An Effort to keep the ratings up

As I was taking a walk this afternoon, I figured I need to update this a little more than I have been, to keep you reading it.

I was thinking of all the elements of a good story: suspense, romance, disappointment, intrigue, cute animal story, struggle, victory, hope etc etc, and how I could incorporate them into today's entry. So I will have a go at it.

Suspense
Well like the last 5 or 6 years of my life, I am in the job market, waiting for the right job to say I want you

Romance
Much the same story as above, but make it say for 14 years and a girl.

Intrigue
I'm intrigued why some people have totally dropped off the radar.

Cute Animal Story
Basically this is the highlight and general purpose of this entry. The other day (last week) I went to Tauranga and Auckland to go around recruitment agents, in my job search. I incorporated in my trip to Auckland a snorkeling trip at Goat Island. The weather was not so great, and the water was rather cold, so the view was mediocre. However before we headed in, some dolphins came by and swam around us several times, that was rather amazing.

Struggle
It seems so hard to make progress at the moment, fighting sleeping in etc

Victory
My Nana seems to be doing well in competitions with her garden.

Hope
Well, I have hope, I believe the right job is out there. I think it is the wait that is the downer. I also have hopes of going on a bit of a tour of the North Island with a mate after New Years. Also I'm hoping New Years will be fun, I'm going to Whitianga with Suzanne and Bevan (my sister and brother-in-law).

Celebration
Christmas was nice, I spent it with Mum, Dad, Nana, Popa, Suzanne and Bevan, at Suzanne and Bevan's house.

Tears
Um, I've watched about a season and a half of both the OC and Dawson's Creek in the last fortnight. Enough said.

Disappointment
In the last fortnight I played two games of Monopoly, a game I quite enjoy. However both times I lost. The first time I went to jail about seven times, and the other I went Bankrupt.

Miscellaneous
I saw Dukes of Hazzard and Punch Drunk Love the other day with my mate. Punch Drunk Love looked cool on the shorts, but was rather slow and lame. Dukes of Hazzard was alright. In Auckland I saw The Fastest Indian, that was awesome, and actually really funny.

3 Weeks after returning

Just a short update.

Since returning from Overseas I have mainly just been getting back into the swing of things. The first week was pretty much a write off, catching up on sleep. Other than that it has been a case of catching up with friends and family, and making a start on finding a job.

This last week I have been around most of the recruitment agents in Hamilton, and have been helping mum and dad put up their company's website.

Friday night we went to our friend's engagement party in Auckland. That was pretty cool, it was fancy dress "Mexican Dectectives".

Oh, and I have changed banks.

General feeling at the moment? What Krysta told me is true - returning home is overrated. The fame and glory only lasts for about 5 minutes, and the same for the novelty of western food. It seems so lonely being back, because everyone is at work when I aren't, and they are often busy with their lives after work.

In the Photo here, from left to Right -

my brother-in-law Bevan, Dad, Me, and Suzanne my sister

Anyway, looking forward to Christmas and swimming (snorkelling and Body-boarding) at Papamoa.
Have a good 1.

I did it my way: The year in summary

Having just updated the blog with photos (finally) - going as far back as my trip to Korea in September - I felt this year's trip needed some kind of "Best of" entry, an entry like the last show of Survivor they have, where they ask the contestants if they actually hate each other or not etc.

So here it is. So I will add some random photos that didn't fit in other places, and answer some random questions that I think up eg. Favourite trip in Japan, favourite other Asian country etc.

(My bike. Notice the basket and girl's frame - they are all like that. Lee named them "Communist bikes".)


Favourite Japanese Food - Coco Ichiban (especially if you go by most regularly consumed) - Japanese Curry. Cheap, nice, and convenient. Thanks Krysta for introducing me to it.

Least liked Japanese food (that I tried) - Nato (fermented Soy beans).


Food I won't be eating after having too much of it in Japan - McDonald's, especially the breakfasts

Favourite trips in Japan - Its a close tie between my trip to Kanazawa, the trip to Hiroshima/Kure via USJ and Himeji Castle, and my Nagano-Tokyo trip. those trips were all fun, very interesting, efficient, and made special by the people I stayed with.

Favourite place in Japan - again a hard choice. The top 5 are Kanazawa, Himeji Castle, Hiroshima/Kure, Kobe, and the Ninja museum at Iga Ueno.

Favourite trip outside Japan - I think Singapore/Malaysia are number 1. Mainly because it was such a breeze being able to speak in English. Also the locals weren't out to get my money, so it was a pleasant trip. #2 is Korea, mainly because nothing bad happened.

Thing I miss the most about Japan - first of all is the people, all the friends I made, the camaraderie. Next is convenience stores - which funnily enough were conveniently located throughout Japan, although this may have been my downfall too. The fact you could drink alcohol in public - and buy it (cheaply) at a convenience store. The good public transportation system.

Things I don't miss about Japan - the beauraucy and hoops you have to jump through to get things done - for example having to get an alien registration card - why? Missing the last train home from Nagoya... and the persistent massage girls.

Regrets - Not making it to Nara or Ise. Not going for a swim in the ocean in Japan, Singapore or Malaysia. Not seeing more around Nagoya. Didn't go to the Honda or Toyota factories. Should possibly have moved to Nagoya for more life. Not loosening up earlier on, I was too tense, and business-like. Not being more serious about learning Japanese. Losing the focus to lose weight. Keeping the internet connection at my apartment. Not making it to the top of Mt Fuji (at the same time though, that was one of the best trips, as I was doing it with good friends). But as many regrets as I have, these are of low value.

Grateful for - The fact all the flatmates (roommates) I had were awesome, no troublesome ones. That Yokkaichi was central and reasonably convenient to what I wanted to see - Osaka, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Nagano, and Hiroshima and Tokyo were manageable. I had great students, and for some reason, my students tended to be generally around my age. Also that I didn't run into any major trouble.

(The shoes make it into the hall of fame, as they saw me around most of Japan, up Mt Fuji, and over 10kms of the Great Wall of China. I didn't bring them home, but instead took a photo to remember their mana.)

If I moved back to Japan... - I would live in Nagoya. I like it as a city, not too big to handle, but full of opportunities. Central to the rest of Japan, and close to the friends I made. I would get more serious about learning Japanese, and I would adjust my eating habits, and probably not drink so often. I would also go with the JET program, and I would go hard and save money.

The following are a selection of bugs I came across in my travels. Note the size of the Cicada especially, compared to New Zealand's.