The Red Ribboned Rabbits

AM

Least: At just before 9:00am I accepted that my headache from yesterday's conrete - brain collision wasn't going to leave soon. After a week with a flu, the last thing I need is another headache. The worst thin, though, is the fuzzy confusion associated with the knock, I found it difficult to remember anything in real detail which made writing very tricky. Clarity is golden.

Most: At 11:40am, I walked out the front door of our apartment building (carefully ducking my head) and into the street. Across the street is a massive house, and whoever lives in it has decided to shape their two potted trees into rabbits. To add to the oddity, the leafy green rabbits are wearing red ribbons and have orange eyes, and after writing are wearing Halloween hats. As to their purpose, I can only imagine they're part of some post-modern take on Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Strange but interesting.

PM

Least: At 3:30pm, I arrived to work to find my boss doubled over with abdomen pain. She was basically incapable of movement or any basic duties. She groaned for about two hours before getting relief from another staff member from Komyioke and for obvious reasons was in no mood for conversation.I was left thinking selfishly how boring it was with no-one to talk to and no clear thoughts in my head. Groan.

Most: At nearly 10:15am, I sat down to a pasta dish made with fresh tomatoes. Despite my doubts about the Japanese tomato for sandwich purposes, the oversweet orbs make for excellent sauce. Rosie's sauce had just enough garlic and fresh basil to allow the full flavour of the riper than ripe tomatoes to grace my tastebuds. I hope Rosie records her improvised dish so it is never lost for future generations.

Bordem and Burritos

Thursday 15th October 2009

AM

Least: By 10:00am, I had admitted to myself that I was no longer sick enough to justify taking another day off work. This meant a morning free from pure relaxation and overshadowed by ironing and de-linting. The problem is that we are forced to wear clothes that are those of a 'professional educator'. Most of the professional educators I can think of would never waste energy on ironing, let alone de-linting and almost none of them are in Japan.

Most: At about 11:45am, I ventured up the road to the Family Mart for lunch. On my way to the onigiri section, I must've passed close to ten people thumbing manga samplers and magazines they hadn't bought yet. Approaching lunchime, the Convenience becomes a convenient library for those who can't stand eating with their workmates or simple just need to kill time. The odd thing is though, that the free-readers come from the full sprectrum of the Japanese worker - from massive panted tradesmen, to be-suited office ladies. I wonder what the Family Mart managers think.


PM

Least: At close to 7:30pm, a tear welled in my let eye as I swallowed a yawn. I wasn't sure if it was the painfully stuttering student, the boring textbook or simply the flu, but I was incredibly tired and dry. For some reason, we are not permitted to drink water while in the class-cubicle and this meant that my throat was becoming increasingly irritated. It was boring to imagine that the lack of a simple bottle of water was standing between me and a tolerable day.

Most: At about 9:30pm, I arrived home to find that Rosie had made burrito stuffs. One of the best things about eating Mexican food is that, unlike most Japanese food, it has a strong flavour. Tonight, we had vegetarian burritos with a red bean sauce, avocado, tomato, home-grown lettuce and cheese. They were delicious and I could not stop at one nor four - I think I ate five.

100 Days of AMPM

Wednesday 13th October 2009

AM

Least: As early as 7:50am, I was sure that my version of the influenza was going to dominate my day. The searing forehead, the dream-like focus and the various other symptoms, meant a day inside and questions about whether or not to go to work. Strangely, despite some minor nausea, my appetite remained and I was able to eat the well-worn breakfast of poached eggs on toast. Given that I'd felt ill since Saturday, I thought that my flu might be coming to an end, but clearly I'd thought wrong.

Most: By 11:00am, I began to realise that today's blog entry, would be the one-hundredth AMPM. I think that the blog has been a good reflection of my time in Japan - occasional highlights with quite a bit of everyday life in-between. My only regret is that I didn't start the blog earlier in my stay - some classic Japanese moments slid by without notice like the time I was mauled by numerous deer in Nara (right), or the February day when I nearly fainted in a swirl of colour on Dontomburi. I can't really think of a single highlight, but the trip to Yamanashi comes pretty close - as for the unblogged lowlight - being lost in Kyoto while snow flurries chilled our every angry misstep. Hopefully the next one-hundred days will be as full of delightful highs and crushing lows as that last  - and if I start blogging on Janglish, readers be warned that the end is nigh.


PM

Least: By 3:45pm, I was really beginning to regret my decision to go to work. During my lessons, I felt as if I was having an out of body experience and that I was watching someone else respond to the incredibly predictible grammar errors like a robot. I knew I was in a poor state after the school director told me that my face '...looked bad' - she really has a way with words.  Although I had taken some cold 'n flu capsules, they did absolutely nothing to salve my discomfort. Another blow for my already shaky belief in Japanese medicine.

Most: At about 10:10pm, I arrived to a not so lonely home. Rosie had returned from her German excursion and made my otherwise awful a great one. Her stories of the Heavy Metal and Gender conference in Cologne were interesting and funny. As it turned out, many of the academics and students were real metal fans and dressed as such during the conference. Rosie also managed to get herself into some controversy by openly criticising the outdated views of the queen-bee of 'metal studies' - for her trouble though, she got a lot of pats on the back and congratulations. Rosie's paper will be published in a book of the conference.

Gastronomy Versus Gastro

AM

Least: At nearly 8:20am, I awoke with a sore neck, a splitting headache and a stormy gizzard. The first affliction I have had for days, the second caused by beer and the third probably via kids at Rosie's school. The unpredictable nature of my malaise meant that I was confined for much of the AM period and less able to fight my other physical impairments. As the morning wore on, I began to question the foods the I had eaten in the last twelve-ish hours but I just couldn't bring myself to blame the sashimi, doteyaki, the octopus or the sanma. I finally settled on blaming a school environment teeming with virus's and imperfectly washed hands.

Most: By 9:30am, I had realised that Collingwood had in fact won the game of football that I had recklessly ignored last night. While speaking to my sister and niece is was strangely comforting to be able to give my comisserations to my Adelaide following brother in law. While AFL is pretty far from being interesting, this short skyped aside was a shining light in an otherwise dreadful morning.

PM

Least: Pretty close to 12:30pm, I paid a visit to the Nankai station branch of the MUFJ Bank to check my bank balance. Seconds later, I discovered that August's wild spending spree had taken its toll and worse, my pay had yet to be credited to my account. The dismal figure made me ponder where the money had gone. Expensive meals, taxis, pizza and an airfare to Malaysia. Hopefully this month's boring balance will be a cracking holiday in December.

Most: At about 3:00pm, Rosie and I browsed the shelves of the A-Price Supermarket in Namba. The shop is aimed at caterers with caterer-sized everything to sham your restaurant into respectability. Among the frozen fish and crabs was the whale section. Frozen packs of whale bacon and blubber called out from the freezer. Some of the larger cuts of meat actually had a picture of a humpbacked whale to assist with advertising and the biggest steaks were simply frozen flesh sawn into rectangular boxes. The supermarket also has an admirable selection of cheese.

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Food Note: At around 2:00pm, I ordered what I thought was fried seafood chunks by pointing at a photo. Unfortunately, the dim lights of the restaurant meant that I had actually ordered a sizzling skillet of horemon which consisted of asparagus stems and pig entrails served on a bed of cooked onion. With a sqweeze of lemon it was delicious and given my intestinal issue, I imagined that by eating intestines their strength might transfer to mine. Magic.