Good Day Sunshine

Today was a good day for three reasons:

1) I got to take a 6-year-old on a bathroom break while he waited for his mom to take a test. We talked about the first grade, his baby cousin, and ice cream.

2) I called the music director at the church across the street, and he invited me to come hear the choir this weekend, and meet with him afterwards to talk about auditions.

3) Due to my excitement about singing in a choir again, I struck up a conversation with a man in the elevator (something I NEVER do) on our trip from the first to the second floor. It wasn't a long conversation, but the spontaneity of it tickled me.

Also, I watched The Office.

Good day.

Well, it's the weekend again.

Sure enough, now that I've started working, my time is passing more quickly. Praise the lord. I still want to add more to my plate, though. My weekends are pretty uneventful, and I could go for a little more activity. Preferably, cheap or free activity. I think I'm going to look into volunteering somewhere, maybe at a medical or legal clinic. Or maybe I'll go read to old people. Whatever it is, I need to do something that doesn't cost me any money and also makes me feel good. Today, I went to see a filmed version of RENT on broadway-- the last performance ever, in fact. It was amazing, of course, but it was also $20! And then I bought a pair of slippers afterwards... Not part of the original plan. Note to self: STAY AWAY FROM SHOPPING AREAS. But ooooooh my slippers are cozy! Nice, quality, leather Clarks with excellent arch support. Just what the doctor ordered... I'll just tell myself that.

What else has been going on these days... Oh, I'm still trying to figure out this whole "future" thing. As in, what will I be doing at that point in time? I had started looking into law school, but just as quickly as I began, I turned to something else. This is fairly typical behavior for me. Which is strange, because I never thought I'd be one of those "lost souls". From day one, I had planned to become a doctor. All my life. Until freshman year of college came along, and the chemistry department told me I belonged in the retard section, and also remedial math. That was a blow to my enormous ego... Hence ended the doctor era. Since then, I've considered becoming, with varying degrees of seriousness, an actress, a psychologist, a teacher, a school psychologist, a nurse, an event planner, an education administrator, and a lawyer. And now I find myself at the nurse junction again. Allow me to list why I feel nursing would be an excellent career to pursue:

1) Nurses are caretakers, advocates, communicators, and educators. These are all things I enjoy and excel at.
2) Nursing, as a profession, is rewarding both personally and financially.
3) Obtaining a Masters degree in nursing would allow me the opportunity to be a leader in the field, which is really what I've planned on doing all along, regardless of the specific field I get into.
4) Nurses enjoy strong job security, as well as continued growth in various specialty areas within the field.
5) Depending on their specific place of employment, nurses likely enjoy excellent benefits, including flexible scheduling, generous paid time off (both sick leave and vacation days), and excellent insurance options.
6) I am very familiar with the field, as both of my parents are nurses and I know firsthand about all the challenges and rewards pursuant to working in healthcare.

There's really nothing standing in my way to becoming a nurse, other than three pre-requisite courses: Microbiology, and two semesters of Anatomy and Physiology with lab. I think I could take these courses while I work, as long as the scheduling works out. So really... Why not become a nurse? I wanted to be a doctor to begin with; maybe I should listen to my past and stay in the same ballpark.

Let's see if I can go a whole week without changing my mind.

Mission to lock door: impossible

So, it turns out I have this fool-proof lock on my bedroom door, which prevents me from locking myself out. Not that I'd like to lock myself out, but I was planning on locking my door from the inside before I left tomorrow morning, and then opening it with a bobby pin when I got back in the evening. This is because the daughter of the couple I live with often goes into my room when I'm not in it. This bothers me, because she touches my things and moves them around. I considered making a short list of "rules" to put on my door to remind her that my room is off-limits when I'm not there, but she's developmentally delayed, and I just don't think it would work. I don't really want to confront her parents and ask for a key lock to be installed on my door... But I suppose if I keep on coming back to see that my belongings have sprouted legs and played musical places while I was out, I guess I'll have to.

I've had a slow-paced weekend, which has been both nice and frustrating. I'm anxious to start working so that I can use my weekends to relax, rather than to feel like I've got way too much free time on my hands. But, I suppose for my first weekend here, I got a lot done: Yesterday, I went to the nearby Hawaii State Art Museum. Every second Saturday of the month, they host a visiting art group or guild that puts on "family fun" events for the public. Well, I didn't have a family to go with, so I just went by myself. I felt a little awkward in a room full of elementary school kids and their parents, but nonetheless, I hung out long enough to tear up scraps of colored paper to be transformed into new, pulpy, hand-made paper. It was fun! And then I left, because the other activities available (coloring, rubber stamps, and paper airplanes) just didn't quite appeal to me. Actually, I didn't leave the museum, but I browsed around the galleries on the second floor, which is home to works by all sorts of Hawaii born and/or trained artists. There was a lot of interesting stuff... It would have been nice to have someone to admire (or bawk at) some of the pieces with, but there are worse things one could be forced to do alone.

After a quick lunch break back at the condo, I headed out again for the Hawaii State Library. I re-activated my account and got a new card, and checked out a number of books about law school and also about immigration. I never thought I'd be in a relationship that would put "How to Get a Green Card" at the top of my reading list, but life's full of funny surprises, isn't it? I spent all of last night educating myself on immigration methods and policies, and a couple hours this afternoon reading up on what it takes to go to law school. I've never been a fan of non-fiction, but I've been soaking this stuff up like a sponge. I think I've reached a point in my life where non-fiction actually applies to me.

Today, I was going to go to the Choral Eucharist service to check out the choir at the Episcopalian church next door, but shortly after I woke up I started seeing this arc of wiggly light in the peripheral vision of my right eye. I called my mom, and she promptly decided that I should go to the emergency room. Naturally. Anyway, luckily the lights stopped after a few minutes, but unluckily, I started to develop a headache, and realized I was suffering the onset of a migraine. So I popped 600mg of ibuprofen and went back to sleep until 12:30. Great way to spend a Sunday morning. Later, I headed out to the Aloha Tower Marketplace, a nearby shopping plaza which is apparently frequented only by tourists. I don't think I'll ever go there again. Then, after a good workout at the fitness center here at the condo, I enjoyed my dinner of "Stone Baked Organic Spinach and Cheese Pizza" (purchased frozen from Safeway, of course), watched a re-run of Desperate Housewives, and then learned about my unlockable bedroom door. Which brings me here.

I start work tomorrow. I hope it gives me something a little more exciting to write about than a door that won't lock... For the sake of anyone who's reading this, anyway.

Some adjustments

Yes I just posted like half an hour ago. I just wanted to say that I like my blog much better in the current pink theme. Maybe this will get me posting... Probs not.

Here we go again

I am so unbearingly bad at this blogging thing. It's embarrassing. I have an interesting life, some decent thoughts, and good friends who would read this thing if I put any effort into it. But, alas, I choose to spend my spare evening time in other ways... googling useless crap, picking my pimples, and watching meaningless TV to name a few. Well, to give myself credit, I do read the New York Times and also whatever book I'm currently working my way through. But still-- I am shamed by my friends' bigger, better, shinier blogs time and time again. I just checked out Ann and Kelly's, and of course, they rock. I should link them on mine, but I don't even know how to do that. How sad am I? Anyway, in an attempt to be cool like them and record at least a little of this funny life of mine, I'll try again.

So. Last time I wrote, I was a happy chappy English teacher in J-pan. Those were the days. My last five months there were the best of all, and they happened only a little too late for me to get my head out of my butt and realize that it would have been a good idea to stay a second year. Ah well, at this point all I can do is bemoan my past self's shortsightedness... Bemoan bemoan bemoan. Anyway, the reason those last months were so good was because I was finally settled, in a happy routine with good friends and good weekends and good students, and, from May onward, even a good boyfriend. Not to mention, I made a ton of money doing hardly anything, was exempt from dual taxation, and paid lint picked from my belly button for rent. Life was really, really good.

Now, I find myself in Honolulu. Which is also good, and I expect it only to get better. However, it's still hard for me to accept that Japan is now in my past. Sure, it's in my present in the fact that my boyfriend is Japanese, and I plan on going back to Toyama before June of next year. But, I don't LIVE there anymore. I don't get to ride my bike, or waste time and money at Aeon, or teach my students the difference between "neighborhood" and "neighborfood", or spend gloriously spontaneous and crazy weekend nights with Ann&Kelly and company and my (or should I say "our"?) purple velour pajama pants. I suppose I'm still mourning the loss of such a fantastic time in my life. At what point, though, does the mourning end? I suppose when my new life here in Honolulu gets a jumpstart and gets going. I'm waiting anxiously for that to happen...

I realize I'm making my life here in Honolulu sound bad. It's really not; in fact, it's pretty awesome so far. (I've been here three days). Let me share the positives: I live in a kick-ass brand new condo smack dab in the middle of downtown Honolulu. The grocery store, drug store, Ross (my fave discount department store), the post office, the library, my place of work, Chinatown, and about a million restaurants are all (and I repeat ALL) within walking distance of where I live. How great is that? Plus, if I can't walk somewhere, there's the nation's best bus system ready to take me anywhere I fancy to go. (I'm actually going to give TheBus a try tomorrow-- is it weird that at this point I'd feel more comfortable taking the bus in Japan than taking the bus here?) Heck, aside from all the great stuff around me, there are countless things to do just in this condo itself. I used the fitness center for the first time today, and I plan to make use of the pool this weekend or the next. There are also music rooms, a yoga room, a media room (think leather lazyboys and a movie theatre-style screen), and even a dry cleaning service. Also, I live with a Chinese couple and their daughter, who are all very friendly, although they like to watch about 3 different TV stations at once (I'm not kidding-- three different stations on three different TVs).

Honolulu itself is amazing to me. It's huge, but it's small too. Does that make sense? I don't think I'll ever get bored here. Now all I need are some friends! Haha. I'm looking forward to exploring the city more, and taking lots of pictures.

My job starts on Monday. I'll be working as an Admissions Representative for a small career college. I'm hoping it's an enjoyable pursuit. Mostly, though, I'm just looking forward to having a daily routine. I function best on an organized schedule-- much like a small child.

Well let's see here, anyone wanna take bets on when my next post will be?

Most Houses Have Only One Kitten

Heya,

It's that time again-- time for another round of hilarious, heartwarming, and otherwise amazing student essays! This week'S topic is "Would you prefer to be part of a large family or a small family?"

Enjoy~

"I would prefer to be part of a large family. If I have several brothers and sisters, I could got something from them, and I could turn to them for advice. They ought to be near than my parents. Above all things, I wish a family was cheerful." <3!

"I prefer to be part of a large family. First reason, I am only children now and I feld lonely at the many times when I watched TV alone. If there was a brother, I could talk to him and enjoyed the time. Second, reason I feld lonely too when I eat the dinner with my family, because I want to eat the dinner with many people in noisy like in the TV drama. Third, I like the children and look after them. For example, I want to go to sea or mountain or shopping center and play with the all day, I sometimes will have to make the dinner. From these reasons, I prefer to be part of a large family."

"I would prefer to be part of large family. I have two sisters. My sisters are busy bee. Thanks to my sisters, our lives have become easier. And my grandmother is a busy bee too. She cooks meals for me every day. It is very important for family to help each other. So, I am happy every day." (My heart is exploding with love right now.)

"I prefer to be part of a large family because the larger family is, the more lively it is. If I were on only chid, I would feel lonely. Of course, it is hard for parents to support family and they need a lot of money, but I think it is wonderful that there are more people in family that cannot be replaced by money."

"I would prefer to be part of a large family. Because I like busy family. I want to make a cheerful family. I think cheerful family will make cheerful children and cheerful life. I want to spend happy and snug life. There fore I will need a large family. If it is OK, I want to include a dog."

"I prefer to be part of a small family because of economical side. A large family need much money as the cost of living. What's more if the have many children, it cost them much money to bring up them. In short, the more the number of family increase, the more difficult we earn our bread." Mmmm... bread.

Only Child Syndrome:
"I would prefer to be part of a small family. If I had several brothers and sisters, I would have to buy a lot of [my own] things, because almost all things are handed down, and I get[want] new ones. Besides, I may not have myself room, and share my brother that makes me stifle. So I like a small family."

"I would prefer to be part of a small family. Talking with my grandfather and groundmothe get sometimes on my nerves because of a generation gap." (I feel ya, kid...)

And finally...
"I prefer small family to large family. Because I need not care family. For example, most of houses have only one kitten, bathroom and washroom. The more there are people as family, the more difficult I use there when I want to. Therefore, I don't like noisy. If there're many people in my house, I can't concentrate my studying."

Grading 160 essays is so much more fun when you encounter ones like these. :-)

Also, a quick update-- Westgate, the program I wanted to work for in Tokyo in the fall, is not gonna happen for a variety of reasons. Specifically, their contract time frames are really weird, such that I'd have a job and apartment from September to December, but then no job and no apartment from December to April. In April, I'd have the choice of taking another assignment, but of course I'd have nothing to do in those four months off, and I'd have no place to live. Not so convenient. Also, the salary they advertise is BEFORE taxes (aka not that great), and I also would not be exempt from dual taxation, as I was on JET. So. It looks like I'm headed home after all. I feel good that I tried to find another job here though, even though it didn't come through. Now I can leave knowing that I at least explored another option. And really, I think it's all ok. I'm feeling ready to be back in beautiful Hawaii Ne, basking on the beach, eating fresh fruit, watching the sunset... etc etc. And, I get to try living in Honolulu! That's another adventure in itself. So, all in all, life is good. Two more months here, then time to move on. Sweet.

Exciting New Things!!

I'm super pooped so I'm not gonna write much tonight, but I just wanted to share that I am applying for a teaching position in Tokyo for this fall!! I finally bit the bullet and realized that I don't want to leave Japan just yet, and something needed to be done about it. The company is called Westgate, and they employ 99 teachers each term (fall and spring) in universities and elementary schools. The contract is for 3-6 months, and is renewable. If I get the job, I'll (hopefully) be able to go home for a short break in August, and then return to Japan to start my new contract in September. I think moving to Tokyo would be the best of two worlds-- I'd still be in Japan, allowing me to continue on the path of self-growth and exploration that I started, and to learn more about Japan and its culture, and to visit my current kiddies and friends from time to time (graduation!!). BUT I'd be in Tokyo, which is new and exciting and full of its own set of challenges and adventures. And the contract is considerably shorter, and of course renewable, allowing me greater flexibility. I really think it's a great set-up and opportunity, and I hope I get it!! Keep your fingers crossed for me. :-)

A more detailed post to follow, I promise. おやすみ〜