Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Diving category. Noteworthy entries are filed topmost.
Sorry for the lack of updates
I must apologise to you regular readers for the lack of updates over the past month. I have been pretty busy with work and some personal things and have hardly had the time to sit down and tap away at my keyboard. But the week at my school is coming to an end and so I find myself witha bit of time on my hands and an inkling to update you with what’s been happening in my life.
Since I got back from England at the end of August it’s been pretty busy for me, despite the 2 public holidays (and therefore long weekends) we’ve had. We’ve had Respect for the Aged Day on September 17th (I called my folks and respected them!), and we had a subsitute holiday for the Autumnal Equinox on the 24th. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday in Japan, the next day is taken as a subsitute holiday in lieu. Pretty good deal if you ask me, but the Japanese need as many holidays as they can get as they’re a very highly stressed out race. I don’t think I’ve met a people work such long hours. Note that they’re not so productive at work, but they work long hours. I’m sure if they did a reasonable amount of work during the day, they wouldn’t have to stay at work until 8 or 9pm at night. But that’s beside the point…
I’ve had a couple of diving courses start too, and I’ve had the expected lateness and cancellations from my students. Calls an hour before a session is due to start telling me that the student in question had just woken up hungover and had forgotten about the class, other telling me they can’t make it because they’re celebrating after a school event (a month after we were meant to meet previously, having cancelled twice before) and a couple of others have tested my patience. And of course, in any diving course there’s always one or 2 people who will turn up late, all apologies, but who you know will be late the next time too. But those who know me know that I’m a very tolerant and cool-headed person, and I’ve acted in quite impressive restraint in telling them they’d have to reschedule at a time that suits us both in the future. It’s a complete joke but there’s not much I can do about it unfortunately. I know that without the lure of alcohol and the chance to embarrass the foreign community in front of members of the Japanese public, it’s a hard sell I’ve got on my hands. Saying that though, I do have 2 cracking students at the moment, who will hopefully be doing Open Water dives 1-4 this coming weekend. They are by far the best students I’ve had going through theory and the pool sessions, and I’m sure they can continue it through to the ocean tomorrow. Hopefully my standard (and tardiness) of dive students my increase in the near future though. Kadena Marina, one of the US military dive shops, has offered me a part-time dive instructing job with them. I’d have access to the base classrooms, equipment, pools and base access. It will be a great opportunity for me as it will give me the chance to increase the number of students I certify, get a little extra money on the side, and possibly open up the door to staying in Okinawa whenever my teaching contract finishes. I am waiting to get the contract from the dive shop, but will let you know how that all goes. From what they were saying before, they wanted me working for them from mid-October, so I expect to hear something soon.
Good diving day (and cuttlefish closeup!)
Saturday was a beautiful day, and what better way to spend it than in the water? With barely a cloud in the sky, 33C temperatures outside and the water being almost bath-like at 30C, I headed to the ocean.
I was already on a bit of a high after having my car returned on Friday with a couple of new parts fitted (new rear brake pads, uprated fuel pump, fuel regulator & meter, and a boost controller). Plus there was the added bonus of having a good old friend back on the island for 2 weeks. She was the one who travelled to the Kansai region with me last year, and who, along with Brian, was my regular dive buddy for a good 8 to 10 months before she returned home to the States. But she realised how much Okinawa held a place in her heart (as most do after they leave), and has saved up the money for a trip back. Her intention here is to become Rescue Diver, EFR, and Divemaster certified, and hopefully I can do that for her in the short time she has here.
The previous 2 days at work had been pretty long and tiring, as I was involved in the English summer camp for 1st year students. This camp is only in its 2nd year and has a lot of teething problems still, despite going more smoothly than it did last year. As one of the main teachers involved in organizing and supervising the camp, it was mentally and physically draining. One of the main problems with the camp is that it’s compulsory for all 1st year students in the international course of our school. The fact of the matter is that around 50% of the students simply don’t want to be there. They’ve had a long first term at high school and just want to relax and enjoy their summer holidays like all of their friends in other classes and schools. But hopefully I will become more actively involved in the planning and scheduling of the camp next year so I can help to make it more successful for the students.
Cool web trends/Tokyo subway map
Saw this on the excellent Japan Sugoi site and thought I’d share it with you. It’s a map of 200 of the most popular sites on the web, ordered by category, proximity, success, popularity and perspective. it’s quite cool and looks very much like the Tokyo subway system (even down to the lines).
It also has the following little things to note, as well as many others to those familiar with Tokyo:
1. Google has moved from Shibuya, a humming place for young people, to Shinjuku, a suspicious, messy, Yakuza-controlled, but still a pretty cool place to hang out (Golden Gaya).
2. Youtube has conquered Shibuya.
3. Microsoft has moved to Ikebukuro, if you know what I mean.
4. Yahoo is in Ueno, a nice place but nothing going on there.
5. Wikipedia now is in Shimbashi, the place for the square and hard-headed Salaryman, like the Wikipedia watchdogs.
6. The Chinese line runs parallel to the gshare lineh which starts with the main piratesc
7. Paper info designer Tufte is right below the Federated Media, right before joining with the interactive information design circle in a 90 degree angle.
8. gYouh are in the Emperorfs palace, in the centre of the network.
For more information, head to the Web Trend 2007 Map webpage.
A productive weekend
After last weekend was a bit of a washout due to the weather, with my 4 open water dives having to be cancelled, this past weekend was a welcome relief. It rained for most of the week (we’re well into the rainy season now) so my hopes weren’t too high for good visibility, but the winds were coming out of the East which was a good sign. So on Saturday morning I woke up at 4am and got myself ready for a busy weekend!
After listening to most of the Wigan - Harlequins Challenge Cup quarter-final (we won, bringing us 80 minutes away from a final at the new Wembley), I headed off to pick one of my students up and then to the Chatan area. Not a good start when I got to her place though - found out that when I was turning the steering wheel on my car, there was a kind of knocking/grating noise at low speeds (i.e. 1st gear). Sounded expensive, and my mind was on that for quite a bit of the day. But I had a big job to do and so I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted. First off was the 200m swim and 10 minute float test for one of my students. She managed that fine and the water was just about warm enough for swimsuits or shorts (around 25C). Once we’d finished that we headed off to the dive shop and waited for the others to arrive.