Hunkabutta Archives
12.13.01

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I'm leaving work this afternoon to go to a doctor's appointment in Harajuku -- at the King Clinic.

Don't worry it's nothing serious. A few weeks ago I took a requisite employee health check and one of the test results, something to do with my kidneys, came back higher than the normal range, so now I'm going to a doctor to find out what it means.

The mandatory company health check is an interesting thing. We should probably adopt it in the West. You get a series of standardized tests that basically amount to a check for cancer, heart disease, and any obvious signs of ill health. Interestingly, a small industry has sprung up around this government mandated health check. They have special clinics specializing in just these tests. These clinics process people like cattle -- you're herded from test room to test room with a minimum of human interaction. In all fairness though, it's not meant to be a regular kind of check-up, and if it wasn't for my company making me go, I probably would never end up in front of a doctor unless I really felt ill.

Well, I've got to end this here because I have to leave for the doctor's office right now.

Wish my kidney's luck.

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12.11.01

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Some big site news today: I now have a comments system.

Using the link at the bottom of each posting, aptly named "comments", you can open up a new window, read other people's messages, and post your own messages. You can comment on what I said in my posting, on my pictures, or leave messages to other hunkabutta visitors. Feel free to go nuts.

Now I need a favour. I'd like you to test the new system for me. Please go ahead and post a comment, say anything you'd like, and then let me know if you encountered any problems. I'd also appreciate any suggestions on the general usability: i.e., does it look good? Is it easy to use? Is it obvious what the 'comments' link leads to, or should it have a more descriptive label? etc., etc.

Now that you have the ability to talk back to me, and hopefully to each other, I think that I'll have to make sure that my postings have a bit of meat on them for people to chew on. Consequently, we might start to see a little controversy once in a while here on hunkabutta.

So, in the spirit of commentability, today's photos are of the sex-centric 'entertainment' district in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

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Also, I'd like to give a big thanks to Katherine for putting me on her list of top 5 journals at Suite101.com.

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12.07.01

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Tonight it's pizza and a movie, and you know what? I'm excited about it.

It's strange how living in Tokyo, arguably one of the most fast-paced and exciting cities in the world, generally makes people want to hide-out in-doors.

I think it's the crowds. And the noise. And the people. I guess it's just everything. The Tokyo experience can be totally over-whelming unless you tune most of it out. I mean, lets face it, our brains weren't made to live in an environment where you interact with tens of thousands of strangers in a given day, all in a field of whirling lights and honking horns. In many ways we're still physiologically small-band primates.

When you first come to Tokyo it feels like you're on acid for about three days. Then eventually you learn to block things out subconsciously. You stop looking people in the eye. You don't try to understand what everyone around you is saying. Essentially, you erect a little zone of control around yourself and get into your own head.

This situation probably occurs in most big cities around the world. However, in Tokyo, at least from my perspective, we have a bit of an advantage.

When you stay home on a Friday night in Tokyo to eat pizza and watch movies you don't have to feel like such a loser because, hey, you're do'n it in Tokyo-friggin-Japan man, and that's pretty cool in and of itself.

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Today's pictures, and those from Wednesday, are some of the ones that I took for Wired magazine back in July and August. The magazine paid for a great rental camera and that's why the pictures look a little better than usual.

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12.05.01

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If you can believe it, the saga of the never-coming camera is still not at an end.

The latest news is that the guy who allegedly sent us the G2 camera that later got returned to him (because of an illegible address), in a damaged condition, is now telling us that he can't get anymore cameras until next year. So, he gave us our money back. Now we have to start from scratch all over again.

Karen is already fishing around on eBay for a new dealer, but my patience is reaching its limit. If I don't get the camera by the time we return to Ontario for Christmas, then I'm just going to buy it there at the first store that I find.

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