i've been such a sporadic blogger that i barely feel like mustering up the energy to write even the occasional entry. the weekend has been gorgeous so far and aside from dinner and a movie at the harbour ('rebel without a cause') at sunset on friday night, i haven't really been partaking. spent the morning washing dishes, then stepped out briefly to pick up some groceries, as well as some long green bamboo stalks for the 2.5' glass vase that sits in my bedroom. came home, made a refreshingly summertime meal of greek-style tabouleh with fresh dill, cilantro, and crumbled feta cheese, then gotcracking on some of the administrative parts of the side project that i'm working on.
happy canada day!
(i sang a silent 'o canada' in my apartment today in commemoration of the event.)
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
japanese corner store
Day two started with a walk to the nearby corner store to pick up some toiletries. Not being able to read Japanese, I had to search quite hard to make sure that I wasn't picking up a toilet sanitizer instead of a bar of soap.
stimulating...
First evening in Tokyo and it's been...well...an experience.
I think I look too Japanese for my own good as all the locals start speaking to me in Japanese and freak out when I answer back with a helpless look on my face and start muttering out english phrases. I managed to catch a limousine bus (not a prestigious as the name mightsound) from Narita International Airport into Tokyo and then hail a cab to my hotel. two fairly big accomplishments and not a word of Japanese except "arigato gozaimsu."
The minute I arrived at the hotel, I got a call from my friends Fredrik and Sylvi who brought me to a "contemporary performance art show" at this great advertising firm/art gallery at the invitation aof a friend and her husband who's an artist. It was, interesting, to say the very least. one of the performances included a naked man guzzling a bottle of wine while being flogged with whips and barbed wire by a girl in a house coat. and that was probably one of the less risqué performances! One of the other ones was a guy sitting atop a ladder, unzipping his pants, and sipping on a long straw which was held to his genitals while a video camera played the close-up on a screen behind him. Not even after an hour after I arrived in Tokyo,
this is what I was introduced to. Needless to say, we didn't stay long and instead moved to a cool little bar down the street called "Lether Bar" which was owned by a Spanish ex-pat.
After a few drinks and meeting some friends of friends, we went out to a Chinese restaurant and had some Peking duck (delicious) and chinese sherry (absolutely horrendous!). The restaurant was in Roppongi Hills, which is now a cleaned up, more European part of town, but which used to be the red-light district. Appropriately enough, the restaurant is decorated with giant phalluses on the walls, as well as breasts aplenty, and at the bar, an oversized bell carved with a very large vagina looms above diners.
And this was all in the first night.
This is going to be one hell of an trip!
I think I look too Japanese for my own good as all the locals start speaking to me in Japanese and freak out when I answer back with a helpless look on my face and start muttering out english phrases. I managed to catch a limousine bus (not a prestigious as the name mightsound) from Narita International Airport into Tokyo and then hail a cab to my hotel. two fairly big accomplishments and not a word of Japanese except "arigato gozaimsu."
The minute I arrived at the hotel, I got a call from my friends Fredrik and Sylvi who brought me to a "contemporary performance art show" at this great advertising firm/art gallery at the invitation aof a friend and her husband who's an artist. It was, interesting, to say the very least. one of the performances included a naked man guzzling a bottle of wine while being flogged with whips and barbed wire by a girl in a house coat. and that was probably one of the less risqué performances! One of the other ones was a guy sitting atop a ladder, unzipping his pants, and sipping on a long straw which was held to his genitals while a video camera played the close-up on a screen behind him. Not even after an hour after I arrived in Tokyo,
this is what I was introduced to. Needless to say, we didn't stay long and instead moved to a cool little bar down the street called "Lether Bar" which was owned by a Spanish ex-pat.
After a few drinks and meeting some friends of friends, we went out to a Chinese restaurant and had some Peking duck (delicious) and chinese sherry (absolutely horrendous!). The restaurant was in Roppongi Hills, which is now a cleaned up, more European part of town, but which used to be the red-light district. Appropriately enough, the restaurant is decorated with giant phalluses on the walls, as well as breasts aplenty, and at the bar, an oversized bell carved with a very large vagina looms above diners.
And this was all in the first night.
This is going to be one hell of an trip!
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
I *heart* SF
Back in San Francisco for another business trip. Every time I visit this city, I'm reminded of how much I love it. The beautiful views of the mountains and the pacific ocean, the wonderfully eclectic architecture, the diverse nooks and crannies of the city, the relatively temperate weather, and the ever-present greenery. I could write songs about how much I fall back in love with it each time I return, and how heartbroken I am each time I get on a plane to leave.
I don't know if I ever felt this way about Boston. True, I was excited when I first moved there - I moved across the continent, for goodness sake! But after the initial rush, I don't know that I'm still as jazzed about living there. True, I've never lived closer to a (sorta) metropolitan city before and that's kinda great. And I really love my apartment. I've got a small circle of friends around the city that I enjoy spending time with. But yet, something's missing. Work is relatively fulfilling, although I am getting somewhat bored by the day-to-day. The one consolation is that I am starting to get more interesting "side" projects. The downside of this is that I end up spending too much time slaving away and not enough time playing.
When I start feeling like this, I start to think about the job offer in the Netherlands. Although I understand and have come to terms with tea fact that I'm tied to an informal contract in Boston for another year, I can't help but feel a little resentment about the fact that I had to turn down the opportunity to live and work in Europe. I guess I have to remind myself that whether I'm here or there, the initial feeling of excitement will only last for so long. I need to somehow get at the heart of what's making me feel so melancholy before I decide to make another major life change.
...but that's a bloc for another day.
One Love :: Bob Morley
I don't know if I ever felt this way about Boston. True, I was excited when I first moved there - I moved across the continent, for goodness sake! But after the initial rush, I don't know that I'm still as jazzed about living there. True, I've never lived closer to a (sorta) metropolitan city before and that's kinda great. And I really love my apartment. I've got a small circle of friends around the city that I enjoy spending time with. But yet, something's missing. Work is relatively fulfilling, although I am getting somewhat bored by the day-to-day. The one consolation is that I am starting to get more interesting "side" projects. The downside of this is that I end up spending too much time slaving away and not enough time playing.
When I start feeling like this, I start to think about the job offer in the Netherlands. Although I understand and have come to terms with tea fact that I'm tied to an informal contract in Boston for another year, I can't help but feel a little resentment about the fact that I had to turn down the opportunity to live and work in Europe. I guess I have to remind myself that whether I'm here or there, the initial feeling of excitement will only last for so long. I need to somehow get at the heart of what's making me feel so melancholy before I decide to make another major life change.
...but that's a bloc for another day.
One Love :: Bob Morley
Friday, December 02, 2005
lousy tippers
Went out to dinner at P.F. Chang's on Bay Street today with some colleagues from work. One of the younger guys had a bit too much alcohol, and as a sesult, became an annoying drunk. Got up, started to complain to the restaurant management about stupid, mundane things, and then left only enough money to cover his check, minus tax and tip. After we mentioned it to him, he ignored up and carried on. A few of us had to add to our bills to make up for his scrooginess. My new pet peeve? Lousy-as tippers and cheap drunks.
And to top it off, the weather in San Fransisco has gotten progressively worse.
And to top it off, the weather in San Fransisco has gotten progressively worse.
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