DAY 1:
-Kamakura: A coastal town in Kanagawa, south of Tokyo; offers numerous temples, shrines, and other historical monuments.
-Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
-Wakamiya Dori Street
-Komachi Street
-Kamakura Daibutsu (The Great Buddha): Second largest Buddha statue in Japan.
-Odawara Castle: Now used as a museum, displaying several historical objects regarding samurai lifestyle and history.
-Atami: One of the leading hot spring resorts in Japan (this is followed by a Kaiseki dinner – you wear a traditional Japanese bathrobe at dinner in a banquet room).

DAY 2:
-Fuji-Hakone National Park: Mt. Fuji, the volcanic Hakone area, mountainous Izu peninsula, and 7 volcanic islands off the coast.
-Owakudani Valley: The valley features clear lakes, volcanic peaks, steaming hot springs and shady valleys.
-Hakone Cable Car: Aerial view of the Mt. Fuji vicinity.
-Lake Ashi: Large crater lake.
-Shinjuku (Tokyo): Shopping & entertainment.

DAY 3:
-Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office
-Meiji Shrine
-Asakusa: Senso-ji Temple (Tokyo’s oldest temple), various shops.
-Imperial Palace: Home to Emperor Akihito and other members of the Japanese Royal Family.
-Ginza: One of Tokyo’s largest entertainment districts; features upscale department stores, shops, restaurants, night clubs and cafes.
-Panasonic Center
-Rinkai Fukutoshin or Odaiba: Megaweb entertainment zone, several museums, a shopping complex, Odaiba Seaside Park.

During the tour we will have 5-star hotel accommodations for each destination and authentic Japanese cuisine. I’m so stoked. This part sounds particularly amazing: “Atami highlight entails a one night stay at a Japanese hot spring hotel with your room facing the ocean and offering panoramic views of it. You can watch the sunrise while taking a hot spring bath in the open.” Haha, there are also very explicit instructions that accompany the hot spring bath: “Before entering, get changed in the changing room and put your clothes and underwear in the basket. You may use the small towel supplied by the hotel to cover your body. Clean your body by the faucet and then enter the bath. You must not wear a swimsuit.”

DUDE. I can’t wait. The only thing I’m not looking forward to is the 18-hour flight to Hong Kong, followed by another 5-hour flight to Japan (it’s just cheaper that way). I hate flying; I get super duper nervous for the first few hours.

We still haven’t figured out what we’re doing during the three extra days we’ll be spending in Tokyo, after the tour’s over, so if any of you have been there and have suggestions, please let me know. I’m not entirely sure what we’re doing in Hong Kong the last three days either.

Each day of my trip, I’ll post a blog full of pictures and stuff from each place I go. Uh, once I figure out the whole internet-in-Japan thing.

Okay, now that I’m done geeking out, I was browsing IMDb.com earlier checking out Pineapple Express and this ad appeared at the bottom of the page:

I thought it was worth mentioning in my blog.

I want to watch Pineapple Express. I’m not big into stoner movies, but I’ve heard good reviews about it and I love Seth Rogen and James Franco. I recently read an article on IMDb.com that a Superbad/Pineapple Expresscrossover sequel will be in the works in the near future. I’m not sure how that’s going to work, but it’s an interesting idea. I’d love to see a Superbadsequel.

16 days and counting until my two-week trip to Japan and Hong Kong! I feel so unprepared, though. I have no idea what I’m bringing, and I don’t think we’ve planned out any activities for our 6-day stay in Tokyo. 

Until next time,

Betty Machete

So anyway, I went to Del Taco earlier for lunch (hey, give me a break, it’s Taco Tuesday) and got hit on by the dude workin’ the drive-thru.

I pulled up to the first window (as the sign had dictated), and was greeted by a boy no older than seventeen, exuding as much arrogance and cockiness as one could while sporting a Del Taco uniform and smelling of chili cheese fries. He grinned at me, displaying an impressive mouthful of gleaming metal. “Why are you hiding that pretty face behind those sunglasses?” he asked. “Uh, what?” I said in disbelief. “You should take those off and show off your pretty eyes.” I blinked. Then I laughed awkwardly. Who knew you could get 3 soft tacos and a lame pick-up line delivered by a hormonal 17-year-old boy, all for just $1.09? Del Taco, the king of SWEET DEALS in the fast food industry. The point is, I’m really full right now and don’t intend on consuming food ever again.

Anyway, I’m off to continue my day.

Fondly,

b. bear

A few weeks ago I started reading a book called Batman and Philosophy by Mark D. White, Robert Arp, and William Irwin which covers several themes present in Nolan’s film (for example, doing what’s morally right versus doing what will ensure the best outcome for everyone, even if it’s technically wrong).

Anyway, this weekend was way fun. Thursday night we all went out to dinner for Caroline’s birthday, followed by the midnight showing of The Dark Knight. Friday night a couple of us went over to Franco’s house to smoke hookah and play some cards. We played poker and I bought in with $2 (as opposed to the usual $5 buy-in, since I only had $2 on me) and ended up walking with $16. At one point I was up to $21. Saturday night I watched The Dark Knight again with Bobby and Josh; while we waited in line, the two guys behind us struck up a conversation with us about films and comic books.

Oh, speaking of comic books, I’m super excited about Watchmen being made into a film! If you haven’t seen the trailer, you can watch it here: <a href=”http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/”>Watchmen Trailer</a>. The twelve-issue comic book is the only comic book to make it onto Time Magazine’s 2005 list of “the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present. Definitely worth checking out. I got my new passport in the mail today! Finally! I look like a douche. I am so ready to go to Japan.

I believe in Harvey Dent,

Betty

I am currently at Borders. I’ve been coming here for the past four days to work on the catalog because there are too many distractions at home, and I’ve been too lazy to drive to the office. I feel like I LIVE here. Yes, I am at Borders. Right now.

Earlier as I entered the store, a woman (a MOM, if you will) with a stroller was exiting through the double doors. I held the door open for her and watched as she struggled to open the other one, before realizing I was opening it for her. “Oh – you’re – oh,” she spluttered. “I’m not used to people opening doors for me,” she said with a laugh, followed by a quick thank-you. Now I know what superheroes feel like when they perform extraordinary acts and then bask in the awe and gratitude of unremarkable mortals. It’s possible I may be exaggerating. But I’d like to think it brightened up her day, just a little.

Speaking of superheroes, here is a picture I found on deviantART of robot Batman:

“Holy, Kleenex Batman!”, (It was right under our nose and we blew it!)

Betty

One of my favorite scenes in the movie involved McAvoy’s character, Wesley, clocking his former best friend/co-worker/douchebag extraordinaire in the face with a computer keyboard after receiving a burst of self-empowerment. There’s some pretty sweet slow motion action upon the impact, which I have crudely depicted in the illustration below:

Yeah, that’s pretty much how it looked, except I didn’t include Douchebag McGee and Wesley in the background. The point is, I highly recommend watching the film. And if that doesn’t convince you, James McAvoy is half naked a lot (ladies), and you get to see Angelina Jolie’s ass (gentlemen).

Anyway, as much as I’d love to continue ranting about nothing of importance, there is work to be done and I must go do it. Until next time, friends.

“I’m sorry,

Betty

Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), also known as Amputee Identity Disorder is the overwhelming desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs or other parts of the body. Sometimes its sufferers take it upon themselves to amputate their own limbs. Although it most commonly refers to people who wish to amputate limbs, the term BIID also applies to those who wish to alter their bodily integrity in general.

Thanks, Wikipedia. Now, I didn’t exactly just randomly stumble across this – I recently (and by recently I mean two hours ago) watched a movie called Quid Pro Quo which uses BIID for its plot foundation, though I was surprised with how it unraveled; it definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be. Nick Stahl (the Yellow Bastard from Sin City) is in it, in case you were curious.

Despite being a psych major for a while and having taken abnormal psychology, I’ve never heard of BIID before, so naturally I was intrigued. Okay, well maybe I have heard of it, now that I think about it. Anyway, the point is, this shit’s fucked up. 
To help give you a better idea of this disorder, here’s bits and pieces (no pun intended?) of an article I found on ABC News:

-”When these people see an amputee, they see … a person of strength being able to overcome hardship, someone to be admired.” – Dr. Michael First

-Dan, who is intensely physical and loves hiking and skiing, said he had thought of amputating his own leg using dry ice and a power saw. To reduce his anxiety, he sometimes pretends to be an amputee.

For a man remarkably at home in his wheelchair, there is a hint of regret. There are places the wheelchair can’t take him, like to the beach to feel the sand under his feet.
“It’s all those little things, like that,” Karl said. “What the hell was I thinking?”

It’s insane reading about these people who envy amputees and disabled individuals, fantasize about being one themselves, and attempt to (sometimes successfully so) “alleviate” their problem.

How can someone feel incomplete because they’re physically complete? What would drive a person to amputate – or even just to have the desire to amputate – perfectly healthy limbs? Human beings are weird.

Stumped (pun intended),

Betty

Full article: ABC News: What Drives People to Want to Be Amputees?
Image: Screen cap of David Lynch’s, The Amputee, courtesy of Flickr.com

We were invited to our cousin’s wedding on Saturday in Pasadena, which was scheduled for 4:00pm. We planned on leaving at 2:30 or 3, but ended up leaving at about 3:25 – too bad Pasadena’s about a 45 minute-hour drive, and it certainly didn’t help that the directions were vague, at best. After finally exiting the freeway, we drove up and down Hill St. trying to find the wedding; eventually we passed by a church with what was clearly a wedding going on outside. We parked and started walking up to the church. As we got closer and closer, we heard mariachi music and immediately figured we had the wrong wedding. According to the two Mexican girls we spoke to from the wedding party, everyone was there to celebrate the joyous union of Sergio and Rosa. Needless to say, we got the hell out of there.

Eventually we did find Christina & Rei’s wedding (just a bit further up the street), and spent the entire evening greeting relatives that had nothing more to say to us than “You look just like your dad!” and “You look more and more like your mom every time I see you!” And unfortunately for my brother, he also had to put up with, “When are you gonna get married?”

It was fun though. Especially after a Newcastle, some white wine, and champaign.

Sunday was pretty awesome too. I love my friends. There’s nothing like watching a Thai action movie dubbed over with bad American voice acting. Greatest scene ever: an old Thai woman screaming, “Knives for sale!” repeatedly, which sounded like someone was just [badly] imitating the voice of an old woman in English. Yes. It ruled.

And I owe one of the employees at the hookah bar some chocolate milk, or a hackey sack. Don’t ask.

Knives for sale,

Betty

Okay, not really. Not all the time.

I was texting a sort-of coworker of mine, this guy who interns at Volcom and helps us out at photo shoots, to see if he wanted to grab some dinner (in a strictly let’s-be-friends-and-nothing-more way), and he agreed. We texted back and forth for a bit, deciding on the date, time and location, and eventually settled on something. The next day I texted him to reschedule because something had come up, but he wasn’t able to, and I ended the conversation with a friendly, “You owe me dinner this weekend!”

A moment later I went back to my inbox to delete my read messages, at which point I realized the full extent of my idiocy. The entire time I had been texting my “coworker” I had actually been texting an acquaintance of mine with the same first name. I guess I somehow decided it wasn’t necessary to check the last names before selecting a contact and hitting “send.” Thing is, this guy I’d actually been texting is a pretty big flirt, and I’m pretty sure I’m a moron and gave him the impression that I wanted him to take me out on a date. I should have known something was up, judging from the unusual level of enthusiasm in the responses I got. Anyway, once I realized my mistake, I think I said something along the lines of “Oh, of course,” and buried my face in my hands. I told my friend Brooke who happened to be with me, and she didn’t seem surprised at all.

You know, you’d think after all this time I’d be used to the ridiculous situations I have a tendency of getting myself into.

My solution to the problem is this: say nothing and lay low. Avoid, avoid, avoid. And hope that he’s forgetful.

Anyway, I’m in a good mood. I bought two books earlier: I Was Told There’d Be Cake: Essays by Sloane Crosley, and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach. And I have a new project coming up for DDC, doing photography for some jewelry company. I’ve yet to sit down with my boss and work out the details, but I’m stoked. I’m down for extra cash and one more company to add to my resume. But before I do that I have to finish the Volcom Snow 09 catalog by Friday, I think. And next week we’re moving into our new office!

I feel like such an adult. It’s terrifying.

Failing at life,

Betty

Yeah, this is definitely one of those days. One of those “Murphy’s law” days. For those of you who don’t know what Murphy’s law is, let me explain: it states that whatever can go wrong will go wrong or whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. Sound familiar? I thought so. I think this verse sums it up quite simply and accurately:

I never had a slice of bread,
Particularly large and wide,
That did not fall upon the floor,
And always on the buttered side.

Yes, today, Thursday May 29, 2008, is one of those buttered-side-down days. Well, nothing too terrible has occurred (I mean, all my limbs are still intact and I can still recite the alphabet flawlessly in the correct order), but I’ve been in a crappy mood since I opened my eyes this morning, and that makes all the stupid stuff ten times worse. But I guess to sum it up, I’m sleep deprived, I’m feeling insecure and less than attractive, my stomach hurts, I’m down $20 from poker, I’m feeling super pessimistic, and I think I’m quite bored with the regularity of life. And I’ve been questioning a lot of my own decisions and actions and the motives behind them – whatever that means.

Anyway, someone recommended The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and I think I’m gonna stop by Borders tomorrow to pick it up. The book discusses highly improbable/unpredictable events as well as human nature, and how we deceive ourselves with our own logic and reasoning. It’s been a while since I’ve read a good book that gives me a lot to think about and to discuss with others.

I think now I’m just gonna hang out, relax, get some sleep, and hope tomorrow’s a better day.

And if Murphy’s goddamned law comes back to kick my ass, I’ll just go home and immerse myself in my new book. And maybe sulk a little bit. And maybe eat lots of junk food.

Miserably yours,

Betty