Friday, March 25, 2005
Thursday, March 24, 2005
my name is berin and i am grinning like an absolute tool...
...hello. Completely grinning ear to ear. Like I'm absolutely bananas.
Let me tell you a nice story.
We just had a chap shuffle in here, just a wisp of a man. 70 years old, balding (but sporting a fine, fine hat.....arch) and mopping the rain off himself after shuffling here from the train station. After taking a few moments to gather his breath he dumped some heavily laden bags on one of the desks and proceeded to explain himself.
He had heard about the woman who I talked about a few posts ago who started a school in Bangladesh. Last week he had attended a talk by her, that we organised. He heard about us collecting musical instruments for the wee cherubs and decided to see what he could do.
As it turns out he was 10 when the bomb went off in Hiroshima. His family was killed and he was shuffled off to an orphanage. Here's what he said...
"I know what it's like to grow up with nothing and to be at the bottom of the heap. It's crap. I want to help these kids have a childhood."
So he bought 15 (pairs? schools? pods?) Castanets, 7 Maraccas, 5 Harmonicas, 3 Gazoos and the most enormous 3 layered tambourine I have ever seen.
"I'm on a pension and have my house already. I don't need it all, I've had a good run" he said.
Then he donned his cap, straightened his tie and shuffled on out of here. I tried to get Kenny Loggins to quickly write the score to his triumphant leaving but he was busy.
Bloody Good Show.
Nice People Totally, Totally Rule.
Yours, grinning,
berin.
PS: anyone who is mean out there and reading this: piss off, you're ruining my vibe.
Let me tell you a nice story.
We just had a chap shuffle in here, just a wisp of a man. 70 years old, balding (but sporting a fine, fine hat.....arch) and mopping the rain off himself after shuffling here from the train station. After taking a few moments to gather his breath he dumped some heavily laden bags on one of the desks and proceeded to explain himself.
He had heard about the woman who I talked about a few posts ago who started a school in Bangladesh. Last week he had attended a talk by her, that we organised. He heard about us collecting musical instruments for the wee cherubs and decided to see what he could do.
As it turns out he was 10 when the bomb went off in Hiroshima. His family was killed and he was shuffled off to an orphanage. Here's what he said...
"I know what it's like to grow up with nothing and to be at the bottom of the heap. It's crap. I want to help these kids have a childhood."
So he bought 15 (pairs? schools? pods?) Castanets, 7 Maraccas, 5 Harmonicas, 3 Gazoos and the most enormous 3 layered tambourine I have ever seen.
"I'm on a pension and have my house already. I don't need it all, I've had a good run" he said.
Then he donned his cap, straightened his tie and shuffled on out of here. I tried to get Kenny Loggins to quickly write the score to his triumphant leaving but he was busy.
Bloody Good Show.
Nice People Totally, Totally Rule.
Yours, grinning,
berin.
PS: anyone who is mean out there and reading this: piss off, you're ruining my vibe.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
low `n slow `n roll-y....
....yep. Bloody big earthquake the other day. It was a rollicking 7 on the Japanese Richter(esque) scale down in Kyushu, it was a 4 in Yamaguchi, the prefecture neighbouring us and it registered a "crikey" on the Berin Scale here in town. It was by far the biggest earthquake I have ever felt.
It was looooooooooooooooooooooooooong.
It was slooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.
It was rooooooooooooooooooooooooooll-y.
But everything is fine. The bookcase toyed with the idea of falling over but I fixed it with my steely gaze and it soon bucked its ideas up.
That is all.
berin.
It was looooooooooooooooooooooooooong.
It was slooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.
It was rooooooooooooooooooooooooooll-y.
But everything is fine. The bookcase toyed with the idea of falling over but I fixed it with my steely gaze and it soon bucked its ideas up.
That is all.
berin.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
bleeeeergh...
...food poisoning sucks. At least I think I have food poisoning. I have been throwing up every 2 hours on the 2 hours since midnight last night. It's now 9am and I have just returned from my latest bout. Grrr. Added to that is the fact that it is still bloody cold and so there I was gripping a 0 degree toilet crying out for death to False Metal. It's been a fairly average few hours.
So.
On reflection and out of the goodness of my heart, I am willing to swap this bout of food poisoning for a 1973 Porsche 911 T. All applicants please leave contact details under the "comments" section. Support for the continuation of wallowing in self pity accepted also.
Goodbye.
Stay away from the chicken.
berin.
So.
On reflection and out of the goodness of my heart, I am willing to swap this bout of food poisoning for a 1973 Porsche 911 T. All applicants please leave contact details under the "comments" section. Support for the continuation of wallowing in self pity accepted also.
Goodbye.
Stay away from the chicken.
berin.
Friday, March 11, 2005
adieu...
..."the closest thing to a computer that I know as a man. Sometimes I think he has silicon running in his veins."
"Also, like Michael Jordan, he achieved all his goals"
more machine now, than man...
"Also, like Michael Jordan, he achieved all his goals"
more machine now, than man...
Thursday, March 10, 2005
ummmm...
.....odd.
Gidday!!
Crikey. Been a while. Hope we are all well.
First off, congratulations to our newly re-contributing to a civil society punter Richard "Mirror Glass" Archbold for securing employment as a building-drawer in sunny London-Towne. Mirror Glass baby, acres of Mirror Glass. What spells "success", "modernity", "zing" and "longevity" better than Mirror Glass - preferably of a lovely blue shade. Zing!!
Secondly, congratulations to our enormous long-haired-2-inverted-triangles-chiselled-out-of stone-new-breed-of-superhero Joshua "who-re-routes-the-routers-dammit-my-cpLog-fails-to build" Elliott who has dropped out of gainful employment and is off to sunny Europe. Fly my pretty, fly!!
All this movement eh? Grand.
Us? Pretty sedentary actually. Weather warming up, work coming along right nice. Yeah. Things are swell.
Met a fascinating woman at work the other day. In her fifties, shes a long time friend of one of my co-workers. Ten years ago she met a Bangladeshi exchange student through the organisation I work for and has kept in touch with him ever since. He was studying at a nearby University and has since graduated and returned home. He was lamenting to her a year or two ago about the state of his village and the plight of the low caste kids that live there.
So.....this woman BUILT AND STARTED AND FUNDS a private school for under priviledged kids in the middle of Bangladesh.
"Hey lady!! You rule!"
It cost her 90,000 yen (NZD1100 at this accursed exchange rate) to buy the land, build the one-room school, employ two qualified teachers full time, buy the kids supplies, outfit the place, and run it for its first year. All together now...
"Hey lady!! You rule!"
We all trooped around to her place for Bangladeshi curry the other night. It was bloody good. She insisted we eat with our hands. It was super fun. We are currently collecting drums, cymbals, triangles (quite simply the dopiest "instrument" e'er there were, apart from the accursed Theremin) and the like so they can have music classes. Fun.
Righto.
Take care.
Mucho love
Berin
Gidday!!
Crikey. Been a while. Hope we are all well.
First off, congratulations to our newly re-contributing to a civil society punter Richard "Mirror Glass" Archbold for securing employment as a building-drawer in sunny London-Towne. Mirror Glass baby, acres of Mirror Glass. What spells "success", "modernity", "zing" and "longevity" better than Mirror Glass - preferably of a lovely blue shade. Zing!!
Secondly, congratulations to our enormous long-haired-2-inverted-triangles-chiselled-out-of stone-new-breed-of-superhero Joshua "who-re-routes-the-routers-dammit-my-cpLog-fails-to build" Elliott who has dropped out of gainful employment and is off to sunny Europe. Fly my pretty, fly!!
All this movement eh? Grand.
Us? Pretty sedentary actually. Weather warming up, work coming along right nice. Yeah. Things are swell.
Met a fascinating woman at work the other day. In her fifties, shes a long time friend of one of my co-workers. Ten years ago she met a Bangladeshi exchange student through the organisation I work for and has kept in touch with him ever since. He was studying at a nearby University and has since graduated and returned home. He was lamenting to her a year or two ago about the state of his village and the plight of the low caste kids that live there.
So.....this woman BUILT AND STARTED AND FUNDS a private school for under priviledged kids in the middle of Bangladesh.
"Hey lady!! You rule!"
It cost her 90,000 yen (NZD1100 at this accursed exchange rate) to buy the land, build the one-room school, employ two qualified teachers full time, buy the kids supplies, outfit the place, and run it for its first year. All together now...
"Hey lady!! You rule!"
We all trooped around to her place for Bangladeshi curry the other night. It was bloody good. She insisted we eat with our hands. It was super fun. We are currently collecting drums, cymbals, triangles (quite simply the dopiest "instrument" e'er there were, apart from the accursed Theremin) and the like so they can have music classes. Fun.
Righto.
Take care.
Mucho love
Berin
Monday, February 21, 2005
boithday..
...and so it is that my neice Maite celebrates her boithday in sunny Chile. Cumpleano Feliz, as they say, Cumpleano Feliz.
Other than that its a plain old Monday morning. The accursed Japanese false spring made an appearance on Saturday, with quite the mild weather, only for it to be snowing on Sunday and O degrees in our lounge this morning. (Thats pretty cold folks).
And thats it.
Done.
Clear.
Fini.
Yaaar.
Berin
Other than that its a plain old Monday morning. The accursed Japanese false spring made an appearance on Saturday, with quite the mild weather, only for it to be snowing on Sunday and O degrees in our lounge this morning. (Thats pretty cold folks).
And thats it.
Done.
Clear.
Fini.
Yaaar.
Berin
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
it's my party...
...just wandering around the internet a little and quite how I stumbled upon it never you mind BUT...
As it happens, my birthday, heretofore memorable (apart from me of course) only for it being Womas Sufferage Day in NZ (an important milestone to be sure and one of which we should be proud but a little naff to share a birthday with)...
...is also...
...officially....
...International Talk Like A Pirate Day!!...(yaaaaaaar Cap'n, a moity feast will he had, yarr).
Thats cool. Thats really cool.
It is also all I have to say.
Out.
(me hearties)
Berin
As it happens, my birthday, heretofore memorable (apart from me of course) only for it being Womas Sufferage Day in NZ (an important milestone to be sure and one of which we should be proud but a little naff to share a birthday with)...
...is also...
...officially....
...International Talk Like A Pirate Day!!...(yaaaaaaar Cap'n, a moity feast will he had, yarr).
Thats cool. Thats really cool.
It is also all I have to say.
Out.
(me hearties)
Berin
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
crikey...
...it snowed well over half a foot last night and it seemed to snow about another half foot just on me while walking to work. It's right perty.
tata.
tata.
Monday, January 31, 2005
golly...
...the person who puts the coffee on in the afternoons has decided that perhaps heart palpitations are good for the soul and therefore, in order for us to be saved, has settled on a calculation of one part coffee to one part water. Zangy. Zingity Zangy. Cripes.
So it's been a while. Yep. Tough.
I'm back now with a rivetting (?) if a little jittery, synopsis of our Christmas break. First off you were all, in your own way, missed during the our time in the Xmas zone. In particular Richard "let's-just-bloody-well-fry-it" Archbold, my partner in gluttony for a long, long, long, long* time now was sorely missed... (CAUTION: Links contain images of Deep Fried, Beer Battered Pie - waitingingodo accepts no responsibility for sudden drooling, daydreaming, jealousy, idolisation or weight gain)
...in particular when we pushed not only the envelope, but the entire Deluxe-"Fatty-McPatty"-Stationary-Letter-Writing-Set-with-Bonus-Ivory-Handled Letter-Opener with the one, the only, 2005 edition TURDUCKEN.
Say it with me people..."TUR-DUCK-EN".
For the uninitiated the TUR-DUCK-EN involves:
One (1) x boneless Chicken
One (1) x boneless Duck
One (1) x semi boneless Turkey (just the wings and legs are left on for that authentic "Viking Feast" feel)
So...The Chicken is stuffed with a Pork and Rice stuffing and placed ever so delicately INSIDE the Duck, which is placed, along with more stuffing INSIDE the Turkey...Thats right folks 3 boids in one, 16 pounds (over 7 boneless kilos) of juicy, juicy roasted heart attack. Cooked to perfection in just 5 short hours. YUMMO!!!
It was bloody good. And ordered off Amazon. As it turns out the internet rules.
In addition to out and out gluttony it was a swell time. The temperature got down to about -20 a few times, there were trips to Boston, some snowboarding, plenty of red wine consumed and much, much clutching of the bellies and moaning. Not a lot of snow this time, thankfully the ski-field had employed some idiots to run around at night in -30 degree temperatures and make the damn stuff and grateful we were to them. Catch ups were had with long separated family members and it was just plain bloody good fun.
Coming home was an epic plane-plane-train-train-train-stroll combo that saw us walk in the door 26 hours after leaving New Hampshire but we had the next day off so we lay around and pointed at people walking to work. All in all a grand time had by all.
Since then we have had a couple of snowfalls here in town and I have been on a work fun-weekend-trip-to-Kobe. We pay 5000 yen a month into a shindig fund and that pays for knees-up-hoolie-bashes a few times a year, a trip to a baseball game and a weekend away with everyone. Quite a unique experience I guess. A weekend away with all of your workmates, a chance to let down any social barriers and go nutso.
It was swell.
Off on Saturday morning on the Bullet train, check in to the hotel, off for a boozy lunch, a stroll around some of the sights, a cruise on the harbour (note to self - cruise THEN boozy lunch next time), a walloping great feed in Chinatown, a 3 hour all you can drink fiesta at a swanky hotel bar, an ill advised trip to a sake bar after that, then a stagger back to our not so swanky hotel at god knows what hour in the morning. Grand.
A word in your ear though old chums. When drinking sake in the wee hours you must remember that a trip to a sake brewery the next morning is NOT a good idea. In any way. At all. No matter how wonderful a plan it sounds, its really is full of holes. Just say No. Nancy Reagan did, and so can you.
So we are back at work. Which is fun. And things are looking good for the 2005. I hope they are for all and sundry also.
Tooroo.
berin.
* (You-Must-Be-This-High-To-Ride-The-Deep-Fried-Pie Pics courtesy of Annabel - if I have broken a web taboo by linking to these let me know and I will disappoint EVERYBODY and take them down).
So it's been a while. Yep. Tough.
I'm back now with a rivetting (?) if a little jittery, synopsis of our Christmas break. First off you were all, in your own way, missed during the our time in the Xmas zone. In particular Richard "let's-just-bloody-well-fry-it" Archbold, my partner in gluttony for a long, long, long, long* time now was sorely missed... (CAUTION: Links contain images of Deep Fried, Beer Battered Pie - waitingingodo accepts no responsibility for sudden drooling, daydreaming, jealousy, idolisation or weight gain)
...in particular when we pushed not only the envelope, but the entire Deluxe-"Fatty-McPatty"-Stationary-Letter-Writing-Set-with-Bonus-Ivory-Handled Letter-Opener with the one, the only, 2005 edition TURDUCKEN.
Say it with me people..."TUR-DUCK-EN".
For the uninitiated the TUR-DUCK-EN involves:
One (1) x boneless Chicken
One (1) x boneless Duck
One (1) x semi boneless Turkey (just the wings and legs are left on for that authentic "Viking Feast" feel)
So...The Chicken is stuffed with a Pork and Rice stuffing and placed ever so delicately INSIDE the Duck, which is placed, along with more stuffing INSIDE the Turkey...Thats right folks 3 boids in one, 16 pounds (over 7 boneless kilos) of juicy, juicy roasted heart attack. Cooked to perfection in just 5 short hours. YUMMO!!!
It was bloody good. And ordered off Amazon. As it turns out the internet rules.
In addition to out and out gluttony it was a swell time. The temperature got down to about -20 a few times, there were trips to Boston, some snowboarding, plenty of red wine consumed and much, much clutching of the bellies and moaning. Not a lot of snow this time, thankfully the ski-field had employed some idiots to run around at night in -30 degree temperatures and make the damn stuff and grateful we were to them. Catch ups were had with long separated family members and it was just plain bloody good fun.
Coming home was an epic plane-plane-train-train-train-stroll combo that saw us walk in the door 26 hours after leaving New Hampshire but we had the next day off so we lay around and pointed at people walking to work. All in all a grand time had by all.
Since then we have had a couple of snowfalls here in town and I have been on a work fun-weekend-trip-to-Kobe. We pay 5000 yen a month into a shindig fund and that pays for knees-up-hoolie-bashes a few times a year, a trip to a baseball game and a weekend away with everyone. Quite a unique experience I guess. A weekend away with all of your workmates, a chance to let down any social barriers and go nutso.
It was swell.
Off on Saturday morning on the Bullet train, check in to the hotel, off for a boozy lunch, a stroll around some of the sights, a cruise on the harbour (note to self - cruise THEN boozy lunch next time), a walloping great feed in Chinatown, a 3 hour all you can drink fiesta at a swanky hotel bar, an ill advised trip to a sake bar after that, then a stagger back to our not so swanky hotel at god knows what hour in the morning. Grand.
A word in your ear though old chums. When drinking sake in the wee hours you must remember that a trip to a sake brewery the next morning is NOT a good idea. In any way. At all. No matter how wonderful a plan it sounds, its really is full of holes. Just say No. Nancy Reagan did, and so can you.
So we are back at work. Which is fun. And things are looking good for the 2005. I hope they are for all and sundry also.
Tooroo.
berin.
* (You-Must-Be-This-High-To-Ride-The-Deep-Fried-Pie Pics courtesy of Annabel - if I have broken a web taboo by linking to these let me know and I will disappoint EVERYBODY and take them down).
Monday, January 24, 2005
oh look, it's really, it's been too long...
hi.
hows 2005 going? it's coming along right nice from this end. a little cold, we had snow a few times last week, but none of it stuck around (boo) and for the moment it has decided to simply be cold and clear. (yay).
i'll do a proper update soon.
wait yer patience.
berin.
hows 2005 going? it's coming along right nice from this end. a little cold, we had snow a few times last week, but none of it stuck around (boo) and for the moment it has decided to simply be cold and clear. (yay).
i'll do a proper update soon.
wait yer patience.
berin.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
"twas the night before Christmas, 40 below..."
Hey there folks,
well the year runs on down like an old clock and thoughts turn to pressies and fat guys in suits. But I'm leaving my suit here and we are off to snowier climes. Next Saturday we are winging our way to sunny New Hampshire for what will prove to be, I am sure, a liver busting exercise in over-idulgence. Can't wait.
Highlights are looking to be some snowboarding (though i think I'm going to try those short, short skis out, snowboarding is so 1994), a stroll down to 'Philly to see Nics cuzzies and try out those cheese steak doodads (and a sprint up the Rocky steps if I have my way). Some good old fashioned family time and plenty of just plain old sitting.
I wish you all well, wherever you may find yourselves. Seasons cheer and all that carry-on. Certainly miss you all.
Have top times people. I'm off to Tokyo for a few days for work and then we hightail it outta here so won't be updating until well into the new year I suspect, until that time, adieu.
well the year runs on down like an old clock and thoughts turn to pressies and fat guys in suits. But I'm leaving my suit here and we are off to snowier climes. Next Saturday we are winging our way to sunny New Hampshire for what will prove to be, I am sure, a liver busting exercise in over-idulgence. Can't wait.
Highlights are looking to be some snowboarding (though i think I'm going to try those short, short skis out, snowboarding is so 1994), a stroll down to 'Philly to see Nics cuzzies and try out those cheese steak doodads (and a sprint up the Rocky steps if I have my way). Some good old fashioned family time and plenty of just plain old sitting.
I wish you all well, wherever you may find yourselves. Seasons cheer and all that carry-on. Certainly miss you all.
Have top times people. I'm off to Tokyo for a few days for work and then we hightail it outta here so won't be updating until well into the new year I suspect, until that time, adieu.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
bits....
Not much to report on the home front. Nic has finally found gainful employment (woohoo) and as of today is working for "the man". She is working at Elementary schols here in town so its right close and all looks to be fine. ($uper!).
In other news I gave a speech yesterday to a bunch of folk from around the city. Not so unusual I guess, there was the usual questions about how long the bridges are between Sydney and Auckland and if I had a kangaroo for a pet, but still it was fun.
It got even better when, to show their appreciation for the natter the organiser dashed off while I had my recovery green tea when I had finished and then proudly presented me, fresh from the local butchers, with 2 kgs of seasoned chicken cartilage and some deep-fried pigs intestine (YUM!!!!). She told me not to eat it all at once. I told her I'd try.
Yours, making no promises,
berin.
In breaking news:
A letter addressed to the Mayor of our city has just come across my desk. It is a plaintive tale about two young chaps, Michael and Nicolai, who hail from sunny Ukraine. They have deep interest in Japanese culture it seems ("we tasted the sushi") and have even taken the time to congratulate the Mayor personally on Japans' observance of Labour Day (some habits die hard). These two chaps are keen members of their local recreation centre in Lugansk, Ukraine. In particular they seem to like nothing better than a belting good game of table tennis.....
Now when I first opened this letter I expected it to be coming to us from Nigeria via the Ukraine with some poor chaps tale of millions (billions?) of USD/Swiss Francs/Pounds Sterling/Superman #1's trapped in a development account that needed us to access it with our bank account details...(honestly, people, if you get ripped off by this you don't deserve money).
However poor old Nicolai and Michael are far more modest. What the have asked for is four (4) table tennis (I prefer to call it Ping Pong, it's got a better ring to it) paddle rubbers. Not the paddles themselves - they seem to have those a-plenty. It's the coverings they want. They have gone on to detail the best ones available and written their design numbers to help us out. What cracks me up is they have said that if four is too tough, then they'll be happy with two....
Yours, bemused,
berin.
In other news I gave a speech yesterday to a bunch of folk from around the city. Not so unusual I guess, there was the usual questions about how long the bridges are between Sydney and Auckland and if I had a kangaroo for a pet, but still it was fun.
It got even better when, to show their appreciation for the natter the organiser dashed off while I had my recovery green tea when I had finished and then proudly presented me, fresh from the local butchers, with 2 kgs of seasoned chicken cartilage and some deep-fried pigs intestine (YUM!!!!). She told me not to eat it all at once. I told her I'd try.
Yours, making no promises,
berin.
In breaking news:
A letter addressed to the Mayor of our city has just come across my desk. It is a plaintive tale about two young chaps, Michael and Nicolai, who hail from sunny Ukraine. They have deep interest in Japanese culture it seems ("we tasted the sushi") and have even taken the time to congratulate the Mayor personally on Japans' observance of Labour Day (some habits die hard). These two chaps are keen members of their local recreation centre in Lugansk, Ukraine. In particular they seem to like nothing better than a belting good game of table tennis.....
Now when I first opened this letter I expected it to be coming to us from Nigeria via the Ukraine with some poor chaps tale of millions (billions?) of USD/Swiss Francs/Pounds Sterling/Superman #1's trapped in a development account that needed us to access it with our bank account details...(honestly, people, if you get ripped off by this you don't deserve money).
However poor old Nicolai and Michael are far more modest. What the have asked for is four (4) table tennis (I prefer to call it Ping Pong, it's got a better ring to it) paddle rubbers. Not the paddles themselves - they seem to have those a-plenty. It's the coverings they want. They have gone on to detail the best ones available and written their design numbers to help us out. What cracks me up is they have said that if four is too tough, then they'll be happy with two....
Yours, bemused,
berin.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
but wait!! there's more of the shane...
So where were we troopers? Aaaaah yes. We had just wandered through the rainy, play-misty-for-me Thursday following our adventure in gluttony that was the nabe.
Well.
Friday was Miyajima day. Miyajima is pretty cool. You know that cliched-Japanese-red-gate-ceremonial-big-archway thing that you see on all the Japan brochures. Yeah. That one. Well, thats at Miyajima, an island shrine about 10 minutes by train and 10 minutes by ferry away from us here in the Hatsukaichi. And its right perty.
Unfortunately the shrine, built in 593, which is at waterlevel, was maced by one of the many typhoon we recently had and was surrounded by scaffolding. Still, there is plenty else to look at so all was well. The island even has "sacred" deer, basically all that means is they can shit anywhere they like. Just the same as at Nara, described a while ago on this here blog, there are the sweet young deer that wander around with wide eyes and look cute and get all the goodies from the hordes of tourists, then there are the old, cranky deer who ain't gettin' no love and resent that. Mightily. We steered (get it?) clear of those big ones.
There are very cool other things to see on Miyajima, inluding a 5-storied Pagoda with a tree inside. Thats right. A tree. The Pagoda is pretty big, what with its five stories and all, and on the inside, hanging, as it has since the 1400's is a bloody great tree. The idea is that when there is an earthquake or high winds, this hanging tree acts as a counter-weight to the movement of the shockwaves and results in the buidling moving not a jot.
Up there for thinking. Down there for dancing. Sloooow dancing.
Then there was the whacking great Senjokaku building, started in the 1500's, which I actually prefer to the shrine proper. It's all open and big and the floors are shiny from stockinged feet strolling over them for the last 500-odd years and theres no nails in the whole bloody thing. In summer we went over there with Dazza "Big Darren" Ede on his whirlwind "Eastern Lands-Greatest Hits" Tour and had a right nice lie down/nap with lots of the locals on the floor. Mmmmmmm. The Nap.
So we wandered on around and took it all in, including some grandiose Autumnal colours. They were just plain bonkers. Sure we get the odd splash of crimson and yelow in NZ during the Autumn months but this was just insane. Oranges, Pinks, Yellows, Reds, shades of all, I swear I saw a tree sporting a distinctly Puce hue, but just couldn't be sure. It was cool. It was really cool.
Then we decided to climb on the cable car and check this joint out from on high. Two cable car rides later we were well and truly on top of the world, surrounded by monkeys. Wild monkeys.
I don't really like monkeys I've decided. They are too damn freaky. the little ones are indeed cute but once they get a little longer in the tooth they just turn into red-faced, red-arsed, angry balls of screeching-rabies-laden fur. Although admittedly it is fun to ignore the signs and actually look them directly in the eye - from a distance - their mouths bare back, their eyes fly open and you can tell, in monkey talk, that they are just ITCHING to say...
"...are you....talking to me?....I don't see anybody else here....bananabananabananabanana...."
It's funny.
So we checked out the monkeys and the fine view from the lookout across the Seto Inland Sea and all its island-y beauty. At this point Nic strolled on home and Shane and I decided to tackle the rest of the hill and make it to the very tippity-top. So we braved the monkeys and wandered along a path, up and up and up and along a bit and up and up and round some corners. Before you knew it we came to another wee shrine-y building. And what do you think was in that?
For those of you who said " An iron pot of water that has been boiling continuously for over 1100 years".....Congratulations!!! You were right and it was crazy. The walls of this small building were caked in soot. The pot was doing well and it was true, it has had a fire burning under it for that long. Altogether now...
"Thats BONKERS!!!!"
Yup.
Then we were at the top and buying sweet, sweet beer from a woman who was over 70% by bodyweight wrinkles and we were taking in the view. It was right nice. Right nice indeed. We nattered, we supped, we decided to wander home.
Down, down, down, down the 2km pathway through the primeval forest, old Granddad Shane threw his knee out ninja-ing off a weir and spent the rest of the trip predicing the weather through his "old bones". The walk was real nice. We saw deer in the woods, waterfalls, rock pools, more of the Autumn colours. Yeah. It was fun.
So home we came and showered ourselves and then it was off to a local restaurant where Nic and I are making friends with the waiting staff. It was there that Shane was confronted by the awful truth he had been trying to hide for so long....with nary a qualm the waitress came along, looked at the Shane, lifted her hands to highlight her face and said....
"What a small face for such a long body...hmmmm, thats odd"
And walked away. Old Small Face didn't quite know what to say. We laughed and pointed at him.
Tooroo.
berin.
Well.
Friday was Miyajima day. Miyajima is pretty cool. You know that cliched-Japanese-red-gate-ceremonial-big-archway thing that you see on all the Japan brochures. Yeah. That one. Well, thats at Miyajima, an island shrine about 10 minutes by train and 10 minutes by ferry away from us here in the Hatsukaichi. And its right perty.
Unfortunately the shrine, built in 593, which is at waterlevel, was maced by one of the many typhoon we recently had and was surrounded by scaffolding. Still, there is plenty else to look at so all was well. The island even has "sacred" deer, basically all that means is they can shit anywhere they like. Just the same as at Nara, described a while ago on this here blog, there are the sweet young deer that wander around with wide eyes and look cute and get all the goodies from the hordes of tourists, then there are the old, cranky deer who ain't gettin' no love and resent that. Mightily. We steered (get it?) clear of those big ones.
There are very cool other things to see on Miyajima, inluding a 5-storied Pagoda with a tree inside. Thats right. A tree. The Pagoda is pretty big, what with its five stories and all, and on the inside, hanging, as it has since the 1400's is a bloody great tree. The idea is that when there is an earthquake or high winds, this hanging tree acts as a counter-weight to the movement of the shockwaves and results in the buidling moving not a jot.
Up there for thinking. Down there for dancing. Sloooow dancing.
Then there was the whacking great Senjokaku building, started in the 1500's, which I actually prefer to the shrine proper. It's all open and big and the floors are shiny from stockinged feet strolling over them for the last 500-odd years and theres no nails in the whole bloody thing. In summer we went over there with Dazza "Big Darren" Ede on his whirlwind "Eastern Lands-Greatest Hits" Tour and had a right nice lie down/nap with lots of the locals on the floor. Mmmmmmm. The Nap.
So we wandered on around and took it all in, including some grandiose Autumnal colours. They were just plain bonkers. Sure we get the odd splash of crimson and yelow in NZ during the Autumn months but this was just insane. Oranges, Pinks, Yellows, Reds, shades of all, I swear I saw a tree sporting a distinctly Puce hue, but just couldn't be sure. It was cool. It was really cool.
Then we decided to climb on the cable car and check this joint out from on high. Two cable car rides later we were well and truly on top of the world, surrounded by monkeys. Wild monkeys.
I don't really like monkeys I've decided. They are too damn freaky. the little ones are indeed cute but once they get a little longer in the tooth they just turn into red-faced, red-arsed, angry balls of screeching-rabies-laden fur. Although admittedly it is fun to ignore the signs and actually look them directly in the eye - from a distance - their mouths bare back, their eyes fly open and you can tell, in monkey talk, that they are just ITCHING to say...
"...are you....talking to me?....I don't see anybody else here....bananabananabananabanana...."
It's funny.
So we checked out the monkeys and the fine view from the lookout across the Seto Inland Sea and all its island-y beauty. At this point Nic strolled on home and Shane and I decided to tackle the rest of the hill and make it to the very tippity-top. So we braved the monkeys and wandered along a path, up and up and up and along a bit and up and up and round some corners. Before you knew it we came to another wee shrine-y building. And what do you think was in that?
For those of you who said " An iron pot of water that has been boiling continuously for over 1100 years".....Congratulations!!! You were right and it was crazy. The walls of this small building were caked in soot. The pot was doing well and it was true, it has had a fire burning under it for that long. Altogether now...
"Thats BONKERS!!!!"
Yup.
Then we were at the top and buying sweet, sweet beer from a woman who was over 70% by bodyweight wrinkles and we were taking in the view. It was right nice. Right nice indeed. We nattered, we supped, we decided to wander home.
Down, down, down, down the 2km pathway through the primeval forest, old Granddad Shane threw his knee out ninja-ing off a weir and spent the rest of the trip predicing the weather through his "old bones". The walk was real nice. We saw deer in the woods, waterfalls, rock pools, more of the Autumn colours. Yeah. It was fun.
So home we came and showered ourselves and then it was off to a local restaurant where Nic and I are making friends with the waiting staff. It was there that Shane was confronted by the awful truth he had been trying to hide for so long....with nary a qualm the waitress came along, looked at the Shane, lifted her hands to highlight her face and said....
"What a small face for such a long body...hmmmm, thats odd"
And walked away. Old Small Face didn't quite know what to say. We laughed and pointed at him.
Tooroo.
berin.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
rock n' roll shane...
Thats right folks, we are reeling from the lightning visit of one Shane "I write the songs" Pienaar who decided to take in the sights of "The Japan" on the return leg of his book signing and baby kissing tour of Southern Africa and Olde London Towne. Having made it out of South Africa with nary an elephant gore and managing to avoid the hordes of mischevious (but well meaning) gangs of singing, dancing, Victorian pickpockets that I have heard infest London, he was right ready for some old fashioned Japanese hospitality. So we served it up right after we had met him following a five hour debacle of poor management and poorer communication at the Hiroshima train station.
This saw Nic and I standing, craning our necks to catch sight of The Shane for over four hours while a 30 second advertisement ran on a television next to us with some Japanese crooner who hasn't studied English pronunciation as hard as perhaps he could have belting out a frankly tawdry version of "Stand By Me" over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. The day really came to a peak when I decided to return home to check of Shane was asleep on our doorstep and got in the car, turned the key.......and nothing freaking happened. Yep. Dead battery. Yep. Pretty dead. Yep. Shoulda turned the lights off after that last tunnel. Damn me and my safety first attitude! Grrr. From now on I'm living on the edge baby, walking that tightrope. Nic developed a twitch from the Stand By Me and I developed a healthy disrespect for people who will take the time to stop in a car park building while you are standing there with the bonnet up on the car, holding jumper leads, and asking them for help who say
".....whats wrong?"
quickly followed by "...REALLY busy, nope, REALLY busy sorry, gotta go..."
.......so why'd ya stop in the first place busyboy? Huh? Huh?
Anywhoo, serving up the Japan to the Shane. Finally he emerged from the Bullet Train platform tired and hungry having run straight (smack!!) into the wall of Japanese inefficiency and been unable to get cash from an ATM over here, after having got it out in the middle of a game park in deepest, darkest Southern Africa. Hmmm. We dragged him home, threw his stinking self in a shower, rehydrated him somewhat, then strolled to the local Izakaya (long time readers will know what an Izakaya is, short term readers will remain confused). So there we were and what better way to get rid of jet-lag, than beer and deep fried fish spines YUM!!! Chock full o' calcium kids! So we wandered our way around some Japanese delicacies, had a good old catch up, nattered, drank some beer, ordered some sake, ordered some more, and finally strolled home to view photees of his sojourn to date.
I have since been presented with video evidence that I did not, in fact, manage to view said photos and instead decided, all by myself and in what I view as a very mature and well thought out manner to fall into, or at least very near, bed.
Next day, bright and early-ish we set off along the coast for some sightseeing, on the way we saw THE MOST ENORMOUS FLOATING SALVAGE CRANES YOU HAVE EVER SEEN. Unbeknowenst to us....we would meet again. Along the coast we went, laughing all the way, and then into the hills. Up, Up, Up into the hills to an enormous nearby dam where we did hire a pedal boat and cruise our way hither and yon. It was right nice. If a little inefficient. What with the peddling and all. Still, the autumn colours are on the turn and it was a nice chance to get out and commune with the trees and the rocks and the water and the like. Mmmmmm the nature.
That took an entire day. That is to say the traffic jam on the way home took most of a day to get through, but still there was some napping by the tired little soldiers and some Japanese fast food MOS burgers (thats Mountain Ocean Sun thanks, dur) for the din dins and that was day one.
Wednesday was Hiroshima day and the obligatory visit to the A-Bomb dome/Museum/Peace Park. No matter how many times I go - and I've been alot in the 3 months since I started work here, I still feel very lucky to live near Hiroshima. The park is very nice and while I think the museum could be done a shade better it still manages to shake you back a bit, not to reality, because it is almost impossible to understand what happened there as reality, what it does do is impose a long term view on things, on consequences, different frames of perspective and bigger, but very hazy pictures. Its a good thing to do. Take a step back. Yep. Good.
One of the things you have to get used to when you go to the Peace Park is hordes of Primary school kids who have been hard at work memorising some English to try out on the hordes of English speaking tourists at the Park. What happens turns into a very stylised dance almost, a cat and mouse like game whereby as your smiling reserves dwindle and their self confidence levels rise you manouvre yourself through the park, towards the museum, as they try and get up the gumption to ask you where you are from and if you could please point that out on a map. Don't get me wrong, I was teaching kids this age for 2 years and they are cute as buttons and when you see them wanting to use another language it brings a smile to your heart. It's just that when you are identified as someone who will answer their questions, they telepathically send out victory signals to their kith and kin, and as daylight gets blocked out by Power Rangers drink bottles, Pokemon t-shirts and Hello Kitty backpacks you can't help but wish you'd fixed your 1000 yard stare on and just damn well pretended to be Dutch. Or Chinese.
Still, we got lots of handmade bookmarks for our trouble and wandered through the museum, then took in some of downtown Hiroshima. We went for lunch at a nice wee cafe type place and in actual fact, thats where the day stalled. The beer there you see, was delicious, not only delicious but also cold. Cold and delicious, that hefty combination, the old one-two. So we sat there and watched the world go by (or at least lots of Japan) and then it was home for steaming, steaming Nabe.
Nabe is one of the the best autumn-y foods in the world. The big, big, fatty, fatty, fatty pants sumo wrestlers eat a version of it called Chanko Nabe. And thats all they eat. Although they do eat it six times a day. First you need lots and lots of beer.
Next:
One (1) enormous clay pot.
One (1) table top gas cooker ring.
More (more) beer.
Some (some) Chanko soup base - like a soy-y chicken soup.
Lots (lots) of thinly sliced pork.
Tons (tons) of veges - mushrooms, cabbage, spring onions that sort of stuff.
Lots (lots) of chicken meat balls.
Heaps (heaps) of tofu.
Bung it all in the pot, on the ring, on the table, sit around said table, drink beer until food is cooked, drink beer while eating, drink beer while more food is cooked, drink beer while clutching belly and moaning. Fin.
Ladies and gentlemen...I give you....the nabe.
Thursday dawned cold and rainy. We made an executive decision to do very little and I am pleased to say we stuck with that solid plan for most of the day. 3 O the Clock came around and we decided to go and adventure up Mt. Gokurakuji which at the time was swathed, cloaked even, in cloud. we strapped in, turned our brave faces on and drove up the hill. It was totally covered in cloud. It was a slow drive but at the top? Ooooooh misty. And what goes well with mist? Thats right. Deserted Japanese temples built in 1562. Oh and the 8 meter tall wooden Buddha just sitting there, in the mist, looking all serene like, and being the biggest wooden Buddha in all of Japan. It was snaaaa-aaa-zy. Then we strolled to the equally mist covered "Snake Pond" and , while not seeing any snakes, we sure did get our fill of pond and it was good. Sushi was had for lunch including Shane taking in the dreaded 'fugu' puffer fish sushi. I didn't have any because I was the only one who knew where the hospital was.
Right. thats enough. Go outside and do something constructive with your time dammit. I will report back soon.
Goodbye.
Oh. And a big old fashioned "You Go Girl" to Arch for continuing to send through some of the grandest updates from the very depths of South East Asia. Snazzy.
This saw Nic and I standing, craning our necks to catch sight of The Shane for over four hours while a 30 second advertisement ran on a television next to us with some Japanese crooner who hasn't studied English pronunciation as hard as perhaps he could have belting out a frankly tawdry version of "Stand By Me" over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. The day really came to a peak when I decided to return home to check of Shane was asleep on our doorstep and got in the car, turned the key.......and nothing freaking happened. Yep. Dead battery. Yep. Pretty dead. Yep. Shoulda turned the lights off after that last tunnel. Damn me and my safety first attitude! Grrr. From now on I'm living on the edge baby, walking that tightrope. Nic developed a twitch from the Stand By Me and I developed a healthy disrespect for people who will take the time to stop in a car park building while you are standing there with the bonnet up on the car, holding jumper leads, and asking them for help who say
".....whats wrong?"
quickly followed by "...REALLY busy, nope, REALLY busy sorry, gotta go..."
.......so why'd ya stop in the first place busyboy? Huh? Huh?
Anywhoo, serving up the Japan to the Shane. Finally he emerged from the Bullet Train platform tired and hungry having run straight (smack!!) into the wall of Japanese inefficiency and been unable to get cash from an ATM over here, after having got it out in the middle of a game park in deepest, darkest Southern Africa. Hmmm. We dragged him home, threw his stinking self in a shower, rehydrated him somewhat, then strolled to the local Izakaya (long time readers will know what an Izakaya is, short term readers will remain confused). So there we were and what better way to get rid of jet-lag, than beer and deep fried fish spines YUM!!! Chock full o' calcium kids! So we wandered our way around some Japanese delicacies, had a good old catch up, nattered, drank some beer, ordered some sake, ordered some more, and finally strolled home to view photees of his sojourn to date.
I have since been presented with video evidence that I did not, in fact, manage to view said photos and instead decided, all by myself and in what I view as a very mature and well thought out manner to fall into, or at least very near, bed.
Next day, bright and early-ish we set off along the coast for some sightseeing, on the way we saw THE MOST ENORMOUS FLOATING SALVAGE CRANES YOU HAVE EVER SEEN. Unbeknowenst to us....we would meet again. Along the coast we went, laughing all the way, and then into the hills. Up, Up, Up into the hills to an enormous nearby dam where we did hire a pedal boat and cruise our way hither and yon. It was right nice. If a little inefficient. What with the peddling and all. Still, the autumn colours are on the turn and it was a nice chance to get out and commune with the trees and the rocks and the water and the like. Mmmmmm the nature.
That took an entire day. That is to say the traffic jam on the way home took most of a day to get through, but still there was some napping by the tired little soldiers and some Japanese fast food MOS burgers (thats Mountain Ocean Sun thanks, dur) for the din dins and that was day one.
Wednesday was Hiroshima day and the obligatory visit to the A-Bomb dome/Museum/Peace Park. No matter how many times I go - and I've been alot in the 3 months since I started work here, I still feel very lucky to live near Hiroshima. The park is very nice and while I think the museum could be done a shade better it still manages to shake you back a bit, not to reality, because it is almost impossible to understand what happened there as reality, what it does do is impose a long term view on things, on consequences, different frames of perspective and bigger, but very hazy pictures. Its a good thing to do. Take a step back. Yep. Good.
One of the things you have to get used to when you go to the Peace Park is hordes of Primary school kids who have been hard at work memorising some English to try out on the hordes of English speaking tourists at the Park. What happens turns into a very stylised dance almost, a cat and mouse like game whereby as your smiling reserves dwindle and their self confidence levels rise you manouvre yourself through the park, towards the museum, as they try and get up the gumption to ask you where you are from and if you could please point that out on a map. Don't get me wrong, I was teaching kids this age for 2 years and they are cute as buttons and when you see them wanting to use another language it brings a smile to your heart. It's just that when you are identified as someone who will answer their questions, they telepathically send out victory signals to their kith and kin, and as daylight gets blocked out by Power Rangers drink bottles, Pokemon t-shirts and Hello Kitty backpacks you can't help but wish you'd fixed your 1000 yard stare on and just damn well pretended to be Dutch. Or Chinese.
Still, we got lots of handmade bookmarks for our trouble and wandered through the museum, then took in some of downtown Hiroshima. We went for lunch at a nice wee cafe type place and in actual fact, thats where the day stalled. The beer there you see, was delicious, not only delicious but also cold. Cold and delicious, that hefty combination, the old one-two. So we sat there and watched the world go by (or at least lots of Japan) and then it was home for steaming, steaming Nabe.
Nabe is one of the the best autumn-y foods in the world. The big, big, fatty, fatty, fatty pants sumo wrestlers eat a version of it called Chanko Nabe. And thats all they eat. Although they do eat it six times a day. First you need lots and lots of beer.
Next:
One (1) enormous clay pot.
One (1) table top gas cooker ring.
More (more) beer.
Some (some) Chanko soup base - like a soy-y chicken soup.
Lots (lots) of thinly sliced pork.
Tons (tons) of veges - mushrooms, cabbage, spring onions that sort of stuff.
Lots (lots) of chicken meat balls.
Heaps (heaps) of tofu.
Bung it all in the pot, on the ring, on the table, sit around said table, drink beer until food is cooked, drink beer while eating, drink beer while more food is cooked, drink beer while clutching belly and moaning. Fin.
Ladies and gentlemen...I give you....the nabe.
Thursday dawned cold and rainy. We made an executive decision to do very little and I am pleased to say we stuck with that solid plan for most of the day. 3 O the Clock came around and we decided to go and adventure up Mt. Gokurakuji which at the time was swathed, cloaked even, in cloud. we strapped in, turned our brave faces on and drove up the hill. It was totally covered in cloud. It was a slow drive but at the top? Ooooooh misty. And what goes well with mist? Thats right. Deserted Japanese temples built in 1562. Oh and the 8 meter tall wooden Buddha just sitting there, in the mist, looking all serene like, and being the biggest wooden Buddha in all of Japan. It was snaaaa-aaa-zy. Then we strolled to the equally mist covered "Snake Pond" and , while not seeing any snakes, we sure did get our fill of pond and it was good. Sushi was had for lunch including Shane taking in the dreaded 'fugu' puffer fish sushi. I didn't have any because I was the only one who knew where the hospital was.
Right. thats enough. Go outside and do something constructive with your time dammit. I will report back soon.
Goodbye.
Oh. And a big old fashioned "You Go Girl" to Arch for continuing to send through some of the grandest updates from the very depths of South East Asia. Snazzy.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Sunday, October 31, 2004
you want some funny?
I'll give you some funny.
Right now I'm listening to William Shatner in a song from his recently released 2nd album. He's doing a cover of Pulps' "Common People", that following a track from his first album, a cover of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds".
I am serious people.
He is a genius! And the passion? Golly. The passion. He should be an actor. Or open a shop. Get your hands on a track or two. Bloody Good.
Hi. It's been a while. Rainy today. Boo.
We had quite the morning yesterday, being the annual clothing drive we organise through work. We collected 300 boxes of clothes for aid agencies in Africa, it was cool fun. There are going to be some snappily dressed folk in the sub-Sahara next season I tell you what.
In other news I had a haircut last week (at last), nixed the mullet and moved on. They do a good line in "other stuff" when you get a haircut over here. I got me a cut-throat razor shave at the same time. Fun. Sharp. It got a little odd however when the chap shaved my forehead too. Yep. Shaved forehead. Pretty fun, but the stubble/regrowth is going to be a concern, then he massaged my nose through a hot towel for a minute or so.... Friendly folk around here. Yep. Friendly. Maybe too friendly. Who massages a nose?
I got some new pants the other day too, thanks to Nics new sewing machine, it's a Brother, every day, shes gotta hook a brother up and get sewing (hahahaha). It's pretty snazzy. And I got me some new pants so cool.
Right-o thats all folks. Shane arrives next Sunday - Woohoo!!
seeya
Right now I'm listening to William Shatner in a song from his recently released 2nd album. He's doing a cover of Pulps' "Common People", that following a track from his first album, a cover of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds".
I am serious people.
He is a genius! And the passion? Golly. The passion. He should be an actor. Or open a shop. Get your hands on a track or two. Bloody Good.
Hi. It's been a while. Rainy today. Boo.
We had quite the morning yesterday, being the annual clothing drive we organise through work. We collected 300 boxes of clothes for aid agencies in Africa, it was cool fun. There are going to be some snappily dressed folk in the sub-Sahara next season I tell you what.
In other news I had a haircut last week (at last), nixed the mullet and moved on. They do a good line in "other stuff" when you get a haircut over here. I got me a cut-throat razor shave at the same time. Fun. Sharp. It got a little odd however when the chap shaved my forehead too. Yep. Shaved forehead. Pretty fun, but the stubble/regrowth is going to be a concern, then he massaged my nose through a hot towel for a minute or so.... Friendly folk around here. Yep. Friendly. Maybe too friendly. Who massages a nose?
I got some new pants the other day too, thanks to Nics new sewing machine, it's a Brother, every day, shes gotta hook a brother up and get sewing (hahahaha). It's pretty snazzy. And I got me some new pants so cool.
Right-o thats all folks. Shane arrives next Sunday - Woohoo!!
seeya
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