At the beginning of April, I met up with Yumi and her friend, Masae, at an Italian restaurant in Roppongi. It was my first time in Roppongi; Roppongi has a certain reputation that makes me want to avoid it (it's sleazy), but we went to the ritzy area, and it was quite nice. Masae and Yumi met in Hong Kong since they go there often on business; Yumi helps people sell methane, and Masae is a liason between Japanese and Hong Kong entertainment stars. Anyway, we had a good time just chatting the night away.
A couple of Saturdays ago, my friend Sean came over to my place to hang out. Over dinner, we talked enthusiastically about hobbies that we share, and it was great just debating over certain topics with him.
Last Friday, there was a teachers party to welcome the new teachers and say goodbye to the retiring teachers. We have this party every year, and we normally go to a nearby hotel, but this time, we went to a Chinese restaurant in Jiyugaoka. There were about 50-60 teachers, and we played a "Where is this?" game that many of the teachers surprisingly got into. After the party, we split off into groups, and I followed some English teachers (including the new cute English teacher) to an izakaya for a second drinking session, which was fun.
Last week was Golden Week, which meant I had Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off. I took care of some things (shopping at Costco, renewing my passport), but I did find time to hang out with Mayuko Tuesday night. We went to Hachioji for dinner, and after dinner, we went to karaoke. Since neither of us had gone to karaoke in a long time, we had a good two-hour session, and then we went home.
Today's music video is by Nana Tanimura, a 21-year-old law student at Aoyama Gakuin University. She entered a beauty contest while she was in high school, and while she didn't win, she impressed some people with her singing ability (enough, apparently, to get a record contract). This song is called "Jungle Dance".
NANA TANIMURA 「JUNGLE DANCE」
Uploaded by banana10000t -
Friday, May 8, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Last Week of Spring Holidays 2009
The last week of my spring holidays is here. It's been a relaxing spring holiday, but I've also had my fair share of new experiences. It's holidays like these that make me forget that I actually have to work! (^-^)
On Tuesday, I met up with Carol for dinner. We went to Grandberry Mall, and we looked around the shops before we went to Vietnam Alice for dinner. After dinner, Carol came over to my place to hang out. This was one of her last nights in Japan as she left on Friday.
I went to Costco on Wednesday with Naoko. I had just gone the previous week, but Naoko had never gone before and wanted to go, so she drove us there after a brief stop at a giant Don Quixote store (think of a store that sells everything). Naoko, like me, is a little thrifty, so she was interested in all the cheap bulk items, but she had trouble understanding how to eat or use everything ("tabekirenai" and "tsukaikirenai" in Japanese). We had dinner there, and then she drove me home.
The high school brass band was putting on a concert Friday night, and I was invited, so I went. A couple of my favourite students in the band graduated this year, so it was their final concert. The students played well, and I was happily entertained.
Yesterday, I walked to Machida to meet Miho for dinner. After walking around trying to find a place to eat, we decided on A La Campagne, a French restaurant. Afterwards, we stopped by McDonald's to continue our conversation, and then I walked home.
Today's music video is called "How?", and it's by another pretty Japanese singer named Kyoko Fukada.
深田恭子 - How？ 【PV】
Uploaded by utadalove
On Tuesday, I met up with Carol for dinner. We went to Grandberry Mall, and we looked around the shops before we went to Vietnam Alice for dinner. After dinner, Carol came over to my place to hang out. This was one of her last nights in Japan as she left on Friday.
I went to Costco on Wednesday with Naoko. I had just gone the previous week, but Naoko had never gone before and wanted to go, so she drove us there after a brief stop at a giant Don Quixote store (think of a store that sells everything). Naoko, like me, is a little thrifty, so she was interested in all the cheap bulk items, but she had trouble understanding how to eat or use everything ("tabekirenai" and "tsukaikirenai" in Japanese). We had dinner there, and then she drove me home.
The high school brass band was putting on a concert Friday night, and I was invited, so I went. A couple of my favourite students in the band graduated this year, so it was their final concert. The students played well, and I was happily entertained.
Yesterday, I walked to Machida to meet Miho for dinner. After walking around trying to find a place to eat, we decided on A La Campagne, a French restaurant. Afterwards, we stopped by McDonald's to continue our conversation, and then I walked home.
Today's music video is called "How?", and it's by another pretty Japanese singer named Kyoko Fukada.
深田恭子 - How？ 【PV】
Uploaded by utadalove
Monday, March 23, 2009
Now This Is My Idea of a Vacation
The last day of work before spring vacation was March 15th, but I'd had sporadic days off before then. Let me tell you how I spent the past week and a half.
On March 13th, I met up with Suna for dinner in Shinjuku. We went to the Asian Kitchen in west Shinjuku, at the top of the Sumitomo Building. The view at night was really nice, and the food and the company were both good. I particularly enjoyed their non-alcoholic strawberry cocktail - easily one of the best drinks I've ever had. Suna and I talked about movies, my students, and her busy life. After dinner, she went back to work, and I went home.
On the 17th, I met Shiho in Shinjuku, once again for dinner. We went to a soup restaurant that Shiho had chosen. Over dinner, we talked about how her fiance had proposed to her and about her recent trip to Hawaii. It was good to catch up with her; I think the next time I see her, she'll be a Mrs.!
On the 18th, I went to a restaurant near the school to attend a co-worker's farewell party. There were about 10-15 people there, and we had a good time eating and drinking. Do you know how some co-workers are different outside of work? I got to see a whole new side to some co-workers that I never knew existed.
I went to Costco on the 20th, and on the 21st, I went to Odaiba to meet Carol (the co-worker who is leaving). I really like Odaiba; it's an interesting place that doesn't feel like it's in Japan. We went to a coffee shop first, and then we went to Joypolis, an indoor video-game amusement park. We had fun going on the Halfpipe Canyon ride (twice!) and playing the moving shooting games. We stuck around until 11, and then we went home.
Yesterday was a fairly relaxing day. I didn't do much other than play basketball. Even though I was fairly tired, I managed to play well, and my team had a rousing come-from-behind victory - 140 - 138! I had the game-saving block. There are few things I find more euphoric than winning, and I was feeling pretty happy.
Japan has its fair share of boy bands, but I'm sick of them because they're all my students talk about. (-_-) Today's music video is by a Korean boy band that's popular in Japan but not really talked about in my school. They're known as Tohoshinki, and the name of the video is "Mirotic".
MIROTIC
Uploaded by sofa03
On March 13th, I met up with Suna for dinner in Shinjuku. We went to the Asian Kitchen in west Shinjuku, at the top of the Sumitomo Building. The view at night was really nice, and the food and the company were both good. I particularly enjoyed their non-alcoholic strawberry cocktail - easily one of the best drinks I've ever had. Suna and I talked about movies, my students, and her busy life. After dinner, she went back to work, and I went home.
On the 17th, I met Shiho in Shinjuku, once again for dinner. We went to a soup restaurant that Shiho had chosen. Over dinner, we talked about how her fiance had proposed to her and about her recent trip to Hawaii. It was good to catch up with her; I think the next time I see her, she'll be a Mrs.!
On the 18th, I went to a restaurant near the school to attend a co-worker's farewell party. There were about 10-15 people there, and we had a good time eating and drinking. Do you know how some co-workers are different outside of work? I got to see a whole new side to some co-workers that I never knew existed.
I went to Costco on the 20th, and on the 21st, I went to Odaiba to meet Carol (the co-worker who is leaving). I really like Odaiba; it's an interesting place that doesn't feel like it's in Japan. We went to a coffee shop first, and then we went to Joypolis, an indoor video-game amusement park. We had fun going on the Halfpipe Canyon ride (twice!) and playing the moving shooting games. We stuck around until 11, and then we went home.
Yesterday was a fairly relaxing day. I didn't do much other than play basketball. Even though I was fairly tired, I managed to play well, and my team had a rousing come-from-behind victory - 140 - 138! I had the game-saving block. There are few things I find more euphoric than winning, and I was feeling pretty happy.
Japan has its fair share of boy bands, but I'm sick of them because they're all my students talk about. (-_-) Today's music video is by a Korean boy band that's popular in Japan but not really talked about in my school. They're known as Tohoshinki, and the name of the video is "Mirotic".
MIROTIC
Uploaded by sofa03
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Lunch
Yesterday, I went out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant near the school, and I want to write about it while the memory is still fresh. What made this lunch special, you ask? The company. I went with a couple of my fellow foreign English teachers, and Miwa, a Japanese world history teacher, joined us. I had tried to have a meal with Miwa for a very long time, and yesterday I finally got my chance. In case you haven't figured it out yet, Miwa is absolutely gorgeous. Why did Miwa join us yesterday? Well, although I'd like to believe it was because yours truly was there, the real reason was that she is planning to study a Master's in comparative education in England, and she'd like to improve her English. We started off talking about Proactiv (how food choices don't really affect your skin), and we moved on to various topics. I found out that Miwa doesn't really like fried food but likes Japanese food like natto and umeboshi. She wants to go to England because of its long history and the fact that it's easy to travel to the rest of Europe from there. We also talked about accents, and she said she would like to hear me play the piano someday. I have to practice as much as possible! There are plans for another lunch next week - even if nothing ever happens between us, I'd like to help her accomplish one of her goals.
In keeping with today's theme of beautiful people, today's video is by Noriko Sakai, and it's called "Yokogao". Noriko was a popular singer in the late 80's and early 90's not only in Japan but also throughout Asia. She was one of the main reasons I became interested in Japan - one look at her poster in a Hong Kong magazine shop was all it took!
In keeping with today's theme of beautiful people, today's video is by Noriko Sakai, and it's called "Yokogao". Noriko was a popular singer in the late 80's and early 90's not only in Japan but also throughout Asia. She was one of the main reasons I became interested in Japan - one look at her poster in a Hong Kong magazine shop was all it took!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Late-night Meeting
On Friday, I went out to dinner with a couple of co-workers after work. We went to a yakiniku restaurant, which is the Japanese version of Korean BBQ. The food was pretty good and cheap - 2000 yen for rice, a salad, a couple of meat dishes, and a couple of drinks.
I met up with Mayuko on Saturday after she got off work. It was the last day of the month for her, so she had to stay later than expected. We ended up meeting around 10:30, and by that time, we didn't have many places to choose from for dinner. We decided to go to Denny's, and we managed to talk about our recent relationships before we had to hurry to the station to catch our last train home.
On Sunday, I played basketball with some friends, and it was a good run - I'm feeling sore today, but it's a good sore. After basketball, I took it easy at home and got ready for the week ahead (my last one before the spring break!).
Today's video is called "Get a Life ~Again~" by Twenty4-7.
I met up with Mayuko on Saturday after she got off work. It was the last day of the month for her, so she had to stay later than expected. We ended up meeting around 10:30, and by that time, we didn't have many places to choose from for dinner. We decided to go to Denny's, and we managed to talk about our recent relationships before we had to hurry to the station to catch our last train home.
On Sunday, I played basketball with some friends, and it was a good run - I'm feeling sore today, but it's a good sore. After basketball, I took it easy at home and got ready for the week ahead (my last one before the spring break!).
Today's video is called "Get a Life ~Again~" by Twenty4-7.
Monday, December 29, 2008
An Aquarium Amusement Park
I've been on holidays for about a week and a half now. It's been enjoyable so far even though I experienced some technical difficulties with my computer last week.
Last Christmas, I was grateful to my friend Natsuko because she invited me to go to Disney Sea with her. This year, I went to another amusement park with Yueli, so I avoided the dreadful "alone-at-Christmas" blues once again. We went to Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, which is basically an aquarium with rides. We got there at 12, and then we went to the Aqua Museum, which had five floors of all kinds of marine animals. We saw the marine animal show, and we got to see feeding time for the penguins and walruses. It was really fascinating. We also went to the Fureai Lagoon, where we actually got to touch a Beluga whale; to our surprise, the skin was not hard but soft! After that, we went to the Dolphin Fantasy, where we walked through a tunnel with dolphins swimming overhead. It was fairly relaxing and peaceful. After dinner, we went home.
The next day (Boxing Day is not celebrated in Japan), I went out to dinner with Miho. We went to a dessert buffet place that neither of us had been to before; the flavored Italian soda drinks were fantastic! After dinner, we went to Tully's (a coffee shop) to chat, and we ended the night at McDonald's after Tully's closed.
Today's music video is called "Life Is Beautiful", and it's by a band called Flow.
Last Christmas, I was grateful to my friend Natsuko because she invited me to go to Disney Sea with her. This year, I went to another amusement park with Yueli, so I avoided the dreadful "alone-at-Christmas" blues once again. We went to Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, which is basically an aquarium with rides. We got there at 12, and then we went to the Aqua Museum, which had five floors of all kinds of marine animals. We saw the marine animal show, and we got to see feeding time for the penguins and walruses. It was really fascinating. We also went to the Fureai Lagoon, where we actually got to touch a Beluga whale; to our surprise, the skin was not hard but soft! After that, we went to the Dolphin Fantasy, where we walked through a tunnel with dolphins swimming overhead. It was fairly relaxing and peaceful. After dinner, we went home.
The next day (Boxing Day is not celebrated in Japan), I went out to dinner with Miho. We went to a dessert buffet place that neither of us had been to before; the flavored Italian soda drinks were fantastic! After dinner, we went to Tully's (a coffee shop) to chat, and we ended the night at McDonald's after Tully's closed.
Today's music video is called "Life Is Beautiful", and it's by a band called Flow.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Eating Spaghetti in Soup at a Hawaiian Restaurant
After work on Friday, I went out with my boss and her fiance because she wanted to introduce me to her book club friend, Miho. The four of us went to a Hawaiian place (that served Italian food - go figure) for dinner. We had a good time chatting over spaghetti in soup and salad. After dinner, Miho and I caught the same train home, and we got to know each other a little bit.
On Saturday, my ex-roommate, Sean, came over to my place to eat some pizza for dinner and chill out. We had a great time catching up and just talking about our mutual interests. Sean is one of the most positive people I've ever met, and it was great to chat with him.
Today's music video is called "Koi no Megaraba", or "Love's Megalover", and it's by a band called Maximum the Hormone. This is one of my student's favourite songs; both of us like it because it goes from pop rock to heavy rock and back again.
On Saturday, my ex-roommate, Sean, came over to my place to eat some pizza for dinner and chill out. We had a great time catching up and just talking about our mutual interests. Sean is one of the most positive people I've ever met, and it was great to chat with him.
Today's music video is called "Koi no Megaraba", or "Love's Megalover", and it's by a band called Maximum the Hormone. This is one of my student's favourite songs; both of us like it because it goes from pop rock to heavy rock and back again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
