月別アーカイブ: 2009年5月

Housemates’ Farewell Party/The park

On Sunday Night, one of my housemates decided to throw a “Thai Food” party for his farewell.

He was in charge of the basil chicken and green veggie curry, others made some yakiudon, fried beef with egg, maguro, and I made some satay tofu, oh and of course there was beer. There was sooooo much food! It was all so delicious!

I really like my guest house as we always seem to have a party or some sort of dinner soiree together. It’s great getting to know everyone in the house and even better to share a meal and good times.

We also had bought a load of fireworks that day and intended to go crazy with them in the park after dinner, but unfortunately it started pouring down rain and well fireworks and rain don’t really work together – as was confirmed. The boys couldn’t help themself and decided to test out some of the fireworks outside in the street in the rain.  It was actually pretty funny, the fireworks just kept on dying as they landed in a puddle. Even the ‘spaceships’ and ‘bees’ didn’t work.

It wasn’t too bad though as the next night had clear heavens. And away to the park we ventured, fireworks, lighters and a waterbottle(just in case) in hand.I like how the “sparklers’ here change colour from green to red, although they to tend to be reallllly bright! and its really cool watching the tiny delicate fireworks ( i forget the name)crackle away, my housemate said that we had to see who’s one would last the longest as you had to hold them really carefully or they would go out too quick.

At the Park there was also this awesome slide! Its really big, and goes for quite a bit. We figured the best way was to get a few people on at a time and link together like a train and all squat so our feet were resting on the roller things, and boy did we go fast down that slide. Everyone was in hysterics, and out of breath from soo much laughing, it felt like we were all ten again, and we have the scraped knees and scratched arms to prove it.

In other words a pretty fun couple of days with some pretty awesome housemates!

farewell my classmate

one of my favorite classmates, she is going to stop coming to class, because she is moving to a far away place, and she is also bearing ^^. happy for her, she is SOOOOOOOO gentle and kind, very hard to believe she used to be such a business woman.

she, another classmate and I, we 3 went to a very good buffet in Shinjuku, soooo nice, in such a beautiful building, but it is a little expensive.

then, we went karaoke, i had to spend time with them that i could not even go out with my another friend from my former school, which i think she might had something to tell me … i felt so bad … but really, recently, i doubt if i had any energy to hand around with any of my previous friends, … even more mentally tired. i think i will be a lot better after the exam …

anyhow, it really was so great being with this friend of mine, she is not like others, for one she is the same age as me, since i came to japan, i have never met even 1 person that is anything close to my age or my mentality or experience, since she had been in many foreign countries and worked many jobs before too, mutual understanding is workable to a good certain extent.

and she is so fun ^^. gosh, the songs she sings, hahahaha. Oh, and i found a WONDERFUL song from another classmate friend, “Jupiter”, me and my friend were like … silence … when that MV shows up …

even though me and my friend’s life are now so different, she has a child coming, and i have not even the slightest family value, but i really really like her, i think she is the ONLY friend of mine that is actually having a family and can still make me feel like we can communicate. hahaha, her way of thinking is soooo westernized but yet so reserved, hahahaha. don’t know how to describe in words.

today my korean classmate asked me, since i have Cantonese and English in my mind already, and now Japanese, will i sometimes mix them all up?

but since me and these 2 classmates, esp. the friend that is “expecting”, we can communicate BOTH in english and some simple japanese, it is soooo fun, … really, this is something that i really NOT expecting.

not expecting … some situations, are just better with english, when some, are just better with japanese. wow, cannot imagine if she can even use cantonese … so that is why, my answer for my korean friend is “more languages can actually help you communicate better sometimes, BUT, it can only happen if that person can understand AT LEAST 2 of the languages u are capable of ~~~ ^^”

studying Japanese … again

so as “shocked” as i was about my mock result, and as stingy as i had been with money and time, i have come to the conclusion that maybe i really should start studying, as much as i have already unconsciously giving myself up long time ago ..

so the past weekend, actually, last friday, i finally bought the book that has all the grammers for Level 2 exam, and i tried to look through it as much i can in the weekend, i even had to give up seeing my lovely friend on Sunday … cause … recently i just had been going out, dinning out, eating out, hanging out, … way too often, no energy, no time, no money.

and very interestingly, on Sat, one of my interesting classmates asked me out, and i got to TONS of Japanese with her since i cannot speak Mardarin, right? so, wow, i had a very good time with her already, PLUS, what i do not realize is, just after talking with her for a few hours, i already found myself, the Jap. oral, getting better, plus my strong “insist” on studying on SUN, i also studies on SAT morning too before going out, oh GEEZ.

yes, i can completely feel my Japanese gets a little better after that.

THIS WEEK, is the ONLY week, that not ONE day i am late for school … since this school is not as strict as my former school, i am late every single day, … till recently our new Monday teacher kept warning me … “Yan san, if you keep being late like this, your student visa can be jeopardized …  -_- , she is strict, alright, … but i cannot NOT like her, because she is the BEST teacher for the week, and i can understand her the best, and she looks like a teacher the most, i really enjoy her class, i want to listen to her talking, … i don’t know how much she like or not like us, but she is a very good Japanese teacher.

i want to get to her class on time, i really do.

back to the main topic, anyway, what i wanted to say is, this week or so, i have been trying to “LISTEN” in class, which obviously i have never really tried to. foreign language can always “go through my left ear and left through right ear”. and yes, i can almost completely understand what the Monday teacher said. the worst is the Wednesday teacher, a male one … -_- … cannot understand … lose interests in the first 3 seconds of his talk …

i am really happy to realize i can actually understand what the Monday teacher said when i tried to …

it ALL thanks to the 30 marks on my listening part out of 100. that is such a shocking reminder for me, “GEEZ, PLEASE LISTEN”.

i guess i never did.

yes, i really don’t listen. at all.

studying Japanese …

talk about studying, it really has never been my fav. thing in Japan. However, when your Japanese is as poor as mine, really is なにもできない。。。cannot even get a part-time anywhere you want.

even though my coming to Japan is to get away from the”crab” in US, but coming to here, and knowing one day i have to leave, and imagining leaving with nothing … -_- … so i applied the 二級能力試験 … as great as i thought, when I took the mock exam in school last last week, gosh … 180 out of 400, 240 is the passing point. that is just exciting.

i know i am poor in it, but geez, the most amazing part is the listening, 30 out of 100, really have to give it a “WOW” .

no matter what language i am with, the listening part is just awesome … even English, well, Cantonese is a little better, i guess i can hear it even that is like miles away, but for foreign languages, i really have a way to pass it by naturally …

A bit about my coin purse and the Kichijouji House

While in Japan I have been making a coin purse that I want to sell at some outdoor markets and shops.

Last Sunday I intended to sell them at Yoyogi Earth Day market. As a consequence I was up all Saturday night trying to get the coin purse into a state where it could be sold. It ended up being quite a fun night because the other housemates were having a party. In the end I felt that my product needed some more work so I didn’t end up selling it at last Sunday’s market. I haven’t checked when the next market is yet but I have some time I think before the next one.

The Oakhouse staff have just made a new wooden deck which will be great for enjoying the breeze on balmy summer afternoons. It wasn’t three days after hearing about the deck idea before a large portion of the work was complete.

Since coming from Australia about 8 months ago I have lived in 3 guest houses. the first two were for about 10 people. The Oakhouse one that I am currently in has about 34 people.
The place is very large. If the the plan of the house is like a big capital “H” then the entrance is on the bottom right corner of the “H”. While in the ganken you see a long hall with rooms on either side. My room is past the lockers and is the first on the right.

If you follow the connecting part of the “H” you will see a toilet there are four youshiki toilets and one urinal. There is a industrial sized box of toilet paper on the floor.

If you keep on going past the toilets down that connecting part of the “H” you will get to the other hall. On the left side is the kitchen straight is the three showers one for women and two unisex. On the right extends another hall with rooms much like the first hall I described. I am in the dormitory and we have our own shower and ofuro so I don’t use the shower near the kitchen much.

About a 5 minute walk from the house is Inokashira park.
If ever some of the residents want to hang out and drink that is a good place to do it. Luckily two of the residents play guitar so we have our own musical entertainment on hand. There are japanese locals in the park too. Towards the end of the night they come over and introduce themselves which is always a fun exchange.

Might take part in a clinical drug trial

I live in the Kichijouji guesthouse. I am currently studying Japanese at a school in Shin-Okubo, which is near Shinjuku. I am from Australia. Life in Japan is interesting.

I am enjoying studying Japanese.  I have been studying it for 7 months while living in Japan.

Recently I’ve started looking seriously for programming jobs here in Tokyo.  I applied for a four jobs in total so far. I got one prompt knock back and no responses from the other companies. I found the job postings by following links on  theblackship.com and metropolis.co.jp. I am not sure what is  wrong with my CV.

I got a message from a facebook group the other day calling for Caucasians to take part in a clinical drug trial. After I did a quick search on the drug they would be testing on me I applied for that too.

I also applied for an english instructors job. This represents a turn around as I had previously sworn against teaching English. I saw the advertisement for this job and saw that there is a school located close to Kichijouji. The work is well paid and comes in 90 minute bundles.

My language school is interested in me doing something for their website. I may be able to get a scholarship if I do end up helping out, which would be good. I have to show them something by the end of the week.

I have started doing the bins with two others here at Kichijouji.

Other things include:

Checking emails. Making my product for Tokyo market or shops. Going to Tokyu Hands to get materials. Walking from Shin-Okubo to Shinjuku. Having to find a 7/11 in Yoyogi because the ATM in Takashimaya department store is MUFG and as such stops servicing Shinsei Bank customers at 8pm.

I made some stickers with my logo on it for the product. They look good.

Tokyo by bike

I’m sure I don’t have to convince anyone of the nightmare that is the Tokyo train commute. These days I’m only occasionally exposed to its full horror. Five minutes of staring at someone’s rash covered neck from 20cm away is enough to remind me that it’s worth it living in the center of the city, close enough to go pretty much anywhere by bicycle.

But avoiding the trains isn’t the only reason to cruise the streets on a bike. Here are five more:

1 – It’s safe. Tokyo drivers are extremely courteous because if they hit you, they are in big trouble. They don’t honk, they don’t run you off the road, and they don’t drive too fast.

2 – It’s refreshing. Thanks to strict pollution standards, car exhaust is at a minimum so even if you take the busiest roads like Meiji Dori you won’t end up with a black collar.

3 – It’s fast. I can make it from home in Ikebukuro to work in Takadonbaba in about 10 minutes. If I took the train, 10 minutes would barely get me to the first platform.

4 – It’s interesting. If you stick to the back roads, you inevitably get lost in the maze. This is obviously a problem if you’re on the way to work, but if it’s Sunday afternoon you may stumble across something like a hidden bonsai garden where you can sit on the bench and watch K1 fighters training through the open window of a gym across the road.

5 – It makes you money! If I average the transportation expense paid into my salary to 5000 yen/month and multiply it by the 5 years I’ve lived here, it comes to 300,000 yen. Damn!

Tempura Party

Living in a guesthouse could be so interesting especially when you have roommates who can cook. One of my roommates wanted to have a tempura party for the longest time but we just couldn’t get the timing right for everyone to gather. Finally, we decided that it would be this Saturday night so he bought all the ingredients and collected 500yen from each of us. I have never eaten such delicious and fresh tempura in my life and it’s just for a small cost but the memory of it with my roommates will stay with me for a long time.

Movie Night

Last night my housemates and I had a Ghibli movie night. I really enjoy Ghibli films. There is just something about them that makes you feel relaxed and gives you an overall pleasant cinematic experience. The Movies which we watched were “Tales from Earthsea” and “Whisper of the Heart“. I love the music that is used, and the overall craftsmanship that goes into making such excellent anime. The scenes never cease to amaze me with their technicality and creativit- that allows us to be transported into another world. So yeah- basically a big fan, especially of Hayao Miyazaki’s work. He is just a great director.

Before the movies my housemates and I attempted to make popcorn. After the first three attempts, we finally got the hang of it. heh, lets just say attempted was the key word.

We started pretty late probably 11.30 and finished up at like 5.30 in the morning. I have to say from all the Ghibli films I have watched so far my favourites are Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, but I still have a lot more that I haven’t seen…I think we might even be renting some more out tonight.

My life at GABA

Today, I wanted to talk about my work.

I started working at GABA last Sunday at the Kitasenju location. First, let me tell you that I live at Nakamurabashi (a station after Nerima if you know where that is). It takes about 1 hour to get to my work, and my teikiken is about 14000 yen every month! ><

So at first, I was a little dissatisfied that I had to travel so far and so long every day.. but the moment I walked in to my learning studio (or LS as they call it) I fell in love!

First of all the studio was absolutely beautiful! It was brand new, and spotlessly clean. My booth also looked very new, shelves stuffed with useful books, brand new computer, comfortable chairs, and a big window. The staff room was equipped with 2 microwaves, 2 fridges, dishes and cups, magazines and books. That’s not all. I was most impressed by the lobby (this is where the clients wait for their lessons to start). It honestly looked like a lobby from a fancy hotel… wow… @__@

Secondly, the people were absolutely amazing. My co-workers are all (well, at least the ones that I’ve met) very nice, talkative, and personable. I had a lot of problems on the first day (from nervousness) and they really did a great job calming me down and giving me useful tips and advises.

Third, Kitasenju is in such a convenient location!! There are about 100 + Izakaya right outside of my studio!!! I have to talk about the Tokyo Izakaya soon.. love it! Love it!!