tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91766143981818572832024-03-05T00:21:18.068-08:00Studying Abroad in OitaDianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-50054755494535590722011-03-03T21:03:00.000-08:002012-01-20T12:30:33.053-08:00Short and Sweet<div align="left"><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><u><br /></u></span></div>Given the opportunity to do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing. Enjoy yourself and never linger on negativity for too long because it'll just take away from the time you could spend smiling. It really does go by in a flash. So fill your days with happy thoughts, lasting memories and inappropriately hilarious stories. But most important of all, remember to fill it to the brim with amazing irreplaceable people who will bring an overflow of joy and positivity into your life.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Soak it up bitches, because it'll be over before you know it.</div>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-34867841030462632012011-02-25T00:20:00.000-08:002011-03-04T00:17:14.553-08:00Cindy, the TV's leaking!During the break between Fall semester and Spring semester (February-April), the students who've only applied to stay half a year make their return home to their native countries. For the students who were staying for Spring semester, most of them spent their break traveling around Japan or nearby countries. Unfortunately that leaves Kaikan practically empty and it can get pretty spooky there all by yourself! And so there I was, the only person left on 3rd floor... all of the 4th floor residents had either gone home or were on vacation. I think most of 1st and 2nd floor was also partly if not completely empty. <div> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580135738293492178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpe-nDkXGoSL0nPNuDZvEl4cKYAmQr_TDzaTo2iv_6NS_J_OH-MTLs-85S9rPIpUO9Jb7n8gPmGt98wbJZ02zM2SF4JJ4HOmfjVet6OXn7_2mUWZjbP5DJDQdsGTE0RUBMAbi7rPvDYW4/s320/IMG_0763.JPG" />At first I was fine with it, but then I started hearing noises like thuds, bumps, and footsteps and it scared the shit out of me because those floors were supposedly vacated! To make it worse, at the time I was living there, the 3rd floor of the building had dim lights that flickered on and off constantly. The Kaikan is also located next to a cemetery and sometimes the gate would be left open, oh god! I was never bothered by any of this before, but just being the only person on your floor can be terrifying especially when you're a big chicken like me. I was so afraid and paranoid of every little sound, I even had trouble sleeping for awhile. I mean I love watching J-horror but I'm a total wimp when it comes down to it. I just kept imagining scary stuff happening like... something from the Grudge pop-locking out from beneath the blanket and grabbing me while I was in bed. Don't even remember how many times I burned my eyes because I was too afraid to close it while shampooing my hair ahhh.<br /><br />Eventually though everyone came back and we even had new students moving in. But I never forgot how spooky the Kaikan could be given the right circumstances and an overactive imagination. That's actually the main reason why my friend and I decided to film a "scary" movie there. It was the perfect location. Hey the best way to face your fears is to laugh at it.<br /><br />Pop, lock and drop it!Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-23286704581257520762011-02-21T22:12:00.000-08:002011-02-21T23:46:57.099-08:00Toilet DiariesNever, and I mean NEVER!! eat food from the hostel's communal refrigerator.. haha I've learned my lesson. I think having food poisoning might just be the worst illness to have while traveling. I could not make it more than a few minutes without running to the bathroom. OMG it was so awful. Just traveling from Kyoto to Osaka was pure torture, I felt so sick.<br /><br />Our first night there, we slept over at Popeye's Media Cafe. It was pretty nice and very cheap, we got unlimited access to drink machines and a shower, plus a private booth to sleep in. The only downside was we had to be out by 5am. So you know what? After leaving Popeye's my friend and I went into the Osaka train station and slept in the bathroom stalls, yea that's right! true bums. Hey don't judge us! it was cold outside and there were no chairs in the station (Kyoto station had no toilet paper and now Osaka station has no chairs?? wtf JAPAN!)<br /><br />Anyways the only seats available were the toilet seats so yeaaaaaa. I was certainly in no condition to walk, or sight-see, or even try new foods. We decided it'd be best to just take it easy that day and get a room. Thank goodness for J-Hoppers! best hostel ever, they had a room available for us so we checked in right away. And I have to say, many thanks to my friend who got me crackers and medicine because they really helped quiet my stomach down. Luckily most of my illness had passed by the next day.<br /><br />So yea kids, if you're traveling <span style="font-weight: bold;">always</span> bring toilet paper, medicine, and crackers... and stay away from questionable food and condiments left in the fridge by other travelers.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-50227820006030869932011-02-19T10:13:00.000-08:002011-02-19T02:00:08.746-08:00June 5th 2009<div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I've been feeling a bit lethargic lately. I'm not quite sure why, but it has been eating away at me. Perhaps it has something to do with the gloomy weather these past few days. Or maybe it's because I know I'll have to return to America soon. Either way, I don't like having this feeling looming over me; it's not good to let negative energy linger around for too long. I'm trying to figure out what it is, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It feels like a mix of frustration, disappointment, and anger, what a lovely combination of emotions huh!</div><br />The hell happened here!? apparently this was a draft that I never finished writing. Geez I can see why! just reading it is bringing me down! I'm still not sure what this was all about but I'm feeling a bit down right now so I suppose I can relate... with myself? o_O<br /><br />I've been sick for the past 2-3 weeks and it's making me feel miserable, both physically and emotionally.<br /><br />Anyways!<br /><br />Dear Diana, SNAP OUT OF IT!<br /><br />Life's too short for this nonsense. Stop listening to sulky music. Stop focusing so much energy on things you can't control. You did what you could, and it wasn't good enough so move on. Stop kicking yourself over the small stuff. It's been fun but all good things must come to an end. Leave the past as it is, and look forward to the future. And please get around to washing that robe you've been stewing in all month long.<br /><br />P.S. Hang in there!Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-75911670009315230332011-02-17T16:29:00.000-08:002011-02-17T17:48:38.397-08:00Ode to the 自転車<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->One of the luxuries of living in Japan is the abundance of bike paths and pedestrian friendly streets. <span style=""> </span>Being able to just hop on your bike and get from one destination to the next? Awesome stuff.<span style=""> </span>Riding along the river in the late afternoon was so therapeutic for me.<span style=""> </span>It was very calming and it really brings me back to being a kid again and not having to worry about anything. The smell of the grass and the buzzing of insects, agh! I miss it.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">I always tried to get as many people to come biking whenever possible, the more the merrier right?<span style=""> </span>Oh man, the lines I would use in order to sucker people into coming along. <span style=""> </span>I think my personal favorite was “oh it’s really close, only 10 minutes away” sure yea it’s only 10 minutes away if you bike at 80mph, so technically it’s not a lie.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sometimes when I woke up late and had to bike extra fast to school, I would pretend I was being chased by zombies in order to go faster. <span style=""> </span>I’d always get to school drenched in sweat from head to toe so I eventually learned to keep an extra pair of clean clothes in my backpack.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Biking back from school was always a joy though haha! If you’re fortunate enough to attend Oita University you know exactly what I mean. <span style=""> </span>There’s a HUGE hill leading out of the university and it’s such an adrenaline rush to ride down it after a long day of class.<span style=""> </span>I dreaded biking up that hill every morning but loved seeing it in the afternoon, definitely a love-hate relationship there – Rihanna needs to write a song about that! Instead of “Love the way you lie” she should call it “Love the way you ride” hah! get it!? Oh I’m soooooo clever…<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_SaJeBfkDm3ntCMlp1vTWIzKKAf28Lu8doegVmbkyaojRVTGknoaut65BqMrn5I9sGmAO8es8FjwW2rqkYkkL0bfOx560kQyfkls73osKWxoPQDZ7etpQlTcZQK65Sd0KYfT7WNk998/s1600/P1010651.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_SaJeBfkDm3ntCMlp1vTWIzKKAf28Lu8doegVmbkyaojRVTGknoaut65BqMrn5I9sGmAO8es8FjwW2rqkYkkL0bfOx560kQyfkls73osKWxoPQDZ7etpQlTcZQK65Sd0KYfT7WNk998/s320/P1010651.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574839119517553314" border="0" /></a></p>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-74763074908823552052011-01-23T01:35:00.000-08:002011-01-23T02:35:20.467-08:00Miso Ramen<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkUn9LZek_pygLKc3n5mk8eNabIq1I9Ywn2zWK0KzfCJ3sleV4D7s9rGWq_4DTHsgMTnIvSdVaP7cDrsXx-4798cssOWHkFH2HFwt3z-wjpSm_8MkxcHZvLc2Axpa9NwJM_h9gW3Vn1Y/s1600/IMG_1008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565325144285130514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkUn9LZek_pygLKc3n5mk8eNabIq1I9Ywn2zWK0KzfCJ3sleV4D7s9rGWq_4DTHsgMTnIvSdVaP7cDrsXx-4798cssOWHkFH2HFwt3z-wjpSm_8MkxcHZvLc2Axpa9NwJM_h9gW3Vn1Y/s320/IMG_1008.JPG" /></a> I remember my first day at the kaikan dormitory. Walking in and setting my luggage down, it hit me! <em>I am finally in Japan and this is going to be my room for a year</em>. It was one of those surreal feelings, even now I always wonder if it happened or not. Luckily I have pictures to prove my sanity.<br /><br />It was around afternoon time when my tutors dropped me off there. I had barely begun unpacking yet and my stomach was already growling. I wasn't too familiar with the neighborhood yet but I remembered passing by a 7-Eleven just down the street from the dorms. So I walked over there and stocked up on some munchies. Now forgive me but I had never cooked in my life before. Sure I'd fried myself up some eggs every now and then but I had never actually "cooked" a meal before unless nuking food in the microwave counts as cooking. Needless to say, my food choices were limited given my lack of cooking skills. But! at least I knew how to boil water, and I had a pot! hah! so I thought of preparing some instant ramen, the meal of champions!<br /><br />I grabbed a pack of miso ramen, along with a bento box in case I failed at boiling water. Thank god I bought that bento box or else I would've starved that day. No, I didn't fail at boiling water, even worse, I failed at turning on the gas stove. Sad. REAL SAD. I also didn't know that in order to heat your bath water you have to set the control panel located besides the bathroom. So yea, that was just about the coldest shower ever. So my first day living on my own was pretty much a fail. There was no miso ramen for lunch that day, however! there was a lot of miso hungry and miso cold.<br /><br />But in spite of all that, I just remember loving every second of that day and I made sure to never let myself forget that even when I'm cold and hungry, who cares? I'm in Japan!<br /><br />Room #302, nothin but love for ya!Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-22449941723099055362010-12-08T15:06:00.000-08:002010-12-08T15:09:50.519-08:00When Life Gets You Down…While studying abroad I learned a couple key things about myself. I love being told that something is difficult or impossible; it’s like music to my ears. I crave a good challenge. I’ve learned to never let anyone tell you that something is impossible for you to achieve, because the only person who has any real say in that is you. Life is not a spectator sport, and you can’t always trust the ref’s calls, so get in there and try it out yourself! :) Get your hands dirty, make mistakes and don’t ever stop learning new things. Remember that failure is only momentary; take it as a sign that you’re actually putting effort into achieving your goals. You may be down for the count, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of the game just yet.<br /><br />Understand that some people you meet in life will only want to take you down to their level because they are unhappy with their own lives. Those are the people who try to build themselves up by knocking others down. Know your worth and let the haters hate. <br /><br />Life isn’t easy. It’s not fair. Sometimes it’s damn right cruel. So that leaves you with 2 options. You can choose to be bitter, or you can choose to be better. <br /><br />I’ve chosen the path of bitterness before, and it’s never quite worked out for me. Nope, it’s not a very productive use of time.<br /><br />So now I’m choosing to be better. I’ve decided to go back to school and get a 2nd degree in something more marketable. This time around I’m going to do all I can to graduate with Magna Cum Laude… *giggity* XD sorry I can’t help myself! Anyways I think it’ll be a fun challenge to work towards.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-25868111174116605992010-11-10T00:49:00.000-08:002010-11-10T02:14:35.216-08:00The Descent... into Stupidity!Ever seen the movie The Descent? It’s about a bunch of females who go on a cave exploration and become prey to the cave creatures lurking deep inside.<br /><br />Living in Oita, there are a lot of fantastic undisturbed natural landscape, as well as a bunch of historic sites that still remains intact. So you’d be a fool not to take advantage of it and go exploring right? RIGHT!? Of course.<br /><br />Along the path towards school, there are a couple of Buddha statues over hundreds of years old, carved right into the rocky hillside. Annnnd slightly to the right of that is a cave with a giant sign saying "Do Not Enter" blocking our entrance to a totally awesome adventure!<br /><br />We had 1 good flashlight and a fail light from the 100 yen store (which was completely useless!) My friend Danielle went in first. The cave was small, narrow, and damp. It had to have been less than 6 feet tall and no more than 3 feet wide. We get pretty deep inside the cave before the ceiling starts to drop really low. By this time we’re both crouching by a pool of stagnant water blocking our path forward. Danielle hands me the good flashlight as we try and figure out what to do. So I start shining the light around to get a better look at the cave, and that’s when I saw it…<br /><br />At first I didn’t quite know what it was, so I go “hey umm.. Danielle, what’s that thing by your face?”<br /><br />Right behind Danielle, just above her shoulder, merely inches away from her head was this thing…<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537842198330314418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSQx7JCg5pZwBNuKozCQ5FGPvExng7Q8N8OxDxVRyDdVlmb1_8Ti-Ut3m1Se_jeDPvsciZy16ljdsgN4o7IABvo3_2gmZWM5mPmOt3uYVu-3Yxlc63y7NQyO11nWxyCUoFVNDpSr0pIc/s320/home-centipede-744565.jpg" />Ugh just looking at it still makes my skin crawl.<br /><br />The thing was at least 7 inches long! It was spiky with many legs and it was glowing neon green/yellow and staring straight at her with hungry eyes!<br /><br />At this point I tell my friend “it’s time to go!” and without thinking I turn around and start running, totally forgetting that I’m holding the good flashlight. As I get closer to the cave entrance, I realize my friend is nowhere in sight. From the darkness, I can hear her shouting “Diana, don’t leave me, come back! I can’t see! You have the good flashlight!!” ooops! Haha I’m so terrible.<br /><br />When my friend finally makes it out, she’s completely covered in dirt from banging into the walls frantically trying to escape that bug.<br /><br />So what's the moral of the story? The moral is that when the shit hits the fan, I will be the first to run and leave you by yourself in the dark without a flashlight.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-85862943699970272652010-11-08T20:21:00.000-08:002010-11-10T01:56:02.264-08:00Night by the ShrineThis one night in summer, some friends and I decided to go to the shrine to check out the fireflies. So we set out the mats and had a little picnic there. At first things were pretty fun. It was really cool and quiet out, and we were all having a good time. But then things started to get weird.<br /><br />Around midnight we started to hear strange sounds coming from behind one of the buildings. It came quietly at first but then the noise got louder.<br /><br />To me, the noise sounded like that of a child's laughter, an evil demon-seed child. My other friends thought it sounded like an old crazy lady chanting, or someone crying. At this point I'm pretty damn scared because whatever it was it was coming closer.<br /><br />It was exactly like one of those situations straight out of a horror movie. And just like the movies, my 2 white friends suggested that we go and "investigate" the noise. I kid you not! that stereotype is so true.<br /><br />Now.. there were 5 of us in all, 3 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">whities</span> and 2 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">asians</span>.<br /><br />And me being the cowardly lion that I am, I started running towards my bike which was parked way across the bridge. The other <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">asian</span> ran too, we know better! I know my horror flicks, minorities always die first! As for the 3rd friend, she felt torn between fear and obligation. She wanted to run, but felt compelled to stay behind and clean up.<br /><br />So what was the noise? they said it was a bunch of feral cats fighting. Demonic shrine kitties. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ok</span> so I got scared off by a bunch of wild cats. Would it make me seem like any less of a wuss if I mention that I'm allergic to cats? no? <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span> T_T<br /><br />Afterwards we stopped to eat at Jolly Pasta because nothing gets your appetite going better than fear. What an awesomely random night.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-20166723624288183292009-08-09T22:07:00.000-07:002009-08-09T23:20:29.937-07:00Power OutageWhenever the power is out do you find yourself forgetting about the little things you can no longer do until the power comes back on? You try to entertain yourself by turning on the TV.. or perhaps microwaving up some food... oh yea no power. So you figure if you can't watch TV then you'll just pop in a DVD! oh yea that requires power too huh? oh well movies are boring anyway, how about playing some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">console games</span>?...oh yea riiiiight.. no power.<br /><br />Adjusting back to life here is like living through a power outage, except the power is never coming back on. I keep thinking that I can message someone and we can go hang out and go for a nice bike ride, sit by the river, or just go eat somewhere<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">. But it's impossible to do those things anymore, and everytime I come to this realization it makes me feel a whole lot worse about being here. We're all back in our respective countries, thousands of miles apart from one another - tell Vanessa Carlton to write a song about that!</span>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-63592643104739945242009-07-26T14:12:00.000-07:002009-07-27T07:23:37.788-07:00HomeI've just been bumming around since I've been back. It feels miserable being back. I'm lacking energy and motivation to do anything productive. One of the reasons for wanting to study abroad was to leave Charlotte, and just to get away from the place and the people here.<br /><br />The situation in Charlotte is still the same, unfortunately. Same people, same excuses, same bullshit, all of which are still glaringly obvious. Nothing here ever seems to change for the better.<br /><br />I know I shouldn't let myself wallow in this self-pity and that I should be proactive, but just being here in my room makes the whole study abroad thing feel as if it never really happened. I have to snap out of this or else I might <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">un</span>do everything that studying abroad has taught me which is that if you want something bad enough you will do whatever it takes to make it happen.<br /><br />So what is it that I want?<br /><br />I want to get the hell out of Charlotte and see my friends again.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-83463833132600699502009-07-23T21:09:00.000-07:002009-07-23T21:50:30.122-07:00Leaving<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcwxLHdQHDqMy8AJuGltYjdzBKjn6gOwYUTWSbDkCPn8QF7Bac5wrNzCzBnLNDiDKYrjoGDSz9LSUU_haWnLGf-9wMzJi7uu8ODE6r85cRy_oz3EPc1j5OjudV3ma4wHfFVqtKSwPtro/s1600-h/IMG_0855.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361884104128809314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcwxLHdQHDqMy8AJuGltYjdzBKjn6gOwYUTWSbDkCPn8QF7Bac5wrNzCzBnLNDiDKYrjoGDSz9LSUU_haWnLGf-9wMzJi7uu8ODE6r85cRy_oz3EPc1j5OjudV3ma4wHfFVqtKSwPtro/s400/IMG_0855.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>And so the day to depart from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kaikan</span></span> finally rolled around. It rained the day I left, of course. I was unable to get any sleep for the 2 days prior to leaving because of exams and packing and I did not wish to spend my last hours in Japan asleep, rather I wanted to spend it with the people I might not ever get to see again.<br /><br />The airplane ride was definitely a nice preview of the America I knew so well. I flew on United Airlines and those flight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">attendents</span> must have big furry hamsters shoved very far up their asses because they were bitchy and irritable as hell. Seriously those United Airlines flight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">attendents</span> were rude and snapped at everyone and acted like sunshine came from their ass.<br /><br />"CHICKEN OR BEEF!?! HONEY WHAT <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CHU</span></span> WANT!" God Bless America.<br /><br />I'm back in Charlotte now. It feels as if the whole study abroad thing never happened, and that it was just a dream. I met up with some friends the first night I got back, and things feel the same, yet different, I just felt so very out of place. I'm sure the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">jetlag</span></span> doesn't help my emotional state either.<br /><br />I miss everyone at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kaikan</span></span> so very much and wish we didn't have to go our separate ways after becoming such close friends. It was never this hard leaving my friends in Charlotte when I went to Japan, and I've known them for so many years. So why was it so difficult to leave some folks I had only known for such a short time period? Because...<br /><br /><em>A goodbye isn't painful unless you're never going to say hello again</em><br /><br />Keep that thought in mind and let us definitely plan to meet again sometime in life.</div>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-56680006002272345792009-07-19T00:28:00.000-07:002009-07-19T01:17:54.643-07:00All Aboard the Emo-TrainToday is never the same as yesterday and tomorrow will never be the same as today. Sometimes you have a really shitty day and hope to never experience that day again. But then there are times when it’s great and you wish those days could go on forever.<br /><br />I’ve done a lot of growing up while here in Japan. But in some aspects I’ll forever be a kid when it comes to goodbyes. I spent most of today bawling my eyes. I'm such a child.<br /><br />Whenever it comes to goodbyes, you can always keep in touch through letters and such but it will never be the same again. You can never meet up face to face to just shoot the breeze. You can no longer talk about the plans on what to do for the upcoming weekend, and what to cook for dinner that night. Conversation slowly becomes more difficult and few and far in between. You soon find yourselves only talking about the past and reminiscing together about the good times gone by. But life still goes on, and you eventually become just a distant memory to one another.<br /><br />Blame it on the circumstances of life.<br /><br />I know this post is such a downer so I'll end it on a positive note. It doesn't matter where you are, or what you do, it matters most who you are with. This whole experience abroad would not have been as meaningful as it was without everyone here.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-37710177799410731902009-07-06T07:43:00.000-07:002009-07-06T10:24:12.053-07:002 WeeksNo matter how full each day is it still doesn't feel like it's enough to stop me from feeling sad about leaving. In a way, I'm ready to leave Japan and go back home. It has been an amazing experience to live in Japan these past 10 months, but the time is coming for me to go back to America.<br /><br />It's the little things which I will miss so dearly, like the bike rides out to the aquarium to get ice cream, or just bumming out by the river at night with the picnic mats. Even the bike rides to and from school were enjoyable regardless of the rain, wind, or the extremely freakishly hot weather.<br /><br />But what made these outtings enjoyable were the people there. Being able to hang out with you guys is what I will miss the most about Japan. The memories I've made here will definitely stay with me forever.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-76761772365662886672009-06-23T10:46:00.000-07:002009-06-23T12:18:05.402-07:00Saganoseki Bike Ride<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350600242713854962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyyMC-3iKadkqMJ_M8UoJDeOL2nTneqB0-zOfind9Rqb0ieVhv9VzZvUVPiRzZVyYHspewrtkFGApug8UKrX70nQi7GcUC-Cou_nSboibamgt5V_2eFgvaMNitHyzNcLvGxI1er-WDG0/s400/IMG_0404.JPG" border="0" />So on Sunday a group of us decided it would be a good idea to bike from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Oita</span> city to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Saganoseki</span>. We set off from the dorms around 6am and returned home at around 9pm. BEST. BIKE RIDE. EVER. Did the unnecessary usage of capitalized letters and periods emphasize the amazing experience enough? <div><div><div><div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350599293338290434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJP7knqmrNJ8wpyG7Eqo2KYfbfw00W_2zzoPVrEu8Nau8TFCc6lW4MLkD0a7cZ_13tMGSUwo_dwHcZvld7UtP8l86XvZP80a1PaHHvJhPiTTKaUuNLQK4pM-CmVtHxMMVFs2zyJaIjc0/s400/IMG_0435.JPG" border="0" /> At first we were a bit unsure of how things would turn out since the weather forecast predicted rain (of course..) and none of us had biked to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Saganoseki</span> before. But we made it! I believe we covered the distance of about 80 km (50miles) that day. We even made it as far as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Usuki</span>, by accident of course.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350601082967407954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwSXpnOJsoF6U6-8zTM-gPCuaAR0rrIyllwV2RqXZ2TPFpxIN5ZfJzd3A_2fQwulYlgZx_sZp8veWQNzZVYZ-7xYEp5B4dt4KEiL6q8FUaPfVbYTxfWvh7yXowx_fE13kgywUYF3Bleg/s400/IMG_0524.JPG" border="0" /> I've never biked so much in my life, we were practically on our bikes the entire day, except for when we stopped to eat and take photos and.. collect rocks/shells by the shore. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">scenery</span> there was really beautiful. The weather was nice as well, scattered clouds with light winds. It did rain briefly though, which is expected to occur during most if not all of our outtings.</div><div></div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350601536958642658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHD2Qkf32kzLw0jtYTGdHRkWhwgjcnenKJOaUn6bZL-WhyphenhyphenXVrPhNhIfFfSJqTB13rJGOVsgKOu_ZhziViRxR7jN98AohFCJXwxNUmWmf84hKRk4DVZpR07PheB0EoaU2gu0oRTZtIDLw/s400/IMG_0553.JPG" border="0" /> And of course, we stopped by the local restaurant and got some ice cream! ice cream by the ocean with good friends just never gets old for me. <div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350601681276226770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fb1YzNOy8hY0PYj_hLJkpA5wr-rRQRv650gkdI3r5qdmZl28mED-Wxx0_gFrSE4OC2tKf85CGcg0wWSknXfR3DnQ91eCgcsdQVD8awAVmtZK_VY95zh7sPbnY2DYgY2lJIvOYvaQpOA/s400/IMG_0564.JPG" border="0" /> No indians, no chiefs, no drama! just friends.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350602111606341954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BXIasVNbIIKkfTZ6q7afqw9elE86ybp1J3yjYnCK6dh8091BNnPZMaHs69KFiLAAje8OX5Kc2p2iLJeCU5CiRPcCEb9QWGL72zZnEvvzd93sK3wOhzd3q2BCRx3oT9INplURgrIf9Fc/s400/IMG_0560.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-86420205835208225302009-06-13T02:13:00.000-07:002009-06-13T02:58:27.706-07:00Never Have I EverNever have I ever gotten drunk and decided it would be a good idea to toss noodles onto the walls, floor and ceiling of my dormitory apartment complex.<br /><br />Guilty!<br /><br />There's a good reason why I don't drink often, and that would be one of them.<br /><br />This is the second time I've gotten really drunk in Japan. The first time was actually one of my first nights in Japan. It was at Mr. Kimura's izakaya; Geoff, Danielle, Mike, and Tuan were there. That night was pretty wild, we got lost trying to find our way back to Kaikan and I remember Tuan tossed up on the streets. Good times.<br /><br />It feels like I've come full circle in my study abroad journey in Japan. I know it sounds silly to come to such a conclusion from a booze night out with the girls, but there's definitely some irony I find in all of this. <br /><br />Allow me to elaborate without revealing too much information; It's the same game, but with different players. Sometimes its a swing and a miss! sometimes you swing and its a fly-ball, whooosh, right over their heads!<br /><br />Anyways I spent this morning hung over the toilet bowl throwing up. Fun!<br /><br />On a random note, the same jerk that threw noodles around the hallways also snuck into my room and spilled drinks all on my floor! RUDE! hahaDianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-90333281020466872242009-06-09T04:05:00.000-07:002009-06-09T08:14:45.835-07:00Revenge of the Monkeys!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GadFAYoTGQhC9TxFCY-Na4PzNlU0LS1_j3ZmU9Iaf_1S5DmquZw_6Te9Jqn6Id8V5BSPJ18ryHo93B3n92Ko40ChN0u6mdJGVfS58SCPzbbrHXSoBf_yxNEVri-dLMEoFqcV1_Fqs04/s1600-h/IMG_0347.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345333785610481714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GadFAYoTGQhC9TxFCY-Na4PzNlU0LS1_j3ZmU9Iaf_1S5DmquZw_6Te9Jqn6Id8V5BSPJ18ryHo93B3n92Ko40ChN0u6mdJGVfS58SCPzbbrHXSoBf_yxNEVri-dLMEoFqcV1_Fqs04/s400/IMG_0347.JPG" border="0" /></a>So I went to visit some of my relatives at Takasaki Mtn last monday. I'm the one on the far left, can ya tell? The one in the middle is my Aunt Bertha, she's busy picking the clumps of shit out of Uncle Dave's fur, he's the one lying down, probably drunk again no doubt. Oh that Uncle Dave!<br /><br />Ah it was really fun to revisit Monkey Mtn, the last time I went it rained and the monkeys smelled funny. This time we biked there along the ocean instead of taking the bus, and happened to spot some dolphins.. being.. dolphiny, yunno when they jump in and out of the water? yea that!<br /><br />Later on that day we bought some ice cream and enjoyed the ocean view. It's the simple things like this that I'm going to miss so much when I leave.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345345932399074834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgvnfuTsJ3kXlgtBYV2JJCHUZNgKvTuKy1LYzvqZZk7LnQY0BRwtxJ4jYklwrb77Z1H7KjrKGrGiTydM5hJuxdoJ4tt6pwxUPBIn_HgRrUbqIo98fHtvUmYAYw2ImHkqoomMGGJvV4ck/s400/IMG_0356.JPG" border="0" />After that, we took random group photos. We're supposed to be like monkeys... FAIL.<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345345003173153826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Vj5iH0W5GxRWcwzf6WAlz7zi_hJjoOify88Yh-LhpZtd3Ezy6xwp6eyUhxXxDICxU4CSy23ofvLg_dInN-jrLOcu25kRraG60jaVIKbkS-oDykfarU7YouyIJSgBN49aVuZlf2T9xdM/s400/IMG_0364.JPG" border="0" />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-70940925647081278612009-05-28T09:39:00.000-07:002009-05-28T10:27:02.721-07:00Not so JoyfullLast Monday, right after the Mt. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Aso</span> trip, I had to do an all <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">nighter</span> to study for a test on Tuesday. A test that I did not study for during the weekend like I should have. So I went with a friend to a restaurant called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Joyfull</span> which is open 24hrs a day.<br /><br />We went there at 11pm, ordered their drink bar(which allows you unlimited access to their drinks) and stayed there till 9am. It was a very productive study session, except till around 6am when your brain gets a little crazy from the sugar/caffeine and lack of sleep. We kind of just stared at each other with glazed over eyes and started laughing for no reason at all.<br /><br />When 7am rolled around, we ordered breakfast and then my friend left for 1st period. That's when things started going downhill. I could not stay awake at all, my eyes would just lose focus and before I knew it I was asleep and drooling all over myself. I'd catch myself nodding in and out of sleep, and the coffee didn't help, it just made me anxious and jittery. Class didn't start for another 2 hours and I couldn't trust myself to stay awake for much longer. So I packed up my stuff and headed towards school. I ended up sleeping at the bench near school like some kind of bum. It felt really great to lie down and shut my eyes for just a couple minutes, the shade was nice and there was a cool breeze blowing. As I laid there I felt like I was floating, what a trippy experience brought on by too much coffee and lack of sleep. I slept there until my friends came and woke me up.<br /><br />The test went well and I'm glad I stayed up to study for it. The rest of the day was pure hell though. Around 11am the after effects of the coffee began to kick in and I started feeling really tired, hyper, and sick. My head was spinning and I wanted to vomit over everyone and everything.<br /><br />Staying up late and having an all nighter is nothing new to me, I'm a gamer, it's what I do on most weekends which sounds incrediably nerdy, I know. But Sunday night I did not get any sleep either because I had to get up ass early for the Mt. Aso trip. So 2 nights back to back without adequate sleep, add in unhealthy amounts of coffee, and there you have a slice of my life here in Japan! The good, the bad, and the ugly, gotta love it.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-18513000055925957892009-05-27T07:37:00.000-07:002009-05-27T08:42:45.636-07:00Mount Aso<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_26xsRjmaAVOxWBYBrC7fzZqR8L1GHCL4E6mlcdc0K-W-3iYExZbU9IIZG4ll35itrEY0VZfPhh__yd4kIWVF4XqopyZIXC23_3AspooDYat_F6Murnr_ubZ5eN71CSbCpJRh3TpU7M/s1600-h/IMG_0086.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340515776012546690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_26xsRjmaAVOxWBYBrC7fzZqR8L1GHCL4E6mlcdc0K-W-3iYExZbU9IIZG4ll35itrEY0VZfPhh__yd4kIWVF4XqopyZIXC23_3AspooDYat_F6Murnr_ubZ5eN71CSbCpJRh3TpU7M/s320/IMG_0086.JPG" border="0" /></a>Went on a road trip to Mt. Aso on Monday. For once it did not rain, but in place of the rain was strong winds that prevented us from going to the top of the mountain peaks. The wind was blowing the volcano gas around so they closed the path. The strawberry picking thing didn't happen either because they chose to randomly close for the day... and we did not make it back in time to the other strawberry picking location. Great day at Mt. Fail, opps I mean Mt. Aso :)<br /><div><br />In all honesty it was still a lot of fun, I think. The ramen and ice cream there was delicious. Even had a goofy photo shoot taking advantage of the strong winds.</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340528972188081362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ40xaoJ4XA9c_VVu2ykTKz_0ewpE6dJwpo-cVdrkGzte6XCNdYnWGQ6r1ERwxkryiWysQpaHFa1F7maG7WTBridd7CBCJAfupyWqahrRItctUXdLvE01rtPNqP7IU0_h0rQ-ewKD83zM/s320/IMG_0106.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340528140093927362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKoBdmkeQF_2aE_TE7eAWfEthbVNtxV8voLSTgDX5xF_1VojiyNx3XnYO_qPf3w9w3srgaoPhvYs9VLFgTn7ZcTv3oEeMOtwvLz1ySiNj-Q1bLU5RKojEVIuQNqNdnECxrsFOCeptMa0/s320/IMG_0107.JPG" border="0" /><br />Goes to show ya, certain things are out of your control, but you shouldn't let it stop you from enjoying yourself. It's all about having a positive mindset on the situation, though it also helps if you're with good company.<br /><div><br />**On a slightly random note**</div><div><br />While traveling through Japan I've realized it has rained 90% of the time I went out anywhere. It rained while I was in Taketa for the bamboo lantern festival, and then Hita, Sapporo, Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa and Yufuin. Twice while biking towards Beppu it rained, and the day we went to Monkey Mountain it also rained. And this didn't even happen during the rainy season! </div><div><br />Seriously, I must have angered the rain gods at some point in time. Perhaps an animal sacrifice shall appease them.</div>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-51825831394522149922009-05-22T07:43:00.001-07:002009-05-22T10:28:49.116-07:00Tick Tock<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NMgfhov-iw_FPeLo19kJeCB8WrUknhOzy8NoJq03n-P5SjgmLWHKP39L5CuL_oUu4KdBrtQDTwQojXqhS4XGPjyZ80QpQLyuzmNmgkYMJEWml5loXJ5-IwY2aoSLP96gavuvwhGgkvU/s1600-h/IMG_0004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338701523292881458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NMgfhov-iw_FPeLo19kJeCB8WrUknhOzy8NoJq03n-P5SjgmLWHKP39L5CuL_oUu4KdBrtQDTwQojXqhS4XGPjyZ80QpQLyuzmNmgkYMJEWml5loXJ5-IwY2aoSLP96gavuvwhGgkvU/s400/IMG_0004.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Only a couple weeks left and time is still flying by at 100mph. I blink and 8 months have passed. I'm trying to make the most of the time left by hanging out more but I realize the more I get to know people, the tougher it will be to say goodbye. I hate saying goodbye, it sounds so final. Does it really have to be a goodbye? Why can't it be a "see you sometime later in life!"<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br />Am I just being too unrealistic by thinking it's actually possible to maintain long distance friendships with people half way across the country/world? I have friends back in the States that I lose contact with and they live right down the street from me! It's sad but it happens. We all get caught up in our own lives, and before you know it you start to drift apart from each other, eventually becoming complete strangers. Sure Facebook will say you're still friends, but you know the truth O_O!<br /><br />Life takes us in all different directions but I'll be a childish optimist and trust that our paths will cross again, it has to! I want to believe there's more to this life than just random occurances in time and space and that we're somehow connected. Because if we are connected then we can ultimately follow the threads back to one another. It's just too sad to think otherwise. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-82425684380575021062009-05-13T09:47:00.000-07:002009-05-13T10:33:12.339-07:00Grocery ListEver since I have been in Japan I have pretty much eaten at least 1 banana every single day. Considering I've been here for 8 months that's a lot of bananas. It's definitely the cheapest fruit all year round in Japan and it does have nice health benefits for sure. I've trained myself to stick to a strict diet in order to save money while still staying healthy. It's definitely possible to spend less than $20 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">USD</span> on grocery foods each week in Japan. If you're really short on cash you can also survive on just $15, or even $10 per week.<br /><br />Here's my list of weekly grocery items :<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Natto x3!</span><br />Chicken<br />Eggplant/<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Tomatoes</span>/Cabbage/Soybean sprouts (I usually just pick 2 of those 4)<br />Bananas<br />Onions<br />Eggs<br />Tofu<br /><br />And that's definitely less than $15! yes if you notice.. I don't have any junk food listed. Why? it's not that I don't like the chips and candy but it's a bit pricey and doesn't benefit me healthwise. Let me tell ya, it takes a lot of willpower to stay away from the snack aisles! You can also save money by just drinking tap water here, it's safe and best of all it's free.<br /><br />Now I do occasionally eat out with friends and if I'm really hungry while I'm at school I'll buy a quick snack (usually onigiri) but other than that my diet is pretty solid. I've dropped pork and beef from my diet, except when I eat out. It wasn't the easiest change to adapt to, but I'm glad I did.<br /><br />Living in Japan doesn't have to be expensive.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-47581731536238092042009-05-06T09:32:00.000-07:002009-05-06T10:03:05.886-07:00Back on TrackI finally got myself motivated enough to start doing my ANKI flashcards again. I was really active with it up until March when I went to Vietnam. When I got back from vacation, I knew my flashcards had piled up and would take me forever to do, so naturally I did what any other college student would do, which was to ignore it and let the flashcards continue to pile up. When I opened up the program today there were about 470 neglected cards waiting to be reviewed. I was so tempted to just turn off the program and goof around on youtube but I managed to do about 50 of the cards and surprisingly still remembered a lot of the vocabulary and kanji. If I keep at this for a few more days I can finish all the reviews and start learning the new cards in queue and then start adding new vocabulary and kanji into the program.<br /><br />Baby steps are better than nothing. I have to get that ball rolling again somehow, right?Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-984968570821376862009-05-01T22:51:00.000-07:002009-05-13T09:44:44.022-07:00Living Without a CarI decided to compile a short list of things I've noticed while biking.<br /><br />1.) The bugs that would normally splatter all over your car windshield will now splatter all over your face.<br /><br />2.) Sharp turns + loose dirt and gravel = bad times<br /><br />3.) Expect to get awkward tan lines (especially if you wear glasses) of course this doesn't apply to you if you bike naked. Please do not bike naked.<br /><br />Other than that, life without a car isn't so bad after all.Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-19670789301567196202009-04-30T05:13:00.000-07:002009-04-30T05:57:56.115-07:00Stranger Danger Part III : The Conclusion (hopefully)Ok so after the incident that occured in part II, that guy raised the bar to a whole new level of creepiness. He kept calling and left a bunch of voice messages for me all week. So I got curious and actually listened to one of the messages and it was a little unsettling. To be blunt, he said he loves me and used the word 恋人. Ewwwies!<br /><br />I tried to let him down easy prior to this by saying I had a boyfriend, but to that he responded by saying to keep it a secret from my boyfriend, what a great guy huh? When he asked if he could continue calling me I told him it's not good to call me anymore because it's expensive. So then he asked for my address so that he could mail me letters... O_o yea I'm not falling for that one. I've already removed my name from the door and was very tempted to put my name on room 303.<br /><br />Luckily a friend of mine was kind enough to pretend to be my boyfriend and call the guy up and yell at him in Japanese. I had to admit that was pretty amusing and should've been done a long time ago. I haven't gotten a single call from him yet. Thank you Japan for teaching me how creepy men can really be.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330465410057562530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 325px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1iMp5fmqCFotZf_wFWHlqkySYh-EHiw_fDYelEqhfmj6hlKiGh0vL0ONdlOepuA78GohxK5M-M1VIEQHly-UcPZtQ27PfkyrE_JnErxmW9hERsFtPhTacvT8zF7vpSv7MigIv5wD5yA/s400/126386070_8dfb2f1e8a.jpg" border="0" />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9176614398181857283.post-37119039012849340772009-04-23T10:16:00.000-07:002009-04-23T19:02:48.360-07:00弓道クラブに入ったJoined Kyudo Club (Japanese Archery) 2 weeks ago and I totally love it! It's the first time I've ever really participated in a school sport. The people there have been super kind and helpful to us. I would highly suggest all future study abroad students to join a club or circle because it's a great place to practice your Japanese and meet awesome people. I regret not joining sooner, especially during the Fall Semester.<br /><br />Kyudo is really fun and I want to be able to get good enough to practice on the shooting range before I return home. Right now we are on bows, we've moved up from the "stick and string". It's a little challenging because though the bow itself isn't heavy the force of the draw string is and you must maintain absolutely perfect form in the process. Everything has to be まっすぐ!まっすぐ!(straight) that word has become permantly etched into my brain now.<br /><br />I have a feeling I'm going to have giant beefy arms by the end of this semester from practicing Kyudo. Maybe that will help even out the proportions of my thunderous thighs... my Thighs of Thor!Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836525338329005131noreply@blogger.com2