back to the point

takeshi and i decided to get a great view of the city together. we met some ugandans up on mt. washington while we were there and rode the incline. tanoshikatta!

also, while we were there, a strech suv pulled up and out jumped the prom (takeshi was excited to see a "real prom") ^_^

blog, ya know?

i have a bad habit not sticking to routines. here is an attempt to keep my blog up-to-date.

[1.] today jam and i headed around the city to take some classy shots of the Steel City to show people in Japan. we got some beautiful ones from Mt. Washington (washington-san ^_^). i'll share my beauties with you all:


[2.] beth, tessa, and i kareoke on tuesdays in lawrenceville:

[3.] jordan has BBQs:

jordan and drew wrastle.

[4.] i am going to seiyo, ehime, shikoku, japan.

i think i'm turning japanese

so many things happened in April and i haven't been able to write about them until now. Namely, i have been accepted to JET!! i'll be leaving for japan August 2. my adventure will last for a year (at least). even though i was accepted back on april 6th, my family still doesn't know about my upcoming departure. today, though, i'll be making the trip in to ohio to tell everyone face to face.

i'm completely finished with my formal instruction in japanese and will severely miss all of my senseis, i hope that i find that i'm surrounded with people just as cool as they were once i get there. i'm still meeting with my langauge partner, takeshi, and having a wonderful time exchanging animes and insights. another note on japan: st. clair, bott, and perkins will all be there next year too! it's been too long without seeing these guys.

we've been playing pick-up soccer games with jordan and crew on wednesdays. it's a ton of fun and keeps me active - even if i am called a cherry-picker >:|. i've really lost motivation for my weekly exercise routine, so this is a nice supplement.

i bought a DS recently and am trying to figure out this game: Kakitori-kun.

vincent gallo...

in Glassjaw's Cosmopolitan Bloodloss video. (2002)

advice i liked from penelope trunk:

[... focus on finding work that has payoff on a daily basis since you can never know what will come next in your work life. Make each day one where you learn and have fun because putting that off for some maybe-payoff (like making partner at a law firm, or getting a fat paycheck) will make you feel like you’re not being true to yourself. Also, don’t be derailed by the cynicism of older generations. There is no rule that says they see the world more clearly than you do. ]

i like to keep stuff like this in mind when telling my gramma i'm quitting nursing to travel.

yay!

takeshi and i had our first meeting tonight! i received a meishi (!) and the realization that my nihongo is horrrible. will keep you all posted.

i am sick as a dog. at least was, i think i'm turning the corner today... we shall see - i thought the same yesterday. i believe its the flu: chills, fever, GI symptoms you wouldn't believe if i told you - and would scold me if i did. it all seems to add up to the flu. i've already missed 3 days of class which is unfortunate.

but there is some good that has come of this week. i've found a japanese speaking partner! i was lead to an announcement from my sensei and was the first to respond (probably the only who would have anyway, to be honest). we meet up tomorrow and will see how things go from there. his name is takeshi and he's 35, and his conversational english is much better than my japanese, so we'll see how it turns out.

more movies!

trainspotting

syriana

casino

Less Than Zero
(for those that may remember, i read the book in the fall, and i highly discourage
the watching of this movie -- it's terrible and completely rewritten)

spring break = movie watching!

here's a list of what we've watched again and some for the first time:

cape fear

memoirs of a geisha

brokeback mountain

swing kids

taxi driver

gangs of new york

yojimbo

annie hall
juno

blood diamond
rescue dawn

finsihed! [finally]

definitely worth the time it took to read.

ejercicio tiempo!

in light of spring fast approaching, i'm gaining the motivation i was lacking during the winter months.

i've decided to be more focused on a healthier-self. i'm trying to put together an exercise routine consisting of yoga, pilates, and the elliptical-trainer we have. (i also would like to lift weights like i vowed to do in the fall... but first, baby steps.) hassell and i made tentative plans to run together this spring, so that is basically what i'm conditioning myself for on the elliptical. i miss running so much and i'm glad to have a partner finally!

my interview experience:

i found this gem here. (david namisato)

last thursday i headed down to the Japanese Embassy in Washington for my interview.

overall, i feel that i did well. most questions i was asked i feel like my answer knocked the ball out of the park. there is one thing, however, that i'm not sure of what they thought; my "perfect English intonnation, rhythm, and projection skills." as i was so hyped up to providing good answers, i let down my monitor for my "umm's" and "like's" and my overall quick speech. we shall see what their opinion of everything was in the end. now to begin the waiting game.

walking in, i was greeted by some limited security. i had to present my ID and a "JET voucher" which was e-mailed to me and printed out (not very high tech). was scanned quickly by a metal detector wand and sent on my way -- "second door on the right, past the water fountain". in the waiting area there were more staff who collected my voucher permanently and tried to keep everyone in general order. there were refreshments and old photo books of previous JET's experiences laid out - the result, for me at least, was an even more solidified desire to get over there. i sat quietly and eyed my competition trying to measure, totally based off of first impression, if these people had what it takes. i was set at ease when not one, or two, but three people hurriedly came into the room and quixotically hoped to be allowed permission without bringing their all important JET vouchers.

now, is there any reason whatsoever that this piece of paper with a picture affixed can't be filled out while waiting to be called? no. but i think it is an exercise in following directions. written at the bottom of this printed out document was the stern warning: "You will not be allowed to enter the Embassy or interview if you do not have these items." so sitting there revved up about being interviewed by an important diplomat, scrutinizing my every detail, i felt a little more at ease: at least i was better off than those people.

the remainder of my competitors seemed to be a mix of anime otakus and quiet keep-to-themselves types. most were guys, of the 20 or so of us sitting there, only 3 of us were girls. and thanks to this advice, i think i was the best dressed in the room ^_^. shortly after my name was called and i was escorted back to let the games begin.

my panel (like all panels) consisted of 3 professionals, one at least of whom is Japanese. my interrogators were: one American - former JET of one year, now involved in administrative aspects of the program (i believe he is one of the application reviewers); a Japanese - principal at a Japanese high school; a Canadian - previous JET, not sure what she does now. i was assured before hand not to sweat it. "interviews are nothing more than [the company] trying to get to know more about you. treat it more like a conversation - just tell them a little about yourself..." unfortunately, it resembled a firing range of questions more than a "conversation". nonetheless, i feel that the experience went smoothly. they seemed to render me more as a nurse than a linguist which i found to be annoying, but thems the breaks i guess.

here are some of the questions i was asked:
1. why japan? why JET?
2. what is your view of the Japanese people?
3. what aspect of the English language do you expect to be the hardest for students to understand?
4. what 3 things would you pack in your suitcase to show students some culture of the US?
5. what do you plan to do in your free time in Japan?
6. what from nursing do i expect will help in my role as a teacher? (i believe the phrase "bag-of-tricks from nursing" was used) t_t
7. what is your favorite holiday? -- How would you teach that holiday to students who had limited English ability?
8. why do you want to leave nursing?
9. describe your previous teaching experience.
10. how do you think you will handle culture shock?

unfortunately, the entire interview was conducted in English, i really wanted to bust out some nihongo and wow the crowd. i shall save that bag-of-tricks for another day.

quick thoughts:

i. i want the world to know that Jioio's pizza is the best.
ii. i have 28 work days left at CHP
iii. i am finished with my 1st JET interview and will comment on it further when i have sufficient time
iv. i met up with Chen Hang today for the first time since his move to NYC
v. here are some pics from me and mei yun's day off together:

even the boys let us grab a picture

spring cleaning

i'm changing up the blog a little bit, tell me what you think!

this is the first time really manipulating code, so if you see something coded wrong, let me know! i based this off of the standard template "this-a-way rose".

Valentine's Day

happy valentine's day to all my friends in Nippon. here's a look at how they will be celebrating the day: Valentine's Day in Japan. slightly different than what Hallmark had in mind, ne?

cookies of your dreams.

these are the first vegan cookies i ever made! they are from a recipe from Em, who in turn got it from postpunkkitchen. these are fabulous and i don't like chocolate! here's the recipe, my lovelies:

3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 teaspoons almond extract

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon whole flax seeds
1/2 cup soymilk

2 cups all purp flour
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grind the flax seeds on high in a blender until they become a powder. Add soymilk and blend for another 30 seconds or so. Set aside.

In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a seperate large bowl mix together oil and sugar. Add the flax seed/soy milk mixture and mix well. Add the vanilla and almond.

Fold in the dry ingredients in batches. When it starts to get too stiff to mix with a spatula, use your hands until a nice stiff dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and coconut and mix with your hands again.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into a disc that's about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Chinese New Year!

Mei Yun invited James and I to celebrate Chinese New Year ( 春节 ). I honestly did not know what to expect but, we were greeted with a feast! it was all seafood - most of which still had eyes looking at us - and it was fabulous! i even called Chen Hang in New York to wish him a happy new year in Chinese!

we had: roasted duck, alaskan king crab, squid, another huge crab - deep fried, lobster, shrimp, clams, various sushis, fish (which no one knew the english name for), rice, singapore rice noodles, and many heinekens ^^! [i wish i got more close-ups of the preperation, everything looked great! some of the dishes weren't out yet and aren't pictured, ainiku...]

Xin nian kuai le!!

my sister on her 7th birthday

the thumbs up is my favorite part

exciting news!

i got accepted for the first wave of interviews for JET! ^_^ wish me luck. i'm about to do a world of researching of what they are looking for. the interview will take place in D.C., however, i do not know the date yet. now for the task of telling my family i've applied...