Web courses and Working!

Aaahhh... I've just started on my first day of distance learning/web-based/online courses at the local Community College, and let's just say that right now, I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of information to take in... wooooo woo wooo...

PANIC ATTACK!!!
*grabs temples and shakes head violently side-to-side*
Huu ... huuu ... huuu ...
*Deep breaths*
Oooooohkay. Ground's stopped moving. Great.

Gotta remember to print out the TON of materials (Syllabus, Assignments, Readings etc etc) that are listed on the web site later today. *trying to convince /self* It's gonna be FUN FUN FUN! Hoo hoo hoo! Aren't we all glad?!

A BIG piece of good news is that I've been accepted to take a position as the System Specialist in the Elec. & Computer Engineering Dept! Yaayyyyy... It's been a good 2 years since i joined the team in the ECE department (then known as just EE), and I've loved every minute of it! Couldn't ask for a better bunch of people to work with... Oooo YEAH! *Egyptian head nod... and spin... and moonwalk!*

Better get some shuteye soon... I've got a pack of Oscar Meyer "Bun-size" Weiners to return to Meijer first thing tomorrow morning, coz they just got a "Buy 1 get 2 free" offer on their Ball Park franks. Yummy!

*Yawn* *stretch*
G'nite, mates!

Long, Hot Days

Whew! What a start of Summer it's been! We've been having, like, the LONGEST days here in Ohio... and lately temperatures have been skyrocketing up to the 90s (Fahrenheit)! Not only that, we've just had 11 days of continuous sunny days... not a single drop of rain. Some cities/towns have started imposing Watering Restrictions (where residents are told to only water their plants and stuff on certain days).

This week OSU is holding Orientation for students, bloody car parks are packed with visitors... sigh... my student parking pass holds no value. All the lots have been gobbled up by the time i get to work, and I'm too much of a lazy a$$ to get up earlier. So a little more exercise for me this week as i scrounge for space in the parking areas a couple of blocks further down.

Mighty hot. Sunset only comes at 9:30pm...
"Wah! Jin-Zua!" *fans self*

Nihon-Go: Enjo Kosai

Ever watched Initial D, the anime... esp the episodes with Takumi's girlfriend and her "Papa"? Or basically any Japanese TV series that involve teenage girl(s) who have no money to spend?

I'm pointing to "Compensated Dating" - or more blatantly, "Teenaged Whoring". I can't remember the first time i heard about this, but this has been a widely-discussed issue within the strict/face-saving Japanese Society. Basically every Tom, Dick and Harriet knows that this happens... A LOT. And what's even more fascinating, it's totally consensual. The girls know what they are doing. They know that guys want sex (esp in their sailor school outfits). They know they need the money to maintain their shopping habits (and need to fit in). And they know that these guys (salarymen, mostly in their 30s or older) can give'em the dough. So bam-bam-boom, a deal is sealed. Into the Love Hotel for a night of "service" (it doesn't always involve sex) for cash. Up till 1999, in Japan it's legal to have sex with a person who is 14 and up. Then a new law was erected to prevent sex until a person is 18.
Like that helps. Rrrrright.

Anyway, I'm not one to complain, it's just an interesting phenomenon that's afflicted a largely traditional society still struggling to find a balance between progressive economy and social morality. Just based on what the media's been reporting and what you can find off the web, you'll see that Japan is in no way behind the times when it comes to the sex industry. They've got pretty lewd stuff (aside from the usual obsession with young schoolgirls) that i believe even the adult entertainment industry in Europe and the US would find strange.

I can go on and on... there are tons of articles about how the sex industry is able to thrive and grow in this traditionally reserved country... For those of you still interested to read about this, check out my sources of this post:
Time Asia - She's only a little schoolgirl
Enjo Kosai - Adventures in a Love Hotel
A Written Record - Compass Online
Japan for the Uninvited: Enjo Kosai

My brother once visited Japan for a business trip, and he was told that as schoolgirls progressed from one academic level to the next, their skirts lengthen. Fascinating.

<Edit - some factual corrections... i made some assumptions that clearly showed my lack of research... Sumimasen, Thomas-san!>

2001 Civic For Sale

Btw, anyone who is within the vicinity of Columbus, OH and is looking for a ride, might wanna consider buying this Honda Civic Coupe from a friend of mine... it's a pretty sweet ride, and is well-cared for. Lady driver, first owner! :)

Check it out at my Forever For Sale site...

Here's a sneak peek:

Rant of the Day

Why doesn't anybody flush the damn toilets after they use them? Gawd damned them to hell... smells up the damn place. And what's worse, some of those fellas who don't wash their damn hands!
UGH! Pooey! Ptui! Ptui!

Excuses...

It's Finals Week. I'm already burnt out.

So I'm not expecting to post much until next week blows over.

I still have an interview and a doctor's appointment next Friday.

Argh.