"If you didn't you wouldn't be in here"

"I know you ________"

Me, Mayah and a Moose

Jan. 3, 2009, YVR

4 bad apples spoil the bunch of 5 that I bought

This has been happening to me far to much lately.

From one of my textbooks...

The boy's riding a banana, the girl's riding a peach.

So...

Bunt is dead. For real this time. AJ mentioned that he doesn't "have time to justify cruising around on the internet anymore, looking for amusing nonsense." The funny thing is, this is all I have been doing since I got to Tokyo. Really, it's become a problem. However, now it may all be justified. Therefore, loyal readers, would you like me to carry on the Bunt tradition of scouring the internet for 'neat' stuff (aka, visiting other real blogs and biting their posts)? Think of it as an added bonus to an already entertaining blog. Or I can just 'keep it real' and not change anything. Of course, you're all welcome to continue communicating with each other in the comments section. Holla!

The numbers are in!

After a strenuous amount of research (stumbling onto a 100 yen shop that sold thermometers), it has been determined that the temperature of my apartment--without the presence of a human being and with the heat off--is.......12 degrees celsius. That's hardly comfortable, is it? The kitchen and bath are a few degrees colder and they don't have heating at all. My main source of heat is the air con hot air blowing machine, which only warms whatever its air comes in contact with (so whatever is directly beneath it, leaving the other 3/4 of the room cold and alone). Every night it feels like I'm camping, all bundled up in my blankets while the air around me is as brisk as an iced tea. And have you ever put on cold clothes? Like, clothes that are cold?! I reminisce about living in an apartment with FREE heat, and walking around naked was, ironically, second nature.

Concurrently, there is a peculiar humidity that exists only in the bathroom. This is a place where the hand towel never dries.
A place where the toilet paper is slightly moist.
A place where the mirror always fogs up after my morning sighing, and will only defog through human intervention.
A place where small amounts of dirty brown water drips from the fan because condensation accumulates in the vent cover.

On a good note, the Japanese flight attendant on the plane thought I was Japanese!

Kawai! The Mayah Gallery

Living in a multicultural society and a culturally homogeneous one

Now that I'm a bit more awake, I can write a little more coherently. Going home was great. Coming back to Japan, Vancouver felt like a fantasy to Tokyo's harsh reality. For some reason, I was expecting so much change returning to Tokyo, even though I was gone for only 10 days. Tokyo doesn't wait for anyone. Not even me. I think I felt this way because it was such a shock being back in Vancouver: seeing my niece again, taking the bus with so many loud 'minorities,' being a slave to the snow, coming back to a heated house and not having to use 3 layers of blankets to stay warm, etc. I only ate ONE fully home-cooked meal on my last night and I barely made a dent in it because I ate it so fast that I got major gas. Such a missed opportunity. All this made me think: where's home? Where am I supposed to be? Well, of course, I'm not 'supposed to' be anywhere. I just happen to physically be in Japan while life keeps on lifin.' My mind on the other hand...

Henceforth, as I mentioned earlier, my body has been on auto-drive since I got back. That shouldn't be anything to really complain about, but it doesn't feel right if you're still waiting for your brain to arrive like lost luggage. It's almost like I'm bored here. But that will change once I get back into the groove of things. Hopefully doing so isn't too disruptive as I've been going to bed earlier and waking up way earlier (10pm to 5am). I don't want to crashing in my night classes. That's why I'm looking for a new job for the April 2009 semester.

Regarding riding the bus in Vancouver, it was good to see so many races in one place again. It just felt harmonious. And it's a good primer for when you decide to actually visit one of those countries.

Shit Happened

Mind and body not yet synchronized. Mind still in Vancouver, I think. Or somewhere over the Pacific. Body on cruise control in Tokyo. Was worried about trivial things upon arrival, such as: What's for dinner? When can I do laundry?; Why am I here? Read "Watchmen" to distract mind. Worked. Now writing like Rorschach.

Grandma's Crazy Wall of Knick-Knacks

Backwards

Why would I get patted down coming OFF of an airplane?