OMG Wing finally wrote something...

So its been about 3 months since I wrote anything in this blog. I've been super lazy, but hopefully thats changed. As from now on I'll TRY to write in this blog on a more consistent basis. Why? Because 1) to at least let you know that I'm alive in Japan; 2) Because I want something for the record, where I can look back and say, "Yah those were good times"; 3)I can practice my English, which is slowly getting worse (I'm using spell checker more and more everyday); and 4) to entertain you when you are tired of staring at your desk and twiddling your thumbs.

So what has happened in 3 months, besides me being missing from the blogging world? I've been playing guitar as much as a heroin addict takes crack. Perhaps more...I devote about at least 2 hours a day playing guitar. On weekends, I just sit in front of the TV with my guitar, just playing random stuff and learning new songs to play. Then I have guitar lessons with my teacher 1 hour per week. So I would say about half my time here in Japan is spent playing the guitar. Kinda weird how I come all the way to Japan to just play guitar.

But lemme explain... I have a pretty well paying job in Japan, which means I can afford to fuel my hobbies now. I also don't go out as much as I do in Edmonton, and even if I do go out, I pay at most $50 a night to drink as much beer, and eat as much as I can. There has been NO night, where I have spent beyond $50 to party hard. Seriously, I love the Japanese country side. It's a good place to save money, while having fun.

Furthermore, I have access to a guitar teacher in my town. Hes only a 5 minute drive away. Super convenient.
That and the fact that he charges me $15/lesson (which is basically an hour). Each lesson is privately taught, I'm getting a much better deal than if I actually went to a music store to learn guitar. And yes, hes a legit teacher, he plays in band and teaches at the Shimamura Music Store (Big music chain store in Japan) in Asahikawa (the nearby city) on Sundays.

Lastly, I've found music connections really easily. In fact, I've formed a band with a nearby bartender, her friends and a guy at the Town Office. Which will further my musicianship (which is at the level of none or really really low). We have a few songs that we're thinking about playing and then expanding from there. The name of the band? We haven't decided on that yet...

Oh, by the way, I bought a Gibson Les Paul. Got it on sale, and its a hell of a guitar. Set-up is really nice and the tone is pretty versatile for rock music. You can play so many types of Rock music with it, which is great for me as I've been starting to listen to Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the likes. Of course its like 10lbs, but it feels really solid when your playing it. Somehow, I locked myself out of the hard case after I took the guitar out, so I'm waiting for Shimamura to fix it for me (I Love the customer service here).

I went to Hong Kong at the end of December, to visit my family and Les. Hang out with the family was really fun. It's been so long since I've seen my little cousins (10 years) and I was pretty surprised to see them grown up into full fledged Elementary school students.

One thing that bugged me was the people in HK who walk like jackasses. They would bump into you on purpose, or just get in your way. Even if theres like open area they could walk in. So eventually, I would just start walking like a dick and giving people the hard shoulder. Even little old ladies who refused to get out of my way. HK people seriously piss me off.

I also did a bit of exploring of HK by myself and got a hang of the transit system. It's pretty simple once you get used to it, and HK is not as big of a place as one might think. Well, at least its not as big as Tokyo, which I went to after my HK visit.

I hit a few tourist spots in Tokyo, but didn't really get to do too much in the way of touristy things (i.e. going to Disneyland, visiting Tezuka Osama world, taking a tour inside Fuji television and many more were things that I missed out on). But that couldn't be helped as my stay only consisted of 4 days. Most of which were hanging out with friends and shopping. I didn't buy too much, as I was planning to buy my Les Paul right after my flight to Asahikawa airport. But there will definitely be a next time, as I have to go back to Tokyo for my re-contracting conference. Hopefully, I'll be able to head there a few days before and do some of the things I missed out on with my friends.

Hockey is going well... Finally got a goal with that Vapor 30 some of you guys sent me. Btw, thanks. The card and that stick are great reminders of whats waiting for me back home. Hopefully I'll come back around July or August for 3 weeks ,to come visit you guys. I'll let you know what my plan is when it gets closer to the date. However, I do have to be a translator for a group of kids coming from Rocky Mountain House in late July, so I probably won't be able to leave before then. If I'm coming I'm not sure if I can bring my Les Paul over, and not sure if I want to, just because of the hassle it turned out to be when bringing my Epiphone Acoustic to HK just to practice. I have a Squire back home so I'll be able to practice on that. Although, it'll probably need a wipe down, string changes and a set up.

Anyways, I'll leave it at that for now. Making this any longer will probably make you quit reading altogether. Hope things aren't too cold back home. I'll upload some photos on to facebook later, once I get them off my camera (which may be a long time, just because I'm sooo lazy). Talk to you guys later.