Bicycle business

So, it's really late, but I'm feeling quite generous tonight and as such will give the common people a quick update, basically about my bicycle lol. And of incoming changes!

Last week, I opened Google maps, and traced the route I take everyday from my dorms to the university, and learned that it's approximately 4km each way. Doing very simple maths (nijma3!), this amounts to a minimum of 8km a day, around 16ish on days I go to the gym (which hasn't been happening much though).

8km à pied, ça use, ça use.

8km à pied,ça use les souliers!

Only I'm not walking, but the concept remains unchanged, and so I use that fact to make myself feel less bad about the 3rd bicycle I've so far kinda broken or ruined...

First one was the old crappy one my very nice friend gave me (I'm really not being sarcastic here), didn't take me much effort to ruin the chain so that it came off every other block. Returned it and she actually was nice enough to give me another one.

Condition was better, but not much... it wasn't ME riding it when the chain actually broke, but I paved the way for it.

The last one, which I bought second hand from the Co-op, seemed more promising, in much better condition. It seems however, that it is a bit small for me. I should have realized this when my feet would brush the ground when I would be banking right or left lol, but I just assumed the road was uneven.

Last week, the main suspension (under the rear seat) actually broke... Seems it wasn't meant to carry me + my books + my laptop for a total of 80something kgs. Go figure.

Asked the nearest repair shop, turns out it costs nearly as much to change it as it would to buy another second hand bike... So I fixed it myself. It's not a very good job, but it seems to be holding out for the time being. I just need to make sure everything's still in place every couple of days, and avoid carrying my laptop with me lol. And maybe stand up when there's a bump in the road. And maybe not jump off the sidewalk when there are many people there. That might help a little haha (no seriously wasn't doing that, maybe only once or twice. Now I just avoid streets with many people).

Good thing is however, that this long ride is amazing exercise. Especially since I'm always late in the morning! When I first started making the trip maybe 2 months ago, I'd get there tired, now I can very easily go full speed the whole way back and forth one go. So I started to find other ways to make it a challenge, like standing as much as I can (while avoiding straightening the knees of course), or not using my thighs and stuff like that.

There are days however, when all this is unnecessary. Days when the wind is more than enough challenge! Days like today.

Once the wind was so strong, it actually stopped me in my tracks, from nearly top speed! Had to walk my bike... but this only happens at the riverside for some reason. Maybe coz of lack of buildings that shield you.

Well anyway enough of silly and uninteresting stuff. Winter is coming (Song of Ice and Fire reference... if you don't know what that is, shame on you! But worry not, you do not need to read them, HBO is making a series based on the books! Books will be better of course, but I digress again). Therefore, bicycle riding will be somewhat hard. Add that to the million reasons living in these dorms (or any other dorms) sucks, and you get enough incentive to move to an apartment! I say apartment, but it's basically a bigger room lol...

Et voila! My new apartment. A couple minutes away from my lab (on foot!) and on the 8th floor (8 being my favorite number). I'll be missing out on the daily workout but I can think of many many more positive sides to the move. Like: hotel Tah is now open for visitors! Well not yet, but as of August 21st (or a week after that). Come one come all! I won't pay for your ticket :P but you'll have a place to stay, and a guide for the bestest foodz hehe.

Enough rambling for now, so much to write about, so little "jalad" to do so :)

Uploaded many pix on FB though so check them out.

Moo.

GAD DAMMIT I'M NAT FAT! >>.<< !

We got the results for the health examination we did a couple months ago, and it seems I'm fat! Lel. BMI (Boday Mass Index?) never really applied on me coz I'm quite dense. Physically people physically! So when I had myself checked at the gym and results came up less than 10% body fat percentage, at 72kgs (with clothes), I wasn't really fat :D

So now, haven't gotten taller (unfortunately), but have gotten 2 kgs lighter at 70 kgs, and my BMI is 25.2; the average here should be between 18.5 and 25.

So I got a comment that I'm a bit fat (or skinny.. stupid computer automated message) and that I should watch my diet lol. Getting quite hungry just thinking about it. And coz it's 2 AM and I haven't eaten anything in a while! Like 6 whole hours... weather got hot all of a sudden and I just woke up hot and sweaty, and not very sleepy. Thus the update. And the incoherence in sentence structuring...

And finally, not nice to have an entry with no photos! So! The school visit I spoke of last entry was not done yet and we had to write a thank you letter! Seeing as I'm quite lazy and couldn't come up with much to write, I decided to just go buy a brush and some ink and draw a big THANK YOU in kanji! Nice right? No. After getting the stuff, found out the letter's addressed to the kids (7-year-old don't know the kanji for thank you, don't think anyone uses it...) so we came up with another idea. Don't remember if it was Wulan, Pen Pen or Vangie that threw the idea out as a joke, a joke I found to be quite serious!

Et voila! Just drew a couple names and a quick thank you and it turned out quite nice.

Ehab, my palms (or palm to be more precise) still blacker HAH!

And I think I'll go back to sleep now. Peace.

Big ass bruise!

Since I'm on a roll and uploaded all the photos I've been too lazy to upload for the past month, I'll accompany them with a quick explanation here. Won't be uploading same pix though.

Yesterday's post was a short one and I'll not consider it as the "return", so since THIS is the new beginning, I decided to make it special, and kick off with a rather humorless and pretty rude pun. Thus the title.

Now we all know the best way to get someone to do something is to tell them NOT to do it.

"Don't look down!"

And you went and did. Obviously. So I'm sure my next few words will have the opposite effect but I'm just gonna say it: at the end of this post I am posting a photo of a big ass bruise I got a couple weeks ago... on my ass! Get it? Haha. Ehm ya SO you were warned! If you've known me for more than a month, chances are you've already seen my ass ;) but in case you aren't yet of the few [un] lucky people here's your chance. Basically I slipped and landed on a step and had to share the pretty pic hehe.

On to other news. Those that read my last post about my new earphones, will be delighted to know that I just found the ones I "lost" today... and now I feel a little less good about buying the 40$ ones, but am not gonna return them coz they're just too frikkin awesome.

Soooo actually I find myself too lazy to write anything about Hokkudai sai (food festival at our uni), Yokasoi (dance festival in Sapporo), Maruyama zoo and mountain (with the breathtaking view of Sapporo), and Zenibako (beach), since the photos are more than enough info me thinks, and I'm quite lazy.

With that out of the way let us begin with the miscellaneous things:

Saw these guys while going to class lol. Stuck around till they finished thinking they'd climb up when done, which was pretty silly of me in retrospect, since they basically just went down a meter or so and were on the ground lol... ah well...

This is a gorgeous house right outside uni, with an old woman always gardening. Might have posted a photo of it before but it's definitely worth seeing again :)

Another gadget I wouldn't have thought I'd ever see: a USB fan... yes lol. Very cool :D

This is pure genius! Ever eaten ice cream or anything wrapped in paper and had to gradually tear the paper while you ate? Well this little baby is already ready to very easily tear in a spiral, conveniently uncovering the important stuff: the FOODZ!

Now on to less random stuff. A Shinto shrine: quite old.

Very gorgeous.

So you go to the altar throw some money and pray for something, then ring the bell so the gods can hear you. Then you can pay the equivalent of a dollar and get your fortune. If you don't like it, there's a place where you can tie it and it won't come true. So take someone who can read it with you. Don't know if you take it and have someone translate it, then don't like it and come back to tie it, if it will still come true since you took it out in the first place :P Not that I really think it will come true anyway.

Outside the shrine. You can see summer in its full effect. I'm pretty sure I have the same photo in the winter somewhere but I can't be bothered to find it and compare :)

Finally, was riding my bike back home, and had my earphones on full blast listening to something loud, however, I still heard something. Took off my earphones, and the sound was pretty low, surprising with the volume of the music (probably the silence between songs), so I went in the general direction of the music and found this:

Asked, and seems (correct me if I'm wrong) this is an Omikoshi (Mikoshi but the O is added for respect in Japanese), which is basically a vessel used to transport the deity from the nearby Shinto shrine around the neighborhood, so the deity can check it out. I felt very lucky to have wandered there by mistake. A very pleasant experience.

Of course can't keep the tone very serious! So this is me in flashing mini mouse ribbon yay!

And this is me posing for my new haircut yay!

And this the sheep dog again! I just love it!

Saw it down by the river and sprinted to take another photo of it. And it just walked up to me and started sniffing and licking me! So cute! And huge!

Finally, would like to talk about the school visit last week. Each year, in this intensive Japanese course we're taking, the teachers organize a trip to a nearby Japanese middle school. The aim is to see how the Japanese educational system works, and have a nice Japanese experience. The school benefits from an international exchange, since we all prepare presentations about our countries.

We can't post photos online because of Japanese regulations regarding the schools, regulations I'm surprisingly very comfortable following (!!!) I'm sure they have their reasons, but if anyone wants some, just let me know on FB or drop a comment (with a name or email address if your nickname is something vague!) and I'll email you some. Sharing photos with family is OK but not posting them publicly. And believe me it's worth it! I chose the youngest class, 6-7 year-olds and they were TOO. FRIKKIN. CUTE.

The whole class (both sections) sang "We Are The World".

That's us practicing the night before at one of the dormitories.

So we got there and were each greeted by a student and led by the hand to the gym, where all the students and parents (?) awaited our arrival. We entered to a Michael Jackson song lol (forgot which though) and after lots of talking (in Japanese of course), they started with the interviews. I naturally forgot to read up on the questions they would ask us, and messed up mine by answering something totally different but humorous (I think meh).

After that we sang, then they sang, then we all danced... the MACARENA lol!

Then it was off to the classes and the presentations we prepared (all in Japanese of course...) Mine was about famous places in Lebanon. Took me a while to prepare it, since I had to download a trial version of Office 2010 to get PowerPoint, and learn how to use it since the last version I've used was 2000. Add to that the fact that it was all in Japanese, and you have a recipe for hours and hours of work for 10 minutes of presentation lol. It was fun as hell though, and except for the last couple slides (where I became lazy), I mostly had the full attention of 7 year-old children. A feat in itself!

We then began playing games, none of which I fully understood, all of which I was running and screaming and being all-out-silly in though :D

We had lunch with the students. They have lunch in their classes. Carriages are left in front of the class, with food and milk cartons, and of course utensils. The students then wear the funniest looking hats and clothes and assorting table cloths on their desks, then make lines to have the ones on duty serve them food. Too cool. Very cute pix here :(

After lunch, more games, dancing, singing and lots and lots of fun! The extra attention is a bit annoying, especially for my class, where it's the first time for many of them to see a foreigner. And so they were all over me, touching me and trying to get my attention, and of course I couldn't understand 90% of what they were saying. It was even tougher for our African friends haha, since their skin is even stranger to the kids than mine! And were even asked many times why they were black.

Finally we drew big notes of thanks to the kids and were on our way after a long and exhausting, but very very fun day.

Oh and nearly forgot the promised photo! Haha.

Overview

So been kinda busy for a while.

And lazy! Let's not forget lazy...

Much easier to just upload photos on FB than to write here too :)

And the more I procrastinate updating the blog, the more depressing it is to think what to write next...

So since I have a midterm tomorrow that I have not started to study for, I'll just use that as an excuse to get away with only writing an overview of what will be discussed soon:

1. Summer! Yesterday was first day you can stand in the shade and still feel kinda warm.
2. Food festivals at Hokudai (my uni) last week: many many countries had tents in which they were selling their traditional foods. This was for 4 days (Thursday-Sunday) which meant we had a long weekend, and I had tentloads of food, and paid too much for it :D
3. Yokasoi which means "follow the night"? Forgot. Basically this weekend was also a 4 day festival for... DANCING! Ya 4 days of people dressed in costumes and dancing as teams all over Sapporo. Very cool.
4. Basketball. Football (not world cup of course).
5. Midterms!
6. Big ass bruise! Explicit material incoming...

As for the midterms, I had kanji exam today, finished it in half the time! Did great in it too. Studied for a hour or two yesterday for it yay.

I find myself very strangely really really enjoying kanji. What I thought was stupid (sorry I mean illogical and not quite efficient) and complicated, I now regard as very interesting and complicated hehe.

Still have the grammar exam tomorrow so I guess I'll go study for that now :'(

I even shaved so as to postpone studying... and those who know me can tell that means a lot!

Ah well off to study...

Random cool stuff: part III

So been meaning to write about this for a while now, but keep procrastinating (familiar with that term Mules?).

So I find this really interesting, but then again I am rather easy to amuse.

I noticed this with a couple of our Japanese teacher: they write Latin characters differently than we do.

One example of this is writing the "o" clockwise. This is especially weird for French-writing people, since to link the "o" with the next character it is more natural to write it counterclockwise.

Another example is dotting the "i"s and crossing the "t"s before actually writing the letters. This explains why I tend to write the う and the え in a weird way, by starting with the bottom part.

Et voila. I just find it intriguing.

Edit: nearly forgot! Below is a photograph of the enemy! Please be advised that the following photos contain heated and very hard subjects... View with discretion...

F**kin hate these radiators... I'm stacking laundry faster than in Lebanon coz of the heat inside each and every building. Made the mistake of waiting a week to do the laundry, and now I've been drying all the laundry for 2 days. Dryer's useless, or I donno how to use it. In my defense my friend who has been living here for a while, and can actually read what's written on the buttons, as opposed to me who just chooses according to the color of the day, also says the dryer's useless. Kk thx.

So have been quite busy leading to lack of updates.

This past week I've studied more than ever! (I know that's not really saying much but still haha).

Basically Japanese from 8:45 (if I'm not late that is) to 14:30, then studying for the Master's entrance exams until around 22:00. It's all Mathematics, and it's just been so long since I've done any Differencial Equations or Linear Algebra... and worse is the Machine Learning and stuff I've never taken before hehe. So learning from the exam and the internet. And the LIBRARY!

The reason that last word was all in upper case, is that there really is something strange about libraries in universities in Japan. I say universities not Hokkudai (my uni) because Dina has also experienced this. The library has an aura, so strong and demanding that it just makes you WANT to study! ME! Seriously!

I'll try to take a photo (without flash of course because I really really don't wanna bother anyone hehe). But I'm sure the photo won't really convey the feeling very well.

Other than that, last night there was a birthday (tea) party in the kitchen on my floor. WILD! Woohoo! So I just got home, dropped my 40$ worth of liquids (gotta have the liquids, that includes milk, juice and last but not least, beer! Oh and softener for the laundry hehe), and went the kitchen and chatted away until 1 in the morning...

Today invited to a Horror night at a friend's hehe. Telling horror stories in the candlelight, watching a horror movie, you know, the usual... Just in case I can't tomorrow, or am too lazy ;) I'll just put plans here for tomorrow night. Going out to birthday party, then the EVER FAMOUS KARAOKE haha. Let's see what's the big deal about it here.

And Sunday going on a trip with local version of "shabibet el ma7abba" or something hehe. Don't laugh... Seems there's this really cool priest that organizes these trips so that people meet each other and have a good time, which is really cool. So going to some museum and then bird watching I think? You know, birds? They don't shoot them on sight here... strange...

In other unrelated news, since I got an iPhone (YA!), my number by the way is: 0081 80 4046 9719 , spent a good couple hours trying to install iTunes on the damn laptop, only to get error messages in Japanese. Finally managed to understand that it has something to do with my machine being 64-bit (although I was downloading the 64-bit installer... but forums said there was some issue with iTunesa and 64-bit Windows 7, but it eventually worked donno why, I was probably just clicking on the wrong link or something).

So anyway the point is that I got so pissed off and finally decided to finally install the English language pack for Windows... I must say... it feels frikkin GREAT to be able to understand my menus/buttons/messages without having to [painfully] slowly read it in Japanese and sometimes extrapolate to understand what the hell this and that means...

Other than that, it's still really cold outside, but Spring is finally here, and so I'm putting up some photos of a little tiny section of the campus I was walking through today, and a little video of the stream of water that goes through it (there were ducks there two days ago but I guess the rain scared em off for now hehe... wusses).

The last remnants of snow.

Nothing beats the cool breeze with the sound of running water from the nearby stream.

The source of water on the right side.

Small video of area in previous 2 photos. Very cool. I think I'm in the right place, cold and peaceful? YA! (snowboarding this weekend isn't gonna happen though, since it's just too expensive to go for less than at least a couple days to the only mountain still open for snowboarding).

Some random (and quite strange) people giving out some packages to older ladies in the building that has the subway/train/department stores/movies.

Again we see the Japanese efficiency. The guys giving out packages take turns coming back to this table and restocking lol.

Akh so it's time for an update I would say.

Just as soon as the snow was nearly fully melted, and I was going to mention it here, guess what? It started to snow again haha. But it's really thin snow and didn't add much to the already receding snow. And my phone camera won't show the falling snow either since it's so thin.

Other than that, remember the huge ass electronics store I talked about before? Turns out there's more than one floor! OMFG! Wat za hell!? The second floor has cameras, TVs, watches, and other stuff like makeup(?), the third floor has home appliances, donno what the fourth has. Didn't even get to fully explore the second floor!

Asked again about phones, and there are basically two options: option 1 is to opt for the cheap phone, pay something like 70$ and then pay basically 3$/month (plus calls of course, which are free to the same company in the afternoon). Option 2 is to opt for the iPhone (which is awesome) and pay more (something like 90$ and 50$/month? Not sure about the prices). Option 2 has unlimited internet on your phone - iPhone! -, but I have internet on my laptop at home, and option 1 is just so cheap haha. Still thinking it over.

Yesterday, went shopping for running shoes. So naturally I went to the huge mall. Turns out this mall is not just one mall, it's actually one building that has 4 different "malls" each at least 7 floors, with their own shops. Explored 2 of them (not much information) and not a single sports shop... Asked and was told that there are none. (Asked my new Libyan friend and he said there actually is one, in one of the 2 I didn't go to yet... naturally would've been the last one I would check hehe).

Today had classes in the morning as usual, got there early for once! Classmates clapped and cheered me yay! Victoria (Israeli girl, whom I met in the elevator this morning so is living in the same building as me lol) introduced me to Syrian dude at canteen. Classes are amazing by the way. There are many teachers, so one day we learn grammar with one and then the next with another. Now for me, who's already horrible with names, it gets confusing to remember haha. But it also makes it so much more interesting, mixing grammar with conversation, with writing, with pronunciation. And also mixing different teachers, personalities and methods of teaching.

After class, went with some friends from class who want to buy phones. Interesting to see not one, but three Gaijin (foreigners) that don't speak the language try to communicate with a Japanese [non English-speaking] vendor haha. Interesting indeed.

After that, more international students welcome parties! This time it's the Co-op students organization. Had small dinner, then joined Indonesian girl doing traditional dance. I think the other Japanese guy and I probably looked a bit girly doing the girl dance with her but it was fun and more people joined us hehe. There's a small video somewhere, will post it when I get my hands on it.

More country bingo after that, didn't win anything hehe. But we got to choose from free stuff left over by old students at the Co-op afterwards. So I got myself a cup, a knife, a spoon, and a fork (don't think I'll use any of them soon but yalla!) and a very cute tea set. Now I know I don't drink tea, but no seemed to want it and it's so cute. And it'll be here for when someone visits me (in another location since no one can sleep over here except for Naddoush and Dal), or when I decide to start drinking tea next winter hehe. I hear the winter here makes lovers out of tea haters! As a side note, did the laundry and finally found a use for the radiator in my room haha. I'm paying for heating regardless of whether I turn it on or not (basic fee), so I might as well turn it on and dry my laundry on it!).

Made a new Libyan friend, and had dinner (another proper one this time hehe) with Egyptian girl and their Columbian friend who we met there by chance. Ate Italian, good good! Penne a la Arabiatta costs around 10$, with an orange juice or tea which is part of the service. Ah ya the restaurant's on the 10th floor of one of the four malls.

So in short, learned (and took down) "hello" and "thank you" in maybe 5 new languages today, ate lots of good food, and met lots of cool new people (can't mention them all coz it'll be TOO long hehe)! Good day if there ever was one! Oh and got cute tea set (at least I think it is :) will post photos later it's too late and I'm too lazy!).

First day of class! Yay!

Officially demoted back to student status! Yattaaa!

Intensive Japanese courses started today. It'll be a week or so until we finish the lessons I've already done in Lebanon so I still get a bit of resting period, in which I get to study Mathematics to remember what I need for the Master's entrance exam. My professor was kind enough to translate last year's tests for me.

So first class today was Grammar. Basic "akala al waladou al touffa7a".

Second class was Kanji class, this is gonna be more problematic hehe. Hate Kanji...

Time for lunch! Had lunch with my new Israeli friend (go figure! Seems she found my joke about being enemies funny phiew) and her French friend. Judging from their reaction that I spoke French, it would seem I'm the only other person they know that speaks the language (inno OK I kinda speak it :P), I know 3 so far hehe. Need to practice. More importantly, today's lunch was *something* Tentenmen. SPICY noodles with spinach, minced meat, and some other stuff hehe. Tres bon! (meh alt-138 doesn't give a e on this laptop...)

Third class was singing class... err I meant Pronunciation and Listening class. Most fun class I've taken. Ever. The professor, Ogawara-sensei, put the Katakana table on the projector, started a beat going with his fingers, and each row of students would say one row of letters, while following the beat. This is basically easy, like in French ba bu bi be bo, but it gets more complicated when you reach the letter c hehe. Same thing here, and it gets more complicated when he ups the tempo! Lots of these fun exercises here, including the tonality exercise, where we really sing. Low toned mora (the basic sound in Japanese, "ka" for example) are a C (Do right Mules? :P) and high ones are a E (Mi). Seriously bestest class.

Highlight of the day however is the Dominique Le-Mesekli-Yeh, also known as Dominique Geulin, boulangerie/patisserie I pass by everyday. Everyday the aromas of freshly-baked breads fill my nostrils with longing and desire (hehe OK maybe not that much but still smells good as hell!). Well today they had another round of free sampling! Bought one half sliced in 3, only 2 made it back home safely. The third I shared with an old lady next to me in the subway who asked me what smelled so good in the bag (in sign language of course hehe) :D

Mmm.. has something green in it! Looks like grapes but tastes like sweet potatoes, can you guess what it is? (Akel el 7iajara el akhdar not accepted as answer...).

Day 8 (Friday)

Looooong loooooong day today (yesterday actually, I think I'll go sleep and continue this later).

Aha nothing like a good breakfast of some kind of ramen with a big omelet on top to start the day :)

So yesterday, donned my suit and went to uni at around 8:20 in the morning. Got there and had a nice entrance ceremony for all the scholarship students that will study Japanese. The university president, along with other important people were there, so where all our Japanese teachers.

Some speeches and couple of photos later, the boooooooring part of the day began. The orientation for new international students... Good thing is that I was able to catch up on some well-needed sleep. I had thought that the classes back at LAU, with the lights off and projector on, where the ideal place for a nap. I stand corrected! The Hokkudai (Hokkaido University) theater, with the lights off, projectors on and orientation people reading the PowerPoint presentation word for word, then repeating it in Japanese, is definitely the ideal place to take a nap! Even better than our meetings back at CCT haha (sorry don't know what it is about me and getting sleepy). I really felt sorry for Michael from Australia who understands Japanese... so he was hearing them talk in English, then AGAIN in Japanese... 7aram.

Not all the orientation was boring though. During the last break, a nice and very funny Japanese man came up to me and asked me where I was. I told him I'm from Lebanon. So he started singing "Take Me Home Country Roads" by John Denver haha. Very impressive singing too. After a short chat I pointed our my friends from other countries. When he reached a Russian girl, he started singing "From Russia With Love". Turns out this funny fan of 007 movies was a police inspector, and the translator for the police first inspector, and other officers giving the orientation about bicycle (and other) safety rules. He was also MCing during the safety video they showed us, that had clips on what to do and what not to; adding sound effects like "Oh, oh!" when a car nearly hits a cycler! That was funny.

It surprised me to see that Japanese people here don't really follow a lot of these rules, which is a relief to a Lebanese like me haha.

Final part was the International Students Organizations. There are two it seems, and they introduced themselves, and announced the parties they are holding to welcome new students, one of which was the same day, from 18:30 to 21:00. Now keep in mind that I did not know about it, and was wearing my suit, and nothing over it, since the weather was nice and I was planning on being back home by 17:00... More on that later.

After finishing with that, ran to our lab, where we had a meeting to discuss the activities for the next semester. Well they were discussing, I was pretending to be listening (it was all in Japanese). First, I introduced myself, then they took turns to speak about stuff. At some point everyone started raising their hands, I wouldn't let them leave me out just because I had no idea why they were raising them, seems I raised my hand in agreement to "Ohanami" or cherry blossom viewing in May. The lab members and professors all go on a picnic and appreciate the views yay :) the second time I raised my hand wasn't a good idea, since I agreed to participating in buying a magazine haha.

After the meeting, we had a welcome party for yours truly (MOI!). It was a pizza party hehe. With beer and sake and juice and stuff. Talked about manga, me trying to say the names in English, and them trying to figure out the names in Japanese hehe. Very nice guys (and 2 girls). We have 3 guitars in the lab, next to the sleeping area (YES!), but noone that knows how to play haha.

After the pizza party, ran back to the building with the orientation for the party. More amazing people! So I got there just in time for the games. We were divided into 4 groups, from A to D. Each round 4 of each team go up to the center, and the announcer takes a paper with a name on it (Tiger Woods, ninja, ...) and each one has to act out the first thing that comes to their mind, and then the team gets a score according to how many people did the same thing. Very funny, especially when team C got Marylin Monroe! The only one that really got it right turned out to be an Israeli girl. Was interesting how we were introduced during the second game.

The second game was Country Bingo. Each one gets a 3x3 grid, in which they need to write down countries. So basically you go around and ask people where they're from and jot it down. Was telling a Korean girl that I'm from Lebanon, so she said "Oh! Come meet *insert name here* (forgot it OK!? Leave me alone...)! So I go and say "hi I'm Salah from Lebanon", she says "hi I'm from Israel" haha. So I go and make a silly joke and say "oh we're enemies!". Thankfully she has a silly sense of humor like me and just laughed (or is just really polite). In hindsight, probably not a good way to break the ice hehe.

After the party, there was an after-party, in a bar somewhere off campus. So we got there at around 21:30 and had to wait half an hour to get in. Remember I wasn't wearing much, so it was... interesting to say the least. Also got confused for a business man in my suit more than once haha. Me... Silly people. Finally inside, the place was great. Will take photos when I have a camera. You go up stairs, take off your shoes (like most everywhere else), and walk to your section, which is 2 tables just above ground level, separated from the other sections by bamboo curtains. There are cushions you sit on around the table (8 at each table). So I walk over to the table, and fall into the empty space under the table! So instead of making the table higher, the ground under it is just lower. I love it! So the formula was (I don't remember the exact numbers since we paid in a real big big hurry...) something like 2,000 yen for all you can drink in 2 hours or so. I, along with most of the people on my table, chose beer. Then we ordered small plates that had squid with wasabe (mmmm...), snails, different things, with soy bean sprouts.

Was also disappointed to see more light-weight drinkers, but it would seem I finally found a drinking buddy. She's from Malaysia and is really cool. Found a couple minutes of fame for my ability to gulp down 2 cups of beer haha (small cups too), they should see someone that can really drink...

All in all it was really amazing though. Everyone is so nice and interesting. And it's great to see so many people with different nationalities: Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea (they were the crushing majority last night hehe), Spain, USA, Russia (only Russian I know that doesn't drink!), Lebanon (ME!), and probably others. Just like it was so nice to go to LAU where there were so many new accents and dialects, people from other regions in Lebanon, but only much much cooler hehe.

So what is the best way to end such a nice party? I was counting on a Japanese girl (who also needed to use the subway to get home) to tell me when we should leave before the subways stopped (which is early here, around 1AM or so, depending on the line). And naturally, we were late. So we paid really really quickly and starting running to the subway station. The entrance that was closest to the bar was in the mall, which was of course closed haha. So we ran a block or two, and met a guy also running to the same entrance! So now we were 2 girls and 2 guys running to make the last subway. We got to the gates as the last one for me was stopping, they were already too late. Since I had no time to go buy a ticket, she gave me her card (another extremely nice Japanese person!) and I was able to get home easily. Will return her card next week at university.

The last chapter (we're not done yet!) was the arrival. As I got to the building, I heard noise, and directly knew it was from the 8th floor (the cool floor hehe). So I went up and found my Chinese and Polish friends drinking. Said hi, went back to my [mini] flat, took off my jacket and tie, grabbed my 6-pack of huge (I think 1L) beer cans and joined them. Got back a bit before 4AM. I'd say my first (not including first night) Friday night was really cool! Good thing I have nothing important to do this weekend :)

Birthday!

So on my birthday, was chatting with family and loved ones who are 6 to 13 hours behind me, which meant that I stayed awake until 4 AM haha. Woke up a couple hours after and ran (literally) to uni (good thing I spent quite some time the night before mapping the optimum route!). Finally there, met my new classmates. I'm still not very good on names yet (surprise surprise) but they all look very nice, and from many countries, including Ethiopia, Sudan, Madagascar (I like to move it move it?), China (they're everywhere!), Malaysia and so on and so forth.

Our professor (one of the professors who will be forcefully jamming Yabani into our brains) is the most energetic person I have ever met. Seriously! He's awesome. Taught in Egypt for 2 years so he speaks some Arabic also which is cool.

So the next 6 months is going to be intense! Donno how much my crappy memory will be able to handle all this Japanese haha.

As usual, learning about the food has become one of my prime objectives! So today tried some sweets. Before I get to that, the subway station nearest to my university is right under one of the biggest malls in Japan (or so my professor was telling me, it's a chain of malls). So the exit throws you right in the middle of a floor full of restaurants, plant shops and other places. So you can imagine the myriad of smells! So today, I let my nose lead the way, and ended up in front of a puffy dough with fillings shop... mmm. Don't judge me if I forgot the name (patte a choux or something?) so ate a sphere thingie with custard in it, and a ring thingie with strawberry cream in it. Too sweet for my taste but still yummy. Then at the cafeteria, ordered a new dish, Chige Nabe: Pork, tofu, squid, soybean sprouts, rice cake and noodles, in a soup flavored with miso. So although it was really tasty, it was definitely a bad choice for me for two reasons: first, it takes too much time to prepare (3 people passed in front of me :( and I was hungry of course), and it's the only dish I've seen so far that comes in a metallic bowl because it's too hot! Which means, for those that know me, I had to wait for it to cool down. Add that to the fact that eat really slowly, and you have a recipe for a disastrously long dinner...

The cafeteria however is very Japanese, designed for optimal performance! You choose from the menu at the door, you get your tray, put it at the Main dish (noodles) counter and order what you want. The lady (or guy) there starts working on it. There's a machine that has boiling water in it, and 6 places where they put "mesfeye" that they throw noodles in. So they really quickly boil the noodles, then add whatever ingredients they need in the bowl from other cook pots. So it takes on average less than one minute to get served. You then proceed to the side dish counter (this can also be done before the main dish) and order what you want. Also 10-20 second wait max, you can get your drink meanwhile. There's a machine that dispenses free water and two other drinks that I haven't tried yet. You get your chopsticks and spoon after paying at the cashier and you're set to go! After you're done, you take your tray to the dish washing counter, where (also very Japanese) the person there takes your tray with a very big smile and thanks you! Very Japanese! Watching each person work is also a sight. Just like a Swiss watch; very efficient, very precise, but also very friendly.

Other than that, had a tea party on the 7th floor of our building tonight! Don't think far-eastern people would appreciate or understand the fact that I don't like tea (or any hot beverage hehe) so I just accepted my cup with a smile and a thanks and waited for it to cool down ;) Ni-hao-san (our Polish friend) assured me that by this time next year, after I've spent a winter here, I'd be in love with tea haha. Maybe. So met lots of new people, mostly from China and Taiwan, but also Cambodia (French-speaking nice guy) and 2 Brits! Nice evening, learning a lot from them about foreigner life in Japan.

Nothing else I can think of at the moment, might talk about shop vendors tomorrow. Interesting phenomenon they are :)

Day 6 (Wednesday)

Last day of freedom before classes start!

So yesterday I got lost on campus. Well actually to get to our lab, I need to go into a building, walk through it, walk out from the other side to finally get to our building. So I missed a turn in the first building and ended up in a very very old section of the university, where the old (?) power breakers can be found. So thought I was in the wrong building and went back out and went North. By the time I had realized I went too far (insert Pablo Keanu Reaves impersonation here), I saw the Gymnasium sign post.

Me being in no hurry whatsoever (another way of saying having absolutely nothing to do whatsoever), decided to check it out. Bastards that made the sign just put the direction without bothering with the distance... 20 minutes later, I reach the muddy sports fields, and then finally a building with a rock concert going on? Turns out it's the music building. From outside, I could make out, in order of noise done: drums, guitar, trumpet (or trombone), piano and violin. Went in and took a look. Interesting, but strange. Each person just finds a corner and starts practicing, paying no mind to the person 2 meters away from him doing something totally different. To illustrate my point, went up to the second floor following the sounds of violin, and found a storage room full of shelves. A guy was right at the right side of the door practicing the violin (exercising not playing tunes), and two meters away, in the parallel isle, a girl was doing the same... Quite annoying.

So on my way back from the music and sports section of the campus, I would see all these people on bicycles zooming past the couple of us that were walking, and ended up wishing I had a bicycle too... Until I borrowed one today... FREEZING! OK so today's a bit colder than yesterday, but still, my hands went blue. By the time I got back I wasn't sure I still had a nose on my face. So that's why Pan-san doesn't use his bicycle...

In other unrelated new, fekin retarded ass Sony warranty doesn't fix my monitor unless 6% if the pixels are not working, so roughly 10.2 pixels. Of course the manual says this... in Japanese, in small print, in such a way that I would've missed it in English hehe. Ah well.

More bad news, went to get my phone line, with the nearly free ($5) iPhone 3GS 32Gb with it, and turns out the paper the mayor's office gave me, stating that I will get my alien status blablabla (residency) next month, is not enough and I have to wait until I actually get the residency to get my line... Meh.

Good good news however, SUSHI! Yummy... So the supermarket does big sale on all fresh goods after 8, so for 10$, ate 18 pieces of fresh (quite big too) Sushi, divided into paris of the following: tuna, white fish, shrimp, scalops, salmon, squid (or something... tastes good so who cares?!), crab (fresh! none of that crab sticks stuff), caviar and urchin (TOOTYA!), the last 2 wrapped in sea weed. Oichi (very tasty). Spent a good 5 minutes trying to find Soya sauce, and had to ask a passing woman for help (she was also very nice), then found out there's already some inside the box! Along with ginger, which actually looks like ginger! It's not pink hehe. Aaahh good way to spend the eve of my birthday. Oh and the cashier even gives you chopsticks if you want. Me likes. Finally, seeing that it was snowing (a bit) when I was going back home, there was no chance for the sushi to go bad :)

Tomorrow, party on the 8th floor to celebrate birthday. After tomorrow party at the lab to celebrate the new lab member (me!). They know not what awaits them muahahaha...

Day 4 (Monday)

Paperwork, more paperwork... and then some more paperwork... Thank God I had Oochi-san and Pan-san in my corner.

The application for research student residency, for foreigners mind you, is, naturally, in Japanese...

Went to the university for the first time, and was greeted by a very very long line of club representatives waiting to pounce on new freshmen. Thankfully I don't look as young as I do in Lebanon so only a few "wakarimasen" (I don't understand) got me through. The campus is I think as big as Monsef and Helweh combined, if not bigger (18,240 students or so), and naturally, the International Student Center is at one side, and the department of Technology (and our lab) is nearly all the way on the other side, a good 15-minute walk away :S

Met my professors though, and other students in our lab. All are very friendly and extremely helpful. Also found out that if I can pass entrance exam in August (in Japanese...), I can start Master's degree next semester, skipping the research part.

Bestest part of my trip however, was finally walking into the electronics store! Wow. This store, which is much smaller than similar stores in Tokyo for example, is bigger than the technology conventions held at Biel. Divided into sections, with a different company filling each section... bliss :)

After walking around the laptop area for about an hour or so, finally decided on a very very expensive Sony Vaio, and a telephone company that gives out a free iPhone 3GS 16Gb with each line, or a 32Gb version for 5$. The service for internet on it however costs too much. Pan-san (whose friends all have the same provider) pays 10 yen a month, that's 10 cents! Getting an iPhone with the service would cost something like 60$ a month... we shall see.

Ah nearly forgot. Saw an old lady walking a gorgeous husky. Made a new friend!