Pics

Here you have them...

Postings

Due to a lack of energy and time, I won't be posting much on my trip. Sorry, guys. I will, however, be posting some more photos soon. Know that I am loving Japan and don't want to leave!

Hang tight.

Alex

Japan - Day 2

And we're back! Wow! What a trip this has been thus far!

The flight was 11.5 hours long but we got to our terminal rather quickly (within 5 mins of landing) and we were at the carousel 10 minutes afterward.

Flying over Mount McKinley, Alaska

At the airport I met the rest of the crew I will be working with. They seem like cool, smart people. I, of course, am the only Latino (reminds me of calc class). There's a total of 10 of us -- all living in the same quarters.. a la "Real World".

Our place is pretty amazing. It is 2 stories high and has a slew of amenities: 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, an awesome kitchen and sweet modern decorations.

The view from outside my window

After a few drinks and getting to know each other a bit better we went out to dinner (Japs don't rest much.. They take you to dinner after a 12 hour flight!) at a restaurant called Nihonbashi-Yukari (website here) where we had a traditional Japanese dinner (they keep stressing the importance of experiencing Japanese culture). If you asked me what I had, I could not tell you -- but damn it was good!

After eating we walked around the city.

Back to bed; more later :)

Japan - Day One

As I wait for my flight to leave, I cannot help myself but notice the people coming up to check in to the same flight that I am in (Singapore Airlines, Flight SQ 11). This is not the normal crowd I am used to traveling with. Could this be the first of Japan's culture shock? I will put some thought into this during the flight.

Update soon to come. I am guessing in the next 15 to 17 hours (flight is eleven and a half hours plus a few hours to accommodate, meet & greet, etc).

Until then...

Japan - Day Zero

Today marks the beginning of an amazing journey. It is on this day that I am granted the opportunity to travel abroad. Though I am physically traveling to Japan tomorrow, today is significant because all my travel arrangements, along with a series of events that have led me to this point, culminate within the prologue of my story. This is my turning point, this is my chance to either let it get away or to savor every last bit of knowledge I am about to dive into. Either I am in or I am out. "Blue Pill or Red Pill" time. It is at this moment that my introduction climaxes -- and my decisions and thoughts now will set the tone for the rest of my experience.

The question that begs to be asked is a simple one: What now? This question, as simple as it might be, is also very broad and all-encompassing, hence the difficulty in answering it. Hopefully, by the end of my adventure I will have a better understanding of its implications on my life and on my persona.

Stay Tuned...

Postsecret

About two years ago I bumped into a website called PostSecret. As the name implies, the website features (or posts) secrets sent in from anonymous people. At simple glance, there isn't much to it. It's a simple concept: grab a postcard, tell us your secret, mail it to us and we will post it on site. Well my friends, it has become an adiction to me. I cannot wait until Sunday mornings to check out the newly posted secrets. People get pretty creative and a wide range of emotions are displayed: from funny posts to very sad and depressing ones. Give it a try; with caution of course!

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

San Diego weather

Someone has to say something about the incredible weather we've been having in San Diego recently. The past two days have been GREAT! It is because of this reason that I will take a day off from blogging. Instead, I leave you with a photo of Rady's School of Management (where I go to school). I took this pic on the way out.

German Politics

The recent inquiry of a friend sparked a once strong fire of curiosity I had for international relations and the structure of foreign governments. My friend's question was on the German parliament and the role of the Angela Merkel. One the first topic, my friend queried what the difference was between the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. As for Merkel, he wondered when her term would be up. Now, I am obviously no expert either topic, but I did take a comparative politics class a few moons ago. I also keep fairly current on world events so I felt like I could give a semi-acceptable answer to his question, at least during the drunken state in which we found ourselves. After asking me his questions, I sat pondering on his inquiries; I was about 10 seconds behind him. The quiddity of his questions struck me as a bit odd. "These are basic questions," I thought, "How can you not know these things?".

I explained to my friend what little I know (that the Bundestag is the upper house of Parliament-- comparable to the Senate in the US, and that the Bundesrat is the lower house-- similar to the House. Also, that Merkel would have to call an election before November 2010 because she was elected 5 years before that date). After answering his questions, my curiosity got the best of me and I began to ask myself a bunch of questions that eventually led to a conversation on Germany's Basic Law (their constitution). I remembered it was very focused on personal rights and liberties (due to the Weimar Republic and Hitler's Third Reich), but I didn't remember much more. The conversation on Germany's Basic Law and the personal liberties it provides its citizens with lead to another, more meaningful talk, about the right to privacy.

It wasn't long ago that I read an article on in a recent TIME magazine about the new laws Germany was passing in regards to technology. I wonder what sort of impact the meshing of a strong belief in personal rights and liberties have on technology? In another article, a very recent NYT text, I read about Britain holding all emails and browsing history (among other web related exchanges of personal information) of its citizens. How is it that two countries that are geographically close to each other, have such [theoretically] opposite view points on this subject?
Where does the US stand? I am sure we're more on the Brit's side, but is that right? What impact does it have on our democracy, our right to privacy?

After discussing all of this, we were pretty hammered and decided it was time to go home to sleep off the alcohol and reconvene at a later date.

Tokyo, Japan: here I come!

Z Corporation is a company that develops, manufactures, and markets 3D printers. It's an incredible technology that is becoming more and more popular. Today I was offered a paid summer internship with Z Corporation that is to take place June 19 through July 5, 2009. Unfortunately, because of the state of the economy, my internship will only last two weeks. This, albeit the shorter term, is still a great opportunity for anyone, more so since it is to take place in Tokyo!

More on Z Corporation here. Find company case studies here.

The guy I will be working under is Scott Harmon ("my boss"). His info can be found here.

Here is a video of one of their main products:




The company name is like one taken from a Sci-Fi novel or something, don't you think? The name falls under the same nomenclature nature of fictional conglomerates such as the "Umbrella Corporation" (IRT Resident Evil) or "InGen" (IRT Jurrassic Park), in my opinion. Freaks me out a bit.

More soon,

A.

Laguna Beach

I came up to Laguna Beach for the day. Woke up at 6, worked on some school stuff until 9, hopped into the shower, had breakfast, and ran out the door around 10. It took us a little less than three hours (we took PCH for most of the trip and there were a few pit stops for potty breaks).

On the drive, my friend Dan and I, got extremely existential talking about the perpetual rolling in and out of waves, the long way the sun rays have traveled to reach us and still have the ability of feeling very warm, the fact that we all begin a a single cell and that cell splits into two, and those cells divide into again, etc until you end up with trillions of super-specialized cells all working together to make us "us". Crazy, isn't it? Everything seems just so perfect for life-- all the right elements were in place just at the right time. But all this comes from chaos (more on this later-- I have a lot to say when it comes to the creationism vs. Darwinism debate, one which stems from a similar ideas. I will say, however, that I am a firm believer in evolution). Granted it took millions of years (evolution is slow, doh!). Anyway, I do not pretend to be an expert in the field, but I do find it interesting and will continue to look into it.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the sandy beaches of Laguna. Pictures to come!

Arrested Development

I've never considered myself a person who likes to watch TV; much less sitcoms. This show, however, has caught my attention and I think it's worth watching. It's funny in an obvious and subtle way at the same time. It has the silly "fall down and hit your ass" humor accompanied by hilarious dialogue (the real kicker).

You can watch all three seasons on hulu.

Happy watching!