Yea yea

Mets lost.. I don't want to talk about it.

LET'S GO METS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited they just won today's game. On to Game 7!!! I am able to keep up with night games at work by watching play-by-play online on Mets.com but it's a little delayed. Better than nothing. I am sooooo jealous now that my brother is going to Game 7. I had the opportunity to buy post season tix because I bought a 6-Pack this year. I accidently chose Game 7 instead of 6 but it was better seats - Mez seats. If they win, it will be an experience of a lifetime.... Oh WOW! My brother just went online and got World Series TIX!!!! I am freaking out now. I'll get to go. They have to win!! This is too much anxiety for me. 20 years agao the last time they won the WS, I was a kid in love with the Mets -- we are so close now I might have an ulcer.

On a lighter note, I've been reading Cliff Floydd and David Wright's blog, though David hasn't written in it recently. Man, that guy is cute. See adorable pic below. So young. He was talking about how he was a Met fan when he was a kid and how he remembers the 2000 WS before he was in major leagues. I realized he was just 18 in 2000. I remember being in the bars watching the subway series after work. Though I do prefer to block that out of my memory. I named my Mets teddy bear Davey after David Wright. :)

Another earthquake

Yesterday morning there was another earthquake which actually woke me up! It was around 6:40am and I woke up and felt my bed shaking. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or imagining it but I freaked out and got up into the doorway. I suppose I overreacted, it was about the same level of earthquake as the other one I experienced last time in the office. Enough to feel if you are indoors but you probably wouldn't notice if you were outside. I'm surprised it woke me up though. I did look it up online confirming there was one and some people at dinner later mentioned it also so I definitely wasn't imagining things. I have to admit the whole earthquake thing freaks me out a little. I need to get or make myself an emergency kit just in case.

So Saturday I was psyched to find the Mets game on TV in the morning. They lost the game though. Afterwards I went to the Edo-Tokyo museum. It was pretty cool, they have recreations of the Edo period in intricate models. Pics below don't do it justice. These elaborately created models have binoculars next to the displays where you can examine the scene. When looking at it through binoculars it gives you this really cool feel of being "in" the scene and a great sense of what life might have been like back then. Very educational exhibits and got me learning and thinking about the history and growth of Tokyo. Very enlightening cultural experience. See, I do expand beyond partying at Feria and watching Grey's Anatomy - hehe. On a serious note, there was this whole section about the WWII bombings by America and the destruction it caused. That was pretty uncomfortable and depressing. Did you know they killed some of the animals at the Tokyo zoo because they were afraid that bombings might free some of the animals who would then get loose in the city? Very sad.



Went to a nice group dinner with a bunch of Lauren and Sarah's friends. It was a fun dinner but I had a horrible headache so that ruined it for me. We went to Karaoke afterwards and I was going to go home because my head hurt so bad and then I started to feel nauseous for some reason but I went anyway and felt better after some ginger ale. Karoake was fun, my first karaoke in Tokyo. For those of you not familiar, it's the sit in a room with friends type of karaoke. In Tokyo (or maybe just this place?) it's all you can drink. Sang a bunch of usual group fun songs for 2 hours. Then not surprisingly they wanted to go to Feria again! I dodged out and went home. I stuck to my word and did not go there yet again.

Feeling sorta homesick but I really don't know if it's because I know I am going home soon. Maybe I wouldn't even think about home otherwise but I am sooo looking forward visiting NY. Top items on my list of things to eat: Pizza, bagels, mac & cheese or anything cheese, a huge Amercian beef burger, steak, mash potatoes, mexican, takeout Chinese. Mmmmmm.... I suppose I am looking forward to seeing Kenn, my family and my friends too. ;)

My shows

So I am so excited - I bought a season pass on itunes for Lost and Grey's Anatomy. I was pretty upset that I would be missing my 2 favorite shows when I moved to Japan. Some of you may be saying, why buy Lost when you can watch episodes for free on abc.com but guess what -- you cannot watch those internationally. Yes $35 may seem like a lot but it is sooooo worth it to me. I am a happy camper :) Yes, I am a TV junkie, sue me. Monday night I discovered the ability to purchase and download and new episodes are downloadable throughout the season after they air. Of course on Monday I had to watch every single one I missed so far - the Lost premiere (man, that show is good) and all 3 new Grey's (man, the guys on that show are hot).

So now I have something to watch on weekends. When I come home to visit soon, I will also be bringing back seasons 1 and 2 of Grey's, seasons of Buffy (thanks to a coworker who shall remain unnamed), and as many movies as my brother can burn for me. Hehe. That should last me huh? Well, one rainy (or bad hangover) weekend can probably kill those off pretty quick. Just to keep people feeling sorry for me, you will not believe what I resorted to watching the other day: Junior! Now if you cannot remember what movie this is please go to imdb.com right now and look it up. It's the 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito movie where Arnold impregnates himself and carries the baby full term. Uh huh. Exactly.

Though every once in awhile I find a gem. Today I got caught up in watching Gattaca which I've never seen before. I thought it was actually a pretty good movie. If it wasn't, then someone must please tell me that I am totally losing my taste in film and TV... Every once in awhile I catch old episodes of Lost, Six Feet Under, American Idol, The OC, or Dawson's Creek - not bad. Oh and Knight Rider!! Gotta love Kit - ha!

Asakusa - Senso-Ji Shrine

Sunday I checked out another neighborhood - Asakusa. The Senso-Ji shrine is there. And also a whole lot of people :) There is a whole shopping row of little booths/shops selling souvenirs and rice crackers and things leading up to the shrine. I like visiting shrines. There is definitely something spiritual about them despite all the tourists. One of the pics below is of a painting on the shrine ceiling.




Here is the fortune I got at the shrine. You pay 100 yen and shake this container of sticks until one comes out. The stick has a number on it and then you match it up to the corresponding drawer with that number and take out a fortune. The English is pretty funny to read, see if you can make sense of it...



I was walking around and saw this shop - an actual official Monchichi shop! Do you guys remember Monchichis?? Now that's a blast from the past.

Asakusa is also known for good tempura so I roamed around trying to find a restaurant for some. Finally found one and ordered a plate of assorted tempura (fish, shrimp and veggies). It was good but I realized eating a whole plate of tempura isn't exactly easy on the stomach. Ha.

I uploaded more photos to my Kodak Gallery link if you're interested.

Ramen

Museum didn't happen yesterday. I ran some errands and walked around the neighborhood a bit. I stopped in a music store and listened to some CDs, I actually bought a CD! I don't think I've bought a CD in over 5 years.

I know I said I would not got back to Feria again soon but I did. I mean what are my choices? Stay home, go out by myself, or go where other people want to go. I am definitely getting old. I get tired now just after a few hours of being out. We had ramen afterwards though. Yummy. Went to this ramen shop where you buy tickets for the ramen and stuff that you want in it from a vending machine. Then you go in and sit at like these single mini booth things (like partitions) and you go at it. Another funny new unique experience for me. :) I had ramen with pork, scallions and a boiled egg.

Love this sign

Here's my first spotting of a strange and interesting English sign in Japan. I took this pic with my camera phone. Guess where I saw this:



It's in multiple language too. This sign was in a public restroom in an office building/mall! The ladies room is the place where police men patrol? Huh? :)
I thought it was kinda funny and waited for everyone to leave to take the pic but some lady walked in and probably was wondering why I had my camera phone out in the bathroom... oh well

Yesterday I was wearing this bright blue button down shirt and walking to work I felt like people were staring at me. Even though I am asian, I often feel like people look at me because I definitely don't look Japanese. I was also thinking, maybe the brightness of my shirt was a little too much for Japan. When I finally got to a seat in the subway car, I looked down and notice that a button in the middle of my shirt was undone! Oops, guess that explained the stares. How embarrassing.

Last night I met up with Sarah and Sophia for a couple drinks and some light food. On my way home, among all the hustle and bustle of people in the street was a guy laying on the ground, passed out, next to his puke, IN THE RAIN! He was sort of off to the side next a building but still. Everyone was just passing him by like it was normal. And to be honest in this area (well a lot of places in Tokyo actually) it is kinda of normal to see drunk people passed out everywhere late night or early morning. Mostly on stoops, park benches, subway stairs.. but many times just in the middle of the street. No one bothers these people, but on the flip side no one checks on them either. Hope that guy in his puke in the rain was ok. I guess it's what you could expect from a culture where social and business drinking is common and also everyone being asian, there's a high incidence of alcohol intolerance.

It's a three day weekend for me. I'm staying in tonight, it's super windy and rainy out (typhoon i think). Think I'm hitting up a museum tomorrow - Salvador Dali exhibit, going out with Sophia and some friends she has in town tomorrow night, and there was talk of dim sum and maybe getting out of the city for some nature.

I am Blog-Ng

Hahaha... I've decided to change the name of my blog. I crack myself up.

I have learned that my own fiance does not regularly read my blog. His excuse is that we talk everyday so he's updated on what's going on with me. In my opinion he is missing out on little details, things I notice, and funny antics. His loss. I'm going to see how long it takes him to read this post and comment. If you know Kenn, ask him when he met Albert Einstein. hehe...



In yesterday's post: "I've noticed a high incidence of bow-legged people here. I wonder if I'm just imagining that." -- well my friend PC sent me this pic (which he actually got off of Sophia's blog):



Apparently I am not imagining it because I also did some online investigating and read references to possibly 70-80% of the Japanese population being bow legged. Mostly women. A lot of theories include wearing kimono shoes, the way they sit as children, it's just in the genes, etc. Interesting. I am very curious about this now.



So I dropped my computer the other day by accident and the #5 key fell off. It still works if you press the little plastic thing that's there but gonna have to get that fixed. The key itself didn't break but there are a few small pieces to it...Oops.

Japan is made up of over 6000 islands

I've been here long enough to finally start to miss home a little. I wouldn't say I'm homesick but when I think about it, the thought of being in NY seems so comfortable. I'm constantly trying to understand, learn, behave appropriately, and search. It would be nice to just "be" sometimes.

Bills: Today I paid my cell phone bill at a convenience store. That is how bills are commonly paid here. Pretty convenient huh? Get your sandwich, juice, and pay your bills all at once.

Food: Did I mention the curry here is delicious? I've had curry and rice 2 days in a row for lunch. Last night I ate pre-packaged sushi for dinner that I bought at a convenience store. It was surprisingly good. I think even better than some I've had at an actual restaurant.

Fashion: I see a lot of skirts worn with leggings on women. Socks that fit with your toes seems to be common also. You know, like a glove for your feet...

Misc: I've noticed a high incidence of bow-legged people here. I wonder if I'm just imagining that.

The elevator got so packed this morning, the overload sign turned on and people had to get out at the next floor. If you have claustrophobia, Tokyo is not for you.

Lazy weekend

I've been slacking on the blog posts again. First to clarify, this is my personal blog and anything I post here may be true, fiction or opinion. I do realize people get fired for posting about work related things in blogs but I choose to express my thoughts here for better or for worse. Besides, I don't think I said anything harmful. And I certainly didn't name any names or even mention my company name. Despite my gripes, I am loving my work. It's keeping me interested and constantly learning.

It was definitely a lazy weekend for me. After 7 weeks of sensory overload it was soooo nice to just lay around at home like a normal person. I do want to make the most of my time in Japan but I can't be on the go all the time. I have plenty more weeks and months to explore, it was time to just live like anyone in Tokyo would and stay home and veg. I organized my apartment a little but mostly slept and relaxed. I did go out for some drinks with Lauren and Sarah again on Saturday night though. We were going to keep it low key but ended up at Feria yet again. No more! I refuse to go back there for at least a few weeks. It really is getting old.

Next weekend is another 3-day weekend here, we have Monday off. It's Sports Day. I have no idea what that means. Maybe I'll go look it up... ok here you go:

Second Monday of October (national holiday)
Health and Sports Day (taiiku no hi):
On that day 1964, the Olympic games of Tokyo were opened.