I got a new haircut, rash

It was a coincidence I got this photo today

Yep. I went back to the doctor's office today. What was it this time? Well, yesterday morning I woke up to a peculiar rash on the inside elbow of my right arm. Kinda itchy. Then the right side of my back started itching. Then my whole torso under my arm, and after my stomach-well you get the picture. Some sort of major breakout going on here. Was it bed bugs? The new soap I bought? Allergic reaction to Indian food? Scabies (as Brandon suggested)? Cancer? Nope. It's (probably) caterpillars, suckers. No, not under my skin (which is what I first thought and nearly pissed my pants). The doctor said I came in contact somehow with caterpillar hair, which can cause a rash not much unlike poison ivy. I couldn't even imagine when I ever came across a caterpillar or its hair. But maybe it's a rare-not-so-rare phenomenon, like getting shitted on by a bird. Ha, it could be good luck. So I got this cream I have to apply twice a day and I should be good as new in 3-4 days. Toyo's dad said that my breakout can also be related to me experiencing stress in a different environment, confronting new challenges that I've never faced before. All this "I-need-more-work-to-get-more-money-to-move-out-oh-shit-how-do-I-rent-an-apartment-in Japan" stress isn't good for the body and I'm prone to get kicked in the balls more so being a rookie at it. I can't say that episodes like the one above don't affect my morale. It's always more shit that has to complicate things, ya know? Oh, everyday I think about coming back home. Then later in the day I know I want to stay. If I had a Suicideometer like AJ, it would be fluctuating more wildly than those zany gas prices! Zing!

Furthermore, this doctor's visit could not have come at a more inopportune time. My travel insurance provider is already "up in arms" about extending my coverage since I submitted a claim a couple of weeks prior. "Are you completely healthy?" they ask me, like I only buy insurance while I'm in foreign country for kicks and I enjoy paying $100 per doctor's visit.

Japanese in Action!

Below is an actual conversation (translated into English) between myself and a Japanese man this afternoon at Takashimaya Time Square.

Japanese Man: (KNOCK) (KNOCK)
Me: "Uh, yes?"
JM: "Pardon me, did I leave my bag in there?"
Me: "Yes."
JM: (Probably did not hear me through the door) "Is there a bag in there?"
Me: "Yes. Just a second..."
JM: "Thank you. Sorry for bothering you."
Two minutes later.
Me: (Exiting the stall of the men's room) "Okay. Go ahead."
JM" "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."

TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!

TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!
TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW! TOY SHOW!

"Not unless you think of the irony!"

Having a 'whale' of a time in Tokyo

So dude called me back from HIS cell phone on Thursday night, asking if I wanted to come in for just the upcoming Saturday. I suppose he wanted to give me a second chance at the narrator gig. I don't pass up this type of opportunity to make a second impression, right? C'mon, the guy calls me at off-work hours and asks me to come in because I am still on his mind. Yea well screw that I had to teach a class on Saturday. I reluctantly turned down his offer, as there was no promise that it would grow into the full-time position I wanted.

Well guess what? I go into work on Saturday and the student cancels. Of all the Saturdays I needed off, this one was THE one. I'm running out of balls to get kicked in.

Brian Schick

I was saving my next post to tell you that I got the job. But no, I didn't get the job. I was quite upset about it after speaking to the guy. His reasons? For the Narrator job, the part read for someone with a more east coast American accent. He said my accent was too clear so he gave the job to an actual American dude. Fair enough. As for the teaching job, he opted for a female at the request of one of his current clients. Fair enough. However, dude did say that I made the biggest impression on him and he remembered my interview the most. I'm basically in line for the next opening he has, but this timing is just a kick in the balls for me.

So I'm back to square one which in reality isn't too far from where I was before.

If I did get the job, I was going to drink my face off to celebrate. If I didn't get it, I was going to drink my face off to grieve. So what a coincidence that my childhood friend Brian Schick was in town and wanted to go out. He was in Tokyo for a couple of days with his friends from med school.

We started things off at this great looking whiskey bar in Shibuya where we all shared a bottle of Wild Turkey on some of the 'coolest' ice I've ever seen. It was frosted and cut in jagged cubes, but with rough edges like a piece of granite. The bar owner was real cool (moustache) and of course I got a photo with him (all photos will follow in a future post once Brian sends them to me). He asked us if we liked the music he was playing and-honest to god-it was some of the best 70's and 80's stuff I've ever heard. Basically the kind of place and music that Quentin Tarantino would get hard for.

We stumbled out of there and took a cab to Roppongi. Standard drunken craziness ensued. Not really going to go into detail about it now, but I caught the 6:21am train back home. I thought I was going to ralph but lucky me I didn't!

Part 2 - "On the Ginza"

Pork Pie Hat

Hey folks. I'm feeling better. Oddly, the chest pain now only occurs usually before I go to bed, around midnight. Last night it was pretty strong but I was also quite hungry at the same time. So I went to the kitchen and ate a banana, cookie, and half a bag of chips. The pain went away.

In 5 days, I will hear if I get this new job. Let's just say everything depends on it.

What's wrong with dark green soba?

I went to the doctor today. For the past 5 days or so, I felt this 'pressure' or 'blockage' in my chest. The discomfort would occur at different periods of the day, for 15 minutes to an hour, and at varying intensities. I couldn't tell if it was respiratory or digestive. It felt similar to when I sometimes smoked a cigar and felt a tightness in my chest. But it also felt like I wanted to ralph. Last night the pain stopped. And it didn't really come back until now (a full 24 hours later).

So the doctor did the usual tests and couldn't really find a problem. If anything, it may have been triggered by general stress and anxiety. Then she decided to poke my abdomen a bit. When she poked the lower right side, I felt a sharp pain. But no pain upon release of the pressure.

The overall diagnosis (according to my insurance claim form) was the possibility of Pneumothorx. Google didn't really help in this one, but it's basically air escaping from my lung? Sure whatevs. In the extreme case, I have a slightly inflamed appendix, which can lead to appendicitis. It wasn't severe because I didn't feel pain after the poking pressure was released. If I felt worse, she told me to go back for blood work and so forth. Today's highlight though was the clubhouse bagel for lunch. It's been a while since bagels. Wait, who am I kidding? Highlight of the day was finally hooking up that interview with Bart Language School for that English Narrator position. Imagine MY voice on ESL CD's!

Last night, Tokyo looked better while drunk

Not me, but...
...Simon is dancing again. I must admit that bboying is like riding a bike. I didn't lose a step. Everything was there: the footwork, backspins, and nausea from exhaustion. It's not going to be an easy process but it must be done. You can't not dance again in a city like Tokyo. There are so many subcultures here that it's a waste if you don't exploit the ones you are familiar with. Obviously you need to see how it's done in Japan.

Earlier in my adventurous day, I visited the neighbourhood of Daikinyama. Of the shopping districts in Tokyo, Harajuku is for the teens, Ginza is for the rich oldies, Omatesando is for the rich youth, and Daikinyama is for the unique crowd searching for haute couture fashion. If you actually know a name of a fashion designer that the general public has never heard of, then this place is for you. A variety of (expensive) boutiques and tiny shops sprinkle the nook-and-cranny streets in this area. Lots of cafes, funky architecture, and numerous embassies make this hood fashionable and, well, expensive to live in.