things i didn't experience in japan:
string cheese (i forgot!)
giant geek stores, especially those filled with boys love doujinshi
yakuza with enormous dragon tattoos (or anyone who looked even vaguely criminal)
a proper public bathhouse - onsen don't count
being packed into a subway carriage by station attendants

things i did experience in japan:
( Read more... )

- we have got everywhere we needed to within the time we needed to, though often only with the help of kind strangers, like the man who walked us to our ryokan in nagasaki, and the man at the ticket desk at aso bus station who phoned our ryokan in kurokawa onsen because the bus timetable had changed and we needed to be picked up earlier. people ( Read more... )

so i have a new cat, after waiting patiently in various queues at the spca for about 3 hours. her name is alice, she's a 1-year-old tortoiseshell, very smoochy and curious about her new surroundings, with a ferocious purr. i'm hopin that she'll get on with the elderly cat who's just moved in upstairs - this was the idea behind getting a kitten, ( Read more... )

( manga burblings that will probably only interest thirstygirl )

today has been pretty frickin awesome, when i pause to think about it. first there was picking up sight and sound on the way to work, featuring interview with haneke on the white ribbon (definitely one of my top films of last year). then at work we were told to take the afternoon off, since the chairs were being steam cleaned. (first time in 13 ( Read more... )

so this year i actually ventured out of the country. new south wales, to be exact. before that i went up to whangarei to spend christmas on my folks' sofa, as usual, and then for a few days to auckland to spend time with ielfling  and family, of which the highlight was a trip to the zoo where i had fun with the new camera (let me know if you want access to ( Read more... )

Thirst either Fri 17 at 11.30 pm (ouch) or Sun 19 at 8.45 (also ouch)

Summer Hours (Assayas) Sat 18 at 6.30 or Sat 1 at 8.15

Ponyo Sun 19 at 1.30

Still Walking Wed 22 at 6.15

Bluebeard (it's about time i saw some Breillat) Sat 26 at 1.30 and Mother (because i'm excited about Won Bin) at 9.15

Daytime Drinking Mon 27 at 8.45

The Black Pirate Thurs 30 at 6. ( Read more... )

dear computer shop guys. don't play games in conspicuous, full view and ignore me. i will be unimpressed when told (by someone else) you're on your lunch break; either go somewhere else or be prepared to provide the minimum of service. don't deny all knowledge of my service request when you're the one who booked it; i can remember interactions from ( Read more... )

one person's common sense is never another person's common sense because it's not common-sense at all, it's wiring. and i am not wired the same way as you, therefore it is fruitless and foolish for me to get upset at you for acting and reacting the way you're wired. weird how hard that one is to internalise.

empathy is a curse which even people ( Read more... )

conversation between me and work colleague today (let's not call him wc for short ( Read more... )