Note to self -- The Shining is probably a very inappropriate movie to watch by yourself, in the middle of a snowstorm, in Hokkaido. Especially when you can't tell if the howling wind is on the movie or outside.
Fortunately, there's no blood spewing elevators or hedge mazes nearby, and the only twins I know (Shuhei and Youhei) are the exact opposite of the creepy twins from the film.
Thanks to Katie for giving me the heads-up on this re-thinking of the trailer.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Rock on Hokkaido!
Saturday night I went to a concert here in town. Now, concerts don't come around very often in this town, and I knew at least one person in all of the bands that were performing so I went. Ostensibly a charity concert, for me it was an excuse to hang out with the people from ロマンス and see some live music. I was told that last year, it was an all heavy metal extravaganza. I was looking forward to seeing the Japanese take on 80s metal "hair" bands .
It was an interesting crowd. I sat with the mama-san from romansu, another patron and his family and their two pre-schoolers. He kept mama-san and I supplied with beer and "steak" snacks (like dog treats, only more.... no, just like dog treats). Also in attendance were a couple fo high school students trying really hard to look cool, a bunch of elementary school kids, and lots and lots of little old ladies. I wonder if they were all hoping for a metal extravaganza too?
There was only one metal band though, and they were the last of the local bands that performed. The others were J-pop cover groups, one surf instrumental group, and a jazzy jam-band. I never knew how many people I work with had hidden talents!
The last act of the evening was very lame by comparison. Sure, it was the woman who was actually putting together the concert and getting the money raised to Africa to sponsor a well and a new school somewhere, but she was terrible. Bad karaoke and lounge lizarding (no, really -- she sang Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind") do not make for a good finale. Feeling a little let down, I seized the opportunity to sneak out early with mama-san and open the bar. I probably would have had more fun hanging out with the bands after the show, but she was *that* bad.
The rest of the evening was plenty of fun -- I haven't been to romansu in ages, and it was really nice to see everybody. My friend "boss" hadn't heard I was staying another year, and he actually cried when I told him. I think it's really because he want me to be in his band (that's cool -- his was one of the best)...
All in all a good night.*
Bright an early Sunday morning I got a phone call from my friend Watanabe-san. He's the same gentleman who invites me to Rotary club meetings. Sunday's invite was to go cross-country skiing. I ignored the previous night's induced headache -- cross-country skiing it was! It was a beautiful day. Nice and warm, and it felt good to get some winter sporting in. Apparently I have a set of gear there I can use at my leisure. Hopefully I'll get another chance to use it before spring comes around!
With the weather being so warm, there was a lot of melt yesterday and it was even raining in Asahikawa. It made for a really crappy drive to and from the video store. Road conditions this morning were craptastic after the melt and rain had all frozen over again. 100% skating rink! Every road in town is a 1 inch sheet of ice. I nearly killed myself on my way downstairs this morning. The NHK weather lady says the weird weather is a sure sign that spring is on it's way. She had better not be toying with me...
*Although not as good as my friend's.... she went to the Yubari film festival where she ended up mistaking Amanda Plummer for a private ALT she didn't know, while standing in front of a giant poster/mural for "The Sound of Music". How's that for surreal?
It was an interesting crowd. I sat with the mama-san from romansu, another patron and his family and their two pre-schoolers. He kept mama-san and I supplied with beer and "steak" snacks (like dog treats, only more.... no, just like dog treats). Also in attendance were a couple fo high school students trying really hard to look cool, a bunch of elementary school kids, and lots and lots of little old ladies. I wonder if they were all hoping for a metal extravaganza too?
There was only one metal band though, and they were the last of the local bands that performed. The others were J-pop cover groups, one surf instrumental group, and a jazzy jam-band. I never knew how many people I work with had hidden talents!
The last act of the evening was very lame by comparison. Sure, it was the woman who was actually putting together the concert and getting the money raised to Africa to sponsor a well and a new school somewhere, but she was terrible. Bad karaoke and lounge lizarding (no, really -- she sang Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind") do not make for a good finale. Feeling a little let down, I seized the opportunity to sneak out early with mama-san and open the bar. I probably would have had more fun hanging out with the bands after the show, but she was *that* bad.
The rest of the evening was plenty of fun -- I haven't been to romansu in ages, and it was really nice to see everybody. My friend "boss" hadn't heard I was staying another year, and he actually cried when I told him. I think it's really because he want me to be in his band (that's cool -- his was one of the best)...
All in all a good night.*
Bright an early Sunday morning I got a phone call from my friend Watanabe-san. He's the same gentleman who invites me to Rotary club meetings. Sunday's invite was to go cross-country skiing. I ignored the previous night's induced headache -- cross-country skiing it was! It was a beautiful day. Nice and warm, and it felt good to get some winter sporting in. Apparently I have a set of gear there I can use at my leisure. Hopefully I'll get another chance to use it before spring comes around!
With the weather being so warm, there was a lot of melt yesterday and it was even raining in Asahikawa. It made for a really crappy drive to and from the video store. Road conditions this morning were craptastic after the melt and rain had all frozen over again. 100% skating rink! Every road in town is a 1 inch sheet of ice. I nearly killed myself on my way downstairs this morning. The NHK weather lady says the weird weather is a sure sign that spring is on it's way. She had better not be toying with me...
*Although not as good as my friend's.... she went to the Yubari film festival where she ended up mistaking Amanda Plummer for a private ALT she didn't know, while standing in front of a giant poster/mural for "The Sound of Music". How's that for surreal?
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Olympic Coverage
For the record; in Japanese, the olympics are called orinpiku.
Last week, I had the disadvantage of being airborne on my way to the USofA for the opening of the 2006 winter olympics in Torino. But I got to watch highlights of what looked like very cool opening ceremonies on the in-flight programming. Thanks NHK!
Once in the States, olympic coverage made a turn for the worse. Sorry NBC, you are terrible at broadcasting the olympics. I've gotten used to watching Canadian olympic coverage. You know, the kind where they show the events, let you know who the frontrunners are, and even show you the winning runs/performances/whatever even if they aren't Canadians!
Not like NBC, where they splice together the highlights of American atheletes and that's about all you see. Admittedly, I was only watching evening coverage. I had better things to do, like sit in the sun and go sea kayaking. Even if they were showing other athletes, NBC was constantly cutting to commercial. I understand that the olympics are a big ticket item for advertisers, but is it really too much to ask to watch two consecutive bobsled runs? I suppose so.
I was a little concerned about what Japanese coverage of the olympics would be like. Turns out, I didn't have a lot to worry about. Sadly, I haven't seen any hockey, but I guess I wasn't missing much of that either. There has been some though. On the way back from last weekend's musical rehearsal I almost caught the last few minutes of the Canada-Switzerland game.
Imagine, if you will, a car full of three ALTs and all the crap they need for a weekend of musical rehearsals. I'm talking futons, sleeping bags, overnight stuff, cowboy boots, gangster hats, etc. Now add another ALT and a new snowboard. The car was packed. It was a good thing I decided to hold off another week on buying a new snowboard. We were dropping off one ALT and her snowboard at a department store where her ride home was waiting for her. Being Canadians, they were upstairs in electronics watching the hockey game. I heard that, and much to the dismay of my car-mates (and to the sounds of taunting) I ran up to watch the last few minutes. Sadly, I was too late. No olympic hockey for me.
Anyways, back to coverage commentary.
Coverage here is very Japanese-centered, but that isn't suprising. All olympic coverage is nationalistic. But even though the Japanese athletes have been doing terribly so far, I been able to watch entire events, and see the performances of the winning athletes. For big events, I get to see the whole thing. And for events that Japan has a good chance in, I get to watch endless documentaries, discussions and replays. Speaking of which, the newscasters have just informed me that there are only six hours until the women's figure skating long program. And returned to live coverage of the women's figure skating practice. Okay, so maybe it's not the best coverage ever.
At least commercial breaks here feature Keifer Sutherland shilling scary looking energy bars (Warning: This site is very noisy and in Japanese).
I'm sure I could watch all kinds of live event coverage if I wanted to, but I won't be staying up -- I had my own challenging endurance event this morning. I call it hoikushou.
Daycare.
The kids are super-cute and super-genki. Or as my supervisor calls them, "crazy boys and girls". You have to keep them busy so they don't give you a kancho. Although my supervisor also showed me his method for getting little kids not to kancho you -- a dunt on the head. His technique features a fist with the middle knuckle extended for maximum kancho-stopping power. So far I haven't had to use it.
Today I kept the 30 of them busy with "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes", my new favorite little kid lesson. The picture is the kids practicing a song and dance before I started playing with them. It's too hard to teach and take pictures at the same time. And I'm usually too busy playing tag anyways.
Last week, I had the disadvantage of being airborne on my way to the USofA for the opening of the 2006 winter olympics in Torino. But I got to watch highlights of what looked like very cool opening ceremonies on the in-flight programming. Thanks NHK!
Once in the States, olympic coverage made a turn for the worse. Sorry NBC, you are terrible at broadcasting the olympics. I've gotten used to watching Canadian olympic coverage. You know, the kind where they show the events, let you know who the frontrunners are, and even show you the winning runs/performances/whatever even if they aren't Canadians!
Not like NBC, where they splice together the highlights of American atheletes and that's about all you see. Admittedly, I was only watching evening coverage. I had better things to do, like sit in the sun and go sea kayaking. Even if they were showing other athletes, NBC was constantly cutting to commercial. I understand that the olympics are a big ticket item for advertisers, but is it really too much to ask to watch two consecutive bobsled runs? I suppose so.
I was a little concerned about what Japanese coverage of the olympics would be like. Turns out, I didn't have a lot to worry about. Sadly, I haven't seen any hockey, but I guess I wasn't missing much of that either. There has been some though. On the way back from last weekend's musical rehearsal I almost caught the last few minutes of the Canada-Switzerland game.
Imagine, if you will, a car full of three ALTs and all the crap they need for a weekend of musical rehearsals. I'm talking futons, sleeping bags, overnight stuff, cowboy boots, gangster hats, etc. Now add another ALT and a new snowboard. The car was packed. It was a good thing I decided to hold off another week on buying a new snowboard. We were dropping off one ALT and her snowboard at a department store where her ride home was waiting for her. Being Canadians, they were upstairs in electronics watching the hockey game. I heard that, and much to the dismay of my car-mates (and to the sounds of taunting) I ran up to watch the last few minutes. Sadly, I was too late. No olympic hockey for me.
Anyways, back to coverage commentary.
Coverage here is very Japanese-centered, but that isn't suprising. All olympic coverage is nationalistic. But even though the Japanese athletes have been doing terribly so far, I been able to watch entire events, and see the performances of the winning athletes. For big events, I get to see the whole thing. And for events that Japan has a good chance in, I get to watch endless documentaries, discussions and replays. Speaking of which, the newscasters have just informed me that there are only six hours until the women's figure skating long program. And returned to live coverage of the women's figure skating practice. Okay, so maybe it's not the best coverage ever.
At least commercial breaks here feature Keifer Sutherland shilling scary looking energy bars (Warning: This site is very noisy and in Japanese).
I'm sure I could watch all kinds of live event coverage if I wanted to, but I won't be staying up -- I had my own challenging endurance event this morning. I call it hoikushou.
Daycare.
The kids are super-cute and super-genki. Or as my supervisor calls them, "crazy boys and girls". You have to keep them busy so they don't give you a kancho. Although my supervisor also showed me his method for getting little kids not to kancho you -- a dunt on the head. His technique features a fist with the middle knuckle extended for maximum kancho-stopping power. So far I haven't had to use it.
Today I kept the 30 of them busy with "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes", my new favorite little kid lesson. The picture is the kids practicing a song and dance before I started playing with them. It's too hard to teach and take pictures at the same time. And I'm usually too busy playing tag anyways.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Fame!
I'm gonna live foreva! Baby remember my name!
Our last musical rehearsal made it into Hokkaido's biggest newspaper -- The Hokkaido Shimbun.
See here!
I'm on the far left, sporting Mickey Mouse gloves and my fabulous, new "70's era Exploding Pizza logo" CBC t-shirt. Thanks Nikk-i! The majority of the cast is performing here in "Luck be a Lady".
The article says something along the lines of:
From Iwamizawa and elsewhere, a group of ALTs under the name of the "Hokkaido Players" held a rehearsal for their May performance. This Saturday, they held a preview in Iwamizawa's High School Gym. Every year, the "crazy foreigners" (no, it doesn't really say that, it says "gaikokujin") put on an English musical in Hokkaido. This year's musical is "Guys and Dolls", set in 1940s New York. The 30 member troupe was in Iwamizawa for a three day rehearsal. Reherasals were held at the same school. Ten people attended the preview.
The last bit talks about our performance dates.
I guess that studying is paying off -- I figured out what that article said (for the most part) all by myself. Except the headline. I read it as "English something enjoy something something something". Not quite the impact the author had in mind, I'm sure.
Today Hokkaido; tomorrow, the world!
Our last musical rehearsal made it into Hokkaido's biggest newspaper -- The Hokkaido Shimbun.
See here!
I'm on the far left, sporting Mickey Mouse gloves and my fabulous, new "70's era Exploding Pizza logo" CBC t-shirt. Thanks Nikk-i! The majority of the cast is performing here in "Luck be a Lady".
The article says something along the lines of:
From Iwamizawa and elsewhere, a group of ALTs under the name of the "Hokkaido Players" held a rehearsal for their May performance. This Saturday, they held a preview in Iwamizawa's High School Gym. Every year, the "crazy foreigners" (no, it doesn't really say that, it says "gaikokujin") put on an English musical in Hokkaido. This year's musical is "Guys and Dolls", set in 1940s New York. The 30 member troupe was in Iwamizawa for a three day rehearsal. Reherasals were held at the same school. Ten people attended the preview.
The last bit talks about our performance dates.
I guess that studying is paying off -- I figured out what that article said (for the most part) all by myself. Except the headline. I read it as "English something enjoy something something something". Not quite the impact the author had in mind, I'm sure.
Today Hokkaido; tomorrow, the world!
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