I NEED TO STOP SPENDING MONEY ON RETAIL!!!!!

For the week and a half that I’ve been here, I’ve spent a whopping sum of $1000 usd on misc purchases – desired and required.

I feel a bit sick looking at my bank account and seeing the nmber of times my husband transfered large sums of money to me, only to be left with a meagre fraction of what was originally in it. Try as I do to convince myself that some purchases were absolutely neccesary like 8 boxes of my dailies contact lenses which am0unted up to $160 usd, giving my dad $200 usd for our outstanding long distance phone bills and almost $200 usd spent on beads, I still feel terrible. Lets not forget the $75 usd on canned curry, coffee, tea, packeted drinks all sent back to Japan.

Nevermind that my air ticket costs us $40 usd which was paid for taxes, and would otherwise have been free thanks to accumulated miles from previous travels to and fro the United States. I’m not the kind of girl to drop a thousand in a week. This is someone’s paycheck for the month.

I try to convince myself that most, if not all of the subsequent purchases were rarely on whim but instead thought out methodically. Like the wool coat I loved so much was a tad pricey but my rationale was that I can’t find it in America or Japan anyway, and it was going to be one of those pieces that I cherished. As I was telling Crystal yesterday, I only spend that kinda money on something I really really like. The rest of th purchases went to hidden, sunken costs like food and transpor. Guiltily it also went to a lot of other stuff. BUT its not like I spent it all on any single item, the overhead ( as I’d like to call it ) went into countless other things as well like shoes, clothes.. Mainly clothes really haha.

Well I suppose I shan’t be shopping for a very long time and definitely not in Japan where shit is overpriced. Better to get it outta my system now eh?

Jewelry has always been less about the brand and more about the looks. Like art, it has to be valued by the quality of how it makes you feel, and not so about the price. Admittedly, marvelous jewelry usually comes with a hefty price tag.

But thank god for imitation, which I prefer to call alternatives.

My daily obsession changes a lot and unfortunately, I have expensive tastes.

On Monday it was a wool coat I saw at Blum & Co that cost $400 sgd with embroidered flowers and lacey sleeves.On Tuesday, I fell in love with a pair of shoes from Circa Joan & David that were $280 sgd that I decided was too expensive and I didn’t feel like getting ripped off here when I know I can get it cheaper at Lord & Taylor.

On Wednesday, I was captivated by a betsey johnson dress I saw online for $180.

The following day, I became exceedingly enamored with the Tiffany Legacy ring. Truly, it is a piece of sparkly heaven.

GORGEOUS.

Unfortunately I don’t feel like spending $13,000 usd on any one thing. I don’t care if its a tiffany, it could be from Jared’s and I’d still love it. I mean if I am reluctant to save up for a birkin or a kelly, why would I splurge on a mere ring? Ah then again, its not JUST a ring its a tiffany some may say.

Happily, I found a jeweler that is able to duplicate it for a fraction of the cost. Now its just about spending my entire paycheck on it haha. Which doesn’t seem as excessive because my engagement ring that Patrick got me costs twice as much as the fake tiffany So I’ll get it in due time as a present to myself haha.

As for my previous retail beaus, Patrick bought me the coat as a graduation present Bless his heart! As for the betsey johnson dress, I’m still contemplating if I should get it. If I did, what occasion would I wear it for? My previous betsey is still sitting forlornly in my closet since I last wore it for my rehearsal dinner. So I have the money to, but $180 usd can buy me many many albeit uglier dresses here. I miss the days when women actually wore beautiful dresses and not the disgusting pieces of mass produced shit coming out of thailand that is free size. I am immediately turned off when the salesgirl tells me its free sized. Because if they can’t be bothered to make the dress in different sizes, I’m not paying 50 bucks for that piece of junk at far east or wherever.

I want to know why in a country (allegedly) famed for its electronic expertise , the cellular phone line drops every 5 minutes.

Japan sickens me.

From the stifling nature of its people to the unrelenting red tape of bureaucracy translating to unflexible work practices, there is nothing worthy of praise in this god forsaken country.

2 weeks ago, I went to the Japanese post office near my house to open a postal bank account as requested by my employer. The fucktards there insisted on an alien registration card which members of the SOFA visa are not required to have, or a lease under my name. The lease is under Patrick’s name and unless we want to pay usd $2300 every month for the house instead of the navy covering this expense, it was NOT about to be changed to my name. So on both attempts I was at the post office, I was denied even after I showed them our joint phone bill statement in an effort to be as legit as possible. They remained impervious to all my efforts, cretins.

Talking about phone bills brings me to my next point. The previous weekend, Pat and I decided our AU phones were just not gonna cut it. Most of its functions were in Japanese and his 8.0 megapixel camera was so shitty it wasnt worth the extra $100 we paid for it. Anyway, we decided to switch to the iphone even though we’ve both despised it forever. Our nokia and samsung respectively are FAR moer superior to the piece of crap that is the iphone. BUT because the Japs are shitheads about things, we cant use our awesome phones here and we hate our AU phone so we decided to get the iphone. Turns out, we waited for 9 hours. NINE HOURS to get the fucking phone but were denied because I wasn’t japanese or american. Yep, they wanted the whole shebang — passports and all.

WTF RIGHT???

They racial profile you when you wanna get an iphone. I was SO disgusted I almost died of a heart attack, no kidding my chest started to really pulsate in pain. We left at closing time and went back to base the next day to people who actually knew what they were doing.

ANOTHER reason to be pissed off at these worthless sacks of shit.

Curry.

I’ve been trying to bring him into the country for the longest time, even before we got here in preparation for his blood work and rabies vaccination. But here, nobody knows what they’re doing. The Jap airport people say he’s got days left for quarantine and the count down has started but the mlitary vet as thorough as she is, says that his countdown will only start when he enters japan.

WHICH MEANS HE IS IN PORTLAND FOR NOTHING?!

CLEARLY, some one doesnt know what they are doing.  And I don’t feel like letting my dog suffer for someone’s ignorance, which is probably the airport people’s fault because the person I spoke to could hardly speak english!

It never ceases to make me want to set the entire country on fire when I think about all these pertinent issues. But then I refrain from doing so because I dont wish to be raped in prison and also because I’m sure either good ol Kim or China will take care of Japan for me. Either way, I can’t wait to gtfo of here.

There are so many things I hate about this country and its people that a mere blog entry cannot pay enough tribute to my distaste. Mainly, I am disgusted that the Japanese put so much pride and money into useless inventions like a dancing robot.

It spins and twirls mechanically, dancing to a cacophony of jarring j-pop. One gets supremely bored looking at it after 2 minutes because the foolish little thing dances as much to TWO dancemoves. That litle shit would cost a buyer $800 usd.

WTF?

Seriously, nobody fucking cares about ridiculous inventions like these. Improving cellular phone coverage would be more appreciated and one think, worthy of the nominal fee paid.

Another lameass shit about them is their spectacular system of trash collection. They find it neccesary that their rubbish trucks sing a nonsensical little tune everytime they come around collecting trash. Which I’m certain its to signal to others to take out their trash, but quite useless in that most people work during the day anyway. See what I mean when I say Japan has a lot of useless shit.

ALSO.

This is a nation consumed by vanity.

EVERY toilet you go may not have toilet paper, clean floors, or even a workable flush so essential to the experience of relieving oneself. But I can guarantee you that they ALL have little vanity mirrors complete with make up stand of somesort for ladies to apply or touch up their make up at ease.

And they still look ugly most of the time?!

Makes you wonder how such a country gets by. Japanese women, with the exception of my friend Mizuho, Miyuki and others from the esteemed Keio and Waseda university, are so dumb they giggle incessantly when asked a mere question in english, whether it is out of sheer flightiness or embarrassment at not knowing the country. No wonder this nation is governed by men, and I can’t say they do an outstanding job really.

I am so sick of Japan really. And as much as I talk shit about America, that is one fucking awesome country I can never tire of. I never wanted to leave the country, even when I was bored at home doing nothing I was happy. Its true, having more space around you makes for a happier person

Singapore too, is amazing of course

NB: Please, I will only consider your views truly legit if you’ve LIVED in Japan for at least 6 months because tourists do NOT have a clue about this shithole and the absurdities that it encompasses. All they do is visit touristy places that obviously would cater to english speaking people with english train signs, english speaking mssage girls and the like. But try living in Japan and maybe you’ll see its not so fun afterall.

I’ve come to the realization that literally none of the people I know who are enlisted sailors can stand my controversial opinion on.. just about everything . Most of them have deleted my ass off their friend’s list to avoid seeing my perceived anti-American status updates ( if you know me, you’ll know that I love America, if only for the shopping and sordid politicking )  or news but mainly because I disagree with everything they are.   To prove my point, the only other person who frequently comment on my page about international or domestic affairs was previously a sailor but got out to be a contractor to the state.But he is the excepti0n to the rule as open-minded and educated as he is. He once confessed that he’s always resented every aspect about the military, the people in it, the personalities it produced, the shitty underway schedules and most of all the mindless indoctrination.

Others will rebuke me for my elitist partiality towards commissioned officers but all that I’ve met, which is equal in numbers to the enlisted sailors I know are charming, sophisticated, educated men and women. The difference is obvious — university education. In college, there is a beautiful exchange of ideas from all facets of life and all perspectives. You come to realize that actually, there are all these people smarter than you and you learn to respect other people’s opinions because everyone is there to learn. Or that, graduating from high school isn’t such a big fucking deal after all. You are humbled by the colossus of knowledge that grows bigger the more you learn. Like a sponge, you read and absorb materials written by brilliant minds through which you form opinions of your own. College itself is also an excellent place for networking.

But enlisted sailors mostly fail to realize the importance of education, instead they arrogantly assume superiority in experience.They are in the bitter opinion that 4 years of college is a breeze compared to working on the ship. They resent commissioned officers who in their opinion, are lesser for not having withstand the rigors of the service as long, for superseding the system with a higher rank than most of them will ever be. For being privileged. But they either fail to or refuse to acknowledge that commissioned officers are a class that is a league of its own. My point is : you sure as hell don’t see officers running amok in the streets of Japan, raping local girls and pillaging their taxi driver fathers. Or worse, embark on a heinous spree of murder.

Someone once asked : you gotta wonder what they were thinking.

To which my swift response was : they weren’t.

Well admittedly, college is overrated. But then again, if it truly was really such a “useless piece of paper” ( as quoted by Patrick when I broached this exact subject ) then why are ROTC and academy grads so prized? I was a bit appalled to learn that my friends at the Naval Academy had Maryland crab cakes everyday for dinner, until the point where they got soo sick of it. Evidently, something does not compute because in a world where the norm is most youths in industrialized countries have either a college degree or higher, to not have one is a severe disadvantage that no amount of complaint can change.

Also you gotta figure that the military is its own microcosm. And in that world there is a generous estimate of 20% who have a college degree and above. Clearly having a degree isn’t the norm there, so cadets who have one are entitled to obscene privileges that enlisted don’t get. Really, they may work for the same command but they are worlds apart.

I’m sure my previous room mates and other enlisted sailors my husband included will fly into a monstrous rage if they saw this post. But I’m not one to waver on my stand, nor get embarrassed easily. Indeed especially not on this because, you and I know that its the truth. No matter how unjustly enlisted men think that commissioned sailors have been promoted just because of a bullshit piece of paper, there isn’t a damn thing they can change except for getting an education.

So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Petty Officer.

note: While, I can’t stand the arrogance and ignorance of many of the enlisted people I kn0w I still acknowledge their significant contribution to the safety of national and international security at large.

yes I am back in Singapore if you haven’t already noticed , you must be daft.

Finite goodbyes are never easy, most of the time you like to assume that sooner or later you’ll get to see that person again. Which is why death is always hard, and a sudden demise even more difficult to grapple with.

It was the perfect ring. Miraculously Whitehall Jewelry had the exact ring I wanted in a size 4, a rarity in itself. Everything about it was sublime, the way it sat glittering on my finger next to my engagement ring and the clarity of it was top dollar. In fact, I got my 0.5 ct 10 stone 14k white gold wedding ring for $500 , and that made it even sweeter. There was nothing more I could ask for.

I’ve always been fastidious with my belongings. But I could only stare helplessly and in total shock when both of my rings slipped off my soapy fingers, falling noisily on the bathtub floor. Before I even knew what the fuck was happening, one of my rings was washed down the drainage system. I actually thought something came off the shower head. My rings do have the tendency to slip off and they have almost falled out a couple of times when my fingers were crooked, holding the shower head. But this, this is devastating.

Even though we’ve ordered a similar ring that costs about 350 bucks more ( meaning not as good a deal and henceforth I am not as happy ) I’m still very much heartbroken.

Oh well, I should count my blessings, afterall it could’ve been my $5000 platinum engagement solitaire ring instead.

I am constantly repelled by the hypocrisy of our society. And today, no less was a classic example of this. An ex classmate who has NEVER commented on any of my previous wall posts, or pictures, or even acknowledged my presence on facebook after adding me decided that my diatribe of a wall status about a stupid baby next door is “uncharitable.”

WTF?

Before people start complaining that I am a baby hater, I’d like them to please consider the fact that I’ve been woken up by this squawking infant every single night since we got here 2 weeks ago. In an effort to combat jetlag, I went to bed at 9pm and was usually awoken at 4.30am by that child upon which I will not be able to fall asleep in spite of my exhaustion. Last week, my sleep patterns got better but that thing won’t stop crying during the fucking day and night, so that I couldn’t get even a single moment of peace neither awake nor asleep.

Today I saw the little devil himself, with his Japanese mother and grandmother. The mother smiled anxiously but I gave her the coldest sneer while the infant she sired stared at me, forlorn and guilty I’d like to think. On a totally irrelevant note, the little man is rather adorable but that’s besides the point.

Yes yes yes, I know. Parents can’t control their screaming kids but hey guess what?

I NEED MY SLEEP. AND THIS IS YOUR KID, NOT MINE SO WHY THE FUCK SHOULD I SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES AND BE SLEEP DEPRIVED???

And when I’m a cantankerous, tired person all the time don’t expect me to hide my ire, and be all smiles to the family of sleep criminals.

I am slowly losing my mind.

In the ten days that we have been here, not one day goes by without the hustle and bustle of living. Whether it is the eternal trail of red-tape bureaucracy or the frenetic paper chase (for housing, travel claims, medical enrollment among many other things ) , we are rarely bored. With the hubby being gone most of last week signing in with the 7th fleet, I was left to my own devices. Sitting still was never really me so I stepped into my bright orange birkenstocks, the only footwear I deem comfortable enough for hours of roaming the prefecture of kanagawa. From the hysteria of Tokyo traffic to the sea of humanity in Yokohama, I quickly became acquainted with their train system. With what little Japanese I knew coupled with frenzied gesturing and jabbing at an elusive little spot on the convoluted subway map, I actually made it to Ginza. A sense of self deprecatory humor is advised when interacting with Japanese people. They stare, aghast at your dirty toes and shake their heads bewildered by the deluge of english pouring out your mouth. Older people with their faces gnarled in disapproval that I, an Asian could not speak their language. In the suffocating silence of my train rides, I sit back and contemplate how silly everyone looked hopelessly lost in translation.

Such are my first two weeks, ingratiating myself to the Japanese society at large.

Like children, there is a compulsory attendance rule for this week’s orientation. Without sounding too arrogant, I must say that after being all over the base and the fucking prefecture orientation has been rendered useless. Instead, I go if only to sit by Patrick. The alternative of sitting in the lodge, griping about how this country is bloody infested by mosquitoes just doesn’t sound as appealing. Mosquitoes, they make me wonder why in a country that invents dancing robots and warming toilet seats can’t do something useful for once and invent a machine that will get rid of these repulsive creatures in a creative, high-tech fashion. Instead of wasting time and precious resources on ugly robots who can only dance to 3 tunes.

Regardless, my diatribe about this place has to end.I have a feeling my dissatisfaction with this place will be lowered significantly once I am placated with a job. Whenever that may be, given the shambles of the economy and the language barrier. Somehow, working always numbs you it is as if you’re too tired for anything else let alone to bitch about life.

On a happier note, I caught the free bus on base twice. On time! It wasn’t easy, walking briskly to Saiyaka for half priced sushi before they closed in half an hour and then almost breaking out  into a run when I saw the bus approaching the main gate. Laundry was done so I tossed the clothes into the dryer before eating dinner with the husband. It has become a game for me, to save money. Whether it is to not take a taxi and instead seize alternatives like walking ( an hour in the swelter, sometimes ) or the shuttle bus. People on base have been exceedingly generous with their hospitality; I’ve gotten 2 random car rides since I got here by complete strangers who thought I looked distressed and dirty in the heat. I suppose its never fair to compare people here with pompous marylanders because the sense of communality is strengthened in a foreign land. I’m not entirely certain, but one thing is for sure people ( AMERICANS ON BASE ) are a pleasant lot.

There’s my something-positive bit about Japan for today.

Family and friends have been asking me about Japan all week, mostly curious to hear my thoughts about a country so appraised by the rest of the world.

There had been plenty good to say like the initial thrill of eating  ( comparatively ) cheap Japanese food every meal and the decorous nature of their people.

But, like a magic spell that wore off I slowly became disenchanted. Little things that amused me to no end, like said politeness became stifling. Having Japanese food every meal, everyday became staid and I longed for Pho and Olive Garden. Previously, the language factor was only mildly annoying limited to my linguistic inability to read cosmetics label. But exhausting attempts at getting the right directions to Ginza for an interview turned out to be a little more than trifling. Just so you didn’t forget exactly where you were, everything is in Japanese after certain train stations. English speaking Japanese are rare and consider yourself fortunate if you meet the few who can.

Another thing to gripe about is the phenomenal retail prices. $180 usd for a pair of random Japanese branded shoes is ridiculous when you consider the same price for a pair of ferragamos in the US at the outlet mall. Much to my horror, I wear a size M here because their women here are frail, and with size C cups it is a little hard to look professional in a size S buttoned up blouse which would otherwise have fit to the T.

But inspite of myself, I am thankful that we live so close to the base. That indeed, we HAVE the base to shop at with cheaper prices and a wider variety of foods. It is refreshing to walk around on base, without hulking over random passerbys. Or the ones that stare — another national trait of Japanese. Funny that in a nation so obsessed with decorum that staring is perfectly acceptable.

Japan is very much like Singapore and this is why I don’t see why Singaporeans are so besotted by Japan. So their toilet seats are very comfortably heated and their girls are RUMORED to be beautiful ( a huge fallacy ), but aside from all this Singapore can boast so much that Japan can never offer. And I’m perfectly not biased saying this because I’d rank the US over Singapore ( mostly because the shopping is fucking awesome and the weather is great there ) then Singapore and Japan last. I see myself not spending a dime on shopping here if I can help it.

2 more weeks to Singapore.