Well hello once again from the Land of the Rising Sun (actually I haven`t seen the sun for nearly a week now so maybe it`s given up rising!)! The reason for this is because we have just started `rainy season` here in Japan so everyday since last Saturday has been rainy, damp, humid, and very uncomfortable - only about five more weeks of it to go! I think yesterday was the worst day so far as we had very strong winds and driving rain - something to do with a typhoon hitting Kyushu to the south west! I guess I will get used to it - and then we have the hot humid summer to look forward to! Joy!

Yesterday evening was my first experience of seeing a cockroach in the flesh. I was happily sorting through some papers in my apartment, the air conditioner churning away in the background, when all of a sudden I heard a small thud, glanced up to my right and there, perched right on the edge of the table about 30 centimetres from my head, was a cockroach - I guess it had come in through the air con of all things.

Now, if you know me well you will know that I hate the thought of anything insect like - don`t ask me why it`s just something about me - and you can probably imagine my reaction - yes, it was very quick - and I found myself in the opposite corner of the room in about a second - actually, I probably scared the cockroach with my speed of movement. For the next ten minutes I stood looking at it, thinking of what to do - well not really thinking what to do (as I knew what I had to do!) - but just plucking up the courage to do it.

So I finally decide to get a towel and smother it, but, in the process of getting a towel from the wardrobe, it decided to move and I then had to spend a terrifying five minutes looking for it, expecting it to fly up into my face at any point and give me an early death! I managed to locate the little blighter hiding on the back of one of my photoframes so I just threw the towel over it, cruched my hands together and thanked the Lord that there was only one of them! Until the next time that is!

Since this major incident (which actually made the national news!), I have set up 4 `cockroach houses` in my apartment. These contraptions are designed to lure the cockroaches (by the way just typing this word gives me the creeps!) inside them with a smell of something nice and then the cockroaches are supposed to get caught in some sticky substance, ... and die what I would guess is a slow, painful death. Also, as you might imagine, I no longer use the air conditioner. The prospect of what might happen is just too much to think about!

On to more important matters, work is going well - I guess I have reached the point where things have started to settle down a bit and there is some regularity in the job now. I have finally managed to get my head around three new systems that GEOS decided to implement all at once to celebrate it`s 30th anniversary. At times it has been trying but I guess you have to learn to accept new methods and styles of working. Speaking of anniversaries, I have now been in Japan for exactly five months - wow! - and loving every minute of it actually (well take out the first seven days and last night`s fifteen minutes of horror) and it`s roughly correct! One thing I have found about working from 12 - 9 pm is just how little time I seem to get to myself. I have to say that I prefer a 9 - 6ish day - I guess the longer evenings are better for actually being able to go anywhere or do anything - finishing at 10pm or later sometimes makes this fairly difficult. Mmm...

Finally, I have to mention the Beckham transfer - he and his wife are in Japan right now actually - I am a little disappointed because he has done some magical stuff for Man Utd in the last few seasons and I am a big fan of his play so naturally as a Man Utd fan I will miss him. I don`t too much care what he does off the pitch (that`s his and no-one else`s business) - and I hope he does well for Real Madrid - he certainly will benefit further from being around a larger group of world class players. As long as he doesn`t perform well if Utd. play Real in next season`s champions league then I will be happy - but no, I guess if he does feel like bending a 25-yard free kick into the Utd. net then good luck to him!

Until next time ....... - please feel free to write me with any interesting news from back home if there is any!

I guess it`s been nearly three weeks since I wrote so you would imagine I have lots to write about, but actually I don`t! The main thing to talk about is the recent earthquake we had in Japan and the fact that I actually felt it. I was happily surfing the internet when all of a sudden the room started to sway ever so slightly, and then it started to sway a bit more heavily! It was a very strange feeling and it took me a while to work out what was happening but I have to say the experience was interesting overall - I am just glad that Gotenba was not at the epicentre. At the time I thought that maybe there had been a big earthquake in Tokyo as I have heard some people saying that one is expected. Luckily, the place where the earthquake did actually strike was not in a heavily built up area and there were no deaths. I`m glad I have had the chance to experience a mild tremor, but I think we can stop there!

I have been studying Japanese quite a lot these days - so you might well think I am getting quite good at speaking - alas, no - and I can kind of understand how my students feel sometimes as I have the same frustrations! I guess that compared to five months ago I am very knowledgeable but looking at the bigger picture I am only scratching the surface. However, it is enjoyable and interesting for me to study a new language and I have to say that I would like to study more of them in the future - especially Spanish - I think that it would be very useful. There are many Brazilians in Gotenba, and Japan generally, who speak Portuguese, but I guess who can also understand Spanish - I see Spanish as being more useful than Portuguese but obviously if someone offered to teach me any language I wouldn`t turn them down. We`ll see, but lets just stick to Nihongo (Japanese) for now.

Last Sunday in Numazu (a nearby city) we had a ten-pin bowling party (bowling is quite popular in Japan by the way!) to promote our GEOS Friendship Campaign - we always seem to have some sort of campaign running that you kind of lose track of them! About 40 people took part - students, friends of students (which was the whole idea although there didn`t seem to be so many), teachers and managers - and I came second overall - God knows how! After a shaky 103 in the first game which I put down to nerves and lack of practice, I somehow managed to make 151 in the second game and astonish not only myself but most of the rest of the group. One of my students who came told me that the quality of the lanes was not good and that this would affect even the worst player`s game, but I was not complaining. However, on a decent lane I would probably have done worse knowing me! Anyways, it was a fun day and nice to meet some other teachers and students and renew some old acquaintances!

The weather here is getting warmer but the rainy season is coming soon and will last for maybe six weeks until the end of July. I guess we are quite lucky here in Gotenba though as the weather is generally cooler than the surrounding area as we are situated a little higher up. On some days though you wouldn`t think so but for those of you who know me will know that I don`t really like hot weather so even mild days seem hot to me! I actually managed to get a sun tan when I played golf a couple of weeks ago! Normally though I just find myself sweating.

So what else can I talk about today? Not a lot, although it is now confirmed that my parents will come to visit in September which will be a really great opportunity for me to show them some of Japan. After that I have some friends visiting and it`s also my birthday on the 21st so September will be a busy (and expensive!) month for me. Here`s to having a really great time!

On the June 29th, I am doing a cooking demonstration for GIA (the same people whom I gave the speech to). I am demonstrating how to make Yorkshire Pudding, fruit scones and English tea. Many Japanese people think Yorkshire Pudding is a dessert and I guess it`s fairly logical to presuppose that from the name, but whoever said English was logical ! I`m sure the participants will enjoy themselves but the only problem I foresee is being able to find gravy granules, as Yorkshire Pudding without gravy is a bit strange. I`ll be sure to let you know how it goes and thanks to my Grandma for the recipes again - she must have told me 10 times already but for some reason I can`t seem to remember them.

Ki o tsukete ne (take care of yourselves!)