Saturday, November 26, 2005
Pop Quiz
With little to do today besides write a paper (which I actually wrote most of, believe it or not) I came up with a little quiz to see how well you folks know me. Those of you with blogs, feel free to borrow this and use it on your own sites if you like.
It's real simple: I'll describe four fantasy choices and I want to see if anyone can correctly guess which one I would choose. In turn, this will tell me a little something about you.
[A]: Power. I'd have truly extraordinary strength and the ability to do the kinds of things that Son Goku or Iori Yagami might do.
[B]: Intelligence. I wouldn't struggle with understanding new concepts and I could easily communicate in any language I wanted.
[C]: Charisma. No matter the situation, I'd be the center of attention. My jokes would always go over and seduction would be merely a matter of saying "Hi."
[D]: Voyeur. I could read people's minds, see through their clothes and generally learn whatever I wanted about them without their knowledge.
Go ahead, take a guess!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
It's real simple: I'll describe four fantasy choices and I want to see if anyone can correctly guess which one I would choose. In turn, this will tell me a little something about you.
[A]: Power. I'd have truly extraordinary strength and the ability to do the kinds of things that Son Goku or Iori Yagami might do.
[B]: Intelligence. I wouldn't struggle with understanding new concepts and I could easily communicate in any language I wanted.
[C]: Charisma. No matter the situation, I'd be the center of attention. My jokes would always go over and seduction would be merely a matter of saying "Hi."
[D]: Voyeur. I could read people's minds, see through their clothes and generally learn whatever I wanted about them without their knowledge.
Go ahead, take a guess!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Friday, November 25, 2005
All Is Well
After feeling a little down on Wednesday and getting really sappy on Thursday I'm happy to report that today was back to business as usual: feeling happy, aceing a Japanese test then nodding off in class after lunch.
OK, I'm not proud of that last one but it did feel good to be unencumbered with over-emotional self-contemplation for a change. The day got off to a great start when I turned on my phone and discovered a message from Mako! She was at Itami Airport and decided to mail me while waiting for her flight. I sent back a quick response although I was worried I had missed my chance since her message had been sent two hours earlier. She wrote back, explaining that she had left Osaka but was now in Narita. We had a brief exchange where she vented about her long wait and wished me luck on my test. She also threw in 「なんかすごくダンが恋しくなっちゃった」which means something along the lines of "I miss Dan" or "Dan is very dear to me." That might not be love but that's at least proof that I am more interesting than a three hour layover. A winner is me!
The test came and went pretty quickly although I will admit some bits were harder than I expected. My listening comprehension skills are still teh suck as I honestly cannot fully understand what is being said on those recordings he plays. I get the gist of it, of course, but you'd think after three months I'd be able to totally follow a staged conversation played three times. I figure my educated guesses are still enough for an A but it was a little frustrating.
Have I mentioned that next Friday (as in seven days from today) is the last day of classes? And two weeks from today is my last final exam? It's a thought I hadn't fully come to appreciate until this afternoon. I suddenly realized that in two weeks I'll be free...horrible, unorganized freedom! What will I do with myself all day? How will I bear the unchecked ability to explore a foreign country? Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that I'll end up spending most of my time in the computer lab unless Scott or Mako is free too? Meh, there I go anticipating problems to the point of manufacturing problems. Worse case scenario I can always take a long walk or read a book or something.
Before I forget I want to thank everyone who wrote me about yesterday's request. Lots of you offered support via the comments or e-mail and I really appreciate it. Mom even sent me one of those "e-cards" which now includes a free commercial at the beginning but it was still sweet. I also ended up receiving actual birthday cards from her and my sister on Tuesday which was really nice.
I'll end today's post with a random announcement: watching Sumo on TV is a real treat. I can't wait until I have a chance to see these dudes in person next year. Envy me!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
OK, I'm not proud of that last one but it did feel good to be unencumbered with over-emotional self-contemplation for a change. The day got off to a great start when I turned on my phone and discovered a message from Mako! She was at Itami Airport and decided to mail me while waiting for her flight. I sent back a quick response although I was worried I had missed my chance since her message had been sent two hours earlier. She wrote back, explaining that she had left Osaka but was now in Narita. We had a brief exchange where she vented about her long wait and wished me luck on my test. She also threw in 「なんかすごくダンが恋しくなっちゃった」which means something along the lines of "I miss Dan" or "Dan is very dear to me." That might not be love but that's at least proof that I am more interesting than a three hour layover. A winner is me!
The test came and went pretty quickly although I will admit some bits were harder than I expected. My listening comprehension skills are still teh suck as I honestly cannot fully understand what is being said on those recordings he plays. I get the gist of it, of course, but you'd think after three months I'd be able to totally follow a staged conversation played three times. I figure my educated guesses are still enough for an A but it was a little frustrating.
Have I mentioned that next Friday (as in seven days from today) is the last day of classes? And two weeks from today is my last final exam? It's a thought I hadn't fully come to appreciate until this afternoon. I suddenly realized that in two weeks I'll be free...horrible, unorganized freedom! What will I do with myself all day? How will I bear the unchecked ability to explore a foreign country? Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that I'll end up spending most of my time in the computer lab unless Scott or Mako is free too? Meh, there I go anticipating problems to the point of manufacturing problems. Worse case scenario I can always take a long walk or read a book or something.
Before I forget I want to thank everyone who wrote me about yesterday's request. Lots of you offered support via the comments or e-mail and I really appreciate it. Mom even sent me one of those "e-cards" which now includes a free commercial at the beginning but it was still sweet. I also ended up receiving actual birthday cards from her and my sister on Tuesday which was really nice.
I'll end today's post with a random announcement: watching Sumo on TV is a real treat. I can't wait until I have a chance to see these dudes in person next year. Envy me!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Grateful
Last night's post was an accurate reflection of how I felt but I spent a lot of time today thinking about my life in general. As a result I realize that today, on Thanksgiving, I have a tremendous amount of things to be thankful for.
A quick list, in no particular order:
It's true, I don't really know where Mako and I stand. I know she's always eager to see me on her days off and we keep talking about future events like her birthday and January's planned excursion but I am aware that she definitely has a reservation about something. Maybe she's not sure about how she feels towards me, maybe she's looking ahead to my return to the US, maybe she told her parents that I'm a foreigner and it upset them. Whatever it is, I've decided that it's up to me not to exert any time or energy wondering about it because it's entirely out of my hands. So long as I am honest with her, I can be happy. What she chooses to do is up to her.
Suffice to say I am certainly not alone but I am feeling rather lonely today so I have a request to you, my friends, family and loyal readers. When you go wherever it is you go to celebrate today's holiday, please take a picture of the dinner table or similar congregation and send me a copy. Ideally, try to capture a Freedom from Want spirit in the picture, like I'm standing and looking at all of you and you're happy to see me. I'm hoping to play a little "make-believe" and pretend that I really did have Thanksgiving dinner this year. Please send the images to feitclub [AT] gmail [DOT] com. My primary interest in collecting these photos is to make me feel loved but if you're willing to let me post them on the site let me know.
I hope everyone has a great time today. I miss you.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
A quick list, in no particular order:
- I'm in Japan after years of study and planning.
- I'm in a relationship with a beautiful woman who at least tolerates me and potentially really loves me.
- I have dozens of close friends who I trust implicitly, one of whom is actually here in Japan.
- My family has always been supportive of my decisions and all of them are planning to come visit me next semester.
- I'm in the best shape of my adult life, having lost over forty pounds / twenty kilograms since June.
- I'm still relatively young and I haven't aged beyond the point to try new things (save for maybe a Major League career).
It's true, I don't really know where Mako and I stand. I know she's always eager to see me on her days off and we keep talking about future events like her birthday and January's planned excursion but I am aware that she definitely has a reservation about something. Maybe she's not sure about how she feels towards me, maybe she's looking ahead to my return to the US, maybe she told her parents that I'm a foreigner and it upset them. Whatever it is, I've decided that it's up to me not to exert any time or energy wondering about it because it's entirely out of my hands. So long as I am honest with her, I can be happy. What she chooses to do is up to her.
Suffice to say I am certainly not alone but I am feeling rather lonely today so I have a request to you, my friends, family and loyal readers. When you go wherever it is you go to celebrate today's holiday, please take a picture of the dinner table or similar congregation and send me a copy. Ideally, try to capture a Freedom from Want spirit in the picture, like I'm standing and looking at all of you and you're happy to see me. I'm hoping to play a little "make-believe" and pretend that I really did have Thanksgiving dinner this year. Please send the images to feitclub [AT] gmail [DOT] com. My primary interest in collecting these photos is to make me feel loved but if you're willing to let me post them on the site let me know.
I hope everyone has a great time today. I miss you.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
That Sinking Feeling
No classes today thanks to a Japanese holiday so I went out with Mako instead. I hate to say it, but I have a strange feeling about everything lately.
As per Mr. Mystic's request, here's a shot of some vending machines near the dorm. Take note that the machine on the left sells cold beer and warm sake while the right sells cigarettes at incredibly low prices. You're supposed to be 20 years old to buy these products so the machines turn themselves off after 11 PM. The theory is, kids would be too embarrassed to use the machines during the rest of the day when someone might see them.
Mako and I met in Umeda and went out to the movies to see The Brothers Grimm. I have to say I was very disappointed by the film. While I don't always enjoy Terry Gilliam's films, they always have an appealing look and style that can be engrossing none the less. This movie, however, had nothing like that at all. There were far too many computer effects! This is the same guy who used to animate paper cut-outs on Monty Python's Flying Circus and all of his previous films were known for their elaborate yet "real" (as opposed to CGI) visuals. I don't think Mako cared much for it either but she does have a thing for Matt Damon so I think she was sufficiently entertained.
After the movie we tried to meet Scott but the plans shifted a few times: we were going to meet before dinner, then we were going to meet for dinner but ultimately we ended up eating together first and then having a coffee with Scott. Likewise, Mako and I had planned on trying an Okinawan restaurant but it was closed for the holiday. Instead we had some surprisingly good Mexican food at the same restaurant I had eaten in two months ago. As a matter of fact, it was the day before I met Mako for the first time! I told her this much to her amusement (I think).
Why the foreboding title tonight? I guess I'm aware of a growing feeling that my happiness cannot last and that some great interruption is imminent. Mako's going on a week-long trip to L.A. and Hawaii so this was our last date for a little while. She seemed a little distant today as well but I can't be sure if that really means anything. After all, we continued to discuss our potential plans for January and she's obviously looking forward to it very much. On the other hand, this could all just be my anxiety about the end of the semester boiling over into my personal life. I've got three tests between Friday and Monday, two papers to write very soon and classes end next Friday which means Finals are just around the corner.
There's also the fact that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and so far as I can remember this will be the first time in my entire life I'll be "alone" on that day. I have an idea on how you, my loyal friends and readers, could help me out with that if you'd be so kind. I'm still happy, for the record, but I could use some cheering up. I'll explain in my next post. In the meantime, I've got to get some sleep.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
As per Mr. Mystic's request, here's a shot of some vending machines near the dorm. Take note that the machine on the left sells cold beer and warm sake while the right sells cigarettes at incredibly low prices. You're supposed to be 20 years old to buy these products so the machines turn themselves off after 11 PM. The theory is, kids would be too embarrassed to use the machines during the rest of the day when someone might see them.
Mako and I met in Umeda and went out to the movies to see The Brothers Grimm. I have to say I was very disappointed by the film. While I don't always enjoy Terry Gilliam's films, they always have an appealing look and style that can be engrossing none the less. This movie, however, had nothing like that at all. There were far too many computer effects! This is the same guy who used to animate paper cut-outs on Monty Python's Flying Circus and all of his previous films were known for their elaborate yet "real" (as opposed to CGI) visuals. I don't think Mako cared much for it either but she does have a thing for Matt Damon so I think she was sufficiently entertained.
After the movie we tried to meet Scott but the plans shifted a few times: we were going to meet before dinner, then we were going to meet for dinner but ultimately we ended up eating together first and then having a coffee with Scott. Likewise, Mako and I had planned on trying an Okinawan restaurant but it was closed for the holiday. Instead we had some surprisingly good Mexican food at the same restaurant I had eaten in two months ago. As a matter of fact, it was the day before I met Mako for the first time! I told her this much to her amusement (I think).
Why the foreboding title tonight? I guess I'm aware of a growing feeling that my happiness cannot last and that some great interruption is imminent. Mako's going on a week-long trip to L.A. and Hawaii so this was our last date for a little while. She seemed a little distant today as well but I can't be sure if that really means anything. After all, we continued to discuss our potential plans for January and she's obviously looking forward to it very much. On the other hand, this could all just be my anxiety about the end of the semester boiling over into my personal life. I've got three tests between Friday and Monday, two papers to write very soon and classes end next Friday which means Finals are just around the corner.
There's also the fact that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and so far as I can remember this will be the first time in my entire life I'll be "alone" on that day. I have an idea on how you, my loyal friends and readers, could help me out with that if you'd be so kind. I'm still happy, for the record, but I could use some cheering up. I'll explain in my next post. In the meantime, I've got to get some sleep.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Law and Order: JCJU (Japanese Courteous Justice Unit)
Since today was a very quiet day I have plenty of time to talk about yesterday's class trip to the Osaka High Court (大阪高等裁判所).
We met outside the Yodoyabashi station at 12:30 PM and it was a short walk to the courthouse. As you can see above, the building looks rather non-descript, much more industrial and less noble than the major courthouses in New York. Where are the giant columns and steep staircases? I don't see one statue of Moses anywhere! Oh right...wrong culture.
All kidding aside when I was amazed at how easily we were able to enter the building and walk around freely. Security was virtually non-existent; I was neither searched nor scanned with a metal detector. Indeed, I didn't even have to show my I.D. or even sign my name on a sheet of paper! Anyone and everyone is allowed completely free access to all the proceedings.
The individual courtrooms were also surprising in their similarity to U.S. courtrooms. I wasn't allowed to take any pictures but you can probably imagine it pretty well: each side gets one table, there's a center podium for witnesses to speak at facing the bench where the judge(s) sit. Major differences include the lack of juries, separation between the defendant and his attorney (I never even saw them speak during the trials), the number of judges present (I saw as many as three) and the overall atmosphere inside the room. In general, I'd say everyone acted rather normal and I sensed very little in the way of confrontation. The judges in particular looked a lot less serious than I imagined a Japanese judge to look. Most of them looked quite young too.
As I said, we were allowed to visit any courtroom we chose so we tried to see a variety of cases. I have no idea how many were going on but given the size of the building I suppose it could have been dozens. Our first case was a rape case so the defendant was led into the courtroom bound with a rope around his arms. A witness was brought in and he testified about his history with the offender who apparently raped his wife and his girlfriend. Even still, he seemed totally calm about it and I don't think I saw him look at the defendant even once. I couldn't understand most of what he said (all these details I'm explaining were later given to me by Japanese students in the class) but his language sounded polite and ordinary.
The next case we walked in on was a forgery. This defendant didn't need to be tied up, apparently. After the prosecutor read a very long list of the charges (it seems this young man made a fake driver's license and then used it to defraud various businesses) the defendant's mother was called to the stand. She sounded a little emotional as she testified on behalf of her son.
The last case had something to do with drugs. I'm unclear about the details but the defendant appeared to be a woman although she wasn't guarded or restrained in any way. He father came in and testified about her relationship with some guy who apparently dabbled in stimulants. Then she came to the stand and spoke at length about her boyfriend/ex-husband. Both attorneys and the judge took turns asking her questions.
From the courthouse we walked over to Umeda and into the Hanshin Department store so our teacher (the cool one I've mentioned several times before) could show us an omelette-making machine. It was quite clever, actually: the machine rolled back and forth over four long grooves into which it automatically poured egg on one pass and then scraped the egg out coming back. The scraping action rolled the egg into a little curled omelette which humans would then wrap and sell (3 for about 410 Yen). Photography was not allowed else I would have recorded the entire process, it only took about thirty seconds.
After gawking in the department store for a while we went out to a local bar for Happy Hour. Most of the students passed on this segment (including all of the Japanese ones) which is a real mystery to me. Who doesn't want to drink with their professors? I had several beers and an order of surprisingly tasty nachos before I realized that Scott was probably on his way home from work so I called him and invited him to join us. He did turn up and the six of us (including my professor) actually went up to the really nice bar where that fancy party was last month. We chilled up there for a while before Scott and I separated from the others who were heading back to Hirakata. So all around it was a fascinating and entertaining day!
Tomorrow should be fun as it's Labour Thanksgiving Day here in Japan. While I always love a day off, getting a Wednesday off and missing four classes is positively ideal. To then spend my day off with Mako is a real treat!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
We met outside the Yodoyabashi station at 12:30 PM and it was a short walk to the courthouse. As you can see above, the building looks rather non-descript, much more industrial and less noble than the major courthouses in New York. Where are the giant columns and steep staircases? I don't see one statue of Moses anywhere! Oh right...wrong culture.
All kidding aside when I was amazed at how easily we were able to enter the building and walk around freely. Security was virtually non-existent; I was neither searched nor scanned with a metal detector. Indeed, I didn't even have to show my I.D. or even sign my name on a sheet of paper! Anyone and everyone is allowed completely free access to all the proceedings.
The individual courtrooms were also surprising in their similarity to U.S. courtrooms. I wasn't allowed to take any pictures but you can probably imagine it pretty well: each side gets one table, there's a center podium for witnesses to speak at facing the bench where the judge(s) sit. Major differences include the lack of juries, separation between the defendant and his attorney (I never even saw them speak during the trials), the number of judges present (I saw as many as three) and the overall atmosphere inside the room. In general, I'd say everyone acted rather normal and I sensed very little in the way of confrontation. The judges in particular looked a lot less serious than I imagined a Japanese judge to look. Most of them looked quite young too.
As I said, we were allowed to visit any courtroom we chose so we tried to see a variety of cases. I have no idea how many were going on but given the size of the building I suppose it could have been dozens. Our first case was a rape case so the defendant was led into the courtroom bound with a rope around his arms. A witness was brought in and he testified about his history with the offender who apparently raped his wife and his girlfriend. Even still, he seemed totally calm about it and I don't think I saw him look at the defendant even once. I couldn't understand most of what he said (all these details I'm explaining were later given to me by Japanese students in the class) but his language sounded polite and ordinary.
The next case we walked in on was a forgery. This defendant didn't need to be tied up, apparently. After the prosecutor read a very long list of the charges (it seems this young man made a fake driver's license and then used it to defraud various businesses) the defendant's mother was called to the stand. She sounded a little emotional as she testified on behalf of her son.
The last case had something to do with drugs. I'm unclear about the details but the defendant appeared to be a woman although she wasn't guarded or restrained in any way. He father came in and testified about her relationship with some guy who apparently dabbled in stimulants. Then she came to the stand and spoke at length about her boyfriend/ex-husband. Both attorneys and the judge took turns asking her questions.
From the courthouse we walked over to Umeda and into the Hanshin Department store so our teacher (the cool one I've mentioned several times before) could show us an omelette-making machine. It was quite clever, actually: the machine rolled back and forth over four long grooves into which it automatically poured egg on one pass and then scraped the egg out coming back. The scraping action rolled the egg into a little curled omelette which humans would then wrap and sell (3 for about 410 Yen). Photography was not allowed else I would have recorded the entire process, it only took about thirty seconds.
After gawking in the department store for a while we went out to a local bar for Happy Hour. Most of the students passed on this segment (including all of the Japanese ones) which is a real mystery to me. Who doesn't want to drink with their professors? I had several beers and an order of surprisingly tasty nachos before I realized that Scott was probably on his way home from work so I called him and invited him to join us. He did turn up and the six of us (including my professor) actually went up to the really nice bar where that fancy party was last month. We chilled up there for a while before Scott and I separated from the others who were heading back to Hirakata. So all around it was a fascinating and entertaining day!
Tomorrow should be fun as it's Labour Thanksgiving Day here in Japan. While I always love a day off, getting a Wednesday off and missing four classes is positively ideal. To then spend my day off with Mako is a real treat!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Monday, November 21, 2005
Me and My Big Mouth
After griping for months now about how hot is in Japan, the weather has turned cold in a hurry. High temperatures lately have been in the low teens (50s F) and overnight lows are damn near freezing. It's not unbearable but it feels a lot colder than I expected it to be. Guess that's a downside to losing all that weight; I'm not nearly as "insulated" as I was last winter!
In more "big mouth" department I managed to upset both Scott and Hyde with my comments recently. Obviously I didn't want to hurt their feelings but I was sure to apologize when I realized how dumb I had been. I think both matters have been resolved so there's no need to recap what happened. Let's just hope this is the last time I do this...it certainly wasn't the first!
It's a little late and I'm tipsy so I'll give you the short version of today's action: took a quiz this morning (you know I aced it), ran home instead of going to my next class, spent the afternoon on a sort of "field trip" in downtown Osaka which culminated in joining my professor (the super-cool one) for a few beers during happy hour. Since I was already in Osaka and drinking I called Scott and invited him to join us; he did!
I'll give you greater detail tomorrow, since Tuesday isn't very busy for me. My next date with Mako is this Wednesday because it's a national holiday here in Japan. More on that tomorrow as well. Later!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
In more "big mouth" department I managed to upset both Scott and Hyde with my comments recently. Obviously I didn't want to hurt their feelings but I was sure to apologize when I realized how dumb I had been. I think both matters have been resolved so there's no need to recap what happened. Let's just hope this is the last time I do this...it certainly wasn't the first!
It's a little late and I'm tipsy so I'll give you the short version of today's action: took a quiz this morning (you know I aced it), ran home instead of going to my next class, spent the afternoon on a sort of "field trip" in downtown Osaka which culminated in joining my professor (the super-cool one) for a few beers during happy hour. Since I was already in Osaka and drinking I called Scott and invited him to join us; he did!
I'll give you greater detail tomorrow, since Tuesday isn't very busy for me. My next date with Mako is this Wednesday because it's a national holiday here in Japan. More on that tomorrow as well. Later!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
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