Monday, January 31, 2005
Well, the snow festival is even closer and the sense of excitement in the city is...well, kind of hard to find actually. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to it, but I think for most residents here it's 'nothing special', I suppose it would get a bit samey after, well, a year. But here's the official (English) web-site again, since a certain someone keeps plugging it to me! The descriptions of the various sculptures on pages like this one are worth reading actually.
PS - I've heard rumours of a passion fruit flavoured Kitkat (Valentine's special) - well more than rumours, there's a post on the excellent Mikan Moblog photoblog site about it, but I want one for my blog too...if they have them in Hokkaido, I will find one.
PS - I've heard rumours of a passion fruit flavoured Kitkat (Valentine's special) - well more than rumours, there's a post on the excellent Mikan Moblog photoblog site about it, but I want one for my blog too...if they have them in Hokkaido, I will find one.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Today it's impossible to walk down the street like a normal (sane) human being; on the polished ice-sheet you have to adopt the shuffling penguin-like gait that Sapporo residents seem to do so well. And we still await the snow.
Oh, and there've been updates to both Nana's and Miwako's pages recently by the way.
Oh, and there've been updates to both Nana's and Miwako's pages recently by the way.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
It rained yesterday - I think I'd forgotten about that weather-type entirely. So, once again we stayed in most of the day, and once again played Sims quite a bit. I ventured out at one point, but it was so nasty out, a combination of wetness and ice that had to be seen to be believed. Today is beautifully sunny, but very windy. The view is amazing, as snow gets blown off buildings like smoke.
Friday, January 28, 2005
I've been looking at the nominations for the 2005 web-log awards, needless to say this site isn't one of the nominees, I really have to sort myself out for next year - starting writing something profound, redesign, develop a style...seriously though, have a look at the nominees, they are good.
Although it's been getting better year by year, apparently several people die each winter from falling icicles or snow from "above", so needless to say we're walking well away from overhangs - and believe me there are some crazy overhangs at the moment. You want a picture I suppose, I'll do my best.
After last weekend's heavy snow, they've been working all out this week clearing the snow-banks and roads, or clambering up on precarious roofs with snow-scoops, in preparation for s lot more snow this weekend, maybe. The forecast here must be one of the most unreliable we've experienced (except in Malta, where they told us "tomorrow's weather? we'll know tomorrow!").
After last weekend's heavy snow, they've been working all out this week clearing the snow-banks and roads, or clambering up on precarious roofs with snow-scoops, in preparation for s lot more snow this weekend, maybe. The forecast here must be one of the most unreliable we've experienced (except in Malta, where they told us "tomorrow's weather? we'll know tomorrow!").
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Well, the commenting masses seem very quiet recently...? Maybe my posts are just too boring then. Hmph.
I tried a new kind of chocolate eclair today if it's any consolation. Like a normal one but with some cornflakes on top.
I tried a new kind of chocolate eclair today if it's any consolation. Like a normal one but with some cornflakes on top.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
FYI: what the pachinko place looks like from our window at night
I took a suit to the cleaners earlier today (I know, how bourgeois of me). The store was run by an oldish lady, and a couple of friends were sitting in there chatting too. One of them was sitting on a plastic chair eating a frankfurter (just a frankfurter, and there was no packaging visible around the place) though. It's the little things.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
by the way, I noticed HBC had made a new snow festival page, with live cams pointing at the big Norwegian Parliament sculpture - this will be worth bookmarking and checking back on. I walked past this today, and it is indeed big. It's still at the stage of being scaffolding around a fairly featureless block of snow/ice but it will be finished soon!
I'm getting lax again, sorry.
We were pretty lazy on Saturday and stayed in playing Sims most of the day, on Sunday we did church, Tokyu Hands, and a snack at Stanley Market in the evening. The main news was a big snowstorm that hit on Saturday night and went on through to Sunday morning, giving us a nice fresh layer of about 2 feet or so extra snow on top of what we have. But that doesn't really affect day to day life here at all. This is the same time as the N.E. USA got a big storm too, I hope everyone's OK there, it looked a lot worse than what we had.
We were pretty lazy on Saturday and stayed in playing Sims most of the day, on Sunday we did church, Tokyu Hands, and a snack at Stanley Market in the evening. The main news was a big snowstorm that hit on Saturday night and went on through to Sunday morning, giving us a nice fresh layer of about 2 feet or so extra snow on top of what we have. But that doesn't really affect day to day life here at all. This is the same time as the N.E. USA got a big storm too, I hope everyone's OK there, it looked a lot worse than what we had.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Walking home through the hard frozen silver-lit park, I saw a man, in a business suit standing gazing out across the snow-covered pond, playing a piccolo.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Once again Miwako's written a great diary entry, the first of the new year. Read about her visit to a famous chocolate factory here in Sapporo.
As for me, I don't have much to write about at the moment - I don't think daily updates on work I'm doing is that exciting. Although I'm getting pretty excited about CSS and XHTML at the moment, but you see I've said too much now and I sound geeky. Hmm. I think it's best if I just keep quiet, and then suddenly reveal my new site work at some point this week...
As for me, I don't have much to write about at the moment - I don't think daily updates on work I'm doing is that exciting. Although I'm getting pretty excited about CSS and XHTML at the moment, but you see I've said too much now and I sound geeky. Hmm. I think it's best if I just keep quiet, and then suddenly reveal my new site work at some point this week...
Thursday, January 13, 2005
I've just created a new blog, called show me the showcase for some unearthly reason, on which I'm gonna stick pictures and images that I take or create. I'll still keep posting pictures here too, of things of interest, but I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I'll put the artsy-fartsy stuff on the new one. Have a look - I'm just using one of the blogger templates at the mo, but I'll get round to changing it soon, when inspiration strikes (like a hammerhead shark, or whatever).
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
I wrote a guide to a few pubs in my old stomping ground of Holborn in London, and it's just been published on UK Strollers. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see it. And if you really want to read it in English there's a link for that too (and here's the direct link for that if you're too lazy!)
It's weird to walk along the pavements here now, which are permanently covered in packed snow. You assume it's just a thin layer, until you pass a doorway to a building which is well over 12 inches below you, or a park bench at about your foot level.
I forgot to mention how on our first night back we suddently noticed a weird purple, blue, green and pink conglomeration of lights glowing through the curtains, and looked out to realise that a brand new pachinko parlour had sprung up in a street below. Before we went away that building was a dark, abandoned building of unknown purpose, with a car park bolted on the back of it and a huge child's face decorating the front. It's madness I tell you.
I forgot to mention how on our first night back we suddently noticed a weird purple, blue, green and pink conglomeration of lights glowing through the curtains, and looked out to realise that a brand new pachinko parlour had sprung up in a street below. Before we went away that building was a dark, abandoned building of unknown purpose, with a car park bolted on the back of it and a huge child's face decorating the front. It's madness I tell you.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
The daily snowfall is not just a myth! It keeps everything looking really nice. Temperature is about -9 right now, although it's sunny.
It looks like the preparations for the Sapporo snow festival are well under way now - they've built huge scaffolded structures in Odori, which they're building up the sculptures on - you can't see inside though because they've got them shrouded off not to spoil the fun I suppose. It all starts in just over 3 weeks, so we're looking forward to finally getting to see it...
It looks like the preparations for the Sapporo snow festival are well under way now - they've built huge scaffolded structures in Odori, which they're building up the sculptures on - you can't see inside though because they've got them shrouded off not to spoil the fun I suppose. It all starts in just over 3 weeks, so we're looking forward to finally getting to see it...
Monday, January 10, 2005
So, like I said, we're back. The rooves/roofs look like marshmallows from up here now. They said it snows every day and that seems to be right - it keeps things very fresh. Temperatures are getting properly chilly now, about -10 at night, around freezing in the day.
Today was coming of age day, a celebration for people who turn 20 this year. We saw a lot of girls in their winter kimonos today, looking beautiful, shy and a little out of place meeting up in the subway station.
Today was coming of age day, a celebration for people who turn 20 this year. We saw a lot of girls in their winter kimonos today, looking beautiful, shy and a little out of place meeting up in the subway station.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Well, we're back! It took about 2 days to make the journey this time, but we made it.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Thanks to everyone who's sent new year greetings! Thanks Fiona for your comment too!
Please check out Miwako's page again - she wrote a couple of diary entries from Hong Kong, which was actually cold while she was there!
Please check out Miwako's page again - she wrote a couple of diary entries from Hong Kong, which was actually cold while she was there!
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