I'm sorry, I try not to swear too often but what the FUCKING SHITTING HELL did Sienna Miller think she was doing when she went out wearing giant knickers and a fluffy sweater after the premiere of her new movie Factory Girl?
I had almost let my hatred for Weasely McWeaselface go..I had forgotten her lack of talent, charisma, any type of discernible appeal and the fact that she is a total fucking moron but NOW ITS ON! Why was this woman EVER EVER labelled as a fashion icon?
Apparently Weasel has confused 'style' with 'looking like you are about to shit yourself in public'
Transalation: Shakai no mado: Social window, society's window.
Welcome to the ever-interesting world of Japanese idiomatic expressions. I don't care how good your Japanese is, I'm betting this is something only living in Japan can teach you-until now. I doubt they covered it in Japan-go 101, but hey, I could be wrong. Here goes:
Allow me to set the scene. An innocent, enthusiastuc ALT, (AKA, Me) doing her best to be genki (energetic and entertaining) despite the fact that the temperature inside the school is zero and the teachers have decided that, since so many students have been catching colds, they should start keeping the doors and windows open (What the $#$%@%@Q@#%# ?!) As she jumps, dances, and karate-chops her way around the room, pretending to play "Simon Says" in a crude attempt to survive the bitter cold...
Student: Sensei?
Teacher: Yes?
Student: Society's window.
Teacher: Huh? (clueless).
Student: Social Window! (Trying to be discreet).
Teacher: WHAT the heck is that? Social window? What does that mean? (loud and obnoxious. If everyone wasn't listening before, they are now).
Matsumoto Castle, also known as the Black Crow for its black walls and roofs spread out like wings, is one of the four castles Japan has listed as a National Treasure. Construction of the castle, as it appears today, began in the 1580's. The Donjon, or keep, is the second oldest survivng castle structure in Japan, built in 1593. The stones that form the foundation were taken from nearby mountains and carefully piled up by crossing their longer and shorter sides. No mortar was used between the stones. This process is know as Nozura-sumi.
In a weak attempt to break our winter weekend routine (which consists of sitting directly in front of a heater or under a kotatsu)the world famous Profesora of Abbey in Ena fame and I decided to take a roadtrip up to Matsumoto Castle in neighboring Nagano. Unlike a previously attempted roadtrip in which we never actually arrived at our agreed upon destination (thanks to some outdated Japanese road signage and a Jurassic Park-like road barrier) we found our way through the beautiful, increasingly cold and snowy mountain scenery along the Gifu-Nagano border, sharing an Ipod and singing along to the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Yui, WuTangClan, Bump Of Chicken, and Shakira.
Home-made roadtrip-commemorative purikkura!
Nestled in the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps, Matsumoto castle would have a stunning backdrop if not for all the cell phone towers, pachinko parlors and concrete that seem to have it under seige. Although it's flat-land position seems strategically weak, whatever the "black crow" castle lacks in defensive strength, it makes up for in aesthetics: unique black walls, gracefully upturned roof tips, and a classically curved, crimson bridge leading over a reflective moat. It's hard to believe that shortly after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the new Japanese government was so desperate for cash that it decided to demolish the castle to sell any timber or iron fittings they could salvage as scrap. Sadly, many other castles met this fate, being too high maintenance with no modern military value. Luckily, a local buisnessman named Ichikawa Ryozo rescued Matsumoto Castle, helping local citizens to purchased the castle in 1878.
Who is that hooded slurper? What excellent chopstick form!
After struggling to survive the climb up and the steep, irregularly spaced stairs in dangerously slippery, over-sized slippers, were rewarded with beautiful blue skies for a few post-soba slurpping pictures. Did I mention that there's an excellent soba shop convieniently located near the castle entrance? The kitsune soba is mecchaumai (crazy good!), and the hot soba cha (tea) helped speed along the thawing process after nearly freezing in the frigid interior of the castle. You can read more about our little adventure at The World or Bust.
Remember Ratha? We've kept in touch since August, and when I told him I was coming back to visit, he was kind enough to invite me to meet his family and stay at his home.
Ratha and his father outside their home.
Like father like son!
My new sister, Srey Mom, and I chatting away over something delicious.
Concentrate! I`m showing off my ability to count in Khmer.
Now we`re laughing at my inability to do anything else in Khmer. Thank God laughter is universal!
A few of my favorite images of 2006. It was a very good year.
Here's where 2006 took me:
1. Ena, Gifu, Japan ( Of course. I live here!) 2. Nagoya (Unavoidable stop on the way out of the country, or to Kansai). 3. Kyoto (Matsuri, geisha dances, and any other excuse I can find). 4. Osaka (To visit Shingo and Yuko-chan!) 5. Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan (Yuki Matsuri, the snow festival 2006) 6. Otaru, Japan (Quick sushi fix) 7. Hanoi , Vietnam 8. Saigon/ HCM, Vietnam 9. Sapa, Vietnam (Where I started the new year). 10. Bac Ha, Vietnam 11. Taipei, Taiwan 12. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 13. Phnom Pehn, Cambodia 13. Siem Reap, Cambodia 14. Battambang, Cambodia 15. Cleveland, Ohio (for my best friend's wedding).
Jade Goody was evicted from Celebrity Big Brother with a massive 82% of the public vote. Due to the heightened security surrounding the eviction there was no live crowd. Jade was escorted into the studio to a chorus of both cheers and boos (incidentally the first time an evictee has ever been booed by the studio audience).
I was surprised that Davina actually gave her a pretty tough grilling and wasn't willing to accept any excuses from Jade. The whole thing made for quite uncomfortable viewing. Jade ended the interview by stating 'Just because someone who doesn't argue the same way as you, or just doesn't shout the same as you - and is from different backgrounds and cultures, doesn't mean they are fake. I was sincerely really upset about what may have happened, and now I am embarrassed and disgusted in myself.'
I have to say, I think the issue was more of a class or control issue as opposed to a racial one, however Jade should be held accountable for her actions in the house. It looks like the show that made Jade has just ruined her.
For non-UK readers who are confused as to why this is such a big issue, try and imagine if Paris Hilton did another series of the Simple Life and whilst riding atop a cow made a racist comment about Nicole Richie, thats how big the issue has become here. It's kind of like that, but not really. Well it sort of is, just with less cows and socialites and more one armed lesbians and arguments about chicken.
My most favoritest nengajo, or new year's card, EVER! Drawn by my extrememly talented student, Yuno Matsuo, from the Beautiful Mountain School. Remember that name. She's going to be famous some day (^-^)/ This is supposed to be me, by the way... Thank you for making me kawaii Yuno-chan!
OH MY GOD! My favourite TV show of all time, Big Brother, is causing some massive controversy not only in the UK but across the world! Contestants have been accused of racial bullying towards Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.
Shetty, 31, one of the most famous stars of Indian cinema, labelled as the Indian equivalent of Angelina Jolie has been the subject of vicious attacks from Jade Goody, 25, a former Big Brother contestant who has become a celebrity in her own right, as well as Danielle Lloyd, 23, a disgraced beauty queen, and Jo O' Meara, 27, former singer from S Club 7.
The rows began when Shetty offered to cook the group a traditional British roast dinner but was unaware of the amount of time the chicken needed to be cooked for. Following this incident the 3 housemates professed their disgust that Shetty had touched their food with her hands, Lloyd stated 'They eat with their hands in India, don't they - or is that China? You don't know where her hands have been.'. O' Meara then followed up by arguing that Indians are thin because they are sick from unproperly cooked food.
Amongst other insults Shetty has been called 'a dog', 'a wanker', and allegedly 'a Paki' by Goody's boyfriend Jack Tweed, 19. Last night the arguments reached a boiling point when Goody used food that Shetty had ordered for herself on the shopping list. Amongst other comments Jade stated, 'You might be a princess in never never land (referring to India) but here you're just a normal housemate.' Lloyd added, 'She can't even speak English properly', 'She should fuck off back home'
Here is a brief video of the incident where Shetty finally reacted to Goody's comments by stating that her only claim to fame was being a former Big Brother contestant.
In a later argument, to be broadcast this evening on Channel 4, Goody is shown referring to Shilpa as 'Poppadom', in a manner similar to her mother Jackiey, 48, who during her time in the house refused to learn Shilpa's name and referred to her as 'the Indian'.
The repurcussions have been immense, a total of 36,000 compaints have been registered with Ofcom, an independent regulator of progamming in the UK. Politicians including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Anne Widdecombe have spoken out against the use of racism as entertainment. Almost every front page headline in the UK has spoken exclusively about the racism debate and as a consequence Jade Goody has been dropped by the charity Act Against Bullying who said her treatment of Shilpa was 'unforgivable'. Jade's perfume Shhh! has been removed from the shelves of The Perfume Shop in the UK and Danielle Lloyd has been dropped from modelling contracts. The Carphone Warehouse, a lucrative sponsor for Channel 4 have chosen to sever their ties with the channel following the incidents in the house.
Shilpa herself has been divided as to whether she feels that she is the victim of racism, today stating, 'I don't feel there was any racial discrimination happening from Jade's end. Erm, I don't think that is true. That's it. I think that there are a lot of insecurities from her end but it's definitely not racial.'
Here, 2 former housemates discuss whether they feel Shilpa has been the victim of racism.
The altercation will finally come to an end tomorrow when either Shilpa or Jade will be evicted. Shilpa is currently the favourite to win the show.
To be honest, It's kind of inevitable when you put a stunningly beautiful, intelligent superstar who knows 8 languages and is one of the most recognisable faces in world cinema in a house with someone who is oddly reminiscent of a jar of pickled pig snouts and who thinks that Albert Einstein is related to Sherlock Holmes and Mother Teresa. Something is bound to go down.
Thank you all for your kind emails and comments! I am back to posting after a rather long break! I just lost the momentum, had a lot going on and basically needed a break! Hopefully the rest will have left me renewed to blog better than I have ever blogged before!
Hikikomori (one who shuts himself away and becomes socially withdrawn, from the words hiku or "pull," and komoru, or "retire") is the word for a Japanese phenomenon of young people, mostly men (80% of hikikomori are male, numbering over 1 million), who lock themselves in their rooms for years in an attempt to escape from Japanese society's rigid rules and expectations. I have 3 students who were, or have become hikikomori, and I have wanted to write about it many times.
If you are at all interested in learning more about Hikikomori or the other problems facing modern Japan, please listen to this interview on NPR with Micheal Zielenziger, author of the new book Blocking Out The Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation. I have not read the book, but listening to the interview I heard myself trying to explain the darker side of polished and pretty, seemingly perfect Japan to visiting friends, family, and other foreigners I have met in my travels. If you have any insight or experience in these matters, please share the wisdom. I hope to write more about my own experiences soon...
Home-made roadtrip-commemorative purikkura!
Who is that hooded slurper? What excellent chopstick form!
Concentrate! I`m showing off my ability to count in Khmer.
August 28, 2006: My last lunch with the monks.
Wrong!
Ratha in his hammock.
Yeay Vouy.
The girls and I. I know they don't look thrilled, but they actually asked to take a picture together so that I wouldn't forget them.
