Masaki Okamoto – AI, Travel, Music

Mangoes in Pakistan

It’s summer and I’m in the wrong country to eat mangoes, because the prices for this fruit is ridiculous in Japan. However, I was in the right country for it for many years, and that’s Pakistan. This post is about the variety of delicious mangoes I came across in Lahore, Pakistan.

Varieties, Tastes and Sizes

There are around five types of mangoes you can find there regularly, and they are Sindhri, Chaunsa, Langra, Dusehri and Anwar Ratol (Note: Spelling varies for the last two.) What’s common in the tastes of all mangoes is that they have a balance of sweetness and tanginess, and this balance varies in each species. For example, I find the Sindhri to be more tasteful than Chaunsa because its tanginess is more pronounced, making a clear difference between the two that look almost identical.

Meanwhile, Langra mangoes also have a sweet and tangy flavor, albeit with a slight sense of tartness. Dusehri mangoes are generally milder in tanginess and tartness compared to Langra. Anwar Ratol mangoes are exceptionally sweet and almost creamy.

Saroli Mangoes (less common than the others)

Left to Right: Dusehri, Langra and Sindhri

As for the sizes, Sindhri and Chaunsa are roughly the same while Dusehri, Langra, Anwar Ratol and Saroli are noticeably smaller.

How to eat – Pakistan style

During my stay in the mangoland, folks taught me how to eat the fruit the right way. You cut off the sides of the mango to produce fillet-like pieces, and then use your upper teeth to scrape off the meat of the piece from its skin. Like this:

Prices

As of July 2024, mangoes are sold for roughly Rs. 200 – Rs. 300 per kilogram in supermarkets like Metro Cash & Carry and Carrefour. This is roughly $0.70 – $1.00 (Are you shocked?) The cheapest of the five types mentioned here is the Dusehri, while the most expensive is the Sindhri.

They’ll be even cheaper if you buy them at street vendors, by the way, and there’re a lot of veggie/fruit shops operating as a street-side stand at the busy corners of any major city.

Mongo Pickles

Mangoes are also made into pickles in Pakistan (yes, they produce so much of them they can’t help it) and they are super yummy. It’s a must-have’s for any rice dishes like biryani and pulao.

Mango pickle in mustard oil, with various spices

To make mango pickles, you chop up the fruits in bite-size, mix them with salt and spices, sun-dry them for a few days, douse them with mustard oil and leave them in an air-tight jar for a few more days. They typically use unripe mangoes for pickling, and use a special tool for cutting them. The seed inside isn’t removed before pickling, so you remove it from the piece when you eat it (kind of like how you remove bones from cooked fish.)

If you have easy access to mangoes where you live, please share your experiences with me in the comments. Thanks for reading.

I’m an AI Training Auditor

Hey, thanks for viewing. This is my first blog post in 3 years and 2 months! I work as an auditor – no, not that kind of auditors who checks accounting in companies – but I audit texts to help AI training.

I train AIs, and my body. The only concern now is my brain 🤣

RLHF – Reinforced Learning with Human Feedback

There’s a field of work, or a stage in AI development, called RLHF which stands for Reinforced Learning with Human Feedback. When companies create their AI models they need to deploy some humans – many humans, actually – to check their viability and that’s where folks like me come in. Some of us are called taskers, others reviewers, and yet others auditors. And I’m an auditor in RLHF.

And you must be wondering “Is it good money?” People ask me that within 3 seconds of my starting to tell them what I do. Yes, it’s good. But then again, I’ve been so broke nearly my whole life that anything seems good. My previous job (excluding the ones that didn’t pay) was teaching music in Pakistan. And when you’re a teacher anywhere, but a teacher in Pakistan in particular, good luck making bucks. Jesus.

I’m grateful I work for AI because that’s a cause I believe in. I mean this stuff will make or break humanity and I wanna be doing something for it. I read what the taskers and the reviewers write about the AI models they’re evaluating, and I evaluate their evaluation. This way, only the good evaluation works (carrying both positive and negative opinions) reach the AI developers so they can use them to further tweak their shit, I mean models, excuse me.

It’s a remote job

This job is a complete remote job, which is why I don’t have a frickin’ coworker or anything to go have a drink together or whatever. I’m glad I don’t. Japan is ridiculous when it comes to living the corporate life and navigating the social fabric. It’s like you always have to go grab some drinks with assholes. It’s stupid, to put it bluntly. I work for an American company and my team is a global congregation of some 180 auditors, of which 5 are in charge of the Japanese language.

I do miss talking to people, though. I mean I use to talk to people A LOT when I was a teacher in Pakistan. (And, since I miss it so much, let’s not call them assholes or anything.) Teaching in Pakistan was like a constant roller coaster of listening and replying, rapid-fire style. Your bosses are always up your ass because they think you’re slacking off. The kids are always a trouble because you either have to help them out with their work, or you have to tell them not to do the stupid shit they’re about to do, or you have to be up their ass because you think they’re slacking off.

So yeah, God bless teachers keeping sane, but I do miss talking, is what I’m saying. I’m missing it so much my mental health is hanging in the balance. I mean I do some crazy shit normal people don’t do. Like, wiping off the door knob obsessively like the novelist character in “As Good As It Gets.” Yes, Jack Nicholson. I’m like that, and worse in many ways. “OCD is a maze where thoughts never cease,” as I once wrote in my rap song, man.

Having written the above paragraphs, I just came home from the chilled comfort of a cafe, where I was served by an 18-year old with beautiful tits curves. I don’t have air-con at home and it’s burning hot in the late July weather. Climate change definitely isn’t a Chinese hoax. Fuck you, Trump. Anyway, thanks again for reading.

Shirasaki Coast (白崎海岸)

My new YouTube video is about Shirasaki Coast (白崎海岸) in Yura town, Wakayama prefecture, Japan.

Shirasaki Coast is famous for the beautiful scenery thanks to the contrast between the white rocks and the blue ocean.

The reason why the rocks there are so white is because they are limestones. Limestone is a sedimentary rock made of calcite, and is usually formed with biological sources. For example, the Shirasaki limestones contain fossils of fusulinids (フズリナ化石). The stones are said to be 250 million years old, from the Permian period (ペルム期).

The main attraction at the coast, so to speak, would be the Shirasaki Ocean Park (白崎海洋公園). You can get some astonishing views from the observatory there.

About 400 meters to the south from the Park, there’s a crazy rock called Tatego Iwa (たてご岩). It’s massive and has a hole in the middle due to erosion, and looks pretty interesting. Yes, it provides an amazing selfie spot, but be careful of the traffic as it’s right near a curve of the road.

Another 400 meters to the south, there’s a rock called Obai, and this one is well-known because it’s a breeding spot for Umineko, or black-tailed gulls. The Japanese name Umineko is a compound word from “ocean” and “cat,” presumably because the barks of the bird sound similar to the meows of the cat.

Umineko, or black-tailed gulls, in Shirasaki, Yura town. The Japanese name is a compound word from “ocean” and “cat.” You can hear their voice at the end of the video. pic.twitter.com/3Tn4ToDPkf
— Masaki Okamoto (@masakiomt) May 12, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

As for the music, the track is based on the E Dorian scale, with the chord progression of Em to A to G to A.

The instrument carrying the melody at the intro is Santur, a hammered dulcimer of Mesopotamian origin.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Masaki Okamoto (@masakiokmt)

Friendship is a glass of lemonade after crossing a desert

Friendship is a glass of lemonade you drink after crossing a desert. Like the British lieutenant crossing the Nefud Desert in Lawrence of Arabia, you’ve gone through some of the harshest circumstances of social life imaginable.

You’ve had people misunderstand you, mistreat you, or downright manipulate you for their benefits. Take that girl who dumped you last week, for example. She told you so many times that she was convinced you were the one she’d been looking for all her life, and now she’s dating someone else. And your employer who fired you without prior notice “due to uncertainty in these difficult times.” And the landlord of your previous apartment who didn’t refund you the security deposit. And the shopkeeper who prioritizes other customers because you don’t speak his language.

You need some remedy – like the Sumerians needed herbal plants, and the wounded WW2 soldiers needed penicillin. Your traumatized body and mind are gasping for air, and yet your shaking voice can’t cut through the noise to be heard. No one hears you, or stops to take a look.

You’re left in a dire thirst for the sincerity of a few trusted friends.

They’ll listen to your stories when you have to tell them. They’ll do that with an ocean of ears reserved just for that. They’ll make you remember who you are and realize your strengths. The engine of their encouragement will push you to be accepting of yourself. They’ll tell you when you’re wrong because they want to protect you from harm. They’ll deliver these challenging messages with the cautiousness of a mother bear examining the path before her cubs.

Real friendship is a glass of lemonade, and you can earn it with a bit of truthfulness in yourself.

2001: Monologue of a Lyric-Translator

It’s 2001 and I’m 27 years old. My job is to translate song lyrics and magazine articles from English to Japanese. I’m slightly ashamed of what I do. You know…it would be cooler to be the person who writes the lyrics in the first place. I mean, that’s an artist. My ass, on the contrary, is just a translator – a servant at the bottom of the creative hierarchy, a slave of someone else’s superior output. Yup, I’m fucking pissed I’m not the artist.

But do you know what’s good about this gig? Money comes fast and easy. And the job is not even difficult in the slightest. All you need to do is to convert each word or phrase using the grammar of the new language, and put them in a suitable order according to its syntax. You email the shit to the client and send them a bill by post. Within a week, your bank account will be credited with $300 for the work you spent 30 minutes doing and didn’t even give a crap about.

You collect enough assignments and you’ll be earning really well. I’m composing money at my fingertips, using only the basic computer I assembled myself. That’s what I feel proud about. Yeah, I assemble my own computer coz it’s cheaper than buying one. This shit is difficult. I go to the parts shop so many times to talk to the guys and seek advice, and when I put the pieces together, I’m sweaty all over my body out of nervousness, man.

Anyways, I’ll tell you what I’ll do next. I’ll save up enough, quit this shit and start making my own music full time. It’ll probably take ages before I get to the last part. I know. But I’ll do it. Have you seen that Matrix movie that came out a few years ago? You gotta take that red pill. Either you’ll stay in your comfortable world without access to the meaning of life, or take a fucking leap of faith in its pursuit. I’ll do it.

Last Day in Portugal, Last Day with Ana

It was my last day in Portugal, and Ana came to see me off at the airport. I was wondering how she found me during my stay. Was I alright? Or was I a pain in the neck? I was hoping she had been okay with my cooking fish in her kitchen because she said she didn’t do that at home. And fish smells. I thanked her once again for letting me practice the guitar all the time. She was not only patient with it, but also kind enough to offer me some encouraging comments occasionally. Once she said “Oh that part sounds like you’re tickling my foot!” when I was playing the last 8 bars of Night and Day. That was funny.

My flight was in about an hour. I was going to India and see if I could get the guitar-teacher job I’d been aiming to get. It was still February, but my AirBnB host warned me there were already mosquitoes in Chennai. Fingers were crossed I’d get to sleep tight the night before the interview, as we both knew how horrible I was when sleep-deprived. And in case I did get bugged, I hoped the bites by tropical mosquitoes weren’t extra itchy or anything. She wished me luck on that particular part – about the extra itchiness from tropical mosquito-bites. We laughed. I thought to myself “Gosh she looks beautiful.”

“Let’s have coffee, Ana.” I said to her. I loved the coffee in this country, and it would be my last cup. “I’ve heard it tastes different here because of the blend of the beans and the method of roasting. Is that true?” She replied affirmatively. “Yup, the espresso here is made from the slow-roasted blend of Arabica and Robusta beans, as opposed to Arabica only like in other places.”

I miss her. I wish we’d had more chances to talk with each other about many things in life – what we love, what we’re worried about, what we look forward to in the future. I hope to see her again one day, when I’m not in such a mess like I was at the time.

Last Day of Work, New Life

The HR told you they wouldn’t renew your contract a few months ago. They decided that you were more of a burden than a help because you didn’t attract many students. Zahid said to you, “We’ve done a survey with our parents body, and they don’t seem to endorse your subject very much. They want their kids to study subjects like History… or Biology… or Business Management…, but not so much Music. We are so sorry.”

The sensation of shame almost took over your mind, but you knew better than that. You said to yourself, “Just because this society hates music doesn’t mean I’m a bad teacher.” You shook Zahid’s sweaty hand (he’d been quite worried about how you would respond) and stepped out of the door for fresh air. It was hot outside, but you took comfort in the caressing breeze and the smell of Amaryllis.

Yesterday was the last day of work for you. You quietly said goodbye to a few colleagues, packed up your headphones and books, and went home. A little sentimental, admittedly, but you’d already been distancing yourself from your department’s “team” mentality. You were certainly not apathetic about getting fired, but not devastated or anything, either.

The call to prayer streams out of loudspeakers at 5 a.m. You spring out of the bed energetically and say “Yeah man! Good morning!”, while realizing you would have normally said “What…the…fuck??” The excitement of being free is guiding your every movement. This is a new life.

Hiking on Margalla Hills Trail 3

I went hiking on Margalla Hills Trail 3 last weekend and it felt so good. I need to share this experience with you.

Margalla Hills Trail 3 can be accessed from the Main Margalla Road. Its entrance is in Sector F6 of Islamabad.

There’s a parking area right nearby too. For best experience, I’d say you should arrive there around 8am and begin going up the trail.

There aren’t that many people hiking around 8am. If you’re in for some calm meditative time, this would be the choice for you. Many people do this in late afternoon (just before sunset), but I don’t think it’ll be as good.

*Pine trees start showing up as you go up the altitude.*

*Central Islamabad in the background. The Centaurus mall in the middle.*

*This is the end point. The Monal restaurant is right nearby.*

There’s a well-known restaurant called The Monal at the end of the trail.

The breakfast at The Monal is a very good idea. It’s much better eating there and coming down the hill in satisfaction than to wait until you reach back and waste your money at places like Kohsar Market (which will be a tempting thing to do if you’re starving when you’re back in city.)

*The breakfast set at The Monal. Highly recommended. Contrary to what you might expect from restaurants located in popular places, this was a fairly priced, good tasting course of meal.*

The walking distance from the entrance to The Monal is about 6km. I think it took me like an hour or so. (But I was multitasking between hiking and photo-taking.)

There are some people along the trail selling pet bottle water, so there’s that if you need to drink in emergency. Although I usually don’t buy them because plastic waste is a serious problem in Pakistan, I smile at them and say salaam.

Sunday Bazaar in G6

There are three Sunday Bazaar’s in Islamabad as far as I know, and this post is about the one held in G6. I’ve written about the one held at Peshawar Morr (where Kashmir Highway and 9th Ave intersect) before, and you can read it here. The Urdu word for Sunday is Itwaar, by the way. People call these weekly markets Itwaar Bazaar in Pakistan.

Personally, I prefer the G6 one because (a) I feel the quality of the products sold here is slightly higher, (b) it’s also easier to navigate inside this bazaar than the other one and (c) it’s in a more convenient location.

Bags are within the Rs.1,000-2,500 price range.

cups at a stall — Cups are Rs.50-150 each.

Tomatoes are a local staple and Rs.20-50 per kg. Lemons, garlic and ginger behind.

Turmeric, cumin (I think), and chili powder.

Some of the useful Urdu words for grocery shopping:

Aik, doh, teen, char, punch = One, two, three, four, five
Aik kilo, ada kilo, aik pao = 1 kilograms, half kilograms, 250 gram
Torasa, bohat torasa = A little, very little
••• hain? = Do you have •••? (e.g. Tomato hain?)
Ziada, cum = More, less
Paisa = Payment

Steelware is very popular, and useful, in Pakistan.

Sandals (chapal) would make a good souvenir. Rs.1,000-2,500 a pair.

More often than not, women are wearing traditional dresses in Pakistan, instead of western clothes.

This bazaar opens around 8am, and it’s easier to park nearby when you go there early. Nylon bags has been banned in Pakistan since August, so bring your own shopping bag. Or else, you can buy some non-nylon bags for Rs.20 each or so.

Here’s my new track: Mystified by Vandals

Here’s my new track called Mystified by Vandals. Please have a listen:

Drum beat

Mystified by Vandals is an attempt to deconstruct Techno/House music by displacing the kick drums from the usual 4-on-the-floor timings. Let me explain. If this was a normal Techno/House track, the drum beat would sound kind of like this:

But I thought this was too simple for this tune. The primary reason I’m making music is not because I need to let people dance in night clubs, but it’s because I want to offer something you can listen to and enjoy intellectually. So the beat had to be more interesting than that, and this is what I came up with:

Title

By the way, I developed this track with the working title Sidra, and when it was completed, I needed some help for coming up with an actual title. A student in the school I teach at gave me an idea on Instagram, and this sorted out the problem for me. Thank you Saad!

What I meant by “Vandals” is the people who vandalize public buildings, specifically by graffiti. Imagine that one morning, you are walking down a familiar street and find an amazingly complex, mysterious graffiti art on the wall. And, although you’re completely at a loss regarding what the intention of the artist is, you’re starstruck by it nonetheless. That’s the kind of feeling I want to communicate with this tune.

Scales

The tune is composed in the G Phrygian as well as the G Phrygian Dominant scales. These are scales frequently used in Flamenco, Middle Eastern and Indian music and I intended to invoke those types of feeling in this track.

Production

I’m using Apple Logic Pro to produce music for the most part. Logic is my preferred DAW because of the ease to manipulate MIDI data.

Screenshot of Mystified by Vandals in Logic Pro

I’m also using Ableton Live to supplement some sounds that are only available or easier to find in Ableton. For example, the brass part in this track was produced in Ableton because I’ve purchased an Ableton sound library (they call it a “pack”) dedicated to brass sounds:

Stores

Mystified by Vandals is on these stores:

Thank you for dropping by, reading and listening. Take care, bye!