Yesterday I ran 5 km non-stop, and today I'll do X-Stretch, and we be done.
We are off to Australia today and I can't wait to get out of this place. My work has been a pain in the ass and it's cold. My company has given every employee a handbook called "Bonding: 7 Habits". Every morning we have to read one of the 7 habits. This morning's was "Challenge". チャレンジ：不可能を可能にする。高い目標を掲げ、勇気をもって挑戦する。"Challenge: Make the impossible possible. Aim high, and fight with courage". Everyone feels so stupid saying this because it is so irrelevant to our experiences working at this company. Then the boss talked about how you have to keep going, even if you fail, never give up. I like to look around when he talks like this, and see everyone in my department. How would you describe the atmosphere? Downcast. Despondent. Sick of hearing this bullshit every fucking morning.
Rant complete.
This last week, I have been doing everything in my workout schedule except yoga. Yoga is probably the one thing I should be doing but I don't have time. Regardless, I'm feeling strong, fit and healthy. I did Chest & Back last Monday night and busted it up, and I was really sore yesterday. To get sore now takes a lot of work. Watching the Biggest Loser, I would love to have someone yelling at me while I workout. Maybe that will be the next home fitness DVD trend. Instead of "You are worth it, you can do it, do your best" stuff, we can have an instructor that screams at you. "You make me sick!" "Look at you, you fat piece of shit!". Just a hardcore asshole. That would be awesome. Anyway, Bob and Jullian just destroy these fat people. It's great to watch. The results they get are phenomenal.
I've been thinking about some New Year's Resolutions.
Number 1 is to improve my Japanese. Get my Level 1 in December '11. This is going to be a huge task, requiring a daily commitment. I have to find some motivation. At the moment I just want to get as far away from this place and these people as I can. Probably not the best frame of mind to begin from. But I find that a trip home does wonders, so before I go I'm going to draw up a study program and get going as soon as i am back. Lot's of listening, reading, and talking. I will need to get a tutor. You might think it's strange that even though I live in Japan, I need to pay someone to talk Japanese with me. I have to pay to have someone correct me if I make a mistake. That's the difference. I would like it to be a man, too. The words and style of male and female Japanese are very different, and because most Japanese teachers are female, a lot of foreigners who learn Japanese sound, well, gay. I have been thinking about working something out with Nori, I think I've mentioned it before, which I might do. But I think I should get a professional teacher. Maybe this blog will become more of a motivation for my Japanese study than for my exercise.
Number 2 is Health. Stop the stuff that does me no good, like chips, coffee, chocolate, and fucking around on the computer, and start doing stuff that makes me feel good, like golf, meditation, and ideally a new sport (maybe free climbing). I want to get fitter, stronger, and take advantage of my health.
Number 3 is finance. I have money in the bank. I have no debt. I have a good job. I'm in a great position to take advantage of the clusterfuck that is going to be 2011, I just don't know how. I want to spend the first few months learning about how I can kind of sew things up, and then maybe see someone or talk to someone about it.
Number 4 is Australia. I want to put a few irons in the fire regarding employment in Australia. I'm seeing someone when I'm down in a couple of weeks, so that's a good start. I will have to be careful not to let that be an excuse to slacken off with my Japanese studies, and my job here (this fourth year here has definitely been my worst here in terms of performance. I'm just lucky that it doesn't really matter). Still, the last three years has seen some huge changes in my life, so all things considered I'm doing okay.
Anyway, Will and JoJo have been sick all weekend, and I feel like I'm coming down with something, but who cares? We are outta here.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Round 4.1 - Day 103
I'm watching the American Biggest Loser. It's emotional. There was one lady, pretty fat, and when they did the weigh in I was, you know, disgusted, like I was meant to be. Then they showed a clip of an interview with her and she was talking about how her three year old son died of cancer. Man, if one of my boys died of cancer, I hope the only thing I did was overeat a little. So I kind of teared up when she was talking and they showed pictures of her and her beautiful son and she talked about how at the end they were sitting on the rocking chair in his hospital room and she fell asleep and when she woke up he had died in her arms. That's so sad, but is there a better way for a child to go? Safe in the arms of their sleeping mother? I'm emotional thinking about it.
There's a girl in Will's kindergarten class, she's just had a leg amputated because of cancer, and there's a fair chance she will die from it before she reaches Elementary school. I don't know. Kids with cancer. If you believe in God, and you want to try and convince me to believe in God too, then you've got to account for that. Explain to me why your God gives children cancer and why you think that's okay.
This lady was one of three contestants chosen to represent their area, and they had to run one mile, and the loser didn't get to go to The Biggest Loser camp. So they start the race, and half way through, she's screaming "Oh my God! Oh my God! I'm going to die!" The woman trainer, Jillian, I think her name is, is trying to get her going, pulling her, motivating her, but she wouldn't run! It was pathetic. So again, I'm disgusted. It's an emotional roller coaster, and that's why I love it.
One guy, before the mile run, said "I'm going to run and run no matter what, until my body gives out." Sounds good, but then when he collapsed ten meters from the finish line and lost, I thought, hang on, that's exactly what you said you would do. Why didn't you say, "I'm going to run and run, and finish first"? I am convinced being fat, and I don't mean a bit chubby, I mean so obese that you can't get out of a chair, is totally mental. Genes, DNA, whatever, might make it a little more difficult to lose wieght, but come on. 200 kilos? That's years and years of negligence and indulgence. Stop eating so much. Do some exercise. It's not easy, but neither is eating three pizzas, and they do that all the time. I would rather go for a run that overeat now. The last time I overate was when we went to a yakiniku restaurant for Jo Jo's first birthday, and I ate too much meat. That was in March, and I haven't eaten yakiniku since. The smell turns my stomach. I hate that feeling of being full.
So less than two weeks and we'll all be in Melbourne! Holy shit, it's gone fast. I'm going to have to get off my ass and book a round of golf and organize a night out with my mates.
I'm looking forward to a lot of things. You know what's a shock after living here for so long? Seeing people who are obviously in a lot of trouble but not really aware of it. Every time I go home it amazes me seeing stuff like junkie couples arguing in the street, or people begging for money. Basically, people with no shame. Here, shame is huge. There's too much of it. And the thing about people without shame is that they are so confident! It's like they've got it all figured out, but they still need two dollars for a bus ticket. I love it.
One afternoon a couple of years ago, I was getting a bus home from Knox, and I caught the wrong one, so I went the long way around Ferntree Gully before getting to Bayswater. On the bus a guy was drinking, a real bogan, chipped teeth, beenie, shitty beard, tracksuit pants, Collingwood supporter. The driver told him to get off the bus. The driver was Middle Eastern, so the drink guy denies drinking (even though he's got a can of Jim Beam and Coke in his hand) and said that because we were fighting in Afganistan the bus driver should be grateful to us Aussies and the bus driver stopped the bus and told him to get out and then the drunk guy called him a terrorist and the bus driver started screaming "You are rasicm! You are rasicm!" and calling the bus depot and the drink guy's yelling "I'll call the Cops!" trying to dial on his mobile phone, and meanwhile me and another passenger, a young woman, are just sitting there. She looks scared, and I am fuming.
I'd never done anything like this before, but I yelled, "Hey!", and they both looked up. "You!" I pointed to the drunk guy. "You're drinking, man. I can smell it. You shouldn't be drinking on the bus. You!" I pointed to the driver. "We just want to get home. Can't you two sort this shit out later?!" I managed to make them agree to sort it out at Boronia Depot and we got moving again. Then the drunk guy's like my best friend, saying stuff like "I was going to Boronia anyway," or under his breath, "fucking ragheads". The bus driver is talking to me like I'm going to back him up at the depot, saying "He is drinking, yes?", "He said racism, yes?" Yea yea. I got off at Boronia and caught the train to Bayswater and walked home. The point is, when I go back to Australia I find that I have very little tolerance for scumbags, and I'm worried that it might get me into trouble one day. I think it's because you just don't see them here in Japan, but at home they impact on just about every facet of your life. In shops, on the road, at a restaurant or club, they are everywhere. Drug addicts, losers, dipshits, racists, assholes, you name it. Last time I was down, it was impossible to walk past a talking scumbag without hearing the c-word. Impossible. Here, I can't remember the last time I met an idiot. But when I go home I am liberated by being able to understand and be understood, which is huge. Here I can yell "Hey, what the fuck are you doing?!" but if they answer back, I might not understand what they say, so that kind of makes you think twice before confronting anyone. You can't say "Hey! What they fuck are you doing!?" and then ask them to repeat what they said back to you because you didn't quite catch it and could they speak a little slower this time please.
2010. Not an eventful year for me. A trip to Hawaii, that was nice. I rode my motorcycle a lot. No golf, which is a shame. I might be able to squeeze a round in right at the end, though.
There's a girl in Will's kindergarten class, she's just had a leg amputated because of cancer, and there's a fair chance she will die from it before she reaches Elementary school. I don't know. Kids with cancer. If you believe in God, and you want to try and convince me to believe in God too, then you've got to account for that. Explain to me why your God gives children cancer and why you think that's okay.
This lady was one of three contestants chosen to represent their area, and they had to run one mile, and the loser didn't get to go to The Biggest Loser camp. So they start the race, and half way through, she's screaming "Oh my God! Oh my God! I'm going to die!" The woman trainer, Jillian, I think her name is, is trying to get her going, pulling her, motivating her, but she wouldn't run! It was pathetic. So again, I'm disgusted. It's an emotional roller coaster, and that's why I love it.
One guy, before the mile run, said "I'm going to run and run no matter what, until my body gives out." Sounds good, but then when he collapsed ten meters from the finish line and lost, I thought, hang on, that's exactly what you said you would do. Why didn't you say, "I'm going to run and run, and finish first"? I am convinced being fat, and I don't mean a bit chubby, I mean so obese that you can't get out of a chair, is totally mental. Genes, DNA, whatever, might make it a little more difficult to lose wieght, but come on. 200 kilos? That's years and years of negligence and indulgence. Stop eating so much. Do some exercise. It's not easy, but neither is eating three pizzas, and they do that all the time. I would rather go for a run that overeat now. The last time I overate was when we went to a yakiniku restaurant for Jo Jo's first birthday, and I ate too much meat. That was in March, and I haven't eaten yakiniku since. The smell turns my stomach. I hate that feeling of being full.
So less than two weeks and we'll all be in Melbourne! Holy shit, it's gone fast. I'm going to have to get off my ass and book a round of golf and organize a night out with my mates.
I'm looking forward to a lot of things. You know what's a shock after living here for so long? Seeing people who are obviously in a lot of trouble but not really aware of it. Every time I go home it amazes me seeing stuff like junkie couples arguing in the street, or people begging for money. Basically, people with no shame. Here, shame is huge. There's too much of it. And the thing about people without shame is that they are so confident! It's like they've got it all figured out, but they still need two dollars for a bus ticket. I love it.
One afternoon a couple of years ago, I was getting a bus home from Knox, and I caught the wrong one, so I went the long way around Ferntree Gully before getting to Bayswater. On the bus a guy was drinking, a real bogan, chipped teeth, beenie, shitty beard, tracksuit pants, Collingwood supporter. The driver told him to get off the bus. The driver was Middle Eastern, so the drink guy denies drinking (even though he's got a can of Jim Beam and Coke in his hand) and said that because we were fighting in Afganistan the bus driver should be grateful to us Aussies and the bus driver stopped the bus and told him to get out and then the drunk guy called him a terrorist and the bus driver started screaming "You are rasicm! You are rasicm!" and calling the bus depot and the drink guy's yelling "I'll call the Cops!" trying to dial on his mobile phone, and meanwhile me and another passenger, a young woman, are just sitting there. She looks scared, and I am fuming.
I'd never done anything like this before, but I yelled, "Hey!", and they both looked up. "You!" I pointed to the drunk guy. "You're drinking, man. I can smell it. You shouldn't be drinking on the bus. You!" I pointed to the driver. "We just want to get home. Can't you two sort this shit out later?!" I managed to make them agree to sort it out at Boronia Depot and we got moving again. Then the drunk guy's like my best friend, saying stuff like "I was going to Boronia anyway," or under his breath, "fucking ragheads". The bus driver is talking to me like I'm going to back him up at the depot, saying "He is drinking, yes?", "He said racism, yes?" Yea yea. I got off at Boronia and caught the train to Bayswater and walked home. The point is, when I go back to Australia I find that I have very little tolerance for scumbags, and I'm worried that it might get me into trouble one day. I think it's because you just don't see them here in Japan, but at home they impact on just about every facet of your life. In shops, on the road, at a restaurant or club, they are everywhere. Drug addicts, losers, dipshits, racists, assholes, you name it. Last time I was down, it was impossible to walk past a talking scumbag without hearing the c-word. Impossible. Here, I can't remember the last time I met an idiot. But when I go home I am liberated by being able to understand and be understood, which is huge. Here I can yell "Hey, what the fuck are you doing?!" but if they answer back, I might not understand what they say, so that kind of makes you think twice before confronting anyone. You can't say "Hey! What they fuck are you doing!?" and then ask them to repeat what they said back to you because you didn't quite catch it and could they speak a little slower this time please.
2010. Not an eventful year for me. A trip to Hawaii, that was nice. I rode my motorcycle a lot. No golf, which is a shame. I might be able to squeeze a round in right at the end, though.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Round 4.1 - Day 100
What I've done, to postpone my 5 km while I'm feeling a little vulnerable to the seasonal cold that's going around is to extend round 4.1 another 20 days to when I go to Australia. It comes to the pleasing number of 111 days. Triple 1, or, El Treus. Does that even mean anything? I was also a little worried because I had run out of Ventolin for my asthma, but I went to the doctors the other day and got the Japanese version of the same stuff. So I'm good to go.
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