Retail Alphabet Game 4th Edition

Ok here it is, this is a collaborative work. Congrats.








Drum roll-------- ANSWERS:

A: Saturn
B: ABC
C: Canon
D: Glad
E: Zales
F: Ruffles
G: Lego
H: Yahoo!
I : Bic
J: Jif
K: Burger King
L: Google
M: Sam Adams
N: Nasa
O: Kinko’s
P: UPS
Q: Diary Queen
R: Walgreens
S: Sony
T: Citibank
U: Blockbusters
V: Volvo
W: Mountain Dew
X: Twix
Y: Lay’s

Z: Zenith

manifold

HARRY POTTER
Sometimes I go for 24 or even 72 hrs at a time only speaking roughly 20 words a day. Thus when I want to speak to someone…words don't willingly come out right away. Since practice makes perfect, I’ve taken up a ritual where every night before I go to bed instead of simply reading Harry Potter, I read Harry Potter out loud (occassionally in a British accent). Lately the words ‘shoulder,’ ‘world,’ ‘roar,’ and ‘wizardry’ are giving me trouble. Should I be worried?

BROADWAY
We went to see Movin' Out. I missed hearing live music. I realized that all those songs that are used over and over again on movie soundtracks are Billy Joel songs. And it's no wonder they use them over and over again because they're amazing. The main vocal/piano was an understudy, but his voice was so expressive that it couldn't have been done better. Coincidentlly gay pride was going down in the same Tokyo area. Except we weren't too sure if there was actual pride because some people were covering their faces as they passed cameras. But I guess it's good they still have one... In November I'm seeing two Johnathan Larson's. Tick Tick Boom and Rent. The former in Japanese, latter in English.

JET
I just finished helping with out the Gunma orientation. Nothing interesting to report, which is what I'm reporting... no cute guys... Next week four days of English Camp up in the mountains...

SUA - New Class
I saw the 6th class aka class of 2010 in the Seikyo Shimbun. Someone will definitely be utilizing the handicap access this year, but it looks like she's on a battery operated type so it shouldn't be as hard as we imagined it to be. On a whole it looks like an older bunch, or they're tall or something. I get the mature and humble vibe from them. But surprised at their size...I wonder how many of their fellow applicants the 85 had to fight off to end up in this picture. Although few, they brought in some new countries: Poland, Romania (maybe he/she's a vampire), Malaysia, and Taiwan. Contribution noted.
Up to this point there was a way of making the class feel special somehow, but I gotta say you'd be hard pressed to find something special about this class in context of the founding (but I'm sure they will). It's official, half the school has never had the pleasure of being in our glorious company. Our influences are waring thin. I'm feeling detached, and these things I wonder: how their food is, if they still have core classes, if Phat can find students he likes, if the pool table is still alive, if there's a student that got in on his/her 6th try, which one's will date cafeteria workers, and who will question administrative authority and think they're the first. I guess wether they can change the school's future or not, I'm sure no matter what they will be forever changed. Anyway good luck to them, cuz it's easy to make traditions whereas changing them can be a lot harder.

Good Hunting.

It's SUMMER!

It's Summer!

Internet in the home is life changing. I now have time to read over my past blogs to see what I have been sort of blindly writing, in which case my true self was revealed. And what a JERK I am!! I know I'm not supposed to, but I went back and tweeked parts so that I don't have to face the embarrassement again. I'm not quite sure what I intend to do about my unseemly mannerisms, but I guess the first step is to apologise. I'm sorry you had to put up with me all this time!! I'm just amazed that you have thus far. I'm still me, but maybe you guys'll now keep me around for amiable purposes rather than as a reminder that there's still evil in this world. I guess I noticed it a little while back, but it wasn't until I could actually sit down in solitude that I was able to really look. If these are the realizations that are promised in my future, than I can't wait to get older. Or I just need to edit. Don't get your hopes up, I'll change back to my old self possibly the minute I post this.

Everybody, check Sammie's blog, haha I made her do it. And what a pleasant surprise. We must find who this mystery man is in later blogs. Stay tuned for her next installment. I know it's a little late, but cheers to Cassie for her leap forward. And may I just say that Pili is amazing. I'm progressively feeling uncomfortable with my born-again-(or for the first time-)atheist self. How come leaving the gakkai is making me nice?

Anyway, overall a good cleaning day. And I added some photos while I tweeked the blemishes of my attitude. m(_ _)m <-- I learned something in Japan. Also I forgot to report from a loooong time ago that Billy is engaged to his junior high school classmate. He had his ring and everything... he just hasn't told his parents yet.

Quick update on JET: Old JETs leaving, new coming in. I am now the Tobu region rep. (a small portion of Gunma) And I speak Harry Potter now.

Good Hunting.

An Entry For The Soul (gag if you must)

Warning: This entry contains commentary on the SGI and cheap maudlin speech.

I've been reading "Chicken Soup for the Soul" and let me tell you, I AM E-MO-TION-AL!! It totally made me want to be a better person. I'm sure this will ware off in a few hours, like once I wake-up tomorrow. But that's why I'm glad to have internet in my home now, so that I can seize these emotional moments and blog something that'll be a total embarrassment to me later. Confession: when I graduated I decided to go on a daimoku fast. I've been on my fast for a year now. To be honest I have my ups and downs, but now I don't dwell on them. I've always found that the physical position of chanting compelled my "soul" to become dependent on something else other than myself. Of course we are taught this is wrong, and even though I know it, I can't help it. Thus my reason to fast. (Instead of chant to overcome my dependence.)

As of now I feel I can be powerful as ever, even if I don't chant. And, I've never felt better about myself as I do now. Of course this is not a ploy of some kind to convince my readers (which I discovered I still have! Love ya guys!) that are striving toward buddhahood to quit. And I don't hate the SGI either. It's true what president Ikeda says, it's an organization for peace. But, it's not for me (not peace, but yeah...). I can't sit in front of the gohonzon and feel right with myself. Perhaps I will be told, more a reason to chant! I believe a community is necessary where one can feel at ease to drop our layers, but the religion is not for me. I will truly miss meetings; everyone's so damn nice! I wish there were such a community that will allow people to feel that way toward each other without the rules and retribution of religion restraining us.

I want to improve myself but not by means of religion. Aren't I allowed to believe that's possible? I want to be conscious of my actions and deliberate when carrying them out. This is the only way I can fully feel responsible for myself. I guess you can say I'm not strong enough to hold myself solely responsible with the gohonzon acting as a buffer. Yes, strength is necessary to be religious. And I don't have it, at least not that kind...

I feel I can do life with out it and still come out okay. I read something in the book about "the healing power;" (no really I haven't been possessed by a Tibetan monk) I believe this. Yes, we all have it and perhaps the gohonzon helps hone that power to heal others and ourselves. But I don't want to believe that just because I don't chant for you all, that my healing powers aren't reaching you just as strongly. I think about all of you quite often in my daily life, hoping for nothing but the best. Thus will the power to heal myself be any less?

Of course it's been implied that "bad things" will happen to me if I quit, but I will be doing no one harm if I do. If anyone it'll be me; thus if I do end up leading a miserable life, you have permission to tell your grandchildren of my story as yet another lesson not to stray. I'm convinced I've searched thoroughly in the depths of my soul to reach this conclusion. I've considered perhaps this is my way of not facing the gohonzon thus not facing myself. But then again, perhaps that's an excuse not to go with what I feel, derived from among many anecdotes I have been taught since my birth.

I feel great about being 'on my own,' but perhaps this is again an egotistical obsession with myself and strength. But, there are very convincing arguments for almost any idea. And, it's just the time for me to stop analyzing and decide. I will take away its philosophies, whether I like it or not, which some I do. Maybe I'll come to appreciate those philosophies I have yet to understand, but for now it's adios. Although I can say there never will be a religion I'm more proud to have been a part of: a religion for humanity; not a God but for the God within. Quite catchy. And just gotta add, ironically for the first time, I'm able to comfortably admire President Ikeda.

Sorry this is dragged on so long...

Now that I've gotten all your perfect comments, its just like me to disappoint all of you with an announcement to leave something related to something that binds us together. So I take it all back.

Good Hunting.

ps. to Uyennie: the title of the previous entry was a reference to Nathan's greatness for entering said school.
ps. to Ellie: I'll read that book soon (^_^;)