Paul’s Blog

Like I wrote before, last Sunday was Advent Sunday and that is the beginning of Xmas, so we put up our tree. It’s not so big, but it’s very colourful and we love decorating it. I bought it when I first came to Japan. It was just before Xmas one year, and I began to miss Christmas because then, it was not so popular in Japan.

In fact, I had to work on Christmas Day! So to cheer myself up, I went to Mitsukoshi and bought a tree. It was hard to find one in those days, so I got a small one, and we’ve kept it since then!

We usually put presents out around the tree towards Christmas and open them all on the morning of the 25th. I wonder if I’ll get anything nice this year…???

Of course I love eating out, but I also really enjoy cooking. Here’s a pizza in the making… I often cook Italian food and pizza is easy and fun because you can add lots of interesting toppings. When I was younger, I used to make all my own bread, but unfortunately it takes too long so these days, we have to buy it. I’m often too busy to cook as well, but when I get the chance, I really enjoy it!

Hi everyone! Well, today, we went out to a very nice Italian restaurant. It was near Fukiage, and the food was wonderful. We went with Brian Cullen, who I teach and write books with, and he introduced the place to us. Actually, there are so many good restaurants in Japan, but this one–Hiroshi’s–had a really good atmosphere. Last summer, we were in Italy for a month, and this restaurant really reminded me of then. Perhaps it’s because it was a little old and dusty… Anyway, we had an enormous dinner, so I’ll have to watch my diet from now. After we came back from France this summer, we visited a French cafe in Nagoya. Everything was perfect, and the food and coffee were great… but it missed the mood of the real France. We were disappointed. Perhaps it was too clean! Most Japanese people probably prefer clean places, but I don’t mind it if somewhere is old and even dirty, as long as it has a good mood. Perhaps that’s one big difference between Japanese people and Europeans. Maybe you’ll be shocked when you visit England!

This Saturday we played tennis outside, even though it was really cold! We were lucky to get a government tennis court, so it was really cheap–about 600 yen for 3 hours! I really enjoy playing tennis though I am very poor still. My service is terrible!

The problem was the court was covered with sand or gravel, and it was very uneven. The lines were made of tape and nailed onto the concrete underneath… and because it wasn’t flat, the ball bounced in strange directions every time, so it was almost impossible to guess where it would go. Anyway, I really enjoyed playing, and it was good exercise at least!

It was quite a sporty weekend. On Sunday, we went to watch the university rugby match. It was an important one, between Nagoya University, who are at the bottom of the first division, and Shukutoku, who are at the top of the second division. If Nagoya University lost, they would swop divisions.

There were quite a lot of people watching, but they were so quiet, compared to Britain. In Britain, everyone shouts and screams and plays musical instruments to support their team. But on Sunday, they cheered just a little, and clapped politely if someone played well.

In the end, Nagoya University won, though it was a well balanced match. I enjoyed watching it a lot, and I’d like to go again in the future.

Well, anyway, I wanted to build a good audio system at home, so I went round lots of recycle shops to look for speakers. Everyone said something different, so I got a little confused. In the end, I got a surround sound amplifier and two nice but small speakers for the front.

Finally, I wanted to hear surround sound, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I looked in the recycle shops but they had nothing, so I went to K’s Denki… They had some nice speakers at about half price because the model was a little old. However, the speakers were fine.

I asked if I could buy one, but the man said sorry, they had none left. Then he said I could have the demonstration ones, and they would be 2,000 yen discounted each! I was so happy! So now I have 5 parts of the audio system. Next I have to find a sub-woofer to make a strong bass sound. Then it will be complete. So I have to keep looking…

Well, Halloween has just finished so already it’s coming up to Christmas. In fact, do you know when it really starts? Here’s how to calculate it.

Xmas Day is on the 25th. This year, it’s a Sunday. So one week before it is the 18th. This is called the Last Sunday Before Christmas. We have 4 special Sundays before Christmas in the season called Advent. So the first one–Advent Sunday–should be on November 27th this year. Before that, it’s not good luck to have Christmas things up!

What are you doing for Xmas this year? After Advent begins, I’ll write about some of the festivities we have in Britain!

New sounds

This week, I decided to change my audio setup at home, so I took my old speakers to the recycling shop and got some new ones. Actually, the new ones are much smaller but because they are more modern, the sound was a lot better. And they take up much less space, so my small living room feels larger and more spacious now.

I realised how important sound is in our lives. I mean, we spend so much time listening to CDs, DVDs, videos, and the TV that it is a good idea to get the best possible sound. So my new project is to create surround sound. To get good speakers is very expensive, so I will keep looking for the missing parts in recycling shops until I find each part. It’s hard work and takes lots of time, but it is a nice challenge and I will enjoy it! I can’t wait to complete a great sound system in my living room!

 

Do you check the English on things you buy… sometimes I think someone is making a joke! This is a very famous example of a Blendy coffee glass… I have no idea what it means!

Actually, in Britain, people are getting their own back, by wearing strange kanji on t-shirts. They don’t care what it means but it looks “cool”! I guess it’s a kind of revenge :o)

Wow, this year is going fast. It’s already November, and soon the Christmas season will begin. The weather seems to change very suddenly in Japan, and it became chilly, but it is still much warmer than in Britain. This week, it’s Guy Fawkes Night in England, when we remember the plot to blow up the King and Parliament back 400 years ago. It’s held on November 5th, “Bonfire Night” and everyone goes out to watch fireworks and makes huge bonfires in parks.

The story is that Guy Fawkes was intending to blow up the Protestant King James for religious reasons, but as always, there was lots of poliltics. He rented the house next to Parliament, and put gunpowder in the cellar, which went underneath both buildings. The night beforehand, he was caught, so the bombs never went off. But we remember what it might have looked like if he had succeeded.

My memory is of a cold black night with very hot soup and sausages and baked potatoes in foil, dripping with butter. And the sound and smell of fireworks going off everywhere. In some ways, it releases a very primitive instinct among the English, but it is a wonderful memory. I really miss this week in England… I am sure the tradition will continue!