This is a Little Song, a Tiny Song ...

So about the day before yesterday ...

nobody@vox.com(sefi) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:38:07 +1000

http://darenothope.livejournal.com/169014.html?thread=324150#t324150

Sorry

Hi Sefi

I read your blog over breakfast this morning and nearly choked on my Weetbix. Kinokuniya should be a happy, safe place for both our customers and staff. This morning I started an investigation into that guard’s action; which I find were completely inappropriate. Her employer has been informed of my dissatisfaction and I can assure you that it shall not happen again. The guard is new and learning but that does not excuse her behavior. All I can say is that I am sorry for the disruption to your normal shopping.

As for eating and drinking in the store: Unfortunately many people seem to be unable to hold drinks in their hands and end up dropping them on the ground. On many occasions we have found big puddles of coffee etc on the ground; this is a safety hazard and for the safety of everyone we had to make a decision to not allow drinks in the store. As always there are a few people who ruin it for everyone.

Again I am sorry for your experience.

Kind regards

Steve Jones
General Manager
Kinokuniya Bookstores of Australia"

Who knew this would reach a higher power?

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Apparently I look like a thief ...

nobody@vox.com(sefi) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:54:08 +1000

I went to Kinokuniya today. I actually really wanted to see if they had that Yoshikazu Takeuchi book "The Reason I Love Arashi" or whatever it's called but I was too embarrassed to ask at the Japanese info counter. I know. I'm lame. I'm going to try another day.

I bought a really cute schedule book and "Growing Up Asian in Australia" edited by Alice Pung. So, as I was leaving the store the middle-aged, female security guard checked my bag. Which is fine. All I had was 2 uni textbooks. I had to take them out to show her a bit. I was with Jaimie (laimiejai) and I think she checked his bag too. As she was checking his bag I went through the security things and I beeped. I didn't think anything of it, I usually just go back in and tell the security person because I had nothing to hide. Totally innocent.

And she says to me "Why do you think you beeped?" And I was like "I don't know." I forget if I had to go through again with my bag. Maybe. And I must have beeped again. So, she goes to me "Come back inside." So, I did and she grabs my arm - and I can still kind of feel her hand on my arm, it wasn't rough but I can feel it - and tells me "More inside". And then she's like "I'm going to have to take you to the room." All I could think was "If I go to the room this is going to take a while. And Oprah said not to go to the second location." I said to her, "Look, can you check my bag because I really didn't take anything." And she pulls out her mobile phone to call some other person. And this other person comes and he checks through my books and makes me walk out with just the items I have just purchased and I beeped. So the guy gets it that it's the books that haven't been demagnitised or whatever. (Btw, I remember thinking to myself after the check out guy handed me my books, "I don't think I saw him do the demagnitise thing.")

And then I got to leave.

As soon as we were out the door Jaimie goes "Dude, she was following us the whole time." We had been in the store for about an hour. We went from the stationery section to the Japanese/Chinese section to the language section on the other side of the store. I remember seeing her in the Japanese magazine section and thinking, "What is this middle-aged lady doing here?" And I may have also bumped into her on my way to the Japanese section. Maybe what made her suspicious was me opening my bag trying to find my scrap of paper that had the name of the guy who wrote the book about Arashi.

So, yeah. Apparently she was following us. Maybe I just shouldn't have gone back into the store after it beeped. I should have just walked. I don't know. But I didn't think anything of it. I'm not doing anything wrong, I was just doing what I thought I should do. And if you were a thief why would you let them look freely into your bag?

I'm more embarrassed than anything. The other people in the store must think I'm a shoplifter. I'm going to write a letter to whoever I should be writing a letter to. I had a good time looking at books for about an hour at Kinokuniya. I didn't realise I was being followed. And she just zapped the fun out of it. I think she was new. An experienced security guard wouldn't just take you straight to the room.

This might be wussy but I don't feel comfortable going back right now. I was going to go again tomorrow to buy this other book. But I feel weird. Falsely accused. I know it's little but it really made me feel bad. But I'm sure I'll get over that but I think I won't be bringing a bag to Kinokuniya anymore. It's really made me paranoid. And I don't want to see her again.

So, if you're going to Kinokuniya, she's middle-aged, got an accent, curly brown hair. The big tip off would be the security badge she wears under her blazer.

Btw, I think they got a new security team. Because the guy was walking around tell people that they're not allowed to have drinks in there. Which is a rule but I've never seen it enforced before. People had leave the store. Doesn't make the experience that enjoyable.

So, yeah.

I just needed to get that off my chest. I want a drink. Preferably alcoholic but yeah ... I have none in my house.

Oh, if someone does see that Yoshikazu Takuechi book, tell me!

x-posted

ETA: Also, they're selling DVDs and CDs at Kinokuniya now? They weren't there yesterday ...

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Today

nobody@vox.com(sefi) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:31:05 +1000

Kinokuniya Sydney is having a 3-day sale. Today, tomorrow and Saturday. 20% off books. 10% off stationery.

I bought the Lonely Planet's Tokyo City Guide and Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson. There's a section of the most popular penguin books and the covers are retro, old school, orange and cream. I'd put up a picture but I'm too lazy. I probably will later. Looks so cool.

Also, in the Japanese section there's like a photocopied, laminated ad for the "ARASHI IS ALIVE" photobook (A4 sized). It's a photocopy of a I think maybe Malysian ad for it. On the ad it listed the price as RMblah blah. Is RM the currency of Malaysia? i have no idea and too lazy to google. I think they're going to stock it there. I've already ordered mine off YesAsia. So that should be coming soon. I was too chicken to take a photo of the ad.

I want to buy more of these penguin books in retro-style. They had it for Pride and Prejudice, Breakfast at Tiffany's, a Steven Pinker book ... lots of lots of stuff.

So, yeah.

I just made myself dinner and am just waiting to download the new 90210.

Ta ta.

x-posted to LJ.

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I'm currently

nobody@vox.com(sefi) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:11:22 +1000

... listening to the Asian Pop Show on SBS Alchemy, trying to update my LJ layout. Possibly my Vox one too. And I have the TV on Ten HD because I like having lots of noise at night.

Quiet night time freaks me out.

And randomly,

after watching The Hollowmen last night on the ABC I was quite surprised to see my coffee served in a takeaway cup that was basically an ad for the defence force. For graduate positions or something.

Took pics of it on my phone.

May upload it later ...

And also randomly,

I bought the DVD "Tales from the Closet of Australian Fashion" or something. Only because of Akira Isogawa. His clothes are so pretty. I couldn't pull them off but they are so beautiful. Expensive. Like one of his dresses costs 2 grand.

Yep.

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BOO YOUTUBE BOO

nobody@vox.com(sefi) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:37:42 +1000

I just got an email from YouTube

"Dear Member:

This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by 株式会社アートバンク claiming that this material is infringing:

My 5-year-old cousin knows the members of Arashi!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-I0ODmnNU8

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube's copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.
Be aware that there may be adverse legal consequences in your country if you make a false or bad faith allegation of copyright infringement by using this process.

Sincerely,
YouTube, Inc."

How is this infringing copyright? It's my cousin looking at a magazine cover! I read a while ago that images of Arashi or any Johnny's aren't supposed to be on the net. But I mean, there's a tonne of stuff that's infringing than my vid.

And can anyone translate this 株式会社アートバンク for me please. Thanks.

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My 5-year-old cousin and Arashi.

nobody@vox.com(sefi) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:29:38 +1100

I got my copy of SWITCH with ARASHI on the cover in the mail this morning.

SWITCH

Well, not in the mail. The postie came to my door. I'm trying to convert everyone I know to Arashi and I completely geeked out over my 5-year-old cousin knowing who they are.

My 5-year-old cousin knows the members of Arashi!

xxxL

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