I've made it!

I have arrived safe and sound in Japan! I do not have internet access on my laptop yet because the school needs to set up a proxy for it. This probably won't be a full blog post because I'm not too comfortable writing on my blogs at the computer lab. So ever since I arrived yesterday, so much has happened. It's pretty crazy, but exciting at the same time. I've met some awesome people and got a pretty cool British guy as a roommate.  I'm not sure what else to say since so much has happened and I rather blog on my laptop. Well I guess I just wanted to say that I am pretty much safe and sound now that I am in Japan. More to come within the next week once my laptop is hooked up to the internet.

Ciao-su!

T minus two and a half days....

So much has happened since my last post (sorry for the last one being off topic and unimportant).  The past few weeks have been really fun. This month, there are at least 8 birthdays this month for my friends, and one of those birthdays was mine.  Most of my friends all threw a birthday party, and I also had one too...well a family one. =p This second half of the months I went through so many first times...and I don't mean anything nasty. -_- So this month, for the first time, I got to see Poreotics (ABDC Season 5 Champions), and I saw them at Metropolitan (a Dance Club) which I was able to get in for the first time.  I also had my first LEGAL (emphasis on the word "legal") at 12 midnight on the 18th, which was my 21st birthday.  My first legal drink was a sake bomb! =D I love me some sake bombs. XD Also, on my birthday, I went to the casino for the first time. Lost about $20, but that's what you get for gambling (which I don't like to do).  On Friday, I chilled with my friend after work and we watched Pocahontas! She also took me out to a French restaurant, where I had my first tastes of French food. ^_^ It was pretty awesome!...except for the blue cheese...which I hated. >_< Speaking of work too, Saturday was my last day at work! I'm glad I am finally out of that restaurant, but I will surely miss the employees. They were like a second family to me. We would all get along and have fun. I pretty much grew up in that restaurant for the past four years I worked there. One of the older co-workers bought me a cake which was to celebrate my birthday and my last day there.  He was the most nicest person there and pretty damn fun to be around.  It's sad to leave, but also happy to be leaving some of those bossy ass people (not naming anyone). So on, this past weekend I went to Masquerade (another Dance Club, this time located inside a casino) for the first time! And I had a blast! We was mainly celebrating one of my friends birthday before I left, but she wanted to celebrate mines at the same time since it just passed. Before the club, we ate at this sushi/karaoke place called Little Tokyo. It wasn't my first time eating there, but it was my first time doing karaoke, even tho I didn't sing. XD Well...I can't really say it was my first time doing karaoke because growing up in a Vietnamese family, my parents (especially my dad) loved to sing karaoke). Even now he has a whole karaoke machine at this house.  The same day as I went to Masquerade, I had a movie night with my dance crew members, which was before I went out clubbing. It was the first time the actually whole crew got together while I was still hear. We had a lot of fun because we had a mini session, then watched two movies, Kick Ass and Zombieland, and also ordered pizza! I'm glad that I was able to spend time with them because they are like family to me and they are pretty much my closest friends. =] More importantly, I spent a lot of time with my family the for the past month. My mom's side of the family and I went out to eat  for my birthday and my aunt got me ice cream cake! =D It was delicious. On Sunday, I went to the temple after eating out once again with my mom and her side of the family. This time my oldest brother came along to eat too! This temple has pictures of my deceased family members. My aunt, two uncles, and grandma from my dad's side of the family.  I also went over to my dad's store a few times to play with my baby brothers and sister and to visit my pops. My dad threw a little dinner this past Sunday and a couple of my uncles and aunts came over. It wasn't the whole family as I was hoping for, but at least I was able to see someone from my dad's side of the family before I left.

Eating out with my mom's family for my birthday.

My birthday cake, which I only had one slice of! >_<

We relighted the candles because my baby cousin wanted to blow them out. So cute! <3

First cut!

Watching Pocahontas! =D

My friend's dog! 

My friend's really big dog, Zuri! I will miss this big lovable pooch!

Her other dog, Mochi, sleeping. I'll miss him too! They are so cute and cuddly! XD

French Appetizer

French-style steak

French-style fish

My other friend wiping her face off after I caked her for her birthday! =D

Chilling with my dance crew.

More members.

Karaoke!

Sushi!

More sushi!

Side of the Vietnamese temple

Front

Center piece inside

Left piece inside

Right piece inside

My cute baby sis Emily! <3

My two baby brothers, Steven and Henry. 

Cute baby cousin on my dad's wife's side of the family

The older sister. (Their mom likes to dress them up alike)

D'aww my cute baby cousin from my dad's side of the family

Packing
Onto the progress of getting ready for Japan...I am pretty much ready and set to go. I am allowed to bring two luggage weighing atleast 50 lbs each. One luggage is mainly for clothes and the second one has items that I will be using plus winter clothes. I was pretty much able to pack my most of my clothes into two suitcases which was pretty surprising, but then I don't have that many clothes to begin with. For present and future students that might need help packing I will list the items and number of each item in each suitcases.

My two luggage (open)

Luggage 1
Mouthwash
Toothpaste
Eyedrops
Tylenol
Deodarent
Grounding adapter plug
Bandaids
Imodium (meds)
Comb
Nail Clippers
Lent Roller
Adapter plug set
Running shoes
Body wash
Slippers
Pants (6)
Loofah
Duffel Bag
Contact Solutions (2)
Shampoo
Q-tips
Hairdryer ('cause I am an Asian guy with a somewhat long hair)
Hair Straightener
Laundry Bag
Jackets (7)
Adidas shoes
Aldos shoes
Hi-top shoes
Genki II (txt/wk books)
Contacts
Brush
Electric Shaver (plus charger)
Sonic care (toothbrush + charger)
Alarm Clock


Luggage 2 (Mainly Clothes)
Thermals (3)
Boxers (9)
Socks (9)
T-shirts (12)
Long Sleeves (7)
Shorts (7)
Pull-Overs (2)
Jackets (2)
Jeans (3)
Long pants (2)
Dress pants (1)
Dress shirts (2)
Tie (1)
Muscle shirts (10)
Belt (1)
Towel (2)
Small Towel (8)
Headphones
USB for camera
IPod USB
Batteries
Genki I CD
Mouse for laptop
External Hard Drive
Webcam
おみやげ (souvenirs) (3) - these are for my speaking partner, Ayumi.


I know it seems like I am packing a lot of stuff but honestly I was still underweight by a couple lbs for both suitcases. I still have some room inside each bags too put more stuff in too, but I want make sure I still have enough room for souvenirs and what not that I am hoping to get in Japan. It may also seem like I am bringing a lot of clothes, but I really do not like wearing my clothes twice a week. I packed a few extra just incase I needed them.

My two luggage (closed)

Money
So today I went to the bank to pick up some Yen that I ordered last week and to purchase some traveler's checks. When exchanging American currency into foreign currency, you want to give the bank time to be able to process the money orders. For me, it took a little bit less than a week for the money to come in, but it could vary for different banks. I exchanged about $250 worth and got 20,000 yen for it. As of now, the currency rate from dollars to yen is $1 for 85 yen. I was suppose to get at least 21,000 yen, but eh close enough. Traveler's checks can be purchased and received at the same moment. It cost me about $1 dollar for each check and only came in increments of either $50s or $100s. I heard that getting international post money orders have the cheapest exchange fee, but I was too lazy to go to the post office since I was already at the bank; and traveler's check have the second cheapest exchange fee...from what I heard.  Hopefully, I will be able to exchange the traveler's check before orientation in Japan. I'm not even sure exactly where to exchange them at...either a bank or post office I believe. >_< My main concern is that I hope I bought enough to last me until atleast the end of September when the banks accounts are all set in Japan and the stipends for my meals plans finally come in.

20,000 Yen

Front of the Yens

Back of the Yens

Time is running out and I really hope I don't forget to bring anything. With a little bit less than two and a half days remaining now, time has been going by so slow! I still have a few things left to be done. I got to wash my car tomorrow and try to see if I got everything I need and if I need anything else. I really hate that feeling that I am forgetting something...it happens every time I go traveling. I made a list of everything that I am bringing, items packed in my luggage and items packed in my carry-on. Oh! I forgot to mention, my flight has been changed. Instead of leaving on Thursday night at 7 pm, I will be leaving at 5:30 a.m....Friday morning! My mom wants to leave the house by approximately 3:00 a.m. so that means no sleep for me until I get on the airplane. I will probably be pretty restless while travelling.  I will be making two stops, one in Houston, TX, and another in San Francisco, CA. At the San Fran stop, I will be meeting a few other KGU students that I have met through a facebook group and will hopefully group up together and try to find our way around. XD By the time I get to the in Japan, it will be 3:30 p.m. there and 1:30 a.m. back home here. The time difference will be 14 hours. I don't believe I've had any anxiety or any serious feeling of nervousness...just yet. I do have a feeling that I will start to get nervous and what not when I am about to leave because I am afraid I might get lost or my luggage might get sent to the wrong place and what not. I haven't felt any butterflies in my stomach yet either. Maybe it's due to the fact that I keep believing that this is just all just a dream and I will suddenly wake up. >_< I just haven't fully accepted the fact that I will be leaving in two days. Hopefully, this whole preparation and trip will go as smoothly as possible. Sorry for such a long boring post. I just felt that I had to release all the excitement I experienced over the past two weeks into this post. This will probably be the last post until I get to Japan, so wish me luck and see you in Japan!

Ciao-su!

Vlog #3 - Having fun with my dance crew!

Alright so here it is! Vlog #3! =D Happy Watching!



I hope yal enjoyed watching that Vlog of mine. =]

Continuing on, for some people who don't know, which is most, I am part of a dance crew, and we are called Genesis Krew.  We have 8 original crew members, but this video only showed three (me being one of them).  I wanted to make this video because it has always been fun hanging with my crew members, and I wanted to show how much fun we usually have.  Actually, we usually have even more fun than that every now and then. We currently don't have a place to practice so yal saw us practicing outside while it was raining. We travel from park to park, which ever one we are in the mood to go to and just start practicing.  I know I will definitely miss my crew members when I'm in Japan. I don't think anyone can replace them. If it wasn't for them, and my baby sis Keri (also part of the crew), I probably would not be that serious about dancing. They inspired me that I can become a better dancer. It just takes time and practice...and a lot of motivation. Hopefully we can atleast become inspirations to others and to become semi-popular.

On the other note, I am hoping that there are a few dance crews or dance performances that involve hip hop, choreography, or breakdancing at KGU, or even meeting people from around the world that dance would be pretty awesome. I would love to learn new dance moves and what not from international people! =D  Honestly, I don't think I am that good when it comes to dancing. I have a really low self-confidence when there is a crowd of people and I have to start freestyling. But then I heard different.  My friends saw me dance at the club before and they say that I was pretty damn good and that they didn't know I was that good. That really surprised me! XD It also gave me inspiration to keep on dancing and to just improve myself and gain more self-confidence little by little. If yal ever see me around KGU, or the dorms, or even around the parks with headphones on and see me moving my body all of a sudden, just ignore me or yal might think I'm retarded or something. XD When I'm in my own little world with my headphones on playing music, I tend to start dancing or doing dance moves out of nowhere. Hopefully I won't be too embarrassed to do it in public when I'm in Japan. Well that's it for this post. Don't forget to follow me if you haven't already and look forward to next blog/vlog, which will probably be about either the stuff that I will miss, or shopping/packing for Japan.

And if you like Genesis Krew's routines, it would be great if yal would subscribe and leave a comment on Genesis Krew's YouTube Channel. =D Please and thank you!

Ciao-su!

Speaking Partner Program

Hey there whoever may be reading my blog.  So, last month I applied for something called the Speaking Partner Program. What this program is, is that...well, I'll copy the massage I got from KGU's (Kansai Gaidai University) website that talked about this program.

"This program enables you to meet local students at Kansai Gaidai who will be your supporter(s) for your new life in Japan.

There are three functions of this program; local students 1) assist you to settle in Japanese life right after you come to Kansai Gaidai, 2) provide a chance to practice your Japanese language outside a classroom setting, and 3) become information resource for your Japanese life. This program also aims to encourage interaction between you, international students, and local students at Kansai Gaidai.

There are no requirements as to when, where or how often you meet with your partner, so appointments can be made depending upon your and your partner’s schedules. It is recommended, however, that you contact your supporter before coming to Japan so that the supporter can help you immediately on your arrival at Kansai Gaidai.

We strongly encourage you to participate in this program, which will make your stay here more enjoyable and rewarding."  - Cultural Interaction Program

Alright! Continuing on. Today I received an email with information regarding the speaking partner that I will be given.  I also received an email from my speaking partner too! =D Her name is Ayumi, and I am glad that I was able to get a speaking partner!  We are currently in the process of emailing each other and getting to know each other. We are trying to see what each others expectations are and things that we like to do. I really hope that I click with Ayumi and that we become great friends! She is one of my first Japanese friend that I have ever made, so I am pretty excited!  Hopefully we will be able to communicate with each other without to much trouble and that we will be able to help each other improve on our speaking, reading, and writing skills.  Hopefully we won't be too busy for each other so that we can hang out and go sightseeing! I just can't emphasize enough on how excited I am to meet her! I hope that we will be able to make many long-lasting memories together! =D I am really looking forward for this study abroad trip now! Well, this is pretty much it for this post. I just wanted to share the great news that I received. Hopefully yal enjoyed reading this! Now I have to look for a gift to give Ayumi for when I first meet her!

Ciao-su!

Vlog #2 - Raisin Canes

I was bored so I decided to record myself eating Raisin Canes. I know its lame, but its pretty funny to me! ^_^v
Also, I was not alone. lol I was with my "lil sis" and her friend. My "lil sis" kept giving me weird looks like O_o...I wonder why...=P just kidding.

Just so this blog will have a purpose to it I will write about the REAL reason why I made the video. Ok...so...the real reason behind the video is because for the next four month, I will not be able to eat Raisin Canes. Its pretty sad actually. Their chicken is pretty damn good, and OMG their toast is just like the bomb! Of course there are plenty of other foods that I will miss out there as much as Raisin Canes, but who knows when the next I will eat those other foods.  Hopefully, when I go to Japan, my taste buds and diets can adjust to Japanese food, or else I'll have to live off noodles and beef, which I hear is pretty expensive.  I know there is a McDonald at school, but I do not want to rely on American-style fast food if you know what I mean. Since I'm in Japan I might as well try to adapt to their culture. For being an Asian American, I can probably blend in just find with my physical looks, but once I speak and choose the kind of food I want to eat, I'll probably be spotted as a foreigner right away, not saying that it is a bad thing though. I just want to blend in more naturally. I honestly do not like people staring and talking about me and making it pretty obvious too. Like hellooo I know you're talking about me or else why would you be looking at me, yenno what I mean? Ok so that's the end of that rant =p Continuing...I got nothing else to say. Well enjoy watching me eat my food! XD

Happy Watching!



(Ok so most of my face and the food was cut off due to the camera. I thought that it would have taken a wider shot than it did. Oh well lesson learned.

Ciao-su!

First Vlog is up!

 So...I finally got my first vlog of many more to come! Happy Watching! =D

Ciao-su!