strange for me hah.. i miss being able to hang out with some of the best friends i made here. (for various reasons)

i downloaded the Amelie soundtrack, i missed it so much. it reminds me of all the happiest things ever! that movie is so cute.

another thing that bothers me a bit, is alot of people's mom's are like, really into facebook and checking on their kids. it makes me jealous XD;; just makes me think about sad things i really would rather not type here. but, i have discovered that finding jewelry stores in japan is difficult.

i dunno, i just think i've been thinking about alot of serious things because partly, i've more time now that i am in level 1, and also learning more about the people here.

i am also sad that i am going to miss my father's wedding, i really love Larissa, his fiancee. i only got to spend a few weeks with her before i came to japan, but im so happy my father finally has a woman who can treat him like a human being ^^; he really doesnt know how to handle it though and its hella cute.


seiuchi!

lol--- great timing

hyundai

just saw a hyundai commercial where they had three cars leaning on their sides and dancing as the music played "BE MY BABY BE MY BABY BE MY BABY!"

...and then a commercial with a black man screaming in japanese at two different cup-of-noodles in the middle of a grochery store isle...

naked man made my day

i felt like a loser today... until i came home and turned on the news~~ and saw a fat-bald naked japanese man holding a stick and a brick.... apparently they tried to restrain him but he raised his brick at the policemen with their batons... then he slipped and fell into a lake... swam over to some fisherman and splashed them. he swam after them when they were trying to row away from him... so he climbed out of the water.. and chased some buisness-men who ran like school girls. so he sorta just.. kept being naked since no one wanted to get close to him XD;;;

gundam pilot!

so sunday was the BBQ at Jake's place, which was hella fun even though getting to his place is a jfs;dohfga;woinge hike. so my legs STILL hurt <<>3 !! it was great though, his otousan kept saying "alohaaa" and wanting me to dance with him, it was hillarious. however, both Jake's "indian brother" and the "indian brother"'s friend told me to lose weight << buuut Jacob was funny after some osake and thought he was a walrus for about an hour. that was REAL amusement, almost as good as when he rode A.J.'s new bike today and looked like a bear on a tricycle. XD!!!

today i went to machida with A.J. (since Mat and Jacob bailed!!) and we had a blast. we got our A.Reg cards AND our insurance (woot!) and then he ate a grease-burger and gave me some french fries. on the way to the Cat's Eye for some much needed Gundam! (omg, yes. i AM a gundam pilot now! i even have the plastic card to prove it >D !!!!) and we passed by a Claire's that had some hollows eve stuff, and i bought some angel wings (yasui!) so i have a nice cheap costume for the holiday.

so A.J. spent 1000 yen on a grabber-game to win some pocky, which he finally got lol. and we played taiko, and we turned him into a gundam pilot! yaaaay A.J.!! then on the way home the train was hella late so i was late for dinner and Yusuke mssged me that he was sad because he was hungry, but i told him to eat without me and he got all happy, it was hillarious. then he asked me about "Billy Boot-Camp" which i did not comprehend at the time, until he put in an american Tae-Bo dvd and proceded to tell me that "Billy" was gonna get him in shape. so i got up and did tae bo with him, and outdid him XD even though he's all buff-like, and Miho AND Kaede joined in. it was hilllaaarious.

then i showed them my wings, and Yusuke took a photo of me on his keitei, and now i want to sleep... x___X

is japan heaven?

so i was just watching a japanese drama about two men fighting over another man with a mullet. because they wanted to have a "partnership" in comedy, and when one asked him to "partner" him it was like a proposal, except.. not for a relationship XD;; so today i made gyoza! i got the hang of folding it pretty fast ^^ its super easy. and oishi! i went shopping and got some killer real leather boots and some clothes, so i can look cuter and more nihongo~~

last night i went out to drink with Miho and two apartment friends for a "Girls night Out" it was an awesome place in machida near the odakyu station, we ate and ate and drank and drank, and the bill for the four of us was 23900. i figured it would be so high so i was prepared, but Miho wouldnt let me pay! she said i was a "gakusei" and she was a "buisness woman". thank you Miho! we had some fun conversations last night and i ordered a rediculously good tasting sake, that they served to me in a glass inside a clear cube thing. it was interesting.

i seem to be drinking and eating terribly here but im losing weight, is japan heaven?

kids shows

so i've been watching childrens shows this morning since i really didnt want to leave my bed, and i've come to the conclusion that childrens shows dont get any money XD; unlike the gameshows, which are all lights and crazy shiny things. the first show was like, the backyard version of sesame street. first i was delighted with a floating head of a japanese man on a green background which repeated " Ni Ni Ni Ni~~ NUNUNUNUNUNUNUNU.. Me..... Me.... Me...... PAN~!!!!" i was amused. but then, instead of muppets, they had a paper cup turned upside down with faces drawn on it. he rode a bus. and now is some form of childrens power rangers, except they only wear coloured spandex with a pokey thing coming out of their heads, and the bad-guy wears a ronin outfit made of cardboard and painted black, with a red grass skirt around his neck.... i think it's because they spent their entire budget on the main characters suit, since its like a giant... alien thing.. that will most definately give me nightmares......

wara wara

so wara wara was awesome XD go read Jacob's blog to learn all about it. thanks for doing all the work Jacob! ;D it was a good time, even though the booze is lightweight, its delicious (orenji!!) and i apparently have an Okinawan boyfriend now. lol XD sorry Kelly!

so yesterday i slept in till like 2, and then woke up and we went to machida, there was a taiko festival which Marissa got nice photos of (thanks! i forgot my camera!) and i got a keitai!! omfg so nice to have a phone! even though no one esle does XD but you can get phones without the AR card at softbank and their "free" phones with plan are hella nice!! and come in like 9 colours XD i can watch tv with mine! then my host family bought my a japanese-english dictionary! its awesome but its all kanji >< i need hirigana! so i dunno what to do about that.

then last night they had a party at a friends house to welcome me to Japan and to meet their friends, we had osake and awesome foods. i was so happy that i actually could understand the majority of what they were talking about, even though i dont really know the words. it wasnt until i had a few more drinks that it became impossible. so i slept till 9.30 today, and got to call dad with skype. and finally got to hear from my bf.

so i am happy.

Vie de France

so i got sick of waiting at machida station this morning and decided that i needed to buy french food. so i went to Vie de France, right by the station, so you walk in and grab a tray and prongs and pick out things from the shelves you want to eat. there were sandwiches and buns and rolls, they all looked amazing, but i ended up with Melon Bread (which i love, and Sam you do too!), a salad-thing, and this omfgsogood bacon/egg/mushroom/cheese on foccacia bread-thing. jsdafhawo;eifa go get one! oh! and a mango juice ;D

Mamasan Grand Prix

so they get four mothers on a gameshow and they have to answer things "mothers should know".

Challenge One :
the mothers have to choose between which washing machine is correctly loaded, machine A was packed full and has liquid soap on "Speed Setting" , and machine B has a light load, with powdered soap put right in, and on slow setting. the youngest mother chose B and the three older chose A. the younget won, surprize!

Challenge Two :
the mothers have to choose between which kitchen is worse. kitchen A
had photos all over the fridge and was packed full. kitch B's fridge was in front of a window. the youngest mother chose B and the other three chose A, but it was A!

Challenge Three :
now they have to choose which rice tastes best. A, rice made with an Induction Heating rice cooker, or B an old fashioned rice cooker. the mothers were split again and the youngest lost.. again.

annnnd i cant remember the final challenge.. but the whole affair was hillarious.

wrong button...

yesterday when i used the restroom at the CIS (center for international studies) building, i thought the flush button was this huge green button on the wall, and it sounded an alarm... it was the emergency call-button.... i didnt know what to do so i kinda walked away and didnt tell anyone XD;; it was green though! usually something like an emergency button would be red...

also, last night Yusuke wanted to try the cognac i brought for him, since he never had before. i barely poured him a single and it went straight to him XD japanese really cant hold their liquor. he said i must be "strong drinker" hahahaha. so after he finished it he made me a drink with a peach schnapps kinda stuff and orange juice, it was super sweet but soo good. and because he was a tad tipsy from the barely-a-shot of cognac, he decided he was going to take me around the building and show me where the gym was. it was so funny, we took Kaede and i saw all the stuff the apartment building has. theres a convinience store on the first floor, its awesome.

today was alot of walking. im tired and we begin testing tomorrow. blah.

first day!

well its 4.30 in the morning and there is alot to recap. this will probably be mundane to most but its more of a record for myself than anything.

so it was a long day, and my throat never got better, my voice is still funky and i'm putting all my energy into not getting sick, even though i think i might be. i got rediculously lucky with the plane, i had a window seat and the seat next to me was empty. moving the bags was troublesome but i still had less then other students. i had alot of fun with the UH students on the bus ride, and trying to use our phone cards. some tried to stick their student cards in the machines, we had no clue. then everyone bought tasty drinks from the vending machine and we drove to machida.

the school is gorgeous, its very fancy, and shiny. but right when i found out we could use the office phone to call home, i got dad's machine. and right as i was going to call larisa's phone, my host family arrived. they are awesome. sorry dad! they already have asked me to be on first-name basis, it is Yusuke, Miho, and their daughter Kaede. oh and the dog is a schnauzer named Moko (fuzzy) and is shaved like a poodle. its interesting because they have a cage thing for it, like a baby-pen, and he has a kitty-litter box-thing. Kaede is adorable, and both Yusuke and Miho are very kind, and funny. they were excited to find out i play video games and watch anime, because they both do so. they have their manga collection here in my room actually. between their "small" english and my "skooshi" nihongo, we get the job done. and i'm picking it up really fast.

now, for interesting specs about the apartment. its a brand-new apartment, and is a nice size. i am so very glad that they don't hang their cloths out to dry like 90% of japanese, their washing machine both washes and dries... you put in clothes, and soap, and then you can either Wash, Wash-to-Dry, or Dry. so it will automatically wash and dry your clothes..... its amazing. the bathroom is high tech, and thank god the toilet is 12" from my door, because the plane food got to me. they bought me a brand new futon, and for dad its not like american futon, its a foldable cushion for the floor. and its amazingly comfortable. i have my own air conditioner/heater, and it doesnt make a sound. my biggest problem, is that the closet is like.. 14" wide... and only has one shelf and a few hangers... so i have to get creative with how i unpack. but i have a mini flat screen tv, (like 11 inches) a cd player and a nice little table for working.

we already went and got my commuter pass, for 6 months so i'm good. and they are showing me how to go to school in the morning, and even made a stop to buy me corn flakes last night XD!!

well, im rested-enough, and going to try to move things around a bit for the next hour and a half before breakfast, the jet-lag is rediculous, but i think after two nights or so i'll be fine.

oh and dad, they've never tried cognac! so i am excited, they were very pleased as well. and they have these wine cooler things here that come in cans, and in pretty much any flavour you can imagine, i had the choice of Pineapple, Peach or White Grape tonight. i had pineapple and it was sugoi desu ne!

i think the last thing is to go over the rules they set, it's all really just common sense.
- dont be too noisy
- the last train home is at 10:55, if i ever stay out later-call in advance, and take a taxi home. if there is an emergency, call their cell and they will drive to get me.
- when leaving the house, make sure-basically everything- is off, including the gas stove.
- they take their showers at night too.. so we're gonna do a switch thingie, every other night i get to shower. but since they arrive home so late from work, i think ill take my shower around 7:30 or so, which is fine for me.
- oh and i got a key.

its amazing, they get up every day at about 5:30, and work till 7:30. eat dinner at 8, and get to bed around 11 or 12. and Kaede does the same, she goes to nursery all day. but they are very kind and fun, and hardworking. i got to see a cell-phone program Yusuke created, its for reading stocks. and Miho's brother worked on animating Pokemon! XD!

i'll be able to get a cell phone next week, but till then my skype name is : Halcyione, and i can get online pretty much anytime im at the apartment, and i find out about the school wifi today.

well, sorry for the rediculously long post, but its been a rediculously long day, and i already feel better. the thing in my throat has subsided a tad, and my tummy isnt crying anymore.

so, i love you Dad! and David! Larisa and Chap!

gambate ne!

realization

i've found that i was linked to on another oberlin students website. this is exciting for me XD someone out there actually pays attention! i say this because i know for a fact no one is going to read this blog. im sorta doing it for myself, atleast. so i have a written record of my trip, and hell, i can type faster then i can write and i lose everything i write on.

so.

im a level one japanese student which is scary because 97% of the students in oberlin (that i know of) are higher then me XD;; so imma be acting out alot, and drawing pictures.. good thing im an art student :3

i was invited to play ddr though! that makes me happeh, and theres a drinking party planned at a funny-named place "Wara-Wara!" so it'll be fun. i'm hoping to have some fun. even though i'm realizing that im leaving now. it fiiiiinally set in, and i dunno, its--interesting. i'm actually going to miss Hawaii! im surprized. and the puppy... hes so cute ;____; even tho he poops in front of my door every night...

packings!

packing---packing------packing. i have alot of laundry to do. i dont think my problem is space, i think the issue at hand is weight XD;; i'm a little worried, but we shall see.

the blog is designed now, simple but i like it, and thats all that matters really lol.

monday is the big day! hear from me soon!

ja ne!

designing!

i will be making a better looking page soon, design takes time!