Another reminder, the Tokyo Adventure during winter break has now been added to the website.

     On another note, is anyone still reading this?  I didn't think so.

     Another weekend successfully comes to an end, or almost an end.  I plan on pulling a late-nighter, seeing as how I will not be required to be functional tomorrow at work.  Yes sir, it is 9 pm and I am STILL AWAKE and I intend to be awake for a while longer, reading, "The Ruby Knight" by David Eddings.  I'm also eating ice cream.  This flexibility can be yours too if you have an ocean between you and your parents.  What an insane life I lead.  Of course I have been absent from the struggle for determinacy with my parents for quite some time, but I am still young enough to sometimes relish the foolishness of voilating what once I would have faced chastisement for.  Perhaps this kind of targetless rebellion never gets old.

     I have just concluded watching a Japanese movie entitled Casshern.  Interesting...most interesting.  There is a certain feel in Japanese film (be it a movie or television show) that is unmistakable.  Sometimes it is toned down, and sometimes it is allowed free-reign, as was the case in Casshern.  To be honest you tend to see this style I speak of, this acid-trip on morals, mostly in serious Japanese movies (and ones that dabble in anime).
     I watched the movie with English subtitles of course, as my Japanese has not improved that greatly.  I think the premise was an anti-war theme, or maybe pro-forgiveness.  It was a little hard to follow, and not because of the language barrier.  It was such a confused movie, attempting so much, that I thought for sure it was based on an entire season of anime, and was attempting to compress it into one movie.  Such was not the case; the story was created specifically a movie medium.

     I seem to be coming across that theme lately in literature: the perpetuity of war, its fruitlessness, and fact that men dominate the features of war in all its violent aspects, whereas women and children dominate the sufferances.  You're all probably familiar with that concept.

     I think the movie was somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3 hours long, revolving around a hero who for reasons gains super-human strength.  He dons the name of an old folktale guardian angel - Casshern - and then fails to live up to those standards.  Don't ask me, I didn't write the story.  The ending concludes with his failure (possibly intertwining with a theme of war being wasteful), and some bizzarro twist that I have yet to completely comprehend as yet.  My conclusion: good movie :-)

 

     I've been reading a number of books on writing stories of late under the presumption that in the act of reading how to write, something will somehow write itself.  I know I certainly feel closer to published success every time I finish another writing self-help book - don't you?

     I've been tossing some ideas around and, with a large chunk of free time barrelling down upon me, I just might put them to computer screen, and if you pay me I just might share them with you.  Rest assured that everything I write is good, damn good.

     Writing would have to be my first and greatest love, as I do so enjoy telling a story.  Most people who know me can attest to that.  Teaching, however, is a close second.  Most teaching, when done well (and usually not for math-related class) involves stories.  History, English, Political Science, etc, why even Phys. Ed involves the occasional sports athlete legend/story.  Stories make the world go round.  I rather enjoy teaching my students but, what with the language barrier, I feel a little something lacking.  This feeling motivates me all the more to crack the Japanese language (but motivation does not an understanding make - still takes a LOT of time and work).

     Recently my 12th graders graduated and stopped coming to school, except on an individual student, need-based occasion.  I will miss them.  I've been teaching them since August and find that I have developed that annoying teacher's faith in my students: I see great potential in every one of them and know deep down that they're all destined for greatness.  Like catching fish, which is where a good deal of them will end up.  I try to curb my tendencies for excessive cheery affectionism, but it's difficult.  It perplexes me, and that's not 100 percent pure plex, that's pERplex.  To be so unwaveringly supportive of my students seems silly to me.  Not that I judge faith to be foolishness, but you see, I'm out of control.  I'm trying to give advice, say the Japanese version of "do your best", and give thumbs up all around, and the smile is really starting to hurt.  I've got to come back down to earth.  It's fine to feel it, but if you go running around with that grin and eye-twinkle, they're going to look at you like some total nutter.  And I already look like some crazy Gaijin to them.

 

     I was speaking with my supervisor recently about a favourite restaurant of mine in town, "Kitaro", and he asked if I go there often.  Indeed I did, I replied.  He then asked me who I went with.  No one.  I can't really communicate with the people in town, so I tend not to socialize with them.  He asked if I talked to my family much, and again I said no as my phone had been out of commission for some time and I had internet troubles.  He decided that, being the good BUDDIES that we were, he was free to offer his opinion.  "That's very sad."  Well he was WRONG.  You should keep sh*t like that to yourself.  Here's an English term for you: "F*ck off.  Go practice English in that corner there.  Yes, git."  Sheesh.  I mean yes, I do sit at home alone in the dark crying, but there's nothing wrong with that.  Okay, okay, so it's not Dark.  Am I lonely?  Well, I could go for some company at times, yes, but that doesn't make me not want to be here.  It's only a matter of time till I grasp Japanese language sufficiently to make my thoughts known - like THAT's going to encourage people to spend time with me - and be able to understand theirs.  It's all part of the experience, the challenge.  Learning a language is an extremely rewarding thing and, what with my laziness, the rigidity of my lifestyle here is probably what I owe the most credit to for the success I have had with Japanese.  "Thank you loneliness, thank you Yamada, Thank you thank you Sushi!"  Sorry, I don't know WHERE that came from.

     The doctor is here to give me a tranq now, so I should be go-

 

-Andrew