The Flight to Japan

This is it, my official first update since my disclaimer. Rather then getting into great detail of how I came to be in the position that I am, that will be left up to future posts. I already feel that I'm too far ahead in the story but I thought it best to not put this off any longer and just start and move forward from here.

I'm now in Japan.

I'll wait for that to settle for a minute.

I think I plan to be here for a year but that may change. At least that's the plan right now. Why did I come? I'll leave that for another posting. Now, this time I did not attempt all this craziness by myself. Had circumstances been different, I may have attempted this adventure in time. But I am currently here in Kyoto, Japan, with my girlfriend Helene. You can visit her blog at http://heleneinjapan.blogspot.com . So for the most part when I say I, it may have been a we.

Its been 10 days since I've gotten here and already I have more to write and tell you about than I can possibly list here. In 10 days I've had to recover from an incredible jet-lag that I believe myself to still be suffering from. Currently it is a 13 hour difference between here and Ottawa, Canada. So if you Canadians are trying to figure out the conversion just add 13 to whatever time you may have.

The experience traveling here was 28 hours long from doorstep to doorstep; in and out of consciousness the whole way. I left my house at 4:00am on Wednesday September 16th and arrived at 10:00pm on Thursday September 17th at my final destination. If you're wondering how that doesn't add up to 28 hours it's because you didn't consider the time difference. The main flight from Chicago to Tokyo was 13 hours with Japan Airlines. The service was with a smile, and I mean a authentic smile, not those "I'm smiling so I don't get fired" kind of smiles. I believe that the Japanese pride themselves on whatever job they do. It's entrusted to them so they do it to the best of their abilities. I think this reflects many aspects of their society which I won't get into right now. They authentically seemed happy to serve. I don't know if that's possible but it seems to be here, even though the service was excellent the food was awful. A direct contrast to flying with French airlines. I'm not sure which I prefer more.

The guidebook that I purchased mentioned that I would have to be processed when I arrived at my final destination in Japan. Since I was sick when I left, I was very concerned that I would be held in the contamination ward. I have no idea how paranoid they are. There was a clear sign as I entered that people's temperature was being read somehow. I guess through an infrared or something? Apparently, blowing your nose in front of Japanese people is very much frowned upon. Wiping is alright but not blowing. If you need to, you move discreetly to a corner or something like that. Anyway, after the temperature section came the processing. Picture and figure prints are taken; not with ink but digitally. So I walked up, place your hand here and look here. That's it. I was helped with my bag and was approached with please and thank yous all though the metal detectors and the rest of it. It was fast and efficient and all done in a air-conditioned environment. Think of that next time you're at the Philadelphia airport with 3000 people's BO smelling up the place and the guard yelling at you to move and take off all your clothes while they prepare you for the full body cavity search. I was yelled at a few times in the Chicago processing because I didn't move fast enough. Nonetheless, the flights went smoothly and to reach our hostel I took a taxi. I simply could not prepare myself to decipher how to get where I needed to get in the mental condition I was in by this point in time.

Our final destination was a hostel named Jhoppers in Kyoto.

Disclaimer for new Blog

Wow, I don't know where to begin. I know I've been putting this off for a long time and simple procrastination will lower the detail of everything that I will write here but I will try my best to write as many interesting things as I can on this blog. My enthusiasm to write this thing comes from my realisation that my memory is really starting to fade. I don't mean that in the sense that I'm becoming senile but it's getting hard to remember things that happened a few years ago. I don't know if that's caused by toxins in my body, old age or simply bad habits. It sort of feels that a lot of people coach through life just reacting to what happened yesterday without trying to see the greater pattern to their habits, interests or mistakes. And because of that, they never see their problems or their potential. Perhaps if I were to reflect on this blog years down the line I could learn from it or laugh at the stupid thoughts that I had when I wrote it. But this is not a disclaimer that my thoughts may be stupid or wrong. They are correct when I write them and if I am shown that I was in error then that update will be added. Thus, the purpose of this blog is primarily for my own memories to have a permanent place.

The other reason for this blog is for you the reader. I welcome all my friends and family and any other passerby to read my adventures. Feedback is always appreciated, even if it's simply a "cool" tag on a photo. Feedback may encourage me to write more .... you never know.

PARIS INCIDENT PART CINQ: BAH-HUMBUG

Wow, it’s been almost 5 months since I wrote one of these. Let’s see if I still have the ability to make this letter interesting enough for the average reader to make it to the end without me losing their attention. Yes, I am still in Paris (at least until my visa expires this summer or I just up and leave or if they deport me). As usual, I’m writing this e-mail sick as a dog. The flu that’s been going around has reached Epidemic levels today as 300 000 French are sick with it. So I don’t feel so alone. I wonder how many people are going to work on Monday.

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR AND BAH-HUMBUG. This was my first Christmas and New Year’s out of Canada. I miss all of you and I wish you the best in 2009. Coming back this Christmas just seemed too expensive and last year people were busy with family and/or social obligations. But I will be back in early February if my work loosens their grip on me for a few weeks. I would love to organize a party or a dinner or something so I can see as many of you as possible.

It’s been a crazy couple of months. I visited Canada in the summer (read comics, biked and took a class at Uni), Amsterdam in October (my gf had never been) and London in November (visiting mates). Work screwed me out of my Portugal trip in December but I’ll live. I keep worrying that I might becoming a little too Parisian for my taste. Before I walked around in constant awe of the city and the food, now it feels so normal to me and I don’t think about how beautiful the buildings and places look or how exceptional some of the food really is. What I do notice now is how NOT nice other cities are. For instance, if I went to London a few years ago, I would have loved it. But during my recent visit it just didn’t meet my expectations. It felt dark, drab and dreary, but then again that’s London. When I came back to Canada this summer my insides went crazy from eating too many Burgers and fries. I love it and I miss it. You can’t get Harvey’s Angus Berger here.

Recently, I got it in my head that I needed to see more of Paris because I will be leaving soon, so I’ve been becoming more active in city’s events and attractions than I was before. I’m trying to get my mind back into Tourist Mode. People always think that they’ll just get to it later since it’s so close but never end up going. Many Parisians have never been inside the Louvre because they figure they can always go later. For the next while I’m pushing myself to spend more time doing touristy things. This means more music and shows and museums. Unfortunately, most of my colleagues and friends aren’t really interested in those things; I think it has to do with the English mind set of “Pubs first”, other stuff later, which is ok, but not all the time, at least not for me.

How about some basics.

1) My French is still really awful. It frustrates me beyond explanation. Parisians don’t like people speaking French to them unless it is clearly perfected. I guess they just deal with too many tourists and will not stand for any guff. So as soon as I speak to them with my pidgin French they prefer to try out their cave man English because they think that it’s easier. But think… what would be harder, a French person speaking French or a French person speaking English as if it was French? I’ve taken many different approaches to learning the language and people tell me I’m improving very quickly but damn it’s hard. And for all the Canadians reading this, if you think I will be able to understand your Quebecois accent you’re mistaken. Most French people who come to Canada have no idea what’s going on. So don’t judge me.

2) Still working at the same place teaching English to bankers, lawyers and other people who receive a training salary by their rich employers. My current contracts are with Sony BMG and the Ministry of Health of France. Most of the time people just want to hear an outsider’s opinion of their country, just want to complain about stuff or chat. The French love to Bitch and Strike. The job is simple enough and fairly stress free. Not working at the University anymore. It was just too stressful.

3) New appartement – 1 rue du Commandant Lamy 75011 Paris, France. We still accept all forms of donations (chocolate, money, food, etc.). My home phone number is: 0113 31 58 30 79 59 (dial as you see it). I welcome all phone calls. But please remember the time difference. 6 hours ahead of Canada. (5:00pm Canada = 11:00pm Paris). I do sleep, sometimes.

The new area is really sweet. Lots of restaurants and pubs. The new place is much smaller than the last one but I feel more at home in it. But it gets dirty very quickly.

4) Finally found a local Gym that doesn’t cost 300euro a month. I must say that I’m much happier when I keep a set exercise schedule. Everyone needs some form of stress release, I guess this is mine. This has made my lifestyle much more relaxed.

Overall, Life here is pretty good right now. It started getting much better as my French improved, gym and since I moved. Life is kind of lonely though. Not many people around. Finding oneself is time consuming work. I’m not exactly sure what I am searching for anymore but I have changed my views heavily on many aspects of life. Overall values and motivations change so quickly when you have to justify them to other people and either defend them or change them. I’ve learned one very important thing and that is that most Canadians don’t know enough about the outside world and I don’t like how many people choose to accept their ignorance. I came here with a very limited view of most things and that isn’t right. This ignorance is true not only in Canada but also here. The more I tour the more I understand what is really important in life as I can compare how different ways of approaching it. I soon came to realize that what I want is not the “American Dream”. I recently saw a sneak preview of the new DiCaprio movie REVOLUTIONARY ROAD which is made by the same guy who made AMERICAN BEAUTY. Both of these films are a partial explanation of the issues that I am trying to rectify and come to terms with. The task is fundamentally finding the balance between family, life, responsibility and personal sanity. I currently don’t believe one can find that balance if only one option is presented to you. You always have to compare.

Some recent movie updates:

http://www.x-menorigins.com/

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/terminatorsalvation/ Terminator 4 looks Awesome.

Watchmen will be rated R in the UK

In the meantime I’m still reading a lot of comics (that will never stop), I see about 1-2 movies a week in the theater (for free). And wondering what I should do next in life.

Please, please send me a little e-mail updating me on what’s new with you. I can’t always respond but I always love to hear from you. Shame on those who have gotten these e-mails over the last year and never respond to them. But for those who have, just know it means a lot to me.

I miss you all and I’ll let you know when I’ll be back in Canada. I think around February 9^th. All my old telephone numbers are officially cancelled. You can delete them or save them for prosperity.

I haven’t gone crazy yet and I haven’t given up on Canada yet but I’m thinking of going over to the Asian side for a while. Some call it the DARK SIDE.

Sex still sells better than anything else. Naked girls holding an Iphone. Beautiful. I want one.

Klaatu Barada Mikey

“This message has been brought to you by Coca-Cola. Always Coca-Cola.”

The Fountain

After watching Darren Aronofsky's beautiful "The Fountain" the other evening I was struck by what an amazing tale it told. A quick Google search later led me to believe that so far no one has given it credit as a story that makes much sense; I found simply a mass of possible interpretations. I actually believe there is a very clear and linear story being told (albeit in a Pulp Fiction-y kind of timeline). Since I have not come across any explanation similar to my own, I thought I would share it -- film fan to film fan.

To begin our exploration of just what the hell is going on in "The Fountain," our first task is to determine which, if any, of the three story lines presented is real. We know that the story of Tomas the Conquistador is a fiction. The book "The Fountain", written in the present day by Izzy, tells Tomas' journey. Since we see no evidence in the film of her possessing some sort of psychic-historical link, nor any mention of Tomas or even Spain in the research Izzy explores for her book, we can safely determine that Tomas' story is just that - a story. Specifically and importantly, Izzy has written all but the final chapter when she dies.

Given that Tomas is a fictional character in the universe of the film, we must now turn our attention to both present day Tom (Tom 1), and Spaceman Tom (Tom 2). It is made clear that both these men are in some fashion the same man. While the evidence could take up pages to list, it is enough to recognize that they have the same name, the same tattoo of a wedding band on their ring finger, and the same memories of Izzy. While it may seem tricky to establish if Tom 2 is actually Tom 1, somehow still alive 500 years in the future, or some other fiction, fear not for the answer is actually quite simple.

Tom 2's journey is clearly the final chapter of Izzy's book, the chapter she asked Tom 1 to finish for her as she lay on her deathbed. In it we find the Spaceman transporting the Tree that seems to contain the spirit of both his beloved Izzy and Queen Isabella to a dying nebula. In Tom 2's journey lie all the elements we would expect a grieving husband, a man who is a scientist not a writer, to present when finishing a story he did not start. It is his love letter to his dead wife.

What a beautifully romantic literary conceit that Tom 2 transports the Tree to the exact nebula that Izzy described to Tom 1 on their rooftop that winter night - Xibalba. His spaceship is completely constructed around sustaining a perfect representation of the romantic idea that Izzy shared from her Mayan guide -- the guide's belief that his father, after having a tree planted over his grave, became a part of that tree and every living thing it gave sustenance to.

In addition we notice that Tom 2, as mentioned earlier, is haunted not just by memories of Izzy and her present day interactions with Tom 1, but also of Queen Isabella from the Conquistadors story in Izzy's book. Since we have determined the story of Tomas is a fiction, the memories of Isabella cannot be real. They can only be imagined. It is hard to believe that if Tom 2 is Tom 1 still alive in the future, that the treasured memories of a lost wife would have been combined and given equal weight with the imagined interaction with a fictional queen. So if we accept that Tom 2's memories are only partially real, that lends credence to the recognition that he is not a real man, but a fictional amalgam created by Tom 1. One with the memories of both Izzy and the book that was her dying work.

Even if we do accept the premise that Tom 2 is the same man as Tom 1, we have the complication that Tom 2 physically appears in the ending of Tomas' story, in fact being the sole reason that Tomas is granted entrance to the site of the Tree of Life. Are we to believe that a real man somehow became a physical part of a fictional story? To me this strains credulity within the universe of the film, especially when a simple answer exists. Notably our original answer which to reiterate is this - Tom 2's journey is the last chapter of "The Fountrain," written by Tom 1 at his wife's request.

Some of the notable evidence to further this argument is: The final chapter has a completely different tone than Tomas' tale, which we would expect since a different writer finished the book. It features a far more metaphysical approach; to be expected by a scientist finishing the work of a romantic. And most importantly it keeps Izzy's memory, and Tom 1's dedication to it alive, by transporting him to a future where there is still a chance to save his beloved. Even small details like the hairs on the tree mimicking the hairs on Izzy's neck when Tom 1 whispered to her in her sleep scream of the somewhat overly sentimental writings of a non-author scientist trying to finish his wife's book.

Equally compelling is the fact that Tom 1's journey does not end in the movie. Both Tomas and Tom 2 find a spectacularly interwoven denouement, while Tom 1 simply plants a seed above his wife's grave, and presumably, his life goes on.

So our two fictions explode together in a cosmically romantic ideal concerning death and the love it continues to nourish, while our protagonist searches for meaning in a world without his wife.

Is all of this easy to arrive at? Perhaps not, but it all makes for a beautifully fulfilling story that only grows richer with time. Certainly Aronofsky could have given this understanding to us if he so wished. A simple scene of Tom 1 beginning to write the future tale would have answered all questions and removed any need for deeper study.

But it was genius to leave it out. Because without that scene the movie requires a focused study of the themes, characters, and events to arrive at a solution. Given the weight of what he took on, Aronofsky ensured that anyone struck by the beauty of the film would have to continue to mull over what it felt about love, death, loyalty, rebirth and our place in the universe.

Instead of giving us easy answers, Aronofsky gave us all an opportunity to explore that which is deepest and most sacred in ourselves and those we love. The fact that he happily risked the derision of critics put off by the films audacious scope, or simply too lazy to contemplate a work that was more challenging than typical RomCom fare, shows that among many other admirable qualities, Darren Aronofsky is a filmmaker with gigantic, bubble-spaceship-sized balls.