Some say it is where the heart is... or maybe it's with the one(s) you love. In any case, for me, home is no one place. Though I had never been to Hawaii before in my life, I found that it was an easy place to call home for one week. The familiar company of my mother, still chain smoking and claiming that these non-smoking restaurants are discriminating, therefore forcing her to leave the table for periodic sessions of "respiratory therapy" (Mom lingo for smoke break); my sister roasting herself to a deep golden brown on the beach and resolving to move to Hawaii once and for all to the chagrin of my brother-in-law (she says this every beach we go to); and then Eric, stuck in the middle of all this estrogen and thus needing to make disgusting "boy" comments for attention, i.e. "Hey Joce, this looks like a deep fried spider!" referring to the calamari I'm popping in my mouth. Shopping, overeating, beaching, smoking, complaining about the smoke, with some slight variations in between-- these are the typical mantra of our family vacations.
From the time I was little, EVERY family vacation we have ever taken has been to a beach. The Jersey shore was our "regular" destination-- we'd rent a house for a week or two on Long Beach Island and have all our friends and family from home visit and stay with us... always a vacation for everyone except my mom, who was entertaining everyone. When my parents were together, we were the inevitable hosts. I hardly remember going to dinner to others' houses or being invited on vacation with other families. It was always my mom doing the cooking and inviting. Perhaps everyone simply accepted that she was "the hostess with the mostest." No one can do it better.
My mother and sister are just "beach people." I tell my sister if only she'd live in an oven she'd be happy. Apart from Long Beach Island, for a few years we were vacationing in Fripp Island, SC, the Outer Banks, NC, with occasional trips to Florida, Ocean City, MD, Fenwick, DE, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. ALL BEACHES. Until I went to London on spring break as a sophomore in college, I'd never been on a non-beach bound vacation. Hawaii, then, was a natural choice and another reason it felt like home. But it wasn't just the company or the destination, this time, but also the feeling of coming back to my home country. Hawaii, be it closer to Japan or not, is still America, with English-speaking people, too-big portions of food, overweight people blocking the sunsets, snotty New Yorkers (yes, they are even in Hawaii!), slabs of meat you cut with a knife, the thrill of a sale at Banana Republic. This is home, too. Even the monster of a rental car we had felt normal. Just to be riding in a car on the wide roads of the States (for some reason I was not permitted to drive for "insurance purposes") felt so familiar, and in the midst of my mom's cigarette smoke and my sister singing off-key to the radio, we might as well have been back in Nazareth or Baltimore.
So maybe "home" is a sense of familiarity relative to somewhere not so familiar. The people, surroundings, or a combination of all contribute. And now I'm at the airport in Maui en route to another strange home. P will be gone for one more week, so the place will be strangely quiet. Though tonight when I return (or tomorrow--figuring the plus 19 hours), M will be at my place for her last night in Tokyo before departing for London. I'll see her off and then go to my host family's place in Toyota for the New Year. I'm half-wishing I'd planned it for a less hectic, tired time, but hell, I'm still young and genki. I'm sure I can ganbaru thru another 3 days of family time! By the way, it's hard to think of a more appropriate ending to a family vacation than sunrise over the mountains of Maui thru the airport window...!
See my
Friday, December 31, 2004
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Karaoke Confessions...
How can an activity so basic bring out such extreme behaviors in people?
It seems basic anyway... you take a mike, you click in a song, you sing, and usually get drunk while you're at it, if you're not already. But from my experiences, the implications of karaoke go above and beyond the singing-in-the-shower type deals that you get in the States.
First, my confession... I ADORE karaoke! Fortunately for me, I'm not the only freak, nerd, etc. in this world who loves to hear herself sing. My flattie P is a regular diva. We have our regular duets, and (gulp) must admit we've practiced just the 2 of us before. (Sorry P, it had to be said...). So, I guess in my case, karaoke has the effect of making me feel like the Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera that I never will be... Anyway, I think, P, we fall into the "diva" category.
And I suppose compared with other things to do in Tokyo, karaoke is relatively good clean fun... but there is no limit to the emotions it brings out in people! Boys, take note... Hand the mike to a guy who can actually sing, and no kidding, he's 10 times sexier than he usually is (and the sexy ones just get sexier, i.e. B!) . Of course it goes both ways. It's all in good fun, but people who can't sing don't climb the sexy charts through karaoke...
The best was the Monday after our work bonenkai (end of year party), when my boss, who couldn't carry a note to save her jolly life came into work and decided to give her very opinionated, as always, account of the night's 2jikai. "Well, Jocelyn is the new karaoke star of the office. She's a bloody good singer. Unfortunately I can't carry a tune. But actually, you know, someone once told me that I just naturally sing a descant, so really it's not that I can't sing, I just naturally harmonize. So I need someone who can sing the main bit, and then I'm fine." My boss was referring to the Weather Girls song we sang together... she also no doubt falls into the "You're fooling yourself" category.
Then there are the shy ones who pretend they can't sing and then belt out "My Heart Will Go On" sounding twice as good as Celine Dion... but usually they sing these slow love songs, and after they're finished, there's just this long depressing silence until someone is like, OK! Livin the Vida Loca! and brings the party back to life.
And let's not forget about karaoke fights... back to my work 2jikai, a new director decides to input the song "My Way" for our very detail-oriented, you could say anal retentive, boss, exclaiming, "This one's for you! My Way! Just for you!" (No reference at all to the fact that the boss has been scrapping a lot of his work so far). As the tension builds, and builds, the boss retorts in his snottiest British, "I only sing the songs that I put in. Got it?" To no one's surprise, My Way was sung that night by our new director... NOT the boss.
And the karaoke chronicles could go on and on... believe me, the mike can bring EVERYONE to life!
It seems basic anyway... you take a mike, you click in a song, you sing, and usually get drunk while you're at it, if you're not already. But from my experiences, the implications of karaoke go above and beyond the singing-in-the-shower type deals that you get in the States.
First, my confession... I ADORE karaoke! Fortunately for me, I'm not the only freak, nerd, etc. in this world who loves to hear herself sing. My flattie P is a regular diva. We have our regular duets, and (gulp) must admit we've practiced just the 2 of us before. (Sorry P, it had to be said...). So, I guess in my case, karaoke has the effect of making me feel like the Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera that I never will be... Anyway, I think, P, we fall into the "diva" category.
And I suppose compared with other things to do in Tokyo, karaoke is relatively good clean fun... but there is no limit to the emotions it brings out in people! Boys, take note... Hand the mike to a guy who can actually sing, and no kidding, he's 10 times sexier than he usually is (and the sexy ones just get sexier, i.e. B!) . Of course it goes both ways. It's all in good fun, but people who can't sing don't climb the sexy charts through karaoke...
The best was the Monday after our work bonenkai (end of year party), when my boss, who couldn't carry a note to save her jolly life came into work and decided to give her very opinionated, as always, account of the night's 2jikai. "Well, Jocelyn is the new karaoke star of the office. She's a bloody good singer. Unfortunately I can't carry a tune. But actually, you know, someone once told me that I just naturally sing a descant, so really it's not that I can't sing, I just naturally harmonize. So I need someone who can sing the main bit, and then I'm fine." My boss was referring to the Weather Girls song we sang together... she also no doubt falls into the "You're fooling yourself" category.
Then there are the shy ones who pretend they can't sing and then belt out "My Heart Will Go On" sounding twice as good as Celine Dion... but usually they sing these slow love songs, and after they're finished, there's just this long depressing silence until someone is like, OK! Livin the Vida Loca! and brings the party back to life.
And let's not forget about karaoke fights... back to my work 2jikai, a new director decides to input the song "My Way" for our very detail-oriented, you could say anal retentive, boss, exclaiming, "This one's for you! My Way! Just for you!" (No reference at all to the fact that the boss has been scrapping a lot of his work so far). As the tension builds, and builds, the boss retorts in his snottiest British, "I only sing the songs that I put in. Got it?" To no one's surprise, My Way was sung that night by our new director... NOT the boss.
And the karaoke chronicles could go on and on... believe me, the mike can bring EVERYONE to life!
Monday, December 20, 2004
Where have you gone?
Time, money, sleep, waistline, self control...
Just a start to the list.
First of all, hisashiburi (long time no see) to my blog!
It has been ages since I've last written, and though I know it seems to be a poor excuse, I have had NO TIME! I used to update my blog at work during a lazy, boring spell. Apparently I don't deserve those anymore, and (sigh) they have finally seen at work that I am competent and have been giving me more and more to do. The great part is, according to a chat with my boss after my 3 month probation period ended, he thinks that if I keep going at this rate I'll be moving up through the company quite quickly relative to everyone else. More specifically, he compared me to M, who moved up 4 positions and tripled her salary in 5 years. So, if I want to stay with this company and stay in Tokyo, I guess that could be me (without the red hair and sweet Scottish accent...)! Anyway, this is good to know because it keeps me hard at work, and I am enjoying it, so I guess now it's all about learning as quickly as I can and putting in the time...
Aside from work, which has been keeping me extremely busy, the social life has gone on an upswing as well. Of the past 10 nights, I have been out 9 of them... dinners, bars, movies, parties, karaoke, you name it. And let me tell you, my body, my brain, and my wallet are all EXHAUSTED! Good thing Hawaii is in 2 days or I might have had to climb to the top of Mt. Fuji and camp there for the winter by myself! Of course it's fabulous going out every night and having tons of good food and drinks, and being with friends, but all of the little things suddenly escape you. Christmas gifts to buy, birthday gifts to buy, laundry to do, letters to write... it all just slowly creeps up on you and then makes you jump with a tap on the shoulder when you least expect it.
Tokyo is a playground, and more than that, a playground within a bubble. And even more than that, it has some sort of suction function inside that just keeps nagging at you, and if you're not careful you'll be sucked into the abyss and transformed into a Tokyo ex-pat version of a Stepford Wife.
Anyway, the vacation should do me some good, though I hear that all of Japan is following me to Hawaii for the holidays. Won't it be funny to think I'll be missing out on one of the only times Tokyo is empty... Then I'm off to Toyota to visit my host family for the new year.
Let's hope that some sun, family time and relaxation will rejuvenate me for my return back to the playground...
Just a start to the list.
First of all, hisashiburi (long time no see) to my blog!
It has been ages since I've last written, and though I know it seems to be a poor excuse, I have had NO TIME! I used to update my blog at work during a lazy, boring spell. Apparently I don't deserve those anymore, and (sigh) they have finally seen at work that I am competent and have been giving me more and more to do. The great part is, according to a chat with my boss after my 3 month probation period ended, he thinks that if I keep going at this rate I'll be moving up through the company quite quickly relative to everyone else. More specifically, he compared me to M, who moved up 4 positions and tripled her salary in 5 years. So, if I want to stay with this company and stay in Tokyo, I guess that could be me (without the red hair and sweet Scottish accent...)! Anyway, this is good to know because it keeps me hard at work, and I am enjoying it, so I guess now it's all about learning as quickly as I can and putting in the time...
Aside from work, which has been keeping me extremely busy, the social life has gone on an upswing as well. Of the past 10 nights, I have been out 9 of them... dinners, bars, movies, parties, karaoke, you name it. And let me tell you, my body, my brain, and my wallet are all EXHAUSTED! Good thing Hawaii is in 2 days or I might have had to climb to the top of Mt. Fuji and camp there for the winter by myself! Of course it's fabulous going out every night and having tons of good food and drinks, and being with friends, but all of the little things suddenly escape you. Christmas gifts to buy, birthday gifts to buy, laundry to do, letters to write... it all just slowly creeps up on you and then makes you jump with a tap on the shoulder when you least expect it.
Tokyo is a playground, and more than that, a playground within a bubble. And even more than that, it has some sort of suction function inside that just keeps nagging at you, and if you're not careful you'll be sucked into the abyss and transformed into a Tokyo ex-pat version of a Stepford Wife.
Anyway, the vacation should do me some good, though I hear that all of Japan is following me to Hawaii for the holidays. Won't it be funny to think I'll be missing out on one of the only times Tokyo is empty... Then I'm off to Toyota to visit my host family for the new year.
Let's hope that some sun, family time and relaxation will rejuvenate me for my return back to the playground...
