Monthly Archives: November 2005

This ridiculous diagram is part of the revisied lesson plan project that I am working on in the office. At least I’m getting pretty good at using Word and Excel as a result… Teaching Janken in elementary school makes for a good lesson, but I that the Japanese version sounds so much better than “Ro … Continue reading »

Don Quixote is my favorite chain store in Japan. Where else can you buy party sized snacks bigger than they sell in American supermarkets, Louis Vuitton bags, electrical appliances, cosplay outfits, children’s toys, whale curry, and adult goods all under the same roof? If only Wal-Mart was as cool as this… I always happen to … Continue reading »

Autumn leaves in Osaka.

Take any 3 digit number, and make it’s palindrome (by reading it backwards), and add them both together. ex. 893 + 398 Take the sum of the 3 digit number and its palindrome and repeat the process. 1291 + 1921 Take that sum and repeat the process and… it’s a palindrome number: 3212 + 2123 … Continue reading »

Yes, it’s another day in the office working on the dreaded Ashiya curriculum, which means that my brain needs to be exercised lest it die from atrophy. A co-worker brought in some slime and started to play with it, which got me thinking about colloids, gels, polymers, and the properties of substances that exhibit behavioral … Continue reading »

This meter is my good luck charm, located some place that no one will ever discover, frozen for the rest of time showing almost all eights.

This is an actual toy set that is currently for sale at Toys R Us in Japan. Can you picture some little kid asking for this? Mommy, when I grow up I want to work at McDonalds! All jokes aside, working at Mickey D’s doesn’t have the same stigma attached to it over here as … Continue reading »

Today, when I was teaching “Let It Be” to my high schoolers, I asked a teacher to translate the phrase “let it be” into Japanese. He then said the phrase in katakana English and waited for me to proceed with the lesson. I looked at him in bewilderment and said “No, in Japanese please”, to … Continue reading »

I was eating kyushoku with the kids at my elementary school, when they asked me why I spike my hair. I told them “God told me to”, and for some reason, the kid on the right stood up on a chair and acted out dying on the cross. “I’m Jesus Christ!” he said as the … Continue reading »

It turns out that we are the first school in Osaka to have spotted the South-American red-backed black widow! Yay!