Everyday, I am part of the train-riding, suit-wearing crowd that get on the train and walk really really fast to wherever it it is that we have to be. That was, once, one of the things I hated about Osaka; everyone seemed to be always in hurry to get somewhere. Now, I don't hate it as much. I understand them more -- I guess ;).
Work. So far, my work has been really interesting and exciting. I think I came at a somewhat busy season for OHB (The initials of firm where I'm training now). On my first week, I had to go to the office on a holiday as I had to finish drafting something which was due that Sunday. I also spent my first weekend there :(. I have been included in two ongoing merger deals and have been asked to review and draft countless commercial contracts and documents -- I've lost count. I have to admit, I was never really into commercial law practice before -- being mostly a litigator -- so a lot of the things that I'm doing now are really new to me. I must say, though, commercial law practice has a very different approach to it as compared to litigation.
Okay, enough of the boring stuff. On my first day at the firm, they gave me my business cards (it has two sides: Japanese and English), my all-you-can-ride JR train card (this is really neat, I just press my wallet against the turnstile scanner -- no need to take out my card), and assigned to me an English-speaking secretary (Her name is Naoko and she studied for a year in Australia). Naoko has been with OHB for a little less than a year, so she's also almost new to the office like me. Everyone at the office calls me Jiao-sensei now (i.e., Atty. Jiao) as compared to being called Jiao-san (Mr. Jiao), a few months back.
Most of the lawyers are very nice also, especially the foreign lawyers with whom I usually hang out with. In my 2 1/2 weeks of stay at the office, I have been treated out to several lunches, dinners and a couple of drinking sessions. Sometimes, on my way home, the lawyers would see me at the lobby and then kidnap me to join their drinking "meeting". Sometimes I wonder why they do that because everytime they invite me, they're forced to have their conversations in English. hahaha.
Our Home. This is my favorite place in the whole of Osaka. I feel so lucky to have discovered this place and to have gotten it for the price that I did. I'm in a neighborhood that's so close to everything. We have a grocery downstairs, a huge hundred yen store near the corner, a really cheap grocery store beside it, a huge department store a few meters past the 100 yen store, a GEO (a video store) beside the department store, and the Osaka gymnasium, which is less than 10 minutes by bike away. I already bought two bicycles, one for me and Rassell.
On weekends, I usually clean the house, do my grocery shopping, run or go to the gym. I have also been doing a lot of movie watching -- but this I do almost everyday. Since Rassell is not yet here, I've been staying-in most of the time. I've been thinking of going to Kyoto for several weeks now (I want to see it during autumn), but the weather has not been very cooperative.
I really like our house and I absolutely love our living room. Our living room is where I spend most of my time watching movies and, now, using the internet. Sometimes, I fall asleep on the sofa and just transfer to the bedroom early in the morning. Rassell is not here yet to wake me up =(.Well, that's how I've been surviving so far. I only know one other Filipino family here in Osaka and this weekend, they have invited me to their house. This Thursday would be a holiday also, so, hopefuly, I'll finally be able to go to Kyoto -- That is, if I don't have to work ;(. Ciao!
