2 MONTHS TO GO ...

And I am still scratching my head. I cant believe I have been in Japan for almost 3 years now! And I still cant speak Japanese, ha ha ha. First I was just gonna stay one year, then somehow it became two, then three, jeez. Well its been a fun three, I hope the last two can be just as great.

GO HANSHIN TIGERS!!!

Re! Re! Re! ...
One of the MUST things to do when living in Japan. GO! to a Hanshin Tigers game at Koshein stadium. (Hanshin Tigers is one of the oldest baseball teams in Japan, its kinda like seeing the Cubs at Wrigley Field) Baseball fans in Japan are crazy! And its cool, its like a big college basketball or football game, everyone's into it. Not quite like the boring and slow American baseball from back home, where the occasional fat man will start cheering. Here at a Tigers game everyone is up in arms, almost all fans got some sort of bat noisemakers (50%), they all got their jerseys (80%), 7th inning stretch is not a song, but a all out ballon flying session, and then they cheer for anything, even a bunt, its crazy! It's a must do. ... in the pics, they amazingly let you take beer into the stadium, its just gotta be poured into a paper cup, but don't worry, they even do it for you











Of course had to get a pic with the crazy grandma fan!

TODAYS HAPPENINGS

Well, actually it was yesterday, but nothing like a good ole problem to spruce up your regular routine. Over the weekend was driving around and got a flat, so the other day had to look up some new words to use when going to the local JOMO gas station to get a fix. Its just not like home where you can roll up there and get something done. Seems like everything here i gotta do some prep work. So looked up the word for repair, "shurisuru" 私の車のタイヤを修理してもらえますか. Or something, like that, anyways they got the jiff of it, kinda helped that the tire looked flat too. Everything was dandy, got it fixed, got some explanation which i probably only understood 20% of, but the main thing was mission accomplished. Like i said, there is always something new everyday in Japan.

DOUBLE TROUBLE!!

Today was elementary school, and neighbor Mike came along gracefully even though it was his day off, what a guy! He also did a rad job and the kids were giving hi-5s like there was no tomorrow. So it was double trouble day as yes there wasn't just one foreigner, but two! And heck those two guys don't even look foreign. Anyways it was a double crazy day with the kids.

POOR GIRLS TEAM

Was leaving school today and saw the girls basketball team hanging out on the gym steps. Funny they weren't inside practicing. So i asked them what's the deal?? So they said they can't practice for awhile because two of the members got busted for looking at "purikura" (sticker pictures) in class. Bummer! That's strike two, they got busted before for riding on a bike with two students, no helmet, and using a ketai cell phone at the same time. Well looks like the new coach is laying down the law. Too bad they looked so bummed out today. Oh well, its video game time.

BEING LAZY

Last weekend, well i pretty much did nothing, just chilled, cleaned house preparing for the move, went to the gym, and played my WOW video game. Damn, that wasn't so exciting but i feel great!

PUMP.. YOU UP!

Recently been pumping up at the gym, finally getting back to the old form from Seattle, um 3 years later. Dang Thao, my spotting buddy. Got back to my goal of 4 reps of 225, then the thoughts of my favorite gym heros came bouncing in my head. Of course, "I am Hans." "And I am Franz." "And we just want to.. [ clap ] Pump.. you up!" Here are some classic phrases that always crack me up.

* "I am Hans." "And I am Franz."
* "We are here to pump [handclap] you up!"
* "Hear me now and believe me later..."
* "Girlie men"
* "Look at the girlie man, going into his girlie house!"








Hans: Franz? Are you sleeping?
Franz: No, Hans. I was just counting stars.
Hans: Listen to me now, and believe me later: you can't count all the stars, Franz. It's like trying to count all your muscles.
Franz: Yes, you are right.
Hans: The universe is so vast.
Franz: I was just thinking, Hans: suppose we were just a tiny speck of a muscle, inside a larger muscle, inside an even larger muscle. It boggles my mind just talking about it.

Franz: Hans, I cannot sleep. I'm going to get up and have a nice hot cup of protein drink. [gets up ]
Hans: I think I vill join you. [ also gets up ]

[ a wolf howls ]
Franz: Vhat was that?
Hans: Vhat was vhat?
[ a cat screams ]
Franz: That!
Hans: I don't know.. but if I was a wild bear thinking about attacking a certain campsite, I would think twice now and think about it again later!
Franz: Listen to me now, and hear me later, Mr. Bear: if you think that ve are easy prey, then take a look at this!
[ Hans and Franz flex their muscles for all the wild forest animals to see ]

Franz: Don't give yourself too much credit, Mr. Out-of-Shape Ranger Man!
Hans: Ya, Mr. Smokey the Bear Man! You know, if you think you scared us, my friend, then you are a dreamer!
Franz: Ya, and dreamers are in for a rude awakening!
Hans: Ya, you know, maybe we should wake you up by putting a bear trap in your bed, and then having it snap your flabby fanny!
Franz: Ya, and you would not even feel it, and then we'd be stuck with some trapped flab!
Hans: Ya, that's right! Hear me now, and believe me.

CURRY AND MORE CURRY

Yesterday went to shogakko, aka elementary school and had curry for lunch. Then went to another shogakko today, and low and behold it was the exact same lunch! Arrggghhh, i like curry, but not that much.

CHOPSTICKS AND DEBIT CARDS

Just a random thought of the week, first of all lets talk about disposable chopsticks, ya know the wooden ones. Didn't quite notice how much Japan uses disposable chopsticks until the other day i was at Mike's and was reading an AJET lesson about chopsticks. It said everyday Japan uses 130,000,000 wooden chopsticks (that's alot of fuckin chopsticks), is the biggest user of wooden chopsticks, 50% in the world, and gets its chopsticks from other countries forests such as the USA, Philippine, Malaysia, China, etc. Heck there was even a news article this week about how China is raising the costs of the wooden chopsticks to 2 to 3 cents from 1 cent in order to save its forests, so Japanese companies were gonna think again about the disposable chopsticks, but then again, i don't really think so. Just looking around they are everywhere, every restaurant uses wooden chopsticks, you get em from the bento stores, you get them from the supermarket. I can't really think of a time when you use plastic or non-disposable chopsticks at the restaurant. Mmmm... never really thought of it until i started looking around. Kinda reminds me of my drawer full of disposable chopsticks. Then when comparing to back home. Most of the times if you are at a restaurant you are using plastic chopsticks, in chinatown, at a vietnamese restaurant. Anyways that's that, next is money matters.

In Japan everyone uses cash. Everyone carries it. They have ATM machines, but no debit cards, and if you got a debit card from overseas, good luck trying to use it. Impossible to find a ATM machine that will take a foreign debit card. So the society of bullet trains and technology also takes a step back sometimes. So everyone carries cash and sometimes alot of it, maybe its because they don't have debit cards to use, or maybe its because everyone feels safe, but yeah carrying even 100 bucks back home is pushing it a bit. But not in Japan, i have seen people take out wads of 10000yen bills which is 100 bucks back home. Even i have felt the pleasure of being safe and strolled around with 800 bucks in my pocket, which of course i would never never do back home, because you know if that slips out you will never see it again. Anyways so i was reading the news again and the news reported that a former rock star got pickpocketed, and of course yah guess how much he had in his wallet in cash? Not the ole 100 bucks, not even 1000 bucks, but oh yeah 5000 bucks. All gone! damn. Well better safe than sorry, watch your pockets, or get a debit card into the system.

SIGNS IN JAPAN part I

Dunno why, but every sign has to be cute here. I actually didnt realize how cute the signs were until when my cousin Phuong stopped by last year and noted that to me. So finally i got around to taking some pictures. Here are some examples of what i saw just by walking around the other day, will post more in another sign series.

GOLDEN DAY

Damn was it a nice day today! Sunny, highs in the 70s, light breeze, not a cloud in the sky, it was a great day as if it were Seattle in the summer. A great day for golden week to start off. If only everyday could be like this, but i know the evil humidity monster of the summer is coming. Oh darn, better enjoy the weather while it lasts and before i start sweating like a pig.

PTA DAY AT SCHOOL