Champions

Champions
Originally uploaded by mtstaffa.

This weekend we played the Tokyo Goannas Aussie Football team. Tokyo has been playing for 20 years and some of their players have been recruited by semi-pro teams in Australia.

My team has been around for a year. None of us are/were semi professional. It didn't matter this weekend. We came out champs. We won 45 - 38. It was a great game and it was fun to see a stunned Tokyo side. We were never losing. We got the lead and never looked back.

For more pics, click on the link in the title of this post.

One of my best!

One of my best!
Originally uploaded by mtstaffa.

This maybe one of the best pictures I have ever taken. This is with my digital camera (to replace the one "taken" in Veitnam). I am finally getting all the settings down. I took this picture in Kobe along the harbor. Kobe actually uses it's harbor to attact people, versus Osaka uses it's harbor to dump sewage into.

Escape!

Escape!
Originally uploaded by mtstaffa.

Today I woke up to a surprise. I got up and before i turned on the lights, i saw something on the floor. Sometime black and the size of well....a newt. I couldn't believe it. One of my newts, "Uga" had escaped!

Now this isnt surprising to me now that i think about it. I have two newts. One is bigger, "Uga" and he spends all day on the rocks out of the water simply looking up at the same place in the top of the aquarium. Now i know why. The other newt "Agu" simply swims in circles under "Uga" while he now seemed to be plotting his escape.

This would be a tricky escape too. He had to pop off the thin plastic lid, then jump off the tank. The tank sits on top of a fridge. This is at least a 4 foot fall. I dont know how long he was out, but he is lucky (i guess) that i found him in the open and not hiding in the corner were he would have died.

I have put him back and he has gone back to staring at the top of the aquarium. There is a rather large book on top now, so he will have to bulk up to push that thing off!

Most Random Day

Most Random Day
Originally uploaded by mtstaffa.

Today was a random day. There were 3 unique experiences I had today. Not all of which i fully understood. Today's fun/odd experience number one. I went to church. I saw a building near my apartment with a cross on it. I saw a sign with a time, 11pm Sunday. So today i walked in. Wow. It was a bit different. I had to take my shoes off and put on slippers. I was greeted by everyone there and there were a few confusing looks. The total number of black hair parishioners: 18. The number of blonde haired parishioners: 1. They had to stop the service half way through to make sure i was on the right page. Sure minister, like i know what im doing with a Japanese Bible. But i faked it well. Yes, he was not a priest. It must have been either some Protestant church or an Ecumenical one. Not sure, didnt ask....didnt know how to.

Then, i went to an audition for Universal Studios Japan. I was asked to audition for the Fire Chief part for the ride "Backdraft" at Universal Studios. Apparently they are running short of blondes here. It was so odd. I thought i was on American Idol. I had my head shot taken. I had to fill in a form (not sure what they wanted, but i told them my age, phone number and height in Cm). Then i went into this room, not kidding...4 japanese guys (one with a camera). I was told to stand behind a piece of tape and introduce myself. C'mon Japanese skills, do you best! That part was done, then they told me to grab (an imaginary) firehose and rescue a small child in a building. Ha. So i did it, but i was laughing in my mind at the sheer randomness of what i was doing....so i was told to act a bit more serious. Sorry Simon Cowell. After that, i was told i would be called. Right, and my people will have lunch with their people. Sure sure.

Then, i went home. And who do i run into, not sure but he is huge. There were 4 sumo wrestlers on my train. They were massive. There is a tournament in Osaka (it happens once a year). I asked for a pic and they laughed and said sure.

So that was my random day. Japanese Jesus, Saving invisible burning babies and smacking sumo wrestlers.

Small

Small
Originally uploaded by mtstaffa.

I think i now visual proof of three things. First, this is the shortest escalator ever built. Second, the Japanese are a lazy bunch. I mean honestly are these four ladies trying to decide to take the stairs or the escalator? It is amazing that these short people are not round and plump from being spoiled with automatic everything! Yesterday i was walking with a Japanese friend and we came to a store and it didnt have automatic doors. She literally stood there for a few seconds waiting for the doors to magically open. It wasnt until i came and pushed them open that we physically entered the room.

Third, the Japanese have entered a contest with themselves to try to cover every square inch with advertisements. I have seen ads on the rails of escalators (i have visual proof). I might also post a pic of inside the train. There are no needs for windows as they are all covered with ads.

Insane.

Updated my "other" pic site

I have added more sites to my other pics site. I added a site about the various Blossom festivals in Japan (plum and cherry) and for comedy in Japan. Check em out!

Japanese Comedy!

Japanese Comedy!
Originally uploaded by mtstaffa.

So the other day, Yuning and I went to Yoshimoto in Osaka. Yoshimoto is the comedy capital of Japan. It is a theater/company in the heart of Japan. We went to a 2 hour long show. It was great. It was in Japanese. It was still great. There were 2 man style comedians called Manzai, there were stand-up comedians called Rakugo and then there was a sitcom type show that we saw called Shinkigeki. That was a blast. We also saw a Japanese Magician and an American Jugglar. It was a blast and i was the only foreigner.

R.I.P Kirby Puckett

Game 6, 1991. Nuff said

Improv

Improv
Originally uploaded by mtstaffa.

So my comedy group is going well here. We have started to get prepaired for a show towards the end of April. The group is doing great, they are really picking up things quickly. There are a still kinks to work out. But overall, im extremely impressed with the way that have picked up everything and gone about it with little or no fear. We have 8-10 members from all over the world which really adds a unique style of improv comedy i have never seen.