catching up, rambling about attitude, and taking a break

Here are the quick and dirty's of the past little bit... mostly told in picture form. I am taking a break from this blog for a little bit too... It has recently been seemingly like a chore to write here, so I want to recharge my writing passion using other forms.



Yom Kippur in Kobe was a great experience... well-needed fasting and Jewish-community-being-arounding... wanna talk culture shock? Speaking/ hearing/reading Hebrew for a day and walking out of the Jewish community center to the world of reading/hearing and (not)speaking Japanese... wow.
(Shinkansen- bullet train. This got me to and from Kobe twice in the past two weeks!)

A junior high school sports festival... think color war and actual teamwork and group activities.... from 9am till 330. I thought my team had overcome a huge deficit to win second place after it repeatedly won 20-person running relays... but it seems that that was not the case. or maybe it was, but i just didn't understand. My team captains were crying at the end... but the winning team's captains were crying too. Teachers too... lots of folks... someone told me, "Sports Day, whether you win or lose you cry..." I think this is mostly due to physical exhaustion and coming to grips with completing a huge part of one's life for the months leading up to it.... its so overwhelming to be done that the winning and losing didn't even matter... how cool.

(Recently I was told that I cant have any pictures showing students' faces... invasion of privacy. Fair enough, so this is the blue team in the 30-person "3-legged race"... it was timed, it was amazing to watch the teamwork!)

Day of rest turns into an adventure into the big city. Liat emails me to inform me about an extra ticket to the Fukuoka International Film Fest... I'm a sucker for movies... had to go. Took the opportunity to go to Ohori Koen (yes, Drew and Jen... I made it!) before the film fest too. A lovely day in Fuk, even with the rain flirting to dump all day.

(Liat posing on the ____ [dont know what its called] in Ohori Koen)

Next day (Tues) back to Fuk for the meeting (more on this in two more paragraphs)... and the other posts describe the madness that went on from there.

(Another Sports Day shot: this is the huge team jump rope I told you about... the one that caused injuries galore... well, teams perfected it this day!)

Today is Thursday night, I am going to watch the women's world cup Semifinal between the US and Brazil... winner plays Germany soon... keep your eyes and ears peeled. I taught 5th and 6th graders yesterday... introducing numbers... it was a life-changing experience... awesome kids, awesome school and teachers and an exhausting day. I was scheduled for an extra class... nearly killed me but it was awesome. Yes- AWESOME! And today, I had 2nd graders... they were so small... and I made a spectacle of myself and made them laugh my walking into the top of the door frame upon my entering the classroom. I decided to do it all day too, to break the ice early. Haven't slept, physically exhausted, but I am awake and aware and smiling all day... unreal actually.

(The Narita-san statue is a great view on my bicycle-commute to school. Yeah, i take that road on the right!)

Leads me to a good point on which to rest for a while:

The meeting I attended was full of negatude. Folks wanted to leave early, the "too cool for school" attitude. Bitching, moaning, peanut gallery stuff. For three hours this went on. I could have easily joined it... i mean, settling for the lowest common denominator is easy and accepted. I mean, it makes everyone agree, so it must be right, right? Fucking (yes I wrote it) wrong, actually. You know why? Because agreeing is not always better. And a lousy attitude is a lousy attitude. If I accept negatude, then others will stay negative too. It is a shared energy thing...

I can't describe it well in words, but perhaps you've been in the situation where everyone looks right, even though the view is to the left. You look right too, because fitting in is easier- you don't feel like dealing with comments from the aforementioned peanut gallery... well, I'm done with it. I'm looking where the view is, and dealing with the comments... Not picking a fight or disagreeing to make a controversy... on the contrary...

Simply reflecting the happiness... And I practiced at that meeting too... with a smile. And you know what, it all just seemed silly after a minute of smiling... drama appeared, then melted out of my life and left me happy.... just like I had been going into it!


If I am physically drained and asleep on my feet and dead.... then I should be even nicer and happier, with a bigger smile... WHY? Because others vibe that smile, and smile back... and recharge my missing energy. The school day yesterday from another point of view....


After a draining day, I got to the elementary school and gave it everything... for 7 hours I was beaming and loud and excited and moving.... and by the end of the day, I left with a bigger smile and more energy, despite only five hours of sleep from the previous night... you know how I know it works? I got 5 hours again last night, rocked the classrooms again today and feel great!


Its all about energy.... the more I give, the more I get. The quality of energy I share is the same resonance that recharges me. It's not easy, but one is in the moment only once, so its important to make sure that energy is wisely absorbed/transmitted.

I received a gift recently. It was a scroll with the phrase in Kanji (Japanese characters):


"Ichi Go, Ichi E" -- One chance, one meeting.


This is not a Carpe Diem idea...



It is an idea that this moment is right now... It's true we may meet again, but this meeting is the only meeting we will have at this one time. I figure its important to recognize the intensity of each living moment and live accordingly... and, as written above, I have been choosing the energy route to do so.



Holy moly, I rambled that one away... can't promise another post anytime soon... but I do promise to be completely present in the moment I write... sharing as much positive energy as I can...



Ichi go, ichi e....



Soon,

Supposed to be an easy one...

Yesterday was supposed to be a more mellow day.... office for a couple of hours in the morning, take the train into the city, get lunch, regional meeting for a couple of hours in the afternoon, putz around the city and get home... well, it all started when I woke up... (normally it does, no?)

early- 6am: life is too short to sleep, And its OK, because I went to bed early (it was my Sunday after all!). Meditate, air out futons, wash dishes, blah blah blah... i even showered and shaved (not exciting at all, maybe it sounds like it is through)
812 leave house late
830 office
1020 leave, errands, lunch, bike to special bike parking grounds
1135 leave for city on slower train (22 min nap on train)
1220pm get to the city (Fukuoka)
1238 meditation at Ankukoji (?) temple before meeting
130 meeting- find out about lantern festival at major temple
500 leave city- head to Daizaifu temple for said festival
545 arrive Dazaifu, drink guava juice, buy shodo (Japanese calligraphy) materials (brush and ink block)
600 walk around the site, make offering to shrine
645 string quartet concert, 7-year old boy makes conversation in English with me, impressive!
705 head to main pond
715 meet Japanese woman (Yasuko) who wants to converse in English, so we do.
800 traditional dance, as an offering to the god of the shrine. light candles for good luck. wind blows out candles at my end of the pond, but the whole place is illuminated- really cool looking.
900 another prayer at the shrine. walk around the grounds at night with Yasuko, make plans to visit temple again, speak English with her more
916 train, transfer, train
954 arrive Kurume, get bike from station before closing
1015 Ramen meal at famous restaurant... conveniently down the street from my place
1020 meet a neighbor at restaurant, we practice respective languages... he teaches me Japanese and Chinese, I teach him English and Spanish.
1050 said neighbor invites me drink with his buddies
1100 drop my bike at home
1115 drink with said friends, learn important (vulgar) Japanese words
1220 get home

I will write more about whatever, including the last weekend, as well as show pictures... but I have to be home in order to do it. Total time on the fly yesterday: a touch over 16 hours; Total time awake: 18 hours; Total camera time: ZERO- left it at home... foolish.

Today: elementary school kids... gonna be entirely destroyed later...

Get at you soon,

A lot to write...

.. but fortunately not enough time to get it down:



Here is an outline for you in the days to come:

- Yom Kippur in Kobe
- Myojo Jr. High Sports Day Festival
- Another work Party
- day of sleeping that turned into an adventure

But this is a thought that came across my mind last night... There is a spider living in my bathroom. He is rather large, but we have made an agreement that he will live behind the toilet and will not bother me. I will use the toilet and not bother him. Problem is that he is making a mess, leaving all of his meals behind... and I will have to start cleaning up after him... I guess what this comes down to is my having to let him use the toilet after all! And you thought I was going to kill him? I didn't kill the random grasshopper that made his way to my throne... he is alive too... I had to encourage him to get out of the bowl so that I could flush though... and he is happier outside next to the basil plant, probably drying off.... eeewwwww, too many details!

And my basil plant, I thought something was fishy when it grew, but there were no new leaves... I figured it had been pollinated or fertilized or whatever (i know next to nothing about gardening except that i like it). So, there were a couple of nice leaves for me to choose from last night to add to my pesto... and it was lovely except there was an interesting aftertaste of mint! Because my plant was cross-bred with the mint that grows wild on the ground floor! So I have a "mintal" or a "basint" growing on my balcony. Wonderful and new!

La la la random... more to come... but work meetings call! Enjoy the day!

Soon,

Untitled

I have nothing to report right now that is super exciting... wait, that is a bad way to start... Let me start over:

So, I haven't stopped in 3 weeks. Like Drew's away message said, "I am like an electron particle, always moving!" Dude, from work parties to soccer tourneys to a week of work it has continued. I even picked up a couple more classes during the week, so I have been preparing materials, teaching and riding my bike to and from work. Filling in the time with shodo (Japanese calligraphy) and just the mundane things that keep us all living in apartments and houses and such- you know, the groceries, the Home Depot (called Gooday, here), the things like that. But I did ride my bike cross-town (with a busted open knee, still!) to get another round of discount tickets on Shinkansen.

I leave work early today to take the train to Kobe, again, to observe Yom Kippur. It will be a quick 30-hour fast/trip so i can get back here for one of my junior high's annual Sports Day Festival. All-day Sunday and then an after-party with the teachers... won't stop moving, can't until I get back from that party Sunday night... fortunately, Monday is a holiday. I have it on my agenda, "SLEEP." And that is taking priority. Period. Getting my body back in working condition:

Seemingly up all night, Rob Lowe is asked by Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking, "When do you sleep, Rob?" His response "Sundays." I get that.

Also, a thought by our friend Sylvia Plath (if you don't know her, then you should do some research), "We stayed at home to write, to consolidate our outstretched selves." I have not been studying Japanese as much as I'd like. Nor have I been writing creatively (less this blog) as much as I had anticipated. So, that will be 2nd and 3rd orders of the day on Monday... if i decide to actually wake up that is!

The whole point from earlier (I have ADD, I know it, I love it and I embrace it) is that I was super busy, running and "un-stopping" and I had finally taken care of my trains for this weekend and my stomach told me it was time for dinner. And I was wandering near the downtown, and there it was. A small Ramen shop... and I was the only one in there and it was fantastic. MORAL: No matter how busy one may think one is, the most important way to stay organized and moving is to take the time to eat a great meal... expensive or cheap, big or small.... Just a great eating experience... and to observe the food before eating it. and to take every morsel inward peacefully... it leads to bodily refreshment as well as mental clarity and outward patience and calm. Or maybe it's just me...

Anyone fasting or observing Yom Kipuur, take it easy and enjoy a day of reflection. Anyone else, please take it easy and enjoy a day of reflection.

See you next week