So.. Monday night was a lot of fun! I met up with a bounch of people from my highschool. It was supposed to be a small get-together at first, but each of us called up a few people and the crowd got bigger. Lots of boozing and talking - and then singing (karaoke). Most of us had not seen each other since we graduated (which is like 6 years ago!), so I suppose the anticipation was high. The crowd was pretty diverse - some were still students, some had a steady job, some were still trying to make it (like myself). As I listened to those who were still trying to reach their dreams, I got inspired. I need to make more efforts. I gotta get off my lazy ass and do something. Thanks, especially to Yoshio and Satoshi. I hope I'll be doing something more interesting next year! I want to love what I do, I want to be proud of what I do... Anyway, it was really a nice reunion. I had tons of fun!! Let's keep in touch, everyone.

Wear G-Strings, please.

I don't mean to make fun of Japan/Japanese people everyday, but I have to say this. Ok, so as you know, Japanese girls are really into Fashion. They spend tons of time getting ready everyday. It amazes me because, not only they dress nice, but their hair and make-up are really done. There is no way I can look like that everyday. I mean, I love getting dressed up, but not when I go to work - I don't give a shit. But what I don't get is that so many Japanese girls wear tight jeans, pants, and skirts with freaking panty lines!!! I think panty lines are the ugliest thing in the world... I cannot help but notice it when I'm riding a train or just walking around in town. Please girls, if you spend that much time getting ready, why not take another minute and check out your ass in a mirror before you go out?

Engrish.com Contribution #2

I noticed today that there are so many cars in Japan that display this sign: "Baby In Car" or "Dog In Car." I know there is no equivalent of "the" in Japanese, but please. Japanese people love to use the English phrases that they can't properly use. What amazes me is that there are companies who produce those things. Doesn't anyone check the grammar before they print something? Aside from the grammatical issue, what the fuck is the point of advertising to the whole world that there is a baby or a dog in your car?? No one cares!

Ok, so I found something that I can contribute to Engrish.com (it's a collection of fucked-up English signs mainly from Asia). After I got my teeth fixed, I was walking to a train station, and saw a huge sign that reads: "Public Bar CLUB RUDE." First, what the hell is a public bar?? I assume they meant that it is open to everybody. But I wonder what they had in their mind when they named the place "Club Rude." I have no idea. We're only serving rude people? Come in, if you want to be treated like shit? Out of curiosity and pure boredom, I looked up the dictionary to see what the word "rude" means (other than inconsiderate, lack of delicacy, or offensive). According to the dictionary "rude" also means unfinished, primitive, raw, elemental etc. I didn't know. But it doesn't matter, because when you hear the word "rude," don't you think of an inconsiderate asshole? At least, it's not a very inviting name! Oh ya, and later on, I also saw a sign that said "Pet Shop Fobby."

I turned 24 today! Since Bill is in Boston, one of my good friends in Japan celebrated with me. I loved the restaurant we went to! I wish I could post a picture here.. We also went to our highschool and talked with some of the teachers. It was cool. Everyone thought I haven't changed much - I wonder if that's good or bad.

I finally got my cell phone reactivated today. Japan is a cell phone paradise. My bro's phone is so cool - it works as a video cam recorder and the resolution of photos are amazing. But don't be surprised yet - the newest model right now is equipped with a MP3 walkman and a freaking TV!!! Phones with a digital camera have become a standard here.. I don't think it's possible to buy a phone with no camera right now. Damn!!! I want a phone with a TV!

This is my first post from Japan. It was such a long journey. Well, not quite, but still. I had to transit in Narita (Tokyo) this time, so it was longer than my usual non-stop LAX to Kansai (Osaka) flight. I sat next to a married old couple. The wife was a loud-mouthed bitch who nagged the husband the whole time. If I was the husband, I would have killed her long time ago. Anyway, after about a few hours, it was unbearable. I couldn't take it anymore (not so much the volume of the voice, but the shit they were, well, she was saying). So I asked them to keep it down. The funny thing was, the husband looked happy that I intervened the bitch fest. 11 hours later, we landed in Narita. I forgot about it, but Narita sucks! There were much more people there than I normally see in Kansai, so the lines for immigration and customs were longer. Plus, Kansai airport is newer, so it's cleaner and the architecture is more modern. In fact, I think Kaisai is one of my favorite airports. The least favorite-- LAX. Anyway... it's cold as fuck in Japan, but it'll be fun. I can't wait to get my cool cell phone activated!

I'm gonna be in Japan in a little less than 30 hours from now. I'm so excited to go home!! Going home is always lots of fun, but the process of it is such a pain in the ass. First, let's start with packing. I hate packing and so I always put it off for as long as I can. I am such a perfectionist that my suitcase has to be really neat. It doesn't matter how late I start packing, it always has to be perfect. So I usually end up staying up till like 5am. If only I can start packing like a day in advance.. I don't have to stay up all night - but it's just not gonna happen. Then I have to go through the whole chaotic LAX scene every time I fly. Just the thought of that ridiculously long line for security check makes me not wanna go there tomorrow. And after all these shit, I get to sit in the plane for 11 hours. How fantastic!

Things I'm gonna miss:
1. Bikram Yoga class
2. Tom Leykis Show
3. Warm weather
4. Del Taco
5. Boba

Hotmail has changed its appearances. I like it a lot.

Finally got DSL hooked up at my new apartment!! It was a slow, painful wait. I missed having the luxury of checking my email or looking up something while I talk on the phone. To tell the truth, I am easily distracted when I'm on the phone. It's probably not a good idea to tell me a long story over the phone, because most likely, my mind is not really there. I don't know why... I've always had relatively short attention span, but I think the internet has definitely made it worse. I used to love long phone chats. My mom used to always get pissed at me because my phone bill was really expensive. But now, I prefer face-to-face interactions to phone conversations.

Damn, it's December already! That means I'm turning 24 soon.. very soon.

Thanksgiving was nice. I went to eat Thanksgiving dinner at The Warehouse Restaurant in Marina del Rey with Bill, Takeshi, and Tomo chan. The food was great. The weather was even greater. We sat on the outside patio and joked, this must be one of the few places where you can eat the Thanksgiving dinner outside, under the sun. In fact, I wished I had brought my sunglasses because it was so sunny out. Viva LA! After the dinner, we all went back to my house where Bill and Takeshi had the Tekken Showdown. Despite Takeshi's confidence, Bill is still the champion.

I don't really remember how I spent Friday and Saturday... didn't really do much... just sat around and watched TV. It's amazing how one can be so lazy. I finally got off my ass on Sunday and went to practice golf and then to the yoga studio. My god, the room was HOT!