My work has just unblocked access to social networking sites including Facebook, Myspace and Blogs (apparently)!
I guess that means they trust us enough to set our own limits as to when we access these sites on our personal time.
I feel like a teenager whose curfew has just been lifted :P
I'm still not allowed to access any web-mail services (Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) because it's apparently a network security risk.
Do the places where other people work block out these sites?
****************************************
EDIT:
It turns out the unblocking of social networking sites is part of a larger new policy on the usage of Web 2.0 technologies.
It's refreshing that the organization realizes that it's pointless to pretend that employees aren't posting on blogs and joining Facebook groups and that it's better to allow access to these sites and educate employees on their responsibilities when posting on blogs rather than take the head-in-the-sand approach.
It's a surprisingly progressive approach for my company.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Sun Sets on the Land of the Rising Sun
Wow, what a whirlwind adventure to reflect on. I had such an amazing time in Tokyo and honestly didn't want to go back home.
Even though I traveled to Tokyo by myself, I was able to meet-up with several friends who were either also traveling in Japan at the time or working in Japan (Michelle, my friend from University) and I was also able to meet people while I was here (like a whole bunch of people who are teaching English in Japan) so I had people I could hang out with.
I knew Tokyo (and Japan) would present me with an onslaught of new experiences and I was fully bracing for the culture shock that I would experience being plopped into the middle of this hyper-frenetic futuristic mega-metropolis of 12 million people. Unexpectedly, that culture shock never really happened. Even though Tokyo is a huge city packed to the gills with people constantly coming and going at all hours of the day and night, I found it to be clean, organized, remarkably easy to get around and I found Tokyoites to be remarkably courteous and considerate people.
What I didn't expect was to instantly take to Tokyo the way I did and I didn't expect to feel so comfortable and to frankly fall completely in love with the city the way I have.
I love how exciting and cosmopolitan Tokyo is. The city constantly hums with an excitement and energy that gets under your skin and courses through your veins. I felt so alive in Tokyo.
Tokyo carries itself with a distinguished grace but it also has a wicked sense of style. I felt so dumpy-looking and constantly felt under-dressed while in Tokyo. I was amazed how virtually everybody there seems to be a fashionista, or at least extremely style conscious. From the school kids wearing expensive cashmere Burberry scarves as accessories to their standard school uniforms to the teens in Shibuya and Harajuku with the outrageously big anime-style hair-dos (I'm talking about the guys!) and matching elaborate emo-outfits to the young salary men dressed in fine European suits, Tokyo is probably the most fashion-forward city I've ever visited, and I've been to some of the fashion capitals of the world; London, New York, Paris, Milan, Tokyo outdoes them all in terms of the everyday stylishness of its regular citizens.
Even though I only know a handful of tourist phrases in Japanese, I found it remarkably easy to get around with a combination of miming and the average Tokyoite's ability for basic English. Though they'd often coyly reply "no" when I asked "eigo ga hanasemasuka?" (do you speak English), I soon realized that they often did in fact speak it and spoke it quite well and that the "no" was just the subtle self-deprecation and humility typical of the Japanese.
Tokyo is Mecca for foodies! I ate so well while I was there. Having grown up in an Asian household the every-day foods here in Tokyo didn't really surprise me as much as it might for other Westerners. In fact, I loved being able to get prawn chips from a vending machine, and I also loved how my package of assorted rice cracker snacks included little dried, salted fish. Grabbing breakfast from Japanese bakeries every morning was a treat, I love the buns with "sausage" (aka hot dog) baked inside them or the flaky pastries filled with red bean or egg custard, since I'm so used to eating these things when I was growing up, foods that might normally seem odd to Westerners were actually familiar comfort-foods for me.
Other foodie pilgrimage sites that I visited in Tokyo include the Tsukiji Wholesale Fish Market, I visited on my first day since I was jet lagged and you have to get there super early (the action happens between 4am and 8am). Seeing the acres upon acres of every type of seafood imaginable was an awe-inspiring site. I was also able to cap off my visit with a breakfast of the freshest and most delicious sushi I had ever tasted, I'm totally spoiled now, that previously-frozen crap we have at home just won't cut it anymore!
Another interesting site was Kappabashi-dori, the restaurant wholesale supply district where they carried every type of kitchen and restaurant implement you could think of (yes, including kitchen sinks). I especially loved the stores that supplied the plastic food models that many Japanese restaurants display outside their doors, I was tempted to buy one of those faux plates of spaghetti bolognaise, complete with a fork sticking in the air.
The department stores all have restaurant floors where you'll find a collection of eateries ranging from noodle shops to sushi bars and yakitori houses to Italian spaghetti houses and oyster bars. I took full advantage of these essentially upscale food courts. Department stores also have large food markets in their basements and I hit up the one at Isetan regularly to pick up bentos for dinner. The variety of the food available in these places was stunning and I loved the fact that it was all laid out like a fancy boutique. When I bought a piece of cake at a French pastries counter the attendant basically gift-wrapped it for me.
The standard of service in Tokyo is outstanding, it's the best service I have ever had. The service people I encountered in Tokyo were without exception, extremely courteous, polite and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. This fact was especially amazing since there is no tipping in Japan so they really do their jobs so well out of a sense of duty and propriety and not because they want a bigger tip for their service.
Other than the food I just enjoyed being in Tokyo and seeing the sites and having uniquely-Tokyo experiences;
Meeting up with friends at the Hachiko statue in Shibuya then crossing the insane all-cross intersection at the same time as hundreds of other people at Shibuya Crossing,
Window shopping and gawking at all the haute-couture boutiques in Ginza and Omote-Sando,
People-watching in Harajuku (yep, lots of real-life Harajuku girls, and boys),
Shopping in Akihabara the electronics and defacto-Manga district in Tokyo and seeing the girls dressed up as french maids (Maid cafes are huge in Akihabara),
Visiting the international district of Roppongi, going up to the top floor of Roppongi Hills and seeing a breathtaking aerial view of Tokyo from the outdoor Sky Deck on the roof.
Getting lost for half an hour while trying to find my exit in Shinjuku station (the station is the second-busiest commuter train station in the world, serving 3.5 million people daily and it is gigantic, if you take the wrong exit you can end up miles from your destination),
Walking around the blazing neon streets of Shinjuku (the neighborhood where I was staying) was a total sensory experience. It was the Tokyo that I'd always dreamt of. Basically, take all the lights and people on the entire Las Vegas Strip, concentrate it and condense it down to the size of about one New York City block and then repeat and you have Shinjuku. It was constantly a beehive of activity and was as busy at 3am as it was at 3pm.
Also in Shinjuku, I had a great time walking through Kabukicho, the red light district and seeing all the "love hotels" (exactly what you'd think they are with that name) and the Nigerian guys trying to hustle me into strip joints.
These were just some of the highlights from my trip I could go on and on.
I did manage to get out of Tokyo for a couple day-trips. I went temple- and shrine-hopping in Nikko and Kamakura and visited Japan's second largest city Yokohama.
Yokohama was an interesting trip, it has some stunning architecture and the cruise ship terminal in the port was amazing. I also visited Yokohama's famous Chinatown (the largest in Japan) but was somewhat disappointed in it. It definitely is large (several square blocks) but there was something a bit off about it. I described it as a Chinatown if it was run by Disney. There are several Chinese-style buildings and monuments, the lanterns were strung along the alleyways in the hyper-kitchy style but it all seemed a little fake to me. Chinatowns are supposed to be ghettos, they're typically located in the oldest most run-down parts of town, they're supposed to be a bit gritty with all sorts of funky smells and Chinatown restaurants are supposed to be a little bit intimidating to non-Chinese. Think of Spadina Street in Toronto or Canal Street in New York City. Yokohama's Chukagai was clean, the restaurants were impeccable and many had people on the street promoting them, it really made it feel a bit too sterile and artificial to be authentic. Plus when I subtly tried to drop a few words in Cantonese they reverted to Japanese pretty quickly . . . you know it's not a real Chinese restaurant when the owners speak the local language fluently. As for the food, I walked around sampling different items, the food was okay but nothing special and I didn't come across anything I hadn't had a much better version of in Toronto or even in Ottawa.
But every time I day tripped outside of Tokyo I found myself anxious to get back to the city.
I'm completely enamored with Tokyo. I came expecting to feel a bit alienated and alone by the end of my trip and was completely surprised at how comfortable I was in the city. Maybe it's a more-telling truth that after flying half-way around the world and immersing myself in this city of 12 million people, virtually none of whom I know and with whom I can barely communicate, I don't feel any more alienated or less alone than I do back home.
In any case, I really felt at home in Tokyo and it has become one of my all-time favourite cities and I would totally love to spend more time there, maybe even live and work there for a while. I really am sad to have to leave Tokyo and can't wait to come back!
Even though I traveled to Tokyo by myself, I was able to meet-up with several friends who were either also traveling in Japan at the time or working in Japan (Michelle, my friend from University) and I was also able to meet people while I was here (like a whole bunch of people who are teaching English in Japan) so I had people I could hang out with.
I knew Tokyo (and Japan) would present me with an onslaught of new experiences and I was fully bracing for the culture shock that I would experience being plopped into the middle of this hyper-frenetic futuristic mega-metropolis of 12 million people. Unexpectedly, that culture shock never really happened. Even though Tokyo is a huge city packed to the gills with people constantly coming and going at all hours of the day and night, I found it to be clean, organized, remarkably easy to get around and I found Tokyoites to be remarkably courteous and considerate people.
What I didn't expect was to instantly take to Tokyo the way I did and I didn't expect to feel so comfortable and to frankly fall completely in love with the city the way I have.
I love how exciting and cosmopolitan Tokyo is. The city constantly hums with an excitement and energy that gets under your skin and courses through your veins. I felt so alive in Tokyo.
Tokyo carries itself with a distinguished grace but it also has a wicked sense of style. I felt so dumpy-looking and constantly felt under-dressed while in Tokyo. I was amazed how virtually everybody there seems to be a fashionista, or at least extremely style conscious. From the school kids wearing expensive cashmere Burberry scarves as accessories to their standard school uniforms to the teens in Shibuya and Harajuku with the outrageously big anime-style hair-dos (I'm talking about the guys!) and matching elaborate emo-outfits to the young salary men dressed in fine European suits, Tokyo is probably the most fashion-forward city I've ever visited, and I've been to some of the fashion capitals of the world; London, New York, Paris, Milan, Tokyo outdoes them all in terms of the everyday stylishness of its regular citizens.
Even though I only know a handful of tourist phrases in Japanese, I found it remarkably easy to get around with a combination of miming and the average Tokyoite's ability for basic English. Though they'd often coyly reply "no" when I asked "eigo ga hanasemasuka?" (do you speak English), I soon realized that they often did in fact speak it and spoke it quite well and that the "no" was just the subtle self-deprecation and humility typical of the Japanese.
Tokyo is Mecca for foodies! I ate so well while I was there. Having grown up in an Asian household the every-day foods here in Tokyo didn't really surprise me as much as it might for other Westerners. In fact, I loved being able to get prawn chips from a vending machine, and I also loved how my package of assorted rice cracker snacks included little dried, salted fish. Grabbing breakfast from Japanese bakeries every morning was a treat, I love the buns with "sausage" (aka hot dog) baked inside them or the flaky pastries filled with red bean or egg custard, since I'm so used to eating these things when I was growing up, foods that might normally seem odd to Westerners were actually familiar comfort-foods for me.
Other foodie pilgrimage sites that I visited in Tokyo include the Tsukiji Wholesale Fish Market, I visited on my first day since I was jet lagged and you have to get there super early (the action happens between 4am and 8am). Seeing the acres upon acres of every type of seafood imaginable was an awe-inspiring site. I was also able to cap off my visit with a breakfast of the freshest and most delicious sushi I had ever tasted, I'm totally spoiled now, that previously-frozen crap we have at home just won't cut it anymore!
Another interesting site was Kappabashi-dori, the restaurant wholesale supply district where they carried every type of kitchen and restaurant implement you could think of (yes, including kitchen sinks). I especially loved the stores that supplied the plastic food models that many Japanese restaurants display outside their doors, I was tempted to buy one of those faux plates of spaghetti bolognaise, complete with a fork sticking in the air.
The department stores all have restaurant floors where you'll find a collection of eateries ranging from noodle shops to sushi bars and yakitori houses to Italian spaghetti houses and oyster bars. I took full advantage of these essentially upscale food courts. Department stores also have large food markets in their basements and I hit up the one at Isetan regularly to pick up bentos for dinner. The variety of the food available in these places was stunning and I loved the fact that it was all laid out like a fancy boutique. When I bought a piece of cake at a French pastries counter the attendant basically gift-wrapped it for me.
The standard of service in Tokyo is outstanding, it's the best service I have ever had. The service people I encountered in Tokyo were without exception, extremely courteous, polite and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. This fact was especially amazing since there is no tipping in Japan so they really do their jobs so well out of a sense of duty and propriety and not because they want a bigger tip for their service.
Other than the food I just enjoyed being in Tokyo and seeing the sites and having uniquely-Tokyo experiences;
Meeting up with friends at the Hachiko statue in Shibuya then crossing the insane all-cross intersection at the same time as hundreds of other people at Shibuya Crossing,
Window shopping and gawking at all the haute-couture boutiques in Ginza and Omote-Sando,
People-watching in Harajuku (yep, lots of real-life Harajuku girls, and boys),
Shopping in Akihabara the electronics and defacto-Manga district in Tokyo and seeing the girls dressed up as french maids (Maid cafes are huge in Akihabara),
Visiting the international district of Roppongi, going up to the top floor of Roppongi Hills and seeing a breathtaking aerial view of Tokyo from the outdoor Sky Deck on the roof.
Getting lost for half an hour while trying to find my exit in Shinjuku station (the station is the second-busiest commuter train station in the world, serving 3.5 million people daily and it is gigantic, if you take the wrong exit you can end up miles from your destination),
Walking around the blazing neon streets of Shinjuku (the neighborhood where I was staying) was a total sensory experience. It was the Tokyo that I'd always dreamt of. Basically, take all the lights and people on the entire Las Vegas Strip, concentrate it and condense it down to the size of about one New York City block and then repeat and you have Shinjuku. It was constantly a beehive of activity and was as busy at 3am as it was at 3pm.
Also in Shinjuku, I had a great time walking through Kabukicho, the red light district and seeing all the "love hotels" (exactly what you'd think they are with that name) and the Nigerian guys trying to hustle me into strip joints.
These were just some of the highlights from my trip I could go on and on.
I did manage to get out of Tokyo for a couple day-trips. I went temple- and shrine-hopping in Nikko and Kamakura and visited Japan's second largest city Yokohama.
Yokohama was an interesting trip, it has some stunning architecture and the cruise ship terminal in the port was amazing. I also visited Yokohama's famous Chinatown (the largest in Japan) but was somewhat disappointed in it. It definitely is large (several square blocks) but there was something a bit off about it. I described it as a Chinatown if it was run by Disney. There are several Chinese-style buildings and monuments, the lanterns were strung along the alleyways in the hyper-kitchy style but it all seemed a little fake to me. Chinatowns are supposed to be ghettos, they're typically located in the oldest most run-down parts of town, they're supposed to be a bit gritty with all sorts of funky smells and Chinatown restaurants are supposed to be a little bit intimidating to non-Chinese. Think of Spadina Street in Toronto or Canal Street in New York City. Yokohama's Chukagai was clean, the restaurants were impeccable and many had people on the street promoting them, it really made it feel a bit too sterile and artificial to be authentic. Plus when I subtly tried to drop a few words in Cantonese they reverted to Japanese pretty quickly . . . you know it's not a real Chinese restaurant when the owners speak the local language fluently. As for the food, I walked around sampling different items, the food was okay but nothing special and I didn't come across anything I hadn't had a much better version of in Toronto or even in Ottawa.
But every time I day tripped outside of Tokyo I found myself anxious to get back to the city.
I'm completely enamored with Tokyo. I came expecting to feel a bit alienated and alone by the end of my trip and was completely surprised at how comfortable I was in the city. Maybe it's a more-telling truth that after flying half-way around the world and immersing myself in this city of 12 million people, virtually none of whom I know and with whom I can barely communicate, I don't feel any more alienated or less alone than I do back home.
In any case, I really felt at home in Tokyo and it has become one of my all-time favourite cities and I would totally love to spend more time there, maybe even live and work there for a while. I really am sad to have to leave Tokyo and can't wait to come back!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
In Tokyo
So I finally made it to Tokyo after a full day of traveling.
It's insane here, it hasn't even registered with me that I've flown half-way around the world!
I checked into my hotel, it's pretty swanky, it's decorated like a boutique hotel but the room is about the size of a cruise ship cabin . . . should be interesting when my friend comes to visit me next week.
Anyway, I'm off to go sightseeing.
Sayonara
It's insane here, it hasn't even registered with me that I've flown half-way around the world!
I checked into my hotel, it's pretty swanky, it's decorated like a boutique hotel but the room is about the size of a cruise ship cabin . . . should be interesting when my friend comes to visit me next week.
Anyway, I'm off to go sightseeing.
Sayonara
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Chasing the Tokyo dawn
I'm packed and ready to fly to Tokyo!
I'm über-excited about my first trip to Japan. I love traveling and don't do it nearly enough.
I especially love trips where I can explore and discover new cultures. There's something about visiting a country where you can't speak, read or understand the local language and where the social customs are so different than your own frame of reference that really heightens your senses. I'm actually really looking forward to being plopped into the middle of this alien world where I'll definitely be outside of my comfort zone.
I'm also very excited to visit Tokyo. There's something about Tokyo; the blazing neon and concrete jungle, the city that never sleeps, the densely-packed throng of humanity, the frenetic buzz and relentless pace of life, that really appeals to me. I love visiting cosmopolitan, world-class cities and Tokyo, like New York and London has a palpable energy that is derived by the dense accumulation of the sheer number of inhabitants in one space. I love tapping into the energy of the city and feeling it course through my veins. It makes me feel so alive. I can envision myself standing at Shibuya Crossing, staring up at all the neon lights and electronic screens and excitedly proclaiming "Woo!!! I am in Tokyo!!!"
I'm looking forward to exploring the different neighborhoods of Tokyo, the fabulous shopping and of course there's the food. I love sushi and one of the biggest draws of Japan for me is the opportunity to sample some of the freshest and highest quality sushi on the planet. I'm definitely a foodie and I love trying as much of the local cuisine as possible even if it means that those foods are "spoiled" for me. I haven't found gelato quite as tasty as the varieties I had in Italy and I'll never forget how delicious that fresh seafood paella I had in Barcelona tasted. Tokyo is a foodie's wet dream and I intend to take full advantage of it!
Also, I find that when I travel it is almost always a chance for self-discovery and self-realization. The backpacking trip through Europe I did in the summer of 2005 turned out to be one of the most formative experiences of my life. When you leave the comfortable little bubble in which you live and the regimented monotony of the daily grind you are really forced to observe things from a different point of view and I find it really puts things in perspective.
I'm ready to take on the full brunt of what Tokyo and Japan are going to hit me with!
I'm über-excited about my first trip to Japan. I love traveling and don't do it nearly enough.
I especially love trips where I can explore and discover new cultures. There's something about visiting a country where you can't speak, read or understand the local language and where the social customs are so different than your own frame of reference that really heightens your senses. I'm actually really looking forward to being plopped into the middle of this alien world where I'll definitely be outside of my comfort zone.
I'm also very excited to visit Tokyo. There's something about Tokyo; the blazing neon and concrete jungle, the city that never sleeps, the densely-packed throng of humanity, the frenetic buzz and relentless pace of life, that really appeals to me. I love visiting cosmopolitan, world-class cities and Tokyo, like New York and London has a palpable energy that is derived by the dense accumulation of the sheer number of inhabitants in one space. I love tapping into the energy of the city and feeling it course through my veins. It makes me feel so alive. I can envision myself standing at Shibuya Crossing, staring up at all the neon lights and electronic screens and excitedly proclaiming "Woo!!! I am in Tokyo!!!"
I'm looking forward to exploring the different neighborhoods of Tokyo, the fabulous shopping and of course there's the food. I love sushi and one of the biggest draws of Japan for me is the opportunity to sample some of the freshest and highest quality sushi on the planet. I'm definitely a foodie and I love trying as much of the local cuisine as possible even if it means that those foods are "spoiled" for me. I haven't found gelato quite as tasty as the varieties I had in Italy and I'll never forget how delicious that fresh seafood paella I had in Barcelona tasted. Tokyo is a foodie's wet dream and I intend to take full advantage of it!
Also, I find that when I travel it is almost always a chance for self-discovery and self-realization. The backpacking trip through Europe I did in the summer of 2005 turned out to be one of the most formative experiences of my life. When you leave the comfortable little bubble in which you live and the regimented monotony of the daily grind you are really forced to observe things from a different point of view and I find it really puts things in perspective.
I'm ready to take on the full brunt of what Tokyo and Japan are going to hit me with!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Dreaming of a Midsummer's Night
I just got back from this amazing production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's dream directed by Tim Supple and featuring an Indian/Sri Lankan cast. It was performed half in English and half in various Indian dialects like Hindi, Bengali, Sinhalese and Sanskrit.
First of all the production design was visually stunning; there were live musicians playing Indian instruments and I found that the incorporation of Indian cultural elements like song and dance actually made the "fantasy" elements of the play a lot more organic and flowing.
I was amazed at how amazingly multi-disciplinary the cast was, not only were they required to deliver Shakespeare (which they did with a passion, emotion and raw sexual energy I've not seen in any Western Shakespearean production) and to be able to dance and sing but the staging also incorporated a lot of physical/aerial acrobatic elements. They had a climbing wall as the back drop and the actors would scamper up and down as they delivered lines.
The performance also featured quite a bit of web and aerial silks skills but they were incorporated into the staging, the "fairy" characters would use them to descend from the back wall or swing out, or they were used as hammocks for when the characters slept.
I thought it was so awesome that the actress playing Titania (Queen of the Fairies) would deliver her full Shakespearean monologue then climb up a strand of silks.
There were also a few abstract scenes where the artists did roll downs and other tricks on the webs and silks. It was amazingly well-done and completely flowed with the action of the play.
It was very avant-garde but also surprisingly accessible, I don't remember the last time the audience was on their feet dancing and rhythmically clapping along at the end of Shakespearean play performance.
Check out the video trailer at the show's website: http://www.dreamonstage.co.uk/ it gives you a sense of the energy and visual splendor of the production.
First of all the production design was visually stunning; there were live musicians playing Indian instruments and I found that the incorporation of Indian cultural elements like song and dance actually made the "fantasy" elements of the play a lot more organic and flowing.
I was amazed at how amazingly multi-disciplinary the cast was, not only were they required to deliver Shakespeare (which they did with a passion, emotion and raw sexual energy I've not seen in any Western Shakespearean production) and to be able to dance and sing but the staging also incorporated a lot of physical/aerial acrobatic elements. They had a climbing wall as the back drop and the actors would scamper up and down as they delivered lines.
The performance also featured quite a bit of web and aerial silks skills but they were incorporated into the staging, the "fairy" characters would use them to descend from the back wall or swing out, or they were used as hammocks for when the characters slept.
I thought it was so awesome that the actress playing Titania (Queen of the Fairies) would deliver her full Shakespearean monologue then climb up a strand of silks.
There were also a few abstract scenes where the artists did roll downs and other tricks on the webs and silks. It was amazingly well-done and completely flowed with the action of the play.
It was very avant-garde but also surprisingly accessible, I don't remember the last time the audience was on their feet dancing and rhythmically clapping along at the end of Shakespearean play performance.
Check out the video trailer at the show's website: http://www.dreamonstage.co.uk/ it gives you a sense of the energy and visual splendor of the production.
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