tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54958224869894598362024-03-19T00:02:22.740-05:00Chuckzilla Eats TokyoCanadian living in Tokyo to teach at an International School. This will be my first time living & working in Japan.ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-51378176058619874792013-08-25T02:33:00.001-05:002013-08-25T02:40:45.533-05:00The Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità)<b>What are YOU looking at?!</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mouth Of Truth in Odaiba, Tokyo</td></tr>
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One of the common things that I often noticed in Tokyo, especially in game centers, was this circular rock-like sculpture of a scary-looking man's face. The mouth and eyes are darkened holes within the sculpture, which make you wonder what could lie beyond if only you were to reach out and...<br />
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I see these faces every now and then, but often wonder what the meaning behind them is. Today I am happy to announce that I have finally found the answer...and also that I don't know anything about classic Hollywood movies.<br />
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In the beginning, I thought this face was strictly part of the Japanese culture, but to my surprise, after a little bit of research it actually originates from the Roman Empire (now Italy) as far back as the first century AD. Some scholars believe that during this time, the circular sculpture was actually just a decorative manhole cover back in ancient times. The "Bocca della Verità" is now located at the church of <i>Santa Maria in Cosmedin</i> in Rome, Italy.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Famous Lie-Detector</b></span></span></div>
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During the Middle Ages, a new myth rose up around the sculpture which stated that if you were to place your hand inside the sculpture's mouth and told a lie, the scuplture would then promptly bite your hand off!<br />
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Apparently, the Mouth of Truth became immortalized in a famous scene from a Hollywood movie entitled <i>Roman Holiday, </i>which I have never seen or heard of before, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. For those of you like me, who have never seen the movie, I've included a video of the scene here:<br />
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Largely due to this endearing scene, the famous mouth has been reproduced in many different forms in Japan and I believe it is also why so many Japanese couples "test" their love by placing their hands in the mouth of the man that may or may not bite their hands off.<br />
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There is an exact replica of the Bocca della Verità (made in and shipped
from Italy) here in Tokyo, Japan! It's located on the second floor
entrance of the popular <i><a href="http://www.venusfort.co.jp/multi/index_e.html">Venus Fort</a> </i>shopping mall in Odaiba.ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-42545934139380320692013-08-20T06:10:00.000-05:002013-08-20T07:44:18.509-05:00Water, Water, Everywhere...Except in Tokyo<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Flood Prevention in Tokyo </b></span></span><br />
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Second post in a week...NOT BAD! I decided that I'd post some educational articles about Japan on here from other websites that I found interesting, and didn't want to write all over again...so I'll provide a link to it below:
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<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/31/world/asia/japan-flood-tunnel/index.html">CNN - How Giant Tunnels Protect Tokyo From Flood Threat (written by Alex Zolbert)</a></div>
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Tokyo is a <b>BIG CITY</b>! Over 13 million people live here (as of 2013)! If you include the entire Greater Metropolitan Tokyo area that would be over 35 million people!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T8fQHGlHQr7xvv4IsgqaQqCqD85T-g7twYWPbKHg6o0smhmd7zPAGsj_r4RqG3Hpe3x5hrzdrAvmrvuZ47QJso5noFy1XaSd0Sr2mfUh2xoD-Ffly2CLtsW82xeCWbWUXYkWicrrzB4/s1600/Flood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T8fQHGlHQr7xvv4IsgqaQqCqD85T-g7twYWPbKHg6o0smhmd7zPAGsj_r4RqG3Hpe3x5hrzdrAvmrvuZ47QJso5noFy1XaSd0Sr2mfUh2xoD-Ffly2CLtsW82xeCWbWUXYkWicrrzB4/s200/Flood.jpg" width="200" /></a>In addition to the danger caused by earthquakes, there is another destructive force of nature that has the ability to cause even more damage to this enormous cosmopolitan city...<b>FLOODS! </b>Japan is a country full of mountains...which funnel massive amounts of water towards the low-lying coast...where it happens that in one place, the capital city of Tokyo is located. How does the city stop all this water from causing destruction year after year? Check this video!</div>
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Here are some interesting facts about the giant tunnels:</div>
<ul>
<li>found in the Saitama area (just 40km north of Tokyo)</li>
<li>build time: 9 years (1993 - 2006)</li>
<li>cost: $3 billion </li>
<li>length: 6.3 km tunnel</li>
<li>power: 4 jet engines can drain 200m3 of water in 1 second</li>
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For more recent information about how Tokyo is currently <b>UPGRADING </b>their flood prevention structures, check out this article from Bloomberg.com and their own video report:<br />
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<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-30/tokyo-prepares-for-once-in-200-year-flood-forecast-to-top-sandy.html" target="_blank">Bloomberg.com - Tokyo Prepares for a 1-in-200 Year Flood </a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-30/tokyo-prepares-for-once-in-200-year-flood-forecast-to-top-sandy.html" target="_blank">(by Chris Cooper and Kiyotaka Matsuda)</a></div>
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If you liked this post, and would like to see more educationally informative posts like this, please let me know, be leaving me a message! If not, I'll keep doing it anyway!</div>
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ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-23904879475126797862013-08-18T02:10:00.000-05:002013-08-18T10:31:01.660-05:00Off to see a Landmark...(and restarting my blog!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsna8XthBWvphgrrGjJas-wDhXltwH2ZdrFGr9aZSBJICPSBUrA8uQPvh5TOIXSBfsMkVfLWsAv0Vx8QyfNKkrwbU5utP-ga4hOON3t9ozK0KKgMeumAJXgQn6sHRyYmUa7Mp7reVOiQ/s1600/250px-Yokohama-Landmark-Tower-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsna8XthBWvphgrrGjJas-wDhXltwH2ZdrFGr9aZSBJICPSBUrA8uQPvh5TOIXSBfsMkVfLWsAv0Vx8QyfNKkrwbU5utP-ga4hOON3t9ozK0KKgMeumAJXgQn6sHRyYmUa7Mp7reVOiQ/s320/250px-Yokohama-Landmark-Tower-02.jpg" width="240"></a><b>Visit to Yokohama's Landmark Tower</b></div>
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Arriving back in Tokyo for my third year of teaching...so I've decided to put in a lot more <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">effort into updating my blog. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">To motivate me, I'm planning on purchasing a</span> <a href="http://www.gopro.com/HERO3" target="_blank">GoPro Hero 3</a> camera (exciting in itself since photography and cinematography are a few of my hobbies which have been put on hold due to being lazy).<div><b><br>I just realized that I haven't posted anything on here for over a year and a half! </b><br>
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I went to Yokohama to do some shopping and check out the Landmark Tower on the weekend. Coincidentally, it was also the 20th anniversary of the building being built.<br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>It's the tallest building in Japan! </b></span></span></div>
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Some of you might say, "But what about the Tokyo SkyTree?!" Well, the SkyTree isn't actually considered a "building" where people reside and work, however SkyTree is the tallest "man-made structure" in Japan. The Landmark Tower would only be the third tallest man-made structure, behind the SkyTree (634m) and Tokyo Tower (333m).<br>
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The Landmark Tower dominates the harbour area with its futuristic look, which can even look a bit ominous in the later hours of the evening.<b></b><br>
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<b>Landmark Tower Facts:</b><br>
<ul>
<li>completed in 1993</li>
<li>tallest building in Japan (296m)</li>
<li>70 floors (Sky Garden observation deck is on the 69th floor)</li>
<li>fastest elevator in Japan (750m/s)</li>
<li>elevator time from bottom floor to top floor (about 40 seconds)</li>
<li>Mount Fuji can be seen on a clear day</li>
<li>5 star hotel, shops, and restaurants included </li>
<li>Cosmo World Amusement Park is located right beside it </li>
<li>1000 yen for a ticket to the Landmark Tower Sky Garden observation deck </li>
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<b>How to get there: </b></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Closest train station: Minatomirai Station on the Minatomirai Line</li>
<li>only about 30 minutes from Tokyo</li>
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Here are some miscellaneous photos from the short outing:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ8jZcUJWAKrdvk-h-q8uNaUGjMBn95jXdPaVKwqWvlg27CpbVIU21H5VFHNHCZvf1rmEAATTC9wGeYTi0a5ZYFuey5qPKUAbStPiMJToJWLBOiTiEMGDiH-jYS3aKtkVmoZc98ShyphenhyphencM/s1600/IMG_2101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ8jZcUJWAKrdvk-h-q8uNaUGjMBn95jXdPaVKwqWvlg27CpbVIU21H5VFHNHCZvf1rmEAATTC9wGeYTi0a5ZYFuey5qPKUAbStPiMJToJWLBOiTiEMGDiH-jYS3aKtkVmoZc98ShyphenhyphencM/s640/IMG_2101.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Tokyo Bay from the Sky Garden (69th Floor) of Landmark Tower</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKHCD4DnWwDeUdtEbM2DkIjAFrCe55RW9kjWkrcl1gga7lnSipv4PVLdKZ84RKmmYOxO2lP89pBMeUAg_P7e_uLaBlDfwFIr-I5Vf4tsI6OkMVYtVCtXilpGFRWHM7zYPzxHN8PgtNaQ/s1600/IMG_2091.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKHCD4DnWwDeUdtEbM2DkIjAFrCe55RW9kjWkrcl1gga7lnSipv4PVLdKZ84RKmmYOxO2lP89pBMeUAg_P7e_uLaBlDfwFIr-I5Vf4tsI6OkMVYtVCtXilpGFRWHM7zYPzxHN8PgtNaQ/s400/IMG_2091.JPG" width="298"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Apparently Yokohama is famous for curry...? </b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Obligatory Sky Garden Stamp</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwChDvC-X82GF0qkoLWlwDfksqHWY1o0t75tnfYTWcxEcQKVSGvfUF_u1XrKF_DV4bCXtsIcgNHFfEB0QRv66QTMPX-Ji85dIb7SISQ5ovBP49Xq3BwS8pQ2Jp8Gv-sAl33EJRusKHrfM/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwChDvC-X82GF0qkoLWlwDfksqHWY1o0t75tnfYTWcxEcQKVSGvfUF_u1XrKF_DV4bCXtsIcgNHFfEB0QRv66QTMPX-Ji85dIb7SISQ5ovBP49Xq3BwS8pQ2Jp8Gv-sAl33EJRusKHrfM/s640/IMG_2112.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cosmo World</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Night View of the Landmark Tower</b></td></tr>
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</div>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0Yokohama Landmark Tower, 2丁目-2-2-1 Minatomirai, Nishi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 220-0012, Japan35.454569 139.63142059.9325345 98.322826499999991 60.976603499999996 -179.05998550000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-36700703779509004262012-01-02T02:40:00.004-06:002012-02-20T04:07:21.178-06:00Kitto Katsu (きっとかつ) - The Art of Japanese KitKat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; text-align: left;"><b>Happy New Year 2012! 明けましておめでとうございます!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wow...it has been a lonnnnnnng time since I posted on the blog. No excuses. I was just busy and lazy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyways, let's jump back into everything and anything Japan, shall we?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="color: red;">KitKat</b> has always been one of my favourite chocolate bars (although I hated chocolate in general when I was a kid), but the Japanese have made the brand a little bit more exciting with a multitude of different flavours that come out on a seasonal basis.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">KitKat (or pronounced <b style="color: blue;">Kitto Katto</b> in Japan) is very close to the phrase "<b style="color: blue;">kitto katsu</b>" (きっとかつ), which translates to "certain victory". For this reason, the makers of KitKat have marketed its chocolate with that slogan. Also, KitKat is usually given to students before important tests and exams as a symbol for wishing them <b style="color: #38761d;">GOOD LUCK</b>!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="fcg">Here are a few of the KitKat boxes I have collected so far this year. Unfortunately (and not surprisingly) I have eaten most of them so the actual chocolate bar (usually a different shade than brown) won't be seen. I'll add some more pictures as I accumulate more of these tasty treats.<b> <i style="color: red;">(UPDATED: February 20, 2012)</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SuMibSt0KXk/TwFl8xy2c9I/AAAAAAAADgk/TdxybH_Vv7g/s640/IMG_0551.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Strawberry</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQQ0_dzrlD8/TwFmBCmSVtI/AAAAAAAADgs/f5y6YKtBgA4/s1600/IMG_0552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQQ0_dzrlD8/TwFmBCmSVtI/AAAAAAAADgs/f5y6YKtBgA4/s640/IMG_0552.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cherry Blossoms and Green Tea</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzzTbubCaJ0/TwFmIxxeBMI/AAAAAAAADg0/Bzv3evHXwqk/s1600/IMG_0553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzzTbubCaJ0/TwFmIxxeBMI/AAAAAAAADg0/Bzv3evHXwqk/s640/IMG_0553.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Annin Dofu (杏仁豆腐) - "Almond Tofu"<span class="fcg"></span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUxiEc_RSaI/TwFmQd8EGoI/AAAAAAAADg8/yVYLGINCH7s/s1600/IMG_0554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUxiEc_RSaI/TwFmQd8EGoI/AAAAAAAADg8/yVYLGINCH7s/s640/IMG_0554.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Strawberry Cheesecake</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UEpOrERBYw/TwFmcnVKCpI/AAAAAAAADhE/bEjONkMQBEY/s1600/IMG_0555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UEpOrERBYw/TwFmcnVKCpI/AAAAAAAADhE/bEjONkMQBEY/s640/IMG_0555.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kuromitsu (黒蜜) A Japanese sugary syrup - "Black Honey"</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amDFneQrP7k/TwFmpg_Ot4I/AAAAAAAADhM/PEdC6A-HiZM/s1600/IMG_0556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amDFneQrP7k/TwFmpg_Ot4I/AAAAAAAADhM/PEdC6A-HiZM/s640/IMG_0556.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Wasabi</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YLBuv5j30Ik/TwFm7HinPOI/AAAAAAAADhU/XupXvFCah24/s1600/IMG_0557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YLBuv5j30Ik/TwFm7HinPOI/AAAAAAAADhU/XupXvFCah24/s640/IMG_0557.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strike><b>Not sure...please contact me if you know...otherwise this is "Wooden House flavour"</b></strike><br />
<b>Yatsuhashi <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">八ツ橋 or 八橋</span>)</span> A Japanese confectionery made of flour, sugar, and cinnamon famous in Kyoto. (Thanks to <a href="http://japan-food-tradition.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Nicolas</a> for the information)</b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FXUiN3DXnbs/TwFnH0QR0DI/AAAAAAAADhc/fafxegrNYT4/s1600/IMG_0558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FXUiN3DXnbs/TwFnH0QR0DI/AAAAAAAADhc/fafxegrNYT4/s640/IMG_0558.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strike><b>Not sure...please contact me if you know...otherwise this is "Window flavour"</b></strike><br />
<b>Hōjicha <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">ほうじ茶</span>)</span> A roasted Japanese green tea </b><b>famous in Kyoto. </b><strike><b></b></strike><b>(Thanks to <a href="http://japan-food-tradition.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Nicolas</a> for the information)</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IKl89rO_u5U/TwFnMClszKI/AAAAAAAADhk/1Ys2A7KdJZg/s1600/IMG_0559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IKl89rO_u5U/TwFnMClszKI/AAAAAAAADhk/1Ys2A7KdJZg/s640/IMG_0559.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Blueberry Cheesecake</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qmDwgQYgYdP7refNNA2CF7h02ArgMn4nFTY5FjOgmmxTbotA1xLprYnXcmzCxztSxPr0p2NZLr3jyTJz5iyqEt8Ctf7hZicJiBsWUDDyUysOKfmZHSCsMR08pgkZY4pHhaVAH6ZFVoM/s1600/IMG_0798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qmDwgQYgYdP7refNNA2CF7h02ArgMn4nFTY5FjOgmmxTbotA1xLprYnXcmzCxztSxPr0p2NZLr3jyTJz5iyqEt8Ctf7hZicJiBsWUDDyUysOKfmZHSCsMR08pgkZY4pHhaVAH6ZFVoM/s640/IMG_0798.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Edamame - Soybean</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqJ5NShww_Mz4OpngQsdpxG45IXoBRf5O7e9Hfou19eC81EhqfRw8q74ndnmXMzs1c6HP9cSGl2d8o9Lhn0xnqxKWEEimuvGuWEoEyf1i7pRc96xX2QtH1p__K9JPUf667yiL_CwChaU/s1600/IMG_0800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqJ5NShww_Mz4OpngQsdpxG45IXoBRf5O7e9Hfou19eC81EhqfRw8q74ndnmXMzs1c6HP9cSGl2d8o9Lhn0xnqxKWEEimuvGuWEoEyf1i7pRc96xX2QtH1p__K9JPUf667yiL_CwChaU/s640/IMG_0800.JPG" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Orange (or Tokyo SkyTree flavour)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-15629344404577289722011-10-15T13:05:00.003-05:002013-08-18T05:20:26.385-05:00Japanese Pranks are AWESOME - Part 2<div style="color: red;">
<b>The Japanese are BRUTAL when it comes to scaring people!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7D1lPqbKQWpo5Z2qkC8q1nqrdI6mEo5QdtLbPxO0HK81CmL6jBetqiCVAm-8-ygZd357BtJyX1YzNc3igMXYLNxCmqEaJxK2DEeztye0LAb070Fxycivi0yO3rN1_KBg6wvFctF_r30/s1600/ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7D1lPqbKQWpo5Z2qkC8q1nqrdI6mEo5QdtLbPxO0HK81CmL6jBetqiCVAm-8-ygZd357BtJyX1YzNc3igMXYLNxCmqEaJxK2DEeztye0LAb070Fxycivi0yO3rN1_KBg6wvFctF_r30/s200/ring.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This is the second installment of my favourite Japanese pranks. To see the others, check out the <a href="http://ccabiles.blogspot.com/2011/08/japanese-pranks-are-awesome-part-1.html"><b>first installment</b></a>. <br />
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This time around, in honour of<span style="color: #e69138;"> </span><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: small;"><b>Hallowe'en</b></span> coming up in a few weeks, I'd like to focus on pranks intended for the sole purpose of scaring someone to death.<br />
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As an added informational tidbit, the picture on the right, which most people in North America know as the girl from <i>The Ring </i>(which itself was a remake of a 1998 Japanese movie called <i>Ring</i>), is what ghosts look like in Asian culture. Asian people are deathly afraid of these "ghosts".<br />
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<span style="color: red;">They may be brutal, but to me "</span><b style="color: red;">BRUTAL is FUNNY</b><span style="color: red;">".</span></div>
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<b>Mirror </b>- This prank is one of my all-time favourites. I played this one over and over again and laughed my @$$ off each time.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ERHARhwlYw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b>TV</b> - Japanese girls watching a video clip from <i>Ring...</i>and then.........<br />
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<b> </b><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7P06CYi8o7s?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><b>Doorway</b> <b>- </b>This one is actually a Korean prank, but it's still funny. Watch until the end!<br />
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<b> </b> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XwLK29--Udg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<b>Wake-up</b> - Innovative ways of waking someone up...with a a touch of EXTREME!<br />
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<b>MRI</b> - This one isn't really scary...but that depends on your definition. I'd consider this one more gross.<br />
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<b>Miscellaneous Scares</b> - This is a mish mash of random Japanese scare tactics. My favourites are the boulder ones.<br />
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Hope you enjoyed these, and again, if you'd like to check out the <a href="http://ccabiles.blogspot.com/2011/08/japanese-pranks-are-awesome-part-1.html"><b>first installment</b></a>,<b> </b>just click <b><a href="http://ccabiles.blogspot.com/2011/08/japanese-pranks-are-awesome-part-1.html">here</a>.</b><br />
Until next time! Keep on pranking!ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-84446956449150085442011-10-15T11:10:00.002-05:002011-10-15T11:26:26.477-05:00The Wonderful...Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mvTf3I57gHgh-nK7RxC38x4991s1Y19Xi7mXuQ11ghRKUf7WW0keA_ml-cwJXxbAKFSDcnfoqdl4QDFmjreDAyBbhg-kD-k9l6KKQPsAU8gFvosLR7ffoLF8BGdFgufm4rwQzNT5uMw/s1600/Tsukiji+Fish+Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mvTf3I57gHgh-nK7RxC38x4991s1Y19Xi7mXuQ11ghRKUf7WW0keA_ml-cwJXxbAKFSDcnfoqdl4QDFmjreDAyBbhg-kD-k9l6KKQPsAU8gFvosLR7ffoLF8BGdFgufm4rwQzNT5uMw/s320/Tsukiji+Fish+Market.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b style="color: blue;">Tsukiji fish market</b> is a <b>MUST SEE</b> place if you are in Tokyo. It is very famous for it's tuna auction where gigantic tuna fish are laid out on the ground and are auctioned off to Tokyo's highest bidders. Apparently, the market is the absolute best place for the best freshest and best sushi you'll ever have. For foreigners to actually check out this auction, you have to wake up early in the morning, and be able to get in line for 5AM, as they only allow a very small number of people to witness it.<br />
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On the train last night at about 4:40am, excited about the prospect of eating the best sushi of our lives and after a very long day and night, some friends and I (by way of a couple of laughing Japanese girls) were alerted to the fact that the fish market is<b> <span style="color: blue;">closed on Sundays</span></b>. We went home both tired and hungry.<br />
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I will have to post about Tsukiji fish market another day. The running joke this year so far has been that weekend partying has stopped our ambitious plans of going to see it...and now that we actually tried to stick out the night to see it, we've been foiled by our lack of reading the "Days of Operation". By the rate we are going...<b style="color: blue;">we may never see this market until June</b>...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: red;">The Wonderful </b></span><br />
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I can probably spend hours writing about all of the awesome things about Tokyo and Japan. It truly is a wonderful, exciting, interesting, beautiful, charming place. In this posting I want to highlight a few "wonderful" things...<br />
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<b>1) Tokyo</b><br />
<ul><li>I've posted this serene video on Facebook before, (it isn't my video) of Tokyo at different times in the day, starting in the early morning. Most of these famous places I have already been to and most of them are just 10 minutes away from my apartment. It's cool to see the streets of Tokyo actually empty, as normally it's like an ocean of people.</li>
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<b>2) LOST.....in Japan</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoKRKqLBEXz6cSPkjz8kZTyvQ_S__Akx9PJrd_FYFdjyEaOyZu54EUK_85bxFvEv9auMOmp27PGdfRd9PZz6GKMy-KJDQGLJBN7ka4DGM1ZkUUb9WWHAE18edW8ygcW1W3FoePch-iAY/s1600/honour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoKRKqLBEXz6cSPkjz8kZTyvQ_S__Akx9PJrd_FYFdjyEaOyZu54EUK_85bxFvEv9auMOmp27PGdfRd9PZz6GKMy-KJDQGLJBN7ka4DGM1ZkUUb9WWHAE18edW8ygcW1W3FoePch-iAY/s320/honour.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><ul><li>The image of this cartoon samurai is meant to symbolize the honour of the Japanese people. To date, I have lost several things in this country...on the crowded streets of Tokyo...mostly due to my negligence and absentmindedness.</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;"> Losing something makes you feel stupid</b><b> </b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Commuter pass </b>- A credit card size item that allows me to utilize the metro (train) system here in Tokyo. Value = $70 CDN. Lost at Harajuku station. Right after I get through the turnstile (using the pass)...I fumble through my pockets and realize I've lost the pass somewhere! After looking through all my belongings, I finally admit that I've lost my first item in Japan. Several hours later, in a hopeful attempt to see if anyone actually turned it into the station authorities, after giving them my name and going through a drawer, I was surprised to see my pass in the station worker's hands. </li>
</ul></div><ul><li> <b>Wallet </b>- A beverage-filled evening, a few weeks ago, was topped off with somebody (who may or may not be me) losing their wallet in the middle of Shibuya (home to the crazy intersection that everyone thinks about when they think of Tokyo). The next day, a conversation with a police officer in the area said that a visit to the police station 3 days later (due to a long weekend) might offer a good chance. Lo and behold, the wallet was returned to the police office with all credit cards, IDs, and money! The money amounted to be about <b style="color: red;">50 000¥</b> (about $500 CDN) and it was <b>ALL </b>there...including change. I wasn't quite surprised this time, but I was deeply relieved. Um...and when I say "I"...I mean "someone".<b> </b></li>
<li><b>Hard Drive</b> - Without even knowing, I apparently had also lost my new 1.5TB portable hard drive at the same time as my wallet. They both must have fallen out of my backpack during the night's festivities. So when the officer brought the bag to me, with my wallet in it, I was completely floored to see that my hard drive was in the same bag.</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: red;">To read my other related posting click here:</span> <a href="http://ccabiles.blogspot.com/2011/09/weird-part-1.html"><b>The Weird...Part 1</b></a></div><ul></ul>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-40468111785877835012011-09-28T08:38:00.002-05:002011-09-28T08:52:03.679-05:00The Weird... - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7mHZSHGVbaCLfHoBnkMa_rqgzZxioX6gdleaL5JO8z2q14EfbfnD_Xr7FKfDj6UCH_4wSZYuunpEhMu0JkS1t2ryjKQZZ4xZesuRiQSE_CR9Q_flT-U38TUEHfh5jwOfu4pg60y5xGA/s1600/rs-puzzled-graytie%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7mHZSHGVbaCLfHoBnkMa_rqgzZxioX6gdleaL5JO8z2q14EfbfnD_Xr7FKfDj6UCH_4wSZYuunpEhMu0JkS1t2ryjKQZZ4xZesuRiQSE_CR9Q_flT-U38TUEHfh5jwOfu4pg60y5xGA/s200/rs-puzzled-graytie%25282%2529.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>Whoa...it's been <b style="color: blue;">2 and a half weeks</b> since I last posted something! That's bad...and I apologize to those of you who have been asking me and wondering where the posts have gone to. To make amends, I'm hoping to post at least three things this week (maybe more). I present to you a 3-part posting entitled "<b>The Weird...The Wacky...The Wonderful</b>".<br />
<br />
So much has happened since I last posted...let me count the ways...<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<div style="color: red;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Weird</b></span></div></div><br />
<b>1) Ronald McDonald</b> (Scary Japanese version)<br />
<ul><li>If you haven't read or seen<b> <a href="http://ccabiles.blogspot.com/2011/08/japanese-mcdonalds.html">my previous McDonald's posting</a> </b>with a video of a "beautiful" Ronald, go check it out <a href="http://ccabiles.blogspot.com/2011/08/japanese-mcdonalds.html"><b>here</b></a>. </li>
<li>I stumbled across this other video just today that's promoting McDonald's. I'm not sure if it's real, but it made me laugh.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vqDsMbpksOM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<b>2) UFO Catchers</b><br />
<ul><li>If you don't know what that is, it's basically one of those machines where you win a prize by using "THE CLAW".</li>
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNxNj-hy-_EtKRtQ7tHIpkPxgrxHt8WqIyJZ_PMg2fzViqRTIwbzkAuffr9MRT9RjqRQbgA5U8HM0_Mxhjx16mIPuJIN7-NFsI8d6StwoaoH29oFOJdxs1EpXZDS-Z7bW6blHQ1zJWe8/s1600/ufo+catcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNxNj-hy-_EtKRtQ7tHIpkPxgrxHt8WqIyJZ_PMg2fzViqRTIwbzkAuffr9MRT9RjqRQbgA5U8HM0_Mxhjx16mIPuJIN7-NFsI8d6StwoaoH29oFOJdxs1EpXZDS-Z7bW6blHQ1zJWe8/s640/ufo+catcher.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello Kitty? Super Mario? Choose your destiny!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li>UFO Catchers are EVERYWHERE! There are buildings and arcades with rooms FILLED with these things, selling anything from candy to stuffed toys to posters.</li>
<li>In Akihabara (the electronic, nerdy part of Tokyo) I, along with another coworker, with a significant amount of money, and with the disgraceful pity of one of the employees (who made it easier and easier for us to win) won one of these each:</li>
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSb14NCl69_Hy193CdUovagOIJC2mDYfplOwjjJDRh6qfIXC_g5205dfupa04U7TVidU3j_wmNPGcu1KYXS9x_1JOyv789_xRa8wpsBH9NK_Um9lI6WCBNTFeWhV82NGKUeUx1Wfk8C4Q/s1600/Super+Sonico+Doll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSb14NCl69_Hy193CdUovagOIJC2mDYfplOwjjJDRh6qfIXC_g5205dfupa04U7TVidU3j_wmNPGcu1KYXS9x_1JOyv789_xRa8wpsBH9NK_Um9lI6WCBNTFeWhV82NGKUeUx1Wfk8C4Q/s640/Super+Sonico+Doll.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super Sonico!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>3) Sushi Stapler</b><br />
<ul><li>The picture speaks for itself:</li>
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOOyJv780c9G9zLAbkV4XoPUjUjHo5UzXHaO014VLBVYdVio-VbZuSedC5FeF9LqjmlpsrkNE0_P7wlDJhM7gtucgoYRZAHhuEoflg3rETeG_9PPmAJ4lWVdG4zI9ez0XpE21F-tIFow/s1600/sushi+stapler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOOyJv780c9G9zLAbkV4XoPUjUjHo5UzXHaO014VLBVYdVio-VbZuSedC5FeF9LqjmlpsrkNE0_P7wlDJhM7gtucgoYRZAHhuEoflg3rETeG_9PPmAJ4lWVdG4zI9ez0XpE21F-tIFow/s640/sushi+stapler.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...but where's the wasabi?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b> 4) Milk Soda</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwYCczdmZEC2KNI_fxFWvTZu6kg-BZpk6hOF_FWnwjJmM8txxdPy3e95ONZwujL0gh60kUqrOIumxy5vZlB8o6Vq6oLkvh02Hk6NJz0LN_6ljoa0ij9jM5Z45_99VxArQZznosN0dh3c/s1600/Milk+soda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwYCczdmZEC2KNI_fxFWvTZu6kg-BZpk6hOF_FWnwjJmM8txxdPy3e95ONZwujL0gh60kUqrOIumxy5vZlB8o6Vq6oLkvh02Hk6NJz0LN_6ljoa0ij9jM5Z45_99VxArQZznosN0dh3c/s640/Milk+soda.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><br />
<ul><li><b>FINALLY!</b> Everyone's two favourite things: Milk <b>AND</b> Soda...<b>TOGETHER AT LAST! </b></li>
<li>I drank half of this because I was thirsty. The rest of the bottle is still sitting on my fridge.</li>
</ul><br />
<ul></ul><b>5) Gang Fights?....no it couldn't be!</b><br />
<ul><li>I woke up around 8am early on Sunday morning to girls shrieking outside of my apartment and sounds of a street fight. I ran out of my building looking frantically for the sounds of the commotion, when I see something on the other side of the metro line:</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5kWj8F2oL26CHoEQamcV9_HcGqwO-kNINw_PqQYq9VuhLl-RM5PyfH-G7NWyORfXl_fIVQnH0imIFPUFBbpPfREfCHwLVJ2PoV6Z9Hylb1yxL3TSN7qtKdr7lqawabA3PXAKXdY7sHo/s1600/DSC_0409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5kWj8F2oL26CHoEQamcV9_HcGqwO-kNINw_PqQYq9VuhLl-RM5PyfH-G7NWyORfXl_fIVQnH0imIFPUFBbpPfREfCHwLVJ2PoV6Z9Hylb1yxL3TSN7qtKdr7lqawabA3PXAKXdY7sHo/s640/DSC_0409.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc341q3LO_S6eWy44oioEFlE4vZCMeGxnmqk5XKEugyPR7UkaqtNuVzk1KrF-yL02UaX7VUgsfPADioWX6hQ5oVI4zCAuihP4aeiAE5utcfA90M3GH1ckhgumWrTWLLFnJCPlbJEUIFmc/s1600/DSC_0412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc341q3LO_S6eWy44oioEFlE4vZCMeGxnmqk5XKEugyPR7UkaqtNuVzk1KrF-yL02UaX7VUgsfPADioWX6hQ5oVI4zCAuihP4aeiAE5utcfA90M3GH1ckhgumWrTWLLFnJCPlbJEUIFmc/s640/DSC_0412.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghT_Aai3kUbLvKsGdHBUPPvcGB1_fpD5L6Hq95z6fo9W59EeuaYo0VhV9A3YloQ95UTHxEpln3IqkKqEWu7xWs-bFU99x9y0AeJ2OKBE-KQol8TBn5qRr-JuISCYz8gXQ_WDlOoFbSGnA/s1600/DSC_0414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghT_Aai3kUbLvKsGdHBUPPvcGB1_fpD5L6Hq95z6fo9W59EeuaYo0VhV9A3YloQ95UTHxEpln3IqkKqEWu7xWs-bFU99x9y0AeJ2OKBE-KQol8TBn5qRr-JuISCYz8gXQ_WDlOoFbSGnA/s640/DSC_0414.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaXhSYtTm8230K5JKpOarsrcH7bvx4l8QfJXS_5dM0MFXqgsQXazgJ_a5WAlHdjKE1tL1PMzo-gqmm_f4UbLOU-D2CqRHE1KMsYtAdNLi6tHgWLAcokDFEh_MxjCSYXNQ-biv6DXxcKQ/s1600/DSC_0418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaXhSYtTm8230K5JKpOarsrcH7bvx4l8QfJXS_5dM0MFXqgsQXazgJ_a5WAlHdjKE1tL1PMzo-gqmm_f4UbLOU-D2CqRHE1KMsYtAdNLi6tHgWLAcokDFEh_MxjCSYXNQ-biv6DXxcKQ/s640/DSC_0418.jpg" width="510" /></a></div><ul><li> I'll pretend the guy on the right is the "White Ranger" and the guy on the left is..."the bad guy with a scorpion face".</li>
<li>Apparently they were filming some sort of movie outside my apartment, which included a group of actors dressed in school uniforms who provided the screaming that woke me up.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<hr /><br />
<br />
Anyways, I hope you readers continue to enjoy the posts I put up. This was a short AND random one that I just threw together, but here is a preview of some other things I'm going to be posting very soon:<br />
<ul><li>Long weekend trip to Nikko (World Heritage Site)</li>
<li>Sumo Wrestling</li>
<li>Food!</li>
<li>Baseball in Japan</li>
<li>Fashions</li>
<li>Typhoons</li>
</ul>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-24388941649643359342011-09-11T09:32:00.002-05:002011-09-12T08:17:49.607-05:00Shaking, Shopping, Shrines, and Seafood Sticks<div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><b>No Longer an Earthquake Virgin</b></div><br />
Today I felt my first earthquake here in Tokyo. I live right beside the train line, so I'm used to trains passing by on a regular basis. BUT, when my bed started to gently shake (with me in it) for about 5 seconds, I knew that was no train. It was actually kind of cool! <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">Asakusa</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OwBYgIKGA0971V56pT1y6Rzp0JOo3-g51z0Vpsg6OoBPRhdBKPKKlhyphenhyphenPYJRLqc4iV3_2x8qhsltlm7Hf5_T8myn0Q2DAA_ieleau9f1GPMBcxjGbGhv5ZgeXMT8QtwsL41arpWzPxxs/s1600/asakusa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OwBYgIKGA0971V56pT1y6Rzp0JOo3-g51z0Vpsg6OoBPRhdBKPKKlhyphenhyphenPYJRLqc4iV3_2x8qhsltlm7Hf5_T8myn0Q2DAA_ieleau9f1GPMBcxjGbGhv5ZgeXMT8QtwsL41arpWzPxxs/s1600/asakusa.gif" /></a></div><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A few other teachers and I went to visit an area of Tokyo yesterday called Asakusa. This area is very famous for having a large Buddhist temple, built in the 7th century, called Sensoji. There is a very long street called Nakamise which leads up to the temple, that is filled with little food stalls and souvenir shops...where people used to buy all their pre-temple things back in the ancient times as well. Interestingly, the surrounding area has been all rebuilt due to the air raids of World War 2, when the area was a bustling entertainment area.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There are a lot of things to see in Tokyo, but even more so in this little area. If you like shopping for trinkets and snacks, this is the place to be...although it is a little bit more expensive due to it being a tourist area.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/101218997138449751800/albums/5651072364151119985?hl=en">To VIEW ENTIRE GALLERY - CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRxMoEGHilQ/TmykX7i7yJI/AAAAAAAADcY/N4sGlMkqKiQ/s1600/DSC_0406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRxMoEGHilQ/TmykX7i7yJI/AAAAAAAADcY/N4sGlMkqKiQ/s640/DSC_0406.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nakamise - Shopping area</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SxWvnpdXF2g/TmymZFU2PCI/AAAAAAAADck/IAr_L9zRGUU/s1600/DSC_0419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SxWvnpdXF2g/TmymZFU2PCI/AAAAAAAADck/IAr_L9zRGUU/s640/DSC_0419.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nakamise Lanterns</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KRo3ZcraPXw/Tmy8EZz3wJI/AAAAAAAADeQ/NL1ci2dtSgc/s1600/DSC_0472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KRo3ZcraPXw/Tmy8EZz3wJI/AAAAAAAADeQ/NL1ci2dtSgc/s640/DSC_0472.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese Wood Carver</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/101218997138449751800/albums/5651072364151119985?hl=en">To VIEW ENTIRE GALLERY - CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">Good Fortune...Bad Fortune</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Once you enter the temple area, you'll be in awe of the beautiful grandeur of the still existing architecture. Gigantic, red lanterns can be found in front of main gates and doorways. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In order to get a fortune, you should cleanse yourself by bathing in some smoke, and then moving over to where the fortune sticks are. These sticks are inside of a metal tin, with a small hole just big enough for one stick to exit. After shaking and rolling the tin, you randomly select a wooden stick that comes out, with characters that correspond to those in drawers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I received a "Regular Fortune", which isn't too shabby at all. A lucky coworker of mine received one that read "The Best Fortune". Yet another coworker of mine received one that read "Bad Fortune". He was not pleased. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/101218997138449751800/albums/5651072364151119985?hl=en">To VIEW ENTIRE GALLERY - CLICK HERE</a></b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3E8TyN2A-A/TmyuCeDk7EI/AAAAAAAADdM/XejACiMii2g/s1600/DSC_0441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3E8TyN2A-A/TmyuCeDk7EI/AAAAAAAADdM/XejACiMii2g/s640/DSC_0441.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathing in Smoke Before Entering Temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GHyEPAX_vb4/Tmy9u6-z5II/AAAAAAAADeg/7dMhf-GM7Kg/s1600/IMG_0058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GHyEPAX_vb4/Tmy9u6-z5II/AAAAAAAADeg/7dMhf-GM7Kg/s640/IMG_0058.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My "Regular Fortune" Complete with Impeccable English Translation</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rg5-w-Pj4kI/Tmyo1H7yuTI/AAAAAAAADcw/p1iZ3jxMZXo/s1600/DSC_0426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rg5-w-Pj4kI/Tmyo1H7yuTI/AAAAAAAADcw/p1iZ3jxMZXo/s640/DSC_0426.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Sensoji Temple and Pagoda</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TAJ8Wpr40sg/TmyrZ8Z4c_I/AAAAAAAADdA/Uz6dAlwWv6M/s1600/DSC_0428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TAJ8Wpr40sg/TmyrZ8Z4c_I/AAAAAAAADdA/Uz6dAlwWv6M/s640/DSC_0428.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Underside of Giant Lantern</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E6dj6OMwvFM/TmytDW7XAHI/AAAAAAAADdI/ZyvJ6JGj7oY/s1600/DSC_0443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E6dj6OMwvFM/TmytDW7XAHI/AAAAAAAADdI/ZyvJ6JGj7oY/s640/DSC_0443.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sensoji Temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MdoAVwVSDPk/TmywFy7dHfI/AAAAAAAADdY/cl7e47m_8fs/s1600/DSC_0447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MdoAVwVSDPk/TmywFy7dHfI/AAAAAAAADdY/cl7e47m_8fs/s640/DSC_0447.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hozo Gate and Sonsoji Pagoda</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g1cj6vyvsf0/TmyyH4FXlyI/AAAAAAAADdg/Y0Zp_xjn1Q8/s1600/DSC_0453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g1cj6vyvsf0/TmyyH4FXlyI/AAAAAAAADdg/Y0Zp_xjn1Q8/s640/DSC_0453.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Throwing in Coins for Good Luck</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzmImpnL_14/Tmy4VKPgvpI/AAAAAAAADeA/gxOvOlykXuE/s1600/DSC_0462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzmImpnL_14/Tmy4VKPgvpI/AAAAAAAADeA/gxOvOlykXuE/s640/DSC_0462.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sensoji Pagoda</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/101218997138449751800/albums/5651072364151119985?hl=en">To VIEW ENTIRE GALLERY - CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><b>Octopus on a Stick? Yes please!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I haven't posted anything about food lately, which I should do more often. To quench your hunger for my hunger for exotic Japanese foods, I present to you these sticks of baby octopi. Grilled up and smothered in a sweet sauce...these things were tentacle-licking-good. Yummmmm... </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/101218997138449751800/albums/5651072364151119985?hl=en">To VIEW ENTIRE GALLERY - CLICK HERE</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mxuWUpPam2A/Tmy5eYCIsaI/AAAAAAAADeI/GLdE2xCOKyM/s1600/DSC_0466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mxuWUpPam2A/Tmy5eYCIsaI/AAAAAAAADeI/GLdE2xCOKyM/s640/DSC_0466.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrumptious stick foods</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S66tXyKPCgg/Tmy6rY4r9-I/AAAAAAAADeM/n1NI-hbPAhw/s1600/DSC_0470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S66tXyKPCgg/Tmy6rY4r9-I/AAAAAAAADeM/n1NI-hbPAhw/s640/DSC_0470.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Octopi on a Stick</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuFtmHI5jURoibuG9nDNf5D8-uybBJLGVfxX0OOKm7Ay5v0r2KXiZ_gk9JARetlQ9pdxIjSBkRTPBlDg9Zt9OG8BHU0zyo5UChhgt7JdIeFwhdNVGjaH3W1nBmDblgCJqO1t1ByxvyMA/s1600/me+eating+baby+octopi+on+a+stick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuFtmHI5jURoibuG9nDNf5D8-uybBJLGVfxX0OOKm7Ay5v0r2KXiZ_gk9JARetlQ9pdxIjSBkRTPBlDg9Zt9OG8BHU0zyo5UChhgt7JdIeFwhdNVGjaH3W1nBmDblgCJqO1t1ByxvyMA/s1600/me+eating+baby+octopi+on+a+stick.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: red;">Tentacle Lickin' Good!</b></span></td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;"><br />
</b></div>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-72180406202200193992011-09-04T04:31:00.000-05:002011-09-04T04:31:14.150-05:00Home Sweet (but small) Home<div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><b>1000 people eaten (that means "views")?! WOW! </b></div><div style="color: red;"><br />
</div>School finally starts tomorrow. That means I gotta wear a tie. I usually only wear a tie 2 times a year, if that, back home...both times being for parent/teacher conferences. Now I have to wear a tie every day! I usually have to re-learn doing one each time, but thanks to the wonders of technology, YouTube has become my saviour...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZQQr09Ja1zY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
A lot of people have been wondering what my apartment looks like, so I've finally gotten around to taking some photos and video of my apartment. I live 5 minutes away from Mejiro Station, which is 22 minutes away from the train stop where my school is. In between my apartment and the school are very famous Tokyo areas, such as: Shibuya (Shibuya crossing), Shinjuku (busiest station in the world), Harajuku (Yoyogi park and crazy fashions), etc.<br />
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</center><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=208097637969241232919.0004ab1e393fd5738c969&ie=UTF8&ll=35.724849,139.708223&spn=0,0&vpsrc=6&output=embed" width="425">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;fafa&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe></center><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/h7UkzRnbfvg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue;">20 Square Meters of Heaven</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Y82IYPix43Gww9B5a4PiqEEbhUjgNBhhvj-MRE-cyE5PzmLePSdoVXcIKknsTGodmSep4wPGuyTCmzgOFNhuUWryvIAfTFXs0P-s8Ci5yJnLFkRjmOeJ6zjabpEgVIyMwul2fLDFouc/s1600/IMG_0024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Y82IYPix43Gww9B5a4PiqEEbhUjgNBhhvj-MRE-cyE5PzmLePSdoVXcIKknsTGodmSep4wPGuyTCmzgOFNhuUWryvIAfTFXs0P-s8Ci5yJnLFkRjmOeJ6zjabpEgVIyMwul2fLDFouc/s320/IMG_0024.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fukujima House (white 3 story building on the left)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz8I0j1ck36RjaQEso2I7_knBdeDiqDJ2H3aihs-VIwj57rx3oR-gSSaY-Rf0Vn5UWwPjGZ008bOI0m7FNxiHrSxifc9rSASGqG_2LmZzEUuqCsOXl_Bxi3q14KZ2u6IB33Sal757iRE/s1600/IMG_0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz8I0j1ck36RjaQEso2I7_knBdeDiqDJ2H3aihs-VIwj57rx3oR-gSSaY-Rf0Vn5UWwPjGZ008bOI0m7FNxiHrSxifc9rSASGqG_2LmZzEUuqCsOXl_Bxi3q14KZ2u6IB33Sal757iRE/s640/IMG_0014.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekSoU3R8EtmC1bvqboAXrJFQ12e_emKZeIfth5PYANhw87Tjlnv0YtZARFX1xjn51eGFndYhPnDGVut8eXK11MXP8EMNUqMTTVSRWrTTX344W0G8_-epgScNOE7zW696T1UABZie8zcE/s1600/IMG_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekSoU3R8EtmC1bvqboAXrJFQ12e_emKZeIfth5PYANhw87Tjlnv0YtZARFX1xjn51eGFndYhPnDGVut8eXK11MXP8EMNUqMTTVSRWrTTX344W0G8_-epgScNOE7zW696T1UABZie8zcE/s640/IMG_0016.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hMunCobHVHgPtIfZcRFDFq1siCBWQjfy1pplocjrRy569FWStwbVoKGdpzdlTSaQdYVObjy3IHbZ9mE1zNMxeQdS-RnWRQGVJ5Jnb1BCb9AC4-01wVC6GQZn4OLLyEnIcxOVFkTJTg4/s1600/IMG_0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hMunCobHVHgPtIfZcRFDFq1siCBWQjfy1pplocjrRy569FWStwbVoKGdpzdlTSaQdYVObjy3IHbZ9mE1zNMxeQdS-RnWRQGVJ5Jnb1BCb9AC4-01wVC6GQZn4OLLyEnIcxOVFkTJTg4/s640/IMG_0017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcSHMgqM1O_aCv3D1f1FDm18vMEyg7drnqdH2aXWyYmFcAttyFwXrgDm2lOqALxL4Ymb1PUOoX3FyWAoG5-yz5lD5qFGlaVPKw6rdkW64mgk7zJQV3yX_suAk9BBuGZ50mzZIWedPSyU/s1600/IMG_0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcSHMgqM1O_aCv3D1f1FDm18vMEyg7drnqdH2aXWyYmFcAttyFwXrgDm2lOqALxL4Ymb1PUOoX3FyWAoG5-yz5lD5qFGlaVPKw6rdkW64mgk7zJQV3yX_suAk9BBuGZ50mzZIWedPSyU/s640/IMG_0018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NHtNrqU3M2QFdg29aqIss02xp96UXp2MO1aYiXXOPSPPRlYF_7xZm-IMBCu-ssOcBUvG-etK9xEOcgBpsiuxb5aC8D8dZskrGPf-y8gjPXxjcHhoLGbIGf3LFaBlKi0XtDK79Q7XISg/s1600/IMG_0020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NHtNrqU3M2QFdg29aqIss02xp96UXp2MO1aYiXXOPSPPRlYF_7xZm-IMBCu-ssOcBUvG-etK9xEOcgBpsiuxb5aC8D8dZskrGPf-y8gjPXxjcHhoLGbIGf3LFaBlKi0XtDK79Q7XISg/s640/IMG_0020.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-72518650843294485332011-08-30T08:59:00.002-05:002013-08-18T05:36:13.404-05:00Japanese Pranks are AWESOME - Part 1<div style="color: red;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9f1u3eH3l54Ob07oTG_2mGEj1bnfSOn2lSzqvXnx2dk01vX9k4tY2Tvh5aUUn6RLqpBBbLOGxQUyh6qZPpPHKEkTjlYs01qvQQQD0LBEMToUhcbAXTU17pjlLjdw-AYDpMGhTBH56mlw/s1600/Victor_JustForLaughs_trademark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9f1u3eH3l54Ob07oTG_2mGEj1bnfSOn2lSzqvXnx2dk01vX9k4tY2Tvh5aUUn6RLqpBBbLOGxQUyh6qZPpPHKEkTjlYs01qvQQQD0LBEMToUhcbAXTU17pjlLjdw-AYDpMGhTBH56mlw/s200/Victor_JustForLaughs_trademark.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>Canada's <i>Just For Laughs Gags</i> have NOTHING on the Japanese!<br />
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The Japanese always take pranks <b>ABOVE and BEYOND</b> what you'd expect. With that in mind and the fact that they find humour in embarrassing people publicly, please enjoy these, some of my favourite Japanese videos from YouTube. This will be the first installation of these, as I will post a few more in the coming months.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">They may be brutal, but to me "</span><b style="color: red;">BRUTAL is FUNNY</b><span style="color: red;">".</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RLoEnFbM8No?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<b>Toilet Prank</b> - Squatting toilets are funny by themselves. Throw in a countdown...and you have comedy genius.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0C1TRtrz-Pg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>Massage Chairs</b> - This is my <b style="color: red;">all-time favourite</b> Japanese prank. What could be more relaxing than sitting in a massage chair while skiing in the mountains?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='600' height='480' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ryjn8sCi8dI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b>1 vs 100</b> - This ain't no game show with Bob Saget. Be careful when you're walking alone...<br />
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<b>1 vs 100 Part 2</b> - Let's up the ante here and get even more ridiculous.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5KGpf4n8uqU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<b>Onsen Fart</b> - This one is new to me, but is hilarious nonetheless. Some men are a bit bashful when they see a women at the onsen (public bath) with them.ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-47579211654056862782011-08-29T10:28:00.003-05:002011-08-29T17:08:19.532-05:00So Much Tokyo...So Little Weekend...<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">First Weekend in the Big City</b></div><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="http://www.avalon-intl.co.jp/shannons/e/index.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.avalon-intl.co.jp/shannons/e/img/mainlogo.gif" /></a><br />
After meeting the entire staff on Friday, the school warmly welcomed us with completely paid for (as I mentioned last posting) <b>ALL YOU CAN EAT <i>and </i>ALL YOU CAN DRINK</b> party at <a href="http://www.avalon-intl.co.jp/shannons/e/index.html"><i>Shannon's</i></a>, which is an Irish themed pub nearby. Sorry for no photos of the grotesque amount of scrumptious food or the bevy of beverages, but I can assure you I got my money's worth </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">Shinjuku Station</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Rush_hour_at_Shinjuku_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Rush_hour_at_Shinjuku_02.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning rush hour at Shinjuku Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table> On Saturday, a bunch of us teachers attempted to meet up at Shinjuku station to go to an Koenji station to watch this dance festival. When we learned quickly, being NEWBS, is that when you don't have cellphones yet, you should never meet up at Shinjuku station.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: blue;">Why?</b> ...because it's just the <b>busiest station in the world</b>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: blue;">How busy?</b> ...about <b>3.64 million people</b> go through it every day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: blue;">How is that possible?</b> ...it has <b>12 train lines</b> connecting to it, plus it's a hub for buses, and on top of all of that, it's surrounded by a busy commercial area.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;">Do I have any pictures or video to prove it?</b> ...Yes...but I'll save that for another post. :D</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">Koenji Awa Odori</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> In the end, we went to Koenji with a smaller group people since we couldn't find everyone. I wasn't sure what to expect going to this festival (odori meaning "dance") since it was labelled as "<b>Fool's Dance</b>" in English. It turned out to be fantastic! An ocean of people filled the streets, beautifully brightly coloured costumes, loud rhythmic drums, and cheap mouth-watering food stalls lining the roadsides...it was a wonderful festival atmosphere. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWOam0sZqZFn7kEUPGqWd6pQjyYKP_je06zQJG4GxiXuJ5yWHSn7wn5DLW-RqOpXMDjfGlVyW_MY_zvsXkqfk4K-CJuRr2l6he7hVGuVf_3lU-DcEyBsDgoms1xrXD8wcimuNhs5mQdk/s1600/IMG_0338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWOam0sZqZFn7kEUPGqWd6pQjyYKP_je06zQJG4GxiXuJ5yWHSn7wn5DLW-RqOpXMDjfGlVyW_MY_zvsXkqfk4K-CJuRr2l6he7hVGuVf_3lU-DcEyBsDgoms1xrXD8wcimuNhs5mQdk/s400/IMG_0338.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Festival poster</td></tr>
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The dancers were of every age bracket and apparently there were 12000 of them. Every one of them was smiling and you could see how enthusiastic each one of them was by watching how passionate they were about the 3 hour long dance march (which they have to do again the next day).</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> For those of you who like history, here's some info on the festival:</div><blockquote><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>The awaodori ('awa dance') tradition can be traced back to Tokushima in Shikoku, where the story goes that the local <i>daimyo</i> plied his citizens with alcohol to celebrate the completion of the local castle in 1586, leading to a citywide outbreak of dancing in the streets. Whatever the accuracy of that story, the enthusiasm was contagious, and Koenji has been holding a dance of its own for over half a century. </i></div></blockquote><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> For those of you who hate history, here's some (9) pictures (<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/101218997138449751800/albums/5646299537538565249">click <b>HERE</b> to see the WHOLE album</a>) and a video of what I filmed that day:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gkYPq7xcPvQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHiH8T8zcKpGMi4Aml2wQGHVUA1wdJPtQqiweQw7XNKXdNk0ui9WwBRIZq1BHGicKqGoIK3-TwvtgCYus1hLO5oYThsSIjhAHEtNwTqb3iv4k2I2UZ0vNLdNsWFBEYOGzD3BjstTBZ4U/s1600/DSC_0493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHiH8T8zcKpGMi4Aml2wQGHVUA1wdJPtQqiweQw7XNKXdNk0ui9WwBRIZq1BHGicKqGoIK3-TwvtgCYus1hLO5oYThsSIjhAHEtNwTqb3iv4k2I2UZ0vNLdNsWFBEYOGzD3BjstTBZ4U/s640/DSC_0493.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; color: red; text-align: center;">One more week till school officially starts...and fun ends...just kidding, fun <b>NEVER</b> ends.</div>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-60352797630594348322011-08-25T18:06:00.000-05:002011-08-25T18:06:36.737-05:00Biru means Beer (ooh!)First day of orientation at the school started yesterday. So all the new teachers got to meet all the other new teachers (21 new teachers in total). So many new teachers this year due to a lot of the other teachers having fears over last March's earthquake situation.<br />
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Some random facts about Canadian International School:<br />
<ul><li>21 new teachers</li>
<li>about 70 teachers in total</li>
<li>Kindergarten to Grade 12</li>
<li>257 students</li>
</ul>Un-school related... some new teachers and I went out exploring the last few days. This cartoon represents what basically happened: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ-5KGuIwg4GN133cVmrDYzjd0BLf099D3PYTMQJy6L6OJoMSaO-PCJO0onG8zrg_BIpms-BEo2oS_3MaDcuyS2FSbKGt0FkYc9zg7ZeWoKd1N83-G-HQ4szFf0xZ0iJkCndTtyVagVw/s1600/sightseeing+vs+beer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ-5KGuIwg4GN133cVmrDYzjd0BLf099D3PYTMQJy6L6OJoMSaO-PCJO0onG8zrg_BIpms-BEo2oS_3MaDcuyS2FSbKGt0FkYc9zg7ZeWoKd1N83-G-HQ4szFf0xZ0iJkCndTtyVagVw/s1600/sightseeing+vs+beer.jpg" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I thought this comic was hilarious when I saw the <a href="http://www.duelinganalogs.com/image/missing-accomplished/">original</a> at one of my favourite gaming webcomics, <a href="http://www.duelinganalogs.com/">Dueling Analogs</a>. Here's the OG:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJXtiWpFT4iBjrrRYHLHvPCbks4rJBh9illm2lylJH8i6yP7FvbDOMc7mQFL3Yudv3XJZ7aO6oaonfTVk3r03-_oh7r_9g-BQ4FqJ1lqxlG0diKwu9Nf20qQOgUiWo7TcXz18jW9-3k8/s1600/modern-productivity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJXtiWpFT4iBjrrRYHLHvPCbks4rJBh9illm2lylJH8i6yP7FvbDOMc7mQFL3Yudv3XJZ7aO6oaonfTVk3r03-_oh7r_9g-BQ4FqJ1lqxlG0diKwu9Nf20qQOgUiWo7TcXz18jW9-3k8/s320/modern-productivity.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br />
Here are a few photos of beers found by anonymous people here in Tokyo in the last few days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLXVFijCqWvfsVch7IX-M22X7US7ZPwOjQ_3Gj0oCMtfMI8sxZyeosN6jZwH1Gf9tJvc-CzJ4MARJ0tPFyaVleApBq74WIvQz0U5Mcifk2Y0dLE-_bnxKSdLmy5UeXRcKWn_BPy-AySQ/s1600/IMG_0296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLXVFijCqWvfsVch7IX-M22X7US7ZPwOjQ_3Gj0oCMtfMI8sxZyeosN6jZwH1Gf9tJvc-CzJ4MARJ0tPFyaVleApBq74WIvQz0U5Mcifk2Y0dLE-_bnxKSdLmy5UeXRcKWn_BPy-AySQ/s640/IMG_0296.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This looks big...BUT...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhKpZIjTid-K-5WDOFfPOWyr4HxMOl4vlGge6Xa6ndxjpRElvl72b-4uJ_Ru5sqhv05eOZXOMjix7OcKpIkQmPjhgCa2SNBLkiuvXugdsupCWS7HgKoMq0BcszCmlvBMBhGlrszZSgtU/s1600/IMG_0310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhKpZIjTid-K-5WDOFfPOWyr4HxMOl4vlGge6Xa6ndxjpRElvl72b-4uJ_Ru5sqhv05eOZXOMjix7OcKpIkQmPjhgCa2SNBLkiuvXugdsupCWS7HgKoMq0BcszCmlvBMBhGlrszZSgtU/s640/IMG_0310.jpg" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THIS is a <b>GRADUATED CYLINDER</b> of more than a LITRE of BEER...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yavOw2XLy8wyO0f3ZZ4X4kaLrttuqVk33N_Yuaycit4FFRfdGu50ms8zrK-NQtocHC5Y4qB2-veInGxL3NltPy7lzf0L8VqBCzdEk15u-m7Fwj-alSo4f4H8B_JkDxJx99vO1Ih7_tA/s1600/IMG_0313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yavOw2XLy8wyO0f3ZZ4X4kaLrttuqVk33N_Yuaycit4FFRfdGu50ms8zrK-NQtocHC5Y4qB2-veInGxL3NltPy7lzf0L8VqBCzdEk15u-m7Fwj-alSo4f4H8B_JkDxJx99vO1Ih7_tA/s400/IMG_0313.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This fellow needs to use 2 hands...for shame...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>On another side-note, I spotted this interesting pairing of hand soaps in a public washroom:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREH29ma0MCRRGRWrVdbQUdBX_9EsrRRCxIbSOQucsRt-fmekHKDaJ80SbDut6GIz_vOn52BpWzIoYNTI1OBRrip_T5AiqMsGEj4aMymo-jH9WBWi4vEtGtOwMPN_0P8wPtRCby8scYcY/s1600/IMG_0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREH29ma0MCRRGRWrVdbQUdBX_9EsrRRCxIbSOQucsRt-fmekHKDaJ80SbDut6GIz_vOn52BpWzIoYNTI1OBRrip_T5AiqMsGEj4aMymo-jH9WBWi4vEtGtOwMPN_0P8wPtRCby8scYcY/s400/IMG_0315.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red;">I chose the "non-flammable" one. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Today is Friday...so that can only mean it's "all you can eat AND all you can drink" day all paid for by the school. COMPAI! (cheers!)</div>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-64031068642537559442011-08-23T10:24:00.000-05:002011-08-23T10:24:58.797-05:00Japanese McDonaldsI was planning to stay healthy this year, but when I saw that there was a McDonalds right by my place that is open <b style="color: red;">24 HOURS</b>, I just had to check it out. I went and attempted to order some food. It's a good thing I learned Japanese writing, because I can sound out some things on the menu (although I'm not very fast yet) to understand what it is, if the picture isn't very infomative.<br />
<br />
I ordered myself a McChicken...or what I thought was a McChicken...I'll pretend it was a McChicken...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgie0PcrhmLixTN6H3ouTslqaN32zr6Sqbfrrnz4m27R_f1ToZ8vOnst8DNjxtEgyTdlBaGyEDwlURZrEcwqlL7aodoXmDS01AksiEhrv31WBIQ7jq1LgBWubR-jLPdLCCSnDCNqHRCEDY/s1600/Japanese+McDonalds+menu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgie0PcrhmLixTN6H3ouTslqaN32zr6Sqbfrrnz4m27R_f1ToZ8vOnst8DNjxtEgyTdlBaGyEDwlURZrEcwqlL7aodoXmDS01AksiEhrv31WBIQ7jq1LgBWubR-jLPdLCCSnDCNqHRCEDY/s640/Japanese+McDonalds+menu.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McDonalds menu in Japan - What would <b>YOU</b> order?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Just for fun, I thought I'd include some interesting Japanese spins on McDonalds in the following advertisements.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">Yes...PLEASE...Take my order...</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebI5k-1uQQD9DLwcLQsMwDpj6OWv5E0EDzXmr-Gex0X2lnwfG554xPOcZB5nNzXHz-LGYPuUYHtbVg0CE4w6iI4j0Uc4uBzZVwV35hFc9jJZCqyoiuKTXHuSsHu8rUOAKclbVoDiqvk0/s1600/Japanese+McDonalds+Girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebI5k-1uQQD9DLwcLQsMwDpj6OWv5E0EDzXmr-Gex0X2lnwfG554xPOcZB5nNzXHz-LGYPuUYHtbVg0CE4w6iI4j0Uc4uBzZVwV35hFc9jJZCqyoiuKTXHuSsHu8rUOAKclbVoDiqvk0/s1600/Japanese+McDonalds+Girl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gr6Wwb6Std0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlPW7nbo6faoBY9YOI3knBpabqEzii5o95QuK27dyJRXxeTXG6ErwqaNn5uTJwoPZXujmmgG39dwu6nqbRQ1mX8ZVGhTYSNj8fYnEUAl0eKpprXjwkPJgg0ppM9yrJ62s4l0BhJqeCZg/s1600/McDonalds+Gundam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlPW7nbo6faoBY9YOI3knBpabqEzii5o95QuK27dyJRXxeTXG6ErwqaNn5uTJwoPZXujmmgG39dwu6nqbRQ1mX8ZVGhTYSNj8fYnEUAl0eKpprXjwkPJgg0ppM9yrJ62s4l0BhJqeCZg/s1600/McDonalds+Gundam.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>McDonalds Gundam</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
</div>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-10082493234372637282011-08-22T07:47:00.001-05:002011-08-22T07:48:31.942-05:00More Than Just Sushi...I got picked up from the hotel today and brought to my new apartment near Mejuri Station, which is actually a few metro stops away from Shinjuku and Harujuku (which are apparently very famous areas). I also saw the famous intersection in Tokyo that everyone knows of. I'll take photos or video of that later.<br />
<br />
Anyways this post will just be about food. I was planning on taking photos of my new apartment, but I am sleepy. There is much more to Japanese food than sushi. The food culture here is rich with more than just raw fish on rice balls.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">Japanese food LOOKS as good as it TASTES!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Visited the school I'm going to be teaching at today (<a href="http://cisjapan.net/">Canadian International School Tokyo</a>) and along the way stopped at a popular Japanese restaurant to eat this:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGlyVz2g9taQXTYtzqpkHFDW-Y389dBQIn74GfuSAuBpny4wmO5XW7qfgrnBNK_SsUV5VWZO_M6a_YNCFoFqxlfOF9ORpHjVqNW-x11KbiV7zFQhEsPYa06198TFFYxFC7UW9GZHf4h8/s1600/IMG_0283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGlyVz2g9taQXTYtzqpkHFDW-Y389dBQIn74GfuSAuBpny4wmO5XW7qfgrnBNK_SsUV5VWZO_M6a_YNCFoFqxlfOF9ORpHjVqNW-x11KbiV7zFQhEsPYa06198TFFYxFC7UW9GZHf4h8/s640/IMG_0283.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown dish (fried chicken, eggplant, rice, assorted greens)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTFMqpIrqPpFWNbBWgiD8i_khprXXoTmPIuaNiLXtADXhmywzHQMSP79u_P1VZqYaAG7kDRpRO6c6-4RbaZhjeTRqiZlCYOx7bUFdh_O90Eg-PVEPdPvVqsnWYsoyzzhrd6JZHePZTYw/s1600/IMG_0284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTFMqpIrqPpFWNbBWgiD8i_khprXXoTmPIuaNiLXtADXhmywzHQMSP79u_P1VZqYaAG7kDRpRO6c6-4RbaZhjeTRqiZlCYOx7bUFdh_O90Eg-PVEPdPvVqsnWYsoyzzhrd6JZHePZTYw/s400/IMG_0284.jpg" width="298" /></a>After setting up the Internet in my apartment, I went out and bought some food and other household items. The first shopping experience in a new country is always a lot of fun. I'll dedicate another future post on that topic.<br />
<br />
Freshly made foods here are all <b>DISCOUNTED</b> 2 hours before grocery stores close!<br />
<br />
Yes I know this photo is of sushi, but it was discounted! <b>30% off!</b> I picked up 2 of these, one of which was supposed to be breakfast...but I ended up eating everything.<br />
<br />
This isn't boding well...ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-24833824668228667792011-08-21T17:31:00.000-05:002011-08-21T17:31:32.332-05:00A King's Throne<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">Riddle me this...</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Q:</b> What s the best thing in life?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>A:</b> The Japanese Toilet</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbRHnn__drX3xstpuTOVpgSrZKMSTLnjwauqKTP7G-BDhRMvertQ86xjb1bEJ_NMlqiRCjgwQSXrePLs-tYDfMVZ7ckRA_bu0g83cFOg2IIe_Ecpz5aZ33KG2uld4mJfhWc_MQAoULWE/s1600/IMG_0278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbRHnn__drX3xstpuTOVpgSrZKMSTLnjwauqKTP7G-BDhRMvertQ86xjb1bEJ_NMlqiRCjgwQSXrePLs-tYDfMVZ7ckRA_bu0g83cFOg2IIe_Ecpz5aZ33KG2uld4mJfhWc_MQAoULWE/s320/IMG_0278.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Why? Oh, let me count the ways...</div><ol><li><b>Heated seat.</b> Cold and miserable? Let a seat on the toilet wash your worries away.</li>
<li><b>Pre-flush.</b> As soon as you sit down, it flushes before you even THINK about getting dirty.</li>
<li><b>Bidet. </b>It feels weird, but sometimes your bum needs to be pampered (not literally).</li>
<li><b>Spray.</b> Basically the same thing as #3.</li>
<li><b>Water pressure gauge.</b> Set how strong the water sprays. You are truly king on THIS throne.</li>
<li><b> Deodorizer.</b> Mmm...smells like roses.</li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRBbdNuseiZPCXrd3HTOAlyUlmIwooapCUBwwiE4MASg7C8FYDZl_mM9lSseu9WZnky-nK04L8Rbdo4Je290OJiz_rtvd92ADRfyhnX2VQIpjwRpNvh3efB1eIHIjp-tPW4Nb9bcE5Gg/s1600/IMG_0279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRBbdNuseiZPCXrd3HTOAlyUlmIwooapCUBwwiE4MASg7C8FYDZl_mM9lSseu9WZnky-nK04L8Rbdo4Je290OJiz_rtvd92ADRfyhnX2VQIpjwRpNvh3efB1eIHIjp-tPW4Nb9bcE5Gg/s640/IMG_0279.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I will be on the lookout for a toilet that sings, or makes flushing sounds for those people who are embarassed to let others listen to them do their "dirty" work. <br />
<div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-67751981433098402842011-08-21T09:08:00.000-05:002011-08-21T09:08:33.505-05:00Of Airplanes and Airports<div style="text-align: center;"><b>It's official! I'm in Japan! </b></div><br />
Sooooooo TIRED!<br />
<br />
Let's recap:<br />
<ul><li> Did my last minute errands in Vancouver (which included these interesting moments)<br />
</li>
</ul><ol><ul><li>Exchanging my Canadian dollar for Japanese yen in BC. Money changer lady looks at my driver's license for ID and asks "Manitoba...is that in Canada?"</li>
</ul></ol><ol><ul><li>Old man behind me in line at London Drugs had 2 things with him. One was a large pack of Depends. The other was a worried face.</li>
</ul></ol><ul><li>Departed Vancouver on a <b style="color: blue;">12 hour flight</b> to Taiwan.</li>
</ul><ol><ul><li>Paid $32 extra in total for being overweight with my luggage (less than I thought it would be...I paid $50 for being overweight in Winnipeg <b>PLUS</b> another $20 for a second check-in luggage)</li>
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wQsNRKa3WlerCUL8fnIkSxcfdicZed3-ZmaUPcgSixoWo4hLTP1C5ffgbG7iPg1JYnuzzXocWGkYlwOGsba2v_Eoc4zOIXnw_l1lqrfJ-i4-nrvWIQhXeJZVubYxDQ9-R-AqGLRiIdw/s1600/IMG_0266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wQsNRKa3WlerCUL8fnIkSxcfdicZed3-ZmaUPcgSixoWo4hLTP1C5ffgbG7iPg1JYnuzzXocWGkYlwOGsba2v_Eoc4zOIXnw_l1lqrfJ-i4-nrvWIQhXeJZVubYxDQ9-R-AqGLRiIdw/s640/IMG_0266.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything I need for a year.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></ol><ul><li>Arrived in Taiwan and walked around the airport because of my <b style="color: blue;">8 hour layover</b>.</li>
</ul><ol><ul><li>Really big airport...each gate has its own theme! Behold the over-the-top cuteness (or barfiness) that is..."<b><i>Hello Kitty</i></b>"</li>
</ul></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_niMb0L8P1ZQ9gUKz_4dIZ6NrLH9QJoGzxxfH41-r2_OcQ8NvRkTihY8uSFADLNHCZMHI6j3Jy0xns4tUG3z8lD_FZM2mcngftKn5pIJ4tM3mIVh9nVLbTgjx0v21vp5M9yURm3B20A/s1600/IMG_0276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_niMb0L8P1ZQ9gUKz_4dIZ6NrLH9QJoGzxxfH41-r2_OcQ8NvRkTihY8uSFADLNHCZMHI6j3Jy0xns4tUG3z8lD_FZM2mcngftKn5pIJ4tM3mIVh9nVLbTgjx0v21vp5M9yURm3B20A/s640/IMG_0276.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eGhCNdXJvrGZxWvSecv-6HhH1MXUTiWhms6CE-yvHi7b1c4UcJpEsaW7Z-9Lj2R2yvx3LseztIVX0aavjVOE-xtVr06xK8sJpFxC3Am9vb9u9fSVH4g8mL69TUL1MDhF_3gtN8vyXzg/s1600/IMG_0277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eGhCNdXJvrGZxWvSecv-6HhH1MXUTiWhms6CE-yvHi7b1c4UcJpEsaW7Z-9Lj2R2yvx3LseztIVX0aavjVOE-xtVr06xK8sJpFxC3Am9vb9u9fSVH4g8mL69TUL1MDhF_3gtN8vyXzg/s640/IMG_0277.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<ul><ul><li>Stumbled across my first Asian dilemma in the men's bathroom (Do you take the <b style="color: red;">RED PILL</b> or the <b style="color: blue;">BLUE PILL</b>?)</li>
</ul></ul><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zTRn4-6FAlb7bNDFDtvgehec1MOJ97emXT0hyiZ00cQD0kSXdLTFlRzt5AbsUGuCnjkpMK565SZ8d5cI6x_NGPTemfcPOpbSw6dnSEG2aa0bsuiU01sXwxlSG2SG1Y5kmSXgsajiJG4/s1600/IMG_0273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zTRn4-6FAlb7bNDFDtvgehec1MOJ97emXT0hyiZ00cQD0kSXdLTFlRzt5AbsUGuCnjkpMK565SZ8d5cI6x_NGPTemfcPOpbSw6dnSEG2aa0bsuiU01sXwxlSG2SG1Y5kmSXgsajiJG4/s400/IMG_0273.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door #1: Western sitting toilet on the left <b>OR</b> Door #2: Eastern squatting toilet on the right</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<ul><li>Last <b style="color: blue;">4 hour flight</b> to Tokyo, Japan.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b style="color: blue;">1 hour bus</b> limousine ride from Narita Airport to Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa for my first night.</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">It's Been a LONGGGGG DAY... </b></div><br />
Tomorrow I'll be taken from this hotel and brought to my apartment for the year. And now...I... sleeeeee..... <br />
<br />
ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-43843078032669322152011-08-19T02:11:00.000-05:002011-08-19T02:11:12.521-05:00My Last Canadian SleepMy flight leaves at 2:20AM on Saturday morning, so I won't be sleeping tomorrow night at all and will be going directly from dinner to the Vancouver Airport. So tonight will be my<span style="color: red;"> </span><b style="color: red;">LAST CANADIAN SLEEP</b>.<br />
<br />
Some more things I ate:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpsQkMOmnXukLUjYZZTFzxvCfLuH5TMGhv9FS_yAfmEAngw7_eUY1x3IxhqnDpSiU4xOyyV8RFChBsKkrsx9uTb8BazcNgXNeaLBpz6Kvgsgsof935xrpMF0MrnjuKiauULcU6GwAPM0/s1600/IMG_0245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpsQkMOmnXukLUjYZZTFzxvCfLuH5TMGhv9FS_yAfmEAngw7_eUY1x3IxhqnDpSiU4xOyyV8RFChBsKkrsx9uTb8BazcNgXNeaLBpz6Kvgsgsof935xrpMF0MrnjuKiauULcU6GwAPM0/s640/IMG_0245.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More than 20 raw oysters at <cite><a href="http://www.boathouserestaurants.ca/">The Boathouse Restaurant</a></cite></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqc9MjC420TwPRADAzu30dehdS-CbwGNLlteEiIaQzcDDCl8qa5j5zd7Il14riMTlXu4eqLXDHM9m_HvP5RuMhyaXTeY4Yqn4FRuJDkY-JOpFWDQU92mvwQYSZIAz36i0g5G0iHf3Nqk4/s1600/IMG_0249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqc9MjC420TwPRADAzu30dehdS-CbwGNLlteEiIaQzcDDCl8qa5j5zd7Il14riMTlXu4eqLXDHM9m_HvP5RuMhyaXTeY4Yqn4FRuJDkY-JOpFWDQU92mvwQYSZIAz36i0g5G0iHf3Nqk4/s640/IMG_0249.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crab...that always takes a lot more time and effort than the meat that you get out of it is worth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Went on a 2 hour <a href="http://www.sewellsmarina.com/safari.html">Sea Safari</a> today that was pretty cool to check out the Strait of Georgia and some friendly seals:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk3cv2A4YJqTDcdm0yKoNoWYYmRmNdeAbYoAYW0xk9QlwUo3pund835CDZTfMprzJxENFWnGf4bJujrpp_5D_wcrR-ZNhTrYHKthfHWOZeDtn-Mjy4uH9JHJP2aSB1AagFfH_5oVseS4/s1600/01_sewells_sea_safari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk3cv2A4YJqTDcdm0yKoNoWYYmRmNdeAbYoAYW0xk9QlwUo3pund835CDZTfMprzJxENFWnGf4bJujrpp_5D_wcrR-ZNhTrYHKthfHWOZeDtn-Mjy4uH9JHJP2aSB1AagFfH_5oVseS4/s640/01_sewells_sea_safari.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrCIVt9liTcHGCaceGfYQg5SOtJaXGjFzNC85xasCaqeJMY5Ey6l22vBPAwe93NNIrXDF0RHuBsrsyu4YKDFn9mmh9bYXAssFy4mNZuniq1GxJVHtC-ctNx60f78Owh9U2V1PhPqM41k/s1600/DSC_0300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrCIVt9liTcHGCaceGfYQg5SOtJaXGjFzNC85xasCaqeJMY5Ey6l22vBPAwe93NNIrXDF0RHuBsrsyu4YKDFn9mmh9bYXAssFy4mNZuniq1GxJVHtC-ctNx60f78Owh9U2V1PhPqM41k/s640/DSC_0300.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Cousin's Husband and ME all geared up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-11909830253962958352011-08-17T05:23:00.002-05:002011-08-18T11:46:07.034-05:00Farewell! Family, Friends...Food<div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><b>Out of Swaggerville and into BC</b></div><br />
Thanks to everyone with all the well-wishes! The last 3 weeks have been fantastic...filled with family, friends, and my favorite...FOOD!<br />
<br />
I <b>HATE</b> packing with a passion so thanks goes out to my sister who basically packed all of my luggage for me. A whole apartment packed into 2 pieces of luggage was a daunting task. Oh thanks also goes out to my sister who basically did all my packing for me. As for why I only got 1 hour of sleep? Answer: I do not know.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyCgoUZ0t6BI6WgLfx2rDt4VqdhkCEcn0j3Ih1gskls02e47iDZJHZqmSxwcEN1uDIAMLEy658yDGQI3MwjF4BT_luHRpyutZifi5NXy4fc0m4rQLrR05GjFVIjkY5oWn7HuDzwAcTls/s1600/IMG_0238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyCgoUZ0t6BI6WgLfx2rDt4VqdhkCEcn0j3Ih1gskls02e47iDZJHZqmSxwcEN1uDIAMLEy658yDGQI3MwjF4BT_luHRpyutZifi5NXy4fc0m4rQLrR05GjFVIjkY5oWn7HuDzwAcTls/s1600/IMG_0238.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitana, Raiden, and Mileena (Yes, those are their REAL names)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b>THIS IS NOT A PHOTO OF MY LUGGAGE</b></div><br />
I will miss my nieces and nephew the most. After seeing me off at the airport, my sister tweeted me saying "The kiddies said they're taking a spaceship to visit <a class=" twitter-atreply" data-screen-name="ccabiles" href="http://twitter.com/ccabiles" rel="nofollow"><span class="at">@</span><span class="at-text">ccabiles</span></a> in Japan". As you can see from the photo...despite their enthusiasm, unfortunately their spaceship won't make it to Japan anytime soon.<br />
<br />
So...I'll be here in Vancouver for 5 days with family before I leave for Japan. So therefore I have 5 more days of eating! Yes!...I mean "Hai!" The last 3 weeks I had in Winnipeg were FILLED with food...and I was a happy man. Mostly due to my Uncle (who just arrived from the Philippines and apparently is an awesome chef) as he made a new dish every day. Yummm...<br />
<br />
Anyways...Here's a look at some of my favorite foods that I ate before I left Winnipeg:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6V_NBDwIl3t5rAajtumIBOWyL2A9G-JWsR1gko0Z9jEVFTR2A1YwhMzAxeoj8BmB5IActV1AMk9NCqinmjXtl0EZ60LVojTqAI25QtdckdjV1ViMWdJXV4gvBTEKk-UBUv17XBX-gXRU/s1600/IMG_0228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6V_NBDwIl3t5rAajtumIBOWyL2A9G-JWsR1gko0Z9jEVFTR2A1YwhMzAxeoj8BmB5IActV1AMk9NCqinmjXtl0EZ60LVojTqAI25QtdckdjV1ViMWdJXV4gvBTEKk-UBUv17XBX-gXRU/s320/IMG_0228.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/332/1443832/restaurant/Kildonan-West-Kildonan/Blondies-Restaurant-Winnipeg">Blondie's</a> 9 Pound burger - Wrapped</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzPsAAjeIkT306dRRdeyPTfOZBjKqNr3T6zctPmaHHTML7J7cjuJWFO_hBsyCmoZLaKWnLw5fRi1RI6H5sq7psebga1S-yFn3w0UqWt2PkIK9NlIa9pY-u7WzxNhvzdrXnkHO7cHB1yw/s1600/IMG_0232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzPsAAjeIkT306dRRdeyPTfOZBjKqNr3T6zctPmaHHTML7J7cjuJWFO_hBsyCmoZLaKWnLw5fRi1RI6H5sq7psebga1S-yFn3w0UqWt2PkIK9NlIa9pY-u7WzxNhvzdrXnkHO7cHB1yw/s320/IMG_0232.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/332/1443832/restaurant/Kildonan-West-Kildonan/Blondies-Restaurant-Winnipeg">Blondie's</a> 9 Pound burger -Undressed</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvwAP6SdH1VYGZAx_arbRoaoACo_xkDKUB6mg-4P7ZjJLOE9MzXsDp4L7jB0vjpYOKwLELLJn7mgpms-Qfu-TQdmE49kUiXvAZJsR5GarkFZJ9RkTcLuHQVm_kJdw3_o8Gryym-wf9KQ/s1600/IMG_0235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvwAP6SdH1VYGZAx_arbRoaoACo_xkDKUB6mg-4P7ZjJLOE9MzXsDp4L7jB0vjpYOKwLELLJn7mgpms-Qfu-TQdmE49kUiXvAZJsR5GarkFZJ9RkTcLuHQVm_kJdw3_o8Gryym-wf9KQ/s400/IMG_0235.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/332/1443832/restaurant/Kildonan-West-Kildonan/Blondies-Restaurant-Winnipeg">Blondie's</a> 9 Pound burger - 1 slice (a little more than 1 pound)</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cYqU9NMZp1pRaqFvsGYe1cIRy4U2xl3MoQ5xQ0HAGybJkQU4Ef8C8fjDsWN5qLgjA67fCyYhg80lRsDHl6WATq3ukyNM8BzR55rpqD4W2lTGOV93lyoyMcPz9dTqP1Mu1Y0A3ghurZE/s1600/poutine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cYqU9NMZp1pRaqFvsGYe1cIRy4U2xl3MoQ5xQ0HAGybJkQU4Ef8C8fjDsWN5qLgjA67fCyYhg80lRsDHl6WATq3ukyNM8BzR55rpqD4W2lTGOV93lyoyMcPz9dTqP1Mu1Y0A3ghurZE/s400/poutine.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Last Winnipeg Meal: KFC Poutine</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
And so I'm in Vancouver for 5 days...to acclimatize myself to Asians <i>(this joke is okay because I am also Asian...:S) </i>before flying over to Asia. To celebrate my arrival in Vancouver, my family here cooked this magnificent monstrosity:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXVB-Nq_oRRJXr4mQqe58lwBlwMpJqpXO_DxK4gupyQpZFO8nuC4_Q2AWHczYX-FufheTskbtMTyDEQmVLKFCNdcx8c2ecJEsWLAXBSxriW3jdJ-ZxV5JznJvMISX-bmK82jzohEHJQ0/s1600/IMG_0237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXVB-Nq_oRRJXr4mQqe58lwBlwMpJqpXO_DxK4gupyQpZFO8nuC4_Q2AWHczYX-FufheTskbtMTyDEQmVLKFCNdcx8c2ecJEsWLAXBSxriW3jdJ-ZxV5JznJvMISX-bmK82jzohEHJQ0/s400/IMG_0237.jpg" width="298" />.</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bacon Explosion: (bacon, sausage, prosciutto wrapped into a meatloaf, covered with a bacon weave)</b><br />
<b>Surrounded by golden smoked ribs using Mesquite woodchips </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I am currently in a state of perpetual "food-coma".</b></span></div>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-31325891251233467572011-08-11T03:30:00.000-05:002011-08-11T03:30:51.971-05:00It's gettin', it's gettin', it's gettin' kinda hectic...<div style="color: red;"><b>Leaving Winnipeg in 5 days...</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD8yRcl29BI0VEJVVh2F_GKxDpiLVnterB_4cUEi1d5qJerTXPKLxWLI4iHQsMEwqciMib-Y57S4ianFKJhyI2CoT-wE7o2B9cMMtDoVRiKgSwjBqKzDPFKMW5qhfHuKpTbnBcY0g2j8/s1600/multitasking-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD8yRcl29BI0VEJVVh2F_GKxDpiLVnterB_4cUEi1d5qJerTXPKLxWLI4iHQsMEwqciMib-Y57S4ianFKJhyI2CoT-wE7o2B9cMMtDoVRiKgSwjBqKzDPFKMW5qhfHuKpTbnBcY0g2j8/s400/multitasking-21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
After procrastinating as usual, having too much summer fun, hanging out with old friends, and spending time with family...I've finally started to get some badly needed things done:<br />
<ul><li>lent my car to my brother to use in Ottawa for the year</li>
<li>moved out of my condo</li>
<li>bought new luggage</li>
<li>bought new laptop</li>
<li>finished paperwork for PEI Teaching Certification (yes Canadian International School Tokyo apparently uses the PEI curriculum)</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
Things still to do:<br />
<ul><li> pack</li>
<li>buy some actual teacher clothes (no more t-shirts and shorts outfits allowed like in Winnipeg School Division) </li>
<li>spend time with nieces</li>
<li>eat the 9-pound burger at <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/332/1443832/restaurant/Kildonan-West-Kildonan/Blondies-Restaurant-Winnipeg">Blondie's</a> on Main Street</li>
<li>go <a href="http://altitude.ca/">Ultralight hangliding</a></li>
</ul>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-29238339356759926522011-08-05T15:31:00.001-05:002011-08-21T08:13:58.452-05:00Travel & Life: Eat, Learn, Move...Dance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfsKcwF49LJfVsQGAkqGqUVkjp-nix399l-zRucOwbzXaEVJmlXq3r7_4LiK2IZJxXt_EYRhnMJxhptNEyvW9SU5GH7YcB8X9KEm5ThKYoTZclTbuBlh8zU_Wy_GihM0di14yNy7-wiI/s1600/dreams_default.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfsKcwF49LJfVsQGAkqGqUVkjp-nix399l-zRucOwbzXaEVJmlXq3r7_4LiK2IZJxXt_EYRhnMJxhptNEyvW9SU5GH7YcB8X9KEm5ThKYoTZclTbuBlh8zU_Wy_GihM0di14yNy7-wiI/s1600/dreams_default.jpg" /></a>Under 10 days to go before I leave Winnipeg to go traveling again. On that note, I've posted 6 inspiring travel videos today. They are a <b>MUST-SEE</b> if you love to travel, like I do.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><b>EAT, LEARN, MOVE</b></div><br />
The <b>FIRST 3 VIDEOS</b> were shown to me by a friend today. Here's the synopsis from the Director, <a href="http://vimeo.com/rickmereki">Rick Mereki</a>:<br />
<br />
3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....= a trip of a lifetime. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">DANCE </b></div><br />
Watching these videos reminded me of the <b>LAST 3 VIDEOS</b> of a famous "dancing" traveler, named <a href="http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/">Matt Harding</a>. This guy quit his video game developer job a few years ago after being fed up with it, and went traveling the world with nothing more than a video camera and his dancing shoes. After his first video went viral, <a href="http://www.stridegum.com/">Stride Gum</a> took notice and then sponsored his next two trips. In his last 2008 video, he included many of his ever-growing fans from around the world. Personally, the music in these videos is really inspiring too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/27243869?color=ffffff" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/27244727?color=ffffff" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/27246366?color=ffffff" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7WmMcqp670s?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>2005</b></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/bNF_P281Uu4/0.jpg" height="400" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bNF_P281Uu4&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="640" height="400" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bNF_P281Uu4&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>2006</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='400' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zlfKdbWwruY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>2008</b></div>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-55096796992593738072011-07-30T03:27:00.000-05:002011-07-30T03:27:55.836-05:00Working Visa...CHECK!Got my passport back in the mail today, complete with my new working visa for Japan.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5QyQf7ee8gj06mJOgLq4r704d1bJg5nY545uvOvlRZL6_SHJIjH1TJin8W47IzOt91sH_UvUJ-3opXcYFNqzHyqXltOz1SRWWu93pfxNdRo4taTetKZnOPGk515do90bhg4Tmwn3cno/s1600/japan_visa_462454_l-300x210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5QyQf7ee8gj06mJOgLq4r704d1bJg5nY545uvOvlRZL6_SHJIjH1TJin8W47IzOt91sH_UvUJ-3opXcYFNqzHyqXltOz1SRWWu93pfxNdRo4taTetKZnOPGk515do90bhg4Tmwn3cno/s1600/japan_visa_462454_l-300x210.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Just got back from Vancouver today...24 hours worth of driving...took a 6 hour nap as soon as I got back to Winnipeg...NOS energy drink is NOT good for you! Felt like I was on drugs after I finished driving.<br />
<br />
Great fun tonight, seeing Heritage International School teachers from days gone by in Egypt at Alive Bar was surreal and nostalgic. Been too long...2 years since I was bussing by the Pyramids on a daily basis.<br />
<br />
2 weeks left before I leave Winnipeg. Time to get things done...<br />
<br />
PS. Halfway done my <a href="http://kana101.com/">Hirigana & Katakana 2 week course</a>.ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-33837486374425026692011-07-27T01:50:00.000-05:002011-07-27T01:50:40.999-05:003 weeks to go...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoR38LkHII4eufvre0oPceyTuQNvLZs8IWT0yxprKJUvtU3X1QIxqGbcTNuDRuxQfDr_B0B72Wt2di8avT3vlDTczd1WEW10KK1b0HW0QzL2DJXdXrsY1_2yXC96pY8kfAmK7PHf9Bpc/s1600/GEDC0098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>In Vancouver now for a few days. The working visa process went well at the Japanese Consulate in Calgary. They HAD to see me face to face...it was "MANDATORY". The whole exchange took 5 minutes...they didn't interview me, all they wanted to see was me physically hand them my passport and documents. Good thing I came out to Vancouver with my sister...otherwise a plane or driving to Calgary would have been a <b>COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME</b> <b>& MONEY!</b><br />
<br />
The visa process takes 5 working days, so by the time I get back to Winnipeg on Saturday, my passport should be waiting for me in my mailbox.<br />
<br />
Anyways, I'm enjoying my time here in Vancouver with my family and soaking up some Canadian things that I probably won't see again for a long, long time once I'm in Japan:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqGHdMt6yu1cOnLRJA1k-eNjM4ARP_D_-gMDlFaPcWLJAdBmeuW4pn0ELkOHAD31i8zxDh-OJTMzf6ExwG0wk7RH4EDTaz10HkxyJf3YSNQXhjrloMYbkU4rSh4nnfP7w6FbKsjhh-20/s1600/plate_poutine_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqGHdMt6yu1cOnLRJA1k-eNjM4ARP_D_-gMDlFaPcWLJAdBmeuW4pn0ELkOHAD31i8zxDh-OJTMzf6ExwG0wk7RH4EDTaz10HkxyJf3YSNQXhjrloMYbkU4rSh4nnfP7w6FbKsjhh-20/s400/plate_poutine_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Poutine</b>: Thank you <a href="http://www.belgianfries.com/bfblog/?tag=vancouver">Belgian Fries</a> and <a href="http://www.thebackstagelounge.com/menus">The Backstage Lounge</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoR38LkHII4eufvre0oPceyTuQNvLZs8IWT0yxprKJUvtU3X1QIxqGbcTNuDRuxQfDr_B0B72Wt2di8avT3vlDTczd1WEW10KK1b0HW0QzL2DJXdXrsY1_2yXC96pY8kfAmK7PHf9Bpc/s1600/GEDC0098.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoR38LkHII4eufvre0oPceyTuQNvLZs8IWT0yxprKJUvtU3X1QIxqGbcTNuDRuxQfDr_B0B72Wt2di8avT3vlDTczd1WEW10KK1b0HW0QzL2DJXdXrsY1_2yXC96pY8kfAmK7PHf9Bpc/s1600/GEDC0098.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Miscellaneous</b>: Thank you Caribbean Days Festival Parade 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-80744502339474395732011-07-20T03:00:00.003-05:002011-07-26T20:13:45.176-05:00To the Consulate!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81m60ioBwgB3RNnD4rrPB2BJRiUEBv37PJxXsLzngOhABGBBxB75Gu6u9aTKtycWPz_7K_ZVOfRxJjkTmHxnrK0bqxWOBEE1wFSdyrd0IgO9sIpdgjUDaP4D7VzArWEviMg-wJbwTLP0/s1600/road_trip_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81m60ioBwgB3RNnD4rrPB2BJRiUEBv37PJxXsLzngOhABGBBxB75Gu6u9aTKtycWPz_7K_ZVOfRxJjkTmHxnrK0bqxWOBEE1wFSdyrd0IgO9sIpdgjUDaP4D7VzArWEviMg-wJbwTLP0/s400/road_trip_poster.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
I'm in the middle of nowhere right now, somewhere in Saskatchewan. It's 2:30AM and the sky is doing it's best to put on a strobe light show.<br />
<br />
The Japanese Consulate in Calgary is where I'm heading. It takes 5 days to process the working visa for my passport, so this really needs to get done before I leave Canada in less than 4 weeks. <br />
<br />
I was hoping to do all of this through the mail, but Mr. Japanese Consulate says I NEED to see them in person. It's a waste of time, but at least I'm getting a road trip out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
My sister is driving right now while the 3 kids and her boyfriend are sleeping in the back. They were planning on going to Vancouver for a summer vacation... How convenient... So I'm hitching a ride with them to get this stuff done. One thing to mention: She almost killed me less than 1 minute after leaving the house by barely missing a parked car... Oh boy...<br />
<br />
Driving to Vancouver will be a bonus, but I'll be flying back this way anyways in a few weeks.<br />
<br />
Apparently, I have to call and make an appointment at the consulate before I show up...I guess I'll have to give them a ring in the morning while I'm on the road. <br />
<br />
Here's a conversation that happened earlier once we were 5 minutes outside of Winnipeg:<br />
5 year old niece: "Mommy, are we on the other side of the world?" <br />
Me: "No." <br />
Niece: "Almost?" <br />
Me: "No."ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-83369090952818795092011-07-17T23:18:00.001-05:002011-07-17T23:29:59.529-05:00Nadeshiko Win!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2011 FIFA Women's World Cup: Japan vs USA</b><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Amazing game that would be the epitome of "<b>never giving up</b>". Tying up the game in the last minutes of the game, not once...<b>BUT TWICE</b>! Japan is definitely the most deserving team in the tournament. All Japan should be proud of these ladies. Wonderful story of a few individuals who captured a country that was in need of something truly uplifting. Here is a YouTube video of the highlights and some gorgeous photos of moments in time:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><center><br />
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eyZx7hm4lhg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
</center><br />
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<tr></tr>
<tr> </tr>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="510" src="http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/1f/98/85062eac46bebbc9b381e7e96da1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winning Penalty</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/6a/d9/3a38045940799f4adbc09d358dcb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/6a/d9/3a38045940799f4adbc09d358dcb.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running to Celebrate</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/a8/14/1f570ca9470cb1844a12f49f97ec.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="390" src="http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/a8/14/1f570ca9470cb1844a12f49f97ec.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group Hug</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/20/76/d560f08e421fa54c9abc8d0151b4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/20/76/d560f08e421fa54c9abc8d0151b4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Champions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5495822486989459836.post-71951625974442962302011-07-16T01:29:00.001-05:002011-07-16T15:56:09.742-05:00T - 1 month and counting...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUj6meSotm8Uq7hThiPcgQaNMRrzPf-whA5yoNzC-MPpE0Tg0XU7PsLWN9a3F9F2t33__6t0jxU-G2wKLtdJGRFM3s6wF-jf3FpjRBni4ltw1m3So9h6JrykO6yCdqZUIxPqaTjy9joNU/s1600/Pen_pencil_Group-Blogging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUj6meSotm8Uq7hThiPcgQaNMRrzPf-whA5yoNzC-MPpE0Tg0XU7PsLWN9a3F9F2t33__6t0jxU-G2wKLtdJGRFM3s6wF-jf3FpjRBni4ltw1m3So9h6JrykO6yCdqZUIxPqaTjy9joNU/s320/Pen_pencil_Group-Blogging.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hello Interwebs!<br />
<br />
This is my first attempt at keeping a running blog of whatever happens to me in Japan.<br />
<br />
So I will be saying farewell to my home city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on August 15, 2011 and will be landing in my new home, Tokyo, Japan on August 21. (with a few days in between, which I'll be spending in Vancouver, BC)<br />
<br />
Anxiety has not hit yet, as I'm still on summer vacation mode, and enjoying the kind of Winnipeg weather that makes clothes stick to skin. Apparently it will "feel like" 45 Celsius on Sunday...and I thought I left those temperatures after I finished up teaching in Cairo, Egypt...<br />
<br />
<br />
I've made my first list entitled: "First list of things I need to get done..."<br />
<ul><li>get Japanese working visa </li>
<li>get rid of apartment items</li>
<li>buy luggage</li>
<li>learn Japanese</li>
</ul><br />
Regarding the first item, I'm finding myself to be headed to Calgary sometime next week to finalize my working visa at the Japanese Consulate of Canada. Apparently mailing documents just won't do and my in-person presence is the only way to satisfy the visa gods.<br />
<br />
In Japanese news: I read there was another earthquake (5.5 magnitude) in and around Tokyo yesterday.<br />
<br />
Anxiety: 2 out of 10<br />
Excitedness: 2 out of 10ccabileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236089661978876554noreply@blogger.com0Winnipeg, MB, Canada49.886083 -97.15292099999999249.746031 -97.349917999999988 50.026135 -96.955924