Thousand Leaves 2.0

I used to take an English writing classes at the university (ages ago!), and the professor, who was one great British ironist all the time, but I enjoyed his sarcasms always. He introduced Woody Allen to me, and I had a good laugh with one of the movies he mentioned, I can’t recall the title. It was about a lady who lives between reality and fantasy. What shocked me was how a movie could bring the thought of fantasy into real action, and then let the heroin gets back to reality with just another scene. There was no mention of which is real and which is her fantasy, but I could tell, I mean I just knew it. That’s one great presentation. I was naive, okay. But, that’s what I found literature interesting. I thought Woody Allen was good director though my professor told me he was only graded second in hollywood. I think he is really mean (the way he presents man and woman in the movie) and sarcastic (the conversation). Not sure, but I seemed enjoy sarcasms very much at that time—even now—, could it be the age, youth is so young! At that time, I didn’t realise it was about reality and unreal world. I didn’t even have a clear definition or understanding of its meaning, but I have the intention of likes towards sarcasms. I told my professor about my impression, and he was kind of surprised of my liking, and then he introduced me more of his recommendation of Allen selections. My professor was a great teacher, I can’t recall his name, but somehow I couldn’t keep in touch with him, he was an adjunct professor at my university. I have other episode about him, but will keep it for the future.

Later I started to work in Malaysia for a couple of years before I came back to Japan the second time, equatorially sandwiched between my dream and my reality after 4 years as a stray sheep of what I really wanted to do. Youth is so young! My heart was still with Japan. I don’t know, I don’t feel like I belong to Malaysia, a place where I was born, and lived till 19, but it wasn’t the place that could fulfill what I wanted. I wanted to live in Japanese world, not the Japanese community that was so small and with a bunch of podsnaps in the pocket-handkerchief-sized society. Excuse me if you think you are one of them, but that’s true. So, I told the whole world I wanted to go back to Japan. And I got a job in 2000, went for the interview, and I was back to Japan with a job, interviewed by this guy.

My complex towards English brought me to another night class of English writing course in Shinjuku, in 2001. This Canadian teacher was good also. He picked up essays from TIME magazine, and we read and did an impromptu summary every week. Later we would write an essay about what we thought.

When Jack Lemmon died, there was an article about him that we did in the class. The first actor who got two academy awards. I watched The Apartment, and Tuesdays with Morrie, etc. That’s when I started to enjoy his movie. Somehow I couldn’t recall what I have seen in the latter movie. I got the book of Tuesdays with Morrie last Monday, and I finished it yesterday. There wasn’t any part of the books that recall my memories of the movie Jack Lemmon was in. Did I understand the movie before? I want to watch it again. The book was easy to read, and I enjoyed the short sentences of writing as well. It urged me to write about my own story very much when I started reading it. Somehow, by the end of the book, I seem to have forgotten the passion to write. I feel like I am one cold-hearted person. I don’t have strong passion and I don’t get moved nowadays easily. Something wrong with me.

Is it because of the age, I wonder.

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orzo stuffed zucchini, originally uploaded by M P G.

I haven’t been cooking myself. Well, I mean weekends. Standing in the kitchen isn’t the thing I want to do or even imagine. Yet, I am still crazy about cookbook, and like this one, blogging food photos!

This one looks great, and I guess the dish tastes good as well. But, I still not sure if there is any way to “kick” me to cook. Yeah, I need some kick!

Spicy Pork Ribs with Onions and Shallots, originally uploaded by lyh1.

This sounds really tasty!

Lobster Anyone?, originally uploaded by lyh1.

This really looks tempting! I want lobster now!

Summer means bonodori. Kids love to go out every night. We are heading to one at Warabi syotengai.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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On the way to the parking lot@mansion.

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Quite some time ago, Dave’s lengthy review of Stranger Than Fiction caught my mind, though I couldn’t really digest everything at that time, somehow at that moment, I already felt that I for sure will come back to this post to understand what it actually means, as I sensed there is something between the lines – or the whole thing – that I actually wanted an answer for my own situation. And that situation apparently seemed to have the similarity with what Dave had had before.

I am not a follower of other’s life, but if there is some similarity might happen, I wished to know a bit more of what people think and thought about it. Very natural, but sometimes it is hard to listen to people’s advice. I am not sure if this has anything to do with ones age or personality, I have been listened to people’s advice, though I don’t think I have changed – better or worse – in either way. Have I myself? That’s not about that. But, I just don’t change much from the past. Don’t get my wrong, I think I work very hard to change for the better, but apparently, we don’t likely change much.

If you think it that way, that means we most likely would not change much from who we are and how we think and act. When we listen to someone else, that’s the time things got a bit out of control, not folow the master’s mind. That means when there is any decision making involves, it actually gives us a hint of how the answer is going to be like.

I have meant to write a lengthy post about how I think about my past from a different angle of view for a while. It most likely will take some more time.

IMG_8337, originally uploaded by Ken Loo.

Meiji shrine is a good place to spend the whole weekend there. It’s deep, and it’s far from the crowd, the tower in the photo is at Shinjuku, so close yet so far. We had a great time there.

After that when we walked out to Harajuku, it was a hell there! Full of people, people, and people.

Black Sugar Cappuccino, originally uploaded by Ken Loo.

Iced but without ice. The master, who works on his own, really takes time to make each order, and it really worth the wait. Great coffee!

addiction rears its lovely head, originally uploaded by lilfishstudios.

I used to love Japanese chinaware very much, though didn’t have money to buy as much as I wanted to. Once in while, when in the mood, I can walk in the department store to just look at it to satisfy myself.

Where have my passion for the chinaware gone to, I wonder.