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!

What's the best thing in the world?

Jason Anderson gives me chills.



The best thing in the world is to love someone and they love you back...

That's what he said, and I totally buy it.

Sleep and random ドラマ

I think Hemingway was really really thinking hard when he said this: I love sleep. When I am awake, my life has a bigger tendency to fall apart. Or something like that.

But the smell of autumn just makes me yawn all the time.

So fuckyeahhemingway!

***

Lately, I've been thinking of my old place in Yokohama pretty often. I wonder how it feels to be there again and walk aimlessly in those familiar streets and bump to someone I know. It's been close to 2 months now since I moved and only now I get to realize the big change that took place. ドラマ!

***

I heard some good news today. But I don't know if I'd have to be happy or not.

***

I actually wanted to write but seems like I am not friends with words anymore. This is the longest time I haven't read a decent book, too. (Although I consume journals like rolls of tissue paper.) But book is still a book, especially if it is Marquez or Murakami. I should probably go to the library one of these days and find if they have something interesting in English.

Another ドラマ!

***

Someone is celebrating her birthday today. Shout out to that, across the Indian Ocean.

Oct 09 Ear Candy: The Weepies

I had The Weepies' album Hideaway in my playlist since last month. But only since last week I started playing them on my player. I heard them first in Manila when Jam 88.3 started playing 'Hideaway' last year. Since then, I've always had this secret liking for this indie pop-folk band.

Anyway, it has been two months since I moved here in my new house and I found an apt song for me and all these shitty feelings of moving on and missing places and people and stuff.

I can't really say why everybody wishes they were somewhere else
But in the end, the only steps that matter are the ones you take all by yourself
-'Can't Go Back Now' by The Weepies

Well I guess I really can't go back now.(T0T)

Tokyo Tower

This is the second part. The first part is here.

Tokyo Tower from afar looks so imposing. Like a huge candle on top of a cake!

More so when it's right infront of you. This time though, it feels a little overwhelming, like a big robot is staring right back at you, and you are a bubble gum with two wide eyes staring back.

We went to the viewing deck around 250 meters above and the view was spectacular. This time, the whole city was swallowing me with all the lights and the flickers. Everything feels surreal. Kinda reminds me of the mad Godzilla, though.

I have this thing with city lights and skycrapers since I was a kid. So being here and seeing Tokyo on the same eye level is like returning me back to those days when I'd dream of big cities and neon lights when I was ten.

They say that one can see the whole city from the tower's deck. Possibly, but it was too dark that time that I wanna go back on daylight.

Some views of the tower's neighborhood. Are you not scared of falling?

Tokyo Tower is celebrating its 50th this year. Interesting, interesting piece of creation.

Tokyo walkathon

Yesterday, I walked all over Tokyo with Gunji. I cannot remember the paths we used. There was no specific route, and trains were not an option. There was only one destination. Just like "Amazing Race," you know. haha...

The weather was nice. Summer will always be my favorite season. Here are some of the stuffs we saw.

Cool graffitis

Somewhere in Gotanda

Somewhere in Shinagawa

After five hours of walking and feeling lost, the destination loomed from afar. Tokyo Tower.

Tired but happy. Tomorrow I will post the pictures from Tokyo Tower.

Sept 09 Ear Candy: Travis

Travis, you make me feel good and lonely at the same time.
You remind me of gray afternoons, and the organic smell of the ground after it rained back when I was still a kid.

This is my favorite song, among their new ones. Very nice music video, too.

Closer by Travis:

By the way, Travis is from Glasgow. Why is Glasgow producing good musicians? Is it because of the milk or the whiskey?

花火

Hanabi is the Japanese word for Fireworks. Every summer in Japan, people gather near a major body of water, like the Tokyo Bay or along a big river, to watch the fireworks light up the summer nights.

This year is my first, but since I am a lazy kid, I only went to the nearest one in Futakotamagawa, which certainly isn't the best but spectacular nonetheless.

Here are some of the photos I took.

Another interesting thing aside from the lights are the costumes that the Japanese wear called yukatas (cotton kimonos) when they go and watch hanabi. I was meaning to wear one but couldn't find my size. Anyway, there are still many hanabi's to come so probably I'd try wearing one next time.

Yukata (the one that the man is wearing is the long version. I have seen shorter versions though, like worn as a short)

Aug 09 Ear Candy: Dark Water and Stars

August is the best month so far. I like it since it's summer.

My warm nights and airy mornings are described by this song which I've been listening to the whole month. It will always remind me of a warm, happy feeling, especially when I am biking.

'Dark Water and Stars' is part of the soundtrack of 'Thicker Than Water', a documentary produced by Jack Johnson about surfing.

maaliwalas, nabubuhay sa gitna ng kalye

ang isang pelikula.

ikaw, ako,

at ang mga bisikletang nawawala,

paikot-ikot sa gitna

ng isang siyudad.

mabilis, nadadampi ang alat ng tag-araw

sa ating pisngi.

masarap mawala

nang kasama ka.

T*T

I owe you this, even if in the process of remembering you, I am sauntering closer to the realization that I will never have you again.

When was the last time I paid attention to your memory so closely that I could feel the immeasurable need to be with you? When I think about you now, there is an uncanny feeling that I am thinking about another person, perhaps due to an elapsed time where things have gotten used to a new everydayness. When I think about you now, is it really you that I am thinking, or is it because my mind is switching coldly to things I can perceive from things which I have never understood before?

I owe you this, this quite, sunny afternoon, to make you feel alive in the order of reverie, to feel once again the summer when I first met you.

First New Week in Pola

I didn't notice that it has been a week since I moved to this new place near the university. I was damn busy getting used to the newness of everything! I still need to empty some boxes, and do some cleaning, but everything is just fine as it is right now.

The moving was more smooth than I expected. I needed to hire a car to move my stuff to cut down my expenses. Good thing Gunji offered to drive it for me, and I tagged Felipe along to give me a hand with all the carrying. Special thanks to you guys! You two are the best! ^o^

Special thanks, too, for Chen who was living 3 blocks away from me, for dropping by while we were transferring the stuff from the car to the house, and bringing some cold drinks. That was one happy surprise of the day for me.

Moving day. I feel really awful that Felipe had to lurk behind my stuff from Aobadai to Kobayashi's house. Anyway, we three somehow fitted in the front seat until we arrived at my new house. I cannot think of any other perfect way of moving than with these two's help.  Well, I don't know what point I'm getting at. But thanks again guys! Appreciate it.


First night in the new house was filled with sleeplessness. Feels so empty. haha...


Television to keep me company until I hook with the internet.


Self portrait, first morning. I look sad. Probably I was, but I'm getting the hang of all of this now.


Cooked and ate my first breakfast in my new house. Scrambled eggs!


The landing to my room. I appreciate these green creatures on my way to the door. Makes everything feel so homey. When I chose this house, what appealed me the most was how my place feels like a garden. Plants are everywhere! There's even a grapevine just outside my window with real grape fruits! Another interesting thing is that the wood of the flooring of my house has this sweet smell during summer. I don't know how to explain this smell but it sure sticks to my clothes. So you bet I don't need perfume anymore. haha...

This is Toru, my bicycle. He is my best friend here. I use him everyday like going to school, do my market, meet someone, go to the station, or just to roam around. The ever-dependable Toru. I need to find him a parking space where he is safe from random check ups of police men in my area. Right now, he sleeps by the street, outside my building which I think is both illegal and dangerous. But I cannot take him in because he is too big for my house. Anyway, Naoko, my bicycle lock is doing her job well of clutching Toru's wheels to safety. So that should work for now.

View of my humble house from the street. Plants everywhere, right?!

First weekend, moving around, checking out the neighborhood, making sure where the garbages are thrown, looking for the cheapest supermarket, introducing my face to the oldies in the area.

Around the neighborhood on my first weekend. These are the bunch of houses which look like Greek villas along the shoreline cliffs.


There's a creek on the next block. Stinks when it rains. On a sunny day, ducks are swimming.

The business street is a block away from my house, which makes everything convenient. 7/11 is a minute away. 24-hour, 100 yen shop is like less than 3-minues by walk. Everything is like a touch pad away.

Thanks everyone who helped. You know who you are.　

ありがとうございました。

By the way, these polaroid effects were taken from here. Had fun making these stuff. You should try with your photos.