Somewhere in this world...

As you probably know, it has been a very difficult interesting year here in Japan. But I am still alive and I am hanging in here. Anyway, this blog platform doesn't let me blog as much as I want (yes, I am a bad computer geek) so I decided not to do this and moved on. My new blog site will be
http://blah.tokiobleu.com/
Should you have time to kill, this is the web site :) I will try to blog more than twice a week hopefully. Happy day!

Today, in a nutshell, I "accidentally" found out that some girls at work were talking about myself being homo by saying "He is so gay". Isn't it awesome to be a system administrator some times?

Anyway, to give you some background, this is Japan. The idea of homosexuals is here and present. There are some "out" people on TV shows that you can see every day. But at the same time, it's so ignored and it's as if people do not wanna talk about it. Usually, the idea of it is not treated nicely. Some people get disgusted and say "unnatural". People automatically assume you should get married at some point in your life. But it's quite different from what you can see in the American/European countries. Because it's not stronglly recognized (but it's ignored), there is no supporting law for gay people but we are not prohibited, either :) It's weird.

Because of that, even though I am almost out to my friends and family, I am not out at work because I do not need any unncessary interferance. But I am not in the closet, either. I don't cover up with a fake girlfriend story or anything. When they ask me about my date or whatever, I would just say "this person" or "the person I am seeing" usually because I don't like telling a lie. However, it's none of their business. Recently, I have been hanging out with close co-workers after work for drinking because I like it. I guess that gave them a clue. I am not freaked out about them finding out that I am gay. I am very sad that the person in the same department I thoguht who was friendly to me and understanding talked about me behind my back with a disgusted tone. It's totally unfortunate but I believe it's a natural reaction, I would say. Yes, I was very sad when I found out about this.

I e-mailed about this to my close homo friends and they have been very supportive. One of the best friends was like "I hate those majority people who judge some things they cannot understand. You should bring them to me and let me yell at them". That's very sweet of him. But I won't do that. :) I was thinking what I should do about this. Then, it hit me. I do my work great (because I got a great incentive this year so they are happy with what I do). Me being homo shouldn't be associated with what I do at work. If they are disgusted by the idea of me being gay, that's their problem. I don't talk about sexy hunky guys I dream about to them. I was deabating earlier whether I should come out to them but given the fact that people do not like the idea of gay in general, I shouldn't create new problems. If they ask me whether I am gay, I might as well say "Well, it's none of your business and I would like to withhold that information" even though it totally means I am homo. Luckily, I work for this American company which employs "Zero means zero" policy that any harassement is strictly prohibited and I am supposed to be protected by that policy even though Japan is not really mature to the idea of gay.

Sorry I kept mumbling but I should say I realized that I am here in Tokyo, Japan even though everything seems to be so accepting and advanced. This is the very behind part. I am not an activist or anything but I thought this was very unfortunate. However, I don't feel uncomfortable extremely for some reason. The answer to this whole thing is to come up with the best resolution that you can think of by yourself. Because this is about you. Not others. So it's the best idea in my pesonal opinion to feel comfortable with how I deal with them and how I am exposed to this unfair corporate world :) yes, this could be quite different from what you are used to in your country but I believe this is the best way for me to deal with this thing :) Anyway, sorry that I didn't write this very well but I failed English 101 in college so you will have to excuse me. I wish you a fantastic weekend! Be good!

Last weekend, I believe the number of my killed brain cells due to massive alcohol consumption is a lot more than it should have been. I cannot learn, can I? A friend of mine whom I actually got to know through the website for frequent travelers was visiting Tokyo just for last weekend. Our common friend working for an airline decided to join us and he flew more than 6000 miles just for 23 hour stay! We opened a bottle of cava (Spanish sparkling wine) for our reunion at the wine bar. Then, I took them to a Japanese pancake place for dinner (Okonomiyaki), and showed them how to cook it. We went drinking in the homo district. How many bars did we go? hmmm.. I should say 5. I am really amazed that these two friends did drink a lot on the day of arrival from the other side of the world. When we got out of this dancing gay club thingy, it was already bright out. 7 o'clock to be exact. It was fun though. are we college dudes?. None of us had any hangover the next day. Whenever I decide to drink a lot, I take this anti-hangover thing before drinking and I take this other anti-hangover thing after drinking. They are not drugs. They are more like supplements. Hepalyse is the pre-drinking pills I take. They are very popular here in Japan for anti-hangover and they work brilliantly. Since we are not strong with alcohol, many of us including myself take this. After taking the pills, I feel totally okay after 8 shots of tequila :) These pills' ingredients are multi vitamins with some cattle liver essence. They are legal. The post drinking anti-hangover thingy is turmeric. They have special anti-hangover turmeric package and if you take this with lots of water, your liver will dissolve alcohol efficiently for you. As a matter of fact, I bought these for my friends as Japanese souvenirs. I am not sure if they like them but I thought they are creative souvenirs instead of crappy Japanese fans and such :0 So if you happen to be in Japan some time and drink, you should look for these at one of the drugstores. These two products are an alcohol soaked suggestions from an alcohol soaked headed guy :) Happy hump day!

We are supposed to be in the middle of the rainy season here in Tokyo. I said "supposed to" because it's been pretty dry and summer-like every day here in Tokyo. We haven't had much rain. It was 34 degrees C / 93.2 degrees F today. It is definitely hot. Not humid like every summer though. This year, we have to get used to "hot" due to saving electricity efforts. As I numerously mentioned that we are saving electricity and we are short of it due to the nuclear power plant shutdown caused by Tsunami. We are almost reaching the maximum. If we exceed that, unexpected black outs. That would be a nightmare as medical devices cannot function for those who need. It's more serious than having to worry about ice creem in your freezer melting. This is why a lot of office buildings cannot set airconditioners' temperature below 28 degrees c / 82.4 degrees f. Some buildings are required by law to save 15 % of usual electricity usages. However, it's hot. So this comes to rescue. This is the deodrant "ice cooling" spray that you can apply on your clothes! I was skeptical first but when I applied it, oh wow! it did cool me down. So whenever I cannot use airconditioning and it is sticky and uncomfy, I use this. You should pick it up if you are in Japan and if where you are gets hot :) Of course, if I am not saying I am never using airconditioning. I am just trying to use it as minimum as possible to contribute my part. It is not so bad after all :) But keep hydrated and avoid heat strokes! Happy summer day from Tokyo, Japan!

So I had an early morning conference call today. Ridiculously early. I grabbed a cab and got off in front of the office. I guess I was half asleep or fully asleep. I left my iPhone back in the cab and realized that when I got to my office. It was too late. I worried about someone stealing data or my SIM card or iPhone itself!!! I didn't get the receipt and don't know which taxi company (there are so many here in Tokyo) it was. BTW, I left my camera behind in the cab both in NYC and London last year (twice). For both times, I didn't have a receipt. It was over. When will I learn? Of course, I did craigslist and every possible thing but it didn't turn out. I thought I had to give up this time as well but I had like 5 minutes until the conference call so I called my iPhone several times. After a minute, I got a call from the taxi driver. He said he didn't know how to take a call on iPhone so he called me by looking at the caller ID on my iphone from his mobile. Anyway, he said he'd deliver my phone. I guess this doesn't happen much in NYC/London, does it? To appreciate him, I bought a prepaid shopping card and sweets even though he would have delivered it anyway for free. It's so much cheaper than replacing it with a new one, you know. Anyway, I am glad it came back. If you cannot get hold of the driver, the driver usually sends it to the nearest police station and the police station notifies the cell phone company and the cell phone company sends a letter to you. (Yes, I have left my cell phone once in a taxi. I am stupid). In a nutshell, if you leave something behind here in Japan especially in a taxi, make sure you get a receipt and your chance to get it back is not that small at all :) I'd say more than 80% or more. Even if you don't have a receipt, you could get it back. really. Of course, it would be better if you don't leave your belongings behind in the first place...but.. :) Good day!

As you can totally tell from the way I write/speak, I don't speak/write English on a regular basis. I failed English 101 in college first and had to re-take it again. Ever since then, I don't have confidence in my writing but you already know that. One of the reasons why I started this blog 6 years ago was I wanted to increase my opportunities to expose myself to the world where English is spoken/written. I am sure it's not much but it does help a little bit. Fortunately, I work for an American company so I get to speak/write English from time to time. But I realized that any work related conversations/e-mail isn't as hard as English you get to speak like a general conversation. Really. Well, there is a geeky factor that might make English speaking difficult but I am a geek :) I get to show around some visitors to Tokyo from time to time. I took a day trip tour with a friend whom I actually met from this blog luckily. I took her to a very old traditional city near Tokyo. Also, I showed this New Yorker to show him around here in Tokyo including freaky homo bars :) This is another way for me to brush up my English skills because I get to explain stuff. It's more challenging than having to speak/write at work actually. You have to know the history/background info/how to cook. I cannot say this objectively but when it comes to me showing visitors around here in Tokyo, I am really good at it. I try because this is my favorite city and I want visitors to have a fantabulous time. I do this because I didn't want them to think "Oh, Tokyo wasn't great" after missing all the things that you cannot get due to language/cultural barriers. Due to radiation fear and earthquakes, the number of visitors to Tokyo dramatically decreased; however, they are coming back gradually. Anyway, if you happen to stop by Tokyo, you should let me know. I will be a fantastic hostess. :) You have a fantabulous new week!
1st photo. The LA girl and me at the sacred bamboo quiet temple in Kamakura :) 2nd photo. The super tall NYer and me at the cheapy drinking place where everything is low key and Japanesy.

I guess one of the major reasons why I haven't blogged regularly is that bashing guy from the neighbor country who happened to criticize everything I posted here because of this web. It doesn't allow me to blog more than I want to. It's freaking inconvenient. So I decided to move to the easier platform. However, migrating everything takes time since this is not my work. Thankfully, my IT skills will help me do this by myself so it's all good. I will see if I can have this done by the end of next month. That's my personal project :) In the meantime, I will stick with this til I complete the freaking thing.
So we officially entered the "rainy" season. In Tokyo, the rainy season usually starts in early June and ends in mid-late July. However, we have entered the rainy season 12 days earlier than usual this year. Many people get blue because of too much rain and humidity. Compared to last year (which happened to be the second hottest summer in history in Tokyo), it's very mild and nice. I actually like the rainy season because green is greener and you get to appreciate flowers and quietness which rain shuts noise out even in the middle of Tokyo. Besides, this is the longest day time in a year. The sky gets slightly blue and bright before 4 in the morning and I love the rainy dawn like that. Luckily, I got to see rainy gardens recently. One of them is the Imperial garden near my office/place. Since it was a cloudy weekday, the garden was rather empty. But hydrangeas and azaleas were in full bloom. I believe the Japanese garden can be very different from other styles and my DNAs tell me this is the most fitting :) The other garden is the bamboo temple garden in Kamakura which is like 1 hour train ride from Tokyo. I and my friend went there in the very early morning so no tourists wouldn't be there. We made the right decision :) It was very sacred, quiet, and beautiful (the second photo). It was raining but the rain made it better actually. Anyway, I am not sure how to conclude this post but don't get devastated if it rains. It might be a great way to appreciate green and quietness by relaxing. If there is a Japanese garden near you, I'd suggest you to go there when it rains :) it's zen. It does cleanse you. :) Good day!

It's been more than 3 months since the major earthquake hit the eastern part of Japan including Tokyo. The nuclear power plant situation is still unstable and critical. The government is a fiasco. So much worse than the nuclear power plant if I may say. We are short of electricity so we constantly save electricity. Our lifestyle has definitely changed since the earthquake. You can actually tell even if you are visiting here. However, we are not devstated and trying to restore things. But I guess I will post some earthquake related things later but don't wanna completely focus on earthquakes though.

I haven't blogged in a while and not on a regular basis. I cannot say I am busy because I was busier when I blogged almost everyday 6 years ago. So what happened? I am not sure. I guess many bloggers come to the point where they slow down or stop blogging. I got there. But at the same time, I have run into other people I have met through this blog. Also, I met a "professional blogger" last week and showed him around here in Tokyo and realized that blogging is still one of the way to deliver/share information over the Internet and it can be a great tool to meet someone you wouldn't meet with other methods. So I came back here to post a "blah-ing" meaningless entry today. I am not sure if I can continue to blog like 6 years ago but I will see how it goes. I guess what I am hoping I would get from this blog is another new door to communicate with new people and get to know them. Also, at the same time, I would like to focus on good things about Tokyo even though a lot of tourists have decided not to come here due to radiation fears and all. So I guess I can provide real Tokyo information from my own point of view. Anyway, I should go to bed and hope there will be some posts in the very near future here :) I wish you a wonderful fresh week!

So it's been almost three weeks since the major earthquake hit the eastern part of Japan. I thought I'd update this before the new month begins. There were lots of stuff I wanted to share but I wasn't sure if i should. I believe it has been the most difficult time for many of us including us who didn't get direct affect from Tsunami and earthquakes. Since March 11, I believe we have had more than 300 earthquakes. It was normal to have an earthquake or two every hour. The radiation levels in the eastern part of Japan spiked (though the elevated radiation levels in Tokyo are the same as some European cities' usual radiation levels so no need to panic). Unfortunately, radioactive substances have been found in tap water and vegetables in the eastern part of Japan. The nuclear power plant situation is still unstable. I believe many have been under a lot of pressure we have never experienced. This time of the year is usually very important for many of us because it's the cherry blossom season. I am sure I have blogged about them in the past but because of the very big disasters, we haven't been able to pay much attention to when cherry blossoms are going to be in full bloom and such. The weather forecast reported a few days ago that Tokyo will get cherry blossoms in full bloom very soon. Cherry blossoms viewing at night by drinking is a common spring event among many Japanese. But many try not to do so this year to respect those in difficult times. I am not sure if that is the best thing because it is very important to blow off some stress by having a great time even if this is a difficult time. The chance of getting sick from this stress is greater than getting cancer from the elevated radiation levels, I assume :) Anyway, I am not sure if it would be interesting but I will share some of "post-disaster" life in Tokyo that you cannot get from CNN/BBC news coverage. Until then, I will try to be safe. Have a wonderful last day of March and wishing you a pleasant day from a slightly radiation contaminated city!

I just got back from the mass with my family. I thanked those engineers and people who are working so hard to resolve problems on nuclear power plants even though many of us only fear about radiation and ourselves. I wish their success and health. Yes, nuclear staffers are working hard even by sacrificing themselves. So why can I be so afraid of what might/might not happen? Power plants incidents are very horrifying but they are not fatal yet and engineers and Yes, radiation levels rose to 20 times more than the usual level even here in Tokyo. But it's not terminal.

Many people outside of Japan send good thoughts and prayers and I really appreciate them. At the same time, many people say "I am glad I am not in Japan". Yes, these are awful and the worst things I have ever experienced in my life. Sometimes, it's scary to see what is happening.

However, there are good things coming out of these incidents. People are helping each other. Without being told, we are voluntarily working together to save electricity. Our offices and stores are very dark but it's okay if this is a way to save electricity. Japanese people are very good at doing things together. (Despite some thieves stealing things from empty stores.) Sure you can call me an ethnocentrist but I have never been proud of being Japanese like this. Many public facilities are accepting people who evacuated from the epicenter. People in shelter are cooking things together. Food is scarce there right now but boys are helping seniors and give up their food to give it to those who need it more. I only helped some tourists trying to figure out how they can get to the airport to get out of Japan. But at least, I was able to contribute a little bit. We do these things naturally without being told to. And I really like what we have in our DNAs for these behaviors :)

I had a plan to go to Portland, Oregon this weekend but I cancelled it because I don't wanna worry sick and get frustrated with limited information I could get on the other side of Pacific Ocean. I'd rather go through this with my family and friends and help those who need help. However, I am calm and hopeful for the nuclear power plants' incidents after watching this educational program explaining what is going on in Fukushima.

I know this is the worst time but at the same time, I am really happy to see how helpful we are to each other... I hope our mentality stays this way in spite of what might happen in the future.

I didn't do well in Englsih 101 but I hope I was able to get my message across. I wish you health and a very happy day :) Sending good thoughts from Tokyo, Japan