I've been living in Tokyo for almost a year now, and Shibuya and Harajuku have been my most visited places from the start, but only recently have I had invader sightings in these two breeding grounds of street culture. Yes, how they have slipped right under my nose baffles me as well. Let's not discuss that... But I do have a possible explanation: most of the ones I've found look very new, which could possibly mean that Monsieur Invader has been among us here in Tokyo in recent times... DUN DUN DUN! #excitement #probablyonlyme
Anyway, below are my sightings, and note: one photo also captures the sasquatch. That one is priceless. Cheers.
If you'd like to see my Bangkok Invasion collection from wayyyy before, I've linked them here:
Good morning. I am up before it gets too uncomfortably hot here, and I am feeling inspired.
So... one shot music videos... are they not amazing? We tend to notice them or are at least subconsciously captured by them because our eyes have become so used to frequent cuts within a scene. When something uninterrupted comes along, the subtle fluidity takes hold of our senses, making us forget that Coke we wanted to go grab or that trivial message we had the urge to text. Then we find ourselves occupied with wondering how many takes it took to get the shot down.
One shots were what was on my mind when I woke up, so here are my picks to accompany your Sunday morning. Intended to keep them current - within 5 years - and feature ones that aren't just still frames of the singer singing (though I will mention some of those at the bottom):
1. Kiesza - Hideaway (2014)
If you haven't seen this already, you are not caught up. But that's okay; this is why I'm here. Relive the 90s in 2014 with this addictive one shot dance number.
2. Phoenix - Trying To Be Cool (2013)
Oh, Phoenix. You never have to try.
3. Panic! At The Disco - Girls/Girls/Boys (2013)
I was going to say this one's for all you ladies out there, but hey if "girls like girls and boys" then perhaps boys like boys and girls too. #BrendonUrie #sexy
4. The Royal Concept - Gimme Twice (2012)
I'm waiting for this to be confirmed as a sleeper hit. Right now it's still sleeping. I'm surprised (but also thankful as a hipster) that this band hasn't received the attention I think it deserves. I don't know, give-em' twice a watch. gave myself a high five right there
4. Potato - ง่ายๆ ngai ngai (2011)
A bit emo and over-dramatic from one of the most famous Thai bands, nevertheless, so addictive.
5. OK Go - White Knuckle (2010)
... Or really just any other OK Go music video. They do a lot of this deadpan, random stuff, like the famous treadmill routine, Here It Goes Again, in 2009, and it never gets old. Anyway, in regards to this one, I totally chuckled at 2:20.
Bonus: OK Go - This Too Shall Pass (2010)
The kings of one-shots deserve another feature here.
"Oh, I was studying in Japan at the time," I will one day have to answer when my kids ask about the 2014 coup after hearing about it in history class.
It has been pretty surreal living outside of Thailand during what seems to be particularly crazy year in Thai politics. Sure, I've always been "one of those" who doesn't like to step on other people's toes in the hazardous dance of political opinions, but it is really strange to for once not be able to rely on my senses to perceive what is going on in Thailand. Since when I was in high school (when I would say the contemporary atmosphere of instability in Thai politics started) I had a thing for checking up on what international news had to say about local issues just to dismiss it all as default "Western" views of situations so rich with unique history and culture. I mean, even having lived in Thailand for 20 years, I feel that I've only mastered the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Thai political history; but at least, I was a present stakeholder in the turmoil.
So, not being on the ground in Thailand as last night's coup rolled out, in the past 24 hours I have given the most attention I have ever to Facebook statuses. This feels like intense research - collecting little bits from all these primary sources and trying to get the big picture out of it all. And well here is it. The big picture, according to my friends [taken as posted, unless translated from Thai to English]:
Other than that, there have been several quips about the military tunes playing in lieu of the television programs that have been taken off the air. Some jokingly asking what the name of the "catchy" song is or calling it General Prayuth's jam. A few - I would say an unremarkable number but my social circles may be very different from another Thai person's - have changed their profile picture to black or a picture of Kim Jong-un applauding with "Thailand" superimposed on the top. Some have also posted this monochromatic Thai flag in longer, essay-like posts:
In conclusion, the general sentiment is either hopelessness for Thailand in having a stable, democratic government or... "damn, I have to get real food now cuz convenient stores are closed!"
I declare Wednesdays the new Monday. Hating on Monday is out of style, says the trendsetter. Let's get back to basic science and arithmetic here. Wednesday is the middle of the week, thus the equilibrium of weariness and hopelessness: you have worked for 2 days, and you have 2 more days to work.
But rules of logic aside, the reason Wednesday throws me off in particular is because it's the day of the week I return from my internship to a very random curriculum at university. Remember that childhood game of making a delayed whirlpool in your water bottle by thrusting the bottle upright forward and then stopping the action abruptly? I feel like that water on Wednesdays. It's mind-numbing starting the day with a Japanese class you find tough, then moving on to get-out-your-color-pens-and-draw-a-mind-map class (I HAVE HATED MIND MAPS SINCE THE FIRST GRADE WHEN I WAS INTRODUCED TO THEM), to finally a 3-hour business class, which should be renamed "Common Sense 101" for the sake of disclosure.
But how was Wednesday this week different for me? I won the good class partner lottery.
In that get-out-your-color-pens class, we drew numbers from a bag, and I got lucky number 13. Lucky because of who in the class had the other 13.
Unintentional sabotage by leaving class without returning this.
His name was Christian, and he and I were supposed to share our mind maps (Gosh, I can't even type that word without cringing) to each other in Japanese. Christian went first, and I'm glad he did because 2 words he said ended the assignment for us: Melbourne + coffee. That was it. Done. What could have been a very drab/awkward/unremarkable class assignment had I matched up with a person who cared for mind map conversations became the type of delightful first encounter you tend not to expect after 7 weeks into the semester, much less 8 months into a program.
It is always a bursting pleasure for me to remember my beautiful experience in Melbourne with someone, and it only got more interesting with the topic of coffee. He told me that he is on a "coffee pilgrimage" while in Japan and proceeded to show me his guidebook:
A little hooked on this page because drip is how I was taught coffee.
This magazine is actually in my possession right now because he lent it to me then and there! You can guess I'll be studying Tokyo geography this week - mapping out cafes that is. Even as a longtime enthusiast of coffee, I admit that meeting Christian and his magazine was like a double or triple shot of motivation in a watered-down while #metaphoralert. Hoping to share a moment of Christian's pilgrimage soon!
[Sorry not sorry if I shattered the golddiggin' dreams you had upon reading the title of this post.]
