I've been very, very slowly uploading pictures from my first few weeks in South Korea...
They kind of suck. ): It occurs to me that I was focused too much on simply getting a picture, and not getting the picture. Which sounds dumb when I think about it, but that's the way things are.
In an effort to improve, I've been looking at photos all over the world wide web and reading about photography in general, especially at Ken Rockwell's personal website. I'd never heard of him until I started researching what new camera I might want, but he's apparently a pro and seems to know his stuff! I have no real desire to be a professional photographer, but I figure reading tips from one will help me to improve.
Actually, that's not really true... I'd love to be a professional photographer, but I know that it's just not something I could do... maybe. At any rate, it's a little late to all of a sudden change my life goal. And besides, being a non-professional gives me more freedom... right?
Back to the main point: I want to get better.
I definitely feel like I've improved since arriving in Japan (which signaled the beginning of my photography adventures). However, looking at those pictures of random food stuffs makes me second guess that improvement.
Granted, packaging isn't all that exciting to look at in the first place. I know this. I also know that the pictures I take with more interesting subjects almost always turn out better. So maybe I should just stop taking pictures of food packaging!
Ah, but even so, when I look at pictures from more skilled photographers, I can tell they are way better than me when it comes to setting up a good shot... lighting, angles, etc. Way, way better.
Maybe I should just go out one day with the singular goal of finding and taking good photos. Usually I am distracted by something else during my trips: people, destinations, food... anything. If I remove those extra goals, maybe I can take the time to experiment and find the photos I want to take, find out how to get the right picture. Which would then enable me to get those pictures even when I'm distracted. Hmm.
Hopefully I will improve.
I plan to get a new camera, but I'm well aware that doing so won't automatically make my pictures better. New gizmos make everything fun!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
More work quirks from a duder made of quarks
Today I did my presentation. I'm willing to admit that it was terrible, but the people to whom I presented were unwilling to spout anything but extreme positivity! I probably spoke waaaay too fast for them (I presented in English to a bunch of native Japanese speakers). I tried to go slow, but my nerves of fail proved their merit once again.
Quirks of the day:
Quirks of the day:
- Wednesday is designated non-overtime day. I, personally, am amused that such a day of the week exists. Sometimes, other days will be declared similarly non-overtime - last Friday, for example!
- I found out what the 3pm bell and music is for. Exercise time! Taisou o shimashou!
- Tomorrow is the company festival. I've been contracted to help put together the yakisoba and shaved ice booths! I guess the IT section handles these particular booths.
- Also, I swear the guard out front has a riot shield. I wonder when they ever have to worry about riots. O:
oh geez
Two nights ago was perhaps one of the more genuine Japanese experiences I've had in the past four months.
It was a welcoming party for me and two other gaijin to the company dormitory. (The other two had actually been here for two months already, and if I understand correctly are going back to America in only a couple weeks. A little late, p'rhaps?)
It was a drinking party. Nomihoudai. All you can drink. Along with several courses of tofu-centric dishes. Some shabu shabu. It was all good food. Would eat again. But the drinking, goddamn. PROTIP: if you don't want any more, do not empty your glass. Probably seems obvious, right. I just have a habit of always eating or drinking what's in front of me.
I'm having a hard time remembering it all. But, uh, I remember some things.
Apparently, for a "massage" I should go to the Mos Burger street late at night.
At one point I was asked if I liked American girls or Japanese girls. I answered truthfully: both. They found this hilarious. "At least you answered honestly!" Oh! Okay no problem!?
Later on, they asked if I had a girlfriend. I again answered thruthfully: no. Then they broke out in rapid Japanese conversation for a few minutes. I don't know what that means.
But hey, after much drinking, it was time to go. So go we did; up and outta there. I didn't have to pay, 'cause they were awesome and it was my welcome party I guess!
Upon leaving the building, I don't remember much. I think they asked if I liked karaoke, and I probably said yes, and maybe I like The Beatles... it's all very fuzzy. A typical drunken stupor.
But then! This old lady emerged from some deep, dark cave, eyes alight with greedy delight at the prospect of luring our drunken souls into her den. Therein, she would proceed to drain us for all our worth! Well, all their worth. Once again, they told me I didn't have to pay a dime. Or yen, as the case may be. I was only too happy to oblige, considering I don't think I could have counted out the money I needed at that point.
We followed her inside a building, and I was informed this was a karaoke bar where the girls sit with you and pour you drinks while you enjoy the karaoke. We sat. Girls surrounded us. I was told "that girl is going to sit between us" so I stood and let her sit between us!
I vaguely remember selecting and singing The Beatles, Come Together in a super hoarse and completely terrible voice. I more vividly remember singing Green Day, Basketcase with one of the guys I was with. I very vividly remember the lyrics on the screen being wrong. Reason being, back when I was super into Green Day, I remember the lyrics in the CD booklet ALSO being wrong. For one line in particular. Or at least it always sounded wrong to my ears. Maybe Billy what's-his-face just slurred the hell out of it. "Am I just paranoid? I'm just stoned!" always sounded more like "Am I just paranoid? Am I just stoned?!" to me!
Anyway, aside from that, I only remember one other thing at the place. They kept pointing to the woman "between us" and shouting "your mother, yo mazaa!" I think. When I finally figured out they were saying it, I asked why, and they asked how old my mother was.
D:
Then we walked back to the apartment building and to our respective rooms. I remembered harrassing internet denizens unashamedly for about ten minutes before I passed out. Oh boy.
Long story short: I was drunk, in Japan, with Japanese people, on a Tuesday evening. Hurray! (?)
It was a welcoming party for me and two other gaijin to the company dormitory. (The other two had actually been here for two months already, and if I understand correctly are going back to America in only a couple weeks. A little late, p'rhaps?)
It was a drinking party. Nomihoudai. All you can drink. Along with several courses of tofu-centric dishes. Some shabu shabu. It was all good food. Would eat again. But the drinking, goddamn. PROTIP: if you don't want any more, do not empty your glass. Probably seems obvious, right. I just have a habit of always eating or drinking what's in front of me.
I'm having a hard time remembering it all. But, uh, I remember some things.
Apparently, for a "massage" I should go to the Mos Burger street late at night.
At one point I was asked if I liked American girls or Japanese girls. I answered truthfully: both. They found this hilarious. "At least you answered honestly!" Oh! Okay no problem!?
Later on, they asked if I had a girlfriend. I again answered thruthfully: no. Then they broke out in rapid Japanese conversation for a few minutes. I don't know what that means.
But hey, after much drinking, it was time to go. So go we did; up and outta there. I didn't have to pay, 'cause they were awesome and it was my welcome party I guess!
Upon leaving the building, I don't remember much. I think they asked if I liked karaoke, and I probably said yes, and maybe I like The Beatles... it's all very fuzzy. A typical drunken stupor.
But then! This old lady emerged from some deep, dark cave, eyes alight with greedy delight at the prospect of luring our drunken souls into her den. Therein, she would proceed to drain us for all our worth! Well, all their worth. Once again, they told me I didn't have to pay a dime. Or yen, as the case may be. I was only too happy to oblige, considering I don't think I could have counted out the money I needed at that point.
We followed her inside a building, and I was informed this was a karaoke bar where the girls sit with you and pour you drinks while you enjoy the karaoke. We sat. Girls surrounded us. I was told "that girl is going to sit between us" so I stood and let her sit between us!
I vaguely remember selecting and singing The Beatles, Come Together in a super hoarse and completely terrible voice. I more vividly remember singing Green Day, Basketcase with one of the guys I was with. I very vividly remember the lyrics on the screen being wrong. Reason being, back when I was super into Green Day, I remember the lyrics in the CD booklet ALSO being wrong. For one line in particular. Or at least it always sounded wrong to my ears. Maybe Billy what's-his-face just slurred the hell out of it. "Am I just paranoid? I'm just stoned!" always sounded more like "Am I just paranoid? Am I just stoned?!" to me!
Anyway, aside from that, I only remember one other thing at the place. They kept pointing to the woman "between us" and shouting "your mother, yo mazaa!" I think. When I finally figured out they were saying it, I asked why, and they asked how old my mother was.
D:
Then we walked back to the apartment building and to our respective rooms. I remembered harrassing internet denizens unashamedly for about ten minutes before I passed out. Oh boy.
Long story short: I was drunk, in Japan, with Japanese people, on a Tuesday evening. Hurray! (?)
Monday, July 27, 2009
Costco more like Failco more like Winco, too
The morning following fireworks, Matt fixed us some French toast. Aww, so sweet! And so sorely missed! O:
Then we went to Costco. They sell American foodstuffs at wholesale price. Even in Japan! I wanted some root beer, and Matt wanted some graham crackers and marshmallows for smores with his coworkers.
It was boiling hot outside, but we went anyway. Upon arriving, we were dismayed to find that there is no way to buy anything from Costco except to be a member, which costs, if I recall correctly, 4,280 yen. Or close to.
So the guy we were talking to (who thankfully spoke good enough English to get his point across) told Matt that he should buy a membership now, get what he wanted, and come back in a few days to cancel the membership, with a schtick about how the customer service was bad or some such. This would warrant a refund, he said.
I thought this was hilarious! He was telling us to lie to the store in order to get out of being a member, after taking advantage of being a member. Keep on keepin' on, dude.
Matt was hesitant about lying, and trying to come up with less untrue excuses for wanting to cancel, like "oh, I'm leaving Japan in a month." The guy kept saying, "No, that's not good enough, say you got food poisoning or something." (Okay I made that one up, but I'm sure had I suggested it, he would've thought it was a GRAND idea.)
Nonetheless, Matt bought a membership and we proceeded inward...
Turns out my favorite part of this type of store when I was a kid is still my favorite part: samples. I got some sashimi, some smoked southwestern-style salmon, some strawberries, and more more more. Greatness!
I found my root beer. It is great. I've never heard of this brand before (Dad's Old Fashioned Root Beer) but I was later assured it is jin-yoo-wine American brand. I don't particularly care, though. ROOT BEER. Protip: root beer doesn't exist in normal Japan.
Matt found his jumbo marshmallows, but couldn't find his graham crackers. We looked in many places, to no avail. Matt was furious. Enraged! Incensed. He canceled his membership posthaste - as soon as we paid for our food!
Ah, good times.
Now came the hard part: carrying this all to Robert's. I mentioned before it was boiling hot outside. That did not change during our shopping extravaganza. ):
Luckily, a nearby bus stop alleviated the pain of carrying everything we had on foot.
Blah blah blah boring description of boring trip - ARRIVAL.
The food at Robert's was great, of course. I enjoyed my root beer as a supplement to the many dishes, including but not limited to maabo dofu (a newly-discovered favorite Chinese dish of mine which consists of tofu in a spicy meat sauce, usually served with rice), a pork and cabbage lettuce wrap thing, and good ol' kimchi.
It was an enjoyable time.
Ironically, I forgot to take pictures of his many dishes AGAIN. I promised myself I would remember after forgetting the first time he did this. But then I didn't remember.
Addendum: I am hilarious. Or at least the things I say produce much laughter. But no, I'm hilarious. Feel free to agree with me, but don't disagree. If you do I know you're lying.
Then we went to Costco. They sell American foodstuffs at wholesale price. Even in Japan! I wanted some root beer, and Matt wanted some graham crackers and marshmallows for smores with his coworkers.
It was boiling hot outside, but we went anyway. Upon arriving, we were dismayed to find that there is no way to buy anything from Costco except to be a member, which costs, if I recall correctly, 4,280 yen. Or close to.
So the guy we were talking to (who thankfully spoke good enough English to get his point across) told Matt that he should buy a membership now, get what he wanted, and come back in a few days to cancel the membership, with a schtick about how the customer service was bad or some such. This would warrant a refund, he said.
I thought this was hilarious! He was telling us to lie to the store in order to get out of being a member, after taking advantage of being a member. Keep on keepin' on, dude.
Matt was hesitant about lying, and trying to come up with less untrue excuses for wanting to cancel, like "oh, I'm leaving Japan in a month." The guy kept saying, "No, that's not good enough, say you got food poisoning or something." (Okay I made that one up, but I'm sure had I suggested it, he would've thought it was a GRAND idea.)
Nonetheless, Matt bought a membership and we proceeded inward...
Turns out my favorite part of this type of store when I was a kid is still my favorite part: samples. I got some sashimi, some smoked southwestern-style salmon, some strawberries, and more more more. Greatness!
I found my root beer. It is great. I've never heard of this brand before (Dad's Old Fashioned Root Beer) but I was later assured it is jin-yoo-wine American brand. I don't particularly care, though. ROOT BEER. Protip: root beer doesn't exist in normal Japan.
Matt found his jumbo marshmallows, but couldn't find his graham crackers. We looked in many places, to no avail. Matt was furious. Enraged! Incensed. He canceled his membership posthaste - as soon as we paid for our food!
Ah, good times.
Now came the hard part: carrying this all to Robert's. I mentioned before it was boiling hot outside. That did not change during our shopping extravaganza. ):
Luckily, a nearby bus stop alleviated the pain of carrying everything we had on foot.
Blah blah blah boring description of boring trip - ARRIVAL.
The food at Robert's was great, of course. I enjoyed my root beer as a supplement to the many dishes, including but not limited to maabo dofu (a newly-discovered favorite Chinese dish of mine which consists of tofu in a spicy meat sauce, usually served with rice), a pork and cabbage lettuce wrap thing, and good ol' kimchi.
It was an enjoyable time.
Ironically, I forgot to take pictures of his many dishes AGAIN. I promised myself I would remember after forgetting the first time he did this. But then I didn't remember.
Addendum: I am hilarious. Or at least the things I say produce much laughter. But no, I'm hilarious. Feel free to agree with me, but don't disagree. If you do I know you're lying.
Boom, boom, boom
My weekend adventures were pretty great, as far as weekend adventures go. Fireworks and chillin'. What more could I ask for?
When I accidentally left a little later than I intended, I thought it would make me a little late. However, I ended up arriving at the meeting place almost an hour late! Which was sort of okay because Matt was also late. (Even later than me!) Unfortunately, Tyler had already come and gone by that time, since we had no way of contacting him. I felt bad, but it's not like I could do anything about it.
So I met Matt's Japanese friend, Tomo, who'd been there since the actual meeting time, and we waited for Matt. He spoked da gooder Amurrcan then I didded Japanse. Jealous!
Matt arrived and we traipsed along to our destination.
It's at this point I feel I should point out I've been wearing sandals since I left my apartment for fireworks. I'm not used to wearing sandals while out and about. Flippy-floppies, to be exact. I couldn't make my feet walk "normal." It felt weird.
Soon enough, we were at our destination - a large field! The fireworks had just started, but Tomo's family was already there saving a spot with a large blanket. We found them, introductions were made, and the celebration began!
It was pretty rad.
We had edamame (soybeans) to munch on, and some sushi rolls to devour. I accidentally grabbed the nattou roll, but Tomo saved me just as I was about to take a large bite. Phew! Instead I ate a shrimp roll. It was ever so delightful!
The fireworks were pretty great, too, of course! I think it was literally the first time I've ever had a camera in my hands while watching fireworks. Which is strange, but I guess now that I think about it, not entirely unbelievable. At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed taking a ton of pictures, and managed a few that I really like. Eventually I will upload them to my flickr, of course. Dial-up is slow!
The coolest part, though, was being surrounded by all the people in kimonos or yukata. (Honestly I can't tell the difference between the two, unless I look really close, so I'll henceforth refer to them all as kimono. Just know that yukatas are meant for more casual summer occasions - to keep cool. I have a feeling most of what I saw were kimonos.)
There was one adorable little girl in front of us who kept dancing in her pink kimono, with the large bow tied at her back. Adorable! Ohoho. I would've taken a picture, but that could have been construed as either creepy or super creepy, so I didn't. I think she was in one of my better pictures though... completely on accident, I swear!
Then it all ended.
We walked to the bus stop and waited in an obscenely long line that literally wrapped around itself, spiraling inward. But since we were less than 500 feet from Tokyo Bay and I could smell the beach and feel the ocean winds, I didn't care. I would've stayed there longer. Felt so good. Love it. The ocean. Love it.
But, alas, all good things come to an end. Tomo and his family waited with us, but it was only me and Matt who actually took the bus. It was a long and arduous trip, but I survived. Stayed the night at Matt's place, 'cause the next day was food day at Robert's. Aw, yeah.
TO BE CONTINUED AT MY OWN LEISURE
When I accidentally left a little later than I intended, I thought it would make me a little late. However, I ended up arriving at the meeting place almost an hour late! Which was sort of okay because Matt was also late. (Even later than me!) Unfortunately, Tyler had already come and gone by that time, since we had no way of contacting him. I felt bad, but it's not like I could do anything about it.
So I met Matt's Japanese friend, Tomo, who'd been there since the actual meeting time, and we waited for Matt. He spoked da gooder Amurrcan then I didded Japanse. Jealous!
Matt arrived and we traipsed along to our destination.
It's at this point I feel I should point out I've been wearing sandals since I left my apartment for fireworks. I'm not used to wearing sandals while out and about. Flippy-floppies, to be exact. I couldn't make my feet walk "normal." It felt weird.
Soon enough, we were at our destination - a large field! The fireworks had just started, but Tomo's family was already there saving a spot with a large blanket. We found them, introductions were made, and the celebration began!
It was pretty rad.
We had edamame (soybeans) to munch on, and some sushi rolls to devour. I accidentally grabbed the nattou roll, but Tomo saved me just as I was about to take a large bite. Phew! Instead I ate a shrimp roll. It was ever so delightful!
The fireworks were pretty great, too, of course! I think it was literally the first time I've ever had a camera in my hands while watching fireworks. Which is strange, but I guess now that I think about it, not entirely unbelievable. At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed taking a ton of pictures, and managed a few that I really like. Eventually I will upload them to my flickr, of course. Dial-up is slow!
The coolest part, though, was being surrounded by all the people in kimonos or yukata. (Honestly I can't tell the difference between the two, unless I look really close, so I'll henceforth refer to them all as kimono. Just know that yukatas are meant for more casual summer occasions - to keep cool. I have a feeling most of what I saw were kimonos.)
There was one adorable little girl in front of us who kept dancing in her pink kimono, with the large bow tied at her back. Adorable! Ohoho. I would've taken a picture, but that could have been construed as either creepy or super creepy, so I didn't. I think she was in one of my better pictures though... completely on accident, I swear!
Then it all ended.
We walked to the bus stop and waited in an obscenely long line that literally wrapped around itself, spiraling inward. But since we were less than 500 feet from Tokyo Bay and I could smell the beach and feel the ocean winds, I didn't care. I would've stayed there longer. Felt so good. Love it. The ocean. Love it.
But, alas, all good things come to an end. Tomo and his family waited with us, but it was only me and Matt who actually took the bus. It was a long and arduous trip, but I survived. Stayed the night at Matt's place, 'cause the next day was food day at Robert's. Aw, yeah.
TO BE CONTINUED AT MY OWN LEISURE
Friday, July 24, 2009
All you have to do is ask!
I just spent the better part of the day wandering around Yokosuka (specifically nearby the Yokosuka Chuo station) looking for an electronics store. About two and a half hours, I believe. I really needed a new SD card and SD card reader, just in case it's the reader I've been using that fried my past two cards.
I didn't find one there.
Dismayed, I returned to my station (Kenritsudaigaku) and ate some tempura shrimp soba. Worth it! On a whim, I went off the beaten path (i.e., the path home) on the off-chance there would be the kind of store I needed in that direction. I thought I found one and went inside. Alas, it only LOOKED like the kind of store I needed. But I asked where I could buy an SD card, if they knew, and this guy came out the back (because he could speak English, unlike the lady I was talking to previously), and started trying to explain to me where to go.
But then he gave up and took me there. Just up and walked out of his store to walk for ten minutes and show me the building.
Japan rocks.
(As it turns out, I've looked at this very building many times from my balcony, wondering what that smiling sun was. Now I know. Kojima - where all your electronic dreams come true.)
I didn't find one there.
Dismayed, I returned to my station (Kenritsudaigaku) and ate some tempura shrimp soba. Worth it! On a whim, I went off the beaten path (i.e., the path home) on the off-chance there would be the kind of store I needed in that direction. I thought I found one and went inside. Alas, it only LOOKED like the kind of store I needed. But I asked where I could buy an SD card, if they knew, and this guy came out the back (because he could speak English, unlike the lady I was talking to previously), and started trying to explain to me where to go.
But then he gave up and took me there. Just up and walked out of his store to walk for ten minutes and show me the building.
Japan rocks.
(As it turns out, I've looked at this very building many times from my balcony, wondering what that smiling sun was. Now I know. Kojima - where all your electronic dreams come true.)
BLAST FROM THE PAST pt. 3
I'm not sure which is worse. Having the pictures and losing them, or simply not being able to take the pictures in the first place.
It might seem immediately clear to you: "Obviously, losing what you already have is worse!"
But, for me, just the act of taking the pictures is enjoyable. I like lining up the perfect shot. I like zooming in on a flower or bug or rock in macro mode. I like pulling back and getting as much of the view as possible into one shot. I like framing things in the branches of a tree. (I like the last one a lot, probably to a fault - they sadly rarely ever turn out as well as I think they will.)
I definitely enjoyed taking those pictures on Fuji. You know, the pictures I no longer have. I still have the memories of climbing and the memories of taking the pictures.
However, losing them was pretty devastating. Not nearly as devastating as not being able to take pictures at the Imperial Palace, as described below...
Then again, the Imperial Palace is NOTHING compared to climbing to the summit of the tallest mountain in Japan. If you ask me!
Gah.
Gah.
Gah.
(Gah.)
03/24/09 - PALACE OF THE DEAD CAMERA
Goddamnit. Camera battery died before the day was out. Lesson fucking learned. Charge that shit every night. Maybe get a spare. Looked in Akihabara, but it was expensive or not the same voltage. Gah.
Maid cafes -- weird. Didn't go in one but we walked by and I swear at one point we were surrounded by eight maids all advertising for the same maid cafe.
Oh, and I walked into this figurine store and saw some creepy old guy staring creepily at some bare-breasted figurines.
Angry about the camera. Gah. Palace was pretty damn cool.
It might seem immediately clear to you: "Obviously, losing what you already have is worse!"
But, for me, just the act of taking the pictures is enjoyable. I like lining up the perfect shot. I like zooming in on a flower or bug or rock in macro mode. I like pulling back and getting as much of the view as possible into one shot. I like framing things in the branches of a tree. (I like the last one a lot, probably to a fault - they sadly rarely ever turn out as well as I think they will.)
I definitely enjoyed taking those pictures on Fuji. You know, the pictures I no longer have. I still have the memories of climbing and the memories of taking the pictures.
However, losing them was pretty devastating. Not nearly as devastating as not being able to take pictures at the Imperial Palace, as described below...
Then again, the Imperial Palace is NOTHING compared to climbing to the summit of the tallest mountain in Japan. If you ask me!
Gah.
Gah.
Gah.
(Gah.)
03/24/09 - PALACE OF THE DEAD CAMERA
Goddamnit. Camera battery died before the day was out. Lesson fucking learned. Charge that shit every night. Maybe get a spare. Looked in Akihabara, but it was expensive or not the same voltage. Gah.
Maid cafes -- weird. Didn't go in one but we walked by and I swear at one point we were surrounded by eight maids all advertising for the same maid cafe.
Oh, and I walked into this figurine store and saw some creepy old guy staring creepily at some bare-breasted figurines.
Angry about the camera. Gah. Palace was pretty damn cool.
Consumed earlier: MAN SNACK
男スナック
Man snack.
Snack man.
It was nothing special to eat, really. But the name. And the bag was damn near impossible to open.
I have to present my knowledge on Microsoft Search Server on Thursday. In English, thank god. To Japanese people, though. Eek! I'm not looking forward to it. I had my suspicions my boss would make me do this, but I was really hoping it wouldn't happen. And now it has.
Should be fun? Maybe?
D:
Man snack.
Snack man.
It was nothing special to eat, really. But the name. And the bag was damn near impossible to open.
I have to present my knowledge on Microsoft Search Server on Thursday. In English, thank god. To Japanese people, though. Eek! I'm not looking forward to it. I had my suspicions my boss would make me do this, but I was really hoping it wouldn't happen. And now it has.
Should be fun? Maybe?
D:
Thursday, July 23, 2009
BLAST FROM THE PAST pt. 2
Look at that. I was a wide-eyed child basking in the glory of the New and Wonderful. How cute!
Incidentally, I did eventually go to the top of the Tokyo Tower at night, but it was rainy. It looked beautiful, as I knew it WOULD, but the pictures came out, well... like pictures I took at night in the rain!
Personally, I think the rain made it look extra sweet. But it also made the pictures come out extra not-sweet.
C'est la vie! Haha I can speak French.
03/23/09 - FIRST FULL DAY OF GLORY
Jeeeesus Japan is awesome. Today we went to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center and took a bunch of pictures. Awesome view of the city. I'd love to go back there at night some time, to look down on Tokyo with all the lights turned on. Bet it would be beautiful.
Before that, first day of class. Eh, nothin' special. Same old. Sensei is pretty cool, though. He took us to the tower.
Thoughts still jumbled, but Japan seems pretty cool so far.
Incidentally, I did eventually go to the top of the Tokyo Tower at night, but it was rainy. It looked beautiful, as I knew it WOULD, but the pictures came out, well... like pictures I took at night in the rain!
Personally, I think the rain made it look extra sweet. But it also made the pictures come out extra not-sweet.
C'est la vie! Haha I can speak French.
03/23/09 - FIRST FULL DAY OF GLORY
Jeeeesus Japan is awesome. Today we went to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center and took a bunch of pictures. Awesome view of the city. I'd love to go back there at night some time, to look down on Tokyo with all the lights turned on. Bet it would be beautiful.
Before that, first day of class. Eh, nothin' special. Same old. Sensei is pretty cool, though. He took us to the tower.
Thoughts still jumbled, but Japan seems pretty cool so far.
Fish eggs or fish and eggs
My job is getting more tolerable every day!
And that's all I've got to say on that.
Today at lunch they made fun of me for using chopsticks to eat an omelet. I guess I was supposed to be using a spoon. O: Truth is, I didn't even see a spoon! Except the ones they had. Ah well. It was a good omelet anyway! ROCK IT.
They also asked me if I wanted to go fishing. Unfortunately, I had to turn them down, because I already have plans that day and will have to leave somewhat early since these plans take place up north at the north pole or some shit.
But it makes me sad.
I've always loved fishing! Always! For as much as I love it, though, I never really do it. Shame on me! I guess if I wanted to count how many times I did real fishing, I could do it on... two hands? )':
Man do I love it, though. Hopefully next time they go, I'm invited again and can go!
Ohoho.
And that's all I've got to say on that.
Today at lunch they made fun of me for using chopsticks to eat an omelet. I guess I was supposed to be using a spoon. O: Truth is, I didn't even see a spoon! Except the ones they had. Ah well. It was a good omelet anyway! ROCK IT.
They also asked me if I wanted to go fishing. Unfortunately, I had to turn them down, because I already have plans that day and will have to leave somewhat early since these plans take place up north at the north pole or some shit.
But it makes me sad.
I've always loved fishing! Always! For as much as I love it, though, I never really do it. Shame on me! I guess if I wanted to count how many times I did real fishing, I could do it on... two hands? )':
Man do I love it, though. Hopefully next time they go, I'm invited again and can go!
Ohoho.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
F U, Ji (cont.)
(I wish I could say I come up with this title. Alas, I stole it.)
Now that I've calmed down from the devastation of losing the only digital copy of my memories (aside from the blog post detailing my adventure), I will finish the story. Not that there's much more to say!
So, yeah. I will continue from the very spot I quit. It is in your hands to connect the two halves. Here goes!
--- my misery! The landscape below me was half visible through the haze of the slowly fading cloud. Then a gust of wind brought the cloud back in full force! Oh no! Misery returned.
Just kidding; I went as fast as I could to get below cloud level permanently. A grin of epic proportions consumed the lower half of my face the first time I saw the full view! It was fucking beautiful. A large and knobby light green shape in the sea of green was next to a slightly smaller blue shape. Off to the left and way off in the distance was cityscape and city skyline, respectively. I knew the blue to be a lake, and I suspected the light green was a rice field. Later, this was confirmed to be true. And I could still see SOME clouds below me. The puffy white kind, not the ugly, sinful gray kind. Exactly the kind of thing I like to see!
If I was the kind of guy who skipped, I would've skipped the rest of the way down the mountain. Instead, I took my sweet time, taking breaks as much as possible, even if I didn't really need to anymore. Seriously, it invigorated me to such an extent that my exhaustion had nearly dissipated entirely! Never have I enjoyed such a wonderful feeling from simply looking at something. It's true that I always, always love looking at landscapes, and nature, and cities (especially from high above), but going from such a low as I had been at the top of the mountain to this high was amazing.
I don't know if I can say I'd do it again (I can only take so much pain), but it was totally worth it, in every way.
And then I reached Kawaguchiko 5th Station once again and took the bus back to Kawaguchiko, where my exhaustion set in once and I started hallucinating. But it was a good kind of delirium, this time.
Happy endings for all!
Except you, SD card. I'd like to break you to tiny, tiny little pieces. Grr. But not until I'm absolutely 100% sure that there's no chance whatsoever of getting my photos back! I've chosen to remain optimistic for now, even though I know logically the chances are pretty low.
So that's my story.
Now that I've calmed down from the devastation of losing the only digital copy of my memories (aside from the blog post detailing my adventure), I will finish the story. Not that there's much more to say!
So, yeah. I will continue from the very spot I quit. It is in your hands to connect the two halves. Here goes!
--- my misery! The landscape below me was half visible through the haze of the slowly fading cloud. Then a gust of wind brought the cloud back in full force! Oh no! Misery returned.
Just kidding; I went as fast as I could to get below cloud level permanently. A grin of epic proportions consumed the lower half of my face the first time I saw the full view! It was fucking beautiful. A large and knobby light green shape in the sea of green was next to a slightly smaller blue shape. Off to the left and way off in the distance was cityscape and city skyline, respectively. I knew the blue to be a lake, and I suspected the light green was a rice field. Later, this was confirmed to be true. And I could still see SOME clouds below me. The puffy white kind, not the ugly, sinful gray kind. Exactly the kind of thing I like to see!
If I was the kind of guy who skipped, I would've skipped the rest of the way down the mountain. Instead, I took my sweet time, taking breaks as much as possible, even if I didn't really need to anymore. Seriously, it invigorated me to such an extent that my exhaustion had nearly dissipated entirely! Never have I enjoyed such a wonderful feeling from simply looking at something. It's true that I always, always love looking at landscapes, and nature, and cities (especially from high above), but going from such a low as I had been at the top of the mountain to this high was amazing.
I don't know if I can say I'd do it again (I can only take so much pain), but it was totally worth it, in every way.
And then I reached Kawaguchiko 5th Station once again and took the bus back to Kawaguchiko, where my exhaustion set in once and I started hallucinating. But it was a good kind of delirium, this time.
Happy endings for all!
Except you, SD card. I'd like to break you to tiny, tiny little pieces. Grr. But not until I'm absolutely 100% sure that there's no chance whatsoever of getting my photos back! I've chosen to remain optimistic for now, even though I know logically the chances are pretty low.
So that's my story.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
F U, Ji
Saturday morning, I left for Mt. Fuji. It was a grueling and terrible trip, with not one, not two, but six train transfers! But, no, it wasn't really grueling because I decided to start reading Red Mars, finally, and it is awesome.
I thought I was going to be late, because I technically took the wrong train once, and then missed another train and had to wait extra long. I was supposed to at Kawaguchiko by 4pm! Luckily, I was still the second one there, at 4:30pm. Ish. Everyone else took the bus and got stuck in traffic. Har har! (Except the one dude who had arrived the night prior.)
All in all, I am clearly the winner, because arriving the night prior is paramount to cheating.
So after we arrived and caught up on the haps... Everyone was interested in my Korean adventures, of which I sadly had little to say. Such is me! But, yes, after catching up and resting a bit, we went on our merry way to the bus which would take us up to Kawaguchiko 5th Station, which is I guess 2303m above sea level. So, 1476m to hike past that. Doesn't seem like much OR DOES IT.
Upon arriving at the 5th station, we all bought doodads. Some of us bought gloves and walking sticks. Gloves for warmth, and walking sticks to get marks at various stations proving you made it there! I, of course, bought both. 'Cause I rock. We donned our Warmth Suits, got our picture taken, and began the hike.
It was, of course, dark by this time. I can't remember if we left at 7 or 8pm. Probably somewhere in between. We left at this time in order to see the sunset from the top. Honestly, I wasn't keeping track of the time simply because that was not my priority. I was focused entirely on the climb at that point. I knew it was going to be tough for me. I am, after all, pretty out of shape. Rotund?
Well, that focus lasted for all of about five minutes until we first got a good view of the city below from our height. With all the flickering lights and the lake surrounded by flickering lights and oooh it was nice. I got some pictures, but alas, they were rather poor. Again, foiled by low lighting! Stupid grainy pictures grr. One o' dese days...
Nonetheless. Beautiful stuff.
If anything, this view invigorated me. It gave me purpose. I climbed without complaint for a long time. I had my doubts I would be able to make it to the top, but I knew that I wanted to, at the very least, and that was enough to keep me going for the time being.
We climbed, we took breaks, we climbed some more. Eventually we separated, as some wanted to go faster. I was in the slowest group, with Matt and Nisrene. (I created the slowest group!) I was getting tired. My right leg was hurting. Sharp pain in my right thigh and foot with every step. I had to sort of... throw my leg, instead of lift it. I wanted to give up so many times. But they wouldn't let me. Bastards!
I pushed on. At nearly every station, I would say, "I'm not going any further. I'm not going to make it." 'Cause I'm a quitter, I am. But every time, they'd convince me to continue on. Then we made it to a station and decided to get something hot to eat and drink. Lo and behold, the other group was in there! While Nisrene and I waited in line, Matt went and met them. Then abandoned us!! Oh, the humanity! As we sat and ate, he took them and ran off! Later he says, "I thought you guys were giving up!" Oh, sure. Sure. You just got tired of me holding you back.
But anyway, we kept going. Pushing on and on. I surely would've given up had doing so not left Nisrene alone. I would've felt bad. Such is me! We reached the last station before long, waiting in many a slow, slow line. Lines! To climb a mountain! Can you imagine? Let's just say, it was a little crowded, eh?
Protip: Do not climb Mt. Fuji on a holiday weekend. Please! Listen to me!
Finally we reached the last station before the summit! I could feel it; we were getting close. We'd be there soon enough. But then we saw Kira and Tyler sitting inside the station! We said hello and they had informed us that they gave up! I scoffed at the comment: "But we're so close!" Adamant in their decision to remain inside, we went on. I couldn't hold it against them, anyway. I desperately wanted to give up, and I wasn't even the one with altitude sickness! It was merely a weak mind and body responsible for my misgivings. Thanks to my last remaining climbing partner's encouragement, however, I soldiered on.
The line was slow and we'd by this time entered cloud level. And there was a cloud. SO MUCH FOR THAT SUNSET, HUH? It was cold. Soon enough, she started feeling sick and decided to turn back. I didn't want to give up at this point because I thought we were close to the top. So I kept going.
Turns out I was wrong. And the line was slow. And it was cold. And wet. And I was breathing cloud. And it was windy as hell. In short, as time went on, I grew more and more miserable. Every breath, every step, I wanted to turn around. But I kept thinking I was close! Like, within an hour's time, I'd be there!
IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
In an about hour and a half, I saw a tori gate. HELL YES I'M FINALLY THERE. And then I got closer. ALMOST. And then I reached the tori gate. And above, I could see the line going further into the cloud. Shiiiiiit, man. I'm going to die.
Misery. Absolute misery. By this time, I was far, far beyond my physical limits. Have you ever been so physically exhausted that it starts to affect your mind? Neither had I. Pain, moisture, cold, wind, pain. It wouldn't fucking end. I dreaded every step. And what slow steps they were! The goddamn line was so slow. Pain. I was on the verge of tears, crying out for mommy! I wanted nothing more than to give up and just fall asleep. But I couldn't do it. I wouldn't give in.
Why? Fuck if I know. I was getting pretty delirious. I don't even know if I was really conscious of what I was doing after a while.
It was so cold.
At one point some girl passed me by as I was resting and asked if I was okay. "Wh-?" I mumbled. "Oh...mhm yeah." She acknowledged my response and walked on. I sat there wishing I'd had the balls to say no so I could get some help. What kind of help she could have given me, I don't even know.
I got up. Walked on. Walked more. Waiting for the line, walking, waiting, one step at a time, walking. Cold.
If this seems a bit rambly and mad, then I'm getting my point across. If not? Well, I'm trying. Forgive me.
After what seemed like a fucking eternity (such a cliché, but now I know what it really means), I found myself at the final tori gate. I could see the shrine above. Halle-fucking-lujah.
Make no mistake. I wasn't exactly happy. I knew I'd still have to walk back DOWN the mountain. Ffff. I walked around a bit, took some pictures (not even madness can keep me from a good photo!), got my staff stamped, bought a couple souvenirs, sat down, and pondered just what the hell I was going to do. I knew in my heart there was no way I'd be making it down the mountain in my condition. I was past my limit three times over.
I needed warmth. Ordered some hot ramen. It was fucking delicious. Gave me a little pep, but not enough.
Ahhh, fuck. I had to go eventually. Might as well be now, right? I went, down the other path.
Still cold, still wet, still miserable, but I just kept walking. Eventually I put on my iPod. Turns out even music wasn't going to help me this time. Music has never failed me before! Whenever I'm down or angry, I listen to something, anything, and I feel at least a little better!
The only thing music did for me this time was give me a rhythm to hike to. Which was at least a little helpful, I suppose.
The pinnacle of negativity! You have no idea.
I tried as hard as I could to simply focus on the music for as long as I could. It sort of worked except not really at all.
But then, I saw something that blew me away and instantly cured me of ---
well i was going to write about how seeing the view of the city in the daylight instead of at night after i got below the cloud line rejuvenated me instantly but i just went to get some photos off my sd card to show in this blog post and the card got fried somehow
so fuck it
I thought I was going to be late, because I technically took the wrong train once, and then missed another train and had to wait extra long. I was supposed to at Kawaguchiko by 4pm! Luckily, I was still the second one there, at 4:30pm. Ish. Everyone else took the bus and got stuck in traffic. Har har! (Except the one dude who had arrived the night prior.)
All in all, I am clearly the winner, because arriving the night prior is paramount to cheating.
So after we arrived and caught up on the haps... Everyone was interested in my Korean adventures, of which I sadly had little to say. Such is me! But, yes, after catching up and resting a bit, we went on our merry way to the bus which would take us up to Kawaguchiko 5th Station, which is I guess 2303m above sea level. So, 1476m to hike past that. Doesn't seem like much OR DOES IT.
Upon arriving at the 5th station, we all bought doodads. Some of us bought gloves and walking sticks. Gloves for warmth, and walking sticks to get marks at various stations proving you made it there! I, of course, bought both. 'Cause I rock. We donned our Warmth Suits, got our picture taken, and began the hike.
It was, of course, dark by this time. I can't remember if we left at 7 or 8pm. Probably somewhere in between. We left at this time in order to see the sunset from the top. Honestly, I wasn't keeping track of the time simply because that was not my priority. I was focused entirely on the climb at that point. I knew it was going to be tough for me. I am, after all, pretty out of shape. Rotund?
Well, that focus lasted for all of about five minutes until we first got a good view of the city below from our height. With all the flickering lights and the lake surrounded by flickering lights and oooh it was nice. I got some pictures, but alas, they were rather poor. Again, foiled by low lighting! Stupid grainy pictures grr. One o' dese days...
Nonetheless. Beautiful stuff.
If anything, this view invigorated me. It gave me purpose. I climbed without complaint for a long time. I had my doubts I would be able to make it to the top, but I knew that I wanted to, at the very least, and that was enough to keep me going for the time being.
We climbed, we took breaks, we climbed some more. Eventually we separated, as some wanted to go faster. I was in the slowest group, with Matt and Nisrene. (I created the slowest group!) I was getting tired. My right leg was hurting. Sharp pain in my right thigh and foot with every step. I had to sort of... throw my leg, instead of lift it. I wanted to give up so many times. But they wouldn't let me. Bastards!
I pushed on. At nearly every station, I would say, "I'm not going any further. I'm not going to make it." 'Cause I'm a quitter, I am. But every time, they'd convince me to continue on. Then we made it to a station and decided to get something hot to eat and drink. Lo and behold, the other group was in there! While Nisrene and I waited in line, Matt went and met them. Then abandoned us!! Oh, the humanity! As we sat and ate, he took them and ran off! Later he says, "I thought you guys were giving up!" Oh, sure. Sure. You just got tired of me holding you back.
But anyway, we kept going. Pushing on and on. I surely would've given up had doing so not left Nisrene alone. I would've felt bad. Such is me! We reached the last station before long, waiting in many a slow, slow line. Lines! To climb a mountain! Can you imagine? Let's just say, it was a little crowded, eh?
Protip: Do not climb Mt. Fuji on a holiday weekend. Please! Listen to me!
Finally we reached the last station before the summit! I could feel it; we were getting close. We'd be there soon enough. But then we saw Kira and Tyler sitting inside the station! We said hello and they had informed us that they gave up! I scoffed at the comment: "But we're so close!" Adamant in their decision to remain inside, we went on. I couldn't hold it against them, anyway. I desperately wanted to give up, and I wasn't even the one with altitude sickness! It was merely a weak mind and body responsible for my misgivings. Thanks to my last remaining climbing partner's encouragement, however, I soldiered on.
The line was slow and we'd by this time entered cloud level. And there was a cloud. SO MUCH FOR THAT SUNSET, HUH? It was cold. Soon enough, she started feeling sick and decided to turn back. I didn't want to give up at this point because I thought we were close to the top. So I kept going.
Turns out I was wrong. And the line was slow. And it was cold. And wet. And I was breathing cloud. And it was windy as hell. In short, as time went on, I grew more and more miserable. Every breath, every step, I wanted to turn around. But I kept thinking I was close! Like, within an hour's time, I'd be there!
IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
In an about hour and a half, I saw a tori gate. HELL YES I'M FINALLY THERE. And then I got closer. ALMOST. And then I reached the tori gate. And above, I could see the line going further into the cloud. Shiiiiiit, man. I'm going to die.
Misery. Absolute misery. By this time, I was far, far beyond my physical limits. Have you ever been so physically exhausted that it starts to affect your mind? Neither had I. Pain, moisture, cold, wind, pain. It wouldn't fucking end. I dreaded every step. And what slow steps they were! The goddamn line was so slow. Pain. I was on the verge of tears, crying out for mommy! I wanted nothing more than to give up and just fall asleep. But I couldn't do it. I wouldn't give in.
Why? Fuck if I know. I was getting pretty delirious. I don't even know if I was really conscious of what I was doing after a while.
It was so cold.
At one point some girl passed me by as I was resting and asked if I was okay. "Wh-?" I mumbled. "Oh...mhm yeah." She acknowledged my response and walked on. I sat there wishing I'd had the balls to say no so I could get some help. What kind of help she could have given me, I don't even know.
I got up. Walked on. Walked more. Waiting for the line, walking, waiting, one step at a time, walking. Cold.
If this seems a bit rambly and mad, then I'm getting my point across. If not? Well, I'm trying. Forgive me.
After what seemed like a fucking eternity (such a cliché, but now I know what it really means), I found myself at the final tori gate. I could see the shrine above. Halle-fucking-lujah.
Make no mistake. I wasn't exactly happy. I knew I'd still have to walk back DOWN the mountain. Ffff. I walked around a bit, took some pictures (not even madness can keep me from a good photo!), got my staff stamped, bought a couple souvenirs, sat down, and pondered just what the hell I was going to do. I knew in my heart there was no way I'd be making it down the mountain in my condition. I was past my limit three times over.
I needed warmth. Ordered some hot ramen. It was fucking delicious. Gave me a little pep, but not enough.
Ahhh, fuck. I had to go eventually. Might as well be now, right? I went, down the other path.
Still cold, still wet, still miserable, but I just kept walking. Eventually I put on my iPod. Turns out even music wasn't going to help me this time. Music has never failed me before! Whenever I'm down or angry, I listen to something, anything, and I feel at least a little better!
The only thing music did for me this time was give me a rhythm to hike to. Which was at least a little helpful, I suppose.
The pinnacle of negativity! You have no idea.
I tried as hard as I could to simply focus on the music for as long as I could. It sort of worked except not really at all.
But then, I saw something that blew me away and instantly cured me of ---
well i was going to write about how seeing the view of the city in the daylight instead of at night after i got below the cloud line rejuvenated me instantly but i just went to get some photos off my sd card to show in this blog post and the card got fried somehow
so fuck it
Monday, July 20, 2009
BLAST FROM THE PAST pt. 1
When I first arrived in Japan, I kept a journal for seven days and then abruptly stopped. I don't really know why. I had planned to continue, but I must've gotten distracted, and me being an extremely absent-minded person... My washing machine sprung a leak today.
I make no promises these will be interesting, as I wrote them without an audience in mind, as opposed to what you see on this blog.
I will write in great detail - or as much as I can remember - about my Fuji experience tomorrow. I'm still too exhausted to do any real writing! What a coincidence, then, that the first entry from my "private" journal is also about exhaustion!
These are completely unchanged from when I originally wrote them. Enjoy. Or don't.
(I will probably post one a day, for convenience, simplicity, and ease of consumption.)
03/22/09 - ARRIVAL
Exhausted. Plane trip was way too long, legs cramped to hell and back, dragged suitcases around the world... Took a train from the airport to Shinjuku, and from Shinjuku took a cab to Yoyogi Olympics Center. Didn't want to take the train to Yoyogi... still too tired.
Too tired for thoughts -- only two real encounters with a Japanese person thus far, with the exception of people I gave money for service. First was at the airport waiting for everyone to show up. Japanese security guard walked up and said hello to all of us. Seemed pretty friendly. I am so totally screwed at understanding people when they speak Japanese.
Second duder was our teacher for the two-week course. He spoke English well, so no problem there. until he stops speaking English of course.
Guh. Tired.
I make no promises these will be interesting, as I wrote them without an audience in mind, as opposed to what you see on this blog.
I will write in great detail - or as much as I can remember - about my Fuji experience tomorrow. I'm still too exhausted to do any real writing! What a coincidence, then, that the first entry from my "private" journal is also about exhaustion!
These are completely unchanged from when I originally wrote them. Enjoy. Or don't.
(I will probably post one a day, for convenience, simplicity, and ease of consumption.)
03/22/09 - ARRIVAL
Exhausted. Plane trip was way too long, legs cramped to hell and back, dragged suitcases around the world... Took a train from the airport to Shinjuku, and from Shinjuku took a cab to Yoyogi Olympics Center. Didn't want to take the train to Yoyogi... still too tired.
Too tired for thoughts -- only two real encounters with a Japanese person thus far, with the exception of people I gave money for service. First was at the airport waiting for everyone to show up. Japanese security guard walked up and said hello to all of us. Seemed pretty friendly. I am so totally screwed at understanding people when they speak Japanese.
Second duder was our teacher for the two-week course. He spoke English well, so no problem there. until he stops speaking English of course.
Guh. Tired.
Friday, July 17, 2009
COMmunic.....n...
I am kind of way too shy. I would love to be able to speak Japanese fluently. Unfortunately, in order to do so, I actually have to speak broken Japanese first. I have to practice. Yet, for some stupid reason, I neglect doing so. I just clam up whenever the opportunity presents itself. And if I do say anything, it comes out as what amounts to basically an incomprehensible grumble.
I know. I know I just need to do it. And I try! Time and time again, I try, and I start out clear and then just fall off a goddamn mind cliff or something. I don't know why. It's irritating to no end. I have no idea what the hell I need to do to get over it. Alcohol doesn't help me like so many people say it helps them. Sure, I stop caring so much about what people think of me, but that just means I'm louder... in English.
At any rate, today I climb Mt. Fuji. So forget that nonsense. It's time to get pumped! And ride the train for over three hours. Hell yeah...
MORE WHEN I RETURN! Please do be looking forward to it.
I know. I know I just need to do it. And I try! Time and time again, I try, and I start out clear and then just fall off a goddamn mind cliff or something. I don't know why. It's irritating to no end. I have no idea what the hell I need to do to get over it. Alcohol doesn't help me like so many people say it helps them. Sure, I stop caring so much about what people think of me, but that just means I'm louder... in English.
At any rate, today I climb Mt. Fuji. So forget that nonsense. It's time to get pumped! And ride the train for over three hours. Hell yeah...
MORE WHEN I RETURN! Please do be looking forward to it.
Ups and ups at the workplace
Emotion is a strange beast.
Yesterday I went to bed dreading waking up this morning for work. This morning I woke up dreading getting out of bed for work.
Then I got up.
It's about this time my mind just kind of crapped out on me. Emptied itself of emotions or thoughts of any substance. I took a shower, got dressed, brushed my teeth, grabbed all my shit and went out the door. With my iPod on John Prine, some cheesy old country singer I never would've dreamed I'd listen to voluntarily five years ago, I walked to the station. Mind still empty, I waited for the train. Pulled out my iPod to read some more of the Sword of Truth series. Just finished Soul of the Flame last night and started the next book this morning. Got on the train. Got off the train at the next stop to transfer. On the next train. Off. To the bus station. Waited, read some more. On the bus. Off the bus. Into the office. At my cubicle. Turned on my PC.
Hey, you know, this isn't so bad after all. I can do this. It may not be the thing I want to do, but it is what I am doing. So I'm going to make the best of it!
I got to work. As in, I put some real effort into it. That's not saying much, considering all I'm really doing at the moment is just research. I had to teach myself about Microsoft Search Server in order to teach my superior. He said he was thinking about implementing it but wanted to know all the benefits and costs and requirements, but he's not too great at English. (Way better than I am at Japanese, though. Props to him.)
I got the job done. Well, mostly. Now I need to put it in words easier for him (and possibly other Japanese speakers) to understand. I've also got another thing I need to look into, but that's slightly more complicated and will require a bit more time for me, at least, to understand. It's not what I'm used to working with. Data replication for disaster recovery.
With contentedness driving me through the day, I had a much more positive mindset than yesterday. And boy did it pay off!
We had pizza for lunch today. We, the IT team, that is. It was a welcoming lunch for me. When my boss walked up to my desk to tell me about it and ask if I would be able to attend, I of course said yes. When he asked in that super-polite Japanese manner, it came off more as, "Will you grace us with your presence?" than a normal kind of request. It was really kind of hilarious, in an endearing way. Different cultures.
The pizza was pretty great. Shrimp and such, tomato slices. Plus some popcorn shrimp sides and tater tots. Well, not really the tater tots, but the same texture and taste. Different shape. No pictures, sadly. I don't take my camera to work, because I think they'd be kind of freaked out if I did. They're pretty protective of "sensitive data" and such. Anything that can carry data to the outside world, bar pencil and paper, is a big no-no for me, a foreigner. Due to export laws and such. Not that I actually have access to any sensitive data, of course. It's all just precautions. Also I'm sure me having a camera at work out in general is just plain weird. I know I would think it weird in America.
But yeah, a nice lunch. After lunch, though, was another surprise. Monthly cleaning! Who needs janitors when we can do it ourselves! I expected the daily after-lunch speech-which-I-don't-understand, and got it, but afterward was informed that the third Friday of the month is special. Cleaning special. I got suckered into - I mean, I got to vacuum the cubicles in my little corner of the office! How exciting!!
After that, the day went on and I left at about 5:30, satisfied.
Some other peculiarities in the Japanese workplace:
---
And then, a couple hours ago, I went and ate dinner. Some shrimp, egg, sweet chili sauce combination. With rice and egg drop soup. It was interesting. Not bad. But the real fun was tobe had on the way back!
I was stopped by the cops and very confused. They asked if I walk this street every day (after multiple attempts I finally understood the question) and I said yes, because I guess I do now. Then they asked if I walked the street last night. I said yes. They said what time, etc. etc. etc.
Turns out someone broke the door to the little police box there last night. I of course knew nothing about it, and didn't even notice it was broken last night.
Oddly enough, I think that's literally the first time a cop has ever talked to me and asked me questions about anything. Let alone a shameless and horrendous act of vandalism! Oh, the horror!
Yesterday I went to bed dreading waking up this morning for work. This morning I woke up dreading getting out of bed for work.
Then I got up.
It's about this time my mind just kind of crapped out on me. Emptied itself of emotions or thoughts of any substance. I took a shower, got dressed, brushed my teeth, grabbed all my shit and went out the door. With my iPod on John Prine, some cheesy old country singer I never would've dreamed I'd listen to voluntarily five years ago, I walked to the station. Mind still empty, I waited for the train. Pulled out my iPod to read some more of the Sword of Truth series. Just finished Soul of the Flame last night and started the next book this morning. Got on the train. Got off the train at the next stop to transfer. On the next train. Off. To the bus station. Waited, read some more. On the bus. Off the bus. Into the office. At my cubicle. Turned on my PC.
Hey, you know, this isn't so bad after all. I can do this. It may not be the thing I want to do, but it is what I am doing. So I'm going to make the best of it!
I got to work. As in, I put some real effort into it. That's not saying much, considering all I'm really doing at the moment is just research. I had to teach myself about Microsoft Search Server in order to teach my superior. He said he was thinking about implementing it but wanted to know all the benefits and costs and requirements, but he's not too great at English. (Way better than I am at Japanese, though. Props to him.)
I got the job done. Well, mostly. Now I need to put it in words easier for him (and possibly other Japanese speakers) to understand. I've also got another thing I need to look into, but that's slightly more complicated and will require a bit more time for me, at least, to understand. It's not what I'm used to working with. Data replication for disaster recovery.
With contentedness driving me through the day, I had a much more positive mindset than yesterday. And boy did it pay off!
We had pizza for lunch today. We, the IT team, that is. It was a welcoming lunch for me. When my boss walked up to my desk to tell me about it and ask if I would be able to attend, I of course said yes. When he asked in that super-polite Japanese manner, it came off more as, "Will you grace us with your presence?" than a normal kind of request. It was really kind of hilarious, in an endearing way. Different cultures.
The pizza was pretty great. Shrimp and such, tomato slices. Plus some popcorn shrimp sides and tater tots. Well, not really the tater tots, but the same texture and taste. Different shape. No pictures, sadly. I don't take my camera to work, because I think they'd be kind of freaked out if I did. They're pretty protective of "sensitive data" and such. Anything that can carry data to the outside world, bar pencil and paper, is a big no-no for me, a foreigner. Due to export laws and such. Not that I actually have access to any sensitive data, of course. It's all just precautions. Also I'm sure me having a camera at work out in general is just plain weird. I know I would think it weird in America.
But yeah, a nice lunch. After lunch, though, was another surprise. Monthly cleaning! Who needs janitors when we can do it ourselves! I expected the daily after-lunch speech-which-I-don't-understand, and got it, but afterward was informed that the third Friday of the month is special. Cleaning special. I got suckered into - I mean, I got to vacuum the cubicles in my little corner of the office! How exciting!!
After that, the day went on and I left at about 5:30, satisfied.
Some other peculiarities in the Japanese workplace:
- Bells chime at certain times, the kind of chimes you'd hear at a church on the hour (only without the following 5-rings-for-5-o'clock sorta thing). But I'm not entirely sure what the pattern is. I know there's a chime at noon for lunch. At noon 45 for after lunch. At 3pm-ish, and again at 5:15pm-ish (quittin' time). But there's also seemingly random chimes throughout the day. Sometimes on the hour, sometimes not. I suspect that the 3pm-ish bell, at least, is for "short calming break time" as it is also accompanied shortly thereafter by a woman and man talking and some calming music. Dunno what they're saying, though. There is so much I don't know!
- The guards salute as people enter and exit the campus! I'm pretty sure I've never seen that happen in America! They say something in Japanese to go along with the salute that I vaguely understand - but only vaguely.
---
And then, a couple hours ago, I went and ate dinner. Some shrimp, egg, sweet chili sauce combination. With rice and egg drop soup. It was interesting. Not bad. But the real fun was tobe had on the way back!
I was stopped by the cops and very confused. They asked if I walk this street every day (after multiple attempts I finally understood the question) and I said yes, because I guess I do now. Then they asked if I walked the street last night. I said yes. They said what time, etc. etc. etc.
Turns out someone broke the door to the little police box there last night. I of course knew nothing about it, and didn't even notice it was broken last night.
Oddly enough, I think that's literally the first time a cop has ever talked to me and asked me questions about anything. Let alone a shameless and horrendous act of vandalism! Oh, the horror!
A sudden recollection and revelation
I don't remember if I mentioned it on this here li'l ol' blog, but upon arriving in Korea, I was accosted. At the airport exit, where I was prepared to look for the train and hopefully find my way where I needed to go on my own, the taximen approached. Blindsided and confused, they suckered me into being their customer.
At the time I was okay with it because I'm sure that I would have gotten lost on my own and I didn't feel like lugging my luggage around with me.
But having just remembered this... and then subsequently recalling the (voluntary, due to extra luggage and rain) taxi ride BACK to the airport, something struck me!
In the first taxi, I looked for a mileage meter thing, hoping to see how fast my fee was growing, but couldn't find one. I thought I saw what might have been one but it was stuck at zero. The taximan gave me a "guess" at what the fee would be to the hotel (about 35 bucks, if I recall correctly, or a little more) and I just rolled with it at the time. Upon arrival, he also asked for a tip. I assumed this was the norm in Korea, but later discovered that, at least in restaurants, tips are NOT the norm.
Fast forward a month, to my taxi ride back to the airport (from a different location, admittedly). It felt about the same length of trip, but obviously it had been a month so who knows if it actually was. At any rate, this guy had a meter rolling. Good! And it rolled very slowly! By the time we got to the airport it was only about 18 bucks. Hmm. So I tried to give him above 20 (this was all in won, the currency of the Republic of Korea, so my math is iffy), but he gave back all the change. No tip? Buh?
I think you see where I'm going with this.
At the time I was okay with it because I'm sure that I would have gotten lost on my own and I didn't feel like lugging my luggage around with me.
But having just remembered this... and then subsequently recalling the (voluntary, due to extra luggage and rain) taxi ride BACK to the airport, something struck me!
In the first taxi, I looked for a mileage meter thing, hoping to see how fast my fee was growing, but couldn't find one. I thought I saw what might have been one but it was stuck at zero. The taximan gave me a "guess" at what the fee would be to the hotel (about 35 bucks, if I recall correctly, or a little more) and I just rolled with it at the time. Upon arrival, he also asked for a tip. I assumed this was the norm in Korea, but later discovered that, at least in restaurants, tips are NOT the norm.
Fast forward a month, to my taxi ride back to the airport (from a different location, admittedly). It felt about the same length of trip, but obviously it had been a month so who knows if it actually was. At any rate, this guy had a meter rolling. Good! And it rolled very slowly! By the time we got to the airport it was only about 18 bucks. Hmm. So I tried to give him above 20 (this was all in won, the currency of the Republic of Korea, so my math is iffy), but he gave back all the change. No tip? Buh?
I think you see where I'm going with this.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The workplace.
An ever-dreadful place for anyone who doesn't enjoy their job. I went in today expecting to be given a task I would not enjoy and my prediction came true in spades. Research. About enterprise search engines.
I knew going in that this would not be the job for me. It is basically the complete opposite of what I enjoy. Well, to be honest, I don't know what I enjoy in the computer science field anymore, BUT if there was anything I knew for sure I absolutely did NOT enjoy it would be IT. It just ain't for me, Sparky.
Oddly, though, the day was full of ups and downs. I was invited to not one, but two soirees. One is at the end of the month on a Friday and I assume there will be much partaking of the alcohol as we watch fireworks! The other is at the beginning of next month and takes place at the beach! I was informed it was a farewell party for one of my coworkers and a welcoming party for me! How nice of them! Can I possibly use more exclamation points?! Yes!
So basically while I have a distaste for my job they sure are doing their best to make me feel welcome at my workplace. This is not unexpected, as I knew a bit about the Japanese work culture going in. Still, it's nice!
And who knows, maybe I will get over this newest negativity hump and learn to enjoy my job eventually. I can only hope.
I knew going in that this would not be the job for me. It is basically the complete opposite of what I enjoy. Well, to be honest, I don't know what I enjoy in the computer science field anymore, BUT if there was anything I knew for sure I absolutely did NOT enjoy it would be IT. It just ain't for me, Sparky.
Oddly, though, the day was full of ups and downs. I was invited to not one, but two soirees. One is at the end of the month on a Friday and I assume there will be much partaking of the alcohol as we watch fireworks! The other is at the beginning of next month and takes place at the beach! I was informed it was a farewell party for one of my coworkers and a welcoming party for me! How nice of them! Can I possibly use more exclamation points?! Yes!
So basically while I have a distaste for my job they sure are doing their best to make me feel welcome at my workplace. This is not unexpected, as I knew a bit about the Japanese work culture going in. Still, it's nice!
And who knows, maybe I will get over this newest negativity hump and learn to enjoy my job eventually. I can only hope.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Here I am
IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME.
A strange thing to say for one not born in Japan, but I certainly felt that way last night. Seoul wasn't an entirely terrible place to live in, but I wasn't a fan of the food and didn't have anyone there to enjoy the sights with. The two palaces I went to were pretty neat. Insadong, especially the Old Tea Shop I wrote about before, was nice. But I guess in the end, I just enjoy Japan more. The music, the culture, the food. Especially the food! I'm so looking forward to enjoying that good ol' Japanese cuisine once again!
Ironically, the first meal I ate after getting back was at Mos Burger for dinner. Go me! Close and convenient and I was tired. What can I say?
But you know what I missed the most? The entire aisle of bread products at the convenience store. OM NOM. Loves me summa that melon bread.
Shame the only internet I've got is dial-up.
A strange thing to say for one not born in Japan, but I certainly felt that way last night. Seoul wasn't an entirely terrible place to live in, but I wasn't a fan of the food and didn't have anyone there to enjoy the sights with. The two palaces I went to were pretty neat. Insadong, especially the Old Tea Shop I wrote about before, was nice. But I guess in the end, I just enjoy Japan more. The music, the culture, the food. Especially the food! I'm so looking forward to enjoying that good ol' Japanese cuisine once again!
Ironically, the first meal I ate after getting back was at Mos Burger for dinner. Go me! Close and convenient and I was tired. What can I say?
But you know what I missed the most? The entire aisle of bread products at the convenience store. OM NOM. Loves me summa that melon bread.
Shame the only internet I've got is dial-up.
Monday, July 13, 2009
eric davies who are you
Japan, I know I left you for a while there, but it was a lapse in judgment. I'm coming home, baby.
Yes! It is a mere 13 hours until my plane leaves Gimpo in Seoul for Haneda in Tokyo - barring flight delays. And then I will be back in Japan!
I guess I am going to start work a mere one day after I return. Finally! Though I am pretty nervous about it. The company I am working for has already invested a lot in getting me there, and now it's down to only two months before I go back to America for my final year in college. I'm generally pretty negative about my skills as a computer scientist, or as an office worker. This hasn't changed! I lack that little ol' thing called self-confidence.
But, like I said, they've invested a lot in me, and I haven't even started working for them yet. I just hope I can make it all worth it for them. I'm damn well gonna try.
On a more positive note, I will be back in Japan in time for the planned Fuji trip. I was worried I wouldn't make it, but lo and behold, here I come! It's a shame I'm still in terrible shape. (Not that I've actually tried to do anything about it...) It's gonna be a fun climb, but from what I hear it's not too hard. It'll be worth it.
P.S. No, seriously, who are you?
Yes! It is a mere 13 hours until my plane leaves Gimpo in Seoul for Haneda in Tokyo - barring flight delays. And then I will be back in Japan!
I guess I am going to start work a mere one day after I return. Finally! Though I am pretty nervous about it. The company I am working for has already invested a lot in getting me there, and now it's down to only two months before I go back to America for my final year in college. I'm generally pretty negative about my skills as a computer scientist, or as an office worker. This hasn't changed! I lack that little ol' thing called self-confidence.
But, like I said, they've invested a lot in me, and I haven't even started working for them yet. I just hope I can make it all worth it for them. I'm damn well gonna try.
On a more positive note, I will be back in Japan in time for the planned Fuji trip. I was worried I wouldn't make it, but lo and behold, here I come! It's a shame I'm still in terrible shape. (Not that I've actually tried to do anything about it...) It's gonna be a fun climb, but from what I hear it's not too hard. It'll be worth it.
P.S. No, seriously, who are you?
Sunday, July 5, 2009
This is my second favorite blog post ever!
As I've grown older, the concept of "picking favorites" has kind of fallen out of my mind. Used to be I could say things with 100% confidence. "Earthbound is my favorite game." That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
These days, when I hear or read "this is my absolute favorite game" or "my top five favorite books are...", I am left on the sideline wondering how one decides which is the Best. Clearly, this is not a matter of objectivity at all, so I will leave that for never-to-be-seen-again-in-this-post.
I have a very hard time consciously comparing things. I can't will myself to do it. Obviously, subconsciously I will sometimes think "X author is better at writing Y situations," "A game developer makes better games in the B genre," etc. But none of that really matters to me. I can try to compare things consciously, but eventually I just decide it's not worth the trouble. It is either enjoyable, or not. It is either worth experiencing, or not.
Certainly, there are a number of things which I hold near and dear to my heart, or what have you. Mother 3 (the sequel to my previous beloved, Earthbound), for example, is "one of my favorite" games. Yet, I can't actually, truly place it on any scale. It's not number 1, or number 100, or anywhere in between. It's just one of those games I will always love. In much the same way, I love the series of books known as Discworld, or the Indiana Jones movies (even the fourth one, which people hate for no good reason). I'll always eat a good pizza. Gnarls Barkley really tickles my groove bone. These are just facts of life. But there are so many more things I love, and I love them all.
Just as I have trouble deciding if one thing is better than another, I have even more trouble deciding which is the best. That is, I simply can't do it.
Granted, sometimes I'll get caught up in the moment. I know about a year ago, I would pretty frequently say exactly the following words: "Team Fortress 2 is my favorite multiplayer game." It really is a fantastic game,and I enjoy myself 90% of the time I play it. 5% of the time I'm loading maps. And the other 5% I was miserable before I started, and there's no saving me then. Every time I said this, I was excitedly talking about the game with friends and filled with emotion. I didn't put any thought into it.
But maybe that makes it truer than if I had taken the time to think about it? It is, after all, an entirely subjective statement, and the core of subjectivity is emotion - how we feel about things. If anything, though, such a statement is only indicative of how I feel at that point in time. It doesn't necessarily carry on past that moment.
Besides, those reactions occur quite frequently when I talk about the games I love. Super Smash Bros., Legend of Mana, Super Mario Galaxy, Day of the Tentacle, the aforementioned Mother 3... And any time I slow down and think about it, I remember all the great times I had playing any number of different games in any number of different genres.
Oh well. It's not like I'm upset about my apparent inability to pick a favorite. I'm-a just keep on, keepin' on, content with my gigantic umbrella of love.
These days, when I hear or read "this is my absolute favorite game" or "my top five favorite books are...", I am left on the sideline wondering how one decides which is the Best. Clearly, this is not a matter of objectivity at all, so I will leave that for never-to-be-seen-again-in-this-post.
I have a very hard time consciously comparing things. I can't will myself to do it. Obviously, subconsciously I will sometimes think "X author is better at writing Y situations," "A game developer makes better games in the B genre," etc. But none of that really matters to me. I can try to compare things consciously, but eventually I just decide it's not worth the trouble. It is either enjoyable, or not. It is either worth experiencing, or not.
Certainly, there are a number of things which I hold near and dear to my heart, or what have you. Mother 3 (the sequel to my previous beloved, Earthbound), for example, is "one of my favorite" games. Yet, I can't actually, truly place it on any scale. It's not number 1, or number 100, or anywhere in between. It's just one of those games I will always love. In much the same way, I love the series of books known as Discworld, or the Indiana Jones movies (even the fourth one, which people hate for no good reason). I'll always eat a good pizza. Gnarls Barkley really tickles my groove bone. These are just facts of life. But there are so many more things I love, and I love them all.
Just as I have trouble deciding if one thing is better than another, I have even more trouble deciding which is the best. That is, I simply can't do it.
Granted, sometimes I'll get caught up in the moment. I know about a year ago, I would pretty frequently say exactly the following words: "Team Fortress 2 is my favorite multiplayer game." It really is a fantastic game,and I enjoy myself 90% of the time I play it. 5% of the time I'm loading maps. And the other 5% I was miserable before I started, and there's no saving me then. Every time I said this, I was excitedly talking about the game with friends and filled with emotion. I didn't put any thought into it.
But maybe that makes it truer than if I had taken the time to think about it? It is, after all, an entirely subjective statement, and the core of subjectivity is emotion - how we feel about things. If anything, though, such a statement is only indicative of how I feel at that point in time. It doesn't necessarily carry on past that moment.
Besides, those reactions occur quite frequently when I talk about the games I love. Super Smash Bros., Legend of Mana, Super Mario Galaxy, Day of the Tentacle, the aforementioned Mother 3... And any time I slow down and think about it, I remember all the great times I had playing any number of different games in any number of different genres.
Oh well. It's not like I'm upset about my apparent inability to pick a favorite. I'm-a just keep on, keepin' on, content with my gigantic umbrella of love.
Friday, July 3, 2009
They come
Yesterday a horde of teenage girls invaded my motel.
The first sign of their arrival was the loud and incessant giggling I heard right outside my goddamn door. The second was walking out my door an hour later and encountering several groups of them on the way down. "Hello!" they would say to me in English as we passed by each other. "Hello!" I would reply. That was it.
This morning as I walked to McDonald's for breakfast, they all stood at the front desk. All two dozen or so of 'em. Standing. Waiting. Leaking outside. It is a small hallway. Not much standing room. They were there when I left and when I came back, carrying my breakfast.
No one was at the desk, yet. I'm not sure if they were waiting to check out or waiting for their entire group. Either way, they were in the way. No one talked to me that time, though.
Perhaps in the light they were frightened by my gruff and rugged appearance.
The first sign of their arrival was the loud and incessant giggling I heard right outside my goddamn door. The second was walking out my door an hour later and encountering several groups of them on the way down. "Hello!" they would say to me in English as we passed by each other. "Hello!" I would reply. That was it.
This morning as I walked to McDonald's for breakfast, they all stood at the front desk. All two dozen or so of 'em. Standing. Waiting. Leaking outside. It is a small hallway. Not much standing room. They were there when I left and when I came back, carrying my breakfast.
No one was at the desk, yet. I'm not sure if they were waiting to check out or waiting for their entire group. Either way, they were in the way. No one talked to me that time, though.
Perhaps in the light they were frightened by my gruff and rugged appearance.
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