Throwback Thursday: A Detour

It's official: I'm going far far away, once again. This time, Japan: an isolated nation filled with cutting edge technology, rich culture, and Pokemon.

As usual, the above video is related. It's the theme song for everything I'm feeling at the moment. I'm going to a foreign land, thousands of miles away, where everyone will look, sound, and perhaps smell different than me. Even the chorus line, "Lordy don't leave me, all by myself" is relevant to how I'm feeling. It reminds me of the fact that I'm going to be away from all my close friends and family for at least a year. And maybe more, depending on where my journey takes me.

A year ago I started looking into opportunities that could take me abroad; teaching English was the most popular way to do this. I began to investigate opportunities located in Korea, Mexico, Spain, China, Costa Rica, Guatemala and of course, Japan. At first I was hesitant about applying to these programs. What if I didn't like it? What if I was wasting my time? What if I don't make enough money to pay off my student loans while I'm teaching? What if something happens to my family while I'm away? What if, what if, what if. After months of careful research I found the ideal program for me in Japan: The JET Program.

I applied to the JET Program along with two of my close friends. After assembling all the application materials and writing our Statements of Purpose we sent out our deliverables and hoped for the best. We knew our chances were slim though, considering how the program had a low acceptance rate of about 15%. After months of waiting the three of us found out together that our days of toiling away at the application process were not going to be awarded. Neither of us were given an interview for the position and it was a dark day for everyone. "How could they not accept me?" was what we all thought to ourselves. Nobody I knew could understand why, after reading my Statement of Purpose, they wouldn't take me in for at least an interview. The universe works in mysterious ways.

After a day of living in remorse I was able to snap myself out of my "the world is ending" pattern of thinking. After all, my next plan of action was to apply to another program in Japan just in case I didn't get into JET (but I won't mention the name of the company here). That company has accepted me for a full-time position beginning in May and it's going to change my life forever. I'll elaborate more on this tomorrow. For now, have a read of the Statement of Purpose that didn't get me into the JET Program. I may not have gotten into my Number 1 Program, but sometimes life throws us a detour and it's up to us to make the most of it. For now, I am happily content.


JET Statement of Purpose
(November 2009)

I walked into an elevator in Japan occupied by a local Japanese couple and wanted to go to the third floor. I faced the Japanese couple and said, “san, onegai shimasu.” They looked at me confused, unsure of what I was requesting. I repeated again, “san, onegai shimasu.” They looked at each other, laughed, and then pressed the number “3” button on the elevator. At the time I couldn’t understand why they were puzzled. The answer came after I woke up.

       I have never been to Japan. The story above was a dream I had recently: my first in Japanese. I started learning Japanese this past August from a book called “The Everything Conversational Japanese Book.” For the past three months I have been teaching myself how to speak and listen in Japanese. “San, onegai shimasu” sounded like “three please” to me in the dream. After asking a friend what I did wrong he told me that I forgot to add the word “gai” to my request, which would have indicated the floor of the building. I had only been learning Japanese for a week when this dream occurred and my subconscious brain was already practicing and making mistakes while I was asleep.

Learning about different cultures of the world is just as important as learning about our own. I realized this last year after living in Hong Kong for four months as an exchange student, and also while traveling to nearby countries like Korea and the Philippines. After becoming interested in JET I began teaching myself Japanese in order to prepare myself for another cultural immersion in the near future. As an aspiring JET participant I want to promote cultural exchange on all levels, to facilitate deeper levels of understanding between Japan and America.

Japanese is not the first language I have tried learning on my own. My heritage is Mexican-American but my parents never taught me Spanish; I had to learn it on my own. In college I took Spanish courses that were not required of my major: business. I was shy to speak Spanish and struggled with learning it. However, after making many mistakes and learning from them I was able to pass a third level college Spanish class, attaining a lot of practical usage while living around the greater Los Angeles area. Therefore, I am acquainted with the difficulty and frustrations that accompany learning another language. This will allow me to better relate with my students in Japan as an ALT.

As a member of a renowned speech organization, Toastmasters International, I have learned how to speak properly when delivering speeches. Not only will I be fearless when presenting material to students in class but I will also be able to teach them techniques such as enunciation and how to speak with confidence. Prior to being a Toastmaster I developed an outgoing persona as a student leader with the Latino Business Student Association (LBSA). I spoke at meetings, assisted fellow students with homework, and helped plan events. Engaging in these activities helped me get out of my comfort zone and helped me become a leader.

I enjoy meeting new people everywhere I go, especially while traveling. In Hong Kong I met people from all over the world, including Japan. People from Japan spoke to me in English; however, it wasn’t as easy to communicate with them compared to somebody from China or Korea (where English is also a second language). Based on these interactions I could tell that the Japanese could use more help with their English education. When I found out about the JET Programme and its mission of promoting international exchange I immediately recognized myself to be well suited for it. Compared to other teach abroad programs JET has the best reputation for providing support and memorable experiences to its participants. In today’s global economy the world is becoming smaller and cultural awareness is becoming more important. As an internationally conscious individual I feel it is necessary to embrace this movement.

My desire for wanting to participate in the JET Programme is simple and straightforward: I’m dreaming of Japan, and based on what you first read, I’m not exaggerating. 

~Anthans

Throwback Thursday: This must be the "Macaroni Poem"

Opportunities come our way in unexpected forms. For example, four years ago I came across a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese box with a contest for kids on the back. It was a contest to find "the cheesiest" kid in America and kids could enter by writing of a poem centered around this theme. "Hmm," I thought. "That sounds like something I can do." But then I read the age requirement and saw that I was too late to enter by about four years: the age limit was 15. But then I remembered that I had a younger sister who was 14 at the time. "Hot shit!" I exclaimed when I realized this fact. I was already into poetry myself at the time so I decided that it would be a splendid idea to write the poem myself and then enter the contest under my sister's name. Before telling her what I planned to do I sent out the poem without her consent anyway, just in case she rejected the idea. Fortunately she was OK with it, but even if she wasn't, there's nothing that would have stopped her from accepting the throne of "The Cheesiest Kid in America." The prize for winning the contest was a chance to have your face appear on Kraft Macaroni & Cheese boxes across the country, and about $5,000 in scholarship money. The scholarship money was the real prize to me.

So as I brewed the homemade cheese for my delicious macaroni noodles that day, my mind began to concoct a poem that could make everyone know that my sister was indeed, the cheesiest.

When Art met Kraft

(circa 2006)
By Melanie

When people ask me why I’m the cheesiest,

I simply respond “It’s not the easiest”

Because sure, there’s lots of Mac brands to buy.

But when it comes to Macaroni, Kraft is the one that I will stand by.

My Kraft Macaroni is the food that matters only,

to me when it comes to what’s for supper.

Better than the leftovers stored in last night’s Tupper…

where, I can still see sitting in the fridge.

I just want a meal that’s meant for kids!

Kids like me who value quality pasta,

and one that’s great but won’t necessarily cost ya’.

I think the theme of the poem was "arts & crafts." Even for me that took a minute to register. And I wrote the damn thing! They must have known someone of higher intelligence wrote a piece like this. It's probably why they didn't give us the scholarship money and why I never saw my sister's face on thousands of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese boxes.

~Anthans

Throwback Thursday: I'm so Sorry

Apologies and excuses: we've all succumbed to these at some point in our lives. When we fall short of meeting a goal or expectation then apologies and excuses seem to make their way into our rationale of explaining our way out of things.

Although I was an avid student in college, I did not always meet my assignment deadlines on time. The following written work is not one of my proudest moments; however, I think it is worth sharing anyway. It is an apology letter I wrote to a TA for one of my General Education classes at USC explaining why I was so late in turning in an assignment. I drafted the letter in Word before I sent it via email, which should give you an understanding into the severity and seriousness revolving around a letter like this.

Appology Letter:

(circa late 2007)

Xxxxx,

Attached to my final essays you will also find my Research Paper that I never turned in. After I missed the deadline to turn it in I wasn’t really sure how I was going to get it to Professor Xxxxxxxx. He doesn’t have an e-mail or a number to be reached at. I figured that he would only frequent his box in the anthropology department that one time on Friday so I’ve been hesitant on where I should turn it in to.

If you could, I’m asking very kindly, please hand my research paper to Professor Xxxxxxxx. I know I will be graded down significantly for this, and there’s nothing I can do about that now. I am deeply sorry but I just want to turn it in finally to him. Thank you.

~Anthans

Throwback Thursday: Trends of Three

In college I took a philosophy class called "Mind & Self" and it was one of the most thought provoking classes I've ever taken. I don't remember too much about the class, but I do remember how confusing the texts were. Simple ideas like "happiness is the greatest good in life" took chapters to explain! The reason why it took so many pages to explain these ideas was because the philosopher's had to formulate their ideas from scratch. They would start off simple, then provide examples, and next add more to their philosophy, followed by providing counter arguments, giving more examples, and then providing more counter arguments. The rhetoric from these philosophies encouraged me to write out one of my own theories in a similar manner. Try to decode my Trends of Three philosophy.

Trends of Three – a Philosophy

(circa 2007)

When a claim is made to the word “always,” one must take into consideration of what qualifies for such a term. The main concern with the word “always” lies with people and their actions being labeled as realized behavior. Behavior may be associated with a person when a person completes three similar consecutive actions. Only then will the claim of “always” be rightfully attached to a person’s namesake of acting in a particular behavior.

Three acts are necessary for usage of the world “always” because two, one, and zero acts are not sufficient. Two acts would be a grantor of determining a pattern, as in plotting points of a graph to form an equation. Behavior requires an additional act and is less predictable to that of a pattern. One act is not sufficient in determining behavior because there is no telling what a person might do on a second instance. And zero quite obviously does not qualify for determining behavior because there is no evidence of any kind; a false claim. Therefore, the usage of “always” may only be applied to refer to a person’s behavior when Trends of Three occur. 

~Anthans

Throwback Thursday: iThought

I used to be anti-technology and very selective about the brands I purchased. Apple and all of their gadgets used to be my enemy; however, now they're my friends. I still choose not to rely on technology so much, i.e. GPS, MP3 players, LCD TV's, etc.

My narrow minded thoughts once produced the following poem, which I recited a few times in front of large groups of people.

iThought

(circa 2005)


There's a new product out there right now
Have you heard of it? It's called iThought
And it's been brought for all of you who have sought
The nextest bestest fastest catchiest contraption
Surely to be the next new fashion
Passion that will no doubt make it happen
But it is you, the consumer who needs to take action
So this transaction can bring you that Satisfaction

Just when I thought I had it all
When I finished consuming all the "I" products at the mall
iPod iboom iMovie iTunes
iBall iSocket iMac Please STOP IT!
iThought that after I had consumed all these
Pleasure would come with the easiest of ease

iThought that perfection could be as real as peace
Striving to attain it the way you would tame a beast
Where in conquering it may appear friendly and docile
But nonetheless, Still the 99th percentile

iThought I would never realize the Day
When my eyes would be repulsed from the ads on Sunday
Feeling indifferent towards sales
Not closely examining the Cell Phone they told me was to scale

iThought about my empty pursuit of materialism
Be that as it may, no better than imperialism
Never satisfied and certainly never pleased
Nor gratified at the very least

iThought I would always be wanting more
Wanting the latest model from the costliest store
To be forever fascinated by fancy Brand Names
Getting ripped off and feeling an absence of shame

iThought a lot of the plot
Concentrated on controlling consuming robots
And then I thought,
Others too could be taught.

~Anthans

Throwback Thursday: Auction Questionnaire

(Picture sorta related)

Three and a half years ago I did a favor for a friend by participating in a dating auction. I had never been in a date auction before and had no idea what to expect. This is the questionnaire I filled out at the time. Oh, I had a girlfriend at the time, too. It was for charity!

AUCTION QUESTIONNAIRE

Due August 10, 2006

All participants must answer these questions.

1. Name: Anthans
2. Where are you from: P-Town (Pomona), California
3. Age: 20
4. Occupation: Student @ USC/Campus Cruisader/Poet
5. Favorite Colors: Brown and White
6. Favorite Movie: The Wedding Crashers
7. Hobbies: Writing, Poetry, Dancing (all types), Tennis
8. Favorite food: Eggo Waffle Cereal
9. Craziest thing you have ever done: You don’t want to know, or do you?
10. Your ideal date (your Perfect Date): Dinner and dancing
11. Pet Peeves: Flaky people
12. Boxer, Briefs, or Boxer Briefs (bikini, thongs, or grannys): All at once!

I think the only that has changed is that I'm not 20 anymore. 

~Anthans

Throwback Thursday: Living in the Past

Here is another installment of an article I wrote for USC's Daily Trojan. It didn't make it into the paper but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be read by people. Enjoy.

Living in the Past

(circa fall semester 2006)

            It seems as if capitalist companies will always have some form of control over our lives, from the computers we use, to the cars we ride in, to the cell phones that connect us. Technology just continues to get better and better, as our reliance on it also seems to increase as well. What happens though when these products let us down and we become at the mercy of the companies that bestow them upon us as we remain helpless to abide to the terms under their contracts and warranties?

            The effect that derives from this tyranny is misery and drudgery, for in the past month or so I have been forced to live in the past. And no, I didn’t build a car that could travel back in time like from “Back to the Future” or bend the space time continuum like Hiro Nakamura from the new hit show “Heroes” on NBC, but my cell phone screen did short out on me.

            Having a cell phone without being able to see what I was dialing or who was calling me was like something out of the dark ages or life during medieval times. Their lack of enlightenment and electricity was the equivalent to my inability to see the numbers I was dialing, the calls I would receive, and the lack of saved numbers that used to be at my disposal.

            But it didn’t hit me just how much I had traveled back in time until I had started to get used to the limitations that now entrenched my phone, as I would soon find out.

How many of us can remember the good ole’ days when saying “Hello is so-and-so home?” and asking, “who is this?” were used on a regular basis?  Such phrases are outdated as we wouldn’t catch ourselves twice using them today, especially in this modern day age of cell phones and after the advent of caller ID in the mid 1990’s.

            Another retro practice I saw myself executing was the need to write phone numbers on hand, rather than being able to punch them into the address book of my once beautifully lit cell phone screen. Who still carries phone books with them these days? Certainly not myself, although maybe I should have since most people’s numbers I had acquired over the past years were never memorized but were instead stored into a database I felt I could rely on.

I was naïve to rely on technology so much.

One other difficulty that I was forced to grow accustomed to was the uncertainty surrounding my mobile phone to be able to function as a mobile. Let me explain this. Because I could no longer see my screen I was never sure whether my cell phone was charged or not, as I would constantly need to connect the charger to an outlet.

There never was a guarantee that my cell phone would be charging, for sometimes cell phone chargers break down on us as well and need to be fidgeted with. This inconvenience left my mobile phone immobile, as it constantly needed to be plugged into the wall as it left me feeling like having an ordinary house phone of which I was accustomed to having in the past.

When it comes to cell phone companies these days, it’s hard to get out of a quick fix, especially when the terms and circumstances of the agreement you made over a year ago are stacked against your favor. I was unable to change my living conditions and held to remain in the past because I was stubborn enough to wait to be eligible for an upgrade with my cell phone provider, Cingular Wireless.

            Cingular Wireless is an excellent cell phone provider; I could hardly hold them in contempt for my blasting into the past. My real scorn though is and will forever remain with Motorola. I didn’t have the popular Razr that is so often seen pressed to people’s ears on campus, but I did have a similar prone-to-breaking-down equivalent.

            I strongly advise against purchasing a Motorola cell phone to anyone in the future; their cell phone products have been known to fail on people. Common breakdowns include loss of screen image, earpiece malfunction, and faulty buttons that quite often press themselves.

            At one point in time three out of the four people who live in my apartment (including myself) had a malfunctioning cell phone; they were all Motorola.

            I have recently come out of my dark age and have again acquired the means to telecommunicate with others. I now have a Sony Erickson and have decided to permanently say goodbye to Motorola.

Their assortment of different colored phones and sleek looking products are not enough to keep me as a customer; having a phone that works is far more important than having one that is perceived as being cool.

~Anthans

Throwback Thursday: I'm going to forget about her

I like the sound of "Throwback Thursday." I also like how last Thursday was coincidentally the day when I copy+pasta'd an old written work of mine from The Daily Trojan. I think Throwback Thursday is a great theme and will stay here until I no longer have any historical documents to share. Or maybe I'll make something up if that happens.

My last girlfriend and I broke up over 2 years ago. This next throwback does not derive from any lingering feelings of revenge, guilt, or spite. I just feel like sharing it on Throwback Thursday. It was a poem I wrote shortly after we broke up and its style was inspired from an artist's video I saw on YouTube called "I'm not going to think about her." You can still find it here. My poetic version is titled "I'm going to forget about her."

I was supposed to deliver it during an open mic night at USC but was too late in signing up. Typical Anthans.

I’m going to forget about her

(circa late 2007)

I’m going to forget about her

I’m going to forget about her

I’m going to forget about her

I’m going to forget about how she used to take care of me

I’m going to forget about how she thought my monster noises over the phone were kinda scary

I’m going to forget about all the music we ever shared

I’m going to forget about that crazy carnival ride she made me ride at the fair

I’m going to forget about how we knew each other so well that we never needed to play truth or dare

I’m going to forget about our anniversary date

I’m going to forget about how we thought we met was fate

I’m going to forget about all the bad feelings and false signs of hate

I’m going to forget about how she never made me wait

I’m going to forget about all the time we wasted in my room

I’m going to forget about how we used to wake up together at 8 and not get ready to start the day until noon

I’m going to forget about how her face looked up close

I’m going to forget about how she used to be my Brown Sugar, inspired by Mos

I’m going to forget about how she let me down

I’m going to forget about her tears which were usually accompanied by a frown

I’m going to forget about how she brought me up

I’m going to forget about how we used to drink from the same cup

I’m going to forget about how one side of her body had more imperfections than the other

I’m going to forget about how I used to know the exact birthday of her mother

I’m going to forget about the layout of her parent’s house

I’m going to forget about how we used to stay out late because the thrill of not getting her home on time to her parents got us even more aroused

I’m going to forget about how my stomach always grumbled because we spent so much time in bed

I’m going to forget about how she said she liked to feed me, even though I was never fed

I’m going to forget about how she always thought I could do anything

I’m going to forget about when she used to tell me I was her everything

I’m going to forget about how I tried being nice to her brother

I’m going to forget about how she let me get away with imitating her every time even though I should have probably stopped at one point or another

I’m going to forget about how she liked to dress me

I’m going to forget about how I always used to think she was sexy

I’m going to forget about how we could never study together

I’m going to forget about how it never mattered who was around, she would always let me pet her

I’m going to forget about all the conversations we had in Spanish

I’m going to forget about how she thought I could make her the best sandwich

I’m going to forget about her

I’m going to forget about her

I’m going to forget about her

I’m going to forget about how she was the only person I ever told that I was the one who broke my old roommate’s imitation-medieval-knife

I’m going to forget about the last 2 years of my life

---

I’m going to forget the next line of this poem if I keep erasing everything I thought I’d ever known.

~Anthans

Another Throwback

When I look at things I wrote more than a year ago it mollifies me to see that my writing style has improved. I'm still working on using words correctly. But flow-wise I think my story telling skills have seen some updraft. The key to improving on anything is to do it frequently, preferably everyday.

This next piece is another article that was left out of USC's daily newspaper, The Daily Trojan, circa 2006. I won't ruin its premise, just read it. You may knowtice that my use of words has changed as well. See? I make up my own now.

Living in the Past

It seems as if capitalist companies will always have some form of control over our lives, from the computers we use, to the cars we ride in, to the cell phones that connect us. Technology just continues to get better and better, as our reliance on it also seems to increase as well. What happens though when these products let us down and we become at the mercy of the companies that bestow them upon us as we remain helpless to abide to the terms under their contracts and warranties?

The effect that derives from this tyranny is misery and drudgery, for in the past month or so I have been forced to live in the past. And no, I didn’t build a car that could travel back in time like from “Back to the Future” or bend the space time continuum like Hiro Nakamura from the new hit show “Heroes” on NBC, but my cell phone screen did short out on me.

Having a cell phone without being able to see what I was dialing or who was calling me was like something out of the dark ages or life during medieval times. Their lack of enlightenment and electricity was the equivalent to my inability to see the numbers I was dialing, the calls I would receive, and the lack of saved numbers that used to be at my disposal.

But it didn’t hit me just how much I had traveled back in time until I had started to get used to the limitations that now entrenched my phone, as I would soon find out.

How many of us can remember the good ole’ days when saying “Hello is so-and-so home?” and asking, “who is this?” were used on a regular basis? Such phrases are outdated as we wouldn’t catch ourselves twice using them today, especially in this modern day age of cell phones and after the advent of caller ID in the mid 1990’s.

Another retro practice I saw myself executing was the need to write phone numbers on hand, rather than being able to punch them into the address book of my once beautifully lit cell phone screen. Who still carries phone books with them these days? Certainly not myself, although maybe I should have since most people’s numbers I had acquired over the past years were never memorized but were instead stored into a database I felt I could rely on.

I was naïve to rely on technology so much.

One other difficulty that I was forced to grow accustomed to was the uncertainty surrounding my mobile phone to be able to function as a mobile. Let me explain this. Because I could no longer see my screen I was never sure whether my cell phone was charged or not, as I would constantly need to connect the charger to an outlet.

There never was a guarantee that my cell phone would be charging, for sometimes cell phone chargers break down on us as well and need to be fidgeted with. This inconvenience left my mobile phone immobile, as it constantly needed to be plugged into the wall as it left me feeling like having an ordinary house phone of which I was accustomed to having in the past.

When it comes to cell phone companies these days, it’s hard to get out of a quick fix, especially when the terms and circumstances of the agreement you made over a year ago are stacked against your favor. I was unable to change my living conditions and held to remain in the past because I was stubborn enough to wait to be eligible for an upgrade with my cell phone provider, Cingular Wireless.

Cingular Wireless is an excellent cell phone provider; I could hardly hold them in contempt for my blasting into the past. My real scorn though is and will forever remain with Motorola. I didn’t have the popular Razr that is so often seen pressed to people’s ears on campus, but I did have a similar prone-to-breaking-down equivalent.

I strongly advise against purchasing a Motorola cell phone to anyone in the future; their cell phone products have been known to fail on people. Common breakdowns include loss of screen image, earpiece malfunction, and faulty buttons that quite often press themselves.

At one point in time three out of the four people who live in my apartment (including myself) had a malfunctioning cell phone; they were all Motorola.

I have recently come out of my dark age and have again acquired the means to telecommunicate with others. I now have a Sony Erickson and have decided to permanently say goodbye to Motorola.

Their assortment of different colored phones and sleek looking products are not enough to keep me as a customer; having a phone that works is far more important than having one that is perceived as being cool.

~Anthans