No focus in the sense that this blog really didn’t have any real goal or purpose. It started off as a cool thing to do (all the cool kids are doing it), then a personal soap box and finally a bit of news reporting. To be frank, I failed at all of those. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling myself a failure in a self-deprecating way. I mean in the best, post-mortem way. To realize the err of one’s way is the first step to recovery and prevention.

So let’s consider this a first step in that recovery.

At the behest of one of my biggest supporters (Mom, of course), I will use my first post as a guideline for the future of this blog. Additionally, since I find myself usually at a loss when asked to give a story about my life, I will try to present my diary-like log entries in some sort of prose-like format. To not pigeonhole myself, to allow my creative juices to flow and respect other creatives, I will attempt to use a different style of writing for each post — short story, poetry, haiku, quotation.

I’ll also try to be less sophomoric. It’ll be hard (that’s what she said) but I must try. My current age is not what is dictating the change (32) but instead my desire to really be taken more seriously… by myself.

Welcome to my new. Say hello to Hand Signal Before Turning.

I’m pretty weird.

I love it!

Coming soon to a consumer device near you. For NDA reasons, I can’t tell you who or what product, but let’s just say if our fairweather friend doesn’t fare the weather so well, Mallocat will apeerz!

I have found my home.

I never should’ve left. Granted I did visit as a tourist, but I did avoid the typical tourist traps (excluding Meiji Shrine). Even in my short stay (1 week), I believe I have seen enough to warrant my proclaimation. I have visited over 10 countries in my (short) lifetime but Japan is hands-down the best country I’ve ever visited. Actually, this was my second time and it was just as life-changing as it was the first time I visited. I’ve gone to Mexico, Canada, Poland, Ireland, Switzerland, Russia, Finland, Estonia, Japan and obviously the States — Japan was the only place that I really felt that I could I fit in, even as a gaijin. I didn’t get stared at, talked down, knocked over (except for some arrogant American broad), slighted, ignored, second guessed or just plain disrespected as I normally get here in the States on a regular, almost daily basis. Additionally, it’s no secret that they are generally more technologically advanced than we are — we have the States and the nuclear bombs to thank for that though. (Just so you understand I’m not being disrespectful, after WWII ended by the extreme tatic of nuclear warfare, William Demming basically turned Japan around to a management powerhouse that eventually surpassed the efficiency of the States best run companies). The US is a top notch country and I try not to take for granted the liberties that I do have here. Hell, in other countries, blogs like this would be shut down immediately (especially my really nervious post). The catch is, the laws written to support and enforce our “liberties” are actually just done to educate the bigoted majority.

Ok, ok… I’m getting off my soap box.
You prolly don’t care about this stuff anyway. All you care about is the cool stuff I saw in Nihon and report it.
And report it I shall. So, for my first post, I will talk about my new Elysium keyboard (that I am having such a hard time typing on since it’s a Japanese keyboard)…

Yes, that’s right folks. I’m going to the land of the rising sun. The wonderiferous place where Love Hotels are populous and guns are far and few between. So what does this mean to you? It means, many beautiful pictures of me gloating and having a great time in Nippon. It also means I can backup all those comments I made about the Japan being crazysexycool. (For example…)

So, sit tight. I’m not going just yet. I just purchased the tickets ($1k for a full week!!) and won’t be leaving until November. Until then, expect a billion posts on everything related to Japan (except for that freaky kigurumi stuff) and how much fun I’m going to have.

As an example, I think they’ve outdone themselves with this one. Just think for a moment. Think about all those times when you felt like visiting your friends but you were just too lazy. Well, guess what? With the new Mutual Telexistence robot gTELESAR 2h (yeah… that’s the full name), you can be there and even FEEL what’s happening! That’s right, this robot actually utilizies force feedback to recreate physical contact that is applied to the slave robot!!
Ok.. So it’s not really that cool, but hey, you have to give it to them. Besides, when all else fails, just remember it was the Japanese who gave us Tranzor-Z with the breast firing rockets and friggin Super Milk Chan.
Word to your mother, Pikachu. Word to your mother.

Update: I almost forgot! The lonely Japanese women are just as lucky! The menfolk get the lap pillow and the sessy ladies get the boyfriend’s arm!

Well you get the point. But I guess the biggest part was the fact that Chicago has great emotional and cultural value to me. I’ve never really considered the ‘burbs a place that can be inspiring and increase to the spice of life. Maybe the value, but not be muse to explore and grow spiritually.

Either way, I’m here. When I spent the last few moments in my place today, I have a very, VERY long prayer. In this single day, I saw many amazing things. I saw 8, EIGHT of my friends from all walks of life and different stages of my life come to help me in the truest sense of the word. They came without demands of repayment. They just did it because I’m their friend. Now I’m not saying that because I’m jaded and didn’t expect that, but I’m saying it because I needed a reminder that I really am blessed. And I have to say, in recent memory, this was definitely one of my most life-changing, life-grateful days. This whole move helped me to realize that in the 5 years I stayed at lake meadows that I was actually moving forward, even though I didn’t think I was for the past couple of years. It’s like I was in mid-step all this time and each day I was making an infinitesimal step but didn’t realize it. The last 3 years have been very depressing for me because I couldn’t comprehend that I actually was moving forward… just not at a visible pace. Now me where I am by what I did, I have realized that I actually am. Now the question is, have I finally completed a step or am I step mid-step but just at an apex? Better yet, does it really matter? I really doesn’t. More so than anything else, I have to remember that I have been blessed with wonderful opportunities to move forward everyday; it’s called life in the most basic sense. Being able to wake up everyday and decide how I’m going to go through the interesting events that I may go through.

Yes, this is a big step for me. I have realized just how wonderful my life has been though I felt like it wasn’t. Yeah, I’ve got the basic, social markers for success; good job, nice car, nice apartment, decent clothes, cool gadgets, wonderful friends, great metabolism, yada yada yada. But what is best is that I’ve realized that life is as good as you think it is and today I thought it is amazing.

(I have to personally thank Frankie, Renato, Chalmus, Steve, Al (!), Jelani, Brandon, Dad and Mom (’cause Mom always gets the last hug . You have made me feel like the happiest person on the planet. See? Here’s a man tear :~) )