Whoa.

That is the one thing I can think of saying at the moment.

Perusing my site meter, I noticed that someone, or something has lead this blog, and not even my now defunct "in the middle of the academy" (that is on hiatus) to be on this one history network site, in particular the blog listing. I am listed under "Academic Lives."

I am not sure if I should be flattered, or concerned. What I would like to know is how the heck I ended up on that list; it's one thing if my other blog was listed because that blog is part of the Grad Carnival, but this one? It's hitting a bit too close to home. So far, there are no consequences - not like many people comment on the blog (those who do you rock!) and this link will self-destruct in say, April 2008.

But it's a bit unnerving, especially since there can be consequences that I am not aware of. Whoever did it, speak up please! It would be greatly appreciated, since I am just curious about it.

Then again, it's on the blogroll, which means someone trowled the internet and thought my blog was worthy of being on the list? Said website is a pretty decent history network, so maybe I shouldn't be so wary. I'll just be more aware.

Rockin' and-a Rollin'...

Thank you so much Saisquoi!!!

I have to pass it along, right? Let's see...(pardon for the no links, but they are in "The Reading List")

1) Britt at Tickled Pink - preppy rocks. I am very much down with the love of J.Crew and the combination of pink and green.
2) BadAunt at Present Simple - rockin' English teacher in Japan. Love the stories, and great to have someone to relate to with the "wierd Japan stories."
3) Kristiface at LifeXHistory - rockin' history grad student. History just rocks.
4) Midge at Lipstick and Legalese - rockin' lawyer with the most adorable lobster suit for her cat. Still waiting on the pics!!!
5) Kerri at In the Life of Kerri - rockin' real-life bestest friend who can actually rock your butt as she does jiujitsu.

Eh, Maybe Not

I was contemplating deleting all of my old entries because I am a "CA" or a course assistant at that study abroad program I once mentioned because I did not want my students to find out my blog. I thought about it and well it's not worth it. For the following reasons:

1) I have not written anything incriminating - i.e. what grad schools I am applying to, and really personal opinions. I have learned to keep my mouth shut.
2) Not like it matters - they all know what university I go to in Kyoto anyway.
3) My Facebook profile is already on the most extreme of privacy settings and I don't have the link to it there.
4) I have tried to do something other than Blurb which is a nifty program that imports your blog but I need more memory and more patience to run it more efficiently but I like Blurb, plan to publish my blog when I finish and damn it all to hell if I have to pay $100. Those are my memories and Zapfino is a gorgeous font (that is the font I now have in my header).
5) They know I am a blogger because we spoke about blogs in class.
6) I changed my email address to which this blog is connected to and upped the privacy settings short of making the blog private. Unfortunately I can't change my user name but I plan to delete this blog in 7 months, or after I finish my Blurb project.
7) My title for the blog is not in the web address and when you Google "in the middle of somewhere" my blog is NO WAY at the top of the list. And my name is so common not like I need a moniker.
8) I Googled myself and my blog doesn't pop up.
9) I Googled the program I am a CA for and my blog still hasn't popped up after the 10th page of searches.

It took me ALL day to contemplate moving from Blogger to WordPress, deciding that I hate Wordpress (damn complicated) trying to copy-paste into Word (which lead to the Mac version of the "blue screen" and a warning to restart my computer) so I just have had enough. Besides I write too much - it will have to take someone with ALOT of dedication to read through my blog. The amount of pages that I have for my Blurb book is about 340, portrait style which is 8x10. That is ALOT of reading. I do write alot.

I will just be more pseudonymous from now on - monikers for others that is, and no more direct mentions of names of schools and such.

We Now Returned to Your Regularly Scheduled Blogging

There was a really stupid reason for why I have been on hiatus for more than a week:

I couldn't blog from my laptop. Ringo was resting for a week.

Never mind that my sister has her own laptop - it's password locked and she won't let me use it (it's a 12" PowerBook and her baby). Never mind that we have wireless in the house: I couldn't get my laptop onto it for some damn reason, and now my sister tried the EXACT same thing that I kept on doing it for a week and she got it. Pfft.

Never mind that my mom has her PC always on the net - I HATE using regular computers. Never mind that I can also use Mel's laptop, however from the hours of 9-12 (around that time) the internet is off limits, so he can trade from home.

I just simply want to use MY laptop. I am used to it. Other laptop users could probably relate.

So, roundup of what I have been doing:

1) Flight: TWENTY-FOUR HOURS of travel, literally from door to door. There was a delay in Detroit because of some strange weather system, otherwise, it would have just been 21 hours. I ended up spending $50 on books from the Borders in the NWA terminal, and picked up a fancy Lancome travel compact with eyeshadow, lipstick and blush and a two pack of Clinique Happy (parfum) from the duty free. Because I wasn't going international, I had to pay the taxes (since I couldn't get this stuff at Kansai due to the stupid rules on cosmetics) but the taxes were cheaper than NYC. Going to get another Lancome compact when I go back to Japan, the colors suit me really nicely, and I get a nice rosy glow with the blush, very fresh.

I JUST made it under the weight limit, but I still had to leave those 10 books behind. Meh. However, I can say that I am pretty seasoned traveler, to go 24 hours and not look completely horrible and gross. And, I beat the jet-lag demons: I stayed up the entire night before my flight, drinking coffee, chatting with Elisa and watching Grey's Anatomy, so I was right proper tired when I got on the plane, and promptly clonked out. I am able to sleep on planes. So no jet-lag whatsoever when I leanded in NYC which was great!

2) Last Week: Started making the rounds to see people. Had dinner with Fordham girls, and the rest of us are planning to go to the Beer Garden over here in Astoria, the last one in NYC. So the rest of the Fordham people will come there, since everyone hasn't been to the Beer Garden yet and want to go. Saw my mom's godson and his family, and have started to drink the frappes like no tomorrow. I promised Alisa I would bring back a shaker and the Nescafe for frappe in Japan.

3)Personal: Eyebrows threaded, hair cut, nails manicured and pedicured (Essie's Capri). My mom was at the salon when my sister and I got our cuts, and she likes me with the golden highlights, and I am going back to get a half head of highlights. With the postponement of the wedding, I chopped my hair, got bangs and asked my stylist to use a razor to cut my hair to give it more oomph. Got my Neutrogena face stuff and it all FEELS good. Had steak too!

4) Mel and Maria: I got a Trek bike! I think its a 2007 or 2006 Trek Hybrid 7200. Mel and I split the cost and it was my anniversary gift. It was our 7 and a half year anniversary this past Sunday, and we spent it riding our bikes to Astoria Park and had lunch. And enjoying the East River view. It looks sorta like this:

However, the black is in blue. At first, I really didn't like it, but then I listened to the bike guys there and they know what they are talking about - I am too big for a women's bike since I am 5'9". It's either a men's bike, or a 20" step-through for me. However, I really couldn't get my leg over the men's bikes and I couldn't afford the nice women's road bikes that come in more sizes (like the one Mel has) so I stuck with the 20" and I am glad I got it.

It's got seat and front-wheel suspension, BIG comfy seat, and flat-proof tires. I'm going to add a rack to it in the back with maybe a side or top-pack so I can put my bag in, a light for night; say if I end up in Cambridge or Princeton, I can zip around like I do in Kyoto (I already zip around in Astoria, but I still need to get a lock, but Astoria and NYC has alot of bike paths, and Central Park is closed to vehicles on the weekends. I am going to try to increase my endurance to get over the Queensboro Bridge to get to Central Park and not rely on the subway). Kinda hard to get on and off, because now it the proper way to do it - I need a lot of space to extend my legs, so I need a big bike. The guys at the shop were aghast at my height. Not really sure if I am into the real hard-core cycling yet - however I got into cycling because that's all I do to get around in Kyoto - but it's a pretty good start, since I am on a hybrid bike.

4) Misc: I learned how to knit! Well all I know now is how to do a long-tail cast on and the knit stitch; this week, I am going to learn garter and purl from the girls in the local knitting group here. I have started a scarf for my mother on size 13 needles with a dark lemony-yellow yarn that my mom chose for her scarf. However, I got a little to cast-on happy when I finally figured it out, so my mom's scarf is going to be like a mini baby blanket, but she doesn't mind. However, I might run out of yarn, unless they restock at the crafts store here. Now that I got the hang of it, I am going to get a nicer/thinner yarn than I have now, on maybe size 9 needles.

Have I started studying yet? NOOOOO. (^_~). And now?

My Aunt Stella and Uncle George (the ones who actually ended up visiting me back in October) are here right now; I am blogging from the back porch of my house. How nice! So they, with my mother and sister they are looking at Google Earth and her dorm in Rome. Tomorrow, I go to Woodbury Common Outlets - woot!

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

And I like to think myself as tech savvy!!

Guess I'm not, (^_~).

I think the problem with the video is fixed; I thought I could still link to it and have privacy settings on, but I guess not, so I switched it to Public and logged out of YouTube to check. It plays on my comp and Mel says it works on his, so I think the videos are ok now.

Sorry guys! :::kneels on floor, bows, forehead to floor:::

Severe form of Japanese apology, in case you didn't know - (^_~) - the lower the bow the more the apology. There is a great video on YouTube out there displaying the different forms of Japanese apology, called Dogeza:



This is I think from the same comedy duo that does the Japanese version of the Apple commercials in Japan - and they crack me up more than the American ones because of all the nuances. Next time, I'll get the videos with the subtitles in the bottom, now that I know how to embed video in blog!

Public Service Announcement

With Google taking over Blogger, there is now a 1GB limit on the number of photos you can store. Which sucks, because I can't put up all my photos here; for every photo I post, there are another 50 that I want to put up. My Koya-San trip resulted in about 130 photos. When I was in Korea, I ended up with over 300 photos. So do the math - 300 Korea photos and about 700 Japan photos according to iPhoto, that's about 1000 photos. DAMN! I need to print out a lot of photos when I go back home and get a lot of Japanese photo albums.

I tried using Flickr once, but since I email my photos to family and friends en masse and like to keep them somewhat private (and not to have to ask about 60 people to sign up for Flickr, Flickr is a bit complicated for me; I use Kodak Photo Gallery instead (I have been since 2004).

However, if anyone can tell me how to use Flickr like Kodak Photo Gallery (in terms of sending photos en masse to about 60 people without having them sign up), please let me know. I want one of those photo badges in my blog!

So! If anyone is interested in getting the unedited version of my photos in Japan (along with a crapload of photos from my stay in London and the events of graduation last May as an added bonus) drop a line in my email or comments. There is a hitch - no strangers allowed; meaning I have to know who it is on the other end either in real life or in my blogger life. You know who you are - the non-strangers that is!

My Inner Self, Revealed!

Got this idea off Libby. Apparently, I am a worldly Brooklynite who is a grad student that grew up in the 90s and hasn't forgotten my roots in spite of the yuppie-ness, a die-hard New Yorker who is a Life Blogger, has similar qualities to that of a beagle, will get killed if I set foot in the state of Massachusetts, and needs to live in Milan.

You Belong in Brooklyn

Down to earth and hard working, you're a true New Yorker. And although you may be turning into a yuppie, you never forget your roots.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! Seriously, the whole quote describes me perfectly. I am so happy! I was really looking forward to the results of this one in particular since I am from NYC - question 1 was actually quite hard for me!

You Are a Beagle Puppy

Cheerful, energetic, and happy go lucky. And you're sense of smell is absolutely amazing!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

You Are 12% Massachusetts

You Yankees loving homo! You probably think Starbucks coffee tastes better than Dunkin Donuts.

How Massachusetts Are You?

HA HA HA HA HA!!! Seriously, 'nuff said. (Though the Yankees SUCK this season, how in hell can they have the highest payroll in the MLB and be in LAST PLACE in their division?!?! Yes, even the disappointing news reaches this end of the globe, though the Japanese people I meet think it's really awesome that I have actually met "Gojira" - Hideki Matsui.)

You Belong in Milan

Stylish and sophisticated, you want to enjoy a truly European life - away from tourists! Milan fits you perfectly. Great shopping, high quality food, lots of culture... with very little hype.

What European City Do You Belong In?

And a couple of others that I thought were fun:

You Are Quite Worldly

You've done a good bit of worldly exploring, and you have an international perspective. And you're definitely looking forward to your future adventures abroad. You've got the passport, the desire to travel, and maybe even the language skills. Now all you need are the means!

How Worldly Are You?

Oh this one is perfect - all the grad school bloggers should do this one!

You Should Go to Grad School

Grad school definitely isn't for everyone, but it looks like it's for you. You have a pretty good idea of what you want to study - and how it will further your career. So go ahead and go for it! You're ready to be a PhD.

Should You Go To Grad School?

You Are 68% A Child of the 90s

Wassup!?! You remember the 90s like they were yesterday. And you're ready to open up a can of whoop-ass on any other decade.

Are You a Child of an 90s?

You Are 88% NYC

Congratulations, you are truly a New Yorker. You've seen it all, and you're more than a little cynical.

How NYC Are You?

and finally, the most relevant of them all:

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Imagine Little Post-Its Everywhere...

Such is the state of my blogging mind.

I am glad most of you like my new banner! I think it goes quite nicely with the title of the blog and except for the Tunis and France posters and the one with the suitcase, I have a connection in one way or another to all of the countries above.

So, in all seriousness, imagine little post-its stuck on my laptop screen. Of course, Macs have the Stickies program, but I tend to write things down in my organizer. I have so many little topics and missives and reminders for my blog that if I put them all separately since I am more of a topical blogger than a diary blogger it would just lead to alot of clutter. So I begin my first "Post-It" blog entry.

Yellow Note on Upper Left Hand Corner of Screen:
I finally did the "100 Things" list; see the sidebar. But I made it into an "old post," so that it doesn't clutter the blog.

Pink Note, Upper Right Hand Corner:
I am going to begin some more "Things in Japan"-like posts. Topics include: bento, weird appliances (Toilets that wash your butt? You bet!), the garbage, and keitai storappu. Consider this a sneak peak.

Blue Note, Left Palm Rest:
I am going back home from August 3 to September 3. That means another series will begin called "Wedding Bonanza." 7 Bridal Salons, 3 Reception Sites, and a church in a pear tree. Consider yourself WARNED. You got a sneak peak with the previous two posts recently on wedding dresses. I told you I am not looking forward to this.

Hot Pink Star Note, Right Palm Rest:
MUST. BLOG. ON. SHIRAHAMA.

Purple Heart Note, Lower Right Screen:
Campbell (the Aussie classmate) does more than say "Irasshaimase, mate!" at the sento. He also cleans the tubs. Considering that back in the day gaijin were considered dirty barbarians, the image is rather medieval and samurai-ish in a snarky sort of way. But still quite funny in a good way, since he is really good-humored about it.

Green Note, Lower Left Screen:
It is BLOODY HOT. I have my A/C on right now because I have no air circulating in my teeny apartment and I am thinking of just getting a floor fan to use less electricity (my last bill was only 12 dollars). Today I wore my new Uniqlo t-shirt and finally did not sweat like a pig. I am going to get more 1000yen Unqilo t-shirts, the quality is great.

And so ends the digitizing of my figurative post-its. I have figuratively taken them off my computer, thrown them away and my blogging mind is at ease, for now all the little notes have their own place. Tomorrow: Rice cookers that can make banana bread, and in the Academy blog, I finally get through Classical Japanese.

Wonk, Snarf

Not much to blog about.

It was 82 degrees today and I got to use my Yojiya oil blotting paper twice. Thank god there is an outlet in Torrance, CA and I can order from them - but that wont stop me getting about 100 little booklets of the stuff (x20=2000 sheets, hmm three year supply?) since my income is in the yen anyway.

Tomorrow I am going to wear my new cropped jacket, with my pearls, navy blue t-shirt, Citizens jeans and pink flats.

Went to the gym today after a long hiatus and have more reinvigoration to get back on the points watch for the diet, and making bento boxes for lunch is fun and healthy. Powerwalked for 2km, rode the bike for 7km = 9km = 5.6 miles. OoOoO. Now multiply that by 4 (since that is the number of times a week I intend to go to the gym) = 22.4 miles per week. My goal is about 20 miles a week either by powerwalking/stationary bike (I can keep it at above 90rpm so I do the 7km in 20 minutes) so that is about...32km divided by 4...at least 8km per session needs to be reached.

My peonies are blooming, but the last two aren't open enough yet - trust me they warrant their own post, as I have been taking photos of their progress.

Wonk, snarfle.

Public Service Announcement

Given that this spring marks the start of the big to-do with grad school and research, I decided to dedicate a separate blog about it, so that way I have a place to expound upon and practice "word vomit" so that way I have a place to write other than Microsoft Word, which can get boring. I got the idea of some of the grad-school/Ph.D bloggers, who also have separate blogs with to-do lists and such.

So, I am here to announce my other blog, "in the middle of the academy" - which will also probably be the place where I will continue my blog life after Japan, since grad school will be a big part of my life after March 2008. Not yet sure, but for now I will have this one for the "Life in Japan" and the other one will be the "research/applying to grad school" place.

If anyone is interested, by all means check it out. But it would probably be boring.

A Decade of Resonating, An Afternoon of Boredom

It's raining out and while listening/watching to my CNN/ABC/NYTimes podcasts, (I really wished I knew how to knit so I can do something with my hands other than play video games and fiddle with the blog) I came across the 1997 article by Wired entitled "101 Ways to Save Apple." As I was reading the list, I was intrigued at how some of the things (not all, and I am too much of a Mac newbie to get all the subtleties) are resonating in one degree or another 10 years later (my comments/reaction in parentheses):

2. License the Apple name/technology to appliance manufacturers and build GUIs for every possible device - from washing machines to telephones to WebTV. Have them all use the same communications protocol. Result: you monopolize the market for smart devices/homes. (Can anyone say "iPod" and placing the "i" in front of practically anything in spoofs, and the soon emergence of the iPhone?)

7. Don't disappear from the retail chains. Rent space in a computer store, flood it with Apple products (especially software), staff it with Apple salespeople, and display everything like you're a living, breathing company and not a remote, dusty concept. (Well, with the Apple stores the "coolest" place to hang out these days and the place to get your Mac fixed - I actually called the one on 5th Avenue in a panic the night I got my computer because Apple Care was closed and 5th ave is 24/7, AND I got people to help me - this idea is actually one-upped. Sure, the retailers have spiffy little Apple sections, but when one willingly schleps from Kyoto to Osaka and spend all the money on train fare to get your iPod from the actual Apple store, you know Apple was really on to something there).

12. Build a fire under your ad agency. People don't need warm, fuzzy infomercials about the Mac family. And who cares what's on Todd Rundgren's PowerBook? People want to know about power (the CPU kind, not George Clinton's), performance, and price.
13. Exploit every Wintel user's secret fear that some day they're going to be thrown into a black screen with a blinking C-prompt. Advertise the fact that Mac users never have to rewrite autoexec.bat or sys.ini files. (I put these two together because the new Apple campaign is downright funny and even better in Japanese - see Domo, Makku Desu" post - and at the same time drives the fear. In my case, it just makes my frustration more apparent and gives my a viable solution other than throwing the Vaio out my bedroom window. Look at the new ones about Windows Vista too.)

19. Get rid of the cables.Go wireless. (The Apple TV is pretty sweet.)

30. Reach forward by reaching back. Secure the hearts and wallets of college students through a highly targeted AppleLoan program. (Or rather, the incentive of free or steeply discounted iPods when buying a new laptop.)

31. Build a PDA for less than $250 that actually does something: a) cellular email b) 56-channel TV c) Internet phone. (Not quite there yet, but the iPhone is pretty close.)

34. Port the OS to the Intel platform, with its huge amount of investment in hardware, software, training, and experience. Don't ignore it; co-opt it. Operating systems are dependent on installed base; that is your biggest hurdle now. It is not the head-to-head, feature-set comparison between Windows and Mac OS. (MacBook, MacBook Pro and all the new ones that make people cringe and drool depending on the opinion. But my first Mac is the Intel MacBook, so I am drooling - especially when I upgrade my memory to 2GB either this or next summer.)

39. Build a laptop that weighs 2 pounds. (Well...close, but the MacBook is pretty sweet to tote about - at least I have my CD player with me now as opposed to the 6 pound monster that was the Vaio.)

53. Recharge your strategy for Europe, where the PC market penetration is lower than in the US and the population is educated and interested in high tech. There's an opening there that doesn't exist here. (Kinda hard when they are pretty pricey compared to the US prices and PC prices abroad. Some people even buy them while traveling to the US, as I remember in an old NY Times article from a long time ago, since the laptops can just use adapters, but it's different for computers. My old flatmate got a Mac after I told her about the Mac/iPod deal for students, but she paid a pretty penny for it compared to my friend who got the same Mac/iPod back in the States. And Japan/Asia likes teeny, tiny laptops.)

79. Exploit your advantage in the K-12 education market. That's the future. Most students use the computer as a true multimedia tool, and their technological expertise is very sophisticated, especially when compared to the typical business user. (My mom uses the new Macs at school, and prays for the day when our Dell dies so we can switch and truly become a Mac house. She says they are really easy to use for the kids.)

87. Price the CPUs to sell. Offer novice users the ability to enter the Mac market at a competitive price point and move up the power curve as their level of sophistication increases. The initial price keeps new buyers away. (There are more options now, but I know that I could have gotten a 'Wintel' laptop for much cheaper with the same specs. But I was tired of rebooting the Vaio about twice a year because the hard drive became so filled with crap - updates, HA! - and my hard drive crashed so I had to replace it. Pfft.)

101. Don't worry. You'll survive. It's Netscape we should really worry about. (Well, I don't know about NetScape but you can surely see that Apple is the cool kid on the block - or in the halls of school, the subway, along the Kamo River, washing your dishes, doing the laundry, at the gym, walking the dog...)

***

And for those that are against the whole iPod thing (picking up quite a bit in Japan, I am beginning to see the "white buds" everywhere in addition to the mp3 player remotes typical of Sony, etc.) and have very justified and understandable reasons why you think it's evil (mainly price and lack of a radio, sometimes I think about that too, but I don't listen to radio) - I was brought into it by 'force' (insert sarcastic/wry tone), one could say when I received an iPod as a gift. So, all my files are in the AAC format because I am stingy with my hard drive space and liked the idea that my music collection can be on the drive without taking up alot of space. I didn't want to de-compress all of my music, so when I needed a new mp3 player I pretty much stuck with Apple because it's easy to use, I could buy it in Japan and get English instructions, and damn, that little shuffle is so cute. Plus, it's really easy to switch between songs when you are riding your bike at top speed, but I really hate the new headphones, they keep falling out of my ears even when I smile.

Time Sure Flies

I just realized that I have been blogging for a year, exactly on this date. Well, actually it would be the 25th of March Japan time, since I am in Japan now. But still, you get my point.

And it took me a year to find more blogs and get into the swing of things. Time sure flies. I only have one year left in Japan.

Oh, boo.

The Quiet Month of March

I am blogging to amuse myself. It has come to that point.

March has been a rather quiet month, overall. I don't have much money in the budget for fun, far-reaching stuff (meaning trips outside Kyoto), and I don't want to touch the money that I have been able to save up so far. Usually, when I begin to save money, my fingers get a bit itchy, ESPECIALLY when the new kate spade (not capitalized for a reason, that's how the label is spelled out) collection is out, there are three pairs of shoes that I would like to get and my Jack Spade wallet really isn't holding up to the grunt of god knows how many ID and memberships card that are in there. But once I do start saving, then I don't want to touch it.

If I don't put the change that I have in my business card case (niftily used as a change purse) my wallet won't close. I need a wallet like the ones my sister and my mom have - lots of card slots (so I don't have to double and triple up anymore and a nice big space for change. Something like a checkbook wallet. Something like this one:
The "jane street maria" checkbook wallet in kelly/amethyst. A girl can dream. And then post it on her blog.

In other news, I have been going to the gym that is 5 minutes away from me by bike, and on my way home from Rits, so I have no excuse in not going to the gym. The first week was rather hell, since I haven't exercised in god knows how long. And I went to yoga. It's the basic yoga, nothing too flashy like hot yoga (good stuff) but the room is kept rather warm, so I do work up a bit of a sweat and my heartrate does go up. I also go to aerobics; I have discovered in the course of my first few weeks that I HATE HATE HATE the treadmill. There are no ellipticals in the machine room. Me + treadmill = hell. I powerwalk on the thing, and the timer ticks on by but because there is a timer, I am more conscious of the time and thus start to whine in my head and then give up. For yoga and aerobics, the time goes quickly by and I am not bored. And the teachers mix things up a bit - which is both good and bad. Good because I am not bored, but bad because once I get over my fear of throwing my legs up and over my head while on my back (still working on it rather) my yoga teacher goes and throws in headstands for kicks. THAT is something that is going to take me awhile to get used to. I am afraid that I am going to break my neck.

But back to the saving - there is a wedding coming up and flowers, a dress and pretty paper are involved in it on my end. Plus, I already did my traveling for the really-long-break in Korea so I did my "I am OUT of here!" part.

That doesn't mean that I am done travelling. You kidding me? The last week of April is Golden Week, a week long mush of holidays which this year has two days off in between. It's April 28-30 and May 3-6. I was originally going to skip the two days in between and two days before to go to the Philippines and meet Mel, but tickets are expensive during Golden Week. The next option was Hong Kong, because Deena has off the exact same days that I am off for the first half of GW. I just came back from the co-op a bit disappointed: they did have tickets for only $450, but there was no seat available going to Hong Kong. The only other option? $900. HELL NO. Instead of April, Mel and I are going to the Philippines at Christmas for sure next year since we have alot of time to save up the money. It will surely be more kicking then.

Another option is to go to Okinawa - I emailed Colleen about it and she told me (ran into her today on campus) that she saw it but hasn't had the chance to email me back. I quickly told her that if that didn't work out, there is the fourth option, which can be done by myself as well (as is Okinawa, but Okinawa would be fun with more people): train-tripping it around Kansai and the Chugoku (where Hiroshima is) area. There are tons of places that can be a day or two day trip and it won't be that expensive either. One of them that I really want to go to is Koya-san, a Buddhist monastery/city in the mountains, and you can stay at the temples and get traditional cuisine there included. Then there is Ise (the main Shinto shrine in Japan). So there are things to do, it's just a matter of getting things organized.

I have spend most of my vacation reading, watching Grey's Anatomy and just chilling out before the onslaught at Rits begins - not only do I want to take two regular classes (one out of the two that my sensei recommended and a culture course that I thought would be cool) but I also want to take Japanese classes. I finally figured out - and everyone agrees with me who is also just a research student - that there is nothing that is really expected of me in terms of a "final result." Like I said before, even my sensei doesn't know what is expected of me. If there is, I can just show my published paper and the fact that I went to two conferences. So, my plan is to pretty much do what I need to do to prepare for grad school applications. Have to be honest though - every time I look at history department's websites at places like Harvard, UPenn, Stanford, I slowly begin to scream in my head. It can be rather nerve-wrecking to say the least. And friggin scary - the average amount of people that apply to these programs is 300-400 give or take. And on average, the schools accept about 30-40 people. That is 1 in every 10 about if I do my math right. To borrow a quip from Prof. M (medieval prof, not Asian prof): "I only count in base 10."