this seems about right

i stole this from some forum post but found it was good in continuing with my japanese theme of the day. it was a brochure an ex pat living in japan received from his travel agent prior to flying to back to the u.s. it was basically a guide on what to expect and prepare for when you visit the u.s. here are the bullet points that i found most important:

• The yen is very strong against the dollar right now. This will make goods in America seem very cheap -- an excellent opportunity for shopping! However, remember to be polite in your use of money -- America is in the middle of economic malaise right now, and Japanese people with wads of money in their hand might be looked on with envy. Besides, if you are obviously wealthy in an American city, you may be robbed.
• Most Americans are very polite, particularly outside of the big cities. However, outside of the big cities, everyone owns guns. Inside the big cities, almost everyone owns guns. Let's be polite together!
• Most Americans think we look like Chinese or Koreans. Try not to be too offended.
• Most Americans will think that a Japanese person standing on the street is an American, unless they are holding a camera. If you are not comfortable speaking English, you might try bringing along a camera to say "I am a tourist, please don't expect me to speak English." Except, don't try this in the big cities -- tourists get mugged in big cities.
• In general, Americans consider it impolite to discuss politics. However, this January Obama will become the new president, and many people are excited! If they ask you what you think of him, a safe answer is [English] "Obama is really cool." or [English] "Obama speaks so well. Not like me. Hehe." Be very careful when pronouncing his name. O BA MA, just like Obama City.
• Ladies: if you shop for clothes, ask for where to find [English] "petite". It means normal sized. Ladies who are petite may have difficulty finding clothes which fit in America, except at specialty shops.

even though i have never traveled there, i think this list is forcing my hand and i must generate some tips for americans traveling to japan.







"it's pronounced 'o-bah-mah' motherfucker, get it right or go back to koreatown...."

vacation forecast

as i mentioned yesterday, we are headed to the dominican republic pretty soon. i booked this trip so long ago and have been anticipating it so much that it feels a little weird that it is actually approaching. i tend to get real hyped up for trips where i am constantly reading reviews and any info i can get on where i am going. this will be my first trip to an "all-inclusive" resort and i hope to make good use of the inclusives.

with all of this in mind, i realize that the trip will not be perfect and i like to have reasonable expectations. here are a few things that i predict will happen.

1. i will get sick from drinking way too much the first day we arrive.
2. louise will hesitantly enter the water after i make fun of her...she will see a fish or a shell or some seaweed, shriek and run out of the water.
3. i will bring many books with the intention of reading and end up reading a total of 20 pages.
4. i will learn the hard way that you should not get too close to the wildlife.
5. louise will get tons of bug bites while i remain blissfully bite-free.
6. i will describe to louise how upon our return, i plan on picking jessie up and tossing her in the air like a pizza pie.
7. neither of us will get sunburned...just kidding...louise + domrep sun = curly-haired lobster
8. our attempts at speaking spanish will be embarassing.
9. i will see a coconut tree...boast to louise about how i could climb said tree and retrieve a coconut...after giving up quickly, i explain to louise how coconuts are over-rated.
10. louise will have numerous flip-flop malfunctions.
11. i will really enjoy interacting with the staff, who seem so friendly...yet in the back of my mind i worry that they secretly hate me.
12. archery will not be as fun as expected.
13. the swim-up bar will be more fun than expected.
14. louise will do her poor jamaican accent.
15. i will be cautious with my money at the casino.
16. i will find, purchase and wear a big stupid hat that louise hates.

yeah! drink up stupid american douchebag!

television of 2007

i am trying to write this on a day when i am actually busy at work. also, this serves as the last of my best of 2007 lists as well as my last planned blog idea i had remaining. therefore i will try to keep it short to appease those of you who have trouble reading my long and boring posts. (update: warning, although i put this together very hastily, this blog did not end up being short)

shows that i liked

kid nation

easily my favorite reality show of 2007. i have written a lot about it before. i find reality kids much more natural and much less irritating than reality show adults. laurel, alex, sophia and jared were great...taylor and mike...not so much. that's right taylor...you're getting hate via me...i guess you're going to have to realize what is happening and accept the situation.



the office

very funny show with large and funny cast. i have a serious crush on jenna fischer (who also happens to be an avid reader of this blog!)



30 rock

equally as funny as the office and it helps that they schedule these shows right after one another. tracy morgan and alec baldwin are hilarious. dave thinks tina fey is hot.



the ultimate fighter

i have also blogged about this show. while i don't totally agree with the format of the show (show more fighting, less house drama), it is mma. it was particularly fun watching matt serra get the better of matt hughes through most of the show. his hughes impression was spot-on.



friday night lights

it's too bad not many people are watching this show, because it is kind of genius. not that i have ever spent any time in small town middle america or texas for that matter where football appears to be a big part of life, but everything about this show is about as perfect as you can get. incredible acting, writing, cinematography....it all comes together and shame on you for not watching. seriously, this show gives me goosebumps every week. plus there's tons of hot girls in it...to the point where it makes dave hesitant to watch it.


late night with conan o'brien

i go to bed much earlier than i used to, but i know this is my favorite late night talk show. conan and his writing staff are always ridiculous. i would also add the daily show along with conan in that i know it is quality and funny, but i just rarely see it.

good eats

while i can pretty much watch anything on the food network, certain hosts annoy me...and no, i'm not talking about ray-ray. either way, alton brown's nerdy science + cooking show is always fun and informative.

i decided not to include shows i didn't like in that i really didn't watch them. but i know that grey's anatomy, family guy, desperate housewives, big brother, that charlie sheen show, that jim belushi show (is it even still on the air?), and the real world are all shows i despise and will be better if i never see them again.

what do you think? was i way off base? did i miss anything? comment!