nekobi
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Posts posted by nekobi
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Originally posted by Ocean11:
[QB]Anybody else like Cree Summer?
that name sounds familiar-- wasn't she on the cosby spinoff "a different world"?
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why a long story? corn flakes with milk and strawberries sounds like the kind of picture they would put on a box of cereal.
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i felt like i wasted a sick day bc if i'm not at work, I want to be on the slopes. i didn't have any classes to teach so it would have been a perfect day pull a sickie and go to nozawa. but since i felt a little ill, i slept and read the forum all day so i would have energy this weekend.
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guess 528 isn't the max after all.
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mogski i'm with you. i hate being stuck at work and just resigned to look at the dumping snow out the window. by the time the weekend rolls around, the slopes are crowded and the snow not as good. need to start pulling more sickies when don't have any classes. wasted one yesterday bc i actually felt sick.
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depending on the snow conditions, some days i feel like i regress. i think it's really useful to go with people better than you to give you tips and push you to go faster and do more difficult things. plus it helps to try to mimic what they do. but sometimes, it sucks knowing that people are waiting on you (back when i skiied i got so impatient waiting for those slower than me), so it's also good to sometimes just do a few runs on your own, relaxed at your own pace.
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516.043 today. much higher scores on my work computer than my laptop at home.
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zwelgen's a red jacket and black pants i think. hope the snow keeps up all night for yall. arghhhh i'll be stuck at work.
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i never get tired of listening to sublime's 40 oz of freedom. so good. and for girly stuff i like liz phair's exile in guyville.
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i've been at a few parties where fergus has DJed and i must say he was fantastic and everyone was boogie-ing hard all night long. and if you are familiar with the huge AET soccer tournaments held in the fall and spring in sugadaira-- the same guys are organizing this event. it's going to be lots of fun. so get over to hakuba this weekend!
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i'm a huge tom robbins fan. just started "even cowgirls get the blues". the others i've read by him (jitterbg perfume, another roadside attraction, still life with woodpecker, skinny legs and all) have been amazing.
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bagels and cream cheese!! so delicious- why can't you find bagels here? i don't need the fancy flavors like sundried tomato and everything (though it would be nice), i just want a decent bagel. when i was back in the states this summer i had at least one everyday. the best is with smoked salmon, capers, onions, yummmm
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i think i got .02 on my first throw! but 478.529 is my best so far.
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yeah, thanks forum peeps who came to nagano friday. i had a great night.
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i agree with IANM. noz is great- so big, and lots of onsens for after.
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what exactly is the difference btwn vegemite and marmite?
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"this time"-- does that mean you went with echineko last time??
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anyone heading to hakuba this weekend? heard there will be a lot of aets from across japan (is that good or bad?) and a big party at universe sat night.
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yup it's raining in northern nagano today. sucky weather-- what happened to the snow??
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I'm tall (178cm) and have a 163. dont really know if i should have gone shorter, but it's been working out for me.
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i'm from the US and i only eat baked beans with hot dogs. i do like them though. do yall add stuff to it when you cook them? i always put in ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, onions, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
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"man of the moment"?? what do you mean? is it cool to like alpha males now? oops- guess i'm not cool.
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Originally posted by zwelgen:
[QB]you arent a gaijin female in Japan, ask any foreign lady the last time she got asked out on a date, the last time a guy paid her a compliment and the last time she didnt feel like a heifer because she couldnt fit into the L trousers... this country can beat the self esteem outta ya -
word on that. it's really hard living in this country as a single female. especially when all the gaijin guys have swarms of japanese girls wanting to date them and you only get hit on (or rather harassed and groped) by old drunken salarymen.
and really what's wrong with showing that you are gay-friendly? there have been some posts that could discourage people (gay and straight) from the site because they are gay-unfriendly (ie on the SJ shout-out, the suggestion of "are you queer" - what was that all about??). if i was new to this site an saw misogynist postings and then realized i was the only female, i wouldnt stay for long. i think complimenting gays (to demonstrate yes, there are gay-friendly members)and welcoming people aboard (as has been done when other newbies admit their first post) just makes this environment for comfortable.
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the driving test sucks!! and they were so crap about informing the foreign population about the change in the law. for jets, we work for the govt, and they didnt even tell us til the fall. anyways, there was a big discussion back then on a forum for nagano jets. here's some info from a person who took the test about how to pass. it's really long, sorry, but they are really strict!! its mostly aboout the actually driving course, so try to go before your test to get a copy so you can memorize it.
i had made an appointment and was told to arrive between 1pm and 1:30. i got there right at one with all the materials i needed (see past posts or faxes from the kencho). i gave them to the guy at the counter, and he gave me another form to fill out. five minutes later i was finished and he told me to wait in the lobby. i waited until about 3:15. then he called me in for the eye test and the written test. both were pretty easy, but the written test had a few tricky spots. a couple were obscure laws and a couple were because of bad and confusing english. you may want toreview the pages at the back of the jet diary about road signs just in case. after the test he called me and the one other person that was taking it over to the counter and informed us we had passed the first part. then he gave us a map of the course and explained the route we would be taking. he gave us a couple of points to keep in mind and told us we could go up to the observation room to check out the course before the test. then it began. the course was
actually pretty easy. the japanese people taking their test at the same time actually had a much harder course to drive. after the test he called us over and told us that we had both failed and told us why and gave us some tips. here are those tips (these are what he told me knowing i am from america, so i don't know how much they apply to people form other counties.
>also i took my test at the shinonoi center):
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>1. on the long straight aways you HAVE TO go 40km. you have to make the needle at least touch the 40.
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>2. on the outside corners you can only go 20km, but you CANNOT break around the corners. you HAVE TO break before the corners and coast around them. they are really strict about the first two rules.
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>3. when turning onto another street, make sure to turn on the inside of the center. in america we learned to turn at an almost 90 degree angle, this will fail you in japan. you must turn with the outside of your car just barely touching the center on the INSIDE of the corner.
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>4. if you are turning right onto a road with two
>lanes, you must turn into the OUTSIDE lane. in america we turn into the inside lane.
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>5. when you turn left, first look over your shoulder for bikers, then drifter over the left side of the lane before you turn.
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>6. for right corners make sure you are as close to the center as you can go.
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>7. when driving on a single lane road, drive close to the center so bikes and scooters can fit on the left side.
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>8. on a two lane road you must drive in the outside land and only use the inside lane to pass or turn right.
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>9. when you come to a crosswalk go slow and look a bunch of times. but the most important thing is you HAVE TO take you foot off the gas pedal. you might want to take it off dramatically so they notice.
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>10. don't forget blinkers even when you enter and exit the course.
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>11. at unmarked four way stops the car to the left has the right of way.
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>i followed almost all of the above. so how did i fail? well, on one straight away i couldn't get the car up to 40km before the turn, and then i breaked too close to that very same turn. nevermind that to get fast enough i would have had to slam on the gas and then slam on the breaks before the turn. nevermind that it was a total downpour and 40km really didn't feel safe to drive. the only other point that i made a mistake on was that i didn't put my blinker on to exit the course. nevermind that there were no other cars and the course. nevermind that the road curved to the right and the exit kept going straight. so because of two very minor points i failed. and to top it off the instructor was going off about how good of a driver i am! why did the other person fail her test? while she was driving she didn't take her foot off the clutch. that's it. everything else was fine for her. (by the way, i took the test with an automatic, but that means that i can't legally drive a stick en/if i pass. my car's an automatic anyway)
so i was very frustrated (and probably rightly so), just telling you so you are ready for it. but my instructor was really nice. he was cheerful the whole time and even gave us some important tips before we did the test. he joked and told us we did a good job. then he carefully and polietly explained why we failed and said if we could keep those points as well as the additional points he mentioned in mind that we would pass. and at the end he said that the only appointments he had open for anther test time are in three weeks, but he thought that we too long. so he told me to get in contact with sarah and try to get a fast time. and if that doesn't work, he gave me his name and personal phone number so he can help me out.
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>so i don't think what i've heard and read about
>discrimination is true. our instructor seemed like he really wanted us to pass and wanted to help us out as much as he could, but the system is set up with a very difficult passing level. after talking to japanese people they said that it is just as strict for them (maybe more so since the course they were driving was harder. for example, up and down hill parking, backing nto a parking space, crossing railroad tracks, etc.
>we DO NOT have to do those things. but we do have to drive on some really skinny roads and not hit the poles). for example, one japanese guy forgot to renew his license in time and had to take the test. it was going to be his fifth time so far. and some friends of one of my japanese teachers took it thirty times! from what i've heard, almost nobody passes the first time.
>no matter what. no matter how good you do. no matter if you have two tiny little mistakes.
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>so like i said, i don't think there is any
>discrimination going on as far as personal
>discrimination or racial discrimination goes. but i do think there is somewhat of a racket. when the woman failed her test the instructor suggested going to the driving school for some practice lessons. just bring your sheet with 'failed' marked on it to them and they
>know what to do. in the words of one of my teachers, 'they are afraid that if someone like you (meaning, someone without any lessons or anything just waltzing in and acing the test) passes, the driving school can't make any money and people might think the driving test is too easy.' it almost seemed like he had to kind of give the additional points, even thought i didn't break any of time, just so it seemed
>like there was a reason i failed.
Weekend party - violence??
in General off-topic discussions
Posted
i didn't see it happen, but i saw the blood on my friends' faces, broken walls, and pulled out speakers. really shitty bc most people travelled a long way for the chance to ski and party with fellow aets. i think it was just one crazy guy who with too much testosterone and alcohol in his system. it sucks when the actions of one person can perpetuate the negative stereotype of gaijins.