Jay's Blogger

December 10, 2005

2005-12-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

Finally, we've finished training. I'm glad I'm through training, cause it was really alot of work. The trainers were really helpful and supportive so I congradulate them for their hard work. Yesterday night we went out for a night out. It was a festival day of some sort, not sure what kind of festival, but they served all kinds of different foods along the streets near Omiya station. Before the whole thing we visited a nearby convenience store for some beer and alcoholic beverages to drink while we go to the festival. To tell you now, drinking in public is legal in Japan or at least in the Tokyo area. We managed to walk out way towards the festival area. These were little shacks serving freshly grilled, fried, you name it kinds of foods ranging from squid to chocolate covered bannanas. Actually, the chocolate covered bannanas are cool, cause you can play some sort of game and win another free one. At the start of the line I didn't know what I wanted cause there were so many different foods. 300 yen for some grilled chicken was a good deal, but I wanted to see what else there was, even though I was really starving out of my mind. The festival was just starting, so the livliness was not as intense as I would have thought since it was only the first day (friday). I really liked our training group, cause we all travelled together and we stuck together. The line of shacks lead to the shrine, so I'm guessing it was for some sort of religious festival. We walked along, and made alot of jokes such as "soo important!". The smells were amazing and ranged from fried seafoods to meats. I finally settled for some grilled chicken on a stick which was good but pricey cause it was like 500 yen for one.. The last one was only 300 yen and it was the same amount, maybe more. There was another really great deal , of chicken breast soaked on some sort of sweet sauce, which was about 300 yen for a whole chunk of breast. So i realized that you really have to look for the right place for a good deal, cause some of them I guess "ripped you off". I was a little distressed however, when the lady at the chicken breast shack only gave me back 740 yen back when I gave her 5000 yen for a 300 yen chicken breast. Maggie helped me order by asking the lady if it was ok if I paid 5000 yen. The lady said it was ok, so I decided to buy one ( I was out of 1000 yens). Good thing i noticed.. she gave me 3000 yen back. After the festival we took ourselves for some kareoke near Omiya station. We found an expensive deal for like 2870 yen or something for all you can drink or something like that. I didn't care, cause it was only one night out at the kareoke. The kareoke was interesting. About 13 people for one room with a big screen tv, air condistioners and a touch screen remote in Japanese. It was funny cause the Japanese actually invented the kareoke (i'm assuming) but yet most of these songs were western songs. It was fun, we made a few "soo important" on the mic. Some of us sang some rap (tupac and biggie) and some sang madonna, queen. After while I got really tired and just laid back. It was a good night.

Getting ready

2005-11-26T16:31:00.000-05:00

Returned my Acura RSX back to Sherway today. Well, its been a really reliable car for me and I share many memories in it. It's kinda strange, because you can sometimes miss something that has some sort of sentimental value. If it wasn't for all the things I've witnessed and done with the car maybe I wouldn't feel it, but yeah I kinda miss the car because so many things have happened inside of it. I just hope the next owner treats it well, which I am sure of. Going to dinner tonight at 7 pm with the cousins at Sam woos. I guess thats it for now.

One week to go

2005-11-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

Yep one more week to go. Just getting things packed an ready, reviewing some training I will be undergoing during my first week there. Still gotta buy some slacks, permanent press dress shirts plus a dress short sleeved shirt. So, everything has pretty been getting ready to go. Also been chilling in the sauna alot since I sprained my biceps doing bicep curls, I cannot excercise my upper body yet. I gotta find a good gym in Japan. Also, getting together with the cousins this Saturday for dinner and maybe a movie, not really down for drinking, don't like drinking too much anymore.

Heaven help the victims of hurricane Kantrina

2005-08-31T23:59:00.000-04:00

I was astounded to learn how much damage had been done in the different states of US after the hurricane hit. But most of all I really hope those victims will be rescued, because some of them are in need of fast help, especially the people suffering from heart disease and diabetes. I recall on CNN, this 92 year old woman had heart disease but couldn't hook up her respirator. Some of these people are so in need of help. This storm did not hit here so I didn't really think about how bad it really was until I turned to CNN and witnessed all these people who were in desperate need. Some waving flags for help. It's good to see all these people helping each other. I thought about sometime today. The only thing on this earth that makes all the pain bearable is each other.

Las Vegas

2005-08-26T10:38:00.000-04:00

Another place I'd love to go to some day. I love the lights and neon signs there. Call it sensory deprivation, but I think it's worth seeing.

Funny Ass Shit and Guitar Freaks

2005-07-19T23:57:00.000-04:00

If you want to see some stupid, funny ass shit go to my links (www.downtoplanetearth.blogspot.com). I also got a guitar site for freaks who like or want to play some serious guitar (www.guitarheads.blogspot.com).

Interview Days with GEOS Japan

2005-07-19T12:29:00.000-04:00

Whew! Finally done the 3 days of interviews with GEOS. Oh, I applied for GEOS to go to Japan to teach. Actually, my mom found a newspaper clip in the Toronto Star. This interview or let's say interviews was probably the most intensive set I've ever gone through in my life. Now any other interview just seems like a breeze to me. 1st day: Ok, so this is when you first meet all your other soon to be "teachers in Japan". So the interview was held in Toronto Bay and Queen St, so I took a subway east from Kipling then transfer at Bloor/Yonge and south back to Queen to get off. So I walk into the interview office and I liked how they arranged everything for the potential candidates. There were long tables with books and magazines on Japan. It was arranged so that you could meet all the other people going and just chat. This was I think about 9:40am. At around 10 am (I think), we started the dreaded comprehension quiz, which would determine if you just sucked at English or was good enough to teach. It was pretty long and lasted about 20 minutes. Questions included basic grammar such as spelling (accommodation), punctuation, and creating your own sentences (past, present perfect, etc.). Then there were basic knowledge questions such as who is the president of China; the president of Japan; match song titles with musical artists; match artwork to artists. Then they gave you old names of countries and you had to figure out which country it is (Burma = Myanmar). Then what are the capital cities of so and so. After the quiz we each had one on one interviews with the interviewers (there were two of them). I guess somewhere during this time they marked the comprehension quiz. So based on the interview and quiz you were told if you could come back for the next interview which started later on in the day at 1:30 after lunch. I knew one person who got cut on the first round. So there were around 20 people in total. So I went for lunch with a couple of people and came back. They then gave us general information about the program and we did some activities where the interviewers would observe us. We went around and basically introduced ourselves to each other and just started a general conversation. Finally, I think it was now about 4 or 5 pm. In the end they gave each of us an envelope which told us if we could come back for the interview the next day (Saturday). I got my envelope and it said that I was accepted to the next interview, but I had to rewrite the quiz, because my marks were not so high. I think about 4 or five people got cut the first day. There would be no more cuts until after the last day (day 3), so the rest were pretty much invited again for the next remaining two days. They told us the quiz was the same, so that meant I had to try and remember all the questions and find all the answers to them. I stayed up till about 1 or 2am studying and getting everything memorized. The only thing was I managed to get in about a few hours of sleep. 2nd Day: We all met up in the front lobby of the building at around 8:25am, because on Saturdays the elevators didn't work without a key, which only the interviewers could get a hold of. So we waited there for them. The 8:25 was for the people who had to rewrite the comprehension quiz. So we all rewrote the quiz. I think I did alright since I studied for it the night before and it was the same quiz. Then we went through more details like teaching methods. They gave us teaching demonstrations with the group. The whole teaching methods were explained and we got notes explaining the whole procedure. We were given instructions on how to prepare for the 30 minute presentation we were to prepare for the next day. This presentation involved many different themes, where each group of people would get a certain theme. Mine was ordering at a restaurant. They told us it should take about 5 hours to prepare. I was totally drained and I just felt like I had absolutely no energy. So I reviewed the notes while on the subway. So I got home and started working on it right away. I guess a should a taken like a nap or something, because my mind was not very efficient (lack of sleep, pressure, and anxiety). I figured that I couldn't get to sleep anyways so I'd start work on it right away. Most of the time I was there trying to figure everything out. I called up Clinton who had it tomorrow as well and we both started to really work on it at around 10pm. I was just brainstorming and preparing notes as well as making up props. I also called up other interviewees and we just tried to help each other out. It took me way up until about 3 to 4 am, since I had to go to Kinkos and do some photocopies. It was really hectic for me. I got up to around 3 or 4 hours of sleep. I ended up making a few props of different types of foods. 3rd day: The final day. So we arrived there at around 9:50am. So we all got into our pre organized groups and got into pairs to start presenting. It went alright I guess. I was just really tired and managed to just squeeze it by. So we all got into the one room after the interview. We just sat there chatting before they called us one by one to interview. Done. Only to find out today that I was not accepted. Awe well, it was a good experience and I went to distance so I'm glad. Time to go to sleep.

Heart Felt Sorrow

2005-07-08T00:26:00.000-04:00

I would like to send out my heart felt sorrow for the victims of terrorist attacks in London. However, it's good to see people standing up against terrorism. I was watching CNN and some of the citizens interviewed were saying how they will live on like they always did.

RSS Feeding

2005-07-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

What's this RSS feed i keep hearing about.

July 05

2005-07-05T22:41:00.000-04:00

Nothing new yet, just waiting and seeing if I got the job in Japan. I also got another interview coming starting July 15 to 17. This one is pretty crazy because it spans three days. The frist day will be the usual interview. If that one goes well i will be invited to the next and so on. The last interview i have to do a 30 minute teaching presentation. At least I get to know right away if I get accepted day by day. So waiting for that one.

How is your day?

2005-07-04T15:31:00.000-04:00

For the past few weeks, I've been pretty much sitting at home all day on the computer. Either I'm surfing for other blogs or working on mine. I gotta say, when you don't got a job yet (recent grad looking for job), you ain't got nothing to do. But it's still better though, I like it, because have a chance to be creative and work on things I want to do. So here I am sitting and just gaining pounds (mostly fat). A typical Jay day: -wake up at 12:00am -eat and read newspaper -sit at computer, work on blog -sleep -wake up -sit at computer What a boring life, but I don't mind it.

Jamming at Bert and Ernies

2005-07-04T03:11:00.000-04:00

Actually did some wicked jamming tonight at Bert and Ernies. I guess its because I wasn't so confined to play someone else's shit like last time. Also, I loved that fact that everyone else there were mostly into the same type of music I was into. Thank God for that, cause there are people actually still into the classic rock that i'm into. First off I have never played with any of those guys befor, except James, whom I played with during high school. We did a blues jam, James, Trevor, the bassist and a drummer (didn't ask his name). I did some soloing for that. Maybe I was a hog, in that I really cranked the amp up and just wailed out, but I could never hold back like last time. I started playing the intro to voodoo chile, so the drummer got into it and started playing and we were off to the skies. No vocals, just instrumentals. I couldn't hear myself, but it was fun, just not caring anymore about what people thought. James then wanted to play a song by the tragically hip, and told me the two chords, so I played with them, kinda improving here and there. James was tired so he got off after that set. I started playing the intro to crazy train, to hint that I wanted to play it. They looked like they wanted to play it, which was awesome. I asked them and they agreed. We also played crazy train by ozzy, which was close to perfect, except for the solo part, but considering that fact that we had never really jammed before, it was pretty darn good. There is a female vocalist who sings there I think every Sunday, and she's really awesome with an awesome singing voice. Anyways, I guess she didn't want to sing for crazy train, maybe didn't like it, so another guy went up and sang, and she joined in later. I next asked if they wanted to play rock and roll by Zeppelin, and then again we went off playing that. It was an awesome night, and alot of fun. Not alot of people there though, like last time, but it was cool playing with those guys. I plan to go back next Sunday and James plays there every Sunday, so I'll see him there. It good to know there's still people still into good music.

Any Bad Experiences?

2005-07-03T11:45:00.000-04:00

If you'd like to share your own bad experiences due to shitty customer service, post it here, let yourself be heard.

Bad Experience at Lick's

2005-07-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

Yeah, thats right, a bad experience at Lick's, which is why i'm never going back to that shit hole again. Anyways, I went there to order a hamburger with a friend. Ok, I don't give two shits if they don't sing for me like thier supposed to but at least son't give me that "I don't care attitude". First there was this one girl, who took my order. Next I waited up until another girl called us up to ask what we wanted on our burgers. So this girl gives me this attitude like "i don't have to do a good job for you" attitude. My friend on the other hand had it alright for some reason, maybe she didn't like fellow asians even though she was asian. So when my turn came up she just gave me this stupid lazy attitude. She didn't really say anything, but you could just tell she didn't like me for some stupid bias reason. She just plopped on the salad and toppings like she didn't want to do it for me. Anyways, I forgot to ask for ketchup, so I reminded her "nicely" "Oh, I forgot the ketchup", then she gives me this stupid attitude. She doesn't say a word and just forces herself to comply with the ketchup like I was "just another stupid customer". What a bitchy assed whore of a bitch. I mean, the least a server could do not make a shitty day even shittier (not sure if thats a word, but awe well). But then I guess i sort of understand her situation, I mean come on she's working for Lick's, a place where you have to sing stupid songs and flip burgers all day. Whatever, maybe I should feel sorry for her, cause she has such a shitty life/job. I also find it really annoying when these people give you a bias attitude cause they either hate their own race or just don't like asians in general, fucking slutty whore. So thats the story, no more Lick's, because of one shitty service. See how much one negative first impression can lose potential customers?

Meat Rendering and Processing Plant

2005-07-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

About year ago during my work term we had to perform analysis on a recycling plant. It was about 2 or 3 in the morning, and it was just an eerie night. Anyways, i had the most profound epiphanies that night. The smell there was just terrible. It smelt like rotting meat, like something died next to me. It was probably the most disgusting smell that I had to endure for 2 to 3 hours that night doing measurements. However, it really made me think about the environment as well as the food that we eat. I mean, a couple of days ago I was gulping down slim jims and hot rods. For some reason I began to associate junk food with the smell eminating from this plant. I began to really think deeply about what we could do to our bodies and what goes in. This plant recycles animal by products such as brain, spinal cord, guts and everything else. There is a frequent shipment of animal entrails and blood. From that day on I stopped eating at Licks, Macdonalds, Taco Bell. Not that I won't eat meat, cause I still love meat and will eat high quality meat products, however, anything I don't know exactly what is it or in it I won't eat. Anyways, this was one time that smell was a huge influence on me. The plant itself was a giant. Literally. There were huge silos and conveyer belts, kinda of like a machine on dooms day. There was a constant eerie sound of trucks coming in dumping waste and going back out, a constant thumping of something, etc. It is also located far away from the urban crowd and near an isolated highway. The slogan says something like "making the environment better". You must be kidding me. I couldn't understand how some people lived near a plant like that. There were rows of houses across the road on a big hill overlooking the plant. Making the environment better, yeah right, the air was unbearable. Well, i heard recently that they had bio fans installed to reduce the odor. Well, at least the people near the plant can breathe easy now.

Another Stupid Assed Question

2005-07-02T14:53:00.000-04:00

I see all these folks with music clips on thier sites. Do you need a URL for that as well. Also what I don't get is, why the fuck do you have get the profile photo off another fucking website. I don't have a website, and its a pain in the ass to set one up for that purpose, why don't they just set it up so you could upload a photo from your own computer. This is also for the sound clips as well.

How do you actually make some cash?

2005-07-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

I've had this blogger for almost a month now, and I added Adsense. The thing is, who the heck is going to actually click on those ads so you can start reeling in the cash? Maybe I've finally gotten greedy with this whole thing, but I am getting a bit fed up. Suggestions anyone?

Behind the Scenes

2005-07-02T01:04:00.000-04:00

This is Bush behind the scenes.

Little Billy

2005-07-02T00:42:00.000-04:00

Just a little picture I found of Billy. I think he's had enough public scrutiny, but I had to put this in. I apologize if this may offend some people.

Wanna learn how to play guitar?

2005-07-02T00:18:00.000-04:00

Click on the "guitarheads" link. There I have the latest tips to get down low and dirty when learning to play guitar. No wasting time, just getting down to get you playing up in front of that small crowd whether it be family, friends, or even a bar.

2005-06-27T22:53:00.000-04:00

Inerview day is creeping up on me soon. This Wednesday to be exact. This is for the teaching job in Japan. Well, lets just see how things go. Well, yesterday me and Steve played a gig at this place called Bert and Ernies, who'd jam night is sponsered by Long and MacQuade. I didn't like it, because we couldn't plug in our own amplifiers, so we ended up using thier Fender amps. Not to say that those amps are shit or anything like that, but we already based our songs on particular sounds and setting on our amplifiers. This totally screwed up our gig. Another thing that screwed us up was when we were trying to play this song by Kravitz and Slash, and our setup of the song was interfered when another bassist whom we didn't know just came up on stage and started playing with us. So we had no choice but to try and play the original cover instead of the little jam thing we put into the song. It was ok for me though, cause I mean the bassist just wanted to help out and just join in the fun, so I was ok with that really. Whatever, it was still an ok night for me. However, I feel like I'm losing the passion I have had before for music, its just that i haven't been jamming with the right people. I always feel constrained with some of the people who I play with, because they don't appreciate my taste in music, or they just don't like it when I play what I want to play, what i truly want to play. The best best time I've ever had jamming was in high school. There were always a couple of people who really just got into it with me and we just went crazy and nobody critized nobody. Whenever one of us would just lose it in a solo, the other guy would just encourage it and we would have sooo much fun. That is what music really is, it is having fun and just feeling it. If you're like "I want all these people to see how fast and how musically inclined I am" it is just going to come out that way, like your trying to prove something to someone. When you jam and have fun it comes out that way, you have fun and the people listening to you have fun, it's as simple as that. I believe that with music you cannot really hide. It is really a personal thing, but someone is generous enough to give it out. If your there to show everyone that you are better and they all suck , then you are just trying to take in and not give. Music is about giving and being whole hearted. That is what alot of people who play musci do not understand. you give it to the people who are generous enough to listen to you. Once you have even an ounce of pride you lose. Give it to them don't take it in.

2005-06-23T01:37:00.000-04:00

A HUGE i mean HUGE spider I found crawling in my basement. I was playing guitar and in the corner of my eye I saw this big black thing. I turned to face it and WOAH! a huge spider. I was freaked out. OK that jar its in is a regular Prego jar and you can tell for yourself. The first thought that came to mind was "go get the Lysol and and spray the @#$% out of it. Then I was like "hey maybe this thing would be nice to keep in a jar because it is a rare site. My Dad eventually got it in the jar. I think it is a wolf spider. I kept it for a day and realized that the jar started to smell really bad sort of like old urine, so I decided to let it go. It happily scurried away.

2005-06-23T01:16:00.000-04:00

My two guitars. These are my two guitars and Line6 amplifier. I've had the red cherryburst guitar evern since I was in like grade 10. It's really almost and antique now, cause you can't really find one like that now, which has that unique feel of the neck and elegance mixed with age and experience. I say experience cause I've been everywhere with that thing. I've played alot of live gigs with it in high school as well as in University. It is the guitar that has made me popular throughout high school, cause me and a buddy of mine recorded a cover of voodoo chile and it was disitributed and heard by many, not to mention that we also played at a talent show. At Waterloo, I let this guitar do all the talking. Many have witnesses me play the lengendary classics of Hendrix and were amazed. Yeah this guitar means alot to me and people have wanted to buy it off me. In your dreams. I wouldn't sell it for the world. I also upgraded it from my stock Les Paul pickups to an EMG-81 (at the bridge) and EMG-85 (at the neck). Those 81 pickups can give you wailing harmonics believe me. The 85's on the other hand give you that round sound and most of the dead notes are muted so it cleans up your shredding. Neways, enough with all that technical shit. No one is interested. haha. The guitar on the right is another favorite. I use it because it's got a whammy and I'm slowly wearing it in so that it becomes more cumstomized to my playing. It's got pearly gates pickups and the bridge (humbuckers of course). Then I got two single coil tex mex hot pickups. I've only had this one for about 2 or 3 years. Your probably wondering about that amp. yes its digital and you can really make crazy sounds with it. I'm still playing around with it, and got alot to learn. The possibilities with this thing is infinite. it's got over 60 amp models and 20 amp cabs, which you can combine using separate 50 watt speakers. It also got all the effect you can imagine with routing options. OK OK that's enough. As you probably know already I'm a guitar freak and always will be.

2005-06-22T22:36:00.000-04:00

This has gotta be one of my favorite pics of him Live at Fillmore East Nothing special today. I went back to the loo to pick up a bunch of past co-op evaluation forms which costs about $2 each. This is gotta e-mail to my supervisor from HGC engineering where I worked, so I could get a reference letter typed up. The company called Nova Group which is offering me an interview next Wednesday wants two ref letters. I already got one from SNC yesterday. I'm kinda worried cause I really do want this teaching job. I should prepare, but how really. I came home at around 7pm. A couple of guests came over to our house which was cool. I also saw that show on Much Music where they talk about filthy rich people and this time it was Donald Trump. That guy is LOADED! 50 million boat and a plane with tons of gold on it which can cost about 2 milllion a year just to maintain. That is what I call extravagant. All of this from real estate.

2005-06-22T22:32:00.000-04:00

Hendrix. Greatest guitarist ever. It has been almost been 9 years since I've been listening to Jimi Hendrix and playing his music. It's funny, because even after all these years he is the one artist that I never get tired of. It's like no matter how many times I listen to Jimi, there's always something new, something I've never heard. Like a small guitar lick that will just hit a nerve in you. He does it so good, as Little Richard once said. He just does it so good. There is one concert Jimi Hendrix has played at Berkeley. Man, when you hear him play that last outro solo on the cover "Johnny B Goode" that solo still to this day amazes me. Everytime I see it I'm always like "Shiiiit! How the !@#$ does he DO THAT!" I also believe that alot of people misunderstand Jimi Hendrix and say that he is a god and that if he lived that extra year music now would be totally different. I think that is just overstating a human being. Jimi was an amazing virtuoso, and he truly knew how to play music and influence rock, but you cannot go on to overstate him and claim that he would have changed the music. There are so many other amazing musicians during that time and now so that they all have a contribution. Is rock dead? many people will say yes. But that doesn't mean enjoying it is dead as well. No matter what a song is a song and if there is an element in there that touches you, it is not dead. Jimi Hendrix, I should say "a truly amazing guitar player". I've been been awed and still play Jimi Hendrix music also been doing it for almost 9 years but to this day I still find something after listening to him or watching a music video. You know that someone is a truly amazing musician when they just never seem to get old. Anyways, my intent is not to oeverstate him but to respect him for his passion and influence on rock music. Long live Jimi Hendrix.

Thoughts

2005-06-22T01:32:00.000-04:00

My name is Jay and I am a recent gradudate in Civil Engineering. I am creating this web site to share my future experiences. I will be going to Japan in few months to teach English and I would like to share eveything that I do there. I believe that what I am writing now will be totally different from what I will write by the end of the year, namely due to all the different things I will see, feel, hear and feel. I believe that you cannot give to someone something you don't have. That is why I will abosorb eveything I can so that I can give the grace of God to everyone and hopefully make a difference to someone either directly or indirectly. I also believe that all your fortunes are owed to the one and only God. I believe that experiences, either good or bad will only make you stronger. These are things that God will throw at you to prepare you for your future. My dad used to tell me that a plant nurtured and housed inside will not be able to withstand the extreme conditions of nature if it were moved outside. The plant would die, because it is not used to the weather. On the flip side, a plant grown with all the external forces of wind rain and sunlight will become stronger and be able to stand. As of now God has given me a great gift, which is the love from my parents. Love is such a powerful thing and I believe that with love you do not have to go through hell to become strong. Love is a positive reinforcement much like a child who becomes better behaved because the teacher keeps telling the child that he/she is improving. This love connects back to God and this is the base in which I will be able to withstand and absorb the good and bad things that come my way. I remember when I was going to a catholic school in grade 9. It was a good school, but some of the things I ecnountered there made me lose faith in God. Why? you ask. Isn't it ironic that I had more faith in God before i went to that school. I was surprised to see that a "school of God" contained in it many bullies and believe me I was tormented day by day by these bullies. I was scared by many of them who would fight after school, do drugs and pick on others. I think different now. Perhaps it was just a test by God or an experience to only strengthen me so that I may be prepared when more difficult situations may arise. This is my first posting and I will try my best to reflect my thoughts and feelings as well as experiences and events that I will experience in this place called Japan. It is amazing how such a small island, smaller than the size of Ontario, bombed to nothing grew to a place where now it is one the biggest leaders of technology. Hopefully I can learn alot from these people through the grace of God and in the end learn to do good not bad.