You don’t get TV like this any more

On Return

I’m afraid I’ve become one of those people.

You know, the type that goes overseas only to complain that “it’s not like back home blah blah”. Except in my case it’s the other way around; “It’s not like that in Japan….”

And it isn’t: public transport is expensive and shit, it’s more dangerous in parts of the city (like at the Town Hall bus stop at 2am when the Riot Squad showed up), and even the produce is not as good as I remembered it to be. All week I’ve been eating tasteless vegetables and wondering what went wrong — admittedly my vegies were bought at Coles, but I used to shop at Coles and it was fine two years ago.

That and all the other things added up, and I’ve been talking up Japan so much that even I wanted to tell myself to just get the hell back over there if I like it so much!

I’ve got the post-holiday blues bad, that’s for sure. Let’s hope I get a job soon so I have a distraction from how un-Japan everything is.

(Apologies for the lack of activity here, evidentially I’ve been too busy whinging and have been neglecting this blog.)

Things I have learnt since coming back to Sydney

Sydney is annoyingly large geographically.

The trains worked better than I remembered.

But the seats are just as uncomfortable as I remembered them to be.

Sydney is more expensive than Tokyo, no lie.

I live out in the freakin’ sticks, and I need to get the hell out of the Shire as soon as I can.

But given how expensive everything is, that is highly unlikely.

Of things left behind, and things to take on planes

I’ve recently discovered that things don’t get scared. Even if I put on my angry scary face. I spent weeks just staring angrily, smouldering eyes of imminent pain and badness, and my things just sat, immobile and rock-like, defying my wish that they pack themselves neatly into boxes and send themselves home. Who know they had it in ‘em? I was beaten by objects. This hurts my self esteem.

So I had no choice but to pack, and packed I am now, five boxes filled to the brim with two years of accumulated detritus, plus the load I will take on the plane. Did you know you can take whole bicycles on the plane? I didn’t, but that’s what I’ll be doing in two weeks when I board my flight home. The God of Excess Baggage will be happy with my offerings on that day, happy indeed. Clothes, cameras and computers, bike and guitar will be coming aboard, although my wallet will be significantly lighter, so at least I won’t have to pay excess baggage on that.

I have been coming up with many ways to lighten said wallet, and quicken the inevitable collapse of my immune system. You have no idea how nice it is to be kicked out of bars at 6am, or indeed, 3am, rather than staying and drinking and then realising it’s 9am. Does that seem ridiculous? It isn’t — it’s pretty easy, I’ve done it many times. I remember the days when even house parties ended at 2am, oh, those were the days.

More of what I’ve been doing

Making a list, checking it several times.

Met the In Laws. All of the In Laws.

Iku’s sisters, with her nephews, played us one of my favourite jpop songs as a surprise present for our engagement — the song is really sweet, basically translates to “you and me, let’s take these seeds and find a new place and grow them together”. How nice is that?

Received “celebration money” for our wedding. But as a token of our appreciation, we have to buy a gift for each person equal to half of what they gave us.

I bought a bike! I ride it a lot. I’ve clocked a bit over 50km/h down the hill here, which is pretty fast considering I don’t have a helmet. I should get a helmet.

Got the internet. Hikari Fiber — Fiber Optic service. How fast is it? Well, I have an external USB2 hard drive as well as a USB wireless mouse connected on the same hub. When I’m downloading at full speed, the mouse drops frames. My internet has more bandwidth than USB2. It’s pretty fast.

Watching 30 Rock, and accidentally developing a crush on Tina Fey.

Looking at all the stuff I have to pack and send home. Then ignoring it.

Getting creative again

1. I’ve been getting a bit more creative in the last few weeks; not working has really cleared my head of the crap and let the fun stuff flow again. I’m still wrestling my sister’s CD cover, I put together a blog for Iku and I, and it’s my buddy Dan’s birthday today, and I made him this poster:

0802_danbdayposter.png

2. Who’s the badass doin’ the Uncle Sam? That’d be Dan.

Our Blog

1. I suppose this was inevitable, but Iku and I have started a blog together. So I suppose you won’t find too much more about Iku on this blog any more, leaving me more time to rant about other things!

What I’ve been up to recently

Planning our wedding. Or rather, making a list of things to think about later.

I’ve finished up at my old job, and now I’m unemployed and living with my fiance and her family. (To the tune of Bon Jovi) Whooo ohhh, Livin’ with the In Laws!

I went to Osaka with a friend for a week, stayed in a hotel room with a blocked window, and found a bar owned by a former pro-footballer where we then spent quite a bit of time and money there.

Watched lots of movies. Lots, and lots, of movies.

Tried to play Super Mario 64 DS, in Japanese. The no-English part was a bit hard, but what’s with the shitty D-Pad controls?

Sold Super Mario 64 DS.

Debated, decided, and ultimately didn’t buy a Wii. Not even I can find a reason to buy one, given my PS2, PC and DS lurking mostly unused.

Very efficiently parted with $700 in the form of a jacket, coat, three pairs of pants and a bag. Clothes that fit people, clothes that only asian countries can provide an asian frame. The bag, well…

Spending stupid amounts of cash at internet cafes and coffee joints with free internet. As a consequence I haven’t been sleeping very well. Poop.

Working on my sister’s EP cover, photo shoot and website. Check it.

iHave Entitlement Issues

1. From CNET:

“Some commended Jobs and the company for what they considered a humble and fair response to the iPhone price flap. Others, however such as CNET News.com reader Jake Kushner, president of JK Media, said Apple’s response didn’t go far enough to satisfy those who bought a 4GB iPhone for $499, only to see the 8GB model become $100 cheaper. They should get a free upgrade to an 8GB model or a $200 rebate, he said.”

“I feel wronged and misled by Apple. Such a quick price reduction indicates that Apple premeditated this reduction before the initial release,” Kushner wrote, addressing Jobs. “I read your public response on Apple.com to this issue, but I still feel that the solution you are offering is not adequate.”

2. Pfffft. The only thing inadequate is your ability to control yourself… twice. Once for being a cheap bastard and buying a 4gb iPhone, and once for telling the world about it. Fake Steve has a tshirt for you, have you heard of him?

So what’s this about not flaunting your language skills?

1. From today’s Herald:

2. “Asked if he was impressed by Mr Rudd’s language skills, Mr Downer, a French speaker, said he was not one to flaunt his talent with foreign tongues.”

3. Oh, nice comeback. But then…:

4. “I did the French language course and Mr Rudd did the Chinese language course. I did mine in two months and he did his in two years, that could say something about him and me or something about the two languages. I think the former but that sounds a tad partisan.”

5. Well, it might be “a bit partisan”, but it didn’t stop you from saying it now, did it?