Monday, August 31, 2009
Outside Cleveland
End to the first day on the road. Training wrapped up with GC '09 graduation Saturday night and crazy-awesome dance party afterwards. Spent today on the road. 2 more days of travel before I reach Grand Forks. I am SO Sore...
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Why Obama shouldn't move to the Center
Memo to Obama: Moving to the Middle Is for Losers
This is a very important article, namely because it shows that criticism of Obama's redefined position and principles (from his original declaration during the primary campaign) extends far beyond what the media considers "fringe, 3rd party candidates" like Ralph Nader. The author, Ariana Huffington, is runs one of the leading progressive media resources on the web (the Huffington Post), and her opinion carries a certain amount of weight within progressive circles. More importantly is shows that the progressive community is not necessarily 100% behind Obama and his continued move towards the center is not welcomed among all supporters. Consider is a torpedo fired across the bow of the Obama campaign: a warning that "staying the course" will lead to an inevitable confrontation.
This is a very important article, namely because it shows that criticism of Obama's redefined position and principles (from his original declaration during the primary campaign) extends far beyond what the media considers "fringe, 3rd party candidates" like Ralph Nader. The author, Ariana Huffington, is runs one of the leading progressive media resources on the web (the Huffington Post), and her opinion carries a certain amount of weight within progressive circles. More importantly is shows that the progressive community is not necessarily 100% behind Obama and his continued move towards the center is not welcomed among all supporters. Consider is a torpedo fired across the bow of the Obama campaign: a warning that "staying the course" will lead to an inevitable confrontation.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Interesting Day - Part 2
The second experience which brought on this reflective mood in me was centered around Teacher Auditions which I conducted for Margaret at the Princeton Review (where I work as a teacher/tutor). The purpose of the Audition is similar to that of an interview, only for TPR it's usually the first step of the process (the second and third being scoring well on a practice test and then surviving training). My job in these auditions is really easy. I basically sit there and watch as potential teachers get up and teach something (ANYTHING). I evaluate the candidates on how articulate, engaging and comfortable they are up at the board and basically decide whether or not I feel they'll survive our training process (which isn't very easy).
Today, two older gentlemen were among the candidate I was evaluating. As we got into their auditions I noticed that neither of them really incorporated the criteria Margaret had covered (as characteristics of TPR teachers at the beginning of the interview) into their teaching styles. In fact, aside from perhaps a couple really open-ended questions they asked, their auditions were not engaging or using a Socratic Approach (asking questions which lead the audience in a specific direction). They were not engaging at all, and a couple time they mumbled making it difficult for me to really understand what they were saying. I rejected them from the training because of their performance. Something which still is on my mind (perhaps as guilt) is that I did pass another candidate in the audition who wasn't entirely too different. His energy was rather low, he didn't use the Socratic method so much as lectured and wasn't very engaging. Nonetheless, I passed him. When I consider why I did him, but not the two older gentlemen I have only one answer in mind: because he was younger.
It's that simple. I felt that because of the younger candidate's age he was a better candidate for training. I felt he could learn, incorporate and excel at the methods TPR teachers used to teach their students in an active, engaging way. I won't go so far as to say that my mind is free of prejudice. Nonetheless, I did try (as much as I could) to justify sending the older gentlemen to training, but I couldn't. I looked in their resumes, but couldn't find comparable work or teaching experience. In terms of their overall presentation, they just weren't a good fit for the company. I had a job to do, and that's exactly what I did.
But there's more to it than that. The excuse for aiding in genocide made famous at Nuremburg is hardly enough to take one off the hook. Sure the situation is different, but a certain principle remains true. It is simply not enough for us as individuals, as supposedly responsible members of society (which this world needs many many more of) to goose step on in front of the Swastikas, raising our arms in salute and continuing to claim that we were only doing our jobs; that we cannot possibly afford to care, because caring in this exploitative, uber-competitive world requires simply too expensive.
In that instance I saw why Social Security (yes, a monthly living stipend provided by the government) is such a necessity. It is necessary for the elders in our society to have some form of support-system, some variety of safety net, when they arrive at the age when they may no longer be able to provide for themselves as they once were able to (provide for themselves and others). Through no fault of their own, but because of their old age and perhaps buying into the long-forgotten promises of our government support all citizens no matter their color, creed, gender or age, these men simply had,to use the horribly dehumanizing language of modern business, fewer marketable skills. Their auditions didn't showcase good presentation skills. Their resumes weren't particularly effective. They didn't have any skills I, representing an employer, could really use.
In youth pursuing our dreams is easy because the world is fulfilled with infinite potential and opportunities. As we grow older though and our minds potentially close and our positions grow harder and harder; our roots growing deeper and deeper into the familiar grounds, the ground we have always known and are afraid to be uprooted and leave; we cannot so easily adapt to the exponentially competitive knowledge economy. Mark my words, for one day it will happen to us who are young and think we can conquer the world. It will happen to us too, unless we create our own way in the world. Perhaps that is why we race to accumulate wealth for it gives us a means to an end that is increasingly difficult to achieve in this world without some form of wealth or power: freedom.
Pursuit of monetary wealth can never be an end in and of itself, though. It is a slow poison that spreads throughout your body; wrapping its deadly tentacles around your soul and transfixing your gaze onto the glitter of material wealth; slowly killing us from the insider out. That poison now grips this society as we teeter on the edge of a sharp precipice. We are no longer a city on a hilltop. Our foundations eroded from under us just as we have eroded them. We have killed all that we were and we will continue to kill all that we could potentially be because we simply cannot stop. Like the heroin addict whose cravings he cannot escape, we too love our lifestyles. After all, how can we let go when they just make us feel so good?
If you cannot see the signs of decay within our society, simply look at the decay that surrounds us. Look a the decay of our environment upon which all life itself depends. The earth is feverish; in the throes of a most virulent illness. This is not progress!
This is madness.
Today, two older gentlemen were among the candidate I was evaluating. As we got into their auditions I noticed that neither of them really incorporated the criteria Margaret had covered (as characteristics of TPR teachers at the beginning of the interview) into their teaching styles. In fact, aside from perhaps a couple really open-ended questions they asked, their auditions were not engaging or using a Socratic Approach (asking questions which lead the audience in a specific direction). They were not engaging at all, and a couple time they mumbled making it difficult for me to really understand what they were saying. I rejected them from the training because of their performance. Something which still is on my mind (perhaps as guilt) is that I did pass another candidate in the audition who wasn't entirely too different. His energy was rather low, he didn't use the Socratic method so much as lectured and wasn't very engaging. Nonetheless, I passed him. When I consider why I did him, but not the two older gentlemen I have only one answer in mind: because he was younger.
It's that simple. I felt that because of the younger candidate's age he was a better candidate for training. I felt he could learn, incorporate and excel at the methods TPR teachers used to teach their students in an active, engaging way. I won't go so far as to say that my mind is free of prejudice. Nonetheless, I did try (as much as I could) to justify sending the older gentlemen to training, but I couldn't. I looked in their resumes, but couldn't find comparable work or teaching experience. In terms of their overall presentation, they just weren't a good fit for the company. I had a job to do, and that's exactly what I did.
But there's more to it than that. The excuse for aiding in genocide made famous at Nuremburg is hardly enough to take one off the hook. Sure the situation is different, but a certain principle remains true. It is simply not enough for us as individuals, as supposedly responsible members of society (which this world needs many many more of) to goose step on in front of the Swastikas, raising our arms in salute and continuing to claim that we were only doing our jobs; that we cannot possibly afford to care, because caring in this exploitative, uber-competitive world requires simply too expensive.
In that instance I saw why Social Security (yes, a monthly living stipend provided by the government) is such a necessity. It is necessary for the elders in our society to have some form of support-system, some variety of safety net, when they arrive at the age when they may no longer be able to provide for themselves as they once were able to (provide for themselves and others). Through no fault of their own, but because of their old age and perhaps buying into the long-forgotten promises of our government support all citizens no matter their color, creed, gender or age, these men simply had,to use the horribly dehumanizing language of modern business, fewer marketable skills. Their auditions didn't showcase good presentation skills. Their resumes weren't particularly effective. They didn't have any skills I, representing an employer, could really use.
In youth pursuing our dreams is easy because the world is fulfilled with infinite potential and opportunities. As we grow older though and our minds potentially close and our positions grow harder and harder; our roots growing deeper and deeper into the familiar grounds, the ground we have always known and are afraid to be uprooted and leave; we cannot so easily adapt to the exponentially competitive knowledge economy. Mark my words, for one day it will happen to us who are young and think we can conquer the world. It will happen to us too, unless we create our own way in the world. Perhaps that is why we race to accumulate wealth for it gives us a means to an end that is increasingly difficult to achieve in this world without some form of wealth or power: freedom.
Pursuit of monetary wealth can never be an end in and of itself, though. It is a slow poison that spreads throughout your body; wrapping its deadly tentacles around your soul and transfixing your gaze onto the glitter of material wealth; slowly killing us from the insider out. That poison now grips this society as we teeter on the edge of a sharp precipice. We are no longer a city on a hilltop. Our foundations eroded from under us just as we have eroded them. We have killed all that we were and we will continue to kill all that we could potentially be because we simply cannot stop. Like the heroin addict whose cravings he cannot escape, we too love our lifestyles. After all, how can we let go when they just make us feel so good?
If you cannot see the signs of decay within our society, simply look at the decay that surrounds us. Look a the decay of our environment upon which all life itself depends. The earth is feverish; in the throes of a most virulent illness. This is not progress!
This is madness.
Interesting Day - Part 1
FYI - This is a very somber, reflective post. I initially wanted to make it Private, but couldn't figure out how. Now I figure, I've got nothing to hide; so read up gossip-mongers. This is my life.
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So today was a VERY interesting day. As it seems with almost all my days almost too much happens for me to believe that what I remember all happened within the confines of a consecutive sunrise and sunset. Nonetheless, the events that transpired today merit transcription and reflection.
Today started early, or earlier than usual. I arose (permanently) around 8:17am to the sound of my father calling me. We talked about something or the other (not terribly important...my availability to travel to New York/Niagara Falls area around August-time). Afterwards I had to wake up and get ready anyway, because my mom and brother were en-route to pick me up and go meet with the Dean and Associate Dean of the Honors College. The purpose of my mother's visit was to "know that he is progressing". Mostly, she wanted to hear (from someone other than myself) that I was "on the right track". What exactly "progress" and "the right track" means I cannot quite say. The source of power that propels and determines the direction of my life is only a deep seated desire to do the most good and the least harm to others (person, plant, animal, world) and to improve some small part of the community before I leave the circles of this world.
Either way, after meeting with Dr. Y, the Associate Dean, my mother certainly felt much more reassured of the current (and potential future) state of my affairs. Dr. Y did a fantastic job speaking to my mom. It's always strange to hear speaking about you, especially when you're sitting right next to them in the same room. I hardly ever feel as if I am somehow an incredibly accomplished person. In fact, I've never felt a need or a desire to identify myself to others as being a particularly accomplished person. Hell, I hate even mentioning titles I may have to others unless the situation particularly requires it. Sure I am smart and I get good grades, but that's only because the first 17 years of my life, that was practically all I knew (or all my parents taught me to value besides my family and my Indian heritage). I know too, that I am active at USF in leadership roles, but I also recognize that I am only in these roles because others usually place me in a position where they perceive me as a leader or (as when I was younger and more inexperienced with such roles) because others empowered me and trusted me enough (thank you, Joe) to place rather large responsibility in the hands of a very inexperienced, wide-eyed freshman at USF. I suppose I'm of the school of thought (who else is in this school? I must find an alumni website or something from it) that believes leadership is more a burden than a privilege. Perhaps that somehow relates to the way I formulate or believe in power which in turn is connected to my conception of my role and dharma within the great cosmos.
I am not in the mood right now to re-count a CV of leadership roles while here at USF, but in terms of self esteem (and I'll be the first to admit mine gets rather low from time to time) it was really encouraging and reinforcing to hear Dr. Y speak so highly of me. My mother spoke to Dr. Silverman afterwards and during that time I was not in the room (I figured I'd be more comfortable not knowing what Dr. Silverman spoke) but apparently he did not disappoint. I will certainly thank them both for their time, though the best way I can thank them is by showing to both them and my parents what I am truly capable of accomplishing when I dedicate myself to a achieving a certain end. By this I mean applying for (as in filling out and not simply downloading applications) and receiving prestigious national fellowships (got the Fulbright, Marshal and Rhodes on my mind; yea I'm looking at you Oxford!) as well as admissions (with aid) to the History of Consciousness graduate program at UC Santa Cruz. Achievement of such goals is not my end game. But somewhere deep within, I have a need to prove to both my parents and myself exactly what I am capable of. My concern in all of this, my priority in fact, is to, as Gandhi said, remember the poorest, most desperate man (or woman) I can and think every step along the way if what I am doing helps him or her. I suspect that the accomplishment of these goals (with the possible exception of graduate school at HisCon) does not, but is only some form of prestige that I am able to accrue to my name. Does it make a difference if the collection of such prestige places me in a more competitive position for jobs where I can affect change on a national level? Perhaps, but such change is slow and difficult to enact, especially because in such cases one puts oneself in an environment divorced from the real circumstances and suffering in which many many people live their lives. If I pursue study in Ivory towers of Cambridge or Oxford can I still be connected to those alongside whom I need to struggle?
I think I can. If we can truly be who we want to be in this life, then I do not believe one needs to join the rat race or forget the causes and the people who one truly wants to help. In fact, I make the pledge, right here, right now, that no matter through which valleys, over which hills, and across which oceans my path in life takes me I will never lose my talisman. I will never allow myself to forget the suffering of my brothers and sisters in this life. I will labor for their spiritual uplift until the final breath leaves my body.
Getting to the point where I am helping them with the full dedication of all my vital energies may take until after graduation.
On that note, I am increasingly looking for opportunities after graduation to spend time travelling in Asia and Latin America and to work with social and economic justice movements during that time. Perhaps that will last for about a year or so.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So today was a VERY interesting day. As it seems with almost all my days almost too much happens for me to believe that what I remember all happened within the confines of a consecutive sunrise and sunset. Nonetheless, the events that transpired today merit transcription and reflection.
Today started early, or earlier than usual. I arose (permanently) around 8:17am to the sound of my father calling me. We talked about something or the other (not terribly important...my availability to travel to New York/Niagara Falls area around August-time). Afterwards I had to wake up and get ready anyway, because my mom and brother were en-route to pick me up and go meet with the Dean and Associate Dean of the Honors College. The purpose of my mother's visit was to "know that he is progressing". Mostly, she wanted to hear (from someone other than myself) that I was "on the right track". What exactly "progress" and "the right track" means I cannot quite say. The source of power that propels and determines the direction of my life is only a deep seated desire to do the most good and the least harm to others (person, plant, animal, world) and to improve some small part of the community before I leave the circles of this world.
Either way, after meeting with Dr. Y, the Associate Dean, my mother certainly felt much more reassured of the current (and potential future) state of my affairs. Dr. Y did a fantastic job speaking to my mom. It's always strange to hear speaking about you, especially when you're sitting right next to them in the same room. I hardly ever feel as if I am somehow an incredibly accomplished person. In fact, I've never felt a need or a desire to identify myself to others as being a particularly accomplished person. Hell, I hate even mentioning titles I may have to others unless the situation particularly requires it. Sure I am smart and I get good grades, but that's only because the first 17 years of my life, that was practically all I knew (or all my parents taught me to value besides my family and my Indian heritage). I know too, that I am active at USF in leadership roles, but I also recognize that I am only in these roles because others usually place me in a position where they perceive me as a leader or (as when I was younger and more inexperienced with such roles) because others empowered me and trusted me enough (thank you, Joe) to place rather large responsibility in the hands of a very inexperienced, wide-eyed freshman at USF. I suppose I'm of the school of thought (who else is in this school? I must find an alumni website or something from it) that believes leadership is more a burden than a privilege. Perhaps that somehow relates to the way I formulate or believe in power which in turn is connected to my conception of my role and dharma within the great cosmos.
I am not in the mood right now to re-count a CV of leadership roles while here at USF, but in terms of self esteem (and I'll be the first to admit mine gets rather low from time to time) it was really encouraging and reinforcing to hear Dr. Y speak so highly of me. My mother spoke to Dr. Silverman afterwards and during that time I was not in the room (I figured I'd be more comfortable not knowing what Dr. Silverman spoke) but apparently he did not disappoint. I will certainly thank them both for their time, though the best way I can thank them is by showing to both them and my parents what I am truly capable of accomplishing when I dedicate myself to a achieving a certain end. By this I mean applying for (as in filling out and not simply downloading applications) and receiving prestigious national fellowships (got the Fulbright, Marshal and Rhodes on my mind; yea I'm looking at you Oxford!) as well as admissions (with aid) to the History of Consciousness graduate program at UC Santa Cruz. Achievement of such goals is not my end game. But somewhere deep within, I have a need to prove to both my parents and myself exactly what I am capable of. My concern in all of this, my priority in fact, is to, as Gandhi said, remember the poorest, most desperate man (or woman) I can and think every step along the way if what I am doing helps him or her. I suspect that the accomplishment of these goals (with the possible exception of graduate school at HisCon) does not, but is only some form of prestige that I am able to accrue to my name. Does it make a difference if the collection of such prestige places me in a more competitive position for jobs where I can affect change on a national level? Perhaps, but such change is slow and difficult to enact, especially because in such cases one puts oneself in an environment divorced from the real circumstances and suffering in which many many people live their lives. If I pursue study in Ivory towers of Cambridge or Oxford can I still be connected to those alongside whom I need to struggle?
I think I can. If we can truly be who we want to be in this life, then I do not believe one needs to join the rat race or forget the causes and the people who one truly wants to help. In fact, I make the pledge, right here, right now, that no matter through which valleys, over which hills, and across which oceans my path in life takes me I will never lose my talisman. I will never allow myself to forget the suffering of my brothers and sisters in this life. I will labor for their spiritual uplift until the final breath leaves my body.
Getting to the point where I am helping them with the full dedication of all my vital energies may take until after graduation.
On that note, I am increasingly looking for opportunities after graduation to spend time travelling in Asia and Latin America and to work with social and economic justice movements during that time. Perhaps that will last for about a year or so.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Day 4 - Manga Cafe, Rapungi, Tokyo [Japan, duh!]
Also written in Japan. Just read it.
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Ok so as im writing this the ENTIRE front of my face is numb because im just a little tipsy...the last 6 hours have been a haze. Around 6pm or so a couple friends and I went to this boat party. The tickets only cost 2500 yen a person...which is roughly $22. Basically the name of this boat was "Drinking Line" (leave it to the Japanese to come up with great names like that) to give you a rough idea of what the point of this thing was. Basically, it was about a thousand people or so on a huge cruise liner taking a two hour trip down the bay and back...beer and other drinks were flowing like water the entire time. So you basically pay 2500 yen or so to get on this boat for a couple hours and drink all that you want, which is a pretty sweet deal. My friends and I (Ryan, Paul, Kurt and Kurt's friend Patrick) all got totally shitfaced and then continued to do some crazy things...or perhaps not so crazy for us but they were funnier cuz we were drunk. Ryan and I spent at least a half hour talking to these three Japanese girls...well ryan did more of the talking than me. For the most part i tried to watch and observe how ryan was socializing with them...it was really amazing to see how, despite the lack of knowledge of Japanese on both our parts it was completely possible to communicate with them using different types of body language or small knowledge of each others' languages. Pretty much any girl will talk to u as long as u ask her the right questions...and ryan was definitely doing that...in retrospect i realize that these questions were questions that kept the conversation moving...They got the girls to talk about themselves...in fact whenever ryan was talking there wasnt a single moment of deadpan silence.
So back to our drunken antics: 7pm to 9 we all got incredibly wasted. I know it probably sounds horrible to say this but Japanese guys are FUCKING crazy when they get drunk. The yacht had all these different floors of things to do and one of them was a dance floor...unlike dance floors int he US though where everyone dances on it or whatever; dance floors in Japan (or on this boat at least) were restricted to 5 girls and this cuban DJ who danced in little semi-kimonos....around the dance floor is what seems like police tape and just outside of the police tape are hundreds of Japanese guys who seem to be dancing along with the music but are really just jumping up and down with their hand in the air...it:s pretty weird...but "when in rome..."...so i pretty much joined the friggin crazy jumping hyper japanese guys...
After the boat ride ended, the 5 attempted to drag our drunk asses towards and through the Tokyo subway system to a part of town called Ranpugi. Along the way we were walking in tandem with the incredible beautiful Japanese-brazilian girl (who's name i can't remember) and the crazy girl who was pretty much hanging onto ryan the entire time...well, to be fair ryan was her walking stick of choice but she'd hang onto any guy who offered his arm, shoulder, leg etc.....
About １０ minutes later we somehow (led by Kurt and Patrick) ended up in the Rapungi district of town. This place is chock full of happening bars and places to chill including the manga cafe where i am writing this blog entry. While walking down the streets in Rapungi, though, it is impossible to walk without being solicited by african guys working as promoters for certain strip clubs. Not to trying to get us to go to their respective "gentlemen:s clubs"...Rapungi...we stumbled through Rapungi for a bit, lost 2 of our companions (so we thought, but they really just went home) and then somehow ended up at this Turkish restaurant where we were so drunk\shocked that we spent the most money (7000-something yen) on a meal that shouldn:t have cost more than 30 bucks in the US...and i ended up paying for it...of course...
Most of this night, has actually been a blur after the boat i have absolutley no idea how we still ended up going through one of the busiest and most happening parts of the city...the entire time i was putting my hand in my pocket and clutching my wallet hard...but not because im naturally paranoid, but rather because someone told me tooo...
the things u do when drunk
Anyway...the drunkeness is winding down a bit now. If you can:t tell ive actually written this email over a 2 hr period so the first part i wrote while drunk while this part ive actually sobered up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok so as im writing this the ENTIRE front of my face is numb because im just a little tipsy...the last 6 hours have been a haze. Around 6pm or so a couple friends and I went to this boat party. The tickets only cost 2500 yen a person...which is roughly $22. Basically the name of this boat was "Drinking Line" (leave it to the Japanese to come up with great names like that) to give you a rough idea of what the point of this thing was. Basically, it was about a thousand people or so on a huge cruise liner taking a two hour trip down the bay and back...beer and other drinks were flowing like water the entire time. So you basically pay 2500 yen or so to get on this boat for a couple hours and drink all that you want, which is a pretty sweet deal. My friends and I (Ryan, Paul, Kurt and Kurt's friend Patrick) all got totally shitfaced and then continued to do some crazy things...or perhaps not so crazy for us but they were funnier cuz we were drunk. Ryan and I spent at least a half hour talking to these three Japanese girls...well ryan did more of the talking than me. For the most part i tried to watch and observe how ryan was socializing with them...it was really amazing to see how, despite the lack of knowledge of Japanese on both our parts it was completely possible to communicate with them using different types of body language or small knowledge of each others' languages. Pretty much any girl will talk to u as long as u ask her the right questions...and ryan was definitely doing that...in retrospect i realize that these questions were questions that kept the conversation moving...They got the girls to talk about themselves...in fact whenever ryan was talking there wasnt a single moment of deadpan silence.
So back to our drunken antics: 7pm to 9 we all got incredibly wasted. I know it probably sounds horrible to say this but Japanese guys are FUCKING crazy when they get drunk. The yacht had all these different floors of things to do and one of them was a dance floor...unlike dance floors int he US though where everyone dances on it or whatever; dance floors in Japan (or on this boat at least) were restricted to 5 girls and this cuban DJ who danced in little semi-kimonos....around the dance floor is what seems like police tape and just outside of the police tape are hundreds of Japanese guys who seem to be dancing along with the music but are really just jumping up and down with their hand in the air...it:s pretty weird...but "when in rome..."...so i pretty much joined the friggin crazy jumping hyper japanese guys...
This entire time while things were going CRAZY on the dance floor we pulled back into the port and all got off slowly...around this time we met this beautiful japanese-brazilian girl (a great mix!) who I couldn't take my eyes off of...she was gorgeous...Unfortunately she had a friend who was pretty wasted and couldn't seem to keep her hands off of ryan (this wasn't as bad as our last night in Panama, but if given the right environment this girl could probably have been just as crazy).
After the boat ride ended, the 5 attempted to drag our drunk asses towards and through the Tokyo subway system to a part of town called Ranpugi. Along the way we were walking in tandem with the incredible beautiful Japanese-brazilian girl (who's name i can't remember) and the crazy girl who was pretty much hanging onto ryan the entire time...well, to be fair ryan was her walking stick of choice but she'd hang onto any guy who offered his arm, shoulder, leg etc.....
About １０ minutes later we somehow (led by Kurt and Patrick) ended up in the Rapungi district of town. This place is chock full of happening bars and places to chill including the manga cafe where i am writing this blog entry. While walking down the streets in Rapungi, though, it is impossible to walk without being solicited by african guys working as promoters for certain strip clubs. Not to trying to get us to go to their respective "gentlemen:s clubs"...Rapungi...we stumbled through Rapungi for a bit, lost 2 of our companions (so we thought, but they really just went home) and then somehow ended up at this Turkish restaurant where we were so drunk\shocked that we spent the most money (7000-something yen) on a meal that shouldn:t have cost more than 30 bucks in the US...and i ended up paying for it...of course...
Most of this night, has actually been a blur after the boat i have absolutley no idea how we still ended up going through one of the busiest and most happening parts of the city...the entire time i was putting my hand in my pocket and clutching my wallet hard...but not because im naturally paranoid, but rather because someone told me tooo...
the things u do when drunk
Anyway...the drunkeness is winding down a bit now. If you can:t tell ive actually written this email over a 2 hr period so the first part i wrote while drunk while this part ive actually sobered up.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Day 3 - Tokyo
This post was written in Japan on the same night/early morning as the one that follows it. I think my idea behind numbering the days was initially a good one, but it became quite useless after I left for Hokkaido, after which each night we either didn't have internet or were too inebriated to be able to use it cogently (or remember the URL of my blog).
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Japan is AMAZING!!! It's a completely surreal experience being in a country like it because I have absolutely no ability to communicate with anyone Japanese except a few phrases. Most of the time I'm with friends who can speak Japanese much better than me so I've been at least surviving so far, but I think that somehow even if I were here and had very little to know it would be possible to get around and have a good time. The people here are very polite and helpful, at least on the street (I have no idea if they're cursing at us tourists behind they're back...but they probably also have much better things to do too). Ryan and I arrived here on Tuesday afternoon and so far have been staying in Tokyo with a friend of his (Paul) who is studying in Tokyo for the summer. Paul stays at a place called Sakura house which is in what I can only describe as a suburb outside of Tokyo. The area is still near the main part of Tokyo city and readily accessible via the Tokyo Subway system. It's a really nice place which is a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo city. It's akin to the Arlington or Bethesda areas near Washington DC...I suppose its the cheaper housing and more peaceful environment that attracts people to live in places like this. Unlike such areas in the States though, Higashi Nagasaki (like much of Japan) seems much smaller; much more compact. Everything is walking distance. Even the houses are relatively small (in order to save space of course). Japan has a huge population living mostly near the cities which requires the population to save space and be incredibly efficient in its use. Much like New York City, people here don't really own a car because it's just easier to walk to places or use the train.
Tokyo is a really incredible city! It's much like New York City, but I like it more. Compared to NYC, Tokyo feels like its a much cleaner place. It's certainly a far cry from Panama City where I had been before. In Tokyo things just seem to have a certain harmony which probably goes back a great deal to the culture of the Japanese. At least outwardly, there seems to be a great deal of harmony and that's great for any tourist. I'm sure it, as the rest of the world, has its own problems and issues that need to be dealt with (stagnant economy, low birth rate, unemployment and a homeless problem) but it is an incredibly clean city, which I appreciate. The city as a whole seems to breath in a way that I've never felt in New York, or DC or any other city in the US. There are trees growing everywhere throughout the city. It's soooo green! There doesn't seem to be a single spot in the city where there isn't something green.
After arriving in Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon (Monday night for you in the USA) Ryan and I got through customs and met up with his friend Paul (interesting guy...very intelligent, but rather pessimistic about life and other things...seems a bit moody to me...we had an interesting argument last night) who brought us to his place. That night we really just settled down in Paul's place and then proceeded to go get some dinner at a place nearby and then get some drinks (Speaking of which I was able to buy Saki on the airplane without showing any ID...not as good as I would have liked...I've had better Saki).
Wednesday, around 9 or 10ish Ryan and I left for the main part of Tokyo city. It's not very difficult, although we were probably a little lost at some point or another (at least until a wonderful Japanese woman who spoke very good English was able to help us...but getting lost is part of the fun huh?). Once in the city we actually got off a stop early at the Shibuya station instead of at the Ebisu station. The idea was to meet up with a friend we had in the city who knew Ryan through Ryan's ex-stepdad Steve (amazing guy...love him!). We were early anyway and weren't going to meet Kurt until lunchtime around 1:30 or so. So we meandered through Tokyo city on a quest for wireless internet...which we eventually found in a street coffee shop.
Eventually we met up with Kurt at the Ebisu station and went on from there to get lunch at a cool southeast asian restaurant. Also went to the electronic district of the city, Akihabara, where we were able to pretty much find anything with an electric circuit in it and probably for cheaper prices than in the US. Unfortunately I can't buy anything because I'm on a budget and need to be able to survive for the next three weeks or so until I end up at Tsinghua. Around 7pm, Kurt took us to a Rock concert at Harajuku Astrohall. It was a small place but packed from wall to wall with people young and old. The band, Earl Greyhound, was really good. Their basist was incredibly beautiful. She had this awesome fro with a feather in it and this loose blue shirt with cutoff sleeves and a short loose skirt with slits along the sides...She also wore white mocassin-like shoes...I was digging it.
The only thing that has given us problems in Tokyo has been navigating its subway system. It's a little difficult to decipher just which train to take at what time.
Ryan says that we'll leave from Tokyo around Saturday. The plan at the moment is to go to Hokkaido for some hiking, camping and hot springs. It'll be interesting to see how that works out since we have no reservations for housing anywhere and much of the hostels are already booked. Anyway...at the very least we have sleeping bags and there are bound to be plenty of campsites there.
It feels like there's so much to write about the journey at travels at this time, but I've never really been accustomed to writing in any sort of thing whether a journal or diary or anything. I ususally just let my thoughts stick around and fester or bounce around my own head. I think that's part of the reason why I can't always control what I say or sometimes say things just for the sake of saying it. My mind moves really fast and I have a lot of thoughts but I cannot keep them all there so my catharsis of sorts and method for getting rid of excess thoughts seems to be to tell it to other people.
I've realized a lot of times I also say things to be accepted by other people and I worry about whether or not they'll find it unny. I really want to be able to care less. It's funny because I remember how when I was tripping a couple weeks ago I didn't give a shit what I said or did. Sure I had second thoughts but it was crazy. My mind and my mouth were going wherever the hell I wanted them to go at any point in time. Ryan says that from his point of view it was hilarious because I was all of a sudden much more open. I've been watching how Ryan interacts with other people a lot and its really interesting to see how he does it. He is very open and genuine with everyone, but not to the point of being completely honest with them or cutting them down. He slips into whatever structure people have used to make sense of the world around them. He gains they're trust in this way and slowly works to try and change them. In many ways he is a great social person because he does not pass judgement on anyone. He simply accepts what people have to say and in many ways reinforces what they say to make them feel more positive about their experience.
I realize I am very different from this in the way I normally act. I am a very reactionary person. Often times for me conversation does not come naturally. I do not seek to start conversations but rather let them happen around...this isn't in itself a neccessarily bad thing except for the fact that in not starting conversations internalizes a lot of my thoughts. Instead i need to work on acting them out more and being more social...otherwise im really just sidelined in this game of life and not dancing in it with all my soul as I should be!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Japan is AMAZING!!! It's a completely surreal experience being in a country like it because I have absolutely no ability to communicate with anyone Japanese except a few phrases. Most of the time I'm with friends who can speak Japanese much better than me so I've been at least surviving so far, but I think that somehow even if I were here and had very little to know it would be possible to get around and have a good time. The people here are very polite and helpful, at least on the street (I have no idea if they're cursing at us tourists behind they're back...but they probably also have much better things to do too). Ryan and I arrived here on Tuesday afternoon and so far have been staying in Tokyo with a friend of his (Paul) who is studying in Tokyo for the summer. Paul stays at a place called Sakura house which is in what I can only describe as a suburb outside of Tokyo. The area is still near the main part of Tokyo city and readily accessible via the Tokyo Subway system. It's a really nice place which is a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo city. It's akin to the Arlington or Bethesda areas near Washington DC...I suppose its the cheaper housing and more peaceful environment that attracts people to live in places like this. Unlike such areas in the States though, Higashi Nagasaki (like much of Japan) seems much smaller; much more compact. Everything is walking distance. Even the houses are relatively small (in order to save space of course). Japan has a huge population living mostly near the cities which requires the population to save space and be incredibly efficient in its use. Much like New York City, people here don't really own a car because it's just easier to walk to places or use the train.
Tokyo is a really incredible city! It's much like New York City, but I like it more. Compared to NYC, Tokyo feels like its a much cleaner place. It's certainly a far cry from Panama City where I had been before. In Tokyo things just seem to have a certain harmony which probably goes back a great deal to the culture of the Japanese. At least outwardly, there seems to be a great deal of harmony and that's great for any tourist. I'm sure it, as the rest of the world, has its own problems and issues that need to be dealt with (stagnant economy, low birth rate, unemployment and a homeless problem) but it is an incredibly clean city, which I appreciate. The city as a whole seems to breath in a way that I've never felt in New York, or DC or any other city in the US. There are trees growing everywhere throughout the city. It's soooo green! There doesn't seem to be a single spot in the city where there isn't something green.
After arriving in Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon (Monday night for you in the USA) Ryan and I got through customs and met up with his friend Paul (interesting guy...very intelligent, but rather pessimistic about life and other things...seems a bit moody to me...we had an interesting argument last night) who brought us to his place. That night we really just settled down in Paul's place and then proceeded to go get some dinner at a place nearby and then get some drinks (Speaking of which I was able to buy Saki on the airplane without showing any ID...not as good as I would have liked...I've had better Saki).
Wednesday, around 9 or 10ish Ryan and I left for the main part of Tokyo city. It's not very difficult, although we were probably a little lost at some point or another (at least until a wonderful Japanese woman who spoke very good English was able to help us...but getting lost is part of the fun huh?). Once in the city we actually got off a stop early at the Shibuya station instead of at the Ebisu station. The idea was to meet up with a friend we had in the city who knew Ryan through Ryan's ex-stepdad Steve (amazing guy...love him!). We were early anyway and weren't going to meet Kurt until lunchtime around 1:30 or so. So we meandered through Tokyo city on a quest for wireless internet...which we eventually found in a street coffee shop.
Eventually we met up with Kurt at the Ebisu station and went on from there to get lunch at a cool southeast asian restaurant. Also went to the electronic district of the city, Akihabara, where we were able to pretty much find anything with an electric circuit in it and probably for cheaper prices than in the US. Unfortunately I can't buy anything because I'm on a budget and need to be able to survive for the next three weeks or so until I end up at Tsinghua. Around 7pm, Kurt took us to a Rock concert at Harajuku Astrohall. It was a small place but packed from wall to wall with people young and old. The band, Earl Greyhound, was really good. Their basist was incredibly beautiful. She had this awesome fro with a feather in it and this loose blue shirt with cutoff sleeves and a short loose skirt with slits along the sides...She also wore white mocassin-like shoes...I was digging it.
The only thing that has given us problems in Tokyo has been navigating its subway system. It's a little difficult to decipher just which train to take at what time.
Ryan says that we'll leave from Tokyo around Saturday. The plan at the moment is to go to Hokkaido for some hiking, camping and hot springs. It'll be interesting to see how that works out since we have no reservations for housing anywhere and much of the hostels are already booked. Anyway...at the very least we have sleeping bags and there are bound to be plenty of campsites there.
It feels like there's so much to write about the journey at travels at this time, but I've never really been accustomed to writing in any sort of thing whether a journal or diary or anything. I ususally just let my thoughts stick around and fester or bounce around my own head. I think that's part of the reason why I can't always control what I say or sometimes say things just for the sake of saying it. My mind moves really fast and I have a lot of thoughts but I cannot keep them all there so my catharsis of sorts and method for getting rid of excess thoughts seems to be to tell it to other people.
I've realized a lot of times I also say things to be accepted by other people and I worry about whether or not they'll find it unny. I really want to be able to care less. It's funny because I remember how when I was tripping a couple weeks ago I didn't give a shit what I said or did. Sure I had second thoughts but it was crazy. My mind and my mouth were going wherever the hell I wanted them to go at any point in time. Ryan says that from his point of view it was hilarious because I was all of a sudden much more open. I've been watching how Ryan interacts with other people a lot and its really interesting to see how he does it. He is very open and genuine with everyone, but not to the point of being completely honest with them or cutting them down. He slips into whatever structure people have used to make sense of the world around them. He gains they're trust in this way and slowly works to try and change them. In many ways he is a great social person because he does not pass judgement on anyone. He simply accepts what people have to say and in many ways reinforces what they say to make them feel more positive about their experience.
I realize I am very different from this in the way I normally act. I am a very reactionary person. Often times for me conversation does not come naturally. I do not seek to start conversations but rather let them happen around...this isn't in itself a neccessarily bad thing except for the fact that in not starting conversations internalizes a lot of my thoughts. Instead i need to work on acting them out more and being more social...otherwise im really just sidelined in this game of life and not dancing in it with all my soul as I should be!
44 minutes from Tokyo
"And so begins the novella "44 minutes from Tokyo" which details my journey into strange foreign lands where I will be the only American for miles around; where I shall carry proudly the American flag."
That's where the pen dropped off about a year ago (almost) as I sat, or rather hunched, over a computer, completely inebriated and wide awake at nearly 3 or 4 am in the morning. Next to me, lay Ryan, my friend, (one of my) hetero-life mate, and backpacking buddy. We were sharing a small cubicle at a Manga Kitsaten in Rappongi, Tokyo, Japan. Since that night many, MANY things have happened, the greatest crime being that I have not written any of of them down. To be completely honest, I only re-discovered that I even had this blog when Google did not allow me start a new one with the same email address. My reason for trying to create a blog was to have an outlet for opinions and thoughts (mostly political in nature) which a Scholarship advisor recommended I start and maintain to help make myself more competitive for national scholarships. When I finally manoeuvered (yea, I like the British spelling better) through the intricate maze which is Gmail's other applications and arrived back at this blog (with its strange, evocative title) a wonderful feeling of nostalgia for Japan (and the vague memory of setting up the blog and typing the initial entries) overtook me. I remembered the initial (older and perhaps more pure) intentions with which I created this blog. In re-starting and continuing it I will include a mixture of the old and new. Since it's creation and the year-long (unintentional) hiatus I have changed and experienced many things myself. Each of these posts will be different in nature; some recounting experiences traveling abroad (many of which I still have to write about), some recalling experiences at school in the year since my return, some chronicling my current experiences (when the inspiration overwhelms me), and also some simply as an outlet for my political passions and occasional rages about the completely inept people who have come to exert power in this world as so-called "leaders" (but who fail to cause one iota of inspiration) - I'm looking at you Obama, McCain, Bush, and Judy!
All posts will have share the ongoing theme of being reflective in nature to allow me to explore my experiences to grow from them in this wonderful experiment we call life.
Either way, enjoy!
That's where the pen dropped off about a year ago (almost) as I sat, or rather hunched, over a computer, completely inebriated and wide awake at nearly 3 or 4 am in the morning. Next to me, lay Ryan, my friend, (one of my) hetero-life mate, and backpacking buddy. We were sharing a small cubicle at a Manga Kitsaten in Rappongi, Tokyo, Japan. Since that night many, MANY things have happened, the greatest crime being that I have not written any of of them down. To be completely honest, I only re-discovered that I even had this blog when Google did not allow me start a new one with the same email address. My reason for trying to create a blog was to have an outlet for opinions and thoughts (mostly political in nature) which a Scholarship advisor recommended I start and maintain to help make myself more competitive for national scholarships. When I finally manoeuvered (yea, I like the British spelling better) through the intricate maze which is Gmail's other applications and arrived back at this blog (with its strange, evocative title) a wonderful feeling of nostalgia for Japan (and the vague memory of setting up the blog and typing the initial entries) overtook me. I remembered the initial (older and perhaps more pure) intentions with which I created this blog. In re-starting and continuing it I will include a mixture of the old and new. Since it's creation and the year-long (unintentional) hiatus I have changed and experienced many things myself. Each of these posts will be different in nature; some recounting experiences traveling abroad (many of which I still have to write about), some recalling experiences at school in the year since my return, some chronicling my current experiences (when the inspiration overwhelms me), and also some simply as an outlet for my political passions and occasional rages about the completely inept people who have come to exert power in this world as so-called "leaders" (but who fail to cause one iota of inspiration) - I'm looking at you Obama, McCain, Bush, and Judy!
All posts will have share the ongoing theme of being reflective in nature to allow me to explore my experiences to grow from them in this wonderful experiment we call life.
Either way, enjoy!
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