A (Wonderful) Christmas Tale - January 4, 2008
First off, Happy New Year's everyone! Hope you had a fun and safe holiday season.
Next, I'll get to the point - I am now currently engaged.
After waking up a bit late, we both went out to Arashiyama and took a walk around the Tenryuji temple. For dinner, I took her to a very high-class teppanyaki restaurant on the 17th floor of a fancy hotel overlooking Kyoto city. By this point, she said it was already the best Christmas she'd ever had. I told her I wasn't done yet.
The last part of my plan took us to Kyoto Station. The large sprawling station features romantic lights and a huge Christmas tree. You can also go up to the 11th floor of the station where there's a sky garden overlooking the city. Originally, I'd planned to do it there, but the day was kind of overcast, and then actually looking at it, you kind of come to realize that from an aerial view, Kyoto isn't that pretty. We both went down to the steps near the base of the tree and exchanged our presents. After receiving her gift, I did my proposal. ...Which she actually didn't answer immediately, as she became a crying mess as she marveled over the ring.
With the cat out of the bag, I began to explain all of my "suspicious" behaviors over the past few months. She was shocked, truthfully so. Regarding the oranges and Mister Donuts, she said "I'd thought that you had the same taste in donuts as my mom...but I figured that was just coincidence! I was going to buy you some donuts too!" She phoned her mom, who revealed that she'd been in on in the plan since November. "Okay, now a lot more things make sense now!" she marveled, referring to a phone call she'd made earlier that weekend.
Y'see, the proposal almost didn't happen.
Okay, I'm over-dramatizing it a bit, but going into Christmas Eve weekend...well, we started things off with a fight. Chalk it up to bad cosmic timing or whatever, but the girlfriend was PMS'ing HARD going into that weekend. I think I've mentioned it before, but her PMS is pretty much the Devil Trigger Bitch From Hell mode. My girlfriend on PMS could never be a Disney villain, because she would frighten children. The next time Jack Bauer needs vital information from a stubborn terrorist, he should just lock the terrorist in a room with my PMS'ing girlfriend for 5 minutes.
So Friday night, I was out late and didn't properly communicate with her. Yes, that's my mistake. I came home and apologized for my mistake. And, under normal circumstances, she would accept my apology and all would be well. But while Devil Trigger'd, my apology only served to further piss her off. I told her I was wrong and I didn't want to fight, and it was like I'd punched her directly in the face. Realizing that I could literally do no right, I decided to spend the night on the couch, playing Devil May Cry 3 until I fell asleep - at least this was one Devil Trigger that worked for me, not against.
The following Saturday I had to go to work. Yes, that wasn't a typo - I did in fact type "Saturday" and "work" in the same sentence. Ah, the glory days of JET. When work ended at 4:15, and the only weekend work was sports day. When, while even at work, you could slip off to the gym for a nap and nobody would notice. When you got paid too much for working too little. Ah, those were the good 'ol days.
Anyway, I was at work on Saturday, but I planned on going to dinner with my girlfriend in Kobe afterwards. The plan was that I would wrap up around 3PM, she'd meet me in Osaka, and we'd go from there. That was the plan; however, by 3 I wasn't finished with work. And it wasn't something I could have blown off to Monday, no. It was something I honestly should have finished by Friday. I called my girlfriend and tried to explain this, but with her already steaming over Friday's events, it was only like throwing a nice, greasy meatball sandwich into an open fire. When I finally did meet up with her, around 6PM...let me put it this way - if looks could kill, every negro that ever existed would be dead, right down to Kunta Kinte. Shit you not.
Frederick: You know 'ol fellow, I just had the strangest thought.
Steven: Whatever could it be?
Frederick: I just dreamed of a race of people with chocolate-mahogany skin, large eyes, thick, curly hair, and are unusually good at athletics.
Steven: My, what a fascinating daydream! However did you come up with that idea?
Frederick: It's like, they once existed in a universe not uncommon to our own, but in a sudden moment of pure, unrivaled evil they were blinked right out of existence.
Steven: Dearest Frederick, you do have quite the frightful imagination. Perhaps you should lay off the opium for awhile?
Frederick: Heavens to betsy no!
Anyway, I didn't really feel like going to dinner with her like that...much less proposing to her two days later. In a state of semi-panic, I emailed her Mom for help - the Mom had said that if I ever needed anything, never hesitate to call upon her for advice. And if this wasn't a time to raise my Sword of Omens in the air and exclaim "HOOOOOOOOOOOO!", then I simply don't know what is. Ironically, I had just finished sending my email when my girlfriend picked up her phone to complain to her Mom about what a terrible boyfriend I am.
Now, I'm not sure what exactly the Mom said to my girlfriend...but imagine, you know that your daughter is about to get proposed to in two days, then you get an email from her fiance-to-be begging you for help, and then not even 5 seconds later your daughter calls to complain that her boyfriend is breathing in a manner she doesn't approve of. Whatever she said, I'm sure it was nothing short of EPIC. The girlfriend calms down considerably, we work things out, and the rest of the night goes smoothly. ...Well, there was a rain and wind storm in Kobe, so things went as smoothly as they can go with God trying to blow you right off the face of the planet.
I was worried about the weather for the actual proposal day, but although it stayed overcast, it didn't rain on my parade. If nothing else, it was a relief to get it off my chest, and explain away all the little behaviors that she could only see as suspicious over the past two months. I have to say, I've never seen any human being as happy as my girlfriend was when I dropped to one knee, brought out the ring, and popped the question. That alone lets me know that I've made the right decision.
Of course, now, girlfriend has flipped into 100% MARRIAGE MODE. You may remember something I said in the "Show Me The Honey" editorial, which marks my first date with this girl (and ironically enough, my students prediction of our marriage)....
Note to all you potential male Japanophiles out there - marriage is a big deal to a lot of Japanese women, and as such a lot of them tend to move kinda fast. I mean breakneck speed, GO SPEED RACER GO!! fast. Be careful.
She'd been doing fairly well with the whole M-business, up until the proposal. After that point, the shit was on. Like, we'd transcended warp speed and even LUDICROUS SPEED and jumped straight into "Superman Done Broke Physics" speeds. Like, when Superman decided to reverse time just by flying around the Earth in the opposite direction a bajillion times really fast. In my mind, I'd been planning for a moderate engagement - nothing too long of course, perhaps a year or two. In her mind, we were already married. I'm not entirely sure she didn't warp around the Earth a few times and make sure that we were married not long after birth.
At any rate, on the way home she picked up a marriage magazine, and plans for the wedding are already in progress. She originally wanted to have the wedding in May - but May is just 5 short months away, and I most certainly don't have the money for a marriage in May. I negotiated her down to September - still not quite sure where I'm going to come up with several thousand dollars for a wedding (even just a simple, inexpensive one), but at least I have time now.
So, yeah, sorry to have kept you all waiting, I'm sure there were quite a few people interested in the result. But I am now currently engaged, with a wedding scheduled for September (tentatively). What joys and horrors of married life await me? She she force me to get rid of all my Transformers toys...er...I mean, collectible figurines? Will my raging hormones go unchecked for prolonged periods of time? Will I again return to ranting about the Japanese school system...but this time from the eyes of a parent! Stay tuned next time, same Gaijin time, same Gaijin channel.
As you may have read over at Outpost Nine, I'm not exactly the richest guy around at the moment. And now I've got a wedding to plan for! My entries have always been and will always be free to those who want to read them, but if you may feel inclined to donate some holiday cheer, I would appreciate it very, very, very much.
Head over to Outpost Nine for more information on donations.
Absolutely nothing is required or expected.
Posted by gaijin at 3:50 AM
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Comments
Sounds great :) I'm happy that I turned out that good even though it looked bad at first..
I wish you all the best luck with the marriage and keep posting the progress ^^
Posted by: Manuel at January 4, 2008 05:27 AM
Uh oh, am I the first? =o
Congrats, man!
Posted by: Jen Aside at January 4, 2008 06:02 AM
Oh, I see how commenting works now ^^
Again, congrats!
Posted by: Jen Aside at January 4, 2008 06:03 AM
woot. first post. finally. the world seems to be against the union but what the hey. love conquers all. anyway. good luck on the marriage and in the belt-tightening. hope your neck won't break off because of the go-speed-racer-go pace of the fiance's brain when in marriage high lol.
Posted by: arc at January 4, 2008 06:05 AM
Hey, Congratulations Az, Hopefully this will be a winner of a lady & everything will be smooth
But i think God still has you on his "comedy" channel & you may still have some interesting situations yet... :P
Posted by: James at January 4, 2008 06:05 AM
So, this is the end of your sex-life, huh!? Well, congrats from a long-time lurker.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 06:08 AM
おめでとうございます！
lol...your transformers sentence is all stuttered up. Don't try to say it's stylized like that, I know you were really torn up inside.
Hey...are you going to play September Rain at the wedding? And is this going to make you a Japanese? You might have to get a new domain name.
Posted by: louis at January 4, 2008 06:15 AM
The progression of your adventures from Outpost Nine to Gaijin Smash to getting married have been more interesting than any movie I've seen in the past few years. Thanks for all the good editorials and good luck with the wedding.
Posted by: Boris Jackson at January 4, 2008 06:17 AM
As a long term avid reader of your blog let me be the first to say,
CONGRATULATIONS!
Now you're engaged the crazy is almost guaranteed to go off the scale!
Tony - London, UK
Posted by: Tony at January 4, 2008 06:19 AM
Congratulations!
Glad to hear everything worked out as planned. But I still wonder what the mom did say to her :-)
So are you going to marry in Japan or the US?
Posted by: Tobi at January 4, 2008 06:21 AM
Nice.. Just, Nice
Posted by: Kyle E at January 4, 2008 06:21 AM
Congratulations Az! I'm really happy for both you and the lucky lady. In best Star Trek geek traditions, may you both "Live Long and Prosper!"
PS. I wouldn't worry about the whole marriage thing. Just think 'honeymoon'. You'll be fine :D
Posted by: Matt at January 4, 2008 06:24 AM
:) firstz? Good luckz mang.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 06:32 AM
CONGRATS!! I am so happy for you. You werent kidding when she couldnt connect the donuts and oranges =]
Posted by: Mel at January 4, 2008 06:37 AM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Rob at January 4, 2008 06:47 AM
Congrats on the engagement! Now...you will start to call your girlfriend your fiance..right? :) Or perhaps it just hasn't quite sunk in yet.
Looking forward to hearing more from you (especially other people's reactions to your engagement-that'll be plenty to right about).
Posted by: SLD at January 4, 2008 06:47 AM
omedetougozaimasu Az-san :)
Posted by: asd at January 4, 2008 06:49 AM
It's traditional in America at least that the bride's father (or more generally her family) pays for the wedding. Is this not the case in Japan?
Since apparently you're going to be up to your ass in wedding preparations anyway (and you have my sympathy and pity on that front, there's nothing more frightening than a woman about to be married) why not regale us a bit with the differences between Japanese and western weddings?
Also, Congratulations on having such a great future mother-in-law. a woman who likes you and can apparently perform miracles over the phone? I'd say you really lucked out there.
Posted by: Stratagemini at January 4, 2008 07:00 AM
Sounds great :) I'm happy that I turned out that good even though it looked bad at first..
I wish you all the best luck with the marriage and keep posting the progress ^^
Posted by: Manuel at January 4, 2008 07:00 AM
Dude... :-D
Posted by: Richard at January 4, 2008 07:05 AM
Is that your first SpaceBalls reference?
Good for you about the outcome. I figured as much.
Posted by: Ian Suttle at January 4, 2008 07:16 AM
"LUDICROUS SPEED? I don't think this relationship
can take it!"
"What's the matter, Colonel Sandurz? *CHICKEN*?"
(And, with the collectibles thing:)
"No, sir -- I didn't see you playing with your
dolls again!"
Congrats. :)
Posted by: CF at January 4, 2008 07:17 AM
Congratulations!
Posted by: lte at January 4, 2008 07:21 AM
Hey good job! But you know we readers will really love some pictures... like a pic of your ring maybe :)
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 07:21 AM
Many congrats Az! :)
Hooray for (future) mothers-in-law... I know they get a bad rap quite a lot, but this time it's super Mom to the rescue. I can only hope that my engagement goes a little less dramatic than that heh.
Out of interest, what's the general principle of custom and organising for the wedding in Japan? I take it then the bride's parents are not obliged to fork out for it? Oh and any chance of a picture of the ring? ;)
Posted by: Mayhem at January 4, 2008 07:29 AM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Saben at January 4, 2008 07:30 AM
I'm curious to know if either of you are having a Japanese style wedding or a Christian style (where you swear before God, blah blah blah sacred this and that) wedding.
Congratulations.
Slow is smooth.
Posted by: Eric of Oregon at January 4, 2008 07:42 AM
I guess I'm the first one to say it- OMEDETO! That's great news! I kept wondering how it would all turn out ever since I got back from my Christmas leave a few days ago! Even though things got kinda rough, it must be a great feeling to have made her so happy after all the craziness.
I would love to contribute to the marriage fund, but alas, I am currently contributing large amounts of money to my "get your own apartment in Japan fund" so I'm a bit short myself.... But congratulations with everything and good luck in the future!
Posted by: gaijin_22467 at January 4, 2008 07:48 AM
Congratulations Az!
I've always found international relationships extremely romantic so I feel super glad for you. Happy new year and good luck for the future! Looking forward to more stories from you!
Posted by: Angelfish at January 4, 2008 07:52 AM
Congratulations, man! On both the engagement and the fact that your future mother-in-law appears to be far from the stereotype, such women are a real treasure at times. Wish my own Christmas-time engagement proposal had gone just as well... Anyway, better start building a secret cache for those "collectible figurines" of yours :-)
Posted by: Marecki at January 4, 2008 07:53 AM
Congratulations Az!
Posted by: Design at January 4, 2008 08:09 AM
=O
Congratulations!
Let your marriage life be exactly how you would wish it to be :)
That is she doesn't "transform"(er) into super bitchy obaasan xD
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 08:11 AM
congradulations... :-)
having been married three times myself, I suggest you learn this word and all of it's various forms: "patience"...
good luck to both of you...
(btw, marriage can be quite rewarding as well as challenging)
Posted by: spinkick at January 4, 2008 08:14 AM
Congrats Az, wish you guys the best!
Posted by: Chaos at January 4, 2008 08:19 AM
Congratulations my friend. I have been a long time reader and I hope everything goes well for you. Also you will be sure to have some help from me at least on the wedding finances, it may not be much but I am more than happy to help.
Looking forward to more stories,
Sincerely
John
Posted by: Johnathon Ender at January 4, 2008 08:45 AM
hey! ive been waiting for ur new entry for ages! first comment!
hope your marriage goes well! MUHAHAHA
just imagine u coming home one day to find a surprise marriage set up by ur girlfriend lol
Posted by: BoB at January 4, 2008 08:56 AM
You were starting your journey with kids puting theirs fingers up into your ass and now... who would thought :)
My congratulations Az. I'm happy with you :)
Posted by: crackers at January 4, 2008 09:06 AM
Wow, huge congrats! Wish I had more than a lump of coal to share--to be correct, I didn't even get THAT, but whatever. I extend the offer again, now including your bride-to-be, if you guys find yourselves in HI., I'll be happy to get the first few rounds of cocktails (although now they pro'ly won't be in a titty bar)
Posted by: Porter at January 4, 2008 09:11 AM
Happy new year to you too AZ, I've been following your adventures since a few months now and your posts are always fun to read, very informative about japanese people/culture. Also, congratulations for your engagement. And, I'd like to add for the rest, ganbatte, you'll make it for the wedding ;)
Posted by: Soka at January 4, 2008 09:11 AM
FIRST! CONGRATS! I knew it was gonna happen anyway :p
So the punk kids really did have a point :p
Posted by: Victor at January 4, 2008 09:21 AM
FIRST! CONGRATS! I knew it was gonna happen anyway :p
So the punk kids really did have a point :p
Posted by: Victor at January 4, 2008 09:21 AM
Awesome stuff! I've nominated you for best asian blog on http://2008.bloggies.com/ . I encourage other readers to do so as well!
Posted by: Nathan at January 4, 2008 09:28 AM
Yay Az!!!! Congrats man. And i got to keep my toys....action figures when i married.
Posted by: kenny at January 4, 2008 09:40 AM
http://blogd.com/wp/index.php/archives/3174
You are not alone in facing crying mess :)
Posted by: Leszek Cyfer at January 4, 2008 09:40 AM
Well allow me to express my congratulations, along with the wish of a long lived and prosperous 2008 (though with the wedding...yikes, that's gonna set you back some)
Posted by: Thauglorim at January 4, 2008 10:00 AM
Congrats man! And yes...you probably will start ranting about the great education system...who knows, maybe you're just the guy (gaijin?) to change it for the better!!!....ok, one step at a time. Gonna have to work extra extra to pay for the wedding, huh? Sucks.... :) Best of luck though! By the way...does the TypeKey thing work? Cuz I tried and it keeps saying this site doesn't support it
Posted by: Ed at January 4, 2008 10:01 AM
Proud for you azrael, finally one with positive language....lol..he he
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 10:17 AM
yay!
congrats dude!!you're my hero!
Posted by: cactusa at January 4, 2008 10:24 AM
A much better Christmas tale than your previous one! I'm so happy for you! For all the bad that's happened with your previous relationship, your time has finally come around. It always does. Congratulations!
P.S. - Why is a wedding in May so much more expensive than any other time?
Posted by: Tangent at January 4, 2008 10:32 AM
I think you already know this pretty well, but let me share some advice one friend of mine gave another:
"This is not the woman you started dating. This is now a woman planning a wedding. Do not, for any reason, attempt to reason with this person. She is completely immune to logic."
Good job, sir.
Posted by: Mac at January 4, 2008 10:42 AM
omg i'm first
Posted by: Evan at January 4, 2008 10:43 AM
Hello there! I've been following all of your editorials, specially these last ones, and I have to admit that the suspense was enormous... Besides, I wanted to say this since some time ago... CONGRATULATIONS!!! I hope and wish your the best of the best! XD
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 10:52 AM
Congrats, Az!
Posted by: katre at January 4, 2008 10:54 AM
Grats Az! I hope you can keep your Transformers euh... collectables :). If i could, i'd send you some cash, but since im only 16, Dutch and my paypal nagging at me for dumping too little amounts of money, i'm kind of having my hands tied :(. If you still write in about four years, i'll be sure to send some cash your way. Good luck with Mrs. Az, and all the best to you. Happy New Year!
Posted by: Aerox at January 4, 2008 10:59 AM
congratulations
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 11:04 AM
OMG Congrats Az!!!! Knew (and prayed) everything'd turn out ok :)
Posted by: Alex at January 4, 2008 11:05 AM
Congratulations, Az! Been reading since the first Japanese Teacher article, and I think it's wonderful that you found someone to spend the rest of your life with.
Posted by: Anon-y-mous at January 4, 2008 11:19 AM
Been a long time fan of your editorials!
I must say a big CONGRATULATIONS for your engagement!
Posted by: Kyosuke at January 4, 2008 11:22 AM
Geez, it seems I'll be the first one to reply :)
Congrats, mate.
I've been reading (and loving!) your stories for almost two years, so it's really nice reading such good news. Carpe diem, Az, don't worry about the future ;) From your posts, I've got the feeling she's an angel.
PS: "force me to get rid of all my Transformers toys...er...I mean, collectible figurines?" lol
Posted by: Luis at January 4, 2008 11:26 AM
Congrats!
Posted by: EB at January 4, 2008 11:38 AM
Yay first comment~!
I've been reading your blog for a while now but never commented and I just wanted to say congratulations. I hope you and your fiance are happy together :)
I'll look forward to your next post
Posted by: laura at January 4, 2008 11:42 AM
Heh - first...
Congratz Az, to both you and your lady. Everything is bound to work out fantastic =)
And happy New Year!
Posted by: Stig at January 4, 2008 11:45 AM
Congrats on the successful proposal and a Happy New Year, Az.
Posted by: Tadashi at January 4, 2008 11:58 AM
FELICITACIONES AZ!!!!
here's to a great 2008, and may you and the future missus have a happy and wonderful life, from all your fans here in ecuador
PS: hopefully we'll get some new editorials, now that you think about it, you would return to the japanese school system, now as a parent; maybe you can infiltrate the almighty PTA and change it frm the inside, just a thought
again, congratulations az
Posted by: Andres0082 at January 4, 2008 12:10 PM
Congrats!
I've been a reader since the Outpost Nine days so this is pretty cool.
Quite a step from the days when you claimed you were "quitting women."
Posted by: Yitzy at January 4, 2008 12:15 PM
Az-
Congrats! My wife and I are both very happy for you. As a recently married man myself, I have a good idea what you're in for. My suggestion - Don't expect to have a whole lot of input with the wedding plans, though maybe you can swing it to get married in the Church of Optimus? (http://www.zestuff.com/tshirts/8bit/22/)
=)
-Drew
Posted by: Drew at January 4, 2008 12:41 PM
Az,
I hope you eventually get around to writing about the MAJOR differences there are in the actual wedding between the West and Japan...
Like the fact that the guests (cash gifts only - none of this registered at crap and cheap ass gifts) really pay for the wedding, and that there is really no work involved in planning the wedding, as it's all done by the wedding company.
My wife and I had our wedding in Saga and we didn't have to do anything other than figure out who we wanted to invite.
Gambatte, ne!
Posted by: theFlipImage at January 4, 2008 12:46 PM
Congrats!
I'm glad you found someone. :)
Posted by: chaosrainz at January 4, 2008 01:43 PM
Thanks to everyone for the well wishes! I am Az's fiancee.
There have been people reading Az's work even before we met - and sometimes you read about us and think "Wow, that's pretty interesting!" Thank you for your support.
I'm really happy to have met Az. I hope, by reading these entries, you've gotten a taste for the real Japan, and maybe even come to think that Japan is an interesting place.
Thanks for reading! I hope Az keeps writing and I hope you all keep reading too!
Posted by: Miki at January 4, 2008 01:49 PM
Congratulations on getting engaged :) Your life is really a fun story to read, but I actually hoped you hooked up with Ms. Nurse or Americanized, and something like a manga love triangle fiasco to happen. :( Ah, I guess life can't be one big manga of live triangles and stuff, huh? But getting engaged is better, nonetheless! :D
Posted by: Linda at January 4, 2008 02:03 PM
Hooray and congratulations! Nicely done, Az, nicely done.
Posted by: Cloudy at January 4, 2008 02:32 PM
Wonderful girlfriend + Miracle mom = happy life
Congratulations Az!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 02:36 PM
Nice job, man.
"Will I again return to ranting about the Japanese school system...but this time from the eyes of a parent!"
GO GO GO GO GO GO GO! DO IT!
Posted by: Neil at January 4, 2008 02:37 PM
I've been following your editorials from ever 2 years ago and its hard to believe we've come down to this point, it's amazing, congratulations!
I would love to donate for the wedding fund, but I lack internet monies. :[
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 03:28 PM
Congratz Az! I knew it would work out. Good luck with the wedding.
Posted by: Albert at January 4, 2008 03:31 PM
XD I squealed when I finally saw your new post. I swear, I've never met you, but I've become as fond of you as any penpal. Congratulations. But, don't forget about us loyal fans. D; We want to feel included.
Posted by: Jen at January 4, 2008 03:49 PM
Congratulations Azrael and the to-be Mrs. Azrael! Hope you have a long happy life together.
Now, while it is probably a little premature, I want you to start making as many babies as possible. Everyone knows that inter-racial babies are the cutest, and grow up to be the best looking. So do the world a favour and get on it. Create an army of mixed-race babies and use their cuteness to take over the world.
But in all seriousness, good luck with everything that 2008 will bring, including those marriage plans and a marriage-crazy fiance. Keep all of us readers at GS.net updated as things go crazy over in Japan!
Posted by: Kapuran at January 4, 2008 03:51 PM
Financing the wedding might be your last great gaijin smash. If you find yourself in over your head about May and you know you won't be able to do it, SMASH your way through. "What? I'm supposed to pay? In America, the bride's family pays! I can't do this! I guess I have to go back to America and find an American woman with a family that will pay for the wedding..."
Posted by: Phelps at January 4, 2008 04:05 PM
I believe Az has won the Internet. But I'm not entirely sure yet. He has to prove it somehow.
PIX pl0X
Posted by: Pseudopadoz at January 4, 2008 04:11 PM
for the post from "az's fiancee": His fiancee doesn't speak English at all. We learn this a few blogs ago.
(Az's Note: It's her. I translated for her.)
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 04:28 PM
congrats man, hope all the best for the two of you. ill try and send a bit of coin your way for the wedding. congrats again. keep the stories coming.
Posted by: Justin at January 4, 2008 04:35 PM
Dude, I got impatient to hear if you went through with it or not so I decided to check your forum and within five minutes I had 2 viruses and a shit load of Trojans stomping a round my computer.
And I don't mean the STDs and condoms.
But congratulations anyway.
Posted by: Moon Minamino at January 4, 2008 04:52 PM
Man I'm glad things are going well for you dude; a happy new year and congratulations to the both of you! I eagerly look towards the future for you guys, may it be filled with great and interesting moments.
Posted by: Dave D. at January 4, 2008 04:54 PM
Congratulations, Az. It's been a long time since the day I stumbled across the site and stayed up until dawn reading your articles, enjoying your near constant misery, but it's nice to hear that you finally found someone that doesn't drive you crazy.
Posted by: Bissrok at January 4, 2008 05:07 PM
Congratulations! Hope you have a wonderful marriage. and Happy New Year
Posted by: Quoc at January 4, 2008 05:14 PM
Az I thought you said the girl doesn't read the blog? The cat's out of the bag now! Anyways, the ultimate irony is to have your kid enroll in the Japanese school system and turn out to be the next Watson or something, harrassing a future generation of JET.
Posted by: Ben at January 4, 2008 05:29 PM
Congratulations and thank you for sharing such a big part of your life with us! Reading this totally put such a big smile on my face this morning.
Posted by: Isa at January 4, 2008 05:40 PM
All I can say is good luck. You're a brave sombitch, Az.
Posted by: Ace at January 4, 2008 05:50 PM
whats that last post by Miki?!!!
az??? is that an impersonator???? you said she
couldn't speak english... AZ??? was
that really her???
(Az's Note: Yep, that's her.)
Posted by: The hyena at January 4, 2008 06:22 PM
congrats!
Posted by: Kei at January 4, 2008 06:56 PM
I once knew a guy who was married in september. He died. Killed by Beowulf while watching TMNT. Do you know what his name was?...Azrael
Posted by: rubbav1 at January 4, 2008 08:07 PM
Congratulations :D
Posted by: Jordan W. at January 4, 2008 08:28 PM
Yeah Boy! Best of luck man!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 4, 2008 08:31 PM
Well, rock on! And it's nice to see the young lady in question posting here. Congrats to both of you!
Posted by: Patrick at January 4, 2008 09:18 PM
Congratulations Az! =)
Posted by: qutar at January 4, 2008 09:34 PM
Yaaayyyy!!!! Congratulations, Az! I'm so happy for you both, and want to tell you how awesome it is that you understood your fiance was simply out of her mind with PMS in the days before the proposal, and didn't let that discourage you from moving forward. I honestly thought this PMS glitch might happen, because it was about the same time in November when your breathing ticked her off so badly. I kept that to myself, because I didn't want to freak you out.
Now that you're on the road to wedded bliss, please allow me to pass on a word of advice I have heard passed from married brother to engaged brother, and from older to younger men:
Always get the last two words in every argument - "Yes, dear."
Seriously, I think it's awesome how things went, and I hope that everything comes together without a hitch (not even the traditionally humongous "OMG DID WE REALLY SPEND THAT MUCH" wedding debt). Just remember to keep us posted with all the details, because some of your fans (particularly in the feminine category - and me in particular) absolutely LOVE the wedding/romantic type of stuff.
BTW to theFlipImage; they have that sort of thing here in America too. It's called a wedding planner, and is usually pretty expensive. Unless I am completely misunderstanding, it sounds like that's the route you went when you married, but wow! What a stress reliever!
Posted by: Justanothermom at January 4, 2008 09:59 PM
Congratulations on your engagement. May you have many happy years together (and may you enjoy writing about the crazy things that happen).
Posted by: -h. at January 4, 2008 10:24 PM
Congratulations on your engagement. May you have many happy years together (and may you enjoy writing about the crazy things that happen).
Posted by: -h. at January 4, 2008 10:24 PM
god dayum i had 5 bucks on her saying "i'm sorry but it won't work out between us... i only loved you for your big long penis. I hope we still can be friends.. and maybe a lil more" but congrats man i'm glad everything worked out for you. get her pregnant soon i hope to read about lil azraels :D
Posted by: hjwong at January 4, 2008 10:29 PM
Excellent! COngratulations. You broke into the culture!
Posted by: Brad at January 4, 2008 11:26 PM
Congratulations!!!! I've been with you since Outpost 9...
But, SHIT. I feel like I just watched the most awesome movie in the world and this is the end. Happy ending, yes. But damn, this feels like the end. There will be more, right? RIGHT?!
But, geez, such a heart warming story. 0_o Do you ever fail to deliver a smile? You need your own show...
Posted by: Serge at January 4, 2008 11:57 PM
We had to wait a little while to hear how it all went, but luckily we weren't disappointed!
Congratulations, and wishing you all the best!
Posted by: Catherine at January 5, 2008 12:02 AM
AWWWW!!!
That's awesome!
Congrats dude!!!
Have fun trying to keep up with your soon-to-be-wife! lol!
Posted by: Dory at January 5, 2008 12:03 AM
Now you just need to remember to invite Yuki to the wedding :).
P.S. - You really need to get the comments links fixed on gaijinsmash.net. They shorten the titles down to 15 characters for the URLs, resulting in 404 errors. Most readers won't know how to get around it.
Posted by: Sven Viking at January 5, 2008 12:33 AM
Congratulations Az!!
Posted by: Mukund at January 5, 2008 02:33 AM
wow, congratulations.
but you know what comes after the wedding right? babies. and if you think your wife-to-be can be crazy now, just wait until she's got a bun in the oven. believe me, a pregnant woman is not to be messed with. don't even test out how far you can push it, it's not worth the risk :P
also, it's probably a good idea to start hiding some of those transformers in some storage boxes, just in case.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 5, 2008 03:13 AM
WOOO! I was getting nervous that something BAD happened! Grats! I'm happy that at least someone's life has been going in a good direction lately. You'd figure more nice stuff like this would happen during the holiday season.
Posted by: Shamie at January 5, 2008 03:15 AM
Now that you're getting engaged, are you going to invite those school girls who asked you to invite them to the wedding when you got married?
Posted by: Lauren at January 5, 2008 03:18 AM
"And is this going to make you a Japanese? You might have to get a new domain name.
Posted by: louis at January 4, 2008 06:15 AM"
Nope. He'd still be considered a 'gaijin' by most others for not having been born there. His kids would be half-gaijin under the same line of thought.
It's the homogeneous nature of the beast, sadly.
..........
I'm digressing though XD. Congratulations and a Happy New Year, to you and your lady ^^. Glad to hear it worked out in the end.
Posted by: Prodigal Priest at January 5, 2008 05:21 AM
"And is this going to make you a Japanese? You might have to get a new domain name.
Posted by: louis at January 4, 2008 06:15 AM"
Nope. He'd still be considered a 'gaijin' by most others for not having been born there. His kids would be half-gaijin under the same line of thought.
It's the homogeneous nature of the beast, sadly.
..........
I'm digressing though XD. Congratulations and a Happy New Year, to you and your lady ^^. Glad to hear it worked out in the end.
Posted by: Prodigal Priest at January 5, 2008 05:36 AM
Whoah whoah whoah, be careful with that talk of kids. Remember, there's little danger now, but your kids will be half Japanese. Which means that any relationship they get into will also move uber-fast. You could have a married kid not 20 years from now if you're not careful.
And as we all know, a grandchild is the final step in the Summoning Ritual that all Superhuman Obasan are created in. You be careful, Az!
Congratulations, and all that junk. :3
Posted by: Shinkada at January 5, 2008 07:00 AM
Finally! I was hoping that this would go well for you, considering the last post you made... There really isn't much to say other than congrats, I will raise a glass in a toaste to you and say Slainte next chance I get! (She's a lucky woman, and I hope she realizes this!)
Posted by: NightShadows at January 5, 2008 08:58 AM
Congrats man.
Posted by: Bryan at January 5, 2008 09:01 AM
CONGRATULATIONS!! I'm really really happy for you and your fiancee. Best wishes :)
Posted by: Mel at January 5, 2008 03:03 PM
I've been reading these editorials forever and never particularly felt the need to comment until now, but congratulations!!
Posted by: Kari at January 5, 2008 03:14 PM
Congratulations Az and the soon-to-be Mrs. Az! I wish you both the best in your upcoming nuptials.
Az, have you told your parents yet about your engagement? Will they be able to travel to the wedding, or might you hold a separate reception in the U.S. at some point in the future?
Posted by: Michelle at January 5, 2008 04:04 PM
Hey Az, Long time reader, first time poster, but i'm sure you've heard that plenty a time before. I really wanted my first post to be something more lengthy explaining how much your blog is the bomb and all, and how I might end up in the same situation (except i'm skinny and black - probably can't SMASH as well as you, heh). However, I can't miss this opportunity to say congrats on your engagement.
おめでとうございます！
～トニ
Posted by: ToniShinobi at January 5, 2008 04:56 PM
So every time I post a comment it decides to change the wording.
Posted by: Moon Minamino at January 5, 2008 05:06 PM
congatson the engagment, and many happy returns.
Posted by: luke at January 5, 2008 05:19 PM
... and a couple years later, in this same Gaijin channel...
"It's amazing to think how this blog started. Back when it started, I was complaining about the unusual behavior of the kids I taught English to. As time went on, a lot of things happened. I get kicked into the real world, find the woman I love, and went through the PMS mode several times as I've been here. To sum up the story short, how the HELL did I go from Kancho and Dodgedick to being armed with a crazy Obasan which I can call my own (That also incredibly OWNS in a game of dodgeball)."
... I could imagine it now... Either way, hope the two of you have happiness up to the point I predict. Good luck!
(The thought of picturing an Az with a Obasan ready to deploy at his command is a scary thought...)
Posted by: Anonymous Lurker at January 5, 2008 06:16 PM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Orcrist at January 5, 2008 06:51 PM
Congrats Az, I'm glad it worked out in the end :)
Posted by: Lachlan at January 5, 2008 06:53 PM
I wanted to add my congratulations Az!
Been waiting for this posting of results over the break and glad to hear it went well.
I have been reading your editorials since I got to Japan, and I wanted to add my thanks for sharing this part of your life with us.
Posted by: Jon at January 5, 2008 07:56 PM
'Bout time :D
EPIC CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU!!!
I didn't have a single doubt in my mind that she'd say yes. I hope the best to ya and look forward to future posts (as always). September is going to be one hell of an epic month.
Posted by: Corey at January 5, 2008 10:59 PM
congratulations
Posted by: PTJW at January 6, 2008 04:37 AM
Hope we're invited, man. Haven't been invited to any weddings after I gave a speech about how marriage makes mockery of true love at a friend's a few years back. Go figure. I so love wedding cake, too...
Posted by: JH from Finland at January 6, 2008 05:13 AM
You just knew the fans would go apeshit, huh?
Congratulations, my dear sir. You certainly have more balls and maturity than I do. Married before 30? Inconceivable!
Posted by: Patch at January 6, 2008 02:42 PM
Holy mo, congratulations!! Best wishes to the both of you!
Posted by: Suze at January 6, 2008 11:53 PM
Glad to hear it went well! You kept me worried leaving that miserable Christmas tale up for so long :( Omedetou!
In a totally unrelated note, fess up. It was you who did the translation in the link below, right? :-) I figure it has to be some bored translator who snapped after translating too many eyelid folders...
http://engrish.com/recent_detail.php?imagename=love-porn.jpg&category=Bags/Packaging&date=2007-12-29
(Note: image is of a box of cereal with "Healthy Cereal Snack LOVE PORN" written on it. I can't imagine how that could be an actual "translation" unless they were trying to say it's the best way to get up in the morning...)
Posted by: Nobody at January 7, 2008 01:34 AM
Congratulations!
Posted by: smallq at January 7, 2008 04:54 AM
Grats Az!
And good luck with the whole wedding. I hear that it can be brutal for a guy. Just remember that it is HER day and you should just stay out of it and do what you are told. It is easier that way.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 7, 2008 06:49 PM
Congrats!!!!
Posted by: Jazz at January 7, 2008 08:50 PM
Congratulations, you lucky bastard! I'm glad it went well in the end! I hope you two have a beautiful life together!
...does she still posses the ability to do space-warping kicks, btw?
Posted by: Aaron at January 7, 2008 10:15 PM
I hope you have a trampoline ready, because a wedding without a trampoline is just crazy talk. (That 70's Show reference)
Posted by: Jack at January 8, 2008 02:41 AM
Way to go, Az!
I dropped some money in the kitty. It's not much, but it's the least I could do after you've provided me with so much great reading material. Keep it up!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 8, 2008 03:48 AM
Congratulations! Hope all goes well :D
Posted by: Anonymous at January 8, 2008 03:58 AM
Congrats! I am so happy for you guys. That is so funny that it almost didnt happen because of the way you were acting.
I almost didnt go out with my hubby the night he proposed to me because I thought he was going to break up with me! He had been acting really weird for a few weeks. I decided to go to bed early and that way my great day would not be ruined. It took two of my friends to convince me to go out with him that night. They were in on it too!
I have been reading your posts for years and love every entry! Cant wait for the SAGA OF THE GAIJIN/JAPANESE WEDDING!
Posted by: Elaine W at January 8, 2008 09:56 AM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Char at January 8, 2008 05:11 PM
All I can say is YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!
..well, that and, man so many people I know and/or read the blogs of are suddenly getting married/having kids. I wonder if I'm missing something here. >_>;
Posted by: Jeni at January 9, 2008 01:36 AM
CONGRATULATIONS to your engagement Az!
and of course also to your lovely fiancee!
(From Nagano to Kobe via a 9 hours bus ride,
uurgh ...)
Posted by: Belthasar2 at January 9, 2008 03:26 AM
Congrats Az,
Talk about a lot of comments. That must be a new record.
Wow, that seemed a lot like a Hacksaw Jim Duggan reference. If not, it reminded me of him at the very least. "HOOOOOOOOOO."
Posted by: Anonymous at January 9, 2008 05:19 AM
Congratulations!
Hope all goes well for you and your fiancee.
Posted by: Treiale at January 9, 2008 05:26 AM
I am so happy for you! It's lovely that it went so nicely! Good luck and congratulations!:DD
Posted by: janet at January 9, 2008 12:42 PM
Congratulations Az, I'm so happy for you! We really need pictures of you two. It's good to know someone got something special and priceless over the holiday season.
Posted by: Rocio at January 9, 2008 01:01 PM
You registering anywhere in particular, or do you prefer cash donations? Figured I've mooched entertainment from your site a couple years enough to warrant a wedding gift of some sort.
(Az's Note: At this point, cash would be most valuable/helpful. Thank you.)
Posted by: Matt at January 9, 2008 04:02 PM
congrats! But what do your parents think about everything? You haven't mentioned them in any of these editorials.
Posted by: Jenna at January 9, 2008 10:54 PM
Congratulations, Az!!
I wish you luck with the wedding. :)
Posted by: Jill at January 10, 2008 12:40 PM
おめでとうございます!!!!!!!!
Posted by: rei_ichigo at January 10, 2008 03:12 PM
I've wanted to post おめでっと for some days. When I first visited this page to read your latest news, though I found that none of the links seem to be working.
Still don't.
I actually found this right here using google... Apparenly nowhere else in the billions of pages on the internet can you find the words "kunta kinte shit you not."
Anyway, congratulations, and best of luck.
Posted by: Helge at January 11, 2008 01:21 AM
Happy New Year and Congratulations Az-san.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2008 06:37 PM
Congrats man and good luck with the wedding/marriage/rest of your life thing.
Posted by: Gomez at January 12, 2008 09:23 PM
Hey there, Az. I've been a fan of yours since your editorials were on your other site, Outpost Nine, and I've been laughing and cringing and crying ever since I started reading you. Just wanted to drop by to leave a comment (for the first time ever) to congratulate you on your engagement, and hoping this will become the happiest decision of your life later on.
Cheers, and again, my sincere congratulations. =D
Posted by: DZ at January 13, 2008 11:20 PM
Congratulations! Now that would be an interesting perspective--from inside the Japanese school system as a parent! And of course, she'll want a baby quickly... I can hope for you that she's like my sister and not me... who didn't want to be touched while pregnant... or after... for months at a time... ;)
Posted by: Xak at January 14, 2008 08:51 PM
Congratulations. Omedetto Gozaimasu!
Have been waiting to read this post in quite a while. Nothing but good can come to the universe after this.
also I really liked:
* we'd transcended warp speed and even LUDICROUS SPEED *
good times...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 17, 2008 12:34 PM
Congrats on your engagement.
By the way, the other day I completed some contract translation work for your company, Navibird Inc.(~100 lines of fabulous fashion!) Just thought it was an amusing coincidence.
How much do you get paid per month or annum since you are full-time?
I would really like to know so get a feel for how much jobs in the entry-level translation industry pay.
(Az's Note: Waitatic...you did what now?
Chances are, the person you're in contact over there is me.)
Posted by: Initial D at January 17, 2008 09:53 PM
Congrats man, glad it turned out well!
Posted by: Bastiaan at January 18, 2008 11:42 AM
Don't know if you remember me. (The other guy that was in a similar situation as you).
I remember when I got engaged two and a half years ago, things went smoothly until she finally up and left for no apparent reason.
I truly hope that things work out for you this time! You deserve a sunny side up!
http://blog.oxygen-inc.com
Posted by: Kei at January 18, 2008 07:30 PM
hey everybody just stopping by to show az some love and say keep on doin wat u doing ur stories funny as hell
Posted by: leo at January 20, 2008 04:51 PM
jenna you must be a newbe on the site because az does talk about his mom and dad remember the story about him asking his mom for the box of condoms and the story about his taking his girlfriend home to meet his family
Posted by: leo at January 20, 2008 04:54 PM
I'm glad that everything worked out for you. Ya know, after making me laugh fit to hurt myself for about as long as you've been posting these, it's only fitting that I send a little currency your way.
*lifts glass in toast* To the Gaijin who conquered not only his lady's heart but her mother's. May all your ups and downs come only in the bedroom.
I am, by the way, a single American female who is now cured of wanting to live in Japan. Thanks for that, too.
Posted by: JetpackAngel at January 23, 2008 07:29 AM
What your mother-in-law said was:
MIL: Does he blow out your back everytime you have sex?
GF: OH YES
MIL: Don't be foolish my child, do you really want that to stop?
GF: I get it now mom
Posted by: Submish at January 23, 2008 05:29 PM
where've ya been Az? haven't posted in a while...
Posted by: Alex at January 23, 2008 06:00 PM
good luck on that!!!!
Posted by: hector at January 23, 2008 09:02 PM
Congrats man, when are you going to have another wonderful post, been waitin 4 like 3 weeks now
Posted by: Anonymous at January 24, 2008 08:32 PM
Congratulations Az!! I'm so happy for you ;) Glad that it worked out and that she was surprised!
Posted by: raye at January 28, 2008 10:16 AM
He's obviously married already. He hasn't posted in nearly a month. He wasn't joking when he said that Japanese women move fast.
R.I.P. Az.
Posted by: Dunn Deegan at February 1, 2008 10:08 AM
I just want to give you some friendly advice. It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake. Just don't use a messy recipe, the cake could end up crazy!
WHEN I WAS-
oh wait. Nevermind.
Posted by: Stephanie at February 1, 2008 03:45 PM
congrats on the engagement!
just wanted to drop you a line and say thanx for sharing your shenanigans. i moved back to the us from japan about 18 months ago, and i'm now looking at the possibility of returning. the adventure never ends... :-)
Posted by: G at February 1, 2008 04:20 PM
I would complain about the lack of updates, but considering Az just proposed to his girlfriend he is probably otherwise occupied (and rightly so!). Congratulations!
Posted by: Ihmhi at February 1, 2008 07:55 PM
Been reading for a while, but I don't normally comment. I have to say Congratulations! though! :D
Posted by: Catherine at February 5, 2008 01:39 PM
That's sweet man. I was in Kyoto on the day you proposed, it's entirely possible I was actually in Kyoto Station at the time (frequent trips to Osaka and back that week). That Christmas tree was pretty Epic. Great spot!
Omedetou gozaimasu! Congrats from Canada.
Posted by: Gramage at February 19, 2008 09:39 PM
Congrats keep an eye on your paypal
Posted by: matt at February 23, 2008 08:43 PM
Congratulations AZ!! So cool to read a happy story about love. Going through a rough time right now and stories like yours give me hope. :-)
Omedetoooooooooooouuuuuuuuuu!
Posted by: Anonymous at February 24, 2008 01:11 PM
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