Archive for the ‘MISC. RAMBLINGS’ Category
May 4, 2008 – 3:34 pm
Last Tuesday I finally moved back home to Malaysia. The week before was absolute chaos as I was packing all my crap and shipping it home, and I had to move to another place because my visa didn’t get extended in time for my initial departure date. Plus I had a sudden business meeting in Manila right before my move date, then I had contracts to review and people to call… etc etc. But I finally made it back, and took off the next morning for a dive trip in Layang Layang.
All of which explains why I haven’t written up on MacF. I’ll get around to it.
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April 13, 2008 – 10:07 pm
Okay, I’m done with the hack and slashing for the time being. I’m using a slightly modified version of Bob’s Silver Light theme. I think it’s more readable now, but the whole site still feels too bright. Hurts my eyes >_<
Might go in later and do some serious mutilation with the colour scheme. Also need to organize my About page with all my links and shit. But for now I guess I’ll just enjoy my new Sheryl title pic, heheh.
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April 13, 2008 – 5:49 pm
After more than 3 years of enduring spam comments (and amassing close to 15,000 spam in my moderation queue despite turning off comments), I have upgraded to 2.5. T’was a lengthy process complicated by the mistake of not reading the “Detailed upgrading instructions” and thereby trying to (fatally) upgrade from 1.2.2 to 2.5. But after some sql surgery and restoration and following the instructions to do a 2-step upgrade, Tabibito is back! Stronger! Faster! Uglier! :D
Changing the theme will have to wait a bit. It took me nearly 4 hours to get everything settled down. The first upgrade and panicked restoration happened after I woke up, without any lunch. I now know a whole lot more about MySql :P But all’s well that ends well, and I am feeling pretty satisfied with myself. Especially since this upgrade solves both my spam problem and the bug of having my posts show up in reverse order.
I’ve just futzed around a little with the new interface, and I have to say WordPress is one sweet piece of work. I did user interfaces for a living, not so long ago, but even in my glory days I would never have dreamt of implementing some of the nifty AJAX stuff they have. Because I would’ve been afraid of getting lynched by the developers, you know.
All in all, a very productive, if somewhat stressful, Sunday.
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January 27, 2008 – 8:06 pm
They say that writing stuff down in a journal before going to bed is a good way to empty your brain of distractions so you can go to sleep easy. Maybe it’s true, but I always feel that I don’t know what to write these days. Most of the stuff I don’t want to bother to think about, much less put down in writing. Plus, I’d rather consume than output.
This frame of mind bothers me. First of all, I feel guilty for not being productive. I also feel guilty for not being more organized. For instance, I have wanted to split this blog into “anime” and “personal” for a long time, so the good stuff (anime ramblings) doesn’t get cluttered with the messy stuff (the inside of my head). But, I never get around to it, so I don’t write anymore. Then I feel bad about not writing.
This is where Tina Su’s blog “ThinkSimpleNow” comes in. Great stuff, very good common sense. In addition to advice, it also makes me feel better because now I know I’m not the only well-adjusted person in this world to be, well, not quite so well-adjusted. Insecurities, guilt, jealousy, self-doubt, lack of self-esteem, lack of motivation… Everyone has them in spades. I was just lucky that I never experienced any of this until I hit like, 24. Weird, man.
Nowadays I wonder if I can ever go back to that carefree self again. I also wonder why I became the way I am now. And I realize that me feeling that my past self was better is not a very positive frame of mind.
Anyway, the real reason I’m making this post is because I’m waiting on ep 20 of El Cazador, and it’s taking it’s good long time. El Cazador is the third in Bee Train’s girls-with-guns trilogy and so I should be eating it up, but in honesty it took me forever to get started. I quit after every ep up until like, 6 or 7, when I decided, screw it, this is one series I have to watch through because two bloggers I respect say it’s great, and so since I’d rather consume than produce, I consumed.
Okay, so I’m up to ep 20 (speed watching since I quit my job last Monday) and while I’m not struck by it, it’s not a chore to watch the next ep. Which is better than, say, Cashmere Mafia (Caitlin, you’re gorgeous and I love you but obviously the writers don’t) or Sarah Conner Chronicles (Summer Glau is especially gorgeous, and Lena Headey was great but then she starts dating geek guys and T-800 starts wearing dead people and suddenly I’m not so thrilled anymore) .
I’ll let you know if this series makes my rave list.
The best thing I’m watching now though is CSI. Up to Disc 6. Eagerly awaiting the last two (love Tsutaya Discas which is a delivery rental service). Will give Bones a try.
Lest I appear to be a total couch potato, I will casually mention that I’ve put in 5 days of boarding in the last 8 days. Nyah. Jyouetsu Kokusai is an awful ski resort, Kawaba is damn nice for a day trip, and Nozawa Onsen is awesome for a couple days if you have plenty of snow and money.
So, now my immediate goals are 1) look up tips on how to get better at boarding 2) figure out if I want to spring for a driving course ($2000 in Japan, what a rip, but I’d probably be a damn good driver at the end of it) or try for a license straight off, or go for just the motorcycle license.
Okay, that about sums up my life at the moment. Feeling very restless, will change environments soon I guess unless a miracle happens.
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July 9, 2007 – 12:24 am
Hmm, it’s been two and a half years since I started this blog. I’m not quite sure who reads it… it’s a terrible mishmash of animeshipping and rather pointless angsting. Only the animeshipping is of value :P
Anyway, my last couple of posts have been rather bleak. Rest assured people (the one of two of you who bother to wade through this), I am well and alive, and no I do not intend to kill either myself or someone else. Life isn’t that bad, work isn’t an awful meat grinder, and the gf is fine when she’s not moody, which is pretty much the case for all females, hah.
A post on a friend’s blog about working out the differences in an inter-cultural relationship prompted me to put down my thoughts as well. Yes, with my level of Japanese and based upon the very positive reactions from friends whenever I delivered my quirky gaijin humour, I didn’t think cultural or communication difficulties would arise. Well, I was wrong.
Actually, it’s not just purely cultural or language disparities. Upbringing counts highly too, and of course even people from the same country will fight over trivial differences. In my case, however, not knowing what is cultural and what is personality-based is frustrating as all heck, for the both of us. That’s something the we have to work to overcome, but dang it, I wish there was more tolerance on the other side. Japanese people, even those who profess to gaijin admiration, are surprisingly narrow-minded about acceptable behaviour. Whereas in the US, being different is simply being different (unless it impacts your work), in Japan, being different is either a cute quirk, or it’s a problem that should be fixed.
Hmm, I’m probably guilty of overgeneralization there. I guess the main lesson is, it’s hard living with someone, and it’s even harder when you don’t communicate on the same level. Still can’t find a good way of working it out… Most things still tend to come out as accusations, and that builds helpless confusion and resentment. Gotta just hang in there, and remember that difference is half the fun, and indeed much of the reason for initial attraction.
BTW, Monster Hunter Frontier is surprisingly addictive. If even I, the jaded gamer, find myself going on quest after quest to collect materials and cash for new equipment, you know they have a real hit.
Of course, don’t change the fact that the gf is playing like 70 hours of MHF a week, to my consternation >_< damn gaming addicts
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July 7, 2007 – 5:07 pm
are really good, the bad times are really bad. I consider it pretty shitty form to spew discontent on one’s blog, especially if you have postings that have actual information and so may be of interest to people, as opposed to being a personal stress relief outlet.
So, I shall simply write, “Why the hell do I have to be so miserable?”, and go for a run. Because exercise is the ultimate cure for the blues, cancer, Third World poverty and global warming.
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April 14, 2007 – 11:51 pm
Okay, I haven’t posted in a long time, but a lot has happened in the last few weeks.
You see, sometime in February, someone from my old workplace contacted me and asked if I was interested in joining a startup by Production IG and this other venture company. The startup had two projects, an anime community Clappa!, and a character driven blog service Decoblog. I’d be heading up the management and financials of the company, plus giving support directly to Clappa; Decoblog would be run by the guy who started the startup.
Up to this point, I had intended to kinda give up and go home, maybe. But then again, my (non-existent) love-life looked like it might have a faint gasp or two, and then there’s this absolutely incomparable offer to 1) put my MBA skills (hah) to some use, and 2) work close to the anime company I most appreciated.
So, to make a long story short, I’m know in two heaven-and-hell situations. The first being work, where I’m doing a headache of a firefighting job on a total mess of an operation, while having these great conversations about anime and the anime world. It’s sooo awesome to finally talk to people who relate, and they like Noir to boot! The second being my new housing situation, which is a two room apartment a 10 min bike ride from work, shared with the object of my romantic aspirations. Sadly, it’s only an aspiration at the moment. The other thing that sucks is that my new place has no net access yet! Dammit! This is perhaps even more annoying than the non-advancement of my love-life.
Anyway, from now on, watching anime is pretty much part of my job. I have a lot of catching up to do. The candidates are:
- Red Garden (manga was interesting and my bro likes it, so it has to be pretty good)
- El Cazador (dude, Bee Train x Kajiura Yuki is back! None of the Tsubasa crap, give us subtext-filled girls with guns any day!)
- Wellber no Monogatari
- Lucky Star (KyoAni, but I’m willing to give it a try coz Star Crossed Anime says it’s good, and he loved Simoun)
- Claymore (same reason as above)
- Murder Princess (coz Star Crossed says it has rockin’ music)
- Nanoha StrikerS (um, coz Yuribou says it’s good :P)
And maybe some other new stuff that Clappa is covering.
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April 26, 2006 – 10:45 am
Was it the sake made from space yeast that I had last night? 1 year’s worth of lack of sleep and exercise? Poor nutrition? Lack of veggies in my meals? That really shit dream where my house got renovated into some dark, narrow corridored monstrosity, my dad has a useless butler, and I walk into one of the rooms to find my boss under the covers with someone I like?
Makes me think that sometimes your mind is just fucked up and there’s not much to be done, except live a little healthier and smarter.
One week till Golden Week. Ho-hum.
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March 16, 2006 – 6:28 pm
Phone call from my mom sparks a sudden reconsideration of my life here in Japan. The idea that I should be returning to the homestead, something that’s been curling away in the back of my mind for most of my life, is hit with a full blast of oxygen.
My dad runs some businesses, and he’s not young anymore. He’s damn good though, and he’s done very well. I studied econ, worked in M&A, picked up an MBA from a top school, and here I am, in Japan, trying to get massive websites up and loving it. It’s a massive waste, people say, that I’m not home helping my dad wheeling and dealing and making headlines and landmark takeovers or whatnot crap.
I know what I enjoy, and it’s not wheeling and dealing. But I also believe it is a waste that I’m not doing more with my dad. Hey, blaze of glory and all, I’m not immune, yeah?
This morning huge deal went through, and I can’t help but think, it’ll probably take me 10 years to pick up a fifth of what my dad knows, and I should go home and get started.
But, I know that I like it here too. Is it cowardice? But here, I’ve learned what it’s like to be in a permanent community, where every year friends go skiing together, where they throw b-day bashes every month for the people who were born that month, where people work so they can play, and play so they are sane for work, and nothing more.
God, what the hell should I do? I think if I had someone I loved, who loved me, I could go home, and do anything. In the end, is that all that matters?
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February 28, 2006 – 1:24 am
Last week the network dudes in my company suddenly decided weird traffic wasn’t a good thing, and shut down all irregular ports. Ugh, I no longer have BT or Skype. This is a tragedy.
At least it’s harem time at Fate/stay night, makes it more palatable to not-watch. Otherwise, I would be far more depressed. As it is, I am denied my weekly fix of Rin, and the strain must be devastating because I almost lost it at work last week, too pissed with stress and whatnot.
On the bright side, I went boarding in brilliant weather and nice snow. I love my new gear, I can pull all kinds of half-assed shitty turns and still wind up breezy.
I think I should get out a bit more. Yeah.
Less than 3 weeks to Hekiru’s tour.
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February 17, 2006 – 2:14 am
Faint as the pale glow on a frozen morning
Fine wisps of cloud
Breathe the cold air, unwilling
To stir silence, so rare
Remember, it’s only one life
Find it
Make it worth living
Where? Is it fear or frustration
Or pity that brings tears
Sometimes we forget that we run so we don’t have to accept that we’re not getting anywhere.
And that’s that.
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February 12, 2006 – 1:37 pm
He’s at the University of Michigan, does research in software. I’m in Tokyo, I design web systems. We were talking about snowboarding…
12:55:48 PM: it started snowing again here, but I don’t have time off.. had to work today :(
12:58:36 PM: too bad…
12:58:55 PM: I feel like playing hooky in the middle of the week and doing a day trip :P
1:05:54 PM: I wanna go >:(
all this snow gonna melt by the time I can take time off
1:12:13 PM: can’t you take a day off?
1:28:57 PM: nah, not for the next two weeks
got site visits from the army and secret service coming up.. need to get our junk into gear
1:33:36 PM: geh… dude,.. you realize how bad that looks in writing :P
1:35:53 PM: heheh
Strange strange world…
What the heck should I do with my life?
In other news, was surfing the anime blogging world when I came across this. The post itself was great (for obvious reasons…), but I think the true gem was the comment below >:D
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January 29, 2006 – 10:16 pm
Who says money can’t buy happiness? Ever since I bought a gas heater (23,800yen) and humidifier (7,980yen) a few weeks ago, life in my icebox room has been positively cozy. Today I also got around to fixing up some new shelves, DIY style again, and re-rearranging my room. Most of my manga now has a proper home as opposed to a heap on the floor, and Peter Drucker and Blue Ocean Strategy sit next to Yuri Hime and BIRZ, not because I take perverse joy in mixing genres but because they are the same height (25-26cm). I like how everything is turning out, especially with my cardboard cutout of Saber sitting on top of my stereo :D
It was overall a very productive day. In addition to the shelves, I also bought boots, binding and board, woohoo! Spent a crapload of money, but dang these boots are the most comfortable I’ve ever had. 20 of us are going boarding this weekend, can’t wait! Snow and riding in the day, hot bath, alcohol and people I like at night. Hm, work’s gonna be a bugger this week :P
In other news, I sorted my iTunes library in order of playcount, and grabbed everyone over 6 times and ran it on random all day. It’s pretty funky. I don’t think my playcount for my iPod is reflected though, which is kinda a pity.
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January 18, 2006 – 1:50 pm
My passport is expiring in April, and so I spent all morning at the Thai Consulate in Tokyo waiting and waiting and waiting. It was crowded as hell with what seemed like all the Thai people in Tokyo and more, all wanting to do something or another at the exact section I needed to go to.
Or course, there’s only one section for Thai people, the other being for Japanese people who want to spend the retirement years on a beach in Phuket. That was far less packed, which is saying a lot.
So I wait forever, and I have to get them to fill out the form for me in Thai, because while I can read and write Thai, I pretty dismal at it and it’s not worth additional stress to save a 200yen form-filling fee. At least they didn’t stare at me with one eyebrow raised and go, “How can you be Thai and not speak Thai?” It doesn’t piss me off, it just makes me deeply embarassed. I was born and grew up in a different country, okay? But then when I go back home I have to explain why I’m not really Malaysian. Headache. Blaim the Thai father and Indonesian mother for meeting and getting married in Penang :P
So I gotta wait all day. Bleh! I thought this would take one hour, tops! Not to mention, yah gotta wait outside. It’s 5C outside. It’s cold. There isn’t enough time during their lunch hour for me to go back to the office, so instead I’m sitting on a bench in the fancy Meguro Station building, and I’ve checked out foodcourt and the import grocery and cafe and bakery… goddammit, don’t they have anything other than food stores?! Oh yes, found bookstore. Bought 3 manga on a whim. Would wander HMV but I’m too sleepy. Maybe I’ll hunt for a shelve at MUJI. Gee, I should be working, but not working is actually too much fun.
I did make a long phone call to the office asking the engineering guys to carry on with their work. So there.
PS, Mai Otome is seriously starting to suck. I’m talking about Arika’s little, um, conflict of interest. Bleh. More Fate! More Rin! More Archer! Saber! Saber! Rin!
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November 23, 2005 – 9:23 pm
My latest project centers around integration consumer generated content with “officially-produced” news and writing. At its most mundane, you slap a news site with a blog site and kinda hope for the best.
This is, without saying, the best path to failure. It fails to take into account:
1) the fact that most people produce content where they damn well please, and odds are it won’t be your site
2) that just stitching people content and news content together with some keywords and tags will result in something no better than hastily stitched together patchwork quilt
3) the very real difficulty of weeding out useful content, not to mention content that is useful to me, which is all that matters to people, anyway
I’ve been reading up on Web2.0. Web2.0 is zooming, and although the general public has no clue, one day you’ll wake up and your life will be Web2.0, and everyone will be Web2.0 and no-one will realize it.
Which brings me to…
Stuff happening in the web world which scares me shitless, as a web idea person
1) MyWeb, which according to Troutgirl is server-side bookmarking and tagging, finding out what the rest of the crowd is reading, and human-powered search engine (whatever that means)
2) Technorati, which lets you see what blogs are linking to your article
3) Super cheap online storage and the tools to go with it, because dammit that’s as good as having on your site
4) Huge conglomerates moving into online classified, because mass is money (as eBay knows), and money begets… more money, and if they had the money to deal local and cut out the small folk…
5) Microsoft’s RSS extension, which is bilateral as opposed to unilateral, and while I can’t really think of a practical app at the moment, it’s gotta be good for something
6) RSS feeds feeding content, and the people who have figured out how to track all that shit
And more, although I can’t remember. Knowledge is amazing, knowledge and information can be amazingly powerful (although also a real pointless time-waster), and whoever comes up with the next big idea for making all that text and images and sound and links and whatever make sense, mean something, to me, well, that’s human revolution for you.
You know what it comes down to? Everyone produces content into the web. I go to the web, and I say, I want info on this topic, in this form, to these specifications, kinda remixed to toss the crap I’m obviously not interested in, and tweaked to include stuff I didn’t ask for but would be real useful… and it comes back in a nice little bundle with cherries on top.
That’s real web for you.
Oh yeah, guess I should think about how to get stuff on the web easier, too.
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