Something New . . . . . . . .

have found myself a new hobby: making fridge magnets using my new Comic Life program on the mac and designing my own t-shirts with the help of photoshop and illustrator. here's a sample of my first t shirt efforts:


This was at Ads' 34th birthday this past weekend. we went bowling and brought our own bevys and snacks. good fun and cheap to boot as MC Wong sponsored some of our games with tickets. So Ads' shirt says Older Than Jesus with a picture of the Virgin Mary holding a baby jesus superimposed over Jeruselam at sundown and at the bottom it says Jesus es mi hermano mas joven (Jesus is my younger brother in Spanish). Wong's shirt has a dude doing kung fu with boxes of kraft mac and cheese dinner. it says Straight Nunchucking Badass Mofo on it. i'm sure this is not funny for you (inside joke) but it was pretty funny for us. And i also got Ads a Jesus shaped soap on a rope cleverly called Hope on a Rope. more tears of laughter!

Speaking of Jesus, i will be foregoing my annual x-mas in america this year. the folks have just visited so i will not be missed and since my sister and bro-in-law will probably be busy with movie projects, i thought i'd give it a miss. probably head back in February next year when things calm down a bit. So how will i spend this christmas you ask? my friend and i are planning on going to Bali for a short stint. sand, ocean, relaxing, etc. doen't sound like a bad chrissy to me! if anyone wants to join us, lemme know!

Sidebar: had a realization this weekend. i realized that some friendships don't have the elasticity that others do. with some of my friends, distance (whether time or geographic) doesn't seem to have an affect on the quality of the relationships but i find that more often than not, it does. this thought made me question whether these relationships have soured or turned bittersweet because i've let them go or because i didn't make enough of an effort to keep these people in my life or because we've just run our course together and it's kinda the natural demise? i've always been a bit of a fatalist: if it's meant to be, then it will be. but is that just laziness? i don't know the answer to that yet. all i do know is that it certainly does hurt to let some people go more than others.

ok, enough of that.

Crazy ass shit i found on the net this week:
1. Cuddle parties. you read that right. people get together and cuddle. TOTALLY WEIRD. you can see for yourself at www.cuddleparty.com

2. immigration is cracking down! homeland security is changing the test for foreigners. i get it! i get it! i've stopped trying to come back already. Sheesh!

3. never been this desperate for a cup of tea but if i ever get my ass out to china, i might wanna try this place!

4. Didn't realize the magnitude of e-waste out there in the world. i hope you guys find this as eye opening as i did. check out e-dump.

5. Speaking of waste...... look what happens to perfectly good money when it is wasted on the likes of these nasty dudes. (this is a bit of an oldie but i never posted this -- thanks gordon!)

6. Big thanks to Christina for bringing swing back! makes me want to put on my dancing shoes......

7. and finally, this fantastic pic that my friend Amrey sent me. She said, "if you see this woman on the road, for fuck's sake, GET OUTTA HER WAY!!!

It's like Buddha!

Hit the Tokyo National Museum yesterday with M who LOVES Buddha and Buddhist paraphenelia despite the fact that she's not really religious. we saw all the stuff in the permanent collections (much of which we weren't allowed to take pictures of but i got quite a few good ones from the special exhibit). check it out!





this old chinese lady who was also viewing the exhibit cut THE LOUDEST NASTIEST FART right in front of one of th pieces i was looking at. i couldn't believe my ears, or nose -- damn that stench!! but she just shot me a nasty look like WTF are you loking at?! crazy man!

on a side note, I just finished this book that my Jess gave me for my birthday about this australian woman who goes to India called Holy Cow! it was a very interestesing read with heaps about the different religions in India and lots about buddhism so going to the exhibit was a great follow up to the book.this was her pick so i get to pick the next one which will be the Edvard Munch exhibit which starts in October. Gotta love The Scream!

Ah, kin! a burial and a 3 day date with Grandpa

Well, the parental units are back in Japan and we went off to Kyoto Friday noon to bury my cousin who died last year. After a pack of katsu sandwiches on the shinkansen, we were picked up by a van full of family and taken to the temple where my cousin was getting buried the next day. after sweeping, pulling weeds, washing headstones, and 5 mosquito bites later, we piled back into the van and went up to the cemetary where team Tanaka has their plot to pay respects to my grandfather and the rest of the family. more sweeping, pulling weeds, washing headstones, and 4 mosquito bites later, we went back to my aunt's place. had quick break and off to dinner at my other uncle's where he served up a gourmet dinner packed with heaps of hammo, a type of fish only found in the kansai area. he even smoked some bacon which i got to take home with me to tokyo.

the next morning, the olds get up at 5 fucking o'clock and they are milling around, turning on tvs and shuffling around and talking. i finally get up at 7 :15 and get asked how i make any money or run a business by sleeping in so late. geez! after breaky, we had to get dressed in our formal black funeral wear even though it crazy kinds of hot and humid out there. dad was in his boxer shorts until 10 mintes before we got in the car. there was a service at the temple. lots of praying and incense burning and namyohouringenkyo-ing. we get the urn, go out the grave, do some more namyohouringenkyo-ing and then homeboy (the priest) pops the urn open!



he gets a big silk bag with prayers written all over it and everyone places his bones and bone fragments BY HAND into the bag.

it was so strange. the bones felt like porous baked meringues -- firm-ish to the touch but very delicate. and my cousin was a big dude so the bag was really full.

then the front of the altar was removed and there was a really small opening where we had to fit him in through.

more praying and incense burning and finally we were done.


we reconveined at a fancy tempura restaurant with a beautiful garden. here are some pix:


This is the widow and my cousin's daughter. i swear you would never guess that these people had lost a husband and a father. i remember thinking theydidn't seem sad at all at the funeral. i guess we all grieve in different ways..........

and my cousin, Yoshihisa.


i came back to Tokyo that nite and pulled into ike at about 9 pm, just in time to meet J and Takeshi and chizu for a drink. jess and shelly stopped by a bit later as it was shelly's last nite in japan and we want to have a drink to say bye.

i had come back to tokyo early since there was no one to take care of grandpa for the next coule of days (day care was closed and there was old people's celebration day and he's my token geriatric). we went out to yurakucho to check out dirty over priced antiques at the flea market/antique market and then sauntered down to ginza for some pasta lunch. the next day we went to kawaguchi to see grandma. we brought her some cake and aterwards, we had a bowl of ramen before heading home. and the day after that, i took grandpa to have his feet looked at by the podiatrist and afterwards we went and had some coffee. why am i recounting my 3 day date with grandpa? because in those three days, my mind kept going back to that scene in Say Anything when Johnny Cusack says to Ione Skye that he doesn't want to go to the old folks home because their mouths don't work so good and watching them eat is so depressing. i'd actually never thought much about it until this week. when there's food in front of old people, they are like people on mission. grandpa barely breathes when there's food to be consumed. he barely even chews. he starts coughing up a lung cuz he's drinking his coffee too fast. and i had John Cusack's words repeating in my head.

old people's celebration day (or as everyone else calls it Respect for the Aged Day) has absolutely no meaning in Toyko. i spent all day with my token old guy but there was no respect for olds to be seen anywhere. we were the only visitors at the care facility where my grandma stays, no one even thought to give up their seat for my grandpa on the train or the bus until i moved them; in fact there weren't people with their token oldies around at all. i thought that was depressing. i think they should show the movies Cocoon and Driving Miss Daisy on repeat like they do on TNT back home the day before to remind people why they have the damn day off. no wonder why some species eat their young.

BRAZILLIAN FESTIVAL and Farewell to Helen and Kentaro!

my cousin came out again to the city just in time for the brazillian festival. it was so much fun and we had heaps of great food to eat. These dudes here were having the best time singing and playing:



Yum!! Meat on a stick by a guy wearing an umbrella:


Brazillian pride:

I went with a bunch of boys who like giant sticks of meat as much as i do:

There was a big ass show with some sexy chicks:

What drag queens wear to a brazillian festival:

Afterwards, as we made our way to a coffee shop for a bit of R&R&airconditioning, we went by the rockabilly dudes and i found that one of the guys has greatly improved the sheer height of his hair:

We also ran into this fine fellow who looked like crazy just threw up all over him. LOVE the hat! and Yes, those are balls of live goldfish on either side of his head:


We split ways with the boys and my cousin and i headed down to shibuya where we were due at a party. on the way we found this lovely place (makes you think twice about placing an order):

after a burger (he was all japanese fooded out), we met up with our friends who are leaving and made some new ones as well:
They are too cute!
Kayne dances like Elaine:
kelce and charlie get in touch with their inner Rock:

Adventures in the Pong and a Day of Pampering for the Girls

My dear friend Makie and i went to the National Art Center in Tokyo (which was former the site of the Japanese Pentagon <-- Department of Defense i think). We met in Roppongi and had lunch in at the very shi-shi Bamboo Lounge. I arrived a bit early and got to take some pix. Here's the giant spider: This kid was one of the cutest little people i've ever seen. he was just running around the legs of that giant spider like there was no tomorrow!
And the infamous Mori Building where a kid got decapitated in the revolving doors and set off a major national panic about revolving doors:
Here's the National Art Center in Tokyo. we went and saw the 100 years of Nitten exhibit, courtesy of free tix from a VERY connected friend:
And a shot of the inside:

And today the girls had a day of pampering! We started with High Tea at the The Peak on the top floor of the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku. Here's Shells with the menu:
The view from the top:
And here's the tea, tiny ass sammiches and dainty little cakes that we enjoyed for the afternoon:


Here's Shells enjoying the world's smallest chou:
For Relaxing Time, Try Suntory Time. Yes, the Peak is the lounge in Lost in Translation:
Though very pricey, it was a very nice experience (we got to try all kind of tea including REAL earl grey tea; not just black tea that someone chucked nutmeg into). I got a huge blister on both of my pinky toes from the cute heels i wore, this being a kinda dressy affair.

afterwards, we took a short break back at my place and then went to Korakuen to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening at La Qua Spa. Another pricey event but well worth it again. this place has everything: onsens, baths, showers, saunas, cafes, restaurants, a Thai healing salon, color therapy treatment, skin rub and esthetic salon, hair and nail salon, Euro Fusion therapy, body massages, feet massages, reflexology, an oriental head spa, Hawaiian lomilomi, a bar, gift shops, lounge chairs with TVs built in, etc. True, some of the stuff like the massages and stuff costs extra cashola but Jess and i left very relaxed and refreshed.

just a few bumps in the road at the spa. for starters, no tatooed folks allowed. so i had to lie and put a bandaid over my tattoo. then S (who was apprehensive about going in the first place ) completely freaked out, cried, and said she wanted to leave. after much hysteria, she decided not to stay (she didn't even wanna do the stuff they did not require nudity) so we got her out without having to pay (she was only there for a little bit and didn't use any of the facilities plus she was in tears). this was a first for me. i've never had anyone freak out at the onsen as much as her. what i have since discovered is that the nudity phobia, gymnophobis, is a big problem for a lot of people. Check this out! crazy, hun? i know the big H can't SAY the word "nude" or really deal with nude people but S is the first person i've met who really can't handle any of it. the only other thing i notice was that a lot of people we staring at me. at first i thought they saw my tattoo. no, still covered. then i though maybe i had a booger hanging out of my nose. nope. is my lava lamp like figure THAT offensive? probably. but what i didn't realize is that my now scarred up left boob gets really REALLY red when i soak in the onsen. it must have looked like i had a a bad rash or something! i suppose that's the first time i've really been to an onsen since last year's ordeal and they are the first ones (besides the bf) who've seen it. don't worry, no photos of it will make it to the blog. just so i don't freak out the gymnophobes out there!

An adendum and Pix of my Cousin

9. The McPork is evil and does not taste anything like the McRib.

10. One of my students is the sweetest person in the world. she brought me this to-die-for bento. sooooooo yummy! have you ever seen anything so mah-velous? and yes, i ate every last bite!

Here are some photos of my cuz.

I took him to Harajuku (we ran ito the Yosakoi Festival):

Here he is with some friends an friends of friends at Meiji Shrine:
We also went to Dorie and Roberta's Farewell Party:

Then D and i took him to get a Doner Kebab at Moses' and then went for a walk through Ueno Park which has all the lotuses in full bloom in Shinobazu park (I love this park so there are tons of pix):

Watchin' the turtles:


When salary men have a tough day:
Check out how huge these leaves are!

We also rode the big ass rollercoaster at Korakuen:
And met up with Ultraman at Sunshine City: