That part done. Now what?
Yesterday and the day before I was demo’ing work at ORF 2006 in Tokyo’s Marubiru. The past…five months…have been preparation for ORF. Last week was final crunch time. Wednesday morning was I’m gonna die (I probably won’t die) I’m gonna die (I probably won’t die) [...] time, Wednesday night was that turned out to be alright time and last night I could pull off my painful boots with a smile on my face because I was (and still am) grateful for how things turned out.
I had fears. In this field the words new, novel, breakthrough stand out to me. Everyday I read articles introducing new interfaces, devices and services that make me think, “wow, yeah, they can (maybe we can) do that now”. It makes me want to invent, make new and revolutionary things. I write, I draw, I get ideas out and in the end they are always applications of what exists now. The old new things.
In the past long time (since 4th year engineering project??) I have been chasing this idea of my purpose and my success being based on doing something that has never occured to anyone before. Actually this probably started long before that. Maybe in early teens when different was good and we all strived to be the one that “starts” something so that you could be the first to stop it because it is just not cool anymore. Why was the word “copycat” used so much and is it the same in Japan? Anyway, I was usually not the kid to “start” something and now I have become less concerned with the timing of fashion (like…can I wear leggings next spring?) or hearing someone say “no I havn’t heard of that before” when I throw a name because all that desire to be original has been dished out onto the work and research plate. Not because I want to be cool (I’m reminded of Milhouse: And the kid with the backpack said “radical”. _I_ say “radical”.) but because I think that the only way I can succeed is by making people say “ooooooooooh yeah…..wow”.
Or thought? I won’t really get into the progression of thought here (cause there’s not so much progression as a mess that might be the start of a fever that I *think* is a sensible thought) but in the past few days I have come to better define (for myself) developing new and revolutionary technologies, understanding current usage, and shaping future usage of the old technologies. I don’t think I got this so much before. I based my priorities on the last two areas but I determined my success using “performance cues” from the first area. Not that I shouldn’t create, be fresh, be new. But I shouldn’t base everything on that outcome because caring about it too much blinds me from a lot of interesting stuff going on out there.
Does that make sense up there? My body and mind feel a little battered…probably fighting a cold…so I am not sure I make sense (to you or to myself) but I need to get the thought down now because I will likely forget by Monday (or in a few hours).
What else is up? That and some cool stuff with work I think. I thought that after this event I would want to toss my current work in the pond and not see it again but I actually feel really inspired to continue it which is…amazing I think. Andrea from highschool is visiting Japan and staying with me this weekend. She brought me magnetic poetry which is the coolest thing ever because I have always wanted it but never bought it. Now I have it and it’s the Genius edition too so…time for Meghan to learn some words! Tomorrow we will meet some friends in Tokyo to tour the Tokyo tower and do supper. Sunday I think will be a day of almost rest.
Oh and last week I booked flights to go back to Canada for Christmas. Hard to believe but…I think a quick dip in Regina will be really good. I especially like the idea of going back knowing I will be returning to Japan because I sometimes feel like I will not want to leave here.
