Friday, May 05, 2006
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?
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