I did it!

I am ready to leave Japan!

All I need to get to Osaka and board that plane and then I am hooooome!

Wish me luck!

and I'll see you on the flip side.

There's really no excuse why I haven't written in here for so long (okay, there are many, but none of them good though some might be amusing. Like "I was kidnapped by ninjas!" " I ate natto and then proceeded to believe I was a samurai kitten with 12 heads!" or "I was busy!") (also, the one in the title.).

I supposed that usually nothing happens (" and then I was told to do something else by the Bossman!") or everything does, keeping me away (namely when the boyfriend was visiting or when another friend was).

All in all it comes down to the fact that Tokyo is just not as enchanting as Kyoto. Tokyo is interesting, but there's only so many times one can write about the pack of gothic lolitas on the subway at 1 am before it gets repetitive.

I am ready to go home at this point. This is a good thing as I leave quite early Saturday.

I just want to be normal. Well, not "normal," but normal in the sense that if I walk down a street people don't stare at me and talk about me while I am right there!

Right now the mad dash to Get Stuff Done is underway, with 2 loads of laundry not packed and my room a chaos pit. To the surprise of no one.

I'm also not looking forward to the Saturday in airport limbo.

I'm glad I came to Japan, but I'm beginning to think if I come back it'll be in the fall or spring and as a tourist.

Still, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

That's what I am!

I can't even blame it on nothing happening this time. I spent the better part of the last two weeks hanging out with my boyfriend and seeing Japan together.

We went back to Kyoto and managed to see a good chunk of the more famous temples there. We also managed to stumble upon the official temple to the Japanese WWII unknown soldier which gave you a baton of an incense stick to offer to the bodhisattva. Felt very weird as we were pretty much the only white people there in contrast to kyomizu nearby that, while not swarming, was not without its share of gaijin.

Work continues to be work. I. e. boring and frustrating, cumulating in the events of today wherein my computer was taken over and messed with. I felt I wasn't doing anything but felt I couldn't leave either. I ended up staying half an hour over watching Boss man and others tinker.

The time to think about going home is now. I am seriously dreading the jet lag I'll have on returning.

PS have registered for classes for the beginning of the end! OMG! Am considering a creative writing class as filler if I end up needing to pad my schedule towards the end of my college career. Or a 3D arts class. This is just a realm of possibility though, as I still need to talk to an official to get my ducks in an "I can graduate" row.

Also beginning to feel the need to refind and reread all the original Oz books for my personal collection. In addition: Oz retellings to join Wicked. Any good ones?

Yeah... so remember how I said I sucked at blogging here? It still stands.

At least now I have the slight excuse of a very sudden cold/sinus thing that attacked me on Friday and seems to be leaving 48 hours after it began. I'm still not able to breathe entirely normally, but I can function and intend to rest up when I'm not working so I can be ready for Friday when my boyfriend arrives for a whirlwind tour of Japan during the *second* busiest travel season. At least we have hotels this time. Just need to work on the tickets a bit.

Since I wrote last I've seen fireworks that were put on for the sake of having fireworks, sung karaoke, and caught a cold.

I also learned some Flash while I was at it. So far I am fairly unimpressive, but I can at least get it to work without the whole dingdangity thing exploding.

And I read Harry Potter 7. OMG! I saw a lot coming and also didn't see a lot coming. But it has ended, and as someone who is not in the fandom nor ever read an entire Harry Potter fanfic, I feel it is -- albeit in a cliched way-- a closed case. Also made me want to read some George RR Martin.

Life here has been slower than it was in Kyoto (no host family drama or interesting cultural experiences), yet it is also going faster (1 month left? what?!) I miss Kyoto. I wish I could live in an apartment there for a while, but at the same time I don't see myself returning to Japan as anything but a tourist after this. Still, a good experience all around.

My fingers are itching for another craft experience. I started knitting the scarf I started a while back again but really want to embroider. Too bad all the kits at the craft corner inside the station department store are too expensive to justify it. Ah well.

Now to bed, as though I do feel better, I need to sleep.

Yeah, life's been anticlimactic of late. The big event of today was the fact that I was the last person to get my food today at lunch (whole office goes down together) so I was the last person eating and therefore the person who held up the exodus to the Gundam game on the in-office PS3.

No wait, I lied. The big event of today was when Guy-Who-Actually-Codes got a big ol' Dell computer with a box large enough to ship any of the office guys to Osaka with only minor cramping. Also: a stinky shirt that smelled like Ozone that was American sized (read Kuma-san was swimming in it) and caused much merriment. I dearly wanted to commender it and build a fort, but I think it's good this impulse was ignored.

Lots of coding and research going on right now. I can't believe it'll be August soon. Seriously.

Well, now to bed, and stuff might actually happen Tomorrow! Yay!

Wow, I really fail at this blog thing lately.

I suppose this is directly related to the fact that I no longer have regularly scheduled "me" time anymore. I sure have it, but not as highly regimented as during the study portion of this adventure.

Lots has happened over the week, including going out to eat and drink with coworkers for a welcome party, and getting a "new" computer. Also, finding that people in this line of work will almost literally drop everything to ogle a new piece of design related equipment. Like the iPhone. Or the package that Microsoft office came in. No, really.

It's really weird having to reconcile what I expected of the job and what it actually is. Like how the coworkers only believed we spoke English to the point of them exclaiming "bikurishita!" (surprised) (also, should be familiar with all the Savoyards reading right now) after we made Powerpoints in Japanese and speaking in the language throughout. Or how I foolishly believed that a job requiring knowledge of Java would mean I would be programming in ... Java. Or that "business casual" in Tokyo didn't mean "a suit with no tie" but "not the ripped jeans if the boss is coming in."

I saw the fifth Harry Potter movie over the weekend. It was better than I expected, especially after the fourth movie just wasn't as good as the third. Though Voldemort trying to look sinister with a wind machine and softly glowing background just had me waiting for the techno beat to start at any moment so he could launch into a sultry Euro-disco-ballad and dances moves worthy thereof.

A merry band and I saw the movie in a cineplex located inside a Shinjuku building on the 9-too-high-a-number-for-me-to-be-looking-down floors. We also saw the Korean subtitled movie which had the advantage of only attracting 12 other people to the huge 120983129839812.1 surround sound, digital projection theater, but also wasn't nearly as distracting as Pirates where I would giggle over Jack calling Mr. Gibbs "Gibbs-kun."

Found a book store that (supposedly) did sell the seventh book and will again but I might just have to wait. Or order off of Amazon. Though it was a bit funny to see a South African(flag on backpack) tourist child get told it wasn't there and would be waiting for her when she got back despite her Verruca Salt cries that she wanted it right then. Shout Out to those kind enough to keep using LJ-cuts to keep the spoilers away from me! I really appreciate it.

Today I walked in ready to do battle to the bit with the double edged sword of code that belonged to my in office babysitter/handholder and comments in that code in Japanese. I ended up being informed that we were going to a convention that afternoon instead. Ooookay.

I wish I had been told earlier as I was wearing T shirt and my red Indian print cotton skirt, instead of the white button down shirt and one of many tasteful black skirts that would have been more appropriate. Didn't help that almost everyone there except our office was dressed to the salaryman nines. Or that the German dude intern hit on numerous Japanese women at random and some Americans besides. He justified this by saying he wanted to break the social rules and meet people. This is right up there with "I collect phone numbers" for bad justification on dudes trying to be cool about picking up ladies awkwardly.

The convention was fun though. Especially when we discovered the Pokemon-sensor promotion with our boss/group leader and a skinny but serious programmer/graphic designer (Nickname "kumo" or "bear") rushing up to be first in line to try and catch all the "pokemon" in the demonstration. This was ecplised only when the same bossman taped me on the shoulder and then said euphorically "Pikachu is here! We have to see Pikachu!" and then (this is the only word that comes close) bounded across the sea of business men on the crowded floor to see a guy in a suit.

It did, however, eat my energy and made me come home late. But it didn't involve wanting to punch the Internet, so this was good.

Random note to end on: Both Jesus Christ Super Star and Wicked are playing in Tokyo right now. Both shows are in Japanese, but I really just want to take in the spectacle of a Broadway quality show right now. I really want to see Wicked both for the Experience (and the extremely off chance that awesome actor Kaga Takeshi aka Iron Chef's Chairman Kaga might want to play the Wizard after being both Jesus and Jean Valjean) and because I know Wicked.

However, Jesus Christ apparently features Kabuki Makeup! And also the Jesus actor in ads weirds me out and strikes me as off because he doesn't have a beard. I mean, really. You can put Jesus in the 70's in a sequined technicolor flamenco dress and Carmen Miranda hat and I will still think that is less disturbing and more "correct" than this actor as long as '70s Jesus has a beard.

Well, that was the overly long update. I'll try to be better about this, especially if I *do* go to the shows and buy my ticket from a vending machine in a 7-11.

I survived my first (and hopefully last) Japanese earthquake! Nothing too big happened other than it woke me up. Nothing broke and while my light fixture was swinging, nothing was hit. The power didn't even go out. (I think. I didn't have anything running at the time).

After the Earthquake I went back to sleep for a few hours and had one of my monumentally epic dreams. This time it was a super-powered Jane Eyre (man, note to self: watching all of "Heroes" in less than 3 days = bad for dreams). I was/was playing Jane whose superpower was (surprise!) invisibility/being a chameleon. I forget what Rochester's power was, but I do remember ( Jane Eyre Spoiler ) Very weird. I shall have to pitch it as a screenplay one of these days. Or at least a novel, possibly a graphic one. Definitely less weird than the one the night before, though no less epic. And now I want to read it again! OMG!

I have today off at it is the long treasured national holiday of "Ocean Day" (Umi no hi), so much of it was spent lazing about, as most days off should be spent.

Part of me will be glad to go back to the internship, though the other part wants to continue to relax. Very weird to go from studying everyday to having the option of not doing anything on the weekends.

Our official welcome party is Wednesday. Drinking and possibly a game of "how much crazy cuisine can the new girls handle" will be involved. I hope things are fun!

Now time for possible dinner (oh boy!) or maybe just reading for fun and profit!("How to turn a crazy dream of yours into a multi-million dollar empire")

Hey everyone!

Sorry to leave them that follow my blog hanging, but I was just so tired all week be it runover from finals or just the stress of moving and starting a new job.

I guess I shall be brief about what happened during the week.

On Saturday I went with my host mom to drop off my luggage to be shipped and ended up getting berated along the way (joy). This made it that much easier to ditch the host family and head to Nara (capital of Japan before Kyoto). It had a "Daibutsu" or Big Buddha. He was quite amazing. One of the few times I have been really impressed by a tourist spot. My friends and I got interviewed by some Middle Schoolers from the provinces who were on their school trip. They were adorable in their enthusiasm.

The trip to Tokyo was uneventful. I got on the train, I hung out for the 2ish hours (huzzah for super express trains!) before arriving.

I made my way to a friend's house where me and girl of same internship crashed until Monday when the job started.

We were waaay over dressed, as our Big Boss Man is in jeans and tshirts everyday.

It looks like a lot of coding on the part of me, but I can deal. Also: Japanese coworkers don't think I speak Japanese. Trying to break it to them gently. Don't want to lose what little I still have.

Already happier w/o the host family, though I catch myself worrying that the landlady might come up and start berating me, but hopefully that will fade.

Life is starting to assume the new pattern. I'm enjoying the alone time that this affords me, but I am anxious to start hanging out with Tokyo SCTI people. Time will tell.

Less than a month before boyfriend comes to Japan! Yay!

...so I'm going to move and thus be free!(apologies to the dudes who wrote "A funny thing happened on the way to the forum")

Man, sorry for no updates, but stuff has been getting done.

I move out tomorrow for Tokyo, though the exact timeline remains to be seen.

I go to Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train) sometime in the late afternoon. Before then I'm going to put my luggage in place of delivering stuff and then proceed to goodness only knows where. If the world was perfect I'd most likely be lingering, waiting for the best possible time to bid adieu to my host family, but as such, we seem content to go our separate ways without delay.

Tonight was the farewell dinner, and after all the speeches in honorific language, we ate. They provided us with the best possible champagne and then beer and sake to supplement as well as an open bar. I indulged in a small glass of white wine from the bar when toasting the Japanese teachers.

After the dinner and many tearful goodbyes where the office staff was concerned (and I received a pledge of love from the Internship coordinator and friendship from the homestay lady, w00t!) a group went out karaokeing. It was a lot of fun, though I discovered that "Layla" (name of my computer) was not a crowd pleaser, though singing it solo was a good release. Hope to do more of that in Tokyo.

Well, I am sleepy and have a biiiig day tomorrow. Wish me luck and internet in Tokyo!

PS Jane Eyre a second time = love!

Host mom acting extra weird today. Bah!

I don't know if it's because I've been keeping to my normal behavior? Is it because she's looking forward to my leaving as much as I am? Is it because the 7th planet in Andromeda is in retrograde? I really have no clue.

I mean, I know I don't talk much, but y'know, I don't like to talk to people who are dismissive of my attempts at another language, insult my (apparent lack of) cleaning skills, yell at me for reasons that are not good (not wearing slippers to dinner, for instance, throwing away trash is another) and otherwise display signs of passive or straight out aggression. Just a personal quirk of mine I guess. ::rolls eyes::

The idea of moving out on Saturday is just so ...enticing! If only I could spend the last 3 nights and 4 mornings at a friend's house instead of here.

I just hate that I have to ask them if I can drop my luggage off. I fear the Friday "thanks" and "goodbye" party just because I *might* have to sit next to them.

In happier news, I am doooone with finals! Yay!

Architecture went off without any major hitches. I have the grade even for History class. And Japanese is long done.

If only I can get over my restless feelings and the tension in my host family's house ::le sigh::

PS. Got a yukata. I am happy with the purchase.