More World Cuppery (quick rundown)

Alright. I'm going to make one big quick post about a few of this past weeks bout of games.

New Zealand - All White is All Right!
First off, NZL v SVK. Winston Reid of New Zealand made a spectacular play in the last 30 seconds of the game to tie with Slovakia. Absolutely brilliant. And then they tied again with Italy (Italy is just not doing so well this time round). It was a great game, the Italians completely bombed though, but the best player (aside Reid) was New Zealand's goalie, Mark Paston. He blocked every shot like a pro. The only one he missed was Italy's penalty kick (he unfortunately dived the opposite direction...but that ball was too quick to have been caught had he dove toward the ball anyway). Honestly though, if it weren't for that penalty kick New Zealand would have absolutely won that game. The Italians looked completely crestfallen, and the New Zealanders celebrated by taking their shirts off a la Winston Reid of the first game.

Switzerland
Spain was totally off this game as well. The online rumor mill says it's the goalie's fault, that he was "distracted" by his bombshell of a girlfriend who was reporting from the sidelines (yeah, blame the women folk! How ridiculous is it that these girlfriends and ex-girlfriends keep getting blamed for their boys' failure!) Anyway, Switzerland scored 1 against Spain, and who saw that coming! (Go Shweiz!) Unfortunately they lost today to Chile, and were playing a player short due to Valon Behrami getting an unnecessary red car.

France
France LOST to Mexico. WTF. The European teams are all off this year; England, France, Spain, Italy...they're just losing it left and right! Anyway. Big story about France of course is that Nicolas Anelka has been expelled from the French football team by the French Football Federation because he refused to publicly apologize after some heated words to coach Raymond Domenech, who nearly lost his job in 2008, and is lucky to be coaching at the cup. This was supposed to be a private conversation confined to the team members and their coach, but word leaked, newspapers exploded, and there you have it. And NOW, the entire French time is refusing to train in solidarity for Anelka wrongfully being banished from playing. And THIS has lead to their liaison officer, Jean-Louis Valentin, to storm off in a huff and resign. France implodes!

Germany
Then somehow Deutschland lost to Serbia, after their brilliant last game against Australia in which they lived up to the name of Arian by pummeling 4 goals into the Aussie net.

England
England is just disappointing. Tied 0-0 with Algeria, totally dull. They did have the decency to switch Green out of the game at least. Then some fan got past all the security and broke into the team's locker room only to be chastised by David Beckham (hah), and was later arrested by South African police (hahah). Props to the riled up fan.

USA
UGH. UGH UGHUGH. Good news is, Koman Coulibaly, the referee that made the awful disgusting calls in the game against Slovenia, won't be allowed to ref anymore except from the sidelines. Serves the schmuck right. There was no offside, USA had that third goal in the bag, if anything should have been called it should have been a penalty kick for the US seeing as how nearly every American player was being held by their shirts or in a bear grip by the Slovenians. Absolute outrage. They deserve to get to the round of 16 over England for sure (sorry Britain, no hard feelings, but there you have it).

NETHERLANDS
Ok. I love Japan, don't get me wrong, but I'm rooting for my nationality here all the way baby. (I'm sure my Dutch uncle got a kick out of this game, he HATES Japan). The Japanese definitely kept the Dutch on their toes, and we're damn lucky they kept missing all those goals. I ended up going to Kells Irish Pub for this one in downtown Portland, and while it was at 4:30 am west coast time I was thankfully still on east coast time, and actually got to wake up later than I had woken up for the NED v DEN game on Monday (yay not relying on the subway to get places!). I definitely picked the right pub to go to for this one, as all the fans inside were dressed in Oranje, and there were even some actual Dutchmen (who knew they lived out here!) And they had tea, and breakfast, and beer, and it was a lot less crowded than Tonic in New York, but that was to be expected. What I'm concerned about, is that the next game against Cameroon happens at the same exact time as the JPN v DEN game, I have to figure out what game they'll be broadcasting at each of the pubs, which I intend to do Wednesday when I go down for the GER v GHA game. Or I could wake up early again and head down for MEX v URU, which should be very interesting, and absolutely for the USA v ALG game, which is at the same time as the ENG v SVN game, which also totally sucks, because I want to watch them aaaaaalll and how can I if they're happening at the same tiiiiime. They should have just added three extra days to the cup instead of squeezing in all these games like this. So annoying.

Portugal
Hate. Still bitter from the last world cup. They got 7 goals in against North Korea. SEVEN FREAKIN' GOALS. They weren't even cheering anymore by the seventh it was so passé. I just hope the North Koreans aren't put to death for having lost so terribly. I can't wait for Portugal to be pummeled by Brazil. That's going to be spectacular.

Brazil
Some brilliant plays, but I was rooting for Côte d'Ivoire (sorry to say). And they're probably going to be battling the Dutch in the quarter finals, which freaks me out. Scary scary!

Over A Decade Later, I Finally Get My Wish: A Japanese Restaurant on Cortelyou!

Ever since I was 12 I'd been pining for a sushi joint/Japanese restaurant to come to Cortelyou Road. Well, as of May 16 at 5 pm, that wish has come true. Months ago Mega Hardware, sandwiched between San Remo and New Neighboor, closed its doors. Not so long after construction began, men worked behind covered windows, and it was uncertain as to what would be there. And, to my incredible delight, a red on white banner went up within a couple months saying "Japanese Restaurant coming soon!" And of course, perfect timing, the parental units arrived from the airport around 4:30 and they took The Boys and I out for the restaurant's opening night dinner. Decent prices, a large menu, lots of udon to choose from, and even two (TWO) vegetarian sushi platters. I am happy, even if it is a chain (cheaper than the one in Manhattan though!). We sat out in the garden, which needs a bit of work yet, and they need to improve their beer selection (NO Japanese beers on the menu!), but it was their first night, hopefully those things will change with time. We got there at around 5 after, and it was a good thing we did too, for when we left (some two and a half hours later mind you) it was positively packed, with a line going out the door. It was like the whole neighborhood came out to eat there, Missie and her father were eating in the front as we walked out, and Adam was waiting on line. We didn't have time to have dessert, as The Boys had to catch their bus down to DC, but what with it half a block away of course I'll be going again soon.

Akihabara Majokko Princess - Kirsten Dunst 'I'm Turning Japanese'

These video makes me soooo happy, and crazy nostalgic for Tokyo.

カレーライス

Humid out. Warm and humid. Almost hot. Muggy and damp. Brings me back to Tokyo in summer, the heat and humidity, and karee raisu (カレーライス) for lunch. Mmmm. Maybe it's because I just watched "Curry and Vampire," maybe I'm just hungry, maybe it's the weather, maybe I yearn for Japan, or maybe it's all of the above. In any case, I'm craving this Japanese twist on an Indian classic. 

東京

It's still gorgeous outside. Only now, I miss Tokyo. Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the rediscovery of manga, but I pine for Tokyo. The bookstores, the shops, the people, the sites, the smells. Ohhh Tokyo. At least Portland has Kinokuniya. WAIT. Holy shit. I just found out there's one in midtown. OH I am so there in a heartbeat. 

Scents

I have an odd memory for things, and a desire to relive the senses triggered in times past. I associate smells, sounds, tastes, and other sensations with places, books I was reading, and what I was watching.

Reading about Geisha makes me think of warmth and sun, and the smell of the Morikami, the smell of the paper, sitting in the living room of my grandmother's apartment flipping a fan open and closed. At that time I still played the Sims, would sneak in bits of "Open for Business" when they would doze.

Early on a sunny morning, with warm weather, I am constantly brought back to Darla's house on N Main. Peanut butter open face, South Park, coloring books, cigarettes and spliffs. Desperate Housewives was also watched, as well as the OC. Fashions from the renaissance were colored in, and grass was green and little was worn. The smell, sickly sweet smell, of stale cigarettes, joints, peanut butter, and coffee. Good times.

Lately, with the changing of the seasons, I have felt and smelt these things again.

Harry Potter was always, always accompanied by Sitar music - generally Anoushka Shankar, with same Ravi in there as well. Incense, canopy bed, candles.

I smelled bonito stock the other day. It immediately brought me back to Junior year, after my return from Japan. My incessant udon making accompanied by Japanese television was a classic combination. I crave udon....it really should not be hard to find that stock here, or the right udon...all these organic places have shit for udon - thin noodles are soba, not udon, thank you very much.

Sometimes late at night I'll feel like I'm pulling an all nighter again, going out at wee hours of the morning to empty streets for a cigarette, but it's not the same sensation here as it was. Here is full of strangers. While there they were strangers too, they were not - because we all went to the same school and knew the same people. Students would still walk around at 3 in the morning and congregate in North Quad for smokes, but here I go outside and it's no one familiar or nothing at all.

Rainy days make me think of Oregon. Walking the streets of Portland, sans parapluie, big coffee in hand. The streets are slick, but everyone's outside anyway because it's Oregon and we're used to rain there. I think of Anna Bananas, and ducking inside to finally get out of the drizzle.

Cloudy days remind me of Amsterdam in April. You know the sun is out there somewhere, but it's hidden behind this thin blanket of cloud. Walking the narrow streets dotted with cafes with outdoor tables, heinekens and joints to be had, a child amongst giants.

Le dernier trappeur

J'avais totalement oublié ce film. Je l'avais vu à Kyoto et maintenant on ne peut pas le trouver.

抹茶アイスクリーム

Best thing to be recently imported into the States? Häagen-Dazs' own Green Tea ice cream. Every day that I was in Tokyo - and I do mean every day, sometimes even twice a day - I'd buy myself a quaint little cup at the コンビニ (konbini) on my way home from class.



While scoping out the ice cream section recently, seeing as how it is summer and all, I noticed something green. And lo and behold, stood my old tasty friend in pint-size form.



Häagen-Dazs, you have made my taste buds very happy. Now cut the limited edition bullshit and make that flavor permanent.

Day Five

I just want to run around outside and play - swim, hike, roll around in the grass, you name it.

I feel so positive. Optimistic. Hopeful. It's incredible.

I watched "I Survived a Japanese Game Show." It makes me miss Tokyo like cuhrazy. Dammit. I just like to take in everything around me, and I especially enjoy myself when it's as an aesthetically pleasing place as Japan. But, more to the point, I like to absorb what surrounds me. My favorite thing to do in the pool is to just lie on my back and stare at the sky, floating slowly. I want to go stargazing. I want to go bird watching. I just wish I didn't have to do this all by myself. Yes, I'm independent, but it would be much more enjoyable to share it with someone else.

Anyway. My mind is all over the place. Evidently. Back to Japan.

I miss the temples. I miss the smells. I miss the people. I miss the FOOD. I miss the sites, the shrines, the subway, the language, the SMELLS. Fuck. The smells. The food. My top two, definitely.

私によっては東京が抜けている

Being sick has led to watching America's Next Top Model on YouTube. Which has led to my missing Tokyo.



These girls are just...uch. I like Ya Ya though, she kicks ass. In any case, Ya Ya is the only one that bloody appreciates where they are and the native customs. The other girls' just act so entitled to meet the people they meet, learn what they learn, and live where they live in Tokyo. The show is such a joke. Which is, of course, why I watch it.

I wish I had an excuse to go to Japan again. I think I'll settle by going to Uwajimaya, buying some Japanese food, checking out Kinokuniya, and then coming home to don my yukata and devour deliciousness.