old people suck
June 28, 2004
After reading Why So Many Old People Are Stupid at Dyske.com, I’ve come up to some of my own conclusions.
Old people suck.
Here in Osaka, although Japanese people in general tend to be polite towards each other (but not necessarily towards foreigners), the older population behaves quite erratically. They seem to hold themselves to a different standard and demand the younger generations treat them with undeserved respect.
Personally, age means nothing to me. Age leads to experience but not necessarily effectiveness - intelligence and adaptation leads to effectiveness. Adaptation I find, is not one trait that is common amongst the old. In fact, I dare say a LACK of adaptation is one of the biggest problems facing old people when dealing with younger people. Many fear new technology and reminisce about the Good Ol’ Days. Some bore the youth with pointless stories of poverty and starvation (I mean, what lesson is it to sadden the youth? Do the youth not know of the value of money?). Perhaps they would like to remind the youth that they have things much better but guess what? Progress has been around for a long time: the old people had it better than the old old people, who had it better than the old old old people. In time, the youth of today will be thinking that conditions are much better than when they were young.
That is not to say that old people don’t know anything relevant to today’s society. Many of life’s hard lessons are learned from experience. Virtues such as patience, self-respect, and tenacity are sometimes are fine wines which develop over time. I enjoy talking to jubilant, positive senior citizens as I learn a great deal from them. I hope I can take the easy way out and learn what they learned without going through the burden and hardship.
The most disgusting things that some old people do in Japan (and probably Canada) are the behaviours in public that counter all social rules of etiquette. In Japan, a blanket non-smoking ban was legislated not too long ago (yes you could smoke on train platforms before). As a former smoker, I agree wholeheartedly that people should not smoke in an underground, poorly ventilated area. Since the ban, the majority of the people have stopped smoking. I still see some middle aged business men and uneducated-looking types smoke but on the whole, they’ve stopped. However, it’s the old, scrappy looking senior males who continue to persist. The most alarming thing is not that they sit next to no smoking signs and throw their butts on the floor. No. The most alarming thing is that the train attendants continue to let them smoke when it is their duty to stop them. This society fears confrontation.
Some other general disgusting things in public include the very explicit and obvious loogie hocking. Everyone’s hocked a loogie before - we do it when we’re parking alone or when it’s late at night. The old men, again, have no qualms about blasting full volume when they hock one up. It’s rather unappetizing after hearing them.
Let’s not let the old woman off the hook too. The old woman ride their bicycles expecting right of way. On narrow side walks, when they ride up behind you, they’ll start blasting their unforgiving bell until you move over to the side. I cannot remember the number of times I’d wished to just clothesline the old bitch as she crashes by. The advent of that bicycle bell downgraded social politeness. No more do people say, “Excuse me” or “Sumimasen” to strangers when they need them to move aside.
Also, the old birds seem to love to cut in line at fast food restaurants and stores. I’ve had to hold back barrages of punches because some bitch blatantly cuts right in front of me. They don’t even seem to be in such a big rush as when they reach the counter, they order very very slowly and delicately.
This report has reached the final word on old people: they suck.
scary
June 22, 2004
Someone’s been putting my full name into search engines lately. Who’s out there? Secret admirer? Arch nemesis? Someone looking for another who shares my name? I wonder…
Saipan: Japan 2
June 14, 2004
My short visit to Saipan opened my eyes to a part of the world where I never even dreamed of visiting. Some of the most striking things about this small island of 70,000 people were:
- There were as many signs in Japanese as there were in English
- Many people on the island spoke Japanese
- Although prices were listed in American dollars (Saipan is part of America), the actual prices were on par with Japanese prices - ie. $3.50 USD for a can of soda
- This whole culture seems to exist to bilk Japanese tourists of their money
- The most beautiful buildings on the island were hotels
- The rest of the island looks like any small city in America: 20 years ago
the airport in Saipan at around 1AM Saturday morning and after waiting forever for people to board the bus, we were on our way. We arrived and checked into the hotel at around 3AM. Since it was dark, I couldn’t see anything from the balcony. That’s the extent of Friday night.
Saturday
We had to wake up really early to catch this free tour. Stepping onto the same balcony, I was greeted by a very beautiful view of the ocean and the morning sky. Although the weather was rather humid, the temperature wasn’t too bad. It was a very beautiful sight. For breakfast, I had the most expensive breakfast buffet ever at the hotel - $18 per person and the food wasn’t very good. I don’t think they were really out to rip us off because Hotel Nikko, where we were staying in, was rather expensive in general. I guess you can’t put a Denny’s into the Waldorf-Astoria huh?
Our tour was guided by an older Japanese lady and with her was a young Saipan fellow who was filming the entire tour. The goal of this filming was so that the tourists can purchase this video as a souvenir. The kicker - the video cost a whopping $160. On this tour, we visited Banzai Cliff, The Last Command Post, a beach, and to end, the Duty-Free shop. I concluded that this whole tour was to trap people in the Duty-Free store as the bus left after dropping us off. Luckily, Saipan offers free shuttle buses running the length of the island all day.
Our next thing was a submarine tour. It was my first time in a submarine so it was rather exciting. The submarine was quite small. Looking back now, I guess it was no longer than 8-10 meters. It took us around the reef and we got to see some WW2 ruins and items lost at sea. We also saw a lot of fish with the height of it being the Beetle Ray.
We sat around the beach after that watching the sun set which was sort of neat.
For dinner, we went to a teppan-yaki restaurant (it wasn’t my decision to visit a Japanese restaurant). They had great food and the chef was quite friendly. The waitress seemed like a bitch and she would snap back answers before we finished our requests. Example: “Excuse me can I get a glass of…” “Yes sir, water”. Oh. Tipping: it’s common knowledge that Japanese people do not tip. It’s just not in their culture. Anything and everything is included in the prices. This is something I agree because tipping inherently has its own problems. But anyway, knowing this, restaurants all over the island include a 10% service charge. While it’s fine for great service, sadly, most people who work on the island who don’t work in tourist/hospitality positions offer really piss poor and rude service. The hotel staff, tour guides, and most bus drivers were super cool. The store sales people and non-hotel waiters and waitresses deserved herpes.
Sunday
Again, we went back to that expensive, shitty breakfast buffet in the hotel. We woke up late and had to catch the 8AM bus so we couldn’t get out to a better breakfast place. We were catching the bus to go to Managaha Island. This island is a puny little place about… I would guess 3-5 kilometers away from Saipan. This island is a protected area as it is surrounded by coral and all sorts of neat shit. The island also offers tonnes of water sports, including para-sailing, scuba diving, and banana boat rides. We did some swimming first off and then the woman and I went on this thing called Aquanauts. Basically, you put over your head a heavy helmet that is constantly being pumped with compressed air. This creates a nice air bubble inside to keep you alive while you walk around on the ocean floor. While down there, we saw some cool fish and got to feed them with some sausages that the guides gave us. To prove the point about this being island being made to bilk people of their money, the tour guide couldn’t give me instructions in English. He was in fact Japanese and was only accustomed to having Japanese people join his tours. I mean… what the hell? It just proved how much this island depended on Japanese tourists. Anyway, it was a nice activity and I met a dude named Terry who seemed like a diving expert. We shot the breeze a bit about sharks (there are Tiger sharks around Saipan… in the deeper waters fortunately).
After that, I did some snorkelling (my first time) while the woman floated around on a lifesaver. We had yet another shitty lunch and eventually made our way back to the main island. I was sunburnt bad. Back in the hotel, we hung around the pool and the beach. For dinner this night, we went to this BBQ at the hotel and had lobster. It was awesome.
Nothing much done the rest of the night. The woman and her mother had a massage and spa deal while I stayed in the room in pain from the sunburns watching shitty television.
Monday
We had to meet in the lobby at 3AM for the bus that took us to the airport. Customs in this airport was a bitch as it was small and the people who worked there were all assholes. Also, two older tourist dudes from another Asian country were extremely rude to me. One tried to cut in line while the other blatantly pushed me out of his way to get his bag. Coupled with the pain from the sunburns, I was ready to send them to their graves a couple years earlier. It just seems there are so many old people who are so selfish and rude nowadays.
This was where we bought the $3.50 sodas. The woman who worked the cash register here was such a bitch. I wanted to say something sarcastic to her but I realized that even though this was “America”, most people spoke English no better than immigrant factory workers and stowaways.
At this point, I was ready and willing to go back to Japan.
Summary
I loved the sea, I loved the view, I loved the sunsets. I’m grateful and thankful for the kindness that some islanders showed. I’m sick of the rude attitudes that some of the islanders and some of the other travellers showed. I’m appalled by the extremely high prices which just seems like they’re out to get Japanese people’s money. I’m saddened that people seem to live in sub-standard conditions while they work for a richer, more developed country. I’m also saddened that everything on this island seemed to be built for Japanese people - I felt that the island had lost its own beautiful culture all in the attempt to make money. I saw some beautifully tanned girls and some very muscular, fit men. I saw many WW2 relics that made me feel like this whole island is dwelling on history and using it as more tourist traps. I saw frogs and geckos running on the walls too.
You’ve read through the entire rant? Well, here are some pictures to go along with my words.
PS. In case you were interested, some more information about Saipan: located 15 degrees latitude (closest to the equator I’ve ever been), Languages: English, Chamorro, Carolinian with 86% of people speaking another language (probably Japanese is my guess), GDP per capita $12,000 USD.
Defining My Friends
June 09, 2004
A few days ago, I was thinking about all the people I call “friend” and I was trying to think of what kind of people I find to be good friends. The ones whom I completely trusted in and enjoyed their company day in and day out are so different in their respective walks of life but I was sure there were some common features that they all shared.
Here are some things that all my good friends are:
They must be secure, well adjusted individuals
I take pleasure in friendship because of mutual support and mutual emotional benefit. I don’t like having to carry other’s emotional baggage. This is not to say I won’t a friend in need but the friend must want to help himself before I can help.
They must be wicked funny
Let’s be honest. I’m not the wittiest person you’ll ever meet. Very few people get my jokes and the good ones I come up with are rare indeed. Still, I like a friend who can understand some of my jokes and we can spend hours laughing at just about anything. They should be slightly twisted so that not many topics are taboo either. The funniest shit is the stuff no one else touches.
They must not be pretentious
The only person truly worthy of recognition is me. It’s a well known fact. So? They get no recognition from me because if they truly were awesome, they would know it and would never have to show it. I will very rarely openly compliment your coolness because… you know… that’s weird and uncomfortable for guys.
They are not vapid, boring people
They are interesting and always have interesting things to say. They find interest in many many things and never run out of ideas. I will like hanging out with them on any occasion because they can turn a dull party into a great conversation.
They’re honest with me
During my waking hours, I am a moron. I do many stupid things and I have a very dualistic way of thinking (ie. everything is black and white, right or wrong, beautiful or ugly). I know my way of thinking puts limits on many things. My friends have always been there to nudge me in the right direction with very direct, honest advice. I hate bullshit, especially from those I trust. If my shirt is ugly, I want it said to my face. I rarely get mad so what do they have to lose? I appreciate their honesty.
They’re not competitive
They’ll never make me feel like they’re out to win. They’re not trying to show me they’re better than me at something. They don’t care. I don’t care. I have strengths and weaknesses much like everyone else so why count score. It’s lame.
That’s it. If you or anyone else you know possess the preceding qualities, submit an application right away and I’ll send you your own Befriend Jerry starter kit. If you possess some of these qualities but you’re lacking some, that’s ok. You can be my B rate friend. If you lack many qualities. Well… you can be the guy who tags along.
webcam down gallery up
June 07, 2004
I tried using my quickcam yesterday and for some reason it’s not being recognized by windows. I haven’t used it in awhile but I haven’t jostled or dropped it lately either. Weird. So maybe the webcam will be stuck until I get it fixed or get a new one. I spent all night last night getting a new photo gallery up. It’s up! I’ve uploaded a bunch of pictures so enjoy. Don’t be surprised if the skin keeps changing because I haven’t found one I particularly love yet. I hope everything works.
Studying Pays Off
June 05, 2004
Well, first an official welcome to the new site. Welcome. Sorry about the comments that force you to either register with Blogger or post anonymously (again, just sign your comment with your name). It’s just easier for me, the point-and-click webpage dude, to have everything in one place. The dotComments fucked up too much.
I’ve been studying Japanese (sort of) for about a year now. I take a weekly lesson but I’ve missed scores of lessons due to laziness, being sick, and some other unfortunate things. A couple nights ago, I visited the BC Provincial Exams page and looked at the Japanese Provincials for the past couple of years. I was so happy when I realized I could easily pass the test and probably get a good score too. My one year of studying was equivalent to years of studying in highschool. It goes to show how shit rigid, structured learning institutes are.
Tonight the woman and I are going to watch The Day After Tomorrow. I’m sure what everyone says about the storyline is true but damn it looks cool to see New York covered in snow like that. The woman is speaking to herself while naked right now. It’s cute in a scary, let’s-send-her-to-an-asylum way.
New JVision soon
June 03, 2004
Disregard the fucked up comments. I’m changing to the Blogger comments just to have everything in one place. I’m putting final touches on the new design and it will be used very shortly.
Happy June 3rd Day!
