Being kids at Round 1!!!

What happens on a free weekend...

When we get a free weekend all together (which is rather rare with the play practices all the time and/or school events) what do we do??? We gather to watch HARRY POTTER: Goblet of Fire at the movie theater (in English w/ Japanese Subtitles) AND go to Round 1. Round 1 is this HUGE 6 floor Sports Entertainment center where you pay 1600 YEN for 3 hours of all-you-can-have FUN. They have everything...fishing, roller skating, shooting, arcades, archery, tons of sport cages and courts, pool, bull riding, bowling, ball rooms meant for kids but we enjoy as well! I've been twice already and plan on going back soon (I even got a membership card!)

Speech Contest

2005 Niigata City JHS Speech Contest

I worked with 5 students in all from my 3 different school for this speech contest. I really didn't expect to go until my teachers asked me last min. (which seems to happen ALL the time here!) Anyways, I worked with one girl from Kamiyama for about a month beforehand and then 3 boys of one girl from my other schools only once. The contest was split into two rooms...so since I went with my base school I got to see 3 of my students speak. My Kamiyama girl (top row, 4th from the left) and two egotistical - Ikarashi boys (top row, 7th & 8th from the left) are pictured above. :)

FUJI - san

Taken again by my friend Beth on her Board of Education Trip to Fuji -san last weekend.

Amazing to think we were at the top of that!

Sugoi!!!

Shout Out!!!

I want to give a shout-out to Grace (The kitty in the middle) and her blog:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/etheriel3/

Check it out!!!!

(Thanks Beth for more fun yummy pics from Tokyo.....now you can see our tails!)

PS. I HAVE CABLE! Yes, many channels IN EIGO and NIHONGO!!!

I'm still in shock, lots of fun music channels...so you know me Ladies & Gents, I'll be up-to-date with all the new Japanese songs/pop groups. Plus, I have movie channels and news all in English..none of that 15 min. bilingual stuff I've been dealing with for the last 4 months. Next time y'all are over for a weekend we'll lounge around like last Sunday and do nothing but watch English programs...hehe

Beauty of Niigata-ken

These photos are taken here in Niigata-shi from West Coast Park (one of my favorite places to go in the city)

These photos were taken by my friend Beth on top of Mt. Yahiko. On one side you see all the rice fields of Niigata-ken and on the other you see the coast and Sea of Japan. I love it!!!

Sense of nani???

I've been told the Japanese have a true sense of beauty since you can find so many breath-taking scenes all over, but they also have no sense of ugliness since you'll find those lovely shrines with insurance companies attached to the side.

This Tokyo Tower pic reminded of that quote, hehe

3rd Play Practice!

Pam and Deccy crashing on the way over to Sado.


















The Sado Ferry on the way back, everyone rushes in to grab spots to lay down on the carpeted floors. The whole ride in all takes 2 1/2 hours!














Beginning practice on Saturday morning, lovely sunny day!














Show and Tell: The Elephant's dance














The view at sunset from our Community Center.

The 3rd Play Practice for "The Jungle Tale" - a remake of The Jungle Book was held on Sado November 12th and 13th. Most of us wanted to take the Friday night ferry over, but due to some UN-forseen difficulties many of us took the 6am Saturday ferry - which was actually pretty nice. We got to pull up to Sado at sun rise and see the mountains. We all crashed at a local Community Center, which was just adorable by the way. Even though practice was long and tedious, we got lots done and made some FIERCE Veg./Ck. curry Saturday night as well....yummy! Our next practice is this coming weekend in Murakami. Wolves are going earlier since we need to perfect our "Thriller" dance. We'll also be having a Thanksgiving dinner all together, with turkey and everything - how 'bout that? I'm attempting to make "Candied Yams," so....we'll see how that turns out! :)

HANA YORI DANGO

Hana Yori Dango = Boys over Flowers

http://z11.zupload.com/download.php?file=getfile&filepath=5712 <----- data-blogger-escaped-a="" data-blogger-escaped-href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2134/1595/1600/et8ugl.jpg" data-blogger-escaped-see="">

http://z18.zupload.com/download.php?file=getfile&filepath=10484
http://www.tbs.co.jp/hanayoridango/pnews5.html
To watch the characters of HYD OUT of character, click here!

MY CURRENT FAVORITE JAPN. SONG: Ai Otsuka - Planetarium

HYD Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/hanayoridango/

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!

Love ya!!!!

This is for you Grace...

Name: 小栗旬
Oguri Shun

Profession: Actor
Date of Birth: December 26th, 1982
Birthplace: Tokyo
Height: 182cm
Weight: 70kg
Star Sign: Capricorn
Blook Type: O

********
This is for you Grace, Enjoy! Oguri Shun plays Hanazawa Rui on Hana Yori Dango....Basically he's Grace's man while Jun is mine. (Though I do admit he's pretty kawaii in these photos) :)We'll give Beth one of the other less important F4s. You do know I'm gonna have to post more of Tsukasa now to make up for this Rui stuff :P
********

Comment from Grace:

"gracie さんのコメント...
*heart palpitations*I LOVE YOU JO!!!!!!!He is too hot...I can't handle it...*faint*
Tuesday, 22 November, 2005"

My Japanese Pop-Star Crush

Masumoto Jun

松本潤

JPop Group: Arashi (Sings "WISH" for Hana Yori Dango)
Age: 22
Birthday: 30 August 1983
Star Sign: VirgoBlood Type: AHeight: 173 cmWeight: 53 kg

"What greater gift than the love of a cat?" - Charles Dickens

Mallie

(short for Malibu)
Nov. 2001 - Nov. 2005

You always got your nails snagged, but you were the softest kitty I ever knew.

You will be missed dearly!

-*- A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not. - Ernest Hemingway

-*- If animals could speak the dog would be a a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much. - Mark Twain

-*- The smallest feline is a masterpiece. - Leonardo da Vinci

-*- Cats can be very funny, and have the oddest ways of showing they're glad to see you. Rudimac always peed in our shoes. - W. H. Auden

Japanese Favorites!

My Favorite Japanese song(s) @ the moment:

-"Be my last" By Utada Hikaru
-"Pop Star" By Chemisty

My Favorite Japanese TV show(s) @ the moment:

-Hana Yori Dango "Boys over Flowers" (Ch. 5 TBS Fridays @10pm)

"Tsukushi is a new student at Eitoku Gakuen - an exclusive school attended by rich families' children. Being poor, she is always bullied and sabotaged by her schoolmates. Things become worse when she crosses the path of F4 (a group comprises of the 4 richest guys). And along the way, she makes friend with Rui, a person who has helped her often, and falls in love with him. Shortly after, her head rival, Tsukasa, also reveals that he likes her. This turn-around situation puts Tsukushi in a very difficult position as she doesn't know what to do."

***This show is based on a famous Manga (comic book) here in Japan (like most Japanese shows are), the episodes are actually quite enjoyable. Even though I don't understand much of the Japanese, it's fun to watch with friends and make up our own story lines.

Plus, Jun Matsumoto is in it...Kawaii (Cute!) - He was also in another favorite show on mine: Gokusen!

-Koi Suru Hanikami "Honey Coming" (Ch. 5 TBS Fridays @11pm)

A Japanese dating show, they have two couples meet for the frist time and for the next 24 hours they're to look like a couple in every way. Of course, they're to do cute date stuff...but since the Japanese are so bashful when it comes to PDA - it's reather hilarious and adoable at the same time to watch. But they do set up some AMAZING dates!

-Gokusen (Season 2 finished) http://www.ntv.co.jp/gokusen/

Yamaguchi Kumiko, age 23 and fresh out of college, obtains her first teaching position as a math teacher in Shiroken High School. The school itself has a pretty bad reputation, and to make it worse, Kumiko gets saddled with the most ill-mannered students in the school – class 2-D (3-D in the drama). Slowly, she earns their respect as she helps them with their problems and proves that she really cares for them time and time again. However, Kumiko is harboring a secret: she is from a yakuza (Japanese mafia) family and is heiress to the Ooedo Clan. If anyone were to find out, her dream of being a teacher would be over!

Grocery Treat of the Week

(Top) It's a famous fruit here in Japan called KAKI (if you were to translate it into English, it's be a Persimmon....yeah, I'm not sure what that is either) So - KAKI (kaa-key) it is! It looks like a mixture between a orange and tomato, but you peel it like an apple and the inside looks just like an apple as well (just a little orange
y). It also has no seeds and is kind of sweet. It's not bad, just very interesting since it's SO famous here (you see it everywhere at the grocery stores) and I've never seen/heard/tasted it until today! :) P.s...Ignore my fingernails....i still have one my Halloween Stickers.

(Middle) Lemon Water - my new favorite drink from the Conbini (what we call the MANY convenience stores here). It's just water with a little Lemon, quite tasty! Plus, it's sort of in English...YEAH!

(Last) I think one of the most PRIZED items here in Japan for Gaijins (Aliens to Japan - like me) is CHEESE, eps. this one with CHEDDAR! OMG....cheese is SO impossible to find here(ESP. CHEDDAR), so when they started selling this at the local Shimzu (my grocery store) I buy them out!!! :) There tiny, only about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide and very slim and they cost about 130YEN per package, but I LOVE IT. It's so good!!! When my friends from the country come to the city on the wknds to visit...they freak when they see it and buy tons before going back home. Lucky me living in the city!