I am the last work hour of the year...

I think of all my friends, I am the only one still left at work. BOOOOO!!!! Freakin people here wait til the LAST day of the work year to freakin drop an assignment on my arse...one that I for sure couldn't finish early. Biznastards man...and all day long I've watched people leave early, go run errands, and just totally chill. But OOOOOOOH NOOO, my busy butt is still here trying to get this report done before I leave. I'm so jealous right now...people are chilling, running errands, napping...sucks to be me right now...

I can't believe it's gonna be a new year...2006...sounds weird just typing it.
Anyway, since I HAVE to be here...I might as well get some blogging done. I've been thinking about my New Year's Resolutions this year...and yes I know I know, I sholdn't have to wait for a new year to resolve things in my life...but too bad, I'm gonna...

Stop being the disgruntled employee I noticed that in '05, I complained a lot about how other people got away with stuff and people taking advantage of certain priveleges and just being overall whiny about it. I have decided to let all that go and just prove myself by how much work I AM doing and not comparing myself to how much work people are NOT doing(last jab, I swear.) From now on, I will just try to work and do my thang. People get what they deserve in the end...and I gotta prove that I deserve more at work :) And now, the people who freakin asked for this report to be finished just left early...what a beyotch man, I finished my preliminary report for nothing...I can still be mad and disgruntled...I don't have to be the bigger person until Tuesday!!!

Volunteer I always talk about wanting to volunteer...and have participated in a few events over the past couple years. But I want to make a stronger dedication to service and volunteering my time in '06... I get one day off per year, dedicated to volunteer services, so I definitely have to take advantage of that. Cicely and I always talk about doing Habitat for Humanity, it's time to put some action behind those words...

Work on my mini projects I have been wanting to do a bunch of lil projects for about 6 months now and since then, some more have been added on. Some of them are, install my alarm for my car, replace the recessed lightbulbs at mom and pops, find out about the tree removal in front of their house, remove the wallpaper at Jo' and my place, and paint it. So for the '06, I'm hoping to knock off most if not all of these items.

Okay, I know there are more, but I don't want to stay here longer than I have to...esp since I just found out I didn't really HAVE to in the first place...argh!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! Be safe...and please, DESIGNATE a driver!!!!!

"The world doesn't fear a new idea. What it fears is a new experience."
-D.H. Lawrence

I am a pair of heavy heavy lids...

Happy B-day POP!!!!
Today pop turns 64 years young...wow. Happy b-day big guy, thanks for all the years of love and care you've shown to the family. I know you don't check this, but I hope you enjoy the game tonight! I know the seats are a little far, but it'll be awesome!

I ran my first 6-miler yesterday...and I think I might have pushed myself a little too hard on that run. I finished it around 58min or so, which means I could have been running 9 minute miles for a bit...and I was huffing when I finished the run. I'm not trying to increase my speed...I would rather just build up the stamina to complete the whole thing...that's the first goal. Maybe next year or some other year, I can work on improving my time. I need a time first before I make an attempt to improve it, right? Anyway, long distance runs(well, this isn't really considered a long-distance run becuase we were supposed to do 7 this weekend, but I'm doing 6-4-6 this week before the twelver during the weekend) are lonely when you're on your own. Even though I hit my runner's high for about 20 minutes of the run(it's this kind of elevated state of mind while running where you're just not even thinking about running...some advanced runners do not think this is a good thing though.), it was still a lonely run. Oh well, running is a solo activity really anyway. But yay! 6 more miles to log onto my marathon log! Yahoo!

'Tis another slow day today...only 2 more days left...

"A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory."

I am a few more hours til the end of the workday...

Correction...above I said that I got 350 and 400 count queen sheets...make that 350(from my mom) and 600 from Cic's folks...

I was thinking early how x-mas didn't have it's usual flare this year...I think it's because it came and went so quickly...I never got to settle into the actual Christmas holiday feeling. Don't get me wrong, it was so much fun being with family and friends, but it's like they were tidbits of that holiday cheer...not one long lasting fortnight of fun and good times like usual...so weird. And it wasn't just that. It seemed to be uncharacteristically warm for this time of the season, up until yesterday when it got a little cooler. Maybe it's cuz I was in Japan for the first few weeks of the season...since it starts from Thanksgiving pretty much. I don't know...but I've been chatting w/ lots of people so far, and they seem to feel the same way.

Anyway, that sounds so ba humbug man...so I decided to listen to a little Drifters..."I'm dreaming of a white x-mas." Nothing like motown to pick up the mood, and strangely enough, I'm feeling "holiday'-y" right now...who'd've thunk it?

Only a few more hours...I'm hoping to leave early and get my run on...

I am another reason not to be at work today...

A belated Merry Christmas to all...
This holiday weekend was FAR too short. I haven't really done anything yet and it's already past lunch. What a waste...I could've slept in, cleaned a little, played a little warcraft, watched Lost: Season 1, and a bunch of other things. But oh, no...we have to work. A bunch of people called in sick today too, which is absolute BS. There are sick people HERE today...I don't think that's very fair. And as you can so plainly see, I really don't wanna be here. In fact, I refuse to do anything today and I will try to convince my other coworkers to not do anything either...so we can prove how useless it is for us to be working this week, he he he.

So Christmas was good...got to see family and friends and have a lot of laughs and good times. I love seeing everyone over the holidays, it makes all the stress of x-mas shopping and scheduling so worth it. I got a ton of great gifts...amongst which are the Lost Season 1 DVD, UCI Alumni plates, long-sleeved shirts, 350 and 400 count bedsheets, a card shuffler AND deck shoe, running socks, candy, my "hot guy" calender that I frickin got during the crew's white elephant, and my vase from another white elephant, and some other things...but I can't remember them all right now. But one of the best gifts I got was the AWESOME incredible quilt that beeb got me. I haven't had the chance to lay it out and take a picture of it yet, but I will. She took the backs of my favorite shirts...the ones that had a lot of sentimental value to them and put them into the quilt! It is so awesome...seriously. And no, I didn't get mad when I foun dout that she did that to my shirts. They were shirts I never really wore anymore, but I wanted to preserve...and this was a great way to do that. So thanks again for the beautiful quilt...I love it!

No more excuses
Frickin Christmas, I have been really off of my training program for the marathon since last week. I only ran once and I could've ran a few times, but I opted for laziness, or some other excuse. I mean I did have a lot to do, what with x-mas shopping and parties, and wrapping and all, but still...I could've...should've made time to run. And then I missed yesterdays long run, which was actually shorter than the previous long runs...so I have to ad additional miles this week. ARGH!!!! I guess I'll have to do some 2-a-days this week too, to add some extra mileage. I really need to run, no more excuses. Esp now that I'm not on a business trip or x-mas shopping...no more excuses...only 12 weeks left!

I wanna go home...

I am christmas eve eve...eve...

I hope everyone didn't have to stay at work today, like I still am. I soooo wanna go home. It was really busy for a while today...I even had to log off of IM for a while to take care of it, and really just focus on getting my ish done. But it's kinda tapered off since after 3 and now I'm trying to finish this report ASAP so I can get the heck outta here. I would like to stop by a few places on my way out before I go to my bible study group's christmas dinner and gift exchange. But I doubt that's gonna happen, it's too crowded to stop by the mall right now. There is a good chance I can get out by 5:15 though, so I better hurry and finish this post, ha ha ha!

So since I might not get a chance to post for the next few days, in the spirit of the holiday weekend, I want to share this picture of the tree at Jovan and my apt, and say....MEEEEERRRRRRRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!




Last but not least, there are few better feelings in the world than finishing your chapstick...he he he. It ranks right up there with climbing everest and winning the NBA championship. This latest stick was quite the unique one. I misplaced it several times and was reunited with it just as many...and yesterday, it reached the end of its path...man, what a day!

I am the last few feet before the finish line...

Yesterday, I raised my hands in triumph as I purchased what I thought was the last of all my x-mas shopping, until I was reminded about getting my bosses something. D'OH! So today, after lunch, I shall raise my hands again in triumph for I WILL be done for sure this time, he he he. Now, I just have to wrap them all. I posted yesterday about how I wished I was still in school becuase then i'd be on break, or how I wish my company could be like those ones that close down for a week or so. I have been thinking that more than ever over the past few days. What with all the shopping, and all the get-togethers with friends, there just isn't enough time. And then, my mind isn't even AT work. 3/4 of the people here are shopping, walking around, just lounging...present company included. I am so freakin tired because I'm up til at least 1 each night wrapping or something. I've had more than 5 hours sleep probably only 1 time in the last 2 weeks. Needless to say, that 1 week break would be a God-send to have right now. Anyway, enough of the never-ending complaints about no x-mas vacation....

Mr 62
...and it easily could've been more. EASILY, especially since he didn't even play in the 4th qtr. What bugs me the most is all the Kobe-hate out there. I've already read some articles and heard some analysts calling Kobe's feat the ultimate display of ball-hogging. WTF man, people just don't want to give this kid any credit. I mean, yes, he made a few mistakes in his life, which apparently means to everyone else that he can't turn around from those mistakes and change, which just reinforces my belief that our society is as unforgiving as they come. I never heard any negative comments about Jordan's 67 pts or Robinson's 71 or Wilt's 100, but Kobe's 62 definitely came with it. It just sucks. And yeah, I might be sitting on Kobe's side of the fence, but I still think this moment should get the respect it truly deserves, one of the most remarkable individual feats I've ever seen. I can't wait to watch it again!!!

Party Poopers
Some people really know how to ruin a day. I was planning to leave early from work today, but certain factors have all but nixed that idea for me...I set up all my work to be done early, plus I was gonna come early tomorrow since I have to provide breakfast anyway, but OH...NO. I have to stay later...a-holes.

"Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them."
I know it's not a very Christmassy quote...but this is just how I feel right now, he he he.

I am a snooze gone bad...

It sucks to be working during the holidays...I remember back when during college, hs, elem, we always got breaks, like 2 or 3-weekers. Those were the best. Although many of those days were spent just bumming around, it was nice. There are even some places I know where people work that close down for a week(between x-mas and the new year). That would be awesome.

I'm almost done w/ my x-mas shopping list. Just about 6 people to I think... I got pop Laker tickets, but I still have to find something else for him, becuase it's an x-mas/b-day gift. I can't believe this will be the first game I'm going to with him. We never did that kind of stuff together when I was younger, go to ball games, all that. He was very busy working(along with mom) trying to fund our education and so that we wouldn't have to really worry about much. Well, now that he is retired, we have the chance to do these things, so I'ma try to take advantage of those times. Anyway, back to the list. I was able to go to the outlets once...target and the mall and other places during lunch, and I'm hoping maybe I can hit up the outlets again...though I mostly find stuff for myself at the outlets...argh. Control though...need to buy for OTHER people...at least for another 2 weeks, he he he. I haven't done as much on-line shopping as everyone else...or even as much as I thought I would have this year. I only got 2 things online...everything else was in person. Weird weird weird. But I do like being in the mall during the holidays...all the festive decorations, so many people...though I don't enjoy the long lines and the chaotic parking lots... Tis the season though.

My game got cancelled last night. Apparently, some people didn't wanna play since we weren't in contention for the championship, which I think really sucks. I was bummed...I just wanted to play...and it was supposed to be my x-training day instead of running. Because of that game, I ended up not doing any exercise at all. Argh. Looks like I'll have to run today tomorrow and friday then... Anyway, it seems to have worked out for the best...I was supposed to hang out w/ Jos yesterday and go shopping and stuff. It turns out she got pretty sick, so I just helped take care of her at my folks' place. It was weird, she had a fever of about 102 and she was sweating and cramping and all that stuff. I felt bad for her and we almost took her to urgent care. So we called my auntie Crystal to ask her what we should do. She said that urgent care wouldn't do anything and we'd be there for hours on end, unless her fever topped 102.5. She had this same thing a few weeks ago...apparently a lot of people are getting it(I think Joesan had it) and it lasts for like 2 or 3 weeks sometimes. So be careful out there folks. She came by and dropped off some codeine-laced cold medication for her and some other stuff, which seemed to really do the job, because she was totally able to go to work today.

Goin to run after work today and then goin back to hang out w/ the folks' didn't see mom yesterday. Hope I don't get back home too late...I really have to try and sleep earlier.

I am a recap of the action...

So like I said, I would eventually post up pictures from my trip...well, luck has it that it was sooner rather than later...

So after work ended on Friday, it was goodbye Iwaki and work, and hello Tokyo. I packed up my overnight bag and hit up the trainstation bound for Ueno(it's one of the many-a-neighborhood in Tokyo). Pictured above is my trusty little travel kit. Going clock-wise starting from the top-left corner...1)My SUICA card...which is a JR pass. You prepay a certain amount, and wave it over a sensor to get in and out of the gates at each station and it automatically deducts the fare each time. There's another one for the other subway lines, as there are a bunch of different ones, but I rarely went on those. 2)My passport, for obvious reasons, of course. 3My Let's Go Japan book. This book proved to be almost like a bible when me and the boys went backpacking in Europe...and it did it's job for Japan as well. If you need to go to Japan, borrow my book! 4)My maps of the subway and metro lines...even the locals have maps this place can be that confusing. 5My electronic translator. It had a very limited vocabulary, but it helped me find out main words I needed. So with all of of this packed up, I headed out...


Pictured above is the tokyo Metro map, pretty dang confusing, there are lines EVERYWHERE...I took a few of the different lines...but...


I stayed mostly on this one. The Yamanote Green JR Line. From here, I took some other subway trains to other areas...but it's a safe bet to ride this train, it goes in a circle, so you can't get totally lost, he he he...


Tokyo set 1
First off, I checked into my hotel in Tokyo, Shinagawa. I didn't get in until about 11 o'clock, so I decided to get a good night's rest so I could get up in the morning, eat breakfast, go running, and start my day of sightseeing. It was an interesting day. The Imperial Palace was really nice and serene, it took me all of 4 hours to look around the Palace grounds and Eastern Gardens, and I didn't even get to see it all. Then I checked out Akihabara, where all gadgets of various sizes and shapes and types are sold. Didn't shop much, but I got to take a lot of pics and see how crazy it can get.


Tokyo set 2
I was so tired from my day trip, I had to go back to the hotel and take a nap. Then it was time to venture around Shinagawa, which is a pretty nice area. Had dinner there and explored around before heading out to Rappongi and Rappongi Hills. Rappongi is the night-scene area and there were tons of bouncers that could speak English and they tried to get me into their clubs. It's not too fun partying alone, so I walked on and continued to see the sights...


Tokyo set 3
My last day in Tokyo was a little marred by rain, but I traveled on. It was on to Ginza - the shopping district, where all the foo foo stores and cool places to see are at. The Sony Building was neat, I spent a lot of time there. Also checked out the Feregamo's, Coach's, all those cha-ching stores where I couldn't even afford a wallet, which cost about $250 bucks. I had lunch in the area and continued to search for souvenirs and then it was on to Ueno later that night, to catch my train back to Iwaki. I got to see a lot of Japan, but I thought I would get another weekend to take a crack at more sightseeing and souvenir shopping...but alas...I went home early..which I was a little more happy about :).

My Japan trip was a lot of fun, as fun as it could be for a solo-trip during the holiday season, and I would definitely go again. Hopefully next time, with friends :) It was an awesome experience and I'm so glad I got to go. The rest of these pics didn't quite make it into the first 3 sets, and can only be classified as random. Some are from the actual little city where I was working, some from my visit to Tokyo :)

Random pics

I am truly fascinated with the Japanese culture. The language, the never-ending bows between people, the awesome food, the technology, chaotic urban life mixed with historic sites and parks, the incredibly long work hours(not that I'd want to work that many hours myself)the facemasks, the food, the small cars, the environmental consciousness, I could go on forever. One thing that stood out though was the respect thing. Even though I was a total foreigner here, I was treated with total respect by most everyone, not because I commanded respect or anything like that, but because the culture in general is very respectful. Back home, a lot of the time, I think we treat foreigners like crap. We get more frustrated w/ them because they don't speak our language, and we can't communicate. And we blame them because this communication barrier. Stay for a while in a place where not very many people speak your language and it will give you some perspective on being nice to foreigners.

There's even a certain way to speak to elder people that's much more formal than when you talk to someone of your status or age. Yes, in English, we speak differently to people of status, such as your boss, or the president of the United States or something, but it's a different type of speaking I think.

Well, that was my Japan trip. Whew...that was long....

I am a subdued reaction...

Woohoo, I'm back!
I got to leave early from Japan, because of some setbacks in our testing schedule and I've been back for a few days now, as some people might already know, because they've seen me, or talked to me, or heard I was back, he he he. It was a good trip, but like I've said before, a little lonely when you're there on your own, esp for as long as I thought I was gonna be there for in that little city. I was glad to hear I could go back home early. But again, it was a great trip, I got to see and experience a different life and culture, see different things, and knock Tokyo off on my list of "Places to go before I die." I also got to do a lot of alone time and just really reflect and think about my life and all my experiences, which was cool...but there is only so much time one can dedicate to meditation and self-taught, unless your a monk. Well, I've been back for a bit now and I haven't really done too much since I arrived, most noticeable, probably blogging, he he he. First thing I did was go to see beeb at work though, I sure did miss her a lot. Did a couple of runs, including my first long distance run, 7.5 miles about...but let's say 8. Mostly stayed in and played warcraft, or just chilled and made dinner. And last night, bought an X-mas tree with the roomie, and put up lights for it. Won't decorate it til the weekend, but it's nice to have a tree. It officially feels like x-mas at the house.

Anyway, just been trying to settle back into work, going over e-mails, resetting my laptop pw's(I messed it up when I was setting up my home network to play warcraft, he he he...), and just chillin...and now, it's lunch time...more to come on Japan...

I am a pleasant surprise...

We didn't leave until 8:45PM today, and we arrived at 8:20AM...longest day yet...

Some things are just universal...

So pictured here is some random Japanese comedy I watched tonight. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about or what exactly was going on. But their facial expressions and actions were enough to elicit some laughs from me. I think there was this couple, shown here...where the husband is kinda afraid of his wife...she gives this mean stink eye, and forces him to tell her the truth all the time. I think he and his father-in-law secretly win some kind of lottery and they're both trying to keep it from the wives... Come to think of it, it kind of reminded me of Everybody Loves Raymond. It was pretty funny...


I forgot to mention, I got my clothes laundered over the weekend while I was visiting Tokyo. Look at how they do it! It was all packaged and looked brand-new! Craziness!!!! My undies got cleaned too, but I didn't wanna include my tightie whities on the pic....

Long long day tomorrow...I hope I can hang...got so much to do...argh....

I am a quiet night...

Tonight, we had Sukiyaki, you know, like the song? He he he, I always thought it was pronounced, soo-kee-ya-kee...but I was wrong. It's actually pronounced ski-yah-kee. And it means cook what you like. It was pretty dang good. It's pretty much beef, noodles, cabbage and a bunch of other ingredients that cook in one pot..in a soy sauce, sugar, and sake sauce. And yes folks, that's Kobe beef...though very thinly sliced...so it's not expensive. And what's that in top top corner?


THAT'S RIGHT! It's a big chunk of FAT!!! That's what they used to grease the pot in the beginning! Crazy...and no, I did not eat it afterward. It actually kinda grossed me out for a change...

Anyway, I wanted to post pics from the weekend, but there's too many pictures and I'm trying to sort them all out still. However, here are just a few more pictures of note:

These vending machines are EVERYWHERE. I'm not kidding...it's like ABC stores in Hawaii x 10! Except this one is only indoors because it has...


BEER!!!
Haven't had the urge to have one yet...but nice to know it's just down the hall, he he he. 3 bucks, not too shabby.

And last but not least...they said that the subways get pretty crowded...I thought they were exaggerating...

That's a lot of people yo!!! I seriously thought I was gonna get trampled...

time to go to bed...gonna try and run again tomorrow...

I am another week...

I didn't think it was possible, but my mom learned to text message! I have repeatedly made attempts, and I think I finally succeeded. I used that e-mail text thing for cingular, so when they respond, it goes to my e-mail.

The message was as follows:
"Hi jay i love u miss u pop said hello be carefull eat good take care wait 4 ù 2 còme home safe love pop and mom

It was a good lengthy message. Granted, it DID take her 20 minutes to send a 2 line text message to Jos, so I wonder how long this one took. But if she ever really needs to do it, I can be rest assured that she can! They are finally getting into the technological swing of things...it's definitely never too late for learning.

I just read Joesan's last post and I got a little bit sad. Everyone went out and hung out after the softball game...boo. Man, I miss everyone...some, more than others, he he he. But it's the holiday season, I should be chillin and hanging out and shopping after work, not working far far away...(sigh)

And now, I just "watched" the Lakers tonight..err, today. Man, it was stressful, the score would change by so much cuz it takes a while to refresh the page. Until there was about 11 seconds left, when I read on the p-b-p that Knight missed both freethrows and Bynum got the rebound! Now 7 seconds left, and Brian just tied it up!!!! HOLY CRAP! It all of the sudden just says they won! WOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!! Man, I miss watching Laker games and playing ball...(double sigh).

I am a news bulletin...

Here's a little bit of info for all y'all. I knew it was like that in NYC and the east coast, but not here. I'm not sure what the ticket is gonna cost, but rumor has it that it could be a $95 ticket! And it was effective as of July 2005! So if don't know, now you know...

Check it out:
(a) During darkness and inclement weather, a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be equipped with at least two lighted headlamps, with at least one on each side of the front of the vehicle, and, except as to vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1930, they shall be located directly above or in advance of the front axle of the vehicle. The headlamps and every light source in any headlamp unit shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 22 inches.
(b) As used in subdivision (a), "inclement weather" is a weather condition that is either of the following:
(1) A condition that prevents a driver of a motor vehicle from clearly discerning a person or another motor vehicle on the highway from a distance of 1,000 feet.
(2) A condition requiring the windshield wipers to be in continuous use due to rain, mist, snow, fog, or other precipitation or atmospheric moisture.
(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2005.

Official DMV vehicle code

Pass the word

I am a safe trip back...

And on the 8th day...

...it rained
It put a little bit of a damper on the things I wanted to see today...but I braved the weather(it wasn't too bad til I got back to Iwaki actually, where it was frickin pouring...more on that later) and ventured on.

I just got back from Iwaki about an hour ago...feels nice to be settled back into this little room, he he he. This one's actually a mirror image of the room I had before...everything's on the opposite side, he he he.

So the weather...they said it snows very rarely in Iwaki...and guess what I might get to see one of those rare times...

...they sure know when to pick to send me on business trips. In Farenheit, that's highs of low 40's and sub 30 degree lows...krikey!

I didn't bring gloves...I esp need them when I run. We'll see how many days I can get in this week.

I wanted to write about the weekend, but I need to go to bed...pictures to come...

I am a face in the crowd...

Tokyo!!!
I'm finally here in Tokyo!!! We left work at 6:30, grabbed a bite to eat...RAMEN BABY! --- The place I went to was pretty interesting. You have to pay your money into this vending machine, and pick the type of ramen you want, shoyu, pork, whatever. When you pick your desired ramen type, this little colored plastic thing is dispensed and then you go to your table and give it to the cook...I guess that's fast food, japanese-style, ha ha ha...oops, I lost track of what I was talkin about there for a second --- and headed to the train station. Took the 7:12 train to Ueno, got there at 9:40, and from there, got on the JR to Shinagawa. It took another hour to actually get to my hotel because I had to buy a JR card(so I don't have to buy individual fares everywhere I go, and the guy I was with in Iwaki(a japanese local) decided to point me out to a few places to check out. He's not stayin in Tokyo, cuz he's gonna go visit his family. So I finally get outside the JR station, where I walked UPHILL for about 10 minutes to finally get to my hotel.

The room is a freakin huge compared to my former place of stay in Iwaki...but I think I got used to that cozy little room...I never spent much time in there anyway. It's room 3169, on the 11th floor...I know, wtf. It has a nice view though. I got to watch some CNN in English...which is the first English program I've seen so far. They showed the laker game and MNF during the week, but I never caught the whole thing and it was in Japanese anyway. The bed is rock hard...which should be interesting.

No pictures to post just yet. I've seen a lot of interesting stuff already. Well, I HAVE pictures, but internet access is only available in the lobby...which really blows. Cuz I can't post from my room. I'm addicted to the internet man...sheesh. But I'll post some more pics maybe tomorrow...

Did you know?
That in Japanese trains...like the JR...you can't talk on your cell phone? AND you have to have it on vibrate. So everyone just texts... Pretty cool...and it's just out of courtesy for the other people on the train...man, why can't americans be more like that???

I forgot to mention that Mr and Mrs Smith came out here this weekend. Angelina and Brad did a press conference the other day on TV. It was totally closed to only Japanese media and they were only allowed to ask questions related to the film...NO personal questions. I guess that's why they didn't want to involve the foreign media...they know some american press writer will get in there and break the rules. But It's pretty crazy how some movies come out like at the same time as us, like Harry Potter GOF, and some come out like a year later...

Big day tomorrow...better get some rest! Good night!

I am a quiet day in the office...

Ohayo gozaimasu!

Engrish?
This one's for Loudogg

"It's fRied Rice you plick!" Ha ha ha. Did you know there is no "L" in this language, and the closest to an "L" sound when saying a word is to use the letter "R" instead? Pretty interesting...and a little funny.

TGIF man, just gotta get through the long work day and it's off to Tokyo! last night we went out w/ some people from the office for all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink for only $20 bucks! C'est encroyable! It was a good time though, just laughing and drinking and trying to learn a little more about the japanese culture. I learned that sashimi has different names for the size, or age of the fish. Like for yellowtail, there are 4 different types. Hamachi is like the 3rd level. And Sake grades are related to Sumo wrestlers. Like the best is Yokozuna, and the next level is...hmmm, I forgot, but yeah, that's how that works. There was so much more, but my brain is on the slow side...hey, it's Friday.


This was the dinner table. It's pretty crazy, it was like in this little room. The restaurant had a whole bunch of them, I guess for private parties. They close a sliding door when your party is inside and everytime you need service, you just push this little button(This is an aside...I forgot to mention...my hotel room had a doorbell, ha ha ha) The only hard part was that we had dinner at those small tables. I don't really like sitting at these tables, but I better get used to it. It hurts my knees and I have to shift around constantly and straighten my legs for certain periods of time. I got a little used to it from the ramen place I go to back in Torrance though, so at least that helped out.


This is a closeup of the types of food that we had. There was a lot of sashimi, sukiyaki, tofu, the works. We even got to have some of the local fish...mehikari, this small deep sea fish that is local to Iwaki. It looked a little like a larger type of anchovy or something, but very soft. They served it lightly battered and fried. It was pretty good.


Here is my coworker(Erwin) and me. He left for home today, the lucky guy. Too bad he couldn't have a few extra days to go to Tokyo though...that would've been cool.


So a few hours and 4 beers later, I was stuffed and ready to go home. Surprisingly, I drank more than everyone else...they only had like 2 or 3. I could've maybe had 2 more, but I still had to come into work today. Plus, I wanted to run in the morning...which didn't end up happening anyway.

I got an e-mail from Cic that said I still have 14 days left here...well, to me, it's only 13 days left, but dude...that's still a LONG time! Goodness gracious, meeh-oh-my. This week went by kinda fast though, hopefully the next 13 days will go by fast as well.

Well, that's all for now...