August 2005 Archives

First of all, I got like 600 spam comments for the last 24 hours. What's up with that? I had to upgrade this Moveable Type to 3.2..... The only thing I know is I left my comment on some weblog for the first time yesterday. Is that it? Leaving my URL does that? hmm..... Anyway, Yes, my banana, baby. Whenever I go on a biz trip to the States or go there on vacation (which I have only been there twice this year), Banana Republic is a must place before I leave. Their clothes are very reasonable and tastey for me. Because they were only available in North America, I use to go "Power" shopping while I was there. Pants, shirts, jackets and other items. That was one of the routines while I was there. However, they have come here to Japan. Though I am not that much crazy about clothes like *somebody*, I thought I would just stop by on the pre-opening day as I was invited. I picked up a pair of pants and a shirt. They are slightly more expensive than they are in the States. But my favorite lable for everyday clothes is finally here! They will open some more stores next month. I am so glad because I don't get asked "Would you be interested in Banana Republic Card?" every time I deal with Banana Guys. I usually say "No, thanks" but they keep mubling about how benefitial the cheapy plastic card would be. The second thing I usually say is "I don't have a social security number. I am illegaly here!!! don't tell anybody!" to shut them up. :-) I don't have to say that at Banana in Tokyo. :-) "No Thanks" ought to do its job just fine. Happy being a fashion whore! (FYI, I am not.)

First of all, while one of the team members was just in my office, I wanted to search articles about Hurricane Katrina. But, I did google image search with the word "Katarina" by accident instead of News search. I came up with something that definitely made me look like a filthy straight guy at work... Second of all, is Sven back from vacation yet? I hope he is doing great. I miss ya!

It was rather a busy day at work. Things had been crazy because of one horrible incident on the system. The system had gotten back up and running alright just for my part after 4p.m. (while other people had to work on their thing still after I got out.) As we had to restore the system right away, I was making myself useful in any way I could. I was busy, too. The word “busy” in Japanese, you write “heartless” or "lost heart" in one Chinese character. That’s not good. I'd like to keep my heart for as long as I could even if I am busy. Anyway, since I didn't have lunch at all, I thought I'd go downstairs and grab something sweet and a cup of great coffee at Tully's before I finished the day. The elevator suddenly stopped right after closing the door. I got kinda freaked out. We were stuck in the elevator for about 25 mins before it got back to normal. One of the ladies started crying... It was scary and very hot in there as the air was shut. When I arrived on the first floor after that scary incident, the sky was already dark as the photo describes it all. It was very long 25 minutes. I guess getting stuck in the elevator would not happen on an everyday basis....at least I’d like to think it doesn’t. And the stairway isn't an option for me as I don't know how long it would take me to get up there. God, it wasn't a good day. But I am glad I am still alive. Have a good one for me!

Since I won't go back home by midnight tonight. Here's the post for today.
Click the photo if you can't read. Thanks.

What makes you relaxed? When you are stressed, what is it that you do to blow it off? (Don't say Sex because I am going through this being single forever phase) For me, drinking is one of things I'd probably do but it's not the best. I like something extraordinary to blow off stress. According to some scientific research, something really extreme might make you feel relaxed though the stress level actually increases. I used to go skydiving. However, it's a little expensive for a regular weekly activity and not that much relaxing to be honest. Since my sprained ankle got so much better, I decided to start my regular running in the morning. Also, as it's getting autumn gradually, I decided to go back for my weekly flying routine. Paragliding. It's really great because I can think of something I never think down on the ground. I got up very early this morning and headed to the paragliding site, 2 hours drive. The weather wasn't perfect but it was a doable condition. I know I wasn't allowed to do this but I took a photo during the last flight. My instructor didn't see me do this anyway. :-) Even though I didn't have my usual digital camera and used my cellular phone's instead, it was very beautiful. I wish I were able to listen to music while I was at it. I sang out loud because nobody was around. :-) The theme song for the last flight was Cloud number nine by Bryan Adams.... It was pretty great....except that I don't have "someone" who will be mine like he sang. Oh well :-) Happy Sunday V(^_^)V

I took this photo which didn't turn out good while I was waiting for a queer friend of mine going crazy at Louis Vuitton . As I am a fag, I sometimes like shopping but I usually do that alone and didn't have anything to buy today. But this queen of bags spent freaking 2 hours in there when he said he would finish in 30 mins. He spent how much? how much??? 400,000 YEN!! = U.S. $ 3641 = 2954 Euros!!! I can't believe him just for two stupid bags. I didn't have anything to buy there because I don't like LV to be honest. There, I said it. :P It's too classy for me. While waiting for him to come out which took forever, I watched honey bees working very hard to collect all the honey they could get for autumn. I mean I like honey very much but it takes forever for them to collect it for the amount of 1 bottle. We let them do their job and steal honey from them. While watching them at it, I felt guilty. One of bees stopped on my shoulder, and this almost 30 year old guy, Shigeki, told it (not literally.... in my heart.) "I am sorry but nice job!". Yeah, it's creepy of me.The next thing I know is this freaking bee stung my shoulder!! Damn it. It shouldn't have as it dies. I guess I deserve that for stealing their honey. It occurred to me it was almost time for me not to wear a sleeveless shirt. Autumn is on its way! Getting ready for it? Be ready. :-)

First of all, I added a link to a fabulous New Yorker, Wayne!! To be honest, I have a thing about Hong Kongese guys. I think I read somewhere he was born in HK. The way he sees/describes things is very cool to me. It's interesting I have none of U.S. blogmates from the west coast while I have some friends there but I have blogmates from the East Coast while I don't have any in real life.... hmm...

I got summoned by HR dept today to see an in-house doctor. Because my overtime in July was over 200 hours, I was required to see a doctor for bodycheck and all. Being a workaholic has been really problematic here in Japan. Some people die from it even. It's called "death from overwork; Karoshi". When you walk in the middle of Tokyo at night, you might see some old drunk business men sleeping on the street because they might be too tired to go back home. That's really Japanese. I think. The crazy project made me work that much last month. Oddly, I really appreciated the experience because I got to learn the new technologies. I didn't even complain that much to my boss. After all, I've been trying to have a "life" as a fabulous homo even if I am busy. As a result, my sleeping hours have been little. I konw it's not good but I find it manageble. I haven't had a cold since I graduated from college. Anyway, I wondered how I spend a day. I created 24 hour pie charts to visualize that. Of course, I don't include "hand job time" or anything specific here. I think it's nice to know how you spend your time. (^_^)V I am guessing some of you might be interested to know how I spend my day. Click the photo for the charts! By the way, the photo was from this morning. After-typhoon sky. (^_^)V Don't work too much and live happily! Heading off to thumpa thumpa! You guys have a great weekend!

I shouldn't have trusted the third party link management stuff. My all the links to other blogs disappeared!! I hope I have everyone I need to have. If I am missing, please let me know!! or I will verify it later when that third party thingy comes back online. First of all, I added a link (ditched 2 other links at the same time though...sorry!) to Derek from Malaysia. I have great visitors from Malaysia. I am so honored and I feel like having Malaysian dudes in bed those incredible fried spring roll thingies that are filled with peanut sauce!!! I so miss them. Second of all, I added a link to Kevin from Virginia, U.S.A. I've never been to VA, U.S.A. before but I imagine it's beautiful in autumn. He is a spinning expert. I looove spinning. It's an alternative way to feel orgasms how far you can go and my instructor has "a huge package" hehe. I don't wear tight ones though. Just a regular pair of short pants. *wink*

I found this rosary when I was cleaning up my drawers earlier this evening. It's so funny. The rosary designed by gay guys. :-) My mother was mortified when I took this with me to church. Well, I like D&G!! I still keep it for no reasons. :) Anyway, I watched the last episode of my favorite show yesterday. Six Feet Under. In the previous episode, I didn't even think this TV show would remotely end well. I was so wrong. I think this was the best TV show ever to come to this well written closure. After watching it and brushing my tears away, I felt awesome (God, I sound like a straight guy) I can't even describe this amazing feeling with words. It was like opening up the deepest blue sky. Even though this TV show gave me the reality that everyone dies no matter how, I felt calm and peaceful. It was the perfect ending.

I am pretty sure this has become common already. But why not give it a shot here for today's post? Even though I don't like cooking (Yeah, it's my cliche), I make dressing for salads. My favorite dressing I usually make is Wasabi Dressing. When you think of Wasabi, you might think it might be too spicy and make you cry. Well, if it dissolves in some liquid, the spiciness gets softer and the taste of it turns out to be very refreshing. If you use a fresh real Wasabi, that would be perfect though it's way too expensive to get them so I use a tubed wasabi. I bet this can be purchased at the supermarket in the Asian Food section. You could use those Wasabis you could get from Sushi place. But a tubed one is better. Here's my recipe. This is for 4 persons. I usually make more and pour it into a bottle though.

Wasabi	a half tablespoon	Olive or Salad Oil	1 and a half tablespoons
Wine vinegar	1 and a half tablespoons	Soy Sauce	a half tablespoon
Salt	a pinch/very little

Well, as I am lazy, I don't really measure things except for this. It doesn't have to be precise at all so you can have more wasabi if you want. Mix these up! If you don't like it too sour or if you want it as an Italian style, you can use lemon juice or grapefruit juice as a substitute for vinegar. This dressing can be a great dip for fried chicken. It will make fried stuff less oily. When you are at the supermarket next time, please consider Wasabi and give it a try. But I wouldn't recommend it if you hate it. Wasabi is proved to reduce the risk of blood clots. Not bad, is it? Anyway, I really want to be a good husband but making great dressing would help? I doubt it.... Happy Wasabi Time!!!

When I went into work this morning, I got a text message from a friend of mine who just got back from an European biz trip. Since he works for this sporting goods maker, he gives me old design products that are not in the market anymore. He said he wanted to have lunch with me. As it was extremely slow today at work, I decided to call it a day at 2 p.m. (Yay). He was in Germany for 3 months so it had been awhile since I saw him last. We caught up with everything each of us missed. It was a great lunch time. Then, he gave me these shoes I had my eye on for awhile. He got 5 pairs for free!!! Because these shoes are from last year, he gave me two pairs. It's perfect! I can use one pair as typhoon shoes when it is raining buckets so I don't have to worry about ruining my other shoes. Luckily (?), a typhoon is hitting Japan and it is possibly going to land the Tokyo area on Thursday according to the weather forecast. (Why do they usually hit Tokyo when we commute? Can't they hit Tokyo at night, please?) I am going to wear those :-) Speaking of shoes, you know you usually get to wear them inside the house in the States. I was uncomfortable to wear those for the first 4 weeks when I lived in Portland, OR. I mean you walk on the carpet with shoes on.... I got used to them. But I'd rather take 'em off inside the house. I still feel funny about it but I got used to them. really. However it was when I was a freshman in Kansas. My dorm mate one day climbed up my bed with his shoes on to reach something near the ceiling. I was stunned by his move. I think it was one of the most culture shocks I ever had. I even cried about it in the bathroom for awhile. I got used to sit on the floor and such but please do not step on my bed with shoes on. :-) Happy shoe wearing!

Since I couldn't run this morning, I had one hour to spare.... I decided to leave my apartment one hour earlier and thought would go to work via subway instead of taxi. On my way to work, I decided to sing my Monday theme song. Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday morning, Monday morning ...... Yes, it's corny. I don't think I was born when they released this song. But this was my theme song for this morning as I didn't wanna feel bluer than I already was. Obviously, this song didn't help. I know some of you might be interested in knowing how the date from last night went. I don't think I can even describe it as I want to keep this blog "CLEAN". It's official. I am a kinky weirdo magnet. The dating life in my 20s is officially over. Let's just leave it at that. I left my apartment like an hour earlier than usual. I thought I was going to take subway but realized I was already walking to work. Well, there is no big difference. 25 min walk to work while it would take me 20 mins if I took subway. It was a slow day at work. I left work as early as I could and had fantastic Japanese dinner with a close friend of mine. Then, we decided to hit my favorite cake place which I've mentioned several times here previously. I know I am not listening to Raph's advice at all but sometimes I need to cheer myself up with something really sweet and delish. Here it is. OH MY GOD!!! It's sinfully delish!!! Maccha (Green Tea) Mille-feuille (Thousand layer cake). you know I am a green tea freak. Now I am feeling much better. Yes, you need to treat yourself to something sweet or delicious every once in a while even if you have to take some risk to gain something. :-) I will run next week. It's essential! Happy delicious time!

It looks like "Hello Gays!" but I wrote it "hello guys" Damn, my writing is so bad...
Click the photo if you can't read. Thanks.

It was an extremely beautiful day today. However, it was (still is) too hot to do something outside so I decided to stay in the city. (35 degrees C/ 95 degrees F) I hit the gym to swim and run. I was the only one in the pool this morning. After good work out, I called a jock straight married friend of mine and had brunch with him after. I had mimosa, seaweed salad (Sounds gross? I love it!), and a couple of green tea sweets. On the other hand, this friend had 3 Kirin beers. (I am a Sapporo Beer guy.), Fried Chicken, and Sukiyaki Bowl. (I even feel nauseous to list what he had) Yes, Mimosa is very gay but I don't keep my pinky up while I drink it. :-P We walked around after the straighty/gay brunch and awful this city heat was burning my skin. On my way back while riding subway, I had to hold onto a straphanger like I usually do. I was wearing a sleeveless shirt. If I hang onto it, my armpit hair revue begins just for the persons sitting in front of me. I don't really get embarrassed showing it. (Not that I intentionally reveal it or anything...) But my straight jock friend told me it was a no-no thing. I put body paper tower after work out. I don't think I was smelly. Is showing armpit hair in public that no-no? If it is, I will stop. hmm.... Obviously, he had nothing to hold onto because he had his sleeveless shirt on, too. As a result, he moved constantly with tottering steps on the train. hahaha. He is gayer than I am. Alrighty, I am off to a tennis lesson ( I wanna be good at it!) You have a happy Saturday, guys!

I did audioblog for the last 2 Fridays but I decided not to do it today. Why? I don't sound pretty today (Not that I sounded pretty last time) after lots of speaking in public.. (T_T) My life has been very quiet this week. My fortune teller told me this is the bestest year of the 12 year-something-cycle. Well, at least, I am healthy and bored so I shouldn't really complalin about my life. But I highly doubt this is the best year ever. I pretended to work so hard while I was just chatting with my friends and a few blogmates. It was fun. After pretending to work so hard, I was asked to go and become a technical translator for the president who's been here in Japan so long but doesn't speak a word in Japanese. dumb ass I had to change my clothes to the suit and it was pretty hot out. I didn't look pretty in this Prada suit today but I went there anyway. I arrived there on time. The photo on top is Tokyo International Forum. I think I posted the evening ones so here is how it looks at day time. On the way there, one of my shoes gave up on me. I mean it fell on to the ground, and the guy on a bike freaking ran it over!!! I had to wear that even though it was very scratched and destroyed. Nobody would look at my shoe anyway. On my way back, I stopped by this shoe store, Regal. (Yeah, it sounds lame but it's a great Japanese shoe maker) I can't wear western shoes because I am Japanese. Okay, that didn't sound right. no, no. My instep is high like many Japanese/ Asians. One of my gay friends is very crazy about shoes. If I tag along with him, I end up being in a shoe store for an hour 3 times out of 5. Unlike him, I only take 5 mins which is surprising for stereotypical queers. I got my new shoes just fine. Anyway, I don't have a plan tonight so I hit the gym and came back home. I am now enjoying this moment with a gin martini. How's your day been? Have a happy Friday!!! P.S. I just looked at the south from this room and it's almost full moon (well, tomorrow though) and pretty. Go do something crazy people!

First of all, I added a link to Logan from Tennessee, U.S.A. He is a former valedictorian. He sounds like a very smart person. I didn't sound smart at all when I was his age. um... I don't sound smart right now either... He is multilingual and speaks Japanese even! I would never study Japanese if I were non-Japanese. My grammar in Japanese is sucky. :-)

When I commented yesterday, I promised I didn't make my post showy at all. But I guess I break that promise. (-_-;) Let me go ga-ga- about one thing at work. If I clap my hands twice or press the button, my office's glass will become frosted glass all of the sudden so I can have sex whenever. No, that's not what I wanted to talk about. When I was a college student in Kansas, I lived in a dorm. A crappy one. I am pretty sure none of my college friends from KS visits this site so I will say it. In the bathroom, there was no door for the toilet stall and the shower room was at the end of the bathroom. Which means I had to pass by somebody doing number 2. I averted my eyes as much as possible in case I ran into that situation because I didn't wanna see anyone doing it. It was totally a culture shock to me. I couldn't even "make" in the dorm's bathroom as I didn't want to let anybody see me doing it. I usually went to another building to do number 2 where there is a door to make it more secure. Therefore, I never did number 2 in my dorm in my life. I guess doing number 2 is something really private.

I did some minor change on this blog. Did you notice? Unfortunately, I have nothing interesting to report lately. um.... my closest station to work is Shinjuku Station which is the busiest station in the world according to Wikipedia. I grew up here, work here and live here. My high school is "Shinjuku" high school even. :-) Because Shinjuku is a busy station, the security has been hightened after London's incident last month according to the police. It doesn't look like it though. I see these security notices on the wall at every station as shown in the photo. It is Tokyo Metropolitan's Government policy to have English signs as well to make things easier for visitors from overseas. So you can read this notice in the photo. :-) I didn't know until recently that there are 266 subway stations in Tokyo. Subway is my primary transportation for everyday. Though I usually commute to work by taxi. It's not because I am afraid of terrors. It's just because it takes me 5 mins to work by taxi while it would take 20 mins if I take subway. Yes, I am lazy. Oh, I was talking to one of the blog mates and he asked me if stations' staff always pushed people into the train to "stuff" passengers. There are some lines that needs to be done during rush hours.. but my line isn't like that. When people think about Tokyo, they get scared that you might be packed into the train like cattle. FYI, I can have a seat when I get on a train in the morning. Many lines coming in from the suburb areas are so packed though. Thank God, I live in the middle of the city. :-) Happy commuting and be safe!!

First of all, I heard something really dreamy this morning. His voice has a great quality in my humble opinion. It's damn cute for a computer geek. (sorry, James. But I am saying this as a great compliment) I wish I could sound pure and smart like he does. But I've done so many naughty things to sound filthy... Anyway, you should definitely check it out!!

Second of all, just right before noon, the major earthquake hit the Sendai area. Tokyo is 1 and a half hour bullet train ride away so it was medium sized... Because our building was swinging back and forth to shake off the energy, it was like having seasickness without riding a boat. Anyway, it was damn big. But it's funny that I felt like riding one of those lame attractions in Disneyland for free.

Third of all, after the early afternoon meeting, I "decided to" have a stomachache. I acted alright to feel sick. I got out of the office at 4 in the afternoon and went for a long walk to feel the summer breeze in Tokyo. It was great!

Finally, it was the anniversary day of the end of the World War II yesterday here in Japan. I stopped by this shinto temple (as shown in the photo) on my way back home and prayed for world peace and a boyfriend. Since I am not religious, my prayer may be no good. However, I hope this world will become more peaceful than it currently is. I know it doesn't seem that way but I want to be hopeful and many should be, too. :-) Peace out, guys!

These photos are from this month's GQ Japan edition. (Yeah, I do subscribe this magazine and it's far more interesting than the original U.S. one.) Do you know this gay guy? Have you seen him before? Well, you might not recognize him but you might know what he's making. His name is Stefano Gabbana. The desinger of the gay fashion icon, Dolce & Gabbana. Even though I am not a fashion whore, I do own their clothes. it's not because of its popularity for gay guys. It's because I like the color "black" and also their dynamic passionate color combinations they use. The clothes by Dolce & Gabbana are very expensive. But I like how they cut fabrics. I have some clothes made by them including "very gay" looking ones. The less expensive product line for younger crodws is D&G. Stephano Gabbana was together with Dominico Gabbana but they broke up recently... Anyway, I like the way he talks and also his philosophy. Therefore, I was hooked when I saw this article. It's talking about how he ages. He is 43 years old already but is not scared of being old. He looks great considering his age. His secret is he boxercises three times a week. He looks at himself and sees how he wants to look by accepting the facts there are things you can't change. He is happily aging. When I read this article, I feel embarrassed because I have been scared of being 30 years old. Less energy though more money to spare, no more thumpa thumpa parties 5 days a week which I haven't done for a long time. But when I read what he had to say in this article, I am excited of being 30 years old. Aging gracefully will be my motto in my 30s (^_^)V I am now more prepared to be old than I once was. :-) Thank you, Stephano Gabbana!

Well, it's passed midnight but this is the entry for Sunday... I went to a mass this morning alone. I met a nice gentleman again. Since it was his birthday, I took him to my favorite restarant for brunch after the mass. It was rather beautiful and dry today. We passed by Imperial Palace as you could see in the photo above. The street was almost empty!!! Imperial Palace is located in the center of Tokyo for God's sake. We had chamgpange (Moët & Chandon Vintage 1998's Rose!!! I know it's too queer but we loved it!!), Spinach Salad, and Eggs Benedictine. We didn't have dessert because I had another thing coming. It was one of the best western meals I had this year. Then, his birthday present didn't stop right there. We hit this patisserie as it opened here in Tokyo, too. It's very expensive compared with the one you coud get in Paris but it's my favorite!! If you happen to visit Paris or Tokyo, this is a must place to go to! I hear they are going to open in NYC pretty soon. We picked up some dessert and had this in the garden. I got green tea truffles as I was a green tea freak. They were rich and I will probably have to run one extra kilometer tomorrow but they were good! I know this sounds like a gay date and it sounded like a snobby one. However, I simply wanted him to enjoy the best of what Tokyo had to offer. Besides, he is straight unfortunately. To be honest, I may have a mild crush on him. Well... maybe not. Anyway, I can't get enough of Tokyo, you know. May I please say VIVA TOKYO again??? Good day!

This morning, I hit the gym first. Tokyo is rather quiet today even though it's one of the busiest cities in the world. Because this weekend is called "Obon" weekend. Many companies are shut down for extended period of time over this weekend because Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. And many Tokyoites are not Tokyo native so they go back to their home. They pay a little visit their ancestors' graves. We had that a month ago here in Tokyo because Tokyo's obon is called "new" Obon and we hold it in July. Since my home town is Tokyo, I get to stay here. The company I work for is American. It's just another usual weekend for me. But since many left the city, it's so empty. After I got back home from the gym, I thought I was going to cool off a little bit as it was very humid but got a call from a friend of mine. It was an emergency call. He was looking for a temp who could be an information desk person for Tokyo Information desk. It's where information about Tokyo can be obtained for foreign tourists. Since he thought I was multilingual and Tokyo native, I could be their help. That's so wrong. I know a lot of things about Tokyo but I don't think my Cantonese is good enough to direct them to where they want to go to. I am Tokyo Native and am able to speak English at least reasonably. some other languages barely.... But I would be honored to tell them how great Tokyo is. Since it was just for a few hours and I didn't have any plan, I agreed. I wore something coservative to look decent and stopped by a bookstore to pick up the Tokyo guide to fill my lack of knowledge. I went to the office at 10. It was super interesting....

To meet a demanding request, here it is. I am so pure and sober today but I still sound silly. I guess it's my thing. I did it anyway. This was not comfy as I wanted to clip my nose hair so bad and I am not a "listen up, you all" type guy. After all I am Japanese. :-) I am glad no one caught me doing this. Okay, off to the bathroom to clip my nose hair. I don't wanna do this here in my office. :-P Have a good one, everybody!!

As I said before, I was told I wouldn't be a great husband material according to some friends. It's true. I seriously "hate" laundry. I would kill myself for cleaning. I detest cooking. In my defence, being a great chef doesn't mean he is a great husband. However, it's nice to be good at it. I don't cook myself at all because I usually have dinner/lunch outside. The only time I cook is when I host home parties in my apartment. But it only happens once a month or every other month. I happened to think why I hate cooking so much? It takes time. My hands get messy. It's not fun at all. It occurred to me if I made it more interesting, I "might" like doing it. Since I like drawing, I thought I was going to consider it drawing. I got up early this morning so I killed my time with this. This is my lunch for today. The yellow stuff is scrambled eggs. The brown stuff is chicken flakes which I made from scratch. The white face part is a sunny side up egg. A mane part is a sausage. So is the tail. Oh, in case you didn't notice, I tried to make it a lion. These are all laid out over steamed rice. I thought this lunchbox was little too childish. I guess it may be spooky to have this "cute" lunch for almost a 30 year old guy. But then it was fun. I didn't feel any pain like I usually do for cooking. Because this one doesn't have veggies, I had to buy a V8 like drink. If I had a husband to fix lunch for, it would be more fantastic but I am still practicing. It will take awhile. Happy lunch, everybody!

If I talked about the Kiwi guy again, I would sound so "ga-ga" about him but anyway, I shall. We had lunch yesterday but I was supposed to be in the meeting at 2 and had to get prepared for it, I couldn't have long lunch with him. We went to a Japanese restaurant and it was pleasant. My gaydar did not go "ping" at all while I was talking to him. After lunch, I got an e-mail message from him that he asked me for drinks the following day which is today. I went back home immediately after work to change my clothes. I changed into the best shirt of the year. I felt so fabulous. I was ready to go for fabulous cocktails with a fabulous guy. Where we would meet was a little far from work or my home. He wasn't there so I waited for him while watching people pass by this beautifuly illuminated stairway which you could see in the photo. An hour later, I got a text message on my cell that he couldn't make it. I wish he at least had a courtesy to call instead of a message. I called some friends to go for drinks and enjoy this fabulous outfit. They were all unavailble. It was too late for any alternative plans. But I still felt fabulous. I went into one of the fabulous bars and had drinks. I might have looked pathetic for people there but I enjoyed drinks at the bar. While drinking 2 martinis, I asked a waiter for a piece of paper and drew something as I didn't have an option to talk to somebody. Yeah, it was kinda sad but I enjoyed it. I stopped by a bookstore and browsed some art books. I walked back home while people who pass me by seemed so happy being each other's company. I enjoyed being alone. The most fabulous thing of all for tonight was it didn't rain even though clouds were very thick. But honestly, I don't wanna get used to being alone too much. It was a great night to think about things and to see Tokyo summer night by myself. It was fabulous anyway. Have a great night/day you, all. :-)

I have added a link to this humorous guy, Enviroboy from Maryland, U.S.A. He's lived in Japan so he can be a good judge when I talk about it :-) I am not familiar with the east coast and don't have friends there but I have U.S. blog mates from there. That's so kewl. I've only been to Maryland once because we had to take a flight to Baltimore and then, drove 3 and a half hours to see Mennonites in Harrisonborg, VA.... Don't ask me why...
I've been told by my friends that something like a bug or a flower is in my head to make myself this happy all the time. I get grumpy. I do get sad for the record. If I get drunk, I can be happier. :-) But this morning at 5a.m., I didn't do something happy. I watched the latest episode of Six Feet Under. I cried a lot and got depressed by watching a TV show. That's so queer. I don't know what happened but it was really intense. I think this hadn't happened since I watched Schindler's list. Oh wait, I cried a lot after reading Little prince during the flight from Honolulu to Tokyo while there was another guy sitting next to me. I am not this sissy usually... Anyway, it was totally unexpected. You know American TV shows are rated like PG 13, or R or whatever. It depends on how mature/ "naughty"/ violent the content is. But I guess they should add more ratings like "D" for depressing as hell that it's likely persons who feel down might kill themselves. or something. It was that dark and sad. I wish I had a boyfriend to cuddle around with... But good. It was so real and every character acted so well. As a result, I used one whole box of Scottie's tissues. I am not an environmental friendly person after all... When you watch Episode 10, Season 5 of SFU, please make sure you are in a good condition. I warned you. Happy watching depressive TV Shows! .

First, I have added a link to this jewelry whore ahem, Will who sounds very charming from Malaysia. I am guessing that Kuala Lumpur is so much more cosmopolitan than Hong Kong or Tokyo.

Okay, it's another blue Monday at work... It was deadly humid and I couldn't really stand it but since I am so "diligent", I went to work anyway. How faithful I am. My supervisor called me and told me to go to the meeting room at this fancy hotel to join the meeting as a technical translator. Okay, he didn't tell me that last week. He told me to wear a suit so I went back home and put it on. Seriously, this is the worst day ever in this week already... But, God or a fairy or whatever is not mean all the time. I went to the hotel and got into the room. I saw da Kiwi guy!! All the crap I'd been saying to myself on my way to the hotel magically disappeared because of him. I was so happy. That happiness didn't last long. He got paged 5 mins after I got in. He had to go back to the office while I had to spend the rest of the afternoon in this shitty (I barely say this) meeting room with a bunch of non-interesting people. I missed another attempt to do lunch with him alone. I got so sulky and stared at the outside forever. I even took this photo while I was in the meeting. On the bright side, I got to eat a piece of this incredible Italian chocolate cake during the meeting. That made me happy enough for the day. Though I don't really remember what they were talking about in that meeting. My chocolate cake and this fabulous view made me forget everything. no, no, it's not my fault. :-) After coming back here to the office, I am writing e-mail to da Kiwi guy to arrange casual lunch tomorrow. Don't let me down, Kiwi! How's your day been? You have a pleasant morning/afternoon/evening!

It is my father's birth week. As I am required to get to have lunch/dinner with my family once a month, I had to go to a church and a temple as usual, too. It was too damn hot to wear a suit this morning so I didn't wear a suit. Honestly, I wanted to wear a muscle shirt and short pants but I was pretty sure my mother would keep telling me how inappropriate that would be. But I decided to wear a non-gay kind sleeveless shirt and short pants. My mother didn't seem to mind it though my sister kept telling me how inappropriate that would be. uh-huh. In Thailand, when you visit a temple, you can't wear short pants because it's too revealing and they will give you this pair of pants. You will be asked to wear them at the reception. Luckily, we are not that strict here. After those religious moments (regardless of my priest asking me why I didn't make any confession today....Hello? I am planning to go to gay happy disneyland like heaven after life), I took my family to this fancy Japanese restaurant for my father's birthday. It was very tasty and everyone was happy with my selection of the restaurant. The problem was the person behind my mother was disturbingly gorgeous. I mean I didn't pay much attention to our conversations until this guy left. I checked this guy out for about 10 mins. My cruising eyes had to be subtle not to let anybody notice me doing so. I thought they were but my father whispered and said "Marry him already". uh-oh. I felt so low. But I guess it's good that he left early as I was able to socialize with my family after all. But then, my brain always keeps telling me to find a cute guy or something. please, please stop doing that, my brain!! I think I need to dip my head in cold water because of this heat.

It's another hot day. The sad thing about Tokyo is not many people take their shirt off and walk. I wish there were more people do that here... But then, there are way too many guys wearing a sleeveless shirt or a tanktop here so my eyes are still entertained. I was going to go paragliding but it was too hot to do anything so I went to the gym to swim instead. This cruisy gym was very empty this morning. No distraction:-) I swom about 1500 meters and ran 3 miles. I got out of there at 12:30. It was deadly hot out. I saw the thermometer indicating a little above 38 degrees Celsius = 100 degrees Farhenheit. It's been hot like this here in Tokyo. It is believed that it's outrageiously hot due to a heat island effect. There is this report that the area close to a large park with lots of trees is 2-4 degrees cooler. Tokyo Metropolitan Government is trying to have more greenery in the city. I started my car but it was too hot to get in so I had to cool it down with A/C. While waiting, I realized I was wearing my shirt backwards. (It's hard to see which is front for a muscle shirt without any label.) I took it off and re-put it on. I didn't mean to show off my bod. This Yoga guy came to me and said hi. He noticed some change on my bod. Isn't that sweet? He asked me if I could have lunch with me. I offered him a ride back home and did nothing further with him. I am sure he wanted to have lunch and a friendly talk. But I was already tired by this city heat so I wanted to take a nap instead of playing around with him in bed. Did I become too old? I hope not. 1 and a half more months, this crazy heat will go away. But then, I like this heat. It's like a love-hate relationship. :-) For those who are in a hot humid area, make sure you don't get dehydrated!! Happy hot summer!

Voila. Please forgive me that I had three shots of gin martinis before I did this. As a result, I officially sound stupid.


This is so embarrassing... Anyway, here it is. I am now heading off to the fireworks festival by wearing my fabulous Yukata. You guys have a great Friday!!!

Believe it or not, many of us here in Japan only speak Japanese regardless of the English education in junior and senior high schools. I saw one American post his comment for the thread of Japan travel review at some web site. He said he was "shocked" to see many could not speak English, and Tokyo was the worst traveller destination. I was surprisied at how he commented as if we are supposed to speak English somehow. Yes, English is a great language in order to be able to communicate with others in different places; but, it doesn't mean we are required to speak it. Many of us are still willing to assist you if you are lost in Japan. if you are not rude. We don't need to speak it on a everyday basis if we are to live in this country. That's all. As there aren't many English speakers like the Netherlands, many of us even "admire" people who speak English fluently. This guy, Jay Kabira, is technically Japanese but his mother is American. He is an actor. He speaks English fluently (of course) and the way he speaks Japanese is even intoxicating as his Japanese pronounciation is perfect. If you watch TV, you get to see him some times. I didn't know until recently that he went to the same college as I did. well, that's not important. I had always wanted to speak English like he did when I was a high school student. Yes, I was one of those people who admired people who can speak English. I guess it's a Japanese culture thing. But then, he is cute!!! That's another thing. :-) Thank you, Mr. Kabira. You really motivated me to be good at speaking English. now I can speak some even if I am not fluent. :-) Happy talking in English!!

I needed to give something to a friend of mine. Because she is 2 hour bullet train ride away, I had to mail it to her. I sneaked out of the office and went to the post office this morning. While I was filling out the form for registered mail, it suddenly occurred to me that my primary communication is not postal mail. It's e-mail obviously. I think telecommunication comes in second in my case. E-mail is great, fast, and cheap. I cannot live without it though I like postal mail, too. Postal mail has more information/attributes than E-mail in my opinion. There are many kinds of envelopes out there. You get to see the sender's handwriting. You can smell it even (I am not saying it in a stalkish way). I still remember the first love letter from the guy I was dating. It had some slight cologne on it. (yeah, I was so pure unlike now.) Those attributes you cannot appreciate via e-mail are nice to have. That's why I like checking my mailbox when I come back home. I check it as if I have some lottery to win. If I have some mail which is totally unexpected but a nice one, I feel so lucky. It's my little happy heart pounding moment when I check my mailbox on the way back. I didn't have anything surprising today for the record. I barely mail the snailmail though I think it's nice to mail somebody you love every once in a while. But don't overspray your cologne, please!! E-mail is so convenient but snail-mail can provide something e-mail can't. Happy mailing!

First of all, I added a link to Bjørn from Norway. It's interesting to peep at the country I have never been to. And I so fell in love with Andreas for 5 mins. Nice post, Bjørn

This is the photo of one of the favorite shirts for this year. I created another category. I barely use a dryer to dry my laundry. I like them dried naturally. I was told by several people that I wouldn't be a great husband at all. I hope that's not true. One of the reasons why they said that is that I hate folding clothes. It's so irritating and I even hate ironing clothes!! That's the worst part of housekeeping for me. Well, the worst part could be cooking, actually. Since I hate folding/ironing clothes, it was such a relief when I watched this for the first time. They usually show you some tips on the TV show. As the tips on the show are so unique and uncommon, they call them "hidden techniques". I was very impressed at how quickly they could fold their clothes!! It takes some time to master this but you can fold t-shirts or shirts within seconds neatly like a Banana Republic guy. I brought this up previously but I thought I was going to describe how to fold it by translating their website. I created the file. Click the photo. I hope it's useful for you guys! I know the translation is crappy but please bear with me. Come to think of it after finishing creating the file, I don't see any problem with an ordinary way....I guess it's not worth trying after all. Well, it doesn't hurt anyone so here it is. My goal is to become a great husband. One down. Millions to go. If I can ride a bike, I can become a great husband. Damn it. Happy housekeeping!

For Western Euopean (Schengen Countries) people, making foreign trips may be damn easy considering they don't have to go through immigrations and don't even have to bring their passport. That's so great. I, however, have to bring a passport everwhere I go as I am a Japanese citizen. Making an overseas trip isn't that easy. But I got a call from the headquarters at 3 in the morning today and told me I had to fix one of the systems in Seoul, Korea as it was critical. The local IT guy is on vacation..... I thought the deal for this year was that I would not have to go overseas for business anymore as I did frequently last year. Anyway, I left at Tokyo International Airport and arrived at Kinpo airport at 10a.m. and went to the office directly from the airport. And caught the late afternoon flight back to Tokyo. I think I stayed there for only 6 hours. I didn't get to do anything Korean. I even prepared how to say basic phrases in Korean but everyone I dealt with spoke either Japanese or English.... Isn't that nice??? I was so hoping to try basic phrases I rememberd during the flight but the plan was cancelled. However I got to eat something Korean at the airport to feel something "korean" though. :-) This is the shortest foreign trip I have ever made in my life. It's crazy. On the other hand, it's good to be back at where I can speak the local language. :-) Annyonghi keshipshio! (good-bye in Korean)