three posts in one

so i have three different topics i'd like to talk about in this post. (it's been that fun filled past three days)

so the other day, a friend of mine here got really down on herself and i decided i'd organize a trip to the karaoke place to cheer her up. we went around 8 and stayed for 2 hours. it was loads or fun and she, thankfully, really cheered up. for awhile, though, i was in a little bit of an odd place because of something one of the residents here said something about me. (don't worry, i'm over it now).

the karaoke itself was fun, but the walk back was most interesting. while japan is relatively safer than say, america, it doesn't exclude it from weirdos and bizarre people (actually, in my area i've seen a lot of mentally and physically handicapped people than i've seen in america in the past 5 years. it's quite amazing).

on the way home, i was singing a song with my friend and this car stopped and backed up. i didn't notice, but my friends did and laughed about it. i looked back and saw this guy following us. i instantly pull out the phone, showing the driver i had a phone and could call for help if need be. the driver pulls up next to us and one of my friends leaned over to see in the window. i had the phone halfway to my ear when i hear the guy shout, "I FUCKING LOVE YOU" and BOLT out of there. we all died of laughter especially when my friend said, "i think that guy was hispanic or a really ugly japanese guy!"
it was priceless and we still laugh about it today. we're not sure who he said it to. we joke he said it to our male friend with us, but he might've been saying it to me or my friend since we were singing a song. he might've been a fan. (btw, the song was pub n' go from hetalia, so we joke he was a hetalia fan)

second topic!
i FINALLY got to have my okonomiyaki!
fact: okonomiyaki is a very famous dish of japan and is referred to (mainly by me) as the japanese pizza. it's made from flour, mayo, vegetables, and choice of meat or seafood like shrimp. it differs on how it's made, though, depending on the region and restaurant. some restaurants serve the dish already completely made, some regions have it where you cook the meal by yourself (this way you can add as much sauce or mayo as you want, but the vegetables and flour are already premade), or, like in osaka (where it's extremely famous and known for having the best taste), the cooks make it for you. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO FLIP IT IN OSAKA! it's a big deal down there. osaka is KNOWN for their cooking and food. they get temperamental about it. it's kinda awesome.

i went with a rather large group of gaijin and the restaurant we invaded was the one where i got to cook the food myself. it was pretty intimidating and i was nervous, but it all turned out great! i made a mistake and picked ham, though, making bacon (i hate bacon), so next time i'll get the shrimp since i LOVE that kind. pictures will be at the bottom with the karaoke pictures

after the okonomiyaki, i went out for a pleasant evening walk with three friends and just talked about life and things in our lives. it was a lot of fun and i feel so close to those three now. i talked about my family, friends, my boy, and school. we laughed a lot and i'm sure we bothered people trying to sleep (but it was no later than 9...i think...it gets really dark here REALLY early, so i'm never quite sure). i still had fun and it lifted my spirits.

confession: the homesickness definitely set in these past three days. and worse, i was so swamped with things to do or it was at a time in the day that no one in the States was awake. i felt alone, despite the fact i was always with someone. it was silly and i'm glad i was FINALLY able to get past it today.

which leads me to my third topic! the reason i got through my depression was because...

CLASSES FINALLY STARTED! it's a miracle! i'm so excited!
classes start every weekday from 9 and last until noon with no break. fun stuff! i change rooms every day, but that's because sometimes i mingle with the other sections and every tuesday is kanji day. on days we don't mingle, we're in a smaller room and that excites me to no end. 4 hours of close interaction with a smaller class size (there are only 7 in my group, including me).

unfortunately, our teachers decided to skip review in the class and gave us 8 pages of homework all of which is review. i was completely blown away for three reasons: 1) 8 FUCKING PAGES RIGHT OFF THE BAT?! 2) hey, new shit i don't know, but i can easily learn 3) oh man...i know so much of this, i feel better! the kanji homework, thankfully, isn't due until next tuesday, so i got another 3 pages off my chest.
(i just finished my homework 2 hours ago and i've been home from school since 3 or so...it's midnight. that includes small computer breaks, dinner, and uno games).

i went to my culture class (really loving this class) and came home to find a package from my family! it was my PRINTER! i was VERY excited to get my printer! this means i can print out photos of everyone and decorate my walls and fill my photo frames. (and, yes mom, i was very happy to get the other stuff too, especially my wrist guard and the towels)
next on my list...figure out how to mail packages to friends and such...because i have special notebooks, postcards, and gifts to mail home...

in any case! here are the pictures!

the machine we use to pick the songs. it changes to japanese, english, and korean songs.

the machine itself. there was more on the sides

the GIANT book of just japanese songs to look through. there was an english book of songs somewhere in the place too, but we couldn't find it. it's ok, we knew exactly what we wanted

SPICE GIRLS!

i honestly don't know what was funnier, our singing, the music choices we made, or the videos in the background. because we mainly picked english songs, the copyrights to the music videos weren't given to the store, so there were random videos to fit the song. they didn't fit at all and most of the time i made fun of the pictures.

ON TO OKONOMIYAKI!

what it starts out like. it's all in a bowl like this

BOO YEAH! that's mine and yes i ate the entire thing and even half of someone else's. i really REALLY love this stuff (it's up there with my love for omuraisu and sweedish pancakes)

flipping the okonomiyaki

YAY!

いただきます！(time to eat!)

tomorrow, a lot of people are going to this zen experience. i signed up for it, but my body feels a little worse for wear and i opted to stay home and rest. while i know zen= peaceful and relaxation and all...i just wasn't up to it. i have a sore throat (no, it's not swine flu and no i'm not getting a cold) from the constant change in temperature and partially the karaoke. i get HORRIBLY hot and then go into a room and the air conditioner is blasting, only to walk outside an hour or two later and be sweating again.

i'd rather not test the limits especially since three of my friends ARE sick, so...yeah. gonna clean my bathroom and do some more laundry and such... maybe FINALLY do a video log.

in any case, i'll keep on updating as long as you guys keep commenting. i honestly only know, like, 5 people who read my blog out of you guys (aside from the parents) and i know more of you...do read it, but i wanna know for sure. sorry, but i just, yeah. selfish request will be demanded!

～星子☆