Work and play!!

It's been a mad couple of weeks and I am really not getting this blogging thing down yet! Working at Niseko village Ski School is anything but quiet, with busy days full of lessons, skiing, food and partying.

Firstly to mention the food. We get pretty sturdy lunches each day, with more rice than you could ever want which is a good way to fill up on food, however eating out has been a real treat since we got here. Early on we had a group trip from Sansou to the okonomiyaki pancake restaurant down the road, called Jyu. The restaurant was really authentic, with cushions to sit on the floor and tables with hot plates in the centre. We all ordered the same pancakes filled with seafood and pork, and, I must say, they tasted incredible!

Whilst making the long trip to Kutchan (mostly made up of waiting around) for groceries one day, we went to the sushi train. The restaurant has a conveyor belt from which you can take food, and you can order specific dishes simply by shouting out in Japanese. It's a lot of fun. It has colour coded plates which are different prices, similar to that of Yo sushi in the UK, but the sushi was in no way similar. It was amazing and I can't wait for my next trip to Kutchan to go back. The chef was particularly smiley too!

Although drinking is a common pastime in Sansou, there has also been a lot of hat making on the go, so I decided to get in on the action. I was shown how to crochet and started making a hat, and this is how much I've done so far. My tutors are so skilled they can make a hat in just a few of hours! It's crazy!

I mentioned the Onsen in my last post, but failed to provide a picture, so here it is. It is an amazing thing after a hard day of skiing or teaching, and thoroughly warms you up. This is the Onsen in our accommodation, but we can also use others at the Hilton and Green Leaf hotel, and they are even better. They have outside areas and you can sit in the hot pool while snow falls on you.

While I posted pictures of Mt Yotei last time, I have never seen it as clear as it was this day, so I felt it was necessary to post again. When the dormant volcano is visible it is so unbelievably beautiful. I wish I never have to leave this view behind!

I got invited by some Japanese friends to a home sushi party this week, and I made my first self rolled sushi. The fish was delicious - I tried raw shrimp, monkfish, squid, salmon and tuna. Fun times!

So the biggest part of life here is the teaching, and I didn't really know how I was going to feel about it when I arrived. I find lessons extremely fun, and you get an amazing feeling of achievement from taking a never ever skier from bambi on ice to making them stop and turn with control. I find the days go by quickly and being in the outdoors is wonderful. I remember past ski instructors of mine making me look around and saying to me "This is my office". It feels nice to now be in that position! In addition to that, I received my first tips yesterday, which will help me through until pay day!

I haven't seen much wildlife since I arrived, however yesterday I saw two reindeer and a fox with such a bushy mane, it was beautiful. It was also pretty tame, and seemingly posed for the photograph!

Finally, here is a picture of my Hanko, which I eventually got this week. A Hanko is a Japanese signature stamp, which you use to sign all your documents. I think it's pretty cool! Might keep using it when I get home too! (I felt a little stupid when I had to ask a Japanese co-worker which way up it goes though...)

Work is very busy and I only have 1 day off between now and the third of January. It's not even Christmas day!! I'll update soon with how my first working Christmas goes. Ta ta for now!

Japow!!

So a 30+ hour journey, 3 planes, 1 bus, a lot of hanging around airports, and I eventually made it to Niseko! The highlight was finding the amazing Japanese toilets with their many buttons. They even have a fake flush!!

The building we're staying in appears to be an old hotel, and the rooms are pretty big. The only showers are in an Onsen room so you can't be embarrassed about being naked in front of others. I guess I'll get used to it over the few months we're here! My room smelled pretty bad at first, but I realised this was due to numerous Japanese stink bugs crawling around! It has been much better since we got rid of them.

The first morning we awoke to snow falling. A nice welcome to Japan! We took a bus to the ski hill and had our induction and lunch at the staff canteen. The food was really good and very filling - it will be good sustinence during the working day! We took a trip to Kutchan - a nearby town - and got stocked up on food and essentials for the week (namely alcohol!). That evening we had pizza and an early night. Although we did discover this amazing vending machine in our building!

The following day we went to the ski hill again, this time for a Japanese prayer ceremony. It was great to experience some Japanese customs and we had a delicious free lunch at the Hilton hotel afterwards. The prayer ceremony was really interesting, although I'm pretty sure I wasn't nodding or clapping at the correct times!! We played in the snow and went for a short trip to Grand Hirafu where I looked at some second hand powder skis... Maybe! It snowed all day so the base is definitely coming along nicely now. :) In the evening we had an introduction to the ski instructor party lifestyle. Things got a little messy!

Funnily enough, yesterday I had a hangover day, but was made to feel better in the evening by a beautiful sunset on Mt Yotei. We got our ski schedule which looked pretty terrifying. My first two days of lessons are groups of kids. Eek!! After seeing that I needed some comfort, so I went back and bought the second hand powder skis for 30000 Yen! Picture to follow!

Sayoonara for now!

Japan is getting close...

My new ski poles arrived, my 85L Deuter backpack arrived and I bought 165,000 Yen. I guess that can only mean one thing - my Japan trip is drawing near!!

As the excitement builds, I feel some nerves mixed in too. I guess that's only natural when going to the other side of the world on your own. I'm also a little overwhelmed by how much I have to sort out before I leave. I guess I should get doing rather than writing then!

Best Christmas Day EVER in November!!

Christmas Day always saw me and mum awaken at 6am, desperate to exchange and open presents, from when I was 3 until I was 25. My sis would grumpily pull the covers back over her head when I went in to her room to waken her, all exciteable!! These last few years, however, I have grown to require a lie in... Waking late morning, we were cooked a treat of egg in a hole, sausage and back. Egg in a hole, a geordie delicacy of a hole cut out of a slice of bread, and then fried with an egg, with the yolk in the middle. Simple but awesome!!

Next for bucks fizz and present opening! I was truly spoilt as usual, with sweets, chocolate, socks, underwear, slippers, kindle, ski poles - so many delights! Everyone was on a high, and, in particular, Coll was very pleased with his big bone...

Perhaps the biggest treat of all was the amazing Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. I only managed 18 brussel sprouts this year though, 8 less than last year... I blame the delicious mini starters!

Copious amounts of wine meant there were a few nappers in the camp post lunch. An hour later, and a large pot of coffee consumed, however, we were playing Monopoly for the rest of the evening!! Family alliances saw a male/female rivalry, and I'm sad to say it was not the girls who prevailed...

Most of the Monopoly time was spent stuffing in wedges of cheese - like we hadn't already eaten enough for the day. I am literally still full 18 hours later...

Fake Christmas Eve

Yesterday began with Christmas shopping - my usual activity for Christmas Eve. But it was only November 8th, I hear you say! This was the last weekend available for a family get together pre Japan, so we had to make do!

There was no possibility of a real tree, so we found the old fibre optic version in the loft. It still look good with all the presents underneath and Christmas candles all around. Dad even put lights on the tree in the garden and the summerhouse we used to think was santa's grotto... The neighbours must think we're mad.

I made beef stew and we spent the evening doing the usual - pulling crackers, telling awful jokes and even some painful singing. At times, I began to rue technological advances, when looking around to everyone playing on their various mobile devices, but looking down at the iPhone in my hand I realised I would find it very hard to do without these days...

A really lovely evening, and now for Christmas Day - I can already smell the turkey and pigs in blankets! Mmmmm!

Poker Day

A frustrating day of cards. A little profit, but it could have been so much more after finishing 10th in an 845 player $26 tournament on FTP for a measly $193.

My final hand for analysis - not sure if I made a mistake here...

Full Tilt Poker Game #33475174787: Triceratops (260850734), Table 1 - NL Hold'em - 6000/12000 Ante 1500 - 21:09:16 ET - 2013/11/06
Seat 2: dug0huz0 (589,825)
Seat 3: mr PINEY (508,327)
Seat 6: HERO (180,272)
Seat 7: crazygamer13 (152,016)
Seat 9: JakeZeSnake (211,175)
dug0huz0 antes 1,500
mr PINEY antes 1,500
HERO antes 1,500
crazygamer13 antes 1,500
JakeZeSnake antes 1,500
mr PINEY posts the small blind of 6,000
HERO posts the big blind of 12,000
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to HERO [Qh Ts]
crazygamer13 folds
JakeZeSnake folds
dug0huz0 raises to 24,000
mr PINEY calls 18,000
HERO has 15 seconds left to act
HERO raises to 178,772, and is all in

Any thoughts welcome!

Running should be rewarded with pizza!

A slow day of poker (I must put in more hours), and another gym session yesterday, but this time I stuck solely to the treadmill. I managed 10km, but over a very slow time of 54 minutes - 8 minutes off my best.

Still, I burned some calories, and earned myself a much deserved Pizza Express for dinner. (Either that or I just went and undid all my hard work!!) I love the mini desserts they serve there - if only they did Cafe Gourmand. To anyone that has never tried Cafe Gourmand, it consists of a coffee and trio of desserts. The only proper way to finish a meal!

This did the trick though, and I practically rolled home.

Ski fitness

So the time has come where I need to start seriously thinking about how unfit I am for the upcoming season. I started yesterday's workout with my dumbbell circuit A. I alternate 2 circuits, where I carry out 6 exercises, with 6 reps of each, 6 times, with a 2 minute break in between sets. I was given the link to a female athlete training website where I found these, admittedly, junior circuits and have been using them for the past year and a half. I must admit, it is easier to find the motivation to do circuit A than circuit B! I completed the circuit with 5kg dumbbells, however I don't think I'm quite ready to move up in weight, as I was struggling towards the end.

Following this, I did an extremely slow 5.5k on the treadmill, taking 30 minutes to complete. I don't think 3 weeks is going to be enough time to get to the point I need to be for skiing... I'm going to have to work very hard.

Leaving London

So I finally had to say goodbye to London last night, and make my way back up north.

The day was very relaxing, starting with a lovely breakfast, some TV time, and then to The Jolly Butchers in Stoke Newington for a delicious Sunday roast. Definitely recommended!! We returned back to the house, and Mr G prepared an awesome apple and plum crumble for dessert, which I wolfed down before heading for the train.

Big thanks to the hosts for a lovely weekend. Need to not leave the next visit so long this time!

Bier and Fireworks

Yesterday I awoke to find Mr G capping bottles of his home brewed beer. He takes it quite seriously these days and, having tried some, I must say it's pretty good. I was then treated to a wonderful full English breakfast before chilling on the sofa, nursing my delicate head!!

A little after 4pm, we made our way to Alexandra Palace, for a German Bier festival. I was impressed by the building, this being my first trip there.

The event was fun, but the organisation was atrocious, with queues at least 15 people deep for the bar. We waited 45 minutes to get our first drink. It seemed they were unable to dispense the Pils fast enough to meet demand - surely a vital requirement of any bar. It was clearly not organised with German precision... Once we finally arrived at the front of the queue, we were so thirsty we had to order 4 pints each to last us until the fireworks started. There was a live band getting everyone involved with singing, dancing and general merriment. The music was entertaining, although we did question the German accent of the lead singer which sounded laughably fake! There were also food stalls, however, they seemed as badly organised as the bar, with huge queues and inefficiencies.

The fireworks began at 8pm, and they were impressive. Unfortunately the strong winds meant that some of the display did not come off in the way it was meant to. For example, a firework was supposed to come through the middle of the previous one, but the wind had blown the exploded pieces off course. It was still an amazing spectacle, and very enjoyable to watch.

The fun evening was complete with more beers, and by the time my head hit the pillow, I was feeling more than a little tipsy. No more alcohol today, that's for sure!

A little late...

Yesterday's post was delayed by some drunken antics, so I'm having to write it this morning. Unfortunately my memory is a little hazy, so here goes!

It was a busy day that started with an early lunch in Crouch End followed by a trip to Camden Market. It was my first experience of Camden Town, and it was very enjoyable walking around the stalls, looking at the brightly coloured clothing, bric-a-brac and various other merchandise. I could have spent hours there!

Feeling weary legged, we stopped for coffee at a cute little cafe, and then walked along the canal to Kings Cross. The walk was nice, but it was unpleasant to see the canal filled with litter, and a nearby swan swimming next to it. I don't know why it is that large water courses are an attraction for so much rubbish.

The walk earned us a beer, and we stopped at a cool looking pub called the Euston Tap. It has a twin opposite named the Cider Tap, and both bars are in identical, old buildings just in front of Euston Station. On entering the bar, the initial thought was how small the space was, however we did not notice the stairs... There were many different ales, and after purchasing two pints, we made our way up an extremely narrow, iron spiral staircase. The upstairs area was pleasant, and we chatted for a while, soon succumbing to another half pint, one of which was over 9% abv. We were soon feeling as though we'd had too much, and now running late had to make swift work of the journey home!

A quick change of outfit and back on the underground to meet three of the people I spent the winter with. A brief dinner stop at Lulivo in Leicester Square with Miss H and then the boys arrived for beers in the Brewmaster pub, just next to the underground. A good location for an easy rendezvous. Talking about old times; Rossland, Red Mountain, The Sunshine Cafe, and what everyone was up to now, the evening passed too quickly. The tube station closed and the night bus called. I soon noticed how much the beers had affected me and was very pleased to finally climb into bed - only after eating left over curry from the night before! Classy!

We're heading to a beer festival today at the Ally Pally today. I may have to fight my way through the first pint...

London Town

A morning swim saw my front crawl progress a little. 6 whole lengths without stopping (or drowning). Progress!! 60 lengths in total, but mostly breaststroke.

The afternoon involved a train to London Town and then the tube to Turnpike Lane to see Mr G and Miss W. A lovely evening of home brewed beer followed by dinner at an Indian restaurant. It's nice to be in the big smoke after so long!

A fun weekend ahead me thinks. Lets see what tomorrow brings!

Gym

First gym session in a while after having the flu. It was pretty tough, and my lungs were definitely not up to full capacity. The weight circuit felt ok, except for the lateral raises - they never go well, with my left arm soon falling well behind making me look like I'm trying to do some sort of directional signal! Afterwards I only manage to run 3kms, which, given I was running 10km every time I went to the gym just a few months ago, was fairly pathetic. Not only that but it was terribly slow too!

On a plus note, I had my first ever protein shake afterwards.

I must confess however, I did hold my nose through the entire experience!!

Steak and beer

An uneventful day. Back to the grindstone with poker and sticking only to 45 player sngs. I'm gonna try and be a little more disciplined from now on. (not like it's the first time I've said that!)

The latter part of the day was fun. A pretty tasty dinner, all home made. Steak, egg, wedges, carrots and peppercorn sauce, followed by a few quiet beers.

I'm also pleased to say my voice is beginning to return, so I may be able to speak tomorrow! Perhaps that will mean an end to my blogging...

A rat or a hamster?

Last night I was granted an eventful night sleep, or lack there of! Things began when my sis sat bolt upright twice. When asked if she was awake, she sleep lied to me, and said "yes"! Then she told me she'd been having horrible dreams. Later that same night, she experienced something similar, when I was sat upright in bed staring at the curtain. I then proclaimed, "It's a rat! No wait, it's a hamster", while quite obviously dreaming about a small rodent climbing the drapes! We were also woken by sirens just after 3am, and found out from the news in the morning that there was a man found with head injuries right outside the flat at that time. Awful!

I left bonny Scotland (after a copious amount of chicken), and the journey home was beautiful, with an amazing array of colours on display. Unfortunately the car windscreen wasn't quite prepared for this picture taken right at the border, but I thought the sky made it worth posting.

It was a wonderful Autumn afternoon, and it was hard to believe the storms that have hit the South over the past 24 hours. It is sad to see such devastation and the pain caused to those who have lost loved ones.

So, I'm now back in Northern England - lets see what tomorrow brings.

Pets and Pentlands

It's always nice spending time with my sis, and this morning we went on a mini mission to visit my cat. The day started with a visit to Pets at Home. I was greeted by this friendly Degu, while Oooft fell in love with a giant rabbit. It was hard to leave without a new addition to the family!!

The bus ride to Penicuik reminds me how small Edinburgh actually is, with the City passing quickly by and not long before we have views of the Pentland Hills. It really is a wonderful place to live - a capital with the countryside on your doorstep. Arriving in the small town was a little strange, but I was made very welcome, as always. The reception was not so warm from my beautiful girl, being hissed at within minutes of entering the house.

Despite that, it was good to see her happily playing, mesmerized by the leaves blowing around the conservatory roof. I like to think she was deriving a plan of attack! Oh, to be a cat!!

The day was complete with mussels & wine, and my sister booking flights to join me travelling around Japan in March. Too excited!!

Bridesmaid Duties

Walking down Edinburgh's Princes Street in the Saturday morning rush is not my usual idea of a good time. However, duties called and Bridesmaid dress shopping awaited. Shopping in Edinburgh is always made easier by the beautiful architecture and views of the iconic castle hovering above the main street, and it wasn't long before we paused for lunch and wine - a much more agreeable activity! Along George Street, we passed The Dome, and I was astonished to see their Christmas decorations had already been erected. It's not even Halloween, they may as well leave them up all year round...

Returning to our original task, the lunchtime wine had affected us more than I'd thought, and Miss D, the beautiful bride to be, had her fun dressing me as a pink flamingo.

The seriousness of this dress choice was questionable, and I'm pleased to say the final two narrowed down options were much more stylish! Roll on the 2014 wedding of the year!

Changing outlooks

Blogging is something I've struggled to do over the past several years. I initially opened this blog with the intention of keeping a record of my poker - using it to post hands and to generate poker related chat to assist in strategy and bankroll management. I must say, I have been fairly unsuccessful in this respect!!

I now feel that while I may continue to play cards, it's not really something I'm motivated to blog about. I've made a decent amount of money over the past few years, I've had some big ups and some big downs, but most importantly, I've found a new passion in life and that is now what I aim to use this blog for.

In January 2010 I went skiing for the first time and haven't really looked back. (Except for a blip with a dislocated hip!)

It was 2013, however, that was the year of big changes. I went with my long term partner to Red Mountain Resort, BC, on a sabbatical from work to spend the season on the Nonstop Ski Instructor programme. It was the time of my life. I skied terrain I never thought I could, I met friends for life and I left as a CSIA Level 2 Qualified instructor. Good times indeed! There were downsides too though. My partner and I went our separate ways. I left my home, my beautiful cat, my job (not so sad!), Aberdeen (even less sad!) and did the dreaded...moved back in with the parents in July. Wow. There are seriously no words other than NOT RECOMMENDED!!!

A little more on Red Mountain though. The resort is absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen snow covered trees quite like it, and the Kootenay sea, which can be seen in this picture, is unbelievable. The photograph doesn't do it justice. On one day, the most astonishing sun dog appeared - I didn't even know what one was until it happened. The light glistened off snow particles which created an appearance of a sun near the piste. As magnificent as it was, the beauty of the resort was not it's only asset. The terrain is unlike anything I have skied before, and the standard of skiing required is high. Despite the intensive training, by the end of the 3 months there were several runs I had not even dared to attempt, with their steep terrain, cliff drops and tight trees. Even with a lifetime of skiing, this is not a resort that can be easily mastered or you could ever tire of.



As for the Nonstop course, it was very well conducted, the staff were friendly, professional and hard working, and the skiing progression speaks for itself. I would recommend it to anyone.

So after returning home to the UK and leaving Aberdeen, life has been a little nomadic, and things are set to continue! In September I was successful in my application for an instructor job with Niseko Village Ski School in Japan for the winter, and the adventure starts on November 25th when I fly to Sapporo. For the next few months I intend to keep an account of my days as an instructor, as well as my life before flying out. I will add one picture each day to try and encapsulate my time. Unfortunately, the first picture is a rather boring one, having spent the day in bed, sick, with my faithful friend below as my only company.



On the plus side, I have found the motivation to restart this blog, so even bad days have their highlights!

Buenas noches amigos!