[photopress:IMG_4534.JPG,thumb,alignleft]We’ve received a few Christmas cards from friends in Australia – thanks guys! They’re up next to our gingerbread house. We have more than that, really ;) One in particular was a big surprise – from a secret Santa! I don’t recognise the return address, but I have my suspicions about who it’s from. I think I the handwriting belongs to my secret Santa from last year. Anyway, thanks Santa! It’s great to know that you read my blog. I wasn’t sure whether anyone did.
We organised a Festivus party as [es] tonight. Sadly only two other people showed up, even though many had said they’d come. One of them must have forgotten that he was flying to America earlier today. Still, at least it gave us grievances to air. Feats of strength (thumb wars and janken) were rewarded with Pocky.
I’ve been having heaps of fun recently. Last week I went to a karaoke bar for the first time with some guys from work. Tonight I went again, with Simon, Jodie and Kaz. Simon’s staying with us for a couple of weeks to check out Japan.
Terrible singing from all of us except for Kaz, who rocks on. I can’t wait to see him in concert. He’s asked me to make him a Web site, which is cool but I have no idea how to make one for a band. I hope they aren’t expecting me to do Flash for them.
Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I finally came up with a reasonable idea for an animation. Not only that, but I met another teacher at ECC who studied script writing. We talked about it over a couple of hot chocolates. He’s working on it now, shuffling ideas around on an eight-foot piece of cork board. I wonder how he managed to find such a thing in Japan? So in about eight months I should have a shiny new film.
Today I had a student from Saudi Arabia! It was really interesting to see her writing notes in her textbook in Arabic instead of Japanese. It looks so elegant.
Meeting her made me realise how repressed women in Saudi Arabia are. I can only assume the same is true for other Arabian countries. She told me that she’s really excited to be in Japan, because now she has the opportunity to play sport. I recommended badminton. I wonder how long it will be before women get the vote in SA?
Her husband must be quite exceptional to have brought her to here.
I’m such a stupid gaijin to so many countries.
[photopress:IMG_0791.JPG,thumb,alignleft]I saw a doctor today about my cold. I got what I went in for: some antibiotics. Unfortunately (?) I got a whole lot more, too. I came out with seven individual medicines, each with their own instructions. I’m pretty sure I don’t need all of them, but I wasn’t in the mood to argue. Actually I did refuse the sore throat medicine, one the grounds that I don’t have a sore throat.
Additionally, while I was at the clinic they made me breath in some mixture that was being vaporised by a small steam engine. In the same room was a patient wearing a surgical mask, slumped forward on his chair with his head being suspended from the roof. After a while a nurse removed the mask, and manoeuvred a glowing orb onto the back of his neck. They both seemed to think it was doing him good.
Despite being peculiar, I recommend the Kondo Clinic to other gaijin in central-north Osaka. They don’t require a booking and are easy to deal with, and I’m pretty confident that one of these drugs will fix me up. I hear that prescribing heaps of drugs is standard practice in Japan. Still, if you go you should insist on getting the absolute minimum.
It’s just outside the Hankyu station in Umeda: go out the south-east exit, then cross the road to a building labelled “ings”. It’s on the ground floor, around to the right.
[photopress:IMG_4501.JPG,thumb,alignleft]Yesterday was pretty good, despite our colds. We all went to the International Next Generation Robot Fair on the bay. There were some nifty machines. I was a bit disappointed with the realism of their movements. The humanoid models mostly moved like the robots from last decade – clunky and almost one joint at a time. Still, it was cute to see them doing some human-like things (shaking hands, watching you, and drawing).
The core technologies were more interesting than the robots. The highlight for me was the hydrogen fuel cells. They were incredibly light!
