May 2005 Archives

When I went to Seattle earlier this month, I caught the tralier of Six Feet Under on TV by coincidence. It was beautifully delivered as always. Clair may not be the cutest woman on this planet but I find her very charming and cool. It's sad to see this go as this will be the final season. I have been so hooked. However, I think the director is very smart to end this while the show is still good. The show itself seems so real. (though it's a TV show. Some unrealistic moments are there, too) Anyway, I found the trailer I saw on TV. I was so curious why Brenda was driving separately and not in the car Nate drove. Are they going to be separate again? Is George going to be sane? (not likely...) Are Rico and Vanessa getting back together? I came up with tons of questions that cannot be answered until I see it while watching this tralier. (Okay, I sound so low that I am like a gropie or something...ahem..) I hope it won't let Six Feet Under fans down anymore. (Nate cried too many times) I am so very much looking forward to this show. Can't wait. I always like the visual effects and every little detailed art work they do. I have been fascinated with the modified color of the sky (dark greenish blue) in this program. The trailer has that color, too. It is available from HBO.COM web site. I have been talking about TV only today here... I am not a TV freak if any one cares... I don't own a TV.

I got up at 6 as usual and fixed myself breakfast. It's very cloudy today... I didn't feel like going to work. As a matter of fact, I felt like having a day off. But I couldn't do that so I thought I was going to take a morning off instead. I thought it would not be wise to kill somebody just for a morning off. hmmm... Going to a hospital? hmm.... I decided to kill my friend's husband this time and messaged my supervisor that I had to pay a little visit at his funeral this morning. (As a matter of fact, she is already a widow.) I decided to drive around a little bit but it's Monday morning....nothing fun. I parked my car at the gym and decided to work out for 2 hours. cardio and swimming. I am not even sure if I am ever allowed to bring a camera here but I didn't take any pic of naghty thingies here so I should be allowed. Anyway, I swom for an hour and ran for an hour. I feel energized finally. Okay, I still have like 3 hours until I have to go to work. I guess I will go to a cafe and read newspaper. I sometimes make myself a lazy person. Do I feel guilty? nope. not really.


I wish I could watch Eurovision live. But since I live in Asia, that's so impossible. I browsed internet who was singing what song. This singer from Cyprus got my attention. Constantinos Christoforou. He is either really proud of his armpit and wants to show it, or he is trying to capture gay audience's attention or thinking of being a porn star? I don't know.... Any clothe (if he wears) or any pose he does looks so gay. I am not sure if he is and I don't really care. Considering he is Mediterranean, he's done trenmendous job on his eyebrows maintenance. I like black haired guys best so he is definitely hot to me regardless of his clothes. However, I was kinda disappointed that he had to sing "Ela Ela" on Eurovision while there were better songs of his. He came in 18th. Oh well. But I really liked him very much even if he was very much proud of his armpit or biceps.

Sorry if I called it a karaoke Party but sometimes, it looks like it. You see what I mean, right? But I liked what I was seeing here. I might wanna check out his album but I don't speak Greek....Just out of curiosty, when he represents Cyprus, which Cyprus is it?


I guess I finally decided to go back home at 4:30a.m. today. I really didn't realize how much time it passed. There was too much fun but I didn't really care... It was already a bright early morning. I decided to walk back home because I wanted to feel fresh air. The city was still quiet. Very few cars in the street of Aoyama. No direct sunlight but clear blue sky. It was about a few minutes passed 5 when I picked up a newspaper. I took it with me and went into one of the usual cafes I go to. I know I was too tired because of too much fun I already had. But Saturday morning in Tokyo under the clear sky was too beautiful to miss so I wanted to feel it. I went back home around 8a.m. and got up 11a.m. I thought I was going to take it easy... Guess not... It's almost 4 in the afternoon and I am already sleepy.



I had grilled ox tongue for lunch. American beef is not available in the market because Japanese government has refrained from importing it due to Mad Cow disease observed in the States. Because beef is getting scarce, the cost itself rises as a natural consequence. It's scary that it takes awhile until you know your brain's got abnormal prion that leads you to be Jacob disease. Correct me if I am wrong but it is said it takes 7 years or so after consuming infected beef until you can observe symptoms. No cure for this disease. But I had Japanese beef today. The beef has been screened by inspectors according to the government guidline but who knows how precise that would be. If I get lucky, I might not have to die in 7 years. I have no plan to become a vegetarian at all though I don't care much about beef. I can live without it.

I know there is an alcohol policy at my work but it's Friday and it's just one glass. I won't get fired because of that. I was happy.

I guess I went to bed around 1 in the morning. I got up quarter after 5. I tried to go back to sleep but I was widely awake. It's this bright outside already. The day time is getting longer... I wish there was a starbucks or any coffee place near my house. Or I wish there was a gym opening at 5 in the morning...I do not have any cigarette craving though I feel weird ever since I quit smoking. This isn't something I say it out loud but I get hornier than ever like hitting puberty once again... When will I be able to function normally? I don't have any will or plan to start smoking again though... Okay, I should shower and start my early morning... I hope I won't fall asleep at work today. I just realized this weblog application observes daylight saving time when there is no such thing in Japan...


I got up at 4 in the morning and went to the airport to catch the first flight to Hiroshima. I had to take care of something in Hiroshima office today. One of the common local specialities in Hiroshima is "Oysters" I do not care about Okonomiyaki. It's too sweet for me. I prefer Osaka style. On the way from the airport, I kinda took a detour and got myself a couple of grilled oysters. They were very huge and tasteful. I was happy.

On a lunch break, as the office is very close to Hiroshima Peace Site, I paid a little visit and lit incense for those who suffered from the bomb attack. This is the photo of ground zero. It's called Atomic Bomb Dome. It was demolished and preserved this way to remember war is not the answer. I do not have any strong political opinions to share in public over the internet. But I wish our world was more peaceful than this. I hope it will be some day even if it takes enormous time to achieve.

I got back to Tokyo at 6 in the evening and went to the office. I had a few beers after that with my sister. It has been a long day... But I enjoyed it even though it was a crazy biz trip. Viva Oysters!!

Man Dies After Jumping From Eiffel Tower

PARIS - A Norwegian man who leaped off the Eiffel Tower in a publicity stunt was killed after his parachute got stuck on an upper deck of the monument and came off, officials said Tuesday.
..............
Hundreds of people have died at the tower, which is 1,063 feet tall with its flagpole, since it opened as a star attraction of the 1889 World's Fair.
Most of the deaths were suicides. The first reportedly was that of a printer's mechanic, who hanged himself from the tower's north pillar in 1891, bequeathing his clothes to builder Gustave Eiffel in his will.


It was good work out at the gym. But I am so sore... Why am I doing this? I don't know maybe, I will be able to feel more comfortable and confident on the beach. That way, I can be more slutty? hahaha. no-no, I am just trying this because this should be a substitute of smoking... Well, I will see how far I can go.
My addiction comes and goes. It's become more frequent these days. Maybe, because I quit smoking? On the way back from the gym, I stopped by a bookstore. What was I thinking? I shouldn't have gone in there in the first place. I sometimes get addicted to books. Look what happened. I spent an hour there and bought 2 magazines(well, I can finish them like a snap), 1 travel guide book(which I do need), 2 thick novels (Stupid of me....I shouldn't have gone there to the novel section..), and 1 English novel. (Oh, I am so dead). Total was 6500yen= $60.50= €48.02. I guess I could finish two books by Friday. I will dig in the English one over the weekend. I don't know why I bought more than one when I don't have a lot of time to read books and I have other better things to do... Yeah, it's the desease... I guess I will not have any special plans for the rest of this week. I now regret it. But I will enjoy them.


I don't usually cook for myself because it's too sad. I am not fond of cooking to be honest. I am sure some gay people are not good at it like me. Besides, it takes time. An hour or so. I had a plan to have dinner with a friend of mine tonight but he stood me up. Well, he couldn't get out of work to be exact. I decided to pick up some ingredients for my dinner since I didn't have anything useful in my fridge. I felt like having fish. So I went to a supermarket. Come to think of fish, I hear Japan is one of the most fish consumed country on this planet. (gee, I wish I had a support link to prove that.)Tuna is getting scarce due to massive consumption here in Japan. I think I read about that somewhere on the newspaper the other day. But I am not a big fan of Tuna. I can live without it. If you go to any supermarket, you will notice the fish section is as large as the entire meat section. I am not sure about your country. But when I went to a supermarket in the States, I didn't see this big. Anyway, fish is not that bad even if you don't like it. Though I understand it looks so gross. I even think that when I cut up some specific type of fish like Yellowtail. Anyhow, I fixed simmered mackerel in miso. It was alright. It was very simple. Now going to the gym...


I was looking forward to this. The concierge of my apartment building gave me the shipping package that was held for me when I came back. It's still in movie theatres here in Japan so I mail-ordered from the States. The phantom of the opera. I have seen the four different musical versions previously. If you compare this to the stage version, the Phantom of the Opera, it would be disappointing without questions. But I watched it as a movie version obviously. I decided not to compare this with other stage productions I have seen. This is absolutely a beautiful film. The quality of singers was not that good. However, I was surprised how well and deep the Phantom's emotion was captured. I really liked Gerard Butler who played the Phantom regardless of his singing. I instantly fell in love. I think he delivered emotion and what his words represented very well. His acting covered the lack of singing quality. But let's face it. He is not primarily a stage singer. Considering, he has done tremendous job. Besides, I liked the way his lips moved when he especially sang "The music of the night." The most disappointing thing was Raoul's voice was too pretty. I wonder if they could've not found any better actor... But I really liked this film. Viva Gerard Butler!


Finally, the blue sky without any clouds. It's been awhile since I saw the one last time. I did not have to get outside on a lunch break but I felt like I should enjoy this weather while it lasts. It would be a perfect day to take a nap on grass in Shinjuku Gyoen. (Tokyo version of Central Park but the admission fee is like 200 yen. =$1.86 = €1.48.) Unfortunately, it's not warm enough to get half naked to get tanned. Luckily, I haven't trimmed my unwanted hair yet. Too bad it's a work day but I am partially happy. There are some major hotels like Hyatt, Hilton, stuff like that around my work place. Tourists walk by around here. I just saw one tourist who only wears a tank top which reveals too much skin... I am sure he will get a lot of attention as no one else wears that right now. By the by, it's so Tokyo that I can get WiFi in the middle of the park...


I so do not know what's wrong with me but I feel like I am a grandpa. Got up at 5 in the morning. I absolutely have nothing plans except to have lunch with my parents later. So I decided to hit the gym. I haven't worked out for awhlie so I thought I was going to drag my lazy ass and get in a better shape by the time I will have to wear a pair of speedos. I am so sore. I am not sure if I can keep going to the gym three times at least on a weekly basis. I will see to it. I decided to walk back home to burn a few more calories since I didn't have any plan. It's unusually chilly these days in Tokyo. 19°C high = 66°F high today. It's so gray and where did the blue sky disappear to? Although I don't appreciate deadly humid hot summer days in Tokyo, I like this chilly weather. However, I could use more sunlight. By the way, I call this building "Fake empire state building" It looks dull. Shorter. But I am sure the architect got a partial idea from Empire State building in Manhattan. S/he'd better not get sued. This is a photo I took on the way back home.


I got a call at 2 in the morning. It was my best buddy saying he broke up with his girlfriend. I wasn't asleep and wasn't that sleepy so I agreed to meet up with him at the closest cheep drinking place from my home. I wasn't really up for something. God, why does the first beer taste so good for thirst every time? I don't really care for the second or the third but I always drink beer for the first drink. We ordered something light to eat though I didn't eat any of it. He wasn't in a bad sad mood but he kept talking while I was feeling a little high. I am not so certain if I was a good listener... I know breaking up always sucks but we are not insanely old so we can move onto something hopeful, can't we? I hope he will do better after the 6 year relationship. He can always count me in for drinks. :-)

I got back home after the sun rise around 5 in the morning... I decided not to go to bed coz my body clock will be fucked up. So I did clean up the house and stuff like that. Oddly, I am not tired or sleepy. But I guess I take it easy and do nothing weekend specific stuff.


I don't practice Christianity so Friday the 13th doesn't mean bad or anything. It's still Friday. It was awfully a long day at work. I can't believe how many times I looked at the clock to count how many hours there were. I did not have any special plan so I thought I was going to a movie alone but a friend of mine messaged me in the afternoon. We had a few drinks and went to a karaoke place. This is the photo of the Karaoke remote controller. You can look up the title or the artist and select a song you wish to sing. It's that easy. We stayed there for 2 hours. It was a good night without anything too exciting. My friends who tagged along wanted to drink some more but I was a little tired so I came back home. huh... am I getting older? yeah, I think I am.


(Click the image to zoom) It's raining, and I don't have any exciting plans tonight so I went home straight (oh...should I say "directly"?) and deicded to read things. This is the cover of this month's Instinct magazine I picked up in Seattle. I wonder if there was ever any edition with an asian guy as a cover model on this magazine... Anyway, this cover model had dated a girl for 5 years before coming out. I wonder if he enjoyed going down on her...(Oh, did I say that out loud?) Interesting articles to skim through..like "57 rules on being the perfect boyfriend". I don't think I need these rules right now coz I have nothing or no one to apply to as I am happily single. (I hope I don't sound like a loser)

Rule #12: He shows up on time but forgives you for running late.

Rule #51: He randomly holds your hand or puts his arm around you

I didn't plan to go Cold Turkey today... But I forgot putting a nicotine patch on me this morning. I thought it would be fine without a patch. I am so wrong... I had to talk to one of nerdy people over the phone and I was irritated by every single second during the call. I could kill the guy if I was ever allowed to do so... So I went home and got some patches. Now, I have less urge to kill people. I don't know people around me could go cold turkey. I can't... What's up with that???


I have a confession to make... Until today, I had been commuting to work by taxi. I wanted to sleep as much as I could and it takes about 5 mins from my home to work by taxi. That's why. It costs roughly about 900 yen = $8.50 = €6.66 for each way. That's why I usually spent 1800 yen a day just for commute when commuting by subway would cost 320 yen a day. It takes 20 minutes from door to door. I thought I was going to be more budget conscious instead of enjoying a luxurious advantage. That way, I can save 32560 Yen = $310.00 = €241 a month. My subway line isn't insanely crowded like the other ones even during the rush hours. So I decided to get up a little early and save some money for no reason...

During the trip, I had a plenty of time to kill. So I bought books at Narita airport. The name is "Out". No, not anything related to a "coming out" story. It's about Japanese four housewives dealing with something really dark. This was suggested by a friend of mine some time ago. But this has more than 800 pages to read so I couldn't really find my time to read this. I almost fainted as it was seriously gross and very easy to visualize the story in my head. But I found this very interesting. There is a translated version in English and it's only 400 pages (I wonder why it can be that short coz Japanese version is more than 800 pages.). If you have time and want to see some of Japan, I guess this is an interesting book to read. Of course, these aren't typical Japanese housewives. well, I should get back to work... duh...

I am still clean. I haven't smoked cigarettes ever since the day I tried to quit. Well, it hasn't been that long at all. But I just had wine. I am sure it would go well with smoking.. So would Chocholate... So would coffee... I have this little urge to fill up my lungs with smoke. If I smoked right now, I would feel dizzy and disappointed. I am sure it's not worth getting back to the old habit. Ugh.... Psychological addiction... AHHHHHHH.. I can't fall asleep...

My sweet home city. Tokyo. Yeah, it's huge and crowded. Too many people, too much traffic. But I feel relieved and ease when I come back to Tokyo. The flight was smooth. I hated the trip back from the airport to my home as usual. But I am here! It's been an interesting trip. I am not sure when I will go to the States again but if I do, I will make sure I won't move from one city to another quickly like I did this time. I am going to take a loooooong bath and go to sleep. I will have to work tomorrow.. Good night!


I think the schedule was too tight. But I enjoyed my trip. The rehearsal dinner of my friend's was marvelous. I couldn't stay until the end of the wedding today but I am glad I made it. Whenever I attend my friends wedding, which by the way happens that I am invited more time than ever, I cannot picture myself getting married. Of course, I am not going to be a fake straight guy getting married to a girl like you see a lot back in Japan. But I wonder if I am able to find a person I would like to spend the rest of my life with. I am not worried about it and am not really looking for the one right now. But I would like that kind of happiness in the future. I am sure if I keep living in Japan, it is very unlikely that I can have that. But I am not sure where I should move to. I have to reconsider my future plan... A little shopping time here at the airport then, I am off to Tokyo and will get back to my normal life which I am strangely grateful for. See ya!

It sounds crazy but I went up to Vancouver to have lunch with a friend of mine, who recently moved there. She doesn't speak English much yet but I am sure she will! Good luck to ya!

By the way, I am not going to generalize this with my limited experience but I've seen more than 10 drivers without a blinker on and change their lanes or turn the blinker on 0.01 sec prior to changing a lane. What's up with that? It was a scary driving expeirenc in Vancouver. One time, there was a car in front of me I almost hit the bumper. I didn't let him change the lane coz I didn't know he wanted to change his lane. One guy even game me a finger. But he wasn't attractive at all. No fucking thanks. How on earth was I supposed to know he was about to come in my lane without a blinker on? Thank God. I am back in Seattle.

On the way to the place where a friend of mine was supposed to meet me for drinks, he called and told me he would be 1 hour late at the last minute. (great.. Jay.) I decided to sip coffee at my favorite cafe in Seattle and browsed articles on my favorite local freepaper. "The Stranger" One ad for rent got my attention.

1100 sqft 1bd & 1380 sqft 2 bdrm in classic brick! Hdwds, walk-in closets. $1195 NS/NP

I don't think I could rent a similar loft with that money back in Tokyo. Can I please get a job in Seattle?

Other than that, there was an interesting questionnaire like "Help Line". This guy gets a free blow-job from a lady living upstairs from him with no strings attached. He doesn't have to reciprocate. She doesn't ask for it. He is wondering what this thingy means and how she feels about it.. Wow... Anyway, I enjoyed reading it and time flew by so fast. Nice killing time moment. I wish there was a freepaper like this in Tokyo. The freepaper I could get back home isn't really fun to read...

Yes. I started trying to quit fags again. I am not sure how long it will last. Hopefully, permanently. Whenever I have coffee, which is one of other vices I have, smoking has to come with it. I smoked the last cigarette last night right before I hit the sack. I put this on this morning after taking a shower. So far, I have a feeling I wanna smoke a little bit but nothing major. I flew from New Orleans to Seattle. Now, I am in the mecca of Coffee, Seattle. Hopefully, I won't start smoking any time soon. Wish me luck!

Too bad, I didn't take a camera with me last night. It was the most beautiful crescent I have ever seen. I went out to dinner with a friend who tagged along from Las Vegas. Since I won big back there, the expensive dinner was on me. :-) Then, we went to one of those gay bars. It was fun. I guess I had too many jello shots... But it was too chilly to get half naked. Damn.. I expected it would be a lot more humid than this. Whenever I watch a scene in New Orleans of any movies, I see actors getting very sweaty. I hear it's going to be more humid here next week. Well, I guess I am going to enjoy humidity in New Orleans some other time.


I put $64 in the slot machine and then after a while, I won somewhere around 900 dollars. After this, I bet all the money I won ($1000) on Red at the roulette table. I won $1000!! I didn't stay. I just left with a tip to the dealer. I may not be able to become a millionaire but almost a half of my travel expense has been paid by gambling.


This is the guy on the Hotel Service channnel. It's so funny that this guy has a french accent. I am sure it's intentional. I know a friend of mine speaking English with no French accent. It's kinda sarcastic. Leaving Paris in Las Vegas...