good old Japan

so, here i am, back in the land of the rising sun. and it's as if i'd never left.

it was really surreal, the first half day i was here. it was like a dream. the day before, i was battling my way through various airports to get to my flight, and then i was on the motorway back to Yokohama. things only got 'real' when i got off the train in Hamamatsucho, where i used to work, and the smell of the food stall hit me, like so many mornings ago.

and yesterday, i basically spent the afternoon showing an old friend around my favourite haunts in Yokohama. i even managed to see some cherry blossoms! so it's really as if i still lived here. knowing that i'll be back in Europe in just a few days, back to my flat, my job and my life... it's just unbelievable.

spring is in the air

i thought that moving from the house in the country to a flat in town would make me miss all the changes of spring. but lucky me, that's not the case! the birds are the same, their calls prossibly louder due to me not expecting them, and as temperatures have receded from their winter norm to a more springy feel, bringing all the smells of reborn nature to me (yes, even in town), i actually really enjoy walking to my bus stop (20mns away - good exercise). this morning, spring was definitely in the air.

Red Dragons luck

i don't know what the video referee was looking at, when reviewing the try Shane Williams put down, but obviously not at the action... Wales should have won that game. it's insane.

torii

in ten days, i'll be back in Japan for one very short week. still, i can't wait. i'll be able to do all things Japanese that i miss so much, including a spot of karaoke (well, maybe more - already 3 sessions have been booked). and, if i have time, i'll be able to go and visit my favourite little shrine in Negishi, where my parents used to live...

Negishi shrine

10 things i did over the weekend

- watched Brokeback Mountain (the second half was gloooomy)
- met up with an old friend
- went to my local pub, which i hadn't been to in about 8 months
- surprised the bartender by asking for alcohol (didn't used to drink any, as i always used to drive)
- didn't see another old friend who was supposed to come by, and who, obviously, didn't
- found out what half of my fuses were for (half the flat going dark does that to you)
- went to the only open Swiss supermarket in the hope they'd have fuses (they did, different types - of course)
- called my dad for a simple question and spent over 40 mns on the phone with him figuring out the fuse problem (which didn't answer my question)
- learned a lesson (always have spare fuses)
- ate some really good yet simple food

red dragon blues

last year they were great and won the 6 Nations, which they hadn't won in 27 years. today, they are back at the bottom end of the championship. it's quite depressing, really... yesterday's game against Italy was a good one, very interesting and full of surprises. but they only managed to draw. damn.

my lovely students

i'm currently blessed with having really nice students, and at the moment, most of them are male and rather good-looking and/or incredibly funny which, without being particularly important, is nice.

and so, the other day, they had to fill out questionnaires on how they thought the lessons were going. my funniest student pointed out he'd written, in the 'comments' section, that i was cool. which is very nice, but, as i pointed out, doesn't really reflect that he's a high-level student whom i'm teaching high-level English to. so another, who faxed his questionnaire to the school, made a point of using higher-level language, and used lots of compound adjectives (we'd just had a lesson on that), which looked ever so impressive to my boss, but which i can't quite remember, other than it contained the word 'pleasant'. and he added that it was nice to have a teacher who wasn't scared to be funny. ain't it nice to be appreciated?

the final sale

my father being at the other end of France in his new house, i had to do the honours and sign the sales papers for the house. so there. the house is definitely not ours yet. i had toyed with the idea of driving by for another last look, by myself, but finally decided against it. what would it achieve, really? so i didn't go, and now i can't anymore. it is truly over.

the new ents

sign eating trees are common where my father now lives... reminds me of ents. not you?

housewarming

after months of waiting (i'd originally told everyone it would take place in November!), i was finally ready to invite people into my new home. we weren't many, which was really nice, cos it meant i got to talk to everyone. for once, i'd made no food, which was really weird for me. i did have a few snacks laid out, and went in and out to fill up various empty bowls and get more drink, but other than that, i was able to just sit back and relax.

everyone thought the flat looked great. they all seem to like the red kitchen (which was an out-of-character colour to paint it, for me), and generally thought i'd manage to make it really cosy. goal achieved, then!

the last people left at about 2am, in a blizzard. the wind had been strong all day, and it had been raining, but night brought low temperatures and when we looked out, there was snow everywhere. having not heard otherwise, i'm assuming everyone got home ok!

homes - beginnings and ends

so, i failed to mention my father had finally moved... the movers were gone Monday afternoon, after which we spent 2 hours getting rid of all the junk that was left at the dump. and after a spot of cleaning, we left. my dog liked my place but not the floors (all tiles and wood, but all very slippery for him), and he didn't like the water either (too much chlorine), so i guess he wasn't really all that happy to spend the night. he did not, however, seem to mind the 8-hour drive to the new house, i was told. the big stuff has now been unpacked, and my father's now trying to find my shoes so he can send them to me.

as for me, the housewarming party's tonight. it's going to be nice. although i just got a call from a friend who spent the week skiing up in the mountains, and who might get stuck up there as it's snowing like hell up there, so they've apparently closed the roads. he seemed to be calling me from his car, cos i could hear cars honking around him - apparently, people panicking about not being able to leave...