Link
When Brett came to Japan, he chose a new name.
He thought it'd be fun, just like a Nintendo game.
He called himself Link, to impress all the hoes,
Then went to the store, to buy some new clothes.
Things were different here, there was no doubt at all.
He was tired of being called, skinny and small.
So he started to eat, much much more food,
And others would join him, while he bathed in the nude.
The thing about Link, which most of us know,
He's a little bit off, he's not one with the flow.
So what has Link learned, in all his time here?
How to live on his own, and drink lots of beer.
- Keith
Before Kansai Invasion, I went to Anton's with Keith and Tongxin, and met up with Billy and Vincent there... Tongxin thought it would be fun if we all wrote anonymous letters to each other (written in advance), saying, well, whatever we wanted... her original idea was to have it kinda sentimental, since she was going to be leaving Japan and probably wouldn't see us all together for a long time. And Keith wrote me a poem!
That night (Wednesday) was fun, we played a game kinda like Broken Telephone mixed with pictionary. One person would write a caption, then the next person would draw the picture of it, and hide the caption, next person would write a new caption, cover the picture, and so on...
Conan the Barbarian does indeed protect his Jam Jars.
More on Kansai Invasion to come... including all nighter at JJs, Universal Studios Japan, Party at Anton's, and CJP invasion of the Monkey Park! But I'm a little tired, and still have to write my weekly report for last week, and my resume, and study for Japanese, and make second dinner, and finish cleaning my room, and eventually get to bed.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Trifle Not with Tired Tigers.
We make plans for big times
Get bogged down, distracted
We make plans for good times
All neon, all surface
Mmmm Propaganda comment spam.
I'm happy to report more sanity returning to this planet called Earth. If only slightly. OJ Simpson's book and TV special, "If I Did It", which he writes hypothetically how he would have committed the murders he was tried for, was cancelled. I don't think there's much more to say except phew.
There's also a new guy in my section at work. I came in late to his introduction meeting because nobody told me about it! Yamada-san realized I wasn't there after it had started and came to fetch me ><. But any change is good, maybe he'll know a bit of English or want to learn or something. Or not, which is more likely. But I shall see. His welcoming party is on Dec 1. Bad news and good news from one of my fave bands. The drummer of Bloc Party has a collapsed lung and they had to cancel their US/Canada tour. ><. However, good news for me, I just found out they're gonna be playing in Osaka in March!! I can't wait! On a Tuesday unfortunately, but anyone else interested in going? Now if only Arcade Fire would come...
Gah, when I have a lot to write about in my blog, I have no time to write it, and when I have nothing to write about, I produce an entry a day. Hurray, You're So Vain is playing! :P Anyway, I should have a decent, interesting blog for next week, but unfortunately for the CJPers, so will everyone else haha. Ah well.
You meet a zmobie in the Spooky Forest.
"Need brains," says the zmobie, "not fertilizer. Gaaaaaah."
He gives you some fertilizer.
We make plans for big times
Get bogged down, distracted
We make plans for good times
All neon, all surface
Mmmm Propaganda comment spam.
I'm happy to report more sanity returning to this planet called Earth. If only slightly. OJ Simpson's book and TV special, "If I Did It", which he writes hypothetically how he would have committed the murders he was tried for, was cancelled. I don't think there's much more to say except phew.
There's also a new guy in my section at work. I came in late to his introduction meeting because nobody told me about it! Yamada-san realized I wasn't there after it had started and came to fetch me ><. But any change is good, maybe he'll know a bit of English or want to learn or something. Or not, which is more likely. But I shall see. His welcoming party is on Dec 1. Bad news and good news from one of my fave bands. The drummer of Bloc Party has a collapsed lung and they had to cancel their US/Canada tour. ><. However, good news for me, I just found out they're gonna be playing in Osaka in March!! I can't wait! On a Tuesday unfortunately, but anyone else interested in going? Now if only Arcade Fire would come...
Gah, when I have a lot to write about in my blog, I have no time to write it, and when I have nothing to write about, I produce an entry a day. Hurray, You're So Vain is playing! :P Anyway, I should have a decent, interesting blog for next week, but unfortunately for the CJPers, so will everyone else haha. Ah well.
You meet a zmobie in the Spooky Forest.
"Need brains," says the zmobie, "not fertilizer. Gaaaaaah."
He gives you some fertilizer.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Life's a Lot More Fun When You're Not Responsible for Your Actions
"You have done well so far, my friend. You have almost earned access to the Shadowy Store in our back room. In order to do this, you must complete another challenge:
"Steal your own pants, without alerting yourself to your presence..."
You sneak up behind yourself and remove your pants before you realize what's going on.
Fun and excitement abounds this weekend, where I went to JJs and Nippombashi, and almost needed a protective cup for Boon Hau's runaway cue ball playing pool.
I have preliminary plans for New Years made, involving me going south to the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, taking a trip by ferry, 6h of local trains per day, bathing with monkeys in Beppu, and partying in Fukuoka. Should be fun! I can't wait to have a private hotel room with private showers oooo. And yet a big tourist attraction in the area are the onsens... o.O
And 2 weeks till JLPT test... certain failure makes me not too worried, though I should probably consider cramming soon. Unfortunately next weekend involves an invasion of Kansai, so there's 4 days gone ><. But I only need 60% to pass. This means I need to know 48% of the info, then guess on the other 52% to pass. Or if I can eliminate 2 out of 4 answers for the questions I don't know, I only need to know 20% of the info! I have too much time on my hands at work. I should use it to study. I want a Wii. As scheduled in my calendar, I am indeed jealous of my friends' Wii's back home. It's not fair, they're all playing Zelda, as the adventurer Link, and I'm all the way over here in Japan, adventuring as Link... Hey, wait a minute! I think I got the better deal! If only work were more of an adventure... "You cannot pass me:
Pudgy caucasian ninja,
I will stop you cold"
Face turns green like Spring,
fat ninja doubles over.
Bye, procreation.
"You have done well so far, my friend. You have almost earned access to the Shadowy Store in our back room. In order to do this, you must complete another challenge:
"Steal your own pants, without alerting yourself to your presence..."
You sneak up behind yourself and remove your pants before you realize what's going on.
Fun and excitement abounds this weekend, where I went to JJs and Nippombashi, and almost needed a protective cup for Boon Hau's runaway cue ball playing pool.
I have preliminary plans for New Years made, involving me going south to the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, taking a trip by ferry, 6h of local trains per day, bathing with monkeys in Beppu, and partying in Fukuoka. Should be fun! I can't wait to have a private hotel room with private showers oooo. And yet a big tourist attraction in the area are the onsens... o.O
And 2 weeks till JLPT test... certain failure makes me not too worried, though I should probably consider cramming soon. Unfortunately next weekend involves an invasion of Kansai, so there's 4 days gone ><. But I only need 60% to pass. This means I need to know 48% of the info, then guess on the other 52% to pass. Or if I can eliminate 2 out of 4 answers for the questions I don't know, I only need to know 20% of the info! I have too much time on my hands at work. I should use it to study. I want a Wii. As scheduled in my calendar, I am indeed jealous of my friends' Wii's back home. It's not fair, they're all playing Zelda, as the adventurer Link, and I'm all the way over here in Japan, adventuring as Link... Hey, wait a minute! I think I got the better deal! If only work were more of an adventure... "You cannot pass me:
Pudgy caucasian ninja,
I will stop you cold"
Face turns green like Spring,
fat ninja doubles over.
Bye, procreation.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
The Only Skills I Have the Patience to Learn are Those that Have No Real Application in Life
"You come to a point in the forest where three paths diverge.
The left branch looks pretty normal -- the trees surrounding it are healthy, the path is well-lit, and furry woodland creatures scamper along it, just waiting to get eaten by some larger but equally furry predator.
The trees around the middle branch look as though they've been burned, the earth is scorched (though not by tiny robotic tanks, you're guessing,) and you catch the occasional glimpse of flashing lights from the distant recesses of the path.
The third branch is dark. Really dark. Really, really dark, come to think of it. You can't see anything at all past the entrance.
All of the paths look equally well-traveled, so you're not gonna be able to rely on poetry for advice in this case."
No good news to discuss today, just sitting around planning my trip for New Years. I have 5 cities I'll need to build igloos in. I hope there's enough snow.
The left branch looks pretty normal -- the trees surrounding it are healthy, the path is well-lit, and furry woodland creatures scamper along it, just waiting to get eaten by some larger but equally furry predator.
The trees around the middle branch look as though they've been burned, the earth is scorched (though not by tiny robotic tanks, you're guessing,) and you catch the occasional glimpse of flashing lights from the distant recesses of the path.
The third branch is dark. Really dark. Really, really dark, come to think of it. You can't see anything at all past the entrance.
All of the paths look equally well-traveled, so you're not gonna be able to rely on poetry for advice in this case."
No good news to discuss today, just sitting around planning my trip for New Years. I have 5 cities I'll need to build igloos in. I hope there's enough snow.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
True Friends are Hard to Come By...I Need More Money.
"In the Sleazy Back Alley, you are attacked by a big creepy spider. He promises not to kill you, but you're not sure you believe him."
What? Another post already? Yeah, they'll be frequent for the next few weeks, I'm apparently going to be overly bored at work. And blogging also benefits the poor bored readers of my blog. (Boon-hau I had donuts for breakfast.) In a second attempt to discard the infinite supply of boredom, I have decided to continue my quest, as a Disco Bandit, to free King Ralph, who has been imprismed in a prism by the Naughty Sorceress. Knob Goblins, fear my moxie!!!
Ahem, I'm talking about the online game, Kingdom of Loathing. By turning pictures off in IE, the game is quite inconspicuous at work, yet still makes me laugh. I'm considering chronicling my adventures on my blog, as I did today. Unfortunately my level 9 Seal Clubber was deleted from the server, so I'm startin from scratch.
New developments in the World of Hyrule? Not many. I have a cold. And nothing to do at work. That makes for long days. I shall probably skip the gym tonight unfortunately.
One good event yesterday, my friend Hugh from Calgary came to visit me! Well, he's doing a tour of Asia, and was in the Kyoto area. So I got to meet him for dinner, we went to the isakaya near Kyoto Station with the owner who likes Anton. It was great to see a familiar face! Too bad he wasn't here on a weekend, but it was still nice. I'd like to be here on holiday, I'm a little jealous of him.
Fun and excitement approaches this coming weekend. I see myself... well... sleeping in! I can think of nothing better! No other plans yet, but maybe everything will change. Unfortunately the power goes out in my dorm on Saturday afternoon, so no bathroom, no heat, no nothing! I better go do something that afternoon.
I shall also attempt to make up a haiku every post, to entertain and/or annoy my readers. Today's is a classic, written by me of course:
My mom told me "No!"
"Don't stick beans inside your ears!"
But I didn't hear...
And a Limerick, not written by me, but I think it's awesome anyway.
A vampire, ancient and mean
Tries to polish you to a high sheen
But you, being tougher
Slay the vampire buffer
A pun on which no one's too keen.
What? Another post already? Yeah, they'll be frequent for the next few weeks, I'm apparently going to be overly bored at work. And blogging also benefits the poor bored readers of my blog. (Boon-hau I had donuts for breakfast.) In a second attempt to discard the infinite supply of boredom, I have decided to continue my quest, as a Disco Bandit, to free King Ralph, who has been imprismed in a prism by the Naughty Sorceress. Knob Goblins, fear my moxie!!!
Ahem, I'm talking about the online game, Kingdom of Loathing. By turning pictures off in IE, the game is quite inconspicuous at work, yet still makes me laugh. I'm considering chronicling my adventures on my blog, as I did today. Unfortunately my level 9 Seal Clubber was deleted from the server, so I'm startin from scratch.
New developments in the World of Hyrule? Not many. I have a cold. And nothing to do at work. That makes for long days. I shall probably skip the gym tonight unfortunately.
One good event yesterday, my friend Hugh from Calgary came to visit me! Well, he's doing a tour of Asia, and was in the Kyoto area. So I got to meet him for dinner, we went to the isakaya near Kyoto Station with the owner who likes Anton. It was great to see a familiar face! Too bad he wasn't here on a weekend, but it was still nice. I'd like to be here on holiday, I'm a little jealous of him.
Fun and excitement approaches this coming weekend. I see myself... well... sleeping in! I can think of nothing better! No other plans yet, but maybe everything will change. Unfortunately the power goes out in my dorm on Saturday afternoon, so no bathroom, no heat, no nothing! I better go do something that afternoon.
I shall also attempt to make up a haiku every post, to entertain and/or annoy my readers. Today's is a classic, written by me of course:
My mom told me "No!"
"Don't stick beans inside your ears!"
But I didn't hear...
And a Limerick, not written by me, but I think it's awesome anyway.
A vampire, ancient and mean
Tries to polish you to a high sheen
But you, being tougher
Slay the vampire buffer
A pun on which no one's too keen.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
If Mom and Dad Cared About Me at All, They'd Buy Me Some Infra-Red Nighttime Vision Goggles
Now I know this is a very stressful season ahead. I mean, there's only 42 days left until Christmas, and I know every one of you is frantically searching for the perfect gift to get me!
I don't blame you for being worried. Choosing the perfect gift could make a world of difference! But I've come to offer you a hand. I've found an excellent candidate for the "perfect gift". But unfortunately I only need (and will only accept) a few of these, so you better hurry and get me one before everyone else does!
Intelligent Clothing
This shirt plays guitar. Air guitar to be exact. If you play air guitar while wearing this shirt, it will actually play what you're trying to play. One arm chooses the chord you wanna play, and the other arm plays it!
The shirt has electronic sensors woven into the fabric, and the movements you make are sent to a nearby computer which analyzes and plays em for you. You can jump around, play it over your head, whatever you want!
The shirt is white, however, and is subject to stains, which is why I'm willing to accept more than one. But after shirt number 5 comes in the mail, you better find another idea for the perfect present for yours truly.
That is all.
Er, wait... that is just the beginning! I have to write aboot ATR President and Dr Fish!
On Saturday I went with Anton and Rie to Anton's company's president's BBQ. Since I'm trying to keep this short, I'll only write the important points.
The President had to come fetch us when we got lost in his neighbourhood.
He wore a dirty straw hat and rubber boots.
There was basically a jungle in his backyard.
That's pretty much it, we had fried steak, and fried veggies, and BBQ banana. Some of Anton's other coworkers were there too, so we talked to them. And Anton and I went exploring/photographing.
Sunday involved a trip to Spa World, feeding Dr. Fish, and getting a wedgie.
Spa World - A resort dedicated to what most North Americans would see as an act of personal hygiene. There's 2 main bathing floors, one with an Asian theme, one with a Europe theme, one per gender and they switch every month. And there's a dozen rooms with different baths, showers, saunas, etc.
The Asian theme had rooms for Egypt, Japan, Persia, India, etc... Some baths were freezing cold, others super hot, some with jets in them, some outside, and all are full of naked Japanese men.
Interesting points: One sauna had a bowl of salt in the middle, you are supposed to take some salt and rub it all over your body. I don't get it. There's also a decent water park (swim trunks required) on the top floor with two decent water slides. We were nearly out of time so we didn't go on, and the water slides are an extra 300Y per ride anyway.
"Look! A fishy has chosen me as her perch. She's so beautiful. There's another one, and another. It's a whole flock. They like me. They're nuzzling my flesh with their noses. Now they're... they're... Aaaaaaaah!"
There is also a part of Spa World dedicated to Dr. Fish. Dr. Fish involves taking off your socks, rolling up your pants, and sticking your feet in a pool of fish-filled water. Then the fish come and nibble at your skin, eating away all the dirt/germs/dead skin. My feet musta been very dirty, they really liked me! I wonder if my feet smelled fishy after... pictures on my webalbum.
We attempted to find a gaijin hangout near Tennoji called Tin's Hall, famous for its hamburgers apparently, and after 20 min of walking we did manage to locate it. Oddly enough we found one of Anton's coworkers on his cell outside the place... small world. Then we found out there was a charity party, which meant 1000Y cover, and we were a little short on cash. So we went to Denny's.
As for the wedgie part... well, for the first time in probably 7 years, I have outgrown my jeans. It was a very proud and painful day. So yesterday I checked the scale at the gym, which put me at 129 pounds! That's 12 pounds up since I arrived in Japan! And there was much rejoicing.
1 hour till lunch. 5.25 hours of work left today. 28.5 hours of work left this week. /sigh. Thank goodness next week is a 3 day week.
I don't blame you for being worried. Choosing the perfect gift could make a world of difference! But I've come to offer you a hand. I've found an excellent candidate for the "perfect gift". But unfortunately I only need (and will only accept) a few of these, so you better hurry and get me one before everyone else does!
Intelligent Clothing
This shirt plays guitar. Air guitar to be exact. If you play air guitar while wearing this shirt, it will actually play what you're trying to play. One arm chooses the chord you wanna play, and the other arm plays it!
The shirt has electronic sensors woven into the fabric, and the movements you make are sent to a nearby computer which analyzes and plays em for you. You can jump around, play it over your head, whatever you want!
The shirt is white, however, and is subject to stains, which is why I'm willing to accept more than one. But after shirt number 5 comes in the mail, you better find another idea for the perfect present for yours truly.
That is all.
Er, wait... that is just the beginning! I have to write aboot ATR President and Dr Fish!
On Saturday I went with Anton and Rie to Anton's company's president's BBQ. Since I'm trying to keep this short, I'll only write the important points.
The President had to come fetch us when we got lost in his neighbourhood.
He wore a dirty straw hat and rubber boots.
There was basically a jungle in his backyard.
That's pretty much it, we had fried steak, and fried veggies, and BBQ banana. Some of Anton's other coworkers were there too, so we talked to them. And Anton and I went exploring/photographing.
Sunday involved a trip to Spa World, feeding Dr. Fish, and getting a wedgie.
Spa World - A resort dedicated to what most North Americans would see as an act of personal hygiene. There's 2 main bathing floors, one with an Asian theme, one with a Europe theme, one per gender and they switch every month. And there's a dozen rooms with different baths, showers, saunas, etc.
The Asian theme had rooms for Egypt, Japan, Persia, India, etc... Some baths were freezing cold, others super hot, some with jets in them, some outside, and all are full of naked Japanese men.
Interesting points: One sauna had a bowl of salt in the middle, you are supposed to take some salt and rub it all over your body. I don't get it. There's also a decent water park (swim trunks required) on the top floor with two decent water slides. We were nearly out of time so we didn't go on, and the water slides are an extra 300Y per ride anyway.
"Look! A fishy has chosen me as her perch. She's so beautiful. There's another one, and another. It's a whole flock. They like me. They're nuzzling my flesh with their noses. Now they're... they're... Aaaaaaaah!"
There is also a part of Spa World dedicated to Dr. Fish. Dr. Fish involves taking off your socks, rolling up your pants, and sticking your feet in a pool of fish-filled water. Then the fish come and nibble at your skin, eating away all the dirt/germs/dead skin. My feet musta been very dirty, they really liked me! I wonder if my feet smelled fishy after... pictures on my webalbum.
We attempted to find a gaijin hangout near Tennoji called Tin's Hall, famous for its hamburgers apparently, and after 20 min of walking we did manage to locate it. Oddly enough we found one of Anton's coworkers on his cell outside the place... small world. Then we found out there was a charity party, which meant 1000Y cover, and we were a little short on cash. So we went to Denny's.
As for the wedgie part... well, for the first time in probably 7 years, I have outgrown my jeans. It was a very proud and painful day. So yesterday I checked the scale at the gym, which put me at 129 pounds! That's 12 pounds up since I arrived in Japan! And there was much rejoicing.
1 hour till lunch. 5.25 hours of work left today. 28.5 hours of work left this week. /sigh. Thank goodness next week is a 3 day week.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Let's Agree to Respect Each Others' Views, No Matter How Wrong Yours May Be
"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass...
"... And then you see it. White shores... and beyond. A far green country, under a swift sunrise."
"Well, that isn't so bad."
"No... no it isn't."
- Tolkien
My little rant for today... I found out my work schedule for next year. It turns out that my New Year's holiday stretches from Dec 29 to January 4. This is all well and good, although I still need to plan what to do (besides construct my igloo)... However...
I will never understand Japanese business. The holiday ends on the 4th, a Thursday, then we have to work on the Friday AND Saturday, then we get the Sunday AND Monday off. So they could have given us a nine day vacation and made us work Sunday... aah well.
In addition, I haven't had much to do this week. My boss has barely been around, and the assignments I'm working on require the work of other people first. Which means I've been following the election, coding AI for my robotank, and learning about cacti.
I went to the Fire Festival at Fushimi-Inari on Wednesday night. We missed the fire ritual at 2pm, but there was one part that started at 6. Unfortunately, big dud, there's no way to describe it except incredibly boring. Then we heard shouting/chanting nearby, decided to check it out, it had to be more exciting than what we were watching. Only once we started looking for it, we couldn't hear it anymore, aarrgh. So we left and got all you can eat yakiniku.
PS3 comes out tomorrow apparently! I should go check out the lineups tonight, see how crazy they are! The price of it seems a bit excessive for me (though I guess I could sell it... for millions of yen!), and besides, I don't want one till FFXIII comes out! I have my priorities! And I'm kinda a geek... ><
And Dems victorious... barely... in the US. As Dan Rather would say, the race was "As ugly as a hog lagoon after a bachelor party." Now we'll see if any changes are made, but Rumsfeld gone is probably a good start. The most important news story of the day, which was on the front page of MSNBC... Why not to insert a firecracker into your rectum and light it. It's a worse idea than designing a bra that can be transformed into a shopping bag. Aah, the news is so entertaining at work. And people wonder why I don't drink...
Beware, the French-Chinese are trying to take over Hawaii. That is all.
"... And then you see it. White shores... and beyond. A far green country, under a swift sunrise."
"Well, that isn't so bad."
"No... no it isn't."
- Tolkien
My little rant for today... I found out my work schedule for next year. It turns out that my New Year's holiday stretches from Dec 29 to January 4. This is all well and good, although I still need to plan what to do (besides construct my igloo)... However...
I will never understand Japanese business. The holiday ends on the 4th, a Thursday, then we have to work on the Friday AND Saturday, then we get the Sunday AND Monday off. So they could have given us a nine day vacation and made us work Sunday... aah well.
In addition, I haven't had much to do this week. My boss has barely been around, and the assignments I'm working on require the work of other people first. Which means I've been following the election, coding AI for my robotank, and learning about cacti.
I went to the Fire Festival at Fushimi-Inari on Wednesday night. We missed the fire ritual at 2pm, but there was one part that started at 6. Unfortunately, big dud, there's no way to describe it except incredibly boring. Then we heard shouting/chanting nearby, decided to check it out, it had to be more exciting than what we were watching. Only once we started looking for it, we couldn't hear it anymore, aarrgh. So we left and got all you can eat yakiniku.
PS3 comes out tomorrow apparently! I should go check out the lineups tonight, see how crazy they are! The price of it seems a bit excessive for me (though I guess I could sell it... for millions of yen!), and besides, I don't want one till FFXIII comes out! I have my priorities! And I'm kinda a geek... ><
And Dems victorious... barely... in the US. As Dan Rather would say, the race was "As ugly as a hog lagoon after a bachelor party." Now we'll see if any changes are made, but Rumsfeld gone is probably a good start. The most important news story of the day, which was on the front page of MSNBC... Why not to insert a firecracker into your rectum and light it. It's a worse idea than designing a bra that can be transformed into a shopping bag. Aah, the news is so entertaining at work. And people wonder why I don't drink...
Beware, the French-Chinese are trying to take over Hawaii. That is all.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Live and Don't Learn, That's Us
Well, I'm not sure why I'm writing another blog, other than because Clem told me to. He is apparently bored. However, he didn't give me a topic to write about, so I told him I'd write about cacti.
Soo... cacti: They live in the desert. They have spikes.
Actually, to be fair, cacti are a lot more interesting than just that... for example, they are extremely well suited for their environment, living in areas that most other plants could not survive in. Wikipedia also writes about how the prickly pear was introduced in Australia to be used as an agricultural fence, but spread out of control and has since rendered 40,000 sq. km. of farmland unusable. This isn't the case in South America, where a native moth's larvae feeds on the pear, controlling its population. But when the same moth was accidently introduced north of where it's usually found, it caused havoc to the local vegetation.
Why am I writing this? Mostly because I told Clem I would, the topic of cacti was chosen randomly by myself. But also because it shows how cool life and the ecosystem is. It's so balanced that even a small change (like a moth) can cause big consequences. This is a rather literal example of the butterfly effect ><. Or as despair.com puts it, "When the winds of change blow hard enough, the most trivial of things can become deadly projectiles." I was telling Byron the other day, for those that don't know, despair.com actually has trademarked the frownie... :-(. See, I would have just broke copyright law, but I have purchased a supply of Frownies from the despair.com store. This is true, look it up. It's finally November 7, at least here. And I'm sure you all know what that means. In less than 24 hours (make that 24 days) we'll find out the results of one very important election. Either way, with the Diebold voting machines and new voting rules and restrictions, the vote and likely recount(s) could get mighty messy.
I receive my first visitor from Canada next week, my friend is doing a long tour of Southeast Asia. Unfortunately he's gonna be in Kyoto during the work week, but hopefully I'll still get to see him.
JLPT is coming up soon, 26 days. Hard to find time to study still, and last minute panic hasn't sunk in. But it doesn't really matter how I do, I took the test to motivate me to study, and it has, so victory is mine. However, I got a reasonable shot of passing. Keith and I know our Kanji quite well, and I know a fair bit of vocab and grammar. And I only need 60% to pass.
Work's a bit boring, killing time by developing AI for a programming game. As well as looking for good companies to apply for summer internships to. Anyone have any suggestions for either of these?
Well... back to studying!
Soo... cacti: They live in the desert. They have spikes.
Actually, to be fair, cacti are a lot more interesting than just that... for example, they are extremely well suited for their environment, living in areas that most other plants could not survive in. Wikipedia also writes about how the prickly pear was introduced in Australia to be used as an agricultural fence, but spread out of control and has since rendered 40,000 sq. km. of farmland unusable. This isn't the case in South America, where a native moth's larvae feeds on the pear, controlling its population. But when the same moth was accidently introduced north of where it's usually found, it caused havoc to the local vegetation.
Why am I writing this? Mostly because I told Clem I would, the topic of cacti was chosen randomly by myself. But also because it shows how cool life and the ecosystem is. It's so balanced that even a small change (like a moth) can cause big consequences. This is a rather literal example of the butterfly effect ><. Or as despair.com puts it, "When the winds of change blow hard enough, the most trivial of things can become deadly projectiles." I was telling Byron the other day, for those that don't know, despair.com actually has trademarked the frownie... :-(. See, I would have just broke copyright law, but I have purchased a supply of Frownies from the despair.com store. This is true, look it up. It's finally November 7, at least here. And I'm sure you all know what that means. In less than 24 hours (make that 24 days) we'll find out the results of one very important election. Either way, with the Diebold voting machines and new voting rules and restrictions, the vote and likely recount(s) could get mighty messy.
I receive my first visitor from Canada next week, my friend is doing a long tour of Southeast Asia. Unfortunately he's gonna be in Kyoto during the work week, but hopefully I'll still get to see him.
JLPT is coming up soon, 26 days. Hard to find time to study still, and last minute panic hasn't sunk in. But it doesn't really matter how I do, I took the test to motivate me to study, and it has, so victory is mine. However, I got a reasonable shot of passing. Keith and I know our Kanji quite well, and I know a fair bit of vocab and grammar. And I only need 60% to pass.
Work's a bit boring, killing time by developing AI for a programming game. As well as looking for good companies to apply for summer internships to. Anyone have any suggestions for either of these?
Well... back to studying!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Even If Lives DID Hang in the Balance, It Would Depend on Whose They Were!
Last weekend I went to Rie’s (Anton’s Friend) University, the Osaka University for the Arts, for the school’s festival. And I know what you’re thinking… ("A festival run by Fine Arts Students?! Uh oh!") and you’d be correct. So after a 2 hour journey we arrive at the festival in time to get harassed by food vendors!
Oh, I should mention "we" being myself, Anton, and Rie of course, but also Boon-hau, Philo (one of Anton’s coworkers) and her parents.
Actually, half the festival seemed to be made up of food vendors. Everything from hot dogs to yakisoba to bubble tea, and more. Other vendors too, selling used clothes/cds, some selling items that they had crafted themselves.
It was rather interesting, many of the students were dressed up. Besides the numerous male students dressed as schoolgirls or in Chinese style dresses, there was a girl with eggs on her head, an cardboard samurai, a guy dressed up in a chicken costume meant for a 6 year old, and Darth Vader advertising donuts.
The first show we saw was the martial arts performance. They started off with a little skit about guys possessed by evil magical pantyhose they wore on their heads, and the good guys had to use their karate skillz to exorcise the stockings. Then each group performed a routine, some involving demonstrations of throws, or breaking boards (two good ones), and one that appeared to be dancing with sticks.
Next we went to a taiko drum/dance performance which was outdoors on the main stage. They were both very good. All the guy performers had multicolored hair, and some had facepaint, which is expected for arts students. At the very last move of the dancing, the guy at the front in the very center of the stage split his pants, quite visibly, right down the middle! Talent… you couldn’t have planned that better. Then our bad karma earned by laughing at/with the guy resulted in us being dragged onstage (not just us, lots of people) to dance with them ><. Of our group, only Boon-hau showed any signs of coordination. It was amusing.
Next were some ninja-themed stage performances. They probably would have been more entertaining if I had been able to understand the plot, but what kenya do? Besides learn Japanese of course (I’m workin on it!!!)
Wow, that bird’s a good fisherman! The cormorant I’m watching just caught a 4 inch long fish and is trying to force it down it’s throat without dropping it… Mine! Mine!
I’m sitting next to the river downtown writing this, it’s a very nice spot for just hanging out. But maybe for not much longer, it’s getting rather cool.
Didn’t do much this weekend, went to the gym all three days, studied, played vid games with a friend back home, and started writing my resume and cover letters, yay! Gotta start applying for summer jobs soon.
In other news, peanut butter has been acquired. This is good news.
There’s also a girl that lives a few houses down from my dorm (no, this story is not going where you think it is…). She’s about 8 years old and she has her own unicycle! I see her practicing on my way back from the grocery store occasionally… I don’t think I could ever ride one of those, too many directions to fall in.
Officially half done my internship now. I’ve been here 161 days! And 5 months, or 146 days to go till I’m back in Canada. I hear planning is underway on my welcome home party, there’s gonna be ducks, clowns and balloon animals! I can’t wait!
Oh, I should mention "we" being myself, Anton, and Rie of course, but also Boon-hau, Philo (one of Anton’s coworkers) and her parents.
Actually, half the festival seemed to be made up of food vendors. Everything from hot dogs to yakisoba to bubble tea, and more. Other vendors too, selling used clothes/cds, some selling items that they had crafted themselves.
It was rather interesting, many of the students were dressed up. Besides the numerous male students dressed as schoolgirls or in Chinese style dresses, there was a girl with eggs on her head, an cardboard samurai, a guy dressed up in a chicken costume meant for a 6 year old, and Darth Vader advertising donuts.
The first show we saw was the martial arts performance. They started off with a little skit about guys possessed by evil magical pantyhose they wore on their heads, and the good guys had to use their karate skillz to exorcise the stockings. Then each group performed a routine, some involving demonstrations of throws, or breaking boards (two good ones), and one that appeared to be dancing with sticks.
Next we went to a taiko drum/dance performance which was outdoors on the main stage. They were both very good. All the guy performers had multicolored hair, and some had facepaint, which is expected for arts students. At the very last move of the dancing, the guy at the front in the very center of the stage split his pants, quite visibly, right down the middle! Talent… you couldn’t have planned that better. Then our bad karma earned by laughing at/with the guy resulted in us being dragged onstage (not just us, lots of people) to dance with them ><. Of our group, only Boon-hau showed any signs of coordination. It was amusing.
Next were some ninja-themed stage performances. They probably would have been more entertaining if I had been able to understand the plot, but what kenya do? Besides learn Japanese of course (I’m workin on it!!!)
Wow, that bird’s a good fisherman! The cormorant I’m watching just caught a 4 inch long fish and is trying to force it down it’s throat without dropping it… Mine! Mine!
I’m sitting next to the river downtown writing this, it’s a very nice spot for just hanging out. But maybe for not much longer, it’s getting rather cool.
Didn’t do much this weekend, went to the gym all three days, studied, played vid games with a friend back home, and started writing my resume and cover letters, yay! Gotta start applying for summer jobs soon.
In other news, peanut butter has been acquired. This is good news.
There’s also a girl that lives a few houses down from my dorm (no, this story is not going where you think it is…). She’s about 8 years old and she has her own unicycle! I see her practicing on my way back from the grocery store occasionally… I don’t think I could ever ride one of those, too many directions to fall in.
Officially half done my internship now. I’ve been here 161 days! And 5 months, or 146 days to go till I’m back in Canada. I hear planning is underway on my welcome home party, there’s gonna be ducks, clowns and balloon animals! I can’t wait!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Your Simian Countenance Suggests a Heritage Unusually Rich in Species Diversity
Like delicate lace, so the threads intertwine,
Oh, gossamer web of wond'rous design!
Such beauty and grace wild nature produces...
Ughh, look at that spider suck out that bug's juices!
- Sir Calvin
Well, just a short little blog today methinks, to inform you all of yet another incident involving my powers of attracting older men.
Having nothing to do, I went to the gym all by me onesies, savvy? The first incident occurred while I was doing flys on the bench... sitting up and resting on the bench between the 2nd and 3rd set, an older guy with gray hair sits down on the other end of the bench and starts doing arm curls! How rude! According to Dave, some Japanese people treat foreigners as if they don't exist. Not the funnest experience, but what kenya do?
Moving on to legs, I start my leg press sets and a different older gray haired man goes on the leg press machine next to me. After I finish, I move onto leg extensions, and a few seconds later, the same guy is beside me on the chest press machine. Once I finish, I move back to the benches, and a minute or two later, guess who's on the bench beside me... that's right, I'm being stalked by old men in the gym. Should I be flattered? Or running?
In other news. I am still without peanut butter. This is important. Peanut butter is good.
I have also been the first one to claim the landmark 1000th post on the CJP forum. Boon-hau claims that by deleting one of his posts and reposting means he gets the achievement. I think this should be construed as cheating, and should not be tolerated.
Anyway, there'll be a longer post up in a day or 2. It has to do with how fine arts students are crazy everywhere, and should be quite entertaining of a blog. For a sneak peak, check out my webalbum at http://picasaweb.google.com/keidan.link.
Long weekend ahoy, 2 hours to go! Mmm 3 days to sleep in and do whatever I want!
Awwwk! Wind in 'is sails!
Oh, gossamer web of wond'rous design!
Such beauty and grace wild nature produces...
Ughh, look at that spider suck out that bug's juices!
- Sir Calvin
Well, just a short little blog today methinks, to inform you all of yet another incident involving my powers of attracting older men.
Having nothing to do, I went to the gym all by me onesies, savvy? The first incident occurred while I was doing flys on the bench... sitting up and resting on the bench between the 2nd and 3rd set, an older guy with gray hair sits down on the other end of the bench and starts doing arm curls! How rude! According to Dave, some Japanese people treat foreigners as if they don't exist. Not the funnest experience, but what kenya do?
Moving on to legs, I start my leg press sets and a different older gray haired man goes on the leg press machine next to me. After I finish, I move onto leg extensions, and a few seconds later, the same guy is beside me on the chest press machine. Once I finish, I move back to the benches, and a minute or two later, guess who's on the bench beside me... that's right, I'm being stalked by old men in the gym. Should I be flattered? Or running?
In other news. I am still without peanut butter. This is important. Peanut butter is good.
I have also been the first one to claim the landmark 1000th post on the CJP forum. Boon-hau claims that by deleting one of his posts and reposting means he gets the achievement. I think this should be construed as cheating, and should not be tolerated.
Anyway, there'll be a longer post up in a day or 2. It has to do with how fine arts students are crazy everywhere, and should be quite entertaining of a blog. For a sneak peak, check out my webalbum at http://picasaweb.google.com/keidan.link.
Long weekend ahoy, 2 hours to go! Mmm 3 days to sleep in and do whatever I want!
Awwwk! Wind in 'is sails!
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