Rock and Roll? TOTALLY DUDE (partylikearockstarpartylikearockstarTOTALLYDUDE!)

Japanese music sounds so much better live.

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of what they play on the radio over here, but you tend to get a different feeling from it when you hear it live. Or maybe it was just the people performing it.

Yesterday, one of the ALTs around my way played his first gig with his band. Location? In a approximately 20ftx20ft bungalo in the middle of a tea field in the mountains. No joke, the area looked like the Predator's hunting ground.

Half the songs that were played were Japanese songs whose titles I was familiar with. However they sounded totally different from what I was used to hearing on the radio here. I thought the show was great for a first one. Next one is going to be dope!

Sleez-bag Mechanics: Future Ramsy

So I never really knew the guy known as "Ramsy", but I've heard many stories. And based on these stories, this is how I believe he turned out. Sung Han Kim would be proud.

STREET FIGHT TONIGHT!

Kaws is shit

If you are in LA and got time on your hands, I suggest you check these out:

Dave Choe April 23rd in Beverly Hills

Joao Ruas May 7th opening in Culver City

I'd LOVE to fly out for both, but I am poor.

The Choe one is going to be HUGE.

For those that don't know, Joao is the artist that took over the helm as cover artist for "Fables" after James Jean left. And he REALLY good.

Oh, yeah, and while you're there, buy me something won't you? =p

Ashley Freakin' Wood

Dammit. I did it again. I told myself I'd stay away from it, but it didn't happen. Complete failure.

So, usually when I get into something, I REALLY get into it. The last couple of things I was really into were sneakers, James Jarvis, and James Jean. Sneakers have kinda fell off because I've managed to practice restraint. Sill love Jarvis and Jean, but Jarvis hasn't been doing much lately, and Jean's rising popularity has put lots of my wants well out of my price range =(.

The newest addiction: the art of Ashley Wood. I've been into the guy's art for a while, but it's only been in the last 2 years that he's been putting out toys through his new company, 3A. Alot of Mr. Wood's art has to do with robots, women, and zombies. And who doesn't like those? Toys? Yeah, i'm a total geek. Fuck you.

So anyways, I have amassed a large amount of this 3A stuff and it's getting pretty ridiculous. I guess the quantity of stuff that I have ordered hasn't really hit me, as most of it has been shipped home to the good ol' US of A. That or it's queued up in my pre-orders list, just waiting to ship. I've had some of it shipped to me here in Japan for a while, but my storage filled up WAY to fast.

So here is how I failed. I told myself i'd stop, at least for a few months. Today, there was a drop of his "portable" version of his Armstrong robot. And guess who bought some? And some in this case = more than I should have.

Ashley's Art blog

3A's website

Jerry Bruckheimer announced at SDCC in 2009 that he picked up the right's for the movie adaption of Ashley's "World War Robot" (WWR), and should be out sometimes in 2012.

If Bao son of Tong "11 lbs." is reading this, you and you boyfriend Batman had your time in the sun. 2012 will be my year. I'll find you at Saugus Drugs.

FUCK!

I'M SO LATE! MOM IS GOING TO KILL ME!

Not really, but I am late. Sorry. To all three of you.

Anyways, I forgot it was lent. So starting now, my Lenten promise this year to to update this blog.

It's that time of year again. What time is it? GRADUATION TIMEEEEEEEEE!

The thing that sucks is that I didn't realize that I had my last classes with my 8th grade students this week until I taught my last class (I have 4 different 9th grade classes at the school i'm teaching at right now). I'm supposed to have classes this week, but they are all canceled because of the graduation ceremony preparation and some of the students still needing to take their high school entrance exams.

It sucks cause I got really cool with the 9th graders this year. I was cool with the 8th graders last year, but I only got to know them for about 4 months before they graduated. I've known the current graduating class since they were in 8th grade, so i've was lucky enough to spend more time with these guys.

However, like I said, I only realized I was teaching my final class when I was teaching the class. So what did I teach them?

Look at them studying so hard. Don't let the picture fool you, however. Out of the 4 9th (3年生, or 3rd graders in the junior high school system) grade classes I teach here 3年4組 (3rd grade, 4th class) are the wildest . So what is it that they are working on the has all their attention?

I asked some of the 3年1組 what songs they wanted to know the meaning to, and one of the boys yelled out this song. He meant it as a joke, so I don't think he expected me to make a work sheet out of it. Can't see it? Let me blow it up a bit:

Dammit. Still blurry. Anyways, the first few lines of the main part read:

"This ain't a song for the _________________

No silent prayer for the faith _________________

And I ain't gonna be just a _____________ in the crowd

You're gonna hear my ____________ when I shout it out loud"

Still don't know it? Then you don't deserve to know. There you go. A little American butt-rock. In your butt.

I had to play the song through two times before the students stopped laughing. Supposedly it's the background music to some muscle man show here in Japan.

So anyways, after class I took a few pictures so y'all can see what my students look like. I'll try and have more up in the coming days (it's my lenten promise, remember?). I'll be running to my other big junior high school on graduation day as well, so you get to see 'dem peeps from the east end (not really the east end...).

Dudes are always posted up in the back acting like they're all hard, and the girls are always up front acting all cute. Why is that? Whatever. All of them are really good kids, and I'm gonna miss them. Luckily, i'll probably run into quite a few of them at the local supermarket after High School gets out. That's the kick-it spot out in the country side.

"What 'chu doin' after school yo?"

"Me? I'm go'n to Elena."

Word. To your お母さん

Oden-den-den-den-den

Oden den den den den, originally uploaded by madbaki.

Makes Japanese winters bearable!

What a post, ne? And it's late again. Like always.

I'll try and keep this weekly. That said, it'll probably be nonsense like this shit.

It's late, i know...

...but it's better than waiting a year. I think.

So yeah, last time I was taking about sports day. The "guido" picture is one of my elementary school students. Ain't she just the cutest thing? Let me tell you, the elementary schools here are straight cute factories. A.R.P is old news. C.R.P is where it's at (someone tell Josh to get started on this...).

Around this time of year, most of the schools in Japan have this sports event where they divide the school up in to teams and do random (sometimes weird ) sports, most of which have to do with running. The teachers are also involved, and the whole thing is about supporting and cheering each other on.

From the pictures i've seen, most sports days tend to be pretty much the same. The highlights at most junior high schools are the girls dance:

And the boys stance:

There are more pictues, but it's a pain to upload right now.I'll post the link to my flikr later.

Anyways, at the schools that I go to, some of the "sports" seem pretty dangerous. When you've got at least one kid that can't get up after an event (other than running), you'd think they'd make some changes for the next year. Hard core dude. This kid got twerk'ed:

Anyways, every team has a color, and every color has a mascot. Most schools use typical Japanese characters (dragons, gods, etc.), and that seemed to be the case for the 12 schools in my area. Examples from one of my junior high schools:

At my main junior high school, I was placed on the Yellow team. One of my favorite teachers at the school (9th grade English teacher) was the leader of the team, and he is a bit crazy (in a good way). When I first heard his idea for the yellow team mascot, I thought he was joking. When I saw the giant banner being made, I thought it was the greatest mascot ever.

Bloods, Crips, Aryan Nation and Latin Kings