Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

Today, it was announced that Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia, won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, beating out other favorites, notably Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist who has grabbed the world's attention through her often fiery speeches. The praise Abiy received, despite being a young 43-year-old coming to power just last year, is a recognition of the great political advances Ethiopia, under his leadership, has achieved in just a year. While the Nobel committee primarily gave Abiy the award for his effort to end the on-and-off military conflict with neighboring Eritrea, his efforts at pushing through greater freedom of expression and economic development at home are no doubt also highly evaluated.

The implementation of the anti-mask law by the Hong Kong government ought to be a new tool for authorities to finally put more pressure on protestors to calm themselves down. With security cameras and facial recognition technology, there would certainly be more anxiety among people on the streets that their untoward acts toward the police, government authorities, and supposed pro-China business establishments will be punished later when their personal identities are revealed. No doubt, the policy escalation is a move that would gain approval from those who see protestors as violent rioters bending to destroy the city.

In front of the Harajuku train station in Tokyo is a busy shopping arcade called Takeshita Street. During the 90s, this was the epicenter of a major fashion counterculture in Japan. Young women with tanned skin, boldly colored hair and gaudy clothing strutted down the street, presenting themselves as the antithesis of a mainstream culture that believed in the beauty of fair (read: white) skin, jet-straight shiny black hair, and cute blouses with toned-down designs. The eponymous "Harajuku style" became known worldwide as a streak of individualism in a Japanese society perceived as fundamentally conformist .

"Variety shows" are one of the mainstays of Japanese television. Entertainers put on skits and funny talks about exaggerated versions of everyday events, getting laughs from the viewers by making fun of just how absurd even the most mundane situations can be if pushed to the logical conclusion. With thousands of funnymen trying to make living doing their own skits, only the most memorable few make it to the big stages of national television, become household names, and earn a decent living by regularly performing and hosting their shows.

One of the oddest things about traveling in smaller towns in Japan is the lack of family guesthouses. While national hotel chains are present throughout the country's many towns and cities, they are able to keep prices relatively high because consumers, outside major tourist attractions, have few choices other than staying in those national chains. And considering that big chains will only invest in massive multistory facilities that are consistent with their brand images, little towns with little out-of-town traffic simply will not be considered for future investments.

The founding and first president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, died today, two years after being toppled in a coup. Mugabe, who ruled over the country for a whole three decades from 1987, leaves behind a country plagued by economic mismanagement and squandered potential. Years of hyperinflation and shortage of basic services like power generation have turned what was once one of the wealthiest countries in Africa into one of the most problematic, with emigrants leaving in droves for South Africa just to make ends meet. Mugabe, without a doubt, should be blamed for the downward spiral that sank Zimbabwe into poverty.

On this second day after turning 31, I want to belatedly celebrate the beginning of the tenth year of keeping up with this blog. In hard numbers, what started a place to jot down my random thoughts straight out of college has gained 200,000 pageviews from 95,000 visitors. It really is not that much and much more can be done, I would admit, to attract more visitors and readers. Pictures to go along with the text would certainly be nice, and a consistent theme that keeps people coming back for more information would certainly be a great source for additional pageviews.