Lost...in Kawasaki

Been quite the busy two weeks!

Still having an excellent time with Fumi; been spending almost every moment of my spare time with her.
Last weekend, I tried to get a shift-swap to enable me to go and see her band on Saturday night. Alas, the swap fell through, but I was still able to see her after work.
Sunday was excellent. We went to see a metal band called Ironfist at a livehouse in Meguro. Was surprised to see no one moshing, thrashing or even head-banging. Was quite the odd scene for a metal band! Afterwards, we visited a bar in Meguro where they were having a white beer festival.

I watched two movies this week:
Stranger than Fiction - was an OK movie, but kind of expected it to be funnier seeing as it was a Will Ferrell movie
The Number 23 - I thought this was a fantastic movie with quite a few twists and turns

Also extremely excited as the new series of Naruto; Naruto Shippuuden is playing right now. Finally, the crappy hiatus of filler episodes is over!
Picked up again on my viewing of Red vs. Blue again this week as well.

Joseph and I visited Harajuku on Wednesday and discovered such interesting stores as Snoopy Town, where the off-key music playing in the store drove us crazy!

This month is going to be a kind of hectic month for our branch as five teachers are leaving. We had a party for Andrew last Wednesday (same day as Joseph and Harajuku) and will have one for Clare, Matt and Joy next week.
Who knows how many new teachers we'll get, but until then, we're going to be swamped with work!

Joanne was kind enough to do a shift-swap with me so I could have Sunday off to be with Fumi again.
I stayed at my first Japanese hotel in Ebisu on Saturday night and enjoyed all the pampering.
Then, on Sunday; Fumi and I went to an Italian restaurant and I tried clams and mussels for the first time.
Afterwards, we visited the Yebisu Beer Museum and took a few pictures. There was also a piano recital there that day.
After which, bought the following books at a second-hand bookstore:
- All About Particles by Naoko Chino
- Airframe by Michael Crichton
- The Running Man by Stephen King
- Desperation by Stephen King
Following that, we walked through the Meiji-Jingu Shrine where I had my fortune told.
Finally, Fumi took me to a karaoke bar in Shibuya where we sang and dined on fine foods.

I finally quit smoking on Saturday and seem to be doing quite fine without cigarettes. Hopefully I can keep it up.

Okay, it's been ages since I posted here, I'm gonna try to keep everything in chronological order...
You may have noticed my blog has gone through a name change....more on that later!

Where do I start?

Well, still going strong with the one of which I share affection towards.
We spent the evening in Shibuya a couple of weekends ago and browsed around town, particuarly in a music store where I discovered the following news:
Chris Cornell left Audioslave
Rage Against the Machine will have a temporary reunion
After which, we enjoyed some fine food and beer at a Belgian bar.

Later in the week, I became unhappy with my situation and decided it was time to leave. I stayed in my friend Tracey's place for a few days until I could move into my new place in Machida. (Thanks Trace!)

That Friday, I met up with Ryoko and had some fun chatting a the Izakaya in Shin-Yurigaoka. The next evening (Saturday), Ryoko and I met up with Yuko and went to a bar in Shinjuku where we discovered it was waaaay too crowded that night due to the cheap 500 yen Guinness on the occassion of St. Patricks Day. So, we decided to go elsewhere; to an Australian bar called the Clubhouse. This place was the best Australian bar in Japan for one reason and one reason only: COOPERS! I took home a souvenir bottle complete with japanese back-label.

On one Thursday (can't remember which one, like I said; I'd try to keep this in chronological order), I received a random call from Rob, who asked me to come down and jam. I promptly popped around his place in Kakio and met the bass player Mark. After which, they proceeded to show me a couple of tracks that they had been working on (with Rob using his multitude of keyboard synths). I promptly began creating lyrics and vocals for said songs, which are still incomplete but close to completion/fruition.
We met up again the following Monday and hammered out another unfinished track.

Caught up with Joy a few times also.

A couple of times, she showed me this cool bar/second-hand bookstore in Shimo-Kitazawa where I bought The Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs.
Another day, we hunted around Machida trying to find some cool places. One place had a playground on the roof of an 8(?) floor building where we rode these animal mascot cars. After which, we enjoyed a couple of beers on a ladies night at Gina's in Hon-Atsugi.
I also met up with my friend Sunao for a couple of beers there as well on a seperate night.

So back to the timeline....

Had a really good time (as usual) with Fumi last Sunday when we stayed at another hotel, this time in Akasaka. Went to a cool pizza place as well. Always have the best conversations with this remarkable woman and have the greatest fun!

I met up with Joseph the next Monday to partake in a Yokohama adventure. We enjoyed the sights and sounds; particuarly in the Chinese Markets. Had a good laugh at some other people's expense too. LOL

Tuesday through Friday this week; I've been moving into my new place in Machida. It totally rocks. It's only 5 minutes away from the JR Yokohama Station (which is in turn only a couple of minutes away from the Odakyu Station. I was told it didn't have a washing machine and that I would be sharing a kitchen with someone - These were both lies. Either that or they were misconceptions. Anyway, this place rocks. It's a single-person unit, so I have ultimate privacy!

Wednesday was a going-away party for Joy, Matt and Clare. A great time had by all. Especially Joseph, who; I shant say anymore, enjoyed many a drink like the rest of us! Farewell Clare, you were a great asset to the team! Joy, I'll see you soon of course!

Just whiling away some time in an Internet Cafe (since I'm waiting for my internet connection to arrive in a week and a half in my new apartment) - going to watch the debut episode of the new series of Pizza when I get home. (Maybe Series 7?? World Pizza Series 2, nonetheless)

I'm sure I've forgotten something here, but I'm sure all the important stuff has been blogged.

11 LAYERS OF YOU

LAYER ONE: ON THE OUTSIDE
Name: James
Birth date: 5 October, 1982
Current Location: Machida, Tokyo, Japan
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brunette
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Libra

LAYER TWO: ON THE INSIDE
Your heritage: German, Australian (English plus Irish)
Your fears: Heights, stickers, embaressment
Your weakness: Can't keep my mouth shut
Your perfect pizza: Lots of meat

LAYER THREE: YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW
Your thoughts first waking up: It's too early!!!
Your best physical feature: My dimples.
Your bedtime: Usually midnight. Sometimes 4AM.
Your most missed memory: The last time I saw Fumi.

LAYER FOUR: YOUR PICK
Pepsi or Coke: Coke. Sometimes Pepsi.
McDonald's or Burger King: Burger King...ahem!...Hungry Jacks. Since there's no HJ here, then Wendy'ｓ.
Single or group dates: Single.
Adidas or Nike: Shutup.
Lipton Tea or Nestea: I dunno....green tea!!
Chocolate or vanilla: Neapolitan :-P
Cappuccino or coffee: Cafe Latte

- Layer 4 is forcing you to be biased

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?
Smoke: Yes, trying to quit still.
Drink: Yeah, ya wanna fight about it?
Take a shower daily: Yes.
Have a crush: I guess you could call it that...
Think you've been in love? Maybe now...
Like(d) school: Not really....
Want to get married: Maybe yes.
Believe in yourself: Sometimes..
Think you're a health freak: No.

LAYER SIX: IN THE PAST MONTH HAVE YOU..
Gone to the mall: Yes, mainly window shopping.
Been on stage: Yes, I think it was within 6...
Dyed your hair: No.

LAYER SEVEN: HAVE YOU EVER
Played a stripping game?: No.
Gotten beaten up?: In Primary School.
Changed who you were to fit in: One word:　Weed.

LAYER EIGHT: GETTING OLD
Age you're hoping to be married: No idea.
Age you want to die: 107

LAYER NINE: IN A GUY/GIRL
Best eye color: Deep Brown
Best hair color: Black
Short or long hair: A little from column A and a little from column B.

LAYER TEN: WHAT WERE YOU DOING
1 MINUTE AGO: Doing this survey.
1 HOUR AGO: Downloading.
1 WEEK AGO: Drinking, laughing.
1 YEAR AGO: Hanging with my mates in Oz.

LAYER 11: FINISH THE SENTENCE
I LOVE: TOO QUICKLY SOMETIMES
I FEEL: like going home soon.
I HATE: high school attitude.
I HIDE: my mess.
I MISS: Adelaide sometimes.
I NEED: to save money.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.
I guess I can add the "It's not you, it's me" speech to my list of my experiences. If you don't know what or who I'm referring to, then you need to read between the lines.
Been healing my emotional wounds the past few days in trying to come to terms with another commonly found phrase "There's plenty of other fish in the sea"....and so I say to myself "What a massive sea I'm in!". I know now not to let myself fall deeply and passionately into obsession so easily.
Well, you were right about the haircut Joy, and you were pretty much right again this time!

Rob and I have been working on more stuff, but as he says, I need to pull my finger out on the lyrics front.

Adrian has finally come back to Japan (in case you didn't know, he's one of my best friends in Japan and Tracey's boyfriend) and we spent the day moving stuff yesterday. This included some rather dangerous manoeuvers involving heavy objects. But, in the end (almost) everything was moved. In saying that, I hope to have my new bed soon!

Will get the internet back in 6 days, but still enjoying this fine internet cafe in Machida; Gran Cyber Cafe.

Currently reading: World Wrestling Insanity
And like I said in a comment for a previous post, I will read the literature that Joy has provided me with, although she probably doesn't believe me! (and with good cause!)

Was quite shocked to find Super Famicom's second hand for 500 yen (5 bucks!) and Sega Dreamcasts for 2000 yen (do the math) here, considering how expensive the Australian counterparts are second-hand.

(Thanks once again Joy!)

[ NOW ]
Current mood: Calm, a little bit sleepy
Current music: The Superjesus
Current taste: Chocolate Milk from the Internet Cafe vending machine.
Current hair: Brunette, I guess
Current clothes: Work clothing, quite boring...
Current annoyance: My lack of internet at home.
Current smell: My cold.
Current thing I should be doing: Nothing in particular.
Current windows open: uTorrent, Firefox, Windows Explorer
Current desktop picture: Something I snagged from digitalblasphemy.com
Current favorite band: Hard to say, but possibly Weezer.
Current book: World Wrestling Insanity by James Guttman
Current cd in stereo: St-stereo??! Eeeeehh?? What is this archaic monolith you speak of?
Current crush: Not telling!
Current favorite celeb: Paulie from the Pizza series

[ DO YOU.. ]
Smoke?: Yeah, on the quitting train though.
Do drugs?: Not for a long time, and never passed the gates.
Have a dream that keeps coming back?: It's so stereotypical, but one where I'm falling.
Remember your first love?: I think I loved her, but that was a long time ago.
Still love him/her?: Nope.
Read the newspaper?: Nope.
Have any gay or lesbian friends?: Does bisexual count?
Believe in miracles?: Yes
Believe it's possible to remain faithful forever?: Yes
Consider yourself tolerant of others?: Depends on what habits you speak of.
Consider love a mistake?: Of course not, everything is a learning experience.
Like the taste of alcohol?: Damn straight, I do.
Have a favorite candy?: Anything that starts with gummy.
Believe in astrology?: Nah.
Believe in magic?: Probably not
Believe in God?: Yes, but not in religion.
Have any pets: No.
Go to or plan to go to college: I have a BIT.
Have any piercings?: No. Don't plan on getting any.
Have any tattoos?: Ditto as above.
Hate yourself: Not really.
Have an obsession?: Downloading
Have a secret crush?: Yes, that's why I said not telling before.
Have a best friend?: A few.
Wish on stars?: Occasionally

[ LOVE LIFE ]
Ever been in love?: Yes - Why are there repeating questions here?
When did you lose your virginity?: OK, now we're getting personal.
Do you believe in love at first sight?: I'm not sure anymore, maybe infatuation.
Do you believe in "the one?": I believe there are many perfect companions. the "ONE" is kinda destiny based...
Describe your ideal significant other: I'll know her when I get to know her.

[ETC]
Have you ever played a game that required removal of clothing?: A game? No.
Have you ever been intoxicated?: Yeah...duh!
Have you ever been caught "doing something?": Smoking.
Are you a tease?: I can be if I want to be.
Shy to make the first move?: It depends on the atmosphere.

[ APPEARANCE ]
Hair: Brunette
Eyes: Brown
Height: I can't remember.

[ LAST THING.. ]
Bought: Cigarettes
Ate & Drank: Buns and chocolate milk
Read: That book I mentioned earlier
Watched on TV: The Late Show - hilarious Aussie comedy from the 90's

[ EITHER OR.. ]
beer or cider: Beer.
drinks or shots: Depends on my mood. But if shots, slowly.
cats or dogs: If given the choice, cats.
single or taken: Single (now)
pen or pencil: I recently started preferring pencil again
gloves or mittens: Neither
food or candy: Food
cassette or cd: If not records, digital information.
coke or pepsi: Coke

[ WHO DO YOU WANT TO.. ]
kill: egotistical "playas"
get really wasted with: people of whom I feel safe with
look like: me, except fitter.
avoid: crazy people.

[ LAST PERSON YOU.. ]
saw: Some japanese person in the cafe.
talked to on the phone: My language exchange, affectionately known as Akuma no Sensei.
hugged: Rather not talk about it...
instant messaged: Yuko, the Aussie Otaku!! :-)
kissed: Again, rather not talk about it...

[ HAVE YOU EVER.. ]
Drank alcohol?: Yes. Have you ever repeated a question?!
Done drugs?: See above!!
Broken the law?: Rode my bike without a helmet. This ain't illegal in Japan.
Run away from home?: Yeah, a couple of times.
Broken a bone?: Surprisingly, no!
Played Truth Or Dare?: Yeah, it was boring though.
Kissed someone you didn't know?: No.
Been in a fight?: Yes, but they were all boring.
Come close to dying?: Don't think so.

[ WHAT IS.. ]
Your bedroom like?: Small, but peaceful.
Your favorite thing for breakfast?: Anything that doesn't make me feel sick or bloated.
Your favorite restaurant?: Anything Chinese in Japan.
What's on your bedside table?: Don't have one yet. But usually my mobile phone, a book, my iPod, my wallet and my DS. Sometimes a glass of water.
What do you eat when you raid the fridge late at night?: Anything with meat usually.
What is your biggest fear?: Death by falling.
Describe your bed: Soon to be very plain with lots of padding due to futons.
Spontaneous or plan?: Both
Do you know how to play poker?: Yes, but I'm not that good.
What do you carry with you at all times?: Mobile phone, wallet, keys.
How do you drive?: Scared.
What do you miss most about being little?: Almost unlimited free time.
Are you happy with your given name? Yeah, it's popular but not incredibly common in my experience. Is that an oxymoron?
What color is your bedroom? White.
Have you ever been in a play? Yeah, a few crappy ones in primary school.
Do poor, homeless, or starving people sometimes annoy you? Not really.
Do you consider yourself to be a nice person? Yeah, definitely.

To begin, your full, unedited and unabridged name, please:
James Dieter Ziegelmueller

On being introduced to your name, what was your reaction to it?
Confusion as to how to spell it.

Do you think God exists only in the mind?
That question is very non-specific. Do I think God is a figment of our collective imaginations? In some ways, yes.

And is therefore more real than the physical world?
What?! Do you know what you're babbling about?!

What is your chosen gender?
To be: Male. To be with: Female.

If pressed, would you choose to wear boots or high heels on a first date?
Ummm...I'm a guy!

Do you have a best friend?
Yes.

Do you look at all your friends and arrange them into a mental hierarchy?
No.

How long would it take for you to realise that you are in love?
It depends on the situation.

Could there ever be a sort of relationship that transcends love itself?
Could there be anymore stereotypical questions in this questionnaire? I don't think so, love is the ultimate.

What is your favourite breed of dog?
I don't like small dogs.

Nutella:
No, Vegemite.

Do you remember your first school friend?
Yes, his name was Mark.

Do you own a scarf of a colour other than black?
I don't own A scarf.

Do you like yourself? If not, do you like your house?
Are you retarded? Do you like asking retarded questions?? LOL Yes, I like myself!

Sometimes when I read, I read out loud. Do you?
Yes, very ocassionally if looking up information on the net with someone else.

Do you have some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder?
I have a tendency to worry about about anything I do that I consider not to be nice.

Are mini-skirts the way to go?
Again, I'm a guy, but I'll say yes.

Is red the new black?
Joy stole my line on this one, so I'll para-phrase: Do I like a man who gives a damn?

Which animal would you rather be: a racoon or a panda?
Panda. I wanna eat shiteloads of bamboo all day!

Do you pity all the penguins who fall over when planes fly overhead?
Aawwwwww.....is this survey by a chick? LOL

Sugar or Salt?
Salt.

Do you think that a monkey has more moral worth than a newly born baby?
Probably not.

Is there a difference between men and women which is not just biological?
Probably not, if biological includes instinctual.

'Velvet dresses are better than velvet coats'. Discuss.
Shut your pie-hole, I'm a guy!

Do you hate school?
Yes and no.

Does it sometimes annoy you that the Harry Potter films are so very bad?
I can't compare them to books I haven't read.