My temporary translation job ended abruptly yesterday, 10-12 hours in front of the computer everyday has been an intense experience. I am awed by the people who have endured this physical and mental stoicism much longer than I have. I thought I was going to get carpal tunnel.
Meant to clean my new room, meant to […]
Lo and Behold! Here, the ‘Coin Sneaker Laundry’!
The bottom is the washer, the top is the dryer.
2 dollars per wash. Special soap is automatically inserted.
Large brushes and small brushes (on the bottom) can wash
2 pairs of adult shoes, or 4 pairs of children’s shoes.
(Pictures from this blog)
Wondering what to be on Halloween, I thought of the saddest, scariest cries that come from underground: Cicadas.
(Picture from Living in Plainfield)
Cicadas burrow 30cm+ underground as nymphs, gently living in the quiet of earth for as long as 17 years. Then they dig their way upwards, emerge into light, climb a nearby tree, shed skin, […]
I thought aloud to wash my shoes (scrub it with a toothbrush in the sink, or else chuck them in the washing machine) when a friend responded; “are you nuts?” I thought it was normal to wash non-leather shoes. Most people in Japan do. There’re even special “shoe washing/drying machines” in fancy coin laundries. I […]
My eyes had nowhere to find relief.
Until a pot of lily, a pumpkin,
and 3 pages from last years’ calender came to the rescue.
If aliens came to earth to study the nature of human beings, I’d nominate my mother to be the testee. To me, she’s everything that a human being is; good, bad, weak, strong, hard working, lazy, happy, scared, loving, hating, cleaver, gullible, heartbreaking, lovable. I think the aliens would be in awe, just like I […]
Starting today, 10 hours each day, 5 days a week, for 2 weeks, (with 30 minute lunch breaks each noon), I’ll be translating at a law firm like a machine in a factory with 10 others.
First day of work, feeling ready. I think.
Sauntered into Hyatt Hotel, took a lift to the lounge on the 17th floor. I wanted to see the view.
I could see a few janitors working through empty office windows that lit the night. I imagined the occupied floors during the day, thought about the different roles everybody played. The manager, the assistant, the person […]
“Useless, utterly useless” a boarding school teacher with a stiff upper lip would say. Here are examples of vestigial human organs and unnecessary body functions:
Goose bumps:
I reckoned goose bumps trapped body heat, therefore made us warmer, but in fact it does nothing. “The erect hairs trap air to create a layer of insulation” […]
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if bed ridden people in hospitals and old people’s homes had something more to look at than a white ceiling? My grandfather said he started hallucinating after a month in a hospital bed because he was staring into blankness most of the time.
It wouldn’t be difficult to gather a group of […]
