Life in the Express Lane
** UPDATED **
It's been only a few days since my last post and already there are many new things afoot:
• We’ve just found out that our newly married friends, Chika & Shige, are expecting their first baby. I guess they were feeling left out as everyone around here is having a baby these days.
• This semester of my Masters course is finally finished. I submitted a 21 page Action Research paper about easy and effective learning strategies that high school students can use to study in their own time. My final semester doesn’t start until next year so I’ve got some time to relax and keep this blog up to date.
• Tomorrow, Yukiko and I go for our monthly check-up at the Women’s clinic. We’ve got our fingers crossed that we’ll be able to find out if a boy or a girl will be joining us in March.
• Yukiko and I are in the market for a new car. With a baby on the way we decided it’s about time to buck up and join the automobile crowd. Right now our eyes are trained on the Nissan La Festa, a small minivan.
• In preparation for getting a car, I’ll have to get a Japanese driver’s license. Luckily, it’s very easy for Canadians to get a license here. I just need a translation of my Cdn license and an eye test. Americans have to go through all the trouble of taking the written and practical driving tests. Sucks to be them I guess.
Other recent happenings… Yukiko & I have finished watching the 4th season of the TV series 24. I had watched the series when it originally aired earlier in the year (thank you Bit Torrent) but we rented the series when it came out here so that it would have Japanese subtitles for Yukiko. I think it is probably the best series so far but on the second viewing I really saw the show from a more technical standpoint, how it was organized and put together. I realize now why Clowie is so annoying. While to the other characters she always seems to be saying the wrong thing at the wrong time she is in fact always summarizing recent events for the viewers.
Here are some pictures and details from our lives recently:
We went to a kimono exhibition featuring Yukiko's kimono teacher. Did you all know that Yukiko has been studying the kimono for years? I always wondered what exactly she was doing and I finally got the chance to find out. Women of all ages were demonstrating how to dress themselves and others in a multitude of different styles. It was pretty impressive.
That's Yukiko's teacher, Shirashi Sensei, in the background.
Here's a group of kids in their summer yukatas.
There was a short shamisen performance during the intermission.
Our friends Shige and Chika got married in Guam but they had a special wedding party in Osaka for all their friends who couldn't make it to the wedding.
Yukiko and her friends Natsuki & Emi
Shige & Chika are a darn good looking couple if I must say so.
Yukiko really roasted Chika in her speech for the bride. She had everyone LOL.
The party games were also very fun. Such as this one to determine who could put the most clothes pins on their face.
This was a nipple tug-o-war. There really weren't any winners in this contest... except for those of us who didn't participate. Those wacky Japanese.
Two of our good friends from a few years back made the return trip to Japan and we were able to meet up with them in Umeda. Dave worked with me back in my JET days and we hung out quite a bit back then. When he finished with JET, Dave and his wife Sachi moved to Boston. It's a shame we can't see them more often. We hope you guys come back sometime soon!
Sachi & Dave
Yukiko & Sachi
It's been only a few days since my last post and already there are many new things afoot:
• We’ve just found out that our newly married friends, Chika & Shige, are expecting their first baby. I guess they were feeling left out as everyone around here is having a baby these days.
• This semester of my Masters course is finally finished. I submitted a 21 page Action Research paper about easy and effective learning strategies that high school students can use to study in their own time. My final semester doesn’t start until next year so I’ve got some time to relax and keep this blog up to date.
• Tomorrow, Yukiko and I go for our monthly check-up at the Women’s clinic. We’ve got our fingers crossed that we’ll be able to find out if a boy or a girl will be joining us in March.
• Yukiko and I are in the market for a new car. With a baby on the way we decided it’s about time to buck up and join the automobile crowd. Right now our eyes are trained on the Nissan La Festa, a small minivan.
• In preparation for getting a car, I’ll have to get a Japanese driver’s license. Luckily, it’s very easy for Canadians to get a license here. I just need a translation of my Cdn license and an eye test. Americans have to go through all the trouble of taking the written and practical driving tests. Sucks to be them I guess.
Other recent happenings… Yukiko & I have finished watching the 4th season of the TV series 24. I had watched the series when it originally aired earlier in the year (thank you Bit Torrent) but we rented the series when it came out here so that it would have Japanese subtitles for Yukiko. I think it is probably the best series so far but on the second viewing I really saw the show from a more technical standpoint, how it was organized and put together. I realize now why Clowie is so annoying. While to the other characters she always seems to be saying the wrong thing at the wrong time she is in fact always summarizing recent events for the viewers.
Here are some pictures and details from our lives recently:
We went to a kimono exhibition featuring Yukiko's kimono teacher. Did you all know that Yukiko has been studying the kimono for years? I always wondered what exactly she was doing and I finally got the chance to find out. Women of all ages were demonstrating how to dress themselves and others in a multitude of different styles. It was pretty impressive.
That's Yukiko's teacher, Shirashi Sensei, in the background.
Here's a group of kids in their summer yukatas.
There was a short shamisen performance during the intermission.Our friends Shige and Chika got married in Guam but they had a special wedding party in Osaka for all their friends who couldn't make it to the wedding.
Yukiko and her friends Natsuki & Emi
Shige & Chika are a darn good looking couple if I must say so.
Yukiko really roasted Chika in her speech for the bride. She had everyone LOL. 
The party games were also very fun. Such as this one to determine who could put the most clothes pins on their face.
This was a nipple tug-o-war. There really weren't any winners in this contest... except for those of us who didn't participate. Those wacky Japanese.Two of our good friends from a few years back made the return trip to Japan and we were able to meet up with them in Umeda. Dave worked with me back in my JET days and we hung out quite a bit back then. When he finished with JET, Dave and his wife Sachi moved to Boston. It's a shame we can't see them more often. We hope you guys come back sometime soon!
Sachi & Dave
Yukiko & Sachi
posted by Jason at 6:40 PM
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