Move or not to move....

My mom mentioned the other day whether or not I wanted to move apartments. I'm actually not sure yet. Though I live in an apartment, it still kind of feels like I'm living at a school dormitory. It just feels like a room where I sleep, eat, do my work. It doesn't feel like an actual home. It's just a regular old room with furniture already in it like at the dorm in college. I'm having a difficult time arranging the room to how I'd like it to be because there just isn't the room and the furniture to do it. I want to put in a case of some sort so that the stuff on my desk has some place to go. I'm actually quite peeved at the kitchen. I really don't have anywhere to put my stuff. My pots and tableware already take up the whole entire small shelving. I have no place for my condiments, so they're just sprawled on top of the small unit shelving I got for free from the person before me. The stove is in worse shape than I thought. It looks like the person before me burnt it to a crisp.  I don't have a corner to put my laundry stuff. Actually, doing laundry here is three times as expensive than at college. I spent 400 yen on one load of laundry. 200 yen was for the washing alone, and 200 for the drying that didn't really dry the clothes. LOL, my dad even suggested that it's ok to spend more money to wash clothes even if it's only a very very small load. Sorry Dad, that's going to cost you a fortune if I was clothes like that every week.

On the other hand, I feel like I should stick it out so that it'll save my parents money for at least a year. I feel really bad that they're paying for everything right now. They always say that money isn't an issue, but to me it is. I really can't wait to start working so that I can at least pitch in for some of the costs to live in Japan. If I do find a better place, it will cost about $200 more for the cost of the room, plus the cost of utilities. However, I am scared of moving because I will be around an array of people. They won't be students, and there isn't the security of a caretaker. I know I'm complaining about my current situation, but maybe I can make where I live work somehow... I will have to think about this for a while.

Reactions

Ok, I put up reactions. I guess I like it when people give me feedback. People don't comment so I don't know what people think, so this is just a fast way to know if you like what I write or empathize with me. The emoticons should be pretty straightforward, so let me know what you think!

*burp* Excuse me not

So, I was completely famished after class, and going to the supermarket -hungry- is NEVER, and I mean NEVER a good idea. And so this is what I had for dinner:

1 large bowl of broccoli beef with rice (with half left over for tomorrow's lunch)
2 lian long tempura
1 shrimp tempura
1 small bowl of very expensive strawberries (I will repay my parents one day... no joke)

My I feel stuffed, but a good stuffed. I feel like I haven't been eating enough again. Today, I put on my pants, and it didn't take me long to realize that I'm now too small for these big fat pants. I wore them anyway, but I had to keep on pulling them up because they kept falling down... I think my metabolism somehow shot itself and decided that I should remain hungry for eternity. Also, I'm trying to eat more fruits. the selection at the market isn't that great especially around this time of year, hence the very very expensive strawberries... Though, I did have pineapple a few days. I've actually grown to like pineapple. I like the tart flavor.

On another food note, two days ago, the caretaker was extremely nice and made me curry. She even brought it up to my room. I was so excited that I ate everything on the plate. I really don't know how to repay her. It was so good! I'll have to try my own curry one of these days, but I feel like there are so many good curry restaurants around that mine would pale in comparison... Well, I guess I'll try one of these days...

Anyway, nothing new has been really going on lately. I've been trying to cram vocabulary in lately. I think I learned a good... 100-200 words in just two week. It's crazy how fast time goes by. I have to work hard!

~off to make kanji flash cards...

P.S. I forgot to mention that because of my hunger, I bought small anpan man egg cakes... I'm not going to eat them because I am very full. They will be a snack another day... >.>;;;;

Friends Forever

I actually had intended to go out earlier today, but didn't when a friend popped onto AIM. She's someone very dear to me, and I often think about her at times. Both she and I have been through some rough times in our lives, and we completely understand each other. I was so glad that I was able to talk with her. It had been so long since we've talked, that most of the stuff we talked about was ranting about life; however, it's always therapeutic talking with her. We kind of go through the experiences in life, and it's a nice feeling to know that I'm not the only one going through these experiences in my life.

As of late, her life alone hasn't been all that great. I totally understand her feelings because I was alone in college. It really isn't easy living alone. I had an extremely hard time adjusting to living by myself. It took me 5 years to be able to fully live on my own, but even so, I do feel somewhat lonely without human interaction. Within the next few weeks, I am going to find myself a club of some sort to join. Even though I'm scared to join because I basically can't communicate in Japanese at all, I'm still going to try to find something. I need to. My friend is my inspiration. Tomorrow (or today in the US), she's going to try dance lessons. I'm really happy that she's taking this step forward, because I want her to be happy with her life. I hope she has a great time in dance class~. As for me, I will need to search for something that piques my interests. 頑張る！

え？！

Ok, so I was doing my homework, and I encountered these words:

下る、下りる、下がる
降りる、降る

All of them have some connotation of "going down," but what context do you use them in? Actually, my dictionary says that 降りる and 下りる are the same word, just different kanji. However, 下る and 下りる had the same definition in dictionary...

Another set of words:

生きる、住む

Both words actually mean "to live," but 生きる is more of to live life. 住む is where I actually live.

Doing translation of single words without context is so difficult, or perhaps English is the most boring language in the planet....

Asian milk

I forgot how bad Asian milk tasted... The last time I drank it was when I was in Taiwan, and I remember it was such an unpleasant experience because my mom made me and my brothers drink it. I was hoping that Asian milk would have changed somewhat over the years, but it hasn't at all. It still tastes the same as it did years ago... This will be the very last time I ever get Asian milk... I miss American milk :(

Yakisoba

So, today is my second time attempting yakisoba, and I must say it's absolutely delicious~! The first time I made it, I messed up cooking the meat, and then I didn't put the noodles in at the right time, so everything became mush. This time, I cooked the meat a little less, cooked the vegetables at the same time, and put the noodles in at the right time at the end. I must say, I love the flavor of Japanese yakisoba, but it's a lot of hard preparation. I had to cut cabbage, clean up bell peppers and cut them, peel a carrot and cut that as well... In general a lot of work, but the work is all worth it. I want to learn how to make the sauce from scratch. I made the yakisoba from a package, but all the ingredients (except the noodles and sauce) are fresh. I now have one full tummy and am completely satisfied.

My next project is to cook something from a new cookbook I just got. I think I might try Japanese style fish. I might attempt one of these days my own tonkatsu... though I'm not sure yet because I want to pass on all the oil the it takes to cook, and then consuming all this oil makes me cringe.

Anyway, I'm satisfied. Tomorrow will probably be a bento after cooking today. I really like cooking, but it's really hard work. Oh, last week I made eggplant and ground beef. It was absolutely amazing. With fresh ingredients, it makes such a big difference. I know I'm such a bad cook, but somehow it tastes better than how my mom usually makes it. Ok, I can't beat her cooking, but I'm sure if she had these ingredients, I would die a happy person! *sigh* I miss my mom's cooking. If she were here, she'd love all the fresh ingredients. She wouldn't have to drive a hundred-thousand miles to an Asian supermarket and buy groceries for a week. I feel lucky that I can walk by the supermarket on my way home. 

Ok, time to wash dishes and study. Looking up vocabulary for tonight and then study for kanji quiz. Class isn't that hard yet. Just lots of review right now, and I'm trying to get rid of all the mistakes that I currently make. Other than that, I'm enjoying class. The teachers are all very nice. I'm learning a ton of vocabulary. I need to fill the gaps I have in my Japanese. Anyway, it's time to work hard!