Tuesday, June 29, 2004

internet any day

Originally from an old server that is now gone. Reposted in September 2006.

murasaki ringo


Get ready, yes its coming to a few silly people who read my words. Yes its coming. I will have very fast internet, very soon. The result of this is 1) tons of useless updates 2) a massive stream of content you can browse to kill time... I will be uploading my pics and stuff to a new section of my website (trumpets!) "murasaki ringo" ... at the moment, nothing is there but that will change soon. Also I will have all sorts of other stuff there that maybe 1 or 2 people will look at?!


Some pointless links from the stratasphoogle: anyone want to join the green rabbit army? I was talking to someone at work about cockney rhyming slang, but little did I know you could do it automatic on the net! Wow, we can all be cockneys now! (and links from that page let you be any British accent for that matter wooo! and if you want to find a quick list of british slang, jump to this page that i got the cockney link from.) And finally please see someone's pet pig. Just like that y'all.
[[links missing]]

In other news, it has got so humid here in Japan. Its the liquid always slightly wet with sweat state-of-existance. Or if I am at work, the air conditioner is so strong that I am almost cold. Winter inside a summer. Of course if you are also here with me, you know what I am talking about. Cant quite remember the reason I sat down to updates this diary. Oh well. Pointless update number 257! and the beat goes on...

DAAG!



19:59:00 | permalink | comments (8)


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The link works Dansen : )
Steph


steph, the link should be working now... and i am still working on stuff, so its still in the process! thanks.. more to come!
dansen


Steph again, I watched your movies -- what a treat! "Drunk fish tank" comes up as "document not found" when I click on it, though, but it could just be my connection. What is a drunk fish tank?
Steph


I like your photos too. Weird grid though.
Diego


I love your new murasaki ringo -- I can see so much more detail in your photos now --how cool!
Steph


Singapore was always humid too. It was a little tough when it was hot and wet. Hope you get your interset soon!
Diego


I guess that over-cranking of air conditioners is universal because I've been suffering from the same thing here in NM. It seems kinda weird to lug a sweater around on a really hot day, but I've decided that it's better than getting a cold in the middle of summer ; )
Steph


Cool. It was probably me
Aaron

Friday, June 25, 2004

living in the rain and heat

Originally from an old server that is now gone. Reposted in September 2006.

rain rain rain internet?!


Last week we were hit by Typhoon Number 6... And honestly, I love rain. I know, I know, its annoying to get soaked on your way to work, but I really enjoy rain. The sound of it slamming down, and especially when it drums against the metal roofs of a station, the world lost in a blur of water. Or walking in the rain, yes, I like walking in the rain, as the streets flood and begin resembeling small rivers, small streams streaking down from clogged drains. I stood in the rain, watching, and trying fruitlessly to capture a picture expressing it. I ended up taking several hi-res videos of it (too big too upload i think) that was bairly able to capture the 360゚ sensory experience of being attacked by crying clouds.



I went to see "Lost in Translation" with Vicky last week, and I know a lot of people already said their thoughts about it (including an excelent review of it by Diego on June 22) but I thought I would add my thoughts to the pile... first, and I guess most important, I was entertained, I thought it was a fairly beautiful film. Honestly, however I thought, atleast from my point of view, Sophia Coppola gave a really twisted, distorted view of modern Tokyo. Partly because most of us wont be staying in multimilion doller hotels, or checking out fancy art-smash rich people parties, etc etc... but also through blatent racisim (or softly stated as stereotype closeups) used as movie content, because their was little else to add to this fluffy movie. I personally would have liked more abstract shots of tokyo, but that dosent sell to a bigger audience so the stereotype cloesups allowed Sophia to have content, but I think they also hurt her movie. And let me say again, only about 40% of that movie was the Tokyo I call home. Of course, nothing is wrong with a fresh view but living here it felt like watching a fake sometimes... like when I watched Austin Powers 3 (and I think even The Last Samurai did something like this) and they had Mt.Fuji in Yokohama, for most people that was a fact they might not have noticed, but for me it made the movie feel fake (ok, I know Austin Powers is totally fake anyway... maybe they tried to do that?!) Anyway, enough said.



I was reading the Asahi Herald Tribune, which is basically a reprint of the New York Times, and I found an article on the front page about work-place bullies (find a copy of that article in a different paper here), and they mentioned an anti-bully group in Bellingham (where I lived last) that I had never heard of before, it was called "The Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute" ... I reaseached it, and they seem to be real? weird, you learn things about where you (used to) live all the time?!... hmm. yes. what? you didnt relally want to know that? oh.



Anyway, last cool thing to note... I should have internet in less than a week?!?! Finally! I am happy, and I really will update more often! Really! I think...







SAYA LUCU.....! TIDAK INTERNET?! SAYA MAU INTERNET !!



00:18:00 | permalink | comments (3)


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I kind of had the same feeling as you Dansen about "Lost in Translation". While I connected to some moments in the film such as the shots of Charlotte gazing up at the lights from the taxi and staring at all the buildings below and trying to take it all in. However, I felt the same about, not all of us stay in a ritzy hotel with room service. I did however appreciate the cinematography given the difficulties they probably would have had. I was amazed at the shot of Shibuya crossing when Charlotte is walking across. I doubt they would have been able to get the entire crossing free and to be filming in a very public place in the middle of the day with a lot of foreigners and a crew, I was surprised that they managed to get a shot where no passerbys looked at the camera. However, I thought the storyline was a little weak in some places and gave into too many cultural stereotypes. I also got the feeling that Sophia is a little egomanical at times. I've actually visited her store, Heaven 27 in Daikanyama and it appeared to be a little bit of a shrine to herself. When I went there they were playing the Lost in Translation soundtrack, which was also available for purchase in the store and there were photos taken by her everywhere not too mention select CD's, books and magazines that seemed to be carefully handpicked for being somewhat obscure and undiscovered. Then I came across a book monogrammed with "SC". I opened it up and it said in very minimalistic san serif print something like, "things I liked in 2002". Then there were all these pictures of her famous extended family, various movie stars and designers etc. and she was selling it (basically it was like a small store catalogue) for around 2000 yen. It was a little creepy but I guess everyone has obsessions. Just look at us posting comments to this blog. Anyway, I preferred the "Virgin Suicides" to this one.
Tanya


What do you mean they had Mt. Fuji in Yokohama. You can probably see it from there if it's a clear day. You can see it from parts of Tokyo to, such as the roof of Asia University or my old dorm.
Aaron


The Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute in Bellingham? I've never heard of that either, but if any city is going to have an institute like that it would be Bellingham! Albuquerque could use a program like that!
Steph

Saturday, June 19, 2004

Strange comparisons

Originally from an old server that is now gone. Reposted in September 2006.

cutting edge digital life


I was walking to the internet cafe tonight (still no interent at my place) and as I walked past the small group of prostitutes that always huddles infront of the station, a strange comparision came to me. The work of the prostitutes, in some ways, resembles my work as a conversation english teacher... OK, don't be a sick freak and start commenting about sex with students (I'll delete those comments if you do) I mean it in a simply logical sense. I am a teacher, but its not like a college teacher, its quick, direct, and to the point. They have sex, but its not like with a partner you know and trust, its most likely quick, direct, and to the point. They have a wage that is higher per hour than your normal worker, so do I. All of the prostitutes in front of my station are non-japanese, foreigners coming to work in a market where their basic skills are required. Me too. I could keep going, but I dont think I have to. Its weird, huh?



I also want to say something that isnt quite clear to me. But I was surfing along through this amazing cosmos known as the internet, and I slipped into a random stream of videos uploaded by random people. I am using a really fast connection, so I bounced along for awhile, and I came across this file. It seems so surreal to me, so perfect it almost seems like a short movie. In fact, I think I will now consider it a random short movie contained inside a random moment. Am I freaking out? Check it out and see what you think. (And any other videos if you want to bounce around, I cant say they are all safe, I have no idea.)



Anyway, I am enjoying my moments. Enjoy yours! DAAG!



00:13:00 | permalink | comments (5)


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I love your picture of the ramen!
Steph


Oh yea, and the videos... Are they all Windows media? Windows media doesn't stream very well. I don't like it...
Aaron


Did you see how much Gmail accounts are selling for on eBay now? About 5¢. They just reset my invites to 5 again too.
Aaron


Dansen, is everybody talking at you? Can you hear a word they're saying, or only the echos of your mind? Did you ever see "The Midnight Cowboy"? I don't think that you're prostituting yourself by giving fast-paced English lessons.
Steph


The videos are kinda bad, but it's an interesting concept. Comparing yourself to prostitutes is kinda strange, at first I thought you're talking about selling yourself out or something. Didn't you want to do a documentary about male gigolos? Dansen dansen dansen.
Diego

Friday, June 18, 2004

seeing sokichi and yuka

Originally from an old server that is now gone. Reposted in September 2006.

and also my new zealand album!


This post was orginally posted on June 16th, but it vaporized. The user Urth was smart enough to check google's cache (I guess thats what he did) and let me have the post again, all comments have been copy and pasted back in again. Its almost like new....?!



This evening I hung out with yuka and sokichi, i hadnt seen either of them in a long time so it was really great to see them... first me and yuka waited for sokichi to finish work, ate a yummy nikuman and stuff, and then we met him and talked about anything from japanese music (that was easy) to quantom mechanics (thats not so easy to do in Japanese, its not so easy in English!?) and then we went to Karaoke and they both sang great and i was stupid and screamed my way through several weird songs. The karaoke room was in this litteral "karaoke tower" ... six floors of karaoke rooms... we were up on the 5th floor and our room had a slightly dirty window that looked down on the busy street below... it also had a glass box that hung out over that space so if i crawled up into it i could watch the street 5 floors below me... freaky! it was cool hanging out with them....

I finally found a host that will let me upload my New Zealand Photo Album ... check it out and leave comments here if you wish. I had to upload a fairly low-reseloution version because i cant find anywhere that will let me upload my 14MB acrobat file. Anyway, I have work tomorrow and so I guess I should go for now. Still no internet in my house. When will they install it?
SAMPAI JUMPA LAGI !



22:34:00 | permalink | comments (5)


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diego.. .whats weird? tanya... i am doing the borrowing phone line thing so its even slower than renting a phone line, complicated and annoying...aaah!... and i couldnt find a host to put my big version of my album, when i get a chance I'll try to upload it somewhere were it can show bigger pictures.... vicky.. yeah, a karaoke tower! it was awesome! aaron.. i didnt MAKE her come to tokorozawa, and you should have came, would have been fun dude! thanks for comments everyone, anymore welcome too ^-^;
Dansen


I wanted to go too, but you make Yuka go all the way to Tokorozawa, and I didn't (and couldn't spend 2+ hours on the train to get there.)
Aaron


ohmygod! karaoke tower! thats so fascinating!! ahh i wanna go to karaoke~
vicky


Who is your ISP? I think mine took two weeks and that was ASDL I had to rent a phone line too. The internet in Japan is really fast compared to back here. Your album looked pretty impressive but the pictures were too small, I couldn't really see anything.
Tanya


Yeah, the flash album is kinda weird.
Diego

Thursday, June 03, 2004

trying to get into the swing of it

Orginally from an old server that is now gone. Reposted in September 2006.


i love indie media


ok, so I still dont have internet in my place, it will be a few more weeks or something... but I was using the internet at an internet cafe near my house, so i thought I should post something to get into practice for my daily blog updates once I get the net!



i think i will miss coming to this intenet cafe, sometimes they call me by name (which is a little creepy because I never told them my name) and once the dude who always checks me out asked me if i could get home safely because it was late and there were no trains to my house (i gave a different address for my contact information when becoming a member of this cafe) so they must be looking at my info? a little weird, but friendly I guess. tears, I'll miss this place!



I love weird indie media... how about this chunk of pure digital-era entertainment. Someone over at the university of Arizon, decided to convert bad jokes into movie shorts. I love this about uber-indie stuff! woo! so, if you have a fast connect go see their version of this infamous joke (well, atleast I know I have told a version of this while drunk a few times...link source)



The weather has been freaky, which is classic for this season i guess. One day it will be hot and humid, almost melting me, and the next cold or rainy. And I have seen more bugs, which is a bit creepy, honestly, when they surprize you, even though bugs are amazing things, well designed little crawlers.



Piyo and Sokichi will visit my place together next week, so I am very excited. I havent seen either of them in months, so my excited-level is: yay yay yay!



Anyway, I should walk home and go to sleep. SAMPAI JUMPA LAGI



01:47:00 | permalink | comments (4)


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I'm definitely flying into Narita and will be in Tokyo Jul. 25-28 for orientation. Trench - maybe, don't know yet for sure. He might fly into Osaka later. We'll keep ya posted!
syrinx


I hope that you are only seeing bugs outside! :p
Steph


We'll have to slate time to do our own indie video/film stuff when I get there. Say hi to Piyo, I don't think she remembers me from our samui discussion. I may end up flying to Osaka, depending on what happens with JET. I ditto Diego's question? What did you think of Lost in Translation. I loved it. Aki and Yo (you met them at our house warming party) thought it was boring.
trenchcoat


Seems like you're some celebrity with the internet stuff! Sometimes you wanna go - where everybody knows your name...

Yeah, having internet access will be cool. Hey, what did you think of "Lost in Translation?"
Diego

 
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