for some... for others the thought of facing another year must be just a bit too much. for 4 consecutive days, someone has thrown themselves in front of a train... every morning starts with a glance at the indicator boards to reveal another fatality. the scoreboard isn't looking good. and that's what they become, just another statistic, a casualty of a crowded city.
but the inevitable delay (2/1/2 hour train ride) gets you thinking... did this guy catch this very same train? maybe they sat next to you, or you bumped them a bit too hard while squeezing on the train... did that push them over the edge? whatever it is, the mental health of people here can't be that great when people throw themselves in front of an oncoming train. to add the inconvenience of delayed trains, etc, the family of the deceased receive an invoice from the train company, about $40,000 from what i've heard. you got to really hate everyone to go out like this... is my gut feel, but then again you wouldn't really give a fuck about anything if your in that state of mind. rest in peace, and sorry if i bumped you too hard or hit you with a stray elbow.
2007年12月7日金曜日
2007年12月1日土曜日
blink and your 31
it's not like i've forgotten about the blog... it's always in the back of my mind... but procrastination seems to get the better of me when it comes to putting finger to keyboard... i'm such a lazy bastard. 31 years of. and it's not like i've run out of things to complain about in tokyo... quite the opposite, but i must admit i'm starting to get used to life here.
anyhow, it's been a while since the last entry. sydney - tokyo - london - tokyo, a whirlwind of trips in my books... and it's definitely been a hinderance on my tokyo acclimatisation process. everytime i leave, it definitely seems like i'm starting over.
though i wouldn't swap the london experience for anything. it was so good seeing so many friends there, all in different phases of the living in london lifestycle. from people not wanting to leave, to people just starting out or somewhere in between working 9-5 to looking for work, it's a pity i had to leave when i was just getting fond of the ale, pubs and the clubs and really starting to appreciate and relating everyone's experience to my own. life has to be lived to the fullest, and there's no better way than to experience something new.
things to note for november... Underworld and Simian Mobile Disco. awesome DJs. drove the crowd to a frenzy. born slippy, born to be free, born to be whatever the fuck you wanted to be. and a special thanks to pai for calling me on my 31st. was one of the best phone calls i've received at work (nah, period)!! sorry i wouldn't let you hang up!!
anyhow, it's been a while since the last entry. sydney - tokyo - london - tokyo, a whirlwind of trips in my books... and it's definitely been a hinderance on my tokyo acclimatisation process. everytime i leave, it definitely seems like i'm starting over.
though i wouldn't swap the london experience for anything. it was so good seeing so many friends there, all in different phases of the living in london lifestycle. from people not wanting to leave, to people just starting out or somewhere in between working 9-5 to looking for work, it's a pity i had to leave when i was just getting fond of the ale, pubs and the clubs and really starting to appreciate and relating everyone's experience to my own. life has to be lived to the fullest, and there's no better way than to experience something new.
things to note for november... Underworld and Simian Mobile Disco. awesome DJs. drove the crowd to a frenzy. born slippy, born to be free, born to be whatever the fuck you wanted to be. and a special thanks to pai for calling me on my 31st. was one of the best phone calls i've received at work (nah, period)!! sorry i wouldn't let you hang up!!
2007年9月12日水曜日
happy hour, happy days
walking down a wet senta-gai in shibuya with pai, mel and a couple of their mates was a little surreal... our aussie accents so distinctive among the japanese chatter, yet to me it was music to the ears. all of us have lived in tokyo in the past but never at the same time... so it was about time we shared our tokyo moments together after all these years. its as comfortable as i have felt in tokyo, or maybe i just didnt care where we were as long as i was surrounded by friends, even if our mojito's came with clovers. cheap drinks, good food and good old fashioned banter... what more could you ask for.
2007年8月31日金曜日
napa valley
august wasn't all doom and gloom... managed to squeeze in a week in the napa valley, scene of the rolling hills windows xp desktop theme (geek trivia). anyhow, took a few days to get into the holiday after such a shit month. but once i got stuck into the wine and champagne (napa valley is a giant wine bar, 5 x 36 miles), i was pretty much smashed for the rest of the trip.
locals assured me that the cops didnt breath test, and anyhow, even if they stop you, they just ask you to walk in a straight line... plenty of straight lines in the parking lot to practice i say.
apart from the wines, napa probably has the highest concentration of quality restaurants per capita (according to the guidebook, and probably because the population of the valley is less than the number of people on my morning train) but i have an extra 2 kgs to my waist line, and a massive credit card debt to prove it too. try the pot de creme at bouchon if your ever in the area.
locals assured me that the cops didnt breath test, and anyhow, even if they stop you, they just ask you to walk in a straight line... plenty of straight lines in the parking lot to practice i say.
apart from the wines, napa probably has the highest concentration of quality restaurants per capita (according to the guidebook, and probably because the population of the valley is less than the number of people on my morning train) but i have an extra 2 kgs to my waist line, and a massive credit card debt to prove it too. try the pot de creme at bouchon if your ever in the area.
lets write off august, and clean up in september
just for the record... mid july through end of august was an absolute write off. never worked so hard, so long period. also managed to put on 3 kgs, added an extra roll to my ever expanding beer gut, and fear that i am becoming an alcoholic. personal note to future self, lay off the scotch.
2007年7月10日火曜日
its a mixed bag of responses you get when you ask a group of people about climbing mt.fuji... a 3776 metre volcano, sitting smack bang in the middle of japan.
our plan of attack was to start climbing at 8pm, and arrive at the summit before 4 am, just in time to see the sun rise, and hopefully beat the massive crowd working their way up to the top... i in hindsight foolishly agreed to this proposal. for by the time we reached the 8th station (2am) at an altitude of 3400m, i was dreaming about the comforts of a soft pillow, a warm bed, and a hot mug of coco when in reality i was hugging a cold, snow covered, volcanic boulder.
i was snapped out of my delirious state by my vibrating mobile... "hello?", "are you still alive?"... jeez, my mobile works at 3400m?! and my friend hands me a cup of hot coco, and then tells me we can get some ramen... If you can get noodles, and presumably order a pizza (whether they deliver is another matter ofcourse) from 3400m, then you can do it from anywhere in japan.
the final 400 odd metres was pure torture... fighting fatigue, burning thighs, and a distinct lack of oxygen. what spurred me to the summit was thoughts of a lush, warm, tropical paradise, full of bikini clad women serving mugs of hot coco, dancing to awesome beats of drum and bass... no wait, thats my thumping headache. and as the final indignity of being overtaken by a grandpa in surely his late 60s sunk in, i tripped and stumbled on the last step. it wasnt quite the tropical paradise island... it was more like "rocks", and "rocks" and more "rocks".
as we waited in the freezing winds (gets pretty windy up there) for the sun to rise, i looked around to see two guys boiling water to make coffee, and another guy sucking hard on a ciggarette. i suppose if youve come this far you deserve to have a smoke and a coffee. the sun finally showed itself to cheers from a bleary eyed crowd, while thousands more were snaking their way up to the peak. i looked down at the poor bastards making their way up, and suddenly realise that what comes up must come down.
our plan of attack was to start climbing at 8pm, and arrive at the summit before 4 am, just in time to see the sun rise, and hopefully beat the massive crowd working their way up to the top... i in hindsight foolishly agreed to this proposal. for by the time we reached the 8th station (2am) at an altitude of 3400m, i was dreaming about the comforts of a soft pillow, a warm bed, and a hot mug of coco when in reality i was hugging a cold, snow covered, volcanic boulder.
i was snapped out of my delirious state by my vibrating mobile... "hello?", "are you still alive?"... jeez, my mobile works at 3400m?! and my friend hands me a cup of hot coco, and then tells me we can get some ramen... If you can get noodles, and presumably order a pizza (whether they deliver is another matter ofcourse) from 3400m, then you can do it from anywhere in japan.
the final 400 odd metres was pure torture... fighting fatigue, burning thighs, and a distinct lack of oxygen. what spurred me to the summit was thoughts of a lush, warm, tropical paradise, full of bikini clad women serving mugs of hot coco, dancing to awesome beats of drum and bass... no wait, thats my thumping headache. and as the final indignity of being overtaken by a grandpa in surely his late 60s sunk in, i tripped and stumbled on the last step. it wasnt quite the tropical paradise island... it was more like "rocks", and "rocks" and more "rocks".
as we waited in the freezing winds (gets pretty windy up there) for the sun to rise, i looked around to see two guys boiling water to make coffee, and another guy sucking hard on a ciggarette. i suppose if youve come this far you deserve to have a smoke and a coffee. the sun finally showed itself to cheers from a bleary eyed crowd, while thousands more were snaking their way up to the peak. i looked down at the poor bastards making their way up, and suddenly realise that what comes up must come down.
2007年7月2日月曜日
Week 2 Post Sydney
the fresh smell of spew, that rancid, acidic vapour mixed in with whatever was had for dinner, greets me as i stumble out of the train... from the smell and sight of seeing half a dozen guys doubled over and wretching, and atleast 2 guys sleeping on the seats, i know my connecting train is long gone. as i walk towards the stairs the guy in front of me doubles over and starts his business. for fucks sake. unable to take the stench i side step the landmines and run up the stairs to see a whole group of middle aged men slumped against walls, and/or doubled over. those who can walk are looking dazed... i imagine this is what a hospital ward must look like after an outbreak of severe salmonella poisoning.
ive had a pretty big night myself. a night out with work colleagues which always ends up at karaoke... you can make a left or right turn but we always end up there.
its not everyday that your GM passes out at Karaoke... he's only had 2 drinks... pretty funny shit, I have my fun by dedicating a soulful rendition of Aerosmith's 'I don't want to miss a thing' sung so close to his face that I thought he'd surely wake up. Its not everyday that I take the piss with the GM but as I get to the last few bars, i realise that i just dont give a shit... I've had a fucking long and exhausting week... so much going on at the moment that i can't tell which way is up. i feel like ive been sucked under by a monster wave, tumbling and spinning, just hoping to be spat out on the surface cos i just dont have the energy to swim right now.
ive had a pretty big night myself. a night out with work colleagues which always ends up at karaoke... you can make a left or right turn but we always end up there.
its not everyday that your GM passes out at Karaoke... he's only had 2 drinks... pretty funny shit, I have my fun by dedicating a soulful rendition of Aerosmith's 'I don't want to miss a thing' sung so close to his face that I thought he'd surely wake up. Its not everyday that I take the piss with the GM but as I get to the last few bars, i realise that i just dont give a shit... I've had a fucking long and exhausting week... so much going on at the moment that i can't tell which way is up. i feel like ive been sucked under by a monster wave, tumbling and spinning, just hoping to be spat out on the surface cos i just dont have the energy to swim right now.
2007年6月25日月曜日
commuting in business class
as i watch the blurry tokyo landscape whiz by my bullet train window, i look up at the time to see that i'm going to make it to work on time though i woke up at precisely the moment i should have been queueing for my 2nd connecting train...
its an extra $8 for the bullet train but it really feels like money well spent when i think about the hour and a half of living hell spent squashed between men who reek of hair tonic, and bad breath. bye bye commuter train, hello shinkansen... i can see that this is going to be the start of a pretty expensive habit...
its an extra $8 for the bullet train but it really feels like money well spent when i think about the hour and a half of living hell spent squashed between men who reek of hair tonic, and bad breath. bye bye commuter train, hello shinkansen... i can see that this is going to be the start of a pretty expensive habit...
2007年5月29日火曜日
pretty sweet
what a beautiful city... it really is. looking over the lush botanical gardens and beyond to watsons bay, my eye follows the water to the magnificent cliff face at north head, i can imagine how beautiful it would be looking over bondi, watching the waves crash over the rocks while drinking a nice crisp beer at the icebergs. im standing at the reception area at work, and im already salivating over the thought of my first pale ale... its only been a month and a half but it feels like ive been gone for a very long time. my beautiful view is briefly vanquished and replaced by the dull grey image of my office window in tokyo... i can almost make out the brand of green tea the woman is making in the building next door, and smell the slightly burnt scent of coffee rising from my morning brew.... shit i need a latte, how could i forget... just then my manager comes out to greet me... hold that latte mate, no sugar.
from the daily grind of commuting in tokyo, i find myself in a very candy coated version of sydney... an apartment in the city would be nice... sleep till 8, stroll in to work. once youve had the double glaze, its going to be pretty hard to go back to eating the cold hard crumbly cinnamon donut... but then again even without the double glaze, sydney is pretty sweet.
from the daily grind of commuting in tokyo, i find myself in a very candy coated version of sydney... an apartment in the city would be nice... sleep till 8, stroll in to work. once youve had the double glaze, its going to be pretty hard to go back to eating the cold hard crumbly cinnamon donut... but then again even without the double glaze, sydney is pretty sweet.
2007年5月15日火曜日
a month in...
its only been a month, but acclimatising to the intensity of this city has cast a blur over my memories of sydney. gone are the comforts of nice pubs, beer o'clock, and open spaces... they seem a distant memory now, replaced by the smoky haze of dingy irish pubs, knocking off at 7 on fridays, and driving down main roads as wide as a suburban drive way... life was getting too intense and a little cramped, i was ready to be unleashed...
i found myself on the first train on saturday morning, after another night of clubbing in work clothes. no book in hand. praise the lord. and backed that up with a night out at "ageha". which is a massive club out on the tokyo fringes. freeform five were good... not great, the dirty electro sounds being farted out of the awesome sound system was lost in translation... but the most entertaining part of the night was "saturday vibes", a reggae/hip hop mash up pool party packed with wanna be home boys and grinding gosford skirts.. thats right this club has a pool... the dj/mc were absolute rubbish, fuelling the crowd with shit japlish rap, and providing me with plenty of laughs... if only someone fell in the pool with all that bling bling.
so ended my first weekend of letting it really rip in tokyo... feel like im ready to take on the hustle... if only for another week.
i found myself on the first train on saturday morning, after another night of clubbing in work clothes. no book in hand. praise the lord. and backed that up with a night out at "ageha". which is a massive club out on the tokyo fringes. freeform five were good... not great, the dirty electro sounds being farted out of the awesome sound system was lost in translation... but the most entertaining part of the night was "saturday vibes", a reggae/hip hop mash up pool party packed with wanna be home boys and grinding gosford skirts.. thats right this club has a pool... the dj/mc were absolute rubbish, fuelling the crowd with shit japlish rap, and providing me with plenty of laughs... if only someone fell in the pool with all that bling bling.
so ended my first weekend of letting it really rip in tokyo... feel like im ready to take on the hustle... if only for another week.
2007年5月7日月曜日
golden week
Having trouble deciding when to take your annual leave, and wish that everyone would just holiday at the same time? Well I hope not, but if that's you then you should move to Japan. For others, please keep day dreaming about that next holiday to "insert exciting exotic destination of choice here" with "supermodel of choice here"... topping my list at the moment is Heidi Klum, and I dont really care where we're going.
Standard annual leave is a massive 10 days in Japan. Worst still, its actually pretty difficult for an avg Japanese worker take leave in big blocks... there is a bit of an unspoken rule about asking for 2 weeks leave... you dont ask. Unless you dont want your job. To make up for this injustice, they have a shit load of public holidays... 15 to be precise, 5 more than you would get back home. The crem dela crem of the public holidays is called Golden Week... a smorgasboard of all you can eat public holidays crammed into a meaty first week of May. hence i worked 2 days last week... Now who could possibly have issues with a 4 day weekend? Why would I rant about this...
A lot of Japanese companies take the opportunity to shutdown during G week, and many people take up 2 days leave to essentially take 9 days off ... a golden deal in anyones books, but then you got to ask yourself "what happens when a 100 million people holiday at the same time?"... its a frickin nightmare. planning to escape overseas... well theres 50 000 people waiting at Narita airport queuing to get out... plus it'll literally cost you an arm and some internal organ you probably hadnt planned on parting with just yet. forget the leg, that wont get you far.
Domestic holidays... not much better. During G week, middle of bum fuck no where japan is everyones hot holiday destination. you simply cant hide in this country... there are people everywhere.
so some people just take it easy, stay at home, catch up with friends, sleep, eat, and drink. not the most eventful G week but definitely relaxing BUT for some reason Id rather forgo G week and increase my annual leave, and use them whenever it suits me... not when people are busy forming queues, especially if Heidi and I can only get away during G week!!
People here dont seem to mind tho, its just the pack mentality they have. You do everything together all of the time. You generally dont stray, and if you do they see you as being "kawatteru"... which means different, but not in the "same same but different"kinda way but more like in a "yeh, he's you know.. well different".
Standard annual leave is a massive 10 days in Japan. Worst still, its actually pretty difficult for an avg Japanese worker take leave in big blocks... there is a bit of an unspoken rule about asking for 2 weeks leave... you dont ask. Unless you dont want your job. To make up for this injustice, they have a shit load of public holidays... 15 to be precise, 5 more than you would get back home. The crem dela crem of the public holidays is called Golden Week... a smorgasboard of all you can eat public holidays crammed into a meaty first week of May. hence i worked 2 days last week... Now who could possibly have issues with a 4 day weekend? Why would I rant about this...
A lot of Japanese companies take the opportunity to shutdown during G week, and many people take up 2 days leave to essentially take 9 days off ... a golden deal in anyones books, but then you got to ask yourself "what happens when a 100 million people holiday at the same time?"... its a frickin nightmare. planning to escape overseas... well theres 50 000 people waiting at Narita airport queuing to get out... plus it'll literally cost you an arm and some internal organ you probably hadnt planned on parting with just yet. forget the leg, that wont get you far.
Domestic holidays... not much better. During G week, middle of bum fuck no where japan is everyones hot holiday destination. you simply cant hide in this country... there are people everywhere.
so some people just take it easy, stay at home, catch up with friends, sleep, eat, and drink. not the most eventful G week but definitely relaxing BUT for some reason Id rather forgo G week and increase my annual leave, and use them whenever it suits me... not when people are busy forming queues, especially if Heidi and I can only get away during G week!!
People here dont seem to mind tho, its just the pack mentality they have. You do everything together all of the time. You generally dont stray, and if you do they see you as being "kawatteru"... which means different, but not in the "same same but different"kinda way but more like in a "yeh, he's you know.. well different".
2007年5月1日火曜日
too good to be true
it was one of those stories that defied belief... one of those stories that are believable but yet so unbelievable that it gets labelled "only in japan".
i first caught the story on smh, and received a few emails from friends alerting me of the story in the morning... im sure many of you have already read the "baby sheep sold as poodles" story in the herald and had a great laugh. i know i did. i was in stitches... which moron would mistake a sheep as a poodle, it just sounded too stupid to be true. the problem is that anything sounds believable if its followed by "only in japan". any story that might be worthy of making it as an april fools hoax story could, and will happen in japan... i know im a sucker for these stories. ive been fooled so many times its unbelievable... L plates on yumcha trolleys, yep i believed that one too...
so i started to do some research... not to disprove the story. i wanted to see a picture of the sheep that was masquerading as a poodle!! but after some googling, the story sadly turns out as a hoax... for those of you who know the story, the movie star who made the alleged statement was misquoted in the story... she just said that she had a friend who bought a poodle off the internet, and it was delivered by mail... it was a fabricated lie told to get the banter going... she mentions something about the dog not eating dog food, but that's about it...
now, never let the truth get in the way of a good story... but in this case, the SUN in the UK who published this story first has got it wrong, and i wonder how many stories that get published are just rubbish...
smh updated the story to confirm the hoax... but they just updated the html to the original story.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/unusual-tales/baaking-mad-japan-scam/2007/04/27/1177459927942.html
i first caught the story on smh, and received a few emails from friends alerting me of the story in the morning... im sure many of you have already read the "baby sheep sold as poodles" story in the herald and had a great laugh. i know i did. i was in stitches... which moron would mistake a sheep as a poodle, it just sounded too stupid to be true. the problem is that anything sounds believable if its followed by "only in japan". any story that might be worthy of making it as an april fools hoax story could, and will happen in japan... i know im a sucker for these stories. ive been fooled so many times its unbelievable... L plates on yumcha trolleys, yep i believed that one too...
so i started to do some research... not to disprove the story. i wanted to see a picture of the sheep that was masquerading as a poodle!! but after some googling, the story sadly turns out as a hoax... for those of you who know the story, the movie star who made the alleged statement was misquoted in the story... she just said that she had a friend who bought a poodle off the internet, and it was delivered by mail... it was a fabricated lie told to get the banter going... she mentions something about the dog not eating dog food, but that's about it...
now, never let the truth get in the way of a good story... but in this case, the SUN in the UK who published this story first has got it wrong, and i wonder how many stories that get published are just rubbish...
smh updated the story to confirm the hoax... but they just updated the html to the original story.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/unusual-tales/baaking-mad-japan-scam/2007/04/27/1177459927942.html
2007年4月22日日曜日
surprise spruiker
there's a loud crackly voice being projected over a dodgey PA system, appealing for something that i can't quite make out... the voice gets closer and louder, and it crescendos outside our unit. it's fucking annoying... it takes a lot to get me out of my weekend sleep ins but they've managed to do it. i open the front door, and see a white panel van armed with half a dozen megaphones... and some lady in a red suit shouting "my name is blah blah, and i would be humbled to serve you as blah blah blah". fucking bitch.
welcome to election time in japan... where any peace and tranquility and in my case sleep, is destroyed by an armada of these panel vans roaming the streets, blurting out some name of some silly dead beat politician... it is by far the most ridiculous and irritating form of campaigning that i've ever come across... as i stand there in disgust, the panel van drives off, the message fades out and is lost as the van turns the corner. i want to throw something... but decide to go back to bed. its only 11.
as i drift off for my second sleep, another panel van turns up... arrrghhh. its impossible. after a long week of commuting, all i wanted was to sleep!! as i sat there on my bed, planning my revenge... maybe a surprise spruiker attack at her house at 5am, i realise that i have already forgotten her name... this campaigning tactic clearly works wonders.
im on the phone to minori to bitch and complain about these maniacs. and during my expletitive laced rant, (its quite difficult to throw in a "fuck'n" in the middle of a japanese sentence for good effect) minori reminds me that this is just a local election... its far worse during federal election campaigns. someone please remind me to book a holiday in tahiti before the next election.
welcome to election time in japan... where any peace and tranquility and in my case sleep, is destroyed by an armada of these panel vans roaming the streets, blurting out some name of some silly dead beat politician... it is by far the most ridiculous and irritating form of campaigning that i've ever come across... as i stand there in disgust, the panel van drives off, the message fades out and is lost as the van turns the corner. i want to throw something... but decide to go back to bed. its only 11.
as i drift off for my second sleep, another panel van turns up... arrrghhh. its impossible. after a long week of commuting, all i wanted was to sleep!! as i sat there on my bed, planning my revenge... maybe a surprise spruiker attack at her house at 5am, i realise that i have already forgotten her name... this campaigning tactic clearly works wonders.
im on the phone to minori to bitch and complain about these maniacs. and during my expletitive laced rant, (its quite difficult to throw in a "fuck'n" in the middle of a japanese sentence for good effect) minori reminds me that this is just a local election... its far worse during federal election campaigns. someone please remind me to book a holiday in tahiti before the next election.
2007年4月16日月曜日
getting to work... tokyo style
3 trains, and 49 minutes... doesn't sound too bad.
first train, not so bad. it's pretty comfortable, just like the 8:34 St. Peters train... i get comfortable, i'm feeling good, relaxed... "easy like a sunday morning" is spinning on the imaginary record player in my head, my fears of a crazy commute is calmed. then disaster.
i get off the train to change, and walk out on to what can only be described as world war 3 on platform 2... all aboard the express to hell. it's a sense numbing experience... there are so many people, frantically searching for that little opening, train conductors and their helpers pushing people into the carriages, while the electronic sound of the "doors closing" buzzer gets ever louder and urgent.
i try to get on but fail to see where i can squeeze between the wall of people looking out at me, with their helpless eyes... "screaming, please don't try to get on, but i understand if you do"... i look to the other doors, and see people launching themselves at the human collage, suddenly i'm pushed aside by a guy who backs into a defenceless little woman, the door starts to close but half his body is outside the train... his feet are still on the platform for god sakes, there is no way he is going to make it... the door is pretty much closed, but held open by his legs, and right arm holding out a suit case... out of nowhere come the helpers... 3 of them, and they squeeze this guy inside the carriage... first the arm, and bag, then the legs. i look at the people inside the carriage as the train departs, it looks stupid. i've never seen anything like it. there is a guy pinned and contorted against the door, he looks like he is trying to lick his own nipple. wouldn't it be funny if everyone inside the train was naked...
the next train is a little better, and after becoming the meat in the sandwich, there are a few things that run through your mind but never blurt out... "whose hand is that?", "sorry, did i just sit on your face", "did you brush your teeth?", "fuck i need to get off at this stop". it's easily the most tortureous commute ever... there's gotta be a better way.
first train, not so bad. it's pretty comfortable, just like the 8:34 St. Peters train... i get comfortable, i'm feeling good, relaxed... "easy like a sunday morning" is spinning on the imaginary record player in my head, my fears of a crazy commute is calmed. then disaster.
i get off the train to change, and walk out on to what can only be described as world war 3 on platform 2... all aboard the express to hell. it's a sense numbing experience... there are so many people, frantically searching for that little opening, train conductors and their helpers pushing people into the carriages, while the electronic sound of the "doors closing" buzzer gets ever louder and urgent.
i try to get on but fail to see where i can squeeze between the wall of people looking out at me, with their helpless eyes... "screaming, please don't try to get on, but i understand if you do"... i look to the other doors, and see people launching themselves at the human collage, suddenly i'm pushed aside by a guy who backs into a defenceless little woman, the door starts to close but half his body is outside the train... his feet are still on the platform for god sakes, there is no way he is going to make it... the door is pretty much closed, but held open by his legs, and right arm holding out a suit case... out of nowhere come the helpers... 3 of them, and they squeeze this guy inside the carriage... first the arm, and bag, then the legs. i look at the people inside the carriage as the train departs, it looks stupid. i've never seen anything like it. there is a guy pinned and contorted against the door, he looks like he is trying to lick his own nipple. wouldn't it be funny if everyone inside the train was naked...
the next train is a little better, and after becoming the meat in the sandwich, there are a few things that run through your mind but never blurt out... "whose hand is that?", "sorry, did i just sit on your face", "did you brush your teeth?", "fuck i need to get off at this stop". it's easily the most tortureous commute ever... there's gotta be a better way.
2007年4月15日日曜日
information overload
Buying a mobile phone shouldn't be so daunting... 3 mobile carriers, and what seems like after looking at a thousand different handsets, I somehow end up with a phone that doubles as a television, has a 3.2 M pixel camera, web browser, email, GPS navigation, but can't send international SMS!!
As I struggle with my new mobile on the train, I feel like I've walked away with everything but a phone... oh well. So won't be able to send text messages... but on the bright side, the TV reception is pretty impressive, and I won't get lost thanks to my GPS, but who the hell watches TV on a phone... I look up from my phone to see a guy happily watching his TV. So I flick through the channels... and find a soccer high lights show... he shoots, he scores, and he can even record the goal for later viewing!!
As I struggle with my new mobile on the train, I feel like I've walked away with everything but a phone... oh well. So won't be able to send text messages... but on the bright side, the TV reception is pretty impressive, and I won't get lost thanks to my GPS, but who the hell watches TV on a phone... I look up from my phone to see a guy happily watching his TV. So I flick through the channels... and find a soccer high lights show... he shoots, he scores, and he can even record the goal for later viewing!!
finally...
It felt like an eternity, the never ending flight... I don't know why the flight felt so long. Not sure whether it's the excitement of starting life in Tokyo or the sorrow of leaving Sydney that was weighing on my mind. Regardless, it was a sleepless flight to Tokyo, even though I had 3 seats to myself.
Was totally excited to see Minori. 4 whole months is just too long... ridiculous. And stupid.
As I hold Minori, I look up at the trademark grey Tokyo sky and smell the crisp cold charcoally air, and realise that I'm finally in Tokyo. A new start, and the end of a crazy, chaotic yet so vividly memorable chapter that I can't help but feel has been cut short. So it begins... life in Tokyo, signalled by a smile, a small tear and the violent grumbling of my stomach. I need ramen, and a coffee... a scotch and a cigarette chaser.
Was totally excited to see Minori. 4 whole months is just too long... ridiculous. And stupid.
As I hold Minori, I look up at the trademark grey Tokyo sky and smell the crisp cold charcoally air, and realise that I'm finally in Tokyo. A new start, and the end of a crazy, chaotic yet so vividly memorable chapter that I can't help but feel has been cut short. So it begins... life in Tokyo, signalled by a smile, a small tear and the violent grumbling of my stomach. I need ramen, and a coffee... a scotch and a cigarette chaser.
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