Japanese culture classes

Today's Japanese class was not really Japanese language class, but Japanese culture classes. Today, we learned the different types of Kimono Japanese ladies wear here in Japan and on what occasion these Kimono were being used. It was an interesting class and we learned a lot of new words to add to our vocabulary.

Second half of today's class were devoted on "dress up and take a picture" for the students.

Our teacher, Satou-sensei, taught us how to put on a yukata (summer casual kimono) and apparently, only a few people are able to dress by themselves with a kimono. We got paired in twos and these was when we get to dress up our partner.. hahaha! I hope I didn't pull Ma's Obi tightly when I tied the ribbon on her back.

We had a lot of fun dressing up, posing flirtatiously at the camera when pictures were taken (none of those "erotic" pictures are here) and our class coordinator, Kaneko-san, was the designated photographer when we had to have a group picture taken. All students got to wear a really nice yukata, even Jeff, who were provided the men's version of it. Oh and yes, we had 2 birthday celebrants! 1 was Jasmine (the pretty one in violet yukata, holding a miniscule cake) and the other one was one of our class coordinators (I am so sorrry, I really don't know her name.. so embarrassing)

Oh, by the way, I thought we have the prettiest teachers and if we had more than 1 guy in class, they'd probably spend most of their time ogling instead of listening to class... hihihihihi!

chronicles of pinoys sa opis

Jeff: (typing furiously on his keyboard)
...............
Jeff: harummphhh! sakit ng (inaudible sound: suspiciously sounding like puson) ko!
ako: ano sabi mo?!?! masakit PUSON mo??
Jeff: (gulat look, big eyes staring blankly at me)
Bea: (snickering)
Jeff: hinde! ang sabi ko, "masakit ang ulo ko!"

***************************************************

(around 858am JST at the office)
ako: O Jeff, asan si Bea?
Jeff: di ba kayo sabay?
ako: Hinde. Kinatok ko kayo, walang sumasagot eh. Akala ko, nauna na kayong pumasok.
Jeff: Ah wala, di ko kasabay. Baka tulog pa.
ako: Tawagan mo naman. (sabay bigay ng selpown)
Jeff : (dial Bea's number, then calling...)
ako: (tanggal jacket, ayus gamit, boot ng pc)
Jeff: O Bea, nasan ka na?
Bea: (inaudible answer here)
Jeff: Ha? Oo, Monday ngayon! (snickers here)
(more useless funny conversation here, then hangs up)
ako: (tawa to death.. wala palang malay ang loka na Monday na)

after 2 mins off the phone, my phone rings. Bea, was calling..
Bea: Mam Hazel, anong gagawin ko?!?! (panicked-parang-wala-pang-malay-obyus-na-bagong-gising voice here)
Ako: (still laughing) either pumasok ka or hindi. Ano, mag-half day ka ba? (sabay tawa ulet <-- Sorry di ko mapigil)
Bea: Naku, Sorry! Hindi! Ayoko mag-half day! Papasok ako! nakakahiya! anong gagawin ko?!?! (panicked-bordering-on-hysterical voice)
Ako: Eh di pumasok ka. Sabihin ko na lang male-late ka. (snickers here, so impolite of me, Sorry!)
Bea: Sige. Opo, papasok na po ako. Sorry po! Sorry!

okay.. probably the most hilarious phone conversation I had... hahaha!

**************************************************************************

my earrings!

I was freaked out a couple of months ago when I couldn't find my bag of earrings and somehow resigned myself that they were all gone. I've gone to a lot of travelling without my earrings for the past 3 months and I felt really bad because I bought my collection of earrings from places where I've gone to vacation or a trip. I just couldn't shop for new ones because (a) I couldn't afford them (b) stupid sentimental values (c) I couldn't accept the fact that I unconsciously threw them away in the garbage!

I have been thinking of these stupid things for some time now and just when I just got myself used to the fact that I have to replenish my jewelry, I started to forget everything about it and when I decided to buy some books online and was not able to decipher the damn expiration date of my credit card, I started rummaging through my pile of mails and suddenly... VOILA! I found my earrings!!!!

I was so happy I forgot about the online shopping for a few seconds. And then stashed my new found treasure on my kikay bag and clicked ORDER.

Closure at last!

kain! kanta! kain!

With officemates (Tokyo and Chiba Chapter), picture taken last 11/29

bu-bu-bu

(a scene sometime ago on one of our morning bus rides to the office)

special child#1 (standing kasi puno na yung bus) : bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu!
(laughs) bu-bu-bu-bu-bu!

special child#2 (nakaupo sa pinakalikod ng bus): bububububububububububu! (laughs)

(conversation above repeats a few times)

ako (seated in between those conversing children): (di nakatingin, nilakasan ko volume ng music sa iPod ko)
bea (seated in between those conversing children): (nakikinig din ng music)
jeff (seated in between those conversing children): (umuungol)

okay... joke lang yung kay jeff.. I imagined na umuungol sya dahil dun sa single palmar crease nya.

special children

Everyday, on the bus, we get to experience commuting with special children. Special children as in children (and adults) that has special ... features and handicaps. Like, Down's syndrome and some degree of autism.

So anyway, I don't really know the details of what makes these children (adults) special. Only that I have been around them since I was a child. In fact, I never thought they were "special" until I went to high school. Back in my elementary school days, these special children (I think, ako din yata, kasama sa special children group) are part of our everyday lives that we actually play with them during lunch break, and the basic sign language were taught to us all. And even when I used to sing with the school choir, we were all required to memorize or learn the sign language for the gospel songs.

So 17 years after I left the special school I attended as a child, I was once again thrown into a "society" of special children. Although, the contact is limited to the line on the bus and the actual bus ride and it's not something unusual. To me, anyway.

So during these bus rides, I kind of dislike the japanese elders and other "normal" passengers that stares disapprovingly at them when these children couldn't help making a nuisance of themselves by singing loudly, suddenly bursting into an ear-splitting scream or laugh, stomping their feet, repeating a line over and over again, and other things that "normal" people find unusual. I remember when I was in 4th grade in school, when one of our special schoolmates were having a bad day and suddenly decided to strip off her clothing and run naked around the school playground, and the elderly teachers trailing behind her with a blanket to cover her when they caught up. This lady schoolmate was one of the elder students (I think these children kind of never graduates and kind of stays in school for the longest period of their life), around the age of 20s.

I admit, these children are quite annoying at times, but only when they are doing some annoying noise in different forms and sources.

From wikipedia: "Many of the common physical features of Down syndrome also appear in people with a standard set of chromosomes. They may include a single transverse palmar crease (a single instead of a double crease across one or both palms, also called the Simian crease), an almond shape to the eyes caused by an epicanthic fold of the eyelid, upslanting palpebral fissures (the separation between the upper and lower eyelids), shorter limbs, poor muscle tone, a larger than normal space between the big and second toes, and protruding tongue.........."

So one morning, at the office:

ako: Hey Jeff, yung single line pala sa palad, isang physical feature ng taong may Down's. May kakilala ka bang ganun sa office?

Jeff: ay ako.

ako: (speechless for a few seconds) special child ka pala.

quotables

today....

[keyboard sounds, silence, sound of footsteps on carpeted office floor...]
..............
[sudden vibrating sound, like a helicopter landing on the rooftop of the office building]
..............
[nagtitinginan mga pinoy sa workplace]
..............
ako: may lalabas na monsters sa mga aircon vents
bea and jeff: [dedma]
ako: lalabas sila dyan, papatayin tayong lahat, babaha ng dugo, mamamatay tayong lahat.. ita-target nila yung mga geeky types at yung nagta-type sa keyboard... GET YOUR HANDS OFF YOUR KEYBOARDS!
bea and jeff: [dedma pa rin]

anak naman ng patola...

************************************
a couple of months ago.............

jeff: may dala ka bang [garbled sound]?
ako: ANO SABI MO?!?!? MAY DALA AKONG PANTY???? (open mouthed, huge eyes look ako dito)

[momentary stunned silence, around 1 nanosecond]

jeff: may dala ka bang BAND-AID??

ahh.. okay.. labo mo.

************************************
a few days ago...................

jeff: nagda-dry ang skin ko lately
ako: ah oo, ganun talaga pag winter, lalo na pag naliligo ka ng mainit na tubig.
ako: magda-dry skin mo, magsusugat....
jeff: (patuloy na nagta-type sa keyboard)
ako: ..... tapos, lalabas yung kinain mo dun sa sugat mo pag busog ka.. mga kanin, ganun...
jeff: (suddenly stopped typing, looking aghast for 5 seconds) ... sabay tawa.

heheheehehe

************************************

(tahimik kaming lahat)

jeff: excited na kong magpa-parlor pag-uwi ko sa pinas!

ako: ummm, jeff.. did you realize kung gano ka-bading ng statement mo?