no time to write.... so damn busy... can't get over my cold because I am out so much... what a great way to live!
Top 10 ways to celebrate one's birthday
10. Make sure to do it in another country where no one knows the time difference. That way you can celebrate it for 2, 3 or even four days because emails start early and end late!
9. Play with sick kids at elementary school and make sure your sickness gets worse
8. Same sick kids play a song for you on their recorders after you've finished teaching.
7. Get hit by a car on your way home from work
6. Make Latkes for your friends and introduce them to Chanukah even though it's the following week. Learn how to make apple sauce and serve that also.
5. Receiving a card from the grandparents ON the day.... prefect timing... though I loved all of the cards I got, even the early ones!
4. Miss the last day of school because you STILL can't get over your cold
3. Go to your favorite restaurant and have a spectacle made of you
2. Receive a birthday cactus from said (Mexican) restaurant
1. Have the most amazing meal with friends two night in a row... thank you for such a warm time despite its being so damn cold!
And with that.... the big picture at the top explains it all. Leaving in 5 hours to the airport.... to Myanmar for 12 days, Bangkok for 2 days... Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a huge shout out to my brother Jake for his birthday, my Grandma Lily for her birthday, and my grandparents, Grandma Pooh (like the warm cuddly bear..) and Saba on their anniversary!
See you soon.. next year!
2008-12-16
Still day one, from Kyoto, but at night
This is actually from night of day one... Kiyomizudera (清水寺) under Night Illumination. there were SO many people. And my old camera had a hard time taking night shots. But I tried, enjoy. Reut, I still haven't give you that shout out... it will be soon!
Crowds lined the street forever... traffic was a disaster and so was the standard Japanese organizational scheme. But new organizational methods specifically tailored for this situation were found and they actually managed to control the masses!
Some colorful momiji (もみじ) with bright lights shining from below
A famous structure at this temple complex
Kyoto skyline... that is Kyoto tower to the left and the blue beam on the right was a special spotlight that enhances (or is supposed to enhance) the spectacle which is Naito-Iruminaishon (ナイート イルミネイーション)
I thought this tree looked like a dragon.
The famous temple on the left, raised up rather high... and built with no nails, so it goes. Someone is taking a picture of me taking a picture. What this picture doesn't tell you is that it was PACKED on the picture-taking platform... I was squeezed from every direction- of course this means that I pushed further to get into the madness more. I won't write about the fight I nearly got into with a "tough-guy" who wanted to show the foreigner that he was tough. I just told him in the best SoCal slang I could to, "Stop being a fool, dude." I think that confused him enough to let me escape!
Not upside down... a picture of a reflection pool at the end of the temple stroll. AMAZING. My camera really sucks too because this was gorgeous
Crowds lined the street forever... traffic was a disaster and so was the standard Japanese organizational scheme. But new organizational methods specifically tailored for this situation were found and they actually managed to control the masses!
Some colorful momiji (もみじ) with bright lights shining from below
A famous structure at this temple complex
Kyoto skyline... that is Kyoto tower to the left and the blue beam on the right was a special spotlight that enhances (or is supposed to enhance) the spectacle which is Naito-Iruminaishon (ナイート イルミネイーション)
I thought this tree looked like a dragon.
The famous temple on the left, raised up rather high... and built with no nails, so it goes. Someone is taking a picture of me taking a picture. What this picture doesn't tell you is that it was PACKED on the picture-taking platform... I was squeezed from every direction- of course this means that I pushed further to get into the madness more. I won't write about the fight I nearly got into with a "tough-guy" who wanted to show the foreigner that he was tough. I just told him in the best SoCal slang I could to, "Stop being a fool, dude." I think that confused him enough to let me escape!
Not upside down... a picture of a reflection pool at the end of the temple stroll. AMAZING. My camera really sucks too because this was gorgeous2008-12-11
more from Kyoto （京都）
Here are some more shots from the old capital of Japan (before the Emperor moved it to Edo [Tokyo] in the 1860s....)
This group of 15 is from the Takao (高雄) district, a bit north of the city. I went there directly after Arashiyama Park （嵐山公園）。
Lots of colors
Close-up colors
Huge trees (very old!) against a blue sky! My favorite...
Kiyotaki River (清滝川）cuts the town from Jingoji (神護寺), making the temple feel hidden.
Takao bridge (高雄橋)
Nice place to take a break for expensive tea~!
Another angle of the area...
Momiji (もみじ) against huge Japanese pine trees, known as Matsu-no-ki (松ノ木)
The sun peaked in and out from its cloudy hiding spot all day... at Jingoji, I finally got some nice "sunny" pictures! It took nearly all day.
Lots of leaves in the trees. Lots of leaves on the ground also.
I really liked this tree. It is like a red sandwich... with the canopy and understory blanketed in crimson.
You pay 100 yen and get two small porcelain discs. Then you cast them... over the railing into a canyon. I later walked near the area into which people throw these bad boys. It must be a bit further back because I never heard anything crashing into the trees. When you throw a disc it is supposed to carry your bad "stuff" with it- feelings, emotional baggage, etc.
Some leaves, on the way back down the stairs... A fiery tree against the sky ocean.
A momiji leaf has fallen and it is taking a bath... it was a nice hour-long walk through the woods from Jingoji to the bus stop. Almost the end of day one...
This group of 15 is from the Takao (高雄) district, a bit north of the city. I went there directly after Arashiyama Park （嵐山公園）。
Lots of colors
Close-up colors
Huge trees (very old!) against a blue sky! My favorite...
Kiyotaki River (清滝川）cuts the town from Jingoji (神護寺), making the temple feel hidden.
Takao bridge (高雄橋)
Nice place to take a break for expensive tea~!
Another angle of the area...
Momiji (もみじ) against huge Japanese pine trees, known as Matsu-no-ki (松ノ木)
The sun peaked in and out from its cloudy hiding spot all day... at Jingoji, I finally got some nice "sunny" pictures! It took nearly all day.
Lots of leaves in the trees. Lots of leaves on the ground also.
I really liked this tree. It is like a red sandwich... with the canopy and understory blanketed in crimson.
You pay 100 yen and get two small porcelain discs. Then you cast them... over the railing into a canyon. I later walked near the area into which people throw these bad boys. It must be a bit further back because I never heard anything crashing into the trees. When you throw a disc it is supposed to carry your bad "stuff" with it- feelings, emotional baggage, etc.
Some leaves, on the way back down the stairs... A fiery tree against the sky ocean.
A momiji leaf has fallen and it is taking a bath... it was a nice hour-long walk through the woods from Jingoji to the bus stop. Almost the end of day one...
2008-12-06
posting continues...
And it continues... I can't keep track of it any more
We had the end-of-the-year office party last night. Awesome. Karaoke, sake-bombs, onsen (温泉), late-night drunken ramen (ラーメン) and gyoza (ギョーザ). Though the tour went on during Saturday also, I came home early with three other teachers and we hit a blizzard on the way home! In Kyushu of all places! So much snow. It continued to snow while I called a Jr. High teacher to inquire about the annual school marathon... it was still on. So, slightly hungover and tired and cold I biked in the snow 30 minutes to school... on my day off. I said hello to a lot of students who were a helluva lot colder than I was. And then... I got the bright idea to run with them! They were almost done with the 20-person relay (each person ran 2km) so I thought i would go for it too. Idiot!
I stripped off a couple of layers and went at it. Quickly I realized that it was fucking nuts to have a marathon in these conditions. I seconded myself by adding that everyone had problems because they decided to go through with this... and as I was running along, losing feeling in my hands and face, while snow caked itself to my fleece, I realized that I was the one with the most serious problems! I was torturing myself... and you know what? It was fucking awesome.
When I came back around to the school, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker that I was on the final approach... and dozens of students stuck out their hands for the high fives as I passed. And they cheered me on. When I rounded the final corner, the biggest troublemaker in the school grabbed my hand and helped pull me to the finish line. What a gentleman! I decided to dive to the ground on the finish line and I got muddy in the process. Again, totally worth it. I can't wait to see the pictures. Teachers smiled and helped me along too and it was a great fun. On my list of things to do when hungover, I never though that run 2km in the snow would top it!
I learned last March, at the other junior high, that I should go my own pace. So, I was jogging a bit slower and it was for the better. I still felt like hell for about 20 minutes in the teachers room while everyone was congratulating me for running. While doing this, they offered me countless bowls of soupy goodness (Butajiru)... but there was no way I was going to stomach any of it. One teacher gave me an orange and that was perfect. I wished everyone I saw a happy new year because I won't see them for another 5 weeks. And it was a great morning...
Tonight was another end-of-the-year party... but it actually was the beginning-of-the-season party... for the Kurume Champion Ski Club (クルメチャンピョンスキークラーブ). After all, we got snow now, baby! While greeting familiar faces from last year, eventually it got passed to me that there IS an entry fee to the club. I hesitated at first, thinking that maybe I could just ignore it.... but I remembered the great times last year and felt rather privileged to pay the fee... after all, we rode together all last season! And it is a good group of which to be a member. So, I paid it. Minutes later I was forced to stand up in a room of 20 Japanese folks and make an impromptu speech about... well, the team. So, I did... in Japanese... (with the help of Naoko.) Furthermore, we had a laugh afterwards- two years ago I couldn't tell you Japanese from Swahili and just then I made a speech (albeit short) in Japanese, about the team, my experience last year and the that I was looking forward to this year. Fuck. Wow. I blacked out during the speech but apparently it turned out fine because I got a loud ovation afterwards!
Anyways, I am the first foreigner who has joined the team... so the roster will forever have some katakana (カタカナ) characters (reading: デービッド ストリッチ) or perhaps my eventual Kanji (漢字) name. I figure that I should stick with the katakana though... after all, I am not Japanese.
Now-- to sleep and then that silly Japanese test tomorrow. I hope I pass but in actuality I haven't studied efficiently for the test. I passed it AT the minimum during my first (and only) practice attempt (three months ago). And I will do my best tomorrow. I feel confident that I know enough to pass... but if I don't pass, then I had better work harder next year... if only I could find a couple of number 2 pencils...
We had the end-of-the-year office party last night. Awesome. Karaoke, sake-bombs, onsen (温泉), late-night drunken ramen (ラーメン) and gyoza (ギョーザ). Though the tour went on during Saturday also, I came home early with three other teachers and we hit a blizzard on the way home! In Kyushu of all places! So much snow. It continued to snow while I called a Jr. High teacher to inquire about the annual school marathon... it was still on. So, slightly hungover and tired and cold I biked in the snow 30 minutes to school... on my day off. I said hello to a lot of students who were a helluva lot colder than I was. And then... I got the bright idea to run with them! They were almost done with the 20-person relay (each person ran 2km) so I thought i would go for it too. Idiot!
I stripped off a couple of layers and went at it. Quickly I realized that it was fucking nuts to have a marathon in these conditions. I seconded myself by adding that everyone had problems because they decided to go through with this... and as I was running along, losing feeling in my hands and face, while snow caked itself to my fleece, I realized that I was the one with the most serious problems! I was torturing myself... and you know what? It was fucking awesome.
When I came back around to the school, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker that I was on the final approach... and dozens of students stuck out their hands for the high fives as I passed. And they cheered me on. When I rounded the final corner, the biggest troublemaker in the school grabbed my hand and helped pull me to the finish line. What a gentleman! I decided to dive to the ground on the finish line and I got muddy in the process. Again, totally worth it. I can't wait to see the pictures. Teachers smiled and helped me along too and it was a great fun. On my list of things to do when hungover, I never though that run 2km in the snow would top it!
I learned last March, at the other junior high, that I should go my own pace. So, I was jogging a bit slower and it was for the better. I still felt like hell for about 20 minutes in the teachers room while everyone was congratulating me for running. While doing this, they offered me countless bowls of soupy goodness (Butajiru)... but there was no way I was going to stomach any of it. One teacher gave me an orange and that was perfect. I wished everyone I saw a happy new year because I won't see them for another 5 weeks. And it was a great morning...
Tonight was another end-of-the-year party... but it actually was the beginning-of-the-season party... for the Kurume Champion Ski Club (クルメチャンピョンスキークラーブ). After all, we got snow now, baby! While greeting familiar faces from last year, eventually it got passed to me that there IS an entry fee to the club. I hesitated at first, thinking that maybe I could just ignore it.... but I remembered the great times last year and felt rather privileged to pay the fee... after all, we rode together all last season! And it is a good group of which to be a member. So, I paid it. Minutes later I was forced to stand up in a room of 20 Japanese folks and make an impromptu speech about... well, the team. So, I did... in Japanese... (with the help of Naoko.) Furthermore, we had a laugh afterwards- two years ago I couldn't tell you Japanese from Swahili and just then I made a speech (albeit short) in Japanese, about the team, my experience last year and the that I was looking forward to this year. Fuck. Wow. I blacked out during the speech but apparently it turned out fine because I got a loud ovation afterwards!
Anyways, I am the first foreigner who has joined the team... so the roster will forever have some katakana (カタカナ) characters (reading: デービッド ストリッチ) or perhaps my eventual Kanji (漢字) name. I figure that I should stick with the katakana though... after all, I am not Japanese.
Now-- to sleep and then that silly Japanese test tomorrow. I hope I pass but in actuality I haven't studied efficiently for the test. I passed it AT the minimum during my first (and only) practice attempt (three months ago). And I will do my best tomorrow. I feel confident that I know enough to pass... but if I don't pass, then I had better work harder next year... if only I could find a couple of number 2 pencils...
2008-12-04
some pix of kyoto... this will take numerous posts
So, i have been writing a lot lately. I have been posting many things. Maybe you can respond to my questions and peruse the dedications and check out the pictures.
Here is the first of a ton of pictures that I am still sorting through. I went to Kyoto (京都) for three days to see the changing leaves... known as Kouyou (紅葉). The most famous of which is the Japanese maple, the Momiji (もみじ). To say that it was packed would be an understatement. It felt like everyone in Japan descended upon Kyoto at the same time. It felt like a three-day party even though I am not quite sure where the center of it all was. Absolute madness. I know it was packed because when we all left the party, the Tokyo-bound platform for the bullet train, shinkansen (新幹線) was like three people deep waiting for trains that weren't due for a while!
First I will post some pictures from Arashiyama Park. I left school and immediately vacation started on a Friday afternoon. Bus to the Ferry and overnight to Osaka. When I arrived at 8:20am, it was brought to my attention that I could go straight to the northern part of Kyoto, without having to step foot in the main train station... that and it was cheaper also. So, I stuck with my backpack and carried all of my possessions until check in at 7pm that night!
(train was absolutely packed!)
(I came to hike among the coloring trees... and this was gorgeous!)
The hills were alive with the sound of... well, no cliches. It was a live mosaic of reds, greens, yellows, oranges... and rather crisp in the autumn morning also!
Yes, that bridge is occupied by a ton of picture-taking tourists... like me!
I like the contrast against the blue sky
fake waterfall, but pretty nonetheless
a bit brighter
It was like taking pictures of fire... except that the sound was that of wind rustling through leaves
one of the coolest trees I've ever seen
Here is the first of a ton of pictures that I am still sorting through. I went to Kyoto (京都) for three days to see the changing leaves... known as Kouyou (紅葉). The most famous of which is the Japanese maple, the Momiji (もみじ). To say that it was packed would be an understatement. It felt like everyone in Japan descended upon Kyoto at the same time. It felt like a three-day party even though I am not quite sure where the center of it all was. Absolute madness. I know it was packed because when we all left the party, the Tokyo-bound platform for the bullet train, shinkansen (新幹線) was like three people deep waiting for trains that weren't due for a while!
First I will post some pictures from Arashiyama Park. I left school and immediately vacation started on a Friday afternoon. Bus to the Ferry and overnight to Osaka. When I arrived at 8:20am, it was brought to my attention that I could go straight to the northern part of Kyoto, without having to step foot in the main train station... that and it was cheaper also. So, I stuck with my backpack and carried all of my possessions until check in at 7pm that night!
(train was absolutely packed!)
(I came to hike among the coloring trees... and this was gorgeous!)
The hills were alive with the sound of... well, no cliches. It was a live mosaic of reds, greens, yellows, oranges... and rather crisp in the autumn morning also!
Yes, that bridge is occupied by a ton of picture-taking tourists... like me!
I like the contrast against the blue sky
fake waterfall, but pretty nonetheless
a bit brighter
It was like taking pictures of fire... except that the sound was that of wind rustling through leaves
one of the coolest trees I've ever seen 2008-12-03
a plea for assistance!
I would appreciate any and all opinions in regards to the following two topics (A and B)....
(A) Which is more important, and to what extent, in regards to relationships with other people:
"Honesty or Politeness?"
(B) Next scenario:
1) you have made an agreement with someone
2) you come to find out that this agreement is not in your favor.
3) you opt out of your agreement with said person
Is this wrong, and to what extent?
AND...
did you see the pictures of my garden from the previous post?
Soon I will publish the blog that I have been meaning to post about my three-day trip to Kyoto.
(A) Which is more important, and to what extent, in regards to relationships with other people:
"Honesty or Politeness?"
(B) Next scenario:
1) you have made an agreement with someone
2) you come to find out that this agreement is not in your favor.
3) you opt out of your agreement with said person
Is this wrong, and to what extent?
AND...
did you see the pictures of my garden from the previous post?
Soon I will publish the blog that I have been meaning to post about my three-day trip to Kyoto.
2008-12-02
garden pictures
The following are some shots of the way my garden has progressed. I acquired a plot of land to use from a local farmer. He is super cool and gives me tons of advice about the vegetables I am tending. He grows strawberries (and very well, might I add) but tells me little tips about the winter produce that I have: lettuce, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli. I also have some carrots that will survive or they won't. The garlic is planted I have been informed that it has like 6 months to go! Ahh. Now, it's a matter of checking everyday or so and removing caterpillars that eat the leaves...
From October 4th and onwards.
Looking Northwest (November 1)
reverse angle: looking southwest (November 1)and a month later...
looking northwest (November 30)
wider look [northwest] (November 30)
widest view of the northwest (November 30)
looking due west (November 30)...L to R: double row of carrots, single row of carrots (replanted and recovering), Chinese cabbage [biggest], broccoli, 1/2 cabbage 1/2 lettuce, lettuce, and a row of each garlic and cabbage are hidden on the right.
Learning a lot and enjoying getting my hands dirty. That's the only way to learn anyways...
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