My Blog, My Say

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2008-12-20T01:49:00.002+09:00

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It's a Physical Limit

2008-12-05T23:34:00.002+09:00

It was 2.30am, way past my bedtime. Neuron-firing rate dropped to 4 Hz. Brainwave pattern was transiting into the theta phase. High level of adenosine was detected. I tried to ignore the signs but the warning message flashing on the terminal distracted me from what I was working on.

Standing on the balls of the feet, I reached at the tallest part of the bookshelf. There it was, a thick tome with a woven binding, covered under a thick layer of dust collected over years of disuse. Blowing off the dust jacket off the cover revealed the title "A User Guide to the Human Body (5th Edition)".

I skimmed down the table of contents, stopping at the section "Your Brain: That Chunk of Stuff in between Your Ears". Flipping to the listed page showed the technical specifications of the brain.

Weight: Approximately two pounds
Size: Varies across individuals; ranges from something between the size of a peanut or a football
Number of neurons: Something between a hundred and a hundred billion
Temperature for optimum performance: 37゜C

These were but just a few selected points. The number of bolts and nuts required to build a brain from scratch was written in detail too, among other trivial stuff.

Nope. These were not what I was looking for. I needed to check the section on troubleshooting.

Q: I'm supposed to sleep two hours ago but I need to stay awake and finish some work first. There's this warning message flashing since an hour ago. I've been trying to ignore it but it's distracting. What should I do? Should I just smash the terminal?
A: Check your EEG, if it falls below 8Hz, go to bed already for the love of God. Forcing yourself to stay awake may undermine the hardware performance of your brain, or even cause the brain to switch to zombie mode Now, if that does not frighten you enough, please be informed that the warranty shall become void should the hardware be run beyond the recommended conditions (refer to section 42.18.2.1.6).

See? Staying awake overnight was not as simple as a matter of will. It was a physical limit. And heck, I was compromising my warranty thanks to some sadistic guy who gave us an assignment which was to be submitted the next morning, by 10.

What the hell? Why 10am? Why not 5pm? I didn't have the first lesson in the morning. And why not just next Monday? This wasn't any assignment you could finish in minutes by enlisting the help your fingers and toes to do the arithmetics. These were the calculations for the designs of a hydraulic jack, the very beginning part of our project for the next six weeks. Obviously, we were screwed. And this was just the prelude to a worse nightmare that is to come.

Just a little bit more. Damn. I hate "Machine Design and Drawing".

A Cocoon in the City

2008-12-02T00:51:00.003+09:00

No work last Saturday; it was a long weekend indeed. Despite the sunny weather out there, this is the season when pulling yourself out of the bed proves to be a major feat. I'm so proud of myself for being discipline enough to wake up early, well, after a couple of hours' struggling. So, it was no early than noon that I eventually got ready to go out before I rot in the suffocating room (Nowadays, I wonder if I'm claustrophobic).

Usual photo session. I had a couple of places in mind but somehow, I wasn't in the mood to travel far. Besides, I had to drop by at Bic Camera. So Shinjuku it was. After grabbing an ND filter (which sadly is yet to make its debut, so more on that some other time) at Bic Camera for my Tammy 17-50, I took a stroll in the west area of the station. Then, it caught my attention. Yes, one of the strangest buildings I've seen in Japan (if you don't consider the black pyramid next to Tokyo Tower). To some, it may look like a monolithic phallic monument. To me, it resembled some kind of monster cocoon from the Ultraman series.

Oh, it is the Cocoon Tower, duh!

The first time the building caught my attention was during a trip to the observatory in the Tokyo metropolitan office building a few blocks away. Frankly, I was ignorant of the fact that the building was a recent addition to the already packed metropolitan district - as recent as last summer. In fact, the official opening was on last October.

Oh well. So we've got another high rise building in Shinjuku. What's new?

Hey, don't miss the point here. It's a piece of artwork, don't you think so? To put it curtly, it's a strange design. A subtle way of rephrasing that, would be "futuristic". It was hard to find a spot in the crowded district to take a shot at the structure in full. So just check out their official website for a photo of it. Simply speaking, it's a gigantic cocoon with a gigantic ball (or is it a dome?). Ah, pardon my lack of vocabulary.

Now, this building was designed by Tange Associates. Though it wasn't by Tange Kenzo himself, I must say that this building is second to none of his other works.

So, what purpose does this cocoon serve? Believe it or not, it houses three vocational schools: Tokyo Mode Gakuen (東京モード学園), HAL (ハル東京) and Shuto Ikou (首都医校). The former two specializes in designing, and the latter, medistry.

Whoa, a 204-meter tall 50-story monolith as vocational schools... I wonder what justifies that...

Interestingness

2008-11-23T22:00:00.002+09:00

Down there at Flickr's homepage, there's this section called "Explore". (You'd know what I mean if you're a Flickrite.) I had no idea what the hell it was. All I knew was if you click on it, it'd take you to some page called "Explore" (duh), where you can spend hours browsing through tonnes and tonnes of interesting photos. Obviously, someone, somehow, keeps track of all those photos and decides if they're interesting enough to be showcased on this page. That's all I knew all these while, despite having an active Flickr account since more than a year ago.

Alright, I'm a slow learner...

But two days ago, I eventually learned more about this interestingness thingy, when I stumbled upon Big Huge Labs. It hosts a number of cool Flickr toys developed by some generous folks. And one of the gadgets, Scout, has become my favourite.

Scout: Find your photographs in Flickr Explore

it says.

At that point, I still had no idea about Flickr Explore. But I gave it a try anyway. Then, voila! It returned two results.

I... what(?)... have two photos on Explore? Now, that's interesting!

This photo which I took in Miyajima last summer was one of them.

What's more, this photo has a ranking of #57, it said.

Then, there was this other photo I posted the other day.

Mt Fuji at sunset, taken at Yamanaka Lake, one of the famous Fuji Five Lakes. And this one ranked in the #40's.

Wow, that's cool. I had to find out more.

By doing a quick search, I found out that Flickr has got some kind of algorithm that figures out the interestingness of each photo uploaded everyday. No one knows how the algorithm works exactly. But common sense tells that page views, number of comments and favourites are surely part of the recipe for the interestingness algo. So, obviously the ranking changes over time, as photos get viewed, commented or faved. I learned that my Miyajima photo was once a #8. It has slipped down the rankings over time.

As for the second photo, it now ranks at #10. I've no idea how much longer it'll remain on the front page of Explore 19 November 2008. But making it into Explore certainly meant a lot. I've been wanting to take a shot of Mt Fuji from the lakes but the weather hasn't been cooperative; sunny days on weekdays but when it comes to Sundays, it's always cloudy or rainy. When the weather forecast on Tuesday predicted a stretch of sunny days, I made up my mind about making a trip down to Yamanaka Lake the very next day after the first lesson. It cost me 4000 yen and frozen fingers (it dropped to as low as -1゜C after sunset). Of course, at first it was plainly for the pleasure I derive from photography that I took the trouble going there. Nevertheless, the fact that the other Flickrites like it is a very warm encouragement.

Though I'm very well aware that there're many other photos out there that deserve better compliments. So, let's not get too lightheaded.

Anyway, just one last little publicity.

詮索（いや、取調べ？）

2008-11-18T23:44:00.005+09:00

「今日、また図書館？」

放課後、相変わらず詮索してきたんだ。

「いや、帰るよ。用がある。」

冷たいけれども、それは答える気がないから。

「用？デート？」

こいつ、最近うっぜなぁ。疑問形多すぎ。次々と押し付けられた質問にいちいち答えるつもりはねぇよ。

「ほぉ、今帰って、６時までに渋谷へ…間に合うよね…きっと、そうでしょ？」

また疑問形…無視されたにもかかわらず、取り調べを続けた。いかんにシツコイッ！誰か渋谷ってったっけ？誰かデートなどってったっけ？まあ、いいや。こいつの妄想力はどこまで暴走してんのか、俺も知りたいから、しばらく付き合ってやるよ。

「渋谷？東京って、渋谷だけじゃないよ。」あえて聞いてみる。

「だって、便利だもん。両方にとってね…」そして、自慢げな顔をして、ニヤニヤと。

どうやら、こいつは俺があの子と何かがある、と確信してる。

ぶっちゃけな話で、確かにあいつには気に入るんだけど、それ以上の展開は望んでおりません。（…うむ、かな？）まあ、とりあえず、各自の「妄想力」にお任せします。もう詮索だけは勘弁していただきます。

Hyottoko and Okame

2008-11-01T23:07:00.006+09:00

This one is related to a post two weeks ago. (No Entry, October 28 2008)

Okay, after coming all the way to Yokosuka, my plan was ruined because I was refused entry into the Navy Base. Sure enough I left before they changed their mind and decided to give me an anal probe security check.

But luckily, I managed to take some cool shots during the procession earlier. Now, that made my trip worthwhile. I've posted these photos on both my Flickr Photostream and my photoblog. I know it's redundant, but I'll just post two of them here together with the short descriptions which can be found on the other two sites.

Kagura Masks: Hyottoko ひょっとこ

Kagura (神楽 - God Entertainment) masks are used in Shinto theatrical dance. They can often be seen in matsuri (Japanese festivals). This one here is a boy character called hyottoko. (Those who have watched the Japanese movies, Death Note and L: Change the World, can probably recall the mask used by L to conceal his identity.)

There're several versions to its origin. One has it that it comes from hi-otoko (火男 - fire boy), who blows out the flame in the kitchen stove with a bamboo stick (thus the shape of his mouth).

The other version comes from a local myth in Ishikawa prefecture. It is said that there was once a boy with an odd face who produces gold in his navel. Ever since his death, it is believed that by placing a mask resembling his face at the kitchen stove, the family will be blessed with prosperity. Somehow, the name of the boy hyoutokosu (ヒョウトコス) transformed into hyottoko.

The girl character, okame complements this one.

Oh, and that's not a salut. it's just the awkward mechanical way he walks (imagine tin man with stiff joints marching in a parade and you'll get a rough idea).

Kagura Masks: Okame おかめ

This one here is a girl character called okame or otafuku.

The squished round nose, the high cheeks and the moon face are the main characteristics of this character. She complements the boy character, hyottoko.

Sometimes, though, it is also used to represent a boy character.

When Dreams and Reality Run on Parallel Tracks

2008-11-01T11:19:00.000+09:00

It's true that my blogging style has changed - not to say the blogging frequency too - since a year ago or so. I don't have to re-read my previous posts (I never do) to come up with that conclusion; I'm aware of the circumstances that lead to this.

It's not that my life has become uneventful these days - there're plenty of things I can blog about. The fact that I no longer bother about sitting down, arrange my thoughts and put them into words, is a worrying sign. This is not motivational at all, but admittedly, I'm beginning to simply accept things the way they are.

Contentedness, what's so bad about it?

It doesn't have to mean that you're satisfied with your life. No, it's not contentedness but apathy, to put it crudely. It means that you no longer care about what's going on. And in extreme cases, it happens because you don't give a shit about dreams and hopes anymore.

Remember those childhood days when you sat next to the window, imagining flying a jet when you grew up, or visiting that twinkling star in the night sky at a place far, far away - nothing was too far-fetched. But in the process of growing up, you're brought back to reality; you start to realize that your dreams are too far-fetched. That's why as adults, we dismiss those thoughts as "day dreaming". It's a "dream" because one day, you're going to wake up and come to terms with reality.

I quote a friend of mine who said these words in a nomikai last week.

人間は誰でも夢を与えられるべきだ。俺は相思う。 (I believe that everyone should have the right to dream.)

It still amazes me how a semi-drunk man could spout words as inspirational as these. It kept me thinking. True enough, without a dream, there can be no motivation. And once you lose your motivation, your life is no different from that of a washing machine.

Angela Aki, a famous J-pop artist wrote a letter to her future self when she was in high school. I was about to do the same after reading that article. Even though I've long passed high school, I wonder what I'd write to in my letter to my future self. About the list of things to do when I grew up? About the girl in the class I had a crush on? About how well I did in the recent test?

But most of all, whatever is the content, would I have the courage to rip the envelope and face my former self, with pride and dignity?

Gone in a Poof

2008-10-30T23:48:00.001+09:00

There're two main reasons I keep this blog.

To rant
To brag

I'm here now because of reason number 1. I'm mourning, my external HDD is dead, bringing together with it 250GB of data, if not 300. Mind you, that's a colossal loss:

Photos - Fortunately, I happened to backup part of them on a DVD. But still, bye bye to all the photos taken between April to July this year.

Videos - Not many but just two or three video clips that I was considering of submitting for screening in next year's Cannes Film Festival.

Documents - The blueprints for a new Death Star, the ingenious plan for world domination (and oh, some of my assignments and reports) are gone forever.

Others - This accounts for 90% of the loss, but no further elaboration on this because they are stuff that'd incriminate me for copyright infringement. Well, you know what I mean.

But now that I think about it, I should have seen this coming. You see, when I went back to Malaysia during the spring holiday earlier this year, I did something unimaginable. Without realizing that my external HDD was without a power adapter, I simply plugged it in and, horror of all horrors, it exploded. No kidding, it exploded a soft poof and white smoke wisped out from the air vent.

That happened less than 30 minutes after I reached home from the airport.

Come on, why on earth does Japan has to have a different power voltage from the rest of the world? And what the hell, don't all electrical appliances nowadays come with a power adapter that supports different kind of voltages? Sigh, some people are just too stupid to consider about what stupid things some idiots like me can manage to do.

Anyway, after sulking for a few days, I managed to persuade myself that it was the power supply that went kaboom; that the hard disk was still intact. True enough, I managed to get it back to life by plugging it into a new casing.

That worked, at least until recently. Sometimes, it just went on strike. I guess the damage was done during that little incident that happened back home. Yet, I didn't expect it to go so soon. I guess that's what it means by "death comes at least the expected times".

With my dead comrade relegated to the neglected dusty shelf, I've just got a new one. This time, a 500GB. (Heck, it cost less than my former 300GB.) Cool. Now I've got 500GB worth of virtual real estate at my disposal. Frankly speaking, I'm quite at a loss about what to do with it.

Anyway, I'm still trying to persuade myself that my former comrade is just in a comatose state. Perhaps all it needs is a new casing...

No Entry

2008-10-25T00:09:00.003+09:00

An hour away from Tokyo, in Yokosuka, there's a U.S. Navy Base. During normal days, the place is off limits to everyone without prior registration. But once every year, it is open to the public - during a local festival known as Mikoshi Parade (みこしパレード). This year, the festival was held last Sunday. As the name suggests, it's a procession of portable shrines (mikoshi) and floats. It is taken place along the main road in front of the Chuo Yokosuka Station (中央横須賀駅) and within the premise of the base. That's probably the only time when the public is allowed into the base.

There's a catch, though...

I've heard rumours that you can get really, really cheap Coke in the base; 100 yen for a dozen when that's not even enough to buy a 500ml bottle of Coke elsewhere. (Well, anyway, it's cheaper than anything.) Thinking I could confirm it for myself (and grab enough Coke to make it my staple food for a week or so), I decided to hop on the train and head there last Sunday.

After getting bored shotting photos of the parade by the road, I joined the crowd queuing up to enter the base. Obviously, bags need to be checked before entry. But I didn't make it all the way there. Whether it was because I resembled a perverted dog rapist - or a maniac who bombs public toilets, or an inhuman psycho who beheads cactuses - I was stopped 20 meters before the gate.

"Do you have an ID card?"

Of course I do, you idiot. Do you think I'm an illegal immigrant or what?

"Oh, you want me to show it to you? I thought you wanted an autograph."

The fella passed the card to a second fella who popped up beside him.

"One moment please."

After an eternity, the second fella came back and whispered to the first fella, "OK, it's genuine."

Cool. Do I really look that suspicious?

I was too dumbstruck to establish any intelligible conversation but this is how it'd go had I been able to.

"Thanks, but you could've just confirmed with me."

"Just doing my job, you know. Oh, we haven't done humiliating you yet. One more moment, please." After disappearing for a while, the first fella returns with a faint smirk on his face which he doesn't care to conceal.

"Okay, now what? Can I go in?" I try to sound as innocent as possible.

"Unfortunately, no. Because you're from Malaysia." He pointed to the part where "Malaysian" is proudly printed.

"And Malaysians aren't allowed into the premise without prior registration." It sounds so well-rehearsed.

"But, I'm no terrorist. I wouldn't even hurt an ant, I swear!"

"No no. Rules are rules. Now off you go."

"But, but... But..."

Of course, that conversation did not take place. But, the truth is, Malaysians were denied entry when the place was supposedly opened to the public. That's an interesting revelation. Who knows, a Malaysian is probably considered to pose a threat risk no less than a taliban. I presume, Malaysia is blacklisted by U.S.

That must be it, or it was just because I look like a beardless, heard-scarf-less, AK-47-less, accent-less taliban.

Photo Slide 1

2008-10-11T00:34:00.007+09:00

Just a short photo slide I made in one night using Flash. It's my first Flash project so there's still plenty of room for improvement. Photos featured in the slide are taken in various places in Japan from December 2007 to September 2008.

Yeah, I know the colours are terribly compromised after the compression. But all photos are featured in my Flickr Photostream, so feel free to drop by.

Morning Caws

2008-09-21T07:41:00.011+09:00

I hate crows. And I'm sure you'd, too, if they wake you up every day at six in the morning without fail. (Oh, except when it's raining. That's why I always welcome morning rains.)

I just can't help wondering what the hell are they doing: All crows are (presumably) assigned with their respective posts within the neighbourhood, trees, lamp posts etc. Then,

Crow I caws.
Crow II reciprocates.
Crow III joins in.
...
...
...

Crow N caws.

Where n → ∞.

But, "caw"is not even a close onomatopoeia. "Honk" would be a better one. Yes, their honks are so awful that they can surely make a honky tonk jealous. It's reasonable to suspect that they're playing "follow the leader" game. (That was one of my earliest conjectures.) But I came up with a more reasonable one. I understand no bird language but these morning caws, erm, honks, is no ordinary morning assembly, because these are no ordinary crows you get in your ordinary back yard. These are evil crows. Evil crows that convene every morning to discuss their evil plans to take over the world.

DAILY EVIL MEETING (Cancelled in the event of rain)
Agenda:
Meeting cawed to order
Speech by Evil Leader
Evil topics of discussion
Evil WORld Domination (E-WORD) Plan A
Evil WORld Domination (E-WORD) Plan B
Evil WORld Domination (E-WORD) Plan C
(Ditto)
Meeting adjourned

I cover my ears with pillows to muffle the awful caws but to no avail. (Evolution has endowed crows with a super-powerful syrinx). Don't get me wrong though. It's not that I'm apathetic over this evil world domination plans by evil crows; but lack of sleep makes me cranky. Evolution has endowed man with a super-powerful brain which nevertheless requires plenty of sleep to recharge, no less than a powerful computer requiring plenty of power to run.

This morning, though, I managed to sleep through the morning caws. But, oh, not for long before the earthquake jolted me awake at seven. That's why I'm here, typing away.

I'd like to go back to sleep now but it seems that the relentless crows aren't going to stop any time soon. Sigh, this is going to be a hell of a day...

Oshinomura

2008-09-07T12:44:00.002+09:00

SUMMER VACATION 2008
10-11 Aug: Mt Fuji
12-18 Aug: Kansai, Hiroshima
21-27 Aug: Japan Tent, Ishikawa Prefecture

Okay, that was my plan. First item, checked. Second item, checked. Third item... Damn, they rejected me again!

Japan Tent is an annual homestay programme organized by some good folks in Ishikawa Prefecture. Free of charge - transportation, food, accomodation, everything. Sounds interesting, no? Everything that's FOC is enticing!

That is exactly where the problem lies. The number of foreign students applying for the homestay programme way exceeds the limit the Ishikawa folks set - 350 participants. So, every year, they draw lots, Bingo-styled or somehow. Unfortunately, Bingo-styled or not, when it comes to drawing lots, my chances are between nil and zero. True enough, I couldn't make it to Japan Tent.

I thought I was going to be busy this summer holidays. Okay. Cool. I'd have to make some adjustments.

Then, my host family called.

"Wanna join us for a family trip to Oshinomura?" Mrs Yoshida invited.

"Uh, Oshino.... Uh Oshimu... Oh, yeah, of course!" I didn't even have any idea where it was, but man, I was more than glad to join! From what I gathered, it's some village near Mt Fuji. Apparently, it's famous for the approximity and the view of Mt Fuji, duh.

But oh oh oh, wait! Must update my map...

2008 Summer vacation map, version 2.0. Zoomed in on Kanto region.

See? It is close to Mt Fuji! The drive there took less than three hours. It was a slow ride; should have taken less time but Mrs Yoshida insisted on showing me around the area so she took a slight detour.

The place where we headed to, Oshinomura (忍野村) is also famous for the eight springs of Fuji (忍野八海, literally translated, the Eight Seas of Oshino). Glaciers on the summit of Mt Fuji melt into water; the water then passes through subterranean rocks and makes it all the way to the eight springs. Believe it or not, the process takes 85 years! In other words, the water in the springs was formed from glaciers 85 years ago!

"Try keeping your hands in the water for 30 seconds," a signboard by spring challenged. Nah, what's the big deal, I thought. But I couldn't manage to do it. The water was icy cold!

It's a cool place alright, both literally and figuratively. Unfortunately, throughout the recent years, more souvenir shops start to pop up and one can't help but wonder if bringing in more tourists is in the best interest for the village in the long run.

The inn where we headed for wasn't far from the springs. Inn Fujitomita is run by a family whom Mr and Mrs Yoshida have known for over 30 years. It's a very nice place with tennis courts, BBQ huts, a camp site, a pool and onsen. The place is frequented mostly by hikers, especially in the summer.

When we got there, a group was already checking out. So, soon, we had the whole place to ourselves! Muahahaha! And I even had the room with the best view. Unfortunately, the weather hadn't been favorable.

"But, wake up at 6 tomorrow morning," I was told. I did, and voila, Mt Fuji was standing right there. Without the glaciers, it looked kind of bald though. This photo was taken at 5.45. Soon after that, Mt Fuji disappeared into the clouds once more.

Sorry for not posting the photos in chronological order. But allow me to rewind to the previous night, just for a brief introduction of the people I met.

This photo was taken after the nomikai (drinking party). It became sort of a reunion between old friends.

The first guy on the left owns a boutique, together with his wife (far right). We had a chance to stop by at their shop, Gabacho, just next to the torii of Sengenjinja, the starting point of Mt Fuji's hiking course in the olden times.

The second guy is the owner of the inn, Mr Tsuji, a multi-talented person. He used to study in the States, then worked for the famous John Wayne as a gardener for about five years in the 70's. After returning to Japan, he helped his parents at their inn. He expanded the building, dug a swimming pool, set up a campsite nearby, cleared a land for three tennis courts., tends the garden.. All by himself! Oh yeah, he even made wooden toys for his grandsons. A local magazine featured him in a 12-paged interviewed in their first issue. He proudly showed me one of the few yellowed copies he kept. The second lady from the right is his wife.

In the middle is the Yoshida family who was kind enough to bring me along for the trip. Though it was only a short one, it gave me a glimpse into Japanese families. Quite like a homestay, I'd say. And yes, Oshino Hakkai (忍野八海) was definitely worth a visit.

Now, one month left before the new semester starts. Of course I was already making plans for my next trip...

Hiroshima: Going South

2008-08-20T00:49:00.006+09:00

1600hrs, 12th August
Even after a night's sleep, I'm still feeling like a zombie. Needless to say, the whole body aches too. And sheesh, can't the cicadas out there are give me a break?

This is my schedule for summer. Super-packed, no?

Leaving for Kyoto tonight but am yet to pack my bag. Gotta make a move... Now!

0040hrs, 20th August
Back from trip. Tired like shit. The messy room's giving me a headache. But I just can't wait to post these photos!

京都金閣寺

奈良興福寺五重塔
The clan temple of the Fujiwara clan, which commanded both power and fortune in many centuries.

奈良東大寺
Listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site, Todaiji is also reputedly the largest wooden building in the world.

奈良燈花会
Lanterns light up the grounds of Todaiji and the compounds of the surrounding temples in Nara for 10 days in this summer festival.

大阪万博記念公園

万博記念公園太陽の塔
The Tower of the Sun was named after a Japanese novel, The Season of the Sun, where a character broke through a sliding paper door with his erect penis.

広島原爆ドーム

宮島厳島神社大鳥居
The enormous torii gates to the Itsukushima Shrine stands magnificently in the sea. During low tides, the gate is accessible on foot from the shrine. The gate was built with four extra columns to provide stability.

May be posting more once I settle down. So long for now!

Mt Fuji: Making it to the Top

2008-08-12T15:50:00.006+09:00

I'm back from Mt Fuji, alive! Woohoot! Well, half-alive!

* * * * *

1134hrs, 10th August - Preface

This is where I'll be by tomorrow morning... Well, if we make it...

1950hrs, 10th August - Departing from Shinjuku
Boarded the bus at Shinjuku. There were seven of us.

Ogikubo and Kuramoto (my classmates)
Takeshima (we used to be in the same class but he's now in another major)
Martin (from Argentine)
Ying Ying (from China)
Chew (friend of Ying Ying who's under a student exchange programme in Waseda University)

When we came out into the highway, it started raining. Although we have brought along raincoats, hiking in the rain is no joke. Just on the previous day, a 52-year-old hiker was killed by lightning. (cf: nikkansports.com) There was a hailstorm too.

It was on the next day that we found out that it rained heavily in Tokyo that very night. Luckily, weather was favourable at Mt Fuji.

2200hrs, 10th August - 5th Station (2305m)
We reached the 5th Station 10 minutes before schedule. We tried to look for a changing room in the souvenir shop but later decided to change in the dark outside just to save 100 yen fee. Jeez, misers...

It was at the souvenir shop that I bumped into... Gosh, Kim! She's a Malaysian post-graduate in TITech. I haven't got many chances to meet her even in the school. But here at Mt Fuji? Wow, talk about coincidence. (Photo by Kim)

"Oh my God, Dai Kah Zheh (Big sis in Chinese dialect)! What a surprise. Are you going up or down?"

"Wow! Thought I got the wrong person. Yeah, We're going up."

With her were Yeap from Kuala Lumpur and Danny from Singapore. All fellow TITech-ians. It happened that Yap's birthday is on 11th August. They brought a cake along to celebrate the occassion.

Phew, birthday celebration on Mt Fuji...?

2300hrs, 10th August - Starry night
After taking a group photo (need to get it from my friend before posting it up), we started our climb from Yoshida-guchi, in high spirits.

In the beginning, everything was easy-going. We chatted and gazed upon the starry night. And hell, there were plenty of shooting stars! I counted a total of three throughout the whole journey!

"Gosh, this is better than a planetarium," someone commented.

Yes, indeed. The stars were shining bright. That's not something you can see back in Tokyo. Of course, most importantly, we were lucky because the sky was clear.

In no time, we reached the 6th Station. It was rather crowded there. So we only stopped for a while, took a snap and continued our ascend to the 7th Station.

2400hrs(?), 10th August - Comes the tough part...
I didn't take note of the time. But I suppose we reached the 7th Station around midnight. There were plenty of rest houses along the route, serving drinks, food and accommodation. But things were damn expensive. A bottle of Coke was 500 yen.

A simple rule of thumb: Price α Height
Or, we called it "inflation"

I met Kim and company more than a few times on the way. Gosh, they looked tired. As Kim told me then next day on MSN, "You look bubbly..."

Yeah, I was, but not for long...

0100hrs, 11th August - "8th Stations"
We could see the lights from the rest houses on the 8th Station. But it took us almost forever to get there. Well, honestly, we didn't really know which one was the 8th Station. We came along many "8th Stations". All the rest houses had different names and they were all "8th Stations".

When we came to the first "8th Station", it was barely 0100hrs. Our initial plan was to make it till the 8th Station by 0430hrs for sunrise... Which meant we were 3 hours ahead. Though we were all very sleepy, we decided that it'd be hard to wake up once we fall asleep there. So, we started off again. Our target was to get to the summit, if possible, before sunrise.

But the route got tougher. Landscape changed from easy slopes to loose pebble and stone paths... Everytime we came to the next rest house which we thought was the 9th Station, it appeared to be the 8th Station. Spirits were low.

One... Two... Three... I don't know... Hell, I lost count... But there were so many rest houses and they were all "8th Stations"! By 0400hrs, we came to yet another "8th Station". There, we decided to rest and wait for daybreak. It was cold up there, with temperatures hitting as low as 5°C. To worsen the situation, the wind was strong.

0400hrs, 11th August - Puking on Holy Mt Fuji?
Kuramoto immediately fell asleep. I would have done so too if I felt better. At first, I thought it was going to get better once I take a short rest. But instead, it got worse and I eventually puked.

Oh my God, I puked on Holy Mt Fuji!

Luckily, all was well after that (at least for the meantime). I managed to pull myself together and got the camera ready for sunrise.

Martin had his tripod set up at the cliff. I didn't bring mine along because my backpack was already overloaded. 50% of it food. And now that I think of it, the throwing up was probably partly because of overeating. If only I knew I didn't need that much.

0430hrs, 11th August - Then, There was Light
At about 0430, the eastern sky started to glow in an orangy fire. The moment we were anticipating was about to come.

Daybreak!

Snap, snap... Snap, snap. Martin and I took many photos. We spent one whole night just for this moment. Neither of us wanted to miss the chance. This photo was taken at 0457hrs. (F7.1 17mm, HDR, 3exp ISO400)

I didn't manage to capture the clouds well. Martin has got a better one on Flickr. But somehow, he's not satisfied with it...

Martin was busy snapping away when we took this group photo. Nice backdrop! Notice that both Kuramoto and I had the same cap. We got them when we visited Hitachi a month ago. Kuramoto brought it along because it's the only cap he has; while me on the other hand, thought that it might look nice in my resume should I consider of working in Hitachi! (Photo by Ogikubo)

0515hrs, 11th August - Making it to the Top
The ascend after that was terrible. We were roughly 500m from the peak. But each step was torturous. Pressure was about 620mmHg (compared to the 720mmHg at sea level). Air was thin up there. Many people suffer from the so-called high altitude illness. In worse cases, hikers die.

I almost died too. To go on or to turn back, it was a difficult decision to make. Whether it was a wise choice, I don't know. But I didn't have the courage to turn back. Afterall, we made it all the way up here.

Taking every painstaking step slowly, I proceeded ahead. (Imagine taking a 2-minute rest everytime after taking 10 flights of steps.) Takeshima and Kuramoto walked behind me.

"I thought you were going to black out and roll down the slop!" Takeshima later recalled.

Well, thanks to everyone, I made it up there. Without their encouragement and help, I wouldn't have made it, or worse, I could have gotten killed!

0700hrs, 11th August - Woohoot! The summit!
Woohoot! The summit! The very place that took us more than 3 hours to get to although we could see it from the "8th Stations"!

Back at the 8th Station, there were many hikers. But not everyone made it up here. Most turn back after sunrise. But the summit was already crowded enough.

Photo of a random hiker.

At 3772m, on top of Japan! (Photo taken by Ogikubo)

I was totally worn out and was not in the shape to scout the area. We made a brief stop at the crater though. Much to my disappointment, there was no bubbling lava...

0830hrs, 11th August - The Descend
After a short rest up there, we started our descend. Thank God it was easy as pie compared to the ascend. I galloped down the slope, braking with the hiking stick every now and then so as not to rush down the cliffs and be gone forever.

We were like trekking on martian landscape. Brown soil at first, then pebbles. Further down, rocks and finally black volcanic ash.

Another random hiker in orange. He looked like a ghostbuster. "I ain't afraid of no ghosts! 'Cos I've got my hiking stick!"

There's nothing much to talk about the descend though. Except that it was a long way down! Longer than the ascend! When we later checked the map in the souvenir shop at the 5th Station, we discovered that the descending route took us on a long detour. Okay, it wasn't psychological.

1300hrs, 11th August - Dirty, Hungry and Sleepy (and retarded?)
14 hours of hiking without a proper nap. Everyone was dirty, hungry and sleepy by the time we made it to the cafeteria at the 5th Station.

Ogikubo and Kuramoto were acting like retards. Obviously, they suffered from brain damage due to the lack of oxygen up there.

We booked the 1600hrs bus, which was a miscalculation. We were thinking of entering a hot spring but it appeared that there is none!

So we spent our 3 hours in the cafeteria, eating... and sleeping...

...Sleeping on the table like Takeshima here! It's a must-know skill every university students have to acquire!

Took this photo at the entrance of the hiking route before heading home. Mt Fuji was covered in thick mist. (Photo by Martin)

2030hrs, 11th August - Home
Finally, got home. Went to the shower directly. Gosh, was I dirty. I could rub black volcanic ash off my face! Even my nose was stuffed with ash! And when I looked into the mirror after a satisfying bath... there I saw, pink cheeks and a pink nose... Hahah!

Footnote
I have been thinking whether I'd go to Mt Fuji again. But the answer now is, no. At least not in the near future! Though it was an invaluable experience, you have to really earn for it. And if you do think of attempting the feat, never do it alone!

Useful links (Japanese)
For those who're planning for a trip to the summit:
富士登山に行こう！ - A comprehensive guide to
富士吉田市登山ガイド - Another guide maintained by Toshida City
後悔しない富士登山 - A guide to various hiking routes
富士山御来光時間 - Timetable of sunrise

Dan et Napoléon 6: Les Week-ends

2008-08-09T23:01:00.004+09:00

Napoléon: Bonjour, mon ami. C’est une bonne journée, n’est-ce pas?

Dan: Bonjour, Napoléon. Oui, mais il fait chaud… Oh, Marengo est ici aussi!

Napoléon: Oui. Je commencé à travailler à Mc Donald’s. Mais aujourd’hui c’est dimanche. Je ne travaille pas. Donc je sors pour une promenade avec mon Marengo. Et toi? Qu’est-ce que tu fais en général le dimanche?

Dan: Moi, je sors pour prendre des photos en général. Mais les journées chaudes comme celle-ci, je reste à la maison et j’écoute de la musique.

Napoléon: Ah bon. Tu préfères quel type de musique?

Dan: Euh… Je préfére la musique classique, en particulier les oeuvres de Beethoven. « Pour Élise » c’est mon favori.

Napoléon: Oh la la. Tu as du bon goût pour la musique! Je l’ai rencontré quand je suis allé à Vienne. C’est un génie.

Dan: C’est ton ami? C’est superbe! Je voudrais le rencontrer un jour!

Napoléon: Bien sûr! Allons à Vienne cet été!

Dan et Napoléon 5: Des Anniversaires

2008-07-22T23:38:00.000+09:00

Napoléon : Bonjour, mon ami. C’est moi, encore! Ça va bien?

Dan : Bonjour, Napoléon. Ça va, merci. Tu viens ici pour faire des courses?

Napoléon : Non. Je cherche un cadeau pour ma mère. C’est son anniversaire la semaine prochaine.

Dan : Quel hasard! C’est l’anniversaire de mon petit frère aussie!

Napoléon : Oh la la! Il a quel âge?

Dan : Douze ans. Il habite avec mes parents dans le Quartier Crevette.

Napoléon : Je vois. Tu vas lui acheter un cheval?

Dan : Non, non. Ma famille habite dans un appartement. Donc il ne peut pas avoir un cheval. Je veux lui donner un poisson.

Napoléon : Il aime manger du poisson?

Dan : Non. Il a eu un poisson mais il est mort parce qu’il mangeait trop.

Napoléon : Oh, c’est triste…

Dan : Dis-moi. Donnons une fête dimanche pour eux!

Napoléon : Bonne idée! Viens chez moi avec ta famille.

Dan : Bien sûr! Je vais apporter des sushis.

Napoléon : Des sushis! J’aime les sushis!

Dan et Napoléon 4: Le Journal de Napoléon

2008-07-21T00:19:00.001+09:00

Récemment, je vais toujours au Quartier Poisson dans la matinée pour faire des courses. J’y vais sur mon beau cheval, Marengo. Ça me prend deux heures. Je ne pense pas qu’il y a des problèmes. Mais d’après Dan que j’ai rencontré, au Quartier Poisson, on ne monte pas à cheval. C’est bizarre, n’est-ce pas?

Bien que Marengo soit un superbe cheval, il n’est plus jeune. Il est fatigué à cause des côtes au Quartier Poisson. Donc, j’aimerais bien un vélo. Malheureusement, je n’ai pas d’argent. Alors, je suppose que je dois travailler! Peut-être, à Mc Donald’s?

Morose

2008-07-18T12:28:00.001+09:00

Browsing through my old posts made me feel like I was reading someone else's blog. Plenty of nonsense, plenty of rambling, plenty of whining.

"What the hell was I thinking about when I posted this?" I couldn't help asking myself.

It is discomforting to realize that how much one can change in so short a period of time. More so when the subject is you, whom you thought you knew so well.

The multifaceted human psyche undergoes a never-ending metamorphosis, unconsciously shedding itself layer by layer over time. It is an onslaught of relentless process, driven by the host's turbulent experiences. When the host eventually realizes, he has then lost his former self, for better or worse.

Sometimes, I'm an active party-goer; sometimes, I revert to this morose, pathetic wimp. "Revert" is probably not the right word for there's no telling which one of the contrastive personalities is my true identity. For now, at least, the former seem to be fighting a losing battle against its rival. This leave-me-alone-I-don't-wanna-talk-to-anyone feeling is getting worse. And no, I can't pinpoint the exact problem.

I started off this blog as my sole outlet for taking out my frustration during times of turbulence. And obviously, I divulge more than too much sometimes. That, coupled with another issue which I cannot address here (because it is another conflict which must be dealt with personally) is probably why the blog has been undergoing a cool-down period.

How long this will persist, I do not know. But I have a feeling that the rambling is going to start again.

Dan et Napoléon 3: Le Journal de Dan

2008-07-08T20:11:00.005+09:00

J’habite tout seul dan le Quartier Poisson. C’est près de l’úniversité où j’étudie. C’est pratique parce que la gare la plus proche est à seulement sept minutes à pied. Mais, je ne vais pas à l’université en train, parce qu’on doit changer deux fois pour y venir. Si on y va à vélo, c’est plus rapide.

C’est ce que je fais, qu’il pleuve ou qu’il vente. Normalement, ça me prends environs quinze minutes pour venir à l’université à vélo. Mais, si je me dépêche, ça ne prend pas plus de dix minutes. Je pars donc à neuf heures moins le quart.

Récemment, je rencontre toujours Monsieur Bonaparte quii vient souvent dans le Quartier Poisson le matin pour faire des courses. Donc je suis souvent en retard pour l’école…

J’ai cours jusqu’à quatre heures et demie tous les jours. Mais normalement, je mange au Resto-U et étudie au la bibliothèque avant de rentrer vers neuf heures.

C’est toujours la même routine. Mais… Eh bien, c’est la vie!

St Luke's Tower

2008-07-06T23:40:00.012+09:00

There's a list of places which I'd like to visit. But you know, travelling costs money and time, both of which I do not have. That's why these plans are more often than not, stalled...

Well, until one those days when I get this uncanny twitches that I feel wouldn't go away unless if I do something... Something like grabbing the camera bag and rush off somewhere.

This time, I went to St Luke's Tower in the vicinity of Tsukiji (築地), the famous fish market.

It's a high-rise building with hotel, expensive restaurants and an observatory deck on the 46th floor. Since I'd no business to visit a hotel, neither would I enter an expensive restaurant for a gourmet dinner, my destination was obviously the observatory deck.

The place is probably the smallest observation deck I've ever seen. But, what could I say? Entrance was free after all.In one corner was a fella hiding behind a black umbrella like a sniper under his camouflage net. I doubt that Japanese are superstitious about opening umbrellas indoors, but still, what he was doing, I couldn't understand until I tried to take a snap.

Geez, the reflection on the window was terrible. Now, that's what the umbrella was for! How thoughtful!

I headed back downstairs, got a folding umbrella and returned to the observation deck on the 46th floor.

Lesson of the day: An umbrella comes in handy, even if it ain't raining.

On one of the benches in the room, sat a teenage couple. Still in their school uniform, they probably headed directly to the observatory. Hell, these guys surely do know how to pick their dating spot!

"What's that guy there doing with an umbrella?" the girl whispered.

"To avoid the reflections on the window while taking photos. See the other man in that corner? That's what he's doing too," the guy surmised.

Cool. I had to admit that the guy was not only good at planning romantic escapades after class, but also had a sharp observation.

But I digressed.If I were to grade the place, I'd give it 9 out of 10. One point off because it doesn't offer a full 360-degree view. Another thing is, they close early; at 2030 hours. Since I was taking long exposure shots, it was pretty time consuming. Besides, I had to take time tweaking the aperture and shutter speed setting to compare the results. So before long, the staff came in and inform us that they're closing (i.e. shooed us out).

But apart from that, the place is totally great. Nice view on the bustling metropolitan city of Tokyo (good for photography); and romantic atmosphere. Just pray that there're no stupid photographers blocking the view by opening umbrellas, though!

Dan et Napoléon 2: Je Suis Venu Sur Mon Cheval

2008-07-01T18:46:00.005+09:00

Napoléon : Mon garçon, bonjour! Tu me reconnais encore?

Dan : Oh, bien sûr, Monsieur Bonaparte! Bonjour! Vous habitez près d’ici ?

Napoléon : Non. J’habite assez loin d’ici. Je suis venu sur mon cheval, Marengo. Dis-moi, quel est ton nom déjà?

Dan : C’est Dan.

Napoléon : Ah, Dan. Tu peux me tutoyer. Je vais faire des courses. Et toi? Tu vas où?

Dan : À l’université. Le cours de français commence dans quinze minutes.

Napoléon : Ah bon. Tu y vas à cheval? Tu habites près de l’université?

Dan : J’habite près de l’université mais je n'y vais pas à cheval. Par ici, en général, on voyage en train où bien à vélo. C’est plus pratique.

Napoléon : Je vois. Mais, je ne peux monter que des chevaux. C’est plus sûr que prendre le train. Et en plus, je ne veux pas prendre le mauvais train… Si tu veux faire du cheval, n’hésite pas, à me le dire. Marengo est un superbe cheval.

Dan : Oui, bien sûr, merci... Mon dieu! Je suis en retard pour mon cours. Je dois y aller tout de suite. À bientôt!

Napoléon : Alors. Attention!

Je Vais Écrire en Français

2008-06-19T22:56:00.005+09:00

Je vais écrire cette entrée en français. Vous ne comprenez pas? Heheh, bien. Je crois pas beaucoup de lecteurs de mon blog comprennent le français. Au moins, je le pense.

Je sais que je dois étudier, mais... Je veux pratiquer mon français. C'est plus intéressant. À partir de maintenant, je veux écrire en français. Je ne sais pas si c'est possible, mais au moins, je veux l'essayer. Bonne chance à moi! (Et à propos, s'il y a des erreurs, dites-le moi! S'il vous plaît! )

Mmm... C'est courte, mais pardon! C'est tout pour maintenant.

Dan et Napoléon 1: Napoléon Dans le Quartier Poisson

2008-06-17T23:16:00.004+09:00

Je veux vanter. Pour l'essai de la semaine derniére, j'ai eu A plus plus! Enfin, je peux écrire quelque chose en français. Muahahaha!

Napoléon : Bonjour, mon garçon!

Garçon : Euh... Pardon, est-ce que je vous connais?

Napoléon : Vous connaissez Napoléon?

Garçon : Napoléon Bonaparte?

Napoléon : Oui, c'est moi! Je suis de Corsie. 《Le petit caporal》, c'est mon surnom. Je suis courageux. Je fus le premier Empereur des Français.

Garçon : Vraiment? Enchanté! Je m'appelle Dan. Je suis étudiant de français en deuxième année. Comme personne, je suis intelligent mais paresseux.

Napoléon : Ah bon. Maintenant, vous voulez écouter l'histoire de France?

Garçon : Je suis desolé. Je n'ai pas fini mon devoir de français. Demain matin, c'est la date limite!

Napoléon : Mon dieu! En effet, vous êtes paresseux.

Daibutsu, Kamakura

2008-06-10T23:42:00.000+09:00

This photo was taken on my second trip to Kamakura. Probably going for a third time. Didn't have time for Enoshima on both trips.

大きい大仏ですね。高さはどのぐらいですか。
十二メートルぐらいです。
高いですね…。
～初級日本語

Strawberry Love

2008-06-09T22:54:00.007+09:00

(See original photo)
100mm F/3.5 1/2 ISO200
Canon EOS Kiss Digitial X
Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro

It's strawberry season again. And mmm... You've just gotta love 'em! I finished a pack in one night!

Want more strawberries. Want more strawberries.

Creationism: An Immoral Pseudoscience

2008-06-09T20:45:00.006+09:00

You're given a flyer about a talk, "Information: The Key to Understand (sic) Nature and Science". The fellow making the presentation, "some head of Information Technology" from "some university". It's an event organized by the engineering department of the university in collaboration with the foreign students department.

Now, thinking that it must be interesting, you turn up for the talk. Much to your surprise, you discover that, heck, the talk has nothing to do with "Information Technology". The fellow turns out to be some proponent of creationism, who has the nerves to refute Darwin's theory of evolution when he appears to be ignorant of the subject.

Unfortunately, I was one of the unaware idiots who attended the talk. My only consolation is, there's a bigger idiot who draws ridiculous conclusions based on flawed assumptions. A friend suggested that I should file a formal complaint to the university but considering that I was quite amused by his so-called "theorems" (so the session wasn't a total waste of time), I decided not to. Nevertheless, I strongly think that it was irresponsible of the organizers in coming up with such a misleading title for the talk.

That night, I Googled for the professor's name. My search returns an entry of that fellow's page on Wikipedia. (You've gotta love Wiki!) Werner Gitt, as I found out, is a famous proponent of creationism from Germany, whose theories, however, are rejected in the scientific community as pseudoscience. (It didn't come as any surprise, though.)

The pdf version of his book, "In the Beginning was Information" is available online. So, I'm not going to elaborate too much on his flawed theories. Simply speaking, he dimissed evolutionism, claiming that macro-evolution (a fish turning into a frog, for instance) is impossible.

Why?

Because a creature who has the DNA of a fish cannot possibly turn into a frog. The DNA is designed to do only what it is supposed to do. Darwin knew nothing about DNA and therefore drew wrong conclusions.

Oh yeah, neither do you, Professor Gitt. Go read up on natural selection. For goodness sake, don't make assumptions when you have no understanding at all about the subject.

Besides, the complexity of the DNA proves that it must have come from an designer. And this is whom we call, the creator.

Oh wait, Professor Gitt, that sounds familiar. Ah, the watchmaker analogy! But isn't that obviously self-contradicting? It means, to be able to design such a complex thing as the DNA, the creator must be complex enough, and therefore has to be designed by something even more complex.

Aha! That is why the creator is omnipotent!

Erm, is that even a valid argument?

And, considering that the DNA contains an astronomical amount of information, we can also conclude that the sender (as in the "sender" of the "information") is omniscient.

Uh, sigh...

Unfortunately, not much time was allocated for discussion so there wasn't any chance to point out his flawed views and see what he had to say.

Professor Gitt brought along enough copies of the translated version of his book to give away for free. (Again,) when I Googled for the publisher いのちのことば社, it turned out that the company publishes books for churches.

Ah, now that explains everything! I wonder when are they going to stop misleading innocent minds.

Atheist Resources:
Free Inquiry
Religion is Bullshit
Richard Dawkins.net

Savagery in the Middle East

2008-05-26T08:13:00.003+09:00

When someone mentions Saudi Arabia, what will you relate to?

Oil... Men in headdresses... Vast expanse of desert... Extravagantly luxurious palaces?

What about this?

Women being refused the same level of education as men because they supposedly have "smaller brains" than men... Girls being killed by their fathers for "dishonouring the family"... The fairer sex being generally treated as "lowly animals/properties" of men... Housemaids being abused by the family.

Nah. What the hell. That no longer happens now, dude. You say?

Unfortunately it still does.

When I tried to discuss this issue with a friend, he laughed jokingly, "Mistreated as in being forced to have sex six times a day?" Ignorance is one thing. But indifference is another matter. I can't stand the fact how some people can just shove it off as a petty issue of little importance.

I'm reading Princess, an international bestsellers by Jean Sasson. It's a true story of an Arabian princess. But... Oh yeah, it can be a merely one of the relentless attempt by the evil West as part of their campaign against Islam.

"That's just the remnants of the jahiliyah period," a muslim friend commented. Jahiliyah. The period of uncivilization preceding the revelation of the Qur'an to prophet Muhammad. Yeah. That was the term I was struggling to recall.

I still vaguely remember the history lessons we had back in high school. Islamic history was part of the syllabus; we were taught about the rise of Islam and its contributions to world civilization. The jahiliyah period in the Arab world ended after the year 610, when Islam was born.

I know little of the religion and thus, will not proceed to commenting on it. Lest it be misunderstood, I am criticizing the society, not the religion. These are not just isolated cases but on the contrary, are commonplace in the nation. Is this the remnant from the previous era or has the civilization plunged into yet another dark age?

Women are denied civil liberties and justice. Very rare do girls receive high education. Their existence is to merely satisfy the needs of men and to bear children. Upon reaching puberty, they're required to clothe themselves from head to toe, literally, because the mere sight of the bare skin entices the male. Any woman who is found without a veil will be severely punished by the mutawas, the morals police. Rape victims dare not go to the police. Because bizarre though it sounds, the perpetrator will always normally be sided by the mutawas. And the victim, instead, will be punished for "enticing the male". Yeah, next time a burglar breaks into your house, don't go to the police. You'll be punished for not keeping the padlocks secured.

Stoning as a capital punishment. The truck unloads a pile of stones. The crowd gathers around, and when the religion officer gives the order, the men pick up fist-sized stones (but not so large that they could cause the woman to die too soon) and start throwing at the tied up woman. Every now and then, the stoning is stopped for the doctor to check the pulse of the woman. Normally after about two hours, the condemned woman would eventually bleed to death. That's savagery. While there are differing views on the moral issues surrounding capital punishment, stoning shouldn't be an option, regardless of the severity of the crime.

The US criticizes any form of human rights abuse. (Remember Saddam Hussein?) But why is there no intervention in Saudi Arabia? Simple. Because the US economy is fueled by oil (pardon the pun) and they have benefited much from their friendly relationship with Saudi Arabia. Being constantly suppressed by men, Saudi women, meanwhile, have no means to stand up and voice their predicaments. They cannot break away from the eternal chains of this tradition of savagery.

"Quit acting snobbish. It is our way of life. And it is our to keep it the way we want." the angry Saudi guy retorts. Oh, now we're talking about "rights"?

While there's probably very little we can do as individuals, at least have a little concern for the predicaments faced by women in the Middle East.

Related Articles:
Rape Victim Punished for Speaking Out - Human Rights Watch
Saudi Prepared to Behead Teenage Maid - The Daily Telegraph
Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice - Wikipedia
Five More Sentenced to Stoning in Iran - Save Malak

部長、お許しください！

2008-05-24T00:48:00.003+09:00

「来た、サラリーマンが。」

玄関に目をやると、中谷が玄関から入ってくるのが見
えた。

金曜日だから、今日も相変わらずスーツ。まさに「サラ
リーマン」だ。

「部長、おはようございっす！」

「ええ、ええ。仕事、仕事。皆さんお疲れ様。」歌って
るように部長は俺らに挨拶を。こんなに仕事の好きな
人間は、おそらくあいつしかいない。

「皆集まってくれたね。」ラウンジにいた俺らに見回し
た。「今日の会議、なんだっけ…」記憶を探りながらか
ばんからフォルダーを取り出した。革製のかばんで、
一見サラリーマンの通勤用のものにしか見えない。

「あ、熱科学っか。」ようやく空白のレポート用紙を見
つけた。

隣の席の井原はコツコツとレポートを写してるところ
だった。背中を曲げながら、一生懸命と。

ラウンジはもともと談話用なんで、机はちょうど足を乗
せる高さのものだ。そこでレポートを書くものじゃない。
姿勢がよくなくて、猫背の原因となるのだ。

部長は上席に腰をかけた。

「あのさ、俺よおく考えたんだ。何で俺の答えが全部
不正解なのか、と。前回三回もな…」部長はため息を
ついた。

「マジかよ？」

「ええ、だから、俺はだめ人間なんじゃないかと思うの
さ。最初から答えを写せばマシなのに…だから、決心
したんだ。今日からコピーさせてもらおう、と。」

いかにも真剣なようなので、こちらも感心したのだ。

だが、それにもかかわらず、少し心配し始めた。「あっ
てるって保証できないんだけど…」

「ううん、間違ったとすれば、それは神からの罰にしか
思えない。」

名言を連発して、さすが部長だ。

レポートを提出してから、「肉屋さんのオヤジ」は問題を
解説し始めた。

スライドを見たとたん、「へぇ～まさか？」とびくっとした。

ショック中の部長は、髪を引っ張ろうでもするかのよう
だった。胸を叩いて、衝撃の響きを鎮めようとしてたの
かもしれない。

部長、お許しください！

HDR: Futako Tamagawa

2008-05-21T21:19:00.004+09:00

Futako Tamagawa (二子玉川), a popular BBQ spot. The river separates Tokyo from its neighbour, Kanagawa Prefecture. (3 Exposure HDR)

3D Photo: Stitch and Buddy

2008-05-17T23:57:00.000+09:00

This is one of those images, that, when looked cross-eyed, appears to be in 3D. For best effect, view the image at its original size.

Logic Puzzle: Red Hats, Green Hats

2008-05-15T23:38:00.000+09:00

Here's another logic puzzle.

10 prisoners are about to be executed. The executioner decides to give them a chance for freedom. He will put either a red hat or a green hat on everyone's head. Then, they're required to line up in a row. The executioner will then start with the last prisoner at the back, asking him to guess the colour of his hat. If he gets it wrong, he'll be shot on the spot. If he guesses correctly, he'll be allowed to go freely. Then, the executioner continues down the row and so on.

Before the executioner puts the hats on them, the prisoners're given a chance to discuss among themselves and come up with the best way to increase their chances of survival.

What is the best way the prisoners can come up with? And what is the chance of survival for each of them?

Clarification:
It is known that out of the ten hats, there must be at least a red hat, or at least a green hat.
The prisoners are lined up in a row, so that each of them can only see the hats of the prisoners in front of him, but not of those behind him.

Ebb

2008-05-09T23:17:00.002+09:00

The words of her ancestor Murasaki Shikibu came to her and she said them.

"The troubled waters
Are frozen fast.
Under clear heaven
Moonlight and shadow
Ebb and flow."

Hannibal made Prince Genji's classic reply:

"The memories of long love
Gather like drifting snow.
Poignant as the mandarin ducks
Who float side by side in sleep."

"No," Lady Murasaki said. "No. Now there is only ice. It's gone. Is it not gone?"

~ Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris

商店街のおせんべいやさん

2008-05-07T00:41:00.004+09:00

最近、全然書き込みはなし。
いろいろと忙しいからとはいえるだろう。
ええ、半分言い訳だけどね。

後半分の理由といえば、
こないだの心境を
うまく言葉にしづらいからだ。

うんんと、先日見たドラマ
こんなセリフあったんだけど、
たぶん俺の思いごとをまとめてやると、
そういう感じかな。

「・・・見なれた通りの、いつも見かけるおせんべいやさん。

だけど、ある時そこを通りがかって気付く。そこにあったは
ずの店がなく工事をしている。

あれ？って思う。ここって、何の店があったんだっけ・・・

当たり前にあったはずの店なのに、思い出せない。

君もきっと、きっと君もそんな風に僕を忘れる。
思い出せなくなる。・・・」

いうまでもない、別れ話。

そこで俺が思い浮かぶのは、
すこし外れたものかもしれないけど。

ああいつは最近、
遠く離れてゆくようなきがする…

時間という変数が入ってくると、
永遠の約束なんてない。
たとえ
皆と一緒に、幸せだよって言ったはずとしも。
たとえ
思い出を分かち合った仲間だったとしても、

一方的に育まれるものであれば、
縁が切れないはずはない。

けど
がっかりしてもどうするのよ…

Logic Puzzle: Pirates and Gold Coins

2008-05-01T00:22:00.006+09:00

Here's a logic question from a friend.

5 pirates have to decide how to divide their loot of 100 gold coins. The rules are as follow:
The most senior pirate gets to propose a way to divide the loot.
Each pirate, including the most senior pirate himself gets to vote.
If the majority agrees with the proposal, the loot will be divided as suggested.
In the case of a tie, the proposal will be accepted.
If the majority disagrees, the most senior pirate will be killed. The next most senior pirate gets to suggest. The process continues.
Now, you're the most senior pirate out of the five. How are you going to divide the coins so that you get the biggest share possible? (All pirates are perfectly logical and greedy.)

Fibonacci Sequence

2008-04-22T17:21:00.005+09:00

Another chunk of digits spewed up by the computer. This time, it's the smallest Fibonacci number containing 1000 digits.

10700662663827589367649805844573968850836838966321
51665013235203375314520604694040621889147582489792
65780469488817759195748433646667256995951299603046
12627480924821861440694330512347744427502737817530
87579391666192149259186759553966422837148943113074
69950343954700198543260972306729019287052644724372
61177158218255484911205250132014786129659313817922
35559657452039506137551467837543229119602129934048
26070617539770684706820289548690266618543512452190
03694806413574474709117076197669456910700980243934
39617474103736912503231365532164773697023167755051
59517351846057995491941096777837322966579658164651
39034881542563101842241902598460880001101862555502
45493937113651657039447629584714548523425950428582
42530608354443542821261100899286379504800689433030
97732178348645431132057656598684562886168087186938
35297350643986297640660000723562917905207051164077
61481249188583094594056668833910935094445657635766
61516193177537928916615813271596168774879838218204
92520348473874384736771934512787029218636250627816

Source Code: Generating the First 1001 Primes

2008-04-20T14:19:00.011+09:00

I did not intend to post the source code here. But oh well, here's the obfuscated code that generated the list of prime numbers in the previous post.

/* Generates a file containing the first 10001 prime numbers */

#include ‹stdio.h›

int main()
{
#define TRUE 1
#define FALSE 0
#define MAX 10001-1
void saveresult(int result[MAX]);

int x,
y=0,
i=0,
retrieve;
int prime[MAX]; /* Tracks all known primes */
int boolean;

prime[0] = 2;

for (x=3; y‹MAX; x+=2) /* Check only odd numbers */
{
boolean=TRUE; /* All numbers are presumed to be primes until proven otherwise */

for (i=0; i‹y; i++) /* Check if y is a factor of x */
{
if (x%prime[i] == 0) /* x is a multiple of y */
{
boolean = FALSE;
break; /* x is not a prime; stop the loop */
}
}

if (boolean == TRUE)
{
prime[i+1] = x; /* Add new prime to array */
//printf("%d\t", prime[i+1]); /* Print newly added prime */
y++;
}

}

///////////////////////////////////
/* Prompt the user for which prime number to retrieve */
printf("First 10001 prime numbers generated.\n");
for ( ; ; )
{
do
{
printf("Which one to retrieve?");
scanf("%d", &retrieve);
}while (retrieve‹1 || retrieve › MAX+1);

printf("The %d-th prime number is: %d\n\n", retrieve, prime[retrieve-1]);
}

saveresult(prime);

return 0;
}

void saveresult(int result[MAX])
{
FILE *fp_write;
int n;

fp_write = fopen("primeNbrRslt.txt", "w");

for (n=0; n‹MAX; n++)
{
fprintf(fp_write, "%d ", result[n]);
}

fclose(fp_write);
}

The First 10001 Prime Numbers

2008-04-16T23:56:00.006+09:00

The first 10001 prime numbers generated using a C program.

What for?

For fun, duh.

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97, 101, 103, 107, 109, 113, 127, 131, 137, 139, 149, 151, 157, 163, 167, 173, 179, 181, 191, 193, 197, 199, 211, 223, 227, 229, 233, 239, 241, 251, 257, 263, 269, 271, 277, 281, 283, 293, 307, 311, 313, 317, 331, 337, 347, 349, 353, 359, 367, 373, 379, 383, 389, 397, 401, 409, 419, 421, 431, 433, 439, 443, 449, 457, 461, 463, 467, 479, 487, 491, 499, 503, 509, 521, 523, 541, 547, 557, 563, 569, 571, 577, 587, 593, 599, 601, 607, 613, 617, 619, 631, 641, 643, 647, 653, 659, 661, 673, 677, 683, 691, 701, 709, 719, 727, 733, 739, 743, 751, 757, 761, 769, 773, 787, 797, 809, 811, 821, 823, 827, 829, 839, 853, 857, 859, 863, 877, 881, 883, 887, 907, 911, 919, 929, 937, 941, 947, 953, 967, 971, 977, 983, 991, 997, 1009, 1013, 1019, 1021, 1031, 1033, 1039, 1049, 1051, 1061, 1063, 1069, 1087, 1091, 1093, 1097, 1103, 1109, 1117, 1123, 1129, 1151, 1153, 1163, 1171, 1181, 1187, 1193, 1201, 1213, 1217, 1223, 1229, 1231, 1237, 1249, 1259, 1277, 1279, 1283, 1289, 1291, 1297, 1301, 1303, 1307, 1319, 1321, 1327, 1361, 1367, 1373, 1381, 1399, 1409, 1423, 1427, 1429, 1433, 1439, 1447, 1451, 1453, 1459, 1471, 1481, 1483, 1487, 1489, 1493, 1499, 1511, 1523, 1531, 1543, 1549, 1553, 1559, 1567, 1571, 1579, 1583, 1597, 1601, 1607, 1609, 1613, 1619, 1621, 1627, 1637, 1657, 1663, 1667, 1669, 1693, 1697, 1699, 1709, 1721, 1723, 1733, 1741, 1747, 1753, 1759, 1777, 1783, 1787, 1789, 1801, 1811, 1823, 1831, 1847, 1861, 1867, 1871, 1873, 1877, 1879, 1889, 1901, 1907, 1913, 1931, 1933, 1949, 1951, 1973, 1979, 1987, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2017, 2027, 2029, 2039, 2053, 2063, 2069, 2081, 2083, 2087, 2089, 2099, 2111, 2113, 2129, 2131, 2137, 2141, 2143, 2153, 2161, 2179, 2203, 2207, 2213, 2221, 2237, 2239, 2243, 2251, 2267, 2269, 2273, 2281, 2287, 2293, 2297, 2309, 2311, 2333, 2339, 2341, 2347, 2351, 2357, 2371, 2377, 2381, 2383, 2389, 2393, 2399, 2411, 2417, 2423, 2437, 2441, 2447, 2459, 2467, 2473, 2477, 2503, 2521, 2531, 2539, 2543, 2549, 2551, 2557, 2579, 2591, 2593, 2609, 2617, 2621, 2633, 2647, 2657, 2659, 2663, 2671, 2677, 2683, 2687, 2689, 2693, 2699, 2707, 2711, 2713, 2719, 2729, 2731, 2741, 2749, 2753, 2767, 2777, 2789, 2791, 2797, 2801, 2803, 2819, 2833, 2837, 2843, 2851, 2857, 2861, 2879, 2887, 2897, 2903, 2909, 2917, 2927, 2939, 2953, 2957, 2963, 2969, 2971, 2999, 3001, 3011, 3019, 3023, 3037, 3041, 3049, 3061, 3067, 3079, 3083, 3089, 3109, 3119, 3121, 3137, 3163, 3167, 3169, 3181, 3187, 3191, 3203, 3209, 3217, 3221, 3229, 3251, 3253, 3257, 3259, 3271, 3299, 3301, 3307, 3313, 3319, 3323, 3329, 3331, 3343, 3347, 3359, 3361, 3371, 3373, 3389, 3391, 3407, 3413, 3433, 3449, 3457, 3461, 3463, 3467, 3469, 3491, 3499, 3511, 3517, 3527, 3529, 3533, 3539, 3541, 3547, 3557, 3559, 3571, 3581, 3583, 3593, 3607, 3613, 3617, 3623, 3631, 3637, 3643, 3659, 3671, 3673, 3677, 3691, 3697, 3701, 3709, 3719, 3727, 3733, 3739, 3761, 3767, 3769, 3779, 3793, 3797, 3803, 3821, 3823, 3833, 3847, 3851, 3853, 3863, 3877, 3881, 3889, 3907, 3911, 3917, 3919, 3923, 3929, 3931, 3943, 3947, 3967, 3989, 4001, 4003, 4007, 4013, 4019, 4021, 4027, 4049, 4051, 4057, 4073, 4079, 4091, 4093, 4099, 4111, 4127, 4129, 4133, 4139, 4153, 4157, 4159, 4177, 4201, 4211, 4217, 4219, 4229, 4231, 4241, 4243, 4253, 4259, 4261, 4271, 4273, 4283, 4289, 4297, 4327, 4337, 4339, 4349, 4357, 4363, 4373, 4391, 4397, 4409, 4421, 4423, 4441, 4447, 4451, 4457, 4463, 4481, 4483, 4493, 4507, 4513, 4517, 4519, 4523, 4547, 4549, 4561, 4567, 4583, 4591, 4597, 4603, 4621, 4637, 4639, 4643, 4649, 4651, 4657, 4663, 4673, 4679, 4691, 4703, 4721, 4723, 4729, 4733, 4751, 4759, 4783, 4787, 4789, 4793, 4799, 4801, 4813, 4817, 4831, 4861, 4871, 4877, 4889, 4903, 4909, 4919, 4931, 4933, 4937, 4943, 4951, 4957, 4967, 4969, 4973, 4987, 4993, 4999, 5003, 5009, 5011, 5021, 5023, 5039, 5051, 5059, 5077, 5081, 5087, 5099, 5101, 5107, 5113, 5119, 5147, 5153, 5167, 5171, 5179, 5189, 5197, 5209, 5227, 5231, 5233, 5237, 5261, 5273, 5279, 5281, 5297, 5303, 5309, 5323, 5333, 5347, 5351, 5381, 5387, 5393, 5399, 5407, 5413, 5417, 5419, 5431, 5437, 5441, 5443, 5449, 5471, 5477, 5479, 5483, 5501, 5503, 5507, 5519, 5521, 5527, 5531, 5557, 5563, 5569, 5573, 5581, 5591, 5623, 5639, 5641, 5647, 5651, 5653, 5657, 5659, 5669, 5683, 5689, 5693, 5701, 5711, 5717, 5737, 5741, 5743, 5749, 5779, 5783, 5791, 5801, 5807, 5813, 5821, 5827, 5839, 5843, 5849, 5851, 5857, 5861, 5867, 5869, 5879, 5881, 5897, 5903, 5923, 5927, 5939, 5953, 5981, 5987, 6007, 6011, 6029, 6037, 6043, 6047, 6053, 6067, 6073, 6079, 6089, 6091, 6101, 6113, 6121, 6131, 6133, 6143, 6151, 6163, 6173, 6197, 6199, 6203, 6211, 6217, 6221, 6229, 6247, 6257, 6263, 6269, 6271, 6277, 6287, 6299, 6301, 6311, 6317, 6323, 6329, 6337, 6343, 6353, 6359, 6361, 6367, 6373, 6379, 6389, 6397, 6421, 6427, 6449, 6451, 6469, 6473, 6481, 6491, 6521, 6529, 6547, 6551, 6553, 6563, 6569, 6571, 6577, 6581, 6599, 6607, 6619, 6637, 6653, 6659, 6661, 6673, 6679, 6689, 6691, 6701, 6703, 6709, 6719, 6733, 6737, 6761, 6763, 6779, 6781, 6791, 6793, 6803, 6823, 6827, 6829, 6833, 6841, 6857, 6863, 6869, 6871, 6883, 6899, 6907, 6911, 6917, 6947, 6949, 6959, 6961, 6967, 6971, 6977, 6983, 6991, 6997, 7001, 7013, 7019, 7027, 7039, 7043, 7057, 7069, 7079, 7103, 7109, 7121, 7127, 7129, 7151, 7159, 7177, 7187, 7193, 7207, 7211, 7213, 7219, 7229, 7237, 7243, 7247, 7253, 7283, 7297, 7307, 7309, 7321, 7331, 7333, 7349, 7351, 7369, 7393, 7411, 7417, 7433, 7451, 7457, 7459, 7477, 7481, 7487, 7489, 7499, 7507, 7517, 7523, 7529, 7537, 7541, 7547, 7549, 7559, 7561, 7573, 7577, 7583, 7589, 7591, 7603, 7607, 7621, 7639, 7643, 7649, 7669, 7673, 7681, 7687, 7691, 7699, 7703, 7717, 7723, 7727, 7741, 7753, 7757, 7759, 7789, 7793, 7817, 7823, 7829, 7841, 7853, 7867, 7873, 7877, 7879, 7883, 7901, 7907, 7919, 7927, 7933, 7937, 7949, 7951, 7963, 7993, 8009, 8011, 8017, 8039, 8053, 8059, 8069, 8081, 8087, 8089, 8093, 8101, 8111, 8117, 8123, 8147, 8161, 8167, 8171, 8179, 8191, 8209, 8219, 8221, 8231, 8233, 8237, 8243, 8263, 8269, 8273, 8287, 8291, 8293, 8297, 8311, 8317, 8329, 8353, 8363, 8369, 8377, 8387, 8389, 8419, 8423, 8429, 8431, 8443, 8447, 8461, 8467, 8501, 8513, 8521, 8527, 8537, 8539, 8543, 8563, 8573, 8581, 8597, 8599, 8609, 8623, 8627, 8629, 8641, 8647, 8663, 8669, 8677, 8681, 8689, 8693, 8699, 8707, 8713, 8719, 8731, 8737, 8741, 8747, 8753, 8761, 8779, 8783, 8803, 8807, 8819, 8821, 8831, 8837, 8839, 8849, 8861, 8863, 8867, 8887, 8893, 8923, 8929, 8933, 8941, 8951, 8963, 8969, 8971, 8999, 9001, 9007, 9011, 9013, 9029, 9041, 9043, 9049, 9059, 9067, 9091, 9103, 9109, 9127, 9133, 9137, 9151, 9157, 9161, 9173, 9181, 9187, 9199, 9203, 9209, 9221, 9227, 9239, 9241, 9257, 9277, 9281, 9283, 9293, 9311, 9319, 9323, 9337, 9341, 9343, 9349, 9371, 9377, 9391, 9397, 9403, 9413, 9419, 9421, 9431, 9433, 9437, 9439, 9461, 9463, 9467, 9473, 9479, 9491, 9497, 9511, 9521, 9533, 9539, 9547, 9551, 9587, 9601, 9613, 9619, 9623, 9629, 9631, 9643, 9649, 9661, 9677, 9679, 9689, 9697, 9719, 9721, 9733, 9739, 9743, 9749, 9767, 9769, 9781, 9787, 9791, 9803, 9811, 9817, 9829, 9833, 9839, 9851, 9857, 9859, 9871, 9883, 9887, 9901, 9907, 9923, 9929, 9931, 9941, 9949, 9967, 9973, 10007, 10009, 10037, 10039, 10061, 10067, 10069, 10079, 10091, 10093, 10099, 10103, 10111, 10133, 10139, 10141, 10151, 10159, 10163, 10169, 10177, 10181, 10193, 10211, 10223, 10243, 10247, 10253, 10259, 10267, 10271, 10273, 10289, 10301, 10303, 10313, 10321, 10331, 10333, 10337, 10343, 10357, 10369, 10391, 10399, 10427, 10429, 10433, 10453, 10457, 10459, 10463, 10477, 10487, 10499, 10501, 10513, 10529, 10531, 10559, 10567, 10589, 10597, 10601, 10607, 10613, 10627, 10631, 10639, 10651, 10657, 10663, 10667, 10687, 10691, 10709, 10711, 10723, 10729, 10733, 10739, 10753, 10771, 10781, 10789, 10799, 10831, 10837, 10847, 10853, 10859, 10861, 10867, 10883, 10889, 10891, 10903, 10909, 10937, 10939, 10949, 10957, 10973, 10979, 10987, 10993, 11003, 11027, 11047, 11057, 11059, 11069, 11071, 11083, 11087, 11093, 11113, 11117, 11119, 11131, 11149, 11159, 11161, 11171, 11173, 11177, 11197, 11213, 11239, 11243, 11251, 11257, 11261, 11273, 11279, 11287, 11299, 11311, 11317, 11321, 11329, 11351, 11353, 11369, 11383, 11393, 11399, 11411, 11423, 11437, 11443, 11447, 11467, 11471, 11483, 11489, 11491, 11497, 11503, 11519, 11527, 11549, 11551, 11579, 11587, 11593, 11597, 11617, 11621, 11633, 11657, 11677, 11681, 11689, 11699, 11701, 11717, 11719, 11731, 11743, 11777, 11779, 11783, 11789, 11801, 11807, 11813, 11821, 11827, 11831, 11833, 11839, 11863, 11867, 11887, 11897, 11903, 11909, 11923, 11927, 11933, 11939, 11941, 11953, 11959, 11969, 11971, 11981, 11987, 12007, 12011, 12037, 12041, 12043, 12049, 12071, 12073, 12097, 12101, 12107, 12109, 12113, 12119, 12143, 12149, 12157, 12161, 12163, 12197, 12203, 12211, 12227, 12239, 12241, 12251, 12253, 12263, 12269, 12277, 12281, 12289, 12301, 12323, 12329, 12343, 12347, 12373, 12377, 12379, 12391, 12401, 12409, 12413, 12421, 12433, 12437, 12451, 12457, 12473, 12479, 12487, 12491, 12497, 12503, 12511, 12517, 12527, 12539, 12541, 12547, 12553, 12569, 12577, 12583, 12589, 12601, 12611, 12613, 12619, 12637, 12641, 12647, 12653, 12659, 12671, 12689, 12697, 12703, 12713, 12721, 12739, 12743, 12757, 12763, 12781, 12791, 12799, 12809, 12821, 12823, 12829, 12841, 12853, 12889, 12893, 12899, 12907, 12911, 12917, 12919, 12923, 12941, 12953, 12959, 12967, 12973, 12979, 12983, 13001, 13003, 13007, 13009, 13033, 13037, 13043, 13049, 13063, 13093, 13099, 13103, 13109, 13121, 13127, 13147, 13151, 13159, 13163, 13171, 13177, 13183, 13187, 13217, 13219, 13229, 13241, 13249, 13259, 13267, 13291, 13297, 13309, 13313, 13327, 13331, 13337, 13339, 13367, 13381, 13397, 13399, 13411, 13417, 13421, 13441, 13451, 13457, 13463, 13469, 13477, 13487, 13499, 13513, 13523, 13537, 13553, 13567, 13577, 13591, 13597, 13613, 13619, 13627, 13633, 13649, 13669, 13679, 13681, 13687, 13691, 13693, 13697, 13709, 13711, 13721, 13723, 13729, 13751, 13757, 13759, 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あこがれ

2008-03-19T21:53:00.004+09:00

夜1.06時。

電話が三回目と鳴ったところで、
「まさか…日本から、電話を？」と
彼女の元気な声は向こうから伝えてきた。

「うん。」

「無事に着いたの？」

「そうよ、一時間前ね。
そして、訴えたいことがあって、たまらないんだ…
誰か俺の苦情を聞いてくれる人がいないかと思って、
君に電話したんだ。」

「いいよ、どうしたの？相手になってあげるよ。」

「いろいろはさ。もう…
戻りは大変だったよ。40kgもの手荷物、かばん…
それはそれでいいんだけど、
駅から家に向かってる途中、
かばんが壊れた。輪が外れて…」

「うわ、それでも、無理やりに引っ張ったの？」

「もちろんよ、それしかないよ。」
そして、
この二ヶ月のガス、電気、インターネット料金などの支払い、
ビザ更新の手続き、バイトなど
いろんなしなきゃならない面倒くさいことの悩みを訴えた。

「あたしも悩んでるわ。
ほら、この間話したんだろ？英語の課題ね。
それを今やってんの。明日は提出。」

「さすが君だね。ラストミニットワーク。
邪魔してない？忙しいところなのに電話なんて…」

「ううん、全然。」

「実はさ、ここに戻ってきて、
めっちゃ寂しいんだよ。今夜は眠れなさそう。
あぁー、もう！」

「いいから、電話でチャットしようよ。
あたしと話してるうち、絶対眠くなる。」

「そうそう！そのつもりで電話したんだよ。」

「なんだって？」

・・・

ありがとうね。
昨日電話で付き合ってくれて。
久しぶり帰国した俺に、
合わせてくれてたことも、
ありがとう。

以前馴染みやすく、心地よい空気感をもつよね…
あの時惚れてた君は…

Hentai Snowmen

2008-02-03T14:33:00.000+09:00

3rd February, the second snowfall of the year in Tokyo. It has been snowing cats and dogs for about half a day now. And it's way heavier than two weeks ago. In fact, more than enough snow piled up for making snowmen!

*****

Somewhere at the end of the street, lives the hentai snowmen family...

Hentai Snowboy: Papa, it sure is snowing cats and dogs!
Hentai Snowpapa: Indeed, it is... Indeed, it is...

Hentai Snowboy: But, papa, why are those people still hiding in their homes? Shouldn't they come out and have fun?
Hentai Snowpapa: Because, unlike us, son, humans are feeble animals. They catch colds easily. That's why they hate snow.

Snowpapa: See? That idiot is already freezin'.
Snowboy: Brrrrr...

Hentai Snowpapa: Well, there are some exceptions though... Like, people whose circuitry went haywire.

Hentai Snowboy: Why are these humans taking our photos? Are we celebs?
Hentai Snowpapa: No, they probably haven't seen a deek before. (Rolls eyes)

Hentai Snowpapa: You freakin' morons! Us no God of Fertility, 'kay?
Hentai Snowboy: Papa, what's a God of Fertility?

*****

Hell, winter sure is getting better!

It Ain't the Boogeyman

2008-01-25T23:37:00.000+09:00

I went to bed yesterday past one, and was rudely awaken four hours later. That's pretty rare for me - to wake up in the middle of the night. Not even a full bladder can do that. Well, except for the couple of times when the intestines threatened to pull the plug to flush out some foul food I downed in the evening.

I tried to clear the groggy mind and listened intently, half-expecting the boogeyman to emerge from under the bed, going "Boo!",

Outside, the wind was howling. It sounded like waves hitting the shore, in a rhythmic oscillation.

Ah, so that was it. The wind.

I'm no scaredy cat. I watch horror films at night all by myself; with the lights off and taking cover under the blanket. But I swear the wind was more than creepy. In fact, it was as scary as the typhoon that hit Kanto last summer, if not, worse. Well, minus the heavy downpour, though.

From where I was lying, I could see the full moon shining, almost sinisterly as if it was responsible for summoning the terrible wind.

I prayed hard that the apartment will hold on tight enough; I didn't want to end up being blown to the land of Oz. And if I did, I just hoped that the witch's pair of silver shoes are big enough to fit my feet...

But more than anything else, I hoped that my laundry didn't fly away...

Damn! Laundry!

I forced myself to get up from the bed to bring in the laundry. It was then that I realized that the room's temperature was a few degrees distinctively lower than the cozy environment under the futon. It was worse when I opened the balcony door. The wind took the form of a beast that immediately pounced on me. I recoiled from the sheer cold, then once again picked up the courage and brought in the laundry I'd left outside in the morning to dry. Dumping everything on the mat, I made sure to lock the door behind me before retreating to my refuge under the thick blankets once more.

The time was 4.40am. Outside, the wind howled yet stronger.

I've gotta get more rest.

夜ら遅く、恐れ入ります

2008-01-25T00:26:00.000+09:00

夜ら遅く、つうか…
朝早く…

時間は４時20分、
風がビュービューと吹いている
それに起こされたのか

眠りに戻ろうとしたが、
なぜか頭がさっぱりして、
もはや完全に起動された状態のよう

「風怖い。眠れない。-_-"」
とりあえず、メールを送ってみた
決して起こすつもりはなかった
こんな時間、
返事してくれなくても、
まったく気にしなかった

が…
一分後、電話がかかってきた
まさか…

「へっ！寝なさい！寝なさい！」
慌てた

「ううん、いいよ。どうせもう眠れないから」
起こされるとは思わなかった
俺、ひどいなぁ

まあ、せっかくだから、
無駄話の相手をしてもらった
学校のことを、
引越しのことを
その外ははっきりした記憶がない…

「あぁ～充電したばかりなのに…
「電源もう切れそうよ」
「うん、そろそろ切ろう」
「もう少し寝ようね」
ようやく電話を切った

再び眠気が来て、
時間は６時

The Day It Snowed in Tokyo

2008-01-23T22:39:00.000+09:00

Something really cool happened this morning - it snowed!

Oh, come on. Every poor guy has the right to feel excited at his first sight of snow. To point at him and laugh, "Hah, so it snowed, eh? Big deal!" is no less cruel than explaining to a delighted kid who's unwrapping his Christmas gift, that the present did not come from Santa. People who do that are plain spoilsports.

But I digressed.

Okay, it snowed. Yes, snowed. S-N-O-W-E-D!

There has been more than a few false alarms last week when the weather forecast predicted sleet, and snow on a few occasions. It was disappointing when it turned out to be just rain. So, when yesterday evening's weather forecast predicted sleet, I didn't want to keep my hopes high.

But then...

I received an message from a friend on the cellphone this morning at 7.36am (See? I'm writing down the exact details because this is history in making. Heck, it's my first sight of snow.)

"It's finally snowing," it read.

Still half asleep, I read the message twice.

Okay, so it's snowing in Yokohama, eh? Lucky girl. But shit, I'm in Tokyo.

Anyway, I shot up and sprang to the window. Everything outside was covered in a white sheet of dust, as if some confectioner in the heavens was sprinkling icing on everything. It took longer than a few moments before reality eventually sank in.

It's snow, dude!

No kidding but I really did a little war dance, "Ohmygodthiscantbetrueitreallyissnowing."

Then feeling little suffocated from all the excitement, I took a few deep breaths.

Ohmygoditreallyissnowingwhatshouldido?

Pacing around in the room, I tried to calm down.

Ohmygodihavetogooutnownownow!

Spread some magarine over a piece of bread, gulped (yes, gulped) it down in two munches while changing, packed my backpack, slung the camera bag over the shoulder and left for the university. I was 30 minutes early but hell, I didn't want to miss the snow.

You bet it was cool. The whole wood deck in front of the main building was covered with snow.

And although it only started snowing one or two hours ago, a considerable amount of snow had collected.

Sneaking out from the classroom after leaving my stuff there, I took a walk around the campus. Students were arriving for classes. Mostly sombre, with that damn-why-does-it-have-to-snow-at-this-hour look on their faces. Well, some people can be such wet blankets, can't they?

Putting on the hood, I didn't bother to use the umbrella. I was probably grinning like the Cheshire Cat because a few people stared at me, wondering if I had a loose bolt somewhere in between my ears.

Well, who cares? It's snowing! Whee!

In the end, I skipped almost half of the calculus lesson, wandering in winter wonderland before returning to the class. And when I came out of the class again 40 minutes later, it has turned into rain.

The sleet continued till slight past noon. A mixture of rain and snow - pretty funky! Then, the rain eventually took over completely.

Until now, the excitement isn't totally over yet. This is the end of my second year in Tokyo. It was very disappointing last year because it didn't snow. But now, all the sufferings in this cold winter has finally paid off. The snow made everything worthwhile - the astronomical bill for using the heater unsparingly and the frostbites from cycling in the cold.

Oh god, I can't wait for it to snow again!

At least just one more time, pretty, pretty puh-lease?

誕生日の君へ

2008-01-12T11:53:00.000+09:00

「お久しぶり！」

「うん、元気？」

いかに几帳面な挨拶。
そして、あの一瞬の躊躇。

視線をそらし、「うん」と。

変わったね。
染めた髪（「ずいぶん前染めたもん」）
伸びた背中（「あたし成長してるもん」）
それよりも、
あの違う雰囲気、
あの違和感。

確かに、久しぶり。
この前、
何通のメールも送ったが、
ぜんぜん音沙汰もない。
聞いたら、帰国してるそう。

まあ、いい。
どうせ俺はもはや君に願いを持つ立場じゃない。
「後戻りしよう」という願い、
「せめて友達にしてくれ」という願い。

それにしても、
「誕生日おめでとう。」

（平成20年1月5日）

Kyoto

2008-01-11T22:56:00.000+09:00

(Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto)
43mm F/2.8 1/200 ISO200
Canon EOS Kiss Digitial X
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II

I'm glad that I got the 4GB compact flash. With a capacity of storing up to 400 RAW files, I had nothing to worry about storage space.

Spent the first five days of my winter holidays in Kansai. Of the four places I visited, Osaka - or strictly speaking, Umeda, which was basically where I hanged out - was the lousiest, and Kyoto was the best. Nara has magnificent otera's (temples) but I just hope they can supply toilet paper in their otearai's (toilets); Kobe was a okay, probably a little better than Yokohama. But at the end of the day, I'd say I still prefer Tokyo more.

Still, I need to pay Kyoto another visit. One day was definitely not enough to cover all the places that I planned to go.

Firstly, taking the wrong bus took me all the way to Fushimi-inari Shrine, which was in the opposite direction from the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji), where I intended to head to. Not that it was a lousy place, but I knew I wouldn't have time for all the places; intended to only check out three of the famous temples (Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji).

But, oh well...

I got lost on the hill, trying to find my way out from the torii maze. And when I eventually came out from it, it was already past noon.

Unfurling the map I received from the not-so-friendly receptionist at the information counter earlier in the station, I examined and re-examined and re-re-examined it, before I decided that the closest place to visit next would be Kiyomizu-dera.

Last year in the multi-cultural communication class, we were required to do a presentation on our country. I remember talking about Penang's Kek Lok Si - it's fusion of Chinese, Burmese and Thai architectures, the commanding view from the top of the hill... If you've been to Kek Lok Si, think of a place 10 times better than that; that's Kiyomizudera.

Like Kek Lok Si, Kiyomizudera is built on a hill. The street that leads to the temple is lined up with omiyage shops. Feeling hungry? Don't be shy. Just step into a shop for some free sampling. Well, that was what I did on my way down from the temple; didn't have "lunch" till 4pm.

After about 15 minutes of walking, you'll find yourself at the very entrance of the temple, staring up at the gate, dumbstruck by the mere magnificence and the grand scale of the place. You'll have to pay a small fee to enter the temple. But, pst, there is another way. Instead of entering from the main entrance like everyone does, turn right before the stairs. You'll be heading in the opposite direction as everyone but that should save you a few bucks. That is, if you're fine with cheating in - of all places - a temple, and get cursed with a wart in the ass for all you know.

It takes more than a couple of hours to walk around the place. It's big, consisting of not just one but a few temples and shrines. I was there too late for the autumn leaves. A few weeks earlier and the view would have been magnificent. So is it during the cherry blossom season.

And so, I spent the rest of my afternoon there at Kiyomizu-dera. After filling up my stomach with the free samples, it was already too late for Kinkaku-ji. Ah well, I'll just need to find time to come back to Kansai for a second time. When I do, I'll allocate more time for Kyoto rather than wasting my time in crappy places like Umeda.

中国のおばさんたちを、尊敬するわ！

2008-01-08T19:19:00.000+09:00

機械リテラシーという授業での電子回路の作業中…

「あぁ～これいっぱい作れば、PSPができるんだ！」

「中国のおばさんたちは毎日こうやって、PSPを作ってくれるんだ。」

「そうそう、偉いね！俺、尊敬するわ！」

俺、ワーカホリックじゃない

2008-01-07T23:04:00.000+09:00

夕食は講師室でお弁当を食べてた。

教室長は部屋に入ってきた。

「あれ？ヨー君はもう授業が終わったんじゃないですか？」

「そうですよ。でも、帰る前に、回診電話をしたいです。」

「おっ、ありがとう！」

あれ？ありがとう？

仕事の義務を果たすぐらいで、
上司が「ありがとう」と言ってくれるなんて・・・
うぁ～

Tamagawa

2008-01-06T21:03:00.000+09:00

Less than 2km away from where I live, is a river that flows into Tokyo Bay, Tamagawa (多摩川). The river is also the border between Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. Crossing the river, heading towards the south will take you to Yokohama; follow the river downstream for about 10km and you'll come to Haneda airport in Tokyo Bay.

Whereas, somewhere upstream, a place called Futago Tamagawa (二子多摩川), is a famous spot for BBQ. Come weekend mornings and you can see teenagers gathering on the Kanagawa-side bank (but not on the opposite bank), enjoying BBQ. Not because Tokyo people don't like BBQ; but it's illegal to BBQ on the bank of the river on the Tokyo side.

Also, on the Kanagawa side, are the numerous practice grounds for golf. You see, golf is probably the third most popular sport, after baseball and soccer. But then, there just ain't enough flat land in Japan to cater for their "golfing needs". So you can often see small patches of lands, fenced up with green nets up to a height of about 4 storeys, being used to practise golf. In fact, it is not unusual even to find a practice ground in the middle of a housing estate; there's one nearby.

Now, back to Tamagawa. While there're golf practice grounds on the Kanagawa bank, on the opposite bank are baseball fields belonging to the schools in the area. (See what I meant about baseball being the most popular sport?) On weekend afternoons, if weather permits, the fields along the bank will teem with people from all walks of life.

Ojisan's fishing by the river, high school boys playing baseball (duh), obasan's jogging on the cycling course, kids taking turns riding the wagon down the slope, parents flying kites with their children, pets being taken out for a walk... And if you know where to look, you'll see couples hiding behind bushes (making out?)

Riverbanks as recreational spots and evening hang-outs - quite a common sight in Japan, but in Malaysia? Inconceivable. Insane.

Feigning a Smile

2008-01-06T00:33:00.000+09:00

Still couldn't get myself to sleep.
Got out of the bed again.
This time, I did a stupid test.

Setting the cellphone to stopwatch mode,
I started timing myself.
It took less than 40 seconds
Till the first teardrop.
Almost effortless.

Then, looking at myself in the mirror,
I tried to get a convincing smile within 40 seconds.
But I couldn't even feign one.

Keep Me Warm

2008-01-05T22:43:00.000+09:00

Tired,
But, I just can't get myself to sleep.
Crawling out from under the blanket,
I switch on the heater,
And sit next to it,
Hugging the legs close to the chest,
Resting the chin on the knees.

Thank you my loyal companion,
You keep me warm during cold nights,
Though not from within, alas.
Perhaps a sip of booze will do.

The stomach's grumbling,
Demanding for the dinner it's deprived of.
Reaching into the kitchen cabinet,
Just to grab anything for a quick munch.
But, nothing.

I tug myself under the blanket once more,
And clear the head from sullen thoughts.
This time, I'll get myself to sleep.
No, I can't...

Yes, I must.

Travel Log: Nikko Toshogu Part II

2007-11-20T17:29:00.000+09:00

1200 Tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu
My thousand-yen pass doesn't include the ticket to the Nemuri Neko. Instead I have to pay for an extra ticket. But this part of Toshogu is not to be missed, as it leads to the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The first shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty.

This is the famous carving at the entrance to the tomb. The sleeping cat symbolizes world peace. But I wonder what happens when the cat wakes up...

To get to the tomb, you'll fist have to climb hundreds of stairs. Old Japanese cedar trees line up along the route.

This is the gate which leads to Tokugawa Ieyasu's tomb, which is, of course, off limits.

But this is how it looks like from the outside of the walls.

And this giant urn is where the remains of Tokugawa Ieyasu is kept.

Then, heading back outside... Guess what, it's a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony!

The last time I visited Meiji Jingu, there was a wedding ceremony. It seems that everytime I visit a shrine, there must be a wedding ceremony going on... But a wedding at the famous Toshogu? That's out of the ordinary!

At about 13.15, I take the steps down and head for the third shrine, Futarasan Shrine. Before leaving Toshogu, I try to take a snap of myself in front of the main gate. Upon seeing me struggling keep the camera pointed at the right direction, a tourist comes over offering his help. Unfortunately, those photos just aren't too satisfying so I decide not to post them here.

These, I've forgotten where I took but I call them the "Dancing Gods".

There's the Green guy and the Red guy.

See what I mean?

Then, this is the self-portrait I took with the tallest Japanese cedar tree in the compound.

1400 Futarasan Shrine
Near the entrance to Futarasan Shrine, there's this tree where couples pray to.

They write their wishes on a piece of wood called an e-ma (絵馬), and hang it under the tree.

~ Oops, time for dinner. To be continued. ~

Travel Log: Nikko Toshogu Part I

2007-11-18T21:41:00.000+09:00

Date: 18 November 2007 (Sunday)
Time: 1015 ~ 1458
Destination: Toshogu (東照宮) and vicinity, Nikko (日光)
Weather: Sunny/Cloudy; Windy (Max 13m/s); -1°C ~ 6°C

I'd been telling myself, "I'm going to Nikko. I'm going to Nikko," for quite some time. But everytime, I managed to come up with some sort of excuse and postpone the trip. Somehow, though, I eventually managed to get myself put it into action.

Since I wasn't staying overnight in Nikko, I had to squeeze all my plans into one day. Besides, it takes more than 3 hours to Nikko from home, so I decided to take the 0609 train from home. Heck, was I ambitious; thought of also visiting the Chuzenji area as well for the Kegon falls. Well, at least, that was the plan, as you shall see later.

0645 - Wha-what time izzit?!
Oops, 2 hours late! 2 hours! Forget to set the handphone's alarm to ring on Sunday. (It only rings on school days.) But at least I wake up, even without the alarm. And that's something to boast about. Somehow, I manage to get ready in a mere 30 minutes (shower, pack the bag, gulp down glass of milk and chomp on half a piece of bread). Eventually leave from Ishikawadai station by the 0710 train.

0810 - Transit to Tobu line @ Asakusa
Phew! At last Asakusa. I make it in time for the 0810 train. 1 hour behind schedule. Well, at least I make up for one hour. I take a Rapid Train, which is cheaper than Limited Express, but of course, slower. (1320 yen, 2 hours 04 minutes approximately)

1014 - Tobu Nikko Station, at last!
Very, very, very good weather. See for yourself.

I buy a 1000-yen ticket which is valid for all the three shrines and temples, and a 500-yen World Heritage pass for unlimited bus rides within the designated route in one day. (Shouldn't have bought that, frankly.) My first destination is Rin-no-ji Temple; within walking distance from the station. I don't mind walking, but as mentioned earlier, I need to save time. So, I guess the bus is the better option. Damn crowded; "Oh, it's a Sunday, duh!"

1044 - First stop: Sanbutsudo, Rin-no-ji Temple (三仏堂、輪王寺)
Getting off at bus stop 82, it's the entrance to the first temple, Rin-no-ji.

This guy over here, is apparently some big guy. He's the founder of the temples of Nikko who founded Rin-no-ji Temple around 766 and Chuzenji Temple in 782.

The giant urn with burning incense, in front of Sanbutsu-do (三仏堂). Unfortunately, the building is currently under maintenance. It is the largest temple in Nikko mountains; and represents the architecture of the Tendai sect. Inside the temple (photos not allowed), are the wooden statues of the Thousand-handed Kwannon, the Amida Buddha, and the Horse-headed Kwannon.

The Sorinto Pillar is built in 1643 by the reques of Shogun Iyemitsu. Measuring 15 meters high, it contains in it 1000 volumes of holy sutra. Behind the pillar is the Holy Fire Temple (大護摩堂).

1122 - World Heritage, Toshogu (東照宮)
Now, this is the highlight of the day. World Heritage, Toshogu.

Pardon me, but this photo isn't taken well.

This is the Revolving Library (aka the Sutra Library). The place is off-limits but in the inside, there's a revolving book stack containing a complete collection of scriptures.

This is, uh, somewhere, somewhere, I don't remember...

And then you have this sacred stable. In every major shrine, there's always a stable.

Home to the sacred horse, presented by the New Zealand government as a symbol of goodwill. It's named Koha, which means "gift" in the Maori language.

But, what's more famous than the sacred horse is this.

The three monkeys on the lintels of the stable. "Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil"; these are derived from the three major principles of the Tendai sect. It is said that the Japanese version is shortened from a similar phrase found in the Analects of Confucius. The proverb has nothing to do with monkeys; it is just a word play.

Another reason why monkeys were carved is because according to legend, monkeys protect horses from illnesses. In fact, there're more than these three monkeys; the eight panels of wooden carvings represent different stages of life. (Nikko Toshogu Official Homepage)

Now, this is the coolest part. The Yomeimon Gate （陽明門）.

Closer, closer...

The gate is one of the many national treasures in this area. Lavish and elaborated carvings, as contrary to the typical Japanese shrines which emphasize on simplicity.

A man painting his drawing of the tower in front of the Yomeimon Gate.

Entering the Yomeimon Gate (陽明門), there's the Karamon (唐門) right ahead. Comparatively small in scale, but also a national treasure. Beyond the gate is the Yakushi-do, with a huge sumi-e of a dragon on its ceiling. By clapping your hands right under the dragon's head (but not at anywhere else), loud echoes could be heard. A monk demonstrated this by clapping two pieces of cedar wood, drawing oohs and aahs from us visitors.

~ To be continued ~

Narcissism Strikes Again

2007-11-04T19:40:00.000+09:00

Took this photo during sunset by Tama River. Reflections in the eyes add a nice effect. To create a dreamy atmosphere, I applied Gaussian blur and changed the merge style of the top layer to Linear Dodge. After a final touch-up by strengthening the colours, I pretty much got the effects that I wanted. 10 points out of 10 for this one! Another masterpiece for the narcissistic collection of self-portraits.

By the way, some of my recent photos are posted on Flickr instead of here. Flickr: Photos from kryptos86

人間ローションボーリング大会

2007-10-30T23:30:00.000+09:00

最近テレビにはまってる。
最近、つうか昨日から。
熱で、あまりにも体がだるかったので、ベッドに倒れたきり。
どうしようもない状態なので、とりあえずテレビをつけた。
なぜか以前「くだらないなぁ」って思った笑い番組は
案外面白かった。

そして、今日も
家に戻ったらすぐにテレビをつけた。
勉強してるとき、少しぐらいの「背景ノイズ」があったほうが
効果が上がるって思うのだ。（本当かどうか知らんけど…）

つうか効果はない…
結局勉強をやめちまって、テレビを見ることにしたんだ。
ったく…

「人間ローションボーリング大会」がやってたんだ。
前見たことはあるけど、
全身をローションに浸して、レーンを滑って、ピンを倒すのだ。
（名のとおりだね）
もちろんヘルメットはかぶってる。

前回日村さんは100ピン中の99ピンを倒して
チャンピオンとなった。
今回の大会では、挑戦者からその王座を防衛するのだ。

やばかったが、日村さんは９９ピンの記録を保持できて
2位の98ピンに勝った。

何ってゆネタな
何か面白いのか、わからない。
とにかく面白かった。
何もすることはないわけじゃないのに…

期待

2007-10-18T00:06:00.000+09:00

傷付かれるひとときがあった
長持ちのない幻の破片を
いくら拾っても
元には直せない

切なく
いたたまれなかった

漸く　思い出を思い出のままに
もう一度　立ち上がり
もう一度　心地よい日向の温もりを
探しに旅立ってきた

そして　緩やかな風から聞いたんだ
君もひたすら幸福を辿ってる噂
あの時点から
僕は君と会うために　諦めないんだ

僕らの歩む道は
この先のどっかで　きっと交わるんだ
そこで　待ってあげるのよ
僕は　君を

たとえ　僕らは平行線同士の縁であっても
僕は　神様の定めを拒む
それを青空と背に誓う

いつか　君と抱き締めて
あの穏やかな日向に　抱え込まれながら…

Packet of Stones

2007-10-09T21:20:00.000+09:00

Look what I got from my friend! A packet of stones from 喜界島 Kikaishima (鹿児島県 Kagoshima Prefecture)! They taste sweet... Mmm...

響き

2007-10-07T00:25:00.000+09:00

また心が締め付けられるような感じ、しんどい。

すでにあの時から変わった、ってわかってるくせに
その一言に気になるのは、なぜ？

後ろ向きなんてしない、って自分に約束したくせに
また振り返っちまったのは、どうして？

変わらないものなんてない
取り戻せるものなんてない
もう、わかったはずなのに

In Case of Fire...

2007-10-05T14:07:00.000+09:00

A crowd of curious onlookers gathers at a safe distance in front of the main building. Muted whispers among the crowd.

Wispy smoke wafts from behind some columns near the main entrance. Someone must have set some mosquito coils on fire.

Cries for help coming from the rooftop. Crowd looks up. A guy up there is waving frantically and crying for help.

More whispers. Old Lady reaches into her handbag for her cellphone and takes a photo.

More cries. Then Guy disappears.

Sirens come wailing. Two fire engines arrive at the scene. Firemen rush down. One of them, presumably the captain, waves a Broken Radio Antenna (BRA), calling his men to action. His army of men rushes to him with a sense of urgency.

Get the hoses. Ready the suits. Retrieve the blue prints. Captain barks his orders.

Then comes the flag bearer. He secures a spot and begins setting up a pole for his flag.

Guy on the rooftop appears out of nowhere again, crying for help. Flag Bearer curses under his breath, "You can go to hell. Can't you see I'm busy setting up the flag?"

Guy disappears again.

Flag Bearer continues struggling with the flag. His buddy comes along to help Flag Bearer with the flag. Buddy and Flag Bearer struggles for another five minutes and eventually manages to set it up. "Ota-ku Fire Brigade," it reads in Japanese.

Guy yells again. Too bad because Flag Bearer and Buddy has another flag to set up. Let the others handle Guy.

Flag Bearer and Buddy gets better at their job now. This time they take four minutes to set up the second flag next to the makeshift table. "Headquarters," it says. Now it's time for action.

Three men gets into big clumsy suits loaned from Armageddon's movie props warehouse. They march into the building and moments later, come out with a couple of fire victims.

Old lady reaches for her cellphone again and takes more photos.

Guy appears again, this time on the other end of the rooftop. It occurs to Guy that the people down there can see him better on that end. Guy yells. Captain hears him. He points his BRA at Guy.

Another fire engine arrives. This one equipped with a hydraulic platform (HP). Without further ado, HP Fireman plays with the controls, directing the platform to the spot where Guy is. Soon, Guy and his buddies are rescued and brought to the ground. Crowd cheers.

It was actually a fire drill at our university, held yesterday. Funny drama with an important message: Never get trapped on the rooftop should there be a fire. But if you do, save your breath and pray hard instead.

One Ring to Seal Our Love

2007-09-22T23:21:00.001+09:00

And, dear, this is our ring.

One Ring to show our love, One Ring to bind us
One Ring to seal our love, and forever entwine us

Well, not really. 'Cos I can't read Tengwar. The engraving on the ring is no other than the same script found on the One Ring.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them

Still a far cry from my references (Reference 1, Reference 2) but come on, this is the first time I really manage to draw something by myself. It'd probably look better if I can get the map to reflect more on the ring.

The font used for the bump map is Tengwar Cursive Truetype Font. Map of Middle Earth used in this rendering was retrieved from the internet as well.

Experimenting with Blobby Particles

2007-09-20T01:09:00.000+09:00

Some simple renderings with Maya. This time, experimenting with "blobby particles". Again, refer to the video tutorial on The Gnomon Workshop.

The Eyeball Gallery

2007-09-18T15:11:00.000+09:00

(For a comprehensive guide on how to create a realistic eyeball, refer to The Gnomon Workshop.)

Was thinking of creating eyeballs of various iris colours. Unfortunately, Google image search didn't come up with satisfactory candidates (low resolution, iris partially covered by the eyelid, bad exposure etc). So, I skipped to the next step, which is to alter the shape of the iris and the size of the pupil.

In the first row, you can see that the first one has a convex irs, the second one more of a flat iris, and the third one with a concave iris. Next, in the second row, are eyeballs with varying sizes of the pupil.

Now, moving on to the next project...

Stop Playing with that Eyeball

2007-09-18T02:58:00.000+09:00

The preliminary result of two nights' work. An eyeball constructed from scratch using Autodesk Maya with the help of a four-hour long tutorial (from Gnomon Workshop). Lots of topics covered, including image-editing in Adobe Photoshop. Recommended even for beginners. (Heck if I could do it, than anyone can. All you need is some patience.)

Be warned though, since image rendering may take a hell longer than you think. I left Maya to render this particular photo (1000px by 1000px, Production quality), and after I was done brushing teeth and getting ready to bed, it was only half-done. That's how long it took.

Shit, time for bed. Gotta stop playing with the eyeball. More tweakings later.

Oh, that's Malaysian alright

2007-09-15T12:36:00.000+09:00

A few days ago, at my workplace, I bumped into the Japanese old man who owned a sushi shop on the opposite side of the station.

"Malaysia, eh? Your prime minister has a lot of-" he then made a gesture - rubbing the thumb over the index finger and middle finger.

I immediately registered what he meant. But just to confirm, "You mean the former prime minister?"

"Former?"

"The current one is Badawi. The former one, Dr M," I explained.

"Ah, Dr M. Yeah, yeah. The doctor."

Our prime minister has "a lot of money". And when a politician is said to have "a lot of money", it has only one connotation...

That's what Malaysia is known for, in the eyes of this Japanese old man. Funny that he wasn't aware that Dr M is no longer the prime minister. Perhaps, "our prime minister has 'a lot of money'" is more of a common knowledge, than "Dr M is no longer the prime minister". And from this foul impression the man has on Malaysia, one may take another step further and wonder how many others are sharing the same thought as him.

And oh, what is it with the recent scandals involving the big guys in the Malaysian government? (Pak Lah: ACA must probe those named in A-G's report - The Star, 14, September 2007) Youth and Sports Ministry paying RM224 for a set of RM40 screwdrivers?

And oh, what is it with the dog-catching competition by Selayang Municipal Council, which offers prize money up to RM15,000? (Selayang dog competition scrapped - The Star, 15, September 2007) It's a relief that it's scrapped following a public outcry but no one should be retarded enough to come up with the idea in the first place.

What's wrong with Malaysia nowadays? Almost everything! Oh yes, of course the government is very well aware of that. It just doesn't appreciate being told in its face that it's doing something the wrong way. Anyone who has the slightest concern about Malaysia would be shaking his head every time he reads the news. But a typical Malaysian knows it's better to keep his mouth shut because once you criticize the government, you're immediately being labelled as "unpatriotic".

"Uh-huh? You have complaints? Too bad, live with it! 'Cos we don't welcome feedback." That's why we have ISA (Malaysia: Detainees held without charge or trial - Human Rights Watch), remember? To protect our nation from idiots who make too much noise! It is only when occasionally, an outsider (like Michael Backman) stops by, and points out, "Hey, that's not right!", that we are jolted back to our senses. (Then, we jump at him crying, "Who are you to comment about us?")

Now excuse me but I'd like to proceed to complaining about the recent Merdeka celebration (or rather, non-celebration) in Tokyo.

Craving for some Malaysian food, I was looking forward to the Merdeka celebration at the embassy. There was a celebration last year (albeit at a small scale) so I presumed there'd be one this year too. Besides, oh god, it's the 50th anniversary. There should be something grand!

I mailed several seniors to find out about this year's celebration, but no one seemed to know anything about it. Aghast but still refusing to give up hope, I googled for the embassy's website. There was something about a 4000-yen Malaysian food buffet but what the heck, nothing about the Merdeka celebration! That was a day before national day; if there was any celebration, there should be news by then. Maybe there was a celebration. Maybe they thought, "Well, less people more share" and decided to keep it to themselves.

But I eventually convinced myself that there was no celebration. Otherwise, why, I ask, would there be no announcement even on the website?

My initial disappointment soon turned into bewilderment then into a boiling rage (for it invoked every bit of patriotic sentiment in me). Come to think of it, it was the 50th anniversary. The 50th! Malaysia gained independence exactly half a century ago on that day! It was the National Day! A day for celebration (and most importantly, for food), for crying out loud!

But what are those people doing in the embassy? Oh I forgot. As long as they sit in their offices, it's Malaysian law they're following - the Malaysian way of doing things.

Yeah, and we're told to be proud of being Malaysians. To be proud of our Malaysian way of doing things; the way we manage our government.

Maya Basics

2007-09-12T13:52:00.000+09:00

Kryptos's Shrine is under construction...

Tremble with fear, thou feeble mortals, for his dominion shall soon expand till the ends of the world. And then, upon the completion of his Holy Shrine, he shall rule man with wrath!

Nah. Just fooling around with some Maya tutorials...

Gah! Worms!

2007-09-02T19:58:00.000+09:00

Meguro Parasitological Museum is claimed to be the only one of its kind in the world. I'm not that surprised, considering that no one sane would possibly enjoy watching worms.

Well, I went, anyway. But that's no reason to question my sanity. Let's just say, I was curious.

The museum's kind of small. Free admission, for some obvious reason... Two-storeyed, but nevertheless houses plenty of specimens - gross worms pickled in jars... Eew...

(Scratch, scratch elbow...)

Worm-infested stomach-or-liver-or-whatever-internal-organ-I-don't-know...

(Scratch, scratch neck...)

Some 300 ringworms, pickled... Mmm... Bee hoon...

(Scratch, scratch butt...)

A dog heart infested with parasites...

(Scratch, scratch left leg, scratch, scratch right arm...)

And oh, on the second floor... The main attraction!

A 8.8 meter tapeworm retrieved from a Japanese guy in 1986. Said to have ingested the worm larva with sushi. (Make note, make note. No more sushi.) It was less than an inch in size at larva stage. (Notice the little circle in the photo.) The larva took merely 3 months to grow into 8.8m. Imagine hanging one end of the worm from the third floor; the other end would almost touch the ground. The guy only realized about his wormy companion when part of it, uh, slipped out when he was doing his business in the toilet. The worm was later flushed out of his intestines by some medicine.

Eew... Creepy worms. I'm still itchy all over the body after the visit to the museum.

(Scratch, scratch left knee...)

Okay, no more visits to the parasitological museum.

Hungry, hungry. Signing off for dinner. Ciao.

My Room, as Viewed by Picasso

2007-08-28T23:56:00.000+09:00

It's good to have the laptop back, with Windows XP up and running once again. Time to fumble around!

First project was to check out Radio Blog. Found Zendurl, a free web host that supports php and xml file types and got my radio blog running. But then, there's this issue with bandwidth (it takes quite some time to load). So, cool as it may be, the project is suspended indefinitely nevertheless.

So, instead, spent the morning editing some photos again. Photos of my room, taken from different angles but nonetheless, patched together.

It probably won't give you any better idea on how my room looks like but I call it a work of art because it actually reminds me of Picasso's drawings. (Everything's out of place as if you're viewing one object from different points of view.) The only thing I'm unsatisfied of is that, there's no way to fit in the photos of the kitchen and the toilet, as much as I'd like to. (The latter may not sound like such a good idea to some people but rest assured that I clean my toilet regularly. To begin with, the colour of the toilet bowl and the bath tub is such that any possible mold stain would easily go unnoticed to the untrained eye.)

PS: Uh-oh, sorry about the messy bed. Why bother to make the bed when you're sleeping in it again slightly more than half a day after waking up?

People of All Smells of Life

2007-08-28T23:18:00.000+09:00

The man sitting next to me is struggling with the wrapper of an ice-cream. He gives it more than a couple of twists and tries to pull it apart but it just won't give way. He then bites it with his teeth to tear it open (reminding me of National Geographic documentaries). Finally, the wrapper gives in - but not without retaliation as it angrily squirts some of its content at the perpetrator. But, bad aiming; a couple of us unfortunate ones nearby fall victim. The lady next to me gives the man a quick, irritated look but couldn't be more annoyed when she's totally ignored. The man acts as if nothing happened and triumphantly sucks on his ice-cream, which retorts with obscene slurps.

Such was the episode I encountered on the train this evening.

If you're a tourist visiting Japan and would like to have a general idea of the Japanese society, what's a better place to make your observations, than on a train? It is after all the most convenient means of transportation; you meet people from all walks of life in the train.

There are oddballs...

If you've been on a train in Japan, you'd have noticed that out of ten persons, three would be listening to their mp3 players, three probably fiddling with the cellphone, two taking a nap and two reading. But, meeting someone who reads aloud his novel, I suppose, is a rare case.

Nevertheless, I met one. A rotund guy in chequered shirt, reading aloud the lines in rising and falling tones as if he was practising for a stage act. In fact, he was so absorbed in it that he was totally oblivion of the stares from the other passengers...

There are pathetic drunkards... For some reasons, nomikai's seem to be a favourite Japanese past-time. Friday nights especially, are spent in izakaya. More often than not, they tend to drink more than they can handle, turn red and start spouting nonsense. There was this apparently drunk old man who shouted at strangers, probably to entertain himself. Sometimes, the air in the train is so saturated with alcoholic breath that you can tell that someone on board had too much beer. Sometimes, you see a guy sleeping in one corner in the train station, a hand still clutching to an empty beer can. I once saw a guy who refused to leave the train at the last stop when someone woke him up from his sleep. He mumbled something unintelligible and just went on sleeping...

Then, there are otaku's... Most of the time, they look just like you and me but sometimes, you can identify one, normally by their sense of fashion. But some people can smell one. A friend of mine - ironically a self-professed otaku - complains that otaku's smell bad. Something in between a rotten egg and vinegar. You can't be too careful, he said, especially when you're in Akihabara - the famed Otaku-land - where it stinks so badly that you have to pinch your nose and risk suffocation when you're walking through the crowd. Though he has the uncanny tendency of over-exaggerating even the most minute of things, I thank god that I'm not endowed with such a sensitive sense of smell. Still, I did have a bad experience sitting next to a guy who stunk to the high heavens. The poor guy must have had an unfortunate accident in the toilet...

So the next time you take a train, look around and you'll see people from all walks of life, or even of all smells of life - you can never get bored. Every time taking the train may be a new experience.

Taking the Bike Out for a Walk

2007-08-28T14:18:00.000+09:00

The big parcel arrived Sunday afternoon. It was my new bike! Took a sweaty hour to assemble it and it was finally done.

Seat is way too low even at maximum height but you bet it looks way more macho than the typical aunty-ish bikes.

Now, excuse me. I need to take the bike out for a walk.

Oh and one more thing. Curse the idiot who took my old bike!

I know I said it already but it doesn't hurt to say it a second time, eh?

Stupid Things Do Happen

2007-08-21T02:33:00.000+09:00

Stupid things do happen - things that could have been avoided if I could have been less stupid.

First of all, the OS thingy problem. I've been using Ubuntu/Linux for more than a week now (See: Linux and Peanuts, Monday, August 06, 2007) and am going peanuts over it. I don't want GIMP; I want my Adobe Photoshop back! I don't want Open Office (which turns certain Japanese characters into incomprehensible hieroglyphs); I want Microsoft Office! I don't want the stupid Totem Player; I want WMP!

I'm suffering from Windows withdrawal symptoms!

I'm sorry to say this to the wonderful folks who developed Ubuntu. But I want to revert to Windows! Because I'm just a regular idiot who has totally got used to Windows and has no patience to spend time learning a totally new operating system.

But hell, after sneaking into my friend's room to retrieve his copy of Windows XP and had it reinstalled, I realized that the speakers and the modem weren't working... Oh great, the drivers! And they ~~are~~ were in the recovery disk that I wiped out!

Okay, I need to get the recovery disk restored.

So, I called up Toshiba customer service. After explaining at great length what I presumed was the stupid-est case the operator had ever come upon, "In that case, the warranty isn't valid. Kick yourself in the ass because it was you who were stupid enough to be capable of such an idiocy." Of course, she said it with such subtlety and politeness which are regrettably lost through my curt translation.

So, that's going to cost me five grand and a week, computer-less.

Then, there was this ridiculous episode with the vacuum cleaner.

It was a warm Thursday afternoon. After cleaning up the room, I decided to clean the keyboard as well, with the vacuum cleaner.

As I was inspecting at close scrutiny, determined to get rid of the tiniest speck of dust I could find...

Horror of all horrors! Where is my right arrow key?

Right at the bottom-right-hand corner of the keyboard - where the right arrow key formerly was - all that was left was some black thingy sticking up like a perched nipple.

Oh my gawd! It can't be... in the vacuum cleaner?

Okay, all I have to do is to sort through the bag, right?

But, uh... I then recalled that besides your typical household dirt and rubbish I had a couple of cockroaches in the vacuum cleaner as well (See: War Propaganda, Thursday, July 26, 2007). The mere image of them making themselves at home, having cookie crumbs as lunch and dust-balls as dinner was enough to stir up a certain uncomfortable feeling - as if you have some cockroaches writhing in the stomach...

Oh, holy nipples!

However much I hated to do it, there was no other choice. Found the missing key alright but also made an interesting discovery: cockroaches can't survive in the vacuum cleaner - I found the dead bodies (with some limbs going unaccounted, though) of the poor fellows I acquainted throughout the summer... Well, at least, another nagging question laid to rest!

And then, this morning, something else happened, which among the others, pissed me off the most. Left my bike near the train station before leaving for work this morning, came back four hours later in the noon, just to find that it was missing!

It was a scorching summer noon but the bike shouldn't have just evaporated into thin air. It was either stolen, or taken away... for illegal parking - the place is only meant for registered bikes. To hell with whoever took my bike! I don't care if the bloody fool stole it or stowed it away because of illegal parking. Whoever it was shall get a wart in his asshole for pissing me off!

Note to myself: Need to get a new bike...

I can't help but wonder if I'm hexed or is it just to make atonement for my karma. And I don't know whether to kick myself in the ass - though I'm not sure if it is physically possible; or to jump off from my balcony - uh, no, I need to get to somewhere higher than the first floor...

Anyway, stupid things do happen. But, had I not screwed up my computer, I wouldn't have tried out Linux; had the vacuum cleaner episode not happened, I wouldn't have discovered that the vacuum cleaner isn't such a cozy place for cockroaches after all; had my bike not disappeared, I wouldn't have got the excuse to get a new bike to replace the old junk!

平静で「さようなら」って言えるよう

2007-08-07T00:25:00.000+09:00

「おれ、先週彼女とわかれたよ。」

「まじで？振られたの？」今さら考えると、悪かったと思うけど、そのときは冗談つもりで、言っちゃったのだ。

「そうとは言えないけど。」

「ショックだったよね…」

「いや、別に。前からわかってたから。三ヶ月前ごろからかな、予想したんだもん。でっ、わかれようって言われても、なんか、あっ、やっぱりそうだね、見たいな感じで…」

どうも平気な顔をしていたけど、その裏はいかに切ないのだろう？「さようなら」って言われても、平静で受け止められるのは、決して容易なことじゃない。

先日、友達とネットでチャットしたら、話はなぜかあのことの方にいっちゃった。最近、夜さびしくなる余裕はあまりないけど、不意に聞かれると、記憶の隅に埋めようとしたことはまた蘇って、心は再び空虚のように感じられた。遠くまで漂ってゆったはずの過去なのに。

おれも、いつか平静で「さようなら」って言えるよう…

Linux and Peanuts

2007-08-06T11:55:00.000+09:00

You see, I had this crazy idea of installing an OS on the MP3 player. So that the next time I go to the computer lab, I can just plug in the player and voila! I have all my works with me! Now, this is portability.

So, is it possible to run an OS from the MP3 player?

Only one way to find out. This called for an experiment.

Firstly, the experiment subjects.

MP3 player: Creative Zen Vision: M, with 8GB partitioned
Operating System: Ubuntu/Linux 7.04

A note for the not-so-enlightened: I know it sounds "Maorish" but Ubuntu isn't KOJA's long-lost sibling. In fact, the word is of African origin, meaning "humanity to others". It's a Linux distribution based on Debian. Okay, that's all I can tell you; because like most of the rest of the world, I've been using solely Windows and even the mere task of pronouncing "Linux" is an incredible tongue twister to me.

But, I digressed.

Anyway, quite to my expectation, the installation did work.

Now, the moment of truth: to see if it is possible to boot from the MP3 player.

If the installation took "almost an eternity", the startup took "an eternity"; I had to give up half-way before the player decided to explode due to overheating. And so, the experiment ended without a result.

Nah, big deal. As if I didn't see that coming.

But, things started getting worse after that. What I really didn't see coming was that I messed up the boot loader. For some reason, I could no longer boot the computer without connecting the player.

Shucks, that's ridiculous! I'm screwed...

Then, I started my feeble attempts to fix the computer.

The first attempt was to revert the to out-of-the-box settings but that failed because I couldn't call up Disk Recovery.

The second attempt was to format the disk and install a fresh copy; that should've worked but the problem is, the laptop doesn't come with an installation disk. Everything necessary for installation is backed up in hard disk partitions called HDDRECOVERY and DATA; as if those people from Toshiba didn't anticipate something stupid like this to happen.

The third attempt was to use the installation disk borrowed from J. In fact, that was the only thing that worked so far but I couldn't satisfy myself with an illegal copy of Windows, which was why I eventually decided to go ahead with installing Ubuntu instead. That took another few tries. And by the n-th try, I've effectively wiped out HDDRECOVERY; by the (n+1)-th try, I went, "What the heck!" and decided to wipe out DATA as well.

Hah, now no turning back. I'm stuck with Linux!

...Which was rather a bad idea for someone who can't tell apart Linux from peanuts: I have to start from scratch. Sigh.

Peanuts, anyone?

War Propaganda

2007-07-26T11:20:00.000+09:00

I've made an important discovery. A discovery of great implications:

Vacuum cleaners just aren't made to contain roaches.

And that's bad news. Really bad news. Because I seem to be having a pest problem with cockroaches. And the only weapon that I have in my disposal to defend the fort against these ugly invaders is the vacuum cleaner. I don't feel like squashing them. Pardon my choice of words but they look "juicy". I don't want to do the clean-up after squashing them!

So, what I've been doing until now is to sneak up at them with the vacuum cleaner and, "Whoosh!" suck them away for good! I owe the idea to the Ghostbusters. The "ghost trap" works by sucking the evil spirits and containing them in it. My vacuum-cleaner-cum-roach-trap works with the same concept.

But alas! A vacuum cleaner sucks roaches well but not is as good in containing them. Wait, vacuum cleaners are for sucking up dust. Heck that explains it! Dust don't escape but roaches do! Make note, make note: Gotta call up customer support to tell them about this defect in their product...

I've been consulting my friends on ways to contain the situation but so far I only get cold responses.

"No, you don't kill cockroaches. You co-exist with them!" YY said in so calm a manner that almost makes me wonder if she has mistaken roaches as hamsters. "I have cockroaches in my room to and I talk to them!" Yeah, right, freak!

And as for my neighbour, J, who lives two doors next to me, he couldn't have been more blasé when he replied, "Cockroaches? Oh yeah, there are cockroaches, alright..."

What's wrong with these people? They're harrassed by invading roaches who are claiming territory over their rooms and yet they're not taking any action! That's the problem with people nowadays; they are just too lackadaisical!

That's not the attitude, boys and girls! You squash each and every one of the roaches that crosses your path. And yes, that's what I'm going to do after discovering the flaw with the vacuum cleaner. No more taking prisoners. Kill and ask questions later! No mercy for the roaches! (Waving sandals frantically) Roaches supposed to be hated because: One, they're ugly. Two, they've hairy legs (No offense towards people with hairy legs). Three, they're ugly. In short, it's the worst practical joke mother nature has ever played.

Here's what you do when you come across one of those ugly pests. One, squash it. Two, squash it again just to be sure. Three, you may choose to clean-up or leave the casualty behind as an example to his brethrens.

People! This battles calls for constant vigilence! We're dealing with one of the hardiest creatures in the world. We're dealing with monsters which survive up to two weeks after decapitation; monsters that can live for 45 minutes without air.

But, hear ye! Hear ye! Let us not be gripped with fear. And most important of all, never let your guard down! For this is war! May mankind prevail!

Nothing is for free... Or maybe not?

2007-07-18T00:06:00.000+09:00

Vodafone Japan, after being taken over by Softbank March last year, launched a series of aggressive marketing plans to regain it's position in the Japanese market. After all, the mobile business is primarily monopolised by NTT Docomo and AU KDDI, the two mobile company giants in Japan.

In January, "White Plan" was launched. Customers under this plan are entitled to free domestic voice calls to other Softbank numbers from 1am to 9pm (well, that's virtually the whole day). The price? 980 yen. Which is like less than 50% of the basic payment charged by other companies, even under student price. Then, later, came "W White Plan" - voice calls to numbers of other companies at half price for an additional 980 yen per month. And, if that's not good enough for you, there's even a "White Plan Family Discount 24" - free calls between family members throughout the whole day, in addition to those benefits offered to White Plan subscribers.

"Now, what's the trick? How on earth do they make profit from free phone calls?"

No one knows. Of course, it could probably be a commercial geek: to attract customers. Despite the fact that I know nothing about business, logic tells me that when you start to have more than four million users subscribing to these call plans, the company's going to turn into a big charity organization.

The recent commercial on "White Plan Family Discount 24" kept me thinking. If you haven't already seen it, check it out on You Tube or better still, from Softbank's commercial gallery.

Basically, it goes like this.

Aya's brother (God knows why he's a Black while she's obviously a Japanese) comes over to the reception, asking Aya about the White Plan Family Discount 24.

"With the call plan, domestic voice calls to family members are free of charge 24 hours a day." Aya explains.

"But, why? I don't understand."

"Me neither... " Aya admits. Then, turning to the dog accompanying his brother to the shop, adds, "And why is it that dad is a dog?"

"There's a reason behind everything!" replies "dad".

"Reason? Then, what's the 'reason', dad?" asks Aya.

"It's too early for you to find out!" exclaims "dad".

Now, back to the question: Nothing's for free. So what's the catch? "There's a reason behind everything."

"It's too early for you to find out!"

Excerpts from Essays in Love

2007-07-10T00:45:00.000+09:00

For a moment, I fantasized I might transform myself into a carton of yogurt so as to undergo the same process of being gently and thoughtfully accommodated by her into a shopping bag between a tin of tuna and a bottle of olive oil. ~Alain de Button

Some excerpts and quotes from Ellipsis, the last chapter of Essays in Love, by Alain de Button:

"There is an Arabic saying that the soul travels at the pace of a camel. While we are forced ahead by the relentless dynamic of the timetabled present, our soul, the seat of the heart, trails nostalgically behind, burdened by the weight of memory. If every love affair adds a certain weight to the camel's load, then we can expect the soul to slow according to the significance of love's burden..."

"The present held nothing for me, the past had become the only inhabitable tense."

"...Yet guilt accompanied this forgetting. It was no longer her absence that wounded me, but my growing indifference to it. Forgetting was a reminder of death, of loss, of infidelity to what I had at one time held so dear."

"The camel became lighter and lighter as it walked through time, it kept shaking memories and photos off its back, scattering them over the desert floor and letting the wind bury them in the sand, and gradually the camel became so light that it could trot and even gallop in its own crious way - until one day, in a small oasis that called itself the present, the exhausted creature finally caught up with the rest of me."

The Damnation of the Crows

2007-07-08T13:47:00.000+09:00

He summoneth the eldest of the crows and sayeth to him, "I shall now descend into the deepest Slumber. But be warneth, should I awaken before I intend to, which is at the end of Time, thou and together with thou, thy sons and daughters and wife shalt be punisheth."

And thus, He sleepeth, never intending to awake till after many a trip the sun didst make around the earth and after many a summer to come.

His Slumber, the eldest of the crows looketh on. And after he dieth, the eldest of his son looketh on. And again, after he dieth, the eldest of his son looketh on. And so it goeth on, till many a generation didst pass.

Then cometh one day, the youngest of the crows cometh by, and seeth Him in His Eternal Slumber, sayeth, "Hast he not passed on to the World Beyond?" for the youngest ones are always the most ignorant.

"No. He is not dead but sleepeth." sayeth the oldest of the crows. "For He is not alike the mortal beings that breathe the air. He liveth on as he willeth, till all the flowers whither and all the creatures that roameth the earth perisheth and the sun in the heavens burneth into ashes and raineth upon the earth."

"But, hast He not arisen since the days of our grandfathers' grandfathers? He didst walk but only in the folklores. Now, He is but dead. So let us rejoice, I say! I shall not keep the beak silent any longer for it tireth me not to crow. What good is a crow if crow it dost not?"

"Rejoice, my merry fellows! Rejoice, for He hast passed on to the World Beyond!" sayeth the youngest of the crows.

"No! You fool!" sayeth the oldest of the crows.

But alas, it dost no good. The words pass on from beak to beak and for a moment, there is silence. Then, the silence breaketh into the merriest celebration. They sing for the first time the sweetest tunes passed down by their grandfathers' grandfathers, but so long have their beaks remained not in use that their voice turneth so coarse. All creatures stuff their ears with stones and pebbles or whatever they can find for it paineth the ears to listen to so terrible an ensemble.

In the middle of the chaos, He awaketh from his Eternal Slumber and findeth that it is not yet the end of Time, for the flowers still bloom and the creatures still roam the earth and the Sun still burneth in the heavens .

"Woe is me!" sayeth He. "Behold your Lord, the all-benevolent God, who shall now strike thee with a bolt of lightning! And thou shalt be condemned to eternal damnation, for that, and that alone is the punishment befitting those who dare awaken Him from His Eternal Slumber!"

And the heavens crack open with the deepest roar and He delievereth His promise, sending a bolt of lightning at every crow that deserveth his punishment. Scramble they do but He spareth not their lives.

And in this manner, His wrath rageth on until every crow that didst roam the earth burneth into ash. Then only, He descendeth into another peaceful Slumber.

And thus, never will the world hear again about the crows. Only in songs shall they live on. And let it passe down for generations to come and serve as a reminder for the obstinates who believe not in His powers.

~Nonsense, Chapter 31:3-81, The Damnation of the Crows

* * * * *

Bloody crows. Can't they just let this poor guy sleep longer even just for the weekend?

Disclaimer: This is just some nonsense penned by a sleep-deprived crackpot, courtesy of the crows.

15 Minutes to Tanabata

2007-07-07T12:08:00.000+09:00

Tanabata (七夕), meaning "Seven Evenings") is a Japanese star festival, derived from Obon traditions and the Chinese star festival, Qi Xi. The festival is usually held on July 7, and celebrates the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year. This special day is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. ~Wikipedia: Tanabata

"Another 15 minutes to Tanabata. Make a wish and you'll meet your true love. Come on, I'll make one on your behalf." her message read.

This is not just any Tanabata but one of significant meaning; it's 07 July of the year '07 and yet I wouldn't realised it's Tanabata if not for the message.

Make a wish. Make a wish.

Oh great. How do you make one?

I don't know. I don't know. Just make a wish for goodness sake.

Oh, no, no, no. I'm not going to screw this up.

Okay, okay. Don't panick.

0000 hours. Made a wish anyway. Though I can't recall exactly how I phrased it.

"Can't see any stars. It's too cloudy!" she complained.

Uh, am I supposed to have made my wish to the stars? Gosh, I just made one to the walls.

Shucks. I screwed up alright. There goes the 07.07.07 Tanabata!

Reunion and Parting

2007-07-01T23:35:00.000+09:00

Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven. ~Tryon Edwards

Be it the "cheat-kansen" or densha, it was great how they took the effort coming all the way back to Tokyo, just for a small party. I'm usually not the party-goer type, but I'm glad I went.

Of course, not everyone could make it; only slightly more than ten of us did. Even though this isn't really the gang I always hang out with in gaidai, there's the feeling of attachment nonetheless. After all, there's no way of bonding better than by staying in the same dorm for a year. We were an international community in the small campus. We may be gaijins but we feel at home because we are a family, brought together purely by providence. We may be in a foreign land but at least there's a strong sense of belonging among ourselves.

Reunion and parting. The former reminds you of the fond memories: it's an emotional roller coaster ride that brings you back from the present to the past. The latter reminds you of how things are no longer the way they used to be: it's a depressing ride from the past back to the present. Then, you start wishing that you don't have to part again, even though you know that nothing in life is for an eternity.

Not long ago, I've just eventually tuned up to the rhythm of my new life in university, but now the reunion reminds me of the good old days we used to have. The feeling of nostalgia gnaws at the heart. I'm all lonely once more.

Sigh. Now I have to tune back to my life again.

Tas de Merde

2007-06-19T01:36:00.000+09:00

Q. Translate this into French: Pile of reports
A. Tas de merde

And just to make sure, I doubled-checked with the ever-helpful Google Translate. "Heap (ie. pile) of shit", it said.

Whee! Rejoice, humans! I've finished another report! Yes, yes, thank you for the standing ovation!

Somehow, I managed to while away the whole weekend (exactly how, I cannot recall). But the point is, why waste your time when you have no idea on how to start your reports? Might as well just wait for inspiration to strike at the least expected moment and voila! You finish it in two hours' time. Now, that's what I call "efficiency"!

Holy cow. I think I've written more Japanese this few weeks compared to the one year I spent in the Japanese Language Centre (JLC). Oh, oh, oh! But there's more waiting to be done. I'm so "excited". At this rate, I'll probably become the next Natsume Souseki.

"What's that gibberish you're talking about?"

While you may be scratching that coconut of yours wondering why I'd rather not spend my time now finishing the remaining (four) reports or just chuck myself in the bed for a good night's sleep, let me tell you I've just hatched an ingenious plan. I'm going to set up a database to upload all my ~~junk~~ masterpieces (ie. bloody reports), followed by a Pay Pal account. For those gullible (or plainly stupid) individuals who wish to download them, any small amount of donation is greatly appreciated. Or alternatively, you may pay by cheque, crossed and made payable to "Help Kryptos Get Rich Charity Fund". (I'm trying to get enough money for a trip to Ur-anus (sic))

Oh, might as well let you in on a little bit more. Here's a list of the reports done for the last few weeks (and those yet to be done).

2007.05.04 コンピュータリテラシ－情報論理セキュリティためのガイド：感想文
2007.05.25 コンピュータリテラシ－情報論理の感想 (Don't ask me how is this supposed to be any different from the previous topic given)
2007.06.01 コンピュータリテラシ－ケプラー法則 (Power Point Presentation)
2007.06.08 コンピュータリテラシ－アンチウィルスソフトよりも、むしろユーザの意識
2007.06.15 コンピュータリテラシ－UNIX・Windows//ソフトウェアー・OS
2007.06.14 工学における創造性と論理 - 「学問」と「勉強」 (Finished this just now!)
2007.06.08 物理実験レポート：液体の表面張力 (56.67% completed.)
2007.05.21 宇宙地球科学Bレポート一 (Not started yet.)
2007.06.18 宇宙地球科学Bレポート二 (Another assignment received this morning. I'm a happy man!)
2007.05.14 健康科学レポート (Who cares, another 3 weeks before deadline!)

(Jeez. I just realized know what kind of meaningless reports I've spent my youth writing.)

If you think I'm probably going nuts, no, I'm not. I'm going berries.

Now, if you may excuse me, it's about time I retire to bed.

Self-Isolation

2007-06-06T10:55:00.000+09:00

I've been watching a Japanese drama, プロポーズ大作戦 (Love Proposal, Monday 9pm, Fuji TV). There's one scene in this week's episode 8 that stirred a certain familiar feeling.

It's New Year's Eve. The gang is about to leave for the beach to watch New Year's Day sunrise (初日の出) like they used to do. Except that this time, Tada Sensei is going too.

"I'm not going," Ken says.

"Huh? Why?"

"I've something to do," he comes up with a lame excuse.

"What is it?" Hisashi asks quite innocently.

"It doesn't matter. Just leave without me."

Shrugging, the "gang" leaves without him.

"What's on that guy's mind?" Hisashi mumbles.

"Yeah, that kind of attitude..." Eri adds, obviously feeling irritated.

What's wrong? Simple. Because Tada Sensei is going along; and Rei's in love with him. That, she confessed to Ken. But she didn't have to tell him. Ken already knew. There isn't much he can do, is there? There's no reason for him to tag along, just to feel awkward and, more still, upset? So, he chooses to give up on her, together with his friends, who aren't of much help trying to make him feel better either.

At times, even the people closest to you tend to be insensitive. That's when they no longer feel as close as they seem to be. That's when you start to drift away from the rest. Happy together, sulk alone.

While Ken's undecisiveness usually gets on my nerves, this time, I cannot but resonate with him.

Buttons, Anyone?

2007-05-27T20:31:00.000+09:00

It's the last day of high school. After this day, who knows when your paths will cross again. With luck, perhaps soon; but then again, perhaps not. There' s one thing you've been wanting to tell her, but didn't have the courage. This is not the time to hesitate. You have to confess your feelings.

But, how?

Pull off the second button from your uniform and give it to her.

This is a common practice among Japanese teenagers. A guy offering a girl the second button on his uniform is an indirect way of saying "I like you". Similarly, a girl asking a boy for the second button (第二ボタン) is also a means of confession.

Romantic, huh? Question: Why the 第二ボタン?

That's because the 第二ボタン is the button closest to the heart. As such, it holds the significance as a little momento for/from the person you like.

This, is my cargo pants, with a missing button, if you noticed.

Question: Why?

Because, it's the button closest to my butt. I intend to give it to the person who pisses me off as a way of saying, "You're a pain in the butt".

俺の「パンツのボタン」, anyone?

Or, someone can opt to sew it back for me.

Computer Literacy for the Computer Literate

2007-05-18T10:04:00.000+09:00

It's Computer Literacy lesson again. I'm in the computer room, typing away while Mr Nkmr babbles on.

"All the computers in this room are linked to Tsubame. So, if there's anything that you don't understand, ask. Because, if the system breaks down, all of our researches would come to a halt." As usual, Mr N then allocates some time to brag about Tsubame, Tokyo Tech's supercomputer. The fastest in Asia, the ninth in the world.

Then, there'd be something about Natsume Souseki (夏目漱石, a famous Japanese author), something about Newton... Blah, blah, blah...

What does this have to do with "Computer Literacy", for goodness sake? Gah!

Anyway, who cares. Since he realized that not many are interested in listening to him and gave the green light to surf the net ("for academic purposes only," he stressed) as long as we already understood his lesson.

But, I'm just curious; why is it compulsory to take such meaningless lectures? For instance, there's another subject called 健康科学, which translates to "Health Science". What do we learn? Well, thing's like "sports personality" (who knows what's that), "image training", "destressing techniques" etc. Of course, I normally sleep through the lectures, until I hear something like, "I'm deciding whether to assign this topic as your report..." Gosh. Still, no one pays attention to the poor guy. I guess, he must have been really pissed off. However patient he may be, surely, we're driving him crazy.

Speaking of going crazy, we're having something like the following conversation a few days ago...

"I'm going crazy," Ansh claimed.

"Yeah, me too," Rshnth reciprocated. Then, pointing towards me with her chin, added, "But, he isn't getting any crazier... is crazy enough already."

Nah. Big deal. At this rate, who's not going crazy? Calculus mid-term exam's coming soon, followed by Physics and Industrial Dynamics. Things becomes worse when you don't understand the lectures. From time to time, He-Who-Copies-From-The-Notebook-And-Mumbles-To-The-Whiteboard doesn't understand his own notes, and eventually gives up, "Anyway, this is the answer." The textbook is more reliable than the lecturer, it seems. But, if you think you can catch up by reading the textbook when you don't understand He-WIth-A-Moustache-That-Resembles-Hitler's calculus lecture, you're out of luck - the author is none other than the lecturer himself.

But, well, that's what university life is all about, isn't it? Get sufficient sleep during lectures, and make sure you study enough after lessons.

Logging out.

The Essence of Edo: Kanda Matsuri

2007-05-16T10:01:00.000+09:00

It's Kanda Matsuri (神田祭) from yesterday till 15 May.

Oh, well then, what's the big deal?

Of course it's a big deal. After all, this has been one of the biggest festivals in Edo (now Tokyo). What's more, it's more worth a look especially in odd years. This year, 2007, for instance. Because the festival had been too extravagant in the olden days, the Tokugawa Shogun decreed that it should only be held at a grand scale during odd years but at a modest scale during even years. Anyway, I missed the main event, which was held on Saturday; didn't know about the festival until I saw the news report in the evening. Well, better than missing the whole event.

The Kanda Matsuri is held at the Kanda Myōjin Shrine (神田明神) in Ochanomizu, which is one station away from Kanda (神田) on the JR Chūō Line (JR 中央線). (Actually, Ochanomizu is also part of Kanda, the city centre of Edo. The shrine is also within walking distance from Akihabara, Japan's biggest town specializing in electrical goods, and also home to Japan's otaku sub-culture.)

As for some background history on Edo...

During the Edo Period when Japan was said to have three capitals, Edo was the capital of the Tokugawa Shogunate (while Kyoto was the residence of the emperor, and Osaka as the unofficial capital). Even till now, there's still dispute over whether Kyoto, or Tokyo is the official capital. For the same reason, Japanese from the Kansai region still hold pride over their Kanto counterpart.

Okay, I digressed. But before the photos, let's have a brief Japanese lesson.

Firstly, we have, 人. This is the kanji, hito, meaning "people". Then, there's this, word ごみ. Gomi, meaning, "rubbish". Combine these two words, and you get 人ごみ. Which means...?

... something like this.

Not "human rubbish" but "crowd".

Hongō Dōri (本郷通り), the main street which led to the shrine, was terribly crowded, as expected. (Any sane person who has better things to do would avoid visiting the place.) All you see is just heads and more heads...

Unless... if you climb up the railing by the sidewalk for a better view. The police were busy manning the "human traffic". They're not going to stop you unless you're trying to get onto the police patrol car. (A guy really did attempt to do that.)

Portable shrines, mikoshi (神輿) were brought to the Kanda Myōjin shrine. Photo taken while standing on the railing, leaning against the lampost, trying my best not to fall head first onto the road, and getting stomped by the mikoshi-bearing guys.

Note the delicate design of the mikoshi. It's normally designed as a miniature version of a shrine and has a golden phoenix "roosting" on the apex.

The festival wasn't much different from the Kurayami Matsuri I went to in Fuchū last year. But unlike the Kurayami Matsuri, there was no Taiko procession in the Kanda Matsuri. Perhaps they had it the day before. One thing special about this festival, though, is the two-wheeled dashi (山車). They used to be common design for dashi during the Edo Period but the floats nowadays have at least three wheels, for easier manouvring. I looked for the two-wheeled floats but unfortunately, couldn't see any.

One thing that I liked the most was the taiko (太鼓) performance. The stacatto beats, the energetic movements of the drummers; in a way, it gives me the same feeling as in watching summer firework displays (花火). (By the way, I hope I won't miss the Sumidagawa fireworks display this summer. 28 of July. Make note, make note...)

My first encounter with real-life geisha's (芸者). They were present for the ceremony.

This cute little soba monster (check out his "soba hair"), was brought into the shrine the day before. As mentioned earlier, the main even was held on Saturday. Looks like I really did miss the grand parade. Sniff, sniff.

Anyway, there's another matsuri coming up this weekend; Sanja matsuri (三社祭). This time it's in Asakusa (浅草) and it is no less grander than the Kanda Matsuri, for it's also another of the three main festivals of the city of Edo. Well, I guess I'll go and have a look if I managed to finish my revision for next week's maths exam!

- May 13, 2007, Sunday -

秘めた思い

2007-05-16T07:58:00.000+09:00

さわさんと食事をした。

いろいろ話してた。「授業にちゃんと出てる？」とか「バイトをやるつもり？」から、「東工大はきつい。だって女の子は少ないんだもん！」という話までに移った。もうセンターにいないけど、まだ僕らのことに感心しているよう。

「学科は違うけど、Aさんと会ってる？彼はおとなしいね。大丈夫かしら？」

「ハッハッ、おとなしい？ご心配なく。あいつは彼女もいるし。」言わないようにしたけど、彼は言ってしまった。

「あれ？彼女いるの？」びっくり顔をしてた。「○○さんと○○さんのことよく知ってるけどね。」

「で、君と○○さんは？けっこう親しいんじゃん？」いきなりこちらに訊いた。返事ができずに、言葉は途中にむせんじゃった。「あっ、いや。」気まずかった。

「そこまでいかなかったか？」僕の不安に気づいたよう。

平気。いくら平気ようにしても、結局苦笑しかできなかった。

否定してたんだ。でもなんで？いまさら気になる。君はわかってくれるだろう。もし君が訊かれたら、君もきっとそうじゃない？だって、あのことに対して、僕らの心の奥には同じ思いが秘めてる。

Collage: Yokohama

2007-05-13T18:14:00.000+09:00

Voila! Kryptos has churned out another masterpiece. What we have here this time is a collage of four photos taken at various landmarks in Yokohama. They've been edited with Photoshop CS to mimick a lomographic effect.

The first photo is taken in Chinatown. Kantei Temple, to be exact.

One of the heroes in the romance of "The Three Kingdoms" , 'Kanwu', is enshrined as the God of Business in this magnificent richly colored temple. ~Yokohama Convention and Visitors Bureau

The second photo is one of the three famous towers in Yokohama, known as Jack. Unfortunately, I only have Jack in the collage and not the King nor the Queen.

The red brick clock tower of the Yokohama City Port-opening Memorial Hall represents the Jack. The Islamic like green dome of the Yokohama Customhouse the Queen. The square two-layered tower of the Kanagawa Prefectural Government the King. For a long time the towers have been affectionately known by these names because of their uniquely elegant appearance. ~Yokohama Convention and Visitors Bureau

There're three spots in the city from which the three towers can all be seen at once. Visit all the three spots, make a wish and it shall be granted. Or, at least, so it is said.

The third photo is taken at the Kanagawa Prefecture Museum (神奈川県立博物館). It is situated by Basha-michi. The building has a distinctive architectural style even though it's not as popular, relative to other famous spots in Yokohama.

The fourth photo is taken at Red Brick Warehouse (赤レンガ), Minato Mirai. The 100-year-old buildings are built from red bricks.

The collage is also available as a desktop wallpaper for a modest US$50. Cheques should be crossed, and made payable to "Help Kryptos Get Rich Fund".

Photo-Editing Mania: Yokohama

2007-05-06T15:14:00.000+09:00

What's more fun than to visit new places and taking photos? Fiddling around, editing the photos you took, of course.

It's Golden Week. Being a nice sempai, I asked along the kouhais for a trip to 横浜 (Yokohama) on Friday. ~~Frankly speaking, I'd have gone there, with, or without them anyway. Hah!~~ It was my first time there.

Yokohama was devastated during the Great Earthquake and destroyed again in World War II. But it was then rebuilt, and till now, maintained its status as one of the largets ports in the world.

The 1,575-yen lunch in China Town wasn't too satisfying an experience - it was below expectation. Streets were crowded. The sun was scorching hot. (Okay, I exaggerated. But the point is, it was way too warm for spring.) The place reminded me of the streets in Penang road, with Chinese kopitiams and shops selling useless trinkets at ridiculously high prices. "Irasshaimase!" that's when I got jerked back to reality, that I was still in Japan.

This is the first authentic Chinese temple I've seen in Japan. "Authentic" in the sense that it's totally in Chinese style. In fact, this temple is of built according to Ming and Qing Dynasties' architecture. It is dedicated to 関羽, a Chinese deity, for the prosperity of the local business. The craftsmanship of the temple is especially mesmerising when the place is litted up at night. (More photos on that coming up later.)

When Yokohama was opened to foreign trade in 1858, foreign merchants were only limited to a small compound now known as 関内 (kannai), allegedly for their protection from anti-foreign sentiment. A famous spot in Kannai is 馬車道 (basha michi). It used to be a busy place where horse carriages used to past during the early days when the port was opened to foreigners. Old Western-styled buildings can still be seen along both sides of the road. The street lamp shown in the photo above is one of the first gas lamps brought in to Yokohama by Western merchants.

One station away from Basha-michi is みなとみらい (minato-mirai), a city of lights. It boasts the tallest buildings of Japan, high-class hotels and shopping malls. This 112.5m ferris wheel with a giant digital clock display is one of the world's largest. Night scene is especially beautiful. Recommended spot for dating. In fact, I like this place more than Odaiba.

Ōno Yama

2007-05-04T22:00:00.000+09:00

Went hiking with 渓友会 (keiyūkai, a club that goes hiking and camping) last Sunday. The destination was 大野山 (ōno yama) in 神奈川県 (Kanagawa Prefecture, west of Tokyo).

But where the heck is ōno yama? Here's a satellite image of Japan. The boxed section is somewhere in between Tokyo and Kanagawa.

By zooming into this area...

This is what you get. Notice the grey zone on the east. That's where the cities in Tokyo and Kanagawa are concentrated in. Generally speaking, if you were to go hiking or camping, you'll need to get out from the grey zone into the green zone. Marked in the upper-right-hand corner in the satellite image above is exactly where I live in Tokyo. More than 100km south west, is ōno yama. Go for another 10~20km towards the west and you get Fujisan, which resembles Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings.

So, I guess you have a rough idea of how far is ōno yama away from Tokyo, then. That explains why I had to wake up at 5.30 in the morning and travel for more than 2 hours all the way there. Phew!

There was around 50 of us in the group. Departing from 山北駅　(yamakita station), it took us 20 minutes to get to the foot of the hill.

Ōno yama is known as one of the 富士見百景 (famous spots that offers a beautiful view on Fujisan). The day was 山開き (the first day of the official "hiking season". Each place has different dates.) And one top of that, the weather was extremely fine, after days of non-stop rain.

Going at a slow pace and taking frequent rests, the climb wasn't tough at all. So, let's fast-forward to 2 hours later, to 12.30. I volunteered to exchange backpacks with a senior. My less-than-1kg backpack with a more-than-15kg backpack. You bet it was a real workout. Even balancing myself was a challenge. Worse still, there was a ridiculously long stretch of steps at the last lap to the top of the hill. Gosh, even my buttocks hurt. Upon seeing this panting, half-dead guy gasping for breath, trying to make it up to the top, the ojisan ("uncles") and obasan ("aunties") who were on their way down, cheered, "Gambatte-ne! Mou sugu! (Keep it up! You're almost there.)"

Fast-forward for another 20 minutes ("Have I reached heaven yet?"), I eventually made it to the top, (though heaven was still a far way to go).

After having hayashi rice for lunch, took a walk around the place.

A panoramic view towards the western side of the hill.

Snow-capped Fujisan.

An idyllic spot to take a rest.

Valley.

Catching a glimpse at a small farm.

There were cattle in the pasture.

By around 16.00, we started our descend by a different route.

Beautiful scenery. Hate to admit it but my photographic skills are not good enough to capture the magnificence of the beautiful scenes the place offered.

We came to 谷峨駅 (yaga station) at the foot of the hill by 17.30. A really small train station which further illustrates the inaka-ness ("countryside-ness") of the place. No station attendant, ticket gates. And not even the familiar ticket machines.

(Warning: Don't try this!) Took a photo on the railway track for the first time!

Feeling totally ragged, I couldn't wait to head straight back home. 皆さん、お疲れ!

Sulky Mood

2007-05-01T16:04:00.000+09:00

Sudden mood swing again. Shitty. A moment ago, I was thinking of blogging about the hiking trip last Sunday. The next moment, I'm no longer in the mood for blogging. That's how "sudden". Just to post a photo since I'm online.

A feeble attempt at photo-editing using Photoshop, frankly. (Oh, congratulate me. I finally got a copy of Photoshop after getting fed up with the over-simplistic-it's-almost-zen MS Paint.)

About the hiking trip, it was at Ōno Yama (723.1m) in Kanagawa Prefecture. Lucky that the weather was fine. (It had been raining for the rest of the week.)

So long for now. Going back to sulking.

わびしい夜

2007-04-28T01:57:00.000+09:00

静かな夜の動悸、あまりにも喧しすぎる。人を狂わせるほどだ。絶えず寝返りをうつばかりで、寝られない。不意に君のことを思い出した…遥かの過去に振り返って、顧みる余裕さえない忙しい大学生活にはまったと思ったのに。

忘れたくないって言ったくせに、今さら忘れたい。いつまで居座るつもり？君のことを記憶から脱却したいもん。だって、この胸が痛くて、もうはやはじけるようだから。堪らない。が、残酷な現実に、忘れようとすればするほど、忘れられない。それが空しい人間の癖だ。

人生って、出会いと別れの連続だ。たまにただの知り合いから微妙な始まりへ、そして受け入れないほどの唐突な終わりへ。まだ憶えてる。君の言ったこと、僕の約束事、僕らのわがまま。

「何のその」って？ちがうっ！全ては空々しいような気がする。あの嘘・空約束・傷つけ合いに、少なからず気になる。いくら「大丈夫」って言っても。

恋の醍醐味を味わった上で、常にいずれしまいがやってくることに覚悟すること。でも、この世の中には、変わらないものがあるとすれば、それは僕の無力だ。現実から逃げようとして、顔を覆って、涙を飲み込む。だけど、一旦首をかしげると、またいやな思い出が湧いてくる。まだまだ切ない日々…

わびしい夜は延びてゆく…

Panoramic Views: Bayside Tokyo and Around

2007-04-22T09:50:00.001+09:00

These photos were taken on 13 March 2007. Without using a tripod, some of them ended up with a leaning-tower-of-pisa effect... Gah!

佃島 (Tsukudashima: Literally, "Rice Field")

浜離宮庭園 (Hama Rikyū Teien: A beautifully-designed garden for the Shogun to hunt ducks)

竹芝通り (Port near Takeshiba Dōri)

レインボーブリッジ (Rainbow Bridge: A suspension bridge spanning 550m)

お台場 (Odaiba: An artificial island originally built to protect Tokyo from attack by sea)

未来館 (Miraikan: National Museum for Emerging Science and Technology)

From Tsukiji to Odaiba: Bayside Tokyo and Rainbow Bridge

2007-04-21T19:59:00.000+09:00

And so the journey to Odaiba on foot continued. Stopped by at Hama Rikyū Teien on the way.

浜離宮庭園, Hama Rikyū Teien

Half-way from Tsukiji to Rainbow Bridge, is Hama Rikyū Teien, a garden designed for the shogun to hunt ducks.

It's a stark contrast between the landscape in the traditional garden and the bustling city outside.

This place, used to be a pier offers a beautiful view of part of bayside Tokyo.

Spring is in the air.

There you go! This is one of my favourite photos.

Random shot 01

Random shot 02.

Random shot 03.

竹芝通り, Takeshiba Dōri
These photos were taken on the way to Rainbow Bridge.

Leaving Hama Rikyū Teien.

A ship in the dock. At the background is Rainbow Bridge.

The following random shots are randomly named.

Random shot 01: Chained to the Depths of the Past

Random shot 02: A Sculpture of Solitude

Random shot 03: Sailing Away

Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge, at last.

Completed in 1993, the suspension bridge links to Odaiba.

Yup. There're walkways on both sides of the bridge, open to people insane enough to opt to cross the bridge on foot.

Heavy traffic. Noisy. Polluted air. But it was a small price to pay for panoramic views like these:

Tokyo Bay.

Tokyo Tower. And if weather permits, even Fujisan.

Used to be the tallest landmark in Tokyo, it's now dwarfed by other sky-scrapers.

It took me a total of 50 minutes to cross the 570-meter bridge. Not too far, but seemed like an eternity.

A friend once commented that this is a romantic landmark. But to come here alone is kind of too pitiful. Once is enough, I guess. Unless if someone eventually invites me, "Darling, let's go for a walk. On Rainbow Bridge."

- March 13, 2007, Tuesday -