Stay In School

Study went very well this morning. Should be able to take my next exam soon. Only four more Microsoft exams to take after that.

Took a taxi to the badlands of Norwich to do some tech support at a school. The taxi driver was young and likeable. He had previously worked as a driver for disabled children. We talked about crap jobs, rip off Britain and local government. When I arrived at the school I remembered how terrible schools are. Essentially wasted my afternoon.

I walked into the city centre to me my friends Keiko and Xanthi for a lecture on Japanese culture held by the Sainsbury Institute For The Study Of Japanese Arts And Cultures.(SISJAC) Keiko had invited a Japanese girl called Maria and a Hongkongese girl called Polly, both of whom are undergraduate students at UEA.

I saw Polly and Maria while walking to institute. I hadn't met them before, but it was easy to recognise them from Keiko's description. I walked behind them for a while, and then called Polly's name. She turned, and was unsure of what to do. I then called Maria's name. After I introduced myself, they relaxed, but they had obviously both had a fright. Fools. Weak people always imagine strangers have bad intentions, and yet have no idea of how they should act when confronted by unfamiliar situations. It is important to understand that surprise is something within ourselves, it is not related to outside forces. I'm never surprised, only disappointed...

The lecture was on European images of the Ainu, an aboriginal tribe that lives on the northern islands of Japan. It wasn't a particularly good lecture, but it was interesting enough to hold my attention for an hour.

It was good to see my friend Hirano again. It's been ages since I last visited the Japanese art and cultural library where he works. I should try to go sometime in the next couple of weeks to read the various journals the library subscribes to.

Spoke with my friend George and his wife Barbara. I mentioned that I am currently writing an English text book. Barbara has had an English text book published and thus may be able to offer me some advice.

Went to a very big Indian restaurant with Keiko and Rumiko. It has 112 seats, and claims to be the largest restaurant in East Anglia. We talked about Omotesandou and Aoyama, two places in my favourite area of Tokyo. The food was good, but not great.

Got home around 1 am, tired but happy.