Thursday, March 31, 2011
Dinner with a drunk
So it turns out Orientation is actually tomorrow..oops. I ran to the office with 5 minutes to spare and I was all "is this the right place?" They're all "yes...tomorrow."
I was wandering around Shinjuku station and happened upon a Japanese businessman. He started speaking fairly good English and absolutely reeked of alcohol. I figured he was too drunk to try anything so he showed me this awesome Japanese ramen shop. Not the 99 cent stuff - the real ramen! It was nom! He was an executive something something and he was "rich and important" (his words, not mine!) It was a very interesting view into the executive culture of Japan. I get the feeling they're kind of lonely. He said he was on a diet, so he ordered a beer. A beer diet? 0.o
Don't worry Richie, I namedropped enough times that he got the idea ;) I felt kinda bad when I realized it was probably supposed to be a date. He left in a hurry. Oops. Oh well. At least he enjoyed his beer.
I was wandering around Shinjuku station and happened upon a Japanese businessman. He started speaking fairly good English and absolutely reeked of alcohol. I figured he was too drunk to try anything so he showed me this awesome Japanese ramen shop. Not the 99 cent stuff - the real ramen! It was nom! He was an executive something something and he was "rich and important" (his words, not mine!) It was a very interesting view into the executive culture of Japan. I get the feeling they're kind of lonely. He said he was on a diet, so he ordered a beer. A beer diet? 0.o
Don't worry Richie, I namedropped enough times that he got the idea ;) I felt kinda bad when I realized it was probably supposed to be a date. He left in a hurry. Oops. Oh well. At least he enjoyed his beer.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
It Begins
I am officially a registered Alien in Japan! Yeay! Now I can get a phone, open a bank account, find part time work and get health insurance for $20/mo. Yes, you read that right. $20/mo!
Also today I start orientation! I hope it's in English...they have school on Saturdays here too. But they have sssooooo many holidays we don't!
Tomorrow I'm meeting up with the French girl I met in the hostel to go to hanami - the sakura flower blooming festival! I have wanted to see this for years but flights are marked up dramatically during the flower season; it's a huge tourist attraction. But it's not just about the flowers. Apparently it's just an excuse for business men to get raucously drunk! If you've never seen a guy in a suit trying to lean against his equally inebriated colleague, shouting obscenities and giggling, it's a sight to behold!
HA! Speaking of drunks, I was walking through the Shinjuku train station at night and there was a drunk dude jabbering with his pants around his ankles, just hanging out in his boxers. Seriously. HILARIOUS!
Off I go to get some socks and underoos. And pants. And food.
Also today I start orientation! I hope it's in English...they have school on Saturdays here too. But they have sssooooo many holidays we don't!
Tomorrow I'm meeting up with the French girl I met in the hostel to go to hanami - the sakura flower blooming festival! I have wanted to see this for years but flights are marked up dramatically during the flower season; it's a huge tourist attraction. But it's not just about the flowers. Apparently it's just an excuse for business men to get raucously drunk! If you've never seen a guy in a suit trying to lean against his equally inebriated colleague, shouting obscenities and giggling, it's a sight to behold!
HA! Speaking of drunks, I was walking through the Shinjuku train station at night and there was a drunk dude jabbering with his pants around his ankles, just hanging out in his boxers. Seriously. HILARIOUS!
Off I go to get some socks and underoos. And pants. And food.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Getting settled...PICS!!
I have a secret. Are you ready for this? I don't think I've ever told anyone. You're the first!! I...secretly...love...new office supply smell!!! And organizing everything just right in a new place...it's so satisfying because then I can relax!! When things are just thrown about I just can't concentrate...and man do the Japanese have a corner on the everything-in-its-place market. I found not one, not two, but 7 different sizes of folders for all the obscure paper sizes no one in the US ever uses. You know, the ones that are a letter and a number. The ones your damn printer keeps defaulting to every time you try to print out a word doc and wonder why the hell it isn't working.
So good news. The program is NOT cancelled. So even better news. I HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP!!! OMG FOOD!!! And here are some long awaited, strategically approved pics of the apartment, pre-organization...
That's my "bed" on the floor.
Kitchen to the left.
"Full size" bathroom on the right. No seriously, that's it. The toilet is actually sideways.
"Full size" fridge!! Holy crap!
Window view!
Looking back...
And that's my apartment. Home, sweet home.
So good news. The program is NOT cancelled. So even better news. I HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP!!! OMG FOOD!!! And here are some long awaited, strategically approved pics of the apartment, pre-organization...
That's my "bed" on the floor.
And that's my apartment. Home, sweet home.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
14.1 Mpix camera + 16G card = $128!!!
Electronics are so ridiculously cheap here at the duty free shops! I'm charging my new camera now so that I can start posting photos that don't look like I took them with a mobile phone...>.> This bad boy's got photo stabilization for shaky hands (ahem), facial recognition, and 7x zoom, HD video too! It didn't come in blue so I "settled" for the classic black. This was actually one of the least expensive cameras they had, too. Duty Free helps.
Missing my doggies and my Richie. Even Bink. I very much enjoy the serenity of anonymity, but I am human so I do miss the familiar. That's right, I just called them noisy bastards. :P I tease because I love!
The folks back home are going to (hopefully) send me a couple items I can't get here. Special, one of a kind items. Like a particular contact solution, and some peanut butter. Oooo and a GIANT BLOCK of cheddar cheese!! I can't wait - I love getting mail.
Today I went to Akihabara again to scope out the electronics. They have security systems here that use pinhole cameras, or are embedded in sunglasses and aren't obvious! There are connectors of every kind, and LEDs in every color and wattage, some so bright they burn my retinas! This place is an electrical engineer's wet dream. You know the little machines with the plastic eggs in them that have some kind of little toy/keychain? Those are EVERYWHERE. Anime characters, Snoopy, little stuffed animals both cute and confusing, all kinds of things. Oh, that reminds me. I bought a USB 2.0 drive today, 4GB, for about $7. They had 16GB drives for $30!!! And 32GB drives for ~$100!! And these are all thumbdrives! I even saw the little 5mm ones that barely stick out of the USB slot, and they were 8GB!
Missing my doggies and my Richie. Even Bink. I very much enjoy the serenity of anonymity, but I am human so I do miss the familiar. That's right, I just called them noisy bastards. :P I tease because I love!
The folks back home are going to (hopefully) send me a couple items I can't get here. Special, one of a kind items. Like a particular contact solution, and some peanut butter. Oooo and a GIANT BLOCK of cheddar cheese!! I can't wait - I love getting mail.
Today I went to Akihabara again to scope out the electronics. They have security systems here that use pinhole cameras, or are embedded in sunglasses and aren't obvious! There are connectors of every kind, and LEDs in every color and wattage, some so bright they burn my retinas! This place is an electrical engineer's wet dream. You know the little machines with the plastic eggs in them that have some kind of little toy/keychain? Those are EVERYWHERE. Anime characters, Snoopy, little stuffed animals both cute and confusing, all kinds of things. Oh, that reminds me. I bought a USB 2.0 drive today, 4GB, for about $7. They had 16GB drives for $30!!! And 32GB drives for ~$100!! And these are all thumbdrives! I even saw the little 5mm ones that barely stick out of the USB slot, and they were 8GB!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
TakeAShit Street
The main street in Harajuku - Japan's couture capital - is Takeshita street. Huh huh.
Getting the hang of the trains and subways...didn't get lost for an hour in the middle of the night this time. Right now I am enjoying some almost ripe $5 grapes. About two handfuls' worth. Fruit is ssoooo expensive here! Banana: $2. Apple:$1.50. Melons: $100+! I've been living off of McDonalds for the last few days, which probably explains the chronic heartburn. Mmmmm....athlerosclerosis...OM NOM NOM...
I'm finding lots of cute and weird merchandise for the people back home! You know who you are! :) I'm going to have to make a special shopping trip for you guys!
It's strange being stared at everywhere I go. Even by other foreigners! I keep wondering if there's something stuck to my shoe. But hey, at least I can stand on my toes and see over crowds!! I can touch the ceilings of walkways too. It's like an out of body experience every time!
Found an apartment (did I say this already?) near the school and very near the Meigi Shrine, which is this beautiful, expansive preserve and parkland. Residual jetlag kicked in around 6am this morning so I took a stroll. There were very few people out, so I had the place more or less to myself. It was so pretty, so peaceful. I can't even capture it all in words. I think I will be visiting the park much more often now that I know it's there!
I have to apologize for my lack of internet for the past few days...Happy Anniversary, baby!
Getting the hang of the trains and subways...didn't get lost for an hour in the middle of the night this time. Right now I am enjoying some almost ripe $5 grapes. About two handfuls' worth. Fruit is ssoooo expensive here! Banana: $2. Apple:$1.50. Melons: $100+! I've been living off of McDonalds for the last few days, which probably explains the chronic heartburn. Mmmmm....athlerosclerosis...OM NOM NOM...
I'm finding lots of cute and weird merchandise for the people back home! You know who you are! :) I'm going to have to make a special shopping trip for you guys!
It's strange being stared at everywhere I go. Even by other foreigners! I keep wondering if there's something stuck to my shoe. But hey, at least I can stand on my toes and see over crowds!! I can touch the ceilings of walkways too. It's like an out of body experience every time!
Found an apartment (did I say this already?) near the school and very near the Meigi Shrine, which is this beautiful, expansive preserve and parkland. Residual jetlag kicked in around 6am this morning so I took a stroll. There were very few people out, so I had the place more or less to myself. It was so pretty, so peaceful. I can't even capture it all in words. I think I will be visiting the park much more often now that I know it's there!
I have to apologize for my lack of internet for the past few days...Happy Anniversary, baby!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
3am
It's 3am local time and I just woke up, feeling refreshed. Hey, we had a couple of tremors last yesterday night! I think there were 3 in a row. It just kinda felt like someone was rocking the bed. My suitemate said that she had never been in an earthquake before so she was scared shitless. Is it odd that I found it soothing? Yeah, that's probably weird.
Today I meet up with a representative from Sakura House, a housing company that has sites all over Tokyo. She will help me find a place close to the school that meets my stringent requirements: bigger than a closet, cheaper than an apartment, and nice like a Swedish lady (youtube Regular Ordinary Swedish Mealtime, you'll get it!)．The nice thing about Sakura House is that it advertizes forigner-friendliness and they don't have all the traditional upfront costs that all housing in Japan seems to have...in some places up to 6 months rent!!
Aya, the Aoyama Gakuin Daigoku University counciller, helped me apply for one of the "guesthouses" in Japanese. Though I was rejected for being a functional retard, I really appreciated the help! I was interested in that place, Enzo something something, because it allows pets, which is very, very hard to find! Oh, I got to use "犬をさわてええですか。" (May I pet your dog + petting the dog hand motion). Speaking of dogs, most 犬 ("eeee-new", dogs) are understandably small here: chihuahuas, shiba inu, weiner dogs <3, but I saw a standard yellow lab too! I have a soft spot for dogs to which Rich can attest - much to his chagrin, last time we visited Japan I stopped every single dog owner I saw to pet their dog. What can I say, they make me feel like I'm at home! It's something familiar. And I miss my doggies. :/
Also very popular here are Scottish fold kittens. You know the scene in Shrek where Puss (Antonio Banderez) takes off his hat and does the pitiful puppy dog eyes? They look like that all of the time!!
Reading katakana and hirigana, the simple writing systems, is getting easier very quickly. You know, since it's on everything. Interactions with people are kind of like a game where I don't know the rules yet. I know that I probably come across as rude even though I am trying to be overly polite...it's just the culture difference. "Thank you. I'm sorry. Yes, please. Excuse me, I'm sorry." But they are fairly forgiving. At least I'm doing my part to reinforce the stereotype!
What else, what else...many foriengers here in the hostel. I have heard English, French, Belgium-ian (whatever they speak), and some Spanish. Also I think there was another Asian language, maybe Korean? I'm sharing a room in part with a French-Japanese girl and we probably had the most multi-lingual conversation I've ever experienced. French <-> Japanese <-> English!! We had both of our translation dictionaries out, though fortunately she still spoke some English. I even spoke Spanish to her since French and Spanish are more similar than French and English! We are going shopping tomorrow! Well...today. I am lucky that I can buy clothes in this country!!
Today I meet up with a representative from Sakura House, a housing company that has sites all over Tokyo. She will help me find a place close to the school that meets my stringent requirements: bigger than a closet, cheaper than an apartment, and nice like a Swedish lady (youtube Regular Ordinary Swedish Mealtime, you'll get it!)．The nice thing about Sakura House is that it advertizes forigner-friendliness and they don't have all the traditional upfront costs that all housing in Japan seems to have...in some places up to 6 months rent!!
Aya, the Aoyama Gakuin Daigoku University counciller, helped me apply for one of the "guesthouses" in Japanese. Though I was rejected for being a functional retard, I really appreciated the help! I was interested in that place, Enzo something something, because it allows pets, which is very, very hard to find! Oh, I got to use "犬をさわてええですか。" (May I pet your dog + petting the dog hand motion). Speaking of dogs, most 犬 ("eeee-new", dogs) are understandably small here: chihuahuas, shiba inu, weiner dogs <3, but I saw a standard yellow lab too! I have a soft spot for dogs to which Rich can attest - much to his chagrin, last time we visited Japan I stopped every single dog owner I saw to pet their dog. What can I say, they make me feel like I'm at home! It's something familiar. And I miss my doggies. :/
Also very popular here are Scottish fold kittens. You know the scene in Shrek where Puss (Antonio Banderez) takes off his hat and does the pitiful puppy dog eyes? They look like that all of the time!!
Reading katakana and hirigana, the simple writing systems, is getting easier very quickly. You know, since it's on everything. Interactions with people are kind of like a game where I don't know the rules yet. I know that I probably come across as rude even though I am trying to be overly polite...it's just the culture difference. "Thank you. I'm sorry. Yes, please. Excuse me, I'm sorry." But they are fairly forgiving. At least I'm doing my part to reinforce the stereotype!
What else, what else...many foriengers here in the hostel. I have heard English, French, Belgium-ian (whatever they speak), and some Spanish. Also I think there was another Asian language, maybe Korean? I'm sharing a room in part with a French-Japanese girl and we probably had the most multi-lingual conversation I've ever experienced. French <-> Japanese <-> English!! We had both of our translation dictionaries out, though fortunately she still spoke some English. I even spoke Spanish to her since French and Spanish are more similar than French and English! We are going shopping tomorrow! Well...today. I am lucky that I can buy clothes in this country!!
Quick update!
Heya everyone!
So here's what's going down. It's been cold and drizzling since I've got here. I need a warmer jacket!! I've been looking for permanent housing, so far no dice, but someone at the International Exchange Center at the school is helping me. School starts next week.
So far I've been able to navigate the trains and subways with some fortunate run-ins with English speakers. I am so glad I've been here before on vacation or else I'd be totally lost. Everyone here is very helpful. I feel safer here than I do in America, the crime rate is so low and everyone is very friendly.
Also, I have found that being an illiterate foriegner is not so bad. Not preferable, but I'm learning. Like I said, pointing and grunting will get you surprizingly far!
So I've discovered I need to learn my Japanese counters. They're kind of like units. You don't say "I want one of these", you say "I want <special word for 1 item> of these." Otherwise it doesn't make sense. Yesterday, I went to order some food and it came out to way more expensive than I thought...so while I'm standing there trying to figure out how the hell I can afford to eat in this country, they suddenly hand me 3 meals instead of 1!! Oops. Note to self.
Last night I had some McDonald's (same place I ordered more than I thought I did), and I was going to regail you with a description of how unbelieveably delicious it was...but I ended up getting sick on it. Somehow not so delicious coming back up. For those of you familiar with public transportation in Japan, you'll find it hilarious that I threw up all over the Tokyo Metro subway!! USA!! USA!!
Got some awesome pictures I'll be posting once I can transfer from my phone. Til then...
So here's what's going down. It's been cold and drizzling since I've got here. I need a warmer jacket!! I've been looking for permanent housing, so far no dice, but someone at the International Exchange Center at the school is helping me. School starts next week.
So far I've been able to navigate the trains and subways with some fortunate run-ins with English speakers. I am so glad I've been here before on vacation or else I'd be totally lost. Everyone here is very helpful. I feel safer here than I do in America, the crime rate is so low and everyone is very friendly.
Also, I have found that being an illiterate foriegner is not so bad. Not preferable, but I'm learning. Like I said, pointing and grunting will get you surprizingly far!
So I've discovered I need to learn my Japanese counters. They're kind of like units. You don't say "I want one of these", you say "I want <special word for 1 item> of these." Otherwise it doesn't make sense. Yesterday, I went to order some food and it came out to way more expensive than I thought...so while I'm standing there trying to figure out how the hell I can afford to eat in this country, they suddenly hand me 3 meals instead of 1!! Oops. Note to self.
Last night I had some McDonald's (same place I ordered more than I thought I did), and I was going to regail you with a description of how unbelieveably delicious it was...but I ended up getting sick on it. Somehow not so delicious coming back up. For those of you familiar with public transportation in Japan, you'll find it hilarious that I threw up all over the Tokyo Metro subway!! USA!! USA!!
Got some awesome pictures I'll be posting once I can transfer from my phone. Til then...
Monday, March 21, 2011
Made it!
I'm here and ok! Radiation levels are negligible, around 10 bananas (fruit, not units), so no cause for concern! Got into Tokyo around midnight local time (Monday-Tuesday), which is about 4am Monday back home.
Had to change travel plans since the Narita express wasn't running (Narita airport to Tokyo), probably didn't take the fastest route, but I was able to navigate the trains, subways, and the language barrier! Largely because of several fortuitous run ins with semi-English speakers. That and I'm fluent in point and grunt. Didn't get to the hotel until hours later, so internet was not available immediately. And Verizon sucks. I don't get service here of any sort, lies!! :/
People have been very helpful here! It's very humbling to go from successful, educated engineer to illiterate foreigner, but I am enjoying the challenge. Already I'm picking up words and phrases! So far I have not been able to use 犬をさわてええですか？May I pet your dog?, but I have faith! I miss my little fuzzbutts already. And the big fuzzbutt ;)
So today I'm off to get the lay of the land and find housing accommodations! Since I was not able to reserve overseas, I am here a week early to secure housing. There is so much to say already! But I am ridiculously hungry, so stay tuned!
Had to change travel plans since the Narita express wasn't running (Narita airport to Tokyo), probably didn't take the fastest route, but I was able to navigate the trains, subways, and the language barrier! Largely because of several fortuitous run ins with semi-English speakers. That and I'm fluent in point and grunt. Didn't get to the hotel until hours later, so internet was not available immediately. And Verizon sucks. I don't get service here of any sort, lies!! :/
People have been very helpful here! It's very humbling to go from successful, educated engineer to illiterate foreigner, but I am enjoying the challenge. Already I'm picking up words and phrases! So far I have not been able to use 犬をさわてええですか？May I pet your dog?, but I have faith! I miss my little fuzzbutts already. And the big fuzzbutt ;)
So today I'm off to get the lay of the land and find housing accommodations! Since I was not able to reserve overseas, I am here a week early to secure housing. There is so much to say already! But I am ridiculously hungry, so stay tuned!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
another engineer in tokyo
just met a mechanical engineer heading up to the disaster area in japan to deploy unmanned drones. he designed and built the drones mechanical manipulator arm and chassis for a company called irobot based out of boston. he'll be the dude training the jp military to use it. that is an engineers dream job.exclamationpoint. hhaha
just talked to rich and his main comp took a crap. booooo. hes trying to fix it...poor guy. hes having a shitty day. maybe someone could take him out tnite to make hime feel better?
boarding soon. its stormng like crazy here in la. couldnmt even see across the tarmac a bit ago.
japan, here i come.exclamationpoint.exclamationpoint.
just talked to rich and his main comp took a crap. booooo. hes trying to fix it...poor guy. hes having a shitty day. maybe someone could take him out tnite to make hime feel better?
boarding soon. its stormng like crazy here in la. couldnmt even see across the tarmac a bit ago.
japan, here i come.exclamationpoint.exclamationpoint.
stash the beer
we saw a lady by the check in feverishly trying to stow her tecate and brownbag into her check in luggage. at least she knows whats important to her
delayed
so my japan flight has been delayed four times...now leaving at four thirty pm. ps droid doesn't let me use numbers or punctuation on this site so gibberish it is. but because of the delay we got free lunch. yeay lunch with emmy
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Bon Voyage
My flight leaves tomorrow at 10:10a. Em and I will be on the same flight to LA!
I think it finally hit me that I'm going to study abroad for a year when I dropped my car off for storage. My stomach did that icy cold twitter thing. Both exciting and scary. I hope I'm doing the right thing.
I think it finally hit me that I'm going to study abroad for a year when I dropped my car off for storage. My stomach did that icy cold twitter thing. Both exciting and scary. I hope I'm doing the right thing.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
I haven't been posting lately because (a) we've been moving across town, and (b) I wasn't sure how to respond to the situation in Japan. Thanks to some friendly advice (thanks, Magaly!) I figured I'd just say what's going through my head.
Quick update on the Japan situation. Earthquake + tsunami + nuclear cooling problems = bad. It is unbelieveable how many compounding events colluded to create this crisis. The "redundant" cooling systems were not redundant at all, but relied on a constant supply of electricity and electrically supplied coolant without which they failed. Without electricity to power the system, the coolant boiled off while the coolant pump simultaneously stopped supplying replacement coolant. Not only did this expose the rods to the atmosphere, spiking the radiation levels inside the plant, but also the steam released reacted with the shielding materials and allowed for a buildup of hydrogen gas which exceeded the design limits of the containment vessel. However, even then the situation would have been salvageable because there were preventative systems which should have eliminated the excess pressure by incinerating the hydrogen gas... only the incinerator was not operational due to the quake damaging the electricity grid. And then...it all went downhill from there. I've been glued to aljazeera, cnn, bbc, and the program websites, trying to ascertain whether I should stay or go.
My contacts in Tokyo (hundreds of miles away from the Sendai/Fukushima area) say much of the media reporting is sensationalized and that food, water, transportation, and sanity is still available. The program has not yet been cancelled. Though I just received an email that they are "talking" about moving it back a few days...I'm going to lose thousands over this. ; ;
BTW, today was my last day at work and it was awesome. Shredding papers, throwing out project notes I'll never have to read again...I walked out of the office with a big stupid smile on my face! Ah, catharsis. I am now a free agent!
And my puppy just jumped in my lap wanting attention. To be continued!
Quick update on the Japan situation. Earthquake + tsunami + nuclear cooling problems = bad. It is unbelieveable how many compounding events colluded to create this crisis. The "redundant" cooling systems were not redundant at all, but relied on a constant supply of electricity and electrically supplied coolant without which they failed. Without electricity to power the system, the coolant boiled off while the coolant pump simultaneously stopped supplying replacement coolant. Not only did this expose the rods to the atmosphere, spiking the radiation levels inside the plant, but also the steam released reacted with the shielding materials and allowed for a buildup of hydrogen gas which exceeded the design limits of the containment vessel. However, even then the situation would have been salvageable because there were preventative systems which should have eliminated the excess pressure by incinerating the hydrogen gas... only the incinerator was not operational due to the quake damaging the electricity grid. And then...it all went downhill from there. I've been glued to aljazeera, cnn, bbc, and the program websites, trying to ascertain whether I should stay or go.
My contacts in Tokyo (hundreds of miles away from the Sendai/Fukushima area) say much of the media reporting is sensationalized and that food, water, transportation, and sanity is still available. The program has not yet been cancelled. Though I just received an email that they are "talking" about moving it back a few days...I'm going to lose thousands over this. ; ;
BTW, today was my last day at work and it was awesome. Shredding papers, throwing out project notes I'll never have to read again...I walked out of the office with a big stupid smile on my face! Ah, catharsis. I am now a free agent!
And my puppy just jumped in my lap wanting attention. To be continued!
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