"Fall is here, hear the yell, Back to school, ring the bell"
-We're Going to be Friends, White Stripes

How did I spend my first full day back at home? Watching 90210 and eating a block of feta cheese. I'm living it up. Since I haven't sat and watched TV in 5 months, I figured there would be so much on that I wanted to watch. I was wrong. Which is why I started watching 90210 where I made the following observations (since I never actively watched it as a kid):
a) those were some bad clothing choices
b) Luke Perry looked like he was 40 years old then.
c) Jason Priestly is incredibly unattractive
d) this show is about nothing. Saved by the Bell had better plots (and quotes). Yesterday's episode involved something about everyone enrolling at the same college (like you and your 9 closest and only high school friends all went to the same college) and all trying to pledge sorority's and fraternity's together. I missed the end of the episode because I flipped to the food network to watch them bake salmon.

"brand new shoes, walking blues, Climb the fence, books and pens"

I also went to the local mall. It was a bit surreal since the Japanese don't have malls like ours, not only did they have clothing in my size, but they had even bigger sizes, and my god- the shoes! I actually didn't buy that much. It was like going to a pet store: I just wanted to look.

And I didn't realize that The Killers CD wasn't out here. It's been out for 2 weeks in Japan. I should have bought it there but figured it was out here and would already be 2 for $25 at HMV. It's a good CD anyway. And it's freaking cold here. It is 5 degrees right now. What the Hell is this? I had shorts and a tank top on this week, riding my bike around in the sun. I'm so confused.

"We don't notice any time pass, we don't notice anything"

And I have my Alliance Atlantis job interview which is for History Television on Tuesday. You know me and history. We're tight. Especially the 15th century. 1436 has my back. If I don't get it, then meh. At least it's a practice interview.

I may also get to try Niagara's finest Japanese cuisine: My dad, much to my shock, proclaimed his love of sushi (thanks to my cousin's influence in Florida) and wants to go out for sushi. My parents observations on me: I've seemingly "lost weight," my hair is "quite long...when are you getting a haircut?", I've somehow randomly started saying things like "yeah yeah" as if I am unable to say "yes" only once, and "that's an interesting shirt." That being said and done, I have already begun counting down until I get back on my own in Toronto. There's only so much I can take. But the constant and steady food supply is what is holding me here.

"and when I wake tommorow I'll bet, That you and I will walk together again"

The First 5 Songs heard In Canada:

Angel- Sarah McLachlan (I think that's what that lame song is called...also one of the last songs heard in Japan, strangely enough)
Bandages- Hot Hot Heat
Open Road- Bryan Adams...(obviously CanCon is going strong)
Walk Away- Franz Ferdinand
Woman- Wolfmother

"I can tell that we're going to be friends"

"High, high is the sky, Low, low as it goes"
-Don Gon Do it, The Rapture

Well, I've left the land of monkey baseball, meat-loafed shaped TV mascots (the actual meat, not the man...although think of the possibilities of that duo!) and extreme sports such as rock/paper/scissors where the winner smacks the loser with a large paper fan across the face ... and I am back in the land of maple syrup and donuts- neither of which I have ingested yet.

My last few days in Japan are memorable, although for the wrong reasons:

- Eve and I drank absinthe. Large glasses of absinthe. While eating soy beans. Prompting us to vomit all night. And all the next morning for Eve as well. I fared much much better than she did, managing to spew on cue in the sink instead of on a hotel wall, floor, in my own shoes, Starbucks, and a public bathroom. (sorry girl).

- We basically prostituted ourselves for a night of free drinks at a bar called Motown. A 42 year old high roller plied us with beer, wine, and G&T's for me but promised "no sex, just friends." We were like status symbols to him- just to be seen with. I was the "sexy one" apparently. And I dance, "sexy."

- I took Eve out to The Lock-Up which was like eating in a haunted house complete with monsters. One of whom was wearing a bra and a mask that looked like it was made of melted skin, Texas Chainsaw style.

- I went all the way to the kabuki theatre in a thunderstorm, only to arrive and have it be closed. As an alternative, I went to the science museum where everything was in Japanese. But you know me and my love of science...language is no obstacle!
(In reality, it was only $5 and it was shelterd fromthe thunderstorm. I was basically squatting there like the homeless)

- The train to the airport didn't take credit cards, and being cashless due to spending my final $5 on teh science center (as I now shake my fist to science..."Up with Creationism!"), spent 30 minutes looking for an international ATM, and having to catch a later train.

-Arriving at the airport 2hrs and 45 min before my flight, I find out it's cancelled citing "crew rest." At first, the counter staff just looked at me blankly when I said, "Okay, now what?" They were also not prepared for the fact that not only was my flight ot Vancouver cancelled, but that I had to continue on to Toronto. It being 4:45pm and the only direct flight to Toronto was leaving at 5:15, I was told I wouldn't make it and that they would put me up in a hotel. After explaining the hotel, telling me what flight I would be on the following day, etc. I was told that I could run to try to make the 5:15 flight. It was now 5pm.

They hauled all my luggage and tagged it, not weighing any of it and checking all 3 pieces so I didn't have to run with a carry-on bag on wheels, shoved my boarding pass and luggage claim tickets in my hand, and told me to run while saying that my luggage probably wouldn't make it. And run I did. With a 30 lb backpack on my back while wearing 3 shirts and a jacket with the counter agent. Pushing past people at security I threw my stuff on the x-ray- not even sure if I could still bring things like perfume and deodorant on board- passed by, and ran through customs, hurling my passport at the guard. It was then a mad dash all the way to the gate, which of course, would have to be the very last gate in the terminal.

It was the distance of running 3 blocks, but filled with obstacles of people and luggage. Yelling "SUMIMASEN!!!!!!" I made it half way there and almost died- not being a prime runner with bad knees, sweating to death in 4 layers of clothing, with 30lbs on my back and another 10lbs in a purse around my neck, the counter agent took my purse and sweatshirt and we kept running. She was trying to lift my bag off my back to run with me. I was panting. half way, the agent fromt eh gate met us and the 3 of us ran together as my boarding pass and passport were passed off. But I totally did it, "Amazing Race" style.

I made it on the plane, panting, at 5:10pm. Luckily, I also had a prime seat on the wing with a window next to a 24 year old girl in an identical striped shirt, prompting the flight attendant to say, "Are you travelling together as twins?"

I had no idea what time the flight even arrived in Toronto (6 hours earlier than my connection would have landed me). My parents had no idea. I made a $30 satellite phone call to their answering machine from over the Bering Sea, and prayed that they would be there when I landed.

All worked out well as both my luggage and my mom were waiting for me after the 12 hour flight.

"Words are catching, Ripping hypnotize"

Having been in the country 3 huors, I arrived home to find out that Alliance Atlantis had called inquiring about a job I had applied for. Since I applied to every open job, I have no idea which one it is. I'll find out tomorrow when they return my call. So fingers crossed, maybe I'll have a job sooner rather than later. A job that comes with perks like free movie passes which I can share with you, the people.

I'm also going to take the Film Marketing course at Ryerson with Eve in the winter.

And, both The Rapture and the Fiery Furnaces are playing in TO next month- separately, but each show is only $18- anyone interested? Lauren? You're my new concert buddy.

The last CD I bought in Japan was The Rapture, which I enjoy, despite it's mixed reviews.

Thouroughly jetlagged, I'm wide awake at 3am, to raid the refridgerator for chicken wings and feta cheese.

And once I have my computer set up again when I am back in my apartment nest week, I'll add the pictures.

"Why'd you say those things?"

"Say do you remember, dancing in September? Never was a cloudy day"
-September, Earth, Wind & Fire

Eve and I spent my last weekend together. Naked. At a Japanese ryokan with an onsen, or hot springs resort.

It was fantastic- both the bath and seeing each other naked. All jokes aside it was a great weekend. As usual, we attracted a lot of attention, especially since the place was overrun with old people. It was really relaxing. There were both indoor and outdoor baths with separate facilities for men and women. Eve even dedicated “I Still haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” to me as a farewell song at the karaoke bar, with much applause form the staff and the table of Japanese guests.

We met up with one of Eve’s students, Yasuko, who had helped us book the ryokan after our stay and went out for lunch and to a Japanese garden to feed carp with her. That’s right- we fed monster carp. It was then time for my last visit to karaoke. I saw my karaoke man one last time, and having successfully made it through the entire U2 catalogue in 5 months, I had only one song left to sing: “Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own.” I didn't get a chance to take a picture of karaoke man because he wasn't at the desk when we left, so Eve has promised to get one or me and/or tell him I love him.

With karaoke finished, Eve and I returned to spend one final evening together watching The Amazing Race and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It was my last night in Fukushima so I took in my surroundings- the dude who takes his nightly bath outside, the dog that barks at teh sunrise at 430am, the woman who shuffles along without picking up her feet, Eve's horrible alarm clock ring...
We’re off to Tokyo in few hours to hang out in Roppongi tonight for some clubbing and take in some last minute activities tomorrow like seeing a kabuki play and having one last traditional Japanese experience like eating at Tokyo’s only Greek restaurant. I'm sure to meet up with more strange and unusal characters for my last night out clubbing. I took my bike mustang Sally out for a last spin around town and around the mountian. A kid kicked a soccer ball at me. I woul dhave told him off had I spoken the language or shaken my fist at him had I been able to let go of the handle bars on my bike.
I am taking Eve here, to an izakaya called The Lock- Up for her birthday. It’s a monster prison-themed restaurant. Complete with tables in holding cells and waitresses in prison guard uniforms. I will have to post all those pictures once I’m back at home. I take off Wednesday night from Tokyo and arrive in Toronto...Wednesday night. Long flight. I'm not crazy about flying in the first place, but I hate flying at night. I just have to look at it as though I get an extra dya in Tokyo and I fly into daylight...before flying back into night. My body is going to be so confused. I just can't wait to get to Vancouver airport to get me some Tim Horton's and a magazine to read, since English magazines are about $15 here.

Our internet connection is sketchy today so I can’t upload pictures, or write anything thought-provoking or reflective today. I have a more detailed entry on my travelblog anyway.

So that’s all from Japan. Next time you hear form me, I’ll be settled back in Canada, being fed and taken care of by my parents.

"Remember how the stars stole the night away"

"We got everything and more than we had planned, more than the rivers that run the land, We've got it all in our hands"
-All for Love, Stong, Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams (!)

To continue on with my random weekend adventures, on Sunday, Eve, Takashi, Corrie and I went to the Musica Festa Fukushima which was held up on Mt. Shinobu in the city at a shrine. An odd place, but a nice setting none-the-less.
Corrie and I hit up a local café for lunch first since all we ever do is eat before meeting back up with Eve and her OM at our apartment. As we were walking to the mountain, Corrie and I were telling stories about Dinosaur Head. As we were approaching Eve’s school- a known Dinosaur Head hang out- I almost loudly announced, “I wonder in ‘Michal with no e’ is around.” We walked by and thought we saw him! Corrie and I ran back to have a quick look. We could see his giant head in the distance. We then ran away, not wanting to attract Dinosaur Head’s attention.

The festival was okay- not really something I was dying to see, but there’ snot much else to do in Fukushima and a concert festival is a concert festival. And it was one last Japanese experience for me. It started off okay- there was Soul Stew Man selling his soul stew out of a vat. There was a DJ set up in one of the shrine house. The main stage was the porch of the main shrine. I just kept thinking, “ I doubt the Catholic church would ever let a bunch of DJs play in front of their altar,” since it’s the same equivalent.

The first group was People under the Stairs from California who were terrible, but it was to be expected. After a few glasses of beer, we noticed another group of foreigners dressed up in costumes. They were half ‘70s style and half weird. There was Captain America in a sleeveless America shirt and really tight pants. I asked him if he picked up his shirt from a thrift shop. He said no. He brought it from home. And another 3 in long wigs and Hawaiian print shirts. One of them looked like creepy Chris aka The Bad Chris from film studies. Eve agreed with this observation. Some hours later after finding a random shark puppet on a stick and ingesting a bowl of soul stew, and suffering through Japan’s version of Bjork, a steel drum band came on. Since we had been drinking- who am I kidding? We’d be doing this if we were all sober at an Amish picnic- we were dancing around and being kind of crazy, jumping up and down. No one can resist the power of a Japanese steel drum band. Captain America came over to try to get Corrie and I to dance with him. Eventually he grabbed my hand and dragged me into the centre of the crowd where he proceeded to dance strangely and try to grind with me to the steel drum music. I thought he was gay. All was well until he grabbed my left arm and bit me. Yes, bit me. Hard. It was weird. Soon after that I told him that I had better go find my friends since we had been gone for half an hour.

After some more dancing, I met the Irish and was disappointed. I don’t care for him at all. A large group of us headed over to the local Indian restaurant owned by a friend and his wife: MaNa’s Rasoi for some late night dinner. Eve and her OM gave up after a while but Corrie and I decided to keep drinking at another bar- another theme of the week.

On the holiday Monday we spent an evening at the Round 1 entertainment complex in the massage chairs and playing Dance Dance Revolution. And another 45 minutes trying to figure out the elaborate and bizarre photo booths which lacked all manner of English instructions. Since this week was Eve’s birthday, we went out for karaoke on Tuesday before meeting up with a group of her French students, fellow teacher Dave, and Corrie for dinner at an izakaya which was a lot of fun, followed by drinks at a random hole-in-the-wall bar.

This weekend Eve and I are off to a hot springs resort- likely the first time we will see each other naked since there are no bathing suits allowed in the baths. Since we’re both blind without our glasses, we’ll probably stumble around a bit, so I’m sure I’ll be back on Sunday with lots of stories. We’re heading to Tokyo Monday night until I depart Japan for good on Wednesday….

"I'll make a stand, I won't break"

"Summer has come and passed, The innocent can never last, wake me up when september ends"
-Wake Me Up When September Ends, Green Day

I can now cross grinding with a guy in an “America” muscle shirt at a Japanese steel drum concert and having a drink with a crazy Polish pianist with the world’s largest head off my list of things to do. And all in one weekend.

I think it’s best to begin at the beginning.

Eve and I spent Saturday running around, eating, and spending time at karaoke in an attempt to hit up my favourite spots in Fukushima as my time in Japan quickly counts down. And to point out some random facts about why I'll miss this place: a brand of cat food is called "Cat Smack" and a man, walking a cat on a leash, tied him to a bench while he went into the grocery store- presumably to buy Cat Smack.And they sell "portable toilets" at the dollar store. Just don't ask.
And Since our regular karaoke place had a waiting list of over an hour for a room, we went to another place in town that is the gourmet version of karaoke. While our regular location is nothing shabby, this place, part of a chain called Shidax, is designed like a castle. The rooms are ornate and ornamented with brass decorations. But a change of scenery is always welcome, even if it means not seeing my karaoke man.

It started raining and Eve and I retreated back to the apartment to watch movies. After a few hours of lying around we got offers to join Yaesu at the local hip hop club, Neo, and a plea for some good old fashioned drinking with Corrie. We went to a local izakaya for some sake. After which, Corrie and I separated from Eve and decided to hit up the promising bar, Catfish- sometimes referred to as “Pie Crust” or “Octopus” when the random name slips past us. The slogan on the signs read: “Blues & Booze & Soul Stew.” It was our first time at Catfish so Corrie and I were impressed with the décor- vinyl records, jazz and blues posters, a bar filled with random junk like Godzilla toys, a Dennis Rodman doll, and a King Kong figurine…and a bunch of Rockabilly’s- part of the live band whose set we just missed. "here comes the rain again, falling from the stars"

Corrie and I were going about our business drinking and chatting when the Japanese dude- Kaz- to my right kept “fishing” in front of me with a wooden fishing rod toy from the bar as he tried to enter the conversation. Eventually we ended up chatting with him for an hour or so, as there were few people in bar. We tired to explain the concept of sarcasm to him since the Japanese don’t understand it, talked about Ben Affleck and baseball, and discussed the “Soul Stew” on the menu- if it really is what I pictured in my head: a big vat with people’s souls in ghost form rising out of the steam. But that’s me and I have an active imagination.

Another foreigner came into the bar and sat down next to Kaz. The owner of the bar, “Soul Stew Man” put a CD down in front of us and told us that this was in fact the man who had just entered the bar. Why Soul Stew Man had this guy’s Chopin CD was a mystery. Or why he in fact had 3 of his CDs. We also realized that this was the beginning of our weekend of nicknaming people. The Polish pianist whose name is “Michal with no ‘e’” was odd looking- a giant head with curly blond hair. He kept meeting our eyes in a creepy way as we glanced around the bar.

While in the middle of a conversation where Corrie happened to mention Yokohama, the Michal the Polish Pianist aka Dinosaur Head or Dinosaur Jr. randomly announces, “I just played a concert in Yokohama!” loudly over the 3 of us and our conversation. Seeing as that’s all he was going to offer to our conversation- no introduction, no “hello, my name is…”- he turned his back on us and the 3 of use looked at each other in disbelief.
Soon Kaz had to leave after failing to grasp the sarcasm in Corrie’s, “So can you recommend the fried wiener sandwich over the soul stew?” As we were saying goodbye, he leaned into us and firmly patted my back, and in a menacing voice, uncharacteristic of the Japanese, whispered, “I hate him” loud enough for Corrie and I to hear, and then left the bar. He was of course, referring to Dinosaur Head. Corrie and I looked at each other in disbelief, making sure we had heard him right, and then started laughing. We wanted to run after Kaz and tell him that we hated Dinosaur Head too.

"ring out the bells again, like we did when spring began"

We turned our attention back to our beer and conversation when out of nowhere, Dinosaur Head shoves his phone into our faces, even though my back was to him. Focussing on this cell phone that was just thrust in my face, we realize that it has a picture of a naked baby on it. Like a fresh baby, straight out of the womb with the umbilical cord taped up. WTF? Corrie and I exchange looks of shock and Dinosaur Head tells us the long winded and downbeat story about a death in the family and this new baby. Then, he loudly announces, “Do you know Regis?” I say I do, explain that he is my roommate’s boos, etc. Dinosaur Head goes on to proclaim that I must in fact work for Regis aka Rufus, who I keep denying, as well as informing him that he and I have not met before this interaction at the bar. He then explains that he knows Rufus because he parks his car at Rufus’ school. With that, he got up and left the bar. Our interactions with the Pianist were brief but bizarre. As soon as we were sure he was gone, we couldn’t stop ourselves from laughing. I pulled out his centerfold photo from his CD case and posed with it.
After this, we decided it was still too early and it called for more beer and food- the staple diet- and made our way to another bar. As we left Catfish, we saw Dinosaur Head and hid in the doorway of a building so he couldn’t follow us to show us more pictures of new babies.
Sunday was also a whirlwind of activity, but I’ll leave that for another post…

And it's also International Talk Like a Pirate Day, so avast ye matey's, land ho! Any excuse to yell "ho" is a good one.

"as my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost"

"And our friends are all aboard, Many more of them live next door, And the band begins to play...”
-Yellow Submarine, The Beatles

How quickly plans change when you’ve been drinking. Instead of going to Sendai and hanging out all night clubbing, Corrie, Eve and I have forsaken this plan in favour of the music festival in Fukushima. It’s an all day festival filled with Japanese bands in a mix of hip hop DJs, rock bands, and jazz musicians. Should prove to be interesting as the entire city seems to be going. And it’s always better than paying $30 cover charges to listen to trance and house music when you weren’t that into it in the first place.

“And we lived beneath the waves, in our yellow submarine”

Eve and I are still busy cramming final things to do into my last week and a bit in Fukushima. Last night we attempted to go to our beloved gyoza lady, but her small house with its counter only seats 6 people. Alas, by the time we arrived at 9pm, it was filled with businessmen and smoke. Plan B came into effect and we made our way to the downtown area for dinner and beer at an izakaya. One thing I am really going to miss is the Japanese style of eating. Imagine really cheap meals in appetizer portions that are shared by the whole table. And since all menus have pictures of the food (and sometimes they even describe it in broken English making the “Is it sweet or meat?” game redundant) you just point at the things that look good. By doing this, Eve and I ended up with 6 dishes ranging from a mango and avocado salad and salad rolls to gyoza and okonomiyaki (Japanese veggie pancakes).

After this, we headed over to the English school to chat for a while and meet up with Yaesu who had informed us of a DJ party at a local bar. We arrived to find out that we were only 3 of about 10 people in the bar. It wasn’t happening at all. But at least the music was more retro oldies that electronica, so we hung out for an hour, had some drinks, and chatted with the locals.

“As we live a life of ease, Every one of us has all we need”

Eve and I are still cramming in last minute things I want to do today: namely more rotating sushi, shopping, and dollar karaoke. And just to prove that our conversations are still enthralling after being together for almost 5 months…

Me: “Bananas remind me of Andy Warhol.”
Eve: “Bananas remind me of penises.”

All this while we were watching downloaded episodes of Big Brother 4 which really didn’t have to do with anything we were discussing. Even though Big Brother 4 was like 4 years ago, we don’t know who won, so don’t tell us! It’s what happens when we don’t actually get any TV here.

I also think I managed to stuff 60 lbs worth of my belongings into one small suitcase. My philosophy was to fill it with the heaviest things I own, leaving my huge suitcase for the lighter items, but still packing it full to get it to its 70 lb maximum weight with Air Canada.

“So we sailed up to the sun, Till we found a sea of green”

“We've nothing to do and we've nothing to say, Oh, when you go...”
-Afternoon Soaps, Arab Strap

That’s it. 12 days to go in Japan. Even less in Fukushima since Eve and I are a) spending at least one night out drinking, b) we’re also spending one night in a ryokan onsen (hot springs) resort, c) one more night in Tokyo which will possibly be spent out all night drinking because the best way to spend 16 hours on a flight is hung over and/or still drunk.

Because I can, I thought I’d tally up the time abroad in handy list form for future reference:

Film seen in theatres: 2
Average price for a movie ticket: $18 Cdn
Average hours at karaoke per week: 3.5
Cost of karaoke with all-you-can-drink alcohol: $7.50 an hour (or $1 before 5pm)
Shinkansen (bullet train) rides: 6
5 hour bus rides to/from Tokyo: 7
Times fallen asleep in bars (as opposed to behind bars): 1
Average work hours per week: 1
Number of students: 8
CDs purchased: 8
Books read: 9
Trips out of the country: 2
Raw octopi eaten: 1
Worst thing eaten: the pounded rice balls on a stick and their accompanying sauce
Visitors from home: 4
Shoe size: 25.5
Maximum shoe size found in Japan: 24.5
Times approached by strangers to carry on an English conversation: 3
Seasons of “24” watched: 4 (one more to watch next week)
Japanese crushes: karaoke man. I invented a story that he lives at karaoke and sleeps in the back room while his wife works in the kitchen making all the snacks and handing out the tambourines. It’s a marriage of convenience.
Girls who look like Mick Jagger: 1
Best restaurants: the only Greek restaurant in Tokyo, kaiten sushi, the gyoza lady’s house/bar…7-11
Favourite Day at Fuji Rock: Friday for Franz Ferdinand (I just like the alliteration of that sentence)
Number of instances I got obnoxiously drunk: 3
Times vomited from being an obnoxiously drunk: 1
Items the man-eating washing machine destroyed: 2 bras whose underwires were mangled and bent out of shape, one pair of underwear ripped to shreds, one tank top strap ripped apart. (It seriously ties things up in knots and viciously attacks clothing)
Price of a watermelon: $18
Price of cantaloupe on sale: $9.80
Favourite game: “Is it sweet or meat?” in the grocery store/restaurant
Favourite karaoke songs: White Lines, I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight, Helter Skelter, Little Green Bag, Losing Grip, Do You Want To, Lemon, Say It Ain’t So
Favourite store (other than HMV): Cinema Club which is actually a clothing store which has nothing to do with movies
Bike accidents: 1, due to the singing of “Lemon” in falsetto and the failure to see the curb

Things I will miss: Eve (but only for 2 months, then I will have to get used to seeing her again on a regular basis back in Toronto), my bike Mustang Sally, sushi (you haven’t had sushi ‘til you’ve had it in Japan) and Japanese food in general, karaoke, the grocery store’s theme music, karaoke man, melon buns, mango sundaes from Sunkus convenience stores, the man with no teeth at Lawson’s convenience store, the 100 yen shop, the music memorabilia store in Tokyo, that drum game, Mt. Shinobu, that cat that lives upstairs, crazy English signs that are lost in translation, the shower room, sake, saying random Japanese phrases in an obnoxious man voice which will undoubtedly continue although no one will understand

Things I will not miss: the heat, the rain, the cold (sometimes all in the same day), not being able to read signs, inability to turn on the TV and understand what the Hell’s going on, store staffer’s greeting you in high-pitched and non-stop phrases, Paul McCartney the beetle who lives in the shoe cupboard, Hussein the Sri Lankan, 4:30am sunrises, our tiny leaking refrigerator, the lack of an oven, McPrawns, the dog who barks everyday at 4:45am

I’m sure I will think of more in due time when I feel like being reflective. I’m still pre-occupied with an upcoming trip to the gyoza lady and a Round 1 so I can play my drum game, and a night out “bringing sexy back” with Corrie, Eve, and Lauren in Sendai on Saturday. And yes, I did just go there with the Justin Timberlake reference since Eve and I are all about that song lately.

“I know why you laughed and you should know you were wrong”

It’s Been Raining for 3 Days Straight List of the Day (aka the "You told me September was hot" mix):

Fade Together- Franz Ferdinand
Somewhere Only We Know- Keane
Gone- U2
Run- Snow Patrol
Goodbye My Lover- James Blunt

"And now I'm only happy when you're not around”

"What does it mean to be this crazy, lady? I don't pretend to know "
-Rocket, El Presidente

You know your parents know you well when your mother says, “I know what will happen if you move to the UK. You’ll spend all your money on concerts and never come home.” So true.

I’ve also realized that sake is my Japanese equivalent to tequila- as in I get extra chatty and can’t stop myself from talking. Its like truth serum. I also rode a bike for the first time ever while intoxicated. It was successful.

It’s still brutally hot and humid here in Fukushima. I’ve spent the day lying around eating donuts while having a “24” marathon. In other words, I am clearly living the high life. Eve is off in Niigata with her bf, so I have to wait for her to come back so we can hit up karaoke. There’s also a place called Round 1 in town where you can play video games, sing karaoke, shoot arrows, and ride a mechanical bull (unfortunately, not simultaneously) that we are going to go to before I take off.

I'm bemoaning the fact that the Toronto Film Festival is underway and all I have in Fukushima is X-Men. I'm going to go on a movie binge when I get home to make up for lost time.

Top 5 Songs in Heavy Rotation:

Turn This Thing Around- El Presidente
Maneater- Nelly Furtado
Sexy Back- Justin Timberlake
You Don’t Love Me- The Kooks
Shoot the Runner- Kasabian

"I feel those temperatures rise"

“I think it's special what's behind your back, So turn around and I'll pick up the slack”
-Sexy Back, Justin Timberlake

“Sexy Back” has become the new theme song for Eve and I. Even better as it made its karaoke debut last night. With our mad harmonizing skillz we impressed our friends who couldn’t believe we had never sung it before despite our large alcohol intake for the evening. I’m really going to miss karaoke.

As for my trip to Hong Kong, I still haven’t unpacked my things. I dug out some of the good stuff, threw it around our humble abode and basically left everything else on the floor in my room. Today will be unpack and clean day. It was my fist time travelling alone and actual having a solo vacation. I’ve either gone to a city like Tokyo for a night on my own or to hang out for a bit until I meet up with friends, but have never actually boarded a plane and taken off to another country for the sole purpose of having a sightseeing vacation on my own. It was pretty successful, and since I like being on my own anyway and often show a disdain for people in general, I got along fine with myself.
Now I feel like if I can hit random spots in Asia on my own and come out unscathed, I feel like this crazy trip I am casually planning in my head to the UK in the spring will work out for me. That and Nat is considering Reading or Leeds with me in August because she’s cool.

Getting to and from HK was no problem and its actually an easy city to get around in. I think I spent more money on transportation between the subway, trams, buses, and ferries than anything else. I arrived in the afternoon and checked out the Cat Street Market (no, no cats, and I didn’t go because of the name- I went for the Maoist kitsch), the escalators in Mid-Levels which just run uphill so you don’t have to walk, the zoo and botanical gardens, and then took the peak tram up the mountain on HK island. The Peak had a great view of the city and I had timed my arrival to catch the sunset as to get a view both in the daylight and as the lights came on at night.

My next day I ventured off of HK to Lantau Island to visit a monastery and one of the world’s largest seated bronze Buddha statues. It took forever to get there but was worth it. I took a very choppy ferry ride then a very long and winding bus ride to get me there. The Buddha seems bigger than the one in Kamakura in Japan, but that also might be owing to the fact that its sitting solo on the top of a mountain. Hiking all the way up to the top via the numerous steps was almost unbearable- not really for the physical effort but because it was so damn humid.

After the Buddha and my visit with nature, it was contrast time as I hit up Kowloon and Tsim Sha Tsui on the mainland part of HK. I just keep thinking, “Thank God Dan warned me not to stay in Kowloon.” It was a big, loud dirty Chinatown which is the only way I can describe it. Torontonians: multiply our Chinatown by 1000 on a Saturday, thrown in an extra 5000 people, turn up the heat, and deck the street out in neon lights and you’ll understand. It was almost overwhelming. Men constantly yell at you to buy things: “Missy miss, Copy bag, copy watch, DVD movie, tailor, suit, perfume, I make you a nice dress” is basically what I heard in one sentence as I made m way up the street, going gin and out of shops. I didn’t last too long there and made a retreat back to HK island to wait it out a bit longer before going back to Kowloon for the night markets. It was admittedly much better at night since the amount of people had gone down, as had the touts yelling things, allowing my to load up my arms with random purchases I’ll never be able to fit in my suitcase back to Canada.

Monday I booked a 5 hour tour to Macau and Shenzhen in mainland China. First sign that something was wrong: they were 45 minutes late to pick me up. Second sign: “So miss, you already have a Chinese visa?” I didn’t. They were supposed to arrange one for me. But it all worked out in the end. Macau is an odd place- colonized and settled by the Portuguese and handed back over to Chinese control in the 1990s it has odd European architecture in some places. All in all, and I was warned about this beforehand, it’s kinda of the slums of the area. Despite the nicer buildings and Portuguese style squares and buildings, it just can’t shake off the seedy and decrepit look overall.

After Macau it was off to Shenzhen on my virtual private tour: it was just me and a couple of Aussies, Stuart and Kelly who were 28 and just on their way home from a 3 month European tour. Needless to say, that we all got on great, especially since our guide was 26. So having a private tour in a van is pretty cool because we were able to dictate what we were interested and get our guide Gavin to show us the goods in the crazy shopping mall of knock-offs. This Lo Wu Shopping Mall is targeted to tourists but it is very sketchy. It’s the least safe I have felt in Asia. Its filled with beggars and thieves and people who follow you. Gavin told us all to stay close and said that its not somewhere that you should ever go on your own. He led us down some back hallways to a warehouse where they had “grade A” knock-offs so my Aussie friends could buy golf clubs and I picked up a Fendi purse. In general and in case you were wondering, the faux merchandise in Seoul was top shelf quality while this wasn’t as hot.

Odd side note: Stuart and I were in a long and engrossing discussion over countries and Aussie’s impressions of Canada (apparently I say “Out” funny) and how others view Australia, leading us onto a lengthy conversation about the Crocodile Hunter. 20 minutes later as we step off of this ferry and his cell phone goes back into range, he gets the email about Steve Irwin’s death. We were both a little shocked that we had just been talking about him- someone who doesn’t come up in conversation often and I haven’t thought about in years. Like Heidi, I too find the whole story sad- My dad loved his show. But I digress….

Tuesday I went back to Kowloon and hung out along the harbour, visited the art museum (which as you can see in the picture below, had a room made out of human hair), and went to the bird garden where men bring their caged birds, and a few more markets. I wound up my last morning there on Wednesday getting lost in a mall while looking for a park with an aviary (the sign said the park was on the 2nd floor, but then it stopped giving directions to it. It was actually off the 5th floor. And I went up the crazy Bank of China building to their “observatory” which is just a hallway with a window.

And then it was back to Japan for a night where the hotel receptionist laughed at me when I said I lived in Fukushima. Everyone knows there is nothing to do in Fukushima. Hence the frequent karaoke visits. And as usual, I'll have more travel photos up on my travel blog eventually.

“I'm bringin' sexy back”

“Our labour day Has come and gone”
-Red Hill Mining Town, U2

I made it back from Hong Kong without any cuts, scrapes, bruises, muggings, or trips and falls. To sum it up right here and now: the food was awful, HK has one of the best skylines of any city, the receptionist at my hostel was quite surly, and thank God I listened to Dan when he told me not to stay in Kowloon.

Interesting notes: I was asked at the airport if I had come in contact with any squirrels in HK. Not hearing the woman correctly, I said, “What? Squares? Like people?” I thought maybe they were still using 1950s slang. Either way, the answer was no. Unfortunately.

No interesting people to speak of and no non-sensical slogans. They have the English down pat what with years of colonial rule and all. Met a nice pair of Aussies as we had practically a private tour of Shenzhen in mainland China, but didn’t care to really factor any other people in my plans, with my disdain for strangers and all. I’ll have more to say later when I’m not thinking about what to eat for dinner and will post some pictures and more detail son my travel blog.

“The lines are long, There's no going back”

I had to search yahoo for info on Meatloaf for his discography (some of you will get that email and understand eventually). I just wanted to point out that the top listing that comes up is
"The Meatloaf Pages: Offers a compilation of recipes designed for meatloaf enthusiasts. "

That and when I mistakenly mis-typed “meat oaf” due to a stick “L” key, I got a meatloaf anagrams website featuring such gems as “Flea Moat” and “Afloat Me.” Both appropriate when discussing the man or the meat. Or the oaf as it were. All three can actullay refer to the same thing.

“I can lose myself, You I can't live without”

Since Labour Day has come and gone (hence the clever lyrics of the day), this is the first time I actually missed going back to school. Last year I was too busy with work and the impending frenzy and chaos that was Film Festival and U2 week. This year I’m all about lazing around town in Fukushima and still trying to figure out how to get all of my worldly possessions home. But at the same time, I enjoy the concept of school more than physically attending school and preparing essays and whatnot. I think what I really miss is the Dance Cave and donuts, to be enjoyed simultaneously.

I’m down to less than 3 weeks in Japan. Eve and I are planning out my final days here including visiting an onsen (hopefully one that lets us wear bathing suits), the rock and roll wax museum, a kabuki play, and a stay at a capsule hotel. I also have to meet the local Irish lad in town whom Eve met while I was away. And you know how I feel about the Irish.

“We wait all day, For night to come”

Top 5 Songs of the Afternoon While Attending to a Full email Inbox:

Repeated Offender- Rifles
Check the O.R.- Organized Rhyme
Over My Shoulder- I Am Kloot
Can’t Get You Out of My Head- Kylie Minogue
Millennium- Robbie Williams

“You're all that's left to hold on to”