----------------------------------------------------
Daily excerpt from The Paranoid's Pocket Guide:
One in 6,500 Americans will be injured by a toilet seat during their lifetime. Most will be men.
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Woke up at: 0630
Mood: A little tired
Listening to: 93 'Til Infinity by Souls of Mischief
Weather Report: Beautiful
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: anzu = apricot
Japan News: Denver signs Japan's Tabuse

Japanese guard Yuta Tabuse signed with the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Tabuse, from Yokohama, played for Division II BYU-Hawaii from 2000-2002 before joining the Toyota Alvark of the Japan Basketball League. An NBA Japan spokesperson said Tabuse would be the first Japanese player in an NBA training camp.

The 5-foot-9 Tabuse also played in six games in the Rocky Mountain Revue for the Dallas Mavericks last summer, averaging 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13 minutes.
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Credit card companies Nippon Shinpan Co and Visa International said Monday they will begin joint experiments in October to let NTT DoCoMo Inc's "i-mode" Internet-accessible cell phones work like credit cards to make payments.

The experiment will involve some 1,000 retailers that accept the two companies' credit cards and about 10,000 card holders and will be carried out in big shopping centers in seven cities ��Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Okayama and Fukuoka.
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Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.30.03):
Record: 2-2
Ouch...didn't do too well this week.
Week 4 matchup:
Sakamoto Samurais : 52
Feo Football (Marc) : 74

Next week: japanimal (Kotaro)
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Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.30.03):
It's the end of the season. Thanks for playin': Jookie, Jookie's pops, Jed and Paul. Next year, we'll play a full season, aite? Here's the final standings

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	5559	16
2	Border Jumpers	4842	220
3	Jookies	4821	173
4	Dodger Dogs	4168	-64
5	Fleas & Ninjas	3732	68

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Airplane Ticket, Ikko, Cleanin', Makuhari, BBALL, New Place

09.27.03

Happy 26th Birthday Koji!

Went to Yurakucho and got my ticket back home. The dates are: 11.20-11.29

Ate lunch @ Quiznos...not even close to back home. :( My toothache didn't help the situation either.

Headed to Futawa Kominkan to meet up with Morimasa-san. The first thing that I noticed when I walked into the meeting room was that were some younger girls there. My past speeches have always been with an older audience. After chatting with the group and waiting for others to arrive, I started my speech. What was funny, I didn't really prepare. Since it's been awhile since my last speech, I forgot to update some of my speech that reflected my time in Japan and the places I've been to. Oh wellz...the audience didn't think anything of it. The Q & A time afterwards was quite interesting. I sometimes forget that Japan was the enemy during WWII (which I talk about in my speech). They really don't have any concept of what living as a Japanese American is like. As always, there was some questions that had nothing to do with my speech, one being from an old man who asked me if I believed the mind/body/spirit are separate things. The question really didn't make sense. The other off-topic question was actually kinda koo. It was a girl around my age telling me about this sushi place near my train station that she wants to take me to. As with all my speeches, I received a nice remuneration. This was the largest out of all my speeches, 9000 yen ($75)! Most of the club went to coffee afterwards which they treated for me. I love giving these speeches! Anyhow...got to talk to the members some more and found out that one of the members lives in the same neighborhood as me. Think of it as living on Hollyhock, but on opposite sides. We're supposed to go drinkin' sometime. :)

After my speech decided to just go chill @ Ikko. Kuro-chan, Hashimoto-san, Shacho and the Fujiwaras were there. Mama's friend caught a phatty catfish which she had chillin' in a bucket outside. She then sliced it up and fried it! Choooo Umai Yo! Fujiwara-san got a call and found out it was her daughter. Her daughter is interested in learning english so she invited her to come to Ikko to talk to me. She arrived w/her daughter who 6th grader. I was surprised of both her and her daughter's english. Since a few oolong his were consumed...I tended to speak more Japanese than English. Kuro-chan kept tryin' to explain to me that I should speak English. During this time, Shacho is totally aware of the reason why Fujiwara-san's daughter came her. He thought they were tyrin' to hook me up with her! Shacho cracks me up. During my conversation...Mama surprises me her specialty dish, natto tempura! Ever since I began to like natto, I've always heard from my Ikko family about Mama's famous natto tempura. Man...all I can say is WHOAH! It was BOMB!!! It was gettin' close to closing time so I was goin' to walk Shacho home, but he first had to relieve himself outside. He then beckoned to me to walk with him back towards Yakuendai station. He wanted to go sing karaoke. So I went with him and we ended up at the same place Hashimoto-san took to me to a couple weeks ago. Master-san remembered me as well as mama. Got to catch up with them while shacho kept ordering drinks. Then, out of the blue, Shacho decides to leave, but tells me to stay, drink and have a good time, the bill will be put on his tab. I was like, ummm...ok. Then master-san left with his friend to get some food. So mama and I just sang some karaoke and talked. Around 0200, decided to call it a night.


09.28.03

Woke up, decided to clean up my apartment. The plan today was to kick it in Makuhari w/Ami & Sho. But Sho left a little to go surfing, so Ami told me to come around 1700ish. Which was fine, since I had tons of cleaning to do. Haven't done a full cleaning since Brandon & Thuy left. Found out that both my bathroom lights went out, so I headed to Jason (like Target) to pick up some bulbs. Got home and realized that I left my wallet there, so I jammed back and asked one of the workers if they found a wallet and thank god they did! Phew!!! Since Ami & Sho went on vacation to Australia and Mama & Papa went to SF, Vegas, & the Grand Canyon. Ami & Sho got me a shirt from the Gold Coast and Mama got me some candy from Vegas. During this time, Papa was fiddling with his new watch. Found out that he bought a his and hers set of Hermes watches! Bling Bling Yo!!! For dinner, Mama got some maguro from the world famous Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market in Tokyo. For those of you who don't know about it, here's a some facts: Tsukiji market handles the largest volume of marine products among Tokyo wholesale markets. Of 719,745 tons of marine products traded in Tokyo wholesale markets in fiscal 2002, 637,499 tons, or 88.6 percent, were handled at Tsukiji, meaning 2,344 tons of marine products are sold every day. After dinner, there was this really interesting tv drama on. It was about a family in Okinawa and the trials and tribulations they went through during WWII. I'm always fascinated by seeing the Japan's perspective of The War.

09.29.03

School. Pretty much the same 'ol same 'ol. Today was probably the worst my toothache was. I have my appointment scheduled for tomorrow, but couldn't hold out. So I went during lunch time, after about an hour worth of work, the pain was gone, but the novacaine lasted for 2 more hours! It was interesting tryin' to eat lunch, I told Takahashi sensei to make sure that I'm not dribblin' any of my soup or milk. For the 5th period, we had an assembly with a old lady who lost her eyesight from an accident 13 years ago. I wish I could've understood more of her speech. Afterwards, played bball for 3 hours. Kinda aggravated my hamstring, but I iced it afterwards. Headed to Matsu Kiyo for some groceries then to Ikko. Kicked it with Hashimoto-san and Nakamura-sensei. Mama again, surprised me tonite with Natto Chao Han (fried rice)! Man, that was hella good!!! Hashimoto-san is sometimes hard to understand because he's from Osaka. Osaka-ben sometimes...well most of the time, seems like a whole a different language. We talked about what Osaka is famous for, ie. Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki. After leaving Ikko, Hashimoto-san told me to follow him and explained that now, it's my turn to have some relax time. I didn't know what to make of it. We ended up walking towards Yakuendai eki and went to this Okonomiyaki/Monjayaki place. The first thing I noticed was that this restaurant's mama was young! Second thing I noticed, one of the other workers wasn't Japanese! After sitting down at the bar, Hashimoto-san introduced me and I found out that mama speaks really, really good english! She lived in Alabama for a year, and studied fashion design in Italy for 3 years! Her friend, Georgia, from Cyprus (not SoCal, but Greece), they went to school in Italy together. It was nice to speak English to people again. What added to the night was that they had Kubota!!! Need I say more?!? Afterwards, Hashimoto-san told me to order the next drink, so I had mama make us a Kamikaze...I must say, I was quite impressed...pretty darn good. Last drink was Kahlua and milk! Man...it was nice to have those, it's been way too long! Gonna have to come back for some okonomiyaki and monjayaki. I never realized there are so many koo spots around my house!

09.30.03

School. Today was a little windy, but the bluest of blues skies. It was a beautiful day! Had the 9th grade elective English class. Made them play the fruit/vegetable memory game. There's about 18 students and we almost made it around twice! I think that they really enjoyed it! Went back to the dentist for the next stage. Got to meet the new dental assistant. :) Not sure what my dentist did, but he tells me that when I come in on Friday, it'll be the last stage and I won't feel anymore pain. Hip Hip Hooray!!! Afterwards, headed to Life for some sashimi and chicken. Now, at home, doin' laundry and this blog. Gonna go eat my sashimi & chicken.

Kaz out...

I really wanted to update my blog today, unfortunately...my night just ended...so I'm a little tired for an update. Will (try) to update @ the crack of dawn tomorrow...please be patient. Gonna take a shower now and crash.

Kaz out...

It's been a long day...will have a full update for ya'll tomorrow...well...I guess it's gonna be later this morning. Peace out yo!

Kaz out...

Just woke up...bouts to get ready to go to Tokyo.

Just saw on TV that they're coming out with GPS phones that actually show you what street corner you're on and which direction you need to go to get to your destination. They actually show a picture of your surroundings! It's pretty dope. Wonder how long that's gonna take to make it to the states....hmmm....2005?

Well...gotsa to get goin'. Peace!

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out Tri's new Project Pink
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Woke up at: 0630
Mood: Kinda sore, teeth hurt
Listening to: The Light by Common
Weather Report: a little warm
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: gokiburi = cockroach
Japan News: SAPPORO -- Two powerful earthquakes struck Hokkaido early Friday, injuring nearly 450 people and sparking an industrial fire, as residents fled their homes in fear of aftershocks.
The first quake, which measured an estimated 8.0 on the Richter scale, hit at about 4:50 p.m. on Friday, meteorological officials said. It was followed by a major aftershock at 6:08 a.m. that measured 7.1 on the Richter scale.

Buildings crumbled in the earthquakes, resulting in the temporary closure of one airport and forcing about 20,000 people to evacuate their homes.

Authorities said 448 people were reported injured in Hokkaido as of 10 p.m. Friday with at least 22 of them in serious condition. Many of the injured victims were reportedly hit by falling objects.

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Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.25.03):
Record: 2-1
Nothing really new to report. DBoston is suspended one game, Henry and Culpepper are hurt but might play. Dropped CRogers and picked up AJohnson. Also picked up KC D for this weekend.

Week 1 matchup: Spam Jam (Tri)
Sakamoto Samurais: 62
Spam Jam: 37

Week 2 matchup: Macs Silver & Black (Jim)
Sakamoto Samurais: 62
Macs Silver & Black: 42

Week 3 matchup: Fleas & Ninjas (Paul)
Sakamoto Samurais: 45
Fleas & Ninjas: 58

Week 4 matchup: Feo Football (Marc)
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Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.26.03):
It's O V E R!!!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	5408	135
2	Border Jumpers	4540	27
3	Jookies	4516	19
4	Dodger Dogs	4104	14
5	Fleas & Ninjas	3544	8

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Earthquakes, School, BBall, Toothaches

Didn't really feel any of the recent earthquakes. They're quite a ways away.

Same 'ol same 'ol @ school. Chatted w/Ha-san for a bit. Started off the conversation in Japanese but somehow it turned into English. She still amazes me on her ability in English.

Yesterday, since I was sore, I just hung out @ the orchestra practice. Kicked it with Takahashi sensei and Aono-kun. He was teaching Takahashi sensei how to practice the drum beats. Got to play a little piano...rusty as hell. The orchestra is practicing this new piece but I don't remember the name of it. I did get a chance to see Megumi-chan in action. She sure can jam on the violin.

Today got to teach the 7th grade electice english class. Went over a worksheet with them. It was hard to keep their attention the whole time...but it worked out in the end. Got a call from Hayashi-san from JAL, she told me that she received confirmation from SFO about my ticket. So I'll be going there tomorrow morning to get my ticket home!

Lately I've been having some major toothaches from my fillings. They never bothered me in the last two weeks so I don't know why and where all this pain is coming from. Probably the reason why I haven't been sleeping well.

Went to the dentist today to have some more work done and I complained about the pain. My dentist said to wait it out til Tuesday and he'll be able to fix it then.

Afterwards, I headed back to school to get my mind off my teeth to play some bball. Got there and saw that a lot of the 9th graders from both the girls and guys came back for an "All Star" scrimmage. I noticed Sasaki sensei playin' with the boys. He played for a bit before asking me to take over for him.

Came home today and went to my bedroom and was surprised to see that I had a little "guest". My first gokiburi in my apartment! I quickly wacked it and watched as it spun around on its back tryin' to get right side up. He got back up and tried to run...I swatted him again onto his back, then quickly swooshed him into a plastic bag. Then shook some sense into him and threw the corpse away.

Well...gonna go to bed. Gotta wake up early to go to Yurakucho and then afterwards I have a speech @ Futawa (wish me luck). I also need to get two new lightbulbs for my bathroom and sink area.

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out Tri's new Project Pink
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Woke up at: 0700
Mood: Aching
Listening to: Silly Puddy by Zion i feat. The Grouch
Weather Report: ima ame futteru
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: minna = everyone
Japan News: A woman was arrested Wednesday for selling illegal copies of educational CD-ROMs used by a leading cram school, police said.

Satomi Tsuji, an elementary school clerk from Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, is accused of violating copyrights.

Police said the 37-year-old woman made illegal copies of CD-ROMs produced by Tokyo Legal Mind Co., a major operator of cram schools for would-be lawyers, using her own computer and sold them via the Internet to three people, including a 21-year-old Tokyo university student, for a total of 110,000 yen.

The CD-ROMs contained material the cram school used in its preparations for the national bar examination.

Tsuji reportedly purchased the original CD-ROMs for 30,000 yen from an online auction site.

Tokyo Legal Mind is no stranger to illegally copied CD-ROMs.

In 2001, the Tokyo District Court ordered Tokyo Legal Mind pay total of 85 million yen in damages to Microsoft Corp., Apple Computer, Inc., and Adobe Systems, Inc. after ruling that the cram school operator breached their copyrights by installing pirated computer software at one of its institutions.

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Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.24.03):
Record: 2-1
Okay...I'm not makin' any excuses, but both Culpepper and Henry got hurt. Picked up J. Blake as a replacement if Dante can't play.

Week 1 matchup: Spam Jam (Tri)
Sakamoto Samurais: 62
Spam Jam: 37

Week 2 matchup: Macs Silver & Black (Jim)
Sakamoto Samurais: 62
Macs Silver & Black: 42

Week 3 matchup: Fleas & Ninjas (Paul)
Sakamoto Samurais: 45
Fleas & Ninjas: 58

Week 4 matchup: Feo Football (Marc)
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Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.24.03):
Okay...I think it's officially over. With the last series startin' up, I have over a 700pt. lead. Thanks for a great season! :)

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	5234	177
2	Border Jumpers	4499	62
3	Jookies	4476	82
4	Dodger Dogs	4060	67
5	Fleas & Ninjas	3477	41

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Helpin' Mama move in, JAL, School and BBall

Sorry for the lack of updates...just haven't really been in the mood lately.

09.23.03:

Happy Birthday Hayame!

Yesterday headed to Tokyo to exchange my ticket to Seoul for my flight home in November. If the sales associate wasn't so cute...I might have been way more upset. But the whole thing revolved around hearing back from SFO to see if it's okay to reimburse the ticket to Seoul and use it towards the purchase of my ticket to SFO. They're supposed to call me back...but haven't done so yet...oh well...

Since Mama was goin' to make us (Ezure-san, Kohiyama-san, Muraguchi-san, Sensei and me) lunch/dinner @ 1500.
I got there around 1503 with Ezure-san giving me props for coming on time. We had some grubbin' food which consisted of: sashimi, karaage, ebi tempura, sweet & sour pork, kuri gohan, ohsinko and of course Mama's famous miso shiru. Ezure-san is so funny when he drinks. I still can't believe he's Chi Mama's husband. They have personalities that are on the total opposites sides of the spectrum...I guess opposites do attract, huh?

Came home and took a nap hoping to be refreshed to watch my favorite tv programs...but for some darn reason, they weren't on. So I went back to my nap. Woke up and was just surfin' when I saw on TV this show that had all these girls bowling with their eyes censored out. I found out it's this battle between swimsuit and nude models. Since it was broadcast tv, they didn't show any nudity, but what started as strip bowling, then went to wrestling with the loser getting a cream pie thrown in their face. The final event was a swimming medley relay. While this is going on, they have these hosts putting in their 2 cents which was quite amusing. I guess ya'll would have to have seen to get it. Since I was a little wired from waking up from my nap, I put in Tomb Raider 2: Cradle of Life. If I didn't like Angelina Jolie, this movie would've sucked @$$! Don't waste your time if you're not a AJolie fan.

09.24.03:

Happy Birthday Dana!

Got a call today @ lunch which Oguro san delivered to me. It was from Morimasa san. She's the lady who has an English class that I will giving a speech to this Saturday. From her emails (all in English), I assumed that she can speak English. Boy was I wrong when I called her back. She spoke nothing but Japanese to me...which kinda makes me wonder how this speech I'm going to give go. The past 2 speeches I gave, the leaders had really good English. Well...shoganai.

Taught the 8th grade class today. I had to make these question cards using "How long...." Since the class that I taught was after lunch, almost all of the students were in food coma. So I ordered them to stand up in Japanese which caught them all off guard. Hearing "bikkuri shita!", "eeeeehhh!!!" and "Kebin, sugoi nihongo shaberu" made me smile. It's a lot different teaching the 8th graders compared to the 7th graders because the 8th graders complain so much more. Plus, Takeuchi sensei let's the students control him.

Played bball for 3 1/2 hours today. Slowly gettin' back into shape. The bball teams now consist of only 7th and 8th graders because the bball season is over. But some 9th graders still come out to practice to help the teams out.
Mika-chan (the girls' team captain and also my pops and her mom are friends) was complaining like crazy cuz she doesn't like to run. I volunteered to run with the girls if she would stop moku-ing (complainin'). She then challenged me in sprints around the half court. Let's just say that I lapped her...yeah yeah...ya'll are saying that I'm a big bully, but she's one of the fastest girls on the team. After the sprints, worked out with the boys, running 2-man and 3-man weave drills. We then scrimmaged, I started @ point, but then later moved to center...hmmm...explain that one? When the scrimmaging was over, the boys ran this shooting drill but Abiru sensei sends all the weaker 7th graders to me to teach them how to shoot. I was a little caught off guard, but I was able to teach the basic fundamentals starting off by: feet, leg, shoulder, arm, elbow & wrist position along with the crucial follow through location. Unfortunately they weren't able to take that many shots because the team started to do they're cool down. Oh well...there's always next week.

The interesting thing about many Japanese programs which I don't see as much back home, is the extensive use of guest shows. Most programs, which aren't doramas (dramas), all in involve quite a few popular guests such as actors/actresses, sports people, singers, comedians, etc. When you see one on one show, you can expect to see them on at least 3 other shows in the same week. It's always appealing to see the various chemistry between the panelists. I'm still a little bitter that my programs weren't on last night.

There's another interesting program on right now. Domoto Tsuyoshi from this music group called Kinki Kids, for 24 hours. He gets to go on a date with all these well known girls. First up, Koike Eiko. Then, Becky. Then, Uchiyama Rina. Then Sonin.

Wellz...I'm gonna call it a night...pretty darn tired.

Kaz out...

Just finished helping Momma move into her new apt. Now she lives like 20 feet away from Ikko. Afterwards, she gave us some oshinko and somehow I was given a beer. Then I asked for just Oolong cha...but she gave me an Oolong Hi. Man...it wasn't even 11am yet! Well...I'm off to Tokyo to go buy my airline ticket home in November. Will have full update later, yo! Peace!

Kaz out...

Too tired for an update right now...will update first thing tomorrow morning...thank god it's a holiday. Will fill ya'll in w/everything ashita, aite?

Kaz out...

Typhoon #15 is here! Not sure how I'm goin' to get to school today. Well...talk to ya'll laters.

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out Tri's new Project Pink
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Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan:
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Woke up at: 07:00, 12:30, 15:00
Mood: Refreshed
Listening to: Flow (Remix) by Zion i feat. The Grouch and Goapele
Weather Report: Rain, rain and more rain
Japanese Food: suika = watermelon
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: kokoro = heart
Japan News: Naples, Italy: Makoto Onishi, a 28-year-old Japanese pizza chef named the best pizza maker at the annual Naples pizza festival earlier this week, on Friday showed off his pizza-making skills to a group of admirers in Naples, the home of Italian pizza. On Tuesday, Onishi became the first foreigner to win the best pizza-maker title at Naples's PizzaFest, where the best pizzas were often adjudged to be the work of local pizza-making masters.
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Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.20.03):
Record: 2-0

Week 1 matchup: Spam Jam (Tri)
Sakamoto Samurais: 62
Spam Jam: 37

Week 2 matchup: Macs Silver & Black (Jim)
Sakamoto Samurais: 62
Macs Silver & Black: 42

Week 3 matchup: Fleas & Ninjas (Paul)

Shouldn't be a problem, I'm only scared of Bulger & Faulk.

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Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.20.03):
Terrible day while the others had a better one. Less than 2 weeks left!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	4684	9
2	Border Jumpers	4256	42
4	Dodger Dogs	3931	72
3	Jookies	4047	-4
5	Fleas & Ninjas	3280	117

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Kyoto, Sports Day, Kaoru's Birthday, Brunch w/Uncle David, Shibuya w/Yu, Shopping in Funabashi, Akihabara & dinner w/Masumi

After watching the Zion i DVD, I was finally inspired to get this long awaited update to you all. Enjoy!

Thursday, 0400:

KYOTO

Woke up @ the crack of dawn, then headed to Tokyo station to hop on the Shinkansen to Kyoto. Introduced Brandon to the katsu sando chicken katsu sandwich. The bullet train ride took about 2 1/2 hours and we arrived in Kyoto @ around 0945ish. We then hopped on a bus to the Golden Pavilion. The pavilion was bling bling no doubt! There were also many bowls with rocks shaped like buddhas around it. After leaving the Golden Pavilion (only took like 10 min to go through the whole thing) we were able to see the west Dai Mon Ji Yaki. We then headed to Mcdonald's for lunch. We all had sandwiches that were only native to Japan McDonalds. Tasted good but they were a little small. Hopped on another bus and headed to the Silver Pavilion. The pavilion wasn't as nice looking as the Golden one but it did have these fantastic looking sand sculpters. We then tried to go to Kiyomizudera but got on the wrong bus, so we decided to go through Kadawaramachi. Strolling the shopping district, we constantly had to keep an eye on Brandon cuz he would wonder off to who knows where. We decided to check into our Ryokan (Japanese traditional style hotel). Got to the Ryokan called Hissho Besso and was instantly in awe of the place. We then got to our room and I was like whoah! The main room was 15 tatami mats big! There was also a little chill room and the a normal bathroom. Our main host came in to give us tea and some Kyoto snacks. Brandon decided to get some water from the water thermos and poured it into the glass cup and cracked it! We told our hostess that we wanted dinner @ around 6ish. We had about 2 hours til dinner, so we decided to take a look at the Japanese garden and ofuro. While Thuy and Brandon took showers, I decided to make use of the ofuro. It wasn't bad, doesn't come close to an onsen though. Dinner arrived and we had shabu shabu, sashimi & fish. We thought this was all we got, but our hostess kept coming back with more food. The best thing that I had was some umeboshi somen which was pretty darn good. After dinner, 2 workers came and setup our futons. Thuy was in total awe we he saw them do this. I told them not to lay in them yet cuz they wouldn't get up. When they finished, we headed out to Kadawaramachi. We went bar hopping, starting off at this one isekaya. We then walked all around downtown, saw tons of people chillin' on the banks of the Kamo river. From there we took a different route, a side street that runs parallel with Kadawaramachi. It happened to be the red light district...boy we were shocked. Thuy and Brandon had a good time though by always replyin' to the "sales associates" in english which deterred most of them. We stopped off at this pub there, pretty swank place, pretty strong gin & tonic. We then continued down the street and not takin' more than 10 steps, I saw something that got my attention. It was a sake bar with about 40 bottles in the front window. I noticed one bottle that stood out from the rest. It's 3 kanji, first one I knew was Ku, third one was Ta, but I couldn't read the middle one. So I went inside and asked the host if that bottle of sake was Kubota. He said yes, so I told the boys we HAVE drink here. Thuy and Brandon both wondered why we have to stop here, I told them that they are gonna get a chance to drink my favorite sake, or in the words of my father, "The Good Shit". When we sat down, the waitress poured our drinks, but before we were going to start drinkin', Brandon says, "So...do we shoot this?" Luckily my father wasn't there...he would've slapped Brandon's head. Anyhow...I explained to them that you need to sip this, cuz this is the good stuff. When Brandon took a sip, he instantly coughed, tsk tsk tsk...when I look and Thuy, he really liked it. For all you out there, let me breakdown sake for you with this: take wine for example, the best wine is made from the best grapes, right? California has some of the best grapes in the world, therefore it has some of the best wine. Sake is the same but with rice. The best rice makes the best sake. Niigata produces the best rice in Japan, so therefore they will have the best sake. Kubota comes from Niigata. Since Brandon couldn't appreciate the good stuff, I finished his. We then headed back to the hotel. On the way back, Thuy kept on telling me he's ready to climb Mt. Futon. When we got back, we instantly crashed out.

Friday, 0730:

The next day, we got our wakeup call for breakfast @ around 0750. We then go down to breakfast room with a great view of the Japanese garden. Our breakfast was bomb. Nothing beats having miso soup in the morning! Afterwards, we got our backpacks and heading out to go shopping. We must of went to like 15 different shoe stores...most of the shoes that Brandon, they didn't have his size. For lunch, I introduced them to Matsuya, one of the many Japanese fast food restaurants. They were surprised to see that you buy a ticket from a machine to place your order. After walkin' around Kyoto, we chilled in a McDonalds to get out of the heat. Then headed to Kyoto station to catch our Shinkansen back to Tokyo. Finished The Unwanted on the ride back. Next up, Cryptonomicon.

Saturday, 0830:

SPORTS DAY:

We were running a little late and missed the opening ceremony. The first half of the day was your traditional events: 100m dash, 200m dash, 1000m, 1500m, etc... I ran the 200m with the 8th graders. Unfortunately, I can't remember the last time I ran a 200m. Let me just tell you, that quickness on the court is totally different than straight running. I got off to a good start, but quickly lost my lead. I figured that my heart and mind will get me through the race, unfortunately my body thought otherwise. I totally hit the wall...haven't done that my vball club days. Upon finishing, I couldn't stop my legs...so the only way for me to stop was to fall. So when I did, I ended up scraping my leg and arm and got dirt all over me. From that point, I officially finished my participation in the events. I was on team shiro (white). We were 4th place during the first half of the day. But the second half we picked it up and got to 2nd place. The second half of the day was for the unorthodox events such as the 3 & 5 legged relay race for the 7th grade girls, centipede race for the 7th grade boys. There was even an event for the parents. Our team won the centipede race (about 18 boys, who have their feet through loops in 2 long ropes), but they decided to redo it because there was some kind of discrepency with the judges. So on the redo, we ended up coming in 4th cuz our team ate it. For the 8th grade boys, their event was called How Many Jumps. Basically it's a super long jump rope and the goal is to see how many times you can go w/o messing up. Our team got 96! The next closest was only 45! We did have the biggest 8th grade boys twirling the rope. I forget what the 8th grade girls did. However the best events came from the 9th graders. The girls' event consisted of 7 3m bamboo poles which were in the middle with teams on either side. The objectice is to see how many poles you can bring back to your home base. It's basically a tug-of-war...the trick is to know when to give up and help out your other teammates. These girls really get into. Friendship means nothing during this event which was easily seen by the ruthlessness I witnessed. These girls were diving, pushing, tackling and even getting dragged on the dirt! After their event, many of the girls were crying or limping, holding their arms, etc. I never saw so many ppl @ the nurse's station! Many of them got jacked up! The best event was the 9th grade boys. It was called something, something horse. Each "horse" has 4 people acting as the legs while carrying their rider on their hands. Each rider has a bandana on but there is the captain who has this paper ball (the kind you blow up) which is attached on a helmet worn by the captain. The goal is to pop the paper ball on the opposing team's captain. The regular riders are "dead" if their bandana gets pulled off. I was surprised to see the smallest rider "kill" the biggest captain. Tsukasa (the biggest 9th grader) was being pestered by one rider while he was busy, the smallest rider came in and killed him. It was a sight to see. The day ended in the super relay. Coed, all grades. It was intense yo! We were in second and about to takeover first, when our baton pass was botched. We ended up takin' like 3rd place or something. It's cool how the have the anchors wear colored jerseys to distinguish them from the rest. Man, they're hella fast! I give them props for their speed on the track...but it's no contest when we get on the court. :) Closing ceremony gave out grade awards as well as the the final team awards. 3kumi, team yellow came in first; 4kumi, team white came in second and the rest I don't remember. Afterwards, I entrusted Thuy to go back to my apt while I stick around to help clean up. Got back to the apt and took a shower, then we headed to Ueno to meet up with girls for Kaoru's bday dinner.

KAORU'S BDAY:

Met up with Ikko, Aki and Kaoru. Then we met up with Tetsuo and headed to the restaurant. Ikko never ceases to amaze me on the restaurants she picks out. This one was in Ueno and called Arabian Rock. The theme was something out of Alladin. It was pretty crazy. I was like whoah when we were greeted by our hostesses. They were in the Princess Jasmin gear with tummys showin'! ;b Our room's ceiling was about 5 feet high, so we had to crouch to get to our seats. Let the girls order the food while we decided what to drink. Found out for only $13 you get free drinks! The food was pretty good, had a nice variety. Afterwards, headed to karaoke.
At this point, things get a little fuzzy, but I do remember: Kaoru singing her normal songs, Ikko singing my favorite song, Me and Ikko singing our duet and Brandon doing his new Japanese pose in pictures. After karaoke, caught one of the last trains home and had to take a cab home. Got home, crashed out.

Sunday, 0815:

BRUNCH WITH UNCLE DAVID AND AUNTY MITSY

Woke up and headed to Ogikubo to meet up with Uncle David and aunty Mitsy for brunch @ Hotel Sanno, a military run hotel. On the car ride there, Brandon was hella jockin' the GPS Navigation system. We got the hotel and it was kinda culture shock for me. Everyone spoke English. The most surprising thing for me was when someone almost bumped into me. Instead of hearing sumimasen, I heard excuse me. Have I been in Japan too long? The food was DA BOMB!!! I haven't had potatoes, bacon, sausage, prime rib, shrimp cocktail in such a long time! I probably ate at 2 pounds of prime rib.

CHILLIN' WITH YU

After brunch we met up with Yu who was with friends at this flea market. We got there right as it was ending and it started to rain. So we headed out and Yu and Setochi(sp?) took us to Shibuya. I knew Brandon was gonna love Shibuya. They took us to these record stores (Yu tells me that Shibuya has the largest selection of records in the world) and shoe stores for Brandon. What made the day fun was that setochi brought his dog. It's a rare dog that got so much attention. The ultimate girl magnet! I would say about 90% of all the girls in Shibuya commented by saying cho kawaii (very cute). We then at a snack at Freshness Burger. It's a good thing that we got a large burger cuz the small is hella small! It'll only take like 2 bites to finish. We then headed to this one all girls department store (I can't remember the name). Went to look for a toy for Setochi's dog. Setochi had to take off cuz he had a performance that night. So we all went to Starbucks to hang out for a bit then headed home. Walked around my neighborhood, checked out the 24 hour video/cd rental place. When we got back, somehow Brandon broke my MP3 player, only one side has output.


Monday, 1000:

Went to shopping in downtown Funabashi and of course the Daiso 100 yen shop. Then headed to Roppongi Hills and walked around downtown. Ate a snack @ TGI Fridays then headed home. A pretty chillin' day.

Tuesday, ????:

Went to Akihabara to meet up with Masumi. We all got some stuff and then we went to dinner in Kanda. Came home and Brandon was tired. Didn't want party on the last night. So Thuy and I decided to finish up the sho chu. Next thing I know it's morning. Supposedly was talkin' to Brandon about all kinds of weird shiet for about an hour and half. I don't remember talkin' to him. Let's just say, Thuy and I got Brandon, but Brandon got us back.

Wednesday, 0900:

Woke up, the boys packed up, Brandon got whooped in Street, but came back with his only victory of the whole trip. Brandon's record: 1-7. Hopped on the train to Narita, was a little late. But they got on ok. The beta test has been completed. Next time around, I should be gold master. So who's it gonna be? Don and Jookie are coming in March?

Kaz out...

Still not in the mood to update when Brandon and Thuy were here.

Another day @ school, hot as hell!

Went to Ikko, had some yasai itame, rakyo, Nagano tsukemono and some boiled Chiba peanuts.

Here's something I got from my sister Tuesday that I thought ya'll would like:

Greeting Cards that won't sell

1. I always wanted
To have someone to hold,
Someone to love.
(inside card)
After meeting you ...
I changed my mind.

2. I must admit,
You brought religion into my life ...
(inside card)
I never believed in Hell
Until I met you.

3. As the days go by,
I think how lucky I am ...
(inside card)
That you're not here
To ruin it for me.

4. Congratulations on your promotion.
Before you go ...
(inside card)
Will you take the knife from my back?
You'll probably need it again.

5. Someday I hope to marry ...
(inside card)
Someone other than you.

6. Happy Birthday!
You look great for your age ...
(inside card)
Almost life-like!

7. When we were together,
You said you'd die for me.. .
(inside card)
Now we've broken up,
I think it's time
To keep your promise.

8. We've been friends for a very long time ...
(inside card)
What do you say we stop?

9. I'm so miserable without you ...
(inside card)
It's almost like you're still here.

10. Congratulations on your new bundle of joy...
(inside card)
Did you ever find out who the father was?

11. You are such a good friend
If we were on a sinking ship
And there was only one life jacket ...
(inside card)
I'd miss you terribly
And think of you often.

12. Your friends and I wanted
to do something really special
for your birthday. . . .
(inside card)
So we're having you put to sleep.

13. Happy Birthday, Uncle Dad!
(Available only in Alabama, Mississippi, and West Virginia).

14. Looking back o'er the years
We've been together,
I can't help but wonder ...
(inside card)
What was I thinking?

15. Congratulations on your wedding day!. . .
(inside card)
Too bad no one likes your husband.

16. How could two people as beautiful as you ...
(inside card)
Have such an ugly baby?


Well...gonna go to take a shower, watch some more episodes of Alias and call it a night. Late!

Kaz out...

Not in the mood to update tonite. Maybe tomorrow. Gonna start .hack, eat and read some more.

Kaz out...

Thuy can't hang with the Japan Kaz...he's given up...but...I give him mad props for stayin' up with me. Unfortunately....this one Chinese ABC couldn't hang with the Viet and Yon-sei!!!!

Here's a new post that ya'll been waiting for...unfortunately...I'm a little too drunk too to make it worthwhle. But all I know is that Brandon is passed that FFF out and that only Thuy and me are partyin' on their last night here. Anyhow...I'm talkin' to Gee right now...gonna send him pics of B passed out. I will have a full update tomorrow night, aite? Please be patient, k?

Kaz out...

Well...got back last night from Kyoto. Was too tired tired to update my blog. Gotta get ready for Sports Day. Then it's off to Tokyo for Kaoru's birthday. I'll give a full update from Kyoto later when I have more time, aite.

Kaz out...

We're off to Kyoto! Be back tomorrow night.

Kaz out...

Started the day off with Brandon carrying on a tradition that Tri started. After Brandon inaugurated my toilet, I made some fried rice and somen for breakfast. We then headed out to Akihabara. Spent hella days there, almost lost Brandon a couple times. Got to play some Japanese video games. Thuy and I were surprised to see Brandon challenge another Japanese player in Street Fighter. However, Brandon thought he was playing the computer. He did pretty well against the guy, probably because the guy has never seen such an unorthodox style. Thuy and I played this anime typing game. Pretty interesting game, kinda hard.

Had some tempura donburi for a late lunch.

After we went all through Akihabara, we met up with Yu in Asakusa. We then headed over to Kaoru's restaurant for dinner. We had tons of food: this cold chinese appetizer dish (forget the name), ma po tofu, lemon chicken and potato & pepperoni pizza.

Well gonna call it a night, we're heading to Kyoto tomorrow and have to wake up @ 4am!!! Talk to ya'll later!

Kaz out...

3 words...Brandon's passed out!!! We were supposed to go see Yu perform tonite....but since Brandon is out like a light...guess we're not goin' to go. Maybe meet up with Yu tomorrow in Akihabara. Wellz....gonna call it a night...I'm drunk...and can't think straight anymore.

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out Tri's new Project Pink
----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 16 hours
----------------------------------------------------
Woke up at: 05:30
Mood: Tired
Listening to: Wait and See by Utada Hikaru
Weather Report: Warm and humid
Japanese Food: nashi = pear
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: machigai = mistake
Japan News: The Seibu Lions called on Daisuke Matsuzaka and their young ace came through with a two-hit shutout in a 9-0 whipping of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks at Fukuoka Dome on Sunday afternoon, trimming the Pacific League leaders edge over second-place Seibu to 3! games.

Matsuzaka (16-6), who was hammered his last time out against Daiei, struck out 14 and walked one in a game that was a 1-0 pitchers' duel until Alex Cabrera's three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning.

"There was never any feeling that we were going to score," said Hawks skipper Sadaharu Oh. "Matsuzaka was the best he's been all year."
Remember this name...you'll see him in the majors in a few years!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.08.03):

Week 1 matchup: Spam Jam (Tri)

Sakamoto Samurais: 57
Spam Jam: 36

With Tri having Mcnabb tomorrow, it's a little premature to count him out. I have Philly D tomorrow also...but we shall see who comes out on top.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.07.03):
Not the best of days. Still have a 200+ point lead...

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	3513	55
2	Border Jumpers	3279	151
3	Dodger Dogs	3244	22
4	Jookies	3240	26
5	Fleas & Ninjas	2557	26

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
School, Bball & Kyoto

Another day at school, students were all tired. Maybe because it was from the Sports Day practice during 1st period. For the 7th graders, shiro team won both races! The boys did a catepillar race (which was funny to see when teams fell) and the girls did a 3 & 5 legged relay race around our makeshift track.

Had bball practice. Since it was about 26C (80F) and easily 85% humidity, being in the warm gym wasn't pleasant. Participated in most of the drills except for the ones that were a little strange. We got to finally run a 5 on 5 drill, full court. Was fun to play with the girls' assistant coach, we were both dishing out da dimes. It's always nice to play with somebody who appreciates and recognizes your valiant efforts at moving w/o the ball.

Came back into the teachers' room and talked with Takahashi sensei and Takeuchi sensei. Takeuchi learned of my plans of takin' my buddies to Kyoto and asked if I had plans. He called his travel agent and had them fax over all their pamphlets. After numerous calls, we booked my shinkansen (bullet train) tix as well as a Japanese ryokan (hotel that comes with an authentic Kyoto dinner and a nice japanese garden). If I'm going to Kyoto, gotta do it right, no? I owe Takeuchi sooooooooo much for taking care of this for me. It ended up being around $50 cheaper than I was quoted earlier in the day! Bonus baby!

After tearing my apartment upside down, the search for my dear digicam (digital camera) has proven futile! There's one more place that I can check...it's the last place on my "list"...but who knows. I feel bad cuz I just got my 256 MB memory stick! Well...I AM goin' to go to Akihabara on Wednesday, hmmmmm....

Aite, I'm gonna call it a night soon, got a big day ahead of me tomorrow. Picking up Brandon and Thuy @ Narita @ around 16:30ish. Be prepared for some interesting future posts! T-minus, 16 hours before liftoff!!!!

Peace out ya'll!!!

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out Tri's new Project Pink
----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 01
----------------------------------------------------
Woke up at: 10:30
Mood: Kinda dizzy from last night
Listening to: Inner Light (Icey Mix) by Zion I
Weather Report: It was a nice, cool day today. Not hot at all.
Japanese Food: tsuyu = dipping sauce for somen or soba
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: kuko = airport
Japan News: Funabashi, Chiba: 2 boys will be arriving tomorrow @ Narita Airport from California on Northwest Airlines. Authorities sent word to Akihabara, Retro shoe stores and the other popular points of interest to be on the lookout for an ABC, a Viet and their host, a JA Yonsei. These boys will surely wreak havoc everywhere, while partyin' it up, nonstop, for 10 days.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.07.03):
The season has finally started...well only one game did.

Week 1 matchup: Spam Jam (Tri)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.06.03):
Well...my transaction payed off, with a whopping 259 pts! Lead has been increased to over 200 pts!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	3458	259
2	Dodger Dogs	3222	160
3	Border Jumpers	3128	55
4	Jookies	3106	63
5	Fleas & Ninjas	2531	204

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Partyin' til Sunrise!

Yesterday was a chill day. Got to clean up a bit, do some grocery shopping, pay bills. After making somen for lunch, headed over to Ikko to pay my tab. There was tv program that everyone was watching. It was japanese colleges that built gliders to see whose can fly the furthest.

Hung out there way longer than I expected. Got to talk to this new guy that's been coming in a lot lately, Hashimoto san.

After Ikko, we headed over to his local bar. Got to meet the Master san & mama san. Met some other of Hashimoto's buddies. I was shocked to see that this bar had some good stuff. Smirnoff Vodka, Sauza Tequila and even Alize. By this time, I was feelin' pretty good, so Asada san starts doing some magic. What started off making a 500 yen coin disappear, to a 1000 yen bill, to a glass and even the Vodka bottle...I finally realized how he did the trick. I'm pretty gullible after maybe 12 drinks. We sang karaoke and kicked it at the bar til about 03:30, then headed over to this sushi restaurant, which I couldn't believe was open at that time....it was also hard to see due to my state of mind. We had some pretty good sushi (mental note: we'll head to this place on the late night creep) and 2 beers. Afterwards, Hashimoto san and I just chilled at Yakuendai eki, and talked bout all sorts of stuff. Seeing it become daylight reminded mE of thE good 'ol days during college. Got to see other peeps coming back on the first train, most likely from partyin' in Tokyo. Decided to call it a night...or morning @ around 06:30.

Came home, crashed out.

Today, wokeup around 10:30 and chatted with some folks online. Made sure Brandon and Thuy had got everything that I needed.

Finally cut my hair after almost a month.

Watching on TV right now about the Yuta Tabuse who played on the Dallas Mavericks summer league team. True point guard, decent J & good court vision.

Well...gotta fold my laundry and do some more cleaning.

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out Tri's new Project Pink
----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 02
----------------------------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 08:15, up for about an hour and then went back to sleep
Mood: Kinda dizzy from last night
Listening to: The Zephyr Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Weather Report: It's been pretty hot and humid for the past 2 days
Japanese Food: masu = trout
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Osusume = recommend; usually seen on restaurant menus for today's specials
Japan News: A flood of bogus 10,000-yen bills has inundated shops in the Kanto area, leading police to suspect a counterfeiting ring with its own production and distribution teams is behind the crime.

About 300 fake bills have turned up in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures since late June. About half of the bills were discovered in convenience stores, supermarkets, grocery stores and other shops in Tokyo. The rest were found in stores and shops in Kanagawa, Chiba, Ibaraki, Saitama, Yamanashi, Gunma, Shizuoka and Niigata prefectures.

About 80 fake bills were discovered in Kanagawa Prefecture, followed by 50 in Chiba. Even Tokyo Disneyland could not escape. A total of 29 counterfeit bills were found at the theme park in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture.

Police do not believe the counterfeiters are running a Mickey Mouse operation. The forgeries were so good that they went undetected by most of the store clerks, police said. The fakes were exposed when shopkeepers tried to deposit their proceeds through automatic teller machines, which rejected the notes.


------------------------------------
Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.05.03):
The season has finally started...well only one game did.

Week 1 matchup: Spam Jam (Tri)

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.03.03):
WTF!!! After seeing my -11 score...I had to make some changes! Dodger Dogs went from 2nd to 4th. Only 74 pts separate me from 4th place. I dropped Garrett Anderson, Hideo Nomo and Shigetoshi Hasegawa. I picked up Jason Schimdt, Brad Radke and Carlos Beltran.

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	3077	-11
2	Jookies	3055	105
3	Border Jumpers	3026	47
4	Dodger Dogs	3003	-1
5	Fleas & Ninjas	2334	-29

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sports Day, Bball and Ikko w/Takahashi Sensei

Another chillin' day at school. Well maybe not chillin', it was pretty hot. Had sports day practice, I'm on team shiro (white). Since there are 15 classes at my school, each grade has 5. So I'm on the team 4. That is...1-4, 2-4, 3-4. The captains all gave they're introductions along with the teachers. Takahashi sensei killed me with his intro. Saying that he doesn't need a white bandana because he has white hair. Anyhow...we practiced the opening ceremony and afterwards we did yardwork on the school grounds.

Finished Ender's Game, yes I finished it in 2 days! It had a nice little twist at the end. All in all, I book I recommend.

After taking a nap, went to bball practice. Got there just in time for scrimmage. Got a great workout in only an hour! After practice, tried to teach Ryo the mechanics of jumping to touch the net. I give him til March to touch it with 2 hands!

Upon coming back into the teacher's room, Takahashi sensei says that we should go to Ikko tonite. I was like, huh!? He already cleared it with his wife and has already arranged a driver afterwards. Unfortunately mama wasn't there last night. Chi mama was. Don't get me wrong, chi mama is koo...but mama is better. Not all of my friends were there last night, but Takahashi got to meet some of them. We had some: Ika yaki, nira tama, oshinko and sanma. Then we sang some karaoke. Walked Takahashi sensei back to his car. Not sure of how I got home but when I did, it was instant lights out.

Woke up @ around 8ish, got online for a bit, then went back to sleep. Been busy with my fantasy baseball team and doing research on Osaka and Kyoto. For lunch, I made some more somen. Perfect on hot days.

Right now, it's like 95 degrees in my apart. This time, I'm just using my fan and it's not that bad. Now that I've gotten used to the heat at school. This is nothing and the weather report claims that the humidity is at 88%.

Oh well...gotta clean up and run some errands.

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out Tri's new Project Pink
----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 04
----------------------------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 07:15
Mood: Little tired
Listening to: Learn Chinese by Jin
Weather Report: Today started out a little bit cloudy, then it rained, then it was the best weather I've seen in like 2 months! Nice and cool, sunny, blue skies, no humidity....it was the best.
Japanese Food: Tsunagi = Chicken gizzard
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: zen zen .... = not at all; used with the negative form a verb. For example: Zen zen wakaranai = I don't understand anything.
Japan News: The government will pay China about 100 million yen after deadly gas leaked from chemical weapons abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, China, during the closing days of World War II, sources said Monday.

According to the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Ministry, which are working out details of the payment, the government is considering offering the money to:

-- Support local medical teams.

-- Pay families of those who died and those who were injured by the gases.

-- Pay for victims' hospital fees.

-- Seal the weapons and prevent further poisoning.

The money likely will be sourced from the Foreign Ministry's 30.7 billion yen-budget for disposal of abandoned chemical weapons under the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the sources said.

The Qiqihar city government asked the government to compensate it for expenses caused by the leak. Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, however, said the city government had no right to do so as China gave up claims for war reparations in the 1972 Japan-China joint statement.

The government, therefore, decided to offer to support Chinese medical activities and financially support the victims as part of the ministry's project to dispose of abandoned chemical weapons under international law, which is a separate issue to war reparations, the sources said.

Five drums of chemical weapons were found at a construction site in Qiqihar on Aug. 4. Dozens of people were poisoned after coming into contact with a gas that leaked from the drums. According to the Foreign Ministry, 43 people had been poisoned as of Aug. 21.


------------------------------------
Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.04.03):
I'll be updating this completely when the season starts.

Nothing new to post...season starts in today!

Week 1 matchup: Spam Jam (Tri)

Tri's is gonna feel the wrath of the Sakamoto Samurais!!!

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.03.03):
WTF!!! I had -2 pts today!!! Only about 150 pts separates me from the 4th Jookies! Have no fear, my team will come thru for me....I hope...

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	3088	-2
2	Dodger Dogs	3004	14
3	Border Jumpers	2979	142
4	Jookies	2950	85
5	Fleas & Ninjas	2363	92

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
School: Day 3, Ender's Game, Ikko

Another day at school...pretty much the same 'ol same 'ol. We had the 7th grade Sports Day practice during second period today. Today's weather was nice this morning. Not humid at all. However, it rained as I was biking to school...I just made before it started to pour! During practice...it was fun to watch the girls as they were practicing the 3-legged race and 5-legged race. Either the girls got it, ie. they were in synce, or, they had no teamwork at all. Many of them fell to the dirt more than I could count!

Since it was a lax day, I started Ender's Game and read about 150 pages today. This book has got me hooked! I'll probably finish it up tomorrow.

At school, since it was such a nice day after it rained...after I read...I just took in the day out on the teachers' balcony. I never really took the time to appreciate the clear blue skies and whispy clouds. Near the end of the day, I could see the half-moon peeking through the bright cerulean atmosphere. It gave me time to reflect on my life. It never came across my mind to do this...but I searched deep within my soul, recallin' all the people who are important to me and have made in an impact on my life. I must say that I've been rather fortunate to have been surrounded by such great people; my family and friends have made me into the person that I am today. I greatly appreciate you all, though you may not know it, all of you have have influenced me in some way, shape or form. I think I took one baby step forward today towards enlightenment. Some of you...hmmm...more like many of you...may think that I'm talkin' out of my @$$ right now. I truly think that I see life in a totally different way now. Living in a foreign country will do that to you. For all of you who have never done so, please...I beg you...venture out of your comfort zone and experience the world. The US...California, is just a tiny piece of the world puzzle. I urge you to travel before you settle down or get too old. I would like to thank Tri, for he is the one that has opened my eyes up to the "big picture". Doomo Arigatoo Gozaimasu!

After school, I was a little too lazy to cook dinner tonite...so I head over to Ikko. What meant to be just dinner and maybe 2-3 Oolong Hi's...all of my buddies decided to show up. Even Shachoo came! I got to meet a new person today...Shimohira. He's 26 & a soldier in the SDF. He wants me to teach him and his friends English. I'm more than willing to help him out. Shachoo, as always, hooked up everyone with drinks. He's such a cool guy. He calls me "Kazu-chan". I blush everytime he mutters my name. He has officially organized a Karaoke Tai Kai (Karaoke competition) to be held on Sat, Sept. 20th. The winner gets 2,000 yen. It should be a cool little event @ Ikko. You can expect many pics from that event, so please be patient!

Well...gonna wrap this up...gotta big day ahead of me tomorrow...we have to pull weeds at school to prepare for Sports Day. Aite ya'll....till we meet again...

Kaz out...

When ya'll get the chance, check out Tri's new Project Pink
----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 05
----------------------------------------------------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woke up at: 07:15
Mood: Koo koo
Listening to: Mind Blow by Zion I
Weather Report: It was cho astukatta Super Hot today and later, there was a huge thunderstorm which produced bomb like sounds and the lightning lit up the sky as if it were daytime.
Japanese Food: Saba = mackerel
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: kotae = answer
Japan News: Nagasaki -- A woman was arrested Wednesday for seriously injuring her infant daughter by showering her with boiling water, police said. The mother, 24-year-old Yumi Yamazaki, has admitted to the allegation. "I felt hatred toward her," She was quoted by police as saying. Police said Yamazaki attacked her 23-month-old daughter in the bathroom of their apartment in Sasebo on Tuesday night. The infant suffered second-degree burns. Yamazaki's husband rushed back home at around 1 a.m. Wednesday from work after she called him reportedly saying, "I doused her with boiling water."
Seems the Japanese are just as crazy as Americans...
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Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.03.03):
I'll be updating this completely when the season starts.

Nothing new to post...season starts in 1 day!

Week 1 matchup: Spam Jam (Tri)

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.02.03):
Had a descent day. Extended my lead to 100 pts!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	3090	109
2	Dodger Dogs	2990	51
3	Jookies	2865	124
4	Border Jumpers	2837	110
5	Fleas & Ninjas	2271	88

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School: Day 2, Thunderstorm

Man, today was frickin' hot! Maybe only 86 degrees, but it was at least 85% humidity which made it unbearable. Should have known that it was gonna be hot today since it was already 77 degrees when I woke up this morning! Add the fact that there is no AC in the teacher's room or classrooms, you can sorta imagine they discomfort today.

Lunch: Sweet Potato tempura, egg flower soup, rice, vinegar flavored veggies and apple pear.

Finished Catfish and Mandala today. Man, the author came through with a dope ending which summed up everything nicely. I highly recommend this book: Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X. Pham to anyone who's interested in reading about a man's journey from the bay to Vietnam...on a bike! Thanks Tri for all the books that you brought for me! Next on my reading list is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

Had my dentist appointment today...was in and out in like 15 min.

Had some potato salad, edamame, and some more somen for dinner.

There was this phatty thunderstorm tonite. The craziest one that I'd ever experienced. Good thing I brought my clothes in when I did. I wish I would've taken some pics of the storm, but didn't want to venture outside. Afraid...maybe. You'd be too if you saw and heard what was goin' on outside.

Nothing much else to report.

Kaz out...

Ok...so I come home from work to find out that it's 37 degrees in my apartment! (Once again, for you celsius challenged, that's about 98.6 degrees)

Anyhow...gonna have to go to my dentist soon. I will update later when my apartment cools down!

Kaz out...

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Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 06
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Woke up at: 07:00
Mood: Kinda tired from playin' bball today
Listening to: I Am Music by Common feat. Jill Scott
Weather Report: Super Humid
Japanese Food: Kare = curry
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Mukatsuku = angry
Japan News: FUKUOKA -- Fourteen people, mostly students from Kyushu Sangyo University here, have been arrested for cultivating marijuana in Japan's biggest dope-growing find, officials said Tuesday. Those arrested include three current students of the university, nine graduates, another youth who dropped out of a college and a high school boy. "They committed a terribly anti-social crime, so we are discussing the matter seriously," said a written statement from Kyushu Sangyo University president, which was read out by a top official. The students allegedly cultivated marijuana in the mountains of Oita Prefecture and in their homes for their own consumption and to sell from November 2001 through to July this year. Three of the university graduates developed a 30-meter-square field to grow hemp in the mountains. Officials of the Health Ministry, who announced the arrest, said this was the largest attempt ever to grow hemp in Japan. During questioning, some of the students confessed that they bought hemp seeds over the Internet or when they went overseas. "We began growing it out of curiosity, and made money by selling it to our classmates," officials quoted one student as saying. A joint of marijuana was sold for 5,000 yen, the officials said.

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Fantasy Football Update (as of 09.02.03):
I'll be updating this completely when the season starts.

Nothing new to post...season starts in 2 days!

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 09.01.03):
Fleas & Ninjas finally had a good week. I'm only clinging to a 42 point lead!

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	2981	21
2	Dodger Dogs	2939	1
3	Jookies	2741	-8
4	Border Jumpers	2727	100
5	Fleas & Ninjas	2183	231

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School

School started yesterday. Need I say more, now it's back to the grind again. I'm kinda happy to be back. Good to see the students and teachers again.

This week and next week's schedule are little different to allow time for Sports Day practice on Saturday, Sept. 13th.

Today we had classes, unfortunately or Takahashi sensei, it's the day where he has 5 straight classes! Feelin' bad for him, I decided to endure the pain with him. We got to meet one of the 3 new students. She's a 7th grader, Korean, lived in England. Her english is really good. I was shocked to have a normal english conversation with her. Her skill is way beyond any of the students at our school. Even better than Haruka's!

Been reading Catfish and Mandala like crazy. I can't put that book down. I must've read like 200 pages these past 2 days. Plan to finish it up tomorrow and then start Ender's Game or the massive classic, Cryptonomicon.

Decided to play ball with the team today. My first time in probably over a month and half. It was a conditioning day, so it was nice transition to get back into the swing of things. Got to teach the most promising 7th grade big man the little things a post man needs to know. It was nice to see Abiru sensei smile and thank me for my time.

Came back to the teacher's room and noticed that I had a green tea bottle on my desk. True to Japanese culture, Takahashi bought it for me because I gave him some of my tea in the morning because he didn't have time to buy his water on the way to school.

Dropped by Matsu Kiyo for some maguro and yama imo and ran into Muraguchi san from Ikko. He gave me a nod and his normal slang greeting.

Came home and made some somen and yamakake. Somen turned out good...but my first attempt at making yamakake didn't turn out like I wanted. However it was good.

My tv programs as usual didn't disappoint. Was laughing almost through both programs. They seem to come up with some of the craziest stuff.

Anyhow...gonna call it a night. Gotta leave school early for a dentist appointment. Aite...peace out ya'll!

Kaz out...

----------------------------------------------------
Days til Tri is in Japan:
Days til Brandon & Thuy are in Japan: 08
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Woke up at: 09:00
Mood: Still sore from squash, working out and playing vball for 4 hours!
Listening to: My buddy's cyber trance mix (it's the song that plays when the page loads...not sure how long the song will be up, it's been on the site for a while now)
Weather Report: A little humid but got a lot cooler at night
Japanese Food: Waribashi = wooden disposable chopsticks
Japanese Word/Phrase of the Day: Shashiburi = It's been a long time
Japan News: Who said Japanese guys are slow? Shingo Suetsugu of Japan won the bronze medal in the men's 200 meters with a time of 20.38 seconds in the final at the athletics world championships on Friday. Suetsugu, 23, is the first Japanese to win a medal in men's sprint in either the Olympics or the worlds.
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Fantasy Football Update (as of 08.31.03):
I'll be updating this completely when the season starts. Today I made some changes to my roster. I dropped Jeff Reed and Javon Walker and picked up D'Wayne Bates and Charles Rogers. We'll see if that'll help me.

Fantasy Baseball Update (as of 08.31.03):
Had a descent day but Dodger Dogs had a little bit better. They're slowly catching up. But Border Jumpers had a phatty day. They overtook Jookie! It's gettin' interesting...

Rank	Manager	Season	Last
1	Hanshin Tigers	2801	48
2	Dodger Dogs	2633	55
3	Border Jumpers	2536	178
4	Jookies	2500	64
5	Fleas & Ninjas	1911	-49

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Yanase's Grandkids, Vball, Dinner, Arcade, Lunch with Sam, Dinner with Koji

Yesterday went to Atsuko san's house to meet her two grandsons. Didn't have much to play with them, but got to hang out with Yanase san for a bit. Then I was off to Makuhari to meet up with Sho, but ended up getting a ride with Ami's 2 friends. Picked up Sho at his house and then headed to the gym for practice. My hitting was terrible, my vert was seriously hurtin'. My legs were still tired from the day before. Then the team scrimmaged against the other women's team that was there, while Sho, Go, and I scrimmaged with the mens. Man! Shashiburi yo! I haven't played on a men's net in such a long time but it was good to get back into the swing of things again. Playin' with that caliber of players was very natsukashii for me. Reminded me of the good 'ol club and college days. There was this one guy who was just pounding the ball. Mad hops yo!

After practice, Kei chan, Go kun, Sho and I met up with Ami and went out to eat. Ami had her 4-man soft volleyball tournament that day, so she couldn't come to practice. At dinner, I got to eat a lot of new food. I had Anago (sea eel) tempura, raw uma (horse) & fried whale. Kei chan is so funny. That girl is a comedian. She's weak when it comes to drinking but always wants to go get drinks. Though her english is the worst out of the bunch, I can understand most of what's she saying by just reading her face. After dinner, we decided to go an arcade, cuz Sho wanted a rematch in this one surfing game. Unfortunately the Namco arcade didn't have it, but they did a Golgo 13 sniper game. Sho and Kei chan played this one taiko drum game and afterwards we played air hockey. Go kun and I beat Ami and Sho but Kei chan and I lost to Ami and Go kun. It was a pretty fun day!

Today woke up and headed out to the Funabashi to meet up with Sam. He's another ALT from Australia. We headed to the 100 yen shop and got some stuff and then just walked around downtown Funabashi, got some lunch and just chatted bout all kinds of stuff. We went to this one music and movie store and talked bout all kinds of music. I tried to explain to him what real Hip Hop was...but it was to avail. However, he knows about Jin! I was very shocked to hear that. We then were comparing all these movies and anime. I also found out that he was a CS major in college, so we talked bout programming languages, applications, piracy, technology, etc...you know...geeky stuff. We also debated about world views which was very interesting considering he has a totally different viewpoint, ie. being born in England and living in Australia, Singapore, China and Thailand.

Afterwards, met up with Koji. We went to this one music store and he started to jam on the synthesizer. He was playin' all these old school JPOP tracks as well as Trance. We then headed to this one restaurant where he used to work at. Had some descent pasta and green tea tiramisu. He showed me all his pics from when he came to America 9 years ago. Can't believe it's been that long since I've seen him. He's supposed to take me clubbin sometime in the near future. We went back to his house after dinner and I got to meet his parents. They were so nice to me, thanking me for takin' care of him when he went to America. I felt a little embarassed by it all actually...having older people bow lower than me. Anyhow...it was good times today.

Well...tomorrow I start school. Shouldn't be a tough day, just opening ceremony, but I get to see my kids, which is the important thing. I kinda miss them. Gotta get some rest...

Kaz out...