Early Start, Early Home

Wednesday 4th November 2009

AM

Least: At just after 7:20am, I finally dragged myself out of bed to get ready for work. My new day shift begins at 10:40am, but it's miles out of the city in Gakken-Nara-Tomigaoka. It will be even more dificult to rise next week after a late finish at work on Tuesday night. I hope the early return home is worth it.

Most: At close to 10:ooam, as my train climbed into the Ikoma mountains, the view of Osaka was incredible. From the side of the mountain I could see the vast concrete blanket that covers Osaka Bay. Apart from the sickly brown smudge of smog, it was a strangely beautiful view - next week I'll try to take a photo.

PM

Least: Approaching 5:15pm, I stepped onto the JR Loop line at Tsurahashi station. The crowed nature of the train would not usually bother me, except for the number of clearly ill people on board. The number of flu cases is approaching 6 million in Japan, a I think a fair swag of them are continuing to ride the train pretending that their masks are working. If I haven't already had the swine flu, I'm sure I'll have it soon.

Most: At 4:35pm, as I left work, it was just beginning to darken. The sunset on the way home was spectacular and it felt good to be free before 9:30pm as usual. Probably the most interesting part was knowing that many of my colleagues were only an hour into their shifts. Arriving home just before 6:00pm, I streched out on the couch with nothing to think about except what I was going to cook Rosie for dinner. I settled on a basic spaghetti.

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.

The Thief

AM

Least: At nearly 8:15am, I woke with an unusually sore throat. The sore throat was combined with a general feeling of fatigue and a minor headache. Clearly, the flu is stalking my cells waiting for the best time to strike. So far this year, I have been in remarkable health, which I put down to a change of job and diet. I suppose when the immune system finally crumbles the swine flu might just be the first ratbag through the door. I just hope I get all possible flus before I go to Malaysia in December.

Most: At just after 10:30am, I peered over the balcony to see an elderly woman being detained by two staff from the Drug 11 across the road. Shortly after, a bicycled policeman arrived to investigate what I assume was a medical shoplifting offence (the pharmacist was holding several boxes of medication). The police began asking questions and taking down statements, then became infuriated at the woman's apparent refusal to cooperate (see above). With the policeman yelling into her face, a police car arrived to take her away. As I watched through the iron bars from the balcony, she steadfastly resisted getting into the car, despite all the screaming and cajoling by the jacks. Finally, another police arrived and prised her from her spot and moved her closer to the car. The woman apparently thought she could talk her way out of it until she was manhandled into the back seat of the police car. Incredible and slightly sad scenes.

PM

Least: At 4:30pm, I made the mistake of visiting Life supermaket on a Sundau afternoon. There were literally hundreds of men, women and children shopping like mad in a storm of chaos. It was actually difficult to navigate without bumping into people or tripping over kids. The incredibly stupid Life theme song, being played on tape-decks scattered through the place only added to the mayhem. A valuable and boring lesson.

Most: At about 1:45pm, I once again visited my favourite conveyor sushi restaurant in Namba. Today, the place was extremely busy and I had to wait to be seated. Part of the reason for the sushi-mania was probably caused by the long weekend, the other reason was that the restaurant was offering three pieces of sushi per plate instead of two. Not one to miss out on a bargain, the locals were going bananas over the sight of  cut-price food. Today, even the whale bacon only made it around one lap before being wolfed down. As usual, I ate one plate too many - but I just had to try the sanma (file photo above)!

Just when you thought you spoke English

AM
Least: At 10:18am, I poked my nose through my kitchen window to get a whiff of the weather. The air was as hot as the gas-fired kitchen. Worse, though was the sour smell of decomposing pigeon guano that has piled up between Sanshou and next door. I'm sure that a bird-lover next door is aiding and abetting the local pigeon gangs with crumbs or some such. The scourge is such the we, like thousands of others need netting to defend our balcony against these depraved rats of the sky.

Most: At exactly 11:00am, my phone told me that I had 30 minutes left on my phone card. I spoke to Ceridwen for a whiles and mused about the oddities of Japan. We discussed important birthdays approaching and the growing clutch of babies that are beginning to populate our lives. The conversation reminded me of how hard it is to speak freely in Japan - it's very easy to get the wrong end of the stick - and that's only speaking to Canadians. Just when I think I'm speaking fluent English, my 'space' becomes 'spice' and my 'cram' becomes 'crime' - context, context, context. Perhaps interesting proof that Orstraylians are an outward looking people.

PM

Least: By 1:50pm it was becoming clear that I was about to miss out on the end of another classic war movie - Where Eagles Dare. Working in the afternoons has the effect of obliterating my motivation to do anything substantial in the mornings. I usually wake at 9:00am, eat at 9:30am then eat again just after noon. By the time that the glow of the midday meal wears of, I am usually sweating in my suit-pants, and the movie is not yet over.

Most: Just before 2:40pm, I walked into work to find that all the staff were wearing surgical masks. There was an unintelligible sign at the door explaining that a staff member had fallen ill with the New Influenza. Several disinfecting dispensers of alcoholic gel were scattered around the office. During the one week of swine flu panic last time, I often found myself the only person in a room or carriage without a mask. Some people in Japan seem to wear masks to stop getting the flu, to stop spreading the flu and to stop allergies - these people probably have little time left to travel mask-free. How long does it take to incubate?