Homework for the Overactive Brain

Today's Quote--"Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me..."

Sunday, November 16, 2003

 

(from "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses")
Sounds a lot like me...do you think I'm dangerous? Hmmm...
Well, read up on everyone's blogs...sounds like we're all doing just about average...which translates into a lot of hardship, soul-searching, brain-wracking, longing, pain, and deep stuff. Glad to hear my box got to SUA with stuff in it! Whew...I was a little worried when I realized over-sea/by land would be taking possibly more than the 4 weeks I thought...but it got there okay for all of you! And Pooh-bear, if you're reading this...you get stuff in person. ;) Yes, well, hugs and love all around to my SUA buds. And of course there's lots more of that for everyone else out there too. ;) SOooooo, just to lighten the general mood of life, I'm going to give you some great interesting cultural points...but first, qick life update.

Sleep is good, so I did that this weekend. The other J left for BCA return today. Managed to register through Email...I hope...think...maybe? If Alex O. continues to bother J here, I'm going to send in a complaint. ;) Okay, this time, I kindof almost wanted to talk to him. Almost. But to pull me out of Japanese class? Hmmm. Got a very busy week filled with fun stuff this week. Yesterday went to watch Mozart's Don Giovani Opera at Kitara (Sapporo's concert hall), it was a movie, essentially, with Japanese sub-titles. So by the time it was over my head was spinning with Italian, Japanese, and the English meaning of it all...oy! But I did get the story...I think...;) Oh and Thursday, the teacher came back in and chased us all out. There was a class meeting in here, but only because of odd schedualing stuff. Yeah, we were confuzzed. And it's cold...still no sticking snow though. As for my fun plans...another concert tonight, dinner at J's tomorrow, going to an elementary school Wednesday morning, and a party in Susukino Saturday night...plus a three day weekend! YEAH for Japanese holidays! Of course one day in exchange for our two day Thanksgiving isn't too much...oy. Oh well, I'll take what I can get. Yeppers, so now that I've bored you all...fun stuff! I've been good, keeping my list and all, so there's quite a lot...don't know if I'll put it all. Hmmm, where to begin.

Food. Did you know that the line "Clean your plate, there are starving children in Africa!" is international? One of my friends here got an hour lecture on it when she didn't finish her rice. So yes, clean your plate. Though it begs the question...what do African's say to their kids? "The Ubutoo's down the street only got one loaf of bread for the entire week..." Hmmm. I've always wondered what the point of that saying was anyway. Are we supposed to be thankful we're not in Africa? That's harsh. And it's not as if us eating more is going to save those starving children. I always liked the response, "Well then, what's their address there in Africa? Let's send them what I can't eat, if they're starving." Really, now.

Do you want to loose weight? Do you want to eat healthy and exercise, but just can't do it in our fast food based society? Well have I the plan for you...for only a megere tuition fee, you'll spend the next four months in an exotic foriegn country, and while you're working off all that fat, eating healthy, you'll also get, only if you call in now, mind you, free tutoring in a foriegn language! That's right folks, for only the megere tuition fee, you can get stairs, stairs, and more stairs, plus all you can eat of vegitables, fruits, and fish, not to mention the free language tutoring! You say you don't like vegitables or fish? You can't eat seafood or anything raw you say? Even better, with this plan not only will you work out, but the pounds will drop right off you as you face your food, stare it in the eye, and jump into piles of vegitables. Once again, for only this one....etc., etc. (small print...No Vegitarians or Vegans, company cannot be responsible for said persons starving to death or dying of malnutrition.) And where would the exotic locale be? Where else? JAPAN!

Hee hee hee. Lucky me, I love that stuff! MMMmmmmm, mmmm, good. ;)

Do you remember the 4 fearful things? Jishin, Kaji, Kaminari, Oyaji? Earthquake, fire, thunder, father? Well, I've decided that the reason why they're so scary is because they all shake the house...well, okay, fire just kind of burns it down...but there's some sort of shaking, right? My host father must think it necessary to stomp at all times, because I can hear wherever he goes, from upstairs! Oy! Ah yes, and for those of you keeping track, I've meet him 5 times now. ;)
Host families are great. You get to live at home. You get great food that you don't always have to cook. You get to practice your language. You get instructed in all kinds of cultural things. But most of all, you get to live with a different family, as a part of that family. You've never been an only child? Or You have many brothers and sisters? Your parents argued all the time? Got along Great? Single parents? Family of convience? All these you've expereinced in your own life, but now you can experience something different...or similar, but in a different culture. Anyway, without details...it's very interesting and I'm glad I got to see a different way of life. Do I want to get married? Hmmmm....Yes...

Why is it that men on the subway take up twice as much room as women? Stop Sprawling!

A great thing about Shintoism (Japan's native religion) is that you can buy a god to take home with you. I bought one this weekend to help my study. It's really just a piece of wood, with a written charm on it (what it says, you can't know, otherwise it won't work!), wrapped up all pretty in cloth and sold at shrines. There are all kinds...study, easy birth, traffic saftey, pass a test, win a race, stuff like that. Pretty cool! In Shinto belief, there is the possibility of over 8 million Gods....and everytime a god is injured or killed, the pieces become new gods. Yeah, they just keep multiplying. Anyway, the piece of wood is usually from a sacred tree (also a god), so it's like getting a piece of a god...but since every new piece becomes a new god...well, you see what I'm getting at? I've got a god hanging off of my planner. ;) It's power only lasts for one year, then you have to take it back to the shrine and get a new one. Also, there are two factions of gods in Japan...those associated with the Sun Goddess and those associated with the god of the sea. If they're associated with the same god, they're friends, opposite gods, not friends. So, you should never put a god associated with the Sun Goddess with a god associated with the Sea God, because they'll fight and bring you bad luck. Want to know which is which? Well, Hokkaido is Sun Goddess, generally, and all of Eastern Japan is too...But there's a line and Western Japan tends to be all Sea God. For sure? Ask Jason. Or read his book...when he finishes it. ;)

Okili dokili...shall I give you more? That was a lot I know, but coming down off of midterms...well, here, just a wee bit more to keep you entertained while you're procrastinating...;)

America from Japan.
We Americans do things that Japanese, and sometimes even people from the rest of the world, don't really do. Two of those things are The Middle Name Guessing Game and The Heritage Litany, as I have decided they shall be called. ;)
You know the Middle Name Guessing Game...we all play it when making new friends...you sometimes get the first initial, sometimes other hints, but most people don't like to out and out reveal it...unless they use it for their first name...like Eugene...;)...or like me, know that no one will ever guess it...Takako. It's fun and can easily take up a lot of time...we can play it for weeks on end, guessing one time everytime we see that new person. But since there are no middle names in Japanese...in fact, people here don't really even get what a middle name is...Yeah, no Middle Name Guessing Game. Besides, American Middle Names have so many fun stories...Well, it was my grandfather's mother's Madien name, but they made it masculine, and now all my male relatives have it. You know, stuff like that. What are your repsonses to the Middle Name Guessing Game? Are they fun? What about the responses you've heard? Random fun...oki doki...
The Heritage Litany. You know what I'm talking about...Well, I'm half German, a quarter Dutch, and a quarter English, but there might be some Native American in there too...Now this is peculiar to America...and possibly Canada, though I've never heard of it there. Since we're a melting pot of just about everything, we can go back and break it all down into parts of who was from where. It's fun to see what you have in common...and it tells you a lot about a person's family...for instance mine isn't very old for living in America...only 3 major parts yet. I've heard litany's that go on for at least a minute! Those people seem like they've got everything under the sun in their blood. In Japan...Yeah, no Heritage Litany here...Well, I'm Japanese...*blink, blink*...Actually, there are quite a few mixed bloods around, especially here in Hokkaido with the Ainu, (ancient inhabitants of Northern, especially Hokkaido, Japan), but it's shameful and rarely spoken about...kinda hush hush thing. You say, Well, My mother was Japanese but my father was Half-Korean, and you just lost your job, your girlfriend/boyfriend, and a few of your friends. Yeah, definately no Heritage Litany.

And that's all for today folks! You got requests? Something you're just dying to know about my life and expereinces here in Japan? No? Hey! Make something up! And email me...it's easy...click on the 'tell me' button over there....;) I know, I know, You're all too busy. Figures. ;) Hugs and love all around, until next time, boys and girls....Brush Your Teeth, Eat your Veggies, and Clean Your Plate, because even in Japan, there are starving children in Africa that are at a loss because of you...;)

GL 9:27 PM