Dreams and Memes
Nov. 10th, 2010 10:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blodeueddRarely do I remember dreams with any type of narrative, because I usually remember the ones I have between waking up the first time, falling into a doze and waking up again, so they're not dreams that usually make much sense. This morning, however, I woke up from the dream itself, before my alarm.
I was in a city, probably somewhere in western or northern Europe (though it could have been Boston, for all I know -- I've never been there), and it was winter. I was sort of but not really dating an older man (or rather I was his protégée of sorts, something along those lines), and at one point I thought to myself, "Oh great, it's like G all over again!" Though to be fair, G wasn't really old, though he was nearly 8 years older than I am. Anyway, this guy was in his late 50s, a distinguished-looking older gentleman. I think he might have been Russian. He was taking me to a gathering of some friends of his, and it was to be a high society type thing, in a gorgeously appointed old apartment (for some reason I knew what the apartment looked like). I had a dress suitable for the occasion, but had no shoes, as I had been going about town in my winter boots -- obviously, I couldn't wear those into the apartment!
The hotel or pension I was staying at had a maid who had an interesting reputation; she would trade for things, and could get you pretty much anything you wanted. She wasn't a thief, exactly, though her dealings were apparently sometimes shady. Someone knew about my shoe situation, and must have told her about it, because she showed up in my room the next day saying she'd get me some shoes. Then she started putting the moves on me, and there was definitely some rolling around on the bed.
Later on, I found a pair of shoes in my room, and assumed they were from her. However, I was told afterward that they were actually from the older man, and that he'd come to give them to me, but left without seeing me. Maybe he'd seen me with the maid? I felt really bad about it, because I knew it must have hurt him terribly, but at the same time, we hadn't been officially together or had a formal agreement or anything. Still, I prepared to go to the gathering with him.
That's when I woke up.
Hah, all this is just to try to make up for the really quick job I did of writing yesterday. To be fair, I worked all day, then went to ballet class, and collapsed onto my futon as soon as I got home.
Day 10 - Something about Japan that sets it apart from anywhere else.
The vending machines!
Seriously, there are about a million things I could answer to this, such as the language, the omnipresence of cute mascots and characters, or the Japanese love for raw fish, but to me, vending machines are the most obvious ones. Of all the places I've visited, nowhere have I seen so many vending machines, and for so many different things. Sure, mostly they sell drinks, but that's generally not something you see in residential neighbourhoods in other countries, or at least the ones I've been to.
That ties in to a larger idea, though, which is that of convenience. In some ways, Japan (though I should really say Tokyo, I guess, since I know it's not the same out in the inaka*!) is an easy place to live in. Where else can you pay your bills at your local convenience store? On the other hand, some things that you THINK would be more user friendly, like hospitals, have really restricted opening hours, as do deliveries. But where else can you reschedule a post office delivery for Sunday morning?
* Oh, that's one I forgot for Day 7 -- inaka is a great word! XD
Day 01 - A picture of you "in Japan". (doing or wearing something "Japanese")
Day 02 - Describe your neighbourhood in Japan.
Day 03 - Most interesting person you've met.
Day 04 - What's your favourite place that's not in any of the guidebooks/lists of places to visit?
Day 05 - Which, if any, Japanese mannerisms or expressions have you adopted?
Day 06 - Food that you swore you would never eat but now love (or tolerate).
Day 07 - Which Japanese words do you use in English? (hanami, shinkansen, etc.)
Day 08 - Are you a Herbivore or Carnivore? S or M?
Day 09 - Favourite stores/shopping centers.
Day 10 - Something about Japan that sets it apart from anywhere else.
Day 11 - What did you find most overrated and underrated about Japan?
Day 12 - Describe a fail!gaijin moment. (Where you did something wrong or completely misunderstood because you couldn't ~read the air~ or just plain had no idea what you were supposed to do because you weren't born and raised here) Describe a gaijin!smash moment (Where your foreignness was to your benefit)
Day 13 - How is daily life in Japan different from how it was back in your home country?
Day 14 - What is the hardest thing about living in Japan versus your home country?
Day 15 - Weirdest food item you've seen, and weirdest food item you've actually eaten.
Day 16 - How you realised you'd acclimated to Japan. (if you have)
Day 17 - Your karaoke top 5, your sushi top 5, your conbini top 5.
Day 18 - Post some amusing/cute/faily purikura.
Day 19 - Your favourite Japanese character(s) and Gachapon/UFO Catcher toys
Day 20 - Favourite Japanese festival or folklore.
Day 21 - Favourite and least favorite Japanese fashion trends.
Day 22 - Your favourite Japanese saying or kotowaza (proverb).
Day 23 - What is something you have/do in Japan that you wish you had/could do in your home country?
Day 24 - Your favourite Japanese slang or borrow-word (外来語), e.g. セフレ "sex friend"
Day 25 - Most interesting vending machine find.
Day 26 - What's your favourite/least favourite train line?
Day 27 - Place you avoid going to if at all possible.
Day 28 - A picture of you looking like a weaboo/A picture of you trying to blend in and failing.
Day 29 - What's the thing you [will] miss the most about Japan when you leave (either on vacation, or move away)?
Day 30 - Did Japan meet your expectations, both good and bad? What has been the most surprising thing about Japan for you, or the thing you least expected?
Day 10 – What you wore today
I'm in the mood to go into great detail about this. You've been warned.
I woke up wearing current house wear top, which is an old long-sleeved t-shirt that I've cut so only the sleeves and a tiny bit of the collar remain, over which I put a black t-shirt with "HAWAII" (with lots of flowers) on the front, which I did indeed get in Hawaii, and also white cotton panties with lace along the top. Then I showered, and wore my towel robe (which I made using three old towels) and another towel wrapped around my head until I got dressed to go to work.
For most of the day, I wore black panties, a purple camisole/bra thing, a purple and white striped tank top from Uniqlo, knee-high striped socks (violet, navy, magenta and black), dark wash skinny jeans (they're not so skinny anymore, I've worn them too much! Must get a new pair), and a black long-sleeved t-shirt, over which I put the grew t-shirt-type top I got in China (the one with the huge sequins on it). I also wore the same pair of earrings I wore to Masa's concert; one is a large blue dangly rhinestone, the other is danglier and is a bunch of smaller beads and chains. Outside, I wore my turquoise pashmina-style scarf, the silver jacket my mother sent me, and my new anke boots.
When I got back home, I took everything off except the panties, and put my house wear top back on, as well as a pair of knee-high striped fuzzy socks (cream, magenta and navy), black and pink gym pants I've had forever, and a turquoise sweater from l'Ile d'Orléans that I've had for over half my life.
I've also been wearing my glasses for most of the day, though I wore my sunglasses on the way to work this morning.
Day 01 - Introduce yourself
Day 02 - Your first love
Day 03 - Your parents
Day 04 - What you ate today
Day 05 - Your definition of love
Day 06 – Your day
Day 07 – Your best friend
Day 08 – A moment
Day 09 – Your beliefs
Day 10 – What you wore today
Day 11 – Your siblings
Day 12 – What's in your bag
Day 13 – This week
Day 14 – What you wore today
Day 15 – Your dreams
Day 16 – Your first kiss
Day 17 – Your favourite memory
Day 18 – Your favourite birthday
Day 19 – Something you regret
Day 20 – This month
Day 21 – Another moment
Day 22 – Something that upsets you
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry
Day 25 – A first
Day 26 – Your fears
Day 27 – Your favourite place
Day 28 – Something that you miss
Day 29 – Your aspirations
Day 30 – One last moment
I was in a city, probably somewhere in western or northern Europe (though it could have been Boston, for all I know -- I've never been there), and it was winter. I was sort of but not really dating an older man (or rather I was his protégée of sorts, something along those lines), and at one point I thought to myself, "Oh great, it's like G all over again!" Though to be fair, G wasn't really old, though he was nearly 8 years older than I am. Anyway, this guy was in his late 50s, a distinguished-looking older gentleman. I think he might have been Russian. He was taking me to a gathering of some friends of his, and it was to be a high society type thing, in a gorgeously appointed old apartment (for some reason I knew what the apartment looked like). I had a dress suitable for the occasion, but had no shoes, as I had been going about town in my winter boots -- obviously, I couldn't wear those into the apartment!
The hotel or pension I was staying at had a maid who had an interesting reputation; she would trade for things, and could get you pretty much anything you wanted. She wasn't a thief, exactly, though her dealings were apparently sometimes shady. Someone knew about my shoe situation, and must have told her about it, because she showed up in my room the next day saying she'd get me some shoes. Then she started putting the moves on me, and there was definitely some rolling around on the bed.
Later on, I found a pair of shoes in my room, and assumed they were from her. However, I was told afterward that they were actually from the older man, and that he'd come to give them to me, but left without seeing me. Maybe he'd seen me with the maid? I felt really bad about it, because I knew it must have hurt him terribly, but at the same time, we hadn't been officially together or had a formal agreement or anything. Still, I prepared to go to the gathering with him.
That's when I woke up.
Hah, all this is just to try to make up for the really quick job I did of writing yesterday. To be fair, I worked all day, then went to ballet class, and collapsed onto my futon as soon as I got home.
Day 10 - Something about Japan that sets it apart from anywhere else.
The vending machines!
Seriously, there are about a million things I could answer to this, such as the language, the omnipresence of cute mascots and characters, or the Japanese love for raw fish, but to me, vending machines are the most obvious ones. Of all the places I've visited, nowhere have I seen so many vending machines, and for so many different things. Sure, mostly they sell drinks, but that's generally not something you see in residential neighbourhoods in other countries, or at least the ones I've been to.
That ties in to a larger idea, though, which is that of convenience. In some ways, Japan (though I should really say Tokyo, I guess, since I know it's not the same out in the inaka*!) is an easy place to live in. Where else can you pay your bills at your local convenience store? On the other hand, some things that you THINK would be more user friendly, like hospitals, have really restricted opening hours, as do deliveries. But where else can you reschedule a post office delivery for Sunday morning?
* Oh, that's one I forgot for Day 7 -- inaka is a great word! XD
Day 02 - Describe your neighbourhood in Japan.
Day 03 - Most interesting person you've met.
Day 04 - What's your favourite place that's not in any of the guidebooks/lists of places to visit?
Day 05 - Which, if any, Japanese mannerisms or expressions have you adopted?
Day 06 - Food that you swore you would never eat but now love (or tolerate).
Day 07 - Which Japanese words do you use in English? (hanami, shinkansen, etc.)
Day 08 - Are you a Herbivore or Carnivore? S or M?
Day 09 - Favourite stores/shopping centers.
Day 10 - Something about Japan that sets it apart from anywhere else.
Day 11 - What did you find most overrated and underrated about Japan?
Day 12 - Describe a fail!gaijin moment. (Where you did something wrong or completely misunderstood because you couldn't ~read the air~ or just plain had no idea what you were supposed to do because you weren't born and raised here) Describe a gaijin!smash moment (Where your foreignness was to your benefit)
Day 13 - How is daily life in Japan different from how it was back in your home country?
Day 14 - What is the hardest thing about living in Japan versus your home country?
Day 15 - Weirdest food item you've seen, and weirdest food item you've actually eaten.
Day 16 - How you realised you'd acclimated to Japan. (if you have)
Day 17 - Your karaoke top 5, your sushi top 5, your conbini top 5.
Day 18 - Post some amusing/cute/faily purikura.
Day 19 - Your favourite Japanese character(s) and Gachapon/UFO Catcher toys
Day 20 - Favourite Japanese festival or folklore.
Day 21 - Favourite and least favorite Japanese fashion trends.
Day 22 - Your favourite Japanese saying or kotowaza (proverb).
Day 23 - What is something you have/do in Japan that you wish you had/could do in your home country?
Day 24 - Your favourite Japanese slang or borrow-word (外来語), e.g. セフレ "sex friend"
Day 25 - Most interesting vending machine find.
Day 26 - What's your favourite/least favourite train line?
Day 27 - Place you avoid going to if at all possible.
Day 28 - A picture of you looking like a weaboo/A picture of you trying to blend in and failing.
Day 29 - What's the thing you [will] miss the most about Japan when you leave (either on vacation, or move away)?
Day 30 - Did Japan meet your expectations, both good and bad? What has been the most surprising thing about Japan for you, or the thing you least expected?
Day 10 – What you wore today
I'm in the mood to go into great detail about this. You've been warned.
I woke up wearing current house wear top, which is an old long-sleeved t-shirt that I've cut so only the sleeves and a tiny bit of the collar remain, over which I put a black t-shirt with "HAWAII" (with lots of flowers) on the front, which I did indeed get in Hawaii, and also white cotton panties with lace along the top. Then I showered, and wore my towel robe (which I made using three old towels) and another towel wrapped around my head until I got dressed to go to work.
For most of the day, I wore black panties, a purple camisole/bra thing, a purple and white striped tank top from Uniqlo, knee-high striped socks (violet, navy, magenta and black), dark wash skinny jeans (they're not so skinny anymore, I've worn them too much! Must get a new pair), and a black long-sleeved t-shirt, over which I put the grew t-shirt-type top I got in China (the one with the huge sequins on it). I also wore the same pair of earrings I wore to Masa's concert; one is a large blue dangly rhinestone, the other is danglier and is a bunch of smaller beads and chains. Outside, I wore my turquoise pashmina-style scarf, the silver jacket my mother sent me, and my new anke boots.
When I got back home, I took everything off except the panties, and put my house wear top back on, as well as a pair of knee-high striped fuzzy socks (cream, magenta and navy), black and pink gym pants I've had forever, and a turquoise sweater from l'Ile d'Orléans that I've had for over half my life.
I've also been wearing my glasses for most of the day, though I wore my sunglasses on the way to work this morning.
Day 02 - Your first love
Day 03 - Your parents
Day 04 - What you ate today
Day 05 - Your definition of love
Day 06 – Your day
Day 07 – Your best friend
Day 08 – A moment
Day 09 – Your beliefs
Day 10 – What you wore today
Day 11 – Your siblings
Day 12 – What's in your bag
Day 13 – This week
Day 14 – What you wore today
Day 15 – Your dreams
Day 16 – Your first kiss
Day 17 – Your favourite memory
Day 18 – Your favourite birthday
Day 19 – Something you regret
Day 20 – This month
Day 21 – Another moment
Day 22 – Something that upsets you
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry
Day 25 – A first
Day 26 – Your fears
Day 27 – Your favourite place
Day 28 – Something that you miss
Day 29 – Your aspirations
Day 30 – One last moment
