a strange and beautiful contradiction
a strange and beautiful contradiction
The section Boring Day Trips bears the original name of this site, and its original purpose was to hold personal writings, mostly on wandering and woolgathering, intended for fellow wanderers who are looking for a bit of space for reflection.
In my previous job, I had spent hours upon hours, days upon days sifting through corrosive media. Most in my profession manage to develop some sort of immunity. I don’t have the right kind of constitution for it, and I suppose that makes me a feeble journalist.
Circumstances unrelated to work prompted me to quit my job, and at first it was disquieting. Without headlines and along with them that persistent sense of urgency to drive the day, life sagged into something shapeless. At the time, friends who know me well cautioned against giving in to my natural impulses— i.e., avoidance, social isolation, and escapism. I did my best.
And then I found that a little bit of boredom could be a tonic. Indeed, a luxury.
Going places by foot or by bike, wandering through run-of-the-mill neighborhoods, photographing rocks and trees, listening to water, finding kinship with furry and feathered friends— these long stretches of solitude had the unexpected effect of reconnecting me to a more solid and reassuring reality.
This site needed a new name because it was no longer just about boring day trips. Funny how bittermelons are not even something I enjoy. I did read somewhere that their appearance in dreams mean hidden blessings, that something bitter now may bear long-term good. This is not the reason for the name of my site, however. Its origin comes from a poetry-writing parlor game a friend devised while a we were all guzzling champagne at that upstairs lounge in Tsutaya, and with some of us delirious from jet lag, there was plenty of creative free association. “Bittermelon Dreams” came up and it seemed fitting: a weird little gourd and all its aspirations. And hence, I adopted the name. It was either that or “Rodeo Jiggle.”
I can bore just about anyone. It’s a gift.
