Currently Listening Kimi to Iu Hana By Asian Kung-Fu Generation Kimi to Iu Hana (Flower Called You) see related

update...

so it's Christmas eve, and it feels weird that I'm just sitting around eating ice cream.  although I guess that fact that I have had nothing to build up to this night (decorating, shopping, etc.) makes it feel like it's not really Christmas.  but that fact that I know it is and I'm missing is kind of a downer.

tomarrow though I'm having lunch with this Irish guy named Damien who comes to my school on Fridays to teach English.  he said I deserved a break from the Japanese for Christmas and invited me to his apartment along with two other American teachers living in the area for a Christmas meal.  after that, my host family is having some people over for dinner, which is really nice of them because I know they are just having a "Christmas party" to try and make me feel at home.  Christmas isn't really celebrated here, and only really gets recognition because it is western, which automatically equals cool.  it more or less it just a big marketing ploy.  although I guess you could make the same complaint about Christmas in America, there is at least some element of a "holiday spirit" there.  there are people here that believe by putting up their lights, pre-ordering KFC dinners weeks in advance (which for some reason the Japanese think is traditional Christmas dinner), and eating "Christmas cake" they are getting at the real meaning of Christmas, but it usually falls a little short.  but (although it sounds kind of lame), I think my host family, by doing all that they have for me, unknowingly are embodying the holiday spirit perfectly.  I really can't thank them enough.

yesterday there was an AFS Christmas party down in this town named Obu.  I thought it would be just a couple of the kids in the Toyota area, but it was actually well over 100 people (including consolers and Japanese kids who have been AFS exchange students).  it turned out to be a really good time, and it was good to see some people that I met back in august, but haven't seen since then.  after the party, about 20 exchange students with a couple other Japanese kids went to karaoke, which was also a good time.  I am a horrendous singer, but after going a couple times I realized that the only way to look stupider than trying to sing is by just sitting their being self-conscious about yourself.  I've grown to like karaoke alot.  after that, most people left but myself, Justin (from Pennsylvania), David (Chile), and Howie (Malaysia) went and walked around Nagoya station.  I've gotten to know the three of them pretty well because they all live right near me and we all go out once in a while.

going back a little further, I went to Kyoto about a week ago which turned out to be just as amazing as I expected it to be.  I've found I sometimes have expectations that are way to high for various things, and often get let down, but luckily that didn't happen with Kyoto.  I'll post some pictures soon.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas.

edit:  i forgot to mention i got accepted at DePaul.  it feels really good to hear that I'm in somewhere.  the big one i'm waiting to hear on is U of I at Urbana though, because that would be one of the more difficult places for me to get into.  U of I and DePaul are tied at the top of the places I'd like to go.  U of I is overall a better school, but DePaul is located right in the middle of the city.  i have trouble concieving how amazing that would be to go to school right in the middle of Chicago.

in case you were wondering, that is new murder by death playing.

<3

even if you disapprove of streaming music on xanga, i still suggest you give it a listen.

Currently Listening The Disco Before the Breakdown By Against Me! Tonight We're Gonna Give It 35% see related

finally, the Japanese proficiency test is over.  I signed up for it the day I got here, and its been on the back of my mind ever since.  and despite my lack of studying, I think I did pretty well.  my neglect to study was half due to laziness and half do to my want to see what I could learn on my own from just being immersed in every day life.  fortunately the latter has done me very well.

last week I went with my host dad and saw a Japanese "variety" show in Nagoya.  it was the strangest, most amazing thing ive ever seen.  it consisted of five acts.  the first was a traditional play tweaked a bit into a comedy of sorts.  the second act was an enka performance.  enka is Japanese popular music mixed with a traditional song structure that was made popular in the 50`s and 60`s.  its actually pretty catchy stuff.  it kind of reminded me of lounge music.  anyway, after that there was a speech from this actor.  then fourth my host dad and I missed because we went and ate some mediocre ramen.  luckily, though, we returned for the fifth and final act which was something I believe you could only see in Japan.  it was several interpretive dances which consisted of some of the most insane dancing and costumes i've ever seen.  the finale sums it up the best.  at one point there was a group of women in full body neon spandex suits, a group of men dressed in these furry pants and wearing makeup to make them look like women, two fat guys in chicken costumes, a guy in this extravagant traditional kimono, a talking robotic bird, and a giant robotic dinosaur with glowing red eyes and smoke billowing out of its mouth.  and they were all dancing.  I was so confused, but I loved it.  I wish I had pictures, because only seeing it in person will give you a full grasp of what went on.

and now im going to go to bed.  i'm especially tired today because I had to wake up early for the test after going to bed really late because I was watching E.R.  several different seasons of E.R., Oz, and curb your enthusiasm (which I wish I would have checked out sooner, because while its no seinfeld, it is really fucking funny) have all worked their way into my weekly schedule.

i never thought this day would come.  rest in peace my old friend.

Pat Morita

1932-2005

Currently Listening War All the Time By Thursday Marches And Maneuvers see related

at long last, an update!

I've uploaded pictures from my school trip to Nagasaki onto photobucket, so I can finally post some here.  mypicgallery can burn in hell.

at the hotel

eating a strange japanese snack, preen.

Hois Ten Bosch, the recreation Dutch village.  I have no idea why such a thing was created.  it was still pretty interesting though.

all ready for Christmas, even though its not celebrated here.

Kofukuji Temple

I just noticed that there is a hand behind the pillar, and I have no idea whose it is.

Some random girls I met that wanted a picture with me (what can I say, I've just got that foreign charm)

Chinatown

And finally, a picture of Sakita aka the Griff Waterman of Japan.

and that was my trip.

today was nice because we didn't have school.  I believe this was because of labor thanksgiving day.  anyway, I went and saw a traditional kyogen play with my host dad at the library.  although I couldn't understand the story, kyogen is a comedy, so there the characters actions were very amusing.  this is the second time I've seen kyogen, the first being just last week when I went with my teacher and saw kyogen performed along noh at the noh theater in Nagoya.  the costumes and dancing in noh are extremely interesting, except because I couldn't understand the story, and its not a comedy, some of it kind of dragged.  this past week I also went to an onsen for a second time up in the mountains of nagano prefecture.  needless to say, it was fantastic.  that's all for now.