Sunday, July 30, 2006
Hi again...well we're sitting in a very minimal apartment at the moment, having got rid of virtually all our worldy possessions this morning. Our boxes went off OK on Saturday too - the postman brought portable scales, tape measure, price calculation booklets...why do they need an actual post office really?
So now we just wait for our net-ordered pizza to arrive and then we have the rest of the day to get the place clean and finish packing our suitcases. Only 4 more hours of internet access left today, so I think this will be my last ever post from Hokkaido. Goodbye to the Snow Country!
So now we just wait for our net-ordered pizza to arrive and then we have the rest of the day to get the place clean and finish packing our suitcases. Only 4 more hours of internet access left today, so I think this will be my last ever post from Hokkaido. Goodbye to the Snow Country!
Friday, July 28, 2006
The 3rd and final fireworks tonight were again very impressive. The weather has been really nice for each one which is great. Some good final memories to take out of Japan.
I taught my last ever lesson this morning. Quite an auspicious occasion I suppose, although as is often the case I didn't really feel the reality of it at the time.
We also got rid of a few more items today (thanks Miwa!) so the place is thinning out.
We've literally just finished sealing up our boxes which will be sent off on a slow boat to China tomorrow afternoon. I called and found out that the post office will pick them up for us too, so I don't have to worry about lugging four 20 kilo boxes through the streets, or better still the look on the taxi driver's face as I throw them into his back seat...! I'm wondering what they'll do when they come - do they have a portable scales to weigh them and calculate the cost? Or can they do it by feel alone? Let's see..!
I taught my last ever lesson this morning. Quite an auspicious occasion I suppose, although as is often the case I didn't really feel the reality of it at the time.
We also got rid of a few more items today (thanks Miwa!) so the place is thinning out.
We've literally just finished sealing up our boxes which will be sent off on a slow boat to China tomorrow afternoon. I called and found out that the post office will pick them up for us too, so I don't have to worry about lugging four 20 kilo boxes through the streets, or better still the look on the taxi driver's face as I throw them into his back seat...! I'm wondering what they'll do when they come - do they have a portable scales to weigh them and calculate the cost? Or can they do it by feel alone? Let's see..!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
As you might know, we're saying goodbye to Japan very soon...in exactly a week in fact. So we've been very very busy doing all the pre-saying goodbye kind of things that one needs to do...cleaning up, throwing away, advertising and selling, going out for goodbye lunches and parties...as well as finishing off a little work and paying final bills...the list goes on so I won't bore you with too many details!
There'll be a blackout without internet access for about 24 hours from next Monday: I'm not quite sure how I'll cope! Then next Tuesday we're off to Tokyo for a couple of nights where I'll be able to check emails and post again.
Blogwise, I think I'll just keep this blog sitting here for a while as a reminder of how things were. I might back it up to a different URL too. And then, it's "what do you see (Hong Kong)?" (working title of course). Funnily enough Tokyo Girl is also making the great transition out of Japan at about the same time as us.
There'll be a blackout without internet access for about 24 hours from next Monday: I'm not quite sure how I'll cope! Then next Tuesday we're off to Tokyo for a couple of nights where I'll be able to check emails and post again.
Blogwise, I think I'll just keep this blog sitting here for a while as a reminder of how things were. I might back it up to a different URL too. And then, it's "what do you see (Hong Kong)?" (working title of course). Funnily enough Tokyo Girl is also making the great transition out of Japan at about the same time as us.
Friday, July 21, 2006
A post about other blogs today - I wanted to draw attention to a few of the sites in my right-column:
I've been reading the newish blog on the BBC, called The Editors recently - sounds a bit dull maybe, but it actually gives an interesting and surprisingly transparent insight into how the BBC runs, including a recent post titled Different Views about how BBC News 24 and BBC World take quite different angles on the same story.
Another post discussed how blogging influences other more traditional media these days and how the BBC "can now know what you [the audience] are talking about and interested in without you ever telling us..." (see Daniel Pearl's "We're watching you"). So I'm going to test it. This is basically a post about the BBC's post about reading other people's posts, so let's hope they find it...
Dave is going strong on his blog (recently retitled to "Crater-strewn Dirt Track to Damascus") and doing a great job of gathering together relevant articles about the whole Israel / Lebanon / Syria / Iran... situation in that part of the Middle East as well as providing an excellent picture of how it's affecting every day life (see his July 19th post for that).
And my oldest friend Charles has got a blog and a web-presence at last! He's working on a ferry between Hull and Zeebrugge for a few weeks and has some good stories over at Maritime Musician.
It all makes my stories of abandoned gorillas, weather and moving sales seem a bit bland. Oh well, I do the best I can.
I've been reading the newish blog on the BBC, called The Editors recently - sounds a bit dull maybe, but it actually gives an interesting and surprisingly transparent insight into how the BBC runs, including a recent post titled Different Views about how BBC News 24 and BBC World take quite different angles on the same story.
Another post discussed how blogging influences other more traditional media these days and how the BBC "can now know what you [the audience] are talking about and interested in without you ever telling us..." (see Daniel Pearl's "We're watching you"). So I'm going to test it. This is basically a post about the BBC's post about reading other people's posts, so let's hope they find it...
Dave is going strong on his blog (recently retitled to "Crater-strewn Dirt Track to Damascus") and doing a great job of gathering together relevant articles about the whole Israel / Lebanon / Syria / Iran... situation in that part of the Middle East as well as providing an excellent picture of how it's affecting every day life (see his July 19th post for that).
And my oldest friend Charles has got a blog and a web-presence at last! He's working on a ferry between Hull and Zeebrugge for a few weeks and has some good stories over at Maritime Musician.
It all makes my stories of abandoned gorillas, weather and moving sales seem a bit bland. Oh well, I do the best I can.
Friday, July 14, 2006
This is a very sad post to write. It tells poignantly of the state of affairs in this modern world we live in; a world of disposability and instant gratification.
In the picture below, there's a small dark object, barely visible, dwarfed by the neighbouring "mansion" block and left out with the rubbish:
What could it be? The truth is somehow close to heartbreaking...
As I write this, it's starting to rain; huge ominous summer-storm drops inexorably darkening the pavements. The thought of that poor unwanted gorilla, turning soggy, left perhaps to moulder for days, is almost too much to bear.
In the picture below, there's a small dark object, barely visible, dwarfed by the neighbouring "mansion" block and left out with the rubbish:
What could it be? The truth is somehow close to heartbreaking...
As I write this, it's starting to rain; huge ominous summer-storm drops inexorably darkening the pavements. The thought of that poor unwanted gorilla, turning soggy, left perhaps to moulder for days, is almost too much to bear.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Heat! Warmth! Yesterday the weather finally got its act together, and it reached 29C here in Sapporo (warmest so far this year). And it's surprisingly humid too, for Hokkaido. I'm not complaining (for once, I hear you all yelling)! Unfortunately the weather forecast is suggesting that from here on the weather will "collapse"...as long as it holds out for the first of the 3 big Sapporo Toyohira River fireworks displays, which happens tonight. It's almost 2 years since I last properly saw the displays. Last year I missed all but the last few minutes of all of them (work, pah).
Anyway, it's quite hard to write such mundane things when such un-mundane and ridiculous things are going on in the Middle East. Dave, I'm thinking of you over there.
Anyway, it's quite hard to write such mundane things when such un-mundane and ridiculous things are going on in the Middle East. Dave, I'm thinking of you over there.
Monday, July 10, 2006
FOR SALE!!
This probably won't be much use to most readers, but if anyone is in the Sapporo area (or knows someone who might be interested!), please check out what we have for sale at: http://www.phiine.com/forsale.
Thanks!!
This probably won't be much use to most readers, but if anyone is in the Sapporo area (or knows someone who might be interested!), please check out what we have for sale at: http://www.phiine.com/forsale.
Thanks!!
Friday, July 07, 2006
Today, being 7th July, is one of the dates of tanabata - a Japanese star festival, derived from a Chinese one. There are many nice old traditions that are practiced all over the country, including decorating bamboo which is often then floated on a river or burned, dressing up in yukata, making paper cranes...
Here, and in some other cities such as Sendai, they celebrate it on August 8th (which is the 7th of the 7th month on the old lunar calendar). So today is nothing at all here actually. Just thought I'd tell you anyway!
Here, and in some other cities such as Sendai, they celebrate it on August 8th (which is the 7th of the 7th month on the old lunar calendar). So today is nothing at all here actually. Just thought I'd tell you anyway!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
So, quite disconcerting really. As I'm sure you all know, this morning a crazed leader launched a rocket.
And North Korea launched a few too!!! Harharhar! Boom boom! ! (that's "boom! boom!" as in Basil Brush's catchphrase)
Ahem. No seriously though, obviously the NK thing is a bit dodgy and hopefully will get sorted out soon, in a diplomatic way. Even at times such as this though the potential for a joke like that is just too great to resist. Too much time on my hands? I'm sure. Should take these things more seriously? Undoubtedly.
Sorry.
And North Korea launched a few too!!! Harharhar! Boom boom! ! (that's "boom! boom!" as in Basil Brush's catchphrase)
Ahem. No seriously though, obviously the NK thing is a bit dodgy and hopefully will get sorted out soon, in a diplomatic way. Even at times such as this though the potential for a joke like that is just too great to resist. Too much time on my hands? I'm sure. Should take these things more seriously? Undoubtedly.
Sorry.
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