Sunday, May 10, 2009
It's the end of I-core as we know it, and I feel fine.
The business plan and presentation (Integrative core a.k.a. "I-core") that I have been working on for my MBA for the last 9 months *finally* came to a conclusion yesterday afternoon. My team and I were judged by a panel of people including an Ad exec, venture capitalist, investment banker etc etc. My team won in the end, but I don't care about that. What I am more concerned about is that, even though I killed myself and complained about this stupid project for the whole 9 months, even though I didn't even sleep an hour the night before the big presentation, and even though I reveled in the final catharsis after it was all done.....24 hours later, I am feeling this pinch of nostalgia now that it's all over. Wtf is that? Am I a masochist? I must be. I must be a masochist. Or I must have somehow become the kind of person who likes hard work, which I guess is the same thing as a masochist. I lament the beautiful lazy slacker that I used to be. Oh to be lazy again...
Monday, May 4, 2009
Traveling and Dreaming part (i)
I have been on a couple of trips since my last post. I was in Europe for three weeks over February for my honeymoon, which was my wife's first time in Europe. Sounds terrific I know, but it was weird....I couldn't really enjoy myself. The thing is, I have been there a couple of times before, and the first time especially was a pivotal, life-changing event for me. I can't overstate how much that first time abroad, by myself, completely changed the way I looked at the world and altered my life forever. I know for sure, if I had never gone on that trip, my life would be something completely different right now.
I first went to Europe in the summer of 1997, after I had just graduated from university. I flew into Paris, went down to Barcelona, then along the French Riveria to Italy in the first three weeks of that trip (which lasted the whole summer). Another trip took me through all of Portugal and then western to central Spain and Madrid a couple of years later. This time it was Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Segovia, Marseille, Nice, Monaco, Venice, Florence and Rome.
I admit it was nice to go back with money this time instead of being a dirt-poor backpacker, and it was nice to spend time alone with my wife. But because this trip was so similar to the first one, I couldn't really stop myself from reminiscing in my head obsessively about that first time in Europe. It got to the point where everywhere that I looked, I actually saw myself, 12 years younger, at the louvre, inside the colluseum, climbing the spires of the familia sangrada. I secretly wanted to stand in every spot I had stood before, take every picture that I had taken the first time, and looking back now, I don't know what to make of that. But for all that reminiscing, the only thing that I know for sure is that I didn't get a chance to appreciate my trip for what it was this time....I just ruined it for myself by thinking about what it was the last time.
Is it better to continue believing that I can get back to the happiness I once had? Is it better to give up on that and just focus on the happiness that I have now? I do have a pretty good life after all, and maybe it is downright folly to think that you could ever get back that sense of wonder and excitement from when you were younger. Or maybe it is folly to give up trying? F@#k me...I don't know the answer. I only know that internal strife like this probably makes me a better photographer...
It was surreal to see the old girl 12 years later. I'll never forget that first time.
Ahhh Versaille....Noriko and I actually watched Sophia Copola's Marie Antoinette again after visiting this place. Wasn't any better the second time either.
La Ramblas, same as ever (so comforting to know that!)
Valentine's day in Madrid
Royal Palace, Madrid
Roman Aquaduct, Segovia , Spain
Free food at Carnivale in Venice
Free wine too!
Florence
Florence
Noriko wanting her Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday) moment at the Spanish Steps in Rome
This picture of the Trevi Fountain sums up how I felt during the entire trip
I first went to Europe in the summer of 1997, after I had just graduated from university. I flew into Paris, went down to Barcelona, then along the French Riveria to Italy in the first three weeks of that trip (which lasted the whole summer). Another trip took me through all of Portugal and then western to central Spain and Madrid a couple of years later. This time it was Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Segovia, Marseille, Nice, Monaco, Venice, Florence and Rome.
I admit it was nice to go back with money this time instead of being a dirt-poor backpacker, and it was nice to spend time alone with my wife. But because this trip was so similar to the first one, I couldn't really stop myself from reminiscing in my head obsessively about that first time in Europe. It got to the point where everywhere that I looked, I actually saw myself, 12 years younger, at the louvre, inside the colluseum, climbing the spires of the familia sangrada. I secretly wanted to stand in every spot I had stood before, take every picture that I had taken the first time, and looking back now, I don't know what to make of that. But for all that reminiscing, the only thing that I know for sure is that I didn't get a chance to appreciate my trip for what it was this time....I just ruined it for myself by thinking about what it was the last time.
Is it better to continue believing that I can get back to the happiness I once had? Is it better to give up on that and just focus on the happiness that I have now? I do have a pretty good life after all, and maybe it is downright folly to think that you could ever get back that sense of wonder and excitement from when you were younger. Or maybe it is folly to give up trying? F@#k me...I don't know the answer. I only know that internal strife like this probably makes me a better photographer...
It was surreal to see the old girl 12 years later. I'll never forget that first time.
Ahhh Versaille....Noriko and I actually watched Sophia Copola's Marie Antoinette again after visiting this place. Wasn't any better the second time either.
La Ramblas, same as ever (so comforting to know that!)
Valentine's day in Madrid
Royal Palace, Madrid
Roman Aquaduct, Segovia , Spain
Free food at Carnivale in Venice
Free wine too!
Florence
Florence
Noriko wanting her Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday) moment at the Spanish Steps in Rome
This picture of the Trevi Fountain sums up how I felt during the entire trip Thursday, January 29, 2009
Crush with Eyeliner
I AM SMITTEN. I can not stop watching this effing video. Wtf is wrong with me? I am currently writing a strategy paper and have looped through this video maybe 100 or 200 times?
So it looks like I am finally going to get my life back after two years of tokyo sweat-shop consulting hell. I just finished my last project a couple of days ago, and it's looking like there are not going to be any more coming my way for what could be months. Seriously I never thought in my life I would have to work so hard at anything, money be damned. Everything you've heard about crazy Japanese office workers dropping dead after working 5000 hours straight is totally true. Seriously, it took the worst economic crisis in modern history for my work to finally slow down, and not a moment too soon.
I feel like I've turned a corner here. Finally, Noriko and I are going on our Honeymoon starting this Monday. A honeymoon that we were supposed to take in December but that I had to postpone because of a huge massive ungodly project that forced me to work 17 hours a day every day from mid-December to mid-January (I'll leave it to you to count all of the holidays that I had to work on). But now, 3 weeks of sweet sweet freedom in Europe. God I am so happy, I haven't been to Europe in over a decade! Freedom! So to celebrate my new found freedom, I decided to ride a Korean man around Shibuya till the early hours of the morning last week. You think I am kidding, I know you are. But you know what?
So it looks like I am finally going to get my life back after two years of tokyo sweat-shop consulting hell. I just finished my last project a couple of days ago, and it's looking like there are not going to be any more coming my way for what could be months. Seriously I never thought in my life I would have to work so hard at anything, money be damned. Everything you've heard about crazy Japanese office workers dropping dead after working 5000 hours straight is totally true. Seriously, it took the worst economic crisis in modern history for my work to finally slow down, and not a moment too soon.
I feel like I've turned a corner here. Finally, Noriko and I are going on our Honeymoon starting this Monday. A honeymoon that we were supposed to take in December but that I had to postpone because of a huge massive ungodly project that forced me to work 17 hours a day every day from mid-December to mid-January (I'll leave it to you to count all of the holidays that I had to work on). But now, 3 weeks of sweet sweet freedom in Europe. God I am so happy, I haven't been to Europe in over a decade! Freedom! So to celebrate my new found freedom, I decided to ride a Korean man around Shibuya till the early hours of the morning last week. You think I am kidding, I know you are. But you know what?
I don't kid, bitches.
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