generations

my mother on the left, my great granny on the right. my granny turned 100 on november 25 2007. I couldn't imagine being born in a world before the automobile, radio, and in her time electricity was something only 1/3 of most americans had. she's seen the rise and fall of the streetcar, stock market and 2 world wars. talking to her I get the biggest idea of where I came from and where I'm headed. happy birthday granny!

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walmart chica

was at a walmart at 2am... this woman just sits on my lap and starts talking to me. sounds good except she was very drunk, and strange intoxicated females turn me off.

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NipponFreak: Some mo' H.G.!!

Did anyone say they wanted to see somemore Hard Gay from Japan? Well here's the BBC mini documentary of him...



courtesy J.A.C ! - Funny Japanese Videos | Japan Game Shows - by Sumiko ^ ^

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Global Orgasm - December 22nd, 2007 - Peace through Global Ecstasy

Global Orgasm - December 22nd, 2007 - Peace through Global Ecstasy

At exactly 0608UTC (or 1:08am EST in Atlanta, 3:08pm in Japan) don't be suprised to hear some others engaged in the throes of passion... It's because it's Global Orgasm Day!

At that exact moment, this group aims to help achieve world peace... By making sure you get a piece! Hey I'm single... well I guess I better check out this list of "devices" to help make the world a better place...

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Fakin' The Funk 1: Fake-ass Disneyland in China!

I'm starting a new column here in the blog called "Fakin' the Funk". Whenever I run across something that's a bad representation of the original, be it tangible or intangible, It'll go here.

We're gonna start this show off right-- Here's a fake-ass Disneyland in China, which has long been the "knock-off" capital of the world anyway.

From The Standard we learn that Beijing's state-owned Shijingshan Amusement Park boasts the slogan "Disneyland is too far" and "features a replica of Cinderella's Castle, with staff dressed like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and other Disney characters." Here's a quote from a 31-year-old housewife and mother at the park that nicely sums up the situation:

"I don't understand why that is such a big problem. Shouldn't others be able to use those characters besides [Disney]?" she asks.

Japan Probe offers us this gem:

Some have claimed that the park is illegally copying Disney’s Minnie Mouse. However, the park’s operators have insisted that the character ... is not a mouse. It is a cat with very large ears!

Japan Probe also links to several video clips of Japaneses news broadcasts on the topic.

All images originally appeared on Japan Probe.

UPDATE: Japan Probe finds fake zebras at the fake Disneyland, and more Chinese amusement parks ripping off just about everybody. And the AP reports that Shijingshan might be trying to clean up its act.

We'll see. If they can fake the Apple iPhone and get away with it, then why not everything else...

Mobile Video Link

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yamato sushi joint

not the one I went to in Nara (the real Yamato area around Yoshino-gawa) but if you're in the atlanta suburbs, it'll do.

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056

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Get your Associates in Anime and Manga Production today!

Damn. I should have waited until 2008 to do my study abroad in Japan...

Starting next year, the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts will start instructing students in a two-year graduate degree program in anime production—the first for a non-private institution in Japan. Courses will be taught by full-time professionals from the anime world including Koji Yamamura, and students will leave with two or three full-fledged works under their belt.

Jeez. Somebody let me know when they have a graduate studies program in Drifting and Evangelion piloting...

[Yomiuri Shimbun via Gizmodo ]

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Nippon Freak: Move over Ultraman, Here Comes Norton Fighter!

Yeah I know it seems like I've been on a "Damn Japan is the shizznite" trip for a minute... But what's not to love about a place where they use "tokusatsu" to advertise for of all things, Norton Antivirus!"

Tokusatsu is a genre of programs on Japanese TV that are like live action "giant robo" hero shows. It usually involves several humans with secret alter-egos that form some sort of color-coded team to get the job done. Ultraman is a long-running series in Japan for example, and here in the US, we have the Power Rangers.

Well imagine my surprise to check out Gizmodo one day and find Norton doing an early 80's throwback tribute to those shows in Japan as a good parody and oh yeah, to move their software. I think I just may switch my anti-virus now, especially if the Akihabara Otaku Maid Princess is thrown in... NORTON PUNCH!!

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Helio needs to pay what they owe!!

I had an Ocean when it first came out back in May. I purchased it through a deal with a rep that was with Helio corporate that a lot of other "early adopters" had also gone through to get on the list to get the Ocean the day it dropped. Long story short, I returned the device and canceled service on the 27th day of service because there wasn't any exchange mail on the Ocean then, and I need it for work.

Once I sent it back, I was told that I would have to wait 60 days for a refund on the device. This would have made September 13th the day that i would receive a refund. I was already upset that I had to wait 3 months for a refund on something I purchased and sent back--I was told my refund would be immediate if I wasn't satisfied and there would be no penalty or ETF charge as long as I did it within the 30 day period, which as I illustrated above, was done correctly.

Toward the end of September I noticed there had been no charge-back to the credit card I used to pay for the device, so I called Helio Customer Care. They informed me that since I wasn't being billed on a credit card, they would have to cut me a check, and that would take an additional 3-4 weeks to do. I cried foul-- I paid for the device with a credit card, so you have every right to charge it back on that same card if that would get my funds back quicker. Helio said there was no way around it. I think this is crazy--why would it take so long to print out a check and drop it in the mail?

Well a month had passed, and I still had no check. I called Helio again, and they said that I am due a check for $191.41, but it is still processing. I asked what is there to process? I havent been a customer since May 29th and I haven't seen a statement since July 25th for a credit of 42¢. They insist that it's the Finance Department's fault, and they will escalate it and get back to me. I have talked to 4 reps since then, most recently 20 minutes ago at 10:30am EST. They are still singing the same tune, "I've emailed them about the situation, please call back in a day or two to get the updated status of your claim." Pardon my language but this is f**king unacceptable.

I have bills to pay like everyone else. Take my cable bill. I owed them $25 last month (silly me, I didn't type the right number in billpay and caused an error). Now that was my mistake. Did they cut me any slack? Hell no, they cut my cable off 5 days later without notice and then I had to call them to ask what was going on and that's when I got the news that I was short. My point is, when these large companies are owed monies, they will bug, hound and cause havoc with your life to get what's owed, but when one of them owes you, then they ignore you, say things like "It's hung up in finance" or "I'll escalate that" or whatever.

So Helio, what are you gonna do? You urge us not to call you a phone company, but you're acting like the AT&T, Sprints, and Verizons we all know and hate (at least toward me.) I never said I didnt like the service when I had it; In fact I was kinda sad to give it up. the Ocean is a kick-ass device, and now that it finally has Exchange, chances are I would have returned to try it out again... But since I can't get my refund back, and the steps I'm having to go through just to get it-- I'm soured by the experience.

Can anyone out there in Helio land hear me? I want my $191.41!!! If I don't get it soon, I will post this story all over the blogosphere--places like Engadget, and Gizmodo, PhoneScoop and more. Sooner or later the posts will get crawled by Google, Yahoo, and get Digged and Twittered... All I want is for them to do right by me. Anyone got any suggestions?

See the progress of my fight to get my refund at Heliocity.net!

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mou kimetta... yappari kareru jyan.

i'm in the period of the year i call "tween-ember." it's the time between thanksgiving and christmas here in the 'states... its usually the time of year where i'd normally be so busy with making holiday and new year commercials, attending holiday parties, and trying to solidify plans to be with family, i'm too busy to really sleep much less blog. this year is different due to money being ever-so-tight and i already spent more than enough time with family during thanksgiving.

Im still working day-to-day contracts and getting my training done for tax season 2008 (if you need your taxes done, contact me!) so i am semi-busy, but i miss the stability (and clockwork pay!) of a steady gig so i did some serious soul searching and decided-- unless i get the opportunity of a lifetime, i'm headed back to japan in '08.

thats right. after 5 years, i'm ready to go back. a lot of my decision is due to me being "homesick" for my friends and the places there, but there are other reasons too...

* my great granny just turned 100 on november 26th; she lived her dreams and i still have yet to live mine--im inspired

* i really have nothing to lose at this point... the things that really kept me here this long are gone (family obligations, women, jobs)

* most importantly, im am so ready for a change. in all facets of my life i am bored, dissatisfied, disappointed, and disallusioned. Japan is unforgiving at times but is never dull, and more than anything, i abhor bordom.

* relationship-wise, my life is more barren than the frozen Siberian tundra. I'm convinced there is no such thing as a decent chick in this part of the world that isnt materialistic, flighty, indecisive, and/or plain ignorant. When i happen upon someone that isn't some combination of the above (or more like a tolerable amount) she soon turns and goes south on me... whether its my fault or not, the fact remains there's a pattern here that i never encountered in my stints overseas. While i'm not going to japan strictly because of this, it is a factor in the decision and while i also had girl problems in japan previously, it was totally different to the dismal issues i've had here.

* lastly, i miss things i can't do here... wearing my jinbei most summer nights around the neighborhood and having random conversations because Japanese aren't used to seeing a 6 foot black guy with dredlocks wearing one. eating takoyaki in minami, osaka. summer hanabi and matsuri. hanami parties. walking to Lawson/Seven/Family at 3am for one beer and a salmon onigiri then eating and drinking outside next to the police box. riding the train for no reason other than seeing how far i can get on 400 yen.

bottom line--i just want something different in my life and im tired of the damn monotony and melancholy that has engulfed me lately. Ima ha yume no naka ni iri no jikan ga tsutteimashita.

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