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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!

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.

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

So I briefly blogged about my status after the major earthquake hit the North East region of Japan. But here is a little bit overview if anyone cares. I am not going to tell you about what you can get from news coverages.

• I was not in Tokyo when the earthquake hit
  Fortunately, when the earthquake hit the eastern part of Japan including Tokyo, I was more than 500 miles away and didn't feel a thing. I and my family had planned on this religious event in Yamaguchi and we were there for 3 days.
• Hourly earthquakes
  It's been already three days since the earthquake hit the east Japan; however, we are stil having an earthquake at least per hour. I no longer know whether I am feeling dizzy and moving or an earthquake because it's that frequent. I usually doubt myself that it must be me but it's not. Fortunately, they are milder than the one we had over here on Friday.
• Nuclear Power Plants' Fiasco
  To be honest, we haven't heard of the latest news coverage for nuclear power plants in Fukushima. Some of us suspect they are withholding the real information. But hearing nothing about them for awhile concerns me. More than 90 people might have been exposed to the radiation already. I really hope it will not blow up (it already blew up but not the core part). Two major radiation incidents in history (Atomic bomb in Nagasaki and Hiroshima) are enough in Japan.
• Victims
  While TVs are good resources to gather information, do we really need victims being interviewed while they are still in shock and panicked? I hate these TV people who need dramatic scenes. It really hurts me when they tell horrible stories. All I can do is pray, watch and donate little money...
• new weird unfamiliar technology
  Did you know that they can predict an earthquake that is about to hit in 2-3 mins? We have been notified several times by broadcasting and cell services. I thought this was totally cool. When the warning comes, the news anchor goes like this "There will be a strong earthquake soon. Please brace yourself"
• Today...
  Schedule power outages will be conducted by region in the Tokyo area due to electricity shortage caused by nuclear power plants not being able to supply any power anymore. Limited train services will be expected. Many will not be able to come to work today. We have been told to save electricity. A lot of ready-to-eat food as well as water are gone from many stores. (Water and gas works so I am not worried). There is not much we can do for our company but I composed a document for how to save electricity on computers/IT related devices. I am going to ask IT director to give me a permission to distribute this immediately to all the users in our company because we really should save as much electricity as possible... I hope he says okay..

I really truly hope nothing worse will happen even though it's already devastating right now here in Japan. Please send good thoughts and if you can help, please donate your spare money to Red Cross (I believe this organization is the best bet). I wish you a peaceful day for us :) Thank you for visiting my site. Peace!

Hello. There have been major earthquakes in Japan. However, I am with my family for the trip to Yamaguchi and have not had any earthquakes here. Fortunately, I am okay. I am not sure if I can go back home tomorrow as planned as flights are cancelled and delayed today. I will post more when I get back to Tokyo. Thanks and be safe!

Yes, we entered Year 2011 here. :) I was born in the year of rabbit. Yay. Sorry for the crappy drawing but this is the best I can do at the last minute :)

I believe I am going to blog about this travel more when I go home. Anyway, I am near "Paris" I actually came here last month but came back here again for some particular purpose I needed to do. :) BTW, I was a good shooter at the craps table last night and this rich guy from the same table gave me a $100 chip to appreciate me. Wow, I thought that would only happen in a TV show. I am happy :) I am now at the airport and heading off to another place to meet friends and all. I think it is great to have friends at the destination when you travel solo. anyway, I am not really sure what I am talking about here as I am slow, on vacation, and drunk :) I wish you all a very happy weekend! Ciao.