I was hungry and angry (Well, I don't talk about this because I don't want to be angry again, remembering it) when I came home. I opened the door of my fridge and found Brussels sprouts. I knew there were eggs in the fridge, slices of pork in the freezer, flour in the pantry and stuff. An idea came up in me, "Mm ... I can make Okonomiyaki for tonight. Brussels sprouts are a kind of cabbage anyway." So, this is my masterpiece that I made tonight. Actually, it was good. I like Brussels sprouts in the first place, which I think are more tasty than cabbage. I'm pioneering experimental Japanese dishes with alternative ingredients.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Alternative Okonomiyaki
I was hungry and angry (Well, I don't talk about this because I don't want to be angry again, remembering it) when I came home. I opened the door of my fridge and found Brussels sprouts. I knew there were eggs in the fridge, slices of pork in the freezer, flour in the pantry and stuff. An idea came up in me, "Mm ... I can make Okonomiyaki for tonight. Brussels sprouts are a kind of cabbage anyway." So, this is my masterpiece that I made tonight. Actually, it was good. I like Brussels sprouts in the first place, which I think are more tasty than cabbage. I'm pioneering experimental Japanese dishes with alternative ingredients.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Something Very Wrong with the Medical System in This Country
I've got the medical bill from my eye doctor, who gave me a complete eye exam for a prescription for contact lenses. I just wanted to have a prescription, but why did he give me a complete eye exam?! That's my initial question. And the day I visited, he didn't prescribe a prescription. I had to visit the office again 10 days later to try on trial contact lenses. I thought I would finally get a prescription, but I was wrong. The doctor ordered a box of contact lenses through his affiliated spectacle shop, but he didn't give me a prescription. I didn't and don't get it. A couple of days later, I got a phone call from the spectacle shop which told me that my contact lenses were ready. I went to the shop to collect my contact lenses which are expensive, of course, expecting finally I would get a prescription. But no. I asked the guy how I could get my prescription. And he told me that he was not qualified to issue a prescription and needed to ask the doctor. I asked him to ask the doctor. And finally, a couple of days later, my prescription was mailed. What's the hell?! At that point, I thought this country's medical system was ridiculous. A contact lens prescription would be issued in one visit in Japan, without that time-consuming, meaningless complete exam.
Today, the bill came. The bill says the doctor is charging me $103.36! He must be kidding me! This is after insurance. This is ridiculous. My eye doctor in Japan teased me by saying he would like to practice in the United States.
Fixing a little cavity cost $75, a prescription for contact lenses cost $103 ... This country's medical system is really, really wrong. I can't get sick in this country.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Identity Crisis
Well, I'm doubting my Japanese. I have believed for 30 something years this spice is called "Shichimi Togarashi." But, see, it says "Nanami Togarashi." When I noticed this, I lost my confidence completely. I can't speak standard English. That's kind of OK because I'm not a native English speaker. But, I don't speak standard Japanese (I don't mean Tokyo Japanese by standard Japanese here)?! That's a big issue. Man!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Generation Gap

Come on! My students don't know about "Twin Peaks," which was a phenomenon back then, say, in the 1980s! I just wanted to give them an example of McLuhan's idea of Global Village (so, stupidly I used "Twin Peaks" as an example. Man, I should've used "24" instead).
I felt totally I'm old, and a big generation gap between my students and me. Man ...
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Gorgeous
What a gorgeous day today! I simply can't stop drinking beer. Well ... this is an excuse to drink beer :P
Friday, May 15, 2009
Papers
Yay, one of my papers was accepted by a conference in August. I'm going to Boston! That's cool. But what isn't cool is the one that I thought better than the other was rejected. I don't understand those reviewers' taste. I think and I believe the rejected one is much more interesting than the accepted one ... Mm, the academia is mysterious. It is not easy to understand, for sure.
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