me with Misha san

I was introduce to Misha san from friends who work at Nantoka bar. Misha san is a queer or gay person but from working class. He become master(person who run or handle a bar/pub) to Akane pub around 10 years a go. He also mention he scared to go to Nichome, a famous place for lgbt people hang out mainly because of financial problem. Nichome is a place with many type of pubs & bars to hang out and meet people but for Misha san the place was quite intimidating and also from the appearance of other queer people to everything that relates to money. He didn't go there for a long time. I ask him wether he belongs to any Queer or LGBT group and how he get support from his peers, he said he don't belong to any and he's just happy where he is, so far the people at Akane pub is his close friends and family.

feck! ive been sucked in with Koenji's live stream and forgot to update and record here. But anyways, This post is about yesterday's film screening or what they call it Kunitachi Queer film fest.

-"Kokodenaidokoka" : (Director Nakagawa Ayumi 2010/64 minutes / English subtitles)
-"Living as a woman/Transgender Troubles" (Director: Ebata KaoruNozomi 2011/100 minutes / English subtitles)

So yesterday after some preparations before the film screening, displaying some of my illustrations on trans issues, we get to see the 2 films which is for me very, very interesting. I wish all my LGBTIQXYZ friends from PTFoundation, Seksualiti Merdeka, ATP, Ganda Filipina,etc,etc, are here with me watching the films.

Kokodenaidokoka is about an everyday life of a gay person in Japan. The director of the 2 films have a same approach following their subject matter around and its like we're watching their private lives up close, very personal, about their relationship with their love ones, family, and their interaction with society. I was surprised to see the person or actor first hand when he came to attend the screening and then watching his private lives televised right in front of our eyes. When they ask me about the films, i just said in malaisea its a bit impossible to do this and screen it in public without some security measures of the doors kicked down by the authority or religious police. But i thanked him for being so brave to have sharing with us part of his life.

Living as a woman or another title is Transgender trouble is also like the previous film, the film director following her subject matter around with a handheld camera and what i like about this film is the conversation between the person recorded and their thoughts and ideas on gender, sexuality,society,and other things often discussed within the transgender community. I find it very interesting as well that every country transgender struggles on health issues, passing issues, sexuality issues, gender issues are some of the similar things and there are also some differences. It looks like in Japan, the non-hetero people are all bundled up and labeled sexual minorities and i was told these 2 groups don't mix so much. Like in the Philippines, where non-hetero-normatives are bundled up and often called 'Bakla' which is a derogatory word equivalent to the word 'pondan' in malaisea. But i think in malaisea non-heteronormatives blended in with heteronormatives people quite well despite the divisions in class,race,economy, religion, ideologies etc...ah ok, too long but the 2 films are well recommended. The issues are too familiar and might not be that different from other Asean countries.

Oh for the artwork display during the film fest, l learn how to print stuff from the thumb drive at 711.  Very 'konbini' indeed.

transcendence

Just came back to Koenji, it was snowing heavily...like its raining heavily in malaisea. but the 1 week getaway to Kyoto and stopping at other states using trunkroad driving 2 mountains stopping by Nagoya and Nakano, i felt like my life reaching its peak. It is the best time of my life, im notsure how to say it in other ways but it is..... Y0Y

self introduction nihongo

私のアーティストとしてのスキルをフルに活用したい、そしてフィリピンと日本に於いて、他のトランス女性のNGOがどのように活動をしているか、またコミュニティー内のトランスジェンダーの女性をどのように力づけているかを学びたいと思いＡＰＩフェローシップに申請しました。 フィリピンには、長年にわたってトランス女性のために活動している団体ATPがあります。この団体のトランス女性のコミュニティへの関わり方、そして、彼女たちの権利を求める運動のやり方について私は特に興味をひかれました。

それとは別に、日本に於いても、トランスの人々が人生の中でどのような困難を経験してきているかを表現したあるTV番組が、日本の人々のトランスの人々への見方に対して好影響を及ぼし、トランスのコミュニティーがより尊厳と敬意を持って扱われるようになったように、トランスジェンダーの市民と彼女・彼らの権利をめぐるパラダイムシフトが起こってきています。 私は、この二つの国でこれから経験することを、学習ツール、視覚的な体験談、イラスト、そして絵画などの作品を通じて表現し、最終的に展示会を開くことを希望しています。 私は、私の視覚的に物語を表現するスキルを使って、マレーシアでの私自身のトランス女性としての経験と、フィリピンと日本でこれから学ぶことを絵や漫画などの形で他の人々と共有していきたいと考えています。

APIフェローシップを機会に、私はそれぞれの国で学んだことをマレーシアのトランス女性のためのエンパワーメントプログラムに組み込み、全ての人々にとってのより良い世界の実現に貢献していきたいです。

1st time

before i settle down and immerse with the local lifestream i think i should record some of the 1st time thing that i experience because it is a big deal personally. I always wanted or dream of living in Japan long time ago, and never thought it came through 30 years over later ^_^

1st time taking bus in Japan
pix deleted U_U'

1st time taking train in Japan

1st time going to a bar (Nantoka bar)

1st time eating local Vegan pie

1st time using heater

1st time eating Japanese homecook meal (dinner) stayover at Genmai san's

1st time eating Japanese homecook meal (breakfast) stayover at Genmai san's

1st time encounter Gay/Lesbian/Queer mangas, stayover at Genmai san's

1st time going to infoshop Irregular Rythm Asylum (IRA) in Shibuya

1st time buying medicine (for head,nose,throat)

1st time take out dinner (2 Onigiri from Konbini)

1st time buying coffee from vending machine

1st time going to Waseda university (following Genmai san to a lectures by a gay professor, the 1st one who organize Pink Dot Okinawa) based on Singapore's Pink Dot

1st time buying coughing medicine from a Pharmacy

1st time buying a mug (for coffee or tea)

1st time ....

hybernating

Today is hybernating day, yesterday i felt like i've overspend some yen so, during no outing days is the best day you buy cheap onigi from the konbini. It's the best time to safe some Yen. When outing its best to eat slightly nice food together with friends. Downloading photos from 3 days ago and start to resizing them. This morning also i realized there are some blood in my flu, then google nose bleed in winter and unnderstood right away the dry air in my room and no humidity. 5 oclock here feels like 7pm in malaisea....

Jan 24 Fri

Today, woke up early or more like sleep,awake,sleep,awake…talk to Genmai san on fb, he's feeling better since yesterday. Yesterday he went to IRA alone, and because i don't have a phone, i only see his message later when I'm back at home. I said, i just comeback all the way walking from Asagaya station and a bit tired to venture out to Shibuya or to IRA. Then he ask wether I'm free so can hang out a bit and meet up for coffee at 5pm today, Yay, at least got some activity. He plan to have a coffee and ask me to join him for his LGBT church choir singing??? Let's see how it goes…

Just now get to talk to Sam san, an American woman who's doing her PHD here about literature and feminism? and we share about the situation from Japan,Malaysia,Philipppines, South East Asean, Korean, American, etc etc, the society here, where to shop for tall people, etc etc

It's nice to hear hear that here in CGS (center of Gender Studies) is like an example for other universities to copy their resources. Like what kind of books, manga, other gender related stuff that they have etc)

Jan23 Thu

have a conversation with Rayna about registering to local municipal council for foreigners and suddenly feel alike walking and start to walk from Koenji to Asagaya station  looking for the Yakusho(District Ward Office) to register for my whereabout ( its a must for gaikokujinn?/visitor), went quite smoothly, fill the form halfway, help by an assistant who work there, take number and wait just like a typical government office. Meet the officer,a middle age woman, quite thin maybe she's in her early or mid 40s? asking some questions regarding the home address, she printed a map of the house and pointed at the map to double confirm, i mention Matsumoto san, and she found the record and agreed. Asking wether i stay alone in a room, said yes, bla, bla, bla, then done. Got a receipt, and left the building which is closing maybe around 530/6pm. Walking back all the way to Koenji, and went back to the same Soba shop the night before and eat the same thing, because its simple and delicious, Oishikatta desu~ i feel like its the only right thing to eat in a cold or weather like this. Walking back home and stop by at this shop where they sell all this rock tshirts and found all the original band shirts that i wanted to buy from Metallica,Megadeth,NOFX, other punk bands tshirts.

So awesome, the only thing is 1 shirt costs RM100 or 3300Yen. Then thinking if i were to buy 1, what would it be? Metallica Ride the Lightning? Megadeth? Slayer south of heaven? NOFX? Fatwreck? Sonic Youth? Black Flag? Misfits? et etc U_U'

Jan22 Wed

Sitting around in room almost the whole day then feel like walking, and walk slowly around Koenji and venture our slightly further and found a lot of interesting shop, nicely design, thrift shops, recycled or used clothing shops, a 100yen shop and also a nice Ramenshop and eat there for dinner, bc its considered cheap? 300yen (rm10) and it taste so nice in the middle of the night, phew~