So, of course, my lazy ass didn't finish my story about my weekend out with my Japanese friend Chihiro. We went out for a stroll in Ueno Park on the way to the National museum and then I went shopping with her in Ginza. It was a great day, although I was so tired I had to bail out on other plans I'd made with other people for the rest of the weekend. First I met her at Korakuen Station, which is right next to the Tokyo Dome area and then we got a cab to Ueno Park (my first cab ride in Japan, made much easier by riding with a native speaker).
Once there we strolled around the park until reaching the Tokyo National Museum. It was a great museum that featured many Japanese scrolls, sculptures and old Japanese swords, but I noticed when we got to the sword section that familiar loud, American accent of annoying tourists that turned out to be (obviously) military guys with high and tight haircuts. One in particular kept eyeing me and when I looked over at him, he increased his voice as if trying to get my attention- he did, annoyingly enough. So I lingered a little longer around the katanas until he and his friends got way ahead of us. Sigh...
But to my glee the next section featured traditional wardrobes of the Japanese Ainu, which I assume are similar people to the Native American Alaskan peoples (do we still call them Eskimos?), but it wasn't the clothes that caught my attention as much as the sign revealing that the traditional performances "must have been fabulous." WHAT? Again it said "their performance must have been fabulous"- I'm sorry but when I read that my inner gay voice goes NUTS! Maybe the word fabulous has been forever sullied by me being the ultimate fag hag, but come ON! Okay, I guess you had to be there...
Then she took me to this famous Thai restaurant originally based in Singapore called the Coca restaurant:
http://www.wonderland.to/pc/english/coca_ueno.html
It was great food and I loved the decor.
Then we went shopping at this uppity mall called Printemps, so I could buy some gaijin-friendly dance clothes as I've started going to a Ballet class at the gym during the week. BUT, of course, their large was like America's petite and I had to squeeze my fat ass into everything- DAMMIT! I finally found something that didn't squeal in terror as I out my fleshy legs into it and bought some items fast and furiously.
Places I want to go next:
http://www.ninjaakasaka.com/
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2008/07/11/the-lock-up-prison-restaurant-at-shibuya/
http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+44300
Also, my friend Kimie is visiting this weekend with her mom from America, so hopefully I'll have some more pictures to post.
OH! PLEASE post comments- it gives the will to carry on...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I'm sorry, but I don't care what kind of anger management issues Christian Bale has because he's still one of the most beautiful fuckers alive! And a great actor who makes unique, albeit sometimes weird, choices with his movies...
I love Welshmen (don't be fooled by the assumption he's English , Bale was born in Wales)...
Anyway, yet another week of teaching English but this week was "the Easter lesson" (sounds like an obscure 1980's play you'd see your "promising young actor" friend in off-off-off Broadway) and so I tried to add some craftiness to my classes and so far it's worked pretty well. So far I've tried a four-leaf clover for St Patrick's Day, a Valentine's Day heart and this week was a color, cut and paste chick that hasn't destroyed my classroom TOO badly so far.
Just an aside that I have a little boy in one of my classes that interjects once and a while with shouts of "Yes we can!" during lulls in my class and I have mostly ignored them in an attempt to keep the class focused but this week I finally turned to him and and asked "Obama?" Then the WHOLE class started laughing hysterically like I said poop or butt or something- so weird! THEN- the WHOLE class of six kids start chanting "Yes we can!" TOGETHER! I shit you not- crazy... I gotta get my ass to Obama City soon.
So I haven't really ranted about my douchebag neighbor too much on this blog, but I know a few of you know my situation with him, mostly through Facebook status rants: basically, he's loud. In an I'm-an-obnoxious-college-boy kind of way and it wouldn't be SO bad if it were limited to the weekends, but he's loud even during the week at 3 or 4 am? Seriously, dude? WTF? I'm also distressed by the fact that the walls in my LeoPalace apartment complex are very thin, but it still doesn't stop the annoyance of neighbor's shrill, schoolgirl-like laugh that follows with a kind of nyuck nyucking right afterwards. YES! I have been listening in somewhat and have found he's quite the video game and guitar playing dipshit who always seems to be home. This is technically the off season for school, but should end soon (by the end of March, I think), so I'm hoping he either has a job lined up or at least starts to leave the house once and a while. I finally saw him last weekend with his fat friend and he matched exactly what I imagined him to be: a skinny, dork with a goofy, but kind of cute face- who promptly laughed his nyuck nyuck right after I walked past him- douchebag!
This leads me to another reality of Japan for me so far: dating. My JET (Japanese English Teacher) co-worker thinks I should date a Japanese guy, but I have since fallen in love with someone new named Gym. Yep, he's faithful, reliable, clean, and has helped me lose a few pounds since coming to Japan- almost 10 kgs (20 lbs), in fact, in the three months since I've moved here. Don't worry, I don't have an eating disorder, quite the contrary, but I've become quite the gym rat and ALL the trainers know me, which is hilarious! I think the reason I like this gym is that the trainers help you train as part of their job (and not with extra money paid to them for their special attention), the same people teach a lot of the cool classes, and the these classes fucking ROCK! My membership includes classes like ballet (more on that later), hip hop (fucking HILARIOUSLY fun) and a Tae Bo-ish class called Fight Do as well as Hula, Flamenco, and Boot Camp-type shit you'd pay extra for in the states. I LOVE my new boyfriend!
One other piece of news: I finally got a katakana stamp last weekend when I met up with my friend Chihiro (maybe I mentioned her: she and her husband Tomohiro helped me navigate the vast Tokyo metro when I first got here and have since become great people to know for going out and exploring Tokyo). I have another separate post for that, but I wanted to show you pictures of my stamp, an owl, OF COURSE!
Here's the breakdown:
If you're wondering what the Hell it says or how to read it, start from the the top right down and then top left down and it reads: Ro-ma-n-su, my last name- well, kind of- the Japanese LOVE adding vowel sounds, so there's a "u" at the end, but not really pronounced. Voila!
ANOTHER hilarious Japanese ad- this time for pachinko:
I love Welshmen (don't be fooled by the assumption he's English , Bale was born in Wales)...
Anyway, yet another week of teaching English but this week was "the Easter lesson" (sounds like an obscure 1980's play you'd see your "promising young actor" friend in off-off-off Broadway) and so I tried to add some craftiness to my classes and so far it's worked pretty well. So far I've tried a four-leaf clover for St Patrick's Day, a Valentine's Day heart and this week was a color, cut and paste chick that hasn't destroyed my classroom TOO badly so far.
Just an aside that I have a little boy in one of my classes that interjects once and a while with shouts of "Yes we can!" during lulls in my class and I have mostly ignored them in an attempt to keep the class focused but this week I finally turned to him and and asked "Obama?" Then the WHOLE class started laughing hysterically like I said poop or butt or something- so weird! THEN- the WHOLE class of six kids start chanting "Yes we can!" TOGETHER! I shit you not- crazy... I gotta get my ass to Obama City soon.
So I haven't really ranted about my douchebag neighbor too much on this blog, but I know a few of you know my situation with him, mostly through Facebook status rants: basically, he's loud. In an I'm-an-obnoxious-college-boy kind of way and it wouldn't be SO bad if it were limited to the weekends, but he's loud even during the week at 3 or 4 am? Seriously, dude? WTF? I'm also distressed by the fact that the walls in my LeoPalace apartment complex are very thin, but it still doesn't stop the annoyance of neighbor's shrill, schoolgirl-like laugh that follows with a kind of nyuck nyucking right afterwards. YES! I have been listening in somewhat and have found he's quite the video game and guitar playing dipshit who always seems to be home. This is technically the off season for school, but should end soon (by the end of March, I think), so I'm hoping he either has a job lined up or at least starts to leave the house once and a while. I finally saw him last weekend with his fat friend and he matched exactly what I imagined him to be: a skinny, dork with a goofy, but kind of cute face- who promptly laughed his nyuck nyuck right after I walked past him- douchebag!
This leads me to another reality of Japan for me so far: dating. My JET (Japanese English Teacher) co-worker thinks I should date a Japanese guy, but I have since fallen in love with someone new named Gym. Yep, he's faithful, reliable, clean, and has helped me lose a few pounds since coming to Japan- almost 10 kgs (20 lbs), in fact, in the three months since I've moved here. Don't worry, I don't have an eating disorder, quite the contrary, but I've become quite the gym rat and ALL the trainers know me, which is hilarious! I think the reason I like this gym is that the trainers help you train as part of their job (and not with extra money paid to them for their special attention), the same people teach a lot of the cool classes, and the these classes fucking ROCK! My membership includes classes like ballet (more on that later), hip hop (fucking HILARIOUSLY fun) and a Tae Bo-ish class called Fight Do as well as Hula, Flamenco, and Boot Camp-type shit you'd pay extra for in the states. I LOVE my new boyfriend!
One other piece of news: I finally got a katakana stamp last weekend when I met up with my friend Chihiro (maybe I mentioned her: she and her husband Tomohiro helped me navigate the vast Tokyo metro when I first got here and have since become great people to know for going out and exploring Tokyo). I have another separate post for that, but I wanted to show you pictures of my stamp, an owl, OF COURSE!
Here's the breakdown:
If you're wondering what the Hell it says or how to read it, start from the the top right down and then top left down and it reads: Ro-ma-n-su, my last name- well, kind of- the Japanese LOVE adding vowel sounds, so there's a "u" at the end, but not really pronounced. Voila!
ANOTHER hilarious Japanese ad- this time for pachinko:
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme...
No, I'm not high or on LSD, but I AM pissed that my Japanese reading ability still sucks. Basically, I am living in the apartment of the teacher before me named Marin. She was great from what I hear and was very sweet to leave a lot of stuff here for me as I would have had to buy it all when I moved here. Above the kitchen sink is a small cabinet with spices she bought and many that I have since tried. So one of the bottles had a label that said in English "mint, parsley, thyme" and I was excited to add it to my pasta one night. It was liquidy and easy to spread in with my sauce. Once I started eating an obnoxiously clean taste rose in my mouth- WTF?! SOAP! Marin had put her mint, parsley, thyme dish soap in with the spices before she left. Yay pasta bubbles!
In a related non-Japanese reading story I also dyed my hair for the first time since moving here and let me just say that blond for the Japanese is Village of the Damned hair for Suzanne. It will fucking blind you! I am now speaking from experience...
In a related non-Japanese reading story I also dyed my hair for the first time since moving here and let me just say that blond for the Japanese is Village of the Damned hair for Suzanne. It will fucking blind you! I am now speaking from experience...
Monday, February 16, 2009
I'm a lazy bastard!
After much lazing about for the past couple of weeks focusing on "me" time, I've decided to return to you! I won't say there hasn't been much going on, just nothing that I'd say was earth shattering.
First, I did go to Korean BBQ with my student and found that he bucks most Japanese stereotypes about older Japanese people. He IS indeed pretty conservative, but not in the paying-for-the-$50-dollar-lunch-you-invited-me-to department. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a date, but usually when a Japanese person (especially a Japanese student who's pretty much getting a free English lesson with their lunch) invits you to a lunch there's somewhat of a protocol for them to pay. I brought money just in case and I'm glad I did because he might be one of the cheapest men I've ever met. Except where it comes to ordering almost everything on the menu. I have to admit that usually I'm pretty fine with living it up with a somewhat pricey meal, but it was the last week before my first real paycheck and I had all but spent almost all the money I had for the month. So needless to say I was somewhat annoyed when he only pulled out money enough for half the bill. D'oh!
Anyway, the meal was pretty good and somewhat interesting in that I had never eaten so much raw meats in my life. Of course, one of them was an accident, or really my host mistaking raw pork belly (supposed to be cooked) with raw beef (what I was SUPPOSED to eat). Eventually I got the raw beef too (and it was delicious), but eating raw pork belly was like chewing gum and then swallowing- blech! It made eating it cooked unappetizing as cooked pork belly doesn't really lose it's chewiness.
The weird part: I thought I would be horrified at eating such things, but now I'm like "Bring it ON, bitches!" I can't wait to go to SE Asia and eat some fucking BUGS! Except cockroaches, of course....disgusting fuckers....
I have resigned myself to being a better blogger- more comedy of errors to come...
and...
YES! Finally, Cracked has gotten on the bandwagon of stars in Japanese commercials! Although no sign of TLJs:
http://www.cracked.com/article_17080_8-humiliating-japanese-ads-starring-oscar-nominees.html
First, I did go to Korean BBQ with my student and found that he bucks most Japanese stereotypes about older Japanese people. He IS indeed pretty conservative, but not in the paying-for-the-$50-dollar-lunch-you-invited-me-to department. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a date, but usually when a Japanese person (especially a Japanese student who's pretty much getting a free English lesson with their lunch) invits you to a lunch there's somewhat of a protocol for them to pay. I brought money just in case and I'm glad I did because he might be one of the cheapest men I've ever met. Except where it comes to ordering almost everything on the menu. I have to admit that usually I'm pretty fine with living it up with a somewhat pricey meal, but it was the last week before my first real paycheck and I had all but spent almost all the money I had for the month. So needless to say I was somewhat annoyed when he only pulled out money enough for half the bill. D'oh!
Anyway, the meal was pretty good and somewhat interesting in that I had never eaten so much raw meats in my life. Of course, one of them was an accident, or really my host mistaking raw pork belly (supposed to be cooked) with raw beef (what I was SUPPOSED to eat). Eventually I got the raw beef too (and it was delicious), but eating raw pork belly was like chewing gum and then swallowing- blech! It made eating it cooked unappetizing as cooked pork belly doesn't really lose it's chewiness.
The weird part: I thought I would be horrified at eating such things, but now I'm like "Bring it ON, bitches!" I can't wait to go to SE Asia and eat some fucking BUGS! Except cockroaches, of course....disgusting fuckers....
I have resigned myself to being a better blogger- more comedy of errors to come...
and...
YES! Finally, Cracked has gotten on the bandwagon of stars in Japanese commercials! Although no sign of TLJs:
http://www.cracked.com/article_17080_8-humiliating-japanese-ads-starring-oscar-nominees.html
Friday, February 13, 2009
All better now that V-Day is behind me...
Okay, I won't even go into how happy I am I'm through being reminded of a certain Welshman now that Valentine's Day has come and gone. Onward and upwards...
Tomorrow I will eat Korean BBQ for the first time ever with one of my students. He's really interesting in that he's old school Japanese- he was a McCain supporter during the election and is pretty conservative compared to the rest of my Japanese students who have Obamamania like the rest of us pinko Commies!
Except for that it's pretty much the final countdown until my first REAL paycheck where I can then start living like a normal human being again. I have already started making a list of possible places I want to visit (including the US) for the year. I know I can make quite a few day trips and even weekend trips within Japan and probably even to China and South Korea.
If anyone has any ideas, please share....
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
FU V-Day!
First of all, I hope no one ACTUALLY took my 25 "random" things post seriously. I read a couple of online articles discussing the "viral" Facebook 25 random things about you and "Hey! Pass it along, friend" message that has been circulating for a few weeks now. I just don't happen to think that too much of a person's life is THAT random. Unless you're Donnie Darko...
Anyway, this week was kind of fun for me (even though I'm single this Valentine's Day) because I've been using work as a good outlet for romantic frustrations. Don't worry, dear readers, because I am NOT having a pity party. In fact, I find life in Japan to be pretty good so far for no other reason than I am making a livable wage for once. But it's been good to create some cute little hearts with my kids for Valentine's Day. My job has been pretty flexible with allowing me to use some of my creative imagination in my lesson planning and that will be my saving grace with teaching English and teaching in general (I hope). It definitely breaks up the monotony of just teaching lessons and playing target-themed games (the target is teacher speak for teaching the students about a certain subject for the class time aka today we will learn about zoo animals or today we'll learn about passive voice, etc). I think that crafts are a great way for me to get out some energy when the lesson planning gets too boring for my taste.
SO I've decided to add another hobby: sewing! Yay! Wait! WHAT? Sewing, but Suzanne, you HATE domestic shit? Yeah, I do, but after shopping around Tokyo for clothing, the largest size is a 10 (not quite there yet) and everything else that would fit me is for those with child. So after I receive my next paycheck I will be shopping for a sewing machine to make some (maybe) cool summer dresses that will fit me, since all the Japanese skinny bitch clothes will not.
I HAVE been a regular member of the gym since joining and tonight when I was about to walk out the door I noticed a ballet class that looks pretty awesome- yeah! ballet at the gym!
By the way, I've gotten to watch some Japanese TV as a result of being a somewhat captive audience at the gym (my TV at home has been stored away safely to make room on my desk for my trusty laptop). One commercial I saw last night that almost made me fall of the Elliptical machine shows a Japanese man about to kiss a Japanese woman, but as she closes her eyes we see him get close and then move slowly downward off screen right next to her. Then her eyes pop open in surprise- OMG! he's eating my ramen Cup of Noodles...Priceless!
Anyway, this week was kind of fun for me (even though I'm single this Valentine's Day) because I've been using work as a good outlet for romantic frustrations. Don't worry, dear readers, because I am NOT having a pity party. In fact, I find life in Japan to be pretty good so far for no other reason than I am making a livable wage for once. But it's been good to create some cute little hearts with my kids for Valentine's Day. My job has been pretty flexible with allowing me to use some of my creative imagination in my lesson planning and that will be my saving grace with teaching English and teaching in general (I hope). It definitely breaks up the monotony of just teaching lessons and playing target-themed games (the target is teacher speak for teaching the students about a certain subject for the class time aka today we will learn about zoo animals or today we'll learn about passive voice, etc). I think that crafts are a great way for me to get out some energy when the lesson planning gets too boring for my taste.
SO I've decided to add another hobby: sewing! Yay! Wait! WHAT? Sewing, but Suzanne, you HATE domestic shit? Yeah, I do, but after shopping around Tokyo for clothing, the largest size is a 10 (not quite there yet) and everything else that would fit me is for those with child. So after I receive my next paycheck I will be shopping for a sewing machine to make some (maybe) cool summer dresses that will fit me, since all the Japanese skinny bitch clothes will not.
I HAVE been a regular member of the gym since joining and tonight when I was about to walk out the door I noticed a ballet class that looks pretty awesome- yeah! ballet at the gym!
By the way, I've gotten to watch some Japanese TV as a result of being a somewhat captive audience at the gym (my TV at home has been stored away safely to make room on my desk for my trusty laptop). One commercial I saw last night that almost made me fall of the Elliptical machine shows a Japanese man about to kiss a Japanese woman, but as she closes her eyes we see him get close and then move slowly downward off screen right next to her. Then her eyes pop open in surprise- OMG! he's eating my ramen Cup of Noodles...Priceless!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Suzanne's, like, 25 totally awesomely randomly cool stuff that you probably didn't know about her
I keep seeing people's random 25 items on Facebook and thought that since I absolutely DESPISE Facebook and most of its members that I'd rather put my list of my totally awesome blog for you to read. Like, ENJOY!
1. I can only achieve orgasm when exercising on the Elliptical machine at the gym
2. I have a third nipple
3. Seeing plants make me vomit
4. I like to burn books in my spare time
5. Kissing boys makes me feel sick, so I only do it when dared.
6. I only use performance-enhancing drugs before I play Inter-mural sports with colleagues.
7. I only take showers before going to the gym.
8. I don’t actually ever go to the gym and therefore never take showers (or have orgasms- see number 1)
9. I have a not-so-secret HUGE crush on Aquaman
10. Drinking green tea makes my pee smell like lavender
11. My favorite colors are orange and green (see number 9)
12. I kancho’d Al Pacino (http://www.kancho.jp/)
13. I have 20 tattoos, one of which features a graphic re-enactment of the sinking of the Indianapolis where all the man-eating sharks are replaced with those most fucked up of animals that I fucking despise….BUTTERFLIES! Fuck you, butterflies!!! Fuck YOU!
14. I’ve never voted Democrat and… actually I’ve never voted period because it’s a pointless waste of time and never changes anything
15. I own 4 guns, one of which emits a sound that kills
16. I only kick dogs when I’m in a good mood.
17. One time during kindergarten naptime my teacher caught me masturbating which resulted in me having to sit at my desk with my head down during every naptime after that.
18. I only donate money to causes that feature celebrities I like
19. I just started a new diet that includes laxatives and plants (see number 3). Or even better, plants that ARE laxatives
20. My worst flaw is that I’m an incredibly generous, hubris-less individual who gives of herself selflessly to everyone I know in such a way that they come to believe me as the second coming of Christ.
21. I think babies smell like brie that’s been left out for 4-6 weeks in the summer sun of Arizona
22. I think English is the easiest language in the world to learn and I don’t understand why lazy foreigners can’t use it when they address me
23. I’m a pretty adamantly racist Scientologist who despises everyone of my “friends” on my Facebook profile with the exception of 3 or 4 (okay 3) people
24. If you’re wondering which one you are you’re probably not on my friend list:)
25. I hate getting drunk and think ALL alcoholics will burn in the ninth ring of Hell
26. I don't see why people think having 3 bottles of vodka with dinner makes ME a drunk
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