Oh yeah I've moved

I guess you haven't heard...

samjna.theffcho.com

To Shuhei and Miki

I saw your messages in my email!
Thank you for the messages!
ｍ（．＿．）ｍアリガト
But I don't know where it is in my blog.
So I write to you here.

Before I saw your message, I was going to stop the blog.
But now, because I know you are reading, I think I will continue!
Keep writing to me!
(but please write to the most recent blog post so I can find it)

A month later

I've lost all motivation to post anything on this blog anymore.

After the last day of school on 7/20, life had been a whirlwind of drinking and farewells and cardboard box runs. Everything revolved around packing up and saying goodbyes for 2 weeks straight, and there was simply no time nor mental room to pause and reflect. When friends ask me, "So what do you think about the last 2 years in Japan?" it inevitably triggers my reflex answer, "I think I will find out only after I've actually left Japan."

So I actually left Japan on 8/3 to Taipei. Officially, I guess. The emigration officer voided my work visa and took my gaijin card and wished me good luck. I felt little sentimentality, last 2 years did not flash before my eyes like memories flash before a dying man. Oh well at least now I could finally buy the JR rail pass only available to tourist visa holders when I come back.

And I'm at home in Taipei now, living the life in the slimy slug trail, with the drippy heat and the 127 channels of cable TV. The ironic thing is, now that I'm finally out of Japan, I'm hooked on watching Japanese soap opera(s).

Maybe after this post, more will follow.

Dreamt and hastily typed up.

3:31am. Tomorrow last day school. Tonight just had the most terrifying dream of my life.

woke up
self-suggested airline.
conference chairs.
other people waking up.
blaming something.
illusion broken.
no longer works.
people started trying agin.
put up fake vud.
etc.
light darken.
people started chatter happily.
experiencing fake flight again.
even equilibrium is moving.
someone offer me toy.
happily accept.
me too.
intermittent rusty image of hoarse girl with cigarette voice saying things---you can't do it. you can't get out, and you can't get back in the dream.
tv newscast' some people try to fake airlines.
flight to tokyo: stewrdess the hoarse girl blonde now, on here knees and pov unzip paints.
simona notices the toy is shitty.
so does ian.
i finally do to.
broken.
i jump out of the plane.
stewrdess, now redhead, laughing meniacally.
on the island.
i'm the wise old man on lost.
there's no escape.
i tell the story of power of self-suggestion an
akio does not believe.
i did an experiment on him.
he has to transfer school.
he spills his wallent. i pick up coins. i put in american coins.
he ca no longer play soccer.
more american change.
he has to move to america.
more dollar change.
finally he comes to me: i have to go to america!
show him the changes and the changes i kept.
did not believe.
show him a sheet of paper.
he believed. and believed. and sheepishly ala teshima i kept a dna test from you too.
i ripped the dna test.
it said i had a baby.
i ran around on the island- where's my baby.
some other people trying to fake flight.
the broadcast static in the cave fixed.
it now said in japanese--believe me because i fixed the broadcast static! and repeat.
i'm going crazy.
lecture: power of suggestion.
example: honda-sensei looking for baby.
couldn't find. went to the edge of the island.
lazy people napping. saying milkman comes only once a week. on saturday his house is destroyed.
i/honda caught a glimpse of teal uniform man beyond the fence.
the fence is so low, i can almost jump it.
i jump it, i can't
i jump it again. no way i can't jump over it.
but too weak.
i jump it again.
i reach in my pocket for dna test.
just a milk order.
going crazy.
look to left
gate is open! i can just run out around the fence and don't have to jump!
overjoyed.
ran towards opening.
realized - what if there's another gate?
what if this is just a dream.
what if this is just self suggested?
what if this isn't what's happening?
wake up
simona there shaking me.
what if this is just a dream
what if this is just self- suggested
what if this isn't what's happening
screaming like i've never screamed in my life.

Death of a (car) salesman

Dear Exchange,

My stubborn Suzuki Wagon-R is still here. A month ago, I was selling it; a couple of weeks ago, I was trying to get rid of it; now, with just 28 days til my departure from Japan and the desperation peaking, would someone please just take the freaking car off of my hands?

Yes, all you savvy shoppers, your patience has outlasted mine. The bell curve has reached its nadir and now it's your last chance to buy low.

So make me an offer. Any offer (for your reference: I was fully ready to take the last offer of 4.5 man until the buyer backed out in favor of rental). If the sale isn't closed by 23:59 7/24, it is going to my local Gullivers, where some bastards will take it from me for pennies and sell it to you for half a month's pay and you will never find a car this cheap in Tottori again.

But be forewarned: I may be desperate and a sucker but I still have my pride. If you try to lowball me after I basically just opened my door to lowball offers, I might just give the car away out of spite and malice. This is something I am entirely capable of, as I will go any distance and pay any price for the chance to say F&#K YOU MOTHAF!#$A!, just go ask the VP and the valedictorian of my HS, and that chubby Japanese kid who gave me a bloody nose at Taj utlimate. In fact, go ahead and lowball me, that would make the trip to the used car hyena that much more enjoyable.

Yes...excellent.

--------
Suzuki WagonR, automatic, silver, 94 (Heisei 10).
* Shakken until 2007/5/26
* Bought last October for way too much.
* Snow-tires.
* CD player.
* ~164,000km, previously owned by auto-shop owner.
* Available until 7/25.
* Yahoo Japan auto search of other similiar WagonR:
http://autos.yahoo.co.jp/ucar/search/search.html?type=search&opt=1&p=%A5%EF%A5%B4%A5%F3R&price_min=&price_max=&pref=&year_min=&year_max=&mission=AT&btype=4&so=-1&sf=7
* Here's a pic of the actual Rabu Wagon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59135919@N00/166851176/


"Hidden" costs
* The paperwork for transfer of ownership will cost an additional 10,000.
* Recently inspected and maintained, in good condition and no additional work required (front break-pads, AC belt, and windshield wipers recently replaced). In other words: nothing hidden here.
* Except for the freon. I guess you would need to replace the freon for the AC to actually cool--I'm okay with it though, I like to sweat.
* All the repairs+paperwork can be done by Matsui Auto in Daisen-cho.
* I commute 33 km to and from work daily. I pay about 1 man weekly for gas and that gives me ~430km. You figure out the mileage.
* Unlike rental cars, you will be responsible for auto insurance. For my case, I pay about 6100 monthly (but you would have to sign up for a year at a time).
* You may have to pay for parking at your apartment. I pay 3000/month.
* There is plenty of storage space and backseat room for unspecified activities.
* Your kocho-sensei might not like you driving this car. I dunno why, I do not engage in any unspecified activities at school but my kocho-sensei has taken extensive steps preventing my successor from owning this car. No really. Go ask Liz.
---

Yours truly,
cho

Ichinensei ni

Circle the Initial letter:
1. (t, sh, th) those
2. (wh, w, u) where
3. (ph, h, f) phone/fire
4. (sw, sm, sn) smile
5. (cl, cr, lp) clap

Circle the Middle letter:
1. (e, a, o) Ted
2. (i, u, ng) pin
3. (u, a, o) truck
4. (e, i, ee) week
5. (o, oa, a) boat

Circle the Last letter:
1. (ch, sh, ti) bench
2. (ck, k, g) flag
3. (th, s, sh) math
4. (c, k, e) bike
5. (n, ng, m) seldom

Listen to the Sound, plese write the word:
1. h – o – t hot
2. m – a – p map
3. th – i – s this
4. br – u – sh brush
5. wh – a – l – e whale

Sannensei ni

1. panda (cow, zebra)
It is a kind of animal, and it is black and white.
They are very few, and scientists don’t know how to save them.

2. cherry (baseball, eel)
Japanese people have loved this for a long time.
It is watched by many people in the spring.
But it is not watched by many people in America.

3. coral reef (angel fish, kangaroo)
This can be found in Australia.
If you know how to swim, you can see many beautiful fish there.

4. cat (puppy, gorilla)
It is very cute.
It is fun for me to play with an X.
An X is kept by Honda-sensei.

5. dentist (doctor, patient)
You can find X at a hospital.
Anyone can become an X.
You don’t have to go to school, and it is not difficult to become an X.
But it is not fun for me to become an X.