Yesterday I went theater hopping with Chao, and we snuck candy into the movies. So I got my double dose of illicit thrills.

First we watched Saw. I think that movie takes the cake for most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen. But wonderful, excellent, well-written, and go see it if you don’t have a weak stomach. Next was Team America, which I’d already seen. Quite a laugh even the second time, and I think Chao enjoyed it too. And finally, we saw The Grudge. I have to admit they did a pretty good job porting it over to American audiences, but I still think the original is much scarier. So go see all three, if you want. I’m itching to see Motorcycle Diaries next.

And when the fun was all over in the theater, I dropped by Elise’s Halloween bash. I originally had no clue what I was going to dress up as, but then I remembered the yukata that Kyoko had given me as a gift before I left Japan. So I wore that, and my grey lab slippers, and went as “made in Japan,” meaning that everything I wore was from Japan. Of course this begged the obvious question, “What does Japanese underwear look like?” (It looks a lot like American underwear.) But it was the most comfortable clothing I’ve worn in a long time; I think I was the most comfy individual at that party. Thank you, Kyoko.

Beer has a bad habit of bringing back those memories you forgot you had. It drags out your insomnia. Right now I’m thinking about a particular girl who I haven’t spoken to in a long time. I’m thinking about a night under the stars, 13 months ago almost to the day. I’m remembering a red tank top and auburn tinted hair. I’m wondering why this particular memory has chosen to resurface at this particular time, and I’m wondering what my life would have been like if I had chosen differently, if I hadn’t left.

Did anything really change? Did my ten month vacation really accomplish anything at all? Or did I only break a few hearts in my process of self-discovery?

I guess I’m a different person than I was then, because if I could go back I would spend that night a bit differently. But if I could go back, I wouldn’t have the experience I do now. So it’s a bit of a catch-22.

Come to think of it, I’m still a bit lonely at times. More than once, I’ve had the solution to that problem right in my hands, right before it vanished. More accurately, I moved, and it stayed put. So I guess the dilemma is whether I should chase that solution when I see it (and risk being on the move just as I find it) or stay put and risk never finding it in the first place. Whether I am habitually too spontaneous or not spontaneous enough is a conundrum I constantly find myself in. And I’m not really in a position to judge which is better.

Today in the ECE lab, in the past hour and a half, I have heard Cantonese, Korean, and an unknown African language. That’s just here in the lab, sitting at this computer.

Staring at my plate of ravioli with porcini mushrooms today I realized something. I was in Japan for one year, and that experience severely altered the person I am today. I looked at the plate before I took the first bite and an inner voice told me I should say something — itadakimasu — before I ate. Tonight I am singing along with the Katamari Damshii game’s lyrics as I contemplate actually living in Japan for another year. Should it really be a question? I know already what I really want to do, just as Chris said, but getting my reality in tune with it is another thing altogether. I want to go back to Japan. If I don’t, I might never go back there…. Most people have some dream that they exit high school with, but once they actually get a job they seem to forget their dream. That magical something that kept them going disappears and they sink into a reality where they work at a stupid damn cubicle job and AREN’T HAPPY. Yet, when you ask these same people why they don’t continue their dreams, they simply state “I can’t leave my job.”

What happens if I don’t go back now? I will forget. My stories in Japan will be some story I tell my grandkids. “Yep, there was this one time I had this beautiful girlfriend in Japan. But the pay wasn’t good enough to go back… but these old bones don’t feel like telling another story.” Because there wasn’t another story, because I skipped out on an opportunity to go back and live my life as a young man.

Wow, I never expected such a backlash to the last posting. I’ll leave the post open, in case any of you still want to write further comments. But for the time being, let’s move on, shall we?

It seems that quite a few people posting on the Internet these days have trouble writing a persuasive argument. (This isn’t a personal attack against anyone in particular.) A persuasive argument is couched in a manner that makes people both understand and respect your viewpoint as a writer. It fleshes out a point of view, and always adds something constructive. A well-written persuasive argument can enflame, pacify, give instruction, reverse opinions, and broaden minds.

The following are some helpful guidelines for making persuasive arguments. Most of them apply not only to comments on weblogs, but also for email or even letters to Congress.

Pay attention to details.
If you spell everything correctly, use proper punctuation, write in sentences, and capitalize your writing properly, your post will stand out. I would hazard a guess that most readers subconsciously judge an author’s intelligence by whether or not they can spell. One typo isn’t going to ruin your point, but numerous small flaws only lessen the impact of a good argument — use a spell-checker to ensure you don’t fall into this trap! Of course, once you understand all the rules, you can start bending them a bit — but you have to prove to your reader that you know them first. Prove to me that you have a solid grasp of the English language, and I’ll take your argument much more seriously.

Use facts and quotes correctly.
A well-placed fact gives backbone to any argument, but only if used correctly. It’s no good to just post a link to an article if you’re not going to explain how it relates to the issue at hand. Copy and paste using quotation marks, mention the name of the source you’re quoting from, and link the name of the source to the original article. If you don’t know how to make a hypertext link, look it up! If you’re going to refute someone else’s article, make sure they actually said what you’re trying to refute. If they said something ambiguous, call them out on it! But it makes you look quite foolish if you accuse someone of saying something that they didn’t actually say.

Know your audience.
For example, if you’re writing a politically liberal post in a pro-gun forum, you are likely to encounter very stiff resistance; you may need to break your arguments in slowly and indirectly. Addressing your audience also implies that you’re sticking to the question or issue at hand; your readers want to read arguments relating to the topic under discussion, so give them what they want.

Avoid direct personal attacks.
Direct personal attacks (flames) are counterproductive. Assuming your post doesn’t get moderated into oblivion, calling people names in public does nothing to advance your line of reasoning. Even worse, you’ve destroyed any respect the reader might have had for your point of view. If your only purpose in making a post is to call someone something nasty, you need to analyze your initial emotional response. Did they personally insult you? Simply state it, and don’t let it degrade further. Does your opponent have a valid point. Try to counter it with logic if you can. Did they just state something that can’t be proven (e.g. theological arguments or personal experience)? If you have to counter with an insult, it had better be witty or whimsical enough that it shows your composure. Don’t lose your cool.

Read everything over before you hit the Post button.
Did you pay attention to details? Did you use your facts and quotes properly? Did you address your audience? Are you sure your post isn’t fueled by a spontaneous urge to lash out? Read over your whole post again. Do your arguments make sense? Remember, in many cases, you can’t unpost or fix things once you post, so make sure it’s right BEFORE you send your words on their way.

I just saw the documentary “Super-Size Me” by Morgan Spurlock. He makes a lot of great points, and I think you should go see it. If you’re an American, like me, you should definitely see it.

I’d like to make some points of my own about weight problems here. If you’ve been reading this site with any frequency, you know that I spent a year in Japan recently. And in the entire period I was there, I think I perhaps met 5 Japanese people who were overweight. As in, you can walk down streets and not see a single overweight person; take a look at some of my old photos if you don’t believe me. This is a pretty sharp contrast with the U.S., where if you take a stroll in a mall you’ll see overweight and obese people left and right. So why is that?

Be warned, I’m going to tell it like it is. Using adult language. Viewer discretion and all that.

So you’re fat? You want a no-bullshit weight-loss program. Here’s what you’re doing wrong:

1. Stop eating so much goddamn food.
It’s amazing how many miracle diets I’ve seen around here, each with its own narrow dietary path, and all of them claiming “Eat as much as you want!” Well I have bad news for you. If you eat or drink enough of pretty much anything with calories in it, you’ll probably get fatter. In Japan, people eat a diet largely composed of rice and noodles (oh no, carbs, Atkins is gonna have my spleen). But when they eat, they eat reasonable portions. I swear my stomach got smaller over there. I came back, and meals that used to just barely fill me up were far too much food. Not to mention we have such marvels as 64 oz. Double Gulps and Double Quarter Pounders (with Cheese, no less). You realize that Big American Sodas are the laughingstock of the rest of the world, don’t you? Do you really need to eat or drink that much? NO! Stop being such a damn pig!

2. Pay attention to what you take in.
So you find yourself at Taco Hell for the 3rd time in as many days? Here’s a small hint: something’s wrong. Do you honestly think eating all that fast food is good for you? Hell, write that shit down if you have to: what did I eat today? The other half of this is reading the labels, if you have enough wits about you to make it to a supermarket. A lot of it is little stuff that you don’t realize builds up. Soda is one of these things. There is a metric assload of sugar in soda. And you don’t want to know what’s in the diet stuff. That’s probably why you aren’t reading the label. High-fructose corn syrup? Yeah, that’s sugar, dumbass. In Japan I ate fast food maybe 3 times total (of course it helped that we didn’t really have any fast food restaurants close by), and I drank green tea instead of soda (unsweetened tea, you tool). And the result: lost somewhere between 10 and 15 pounds. And it didn’t kill me.

3. Get off your fat ass.
I can guarantee you’re probably not getting enough exercise. If you’re like me, you live somewhere where it’s impossible to walk or bike anywhere useful; in that case, as long as you get your ass moving out of the house it’s better than sitting and watching the worthless shit that passes for TV these days. What, is missing a half hour every day gonna kill you? Try running, cycling, swimming, shoveling snow or sand, having wild rampant sex, chopping logs, beating dead horses, I don’t care as long as it gets your heart rate up. Yes, your heart. That thing in your chest that feels like it’s gonna explode when you walk to your car. Move.

Let me restate all of those, for those of you who can’t read bold print. If you eat a lot, you get bigger. Open your eyes and read about what you eat and drink. Get off your lazy fat ass and exercise.

And in the end, it’s up to you to say to yourself, “I want to change myself.” You don’t even have to tell anyone else, unless you think it will help. And then when you aren’t so damn flabby you can laugh in the faces of all your friends as they have triple-bypass surgeries.