WORKING HARD

Been super, super, super busy lately. Getting off around 7pm ish. Usually I roll in lazily around 835, so that equates to just under 11 hours a day at work. Bummer, I don't want stay at work that long, but just been trying to be a good teacher and get all the classes ready for the Friday test. Sometimes it doesn't feel like work, then again I don't like to be trapped in a cement building all day, I want to go out and play. Oh well its for the kids! Even stayed after a bit today to help out the 2-4 class. They were surprised that they have to write sentences now. So I worked with the four youngins that were still hanging out, Misa, Yuki, Ta, and Jimi. Jimi is a great kid, but damn his English sucks, its the most random stuff you will ever hear, but I give him an "A" for heart and effort. He wants to learn, but just doesn't know a good method for him. Usually Mr Miyamoto always takes care of Jimi, but he isn't around anymore, so I thought I would help out. With some paper and my jumbled Japanese I got Jimi to amazingly put together some sentences. Going with the drill work and having him think of "easy" English he could amazingly do it after some work. He was putting together sentence after sentence just as if a miracle happened. This is the kid who had the lowest score on the previous test. I hope Jimi can buck that negative trend on tomorrows test!

5 HAPPY THINGS TODAY

So the other day I was reading that article about being happy. Honestly I am kinda bummed out today, but I will try my best and write 5 happy things that happened today.

1. Finished making the 2-4 class worksheet. I made a map of Himeji city including the cast members from the Japanese TV show called "Ainori", complete with member pics and convience stores, looked kinda smooth I thought, took a couple hours to make but it was fun, the kids had a good laugh when they saw it, but mmm .. didn't answer the questions. Maybe it was a little too tough, back to the drawing board.

2. Was asking daily questions in 2-4 class and I asked Sonoyama what she had for lunch. She looked toward her classmates for a bit and then said, "I love you", a bit shocked, I gave one of my funny oh my god looks for fun. Her classmates probably got her to say it, but anyways its always nice to have someone say "I love you", ha ha ha.

3. Mmmm ... nothing too major at the number 3 spot, so I decided to choose lunch. There are always two main choices for lunch and I am happy I picked the fried mince meat set, it was pretty darn delicious!

4. Today I taught the 1-12 class, the smart kids, only two more lessons before the test I was in super speed mode because all quarter they were doing speeches. Zoomed through lesson 9, thought I did a pretty good job knowing that usually it takes 3-4 lessons with the other classes. Went pretty smoothly, I was pretty happy with a good class.

5. Mmmm... getting tough at the end ... it was busy at work today, didn't get off til 630pm ish and headed to the supermarket "MaxValue", I knew I only had about 20 bucks and was cutting it close with the groceries, went a bit over my budget and had to get rid of some stuff. Lucky the clerk understood what I was talking about, whew! It's always embarrassing to go over in any country.

Well that was the 5 good things, I would be a liar if I didn't say I was a bit bummed today. Got off work a bit late and didn't finish all my work, desk looks like a war zone, don't think I can go to Japanese class cuz I got too much work to do. Got home and just chilled in front of the comp and read some news, wanted to hit the gym but no time so just pumped iron at home and drank beer. It would be nice to just pick up the phone and talk to one of my friends from back home, Amy, Ark, Ace, Jimmy, Ben ... But the time difference and stuff, and everyones busy. Sometimes you just gotta learn how to take care of yourself. Its tough and even tougher when your teacher and friend passes away. When things aren't always looking up and things come up ... You just have to learn how get through.

DRINKING BEER AND WORKING OUT

Drinking beer and working out at home is a dangerous combo! "We are here to, pump you up!"

IN THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Sometimes I pop up the Yahoo video and check out some 60 Minutes, I love news programs, I miss watching 20/20 and those other shows from back home, lucky there is the internet even though its a short clip. Here is the latest cool feeds, the decline of tuna and the meaning of happiness, a definite interesting look. I am always chilling but I put in my work when I need to, and hey who doesn't want to be happy? Check out the key to happiness presented by Harvard professor Tal Ben Shahar, the 60 Minute video special or his website.

Six simple steps to be happy in life ... as presented by Tal Ben-Shahar ...

1. Give yourself permission to be human. When we
accept emotions — such as fear, sadness, or anxiety — as natural, we
are more likely to overcome them. Rejecting our emotions, positive or
negative, leads to frustration and unhappiness.

2. Happiness lies at the intersection between
pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage
in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When
this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments
throughout the week that provide you with both pleasure and meaning.

3. Keep in mind that happiness is mostly
dependent on our state of mind, not on our status or the state of our
bank account. Barring extreme circumstances, our level of well being is
determined by what we choose to focus on (the full or the empty part of
the glass) and by our interpretation of external events. For example,
do we view failure as catastrophic, or do we see it as a learning
opportunity?

4. Simplify! We are, generally, too busy, trying
to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time.
Quantity influences quality, and we compromise on our happiness by
trying to do too much.

5. Remember the mind-body connection. What we do
— or don't do — with our bodies influences our mind. Regular exercise,
adequate sleep, and healthy eating habits lead to both physical and
mental health.

6. Express gratitude, whenever possible. We too
often take our lives for granted. Learn to appreciate and savor the
wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.

TODAY AT SCHOOL

Classes were alright, winding down the school year, just two more weeks until the final tests, the 1-11 class wrapped up their speeches, most students did pretty good. I think most students never did a speech before in English from memory. A big differance compared to Kobu Jr High where the kids starting in 2nd grade made speeches from memory. Non less very good. Todays homeroom period was dedicated to cheering practice. So all the 1st graders and 2nd graders huddled into the gym to learn how to cheer the baseball team for their big appearance at Koshien next month on the 22nd.

Study kanji a bit on my free time. Chatted a bit with Harada sensei about Miyamoto sensei, still hurts to talk about his death even for the teachers, I feel for the teachers and students. I always glance over at Miyamoto's desk and know he is not with us. Then going to the teachers lounge room is also tough for me, cuz thats where I always used to sit and chat with Miyamoto sensei, that was the last place we met. I always come into the room all empty expecting to meet him, but then I realize he is not there. Its always a sad emptiness to enter that room.

In the late afternoon, I hit the weights in the gym. Its kinda my new routine since I can't make it to the regular gym in Tatsuno, so the machine weights will have to do for now, but they aren't bad. Ran into the karate kids, Ohashi, Kawanishi, and Inoue, nice kids, they were Miyamoto sensei's karate members, feel bad for them, saw how sad they were at the funeral. Just had a little chat with them, always giving shit to Ohashi because he is huge for a high school kid and the only one that beat me at arm wrestling at school, damn gotta work those guns harder.

After pumping iron ran into the soccer kids, crazy bunch. They brought me over and shouted out "KY" which means "kouki yomanai" or you can't read the air or you don't understand what I am saying. So I taught them the what KY means in English. They were like "oooohhhhhh". Then we exchanged more words, learned that "deep kiss, aka french kiss" means "noride" or I hope thats what it means, I will have to double check that. Anyways good day at school.

BEING JAPANESEY

Been talking to Jimmy via email, Jimmy booked his flight and will be in Japan next month, pretty pumped to see my buddy in Nippon.

On the side, just some thoughts about daily life in Japan ... just like Utada Hikaru "Easy Breezy"
.... "You're easy breezy and I'm Japanesey"

- drink green tea everyday at work
- always have two pairs of shoes at work, one to change into before entering the gym, another pair for class
- carry a hand towel in my pocket
- use B5 size paper, not A4 paper
- shop at the 100 yen store
- carry lots of cash (200-500 bucks at a time), no debit card here
- ride a nice grandma bike with a basket in front

MY POLAROID!

Oh no, news reports say that Polaroid is closing their instant camera group, how am I gonna get my Polaroid film? I hope another company buys out their division.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2008

Me and the gang ventured out to Kobe's chinatown to check out the Chinese celebration. Nankinmachi the name of the chinatown was packed full of visitors and had the traditional lion dances bringing good fortune to all. Since it was New Years we decided to hit up some Chinese food, not bad but not as good as the real Chinese food from back home and not as cheap either! Heck its Japan, even Dillon tried to use some of his Chinese skills, but the cute waitress kindly escaped by saying she could only speak Japanese. Making our way back to the station we ran into the Jumbo karaoke. Bad news as of course we gotta get a round in, and a round is never alcohol free, so we got our usual whiskey and coke. It was kinda a big bottle and I thought me and Dillon would only get down half way, but we finished the whole thing via train and lastly in the parking lot. Oh that was bad news, lets say lucky I had the next day off. Happy Chinese New Year!!

NEWS READS

Some interesting reads ...

If you get hit by a bus tomorrow... CNN ... what to do when you get in a accident

Heart disease myths busted ... ABC News ... how well do you know about heart disease

IN MEMORY OF MIYAMOTO SENSEI

This morning I came in a little late as usual to the staff room, but something was a little odd. There was somber mood in the air, then in the discussion I heard Miyamoto sensei's name, and I looked over at his desk and I didn't see him there. The talk continued and it sounded as if he died? But I thought that couldn't be true, he was always happy, people don't just die. But to my horror it was true after some teachers and staff came up to me and told me the bad news. He passed away just last night, due to a heart attack I was told. How sad it was, Miyamoto sensei was an English teacher and I always talked to him, he was always cheerful and we always talked about food and students. I knew he loved his job and his students, he was always looking out for them. I teach his homeroom and he always hints to me to help their grade a bit, ya know, just for university he said. He always used big words and funny phrases and always worked hard at everything. He had a full plate at work, I don't know how he balanced it with his home life. At school he was a homeroom teacher for the special English class, always keeping his students in check, he coached karate and was always proud of his student being the best in the Kansai area, I remember him trying to figure out how to use the video camera just to video his students. Then during the cultural festival he was always busy running around with his students, I remember helping him take down the photos of the kids trip to Australia. We always chatted about catching a drink or seeing the baseball game together, but he was always so busy we never got around to it. He didn't say much sometimes, but you could tell by his actions that he cared about what he did for his students. I remember talking to him just the other day in the sofa room, he came in a bit tired, I knew he just came back to school after a bout of the flu. He was massaging his back with a long rod, I asked him you've been gone for a bit are you alright? He responded that he just got over the flu, and it was the first time ever to get the flu, and it was the first time ever in 30 years to miss work, he was the ironman just like Cal Ripken Jr., he was always there, always first at school and last at school. He told me he was stressed about being the meeting chairman, he had to chair the upcoming meeting about the big entrance exam for the junior high students to be held this weekend. He was stressed that he didn't know what to do. I thought he could do it, so I just told him to just relax and everything would be ok, and just do it. I was thinking of giving him some advice on how to conduct the meeting but I was hesitant because sometimes I feel funny telling older people what to do. Later on we chatted a little more about work, but then I wished I had a time machine to go back and chat with him more, to know he was ok, to know if I could have helped him. But I don't, only Doraemon has a time machine, and life goes on. Miyamoto sensei was always so kind to leave me some goodies in a bag under my desk. Randomly when I arrived at school I would find a treat of beer and sake and other goodies courtesy of Miyamoto, he said it was just a little thanks for helping him out. I was looking to repay the favor, looking for some fine sake to give to him, but I was a little too late. I felt bad I couldn't have given him his sake. At school the teachers were in shock, a moment of silence was given to Miyamoto sensei during homeroom. Talked to some teachers a bit, but everyone deals with death in their own way, plus the cultural barrier, sometimes I was at a lost of what to do. I just remembered some of the photos I took of Miyamoto and his students, and collected a few last ones as I walked by his homeroom. His desk was decorated with flowers, the table top clean with books filled up high. I always remembered his glasses, suit, and Zippo slippers, and the notepad he carried in his pocket. He was a busy man and always checked his schedule with his notebook. Even going to the cafeteria today the cafeteria ladies asked about who died today, I gave them Miyamoto's description and the replied with a sad awww , they called him the udon man. Udon was a favorite of Miyamoto sensei, I will miss those times talking to him over lunch. He always looked out for me from day one, he gave me his number and said if I ever get into any trouble to contact him, he said he knew some tough people in the city, tough as in karate masters and yakuza which are always good friends to have anywhere. Anyways there is so much more to say, but I will leave it as is .... Miyamoto sensei I will miss you, your laugh, your smile, your kindness, you can't be replaced, you will always be in my heart, I'll do my best to help your students because I know thats what you cared about most ...take care, til we meet again someday in another time ... may you be happy wherever you are ..

SNOWBOARDING AGAIN

Finally hit the slopes this year after a year absence. Sure did feel good, after I figured out how to use my new damn Flow bindings, not bad feels a lot better than the old skool style, just took some time getting used to it. Headed out to Banshu Tokura with Kayo via bus for a whopping 5000yen, about 50 bucks. Not bad of a deal since it included a 2 hour bus ride, lift ticket, and free lunch. I am too lazy to drive and damn gas is expensive now a days! Snow was nice, it was holding up and the weather was not too cold. Just cold enough to have the "yukidaruma matsuri" snowman making contest. On the kiddie slop, there was a big blow up dog, with kids in full force, looks like a elementary school set base there. The resort was super small as it had a whopping 3 lifts, kinda like Snoqualmie but 1/2 the size, but it got the job done as I was playing snowboard instructor for the day as poor Kayo was learning the ropes of snowboarding or maybe it was falling and falling and falling. I remember those times! But she did good, just like all those other people I brutally trained. Its a boot camp and if you want to learn how to snowboard you have to feel the pain, ha ha ha .. no pain no snowboard! Hopefully back to the slopes next week for more snowboard boot camp!

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