The Real Ghostbuster

Originally I had planned for this latest blog entry to be more of a recap post. I was going to fill you in on something I had done or seen during my year long hiatus. But in the past week something more important (albeit sad) has happened.

Harold Ramis, the incredibly funny writer/director/actor, passed away on February 24th 2014.

I must admit that, before his death, I knew Ramis only as "Egon the ghostbuster". Maybe it was happenstance, ignorance, or the fact that I was one year old when Ghostbusters 2 came out; but I knew very little about his career. I had no clue that this was the same man who  wrote Ghostbusters, yet alone, wrote and directed many of my favorite comedies growing up (Caddy Shack, Groundhog's Day, Animal house, Stripes, etc...). I had even failed to recognize him in his later acting appearances such as Orange County. I was floored that I knew so little about this man who had helped me to fall in love with movies.

As a child, I loved the ghostbusters. I mean, what young boy doesn't want to drive an unnecessarily loud car and strap a ghost-capturing particle accelerator to their back? They appealed to everything whimsical in my tiny heart. The ghostbusters went against everything society told us to do. Instead of listening to everyone around them, these childhood heroes did what no one else thought possible and succeeded. This gave me hope that I may one day succeed in accomplishing my dreams (no matter how ridiculous they may be).

All of Ramis' movies have similar themes to this. They taught us never to be afraid of being ourselves and to value our imagination. I am reminded of Animal House, Caddy Shack, and (of course) Ghostbusters. Those films were not only about being different but embracing those differences as strengths. He made it easy to root for the college misfits in their quest to be themselves, or the man-children who saved New York from a giant stay puff marshmallow monster. I felt a sense of pride when caddies triumphed over country club owning elitists. Their victories were my victories, and I was made stronger by each one.

These messages throughout his movies along with his unique sense of humor and wit, would go on to change the landscape of American comedy. Without Ghostbusters and films inspired by it, I'm not sure if I would have found the courage to be myself and follow my dreams. I would probably still be sitting in a cubicle in Oklahoma instead of a classroom in Japan. I'm sure there are many others like me who were equally inspired by this man. To that end I would like to say,

Thank you for the wise and comical teachings, Harold Ramis. The world is a lesser place without you in it.

art by ninjaink

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Wow... That Was a Long Nap

First of all, thanks to everyone who is still following this blog which has been inactive for over a year (you all get a free cyber hug). 

Last year was a crazy one and I plan on filling you in on it (little by little). In that time, I have experienced both amazing highs and horrible lows. I have been broken and built back up. These experiences have changed me in ways that I can't even begin to describe (though, I will try). 

When I first came to Japan I was scared, bewildered, excited, and naive... I guess I'm still all of those things, yet, I am different somehow. I've learned so much but still feel like I know so little. That may sound negative, but it is very much a good thing. Sometimes, it's important to recognize how little we truly know. It can be humbling and scary not knowing all the answers, but that is how real learning begins. I am a full time teacher yet Japan continues to teach me (wether I want it to or not). I came to Japan as a tourist, became a teacher, and was made a student.

Originally, I wrote this blog to show family and friends a country they may never get to experience (see: really lame YouTube videos in previous posts). While that is something I still hope to deliver, it's not all I want to accomplish. I have been to many vastly different places and met people from all walks of life. I revived this seemingly dead blog to tell you about those people and places. I want you to gain something from my experiences, and I want to grow and learn with you. 

If you have any questions for me, please leave them in the comments section below. If you enjoy my posts, like and subscribe to this blog. Be sure and share it with your friends. You can also follow me on twitter @SenseiTrey. 

Thanks again for all the love and support. Cyber hugs all around!

A Singapore Summer

Ok, so I am aware that summer was a good 2 months ago... regardless I have one more video to share with everyone before this blog can successively move on.

 In this third and final installment of "I Know What You Did Lats Summer because I'm You and and I was There," we travel to Singapore. Now you may not know this but Singapore is pretty awesome. It has great people, architecture, and food. It was an awesome way to end my summer vacation. The only problem was not having enough time to spend there. While we were there we got to go to a lot of awesome places including Gardens by the Bay. GBTB is an awesome botanical garden full of all sort of cool things to see. The video below details our trip there, enjoy.

People Say We Monkey Around

This is part two of my summer vacation recap.

 After AMF Myself and a few friends decided to stay in Malaysia for two extra days. The videos below detail our shenanigans in awesome detail.

Borneo or Bust

Hello and welcome. If this is your first time reading this blog, welcome to the awesome and you picked a great place to start. Also if you like it, be sure to do so on Facebook and please share it with your friends. That's how we all become awesome.

This is the first part in a four part series entitled, "I Know What You Did Last Summer... Because I'm You and You Where There (copy write pending)." It is meant as a comprehensive guide on how to have and amazing summer vacation.

I'm on a Boat

  Step one in this full proof plan is AMF. "What is AMF?" well I'm glad you asked. "AMF" stands for Asian Mission Forum. It is a gathering of people from all over Asia and beyond who share a similar love for Christ. I heard about this opportunity through Joel Osborne, the full time missionary at Mito Church.

Joel Osborne, Ladies and Gentlemen!

 He told me a lot about it (Where it would be, What it was, Who it involved) but, honestly, I was in it from the word Borneo.  It had been a place I always wanted to visit ever since I watched that one National Geographic special in elementary school. Don't think it sounds awesome? Well you aren't thinking about the secluded beaches...

 or the exotic wildlife...

or the awesome food...

 In case that does absolutely nothing for you, then simply say the name: BOR...NE...O. Doesn't that feel awesome rolling of your tongue? I was privileged to spend a little over a week on this beautiful Malaysian island and during my stay I got to see all the previous things mentioned and more.

On of these things is not like the other

So to recap, the first step to having a GREAT summer vacation. Go to AMF and/or visit Borneo. As mentioned there was a lot to see and do. This post will cover our time spent in a Malaysian cultural village. So please enjoy the video...

Until Next time...

Random Japan

So, Japan can be weird sometimes. Anyone who has watched Japanese television can attest to this. To me, weird doesn't necessarily mean bad. In fact, it's often the quirky weird things about Japan that lift my spirits when I miss home or am having an off day. 

Calpis is, like the bottle says, "Happy Refresh"

Whether it is going to my favorite curry restaurant and watching strange Indian music videos on their television or noticing a man walking down the street wearing hot pink pants, I have found the little things some of the most enjoyable... or at least interesting.

Rickshaws, Shrines, and Monkeys

Sometimes I do things on a whim...Especially if I have been feeling stagnant for a bit. Usually my times of whimsy occur after I have spent prolonged periods of time alone in my apartment. This is a post about one such time.

At this point in my adventure I had been in Japan for about 3 months. I had gone to many different places and seen some pretty awesome things. But despite my time spent traveling there was one place that I had not yet seen. It was like an elephant in the room, a place I knew i needed to go to, a place I really wanted to go to... Tokyo.

Tokyo is a must see for any foreigner in Japan. Simply put, don't come to Japan and skip Tokyo.

Escalators acceding a giant mirrored hallway

A large marketplace in Asakusa

 I was told before I came that Tokyo (especially the train system) was like a maze. In a previous post I described Mito that way, but after seeing Tokyo, Mito seemed like a country hamlet. In fact, I'm sure without a friend of mine that I met in Tokyo, I would have barely found my way home.

Just a fraction of the underground system we walked.

There were so many things to see and do that I only saw a fraction of what the Big City had to offer. I could drone on for hours about all I got to see and do but that, I fear, would bore you to death. Instead please enjoy the video.