Phil's Notebook 

Free WiFi

Finally time to update this blog again. So many things have happened in the past weeks that I don't think i'd be able to condense everything here.. I'll definitely work on filling up the gaps to provide a certain sense of continuity to those reading...

For you who do not know yet, I am now back in Hong Kong for good. Got a new job with a US-based satellite equipment vendor and so far I like what I am seeing.

BTW, I'm updating this from a restaurant via free WiFi :-)

Heading Downhill...

I read from the news yesterday that a 4-storey building was razed in Manila near where I lived several years back. I continued reading and then it hit me. The building was owned by the family of a classmate of mine named Ed back in University when I was a freshman.

They operate a shop on the ground floor and lived on the upper floors. According to the article there were about a dozen people staying in that building when fire struck and it took firemen 11 hours to put out the fire. It mentioned the two casualties as Ed's father and his younger brother. No mention of Ed anywhere yet.

Ed was one of the brighter students in our batch. He finished high school from St. Jude's which is known for their tougher-then-most curriculum. St. Jude gradutes more often than not do well whichever university they attend. During our freshmen year together, I had the chance to work with Ed on a project (I can't remember which exactly) along with 3 other students (Charlie, Jeff and Jamison). I remember spending one afternoon at Ed's place supposedly to discuss and work on the project. Instead we were met with some nice distractions. There was a study room cum recreation room complete with weight lifting machine and a billiard table. From the outside, you wouldn't have guessed such a thing would exist in the building. Apparently Ed's family business did very well and allowed his parents to own such a property as well as send 5 kids (could be more) to good schools. Ed as expected did well during the first and subsequent years in school and naturally progressed, whereas I, haven't done quite as well in my calculus subjects, was left behind. And so, I never really got to know Ed much more as we never had much opportunities to work together anymore.

The finished reading the article and still couldn't get to any conclusion as to what Ed's status might be. It did mention two household helpers were rescued and that was it.

I later found out through another classmate over msn that the article was right about the two survivors. Ed and the rest of his family didn't make it (Ed's eldest brother is survived because he doesn't live with the family anymore). For a moment my heart sunk. Ed and I aren't close. I wouldn't even consider us to be more than mere aquaintance having gone to the same classes together. Nevertheless, I was saddened by the event. Perhaps this is just a natural reaction to the death of someone you know. Perhaps more so, he was my age and had been brought up in a similar Filipion-Chinese environment, having went to the same university, achieving the same degree. So many things in common. By some twist of fate, it could very well be me caught in the fire and cease to exist today.

Fact is I'm here and I'll just have to make the most of it because one never knows when it'll be all over. Morbid as it is, that's just life.

Rest in peace, Ed.

Hanami 2005

This has got to be one of my best weekends in Tokyo. It's cherry blossom season and they're in full bloom this weekend. They usually last for just a few days and so it's very likely that by next weekend, it would have all fallen and faded.

The Japanese celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossoms or sakura (桜）by gathering under sakura trees eating and drinking. They call it hanami (花見) literally means 'flower viewing'. This year, it's my first time to see sakura first--hand and it's also my first time to join a hanami party. In fact just this weekend, I found myself joining 3 hanami parties! Started from Friday night with Takako and friends, then Saturday night, again with Takako and more friends, and today with the Tokyo Gaijins (Takako was there too).

These photos were taken Sunday April 10.



We were expecting 80 or more people to join and I believe more than half are newbies. Making and holdng up a sign at the station exit was a great idea.




Here's me in Yoyogi Park. Site of this year's Tokyo Gaijin hanami party.




Our spot is situated right under big sakura trees and beside a pond. And this is the great view we have.




Ricky woke up at 4 to reserve this spot in the park. Way to go Ricky!!! Thanks.




This is a picture of another group. But I thought I'd post it here anyway, cause it's such a nice typical hanami pic. Big sakura tree in the middle and people all around it.




Beer and cocktail just kept on flowing.




Pizzas were pretty much unlimited too.




In the park are some pretty pleasant surprises. Here's a total stranger who reads and enacts comic book scenes. He did Dragon Ball Z which was hilarious.




It's my first time and I guess many others as well. Nice entertainment. Only in Japan I guess.




Not far from our spot a group of gypsy-wannabes did some belly dancing. I thought that was pretty cool.




Here's a group of drummers filling the air with african rhythms with their 'djembe' drums. There's no shortage of entertainment in Tokyo for sure.




Pretty in pink. Crystal, Nina and Isabel.




I first met Sae last night at my second hanami. Sae's an English teacher. It's a treat to see her again today.




What goes in must come out. I've never have to queue up to go the boy's room. But this is even more amazing. The 2 queues in the pic actually go to the men's room. Because the queue to the ladie's room is so long some decided to use the cubicles in the men's room.




I love street food. Too bad I had so much pizza...




I love shots like this.


Some photos from Saturday follow:



Tokyo is dotted with lots of sakura trees. This pic was taken from a small park near work.




Even in a small park, the amount of trash generated is unbelievable.




Last Saturday after my second hanami party, Takako, Hiroko, Paul and I hanged out at the Good News Bar. The place is incredibly small you got to be a complete snob to not meeting anyone there.

Green Power!!!

I came across two interesting implementations of alternative power source today.

1. The Australian Solar Tower Project.

This is based on what used to be called a Solar Chimney. The 3 main components of this structure are: the collector (a greenhouse type structure surrounding the tower), the turbines (to generate electricity with) and the tower.

The concept relies on the sun heating air in the collector forcing the heated air to rise to the tower at an accelerated pace, enough to drive turbines to generate electricity.



The project, initiated by EnviroMission in Australia, is well underway, finalizing its feasibility before proceeding with the actual construction. The tower is expected to be 1000m high, almost twice the height of the world's current tallest builing, the Taipei 101, which stands at 508m.

I first read about this project from wired:
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,66694,00.html

Another Wired article published much earlier:
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,54917,00.html

EnviroMission Website: www.enviromission.com.au

2. The Robert's Flying Electric Generator (FEG)

A company, Sky WindPower, intends to build rotored aircrafts tethered to the earth's surface (think balloon tied to a chair or dog on a leash). These aircrafts are to be flown upto 15,000 to 30,000 feet where the wind velocity are constantly high. Once up in the sky, the high velocity winds will drive the rotors to keep the aircraft in the air as well as drive the generator. Generated electricity will be trasmitted to the ground via the tether.



Read more here:
http://www.wired.com/news/planet/0,2782,67121,00.html?tw=wn_story_page_prev2

Sky WindPower Website: www.skywindpower.com

Warm Bodies: The Kris Aquino Complex

I came upon a collection of blogs that so far (I've read only the first 2) and they were quite entertaining I thought I'd write an endorsement here.

The title of the collection (an e-book) is "Warm Bodies - The Kris Aquino Comlex" edited by Oscar Alvarez Jr and Jonathan Catalla.



Why called "The Kris Aquino Complex"? The introduction in the e-book explains as follows:



This collection is subtitled "The Kris Aquino Complex", borrowing the concept from Noreen (http://noringai.blog-city.com), after the actress who drops her two-cents worth on any hot issue, then proceeds to connect it to her life and go on bantering about herself in public.



I believe all entries in the collection are from Filipino bloggers. Thanks to the Sassy Lawyer for this pleasant discovery.

The e-book is available as a pdf download from here: http://www.upalumni.tk/warmbodies.pdf

Yakitori...

I had yakitori 3x before. Twice in Shinjuku and once in Ikebukuro. Last night I had another taste of yakitori, this time near home just 1 minute by foot from Warabi Station.

I was looking for a place to eat last night and I wasn't about to have curry at Matsuya again (Matsuya is like Yoshinoya), so I walked about and found this place (I don't know the name). It's a bigger place than the ones I've seen in Shinjuku. The seating capacity is approx 30 while those in Shinjuku are good for about 10. But just like many other traditional yakitori places, the seats are all bar or counter seats. The bar is actually a narrow area behind a counter where attendants would scurry back and forth serving food and drinks.

With an empty stomach and a 'so-be-it' mindset, I braved into unfamiliar territory armed with little Japanese (I know for sure that the menu are all in Japanese and the attendants don't speak a second language). 90 minutes later, I was full with 1.8 liters of beer, 11 yakitori's (chicken sausage, intestine, liver, cartilage, etc.) and a plate of fried squid tentacles (like calamare).

It was very good. I regret not having discovered it much earlier. I wish I had pictures, maybe next time. I'm tempted to go once a week til I leave Japan.

April Fools

I watched Triple X by Vin Diesel last night. It's a fun film and doesn't require thinking. You'd find yourself not enjoying it if you do :-) My premium IPTV subscription expired this morning. Chances are I won't be paying to renew and I'd need to spend time preparing for an exam anyway. Today also marked the start of my 6th month (which happens to be my last too) with my current employer. Can't wait to be back home yet I'd like to see more of Tokyo... sigh...

Philippines Open Up to VoIP

The National Telecommunications Commission of the Philippines has released an MoU that will allow entities that are not telcos (those with voice service franchises) to offer VoIP services. This is on the assumption that VoIP is a Value Added Service and therefore do not require a telecommunications franchise.

The final ruling is expected in the second half of the year.

The following is the original MoU:
link=http://www.ntc.gov.ph/whatsnew/NTC%20Memo%20on%20VoIP.pdf]www.ntc.gov.ph/whatsnew/NTC%20Memo%20on%20VoIP.pdf[/link]

Should be interesting to see how it turns out.

30 Days

I noticed I've been eating more than usual lately. Somewhat of an indulgence at times. From ramen to sushi, yakitori to curry, name it. Perhaps it's the thought that my stay in Tokyo is numbered and that I'm trying to catch up and make the most of it while I'm still here.

On my way home tonight, my pace was a slow, leisurely trek. What usually takes 15 minutes probably took twice as long. Walking along the railroad tracks, I feel the cold evening air enter my lungs, giving me a certain kind of high, one I probably won't get often from the bustling streets of Hong Kong. It's extremely odd that as I begin to settle I would start packing my bags and move on. Perhaps I'm not ready to be comfortable. Always looking to push myself to go beyond my comfort zone... hmmm... I wonder if this is true with my relationships as well.

One thing for sure, I'm definitely going to miss Tokyo. Do I regret the decision to leave? No, I've come for the experience and I got it. It's not much, but I think it's time to focus on the long term. Where I'm going is certainly better, and it's what I've always wanted - as was living and working in Japan. Will I return to Japan? You never know. I doubt it will be anytime soon though.

Another Trip to the Slopes

This time it's with the Tokyo Gaijin Outdoors. The venue is Happo One, Nagano, same site as the 1998 Winter Olympics. Thanks to Ricky and Stacey for organising this trip. It was such a blast! If you happen to be in Tokyo for a while, I highly recommend this group. More info in tokyogaijins.com

I wish I had taken more pictures, but I guess I was having so much fun I forgot all about it. :)



You won't see me in the pic. Was stuck halfway down the slope when the photo was taken...




Me with the Winter Olympic logo in the background.




Mia and Heather are in Japan teaching English and they kept me company through the day. We found ourselves laughing often over bloopers and embarassing moments as we made our way down the course.




Heather reminds me of Drew Barrymore. This is her first time snowboarding.



Mia's American-Chinese. She's a first-time snowboarder as well.




Me again.




Stacey's one of the nicest persons I've ever met. She and Ricky organised the trip.




At the dinner table...




After dinner we had an informal gathering talking, drinking, drinking and drinking... :P In the pic are Therese, me, Nobuyuki, Josh and Sven.




Ricky, me and Takako




Me and Kumi.




View of the ski resort from outside the hotel.


With just a little over a month to go before returning to HK, I feel sad that I've not got to join the group much earlier... summer activies include canoeing, whitewater rafting and paragliding... sigh :-(