gomichild

hmmm

2006-09-09T07:41:19Z


Neuroticism	75
Extraversion	90
Openness To Experience	71
Agreeableness	68
Conscientiousness	71

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blast from the past

2006-01-26T15:01:19Z

Breezed on through here again on my way to join a #mofirc community.......

First post in 4 years isn't bad I guess (~^)

Although my other blog has over 600 posts on it....

That makes like 5 years I've been dribbling on line at least!

moved

2002-11-10T21:13:58Z

Update your bookmark! This blog has now moved to http://www.souzouzone.jp/blog/

Same bat-time, but different bat-channel!
Stay tuned for more exciting adventures!

gomichild xxx

urrrrgh

2002-10-18T06:03:02Z

I'm such a major lurgy monster right now...

*cough*

snail mail

2002-09-18T01:54:38Z

Had a surprise phone call from my Nanna in Australia last night. She rang to say that she had finally received a letter that I posted about a month and a half ago. The address was correct. It had a correct return address. I had also sent my Mom a letter at the same time - she got it in a few days after I sent it - and she lives in the Tanami desert. My Dad got his - and he lives in country South Australia. My Auntie lives on a houseboat on a river and got hers. Nanna is the only one who lives in a capital city. Both she and her local postie were very happy when it arrived - I guess he was tired of her waiting for him and asking for it!

Recently read that Australia Post has something like a 97% delivery stat - guess we were unlucky to be in the 3% that get mucked up. Of course it could have been the Japanese Postal service at fault. Or maybe it had just managed to slip between the cracks somewhere...

Being an eager e-mail child it took a lot of effort for me to write the letters - by hand and to take them down to the post office and mail them. I really love receiving letters in the mail though - mainly because the only ones I usually receive are bills. I always check the letter box in the hope that there will be a personal letter in there, having made it's journey half-way across the world, full of news and puzzles as I try to decipher the handwriting...

My Step-mother sent me an e-mail last week. She and Dad are finally connected. My Mum has promised that she will be connected soon too. Even though everyone prefers calling me than writing, I think they've given up on actually finding me at home to answer the phone. I'm not sure how that works out since I work from home and sit right by the phone...

Fed up

2002-09-06T15:15:37Z

I'm sick of worrying about lack of money. I'm unhappy....

Marshmallow Spike

2002-08-31T08:00:00Z

Go download the demo mp3s now!!!

souzouzone.jp

Another year older...

2002-08-15T03:50:15Z

but I don't mind so much cause B'days are so much FUN!

*runs out to wait by the letterbox*

Should really be working but...

2002-08-12T15:52:32Z

My Romance Meter

Optimist 20%

80% Cynic

Close 50%

50% Distant

Long Term 30%

70% Brief

What does my romance meter read?

Better not tell the Boy about this...

What is my spectrum?

I am red: My main color is red. This means I am goal oriented. Success is important to me. Achievment is the marker of a great life.

What is my spectrum?

*looks around apartment* well yes there is a bit of red around the place (jeans, on top, computer desk, shelves, fridge, couch etc...)

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY IN TWO DAYS TIME! ARRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Don't panic - belated presents are accepted)

yawn

2002-07-31T16:10:27Z

Still recovering from the saga that was "Fuji Rock Festival 2002" - and all the other hoo-haa...

*stunbles off to futon*

Another weblog

2002-07-10T15:37:55Z

Have a day-to-day site creating weblog set up on my site now...it will follow my daily progression on creating a website and what distracts me from doing so - plus some scintillating (dammit that word is just not used often enough) gossip as well...
http://www.souzouzonejp.blogspot.com/

Summer is here!

2002-07-08T00:36:35Z

Damn it's hot today - have even turned on the air conditioner, which is significant if you know me (don't like em much)...does this mean that Rainy Season is over? Sure looks that way. So after the stinking humidty of Tokyo Summer we can look forward to the next exciting season - Typhoon Season. Yeah!

Finally my OWN site...

2002-07-04T17:48:34Z

After slaving over sites for other people I finally have pulled my finger out and started to build my own site. It's actually fun. I don't have to rely on other people for judgements or be restricted...

It's one page so far but hey 2 days ago it didn't exist at all...

Go there now and bookmark it! souzouzone.jp

Ah hebi da!!!!

2002-07-03T15:43:09Z

So I was outside a cafe in Central Tokyo today when I caught sight of a snake. A real, live (albeit little) snake!!!

It was crawling near the door and slithered off into a tiny garden (it was probably all of the jumping up and down in excitement).

Wow - Tokyo really is a concrete jungle...

Smoking

2002-06-26T03:35:21Z

As my friend kuri wrote in her weblog Chiyoda ward (district) is banning smoking in some public areas.

Being a smoker myself I don't quite agree with her comments - as I feel there are some other problems. Ashtrays for example. It's not difficult to see where people will wait for others and probably smoke while they are doing so - why are there rarely ashtrays available? I usually hunt one down - I hate seeing cigarette butts lying around. But then the same goes for rubbish - bins are not that common either (except in Shibuya and Shinjuku).

The other problem with many smokers is that they really aren't concerned about others around them. I hate getting second hand smoke in my face - it's twice as bad when you are a non-smoker. Yet most people don't take a split second to check out their environment. Just a quick look to see that your smoke won't interfere with anyone else.

Interestingly enough Chiyodo ward is an area with a high concentration of businesses - and consequently salarymen. It will come as no surprise to you to learn that salarymen are the most inconsiderate when it comes to other people. Many older salarymen are used to having their own way and often don't feel that they have to be considerate of others.

I guess that is the main phrase - consideration. Tokyo is a huge city - yet the level of violence is quite low. But this is not due to people being considerate - it is by cocooning oneself and shutting off.

Space is claimed not shared. This is noticeable when you walk along the street and there will be 3 people walking abreast and not one will even move slightly over for you (unless of course you're really striding). People who dash out of shops to get in front of you and then walk at a snails pace (my particular bugbear). People who stop suddenly to change direction or look at a shop window (the main reason I hate shopping).

This whole scene gets worse when you are on a bicycle. I love riding my bike - but I get very frustrated. The same things happen - riding down the street can often mean a game of chicken with anyone else there. People ride at night without their lights on and then wonder why others have to slam on their brakes at the last minute to avoid collision. People who park their bicycles in the middle of the footpath congesting traffic.

Phew guess it's lucky I don't drive a car hey....

My New Chair

2002-06-24T06:39:06Z

Got yet another present from my Japanese Mum yesterday - a new office chair! She said that she is worried about me working so hard and doesn't trust my ergonomic stool - plus she bought the one fit for a shacho (company president) so now I can look official and order the Boy to make me cups of coffee etc (Mum said he should be my office boy from now on). Auntie accidentally bought two more pairs of stockings in the wrong size (and luckily mine), plus some bedsheets were also bought because they were on sale, a new pot because Mum was embarrassed about giving us an old one (which was perfectly fine) and a stack of medicines and vitamins.

I found out that Mum had bought me another big present yesterday when I was at a lunch party at the J-ster's. I commented to the J-ster that yet another was on it's way and a Japanese friend overheard me and asked me what type of presents I had received and why I was feeling embarrassed about it. This started a whole discussion about it with everyone and there was clearly a division between the Aussies and the Japanese on several points.

Presents are proof of love claimed T the Rock God. The J-ster disagreed completely and I compromised with while they are not the proof of love, they are perhaps the absence of dislike.

They also become a type of obligation too. Having to return or pay back in some way in the future. Am I getting presents now in the hope that I'll look after them when they are older?

???

2002-06-22T23:20:53Z

You are probably wondering why I am writing an update at 8am on a Sunday morning. What is gomichild doing up at this hour?

Well I haven't been to bed yet. Yesterday started out quite normal - met up with kuri to do some stuff (ie watch her purchase Dreamweaver MX and get excited because finally you can enter and edit Japanese into the English version), somehow doing stuff turned into watching the Korea ( or accoding to the fans' scarves "Corea") vs Spain soccer match with beer then some more work stuff then dinner then went back and met up with The Man (the Boy had gone home to Kanagawa) then heard about his trip to Korea to watch the Germany vs USA match the day before, then somehow kuri and I went out to get icecream and ciggies for me and on the way got sidetracked by a billiard hall and played a few games (I won 4 games to 1 :-p)...

We got home to discover The Man in a panic - he'd been searching for us - he even went to the police station! Poor honey he didn't realize his innocent wife could be so easily led astray by an evil person (ie me) and not come home for hours after just popping out to a convenience store.

Ooops.

I haven't been a little crazy for a while - felt good to be a bit spontaneous. Has marriage tamed me? Nah...

The Man even cooked me brekky after we got home and reassured him that we had not been kidnapped etc. What a dude.

Hmmm I think I forgot to mention that kuri and I were wearing matching Virgin Atlantic pajamas at the time...hee hee...

Refer to an earlier entry

2002-06-10T05:08:02Z

I remember what I was going to rave about from an earlier entry when I was raving on about my new Japanese family. I think that the main reason that they believe me to be so amazing is because the only other foreigner they kinda know is well an embarrassment to foreigners in Japan. Mom told me all about this guy who is also Australian and I must admit I was shocked. He has lived here for several years. having married a Japanese woman in Australia, but can't do anything by himself. If he has to cach a train she goes with him the first time to show him the route. She has written out the bus timetable for him. If she doesn't help him or makes a mistake he yells at her - no matter who else is around. He can say about 4 Japanese words.

I find this unbelievable. All train stations also have their name in English under the Japanese signs. In the rare case they don't it's not hard to match up the character if you have it written down - it's just like matching up two pictures. Timetables are just numbers - that doesn't change. And only four Japanese words - this is inexusable - the J-ster didn't study Japanese until recently but even she had picked up enough phrases to hold a basic conversation.

I talked about learning Japanese with kuri and the Man on the weekend (after they had stuffed me full of yummy food once again) and we tried to wrk out what a reasonable length of time would be to have a certain grasp. It all depends on your environment. If you work in an English speaking place and your friends are all foreigners then it will take you longer to pick up Japanese. If you don't study it'll take longer. Still at around 4 years even in this environment you should be able to hold a basic conversation.

kuri commented that it's difficult to make Japanese friends. This is kinda true - a lot of people want to be friends with a foreigner to practice English only. This is not the definition of a friend. Most of my friends have come through other interests - of course it helps that I speak Japanese.

I can't imagine living somewhere and not being able to communicate. The "Japan experience" is so much more enriched if you can speak Japanese. You meet more people and learn much more. And you begin to be accepted more as a resident than a visitor who has to be told how to use chopsticks. Although the unsuspecting may still try to teach you...

Well this explains a lot...

2002-06-05T13:56:37Z

I act like I'm 14.
This test was brought to you by David - Part of the David and James phenomenon. Take it here.

Thanks for pointing out this test benjy!

*pokes out tongue*

Back in control

2002-06-05T03:12:52Z

Had a pajama day yesterday - kind of...a pajama day is one in which you just kick aound in your pajamas and chill out - watch videos, read books etc - I had a half pajama day - and feel so much better!

The workshop went off OK, most of my students were pretty nice and hopefully kinda understand what they can do with their computers and audio.

It made me think about teaching and learning a lot though. I'm not a particularly good student - I need to be stimulated a lot - which is probably why I can speak Japanese as fast as the natives but make a lot of grammar mistakes (new cure for insomnia - reading Japanese grammar texts - drop off to sleep in about 14 minutes). My Japanese teachers always liked me though because I was noisy and talked - I know from my own experience teaching English that there is nothing worse than a class that just sits there and stares at you. Waiting to be handed knowledge.

I never wanted to be a teacher. I don't like it. There have been times when I really hated it. What's worse is that apparently I'm good at it. But I think that I make an effort out of respect for the students who are paying a lot of money than out of a desire to do a good job.

One thing teaching has taught me is patience. Ok it's more like how to create the illusion of patience. I've managed to make a grimace turn into a smile. This is the key. Perfecting a sympathetic - with a touch of empathy - smile to reassure the student that "it's OK no it's not a stupid question although I've explained it 3 times already". Everyone has their own way of learning - as a teacher you have to learn how to work with all of these different ways.

One point that has come to my attention though is the lack of self-teaching. This is the way I learn how to do most things. Have a go and try stuff out. I have never formally studied web site design. Yet I can do it. Why? By making a few you can work out pretty quickly how to do it. Experimenting. Reading a few books. Asking questions about particular points. Searching for the answers on the internet. If you are studying a language then trying to put your meaning across using the way you know how even if the grammar is wrong or you don't know a particular word.

But of course this method is not for everyone (but it works for most successful people I know). And if everyone could learn like this then a lot of us would be making less pocket money...plus I don't think I'd feel to secure about seeing a "self-taught" doctor if I was sick...

see mood

2002-06-01T11:14:24Z

Had i and a half hours sleep - left home at 9am just got back - I made it basically intact thru hell-week...

off to bed now...

Phew...but only for a moment....

2002-05-31T14:21:33Z

Finished epic-saga project and sent it off a whole hour before the deadline! Woo-hoo! Of course nothing goes off without some hassle - my internet account was shut off, which I'd paid the day before so I had to ring them up and ask them to activate me again...of course this was after I'd played by the rules and changed my address online after I moved in March (that was a hassle too - stupid site crashed my old computer 6 times and I ended up changing it on a buddy's work computer - not that it made any difference as they had sent the bills to my old place - of course the J-ster and D-darling at the old apartment are two of my closest friends but when we get together we tend to gossip as opposed to discussing old bills which should be sent to my new place instead of theirs....)

So the project - I re-wrote an entire 144 page racing car video game manual. In about 3 days - although I didn't receive 40% of it until yesterday morning. Although Im a tad strung out now and my fingers wanna drop off - when this game is released I'm gonna beat the pants of EVERYONE with my insights on cornering, where to brake and speed and how to fine-tune my machine. The Boy - current PlayStation Champion at our place (well he is only 21 and able to read the instructions - stupid Japanese only version of Onimusha 2) is gonna weep when we challenge this game!

Now you would think that would mean that I could relax. No such luck in hell-week - taking a break now from writing into a legible form the 3 hour workshop I'll be teaching tomorrow on digital audio for DigitalEve Japan. I'll be teaching this after a one and a half hour English class.

Tonight's staying awake strategy is rather unique. Maintaining the Diet Coke and ciggie regime - but no MJ-Regain tonight as it does sound scary when you read the ingredients (even if it does have a cool name) - and I've already had two bottles over two days and it should really be "For Emergency Deadline Use Only". The Boy, who has a messed up internal clock from working midnight to dawn a couple of times a week at a local convenience store, has decided that I can no longer walk around with my multi-coloured hair and we are going to dye it. Unfortunately there are no colouring products here which do not have bleach in them - so we are taking the henna-route.

And here is the staying awake part - having decided to do this at 10pm I hopped into the shower. Boy opened the door and informed me that you have to add water to the henna powder and let it sit for 3 hours. It will take about an hour to apply the diluted cow-manuresque paste to my mid-back length hair - where it'll stay for 3 hours until I can wash it out - that puts my bed-time at *pause for calculation* about 5am. However I have to get up at 8am to get to bloody pain in the bum boring English class - so there will be a period of decision making - to keep awake and hope for a second wind (may go for a jog at 4am) and "wing" the rest of the day in that bizarre no-sleep euphoria (which I've been practising all week) or nap for a couple of hours with the risk of sleeping in and/or waking up and feeling really crappy.

If I stay awake who knows what inspiration I'll be hit with as the birds wake up to seek out their breakfast worm - sleep deprivation does produce some freaky things sometimes...

Tomorrow night of course will be a different story - after the hyper-sensei phase I suspect I'll get home and pass out on the futon...sounds bloody fab right now...

WOW!!

2002-05-29T15:57:13Z

MJ-Regain is fantastic. I'm renewed!!!!

Have had sleep

2002-05-29T02:16:29Z

I'm a wuss! slept until 10:30 - it's probably better that way - I was getting edgy. Besides it's hard to get up when I'm all snuggly-wuggly with the Boy in futon! Still I feel recharged now! Next phase - eye drop schedule. J-Mum was shocked that I do computer work and don't use eye drops - so she gave me some. I've put in the vitamin ones a couple of times - stings a little but feels good afterwards. Hope that I don't have to resort to the "supa-strength" wake up ones - just the thought of giving my eyes " a peppermint zing!" freaks me out a bit!

For those readers who know me quite well I laughed when the Boy was telling me about a genki drink called "MJ Regain" - it's the jumbo size bottle of "Regain" - sounds perfect - I'll be stocking up on that one later today!

Sleep deprived update

2002-05-28T16:13:43Z

3 hours sleep - still going - haven't collapsed yet and I've had another deadline moved forward to next week and another contract on the weekend - this pushes my pajama day forward to around Thursday next week at least...at least I'm burning lots of calories right?

Up to the red wine strategy now for editing speed...by the time I slow down I should be able to catch a few zzz - the chocolate should help to gain momentum - have cut out the caffeine...lets see go to bed at 3 get up at 7 sounds like a plan...not a fab one mind you ...