Ano ang uso sa Tokyo sa tag-lamig?

So far, the temp here isn't that cold, about 6C lowest, as compared to Hokkaido. I guess that is why some young women can still walk around in this get-up. Wearing WOOL SHORTS in wintertime! Yep, isali natin ito sa listahan ng "beauty is pain". So far only the women do it. You will see a young couple with the guy in full winter gear, pretty much like the Michelin man, and the girl with her not so thick winter coat and the shorts, tapos you will see SKIN; exposure depends on the lengths of the shorts and the boots and the guts of the girl.

Most people in Tokyo commute by train and walking is pretty much the most sensible way to get to most places here. Flag-down rate for a taxi, 660Y.

I could still see some women braving 4C in this outfit last year... I thought they were slapping on some heating lotion on their exposed skin kaya nakakatagal sila sa lamig. hehehe...paano na kaya yung katabi nila sa isang packed train?

I already stepped out of the beauty-is-pain club, di ko na kaya, my hair has grown already and I do need that extra insulation aside from the warmth that my trusty wool cap provides.

Will it live up to the hype?

TEKKON KINKREET

I am watching a TV special on this anime masterpiece right now... ang galing, walang sinabi ang Steamboy at Innocence dito.

Matindi rin ang kanilang panganga-ilangan

Ano ang ginagawa ni Tommy Lee Jones kapag wala siyang dinidirek o pelikula?
SAGOT
Si Cameron Diaz? SILIP NA!
Ano ang ginagawa ni Brad Pitt kapag wala siyang pelikula o hindi nag bebebeybi-sit?
Answer.

AT MARAMI PANG IBA!

Ika nga ni Anonymous... "beauty is pain, baby!"

Ika nga ni Anonymous... "beauty is pain, baby!" --- ayon sa isang comment sa previous post ko. Totoo ito, kung matiisin ka o may pagka-masokista ka, you will go very far in the pursuit of beauty. A friend and I were talking about this on the train last night and he pointed out the foot-binding tradition in China, di ba extreme pain yun? Yung TULI... pwede ko bang isama yan sa listahan natin?


I recently had my hair styled. Big celebration, because I usually shave my head, and that I have actually saved half a million Japanese Yen (4Gs USD)! Heto ang home-made version, "Marukome".

The new 'do, I asked the stylist to cut it like Nakata Hide's, which prompted my partner to remark... "wow, looks like an expensive haircut, cool!" I love my partner, so honest at na-titiis nya pa rin ako after all these years I have been sporting a cheap-looking, home-grown, home-shaved hairstyle!


This is where I join the "beauty is pain club". As my partner and I stepped out of the salon, I had my first blast of freezing winter wind. I was so scared of catching a cold that night as I was going to have an opening party for my solo art show (kaya pala nagpagupit!)on the following day. My ears were already NUMB as we walked past one block. Hindi kasi ako sanay lumabas ng bahay ng walang woolen cap, but now I have to endure the freezing winter to keep the hairstyle!

In 2 weeks, mala-steelwool na ulit ito, tignan natin kung magpapagupit ulit ako, ne?

ang sarap pilayan nito ulit...

Kumg may tinatawag tayong "mercy killing" o "euthanasia"... ano yung tawag sa pagnanasa mong pilayan ulit ang isang tao para tuluyang gumaling yung pilay niya?
It was my 3rd time to see a young woman in high heels and a crutch! It was agonizing to watch her walk and at the same time she was doing her best to "look" cool and undaunted, really!

hmm, ok for humane reasons... babatuhin ko na lang sya ng sneakers.

RIVERMAYA

Honestly, I cannot tell you any RIVERMAYA song offhand but I am sure I already have heard the band. I was on my way to Bangkok last week and chanced upon a copy of Bangkok Post featuring RIVERMAYA on Outlook! AWESOME!

Kudos to RIVERMAYA!

CDs for rent

A Tsutaya outlet is something I still have to see in Manila. It is where one can rent CDs, both foreign and Japanese; and the best part is that the foreign ones are mostly Japanese issues, so one can also get 2 to 3 bonus tracks apart from the high quality of CDs made here. The selctions are quite diverse and updated too. Ang galing nga eh, I can rent CDs of artists that I have not listened to yet, lalo na yung mga oldies. May mga BBC Peel sessions rin sila, I am listening to the Led Zeppelin's BBC live sessions right now, astig!

Sayang nga wala pa ring mga Pinoy CDs sa Asian section. Maraming Korean, Chinese, African at Brazilian cds pero bakit walang PINOY?

This is also a place where I can hone my Japanese reading skills dahil LAHAT ng titles ng CDs eh written in Japanese, of course hindi rin ito classified as "A,B,C.."
kungdi "a,e,i,u,o, ka , ke, ki..." minsan masakit sa ulo mag hanap sa totoo lang.

Sinong gustong maging BAYANI?

There is this eye-catching news about NASA getting really serious about landing a manned mission on an asteroid in the Guardian.
Hmmm, paano na kung ma-isip ng gobyerno natin at OWWA na ito na ang new frontier para sa mga OFWs na tulad ko? Pagkatapos ng araw ng mga oil rig workers, domestic helpers, entertainers, seaman, nurse at caregiver... ASTEROID BUSTERS naman ang ipapadala ng bansang Pilipinas. Sila ang talagang tatanghaling bagong bayani ng sanlipunan, mala "Armageddon" nga lang ang istorya ng buhay mo pag nag sign up ka dito at di ko alam kung pwedeng mag-text.

Another kind of tsunami hits Japan

Sa na-aalala ko, simula ng Agosto 2006, eh nag simulang dumami ang balita ng mga TEEN SUICIDES. A growing number of youngsters here have been ending their lives due to BULLYING by their peers. 30,000 people took their own lives last year, then this!

Tapos ito pa, suicide threats in the form of letters written to school officials have been reported, these kids are threatening the school to do something about bullying or else they will commit suicide. Today's paper reported these.

Go see this movie if you can, "All About Lily Chou-Chou".

Tsunami Alert!

Late night news is just about TSUNAMI, we had tsunami warning at around 9pm, the origin was from some island near Siberia, mag. 8.1. As of writing, the news is showing a part of coastal Japan where they have these "Tsunami Barriers", these are massive gates of steel that is activated by a tsunami warning.

The news is getting boring, at least the waves were just 40cm high and no lives were lost. Late waves are being reported now, I hope they would not be a threat to life or property for people living in the coastal areas.
I can sleep soundly now... wag na sanang sundan ito ng LINDOL.

Ano kaya ang bago dito?

There is this "new" M-stock alarm clock now on sale. You can upload your favorite music (or ringtone) from your cellphone through "muPass" to change the alarm tone. Sa tingin ko, pinag-loloko tayo ng nagbebenta nito. At bakit? Unang-una dapat registered ka sa "muPass", 315Y/month yan ha, 130 pesos! Siyempre di naman libre lahat ng downloadable stuff doon di ba, bayad ka ulit, and to top it all, bibili ka pa ng alarm clock na ito na nagkakahalagang 7350Y, that's 3000 pesos!

Eh di ba halos lahat ng mga mini-compo eh may alarm feature naman? Stereo pa! Pero maari nga itong maging mabisang alarm clock dahil pag nag ring ang cellphone mo at ang alarm clock mo di mo na alam kung ano ang una mong pupulutin hanggang sa malito-lito ka at eventually magising ka na.

PS3 madness!

Blogging from sick bay here, the reason? Noong Sabado kasi pumunta ako sa Philippine Fiesta, ang kaso eh UMULAN ba naman buong araw at ang lakas pa ng hangin sa gabi! Late fall na po dito, kaya ang lamig pa!

On my way to Hibiya Park at 11am, napadaan ako sa Bic Camera, isang malaking electronics/digital/ hardware/software shop at napansin ko yung pila ng mga "otaku"-looking guys. Para po silang lahat ay naglalaway... dahil debut pala ng PS3!
Oy my gass! Eh kung ganun kahaba ang linya, ibig sabihin eh nag kamping siguro ang karamihan sa kanila - 95% lalaki, geeky looking, in their mid 20's to late 30's, mind you, HOT ITEM na ang otaku dito ha dahil napag-alaman ng mga babae na wala silang ka-agaw kungdi ang mga babae ng mga otaku sa digital universe!Bukod dun, maraming pera yung mga geeks dahil usually they get the top techie jobs! hehehe, sabi nga nung isang geek na prend op a prend, noong High School at College, di raw sya pansin ng mga babae dahil nga nerdy yung dating nya, ang mga sikat ay yung mga Sports Jocks... ngayong "grown-up" na sila, yung mga Jocks eh they just hold mediocre positions sa office, pero itong si otaku eh, may PhD sa digital contents, nag tatrabaho pa sa isang malaking animation company as a consultant, at... professor pa! O di ba?!

Walang biro, may movie nga dito DENSHA OTOKO, based on a true-to-life story ha!

Kaya dapat yung mga nag huhunting ng mga otaku-BF... kapag may ganitong debut ng bagong gadget, soft o hardware eh go na... baka ma-meet na nila ang kanilang GEEK OF THEIR DREAMS!

This one will still make you fat

Kung may tingi-tingi na gin sa Maynila, eh sa Tokyo rin tingi-tingi ang beer. A 135ml shot of beer!
A lot of things here are also sold in small quantities, but one big difference between our version of "tingi" and the Japanese version is the quality of packaging. It has also been said that the reason why "tingi-tingi" is prevalent in the Philippines is due to the shrinking peso, while in Tokyo, things are sold in small amounts due to the cramped living space, walang pag-lalagyan kasi. There are refrigerators here that have doors that open bothways, like you grab the left handle, the door swings open to your left, and vice-versa. I don't know if this is popular elsewhere, I am just amazed, why would anyone design something like this unless it is a necessity!


Isn't this a cutie?

Philippine Fiesta sa Hibiya Park

YEHEY may piyesta sa Hibiya sa Sabado!

Lahat na tingi-tingi

I just blogged about the Japanese obsession with over-packaging things, when I stumbled upon this article in Newsbreak about GIN SACHETS! Siyempre, we Pinoys also have an obsession with all things in "tingi-tingi", di ba? Why not gin?

Onigiri

Talk about a quick lunch, this is it, "onigiri"!
Today's fare is tarako-mayonnaise, goma-salmon-ikura and okura-salmon.
I only ate 2 rice balls for lunch as they're really filling and I had the remaining one for merienda.

Feeling good today knowing that I did not use and dispose of any kind of plastic for lunch. Grabe kasi dito ang packaging, kahit toothpick, individually wrapped! When you buy a bag of cookies, the cookies inside are individually wrapped too!
Pero kahit sangkatutak ang pag gamit ng plastic wrappers, bags, etc. dito, the streets of Tokyo are quite clean though, compared to other cities I have lived in.

Tokyo Designer's Week

I went to TDW yesterday at Aoyama Jingu Gaien, just a 15-minute walk from our office. It was good to soak up the creative atmosphere, especially at the Student's Exhibition grounds. Pingmag wrote about the event plus pics, here and here.

The exhibitors were mostly Japanese and there were a number of Western exhibitors as well. There were designers from SEAsia, noatably from Indonesia and Thailand. I was hoping to find a Pinoy designer, sayang wala or perhaps I missed his/her/their stand.

Nostalgia Manila: Nostalgia List #01

Nakaka-aliw talaga itong Nostalgia Manila. I discovered this at Leaflens
Nostalgia Manila: Nostalgia List #01
Sana may jukebox rin sila, 3 benchinco 3 tunog. Pero at least may Nostalgia Manila Radio naman sila.

Uy, maraming salamat Nostalgia Manila sa pagbisita dito at sa comment ninyo!

kwento ng 3 pulis

The local late night news was about 3 policemen who were injured, one seriously, by a knife-wielding man. The attacker was shot in the leg and eventually caught, most probably by their backup. What I found interesting was that these policemen tried to defend themselves with their batons, I think none of them were carrying guns at that time. Most policemen here do not carry guns, and it was just recently that some units started being issued a sidearm. Ang town patrols dito, you see one or 2 police on bicycles! Sa Manila naman ang pulis patrol, nakasakay sa kotse, kita mo yung shotgun sa loob, deterrent talaga pero, gaano ka-efficient sila sa crime prevention?

Imagine, pulis na walang baril! I think sa UK ganito pa rin sila pero dahil sa terrorist attacks dun eh they had to arm themselves, well I heard not all of them carry guns, still. Pero sa Pilipinas, kahit hindi pulis, nag pupulis-pulisan o kaya feeling cowboy/girl sila.

limbo rock

Muni-muni ko lang. I should read more on the matter.

quick and painless

I started my day to work with this on the front page.
This bullet train hit a man on the tracks, apparently it was a suicide. The options to end your life here in Japan... gun, naah what if it jams, hard to get a gun in the first place! poison, umm what if I survive? drugs, same as posion. Co2 poisoning? same..., jump off building, what if I change my mind on the way down? group suicide pact, too controversial, someone in the group might just blow it. aha! SHINKANSEN! something this huge coming at you at 262km/h or 164mph would not give you a chance to chicken out.

time capsule

Interesting project Yahoo has got going on, a time capsule in cyberspace. I posted one under HOPE , but it took a long time to upload my picture so I quit and did it again. As it turned out, the first one actually came through so I ended up with 2 posts. Luckily they were 2 different photos of this magical moment I experienced last fall. I hope that I get to experience that one again this year, walking on a thick carpet of freshly fallen gingko leaves!

There's also this gem of a blog called Nostalgia Manila.
It has this list of my favorite robot anime, like Voltes V, Daimos, UFO Grendaizer; all of which you can view on You Tube! Nostalgia overdrive ito, ang galing!

who cut the cheese?

Film Festival

I might get a chance to watch Kubrador at the Tokyo International Film Festival on the 24th, during my lunch break. Sayang talaga hindi naipalabas yung Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros noon sa TILGFF!

Nasobrahan...

Been moonlighting as a southpaw for a couple of weeks now and the keyboard is just driving me nuts! RSI! By the way, I did the splinting/bandaging by myself. That's the fun part.
ok, my left hand feels like sayonara now.

kakainin ko ba ito o tititigan ko na lang?

Behold, my dinner! This "chirashi-sushi" came in a tiny styrofoam box made to look like a "masu". Guess what made up my dinner? Ikura, ama-ebi, tamago, nama-maguro, nama-salmon, shiso strips, kuri, sushi rice and wasabi to taste! Kinain ko rin, nakakagutom titigan kasi.

a whale of a story

I bought canned Minke Whale tonight to experience it. (may aangal?!) A part of me told me to just return to the shelf that 468Y can of whale and a part of me was screaming... "THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!" Oh well...

So, that's that and whale meat tastes like beef, the dark red meat of beef. There was no fishy or gamey taste at all, though I think I would really enjoy it if it was cooked differently. This canned Minke was cooked in a kind of demi-glace sauce with ginger. Of course I had sake to drink, just in case! And it came in handy.

Bottom line, canned whale SUCK but let the tribes hunt whales but NO to commercial fishing!

Muni-muni

train spot

Thanks to Cone for the story!

beer fest

one of my favorite wheat beers...
Ginga Kogen









Delirium Tremens
aside from the 9% alc content, the taste blew my socks off!

what must it be like to be always happy?

Great weather this weekend, bright, cool and sunny! There was this community matsuri (fair) for kids where I won at the raffle.
I also saw in person this woman who was featured on TV one time. She's in her late 30s and years ago she had an accident while riding her bike. She hit her head on the curb and that damaged one part of her brain, the one that makes us recognize sadness. So now she does not get sad at all, no matter what. She feels no worry, nor grief. She is always happy and has no concept at all of what sadness feels like!

Doctors have given her a choice that she could either live that way or they can try to at least "repair" a damaged part of her brain and that it might make her recognize grief. So far she has chosen to stay "happy" because she does not know what that change would bring her. If you saw her on TV, she always had this permanent smile on her face and her reaction to almost anything was always a happy one. One time she got lost, due to a memory lapse, instead of worrying, she just laughed at her predicament.

I saw her today at the fair, in the flesh. She looked like everyone else unless you knew about her condition. She does wear that smile all the time, the only person I know who is 100% HAPPY.

Trip on these!

pink gloved feet!









this egg's got liver spots and
stretch marks on it!

at least no warts...















creepy!

Vintage Tokyo

This is a typical "gaado-shita", literally means under the tracks.
On my way to Hibiya Koen, I chanced upon an obscure part in this town, Yurakucho which is just next to swanky Ginza.

Most of these gaado-shita around Tokyo have been renovated into really boring bars, shops and restaurants with no distinct character at all since you'd also find them anywhere! I hope the city developers would not touch this nook!

You have these tiny bars all pressed together under the tracks with these treasures on the wall that will sort of tell you what was showing on the screens in those days. By looking at these posters, they might be from the 60s! Just as the Shinkansen (bullet train) debuted! The whole place rattles when a train thunders overhead, so it would not be hard to check on the last train if you go here on a nightout.


And this poster, I googled "Spawn of the North", a 1938 movie!



One more look at the gaado-shita as I emerged from the other end and into a modern part of Yurakucho where the Tokyo International Forum stands.

Jose Rizal in Tokyo

I was on my way to an appointment at Hibiya Park this afternoon when I passed by a bust of someone that made me stop, as if it said "pssst!" Pinoy-style.
Ay, si Ka Jose pala!






I know that Jose Rizal lived in Japan for sometime and that he
had a Japanese girlfriend and what's that other rumor about a love child?! I just hope that that boy did not turn out to be one of those who eventually had a hand in WWII. That would definitely make Ka Jose
roll like crazy in his grave then!

dakulaon na maray!

There is "kalamansi" in Japan, mind you! My partner just brought home these organically-grown monsters. Para silang mga dalandan! I will try one of these tomorrow, tignan nga natin kung talagang kalamansi ito?! I think one fruit can make a glass of kalamansi juice!

Thai Manaco Fan

Found this while looking for something else,
I think I did this one at work as a part-time
english conversation teacher. There were times
when we have a lull, no "lessons" so we sit
in our cubicles, waiting.

Some of my favorite websites...

designboom
banksy- www.banksy.co.uk/ - cut and paste on your browser
tarako fightaaa!
tumami
this one I avoid really, you will know why

galing sa antik kong blog...

My first cartoons posted on the web, here. Hayy, high school days!

Lutong Bahay

This is the avocado, tomato, mozzarella, broccoli sprouts, eringi combo...
Main dish is pasta peperoncino with eggplant, bacon, grilled pepper and basil.
Chilled Perrier with lime, and a Pinot Noir to drink.

My CANOLAAA!

One suggestion from the avocado forum was to use Canola Oil. I said, no canola bebe just olive. But wait, I do have this oil I got from my quirky boss, and after googling for canola images, I think I HAVE CANOLA!

hahaha, I could read " abura, healthy risetta" as the Japanese label says, but I have no idea what "canola" is in Nihonggo. wakaranai dayo!

mamamammayyyy CANOLA!

Avocado and many things

This was born out of a collective on the avocado on my Ygroup.
I am making some kind of appetizer from the stuff that you see.

Balsamic vinegar is the "secret" ingredient here perhaps, there's this
interesting TINGI stall in this mall that happens to be a couple of hundred steps
away from my flat. Good balsamico will make anything a treat!

Goro-goro

My partner and I declared Saturday as our official "goro-goro" day.
That means in Tagalog, "nagpapain-in sa kama".

But look at the visuals, "nagpapain-in sa kama" - we are staring blankly at space right? gawain ko yan ha! Then I think and I have been told that "goro-goro" describes the sound and motion you make while rolling in your futon.

It makes sense, try rolling something on your "banig".... gorrro- gorrrro...

Trainspotted -1

Mabuhay Dr. Holmes!

So I'd like to know where, you got the notion
Said I'd like to know where, you got the notion...
ROCK THE BOAT!
http://www.margaritaholmes.com

Sprouts

'Sakit ng lalamunan at panga ko!

7pm na, late ang lola!
"Live To Tell" nga ba kinanta nya dito?
These people paid US$430.00 a ticket. Miss ko yung Farrah Fawcett hair ni Madonna!

Uwian na!