perceptions; inception

[an unrelated photo via automatism]

isn't it interesting how the same action can be interpreted in completely different ways depending on your perceptions of the "actor"? example: pervy/creepy/sexual-harassment-esque behavior can be perceived as such if you are not attracted to the person in question but is more likely to be interpreted as flirting/welcome behavior if the person is attractive and you want it to be so. we see what we want to see and create our own realities.

segue- watched inception last night. at first i was preoccupied with whether Leo's character is in a dream or 'the real world' (DOES THE TOP TOPPLE OVER??? WAS HE DREAMING THE ENTIRE TIME??? WHAT THE .... JUST HAPPENED???) but then i realized, does it matter? if that is the reality that he has created for himself, does it matter whether it is a dream within a dream within a dream if he can now be free from his previous guilt/unhappiness/dissatisfaction? i think the message i want to take away from this movie is that we are the creators of our realities and anything we dream can become reality. true story.

on another note: new people coming (group A yesterday, group B next week!). i wonder how dynamics will change with all of these new faces & personalities. only time will tell...

mameshiba!

Oh. em. eff. gee. I have just spent an large portion of my LIFE re-watching mameshiba youtube videos. SO ADORABLE & full of random facts! "mame"=bean, "shiba"=type of dog. Watch a clip HERE and continue to watch ALL RELATED VIDEOS. it is so worth it. *also a great way to see a glimpse of Japanese culture (drinking, etc.)

food: frozen bananas

[chocolate/coconut covered frozen banana recipe HERE]

okay- BEST INVENTION EVER: bananas. foreal. i think this is how i'm going to survive the summer.

summer in fukuoka, & japan in general, is HOT & HELLA HUMID!

instead of an a.c., my apartment is equipt with a fan that blows hot air at me and a freezer that provides me with delicious juice popsicles, ice cubes, and FROZEN BANANAS. seriously people. peel. slice. freeze (with or without chocolate/caramely syrup/cinnamon/etc). consume. [optional: blend in blender until smooth, ice cream-esque consistency develops]. healthy. delicious. cool. nom.

...and for those few minutes, i forget that i'm sitting, not moving, and yet dripping beads of sweat. disgust.

tea

[automatism]

i.love.tea.

..well, a good cup of coffee too but still. mmm. so warm, comforting.

before i met an unnamed snooty european, i only drank asian-y teas (green, oolong, jasmine) & didn't even think to put milk/sugar in my cup. but strong black breakfast tea + whole milk/maybe sugar = smiles.

oh, and tea-making/drinking paraphernalia? addicted. Saga (another prefecture in Kyushu) is famous for their pottery. just bought some beauteous tea cups made there. new lust: teapots. do i need another one? no. do i have about 10 on my lust list? yes. le sigh.

random tidbit: argentina's flag

i never knew argentina's flag was so pretty.

*doing a lesson on countries/flags for an open campus day for junior high schoolers next week (no, i didn't just start thinking about world flags out of the blue, although i AM rando so who knows)

-- 台所 (kitchen) by Banana Yoshimoto

This book is quite shit despite all of the hype around the author (apparently her dad's a famous literary critic so perhaps it's fame by familial association). Anyhoos, had to wait until the very last page to find this quote:

"I'll never be able to be here again. As the minutes slide by, I move on. The flow of time is something I cannot stop. I haven't a choice. I go. One caravan has stopped. Another starts up. There are people I have yet to meet, others I'll never see again. People who are gone before you know it, people who are just passing through. Even as we exchange hellos, they seem to grow transparent. I must keep living with the flowing river before my eyes." (p.150)

Especially now.
Must work on dealing better
with this constant flow.

*was going to start being all verbose & talk about JETs coming/going (J DON'T LEAVE ME!) but decided to write a haiku instead. :)

Another one:
Big bird family,
please stop shitting on my stairs.
I do not like it. >:o

--autofiction: an excerpt

"For now, I just want to enjoy the moment. Enjoy the fact that I'm drinking at this moment, that I'm dancing at this moment, that I'm laughing and having fun at this moment, that I'm doing any guy that I feel like doing at this moment. This moment is the only moment that interests me. I don't give a shit about anything else. This moment is all that matters now." (p.171)