Monthly Budget

I added up my total expenses for September today. I spent 43,784 yen ($371). My daily average for the month was 1459.67 ($12.37). Not bad if I do say so myself.

Improving Productivity: Nifty Tricks and Firefox Extensions

I wasted an entire today installing productivity enhancing software and reading up on the latest time saving tricks so that I can waste time more efficently in the future.

For a long time I have been content to just use basic programs as they exist. This apathetic tendency was shattered yesterday when I discovered Lifehacker and started to read about all the cool things I coud do using technology and a bit of cleverness to use the interenet and computers in general more effectively.

The thing that makes Lifehacker special is that instead of just spamming out geeky stories and geeky ways to do things, the writers share ways to use technology to do things, quicker, better or easier. As their tagline says, "Don't live to geek, geek to live. For example, I found articles on taking effective notes, budgeting, setting reasonable goals and creating an online "fridge" on which to leave your schedule, notes etc.

So what what was my response to all this great time-management advice? Well, first I cleaned my room. Then I mostly decleaned it by tearing all of my stacks of unsorted papers from their nooks and crannies to organize them. I went to the store and purchased folders and began carefully fling the stacks of class notes, syllabi and documents. Now they're all neatly packed away in my little shelf. I think I can safely say that our dorm room is neater now than it has been since we arrived. The whole experience was amazingly un-me yet at the same time stimulating.Pretty amazing, huh?

After that, I poked around a bit to see if anyone I knew wanted to go touristing but since that effort failed, I went back to Lifehacker and began researching how to clean up my computer. Here are a few of the nifty tricks and tools I found:

• Spreeder - A tool that trains your brain to read faster by eliminating sub-vocalization and backtracing. Learn more.
• Hamachi - A virtually painless VPN creator. This allows you to connect computers online as if they were on a LAN.
  

The rest are mostly Firefox extensions:

• Blocksite - This extension allows you to block time wasting sites so that you aren't so tempted.
• Google Notebook - This handy tool allows you to save useful quotes, interesting links, pictures and take notes while browsing. This tool will prove its utility the next time I do research for a school paper or blog post.
  
• Time Tracker - This tracks how much time you spend online.
  
• GmailSpace - An application that allows you to use your gmail account as a private ftp server.
• Performancing* - A blog editor extension for Firefox.

Anyhow, I hope this interested the effecient geeks in my audience.

*used to create this post.

An Awesome Site

I found an awesome site for those with The Knack. It is called Lifehacker and it has lots of geeky links and original articles containing simple steps to improve your life through technology and the use of your intellect.

It's a Miracle!

Something very bad happened to me this week. I didn't post about it earlier because I figure that I whine enough with and telling this long story of woe. Plus I didn't want to worry people back home and I was hoping and praying that there would be a happy ending to the story. There has been. Now that it's become a great story about how blessed I've been it's time to share.

Tuesday morning, I biked to school as usual. I arrived to class on time and everything seemed to be going good. I had arranged to get lunch with a friend from school and so during our break we went to an Udon shop near the school. When it was time to pay, I reached for my wallet but it wasn't in my pocket. I was able to pay for lunch with high valued change but I spent the rest of the afternoon racking my brain trying to recall if I had remembered to bring my wallet and then lost it or merely forgot it at home.

As soon as I got home I tore through all of my stuff to find that I had indeed taken my wallet and that it was now lost. Somewhere along the route to school, my wallet had worked its way out of my pack pocket without me noticing.

This was a horrible thing. My wallet contained my Alien Registragion Card, my credit card, my insurance card (valid as ID), my student ID and my bank card with account numbers. In addition it had all my money for the next month, about $400 in cash and a months worth of weekend train tickets.The loss was a devastating loss financially and created a terrible identity theft risk. I was left with 72 yen worth about sixty cents U.S..

Needless to say, I immediately found someone to help me file a lost wallet report at the local Koban(police station). From there, the police could issue a general look out for my wallet along the route to school.

Since I had lost it in the morning, the wallet was probably already turned in if it was going to be. I was told that if it was found I would be notified the following day.

That next day I had to get up a little early so that I could be waiting outside the local bank to exchange some travelers checks when it opened. Unfortunately, the bank when the bank finally opened, I was told that they didn't do currency changes until later in the day. Frustrated and penniless I hopped on my bike and headed for school, stopping at every bank until I found one that would do the change. I stopped at six banks from three different companies before I found one with an open currency exchange counter. Fortunately, the actual exchange of funds was smooth and painless and I was able to walk out the door with spendable cash in hand.

All of that day, I waited anxiously hoping for a phone call from the koban but nothing came. At this point, the chances of my wallet being recovered looked pretty slim. Nevertheless, I decided to wait one more day before going out to reapply for all of my cards. Thursday didn't yeild any good news either. It had now been almost three days since I had lost my wallet and it was unrealistic to expect that I would get it back. I contacted my bank and got the phone number to cancel my credit card. It was after hours so I planned to wait until the next day, Friday to make the call. That afternoon, I prayed with some friends that my wallet would be found but it didn't seem likely.

Friday afternoon, just as I was getting ready to call and start canceling my credit card and invalidating my IDs, my room mate told me that I had mail. It was a postcard in Japanese. I rushed upstairs to get the card translated by one of the other dorm residents who's been here for awhile. He couldn't make out everything it said but it was definitely about my wallet and it was from the police.

I rushed down to the local koban and showed them the card, a friendly officer who spoke a few phrases of English was able with some effort to show me that I needed to go to the main city police station. I biked home, ate a quick snack and headed off towards Yamate-dori.

With the help of a half dozen pedestrians whom I asked for directions, I found the police station. I showed my card to the receptionist and he showed me to the lost and found counter. Sure enough, they had my wallet... with the cash still inside.

Isn't that amazing? Where else could you lose $400 in cash and expect to get it back?

Saddle Sore

Today was a long, interesting day.

I woke up and stumbled about, trying to get ready for school. Even when my first class starts at 10:15 and I don't have to get up until 8:30, I'm a lethargic zombie in the morning. After bumbling through my shower, I checked email grabbed my backpack and headed for school.

As I've mentioned previously, I ride my bike to school every day. At first this was a difficult chore as I haven't exactly been maintaining optimal exercise habits. By now however, the ride to school is an easy trip and a pleasant bit of activity to help wake me up in the morning.

As usual, I arrived a few minutes early for class. As I was sitting waiting for the class before mine to exit so that I could claim a seat, I realized that I had forgotten an important assignment for my second class at home. The paper was due and if it wasn't turned in I would receive a zero score.

I raced back out to my bike and headed back to the dorm. forty five minutes later I was back. I scooped up my paper and raced to school again. By the time I reached my class I had spent more than two hours on my bike.

After my classes, I had to return home again. When I got home I realized that I didn't have any food in the house so I once again mounted my bike this time heading for the grocery store. I missed my turn and ended up exploring a whole new area. Not a waste of time but it streched my bike trip out to a half hour each way.

When I got home I found a note directing me to run a vital errand (more on this tomorrow). Once again I hopped on my bike. This time I raced down to the station, usually a 7-8 minute ride but the Friday afternoon crowds extended the time to a good fifteen minutes each way. Upon arriving, I was told that I was at the wrong location and that I would have to go to another place 45 minutes away.

I went home, ate a snack consisting of a chocolate bar and an English muffin and headed out on my errand. Almost two hours later I arrived back home and collapsed in front of my computer.

So here I am. I have spent a little over six hours today riding my bike. I'm tired.

Soup

I made my chowder today. It didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

The pan provided by the dorm is horrible it has deep gouges and a really rough surface. When I fried up my bacon it stuck on the pan and burned. The pan also heated really unevenly, making it that more difficult to make my dead pig turn out right.

The burned bacon turned my lovely white chowder brown. Fortunately it didn't taste too horrible. It sure would have been better if I had good bacon but in the end it filled me up and that's what matters.

Tupperware

I finally found some tupperware for a decent price. Now I can make double portions at dinner and have leftovers for lunch. Huzzah!

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to go to the store and buy an onion and some bacon so that I can make some bacon chowder. It'll be nice to have something other than noodles or rice and curry.

After chowder my next project will be collecting ingredients for cookies.

Clumsy

I really annoy myself on a frequent basis.

Today, I went to the temple at Omote-sando with Josh (pictures forthcoming) after which we hit the 3 story Hyaku Yen Ya (100 yen shop) in Harajuku.

After we left the 100 yen shop, we started heading up the busy street back towards the main road and the train station. As we did so, I heard someone turn calling out, "Excuse me, excuse me" in English. I turned around to find two Japanese girls approximately my age trying to get my attention.

I stopped to talk with them and they asked where I was from and then we proceeded to make small chat for a few minutes. Shy guy that I am I rapidly ran out of clever things to say and bid them good bye.

A few seconds after we parted I realized what an idiot I am. Here I am in Japan, frustrated by my inability to make friends when out of the blue I meet two people that go out of their way to meet me and I totally blow the opportunity. They were attempting to make friends and I kind of blew them off.

I turned around and tried to find them again but they were already gone.

Will I ever learn?

Pocket Change

One of the adjustments that I had to make was in my attitude towards coins.

In the United States, the highest valued coin in common circulation is the quarter, worth 25 cents and representing insufficent value to purchase a candy bar. The other coins just go down in value from there. Because the value of coins was slow, and because I never generated large quanties of them(I didn't make a many purchases and a lot of those that I did were paid by check or card) once money was converted to coins it ceased to be useful in my mind they're just annoying clutter in my pockets. When I received change back from a purchase I brought it home and emptied it from my pockets into a box in my sock drawer. A couple times a month I'd grab a handful of change and use it to buy a candybar or two on the way to the library.

Here in Japan things are different. The highest coin is worth 500 yen, that's about $4.50 US. Since I'm lazy and like even amounts I usually just think of it as five bucks. You can actually buy stuff with that kind of money. Down from the 500 there's also a 100 yen coin, which is the Japanese equivalent of a one dollar bill. The lowest paper denomination is 1000 yen, worth almost ten bucks. This makes it absolutely necessary to keep track of my change here. Unlike back home, a handful of change is often serious money. Maybe not serious as in someone's life savings, but it's not uncommon for the coins in my pocket to represent my next couple meals. To a perpetually hungry fellow like myself that's a weighty matter.

The frequency of transactions I make forces me to pay attention to even the petty change, the 10 yen (dime) and 1 yen (penny) coins. I get up in the morning, pay for the bus, after a few hours at school I buy lunch, a bit later and I'm paying for the bus again, then it's down into town to buy groceries and maybe some bagels for the next days breakfast. On a normal day I'll buy things 6-8 times, if I were to write off my the small change I'd be out a buck or two per day and over time that really adds up.
I took the above picture with my roomate's camera on the dorm floor. They are not as distinct as I hoped they would be due to my poor photography skills but hopefully you can still get an idea of the local coinage. If not try google-imaging "500 yen coin", "100 yen coin" ....etc.

I Don't Like Spinach

I have never understood while people choose to eat spinach. I guess it doesn't taste to horrible but it has no good flavor. Why not just eat lettuce?

Plus it KILLS PEOPLE.

*please note: I'm really not that emphatic about my food preferences but my roomate thought I should do a post about hating spinach, so here it is.

A Better Blogger

One of my dorm mates recently started a blog.

Despite being new to the blogging scene she's been doing a splendid job of meticulously detailing the daily events of life in Japan, complete with pictures and video. Actually, her work is pretty darn inspiring. It make me feel like a jerk for doing such a poor job so far.

She is doing a far better job than I am and I encourage you all to check out her blog @ StephInJapan.blogspot.com

*EDIT*

Frazzledsister asks, "Do you have co-ed dorms!?!?!?!"

Sort of. Our "dorm" is a ten unit apartment building. Each room, occupied by two students, opens directly to the outside of the building. One of the rooms has the normal dorm furniture removed and replaced with a futon, big screen TV and some tables and it serves as our "commons" room. You can kind of see how this works in this picture that Stephanie posted. The rooms on the right are the apartments, the one at the end is the commons. It's a little hard to see from this pic but the hall is open to the outdoors. Hopefully, this alleviates you're concerns about propriety.

Bicycle

Of all the things I ever expected to be, a bicycle commuter was never one of them. That just goes to show that I'm not that good at predicting the future.

Monday I purchased a bicycle and yesterday I rode in to school and back for the first time. It took me about forty minutes each way, a little bit quicker albeit much more strenuous than taking the bus. Since the bus costs me 200 yen each way, riding to school will save me about $4 a day for an hour of work. This might not seem cost effective under normal circumstances but as a college student with no income it's a good deal. The extra exercise should be good for me as well.

*EDIT*

Palm Boy asks, "How do people on the streets react to bikers?"

Mostly they just ignore them. If they're really nice they'll move out of the way. There are hundreds of bicyclists everywhere, riding on the sidealks. Everyone is used to them. Most people are bicyclists themselves sometimes.

Woody ask, "PLEASE tell me your bike is the Blue one!!??"

I'd love to tell you that one of those was my bike, unfortunately that would be a lie. My bike is a rusty silver one like 70% of the other bikes here. It seems that almost everyone has the same cheap, junky kind of bike here. You'd think that a country that uses bikes so much would generally ride good ones but that simply isn't the case.

Yokohama

Today I left Tokyo for the first time since arriving in Tokyo.

Today is Respect for the Aged Day, a national holiday here in Japan, and therefore a day off from school. It was a perfect opportunity to do some touristing.

Together with a friend from church, I went to Yokohama. Yokohama is the next big town over from Tokyo and with 3.6 million people is actually the largest incorporated city in Japan (Tokyo is a conglomerate of 23 wards). It became the main international port in Japan following Matthew Perry's opening of Japan in 1854, as a result it became one of the most diverse cities in Japan. To this day it is famous for its Chinatown district.

The main attraction that we visited was the Ramen museum. Despite a bit of difficulty getting to the museum, I enjoyed the trip. The museum was mostly underground and set up like to look like city streets. The effect this created was great. It was cool to see how ramen was made. Unfortunately, all the displays were in Japanese so my understanding of the process still isn't very complete. The museum was mostly Ramen shops rather than displays. My friend and I ate at one. We had a garlic and pork ramen that was quite tasty. The ramen here is completely different than the instant stuff that college students in the States live on.

After going to the museum I helped my friend with his homework. He's a graphics art major and he had to get some action shots for a school project. I served as the photographer and shot him jumping off of stuff, backlit by the lights of the city. Some of the shots came out pretty neat.

We didn't make it into Chinatown because it got kind of late so we parted ways and ended our expedition. All in all, it was a fun trip if a bit too expensive.

Keitai

Today I got fitted with a ball and chain.

That's right, I purchased a cell phone with a 1 year service contract. It is my first phone and yet another addition to the list of monthly bills.
The phone itself is pretty neat, it has internet access, email, text-messaging(very necessary here and much cheaper than actual calls), a built in English/Japanese dictionary, a 1.6 megapixel still/video camera, an SD card slot and a built in MP3 player. I got it for free with the plan because it's old and doesn't have any of the cool modern features.

I signed for the lowest price budget plan which means that after a 50% student discount I get a $24 bill and 10 free minutes every month. It's the best deal in Japan by a long shot.

Cool

A couple cool things have happened in the last couple of days.

The best was when one of the Japanese guys at school started asking about Christianity. Unlike the U.S. where people avoid talking about the Bible, here people are often very curious. If you could pray that God would continually give me wisdom in these kinds of situations I would really appreciate it.
The other think that was kind of nifty was that I ate octupus and actually liked it. Josh and I went out to sushi and one of the things and I ate a several varieties of raw fish stuff. It didn't taste too bad if you didn't consider what it was. The octupus I think was my favorite. I'm not sure if it was cooked or not, never having had octopus I don't have much to compare it to. It's taste and texture reminded me of a cross between clam and halibut. In Japanese octopus meat is called tako, pronounced just like taco. If you ever feel like some Mexican food here, be careful how you order.

Media Review: Free to Choose

It's been a while since I've used the Media Review tag but I think it's time to bring the feature back. I'm always curious as to what the authors of the blogs I frequent are reading and so it doesn't seem to be to far a leap of assumption to guess my eclectic reading habits might interest a few of you. Anyhow, moving on to the review...

A few minutes ago I completed Milton and Rose Friedmans' Free to Choose. As many of you probably know Milton Friedman was a Nobel prize winning American economist famous for dissenting against the Keynsian school of economic thought which was nearly universally excepted in the United States in the years following the Great Depression and the Second World War.

In this book, the Friedmans advocate for individual responsibility and a reduction in the governments interference in the market system. They clearly and concisely illustrate the folly of the wide range of government programs and numerous areas of mismanagement, ranging from schools to the trucking industry. In addition to diagnosing problems, they offer simple, practical solutions that if enacted would likely lead to greater prosperity for our country.

The writing is excellent, giving readers, even those unversed in economic terminology and concepts, a good understanding of the issues. Because it was written in 1980 some of the references to current events are dated, however the bulk of the material and all of the concepts in the book are still completely relevant. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about American economics.

And Another One Bites the Dust

Today I beat Farcry, one of the better first-person action shooter games to come out in recent years. When I originally attempted this game it took me more two months to get 3/4 of the way through, before I got tired of it and moved onto something new. This time I beat it, from start to finish in a little over a week. For those of you that enjoy this genre, I recommend picking up a copy.

The single player campaign follows your adventures as Jack Carver, an ex-military tourboat captain who has his retirment ruined when his boat is destroyed and he arrives on an island covered in mercenaries intent on protecting some sort of nefarious project. The story is a very predictable but game play is entertaining with numerous vehicle sequences and an extensive arsenal of diverse and useful weapons.

The game also includes a decent multiplayer option, allowing for a variety of map types including standard and team deathmatch, capture the flag, and a fun progressive objective driven game.

Guest Posting

Today I'm guest posting over at Bugblaster's blog, Chez Kneel. Check it out.

Super Spiffy

I finally found a free, easy to use web host, Google Pages. It appears that it only allows for simplistic text/graphics/links etc. but it will suit my purposes. Expect the Rabenstranger to expand to include static pages in addition to my blog as soon as I get some time and inspiration.

A New Tactic

One of the original motivators for coming to Japan is that I thought it would be much easier to pick up the language while actually immersed in it.

So far this has not been the case. Despte living in Tokyo I'm not immersed in Japanese at all. On the contrary, I have to go out of my way to speak Japanese. This is because the places I go, namely church and school, are both filled with people fluent in English. The people I walk past on the street may not know a word of it but there's never any real reason to talk to them and in Japan you just don't walk up to someone and start talking to them for no reason.

Today I discovered all that's necessary is a reaon.

On my way home from church today, I caught the express train from Shibuya. Since the train I usually take is labeled as a limited express, I wanted to double check that I the train stopped in Jiyugaoka (where I live). I asked an older businessman in my very basic Japanese if the train was going to Jiyugaoka. In Japanese, he replied that it was. I thanked him and started to go back to my seat but then he told me again in halting English and added that it was 3 stops away. After that we chatted a bit, I told him that I was a student and that I lived in a dorm in Jiyugaoka etc. It was really neat, I spoke to him in Japanese, he spoke back in English. Neither of us could speak the others language very well but it was great practise for both of us.

Out of this experience, I've decided to ask for directions all the time. I don't really need them as I already know how to use the train maps and most of the signs are in English. However, asking for directions will be a great excuse to talk to people and practise my Japanese. I'm a little bit excited to try it.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Sometimes I amaze myself with my own stupity.

This morning I was sitting in the commons chatting with some people when the topic turned to edgy cartoons. Never the one able to keep my mouth shut about anything, I felt the need to join in and mention the only really bad cartoon I had ever watched, a stupid online flash video of little animals that get killed in freak accidents.

To my surprise and the credit of those listening, instead of responding to my mention of the show with laughter they were disgusted. As they should be. Unfortunately, I had just branded myself as a sick guy that liked to watch little animals die and the really stupid part about the whole thing about it is that I had decided that the videos were gross and hadn't watched them in three years. Not only had I proven that I was a moron, I had associated myself with something horrible in which I don't even participate.

Why do I have to be such an idiot? I always manage to cast myself in the worst light possible. I'm more than eccentric enough without making myself appear as a sicko. I guess it just goes to prove the Proverb, "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."

All the Kids on the Bus

One of the interesting thing about Japan is that small children ride the public busses by themselves. By small children I mean first and second graders.

I can't imagine parents in big city America letting kids that young go anywhere alone much less via public transportation. They'd be far to worried about the weirdos and criminals. Here it's a different story. Not only do parents trust the rest of the adults on the bus to keep an eye out for there kids safety they also trust their kids to behave themselves and to pay correctly, get off at the correct stops and remember all the other little things that go into traveling by yourself. From my observation the kids are completely worthy of such trust. They are always polite and well behaved and while I'm not sure I'd recognize it if it happened they never seem to have any trouble paying or finding their spots.

It's really kind of amazing.

Settling In

Even though I'm begining to miss home more and more, I am continuing to adapt to Japan.

I now know several varieties of Japanese food that are both cheap and tasty. I even know a couple of chains where I can get such food. I've adapted to turning the water off during my showers and using the spray only for rinsing. I am no longer perpetually fearful of getting off at the wrong bus stop or taking the wrong train.

All in all, I'm getting okay at getting around.

Today I stayed after school to study with one of my Japanese classmates. I used his book (because I'm to cheap to use my own) and he benefited from me explaining some of the problems that he wasn't able to solve. I think a mutually beneficial partnership has been formed.

Camp

It looks like I will be going to camp this year.

Unless something as yet unseen comes up, I will be helping to staff a short English camp for Japanese highschoolers in October. I will be serving as a "conversation" partner, helping the students to practise their English and giving them a chance to listen to native English.

It should be alot of fun. The camp will last three days. We will go out into the countryside by bus. All of the transportation and housing expenses are covered by the highschool. Most of our meals will be provided as well. It's almost like a mini working vacation to the Japanese countryside.

Another really great thing about the adventure is that we will be receiving 20,000 yen as reimbursement. While this isn't very much (about $180 US) it is alot more than I expect to require on the trip and will be one of the very few income opportunites for the next few months.

*EDIT*

Palm Boy asks: "Is it out in the woods and stuff, or in a building?"

In a building or maybe a bunch of buildings.

Udon

Today I went out to Ikebukuro to have dinner and attend a Bible study with some guys from church.

I arrived early and after waiting around a bit, I bumped into another guy who had arived early and we did a little shopping. I found a very nice Japanese/English electronic dictionary that was reasonably priced. I am thinking of purchasing it sometime in the future.

We went to an Udon shop. Udon is a Japanese word for big white noodles that are hard to eat with chopsticks. Acutally, I just made that up. The noodles are very long and thick and are often served in a broth. What I had looked very much like what is shown in the picture above sans the raw egg. Japanese people have a thing about raw eggs, they put them on EVERYTHING. A habit I am finding a little difficult to get used to.


After we ate we started our Bible study, we started off giving our testimonies taking about fifteen minutes each. It was a good time of sharing and it helped me get to know my new friends better on a spiritual level. Its very encouraging to see other guys just a few years older than I who are hungry for and passionate about God's word.

After sharing our testimonies we moved into the actual Bible study. We covered the Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders and discussed the absolute importance on basing our lives around God's word and obedience to our Creator's commands. It is amazing how a piece of scripture that I have read so many times, and even memorized can speak to me again and again.
I am beginning to feel guilty about neglecting to pack my Bible.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my little sister's birthday. It is the first major family event that I've missed since coming to Japan and it's a reminder of how much I miss everyone.

Since my birthday card will undoubtedly fail to reach home in time I just wanted to proclaim my best wishes and say a heartfelt, "Happy Birthday".

I miss you and hope your special day is wonderful.

Shibuya 109

Today after church I rode the escalators all the way to the top of Shibuya 109. Shibuya 109 is a Shibuya landmark. The building houses a ten story mall hosting dozens of trendy girls clothing stores.

Obviously, I'm not a girl and don't share the Japanese tastes in fashion so I didn't really have a good reason for my visit other than to mark another landmark of my "Been there, done that" list.

It was a somewhat disappointing trip. The building looks very cool from the outside but inside it's just like any other mall, except it doesn't have any stores that I would shop at. I was hoping for a cool view of Shibuya's night lights but there weren't any windows anywhere.