to write or not to write?

apparently some JET got into trouble for posting stuff about his/her school and mentioning real names of people. well, i have mixed feelings. I mean, so many JET blogs exist! I am sure some way or the other info about the schools we work at and the people we work with will get published. will there be censorship? will CLAIR scan all the JET Blogs? and if so, does anything about our work have to be completely silenced, or can the good things be said, and bad left out? but, should there be even be censorship? aren't we allowed to vent our feelings on this page we call our own? or write about the place/s which we spend countless hours wasting away with nothing to fill our free time? but on the other hand, the real people may not like it if we were to write about them... it is in many ways violation of their privacy, which the Japanese protect more than anything else...(maybe that's not a correct statement, they probably protect their honour more than anything, why else would they something like hara-kiri exist....)

well, this certainly proves my doubts about posting the descriptions of all my schools I have saved as drafts here! I sat typing those in the few bored hours at the board during spring break when by fluke my paso-com (computer@work) was working, and also when by fluke I was at work working!!! Which is to say I was AWOL so many times (hehehe! :) oops!)

anyhooos, who cares anyway... I shall make a code for each school and teacher and post it nevertheless. someday. when i bother enough about it. till then enjoy the pics of Tokyo.

Teardrop

tokyo

Enter the torii:

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None of the reconstructed business here, this is a modern-day shrine:

Guardian at the entrance of the shrine above:

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Last of the cherry blossoms in Ueno:

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The Tokyo Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku:

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I think this is the Hall near the NHK building... not sure:

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Night-life of Shibuya crossing:

Sunday-life at Shibuya crossing:

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Irritating and noisy publicity truck - a common occurrence:

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Pachinko parlour....??

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Crazy toilet seat cover:

u might ask who is crazier: the one who designed this seat, or I who took a picture of this!!! But the funny thing is that this loo was in a very VERY trendy restaurant called Christian something designed in a Gothic, churchy style with back lit stained-glass windows, gargoyles and red-leather booths straight out of the matrix building where Neo took the red pill (or was it the blue one?) I thought the toilets would have the same theme, and I go find this!! how disappointing! or maybe not... :)

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This should be in Amy's blog! A sanitary napkin vending machine at Haneda:

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And I saved the best for last! Oishiiiiiii.... :

CAT came back!!!!

CAT had disappeared after that one night. And today, I heard a meowing outside my door above the din of three people talking and Dream Theater blaring; voila CAT enters, purring and growling and declaring itself King of the Juhi's-aparto-Jungle ! This time it was benevolently offered a piece of chocolate cake. It sniffed and sniffed, "Harrumph! Nowhere close to waffles, but o alright, what the heck! I will have it..." And then it went on to gulp down a bowl full of milk and well, who would have thought it, CAT somehow liked my burned roti!! (How shameless am I giving dear, dear CAT burned food! Maybe I ought to have fed it some of my savoury paneer sabji and pulao. Ah! next time... :) I am sure it will find its way here again) ah! My kitty CAT!!!! :)

Shiisa

One day, sometime in the beginning of January this year, Ben and I had wandered into a building in Nago having been attracted by the blare of Okinawan music. Inside we met Tenko chan, a friend who had been introduced to us by Eri. We had not known that Tenko chan worked there. It turned out to be a souvenir shop/ceramics workshop/clay studio where one could make ones own pot or clay shiisas. This random visit left a lasting impression and ever since that time, I wanted to possess a shiisa made by myself, and 3000 yen was a price I was willing to pay for that experience. :)

Shiisa, a ubiquitous symbol in Okinawa, is a guardian lion usually placed on the middle of the sloping tiled roofs to ward off evil spirits from sneaking into the house. They were introduced to Okinawa in the 14th century from China. During that time, they were placed at the gates of temples and shrines and in tombs and coffins of aristocratic families. Now that most buildings are flat roofed, shiisas are placed at both sides of the entrance to the house. One shiisa usually has an open mouth and the other a closed one. Different myths exist about this, some say that the open-mouthed shiisa is male as it is roaring, while the female has less power and therefore, keeps her mouth shut. On the other hand, another myth states that the closed-mouth is male as it is guarding the families fortune in its mouth. (well, at least this is what wikipedia says...)

Nonetheless, Shiisas can be found in any obscure nook and cranny of Okinawa. They are a popular souvenir as well. From T-shirts to pendants, you can get them on anything and in many varied forms. But the coolest still is to make a clay one of your own! Here is what I made:


These are the end products of a fun-filled Saturday afternoon.... Ben's Mer-shiisa, Dave's shiisa and then mine:

Above: Tenko-chan instructing us.

Right Above: Me and my endless detailing

Right: the three pupils with their teacher

Mind vs Heart

Today I had a house visit from a strange but friendly cat.

Kawaii so!!!!

It was meowing outside my aparto and when I opened the door to see what cat had ventured so far, it entered my house curious, wondering why an Indian lived in Motobu. Curious CAT - only this time, curiousity didn't kill the cat! Well, it refused to go out after finding my house a non-hostile territory. I put it out only for it to jump back in taking advantage of the time it took my door to close. It then proceeded to take a tour of every inch of my house, and in no time jumped over any and every thing. It even found my dinner and sniffed it, apparently it was his favorite - waffles! And it couldn't keep its paws off them!

I started calling people about my cat situation, when it still refused to go out. I threw it out a number of times, I even took it downstairs. But it knew the way to my house and reached the door before I could blink! It was the first cat to come to me and allow me to pet it! Anyone who knows me well enough knows my professed hate for cats - but I only hated cats because they were unfriendly. Where was that hate now? CAT is so cute and fluffy and fat. And it has the sweetest of eyes! What cat has eyes that conveys innocence in place of shrewd cruelty?

My sensitive soul has been put in this dilemma:

Mind says, "It might be a stray cat, therefore carrying diseases. Put it out!!"
Heart says, "But it must be a lost housecat, why else is it so friendly? Stray cats aren't friendly!"
Mind says, "You aren't allowed to keep pets in your apartment. Put it out!!"
Heart says, "But it might die outside if it IS a housecat!"
Mind says, "Its hair will get into everything, and no dog will ever sniff you again. Put it out!!"
Heart says, "But its so cute n adorable n fluffy n fat n cute!!"
Mind says, "It will scratch up your clothes, tatami and wooden floor. Put it out"
Heart says, "But its so cute n adorable n fluffy n fat n cute!!"
Mind says, "Are you out of your frickin' mind? Are you frickin' kidding me? You wanna keep a cat?? Will you spend all the money getting a litter box and Vet visits and all the cat crap? What if your landlord finds out?? What will you do when it contaminates your kitchen with itself?? You call yourself clean-freak and allow a strange cat in your house? And what will you do when you leave Okinawa?? Put it out!!"

I don't have a heart to put CAT out. The heart I do have doesn't want to do so. But my mind conquers. There are times when one must take drastic measures, make the heart into steel and let logic take the lead. CAT is cute, but CAT must go. Even then it doesn't mean that my heart doesn't melt when I open the window to check up on it n it comes under it n stares at me meowing pitifully, with what seem to be wet eyes beseeching me to take it back in.

CAT is currently sitting outside in a carton I laid out for it, eating half of my dinner.

Postscript:

1. In keeping with Mind's viewpoint, and to avoid sentimentality, I named the cat CAT, named it nevertheless, (take that Mind!).

2. If u noticed, house appears in blue, that is in keeping with the book I am currently reading, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.