Cheese

I'm very sad to report that cheese in Japan is not half as satisfying as cheese in the States...but you do with what you have.
The Gouda cheese tastes like cheddar - and not even sharp cheddar at best.
And today, I've just learned that Brie cheese is actually a pseudonym for BLUE cheese in Japan. ~sigh~
I mean...I think Japan thinks it's Brie cheese. But it's not. =(

And the cheddar cheese...tastes like a mozzarella string cheese stick. double ~sigh~.
And the mozzarella cheese, you ask!? hm...Ok, that one...they might have gotten right...

Anyhoo...don't get me wrong, I mean it could be worse. They could ALL taste like Blue cheese. Then where would I be then? God, that would be DEVASTATING.
I love cheese so much, the wrong names don't bother me as much as I'm making it out to be.
Cheese is cheese no matter what shape or form or name...they're ALL delicious.
CHEESE!!!! Oh...how I love thee...

[Whoa! I just learned that Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" was INSPIRED by Camembert Cheese melting on a hot summer day. Holy Cow!!]

My Walk to the Subway this morning...

Just some pictures from this morning..of the week long snow storm it seems we've just begun...

Here's the neighborhood snowplow...yesterday, cuz it was so warm, all the ice on the roads and sidewalks turned to slush. but it's been snowing since last night....and the snow plows are back. They shove the snow into big piles along the sidewalk. So...you end up with a small one-person lane passageway on the sidewalk...with a 6 foot wall of snow between you and the street.

I heard in February, the wall can be as high as 20 feet. crazy.

Here's another photo of the supermarket parking lot that we have to cross each day, to get to the subway (i mean, you don't HAVE to cross it, but it cuts corners and makes the walk faster). Here's all the snow shoved into one HUGE pile in the corner. Sorry it's sideways, I don't know how to rotate photos here. But anyway, it's probably like what...40 feet high??

If the snowstorm has just begun...and we've got a full week of it. nonstop (so it appears)....it'll be crazy cool to see this in a few days. hehe.

7degreesC to Hail in one afternoon

One, it terrifies me that I wake up in the morning, check my phone for the daily weather report, and get concerned when it reads it's gonna be 7degrees today. Concerned cuz that's warm...How do I dress for 7 degrees!? Too warm to wear my jacket; not warm enough to go without thermal underwear. But is it also toooo warm to wear thermal underwear! ~sigh~ who knew the day would come when 7degreesC confuses me...because I think that 7degreesC is too warm.
anyhow, ... more interestingly...it went from a very unexpected high of 7 today, to hail. It's hailing right now, and I'm about to get off work, and I don't have an umbrella. go figure.
Nah, it should be fine.

Tracy - thanks so much for the sweet message!!! Man....the other day, a japanese lady asked me how long I'd been in Japan for...I thought...counted in my head...gave a confused look...counted again....replied with "4 months" and then looked at her in complete shock, cuz I couldn't believe it's already been 4 months. FOUR MONTHS!!! How!?? When!?? I feel like I can't count all the months I've been here, it's gone so effortlessly fast. ... Sorry to hear it's been slow on the western side of the world. =(
I say we still plan a trip together -- this summer. I'll have 2 weeks off in July or August - I'm down for S.America if you still are. =) What are you up to nowadays anyway? Still with Mel on that Mexico show? write me an email with updates! How was New Years!?? Spend it with Nancy? Family?
I'm about 3/4 done with Twilight. They kissed. TWICE! AHHHH!!! EEK!!! lol =p
too much for me to handle.

I definitely regret not buying the other 2 books now -- seeing as how if I bought them here it'd cost me like $30. laaaame. And I have difficulty reading things online - so I may ask Ryan to ship me the other two from China. haha. it'd still be cheaper. You seriously read all 4 books on your computer!!?? Man, how do u do that?

Naaaancy!! I wanna hear how your vacation was too! I'm sad I can't make the New Year's potluck!!! =( eat a dumpling in my honor. =)

other than that...updates...updates...
I still need to find a victim to help strap me into the BEAUTIFUL corset Vanessa made for me. I wanna get that done soon...just so I can prance around in my beautiful corset for a night. haha. And so I can send V pics. =) I asked one girl here...and she gave me a weird look/reply like I was asking her to butter my turkey or something. Is it really THAT strange to ask a friend to help you into a corset!?? I mean, I'll wear an undershirt. haha. well...I'll ask another.

O, I start my elementary school run this thursday. I'm EXCITED!! ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS! My god, it'll be a classroom full of biserkness and laughing and tugging and pulling and gushing and ooing and ahhhing. I can see it now....=D I'll let you guys know how that goes.
Usually, JETs have a month or two visit to elementary schools each year. For a month, you visit a different elementary school every 2-3 days. And you're usually the only foreigner ALT (assistant language teacher) they'll get all year. So it's a big deal for the schools. And a lot of JETs get worn out from the energy exhaustion they experience. But I'm totally looking forward to it. =)

o ... eek. sorry....I'm supposed to cut down on school and kids talk...haha. well...I haven't met them yet. So...I'm gonna say this is an OK exception. heehee

Rest & Relax

So I'm in Seoul...killing the 10 hour layover i have...at 2 in the morning.
Seoul's airport is INSANE ridiculous. I swear, if a common man wanted to know what luxary and money and affluence was...walk through Seoul's airport. It's even nicer at 2am, when you're the only one around for miles. I had no idea airports "stopped operating" at night. I just figured airports were always a 24 hour deal, because flights come in constantly non-stop. I mean, I know shops open and close at regular business hours...but I dunno, I thought an airport would be more bustling than this...even at this late hour.
So....yup...got 8 hours to go. Gonna find me a cushioned seat soon.
Anyhow shouldn't be hard cuz I found myself the "Rest & Relax" floor. And it's pooooosh. Free internet. Museum. Showers. Manicures. Cafe. Movie Room. News Room. Kid's room. tables and chairs. Reclining cushy comfortable looking Ikea-esque chairs....posh.ee.
Even I'm not used to this sort of ... affluency. is that a word? Am I even using it correctly? haha

Well, so yup, that means my 3 weeks in China is over. CRAZY. 3 weeks! ack. time flies. time always flies...

O, I'm very heart-warmed to say that I left Beijing on the most amazing beautiful conditions possible. First off, Ryan's roommates helped me with my things downstairs, and catching a cab - so sweet!! THEN, the cab driver...TOTAL sweetheart. I've never carried a conversation with a Chinese person before. I used to be really shy to use it. So I never did. But, this time around, fortunately, unconsciously, i'd forgotten that insecurity ... and it's so pleasant! Anyhow, my cab driver was AWESOME. Such a nice guy. And one, just to say that a CAB driver was nice, is saying something. But to say that a BEIJING-R cab driver was nice...WOAH. culture shock. For the hour+ long drive, we talked about everything from how Chinese used to bow, like the Japanese, but MaoZeDong changed that in the 50s because he wanted China to be more like Europe - so he made the whole country stop bowing, and instead shake hands (i didn't know chinese bowed!)...and how the Japanese stole bowing from Chinese. As well as their language (duh, given) and their food...and their holidays. haha...but the cab driver was saying all this with a sense of humor. just a total sweet heart. we talked about my family and his family. about my mother. about my job. he told me how i should teach english in china...even if it doesn't pay as well as japan, if i can perfect my chinese language profiency (no not "if", i "should", i "must"), it'll pay off bigger in the end because basically...knowing chinese will be a very valuable marketing assest for any future career i want - or rather, if i'm fluent in chinese, i can find a job that pays big bucks. i was surprised to hear this coming from a chinese person - i mean i always heard it when i was growing up. it was like...a childhood mantra drilled into me since i was 3 - "learn chinese because china will be #1 one day". haha...apparently the chinese are aware of it too.
we talked about the different customs that chinese and americans have. and i explained how my customs are more atune to chinese, than americans, because of my mother. things like...chinese save money. americans dont. chinese eat healthy. americans dont - just look at your options - mcdonalds and KFC!? NOT good! <--- his words. hehe. well i don't eat healthy...but i do LOVE chinese food. mmm
i dunno...it was just a really great ride. we even talked about taiwan and mongolia and tibet. how mongolia used to be china, but in the 60s...etc etc.
And I understood 90% of every single thing he said. <--- CRAZY!! Feels good. Feels good to know I haven't forgotten Chinese. Feels good to know that FINALLY, i can FINALLY seeee and reap the rewards of 18 years of heartache and stress and anger and resentment. haha. granted i'm nowhere near fluent. but i held my own these past 3 weeks. and it felt great.
i'm happy.
so...well i'm happy cuz i met this great cab driver. who was so nice and interested to talk to me. as a person. not as a foreigner or...whatever. and if i didn't understand something, he'd take the time to rephrase it in simplier terms. he had patience. and he really wanted to tell me these things. wonderful. beautiful. =)
and THEN....so because of bad traffic, my cab ride ended up costing 125 yuan (about $19US) but...he accepted 120yuan instead. He insisted...120 yuan was enough. Even though the meter said 125!
in BEIJING! whaaaaaaaaaa~~~~t!!!??
YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS! unless you've lived in beijing. then you understand the complete shock and endearment i felt from this. and he helped pack all my luggage into my cart. and he rearranged my things. muuultiple times, to make sure my cart was the most easiest to manage as possible. even though it was fine the way it was. like he was...an uncle, really concerned to make sure i got to the airport just fine. and he shook my hand as we said our goodbyes. haha, i've never shook a cab driver's hand before!! soooooooooo sweet. ~sigh~

annnnnd then....since i was so heart-warmed by the whole experience...when i approached the check-in counter, i saw a nice looking gal...she saw me, i smiled, she smiled back. and it was genuine. and it was nice. and...she basically let me take on 10 extra kilos on the plane for FREE! it would have been 1070 kuai otherwise (that's about....$150US). but i put on a few extra coats...she laughed. i moved a few books around. she told me i could manage taking my bigger/heavier backpack on the plane....she was really there to help. usually these people - airline employees...check-in counter people...whoever - basically anyone who deals in customer service - well you know how it is, they're cranky. they don't look at you in the eye. it's quick quick chop chop don't ask me questions, it's not my problem, you pay the fee or you don't fly, i don't care what issues you have...you're annoying me, get out of my face...yada yada. but this girl. she was so nice.
~sigh~ and THEN...because i thought i was checking in my bigger backpack...i had a bunch of bottles and liquids and things - and when i had to come back after a bit of a trial through the security check (where i DID encounter some negativity...but postivity was still lingering in the air, so it didn't phase me much)...when i came back with the things packed into a small box...another extra 5 kilos...she just smiled and said not to worry. and that it was ok.
and she gave me a comfy window seat after she asked whether i preferred window or aisle.

kindness. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarms my heart.

anyway, my point is...in the grand grand scheme of things but really it's so simplistic...it's SOO easy to be kind and benevolent towards someone, but SO few people ever do. Just being kind or friendly for the sake of being kind. not to reap some reward from it after. not in search of something greater. not for selfish reasons or because someone told you to behave a certain way. just being nice for the sake of being nice. it's so rare. but i came across it 3 times, in one night. in BEIJING nonetheless! so it's been a good night. and this 10 hour layover isn't so bad because of it. sounds cheesy but it's true.
beijing is a perfect example of how...if your hostile or mean or greedy, it spreads. it consumes everyone around you like wildfire. negativity prompts more negativity. when someone is hostile towards you....no matter how good of a person you are, there's a breaking point, and you become hostile back. and it becomes this vicious cycle. and because it's a snowball cycle effect...it's difficult to stop it. to change it. but if you can find one person...who can smile and help you without attitude, and is courteous and goes beyond minimal expectations...same effect! the bad cycle is broken and the good one is started. positivity prompts more positivity. (which is why laughter and smiling is so amazing!!) and you just feel... wow, this one person was so nice...it was so pleasant. it's so easy to be nice. it's so much less energy to be nice than to be angry. have you ever thought about that! anger is incredibly emotionally-draining. so much energy to hate. why? perhaps i'm lucky. not lucky...i'm fortunate. i'm fortunate to have seen anger outside the bubble, and can, for the most part, appreciate the fine things around me. anger and negativity...so life-draining. really....just try it. smile. laugh...you'll immediately feel lighter.

i'm blabbing. it's incredibly late and i'm running low on sleep. [though...ryan would disagree ;-)]
total cliches. this whole thing. i know i know.
but that's how i feel. wanted to share. =)

well, 3am now. i think a korean businessman anxiously wants to use the internet...maaaaaaaaaaybe i'll move...i suppose it's about time to catch some shut-eye.

o quick last thing -- I bought Twilight and Twlight2 for a total of $4US tonight...looks like I'll jump onto the bandwagon this time around (even if i'm a few years late for this one) - seeing as how i missed harry potter...
anyway, forbidden love. wooooooooo :)

Largest Buddha in the World

I like being tiny in the big picture of things.
DaFo (Big Buddha) outside Chengdu, SiChuan.
This was an easy, fun hike.

Earthquake and Beaches

Hey guys,
Sorry I haven't been able to keep this updated during my travels. But I'll give a quick recap of the last 2 weeks.
So I spent a week in beijing - celebrated New Years at a small bar/club with Ryan and a few of his friends. It was a blast. The playlist was awesome - a mix of Micheal Jackson, Rocky Horror, and nostalgic 90s music. hehe. O, and of course, with some luma luma nei whatever crap. and by crap, i mean awesomeness.
Anyhow, after that, we flew to Chengdu - capital of SiChuan province where the May earthquake happened. They've got a bus that goes to the city where the epicenter happened - WenChuan - but it only departs every other day because there are only a few small bridges that are only one car length wide. So on odd days, you can go into the canyon valley villages and cities, and on even days, you can come back to the city. So we spent a night at WenChuan. There was one suitable accomdation in the incredibly desolate, eeriely abandoned, sad but hopeful city. On the 4 hour drive over, I cried a few times. It gets REALLY intense to drive past small towns that are completely demolished - or worst, seeing what USED to be a city - but now, it's just huge abandoned rows of buildings with crater holes on the side, and windows missing...
and roads weaving in and out of the ground, like ribbon. Bridges completely collapsed.
It's really sad.
There are some noticeable differences in the area - for one, the few people who have children, are MUCH more affectionate towards them than is common in Chinese culture. You can definitely see a shift in culture and behavior due to the disaster. So few people are left though...you see how big and vibrant the city used to be...and you see how few people roam the streets now. It's so eerie. HUNDREDS of abandoned buildings and streets and avenues that go off to nowhere. And just a handful of people casually walking back and forth the same main street they've got left - with a few businesses open to serve food and groceries.
It was interesting to see all the buildings with "danger" written in dripping red paint on all the walls and doors. Yet some have been remodeled to house daily businesses - what else can they do.

Anyhow...I can go on and on about the experience. I'm glad Ryan and I got a chance to go. We originally had hoped we could find some volunteer work while there - but we had little luck. Ryan did meet a volunteer though who might be able to set something up for him in the spring - which is cool.

Well, time is almost up at the internet bar...so I'll say, now, total change of scenery, Ryan and I are in Sanya, Hainan. And though it is no Hawaii or Thailand, it's still GORGEOUS. and the weather is beeeeeeeeeeeeautiful. AND THE AIR! mmmm. i've taken CA for granted.
2 days left. eek.

but...i think i'm kinda happy to go back to sapporo....maybe. hehe

Bird's Nest

Hey Look.
It's me in front of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Bird's Nest.

I saw some nongcun (poor countryside farmer people) get their cheap Olympic knock-off goods thrown all over the place and then get dragged out of the stadium by screaming communist policemen. That was interesting.

I'll share some more Beijing stories later. Though, I have to say, being a few days into the trip...it's slightly not all I expected (which...is to be expected  <--- right? go figure). But that's ok....we've still got 2 and half weeks left...

Oh, BUT... lame that I found this in Beijing, and that I'm watching it on my vacation time in China...but one of Ryan's roommates introduced me to a very entertaining, very addictive Japanese TV show called "Yasuko to Kenji"...

I'm becoming quite keen to this Kenji character....=) his "frustrated over-the-top goofy testosterone" and his extreme love for his sister is incredibly endearing (<--- which really means, his character is SUPER cute and he makes me giggle...a lot). must...watch...more. =P

see...he's a cutie.

PS - I've added a few photos to previous posts (so you can flip through 'em real quick...haven't gotten around to posting any of these on facebook either, obviously...). but anyway, thought it'd be nice to give the blog some more personality. all these words...I don't know how you guys keep up. =)