Archive: 2003-04
Purple Hands
My right hand is now a fetching shade of purple, but at least it doesn’t really cause me any discomfort any more. As predicted, the children were very interested by my red hands and neck, asking me what had happened.
Stormy Night
I was woken up at 05:25 this morning by a storm of biblical proportions. Very high winds were whipping sheets of rain around, and the combination of the wailing gale and drumming rain on the roof just above my head woke me up more effectively than any alarm clock ever could. I even opened my window and looked out to see the water cascading across the road, like a perpendicular waterfall in mid-air.
Taisho
Someone at work told me last week about Taisho-ku and its large Okinawan population. It piqued my curiosity, so I decided to visit it when the chance arose. Today was a holiday, I woke up early (in my bed, readers will be glad to hear), the sun was shining with no threat of rain, and I took the opportunity to go exploring.
Golden Week
I woke up in my bed this morning, having picked myself up off the floor around 3am. Peu à peu, ça s’améliore.
Sleep
I woke up this morning at 8am, lying on the floor, fully dressed, with the lights still on.
A Real Rant
I hate RealPlayer (or RealOne Player as the latest version is called). I have many reasons to hate it. I hate having to use it in the absence of an alternative. I’ve griped about it before, but one thing pisses me off more than anything else.
Give Me Sanctuary From The Tabloids
I have a hypothesis that a good measure of a country can be found in the way in which it treats outsiders.
Mailbox
RSS
RSS, in case you didn’t know, is a format by which websites can provide a link to their latest news. It’s a simple XML file with a few standard fields like “item”, “link”, “description” and so on.
Commuter Hell
Gotta love getting to work in Japan. To be honest, my journey isn’t too bad, because I live near the end of the line, which ensures that I always get a seat. It helps that I live in Osaka rather than Tokyo, too. Seen those guys on TV, employed to push the commuters into the train? We don’t have them here. It still falls far short of being a barrel of laughs, mind you.
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock
I’m sitting here, waiting for another thirty minutes to pass so that I can go home. I don’t have anything to do, so it’s a complete waste of time. Yeah, I know I’m getting paid, but I’m not adding any value to the operation by sitting around until the minute hand points south, and it’s so frustrating!
So Far, So Good
I’ve made it through my first morning of work, managing to do very little. I’ve done a tour of all the classes to say ’hello’ to the pupils, eaten my lunch and browsed a few websites.
Denial
It’s coming up to midnight, a bit late, but I’m ready for bed.
My Other Laptop
I’m feeling a lot happier today.
Gender Inequality
Just to prove that I’m not the only person bashing the rampant gender inequality here in Japan, I’ll quote from the editorial ("Gender equality a worthy goal") of Friday’s edition of The Daily Yomiuri, itself a translation from the previous day’s Yomiuri Shimbun (emphasis mine):
New Job, New Worries
Like I said before, I’ve got a job starting on Monday, teaching at elementary school. However, the differing and often conflicting expectations of the four different parties involved (the agency, the board of education, the schools and me) are really making me nervous.
Yanagimoto Versus Tsuji
It wasn’t quite Godzilla versus Mothra, but it was funny to hear two election candidates going head to head in their speaker vans this afternoon. As they came within shouting distance of each other, they gave up on their normal spiels and started trying each to shout their own name louder than the other candidate.
Back To The Airport
I took my parents to the airport this morning. Of course, no matter how reasonable the flight time sounds at the time of booking, by the time you factor in the excessively premature check-in times and the time taken to get to the airport in whatever godforsaken hamlet they are located in, far from their alleged city, you always have to get up early.
Job Update
It appears that I get a week’s reprieve, and I’ll start work from next Monday.
Election Time
I’m sitting here with earplugs in my ears. Why? Because local (city and prefecture) elections are next week, which means that all the candidates are spending a week driving around in vans with loudspeakers, trying to encourage people to vote for them.
All About Japan
I thought I’d write a bit more about my feelings concerning Japan. I want to try to express myself more clearly and to address the negative tone of some of my recent comments. They weren’t meant to be quite so negative.
Ackbar
This image really cracked me up. Admiral Ackbar’s head sliced like ham. It’s gruesome, but incredibly well realised.
Sakura
It’s cherry blossom time. I went up to Satsukiyama in Ikeda with my parents. I think they came to Japan at just the right time of year.
FAQ RIP
Bowling For Columbine
I saw Bowling For Columbine at the cinema this afternoon. I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while, but it’s just gone on general release here. It’s an unusual feeling to watch a documentary at a cinema.
