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Saturday Night, Alive!
It’s a 3-day weekend! What better way to celebrate this greatness than to go to the heart of Japan’s entertainment district and just drink our brains out.
So when Saturday was nearing it’s end, we met up with a close friend who was more at home at Roppongi than we will ever be, and he lead us deep into the neon-lighted streets, steering clear away from the retching people every other block.
He told us we should eat something. Something heavy, greasy, and fatty. Something to line our stomachs with. So we climbed some really steep yet lushly carpeted stairs up into the 3 1/2 floor of a narrow building. It was a Kebab Shop! We ordered a Kebab rice bowl, a Kebab pita bread sandwich, and a Kebab burrito. What? You think you could order anything other than that? It was delicious by the way. Will definitely go back… If we can ever find it again.
We then went out on our way to the legendary drink-all-you-can bar when our friend suddenly disappeared from our sight for a few moments, leaving us panicky and seriously considering going back to that cozy Starbucks we passed by a while ago. Then we heard a familiar shout “Guys! Over here!” from a small doorway that leads down to a basement door. “And bring out your IDs and money! Come on!”
See that neon green light? We went down there… somewhere…
We showed the nice lady that we’re not underage, as if our faces weren’t proof enough, gave her some 1000 Yen bills, and she slapped on us some rainbow colored paper-wristbands. Wish I took a photo of that, but I had no time; loud music and booze was waiting downstairs.
When we went down, what surprised us was not the decor, which is a bit tacky (but what do I know about bars and pubs anyway?) it was how few the people were. I think there were only half a dozen guys there and a couple of girls. And that’s counting the waitress.
Well no matter. We came here not to socialize, but to fill our throats with liquor!
And fill it we did! Man, the list of all the stuff they have was just amazing. I’ve had my fair share of drink-all-you-can restos, and their Drinks Menu is top notch.
We started off with the typical man-beer: Heinekens, Budweisers, and what have you. Then we tried some cocktails like Salty Dog and Moscow Mule. After that, things got a little fuzzy…
I think things started getting crazy when we began to meet all those nice gentlemen… Mr. Johnny Walker, Chivas Regal, Sir Jack Daniel, and I just can’t remember much after that.
Hm.
I just woke up and it was Sunday. I was at home.
Where’s my pants?
Gloomy Friday
The moment I burst out of the door to shout “TGIF!!” it rained.
Well it was just a drizzle, but still enough to make you wear a raincoat. Darn it. I was so looking forward to riding my bike under a bright blue sky, singing happy songs, and scaring bystanders on my way to the station. And my raincoat is moldy too, ugh.
So I dropped by the local convenience store to pick up some pick-me-up to perk meself up.
Then I found this milk coffee with maple! Woah, a new flavor!
I plugged my ears with a medley of great nostalgic 80’s and 90’s rock ballads, drank my creamy caffeine, and enjoyed the light drizzle on my way to school.
Oh to Hear Them Sing
I witnessed something special today. At first I was surprised when right after the usual morning meeting, all the teachers suddenly suited up and swiftly poured out of the faculty room. Okay, what’s happening now?
I cleared my desk of all the newsletters, messages and notice sheets accumulated while I was away and tried to catch up with the fleeting wave of black suits briskly rushing down the hall. They were going to the gym.
Ah, a morning assembly then… on a Thursday? I wonder what this is all about? Then I saw a pile of students coming out onto the stage.
Sad piano music wafted through the gymnasium and two students came up to the front and gave a speech. Wait, is that a student playing the piano? Wow, she’s good. Then the next pair came up and gave another speech while a different piece of music was played by another student. This went on until the whole group has finished their piece.
I asked the teacher beside me what this is all about, and I was told that the students are presenting to the whole school the music piece their class have been practicing to sing for the Chorus Contest. Each class has chosen a song and practiced it, and today there will be a meeting to decide which one they’ll do for the citywide contest as one whole choral group.
One of the surprising things was the fact that each class actually has a designated piano player. Wow. Back when I was still in school, it’s rare to see a piano player in our whole year level, let alone in our class. But to think that in Japan, it’s fairly common to have one or two (maybe more!) students who plays an instrument per classroom! Very well, too at that. Just wow.
The teacher then told me that our school has a reputation of being one of the top contenders in the chorus contest. Well, I’m not surprised. I’ve heard them sing their school anthem before, and they actually had the boys and the girls sing in different parts with their tenor, sopranos, and all that.
I remember as a kid we’d be told to just “sing out as loud as possible“, but here it’s “as beautiful and harmonic as possible.” Now I’ve been a judge at the English Speech Contest, and all of us ALTs had a rough time. They were all good! I can’t imagine just how much better this city’s students will be with music.
I thought it was really nice when the principal spoke to the whole assembly afterwards, telling the students that even though they have their eyes on that trophy and being the champion for this year’s Chorus Contest, it should not be their goal. That winning is not the only thing to strive for. That being able to sing together as an embodiment and representative of the school, blending their voices to become one, and expressing the emotion of the song from their hearts to the audience, is the most important thing this contest.
I agree.
Man, I can’t wait to hear them sing.
Them Shy Japanese Kids
Japanese students. Ahh, to know what makes them tick. I’m ashamed to say, I too was a bit of an introvert in my “Growing Up” days. I can’t seem remember the reason as to why I was like that, and why I kept on being one till college, but I’m proud to say that I have grown out of my shell and am now a functioning normal human being of society.
But I digress. Now, let’s get back to them shy Japanese kids.
I work at an elementary and junior high school this year, so I get to experience and observe a wide range of different behaviors in the classrooms. And one of the big problems that the homeroom teachers and I have are the children who seem to poop out their energetic genkiness everytime they go to the toilet.
For example, in one of my schools I started out this year with a very fun and lively class full of bright-eyed 5th and 6th graders, their hands always raised so high it’s like staving off a horde of gaikokujin-eating zombies. Wow, I thought, I’m gonna have fun this year! Yeah!
NOT.
Puberty has hit them sometime between June and September, and now almost half the class seem to have decided to make Sadako their role-model. I’m not talking about the hair (although there’s this girl… nevermind), their personality now sucks. Wait, no. Their personality got sucked. By what? I’m guessing their growing body parts.
Darn it. And here I thought having a full room of ghosts in my junior high school is bad enough.
Don’t get me wrong, teaching at both schools is still very fun. Not everyone has mutated… yet. There are still a lot of solid beacons of hope who are enthusiastic to learn English, and those are the kids that I use to anchor my lessons in each class. I do my best for them, and they do try their best to pull their classmates along with them. Mostly unsuccessfully. But anyway, its those earnest kids that makes it all worthwhile.
It goes on both sides of extreme: I have this ultra-wild and crazy class that you have to shout the whole time and still not accomplish anything. Then I also have this silent and dead fish kind of class that won’t budge even if you fart in their bags.
I guess they all have their own reasons on being the way they are. The rambunctious class I understand, they’re young and they have all the energy in the world to spend talking with one another or just fidgeting in their chair and yelling loudly. It’s the silent ones that trouble the teachers much worse. It’s not just one or a handful of quiet students, it seems to be infectious and affects the whole classroom. You can’t make them to do anything.
I just hope this is just a stage and they’ll grow out of it (like me, hee hee). But I pray they do it fast. Their teachers are going to go crazy pretty soon.
To Work a Hulk’s Throw Away
I miss waking up at 7:45 and still arrive at school on time for the 8:15 meeting. Last year I went to a school less than just 5 minutes away. I lived a procrastinator’s dream for two years… and then I moved to a new school that’s 2 hours away. Not counting the 20-minute walk from the station.
*le extreme sigh*
Well that was my situation until a couple of months ago. I talked with my girl and we’ve decided that I can’t continue waking up at 4:30 in the morning everyday for a year. Sleeping before 10 PM is already a problem for me, but waking up before sunrise is just torture for a lazy bum like me.
So now we live an hour away from my school, still far but at least my travel time’s cut in half! I wanted to move much much closer, as in right next to the school’s entrance gate, but I have to consider my girl’s workplace too. We settled for a city that’s right in the cozy center of where I work and where she works. Yeah, we both travel an hour to work now.
It has it’s advantages. I get to read again.
*This was taken inside Starbucks, but you get the idea*
I bought a Kindle 4 I think a year ago, and I can’t let go of the computer long enough to actually use the thing. Now that I’m forced to sit in a train for hours everyday, I can catch up with my favorite authors and enjoy travelling to all sorts of advenures again.
I think I still have my Nintendo DS somewhere, I could some gaming time too hehe
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PS: Darn you Starbucks for tricking us! We bought a Chicken Pita Bread sandwich yesterday and it was all lettuce!! Argh. There was just a tiny sliver of chicken meat inside and not even a drop of mayo! To think we paid almost 500 Yen for that!
We’re Drinking Wine Tonight!
Actually, we always drink red wine every night. Ever since I’ve convinced my girl of the benefits of indulging in a glass or two of this intoxicating sweet nectar of grapes, we decided to celebrate each well-enjoyed dinner by ending it with some red wine.
Problem is, if we only drink a glass every night, the leftover wine would just spoil if left alone in its bottle. Apparently, even if you close the bottle up airtight, the taste will deteriorate as long as there is air inside. The only way we can avoid the wine from spoiling is to drink it all… is what I suggested, but my girl wouldn’t approve. *shrug*
So I searched the Internet for solutions and bought these online:
*Uhh, yep that’s me. Well my hands anyway. My girl was recording the whole thing with my iPhone*
Behold, the VacuVin Wine Bottle Air Extractor Pump!! A handy, inexpensive, miniature pump that removes the oxygen from the bottle. The rubber stopper that came with it will then keep additional oxygen from entering the bottle. It’s supposed to keep your wine fresh for up to a week, although it doesn’t work with all wines.
Pumping wine air out of the bottle is fun. You don’t have to pump much. Just 10 or so pumps and you’ll hear this weird clunking sound that tells you the bottle is now oxygen-free and you’re done! The released “wine air” is intoxicating too.
Not only that, we also bought a Wine Aerating Pourer!! You just plug it into the bottle and then when you pour the wine, you can see and hear the bubbles mixing in with the wine. So that when you taste it, you’ll enjoy the enhanced flavor and bouquet of a perfectly aerated red wine… is what’s supposed to happen.
Either I’m just not cut out to be a wine connosieur or it didn’t work. I can’t really taste the difference. Or maybe, I should stop buying cheap red wines…
Oh Happy Monday!
(Written yesterday)
I get to go home early today. Not just an hour early mind you, I’m talking about before we even had lunch! Isn’t it great? On this wonderfully sunny Monday too.
Wow, didn’t think wonderful and Monday would be in the same sentence haha
Apparently, the school can’t pay for the overtime work I did training the speech contestants. Last month alone I’ve worked almost 15 hours beyond my work schedule! The solution? They plan to let me go home early maybe an hour or so every week until I’ve balanced out the hours.
Today’s special though, the junior high kids have some kind of sports competition, and all these other schools have come to play some games with them outside. So all the classrooms were empty. Well there were maybe ten or so left in the classes I’ve taught, but that’s about it.
The baseball, soccer, and tennis club members are all out there in the muddy school ground playing under a slightly ominous drizzling cloudy sky. And the remaining students (mostly girls) are dry and cozily sitting inside the classrooms having their regular classes.
I guess if it was me, I’d rather be outside and playing even if it meant getting dirty, rather than stay and try to study despite all the shouts and racket outside the window heh.
Because of the special schedule, there’s no school lunch today. And since I can’t find any reason to stay after my 3rd class, I asked the principal if I could just go home. He said yes. And so I ate lunch outside…
Sizzling pork yakiniku in an iron griddle with crunchy fried chicken, corn salad, miso soup, white rice, and a glass of lukewarm water!! Yey!
Eating Our Heart Out!
October 5th! Me and my girl always celebrate the 5th of every month as our monthsary. Only in little ways though, we don’t want to outdo ourselves. How else could we ever make the once-a-year anniversary “special” then?
We always resort to celebrating that personally romantic date with food; be it a homemade candlelit dinner or with a reservation in a somewhat-fancy restaurant somewhere. And for this month, we decided to stop by one of the largest shopping malls in Japan to satisfy our craving:
ALL YOU CAN EAT KOREAN FOOD!
Being a spicy-food lover that I am, I was all up for it. Good thing I have taught my girl the joys of Korean cuisine, that even she craves for them… sometimes. She’s not really a spice girl you see.
Oh the chewy and rich texture of tteokbokki with its white tubes in a creamy yet spicy red sauce, the cracked sizzling iron pot filled with spicy sundubu jjigae tofu soup (I’m allergic to shellfish but who cares!), and another cracked sizzling black bowl this time filled with a spicy chicken rice dak galbi with cheese! Add to that the plate after plate of other spicy Korean dishes that I do not know the name of… except kimchi.
The time spent between gulping water and retrieving for some more could’ve been better spent vacuuming other food stuffs. But man, them Koreans like everything spicy! Woh!
That was why when it was time to grill the thick slabs of samgyeopsal, we agreed not to use any of the spicy sauces anymore. Because it would just be overkill. How would we ever taste the goodness of the meat if we’d just go and burn those white fur on our tongues off? Nope, we’ll just eat it à la carte. Cut em up, wrap in lettuce, and chew… and repeat. Until our lungs could barely fill itself with air because our bodies were 50% food by then.
It was time for dessert.
They only had one thing on the dessert table, Italian Gelato. You’d think, “Hey! This is a Korean restaurant! Why would anyone serve dessert that comes from the other side of the world here?” Well, if you’ve spent more than an hour eating burning coals, a sticky and creamy glob of gelato would hit that bald spot on your tongue so good you’d come back for seconds… even though you’re already filled to your esophagus with food. It was that good. A real life-saver.
So I want to thank you, O anonymous manager of that Korean resto, for being such a compassionate and radical thinker.
But we didn’t stop there.
Because a few steps from the restaurant was another source of chewables: a Chocolate Factory. Not in a literal sense of course, but the stuff that comes out of their kitchen was unbelievaballs! I must stop myself from conjuring up the memory of the things on display, I’d just go crazy. How could so many good food gather in just one place!?
And so, even though we’ve had two bowls of dessert not just one minute ago, we ate slabs of Caramel Choco Crunch Clusters and a ball of White Coconut Haystack. The name itself already sounds good ain’t? Try biting into one.
I rest my case.
The Tower of Shrimp Patties
Last night, while I was unlocking my bike on our way home, this HUGE poster was just screaming for attention in front of me. So I gave it a glance… or two… or three… until it escalated into a full-blown stare.
“Hey umm, what IS that? ” I asked my girl who was busy rummaging around her bag for her bike’s keys. “It looks like a very tall burger. Is that croquette? Hey it’s just 500 Yen, wanna get one?”
And we did. The amazing thing is, it looked exactly how it did on the poster. WOAH. Is this a joke? How the heck could anyone even eat this thing? I looked around and apparently, a lot of people were also mesmerized with the promise of owning a tower of crunchiness. They were dismantling it.
After a minute of unabashed admiration *Instagram that joint!* I tried one patty, bit into it, and discovered it was made of shrimp. Nice! Something I’m allergic to! Well no matter, I have some meds with me anyway. My girl and I took one bread slice and a shrimp patty each and munched away. I dunno if it’s because we were hungry, but it was just so delicious. The moist bun topped with a steaming hot shrimp filet and the creamy mayo with the lettuce…
*smacks lips* That was good. Now what to do with the remaining three patties? I think I’ve reached my shrimp-eating limit for tonight. I am allergic to it you know. So we wrapped them up and went home.
Good thing too! Because this morning, when we opened the fridge, three lone sausages and eggs welcomed us. We took the shrimp patties, toasted them in the oven till they were hot and crispy again, softly boiled the eggs, and popped some juicy sausages, and Saturday morning breakfast has never been more special!
Ohayou gozaimasu Japan! Thank you for making extremely weird food promotions haha
Oh wow, it’s Hanakin!!
No relation to the Skywalkers.
「花金」 or Hanakin is the Japanese way of saying “THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY!”
Interesting story on this one. If you are one of the few who can read kanji (oh, which I’m sure you are!) you’ll notice that it’s spelled using the characters of ‘flower’ and ‘gold’. Now why would ‘Flower Gold’ translate into TGIF? I had no idea either, so I researched a bit.
So first, why ‘gold’?
In Japanese, Friday translates to 金曜日 or the ‘Gold Day’. A teacher told me it was because payday usually falls on a Friday. So that would make Hanakin into ‘Flower Friday’ which still doesn’t make sense.
Okay, what do you associate the word ‘flower’ with? Plant. Colors. Petals. Bright… PRETTY. So is it ‘Pretty Friday’? Nope, but we’re getting there.
We all know what happens during Friday nights. It might not be the same everywhere, but generally that’s the time of the week everyone puts on their most revealing clothes and pretend they’re a popular socialite. Generally.
And so, if you look it up and combed through pages upon pages of Google results, you’d find the literal translation, ‘Flowery Friday’. A day where people pretty themselves up and celebrate the end of a workweek.
I felt accomplished when I finally pieced together all these connections and delved into the real meaning of an age-old Japanese expression. But then a teacher smiled and said, “Oh, but do you know Hanamoku?”
Huh, 「花木」? Flower Thursday? Now what the heck’s that?
Bispektəkəld 