Thank You, 2008

I saw mention somewhere of making a list of 100 things you're thankful at the end of every year. I've decided to do that, as it's been such a momentous and action-packed year for me.

So, here are 100 things I'm thankful for in 2008, in no particular order.

1. Scholarships
2. Sushi Meijin's 100-yen plates of delicious sushi
3. Tacos at the Red Wood Bar & Grill
4. My free TV
5. Air conditioner/heating unit
6. Brian Eno's "Music for Airports," to which I wake up every morning
7. Doona Bae
8. My all-region portable DVD player
9. Book Off and its low used DVD prices
10. Chocolate mochi
11. Monthly DJ gigs at the PEI Pub
12. The crossing guard who always smiles
13. This country's love of short skirts
14. The Kyushu countryside
15. Aquarius Zero in humid weather
16. My family
17. My friends
18. New international friends
19. Old international friends
20. My teachers
21. Yasujiro Ozu
22. Lonely Planet's "Japan" guidebook
23. Malts Beer, even though I'm not drinking right now
24. Soy Joy
25. Nanak curry (spicy level 6)
26. The drain in the floor of my bathroom
27. Fleece at-home clothes
28. Uniqlo, for making some clothes that actually fit me
29. Tower Records (alive and well in Japan)
30. Parker and his family for all that great coffee
31. Starbucks for being open at 7am for studying during midterms and finals
32. Toriten (tempura-fried chicken)
33. Dango jiru (local dumpling soup)
34. Not getting all that sick this year
35. Kabosu juice
36. Heated toilet seats in cold weather
37. Godzilla
38. Yellow Magic Orchestra
39. The movie "Hausu," which just gets better with repeated viewings
40. My Canon Wordtank V80 electronic dictionary
41. The Japanese train system
42. Sumo
43. Dubstep
44. Breaks
45. Techno
46. Belle and Sebastian
47. Little kids who wave and smile, rather than run and hide
48. LA friends for minding my car
49. My mom for always sending me packages
50. Skype
51. Facebook
52. Twitter
53. iTunes movie downloads
54. Bit torrent (shhh)
55. The stray cats on campus
56. Praying mantises
57. Crabs that wander into the Kaikan hallways
58. My English students
59. Yayoi Ken
60. Don Quixote
61. Beppu rotemburo
62. Wild monkeys
63. Castles, oh my God, castles
64. Shinto shrines, both big and small
65. Roadside Jizo
66. Samurai districts of small, Kyushu towns
67. Traveling alone
68. Traveling in groups
69. That I can actually speak some Japanese
70. Locals who have helped make my life easier
71. The shaman priestess on that mountain in Seoul who looked right into my soul
72. Kami-sama (why not?)
73. 日本語で書けること
74. Books!
75. Really good white rice
76. Rice cookers
77. Bass, always have to give thanks for bass (even if it is ruining my ears)
78. Patience
79. Really strong green tea
80. Kanji (not really but it makes life easier if I try to like it)
81. Witty people
82. That I'm still on the same toner that came with my printer back in April
83. My free microwave (I just can't run it while the heater is on or I'll blow a fuse)
84. Convenient stores (they really are convenient)
85. Bento, even though I shouldn't eat it as often as I do
86. The salad bar at the school cafeteria
87. My tutor
88. Unexpected experiences
89. Onigiri
90. This blog
91. Women in general, really
92. Warm showers on cold mornings
93. The electric heating pad for my bed that a departing student gave me
94. The cheap, local gym
95. Toyoko Inn, for being cheap and pretty much everywhere I go
96. Aoi Miyazaki
97. The Boredoms
98. The ladies that gave me free ice coffee and chatted with me in Kitsuki
99. Showa nostalgia
100. For being able to spend a year in this wonderful country

Comments

[タニア]

this is interesting Adam.
I think I'm going to make my own thankful-list too now :D!

number 2 is definitely worth to be thankful for.

[ジェフ]

Great list, Adam. These three, especially, made me smile =o)

12. The crossing guard who always smiles
26. The drain in the floor of my bathroom
27. Fleece at-home clothes