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 Rosie also managed to get herself into some controversy by openly criticising the outdated views of the queen-bee of 'metal studies' - for her trouble though, she got a lot of pats on the back and congratulations.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 Relief of Birds

AM

Least: I woke this morning at about 7:30am to discover my ears ringing. The extreme lack of noise outside meant that the faint squeal from the inner reaches of my ears became the loudest sound in the room. The noise of big cities seems to hide and cause all kinds of ringing . The noise of industrial society need industrially loud music to drown it out. Five days a week I shut out the sound of the rails and endless announcements by listening to various variations of rock n roll. Maybe we could measure how close a town is to death by the ringing in ones ears?

Most: By 8:00ish am, some noise had crept into the backyard and relieved the ringing. The birds were browsing the grass for seeds or hapless insects in their daily struggle. Through the window, I could hear and see magpies, fairy wrens, crows, currawongs, satin bower birds (above) and the usual flying mice. As usual the magpies were busy bullying the other aviators out of anything of value. I've always been suspicious of magpies since they pecked blood out of my head when I was three. The crows here don't speak Japanese.

PM

Least: By almost 3:00pm, I had been the victim of several attacks of regional advertising. Universally terrible sound, lighting, acting and scripts set Gippsland television advertising apart from all others. A particularly appalling example repeatedly offended my senses today. During the ad for Bairnsdale Motel, we are given a demonstration to show that the rooms have enough room to literally 'swing a cat'. You are welcome to stay there for business or pleasure. It is not actually in Bairnsdale.

Most: Just after 12:00pm, I walked through the bush to to the old gold mining areas that boosted Omeo to former grandeur. I trundled past numerous examples of the environmental destruction of the past 140 odd years. Deeply eroded gullies, piles of river stones, weeds, decrepit fruit trees, a burnt-out pine plantation, ancient rubbish, dangerous shafts and tunnels make this well trodden track interesting. As kids we used to explore the old mines for hours with string and candles. It is amazing that the local environment is still reeling from the gold rush - but at least it made growing up in this town interesting.

The Sky Building

AM

Least: At 11:25am, I foolishly got onto the wrong JR train at Shinimamiya and ended up in the weird surrounds of OCAT. Boring except for the youths practicing their break dancing moves.

Most: At 9.30ish I sat down to some excellent poached eggs on some admirable toast. I read Rosie the first two pages of Jonathan Franzen's 'The Corrections' - pretentious pomo drivel - I kept thinking of Nick's song 'We Call Upon the Author to Explain'- but - a page later it miraculously improved - it may just be good - Oprah liked it.

PM
Least: At about 3.10pm I walked into the HEP building in Umeda to be confronted with massive crowds looking for bargains. I quickly forgot the reason I went there in the first place - I think I was looking for an icecream.

Most: By about 2.00pm I was rocketing up the Umeda Sky Building to take a squizz at the observatory. A great view only besmirched by weird hiphop emanating from the walls and a smog cocktail of various fumes that smelled like burning plastic. Most fascinating though was the 'love lock' and the chapel for white weddings - who said Japan can't make good cheese?