Category: Tokyo 2006

11Mbps Wifi

There is a strong unsecured WiFi signal here. The Wireless Network Connection Status shows an 11Mbps connection. Surfing is a breeze. Uploading and downloading is super fast as compared to back home. We will be leaving the Machida Human Network Experience Room at 9.30am (GMT +9) soon. I am going to miss surfing and blogging again. Of the three WiFi signal that can be detected from the CIL Hino Experience Room, two are unsecured. Both are weak signals and difficult to connect to. There is a connection that I can use at Hachioji Human Care Associaion but the schedule there is hectic and I hardly have time to log in. I usually type out the entry and resize the images. Whenever there is time and connection, I quickly log in, paste the typed-out entry into the blog, upload the images and publish. This is a more efficient way at the moment. Therefore, some of the posts are not in sequence.

Blogging from Experience Room, Machida Human Network, Machida, Tokyo

Snow in Tokyo

Woke up to the sight of falling snow outside. We are staying on the fourth floor. The roof of the house beside the Machida Human Network Experience Room is covered in snow. The upper side of the bare branches of the trees are coated with snow. It is white everywhere. Snow is still falling. Those landing closer to us melt upon contact to the ground. Those further out accumulate on whatever they landed on. It is powdery. According to Maejima-san, our translator, it seldom snows in Tokyo. We must be very fortunate to come during this time and get to see snow. This is exactly like a scene from the movies. This is so surreal.

Blogging from Experience Room, Machida Human Network, Tokyo.

Tokyo Tales – Day 5: Thursday, January 19, 2006


Nakahara-san sharing with us about Peer Counseling.

It was a busy day today. We sat through four sessions of lectures at the Human Care Association at Hachioji. The lectures were What is Peer Counselling by Nakahara-san, Needs of People with Intellectual Disabilities and Support for Them by one of the Human Care Coordinators, Needs of People with Psychiatric Disabilities and Support for Them by Takezawa-san and Support Services of IL Centre by another Human Care Coordinator.

This familiarisation of the various disabilities made us understand those apart from our own. Although the characteristics of our challenges are different, the issues we face are similar. Prejudice, discrimination and lack of support are obstacles that prevent us from being included into mainstream society.

Darkness descended upon the evening fast and early. It was already dark by 5.30pm. When we left Human Care Association, freezing wind chilled us right into the bones. I had to wear gloves to keep my hands from getting numb. It was impossible to hold the camera, let alone press the shutter.

When we reached the apartment, the digital display by the side of the road showed 2C. The temperature has been creeping down 1C each evening. It was really cold. I could feel the frostiness bite into my exposed cheeks. As we were relaxing, the power suddenly went off. Calvin tried to reset the circuit breaker but could not. We could feel cold slowly invading the apartment. The phone did not work too. There was no choice but for Calvin to go out and summon for help from the CIL Hino staff. Fortunately, Saito-san, the CIL Hino staff, came quickly and restored the power to the apartment. We wonder what would have happened to us if we have to sleep without the heater.