Another long hiatus

2010 proved to be a very busy year, for many reasons. Hope this year it will be possible to find a better balance between work and life, with some time for updating this blog.

A long hiatus

The big news since my last entry is of course my new job, which brought me to Paris for a one-month training. 

A friend from the JET years visited me in Paris, and I couldn't help but think how much has come to pass since those seemingly carefree years in Japan. Many things have changed--circumstances, maturity, depth of knowledge, and your circle of friends and loved ones. 

A haiku

On the other shore

over valleys and mountains

home away from home

Summer movie recommendations

Just returned from a viewing of G.I. Joe. You may ask why...because we got free tickets. It was bad, really bad. Loud, pointless, bad dialogue and loud!

So if you like to watch movies at home (and have Netflix), it is a real joy to discover (and rediscover) the classics, not just English ones but films in other languages.

Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order):

La Strada and Nights of Cabiria directed by Federico Fellini (Italy)

Cafe Lumiere by Hou Hsiao-Hsien (Taiwan)

Harakiri and Kwaidan by Kobayashi Masaki (Japan)

The Double Life of Veronique by Krzysztof Kieslowski (Poland)

The 400 Blow by François Truffaut (France)

The King of Mask by Wu Tianming (China)

The Battle of Algiers by Gillo Pontecorvo (Italy/France/Algeria)

Central Station by Walter Salles (Brazil)

The Lives of Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Germany)

The Burmese Harp by Kon Ichikawa (Japan)

Writing

A visiting friend asked me if I still keep a blog. The answer is yes, but I don't write as often as I did in Japan and in the year immediately after JET. The reason being I have been busy with school and then work. But I begin to think there is another reason--that writing is essentially an undertaking best done in a quiet and solitary environment.

Virginia Woolf talked about a room of one's own. When you're working or in school or doing homestay, you are not really alone. Not that being in school or working is bad, far from it both are beneficial life experiences. Solitude is not isolation or misanthropy, it is about being able to step away from the hustle and demand of everyday life, be in a place where you can call home, maybe with a nice cup of coffee or glass of wine, and most importantly without any immediate mundane obligations hanging over you. Then can you start to collect your thoughts and put something down. 

Transportation

Have just returned from a one-week vacation in Japan, I can't help but realize how hard it could be for travellers in the land of the rising sun who don't speak or read the language. Sure, if your itinerary involves anything but Tokyo, it could be a stress-free trip. 

Part of the stress that comes with a trip is the inability to figure out how to get from one place to another, and transportation is a big issue in Japan, not least because you enjoy much more if you could hop on and off trains to various destinations. Japan has perhpas the best and most efficient transportation system, but it can also be overwhelming and confusing, even for people who read Japanese signs (which do not always come with their English equivalent).