got accosted by plain clothes police today. also drank belgian beer with Di and Dave - not seen Di since she's come back from super long holiday. working tomorrow. the lesbians are watching Friends. gerald is hassling me to go see a play on sunday - he's been told to sod off 20x already. want to buy the Sony UX for no particular reason. bought some french francs today. still irritated by the telephone call yesterday.
- posted by Daniel @ Saturday, May 20, 2006 0 comments

 
Garrr...
I've been in a stonking bad mood for about a week and a half now, despite all {some} things going quite well. I'm missing jokes, not analyzing hard enough, not keeping my patience to the level it should be, wasting time, failing to learn more every day, failing to be accurate, eloquent or charismatic. I want more. Always. I am trying desperately to distract myself by:

a. inventing childish names for everyone at work (the schoolboy, isha-san, camel monkey, bert, ernie, elmer fudd, the tsar).
b. reading solaris manual pages.
c. buying into deranged investment ideas
d. waiting desperately for the chance to drink again.
e. sorting out some things to do when Maund lands his hairy ass in Narita

Then today. Was feeling muchos better, as I bought a yet another Mexican. Called home, Dad's just got back from Vancouver. Talked about the holiday, and then about the fact that my sister isn't married. Then I embarked into an utterly futile 1hr debate into mixed race marriages. I keep forgetting. There is no point. The title of this post reflects my mental pitch and roll.

Good news: Got an email from Bell, talking boring nonsense for 99% of the email, followed by two sentences:
Next date for your calendar is 6th June. I'm landing in Narita.

Sugoi.

Reading a book on Putin's Russia. Pretending to run every day at lunchtime. Sometimes listening to Pimsleur's Japanese. Addicted to Nujabes. Working 7 days this week. Feeling like I'm stupid, but maybe - maybe - I could learn how to be different. Maybe I could catch up.

Time is not a nice person. I know, because the sign said it. Time can be generous; but ultimately time is indifferent. Time does not give two damns or a f-k. So what will you do? What will we do?
- posted by Daniel @ Thursday, May 18, 2006 2 comments

 
Interview
I didnt know whether to decline their offer of an interview on the grounds of their names, or the fact that i have another offer. What is this? A frickin' clown show?

Dear Sir,

I would like to confirm an interview as below

Interviewers : Mr. Maung Myint, Mr. Will Billy

- posted by Daniel @ Thursday, May 11, 2006 0 comments

 
Week gone by


was fantastic. I think it was Friday - took to the hills, took photos, took Italian in Shibuya for dinner; and got a call from Jeremy for beer. But I was wearing shorts. Pit stop at UniQlo, bought trousers, Roppongi, beer. Met a guy with the same style, same attitude, and almost the same name as someone back in Edinburgh (fong). The similarity was hilarious. To me. Went to some relatively non-gaijin club in Azabu with bad music. Anyway, at about 1am, got an email direct to my phone (no need of crackberries in this country) saying that Mum was in London, back from holiday in Canada. She got back a few days ago, and since she was on her own, I felt a pang of guilt for not calling. Went to the quietest place I could find, the bathroom, and dialled plusfortyfour. 4 seconds north of an hour, my battery ran out. In the meantime, Jeremy wanders up the bathroom, spots me inside, and says {slured} "give me the phone. let me speak to her". because he thought it was a girl. he got a firm N&O. Yet he continued to insist. And then she heard and said "give him the phone". And so I eventually handed the phone over to him. And then, for what felt like an unduly proctracted period - they discussed sausages. God save me.


Saturday, looked at new apartments with John. Had to translate all our questions using yahoo translate. But the guys were patient, and we learnt lots. Decided to give up sauce completely this month. Until the 28th. Met up with a gang in Shibuya later in the day that Rimiko had amassed, and ate at some Izakaya. Stayed sober. Got made fun of. The grapefruit juice did something unwanted to my stomach. When we all met outside the station, Rimiko brought along a girl from her workplace. Now, here is something women dont get caught doing often, but when they do, it is so so funny. The girl (whose name escapes me) was caught staring at John. Ha. So after dinner, we're all saying goodbye, and I manage to leave the two of them together, and walk off hurriedly, giving John a chance to swap numbers. Instead, she says "BYE" at lightspeed to him, and catches up with me, taking the same train, and laughing at all my irreverent excuses for humour. Yikes. All the way back, I was fighting two demons: "dont get her number" vs "get her number for john".

Sunday, Ometosando Hills. It's like Orchard Road comes to Tokyo. Wandered around some of the posher areas of Tokyo, and then somehow ended up in Iidabashi, where I discovered a 180Yen izakaya. 90p beiru sounds like Praha to me. Nasdrovia. Rocco's given up smoking. We've made a deal that we'll quit alcohol and beer respectively. Well, at least until the 28th.

But yesterday - Tuesday - I was irritated. It looked more and more likely that I'll be heading back to the YouKay in August. ML isn't offering permie, MS have the agency tangle, UBS was a longshot that's gone quiet, GS is a contract (and who in their right mind would want to be a contractor at GS anyway), DKW and NCL aren't paying the magic number, KBC said no. So feeling like it's all going bad at the moment. Well, at least I have the next few months to enjoy Japan, and I wont have to look for another apartment....

Crikey - today - Wednesday. Boss-boss man just offered me the Magic Number. Called Merrill. They can't swing permanent. Relieved that I have Citi at least. Got to think now. I guess this means I'm staying in Nippon.

[22:18:39] rocchino83 says: two night ago
[22:18:44] rocchino83 says: ahah
[22:18:51] rocchino83 says: one of my colegs
[22:19:06] rocchino83 says: not very pretty but two big teet
[22:19:08] rocchino83 says: .)
[22:19:21] rocchino83 says: but now i have to see her every f-king day
[22:19:36] rocchino83 says: you understand, this kind of mess
[22:19:55] rocchino83 says: i'am a stupid

- posted by Daniel @ Tuesday, May 09, 2006 0 comments

 
main concern

the only thing i'm pushing for right now is A Job. manager-manager man came to talk to me today, and offered me a number. I scoffed, and explained that if I accepted that amount, I would be itchy to get back to London town. Pay me more, and i'll
stop itching. I doubt they will. Damn, I'm arrogant. Damn, i'm losing faith in the Japanese job market. I can get a job, but I can't get the money. Alternate streams of income? Arbitrage is something i've historically been successful at, so will have to start thinking and thinking. Then confusion, as Morgan Stanley are hunting me outside of the agency. The agency is going crackers, worried about losing their commission, and i'm probably going to get my CV burnt to avoid litigation. Which leaves ML. I hope. I hope.

Madness at the flat. The lesbians want to leave, sooner. No specific plans, of course, just approximate gestures and hesitant movements. Having dinner with them today. Matt's tasked me with:
-finding out how they met, given that they are polar opposites of each other
-what drives someone to get into a super high maintenance relationship
-where the hell swedish girl got into the equation.
And then the best quote I have ever heard: "I dont want Nana to have other friends - then she would spend less time with me". Does somebody need to spell UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP before it's understood? Bah. Frightening.

Friday went to the Ice Bar. Nothing to do with Swedish girl, but because somebody wanted to go, and ended up dragging a bunch of people. Photos on flickr later. They reckon the ice is imported from Sweden. You'd be pretty stupid to do that, but not everyone thinks the same way. I saw a woman in high heels trying, and failing, to carry her bike up some stairs. A old man was giving me the eyeball as if to say "why dont you help her". i can't help stupidity - she should have been using the ramp. Let her suffer.

Cant remember what happened the rest of the week, but then I had two days of work, Mon & Tue, until Golden Week, the week of 3 public holidays, kicked off. So far it's been a blast. First day, met Monsieur B down at some show, and spent a fortune on precious metals. Then got a message from John to go out to Shibuya for a few. So, with a few man yen worth of silver and gold in my bag, I proceeded to get trashed on cheap wine. A gamble that proved lucky - but I guess I am always lucky - as it paid off. Got home without losing anything, and met a couple of guys to go to the beach with the next day.

So Thursday, Shink'd it down to Atami, and hung out at the beach. Met some kids and played volleyball with them. There was three of us, and 5 of them. They were a damn sight more acrobatic,but somehow we managed to win. Then enroute back to Tokyo, Derek changed plans and suggested we drop in at his host family (from when he was an exchange student) and have dinner with a Japanese family in the countryside. He promised they were crazy. The father (small dude in his 50s) met us at the trainstation, and we got into the car. The usual banter about what you are doing and how long you have been in Japan. Then he asks: "How long are you staying in Japan". I reply "100 years". He grins, and retorts: "It must be all these lose Japanese girls". I thought: This guy is cool. When I explain how this the first time I have been to a Japanese house, he walks around explaining how everything is - and even offers to let me use his bath, which is an incredibly personal offer. He shows me how he prays to his ancestors, and how the Kanji names (upon death, a new name is given) of his ancestors are written on wooden slates kept in the cabinet. His wife cooks up a feast, we tell stories - I particularly like explaining that I am now living in Japan, having been born in England; my father was born in Kenya; and my Grandfather was born in India. It always gets a wow factor. Their son (about my age) replies: "I am born in here. My father here. My great great great great grandfather, here". Sugoi. Took the train back to Ikebukuro, and walked home slowly. Fantastic day.

Somebody asked the other day: "Just why do you like Japan so much - what is it?" My reply at the time was weak, and so i've thought about it a bit more. When, back in Scootland, did I ever play beach volleyball with some random kids on a lazy afternoon by the beach? Didn't I always feel something was missing? I guess, in Japan, I know what is missing, but it will take a few years to plug the gap. And that clarity brings a sanity. But there's always sake in the meantime. What will I feel when I get what I want?



- posted by Daniel @ Friday, May 05, 2006 1 comments