pre-AO

The gang's all here.

Pictures so far:
* cuddling for warmth in the cold (BRING SWEATSHIRTS!)
* me in the oversize baggage chute
* Aya in a luggage cabinet
* Jessa playing on the escalators

Things done without pictures:
* dinner at Biwa, the restaurant of a JASCer from the 55th JASC
* learning how to tie knots creatively

JASC starts tomorrow.
(Eep!)

whoopsie daisy

Apparently the excitement of the final push was too much for me and I forgot to update.

Countdown:
until JASC: 2 days.
until I leave for the train station to head to pre-AO: 20 minutes.

The past year is about to be realized.
Whoah.

This is what my excitement looks like:

What do you eat before JASC?

Tomorrow, the eight American Executive Committee members will meet in Portland.

Tomorrow, there is no schedule yet, I am making it as I type this.

Tomorrow, we're going to figure out how we're going to divide 5 girls and 3 boys into two rooms.

Tomorrow, is the beginning of JASC 60. kind of.

So

Today, I had myself a feast.

Question: What does a vice chairperson eat before a huge conference like JASC???

Answer: 5 bowls of rice, 3/4 pound of sirloin steak, a bowl of salad with sesame dressing, and a bottle of Coronita.



I am now ready for JASC. What are YOU going to eat before JASC???

Today was my last 7am Saturday morning meeting.
I'm so happy.

Just over a week...

...until 18 Amadeles arrive at Reed.

Hidemi and I decided we're very nearly giddy with excitement.

we're getting so close

Before July is over, I will have eaten dinner with the Consulate General from Japan.

Sweet.

Stitch. This isn't meant to be mean...

I have a Stitch piggy bank, a lovely gift from Jenka Eusebio. Jenka was in the same RT, and I was using my money recklessly in Tokyo last year, so she gave me a piggy bank. Ok, she was in my RT, but I wasn't a crazy money spender.

While I was staring at this Stitch... a friend's face just popped up and replaced Stitch's face...



Yes, we have a Stitch look-a-like in JASC 60. And we're going surfing in LA. This is going to be a great photo opportunity :D

He behaves somewhat like Stitch too, well, at least he used to. I've heard he has changed. I don't want to sound mean, but this person is pretty much my favorite JASCer. haha

Let me know when you know who I'm talking about. ;)

Hidemi

The Corporation

Jessa, an AEC member, recommended me to watch The Corporation. She introduced me the video several months ago, but didn't have the time to watch it until recently. I've just finished watching part one.

It is strongly biased against the modern corporation, but at the same time makes you think about this huge unstoppable institution that has such a great impact on our everday lives. I recommend you all to watch it too, especially CSR RT! but it would definitely also relate to other RTs too. Science and Ethics, Law and Society, etc.

Here is a direct link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=192012118972057552&q=the+corporation&ei=Cl1-SP_xEp32rAKO3c2RBA

10 days of JASC prep

I'm excited for the Big Showdown.

Ambiguous Excitement

I just realized there are only 11 days until college food.

I think I'm excited?

I FOUND THE VIDEO OF HIDEMI'S NEWS REPORT!

Now why this wasn't posted on the Amadele blog I don't know, but you should all go check out http://jasc60.blogspot.com/ (the Japadeles' blog). At the bottom of the page is a video from the Missoula site visit.

Yay, Hidemi!!

12 days till lift-off

I'm so excited to meet my RT members.

Let this be a challenge to all of you:
Memory RT - or more specifically Chii, Emiko, Hannah, Higa, Noe, Rachel, and Yuichi
- is going to be the best RT of this year's JASC.

Consider that the proverbial throwing of the gauntlet.

CSR meeting on MSN

We just had our second CSR RT meeting yesterday on MSN Messenger.

Although I do not know much about CSR, I firmly believe that our RT will be the best RT in JASC 60. My RT partner leader Yukio Iseki believes this too, in fact, more than I do. Our RT members are ambitious, knowledgeable, and curious. Our Japadeles are planning to host a large CSR conference in Japan after JASC. It is difficult for the amedeles to put together something similar in scale in the US, but we are all going to impact our own local communities in our own ways. Edward Phillips will present to a company that is paying for his JASC participation cost, I will be presenting to the Japan America Society of Minnesota's Corporate Roundtable event, and Peter Weldon is looking into the Business Association of Southern California.

we are looking forward to our stay in LA where we will be talking to a lot of businesses!

Will 30+ hours of joint RT sessions be enough?

we'll see soon...

The Countdown Begins

Only 13 days until Amadeles arrive.

I'm really excited to play Woof-Oink-Moo.

I decided that every day leading up to the conference, I'm going to write something that I'm excited about. If there's something you're looking forward to, excited about, nervous about, respond!

Portland

Last week as my final few days of school were winding down, I took a quick trip down to Portland, OR to do site visit before the conference starts. Although I remain firm in my devotion and adoration of Seattle above all other Pacific Northwest cities, I must say, Portland's pretty cool. Here are a few of the things I saw and did:


1) scared myself on Reed's campus

2) impressed Meghan, the Reed contact,
with my unceasing professionalism

3) tested the bathrooms at Reed. They passed.

4) got directions for Portland's public transportation

5) led a 1-person tour through Portland. All there agreed it was an overwhelming success.

6) practiced my street performer skills

7) walked through the city block-sized bookstore

8) only read the first character on the sign and got really excited about a ラーメン (ramen) stand only to find out when I got there that it said "ランチ" (lunch) but by then felt guilty for getting the owner's hopes up about a customer so bought 揚げ出し豆腐 (tofu). It was a tasty letdown, make all the more bittersweet when, looking at the sign again, I saw how clear the ランチ had been. Curse my excitement for the ラーメン.

9) fell in love with an old Italian gentleman and his gelato (pink is strawberry ginger and yellow is egg custard)

10) was given yet another reason to feel blessed I get to live in the PNW.

I'm so excited for the Portland site.

(The umbrella shots reminded me: don't forget to bring an umbrella!)

because I worry Hidemi will be too embarrassed to post this himself

Hidemi Tanaka, EC extraordinaire, had a starring role in Missoula's news program earlier this week. I assume the video will be up once we get it?

Jake Shimabukuro

Last night, I went to a Jake Shimabukuro concert. It was at the Dakota Jazz Club in Downtown Minneapolis. What a phenomenal performer!

For those of you who have not heard his name yet, read carefully! (especially you are a great fan of stringed instruments, jazz, etc.)

Jake Shimabukuro is the world's best ukulele performer. He is a 5th generation Japanese descent Hawaiian and started playing the ukulele since four years old. Now, you may think, "oh, how exciting, he plays some aloha music", but no, he is very experimental! He writes his own songs, and plays covers. Just imagine the ukulele playing classical, flamenco, the beatles, pop, techno, traditional japanese songs, lullabies, etc. He is, after all, known as the Jimi Hendrix of the Ukulele.

I bought two CDs last night, Gently Weeps and My Life, and got both of them signed with Jake's autograph. :) Shook hands with him three times, took a group photo, it was my first time chatting with a real famous musician. Apparently my "eyes were sparkling", according to my friends.

It feels good to watch this Japanese American/Hawaiian. He is just so passionate about what he does. He doesn't love himself, he loves the sound of the Ukelele. It is really quite astonishing with what he does with a four stringed 2-octave guitar.

You should all search for him on youtube. seriously. DO it. now! :D

Here is a group photo we took with Jake. I am on the far left. Jake is behind the girl in the middle (front).

PS and yes, I checked his tour dates to see if he was coming to any of our jasc sites this year, but no. we missed. darn. :( I asked him to come again to Minneapolis.

The 59th Vice Chairpersons

102 more days until the beginning of the 60th JASC! I feel nervous, excited, anxious, optimistic, afraid, and honored all at the same time.

The AEC has been planning for the 60th JASC since end of last August. What a ride it has been! I only know that things will get busier but better as the countdown continues.

Here, I'd like to introduce two very important JASC alumni. Hiroyuki Miyake and Marie Kanke. They are certainly the two greatest friends I love and respect very much.

Hiroyuki, or HIro, was the 59th American Executive Committe vice chairperson, and Marie was the vice chairperson for the Japanese Executive Committee. I'm so blessed that I have the support of these two individuals, or else I wouldn't have come this far as vice chairperson myself. So, Hiro and Marie, thank you very much for all your kind support.

Here's a nice photo of them~. Photo taken in Akita, August 6th, 2007.

after school

I was just informed that I've been hired by a Japanese company.

It's absurdly difficult to teach a class when you have to consciously stop yourself from squeaking every other minute. I think it a testament to my love of teaching that I was able to and that I was as wrapped up in section as I was.

I have an actual 仕事 instead of just many, many バイト. Whoah.
Now I just need to finish grad school...

Jero - African American Enka singer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEmeVeQe56U

A new enka singer has debuted just recently. His debut song is Umiyuki or "ocean snow". He is all over the Japanese music scene. His debut song was the 4th most popular song in a recent weekly ranking in Japan. This is the highest ranking an enka song has reached There is something distinct about him. He is an African-American from Pennsylvania. His Japanese grandmother sparked his interest in enka, traditional japanese songs. He has marked a new era for the enka genre. His name is Jero.

A lot of Japanese people are shocked, surprised, excited, and flattered as they watch an African-American sing an enka song in perfect japanese. His music video is highly amusing. Dressed in hip-hop, wearing a new-era cap, dancing to his own enka song, American style graffiti, and more.

What does this pose for the interesting fusion of tradition and modernity? A minority in Japan singing a traditional Japanese style music. Is it problematic? controversial? normal?