Yeah, I'm a major dork. Oh well. This is a video answering a lot of the questions I've gotten recently. You can comment here, on Youtube or on Facebook.

Just testing the cross-posting to FB. Wanna see if I wanna bother to keep this journal, or use blogger. Maybe if I can use FTP on it... maybe...

So lotsa stuff happened. Kinda, I guess. I dunno. It's kind of all a blur, cuz things happened so quickly. Well, so, things came to a close quickly. We had our final day of class, and people, like, dressed up and stuff. A bunch of the guys wore skirts. One girl wore a maid outfit. A group of 4 people wore pink shirts and purple pants. I, like, gothed my makeup, and wore a cape, and somehow, people thought I was a vampire... Then, I went to Coco's with Daniel and Ryder, dressed as I was. And the awesome lady who works there started laughing, and I explained to her that it was because it was the last day of class. To which, she laughed again. She's so cool. Then, I went to Biwako Coffee with Mike, Eric and Katie, all of us in full attire. We had a nice long talk, other than the fact that I was made to give up more information than I wanted to. It kinda irked me... Then I changed, and Nathan and I went to karaoke with Namiko and Taka. It was a lot of fun.

Then, we had a day off, on which, I studied like mad. It's such a blur, I can't really remember anything. I think I may have gone to Coco's for a change of pace, but...

The next day was the test. It was... really something. There were things I was having a really rough time with, and I wished I had examined them differently, upon studying. I think that Molly, David and I were called time on... I finished, but I was examining the... examination >.>;; I wasn't very confident, but I didn't think about it much. I ended up getting, like, a 90 on it, I believe. The speech, I got a 93 on, which surprised the heck out of me O.o Overall, I got an A in the class, so yay! ^-^ But, yeah, the test was stressful. I think a good 90% of the school was probably sloshed, that night. That evening, I stayed up really late playing truth or dare with people in the TV room, so I had a hard time getting up, the next day. I felt really sick, so I really didn't wanna go to the closing ceremony. But I knew I woulda caught it, if I didn't, so I did my best getting up and ready. Apparently, there was "supposed" to be a rehersal that day, but, ha, that didn't happen >.> It was nice. I got people's speeches on film. It was really funny. Howard's was unbelievably short. Apparently, there was a lot more to it, but he was so under-rehearsed, it was like, aaaand, end now. lol Then, we had lunch and cakes. I was feeling better by then, so I had a few little subs and a cake. With gold leaf. Apparently, I'm the only person who didn't know that gold leaf was edible... ._.;; Oh well. It was okay, but not exactly what I was expecting... Then, I spent time with people down in the commons. It's sad that people were only really starting to open up toward the end of these things... A lot of people are really cool, and I wish I could have gotten to know them better. That evening, I went to dinner with Akio, Justin, Marie-Angela and David. It's at this really delicious place called Yumean. I wanna go back there sometime. It was a good time, and a nice send-off... Then, I just spent time in the TV room, with people who were leaving. And before I knew it, the evening was over. It was really sad. For some reason, I had a really hard time saying good-bye to Procter... Maybe because he's one of the first people I made friends with, here... The day after was more of the same. Just spending time with people, until I couldn't anymore... There are a lot of people I miss. It was really hard. But a lot of cool people are still here. And there are going to be a lot of great people coming in. So it's okay.

It was a little weird getting used to people not being here, but being able to do laundry and use the internet rocks. Two days after people left, I went to karaoke with Nathan, David, Namiko and Taka. It was a lot of fun. We did free time from 8pm until 3am. It was crazy, especially since I was a little sick, but still lots of fun. Then we were hungy, and went to Lawson's. But, something happened... I didn't know that David had plans to go to Osaka with Kathryn the next day. Had I known, I may have tried to say something, or something like that. They ended up going the day after, but it caused some tension between them. Eventually, they got it straightened out, but I still felt bad about it. The thing is, David was my invite, so it was kind of my fault. Had I not said anything, they'd've been okay... But as long as things are alright, that's all that matters. So I'm glad they're back on good terms.

Anyway, the next day, a bunch of people came over, and we all went to Coco's. It was fun. Then, studying. I studied with the first years, because, even though I know what I'm doing with advanced stuff, I still have a weak foundation, because of my high school teacher. I think I've stregnthened it, being here, though.

Then, oh, then, ha ha, fun times... staying up all night... See, they were waxing the floors one day, and I had stuff that I needed to do, then, so I'd've been trapped in my room until 3 PM. I wanted to flexibility of time, though. Really, I just didn't wanna leave at 3. So, I left to go bumming around at 8. Well, mainly, I had to hit the 100 yen shop for various things, like towels, disposable dishes, sponges, etc. Somehow, I ended up with a ton of stuff... So, anyway, I was done a lot sooner than I thought I would be, so I hit up Viva City. And, I started getting really tired... So, I headed back earlier than I intended to. I stalled as long as I could, but, really, I was so tired... So I get back, and it's still not 3... So I just wait downstairs with Nathan and Kathryn. Until 3. Then, I crashed. Don't remember much after that.

I went out a few days, because I didn't have much else to do. People were on a different sleep schedule than I was, so... I got back with everyone, eventually, though. Due to Kathryn wanting it, we all really got into Tetris, lately. And it's the same kind that we have at home, so I introduced everyone to cooperative mode. I wasn't gonna, because when I play cooperative mode at home, it just turns into a big yelling fest, and someone ends up walking away... well, usually me... But then I thought, well, if it's with people who like each other, it's probably not going to turn out that way, right? Well, that ended up being true. And, yeah, people freak out. But it's fun. In the end, there are never hard feelings, or anything.

So, like, we were talking about fridges, right, and how people were swapping them out of the open dorms? Personally, I don't see a problem with it. It's not like they're taking them - just trading. So Kathryn decides that she wants the one in Justin and Gabe's old room. So she, David, Nathan and I go down with a dolly to go get it, and before going in, we're caught by Dr. Reagan. Kathryn runs to go put the dolly in the laundry room. Nathan offers himself up. I'm about to go and "help" Kathryn in the laundry room. But, then, David turns around, and follows Nathan. So I'm like 'Crap... if they go, and I don't, it's gonna make me look bad...' So I go with them. Then Kathryn comes up, and she tells Dr. Reagan that she has, like, a whole lot of laundry, and needed the dolly. Then we're talked at for, like, ever. Somehow, it was decided that we were going to have a dinner the next day. Which was nice. Personally, I don't like talking to him. I'm good at being a yesman, in a normal situation. Usually, I don't even think about it. But when I have a firm opinion on something, it's hard for me to just bite my tongue. I don't think it's right that he puts his opinions on others, and forces them to agree with him. Oh well... Well, after that, we end up not getting the fridge, because something he said put Kathryn in a bad mood. Then, I go to Lawson's, because I'm starving. Then, I come back, and Kathryn comes running, and tells me to go straight to my room, because Dr. Reagan's in the TV room, and talking to everyone. So I do. And it seems like forever. Here's how it went down. I was like, hm, this is gonna be a while. I'll get out my computer. Wait. It's in the TV room. Okay, well, I'll draw something. Oh, my notebook is in the TV room. Well, I can continue playing Pokémon. Nope. Gameboy's in the TV room. ...Alright. Well, at least I can study. Crap! My books are in the TV room! So I end up just eating my stuff, listening to my discman, which I'm really grateful isn't in the TV room... Then finally, he leaves, and Kathryn comes and gets me. Yeah, crazy night...

So, anyway, we have that dinner the following night. It was nice, but I don't think it was enough... There was chicken, spaghetti, rice and cookies. It was pretty good. Well, then, a bunch of us sit around talking for, like, a long time. They were people I don't usually talk to, so it was cool. I'd like to talk to these people more, because they're cool. I just... don't. David kinda schooled us all about how much we complain. I felt a little embarassed. But it was good to get new perspective, and trying to think of things in a different way. Well, eventually, we all go to Lawson's, and Daniel, Ryder and I got a cake for Christmas. That's the thing here. For some reason, they have fried chicken and cake on Christmas. I don't know why... Well, the cake was pretty good, but I don't think it was worth what we paid for it. Then, I was up late in the TV room. Kathryn had the finale of Project Runway on tape, but for some reason, it wouldn't work in the VCR. I was disappointed. I kinda wanted to see, even though I hadn't been paying attention through the whole thing. But I know that some people I liked made it to the end. Anyway, after that, there was nothing else to do, so I went to bed.

The next day, I wake up to a knock on my door, and I notice this gift on top of the fridge. But I didn't have my glasses on, so I couldn't see the note by it. I thought it was from Daniel and Ryder, or something. But I figured it was more important to open the door. It's Nathan, and he asked me if I knew who gave out all the gifts. And I was like, what gifts? I got a gift, but... And so, I go over and read the note, and it said that it wasn't from Daniel and Ryder. So I open it, and it's this blanket with clovers on it. It's really warm, and I use it when it's too cold in the TV room. ^-^ Anyway, he knocked to remind me of karaoke that evening. Which I woke up way too late for D: So, I took a shower real quick, and get dressed. And I was really hungry, and since I had time, I went to Lawson's. I think I go to Lawson's too much... So, anyway, then Ritsuko comes, and Nathan, Mike, Kathryn and I go with her to karaoke. Unfortunately, Ritsuko, who drove us there, had another obligation, so we only had an hour of karaoke... Oh well. At least I got to go with Ritsuko and Kathryn, with whom I'd never been, and really wanted to go, at some point in time... Then, lotsa video games... And lotsa questioning about the secret Santa. Personally, I don't think it'd be Daniel and Ryder, because their note would have been too obvious. Anyone else, though, is up in the air. Kathryn says it couldn't have been David, because they were hanging out the entire time. But I think there may be holes in their alibis. Mike and Nathan, though, are completely up in the air... Erm, those were the people who got the gifts, by the by ^^;; But as for finding out, I don't really care. Whomever it was knows that I really like my gift, and that I'd thank them, if I knew who it was. I appreciate it. I don't mind not knowing. Unless it was an outside person, but I really doubt that, because who else would have given gifts to -only- us 7? Anyway, we've concluded that it was the Wii Fit Board. We've been playing Wii Fit a lot, so it must have been the board, showing it's appreciation for us playing the game.

The next day, Ryder, Daniel and I went to Viva City and met up with Katie. It was pretty fun. I got a skirt :D And, OH! Little Charo! I got a book about Little Charo! You wouldn't believe how happy I was when I found that! It was so cool! I'm still in the process of reading it. But, man, do I love that series. Then, Katie had to go home, and the 3 of us went to kaitenzushi. My God. I can't believe how little I can eat, now... I didn't have that much, but I was really, really full... I mean, it's a lot of rice, but I ate a ton more, the last time I went, which was probably, like, 2 months ago. Maybe 3... But that's good. Maybe I can lose some weight...

From there, we got to studying Genki II. It's weird the stuff you forget... I felt bad. Like, I want to know the language to the point where it's, like, no thing. So I kinda asked things, like, really in depth, and kinda made things run really long. Then, I felt bad about something else. Like, I dunno... I don't even remember how it started, but I must have been asking something about kanji, or something like that. That moves on to David critiquing all of my kanji. Which I, then, had him do for all of Genki. And, I mean, it's time consuming, so I felt bad for having him spend that kind of time on something so boring. But, um, my kanji has improved, so I guess it's not so bad. And it's over now. I think I might have a better head on how to do it. It'd be nice if I felt comfortable enough to do that for more kanji, until, at least, I had a good foundation, but *shrug* It's improving. Still, he said he understands, because they don't actually teach proportion or stroke direction. If anything, all they teach is stroke order, which a lot of teachers won't even do that much. They'll just give you one, and be like, here you go, write it. Anyway, I'll keep working on it.

My sleep schedule's been really outta whack. I've been trying to get it back on track. I woke up at 4:30am today... That's... no good... Oh well... I'll work harder on that this week. Earlier this week, I went to Beisia with Kathryn. I felt bad. She was s'posed to go to Mos Burger and talk with Molly and Michelle while they were at Mos Burger in Tokyo, and I made her a little late. But it ended up being okay, since they were late too. Anyway, I appreciated her taking me. I got gratin, and she taught me how to make it. It was really good. But waaaaay too filling. I got a stomachache, because it was so much ;_; But then I figured out, I think it was because it's whole milk, which I'm not used to... That, and somehow, even though I followed the recipe exactly, I used too much liquid O.o;; Maybe I'll let the oven run for a little, and then use a little bit less milk and water, or something, next time...

My schedule's been so erratic, I haven't seen anyone, really, in a little bit ;_; Oh well... Hopefully, I'll get it to the point where I can see people again... That's about all that's gone on here, over break. It feels good to be updated :D Happy New Year, everyone. Sorry I missed you all at Christmas...

( Pictures )

I should really update this more... And not let the stories build up like this...

Well, let's see... I don't remember if I mentioned a homestay, but I was supposed to do that. Well, there's a story behind that. I signed up for this weekend homestay that was only to be one weekend long. You could choose from either the weekend of Nov. 7-9, or 14-16. There was an international party that I wanted to go to that was supposed to be on the 14th, so I signed up specifically for the 7-9 weekend. They mentioned that it might not be possible to place everyone. And this was, like, at the beginning of October. So, a few weeks go by, and I forget all about having signed up for it. In the meantime, I go to karaoke with this one girl from Kendai asked me if I would sing at this one festival on the 8th. And over a few weeks, they made arrangements for me to sing at this festival. Then I get this note in my mailbox, saying "You have a weekend homestay on the weekend of the 7th to the 9th." Because I made the obligation of the festival, which was only going to be for one week, I asked the office, just if it was possible to change the weekend, and if not that was okay. And they got really flippant with me, and it kinda irritated me. Well, I asked a friend to tell the girl I had to cancel, and to tell her I was sorry. I felt bad, because they went to all the trouble, and I didn't get to do that for them. Well, the weekend comes, and I go downstairs. And I wait. And wait. And everyone else leaves. And I'm still waiting. Finally, Ishihara-san says she'll go call the people. When she comes back, she tells me that they thought that it was the following week. --;; So, at this point, I couldn't go to the festival, because it was too soon to get back on again, and on top of that, I didn't have the music, because I had cancelled. And I also couldn't go to the international party, because I was obligated to do the homestay. As it turns out, the following week, I got sick, so as far as that goes, I couldn't even do the initial intention of doing the homestay. --;; I shouldn't have bothered with signing up. I really wanted to sing...

Well, anyway, that one weekend, rather than going to the homestay, Dr. Reagan invited a bunch of us to go out and eat okonomiyaki. So, um, yeah, we did that... It's hard to think of stuff when it happened so long ago ;_; Well, we came back and I went to the TV room, and there was a baby hippo on TV. And for some reason, Procter, who really likes hippos, wasn't there, so I took pictures for him. Which is why I have random pictures of Hippos on our TV. I don't know what else to say. That weekend, I had to write an essay... I did okay on it. But my one friend got me into Harvest Moon. Now I'm addicted. Too bad. I don't have any time to play it, now, and someone's taking it back with them for her, at the end of the semester. Oh well...

The week after that, I was sick -.- It was my turn to catch the cold. Oh well. I seemed to recover fairly quickly. The end of that week, we went to visit elementary schools. We went in groups of 4 or 5. In my group was Jake, Brian Smit, Bethany and Matt. First, we did games with the kids, like, in gym class. I found out that I'm not stronger or any better at sports than a bunch of 10-year-olds ;_; Oh well. It was fun, in spite of still being under the weather. After that, we helped the kids with making sweet potatoes. There's this one kind of potato in Japan called satsuma imo. They're really good. basically, we sliced them, and fried them in oil. They were really good! I was surprised that they actually let fifth graders use actual kitchen knives and hot plates. That's totally not allowable in America. After that, we went into this other room, and the kids all played the theme song to this one movie made here, Gake no Ue no Ponyo. And they were really good. Like, I was expecting mass chaos, but it actually sounded good. You could tell, though, that some of the kids were just fingering, without actually playing. Then they gave us thank you... um... posters, I guess you could say. I thought it was gonna be lame, but it was actually a lot of fun. And like I said, that weekend, I stayed home, and cured my cold. And that weekend, one of my friends left to go back to America. She wasn't really enjoying herself at all, and she was really missing her family and her fiancée, so she decided to go back early. We all miss her.

That Monday was the last week of my internship. To be honest, I wasn't all too crazy about it. I mean, it was a look into the way that Japanese schools work, but as for the actual purpose, interning, and getting some kind of job experience or other, it wasn't that much... I talked with the people who worked with the high schoolers, and it seemed like they participated far more with the class than we got to. They even got to lead their own class. *Jealouuuus* Oh well. It was at least some kind of experience. Well, anyway, the last day, there was no ESS. I don't know why. Instead, we observed some students in the computer room. Then, we looked at some sports, and we crashed the calligraphy club. They let us do some calligraphy. I was glad. Then, it was time to say bye. They were nice people.

Later that week was Thanksgiving break. It was earlier than the break in US, because they have a Labor Thanksgiving day here. So that was it. That Wednesday, Me, Ryder, Daniel, Nick, Angela and I can't remember who else ;_; made pumpkin pies. We had a four-day weekend, so the day after was the test. It was inconvenient, but it felt so good when it was over. Then I think I had to go to Cainz, or something... I dunno. I don't remember what I did afterward. I remember that I was in the TV room for a while. Well, after that was dinner. We had turkey, vegetables, stuffing, rolls, cranberries, mashed potatoes, and of course, pie and ice cream. The Associate Dean of MSU came that weekend, so we talked with her a little bit. My conversation partners came. I kind of forgot about it, because it was a weird week, but at least I was there. So they were surprised when they came, and I told them about the dinner. After they left, I went to the TV room, and people were watching something or other. I don't remember what. After that, we watched Zoolander in Japanese. It had its moments, but it wasn't, like, must-see. I wouldn't object to seeing it again, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it again. I coulda sworn we did more after that, but I can't remember what it was...

Well, the next day, I went to Viva City with Nathan, Kathryn and Molly. Michelle would have come, but she was sick at that time... We rode our bikes there. Since Mos Burger was on the way, we all decided to go there. Then we went to Viva City. Nathan wanted to play video games, so he went and did that while Molly, Kathryn and I went to get parfaits. They were really good. It was at this Italian-themed restaurant. So good. Then we went and met up with Nathan at the arcade, and we did purikura. Then I played some games, and Nathan played some games while Molly and Kathryn went to the grocery store. Then we all went home. Then we started, like, a movie marathony thingy, and just about everyone drank. We watched Labrynth, then Dumbo, then The Ref and I can't remember if we watched anything after that. It was good times, and stuff.

The next day, all of us who went to Viva City plus Michelle and David decided to go to the panyasan. It was fun. It's a lot more fun to be by the lake, and hang out, when you don't have other obligations, like when I usually go with people on Wednesdays... Anyway, lots of fun. There were more movies to be watched, but later that night, Kathryn made us pizza. Well, actually, she spent a long time making us pizza, while we waited, and it just ended up being late. It was really good. Like, unbelievably good. We also had a baguette with it, that the lady at the panya gave us. With seasoned olive oil, it was really good. Then, she made us espresso brownies, which were also really good. It was so funny. Nathan offered Molly a brownie, and she smacked it out of his hand, and it fell on the floor. So Nathan put it on his plate, and started carving a face into it, because it didn't serve much other purpose. Finally, when someone noticed that he was doing this, Nathan started using it like a puppet, and talking to Mike in this really weird voice. And he made the brownie say "Hi, Mike. Can I have a kiss?" And Mike was just kinda shocked at the brownie, so his jaw kinda dropped, but Nathan took that as that he wanted to eat the floor brownie, so he put it in his mouth. And then Mike just ate it. And then David says in, like, the highest pitch voice possible, "You guys are so WEIRD!!" It was hilarious. After that, we started stacking our finished beverage containers on top of each other, and we actually ended up with, like, a 4-foot stack, or something to that effect. It was so much fun.

That Sunday, I don't remember what I did for most of the day. I think maybe that I went to Coco's and did my homework. I think that was when I just went alone. It was cool. The waiter asked me if I had cured my cold. But it totally caught me off guard, so I was, like, speechless, for a minute. Then I answered in the wrong manner >.>;; Oh well. He and the cool lady are my favorite waiters there. Well, I came back, and there's a gap in my memory... Sometime, Me, Molly, David and Kathryn watched Swing Kids, which is one of my favorite movies. So I was really happy to see it. And then there was more TV watching, and stuff going on... Yeah...

The next day, more movies. Wow... Tons of movies this weekend, right? I'd finished my homework, so there wasn't much else to do... The only really noteworthy one, though, was Phantom of the Opera, and even that wasn't, like, uber, or anything...

That week Wednesday, we had a field trip for Buddhism. We went to two different temples. They looked really similar to one another, but I think I liked the second one better. I'm sure it was an interesting trip, but I wasn't particularly enjoying it, because I was dog tired, in spite of having gotten a good night's sleep --;; Oh well. I got omamori, so it's all good. I got one for health, and I keep it on my keyring. I probably shouldn't, but where else would I carry it? *shrug* It was just very tiring, that day -.-
I don't feel like linking all those pictures, because I'm already going to have a crapton of them, so you can look at the pictures here.

Later that week, on Saturday, we had another field trip to see the making of butsudan. I thought it was going to be boring, but I thought it was really interesting. I thought it was the best field trip we'd taken in Buddhism class. I didn't realize how much work and detail went into them. There are a lot of fine, intricate details. I was surprised to find that they're actually made by a number of different people in various areas, who specialize in a particular area. First, we went to this one guy's house, and he showed us a finished and a partially finished butsudan. Then, we went somewhere else, where they showed us the actual crafting of the woodwork. Then, we went to another building, and I'm not especially certain what the specialty of that one was... But there was an apprentace there, learning, and stuff... Next, we got to see someone doing gold leafing. I think that I liked that part best, but I don't know why. The guy took these little strips, and pressed them to the laquer, and then removed them, to expose the gold, and secured them to the fixture. At the end, or what would have been the end, had we stayed, he would have rubbed it with some sort of cloth, in order to make it look even, and finished. Last, we went to a metal worker. It was cool, but the actual hitting was really loud, and I didn't like that. We actually got to try some, though, so that was cool. It was funny. The metalworker wanted us to try stamping a piece of metal with a hammer and this punch-ish-looking thing. So he gives it to Kathryn, and she gets nervous, and says, "I can't do this. Nathan, you do it." And the metalworker goes "Ee?! Onna?!" "What?! That's a girl?!" Oh my God XD So then, when it's my turn, the teacher asked the metalworker "So, what do you think this one is?" So funny. It was raining really hard when we were at the metal shop, but Alan made it stop :D Then, Nathan and I went to Cainz. Kathryn had a party to go to in Osaka. Apparently, the attire called for full on ball gowns and powdered wigs. That sounds so cool! I've always wanted to go to something like that...
Here are the pictures from the field trip. Sorry there are so few. I forgot to refresh my battery before I went --;;

This week, we had been preparing for our final presentations. It was basically a speech, based on a previous essay we had done. I practiced really hard all week long. Thursday night, I had the entire thing memorized, but maybe one or two glances at the paper. But when I got up there, it was so different, and I blew it ;_; It's sad, because I know what I'm doing, and I -know- the speech, but I couldn't deliver it. I was upset, so I pigged out at Coco's. Then I got a stomachache, because I ate too much ;_; Well, later, tonight, we went to karaoke, so that made everything better :D Just not even thinking about how I did, until Monday. As for karaoke, I had a good time. However, I was a little disappointed - most of the reason I wanted to go was because I wanted to hear Procter sing, because he's leaving next week. Then I was in a different room a him, and by the time I'd switched, he wasn't feeling well, and wasn't singing anymore. I'm kind of concerned for him. He's been having a lot of health issues, so I'm worried about him. I hope that he takes good care of himself, when he returns. Anyway, at the least, I got to sing "Okaeri" for Molly and Michelle, which they'd been wanting to hear me sing for a while, so I was glad I could do that for them, before they go back to America.

It's 2:30, and I'm full of peachy candy. That's always fun, right? I'm writing letters, and such...

( Pics and Vids )

I took a long nap today, so I can't sleep now ;_; I think I should stop eating at Coco's. It's kinda messin' with me. I should probably stop going to the panyasan as well, because the bread makes me sleepy, but, well, ha! Fat chance... I think the lady is overly nice because she's putting drugs in the bread XD That's okay... the thing that always comes next is Buddhism class, which is a sleeping pill in and of itself. I think I've eaten it without getting tired....... I think....

So, things are coming to an end. There's no test this week, but everyone has to present this speech. I'm not enjoying the preparation going into this, but I think it'll be okay. I'm kinda stressed about it... It's a lot of work, on top of the normal workload. I'm not looking forward to Buddhism tomorrow at all. That stupid time-waster isn't working into my, now, busier schedule --;; I'll probably be reading over my speech while whatever teacher we happen to have that week talks about irrelevant crap in a roundabout way that nobody really cares about. I don't think I've ever ranted about the class before, but it's really useless. Nobody really has any kind of idea what's actually going on. I've heard rumors that the main guy in charge of the class it kinda letting the class go to pot, because he intends to quit, or something like that. Oh well... It's only for a few hours. I'll bring my study materials and make the best of my time.

Speaking of Buddhism, we went on 2 field trips this past week. I'll talk more about them in a later post. I just kinda feel like writing. The thing is, I gotta upload tons of pictures, which I don't really feel like doing. If it comes to it, because I'm going to be so busy, I might just write about it, and post pictures later. Whoo, I also gotta talk about the internship, and thanksgiving, the break, the pizza party, and gads of randoms stuff, no doubt.

So we were arm wrestling tonight... Apparently, I'm not strong at all... Lesse if I can get out an order... At the bottom would be me and Eric, who deadlocked, then Procter, Kathryn, Gabe, Smit, Nathan and Mike... I think that was about it.... Meh, doesn't matter. It came about so randomly, too XD

I heard in the news today that there was, like, the first girl to play professional baseball on a men's league. She's 16. I'll have to remember that for tomorrow, when Aizawa-sensei asks about the news, because I'll actually have something to report for once :D How would I say that... Maybe... 初めて女の人は男のプロの野球のチームに入れました。 It seems a bit off, but I think the point would come across... maybe...

Cripe, I just remembered that I have to finish off the pictures I drew --;; We have to provide visual aides for our speeches. I think it's kinda dumb, but whatever... I drew pictures, and now I have to ink them. I feel like it's a bit of a waste of time, but... Well, after this week, we (in second year, anyway) have a week of review, and then the final test. Then a closing ceremony, and for the next two days, everyone who's leaving leaves. This weekend, I think I'm gonna wanna do karaoke. I know Sai's been wanting to, so he'll probably end up rounding up some people, or something. I think I'm also going to kaitenzushi, but I can't remember if that was supposed to be Friday or Saturday... I'm hoping it was for Saturday... Also, probably, plans to go to Viva City... Maybe I'll be able to get a new DS. Mine broke T-T I'll have to see how my funds go, though...

I think that's about it... wow, I wrote a lot more than I was intending. Really, I can't sleep >.< Well, I'm gonna try in about 10 minutes, so wish me luck, falling to sleep >.>;

Yeah, I know I haven't posted in a while. I've been pretty busy. So, lesse... I've started my internship at Kawase Junior/Senior High School. It's pretty interesting. The first time, all four of us were supposed to go, but Lin-san was sick, so it was me, Tyler and David. It was on their schedule, since it was a Friday, and Lin-san and I go on Mondays. So we assisted the ALT (Assistant Language Teacher), Belinda, with her high school classes. That day, the Friday project was a tour of Shiga University. We knew it was gonna run long, so as we were eating lunch, I asked David, what time do you think we should leave? He said 12:20. The train leaves at 12:36, and we were still a ways away, so I was like, uh, are you sure? And he was like, yeah, it should be fine. Well... it wasn't fine... We had to hoof it to the station. I seriously never knew I was capable of riding a bike that fast. And literally, as we were arriving at the platform, the train was stopping. We almost missed it. I hate having to do stuff like that ;_; Oh well. We made it. The students seemed pretty cool. Then it turned out that she wasn't going to be there the following Friday, so David and Tyler got to plan their own lesson. I was so jealous. >.>;; Oh well. Since then, I've been going with Lin-san on Mondays. We teach the Junior High students. They... definitely aren't as enthusiastic as the High School students. Well, maybe enthusiastic isn't the word, because I'm pretty sure they're just trying to pass. Well, they have that junior high attitude that American jh students have. Ah well. Anyway, after that, we help out the ESS club there. Then go home.

On the 18th, I went to Nagoya with Brie, Jeneé, Yire, Jun, Ken, Masa, Sai and Itoh. We ate at the station, and it took a really long time to get seated. But dude *-* They had golabki!! It was called something else, but it was really golabki. I was so glad, because I'd been wanting that for a while, but I have no means to cook it. Anyway, then we went to meet Hiro, David and Howard. Then we headed to the costume store, for Halloween. It was kind of a smallish area, so I was slightly disappointed. But they had oil-based face paint, so I was happy. We met Yuri there, eventually. But geez, people took a long time to choose their costumes X_x a lot of us were waiting, like, a really long time. I think people were getting tired, and a lot of them went home. Those of us who didn't were looking for a place to eat. Which also took a really long time. We ended up going to a Chinese restaurant. It was good, but I don't really think it was very Chinese. I had mixed rice and sesame balls. It was good. Then we all went back home. I learned a whole bunch of games that I want to teach to everyone, when I get home. *shrug* what else are you supposed to do when you're on a train? I got home, and talked until really late with Kathryn.

I can't remember what I did that Sunday. Or Monday... I should really write more... Anyway, on Tuesday, Kathryn took us all to Mos Burger. I'd only been once before, but it was really good. Molly, Michelle, Nathan, David, Tai and Mike had all come as well. Once we were full of Mos Power, we went to Toys R Us, because Kathryn and I still had to look for parts of our costumes. She had, I hadn't. Oh well. Then we went to Viva City for parfaits. I got such a lame one, I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture of it ;_; I mean, it was good, but it was so dinky. Oh well. After that, we went to Bulldog, which is a store much like Spencer. Then we went home. That was a fun day. On Wednesday, Kathryn cooked for Molly, Michelle and me. David was supposed to come, so Kathryn could do his nails, but he forgot, and was at Kendai for a while. But he came, and got them done. Thursday, I spent, like, my entire day at Cainz. Daniel and Ryder came with me at the beginning, but left a lot sooner than I did. Like, they weren't even there an hour, because they had a class, and I was there for 4. It wasn't fun. I was shopping for the final parts of my costume. I mean, I found them, but it was a really taxing day.

Friday was the day of the Halloween party. After the test, we were all made to set up some part for the party. I filled some balloons with candy, and then I went to go set up the haunted house, which was in the library. It looked like it was going to be a lot of fun, so I wish I'd gotten to participate, but I didn't even get to see the final product ;_; Oh well. After that, Nathan and I went to the bank, the 100 yen store and Beisia. That day was Shoko's birthday, so a few of us decided to chip in, and buy a cake. We gave Dr. Reagan the money, and he went and got us one. And I helped to make a card, and got everyone to sign it. Then it was time for the children's party. About 100 children in the community came, for events that we were holding. For example, the haunted house, or face painting, etc. I helped out with musical chairs and singing English songs. After that was the student party, to which a lot SU and USP came. I was a vampire. Rawr. I couldn't eat because of my fangs and the heavy makeup ;_; Oh well. There was a costume contest, and it was ironic. Jon dresses up in nice clothes often. That day, he wore a suit and an Obama pin, and because he resembles Obama kinda, he won the costume contest. lol Then, we went to go get the cake for Shoko. I heard, later, that she was so happy that she almost cried. I was glad she liked it.

That Saturday, I just cleaned my apartment, because it really needed it... Um, I think that's it. Sunday, I lazed around, and stuff.

This week, I got my host family information. But actually, not that much happened. On Tuesday the ESS from my internship had a Halloween party. Lin-san was going to come, but his host mother wanted him home early, so it was just me. It was fun. We carved pumpkins, and played some games, and the students "Trick-or-treated" at the office. Wasn't really trick-or-treating, but *shrug* This past Friday, I went to Kyoto on a field trip with my Buddhism class. I really, really wish I hadn't packed so much... but I used everything that I packed ;_; Oh well. We got to the temple... ryokan... I don't know if it was actually a temple or an inn. Oh well. I took video of it. As soon as youtube stops being a hobo, I can show it to you. The internet sucks here, by the by, if I haven't expressed that yet >.> Anyway, the first night, I thought we were supposed to have a lecture, but we ended up not... We had dinner, all vegetarian, and then we went back to our rooms, and stuff. Then we had, like, a meeting, that evening, but it wasn't really anything. Just shooting the breeze. Then we went to bed. We woke up around 5, 5:30 the next morning. We got ready, and went and observed a service at a Buddhist temple. I thought we were going to be staying for the entire service, but we left after about 15 minutes. Then we went to go eat breakfast. I wasn't feeling all that well, yet, somehow, I managed to eat it all. After that, we packed everything up, and then we went to another temple to practice meditation. And then, the priest showed us around the temple. From then, we were free to do what we wanted.

With a free trip to Kyoto, Ryder, Daniel, Anni, Nathan, Kathryn and I decided to stay and bum around Kyoto for the day. Well, Kathryn decided to stay, because she had plans with a friend in Osaka, and figure she may as well stay in Kyoto for the time being, but she hung out with us for a little bit. We went to go eat at this one... place... I dunno. They served donburi. I like donburi. I was happy. Especially since I got to eat chicken >.> From there, we looked around a bit, and then it was time for Kathryn to leave, so we said bye to her. We got to this shopping district, and Ryder, Daniel and Anni split off, while Nathan and I went to the arcade. I played some taiko, and he and I played DDR together. Then we went off to do some shopping. Then, I still wanted to shop, and he wanted to play some games, so we split. I bought a really nice shirt, and some green sneaks. Pumas for only $30 ^-^ Yay. Well, we met up, got some McDonalds, and then we met with everyone else, and rode the bus to the station. That was, like, such a crappy bus ride. We were so packed. Not good, when you're carrying really heavy luggage on your back ;_; Oh well, we went to the station, and we all met Molly and Michelle at the station, and we were gonna ride with them, but Anni and I decided we really needed drinks. So Anni, Daniel, Ryder and I, and Nathan, Molly and Michelle ended up in separate cars. But we all ended up in the same place, so it was good. We met Lin-san and Pingatore-san at Hikone station, and Daniel, Ryder, Anni and I went to go have dinner with them. It was the same restaurant where we went to go eat with the people from Kyoto ESS, but unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as good as the last time we went. Oh well. It was a fun time. We left, and I went to go get my bike, which acted as a Caravan, because I was walking with everyone. We got back around 10, 11ish. I was so sore ;_; I'm still sore. ;_; I had to carry my enormous backpack around everywhere, for an entire day. Even though Nathan carried it for me time to time, I still managed to sustain a really large bruise on my shoulder from carrying it around so much... Oh well. I unwound in the TV room with everyone. Fun times.

Now we're to today. I ate dinner from Lawson's. Everything I'm wearing except my watch and my slippers, I bought in Japan. I'm watching Daniel play video games. I'm all caught up. Yay.

( Pics )

Long weekend. Whoo. Today is Taiiku no Hi - Sports Day. I don't really know why we get it off. There are a whole bunch of holidays I don't know why we get off. Like Shuubun no Hi - Autumn Equinox. *shrug* I'm not complaining. Lots of people traveling. And stuff.

So, Friday. Lotsa stuffs. First, we did shodoh, calligraphy. How come everything is easier to spell in Japanese than in English? >.>;; Anyway, I'm not very good at it. lol They had us practics strokes, and then certain kanji. And then they had us do Kanji of our choice. I really wanted to do a 4-6-kanji phrase, but I couldn't think of any... so I just did 恋愛. And it wasn't very good. I didn't really keep any of my stuff. I kept one that Melville-Sensei did for me, which it my name in Kanji, and I traded one of mine with Nathan. So that's all I have. In retrospect, maybe I should have picked one or two, but they were all so bad ;_;

After that, Procter, Lin-san, David and I went to Coco's. I need to stop going to Coco's. It eats up all my money. ;_; But I hate cooking >.> Especially here, where I have no dishwasher <.< Oh well. More instants, I guess... Which actually, I did buy. Maybe I should have eaten that... Oh well. Anyway, then it was time for the interview, introductiony thingy at Kawase Junior/Senior High. It was arranged that I go with Lin-San every Monday. However, today is a holiday, so we're all going together on Friday.

Sai-kun had planned to cook for the ESS students from Kendai. And, like, when Sai announces something like that, everyone wants some. Much as I love Sai-kun's cooking, I decided to back out, so that someone else could have some, or something like that. I've had his pulkogi before. While it's friggin' awesome, other people deserve a chance. Including, y'know, Sai, who, last time, didn't get any. I waited on people, and ended up making my own. Just quick oyakodon. Which I burned my thumb on ;_; I thought it was a lot more serious than it was, because now it's fine. But it really hurt. And I yelled, like so loudly. Which concerns me, because nobody, not even the people below me, heard me, so if I'm ever in trouble, I guess I'm on my own. lol So we socialized with the people from Kendai. I already knew Masa, Yuta and Yuri, but a bunch of other people came too.

Then we all went out to karaoke. This is one thing I'll definately miss about being in Japan, when I leave. I love karaoke to death. I took video again, this time. Mostly people I haven't shown before. First, I was in a room with Suki-san, Mike and Ryuu. Then I switched over to the room with Howard, David, Gabe and Akio. I don't think there was as much switching as people had initially intended. *shrug* Oh well. It'd been such a long time since I'd gone ;_; Really glad to have gone. This should be a weekly thing >.>

Then, I went up to the TV room, and I talked with Procter, Brian and Sarah until, like, early morning. I like talks like that.

Saturday, I slept until, like, 4 in the afternoon. Because I'd stayed up so late, the night before. So, yeah. Bad idea, considering I was going to Osaka tomorrow. Well, I watched some video games, went to the cafe with Brian and Sarah, and later Procter came, came back for a little bit, and went to sleep by 2:30. Very short day. But the day before was very long, so I guess it compensates.

Yesterday, I went to Osaka with Ryder and Daniel ^-^ Funness. We had to get up early, in order to make the fast train. We were a little on the late side. We got out of the bike lockup thingy, ran to the station, and when Daniel paid for his and Ryder's tickets, the machine stiffed him 200 yen. Some lady came out, and was gonna give it to him, but we were in a hurry, so we just went through the ticket gate. We got down, and the train was already there, stopped, doors open. So we, like, just barely made it. It would have been really bad if we'd missed it, because, not only would it have taken longer, but we would have had to wait for the next one, and we had arranged to be there around 11. So, yes, very good thing to have made it. And this was, like, a recurring thing, too. Just about every time we rode the train, we made it with seconds to spare, with the train waiting, with the doors open. Except the one time, when we actually missed it >.> Oh well.

Anyway, we got there, and went to another ticket gate, where we met up with Hisashi. We had agreed to have lunch first thing, because we figured that by the time we got there, we'd be pretty hungry. So, Hisashi took us to a noodle shop in the train station. And the kind he ordered for me was way too spicy ;_; I muddled through it, because I knew I had to eat, cuz we'd be walking around all day, but wayyyy way too spicy ;_; Oh well. We left there, and headed to the Kaiyuukan aquarium. It was really nice, but very, very crowded. I have a photo album below. Apparenly, Hisashi and I were somewhere else, and someone had, like, whacked Ryder with their kid, in order to get farther ahead, and she'd've fallen over, unless Daniel had caught her. Weird.

Anyway, after we'd gone through the Aquarium, we went to this big shopping center. First, everyone wanted to go to a cafe, so we did. We sat and talked for a little bit. Then we did some shopping. I was wearing my shirt that had kanji on it, so this weird ninja guy, like, kept coming up to me, and stuff. O.o; It was weird. Well, we left there, and headed back to the station to meet up with some other people for dinner. The original intent for this trip was for the Kalamazoo students to have dinner together. Hisashi was just nice enough to take us around for the first part of the day. And to invite me, having no affiliation, along :O But, yeah, we met the people from Kalamazoo, and went to this "Chinese" restaurant. Not exactly sure how authentic it was, but *shrug* It was delicious. It was 3000 yen/person for two hours. All you can eat. But the catch is, if you leave more than 1/3 of something on a plate, you have to pay for everything you ordered. And we ordered, like, way too much, and I was, like, designated garbage disposal, because I have the biggest appetite ;_; So I ate waaaay too much. Then we had to book it to the train station, in order to catch the fast train back home, so I was getting stomach cramps from the activity on a full stomach.

Oh well. We rode the train back, just getting on it >.> got our bikes and rode back. I played some video games, and went to bed. And I've basically spent my entire day posting. But then, I only really got up at 2:30, so *shrug*

( Pics and Vids )

Hot chocolate, to be exact. Quite tasty.

Mmkay, so, the Maibara thing was basically a bust. Totally not worth 1500 yen. Soooo boring. I get the feeling it'd be more worthwhile to have gone for the second day. Okay, so, first, I was dog tired. Which, I guess was my fault, for staying up 'til 2 AM, and getting up at 7. Oh well. Well, fortunately, we were driven, and didn't have to bike, or take a train.

So, we went to this elementary/middle school for "orientation." Which I wasn't really understanding, because the whole schedule was written out for us. But oh well. Lunch was served. Then, we went from there to take, like, the longest walk, in the hot sun. And it's not like there was even really much to see. I mean, it was basically just a nature walk. Which, yeah, I'd enjoy, if I weren't tired, and it weren't hot. Well, yeah. Anyway, we finally got to the end of our walk, and it was time to "talk with the locals." Well, apparently, it was, like, a town hall meeting. That was basically an hour and a half of listening to people speak Japanese that we couldn't even hope to understand. It was so bored, and I was soooo tired... I wanted a nap, like, right then. I'm sorry. How do they honestly expect us to understand something like that? Friggin dumb. Oh well. We went from there to a little festival. That was basically the highlight of the trip. I bought a Hikonyan cell phone strap, even though I don't have a cell phone, and because of that, I got a Hikonyan poster. I love it. I have it hanging on the door to our apartment. We saw people do taiko, and as we left, there was someone playing some kind of traditional flute or pan pipe or something. Really neat. And the road was lined with candles, which was really cool.

Well, those who were in the one day trip, including me, of course, came back. I was, like, sooooo stoked for karaoke. I so wanted to do it. Really badly. I knocked on Nathan's door, and his girlfriend Ritsuko was there, and we tried to round up people. But nobody wanted to go. ;_; I was soooooooo disappointed. So I caught some people at Coco's. We talked for hours. That made me feel a lot better. I think that was the high point of my day. It's nice to have friends with whom you can just talk for hours on end. Really nice.

Oh well. I have lots of pictures and videos. I'm also updating my previous post, so please look at those pictures and videos as well.

( Pics and vid )

Wednesday, we went to Viva City. It was me, Sai-kun, Masa, Procter and Gabe. It was fun. I'm not remembering stuff so well, right now... I kind of have an issue. Masa invited me to a party at Kendai on the 12th. But shortly after that, Hisashi invited me to a party in Osaka. The thing is, I really wanna go to Osaka. I see Masa all the time, but since Hisashi lives in Osaka, I don't get to see him very often. Actually, I've only ever met him the one time, but I wanna see him again. But Masa offered first, and I already said I was interested in going. So I feel obligated to go to his. I really, really wanna go to Osaka, but I don't know how I can turn Masa down. I don't knooooow ;_; I'm sure there'll be more parties at Kendai, because I think it's heavily ESS people, and Masa frequently comes to JCMU. But there's a lot of effort going into the Osaka party to get everyone there, and stuff. So yeah, I dunno. I have to think about it.

Yesterday was, like, not study day. I tried studying. I really did. But it was, like, just not study day. I did do a bit, but not a lot. It was like, I knew all the forms, so I wasn't exactly sure -how- to even study... But everyone was in a really good mood yesterday, and also this morning, so *shrug* We were watching TV, and this one weird show came on, but I'm too lazy to explain it.

Today was fun. Lotsa stuff happened. First there was the test. There was one question that stumped me, but there's always one like that, on the tests. But, like, other than that, I think it went okay, even though I didn't study all that well. Apparently, a lot of people had some trouble with that one. Then we had the koto thing. I don't have pictures right now, because I'm in the TV room, and I don't have the cord with me. I'll get it later. But it was really fun. I really enjoyed it. I asked Aizawa-Sensei if they offered clubs for koto at either of the universities, but he said that probably, a lot of the people were already good at it, so it would probably be difficult to join. Oh well. I also asked Knott-san, and she said she'd look into it, but I also asked about a Shohdo club, and I think that may be okay to try and join.

Then I went to the meeting for my internship. The other people doing the same one are Lin-san, Wan-san and Thedens-san. They suggested doing it in groups of two. Since Wan-san and Thedens-san are both ninensei, and ninensei's get out an hour early on Wednesdays, I think they'll do it together, so they can actually have lunch. The thing is, I'm ninensei too, but I've got the Buddhism class on Wednesday. So I'm probably going to do it with Lin-san, either on Mondays or Fridays. Which makes me feel a lot better. Like, I was a little wary about it, because I wasn't looking forward to coming back late, alone. That, and I don't tend to like to go places alone in general. We have a meeting on the 10th, so we're going to get that all sorted out, then. Ooh, and I was very glad. I found that there's a coin locker at the train station, so I can wear my sneakers to ride my bike to the station, but then I can actually wear nice shoes there. But I think I may just wear them anyway, because we have to walk from the station to the school, and then, in the school, we can't wear shoes anyway. But it's nice to have that option to think about.

Then I talked with Daniel and Ryder for a while, and then, we went to go to South Hikone with Anni, Sarah and Lin-san. First, we went to a used game store. I found a cord for my DS *-* for the longest time, I didn't have one. I think I lost it on the plane, so I haven't been using it a lot. But now I caaaan. Whooo. And I also got Pokemon *-* Japanese Pokemon. All the first 3 video games, for 900 yen. That is awesome. Then we went to a rotating sushi bar, kaiten sushi. It was cool, and really good. I have pics and vid of that, too, but again, no cord. I'll edit this post, when I get it all set up, so please keep an eye out. We ate, like, so much *-* And, like, the weirdest thing happened. The people behind us had a little girl, couldn't be more than 3. And she kept looking at us, because other than Lin-san, we're all white. So we noticed, and the mother got a little embarassed, but then we said it was okay. And then they were leaving about the same time, so we said bye to them. Then we saw them in the parking lot, and they confronted us, and asked for English lessons. They offered to pay us. I really don't think I could accept money, if I were to go. Anni, Sarah and I gave them out e-mail addresses. I'm hoping one of them will be willing to do it, because I don't know if I would be okay with doing it by myself. Going to some stranger's house by myself. Though we should probably meet in public, or something. That, and I have no idea where to even begin teaching English. But they seem very interested. When I got home, I checked my e-mail, and he had already e-mailed me. I think he really does need English lessons. From his e-mail, it seems like he wrote his entire mail from a translator, so yeah. I dunno. I really would like to teach them, because it would probably be good experience, and a nice way to make a few new friends, but again, I don't wanna do it by myself. I'd really like to, but I think I would need a little bit of support. Especially since Sarah and Anni are both sannensei's, and can speak better than I can.

Anywho, we went to 7-11, and Lin-san totally found a manga about America. It's, like, got Obama and McCain in it. It's really, really weird. The characatures are hilarious, though. And I actually found the muscat Kit-Kats again, and I actually bought them. I think I don't like them, but I had to say I tried them... And also had to prove that I saw them. >.>;; Then we went to Viva City for a sec, then we went home. Hm... these outings and days are always so much more fun than I make them sound. Probably because a lot of it is just spending time with friends, and sharing stories and jokes. That was a weird thing to say. Oh well.

I'll probably write more tomorrow, or about tomorrow. We're going to Maibara, so yeah. More pics. More writing. Whoo.

( Pics and vids )

I've been kinda tired lately. I don't know why. I even slept really well last night, and I still felt tired today. Oh well. The weather's gotten cold, and rainy. I guess it's good, because I don't have to change my shirt twice a day, but I wish it were a bit warmer. Oh well.

I did really well on my test. I got a 94% - my best score yet... Don't worry. My lowest is only 90%. I beat out this one guy who's really, really good at Japanese. I was really surprised O.o;

I have good news - I got an internship at Kawase Junior High/High School. I'm really glad. It was, like, a really competitive position, and apparently, only a few positions available. It should really help me out, getting into the JET Program. Now, if I take that one TESOL, I should have a pretty good chance of being selected, I think. But it's a bit early to think of that.

The Buddhism class starts tomorrow. Apparently, we have reading, which I wasn't really aware of, because I don't check my e-mail. So, yeah. That's great --;; Apparently, it's really long and dense, too. Oh well. It's only once a week. I can catch up. The good part is, the schools have arranged for a bus to take us to Kendai and back, so that's pretty awesome. I was dreading having to bike there, before O.o; It's kinda far away.

I dunno what else to say. I'm tired. Not a lot's been really happening. I made gyoza tonight. Not that great, but *shrug* That's what you get when you pay 2 bucks for 20, I guess. Anyway, going to bed.