It's Just One of Those Days (Where Ya Don't Wanna Get Up)

Ugh. I had such a crazy morning.

My goal was to get my plane ticket to Australia. I needed to get the documentation for my reimbursement down to Canberra by November 30th and wanted to get it ASAP. I had a sinking feeling that I was running out of time.

Turns out, I actually was running out of time. Because of the snafu regarding my arrival date into the dorms in Canberra, I was actually going to get in one day earlier. Add to the fact that I really couldn't do that cheaper plane ticket via Hong Kong because the time between arrival in Sydney and departure for Canberra was too tight, and I was running out of options.

An hour's worth of searching at the Co-op travel agency led to a ticket that was 177,000yen. About $1700. My heart was falling, and I had a sinking feeling that I wasn't going to go to Australia.

&*%^$>.

Seriously.

So, with all abandon and muttering curses under my breath (at least I wasn't cursing in Greek, that would mean that it was REALLY bad), I left the co-op, got on my bike and hightailed it to the JTB on Sanjo. I got there in 15 minutes. My heart was pounding and I seriously was not exactly on the verge of tears, but I could willingly turn on the waterworks if I wanted to.

I go to the desk, and begin my search with the agent again. A ticket via Seoul came up, 100,000yen (about $1000USD). Woo-hoo!

Or...maybe not.

The flight from Seoul to Sydney was booked.

SERIOUSLY! Is everyone and their mother in Asia going to Sydney on January 27!

I offhandedly mentioned (in Japanese, of course) to the agent that I was there on Saturday and there was a ticket via JetStar, this Australian airline that is like Qantas. The agent got back to the computer, and typed away. At this point I was just thinking, "Oh feckit (or at least a bit more coarsely), I will just get the ticket even if it is $1700, pay in cash and put the rest on my card." (We can't use credit cards in the Co-op. Weird).

She takes the paper that had the Korea flights on it, and writes something on it:

1/27, KIX-->SYD 21:20-11:00 (1/28)
2/7, SYD-->KIX 12:00-20:00

Total: 101,000yen.
With taxes: 130,470yen.

Oh. Thank. God.

I hightailed it back to the library at the study abroad program that I am the CA for (because I have access to the wireless internet and a printer) and made my reservation for Wake Up! in Sydney. Printed out all necessary documentation for getting my reimbursement, and to prove to my teachers that yes, I am presenting at a conference. Last thing is to get confirmation for Wake Up! and to get my bus tickets ($30AUD total, not bad at all) to and from Canberra.

In fact, when I go to Australia on 1/27, I am making a connection in Brisbane, Mel's neck of the woods. Bit sad. But, I am only going to see the airport.

I ended up skipping the first half of my afternoon class because by that time I still hadn't eaten lunch, and I was not up for a cold sandwich. It's cold today! I wanted nabeyaki udon. So, I also skipped the first half of grammar too. But I did go to the second half and explained to my teacher (she is really cool) that I had to get my ticket today and I was having a hard time. Gave her the letter from the conference people, and a letter from me stating that I am going to be out of Japan during finals period. No problem. I take my exam February 8.

I am on my way!

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!

Ga-SHAN! Or, A Quick Lesson in Japanese Onomatopoeia

One can speak entirely in onomatopoeia in Japanese. Maybe that's why I don't understand the kids my own age (or younger) sometimes; it's because they use "Onomatope." Almost all the time.

Well, tonight I lived out the word "Gashan" which means "crash."

I crashed on my bike.

I drew blood in two places, my basket (which is metal) on my bike has a HOLE in it and looks like it suffered a fender bender. I am lucky for a few things:

1) I was wearing my Citizens jeans and although I had a minor scraping in the knees (but no blood) there were no holes. Another reason why spending $150 on jeans is totally legitimate.

2) Only my basket is totaled. That can be replaced, or repaired.

3) It happened right by my apartment so I was able to walk the rest of the way.

4) My mom made my buy a small first aid kit when I left for Japan. Now it has come into use, though the Neosporin that I have is expired by a year. Bah. I saw that after I slathered it on, but that means it is not as effective right?

5) I was wearing long sleeves so although I drew blood on my upper arm and my inner elbow, I did have some protection which prevented more dirt from the street to go in.

6) The area around my wounds is not pink or red. It just stings a bit.

7) I had orange juice in the fridge. The dancing lights in front of my eyes were promptly taken care of.

8) I can go to the pharmacy in the Kyodai co-op tomorrow and ask for some ointment, because a person is actually there to help. God bless the Japanese uni co-op system.

9) Nothing is broken. It's just mostly shock.

10) The guy that I crashed with made sure that I was ok (because I took the brunt of the crash) and even tried to fix my basket.

What happened was what happens most of the time when you ride bikes and try to avoid people: you see the person, the person sees you and you try to go in the other direction to avoid crashing. However, what happens most of the time and in my case especially, was that I went left, and he went right. Since we were facing one another, it was the same direction.

The shock didn't hit me till I got back to my place; however, one morbid thing that I am grateful for is that I KNOW when I am going to pass out because I have "almost" passed out on about 5 or 6 separate occasions (standing in line at Disney World - 2 or 3 times, getting cartilage pierced when I was about 15, getting tragus in London at 19, oh, when they drew blood at the emergency room when I had the abscess on my tonsil: I wasn't able to swallow hence I didn't eat so down to the floor I almost went, then promptly put on a sodium drip). So, I know exactly what to do: OJ, head between knees, breathe deeply and lie down. When I got my tragus pierced, I even brought OJ with me because I knew that was going to happen, and it did.

It's not that I am squeamish at the sight of blood (bah, I used to watch open heart surgeries when I was 5 on PBS with my dad) it was the shock, coupled with the fact that I had not eaten dinner yet, because Thursday is my 9-6 day and I was coming home. It was a good thing that I did have that can of apple juice while I was waiting for the bus; my stomach was growling and I wanted something to hold me over till I got home.

Maybe it is time to get a new Shinto charm for my bike - you ARE supposed to get new ones every year. That or it still protected me, since I have no bruises, no bumps, no broken bones, no broken bike (sans basket) and my sanity still somewhat intact. Although it is a little hard to do things because of the Band-Aids; my scrapes were on my left arm, and I am a lefty.

You Know You're Becoming a Kyoto-ite if...

You can ride your bike one-handed, in the rain, with an mp3 player of one stripe or another blaring in your ears, junk in your basket, and holding an umbrella at the same time.

I have FINALLY mastered this crucial skill.

An Unintended Hike

Chen just moved into her new apartment recently in the Kita-Shirakawa area (slightly NE of me, near Ginkakuji) so she invited me over to watch "La Maison du Himiko," a Japanese movie starring Joe Odagiri (:::sigh:::, the HAIR!).

She showed me on the mapbook that I have where she lives - obviously, no one goes by addresses here. I started to head on up towards her place, but I must have missed the bridge (she lives on the other side of a small river), and ended up on the side of a highway in the hills, with no cell phone reception, twisty roads, a fear of death, and halfway to Lake Biwa.

Even though I was scared out of my wits (cars going at 50kph at you, anyone?), the scenery was quite nice and very peaceful. It reminded me of Florina again, my dad's hometown in northern Greece which has mountains and roads like the one I was on. When I called Chen - before I lost cell phone reception - and told her that I was on a road with alot of twists, cars and a bamboo grove, she was like, "Umm...where?"

I passed a small temple on my way and when I looked on the map, it had the temple as a marker - wooooo, I was CLEARLY off the map. I was about 30 minutes on foot away from Chen's place; it got so hilly at one point during my upward trek I just got off my bike and began to walk. I was in a flimsy little shirt because it got hot for me in spite of the fact that it was 55 degrees and then it started to rain.

Lovely.

I decided to turn around and head back to the main road, where I met Chen. Going downhill on my bike took only 10 minutes or even less - but I was going so fast and it was so steep and twisty at some points that I had to hold my bike brakes to slow me down.

Chen did point out to me that the road was the way to Lake Biwa if you wanted to do it by bike, but it is a bit dangerous, and I don't have a proper mountain bike nor the stamina to do the trip.

Have Bike, Will Slog

Something possesed me last night:

"Here is an idea, Maria - ride your bike to Kitano-sensei's (my koto teacher) house! It's ok if its south of Kyoto Station and is going to be 46 degrees out!"

Maybe it was the fact that I am going over budget recently, and I needed to save the bus money. Maybe it was also that after several days of incessant rain (and it rained last night too!) I was itching to enjoy the (cold) sunshine.

So, I hoofed it. On bike.

Oh but wait, the story gets better.

Higashi-oji Dori has narrow sidewalks at one point or another - so narrow in fact that there is only room for one person. It can be a bit risky at times; for the first time in my life I actually rode my bike on the street for several lengths of time. Of course I went slow. I always get to Kitano-sensei's house rather early, and I didn't want to sweat alot with the going-up-the-mini-hills brou-haha. Didn't the city works committees way back in the day when they paved the roads hear of LEVELLING it? Oh well.

At least there are only two big hills (Shijo and Gojo), as opposed to too many little hills on Kawabata/along the Kamogawa. I still had to take my sweater off. When I wear my navy blue plaid peacoat (many of you have seen this peacoat) I wear this gray, zippered cardigan from J.Crew. It's friggin' cold out, man!

It's important to mention this sweater right now. Most of you probably know that I am a very big devotee to that store (and that is still an understatement). All that aside, there is a nice memory associated with the sweater:

When I was 15, I got some birthday money from my Nouna (godmother) and my dad took me to the J.Crew store on Prince Street in SoHo - WAY before it decided that $158 cashmere sweaters were the norm as opposed to $48 merino wool sweaters (basic wool sweaters are now $68 - I wait till stuff goes on sale, as I always have). We were looking around trying to figure out what I could get with my birthday money, when my dad picked up a gray, zippered cardigan with pockets and a drawstring:

"Ah, I had a sweater like this when I was your age, but with buttons. This is a good sweater."

My dad used to work in the garment district as a furrier, making mink coats for designers like Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Valentino, etc. He once made one specifically for Vera Wang (the person). So when I go shopping, I go either usually with my dad, or ask him what he thinks either before I get it (online) or after, when I buy it.

I knew then that that was a good sweater. So, I got it.

Seven years (and many wears and trips to the dry cleaners) later, and I still have the sweater. There is not one hole in it. So I usually wear it in the winter when I wear short sleeved stuff, or as an extra layer. I was getting hot as I rode to Kitano-sensei's house so I took it off and shoved it in my bike basket. Never thought to put it in my bag.

Plink, plink, PLONK (my right hand is really not used to all the grunt work) and an hour later, I am making the reverse trip back up Higashi-oji. I had an errand to run - I needed to get my re-entry permit, since I am going abroad for Christmas. The subject of re-entry permits and my beef with them are the subject of a later post.

On the way, I remember that there was a shop I wanted to go to but it wasn't open yet. I keep forgetting that shops here open at 11, not 10 am. I go to a cafe and sit there for the next 45 minutes, drinking a weak and expensive (500 yen!) Cafe Au Lait. Coffee and Japan - another post. 11:15 am rolls around and the shop is still not open. Bah! I then head onto my errand for the morning: Kyoto Immigration Office.

I go to Immigration and fill out the application. In order to get the revenue stamp that says you paid the money for the permit in order to get the permit, you need to go outside the building, walk around the corner to another building and go to the Revenue Stamp Office. Japanese bureaucracy and my beef with that will be another post as well. Stay tuned.

I go to the office and get my stamp; I was in a bit of a rush. I had a craving for nabe-yaki udon from the cafeteria and I wanted to see if Chen was around for the usual time of lunch at 12pm. It was now 11:45am. I am biking back up to my house to get my books and laptop before I head to Rune (the cafeteria) when I realized something. I actually exclaimed aloud:

"WHERE IS MY SWEATER?"

I practically brake so hard that my bike squealed in protest. Good thing I parked it under the shelter last night - as I mentioned before, it rained AGAIN. I turn around, and go to the Immigration Office.

Not there.

I go back to the cafe where I had my coffee.

Not there.

The shop that I was waiting for earlier was actually open by now so I decided I might as well check it out. The minute I parked my bike, it hit me:

I left my sweater at the REVENUE STAMP OFFICE, not the Immigration Office. I was so tired at this point, I had no choice but to continue my morning slog. I leave the shop, head back to the Revenue Stamp Office. It was closed. I had forgotten that Japanese offices actually have a set lunch hour, usually from 12 to 1. I actually bang on the door, praying that someone was there. Luckily, someone heard my banging and when I said I regrettably forgot a greay sweater (as that was the direct translation) she handed it to me.

O thank god. My sweater has been restored.

Unfortunately, no nabe-yaki udon. It was already 12:45 by the time I got back to my apartment so I went for the next best thing:

Piza-man and Bifu-karee-man from the Clocktower coop shop.

Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Japanese Lesson #2:

1) Mama-chari: Granny-bike

In Kyoto, everyone rides a bike.

Not the bikes you (rarely) see in NYC or the ones I have seen in London, which are mostly mountain bikes. I'm talking about the mama-chari.

It's a stereotypical label, used as such because old grannies use these bikes. But rather, in Kyoto, everyone uses these bikes. They have a bell, a basket in the front, and a light. Sometimes there is a basket in the back, or a rack. Even better, there is this accesory that holds up your umbrella which attaches to the handlebars so you don't have to ride one-handed, and little kids get to ride in a bike version of a carseat. Sometimes there are two, one in the front, one in the back. I told you everyone rides a bike.

When you get a bike, you need to register it with the city. There isn't any real place to parl bikes and the police (reportedly) like to ave fun impounding your bike. So you have to go to the bike pound, pay 2000 yen and then you get your bike back. However, on Sundays, they don't impound bikes.

Another good thing is that everyone rides on the sidewalk. So that means people don't sign death wishes when they ride a bike. Another thing I notices is that the chain links on the biks are covered, so unlike London, you don't need to tie your pants up.

Today I got a bike. I (still) don't know how to drive, so in essense, this is my first real set of wheels. I got it brand new from a shop on Imadegawa Street that I saw yesterday with Deena. I was on the fence on getting a bike today, but I dreaded the thought of carrying alot of groceries (something I did too often in London, as I do not know the art of buying what you need for the day, I buy for the week) so I trekked on over. Plus, it was on sale. mama-charis can get expensive, so I was told to get used - however, I saw a used bike for 6000yen so that wasn't worth it. Better for me to get a new one so that it won't break on me and when it comes time to get rid of it, it has good resale value. So with registration, I got it for 8400yen (about $80). Not bad at all.

I was a little unsteady at first (the last time I rode a bike was what, 14?) but I got my bearings. And the saleslady helped me raise the seat, as I have longer legs than most people around here. The 26" wheel was too big for me. And the 26" bike was in black. I wanted yellow.

Why yellow? People would argue that black is more utilitarian. It sure as hell looks nice on the same model of bike that I got.

Here is the thing:

I don't drive. Why? I still don't know how. Before the world gasps in horror, I will explain. I live(d) in NEW YORK. There is a bus a block from my house. Granted, it is annoying when I go out late, to have someone pick me up that is, but that will be (finally!) recitified when I come back in 3/2008. And besides, my sister is thisclose to getting her license.

However, I do have a car. But in theory, not in practice. My dad bought a 1990 4-door Volvo (aka "The Tank") from his cousin for $500 specifically for the reason of me and my sister learning how to drive. My mom is very protective of her baby (a 1988 navy blue 4-door toyota camry that is suffering from the car versions of arthritis and Parkinson's) so if my sister and I crashed the Volvo as we learn to drive, its not like we trashed a car that is brand new, or has strong emotional attachment.

I always said that when I get a car (preferably an Audi TT 4-door convertible, a girl can dream) I want it to be in bright yellow, the kind of yellow that they have for SUVs (best shade of SUV yellow that I've seen is on a Nissan Pathfinder) or on a Ferrari. I have also seen it on a Mercedes convertible. That's why I got the bike in yellow. With the black basket and details, it's become my SUV: