Category Archives: Umisms

After coming back from Japan, I totally stopped talking to people, because I lost all my phone numbers.

Otherwise, I have only really seen / talked to Sophea and Gen.

I think I will just get on the invisibility bandwagon.

I can’t find my second reader to my thesis anywhere…

I’ve only updated the backend of this site 2 times. One of those times was this morning. I came back from Japan to find that a whole month or so of my posts were absolutely gone. It could be from my server (which I have yet to hear from). Maybe they crashed and the last backup was a pathetically old one? Unfortunately I did not save frequent backup of my database files.

I suspect that this site was hacked by bots. I think that the culprit is an old plugin I never updated. That, and the security was compromised, because I never updated the backend. F-me.

I sort of suspected that things were wonky, because frequently my posts would turn off the comments themselves. (this is also why I suspect that particular plugin – since it was aimed at the comments feature) Unfortunately, I didn’t think it was a big deal to take some time to update. Shame on me.

Sigh. So… here I am. Fortunately, i can bring up some of the posts (the picture posts), because I can copy and paste them from another site I update. Still, this really sucks.

I spent this morning backing up my physical files, databases, and updating the wordpress backend to the new 2.6. : P

I was a little apprehensive about coming here. However, now that I am here I am really excited. We just arrived in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, yesterday. Today, we have vouchers to go to the Ghibli museum in Mitaka (the Miyazaki one). Otherwise, we are in Tokyo for a week and then we are planning on heading out to Kansai.

The smell of this place is really making me sentimental. I really enjoy being here. I have to say that I am disappointed I won’t be getting to go to Kyushuu to visit my Grandmother. I had to recall why I originally didn’t make those plans. (My grandmother sold her house… and things were a bit hectic… long travel… and just not worth the bother if I wasn’t going to stay there for a while. I usually come to Japan for 3 months at a time.)

It’s weird being here without my mother or without seeing family. I view this country as a total family affair… so… but this time, I think we will be able to hang out and engulf some of the night life around here.

Check out Ryan’s Prospect Park Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring Remix concert on NPR.

I have alternating pain from the mid back to the lower back (near my tailbone). It causes me to jump (when it’s bad) from bending at the lower back to wash my face at the sink. I can barely stand to bend to sit or put the pressure to get up. Standing causes no troubles.

Uhg. Sciatic nerve? Tight Hipflexors? Hamstrings? I don’t know.

Although I didn’t think it was from running, I think it was a combination of running and sitting. It bothers me the most when I sit on cushiony surfaces that are too low at a certain angle. It hurts!

I am creaky. Maybe I am old. ;_; it comes and goes. It was worse last Wednesday, but today my midback is a little achy.

I have been scouring the internet for advice. I know that it isn’t a good solution. I know this from my heart attack scare that was just heart burn (dude, I have never had heart burn and it was UNCOMFORTABLE). I have tried yoga poses (bridge, child pose, and half moon). I have tried strengthening lunges for flexors and hamstrings… and lower back strengthening by sort of flailing like a dead fish on my stomach.

I am not sure if this is all helping. HA HA HA HA. I am like a bad self destructive help example.

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So yes, Fette Sau, this is definitely a place to visit if you were in NYC. This is not a place you order sides… if anything, I hear their beans are DELICIOUS. I wouldn’t know, because by the time we ordered around 6-7pm, they were all out for the night. Nothing there is really vegetarian, and what I ended up getting was a huge mound of pulled pork, sausage links, and pork cheeks. There were also brisket… and I unfortunately missed out on smoked pulled pork belly. I also had lots of beer and bourbon. Yes.

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Following, we went to Barcade, where the walls are lined with old school arcade games – all for a quarter.

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(you see that girl right there? she is the champion of Ms. Pacman!)

The next day, on my actual birthday, I went to Spice Market. It’s like Thai Vietnamese fusion in a beautiful cushioned atmosphere, complete with beautiful lanterns and kettles… that just added to it’s elegance. The food was quite good. Lige kept telling me about Spice Market, the few times she went. I especially enjoyed the fried crab salad and the fried onion salad. I also had the fried cod (mmm… I see a pattern?)

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I think my life these days have been dictated by food. Right before I went to Germany (the day before I left), I got to go to Hakata Ippudo – this new Japanese ramen place that just opened up. Apparently the Ippudo chain in Japan is known far and wide… And my gosh this is delicious. This still does not beat Tontoro in Kagoshima (and I hear there is a place in NJ in Mitsuwa that has this…). I love these greasy succulent pork broth dishes SO much. They are THE best. I am delighted at this discovery. I just went back there for lunch yesterday with Ryan, and we were so pleased with the lunch set, which includes a pork over rice donburi dish for an extra $3 (and pickes!!)

Sigh. There is so much good food in the City, I think I will burst.