Nagoya, ShawShank Redemption、Japanese Study

I I-must express my dislike of Japanese keyboards. I can easily (by accident) change to font to write in Japanese, but it's difficult to put it back into English (the spacebar is also small). Anyway, this weeks article has pictures of Nagoya from the International Student Center(ECIS), how I made some people watch the Shaw Shank Redemption and my brilliant idea of how to get better at Japanese fast.
First, since they are so hard to controle I have posted pictures of Nagoya. The view is from the 4th floor of the ECIS building (where I have Japanese class). Unfurtunately, because of all the haze one cannot see very far. However, I have seen it on a clear day and I cannot tell where the city ends and the mountains begin. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to take a picture on a clear day for atleast a month because the rainey season has started. I think I will do an article about places I visit often and take pictures of my University etc...
Okay, the top picture are some people that I made watch the ShawShank Redemption with me. I tried explaining some of the symbolism that I thought that they would not understand (and sometimes I don't think that some of their English was good enough to understand some of the parts). That is when it hit me. The ShawShank Redemption had Japanese subtitles...I have the entire movie memorized. Now, if I just read the subtitels and memorize the Japanese (I will know the movie in 2 languages) I will improve my Japanese greatly I think. I just have to find a place to buy the movie. But where can I find it I wonder??? I think I am going to do that. Maybe I will even go and look for it tomorrow.
The other pictures are of Nagoya as seen from the University (which is somewhere in the center of Nagoya). It is very unfortunate that it was hazey, because one can see the mountains in the background when it is not. I will take pictures of historical places around Nagoya when I have a chance. I will have to convence one of my Japanese friends to go with me. It should be fun (and of course their will be pictures).
Last night I went out to eat at a resturant that had an American menu (and it was not that expensive-I think I will go back sometime soon). It was not bad, but they don't really cook meat until it is well done here (mine had blood on it still-not just the inside). I'm still a bit busy. I have language exchange and basketball practive tomorrow and I am suppose to read the next chapter of my textbook.
For some reason in Japan I like to talk about Texas. Maybe it is because Texas is famous even here. I see alot of Texas influence in many different places here. I had to give a presentation in Japanese class the other day about some place people visit in my country. So, ofcourse they ment my state (the others could talk about their country, but I would only talk about my state). It was really easy because of the history of Texas. There was to much to choose from, so instread of choosing a historical place, I chose an amuesment park (Six Flags). That was fun. Before we give presentations, we have to write down vocabulary words that we have not learned in class. So, one of my vocab. words was Texas. What I wrote to explain what Texas is:

'Texas-A state in America that is bigger than your country.'

Yes I wrote America because that is what the Japanese call the USA, I always call it America when I am in the USA aswell. It's fun to joke with my other friends that are from the South America-i say 'I'm from America,' and they say 'so am I' and I tell them that they are not from America they are from Brazil or Equador etc...they sort of resent it a little, but they know it is a joke and they laugh. I could write that Texas is bigger than your country on the vocabulary list, because all the students that I know at the ECIS center (all that take japanese classes) ARE from countries smaller than Texas (Indonesia, Cambodia, Equador, Japan, England, etc...). It's fun to joke about it atleast. I also want to add how much I am beginning to hate soccer. It can't be that great, but people watch it all night-making lots of noise-just like father when he watches the Steelers play (Happy Father's Day dad-I didn't forget). It is annoying and I cannot sleep because of the noise. I'm going to try and call my little sister in a little while, I just need to find some 100 yen coins to do it. I've been meaning to send everyone postcards, but I am just to busy. I have the post cards and they are addressed. I just don't have time to stop by the post office and get them stamped. Sorry! Well, I'm going to go study. So talk to you later.

And here is the quote of the day:
Since I watched the ShawShank Redemption (and even though I am not a believer) the quote is from the Bible, here is a bible quote from the movie;
'What there for ye know not when the master of the house comith.'

-Mark Ch.13 V5

Hausta Luego mi muchachos

I went bowling and got a hair cut

I know I said I would take pictures of my friends when I went bowling, but I forgot my camera. Some of my friends took pictures, maybe I will borrow their memory cards and down load some of the bowling pictures in the next article. I was very busy last week, I was suppose to study for a test that I had today but I had other appointments to keep (language exchange, partnership program, basketball practice, etc...). So I think that I didn't do very well on my test. It's okay, I will make a 100 on the next one (if there is time to study). So, lets get to the topic of this article: Bowling and a hair cut. My international friends, my Japanese friends and myself went bowling last Friday. The bowling alley was huge and it was crouded (it had about 60 lanes). It was so noisy I couldn't work on my Japanese language skills with my Japanese friends. I think it was okay though (probably because I won 2 of the 3 games). They were no competition, and I didn't even play very well. We bowled until around 1 in the morning, which means that the subways were shut down for the night, which means that we had to take a Taxi home (or rather several Taxis), which means I have to try and use my Japanese to tell them where to go (but it was good for me I think). Not really much to say about bowling.

Now, as for the hair cut. Before I begin, I must say that the service in Japan is great. For example, if you go to a MacD's in America, you are suppose to always get free smiles from the employee's (which does and does not happen, depending on the MacD's one goes to). All and all, the fast food service in America is okay and other industries services (such as plumbing for example or refrigerator repair) is not so great (except for coffee service and then it depends on the coffee man that one gets). But, in Japan no matter where I go the service is always great. For example, if I walk in the door of a MacD's, I am immediately greated with 'Irasshaimase' (welcome) from every employee that can see me (and probably from the one's that can for all I know). Then there is a polite bow (a bit to deep of a bow, showing way to much respect I think). Then they use only the politest of Japanese when taking my order (no slag, no talk as if they know me and we can speak how ever we want). When I leave they thank me for my patronage and again over bow (showing way to much respect I think) and when I say 'they' I mean everybody: the person who brought my order to me, the person who took my order, the person cleaning the table next to me, etc... I'm suprised that the person who cooks my food doesn't come out and over bow to me as well.

Now to the hair cut service. I walk in and there is no line, so I was able to get my hair cut very quickly. In Japan, all the barber shops are very expensive it seems, except for one that I found near where I live (1100 yen, about the same in America-around 10 dollars). The place right across the street from where I live charges about 6000 yen (almost 60 dollars). Now, for my 1100 yen, I got a nice hair cut, a face massage and not a speck of hair was on me when the lady had finished. I was not really expecting a face massage. In America, for about the same price I can get an okay hair cut (with no face massage option) and lots of hair on my cloths and myself(the hair on my cloths and myself are free) when they had finished. If I was taken care of so well for the cheap 1100 yen hair cut, my mind begins to wonder what would happen if I got a 6000 yen hair cut??? They give me the best hair cut of my life, they massage my face, no hair is left on me, but it doesn't stop there for the 6000 yen hair cut. Then they kick into action, giving me a full body massage! They put my picture in the paper with the title "The Greatest Guy in the World," they find me a cute girl friend, they teach me Japanese, they give me a party and invite all my friends for me, then they over bow, showing way to much respect and thank me for my patronage. The end. (Except for the occasional post card that they send to all their customers, I'm sure)

So, I think Japanese service is good. I always seem to need another day to get everything I need to get done, done. Time seems to move faster here. 4 of my Japanese friends are thinking of going to visit America over the summer break. I told them that if they go, then I will go with them. They seem to be really serious about going to America so maybe I will return to Texas for a short time over summer vaction for that reason. I guess I would be like a tour guide? I told them that if we go that I would take them to a rodeo, but I haven't been to one of those since I was a child and there may not be any rodeo's going on while I'm there (I should not have said that perhaps I think). But, we can go to Six Flags over Texas ofcourse. That is always a good idea. I think they want to try and ride a horse or something like that as well. I guess we will see. This weekend, I think that we are all going to go do karaoke. I am a bit nervous to sing in front of people (even if they are friends). I will try to remember my camera.

I cannot tell you how funny it is to live around some of the people in the Kaikan. My Fillipeano friend tried to order pizza the other day, it sounded something like this: Anooo, Anooo, Eigo wo, um Eigo wo... Do you speak English!?! He tried it in Japanese and failed, but it was halarious to watch. By the way, the guy at the other end of the line did speak English as well.

The Soccer World Cup is going on right now, which means that people are up at all hours of the night and morning (from 11pm to 6 am) without sleep. The world cup continues for a month, so this should be interesting. So everyone was gathered in the lobby around the television, so ofcourse I had to walk into the lobby to see what was so interesting (it was soccer). But I don't like soccer, so I told them that soccer is for girls. Ofcourse they tried to defend soccer, so I changed my mind. I said, "You win, I was wrong, soccer is not for girls... It is for guys who are in touch with their feminin side." The Brazillians thought it was funny atleast, but I may have offended some people from other places in the world(it was just a joke, they shouldn't take it so hard). Not like I really care, they are going to keep me from sleeping with the noise they make. I'm not sure what else their is to talk about. I forgot to sign up to go to the Ninja house, so I will just let a friend take some pictures for me (sorry Uncle Rick, I won't have a chance to sneak up on a Ninja-> that was going to be my crazy thing). I will have to figure out something else to do. Maybe I will go to the Nagoya Castle instread. I have all these post cards that I have been meaning to send to various people, but I never can find time to send them or I forget about them when there is some time. Sorry. There is some sort of theoretical math confrence going on here at Nagoya University, I know because I accidently wondered in by accident (without being registered, they thought their must be a computer error, so they let me in->it was a misunderstanding).
So it is warm and humid here and the rainy season is about to start, but in Texas it is much hotter and much more humid and I like the rain, sooo it's not so bad.

There are no pictures for this article, but I'm working on an article about where I live and what my campus and city look like. It will be up by the weekend I think (maybe before). I took some pictures for it today, but since it was hazey, one will not be able to see the city in the background very well. On a clear day one can see the mountains that surround the city. But, these pictures are probably as good as it will get since the rainy season is starting. Their will be no clear days for a while. We'll see how it turns out. I'm thinking of ideas for pictures right now.
Well, because I have to study, that is all for now. See you around.
And I will post only a quote of the week now:
In honor of the Great Physicist/Mathematician Dr. James Clerk Maxwell, who came up with the Maxwell Equations (the equations that are used in Electromagnetic field theory) that you can bet every modern electronic device, radar, radio, etc... is governed by (and it predicted such things), who was born on this day in 1831. His equations are very dear to me.
(The quote is by the Great Dr. A.E about Dr. Maxwell)
"Since Maxwell's time, physical reality has been thought of as represented by continuous fields, and not capable of any mechanical interpretation. This change in the conception of reality is the most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experience since the time of Newton." -----Albert Einstein

And another quote about Dr. Maxwell by another one of the greatest physicists of all time:
"He achieved greatness unequaled." - Max Planck