Last Christmas

Christmas in Japan is for lovers. December 24 is the time when you supposed to take your "woman of interest out on a romantic date. If not the 24th at least the 25th. No one seems to know why this came about but here it is.
I have also noticed that the song "Last Christmas" by Wham is very popular here. As a matter of fact I have herd at least five different renditions of the song while frolicking in the public.
There is Whams version of the song, then there is the new rendition by the female singer who I no longer remember the name of. Along with this there is a "Boy vocal group" that sings a horrific version of it. Then there is the "muzak" version that you hear in highly sterilised places like the dentist. At one department store I heard a metal guitar version of it that rocked. If there was a video of this version I would pay good money to see it. I'm sure a studded cup or spandex were involved.
I once herd this song in a pub in Australia when I was there is April but that is another story.
My coworker came into work the other day singing this song and could not explain why he was doing so.
Last week I was trying to teach my students how to sing "Up on the house top", which they did OK at. But when I started to sing "Last Christmas" they all joined in with gusto.
It's been a quiet Christmas here in Japan and these are the things that stick out for me.
Happy Christmas

Jon

Just for you...

Yes sometimes folks get it all wrong but it sometime feels so right. Who am I to make corrections to these types of things? This year I get Christmas off because it falls on a Thursday (which is my day off regularly.) The only plans I have is to make some phone calls and express my holiday wishes to people. Watch out, you may be one of these people!

Christmas in Japan is uneventful for the most part. New Years is the important time for the folks here. For me New Years is uneventful but that's not a bad thing for me. Don't get me wrong I like a good party when I can find one. But to me it's no big deal.

My hope, like many others, is that 2009 won't be as weird as 2008. For me it was a odd year for many different reasons. Not much could happen in the next few days or the next year that would surprise me. So what has this taught me?

All these events have led me to the overwhelming conclusion that in the deepest darkest recesses of my ever omnipresent consciousness that "I don't know what is going on." Of this I'm sure of beyond a reasonably doubt. There are folks who make clams that all is fixed in the universe.

That would mean all is static, which does not work well in a dynamic universe. It works well for my Aiwa T.V. that has been broken for that last few months but that's neither hear nor there.

My point is that there is a liberation to the "I don't know" idea. It's OK. I do have a scepticism towards those who say they do.

I once met a man who I had just met and had only said a few words to. Later that night I heard him say to one of my friends that I didn't know shit. Yes, I thought. The truth at last!

The ironic thing was it was his wedding anniversary and I congratulated him on it and it was one of the few things I said to him that night.

Who knew?