Quick New Year Post

Happy New Year!!!

I can't believe it's 2010 already. I wanted to make a rundown post of 2009 for me and make a list of resolutions, too. There's just so little time as of the moment to do so. In fact, I haven't actually stayed in the house for more than 2 days since the Christmas holiday started (that is December 24 until January 3 for me). A first time since I'm used to just staying home to spend December break. I might really need a vacation soon.

But for the meantime, here's my 2009 in pictures.

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No More Short Skirts for Japanese Schoolgirls?

Sailor collar top, short skirt plus loose socks. Three things that we normally take as the essentials for that Japanese schoolgirl look.

Not being a part of the male population doesn't mean that I do not appreciate these schoolgirls.

I do.

In fact I fancy looking at them because I find their uniforms too cute. Too cute that I wish we had those kind of uniforms here in our country. But then I'm not in high school anymore... and so when we were told of a Costume Christmas Party last 2007, Rai suggested I be one.

[Check out this blog post about how these school uniforms are a big hit.]


On the other hand. Half, if not more, of the male population maybe fascinated with these schoolgirls not because of their fashion statement but because they wear the shortest skirts in the world.

But then, them guys would maybe saddened to know if this thing I read from DannyChoo's tweet is true. Apparently, more schoolgirls prefer donning long skirts now for reasons such as: it saves them the trouble of rolling and unrolling their skirts (truth of the matter is that, their skirt length weren't really made to be that short, they just roll up their skirts to make them shorter) or that they don't want their legs to be sunburned.

Again, if there is any truth to this, I would think that this trend would probably evolve, back to how it was.

That.

Or we will be seeing variations of Japanese school uniforms with long skirts for good.

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*自動販売機 [jidouhanbaiki]

*what vending machines are called in Japan

So I often get amused by random stuff... including vendo machines.

But if there's one thing that amuses and amazes me at the same time, it's Japan's overwhelming number of vendo machines.

I tell you, there's just this wide variety of stuff that are made available in these machines. You can buy your drinks from these machines - milk, hot or cold coffee, chocolate, tea, and beer. But drinks, as well as cigarettes are considered common items dispensed by vendo machines. However, in Japan, there are machines that make paperbacks, magazines (even porn), food (ramen to rice), newspapers, mangas, videos, CDs, gift items (i.e. flowers), condoms and even used panties (you read that right) available to just about everyone.

You name it, i [guess] they have it. What's good is that these machines are well-maintained. I have yet to see one that is vandalized or malfunctioning.

A used panties vending machine. Refer to this for more 'awesome' vending machines ;)

To think that Japan also has a good number of コンビニ (read as konbini or convenience stores for us) around (Japan has the most number of 7-11, there's Mini-stop too, and Lawson, and Daily Yamazaki... oh there are many others), it makes one wonder, why do they need all these machines for?

It could be a commercial strategy - to attract more customers. It could be as to allow people their privacy (no need to face someone when you buy and pay for a condom or a porn material neh?). Or it could just really be the next best thing when it comes to accessibility (risky for the minors though) and convenience.

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