j.okelana

Frank

2008-09-22T09:05:00.001-07:00

Halloween Illustration Project

2008-09-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween Illustration Project

2008-09-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Head Pain

2008-07-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Two New Steps

2008-07-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Patchwork

2008-07-13T02:40:00.000-07:00

At Rest

2008-07-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

The Good, The Bad

2008-07-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Working for the Paycheck

2008-07-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Taking a Hit

2008-07-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Life's Lemons

2008-07-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Beat the Heat

2008-07-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

Frontin'

2008-07-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

Wants

2008-07-05T00:38:00.000-07:00

Solace

2008-07-05T00:37:00.000-07:00

Kidz

2008-07-05T00:35:00.000-07:00

Language Block

2008-07-05T00:32:00.000-07:00

Chopsticks

2008-07-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

Fresh Paint, Fresh Kicks

2008-01-30T14:27:00.000-08:00

Plane Practice

2008-01-26T19:23:00.001-08:00

Bird Series

2008-01-25T23:07:00.001-08:00

Kotatsu

2008-01-17T01:49:00.001-08:00

Gruel

2008-01-17T01:31:00.001-08:00

New Jeans

2008-01-17T01:30:00.001-08:00

Cold

2008-01-04T10:52:00.003-08:00

Internet

2008-01-04T10:52:00.001-08:00

Talents

2008-01-04T10:51:00.001-08:00

Time

2008-01-04T10:50:00.003-08:00

Haircuts

2008-01-04T10:50:00.001-08:00

Bad Movies

2008-01-04T10:49:00.001-08:00

Gloves

2008-01-04T10:48:00.001-08:00

Video Games

2008-01-03T11:27:00.001-08:00

Laundry

2008-01-03T11:26:00.001-08:00

Drive-Thru

2008-01-03T11:25:00.001-08:00

Snow

2008-01-03T11:24:00.003-08:00

Work

2008-01-03T11:24:00.001-08:00

Brushing

2008-01-03T11:23:00.001-08:00

Phone

2008-01-02T11:56:00.001-08:00

Abstract

2008-01-02T11:55:00.001-08:00

Stretch

2008-01-01T14:45:00.001-08:00

Muscle

2008-01-01T14:44:00.001-08:00

Couch

2008-01-01T14:43:00.001-08:00

Check List

2007-12-31T11:08:00.001-08:00

Ice Cream

2007-12-31T11:07:00.001-08:00

Biking

2007-12-31T11:06:00.001-08:00

Skateboard

2007-12-31T11:05:00.001-08:00

Cooking

2007-12-31T11:04:00.001-08:00

Inventory

2007-12-31T11:03:00.001-08:00

Exercise

2007-12-31T11:02:00.001-08:00

Nocturnal

2007-12-31T11:01:00.001-08:00

Good Times in Tokyo

2006-11-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I went to Tokyo for the first time and it was all I expected it to be and a bit more. Melissa and I met up with Tammy and Aya who we both had not seen in a while. The two days we spent with them were two of the happiest days I've had since I got here. It was really great to hang out with two cool people for a weekend. Although I wish we had the chance to stay a bit longer. Going back to Kasugai was a bit of a bummer. As soon as I got on the train I was hit with some homesickness and suddenly felt really isolated and longed to be back at CMU with friends.

Sometimes I forget that this isn't my normal life, but I definitely know that coming here was the right choice. I feel good enduring the daily obstacles I face, even if they give me a headache every night. Hopefully I'll last until January, when I have to resume my sentence at CMU.

The world is a strange place, indeed.

Nagoya Design Week

2006-10-27T00:41:00.000-07:00

Went to Nagoya Design Week and got another heaping refreshment of why I decided to pursue Design as a career. Talked to a lot of cool people who had a lot of cool work, and I got to see an interesting side of Nagoya. The side where Japanese Elvis impersonators attempt to dance around in the middle of a park NY style. It was great because I don't think that any of them could hold a beat, but they were just going at it anyways. It was inspiring in someways, maybe.

Speaking of inspiration, Japan is the place to be for me. There is just so much going on that my mind can't help but be full of questions an information which stir up my creative juices. So many curious objects and situations.

School is getting a bit busier as I am juggling four different studios now, but I'm enjoying myself and love the projects I'm working on for once. The social aspect of school is a bit less enjoyable as I find myself at a literal loss of words and constantly looking for a wholesome conversation.

Either way things are on the up, now if I could just find a place to park my bike...

Ready, Set, Go

2006-10-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

After almost a month I can finally say that I have gotten settled into my new surroundings. My skateboard and I have put a couple kilometers behind us while traversing the city of kasugai and scaring old people on the sidewalk. The weather seems to keep a steady pace of a few rainy days followed by predictable sunshine, although I wish it would get a bit cooler. I am not of fan of sweating.

I have fulfilled yet another one of my lifetime goals of attending a karaoke bash and even took a token Japanese Picture Club photo with all of my new chums. My class projects have started to pour in, and for the most part, I am satisfied. Next weekend I'll be heading of to Kyoto for a day to see the sights and take a nap in someplace different. Everything seems to be falling in place well enough, and my Japanese is improving to a noticeable degree. Having a quick conversation with someone new, and being able to do so with a limited amount of hiccups is one of the most satifying parts of learning a new language.

There are still a few things that I need to get the hang of, like figuring out the garbage schedule, but everything is going just swell. I know I made the right choice coming here, and I have a feeling I'll be back here again in the future.

Get Busy

2006-09-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Weekends can be pretty boring when your TV speaks to you in a different language and shows programs of Japanese stars you've never seen before. On the other hand, they do force me to get out of bed and on with my day. Generally I plan one outting, one cooked lunch, and one experimental Japanese treat.

There is a Muji store not far from me which has been my source for weekend entertainment this week. They are a "No Name Brand" store that is pretty popular on a global scale, and the great thing is that most of their regular stuff is inexpensive. I keep debating whether or not to by a rug and some cushions to make my room a bit more "homie," but I think I'll wait and see if I will have any potential guest.

I think yesterday I spoke two sentences BUT they were in Japanese, which means that I spoke 100% Japanese for an entire day. "This one please" and "Thank you." It's funny when I program phrases like "thank you" into my mind to the point where if anyone asks me anything I just reply with "thank you."

ex. [in japanese]
Someone: "So how has your week been so far, are you enjoying Japan?"
Me: "Thank you?"

But I've got to admit it's getting better.
I wonder if the electronic store is open on Sundays.

May today's adventure begin!

Bright Lights, Big City

2006-09-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last night I got my first taste of the Japan I envisioned. The awkward silence of the train on the way to Nagoya city was oddly broken by some school boys with the same rat-mullet haircut that seems to be pretty popular around here. The city was nice, in a busy way, but I really feel more "at home" in the little city of Kasugai where I live. It's a little bit on the country side of things but has the mom and pop store appeal. I live really close to the Supermarket and Department store which makes life pretty convienent.

The most interesting thing I have found so far in living in a different country is waking up. It is weird waking up to footsteps on the floor above me and thinking, "hey, those are Japanese footsteps, what am I doing here?" Then going to the bathroom and selecting the "small" flush and drawing back the curtains to let the rising sun shine into my room. Everything in here is familiar until I turn on the television or hear people talking outside about things far from my reach.

Maybe I'll cook something tonight.

Small in Japan

2006-09-21T22:43:00.001-07:00

First door on the right.

It has almost been a week now since I got off of that dreaded plane ride which took forever and half. After a week of soaking up the good life of an American tourist, the past week has been nothing short of a slap-in-the-face of reality. For whatever reason it just didn't click that I was in another country where people communicate on an entirely different message. It seems like everywhere I turn I am forced to realize what an outsider I am. Registering for my Gaijin Ka-do was a feat on its own. The other day I had my mug taken by some Japanese schoolgirl at a crosswalk and where ever I go all of the grandmas take a break from their hunched over toils to get a second look.

Besides having no real social camouflage, things are moving along well enough. I've used my skateboard to connect with a few of the kids at my school. From what I can decipher, they skateboard as well. It looked something like this in my mind:

[japanese substitute for blah, blah] SU-KA-TO-BO-DO[japanese substitute for blah, blah].

The people at school all seem pretty receptive, but the language barrier is harder than I thought to get by. I can usually manage to break things down into a few strange gestures and the limited vocabulary I have.

From what I have gathered Japanese college students could care less about what goes on in lectures, and or class. While the professor is talking they are all having their own normal voiced conversations which adds to my general confusion in trying to get a hold on what's going on. You can usually spot me at a desk rapidly leafing through a Japanese dictionary and bothering Melissa to cue me in on what's going on.

------------------
lost in translation:
September 22, 2006

It is common knowledge that Japanese toilets can get pretty interesting. At the school the men's room has both urinals and what I have come to identify as squatters. Today when I went towards the restroom I was met with a particular interesting problem. As I walked passed the little security station, both doors to the men's and woman's bathroom were open. Now normally I would have no problem figuring out which door I belonged to because I could simply do the urinal check. But having limited experience on which bathrooms have urinals that solution was not going to fly. Adding to my confusion was both of the open doors which perfectly put the men's bathroom sign in the middle of the wall while blocking out the women's.

Now, if you can still follow me, I am standing in front of two open bathrooms with a men's room sign directly in the middle of both doors, and I have no idea which one is which. Also, to add to the frantic confusion the security dudes are right behind me waiting for me to embarrass myself.

After taking the best possible peek into both bathrooms I closed my eyes and stepped in. As I traversed deeper into my unknown surroundings, I quickly realized that there were no unirnals. But I thought to myself, maybe that's just how they rock it.

Just as I was about to take my first shot at an authentic Japanese squatter a security guard came in and told me I was in the wrong place.

Metalocalypse

2006-09-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

Every now and then a television show comes along that grabs my attention and leaves me yearning for more after a 30 minute fix. One such show is Metalocalypse featuring the band Dethklok. I am not an avid fan of Death Metal but I have been exposed to quite a bit through Spencer aka Flip Neezy aka Grape Nasty and Dan aka Slimetime aka Trick Nickels. The entire premise of the show follows five dudes led by Nathan Explosion who just go around playing their devil music. Somewhere between the hilarity of the music and the ridiculous amounts of heavy metal carnage lies an Adult Swim classic.

theme song

Three more days.

iona apple.

2006-09-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

It finally happened. I am now part of that elite group of Apple owners. Am I proud? No, but I cannot deny my cat of curiousity has most definitely been killed. After dropping a cool thousand + I can't help but wonder what the next few months alone with this machine will entail. I was going to get a black one but it was 150 just for the color.

I was planning on running it with both windows and mac OS's but it turns out that Apple is still sticking it to the PC peeps. When I asked the guy if I had a problem with my mac and was running XP would the Apple store still fix it, and he replied with an Appley "no."

"Even for physical damages?!" --me
"You would have to remove the Windows OS before we would even look at it." --mac "genius"

What kind of company gives their employs tags that say "genius."

Alas! I wait in anticipation for my Macbook to come, even though I know Mr. Jobs will release the next Macbook as soon as I open the box. But I suppose technology must progress. I hope things work out well, Tammy says Japan's not too Mac friendly...for reasons I can only imagine.

and no, that apple sticker is not going on my car window.

Getting Closer

2006-08-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

With summer drawing to an end I have begun the mental and material preparation for my voyage across the sea. Although bank account is less than impressive I managed to put enough aside to buy a new skate deck and wheels. It has a plain oak finish which I intend on placing my "watergunz" illustration over, at least once I have figured out how to do it. I also got a set of lower profile soft wheels to give me the best of the street and long board worlds. If the sidewalks and hills in Japan are anything like the Burgh, I'll need all the help I can traversing those cracks and pebbles that might bring about less than cool wipeouts.

yessur.

Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!

2006-08-16T02:22:00.000-07:00

The latest in my threadless entries and another fun experimentation. This project was particularly challenging because I somehow managed to slice open my hands on a glass that broke while washing the dishes. Luckily I managed to retain motor movement in my right hand. Back to the illustration, this is kind of a different approach for me, but I've figured out that's what it takes to have a finished product worth looking at.

In other news, I would like a motorcycle.

Threadless Entry

2006-08-14T15:14:00.001-07:00

A reworked threadless entry based on one of my original characters [walter] and his partner in crime. It was an interesting transition from sketches to the final product, but this has to be one of the most satisfying projects I've done so far. The threadless community doesn't hold back on criticism which really helps me push myself in a good direction. For those inspiring for some inspiration, as far as illustration goes, make sure to check out the site. Hopefully there will be more post to come as I get ready for my semester in Japan.

Until then.