Showing posts with label Hobby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hobby. Show all posts
6/27/2010
5/11/2009
Summer heat...
...in May. Yes, it's a balmy 30 degrees in Fukuoka today, far too warm for my liking. At least the breeze is cooling.
So news. I've been incredibly busy over the last few weeks. Pretty much since the new school year started. Part of this is because my classes are clumped together on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, leaving me with little time during those days to plan. As well, despite being in my 3rd year, I find that every year I still have to make new lessons. Probably this is because most of my lessons suck. But a part of it is because a lot of the classes have changed in terms of curriculum.
Here's an example. My English Expressions class, last year taught solely from the textbook, is now being taught via movies. I'm not personally all too happy with the way it's being taught now; as it stands, we only show parts of the movie, and so for the students the experience is rather disjointed. I'm hoping to use smaller elements (the WKUK "Sniper Business" skit, for example) so that the stories are self-contained, but we'll see how that pans out.
In other news: After much scrambling, I've got a weekly gaming group! A long sought after goal, myself and three other JETs are currently workout through the Scales of War Adventure Path offered by D&D Insider. A total blast. I'm actually saddened that we're skipping a week. It's odd how some skills, like being an effective DM, actually start to rust without use. But I'm getting back into the hang of things.
I guess that's more or less it. I'm just here enjoying a semi-day off. I have some work, but it's not too pressing...
So news. I've been incredibly busy over the last few weeks. Pretty much since the new school year started. Part of this is because my classes are clumped together on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, leaving me with little time during those days to plan. As well, despite being in my 3rd year, I find that every year I still have to make new lessons. Probably this is because most of my lessons suck. But a part of it is because a lot of the classes have changed in terms of curriculum.
Here's an example. My English Expressions class, last year taught solely from the textbook, is now being taught via movies. I'm not personally all too happy with the way it's being taught now; as it stands, we only show parts of the movie, and so for the students the experience is rather disjointed. I'm hoping to use smaller elements (the WKUK "Sniper Business" skit, for example) so that the stories are self-contained, but we'll see how that pans out.
In other news: After much scrambling, I've got a weekly gaming group! A long sought after goal, myself and three other JETs are currently workout through the Scales of War Adventure Path offered by D&D Insider. A total blast. I'm actually saddened that we're skipping a week. It's odd how some skills, like being an effective DM, actually start to rust without use. But I'm getting back into the hang of things.
I guess that's more or less it. I'm just here enjoying a semi-day off. I have some work, but it's not too pressing...
3/26/2009
Cat Shit One
A little bit of background. Cat Shit One, released in the US as Apocalypse Meow, is a manga about a American recon (LRRP?) unit in Vietnam. The manga, which I've only seen the odd page here and there, provided the odd mix of gritty historical action and cute animals. In the manga, various animal species represented various ethnicities. Rabbits were Americans, cats Vietnamese, panda Chinese etc.
The animated feature looks like it'll be set in modern day. From what I've been able to read from the opening text sequence, the members of Cat Shit One are PMC Contractors.
Cool story bro.!
3/10/2009
11/16/2008
Tennis Circle: The Gasshuku
During the first two years of my JET life in Japan, there were oft-talked about plans to travel to Mt. Aso. Yet somehow these plans never materialized. In my dim recollections from earlier childhood travels, I recalled a barren landscape, full of noxious smelling gas, which at the time served only to aggravate my asthma. (In retrospect, I have high suspicions that this was merely a result of my poor physical fitness. I was after all a lazy lad).
Thus this year, and specifically these last 6 months, it is amusing to me that I have visited this region no less than 3 times.
The morning was gray, and threatened to rain; bad news for people who were to play tennis later. Despite the morning chill, by the time we reached the Fukuma City Hall parking lot it had warmed considerably to a balmy 19 degrees C. I was definitely feeling over-dressed in my boots, vest, and wind-breaker jacket.
We were to travel south in a 3-vehicle convoy. All had navigation equipped, and each car had someone in charge, with a folder containing maps, contact information, schedule, and an envelope with gas/toll money. This was no last-minute jaunt out to the wilds, but a carefully orchestrated operation.
The drive out to the Aso region was enjoyable, but as the sole male passenger in the car, I was soon lost by conversation of the latest happenings in J-Dramaland. Lunch was at a yakiniku restaurant called Aka-Ushi (Red Cow), and at the associated gift shop I purchased a box of Aso-Jersey Milk Caramels. While the lunch was forgettable, the view was breath-taking. Despite living in and around mountains in Fukutsu City, there is something entirely different about the mountains that surround the Aso farming region. The mountains form a ring, and each is inspiring and beautiful. I felt somehow more alive for seeing them.
Soon we arrived at our tennis grounds. In mountain-country it was definitely chillier, and the rain that had threatened us earlier started to fall. Despite this, our mini-tournament would not be postponed, so we gathered our gear and headed to the courts. After a quick warm-up, teams were decided and off we went. The results of my not having practiced for the last 6 weeks were quickly evidenced, and out of 6 teams, we placed last. The tournament is more for fun, but the rain, which alternated from a light sprinkle to a shower, kept me distracted. Prizes were awarded, and though we had an hour left on the courts, we decided to pack up and head for our ryokan.
It's worth noting that I had forgotten my ankle socks at home, so I ended up buying a pair from a convenience store. It was that or play in my hiking socks. Thus it is especially fitting that my prize was a pair of Adidas ankle socks.
Soon we were at our ryokan, and once checked it my room-mates and I quickly changed to our yukatas, and it was off to the baths. Well not quite for me. Given my recent bout with eczema, I had lingering doubts as to whether I ought to partake or not. So instead, I decided to get a massage. There are quite new to me, but are worth every yen.
Dinner was standard ryokan fare: seafood and a variety of Japanese vegetables and tubers. However, this being Kumamoto, I was treated to my first ever basashi. Basashi is raw horse. I am game to try most meats raw, and so I had no qualms about eating this. That said, it seemed a bit gamey for me, and there was a strange aftertaste. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't particularly like it either. I'll have to hold off judgment until I try to quality basashi. Also surprisingly delicious was the salted-backed yamame (or mountain-woman salmon). No doubt some distant salmon cousin, it was 100% salty goodness.
Afterward, we retired to our rooms, but in the meanwhile I decided that I would go and bath. Upon returning I found most of the circle had gathered in my room, and beers and snacks fueled deep conversations about the decline in leadership skills displayed by Japanese people.
That night was uncomfortably passed on futon mattresses, and I woke up with a crick in my neck. After a hearty breakfast consisting of eggs, sausages, rice, bread, and a large salad, I wandered down to the massage chairs for a quick 10 minutes. While they are no replacement for the real deal, it nevertheless worked out the crick and I was back to being a happy camper.
The second day of our trip involved a trip to a water tunnel converted to a community art gallery, the fountainhead of the Shirakawa River, the Aso Farmland Resort, and a visit to the Kikuchi Gorge. Of these, I had visited Kikuchi Ravine before, and it was interesting to compare the place between my visit during the summer and now. I'll say that Kikuchi Glen reminded me a lot of camping in the Algonquin, and I again felt a measure of peace while there. Also notable is that the literature on the various signs, pamphlets, and maps cannot decide on whether it should be called a gorge, ravine, or gully. I did not see any signs for Kikuchi Canyon though.
Tired but satisfied, we returned home to Fukutsu around 7pm. The two days were enjoyable to say the least, and I hope that I am around next year to do it all again.
Pics here, or you can click on the slideshow in the sidebar.
Thus this year, and specifically these last 6 months, it is amusing to me that I have visited this region no less than 3 times.
The morning was gray, and threatened to rain; bad news for people who were to play tennis later. Despite the morning chill, by the time we reached the Fukuma City Hall parking lot it had warmed considerably to a balmy 19 degrees C. I was definitely feeling over-dressed in my boots, vest, and wind-breaker jacket.
We were to travel south in a 3-vehicle convoy. All had navigation equipped, and each car had someone in charge, with a folder containing maps, contact information, schedule, and an envelope with gas/toll money. This was no last-minute jaunt out to the wilds, but a carefully orchestrated operation.
The drive out to the Aso region was enjoyable, but as the sole male passenger in the car, I was soon lost by conversation of the latest happenings in J-Dramaland. Lunch was at a yakiniku restaurant called Aka-Ushi (Red Cow), and at the associated gift shop I purchased a box of Aso-Jersey Milk Caramels. While the lunch was forgettable, the view was breath-taking. Despite living in and around mountains in Fukutsu City, there is something entirely different about the mountains that surround the Aso farming region. The mountains form a ring, and each is inspiring and beautiful. I felt somehow more alive for seeing them.
Soon we arrived at our tennis grounds. In mountain-country it was definitely chillier, and the rain that had threatened us earlier started to fall. Despite this, our mini-tournament would not be postponed, so we gathered our gear and headed to the courts. After a quick warm-up, teams were decided and off we went. The results of my not having practiced for the last 6 weeks were quickly evidenced, and out of 6 teams, we placed last. The tournament is more for fun, but the rain, which alternated from a light sprinkle to a shower, kept me distracted. Prizes were awarded, and though we had an hour left on the courts, we decided to pack up and head for our ryokan.
It's worth noting that I had forgotten my ankle socks at home, so I ended up buying a pair from a convenience store. It was that or play in my hiking socks. Thus it is especially fitting that my prize was a pair of Adidas ankle socks.
Soon we were at our ryokan, and once checked it my room-mates and I quickly changed to our yukatas, and it was off to the baths. Well not quite for me. Given my recent bout with eczema, I had lingering doubts as to whether I ought to partake or not. So instead, I decided to get a massage. There are quite new to me, but are worth every yen.
Dinner was standard ryokan fare: seafood and a variety of Japanese vegetables and tubers. However, this being Kumamoto, I was treated to my first ever basashi. Basashi is raw horse. I am game to try most meats raw, and so I had no qualms about eating this. That said, it seemed a bit gamey for me, and there was a strange aftertaste. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't particularly like it either. I'll have to hold off judgment until I try to quality basashi. Also surprisingly delicious was the salted-backed yamame (or mountain-woman salmon). No doubt some distant salmon cousin, it was 100% salty goodness.
Afterward, we retired to our rooms, but in the meanwhile I decided that I would go and bath. Upon returning I found most of the circle had gathered in my room, and beers and snacks fueled deep conversations about the decline in leadership skills displayed by Japanese people.
That night was uncomfortably passed on futon mattresses, and I woke up with a crick in my neck. After a hearty breakfast consisting of eggs, sausages, rice, bread, and a large salad, I wandered down to the massage chairs for a quick 10 minutes. While they are no replacement for the real deal, it nevertheless worked out the crick and I was back to being a happy camper.
The second day of our trip involved a trip to a water tunnel converted to a community art gallery, the fountainhead of the Shirakawa River, the Aso Farmland Resort, and a visit to the Kikuchi Gorge. Of these, I had visited Kikuchi Ravine before, and it was interesting to compare the place between my visit during the summer and now. I'll say that Kikuchi Glen reminded me a lot of camping in the Algonquin, and I again felt a measure of peace while there. Also notable is that the literature on the various signs, pamphlets, and maps cannot decide on whether it should be called a gorge, ravine, or gully. I did not see any signs for Kikuchi Canyon though.
Tired but satisfied, we returned home to Fukutsu around 7pm. The two days were enjoyable to say the least, and I hope that I am around next year to do it all again.
Pics here, or you can click on the slideshow in the sidebar.
10/27/2008
Days 56-58
This weekend was a busy one for me, and until about 7pm or so, I was feeling pretty shitty and angry. The reason was my semi-annual shopping trip for my mother, to give to my father to bring back home to Canada. But in all honesty, it's a grind I'm used to. I think I was cranky because of hunger or general tiredness.
Or, I was still in a sort of hungover state.
So lets begin on Saturday.
Day 56
10/25 (1106+????) Biking Commute
0700-1200: Bowl of granola cereal with milk, banana, coffee x2
1200-1700: Diced steak lunch (steak, salad, soup, rice
1700-2400: Oh god...too much fucking alcohol.
Knowing I was going on a family trip to Nagasaki the next day, I postponed my freeday to Sunday. Spending a somewhat lazy morning, I had a successful JHS demo class for the kids that visited Genkai for open campus. This was a lot of fun, and kids got into it. A bonus was the 4 kids from the demo class I did at Shingu JHS who were in my class then and again on Saturday. I'm hoping that at least one of them will show up next April.
That night Jon, Jon's friend Ryoko (or Kyoko?), and I went to Bagus for dinner. It wasn't my cheat day, but whatever. Nice conversation, good eats. I hadn't planned on drinking much, but I was pretty nicely toasted by the time we settled our bill.
Afterwards, we went to karaoke with Julie, Rochelle, and another ALT Brad. There, I continued to drink. And drink. And drink.
I don't know what caused me (for the first time in my entire drinking history) to be violently ill. I suspect that it was the really bad gin, or the mixing of different kinds of drinks. What I DO know is that I ended up emptying the contents of that evenings meal on parts of the floor, the urinal, and the toilet of the men's room at the karaoke. My hand got caught in the initial spray, causing some spatter to hit my shirt and pants, as well as my chin. Of course, I felt immediately better thereafter, and feebly attempted to clean up the toilet. I was then sober enough to realize what a mess I had made, and shamefully told the karaoke employees. They seemed resigned. I guess it's something that happens with some degree of frequency.
That said, I'm almost positive I threw up almost everything I had eaten that night. Or if not, a good portion of it. This is because the urinal I threw up in was clogged, probably from food matter. So I can't really estimate my calories for the day.
Yeah. That's not gonna happen again.
Day 57
10/26 (3252...or there abouts) Freeday
0700-1200: Fried Chicken, Grain bar, Pepsi White, Can Coffee
1200-1700: Takoyaki, Pork Yakitori, Softcreme, Boiled Egg, Skittles, Beer
1700-2400: Sashimi, Steak, Chawanmushi, Chicken Nabe, Rice, Fried Chicken, Spicy Fries, Chou Creme
Well, vacations are about eating, and I did this in spades. Still hung-over from my previous night's indiscretions, I trudged my way to Hakata Station, then to my father's hotel. There, we met up with my cousins, who managed to get a $100 parking ticket. Our trip was to Unzen, an onsen south of Nagasaki City. The occasion was the celebration of my grandmother turning 90, and her two sisters (a belated birthday celebration, though I don't know her age, and the successful recovery of the other from a hospitalizing injury). It's rare to see such a family get together, but I had met a number of them before from my trip to Nagasaki last August.
Unzen was nice, but not being able to have a bath in the onsen, my presence there was more perfunctory than anything else. Still it was nice to met and greet, and family get togethers are never a waste of time in my books.
My calorie count is all over the place because it's hard for me to estimate what i had for dinner. I was pretty full, but that's more a result of my smaller stomach. The sashimi was bream, and the nabe was mostly vegetables, tofu, and chicken meatballs. The steak was 6, small strips (10cm x 1 x 1). In all the rice probably had the most calories, and it was a small bowl. I'd estimate about 750, but that's probably a low-ball figure. I returned home later that night (many had elected to stay the night) and upon returning home I went to Ministop to get the meat and potatoes I was craving. Top it off with a Cream-filled Pastry Puff for desert, and there ended a truly, TRULY, freeday for me.
Day 58
10/27 (2516) Walking (4 hours), Weight Training
0700-1200: Pastry, Chicken, Crackers
1200-1700: Balance Bar, Can Coffee, McHamburger x2, McNuggets, Red Bull, BCAA Drink, Weider Protein Jelly
1700-2000: Protein Meal Replacement Shake
Believe it or not, I was STILL feeling the effects of Friday night. I felt a little nauseous as I headed into town for a day of shopping. While the shopping was routine, my tiredness was catching up with me, and I felt sort of cranky all day. The surprise of the day was when I ended up at one my favorite shops to buy my Halloween costume this year. This year I will once again pretend to be a U.S. serviceman (a modern-day Marine, as all my old WW2 stuff is back in Toronto). I purchased a pair of desert MARPAT BDUs, and to my surprise, I fit into the medium size. Considering a large would have been a snug fit 2 monthes ago, that makes me pretty damned happy.
Or, I was still in a sort of hungover state.
So lets begin on Saturday.
Day 56
10/25 (1106+????) Biking Commute
0700-1200: Bowl of granola cereal with milk, banana, coffee x2
1200-1700: Diced steak lunch (steak, salad, soup, rice
1700-2400: Oh god...too much fucking alcohol.
Knowing I was going on a family trip to Nagasaki the next day, I postponed my freeday to Sunday. Spending a somewhat lazy morning, I had a successful JHS demo class for the kids that visited Genkai for open campus. This was a lot of fun, and kids got into it. A bonus was the 4 kids from the demo class I did at Shingu JHS who were in my class then and again on Saturday. I'm hoping that at least one of them will show up next April.
That night Jon, Jon's friend Ryoko (or Kyoko?), and I went to Bagus for dinner. It wasn't my cheat day, but whatever. Nice conversation, good eats. I hadn't planned on drinking much, but I was pretty nicely toasted by the time we settled our bill.
Afterwards, we went to karaoke with Julie, Rochelle, and another ALT Brad. There, I continued to drink. And drink. And drink.
I don't know what caused me (for the first time in my entire drinking history) to be violently ill. I suspect that it was the really bad gin, or the mixing of different kinds of drinks. What I DO know is that I ended up emptying the contents of that evenings meal on parts of the floor, the urinal, and the toilet of the men's room at the karaoke. My hand got caught in the initial spray, causing some spatter to hit my shirt and pants, as well as my chin. Of course, I felt immediately better thereafter, and feebly attempted to clean up the toilet. I was then sober enough to realize what a mess I had made, and shamefully told the karaoke employees. They seemed resigned. I guess it's something that happens with some degree of frequency.
That said, I'm almost positive I threw up almost everything I had eaten that night. Or if not, a good portion of it. This is because the urinal I threw up in was clogged, probably from food matter. So I can't really estimate my calories for the day.
Yeah. That's not gonna happen again.
Day 57
10/26 (3252...or there abouts) Freeday
0700-1200: Fried Chicken, Grain bar, Pepsi White, Can Coffee
1200-1700: Takoyaki, Pork Yakitori, Softcreme, Boiled Egg, Skittles, Beer
1700-2400: Sashimi, Steak, Chawanmushi, Chicken Nabe, Rice, Fried Chicken, Spicy Fries, Chou Creme
Well, vacations are about eating, and I did this in spades. Still hung-over from my previous night's indiscretions, I trudged my way to Hakata Station, then to my father's hotel. There, we met up with my cousins, who managed to get a $100 parking ticket. Our trip was to Unzen, an onsen south of Nagasaki City. The occasion was the celebration of my grandmother turning 90, and her two sisters (a belated birthday celebration, though I don't know her age, and the successful recovery of the other from a hospitalizing injury). It's rare to see such a family get together, but I had met a number of them before from my trip to Nagasaki last August.
Unzen was nice, but not being able to have a bath in the onsen, my presence there was more perfunctory than anything else. Still it was nice to met and greet, and family get togethers are never a waste of time in my books.
My calorie count is all over the place because it's hard for me to estimate what i had for dinner. I was pretty full, but that's more a result of my smaller stomach. The sashimi was bream, and the nabe was mostly vegetables, tofu, and chicken meatballs. The steak was 6, small strips (10cm x 1 x 1). In all the rice probably had the most calories, and it was a small bowl. I'd estimate about 750, but that's probably a low-ball figure. I returned home later that night (many had elected to stay the night) and upon returning home I went to Ministop to get the meat and potatoes I was craving. Top it off with a Cream-filled Pastry Puff for desert, and there ended a truly, TRULY, freeday for me.
Day 58
10/27 (2516) Walking (4 hours), Weight Training
0700-1200: Pastry, Chicken, Crackers
1200-1700: Balance Bar, Can Coffee, McHamburger x2, McNuggets, Red Bull, BCAA Drink, Weider Protein Jelly
1700-2000: Protein Meal Replacement Shake
Believe it or not, I was STILL feeling the effects of Friday night. I felt a little nauseous as I headed into town for a day of shopping. While the shopping was routine, my tiredness was catching up with me, and I felt sort of cranky all day. The surprise of the day was when I ended up at one my favorite shops to buy my Halloween costume this year. This year I will once again pretend to be a U.S. serviceman (a modern-day Marine, as all my old WW2 stuff is back in Toronto). I purchased a pair of desert MARPAT BDUs, and to my surprise, I fit into the medium size. Considering a large would have been a snug fit 2 monthes ago, that makes me pretty damned happy.
9/17/2008
My new other blog.
Just a note for anyone who cares. I've started a new blog, for the occasional burst of creative writing I do. Check it out here.
2/12/2008
Hmmm... I wonder...
...if I should indulge my inner geek more, and do something like show pictures of my growing Gundam collection?
OK, lets build some "street cred" first.
These are two pictures drawn with the aforementioned new pen. It's a Tachikawa School G manga illustration pen, suggested to me by fellow JET and artist Chen. I think you'll agree that I've taken a step forward in terms of my drawing.
First pic is a drawing of my character for my D&D game. Pretty happy with it. Second pic is one of an SF soldier in Afghanistan. That was done a lot earlier, thus the lack of any real shading etc.
OK, so now on to the Gundams. I'd for a long while avoided making Master Grades. I had 4 in my initial blitz of making them , but realized that they took up too much space. Sadly, like other Gundam collectors, there's too much geek-chic (ok, otaku-chic then) in some of these. Two I chose, almost purely on looks, are the following.
In the background, in the blue in white is the Gundam RX-93-V2 Hi-V, successor to the stardard RX-93 nu Gundam piloted by Amuro Ray in the OVA Char's Counterattack. Again, bought for looks.
In the foreground, my first Gundam SEED MG. Normally, I avoid all non-UC Gundam like the plague, but this one was just too sweet looking for me to pass up. It's the Strike Gundam with IWSP Pack. No link to a wiki article, cause I just don't care enough about SEED to bother with it. Nestled in between is my ZZ Gundam. Again looks, but less impressive because it is older, and thus less flexible in terms of posing (what you see is basically all it can do).
Anyhow, that's it for now.
EDIT: Blogger/Picasa is being retarded and not letting me show pictures or something, at least on my PC. Might be my internet security. Either way, just click on where the picture should be, and it'll open. Pics, in order more or less described in the post, run upwards.
EDIT2: Heh, figured it out. I was trying to embed a webpage instead of a picture. Also, for nostalgic lulz (at least for me and some of my friends...
My new keitai strap, courtesy of PlayAsia.
OK, lets build some "street cred" first.
These are two pictures drawn with the aforementioned new pen. It's a Tachikawa School G manga illustration pen, suggested to me by fellow JET and artist Chen. I think you'll agree that I've taken a step forward in terms of my drawing.
First pic is a drawing of my character for my D&D game. Pretty happy with it. Second pic is one of an SF soldier in Afghanistan. That was done a lot earlier, thus the lack of any real shading etc.
OK, so now on to the Gundams. I'd for a long while avoided making Master Grades. I had 4 in my initial blitz of making them , but realized that they took up too much space. Sadly, like other Gundam collectors, there's too much geek-chic (ok, otaku-chic then) in some of these. Two I chose, almost purely on looks, are the following.
In the background, in the blue in white is the Gundam RX-93-V2 Hi-V, successor to the stardard RX-93 nu Gundam piloted by Amuro Ray in the OVA Char's Counterattack. Again, bought for looks.
In the foreground, my first Gundam SEED MG. Normally, I avoid all non-UC Gundam like the plague, but this one was just too sweet looking for me to pass up. It's the Strike Gundam with IWSP Pack. No link to a wiki article, cause I just don't care enough about SEED to bother with it. Nestled in between is my ZZ Gundam. Again looks, but less impressive because it is older, and thus less flexible in terms of posing (what you see is basically all it can do).
Anyhow, that's it for now.
EDIT: Blogger/Picasa is being retarded and not letting me show pictures or something, at least on my PC. Might be my internet security. Either way, just click on where the picture should be, and it'll open. Pics, in order more or less described in the post, run upwards.
EDIT2: Heh, figured it out. I was trying to embed a webpage instead of a picture. Also, for nostalgic lulz (at least for me and some of my friends...
My new keitai strap, courtesy of PlayAsia.
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