An Unfortunate Choice of Word

A humanoid robot developed by Japanese professor Takeno Junichi and a team of researchers is able to form 36 different facial expressions. A particular expression is formed after a word is typed into its software, which possesses a database of 500,000 words. From there, the software "extracts word associations" and makes calculations that results in pinpointing a level of expression from pleasantness to unpleasantness. In the end, the humanoid robot forms the appropriate facial expression.

Interesting progress on research and development of humanoid robot. It is just unfortunate that this being Japan, a country that suffered from the A-Bomb, and in that picture above (taken from the Mainichi Shimbun), the robot is reacting to the word BOMB.

The Lamentable, Irrepressible, and Regrettable Effects of Supersize Me

On May 7, 2007, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled "Developing Nation: Japanese Clothiers Update Their Lines," which regrettably had nothing to do with a new, fantastic line from the likes of Yamamoto, Kawakubo, Kenzo, Watanabe, Mori, and Miyake (read the article HERE; but rather, it had all to do with the expanding girth of the female Japanese population.

Japanese used to subsist on a vegetable-and-fish diet, but in recent times this has changed with the advent of the less-than-healthy American import such as: Krispy Kreme (in Shinjuku), Cold Stone Creamery (in Roppongi), and now the inevitable MacDonald's MegaMac that featured not two, not three, but FOUR beef patties in a three-bun sandwich (read the article HERE).

Some tends to want to put the blame on the American side for exporting such unhealthy and irresponsible food like those mentioned above, but there has to be a demand in Japan that those things are actually here. The almost two-hour wait at Krispy Kreme (six months since its opening) and the line at Cold Stone Creamery (more than a year after it opened its counter) is a testament to this. Part of the reasons may be the "American-ness" or the foreign aspect of it combined with the novelty of the item that appealed to the masses in major cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Not wanting to be left in the dust, local food producers competed with their foreign brethren to attract the appetite of the masses; the release of Dekao (Huge King) and Super Cup instant noodles are but two examples of this. According to the Mainichi article, "One product even contains a staggering 1,100 calories, almost half the daily recommended 2,500-calorie intake of the average Japanese male." I noticed this a couple of years ago when I encountered a bigger package of spicy Korean noodles sold here in Japan (and in California): it used to be that these "ramen" or noodles packages were relatively small and would be just enough for one quick meal; but this particular spicy Korean noodle package was almost twice the size of their predecessors. Freshness Burger, a Japanese burger chain, came up with Classic Double-Double Burger; meanwhile, American-import Wendy's answer was the Big Triple.

I suppose one has to wait to see when the line will diminish, but for now, supersizing and girth-expanding diet are here to stay. Guess who is coming back this month to Japan after folding its tent for being expensive in their former foray into the Japanese food market? None other than the originator of the Whoppers: Burger King. The big department stores that used to relegate the "big sizes" to one corner can now safely "expand" their collection.

Japan Won the Title of Miss Universe 2007

Beauty pageants have always created the two sides who constantly debate the merits and flaws of such competition: on the one hand, supporters tout the freedom of expression, the importance of (feminine) role model (and perhaps of good hair, of glowing make-up, and for some, of undetectable plastic surgeries). On the other hand, opponents shout out the objectification of the female gender and the reliance on superficial beauty to advance through life. Significantly, this year's Miss Sweden, Isabel Lestapier Winqvist, made a statement when she withdrew upon learning that many of her fellow Swedes did not feel such competition to be representative of a modern woman.

The debate is not going to die any time soon. If feminism is to guarantee every woman's right to choose and to express herself, then it has to contend with some of the women choosing this path of life, just as feminisim has to contend with women choosing to be stay-at-home-wives/mothers and never to think of having their own career outside of the home. One would think that if the general mass was on the same page as the opponents of beauty pageants, then at least in the United States, the Miss America Pageant, which featured talent competition, would be the more preferable of the two pageants; yet it was Miss USA (owned by the Miss Universe, Inc.) that survived. What does that say about what the audience likes and wants?


Mr. Joop Ave, the former Cultural Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, was an opponent of beauty pageants. During his tenure as the said minister, he forbade the sending of any representative from Indonesia to such pageants; to him, it is an insult to womanhood and a denigration to the female sex. Mr. Ave, known to his close circle as a well-educated and respectable gay man, took the stand in respecting women and in his unwillingness to allow women to be judged only by their facial beauty and by the curves of their bodies. Of course as a young, naïve and closeted gay man, I thought pageants were fabulous, and for sure every gay boys would love to help the gals prepare for the pageants (and indeed, some gay men live for these pageants, straight ones or drag ones).

In college I was finally exposed to someone who was a serial pageant competitor. How and why this person got into the university was beyond me: she cared nothing with regard to acquiring knowledge; instead, she spent her days looking at the mirror and rehearsing her oration. I thought then, hmmm, one should not generalize. Then at one time I saw a forum on television that included as one of the guests Ms. Brooke Lee, the Miss USA who had become Miss Universe in 1997. I have since forgotten both the forum and the discussions involved, but suffice it to say that I balked at hearing what Ms. Lee had to say. I even felt abashed for her, although as far as she was concerned, she might be oblivious to it. Alas, I only know of one Miss Universe alumna who went on to become a mayor of her city (Chacao) and eventually a governor of Nueva Esparta; her name was Irene Sáez Conde, the title holder in 1981.

When I first saw a taped program of the 1979 Miss Universe Pageant in that same year, I was a few months shy of being a teenager. One thing that impressed me most was the multitude of languages spoken during the Parade of Nations, the part in the beginning of the pageant where the candidates introduced themselves. It so intrigued and fascinated me that I told myself I should learn as many languages as I could so that my world would be without borders; and now, although I am not exactly fluent in all the languages I had acquired since then, I have been grateful with the knowledge and the usage of those languages in my travels.

Year after year, pageants after pageants, most contestants' rehearsed stock responses of bringing peace to the world and of educating the mass about HIV easily elicits yawn from my part. It is therefore refreshing to hear what Mori-san wish to do with her time, based on what she had learned from the past: "I learned how to always be happy, be patient and to be positive, and this is what I want to teach to the next generation." With all the unhappiness going on in this earth of mankind, perhaps this is not such a bad idea. Call her young and naïve, but hey, let go off the cynicism and find something that will make you happy, and keep doing the things that tip the scale of your life balance into happiness. In her case, dancing seems to make her happy, and she wishes to open an Inetrnational Dance school in Tokyo, a trade with which her mother had been involved.

Ms. Mori's evening gown design caught my eyes because only a few months ago I spotted this same exact Gucci dress worn by none other than Miss O (Oprah Winfrey) during the Oscars and the Vanity Fair party afterwards.


More of Miss Universe 2007 Photos

Crossing Shibuya

"Travel with Bloompy" takes you crossing one of the busiest intersections in Tokyo and into the nearby Tokyu Department Store's Food Section. Bloompy is experimenting with this format. In the near future Bloompy hopes to produce more of these small vignettes from the different aspects of life in Tokyo. Comments and suggestions are welcome (they are good for laughs . . . just kidding!)

How Can You Not Appreciate This?

Big deal, you say, a secured bicycle parking place; so what? Well, for one, the first four hours are free! The Tokyo city gym at Sendagaya, which last year decided to work together with the private health club Tipness to renovate its gym and pool facilities and to operate jointly, provided this secure-lock bicycle stands for their clients. There is an area to park your motorcycles securely as well. The first two hours are free, and the next two are free as well, but one must get a validation from the reception desk.

Gym and/or pool users who are not members of Tipness may use the facility for two hours using the old method of payment (day card or value card); therefore such users are also alloted the same two hours for free parking. Tipness users can use the gym and pool facility as long as they want, and they get two extra hours of free parking; afterwards, they will have to pay at the rate of ¥100 per 3 hours (less than $1 for 3 hours). I do not see how they will profit from this, and that's why I thought it was a nice gesture nevertheless. While bike thievery is not a common occurence in Tokyo, providing such secure area to park one's transportation will give him and her a peace of mind.

When you get to the stand, bring the front wheel all the way forward until the device locks. Then go to the green pay station, enter your stand number, and put in four digit security code, and voila, it is locked. At collection time, put in the stand number and security code, and the pay station will calculate time usage. When it is free, you can then collect your bike within five minutes; otherwise, you can pay, or enter your validated parking card.