Shopping Spree, this time in Shimokitazawa

Yesterday was one of those days. You know, the days you can hardly get out of bed, let alone blog. So I have lots of typing to do today.

First of all - I went to the Orientation for New Students on Friday. It had four parts, each consecutive one more interesting. The first one was indeed an intro to something we have all already done successfully. There was one new piece of info in about nintyish minutes. The second part was a bit more interesting, about the types of help we can receive from the International Center, which would be really interesting if it were shorter: Having read the handout, I started listening, then after 10 minutes realized they were still on the pretty much the same sentence. Waiting for translation did not help matters. The third part was fun: they took us on a tour of the campus. We learned new things! And there were four volunteers leading my group around: a Chinese girl who was our guide, an older gentleman and a married couple - and we talked with them a bit. Every lil bit of Japanese practice helps.

The fourth part was the best - party! The space was small (it was really crowded), the food was gone in a blink (homemade, too! yummy!), the drinks disappeared at the worst possible time (when they gave away some really awful junk food), but it was really fun, and we got to know some of the other international students a bit, and some of the volunteers working to make our stay in Japan better.

Then there was Saturday. I have nothing to say about Saturday, except that I went to konbini, and that this Korean girl saw me with a konbini bag and told me that I should go to Shimokitazawa. Why, I asked, and she replied that it was rather near here (not a good enough reason), and that there's a big store which is much cheaper than konbini (now we're talking!). Another Korean gentleman was also there, and said he always took the train, and would be also interested to learn how to get there on foot.

So, today, at 10 o'clock, our little expedition set out. At first we walked carelessly, without a worry in the world; then, about 15 alleys later, the gentleman started taking notes at every intersection. Smart, but too late, as the worst part was behind us. When we finally got there, there was this big shop. o
Okay, not that big, just two storeys, but it took me a while to walk through it. And I recognised maybe half of the stuff I saw - and even the half that I recognised, I couldn't really tell any details about. For instance, that's miso, but that's miso as well. In fact there is a whole shelf dedicated to miso. What's the difference between this miso and that miso? Damned if I know. Also, I recognised vegetables. But for some items, beyond "vegetables", I got nothing. Never saw anything like that in my whole life.

So it was fun. I spent about ¥4000 there - I got a pan! Now I can cook! - and then took my Korean guide's advice to look around some more "across the tracks". I tried to find a knife (for before cooking) and a bowl (for after cooking), but I was having no luck - until someone suggested I try the department stores. "There are none here... But try Shinjuku." Great idea, I thought, exited the little shop, and entered a department store 100m down the street.

I found a bowl and a knife, but neither was what I was originally looking for. I wanted a plastic bowl, not a ceramic one, because with my phenomenal dexterity and the general crowdedness of my 13-square-metre apartment, I didn't want to have to pick up the pieces. But they didn't have plastic bowls (actually, the cashier I asked started hyperhelpfully running around the shop, showing me one bowl after another, but they were either tupperware or salad bowls, not eating bowls), so I bought a more expensive, wooden one (so pretty!). And the first knife I saw (actually, the first article, period) had a white blade. Yep, white. Is it a toy? I wondered for a second, then realised I was seeing something I heard about, but never yet saw before: a ceramic knife. So I bought it. It's supersharp. And white.

It has an orange handle, though. Can't have it all.

After spending pretty much every yen I'd brought with me, I tried to return home. The part where the Korean gentleman took notes went without a hitch; then I got lost in the little alleys so close to home I could almost see it (actually, I could see the buildings right next to my home, but not actually my home; close enough though), but I had to backtrack more than a Prolog program to find the entrance we passed through.

Only to find that it was locked, and that the magnetic strip card that opens the other gate does not work on this one. So I limped around the campus, trying to find the entrance I knew, when I found myself walking the same street I walked in the rain, several days ago. It would have been nice to have gone to Shimokitazawa a week ago - I would not have been so lost when the rainy day came, and I would have been shopping more cheaply than I was. Konbinis really are expensive!

Finally home, I set out to prepare my dinner: a salmon sashimi with the rice left over from my breakfast. Yummy. Then I thought I'd study, but the lunch knocked me out; next thing I know, my lil bro is Skyping me. After that, the neglected blog; and lo and behold, the day hath passed.

I installed devtools for Mac, and some fun stuff that plays with the Sudden Movement Sensor. And also Last.fm, but it is driving me crazy, because I wait for it to retrieve the stream longer than I actually get to listen, so it's kind of pointlessy. So I'm looking at alternatives, since I have no idea why it's so slow