I'm off to the airport tomorrow. I may update when I'm Thailand. Or, I may just lay on the beach...
Most people have never heard of the Japanese automaker Mitsuoka. We rode in a Mitsuoka taxi once and the driver really loved that car - it was, indeed, a very well crafted car, and he kept it impeccably clean. I see less and less of these cars on the road every year, which is kind of a sad thing, but it does make each new sighting more significant.
I forgot who sent me this link, but whoever it was, props:
Japanese sexual positions as illustrated by AIBO
Once again, someone has WAY TOO MUCH TIME!
What a stupid bitch. Not much I can say about this, really. Subverting the Pledge of Allegiance to push your own political agenda is just so wrong... "God" is not a bad word, and if you think so - well, he probably hates your stupid ass, anyway.
Something to make you smile, even though it's the start of the week. I am posilutely ecstatic to see tax dollars so well spent...
It seems my faithful, undersized refrigerator has died on me. Everything in the freezer thawed out and a kind of primordial sludge leaked out when I opened the door. NASTY. Oh well, at least I found out what that frozen mystery clump was in the back of the freezer (a bag of shrimp from three years ago). I threw everything out as a kind of rebirthing ritual. Even the tupperware went. Didn't think twice about it, either. I guess "baching it" has some benefits, cause I would never in a thousand years get away with that shit if my woman was here.
Well, I guess I have to buy a new undersized refrigerator when I get back from Thailand. Not enough time to deal with it before I go.
T just brought my bro, Adam, out from Nara to help him move his stuff to Juso, a part of Osaka famous for negi-yaki and whores. I guess the obvious question is, which one will leave a more bitter taste in his mouth? Good luck, dude.
Enkai desu.
Last month, a Japanese woman was able to find her missing daughter through a Livedoor blog just ten days after starting it: LINK
It would be pretty fun to check this out with my brother and sisters: Goonies 20th Anniversary Celebration
Combined, we must have watched that movie at least fifty times. Plus, I think the little stereotyped Asian kid inspired me to become a gadget freak.
Look who I stepped on at two in the morning.
"We all know the Pope was elected in utmost secrecy; the rooms they held the conclave were swept for bugs, special filtering was setup for radio waves and cell phones, etc... . But you want to know the real reason for all the secrecy and privacy? They're in there with a bunch of little boys and they didn't want to get caught..."
All you sick bastards make me so proud...
Just out of curiosity, what side of the force have you chosen?
The meme of the day is sithblogging:
The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster
Although I remember the headlines when her suicide was announced, I didn't really know much about her life until I read this article:
Historian Iris Chang won many battles
The war she lost raged within
Truly sad... It's hard to imagine how easy it is to succumb to the darkness until you're surrounded by it.
For anybody who played the original Nintendo Entertainment System: Redefined
Of course, if that gets you all teary-eyed and nostalgic (nerd!), here is the place to go for video game music: Video Game Music Archive
Via English Cut, a blog written by a Savile Row tailor, comes the origin of the phrase, "no strings attached."
On behalf of my host country, I would like to extend an official apology to another nearby country:
SORRY! OUR BAD!
Now shut the fuck up and revise your own history books, you fucking commies! (and learn to throw rocks/eggs/bottles in a slightly more manly fashion while you're at it!)
Between this Japan/China shit and the whole papal buttgasm, there's hardly a slot for good old-fashioned car chases and Amber alerts on CNN, dammit!
Recently, dealing with changes due to the new fiscal year have taken up my time at work, and today was no exception. Into my Inbox flies a matter of great concern to the corporate higher-ups: They say we have been bad monkeys, and our poor "upbringing" and "manners" are marring the company's precious image as of late. Severe breaches in company protocol have been observed, thus they are compelled to remind us of the following:
- Morning exercises are mandatory.
- Break time is finished when the bell chimes.
- Drink vending machines may only be used during break time.
- Eating and drinking are only allowed in break rooms, during break time.
- Drink bottles and cups cannot be placed on desks.
- Talking in the hallways is prohibited (especially idle chatter).
- Walking with your hands in your pockets is prohibited.
I must admit, I am a serious violator on every count. A rebel, have you. At least they didn't say I had to take my crack pipe off my desk... Ha!
Playing in the riverbed.
I took a long walk today and snapped a series of photos with my phone along the way.
At a local construction site, I stumbled upon the Engrish Corporate Slogan of the Year:
Apparently, this is not a joke (this is the brainchild of Sumitomo Forestry Co., LTD).
Crossing one of the numerous bridges that span the Sumoto River, I spotted oil barriers in the water below:
Great schools of mullet were congregating on either side of it. It turns out that the barriers are placed there because of the construction they are doing upriver. Basically, they are trying to level out the riverbed since it got so jammed up with debris during the big typhoon last year.
Well, further up the road, I found the runner-up for Engrish Corporate Slogan of the Year:
I will fondle and grasp my Nissan without having to be told, thank you very much.
What fossil fuel depletion?
This place is giving it away.
Since the typhoon, the riverbed is just mud-ugly.
It used to be so nice and... sandy.
Let the heavy machinery pornfest commence:
I love me a good backhoe.
A trifecta:
Hitachi, Komatsu, Caterpillar
This sign explains the construction going on:
"Moving dirt around."
(Last machinery shot, I promise.)
Single scoop, or double?
Whereupon I jump down in the riverbed to get closer to the action:
Gordon Freeman, where are you?
Vanity shot:
I love sand and shadows.
Found someone's boat.
If my bro were here, we would take it for sure.
I have been walking for an hour now and realize I am trapped in the mudflats.
There is only one way out.
Shot taken over my shoulder:
This isn't so bad. I'm a single jump away from freedom...
Made it!
Ah, to be 5 years old again.
THE END
Today as I was cleaning my glasses, I thought, "wouldn't it suck if these broke," immediately after which I accidentally snapped them in half. Bummer. To take a cue from Visa, let me sum up the experience by value:
A new set of Mononofu titanium frames: 25,000 yen
A pair of ultrathin lenses: 18,000 yen
The KA-CHING! look on the optometrist's face when I asked for a rush job just before closing time: PRICELESS
On a more positive note, I got a haircut yesterday and therefore can drastically cut down on the amount of shampoo I use.
Did I mention this is pretty cool?
Got rid of the lines below the photos auto-generated by Flickr.
By the way, clicking on any of the photos will take you to the enlarged versions.
Just another test. Flickr is pretty cool.
I'm testing out all the various functions of Flickr to as an alternative to Mfop in order to preserve my moblog sidebar. There are two issues for my usage as far as I can see. Flickr doesn't resize thumbnails to the size I'm using now. Also, I like storing my photos on my own server (not an option with Flickr).
Anyway, this photo is of a used Vespa 100 that T bought on Yahoo Auctions last year. We rode it around the parking lot at Tenri U and I fixed it when it stopped running. :)
Anyway, this photo is of a used Vespa 100 that T bought on Yahoo Auctions last year. We rode it around the parking lot at Tenri U and I fixed it when it stopped running. :)
This is pretty much what Al Gore invented the Internet for: MOTHER
I shit you not, this is the video clip of the year.
Update: It looks like increased traffic is causing streaming problems over on that server... Try again later, I swear it's worth it!
lyrics by: http://www.cosmicbuddha.com/blog
the states thx sis it
a href http www cosmicbuddha writ
br press the b
bin mt mt trustee
blog archives html trackback ping
rdf syntax ns xmlns ring
king h
class blogbody a name
and turbidity
trackback ping acidity
com blog
www cosmicbuddha com blog archives gee
ex natty
href http www chatty
six days
by her japanese captors phrase
WWW DOT COSMICBUDDHA DOT COM IN THA HOUSE
WWW DOT COSMICBUDDHA DOT COM IN THA HOUSE
WWW DOT COSMICBUDDHA DOT COM IN THA HOUSE
WWW DOT COSMICBUDDHA DOT COM
.........
Wow, that was some fly shit, yo. Now go make your own:
HTTP in tha House
Scary thing almost ran me over.
The new Star Wars trailer, subtitled in l33t5p34k: LINK
ROTFLMAO!
Is it just me, or has Technorati been lagging with the updates lately? Several of my Technorati and del.icio.us feeds into Bloglines have only coming up with errors for the past month or so.
[/nerdrant]
Nam should apply for an account so she I can use Mahasarakham University's new wireless network. "The areas which people can use this service are Computer center, MSU Plaza, Academic Resource Center (AREC) and Borromrachanakarin Building."
I wonder if her brother can use any parts from my computer graveyard in his new net cafe.
Last year, a trip to the vet ended in death for Nam's pregnant wienie dog mutt - her family suspected that the vet sold off the litter, but couldn't prove it. I was dismayed to stumble upon a similar story of neglect here... It also infuriates me seeing animals for sale kept in small cages on the side of the road when traveling around SE Asia. Oh well, maybe sometime I'll be in a position to actually do something about it.
Look! A list of registered sex offenders living near my house back in the states.
Go check out all the rapists, perverts, and child molesters (who were feeble enough to get caught) living in your area: www.criminalcheck.com
Exactly two weeks to go until I put my life in the hands of JAL and escape on a ten day adventure to Southeast Asia - I can hardly wait! My pal, T, is flying to Bangkok on the 25th, and I'm out on the 27th. We'll meet up with Nam the next day and we have no plans other than hitting up the Chattuchak street market the first weekend, them joining up with T's ex, Natty, for a nice, dusty drive to the border of either Laos or Cambodia... I'm leaning toward Cambodia at this point; I want to much around the ruins before the next wave of kidnappings kicks off.
I was going to buy a D70 for the trip since they hit the sub 90,000 yen mark, but it seems that Nikon is bringing out a new, improved version (oh, so shiny! and new!) right around the time I leave, so I might put off buying a new camera until the next big trip. Oh well, it just means I can be more fearless with my old one (the one before it drowned horribly on a kayak outing, so there is precedence).
I love going to Thailand because I can pack ultra light and buy what I need there... The days are passing slowly, slowly.
Having heard great things about original UK version of The Office, and not-so-great things about its American remake, I promptly illegally downloaded purchased Seasons 1 & 2 of the UK DVD-rips DVDs and (ahem!) legally procured all available versions of the American show (up to episode 3) to find out for myself.
The verdict: I can understand how easy it is to jump on the naysaying bandwagon about remakes (my personal nightmare as realized by Hollywood: La Femme Nikita), but I strongly suspect a lot of the people talking shit haven't even seen the UK version. I laughed as much during the American episodes as I did the UK ones, and think that if anything, they compliment each other brilliantly - even the subtle contrasts in office environment, for example, offer a peek into the core differences of our societies (I don't imagine there will be many mid-day drinking scenes in the office in the US version, for instance). The overall comedy styles are quite different, but more importantly, they are entirely compatible. Sometimes seeing the same scene in the UK version as performed by the US cast makes for great comedy in itself. I think a lot of hard work by the cast and creators has paid off for both versions.
Now I'm just waiting for a "The Kaisha" spinoff starring Salaryman.
(Thanks to Mandy for getting me interested in this show; Wattstax review coming soon)
Mika sent us the DVD from the states (thx, sis, it was awesome!), and now I'm driving my neighbors nuts with the Napoleon Dynamite Soundboard.
From the girlfriend (who never bothered to get her driver's license until now):
"How are you doing? It is very hot today!
I am happy to be driving everywhere, I can turn left and right and turn around!
Unbelievable!
(Don't say that I can't drive anymore! Bitch! I can do if I want to do! hahaha!)"
Is it obvious why I love this woman (and are these awesome English teaching credentials or what?).
Ten days ago, my girlfriend went back to Thailand to gather material for her doctorate.
Nine days ago, I woke up with a hangover the size of Uluru and felt nauseous as well as lonely.
Eight days ago, I washed a huge pile of dishes and decided from then on to use the same frying pan, plate, and set of chopsticks until my girlfriend gets back in mid-May (actually, I'm kind of lying because the plate has hardly been used).
Seven days ago, I did a load of laundry but forgot to hang it out to dry (there are no dryers in Japan as the Shinto and Buddhist faiths explicitly prohibit static electricity).
Six days ago, I added more clothes to the damp load in the washer and cycled it again, but forgot to hang it out to dry.
Five days ago, I added more clothes to the damp load in the washer and cycled it again, but forgot to hang it out to dry.
Four days ago, I added more clothes to the damp load in the washer and cycled it again, but forgot to hang it out to dry.
Three days ago, I added more clothes to the damp load in the washer and cycled it again, but forgot to hang it out to dry.
Two days ago, I added more clothes to the damp load in the washer and cycled it again, but forgot to hang it out to dry.
Yesterday I ran out of boxers. Normally I would just recycle them since I'm in bachelor mode, but I haven't had to recycle shorts for so long that the thought of it actually bothers me a little bit. I packed the entire wash into a huge trash bag and walked to the laundromat looking like a hobo. When I arrived, there was a girl sitting on the dryer, and I was of course wearing no shorts under my blue jeans...
THE END
Ambulance rides in Japan have always been free, but I just heard from a paramedic that hospitals will start charging 40,000 yen per ride in the near future.
Attention all hypochondriacs: Get your free rides while the getting's still good!
Yesterday was my company hanami. I didn't feel much like drinking from noon, so I went at around four-fifteen. It's only about fifteen minutes up to the top of Magata-yama, where it was being held, so I bought a tall can of Asahi at the bottom of the hill and hiked up. I looked for my party for half an hour and they weren't there, so I sat under a secluded grove of sakura, sipped my beer, and went back home.
The people at work obviously have no idea what a real hanami is.
High school dropouts, strung-out junkies, and fucked gaijin, behold:
This is all you need to jackpot vending machines in Japan.
I've seen evidence of it poured down coin slots of every make and model of jihanki, but passersby usually mistake it as simple vandalism rather than evidence of (usually attempted but not successful) theft. Hearsay in my college dorm was that older machines are more likely to produce coins (via return slot) than newer ones, and lengthy debates were held on the question of whether other brands of dishsoap would work as well as MamaLemon, pictured above.
Basically, the entire jackpotting phenomenon* exists mainly because:
A. Japanese college students are unchallenged, lazy, immoral dumbfucks
B. The 500 yen (approx. $5) coin makes it worthwhile
*Not to say this is as widespread in other areas, YMMV. Also, not everyone notices shit like this; I just have an eye for it.
One of the most haunting pieces of writing I have ever seen: Creek Running North
Read the comments, too.
(via Carpundit)
Through some incredibly crappy piece of cosmic fate, my home phone number is a single digit off from the number of the office running a ferry service down at Sumoto Port. This makes for some interesting phone calls sometimes, usually people who ask when the next boat is leaving, etc. Usually I'm pretty cool about it, but recently, I've been a big asshole about wrong numbers because my girl is back in Thailand and when the phone rings, I assume it's her.
Yesterday the phone rang at 4:30 AM and I was like, "mmmgggrrrrcoughcoughgegege - whello?"
"What time does the next ferry leave?"
Oh, for the love of christ! "WRONG NUMBER, ASSHOLE!" Click.
That was bad enough, but later that night, after I got back from work and was in a generally pissy mood since I hate coming back to a dark house (sniff!), another call for the ferry schedule came:
"When does the next ferry leave," a naggy-voiced dumb bitch wheezed into the phone.
Half in spite of the earier caller, and because I have the new ferry schedule memorized, and ALSO because I HATE naggy voices AND dumb bitches, I decided to play along: "It leaves at 10:40 PM."
"OMG there's no time, I totally won't make it, right?", she says.
"Can you hurry?", I ask (knowing full well I am going to hell for this).
"Could you ask them to wait a couple minutes for me?", she pleads.
"Hmmm... Not really, but you might make it if you run... RUN! RUN!" Click.
*As a sidenote, I came that close to walking down to the pier to see if she made it or not.
Azrael's site (the "I am a Japanese school teacher" dude) is back up! Check out the latest installment of his adventures here.
"I make it back to the haven of the teachers room...but not the man I once was. No, I was once a proud pillar of Anti-Kancho, Dickdodging magnificence. Now, I limped gingerly back to my seat, my tail between my legs, my ass no longer pure. This was definitely not in the contract."
This is some seriously funny shit.
Sent from a reader:
(Click to enlarge.)
Apparently this clipping is from two years ago, but I had never heard of it until now. That guy has balls the size of basketballs, or a brain the size of a pea. Come to think of it, those two traits aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, are they?
If you bought a by d:sign d:1070 DVD player in Japan and need instructions for unlocking the region free function (to be able to view DVDs from other regions), look no further:
1. Open the tray
2. Press the Setup button on the remote
3. On the Selection page, press the following buttons: 1, 3, 7, 9
4. When the Region Code screen appears, change the Region from 2 to 0
5. Buy me a beer if it works!
Check out this hilarious video clip.
Go take this survey and "find out what strange habits other people have when going to the bathroom.": The Bathroom Survey
I can't believe so many people eat when they're on the pot. That's just fucking sick, yo. (On the other hand, I suppose that's how they make those corncobs (for wiping... err, scrubbing?) apparently found in outhouses down south.
Also, regarding front/back alignment of TP on spool, I have a really unhealthy obsession with keeping it strictly front. It bugs the hell out of me to find rolls mounted backward, anywhere. Before houseguests come over, I switch in a new roll to ensure nobody runs out and mounts a roll "backwards" (I use quotes because apparently in the UK and Australia, backwards is the norm, which I found out from me mate, Koala John. Interestingly enough, KJ also told me that raisins are called "sultanas" [Kellogs' Sultana Bran just sounds wrong to these American ears - it's like being told apples are known as "manzanacitas" in Wales or something], and that Vegemite on toast actually is not listed in the dictionary as "shit on a shingle," but I have no idea whether either of the above are commonly consumed on the toilet or not.)
Obviously, "double-dipping" must be the reason so many people claim to always wash their hands.
Surprise!
Dinner time at Yoshida manor - garlicky goodness!
The full text can be viewed after the jump.
Continue reading Steam Update for CS:Source.
This is supposedly the first-ever televised 9-dart game of 501:
Perfect Nine Dart Game
My brother Adam wrote about the great white shark captured in a fisherman's net and put on display at our favorite NoCal haunt, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We have been going to the aquarium since its foundation, and my parents are charter members. My dad forwarded a message the aquarium sent out yesterday:
Dear Dr. and Mrs. Yoshida,It's little things like this that make the MBA the best aquarium in the world, but there are others as well. Off the top of my head:After careful consideration and planning, we removed the white shark from the Outer Bay exhibit early this morning and released her in the open waters just outside Monterey Bay at 5:45 a.m.
Two factors led to this decision. First, the shark was rapidly approaching a maximum size and weight at which she could be safely removed, transported and released with full confidence that she would thrive. Second, aquarists observed a marked change in her behavior over the past week of what they considered to be active hunting of other exhibit animals and they became substantially more concerned about the well-being of the other fishes.
She was not released because of any injury or health problem. At the time of her release, she was 6'-4" long and weighed 162 pounds. That means she grew more than a foot in length and gained 100 pounds in her six months on exhibit. She was healthy and strong when she swam away from the boat. We expect her to quickly adapt to hunting and feeding on natural prey. An electronic tag was attached to allow us to track her movements.
The decision to release her into the outer Monterey Bay is based on suitable water temperature and turbidity conditions. It is supported by research from tagging and tracking data about the movements of other young white sharks indicating that they inhabit our offshore waters.
We're proud of the fact we were able to keep this shark for more than six months and then release her safely back to the wild. You should be proud too as a member of the first aquarium ever to accomplish this. During the time she was here, we developed a better understanding of how best to collect, take care of and ultimately release a juvenile white shark.
Thank you for supporting our efforts to learn more about white sharks and to heighten public awareness about the threats facing shark populations worldwide.
For more information, please visit www.montereybayaquarium.org
Sincerely,
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Membership DepartmentOur mission is to inspire conservation of the oceans.
- Delicious clam chowder served in the cafeteria (do I have my priorities straight or what?)
- Superbly photogenic jellyfish display (I took several nice shots against the blue background a couple years ago and have since found several similar ones taken by other people)
- Cutest otters in the world
- In general, extremely clean and well-organized organized exhibit space
If you ever have the chance to visit, I highly recommend it.
