My first stop motion

Today, I went to Shibuya. This isn't a good day at all.

But anyway, this is my first try doing the stop motion. I only got a few photos so I basically just looped them three times. Next time, I'll do something longer if I don't feel lazy.

This is such a bad day =(

Random stuff

I had the camera with me in the school the other day so I decided to take some random photos of the microcosm I move around.

This photo shows what's going on at the architecture department. People here seems to be always busy. They're always up to something cool, and nice.

I like the architecture floor a lot. No one can guess the next cool things that they will post on their walls. It feels like walking through an art exhibition every time though. I wanted to take more photos, on a semi-regular basis of things like these, but I'm a little shy because the architecture people are cool, and I'm a wuss, and that I might look like someone who is trying to steal their artistic properties. (I'm not making sense). haha...

I went walking around Jiyugaoka with Jay. I like it when I walk and talk with a friend. Especially around this place. Jiyugaoka is the nearest hang out place from the university. There's coffee shops, second-hand bookstore with English mags and books, and pubs, and chic clothes shops, donuts bakery, etc. Name it, Jiyugaoka has it.

For instance, there's Muji, my favorite, though I rarely buy anything from there.

This is my favorite place to kill time in Jiyugaoka. I watch people here. This is also the place where I will drink beer when I'm down in the hole and cannot afford the pub. Oh life.

Route (Part one)

Today, I decided to do something I've been meaning to do ever since. I've always wanted to take photos of the things I see on my way to school on a regular day. Well here it is now. But since I am such a shy boy, I only took photos when I see no one was on the street (I don't want some stranger to see what I'm doing and give some sneering look). I was with Toru, my bike, so it was a little difficult to take photos and maintain my balance at the same time.

This is my first installment. I hope to get the rest done during the coming winter break.

This big building is the first looming structure I see as I go out of my block and start biking along the creek. I see many clothesline and clothes hanging on the balconies every time, so most likely this is an apartment.

This is another apartment complex along the street I often use when I bike to school. This one is beside the creek. The bald trees here are sakura trees. During cold months, they look like wicked, thorny shadows. During spring however, many people say they bloom like crazy. I can't wait to drive my bicycle and pass by here everyday on spring.

The street I'm using is very narrow that every time there's another car passing from behind me, I quiver and have to stop. I hate gaunt spaces. They make me feel very uneasy. (That's also one reason why I never learned to drive a car. I'll just end up scratching it to the next one).

That's why I always take another route when I am not in a hurry, just like today. This one is parallel to the street above. However, this one is two times wider. The only thing that amuses me is how always empty this street is. Sometimes, I feel like I'm in a town of horror where streets are deserted because the people are either zombies or vampires.

I always look for this house with a nice lemon tree. That's because this is where I have to turn left. Or else I will get lost. Which I did several times. Funny how Tokyo's suburbs always look the same in any nook and cranny. Especially this neighborhood I'm cruising everyday.

This is after the house with a nice lemon tree. This part is a little confusing for me because after this street, the next block branches into 3 narrow streets. I sometimes still scratch my head which one to pick.

I cross one train track. This is the most challenging part to get through on my way to school. Lots of cars pass by here coming from an uphill. Sometimes, they swerve so fast that one has to be very careful, especially if it's a cab. To stop or not to stop? Sometimes, when I'm in a hurry, I don't care anymore.

That's the end of my house-to-school project. I hope I don't get lazy adding more details next time.

***Today, too, is the birthday of my father. He would have been 77. To paradise, happy birthday!

Nov 09 Ear Candy: Oasis

I'm pretty hooked to Oasis these past days. It surprises me that Oasis has always been there since the 90s but I only started "discovering" their great songs lately. Of course, everyone knows 'Wonderwall' . Then there's 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out', which perfectly suited as OST of Butterfly Effect 1 when Ashton was walking to a new life towards the ending.

Listening to their other songs made me realized I had lots of prejudices towards Oasis, brought perhaps by the first two songs I knew from them. I've sinned to consider they were just another garage rock band: noisy, angsty-shit. But hell I was wrong! 'Let There be Love' for instance, is very subtle to the ears while "Half the World Away" is stripped-down unplug and raw. Just my kind of thing.

The best thing about Oasis is how they use the right words for their lyrics. Poets as musicians are rare. For me, they are the 90s Beatles. Too bad that I started liking them when they are not a group anymore. Nevertheless, their music rocks, and will surely outlive the band itself.

Here is one of the classic Oasis song that makes me feel swell:



You ain't never gonna burn my heart out...

I'm planning to get a poster of Oasis for my bedroom. I hope there's one in HMV or Tower Records.

Soils and experiments

Today, I helped Gunji do his experiments. This day also happens to be his birthday! Omedetou gozaimasu! ♪♪♪

Since I got pictures of the experiments today, I'd take this time to introduce my lab. Let there be a geek! haha...

This is the experiment room. Dirty, cold, stinky.

But--- I love this place! Everything comes to life here first (before those numbers and words). I like clutching bolts and wrestling with wrenches, maneuvering the crane in four directions, hammering loosely fitted plates, dipping my fingers to sand, popping the bubbles of our clay mix, etcetera, being dirty, etcetera. Burgeoning muscles are bound to happen.

The centrifuge, the most important instrument in our lab. His name is Mark III, and I'm serious.

I can't wait to use this next year!

This is what a typical experiment in our lab would look like. The research area involves soil foundation and geotechnics. The photo shows the test set up for Gunji's experiment, *insert some technical explanation here blah blah blah*.

That's me at the end of the I-bar, doing my share of chores.

I'd be doing some research on shallow foundations, *insert some technical explanation here blah blah blah*. My only hope is that I don't fuck up.

Doing experiments in the lab is both physical and neurotic. But what gets into my nerves the most are the wires and electricity. I'm scared of them. haha. Bad history of electric shock when I was a kid (xox)

I'm tired now. I think we still have one set up for tomorrow. おやすみなさい!