minute descriptions of me

Movin' on up

2011-05-24T10:29:00.002+09:00

You have probably noticed the large yellow box near the top of the page. If not, you might want to consider seeing an eye doctor ...

For over a year now I haven't touched, looked at, much less considered updating this blog. It's not that I haven't done anything, I've traveled around Japan a bit more, I've done things, seen stuff and even experience one of the largest earthquakes Mother Nature has tossed at our little planet. So it's not because I haven't done anything, it was always the manner in which I HAD to update.

In the past I had always needed to be at my pc in order to update this, same with photos. I had to be near my pc to upload and edit my photos. There have been times, for example, that I am out during the day and have something I want to share but by the time I get home several hours later the motivation was lost. Updating had become an inconvenience, I was "home pc locked", there was no easy instant fix button.

When something moves from the realm of fun and exciting to being a chore, a tedious task that you do not look forward to you lose all motivation. That's why a lot of people have trouble doing something that is overly repetitive with out instant gratification. If you have ever joined a gym, quit, joined again, you know what I am talking about. I had lost my blogging mojo. Finding a way to get your groove back is no easy task. Let's face it, most people might never get it back and they move on and try something new.

For me, well I usually just totally abandon something and leave it to rot. Bad Kris I know. I had considered using a laptop, they are light(ish) and can do everything that I need, can do my photos and I can update, no wait I can't update I don't have internet everywhere ... well crap. What's that you say, "Kris, don't you live in Japan, technological capital of the world? Surely they have internet EVERYWHERE!", sorry they don't. There are services but they can be limited and most often in rather inconvenient places, for example only on Train Platforms, or the Pay-For-Free Service offered by many internet companies (which seems to be shrinking now, my area used to have many of these "hotspots" but no longer. Free Wifi you mention, not in Japan and that is not a bad thing. Almost every wifi spot is encrypted with security and lets be honest in this day and age of Identity Theft, Credit Card Fraud, and hackers screwing with companies, we could all do with a bit more security on our internet. Plus laptops are not overly portable, the do what you want whenever you want idea companies sell you is bullshit. don't believe me, try lugging around a laptop, two cameras, adapters, a book on a hot Tokyo summer day and you'll see what I mean.

I wasn't left with many or any options ... but a solution did present itself ...
What kind of solution? Well head on over to the new site, remember that yellow box at the top, go ahead scroll back up, click the link and you can find out.

Shizuoka Day Trip

2010-03-30T22:17:00.004+09:00

What am I doing with a picture of a strawberry? Well you see, a couple of Sunday's ago I ended up going on a day trip to Shizuoka Prefecture to visit an area that is apparently quite famous for it's strawberries.

So late that afternoon I found myself in a decent size green house, with a container of condensed milk and one hour to eat as many as I could. Unfortunately, I had just eaten a massive tuna-bowl (raw tuna on top of rice) and wasn't very hungry, I ate as many as I could before I felt sick.

The other reason for this strawberry is that I have recently picked up a new camera and it has an awesome macro zoom on it, it's a little tricky at first but after a couple of tries I seem to be getting the hang out it. Occasionally I still get the wrong object out of focus, I'm still working on what function does what, but it seems to be a promising camera.

For the camera nerds out there, and I know there are some, it's a Ricoh CX3 10.7 optical wide zoom lens, sturdy metal casing, LARGE LCD screen, and more options that you can shake a stick at! Best of all it's pocket size which is a major advantage over my other camera which is a larger bulkier Fuji Film camera. This new one is much easier to carry around and I bring it with me all the time, now only if I could get over my aversion to using it in public I would be set!

The rest of the gallery, if you click on the strawberry (should work), is from the same day visiting a shrine to the First Shogun in Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, you can google him I won't go into a boring history lesson, since I pretty much ignore any pamphlets that are giving to me and spend most of my time with my eye through a view finder.

Hope you enjoy!

March 11, 210

2010-03-11T23:23:00.003+09:00

Since I haven't posted anything since August of 2009 (which was just after my trip to Canada last year ... yikes a long time) I should have oodles of things to say and loads of pictures for everyone to look at ... but alas I have used my time unwisely and haven't accomplished much.

(insert useless promise to do better)

I'll get around to putting some photos up when I get the right burst of energy. The weather in Tokyo has taken a turn for the worse recently, by god it snowed the other day and it was like 3 cm or so, and it's been colder than I care for. I hope that once the weather starts to turn warm I'll end up being somewhat productive and actually spend some time working on the things that I claim are my hobbies.

Best I can do at the moment is say,
1. I am alive.
2. I am doing well.
3. Yes, I am still in Japan.
4. Watch for updates .... soon

August 27, 2009

2009-08-27T19:03:00.011+09:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything, I've been writing just not getting it on here. In the last months of summer I have spent a couple of weeks at home in Canada at my parents house, but I won't say much about that, I want to get my photos up and do that justice.

There are somethings that I don't care to do during the summer and unfortunately one of those things is something that I enjoy, cooking. This week the temperatures have started to settle down and the evenings have been much cooler. There hasn't been a need for the AC for the last couple of days, still need a floor fan to move the air around, but at least it hasn't been over hot or muggy.

So for me that means it's time for one of my favourite times of year, the temp drops and I am once again able to try my hand at cooking. I think that there are two types of people, those who can toss a meal together with out much thought, and people who follow a recipe, I usually belong to the former group. Though I follow a recipe I tend to fail more than fifty percent of the time, and until I started to do some reading of other peoples experiences in the kitchen I never knew what my problem was.

My problem, and probably many others out there, is that we tend to rush the cooking experience. As amateurs in the kitchen we often cook at an insanely high temperature, which can result in bad flavours / no flavours or everything being over cooked or in the worst case burnt to a crisp. I'm starting to understand that until you are absolutely comfortable with a recipe and have everything prepped and ready to go you won't be able to cook at high temperatures. As with most things you should take time, slower cooking will hopefully mean better results.

For my first test of my new kitchen philosophy, I started off marinating some meat and veggies and spices in some wine for the last 24 or so hours. It's done marinating now and I'm starting to bring everything together as I type this, it smells good, lets hope that it tastes good as well!

June 10, 2009

2009-06-10T22:56:00.002+09:00

Starting this week I am going to make an effort to consolidate my life, it's going to be a multi-pronged approach. I want to be able to get into a routine that will hopefully be successful and likely to continue, sleep better and use my time better.

While I'm consolidating my life, I also need to un-organize my life, as strange as that sounds. I like to organize too much, especially when it comes to keeping track of things. Currently I have one book for lessons I teach, another for my daily journal, one for new words that I read in journals and books (it's colour coded and looks amazing!), one for my Japanese lesson and lastly one that is for practicing Kanji and Japanese writing. Now, there is no need to have a daily journal and a lesson journal, so they will be merged, which creates another problem; which one should I use? Or should I buy a new leather bound sleak looking book? Is it worth the time and extra money, maybe ... just use the other books I already bought! I'm such an organize freak.

Too most it probably doesn't sound like much, but if anyone ever saw how much time I waste organizing, colour coding, assuring everything is equal and level, they would nominate me for OCD of the year. Which generally I don't think is a bad thing, but I've been told I have a few hangups. I probably waste more time on organizing than I do on the purpose for the organizing.

First work on the simple things like work books, then branch out to the mess on two pc's, each thing in its own folder, a folder for each thing! I'll admit that there is a satisfying urge to having something so quietly organized, but also I'm beginning to recognize that it is also a collasol waste of time and effort. Less thinking, more action!

May 29, 2009

2009-05-29T22:48:00.003+09:00

I was always told that people can read who you are by only looking at your face, I honestly thought it was a load of bullshit. A sneaky way for parents and grandparents to judge you, that when you are a child you fear those things -- the boogie man will get you if you get out of bed, Jesus knows what you are doing -- these were ways of breaking a child, making him confess what he had done. Generally I think it works if you apply enough pressure, and already have some info on what went down when little Timmy was down by the pond with a sling-shot.

I have a grumpy face, there is no way around it and no way to sugar coat it, trying to smile for the sake of smiling makes my face hurt and general disturbs people when they see it. Don't take this the wrong way, I do and can smile when the time is appropriate (the train door closing on some arse in a rush, for example, tickles me pink in many cases). Usually I have on my neutral face, which has been likened to a scowl, stone face, uncaring, scary, blah blah blah, this is not about me to be honest.

Riding the train today, most of my best thoughts and complaints come from riding the train, listening to some classical music, something with a lot of trumpets blaring and strings stringing that gives me goose bumps, I was probably smiling or something close to that then. I was glancing around and a woman in her 40's in a wheel chair caught my eye, she looked content, not happy, I would not be all that happy with 4 twenty-something guys shoving each other around while all the while they might fall and crush me, I quickly looked away when I thought she thought I was staring. So I moved on to eyeball another victim, and all I saw were looks of defeat, hopelessness and the look of what-am-I-doing-with-my-life, how-the-hell-did-I-go-from-high school-baseball star-to-this-loser, and where-is-my-hair, needless to say this was not the good ship lollipop.

This looks of things being at the worst was not just with the adults but also with some of the kids, the ones who are trying to do their best in school because they have parents who won't shut the hell up about their kids grades, sure their kids pull in 90's constantly but why can't it be 95% like the family down the road with the three super-intelligent kids, who coincidentally suffer from multiple anxiety disorders, are socially inept, and probably killed the neighborhood cat; you've always wondered about that family. The kids have, the teens have it, the adults have it, everyone in every section of society has it, and it was a wake up call to me.

After I looked around a bit more to confirm my theory, which in course brought up more theories not limited to clothing, hair, hygiene and of course the weirdo on every train car, that I realized that I should make more of an effort to look happy. You really can tell the happy ones, they have those laugh lines around their mouths and their eyes and have this look of generally having enjoyed their life. So while I was standing on the train, i-pod in my hand listening to some guy on a piano play faster than I can think, I tried to smile and catch my reflection in the window, I made the conscious effort to make my facial muscles move, I felt them move, but it didn't register in my reflection. Am I a emotional vampire? My facial emotions don't show on a polished surface? So I tried it again, was that a smirk or gas I thought to myself no no quite possibly a burp or hiccup, it should also be noted by this time more than a few people are probably watching me since I know I was watching them it just comes to reason that some people have to be staring at me. I wonder what they think as they watch me besides the usual weirdo foreigner, are they wondering what am I listening to, or are they worried that I know something they don't know and it's all going to end terrible; I should try giggling next time I do this and see what happens.

Even though I know I don't show much with my face most of the time, I do know realize that what I am not showing is showing even more than I have ever realized and frankly and honestly that scares the shit out of me. I always thought of myself as having a firm grasp on everything especially myself, I'll need to give it some thought, re-evaluate outlook on life, try to show a little more emotion the good ones I'll try to keep the angry in check. I should also try to make those around me feel more happy and even try spread the kindness to strangers as long as the strangers don't try to push their crap on me. Or I could just forget it all by tomorrow morning and go on as I have been doing for the last couple of decades. Which do you think will happen?

Ya, I thought so to.

May 24, 2009

2009-05-24T08:49:00.002+09:00

Lately it seems that it has been raining quite a bit on Sundays, and that kind of pisses me off. Sundays are the one day in the week that I would actually like to leave my cozy little apartment and go do something outside. Oh well the rain can't be helped, and I have to mentally prepare myself for the rainy season that is coming soon, have to get use to the idea of rain for 3 days consecutively or longer, rain drops the size of cats, the amount of rain that most Peterboroughites would gringe at and start building an Ark, rain that rains impossibly hard and impossibly long, rain that makes cockroaches flee for their lives. Now that is rain.

I live in a pretty quiet area, sure there is the noise of the traffic and the trains that pass by every two or three minutes, but I lived most of my life near a train track where the [so and so] train driver would lay on the horn for 3 minutes as he passed our little community, I hardly ever remember waking up to it. The other night one of my neighbors, lets call him The Annoying Guy, (see where this going?) decided that it would be cool for him and his friends to have a party until about 3am, with loud music, some [so and so] played clarinet or sax at like 2am, and The Annoying Guy has a really really annoying laugh, it's a cross between strangling a goose and squeezing a cat. Don't get my wrong I don't mind people having a party occasionally, but I do mind when those people, The Annoying Guy, never shows any respect for his neighbors. You are probably asking yourself, "Oh god, what did Kris do, is he going to get deported for it?", you are wrong, I did nothing about it, his apartment is neither beside nor below me so I could hammer on the wall or floor to show my anger, instead I brooded and stewed thinking up creative ways to get back at him. Most of those creative ideas involved tossing eggs at his balcony or sneaking down sometime and spraying his clothes with bleach, the adult way to handle a situation. I eventually fell asleep, and woke up the next morning slightly groggy and still a little ticked off, The Annoying Guy is just another person to add to my every growing list of people I detest.

On a happy note, I got my re-entry permit for my upcoming trip home, I can now leave Japan and come back as many times as I want!

May 15, 2009

2009-05-15T18:30:00.002+09:00

This time of year can be such a love-hate thing, about a week or so ago it was getting quite hot, hot enough that I packed up the heavy blankets and got use to having the windows open during the evenings. The evening sounds kept me awake for the first few evenings, and the occasionally "scooter gang" scooting around at 3am wakes me up still. However the last couple of days the weather has gone cool again, and the other night I damn near froze to death, luckily the knitted blankets were still sitting near by and I was able to escape the freezing death.

Today the weather started out nice enough, so I left with only a golf-tee on and it was pretty comfortable, nice breeze got some sun and I was sweating buckets when I had to sprint for the train earlier today. After I finished working though, at around 5pm, I was cursing myself for not bringing something with sleeves. Sometime today when I was not paying attention the weather took a turn for the worse, the wind picked up and the temp dropped enough that it was a bit chilly when I was walking home.

I am just waiting for my apartment to heat back up after having the widows open all day, luckily the pasta sauce I am making right now should take care of that quickly. The weatherman says that the temperature is still around 19C right now, but I don't believe that liar for one second. I'll be happy when these late spring cool downs finish.

May 12, 2009

2009-05-12T14:45:00.002+09:00

I've been procrastinating lately, again, neglecting to pay bills until the last possible minute, putting off work for my students that needs to be done, my in-box has been ignored for the most part, and I've left books half finished on my table to gather dust. The worst part of it is I recognize what I am doing and I find myself constantly saying that I should get on it, but yet it's left until the last second. I hope that the increasingly better weather will change my attitude and motivations.

I've seen a lot of people with hats lately, smart idea on their part, the sun is getting brighter and stronger, so I begin to wonder if I should try to find a fitting hat for the coming summer. That last hat I remember wearing was a ball cap in elementary school, that was a long time ago, for not wearing a hat or sun screen very often I'll probably be rewarded with crocodile skin when I get older. It's come down to the choice of either picking up a cool looking hat, putting on white gloves and carrying a sun umbrella or not going outside for the next several months; I'm not sure which would be worse.

I also need a hair cut again, it's been three months and I'm starting to look like a hobbit, luckily I'm somewhat taller than they are, so it's not too bad.

Need some new summer clothes, already picked up new shoes (two pair) neither of which have laces nor velcro, just slip on which is perfect. To get new summer clothes I want to, no I need to shed a couple more kilo's, which means that I actually have to actively do something about it *groan*.

Going to be visiting home very shortly, so I need to get my travel documents in order. It's going to be a good couple of weeks, too many family members that I haven't seen in ages. Coming back to Japan will also be good, gives me new things to talk about with my students. Win-win situation.

Been smelling garlic everywhere recently, is it a hot new cooking trend around here? Or is it because of the humidity that is starting that I've noticed smells (good and bad ones) more often, lingering in the air. Speaking of food I want to start using more seafood and fish in my daily cooking. If anyone has some good ideas, please let me know!

March 19, 2009

2009-04-10T12:08:00.002+09:00

Weather: Sunny and warm
Place: Harajuku & Omotesando
Thoughts: Enjoyable and not crowded

Went to a small restaurant called Poivrier for lunch. Warm day, but have to teach at 6pm. We went to Harajuku for lunch and shopping.

Saw a woman walking a money earlier, she was drawing some curious looks. Later at the restaurant, saw my favourite gin in its distinctive green bottle, Tangueray, directly beside that in an equally stunning bottle was Tangueray Sterling vodka; I wonder what it tastes like.

After lunch headed down some side streets near Omotesando and Harajuku. Some of the streets have changed in the last couple of years, many of the small independent shops are starting to give away to more corporate loooking store fronts. Though they carry the same funky naming standards. My guess is they are corportate stores who have rebranded themselves to look hip in the area.

Bought a multi-coloured diamond patterned hood at Haps. I like some of the clothes there, somethings though are just too Japanese to suit me, I unfortunetly am not shapped like a bean pole. I think there were more staff than customers. They also don't take gift cards which was disappointing. Overall good afternoon.

Finished lunch, did some shopping, what next? Tried to make a plan but, as usual, we were plagued by indecision, and hmm's and hah's. Wanted to find a quiet cafe to sit in to enjoy the afternoon, read, write, chat and people watch, of course it needed to be smoke free. Knowing I have to work later today I couldn't be bothered to wander aroundto try to find the this mythical cafe in downtown Tokyo.

Stood on the street for a few mins, before making the final choice to just head towards home. Ending the afternnon in a ususal fashion, the well known comfortable feeling of the local Starbucks near my apartment. Not exactly the quiet place I wanted but it does in a pinch.

March 18, 2009

2009-03-17T15:09:00.002+09:00

Having some great weather today, it's almost 20C. It finally felt good to be wearing my spring jacket instead of the large bulky heavy winter jacket I've been wearing for the past couple of months. Hopefully this weather will last long. Though some of my students tell me not to get my hopes up, there's a saying in Japan, 3 nice days will be followed by 4 bad days ... or is it the other way around?

With spring closing in the usual talk of Cherry Blossoms has sprung up again, just like spring flowers. Sakura (cherry blossom in Japanese) is everywhere, hell even the shampoo that the stylist used on my hair when I went and got my hair cut on Sunday was Sakura scented; I didn't notice though so I probably committed some grievous cultural faux-pas. Speaking ill of cherry blossoms is a lot like speaking ill of football in America, or hockey in Canada, something that you are not suppose to do.

Next week I'll be making a pilgramage to Hakone to stay at a Japanese inn for one night and then spending the next day going to some of the museums and parks near by. This will also mark the first time in a while that I have used my camera, not since going to Hiroshima in December have I picked up my camera and used it.

I should be out basking in the warm weather and clear skies, but I have to get back to my Japanese homework that I've been avoiding for the last week.

Hopefully tomorrow the weather will be as good as today. Keeping my fingers crossed.

March 11, 2009

2009-03-11T21:11:00.002+09:00

Pretty much everything these days can be summed up as being "fickle". People are generally fickle, never really staying focused on one thing, they begin something with honest intentions and then next thing you know they are on to doing something else. Case in point, me, I have started many small projects that have now been all but ignored. I still see them sitting there waiting for me to start them up again, and I feel as if I should start from where I left off ... but lets face it I won't.

My snack choice lately has been popcorn, and the occasional small cup of ice cream, nothing fancy just vanilla. So this got me thinking about popcorn also being quite fickle, or maybe in cahoots with microwaves. This is the main point I wanted to make all along, and the only way I could try to work "fickle" into a conversation.

Point 1: popping time -- anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. I have NEVER found or heard of any microwave that only takes 2 minutes.

Point 2: popping consistency -- sporadic at best. You'd think that in this day an age, where we can tell the sex, mental or possibly birth defects of a baby in the womb, that we'd be able to create some popcorn that could potentially pop the same way every bag. Sometimes there are only a few kernels un-popped and other times I think I've been robbed by half a bowl there are so many left.

Point 3: There is no point three, that's all I've got. Back to my irregular scheduled updates.

March 6, 2009

2009-03-06T13:00:00.000+09:00

Recently I haven't been using my time very productively. I've put off or just ignored things that should have been done (ex. studying, blogging, exercise, keeping in touch with people) I chalk it up to "this time of year" syndrome. Everyone gets it, I think, at different times of the year, you lack motivation to get anything accomplished, sleeping habits are crap and a general feeling of blah comes over you. Seasonal Depression is the clinical term possibly.

For me the transition between Winter and Spring is the worst, right about Ground Hog's Day. It's about that time of year that most New Year's resolutions die or wither away; can also apply the "6 week" rule to this. For anything to become a habit, so I've been told / read, it takes at least 6 weeks of constant diligence for it to become part of your routine. Don't try taking on too much this only makes it worse and kills your feelings when you fail, and you will. Nothing like a good bout of not accomplishing anything to screw the beginning of a New Year.

The only thing I have stuck with so far is my "no sugar" in my coffee or tea rule. I am doing this because I realized in December that I was using way too much sugar (2-3 teaspoons / 10 grams) in every cup, and I drink on average 3 cups a day. I'm surprised my teeth haven't fallen out; the added sugar, snacks, sweets can explain my lack of weight loss too. Maybe it's a coincidence, or maybe it's a combination of this and eating less and eating healthier, that I've shed about 2 or 3 kg since early January.

I know I take on too much, eat less, no sugar, study more (everyday), learn several Kanji a week, get up early, walk every night, be a better teacher, the list goes on with failures this year, not all are failures some are sitting on the back burner for the time being; they are just waiting for their turn. I have an entire year to accomplish things, not everything has to be instant. Instant gratification is a good wine, a nice Scotch, tasty dessert, they come and go quickly. Life changes, those take time (6 week waiting period).

This happens every year, you'd think that after 30 years I'd learn already, eventually I might.

March 5, 2009

2009-03-05T13:00:00.000+09:00

I've avoided saying it so far, but, WOW have I ever been lazy recently. On any given day in the morning I will usually wake up around 7 or 7:30. During the last month or so I haven't been able to get up until 8ish, I like to blame the cold weather, Japanese apartments can be brutally cold in the morning and no amount of heat will warm them up in a hurry.

On a good note, I have been reading more frequently, and not just Harry Potter either (though I did manage to buy Years 1-4 rather cheaply, thanks to my local Book-Off!). I've been reading some Newsweeks that a student gave me and the special edition of how today's thinkers and economists offer advice on how Obama should fix America (and the world) has been particularly interesting; see Newsweek Special Edition: Issues 2009.

While reading I've been trying to keep a word journal (neglected lately), what it is, is a note book where I keep a list of words I don't know (economy words are brutal) or words that I can't explain well. I sometimes dread when a student asks me "what does "____" mean?". After I've written the word in the word journal, I look it up in a dictionary and write down the meaning, maybe the odd synonym, an example or anything else that seems important; all colour coded of course. It takes a bit of time and patience, good exercise for my brain. Forget sudoku or crossword puzzles, give this a try!

I've been trying to go to bed later (just after midnight) to see if that helps with waking up earlier. Yes, I realize that sounds strange, go to bed later to wake up earlier, but it seems to be working; I still blame the cold often enough.

March 4, 2009

2009-03-04T13:00:00.001+09:00

After two years of living in Japan and not having a desktop, I finally broke down a few weeks ago and bought one. I bought a laptop some months before I left Canada, and it has served me well, and still does. A laptop is great to drag around the house, and take out to the odd coffee shop or area that has a plug in, but it's not the same as having a desktop. Laptops can't do it all, they try hard, but they still fall short.

I almost bought my computer back in December, but certain forces were at work that kept me from doing so. The little voice in my head for starters was saying I don't need it, it's a waste of money and I'll just wait hours and hours on it doing nothing. Secondly, inept staff at Yodobashi Camera in Machida, perhaps they were scared to help a foreigner, I tried using Japanese with them, but kept getting told "wait a moment", you can only wait so many moment's before you get pissed. So I put it off, which turned out to be the right decision. In January when I finally made the purchase, the pc was ¥50,000 cheaper (that's about $500 Canadian give or take); only a fool would pass this up.

It's a sweet computer, probably one, if not the best I have ever purchased. By all means I'm not a pc nerd and I have never bult one myself, nor overclocked, or mod'ed anything. So for me this is sweet.
HP Pavilion Elite m9580jp Desktop PC
Dual Core 3.33 Ghz processor
4GB Memory
1TB hard drive
GeForce 9800GT 1GB video card

On the downside, I have picked up my video game addiction again. Let's hope that I can balance my time more efficiently that when I was living in Canada. For anyone looking for a fun game, I totally recommend Spore, create and control your very own life form. I've not looked at the creature creator program, but if you are thinking of buying this game download that and give it a try first. The amount of variability to create something is awesome.

March 3, 2009

2009-03-03T15:17:00.003+09:00

Small accomplishment, to some it might not even be a blip on their accomplishment radar, however, I successfully passed my Level 4 Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I am now certified at having basic, and I mean BASIC conversation in Japanese, simple ordering and simple questions, and some minor conversation is O.K., anything harder and I start weeping like a little girl.

At first I thought, whoopity-do, what's is there to celebrate about having a vocabulary of 800 words and being able to read / possibly write 100 Kanji, definitely not something to hold a party for. But as a friend or two pointed out, any accomplishment is worth celebrating, especially when it's in a foreign language. Next December Level 3, keep your fingers crossed!

Was doing so well

2009-01-20T17:05:00.004+09:00

It seemed for a while that I was doing well with updating on a regular schedule. Well, that's not really true. I kept a series of things in the back of my mind and posted them all consecutively to make it look as if I was updating regularly. What can I say, I'm a fraud.

I have been reading quite a bit more than I have been in the recent past, and not just Harry Potter novels either, actual newspapers and new magazines. So lets blame the world for my lack of posting.

I have to say that the single best purchase of this year so far for the apartment has been a kotatsu, it has singularly changed my evenings. It's much easier to work sitting on a comfortable cushion than it is hunched over a kitchen table. Not to mention that it keeps my legs, and when I lay down, most of my body warm and cozy. I have been told that kotatsu do have a habit of inducing sleep, lathargy, and a fondness for mandarin oranges. Fortunetly for me, so far, I have not yet grown that accustom to them.

What's the plural of kotatsu: kotatsues, kotati??

Drunken Master of the Minuet

2009-01-08T09:18:00.003+09:00

I saw a guy at my station last night who was either stumbling drunk or highly skilled at cross corner minuet dancing. Turned out to be neither, he started busting some mad chicken wing dance moves. He also had quite the gaggle of people watching and or avoiding him.
When you have to dance, you just have to. Dance like nobody is watching. Bustin' moves to get into the groove or how to slyly get a seat on the train.

2008.12.25 (Back post)

2009-01-06T20:00:00.001+09:00

Christmas Day. Talked to the family, went pc shopping (maybe next week I will buy a new pc, not that I really need one, but ya know it was shiny and pretty and made all my past computers look like P.O.S.), and been reading comics and drinking wine since noon. Finger foods for Christmas Dinner, soon as I get off my ass and cut the vegetables and slice the cheese (I changed the verb in the last part of the sentence on purpose, if you hadn't noticed) and cook the chicken wings.

2008.12.24 (Back post)

2009-01-06T08:00:00.005+09:00

As I sit on the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, trying to relax and unwind from the vacation, I can't help but wonder, why are the bottles of wine so small? Bitter disappoint ripples through my body with every sip, knowing there are only a few precious more.

Maybe it's the wine talking, or maybe it's just me, however the Shinkansen Ticket Guy always looks so surprised when he checks his little book to see if you are in the correct seat. I always hope that someone will be sitting where they aren't suppose to be and see how both parties react. Perhaps the ticket guy can't help it, the crappiness of his job compels him to over react to the situation; it's the best he can do in his current situation.

Wine finished and later on ...
I happened to look out the window and caught sight of a restaurant named JoyFun. What kind of place is it I wonder, does the food inspire the name?

boredom setting in ...
People on the train drink funny. I should be more specific, the gaggle of businessmen that got on at Shin-Osaka suck on their beer with their mouths gaping open and slurp it like soba noodles. The train was quiet for the first couple of stops, now it's nattering chatter, scrunching bags and slurping drinks.

Boredom settled in ...
Here's a game adults and kids alike can play next time you are on a Shinkansen (any passenger train with ticket attendants will work). When the ticket agent leaves your car, follow him until you find the vending machine, if you are lucky you will be sitting in car 16 and the nearest vending machine will be in car 11. Stay close to the ticket agent so that when he leaves a care he won't be able to bow properly and he will have a general look of ackwardness on his face (much like that of a 404 error a computer has when it cannot complete an assigned task it was programmed to do). Remember to politely excuse yourself when you do pass him (don't pass too quickly though) so as not to get caught playing and try, this is important people, refrain from giggling until you are back at your seat telling your friends.

The Nozomi goes quick, but quick enough to kill long periods of boredom. My stop, time to get the hell off before I go stir crazy.

2008.12.23 (Back post)

2009-01-05T08:00:00.003+09:00

Day three in Hiroshima was spent walking around Peace Park and the museum and looking at the monuments. For those of you who have been living in a cave for the last century, the Peace Park in Hiroshima is the sight of the first (and hopefully only) Atomic Bomb to be used on people. The A-Bomb Dome is one of a few structures to be left standing after the bomb was dropped on August 6th at 8:15am, homes, schools, hospitals, Hiroshima Castle, were all obliterated after the American Bomber dropped and the bomb detonated some 600m over the city.

I don't plan on going into details, but going through the museum was an emotional roller coaster. There are untold stories of survivors, and how they had to cope with the injured and dieing. Several items of those who passed away (mostly school children) are on exhibit, for example Paper Cranes folded by a young girl who was trying to make a wish come true to be cured from the after sickness of the bombing. Lunch boxes and clothing remain from the children who were at school when the bomb exploded, some who some how managed to find their way back home with what must have been excruciating burns only to die several hours later. You can't help but have a profound sense of sadness going through the later part of the museum.

You learn the usual history from the late 19th century and early 20th century of how Japan was having to handle various conflicts in Asia and having to cope with the newly emerging Middle Class. It's the things that you don't learn in history which left me with mixed emotions, for example; since the bombing subsequent Mayors in Hiroshima have sent letters of protest to every country's Ambassador and a later directly to the leaders. The letters are to each country that have tested Atomic and Nuclear Weapons, and a letter has been sent each time one of these countries (U.S.A., Russia, England, France, China, India, Pakistan, N. Korea,) tests a nuclear weapon. Up to October 2006, almost 600 letters of protest have been sent. Even though the U.N. has abolished the testing of above and below ground weapons, these countries have found loop-holes around those conventions. Sickening and disappointing, humanity has a knack to piss me off.

More photos here.

2008.12.22 (Back post)

2009-01-04T08:00:00.005+09:00

With Phil's mother being sick and Phil having burned his left foot, I wasn't sure how well this trip would go. Beyond the occasional hiccup of having to decide meals, the trip went well.

Spent the better part of day two walking up and around Mt. Misen. All over the Island (Miyajima) and on the mountain you can see and feed the deer (not suppose to, but some people do anyways), compared to Canadian deer these dare somewhat dwarfed and have teeny tiny horns.

One of the highlights of the mountain trip was seeing a wild monkey! There was only one of them and he didn't seem to friendly and looked really lazy too (my kind of monkey). I wanted to see more but I had no luck, my hunt for wild monkeys continues.

Also visited Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima, it has a beautiful gate in the ocean, that during times of low tide you can walk out to the gate. We got to the shrine just as the tide was coming in. And with Phil's foot in a bandage there was no chance we were going out to walk in the sand. Next time I go back I will have to time my visit to the shrine so I can walk out to it.

More photos here

2008.12.21 (Back post)

2009-01-03T08:00:00.009+09:00

Miyajima Island
I am staying at Yamaitchi-bekkan (山一別館), very close to the pier of Miyajima, it's a small Japanese style Inn above a restaurant that specializes in fresh sea food. The staff that works here speaks English pretty good and are extremely friendly.

The young guy who was our waiter was very kind and polite, and an awesome waiter. Explained each of the dishes in English and made the evening quite wonderful. Had this been North America he would have been tipped extremely well!

Dinner consisted of
Appetizer:
bitter spinach and tiny sardines
oyster au gratin
vinegar salmon and egg
braised duck
vinegar shell fish (very VERY chewy)

Soup:
turnip with bits of crab, mushroom and greens

Sashimi:
yellow tail
tuna
squid
sea bream

Soup:
chawan muchi (egg soup with mixed seafood and veg)

Main:
oysters (baked, steamed and broiled in their shell)
salad: daikon, carrot, persimmon and a grey shell fish that looks like a shrimp but flatter.
deep fried oysters

Sushi:
conker ell on rice (4 big pieces)

Miso soup:
sesame tofu base, veg

Dessert:
frozen pear with mint, and tea

Drinks:
draft beer and warm Hiroshima area sake

While I was eating and the food kept coming and coming it felt like a lot of food, but once I wrote it down, SHIT it was a tonne of food. It was all awesome and tasted great, I had never eaten that many oysters in all my life, I can't remember having oysters before actually (smoked in a can as a child doesn't count I think). The only thing that I did not enjoy was the vinegar shell fish that was too chewy, and I can't do chewy that well.

Back in my room relaxing and trying not to explode from all the food. I hope that tomorrow morning that the breakfast will be just as good!

Update: Breakfast was pretty good, Japanese style, tofu, grilled fish, soup, rice. This might have been the first time that I had a Japanese style breakfast. I was feeling adventurous! And it paid off.

2009.1.2

2009-01-02T21:32:00.007+09:00

Happy New Year to all,
It seems that I got things with the site worked out again, probably continue with some minor adjustments over the next while, I am forever tinkering and twiddling with things.

Over the next week there will be a variety of posts from my vacation to Miyajima and Hiroshima. I know there are some posters of blogs who don't care for back posting and would just dump everything they had at one time. However I did write it all down in the journal that I carry around. So I owe it to myself, my family, friends and students who read this.

It's a New Year, and hopefully means it will be better or just as good as the previous year. I am now well into my second year of living in Japan, and still have a couple of more years left on my work visa, so see how it goes.

Recap of early December 2008 ...
The second week of December, just after my Japanese Examination was an interesting week to say the least. The week started out on a sour note, Phil's mom who is visiting seems to have come down with a cold, possibly influenza from a snotty nosed-coughing kid on the plane. To make matters worse Phil also severely burned his left foot when a kettle of boiling water somehow slipped out of his hand and spilled. Lets just say that there was a trip to the emergency room, several doctor visits and some major second degree burns to his foot; though the doctor reassures him there won't be any scarring. Not the best start to Christmas Holidays.

Before the foot burning ...
Spend some time in Hakone at the Glass Museum, they had everything all decked out for Christmas, including several Santa's in various posses throughout the area. Some of the museum is outside, which would have been great had it not been raining all afternoon and snow falling on the mountains in the distance, YUCK.

Later in the same day, spent the evening in Atami to watch some winter fireworks, and that was brilliant, except they only lasted for 25 minutes. The weather was clear and not too cold, so it wasn't so bad. Enjoy a nice Italian dinner with an great red wine, and then hit the onsen (hot spring) 3 times before heading to bed. I felt truly relaxed in the hot spring, and could have stayed there forever if I could.

Back to work the next day, few lessons this week before we head off to Hiroshima.

2008.12.28

2008-12-28T11:33:00.003+09:00

UPDATE: 2008.12.29
Managed to download a new template, but I am still trying to work on a few bits and pieces and get everything organized so that it looks better. If anyone has any suggestions on how to better managed the Book List, I am all ears.

2008.12.28
Oops, I accidentally clicked the wrong button when i was editing some posts and have subsequently lost my blog layout and graphics. I will attempt to get things restored, reverted, or redesigned during this week.

I'm a bonehead.

Happy Holidays!

2008.12.23

2008-12-23T07:00:00.001+09:00

Random things on a train ride home.

Why is it that sometimes the Japanese movie titles are so different from the English titles? It makes for some frustrating conversations.

I wonder if it's the same for book, music and song titles.

Junior High School Kids on the train yelling 「Yes we can」 and other random phrases, do they teach them catch phrases or do they actually watch the news? People looking amused (not me though) at the kids, and a woman chuckling at the students poor marks the two kids were looking at. She also seemed rather amused that the kids were comparing thigh and bicep size and the scrawnier kid beat out the dumb punk kid.

Oh the things that can happen during a 4 minute train ride.

2008.12.21

2008-12-21T07:00:00.001+09:00

I had my Japanese Language Proficiency Exam (Level 4 - the easiest level) a couple of weeks ago, here is a short recount of it.

I have to travel about 40 minutes to get to the test site.

Just finished the fist section on reading and vocabulary, it went well except for the girl in front of me who has long hair. She would occasionally throw her head back and her hair would go onto my test paper. Slightly annoying.

The listening portion of the exam could have gone better. The sound of 84 people flipping pages, squeaking chairs, coughs and the one question that had a 5 second 'hmmhmm' as a response to 'what did you do yesterday?' was disheartening. The grammar section is next, and I am not looking forward to it.

Wasn't as bad as I thought. Think I did alright. Just need an overall 60 to pass. So for a short while I will try not to think about whether it's わ(wa) or が(ga), で(de) or に(ni). Two months from now I will find out if I passed the easiest proficiency level :)

2008.12.19

2008-12-19T07:00:00.001+09:00

People do things on the train that they really should not do in public. I don't mean the train groping or eating and drinking nor making the occasional cell call.

Maybe most people don't notice and I am cursed with constantly looking around because I can't keep my attention focused on one thing while in a moving vehicle; one of the reasons I still don't have my drivers license by the way. Its common to see people tired, bored, sad or crying, and someone passed out is pretty common most days late at night.

Maybe these people don't think anyone is watching or noticing, as many have probably tried to pick at an underwear wedgie when they thought no one was looking or give their arm pits a smell test. Those, while are not desirable to see, can be forgiven.

What is unforgivable are the acts of picking your nose and consuming it ... scratching at your privates in front of everyone ... picking at scabs, rashes, bites, and your picking your teeth with one of those little brushes that fit between your teeth. If you think no one is watching, you are sorely mistaken. SOMEONE is watching or if you are really unfortunate recording you for youtube or facebook.

Next time you ride public transit, have a little respect for yourself and others who may be watching. Keep your hands out of places where you shouldn't be putting them.

2008.12.17

2008-12-17T18:49:00.002+09:00

Discipline
Alright, let me start off by saying that I am not a parent [I can almost hear the collective sigh and whew of people], however ...

There is a difference between a spank and a beating. When kids are misbehaving or making an experience not enjoyable for others, discipline them for god’s sake.

I guess it doesn’t help if the parent’s or the adults are just as bad.

Use some common sense, you know who you are.

2008.12.05

2008-12-05T14:00:00.000+09:00

Went out a few weeks ago with a couple of friends to a decent Japanese Bar called Mokuchi and eat some pretty good food. I'm usually not one for raw squid, but honestly it wasn't as bad as some of the other stuff I had before (still a bit chewy for my liking).
Before we went for dinner we walked around a bit, got lost for a while, but thanks to me excellent skills we found the restaurant (I didn't even know where it was!). Went into a fancy Chopstick store, the amount of money people will spend on them is crazy, talking like over 5000 yen for some. I hope to go back there and pick up a couple of moderately priced ones for myself sometime.
Nothing crazy happened ... just a relaxing evening.

2008.12.04

2008-12-04T08:00:00.001+09:00

When I purchased my coat I got to pick from a piece of french toast, a bun or another thing that I can't recall ... anyways this does smell like a piece of french toast!

Had some time off a couple of weeks ago and was going to go to Disney Sea, but it was a bit chilly to be doing that. So instead went on a small shopping excursion. Managed to actually find some clothes that I liked, which is hard because of the difference in size between Japanese men and North American Men.
Managed to have a semi-decent conversation (in Japanese) with one of the shop clerks at THE SHOP TK MIXPICE, he tried to recommend a pair of Japanese style pants with a flowery design on them, I had to turn him down. Picked up a winter coat at another store, same brand as a watch that I have. Generally had a good day, though if you are in Tokyo and plan on visiting the Ginza H&M store save yourself a trip and don't go. I wasn't very happy with the limited selection of styles and colour, maybe there was more offered in ladies clothes. Just don't.

2008.12.03

2008-12-03T12:34:00.002+09:00

Yes it's that time of year again, when all the Grinch come out to spoil the holidays. Christmas in Tokyo with no snow and sometimes WAY too many decorations. The amount of electricity that is consumed for "illumination" in Tokyo must be astronomical. I prefer the much simpler decorations. Will post more holiday photos when I get around to taking them. I have a new tripod for my camera, but have been to chicken to use it out in public for fear of looking like a camera nerd ...
I guess I will have to break down and use it sooner or later.

2008.12.01

2008-12-02T09:36:00.003+09:00

It's the first day of December and the sky here in Kawasaki is crystal clear blue. It hasn't been that cold recently, only about 10C, but I found myself having to buy a winter coat this year. This year will be my third winter in Tokyo and it's no where near as cold as say Bruce Mines or Toronto. Not sure if i can ever handle another Canadian winter.

Someone or a group of farmers today were burning autumn leaves or something else. The amount of smoke hanging in the air was causing a number of people to have coughing fits, since I grew up in the country side I found it reminded me of growing up (and somewhat surreal that you are in Tokyo and can smell burning leaves). Can't say the people around me found it as reminiscent.

... this week ...

2008-11-30T19:44:00.002+09:00

11.28.08
Late this week I was standing outside the OPA Department store early in the morning and was staring at the local pigeons. They all rest on this pillar and fly around, talking like 20 or more at a time. Suddenly out of no where a old guy comes waving his bag around in the circles and scares off the pigeons ... so much for appreciating nature in the early morning.

The birds take off and fly over to the next pillar, the guy looks REALLY agitated. he's standing very tense and flexing his fists and then aggressively charges at the birds and starts swinging at them again. If he had a gun I think he would have shot at them. Someone is apparently a pigeon hater.

11.29.08
Word of caution, if you are a bad singer or whistler just don't bother trying to do either in public. save it for home where no one has to hear you and be subjected to your lack of skills. Thank you. That goes for small children as well whistling to Christmas songs in coffee shops.

11.30.08
Had the day off. Usually I would sit at home and do nothing. So this morning I did up some laundry and then packed my bag (camera, Japanese textbook, journal and various small things I probably wouldn't use) and headed off for Shinjuku.

On the train writing this .. I actually have a purpose. I am trying to track down a couple of Christmas presents to send back to my family, and haven't had much luck trying to find what I wanted. I have a specific item in mind, just can't find it.

Several hours later ... Keio Department Store, Odakyu Department Store, HALC, Takashimaya, small shops, nothing still could not find the item.

FINALLY! Found it in the Isetan Department Store ... a lot of work for one little item. It's worth it, as I haven't sent home Christmas presents in over 2 years, if not longer.

Snag ... apparently you can't send alcohol through the mail to Canada. Oh well my brother will have to wait for me to visit. Sorry Nathan!.

Overall good day

... crazy days ...

2008-11-13T16:46:00.002+09:00

The last couple of days there have been some unexpected train delays on the Odakyu Line. It turned out to be 35 minutes of chaos at Shinyurigaoka station ... hundreds of passengers and 2 train staff to help them. I felt bad for the staff, a couple of upset businessmen, some pissed off mothers with kids and general confusion from some old people. I suspect that they were new-comers and got shoved out by the seasoned veterns who know better than go stand in the station and offer to help.

Then it happened again today, different area though. But the same result, panic, confusion and honestly downright stupidity on the part of passengers. When the trains finally start to move again, it's all pushing, shoving and doing anything and everything to get on that next train. If there is a legal limit to how many people can be packed onto one train car, I am sure that rule had been broken many times over.

It would be wonderful if people didn't lose their cool, but there is the odd person who snaps and pushes too hard, or barks at someone else, or does something even worse (pushing a grandma, who then drops her parcels, which then get kicked and stepped on). Mind you it doesn't happen often.

Anyways, I'm safe and sound at home now, trying to unwind from the stress induced 20 minute train ride, cringing though because I know I have to leave again in an hour ... たいへんな。。。

... food ...

2008-10-31T20:22:00.009+09:00

... figs ...

Dining in Japan can be a truly unique experience, a fusion of flavours and textures. Especially when it's home made, like these first three images.

Often cooked beforehand and served cold, making the time being spent with friends and family, not trapped in a kitchen.

... mustard seed sauce ...

... fish roe ...

Fish is typical during most meals, and mixed with a variety of herbs and ingrediants.

Decoration is often simple, garnished with colourful seasonal flowers, herbs and wasabi to accompany the sushi as it is eaten.

... salmon ...

... assorted sushi ...

Occasionally the line between decorative touch and food is blurred ...

Culinary Delight or Controversial Food? Whale, it's a cultural tradition that sparks culinary debates. A definite culinary delight that tasted unique and was a great experience.

... kujira, two ways ...

... catching up ...

2008-10-21T23:27:00.002+09:00

Alright, seeing as how it's been nearly a month since I even tried to update, I might as well just catch up on everything at once. When I began this I had visions of updating frequently, posting interesting news, articles, ideas, and of course photos for family back home. That is now what happened though, which is usually the case with me. I slipped back into the comfortable groove of being lazy, even though i frequently log in to tinker and tweak settings and occasionally moderate the odd comment that someone posts.

My updates are horribly behind schedule. I won't say I've done much but I did try to do something at least once a month or so, some months being busier than others. June and July were virtually write offs, lets blame the hot summer heat and humidity, and not my lack of motivation to do anything.

Here's a run down of things that I have done in the past months, and I have probably missed one or two things here and there. Any glaring mistakes let me know and I'll try to update and fix. I hope that once I just lay it all out I will be able to just start posting some photos of some of the things that I did. For now, lets just take baby steps.

August (８月)
Fireworks festivals in Yokohama and Enoshima Island.
Beach trip to Zushi.
Opera evening: La Traviata.
Day trip to Hakone.

September (９月)
Weezer concert.
Three day trip to Hakuba.

October (１０月)
Museum evening to look at John Everett Millais paintings.
A festival at Ikegami Honmonji (御会式)

So I guess I haven't been totally lazy, but I haven't been exactly productive either. Most of the things that I tend to ignore during the summer should change now that Autumn is slowly beginning to show, and the weather is starting to cool slightly.

Now we just wait and see what autumn has in store.

... sumo ...

2008-09-22T20:20:00.004+09:00

... dohyo ...

The dohyo, or Sumo ring, is constructed of a special kind of clay, has a hard surface, and is covered with a thin layer of sand. Over the dohyo is a roof that resembles a Shinto shrine with four giant tassels that represent the seasons of the year.

The dohyo-iri entrance ceremony is performed before the start of the days matches. A top ranked yokozuna (hands clapped) performs the ceremony, on his left is his tachimochi (sword bearer), tsuyuharai or attendent on his right, and a gyoji (referee)

... dohyo-iri ...

... sonkyo ...

After scattering handfuls of salt to purify the ring, the wrestlers squat and face each other to glare at each other and build a psychological effect. This can go on for upwards of 4 minutes. The position in this photo is the "posturing of toeing the mark".

Just after the initial clash the two Sumo lock bodies until one is toss or pushed out of the ring. The actual wrestling portion of the match is over quickly. Usually the symbolic movements last longer than the actual match.

...torikumi ...

... on the lighter side ...

2008-09-12T12:39:00.002+09:00

Now for something totally different, and well plain-ass weird (pun intended as you will see). Read the article on the Butt Bandit, it's worth the laugh.

... kyoto buildings ...

2008-09-03T05:00:00.003+09:00

... kyoto building (1) ...

清水の舞台から飛び降りる
”Diving from the stage of Kiyomizu Temple”. This refers to an Edo period tradition that held that, if one were to survive jumping from the stage, one's wish would be granted. The fall is 13 meters, but the lush vegetation below the platform might cushion the fall of a lucky pilgrim. However, the practice is now prohibited. Two hundred and thirty-four jumps were recorded in the Edo period and, of those, 85.4% survived.

Ninomaru Palace, being part of the complex of Nijojo Castle, includes lavish quantities of gold leaf and elaborate wood carvings to impress visitors and show the power of the ruler.

... kyoto building (2) ...

... kyoto building (3) ...

Sanjusangendo is the popular name for Rengeo-in, a temple in eastern Kyoto which is famous for its 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The temple was founded in 1164 and its present structures date from 1266.

Kiyomizu Temple is a haven for students wishing the aid of deities in graduation, and is well known for having trees whose branches are covered with paper wishes tied there by the hopeful.

... kyoto building (4) ...

... kyoto paths ...

2008-09-01T05:00:00.005+09:00

... kyoto path (1) ...

Fushimi Inari Shrine is famous for the countless torii gates, offerings from worshippers (merchants and manufacturers), that cover the hiking trails of Inari-san, the wooded mountain behind the shrine's main buildings. It takes about two hours to walk along the whole trail.

The Ninomaru garden was designed by the famous landscape architect and tea master Kobori Enshu. The garden has a large pond with three islands and features numerous carefully placed stones and topiary pine trees.

... kyoto path (2) ...

... kyoto path (3) ...

Donated and inscribed by businesses and individuals thankful for their prosperity, the long tunnel of torii is one of the most iconic visions of Kyoto.

The Seiryū-en garden is the most recent part of the whole Nijō Castle. It is intended as a facility for the reception of official guests of the city of Kyoto and as a venue for cultural events.

... kyoto path (4) ...

... pet peeve ...

2008-08-30T14:44:00.014+09:00

Loud people. In general loud people definitely grate on my nerves, more specifically loud people in museums.

Museums and libraries, two places where there should never be any loud noises, or loud people. I went to the Tokyo National Museum(sometime during July) and was quietly enjoying the art and artifacts, looking at each of the displays, reading the inventory card when it wasn’t in Japanese, overall enjoying myself; the floor is a killer on the feet, wear REALLY comfortable shoes. The day was going great until Phil and I reached one area. In the area with the samurai armor, swords, and other paraphernalia there were several loud and annoying individuals. Loud annoying adults, they should know better.

Nothing ruins the serenity and peacefulness of a museum afternoon like the shrill, high pitched voice of someone calling so-and-so over, or the loud bellow of some know-it-all jackass explaining everything to everyone within ear shot. Or the wails and screams of bored children, who by the way ought to be leashed when they enter museums, it’s not an obstacle course to run around.

All of the above happened during this one stretch of the museum, we made haste for the exit and decided to come back another time. So, next time you or a friend of yours is going to visit a museum, please remember to keep quiet and don’t ruin everyone’s experience.

... typo ...

2008-08-23T08:53:00.003+09:00

With the Beijing Olympics in full swing, there were quite a few articles about China attempting to clean up their English (Chinglish ... sounds horrible and derogatory I think). I don't know the extent of how bad it is in China, however in Japan you occasionally see the odd mistake, oddly enough the mistakes are typically on T-shirts or Restaurant Fliers.

The push to correct the Chinglish was made by China to make them appear to be more culturally sensitive, and who could blame them the last thing I would want in my country are a bunch of American's snickering every time they read a sign with a mis-print or blatant translation error. With trying to improve themselves [China] should be commended, even though it's for the wrong reasons.

However, apparently what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander. It happens in other countries, Canada & America, a typo or stray punctuation mark ends up where it shouldn't be. I'm not talking about American's giggling in Canada when they see an extra "u" in words (coloUr, flavoUr, favoUr ... the correct spelling by the way to all you Americans). A couple of young people were recently charged with defacing a historic sign found at the Grand Canyon. I recommend you to read the article.

They way they went about correcting the mistake, by defacing the historic sign, was stupid. They should have contacted the proper authorities and let the park take care of the mistake. Mistakes need to be corrected. Whether the mistake is made by a second language user or by native language user, it doesn't matter. How you correct the mistake is what matters.

I would be interested to know that after the sign is fixed from being vandalized, will the park authorities correct the mistake or leave it? My guess, it won't be fixed.

By the way, feel free to let me know how many mistakes I have made in writing this, I have probably made a few. But will I fix the mistakes? We'll see.

... warm fuzzy feeling ...

2008-08-20T15:50:00.001+09:00

Perhaps it’s the nicer side of me, the side of me that seldom gets shown outwardly, that enjoys seeing random acts of kindness.

Here’s the story:
[Some time ago] I was just walking through the gates at the train station, while at the same time an older lady of short statue, stooped over and frail looking (having that air that grandma’s have though) was moving inch by inch through the gates. She was also laden with a bag of groceries that would make the average healthy male groan and curse for purchasing that much; not to mention it was a balmy 40C.

One side of me wanted to help carry her groceries, as there is a small flight of stairs just after the entrance; the other rational side of me said “Your Japanese sucks, don’t scare the little old lady!” Luckily for my conscious and for her an older gentleman offered to help her with her load; up their stairs they went slowly. Reaching the top she thanked him, a kind word followed by a short bow, he nodded his head and smiled and each of them continued on their way. It was a brief moment, happened quickly while other people were rushing by paying no attention to what was going on, not really realizing what was happening.

A random act of kindness. If I catch it in the act it makes me feel good inside, much like Mr. Burns shriveled black heart when it sputters, gasps then beats briefly. It’s these brief, infrequent moments that are a small reminder that the world isn’t the horrible crap hole the media makes it out to be. If we just worked a little harder we could live in much better circumstances.

Take a moment and lend a helping hand when it’s needed, and try to pay attention more; you’ll find it helps.

... random pictures ...

2008-08-05T15:55:00.016+09:00

... nestled among faux nature ...

Another photo from Meguro Gajoen, this time it's an indoor waterfall. There is also a quaint path that goes behind the artificial waterfalls, newly weds kissings or perhaps lost loves having a last chance.

Like the small children around me, I too had my nose pressed against the glass, watching the colorful fish swim past. Watching the dazzling display of fish swimming so close to the glass and then at the last moment quickly withdrawing to a safe area.

... looks ever so yummy ...

... tokyo tranquility ...

A view of the Hama-rikyu Gardens, peaceful, tranquil, if only it weren't for the Tokyo skyline in the background. I sometimes forget that I am in one of the largest cities in the world in a place like this.

Then there are other times that one can never forget where they are. Tokyo, the city of about 13 million. You can't escape the crowds, even at the peace of a temple, where sometimes they are at the worst. Beautiful day though.

... oh the crowds ...

... incredibly lazy ...

2008-07-30T15:50:00.009+09:00

This post only goes to show how incredibly lazy and slow I can be. About 12 weeks ago, Phil’s Aunt came to visit and we had a spectacular time going to various events, visiting numerous places, and finally getting out of the Tokyo area.

This is also the weekend I managed to take over 1200 photos (a totally outrageous amount), most of them were doubles, triples, or some idiot walking into my frame, but still (sugoi).

Meguro Gajoen
Unable to take photos of the mural works, which was unfortunate. Had a truly amazing and fantastic Teppanyaki meal, and got to see some gorgeous (and hideous) wedding Kimono’s.

Prince Hotel Aquarium
Nothing more relaxing than watching a dolphin show and some “dancers” make asses of themselves … where Disney Dancer’s go to die …

Hama-rikyu Gardens
Wonderful place to stroll around, was able to spot some tiny jelly fish in the pond near the Tea House.

SUMO!
Beyond what most people (i.e. Western’s) think, Sumo is much more than two fat-assed-men grappling. Fully of ceremony and tradition, though the popularity for it has been on a downward slide (the top two current Yokozuna’s are Mongolian), [people generally have the same feeling in Canada as finding out the better hockey players are European or the better baseball stars are Cuban]. It’s a slap to the National Identity, and I empathize with the Japanese.

River Cruise
My skills of photography utterly failed me while attempting to take photo’s from a rocking boat.

Phil’s B-day
Obviously had to steal his show with a book I bought him as a present for him (こわがりやのクリス), basically a children’s story about a Squirrel named Kris who is scared of everything but his tree house.

Kyoto
Former capital of Japan and sanctuary of cultural treasures.
(1) Nijojo Castle; equipped with a squeaking floor to repel ninja or your daughter sneaking out to hook up with the stable boy.

(2) Sanjusangendo; 1001 statues of a Buddhist deity, pretty damn impressive craftsmanship for being created in the 12th and 13th centuries. Alas, no pictures allowed.

(3) Fushimi inari; my new favourite place, thousands upon thousands of Tori (gates) one after another, in a brilliant orange colour.

(4) Kiyomizu dera; wonderful view, would look awesome during the fall or cherry blossom season.
きよみずのぶたいからとびおりる[清水の舞台から飛び降りる]
“Diving from the stage of Kiyomizu Temple” – meaning:
You need great courage when you do something big; (A decision that you can’t change) … it’s like a 100m drop, so you’d pretty much F***ed yourself jumping, apparently people have in the past.

Needless to say, was a fantastic time … it’s only too bad that it has taken me this long to get off my ass and write something about it.
I’ll try …

... clothing rant ...

2008-07-22T15:08:00.003+09:00

OK, on the weekend I went out shopping to the LaLaPort near Yokohama, I've been to that shopping center several times (it usually has a decent selection of men's casual clothes). Perhaps it's just me but I have trouble finding clothes that I like in Japan ... it may be because I am not that adventurous and don't like to explore new areas or perhaps I am just that picky (I would choose picky).

Lately though I have been able to find quite a few summer shirts that I quite like, but on the other hand there has been a distinct lack of shorts (ones that I like or even fit into). It's a small kick to the face that the pair of "M" size shorts couldn't even be buttoned up, yet it was even worse when the "LL" short were still a tight fit ... WTF ...

It can't be me (honestly), I've lost weight recently (from my occasional work out routine). There has got to be something wrong with "Japanese sizes"; they just don't match to "North American sizes" in any way, shape or form. Take for example a Japanese store "A" (lets call it On Board), and take North American store "B" (lets call it Banana Republic) ... now take any style of shorts that are the same size, for example "32" ... the "On Board" ones WILL NOT FIT, while the "Banana Republic" ones fit alright. I say again ... WTF ...

I know Japanese body types, especially young men are slender; i.e. a strong gust of wind and they blow away. Is there really a need to use the same measuring system but screw with the sizes, obviously 32 is not 32 here.

To wrap this up ... not all was lost, I did manage to sore 2 new pairs of shorts this weekend. Cha-ching!

... few of my ...

2008-07-14T10:00:00.007+09:00

(1) books

(2) internet

(3) quiet time

(4) routines

(5) being the “devil’s advocate”

After much thought and several other lists and a short brainstorming session on “things I enjoy” (a list that was MUCH too long), I came up with this list. As you probably know, usually a task like this is not easy at first and most people tend not to think critically about what they enjoy. For many people we live in the moment; they enjoy movies when watching movies; they enjoy shopping when they are out hunting for new fashions; you get my point. Most people, I think, don’t obsess over their likes and dislikes, for me it sounds unhealthy, but nevertheless people do obsess constantly.

Somewhere on my list I should have put “procrastination” since I tend to do it so well and so often, but it’s one of my “guilty pleasures”. After a period of procrastination I usually have a sense of guilt and self-doubt; why do I leave most things to the last minute; I should have done it sooner. There is some satisfaction from cranking out 500 words over a cup of coffee on the morning that something is due.

For me, after some thought of course (I almost always require a lengthy thought process) books seemed to be a logical choice. My mother worked at a library when I was a child, I spend some days and a lot of weekends at that library, and (I like to think) I am probably the reason for massive spending on children’s books in the 1980’s. My mother always had her nose in a book (to some extent now the same is true but she seems to have slowed down in her reading habits), popular authors mostly. She would religiously read the “Best Seller Lists” and then devour those books. My father spends time reading gardening books in the early spring, cook books on weekend mornings, and every weekend a newspaper or two, especially the crossword puzzles (for the life of me, I can not finish a single crossword puzzle, though I do enjoy filling in the clues I do know and being smug about it). I stuck to the “funny pages”, it’s still the first section of the paper I look for when I glance at one.

Books are perhaps the one reason I seldom hated school, mind you I would easily toss my text books aside for almost any novel. My one flaw with books is that I am a picky reader, which is especially true when it comes to choosing books. Just yesterday I spent close to one hour in the bookstore and walked out with only one book (one that I might add I had been obsessing over for several weeks) after picking up a couple of other books and eventually putting them back where they belonged. People who don’t put books away properly should be shot, just so you know.

I wish I knew how many books I’ve read; children’s books; novels; text books; magazines / journals; classic books (ok this I know is very few). If I was obsessive about books I would have a list of the ones that I have read, followed by stars or happy faces as reviews, the time it took to read … perhaps I will start doing this, it sounds like a wonderful procrastination task.

... 100 words ...

2008-07-13T16:44:00.005+09:00

As a child I was extremely quiet, soft-spoken, most people would easily forget that I was in the room. I was self-reliant, kind and polite, those traits thankfully, have continued on with me as I have grown.

I was the perfect child, then I grew up; add a splash of egotism, then toss in a handful of sarcasm, and compulsive, scrupulous behaviour, and voila.

I’ll always avoid change if possible.

I’ll continue to be a better listener than speaker.

I keep my friends close, but never cross me.

I burn bridges and never look back.

I am what I am.

... apparently ...

2008-06-23T10:59:00.003+09:00

Turning over a new leaf is difficult, and stressful, who would have thought such a small thing as "updating and posting" would be a difficult task. It's not like my schedule is loaded with things to do. I have quite a bit of free time, which recently has been spent reading, reading and more reading.

I tend to go through cycles, which last a couple to a few weeks ... so lately I have been reading, practically nonstop most days during my free time. Conveniently ignoring a bunch of other stuff I should be doing. Long ago I mastered the art of procrastination, and continue to hone those skills.

Take for example, right now ... I told myself I would study Japanese for one hour, instead I am blogging and listening to music ... now comes the guilt of ignoring what I should be doing.

That's enough ... I'll be back.

... new month, new leaf ...

2008-06-01T15:04:00.004+09:00

I took sometime this afternoon, after teaching my one class for the day, and updated the photo's I had recently uploaded. Most of the photo's now have a short description of what the photo is and where it is. If you want a better idea of where the photo was taken, I took the time and updated the map feature on Picasa [the place the photo's are being stored], it's google so it's pretty decent.

It's a beautiful sunny day today here in the Tokyo area, so obviously I'm sitting at my pc working on photo's and blogs :-p

I hope to expand this a bit more in the coming while, add some links and such, and some older photo's that I've taken before, those will probably will only be the best of the best ... so that really means they will be few and far between.

A quick update about work, I have been trying to strive to be a better teacher to my students, and I have noticed some changes in the students as well as with me. However, one assignment I gave to one group of students, was to "Describe yourself in 100 words or less", and I am finding it difficult to do it myself ... I hope that the students are having a better time.

Anyways, watch for updates

... Disney Part 2 ...

2008-05-31T18:13:00.005+09:00

Here is another batch of Disney Day photo's, these ones I tinkered with slightly. Some of them look good, some not so good but still interesting, in my opinion .. and that's all that matters.

As I was going through the photo's and looking at them in their albums, I noticed that I don't really group them together that well, and there are no descriptions of what the photo's are. Another thing to add to the pile of things to do.

Enjoy,

... Unrelated note ...

2008-05-25T09:55:00.001+09:00

On a totally unrelated note, this whole blog posting and getting photo's on the internet for everyone to see, is a royal pain in the ass.

Especially when I leave it for weeks at a time [Disney April 20, posting about Disney May 25]. I keep saying that I will try harder to post more often, but really who am I kidding?

... Disney Day ...

2008-05-25T09:22:00.013+09:00

Among some circles of friends back in my university days, it was joked several times, that should I ever venture to Disney Land it would end up being "Kris vs Disney Land". There was never any doubt, I would of course come out on top, defeating the happiness and merriment of others ... scorning the fun ... and generally being the sarcastic prick I tend to be sometimes.

April 20th, 2008 became that day ... "Kris vs Tokyo Disney Land"
I, Kris, being of sound mind and body, agreed to go to Tokyo Disney. At first it was because a Japanese friend asked Phil and I if we would go with her and her family. I am not sure if I would have ever gone under other circumstances ... how do you say "no" to a two year old who asks? "ディズニーいきましょう" [Let's go to Disney].
[To the nay-sayers: see I do have a heart ;)]

The day began like this, and needless to say, it's not how I would start most mornings:
1) Wake up at 5am
2) Run to catch the 6am train, literally sprinting
3) Jump on the train, gasping for breath, realize that school kids are already on the train and are heading for school (did I mention this is a Saturday?)
4) Feel glad that I am not a Japanese school kid and smile
5) Arrive at Tama Center, grab some snacks and drinks, meet the family and head off

To get to the heart of the matter ...
Kris 0
Disney 1

The day turned out to be really enjoyable, even though the lines were long, the rides were short, and screaming kids and crazy Disney Fans ... luckily I didn't need to beat anyonw down, this time.

Later this summer watch for the rematch.

May 5th 2008

2008-05-05T17:09:00.004+09:00

O.k. ... so it took me a little longer than I expected to get the pictures uploaded and get something on this site. Unfortunately I am a bit of a perfectionist (at times) and I didn't want to upload anything until I had the photo's at their best (or close to).

I spent countless hours at the laptop editing, cutting, pasting, perfecting, deleting, until I had the set of photo's that I wanted to display. In the beginning I was going to post every single photo that I took, right from the best ones, to the crap that I take all the time. After a few judgment calls, and some advice from people, I decided that it was time to be picky about what I toss on the internet.

Even before posting all of the photo's today, I managed to delete yet another 50 photo's. To put it into prospective, two months ago I started with about 600 different pics, and over the past weeks I managed to whittle it down to about 170 ... not to shabby if I don't say so myself. I am sure that I tossed some good pictures onto the "cutting room floor", knowing me I will probably go back and look them over again.

Now, in the old blog that I once updated occasionally, there were quite a number of photo's, I haven't decided yet if I will take the time and move them over to this site or not ... see what happens over the coming days and weeks.

This is the part where I should be promising to update regularly and post more photo's, but honestly will I? You probably know me best, so judge for yourself.

As I said early, I'm lazy ...

P.S. Clicking the photo's will lead you to another site.

April 2008

2008-05-05T17:00:00.004+09:00

March 2008

2008-05-05T16:59:00.003+09:00

February 2008

2008-05-05T16:58:00.003+09:00

August 2007 to November 2007

2008-05-05T16:57:00.004+09:00

2008-03-29T17:14:00.001+09:00

Temporary message holder, please stand by for further updates!!