By some twist of fate, fortune, or farce, you've arrived at my personal journal.

As a note, only some of the entries are public, and others are friends-only, meaning you can only see them if you get an LJ as well and friend me.

Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to comment. I bite, but typically food, not people.

Yesterday was the leaving teachers' ceremony, one of the most heartbreaking things ever.

Background: in Japan, the school year starts in April and every year there is a reshuffle of teachers as dictated by the prefectural board of education. Teachers get absolutely no say or input as to whether or not they can stay in their schools, let alone ( Read more... )

1. The sun shines brightly in the courtyard of the American school, where I brought my English Club members to see a barbecue and talk with the students there in English. Haruka comes up to me; she is one of my best students, multi-talented and creative [academically, analytically, musically, and thoughtfully so. During a Pixar film analysis ( Read more... )

In the attempt to refocus energies, I think for the most part what I've been able to do is make myself less satisfied. Dedicating more thought to creating "big" things [data I collected from my lessons, etc] makes me purposely not want to create anything small [statuses, little things I find amusing], and it's generally making me unhappy because I ( Read more... )

I just finished reading this article, and decided to get my life in order [and start using LJ again; oh, how I've neglected thee!]

Personal goals:

• I'm going to restart my blogspot, and start writing serious pieces on political/holistic developments again. Aim for at least one per month, deadline 21st of every month. Digest enough news to write ( Read more... )

Jason L - A Korean-American dancer from New York, looking to break into the scene in Seoul. Has taught workshops and at dance conferences around the world [showed us some clips of him teaching children in Latin America [Panama, etc]. Laid back, talkative [perhaps drawlingly/lethargically so ( Read more... )

Monday: At school, Fukuda-sensei gave me a gingerbread man, which was very nice. Hitomi Teraoka came by and gave me this chicken/ginger/spring onion in a tofu sack with mustard on top and grilled onions dish, along with a delicious home made okonomiyaki, two mikan, and two bags of senbei ( Read more... )

After yesterday's last lesson [on digital Aristotle], I stayed at work until about 7 just reading through first a fellow JET's blog, then rediscovering my own entries from the past. It's been a while--a staggeringly long while. So long that I'd almost forgotten the beauty and relief of just typing away at a screen with no worries save regurgitating ( Read more... )

I am on a bus, returning from the Danshui Fisherman's Wharf; it's standing room only, and from the press of humanity around me I catch the scent of sanitizing lemon, most likely from the diminutive woman standing in front of me. I mentally exchange her spectacles for a headscarf, garb for green janitor-wear, and imagine her working in the sparkling ( Read more... )

Just came back from CMAC's concert tour to Minnesota [Prior Lake and Duluth]; so tired and so happy. I should start writing here again; how I've neglected you so ( Read more... )