Lost on the way to the park...

'...and me, just another dream theory, lost inside your eyes...'

2006-12-23T10:33:00.000+09:00

Hong Kong, what to say about Hong Kong? With the exception of Kowloon, its a beautiful city; lovely islands, great panoramas, good hiking, lots of history, and so on... A bit heavy on the nightlife, though. Next time, the nightlife gets a pass. In fact, next time its back to being a lone-traveler. Having someone around always ruins traveling. Its like being bipolar.
The Stanley Military Cemetary in particular is quite poignant, and very quiet...no gawking, overly zealous, misguided patriots there to ruin the day. A near miss, though, a near miss. Timing is everything and so are work schedules. Victoria peak is recommended, day or night. Fantastic view.
Back to routine in Tokyo, though the 4 and a half is in dire need of a not just a cleaning, it needs a rubbish bin or perhaps several bales of gun-cotton. Christmas on Monday.
Merry Christmas!

'...now the morning after, it's just you and yours...'

2006-12-01T10:33:00.000+09:00

Travis has sent out his annual Top Five request and its perplexing. What to pick? So far its been an okay year for indie and underground music but most of the LPs that have been getting regular play around here come from the reissue bin. Chavez is a good example. Spoon's recent reissues are another. However, if choices must be made best act soon. Perhaps the new Melvins LP should get the spot. Or Cat Power. Or perhaps the comprehensive Chavez reissue.
"You ask me who I pick? I pick Chavez."
So much better than all that predictable pop and 'alternative' music that made the other principles' lists.
Two men from Spain are currently residing in the apartment, making life a little tight. Members of a Spanish straight edge group. They are, however, really funny guys and have a knack for teaching one dirty words in Spanish. Juvenile, maybe, but also fairly entertaining. So far, its been a riot and will, one surmises, continue to be so. December 10th: Hong Kong to visit Ryan. Hopefully that will be a riot too.

'...i wish i saved up for rainy days, 'cuz they're the hardest to stay dry...'

2006-11-20T19:39:00.000+09:00

Been a while. Rainy and very chilly, not so good for camping. Why so quiet? Who can say really? Busy, tired, away, depressed. Busy for the sake of argument...partially true, anyway. Off to Hong Kong to visit Ryan in a month, should be fun. One can hope, there's always that until the door is finally slammed. No news coming from the direction of home so things at home seem to have settled with all of the drama that was happening. Good. Drama sucks.
Missed BORIS and Merzbow on the weekend. Damn. Canada's conservative government is currently the best entertainment going.

'...do you miss me, miss misery, like you say you do...'

2006-11-10T00:32:00.000+09:00

Missed opportunites? Mispent youth? Is something really mispent if so much is learned from it? Melancholy. Mixed news from several quarters back home today: health problems, marital problems, psychological problems... These things set thought and worry in motion, motivate self-evaluation, self-doubt...and that terrible feeling of helplessness that sometimes comes so far from home. Helplessness...is that even a proper word? Feels like it should be echoing down a deserted urban canyon. Nothing to be done, of course, but these are the moments that stick. Life. Always sticking on the rough patches and never on the smooth ones. Memory can't stick to a smooth surface, it would seem, only one that's been roughed up a bit.
Beautiful. Chilly. Good for camping.
God bless Elliott Smith.

'...there she goes, leaves a portrait in my soul...'

2006-11-06T08:35:00.000+09:00

"Do Kokomo!" A common request of late. While it's not a problem as the song's not difficult, it does suddenly stand as a testament to how bad mainstream pop music was in the '80s. Yesterday SATY was playing 'Africa' and the greatest hits of Toto at the main entrance...
Ah, Japan.

'...don't look for hidden meanings in a Cardinals song...'

2006-11-04T07:33:00.000+09:00

A melancholy world this a.m, bathed in watery grey light and the smell of car exhaust. Only the birds seem unaffected by it all. Trip number four to Kamakura today if the weather holds. If not perhaps some other distraction, the parasite or salt museums, Parco 4, Starbucks. Starbucks' World Domination Program continues to be a success...world hegemony is only an espresso shot away.
Spoon have released an iTunes exclusive by the name of "My First Time Volume 3".

'...you could always see into, the dark for miles around...'

2006-10-31T10:45:00.000+09:00

Happy Halloween! A few more stares on the train than is normal...
'Twas a good party. Selected pics may appear on the Photo Guild at some point.

'...slavin' for bread, sir, so that every mouth can be fed...'

2006-10-28T19:34:00.000+09:00

Cliched from another blog -

AM: me
WANT: better Japanese
WISH: for someone distant
HATE: zealots and dogmatists
MISS: talent in the pop industry
HEAR: voices and a helicopter
WONDER: at everything
REGRET: being overly patient
AM NOT: in North America
DANCE: rarely
SING: always
CRY: never
AM NOT ALWAYS: up front
MAKE WITH MY HANDS: dinner
WRITE: always
CONFUSE: everything
NEED: a cup of tea
SHOULD: make a cup of tea
START: making a cup of tea
FINISH: homework

Halloween party this weekend. Should be fun.

'...I should be workin' on my manners, but I'm workin' on my website...'

2006-10-28T01:02:00.000+09:00

Bowling tonight, pretty funny. Haru was on, as were Brandon and Alex. Total on two strings a sad 180...as inconsistent as Noriko, Sayumi, and Yui. Nowhere near Haru's 300 or so. No pressure either.
The homesickness CD is playing. Joel Plaskett's La De Da, an excellent effort with nary a bad recording. Released just before Canada was put on the backburner and makes an appearance when homesickness strikes. A reminder of excitement and enthusiasm not felt so much anymore, perhaps. Many people are shocked by how mundane living in another country can be. True culture shock?
Still, not nearly as mundane as home.

'...the only thing worse than growin' up, is never quite learning how...'

2006-10-27T08:38:00.000+09:00

It's sad to watch dreams evaporate while the dreamers stand by and do nothing.
A friend from the past seems a bit self-obsessed, perhaps age is catching up and that nostalgic longing for 'The Glory Days' is creeping in. This friend has always been a little self-obsessed. However, it is interesting when someone manages to crop everyone but themselves out of group photos; which are normally far more interesting for oneself and one's friends than edited solo-shots.
More Japanese today, an exchange, suit shopping, and maybe bowling later. Japanese bowling alleys hand out digital score sheets when the games are over. Souvenirs, perhaps. Christmas gifts, maybe.

'...ever overpsyched...'

2006-10-24T19:54:00.000+09:00

Matador's collected Chavez: a good idea. Why is it, though, that individual releases have been so long out of print or unavailable? No bankability there? Matador getting too big for their breeches? With the New Pornographers and Cat Power on the roster, though, some forgiveness is in order.
Rain continues and, like everything, nears its inevitable end. It's going to be cold here again this year.

'...the fluorescent lights were hummin', hmmmmm, yeah...'

2006-10-23T19:40:00.000+09:00

Ah, Joel Plaskett...lovely and lonely sounding. Rainy, windy, and cold. There's a typhoon hovering off the coast. Chaos is still being organized and in need of a good run with the vacuum. This weather is bringing the mood down and giving a feel for how cold winter's going to be. The windows rattle fiercely. Earthquake? No, wind.

'...cities and circles drawn perfect, complete...'

2006-10-20T17:06:00.000+09:00

An uneventful day. Rise, a phone-call home, to town for Japanese, more shopping: a chalk-board, second clothes rack, shoe rack, and so on... Sanwa's selection of adhesive hooks is terrible.
A standard Friday afternoon. Kids, traffic, and the sound of the Oil Man drift in on the breeze. Back in town for dinner later.
From Catch 22:

Yossarian marveled that children could suffer such barbaric sacrifice without
evincing the slightest hint of their fear or pain. He took it for granted
that they did submit so stoically. If not, he reasoned, the custom would
certainly have died, for no craving for wealth or immortality could be so great,
he felt, as to subsist on the sorrow of children.
(p 407)

Guess the title quote and get a postcard.

no sound

2006-10-19T23:18:00.000+09:00

Quiet yet industrious in the neighborhood tonight. On the way to the grocery store there is activity all around...construction near the water tower, junior high kids chanting and playing some game in the dark, taiko drumming erupting from an elementary school. And everywhere kids in uniform on the way home. Predator 2 is on some station or other...what a cinematic gem. And, to top things off, there is no sound. Why is there no sound?
Other industry of note: a new coffee table, new shelf for the sink, new bookshelf for the four-and-a-half, new clothing rack, groceries, and no recent earthquakes.