Hey everybody! I am back in one piece from the Philippines, but I’ll be posting about it tomorrow. For today, I thought I’d just appraise you of my new year’s resolution for 2009. I will of course be pretending to follow my perennial resolution of “finally getting in shape,” but I thought that for morale’s sake, if not honesty’s, that I should have a backup. So while fitness is still in there, I wanted something that I could commit to doing, no excuses, that was a little bit flexible. So, my new year’s resolution is, drum roll please…
I will record every single financial transaction I make this year.
I’m inputting it into a spreadsheet for further analysis. I think that if I just accept receipts from everything I do here in Japan, and keep tabs on stuff overseas, I can do this. Without accounting for lost change and whatnot, I should be able to see where all of my money goes. And that could be a very good thing. Might help me carve out new savings possibilities by eliminating waste. It’ll be frustrating until I’ve gotten into the habit, I think, but I can do it. Now if only I could actually get fit.
What is your new year’s resolution?
Deas Customary Drivel
A science teacher who used to work at my base school, but who still works at a school that I visit regularly, was stoked when I did a reprisal of my Physics Lesson that I originated for Matsuyama Chuo High School’s English Day. I guess he also wanted to thank me for helping him with a research paper he’s trying to get published in an academic journal. (I translated the abstract for him last year.) So what does he do? He gives me this thing. It’s a CD that he’s drilled 4 holes in, 4 paper cubes strung together and anchored to the holes, and arranged in just the right way to make them change consistently between 2 set positions. Print a big maru (circle) on one position and a batsu (an X) on the other, and you get a neat little toy to use during quizzes in the classroom. I think I like it better than the little light-up one I bought that makes sounds!
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This was auto-posted. Deas is trying not to eat any Ebola-infested pork while learning to scuba dive in the Philippines right now. He’ll be back in January.
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Deas Customary Drivel, Media, Video
You’ve seen the pictures from the Matsuyama Chuo HS Summer Camp, but now you can see the sights and hear the sounds from the 2008 Nametoko One World English Camp and the Junior High / Senior High School Camps. This year was another success. If everything works out, I’ll be at the upcoming 2009 Nametoko English Camps, too. If you’re interested in volunteering for it, you should contact me, and I’ll pass the word along to the appropriate folks. It’s a crazy 9 day long adventure. 
Now – on to the pictures!
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This was auto-posted. Deas is trying not to die a horrible death while learning to scuba dive in the Philippines right now. He’ll be back in January.
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Deas Customary Drivel, Media, Photos, Video
