Sensory Deprivation

Yesterday in perception class, we got to watch a documentary slash research on people who were deprived of sensory stimulation. These participants and were housed in solitary confinement for forty-eight hours, locked in a room, with no one to talk to and nothing to do. Even if the experiment seemed lonely and anxiety-inducing, I think it's just the closest vacation a stressed out student could take.

Imagine forty-eight hours of stepping out from planet Earth into outer space, as if you were sucked in a black hole. That's not entirely enticing, alright. BUT we need a breather! Silence, peace, serenity, idle time may not always be set in a field where Julie Andrews sings "The hiiilsss are alive with the sound of muuusicc!", and instead in a place where we are disconnected from everything.

You see, we may or may not be stressed. I for one, am enjoying having a mountain of work beside me, I feel secure when I have so many things to do (I like to call it my "security mountain". Haha.) I know I'm a weird workaholic like that.

But every now and then, there has to be nothing that exists except you and your soul. Sometimes you gotta hear the wind blow and the water trickle.

And then, just then, can you go out and be creative and productive more than ever.

Just saying!

Good Morning!

What makes my day every morning for the past week.

Screenshot from the Every Teardrop is A Waterfall video from Coldplay's Vevo

Very awesome art direction.

Remember, Forget

What are the things you will remember even if you have amnesia?

It's kinda paradoxical, that question, because we should know that amnesia is memory loss.

If one day we find ourselves beating the odds of suffering heart attack or diabetes (or both), we would most likely be confronted with that daunting image of ourselves as men or women with grey hair, staring at the window and recounting the past, thinking of the highest highs and shrillest lows we've traversed, and evaluating if it has been a good life on earth. And when that time comes, what will you remember?

I haven't looked into literature if memory sticks to the brain according to saliency-- such that the most salient memories are the ones to go last when the brain faces sudden shock. It seems logical to think that way though, because in theory, the most important memories should be the ones deeply etched within the corners of the convolutions of the brain. In most instances, hurt, pain, loss, in others, joy, love, comfort. For instance, I think people who get heartbroken spend lots of time and emotion thinking of the other person, and without their consent, they are giving that person a special seat in their brains. It's tricky like that. (So be careful you guys, if you don't want that other person to reappear in your consciousness after 50 years, stop thinking of them. Haha. I did not mean to scare you.)

Do you sometimes feel like, as you get older, memories of your childhood or teenage years get fainter? They become farther away? I hate that. I also forget I knew some people. It's not in the hindi ako marunong tumanaw ng utang na loob context, but you just forget how people were part of your past until a friend request of theirs pops up on Facebook and then you have this sudden eureka moment and in your head you say "Hey yeah, I remember you! I wonder how you are doing." (And then you see in their profile they are already living in the States or something.) Funny how life's that way. I hope though I wouldn't feel that way about the people I have now. I don't want them to be strangers!

Saturday In My Mind

This weekend we got to attend Fantasy Quest, a cosplay event by Anime Alliance which was held in Fernbrook Gardens down south.

It's the second cosplay event I've attended (first one was in Tokyo). Here they had a wide variety of costumes, and I think some dressed up as characters that aren't really from anime shows.

The place was really grand. They had fixtures that made you feel like you're strolling a town center of an MMO RPG.

Thai Cosplayers

Thanks AME!

Unidentified

Found: a camera (is it even one?)

I have no idea what this is or how this works! I just found it around the house. It looks too intimidating, I do not dare to touch it.

It's pretty though, with all those projections, and I thought it would look good on a picture. Hee.

If you know how to work something like this out, please tell me!

Experiences in Waseda

Here's an essay I wrote about my experiences schooling in Japan for my scholarship report for JASSO. *Nostalgic* I miss going to school there, not as stressful (but equally fulfilling) as here.

The welcome packet all the international students got when we first arrived

Waseda in autumn. All the pine trees, tall and mighty!

Waseda University's iconic Okuma Auditorium

My short-lived stay in Waseda University as a one-year exchange student was not only academically-fulfilling, but also character-building.

Participating in this exchange program of the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) allowed me to be able to learn Nihongo under the guidance of native-speaker instructors through Intensive Japanese classes. My Japanese professors in Waseda University taught the lessons in a manner that was easily understandable to foreign students. Even though the instructors spoke only in Nihongo (they barely translated instructions and lessons in English), they used visual aids in order to better represent vocabulary words, which prove to be effective in remembering new words or phrases. In class, we also had dialogues and conversations as exercises for us to be able to practice Nihongo in the natural setting. We were also required to write compositions and deliver speeches in order for us to practice our writing and speaking skills. Since our class was comprised of multi-cultural students, the professors also facilitated discussions where we could share things about our culture and home country in Nihongo. Because of that, I was not only able to practice my Japanese, but I also got to learn many new things about my Korean, Iraqi, Chinese, Indonesian, Canadian and other foreign classmates.

Besides that, I was also able to take-up several elective classes that were equally enriching. I took up Biological Psychology since it was directly related to my course in my home university. I also got to learn more about Japanese culture by taking up Sociology of Japanese Culture and Society. In contrast, the Media and Communications subject I took had a very Western approach. These elective subjects had interesting approaches which somewhat varied to how they taught the same disciplines in my home university.

I miss these classrooms! So white and clean. And they had no stairs, and instead had escalators!

The facilities of Waseda University were also excellent and world-class. It allowed us to complete our study in an enriched environment where materials, technology and books were easily accessible.

The academic workload I had was manageable and it allowed me to not only dwell on my studies but also experience Tokyo and living in Japan first-hand. I attended the Waseda-sai (Waseda Festival) last November, which was a very huge school festival (one of the biggest school festivals in Tokyo) where students performed, sold delicious food and engaged in different cultural activities. I also took part in an English-speaking club that met twice a week, where I got to meet several new people and got to share and learn about the varied interests of the members. I also met several new people who lived in our student dormitory (which was for foreign students).

I would say that this experience was character-building because it challenged me to perform well in school while struggling with living independently in a foreign country. At first it was difficult to adjust to the very different academic system of Japan, especially because I arrived in Tokyo barely able to understand Nihongo. I felt very fulfilled because in six months time, I was able to learn the things I expected to learn, like understanding basic conversational Japanese.

Though my stay in Waseda University and Japan was short-lived, I definitely enjoyed it, and I would not have it any other way. I’m deeply thankful that my university and scholarship program (JASSO) were very hospitable in accepting foreign students like me and dealing with our needs. It was unfortunate that the March 11 earthquake prompted me to return back home at an earlier date, but if I had an opportunity to go back to study in Japan again, I most definitely would.

Harry, We Finally Meet

Today I got to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. (Wow, that title's a mouthful!) Before today, believe it or not, I have never read a Harry Potter novel nor watched a Harry Potter movie. I didn't have any idea what Slytherin was, or that Severus Snape was actually a person (and not a puppet on a YouTube viral), even who Lord Voldemort was (his name sounds like a Pokemon character's HAHA). The most meager knowledge I have is that Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter. I got the chance to read and watch Twilight (which eventually I felt was such a drag), but never HP. LOL at me. LOL!

I never got to understand why people were so sad about HP finally ending because I had no affiliation whatsoever to this pop culture craze which some label as their childhood. Every story has to end though and no narrative can go on forever.

So yeah, going back. It's a little surprising how I was able to understand the last movie, even if the whole HP world (Is there a term for it?) seemed so complex and intimidating. HP had its own lingo which excludes the people who never became avid fans. And yes, JK Rowling was successful. I never felt so excluded before. Haha!

But not anymore! At least now I will understand some parts if in case I overhear people flailing over HP.

Feet Against the Ground

The two flaps on the sides of my head were filled with sounds of composure. The crickets have awakened from last night's slumber but the trees, they were just beginning their sleep to dream of winter. Crisp leaves cushion the ground in layers of bittersweet tangerine and bronze. What I could make of the reflective surface in my periphery was a pond, with unusual origami creatures swimming about. The cranes! They were creating their own design of concentric circles in synchrony. What could this place be?

Tiny plump hot air balloons started falling from the sky, carrying paint in every colour imaginable. I burst open my transparent umbrella, and it reluctantly lifted me from the ground. The bare soles of my feet tried to map out the terrain it has known all its life, and eventually lost touch. Autumn leaves flew around me in swirls, bidding me a sweet adieu. Today, I fly away.

___

Descriptive prose exercise no.1, because I want to improve on my writing! I will start to translate places and situations I only imagine into prose, because I wanna share to you how the places in my head look like. Yay!

Across the Universe

One of my most favorite lyrics penned by John Lennon.

Wee Hours

The late night used to be my niche. Asleep during dinnertime and awake during the wee hours, I found it really difficult to get the optimum 10PM-2AM sleep. Recently, I've been sleeping relatively early though. I started going to bed at around 10:30 or 11!

The clock says its 1:51 AM, and I feel so productive! It's been so long since I last did this. I guess there's really less distraction during this time of the night. Sometimes I think, the night is really where I belong.

I'm trying to get things done while watching newly-released music vids of my fave artists. So so nice! Made my night!