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Feb. 16th, 2007 05:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meimichiJET interview: I walked away feeling like I'd done my best. If I don't get in, I'll...well, I'll be surprised (ah, that sounds so overconfident, now that I read it! but really, that's how satisfied I feel). But I won't have regrets either way, because I really feel like I gave it my all, and if they don't want me after that, then I can't complain.
I was so mad last night; it took me forever to get to sleep, and then my roommate banged in late. I'm hoping she was drunk because at least that's an excuse, but she was being so fucking loud (slamming the door, her closet, everything, over and over again), I absolutely could not get to sleep properly until around two AM. Then I was so nervous I woke up on my own before seven. Not good. I fell asleep in Roddy-sensei's class, and he called on me while I was dozing off. *mourns*
Erica was so nice in cheering me on though!! She kept telling me how pretty I looked in my interview!outfit (blatant lie, I hated how I looked, I can't stand being that kind of dressy! I could barely walk in the stupid skirt I was wearing, I'm never wearing it again) and telling me I'd do great~~
I went over right after class, and had a tuna crepe near Kino while I waited, since I didn't want to show up over an hour early. Then I wandered down to the Peace Plaza and enjoyed the sun for a while, and then finally walked over to the hotel. I stood outside killing time for a bit, then Erica texted me to wish me luck again, and I texted her back. Then I finally went inside. It was all pretty much as expected; small room, former JETs answering questions as we watched a video, until I was finally called to meet with the panel.
My panel of three was incredibly nice. Nobody asked me stupid trivia questions, so I feel like a complete fucktard for spending the last month quizzing myself on population numbers and who was on which dollar bill and making sure I could sing the national anthem not totally off-key if asked to. None of it mattered. They didn't even ask me what was going on in Japan lately. So I think that's why I feel so relaxed over it and like I did really well, because my biggest fears were:
1) getting some kind of inane trivia question out of left field and freezing up
2) having to teach a mock lesson (oh hell noooo)
And I didn't get either one, so RELIEF. I didn't even get any questions about moral dilemmas or anything!
They asked me first to introduce myself, and I talked about where I was from, and my interest in Japan. Then they asked a bunch of other generalized questions: what would I want to teach about my own culture, what was my attitude towards classroom teaching, what was the hardest thing about living in Japan as a ryuugakusei...
I answered all of the questions as enthusiastically as possible, trying to make eye contact with everyone and keep a smile on my face the whole time. Around the halfway point, I realized I was shaking a little bit, but I kept smiling so I hope it wasn't noticable. I worked really hard not to look nervous.
Mostly I talked about my enthusiasm for the program, how I'd really enjoyed Japan the year before, my experiences regarding how living in another country means you get to break down stereotypes, how I got interested in Japan in the first place, and my experiences with great Japanese teachers who've encouraged me outside of class as well as in it.
The woman from the consulate said she wanted to ask me a few questions in Japanese, but I was so nervous I wasn't quite as awesome as I know I could have been. I didn't make any mistakes and I answered everything, but I mostly just gave short, one-or-two-sentence answers to her questions (though none were so very complex: "When did you go to Japan last?" "How long did you study at Jouchi?" "What experience from Japan stands out in your memory?" "Did you go on trips with your host family?").
Why I felt really good about it, though: the Japanese man on the panel was the one with my paperwork, and I think he glanced through and saw that my letter of recommendation was from Suda-sensei. He asked, "You're Suda-sensei's student?!" and then the woman from the consulate knew her too! Saying, "Suda-sensei is always helping us out! She's wonderful!"
I said, "Yes! She's so nice!" and told about how just the other day, I'd told her my interview was Friday, and she dropped everything she was carrying to hug me and say, "Ganbatte!!"
I added that she was amazing because she had always worked so hard to help me with the Consulate speech contest outside of class, and then...the man said, "Yes, I remember you from the speech contest." !!! I FEEL SPECIAL. I WAS REMEMBERED! So that made me feel really confident walking out, because to be remembered from the contest seemed like something that was a huge advantage for me. It wasn't just saying on paper, "Oh, I'm interested in Japan," but something totally concrete that the panel knew about!
So, yeah. I was really happy with myself while walking out. To the point that I'm not going to stress too much as I wait for April and the results. It feels really good knowing that I did my best!
And now, while I'm waiting for the new Hanadan to finish downloading, I give you picspam of another sort.
Seriously. I feel dirty just saying it myself.
So, Chloe?
Looking HOT at the bowling alley.
And Lana was...likeable?
And they were being total dorks with the camera, too. I loved that so much!
How many people were like, "Asian guy. In Smallville. Totally going to die before the hour's up"? I was rooting for him even so, though, I thought he was so cute!
PRETTY. RUN CHLOE RUN.
Who is this distinguished-looking man in the opening credits? He looks somewhat familiar, but I'm sure I haven't seen him on this show recently. But he's rather alluring, no? They should totally have him be, I don't know, a guest star from time to time or something...
Chloe ducking under his arm was a cute touch! I love how tiny she is compared to him~~~
I think Chloe's red coat should marry Tsukasa's red coat and they should have lots of little red coat children.
Also, the bowling alley is gorgeous.
I love Clark's expression at Dan the Man asking Chloe if he hooked up with her the night before. >D
I love Chloe's, "Uh, NO," expression even more!
I kinda like these two being saccarine when there's a creepy undertone through the episode. It works at those moments.
I REALLY love her outfit here.
And I love...
...this exchanged look, without saying anything.
If this had been a standard-par episode of SV where I just mock, mock, mock, then my favorite thing would have been how now Chloe is apparently no longer allowed to go outside to get a breath of fresh air without BOTH Lana and Lex's permission. "YOU WANTED TO BREATHE!!! HMMM, VERY SUSPICIOUS!!" *snort*
Chloe is a meteor freak, and so to commemorate the second plot twist evah in SV's history...Clark makes a facial expression. (Really, TW was great this episode, and has been all season long.)
I COULDN'T TAKE CAPS OF THE REST. :(
I noticed in this scene, Lex picked up his watch from the bedtable to put it on. Dare I dream this means he's occasionally sleeping in the same bedroom as Lana? I mean, the separate bedrooms thing just...weirds me out.
JIMMYYYYYY.
These three...I love them together, no matter the combination. I know fandom is still hating massively on Jimmy, whining that he "gets in the way" of Chlark. But I don't mind him being in the way. I mean, during scenes like this, Jimmy is just so totally open and exciteable and wearing his heart on his sleeve...
...but then you can see Chloe and Clark are having this other conversation just with their eyes. It's not like I need someone else to be there to know how close Chlark are, but I still enjoy seeing the proof like that.
Y HALO THAR LEX, you're looking quite evol-overlord this morning!
HE DID THE SARCASTIC SMILE. I love the Lex sarcastic smile! You never expect it when it comes, so it's always awesome! Has it been, what, like a year since we saw it last?
I love the switch from sarcastic but chill...
...to I WILL FUCK YOUR SHIT UP, in the space of a second.
SCARY.
And now the reason this picspam exists.
This?
This?
One of my favorite SV scenes, ever.
"I'm some kind of meteor freak. Aren't I."
"We don't know that. Chloe..."
As an aside...they need to curl that hair. Seriously. They shouldn't have ever cut it in the first place, because it was the best!hair!ever before they cut it. But I liked it okay in "Hydro," but here...not working.
But that's pretty much the only complaint I can make about this scene~
Poor Jimmy. :(
"I need you to x-ray me." !!!!!!
They both just BROUGHT IT. SO GOOD.
And POOR CLARK.
I think everyone and their dog has already remarked on how ridiculously subtext-laden this entire scene was. Suffice to say: it was hot, okay? They were twoconsenting adults! Clark was scared of hurting her! But then she pulls her shirt down and is all, "DO IT." YES, I AM TWELVE, BUT AT LEAST I KNOW EVERYONE ELSE WAS THINKING IT TOO
OH FUCKING OW
Again, I just really love the three of them all together.
Also, in all seriousness, of all of the people in SV I'd feel positive wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger...it would be Lana, yo. C'mon, she's killed more often than anyone else on this show!
I loved how pretty this scene was, lit by all of the police cars! I thought KK did a better-than-usual job this week, too.
I really enjoy Lex being so purposefully duplicitous. All through the season, they've overdosed on the Lexana while going light on the evol, and when they did go heavy on the evol they went light on the Lexana, when the combination of the two as used in this episode made him so much more effectively chilling.
OH, AND I'M STILL LAUGHING OVER THIS.
HI OTHER REASON FOR THIS PICSPAM
I really love this whole storyline. I know my own opinions in SV fandom usually go against the grain, but I'm mystified at how this is kinda going over like a lead balloon. I think this is such a fantastic storyline for Chloe, and it's going to be so wonderful for Chlark. And I was really just starting to get sad over how underused Chloe has been of late, so a storyline bringing her front and center makes me so, so happy.
At the same time...as much as I'm loving it...WHEN CHLOE IS SAD, I AM SAD.
THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART. How he reached for her, and her tear fell right on his hand. I AM SUCH A SAP FOR THESE TWO I KNOW BUT I CAN'T SHUT UP AHHHH
Meanwhiiiiiile....
Oh, Lex. They should have had him mess with Chloe sooner. People would have bought into his turn to the Drak Side so much more easily, because nobody forgives anyone for messing with Chloe. I know after seeing him watching it so chillingly, it was pretty much the most effective moment for Lex's evol I've seen over the span of the past few years.
I mean, it wasn't evol.
It was EEEEEEEEEVIIIIIIIL.
In conclusion: FUCK, YEAH.
Here's my question: when everything goes to hell between those two, whose side would Lionel come down on? Lionel knew the path to Clark was through Chloe years ago. I'm not entirely sure Lex has actually put that piece into place, yet: he and Chloe both have complex baggage on multiple levels, but at the end of the day I think they're both just jealous of each other a bit... But if Lex has realized it and finally decided to fuck with Chloe's head, then he really could become Lionel. How much would that rule?
I still am curious which way Lionel would roll, though. It's been so long since we last saw him, it's hard to even guess. I imagine it may be one of those things that never even comes into play, but I would love it if it did. Because Lionel is interested in playing for Clark's side, but he still is in on 33.1 (whether for real, or in a spying capacity, who can guess?). Bringing Chloe into play could just be so awesome, because Lionel is so totally linked up into Clark, Lex, and Chloe's storylines in three entirely separate ways. I think Clark and Chloe's side would win out - combined attachment to Clark, and how I also suspect Lionel would not appreciate Lex messing with Chloe in the least. She sort of belongs to him, you know?
I also wonder at Lionel earlier this year, the whole IM IN UR OFFICE INVADING UR PERSONAL SPACE, LOL U R SO UN-PC MISS SULLIVAN scene at the Planet? He was the one who said "freak" was un-PC, and in that episode we started hearing "meteor infectants" as the PC term. Of course, that's so Chloe wouldn't be stamped with the "freak" label (even so, is "freak" something Chloe named the WoW people herself?) and we could call her something else less offensive. I just wonder, for him to even bring it up so deliberately, if he knew about Chloe already. We all know it's likely that she's the truthseeker from the prophecy, so do her potential powers play into it at all, and that's why Lionel might have known already what was coming?
I mean, I don't need any deeper meaning for a Chlionel scene at ALL, but it would be interesting if that was the case. Especially since we only had one Chlionel scene in S4, and...three in S5? But JG has only been in I think six episodes this season, and already he and Chloe have had three scenes together. I thought maybe they were just bringing the fanservice to make me happy, but maybe it's going to a deeper place besides, "LOL LOVING CHLIONEL MEANS YOU'RE ON THE FAST TRAIN TO HELL!"
(SHUT UP JOHN GLOVER SAID HE'S PLAYING IT THAT WAY SO THAT MEANS IT'S OKAY)
I was so mad last night; it took me forever to get to sleep, and then my roommate banged in late. I'm hoping she was drunk because at least that's an excuse, but she was being so fucking loud (slamming the door, her closet, everything, over and over again), I absolutely could not get to sleep properly until around two AM. Then I was so nervous I woke up on my own before seven. Not good. I fell asleep in Roddy-sensei's class, and he called on me while I was dozing off. *mourns*
Erica was so nice in cheering me on though!! She kept telling me how pretty I looked in my interview!outfit (blatant lie, I hated how I looked, I can't stand being that kind of dressy! I could barely walk in the stupid skirt I was wearing, I'm never wearing it again) and telling me I'd do great~~
I went over right after class, and had a tuna crepe near Kino while I waited, since I didn't want to show up over an hour early. Then I wandered down to the Peace Plaza and enjoyed the sun for a while, and then finally walked over to the hotel. I stood outside killing time for a bit, then Erica texted me to wish me luck again, and I texted her back. Then I finally went inside. It was all pretty much as expected; small room, former JETs answering questions as we watched a video, until I was finally called to meet with the panel.
My panel of three was incredibly nice. Nobody asked me stupid trivia questions, so I feel like a complete fucktard for spending the last month quizzing myself on population numbers and who was on which dollar bill and making sure I could sing the national anthem not totally off-key if asked to. None of it mattered. They didn't even ask me what was going on in Japan lately. So I think that's why I feel so relaxed over it and like I did really well, because my biggest fears were:
1) getting some kind of inane trivia question out of left field and freezing up
2) having to teach a mock lesson (oh hell noooo)
And I didn't get either one, so RELIEF. I didn't even get any questions about moral dilemmas or anything!
They asked me first to introduce myself, and I talked about where I was from, and my interest in Japan. Then they asked a bunch of other generalized questions: what would I want to teach about my own culture, what was my attitude towards classroom teaching, what was the hardest thing about living in Japan as a ryuugakusei...
I answered all of the questions as enthusiastically as possible, trying to make eye contact with everyone and keep a smile on my face the whole time. Around the halfway point, I realized I was shaking a little bit, but I kept smiling so I hope it wasn't noticable. I worked really hard not to look nervous.
Mostly I talked about my enthusiasm for the program, how I'd really enjoyed Japan the year before, my experiences regarding how living in another country means you get to break down stereotypes, how I got interested in Japan in the first place, and my experiences with great Japanese teachers who've encouraged me outside of class as well as in it.
The woman from the consulate said she wanted to ask me a few questions in Japanese, but I was so nervous I wasn't quite as awesome as I know I could have been. I didn't make any mistakes and I answered everything, but I mostly just gave short, one-or-two-sentence answers to her questions (though none were so very complex: "When did you go to Japan last?" "How long did you study at Jouchi?" "What experience from Japan stands out in your memory?" "Did you go on trips with your host family?").
Why I felt really good about it, though: the Japanese man on the panel was the one with my paperwork, and I think he glanced through and saw that my letter of recommendation was from Suda-sensei. He asked, "You're Suda-sensei's student?!" and then the woman from the consulate knew her too! Saying, "Suda-sensei is always helping us out! She's wonderful!"
I said, "Yes! She's so nice!" and told about how just the other day, I'd told her my interview was Friday, and she dropped everything she was carrying to hug me and say, "Ganbatte!!"
I added that she was amazing because she had always worked so hard to help me with the Consulate speech contest outside of class, and then...the man said, "Yes, I remember you from the speech contest." !!! I FEEL SPECIAL. I WAS REMEMBERED! So that made me feel really confident walking out, because to be remembered from the contest seemed like something that was a huge advantage for me. It wasn't just saying on paper, "Oh, I'm interested in Japan," but something totally concrete that the panel knew about!
So, yeah. I was really happy with myself while walking out. To the point that I'm not going to stress too much as I wait for April and the results. It feels really good knowing that I did my best!
And now, while I'm waiting for the new Hanadan to finish downloading, I give you picspam of another sort.
Seriously. I feel dirty just saying it myself.
So, Chloe?
Looking HOT at the bowling alley.
And Lana was...likeable?
And they were being total dorks with the camera, too. I loved that so much!
How many people were like, "Asian guy. In Smallville. Totally going to die before the hour's up"? I was rooting for him even so, though, I thought he was so cute!
PRETTY. RUN CHLOE RUN.
Who is this distinguished-looking man in the opening credits? He looks somewhat familiar, but I'm sure I haven't seen him on this show recently. But he's rather alluring, no? They should totally have him be, I don't know, a guest star from time to time or something...
Chloe ducking under his arm was a cute touch! I love how tiny she is compared to him~~~
I think Chloe's red coat should marry Tsukasa's red coat and they should have lots of little red coat children.
Also, the bowling alley is gorgeous.
I love Clark's expression at Dan the Man asking Chloe if he hooked up with her the night before. >D
I love Chloe's, "Uh, NO," expression even more!
I kinda like these two being saccarine when there's a creepy undertone through the episode. It works at those moments.
I REALLY love her outfit here.
And I love...
...this exchanged look, without saying anything.
If this had been a standard-par episode of SV where I just mock, mock, mock, then my favorite thing would have been how now Chloe is apparently no longer allowed to go outside to get a breath of fresh air without BOTH Lana and Lex's permission. "YOU WANTED TO BREATHE!!! HMMM, VERY SUSPICIOUS!!" *snort*
Chloe is a meteor freak, and so to commemorate the second plot twist evah in SV's history...Clark makes a facial expression. (Really, TW was great this episode, and has been all season long.)
I COULDN'T TAKE CAPS OF THE REST. :(
I noticed in this scene, Lex picked up his watch from the bedtable to put it on. Dare I dream this means he's occasionally sleeping in the same bedroom as Lana? I mean, the separate bedrooms thing just...weirds me out.
JIMMYYYYYY.
These three...I love them together, no matter the combination. I know fandom is still hating massively on Jimmy, whining that he "gets in the way" of Chlark. But I don't mind him being in the way. I mean, during scenes like this, Jimmy is just so totally open and exciteable and wearing his heart on his sleeve...
...but then you can see Chloe and Clark are having this other conversation just with their eyes. It's not like I need someone else to be there to know how close Chlark are, but I still enjoy seeing the proof like that.
Y HALO THAR LEX, you're looking quite evol-overlord this morning!
HE DID THE SARCASTIC SMILE. I love the Lex sarcastic smile! You never expect it when it comes, so it's always awesome! Has it been, what, like a year since we saw it last?
I love the switch from sarcastic but chill...
...to I WILL FUCK YOUR SHIT UP, in the space of a second.
SCARY.
And now the reason this picspam exists.
This?
This?
One of my favorite SV scenes, ever.
"I'm some kind of meteor freak. Aren't I."
"We don't know that. Chloe..."
As an aside...they need to curl that hair. Seriously. They shouldn't have ever cut it in the first place, because it was the best!hair!ever before they cut it. But I liked it okay in "Hydro," but here...not working.
But that's pretty much the only complaint I can make about this scene~
Poor Jimmy. :(
"I need you to x-ray me." !!!!!!
They both just BROUGHT IT. SO GOOD.
And POOR CLARK.
I think everyone and their dog has already remarked on how ridiculously subtext-laden this entire scene was. Suffice to say: it was hot, okay? They were two
OH FUCKING OW
Again, I just really love the three of them all together.
Also, in all seriousness, of all of the people in SV I'd feel positive wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger...it would be Lana, yo. C'mon, she's killed more often than anyone else on this show!
I loved how pretty this scene was, lit by all of the police cars! I thought KK did a better-than-usual job this week, too.
I really enjoy Lex being so purposefully duplicitous. All through the season, they've overdosed on the Lexana while going light on the evol, and when they did go heavy on the evol they went light on the Lexana, when the combination of the two as used in this episode made him so much more effectively chilling.
OH, AND I'M STILL LAUGHING OVER THIS.
HI OTHER REASON FOR THIS PICSPAM
I really love this whole storyline. I know my own opinions in SV fandom usually go against the grain, but I'm mystified at how this is kinda going over like a lead balloon. I think this is such a fantastic storyline for Chloe, and it's going to be so wonderful for Chlark. And I was really just starting to get sad over how underused Chloe has been of late, so a storyline bringing her front and center makes me so, so happy.
At the same time...as much as I'm loving it...WHEN CHLOE IS SAD, I AM SAD.
THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART. How he reached for her, and her tear fell right on his hand. I AM SUCH A SAP FOR THESE TWO I KNOW BUT I CAN'T SHUT UP AHHHH
Meanwhiiiiiile....
Oh, Lex. They should have had him mess with Chloe sooner. People would have bought into his turn to the Drak Side so much more easily, because nobody forgives anyone for messing with Chloe. I know after seeing him watching it so chillingly, it was pretty much the most effective moment for Lex's evol I've seen over the span of the past few years.
I mean, it wasn't evol.
It was EEEEEEEEEVIIIIIIIL.
In conclusion: FUCK, YEAH.
Here's my question: when everything goes to hell between those two, whose side would Lionel come down on? Lionel knew the path to Clark was through Chloe years ago. I'm not entirely sure Lex has actually put that piece into place, yet: he and Chloe both have complex baggage on multiple levels, but at the end of the day I think they're both just jealous of each other a bit... But if Lex has realized it and finally decided to fuck with Chloe's head, then he really could become Lionel. How much would that rule?
I still am curious which way Lionel would roll, though. It's been so long since we last saw him, it's hard to even guess. I imagine it may be one of those things that never even comes into play, but I would love it if it did. Because Lionel is interested in playing for Clark's side, but he still is in on 33.1 (whether for real, or in a spying capacity, who can guess?). Bringing Chloe into play could just be so awesome, because Lionel is so totally linked up into Clark, Lex, and Chloe's storylines in three entirely separate ways. I think Clark and Chloe's side would win out - combined attachment to Clark, and how I also suspect Lionel would not appreciate Lex messing with Chloe in the least. She sort of belongs to him, you know?
I also wonder at Lionel earlier this year, the whole IM IN UR OFFICE INVADING UR PERSONAL SPACE, LOL U R SO UN-PC MISS SULLIVAN scene at the Planet? He was the one who said "freak" was un-PC, and in that episode we started hearing "meteor infectants" as the PC term. Of course, that's so Chloe wouldn't be stamped with the "freak" label (even so, is "freak" something Chloe named the WoW people herself?) and we could call her something else less offensive. I just wonder, for him to even bring it up so deliberately, if he knew about Chloe already. We all know it's likely that she's the truthseeker from the prophecy, so do her potential powers play into it at all, and that's why Lionel might have known already what was coming?
I mean, I don't need any deeper meaning for a Chlionel scene at ALL, but it would be interesting if that was the case. Especially since we only had one Chlionel scene in S4, and...three in S5? But JG has only been in I think six episodes this season, and already he and Chloe have had three scenes together. I thought maybe they were just bringing the fanservice to make me happy, but maybe it's going to a deeper place besides, "LOL LOVING CHLIONEL MEANS YOU'RE ON THE FAST TRAIN TO HELL!"
(SHUT UP JOHN GLOVER SAID HE'S PLAYING IT THAT WAY SO THAT MEANS IT'S OKAY)
