Temporary Hiatus

Due to my busy schedule after I return, I'm not sure whether or not I'll be able to keep up with this until at least January. Today, I definitely can't really post anything interesting, although I did learn a bit. I don't have the time and I don't want to make up bullshit. But here are a couple of things:

Christmas is viewed as such a minor holiday in Japan that I have an assignment that is given on the 24th and due on the 25th.

You can't print your boarding pass at home for an international flight because they need to scan your passport. You CAN check in though, and I was able to snag a window seat. :3

Operation Forever Alone started officially at 4:40 pm today (2:40 am EST). It will end on Thursday at 7:30 am (5:30 pm Wednesday, EST) when I surprise my brother. I will make an announcement on Facebook at 10:00 am Wednesday (8:00 pm Tuesday).

Day 19

Day 19 - I forgot to post this last night...ah well.

1.)    I am almost 100% positive I can fit all of what I’m bringing home in my backpack. I’m still bringing home my suitcase though.

2.)    The Soviets had created a mine called the “butterfly mine”. Children were almost always the casualties because it was designed to look like a toy. Children would pick it up and it would eventually detonate, killing the child.

3.)    The Andes are the world’s largest mountain range that is on the surface of a continent.

4.)    Nan Madol is a ruined city in Micronesia that used to be a political seat. It was built over the sea on top of coral, so it had no readily available fresh water or food.

5.)    Uluru is a giant sandstone monolith in Australia.

6.)    The Tian Shan mountains dominate the Kyrgyzstan landscape. About 80% of the country is mountains.

7.)    Shuri Castle in Okinawa was destroyed during World War II. It was reconstructed in 1992 and it looks beautiful.

8.)    In the Japanese villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, the houses still have thatched roofs. I want to go there and see!

9.)    The Cryptomeria is a large cedar-like tree. It can be known as the Sequoia of Japan.

10.) Images taken from Itsukushima Shrine are some of the most iconic images of Japan. I hope to go there too, but we’ll see if I can afford it. It’s near Hiroshima, so if I can afford a trip down there, I’ll definitely swing by!

Day 17

Day 17

1.)    Never knew that meat naturally releases gravy juices until today. I always just thought it was sauce – I was wrong. O.o

2.)    I can do half pull ups on the underside of my ladder. I can put my feet on the bottom rung and then my arms head height and then work out that way. Makes me feel awesome.

3.)    I found a website, called “It’s Not Just Mud”. They’re a volunteer group in Ishinomaki. I’ve decided to volunteer for at least a week of my two month spring break in the Tohoku region and they seem the most promising.

4.)    Hitchhiking in Japan is much safer and easier than in the states. I may hitchhike to Ishinomaki.

5.)    I can read Kindle books on my laptop.

6.)    The Uglies is, so far, a really good book. I’m terrified I’ll finish it.

7.)    I took my first bath and it was pretty awesome. I don’t think we’ll get along though – it raised my body temperature by a lot and my room doesn’t even feel chilly.

8.)    I might be allergic to my new lotion. It BURNS.

9.)    I have blisters on my feet that I just discovered now. One burned so I looked and bloody was coming out. o.o

10.) Today, the PM election took place. I think that must have been what I heard being announced over the loudspeaker.

Day 16

Day 16 - Sorry today's is a bit cheap, but hey, I learned stuff!

1.)    My laptop has a pretty good battery – or so I hope. Running some tests now. I’m really not looking forward to the lack of electrical plugs on the flight home. That and the lack of movies. I don’t usually get my laptop out, but 12 hours with only two or three movies is not a fun prospect. Currently, I have one, but I’m working on getting some from my family.

2.)    Noren make excellent gifts for people who want something very Japanese. A noren is a sort of hanging tapestry that usually hangs over a shop entrance. Some of the designs a very lovely. You can get a good discount if a design is “out of season”. I bought a summer one for around $12 or so.

3.)    I watched the Hunchback of Notre Dame for the first time. It was pretty good and now I know what a badass Esmerelda is. She’s up there with Mulan, I think.

4.)    I have lost enough weight for it to be necessary to take my belt in a notch.

5.)    Finding Disney songs in Icelandic is really hard if you don’t know Icelandic. D: But Princess and the Frog seems to be well done from what I saw.

6.)    When I walk to and from work, it’s a mile and a half.

7.)    When I walk a mile to get to school and a mile back. So I walk at least 4 miles a day (grocery store, boredom walks, etc).

8.)    From my apartment, it’s a mile to Nakano station.

9.)    It’s a 1.4 miles round trip to go to the hardware store.

10.) The giant loop I do when I’m bored is 2.4 miles, but it doesn’t feel that far at all…

Day 15

Day 15

1.)    In Japan, the train station workers have these lights they shine at the conductors to give the all-clear. People get stuck in doors a lot.

2.)    They also have an awesome coordinating system for the handicapped. If you need assistance, come to bloody Japan. They’ll get you to where you need to go.

3.)    People are so stupid sometimes – I watched a documentary on the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and so many people died because they thought the water disappearing was fascinating. Like moths attracted to the bug lamp…

4.)    You can make cake with a rice cooker, pancake mix and chocolate. I guess I’m going to save for a rice cooker.

5.)    I have no idea what Dan is going to get me for Christmas. Every time I suggest something to him, it either gets more expensive because he doesn’t buy it in a timely manner, or something happens. I’m still sore about the Samsung Galaxy player, which would’ve let me use an electronic dictionary while at school. My laptop doesn’t connect to the internet there due to poorly configured wi-fi.

6.)    The 2004 Indonesian Tsunami flung a large boat 3 kilometers inland (roughly 2 miles) and that boat has now become a tourist attraction. The locals don’t have the infrastructure to move it back to the water.

7.)    I watched an interesting video showing the concept for foreshocks and aftershocks in earthquakes. It gave a variety of visuals and had an audio segment as well, where loudness was intensity (so if you don’t like loud noises, stop it before March 11^th, 2011).

8.)    Land can liquefy during a large earthquake. The land that is especially at risk is man-made land. Chiba, Japan is mostly made of reclaimed land, so during the Tohoku quake, a lot of water surged up out of the ground.

9.)    To get to Narita Airport, it would be cheapest if I use my commuter pass to get to Takadanobaba station via the Tozai line, transfer to the Yamanote line (160 yen), get off at Nippori and transfer to the Keisei Limited Express (1000 yen). In total, 1160 yen and about 100 minutes including transfer times. That’s not too bad for a relatively simple route. I plan on leaving my apartment no later than 10:15 am to guarantee I’ll arrive at the airport by 1:00 pm.

10.) When celebrating the New Year in Japan, keep your wallet close. Apparently, there is a problem with thieves, since it is so crowded.

Day 13

Day 13

1.)    ASL seems hard, but I think it would be really useful to learn. Youtube videos are your best friend when learning an entirely visual language. Interestingly enough, the visual cues are very different from Japanese. In Japanese, it’s rude to stare intently at someone and exaggerated facial expressions only really occur in manga (or some of the ruder young adults).

2.)    Pronouns in ASL are fairly simple and have a lot to do with pointing.

3.)    One is able to scald one’s throat without scalding one’s mouth. I’d prefer to scald my mouth next time. It’s like have a really sore throat where breathing hurts…

4.)    Chloë Grace Moretz is now 15 years old. She played Hit Girl in the movie Kick-Ass a few years back and it really boosted her acting career. If you haven’t seen Kick-Ass, it’s a good superhero parody film that puts heroism into perspective.

5.)    Skrillex’s song Bangarang. I feel like this year, I lived under a rock – I missed so much new music.

6.)    North Korea succeeded in launching their rocket this time…

7.)    My friend has a photography collection of awesome Japanese manhole covers – it really makes me want to start my own. A lot of cities here have their own design.

8.)    Double meteor shower this week! :D I may go to the graveyard to see if I can spot any tomorrow.

9.)    My flight, if I’m lucky, will offer 9 movies. If not, only 2 movies for a 12 hour flight. For a wider selection $8 – I refuse. I’ll just have my dad send me ISOs of our DVD collection at home. United is the cheapest major airline I’ve ever flown. They don’t even give you peanuts on the flights from IAD to LAX anymore – 5 hours with nothing to eat what-so-ever. They had better give me two meals on my 12 hour flight…

10.) JSC likes my dad’s software and put it into a quadricopter. My dad really wants one.

Day 12

Day 12

1.)    I repaired my own headphones. I’ve never really fixed anything electronic before – dad’s always done it for me (as stupid as that sounds).

2.)    Inside your headphone wire, there are four little wires. Two go to one earphone, two go to the other. All of them have “enamel” on them.

3.)    One can remove the “enamel” by gently scraping with an exacto knife.

4.)    An exacto knife in Japan, when buying at Shimachu Home, will roughly cost you 350 yen with 10 replacement blades.

5.)    Music in HD headphones sounds so much better than when you listen through speakers (unless you listen very loudly).

6.)    Unsounded is having a fanfic writing contest! The top prize is $150. Second prize is $50. I’m seriously debating on whether or not I should enter. If you don’t read Unsounded, it’s a beautifully written fantasy webcomic by Ashley Cope. She pays ridiculous attention to detail in each page and her story telling skills are fantastic. No Deus Ex Machina in her stories.

7.)    Tonight, it’s going to get down to 3 degrees Celsius. Better wear my coat to work.

8.)    Doctors have cured a young girl of cancer by engineering the HIV virus to encourage the immune system to attack cancer cells. A little reminiscent of I Am Legend – where they used the rabies virus instead.

9.)    My dad leaves at 11:00 pm JPT to go on a business trip. Poor little brother…><

10.) One of the rarest cows in the world is the Randall Lineback, which is only sold in the DMV. There is one shop in Alexandria, VA that sells it.