A big thanks goes out to my good friend Patrick for the amazing cassette that he won on the Japanese Yahoo! auction site, and then converted to MP3, which is what I’m enjoying right now. Called 524′S WORLD OF TWIST, it was a very limited tape (only 100) that was sent with orders from the Readymade website. It’s a compilation of very groovy tracks selected by Yasuharu Konishi (524, pronounced go-ni-shi in Japanese, is the name of one of Konishi’s labels, and a name he uses for some of his mixes), basically sounding like the type of stuff that he usually plays at his monthly event at the Organ Bar in Shibuya.

This is one of the scariest things I’ve ever read. Are teenagers really that stupid? I mean, a plastic coffee spoon?

Tonight I was out on my bike at around 1:30am because I needed to bring a package for Yuko to the post office (they have a 24-hour counter), and I was really surprised by all the police officers that were roaming the streets, either in cars or on bicycles. I don’t know if this is normal or if there was something special taking place, but they were everywhere. I was stopped once, they checked my ID, and I was sure I was going to be stopped another 2-3 times on the way home. I guess I should feel safe, but it was still a strange feeling.

On Mondays, I have a little 6 year old girl called Risa as a student, and every week she gives me a drawing she did of me before the class starts. What a sweetie.

Oh, what a miserable day today. Cold and rain, the worse possible combination of weather that you can have. It basically felt like 0 degrees, but yet it was raining all day. It chills you. February is approaching, and I’m hoping Spring will start early, just like last year.

I was having some Internet problems last night, constantly being disconnected, and now I know why:

TOKYO – A computer virus “worm” triggered worldwide Internet trouble earlier in the day, Internet security companies said Saturday. According to F-Secure Corp, a Finland-based company, problems such as slow access occurred as the virus randomly sent out massive amounts of data in a bid to infect targets.

As a result, five of 13 computers called “root servers” located in countries including Japan and the United States received the most serious damage, it said.

The worm has been given several names including “SQL Slammer.”

The Internet trouble hit Japan and other Asian countries on Saturday and lasted about 12 hours but gradually tapered off.

There are finally definite plans on the return of TOKYO BOY. It will return around the middle of February on a new site created by Warren Ellis called SLEEPLESS PLANET. Should be an interesting site, as it will be a gathering point for creativity on many fronts (music, photography, flash experiments, weblogs, and more). I look forward to its launch.

This site lists and explains all the smiley faces that the Japanese use in their emails. They are a lot more detailed then the ones usually used by Westerners. I actually use these a lot when I send messages to Yuko, or to friends in Tokyo.

Didn’t have much to do today, so just did a little routine I sometimes do on the weekend. Although a bit cold, it was a nice sunny day in Tokyo. After waking up, I made myself a croque-madame, and then watched my DVD of DOCTOR NO. Then I went out to Junkudo, a huge bookstore here in Ikebukuro, and sat down with a bunch of Japanese design magazines to look through them and get inspired. After that it was off to Muji to look for some stationary, and also get some Muji brand ice-cream cookies that I’m so addicted to. I was then headed to Parco, where I checked out a few clothes shops (United Arrow, Ships, Journal Standard), a few design shops (Flan Flan, Marchand de L?gumes, Smith – where I bought this nice little agenda at half-price), and then the Parco Book Center to check out some more magazines and books. I stayed away from the used record shops, and instead went to Yamaya, which is a store that deals in wines and imported food. Picked up some stuff to make an Indonesian stir-fry for dinner. Now I’m just relaxing at home, watching some shows I enjoy (Mecha Mecha Iketeru, SmaStation, 99 Size, Black Wide Show).

Tomorrow, my friend Patrick is going to be attending a live show by Kahimi Karie. I also wanted to go, but my current financial situation prevents me from going. Karie now resides in Paris, and she seems to come back to Tokyo only a couple of times a year, so it’s not often that you can attend a live show by her. She’s also about to release a new album, which I’m anxious to hear. I was quite disapointed by the EP she released last year, MY SUITOR, but from what I’ve heard of this album, it might make for an interesting listen.

At the end of every year, me and a few friends make up lists of our favorite albums of the year, to share with each other. Here’s my list of favorite albums that were released in 2002, all 16 of them, in alphabetical order.

Cinematic Orchestra – EVERY DAY – Very smooth and groovy. Sort of the next iteration of trip-hop.

Erlend Oye – UNREST – Solo album by one half of the Kings of Convenience. More up-tempo with lots of electronic sounds, but still retaining a bit of a folk feel. Grows on you.

Flin Flon – CHICOUTIMI – Damn fine pop record by Mark Robinson, of TeenBeat fame. I also really enjoyed his CANADA’S GREEN HIGHWAYS, released under his name, that came out in 2001.

Hideki Kaji – A LONG WEEKEND – This is another excellent pop album by Kaji, and I think it’s actually become my favorite album of his.

Ladytron – LIGHT & MAGIC – I really got into the electronic, sort of new-wave, sound of this band. Also really enjoyed their first album, 604.

Manabu Iwamura – TEOREMA – Probably my favorite album that has come out of Yasuharu Konishi’s (he of Pizzicato Five) Readymade International label that he started last year. This is such a smooth album, a perfect chillout groove. Everytime I listen to this album I’m teleported, and feel like I’m in this really cool lounge-bar.

Mari Natsuki – LA PAROLE – Another fine Readymade International release, this time by the amazing Mari Natsuki. Imagine French Chanson, but jazzier. She’s in her fifties, and has an amazing raspish voice that serves this kind of material perfectly.

Mellow – Soundtrack to the Film CQ – Like the name of the band says, mellow Air-like easy-listening.

Monsieur Kamayatsu – JE M’APPELLE MONSIEUR – Yet another Readymade International release, this time by the 60+ year old Monsieur Kamayatsu, who was a popular rocker in the 60s. Pretty good stuff, especially the single “Ban Ban Ban”, which is him redoing one of his old hits.

Mount Sims – ULTRA SEX – One of the new electroclash bands that appeared during the year. Good fuzzy electronics, with a catchy beat.

Smokey & Miho – SMOKEY & MIHO – Smokey is Beck’s guitarist, and Miho was one-half of Cibo Matto. Together they do wonderful covers of Brazillian classics. This is a great EP.

Sweet Robots Against the Machine – TOWA TEI – At first I didn’t think I was going to like this album much, as I considered it a bit too dancy, but it really grew on me. Very similar to what Fantastic Plastic Machine has been doing recently.

The Breeders – TITLE TK – This album came out of nowhere for me, as I really wasn’t expecting much. It’s a nice, dirty, under-produced (which is a good think in this case) album.

Thievery Corporation – THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON – Doing what they do so well, electronica chillout stuff with a world feel.

Tokyo Panorama Mambo Boys – TWIN PERFECT COLLECTION – This is such a great 2-CD collection of a band from the eighties (I think). Great mambo throughout that just really makes you want to shake your ass. They do a killer mambo version of the Bond theme that lasts barely a minute.

Various Artists – SUBA: TRIBUTO – Something that I picked up in a sales bin for next to nothing, knowing nothing about it, and which was a very pleasant surprised. It’s a tribute to a Brazillian producer (well, he was Croatian, but he worked in Brazil) who did some work with Bebel Gilberto among others, and who was instrumental in creating the new Brazillian sound. He died a few years ago, and this tribute has all sorts of great material.

There’s an interesting article on Towa Tei in today’s edition of THE DAILY YOMIURI. I’m a really big fan of the Sweet Robots Against the Machine album he released last year, and I’m definitely looking forward to the remix album that will be coming out in a month or so.

The new “in” fashion thing in Japan: garter belts.

Oh, yes.

Have a look at what the Hong Kong Film Critics Society thought were the best HK films of 2002. Although I haven’t seen all of the films they list, I can say that I did find that their best film, CHINESE ODYSSEY 2002, was a hell of a fun movie.

You have got to check out these videos of people playing the DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION arcade game. These are Japanese people playing the game at the hardest level, and making it look like it’s nothing.