me against the world

This weekend I got three doses of Japan:

1) I’m almost done reading “Around the World in 80 Dates” by Jennifer Cox. The book is about travel journalist and author Cox, who realizes that while her work life is great, her love life is horrible. So in an attempt to fix this, she asks friends and friends of friends to help her set up dates all around the world. The book - part travel, part memoir - follows her thoughts as she goes through 80 dates around the world, all in the hopes of finding her Soul Mate.

Anyway, she just dated a few people in Japan and I enjoyed reading about some of the sights to see and things to do in Tokyo. I think I was more interested in reading the details about the area than what her dates were like. Just kinda =)

2) As many people had mentioned that I should watch it before leaving, I watched “Lost in Translation” last night. The movie is about two people in Tokyo who are just lost in their lives and desperately need to be found. I enjoyed the movie for its story, the acting, and also all of the hints as to what to see and do in Japan. As much as I see all these images, I still can’t imagine what it’s going to feel like to be in a car driving through Tokyo and seeing all the bright lights and people.

3) Today I watched all three hours of the mini-series “Kelly Osbourne: Turning Japanese” on Much Music (it originally aired on the UK’s ITV2). Kelly Osbourne is quite the character but I was really pleased with her in this series. I couldn’t help but laugh along with her and be impressed by her determination not to disrespect people and to try and understand. After all of her complaining or uncomfortable moments, she learned to understand. I enjoyed watching her go to different places in Tokyo, work various jobs, and take part in certain activities. Ha, I will never forget the Love Hotel segment. The best part was when she went to Kyoto and entered a Tea House to train with the Maiko for a week. It was great.

Anyway, as a result, I’m really itching to go to Japan and see everything that’s there. I think the biggest thing I’m worried about is being polite enough and not offending anyone. I’m just going to keep saying “sumimasan” (sorry) often to cover my butt :P

The time leading up to this trip has been very interesting for me so far because as part of the projects I’m working on at work, I’ve been reading and writing a lot about Japan, Tokyo, and Japanese history, customs, and traditions. I’ve been reading about things to see and do, talking to people about it, and also going through pictures to get a better idea. After watching both “Lost in Translation” and “Turning Japanese”, I’ve realized that I will definitely be overwhelmed by all that there is to see and do and how different things are in Japan from how they are at home.

It will be an interesting experience for sure. And I’m already beginning to think I’ll have to go back to Japan again in the future to see and do all the things I won’t be able to do this time around.

I kept hearing about this movie and finally picked it up.

And I absolutely love it.

It’s random, it’s touching, it’s funny and it’s raw.

I think it’s the first movie that has ever had me laugh out loud only to start tearing up in the same moment because of how touching a certain scene is.

Brilliant :)

Watching “24″ is messing with my ability to accept the odd lapses of time on regular TV shows.

Take for example: “The O.C.”

One week, it’s Thanksgiving. The next week it’s Chrismukkah. And then the next, they are preparing for Valentines Day.

It’s hard for me to switch back from “every episode is the next hour, every minute counts, and every event unfolds step by step by the second” to “oh, and now three months have passed and they are so in love and even though you didn’t see it happen, you must believe us”.

It’s bad because it makes it harder to accept the character and plot developments.

At least with “Lost”, time passes but it’s only hours or maybe days, but definitely not months.

Oh boy.

Or maybe it’s not the time lapses that are bothering me the most.

Perhaps it’s the realization that some of the television shows that I used to watch, prior to getting swept up with “Lost” and “24”, are of poor quality.

Or, in some cases, they started of great and then went downhill from there.

Something like that.

Habitat ‘67.
Originally uploaded by Westcoast Weezie.

Recently, I’ve become really interested in travel photography, travel writing, and of course: actual travel. I’m not sure if this is just a phase or the start of something big in my life. All I know right now is that it has probably been brought on by the anticipation of my upcoming Japan trip, and by all of the recent reading and surfing I’ve done on the three topics.

Anyway, as a result I’ve decided that it would be nice to start blogging my favourite travel memories and highlights. So here’s my first one - a brief overview of our biking adventure in Montreal:

Biking in Montreal:

On a beautiful summer day in 2006, a group of us rented bicycles at the Old Port in Montreal (Vieux-Port de Montréal). We started off biking along the Lachine Canal trail, then cut across and took the detour to Notre-Dame Island (Ile Notre Dame).

On the way, we passed the Cité du Havre which is the site of the original Habitat 67, a housing complex built during Expo 1967. It was definitely a unique sight to see with its very creative architecture (see the picture above).

We continued on and rode over the Concorde Bridge (Pont de la Concorde). As we rode across the bridge we were treated to a breathtaking view of the Old Port and the downtown skyscrapers across the water. I will never forgive myself for not carrying my camera that afternoon because the view was so great.

On Notre-Dame Island, we biked to the Gilles-Villeneuve Race Track (on which the Canadian F1 Grand Prix takes place every summer), and then rode all the way around the 4.2-km circuit. Once we had finished, we made a brief stop outside the Casino, bought some water in the park, and then rode our way back to the Old Port. It was a long ride, but definitely an enjoyable one with many wonderful sights to see along the way.

Of course, once we were back at the port, we couldn’t resist finishing off our great journey by eating some delicious beaver tails. Yum.

Read more about the biking trail here and see more pictures of Habitat 67 here.