Pop Culture Circadian Rhythm

Being halfway around the world from 90% of the pop culture I consume changes my daily flow a little bit. Its no secret that I am an unabashed pop culture junkie. Most American shows are a season or two behind here, and ultimately it is not worth paying $40 on iTunes to watch the current season of 30 Rock of The Office. So I have readjusted around some new entertainment. Here's a rundown of the television I watch.
1. The Biggest Loser Asia. Same as the American version, but with a contingent of contestants from anglophone Southeast Asia. One contestant is named Genghis Khan (from The Philippines, inexplicably). My fave, a Malaysian woman named Shakira, just got voted off this week. I have a couple problems with the Biggest Loser franchise. First is that the show is extremely repetitive. I'll admit that the first episode I ever saw was interesting and even inspirational, but after subsequent viewings I realized that basically the same thing happens in every episode. Secondly, the format is needlessly slavish to the reality paradigm. It is completely unnecessary and cruel to vote contestants off on each episode. Isn't there enough drama in achieving life-changing weight loss? Doesn't the viewer root for all the contestants to succeed? Eliminations are not interesting or , it is sad to see someone arbitrarily denied such a unique opportunity. The third grievance is trivial; for all its virtues, BL Asia's use of the metric system makes for less variance in weight loss statistics. Contestants are pretty much limited to a loss of one, two or three kg., the range of pounds makes for better TV.
2. The Amazing Race Asia. TAR is a reality show I appreciate in concept but find pretty dull - its like, here you are at the Sphinx, mysterious and remarkable benchmark of human civilization. Now, jump on these pogo sticks while getting in petty arguments that, although unintelligible to the viewer, will vaguely remind them of some family vacation moments. Again, a collection of anglophone southeast Asians, in this case traipsing about Asia performing menial tasks.
3. Recycled American shows. The Diva Channel shows old Top Chef episodes on a one per day cycle. Whenever Maki comes home, I am inevitably guiltily caught watching Top Chef. There are also many movies to choose from.

Happy Halloween

from Silom Soi 4.
# of different colors that pitchers of Kamikaze come in: 5
# of versions of Bad Romance played: 3
# of mysterious men in monster mask whose behavior was quite fresh: 1

Japan pt. 3: Koya-san and Kyoto

Here are some pictures from two-day trips made via train from Osaka. First is Kyoto. This was the city I was most excited to visit, due to the sheer number of old temples and architecture dating back to the feudal era. I had to teach Japan to my world history freshmen, and it usually ended up being a one or two day cursory lesson on the feudal social structure with a comparison to medieval Europe. To actually see and walk among these structures brings the history alive. Also, Kyoto is famed for having many Japanese-style gardens. I am obsessed with these types of gardens. I think they have replaced the pool table as the unrealistic fantasy feature that my future house must have. I was not disappointed by the gardens of Kyoto. Curiously, the temples dot the outside of the modern city bowl (surrounded by mountains on three sides) making them somewhat difficult to reach.


The other trip was to Koya-san, founding center of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. It lies on a table between eight mountains, and was one of the most ethereal and green places I have ever experienced. The highlight was the Oku-no-in cemetary a huge tract of forest with paths winding between cedar trees and moss-covered gravestones. This is one instance where the photos truly do not capture the atmosphere of the place.

Japan, pt. 2: Osaka

Osaka is Japan's second largest city. Like Tokyo, the residents are very stylish. It was in Osaka when I noticed that everyone here always looks pretty impeccable. Clothing is tailored very well here, and fits people with flattering precision. The color schemes tend to be more conservative, but this makes it even easier to match all the time. OK I'm going to stop now, as writing those two sentences about fashion was exceedingly difficult, despite the fact that I was recycling Project Runway soundbites in a watered-down manner.
Osaka is also known as a food destination. Two of the most famous regional cuisines we sampled were Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki. Takoyaki is a set of fried balls of octopus and batter. Okonomiyaki is a pancake made of cabbage, noodles and various mix-ins. A lot of eating centered around Dotonbori, the district pictured below:
We also did get to see some nightlife. We went to a Takoyaki and beer bar with an incredibly enthusiastic bartender. At a super-friendly and small gay bar, the three patrons and two bartenders wow-ed us with their karaoke skills, so we naturally joined in with a Lady Gaga duet.
Umm, somehow I have progressed this far in the post without mentioning that Osaka is a BIKE UTOPIA! Within a few hours of arriving, I noticed that there were very few cars in the city. There were, however, countless bikes! In fact, there were so many bikes that people life their bikes UNLOCKED on the street.
Rows and rows of unlocked bikes:

For those who ride in NYC, WTF, right? In NYC, you can lock your bike with an inch thick steel chain, and it will still be stolen. What is wrong with people? How is the social contract so strong in Osaka that people can just leave their bikes out in the center of the city all day?
Vending machines. These vending machines are ubiquitous in Japan. After a week, I capitulated and was pursuaded that in some cases, it might make sense to obtain your hot coffee from one.

Adding to the euphoria of a society where cars seemingly play a minimized role, Japan has a superb train system. Trains are convenient, plentiful and reach most destinations. The Shinkansen, a high speed "bullet" train, is required to be on time by law. If it arrives three minutes late, passengers receive ticket refunds. Trains are also well-maintained and clean.
Shinkansen:

Japan, pt. 1

Had an amazing 9 day trip to Japan. Japanese culture is both unique and universal. Here are a couple pictures from Tokyo, where we spent about half the trip. Tokyo is ridiculously dense. There are few skyscrapers because of its geological location, so people live in very small quarters. (The capsule hotels parodied on Seinfeld are very real...as are a certain item found in certain vending machines...)
Bright lights, big city:
Maids: Tokyo seems to have more unique subcultures than a season of CSI. One prominent nuclei was the "maid cafe," a place where anime fans congregate to be served by girls in wacky anime/goth outfits. Our first hotel happened to be in Akihabara, the center of the district where these establishments are popular. We briefly discussed going to a "butler" cafe, but were dissuaded when informed we might stand out from the clientele subsisting entirely of teenage girls.
Here is a typical anime /model trains / etc. store
And here are some maids chilling outside a public park near Harajuku that offered a great glimpse into the Sunday leisure habits of urban Japanese. Observed in the park: jogging, dog-walking, rabbit-walking, bird-watching, middle aged Elvis-impersonating, rock-paper-scissors contests, frisbee, bicycling, being gothy.

Day trip to Nikko, UNESCO World Heritage Site two hours north of Tokyo. Verdant mountains with many temples.

Super delicious sushi at the famous Tsukiji market:
Mmm. I am still salivating looking at this picture.
And finally, a stroll through Hamarikyuteien Gardens. This site dates back to the Tokugaway Shogunate. The harmony of cityscape and naturalistic setting is quite characteristic of Japan, in my opinion.

back to BKK, our Soi pt. 1

Sayonara Japan. Just returned today from an incredible trip. 400+ photos, so I will edit them down for a few posts. In the mean time, here is a post about our street I started before I left.
Our soi (street) has many wonderful establishments. The day before the Japan trip I intended to stroll around and photograph some of them, but was caught in a midday torrential downpour. Luckily, I was in Banana Family Park, a complex I live across the street from that is great for many reasons. Banana is a large, somewhat labyrinth-like complex of corridors and stairways the houses two yoga studios, a language school, a multitude of vegetarian food stalls, and some natural spas. Within a few days of moving here, I attended my first Thai language class here. Now, I go to Banana every day for lunch. The area I go to has four stalls, each with many creative and vibrant vegetarian options. I always go to the same stall, and if you asked me, I'd say the proprietor and I are BFF. In reality, she probably rolls her eyes at the thought of the white guy with the dopey smile who shows up every day to jab his hammy paw at her counter, and is aghast at how little functional Thai I have picked up in my time here. Nonetheless, here is my lunch that particular day. For 30 baht ($1 US), you get two different stir-fries and rice.
Although it looks like meat, it is all crazy textures of tofu.
Here is the downpour:
So the rest of my walk was postponed.

On a side note, I just checked a popular classifieds site, and eagerly applied for this:

Part-time acting job in Hollywood Scorpion King III movie, shooting in Kanchanaburi 25-30 October 2010
Need 200 white males or females for the scenes in Scorpion King III movie. Shooting 25-30 October 2010 in Kanchanaburi. 1,300 baht/day. Contact: (redacted)

in Japan

Quick update: In Japan and loving it. Have you ever longingly envisioned an entire country full of mods? If so, Japan is the place for you. Everyone here is so effortly stylish that I feel as though I am schlepping down the street in a burlap sack. Have been through Tokyo and now in Osaka. More thorough account to come.

Panda Channel

Channel 23 dedicates itself to a 24 hour live feed of two panda bears in the Chiang Mai zoo. I tune in quite often, and Linping and her child are inevitably sleeping. Here is a low tech screen shot, i.e. photograph of the television.
Adorable indeed. Also, for those of you that notice Linping sleeps in the same position I do: bonus points. Feeling left out from round the clock panda-voyeurism? Don't worry, Linping has a live feed as well.

Kanchanaburi

Weekend in Kanchanaburi, two hours outside of Bangkok and location of the famous P.O.W. Bridge over the River Kwae.
Bike ride through beautiful countryside:

Kayak trip on the River Kwae:

Amazing hike up the seven waterfalls of Erawan.