¡Perfecto!

We are now in the post-Christmas, pre-New Year’s holiday lull. Many people are heading back to work today…some others getting to enjoy another week of vacation. Whatever the case, NOW is the perfect time to watch and VOTE on some YouTube videos.

One of my dearest friends, Blake Edwards, has just finished a wonderful little film called ¡Perfecto! and he needs your help. This film is his entry into the Project Direct Contest—a contest associated with the Sundance Film Festival and YouTube. The film has already made it past hundreds of other entries and is now in the TOP TEN.

You can view it at www.youtube.com/projectdirect and vote on it to WIN! Simply go tot he "vote" tab and click on the ¡Perfecto! movie to watch it. If you like it, select the green thumbs up! BAM! You’ve voted! And helped to make a good man’s dream come true.

Guidelines to eating healthy over the holidays

With Christmas only a few days away, I know many people out there are consuming an increasing amount of sweets, treats, and casseroles. Parties and get-togethers abound with holiday themed cookies, cakes, and pies, as well as delicious (but fatty) dips, spreads, and mixes. In short, it’s very easy to consume millions of calories and loads of fat everyday!

I’m currently down in Atlanta with all my family and surrounded by yummy treats. For the next week I will have to opportunity to eat without end. To ensure that I don’t gain too much weight—but still enjoy the holidays—I’ve come up with these simple guidelines:

1. No eating of sweets/desserts before noon (except doughnuts and chocolate sundae Poptarts).

2. No eating of sweets/desserts after 8pm (except anything eggnog flavored).

3. Only small pieces of cakes and pies allowed (but as many of these small sizes as desired).

4. Any lunches composed entirely of cookies and fudge must also be accompanied by an apple or orange.

5. Homemade sweets take precedence over store bought treats, and multiple servings may be eaten to show politeness to the baker.
   

I expect following these little rules will help make this a great, but healthy sugar season. Happy holidays, ya’ll!

Top 10 Exclamations

Since being back I've been amazed and awed by simple things that make America different from Japan. A trip to a store usually invokes these feelings and I've found myself saying aloud all of the phrases below (some more than others).

1. Whoa, that guy is fat!
2. This steak is massive!
3. Haha, that cat is chubby.
4. Wow, look at all the bread!
5. Yikes, is that lady wearing pajamas at the store?
6. Man, this water glass is like a silo.
7. Eek, that dude is rude.
8. Hmm, is this shirt a large in people sizes or wookie?
9. Gasp! Look at all the cheese options!
10. Holy Tower of Babel! There are so many different kinds of people/languages around me!

Overall, I'm finding America to be a comfortable and bountiful place, but way, way too fat. I like the diversity and having all types of cultures mixing, but hate the overly sensitive "politically correct alarms" that go off whenever someone asserts their culture. I like America and love being back home...but I'd like to see my country improve some and become an even better place. I'd also like fewer reality TV shows and more Star Trek.

Most Important Thing

Relationships are the most important things in life. I’ve been back for 3 weeks and after spending time with family and friends in person (and over the phone), I really see how important relationships are in life.

We all of course know this; but sometimes need to say it out loud (or on a blog) to properly appreciate the fact. Coming back home after 3 years is strange/confusing/difficult because you drop down in a place that looks, sounds, and smells familiar, but feels a bit off. You turn around and see your old life and you think, “that was me then”, and then you look at yourself now and think, “this is who I’ve become since then”, and then you try to connect the lines to figure out how those two go together.

And while you’re thinking about that, your friend from college calls you up and you suddenly realize how despite all the adventures between then and now, you are still you and your friend is still your friend and you can click back together very easily and have a good laugh. THEN, you think, “the people in my life—those souls I love—give so much meaning to my life and they make sense of things no matter where I am”.

And finally you eat some homemade cookies you made with your sister and smile.

Rivendell / la casa de mi hermana

I’m in transition; I’ve come home from my Japan, English teaching life and I’m getting ready for my New York City, voice acting/other creative ventures life. I’m putting together myself using the pre-Japan pieces and the new parts I picked up in the Far East. This is honestly a resting time, a reflecting time, and a time to spend with my family and friends who I was away from for so long.

I couldn’t ask for a better place to do this than my sister’s home in North Carolina. Julie and her husband live in a beautiful, comfortable house filled with entertainment and good food. Their TV—which is the size of my old car—complete with a Wii and expansive game library ensure I’m never bored. I sleep in a big nice bed, get tasty meals, and just enjoy a relaxed life here. It’s wonderful.

All this reminds me of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Rivendell—the elven stronghold and rest stop in both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Tolkien wrote exciting stories filled with dangerous and horrible places (goblin-filled mountain caves, spider-invested forests) but he also gave the characters, and the reader, resting points along the way where safety and comfort were found. These points in their journey were times to renew their physical and emotion strength and also prepare them for the trials ahead. Rivendell is an enchanted outpost for the immortal Elves and thus is a place for songs, feasts, and safety. Every morning when I wake up at Julie’s house, I feel like I’m in Rivendell.

When I look at my life, I see a lot of good memories and success from Japan…and I also see a lot of potential and excitement from a future in NYC. But I’m not sure how those two parts fit together…because right now I really don’t know how to get to New York City, or how to get a job there, or anything! I’m like Frodo saying, “I’ll go to Mordor, but I don’t know the way…so Elrond, could you please let me crash at yours until I get my fellowship together?”

Haha, I love LOTR. Anyway, I think you understand what I’m trying to say. The point is: THANK YOU Julie and Paul for letting me stay here! After being away for so long, I’m so happy to have this time together.

Thanksgiving with the family

After 3 long years of no Thanksgivings, I’ve finally come home and have had a wonderful feast. おいしかったです！ It was delicious!

My mom and sister are amazing when it comes to cooking. They know how to plan out and prepare a fantastic meal. I usually just jump around the kitchen saying, “I’m hungry! When it is gonna be ready?!” Then they give me a job like making “pigs in a blanket” that is simple and occupies my time. Pigs in a blanket are little sausages wrapped up in yummy croissant bread and it’s the only thing I’ve ever made for Thanksgiving. This task suits me fine cause it requires a little bit of food-geometry (measuring out a balanced number of sausages to croissant dough and making sure everything is wrapped up tight) and when they are done I can eat as many as I want!

I’m so happy to be back home. Not just for the piggies, but also because of the comfort and joy of being back with family. Right now I’m chilling at my sister’s house and enjoying her Nintendo Wii (a little bit of Japan) and just getting myself together for the future.

I know some of you may be concerned about the future of the JaBlog since my Japan adventure is over. There are so many blogs out there in the void of cyberspace that have been left to drift and remain forever un-updated. But I assure you that my blog will continue…but probably with a title change. Stay tuned for the unfolding stories :)