Thwarted by a Typhoon

Alas, the 10th typhoon of the season is bearing down on Japan, heading towards the island at a walking pace of 6km/h. Normally I would not be too concerned but it is on the verge of destroying my weekend plans. My friend, who lives on the island of Shikoku, is to come to Oita this weekend. However, with the approaching typhoon and the resulting high waves, the ferry service between Kyushu and Shikoku is likely to be cancelled, thwarting our weekend.

Typhoon forecasting seems to be an inexact science; in fact, weather forecasting in Japan, could be best described as an exercise in inaccurate guesses. My favourite is the 1 week forecast that provides a full seven days of prognostication. However, the accuracy of them makes Nostrodamus look like a sharp-shooter. Inevitably, the forecast changes even for the next day. Perhaps I am being too judgemental. I am not a meteorologist and I probably don't appreciate the difficulty of forecasting weather in the nothwestern Pacific. Also, if the general public understands the forecast's limitations and views it with some skepticism, then there is no harm. However, those of us that assume them to be accurate are in for a rude shock when we pack the sunglasses and sunblock and realize that an umbrella and a change of socks would have been far more appropriate.

So here is hoping that the typhoon takes a turn away from Japan and allows my weekend plans to go ahead. However, this will probably be the time that those people staring at the weather maps get it right...

The First Post

Inspired by Joel Swagman whose Blog I have found to be most entertaining, and fueled by a desire to rekindle my writing skills, I have created this blog. I sincerely hope that I find the motivation to formulate ideas, thoughts and insights that help me understand myself and the world around me while providing other people with a different perspective and, perhaps, some entertainment.

First, a little background...

Presently, I live in a small town located in Oita prefecture, Japan. Employed by the local board of education, I teach English to the four elementary schools and the one junior high school. Innai-machi has a population of just over 5000 which seems to dwindle monthly as the aged pass away and the young move to the excitement and opportunity of the bigger cities. Thus, the most rare of species in my town is a single person between the age of 20 and 30.

Born and raised in North Vancouver, Canada, I lived the typical middle-class childhood; both my parents worked (and still do) extremely hard to provide a comfortable existence for my sister and I. Although we were not rich, we certainly were comfortable.

After graduating from secondary school, I attended the University of British Columbia, attaining my Bachelor of Science in Biology. A year later, I enrolled in the teaching program at UBC and received my Bachelor of Education.

Since then, my work experience has been varied: substitute teaching for the North Vancouver School District, teaching English in Japan, teaching mathematics in Langley, doing accounting in the movie industry, and even pushing boxes of linen around a warehouse. My present job in Japan is with the JET program which allows for one year contracts renewable up to a maximum of 3 years. Presently, I have completed two years and have just started the third year. Thus, this time next year will find me beginning a new endeavour. But that is for another post...