A Walk Around Inokashira Koen

In Search of the Last of the Momiji

Inokashira Park is the closest of the bigger parks near my house. It is extremely beautiful in the changing seasons. I took the opportunity of the first sunny day when I had nothing else to do, to take a walk there with Dad’s heavy duty Nikon camera in search for the last of the Momiji – the Maple trees. Most usually lose their leaves by this time in the rest of Japan. But Tokyo is warmer, and December 2008 was even warmer than before, so there were still many trees with leaves still changing their colour before dying out. Here are some photographs of what I saw…

One day, when I was jaded with studies, I sat daydreaming about all the things I will do when I go to Japan next. The result was the following list:

1. Karaoke to my heart’s desire.
2. Visit Nikko and Hakone.
3. Attend a Sumo match.
4. Watch a Kabuki performance.
5. See cosu-play at Harajuku.
6. Climb Mt. Fuji to the top.
7. Relax at an open air onsen.
8. Do purikura.
9. Eat vegetarian sushi at a kaiten-zushi place. (Kappa Maki!!)
10. Visit Asakusa and drop 100yen at Senso-ji.
11. Take a walk around Inokashira Park.
12. Go to Tokyo Disneyland.
13. Play Taiko Drums at a game center.
14. See Sapporo Snow Festival.
15. Try new Starbucks flavours.
16. Visit Ueno Zoological gardens and the various Museums in Ueno.
17. Eat ice-cream mochi!
18. Buy a Daruma.
19. Call up all my friends in Okinawa and surprise them!

now I am doing these activities... some are not possible now - like climb Fuji to the top (as it is closed for the winters) but am trying to do as many...I will keep crossing them out as I accomplish them. let's see.... gambare to me!

blogs will follow... :)

A Game of Tag

I have been Tagged by Rachel to write 7 strange/random things about myself. It was really difficult. First to think of them. Second to muster up courage to declare them! Here they are:

1. I am addicted to games. I don't own a wii or a DS. The last gaming unit I owned was the old style Nintendo bought in 1990 which had Mario Brothers and the duck/clay shooting thing. I also had a hand held Peanuts Tennis video game and a falling-fish-to-catch-in-the-pot video game, but they were forcibly gifted to cousins before I could have enough of them. It was so long ago that I don't even remember if those video games had a special name.. But I don't dare buy any new units because I know of my addiction. Already I could waste all my valuable time playing on the computer or my mobile, and that too without much guilt. Sometimes I bribe myself to work straight for an hour to get to play one game of mah jong to get my work done.

2. I have visions of head banging to heavy metal inside the Metro. I have come close to doing it, but I think it will just look very foolish and make people stare more than they already do. And staring faces always take the fun out of anything..

3. I am revolted by the sound of burping. More disgusted by it than any other sound in the world! Especially while I am eating, and if someone burps, I just can't eat anymore. I have to start counting in my head or think nice thoughts before my world gets back to normal. And in my joint family's house, most of my uncles burp very loudly. They also try to mask it by saying 'omm' at the same time (this is one those North Indian things..).It just drives me nuts!

4. I think about death quite a lot. So, I know the exact way I would commit suicide if I had to. I would simple walk into the sea. (I know, very Virginia Woolf of me.. ) I would wear some white-coloured cotton outfit and the single conch shell necklace I made. I would be reciting "Death be not Proud" by John Donne. And I would have taken some sleeping pills before to ease the struggle with water to breathe...

this brings me to the fifth one:

5. If I don't commit suicide before I die, I want to have a burial at sea after I die. I don't want to be cremated, nor do I want to be buried in the earth. I want my body to be slipped into the sea not covered in any bag or coffin. I know the thought of being fish-food is kinda scary, but aren't being burned up or locked up for eternity in a box equally bad? Once dead I can hardly know pain, so I take the ecologically best solution.
Oh, I also want a recitation of "Death be not Proud" for my 'funeral'.

6. I am intrigued by incest. I wonder whether it is really wrong. I think it is, but what if its OK as long as it doesn't end up with biological reproduction of a monstrous being.. Just the same with sexual promiscuity. I think it might be wrong but heck! it is so interesting. Stories about both revolt and at the same time delight (in terms of complexity - not pornographic delight...). This ambiguity for me is highly interesting. It gets me all confused and my 'morals' go topsy-turvy. I don't have a brother, so maybe that's why incest seems OK in theory (maybe... perhaps...). I really can't say... But I love the debate.

7. Last. I am a collector. I love collecting things. Stamps, coins, rocks, shells, countries, books, movies, audio albums, stickers, stationery, greeting cards, you name it. I thinks its like the same compulsion that makes me want to make lists and organise things. If I have one thing, how many of its various kinds can be possible to be grouped together? It's like an insane drive to have and possess. But I am highly proud of my stamp collection nonetheless. And whoever inherits it after I die must take great care of it! :)

That's the list. Now, I tag Isa, Varsha, Rajarshi, Elina, and Liz. Keep it going people!

Centenary Celebrations of Hindi-Urdu Teaching in Japan

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan celebrated the 100 years of Hindi Urdu Teaching in Japan. It was the perhaps the very first university in the world to initiate the teaching of Hindustani language in the year 1908. In 1958, Hindi and Urdu began being taught separately. From December 12-14, 2008 a conference was held in order to celebrate this momentous event.

on my mind

There is plenty that I need to write about, but didn't have the time, what with packing for my trip and worrying about my upcoming Dissertation.

The tension is in the uncertainty. We are made to submit 3 proposals all in different areas of interest. Now this is a Dissertation with counts for 3 times its grades in the overall grading. It will be the primary source of questions for the viva at the end of the course. It is also one that could potentially be an abstract for our future PhD. Thus, it is not a simple paper one just writes up. Its a 25,000 word pain-in-the-ass. So, when we are made to write 3 proposals of what we can work on, its no joking matter. But there is a joke... we don't really have any guarantee that our first preference will be taken up by a supervisor. Earlier, one could state preference for a supervisor, go to him/her and speak/discuss the topic, get feedback/suggestions. Also, this meant that chances of your first preference being chosen were strong. This time, due to some reason, the department decided they will not let students approach teachers. Which means that maybe there might be no teacher enthusiastic about my first choice. or my second choice. and I may end up with my third which I wrote just for the heck of it. My first two topics are quite radical. or at least they seem so to me when I think if there will be anyone interested in them. so I am going nuts over whether my first will be given to me. At this point I really don't care who my supervisor is, as all the teachers are world-class and quite helpful. I wouldn't want someone I never worked with or studied under, but I wouldn't mind it as long I get the first! There might be a meeting and I will miss it as I am leaving. Also, I may not really have an opportunity to negotiate if I am not around. So I have been in worry-mode these past few days.

As for the trip, it seems doomed from the start. Flying on December 6, the day of the anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid.... The airport is under tight security as intelligence agencies alert us of 9/11 style hijacking and attacks.... We will cross our fingers and hope for the best. Packing is ongoing and I will write more again. Need to write a blog on the Mumbai attacks and the 7 strange things tag!! coming soon...