|
Squishy fuzzy yummy thoughts
Archives:
|
Friday, November 22, 2002
Suematsu-sensei was indeed serious about me giving a talk in his class. After a few clarifications that I got from him, I spent Wednesday morning (last week) preparing for the talk. I didn't have too great of a feeling for how much people knew technically or what their backgrounds were, so I prepared what I thought was a pretty generic powerpoint presentation.
It turned out that I got the chance to meet a few of the people in the class before it started. Every one of them mentioned very specifically to me that there was this girl *AUDITING* the class, and that she was an *AMERICAN*. This caused me to start worrying a little bit because her experience with the class would be far from "normal," if it was of me giving a talk, rather than Suematsu-sensei.
After the class, some of the students were pretty energetic and had some questions, so we went up to Suematsu-sensei's office to talk for a while. A few questions took enough time to make me hungry, so at my suggestion to eat, we all went downstairs to head out to the Kyoto University cafeteria. Erica happened to be sitting downstairs talking to a Japanese girl, we said "hi." I told her I was going to experience the cafeteria, she said it should be fine.
After dinner, the group of students had run out of questions, so we parted ways in the lobby. Erica was still there. My one word description for her and the other girl's moods: nervous..
Hmm.
So I told her about all these other students that had told me about her. She said that the reason they mentioned it is that "auditing" a class is a strange concept in Japan -- Japanese students don't want to do more work than necessary. I mentioned that I felt bad that she didn't get a "normal" experience in the class, since she was auditing it. Fortunately, it turned out that she didn't really understand the first two parts of the class too clearly, so hearing a presentation in English was quite the relief. We chatted for a bit longer, and it turned out that she's going to be in Thailand around the same time that I am. Hopefully we can meet up there.
She told me that Suematsu-sensei had introduced me as "some person that's staying with me for free," which I thought was completely hilarious. Later, over some beers, I mentioned that to Suematsu-sensei. He broke out laughing and told me that the word he used, although it had that literal meaning, was much more of a "funny word" in Japanese.
Apparently, the parts of the class before mine had gone somewhat poorly. Suematsu-sensei had told one of the groups presenting that their presentation was so difficult to understand that they needeed to go commit hari-kiri.
Coming from him, probably another "funny word."
posted by wtanaka at 11/22/2002 12:09:00 AM
Thursday, November 21, 2002
Yesterday I met this guy named "Tom," probably around 40 years old, on inline skates. He showed me a skate park or two in Taipei and was doing some pretty fancy tricks.
posted by wtanaka at 11/21/2002 11:50:00 PM
On the "Wing Express" to the airport, the conductor passed by and asked me something in Japanese. I showed him my rail pass, and he asked me if I had a "coupon." I didn't know what he was talking about, so I kept telling him that I was sorry and I didn't understand. Eventually he said it was okay. The train was pretty empty anyway. I had a similar experience on the so-called-express train to Beppu, where I understood that I was supposed to have a reservation, but I didn't understand what the conductor wanted me to do -- move to a different car? wait for the next train? pay more money? jump out the window?
I'm thankful that they were so understanding.
posted by wtanaka at 11/21/2002 10:59:00 PM
2002 nov 21 1134
i sit under a mushroom shaped shelter in qingnian park
posted by wtanaka at 11/21/2002 10:46:00 PM
2002 nov 21 1121
gorging yourself on food in one of taipei's night markets is really easy. cliff and i went to eat some chinese food one night here. after dinner, we walked past an array of enticing looking food stands. the temptation being too much, we bought two custard filled pancake cupcakes. then already extremely full, we lookeed for some dessert, and found a place that sold tapioca pearl and almond tofu. on the way home, we found a bakery and bought a few pastries and ate those.
posted by wtanaka at 11/21/2002 10:45:00 PM
2002 nov 21 1117
wheat
yesterday, i purchased from a vending machine a boxed drink with pictures of wheat germ on it. the flavor: liquid frosted mini wheats
posted by wtanaka at 11/21/2002 10:43:00 PM
2002 nov 20 1419
Taipei Main Station
An elevated sidewalk, white railings, green trim, crosses the street away from Taipei main station. A sidewalk vendor sits here, under the freeway, with neatly stacked piles of duffel bags and backpacks. People walk by -- a normal sidewalk except its elevation.
Near the stairs down, station-side, a man sprawls, on the cement, stomach down, frog legged, feet to the railing, handless arm extended, forehead tapping, tapping on the ground behind his plastic bowl.
Is it possible to help without understanding? Is it possible to unnderstand without hearing his story? Is it possible to unnderstand his story without speaking his language?
The bowl with its $10NT coin says, "I know what I need more than you to." Yet often it is the case that people don't understand what it is that they want.
I ask him, in broken mandarin, does he speak english? He stops tapping, holds his head still, shakes his head no. The tapping starts again. I give him some money.
posted by wtanaka at 11/21/2002 10:43:00 PM
Monday, November 18, 2002
2002 November 18 1437
Taipei
Imagine Chinatown.
Now widen the streets.
Make it a lot bigger.
Remove some of the pedestrians.
Add a lot of haze.
Now you have Taipei.
This place seems a lot more familiar than Japan.
posted by wtanaka at 11/18/2002 11:51:00 PM
2002 November 18
"Markov"
In my head, some words are "best" followed by other words like:
bread and . . . butter
seatbelt is securely . . . fastened
As I was writing another journal entry, I just noticed another association, most likely learned in Hawaii:
Japanese . . . tourist
posted by wtanaka at 11/18/2002 11:50:00 PM
2002 November 18 0917
euphoria and relief pour all over me.
Three hours ago, I left Shoko's place, half an hour behind schedule. Amazingly, I found the four of five turns along he ten minute walk from her place to senzouike station, and made it to the airport. I woke a few minutes before the first airport stop at terminal 2. There, I chose to follow a vague memory of my itinerary instead of the horde of Japanese people that got off the train. The middle aged white guy in the cowboy hat and I stayed until terminal 1.
I ascended five flights of escalators, to find the deparure lobby. No "China Airlines." I needed terminal 2, where all the Japanese people had gotten off the train.
Luckily the shuttle was waiting. [the shuttle contained a sign that said "Emergency Cock." I have a picture.] X-Ray detected my lighter, now stowed in my pocket. Check-in stuck a cool airplane sticker on my "heart" with my flight number. They giggled at me too. I hope it was because I was late. "staff and crew" security hurried me through. A quick tram ride and a few moving walkways later, and I step into the jetway, right on time.
Lesson learned: Don't follow the guy in the cowboy hat.
posted by wtanaka at 11/18/2002 11:45:00 PM
2002 November 18 0650 - "Express" trains
I occupy window seat "2D," far to the rear of non-smoking, non-reserved car #3 of the mostly empty "Wing Express" train from Shunkuku bound for Narita airport.
A little fact about the JR trains in Japan: the word "express" does not mean "fast." In the past fifteen minutes, trusty ol' "Wing Express" has gone two miles. Also during that time, at least four Yamanote line trains, each of which makes a stop every two minutes, have passed by my train, heading in the same direction.
My theory is that "express" means "doors remain closed, even when train stops in middle of nowhere."
posted by wtanaka at 11/18/2002 11:42:00 PM
Sunday, November 17, 2002
2002-11-12 1640
I drank some "sour royal" from a can purchased at a vending machine.
2002-11-14 1009
The most amazing white bird was wandering around suematsu-san's place
this morning
2002-11-14 1317
Maggie meeting other people has stirred up feelings in myself that I
didn't know that I had. Worry, maybe some possessiveness. Yet, I
also at the same time hope that she is happy.
2002-11-14 1317
I find myself having a harder time meeting people now because I don't
want to get myself into the situation where I must choose between
hurting two people.
2002-11-14 1319
a subway labeled "test run" just passed. Car 3 had 4 hard-hatted
Japanese men sitting in front of what looked like a bunch of
seismographic equipment.
2002-11-14 1911
a man passed by on the street chanting and knocking together two metal
sticks
2002-11-14 1914
one advantage of not having a travel buddy is that I write things down
instead of just sharing them with the person that I am with
2002-11-14 1915
an idea came to mind that it is good to do my best at all things and
do a few things enough to get really good at them.
2002-11-14 1916
I need to rediscover my personal values. Accept diversity but be
myself
2002-11-14 1943
experiencing something with someone like a walk through a park makes
you feel closer to them because you have similar memories. Makes for
a platform for communicating between the two of you
2002-11-14 2007
highly recommended travel equipment: compass
2002-11-14 2024
public bathrooms seem more plentiful than public trash cans
2002-11-14 2203
went to eat some yatai in fukuoka. And I forgot to take a picture
2002-11-16 1355
fields and fields of rice, home to thousands of tiny haystacks
2002-11-16 1356
what is it about cars that causes people to experience their quality,
so that they buy high quality?
How do car manufacturers predict the uses of their cars such has to
make them well engineered?
How is it possible to do this for software?
|
|
