Time's the Problem

I simply don't have enough time to do everything I strive to. It's been a whirl since I landed on Sunday, rushing to stock up on basic necessities I took for granted back home, trying to figure out the online subject registration system and choosing my courses, fighting jet lag, meeting new people and friends of friends, and trying to stay in touch with people back home. Classes start on Monday and I have assigned readings that I'm not going to have the time to get through because I'm leaving for Philly tomorrow, and am spending Saturday night there and Sunday with Britney at the Circus! Haha can't wait. But yes, time is not on my side and so I'll just record down a few observations for posterity.

1. I LOVE the box stores! Against my better and more sophisticated judgment, I can't help but be amazed by the giant chains that have invaded my neighborhood and have made it resemble, as far as is possible (without urm, replacing some of the inhabitants - there was a crazy man with a pet cat today, wtf!), a soulless suburb. Even now, I wander around in slight disbelief that I really am here.

2. It's a lot harder to socialize and establish relationships than I thought it would be. And I'm not in a terribly friendly mood really. All so tiring. But I have met some interesting people (mostly from Asian countries - yes yes, disappointing I know) with stories to tell, I wonder if mine measure up?

3. I've spent most of my time so far retracing areas I've already been to back in December, but a certain thrill comes over me when I see the CVS near the Westin, or walk along the perimeter of the White House, or sit in the very same spot where I checked my exam results on that cold winder night - or urm, less pleasant memories when I walked past Lamda Rising.

4. We inadvertently set off the security alarm twice 2 nights ago and lo and behold, the police showed up 15 minutes later. Good to know they're doing their jobs, god knows DC needs as many of them to do so as possible.

5. The area around the Law Center is pretty sketch. Last night Keith saw someone getting arrested, there are always police cars and sirens at night, and today I saw a man drinking from a bottle and then dancing on the street, and an individual of undeterminable gender (always so unfortunate) singing along to the music his/her headphones were plugged into. Sounded like something they'd show on the first few episodes of American Idol - aka a disaster.

6. Attended a moot court last night that turned out to be way more interesting than I thought it would be. Its going to be argued before the Supreme Court in the upcoming term, and the lawyer who is representing the appellant government is a law professor who is also the director of the appellate litigation clinic at Gtown Law. How cool is that? You had 3 professors as judges and another as counsel for the respondent Stevens, and the latter has argued several dozen cases before the Supreme Court. It was an amazing performance. Basically, the respondent is alleging that a statute enacted by the federal government is invalid as it infringes on his protection to free speech as provided for in the First Amendment. Can't wait to see the actual argument in court!

7. Cooked my first meal today. It was breakfast but turned out to be lunch because I woke up late. Scrambled eggs. People usually enjoy what they cook because, well, they've cooked it, but I can tell you that it was pretty bad. It just tasted off, even though I was liberal with the salt and pepper. And the remnants of egg stuck onto the surface of the pan and I had to spend a good 5 - 10 minutes just scrubbing everything off. I cannot cook to save my life.

8. Went out for drinks yesterday (my first!) and woo hoo hoo alcohol is relatively cheap! Like, 5 bucks for a cocktail. 6 after tip but yeah, still quite reasonable. The venues were actually rather crowded considering it was a Thursday night.

9. Oh yes the law gym is something else. Not as huge as California Fitness, but several times the size of the one at BTC and with almost all the machines available at any mega gym. TV on the treadmills and all that. And classes! And an indoor swimming pool. How sweet is that?

All in all, I've had a great time so far, although I dread the start of school and all the reading and work (urgh work) that's going to come with it. Other thing would be the socializing. I haven't exactly been a very social animal. I almost can't be arsed and that scares me. As insecure as ever.

DC can be rough, but it seems like my initial assessment after visiting in Dec was misguided. There does seem to be lots to do here, and even if that proves to be untrue, there's certainly plenty of traveling to be done. Talk to you guys in Philadelphia =D

Nowhere in Narita

NH 902 from SIN to NRT was uneventful – it seemed to go by faster than the actual 7 hours, and unlike the Jetstar flight to Vietnam at the beginning of the month (that may as well have been called Air Turbulence), everything was smooth as silk, bar a slight bit of jerkiness when we passed through some storm clouds shortly after take off. Considering the not unsubstantial amount of flying I’ve done – for a student la – turbulence still gets me in ways few other things can. I think it’s the feeling of being completely powerless and vulnerable – although there is a time and place for that, but that’s WTMI here isn’t it?

After a surprisingly unemotional farewell (see Andrea, I stuck to the script), I went straight to the gate and more or less boarded almost immediately, after a quick phone call to say final goodbyes. The first thing that struck me when I entered the plane was the… middle-aged… stewardess who greeted me. I was reminded once again of the peculiarities of Singapore and Singaporeans. In fact, an American friend told me that the term ‘stewardess’ itself is offensive, and that in the good ol’ US of Political Correctness, gender-neutral terms such as ‘flight attendant’ are used. I’m all for older cabin crew, but the stewardess thing comes so naturally we’ll stick to that, until, I’m sure, I’m ticked off by an irate individual one day. In any case, I’m guessing that Japan can’t afford to be picky about age, what with their graying population and all…

The other thing I realized was how spacious the 767-300 cabin was. The 767 isn’t talked about much, and I never really had much of an impression, apart from when I took a Qantas domestic from Brisbane to Melbourne way back in ’96. In fact, I remember being somewhat disappointed on hearing that they were still being used on the SIN – NRT route (ANA is supposed to replace its 767 fleet with 787s but, of course, that particular model has been besieged by production delays).

So you can imagine my pleasant surprise at how well-maintained the plane was. The last time I flew in to Tokyo on an SQ 747-400, I had the distinct impression that I was on an old plane – a venerable one no doubt, but the cabin had a distinctly worn feel to it, notwithstanding the lingering Christmas decorations. I’m also a fan of the 2-3-2 seating, it makes the cabin seem less cramped, and it also means that I’m only ever one seat away from the aisle, which is vital for someone who needs the toilet as much as I do, but still enjoys a window seat from time to time. The baggage hold was also rather spacious, especially compared with the A320s Jetstar uses. I know, can’t compare budget to full-service, but just sayin’…

Watched The Pelican Brief, the movie adaptation of the John Grisham novel starring Julia Roberts and set in DC of all places, featuring two slain Supreme Court justices, a billionaire donor to the President, a pushy Chief of Staff, prestigious law firms, and an intrepid Tulane Law student. You could say I enjoyed it.

Only complaint about the flight was that they serve breakfast at freaking 5am. I mean, seriously, I had barely finished the movie, listened to Obsessed and Battlefield, hopped over the sleeping Japanese man next to me to use the loo, and tried to get some shut-eye, only to have the lights turned on and the announcement that breakfast would be served.
What made it worse was that the Breakfast wasn’t much good. Bland eggs and sausage. And this coming from someone who (1) actually likes airline food (2) has a relatively high tolerance for bad food. A damning indictment if there was one.

But don’t get me wrong, the first leg of me flight has been great, and I haven’t had my lofty expectations of ANA disappointed as yet. Yes, everything is in Japanese, but the stewardesses do make an effort to speak in English to the rest of us heathen masses, so you don’t feel discriminated against or anything, just… inferior. Haha. I think the SIN – NRT leg is great for those who want to arrive in Tokyo bright and early in the morning. The flight probably doesn’t feel very long cause its an overnighter and you spend a bit of time in and out of slumber.

As the plane descended, I looked out the window at the blue sea, which soon turned into the most verdant, lush countryside I have ever seen. Green everywhere, Jin you’d love it :). Japanese rural areas aren’t really very rural anyway – there’re green spaces but they’re sort of interspersed by buildings and infrastructure. The taxi from runway to terminal was unduly long, but I eventually found myself in a rather empty portion of Nartia at 7 am.

After finding out I was ineligible to use the rather spiffy looking ANA lounge (we’re not quite at that level yet la huh), I decided to change the 50 Singapore dollars in my wallet which fetched me about 3000 yen, and I’m typing this out on Microsoft word (because I can’t get free WIFI) in a nice little foodcourt while sipping on my Starbucks iced caramel macchiato. Feels like home. Thought of having a McPorko burger (which I’m sure would make Jin jealous) but when I got to Macs I realized they’re still on the breakfast menu. I should get something ramen-y since I’m in Japan no? I love Japan. I don’t care what Newsweek says (their headline this week is ‘Fading Japan’, and I just saw this in a bookstore in Narita airport. Weird). Can’t wait to be back in Jan. OMG Jin I saw this Sony Vaio netbook that was super super light.
I still have about one and a half hours here, and intend to get a shower before I get on the plane again (I think 500 yen for that’s pretty worth it, no?). And yup that’s about it really. Was trying to get phone recep and couldn’t, which got me really annoyed with Starhub, until I realized where I was (my Iphone isn’t 3G sigh).
Hmm could use something to eat now. Till next time!
*Edit. So I'm in DC now, The meals on the second leg were better, and I had the good fortune to be assigned seats in Premium Economy, which had 2-4-2 seating instead of 3-3-3, and slightly more legroom which was great.
Caught 17 Again which really wasn't was bad as I thought it would be, and Star Trek. 777-200 was more spacious than I remembered. Flight was mostly smooth although there were pockets of jerkiness, but that was unavoidable. I spoke with the lady seated next to me periodically, as she had lived in Singapore from 98 - 00 and took an interest in conversing when she found out that I was from there. She and her husband work for the State Department and she has lived in countries including Ghana, Nicaragua and Rome. This latest flight was the result of some 'embassy work' in Burma and she was flying back to DC, where they will be living for the foreseeable future. Despite all her traveling, she actually brought her pair of dogs (the composition of which has changed over the years but oh well) along on her travels, and one of them is 16 years of age and has, since she bought it from a shelter as a puppy, seen more of the world than most humans out there. Very interesting, the people one meets on the plane.

My story probably doesn't compare to Keith's. And since he can't tell it to you guys I'll do so and bask in reflected glory. Bitch was upgraded to freaking business class on the NRT to IAD leg because they were overbooked. He said it felt much shorter than the actual 12 or so hours, and he now understands why travelers (or rather, their companies) are willing to pay a premium. So lucky!

Anyway I'm off to take a shower and then we're going for dinner, I walked around the neighborhood so far and at the risk of repeating myself to various people, I really like it, and my house/room. Pictures on Facebook. Take care you guys.

You better pull your weight

That's what I told myself at the start of my internship at D&N, but here I am on the third day, with nothing to do, and consequently resorting to blogging to kill time. Till lunch!

This whole law thing is just boring me to bits really.

I'm looking to the 22th with a mixture of excitement and fear, anticipation and regret.