Its the last day in work this year...we've got pizza on order for lunch and there are clothes hanging drying around the lab- hanging off the ice machine, draped over benches.
Yesterday I spent a happy hour clearing out my freezer space, removed the ice that had filled the box 1/3; boxed and bagged nearly 4 years of experiments and samples, threw out many litte tubes of PCR reactions, cloning steps which are no longer needed. I'll have to downsize again in the new year for leaving, but for now I can enjoy space and organisation that has been lacking for nearly a year.
Now the desk... I've started packing the desk, and also de-cluttering, its either that or up-dating my lab book and tidying is so much more satisfying.
My own apartment is currently resembling one of those overstuffed houses that you see around in Japan. The last few days that rubbish can be collected this year so I have bags of burnable trash, plastic trash etc already to go out on their designated day to avoid The Sticker of Shame on them. I should be able to pack a couple of boxes tonight, my cupboard is nearly sorted. Of course all I want is to bum around my apartment and catch up on the movies I've missed this year or sleep endless hours...
I suppose at least this way I can garantee the Japanese new year gods will visit my little apartment and send me off in style in the New Year.
Have a Happy New Year
Monday, 27 December 2010
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Merry Christmas Eve
Some how he reminds me of one of the two Ronnies (for all you Brits)....Well we made it to Christmas eve... Dished out some little presents for the girls in the lab and I'll pop out later for some Christmas cake... I may even pretend to do some work.
If I hadn't cancelled my Christmas and New Year travel plans, I probably would have been stuck in an airport somewhere or disappointed at suddenly being unable to travel. As it is, I'm actually kind of relieved, very relieved in fact as it sounds like trying to travel in the UK is putting people through some form of hell.
Instead, I'm here spending time with my very good friends. Tonight I'm off to spend Christmas eve and morning in the company of Oyome san with KFC, mulled wine, christmas movies and good company to welcome in Christmas day. Tomorrow I've got 2 christmas dinners so I'll be pretty much pigging out all day, and hopefully they'll be a trip to Karaoke to sing some christmas songs. Not a bad way of spending my last christmas in Japan.
So, have a Merry Christmas everyone- I hope those travelling reach their destination, and those who have arrived or aren't travelling are tucked up cozy in the house enjoying your Christmas holidays.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
On your marks...
Is everyone else feeling similar here? I feel like I'm in some race to the end of the year at the moment. No sooner has one thing finished then another 10 things pop up and not to mention moving, which its own seperate layer of "fun" on top.
Last Saturday was our bonenkei, and although I would luuurve to post the video of our band of technicians, PhD students, fat foreigner and skinny bloke doing our finest AKB48 impression(please look elsewhere for information on the uber J-pop band of teenyboppers that is AKB48), I'm not sure the others in the video would want to appear to the world (well you few who read here and the mysteriously silent Russian contingent who read a few posts). That part was fun, the chance to look like 15 years old again and leap around being stupid is not going to come along until I get into the nightclubs in Newcastle on "skool night" if that is still popular in the UK.
Also fun was having the sound of the next doors bonnenkei soundtrack playing whilst our endless speeches were on. Its been a tough year in our department- his highness is still out of commission and has been for 6months so its been hard on the staff. He'd sent an email, about how we've all pulled together and struggled blah, blah and as it was being read out the "Rocky" theme started up from next door, which our table found hilarious. Our first formal bonenkei was followed by 3 increasing less formal ones, where the chair of the department took us from cocktail bar to sushi restaurant (yum!) to bar with karaoke and piano-playing bar owner. This guy knows all the good places, previous enkeis have seen me at possibly the coolest and at the same time kinda dodgy bar in Susukino (the entertainment area of Sapporo) - a secret bar with its own elevator entrance hidden behind a wall. Your own huge space with karaoke, pool, darts, fully stocked bar with 2 barkeepers (the stories they must know!) and a jacuzzi with disco ball which the slightly disturbing part. Anyway, I got home at respectable 3am from my last bonenkei and spent Sunday packing and sorting with the help of Oyomesan.
I sent off the last of christmas present by Monday, so then I could make a start on the Nengajo cards - so won't miss these, christmas cards are a chore already, but new year greetings even more, especially as I have to hunt through to find names and addresses in Japanese. Tomorrow is our departmental research conference, so I've been busy writing yet another talk and trying to get some last results to include. Following the conference, 5 of us are heading to an onsen in Jozankei for the night followed by a pottery session on Sunday (part of the package apparently). I'm looking forward to probably my last chance for an onsen here, although it comes at the price of not getting any packing done this weekend.
On the New job/moving front. I have some fantastic friends, who are taking the majority of my items- a BIG relief. I have a flat in Newcastle for the first couple of months, curtesy of the university. Its going to cost me an arm and a leg, but its fully furnished (down to bed linen) and gives me a base for posting too and finding a cheaper, less studenty and further from the football stadium place once I"ve arrived.
Very Jane Austen like don't you think? I showed the folks in the lab and their first question was whether it was that old inside?! Do they imagine I'll be cooking over some spit or living sewing by candlelight or something. ..the mind boggles.
Last Saturday was our bonenkei, and although I would luuurve to post the video of our band of technicians, PhD students, fat foreigner and skinny bloke doing our finest AKB48 impression(please look elsewhere for information on the uber J-pop band of teenyboppers that is AKB48), I'm not sure the others in the video would want to appear to the world (well you few who read here and the mysteriously silent Russian contingent who read a few posts). That part was fun, the chance to look like 15 years old again and leap around being stupid is not going to come along until I get into the nightclubs in Newcastle on "skool night" if that is still popular in the UK.
Also fun was having the sound of the next doors bonnenkei soundtrack playing whilst our endless speeches were on. Its been a tough year in our department- his highness is still out of commission and has been for 6months so its been hard on the staff. He'd sent an email, about how we've all pulled together and struggled blah, blah and as it was being read out the "Rocky" theme started up from next door, which our table found hilarious. Our first formal bonenkei was followed by 3 increasing less formal ones, where the chair of the department took us from cocktail bar to sushi restaurant (yum!) to bar with karaoke and piano-playing bar owner. This guy knows all the good places, previous enkeis have seen me at possibly the coolest and at the same time kinda dodgy bar in Susukino (the entertainment area of Sapporo) - a secret bar with its own elevator entrance hidden behind a wall. Your own huge space with karaoke, pool, darts, fully stocked bar with 2 barkeepers (the stories they must know!) and a jacuzzi with disco ball which the slightly disturbing part. Anyway, I got home at respectable 3am from my last bonenkei and spent Sunday packing and sorting with the help of Oyomesan.
I sent off the last of christmas present by Monday, so then I could make a start on the Nengajo cards - so won't miss these, christmas cards are a chore already, but new year greetings even more, especially as I have to hunt through to find names and addresses in Japanese. Tomorrow is our departmental research conference, so I've been busy writing yet another talk and trying to get some last results to include. Following the conference, 5 of us are heading to an onsen in Jozankei for the night followed by a pottery session on Sunday (part of the package apparently). I'm looking forward to probably my last chance for an onsen here, although it comes at the price of not getting any packing done this weekend.
On the New job/moving front. I have some fantastic friends, who are taking the majority of my items- a BIG relief. I have a flat in Newcastle for the first couple of months, curtesy of the university. Its going to cost me an arm and a leg, but its fully furnished (down to bed linen) and gives me a base for posting too and finding a cheaper, less studenty and further from the football stadium place once I"ve arrived.
Very Jane Austen like don't you think? I showed the folks in the lab and their first question was whether it was that old inside?! Do they imagine I'll be cooking over some spit or living sewing by candlelight or something. ..the mind boggles.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
A musical interlude
I wanted to write up the rest of my trip to Taiwan, but other things got in the way as you might have noticed. I wanted to make a movie of the photos with this cool song we kept hearing all around Taipei. When we were there the election campaign was in full flow. The green party had this really nice song with a native taiwanese singer- so a cool mix of chinese and native tune. My friend wrote the name down so we could find the CD- but alas we couldn't even find a CD shop in Taipei, let alone the CD!
If my friend can send it to me, it will make a nice memory, I'm sure only K and myself will associate this song with our trip- its weird how music can do that. Limahls "Never ending story" always reminds me of my family holiday to Majorca when I was a kid as it was playing in all the restaurants. Shakiras' "whereever, Whenever" is Cyprus- bouncing around in a landrover in the turtle conservation area.
Here ( I can get it to work) is the tune curtesy of you tube . Its a nice de-stressing tune..enjoy
Do you have any tunes you associate with a particular time or place? feel free to share.
If my friend can send it to me, it will make a nice memory, I'm sure only K and myself will associate this song with our trip- its weird how music can do that. Limahls "Never ending story" always reminds me of my family holiday to Majorca when I was a kid as it was playing in all the restaurants. Shakiras' "whereever, Whenever" is Cyprus- bouncing around in a landrover in the turtle conservation area.
Here ( I can get it to work) is the tune curtesy of you tube . Its a nice de-stressing tune..enjoy
Do you have any tunes you associate with a particular time or place? feel free to share.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Headless chicken
Oh god! has it been a week already?Monday was letters and tears last week, by Wednesday we had two visiting researchers to talk too from Europe. By Thursday I had been shaken from bed by a rather scary earthquake (the epicenter was about 3/4km from my apartment) , packed and flown to Wakayama for a conference. Friday- my brave little umbrella I first bought in Japan met its end in a mini typhoon when we went to try the local ramen. Saturday I gave a talk....
Went to karaoke with most of the foreigners who attended, rolled into the hotel bed about 3am.
Sunday- got up at 6am, to depart for Nara with the girls from my lab. Cycled around Nara trying to avoid marathon runners, hoards of tourists and roaming ravenous deer
Flew back to Sapporo, headed to the lab for a practice of our routine for next weekends Bonenkei- well its my last chance for humiliation so I volunteered for this... I finally reached home at 9pm.Yesterday I started making plans for moving- I will start work on January 24th in Newcastle, so this week I've got to start getting the important things sorted...lists have been started, Christmas flights to the UK cancelled.
I spent an hour last night staring around my apartment wondering what I'm going to do with the things I have. Then I realised I still have all the presents for Christmas to post....
Finally, Thanks for commenting- its nice to hear! I will try and keep up to date on the blog once I"m in the land of brown ale and crazy football fans and skimpy nightclub outfits. Newcastle is definately an interesting place.
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