Friday, March 30, 2007

the new starcraft.

While I'm sure blizzard is cooking up something hot, I think I don't have much use for that stuff anymore. Somehow, I've become obsessed with "real life". I suppose that's what most people were throughout history, and what a pretty good majority still are. I wasn't always so insistent on being "rooted in the soil" though.
I used to be a gamer. It used to seem to me like the goals that I put behind me in games had some meaning. Objectively, I always knew they didn't, but I forgave myself because I didn't feel like those material goals in life had any more meaning.
Now I'm down with the materialists. From self-help to joining a gym and thinking non-stop about money, my life has become heavy and concrete. I don't mind it this way. Living through other people's fictions wasn't so hot after all.

But where I started with this was I think I've found a timesap (or two) that are going to leave me as worthless as starcraft did in college. The big new big thing is the (taiwan import) DS I bought today and the kanji kentei game that I spent my day on.
From the time I got home until just about now, I've been staring at those two screens (in vertical orientation) and scribbling down kanji. I'm way too into this game. I can see myself being ready for my year's goal (lvl 3) by June.

BTW, if you're keeping track, the year of the boar is about 1/4 over. I've got one goal completed, and have just begun in earnest on two of the others. Already there have been times when it seemed really unlikely that I'd manage all of them, but now, it looks like I set my goals a lot lower than I should have.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

invest in infrastructure.

Wow, today was a really beautiful day. Perfect weather, blooming flowers, smiling faces, short skirts, and on and on. After a long-ish winter, I'm reminded why I'm here... because it can be an earthly paradise.

But back on the earth, I made hay. I studied, and bought some things for the house, and for the gym. Maybe I sound like a little girl when I say this, but I always feel much happier when I buy "infrastructure". Something that makes my home more homey, or increases my ability or efficiency or comfort in this tiny space. Today, a trash can with a lid and wheels, tomorrow the world.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Sunday, March 25, 2007

speaking of restaurant reviews.

YUMM.

There's a limited time ramen being served at 花月 (kagetsu) ramen. It's really vegetarian, and it's really good.
If you can read Japanese, follow the link and be my guest, but it really doesn't have information so much as a bunch of self congratulation. I can hardly hold that against them though. I had it a few hours ago, and it was better than I expected.
I'm no ramen expert, so I can only tell you that it's not oily or heavy, the noodles are not eggy at all, and have a bit more hagotae (al dente-ness?) than I'm used to. The charm point though is the thoroughly stewed vegetables on top. The nanohana was barely present, but the daikon and potato were like a really clean-tasting oden. I wasn't so confident about the cherry tomato, and wound up avoiding it until I had already eaten all the other vegetables and most of the noodles. Damned if it wasn't the best part. Being no poet, I'm not gonna try to wow you with my words, but "bright" and "burst" come to mind.

At 680 yen, and absolutely zero vegetarian hypocrisy points, it's worth trying. and retrying.

upcoming projects

It seems like ever other blog I read is trumpeting some "upcoming project". I feel left out. I mean, I have my little projects. For example repaying my debt was a fun little experience, but I feel pretty happy putting a cap on that one. It's high time I had some fancy, enterprising, buzzwordy innovation around here.

So, I give you my Vlog!

Or no, rather, I don't. I'm trying to experiment with my camera and feeling more comfortable in front of it. Though I feel comfortable enough with the idea of exposing my face, I can't really speak naturally to that tiny black square in my macbook.
I am not a phenomenal listener, but I do try to work with the feedback that my partner gives me, and adjust accordingly. But when I try making these little videos, I only get my own face and my own words. Monologuing seems to be something I can only do when I should be having a dialog. Ask my poor friends.

I'll try to get it going soon. Just like my restaurant and cafe reviews.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

the honorable representative of japan

I picked up a copy of Metropolis (shock!) while I was at TGI Friday's (SHOCK!) last night. I usually just read them at work, but I hadn't seen this one before. Inside is a review of "shutting out the sun", a book about Japan's future that uses hikkikomori as its pivot point. I guess the book runs something like "the japanese individual is broken and hikkikomori is strong evidence".

But despite some ridiculous estimates in the past of a million or more of these young men, it's abundantly clear that they make up a very small percentage of the population, and if wikipedia is believed that they are merely manifesting developmental disabilities differently than similarly afflicted westerners would.

If I might suggest to the goose what he has so amply applied to the gander: there were likely more murder victims in America in 2006 than there are hikkikomori. There are far far more americans currently incarcerated than there are hikkikomori. There are 37000 alumni of
Harvard law school, more than most estimates of hikkokomri numbers.

How reflective of the american individual would a book that centers on murder victims or prisoners or HLS alumni be?

Thursday, March 22, 2007

my writing puts my writing to shame.

oh dear.
I just happened upon a folder full of my freshman year philosophy papers. As is the custom, I felt a little nostalgia, and a little embarrassed at my ideologies. I hadn't quite expected to feel ashamed though. Not about my papers, they're pretty good for a freshman, but about my current writing skill. I'm nowhere near the writer I was 8 years ago.
How did that happen? I like to think I'm just rusty from having been lazy so long. Of course my writing skill withered; I've written precisely one essay for anyone's evaluation in the last five years, and that was in Japanese.
I am sort of afraid that this goes a bit deeper than that though. I worry that I'm becoming one of those "used to be smart"-types who slide gradually down until even their present circumstances are overwhelming. It's not for lack of talent (I hope), or even lack of ambition. I just can't seem to find any one topic, idea, field, dream, etc. that seems worth investing myself in. So I dabble. I learn a little about everything and a lot about nothing.
Take today for example. I finished reading Othello (my 3rd Shakespearean tragedy in 2 weeks), and Empire of the Sun, studied a few hundred kanji, read 50 pages or so of another book, and started another two or three projects of differing sizes. I didn't touch my Japanese law books (my avowed discipline of focus), and didn't speak a word of Japanese to anyone including the clerk at the grocery store. That is to say, I made no real progress toward any of my goals, despite having quite a few of them.
I think I'll be turn really effective the moment I have mastered everything I don't really value.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

my god isn't false, my god is real.

As many as 90% of Americans stake their eternities on the belief that "the truth" appears more real than lies. In my experience, the opposite is true.

Friday, March 09, 2007

too much of a good thing

A friend of mine from work has the habit of reminding me that I work too much. While he's always been right, I've always had the excuse that I had to get through the debt I stacked up on my way in while putting together my apartment.
On the 28th of this month, his point will become a lot more trenchant, when my disposable income after bills goes up 4 fold.

So what do I do? Actually cut back on working? Or create new needs/wants to take up the slack?

Thursday, March 08, 2007

as promised





ふふふ

(I promised you 5, but I only had 4 I liked. Enjoy a pretty advertisement for cellphones)

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

entrance


entrance, originally uploaded by notnato.

don't ask me to explain the burst of photographic activity, but I'm going to hop a train to takadanobaba and take a couple pictures. I'll post 5 pictures when I get back.

work it


work it, originally uploaded by notnato.

20x20 paper by kokuyo. scribbles and sloppy characters by me.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Kiss me, I did my own taxes.

Look upon my standard tax form, ye mighty, and despair.

I managed to do my taxes all by myself. IN JAPANESE!

I'm not sure, it could be that I'm supposed to be off the hook for the money I lost in the market, but the part on investment returns is a little beyond me. I'll take another look at that part before I fill in the real form, to see if I can't shave off a bit more. As it is, I owe just about 1man. Of course, my local taxes are still on the horizon.