Where is Derek?

A dying professor’s last lecture about life lessons

Full Video of the lecture

For yall that dont know, my roommates name is Hide. We partied it up at Club Asia in Shibuya last night. There was a BMX/Beatbox show with some live hiphop acts and djing on the side. This night was interesting because I was able to hang with Japanese people that I otherwise would have never met and the whole experience was good. Hide has cool and interesting friends and I am glad I went clubbing with them. Oh, I almost forgot, the most interesting part of the night was this drum and diggery-doo session. It was cool because this Japanese dude was playing the diggery-doo forever and I wondered how long it would take for me to master circular breathing. I also liked how the quartet used; traditional drums with an electronic drum kit and african drums to make this funky beat, especially with the diggery-doo whirring in the background. It was very interesting. Now I am thinking what other instruments can be combined to make good sounds. I cant wait to show my friends that visit, my Tokyo.

On a side note, I have been interested in the sounds the Tabla makes ever since a fellow teacher from ECC, Vinay spoke about it. The tabla players give brief code before playing, they are saying the beat they are going to produce. Each sound has a corresponding sound to be played on the tabla, for example Ta represents a sound to be played on the tabla. Someone who sings can verbally challenge the tabla player using this “code” and its really freaking interesting.

Zakir Hussain – Drum Master the dude on the Indian violin is tearing it up

Rimpa Shiv – Tabla Girl

[ Life.Iz.Good ]

I think I will stay in Japan for another year but after that I am planning a trip around the world. How will I support myself on my epic journey… Teach English along the way of course, I have a friend thats doing humanitarian work in Nepal so I was thinking, back pack my way to Nepal through China and Tibet. Station myself in Nepal for a while to save up money to move on the next location and repeat until I have found a place that I love so much I dont want to leave. You may be thinking, why the sudden change of interest since I keep saying I.Love.Japan. Well, I have been meeting some very interesting people lately and they have these fantastic stories from around the world. I really do love Japan but I feel think theres more out there. If I am having this much fun in Tokyo, I can have fun in Spain, Dubai, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Borneo, you get the picture. I want a collection of experiences/memories and a global sphere of friends. Work is work but life is life. I am not sure what the future holds but I know that my happiness is out there in the world, talking to people and seeing new and exciting things. Maybe its just a phase that I am going through but if I dont scratch this itch I will neve be able to rest. God only knows what I was meant to do on this planet but I feel like I am being guided to something and I will find it soon. I will change my ending tag line to [ Life.Iz.Good ]

I borrowed my roommates bike and rode around my new neighborhood at night. Wow, Tokyo changes a lot at night. Places that were closed during the day are bustling at night and the streets that were once filled with people are now deserted. As I rode my roommates bike around town, I felt like Tokyo was mine. I raced down a little street and happened upon this 24 hour noodle shop and then another alley and found a tiny 24 hour supermarket. There is so much going on that I dont even know where to begin. I only went in one direction and found so many cool little places. I happened upon this street called Sodai Dori and it is a wide and clean street, I dont know where the hell it goes to but it was nice. Waseda Dori follows the river and Meiji Dori is just one big throughway. I towards Ikebukuro from my house theres this sweet hill that I went down, sheeyit, if I hit a pebble or a crack in the sidewalk I would have broken my neck. Sheeyit, Tokyo is so much better when you have a bike. I.Love.Japan especially if I have transport.

BTW I have been eating like sheeyit, so today I went to that 24 hour grocery store that I found and I will cook a dayum fine meal, I am thinking apple cinnamon curry and a tofu soup dish. Anyone want to come over and have dinner? Holla.

Today, I was stunned by this beauty on the Toyoko line towards Yokohama. She was a dayum foine picture of loveliness and I couldnt summon enough courage to talk to her. I cant believe that that happened to me, wtf?!! But I realized that the other problems in my life like the situation with Kyoritsu and other stuff has changed me a bit but like the phoenix I will come back to life stronger and better.

Today, I will raise my heart and put my faith in Gods hands for everything I need. No more worrying, no more fear. My faith will bring me back, like the phoenix. I.Love.Japan I wont let another chance get away from me. Not again.

I am officially a Tokyoite!!! Yatta! I realize that when I first arrived to Japan, I was really happy but the happiness that I felt was of excitement and disbelief. Japan was new and exciting and so different from home. But that feeling went away when I realized that I was in a shithole in Tomioka. I never liked living in Tomioka because I am a city boy stuck in the boonies. When I finalized my move, I was happy again, I was feeling a different and more whole happiness. I belong is big cities. I realize this as I write this blog entry. I feel like Yokohama was high school and now I am in college. I do love college life and I do love my new place. I have also rekindled my passion for learning Japanese because if I dont speak the Japanese language how will I ever get to make friends with interesting and cool Japanese people. In Tomioka, I felt like my social circle was limited to my ECC staff members and my girls friends but now the whole city is open to me. Here’s to a new life and good times. I.Love.Japan