This is a quick update as I have been too busy recently to post more regularly. So it looks like Nova is going to go bankrupt, but the only question now is do they just give up and file for it or do they try to drag it out as long as possibly to take in as much money as they can. One never knows, but one way or another I'll have another job within the next month or so. I have an interview next Thursday with Berlitz, another big English school, so hopefully that'll pan out and I can abandon Nova forever. Secondly I am moving into Ayuko's parents house as a kind of homestay/super cheap living situation. More on that later, but regardless Ayuko and I are getting rather serious, like not wedding bell serious, but still serious. That's all I have time for as I have to go to work, but hopefully once I settle down at Ayuko's, I move today, I can post like I did before. So wish me luck on the interview and pray that good looks and charm can do the job once again.

WARNING: THIS POST MIGHT BE OFFENSIVE TO YOUTH AND ELDERLY READERS

However, I have decided to post my true feelings about Japan in this post, so those of you who wish to avoid any real feelings should stop reading my blog now. Also don't worry as I am keeping in mind that my two teenage sisters check my blog daily, so I will not be posting any offensive posts. However, from now on I will be writing my actual feelings and experiences, so for some this may come as somewhat of a shock. Up until now I have been avoiding exposing friends and family to my true experiences, but for me this blog has become somewhat of an outlet for emotional distress and such, so if this causes too many problems I will just start a second blog for select individuals who wish to see my true experience. Actually for anyone who wants to see my true blog please send me an email @ clopez80525@yahoo.com and I will send you the site for my new blog, ONLY IF one is necessary.

Only recently I learned that one of my good Japanese friends, Yuko, used to work as a hostess. For those of you who don't know what a hostess is they work in 'hostess clubs' which are essentially places where lonely Japanese men can go to have a flirtatious encounter with a beautiful Japanese girl. There is no hanky panky that goes on in the majority of these clubs as the girls only flirt and pour drinks for their male customers. So what the customers are really paying for is simple female companionship for several hours. According to Yuko all the girls do is talk to and build up their customers egos. She made about 150,000 Yen a night which accounts to about 1,3500 US dollars. All of this for six hours of work. She told me that most customers are shy Japanese businessmen/office workers who are too hesitant to approach women in a real environment, so they pay for the opportunity to do so in a risk free place. Still Yuko said that all she did was hold conversations with her customers, nothing raunchy, just normal conversations. From an American point of view this is craziness, but I don't yet understand the Japanese mind.

I've switched over to a branch in Kishiwada now, so hopefully it'll be as good as my current branch. Wish me luck.

This post is in defense of my change to Japanese fashion in general...by the by Western fashion is if anything second rate here...and this has nothing to do with nationalistic pride, I honestly agree with Japan that Western fashion is far behind what they agree is fashionable. Japan and Asia just have better fashion sense...gomene....that means I am sorry, but it is definitely true. Also...yes I left America very well dressed as I myself worked at Old Navy, so please feel no guilt towards America, but the honest truth is that America is simply a mass media worked machine that has no real view towards global fashion. Hontoni gomenesai...or in Japanese "I am terribly sorry", but Japanese fashion is just better...sorry America...we are actually far behind in this race...

Overtime?

So I'm looking to move by November, so recently I've been working some crazy overtime to build up some much needed capital. This month I'll work about 50 hours of overtime which'll give me a good chunk of change to put towards a new apartment and possibly a much needed wardrobe overhaul as western fashion pales in comparison to Japanese. When I told Ayuko that I wanted to get some new clothes to fit in better she was like, "ummmm yeah....you definitely need to do that...I'll take you shopping so you get something good. I mean the summer doesn't matter because you just need to stay cool, but in winter.....yeah we'll definitely go shopping." So its always good to know that your belief that the majority of people think you have poor fashion is blatantly confirmed by your Japanese girlfriend. Awesome. Oh and Nova is definitely on the downfall, a bunch of small unprofitable branches, mine included, have been shut down and merged with core big schools. What this means is that Nova's aggressive expansion has backfired and now they are scrambling to post a profit. AWESOME. After I move I am definitely looking for other work and I might be moving to Tokyo with Ayuko in April anyway, so who knows.