April Update

"General Education Diploma"

I have still been pursuing Japan with a passion and I can not believe how much trouble I am still having. The other day my Dad spoke with my Grampa and asked if he would be interested in going to Japan. My dad reminded me that my Grampa made me a deal last year that if I was to get my GED then he would pay the whole $3000 to $5000 for my trip to Japan. When he said it I was in shock that I completely forgot about that offer but at the same time am not surprised that I forgot. I can point out several times that either of my grand parents made an offer and never carried it though. For example when I was 16 they promised that if I got my Drivers License that they would pay for half of my first car but now I am at my First and Second car and the whole thing has come from my own pocket. So I am not surprised that I had forgotten.

I have a personality that if someone is trying to bribe me with something to get me to do something then I don't want to do it even more but my Mom says that for the size of this offer you should just simply buckle down and do it. I did declare that if my reward does not go to plan then I will have even a harder time in the future to trust any offers -- bribes -- from my grandparents, PERIOD. I HATE TESTS. I HATE BEING TESTED. I hate them so much because I feel like I am being forced to use my brain to make no progress nor anything constructive. I had to take a compass test last Fall and it was like a nightmare to do. To make it worst the compass test was only 3 subjects and 50 minutes but the GED test has 5 subjects and can take 2 to 3 hours, time is strictly controlled and you have to schedule a testing. Deep down inside I feel that this fear is sign enough to say that I am suppose to do it. I don't want to be afraid of this but for once this is something I can not get over. I wish I could just drive to someplace, take a small test and be done but no I got to find a center, take a pre-test, take refresher classes, schedule a test and then take the test which could take weeks of time. I already feel my hair falling out. RRRRRRRRRR!!!! I need help.

I would like to point out that it was this month of last year on the 10th that I was laid off from my job at AT&T. Just a side note.

"Tokyo Magnitude 8.0"

Just four years ago there was a anime made called "Tokyo Magnitude 8.0" which tells the story about two siblings who have to find their way home after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hitting in Tokyo. The Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow Bridge both crumble and the landscape was changed in an instant. Many anime fans noticed the similarity to the recent disaster in Sendai. Since the situation is not interesting enough to help with news stations ratings, many people have been asking about the nuclear issue. From what I heard the levels of radiation at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima was determined to be level 7, the same level as Chernobyl. On April 1st it was observed about 2 to 3 times the normal amount of radiation (0.10 uSv per hour) in Tokyo. (http://chottomatte.net/2011/04/01/tokyo-radiation-levels-daily-updates-april/) To have an effect on one's health, it is said that one must be exposed to 100 mSv=100,000 uSv over the course of a whole year, but if one is exposed to the current levels of radiation in Tokyo for one whole year, it would only add up to about 1/114 of that. Therefore, these levels wouldn't have any kind of effect on one's health locally or if you came in contact with products from the Tokyo area. The risk of cancer from 100 mSv would only raise by 0.5%. This is the farther lower level than the one of possible harm that tobacco incurs. Worrying about this level of radiation is like worrying about the risk of cancer that comes with wearing clothes that have been exposed to tobacco smoke. Because of the overreaction to these radiation levels, people are hesitant to buy Japanese Products. Remember, in light of this incident Imports will be watching Japanese Imports more closely. So it is more important now than ever to support Japan by continuing to buy Japanese products!

Facts of Japan: Vol. 3.1

While Japan has always had a reputation for taking ideas from the West and improving on them (sometimes beyond recognition), the reverse is often true, too, and Japan has long served as a well of inspiration for various creators from the West. I read a lot of science fiction books, and it often seems I can't pick one up that doesn't have Japanese themes in it somewhere, with the best example being William Gibson, who built his career by weaving ideas he got from Japan into his books. Star Wars is filled with Japanese cultural and visual elements culled from Japan's films and history, from Jedi Knights to the Force to the design of Darth Vader, whose helmet and "first name" come from famous warlord Date Masamune. (I always wondered why Obi Wan Kenobi was wearing a kimono and bowing like a Japanese person.) When the new iPad was announced, people in Japan observed that the fancy magnetic "Smart Cover" looked exactly like the covers used to keep the bath water warm in between use.

Japan Relief Work - Update 2

I am still waiting to make the proper arrangements to help with relief work. The e-mail I received from Amy Eby was quite promising but when I sent a check up e-mail she was no longer available for contact. As it looks now is they might be interested in getting me volunteering at their HQ Office in Tokyo and going out on Relief Work when needed.

I need everyone for pray that GODs hand will be in this and help provide me with decent housing for I really don't want to stay in a lonely hotel. If I can find reasonable housing then the cost of my trip would be much less and the duration can be much longer.

Round Trip Flight: $1,000.00 to $1,500.00

Hotel: $50.00 to $100.00 /per day times 30 = $1,500.00 to $3,000.00

Food: $50.00 /per day

Trip Cost: $3,000.00 to $6,000.00

Hoping to provide more details very soon.

www.japan-m9.com - Donate | Volunteer | Pray.

Facts of Japan: Vol. 3

When you study a foreign language, sometimes one of the first things you learn unavoidably are the "naughty" words -- that's just human nature. However, students of Japanese are often surprised to learn that most of the bad words they're used to in English don't map over very well. The most common Japanese insults include baka(BAH-kah, stupid), aho (ah-HO, the Osaka-ben version of the same word), and boke (BOH-kay, basically meaning "nim-wit"). Almost all the anatomical words you may be used to just don't work in Japanese, nor does the "F" word, which doesn't even exist, except occasionally in English as a foreign loan word. The most basic Japanese swear word is probably kuso (KOO-soh), the "S" word, yet it's interesting to note that it's not considered a bad word, as it's used in children's anime like Yu-Gi-Oh quite often and no one thinks anything of it. It addition to the primary meaning, the word kuso can also refer to various bodily products. The stuff that comes out of your nose is hana-kuso (nose-sh--), and ear wax is mimi-kuso (ear-sh--). The stuff that builds up in your eyes as you sleep is me-kuso (MEH-kuso), and plaque on your teeth is calledha-kuso. Now you know some interesting (and probably useless) Japanese vocabulary words!