year in review
In point form, the highlights of 2007 can be summed up like this:
- I was able to visit Nova Scotia twice, and between the two trips see roughly just about everyone that I would feel required to see, or be seen by, as it were.
- We cut a swathe across sweaty Bangkok, and into sweatier Ayuthaya, Thailand.
- Forayed into Shanghai, China, where I met some accomplices from my school in Japan, and we got up to unspeakable adventures under neon lights and weird skyscrapers.
- Spent several days roaming around New York City
- When I think about it, I guess I only made it up to Tokyo once this year. En route back to Osaka from New York City I had a one night stay over there, so I called out Jeff and Leslie, and against my better judgment went drinking till, oh, 6am. I caught a plane back to Old Grimy at maybe 11am, and went on to play a Lloyd Banks show after an all-too-brief reunion with my girl.
- BUSY musical life. I have played more live shows that I can count in 2007, wrote a lot of songs (which as of yet nothing has been done with) and managed to make an (unfortunately hurried) guest appearance on Jesse Dangerously`s Verba Volant. The biggest shows I have ever played were all in 2007, and for that matter I started off the year on the wheels of steel, starting my set as soon as the ball dropped at a club in Umeda.
- Kept up school and work, even maintaining (if I may say so myself), pretty damn good grades. Between the study, the work, and the DJ-ing, I`ve been a busy, busy son`bitch in 2007.
- Wrote the EJU(留学試験) and the JLPT（日本語能力試験）which I guess are both pretty substantial accomplishments.
- I didn`t fuck up my relationship in any serious way.
- Generally, I`ve just gained a lot of experience and met a lot of good people this year, and you can`t go wrong with that.
On the reverse, some bad shit about 2007:
- My grandmother, who I was very close to, died suddenly in the summer
- My old man got the lung cancer (actually this happened in 2006)
- A lot of fucked up shit going on in my family that I hope somebody gets under control
- What I sincerely hope was stress-induced, strange behaviour. The ultimate example of which would be the very public brawl with Pauley last Canada Day.
- I could have scored better on the EJU exam
So the itinerary for 2008 is looking something like this:
- Battle new monsters and creatures in exotic Malaysia, India or (at the very least) Australia.
- Make the transition into a full time job into Japan, which does not involve teaching English to people.
- Record a record of some sort, either with the band or on my own, or at least get a start on some kind of creative project.
- Write and pass the level 1 JLPT
- Get a grip on some of my more self-destructive personal tendencies, habits and vices.
- Generally just chill out a bit more, and not let the stress get get to me. No pressure.
And that’s how I`m really livin`.
- I was able to visit Nova Scotia twice, and between the two trips see roughly just about everyone that I would feel required to see, or be seen by, as it were.
- We cut a swathe across sweaty Bangkok, and into sweatier Ayuthaya, Thailand.
- Forayed into Shanghai, China, where I met some accomplices from my school in Japan, and we got up to unspeakable adventures under neon lights and weird skyscrapers.
- Spent several days roaming around New York City
- When I think about it, I guess I only made it up to Tokyo once this year. En route back to Osaka from New York City I had a one night stay over there, so I called out Jeff and Leslie, and against my better judgment went drinking till, oh, 6am. I caught a plane back to Old Grimy at maybe 11am, and went on to play a Lloyd Banks show after an all-too-brief reunion with my girl.
- BUSY musical life. I have played more live shows that I can count in 2007, wrote a lot of songs (which as of yet nothing has been done with) and managed to make an (unfortunately hurried) guest appearance on Jesse Dangerously`s Verba Volant. The biggest shows I have ever played were all in 2007, and for that matter I started off the year on the wheels of steel, starting my set as soon as the ball dropped at a club in Umeda.
- Kept up school and work, even maintaining (if I may say so myself), pretty damn good grades. Between the study, the work, and the DJ-ing, I`ve been a busy, busy son`bitch in 2007.
- Wrote the EJU(留学試験) and the JLPT（日本語能力試験）which I guess are both pretty substantial accomplishments.
- I didn`t fuck up my relationship in any serious way.
- Generally, I`ve just gained a lot of experience and met a lot of good people this year, and you can`t go wrong with that.
On the reverse, some bad shit about 2007:
- My grandmother, who I was very close to, died suddenly in the summer
- My old man got the lung cancer (actually this happened in 2006)
- A lot of fucked up shit going on in my family that I hope somebody gets under control
- What I sincerely hope was stress-induced, strange behaviour. The ultimate example of which would be the very public brawl with Pauley last Canada Day.
- I could have scored better on the EJU exam
So the itinerary for 2008 is looking something like this:
- Battle new monsters and creatures in exotic Malaysia, India or (at the very least) Australia.
- Make the transition into a full time job into Japan, which does not involve teaching English to people.
- Record a record of some sort, either with the band or on my own, or at least get a start on some kind of creative project.
- Write and pass the level 1 JLPT
- Get a grip on some of my more self-destructive personal tendencies, habits and vices.
- Generally just chill out a bit more, and not let the stress get get to me. No pressure.
And that’s how I`m really livin`.