6am jet-lagged blog entry

Together again

White Christmas, Black President

Looks like there's a little snow in the Vancouver forecast. How ideal. See you tomorrow.

Speaking of which...

Have there been any artists that painted/drew their rendition of a 'realistic' Santa Claus? Like a Marlbaro-ad Santa? I'm picture a leathery-faced Santa with a dirty beard, wearing animal skins and furs, ploughing through the Arctic tundra in his sled with the help of a pack of rabid, raging caribou. Snow, snot, and breath are all flying and visible in the frosty night air. And Santa's pissed, yet resilient.

See ya real soon, kids!

14 days

Save me a seat, Mayah.

Fall Colours courtesy of Shinjuku Gyoen

Breakfast for dinner: of course!

I've had two Parkour dreams in as many as three nights. I think it's a sign to get back to it. Body's ready (thanks to yoga).

Everyone wish my mom a Happy Birthday!

This is the woman that made me. Not an easy task. She's indestructible. The strongest person I know.

Some of you don't know this, but my mom played a large part in my decision to move to Japan (and no, it wasn't because I wanted to get as far away from her as possible).

One day in December or January, a few short weeks after my first Japan visit with Pat, I was driving in my car contemplating what to do with my life. After much self-deliberation and realizing how mundane Vancouver was, I finally told myself that I wanted to live in Japan. However, the decision wasn't actually all that final. I still needed to do one thing: I phoned my mom.

My mom's response would make or break my trip to Japan. It may seem strange, but me moving all the way to Japan ultimately depended on whether my mom said Yes or No. I was 75% sure I was going to do it, but I really needed her blessing do know that I was making the right decision. When she told me - without hesitation - to go for it, I was slightly surprised. But at that moment, it made me realize that after a lifetime of constant nagging and (s)mothering, she still just wanted to make sure that my happiness was a priority, even if it meant that her only son would be living halfway across the world.

30 days

...until I get to see this special little someone again

Aye Carumba! Pat! There's a wrestling themed cafe/bar in my hood!

When are we going?

Yes, the poll is a gimmick. I don't know how it works myself. The percentages don't add up but I'm just glad to see people voting. Personally, I voted for more Simpsons quotes.

Woodhands @ JZ Brat Shibuya

As expected, another party rocking set from Woodhands. They definitely left their mark on Tokyo and I expect to see them again real soon.

Velours

Woodhands (Dan and Paul) are currently in Tokyo and took part in a Canadian music showcase on Wednesday, rubbing elbows with delegates and Japanese music execs alike. I had the fortunate opportunity to house the duo for 4 of their 6 nights in the city. Dan snored like he was choking on a chicken bone and Paul occupied 3 square metres of my precious floor. If you want to get their side of the story, they are submitting daily blogs for Now Magazine in Toronto. Each of their first entries can be found here http://www.nowtoronto.com/daily/story.cfm?content=165926 and here http://www.nowtoronto.com/daily/story.cfm?content=166016.

I didn't get to see their show (opening for-ahem-Bedouin Soundclash), but I will get to see them play an all night indie rock dance party on Saturday night.

For the past few days I felt like I was on vacation-probably because I canceled a class to hang out with them. But regardless, it's always good to have friends in town and do some intense bonding with these two crazy kids (Paul who I've actually only hung out with twice before).

Here's what we've been up to so far:

A stranger took our picture.

Velours bar.

Paul picked a bad fortune so he had to tie it to this line. Dan solemnly reflecting, as he possibley picked the worst fortune ever.

Paul and I shared many moments on this night, including THE original McDonald's apple pie.

Obligatory temple visit with label rep Trevor (and a couple beers).

Paul and friends.

Enjoying good times (but secretly counting the days until they move to their hotel).

Obligatory Barack Obama Victory Post

A Change Gonna Come

An instant noodle Halloween

Had to buy this

I'm allowed to start celebrating Christmas now because the Japanese have already begun themselves. I bought an Ella Fitzgerald Christmas cd in April specifically for this reason. 'Tis getting cold now. I don't really know what 15 degrees feels like anymore because I've been thrown into such a temperature tumble since I got here. Either way, heat is required to be turned on in my apartment and I have to start wearing a coat outdoors.

Anyway, I noticed something quite comical on the train today. Not 'ha ha' comical though. Firstly, Japanese people usually carry a handkerchief with them to wipe the sweat from thier brow, face, or neck. Well, I notice a zitty-faced fellow wiping his face repeatedly with his handkerchief, but then preceded to keep it in his hand as he held the hand rail. It's like he was wiping down the hand rail and his greasy-assed face with the same towel! So gross. Not as gross as the smell coming out of my kitchen drain though. I'm going to try bleach to combat that. I can't find baking soda here.

Likerish Quartet Oct. 25 show time: 3am to 3:30am

Almost edible.

Reaching for the Best

Geeks, Gamers, and Babes! Oh My!

My friend Mark and I went to the Tokyo game show last Sunday. Many new games were on display, such as Street Fighter 4, Mirror's Edge, and Grand Theft Auto 5: Streets of Malawi (I made the last one up). If you wanted to try the games, you had to wait in a queue that was usually longer than my actual interest in the game. Things that did keep my interest were the spokesmodels. They politely stood in front of their respective booths, modeling with the company's brochure in-hand and making sure the attendants go home happy. Up close photographs were commonplace, and the rare conversation was started by some of the bolder perverts. If you're into cosplay, there were plenty of geeks dressed up as their favorite video game character, and more geeks snapping pictures. Oh! That's why the lines were so long for the bathroom stalls...