It's been a long time since I rocked and rolled

I haven't posted in a long while. That could mean one of two things...
Either I've stopped caring and forgot about this blog,
or that I've been too busy to find time to write.
In this case, it's the latter.

So let's do a quick summary of the recent past...

- I've settled in quite nicely here in Iizuka. I like the place, I like the people, and I like work.

- I went home to Hawaii for about 5 days in late September. Why? To race the greatest race in Hawaii, 24 Hours of Hell. I didn't do well, not at all, but that's okay. On the way home, I had to fly to Korea, yes it's backtracking, but the flight was cheaper that way. Anyway, don't go to Korea unless you like Korean things. Needless to say, I was sick pretty much my entire time back home and I think I contracted some sort of illness during my short 7 hour stay in Korea.

- Summer is finally over. With that comes pleasant temperatures, survivable humidity levels, and the death of cicadas. That unfortunately also means that coolbiz is over, resulting in the need for wearing a neck-choking tie and long sleeve shirts. While it's a bit bothersome to wear such attire right now in October, I know that it'll be a welcomed necessity come winter.

Possibly one of the best things that's happened to me recently is the arrival of my mountain bike. It's nothing special, but it's fun to ride around the city with it. The curb to road height is massively tall and having a mountain bike, let alone a 29er roll over that is much more pleasant and fun than a mama chari. The mama chari still does it's job for grocery store runs.

Also, believe it or not, I am very happy because of the new rice cooker I bought. I definitely splurged on this one, as I spent $300 on a rice cooker. Yes, you read that right, $300. But even more unbelievable, the retail price of it was nearly $1,000. I found it on amazon Japan on sale during one of those "lightning deals". I must say, it's amazing. It's not even placebo or in my head that makes me think the rice tastes better, it actually does. What's possibly even cooler than that is how you can pay for certain items purchased online. For sites such as amazon Japan and rakuten, you can pay the delivery man. Isn't that cool? I thought so. It's really helpful since I can't seem to obtain a credit card here.

It's strange. I felt like I had a lot of things to write about that seemed interesting to share but maybe I've assimilated too much into this society that I no longer find much things as interesting anymore. This is, after all, my 8th time to Japan. I've seen most tourist attractions and now my only new experiences are those of actual life. What is exciting about a typical Japanese life? I don't wake up and travel to a world heritage site. I wake up and go to work. I must welcome myself to the real world. Maybe I just find it strange since I'm in a foreign country. Maybe it's strange to be in my favorite place not as a tourist, but as a working man. This time around I get to see the other side of Japan. Or is this the other side? I'd feel better in saying that this time around I get to see the real side of Japan. I have the opportunity to interact with the local community, participate in local events, and even participate in something as mundane as grocery shopping [which by the way is very different in Japan compared to Hawaii].

The more I write, I suppose the more I miss home. You never really all the little things you take for granted until it's over 1,000 miles away. Something as small as Burger King. I didn't realize that I liked Burger King until being in Japan where I can't get a Whopper [Turns out, the closest Burger King is in Osaka...In Japan, but still much too far and expensive to travel to. I'm also certain it's not as good as back home anyway]. Even more so, I miss Teddy's Burgers, I miss Local food [yes, that includes literally every local food, from poke and kalua pig to loco moco and mochiko chicken].

The strangest thing is I miss seeing my everyday sights. Something as simple as seeing the traffic light on Waialae Ave, or going to the ghetto Times in Kaimuki. I think I miss it because those sights were a part of my everyday routine, my everyday norm. Now that it's gone, I assume it's only natural to slightly miss seeing it. Furthermore, I especially miss riding back home. I never thought I'd ever say this in my life, but I miss the headwind on the ride out to Makapu'u, I miss the windy road up tantalus. I'm able to ride here in Japan but it's not the same. For one, I usually have no clue where I'm going so that results in frequent stops to check Google Maps on my phone. But worst of all, it's lonely. There's no one to talk to on my ride and no one to have fun with, not to mention no one to draft off of. On all of my rides here in Iizuka so far, I've only encountered one or two other road cyclists. I fear that the number of mountain bikers in Iizuka is even less, dare I even say possibly non-existent?

But no matter the case. No matter what I enjoy, no matter what I miss, I am here in Iizuka. I am here to enjoy my time, I am here to grow as a person. I am here to gain new experiences and I am here to give experiences to the teachers and students here as well.

Here are some pictures that I think may be interesting with captions.