I don't know if I like this whole blogging thing. It's weird. Weird, weird, weird! You sit down and type out a whole bunch of random thoughts and then you post it and out it goes. But who reads it? Anybody? Nobody? I don't know. Weird.
I've started preparing for my GREs. It's freaky. I have to study math. I mean really, why should I have to know math equations to go to graduate school? I'm not studying math. I want to study rheotric. Where's the math?! It's freakin' me out. So anyway, I'm going to take the exam this year and see how I do. If it's super fantastico then I'll move on to the next step with my application for grad school. If not, back to the studying for me. I'm planning on applying for a pretty competetive PhD program so I may not even get in anytime soon but if I do they waive the tuition costs so it might even be feasible for me to go! Maybe. I'll have to scrape up the living costs and whatnot but hey, no tuition is a big motivator. And it would be the fall of 2005 at the very earliest so...yeah. So for the next while it's nothing but studying for me. GRE studying...japanese studying...rhetoric studying... you get the idea. Blah.
Okay, too hot to type anymore.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Stupid frickin' computers!
So my stupid laptop died. I was working away, minding my own business (okay, so I was actually just playing games and listening to music but whatever) when suddenly the music started screwing up and then the screen got all freaky (with lined across it and whatnot) and then...zzzzzzt! and nothing. So now it's screwed. And I'm writing this email on the japanese keyboard that Kumiko and Kazuki gave us. It's attached to an old japanese computer as well. And it's confusing. Which might turn out to be a good thing because maybe now I'll stop spending so much time on the computer and accomplish something in the real world. Like learning enough japanese to get me a real job. That would be swell.
Oh, and some jackass stole the seat off my bike and replaced it with some hard plastic crap seat. Mine was swanky. And comfy. With an extra long attachy part for people who don't want to fuck up their knees. I'm not so happy about this turn of events. I think it sucks. And then I found out this afternoon that my boss (who we all thought was going back to Canada on vacation) has actually resigned and will not be coming back. I'm not so happy because we got along pretty well and our assistant trainer is a big fat jerk. I really need to find a new job. Or at least a new school.
What else...nothing much is new. We had some friends over for dinner tonight which was nice. I rearranged the furniture in our apartment and it's much cuter so I'm happy. Especially since the crazy humid weather means that I won't be leaving the apartment again until say, October. And our neighbours have a dog! I'm excited because if they don't get kicked out sometime in the near future then we're just going to go ahead and get ourselves a dog too! Cute little daschund here we come! But not until after my birthday. Because I need to go to Thailand.
Oh, and some jackass stole the seat off my bike and replaced it with some hard plastic crap seat. Mine was swanky. And comfy. With an extra long attachy part for people who don't want to fuck up their knees. I'm not so happy about this turn of events. I think it sucks. And then I found out this afternoon that my boss (who we all thought was going back to Canada on vacation) has actually resigned and will not be coming back. I'm not so happy because we got along pretty well and our assistant trainer is a big fat jerk. I really need to find a new job. Or at least a new school.
What else...nothing much is new. We had some friends over for dinner tonight which was nice. I rearranged the furniture in our apartment and it's much cuter so I'm happy. Especially since the crazy humid weather means that I won't be leaving the apartment again until say, October. And our neighbours have a dog! I'm excited because if they don't get kicked out sometime in the near future then we're just going to go ahead and get ourselves a dog too! Cute little daschund here we come! But not until after my birthday. Because I need to go to Thailand.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
New Plan
I've decided to divorce Kohsuke and marry my air conditioner. Til death do us part I tell you. Death!
Oh My God!
Youwould not believe how hot it is here! Seriously. I've covered my leather sofa with a terry cloth blanket because I was sticking to it! STICKING! My knees are sweating! My KNEES! I'm sitting here in my UNDERWEAR (sorry about the visual there) with my air conditioner blasting and it feels like Vancouver in frickin' July STILL! Kill me. Seriously. Just kill me. I looked up the temperature on the weather network and it wasn't that high at all but I swear, it's so hot the denim skirt I wore out for about 4 hours is sopping wet! SOPPING! I don't really understand how the relative humidity percentage thingy works but today it's apparently 28 degrees with 69% relative humidity. It's sweaty. And there''s NO wind. None. I would cry but I think I've already sweated out all of my liquids. I'm a husk. A HUSK dammit! All of my moisture is on the outside. Kill me. Now. Okay bye. All of this typing is making me sweat even more and that's just not a good thing. Ack.
Oh, on a side note...as I was sweating my way home on the subway from my japanese lesson I witnessed an exciting and new nose picking technique being practiced by a punk-ass teenager (I'm getting old now so I have work on my disapproval of those damn youngsters) beside me. It was a rapid fire sort of thing. He'd take his finger and jab it in and out of his nose 5 or 6 times and then into the mouth. Jab, jab, jab, jab, jab~suck! Brilliant. If I'd had any liquids left I'd have thrown up right on him. Glagh!
Oh, on a side note...as I was sweating my way home on the subway from my japanese lesson I witnessed an exciting and new nose picking technique being practiced by a punk-ass teenager (I'm getting old now so I have work on my disapproval of those damn youngsters) beside me. It was a rapid fire sort of thing. He'd take his finger and jab it in and out of his nose 5 or 6 times and then into the mouth. Jab, jab, jab, jab, jab~suck! Brilliant. If I'd had any liquids left I'd have thrown up right on him. Glagh!
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
La la la la la.
So I'm feeling a bit blue. Today my return ticket to Vancouver expires and I'm a little bummed out about it. I had hoped to be able to go back to BC for a visit this summer but it doen't look like it's going to happen now. Grrr. And there's a typhoon going on outside so it's been rainy (and I'm talking about torrential rains here) and windy all day which kind of feeds the mood. I do love rainy days though. So anyway, we're planning a trip to Thailand for my 30th birthday (blech) so as things are it looks like I won't be able to get my butt back to BC until sometime after the new year. Again with the grrrrr. Anyway, that's all I have to say for today. I'm going to try to detach myself from this computer of mine and get some work done on designing my website. Maybe. :-)
Monday, June 14, 2004
Please explain!
Let me tell you about the trains in Tokyo. Really, I spend about 2 hours a day on these frickin' trains and man oh man, some days that's 2 hours too many! They're comfy and extra reliable, not to mention the convenience but the minute those doors close people just turn into animals! Let me elaborate...
1. The nose picking. You've all heard me go on about the nose picking often followed by the munching of the nose nuggets (Virve! Look away! Look away!) or even better (?) the fondling of the nose nuggets. Blech. Have you ever tried not to look at something because you think you may just vomit but then you can't stop looking at it because it's just so freakish and offputting which makes you want to vomit even more? It's a vicious cycle.
2. The fake sleeping. In Japan the action of pretending to be asleep when there's something going on around you that you're not eager to be a part of is so popular that they actually have a special word for it. Panuki-Neili. Men do it in meetings, at parties, and especially on the trains. Elderly people standing on the train? No problem! Just pretend you're asleep! Again, old news but still fun.
My favourite of the fake sleepers is a skinny freak of a man who gets on my train (it's MY train dammit!) every evening on the way home wearing bright blue track pants (polyester track pants no less), a white t-shirt with collar (going home from work? sporty salary man? I don't know), and a head band/wrist band set. Fuzzy white. It's sexy. Anyway, he runs with his arms tightly tucked into his sides to get into the line up for the train (always the same gate, always the same car) and then weasles his way past the people who've already lined up as they try to get on. He then proceeds to elbow people out of his way (he's got the skills...no shoving, just a well placed elbow somewhere uncomfortable) to get as close to the seats as possible so he can be certain that no open seat will escape his eagle eye. Actually, aside from the K-Mart sporty collection ensemble he sounds pretty average so far. And he was. Right down to the parted in the middle, 2 inches too long hair. Until one day he did the most fantastically obnoxious thing I've ever seen. Two seats became available one night, one to his immediate left and another one right beside it (the corner seat...my personal favourite but not really relevant to this story). Standing directly in front of the seat that K-Mart was closest to was a little old man. He looked about 80 years old which means that he probably was actually closer to 100. Being the closest, once the seat came open the little old man had started to ease himself into it (not so much with the bending) when suddenly he went flying and slammed against the wall of the corner seat! K-Mart had hip checked the little old man and was in the process of stealing his seat! The best part is that in mid sit (knees bent, butt about a foot from the seat) he had already closed his eyes tightly in full on fake sleep mode! It was ridiculous! So now I've devoted my life to standing next to him on the train and stealing his seat as often as possible. It passes the time.
3. The drunken salarymen. Ahhh. Nothing better than a pack of red-faced, drunk salarymen staggering around a crowded train. Even better is when they barf. Or wet themselves. Just ask my cousin. She loves the drunken salaryman. Sometimes if you're lucky they'll give you their business card. Score!
4. The crazy old women. There is nothing in the world like an obatalian (nasty old ladies). They come up to just below your shoulder (and look like Shit-zus) but don't be fooled. They're vicious. Even more so than K-Mart with the hip checking. Anyone who gets into their way getting onto the train gets a sharp elbow jab to the midsection. Standing somewhere that they find appealing? That gets constant and repetative banging in the leg with their heavy bags or purses (God help you if it's been a long day of bargain shopping). And occasionally a subtle kick to the ankle or two for good measure. They're fun. I've seen them send younger, fitter girls flying. You should see what they do to the Barbie girls.
5. The Japanese Barbie girls. Where do you start with the Japanese Barbie girls? They're the ones that wander onto the trains wobbling along, shoulders back and asses out trying desperately to maintain balance on their 6 inch spike heels. Every time there's a lurch or a jerk in the motion of the train (which depending on the driver can be pretty frequent) they grab frantically at the rails or the person next to them (with the hand that isn't clutching their cell phone with it's 25 little charms) to stop from falling over completely. You should see them on the stairs. They don't take up much space thankfully (well, except for their hair) but those heels can really do some damage if you get in their way. We'll talk about the nails in a future installment devoted to fashion.
6. The baka gaijin (stupid foreigner). These are foreigners (usually North American men unfortunately) who don't seem to be happy until they've offended every single person on the train. They begin by pushing to the front of the train lineup. No waiting for them. No sir. They're white, they don't have to wait (yes, they often actually say this). Then they stand in a wide circle (they travel in packs these ones) forcing the other occupants of the train to squish up against the doors around them. Then they talk loudly about how ridiculous Japan is and how it's okay to say so out loud because the people are too stupid to understand them anyway. Because god knows that anyone who doesn't speak english MUST be at least semi-retarded. It's especially great when they take to swearing loudly at anyone who catches their eye. Not to mention when they get it into their heads to intimidate the nearest japanese male by standing over them and pushing them around if they show any signs of an "attitude". Do I sound bitter? It's really a shame actually. I've met quite a number of people here who believe with every fibre of their being that Canadian men are all dickheads based on the fine specimens they've seen here. Where are all the good Canadians!? Gah!
There is more (there's always more) but now I must perform my housewifely duties and make dinner for my man. Bahahahaha-HA. Payday isn't until tomorrow so I'm forced to cook (by cook I mean defrost) something this evening. Maybe I'll shred some lettuce and call it a salad. I'm too good really. :-)
Okay bye!
Kisses,
Angela.
1. The nose picking. You've all heard me go on about the nose picking often followed by the munching of the nose nuggets (Virve! Look away! Look away!) or even better (?) the fondling of the nose nuggets. Blech. Have you ever tried not to look at something because you think you may just vomit but then you can't stop looking at it because it's just so freakish and offputting which makes you want to vomit even more? It's a vicious cycle.
2. The fake sleeping. In Japan the action of pretending to be asleep when there's something going on around you that you're not eager to be a part of is so popular that they actually have a special word for it. Panuki-Neili. Men do it in meetings, at parties, and especially on the trains. Elderly people standing on the train? No problem! Just pretend you're asleep! Again, old news but still fun.
My favourite of the fake sleepers is a skinny freak of a man who gets on my train (it's MY train dammit!) every evening on the way home wearing bright blue track pants (polyester track pants no less), a white t-shirt with collar (going home from work? sporty salary man? I don't know), and a head band/wrist band set. Fuzzy white. It's sexy. Anyway, he runs with his arms tightly tucked into his sides to get into the line up for the train (always the same gate, always the same car) and then weasles his way past the people who've already lined up as they try to get on. He then proceeds to elbow people out of his way (he's got the skills...no shoving, just a well placed elbow somewhere uncomfortable) to get as close to the seats as possible so he can be certain that no open seat will escape his eagle eye. Actually, aside from the K-Mart sporty collection ensemble he sounds pretty average so far. And he was. Right down to the parted in the middle, 2 inches too long hair. Until one day he did the most fantastically obnoxious thing I've ever seen. Two seats became available one night, one to his immediate left and another one right beside it (the corner seat...my personal favourite but not really relevant to this story). Standing directly in front of the seat that K-Mart was closest to was a little old man. He looked about 80 years old which means that he probably was actually closer to 100. Being the closest, once the seat came open the little old man had started to ease himself into it (not so much with the bending) when suddenly he went flying and slammed against the wall of the corner seat! K-Mart had hip checked the little old man and was in the process of stealing his seat! The best part is that in mid sit (knees bent, butt about a foot from the seat) he had already closed his eyes tightly in full on fake sleep mode! It was ridiculous! So now I've devoted my life to standing next to him on the train and stealing his seat as often as possible. It passes the time.
3. The drunken salarymen. Ahhh. Nothing better than a pack of red-faced, drunk salarymen staggering around a crowded train. Even better is when they barf. Or wet themselves. Just ask my cousin. She loves the drunken salaryman. Sometimes if you're lucky they'll give you their business card. Score!
4. The crazy old women. There is nothing in the world like an obatalian (nasty old ladies). They come up to just below your shoulder (and look like Shit-zus) but don't be fooled. They're vicious. Even more so than K-Mart with the hip checking. Anyone who gets into their way getting onto the train gets a sharp elbow jab to the midsection. Standing somewhere that they find appealing? That gets constant and repetative banging in the leg with their heavy bags or purses (God help you if it's been a long day of bargain shopping). And occasionally a subtle kick to the ankle or two for good measure. They're fun. I've seen them send younger, fitter girls flying. You should see what they do to the Barbie girls.
5. The Japanese Barbie girls. Where do you start with the Japanese Barbie girls? They're the ones that wander onto the trains wobbling along, shoulders back and asses out trying desperately to maintain balance on their 6 inch spike heels. Every time there's a lurch or a jerk in the motion of the train (which depending on the driver can be pretty frequent) they grab frantically at the rails or the person next to them (with the hand that isn't clutching their cell phone with it's 25 little charms) to stop from falling over completely. You should see them on the stairs. They don't take up much space thankfully (well, except for their hair) but those heels can really do some damage if you get in their way. We'll talk about the nails in a future installment devoted to fashion.
6. The baka gaijin (stupid foreigner). These are foreigners (usually North American men unfortunately) who don't seem to be happy until they've offended every single person on the train. They begin by pushing to the front of the train lineup. No waiting for them. No sir. They're white, they don't have to wait (yes, they often actually say this). Then they stand in a wide circle (they travel in packs these ones) forcing the other occupants of the train to squish up against the doors around them. Then they talk loudly about how ridiculous Japan is and how it's okay to say so out loud because the people are too stupid to understand them anyway. Because god knows that anyone who doesn't speak english MUST be at least semi-retarded. It's especially great when they take to swearing loudly at anyone who catches their eye. Not to mention when they get it into their heads to intimidate the nearest japanese male by standing over them and pushing them around if they show any signs of an "attitude". Do I sound bitter? It's really a shame actually. I've met quite a number of people here who believe with every fibre of their being that Canadian men are all dickheads based on the fine specimens they've seen here. Where are all the good Canadians!? Gah!
There is more (there's always more) but now I must perform my housewifely duties and make dinner for my man. Bahahahaha-HA. Payday isn't until tomorrow so I'm forced to cook (by cook I mean defrost) something this evening. Maybe I'll shred some lettuce and call it a salad. I'm too good really. :-)
Okay bye!
Kisses,
Angela.
Saturday, June 12, 2004
My first post!
Hello!
I've been inspired by my friends Laurie and Ian who have a super fun journal site to create my own. So here it is. Ironically, I have nothing to say today. Woo hoo!
Okay bye!
Ange.
I've been inspired by my friends Laurie and Ian who have a super fun journal site to create my own. So here it is. Ironically, I have nothing to say today. Woo hoo!
Okay bye!
Ange.
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