tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101181402011-09-10T22:42:44.007+10:00My random musings about life in general.Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.comBlogger921100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-79085893862614236222009-01-13T11:01:00.002+11:002009-01-13T11:20:21.099+11:00

I thought that I'd gotten used to most of the prices in Australia but I hadn't accounted for automotives. My husband has become numb to it, already having ranted and raved about Canadian prices vs. American. Being Canadian myself I shrugged off his outrage but now have the dubious pleasure of experiencing exactly the same thing in Oz.Our car was due for an oil change and so we went off looking

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-15791570091034797602009-01-06T22:03:00.006+11:002009-01-06T23:00:54.382+11:00

Food vices exist everywhere. In Canada we apparently have great fondness for Kraft Dinner. Policemen have donuts. Koreans have to have kimchi. San Francisco has Rice-a-Roni, you get the picture. As it's contribution to the food vice community, Australia presents Vegemite.On one of my first trips into the supermarket in Australia I was bewildered by certain yellow-labeled jars and tubes

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-39632312030054310922009-01-06T13:05:00.004+11:002009-01-06T17:18:02.217+11:00

I've been in Australia now for about 5 months. In that time I've managed to get work and make some friends. I've also had time to really miss things about my home country. In no particular order I present them now:1. Snow and cold - Yes this sounds strange for those of you suffering from too much of it but Christmas in blazing sun and heat just isn't the same for a gal who grew up in the

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-48266290838784863812008-11-21T20:21:00.004+11:002008-11-22T14:49:48.840+11:00

I'm going on the 3rd month now away from home and hitting that usual bump that I encounter when I'm not in North America. I find this happens in 3 month increments. I'll be doing fine and then suddenly I'm hit with an overwhelming wave of homesickness. This happened in Korea, and Japan so it's no surprise it's happening here too. I thought it might've been muted a bit since I can at least

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-50017507381862892242008-11-08T00:17:00.002+11:002008-11-08T00:53:46.664+11:00

Hello out there. I can't believe I haven't updated in so long! First I was plain lazy and then I managed to land a temporary job as a science teacher and have been going non stop since. I was sick the past few days and now have some energy to blog. Excellent.My post for today pertains to something I stumbled across in my many hours of perusing the internet. I can't remember what led to it

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-6818004726496905832008-09-19T21:39:00.006+10:002008-09-19T22:40:52.355+10:00

I don't usually think of myself as a creepy person. That is not until I get to a foreign country. I'm in Melbourne where, aside from Will, I don't know a soul. I don't like not knowing any other souls. My soul likes getting to know other ones. After feeling panicked because I didn't know anyone, a great opportunity presented itself in the form of an after-school meet-and-greet that also included

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-87546436198864713832008-09-19T12:32:00.004+10:002008-09-19T13:43:06.163+10:00

I've been in Australia for just over a month now, and working for 2 weeks as a CRT. Yesterday afforded me one of my more interesting introduction to the culture here...footy.The main sport here in the state of Victoria is AFL or the Australian Football League, they follow Australian Rules Football. The way I understand it is that it's a mixture of rugby and football (not soccer). Not knowing

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-16179223388450193852008-09-06T18:33:00.009+10:002008-09-06T20:03:04.996+10:00

I can't really pretty up the title anymore than that. I grew up in Calgary where if you don't have a car you're condemned to stay at home and starve to death. I've never been without a car, be it my parents or my own. If I had to make a pros and cons list about transit it would look something like this:Pros:1. Saving the environment2. Don't have to worry about parkingCons:1. It REALLY SUCKS2.

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-6440409445023303372008-09-03T19:03:00.011+10:002008-09-06T22:17:00.060+10:00

Living in Australia, I'm surrounded by the accent. It's sometimes grating on my ears and other times I hardly notice it. Now that I've started teaching I get the frankness of children staring open-mouthed at me when I tell them I'm from Canada. It's strange to be considered the one with the accent. Don't they realize I speak real English and they're the ones who are doing it wrong?Today I asked

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-88767633800666518782008-08-29T19:05:00.003+10:002008-08-29T19:39:48.305+10:00

This is completely unrelated to anything Australian but I wanted to make a note about my current favorite series.Since it was recommended to me by my former educational assistant's daughter, I have been hooked on a teen series called Twilight. For a short summary it chronicles an unlikely romance between a normal girl and a vampire. Yes, for those of you unfamiliar with it I know it sounds

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-36560906781172277252008-08-27T17:16:00.002+10:002008-08-27T17:28:52.166+10:00

While things aren't terribly different between Canada and Australia they are there and mainly in the cost of two BIG (well to me anyway) things. Those being:1. Internet2. Coca Cola or other name-brand popI will address issue #1: When I lived in Canada, Korea and Japan I didn't know that such a thing as a bandwith cap existed. I figured everyone paid a flat fee and got all the internet their

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-16201564676726360482008-08-16T21:08:00.005+10:002008-08-17T19:49:30.885+10:00

Hello all, I write to you in Melbourne where I have finally gotten access to the internet. I was only 3 days without it but man, it seems like a long time!I see that I have neglected my blog but with good reason, living in Canada was boring. I love Canada but when you've grown up there and the majority of people reading your blog have grown up there then it's not so interesting to write or read

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-11220786043411558022007-02-14T12:51:00.000+11:002007-02-14T13:24:56.905+11:00

No, I'm not talking about those yellow plastic carpet things that kids slid on during the hot summer months. Oh how I coveted those! No, I'm talking about driving on Calgary streets in rather inhuman conditions.It's been snowing for the past 3 days virtually non stop. Sometimes heavily, sometimes not, but enough to be sufficiently annoying. Not having a garage, I'm one of the privileged few

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-65029902037751432602007-02-03T14:43:00.000+11:002007-02-03T14:47:07.543+11:00

Oi, I should know better than to post something when I'm in a funk. But thanks to those who emailed me supportive comments. It's very much appreciated.My class is still nuts and while I still don't know if teaching is going to be a lifelong career for me, I'm on somewhat better footing (and in a much better mindset) since the weekend.I also like the fact that it's Friday and I can sleep in

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-49995122117884851642007-01-29T17:13:00.000+11:002007-01-29T17:41:33.207+11:00

Hello all, I write to you on a rather weary Sunday night. I'm so glad tomorrow is not a teaching day, just a workshop to attend and I can handle that. If teaching was all workshops how happy I would be.As per my title, I find myself in the unfamiliar position of realizing that the career I thought would last me until retirement might not be for me at all. I can't say it's a sudden realization

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-19896484825349502282007-01-08T16:30:00.000+11:002007-01-08T16:40:00.594+11:00

Well, I consider it a rut anyways. Most of us spend at least 2 months anticipating the Christmas holidays which means we're fantasizing about what we'll do with the time off at the beginning of November (or possibly at the end of October). We eat and unwrap our way through Christmas and then can look forward to ringing in the New Year (often with paper hats and a great deal of booze). Once

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-5177195181660630382006-12-29T05:39:00.000+11:002006-12-29T05:52:15.605+11:00

With the first half of school giving way to the winter break I have found myself with and inordinate amount of time on my hands. This feels rather strange after having run around constantly not knowing what the heck I was doing for the last 2 months. Since said break began I have not done one really productive thing with my time. Unless you count baking cookies as productive (which could be

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1166936230547399512006-12-24T15:35:00.000+11:002006-12-24T15:57:10.566+11:00

It's that time of year when carols are played on radio stations and the unmistakable bells of the Salvation Army can be heard when you walk into any mall. Yes, Christmas has arrived once again, cheering on 2006 as it prepares to make it's grand exit.Along with Christmas comes trees, tinsel, lights and the delightful frenzy of last-minute shopping, something I always vow to avoid but end up

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1165377474333414042006-12-06T14:44:00.000+11:002006-12-06T14:57:54.343+11:00

I think that will be the title of my first novel, should I ever get around to writing one. They really should tell you during teacher training that your first year is going to be a complete gong show. And I only teach in the mornings! How bad is that?It's been a month and I've gotten to know the kids better but I'm still struggling in the classroom management aspect of things. I pretty much

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1163049808015651432006-11-09T16:05:00.000+11:002006-11-09T16:23:28.063+11:00

Well, I think I'm officially losing my head. My Board of Ed sent me two copies of my official contract to be duly signed and witnessed and I've gone and lost them both. Though I did manage to finish filling out the rest of the 40 billion forms they sent along with the contract. Seeing as how the contract was one of the most important things I'm glad I managed to keep all the other

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1162622035791845232006-11-04T17:19:00.000+11:002006-11-04T17:33:55.803+11:00

I sit in my apartment, knowing that I really should brush my teeth and call it a night but I'm compelled to instead type away at this blog which has been woefully neglected. Whilst I type, I'm wondering how on Earth some people manage to both teach full time and take care of families. I'm teaching part time, my husband is away and I feel like I'm barely functioning. My apartment hasn't been

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1162190842088255532006-10-30T17:46:00.000+11:002006-10-30T17:47:22.086+11:00

Stay tuned for my teaching adventures! To be posted whenever I can tear myself away from planning and marking...

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1162190790255469082006-10-30T17:34:00.000+11:002006-10-30T17:46:30.266+11:00

Hmm, I kept meaning to update this thing and I kept not doing it. Until now that is. What happened in bit of time in between? I got married, went on honeymoon, and somehow managed to acquire a teaching job. *gasp*My wedding day passed in such a blur that by the next morning I still didn't realize what had happened. Movies don't seem to mention the sheer stress involved in getting hitched.

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1156812204766015232006-08-29T10:39:00.000+10:002006-09-09T05:50:04.226+10:00

Hello and I hope all is well with whoever is still checking up on this blog. Since the last time I wrote I've been down to LA, had a lovely reunion with Will and then came back up with him to Calgary via his truck. Since then I don't feel like I've had too much downtime what with trying to get the wedding in order and also trying to furnish the apartment. We've been busy pretty much since we

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1153706162383674572006-07-24T11:48:00.000+10:002006-07-24T11:56:02.393+10:00

The home computer has gone awry. There's some virus that none of my anti-virus or anti-spyware products can detect. This is annoying and happens way too often. Who is it that has so little of a life they resort to creating viruses? Anyone out there know how to get rid of a FakeAlert-B Trojan?It's very hot in Calgary. Compared to the sticky heat of Japan/Korea it's nothing but for someone who

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1152838716600245742006-07-14T10:47:00.000+10:002006-07-14T10:58:36.613+10:00

Well, it's again been a shamefully long time since I've updated this thing. Over a month! How time flies...My wedding to a certain JET participant is approaching and with it the usual phone calls to florists, photographers, videographers, dress alterers, commissioners and whathaveyou. My daytimer is chock full of phone numbers, appointments and post-its detailing what I need to do for the

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1149478495131249282006-06-05T13:12:00.000+10:002006-06-05T14:00:19.463+10:00

Please note, the following may contain spoilers of KBS' 2002 miniseries, Winter Sonata. Also note that I am kind of enjoying watching it.After having emphatically stated how I'd never watch a Korean drama called "Gyeoul Yeonga" or Winter Sonata, I bought my mother the DVD set and then it arrived at the house. Having some time on my hands and my curiousity getting the better of me, I popped the

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1148266033057832162006-05-22T12:40:00.000+10:002006-05-22T12:47:13.070+10:00

In an effort to not fall asleep and totally screw up my sleep schedule, I'm attempting to stay awake until midnight. A hardy feat considering I slept a total of maybe 1 hour in the last day.After 3 buses and 3 planes I've finally arrived back in Calgary, where there are blue skies and lots of greenery (for Calgary, this is strange). It looks like my bags vomited all over the floor but I'll

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1147763069102423032006-05-16T17:04:00.000+10:002006-05-16T17:14:25.930+10:00

For the final holiday I will have before I leave Japan, Will and I ventured to familiar territory and, conversely, completely unfamiliar territory. Korea and Australia respectively. Korea I actually can't say much about. I already lived there for over a year and I saw nothing new. I did see a lot of my friends which was great and I ate tons of Korean food. From the ever-traditional, spicy

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1147681302547755782006-05-15T17:47:00.000+10:002006-05-15T22:29:18.670+10:00

Will's BOE asked if we wanted to have wedding photos taken, in traditional Japanese style. We both thought this would be a very interesting thing to take part in, and as I love dressing up, we agreed.Upon arriving in the photo studio, we were ushered upstairs and given the usual complementary coffee and sweets. After sipping and munching for about 10 minutes, the wardrobe lady arrived, bearing

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1145968706037958672006-04-25T22:27:00.000+10:002006-04-25T22:38:26.056+10:00

Hey all, I'm off to the "Land of the Morning Calm" (Korea) and the "Land Down Under" for the next 2 weeks. I will post when I return. Hopefully with pictures. Cheers all.

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1145499266766398222006-04-20T12:13:00.000+10:002006-04-20T12:14:26.766+10:00

If anyone knows how to align blog posts properly please let me know. I don't know why that last post keeps coming out all wonky.

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1145363087977311892006-04-18T21:56:00.000+10:002006-04-20T12:13:16.043+10:00

I've lived in Japan now for almost 9 months. And what have I gained during this time? Here is my top 10. (note: the following list is very trite)1. I finally, after months of hoping I'd never have to touch one again, learned to drive a stick shift. Although most people rave over and profess great love for a manual car, I see it as a lot of unecessary extra work. I am a lazy being.2. I learned to

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1144910818164786792006-04-13T16:25:00.000+10:002006-04-14T12:16:43.253+10:00

The past 3 years of my life have been split living between Canada, China, Korea and Japan. In China, I taught at a university. In Korea and Japan I taught at a hagwon and juku respectively. Both are the country's names for "cram school".Today I read an article about a new elite private school, for junior high/high school students, opening in Japan. It is meant for the cultivation of future

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1144811705942895102006-04-12T13:00:00.000+10:002006-04-12T23:48:01.390+10:00

Now that I've got my bearings and have organized most of what needs to be organized (flight home, soon-to-be-trip, additional inconsequential details) I can now write about what else I saw in Tokyo.Our first day in, with the extra early arrival of 6:30am, due to the overnight bus schedule, we wandered around, bleary eyed, sleepy, and wondering what the hell to do with ourselves for the next 10

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1144405908201072132006-04-07T20:30:00.000+10:002006-04-07T20:31:48.203+10:00

To all the Calgarians out there. I finally booked my flight home. I'm back on May 21st! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone!

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1144328325799951142006-04-06T22:43:00.000+10:002006-04-07T20:30:18.536+10:00

Last Friday found Will and myself waiting at for an overnight bus by Tokushima Station. I had just finished my last day of work and was pretty damn excited about going somewhere and relaxing. It duly arrived and we boarded. I was interested to see that there were bottles of green tea supplied as well as pillows and blankets. Once the bus was really on its way, we were required to pull the

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1143119252016653402006-03-23T23:53:00.000+11:002006-03-25T21:58:08.683+11:00

I found out, a little late, on the local chat forum here that the annual trek to Osaka would be happening in order to catch a Sumo tournament. A group of us decided to drive the distance in order to watch portly men tussle with one another while wearing a uniform that closely resembled a thong. But more about that later.We woke up at the decent hour of 3am and were off by 3:30. Surprisingly,

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1142233291632581342006-03-13T17:48:00.000+11:002006-03-13T18:01:39.253+11:00

The advent of spring brings all sorts of nice and happy things with it. Flowers, green grass, leaves on trees, frolicking animals... One of the happiest of spring things is POLLEN. Yes, it's that time of year when trees and plants are budding and sending their 'dust' out into the open air. And, consequently, right up my nose. It doesn't matter which country I'm in or what the vegetation, I get

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1141700989634302582006-03-07T13:53:00.000+11:002006-03-07T14:09:55.976+11:00

It's the return of the sporadic blogger! What will she do this time?This morning, as I was getting breakfast together for myself, I took out the jam from the fridge. Upon opening said jar I noticed a slight, shall we say, discoloration on the top of it. There were 2 spots of discoloration to be precise. The jam was starting to mold. I've never encountered moldy jam before. And back home we

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1140335905354564832006-02-19T18:37:00.000+11:002006-02-19T19:19:41.063+11:00

Over the past weekend, I had the pleasure to take in a matsuri (festival) known as Eyo Hadaka or Naked Man. This event took place in Okayama with the festivities beginning around 7:30pm. First, a little background.The Eyo Hadaka began in the 1500s when priests gave out amulets to coincide with the lunar new year. The amulets became popular and were coveted for their good fortune. In order to

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1139494637737599692006-02-10T01:10:00.000+11:002006-02-10T01:17:17.756+11:00

I had the pleasure of teaching 2 new additions to a class of mine. And I had the worst time getting their names straight. Why? They looked exactly alike. I've never actually met a pair of identical twins before and the experience, while novel, was somewhat frustrating.The two had the same hairstyle, nearly the same expression and, unfortunately, the almost the same clothing. The one

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1138604059990065552006-01-30T17:28:00.000+11:002006-01-30T17:55:52.193+11:00

Not the most refined of topics but I thought I'd take the time to write about a style of toilet that has haunted my Asian travels. I call them squatters, I have no idea what the proper terminology would be for them. Any of you that have done some traveling will know what I'm talking about.This style of toilet is situated in the ground. Really, it's quite a space saver. No need for all that extra

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1138433089808185072006-01-28T18:24:00.000+11:002006-01-28T18:24:49.813+11:00

One of the more puzzling things I've seen since coming to Japan is the seemingly endless construction work. On one of the local roads within my town the construction has been going on since November of last year and they're STILL at it! All this road work seems to have led nowhere. The street is in even worse condition than when they started what with the bumps and potholes that have magically

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1137391813188858622006-01-16T16:36:00.000+11:002006-01-16T17:10:13.206+11:00

Hi all, I'm on an unexpected break at work. A student canceled and now I have an extra hour and a half to fiddle around with. So, I'll try and finish my blogs about the vacation. On to Kyoto...Before coming to Japan, I really wanted to see Kyoto. Why? Well, a kind of stupid reason but I had read "Memoirs of a Geisha" and then later, "Geisha of Gion" (do you see a trend here?) and I wanted to

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1137244610994220242006-01-14T23:33:00.000+11:002006-01-29T14:31:54.790+11:00

Sorry 'bout the lack of updates folks (for those of you who are following this blog). I started one about the winter vacation, copied the text then deleted it only to find I couldn't seem to paste what I'd copied. Argh! So I'm starting from scratch again.My winter holiday began on Dec.23, or the Emperor's Birthday which a national holiday here. On Christmas Eve Will and I set out on the road in

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1135208921501278142005-12-22T10:26:00.000+11:002006-01-02T14:48:12.666+11:00

It's that lovely time of year when all people on the island of Shikoku (and the rest of Japan) freeze their behinds off. Why? Well, the outside isn't actually super cold but the houses and their lack of insulation make it feel like the arctic. You can actually see your breath when inside. Isn't there something inherently wrong with that?So, to battle the frigidness, we have heaters. They come in

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1134604986937168082005-12-15T10:44:00.000+11:002005-12-16T16:02:03.803+11:00

Yesterday, I woke up, opened the window and saw that the ground was covered with snow. Usually, when I see the first snow of the season, I'm filled with childish glee and delight and have the urge to go and make snowangels. That former delight was thoroughly mixed with despair as the knowledge I couldn't drive to work set in.I bundled up appropriately for the weather, meaning sweater, fleece,

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1134354095947922422005-12-12T12:48:00.000+11:002005-12-12T13:21:35.960+11:00

Hi all, today I'm going to write about Japan's 'we aren't really gambling' gambling system. Known to most as Pachinko. Gambling is illegal throughout all of Japan. So, of course, no one gambles. Ever.When in Osaka with Will and two friends of mine, way back in October, the group of us thought it would be fun to step into a Pachinko parlor. It's not hard to find, every city/town has at least

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1133272461237162762005-11-30T00:45:00.000+11:002005-12-02T13:17:09.760+11:00

Hi all, it's quickly approaching my favorite time of year...Christmas! Being in Asia, the season is a bit less festive than in North America. Okay, a LOT less festive. Although there seems to be no shortage of twinkly lights on the outside of some houses. The homes I've seen with Christmas lights are literally draped with them. The blinking and twinkling is too frenetic for these human eyes.Being

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1132275413912232952005-11-19T04:24:00.000+11:002005-11-18T12:26:33.803+11:00

I thought I would try to update this thing more regularly. Which means I'll go through a spurt where I update every two or three days, and then sink back into lethargy where I don't update at all. This is one of the former periods.I was thinking last night about my inability to read here. In China, I didn't even attempt it since every character was so alien to me. In Korea, learning to read was

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1131951289560121262005-11-18T15:15:00.000+11:002005-11-17T11:20:41.300+11:00

Finally I can stop carping about the intense heat and go straight into carping about the intense cold. Well, ok, not really intense but building up to there I think. Japanese houses don't really do much to keep the heat in. I've taken to pestering my students to help me figure out which option says "heat" on the air-conditioner/heater remote. When in my house I bundle up attractively in track

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1130897161370183802005-11-02T12:44:00.000+11:002005-11-02T13:06:01.383+11:00

Hey, my week is off to yet another inauspicious start. I locked the keys in the car for the 2nd time in two weeks. (I've never done this back in Canada!!) I paid an exorbitant fee to have someone come and break into my car for me (a hundred dollars, stupidity is expensive), trudged into work and flopped down to plan lessons. The day actually went well teaching wise but then when I was back in

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1130168302936318872005-10-25T16:15:00.000+10:002005-10-25T01:38:22.956+10:00

Remember when the only way to have a fight with another person was to be face to face with them? Well, I don't, always having had the option to fight over the phone, but with the advent of internet there is yet another way to duke it out (mentally not physically)...via email, chat and message forums.I had a fight once with a friend, all done over a series of emails and it ended our friendship.

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1130052112702977052005-10-23T17:12:00.000+10:002005-10-23T17:25:00.596+10:00

Yesterday, in an attempt to go for a hike, I bought some water to drink at the local supermarket. It was unusually cheap at 58yen. Not bothering to read the label closely I picked it up, duly paid for it, then headed back to the car.Once in the car, I opened the bottle and took a sip. The flavour was strange considering it was water and after I took another swig only to be met with the same weird

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1129596926157060592005-10-19T15:50:00.000+10:002005-10-20T09:29:45.386+10:00

Everyday I commute to Tokushima City to where I work. I know a lot of you have no idea what this means geographically but let me tell you that there are 50km between where I live and where I work.Now, this might take me about 40min or so under normal circumstances but the speed limit on the local road here is a rapid 50km/h. So it takes me a little over an hour to get to and from work everyday.

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1129531183312782632005-10-17T16:36:00.000+10:002005-10-17T16:55:04.193+10:00

I should make a list of the things that I did right last week. They'd pretty much amount to 0. If you ask me what I did do last week this would be my answer:1. I accused Will of taking my keys only to discover that I'd locked them in the car. Since I commute everyday and have no spare this was a problem. So, I called Will and after it was found that my keys were dangling from the ignition on the

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1129159252607189892005-10-13T09:19:00.000+10:002005-10-13T09:20:52.613+10:00

Hey all, haven't updated in awhile. I got busy with work and other stuff. Just a short note to let y'all (who are actually checking this blog) that an update is coming soon. Hope you'll check back then! Cheers,-Yuri-

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1127372848628211182005-09-22T16:57:00.000+10:002005-09-22T19:48:48.883+10:00

To my great relief, I finally found work here in Japan. Hopefully this means my days as an unemployable pariah are over. Whew. (In the back of my mind I worry that this company will call and reneg on the offer...)Anyhoo, despite everyone's assurances that I'm insane, I've decided to commute. The job is in Tokushima City which means well, A LOT o' drivin'! Though with the repeated emails and

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1127293027041371002005-09-21T18:48:00.000+10:002005-09-22T14:40:39.360+10:00

This is a day when students display their athletic prowess. Well, not exactly but something to this effect. The day started out with some ceremonial greetings from both the principal and vice-principal of the school. The students stood quietly in straight, organized lines listening to them. They were dressed identically, in white t-shirts and dark blue shorts, white socks and sneakers. The only

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1126937481737197792005-09-17T15:57:00.000+10:002005-09-21T18:48:20.790+10:00

Today I accompanied Will to his junior high's Culture Festival. It usually seems to take place on a weekend and is to celebrate...culture as far as I could tell.The first thing that happened were the 3 different grades each sang a song. As I can't understand Japanese, particularly if sung, I had no idea what the song might have been about. The students are all in uniform here. The girls wore

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1126247456651219322005-09-09T16:14:00.000+10:002005-09-11T18:27:32.556+10:00

It's another lazy day for me...there have been too many but nevertheless here we go. I ventured into a coffee shop yesterday to sit and well, drink coffee, write, read and enjoy their air conditioning. While there I pondered about the following subjects:1. Why am I the only girl in this place? Ooh, did I enter a snack bar unknowingly?2. Nifty Asian made cell phones! Very advanced...and prettily

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1126072145532899042005-09-08T06:50:00.000+10:002005-09-07T15:49:05.533+10:00

Sorry folks, not too exciting. There was some wind and lots o' rain, but not enough to constitute a flood.I stayed indoors and taught.And there is your typhoon update. Today is very sunny and warm.

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1125988100431699712005-09-08T06:44:00.000+10:002005-09-07T16:03:51.823+10:00

At the moment, Shikoku island is being hit by a typhoon. I've never been through any type of severe weather (save the all too common blizzards of Calgary) so this is a new experience for me. As of yet it doesn't seem to be too bad but I hear that it's supposed to pick up tonight. Expect an update when this weather passes! Now onto the subject of my post...In Japan, three different sets of

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1125641970560593572005-09-02T16:03:00.000+10:002005-09-02T16:49:47.636+10:00

Last week I went with two friends to a cafe/restaurant that could only be described as coming straight from the set of the "Flintstones".  Seriously, on the outside it was a yellowish-beige colour and well, rocky looking.  Once you stepped inside the stone-age ambience ended and you were presented with a rather quaint but cozy enough looking restaurant.I thought that a restaurant like this

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1125274037327062052005-09-01T10:02:00.000+10:002005-09-01T14:22:16.370+10:00

Hello again and welcome to the umpteenth instalment of Yuri's frenetic blogging. Brought to you by time and the Toshiba Satellite laptop which is better traveled then a lot of my friends. While that sounds like a plug it isn't. (though I do very much like my laptop!)Over the weekend Will and I went to visit a friend of his in Kobe, Jun. So, we duly hopped onto a bus, watched the driver wave

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1124938073498521332005-08-25T12:47:00.000+10:002005-08-25T22:10:36.540+10:00

In Japan, the price of living is pretty much what they say it is. Darned expensive. I am lucky because I am currently mooching off of my fiancé who is JET. As far as housing goes, I can’t give you all a realistic price since his place is well subsidized and nowhere near what the usual rent would be. First off, I will describe the yen. It comes in these denominations 1 yen - a flimsy, tin-like

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1124763662440113552005-08-23T12:04:00.000+10:002005-08-23T12:21:02.446+10:00

Going back to Japan now, just a short post about the interesting "alarm" system they have going here.In Sadamitsu, a melody plays three times a day. It's a different melody each time. At 7am I wake up because of the unfamiliar music that is being played ALL over the town. I'm sure that everyone in every household can hear it. It's not overbearingly loud but at the same time, loud enough to

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1124674403164213112005-08-22T11:15:00.000+10:002005-08-22T15:33:24.163+10:00

In a departure from the usual Japan posts I thought I'd take this opportunity to expound on the differences between the fair and not-so-fair sexes. I'm not an expert on the subject, nor do I possess a degree in psychology specializing in sex differences in the brain. These are merely my observations about the topic based on my experiences in relationships both romantic and platonic. And here they

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1124465217798470432005-08-20T01:09:00.000+10:002005-08-20T22:22:45.836+10:00

Humid heat is one of the things I just can't bear, but bearing it I have been since I don't have any other choice. Though I suppose I could always jump on a plane going home to where it's currently about 9 degrees and raining (Calgary has had one of its worst summers in history). I suppose Korea's climate should have prepared me for this but even that wasn't quite as bad as the misty heat you

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1124372604186151272005-08-18T23:36:00.000+10:002005-08-19T16:42:31.473+10:00

And in passing, why does this particular country get the moniker "Land of the Rising Sun"? Well, actually, I know the answer to that, it's Japan's location in relation to China. That is, farther East, where things begin. Korea gets stuck with the piddling name "Land of the Morning Calm". I guess it's calm since Japan stole the entire sun rising thing, but I digress.By the time I arrived in Japan,

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1124328028291129362005-08-18T10:49:00.000+10:002005-08-18T11:24:09.143+10:00

I find that any new country I'm in seems to have its own share of wonderfully exotic and rather disturbing insects. They can range from those with long wings, long legs, long bodies and so on and so forth. Are you noticing a trend here? I hate any insect that's long. In China, it was very fast and wily centi or millipedes. In Korea it was the occasional cockroach (hey I'm from Calgary, we don't

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1124243220283555852005-08-17T11:08:00.000+10:002005-08-17T12:10:14.700+10:00

Over this past weekend, Japan celebrated a holiday called "Obon." It's a time to celebrate your ancestors and is rooted in Buddhist religion. As Japanese legend tells it, a buddhist disciple, wanting to save his mother's spirit from hell, went to the monks and made offerings to save her. Thusly she was saved, went to heaven or zen and her son danced in celebration. (this was an extremely

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1123990964927882332005-08-14T13:24:00.000+10:002005-08-15T11:32:29.796+10:00

In Canada, I am of average height or a little over the mean. My size is almost always readily available at any shoe store and clothes of the medium variety generally fit me quite well. Then I went to Asia.In China, I had the great pleasure of realizing I was now an 'extra large.' I could still manage to find shoes though my feet were close to being too big for the country. In Korea the infamous '

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1123818997882912542005-08-12T13:17:00.000+10:002005-08-12T15:24:15.403+10:00

Actually, I don't think my shorts would be short enough to be considered Daisy Dukes, at least not in North America. However, here in Sadamitsu I haven't seen another girl wearing anything quite as high above the knee. The thing I always manage to forget when I'm traveling is that customs and culture aren't the same. I mean this is obvious what with language and greetings but then you get to the

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1123551796381205932005-08-09T11:24:00.000+10:002005-08-10T16:43:02.120+10:00

I write to you from my house (well technically not really mine, nor Will's) in Sadamitsu. A town with the towering population of approximately 5000. I should be trying to study Japanese but I'm a great procrastinator and instead decided to update my blog.For those of you who don't know much about the geography of Japan, Sadamitsu is on the island Shikoku. There are four main islands that make up

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1123393448767203702005-08-08T06:43:00.000+10:002005-08-07T15:44:08.776+10:00

I have now been in Japan for about 2 and a half days. I'm not doing too bad on jet lag or so it seems, maybe it'll hit me later in the week and I'll become narcoleptic. The plane ride wasn't so bad. I had my own TV screen and could choose from about 7 different movies that were constantly looping. I could also play video games. Bad ones but games nonetheless. To me, this is high class flying

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1123391394518294072005-08-04T03:07:00.000+10:002005-08-07T15:16:43.940+10:00

The following is from while I was waiting in Vancouver airport, bored to tears, so I decided to write an entry into my journal to be posted later...like now.Internet is bloody expensive and being hoarded by 2 people right now so I'm recording this in my journal. This now marks the second time I've traveled internationally, alone.I'm sitting at Gate 71, and being increasingly surrounded by

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1122507686417500472005-07-28T09:35:00.000+10:002005-07-29T06:52:52.906+10:00

Although I've been back from Korea for more than half a year now, I'll enlighten you all and what it's like to be considered a native in a country you barely know.Having been born and raised in Canada, I know next to nothing about my Korean heritage. I can understand a little and speak even less. I can read slowly but my writing is horrendous. It's not something I'm proud of, it's just a fact.

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1121717955173444272005-07-19T06:03:00.000+10:002005-07-19T06:24:28.266+10:00

One of the sad things that I've come to realize about myself is the fact that I like to worry about EVERYTHING. It can be the most inconsequential thing, but if it's out of the ordinary then I start to worry. From a blemish on my foot (Oh God, it's cancer!), school assignments (Oh God, what if I failed? It'll bring down my GPA!), to money investments (Oh God, what if I go broke? I'll be on

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1121369190873315662005-07-15T06:30:00.000+10:002005-07-15T06:09:27.510+10:00

It's that time of year when Calgary transforms into a veritable ranch. The business men of downtown disappear and are replaced with jeans, boots, bolo ties, and stetsons. I'm almost surprised that I don't see cows and horses alongside the cars while sitting in traffic. The Calgary Stampede and Exhibition, coined the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", is acknowledged to the be the largest spectacle

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1121296082477949872005-07-15T06:03:00.000+10:002005-07-15T05:01:09.613+10:00

Hello and welcome to another installment of what I should've titled the Yuri Chronicles. I haven't updated in a sinfully longtime. I've been busy, y'know, sub teaching and obsessing about things I don't really need to obsess about. I find life just isn't all that perfect unless I'm worrying about something. The following post is a self-indulgent bit of writing that probably heralds the coming of

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1121296970707840672005-07-14T09:08:00.000+10:002005-07-14T09:22:50.713+10:00

So, way back in September of 2004, Will asked if I'd want to go to Japan the next year with him. At the time I was in Korea and thought this would be a good idea. We both applied to the JET programme, designed to let foreigners teach English in Japan, and then waited for responses.In March, they came. For him, acceptance and for me, rejection. I was affronted. How could THEY reject ME? I

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1107475233376491362005-02-17T15:15:00.000+11:002005-02-17T14:23:18.750+11:00

So, I enrolled in a ballet class last month because I hadn't done anything active with my body since I quit dancing (10 years ago, yep, got NO tone). I excitedly bought peachy/pink ballet slippers and anally sewed on elastics for them. I've been out of the loop, not only are the slippers made from leather but they also are made from canvas! I never knew.Because of my past experience I figured I'd

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1108610399877629372005-02-17T14:07:00.000+11:002005-02-17T14:19:59.883+11:00

After subbing for several weeks now, I really think that the world of students is quite amazing. The changes from grade to grade, their self-awareness. It's all been a good experience for me.I had previously thought that I would never want to substitute teach. I didn't like the idea of just walking into a classroom and then trying to figure out how things were run and what routines the kids

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1107476245061550142005-02-04T12:21:00.000+11:002005-02-04T11:19:13.103+11:00

I thought I would write here, for no good reason at all, about my trials and tribulations with my left eye. It lived an independent life, free-spirited and uncaring about it's mate, the right eye. In other words, it was lazy. It roved and had a mind of its own. It answered to no one but itself. For the 5+ years that I had it I'm sure it creeped people out to no end. Whoever was responsible for

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1106697800009794572005-01-26T12:02:00.000+11:002005-01-26T11:03:20.010+11:00

With the more frequent calls from my CBE boyfriend also comes more inevitable hell. Boy, did I get some today. I taught what could only have been the proverbial devil's spawn. Or maybe the class was a grooming centre for future sociopaths. I've never seen kids so wild before, they had all my junior high experience beat by a mile. I was woken up by my phone (I am now mechanically trained to

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1106420293708853392005-01-23T05:52:00.000+11:002005-01-26T11:09:43.596+11:00

So, contrary to what I just wrote yesterday I do have a boyfriend in town. It is the Calgary Board of Education (CBE). Like I said before he's not that nice. He doesn't call when I want him to and there isn't any real way I can reach him. I have to go through his many secretaries and they don't give me the answers I want. He calls other girls (and guys) much to my dismay. Doesn't CBE know he's

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1106336255217406742005-01-22T06:08:00.000+11:002005-01-22T06:37:35.216+11:00

Today I woke up at around 9, realized I hadn't been called into work and fell asleep again. I got up at 10 for good, a little later than usual. Every morning that I wake up I kind of have to reconcile myself to the fact that my boyfriend is living a very very far distance from me in Korea. This isn't fun. To all of you who have made it through long distance I applaud you because there were/

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1106026841554483352005-01-18T16:21:00.000+11:002005-01-18T16:40:41.553+11:00

Hi all, how goes things? I'm updating my blog yet again. I've just come back from my ballet class where I sweat and used rusty aching muscles, trying to force them back into the suppleness they used to know. The said muscles are less than pleased about this. They scream and protest but I always prevail. The following will only really be interesting to those who have endured winters in the

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1105831481012513402005-01-16T11:25:00.000+11:002005-01-16T10:24:41.013+11:00

I spend a good deal of time staring at my cell phone. And no, I'm not pathetically waiting for a boy to call. Although you could liken my teaching board to a boy in that you never know when "he's" going to call or IF he's going to call on any given day. Well, I finally got activated on my board of education's list of substitute teachers and was available to start teaching as of Wednesday. I

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10118140.post-1105571204157839082005-01-13T11:23:00.000+11:002005-01-16T10:33:16.663+11:00

Are people really going to read this? Wow, don't I feel important. I suppose I should start with a little about myself. I'm an ethnic Korean born and raised in Canada. I'm not tall and I'm not short. I don't drink or do drugs. I smoked 1 cigarette my whole life. I had 2 hamsters and 3 fish growing up, and now they're all dead. We tried a dog for awhile but it didn't take. I wanted a cat but my

Yurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492349492483818795noreply@blogger.com1