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My Life Page 5
2004 - 2005
  Recent My Life:

Two of the kids I used to teach that have since moved on. Quite a pair they were, always making me laugh somehow. Yuka (left) is 10 and Tsuyoshi (right) is 8. Yuka, a talented artist and a natural at learning English was quite harsh in her criticism of her brother when he couldn't answer a question (which was often), but Tsuyoshi never batted an eye and rarely got upset. English just wasn't his thing, he was more interested in boy stuff like soccer and video games. Be good guys!

yuka and tsuyoshi

 

Actually only part of my breakfast since I usually have toast with peanut butter and jam, maybe some cereal, some nuts and dried fruit, etc. However the blender part never changes and is mostly responsible for the name of this website. I might sometimes add some strawberries when they're in season, maybe a raw egg when I'm feeling brave, or some protein powder if I've just worked out, but the banana, frozen blueberries and milk never change. Yep, me and my blender are inseparable.

blender

 

Here's my parents house in Ottawa, and me back for a few days vacation. This is the fifth house my parents have moved to in my lifetime, (always in Ottawa) which is about one house every 6 years. I guess you could say moving is their hobby? The house might look kind of puny from the front, but it's fairly big on the inside. Compared to most houses in Japan though, it's a palace. As it's early November it's pretty chilly out. Although it doesn't look it, it's only about 4 or 5 degrees above zero.

parent's house

 

I'm sure you've all wondered about my heritage, me being so myterious and all. Athough I was born in Canada, my Canadian roots don't stretch back all that far. Half of the blood that flows through my veins is Scottish (my mother's side). This here isn't my kilt, It's my Uncle Kenneth's (who let me try it on) and it cost him about $1000, which means that I won't be getting one soon. Looks cool though huh? Oh my other half isn't Japanese like you might think, my dad's side is a mix of Welsh and English.

mike kilt

 

Here's my dog Mica, and since everyone inevitably says 'Mica?' (with a kind of smirk) I'll tell you why. Way back about 11 years ago when the family was trying to decide on a name, we noticed a bright black spot on his tail that led someone (my mom or dad I think) to make a connection with a type of igneous rock called 'mica'. Other contending names if I remember correctly were: Ghost, Husk, Doggie, and maybe some even dumber ones. Looking back, I guess 'Mica' was a pretty good choice.

mica

 

One and a half years after I arrived in the world, I suddenly found myself sharing the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from adults with this thing called a 'Cathy'. During the next 12 years or so, Cathy and Michael would mostly fight, and Michael would mostly lose because he was the 'older sibling' and therefore in his parents eyes should be more 'responsible'. Eventually the two of them grew out of this phase, calmed down, and discord turned into harmony as they became good friends. Congrats on getting married Cooth!

mike and cathy

 

The picture you've been waiting for. This year I didn't go home for Christmas, it came to me! Yoko cooked Christmas dinner this year complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. Amazing! I didn't think that you could buy nice turkeys in Japan, but Yoko found a decent 4 lb. one that was enough for about 8 people. She also made the cake, and it wasn't one of those Japanese cakes that are made of air, it had about 10 pounds of butter, cream and chocolate! Now it's diet time.

christmas dinner

 

Oops, forgot to smile again. I finally joined a Japanese language school (one of my New Year's resolutions). I've been meaning to for a while now but work and money kept getting in the way. In the middle is one of my teachers, (Asako) and on the right from Scotland is Ian, currently the only other student enrolled in the class. The other teacher (Yuki) teaches on a different day. The textbook is good, classes are fun, and I get lots of chances to speak out. I only hope I'll be able to continue next term!

yoshida japanese school

 

Monopoly! Is there a better board game? Well maybe Risk... Anyway this is another idea I had to help along my Japanese studies. Why not play computer games in Japanese? Did it turn out to be a good idea or just an excuse to play games? Well, while playing I do get to work on my listening skills (Mr. Monopoly gives a narration the whole way through), but not my reading skills because it turns out my old computer doesn't support the Japanese character font. Yep, it's really time for a new comptuer.

monopoly

 

 

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Awards:
Tripbase Blog Awards 2009
Tripbase Blog Awards 2009

 

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Blogroll - Japan:
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As I See Japan... From L.A.
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