shocked

shocked...
-when this old man first assumed i was from india then suggested that we go to kyoto together, kept telling me how much money he had, and then tried to give me his phone number in case i changed my mind he said. this isnt the first time a japanese man/boy has flirted with me but this was a harmless looking old man propositioning me in a tokyo train station. he really messed up my view of old japanese men. and just b4 he came along, i was in such a good mood...happily admiring a japanese basketball team a few feet away.

-when i came home after skipping the ski trip-too exhausted-and found out about the tsunami. surreal...more like a movie, `deep impact`. what made this natural disaster even more real to me was the fact that i wanted to see more of asia this second time around and if i had started planning my winterbreak earlier I (and a few coworkers too) could have been in the tsunami area instead of in western japan for christmas. i was also shocked to learn that several westerners continued vacationing/partying days later while others tried to identify bodies, and find shelter and food.

-when a strong earthquake from the pacific-the pacific that i can see and hear from my bedroom, the pacific that most tsunami`s originate from-woke me up on new year`s morning. i am very aware of the fact that japan gets more than its share of natural disasters and somehow, even during typhoon season, i gave very little thought to the ocean literally in my backyard. the magnitue and location were a shock but honestly i`m too much of an adventurer at heart to worry about so many uncontrollable things, and i also have faith in japan`s warning/evacuation systems.

-when the first week of january had several days of highs near or above 60 degrees. global warming is becoming really scary...most people dont even see anything wrong with all these abnormally warm days.