so there we go, a birthday with NO presents, even the person that KNOW ABOUT IT ALL ALONG, gave you nothing. what can you say?

nothing.

i was making excuses to her, maybe because last year, during her own b-day, she also received nothing, so she “would like” to apply the same thing to me … but isn`t this a little sick?

crying out loud our characters are completely different. she never makes any friends. she told me “endless” times that ever since she was a kid she had trouble making friends, 上司 said her attitude is poor, honestly, i also received a lot of poor attitude from her. SUPER a lot.

on the other hand …

and sorry i do not have trouble “making friends”, not that i am super good at, but … 普通？
my attitude is also poor for bosses, too. but i do apologize if i do wrong …

and that girl, i dont know, she used my mirror and put it on her table the first day she moved in, and that is before i even saw her face for the first time.
i come back home and realize my mirror has been used and has been moved, and … i did not even know why.

can we call this “common sense” ?

do not use other people`s thing, esp. you have not even met them.

back to the main topic …

This month, i had the worst day, and also the most surprised day …

my birthday was in the month, but sadly, no one remembers it.

and the very person that remembers it, of course, it is my roommate, cause she asked, and i answered, and she wrote down on the calendar …

and turns out, i did not even get a 100 yen candy from her that day …

why?

i also want to know why.
it is not like we have a bad relationship.

ずーーーとうまくいってよ、actually, that is an understatement. our relationship has gone EVEN better and more comfortable with each other ever since one of my newly known good friends went back to hk, and 偶然に, this month she also start having normal schedule, we see each other way more often, and we even go out together a lot.

yes, we already LIVE together, and we also go out a lot, what does it tell you?

what i want to say is, you should have “expectations” under these circumstances. it is normal, natural and healthy.

well well well …

帰る途中寒さでぞくぞくしたー甘酸っぱい感じだ。
甘さ:うるさい蝉がいなくなったし、駅に歩いて汗で濡れちゃう日が終わったこと。
酸っぱさ:寒くて、雨が降る日が近づいていること。
祝うことなのか泣くことなのかわからない。

On my way home I shivered, a bittersweet feeling.
Sweet: Hissing cicadas and sweaty walks to the station are over.
Bitter: Cold rainy days are coming.
Should I celebrate or cry?

Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan. After all the gear, what does it cost to climb it?

4,950 yen: Mount Fuji trip package, which included a round trip bus ticket from Tokyo, a number to call should we become horribly injured or dead during our climb, and admission to an onsen (hot spring bath) after we got down. The package was strangely cheaper than buying a round trip bus ticket straight from the bus company. Also, since climbing Fuji leads one to be covered in, at minimum, a thin layer of volcanic ash, and reduces one’s muscles to sore useless jelly, the onsen was worth it times a million.

220 yen: Two ume onigiri (rice balls with sour pickled plum inside) purchased in Tokyo. Ate during the hike, could have used just one more.

700 yen: Three stops to the bathroom during the climb. The lower bathrooms are 200 yen and the bathroom at the summit is 300. All of these used the honor system, but if someone is going to be hauling my shit off the tallest mountain in Japan, the least I can do is leave them the money they ask for.

0 yen: The sunrise at the summit. The sky was clear, but the sun disappeared occasionally because we were thousands of feet above the clouds.

900 yen: Shoyu ramen (ramen noodles, a bit of seaweed, and a bit of bamboo shoot in broth flavored with soy sauce) at the top of Mount Fuji. I’d heard about this noodle restaurant at the summit before I climbed, and while there saw plenty of people buying the famously overpriced 700 yen Cup Noodles. But after seven hours of climbing to almost 13,00 feet, it was the best thing I’ve eaten in my life.

1,500 yen: A good luck charm* from the temple at the summit. Usually these charms run 500-1000 yen, but this temple didn’t sell anything under 1,500. Of course, since I just climbed all that way, and it wasn’t something I could ever buy anywhere else, I had to have it. It’s pretty cute though, and damn if I’m not going to take incredibly good care of this little charm.

(* This one was specifically for “achieving your dreams.” Seems pretty apt for something you buy at the top of a ridic tall mountain.)

120 yen: Halfsies on a strawberry kakigori (Japanese snow cone) at the onsen. Second best thing I’ve eaten in my life.

0 yen: Passing the hell out after 12 hours of climbing and 31 hours awake. I have never slept so well.

Total: 8,390 yen (about $112)

Crayon House (link: http://www.crayonhouse.co.jp/shop/default.aspx) is a book store, organic food market, and organic restaurant tucked away in Omotesando just past Kiddyland and Shaky’s Pizza. It’s a buffet, and though it’s not vegetarian, the little signs with clearly posted allergen information (eggs, wheat, milk, fish, chicken) it makes dining out for the diet-restricted much easier. Lunch is a reasonable 1,200 yen, and if you show up at 11:00 or 11:30 you can beat the rush. The buffet always offers at least two veggie dishes, plus brown or white rice.

If you’re a lone veggie among meat-eating friends, or you and your fellow veg friends are looking for a place you can eat in the Omotesando area without having to ask a lot of questions, swing by Crayon House for the lunch buffet.

先週休みを取って、６日間帰省しました。充実した旅行でした。社会福祉資格試験に合格して、待ちに待った家族に会えました。それに、アメリカの慣れ親しんだものを楽しみました。アメリカの英語とかアメリカの態度とかいろんなアメリカン的なことによく気づきました。帰省する前、日本の文化にかなり飽きてきていました。アメリカに戻った時は、｢外国人」という感じがしませんでした。普通の人間でした。ロサンゼルスには、いろんな人種がいます。白人、黒人、アジア人、スペイン語を話す人達など。みな「外国人」なので、みな同じです。アメリカでは人種が違うかもしれませんが、皆はアメリカ人です。このアメリカ文化を象徴する部分は、最高だと思います。

私の親友たちはメキシコ人と中国人と白人とフィンランド人です。お兄さんの彼女はメキシコ人です。お母さんの近所の人はジャマイカ人とメキシコ人と黒人です。公園を歩きながら英語とスペイン語が聞こえます。日本に帰る前エルサルバドル料理を食べました。いろんな国の文化が経験できるのはすばらしいと思います。

みな同じなので、知らない人でもとても親切で、丁寧で、明るいです。たとえば、ある日バス停で待っていて、突然、知らない人が話しかけてきました。シャツについてでした。大したことではありませんでしたが、よく気づいたなとおもいました。

I hear that Tokyo cleared out for Obon, but to be honest, I haven’t noticed a difference. Maybe the nuanced difference between ‘a lot of people’ and ‘a really lot of people’ is only something a true Tokyoite can see. For now though I will enjoy being among other people who look out of place in the city, as there are more Japanese and foreigners alike on the train, in the streets, and wandering the shops with Tokyo guides and maps clutched in their hands. Welcome! Maybe you’re the reason it doesn’t feel so empty.

If you need a calm place outside the city, but not too far outside, I recommend Mount Takao. An hour west of central Tokyo, the mountain is climbable even for novices. Better yet, at the well-developed summit, you get a stunning view of Tokyo from afar and you can by kakigori (flavored ice).

Last week marked the end of my irregular work schedule of weekends off and weekday early starts, so to celebrate I went to Enoshima. I was hoping to find a secluded place to swim, but my was plan was foiled by the thousand plus people who were also there on a Thursday afternoon. Nonetheless, it was good enough just to go to a beach as I’m from a beach town (Venice) and enjoy the scenery.

今年の3月に毛虫ちゃんのYou Tubeチャンネルを見つけた。彼女は黒人のアメリカ人だけど、本当に日本語を上手にしゃ べります。先週、彼女の最近のビデオを見たら、東京に来たと言ってた。毛虫ちゃんに会いたいと思っていたら、「会いましょう」と誘ってくれた。彼女にメールをして、数日後返事をもらって計画を立てた。今週の月曜日は原宿のフルーツ専門店に初めて行った。昼食後、原宿の有名な道散を歩した。本当に彼女の日本語はうまいですね～！彼女を尊敬します。

For the first and probably only time, I braved the Sumida River Fireworks Festival. Did you fight the crowds, too? I made the mistake of getting off at Asakusa Station – never do that! Get off at Tokyo Sky Tree Station instead. Then, I inched along for an hour, moving slowly with the sea of people, until I met a friend who had staked out a place by the river since early that morning. From there we ate and watched the fireworks. The view was wonderful, each of the performances was lovely, and after spending so much time just getting to the location I’m glad the fireworks lasted for an hour and a half.

If you’ve never been, it’s worth going once. But next year I think I’ll catch it on TV.