October 20, 2001. Sick day.

I can't believe that I am playing hookey already. It hasn't even been one day yet! A sign of things to come? I hope not. I woke up feeling like crap today and knew that I wouldn't last through the stress of my first day at work. I called into Nova Foreign Personnel to let them know that I wasn't coming in. The deadline for calling in sick for an early shift is 9:15am. I was calling at 9:21 (so the guy claimed). They were not too happy with me, but whatever.

I obtained the phone number for the insurance company I deal with here, and the guy gave me the address of an English-speaking doctor. And off I went in my search for health. Turns out the doctor didn't speak English as well as I had hoped, but the pharmacist whom I got the perscription from did, and she calmed my fears about a miscommunication. Including the medicine, the visit cost me about $100 CAD. Let that be an argument against privatized health care in Ontario.

So let me set this up a little for you. I have just come home from the doctor's office. My pockets are stuffed with stolen phone card vouchers and I need some sleep. Of course, I should probably eat something first, wouldn't you say?

 

 

This is me ironing my t-shirt. If you are about to call me a neat freak, then may I please draw your attention to the pair of socks, carefully draped over the chair, near my left hand. They have been there since yesterday.

I don't know if you can see, but the ironing board is tiny! I can only iron a fifth of my shirt at any one time and then I have to move it. Takes friggin forever to get all crisp and clean, but it's definitely worth it. Nothing like a smooth, ironed shirt to go to sleep in.

I don't know what this thing is called, but it's a thick triangle, made mostly of rice and wrapped in seaweed.

It has a bit of meat in it, which can vary depending on which kind you buy. This one has tuna in it. The taste isn't all that bad, but I don't really like it very much.

So why do I buy them? Because it costs 80 yen. Any idea what I can get for 80 yen? A pack of goong jai meen (instant noodles), or 3 slices of bread.

I bought this the night before and left it in the fridge. It doesn't taste very good after it has been in the fridge, the rice goes all hard and nasty. I should probably have steamed it or something before eating it, but I think that you are supposed to eat it cold.

Well, whatever. Like I said before, they don't taste all that good anyway.

One good thing about this apartment is that it has semi-cable. I say "semi-cable" because we only get some cable channels, but we aren't paying for it, so that's ok. I just caught the tail end of Batman, the animated series. That was a great show, which I think has been cancelled on Canadian TV.

So, we get a few English channels, the Cartoon Network is the only one I watch...and occasionally MTV. I watch the Power Puff Girls and Dexter's Lab a lot. I have heard that the Simpsons air on it too, but I haven't seen it. I remain hopeful though.

This is one of my favourite drinks here in Japan. It's kind of like a lighter version of Gatorade, but not as fruity.
Oh yuck. I hope this Pocari guy is clean.

Ok, here is a shot of my fridge. It's a far cry from what I have back home, but it's getting there. As you can see, the majority of the fridge's contents are drinks. Drinks are cheap here, 580 yen for three 1.5 L bottles.

The bottom drawer is mine. I didn't ask for it, but that's just the way it turned out. In there I have some cherry tomatoes (not as good as the ones from my girlfriend's garden), some Philly cream cheese, cucumbers and string beans.

This is me cutting up some cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. In between the cucumbers and the washing detergent is the Philly cream cheese. It cost me something like $6, but it's so worth it. If only I could get some bagels here.

Can you see the TV? It's tiny, isn't it? The VCR part is just beneath the screen (above that black-ish display thing). Below the TV is a CD player that doesn't work. It's missing a cable of some sort. I'd go buy a cable for it, but we don't have any speakers. I also don't have any CDs.

In case you are wondering. That's Stargate that I'm watching.

The good thing about living with a bunch of guys is that you never need to use cups. I drink anything and everything right out of its container. I suppose this side of me balances out the side that irons my underwear.

And isn't that what life's about? Being a well-rounded person?
 

I've cleaned up my room since this picture. Had to vaccuum. But not to worry, it will get messy soon. This futon is not very comfortable, as you can probably tell from the picture.

Ok, what the heck is that under my right eye? It's not that big, but still, looks terrible. I was scared when I saw that this morning. I hope my two flat mates aren't beating the shit out of me while I sleep. Wouldn't that be something?

Man, I need a haircut soon.