Wednesday: Bicycle III - I still know that you still know what I did last Saturday

Remember the nice Myanmar man that gave me a free bike, the same bike whose tire exploded last Saturday?

Well today he offered to fix it! Seriously, too nice.

So we (mostly he) took the wheel apart, and after finding out that the tire is way beyond repair (the air chamber had a 4-5 cm rip in it), we decided to just replace the wheel.

As you might already know, disposing of trash here is no easy matter, especially bulky trash, like a broken bicycle for example? So people just leave these bicycles near the garbage collection spots, and people who need spare parts (me) can scavenge them there lol.

Didn't take me long to find myself a spanking new wheel. And we were done with that issue along with the chain. I was good to go.

One problem. It's raining, and I'm in Sooen (or whatever the stupid dorms are called... can never remember that name), which is a half hour ride from where I live. And it snowed a little teeny tiny bit in the morning (while I was sprinting to uni with friend living in same building and as late as I was haha), so it's kinda cold lol.

Sapporo TV station on the way home:

25 minutes or so later, finally made it home. Must tell you, with no hat or gloves, not a very pleasant experience haha. Bright side is that, after you start thawing, and feeling returns to the fingers and face, it feels warm and fuzzy! Oh and it's great exercise! My thighs hardly fit in my toyght jeans for like 2 minutes after getting off lol.

As a side note to my friends in za mozerland, I'm uploading for 120kB/s here, that's like 10 times faster than my download back home lol (hi Joujou sup?). Not that I'm uploading or downloading any torrents or anything of the kind of course...

So have been quite busy leading to lack of updates.

This past week I've studied more than ever! (I know that's not really saying much but still haha).

Basically Japanese from 8:45 (if I'm not late that is) to 14:30, then studying for the Master's entrance exams until around 22:00. It's all Mathematics, and it's just been so long since I've done any Differencial Equations or Linear Algebra... and worse is the Machine Learning and stuff I've never taken before hehe. So learning from the exam and the internet. And the LIBRARY!

The reason that last word was all in upper case, is that there really is something strange about libraries in universities in Japan. I say universities not Hokkudai (my uni) because Dina has also experienced this. The library has an aura, so strong and demanding that it just makes you WANT to study! ME! Seriously!

I'll try to take a photo (without flash of course because I really really don't wanna bother anyone hehe). But I'm sure the photo won't really convey the feeling very well.

Other than that, last night there was a birthday (tea) party in the kitchen on my floor. WILD! Woohoo! So I just got home, dropped my 40$ worth of liquids (gotta have the liquids, that includes milk, juice and last but not least, beer! Oh and softener for the laundry hehe), and went the kitchen and chatted away until 1 in the morning...

Today invited to a Horror night at a friend's hehe. Telling horror stories in the candlelight, watching a horror movie, you know, the usual... Just in case I can't tomorrow, or am too lazy ;) I'll just put plans here for tomorrow night. Going out to birthday party, then the EVER FAMOUS KARAOKE haha. Let's see what's the big deal about it here.

And Sunday going on a trip with local version of "shabibet el ma7abba" or something hehe. Don't laugh... Seems there's this really cool priest that organizes these trips so that people meet each other and have a good time, which is really cool. So going to some museum and then bird watching I think? You know, birds? They don't shoot them on sight here... strange...

In other unrelated news, since I got an iPhone (YA!), my number by the way is: 0081 80 4046 9719 , spent a good couple hours trying to install iTunes on the damn laptop, only to get error messages in Japanese. Finally managed to understand that it has something to do with my machine being 64-bit (although I was downloading the 64-bit installer... but forums said there was some issue with iTunesa and 64-bit Windows 7, but it eventually worked donno why, I was probably just clicking on the wrong link or something).

So anyway the point is that I got so pissed off and finally decided to finally install the English language pack for Windows... I must say... it feels frikkin GREAT to be able to understand my menus/buttons/messages without having to [painfully] slowly read it in Japanese and sometimes extrapolate to understand what the hell this and that means...

Other than that, it's still really cold outside, but Spring is finally here, and so I'm putting up some photos of a little tiny section of the campus I was walking through today, and a little video of the stream of water that goes through it (there were ducks there two days ago but I guess the rain scared em off for now hehe... wusses).

The last remnants of snow.

Nothing beats the cool breeze with the sound of running water from the nearby stream.

The source of water on the right side.

Small video of area in previous 2 photos. Very cool. I think I'm in the right place, cold and peaceful? YA! (snowboarding this weekend isn't gonna happen though, since it's just too expensive to go for less than at least a couple days to the only mountain still open for snowboarding).

Some random (and quite strange) people giving out some packages to older ladies in the building that has the subway/train/department stores/movies.

Again we see the Japanese efficiency. The guys giving out packages take turns coming back to this table and restocking lol.

Akh so it's time for an update I would say.

Just as soon as the snow was nearly fully melted, and I was going to mention it here, guess what? It started to snow again haha. But it's really thin snow and didn't add much to the already receding snow. And my phone camera won't show the falling snow either since it's so thin.

Other than that, remember the huge ass electronics store I talked about before? Turns out there's more than one floor! OMFG! Wat za hell!? The second floor has cameras, TVs, watches, and other stuff like makeup(?), the third floor has home appliances, donno what the fourth has. Didn't even get to fully explore the second floor!

Asked again about phones, and there are basically two options: option 1 is to opt for the cheap phone, pay something like 70$ and then pay basically 3$/month (plus calls of course, which are free to the same company in the afternoon). Option 2 is to opt for the iPhone (which is awesome) and pay more (something like 90$ and 50$/month? Not sure about the prices). Option 2 has unlimited internet on your phone - iPhone! -, but I have internet on my laptop at home, and option 1 is just so cheap haha. Still thinking it over.

Yesterday, went shopping for running shoes. So naturally I went to the huge mall. Turns out this mall is not just one mall, it's actually one building that has 4 different "malls" each at least 7 floors, with their own shops. Explored 2 of them (not much information) and not a single sports shop... Asked and was told that there are none. (Asked my new Libyan friend and he said there actually is one, in one of the 2 I didn't go to yet... naturally would've been the last one I would check hehe).

Today had classes in the morning as usual, got there early for once! Classmates clapped and cheered me yay! Victoria (Israeli girl, whom I met in the elevator this morning so is living in the same building as me lol) introduced me to Syrian dude at canteen. Classes are amazing by the way. There are many teachers, so one day we learn grammar with one and then the next with another. Now for me, who's already horrible with names, it gets confusing to remember haha. But it also makes it so much more interesting, mixing grammar with conversation, with writing, with pronunciation. And also mixing different teachers, personalities and methods of teaching.

After class, went with some friends from class who want to buy phones. Interesting to see not one, but three Gaijin (foreigners) that don't speak the language try to communicate with a Japanese [non English-speaking] vendor haha. Interesting indeed.

After that, more international students welcome parties! This time it's the Co-op students organization. Had small dinner, then joined Indonesian girl doing traditional dance. I think the other Japanese guy and I probably looked a bit girly doing the girl dance with her but it was fun and more people joined us hehe. There's a small video somewhere, will post it when I get my hands on it.

More country bingo after that, didn't win anything hehe. But we got to choose from free stuff left over by old students at the Co-op afterwards. So I got myself a cup, a knife, a spoon, and a fork (don't think I'll use any of them soon but yalla!) and a very cute tea set. Now I know I don't drink tea, but no seemed to want it and it's so cute. And it'll be here for when someone visits me (in another location since no one can sleep over here except for Naddoush and Dal), or when I decide to start drinking tea next winter hehe. I hear the winter here makes lovers out of tea haters! As a side note, did the laundry and finally found a use for the radiator in my room haha. I'm paying for heating regardless of whether I turn it on or not (basic fee), so I might as well turn it on and dry my laundry on it!).

Made a new Libyan friend, and had dinner (another proper one this time hehe) with Egyptian girl and their Columbian friend who we met there by chance. Ate Italian, good good! Penne a la Arabiatta costs around 10$, with an orange juice or tea which is part of the service. Ah ya the restaurant's on the 10th floor of one of the four malls.

So in short, learned (and took down) "hello" and "thank you" in maybe 5 new languages today, ate lots of good food, and met lots of cool new people (can't mention them all coz it'll be TOO long hehe)! Good day if there ever was one! Oh and got cute tea set (at least I think it is :) will post photos later it's too late and I'm too lazy!).

Day 6 (Wednesday)

Last day of freedom before classes start!

So yesterday I got lost on campus. Well actually to get to our lab, I need to go into a building, walk through it, walk out from the other side to finally get to our building. So I missed a turn in the first building and ended up in a very very old section of the university, where the old (?) power breakers can be found. So thought I was in the wrong building and went back out and went North. By the time I had realized I went too far (insert Pablo Keanu Reaves impersonation here), I saw the Gymnasium sign post.

Me being in no hurry whatsoever (another way of saying having absolutely nothing to do whatsoever), decided to check it out. Bastards that made the sign just put the direction without bothering with the distance... 20 minutes later, I reach the muddy sports fields, and then finally a building with a rock concert going on? Turns out it's the music building. From outside, I could make out, in order of noise done: drums, guitar, trumpet (or trombone), piano and violin. Went in and took a look. Interesting, but strange. Each person just finds a corner and starts practicing, paying no mind to the person 2 meters away from him doing something totally different. To illustrate my point, went up to the second floor following the sounds of violin, and found a storage room full of shelves. A guy was right at the right side of the door practicing the violin (exercising not playing tunes), and two meters away, in the parallel isle, a girl was doing the same... Quite annoying.

So on my way back from the music and sports section of the campus, I would see all these people on bicycles zooming past the couple of us that were walking, and ended up wishing I had a bicycle too... Until I borrowed one today... FREEZING! OK so today's a bit colder than yesterday, but still, my hands went blue. By the time I got back I wasn't sure I still had a nose on my face. So that's why Pan-san doesn't use his bicycle...

In other unrelated new, fekin retarded ass Sony warranty doesn't fix my monitor unless 6% if the pixels are not working, so roughly 10.2 pixels. Of course the manual says this... in Japanese, in small print, in such a way that I would've missed it in English hehe. Ah well.

More bad news, went to get my phone line, with the nearly free ($5) iPhone 3GS 32Gb with it, and turns out the paper the mayor's office gave me, stating that I will get my alien status blablabla (residency) next month, is not enough and I have to wait until I actually get the residency to get my line... Meh.

Good good news however, SUSHI! Yummy... So the supermarket does big sale on all fresh goods after 8, so for 10$, ate 18 pieces of fresh (quite big too) Sushi, divided into paris of the following: tuna, white fish, shrimp, scalops, salmon, squid (or something... tastes good so who cares?!), crab (fresh! none of that crab sticks stuff), caviar and urchin (TOOTYA!), the last 2 wrapped in sea weed. Oichi (very tasty). Spent a good 5 minutes trying to find Soya sauce, and had to ask a passing woman for help (she was also very nice), then found out there's already some inside the box! Along with ginger, which actually looks like ginger! It's not pink hehe. Aaahh good way to spend the eve of my birthday. Oh and the cashier even gives you chopsticks if you want. Me likes. Finally, seeing that it was snowing (a bit) when I was going back home, there was no chance for the sushi to go bad :)

Tomorrow, party on the 8th floor to celebrate birthday. After tomorrow party at the lab to celebrate the new lab member (me!). They know not what awaits them muahahaha...

Day 5 (Tuesday)

Last night, had dinner at random restaurant, in small dark alleyway (just my type of place). Tonight, my professor, Nakamura-sensei's inviting me to dinner at a nice restaurant. Also invited are Oochi-san and Pan-san, all three have been great help in getting Yabani life started.

So, to the mall! Up 10 floors (takes a while using escalators...)! In 15-minute minimum line! Out of line! To next restaurant! Wow. Amazing dinner... So this restaurant has a grill in the middle of every table. The menu we ordered included fresh squid, that is cooked right in front of you, and a bowl containing a mixture of cabbage, squid, pork, eggs maybe, that becomes kind of like an omelet (so hard to have it right under your nose while you wait for it to get cooked...), and finally noodles with more squid and pork! Oh and beer! Mmmm... This is apparently called Okonomi (favorite) Yaki.

I'm blending in very well by the way: Japanese looks... check! Notebook used to take note of any new word/expression/food I hear of... check!

Other than that, did my daily routine of getting myself lost by walking in a new random direction (the expression "getting lost" isn't very accurate since each street has its coordinates and I just need to go back to 0 North 0 West/East to get back to the subway station). On my way back from my daily expedition, bought myself a brand new Sony Vaio VPCF119FJ/Bl. This is my birthday present from myself: Intel Core i7-720 QM, 4/8 Gb RAM, 500 Gb HD, Blue-ray Disc player, GeForce GT 330M 1 Gb VGA RAM, 16.4" display, 3.2 Kg... the list goes on. Very, very, very sweet. Got home and turned it on... to find a pixel not working! FFS! Good thing I got the warranty...

Ooh nearly forgot. Rained for the first time since I got here. Not a heavy rain, but it's getting colder. On a side note, even with the colder weather, half sleeves (for me at least) and thick jacket are more than enough. Inside is always so very very hot. I'm sweating here more than I would be sweating in Lebanon with 30 degrees weather...