I think that I'm getting sick. Man, I'm not looking forward to this as I still have to come to work even if I am sick. Anyway, I just hope that it won't be too bad.
On another note, I'm supposed to go to Osaka this weekend. I got to buy my tickets right now. So I've got to go to the next city.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
PS3 came out today in Japan
Last night, there was this long report about the PS3 on the news. It looks pretty good right now. If you want to see pictures of people standing in lines and possibly the rain, you can check out the Asahi newspaper found here.
And yes, I saw the weather last night and also heard it outside my window. It rained last night and today. I'm glad that I'm crazy enough to buy one yet. I can imagine going into work sick and saying that I am sick because I stood outside in the rain for 8+ hours to get a lower version of the PS3.
Anyway, the newspaper article basically said the same things that everyone knows about already. The lower version cost 49980 yen and the higher version cost about 60000 and up. The PS2 was a big hit and the PS3 uses blu ray discs.
People must have been lining up right after school or work to try to get that. And of course, they have a picture of a gaijin with a PS3 holding it above his head. Caucasian people do stand out here. I guess there's this fascination with people different than the Japanese in Japanese society, but still, Japanese do have distinct in groups and out groups.
Anyway, I'm basically in the out group for all of my coworkers. But that's okay. I can still work 'em. heh.
One thing that I noticed on TV was this gameshow called "Deal or No Deal." They have all foreign women, about 50 of them standing with suitcases. At the beginning, the contestants choose a suitcae number. That one is put off to the side for now. Then the contestants choose different suitcases to see what they could have won if they chose that one. It goes from 1 yen to maybe 1 million yen. After each case is opened, the host calls the man upstairs and asks for an offer to offer the contestants. If low cases are opened, then they usually raise up the price. The contestants have a choice to choose to take the deal or say no deal and go on. If a high one comes out like 1million yen then usually there's a better chance that the price of the deal will go down. And so on.
If the contestants decide to go all the way, then when there is only 3 cases left, they open the last case and that's what they get. Of course there is a table prices that have already been opened, so you have a chance of getting something good or something low. The first game that I watched, the contestants decided to go all the way. They could have either won 2000 yen which is $20 or 200,000 which is about 2000 dollars. Or something like that. Anyway, they got the 2000 dollars. It all depends on the risk factor you're willing to take and what your reasonable price amount that you're willing to take also.
Anyway, I think that they will have that show in America if it's not out already. What makes the Japanese show so interesting is that the host and other people on TV say these funny things that make the audience laugh or they have little arguments with each other. Anyway, I've noticed that Japanese people do have some showmanship in them...the ones on TV. Most people though, don't. So I guess it's pretty rare to get on TV.
Anyway, there was this group of four. Two couples. One guy wanted to hold out longer, because they were only at 200,000 yen. So they did rock paper scissors and the guy who wanted to hold out longer won. So they got more money later on because they accepted a deal. I think that each of them got 10,000 dollars approximately. But if they stayed to the end, then they would have gotten 20,000 each. I guess 10,000 is a good chunk of money.
Anyway I've seen people only get $30 on that show when they could have gotten $2000. So I'd take the deal if I were given a good amount of money. It'd suck to get 1 yen.
Last night, there was this long report about the PS3 on the news. It looks pretty good right now. If you want to see pictures of people standing in lines and possibly the rain, you can check out the Asahi newspaper found here.
And yes, I saw the weather last night and also heard it outside my window. It rained last night and today. I'm glad that I'm crazy enough to buy one yet. I can imagine going into work sick and saying that I am sick because I stood outside in the rain for 8+ hours to get a lower version of the PS3.
Anyway, the newspaper article basically said the same things that everyone knows about already. The lower version cost 49980 yen and the higher version cost about 60000 and up. The PS2 was a big hit and the PS3 uses blu ray discs.
People must have been lining up right after school or work to try to get that. And of course, they have a picture of a gaijin with a PS3 holding it above his head. Caucasian people do stand out here. I guess there's this fascination with people different than the Japanese in Japanese society, but still, Japanese do have distinct in groups and out groups.
Anyway, I'm basically in the out group for all of my coworkers. But that's okay. I can still work 'em. heh.
One thing that I noticed on TV was this gameshow called "Deal or No Deal." They have all foreign women, about 50 of them standing with suitcases. At the beginning, the contestants choose a suitcae number. That one is put off to the side for now. Then the contestants choose different suitcases to see what they could have won if they chose that one. It goes from 1 yen to maybe 1 million yen. After each case is opened, the host calls the man upstairs and asks for an offer to offer the contestants. If low cases are opened, then they usually raise up the price. The contestants have a choice to choose to take the deal or say no deal and go on. If a high one comes out like 1million yen then usually there's a better chance that the price of the deal will go down. And so on.
If the contestants decide to go all the way, then when there is only 3 cases left, they open the last case and that's what they get. Of course there is a table prices that have already been opened, so you have a chance of getting something good or something low. The first game that I watched, the contestants decided to go all the way. They could have either won 2000 yen which is $20 or 200,000 which is about 2000 dollars. Or something like that. Anyway, they got the 2000 dollars. It all depends on the risk factor you're willing to take and what your reasonable price amount that you're willing to take also.
Anyway, I think that they will have that show in America if it's not out already. What makes the Japanese show so interesting is that the host and other people on TV say these funny things that make the audience laugh or they have little arguments with each other. Anyway, I've noticed that Japanese people do have some showmanship in them...the ones on TV. Most people though, don't. So I guess it's pretty rare to get on TV.
Anyway, there was this group of four. Two couples. One guy wanted to hold out longer, because they were only at 200,000 yen. So they did rock paper scissors and the guy who wanted to hold out longer won. So they got more money later on because they accepted a deal. I think that each of them got 10,000 dollars approximately. But if they stayed to the end, then they would have gotten 20,000 each. I guess 10,000 is a good chunk of money.
Anyway I've seen people only get $30 on that show when they could have gotten $2000. So I'd take the deal if I were given a good amount of money. It'd suck to get 1 yen.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Why is it that I'm feeling so alone nowadays. I think that I need to rest. Then I'll be able to converse with others at school.
Anyway, I don't know why the heck I'm here in Japan. I've said it over and over again. No matter what reasoning I can come up with, I still don't know if this is what God wants for me. And I can't pray right now, or else I'll fall asleep.
Today I was falling asleep in my chair at work. I fell asleep with the light on last night. I wanted to work on some things, but decided to take a nap and that was a mistake. I woke up tired the next day. Alarms don't seem to wake me up when I need sleep. I'm wondering if I should call in sick tomorrow. Nah...
One guy who I met last week at training told me that it's tough when the kids call you names. But he told me that he thinks that I don't have one bad bone in my body. heh. I don't think that's true for anybody. But I must say that I do give that impression. heh, I remember one of my principals in Elementary school was this guy named Mr. Ficken. One of my friends told me that this girl who we both knew went up to him and sang farajaqkah (I don't know how to spell that) using his name Mr. Ficken except the i was turned into a u. My friend told me that the principal's face turned bright red and he said, "Kary, get to class!" i guess I'm not the only one who has experiences like that.
Today a kid called me "Megane sensei." It was a little girl. heh. Then she said bye bye! What a cute girl. I don't think that it changes much when the kids turn into adults. They say things to rile you up a little bit, but I don't think that they mean too much harm by it. I think that they do things to have fun with you. Still, the adults are way more mature than the kids are. But not all the adults are mature. I think that it just depends on the person. You can't judge people by how other people are. Everyone is different, so everyone will have different personalities. Just because someone's an adult, no matter where they're from, doesn't mean that they'll act like one. But still, don't get me wrong. The teachers at the schools are great. But it's just that they sometimes say my name sometimes and I wonder if they're talking crap about me. I let it go and don't worry about it all that much. If they were mean to my face, then it'd be a different story. But since I don't know what they're talking about because of my poor Japanese, I can't complain. They might be telling an anecdote or they might be talking about something else. Who knows. Anyway, I'm thinking that I should come home after March. Japan is a nice place, but I don't think that it's for me.
All the things that I've learned before have been preparing me for this. Preparing me for my life in Japan. I can't worry about what others think about me. My last job prepared me for this job in that I learned not to get angry at what others said about me. Everyone thought that I was gay at work for some reason. Not sure why. But rumors fly around especially in a male dominated homophobic place like my old company. But still, the people there at my old workplace liked me. So I guess I learned to deal with it and to make a difference in my relationships with the others.
Anyway, I feel like I stopped caring. Maybe I'm burning out. But I think that I know the real reason. I need to take better care of myself. Maybe that's what this job here in Japan is why I'm here. Take care of myself and learn how to depend on God throughout all these times. My whole life, looking back, I can see why I turned out a certain way. I can see why I am who I am now. I didn't realize that some things that happened back then would shape who I am today, but they were steps in making me who I am now. I have a responsibility to make sure that I don't keep the knowledge that I've learned to myself. Meaning, that I need to go and share goodness with others. Maybe that's why I'm in Japan. Maybe I need to care for the people here who have no God other than the idols on TV or radio. Maybe I need to take better care of myself so that others will know that there is a God out there who cares for them. I can't say how hard it is to tell others about Christ here, but St. Francis of Assisi had it right. "Preach the gospel 100% of the time...if necessary use words."
Teaching is one part of showing that I care. I guess i need to work on that too. But loving the people is just as important. I feel that the people will not listen to me if I teach crappy lessons. So I guess I need to prepare better when the time comes.
Anyway, I don't know why the heck I'm here in Japan. I've said it over and over again. No matter what reasoning I can come up with, I still don't know if this is what God wants for me. And I can't pray right now, or else I'll fall asleep.
Today I was falling asleep in my chair at work. I fell asleep with the light on last night. I wanted to work on some things, but decided to take a nap and that was a mistake. I woke up tired the next day. Alarms don't seem to wake me up when I need sleep. I'm wondering if I should call in sick tomorrow. Nah...
One guy who I met last week at training told me that it's tough when the kids call you names. But he told me that he thinks that I don't have one bad bone in my body. heh. I don't think that's true for anybody. But I must say that I do give that impression. heh, I remember one of my principals in Elementary school was this guy named Mr. Ficken. One of my friends told me that this girl who we both knew went up to him and sang farajaqkah (I don't know how to spell that) using his name Mr. Ficken except the i was turned into a u. My friend told me that the principal's face turned bright red and he said, "Kary, get to class!" i guess I'm not the only one who has experiences like that.
Today a kid called me "Megane sensei." It was a little girl. heh. Then she said bye bye! What a cute girl. I don't think that it changes much when the kids turn into adults. They say things to rile you up a little bit, but I don't think that they mean too much harm by it. I think that they do things to have fun with you. Still, the adults are way more mature than the kids are. But not all the adults are mature. I think that it just depends on the person. You can't judge people by how other people are. Everyone is different, so everyone will have different personalities. Just because someone's an adult, no matter where they're from, doesn't mean that they'll act like one. But still, don't get me wrong. The teachers at the schools are great. But it's just that they sometimes say my name sometimes and I wonder if they're talking crap about me. I let it go and don't worry about it all that much. If they were mean to my face, then it'd be a different story. But since I don't know what they're talking about because of my poor Japanese, I can't complain. They might be telling an anecdote or they might be talking about something else. Who knows. Anyway, I'm thinking that I should come home after March. Japan is a nice place, but I don't think that it's for me.
All the things that I've learned before have been preparing me for this. Preparing me for my life in Japan. I can't worry about what others think about me. My last job prepared me for this job in that I learned not to get angry at what others said about me. Everyone thought that I was gay at work for some reason. Not sure why. But rumors fly around especially in a male dominated homophobic place like my old company. But still, the people there at my old workplace liked me. So I guess I learned to deal with it and to make a difference in my relationships with the others.
Anyway, I feel like I stopped caring. Maybe I'm burning out. But I think that I know the real reason. I need to take better care of myself. Maybe that's what this job here in Japan is why I'm here. Take care of myself and learn how to depend on God throughout all these times. My whole life, looking back, I can see why I turned out a certain way. I can see why I am who I am now. I didn't realize that some things that happened back then would shape who I am today, but they were steps in making me who I am now. I have a responsibility to make sure that I don't keep the knowledge that I've learned to myself. Meaning, that I need to go and share goodness with others. Maybe that's why I'm in Japan. Maybe I need to care for the people here who have no God other than the idols on TV or radio. Maybe I need to take better care of myself so that others will know that there is a God out there who cares for them. I can't say how hard it is to tell others about Christ here, but St. Francis of Assisi had it right. "Preach the gospel 100% of the time...if necessary use words."
Teaching is one part of showing that I care. I guess i need to work on that too. But loving the people is just as important. I feel that the people will not listen to me if I teach crappy lessons. So I guess I need to prepare better when the time comes.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
An article about Sony's PS3.
You can find it here on gamespot. Apparently there's going to be 20,000 kids who won't be happy on launch date for the PS3. Anyway, really, why the heck are people trying to get this right when it comes out? It's expensive...and with the 60 gig version in Japan with no limit set on how much it will be, it really is pretty crazy how much people want this machine. Reminds me of the XBOX 360 launch.
Anyway, I read off of gamespot that the PS3 games will be region free. But the region codes for the Blu-ray movies will be I think North America, maybe South America, and Asia (excluding China.) If so then, I will probably wait until I go back home to get a Japanese ps3. Anyway, I don't know if the ps3 will be able to play other region games for the ps2 and psone, but I'm doubting it. So I'm going to buy a Japanese PS2 before I leave Japan.
Anyway, I just wasted so much time today when I got back. I really should use my time wisely. Anyway, got to get going.
You can find it here on gamespot. Apparently there's going to be 20,000 kids who won't be happy on launch date for the PS3. Anyway, really, why the heck are people trying to get this right when it comes out? It's expensive...and with the 60 gig version in Japan with no limit set on how much it will be, it really is pretty crazy how much people want this machine. Reminds me of the XBOX 360 launch.
Anyway, I read off of gamespot that the PS3 games will be region free. But the region codes for the Blu-ray movies will be I think North America, maybe South America, and Asia (excluding China.) If so then, I will probably wait until I go back home to get a Japanese ps3. Anyway, I don't know if the ps3 will be able to play other region games for the ps2 and psone, but I'm doubting it. So I'm going to buy a Japanese PS2 before I leave Japan.
Anyway, I just wasted so much time today when I got back. I really should use my time wisely. Anyway, got to get going.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
I know that I'm not perfect. I know that I will make mistakes. I know that no matter how well something goes, there's always the chance that I could do something wrong. I can't worry about that though. I keep telling myself that I need to move forward and not worry about the roadblocks. That's the thing about a roadblock. Either they slow you down or they stop you from moving forward. I guess that's the thing. I need to keep moving forward even though I'm being slowed down by my mistakes.
I don't know what the heck I'm doing here in Japan. I don't know if I want to stay here for another year if I get offered another year. But what I do know is that I need to spend more time writing things out and praying. Writing on a blog is one thing, but the whole world can see my thoughts and I don't have the patience to slow down when I'm typing. Thinking about things, there's some things that I'd rather keep to myself and God. But definitely I need to make time for that.
Anyway...got to get going
Anyway, right now there is a lot of wind blowing outside. I'm hoping that my bike stays in the same place. Otherwise, I might not be able to ride to work tomorrow. heh.
I don't know what the heck I'm doing here in Japan. I don't know if I want to stay here for another year if I get offered another year. But what I do know is that I need to spend more time writing things out and praying. Writing on a blog is one thing, but the whole world can see my thoughts and I don't have the patience to slow down when I'm typing. Thinking about things, there's some things that I'd rather keep to myself and God. But definitely I need to make time for that.
Anyway...got to get going
Anyway, right now there is a lot of wind blowing outside. I'm hoping that my bike stays in the same place. Otherwise, I might not be able to ride to work tomorrow. heh.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Hmm...I think that I should stop the video game madness. I've been buying way too many. I'm wondering if I should start a business selling Japanese games to other places in the world. But then again, i'll only be here for 5 more months and teaching is more important right now. I got an anket back from two of the schools. I got a average of 3 and an average of 2 from those schools. It is out of 5. So with my limited teaching experience I'm lucky that I didn't get a one. otherwise my trainer told me that I would definitely have been visited.
Anyway, if I do get offered to stay here longer, I don't know what i'll be doing. Teaching is a lot like being a student, only you have the responsibility to teach. One thing that we're supposed to do is make learning fun. when they reach Jr. High school, they'll be stressed out to the max. It is a definite hard time starting from there for Japanese kids. Some even commit suicide. There's so much pressure to do well in Japan. There is also a high level to attain in knowledge too. These kids are smart, but that's true for all kids everywhere. Everyone has the ability to become something greater than they are now. It's just easier when you're a kid. And the motivation to do that is not always there. But luckily that's where teachers come in. heh. Also parents too. Anyway,
My job is not an easy job. Well, compared to some jobs, it's way easy, but man, I'm finding that people scare me. I am intimidated by people. Kids too. The reason being that you'll never know what someone will do. I guess for me, i'll have to learn how to deal with this. I've been dealing with it, but I probably will never feel comfortable reaching out to people. Maybe that's true for a lot of people. But still, reaching out is something that can be rejected and cause for evaluating oneself negatively. play it safe and you'll never experience life. But you've got to know when to fold 'em and know when to run. Ie being smart.
Anyway, I've experienced more fun here in Japan than I have in the past year. The kids are great. But still, it has been a bitter experience in how I cannot seem to meet the expectations of the people here. But still, I can't help but wonder if God wants me somewhere else. Anyway, I know that I should be praying about that. I didn't pray too hard about Japan. But I'm seeing that I need to be praying. The greater good...I'm only a soldier. I'm not important, yet God considers everyone, including me important. We're important, yet we're not important because anybody could take our place. I know that no one can take the place of another person, but I find that if there's nobody there, then who will go? I have to take the great commission seriously. Man, the great commission. I'm not sure what to do. yeah, I know...
Anyway, if I do get offered to stay here longer, I don't know what i'll be doing. Teaching is a lot like being a student, only you have the responsibility to teach. One thing that we're supposed to do is make learning fun. when they reach Jr. High school, they'll be stressed out to the max. It is a definite hard time starting from there for Japanese kids. Some even commit suicide. There's so much pressure to do well in Japan. There is also a high level to attain in knowledge too. These kids are smart, but that's true for all kids everywhere. Everyone has the ability to become something greater than they are now. It's just easier when you're a kid. And the motivation to do that is not always there. But luckily that's where teachers come in. heh. Also parents too. Anyway,
My job is not an easy job. Well, compared to some jobs, it's way easy, but man, I'm finding that people scare me. I am intimidated by people. Kids too. The reason being that you'll never know what someone will do. I guess for me, i'll have to learn how to deal with this. I've been dealing with it, but I probably will never feel comfortable reaching out to people. Maybe that's true for a lot of people. But still, reaching out is something that can be rejected and cause for evaluating oneself negatively. play it safe and you'll never experience life. But you've got to know when to fold 'em and know when to run. Ie being smart.
Anyway, I've experienced more fun here in Japan than I have in the past year. The kids are great. But still, it has been a bitter experience in how I cannot seem to meet the expectations of the people here. But still, I can't help but wonder if God wants me somewhere else. Anyway, I know that I should be praying about that. I didn't pray too hard about Japan. But I'm seeing that I need to be praying. The greater good...I'm only a soldier. I'm not important, yet God considers everyone, including me important. We're important, yet we're not important because anybody could take our place. I know that no one can take the place of another person, but I find that if there's nobody there, then who will go? I have to take the great commission seriously. Man, the great commission. I'm not sure what to do. yeah, I know...
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