For the love of ...

the Gym:

Christmas time, time for giving, time for receiving.. but most of all.. time for eating. Japan loves to eat, especially KFC and different variety of cakes during this time. This is where going to the gym is key or else I will soon see my body morph into Frosty the Snowman. Anyways, I was determined to go to the gym today after work. Its a good 15 minute bike ride from my apartment to the gym. I was a bit hesitant at first because at the time I was about to leave my apartment it started to drizzle. Well, in the morning Mezamashi TV (Japan's version of the Today show) said it may rain lightly today but it would mostly be cloudy. I took this to heart and took it up to faith that if it rained at all, it would be long after I was back home. Well, 5 minutes into my bike ride the rain started coming down harder. Luckily, I was equipped with my 5 year old rain jacket from GAP. Well.. I thought I was lucky until after I found out it had a few holes that I didn't know about and my clothes started getting wet. I peddled to the metal and reached the gym in record time before I was completely soaked. I knew I would be in the gym for about an hour so I hoped the rain would have calmed down if not gone away by then. Boy was I wrong. When I got out of the gym, it was pouring and the wind picked up strength as well. I manned up and tried to ride home as fast as possible. I was completely drenched when I got home. My immune system was hating on me but my body felt good from the work out. I hope I don't get sick. I used to never do this for the gym, boy has times changed.

the Dallas Cowboys:

Man.. they lost pretty bad on Saturday night. It was hard to watch the first half of the game, but even harder to see the Romo miss crucial throws to try to win the game.. that was before the Ravens had 2 consecutive 50+ yards for TDs which were too much for the Cowboys to overcome. I was demoralized after the game. I thought for sure their season was over, that is until Christmas came early and the Bucs and the Eagles lost today. This was the first time this season I was actually rooting for the Redskins. The Boys now have a shot to make the playoffs if they beat the Eagles next week in their final regular season game. I can't wait!

the Orlando Magic:

They are having a great year. Currently they are 20-6. They beat Kobe and the mighty Lakers on Saturday night. The Magic haven't done this well since Shaq and Penny were the main attractions. Like the Cowboys, I hope the Magic can get into the playoffs this season and do something productive.

Basketball:

I've been playing basketball once every week and I'm seeing myself improve. I'm still playing with the Junior and High school kids, so that isn't saying much. I want to play more basketball so I'm currently trying to find a place where I can possibly join a league or play pick up games somewhere in Tokyo. I found a couple of "clubs" on the internet but I feel weird just randomly showing up to one of their practices. I can just imagine it now "Hey... I saw you guys on-line.. my Japanese sucks and you probably don't understand me now, but can I play with you.. pretty please? Awww... common..." The best scenario is if I can find just a good place nearby that has random pick up games. Last time I played with a club/league team I was accused of not knowing "team basketball". Even now, when I play with the kids, I keep telling them if they are open to just shoot the ball. I hate it when they are driving in the lane and no one is near them and they just pass the ball to someone who is covered. The point of passing the ball is to get the most wide open shot possible. But I guess its a bit hard to satisfy that new concept, so even I sometimes pass the ball when I'm open to another teammate even if no one is on me so I don't offend anyone. Anyways, I love the game and its a great workout, so I don't mind adjusting my game. I really hope I can find what I'm looking for soon.

Money:

Remember I said it was time to buy dollars earlier? Well.. I was wrong.. NOW is the time to buy dollars. Man.. I am kicking myself now for buying too early. Oh well, I've never been good at predicting trends.