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mugen_edamameMy Life Story Up Until Now:
Owing to problems that range from being sick and hating pretty much everything that has ever existed, myself included, I failed my summer re-sit for Japanese 20090 and was summarily expelled (not allowed to repeat second year, mind you). What followed was months of being a NEET, and huge amounts of bad health in various members of the family (me, included. My knees have started to hurt like hell again guys), traveling a fair bit (caving pre-knee pain, Bangkok, etc. etc. etc), and generally feeling like a hobo both inside and out. Everyone was avoided with passion, because I was ashamed of my failure (for all intents and purposes, still am). As Emma knows well, all of a sudden I elected to attend two-years Japanese language course+ pre-U, in the brittle hope of getting into university (possibly with a transfer of those subjects I actually did well in). Which comes to now. So hello, everyone who's reading this and been wondering what in the hell happened to me c: Right now I'm enrolled at the JET Academy, and am living in Ikebukuro, Tokyo (I can actually write Ikebukuro in Kanji from memory, you should be proud). Sorry if I worried anyone. It's just been a horrible place to be in, in my head. HEY GUYS.
On to more jolly matters c: i.e, the past few days.
So, like, guuuys. Today's Tuesday, and I've been living in this dorm-room that isn't affiliated with any college in particular but offers dormy accommodation (tiny, tiny bedroom, shared kitchen loo showers, that sort of thing). The only place to hang clothes from is a skinny beam running right above where my head would be if I'm lying down. And sitting down at the table is ver vre denjeres, because the chair's wedged against the bed and if there's a fire I'd first have to awkwardly sidle, like a crab, sideways to half-fall off the chair and BREAK FREE.
The flat's in a nice place, and the people seem good enough, but they're not Clare or Sonya, put it that way. There is, unsurprisingly, a long list of people I greatly miss. But pining for glory days never brought 'em back, so let's keep it jolly.
OH. ALSO, EARTHQUAKE. On Sunday night, I think. It sounded like either an aeroplane was flying far too low, or someone heavy upstairs was learning to tapdance. Then the bed started shaking like it was from the Exorcist, and I nearly burst out hysterically laughing just for how bloody interesting it all was.
Apparently, if my understanding of the (JAPANESE) news is to be believed, it's Typhoon time. Or it is, just in Kanagawa. Or not at all. Whether I'm right on that or not, the weather has been foul. The winds are so strong that hats get ripped off and sent flying, and of the outing to the Imperial Gardens we made on Saturday, two of three umbrellas have met their demise. The odds of seeing umbrella carcasses are higher than seeing rubbish of any other sort (this place is incredibly neat and orderly. It's rubbed off, and my room's much neater than my room at home, ffs). The wind whipping against the building makes a nasty, tearing ripping sound, which wouldn't be so bad if mine wasn't a corner room and three of the five walls sound like they're about to heave their last sigh and get taken away, screaming in the wind. It's scary. I'm easily scared.
(Pictured above is part of the genuinely lovely Imperial Gardens (皇居東御苑), the bit that's open to the public, looking a lot less horribly-weathered than it in fact was. No koi, way disappoint.)
On Monday I went to the municipal office of the ward/district I'm in (which would be Toshima-ku, and I'm typing in the Japanese versions so that I'm getting legit practice [豊島区役所] to register as an alien [外国人登録]. Got lost like whoa trying to get there from here on foot, possibly because it's main description is being yellow and near Ikebukuro station, when there are a lot of buildings that are yellow, and near Ikebukuro station. Dunno how anyone could survive here if they couldn't speak the slightest bit of Japanese; the registration form would've been hard as hell to fill up, given that you even get to the office, which is a challenge in itself when you can't understand provided directions.
I very cleverly took a picture of the map to get to the office on my camera, then a lot less cleverly decided to head off according to my Natural Instincts. It was more fun getting lost on purpose, though.
[Foreigner lost in translation hilarity Ensues.]
But that's settled, and I'll be going to get the national health insurance thing sorted out soon. Would quite like to have a local number ASAP. People seem to know lots of people who live in these parts, and it's impossible to contact them without bankrupting my dad if I've got to keep using my Malaysian number.
(Anyone who needs or wants my address, for whatever reason, please feel free to ask! c: )
On my getting lost quest on the way home, I walked in the opposite direction I came from and saw this pretty temple-y thing. You can't see because I didn't take pictures, but to the right was a tall man in a black, plastic-y trenchcoat standing in front of a doorway to a place that, I reckon, have hostesses for hire. If you know what I mean. What with pictures of women in school uniforms and a sign giving the price per thirty minutes, I reckon you can figure it out for yourselves. Such a gift at finding creepy places, me.
And then,
CAT. Tom, cat. Lives about a block away from me, judging by how often I meet him. He was posed to run when I first approached, then I did tand.
he whole please god smell my hand and love me thing, and he didn't run away and I had CAT CONTACT and life seemed a lot better, all suddenly.
Oh,
Very, very old people, bent damn near trouble, rule this part of the world. There's lots of them about, whizzing quite respectably quickly by on four-wheel strollers, aged probably a thousand. Gotta wish you have that sort of vitality, when you're that old. And not have joint pain, age twenty.
SO. That's been the past few days c: And my reintroduction to the world. Sup, everyone!
Owing to problems that range from being sick and hating pretty much everything that has ever existed, myself included, I failed my summer re-sit for Japanese 20090 and was summarily expelled (not allowed to repeat second year, mind you). What followed was months of being a NEET, and huge amounts of bad health in various members of the family (me, included. My knees have started to hurt like hell again guys), traveling a fair bit (caving pre-knee pain, Bangkok, etc. etc. etc), and generally feeling like a hobo both inside and out. Everyone was avoided with passion, because I was ashamed of my failure (for all intents and purposes, still am). As Emma knows well, all of a sudden I elected to attend two-years Japanese language course+ pre-U, in the brittle hope of getting into university (possibly with a transfer of those subjects I actually did well in). Which comes to now. So hello, everyone who's reading this and been wondering what in the hell happened to me c: Right now I'm enrolled at the JET Academy, and am living in Ikebukuro, Tokyo (I can actually write Ikebukuro in Kanji from memory, you should be proud). Sorry if I worried anyone. It's just been a horrible place to be in, in my head. HEY GUYS.
On to more jolly matters c: i.e, the past few days.
So, like, guuuys. Today's Tuesday, and I've been living in this dorm-room that isn't affiliated with any college in particular but offers dormy accommodation (tiny, tiny bedroom, shared kitchen loo showers, that sort of thing). The only place to hang clothes from is a skinny beam running right above where my head would be if I'm lying down. And sitting down at the table is ver vre denjeres, because the chair's wedged against the bed and if there's a fire I'd first have to awkwardly sidle, like a crab, sideways to half-fall off the chair and BREAK FREE.
The flat's in a nice place, and the people seem good enough, but they're not Clare or Sonya, put it that way. There is, unsurprisingly, a long list of people I greatly miss. But pining for glory days never brought 'em back, so let's keep it jolly.
OH. ALSO, EARTHQUAKE. On Sunday night, I think. It sounded like either an aeroplane was flying far too low, or someone heavy upstairs was learning to tapdance. Then the bed started shaking like it was from the Exorcist, and I nearly burst out hysterically laughing just for how bloody interesting it all was.
Apparently, if my understanding of the (JAPANESE) news is to be believed, it's Typhoon time. Or it is, just in Kanagawa. Or not at all. Whether I'm right on that or not, the weather has been foul. The winds are so strong that hats get ripped off and sent flying, and of the outing to the Imperial Gardens we made on Saturday, two of three umbrellas have met their demise. The odds of seeing umbrella carcasses are higher than seeing rubbish of any other sort (this place is incredibly neat and orderly. It's rubbed off, and my room's much neater than my room at home, ffs). The wind whipping against the building makes a nasty, tearing ripping sound, which wouldn't be so bad if mine wasn't a corner room and three of the five walls sound like they're about to heave their last sigh and get taken away, screaming in the wind. It's scary. I'm easily scared.
(Pictured above is part of the genuinely lovely Imperial Gardens (皇居東御苑), the bit that's open to the public, looking a lot less horribly-weathered than it in fact was. No koi, way disappoint.)
On Monday I went to the municipal office of the ward/district I'm in (which would be Toshima-ku, and I'm typing in the Japanese versions so that I'm getting legit practice [豊島区役所] to register as an alien [外国人登録]. Got lost like whoa trying to get there from here on foot, possibly because it's main description is being yellow and near Ikebukuro station, when there are a lot of buildings that are yellow, and near Ikebukuro station. Dunno how anyone could survive here if they couldn't speak the slightest bit of Japanese; the registration form would've been hard as hell to fill up, given that you even get to the office, which is a challenge in itself when you can't understand provided directions.
I very cleverly took a picture of the map to get to the office on my camera, then a lot less cleverly decided to head off according to my Natural Instincts. It was more fun getting lost on purpose, though.
[Foreigner lost in translation hilarity Ensues.]
But that's settled, and I'll be going to get the national health insurance thing sorted out soon. Would quite like to have a local number ASAP. People seem to know lots of people who live in these parts, and it's impossible to contact them without bankrupting my dad if I've got to keep using my Malaysian number.
(Anyone who needs or wants my address, for whatever reason, please feel free to ask! c: )
On my getting lost quest on the way home, I walked in the opposite direction I came from and saw this pretty temple-y thing. You can't see because I didn't take pictures, but to the right was a tall man in a black, plastic-y trenchcoat standing in front of a doorway to a place that, I reckon, have hostesses for hire. If you know what I mean. What with pictures of women in school uniforms and a sign giving the price per thirty minutes, I reckon you can figure it out for yourselves. Such a gift at finding creepy places, me.
And then,
CAT. Tom, cat. Lives about a block away from me, judging by how often I meet him. He was posed to run when I first approached, then I did tand.
he whole please god smell my hand and love me thing, and he didn't run away and I had CAT CONTACT and life seemed a lot better, all suddenly.
Oh,
Very, very old people, bent damn near trouble, rule this part of the world. There's lots of them about, whizzing quite respectably quickly by on four-wheel strollers, aged probably a thousand. Gotta wish you have that sort of vitality, when you're that old. And not have joint pain, age twenty.
SO. That's been the past few days c: And my reintroduction to the world. Sup, everyone!
