Osaka-ish

Osaka...Ok, Sanda, a short 30 minute train ride from Osaka.  My boy Mike lives in a cubby hole in a suburb, or bed town, of Osaka.  Not bad, not great.  Just a pad.  I am looking forward to checking the place out a bit more.  Loud ass MIKE.  Great to see him.   Last night he spilled chuhai (booze) on some dude on the train.  Funny as hell.  Anyway, get ready for New Years...

First day of a week off.  I am chilin today with my roomate and Mandisa, a black girl from Nova.  Cool chick, if a bit roughneck.  I mean it in the nicest possible way.  I bought a bag for 20 bucks I thought was going to cost me 150.  Just a little thing I can keep my study stuff and a little assorted crap in.  I been lugging around this backpack with like a binder in it for a month. 

 

Heading to Osaka tomorrow to chill with my boy Mike.  I wrote Mika on accident there.  Freud or quirk of qwerty?  Hmmm....  lets hope it was a qwerk.  Should be a wild week.  Mike says he got a bottle waiting, and I am all about it.  He actually lives in a suburb of Osaka, but it is a cheap train ride, and I am all about visiting a smaller berg anyway.  Be nice to get away from gettin away for a bit.  Too bad I cant jet off and see my boys in Okinawa too.  Damn being poor!

First day of a week off.  I am chilin today with my roomate and Mandisa, a black girl from Nova.  Cool chick, if a bit roughneck.  I mean it in the nicest possible way.  I bought a bag for 20 bucks I thought was going to cost me 150.  Just a little thing I can keep my study stuff and a little assorted crap in.  I been lugging around this backpack with like a binder in it for a month. 

 

Heading to Osaka tomorrow to chill with my boy Mike.  I wrote Mika on accident there.  Freud or quirk of qwerty?  Hmmm....  lets hope it was a qwerk.  Should be a wild week.  Mike says he got a bottle waiting, and I am all about it.  He actually lives in a suburb of Osaka, but it is a cheap train ride, and I am all about visiting a smaller berg anyway.  Be nice to get away from gettin away for a bit.  Too bad I cant jet off and see my boys in Okinawa too.  Damn being poor!

turn the lights out while she burns.

Just another day in the big city.  I am chilling listening to BNL-the Bare Naked Ladies, to the uninitiated.  Good jams, good times, right?  One day of work until I get 9 days off.  I will be heading down to Osaka to chill with my boy Mike.  The black zoro.  Just dont ask what he signs his Z with.  Trust me, you dont wanna know.  I had a crappy night the other day, and I followed it with a good one last night.  I studied in Starbucks, again, (who woulda guessed I would become a kanji nerd?)  and I talked to the guy there I met the other day-Yasuhiro.  After that I met Re (yes, like Ray), Keiko, Nasuki, and some little kid named Ray.  No kidding.  At one point I had every employee of SB talking to me and ignoring the register.  It was when we were discussing the many Rays in the store.  Re is the manager, and when the manager screws off everyone does, right? 

 

Yet again, I have set myself up on a first name basis with the folks at my favorite spot.  too bad its a SB.  I think I should start calling myself Norm.  Perhaps it is the validation of having SOMEONE know your name, or perhaps I deep down inside fear change.  Therefore I go to the same places repetitivly as a substitute for any real stability in my life.  Anyway, it was fun talking to them, and I was having a good Japanese day.  Some days I cant seem to figure out just what the hell they are saying, and some days I can.  Perhaps someday.  I am just trying to figure out the train station announcements now.  I got leaving from track #... down now.  Hope all is well. 

--
Ray Proper

"Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something."
Pancho Villa, 1923

hey hey hey!

So the last three days have been quite dull.  Watching movies, a lot of reading, and the usual amount of study as well.  I actually like studying Japanese here-unlike in the states.  Mostly the Kanji.  It is kinda zen to write the same thing over and over again with an eye to making it just so, perfect.  It is not the kanji, but making the kanji that is important, ne?  I am hooking up with some guy I met on the subway the other day.  He has been here like 16 years, and he is from Portland.  He should be an invaluable source of info^assuming he isnt a wacko, but I am not too worried.  He invited me to his buddhist meeting, and though unfortunatley I have to work, it is a good sign of a peaceful mind.  I would definitley like to start sitting again, and doing the tea ceremony would be ideal.  Anyway, my friend just arrived.  We are going to UNAGI.  Hmmmmmmmm  goood UNAGI.  BBQ like goodness....(insert Homer Simpson impression here)

--
Ray Proper

"Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something."
Pancho Villa, 1923

CRAP!

Well I have an interview on Friday with a company that called about 20 minutes after I applied. It is about 40 minutes from where I live now, it pays about 600 more-minimum- and it is all kids classes. I like all this. Now I realize that since I want to go to grad school in 07 I need to think about having a part time job then. A significant concern. I have not seen a great deal of them advertised, but I am certain that if I stay with NOVA I can have a very well paying one. I hate to say it, but I may end up dealing with Nova anyway. Jeez. Just when I think I got it all figured out. I am just going to lay it out to the guy I interview with-small company run by him and his wife, and perhaps he may have some insight into it. It would be nice to put away an extra 6 to pay for school. That is like 7000, and that is a year’s tuition at NU. On top of whatever I would have saved on my original salary. I tend not to spend much money. As long as I have a coffee shop to study/read in I am good to go.

So, it pays more, but I will have to move, and face an uncertain employement future. I also know NO ONE in that city, but if it is nice... I feel a need want recieve matrix in my future.

So, now a not about Japanese girls. What the hell happened to the way they walk? They have atrocious gaits. Like ducks, or monkeys they wander around in these stiletto heels trying to look sexy. I am just not into it. If you are UNABLE to walk with sophistication and style DONT WEAR EM. I would rather have a woman in tennis shoes who comports herself well than any of that crap. Friggin wierdos...

Look at these classes!

http://www.gsid.nagoya-u.ac.jp/edu/curriculum/curr/dicos-en.html

OK everyone just calm down a minute!

I am NOT unhappy here. I do hate my job, but overall things are going well-except that I am extremely hung over today! We went to a nomihodai last night-all you can drink for a certain period of time at a set price. Ben, my aussie roommate, asked for a whiskey and coke and they were really thrown off by this for some reason. SO he ended up with a WATERGLASS full of whiskey and another of coke. I stopped drinking at midnight, and I am still a little drunk today at 2pm. Also, I started out my evening wiht a few slugs of absinthe. I am LIKEN that stuff! Two shots and I was off for like three hours!

ANYWAY. I like where I live, who I live with various other aspects of my life now. I even enjoy my job to a certain extent. I talk to people all day. Anyone who knows me knows I CAN TALK purty gud. The problem is that I need more intellectual stimulation. I will not enjoy teaching english PERIOD, I think. I need to be challenged somehow, and tihs job does not offer it.

I am seriously leaning towards graduate school. Nogoya Daigaku is in the top 200 worldwide, and 11th in Asia. International Cooperation Studies, or Development would be an interesting degree with lots of potential jobs attached. Most valuable to me would be the language skills, and the experience and fact of having been educated in Japan. Their bachelors degrees are a joke, but their graduate programs are generally pretty good.

So, this is what I am thinking. After six months I am going to try and go part time at Nova. I could easily do this job part time. In the meantime I am going to start the process of applying to grad school. I need to apply to scholarships and crap, as well as research wether or not I can even go to school on a working visa! I have a lot of things to research.

NO WORRIES ALL. I just HATE MY JOB. How many people hate their jobs? Most, I bet. I can ANYTHING for a year, and eventually they will start paying me, and I can buy stuff.

I am going to be here for a while. Probably 3-5 years. I say 5, but historically I get bored after three and so I am doubtful about that. I need to make the experience as valuable as possible. I study Asia. I like studying Asia. I want to work in a field involving Asia.

It might sound like I am off my rocker, but I am pretty sure I know what I am doing!!

We shall see...

Should be studying...

OK, so I have four options at this point. Keep working for Nova until I lose all ability to think outside the box and start espousing this fucked up company to newbies. I could quit and go to work for another English school until I cant stand the tedium any longer. I could also quit and go work on a US base. Or I could go to graduate school in Japan. I am already sick of this job, and am not sure how long I can stick it out. I just cant stand not using my head for anything other than a hat stand 5 days a week. A monkey could REALLY do this job. I am not kidding. JEEZ!

When all else fails; put your fist in it. Why, you ask? I do not know, it just seems to work. Unfortunately, you can’t put your fist in broke, and my ass is broke. I just bought a subway pass to last the month. Now, come middle of next week, when I run out of funds, I can still afford to get on the subway and bum change. Great plan eh? The pass cost me $145 US, but the company pays for 86 of it. I have free access to any subway line in Nagoya and surrounding.
I had the worst kinder class today. I had one kid who kept running out of the room, and when he was not doing that he was running around the room. To make matters worse that meant that my BOSS had to sit in my room and keep him from running away. I had to do that messed up lesson with my boss, and about 4 parents watching me. Yet again, another problem I could not put my fist in.
Oh well, when that little crap ass is working at a convenience store at thirty I probably will be there too, and maybe I will be his shift manager. I will make him clean the food vat by the register with a toothbrush. Crap ass kids.
I got my phone working now. As far as phones go this one is a pretty spiffy one. I can listen to MP3 with or without headphones, and take 2.2 mega pixal pictures while looking up words in my Japanese to English dictionary

Seniors

I had my first senior class yesterday. It was about eight 9-12 YO kids who were alternating between too cool to be seen with the likes of me-if they only knew-and being delighted by the most childish games. Interesting age. The class went better than expected, except that I forgot the lesson plan and just started letting them screw off more and more. They got the vocabulary, and that is all I was shooting for. "What do you want for christmas?" "I want a video game (game-U, as they say)." It was fun. My kinder classes were hell though. One of the kids locked himself in a cupboard. I was really pissed until I figured out he did it to himself. After that I decided he could stick his head in the toilet for all I cared, and I would teach to those who paid attention! We danced, we sang, and I made funny faces. It was fun! I like the kids classes better than adult. I can screw off like a madman with the kids for forty minutes!