sushi races
Archive for December, 2006
I’m drunk.
Jemma is opening her Christmas present from me. Stickers from Asahi TV. Jemma’s response on seeing: I’m getting this tattoo’d on me immediately. She also loves you ChocoBaby you are so cute.
That might not make sense but…just remember. The 3am sushi races on the kitchen floor. If my hands were not t00 shakey…
year 3
“Yeah I’m gonna write everyday!” she said on return to Canada. Heh. No. But I could at least acknowledge some sort of anniversary of the first blog post.
My log: it is 4pm and I am sitting in my pyjamas, drinking tea and writing emails. My mind is so empty now and it feels good. I went to a yoga class (first since I left Vancouver) this morning and my bottom hurts. That feels sort of good. I had a two hour nap this afternoon. That felt really good. But I couldn’t do the yoga-nap-late pyjamas thing everyday. What makes me idle in Regina? My active youth was motivated by getting out of the house and being away from my family but now that I have grown up and realized that I love my family…there is less drive to leave home. I could sit around and enjoy their company all day (*cough* *cough* - day lengths within human abilities of course).
Oooh, I did get to try the Wii (my cousins). Zelda, tennis, and boxing. I strained my arm. I love the multi-player excitement and movement but I guess it can be too much sometimes. One Wii stick had already received a little bit of a beating during a collision between my uncle and cousin. One thing I would like to see: some way to incorporate the non-controller wielding people in the room. Probably by way of voice processing.
Ack it is getting late! Time to pick up my mother from the police station…she works there. Actually because of her I was able to get a pass for the police gym. It is small, old, and I stare at brick walls while I jog but there is something so cool about it. When I am there I pretend I am on some crime/police/CSI-like tv show and this is the workout scene where I quench all my work and relationship-drama frustrations.
Time to go!
merry xmas eve-ies
Oh. Was just going to write a few words while I waited for the fam but it sounds like they are a-coming-down and the sitting around is to start. I am enjoying my seat in front of the fireplace, the fire warming my stiff back. The date above - probably Christmas I think - it still on Japan time. Fitting because I am thinking about if I were still there, it would be Monday and I would be at work.
But I am not. I am here missing Japanese food so I made an attempt in the kitchen for supper - some kind of grilled white fish with miso topping, tuna filled onigiri and a wakame/shittake mushroom stirfry dish. My family really liked it and I was like…hmm…good…they have not actually gone to Japan and eaten the food so there is nothing to compare it to : p
Off to sit. I hope you are all having a good weekend wherever you are, whatever you were doing.
sk xmas 06 fullday 02
*yawn*
Not much sleep for me lately but it will come sometime. Not much culture shock in the “shocking” sense but I am definitely seeing things around me from a different perspective. Regina’s small wooden houses with paths to the front door and 2 yards look strange to me now and the fact that they seem strange adds more strangeness. I read the LeaderPost over breakfast and it was full of the usual varying voices on religion and this time of year although this time it felt more pro-Christian than before…is that because of the Conservatives or is it my perception because I have been living in a place where spirituality’s voice is not strained - it sounds at ease and relaxed.
Last night we (Kim I should say) had the annual girls Christmas party. Need a name for it I think…and need to remember how many years it has been held so that in coming years I can say “the __th annual ________ party”. That did not feel shocking at all and weirdly so. Sitting, drinking, eating, laughing, dancing, talking with girlfriends and I felt like I had never left. At one point I theorized that my body might be missing the chemical my brain required for me to feel like being there was insane. Maybe I left it over the Pacific ocean somewhere. Probably not. Was just experiencing the absolute comfort and lack of any self consciousness that I have around these people who have seen me through the worst.
Just noticed that I have a folder on my desktop named “thisis”. That is pretty funny considering the current state of affairs.
my pre-flight story
(partly written in flight in the back of sudoku book while waiting in line for washroom)
(reflective pre-babble)
I feel like I am flying into strangeness right now. I am heading somewhere comfortably familiar but also filled with fears and hang-ups I so happily ran away from last March. I did not bring all of myself to Japan but is it still waiting for me in Canada? And what about the areas in which I have grown? Will those stay in Japan? Or come back?
(story)
I am shaken up right now. (almost) Had a horrifying experience. Horrifying for me anyway. Narita lineups were long and I screwed up and forgot about (a) immigrations and (b) boarding time = get on plane time not go through security gate time. Maybe it was the Reginian in me thinking. The same part that still believes that you can get to any point A in a city to any point B in 15 minutes or less. So leave 20 minutes before scheduled time to get your 5 minutes bathroom and relax time before things start. I got to the immigration counter finally and didn’t have a certain form filled out. I was shoed away “dame, dame, dame!” by this bizarrely disgruntled Japanese man. Bizarre because I had yet to encounter a disgruntled Japanese person or one so outwardly so. I went to the side, filled my form, then got through the check. Knowing that I was probably running late (how late though??) I picked up my pace a little. Thirty seconds into my brisk walk I heard an announcement about flight Japan Airlines number 12 to Vancouver paging…”oh crap”…De…”crap” (my pants were slipping down and I gave them a tug up to prepare for what was to come)…ooocha, Meghan…”crap” and I booted it. Carrying a bag full of omiyage and a 20lb backpack (I love you waffles but didn’t at that moment) I ran faster than how fast I think I can run for February’s race. To gate 77 - the furthest away…really really far.
A 3rd of the way through, a staff member raised her hand - “Vancouver?” “Yeah I’m Meghan” I huffed. She ran along side me and scanned my ticket then called the gate staff on her walkie talkie. “Ruuuunnn!” And then I was alone again. It was almost like I was running a marathon with a supporter next to me. I wish she would have given me water, thrown me a towel or something. My chest was starting to burn and I was envisioning the discomfort of the people sitting around me, having to smell the body odors that this episode might have been generating. I really really wanted to stop running but the thought of a plane full of 200 punctual people waiting for me kept me going. Two thirds of the way another person approached me. A nice man with a walkie talkie. He took one bag for me, gave me some words of encouragement, and when I gasped the word “security”, he nodded in understanding. We took the moving sidewalks. I avoided them before because they made me think of Christmas in a neckbrace. Then the gate was finally there. With no other people around. Just the staff waiting for me. “Go go go!” I got onto the plane with my face burning red. Couldn’t find my seat because I didn’t want to look up (my shame is usually on the floor and I like to look at it too much) at the row numbers.
I hate being late. Worse than being late is being late and having a lot of people know you are late and having to walk in alone in front of all those people…late. So it was really scary for me and I spent the first 2 hours of the flight huddled in a ball of I don’t want to do anything else wrong.
Comfort came a while later when I realized that the plane was not late in leaving and would not be late for arrival in Vancouver. Also - people probably didn’t care and even if they did…they probably didn’t anymore and I only cared because I was thinking about myself a bit too much. So overall, I think this was a good experience to have. I learned about almost missing planes and being paged : )
this is the trippiest thing ever
I love it. My first step into YVR and what do I smell? Cinnamon buns. Of course. Then I recheck my bags for my later flight to Regina. Then I exchange money and wow there are new 50s and 100s. Actually I think they may have changed before I left Canada but at that time I was not in the financial position to encounter a 50 or 100. Then to the bathroom to check the damage. Because of reasons which I will talk about later, I had little in the manner of beauty tools at my disposal during the flight. A check in the mirror revealed quite the sick looking Meg (or is it the bright lights in Canadian bathrooms because they don’t use the ugly lights in Japan. Japan bathrooms have soft lighting.) I went around the corner to find a stall and took a step back when I saw walls and doors that seemed to be…hovering…from the ground. Oh yeah, they don’t go to the floor like in Japan. I sat down on an icy cold seat with some apprehension because…is it clean like in Japan? I keep wanting to say すみません and ありがとうございます. But no that will get weird looks here. From most people. That’s the other thing. The people…everyone is so different. So many backgrounds. The majority speaking English but varying accents. Oh and this sweet sweet hotspot. I will call the T man soon and he will pick me up and then we will go to UBC but before then I have to bask in this wireless goodness. And write because I feel so stimulated. So many contrasts running through my head and I can’t say I am comparing things - thinking that oh this is better here or there. Just…seeing the differences. I will admit…already missing Japan a little. The first 1/3rd of my flight I thought about that - how hard it will be to leave for good when I do. I have a pre-flight story to tell, and some commentary on the in-flight movies. But I think I will make my phone calls now and write while I wait.
Just one more thought: I just imagined waffles’ apple logo also containing red and green lights that only come on in the two weeks before Christmas and maybe…4 days after. Probably because there is a Starbucks right across from me and I think that Starbucks thinks it is Christmas.
Groan
Guests will be permitted to bring liquids, gels and aerosols through security screening at Canadian airports provided that the items are packaged in containers with a capacity of 100 ml / 100 grams (3.4 oz.) or less – instead of the previously required 90 ml / 90 grams (3 oz.) or less – and that the containers fit comfortably in one clear, closed and resealable plastic bag with a capacity of no more than 1 litre (1 quart).
Groan. No sake for anyone. I wish I could trust the baggage handlers enough to put it in my checked-in luggage but…*sigh*
what’s going on here?
My head is full of idea stubs but nothing in its entirety so when I start…I often cannot finish. But sometimes stubs are better than the whole thing. Or…we could want more but the stub is what we enjoy the most, that best half…like muffin tops or worlds 1-4 of Mario 3.
I go back to Canada tomorrow. Just for a week but it is like practice for when I will really have to leave Japan. This morning I woke up at 5:14am and I couldn’t fall back asleep again. So many things on my mind. A large number concerning food in Japan and whether or not I will be able to find similar food in Canada.
Oh and that was a stub and then I went to work and now I don’t know what I was going to write. So I will just talk more about going back. I want to take Japan with me. I am trying to buy little things for people so that I can share what I have experienced but it never feels like it is enough.
But…no time to dwell on my insatisfactions. I have a TODO list to complete! See some of you soon : )
spam spam spam spam blow
So much comment these days and having no medicine but manual moderation, I go through the emails and delete delete delete as they come. Most of the time it is the same posted that get spammed over and over again. Why were those posts chosen? Thought the other day I took a second glance at what I thought was spam:
Comment:
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
and then
Comment:
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmmm
possibly a small child or a dog or better yet - a rabbit!?
A mystery to solve…but instead…I went to Hakone last weekend! Yes, the trip deserves an exclamation mark (!)
Sunday morning 4 girls from work and I met up at Yokohama station and took the hour and some train ride to Hakone, a somewhat touristy (but not horribly so) mountain town in the Kanagawa prefecture. Definitely a scenic place but unfortunately I have no pictures to express that : ( You’ll just have to trust me.
Our first activity was to go to the Craft House and get crafty. We chose to blow some glass. The setup there was ideal for getting the inexperienced in, safe, and out with a smile on their face. Before starting, we were shown shapes, colours, and patterns to select for our creations. Then it was a one-on-one experience in the glassblowing studio. The experts guided us along step-by-step, letting us touch enough things so that in the end, we could take our products home and say “look ma, look what I made!” Actually, it was a really good experience. I am surprised that I had the opportunity because when glassblowing…you’re dealing with some hot stuff there! Very sensitive too. We got to blow the glass (of course) and on my first try I, thinking that you needed to blow really hard, blew too hard and my glass bubble(?) popped. Fun : )
To conclude that part, here is what I made:
After the glassblowing, we attempted to go to a hot springs area at the top of a ropeway in order to find and eat kurotamago (black tamago…black egg….onsen egg…egg boiled in hot spring) but the ropeway was closed : ( So we headed back to the ryokan for a huuuuuge and yummy meal (I think it was the largest # of items meal that I have had here so far), followed by board games and then onsen. We had reserved a private outdoor onsen room. It was cold outside and a little hard to muster up the genkiness needed to handle the cold outside before getting into the warm bath, but the chill was worth it.
Monday morning, smooth from soaking in bath, we headed straight to work from Hakone.
on the train #3
Thoughts on train this morning:
- train cars are spooky when the lights are off (an out of service train went by while I was waiting for the one I am one now).
- a few days ago the amount of perma-frowning people hit me. Since then I have been making an effort to smile even when I am sleeping. Need to work these muscles but will people think I look nutty?
- there is a 70-something-year-old woman sitting across from me and I am envious of her shoes - blue and red reebox with a large red flap over the front
- people count on their fingers to themselves. Often looking up at the train ceiling. What are they counting, remembering, what do they have to do?
- the 70-something-year-old’s friend is sitting next to me and peering at my mobile as I take note of these thoughts. Can she read what I am writing? Did she catch me glancing at her friend’s shoes with hungry eyes though I’d never steal them as they are likely half my size.
My camera is dying and that makes me sad. Seriously I had a flash of thought yesterday when the display was black with fuzzy purple lines - “what’s the point in living without a camera because I will not be able to capture my life and it will all be lost anyway”. A few seconds later I realized the absurdity of the thought but it still stuck with me and I contemplated why I feel the need to take pictures. Probably often, in the process, putting a barrier between me and my experiences. I’m not taking in this scenery entirely, just looking for a good shot.
So far a little smacking around gets the camera back into shape but soon it will be gone. Then I will take it apart and be curious for 15 minutes. And then I don’t know what I will do with it. It never received a name. Among waffles, pancakes (original body now empty but the pancakes spirit still exists to be embedded into a new body someday - pancakes II), syrup, orange juice, and poptart! it is the nameless one.
On the happy side, this is like the end of a relationship when you are going through the “oh yeah there are other fish in the sea phase”. On the train this morning I was eyeing up my friend’s camera. A possibility. We all need to move on.
brrrrmeooow
I am so cold today. It is sunny and 10 degrees but I am freeeeeeeezing. My blood has gelled and it takes me twice as long to do anything. Think it is the broken heater. I have neck and back cramps from curling up for warmth all night. And really I shouldn’t be complaining. It is warmer here than in Canada. I feel like an old woman with no circulation. This morning I was contemplating cat lady life. Particularly, what I should I be planning for the immediate future so that I may pave my way to be a proper cat lady. What makes the successful cat lady?
- should I get married so that I can have dusty weddings photos in my attic (that is the disc they are stored on is dusty) or should I stay alone with the exception of say, one flame who dies before we can marry and I can hold onto the memories forever.
- should I have one child at least? A child who moves away at 18 and we spend 6 years communicating through IM but then he/she joins some antitech movement and I never hear from her/him again
- what should my smell be? there’s always the smell and it is an old smell so it needs to get started early. I am thinking a mixture of rosemary and overhead projector transparencies.
- I should start dancing so I have one picture of myself at a young(er) age costumed for some performance.
- when should I get my first cat and what kind of cat? Friendly? Snobby? Mean? Friendly cat that becomes mean with age?
- what should my obsession be? besides cats, what do I love? Maybe I should start out as the cookie baking cat lady. But then I will stop putting sugar in the cookies so the kids’ll think I’ve gone all weird and stop coming over for cookies. Then I will try to sell them at the park for a few unsuccessful years. Then they will become food for my cats. Because my cats will be my children.
I no longer feel like an old woman. I can’t complain about being cold. The office room is so toasty warm - it’s great! My cheeks actually feel flushed. At least I hope it is the warm room and not a feverish me. Probably the room…this is one of the things I love about Japan…people like warmth.
