Prehistoric Time

I've been documenting my neighbours. One neighbour would come home, have lights on until 7pm and then all the lights would be out until midnight, and then they'd all come back up again.

So...something like this.

2000~0100 SLEEP

0100-0400 WAKING HOURS

0400-0700 SLEEP

0700-1900 WAKING HOURS

I haven't tried this, but my guess is the day will feel much longer.

Japan

Tonight, I arrived home.

Home doesn't look all that different. I wish it did.

I wish that...

People in HK would be more courteous. Why not? Courtesy is free and makes everything smoother.
I love how most Japanese I've met on this trip have been extremely polite. In fact, I've yet to meet a nasty one.  This took me some time to get used to. At first, I'd cynically think "Wow, I wonder if Japanese criminals are this polite to their victims." But then, I began to see that it wasn't that Japan was polite, but that HK was less polite.

An interesting point to note: Japanese people who speak good English adopt foreign ways akin to tourists, becoming more casual.

Sushi was less expensive and better quality in HK.
Decent sushi in Japan is everywhere. I found the 711/Familymart sushi to be really rather good.

There would be more small cars in HK.
SMALLER CARS USE LESS GAS and produce less pollution. HK lungs could really do with less of everything not air, and roads could really do with less massive SUVs.

HK would have fully privatized subway companies.
Competition is good!

MTR would have Station-skipping fast trains bound for major stations.
HK's subway is really getting crowded. Why not 特急 trains?

HK stores would play Auld Lang Syne as they close for the night.
In the highly-commercial world of retail, hearing Auld Lang Syne is the perfect way to end a great day of shopping.

Yen would be more normally priced.
Artificial devaluation of the currency may be nice for tourists, but I genuinely feel bad for Japanese people who saved money.

People would actually go help other people.
Hell, this goes for places everywhere. Did you know that about 15% of Japan is living in poverty? That's like 1 in 6 people. What are the other 5 out of 6 doing, that's not helping this situation?

And needy People would go seek help.
If there's one thing Asian people find difficult, it's seeking help immediately, as required by the situation at hand. Why? Because people are afraid of others saying "No". Because they are afraid of losing face (yes, that's still a big value in Japan).

For the LOVE OF GOD, won't you people go get help?

Depressed people, go seek therapy.
Tired people, go talk to your bosses and get some leave.
Poor people, go get all the welfare and charitable help you need to get back on your feet.

The State would just go away.
"If there's anything wrong with the country, it's always the problem of the state."
Japan would do very well without its militarism, BoJ fiscal policy, increasing taxes and all the rest of it.

Little Travel Regrets

Japan.

Mistakes.

I once bought a pack of matcha noodles, a big pack of curry and a hamburger steak, intent on cooking them all. Half way through my noodle slurping while watch anime, I became full and put the thing in the freezer.

2 things happened.

1. The freezer smelt of curry and green tea mixed together.
2. I started regretting it, but couldn't bring myself to finish it off.
3. My buddies wouldn't help me finish it and became annoyed at

So I just left it for room service.

Lesson:
None taken. All is good. It's a good feeling to be cleaned up after, once in a while.

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Sh*t is always more expensive in touristy areas.

Virtually all local souvenir shops love to rip off people and Japan is no exception.

I once saw this thermometer keychain for 380yen. I bought it in a frenzy of great excitement, only to see an identical one elsewhere for a hundred yen less.

Lesson:

Control yourself! Patience pays.

-

For a few nights, I stayed at a hotel that was all very, very nice, except for the fact that it had a shared bathroom, where all the naked men showered together. And in the far end of this bathroom was a bathtub, which no one was using. (There were no single bathrooms. )

I wanted to use it, but couldn't bring myself to. Till next time in Japan, I guess...

-

I wish I got up earlier everyday. Japan is one place that gets up normally at around 7am. Museums, temples, castles generally open at 9 and unless I get there at 9, I'm wasting time.

So get up at 7 and everything will be fine.

-

Haha! That's it for now. Regret is how we learn to make things better.

Thought of the Day #23: Contradiction

All contradictions exist in the model or the language of the model.
In nature, there are no contradictions.

Thought of the Day #23: BitCoin

"When you put money in the bank, you relinquish control of your money. When you use Bitcoin/alternative currency, you still own your money."

Thought of the Day #22: "Our lives are not our own"

Sometimes, the most distant memories can float up from the depths of the subconscious.

Our lives are not our own. 

From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. 

And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Interpretation

Take it easy. 

Self-ownership is ultimately an illusion, albeit one that works well. 

Thought of the Day #21: Peeple and The Circle

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/01/peeple-review-people-the-user-review-app-you-didnt-dare-ask-for

This is a concept I'd like to see. In fact, I thought about building this myself. If they solve the problems that come their way (eg. legal, marketing, media), they can do pretty well.

It's going to be one hell of a social experiment. And there will be no opting-out.

As the article says, "She said Peeple would be launched in November “unless we change major features” – meaning you have at least one month to get into everyone’s good books."


-

Which is a lot like this book, called "The Circle", by Dave Eggers.

I first came across this book in the subway. I was minding my own business when my eye was caught tall, blond, young, reading woman was leaning against a glass panel reading, reading this book. As you know, it's not all that often you see people reading paperback novels on the train. I caught a glimpse of the bookcover and looked it up.

The Circle is about = a young woman who works at this Facebook/Twitter/Google/Apple/Microsoft-like corporation, as she discovers the true aims of its owners.  As the story unfolds, we are told that the goal of the Circle is to model everyone's lives - everything they eat, think, say, do. Nothing escapes them.  Eventually, she is assimilated into the machine and becomes its leading evangelist.

This is not an original story. As always, Futurama was there first.

Thoughts of the Day #20: Philosophy and Psychology

These are my definitions and may differ from any textbooks.

Philosophy are the struggles and attempts at reconciling the differences between the models we build with language and minds, with reality. It's about getting our heads around these perceived problems.

Eg.
Zeno's Paradox. What's wrong with the argument and conclusion?
What's justice?
What's morality?
Problems of Knowledge. How do we know? What does it mean to know?

Parts of Psychology observes and explain our struggles with reality, with accepting reality, and how we can stop struggling.

Eg.
Paradoxes (eg. Zeno's Paradox): What is it about the language used to describe/analyze the problem that may cause this to arise? Why do we find it difficult to get our heads around this?

Counter-intuitive probability (eg. Monty Hall Problem): Why do many of us find it difficult to shake off the "equal probability" intuition?

Justice, Morality, Ethical: Why do we need this? What do we consider reality? What results when we don't have this? Why are some people injust or immoral or unethical?

Theories of Intelligence
Phobias
"Mental Illnesses"
Trauma: What, why and how does trauma affect one's behavior, perception?
Psychotherapy.
Neuropsychology. Psychological processes/behavior in terms of brain function.