crazy building

crazy building
Originally uploaded by dr_kiuchi.

Here is a neat feat of Swiss archiecture that I passed on the the day that I first arrived...

5 years later...

This is great. Spending the wee hours of the morning on the weekend watching CNN filled with 9/11 "remembrance" content. Ugh. So it’s been 5 years. I think I and most of the world have had their fill of all of the arguments for and against every single thing that has happened since then. Seriously. Don't get me wrong though. It was a heartbreaking and serious event that changed the socio-political discourse of the world as we know it. Economically as well. But people tend to tire of things, especially in America. I for one, have had my fill when it comes to "slinging 9/11" for every miserable, poorly thought-out decision that is made when it comes to the Bush regime: war in Iraq, torture, secret prisons, domestic spying, CIA name leaking, multiple civil rights infringements, the usage of 'nationalism' as a weapon against its own people, and the list goes on...

I could go on for days listing every last fucked up thing that has occurred because of this, and I'm sure that this is not the last blog posting that considers these subjects. But for Christ sake! Enough is Enough! During all of this remembrance, blah blah blah, justification for war in Iraq, blah blah blah, ummm... WHY THE FUCK HAVEN'T WE CAUGHT OSAMA YET?

It's been FIVE years people. How long did it take for us to dig out Saddam out of a spider hole? FIVE years later, we still "don't know where he is." Sure, as my friend Zac would put it: "We can't catch him, or the war is over, and the Bush regime has no more ammo to justify everything else that it does..."

Sure, I can see this to a degree, but here's another point: Terrorism was NOT born on 9/11. And it's not going to END with capturing him, but at least its a step in the right direction. As long as American or Western, or non-Islamic policies are viewed as creating oppression to these people, they will go to extremes in order to try to change this. Period.

So where does the solution lie? I don't have the answer to this, but I do know that starting at the root of the problem would be a step in the right direction. Krishnamurti had some profound thoughts on this subject...

Moving on... in the news I see that shit is getting really bad in Afghanistan and we can't pledge any more troops to the effort there, because shit is haywire in Iraq. Poland said it would up the ante by 1000 troops several days after this, but this is still short of the needed 2500+ needed in order to stabilize the region. WTF? All of the allied organizations in the modern world, and with rising problems we're not going to match them? Things are definitely not looking up.

Now we have the crisis in Darfur as well. It’s been going on for sometime now, and until JUST recently, few have paid attention (thanks Clooney.) So what is Annan to do? He'll be stepping down real soon, and I'm sure on top of the food-for-oil scandal, he doesn't need another tragedy going down in history as under his watch. I guess we'll see.

Well the world's going to hell in a hand basket, as my mother would say. Yet I still wake up every day and do my thing. Do the world a favor, if you're not already: Join moveon.org, read the news from various sources, TALK ABOUT IT to others. As long as people are realizing what is going on in the world and how it affects them directly, they will think about it, and hopefully put this thought in to action.

We all hope for a better tomorrow, but it is up to us to make these hopes a reality.

Later that evening...

I know the idea of this thing is to post thoughts and ideas about recent events, but shit, I've had no time... so today we continue from where I last left off. (Unfortunately I fail miserably when it comes to procrastinating my procrastination.)

SO, I can't sleep so I decide to wander - completely aimlessly. I end up walking around the old town (on the western side of the city) checking out shops, restaurants, and girls. I mean, Austin has its fair share of beautiful women, it being a university city and all, but I think if Zurich and Austin had a beauty pageant show-down, Zurich would win 9 to 1, and then dig its high heel into the back of the other. I'm just sayin....

I check out a couple of apparel shops with hip-hop or electronic music blaring out of its doors, searching for flyers and other hints of events going on in the city on a Saturday night... I picked up this German rag that’s written in English that is totally dope. I completely forget the name of it right now as it is sitting at my hotel, but will definitely post it later.

After this I realize that it's already noon, and I'm mind-numbingly hungry, so I decide to peruse for a nibble. The nice thing about Europe is that much like we have 6th street in Austin, there are lots of places you can find with cafes / bars / restaurants that are all nicely placed in the same area. Case in point: the street where I decide to eat. It's littered with all of the aforementioned, on both sides - people sitting outside, drinking, eating, socializing... completely wonderful, and relaxed. I decide to eat at a small Italian place, which was decent for the price, and completely filling, despite the portions not being 'American' sized.

There's nothing quite in life that can compare to a good meal - I really mean it. Of course, these things are best when you have company, as eating is a social event, however it is something that on occasion, can be completely enjoyed in solitude. Especially when you're in a place that nobody knows you, and vice versa (given that you're not the one cooking, of course.) My meal started with a glass of red Italian wine, (I forget the name), and a half order of the house appetizer: Fresh proscuitto, kalmata olives, bread, and two poached egg whites over rucola. Divine. Next was a cold zucchini-mint soup: excellent. Then I had penne with small baby cow and tomato sauce. Mmm-mmm. The price was pretty standard, all in all I spent about 40 bucks, but then again, I get to expense it ;)

My continued wandering takes me to the roof of the local university, from which you get a pretty darn good view of the entire city, which is about half a million people, two rivers, and the lake. The weather was perfect too- clear skies, sunny and cool, in the mid 70's. Soon thereafter my food coma kicked in, and I went to pass out for the rest of the afternoon.

When I awoke it was already dark outside. I had no idea what time it was, as I had no watch and my cell-phone was dead. I freshen up and decide to go out again as it was Saturday night, after all. And I had a mission: joop.

My continued wandering took me to the central station, where they have a ton of underground shops and restaurants. I did manage to catch a glimpse of the time as I walked down to it (they have HUGE clock-towers here) and it was getting a bit late (around 11p.m.) So I grab a bite to eat at this kebap stand… (These things are like the turkish-european version of McDonalds) Not to dog on them (I did eat there) but these things can be found anywhere you go. (And I mean, anywhere!) The people watching was fun too. Seeing younger cats stoned out of their minds getting food, and others walking around with a twelve-pack under their arms grabbing a late (but not too late) night bite to eat...

During this time I looked through the flyers and things I had gathered earlier in the day, and find out about this cd-release party that seemed decent to check out. I was all about it until I realized a) I had no idea where this was, and I had left my map at the hotel. b) I was too lazy to ask someone for directions and try to remember them. And c) I was hankering for a beer and needed one STAT.

Thus I walk down the main street of the shopping district, tailing behind other groups of people and listening for music. Within 15 minutes of wandering, I came across a group of people standing outside the bottom floor of what looked like a tower. Now, it was a bit hard to describe, as the entrance was cylindrical in nature, and had a spiral staircase that led you to the second floor, which opened up to a huge cubical dancehall. Less to say, it was a fairly interesting architectural feat. There were a ton of Africans, and few white people dispersed amongst the crowd like beacons in the sea at night. Less to say, it turned out to be a hip-hop event for this African MC from Nigeria. I'm inside for 25 bucks, then another 7 for a tallboy Heineken. Shit, I'm running out of money quickly... All in all, I was inside for about 5 minutes before I notice guys rolling up spliffs in the corner...time to get my game face on...

Two beers, a shot of whiskey, a red bull for some bloke I didn't know, a bunch of small talk and 40chf (franks, since they still don't use the euro) later, it's jooptime! Snap! In less than 24 hours of my arrival in a place I had never been to in my life, I scored. I think it might be a personal record! Lol.

As for the rest of the evening, I was pretty let down. For the amount of money these people must have put into production costs, the show was pretty lame; and I have seen my fair share of international shows. The venue was dope, no doubt about it. But I practically had to press my ear to the speaker to hear the sound, and even then there wasn't any 'bump' to it. I mean, these people had professional video recording equipment setup in the back, and to the sides of the stage to record it all, and couldn't even get the sound right. On top of this, the dj stopped in the middle of tracks, the mc's sounded like they were at a freakin' karaoke bar where the background song was turned up too loud, and altogether they had practically no idea on how to rock a crowd. I think I counted over ten times where they intermittently stopped the show and started again. Utter shite if you ask me. Had it not been for the joop score, the drunken guy who gave me free Courvoisier for smoking him out, and the fact that I wandered in there in the first place, I would have been pissed for wasting my time and money.

But given the circumstances, I can say I had a decent time. I managed to stumble back to my hotel without getting jacked, and had all of my crap with me the next morning, (which doesn't even happen in Austin sometimes) including a nice hangover to top it all off....wheeeeeee!

The first 24....

Thursday night ended as it usually does... too much fun, not enough sleep before the next morning. Actually I wasn't too impressed with Thursday. Perhaps a combination of the people and my lack of sleep from the previous nights had something to do with it. Then again, it was also the redundancy that was getting me down. To much exercise in the mundane will make a person as such. That and the fact that I had not packed for my trip and had very little time before I had to catch that jet to rebirth.

With a little help of some fat tunage from one of the best dj's around, a.k.a. my roommate, a.k.a. supa, a.k.a. briantheman, and some joopage, I managed to get most of my packing done in about an hour or two in the middle of the night. Crash time. Z land welcomed me for about 4 hours until I awoke realizing that I was already late for work and did not know where my ride was....

Parker Worsham. Blood brother from another mother indeed. Despite my attempts to digitally connect to his synapse through the airwaves and communicate my desperation due to my time famine, no such luck. Tick tock, Tick tock. It’s amazing how much faster time gets when you're waiting on someone. We had scheduled a takeoff @ 9:30. Tick tock, Tick tock, Knock knock! Sweet! The man of the hour who needed some shower power to wash off his glower. Actually he was probably fresher than me at that point in the morning. We take off to my work. Upon arrival I manage to find out that my check is not ready and my visa status in jeopardy. Too close for comfort. GREAT! I think to myself. Fuck it! I reassure myself. Tick tock, Tick tock. Time's a waistin’! Crap. With a dash back to the car, and my stomach slowly eating itself my transporter and I go for some tacos across the street. "Hey I gotta get some gas!" Parker
exclaims. "Go for it!" I reply whilst jumping out the door to grab some sweet Mexican sustenance. The tacos arrive in 5. Parker is not around. I start wondering which gas station he got off too. Maybe he got in a wreck. Shit! Maybe he just got pulled over. hmm. Maybe aliens.....oh wait, there he is!

Back on the road. Heading south to the airport. Man, I sure could use that maple syrup, I think to myself, pondering an overseas fast. "Hey Parker, wanna drop by wheatsville to grab some sizzurp?" I question him while completely disregarding my tardiness to the airport. (It's about 11:00 and my international flight leaves at 1:00) "Man it's nice to know there are people out there as crazy as I am..." Paker retorts... After some reassurance that getting my happy ass on the plane took priority over my sweet organic tree juice, I gave in. Done and done.

I arrive at the airport, check in, and head towards the security gate. "Here we go..." My first mistake was that I didn't have my laptops out of the bag. Strike one. Then I had my first bag checked: Bottle of water. "You can't bring this onboard." "My bad!" Strike two. My second bag comes through. "Bag check!" "You can't have this either…" the guard explains as he pulls a lighter out of my other bag. Strike three. I'm out. But they were nice enough to let me by. I take my bags and find a seat at the gate, try to log on to the wireless, magical interweb to do some work before I take off. Six freakin’ dollars for access for something that used to be FREE. Sonofabitch. Ah well, the company's paying for this one....

I get on board. Third to last in coach. Fun times in the aisle seat. After the thirty-seven minute flight to Dallas, I get to the D section of the airport via tram and disembark. Immediately I hear the droning cackle of a flight attendant over the P.A. "Calling Mr. Kenuchi. Mr. Kenji Kivichii to Gate 52...." Fuck, it must be me - so much for a decent lunch. And I'm off. Hooray! The very last seat in coach; aisle of course. Man, I have to remind myself to bitch at the company travel agent when I get back.

Here's the kicker though: I'm trying to watch one of these kid's pixar movies..."over the hedge" with the a+ quality airplane headphones, and my right contact goes up into my eye, which is completely dry by this point with the recycled air and all... "Crapboobscrap!" I think to myself. I try to wedge it around under my eyelid with my finger, but no luck. Then I realize that the contact isn't even reachable anymore. Now, I know that this has happened before to anyone else that has lost a contact, but couldn't help but think I somehow managed to push it to the back of my eyeball or something. Shit! So after attempting to look around my seat to see if it had fallen out (even if it had I couldn't find it) I go to the bathroom to see if I can fish it out from my brain.
No such luck. At this point, I'm sarcastically thinking to myself "Wow. This is just fantastic. I wonder how much better it can get..."

So after 10 hours of being cramped and maybe 5 minutes of sleep (shoulda brought some sleeping aids) I arrive in the land of chocolate and cheese. Like the Ween song, but with knives that have corkscrews on them. After a lot of squinting (I think the customs agent thought I was coming on to him, because he gave me this real peculiar look… But then again maybe just being myself brought it upon me...) and a 35 dollar cab ride later I arrive at the hotel, I'm finally here. It's around 8 in the morning, and I take my much needed shower, thinking that I'm about to pass out. Again, no such luck. Ah well.

The free hotel breakfast wasn't so bad for not really being able to see what I was eating though. I decide to do something about being half blind so I ask the receptionist about an eye-doctor. It turns out that, like most doctors, they don't really work on the weekends. Scheiße! But, the kind desk-frau tells me, if I go to the main station that is only five minutes away, they have a pharmacy that would know more about such things, if they were open....

Being my goofy, yet clever self, I somehow manage to walk all the way to the station without a) getting hit by a car, b) being hit by the tram, c) hit by a bicyclist, d) without bumping into someone awkwardly, e) without being shat on by local fowl. Simply amazing! Of course, now to try to find this pharmacy.

It did not take long before someone kindly ignored me. Ok, well I'll try this route. Hmm.. no, how about here...? Nope...maybe under this rock....nope. Maybe under this chick's boob. Nope, no pharmacy there either... Luckily, I came across the green cross. No, not the kind that Bob Jesus Marley (jah bless!) was crucified on, but the kind that's green as opposed to red. That doesn't steal from hurricane victims. Yes! The Apotheke! It sounds like apothecary...which relates to medicine in my head, which triggers an electrical charge in my synapse that makes me move toward it.

Once inside, I ask the person behind the counter in German if they speak English. He did. Probably better than most English speakers, which didn't necessarily throw me off, but his rant did a little. After I ask him if they sell contacts, or know where an available eye doctor was, he dives in to a fruitful discourse of how, basically, he would love to sell me some kontakts, and how wonderful their products are, but unfortunately he could not or it would mean putting "their partners out of business" as he points across the railway entrance to a glasses shop. "Thanks!" I say with a smile, thinking of how silly the entire situation was, and that had I been able to see it, I wouldn't have asked him in the first place...hehe oh well.

I awkwardly stumble across the station to the eye doctor, and although the gentleman didn't speak English there, I managed to walk out of the store with a fresh pair of disposable lenses - not only for less money, but for less hassle than you'd get at any eye place in America! I didn't need a prescription, didn't need to take an eye exam that costs you a foot and a leg....in less than 10 minutes, the world of the seeing was mine to take advantage of again!! Now, time for some wandering....

testes

testes testes 1...2....3....