Archive for the 'Firefly Sundays' Category

Final Firefly Sunday: Slices Sayonara

Published by
jessi
at March 09, 2008 in Firefly Sundays. 0 Comments

This is the last entry to be put into the category Firefly Sundays…

My official Sayonara was tonight at Slices. I really hadn’t given much thought to having one and I was a little unsure of how many people would actually show up. I figured it would most likely be Fight Club and a few other people from work. I sent out invites via Toshi and facebook, but didn’t get that much of a response…

Until today. We ended taking over half the restaurant. Now, Slices isn’t an overly huge place; it’s actually quite cozy. The part of me that was once a server felt bad for bringing an influx of people…but it is a business, so I know customers is a good thing.

It was actually really cool. Some people I haven’t seen in quite some time were able to join us. I did a lot of table hopping. And yes, I even took pictures. They should be up on my flickr soonish — depending on how much I get done packing during my last two days. Whoa. Only two full days left in Osaka. That’s so weird.

I’m really glad to have met so many great people during my two years here. And I’m happyl that many of them were able to come say goodbye.

I’m especially grateful that my last Firefly Sunday was spent surrounded by so many good people and good friends and now good memories.

“And now whatever way our stories end…”

Faux Firefly Sunday: Brazilian Beef

Published by
jessi
at February 24, 2008 in Firefly Sundays. 1 Comment

It’s not very often that I go out with my roommate. Since I don’t really have much else to do anymore, and prior to this we didn’t really see each other on the weekends, my roommate suggested going out for Brazilian this Sunday (today). We were hoping to make it a Firefly Sunday kind of thing, but unfortunately for us, Mike and Anna bowed out so it was just me, Steve, Rob, and Rob’s co-worker Kuni. This isn’t to say it wasn’t fun or a good group of people, it’s just that Firefly Sunday just really isn’t Firefly Sunday without Mike and Anna.

We went to EternA (website in Portuguese only), where they serve Churrasco style barbecue. We did the all-you-can-eat thing and there’s a kind of buffet included with this. Then the servers come around with various types of meats on skewers and cut off slices for you. I was reminded of dim sum with the carts when they did this. It was all pretty cool. And SUPER filling. I love me some dead animal. I think my favorite was the garlic steak — pretty much it’s like a coating of garlic on the beef. So. Good. Definitely not a vampire! I like garlic way too much to be one!

Anyway, it was a lot of fun. I’m glad I got the chance to go to this place before I left Japan. I’d been wanting to try it for some time now.

Good stuff!

Firefly Sunday: Final Firefly Sunday

Published by
jessi
at January 06, 2008 in Firefly Sundays. 0 Comments

Tonight was the last time Fight Club met for Firefly Sunday. This isn’t to say that we’ll never see each other again, but the new schedules came out and those of us who were re-hired (me and Anna) don’t have the same schedule anymore.

We had had several options to choose from ranging from super cheap to a bit north of pricey. Among these options was to meet by the crab, pick a direction, and hope for the best. We were shooting for a place we’d never been before. For old time’s sake, we met at 5:30 PM. This was also a kind of cushion on my part ‘cuz I figured it might take a while to decide on a place. Mike picked the direction of Shinsaibashi and we were off.

We came up with a couple of different options, but nothing that seemed to really appeal to all of us. After about half an hour or wandering (who’s smart now?), Anna suggested a place that Taylor (one of our former co-workers) had taken them to that had some interesting ramen dishes. It only slightly defeated the purpose of our meandering, but Mike and Anna had only been there once or twice, so it was still going to be something of an adventure.

This fact became oh so true ‘cuz neither one of them could remember exactly where this place was. We wandered a bit more before coming up with a back up plan of Mexican food. Lucky for use, as we made our way to the Mexican place, we found our original destination.

It turned out to be a Chinese restaurant, well, Chinese for Japan. (It wasn’t true Chinese ‘cuz it was relatively clean and had decent service.) We were seated up on the second floor, where there was only one other table of patrons. It was kinda cool that way ‘cuz it meant we could have a table instead of sitting at the counter space on the first floor. They also brought us English menus right away, which amused us some but whatever.

The place ended up having more than just ramen, much to my delight. They had stir fry dishes, and more Chinese-style dishes than I expected. They had the family-style meals as well as individual plates.

Since our timing was good and there weren’t many people there, our food came out relatively fast. I ordered BBQ pork fried rice; I realize that was a lame choice on some levels, but it’s been a really long time since I’d had it. To my surprise it actually tasted like the fried rice my dad makes from our left overs. That might sound a bit weird, but in other words, it tasted like it should. Funny thing about Japan is that even though the food is “authentic”, it’s still very Japanese. (The exceptions being things like Slices and the Hawaiian burger place.)

We proclaimed the decision an excellent choice and I honestly hope we get the chance to eat there again on our Firefly Thursdays (or Saturdays…we’re still working out schedules).

How I spent the Christmas holiday

Published by
jessi
at December 30, 2007 in Firefly Sundays and The Misadventures: Japan Chronicles. 1 Comment

It occurs to me that I can’t write on my blog as easily as I once did. I still maintain that it is the lack of a desk that causes this, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I can be pretty damn lazy. Especially now that I’ve become sucked into the West Wing.

Christmas didn’t really feel like Christmas this year, mostly ‘cuz I didn’t spend it with my family and ‘cuz in Japan, it’s just not as big of a holiday as it is to us back home. It probably didn’t help that I had to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On the bright side, the higher-ups slid everyone’s schedule to finish by 5:40 or 6:30 PM instead of 11:00 like it’s been for all of December, so go team.

Four days before Mike and Anna’s Christmas party, they had us over for dinner. And by us, I mean me and Steve only. Anna had sent us a message about it like a week before and asked us to dress “semi-formal” — a fact which seemed to slip both of our minds. It wasn’t until I was on the bus half way to their apato that I remembered this little fact. Needless to say, I felt like a huge jack ass for showing up in jeans and hoodie. I felt only mildly better when Steve gesture to his own jeans and T-shirt…but still. My brother was wearing a tie for crying out loud.

Anyway, Mike and Anna wanted to have us over for “Christmas” dinner ‘cuz, well, we’ve been pretty good friends for a little over a year now and they wanted to do something special to celebrate the holiday. Anna, being the amazing wonder cook that she is, made ham steaks with a honey glaze to make up for the fact that we can’t get a good ham in this country, pork ribs, mashed potatoes, sauted (with the special accent mark on the “e”) vegetables, and managed to find British Christmas pudding for dessert. We listened to Christmas music and sat down at the table like…grown-ups for lack of a better term. It was…really amazing. They also gave us our Christmas presents at that time. It kills me how generous Mike and Anna can be. I mean, neither one of them were working during December and they still manage to do something like this.

Just kills me.

Christmas Eve day I had to work, but it was only for five lessons so I really didn’t notice much. I copped out on the White Elephant gift and just bought a Starbucks gift card ‘cuz I’m lame and couldn’t think of anything else. (They did it proper, not like the way we used to at Al’s parties with the whole gag gift factor.)

Again, Mike and Anna had a lovely spread for dinner. Anna didn’t cook the chicken, she and Mike bought them from Costco — and those of us who remembered last Thanksgiving reminded Mike several times throughout the night not to overdose on the chicken again — and spent the evening as friends do — eating, laughing, and enjoying each others’ company. The White Elephant was good fun and we all seemed to end up with nice but affordable gifts.

Christmas Day really didn’t feel like it if anything ‘cuz again, I had to work. I made it a point to go to Starbucks again to get a Chocolate Mint Mocha since I had the feeling they would be gone by the next day (I was right). I spent the day trying to write and fix a lesson plan that I’d been working on since Sunday, but again, things at work have been less than exciting…but I don’t really want to get into that right this second, so I’m just gonna skip over that part and get right to how I spent the evening.

I’d made plans with Katrina to just hang out for the evening. Since Japan has this tradition about Christmas cake, I went to Morozoff (the place where I used to buy cheesecakes a lot) and bought a chocolate roll cake. I was a little surprised to find that they still had some since it was well after 6 PM and a lot of other places have you special order Christmas cakes, but I considered myself lucky and bought the damn thing. It even came with this Christmas decoration thing and candles. Not sure why it came with candles, but it did. I think I freaked out the poor clerk when after I wished her a Merry Christmas, though. The look on her face was most amusing. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do at the time. Anyway, I had me a cake and made my way down to the platform.

While I was standing there, out of the corner of my eye I see this box appear beside me. It was kind of intrusive so I was forced to look up. Rob stood there holding a pizza box from Slices. His Christmas present to me. I had to laugh because I’d been thinking about ordering a pizza all day and thought that they probably wouldn’t be open. It probably helps to have someone like Rob ‘cuz he’s pretty tight with the Slices people. So much so that they let him go behind the counter and the like. Anyway, it was pretty cool of him.

Katrina and I ended up watching Firefly. I hate to say it, but I’m not much of a fan of “Bushwhacked” — don’t get me wrong, it has its great moments like “Have you ever been with a warrior woman?” and the like…but the episode just seems to drag to me. Even though it’s the same length as all the others, it feels longer than the pilot. We got as far as “Shindig” before we called it a night.

I also made sure to call my mom. You know how sometimes you can just tell the person on the other end is grinning and is just so happy to hear from you? Yeah. It was one of those phone calls. I’d caught my brother and my “cousin” (family friend, you know how it is) on instant messenger on my Christmas Day morning, your Christmas Eve, and asked them both to wish everyone in my family a Merry Christmas. She said she was pleased to have gotten that message and some such. My dad was apparently happy to get the golf clubs from me and my brother…and gosh, I was happy to given them to him. Kinda wish I had known about it, but you know how it is. My family is just like that. It’s not like we don’t try, it’s more that my parents are very particular about their things. She told me she put my Christmas card up by the tree and they took pictures, and you’re damn right I made them put up a tree. (A phone call to my parents a two weeks before revealed the fact that they weren’t going to put one up ‘cuz I wasn’t home. I was plenty outraged about that — not really really, but I told my mom they had to put one up whether I was there or not and take pictures.)

It was a nice conversation and not for the first time this month did I wish I was home. Hell, I made it a point to not open Christmas cards and presents until Christmas and didn’t even realize I could open them until Anna and VoW were like “Did you like what we got you/your Christmas card?” (respectively).

So that was my Christmas holiday. Not bad for my first one away from home, but I really hope that I’ll be home for the next Christmas.

Happy Late-Early Thanksgiving!

Published by
jessi
at November 19, 2007 in Firefly Sundays. 3 Comments

With the work situation so up in the air, Anna decided to host American Thanksgiving early so that no one had to worry too much about working the next day or the day of; since Canadian Thanksgiving was last month (or earlier at least), it seemed all right to have a late-early Thanksgiving.

Mike and Anna bought yet another oven, this one was bigger, and turkeys — yes, that’s plural — weeks in advance for the event. I went over early, with a few other folk, to help prepare what we could. Kat, Katrina, Jack’s roommate Jason, and I were in charge of peeling potatoes and rolling lumpia, the meat kind that everyone likes. Mike bought himself a fancy new camera and was taking preparation pictures while the end of Braveheart played in the background.

By the time all the cooking was finished and all the guests arrived it was closer to 8:00, only an hour off the projected time. It was a freaking nice spread: two turkeys, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, stuffing, deviled eggs, vegetable plates, lumpia, rolls, gravy (served in the gravy boat given to them by Darya — and Jacob?), and of course, pumpkin pie for dessert. We watched Goonies while we ate and naturally broke off into conversations.

The last bus was at 10:20, but a few of us stuck around to hang out. We ended up drinking peppermint hot chocolate and just chillaxin’, as my brother would say.

I’m really glad to have met such friends as these in a country far from home and far from the people I’ve known for so long. Despite being in a non-Western country, I’m glad we’ve managed to keep up our customs surrounded by good people and good times.

Freaking AWESOME Thanksgiving!

Firefly Sundays: Serenity Anniversary Shindig - “Mighty fine shindig”

Published by
jessi
at October 01, 2007 in Firefly Sundays. 1 Comment

The shindig itself was much like the housewarming party we had last year. Kat came early and she helped Rob and me rearrange the living room to be more conducive for accommodating 13 people; and the new set up is actually pretty good. We put the kotatsu back where it used to be under the AC and moved Jacob’s old desk into the foyer. I wish the couch was a little sturdier and that there was a coffee table in the living room, but Kat said it opened up the room more this way.

Then again, moving all of Jacob’s boxes may have helped matters, too.

I’d been wanting to watch Serenity all week but I’d been really good about holding off ’til the anniversary party and it was everything I’d remembered and more. I was quite proud of myself for not crying after “I’m a leaf on the wind” but there were still moments that pulled at the heart.

‘Twas a “Mighty fine shindig.”

Firefly Sundays: Serenity Anniversary Shindig Part One

Published by
jessi
at September 30, 2007 in Firefly Sundays. 0 Comments

Just wanted to get this in on the actual anniversary day but Happy Anniversary Serenity!! I hope y’all are doing something shiny to celebrate. I am getting things ready for the shindig I’m throwin’.

Keep flyin’ — Can’t Stop the Signal
You can’t take the sky from me.

Big Damn Movie Anniversary 2007

Firefly Sundays: Firefly Sunday recaps

Published by
jessi
at September 23, 2007 in Firefly Sundays. 1 Comment

Two Firefly Sundays ago, we went to Mukanna’s pad for yakiniku. They were all kinds of excited ‘cuz they got a grill and so they wanted to try it out. We also watched Surf’s Up which was surprisingly good.

Tonight we went out for sushi and I gotta say it was wicked good. It was the kaitenzushi that was on Dotombori, the same chain that’s by the house. That place is usually hit or miss for me, but tonight it was grand. I was quite happy.

Steve and I followed Mike and Anna back to the pad to watch Happy Feet — we’d intended to watch it the same night as yakiniku but ended up not having enough time. I think I like Surf’s Up more, but both movies have planted the idea that I want a penguin.

I’ve also decided that I like the public transportation in Japan. I mean, I’ve always liked it, but I took the bus tonight and it was quite easy. I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all and it made me think about Chicago and how I would never feel as comfortable.

Japan certainly has its moments.

Next Sunday: Serenity Anniversary Sunday

Firefly Sundays: Yumi no Sayonara and the Hard Rock Cafe Osaka

Published by
jessi
at September 03, 2007 in Firefly Sundays. 1 Comment

After our private lesson last night, Masumi told me that her friend Yumi would be moving to the Tokyo area soon and so today (Sunday) would be the last time she would be able to join us. Fight Club had already more or less agreed on spicy ramen from Shisen Ramen (yes, Darya…I know…I am now a noodle whore…), but I thought because it was Yumi’s last night with us we should do something fun.

The decision was already made when I went to meet everyone at 5:30: Hard Rock Cafe. Prior to that, however, Mike and Anna wanted to make a stop at the Suntory Museum in Tempozan. There had been this really keen exhibit on “The Art of Disney” — I didn’t get a chance to go to it, but Mike and Anna raved about it. Anyway, it turned out we would be making a quick stop and then taking the ferry across the bay (I think it’s the bay…) to Hard Rock Cafe Universal, located in Universal City. I admit, when this plan was told to me I was a bit surprised. I honestly didn’t think we’d have the time, but everyone else had already agreed on this plan so who was I to object?

Masumi and Yumi arrived with one of Yumi’s friends from Nara. Miki seemed like a bit of a shy lady, but I think that was because the only person she knew was Yumi — I guess not even Masumi had met her before today. Being the Japanese people they are, they were fine with whatever we decided.

I’d never been to Tempozan before, and I gotta say I need to go back. In the freaking year and six months living in Osaka there are still so many places in this city alone I haven’t seen.

As we waited for Anna to make her purchases, Mike returned with the ferry information. It turned out the next ferry wouldn’t be until 7:45…which was a minor problem considering we told Phil and Nikki, who went back to their place to change, that we would meet them at the restaurant at 7:30. With some quick thinking, we relocated to the Hard Rock Cafe in Honmachi.

After everything was done with the trains and the meeting of people and such, I hafta admit I was surprised that we arrived at Honmachi at the appointed time. Pretty swanky considering the minor hitch and the fact that it’s our group of friends.

I seriously could not remember the last time I was even in a Hard Rock Cafe…in fact, I don’t really know if I’d ever been to one. Somewhere in the recesses of my memory, I wanna say I went to the one in Chicago, but I can’t be certain. Anyway, point it, it’s been a helluva long time.

It was all kinds of fun. They had the IAAF, an even I’d never heard of until coming to Osaka (turns out it’s actually a pretty big thing and America competes in it every year) and music videos playing on the TVs. I ordered the Twisted Mac, Chicken, and Cheese, which was so freaking good I’m still thinking about it and how much I liked it! We decided we should go back sometime.

It was another nice Firefly Sunday in good company. I hope Yumi enjoyed her last outing with us, ‘cuz we certainly did!

Firefly Sunday: To the Herbs

Published by
jessi
at August 27, 2007 in Firefly Sundays. 1 Comment

We finally made it to the Italian restaurant To the Herbs in Namba Parks. I’d been there two time before (once by myself, and once with Anna), and we’d actually put in the effort to go there for Firefly Sundays on two separate occasions and came up empty. We’ve been running out of stuff to try and I think we’re all a bit tired of our usual fare so we decided it was worth the wait.

I really like To the Herbs. Every time I go there, I always think it’d be a nice place to go on a date. What is it about Italian restaurants and dates? Where did it come from and when did it start? I mean, even before Olive Garden became super popular I think people went on dates to Italian restaurants — just look at Lady and the Tramp.

It could be I couldn’t help thinkig about such things tonight because it was just four of us: Mike, Anna, Phil and myself. Kinda double datey, desu ne? I had given Steve a hard time earlier in the day for ditching me and leaving me alone with the couples; then Nikki ended up not feeling well…and then there were four.

Anyway, the point is it was a pretty swanky restaurant to me.

I don’t know why, but tonight’s dinner was really cool. Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was the company…I really can’t figure it out and I guess when it’s all said and done, it really doesn’t matter. It was wicked cool.

It’s as simple as that.