Welcome to lj Nikkicat13!! I’ve missed you grrl. *runs and envelops Nikkicat in big hug*
All this time I have been adament that I will not return home during my time here – partly because I want to explore other parts of the world while I can and partly because I imagine returning here would be very difficult after a real life dose of friends, Ophelia and home. However, I think I’ll be eating those words as they did not count on upcoming nuptials of two very dear friends!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! ( you know who you are)
Ooh the excitement! Chances are it’ll be for a week or less, and naturally it will be when their wedding is – I’ve been told hopefully next spring, oops, sorry autumn for southern hemispherites. So that’s my exciting, start my head spinning news for the day!
what!
gosh – isn’t it funny how the magic of the internet lets me learn about local friends from friends in japan
hugs for you amber – and the giving nikkicat an lj was in the hopes of her being less crap at keeping in touch 🙂
Whoops
So Sorry
What with all the running round at Arc I truely forgot who I told and not told and with you being an Org I did not see much of you at all
Yep we are getting married next year some time
Fi
Re: Whoops
hehe – i’m not sure i ever said hello at the con 🙂
next year i’m going back to being a writer… not sure this will get me any more social time – but i’ll probably have more fun
congrats
Re: Whoops
Thanks
It really is all takes a bit of adjustment
Yeh that sounds good
I really like the games that you write/gmed (or at least the ones that I have played)
A new record: In a 20 minute bus trip in the not so backward city of Kyoto, Shanta and I managed to score 55 stares from ONE old man. And these weren’t glances-out-of-corner-of-eye stares, these were full on, half-turn-the-body-and-crane-the-neck-around stares. 55 of them. 10 occuring at just one stop. very impressive. Go team Gaijin!!!
55, huh? That’s IMPRESSIVE.
And I’m impressed by your icon. That’s wicked! I love it!!
Sorry we didn’t get to meet up…sounds like you guys were having too much fun for us anyway. Though we did get some fine cheese. And avocados at 98Y apiece. Oh, and Tim Tams. Mmm…chocolatey deliciousness with my chai this morning!
You are blonde at the moment, aren’t you Amber… and Shanta is .. well, Shanta!
DUH!
*slaps forehead*
8^)
Actually I’m black again with a red streak – but it doesn’t matter what colour my hair, I’m still a tall gaijin and stick out like a sore thumb..and yes, Shanta is Shanta (and even taller than me)!! *grin* Madcap fun ahoy every weekend when we get together! Even better, we have five other equally crazy gaijin to hang out with and all have these horrendous Santa World windcheaters – cos there just aren’t enough stares without!!!
You are a crazy woman, you know that
*grin*
Crazy woman
Oh yeah…nd loving every minute of it!!! *wicked grin*
Ditto
Yeah, we were sorry too. Late start didn’t help any, but damn I needed the sleep – Shanta was up hours before me due to noisy neighbours. We eventually made it to the flea market but just a tad too late, all the stalls were packing up. But think Shanta was pretty happy with one of the kimonos we saw at the handicraft centre so going back this sunday to get it. Oh, and you do know that timtams, in their many varieties are available in Wakayama-shi? Unbelieveable I know. Even more so that there are a multitude of places to get them: Kintetsu, Gotoh, Okuwa in Palm City and Toys’R’Us in Palm City. Varieties available include Original, Chewy Caramel, Double Coat and Dark Chocolate.
Re: Ditto
That is out of control.
(and I love me my Tim Tams, even if I can’t get them in the States!@!)
these were full on, half-turn-the-body-and-crane-the-neck-around stares. 55 of them.
That’s not staring, that’s aerobics!
All I can say is, that guy must have the fittest neck out!
I have a new theory: 90% of this school were born in tents. Why close doors when you can turn the heater up? Same reasoning behind the lack of insulation – why have insulation when you can turn the heating up. AAGGGHHHH… No wonder every second thing said here is samui ne (it’s cold, isn’t it).
My kids stash coats in their bags before they get in sight of the school and then don them when they leave the area. I’ve seen them do it. The whole thing is ridiculous–the teachers wear coats and jackets in the classroom. A lot of my girls wear those 1980’s Flashdance warm-up dancer’s socks and all come into the teacher’s rom to crowd around the kerosene heater in between class and during lunch. My elementary kids have kerosene heaters in their classrooms where the kids directly in front of it fry and the rest freeze. It’s pathetic. If for any reason I ever moved to Japan on permanent basis, I would build a house with insulation (not even central heat or air) and then invite town officials and influential community members over for dinner parties during the blustery and sweltering days of the year.
Maybe it’s all part of the fabled and much-touted Japanese work ethic. The offices are heated and air-conditioned, so people stay at work longer. I know I came to work on the weekends during the summer so that I didn’t burn up or run up the electric bill. I didn’t actually work much, but if somebody asked my how many hours a week I spent at work, I could honestly say somewhere around 60-65. Hmmm…. And anyway, I’m a guy, so I say ‘samui, na?’ instead. Hooray for Kansai-ben!
My new theory is that the Japanese society would collapse if they had full temperature control of their buildings. They would rush in, look around, and the conflict between the outside ‘samui, ne’ and the inside ‘aaa atatakai ne’ would have their minds bouncing back and forth and back and forth until all conversation would cease to exist entirely. And, yes, I do believe that they do it just so they can talk about the temperature. Sick bastards.
hey amber darlin’… found you!
today must be the day for Wakayama JETs with ljs to bitch about the weather… I know I am.
Choke
I laughed so hard I nearly choked on my nikuman. I think that’s an outstanding theory! we couldn’t confuse them too much now, could we? Heaven forbid it be discovered that comments on the temperature really do not have to be repeated every five minutes. And the worst thing, I find myself doing it too.
(way off topic, but I don’t have your email)
So I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone today and she invited me to a big goth night out at a club in Osaka on Sat. Feb. 14th. I would love to go, but I’ve already kind of made plans to hang out with a friend who I don’t think owns even a single piece of black clothing (not that that is a terrible stumbling block–but we shall see how he feels about exploring that side of himself, and if he is amenable, I might be able to go). That said, she was kind of sad and was looking for someone to go with. I told her I knew someone way cool that was close by that would probably love to have someone to go with…namely you.
Here is the point where I wave my magic wand and make my separate friends become friends with each other…Her name is Christina, she was a JET for two years in Ehime-ken but now lives in a southern suburb of Osaka. She is also on LJ–
Re: (way off topic, but I don’t have your email)
Cool!! Thanks muchly, am already planning to go, having someone to go with will be ace!!!! And if you’re friend decides he’s game to try something dif, I’ve got plenty of balck stuff he could borrow, namely fishnet and plain black tops which are not too feminine…always happy to lend. The first time I went to a goth club, I was the same. I owned one black skirt (from high school grad) and that was it. A friend lent me stuff and the rest is history!! 🙂 btw, my e-mail is gypsyamber@wildmail.com
I’m enjoying, yes enjoying, the cold as it brings light fluffy snow, but this enjoyment is only enabled by the multitude of layers and serious coat which keep me snuggly warm. Our students are not so lucky. Not only do the girls have to wear knee-lenth skirts without stockings, and scarves and gloves are not allowed to be worn inside the UNHEATED classrooms, but I just found out yesterday that students are not allowed to wear coats on their way to and from school. Is this some kind of new torture device? A way of keeping girls subservient as they are too numb to do or think anything? The boys uniforms allow for much layering underneath, but all the girls have completely bare legs in temperatures cold enough for snow. Today at morning staff meeting one of the teachers brought up a student’s name that had been caught wearing a coat after school. The student said they had a cold so they figured it would be excusable. Think again. I think it was left up to the homeroom teacher to give the student a telling off. Yet the other thing that confuses me is that students are allowed to wear whatever tops they like underneath the uniform with no guide as to colour or trying to fit in with the rest of the uniform (and believe me, the underneath tops are in no way invisible). So if any tops underneath are ok, why aren’t coats ok? Once again the lack of common-sense, indeed the anti-common-sense, baffles and astounds me. At least I now know why so many Japanese women stand around freezing in mini-skirts – after six years of conditioning they’ve probably forgotten that it is possible to be warm in winter. All I can say is, damn I’m glad I’m a teacher.
hiya
Hi Amber,
I just descovered you had a live journal account (not using it myself) so I thought I’d say hi. Thank you very much for your postcard, I’ve managed to get your return address from Tuck, but I haven’t been organised enough to send you any snail mail. If you’d like to reach Tracey and myself via email, we’d love to hear from you. Try us on
hugs,
Craig (and Tracey)
Re: hiya
Hey there! Good to hear from you. Unfortunately the e-mail addy you told me to contact you on did not come through. I have a couple of diff e-mail addys for you and Tracey but I’m guessing they must be old or wrong – have you been receiving any of my updates? I have a mailing list to keep everyone informed of my goings-on. Could you e-mail me your addy so i can pop you on and catch up more? My addy is gypsyamber@wildmail.com
Looking forward to hearing more!
Hugs, Amber oxo
Sprung! 🙂
*arms open to catch the girl running at me … to return just as big a hug*
Hiya gorgeous one 🙂
(insert profuse apologies here for not writing before now…. I warned you I was atrocious….)
I’ve missed you so much, think of you daily (at least!), and have Mark planning a bank heist so he can pay for me to fly over to Japan….. can you tell you made a major impression on us? *wry smile*
But seeing as you are now planning a visit back to Oz, let me know when, so I can plan a trip to Melbourne to coincide… That way I may be able to grab a minute or two with you in what will be a very busy schedule 😉 *bouncing now I don’t have to wait 2yrs to see you!!!*
Love’n’hugs (lots of ’em!)
Nikkicat xxxxxxxx
ps: Thankyouthankyouthankyou for the figurines … they are prominently displayed in our cabinet (and remind me of you every time I look at them). Mark also loved for the “sumo” postcard 😉
Re: Sprung! 🙂
*much hugs and bouncing around* After a crap day, this was just what I needed to come home to…gorgeous gal wrapping her arms around me and telling me of planned bank heist. Yay!!!
Dunno yet when I’ll be coming home..all depends on what date those who have enticed me over choose to wed! If pos I will come for two weeks…I have spring vacation sometime around then so if dates match I could stay for my hols. If not, I imagine about a week. I would aim to get to Melb five to seven days prior to wedding for settling in, dress fitting/finding and catching up with people’s. How would you guys feel about a possible roadtrip!! Will be driving up one day to see my dad, prob a day trip which will mean approx 7 hours of driving…would allow for lots catch-up time!!!
Hugs n love to you and Mark. Miss you both. See you soon! (ish)
ps. Are u on my mailing list? If not, e-mail me and I’ll remedy that…
Re: Sprung! 🙂
Sorry to hear you had a bad day – but really glad I could cheer you up 🙂 Wish I could be there in person to give you those hugs!!!
As for being “stuck” in a car with you for 7hrs or so….hmm…. now let me think…. OF COURSE I’LL DO IT!!!! The hardest thing will be stopping myself from distracting you while you’re driving *cheeky grin* (Seriously though, I can share the driving load with you, if you want). Anyway, let me know when you have firmer dates.
Look forward to seeing you (quite a bit sooner than originally expected)
love, hugs, scratches, purrs & mriaouw’s 🙂
Nikki (& Mark)
ps: yes, I’m on the mailing list (I only missed #1 I think) so I’m fairly up to date with your busy schedule 😉
pps: we now have “kids” … well 2 kittens actually – we got them on the day you flew out …. (I needed something to cheer me up / distract me… ) I’ll send photos later (or put them in my lj picture options)
(ppps Renee & Nigel: if you’re reading this… THANK YOU!!!)
Re: Sprung! 🙂
Trust me, when I have dates, it will be written in the sky in flames. Excited much?!?! *exhibiting much restraint in not dancing around the staffroom*
Glad to hear the figurines made it…I thought the ninja doll was perfect, traditional Japanese with a twist 😉
You think you’ll have a hard time not distracting me on the drive..well that goes both ways, mischief!!! Maybe I should hire a van instead of a car *wink*
And as for mailing list, I think everyone missed #1 – never quite figured out where it went, but go it did, into the ether somewhere far away from the many addresses it was meant to reach.
Oh, how was con? Was so wishing I could’ve been there…after the last one you dragged me into *fully kicking and screaming the whole way…not* I am eagerly looking forward to more…just another two years to go!!
loves to you *mmmwah!*
Re: Sprung! 🙂
okay – so i’m really behind on lj but amber with the mailing list – log on to the admin website and it should be archiving the list so all posts will be saved – if not you can set it to archive the list – which it really should be doing. i’d log on and do it myself but i’d have to remember the admin passwd 🙂
Its good to see you like the kitty icon 🙂 I dont think i’ve seen you use it before – did i mention i visited ophelia?
Re: Sprung! 🙂
hugs and you are welcome nikkicat 🙂 now you just have to post. and cute icon – i said i’ll make you one – just need to find something purrfect first.
bounce and looking forward to conquest
Archiving
Oh, it is archiving…I have actually checked. No, update #1 went the same way as the toga party update…POOF! Unexplained computer phenomena. I suspect most likely incorrect addressing on my part, but that doesn’t explain the lack of saving to my sent folder. Dunno…I sent, computer said it was sent successfully and thereafter was never heard of again…just one of those things that reminds me to backup, backup, backup.
Oh and once I get my own plaything then I will be asking you re:putting photos up so I don’t have to annoy you (not that i’ve been doing that much, I know). Once I have new plaything with full colour optins, will start playing with lj setup…everyone elses look so funky but half are unreadable on my home pc, so sticking to readable until new laptop. Within the next two months..promise to self!!!
Re: Archiving
With you current computer problems – i suspect its just simply lack of correct video card drivers – bear is happy to attempt to talk you through the installation of such over the phone one day?
its prolly an easy fix
Of course new laptops are also cool
Re: Archiving
Thanks. I’ve had Tuck try and talk me through…figured out it was simply that video cards not installed properly, or something like that. Anyway the whole help over the phone things is vastly handicapped by my pc being in Japanese, me not familiar with versions beyond 3.1, and me not being able to read the Japanese adequately. Have now met another JET who is both computer wiz and reads Japanese so am going to ask him for help. Still, heart set on laptop..heck it’s been on my wishlist for a good 6 years now and I will need one when I get back..well…maybe not technically a laptop, but I want one! *determined face*