ONLY IN JAPAN...

Guys, this e-mail is hilarious. P received it from the human resources person in her office-- and it is NO JOKE. ONLY IN JAPAN would this EVER happen!!!!

To Bldg. Members:I have made "Internal Umbrella Stand Rule", as some of you have advised me, and this rule will start from December 3, 2004. For this, we need your cooperation to clean up the present umbrella stands as the following.

Umbrella Stand Clean up

We have moved all the umbrellas to the "Temporary Umbrella Stand for Rainy Days".If you want to keep your umbrella in the office for in case of rain, please write your full name to your umbrella, and move it to the "Extra Umbrella Stand"

* Write your full name by either of following steps.

1) Write your full name to the plastic tape prepared near the umbrella stand, and stick it to your umbrella.
2) Write your full name to the Tag with rubber band which is prepared near the umbrella stand, and tie it to your umbrella.
3) Write your full name in your own way to your umbrella.

We will remove the following umbrellas after 17 o'clock of December 2, 2004.a) Umbrella in the "Extra Umbrella Stand" with no namesb) Umbrellas in the "Temporary Umbrella Stand for Rainy Days" in the sunny days.* The removed umbrellas will be kept for a month, and then will be disposed.* If it rains at December 2, 2004, this clean up will be postponed to the next day. Internal Umbrella Stand RuleWe will prepare two types of umbrella stands in Shin Aoyama Bldg. Office, which is "Temporary Umbrella Stand for Rainy Days" & "Extra Umbrella Stand"

(1) Use the "Temporary Umbrella Stand for Rainy Days" on the rainy days or "it might rain" days.* Umbrellas in this umbrella stand will be disposed without notice, if they are still there in the sunny days.
(2) If you want to keep your umbrella in the office for in case of rain, please write your full name to your umbrella, and move it to the "Extra Umbrella Stand"

* Write your full name by either of following steps.

1) Write your full name to the plastic tape prepared near the umbrella stand, and stick it to your umbrella.
2) Write your full name to the Tag with rubber band which is prepared near the umbrella stand, and tie it to your umbrella.
3) Write your full name in your own way to your umbrella.* Umbrellas with no names in this umbrella stand will be disposed without notice.
(4) Non-named umbrellas might be reused as company share umbrellas.

Your cooperation would be highly appreciated.

Workin' it...

Since I've been adjusting to my job and life here in general, I haven't been traveling much. But last weekend I finally released myself from the bubble of Tokyo and ventured to Kamakura. OK, so it's not that far away, but the atmosphere is so different, that I think it counts. Anyway, just watching the sun setting over the beach proved I wasn't in Tokyo anymore... Here are some pictures!

Wonder what I wished for... ?

I know I don't talk much about my job on here, mostly because I don't like to think about work when I'm not in the office... but since no one seems to really get what I do, I'll try to explain what I spend 45 odd hours of my week doing...

The wonderful world of PR: I work for a communications consulting firm that specializes in corporate and financial public relations. This means our clients are mostly investment banks and other big corporations, both foreign and Japanese. Basically, our job is to make them look good. We do this by directly communicating with their target audiences, but mainly we use the media to get out the messages they want to communicate. Particularly in Japan, people trust and rely on newspapers for their information. The Asahi Shimbun has the most readers of any newspaper in the world, and in the world of business, the Nikkei might as well just be renamed "Za Baiburu" (the Bible, hehe). Media is the mediUM to first reach the audience, and then to either reinforce or in some cases, change what people think about a company. This is especially important when one of these corporations or banks has something important going on, i.e. a merger or acquisition, restructuring, etc., or if they have no profile at all, i.e. they have newly entered the Japanese market, etc. In the first case, companies will hire us to carry out the communications for these complicated transactions, or in the second case, we will become a retainer for the clients and basically become their PR department, or an advisory team for their own in-house PR department.

What do I do? Well, each of our clients has an account team from our office, with maybe 3-6 of us who work on their account. Before the company hires us, usually they ask us to make a presentation for them, so they can decide if they want to hire us or another firm. So, if I'm on the prospective team, I make a power point presentation and then go with the team to pitch our ideas to them. Then if we're hired, it all depends on the nature of the account. I write press releases, attend meetings, draft other types of documents, take care of account logistics-- a lot of different types of things. I'm actually really happy with the amount of responsibility I have, and if you've noticed, the blog entries have been becoming more and more infrequent-- meaning I'm really busy!! This past week I had 2 big things going on-- a huge deadline on Friday, which included a 3 hour meeting with clients to go over all of the English documents for a restructuring transaction. I drafted maybe 30-40% of the documents, and it's a large account-- probably the most involved I've been so far. Also, I attended a press briefing (actually at Frenchy's former office and Frenchy 2's current office-- it's a small world-- can't say I wasn't hoping to run into a hot French banker, but it didn't happen) to hear two visiting economists speak on forecasts for the Japanese economy, and then wrote a summary press release about it. It was cool-- almost felt like I was back at university sitting and listening to economics lectures on power point and taking notes... except I was surrounded by Japanese reporters!

So, I get to write a lot, and I'm learning a ton about finance and Japanese business... Only negative is I sometimes have moral issues with some work I do but that's a longer story for a different entry. Anyway, the fact is I really do like my job. And my three months probation period is now up and I didn't get fired!! Hehe, and now I can take vacation too, which is great! Only 3 more weeks until Hawaii!!!!

Not just "au revoir," but "sayonara" too?

Well, just to give an update on my situation with the Frenchies, I guess I haven't quite said "au revoir" to all yet... and maybe I don't want to? My relationship has changed with each of them, but maybe I'm not totally ready to just write all of them off. Frenchies 2 and 3 in particular, being that they are also still in Tokyo-- I think I can keep being friends with them, right?
God knows I will need some more friends... all of a sudden they're dropping like flies, leaving P and I to face the swarms of J-girlophiles on our own. M is next to leave, and she will be followed by others... she is my godsend at work, being one of the only truly straight-thinking, logical, non-caricature of him/herself in the office; always a voice of reason when it comes to guys and relationships; and just an awesome person to go out with-- whether it's karaoke or "gai"kon! After all, it is she who introduced me to P, my flat, etc. And off to London she goes... Actually, what's so great about London, and why does everyone want to go there?! OK, understandable, M has been here for 8 years and her time is due to go back home to the British Isles... but it just seems everyone leaves Tokyo for London... shit weather, and your boogers are black when you blow your nose! Who wants that?!

Anyway, I guess after the holidays P and I will be on a "new single girlfriend" hunt. Hopefully we will not be mistaken for a lonely lesbian pair too many times... but ah well, if that's what we have to do... !

One of the breaks of living in Tokyo... apart from Japanese friends, this is no one's true home, which means that inevitably everyone will be leaving one time or another. New friends coming (maybe?), but it seems as though more friends are always leaving. I really just want to collect all of my best friends and stick them in a Burberry carry-my-chihuahua bag and take them along with me everywhere! Is that too much to ask!? Right now this Tokyo-America-Americanish island (didn't forget you Dr. J.)-Europe spread is just getting too hard to handle!
However, as proven to me many times over, it is not truly "sayonara" anyway, but just "Osewa ni narimashita. Jya-ne, bai bai" for now, because of course one place or another we will meet again

"Au revoir..."

...to all the Frenchies. After Saturday night, I cannot possibly say anything else.

DJ Sasha was at Womb! For those of you who are unfortunate enough to be missing out on the wild world of electronica, he is probably the most famous progressive house DJ in the world. He came on at 1 and played a 4 1/2 hour set. The first 2 hours were fabulous, but then he went into some really deep trance, which bored me a bit for the rest of the night.

Deep trance... the music reflected how I felt about most of the night. The first 2 hours were fabulous as I was hanging out with M and R, my fellow Fat Boy Slim party-goers. But then I see a familiar face-- Frenchy 2 approaches us! He seems to be by himself, and he dances with us for a little while, but then he motions for us to follow him, and there is Frenchy-- wait, and Frenchy 3 as well...!? Yes, there I was, in the immediate company of ALL THREE FRENCHIES!!! AHHHH! I should have just run then.

Can it get any more awkward? Frenchy 3 was trying to dance with me, and behind us was Frenchy, seemingly unphased by the whole thing, and then Frenchy 2, off dancing with some J-girl. That pretty much sums up the rest of the night, though at one point Frenchy 3 escaped to the bar (I think he was getting tired of trying to seem like he was enjoying the music), and I was left with just Frenchy, who was still very obviously trying not to dance with me.

So how did I say "au revoir?" Frenchy is now back to London, and though we established at a Saturday lunch that we would remain friends, it's still hard. As he was leaving, he gave me a kiss and picked me up and held me really tight before saying, "Talk to you soon" and running away from the thought of "us" for another year. I, on the other hand, was saying a very comprehensive "au revoir," at least for a while until I get over him, because I can't continue e-mailing him every day if that is ever to happen. To Frenchy 2, well, we can still continue to be friends, I suppose, though in my head I'm saying "au revoir" to any possibility of us being anything more. And to Frenchy 3, we had to have "the talk." At one point while we were on the dancefloor, he blurted, "You are not over (insert real name here) Frenchy, are you?" And so we had a long talk at the bar, where I gave him a rather vague answer but then called him yesterday to clarify. "I am not yet over Frenchy, and please don't expect for us to be anything but friends." My third and final au revoir of the weekend.

So what shall I write in my posts from now on?! I have no more drama with men-- I have no more men! The most boring possible existence for me, though I should probably use this time to get myself sorted out. But what have I been doing for the past year-plus while I've been single?! I thought I was sorted out! Or perhaps I was unknowingly plagued with a long and bitter case of French fever. Anyone have any medication for that!?

Coming to terms...

After a night of wallowing in self pity, I am feeling much better today, thanks to all the wise advice and support of all of you. I am so lucky to have such great friends to kick my ass up off the floor when it shows no sign of getting up itself! But I do bounce back quickly. I usually just need to pour my emotions out and wallow for a while and then I come to my senses.

I did a lot of thinking last night and concluded that he is truly the loser. I honestly think that what he had shown Friday night were probably his true feelings, uninhibited by a bit of alcohol and no time to prep himself with the "emotions shield." It's probably how he would actually feel around me if he was to let himself go and be honest with himself and his emotions. But then because he is stubborn and childish and proud, he talks himself out of that, which is fine really, and probably for the best (for me) anyway. He is the one not being honest with himself, and maybe it will come back to bite him in the ass in the end.

I knew deep down that he isn't the one for me, but I think just because I haven't found anyone else or even really been very interested in anyone else, I just dreamt up this fantasy of what I wanted him to be-- minus all the bad points (and there are many). So by seeing him again, and now thinking about just how he is (criticizing my neighborhood, how Japanese people live, making me meet him in Shibuya b/c he couldn't make his way 2 stops further, taking the lovely dinner for granted, etc.), I am reminded again of why I was unhappy with him in the first place. We have some strong physical chemistry, but emotionally we are not on the same level at all. He's really a 30 yr old child who needs a mother, not a girlfriend.

So..... in closing, however, I know you all might disagree, but I think I should have lunch with him before he goes, just because I don't want things to end on his terms. I don't want him to remember me as this sobbing girl who had her heart broken by him because he is so great and wonderful. I want to explain to him how I really feel-- that I know we aren't right for each other, that we don't match emotionally, but that I was looking for someone, and some fantastical representation of him somehow filled that void while my search has been unsuccessful. What do you think? I will of course have to reword that so he can understand. :)
It feels good to be moving on....

Heartbroken...

It's been a while since I've felt it, and jeez, I didn't need a reminder.

Frenchy arrived Friday night, and I met him and his 2 friends in Roppongi. Instantly, it was as if we had never been apart. Sparks were flying everywhere-- fireworks, you name it. We fell straight back into coupledom for the rest of the night, and in addition to all of the cuddling and kissing that probably disgusted everyone around, phrases such as, "Maybe I never should have left." "I didn't know you were coming until it was too late," etc., escaped from his lips. Yes, alcohol was involved, but I don't think alcohol can totally change the look in someone's eyes-- ok, maybe to a glazed over stupor, but not to an "I'm in love with you" look. And that was the look I was getting. I was ecstatic to say the least. I don't know what I wanted, because I knew he'd only be here for a week, but at that moment, THAT was what I wanted. He went back with his friends, but promised he'd see me Sunday night (Saturday he had a wedding), for the whole night. Things looked crystal clear.

Saturday he called, said he would let me know if they were going out after the wedding, and would call me Sunday when he woke up. Sunday morning came and went. Sunday afternoon came and went. Finally at 6pm he called, and I said I was making dinner for him at my place. Making dinner is an understatement. I was preparing a freaking all-out gourmet feast that I had put numerous trips to the grocery store, trial cooking sessions, and a lot of money into.
I had to meet him at Shibuya station because he claimed he would never find the elusive Gakugei-daigaku station. After 3 years of living in Tokyo he couldn't make his way 2 stops from Shibuya? I let out a big sigh, but conceded. He then proceeded to walk through my neighborhood and proclaimed it "too Japanese," and noted, "ugh, how can people live in THOSE houses? They're so ugly." "Japanese friend X lives in an area like this, except even more posh." Guys, my area is a quaint, very nice, reasonable residential area. Yes, it's Japanese. WE ARE IN JAPAN! I ignored him. He announced he wasn't hungry. He ate anyway, and said it was good. Good!? It was a culinary masterpiece! But unfortunately for me a full stomach doesn't ease a heartbreak.

He said Friday was a mistake. He was drunk. He is leaving and doesn't want to hurt me. He respects and likes me a lot, but he's looking for something new, something serious, and something NOT ME. He thought he made himself clear (yes, very clear by the e-mails and Friday night). He thinks I'm cute and attractive, but doesn't feel that I'm more than a good friend. If he did, he would have asked me to come back sooner. He thought maybe after I left last summer he'd miss me, but he didn't. He's really sorry. He didn't know I still felt so strongly. And he needed a cab back. He said these things in a kinder way, by the way, as I bawled my eyes out.

And to make me feel even better, he offhandedly mentioned that he at least gave things a try with me, whereas other guys would have just tried to get me in bed and been done with it. "But don't worry, Joce, this is because you have great T&A!"-- and this is supposed to make me feel BETTER??

What about my brain? my personality? thoughtfulness? fun-loving spirit? Hello decent men of the world, where are you!? Please tell me there is someone out there who just doesn't want to take a girl to bed and use her for her T&A. I know it wasn't a purposefully hurtful comment, but it made me feel cheap, and like women have nothing to offer but a body for some too-horny guy to enjoy. But he reminded me that if he didn't "respect" me, he would just take advantage of me. But isn't that what he just did Friday night? Oh right, but he's sorry for that. It was a mistake. I was a mistake.

Can someone who isn't so hurt and involved please explain to me how a person can change THAT drastically in a course of 36 hours? Mash thinks that he did some thinking between Saturday and Sunday and got scared about his feelings and what happened and what COULD happen. Friday night was all heart, but Sunday was all head? I try to make too many excuses for him. But one thing is for certain.... I got what I do need most-- CLOSURE. The Frenchy saga has come to an end, folks, and it's finally time that I can move on. I have seen him in the flesh, face-to-face, and heard it first hand. He doesn't want to be with me. Period. Full stop.
Rejected, dejected, heartbroken, feeling worthless. But with the good sense knowledge that it was for the best. I needed this to happen. It did. Now I just need the kick in the ass to get me going again.

Bad news comes in 3s...

1. After my awesome clubbing experience and hair sessions on Wednesday, I went to bed really early, like right after I wrote my last entry at 8pm, because I had slept so little the night before. So i was already asleep when P came home, and I woke up to her yelling "mother f-ing bloody hell," etc. etc. I went to see what was wrong, and our toilet had started leaking out the back. Japanese toilets have these little faucet/mini sinks on top of the tanks, and people for some reason like to decorate them. P had put little pebbles in ours-- sort of a zen garden type of thing. Anyway, earlier in the day, our cleaning lady had dropped one of the pebbles in the tank while she was cleaning, and had called to say something might be wrong. And it was, apparently. Our toilet was broken, and god I had to pee!

2. Due to #1, we were mopping up the (clean) water with towels, but we needed more. So P ran to her room to get more towels, and again, I hear, BOOM! "f-ing bloody f-ing hell." I just started laughing because she had apparently stubbed her toe on the doorframe and was swearing bloody murder again. What a sitcom, I thought. But then I looked at her pinky toe, which was jutting out to the side in some funny bent up fashion, and it wasn't so funny. 12am-- P takes off in a cab to hospitals 1 and 2 and comes home with crutches. The diagnosis? Broken toe, immobile for a week, no shoe for maybe 3 weeks. THE WORST POSSIBLE TIMING! She has 2 friends from Australia in town today for a week, and Frenchy comes tonight too! She can't travel or show them around! I feel awful for her and am trying to do as much as I can-- shopping, etc., because it's just horrible getting around Japan on crutches! But I told her, she can still eat and drink and do karaoke, so it can't be that bad, right??! And in the process, maybe it will be too crowded in our place and I will finally get to try a rabu hoteru !

3. Unrelated, but obviously, BUSH. 'Nough said.

Anticipation...

What better time to write a blog entry than when you're trying your hardest to stay awake until at least 8pm so your sleep schedule isn't totally up shit's creek. Today is some Japanese holiday! I say some Japanese holiday, because there are so many (in my opinion) inane holidays in this country-- Day of the Sea, etc. OK, I just looked it up-- today is Culture Day. Exciting stuff. Not that I don't welcome the days off. But anyway, I went to Womb last night and saw an AWESOME DJ group from Australia called Infusion, and then hung out with them a bit afterwards! so I was thrilled of course. Though that meant getting home at 6am, sleeping for 3.5 hours, and then getting up for my full day of having people try to make me beautiful (they have to work with what they've got after all). Almost 30,000yen ($300) later, every hair on my body best be looking absolutely perfect. 'Nough said.

So, since last entry, there are just a few things. Very busy at work and got some exciting new accounts to work on, which I'm happy about! Met a gorgeous European guy at a dinner last weekend-- from southern Switzerland, but Dad is Italian and Mom is Swiss-German, so his accent is mostly Italian with a hint of German and French. And soooo typically the type of European I would fall for-- so dramatic and passionate about EVERYTHING and talking with his hands and studied philosophy, etc. We talked for most of the dinner and then went for drinks afterwards, but one other guy stayed too, so as they say, 3 is a crowd, and it definitely was. I think it's bad news, though. He is gorgeous and surely has tons of J-girls after him, and he knows it. Maybe I'll call him after Frenchy leaves. I didn't give him my number.

In case you're looking for my countdown, Frenchy will be arriving Friday night at 10pm, and then we're going out w/ Frenchy #2 and some others, I think. Hopefully a lot of things will get straightened out with this visit, but on the other hand, I have a funny feeling they'll be getting much more complicated. 2 days and counting!

And also counting.... the votes! Right now I'm still waiting to hear about Nevada, Iowa and Wisconsin. It's not looking good for Kerry, folks. Not looking good at all...

One Cast for Kerry...

Totally dejected about never having received my absentee ballot, I resigned myself today to the fact that I just wasn't going to be able to vote. I thought I had done everything right-- I even requested my absentee ballot months ago! But, after reading further instructions today, I realized that I had only faxed in a request for my ballot. I didn't realize that I had to mail it too. And unless I forked over a small fortune to overnight the thing, it would never arrive on time. So I thought I was totally f$#*ed. I rationalized, "Well, I did get Jake to change his mind while he was here. That means one less for Bush and one more for Kerry. That's like 2 votes, so that means in a way I voted." I still felt guilty.

Well, while I was finishing up a meeting today, my boss burst in with her usual dramatic flair and proclaimed, "I have a special public service announcement. Jocelyn, you can vote at the embassy. Get your skates on and go NOW! Do the world a favor!" Haha, so I ran down, flagged a taxi, and off to the embassy I went. I felt like they had been waiting for me! I handed security my bag... "I'm here to vote!" The guard urged me along, "They're closing right now! Hurry up and run!" and shuffled me inside. I received an FWAB (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot), filled out a Fed-Ex slip, and minutes later, my vote was couriered off to Pennsylvania overnight FOR FREE! Now THAT is service!!

I have no doubt now-- John Kerry is our next President !!

Fishing season...?

Well this has been an uneventful week... a full work week of long hours, highlighted only by another "WORST" typhoon to hit Tokyo in a decade. Isn't rainy season over?!

I wish I had something more interesting to say, but all I can do is brace you for an interesting update after the weekend. Just when I thought the pool had dried up and I had to go fishing again, 2 dates have popped up.

JC's DATE UPDATE--Tomorrow night another go with Frenchy #3... we got on so well together I figured he deserves a second chance-- but if I'm not feeling it, I definitely have to make it clear somehow that I'm only interested in being friends-- any suggestions? I am so not good at this sort of thing.

The next date on Saturday night is with the British rugby player/attorney that I met at B's sayonara party (see entry on October 4). Well, I have heard from 2 reliable sources that this guy is not only a rugby player, but a PLAYA-- so I'm not sure how I feel about it. Also, he waited like 2 weeks to ask me out! But I think I will give him the benefit of the doubt, at least until date #1 when we see what this is really all about.

Funny update-- Aussie boy (aka First Kitchen date) mailed me the other night (after maybe 2? 3? weeks) saying, "why the long silence? don't you want to talk to me anymore?" I mailed back saying "Hey what's up" to be polite, but I don't think I'll be wasting my time on this one.
And finally, Frenchy will be here in just about 2 weeks!!! The suspense is ridiculous... I just keep wondering how I'll feel when I see him, and how he'll feel, and what it will be like to be face-to-face with him again, when really I need to start bracing myself for disappointment. Let's be realistic now. Of course we'll probably have a great time, and then he'll be back to London, I'll be here, and it's no fairy tale ending.

More details to come...

A French twist...

EEEEEKKKK!!!
From Frenchy:

you still serious about having me at your place ? looks like FX's gonna be
busy

Enough said. I'm freaking out.

Making connections...

I guess I'll start with Friday's date with Frenchy 3. (he's climbing the ranks, folks) We were meeting for a french dinner in Akasaka, but I got off work a bit early, so stopped into my favorite watering hole (Hobgoblin Akasaka) for a beer. Of course, the bartender is a good friend of mine, which usually means he gives me a little more than a beer at very low cost (meaning free). So maybe it had to do with the fact that even before I met up with the poor guy I was already a bit red in the face. But hey wait! I'm at the station waiting for Frenchy 3, and who is this guy walking toward me? Apparently Frenchy 3 doesn't always wear glasses and even does his hair kind of cool/spiky sometimes...!? Anyway, he looked cute! Dinner was good and then after we went back to Hobgoblin for more free drinks, and Frenchy 3 was well entertained by the manager there, who is also French but doesn't like to admit it. He actually thinks that there should be no countries-- we are all earthlings, so in fact, this should just be one earthling planet of peace. It gets better- the first time I met this man, his eye was swollen like the size of a baseball because he had spent 4 months snorting vodka and absynthe. I kid you not. The look on Frenchy 3's face was priceless when he heard this! So, again, I really like this guy's personality, and he is starting to grow on me... (maybe??) or else he is when I have a few drinks in me... shit! I guess maybe we should go on a non-alcoholic date sometime. Anyway, he is definitely a real sweetie, but I'm not getting anywhere even close to associated/involved with anyone until after the Frenchy visit (in less than 2 weeks).

Which brings me to my next interesting point. So all along I have been saying how I keep meeting people connected to him. Well this one takes the cake. This weekend we just figured out that Px's friend M, who I have also become friends with, knows him as well. Her best friend is Frenchy's Japanese ex-girlfriend, who he dated right before me. So I got some great scoop, including things like, "oh wait-- you mean he didn't dump her like he said he did because she was boring and annoying!? SHE actually dumped HIM because HE was boring and annoying and selfish and acted like a child!?" Seems that Frenchy had his pride hurt a little bit more than he let on to me. I've been telling him when I meet someone he also knows, but for this one, I think I'll just wait until he gets here and sees M's picture all over our apartment. The look on his face could be worth the wait.

The rest of the weekend was spent with friends, including a good friend I studied with at Nagoya who I hadn't seen yet. I was with her during the freaking HUGE ASS earthquake, all FOUR of them in fact! Quite unnerving... they came right in a row, and in the center of it, which was in Niigata, it rated a 6! When I got home, Px was freaking out, which was quite funny to watch, though I know, P, one day your earthquake kits will save my life. Anyway, Saturday I never heard from the English dude who had asked me out for Saturday night, so he gets the write off. I did, however, see none other than First Kitchen Aussie boy handing out water Saturday at the Race for the Cure. He looked good, as always, and I managed to keep a polite and smiling face while making small talk with him. The things I do for charity...

Here's a pic from Saturday night at our place...

Px is wearing a princess tiara from the breast cancer walk. We were the "princess team" and all wore pink crowns. Very fitting. Then we have M, my oneichan and informant of Frenchy and his lying past, Satoshi my new and first Japanese guy friend who Px met through family friends in Brisbane, and finally Matt-o my best guy friend and American partner in crime. Highlights included shoecreams in various creamy flavors, Px's delish dinner (as always), 4 bottles of wine mysteriously emptying themselves, and Orgazmo, a must-see work of motion picture art by the creators of South Park.

Pretty princess pic from the walk...

Playing tour guide...

(pics from my weekend with Jake)

That was this weekend. Jake, my friend / first serious boyfriend from high school came to visit on his way back to California from a business trip to Shanghai. He's a chemical engineer with AbleStick Laboratories (no, I'm not joking, that's really the name of his lab, which fyi, makes semi-conductors, not babies!).

Jake was my first visitor in Tokyo and it was his first time to Japan, so we had to make it a fun weekend in a limited amount of time. I must say I had a great time being a tourist again. I hadn't gone to see anything new since I've been back, because I figured I would do it when I got visitors. So here was my chance. But WOW, I almost forgot how tiring it was to play tour guide/translator... answering questions, being up early to get in a full day after staying out late to show off Tokyo nightlife... intense but fun! Here are some highlights:
Tsukiji Market... I have never felt so uncomfortable around "food" in my entire life. Fish EVERYWHERE, beady eyes bulging out at you from their styrofoam crypt, one minute flopping around, next minute, BEHEADED!

It was like watching mass murderers go after their victims-- but very tasty victims. We ate the best sushi I've ever had afterwards (after waiting 2 1/2 hours to get in... apparently there was a festival in town that I didn't know about).

Imperial Palace Grounds... I had already been here so it wasn't that big of a deal. I do feel like that area, though, is not like real Tokyo. It almost reminds of Washington D.C.-- that very manicured, almost artificial landscape dotted by government buildings. Great running area, though. I wish I lived closer so I could run around there, and then I wouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg to join Tipness every month.

Yasukuni Jinja... obviously a place of great controversy, as the prime minister of Japan continues to visit it every year to pay homage to the war criminals buried here. The Chinese and Koreans do not appreciate it! I don't really know enough about the topic to have strong feelings either way, but I found that even though I want to buy my mom an omamori, I didn't want to buy it at this shrine. I think I was subconsciously biased. Anyway, there is a beautiful garden there, though, and it reminded me that I should come out and take advantage of these places more. It captures what I love about Tokyo-- a very secluded, serene, beautiful garden-- when you are there, you feel like there is no other place in the entire world... yet, if you look up, there is a Tokyo TV or radio tower rising high into the sky. But the images don't conflict-- in fact, they simply illustrate what Tokyo is, a mixture of old and new in the most extreme ways finding a nice harmony together.

The day had to end with a huge group dinner at an izakaya in Shibuya and nijikai at Shidax, the karaoke mecca of Tokyo. We were on the Mermaid floor, and diva-ed out the usuals, Genie in a Bottle, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Lady Marmalade (w/ my duet partner Px), I Will Survive, etc.

Px and I decided we need to expand our repertoire, though, so we're going to find a boring day and go practice on our own during the day! haha, we are such dorks! But Px has an amazing voice-- Toxic made its debut, and we think it's a keeper. We also had some oldies but goodies because M.'s parent were in from Scotland and came along... I might add they are the cutest older married couple ever! And if I was only listening to her father, I would have thought he was William Wallace (or Mel Gibson in Braveheart). Gotta love the Scottish accent.
We finished off today dashing around Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Koen, Harajuku and Omotesando, and PHEW! it's my bedtime! Work is going to be super busy tomorrow AND I have to be there early.... iyada.

Bye bye B...

Pics from B's Sayonara Party!! and...
the night before B left us-- my present to him-- a "yellow fever" t-shirt. he has it-- you know you do too! Me? I'm sporting the ADPi comfort look.

This weekend was L's birthday/housewarming party... L is the American girl I randomly met at a bar and became friends with, and after a 1/2 hour of conversing, it came up that she is friends with Frenchy. Small world! Next to her is my Japanese friend Y... we hang out a lot, and it's how I will "leberu-uppu" my Japanese :)

The worst idea ever...

Darling B. left Px and I his "mama-chari," aka his bike with the little basket that you ride to the grocery store, the station, etc. Only thing was, we had to pick it up at his place, which is maybe 1/2 hour ride from our house. No big deal at all, right?

Except how and when to complete this PITA task... we would have to subway to Nishi-Koyama, get the bike and then one of us would ride the train home and one of us would ride the bike... and figure out how in the world to get back using actual roads as opposed to train lines.
And... to accomplish this task before the bike ended up being stolen from its resting place. Theft is a rare occurrence in Japan, but bikes are probably one of the more "stealable" objects, and PLEASE-- Px and I have been waiting for this mama-chari for ages (it even has a COVERED basket!!). So we decided today would be the day...

Unfortunately, we made this decision IN THE MIDDLE OF A TYPHOON!!! Well, there was a break in the rain, and I thought Px really wanted to go today, and she on the other hand thought that I really wanted to go today, so in the midst of our miscommunication, we stupidly went. We got directions from the Koban (police box), and ventured into Nishi Koyama, and found the bike at B's secure, though looking slightly depressed from the shit weather it was made to endure. Unfortunately, by that time, it was POURING, and Px and I were made to weather the shit rain as well. She didn't want to leave me to find my way back home by myself, so we had a splendid idea-- we would return through the storm together-- she would ride the bike and I would jog home.

So we did this-- we rode/jogged almost an HOUR home in the middle of the typhoon. I was wearing a rain coat, but had on jeans and my Puma sneaks, and well, after 10 minutes, I was soaked right through to the bone. No need for a hood, a rain jacket, or any other rain gear, because it only sopped up an extra 10 pounds of water for me to carry with me on my jog. Honestly, all I wanted to do was take off my pants, which were sticking to me and preventing me from even moving my legs in a stride that would take me any distance at any speed-- I didn't, of course, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway... everyone was staring at these crazy soaking wet idiots biking/jogging through the typhoon anyway. Only stopping to a.) get a plastic bag from 711 to wrap up my almost ruined passport and b.) to get under cover once because the rain was stinging my eyeballs, we eventually made it home with the cursed mama-chari.

This was the WORST idea in the world, especially after I found out that this is the WORST typhoon to hit the Kanto region in the past TEN YEARS! How will I remember it? Running an hour through the blinding rain for a bicycle with a covered basket and a faulty right brake. GOD BLESS JAPAN.

Ladies...

Amanda has accepted her nomination! So proud to call her my best friend!

(by the way, this is Halloween. We may be crazy but we don't always dress like devil and bunny, despite all of your sexual fantasies)...

Amanda's Platform:

I proudly accept my nomination to President of the I HATE BOYS Club. If elected your president, I will do my best to further the interest of red-blooded, man-hating women everywhere. For those of you unfamiliar with my platform, please rest assured that I am working for YOU! Once I am elected, I can promise:

1) Men will be forced to talk about their emotions. New legislation will makeit a crime punishable by castration to make a woman feel that her emotions are outlandish or silly. An aggrevated form of this crime occurs when the man in question is feeling the same thing as the woman, and punishment in this casewill be accompanied by immediate balding.

2) Men will respect women. This goes beyond simply not abusing them physically and/or emotionally. They will consider our opinions without rolling their eyes, and they will return our phone calls, emails, and other correspondence within 36 hours. If these conditions are not met, the man will be placed in an all white room, with no form of contact to the outside world, until his depth perception is proven to decay to such levels that the female guard only lets him out because it is fun to watch him repeatedly walk into walls.

3) Men will actually be required to do as they say. Any man found to be inviolation of this rule will be forced to watch every episode of Oprah everrecorded, in marathon form.

4) Men will be required to put women's sexual needs in at least an equalposition (no pun intended!) with their own. Any man found to be in violationof this rule will be forced to watch every episode of Sex and the City everrecorded, in marathon form.

5) Men will be forced to ask for directions when lost. If found in violation,the man will be forced to stare at various maps of the world for 30 days or the until madness sets in, whichever comes later. If the man issues a complaint, the man is simply to be reminded that he "wanted to find himself."

For more information on these initiatives, and many, many more, please visit my website at http://www.amandaforchange.com/. For general information on the I HATE BOYS Club, please go to http://www.ihateboysclub.org/. Don't forget to hit the polls in November!

Thanks for you help, Amanda
*Amanda for Change...because if they can send a man to the moon, they can send them ALL there!*

Members: (BEWARE, they are known to go crazy)

The VP Debate...

Taking advantage of some boring accounting task at work, I plugged in the headphones and continued my discreet debate tracking...

Verdict? Though I hate to say it, I was a bit disappointed in Edwards' performance. It wasn't bad by any means-- nowhere near as bad as Bush's in debate 1, but I think I expected him to get up there and outshine Cheney with his courtroom debate skills and southern charm. In actuality, I tend to agree with this guy Chris Matthews of MSNBC Hardball:

"I think the analogy would be a water pistol against a machine gun. Every
once in a while, Edwards would take a squirt at the vice president, and then the
vice president would just turn the Howitzer on the guy."

There were a few points where Edwards got him-- Cheney never really successfully refuted arguments about his lack of support for sanctions on Iran, or his ultra-conservative voting record:

"When he (Cheney) was one of 435 members of the United States House, he was one of 10 to vote against Head Start, one of four to vote against banning plastic
weapons that can pass through metal detectors. He voted against the
Department of Education. He voted against funding for Meals on Wheels for
seniors. He voted against a holiday for Martin Luther King. He voted
against a resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa,"

(awful stuff!) for example.

But on the other hand, Cheney made Edwards sound like he was in the wrong ballpark, several times-- his inaccurate figures on the budget for Iraq, his attendance record at the Senate (ouch, that one really hurt!), and the Kerry-Edwards flip-flop on Iraq after Howard Dean was running the primaries on an anti-war campaign.

I don't think it will undo Kerry's win from the previous debate, and perhaps my expectations for Edwards were just very high. For his first national debate, he was not by any means shabby. But I guess for Dick, 12 more years of "wisdom" and a few heart attacks can give a guy some punch.

Frenchy #3 and more...

Friday's "date" was refreshing compared to the last.

Good points-- I must say that the Frenchies are quite good with treating a lady (at least for the first few dates) so I have no complaints. We went to dinner at a popular izakaya in Shibuya and then to a few bars afterwards and ended up staying out until around 4am. Conversation was good (and went on one-on-one for a good SEVEN HOURS or so!), despite the French accent, which was quite strong, but I guess I've grown accustomed to it by now (and like it!).

But there are drawbacks-- As we're conversing, of course it also came up that we knew the same people, for instance Frenchy #2, which I already knew, and THE Frenchy as well. He was noticeably surprised when after a while I mentioned that he was my ex. He then invited me to a Frenchy party Saturday night, but I couldn't attend because of B's sayonara party, which was probably a good thing. I didn't really want to be seen among all of Frenchy's friends "with" Frenchy #3. So, the "connections" don't make for a good situation either. In fact, I think dating other Frenchies just makes me miss the real Frenchy even more. I am beginning to wonder if I will just compare every guy I date to Frenchy until I get over him (there was only one who I didn't, and that of course was Mr. Sweden, which was impossible as well...). And in that case, am I just wasting my time going out with anyone else?

Maybe after my next date I will see, hehe. Saturday night at B's farewell party I met a British rugby player turned attorney at a big investment bank. Very cute, 30, and interested. He asked me out and I gave him my card, so now the waiting game begins. God this is a never-ending cycle.

B is leaving tomorrow morning, and though I've only known him a short time, I am genuinely really going to miss him. He is seriously one of the most amazing guys I have ever met-- gorgeous, brilliant, incredible personality-- he needs to be cloned for every single deserving woman out there.

He is staying at our place tonight and Px is cooking a "last supper" in Japan for him.
Hmm, all sad faces though honestly, that is not how I generally feel! Maybe it's the cold rainy Monday weather getting to me....

The Debate...

I was able to listen at work by logging on to C-Span and plugging in my IPOD headphones. Thank God for cyber technology!

My thoughts throughout the debate, biased as they may be:
1. Shit, the picture won't work. Oh well, saves me from looking at Bush's eternally furrowed brow of befuddlement.
2. God, George Dubya, of course you talk to "those people" [our world leaders] every day from Washington. That's your JOB!
3. "The only consistent thing about my opponent is that he's inconsistent."-- oof, that was catchy. Good one, Georgy.
4. How many times can the President of the United States say, "I uh" and get away with it? Apparently this is where the concept of infinity comes from.
5. "I know Osama Bin Laden attacked us and not Saddam." AND...? Any more on that? OK, guess not.
6. Did the President just say "And to Senator Bush I would like to say..."? Evidence that George W. Bush probably does go home and pretend to be John Kerry in his spare time. Beats facing Laura and the twins...
7. Despite the way Kerry pronounces the name of our Secretary of State, he really is not Irish.
8. Bush knows how a dying soldier feels in Iraq because he reads the casualty reports every day?
9. Kerry is so much more eloquent of a speaker. Did both he and Bush really go to the same university?!
10. At least they are capable of saying decent things about each other-- in public anyway.

Overall, Kerry was the stronger debater. He is a more eloquent speaker and he seemed more confident and poised. He articulated his points well, and that is what appealed to me. Bush has the fact that he is steadfast and has a very defined plan in his court, but it's always easier to argue for the black and white, aggressive approach to policy. It is more difficult to articulate a finer strategy, one that contains more subtleties in its approach. So again, maybe I am just biased, but give Kerry a break on that. I'm looking forward to the VP Debate between Edwards and Cheney. Anyone have a date/time on that? I hope I'm again at work with nothing to do!

Dancing Queen?

Usually I am...



The state above is really not unnatural for me. If I'm on a dancefloor, guaranteed I'm having a good time.

But I've learned a lesson. Still reveling in last week's pay day, I decided to join a gym. I have lost a good amount of weight since I arrived, so I figured I should take advantage of it and tone up as well. The registration process was less intimidating than I thought, and though I hated to part with the one month + registration fee of 15,000yen ($150), Px would say:

"MATE! That's just about a night out in Roppongi!"

[Px has this way of describing the opportunity cost of any purchase in "# of drinks in Roppongi."]

So, I got out of work a bit early last night, just in time to make it to the gym for the advanced dance aerobics class, which caught my eye on the schedule. The "advanced" part didn't scare me very much. After all, I was a former dance troupe member and head cheerleader , so I am used to catching on to moves quickly and never had a problem in any aerobics class. And for the first half hour, I was right. The steps weren't so tough, the speed was ok, and I found myself in the midst of not only young girls, but also middle aged men, for god sakes! But, little did I know that was just the warm-up! Out of nowhere, the pace quickened, the music got faster and faster, and I felt myself thinking, "hmm, maybe these people do know how to dance..." And then, suddenly the beat picked up even more. Everyone was moving in fast forward. The worst parts were the turns, when I found everyone looking back at me, the only person in the room still facing forward. I tried to keep up but it was no use! I was smack in the middle of an entire choreographed dance that everyone in the room seemed to know except for me! "Ganbare, ganbare," I told myself. I am no quitter after all. But in the end there was really only one solution. . . I excused myself from the whirling twirling Japanese and RAN as fast as I could out of that room.

Note to self: Never take an advanced dance class in Japan before learning the steps ahead of time...
TGIF!