When In Doubt, Write

It's been a while since I've actually written out a proper, non-gushing about Tokyo / ranting entry. Actually, I'm pretty sick of talking about Tokyo because everyone has been asking me about it. Which is understandable and I'm genuinely...touched...that people care enough to ask - or maybe it just makes for good conversation - but I don't exactly enjoy repeating myself, time and again, like the proverbial echo pedal.

So I should just say what I have to here and be done with it. Photos are going to be up on Facebook for visual accompaniment. Tokyo.

Tokyo. Controlled chaos. It's amazing that a city of more than 20 million, with the potential to be so unwieldy, is actually so orderly. No doubt a testament to the - I shall choose my words carefully - unique qualities of the Japanese people. Yes they can be annoyingly insular. Yes all the politeness does get a little too much at times. Yes their soldiers bayoneted babies and raped civilians during the war. But there's something...an indefinable quality about the Japanese people - that makes them, dare I say it, somehow superior to their Asian neighbors. I'm wading into a very sensitive topic here, although I've never been one for PC bullshit, and since I am Chinese, I'll say it, the Japanese race is superior to other Asian races. They are top of the heap, kings of the hill. From the way everyone keeps to the left on escalators, lets passengers on trains alight before boarding, tries their best (well, mostly everyone) to help you with directions, even with halting English and wild hand gestures, dresses sharply...hell even the homeless don't beg, which stands in stark contrast to the story I heard of a beggar child in China who spit and swore at my friend when his party didn't want to give him money.

I'm not saying that the Japanese have more of a right to be alive than the rest of us - although if there was any country that should be faced with a declining population, I would much prefer it be China instead (ooh that is going to get me in hot soup with a lot of people) - but...it's inexplicable really. They seem to glide while the rest of us mere mortals trudge.

So...my discourse on Tokyo has morphed into what might as well be a World War 2 era propaganda speech, perhaps its best that I stop here. Plans for mid-year break include Taipei and Hong Kong/Bangkok, am especially looking forward to the former as I have not been there before.

Let me go back to describing my day. A lot less controversial I think. It was long. Criminal Law seminar, photoshoot for FOCC which was really quite fun (the exhibitionist in me came out at certain points), meeting with D&N to discuss sponsorship, gym at Cali Republic Plaza for the first (and I suspect last) time, and then to T3 to see Rachel off. Yalan was there too to see off her friend Mag, who is going to Manchester for exchange. If my big NYU plans come to nought, I would consider applying for Manchester I suppose, if only because Meng is there. I miss Meng.

And Weiren. Even though he's physically here. Sometimes it feels like he isn't.