Is it bad if I start to laugh maniacally when I think about my remaining limited time of English teaching? I consider all the classes I hate (read: 90%), and the thought of never teaching them again fills me with an evil glee.
Oh, hey, one thing I won’t miss about Japan: old people on bikes. Everyone has the EXACT SAME BIKE here, which is hardly suprising. The unfortunate thing is that these bikes have a regular clamp brake for the front wheel, and some sort of disc brake for the rear. The rear brake ALWAYS makes HORRIBLE SQUEALING noises whenever it is used, on ALL BIKES. Imagine that you’re waiting for a stoplight or something, then this old person rides up beside you, and then your eardrum EXPLODES. Notice how I used all caps for emphasis!
I downloaded and used Skype yesterday, and wanted to plug it here. Skype is a Voice over IP (internet telephone) program, which allows you to call other Skype users for free, or dial to landlines/cellphones for a small fee. The real attraction of this product for me is precisely that small fee. I think on average, the cost per minute is somewhere around 1.2 Euro cents (yes, you buy phone credit in Euros). So, after downloading and setting up the program last night (minimal hassle), I bought 10 Euros worth of credit. At the end of the night, having made about an hours worth of calls, my credit stood at 9.10 Euros. Too bad I only have a month left in Japan, otherwise I would make much more use of it. As it stands, though, I imagine that Skype is a valid alternative to most long-distance plans in the States. Check it out!
Yossarian! The mere sound of that execrable, ugly name made his blood run cold and his breath come in labored gasps. The chaplain’s first mention of the name Yossarian! had tolled deep in his memory like a portentous gong. As soon as the latch of the door had clicked shut, the whole humiliating recollection of the naked man in formation came cascading down upon him in a mortifying, choking flood of stinging details. He began to perspire and tremble. There was a sinister and unlikely coincidence exposed that was too diabolical in implication to be anything less than the most hideous of omens. The name of the man who had stood naked in ranks that day to receive his Distinguished Flying Cross from General Dreedle had also been–Yossarian! And now it was a man named Yossarian who was threatening to make trouble over the sixty missions he had just ordered the men in his group to fly. Colnel Cathcart wondered gloomily if it was the same Yossarian.
In the spirit of writing more drivel about consuming media, I thought I’d tell you all about one of my newest favorite authors. Coincidentally, I discovered him through a friend (thanks Soulman) right before I left for Japan. The coincidental part is that the guy’s Japanese: Haruki Murakami. The novel I read was entitled ‘A Wild Sheep Chase,’ the original Japanese title being hitsuji wo meguru bouken (The Sheep Search Adventure). I could go off about how I find English to be way more descriptive than Japanese, but I’ll save that for another rant. Anyway, ‘A Wild Sheep Chase’ is probably my favorite out of all the Murakami books I’ve read.
The book follows the path of an unnamed protagonist, who is a recent divorcee. He lives an astoundingly plain and simple life; Murakami seems to almost revel in describing the regularity of this man's existence. This regularity changes, however, when the protagonist receives a photo of some sheep from a friend. He then uses that photo in a nondescript PR bulletin. A short time later, he is visited by a mysterious man who represents a 'powerful right-wing group.' This man points out a certain sheep in the photo, and tells the protagonist to find it, or else. Asking questions such as, "Why?", our hero and his girlfriend (who has remarkably beautiful ears) trek to Hokkaido, in an effort to locate this particular sheep, and possibly the friend who sent the photo.
One of the main things that I like about Murakami is the way he portrays his main characters as just regular men. Their lives are generally fairly average, which is something that many readers can probably relate to. Some may feel that Murakami is a bit too verbose in his descriptions of basically nothing, but I find it to be relaxing to read. In many cases, the protagonist will not have a clear course of action. Just as in life, many times the characters will have to sit and wait for things to develop, rather than have everything work out for them instantly.
So, I recommend checking out 'A Wild Sheep Chase' if you've never had the pleasure of reading Murakami. When you're done with that, get 'Dance Dance Dance,' the sequel. And then read 'The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.' If you're like me, you won't be able to put 'em down.
In an effort to waste as much time as humanly possible, I watched Ridley Scott’s
new film, The Kingdom of Heaven. Now, I really like Scott’s old movies, such as
Blade Runner and Alien. However, I guess skill in directing sci-fi doesn’t
transfer in a 1:1 ratio to directing medieval war flicks.
Kingdom of Heaven starts out with teen heartthrob Legolas (or
Orlando Bloom, if you prefer) working as
a lowly blacksmith, who suddenly discovers that he is the illegitimate child of
some powerful nobleman (Liam Neeson.
Said nobleman is off to the crusades, and Legolas joins him, ostensibly to gain
some sort of forgiveness of sins by killing infidels.
In the course of their travels, Legolas’ father bites it, and Legolas reaches
Jerusalem alone, where he inherits his father’s land. In the Christian-
controlled Jerusalem, however, things are not well. A schism arises between the
good guys (we only want peace!) and the nasty Knights Templar (kill the
bastards!). In a lame twist, the head Templar becomes king of Jerusalem, and
promptly leads all his knights out to be slaughtered by the Muslim leader,
Saladin. Saladin continues on to siege Jerusalem, where the final conflict is
resolved. In the end, Legolas goes back to his regular old blacksmith life, of
course with the hot chick he picked up in Israel.
Even though I am probably the most UNcritical person when it comes to movies, I
actually disliked this film. Orlando Bloom hams it up like you wouldn’t believe,
and the only interesting character (Liam Neeson) dies early on. Aside from all
this, the entire premise of the movie seems unrealistic. It is never explained
how Bloom learned his amazing combat and tactical skills, which are basically
the crux of the movie (he knows enough to expertly defend a city from siege).
Bloom’s character also holds views about religion that seem very politically
correct from a modern standpoint, but I’m pretty sure never existed 900 years
ago. In addition, the resolution at the end of the movie is weak sauce, leaving
no positive feeling.
Other reviews I’ve read herald this movie for the neat battle scenes, and I can
honestly say that they are probably the only good points of an otherwise
forgettable action film. My advice is to skip this one.