----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 09
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Woke up at: 08:30
Mood: A little sore from playing squash and workin' out
Listening to: Inner Light by Zion i
Weather Report: Yesterday was pretty frickin' hot, today is a little cloudy
Japanese Food: Negi toro = chopped fatty tuna sashimi with green onions
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Renshuu = practice
Japan News: Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi struck out 11 on his way to his first complete-game shutout in two years as the Hanshin Tigers blanked the Yakult Swallows 8-0, reducing their "magic number" for clinching the Central League pennant to 13 Friday.
------------------------------------
Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.29.03):
Had a pretty good day even though Hasegawa got rocked. I recaptured 1st place!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	2695	55
2	Dodger Dogs	2633	37
3	Jookies	2354	18
4	Border Jumpers	2339	-13
5	Fleas & Ninjas	1861	-7

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Dentist, Squash and Dinner

Went to the dentist yesterday morning and got a little more work done. I chit chatted with them for a bit about where I went on vacation, etc... Afterwards, got a lot of cleaning done and then headed to Makuhari to play squash with Ami. Before going to the gym, we went to this sporting goods store that had tons and tons of shoes. A little bit expensive, but got to see all these Adidas and Nikes that I've never seen before.

After changing, went to meet Ami at the squash courts. She was already there, mopping the floor. Our first game went by pretty quick...she smoked me. It took me a while to get back into the "squash frame of mind". I told her that the last game was my warmup game and from that point...I took her down in the next 4 games! She wasn't too happy bout that. It also helped that I had my bball shoes cuz the last time, I was playin' in my retro air trainers which gave me blisters.

Since the pool was full, Ami decided to skip swimming and we just went to train in the weight room. She ran while I lifted. Afterwards we headed by to her parents' house for dinner. As I took "my" chair, I finally decided to voice my opinion onto this little Japanese custom that's been bugging me since I arrived in Japan. Here goes...everytime I go to somebody else's house for lunch/dinner, while the family has hashi, I get waribushi (disposable). I never thought anything of it at first, but been thinkin' about it more and more lately. So I asked Ami and mama about it. In a nutshell, all guests are given waribashi. Since mama was surprised and felt a little embarrased because she considers me family now, she quickly rummaged through her drawers to find me some hashi. Since the only kind she could find were red, she said next time I come over, she'll have hashi just for me. I love mama! She's so koo!

For dinner, we had some cauliflower, nasu, this tofu/egg dish, fish, chicken & peppers, rakkyo & yari and salad. Mama always asks me to call her before coming over to place an order because she doesn't know what I want to eat. I always insist that it doesn't matter because all her food is da bomb! After dinner, I showed them some pics of Mt. Fujii and the speech contest.

NOTE: After talkin' to many Japanese, I find that most of them have never climbed to the top of Mt. Fujii. They all have BEEN to Mt. Fujii but only by car to the 5th station. I'm always telling them that they must climb to the top to see the sunrise! (Thanks Nechan!)

Came home and then just crashed out.

Here's one of the jokes that my mother sends to her friends and me on a daily basis. I really enjoyed this last one because I'm an English teacher who loves food and drinks. Enjoy!

DIETING...

For those of you who watch what you eat...Here's the final word
on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all
those conflicting medical studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart
attacks than the Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart
attacks than the Americans.
3. The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer
heart attacks than the Americans.
4. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and
suffer fewer heart attacks than the Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages
and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is
apparently what kills you.


Today I'm supposed to help out Sho with Ami's 6-man vball team. Since I'm not as sore as I thought I was gonna be, I'm probably gonna go...but a 4 hour practice sounds overwhelming right now...but I can do it!

Well...gonna clean up some more and then get ready to play some vball! Peace out ya'll!

Kaz out...

Well...I see that my comments are back up...we'll see if it's stable.

Kaz out...

Just got back from Atsuko san's house. She invited me over for dinner tonite along with her daughter, Izumi. Atsuko san made some haru maki (Spring Rolls) which were yummy. Izumi brought over some grubbin' chicken. It was a huge feast! I ate way too much food! Tabesugi yo! Anyhow...I had to lay down for a sec, which became like a half hour. Decided to head home but totally forgot that I have to bike up this phatty hill. That was tough on a full stomach!

I'm too lazy to copy my template over...so I'll just cut and paste my latest scores:

Rk Manager Season Last
1 Hanshin Tigers 2640 -35
2 Dodger Dogs 2596 -31
3 Border Jumpers 2352 222
4 Jookies 2336 93
5 Fleas & Ninjas 1868 52

Got a dentist appointment tomorrow and going to go play squash with Ami.

Aite...I'm tired...callin' it a night. Late!

Kaz out...

Not sure what's up with my feedback module. The guy's site is down...oh well. If it's like this for another couple days...I'll find another feedback program.

Just finished my online Yahoo! Fantasy Football draft. Was conferenced in with the guys from work as well as Tri. It was koo to shit talk not only in the chat but on speakerphone. Other than my internet connection cuttin' off at times...I'm satisfied with my team. Here's my squad:

QB: Culpepper D., Vick M.
WR: Boston D., Horn J., Smith J., Walker J., Taylor T.
RB: Henry T., George E., Hambrick T.
TE: Becht A., Fauria C.
K: Wilkins J., Reed J.
D: Philadelphia

We'll see how this season goes, only time will tell...

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out the Tri's new Project Pink

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Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 12
Days til Don & Jookie are in Japan:
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Woke up at: 06:30
Mood: Drunk off my @$$
Listening to: Know That by Mos Def feat. Talib Kweil
Weather Report: It has cooled down a lot latelyl. I'm chillin' in my apartment right now
Japanese Food: soba = buckwheat flour noodles that you usually eat cold. Looks a little dirty
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: paa = become mentally weak
Japan News: Saitama Super Arena will host the 2nd "Songkran Festival & Asian Festival" on Aug. 30 and 31, in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and sponsored by the ASEAN Japan Centre as well as various tourist boards of Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. "Songkran" is Thai's traditional water-throwing festival, in which people wish for an abundant harvest and a clean bill of health. You can enjoy a "Saitama version" of Songkran festivities at Keyaki Hiroba, a large open space near the arena from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on both days. This two-day Asian festival will be filled with a colorful array of events, including dance shows, a Muay Thai performance, food stalls, music performances, hands-on culture activities and tourism promotion booths. It will give you a great chance to experience the rich diversity of the Asian tradition and gastronomic culture all at once.
------------------------------------

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.25.03):
After a descent week and a poor weak from the Dodger Dogs, I regained my first place rights yo!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	2675	69
2	Dodger Dogs	2627	-41
3	Jookies	2243	-42
4	Border Jumpers	2130	-38
5	Fleas & Ninjas	1816	-7

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Drunken BlogCongrats Emi & Ayumi!!!

Okay...not sure how this blog is going to go...Anyhow...my 7th graders won 3rd place in the English speech contest. Sawada didn't do too well because we (Takahashi sensei and I) came in when Sawada just started her speech. She got a little startled when we came in late and it totally threw off her concentration. Yamashita impressed me because yesterday she didn't fully memorize the story. All in all, she improvised on the other speakers and did a pretty good job. I will post pics up shortly.

On our way home, Takahashi sensei and I had some good conversation. He's truly like a big brother to me. I learn so much from him.

Since my students did well, I decided to celebrate @ Ikko. Met up with Kitaguchi & Takahashi san @ Ikko, then Nakamura Sensei came through. We had Ikko no mama call Mami-chan up and her come by Ikko. She invited me to drinks afterwards....I was a little reluctant...but she insisted. She showed me her BMW and I was like whoah. She took me too another bar had treated me to drinks and karaoke. She then told me as we were leaving that she has other cars. She has a mercedes S600, red ferrari 355 and a silver lamborghini countach. I was like Whoah!!! It was good times nonetheless....had too much sho chu.

Word to ya'll... don't drink sho chu at the end of the night.

Okay...i'm callin' it a night...cuz I'm way exhausted. I need to do research for my fantasy football draft tomorrow afternoon.

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out the Tri's new Project Pink

----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 13
Days til Don & Jookie are in Japan:
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::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 08:10
Mood: Koo Koo...just woke up from a nap
Listening to: Soul Love by Glay
Weather Report: When it's over 85% humidity does the temperature really matter?
Japanese Food: somen = white flour noodles that you usually eat cold. very similar to angel hair pasta.
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: tomodachi = friend
Japan News: Japan Airlines System Corp. (JAL group) and other international carriers are set to introduce high-speed Internet connections on their flights starting next year. Passengers will be able to send and receive e-mail and browse the Web while in flight. The airlines will likely charge passengers $30-50 (3,600-6,000 yen) for use of the service. The aircraft will connect to the Internet via a satellite link. Japan Airlines plans to begin offering the service in June on routes linking Tokyo with major Western cities like London and New York, and to gradually expand the service to other routes.
------------------------------------

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.25.03):
Crappy day, a measly 5 pts.

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Dodger Dogs	2668	11
2	Hanshin Tigers	2606	5
3	Jookies	2285	13
4	Border Jumpers	2092	-5
5	Fleas & Ninjas	1823	16

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chillin'...

Tomorrow is the speech contest, so today was the last day of practice. After practicing with Kinouchi, I chilled with the office ladies in the air conditioned office. Then had practice with Yamashita, however she hasn't fully memorized the story so it was hard to fix other things. Oh well...not much can be done now. We'll all find out tomorrow.

For lunch today, I made some somen that I got from Hide's mom. Fukushima somen, I guess, is much longer than your typical somen. I devoured 2 packages with some kara-age. Yummy.

On TV right now, they're comparing which side you should stand on the escalators. In Tokyo, Gifu, & Ogaki , the "fast" lane is the right, but in Osaka, Kyoto and Maibara it's opposite. But in other places it's random. They even have lines down the middle of the escalator. Tarui is where the station where left or right is okay.

Due to the huge amounts of spam I was gettin', I decided to change my keitai mail address.

Started Catfish and Mandala today. Story about a Vietnamese-American who travels by bike from California to Vietnam. Right off the bat, it put a smile to my face as he spoke about the 3rd world squat.

Ok...what's up with the GAP commercial I just saw on TV? Missy Elliot & Madonna??? WTF!?
My favorite tv programs are starting, so I'm gonna wrap this one up. Peace!

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out the new Project Pink

----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 14
Days til Don & Jookie are in Japan:
----------------------------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 08:30
Mood: Exhausted
Listening to: It's The... by Crown City Rockers (formerly known as Mission)
Weather Report: Pretty frickin' humid
Japanese Food: Okonomiyaki = Japanese style pancake filled with meat, fish an/or vegatables
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Chou = Very... ex. Chou Uzai = very annoying
Japan News: A Japanese team won the Little League World Series for the third time in five years, with Yuutaro Tanaka striking out 14 and Hokuto Nakahara hitting a grand slam in a 10-1 win Sunday night over Boynton Beach, Florida. Tokyo's players raced into center field after the game, bowing to the bust of stadium namesake Howard J Lamade, a tradition that began with Tokyo Kitasuna in 2001.
------------------------------------

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.24.03):
Had a descent day today, 61 pts. Fortunately the Dodger Dogs had -7 pts. Now I'm only 56 pts. down!!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Dodger Dogs	2657	-7
2	Hanshin Tigers	2601	61
3	Jookies	2272	57
4	Border Jumpers	2097	-23
5	Fleas & Ninjas	1857	68

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A Long Week

I'm back...kinda sorta. Tri went back last night after a grueling 6 day tour of Kanto, Japan. We did as many things that I've done in 4 months; in 6 days!!!

08.22.03

Had a bet with Tri that I wouldn't be able to wake up without an alarm before 9am. Whoever lost would have to finish the last shot of Jinro. I won, Tri took the shot. Left for headed out to Shibuya. Got to show Tri one of the crazy crosswalks there. We played some tandem Virtua Cop 3 @ a Sega arcade. Then found a pub named Dubliners and had Guiness and some fish & chips. Then went to Meiji Shrine which isn't all that. Afterwards walked down Takeshita Street (the Japan Telegraph), unfortunately we didn't get to see too many girls dressed all crazy. Went to an Adidas store and a Sony store which actually was a girl's accessory store. Met up with Aki @ Roppongi station. Walked to Roppongi Hills and had a heartland beer while admiring the view of Tokyo Tower. Tried to explain to Aki the concept of "chillin'" Really difficult...solution will addressed later.

After seeing most of Roppongi Hills, we headed to Asabu Matsuri which was only a 10 min. walk away. Called up Yu cuz he told me he was gonna be there. This matsuri was huge. Felt like a sardine. Met up with Yu and he took us to meet his friends. I told him to explain to Aki how we knew each other and also the concept of "chillin'". It was weird to see Yu speak in Japanese then seamlessly switch to English and vice versa. Finally got to meet his friend that wants to drink with me. Had no idea it was his old crew's manager who was also a girl!

We then headed to Ginza to go to this restaurant called Funeral. On the way to the subway, Aki breaks the strap on her shoes that she has only worn twice! Though we were supposed to go to Alcatraz, I was a little weary on what to expect of this place. As we got into the elevator, we noticed an ad with cartoon pictures of coffins and stuff. Still had no idea what to expect.
As the doors of the elevator opened, we were welcomed by 2 pictures that you see when you got to a memorial service. Then a girl greeted us and started speaking hella fast! She then gave Aki a white "death" robe and hat and led us through this coffin that was the front door. We then came into this small, dark room with 2 coffins. Another girl came in with a flashlight shining up onto her face. She then asked Aki to choose if she wanted to go to Heaven or Hell. Aki picked up heaven of course. After some chanting and praying, we were finally led into the restaurant. Another girl came and greeted us and we had to do some incense and ring a bell.

Finally...after all that, we were seated. Then another girl came up and gave us our towels to wash our hands. Then she brought out this wooden head and starting hitting it with a mallet and start chanting. At this point, Aki, Tri and I are speechless. Another interesting thing was the way to get the attention of the waitors/waitresses. At most restaurants, there's a little button that you can ring. Here, we had to use the little buddhist bell. We also had to say a special phrase to go the bathroom. Unfortunately none of us went. I wondered what happens....

Aki then went outside to meet Kaoru. So it was just Tri and I when another girl came up and started asking us survey questions. All we wanted was to order a pitcher of beer, but she's all hardcore about finding out: 1. Where did you hear about this place? 2. Where did you come from before coming here? When Kaoru shows up, she tries her limited English on Tri. Shortly thereafter, she orders our feast. She gets a little restless because they take forever in bringing her drink. Finally we were able to toast and start our food. Kaoru ordered this Maguro Natto dish. I haven't had natto in a long time and couldn't stand the smell...but I did end up eating it and liking it too. Now I'm a true Japanese. We ordered a Russian Roulette which consisted of 3 coroquettes and 3 shu mai. 2 out of 6 are filled with wasabi. We each pick one and eat...we all survived. So we paper, rock & scissor to see who gets the last two. It was Aki and Tri. They survived too. Hmmm.....was this some sort of joke? Kaoru doesn't hesitate to let them know that it was a dud. We got served another one and they made it clear that 2 WILL BE HOT. When we all chose our new ones, it was 3,2,1, Go! I survived and quickly surveyed the scene. By the look of Aki and Kaoru's faces, they survived too. Then I gazed over at Tri and BAM!!!. Tri's eyes were watering and he almost lost it. Tri loves wasabi, but I think this one was packed with the most wasabi he's ever had in one bite. Since there was another "bullet" left, Kaoru cut open the remaining to see how much they put. The last "bullet" had hella, I mean HELLA! wasabi. Even Tony couldn't handle that much wasabi. Ikko the joined us as we ordered dessert. We ordered Japanese cotton candy that I didn't even get a chance to eat because Ikko, who loves sweets, quickly swooped it up and started to eat it like it was all hers. Tri and I were...like...Uh...ok. Our attitudes quickly changed when Ikko got her dessert served to her. This guy brought this sweet dessert in 2 separate cups. He then brought out this object out of this box. I couldn't tell what it was at first, but by her reaction, I quickly realized it was a vibrator!!! If some of you can't picture this...check out my pic site in a day or so, they should be up by then. We finally headed out and walked Kaoru and Ikko to the subway. Introduced Tri to the Yamanote-sen @ 12am. So crowded, didn't need to hang on to keep your balance. Finally got to JR Tsudanuma by way of Akihabara. Caught a taxi and had to head back cuz Tri dropped the picture from the restaurant. We finally got home and called it a night.

08.23.03

Kamakura

After a long night, we had to get up and leave the house by 08:30 to meet up with Ikko @ Tokyo station. Caught the express from JR Tsudanuma and arrived exactly at 12:00. Met Ikko up and we hopped on the train to Kita Kamakura. Today's agenda: go to 3 temples and see the Daibutsu (Big Buddha). The weather that day was pretty warm and humid. Made all the walking seem like forever. We were able to see 2 of the 3 temples because one of them were closed for remodeling. After the first temple, we decided to grab lunch. We stopped off at this restaurant called Kaneko (my mother's maiden name) and had some Hiyashi Ramen. It wasn't bad, but does not come close to Kaoru's Hiyashi Chuuka. After awhile these templese are start lookin' the same. We then walked to Kamakura station to catch the train to see the Daibutsu. On the way, we walked down this market street which had tons of stuff. Tri and I got a bottle of Kamakura beer. Though it was only established 5 years ago, it was pretty good. Tri noticed a store named "Kathy" so Ikko posed as we took some shots. If ya'll don't remember, Kathy is her American name she came up with. We finally got to the Daibutsu...not as a big as I thought it was gonna be. Should be named the Chuubutsu. I was inspired to take some pictures with my Buddhapparel shirt. We then headed to the beach. A little dirty, kinda smelly, so we just turned back to catch the train back to Shinjuku. Met up with Kaoru and Aki. They came back from Kaoru's friend's live performance in Tokyo and had some gifts for me and Tri. They wrote, more like try to write, Tri's name in katakana. They got us both ceramic beer glasses. Mine said that I shouldn't drink too much with this (since it's nice) in Japanese. We then headed out to this Hawaiian themed restaurant. Hula girls and everything. Nice waitresses too. Anyhow...as always, Kaoru orders the food and we eat. For some reason, we didn't really get enough food even though Tri and I shared a sandwich right before. After I came back from the bathroom, I see that Tri and Ikko are dancing with the wahinis. But before I could get my camera, the song ended. Gonna have to get the pic from Ikko's camera. The girls ordered a round of souvenir cup drinks. Kaoru got a Topless Tiki, Aki got a coconut but Ikko got an ashtray for some reason. Guess you really couldn't bring home a pineapple. After takin' a pic with the alligator/croc we headed out to find a place to go karaoke. Decided on this one where you pay a flat rate with unlimited drinks. As usual, Kaoru sang her usual, Aki sang more than normal and Ikko sang my favorite Nakayama Miho song. Tri and I sang Under the Bridge and for some reason, Eye of the Tiger. Ikko and I did our Sweet Pain duet and I sang my Beloved song. After many gin & tonics, we somehow got to the trainstation. At first, we thought we were gonna miss the last train back home. Kaoru's father volunteered to drive us home from Tokyo which was way too much trouble. Luckily we found out that there was 2 more trains we could catch. It was all a daze as we finally reached JR Tsudanuma. Caught a cab and before I could get situated at home, Tri was out like a light.


08.24.03

Last Day

After waking up, Tri felt a little sick, sorta similar to how he felt after the first night. We then headed to eat some ramen and ran into Ikko no Mama. She invited us over to her house for sushi, but we kinda we're on a schedule, so unfortunately I had to turn down the offer. :( Since the ramen place didn't open til 11:30, we headed tothe grocery store to get some Japanese snacks for Tri to take back. Then we went back to the ramen place and Tri started to wig out a bit. Maybe it's the food there? I felt fine, ...oh well. We then headed out to the airport, caught the express to Narita from Keisei Tsudanuma. There was this cute little baby that kept on looking at us and smiling and laughing all the time. We finally got to the airport, went up like 6 floors to the check in desk. we walked around for something to eat and ended up at one of the many Japanese restaurants in the airport. I introduced Tri to maguro yamakake and cream anmitsu. We chilled there, had some beers and chit chatted til it was time for him to board. When we found out it was gonna be delayed another 15 min., we went to the bookstore and I picked up a Newsweek and XXL which cost me damn near $20!!! Saw Tri off and then headed back home. Mostly slept on the way home and then stopped off at to get some groceries @ Matsu Kiyo. Came home and then headed to Ikko for a snack and drink. Got to meet one of Nakamura sensei's "girlfriends". Found out she went to part of Junior high and high school in California! She also won the english speech contest when she was a 7th grader! She's a piano teacher now with over 100 students. I might start takin' up piano again.

Came home and quickly crashed out cuz I have speech practice tomorrow morning.


08.25.03

2 Week Vacation Has Come To An End

Woke up today @ around 08:30 and cleaned up a little bit and headed to school around 09:30. Saw Takeuchi sensei and Takahashi sensei in the teacher's room. Sawada was there too. We started the speech practice and it was the first time Takeuchi showed up! Unfortunately Sawada hasn't fully memorized all of the story which she was supposed to do. Anyhow..Takeuchi totally grilled her and had all these comments...uh...where were you before? Wait til there's only 2 more days til the contest...oh well. After the practice we headed to the gym to have a quick practice with Mikamiyama. Upon coming up to the gym, I noticed that there was another school there practicing with them. I even saw Sasaki sensei in bball shoes and sweating. Takahashi asked him why, and he said that because I wasn't there, he had to play! Hehehee...anyhow...we got Emi to come outside and practice with the team captains, asst. coach and Sasaki sensei. Takahashi played Ayumi's part. Everyone was shocked to hear how well Emi's english is. Sasaki sensei then told us to do it one more time, but this time, on the stage in front of everybody. So I somehow was volunteered to be Ayumi. Thought I would forget what the dialog was...but hey, I did write it! During the telephone part, Sasaki sensei provided the sound effects. Afterwards, Emi was mobbed by everybody, giving her props for being so good. Sasaki sensei says in Japanese that my English is very good. He's a pretty funny guy. I have more respect for him, never thought he had a soft side to him, but after today, I see him in a different light. Afterwards, Takahashi and I went out to eat some Yaki Niku and then he took me to the Maruzen bookstore in Tsudanuma. Saw some mags and books I wanted but when I looked at the prices, I was koo. Didn't need them that much...probably have ya'll get for me and either ship it or sent it with peeps who are visiting. Tri brought 4 books for me to read: Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X. Pham, The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, which should keep me busy for the next couple months. Cryptonomicon will be interesting, it being 1000 pages and all. Well...I'm gonna wrap this all up now...sorry for laggin' in my updates. I'll be back on my normal schedule now, that is for the next 2 weeks before Brandon and Thuy come. Aite...I've said enough...if ya'll got this far, pat yourself on the back.

Kaz out...

Mt. Fujii has been conquered!!! After a long 8 hours of freezing cold temperatures, strong winds and super slow young and old japanese and foreigners. It was all well worth it because the sunrise from the top was one of the best things I've ever seen. The prize did not come with out a grueling battle against Fujii-san. I must agree with a girl named Cynthia that told me climbing Mt. Fujii is the most challenging things I've ever done in my life (both physically and mentally!) The way down was fun...Tri taught me how to "slide" down the lava rock from his experiences from climbing Mt. Lassen. It only took 2 1/2 hours to get down!

After a long hassle of gettin' home from Mt. Fujii, we finally got back, had some japanese fast food, picked up some snacks and beer at the grocery store and came home. Though we have been up for more than 36 hours now...we are just watchin' movies, havin' some drinks and just chillin'.

Tomorrow we're off to Harajuku, Shibuya, Roppongi and have dinner @ Alcatraz with Aki and Kaoru.

Talk to ya'll later.

Kaz out...

Yesterday went to Narita to pick up Tri. Came home, dropped off the luggage and then headed to Ikko. Introduced Tri to the Ikko family and of course Oolong Hi. Had tons of food that Ikko no Mama gave to us for free. Came home and killed the half a bottle of Jinro while watching The Rules of Attraction. After watching it, we watched it again with the Carrot Top commentary. I don't like Carrot Top, but after hearing what he had to say in the commentary, it made me see him in a different light. The guy is fffnn funny! Tri passed out @ around 3:30 and me shortly thereafter.

Woke up today and Tri was feelin' under the weather. He inaugurated my toilet. We then headed to Jungle ramen and then we were off to Tokyo. Our first destination, Akihabara of course!! Then we went to Tokyo station to see the famous old style entrance. Woo hoo...not all that! Then headed to Ueno to look around. We stopped off at this one bar for some food and beer. Afterwards headed back to Funabashi to meet up with Ko and Marty. We went to eat Okonomiyaki and Monjanyaki. Got home about an hour ago. Gonna rest up cuz tomorrow's the big day. Fujii-san...here we come!!!

Kaz out...

Ok...I'm really mad right now.

After about an hour of writing my entry,

somehow it got erased!!!

I'm too irate right now to rewrite it.

Kaz out...

Just got home...now I'm off to Tokyo to see a live performance, crashing out there and headin' out to Hakone tomorrow morning. Will update ya'll bout my trip to Toyama when I get back! Peace!

Kaz out...

----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan: 8
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 29
Days til Don & Jookie are in Japan: 227
----------------------------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: I don't remember
Mood: Tired and a little buzzed
Listening to: Wait & See by Utada Hikaru
Weather Report: Pretty warm but not as humid as has been
Japanese Food: Toriniku remonsosu kake = Lemon Chicken
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Urayamashii = envious, jealous
Japan News: In Fukuoka, a car accidentally fell from the rooftop of a five-story car park in Fukuoka and crash-landed on the roof of another building across the street, police said. Miraculously, the driver, Masami Sakamoto, escaped the incident virtually unscathed. Could this have been one of my relatives??? Hmm....
------------------------------------

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.09.03):
WTF!!! Only had 12 pts. today. Utterly terrible. My lead had diminished signifigantly!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	1608	12
2	Dodger Dogs	1479	80
3	Jookies	1471	93
4	Fleas & Ninjas	1422	62
5	Border Jumpers	1357	68

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Akihabara & Dinner

After doing a ton of laundry, I decided to go to Akihabara to get: another memory stick, clie keyboard and stylus. First of all...I asked Yu's brother, Masumi, where he got his memory stick so cheap. He sent me a map of the where the store was. Unfortunately...I don't think it's there anymore. I walked around for HOURS trying to find this place. What I might just do is buy one online and have Tri or Brandon bring with them. They're way too expensive here. They're asking almost $70 for only a 128MB stick!! What kind of crap is that????? By the time I left Akihabara, the only thing that I got was my Clie stylus. Which I could've gone to a local store to get. I did however see some new stuff. There's this new Clie...man...it's so dope!!!! It looks like a 2-way pager...but it's a Clie!!!!

Today was also nice because there was a hanabi tai kai @ Odaiba. So there were lots and lots of girls in yukatas. Summertime is great in Japan! :)

Since I was @ Akihabara, I decided to go to Kaoru's restaurant for dinner. Hide and Aki joined me...Aki of course was late as usual. We had some grubbin' "lemon chicken", moyashi ramen and this bell pepper pork dish...which I can't remember the name to. Hide's mom also came by to pick up some of Kaoru's special pizzas. After dinner, we were chattin' with some of the regulars that came by. Pretty interesting conversation. They were shocked that I was an American. Yet again...I baffled some more people.

Going home today was a hassle. From Inaricho -> Nihombashi -> Nishi Funabashi -> Funabashi -> Tsudanuma -> Yakuendai. I should have waited for the next train @ Nihombashi which would have made me only transfer one more time @ Kita Narashino. Oh well...it gave me time to take a nap.

I want to let ya'll know that I will be gone from Monday thru Friday. If I have access to a computer...I'll update...but most likely I won't. Then on Saturday, I'm off to Hakone. Sunday will be a chill day, then Tri comes in on Monday. Then it really gets crazy. Well...ya'll be safe for the next week. You'll hear about my Toyama trip when I get back, aite!?

Kaz out...

----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan: 9
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 30
Days til Don & Jookie are in Japan: 228
----------------------------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 8:00
Mood: Exhausted
Listening to: Perseus by Shimatani Hitomi
Weather Report: Man...there was horizontal rain today. It rained almost all day long! Now it's just sugoi kaze (Crazy wind!)
Japanese Food: Niku Jaga = Japanese beef stew
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Heko "Hut"...only you volleyball players will understand this. But for those who don't, it's a quick outside set the left side attacker. Semi "1"...thought that I'd add another volleyball term. It's a quick set to the middle attacker. For some reason I hit these the best...don't ask me how...cuz I can't explain why a short person like myself hits sets that are made for tall people
Japan News: Today is the 58th Anniversary of the Atomic Bomb that was dropped in Nagasaki. There was a one minute moment of silence as a bell tolled. For those of you who don't know much about the result of the a-bomb: about 74,000 people were killed and a similar number were injured when the United States dropped a 19-kiloton plutonium bomb on the city August 9, 1945. Six days later, Japan surrendered.
------------------------------------

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.08.03):
Only had 39 pts today...not too good...but still am in 1st place by about 200 pts!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	1596	39
2	Dodger Dogs	1399	30
3	Jookies	1378	76
4	Fleas & Ninjas	1360	93
5	Border Jumpers	1289	53

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dentist & Volleyball

Went to my dentist this morning. Didn't realize that he did that much work. I'm bling blingin' now...hehe. Got some 20k white gold on my 2 back molars. Still kinda hurts to drink tsumetai ka atsui no nomimono (cold or hot drinks). After the procedure was completed...I chit-chatted with the dentist and his wife. We talked for about a half hour. I then get a call from Ami, seeing if I was busy today. She invited me to come play volleyball with her team. Since the sunset cruise was cancelled and I had nothing better to do...I hurried home, pack my bag, and hopped on the train to Makuhari.

Upon arriving...Ami made lunch for Sho and I. Napoli spaghetti, Japanese style. It was grubbin'. We then headed back to the station to pick up Maki and then proceeded to the gym. Met up with the rest of the team. Found out that one girl played college vball in Illinois. Her english was aite. When we went into the gym, I saw about 25 "mature" women playin' 9-man volleyball. I was shocked to see that these were not only mothers...but maybe grandmothers that were playing. They were totally "scrappy" and really into the game. They played about 5 games! Boy was I impressed.

As Sho and I were peppering...I dove for this one ball...and kinda tweaked my bad shoulder. I sat out for a little bit...but it didn't feel that bad. So I continued to play. We did all kinds of drills...which brought back memories of my club days. This women's team would easily beat the boys team at my school. These women surprised the heck out of me. They're super scrappy. Sho and I were pounding balls but somehow these girls were able to get a hand on it. I was having some major problems receiving the float serve. But everything else seemed to be going fine. The thing that bothered me most was hot frickin' hot it was in the gym. Coupled with the 100% humidity, I was sweating like a pig! I went through 2 shirts and 2 towels. The highlight of the day was probably when I set Sho a perfect semi. Unfortunately Ami somehow got a hand on it by soft blocking. Bikuri shita! (I was shocked).

After the 4 hour practice...yes I said 4 HOURS! We headed back to Ami & Sho's and I took a shower. We then headed to Ami's parent's house for dinner. Muraguchi-san always makes me grubbin' food. Today we had: edamame, tofu, niku jaga, sushi, negi toro & ishimochi. Mama's niku jaga was one of the best that I've ever had. During dinner, Ami called her brother Hide and we talked for a little bit. I asked him how was Nebuta Matsuri was. Nebuta Matsuri is in Aomori. One of the biggest and best matsuris in Japan. From seeing it on TV, I can't imagine what it will be like in person. Hopefully next year I'll be able to go. By the end of the night, Ami had her normal 7 beers and Mama had her 5 or 6. Papa had his "water" (sho chu & a little bit of water on da rocks) which he kept offering me when I asked for just water. Sho passed out early on the couch and Ami even lapsed a couple of times in her chair while mama laughed and I took pictures with my keitai. Coming to America was on. The Japanese title is: "Star Prince goes to New York" ...I was like WTF!!! They really messed it up!

On my way back home, Takeuchi sensei texted me that he'll be picking me up @ 8am on Monday! Man, that's hella early!! But I guess it's understandable cuz it's goin' to take at least 6 hours by car to get there!

Well...that was my day...thank god this darn typhoon is over and done with. I'm callin' it a night! Gonna be hella sore tomorrow!

Kaz out...

----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan: 10
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 31
Days til Don & Jookie are in Japan: 229
----------------------------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 8:00
Mood: Full
Listening to: Forever Young (extended mix) by Alphaville
Weather Report: Hot and humid in the morning but now the typhoon has it...sugoi ame (Hella rain!)
Japanese Food: Sunagi = chicken gizzard (it's actually not bad with some shichimi
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Tomaru = 1. to stop; 2. stay over
Japan News: A 14-year-old boy is dead and a 15-year-old girl is in serious condition after an apparent attempted double suicide leap from the roof of an apartment complex in Kobe. Two pairs of shoes and two wallets were found on the roof of the 11-story apartment complex on the east side of the parking lot, where the teens were found, leading the police to conclude the two classmates had planned a double suicide. I know about how the Japanese leave their shoes when they commit suicide but their wallets...it's the first time I heard about that.

------------------------------------

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.07.03):
I had a great day...made up for my poor showing yesterday. Jookie made a big jump from last to 3rd. Go Jookie!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	1557	142
2	Dodger Dogs	1369	86
3	Jookies	1302	74
4	Fleas & Ninjas	1267	10
5	Border Jumpers	1236	-8

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Speech practice, Books & Typhoon

Sawada's speech was a little bit better today. She still seems a little shy and her voice is still a little weak. So I decided to change the setting and take it outside. I made her recite her speech in front of the school, near the field (much to her disliking because she is so hazukashii), tennis courts in front of Takeuchi sensei and finally in the hallway where the orchestra practices. I hope this helped her with her voice and being in front of a lot of people. I'm officially on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks. Next week I'm off to Toyama, then Hakone, then Tri comes into town.

After speech practice, I found my shipment from Amazon on my desk! I started Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard and am waiting to start Neuromancer by William Gibson when I go to Toyama. S&S is a very interesting read thus far. Has anybody read that before?

After going to the grocery store on the way home I noticed the sudden change in weather. It was really cloudy and humid. I got home just in time to bring my laundry in before the typhoon started. Man...it was crazy mad rain!! So I didn't go out at all since coming home. Decided to cut my hair but this time used a 4 instead of a 7. Can't really tell the difference.

I was planning on going on a sunset cruise tomorrow on my father's friend's boat...but because of this darn typhoon, it's cancelled.

Got another dentist appointment tomorrow @ 9:30. I plan on staying at home tomorrow because it's supposedly might rain as much as 5cm! (2 inches)

Well I'm sorta tired. It has been a long day.

Kaz out...

---------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan: 11
---------------------------------
----------------------------
Happy Birthday Jenny!
----------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 7:50
Mood: Tired
Listening to: Anti-Histamine by Nostalgic Progression
Weather Report: Warm and humid
Japanese Food: Tataki = seared as in Maguro Tataki (seared tuna)
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Ninki = popular, superstar
Japan News: Typhoon Etau, the season's 10th typhoon, hit Okinawa's main island and the southern part of the Amami islands off southern Kyushu on Thursday morning, and is expected to approach western Japan by Friday.
------------------------------------

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.06.03):

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	1415	64
2	Dodger Dogs	1283	160
3	Fleas & Ninjas	1257	112
4	Border Jumpers	1244	210
5	Jookies	1228	196

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Speech Practice, Just Missed My Package, Denny's, Keys Made, Laundry

Headed to Daily Yamazaki for some onigiri and Amino Supli. Then it was off to school for the 7th grade english speech contest. But to my surprise, Ayumi was feeling sick and Sasaki sensei didn't let Emi leave practice. What's up with that guy? He swears that his team is still practicing like they're competing for the Kanto Tai Kai! They got eliminated in the first round of the Chiba ken Tai Kai! 10 o'clock came around and Miki came for her practice. She still needs a lot of work with her emotion. We only have 2 more practices before the contest. Not sure how that is goin' to work out.

While we waited to see if Emi can still come...I headed over to the tennis courts to talk to Takeuchi sensei about next week's trip to Toyama. Before I could even get halfway to the courts, I hear my name being yelled...and it's not the usual girls from my school yell...as I turned to see who it was, I had to do a double take. To my surprise, it was Takahashi's (from Ikko) wife. She works right in front of my school as a traffic controller! As I chit chatted with her for a bit, she told me to go to Ikko cuz she has a day off so she can drink. I told her I might be able to make it...but I have to take care of a lot of things first..so we'll see. So I get to the tennis courts and see Takeuchi sensei all the way on the far court. He was actually demonstrating serving to the 7th and 8th graders. I was shocked to see him serve the ball with such great velocity. Before I could his attention, I was bombarded with "Hi Kebin!!!" & "Kebin!!!" from all the girls. They all are really nice and try to talk to me in english. I just want them to know that they don't have to scream at the top of their lungs when I'm not far away or standing next to them. I'm not deaf! :) When I spoke to Takeuchi sensei...he told me that he wasn't sure yet on the whole plans! Uhhhmmm....aren't we leaving on Monday? You told me bout this trip over a month ago...shouldn't have some sorta idea? Oh well...he's supposed to mail my keitai with the latest.

Fortunately for the day, Emi was able to come during the girl's bball team lunch break. After she inhaled her food, Takahashi sensei and I had her for like 15 min. That's all we needed cuz she totally impressed me with her gestures and pronunciation. And....she memorized the whole thing!!! I was like holy crap! The best native (who has not lived abroad) japanese english speaker in the school is a 7th grader!

Takahashi sensei decided to grab some lunch, so I biked home and he came to pick me up. When I got home...I saw that I got a notice from DHL that I have to call them because I wasn't home to accept my package. I looked on the paper and I just missed them by like 3 min!!! So I called them I told them to deliver to my school tomorrow morning. I ordered 2 books to read for my trip next week. Supposedly it's a 10 hour drive there! So I'll have plenty of time to read in the car.

We ended up going to Denny's. This is my first time at Denny's in Japan. I must say that I was totally impressed with the food. I had some cabbage salad, spaghetti, chicken yaki niku and some korokke all for about $5! After our meal we headed to this hardware store so that I can get extra keys made...uhmm..hemphh... I ended up also gettin' 2 large storage bins for my winter clothes and a large garbage can for my kitchen.

Came home, cleaned up a bit, did a lot of laundry but now I found out that it might rain tomorrow! Just my frickin' luck. I really miss having a dryer.

After I ate some dinner, I headed over to Ikko. When I went in...mama told me that I just missed Takahashi. Well...gotta run a lot of errands tomorrow...might head out to Akihabara to get another memory stick for my trip next week.

Kaz out...

Just got back from dinner with Tomo. She came to Hayward as an exchange student from Funabashi 2 years ago. It was a koo time to catch up everything over good food and drinks. A little tough to eat cuz I can only chew on my right side due to my dental work today. I ordered a long island ice tea...however is was kinda wack. This is my first LI in Japan...maybe I forgot what it tasted like...who knows. After dinner it was kinda late and we wanted some ice cream, luckily Haagen Daaz was still open, yatta! Even though I dropped some of my ice cream it was still grubbin'! Green tea ice cream with anko and dango...yummy!!!

Well...I know for sure that I have speech practice tomorrow. So I'm gonna get some much needed rest. Peace out ya'll!

Kaz out...

---------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan: 12
---------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 9:30
Mood: Stuffed (I just ate lunch)
Listening to: Always (trance mix) by Erasure
Weather Report: It was already 80F and 90% humidity when I woke up today
Japanese Food: Shichimi = Shichi (7) ; Mi (taste). It's a Japanese seasoning you can put on anything to spice it up
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Horitsu = Law (I learned it from Ikko no Mama because her niece is going to Todai (Short for Tokyo Daigaku or Tokyo University, the top college in Japan) to study houritsu
Japan News: Real Madrid beats FC Tokyo in 3-0. Beckham scores first goal on free kick. The Japanese love this guy.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

New Buddhapparel Website Done & Afternoon Update

After many, many long hours and hard work, Tony has finished the new website for our clothing company, Buddhapparel. Please check it out!

Nothing much goin' on right now. Gotta clean up my apartment and do some laundry before my dentist appointment today. Got to finally use my microwave to heat up leftovers. Works good!

I was just curious about who actually reads my blog. So if you do, please leave a comment...you don't even have to write anything...just leave your name.

Well gonna get going now...but here's a forward that my mom sent me. She collects all these jokes/forwards from all of her friends and compiles a distribution list every week. So if you're interested, leave a comment and I'll tell her to put you on her list. Aite ya'll.

Kaz out...


FUNNY TECH SUPPORT CALLS
People wonder why are they paid so much for just being on
the phone. Take a look:

Tech Support: "I need you to right-click on the Open
Desktop."
Customer "Ok."
Tech Support: "Did you get a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok. Right click again. Do you see a pop-up
menu?"
Customer "No."
Tech Support:: "Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done
up until this point?"
Customer: "Sure, you told me to write 'click' and I wrote
'click'."
---
Customer: "I received the software update you sent, but I am
still getting the same error message."
Tech Support:: "Did you install the update?"
Customer: "No. Oh, am I supposed to install it to get it to
work?"
---
Customer:: "I'm having trouble installing Microsoft Word."
Tech Support:: "Tell me what you've done."
Customer: "I typed 'A:SETUP'."
Tech Support:: "Ma'am, remove the disk and tell me what it
says."
Customer:: "It says '[PC manufacturer] Restore and Recovery
disk'."
Tech Support:: "Insert the MS Word setup disk."
Customer:: "What?"
Tech Support: "Did you buy MS word?"
Customer: "No..."
---
Customer:: "Do I need a computer to use your software?"
Tech Support:: ?!%#$
---
Tech Support:: "Ok, in the bottom left hand side of the screen,
can you see the 'OK' button displayed?"
Customer: "Wow. How can you see my screen from there?"
---
Tech Support:: "What type of computer do you have?"
Customer:: "A white one."
---
Tech Support:: "Type 'A:' at the prompt."
Customer:: "How do you spell that?"
---
Tech Support: "Is your computer on a separate telephone
line?"
Customer: "No." (clicks the button to log on to our service)
Tech Support:: "Well then we can't-"
Customer:: "It says 'no dial tone'."
Tech Support: "That's because you're on the line with me right
now. You need to-"
Customer:: "No, that's not it. It does this all the time. I just
have to try a few times, and it will let me through."
Tech Support:: "No, ma'am. It's not even trying to dial right
now because you're on the phone with me."
Customer: "It must be busy. I'll try again later."
---
Tech Support: "What's on your screen right now?"
Customer: "A stuffed animal that my boyfriend got me at the
grocery store."
---
Tech Support:: "What operating system are you running?"
Customer: "Pentium."
---
Customer: "My computer's telling me I performed an illegal
abortion."
---
Customer: "I have Microsoft Exploder."
---
Customer: "How do I print my voicemail?"
---
Customer: "You've got to fix my computer. I urgently need to
print a document, but the computer won't boot properly."
Tech Support: "What does it say?"
Customer: "Something about an error and non-system disk."
Tech Support: "Look at your machine. Is there a floppy
inside?"
Customer: "No, but there's a sticker saying there's an Intel
inside."
---
Tech Support: "Just call us back if there's a problem. We're
open 24 hours."
Customer: "Is that Eastern time?"
---
Tech Support:: "What does the screen say now?"
Customer: "It says, 'Hit ENTER when ready'."
Tech Support:: "Well?"
Customer: "How do I know when it's ready?"
=====

---------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan: 13
---------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 7:45
Mood: Happy
Listening to: Tinseltown to Boogiedown (beatnuts remix) by Mos Def
Weather Report: It was hot humid by 8am, now it's pouring rain...I thought Japan's rainy season was over
Japanese Food: Sake = Salmon or Japanese rice wine. To distinguish the 2, you pronounce salmon as "sha kay" and rice wine as "sa kay" (not "sa key")
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Narenareshii = overfamiliar, too friendly

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Change of Plans

Couldn't sleep last night so I was up til like 3am chattin' with folks, workin' on my website and doin' some research. It was crazy humid this morning and was drippin' with sweat by the time I got to school. I however didn't know that Takahashi sensei cancelled today's lesson because he's gone on a field trip with the orchestra (he's the assistant teacher/coach).

I was only at school for like an hour, so I decided to go home. I stopped by the tennis courts on my way out and spoke with Takeuchi sensei about next week's trip to Toyama. Found out that we'll be coming back by 6-7pm, next Friday. It's perfect cuz the next Saturday I'm going to Hakone with Kaoru, Iko, Aki, Yoshi, Hide and maybe Hideki.

Went to Life to get some groceries...came upon some fried chicken was pretty darn good. I also got some soba which I just finished eating.

Right now, it's not only pouring, but there's crazy thunder and lightning. It caused my power to flutter for a second...enough to reset my computer.

Anyhow...no school tomorrow...but I do have a dentist appointment. Getting some major work done. Then I'm supposed to go out with Tomo. Hope I can at least drink, hehe...

Aite...gonna catch up on some High Heat games and watch my London Hearts.

Kaz out...

I don't want to jinx ya'll....but for all my west coast family and friends...please be extra careful and prepared for an earthquake. Cuz in Japan...we've been having a lot of earthquakes lately. There was just one right now which moved me to write this blog. Since we're on the same tectonic plate...if there's earthquakes here...something might happen back in California. Ki o tsukete ne! (Take care)

Kaz out...

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 8:30
Mood: A little inebriated
Listening to: In Case of Me (Tatsumaki remix) by Mochida Kaori
Weather Report: Super Humid....my apartment was 95 F!!!
Japanese Food: Nasu = Nasu = Japanese Eggplant
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Atsuryoku = pressure. The govenor of Saitama was pressured to resign.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Volleyball BBQ

Today was the volleyball team bbq. Since this is the last year of the boys volleyball at my school and the season has ended...the mothers threw a party for the current and past members of the volleyball team. In the morning, we played volleyball with the graduates of my school and the current members of the team while the moms were preparing the bbq! I'm still full from the bbq! We had bbq chicken, bbq beef, tonkatsu, nasu, yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls), yaki soba and suika (watermelon). Though I wanted to drink only oolong cha...the moms insisted that I drink beer!!! With the heat and humidity...I got a little buzzed from beer. I know for sure that I probably gained like 5 lbs. from all the food that I had. It's very sad that my school won't have a volleyball team anymore. At the end of the bbq, the team bowed to me while saying "Thank You" for helping them out.

Afterwards...I stopped by Ikko for just a beer. Got to talk to mama for a little bit about everything and she taught me a lot of new Japanese.

I'm probably gonna call it a night...cuz I'm really tired. I have speech practice tomorrow.

Kaz out...

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 7:30
Mood: Tired
Listening to: The Meaning of Peace (Tatsumaki remix) by Koda Kumi & BoA
Weather Report: Yesterday and today were frickin' humid!
Japanese Food: Yaki Soba = Yaki = grilled : Soba = noodles. Basically it's Japanese style chow mein
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Yopparatta = drunk

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Night Cruise, Karaoke & Lost Keys

The past 34 hours have been pretty crazy!

Met up with Hide @ Ueno eki and we went to go see Matrix Reloaded. It was his first time and my second. I noticed a lot of little things that I missed the in the first view.

After the movie, went to eat some ramen. Hide ordered some super spicy ramen that didn't even look appetizing. Drink Count: 2 beers; total: 2

Kaoru met us up at the restaurant. We then went to 0I0I (Marui) department store cuz Hide needed to find a bday gift for his g/f. After about 30 min of looking around, he didn't find a thing! Iko then met us up outside Marui and then we headed to Takeshiba by way of the Yurikamome. The Yurikamome is a monorail that's fully automatic, no driver.

Takeshiba pier is where we get on for the night cruise around Tokyo Bay. From the pier we could see the Rainbow Bridge (I'll upload the pics tomorrow). The view is sorta similar to the bay bridge along with the huge cranes in the background. Aki met us up there and we kicked it for awhile before gettin' onto the ship. Aki asked me to help her with a letter she got from her host family while she was in Canada a few years ago. It was a letter from her host mother about the passing of her husband's father. Aki thought it was her host father that passed away. The rough draft letter she prepared showed that, so she was totally shocked and relieved to find out that it wasn't her host father.

We had to wait in a pretty long line but as we got the entrance I found out it was worth the wait. This ship was like a party boat! With American pop, hip-hop and soul music playin'! Bars everywhere and even waitresses to take drink orders. Plus, there were all kinds of grubbin' fold like yakisoba. We set up camp at the back of the boat. Other than the noisde from the ship's engine, the view was great. Seeing Tokyo @ night with all the lights from buildings and the Rainbow Bridge is awesome! We even got to see airplanes fly right over us as they headed to Haneda airport. Iko came prepared. Not only did she bring mats for us to sit on, she brought all kinds of food she prepared for us to eat. Fruit salad w/Prosciutto, sandwiches and other sweets. Hide, Aki and Iko went to get drinks. We had beer, wine, lemon sours and oolong cha. Drink Count: 4 beers, 2 cups of wine, half lemon sour; total: 8.5

Aki opened up her bday gifts. Kaoru, Iko and Yoshi got her this Princess Jasmine pendant that comes with a pearl. The weird thing here is that the pearl came WITH the oyster! Maybe I'm not up to speed on the latest Disney gifts, but doesn't it seem a little weird? Aki then opened up my gift. Can you guess what I got her? A Buddhapparel shirt!!! Shortly thereafter, both us and the people around us were sprayed by some beer from the deck above us! After the cruise ended, we were all a little tipsy. Hide decided to start posing on this pillar thinga majiggy. So I had to bust out the camera.

After takin' the Yurikamome back to Shimbashi...the girls, for some reason wanted to go dancing...but we ended up just going to sing karaoke. We went to this place right near the JR Shimbashi eki. Kaoru had her lemon sour and Hide had a beer. While I was figuring out what to drink, Aki and Iko decided without me that we'll be drinking sake. At that time, it was koo with me. We also ordered some appetizers and Iko ordered Pocky for me. It was chocolate and strawberry Pocky in a glass of Blue Curacao. Hide started off the karaoke with a song by Mr. Children. Kaoru followed with her favorite song and Iko sang my favorite Nakayama Miho song, Tadanakitakunaruno. Drink Count: 2 glasses of sake; total: 10.5

Aki doesn't really like karaoke but I guess drinks change all that. She persuaded me to sing Top of World by the Carpenters with her (I only know this song because the 9th grade english teacher makes his classes listen to it). Drink Count: 2 glasses of sake; total: 12.5

For some reason (I think it was Iko) someone picked all these dance tracks. Aki and Hide all got up on the couch and started to dance. Is what interesting hearing songs that I knew. Aside from the fact that Aki keep hitting me in the head, it was fun. Drink Count: 1 glass of sake on da rocks; total: 13.5

After the first set of dance tracks, Aki spilled her sake and then proceeded to finish mine! I have never seen her this drunk before. After a while, it didn't matter if it was a dance song or not, Hide and Aki would get up and dance, every single time. Around the same time, Iko almost fell down from dancing on the couch. Drink Count: 0.5 glass of sake; total: 14

Aki then proceeded to "share" Pocky with Kaoru which started a chain reaction with everybody. Hide then wanted to sing Shape of My Heart by BSB. Let me set the record by saying I could have only sang that song in that current state.

I wanted to change up my drink so I decided to get a lemon sour. Things are starting to get a little fuzzy at around this time. My last songs were However and Beloved by Glay. I did a lot better this time cuz I didn't need as much help from Kaoru w/the kanji. Drink Count: 2 lemon sours; total: 16

We then headed out to catch cabs home. Since Aki lives in Shinjuku, she had to take a cab by herself. We made sure that Aki had enough of money and told the taxi driver the destination. Iko, Kaoru, Hide and me then headed back to Ueno eki to pick up Kaoru and Iko's bikes. We stopped off at a convience store for some ice cream and then headed home. Hide let me crash at his place. Hide prepared my futon and before he could get me a pillow, I was out like a light.

Woke up, took a shower and watched some morning anime. As I was going through my stuff...I realized that I didn't have my keys!!! The only place I could think of was the Karaoke bar. I remember taking them out to use my photon lights cuz I couldn't see the song book. Since it was early, the place was closed. Iko met us up at Kaoru's restaurant for lunch. We had Kaoru's pizza and I tried Hiyashi Chuu Ka (A Japanese style Chinese cold noodles. It was da bomb!). After lunch, Hide called the place and they have my keys! Whheeeewwww!!! So Hide took me to the place to get them. Iko came along and we went shopping after gettin' my keys. Then I hopped on the subway back home.

Got home and quickly got ready for yaki niku with Suga san. On my way to the station, I saw some of my students dressed in yukatas. They went to the Kita Narashino festival which is only 2 stations down from mine. Suga (whose English isn't that good) told me that his Korean friends he invited don't speak any English....so I was a little reluctant about going. The situation in the beginning of dinner was a little awkward. Felt kinda weird cuz they were speaking not only fast Japanese but Korean too! Towards the end of the dinner, for some reason, we were able to communicate better. They do in fact speak a little, tiny bit of english and the guy lived in the US for a little while! For some reason I was able to understand the Koreans' Japanese better than Suga's! They even understood my broken Japanese better than Suga! The food was of course grubbin' and it's nice not having to worry about cooking your own food when there are girls present. They do all the cookin' and make sure everyone has food on their plate.

Anyhow...I hope ya'll can picture what I went through. It would've been better if ya'll were there. Check my online album in a day or so.

Gotta get some sleep now...I have the school volleyball team picnic tomorrow. Need to rest my body for it. Aite Peace!

Kaz out...

Just got home. Need to go meet some people for dinner. Full update when I get back.

Kaz out...

A New Day

WOKE UP AT: 8:30
MOOD: koo koo
LISTENING TO: LotR soundtrack by Howard Shore
WEATHER REPORT: It already 31 C in my apt! Humidity is currently at 84%!!

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Well another warm and humid day. Hope the AC works on the trains. Got a lot done this morning...cleared out my memory stick, made Hide a pic/vid CD, did 2 loads of laundry and put futon out in sun.

I'm finally gonna get to see M:R again! This time will be from a totally different point of view. Been reading up on so many theories and what not bout the film. Time to see for myself if it is the spoon that bends or me?

Aite...need to get ready to bounce...expect a late update or perhaps even tomorrow. Peace out ya'll!

Kaz out...

Thought I would post what I wrote last night since for some odd reason it didn't publish. Here goes...

Good times... I thought I add a little bit extra information when I write my blogs. Here goes... Mood: a little bit drunk Listening to: Moving at the Speed of the Light by Aesop Rock feat. Arata Yet another day @ Ikko. I cooked dinner tonite but decided to get only one drink @ Ikko. One drink became more like 6 drinks somehow. Don't ask me how...but the conversation was good tonite. Taught Kitaguchi san how to say shizuka ni (be quiet) in tagolog so he can say it to his Filipino wife....hehe. Tonite...Nakamura sensei and Ikko no Mamma asked me why I came here in the first place. So I had to explain to them the whole story behind me coming to Ikko. I really appreciate my Ikko no Kazoku (family). They have accepted me into their family and it has brought a whole new dimension to my life in Japan. Anyhow...my buddy Hide called me tonite and we're finally goin' to see Matrix Reloaded tomorrow before goin' to shop for Aki's bday gift. Which reminds...I need to pack up a Buddhapparel shirt for her. Hide and I have been tryin' to hook up to see this movie for almost 2 months now...we both been too busy to go and see. However I did go see it without him cuz I couln't wait...even though it cost me about $18 to see it. Right now...talkin' to BJ bout the good 'ol Le Dor days. Those were some good times. I wish I could've been there when it was in it's prime. But BJ promises Le Dore will make its comeback in some shape or form. You will definitely see me there, yo!!! Well...tomorrow is gonna be a long day for me...gonna go see Matrix Reloaded for the second time and then we're all goin' to go look for a gift for Aki and then spend her bday on a boat down the Sumidagawa (Sumida river). Just called Kaoru to see if she wanted to go see Matrix w/Hide and I..but she's gettin' her hair cut tomorrow. Oh well....it's her lost...hehe. Well...I'm think I'm callin' it a night...been up since 4:30am and I'm tired. Gonna crash.... Kaz out...

Come up the century!

Woke up way earlier than I wanted to...4:30am!!! Got to school before Takahashi sensei...the first time I beat him at something. After the speech practice with the 7th graders, I had about 2 hours before my next lesson...so I took a nap in the meeting room. As I awoke, Takahashi sensei left some onigiri (rice balls w/fish, meat and/or vegatables) and a bottle of Bottle Rocks. Bottle Rocks is frozen flavored ice cubes in which you add your own water. A pretty interesting drink that tasted like Aquarius or Pocari Sweat. After the second lesson, Takahashi sensei and I went to some 2nd furniture stores.

We went to one near the school and saw some nice tables and bookshelves. Not knowing what a good price is, the table and bookshelf I was looking at was about $40. We went to another one near his house and we found a table that was better (it was a kotatsu table, the one with a heater in it to keep you warm in the winter and it was bigger) and was only about $5!!! By far, the best deal I've come across while in Japan. I also got a microwave for about $25!

Unfortunately, Takahashi sensei's Mini Cooper would not fit the table. So we had to go to his house and switch cars with his wife. His wife, Masako, is so cool. She invited me over for a tonkatsu party.

Now my apartment is 95% complete. Just need a bookcase and I'll be set. But the table was a crucial part. Now my place is really Japanese. I sleep on a futon and have a kotatsu table.

Right now I'm chattin' with Lev (Tri's buddy) through Tri's webcam. He's makin' me crack up. But anyhow...everyone should get Yahoo! IM. It's way superior to AIM in so many ways. Run it along with AIM, it can't hurt.

Well...gonna wrap this up. Maybe write something later. Peace ya'll!

Kaz out...