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.
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