Wii Safety Video

Beware... Wii owners... beware.

Beware, the Sushi Police are coming.

I found this really well written article about how the Japanese Government, the ministry of Agriculture, is going to create a Japanese restaurant certification. Now this may not sound like a bad thing at all... except when you realize that this is a ministry that is certifying restaurants abroad.

I highly recommend the article, but here's the synopsis:

What this means is that a team of Japanese could come to Vancouver, and having gone into a restaurant where !gasp! BC Rolls, California Rolls and Dynamite Rolls are being served, they could decide that since these are not Japanese foods, that this restaurant is not an official Japan sanctioned restaurant. Of course, this is really only meant for Japanese nationals, who are travelling. I suppose they want to create a list of certified authentic Japanese food around the world that Japanese tourists around the world will feel comfortable going to.

I admit there are some bad sushi restaurants, but there are also some very good combinations that even many in Japan would like. I know my wife seems to like rolls with Cream Cheese in them... even though they're definitely NOT Japanese.

I think fusion foods can really bring out the best in a cuisine and if you want my advice, check out "Wild Rice" close to tinseltown downtown for some of the best fusion Chinese you'll ever have.

Sidenote: I wonder if the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture realize that tempura comes from Europe?

Today's Comedy Test

Your mission... watch this video and comment on whether it is funny. If not funny, watch it again. If still not funny, go see doctor.

Comic Life

Hehe... I made this comic with a cool program called Comic Life... by Plasq It's really cool. Seriously, i was done in less than minutes. You'll often find this kind of easy to use, quick to learn software for the mac. This was the first time using it and i actually did something cool in 5 minutes. I highly recommend THIS link.

Mentos and Coke? Again?

Well, apparently a couple of guys are doing some viral marketing for coke and Mentos. Pretty cool stuff. I hope these guys are getting paid for this work, it's some pretty creative stuff. Looks like a lot of fun too.

We want a Wee Wii on a Wee TV

Say That 5x fast.... i DARE you.

This is pretty cool for fans of miniaturization. FYI, this is by someone in Japan. Is ANYONE surprised?

Saving the environment, one sheet at a time...

In case you've ever wondered how you can personally make an impact and save the environment:

Why TV Sucks... especially Jerry Bruckheimer

Allow me to go onto a tirade...

CSI. It's like a drug. But at the same time it isn't. I admit, I was never really into it in the first place. Perhaps I'm not its target demographic. I don't know who is. But seriously, I think it's aimed at information junkies. You know the type. The ones that are constantly searching for keywords in people's conversations so they can look it up on the internet later, or now, on wireless enabled phones and palm pilots.

It's for this reason that I find CSI addicting. It's like it gives you this inside view. You seem to actually learn something... Be it about supernotes or how rare Fire Ants are in Las Vegas. Perhaps it is this educational aspect that draws all its viewers. The other day, there was an episode on Supernotes. I looked them up. I really didn't know much about them before that. It WAS interesting, I'll admit.

But one thing that CSI fails miserably in is character development. I know I haven't watched the show much, but I don't seem to really care about the characters one way or another. It seems that the show isn't really about the characters though, it's about the technology, the cool factor, the special effects. I don't know 'bout you, but I'm sick of them. Any character development seems forced.

I only watch CSI because Seiko likes it, although with all the highly technical language, I'm not sure what she gets out of it. At least it gives me an opportunity to explain high-level english words and phrases to her. Not sure how useful it would be though, unless she decides to go into criminology.

Another thing about CSI is that it just isn't realistic, and there's a whole lot of conjecture, too. It's supposition based on supposition based on supposition.

And one more thing... Jerry Bruckheimer is a genius. He's got three shows with different names and the same storyline set in three different cities. It's like if they launched Star Trek:TNG DS9 and Voyager at the same time but they were all really popular. Talk about Ratings hog.

Give me Battlestar Galactica any time.

The Picard Song

This is crazy well done:

Red Bull Goodness

This is actually a really cool sound byte of Red Bull Cans. I can imagine how much work this would've taken.

The Internet is Falling! The Internet is Falling!!!

I don't know what happened, but today, I opened up my browser and this page showed up. I HAVE NEVER seen a google page go down... EVER!!! This is the company that has thousands and thousands and thousands of computers, for the sole task of searching the internet!!!!

I was shocked. The Internet is Ending.


In other news, I took up my Kanji studies again. I'm doing a little each day. And with the help of http://kanji.koohii.com I'm getting more benefit out of using mnemonics to remember the Kanji.

for example: take

漁

for example. If we break it apart, on the left you have water (three drops) on top you have capture, the grid in the middle is a rice field, and on the bottom you have fire. It means "fishing." Normally Japanese just memorize it... but they learn all these over 6-7 years in school and have the advantage of starting when they're 5 and being surrounded by it everyday. I don't have EITHER of those luxuries. So I make stories. For this one (left to right, top to bottom) you're a Japanese farmer on the water. You capture the fish, go home and throw the head and guts in the rice field (for fertilizer) and then cook it over the fire. water, capture, rice field, fire! Easy! Take the water on the left off and you have 魚, fish(out of water).

Of course, there's more to it than that... and you have to build your way up to that... but now I can recognize seemingly complex kanji like 願 much more easily without studying for 6 years. By the way, it means petition and I remember it by imagine a huge wizard of Oz head in a meadow... don't ask. Of course, I still need to learn the pronounciations, but hey, one step at a time, right? I'm 10% done.

Anyway, it's interesting and Seiko gets a kick out of it... she doesn't see how I can get it... (Of course, because she has these characters etched into her brain from childhood)

 

A Bipedal Dog...

Calling all Dog Lovers. Bringing you another gem from the vestiges of youTube. This makes me want to get a two-legged dog. I know it's possible to teach a human to walk on their hands... but this is AMAZING!

The Source of Ultimate Cuteness

This one's for Kimmy:

Finger Exercises for the Otaku in you!

Wish you were better at Mario Party? Wish no more! You too can have the amazing skill of 16 button presses per second!

Just do these Japanese finger exercises. Actually, they're really difficult! I wonder if these were sponsored by Nintendo?

You don't know the power of the cute side...

What happens when Darth Vader goes soft? I don't know where this is, or WHAT this guy (girl) was thinking... but in case you're were wondering what REALLY happened when Vader tried to go undercover in Japan...

Those Crazy Russians

Click here for a crazy (high-strung?) russian in the Massive Moscow Subway system.

Little known fact: Moscow has one of the most used and most beautiful subways in the world. 8 million people per DAY travel on that subway and it covers a HUGE area. Each station has amazing art and architecture, mostly built while the nation was communist! This map is 35 x 45km.

Crazy Crosswinds

Ever see a plane land sideways? Check it out.

Don't Copy that Floppy

For all those that remember the computers of the early 90s and happen to love old-school hip-hop...

In honour of Portugal

Okay, it's been a while. I promise to never... no scratch that, I can't make promises. Hey, this blog is free entertainment, so quit complaining!
The World Cup is over, and this is a video of Portugal practicing.

For those that prefer a traditional look

  

Finally, a teaser...

Since you've all been complaining (all three of you), I have finally put up a wedding picture.

  

Goldeneye live action recreation

Long time no post, I know. Good news... I'm married. I just got the pictures back today, so I will post a few up later when I get a moment... but for now lets turn back the FPS clock to the days of GoldenEye...

Dancing thru the ages

For anyone who lived through the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s. This guy is pretty good... and FUNNY! And boy, can he dance!

Wii!!!

Let me get one thing straight. I'm not a gamer. I've never really been a gamer, although when I was younger I loved mario and stuff.

Modern video games have too steep a learning curve.
Enter the Wii. Formerly called the Revolution, it's the first system I've actually wanted to buy. It looks amazing and easy to use... the controller becomes an extension of your arm.

awesome.

Enter the Ping Pong Matrix

I've seen some cool things on Japanese variety shows... but this one is definitely on the top 20.

Four Old Ladies Beat a guy down...

Difficult to understand with the accent, but extremely funny! You will split a gut.

Trophies Are Great

Trophies are great. 10pts goes to the first person who guess what the trophy is for.

Anyway, so I came in second. I was 7. There were only 3 contestants... so I guess the 3rd place guy got third... AND dead last. Man, wouldn't wanna be THAT guy!

Cool Kingdom Hall!

This is a picture of the kingdom hall my brother goes to in Scotland. Cool eh? Looks like a Watchtower, too! In case you're wondering, it's in Tranent.

Which, in any case, is here in case you're wondering.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

I love Clay. Wallace and Grommet and stuff...

Ask a Ninja : What is a Podcast

So FUNNY! If you're over the age of 12, you may have asked this question.

I couldn't get through the whole thing without laughing out loud! I LOVE this guys logical rambling.

Wacky Weather Hi-Jinks!

 
What strange weather. On the top, it says "COLD SNOW" in the windshield of my car.
On the bottom you see a picture taken 8 hours later!!!! And it was all GONE! No trace of snow left! What wacky weather 

Inspirational

When I see people play like this, I start to wish I could...

Seriously, this is an amazing piece of music. I found this through a friend of mine's blog: http://esspress.blogspot.com Thanks Mon!

Turn up the volume people. It's moving. Listen to it to the end. It's worth it.

Accepting new things...

One thing about Japan that I think is really cool is that they're open to change. In a big way. About 10 years ago, Coca-cola changed the formula of Coke to taste better (sweeter and with less acidic bite, like Pepsi). Well, when they did, despite blind taste tests proving that people overwhelmingly liked the new flavor better, they had a nationwide boycott and a huge revolt. The people were incensed that Coca-cola actually had the audacity to change their "American icon." In Japan, people would probably think, well, the new product is probably better and hey, it's been improved.

It's ironic, that a nation with 1000s of years of history is ready to accept the next new thing, while a 200 year old nation tenaciously clings to whatever young history it has. Something that's over 50 years old in "the new world" is considered old, over 100 years is ancient, over 150 years... well, that's a relic.

And if you don't believe me, this video will have Ronald turning in his grave.

Isn't Japan cool?

Japanese Rodeo Exercise Machine

First, there was the Ab-Roller, then the Abdominizer, then the Ab-matical... now they've moved onto the Glutes (The butt)... The Glute-anizer!?

Well, if you're in Japan and you want to get a stronger butt, wait no longer...

Have Kids' shows gotten cuter?

One of the things that I love about Britain is intelligent pre-school kids shows. Yes, you heard that right. Anyway, one of the cuter ones is Pocoyo, which in Spanish apparently means "little me" or something. Cute.

Japan's New National Hero

Well, if you've watched the Olympics at all you might know that Japan has not even won ONE medal this Olympics... that is until Yesterday. Shizuka Arakawa won Gold in one of the most popular events, Women's Figure Skating. Combines Short Program and Long Program. Even though her Gold was due in part to Sasha of US and Slutskaya of Russia making mistakes, Shizuka skated cleanly and elegantly. And here's the proof:

Flashback... January 2003 Smalltalk, much ado about nothing.

This is something I wrote in January 2003... I think it's one of the funniest things I've written, and I actually laughed out loud when I was reading it. Your sense of humor may not allow you to respond in such a hilarious way, but anyway, I digress... for your reading pleasure (Maybe My visitor from Jakarta will actually post):
(note: edited only for spelling errors and clarity.)

smalltalk - Much Ado About Nothing

Smalltalk... what is it? It’s a common word. In fact, it’s actually a real word. There’s even a dictionary entry which says: “light or casual conversation. See CHITCHAT.”

Now I’m not usually one to disagree with Mr. Webster and his word definitions, but this time, I take exception. According to Mr. Webster a conversation is : “oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas”

So how can smalltalk be considered "conversation?" It can't. Smalltalk is none of these. Therefore, it should not be considered “conversation.”

I sense, however, that some of you disagree. Some of you perhaps think that asking
“What’s New?” or
“How are you?” is technically expressing a “sentiment. Let me correct you here, and set matters straight... These are not sentiments. They are filler. They're like the sawdust they put in McDonalds cheeseburgers. No nutritional value.

Oftentimes, we ask:
“How are you?” and expect the answer to be
“I’m fine, everything’s hunky-dory, how are you?”
No one actually wants to hear that you’re a sniveling bag of sickness, though we will sympathize with you. In the end, we’ll say something painfully trite like “hang in there,” or “don’t worry, you’ll be fine” and promptly look for an exit. Don’t get me wrong, we CAN show true concern; just don’t lacquer it with the ugly banality of smalltalk.

Sometimes in smalltalk we make an observation and... well that just gets you in trouble. Imagine making an observation on someone’s shoes or the wonderful scent they’re wearing. You ask the name of the scent and then either forget its name or put it on your shopping list and then you’re now out of material to talk about. The worst-case scenario is that they say they’re not wearing anything scented and so you're forced to therefore conclude it must be the smell of their underarm deodorant. imagine how THAT conversation would continue:

“...so, then it’s your deodorant that has that lovely smell.”
“Yes, I suppose so, I do wear the stuff.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest that you didn’t!” You reply, and fumbling for words you utter:
“So then is it the winter fresh or the spring meadows scent, and what brand do you wear?”
After realizing that you are now staring at their underarms, they utter:
“I really don’t know… it was on sale”

After 2 or 3 minutes of discussing whether stick or roll-on or spray is better and arguing over whether anti-perspirant causes Alzheimer’s disease or not, you realize you’ve just had a small conversation about masking unpleasant body odours. And you also feel like you should be on a Consumer Reports user survey Panel.

As far as I have discovered, smalltalk is just that… small insignificant talk uttered in rapid succession, according to a tried and tested formula that will elicit the standard formulaic response. It’s like practicing math equations with friends. You say something like “how are you”, add a question mark and it equals what you thought they were going to say anyway: “I’m fine.” When they do actually say something you don’t expect like, “Oh, I’m horrible,” your mind goes into jeopardy mode:

bzzzzt, wrong answer, lets go to friend number 2, please pick a topic.
"I'll take proper answers to smalltalk questions for 400$, please"

Conversations should be like game shows, at least we’d come out with some money at the end of them.

So why do we do smalltalk? I suppose it’s because we’re social animals… [yes, we’re animals, no laughing you at the back] If we weren’t, we’d be more like cats [Don’t believe Disney, cats are loners] or lizards.

We also wouldn’t care what others thought of us. We’d eat, we’d sleep, hunt mice, bask in the sun and mind our own business. Hmmm… doesn’t sound so bad, come to think of it. ;-)

I recently stumbled onto this interesting tidbit on the web:
“a Scientific American article once [said] that chimps have a whole part of their brain devoted to the activities of social grooming—which is essential to maintaining good social relations and a healthy simian psyche. That same structure in human brains is devoted to "small talk." Apparently humans have much larger tribes than chimps by an order of magnitude or two, and we don't have the time to groom everyone we know on a regular basis. So we have evolved to chitchat and send little notes. Not to mention emails. All of which is our way of maintaining our personal network of friends, relations and acquaintances; telling them "I value you and hope you value me too." That's why we try to act cooler than we are and why we get stage fright and buy expensive clothes or cars because deep down, just like Sally Field we all hope that everyone really likes us.”

So there you go, now I just have to accept it as social grooming, the necessary method of connecting us all. Hey, what chimp can’t pick out their own fleas, anyway? Trivial or not, smalltalk seems to be all about basic human interaction. Maybe it is all about the human psyche, keeping it all healthy and trimmed and feeling happy and good. Maybe there is some deep-rooted need for useless banter that eludes me, some basic need to ask rhetorical questions that Mr. Spock would deem as not only useless but also inefficient. Of course, Spock was half human and let’s face it, he doesn’t really exist anyway, as he was the creation of a smalltalking human mind, so that puts to rest any Vulcan ideas, doesn't it?

Whatever the case, I can’t seem to get away from it, and I as much as I find it revolting, I sometimes resort to the soothing melodic formulaic rhythmic undertones of smalltalk. I get caught up in its wake, and taken for a right on the rhetorical chitchat train…

So ask me how am I doing... I will respond :

“Oh I’m doing fine, thank-you very much, how are you?

But please call it what it is, "social grooming," you pick my fleas and I'll pick mine, and then maybe after some good flea picking we can actually have real conversation.

Radical Gnarly 80s

Ah the 80s. Those were some crazy years. We went to an 80s party (click the title for more pictures) and I think Kyle won the prize for the MOST 80s-like outfit. I mean, he got a MULLET. A MULLET!
Not that I REMEMBER the 80s... errr... yeah... I'm dating myself...
To be fair, I was never a teenager in the 80s... but I DO remember watching Back to the Future. I loved that movie. 

Bar Harbor, Maine

So, as some of you have noticed, I added a feature on the blog to see where people have visited from. Basically, it shows the last 100 visitors and displays it on a map found here

And if you take a look at it, you'll see Bar Harbour, Maine keeps showing up. I don't think the map is totally accurate, but it gives a general idea of where each person is It probably actually supplies the area where the ISP (Internet Service Provider) is, but anyway, it's interesting. What's most interesting is the massive amount of visits from Bar Harbour, Maine. I don't know anyone from Bar Harbour, Maine... so I figure it's from a friend who I KNOW reads this blog, from the neighbouring area... New Brunswick. If you zoom into that area, you'll see that it's actually pretty close.

It's not completely accurate, but it's pretty good.

Actually, what surprises me even MORE is the number of East coast visitor I have... I really don't know anyone from there...

And... to top it off... Jakarta... I'd love to know how someone in Jakarta came across this blog.

The Robot...

Okay, I'll get back to the Japan Series soon enough, but there's this really cool video I wanted to share first. Do the Robot... the second guy is really impressive... REALLY impressive.
I seriously think he's not human... I mean... this guy is some terminator from the future, right?

EXTREMELY COOL ALERT! New Tablet Mac? Who knows

Apparently, Apple is bringing out a Tablet Mac. To those who don't know what that is, it's basically just a screen the size of a laptop screen without a keyboard, or at least with a detachable keyboard.

You would interact with it using touch-screen technology. I know touch-screen technology isn't new, but knowing apple they will implement it in new ways. The current rumour is that they will implement it using some newly developed interfacing at MIT. Here's a video that shows a demo. The longer you watch the cooler it gets, so make sure you watch it to the end.

Poetry in Motion: Symbolism in Video Art

I really like this video. It's like poetry in motion.
The little man... represented by the organic wishbone (adam's rib comes to mind as a biblical allusion) drives the massive corporate machine.

So does the machine drive the man... or does man drive the machine?

Or has the machine man strapped himself to support the man that the man must work hard to guide?

So many thoughts about this video pop up... maybe I'm overanalyzing.

The Art of Preparation: Japan Series #7

If there's something Japanese do well, it's food preparation. I suppose this shouldn't be much of a surprise, considering Sushi, which is ALL about preparing fish, comes from Japan.

Gifts are pre-wrapped meticulously and beautifully. Restaurants place place plastic appetize-inducing relicas of their menus out in display windows. And food always looks good.
Anyway, this art goes far beyond food. In fact, it permeates into most of the culture. Appearance is very important in Japan. I remember getting served tea in Japan and a few drops of lemon were added not to enhance the flavor of the ugly-colored brown tea, but to change it to a beautiful shade of deep pink.

This permeates into things such as fashion, floral arrangement and electronic goods as well, as people generally don't buy defective goods. But this is especially evident in food. When you see individual apples wrapped in foam to prevent damage, you know they take presentation seriously.

As a result of this attention to detail, not only do things taste good (most fruits and veggies are organically grown in Japan) but it looks great too! 

Jezebel and King Ahab: Japan Series #6

When I was in Japan, the local brothers and sisters had a small party for Seiko and I and some others who were leaving. It was kind of an engagement party. Anyway, it was really fun. They had practiced bible skits and had them recorded in the background... It was like a real drama. It was really good. I actually have some video of it, but I'm just going to post a picture for now.
I LOVE this picture. I'll let you figure out which one is Jezebel. 

Finally, it's done...

I've been working on this wedding website for the better part of a few months now. It was supposed to be finished a few weeks ago... but I've been adding to it now and then. It's not actually completely DONE but it will probably never really be done, as I'll continually add more photos and revise stuff, working more on making it both 日本語 and English. Anyway, take a look and let me know what you think, or sign the guestbook (You can sign in English or Japanese). One note. If you click on the pictures on the slideshow, you can see the story behind it. Thanks all! Here's the link:
http://www.seikoandgary.com

The Real Canadian Stupidstore

I went grocery shopping today. I've been eating healthy recently and so to do that means buying more fresh food.

Anyway, a little bit about where I live. I live within 15 minutes walk of Superstore. It's literally down the road. I'm on 1st avenue, it's on 10th.

Superstore is surrounded by a massive surface parking lot filled with minivans and aggresive soccer mom drivers. Actually they're more likely pianist mums, as superstore works hard to cater to minorities. After all, those from different countries usually don't buy brand if it's more expensive as they haven't got the natural prejudice to know that kraft is obviously the superior macaroni.

I tell you the things these people do to find a good parking spot are crazy.

They'll drive around for 10 minutes following people to their waiting cars and leaving their turn signal on for 10 minutes waitng for them to vacate the parking lot. Meanwhile the ones who parked on the spacious far side of the lot are in the store and have a grocery cart half full and are contemplating where the shortest line up is.

I hate superstore.

Actually I make it a point to rarely if ever shop there. Why would I shop in a packed store with half rotten produce (it's seriously gross, sometimes) and 10 trillion aisles spead out so that all the things you need are on opposite sides of the store. And try finding someone to help you. Impossible. Utterly impossible. And when you do ask them they say aisle 40 or 42, somewhere around there. They never take you there because chances are it will take 15 minutes to get there from the part of the store you're in. Add to that, they're gettin paid minimum age. There's a reason they give some employees rollerblades.

In addition, to save big you need to buy mutiplies of 352 to save 10 cents per can. Why do I need four loaves of bread?

Superstore is not designed with single people in mind. In addition to this, it closes at 10pm. I can't understand why a store which has 20 minute lineups at 9:45 doesn't open until midnight. There are NEVER short lineups at superstore. Never.

However, Save-on foods or safeway... Now we're talking shopping in style. A bit further away but that time is recouped in that you don't need to park 3km away.

For me there's a relaxing calm shopping after 10pm. Until closing (midnight) few are in the store, you can slowly peruse the aisles for what you need and casually make your way to the cashier.

You can put it all in your basket and away you go. A short conversation later and a short walk across a small parking lot and you're on your way home.

Ahh... Shopping bliss

Any gripes, disagreements and the like? Feel free to prove me wrong. But you won't change my mind. Well, probably not, anyway.

Paper Doors and sitting on floors: Japan Series #5

They Really do Exist! Sliding paper doors. And yes, you can see silhouettes through them. How... revealing. Oh the opportunities! Anyway, if you lean against them... you WILL put a hole through them... and they're exactly as you would imagine. Japan may have westernized quite a bit since WWII but there are plenty of old-world Japanese Charms like paper sliding doors and sitting on tatami mat floors, still left in Japan. You just have to look a little harder.

A Fresh Feast of Fish: Japan Series #4

If you like Sushi, go to Japan, right? It's fresh, it's fantastic! Yes, sushi in Vancouver can be the same quality as Japan, but it can also be mediocre. Quality, in Japan, is consistent. Even the bargain basement 100¥ sushi places are decent. Actually, it's pretty difficult to have a bad meal in Japan. It may not be to your taste, but it won't be bad. This sushi plate was at Seiko's aunt house. It's pretty common to order sushi when relatives come over, because it's fancy and everyone likes it. That's the major difference... No one doesn't like it. At least not many.
And you know what, Sushi (as in Raw Fish slap on Rice) isn't really that scary. Most people who don't like Sushi's taste, is usually because they had unfresh sushi with bad nori (seaweed) and it's the taste of the seaweed that most people don't like. Fresh Raw fish doesn't taste fishy.
Anyway, that's enough of my rant on Raw Fish. Try some Sashimi today! You won't regret it! 

金閣寺 : Japan Series #3

Kyoto is famous for many things, one of which is
金閣寺 [kinkakuji] or "The Golden Temple". It's actually covered in gold leaf and surrounded by a zen garden and "mirror lake" which of course, was full of coy. I wonder what kind of fishing it would be... Anyway, I thought since it's probably one of the most famous images of Kyoto so I thought I'd post this picture. It gives a bit of famous-ness to my life. Kind of like visiting a location featured in Awake! (Seriously, I did that two years ago, when I visited Ireland's Burren) I wonder how many other people make it a point to visit Awake locations. It's kind of cool when you can say... "Oh I went here, it's featured in March 8, 2004 issue of Awake!" (Which happens to be the article showcasing the Burren, by the way) I also flew into Kansai Airport, featured in the Jan 8, 1996 issue of Awake! Hey, I could build a whole itinerary around Awake! locations! Isn't the WT Library great?
v(^_^)v

Please Contact the Phone. Japan Series #2

If you can't see this picture, you'll have to click it to make it bigger... but there's a few good ones here to point out:

The first point is grammatically perfect... I think it was copied off a parking sign somewhere.

But anyway, even the second point is pretty good... if not a little awkward... but still, understandable and not that strange....

Even the 3rd point is only missing a measly little 'n' in taken. So far, this looks like a 700-800 Toeic tested japanese translator.

But the 4th point... now this is where all the randomness breaks down and it becomes hilarious. I mean, it's understandable and all... and really, if "the" was changed to "by" all would be okay and pretty understandable... but there's something comical about a banner telling you to call the phone... we all understand that you're wanting to call a person... but i had this distinctive urge to go to the nearest phone and start talking to it... imagine:

"Hi, are you the phone?"
"I have a problem with my locker... can you help me?"

The problem is that in Japan... where everything talks to you... I wouldn't be surprised if it actually talked to me...
いらさひませ！元気ですか。嬉しいですか。電話ばんごけて下さい！ありがとうございます！
Welcome! how are you? Are you happy? Please dial your number! Thank you very much!

Seriously... escalators talk to you in Japan... telling you thank-you and to take care.

I need a machine that talks to me in Japanese. 

Don't Feed Pacman. Japan Series #1

While visiting Nara, outside a temple, there was this sign. I couldn't resist taking a picture of it. Please don't feed Pacman!

Actually, it's saying not to drink the water. The first two characters mean drinking water(nomimizu), and the last two are prohibited(kinshi). I much prefer my explanation... DON'T FEED PACMAN! I didn't realize pacman was buddhist... but then again, eating pellets in a vast world of dots and ghosts that reincarnate themselves... maybe he is. 

Delicious cakes make us happy

Although this is not too engrish like, it is very typical of many japanese products. They always have a little bit of english. Although, i can't figure out what is lovely from but i know that this cake package is telling me to have a good time... please.

Well, tomorrow i'm off to Nara, the old capital of Japan. Should be fun.

じゃね。 

To Japan! and BIG NEWS!

Well, I'm off to Japan... as of the time this post, that is. I won't be able to post this at the airport (or will i?) so i set it in the future. And, the reason for my trip should be obvious by the picture I chose. (I'm going to buy a watch). NO! Of course not... (^_^)

Anyway, this trip will be fun, apparently, it's all been planned for me... so it will be the fastest trip ever!!!

I have an entire suitcase full of gifts. It's crazy. I went crazy with 'omiyage'. Omiyage(お土産) is the japanese word for souvenir or gift. I'm not sure where it comes from, but the kanji (characters) are for Ground or Soil and Produced, so I suspect, omiyage had an original meaning of a gift from the gods... something returned to you for your hard effort in tilling the soil. Maybe I'm wrong, however, it has happened once before... (<.<) Anyway, I've been working on a website for our wedding, and since it's almost ready, I'm going to reveal it (let's call it the pre-beta release) Feel free to check it out don't forget to sign the guest book! here it is: http://www.seikoandgary.com

Pretty obvious title, if you ask me!

See you in 10 days! I'll try to post at least ONE weird Japanese blogpost with pictures from Seiko's phone while I'm there... that is, if you want me to. Let me know in the comments for this post.

またね！

Are the Holidays over?

I must be crazy, but my landlord still has a blow-up santa snowglobe out. These were all the rage this year in Vancouver, and even though they're a little tacky, I think they're a rather innovative decoration. Seriously though! IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS! I can't believe people still want a memory of their credit card debt inflated on the back porch!

Anyway, I've also included (and completely unrelated) another VIDEO! This one is for Chris. Recently, Bugatti (owned by VW) released a 1001hp (that's a lot!) 16 cylinder car called the Veyron. This is some footage of someone in a BMW M3 who is following the Veyron. Pretty cool. The video is a bit boring, but you have to realize how RARE this car is. Chris will correct me on this, but isn't there like only 75 made per year? You just don't see this car on the street... it's barely released yet. I suspect this was from the auto show. I wish I was driving it. Pure, unadulterated, driving heaven, I say.

 

Urban Ninja

I'm back to posting videos, again. but this one is seriously cool. I can't believe the stuff this guy can do!!! It's amazing! I really wish I had taken gymnastics when I was younger. That would've been cool to be able to do a backflip.

On the road... In ikea

Apparently I can send a blog entry just by emailing my blog. So when I'm stuck somewhere I can blog to my heart's content and write stuff.

Take for example today. I was in ikea and I really felt like a rat in an enormous cage, except instead of rewarding you for finding the way out, the goal of the game is to keep you inside the maze for as long as possible. And when you finally find your way out you're rewarded with long line-ups (queues) and a long receipt you always spend more than you planned to and the furniture typically lasts as long as a three year-old's attention span is while watching elmo on sesame street.

Ikea, swedish for cheap meatballs and pasta.

Then again, ikea may be cheap crap, but it's disposable furniture. Single use furniture, if you will.

Any hardcore ikea fans out there?
--Gary Armstrong--

How can you not love this dog?

Cute, right? Except that he should read the latest article of the Awake's Young People Ask, "Why do I hurt myself?"

Enough of India... let's learn how to eat Sushi

Enjoy this video. It's a little dry, and don't take it at all seriously, but there's 5% truth in it as well. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.