Why blog?

What am I using this blog for? I think it's a place to record all those thought that flit past my consciousness when I'm in a contemplative mood, when I'm showering, when I'm far away from any notepad. Seriously, whenever I want to save some thoughts for posterity (not that anyone else thinks they're worth remembering), they get lost among the other more mundane items. So I'm going to make an effort to update this blog more often. Hopefully someday I'll look back on this snapshot of life and smile fondly. Hopefully what I write will provide some entertainment to the poor soul who stumbles across this wasted corner of cyberspace...

Coupe du monde 2006!

The World Cup begins tomorrow and I can't wait! Even subscribed to the cable TV package so I can watch it everyday! Too bad most games are in the morning/afternoon so I'll miss some of them, but at least I can witness some of the best examples of the beautiful game. Can't wait!
Argentina are my favourites to win the tournament--they have a pretty strong team in all departments, plus an exciting forward line consisting of none other than the 19 year-old wunderkid--Lionel Messi.
Hopefully the US will do well too, so football's (alright, soccer's) popularity will rise over here.

To live there...

Everytime I go to Japan, I feel a sense of displacement. Even though I think it's the place where I'd like to work next, I'm still wondering if it's the right decision. I mean, am I going there just for the heck of it or what? Would I be sacrificing my career prospects by going to a place where the tech industry is not as vibrant as in the Valley?

Anyway this time there was a sense of purpose everywhere I went--Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore. I would ask myself, "How would it feel to work here?", "How does it feel to jostle for space everyday on the trains?", "Where can I buy groceries?", "Should I bring all my pots and pans?", etc. Silly questions, no doubt, but they kind of render the surroundings in a totally different light.