That's interesting

It seems that the Ryo will be having two special guests next month. After the foreign students meeting today, Yokoyama san stopped by to mention that an American couple will be staying on the first floor in the dormitory. I think the wife is the one who is here to teach English for two weeks at the school, and the husband just came along for kicks. I guess it's some hands on experience or something. Neither of them speak Japanese, though. >__> <__< eh...why's everybody looking at me? .....I don't know if it's written in stone, since I didn't hear from the Kokusaika about it, but I'm probably going to end up being their guide as it were. But there is another American teacher here who speaks Japanese, too, so maybe not. It sparks my interest, though, since one of my plans for using the Japanese I'm learning is to possibly become an English teacher in Japan. O, and on the subject of me being a native English speaker, I got an email from the kokusaika asking me to meet with a professor who does English seminar.

I thought I killed you already?

Well, I've got another cold. I'm not even sure if it's a different one from the one I had the week before last week. I didn't even bother going to school today. I hope it's not a big deal that I missed the foreign students meeting at lunch. I woke up at 9:30 and went out to return a video to the store. Along the way, I noticed something odd. It felt like my entire body was crippled. o_0 Yeah, so returning home and getting back into bed, I realized my cold must have escalated to the flu or maybe spending a whole day and night blowing your nose constantly takes a toll on your body. I feel like my face is about to come off. There's a disgusting mound of tissue around my trash can. Actually, it's not even around the trash can. It's just in the general direction of my desk. I'm gulping down this drink I found in the vending machine because it has "VitaminC" in the name.

All is not lost!

I just plugged my camera into the computer room computer, and it worked. The computer recognized it, and, since it has it's own download program.

Sakura
http://umbc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010372&l=a915b&id=15203096

English club
http://umbc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010241&l=a473d&id=15203096

Party in the Ryo for the freshman
http://umbc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010370&l=8be61&id=15203096

Videos!
From Freshman party in the dorms

The school theme song sung by one of the exchange office peeps. There was a hilarious moment when he announced he would sing it. One of the girls was like "tsumaranai (boring)" right as the room was quiet, so everybody heard. doh! lol! He made a joke and was like "You. In my office tomorrow", lol!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdmd82LmnD8

Bingo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsGfHGGxkS4

Chema performing a song on his guitar. He has his own band back in Spain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUQRcyTe-4k

Me performing a Van Tomiko song on my sax
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVf1ixJlNkE


Karaoke with the English Club

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITLxFvkU0m4

You can't see "anything" because they turned down the lights. (guess it makes it less embarressing), but you can hear it fine. There were some really good singers in this group.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqWIwhMx-lo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJy-ih0EEqM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpUwBIiqir0

Well, so much for that

I believe my labtop is officially dead at the moment. Yesterday, the stupid thing fell off my desk. I got this stupid pair of headphones from a friend. It works well, but the cord is so ridiculously long, I'm always tripping over it. I tripped over it yesterday while it was plugged into the computer, and the whole stupid thing fell off the desk onto the floor. It didn't look like it fell all that hard, but maybe it's like what they say that bad things happen in slow motion. I'm not too broke up about it, though, since it's been acting really strange for the past month. Everytime I tried to turn it on, it wouldn't start. The three lights would flash for a few seconds then switch off, and that was it. I'd actually have to tilt the thing backwards and squeeze the body of it then turn it on for it to work. Not to mention the many different types of error messages I'd be getting. Also, I had to be very careful with it because sometimes if I moved it while it was on, it would just switch off. <__<' I think it the hard drive was loose or something.

Right now it's doing the same thing where the 3 lights flash, but it won't turn on no matter how many different ways I tilt it or how hard I squeeze it. I should have just bought a new labtop before coming here. Least, I can use the computer room, but I don't know what to do about the programs I use for my camera and mp3 player. Speaking of camera, I knock it off the desk last night when I was fiddling with my idiot labtop. Now that's broken, too. It works fine, but there's a big gap where's part of it that's not properly together. Maybe I can unscrew it and put it back together. If I try to just jam it in place, I'll probably break it for real. Yesterday wasn't my day with electronics.

In other news, I went to a party for the freshman students with the english club yesterday. It was a lot of fun. Some of the girls got a little tipsy, though. XD I got to go to Kareoke for the first time. It's interesting enough, but I wouldn't say it's something I'd want to do all the time (I like singing, though) I also found out one of the guys in the club is going to be an exchange student at my school in the fall. ^^V (it's Kuni, philly, so you can beat him up for not emailing you yourself, hehe)
I have lots of pics from it and other things, but, till I can figure out where to install my camera's program so I can download the pics, I'm stuck.

What's your reaction when you look at this?

www.gosperats.com

I just want to know if I have enough reason to start helping in planning a protest of this group. I believe they are only temporary because there is a message on their website saying it's open until August. Also, 3 of the members already have other music careers. I first saw them on
Hey!Hey!Hey! (a Japanese music show) 3 hour special. I wasn't sure what to make of them. I thought they might have been an existing Japanese group I'd heard of playing around for just one single and then they'd go back to normal. But then I searched them online and found out they were an entire group centered around this. Someone said the members look like that because it helps them to "feel the music". I say, that's not a good enough reason, and there probably is none.

O, and I relayed your message to Kuni, Philly. ^__^V I also took his picture, so I'll be sending that to you.

annyahaseyo!

Well, I just got out of my first Korean class. She let us out like 50 minutes early, so I'm killing time in the computer room till my next class starts. It seems like it will be a lot of fun, though, I hope we don't get any group projects (unless my partners are chosen by the teacher). I got to class right before the bell, so all the seats in the back were taken up, (yeah, I'm not a good student. My first impulse is to sit in the back) so I sat up front. The teacher came in a little after the bell and asked everyone to move up front (they were basically all in the back). When everyone stopped moving...all the seats around me were still empty, lol! Not like I'm suprised, though. I've read Azreal's editorial on the "Gaijin Perimeter", so I'm well aware of how shy the Japanese can be. Here at Takushoku for some ridiculous reason the foreign students and Japanese students have separate classes, so, even though foreigners are at their school, the Japanese students never get to meet them. Kind of dumb if you ask me.

Anyway, we didn't do much today since no one had textbooks yet. Our teacher is Korean and seems pretty young. I think today was her first time teaching here. I understood basically everything she said (I think o_0), so I'm hoping that means I'll be able to follow along in class. We spent the time doing self introductions (in Japanese). I just said my name, that I was an exchange student, and came from the US. Seems like it should be fun. This is my first time in an acedemic class with Japanese. I'm determined to not be shy (or anti-social whichever comes first).

So much for effort

Well, I tried going to sleep on time last night. I fell asleep at 1 something then snapped awake around 2 and didn't go back to sleep till 6 in the morning. I didn't make it to class before the bell either because I couldn't find my stupid bike key which, of course, ended up being in the pocket of the jacket I wore last night. There's too many people on campus now. There was a line for the elevator, and I don't mean the kind from last year. There was probably 30 people lined up in front of it. I just said forget it and ran up the stairs...to the 5th floor. I hate my classrooms.

I guess my Japanese is improving after all because I was able to understand basically everything that was said in class. We already have homework, though. boo! >_< I skipped the English Club lunch meeting today in exchange for sleep. I feel kind of bad, but there's a meeting tomorrow anyway. I'll have my first class of Korean tomorrow. It's first period, meh. I think I'll pop into bed now before this wave of sleepyness goes away.

basketball yaritai...

eh, this is killing me. I've been craving a game of b-ball all spring break. I can't wait for my first basketball class. Shame it doesn't start till Thursday. Thursday...gah! >_< That's why I was kind of excited when I thought school was starting on Monday. My sports class is fourth period.

I'm going to try my best to not stink as much as last semester. I considered myself a pretty weak player(for a girl, I'd probably be considered "awesome", but I never weigh my physical abilities on that scale). In my Thursday class, where I usually ended up playing in all 4 games since we usually only had 5 people, I noticed a pattern that, when I played hard, we won. When I didn't really play hard, we lost which means I was a weak link. >_< (note: I didn't say weakest) I basically have never developed dribbling skills because I don't play basketball often enough. I usually just pass the ball whenever I get it. That doesn't make you a very useful player if you never do anything with the ball. I need to seriously work on my dribbling because I think I'd be a pretty unstoppable force if I was able to drive the ball down the court. I actually had one glorious moment last semester where I got the rebound, raced all the way down to the other end of the court, and made a lay up....unfortunately nothing like that has ever happened again. It felt good, though. ^__^

I think a big part is fear and shyness. Fear of losing the ball, and therefore letting my team down because that could possibly result in the other team scoring, and shyness of having the ball because everyone who's watching would focus on me. But, it is a sports "class" which means "learning" is the word of the day. *sigh* Thursday....>_< That's too long to wait.

Mommy, my throat hurts. T__T

Well, I've had this obnoxious cold since last Saturday. I don't even know where it came from. I just woke up Saturday and noticed there was flem in my throat. It seems like all the mucas is gone, but I'm still coughing which means my throat is getting scratched up. meh T__T itai yo

Speaking of last Saturday, I got to Vanchan again. Countdown Japan had her on as a guest. They air it live from some studio in Shibuya, so I went. It's great cause the female host was somebody I actually know from a drama I've watched before. I was surprised. heh, two celebrities in one day. Imagine that. I didn't get to stay in the studio long because they were filling people in and out. I was probably in there for less than 5 minutes. boo! T__T And speaking of Tomiko, I played her song at the party yesterday. (well, it's 5am now, so I guess that makes it yesterday. <__<) My nerves were fine because it was a pretty casual setting. I wore a skirt as per request of Xiaorei to which I got a ridiculous amount of comments, attention, and reactions. (it's only a skirt, people. I should take this que and just become a model)


Well, I guess so much for changing my vampire lifestyle before school starts. First day of classes next Tuesday is going to be awful with that 9;20 class. >_< I might as well sneak into the school the night before, and I sleep in the classroom. At least, I'll be there when the bell rings. I'm planning on taking the same classes as last semester plus a Futsal class (like soccor, but small with less people) and possibly Korean. ( ^__^V Annyeong Haseyo!)

Korean is next on my list of languages to learn especially because (according to my cousin) it's grammar is exactly like Japanese. He said going from Japanese to Korean is basically just learning new vocab. (he's done it, so) Also, I love the sound of the language. I have so many Korean friends who want me to teach them english and are promising in return to teach me Korean. Might as well get started learning now, so they can help me with my homework. Plus, I'll be killing two birds with one stone since the classes will be in Japanese. I think I'll be ok if it's basic stuff. I randomly found a Korean language show on tv this week and was able to learn some things. I've forgotten just about everything, but XD


O, speaking of class, I got my grades for first semester. A, A, B, A, C, B But the grading system at this school is completely different. I'm not telling you the percent. <__<

Need comments

Party coming up in the dormity this weekend for the new students. Someone asked me to play my guitar, but apparently they didn't realize I only play a guitar. Notice the difference between "play" and "can play". So I told them forget it, but I'll play my saxophone. Being the shameless DAI fan that I am, I obviously will use this as a chance to get some PR in for Tomiko Van's solo career (sorry Ryo, I can't play rock on my sax >_<). I wrote out the melody for her song "Hold Me" a month ago and have been practicing it a bit. I'll be playing that.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m-UR7xR4Fho
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TjfRcm8fGgY

What I got so far. It sounds flat the whole way through, some parts where the note doesn't come out nice, and I need to smooth it out. In general, I think it sounds kind of nasty, but there's an underlying niceness that hopefully will come out with more practice. Go me for ad libing the solo part. I did it 3 times, too, because this was my 3rd time recording. Comments please especially any tips on what I can do to make it better. Been a few years since I played my sax. >_< (you can just leave them on the blog cause youtube makes you sign up to comment)

Van Tomiko singing "Hold Me" live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=snhUibvbKwQ