I miss...

playing TRIVIAL PURSUIT, even if I was really bad at it. We should bust it out again sometime when I come home in July/August, for old times sake.

Other things I would like to do:

Eat Pasta Pomodoro
Wander aimlessly around Borders
Drink in the city with whoever is around?
Reminisce about old grade school/high school crushes/obsessions
Listen to the radio
Go to Target and buy everything on my list plus 20 things I didn't know I wanted/needed

At the end of the month...

someone's BIRTHDAY is coming up!!!!! Whatcha doing for your birthday, Kate???

Ho on the Go

Hey ladies, just a quick post about something funny I found. Or maybe you've already heard of it, and if you had then I'm wondering how and why, haha. Anyway, there are these little travel packages called "Ho on the Go" and it's basically a thong, travel toothpaste and toothbrush, condoms, and a face towelette for ladies who want to be prepared for a night on the prowl, if you know what I mean. Not saying that any of us is a prime candidate to purchase one of these (but of course if you are, hey cool I didn't know!) but I thought it was kind of a hilarious concept and I just wanted to share it with you guys. I can think of a couple of people I might buy one of these for...none of you, of course! =)

HO ON THE GO

I also stumbled upon this cool website, RARE BIRD FINDS, that is basically a blog about cool things to shop for. Yeah, this is what I do to keep sane around here. Everything is going well, just crazy busy because the new school year just started (it started in April). Also, my friends Kristen and Andrew are coming to visit (I met them when I was at Cambridge) so I'm getting ready for that. Miss you all so much, seriously. I'm coming home for sure this summer for a little bit, though I'm not certain exactly what dates yet. It will be in July or August. Will keep you posted of course.

Not much else going on. I really like living in Japan, though I find that the more Japanese I learn the more I NEED to learn, if that makes sense. There's so many things I don't know how to say. And let's not even start talking about learning to read, because there's three different types of characters. I can read a little bit but definitely whatever I know is strictly for conversation purposes. I was thinking the other day, totally off topic, that even though I'm having a lot of fun here, it's going to suck to have to move back home because when I got here I sort of got established, with my own apartment (man I love tatami mat rooms! I might have to have that stuff installed in my place when I move back home. Multipurpose, I'm telling you!), a lease car (yeah, I finally got used to driving on the left side of the road. Let's see what happens when I get home though..), bank accounts, etc. I'm gonna have to move home and get resettled, it'll be interesting. Though I still have another year to worry about it. Of course the thing I miss most though is having you ladies around, seriously. It was to be expected, but I haven't met anyone here that has become a close friend. I have a lot of people I like to hang out with and stuff but no confidants or serious friends. I miss you guys a lot. Anyway, sorry for the random post, I find that I've become weary of doing "this is what I did" posts because I was doing that on my personal blog for a while and I guess I just do so much random stuff that I'm too lazy to post about it. So I'm just gonna keep up with random thought posts if that's okay.

About to go to bed. Tomorrow is Sunday, Mother's Day, and I gotta wake up early and call my momma. Then, in the afternoon, my friend Noriyo, who is almost 30, has invited me to go to a Mochi-nage. (I have a few Japanese friends but most of them are in their late 20s or early 30s which is fine but it sucks because we are definitely not in the same life mindset. They're fun to hang out with but not easy to relate to. The reason the majority of my Japanese friends are this age is because of where I work, most of the teachers are around this age. It's not that easy to make Japanese friends at random on the street, especially with my language barrier and some peoples' anxiety about speaking to foreigners.) She told me her aunt has just had a new house built, and according to tradition the family comes over and everyone gets on the roof and throws money and mochi (small pounded rice cake things) off the roof for good luck. I thought it was really nice of her to invite me, I like doing traditional or uniquely Japanese things best, I think. Though I'm really nervous because no one will speak English except Noriyo, so I guess my conversation skills will get a good workout. I hope this thing is going to be as weird and cool as it sounds!

Okay off to bed for real now!

One per month?

Looks like we're slowing down the posting schedule here ladies. We've got an average of one post per month - which is still good that people are updating - but let's get back into the groove. Whatdasay?

So...last time I posted, I had just gotten Izzie - the dog. It's been over two months now (I guess I'm guilty of the posting lapse as well) and she's still awesome. She's gotten a little more comfortable, and therefore, vocal and protective. She's not overly barky - just when people come to the door and when there are new people she doesn't know. She's adorable though when you come home from a long day at work and she is just SO excited to see you, jumping up and down and twisting. It's nice to come home to.

I've finished up the 4th grade long-term substitute and have had a few weeks of random subbing. There hasn't been much of that because I've been busy with other stuff and it's the state testing season - so teachers are less likely to call in subs. In the middle of May, I start my final long-term subsitute for 3 weeks in a third grade class. In the meantime, I'm using my time to look for a job - because I have a month or so left on my parents' insurance plan. I went to a job fair and got good results - but it's mostly just a screening process. I still have to officially apply for certain jobs, but when my application comes in they can say, "Oh yea, I remember her, we liked her." I also talked to a woman from Castro Valley - though I've pretty much decided to stay in Fresno for a bit longer.

Recently, because I'm finished with the long-term subs, I've gotten to have more time to travel. Oh, side note: I got a new car. It's a Honda Civic (I know, I'm a traitor to Toyotas). I like it a lot. Anyway, I drove down to San Diego with Todd two weekends ago to check out UCSD for graduate school and to visit Deanna & Ryan. I had a blast, hanging out, being in San Diego instead of Fresno, and seeing D & R. Then this past weekend, I went backpacking in the mountains for a night. It involved a mile hike that covered 1,000 feet of elevation, while carrying a giant 30 lb bag on my back. Now, it's hard to picture that - or at least for me because I'm not good with measurement. Anyway, it was a long friggin' mile - basically like climbing up and down granite stairs covered in pine needles, leaves, and fallen trees. My quads still hurt a little...scratch that, a lot. And later this week (Wednesday to Saturday morning) I'm going to drive home (to Hayward) to hang out and watch my cousins. I'm bringing both new things in my life - Izzie and the car...so I'll try to make it a point to see everyone.

As far as the future goes: David is moving to Hawaii in June to look for a place while he's at the University of Hawaii for his PhD. Todd is moving to San Diego to go to UCSD's Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Both boys got into their dream schools and I'm super excited for them. Only a little sad that BOTH of my roommates are leaving me for bigger and better things and I'm stuck (by choice) in Fresno. Anyway, to fill up one of the rooms, David's younger brother Kevin is going to move in with me. He's a good guy who needs to get out of his small town (and move to Fresno?!?) With an empty room, I'm looking for a new roommate. It'll be strange...new...kinda scary. I think I'm just really going to miss David and Todd.

Okay, I think that's all for me. Covered the past, present and future. I'm good to go.

Hope to hear from you gals soon!!

Quick update =)

Nothing too new -

FamBam - Ko moved back home and in my room. Parents and whole familia are happier. Da and Koko have started a great jewelry line called "Loda."

(My official advertisement follows) Order from them!!! I bought 5 earrings already! You can customize them too =) Just tell them what you want!! (e-mail me =)) Here are some of the product shots I took below =) Of course 2 of the earrings are stars =)

Hematite Stars

Close up

More stars =)

Close-up (the stars rotate)

Shells

Close up

Pearls and such

Close-up

Mother of Pearl

Love - My 'rents and extended family know we live together for sure for out and out now =) which is a relief. We might be moving into a house soon but dunno if we really want to move in with roomies (which moving into a house entails).

Work - BORING! Lol I dunno if I can stay in this profession much longer - albeit it was busy season (Jan - March) which means = HELL - I don't like how fake ppl are - I don't like how they say they care about your personal life but they really don't - I don't like the SUPER LONG HOURS - 13 hrs a day is just too much - but I convince myself that it pays the bills and will pay for my CPA. Hopefully it gets better =)

Misc - Some stupid lady hit my car in the PARKING LOT! She wasn't looking up as I saw her head down but blames us - saying we jumped out in front of her.

Other than all that I'm a happy girl =) I miss you guys! Tell me if yer coming in for easter!

Love always,
Shara

Ch...ch...ch...changes.

So, admittedly, it's been awhile. In fact, I haven't been on here since last year. So, let me give a quick recap before the big news - which, because I've set it up so much, may be kind of a let down.

Still doing the long-term subbing thing. Been in the fourth grade for about a month and a half now. It's hard work - harder than what I'd like to be doing for the pay that I get. When I start thinking about how normal, daily subs get $90/day and I get $15 more for doing about a million times the work (because I'm doing everything the normal, full time teacher would do)...it pisses me off. But it's fun, and hopefully, all my hard work will eventually pay off because my health insurance is up through my parents when I turn 23. I need a REAL teaching job. No word on anything yet.

There's really not too much going on here in Fresno (is there ever?) I went home for a night 2 or so weeks ago for my cousin's 21st birthday dinner. I planned on making it a weekend, but Jason was visiting from Disneyland, so I came back early.

Okay...so, backstory. I've wanted a dog for awhile. I've always had a dog and the not having one in college was sad. So, now that I can have a dog, I've been giving it some thought. My cousin, Megan, fosters dogs for the SPCA and on Thanksgiving, she brought a pretty cute dog to the family festivities. It kind of got me thinking. IF I am going to get a dog - why not now? I mean, yes, I'm working, but I'll always be working, so the dog had gotta get used to being alone during the day. And right now, I have two boys just waiting to love a new dog. Plus, David'll train it for me - which is a plus.

So, I guess it comes down to this.

Meet my new dog:

She's a Chihuahua/Terrier mix. I know, I know. But she's damn cute. She's around one and a half years old, 12 lbs. and full of energy - but also really calm sometimes. Of course, what do I know, I've only had her for 24 hours. I picked her out at this place in Fresno called Animal Rescue of Fresno (ARF). She had been there for 2 weeks after having been tied up to a post overnight on a really cold night in Fresno. She's a bulkier Chihuahua, like a Jack Russel terrier body - pretty muscular. She's really soft and she doesn't shed - yet. She's also got the most amazing ears - very Yoda-y. We're still deciding on a name, though I think I've settled on Izzie. Izzy? I don't know. I'm saying it's short for Isabella - but really, I think it's a Grey's Anatomy reference - even though I don't like the character Izzie. Okay, "ie"....not "y"...it's decided. David's already taught her how to sit. And she's got amazing balance and can stand on her two back legs for...as of right now, a record 12 seconds. She hasn't had one accident - even overnight in her crate. We don't really know too much about her because she was just dropped off at the shelter - but she's well adjusted. She's really sweet and attentive - again, 24 hours.

So, I guess I'm a grown up. Someone else is depending on me for life. I really like her so far, she's been sweet to everyone so far - except growling at the TV and at my leopard gecko, Chandler.

I guess that's all for me. I'll add more pictures of her so you can see the new addition to my life. Miss you guys, talk to you later! I'll be bringing her with me anytime I come home - so hopefully, you'll all meet her soon - or at least within a few months.

Talk to you later!

Love, KT

More of Izzie.

First Post of 2007

Happy New Year! Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu! I hope that the new year brings happiness, health, and prosperity to all of us!

It's my first day back at work and it's kind of slow, since the students don't return to school until January 8th. So I'm trying to motivate myself to work on my Japanese conversation class homework but don't really feel like it. So I thought, hmm...maybe I'll update!

Spending Christmas and New Year's in the Philippines was fun and chilled out. I didn't do much sightseeing but instead just hung out with the relatives, ate TONS of awesome food (halo-halo, sisig, crispy pata, turon, sago gulaman, lechon...Shara and Dee, you hungry yet??), and just relaxed. I did a lot of shopping (I flipped out because they have Topshop, that store in England that I LOVE...and with the favorable exchange rate I was able to save a bit of money) and got two massages, because apparently this is my aunt's new hobby, getting massages. I was able to get an hour long massage for the equivalent of $10. It was amazing. I felt almost bad because I'm not used to so much pampering...usually when I go on trips I'm in a hostel or trekking around with a backpack. Then I realized I should just enjoy it while I could, so I did! =)

I arrived in Manila on Christmas Eve evening. We all went to church, which was cool, because church in the Philippines feels so much more festive and reverent (yeah, at the same time...not sure how to explain it..) than it does in the states. I'm usually not so keen about going to church because usually it's really stale, but this was cool. Then we stayed up and opened presents (my parents sent my gifts with my cousins Mickey and Martin, which was a surprise!) and then ate a midnight snack. Yeah, I did a lot of eating while I was there, it's like the national pastime (besides being a biological necessity of course...). Breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon merienda, dinner, late night snack. I gained back all that weight I lost when I had mono and then some!

For New Year's Eve we stayed in just watching a movie until it got too loud because everyone outside was lighting fireworks. And when I say fireworks I mean like bottle rockets and roman candles, not wimpy little sparklers. It sounded like a war zone. So we went outside and watched the festivities. My aunt made me hold a wet towel over my mouth and nose because the air was thick with black smoke from the fireworks. My cousin told me that last year when he blew his nose out after watching the fireworks his snot was black. Watching tons of people lighting fireworks on the street was raw and intense, awesome!

The week went by all too fast, and now here I am, back in Japan. It felt sooo weird flying "home" to Japan instead of "home" to America, but once I was back here it felt alright. It was just strange, landing at Fukuoka Airport and making my way back to my apartment. Not sure how to describe the feeling. My heart was sort of tight at the thought of being alone back in my apartment again. Something that was cool though, was that on the way back I was in 4 different countries in one day. I left the Philippines, had a 3 hour stopover in Hong Kong (China), we dropped off passengers in Taipei (Taiwan), and then I arrived in Japan. I didn't get to leave the airport in China and Taiwan, but seeing the landscape, which is really different and striking, was good enough for now. It was weird too, going from the Philippines, where I understand most everything that I hear in the language and don't really think twice about it, to China, where the language is completely foreign to me, and then coming back to Japan, where the language is familiar enough. It's such a cool feeling to be able to pinpoint what language is being spoken and understand a little bit of it. It was also really cool to be bowed to when I got off the plane, haha. I'm just so floored about the experiences I've been having...but I don't know how much of it I'm comprehending really. I think if I thought about what I've been up to in depth my brain would explode. What I'm doing is not normal but for some reason it feels like it is!!

So I'm back to the daily grind, gaaaah. Not really ready to be back at work yet of course. Not much planned for the upcoming month, just looking forward to getting back to my routine. I have to kick into high gear thinking about whether I'm going to recontract for another year or not. The deadline is February 2nd. I'm leaning towards yes right now, but I feel so guilty leaving my sister at home. And I miss you ladies more than you can possibly understand! I felt so sad this holiday knowing that I couldn't have dinner with you guys or go to Borders and browse, or have a little holiday get together with the usual garlic bread, pizza, and Monopoly. I hope you are all doing well in your respective locations. Miss you miss you miss you. Here's to a fabulous 2007!

Here's some visuals:

* Basashi (raw horse sashimi...yes you read that right, horse. Like Mr. Ed.) served at our bounenkai, the end of year party for my job.















*Me about to eat the basashi. It was kinda chewy...strange. Didn't taste like anything except the soy sauce I dipped it in. Will probably never eat it again, I felt too guilty.















*What Japanese people do on Christmas Eve, that is, watch parades with people dressed up as Santa Claus. It's more like Halloween here than anything else.















* The Philippines! This is the landscape near my aunt's house.



















* Me and my Auntie Bilog outside of her house celebrating the New Year.

No snappy title here, just a cold hard update

Merry Christmas! I know it has just passed, but pretty much any time during this week and it still counts - right? I hope everyone had a great actual Christmas day - whether it be in the Bay Area, San Diego, or in the Philippines.

I did the usual Christmas Eve in Fresno and Christmas Day in Fremont at the grandparents' house. My cousin Megan is up at UC Davis now, doing the Vet thing. She's being a foster home for dogs at the county's SPCA. On both Thanksgiving and Christmas, she's brought dogs to the family festivities. On Christmas, she brought two 3 week old puppies (there were part of 12 puppies that were dropped off at the SPCA's drop box). They're not sure what they are breedwise, but they were damn cute. I grew kinda partial to the girl - white with light and dark brown spots - so adorable. I want a dog. I do. But I know how much responsibility they are and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that. It's so tempting though. And the roommates think, while it'd be fun, it's too much work for us. We'll see if I can resist the temptation.

Nothing much new from my neck of the woods. The Friday before Christmas, I finished up my placement in the first grade long term sub. It was fun, kids were cute...allbeit, dependent and slightly annoying at times. After the Christmas break (Jan. 8th) I'll start in the 4th grade classroom. Which means, more kids (30 instead of 20 students), more back talk, and more pressure from the administration (there are a lot more assessments, both formal and informal in the upper grades.) I did, however, get an email from the Vice Principal thanking me for going "above and beyond". I talked to her about next year and she talked about how, given the openings, she'd love to see me at this school. Which is nice to hear.

So I guess it comes to whether I will stay in Fresno. And....I'm going to. For at least a few years (2-3 ish). It just makes sense right now. I have the house already there, I'm familiar with the school districts, etc. It will just be a little lonely - as my fellas are moving on to grad school, where ever that will be. And I know I will make other friends, but it'll be hard when I've spent pretty much every waking (and sleeping - now) moment with them for the past 4 years. And this is no way means that I am spending the rest of my life in Fresno - hell to the no.

SO....as for the more near future...I'm in Hayward now. Don't know what I am doing for New Year's - may head back to Fresno to celebrate with the boys. Then I'm coming back for Gina's birthday (though I don't know what's going on). And at some point, I am sure I'll see Shara - we'll have to schedule around Hawaii (maybe IHOP again - I've been craving those pancakes.)

I guess that's about it. I don't have any startling heath updates like Jo or Shara (which, I guess is something to be thankful for). Nor do I get to brag about any sex - though, I'm really wishing I could.

One miscellaneous update: I have closed one chapter in my life completely. And even though I'm being cryptic I know you guys will crack the code. And, for that, I'm proud of myself.

Yep, that's it.

The End.

Love, Katie.