Entries this day: Korea Terrorists Website_idea Wow,_Akane! Yun_Hee airport_Icheon akane andrew_and_homies

Korea

10:51am JST Friday 22 September 2006 (day 13330)

Doing a visa-run in Korea this weekend; hopefully my work visa will come through before I have to do it again. Ah cool. I'll be 13331 days old tomorrow, a palindrome worthy of a weekend adventure!

Will get to meet Andrew, my first friend in Japan; he's been in K-land for over a year, I think; we still stay vaguely in touch. He misses ume boshi from Japan, so I'm gonna hook a brotha up.

We're scheduled to visit the DMZ, where I hope we can do an 88Slide filming. Perhaps other shenanigans. If we do it, I intend for Francois to be fully featured.

- - - -

Aight; I gots to pack!

Terrorists

5:13pm JST Friday 22 September 2006 (day 13330)

Yes, liquids are prohibited in Japan as well. I can't ....

fathom how stupid it is.

After I received the sheet of paper (how many trees per day are killed) telling me about the new rule, I crumpled it up and left it on a cattle-guard post, then tossed my tube of toothpaste onto the floor (it was empty-ish) and left my bottle of water (that I've been reusing for two months) on a newspaper rack as my little pointless acts (not discarding such items where they are "supposed" to go) of defiance against the system and The Man (George Bush's Puppet Master(s)).

BUT

I brought the chicken leg bone (remains of my snack on the way to the airport) through the X-ray machine (TWICE (because they freaked out when I had a computer, cooling fan, keyboard, video camera in my bag)) without a problem.

Chicken bones, as we all know from childhood, are sharp when they break. "Don't give chicken bones to the dog; they could splinter and get stuck in his throat."

I'm thinking of breaking my chicken bone into a nice little stabbin' knife and killing a cabin attendant just to prove PLANES ARE NOT SAFEr than just walking around downtown. All this fucking plastic bottle wasting, paper wasting, time wasting, stupid bullshit to keep me safer, while allowing me to bring matches to burn things, my wallet chain to strangle someone, a computer to beat someone to a pulp, a keyboard to do the same, a chicken bone to stab them in the eye.. it's a fucking farce and I don't buy for one second that I'm any goddamn safer without my bottle of water than if ALL of us were water bottle toothpaste wielding maniacs set on overtaking the cockpit and splashing the captain!!

Half the mofos walkin' around here on the safe side of the water impasse are mindlessly carrying the A4 sheet of paper as if it will keep them safe!

Who pushed this through, Coca-Cola? I saw a guy carrying a can of coke that he must have just purchased for a million percent markup because it's been Certified Safe by the Department of Stupid.

As we all know from Youtube, we can just buy a bottle of yer favorite carbonated beverage, a tube of Mentos (I wouldn't promote them, but I don't know what the hell they are) and presto, instant bomb!

So, what do I do? Just get pissed and follow the rules and not have any impact? Blab about it in my journal? This is so fucking stupid.

Website idea

10:50am JST Friday 22 September 2006 (day 13330)

I just figured out a great web idea. Basically a wiki text adventure game. Not sure how to write the back end, so it will be a while before I ever write it.. but if some other cat wants to implement it, I'd love to play!

Wow, Akane!

5:44pm JST Friday 22 September 2006 (day 13330)

Akane just walked up! She's also going to Korea on this flight.

We were on 52nd voyage together! She'll be meeting Abebe in Korea! Coooool!

For those keeping careful track, this is not my Akane-sensei, but the *other* Akane, who I probably have never mentioned before.

- - - -

We chatted for a bit until it was time to board. The gate attendants called my name because the boarding pass I got was not actually a seating pass. Just proof of purchase. Had to exchange it for an actual boarding pass. Akane watched my bags while I did the exchange.

Yun Hee

9:52pm JST Friday 22 September 2006 (day 13330)

I met Yun Hee on the plane; she sat next to me and we chatted to the best of my ability in Japanese. Her Japanese seems better than mine, but I still fared semi-okay, I think. She's from Seoul, and going back for a week after 6 months of a year studying in Tokyo.

Right when I asked her name, she was taking a bite of her Doraemon-branded snack treat, one of which she offered to me. Pretty funny.

Her sister lives in New York, and her friend's birthday is today.

She told me what foods I should try, and a few words in Korean. She suggested against trying dog because they are too cute to eat.

I whipped out Francois, who is also too cute to eat, and we used him as a point of conversation for a bit.

Traded contact info, etc; when we arrived, she headed off the plane first to contact friends; I've not seen her since (on the bus now, so prolly won't see her again).

airport Icheon

9:50pm JST Friday 22 September 2006 (day 13330)

Have arrived in Icheon, and am actually on the bus now headed toward Dru's. I didn't realize Icheon was on an island (I don't know *shit* about Korea); until I asked Andrew, I didn't even know what airports existed in Korea, etc.

ANY way

Right after I got off the jetway, I found a passport on the floor. I picked it up, turned it in to the next official looking guy I saw and discovered a difference between Japan and Korea. He thanked me for the passport, then opened it and shouted down the hall at the passengers walking toward customs.

Joe Skateboard!!!! (or whatever the name was) JOE SKATEboard!!!!! JOE SKATEBOARD!!!!!!!!!!!

That would not happen in Japan.

akane

10:25pm JST Friday 22 September 2006 (day 13330)

Found Akane after the flight (she had been corraled to the back) while waiting in line for my visa stamp. She went through first, and then I was denied because I hadn't filled out the *other* card; we were only given one on the plane, so I thought that was it. She waited and watched my bag while I filled out the card.

Turns out we are also going back to Tokyo on the same flight!

Told her I had met Yun Hee, but hadn't seen her since she got off the flight. We went through customs together (actually she was denied at first, though I don't know why). I changed 5000 yen into 39,000 wan and change after Akane guesstimated the cash I had (from Hitomi and Yun Hee) would get me a bus ticket, but no food tonight. Nice to have a friend who's been here 2 times already.

Outside we spoke Japanese and ignored people trying to offer taxi rides as we made plans to meet tomorrow (if possible) and then headed to our separate busses. If we can't meet tomorrow or the next day, we'll try to connect in the airport on 新朝て

andrew and homies

12:34am JST Saturday 23 September 2006 (day 13331)

Fun times hanging out with Andrew and friends: first out on the sidewalk drinking beer (and by beer, I mean orange juice) and gossipping about their work. A little discussion about Andrew's future travel plans: South Pacific islands and then Japan.