Korea

New Years is approaching here in Korea and I will be here to welcome the new year. A lot has happened in the past year. My life has changed. It's always nice to look back and reflect on everything that has happened as well as start a new, with a fresh year ahead.

Next week I will have my feet on Japanese soil and will inform all of you on my short stay here in Korea.

On the KTX

Down to the Southern part of Korea. But stuck standing nearly the whole way. It's good and bad. My legs might be sore if I can't find a seat.

What happen to the sand in my hourglass?

While singing along to the 'Little Mermaid' soundtrack at lunch, amongst my JHS students (3rd year), I came to a gross realization. I'm getting old. Apart form myself and the teacher, no one in that classroom was a human when that film was released. Little Mermaid came out in 1989. None of the kids were walking, when my jaw dropped watching Woody meet Buzz. When they finally could walk, they didn't know Will Smith saved the world from aliens. Time flies.

The Golden Age of Animation

Highlight of today was one of my students asking me 'Do you know Tom and Jerry? I watch it on DVD.' It was all in Japanese but regardless touches my heart that some kids here have an appreciation for 'The Golden Age of Animation.' Japan has made huge strides in Animation. The past ten years have been a little lack luster. Regardless, their contribution to the medium deserves tremendous respect.

It's interesting to point out, that character designs like Asto Boy are copies of characters seen in American animation or design in the late 40's. Over the years, anime evolved into its own style. Surprisingly, American children growing up in the 80's and 90's became influenced by Anime and produced shows like Power Puff Girls which are direct attribution back to anime, which is also a attribution to American cartoon characters sixty some odd years ago.

Gymnastics.

Watching the news... It's talking about how gymnastics is important to physical education in Japan. I wish it wasn't considered 'gay' in American while I was growing up. I would have preferred to be a ninja over a dumb jock. Sadly, I was neither and ended up an 'art fag'.

Forgotten Words

The other day, I wanted to teach my students to say 'davenport' instead of 'couch' or 'sofa' but the Japanese English teacher wouldn't let me. That was a total bummer.

I think I spent too much time around old people as a child.

Whistling

Work was slow the other day. I had some downtime but didn't use it wisely. Instead I was starring around the teacher's room. Feeling like I had nothing better to do, I started to whistle. After about a second of that, my Japanese English teacher said something really funny. 'Don't do that, you will call snakes here'. She laughed, then told me that whistling indoors is considered rude. It's nice when the Japanese get straight to the point with cultural stuff. Usually they take the long way and you won't find out you've done something wrong until weeks later.

TWJ - EP 41 - MT. FUJI - part 01

Recessive Genes.

Yesterday, a student saw my eyes up close for the first time. It's been nearly nine months. This wouldn't seem like anything important if it weren't for the fact, my eyes are blue in a sea of brown. They asked the teacher 'Why are his eyes blue'. The teacher responded with an appropriate answer; 'there are different colors of eyes found throughout the world and Jerry is just one of them'. I have to remember that, to some children, my eyes might have been the first set of blue they have ever seen. That's such a foreign concept to me.

Today I raised my hand like Spock and gave some children, 'The Vulcan Salute'. A girl looked at me puzzled and said in Japanese 'It looks like alien'. I then said to her in English, 'Yes it is'. She backed away, somewhat terrified glancing at the other students nearby. I leaned forward and said, 'Don't worry, it's the Vulcans; they're peaceful'.

Winter is around the corner

At least, that is how most people feel. It still feels like fall to me. The leaves just fell off all the trees but the mercury hasn't dropped. Back home, I've heard stories of snow. While here, I am stuck with sunny skies and temperatures settling somewhere in the mid 50s(f). It really makes me wish this area were more like Hokkaido. For now, I'll have to put up with it. Sunshine in the winter doesn't feel right.

Within the next twenty days, give or take, I'll board a plane bound for Korea. I'm off to visit my sister for Christmas. I'm really looking forward to it as well. Something about travel really becomes addicting and seeing to places, is always exciting. There is one thing that is concerning to me, the current state of the Koreas. Both seem to be locked in war games. It would be really nice if the North weren't so retarded. As long as they don't go toe to toe, I'll be happy.

The other day, I finally began the process of capturing my footage from my time spent on Mt. Fuji. One part of it should be finished sometime this week, with other parts soon to follow. I imagine by the time all of it is complete, I will be Korea bound. Crazy to think that.

Well, thats all for now. Felt like I should get a quick update in.

TWJ - BTS 33 - Working hard or Hardly working?

Maybe I will post pictures of some of my drawings later on...

J-Pop is terrible

Most of it anyway. Although, I think Pop as a whole, is terrible. It died somewhere in the 80's. Regardless, J-pop is completely uninspiring. Before I came to Japan, I saw it as something funny and unique to the country, nothing that I thought would annoy me. Since living here, my opinion has changed drastically and I can hardly tolerate it.

It's became a nuisance to my ears and eyes. Everywhere I turn, there is some stupid J-Pop group starring back at me. It's either effeminate men trying to get me to drink light beer or wear eye liner. To disgustingly cute females who have the IQ of Arnie from 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?'.

You think I'm kidding don't you?

I've came to the conclusion that these 'artists' exist for the same corporate reasons pop stars exist back in the US. To make money beyond music. The companies must own the rights to these people because their faces are on every stupid item you could buy.

I guess maybe my biggest complaint is the lack of poppiness and catchiness some of these bands have. Most notably the girl groups. They all have the same limited vocal range, in the same key, no harmonies, rarely any solos, duets, etc... Multiple parts hardly exist either. It's hard for me to listen to.

The entire group reminds me of 'the guitar army' from Idiocracy.

Such a stupid concept.