Last month I made a quick birthday weekend trip to San Francisco. 21 hours in an airplane, for just 3 days in the Bay Area. Best. Call. Ever.
The main purpose of the trip was to get my PhD thesis signed and submitted -- at last! Nearly two years after taking a leave of absence to move to Japan, and six years after starting, I'll finally be graduating (and not a moment to soon, either... my candidacy was set to expire next June). Admittedly, if I hadn't been working 12-hour days on the side, what took me two years could probably have been done in 3-4 months.... Anyways, some "friends" of mine out there (you know who you are) will be surprised by all of this, because they just assumed that I was never going to finish at all. You can all apologize to me now, or not, I don't care.
Now that my thesis has been signed and submitted, I can make time for all those things that I've been ignoring for the past 2 years. Such as reading books. And learning how to use my camera. I finally caved and got an iPhone. I need a new apartment. Though I definitely wasn't working on my thesis continuously over these two years, it was always something that weighed on my mind. Every time I was out doing whatever, there was always that tiny bit of guilt. It feels great to be free of that burden.
That weekend in SF, I was also lucky enough to see Buffalo Springfield (!) in concert at the Bridge School Benefit concert, reuniting on stage for the first time in 40 years. Pearl Jam and Elton John dropped by, too. Epic.
Hmmm, what else? My friends were kind enough to throw a small graduation/birthday party for me (and Mami). Three Wednesdays ago was Culture Day, a national holiday in Japan. You would think that you can't do much with a Wednesday holiday, but it's actually a great thing because you wind up with a pair of back-to-back two-day weeks. I vote for more Wednesday holidays.
A minor gripe: I went to see a live show two weeks ago in Tokyo, featuring Talvin Singh. From all accounts, he's a very accomplished musician, so I was expecting at least an entertaining show. What we got was some random tabla/Apple iDJ fusion garbage that failed to do anything very well. I sense that his goal was to do just enough to please the easily-impressed Japanese audience (and no more), leaving the rest us feeling ripped off. Sigh. My good buddy Erik was in town that night for a short visit -- hadn't seen him in more than 2 years.
I just returned to Tokyo on Tuesday, from a 10-day work/holiday trip to Hong Kong. After a week in the office, I spent the Labour Thanksgiving (another delightful Japanese holiday) long weekend meandering about the city. My hotel room during the week had a "harbour view" (mostly freighters and a freeway on-ramp, but still very nice), although according to Alan, everything in Hong Kong is a harbour-something-or-other. I crashed at Alan's pad in Kowloon over the weekend -- his claim to fame is having one of the best views of Hong Kong from his apartment. No doubt.
Happy American Thanksgiving!
Enjoy these fine photographs. Get Chrome.
My advisor Hector Garcia-Molina, signing my thesis.
The 2am burrito/nachos/quesadilla, one of the things I miss the most about San Francisco.
At last, a decent South Indian meal in the Mission, at Udupi Palace. Dosa, are you taking notes?
Braving the rain for Elton John and Buffalo Springfield.
Halloween party at Mado Lounge in Roppongi Hills. (yes, I'm recycling my costume from 3 years ago, in case you're one of the few that remember)
Design week in Daikanyama. I want a faucet like that.
C.O.D. in Gaiemmae.
That's Erik, chowing down on some fine tofu in Ebisu.
The view from Alan's apartment in Hong Kong.
Just outside my hotel in Sheung Wan.
The "harbour view" from my hotel room.
Big Pete's sweet ride.
The beach in Hong Kong. Yes, in Hong Kong, you can go to the beach even in November.
The view from atop Victoria Peak.