To lighten things up from the last couple of posts, I thought I would post this stupid video I made. It is in Japanese, or be it very, very bad Japanese, but I hope it makes you smile at least.
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
The A-bomb. Was it necessary?
I made this video in response to many on You Tube whom claimed the atomic bombing of Japan was necessary to end the war and save millions of lives. They claim the Japanese would never surrender.
Yet historical facts and the writings and quotes from important political and military personal at the time state the opposite.
We have to remember that those that died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were mostly women and children. It is also important to note, that, unlike what a lot of people claim, the Japanese are not using the commemoration of the A-bombing of Japan to say 'Look at us! we are the real victims of the war, feel sorry for us' No, they are mealy remembering those that died and are praying that such a thing will never happen again.
Japan refuses to take up nuclear arms and strives for peace. There are many countries that can learn from that.
Yet historical facts and the writings and quotes from important political and military personal at the time state the opposite.
We have to remember that those that died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were mostly women and children. It is also important to note, that, unlike what a lot of people claim, the Japanese are not using the commemoration of the A-bombing of Japan to say 'Look at us! we are the real victims of the war, feel sorry for us' No, they are mealy remembering those that died and are praying that such a thing will never happen again.
Japan refuses to take up nuclear arms and strives for peace. There are many countries that can learn from that.
Friday, 6 August 2010
65 years too late?
I just want to say quickly, that I think it is disgusting that it has taken the USA 65 years to attend the annual commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima.
Visiting Hiroshima was something I wanted to do for a long time, when I eventually arrived and visited the memorials, especially the memorial to the children and the so called 'Atomic Dome' and the museum it was a sad moment. All those innocent men, women and children killed in one explosion and those that survived to die slow horrible deaths. The Allies be-moaned the way the Japanese military treated it's prisoners and for what the Japanese military did when they took China. But dropping two atomic bombs on Japan does not make the allies any better. The argument was to end the war quickly and to save lives. But Japan was taking desperate measures to protect the mainland. They had no navy or air force left, their army had pretty much run out of weapons and ammunition. The Japanese would have had to surrender in the end, either way.
I personally think the dropping of the bombs was no more than a glorified test. They were developing the atomic bomb in the latter years of the Second World War. They tested the bombs in the desert and with buildings they constructed for the test. They tested the Atomic bomb on Bikini Atoll. But at the end of the day, they had no results for the effect on human life, so what better way than to drop the bombs on the enemy, claim they did so to end the war and save lives (Only the lives of American military personal, they had no interested in the Japanese people) but really it was just a test.
Don't tell me it was not a test, because if they had fully developed the atomic bomb they still would not have been testing them after the war ended. There is no need to keep testing something once it is fully developed.
So well done America for eventually getting of your self-important over patriotic, America is the best (when clearly it is not) arse and actually attending the annual commemoration of your war crimes against humanity. Only 65 years too late. Better late than never, I suppose.
(Oh! and the same applies to the UK, for they also made their first official visit to the annual commemoration, but I picked on the USA simply because they were the ones that dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and three days later on Nagasaki)
Visiting Hiroshima was something I wanted to do for a long time, when I eventually arrived and visited the memorials, especially the memorial to the children and the so called 'Atomic Dome' and the museum it was a sad moment. All those innocent men, women and children killed in one explosion and those that survived to die slow horrible deaths. The Allies be-moaned the way the Japanese military treated it's prisoners and for what the Japanese military did when they took China. But dropping two atomic bombs on Japan does not make the allies any better. The argument was to end the war quickly and to save lives. But Japan was taking desperate measures to protect the mainland. They had no navy or air force left, their army had pretty much run out of weapons and ammunition. The Japanese would have had to surrender in the end, either way.
I personally think the dropping of the bombs was no more than a glorified test. They were developing the atomic bomb in the latter years of the Second World War. They tested the bombs in the desert and with buildings they constructed for the test. They tested the Atomic bomb on Bikini Atoll. But at the end of the day, they had no results for the effect on human life, so what better way than to drop the bombs on the enemy, claim they did so to end the war and save lives (Only the lives of American military personal, they had no interested in the Japanese people) but really it was just a test.
Don't tell me it was not a test, because if they had fully developed the atomic bomb they still would not have been testing them after the war ended. There is no need to keep testing something once it is fully developed.
So well done America for eventually getting of your self-important over patriotic, America is the best (when clearly it is not) arse and actually attending the annual commemoration of your war crimes against humanity. Only 65 years too late. Better late than never, I suppose.
(Oh! and the same applies to the UK, for they also made their first official visit to the annual commemoration, but I picked on the USA simply because they were the ones that dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and three days later on Nagasaki)
Thursday, 5 August 2010
朝飯前 - あさめしまえ - Asameshimae - Piece of Cake.
The video below was a Japanese lesson I made, which is now going to be used by a Japanese language teaching channel on YouTube. (actually they also teach via live streams and they also have a channel for teaching English) Anyway, The Japanese teaching channel is about teaching Japanese that is not normally found in text books.
What do you think?
What do you think?
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Sakura Singing In Japanese
Just another quick block.
A couple of nights ago I filmed my daughter singing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' in Japanese. I think she did very well. How many other non-Japanese children here in the backward part of Europe...i.e. The UK...can sing in Japanese? Not many, I bet.
Anyway, here is the video:
My daughter would like to visit Japan one day and I would love to take her with me. But money is the problem at the moment, and it does not help much when your house has been broken into...which happened to me recently. Someone broke into my house, and stole some money I had to put to one side to repair and tax my car...£400 (four hundred pounds) They did not touch any of the electronic stuff, such has TVs, Laptop, Computer, DVD players, Nintendo Wii or PlayStation, etc...they just took the money. Another reason why I hate the UK, it is full of disrespectful, idiotic scum. If I had the money, I seriously would not live in this country. The UK is backward, the English people, themselves, are arrogant and can be unfriendly, no wonder the rest of the UK hate the English.
Coming back from Japan was a reverse culture shock. I did not realise how rude and impolite a lot of people were. I hate going into a shop only to be served by some miserable teenager who does not care about customer service. Gangs of hoodies and chavs hanging out the local shops swearing and shouting out abuse to passersby. Mothers shouting and screaming and swearing at their young children. Seriously, if there is a god...help me escape from here.
Sorry, I have gone of topic, this was meant to be a blog about my daughter singing in Japanese. Therefore I will end now. I hope you enjoyed the video.
A couple of nights ago I filmed my daughter singing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' in Japanese. I think she did very well. How many other non-Japanese children here in the backward part of Europe...i.e. The UK...can sing in Japanese? Not many, I bet.
Anyway, here is the video:
My daughter would like to visit Japan one day and I would love to take her with me. But money is the problem at the moment, and it does not help much when your house has been broken into...which happened to me recently. Someone broke into my house, and stole some money I had to put to one side to repair and tax my car...£400 (four hundred pounds) They did not touch any of the electronic stuff, such has TVs, Laptop, Computer, DVD players, Nintendo Wii or PlayStation, etc...they just took the money. Another reason why I hate the UK, it is full of disrespectful, idiotic scum. If I had the money, I seriously would not live in this country. The UK is backward, the English people, themselves, are arrogant and can be unfriendly, no wonder the rest of the UK hate the English.
Coming back from Japan was a reverse culture shock. I did not realise how rude and impolite a lot of people were. I hate going into a shop only to be served by some miserable teenager who does not care about customer service. Gangs of hoodies and chavs hanging out the local shops swearing and shouting out abuse to passersby. Mothers shouting and screaming and swearing at their young children. Seriously, if there is a god...help me escape from here.
Sorry, I have gone of topic, this was meant to be a blog about my daughter singing in Japanese. Therefore I will end now. I hope you enjoyed the video.
Friday, 16 July 2010
爆弾おにぎりチャレンジ！(自家製の爆弾おにぎり）
Something a bit light hearted today.
I was going to rant about the French government wanting to ban the Burqa (also written: Burka). I believe that to be a Human Rights issue and that no government should be allowed to ban something that some Muslim women choice wear for religious reasons. But I decided not to, even though, actually I just did have a little rant about it. So instead I am going to post a video I made for a YouTube challange on how fast you can eat Bakudan Onigiri. My problem is I do not live in Japan and I do not live near a Japanese shop that makes and sells onigiri, so I attempted to making my own. It did not turn out that well, but it still tasted good.
Anyway, this is the video:
I was going to rant about the French government wanting to ban the Burqa (also written: Burka). I believe that to be a Human Rights issue and that no government should be allowed to ban something that some Muslim women choice wear for religious reasons. But I decided not to, even though, actually I just did have a little rant about it. So instead I am going to post a video I made for a YouTube challange on how fast you can eat Bakudan Onigiri. My problem is I do not live in Japan and I do not live near a Japanese shop that makes and sells onigiri, so I attempted to making my own. It did not turn out that well, but it still tasted good.
Anyway, this is the video:
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Sushi is NOT raw fish
Yesterday, I had someone arguing with me, trying to convince me that Sushi is raw fish, where as I tried to explain that in actual fact Sashimi is raw fish and that Sushi is the vingared rice. But no, he would not except that. He went on about how he visits Sushi restaurants and that it was the fish that made it Sushi saying that the Japanese for rice is Gohan. This is true, Gohan is Japanese for rice, but this refers to plain cooked rice. Anyway, Instead of arguing with some one I decided just to agree and let him go happy. It would be pointless even trying to explain some of the history of Sushi and the Kanji that means Sushi. But I thought I would do a quick history in this blog post, so here it goes:
Originally fermented fish was preserved using salt and vingared rice. Seemingly having it's roots, like a lot of things in Japan, from China. It seems that this process of preservation goes back to about BC 200, well at least the Chinese characters for Sushi go back that far. Anyway, perserving the fermented fish in salt and vingared rice was later used to transport fish between Mainland China and Japan. Sushi actually refered to the storage method, which was the salt and vingared rice.
Fast forward to the Edo Period in Japan...why...well it is during that period we have the first account of eating the vingared rice along side / with the preserved fish. Until then the rice was not eaten and was simply thrown away. This was the bases for what we now know has Sushi. It seems that the word Sushi may have it's roots in an archaic grammatical term which is no longer used meaning 'It's sour' referring to the sour taste of the vinegared rice.
Today there are many different types of Sushi and none of them resemble the original Sushi. Some Sushi has been created outside of Japan, the California Roll, for example.
Let's look how the Kanji has developed.
SA. This Kanji is no longer in use and it means Stored Fish. North China.
KIN. This Kanji is no longer in use and it means Stored Fish. South China.
SA. This Kanji is no longer in use and it means Stored Fish. South China.
SA. This Kanji is no longer in use and it means Stored Fish. North China.
SA / SUSHI. In Japan, previously well used in the Edo era in particular as 'Sushi.'
The Kanji on the Left = Fish. The Kanji on the Right = Vinegar.
SHI / SUSHI. In Use. It seems to mean only Sushi now. But the Kanji reads 'Delicious Fish.'
This
Kanji has no relation to fish, rice or any other food stuffs. This Kanji is just phonetic. The first Kanji is 'Su' and means Longevity / Life Span. The second Kanji is 'Shi' and means 'Administrator / Official. But it seems to becoming popular in use and a lot of Sushi Restaurants use it.
So therefore, even though all the above Kanji, except the last one used for Phonics, have the kanji for fish in them (魚) they are all, apart from 鮨, refer to the storing or the preservation of the fish, (which used to be fermented fish.)
The word Sushi in fact refers to the vinagared rice that is used.
酢 = 'Su' and means Vinegar
し = 'Shi' and comes from the Japanese Word for rice 'meshi' 飯
Sushi = Vingared Rice.
But if you really want to argue the fact that Sushi is fish then you could say it is preserved fermented fish, not raw (Sashimi) fish. I am sure no one, not even the Japanese, would want to eat fermented fish these days.
Originally fermented fish was preserved using salt and vingared rice. Seemingly having it's roots, like a lot of things in Japan, from China. It seems that this process of preservation goes back to about BC 200, well at least the Chinese characters for Sushi go back that far. Anyway, perserving the fermented fish in salt and vingared rice was later used to transport fish between Mainland China and Japan. Sushi actually refered to the storage method, which was the salt and vingared rice.
Fast forward to the Edo Period in Japan...why...well it is during that period we have the first account of eating the vingared rice along side / with the preserved fish. Until then the rice was not eaten and was simply thrown away. This was the bases for what we now know has Sushi. It seems that the word Sushi may have it's roots in an archaic grammatical term which is no longer used meaning 'It's sour' referring to the sour taste of the vinegared rice.
Today there are many different types of Sushi and none of them resemble the original Sushi. Some Sushi has been created outside of Japan, the California Roll, for example.
Let's look how the Kanji has developed.
SA. This Kanji is no longer in use and it means Stored Fish. North China.
KIN. This Kanji is no longer in use and it means Stored Fish. South China.
SA. This Kanji is no longer in use and it means Stored Fish. South China.
SA. This Kanji is no longer in use and it means Stored Fish. North China.
SA / SUSHI. In Japan, previously well used in the Edo era in particular as 'Sushi.'The Kanji on the Left = Fish. The Kanji on the Right = Vinegar.
SHI / SUSHI. In Use. It seems to mean only Sushi now. But the Kanji reads 'Delicious Fish.'
This
Kanji has no relation to fish, rice or any other food stuffs. This Kanji is just phonetic. The first Kanji is 'Su' and means Longevity / Life Span. The second Kanji is 'Shi' and means 'Administrator / Official. But it seems to becoming popular in use and a lot of Sushi Restaurants use it.So therefore, even though all the above Kanji, except the last one used for Phonics, have the kanji for fish in them (魚) they are all, apart from 鮨, refer to the storing or the preservation of the fish, (which used to be fermented fish.)
The word Sushi in fact refers to the vinagared rice that is used.
酢 = 'Su' and means Vinegar
し = 'Shi' and comes from the Japanese Word for rice 'meshi' 飯
Sushi = Vingared Rice.
But if you really want to argue the fact that Sushi is fish then you could say it is preserved fermented fish, not raw (Sashimi) fish. I am sure no one, not even the Japanese, would want to eat fermented fish these days.
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Britain For.....The Not So British.
Another rant.....
Do you know the kind of people that annoy me....I will tell you...arrogant, ignorant people of the BNP (British National Party) and others like them, like the newly formed 'EDL' (English Defence League) and the older 'NF' (National Front), for example. They all claim to want a Britain for the British and they go on and on about the extinction of the white race. These people forever moan about immigration, forgetting the fact that we are an island nation and have a history of invasion and immigration. The majority of of those that have migrated to Britain have contributed to the economy, by starting businesses and paying their taxes. A lot have also come to the UK with out nothing, but worked hard and put to shame the lazy attitude that we Brits seem to have.
In the 1940's we invited people over from Pakistan and India to work in the dying textile industry in the UK. In the 1950's we invited people from the the Caribbean / West Indies to come and work in the UK, to do jobs the average Brit did not want to do. We also needed to increase the work force and the economy after the Second World War, which pretty much put the country in debt...A debt that we are still paying for in 21st Century.
Also during the 1960s and 1970s, large numbers of Indian people, whom already held British passports, entered the UK after they were expelled from Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar. The had to leave everything behind, homes, business, money, everything. Many of these people had been store-keepers in Africa and came to the UK with nothing, but they worked hard and opened shops in the UK.
Also another thing they go on about...using it to scare the stupid, is claiming that Muslims are trying to take over the UK. Ummmm! well, the first reports of Muslims in this country were in the 1600's, 400 years ago, and yet still Muslims only make up under 4% of the population of the UK (bearing in mind the UK, means England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Island) Not much of a take over, is it?
Oh! and most crimes are committed by so called White British people...even if they like to claim otherwise. And there are more Dole cheats and unemployed that are White British. I am not talking about those that are unemployed but looking for work...I mean those that just do not want to work, but spend their day smoking fags, drinking cheap fizzy larger and insulting anyone that may have a different faith, a different language and a different colour skin.
And the same racist idiots go on about being true Anglo-Saxon...which is an odd thing to say, because the Angles came from Denmark and the Saxons came from Germany....How can that make you a True Brit?
These people really are arrogant, they really are ignorant and above all else, they really are stupid and unintelligent and actually have no knowledge of The UK, or it's history, culture, traditions, or politics, etc. You just have to see the shaven headed buffoons and those that vote for them. None of them have any real education, if they did then they would realise that immigration brings more positives than negatives. We live in a multi-cultural country, which, I am pleased to say, the majority of British people enjoy.
These days, if you have migrated to the UK, to be able to stay you need to take a 'Life in the UK test.' I guarantee that those racist, xenophic idiots could never pass that test. Here is an example of the questions asked:
Q) After the Second World War where did British textile and engineering firms send agents to find workers?
A) India and Pakistan
Q) When did the European Union originate?
A) Immediately after the Second World War
Q) The United Kingdom's constitution is written by?
A) It is an unwritten constitution
Q) The Leader of the Opposition has offices in Parliament and receives financial support from the Treasury both for his or her office and for the Shadow Cabinet?
A) True
Q) What year did the Church of England come in existence?
A) 1534
There is no way on this planet that the idiots of the BNP or the EDL or the NF or other political parties or groups like that will know the answers to questions like that....They are just not educated enough.
So....Britain...an island nation with a rich history...a history full of immigration and invasion. Even the Royal Family is descended from Germany...Before they called themselves 'Windsor,' they were 'Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.' They only took on the name when King George V (1910 - 1936) changed it to Windsor during the height of German Xenophobia. In fact the Royal Family has very little, 'True British' roots.
The famous British Lion has it's Origins in France and the Normans.
Saint George, The patron saint of England was in fact from Palestine. And in fact you will see the red cross of Saint George all over Europe...not just in England or on the Union Flag (aka; Union Jack)
Anyway, the question has to be asked. What is a True Brit? Well, I believe a True Brit is someone that respects and obeys the laws of the land, pays, no matter how painful it maybe, his taxes, respects all people, no matter what their religion, culture, language sexuality and colour of their skin. Excepting of all people, helpful to others and charitable.
Being a True Brit should not be a geographical thing, how can it be? No one in this country can honestly say their families have always been in Britain...we are all immigrants...Look at me, with my Dutch / German / French ancestry. Maybe I am worse than those that migrate or seek asylum in this country...after all, my ancestors came here illegally, via the means of invasion.
Do you know the kind of people that annoy me....I will tell you...arrogant, ignorant people of the BNP (British National Party) and others like them, like the newly formed 'EDL' (English Defence League) and the older 'NF' (National Front), for example. They all claim to want a Britain for the British and they go on and on about the extinction of the white race. These people forever moan about immigration, forgetting the fact that we are an island nation and have a history of invasion and immigration. The majority of of those that have migrated to Britain have contributed to the economy, by starting businesses and paying their taxes. A lot have also come to the UK with out nothing, but worked hard and put to shame the lazy attitude that we Brits seem to have.
In the 1940's we invited people over from Pakistan and India to work in the dying textile industry in the UK. In the 1950's we invited people from the the Caribbean / West Indies to come and work in the UK, to do jobs the average Brit did not want to do. We also needed to increase the work force and the economy after the Second World War, which pretty much put the country in debt...A debt that we are still paying for in 21st Century.
Also during the 1960s and 1970s, large numbers of Indian people, whom already held British passports, entered the UK after they were expelled from Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar. The had to leave everything behind, homes, business, money, everything. Many of these people had been store-keepers in Africa and came to the UK with nothing, but they worked hard and opened shops in the UK.
Also another thing they go on about...using it to scare the stupid, is claiming that Muslims are trying to take over the UK. Ummmm! well, the first reports of Muslims in this country were in the 1600's, 400 years ago, and yet still Muslims only make up under 4% of the population of the UK (bearing in mind the UK, means England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Island) Not much of a take over, is it?
Oh! and most crimes are committed by so called White British people...even if they like to claim otherwise. And there are more Dole cheats and unemployed that are White British. I am not talking about those that are unemployed but looking for work...I mean those that just do not want to work, but spend their day smoking fags, drinking cheap fizzy larger and insulting anyone that may have a different faith, a different language and a different colour skin.
And the same racist idiots go on about being true Anglo-Saxon...which is an odd thing to say, because the Angles came from Denmark and the Saxons came from Germany....How can that make you a True Brit?
These people really are arrogant, they really are ignorant and above all else, they really are stupid and unintelligent and actually have no knowledge of The UK, or it's history, culture, traditions, or politics, etc. You just have to see the shaven headed buffoons and those that vote for them. None of them have any real education, if they did then they would realise that immigration brings more positives than negatives. We live in a multi-cultural country, which, I am pleased to say, the majority of British people enjoy.
These days, if you have migrated to the UK, to be able to stay you need to take a 'Life in the UK test.' I guarantee that those racist, xenophic idiots could never pass that test. Here is an example of the questions asked:
Q) After the Second World War where did British textile and engineering firms send agents to find workers?
A) India and Pakistan
Q) When did the European Union originate?
A) Immediately after the Second World War
Q) The United Kingdom's constitution is written by?
A) It is an unwritten constitution
Q) The Leader of the Opposition has offices in Parliament and receives financial support from the Treasury both for his or her office and for the Shadow Cabinet?
A) True
Q) What year did the Church of England come in existence?
A) 1534
There is no way on this planet that the idiots of the BNP or the EDL or the NF or other political parties or groups like that will know the answers to questions like that....They are just not educated enough.
So....Britain...an island nation with a rich history...a history full of immigration and invasion. Even the Royal Family is descended from Germany...Before they called themselves 'Windsor,' they were 'Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.' They only took on the name when King George V (1910 - 1936) changed it to Windsor during the height of German Xenophobia. In fact the Royal Family has very little, 'True British' roots.
The famous British Lion has it's Origins in France and the Normans.
Saint George, The patron saint of England was in fact from Palestine. And in fact you will see the red cross of Saint George all over Europe...not just in England or on the Union Flag (aka; Union Jack)
Anyway, the question has to be asked. What is a True Brit? Well, I believe a True Brit is someone that respects and obeys the laws of the land, pays, no matter how painful it maybe, his taxes, respects all people, no matter what their religion, culture, language sexuality and colour of their skin. Excepting of all people, helpful to others and charitable.
Being a True Brit should not be a geographical thing, how can it be? No one in this country can honestly say their families have always been in Britain...we are all immigrants...Look at me, with my Dutch / German / French ancestry. Maybe I am worse than those that migrate or seek asylum in this country...after all, my ancestors came here illegally, via the means of invasion.
Friday, 18 June 2010
BP v USA
I cannot help but feel annoyed about the America reaction towards BP and the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Yes, I know it is a terrible thing that has destroyed the environment and killed many species of animal, bird and fish and as had and ecological and economical fallout on the areas effected and yes BP should be accountable. But...and this is my BUT...to drag the CEO and other high ranking officials into the White House and in Front of Congress seems to be unbelievably hypocritical of the US Government. To slam BP and expect them to apologise and pay compensation for damaged caused.
So why does this annoy me so...
...Well all this coming from one of the biggest polluting countries in the world....The biggest polluting country in the so called Western World. A country that has had it's fair share of oil based disasters that they, themselves had been slow to react to. A country that refused to sign the Kyoto Treaty on cutting down emissions, while the rest of the countries involved with the Kyoto summit did sign it. The US Government also backs, financially, and otherwise, companies to desecrate large areas of Amazonian rain forest to drill for oil and then turns a blind eye to the illegal practices of those companies which dump tons and tons of oil into the forest and into the water, making it impossible for anything to grow or inhabit such areas ever again, while fish in the polluted parts of the Amazon River are dying, and wildlife in the polluted part of the forest have died from the toxins. The tribal people are losing their lively hoods and are having to struggle in these areas, that have been killed off by US companies.
What is the reaction of the US Government to the above mentioned....Ummmm! Can you hear anything?.....NO!....Oh! yes that's right...they stay silent.
My rant for the day!!!!!!
So why does this annoy me so...
...Well all this coming from one of the biggest polluting countries in the world....The biggest polluting country in the so called Western World. A country that has had it's fair share of oil based disasters that they, themselves had been slow to react to. A country that refused to sign the Kyoto Treaty on cutting down emissions, while the rest of the countries involved with the Kyoto summit did sign it. The US Government also backs, financially, and otherwise, companies to desecrate large areas of Amazonian rain forest to drill for oil and then turns a blind eye to the illegal practices of those companies which dump tons and tons of oil into the forest and into the water, making it impossible for anything to grow or inhabit such areas ever again, while fish in the polluted parts of the Amazon River are dying, and wildlife in the polluted part of the forest have died from the toxins. The tribal people are losing their lively hoods and are having to struggle in these areas, that have been killed off by US companies.
What is the reaction of the US Government to the above mentioned....Ummmm! Can you hear anything?.....NO!....Oh! yes that's right...they stay silent.
My rant for the day!!!!!!
Monday, 14 June 2010
World Cup 2010
It's here...again....after 4 years....The World Cup.
The World Cup, is no matter if you like football or not, is an exciting sporting event. You just cannot help but become passionate for your team. Will England win this year? Who knows...I doubt it very much. I suspect Spain will be the World Cup winners.
I will be keeping an eye on England...of course...and also Germany, Holland, Japan, and Brazil and Argentina, Spain and Portugal...oh! and the winners of the last World Cup, Italy.
Anyway.....The World Cup aside.....I am hoping that the mother of a very good and special friend is OK.
The World Cup, is no matter if you like football or not, is an exciting sporting event. You just cannot help but become passionate for your team. Will England win this year? Who knows...I doubt it very much. I suspect Spain will be the World Cup winners.
I will be keeping an eye on England...of course...and also Germany, Holland, Japan, and Brazil and Argentina, Spain and Portugal...oh! and the winners of the last World Cup, Italy.
Anyway.....The World Cup aside.....I am hoping that the mother of a very good and special friend is OK.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Mosquitoes...Grrrrrr!
I just want to have a moan.
The weekend was nice and hot and sunny, but it was also very humid which meant that on Sunday evening there was a heavy downpour. And that rain was really cold.
Anyhow, on Saturday I went to a friends house and sat out in the garden only to discover when I returned back home in the evening that I had been a banquet for about a million mosquitoes. The worst bites are on my legs (Oh! my poor, beautiful, sexy legs)...Hah! yes, I have been told by quite a few women that I have nice legs...it is just a shame the rest of me is just so damn ugly.
The bites itch so much. I brought some spray to help heal and cool the bites. I have nearly used the whole can of spay and it cost me nearly £5 pounds. The worse time is when I am trying to sleep. I swear mosquito bites become more itchy during the night. In fact I also swear that the buzzing sound of a mosquito also becomes louder when I am trying to sleep.
I have a real hatred towards mosquitoes. I think this goes back to my time in Pakistan when I was bitten by...well...it must have been, again, about a million mosquitoes, only that time, they did not just bite me, they also gave me malaria...
....Mosquitoes.....Grrrrrrr!
The weekend was nice and hot and sunny, but it was also very humid which meant that on Sunday evening there was a heavy downpour. And that rain was really cold.
Anyhow, on Saturday I went to a friends house and sat out in the garden only to discover when I returned back home in the evening that I had been a banquet for about a million mosquitoes. The worst bites are on my legs (Oh! my poor, beautiful, sexy legs)...Hah! yes, I have been told by quite a few women that I have nice legs...it is just a shame the rest of me is just so damn ugly.
The bites itch so much. I brought some spray to help heal and cool the bites. I have nearly used the whole can of spay and it cost me nearly £5 pounds. The worse time is when I am trying to sleep. I swear mosquito bites become more itchy during the night. In fact I also swear that the buzzing sound of a mosquito also becomes louder when I am trying to sleep.
I have a real hatred towards mosquitoes. I think this goes back to my time in Pakistan when I was bitten by...well...it must have been, again, about a million mosquitoes, only that time, they did not just bite me, they also gave me malaria...
....Mosquitoes.....Grrrrrrr!
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Nibbles the Kawaii Hamster
Well, I eventually gave into my daughter and brought her a pet. Originally she wanted a small dog, but in the end decided on a hamster. We thought it would be the ideal first pet. So we brought a cage, which came with tubes, food bowl, water bottle an exercise wheel and a little house. It also came with food, saw dust (for the bottom of the cage) and some bedding.
My daughter choose the hamster she wanted and I think it was a good choice. She (the hamster is a girl) is such a cute little thing. It is fun to watch, especially when he is in the Hamster ball we brought her, so she can 'run' about the house. My daughter really loves her hamster, which she has named 'Nibbles.'
Monday, 24 May 2010
Shonen Knife live at The Freebutt 23rd May 2010
Well, I have seen some good bands live but last nights performance by Shonen Knife I think may have not just out shone them but also out rocked them. Shonen Knife in one simple word 'Rocked'
They interact with their audience and really put on a great show. I managed to get to the front and I could actually feel the draft coming from Ristuko's and Naoko's hair has the head banged their way through their songs. It was one of the best two hours in the history of rock music. Only Shonen Knife can make songs like 'Banana Chips' or 'Hot Chocolate' and 'BBQ Party' and get away with it. They are well loved by their followers outside of Japan and it is easy to see why. In fact, I was lucky to meet them after the show and even chat with them in Japanese using some Kansai-ben which I had learnt. They are from Osaka so that is why I threw in the odd couple of words from the Kansai Dialect. They are in fact really friendly and down to earth. Other rock bands take note.
Anyway, take a look at a couple of the photo's I took and also a short video of their opening song 'Konnichiwa.'
They interact with their audience and really put on a great show. I managed to get to the front and I could actually feel the draft coming from Ristuko's and Naoko's hair has the head banged their way through their songs. It was one of the best two hours in the history of rock music. Only Shonen Knife can make songs like 'Banana Chips' or 'Hot Chocolate' and 'BBQ Party' and get away with it. They are well loved by their followers outside of Japan and it is easy to see why. In fact, I was lucky to meet them after the show and even chat with them in Japanese using some Kansai-ben which I had learnt. They are from Osaka so that is why I threw in the odd couple of words from the Kansai Dialect. They are in fact really friendly and down to earth. Other rock bands take note.
Anyway, take a look at a couple of the photo's I took and also a short video of their opening song 'Konnichiwa.'
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
A Cove for Dolphins and Whales
A new documentary film called 'The Cove' has been released and it is about the whaling and dolphin hunting by the Japanese. Personally this debate is getting rather old and it is very one sided.
Only one place in Japan actually hunts dolphins, Taiji, and you would be hard pressed to find a Japanese person that has actually eaten dolphin. In fact a recent YouTube video asked the question to Japanese people if they had eaten dolphin and they all said no and did not actually like the idea of eating a dolphin. It is hard enough to find a Japanese person, these days that has actually eaten whale. But of course in some places you can still find whale on the menu. But to claim that the market for whale and dolphin meat is a large market is an overstatement. Also the people of Taiji make their living on the sale of dolphin and whale meat.
Greenpeace are never going to get respect in Japan for the way they do things. I even dislike the way Greenpeace acts and I am a Westerner. Greenpeace are happy to put lives of those hunters at risk for the sake of a whale or dolphin, which disgusts me. Greenpeace break the law to make a point and therefore will never get my respect.
But, let's not forget, it is not just the Japanese that hunt whale. Whale hunting goes on in Norway, Iceland and Canada, to name three. In Canada it is only the Inuits that are allowed to hunt for whale and they are limited to a certain amount of kills, but the Canadian government do not enforce this.
Maybe if those that protested put all their energies into protesting for the rights of children in poor countries, to make sure all have food and decent life's with decent jobs and decent pay. Protest against human injustice and poor living conditions....Maybe they would get more respect.
At the end of the day, who are we to say what they can and cannot hunt and eat whale or dolphin? Oh! of course...There are a lot of celebrities jumping on the anti-dolphin and anti-whaling band wagon. If people are so stupid that they will only listen to celebrities that live a life totally different to the rest of us, then those same people should not be debating the dolphin and whale hunting rights of not just the Japanese but also those of other countries.
Anyway...surely one of the most important sea creatures...if not the most important creatures on this planet are Plankton. Maybe we should try and save plankton. What with sea temperature changes in some places the plankton has almost died out...And Plankton provides 75% of the earths oxygen. If plankton die out, then dolphins and whales would die out anyway...and so would mankind.
Sorry!...I just wanted to rant and rave and I lost my thought trail, so to speak, so I will end there.
Only one place in Japan actually hunts dolphins, Taiji, and you would be hard pressed to find a Japanese person that has actually eaten dolphin. In fact a recent YouTube video asked the question to Japanese people if they had eaten dolphin and they all said no and did not actually like the idea of eating a dolphin. It is hard enough to find a Japanese person, these days that has actually eaten whale. But of course in some places you can still find whale on the menu. But to claim that the market for whale and dolphin meat is a large market is an overstatement. Also the people of Taiji make their living on the sale of dolphin and whale meat.
Greenpeace are never going to get respect in Japan for the way they do things. I even dislike the way Greenpeace acts and I am a Westerner. Greenpeace are happy to put lives of those hunters at risk for the sake of a whale or dolphin, which disgusts me. Greenpeace break the law to make a point and therefore will never get my respect.
But, let's not forget, it is not just the Japanese that hunt whale. Whale hunting goes on in Norway, Iceland and Canada, to name three. In Canada it is only the Inuits that are allowed to hunt for whale and they are limited to a certain amount of kills, but the Canadian government do not enforce this.
Maybe if those that protested put all their energies into protesting for the rights of children in poor countries, to make sure all have food and decent life's with decent jobs and decent pay. Protest against human injustice and poor living conditions....Maybe they would get more respect.
At the end of the day, who are we to say what they can and cannot hunt and eat whale or dolphin? Oh! of course...There are a lot of celebrities jumping on the anti-dolphin and anti-whaling band wagon. If people are so stupid that they will only listen to celebrities that live a life totally different to the rest of us, then those same people should not be debating the dolphin and whale hunting rights of not just the Japanese but also those of other countries.
Anyway...surely one of the most important sea creatures...if not the most important creatures on this planet are Plankton. Maybe we should try and save plankton. What with sea temperature changes in some places the plankton has almost died out...And Plankton provides 75% of the earths oxygen. If plankton die out, then dolphins and whales would die out anyway...and so would mankind.
Sorry!...I just wanted to rant and rave and I lost my thought trail, so to speak, so I will end there.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
日本に行きます。
Well.....Hopefully, and it looks almost certain, I will be returning back to Japan this year. I am hoping to return at the end of July, begning of August.
I enjoy my time in Japan and cannot wait to return. I am not sure how much travelling I will do yet, depends on the Money, but I would like to visit Yokohama and Osaka. I still have this hope that I will be able to climb Mount Fuji and then watch the sun rise from the summit. But either way, I am going back and that makes me happy. I think there is a really interesting and ancient sand dune in Tottori that I would like to visit.
Anyway...I just wanted to mention I am returning back to Japan this year....I cannot wait :-)
I enjoy my time in Japan and cannot wait to return. I am not sure how much travelling I will do yet, depends on the Money, but I would like to visit Yokohama and Osaka. I still have this hope that I will be able to climb Mount Fuji and then watch the sun rise from the summit. But either way, I am going back and that makes me happy. I think there is a really interesting and ancient sand dune in Tottori that I would like to visit.
Anyway...I just wanted to mention I am returning back to Japan this year....I cannot wait :-)
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Everybody Tweet, Now!
Yes, yes...OK...I know...I gave in to the media pressure that surrounds us, these days, and just had to find out more about Twitter and I ended up joining it.
I admit, I am very slow to take on any kind of Social Networking and I am not even sure how long I will keep it up. I am after all useless at keeping a diary...Just take a look at the pile of blank diaries I have lying around my office going back at least 10 years. In fact I am amazed that I have even been able to keep a blog going for more than a week, even though, I do not come here or write in it often, but at least I do come here and write in it.
If you are interested you can become one of my many followers....Well...3 followers...who are they? I am not sure who they are. I think one was from an old Face Book account....Yes, I tried that also...I never liked Face Book. People I do not know wanting to be my friend....No! I do not know you and No! I do not want to be your Farmville Neighbour and No I do not want to play Mafia Wars. I also discovered that someone hacked into my account.
Face Book, then is rubbish and a great place to get a virus. Face Book is kind of like the local slut that sleeps around with anyone spreading her STD's.
So...anyway...I will give Twitter a go...so far...so boring, but maybe that is because I only have three followers. I do follow some people, Stephen Fry, Simon Pegg, Japanesepod101, Learn-Japanese-Pod and the Yamanote Line. And it seems I am following people that are in my e-mail address book. Oh joy!...now, not only can I see there pointless e-mails with titles such has 'Check out these photo's of naked chicks' or 'You need a bigger penis...buy Viagra' oh! and the new favourite 'Hot married women looking for sexy times with no strings attached' I am also following some guy in Nigeria who, by all accounts has a secret bank account full of $400,000,000 US Dollars just for me if I can help him with the security checks needed by pretending to be the long lost brother of his uncles father that died during some kind of civil unrest in the country. I can now also follow all of them on Twitter and see their pointless 140 words or less Tweet's
Anyway....if...by any slim chance you would like to follow me, then this is my Twitter address:
http://twitter.com/BakaGaijin69
In fact, I am begging you...please be my Twitter follower.
Now then....Time to join My Space.
I admit, I am very slow to take on any kind of Social Networking and I am not even sure how long I will keep it up. I am after all useless at keeping a diary...Just take a look at the pile of blank diaries I have lying around my office going back at least 10 years. In fact I am amazed that I have even been able to keep a blog going for more than a week, even though, I do not come here or write in it often, but at least I do come here and write in it.
If you are interested you can become one of my many followers....Well...3 followers...who are they? I am not sure who they are. I think one was from an old Face Book account....Yes, I tried that also...I never liked Face Book. People I do not know wanting to be my friend....No! I do not know you and No! I do not want to be your Farmville Neighbour and No I do not want to play Mafia Wars. I also discovered that someone hacked into my account.
Face Book, then is rubbish and a great place to get a virus. Face Book is kind of like the local slut that sleeps around with anyone spreading her STD's.
So...anyway...I will give Twitter a go...so far...so boring, but maybe that is because I only have three followers. I do follow some people, Stephen Fry, Simon Pegg, Japanesepod101, Learn-Japanese-Pod and the Yamanote Line. And it seems I am following people that are in my e-mail address book. Oh joy!...now, not only can I see there pointless e-mails with titles such has 'Check out these photo's of naked chicks' or 'You need a bigger penis...buy Viagra' oh! and the new favourite 'Hot married women looking for sexy times with no strings attached' I am also following some guy in Nigeria who, by all accounts has a secret bank account full of $400,000,000 US Dollars just for me if I can help him with the security checks needed by pretending to be the long lost brother of his uncles father that died during some kind of civil unrest in the country. I can now also follow all of them on Twitter and see their pointless 140 words or less Tweet's
Anyway....if...by any slim chance you would like to follow me, then this is my Twitter address:
http://twitter.com/BakaGaijin69
In fact, I am begging you...please be my Twitter follower.
Now then....Time to join My Space.
Monday, 19 April 2010
You Old Fossil
Well, it was a nice weekend, so I decided to take my daughter fossil hunting along the Jurassic Coast, which is basically most of the South Coast of England, but the best places to go are the South West Coast. Anyway, I took her to a small coastal village called Charmouth, which is in Dorset...not too far from the Devon/Dorset Boarder. It took just over 2 hours to get there, which was not bad because checking with Google maps, the AA and my phone Sat. Nav, I was told it would take about 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Has you can see the coast line is fairly rocky and the cliffs, are actually very dangerous and are always collapsing and being broken down by the waves, especially during strong storms. You can actually pull the rock away from the cliffs with your hands and among the rocks it is very possible you will come across a fossil.
Anyway, we kept to looking among the rocks and stones on the beach. The coast was amazing when the tide went out, you could actually see the difference in rock and age. The bed rock is 200 million years old. Further up the coast, it seems more volcanic and the rocks under the sea are very strange, and clearly formed by lava. It is the oldest part of the coast at Charmouth, the bed rock is about 200 million years old, and the most dangerous. It is advised not to go into the sea at that part because there are sheer drops which you cannot see. But being volcanic the rock and sand was very black and we found lots of black glass, which is formed naturally and also rocks with lots of holes, which make them light to carry. We also found some interest crystals. I found a couple of crystallised Ammonites fossils, which were pretty, and possibly suggest a more full fossil in the stone.
The other side of the beach (the nearest in the above photo), even though was rocky, when the tide went out it was more sandy and a safer place to go into the sea from. The cliffs were still very dangerous, but you could see the difference in layers and age, and it is in fact younger, about 190 million years old. It was here we were finding lots of fossils, mostly of Ammonites and Belemnites.
Above you can see Ammonites, these are the creatures in the spiral shell, and also a Belemnite, which is the squid like creature.
Yes, has you may have guessed, this part of the world was once all under a vast ocean. Also at this time, what is now Britain would have been nearer to the equator, if not on the equator and the seas would have been a lot warmer.
We spent all day there, we had a picnic and had a play in the sea and enjoyed looking for fossils. My daughter really enjoyed herself, and she wants to go back. I think we will, I enjoyed it a lot more that, say Bournemouth, which is all sand and sea, but crowded and there some idiots there, where has Charmouth was a village the beach was quiet with only families, couples and the odd geologist, here and there. And to top it all, we came back with a back full of crystals, volcanic black glass and...of course...fossils.
Has you can see the coast line is fairly rocky and the cliffs, are actually very dangerous and are always collapsing and being broken down by the waves, especially during strong storms. You can actually pull the rock away from the cliffs with your hands and among the rocks it is very possible you will come across a fossil.
Anyway, we kept to looking among the rocks and stones on the beach. The coast was amazing when the tide went out, you could actually see the difference in rock and age. The bed rock is 200 million years old. Further up the coast, it seems more volcanic and the rocks under the sea are very strange, and clearly formed by lava. It is the oldest part of the coast at Charmouth, the bed rock is about 200 million years old, and the most dangerous. It is advised not to go into the sea at that part because there are sheer drops which you cannot see. But being volcanic the rock and sand was very black and we found lots of black glass, which is formed naturally and also rocks with lots of holes, which make them light to carry. We also found some interest crystals. I found a couple of crystallised Ammonites fossils, which were pretty, and possibly suggest a more full fossil in the stone.
The other side of the beach (the nearest in the above photo), even though was rocky, when the tide went out it was more sandy and a safer place to go into the sea from. The cliffs were still very dangerous, but you could see the difference in layers and age, and it is in fact younger, about 190 million years old. It was here we were finding lots of fossils, mostly of Ammonites and Belemnites.
Above you can see Ammonites, these are the creatures in the spiral shell, and also a Belemnite, which is the squid like creature.
Yes, has you may have guessed, this part of the world was once all under a vast ocean. Also at this time, what is now Britain would have been nearer to the equator, if not on the equator and the seas would have been a lot warmer.
We spent all day there, we had a picnic and had a play in the sea and enjoyed looking for fossils. My daughter really enjoyed herself, and she wants to go back. I think we will, I enjoyed it a lot more that, say Bournemouth, which is all sand and sea, but crowded and there some idiots there, where has Charmouth was a village the beach was quiet with only families, couples and the odd geologist, here and there. And to top it all, we came back with a back full of crystals, volcanic black glass and...of course...fossils.
Friday, 16 April 2010
The Very Informal Way to Say 'Don't'
Well, it has been a long time since I posted anything here. I have had 2 weeks off work. I did not do much just relaxed and chilled out. I took my daughter out a few times, swimming, for a bike ride and I took her to the Tower of London. I also brought a new road bike and a new laptop. But really nothing of any real interest has happened, so I thought a quick Japanese lesson would be fun.
I thought maybe I could teach a way of saying 'don't' but the kind of 'don't' you will often read in manga or hear in anime, even in films and on the street among close friends. Anyway, the way of saying this informal 'don't' is taking the verb in it's dictionary form and then adding 'na' at the end, so for example.
食べる ＋ な = 食べるな = (taberuna) Don't eat!
行く + な = 行くな = (ikuna) Don't go!
So take any verb, in it's dictionary form and add 'na' at the end makes it a very informal way to say 'don't.'
So for example, you are cooking a meal and some of the food you have cooked is on the table ready and your friend say's something like '美味しそう' (Oishisou = that looks delicious) and then goes to taste the food you have cooked you could say '食べるな' (don't eat)
Please be aware this is very informal, and so therefore, is actually a little impolite. This is something you would only use with good friends.
I thought maybe I could teach a way of saying 'don't' but the kind of 'don't' you will often read in manga or hear in anime, even in films and on the street among close friends. Anyway, the way of saying this informal 'don't' is taking the verb in it's dictionary form and then adding 'na' at the end, so for example.
食べる ＋ な = 食べるな = (taberuna) Don't eat!
行く + な = 行くな = (ikuna) Don't go!
So take any verb, in it's dictionary form and add 'na' at the end makes it a very informal way to say 'don't.'
So for example, you are cooking a meal and some of the food you have cooked is on the table ready and your friend say's something like '美味しそう' (Oishisou = that looks delicious) and then goes to taste the food you have cooked you could say '食べるな' (don't eat)
Please be aware this is very informal, and so therefore, is actually a little impolite. This is something you would only use with good friends.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Two Weeks off Work Doing Nothing...Aaaah! Bliss!
Yes, that's right, I have two weeks off work and I am going to do nothing but chill out and relax. I have a few films to watch and some programs I Sky Plused that I need to watch but that is about it. I will still go to the odd spinning class and I will, maybe, go for a swim a couple of times but basically these next two weeks are all about being lazy and being a couch potato.
I was hoping to visit Hong Kong. A friend of mine just brought tickets for £99 pounds return but, has usual, I missed the chance, and now will not be going. Never mind, I am hoping to go back out to Japan again this year. I wanted to return again in Spring but it seems like, if I do manage to visit Japan, this year it will be in the autumn again. I would like to go for a walk in Shinjuku Garden again.
Anyway, not much has happened, to write about, and I have been drinking beer and feel fairly relaxed so not much to rant about either.
Oh well! I think I will watch 'Chakushin Ari' (着信アリ) Not the film but the tv series :-) Yes, another lonely night.
I was hoping to visit Hong Kong. A friend of mine just brought tickets for £99 pounds return but, has usual, I missed the chance, and now will not be going. Never mind, I am hoping to go back out to Japan again this year. I wanted to return again in Spring but it seems like, if I do manage to visit Japan, this year it will be in the autumn again. I would like to go for a walk in Shinjuku Garden again.
Anyway, not much has happened, to write about, and I have been drinking beer and feel fairly relaxed so not much to rant about either.
Oh well! I think I will watch 'Chakushin Ari' (着信アリ) Not the film but the tv series :-) Yes, another lonely night.
Monday, 15 March 2010
Bourton-on-the-Water; A Model Village, Birdland and Tourists from Japan
Well, for the first time in about 5 months we actually had a nice weekend. The sun was shinning and it was fairly mild. in fact in the sunshine it felt quite warm and it certainly felt, that at long last, spring was finally on it's way, even if it is late this year.
Anyway, I woke up early and decided to take my daughter to Birdland:
http://www.birdland.co.uk
Not to be confused with the larger and more expensive (I think over priced) place just of the M3 near Farnham.
It takes about an hour and a half to drive to Birdland, which is in the picturesque village of Bourton-on-the-Water. When you eventually get of the Motorway (M4) the countryside is very pretty and it also brings back childhood memories of how I used to live in that area. The area in which Bourton-on-the-Water is in is called 'Cotswold.' If you only have a short stay in England and you are staying in London, then it will be a nice day out from London, a couple of hours by car or coach. Not sure how it works by train, but I guess you would take the train from London too Swindon.
Bourton-on-the-Water is probably the most popular village in the Cotswold's, and often referred to as the "Venice of the Cotswold's" because the River Windrush runs right through the centre. The combination of this clear sparkling water and the attractive low bridges crossing it create a charming scene.
Bourton-on-the-Water
So, I took her to Birdland, it is a nice place and not too big, so it does not becomes tiresome. My daughter loved it, especially watching the penguins being fed. Birdland is the only place in the country that has King Penguins and watching penguins is a treat at any age. You can watch them swim under the water has they have a pool to swim in which has glass sides.
The King Penguins in Birdland
But of course there are many other birds. I also love the Kookaburra. I think it is a rather pretty bird with the most wonderful 'laughing' call. They seem to respond well to humans. All the ones I have come across, which I admit are not in the wild has they come from Australia, always seem to be happy to laugh if you whistle or even try to mimic them.
A Kookaburra
After spending just over 3 hours in Birdland I took my daughter to the model village. The model village is a model of the village of Bourton-on-the-Water, which itself also contains an ever smaller model village. It is starting to look old and need of repair now, but non-the-less, my daughter still enjoyed herself, which is the important thing and the main reason for going.
The Model Village
We also fed the Rainbow Trout that swam in the river and then we went to a pub for a meal. After seeing all those fish, I wanted to eat fish...so I had fish and chips and mushy peas. The batter was nice a crunchy round the fish, and the fish tasted fresh, which was nice.
But, strangely for me, the highlight of the day was meeting some Japanese tourists. In fact I walked past a whole coach load of Japanese tourist of all different ages. But on one of the bridges were these four Japanese women and they were taking photographs of each other. I remember, when I was in Japan, that I met a lot of friendly Japanese that made me feel welcome in their country, from a taxi driver, to a shop keeper. I even remember fondly these 4 elderly Japanese ladies that were selling Japanese style sweets in Kyoto. They were so friendly. Anyway, I saw these Japanese ladies and I went up to them and asked them, in my best Japanese (which is actually very, very poor) if they would like me to take their photo. I think they were surprised that I tried to say it in Japanese because I heard them say 'He just spoke Japanese' Then I took their photo, they looked at it, I asked if it was OK, and they said 'yes' and then they smiled and said 'thank you.' hat was it really, but it was nice to speak a little Japanese and it was nice that they seemed to appreciate my effort...I may have even impressed them...hehehe! But I wanted to, somehow, in my own way, show my appreciation for how the Japanese I met made me feel welcome in the places I visited in Japan.
This is a map of Bourton-on-the-Water in Japanese. Birdland is just right and across the river from the Model Villlage
Anyway, I woke up early and decided to take my daughter to Birdland:
http://www.birdland.co.uk
Not to be confused with the larger and more expensive (I think over priced) place just of the M3 near Farnham.
It takes about an hour and a half to drive to Birdland, which is in the picturesque village of Bourton-on-the-Water. When you eventually get of the Motorway (M4) the countryside is very pretty and it also brings back childhood memories of how I used to live in that area. The area in which Bourton-on-the-Water is in is called 'Cotswold.' If you only have a short stay in England and you are staying in London, then it will be a nice day out from London, a couple of hours by car or coach. Not sure how it works by train, but I guess you would take the train from London too Swindon.
Bourton-on-the-Water is probably the most popular village in the Cotswold's, and often referred to as the "Venice of the Cotswold's" because the River Windrush runs right through the centre. The combination of this clear sparkling water and the attractive low bridges crossing it create a charming scene.
Bourton-on-the-Water
So, I took her to Birdland, it is a nice place and not too big, so it does not becomes tiresome. My daughter loved it, especially watching the penguins being fed. Birdland is the only place in the country that has King Penguins and watching penguins is a treat at any age. You can watch them swim under the water has they have a pool to swim in which has glass sides.
The King Penguins in Birdland
But of course there are many other birds. I also love the Kookaburra. I think it is a rather pretty bird with the most wonderful 'laughing' call. They seem to respond well to humans. All the ones I have come across, which I admit are not in the wild has they come from Australia, always seem to be happy to laugh if you whistle or even try to mimic them.
A Kookaburra
After spending just over 3 hours in Birdland I took my daughter to the model village. The model village is a model of the village of Bourton-on-the-Water, which itself also contains an ever smaller model village. It is starting to look old and need of repair now, but non-the-less, my daughter still enjoyed herself, which is the important thing and the main reason for going.
The Model Village
We also fed the Rainbow Trout that swam in the river and then we went to a pub for a meal. After seeing all those fish, I wanted to eat fish...so I had fish and chips and mushy peas. The batter was nice a crunchy round the fish, and the fish tasted fresh, which was nice.
But, strangely for me, the highlight of the day was meeting some Japanese tourists. In fact I walked past a whole coach load of Japanese tourist of all different ages. But on one of the bridges were these four Japanese women and they were taking photographs of each other. I remember, when I was in Japan, that I met a lot of friendly Japanese that made me feel welcome in their country, from a taxi driver, to a shop keeper. I even remember fondly these 4 elderly Japanese ladies that were selling Japanese style sweets in Kyoto. They were so friendly. Anyway, I saw these Japanese ladies and I went up to them and asked them, in my best Japanese (which is actually very, very poor) if they would like me to take their photo. I think they were surprised that I tried to say it in Japanese because I heard them say 'He just spoke Japanese' Then I took their photo, they looked at it, I asked if it was OK, and they said 'yes' and then they smiled and said 'thank you.' hat was it really, but it was nice to speak a little Japanese and it was nice that they seemed to appreciate my effort...I may have even impressed them...hehehe! But I wanted to, somehow, in my own way, show my appreciation for how the Japanese I met made me feel welcome in the places I visited in Japan.
This is a map of Bourton-on-the-Water in Japanese. Birdland is just right and across the river from the Model Villlage
Friday, 12 March 2010
I'm in a Bit of a Jam
Well....there I was playing about on You Tube when I came across a clip of an old British Comedy called 'Jam.' A dark, twisted, surreal and sometimes downright scary comedy written by the genius that is Chris Morris. Now words can not explain how dark and twisted 'Jam' can be, so instead of writting a blog today (apart from what I have written and about to write after this sentence), I am just going to embed some of my favourite clips from You Tube. Now I find it funny, some will be offended, some will not understand, and some will just not get the humour, but please give it a try.
I think that will do.
I think that will do.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Free Spirit = Death by Car
Cats. Love them or hate them, or like me, not really bothered either way, we all have to agree they are very free spirited creatures to have has pets. Really, they only stay with their owners because it means warm shelter and easy food, but apart from that, they pretty much spend most of their day's outside chasing birds, mice and fighting other cats. Or maybe they're 'singing' or, how can I say this...trying to 'multiply.'
There are a lot of cat lovers out there. One of my neighbours has about 4 cats, God only knows why, but 1 pet is too many in my opinion. I went in her house once, and with out being impolite her house stank of cats. I also tend to chase them out of my garden, not because I have any real hate towards cats....no, when I was a boy my mother had a pet cat and I loved it to bits, in fact she had two pet cats...but I do not like finding cat poo in my garden, especially when my daughter plays in the garden. Anyway, I have grown older and more grumpy and I am not a pet person.
Anyway, this morning, on my way to work, driving I have to say with in the speed limit of 30 mph, guess what would happen....I saw a cat running across the field, I slowed down a bit, but cats being cats, and also being a bit dumb, it carried on running on to the road. I braked harder but it was too late. I felt the bump has my wheels drove over the cat. There was nothing I could do. Rightly or wrongly, I decided not to stop, I had to get to work for 8:00am and it was 7:56 when I hit the cat. I looked in my wing mirror and I could see it shaking and it's legs were in a spasm, but it was dead and it was just the nervous system reacting to the fact there was no signal going to or coming from the brain. Plus the rush hour traffic was building up and there was no where to really pull in.
Yes I feel horrible that I hit the cat, it was after all a living creature which was only doing what cats do and yes I feel guilty for not stopping but at the end of the day, I had to get to work. I don't think my boss would be too understanding if I said I was going to be late because of a cat and I cannot afford to lose wages at this moment of time, plus, has I mentioned, it was killed on impact, so there was nothing I could actually do. I guess I could have told the owners, but I have had dealings with cat / animal lovers before. When I had not long learnt to drive I hit a cat. I did stop but the women in the car behind me had a right go at me has if I did it with intent. She was really fanatical, to say the least, and the last thing I need, this morning, is a fanatical cat owner.
Mmmmm! I hope it will not come back has a vengeful cat spirit and hunt me for the rest of my days. Nah! I refuse to believe in such things has animal spirit's.
There are a lot of cat lovers out there. One of my neighbours has about 4 cats, God only knows why, but 1 pet is too many in my opinion. I went in her house once, and with out being impolite her house stank of cats. I also tend to chase them out of my garden, not because I have any real hate towards cats....no, when I was a boy my mother had a pet cat and I loved it to bits, in fact she had two pet cats...but I do not like finding cat poo in my garden, especially when my daughter plays in the garden. Anyway, I have grown older and more grumpy and I am not a pet person.
Anyway, this morning, on my way to work, driving I have to say with in the speed limit of 30 mph, guess what would happen....I saw a cat running across the field, I slowed down a bit, but cats being cats, and also being a bit dumb, it carried on running on to the road. I braked harder but it was too late. I felt the bump has my wheels drove over the cat. There was nothing I could do. Rightly or wrongly, I decided not to stop, I had to get to work for 8:00am and it was 7:56 when I hit the cat. I looked in my wing mirror and I could see it shaking and it's legs were in a spasm, but it was dead and it was just the nervous system reacting to the fact there was no signal going to or coming from the brain. Plus the rush hour traffic was building up and there was no where to really pull in.
Yes I feel horrible that I hit the cat, it was after all a living creature which was only doing what cats do and yes I feel guilty for not stopping but at the end of the day, I had to get to work. I don't think my boss would be too understanding if I said I was going to be late because of a cat and I cannot afford to lose wages at this moment of time, plus, has I mentioned, it was killed on impact, so there was nothing I could actually do. I guess I could have told the owners, but I have had dealings with cat / animal lovers before. When I had not long learnt to drive I hit a cat. I did stop but the women in the car behind me had a right go at me has if I did it with intent. She was really fanatical, to say the least, and the last thing I need, this morning, is a fanatical cat owner.
Mmmmm! I hope it will not come back has a vengeful cat spirit and hunt me for the rest of my days. Nah! I refuse to believe in such things has animal spirit's.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Shonen Knife
Yay! I am so happy....Why?...well, because on the 23rd May I will popping down to the Freebut in Brighton to watch a really cool Japanese band...Shonen Knife. I cannot wait. I only found out about it by chance. I thought the tickets might be all sold out, but I rang Freebut to find out and they still had tickets, so I did not hesitate. Take a look at this video of Shonen Knife performing 'Twist Barbie' live:
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
A Cafe of Maids
While, we are on the Japanese theme, I am sure anyone who has visited Japan, and walked through the streets of Akihabara would have been handed a flyer by a girl dressed in a maid costume. You look at the flyer and you see it is advertising a 'Maid Cafe.'
So what is a Maid Cafe?
Well a Maid cafe is a theme restaurant which arose out of the otaku culture in Japan. The first Maid Cafe was 'Cure Maid Cafe' which opened up in Akihabara in 2001.
The main purpose of the cafe is roleplay. The waitresses dress in maid outfits and treat their customers has if they are the master. They will address them 'sama' which is an extra-polite form of 'san.' The experience is extra-special for the guest because they get more politeness and pampering than they world at a typical restaurant and Japanese restaurants are typically very polite.
The menus are very similar to any other cafe, but the maids will often decorate a dish with cute designs. I guess this service adds the image of an innocent and Kawaii maid.
The Maids will welcome customers by saying: Okaerinasaimase, goshujinsama (Welcome Home Master)
Some of the maids will perform a song or dance routine. You also have the option of playing games, such has card games or video games, with a maid or have a shoulder massage (fully clothed.)
There are some don'ts, mind you. You cannot touch a maid. You cannot ask for any sexual favours, you cannot ask for contact details or wait outside to met a maid when she finishes work. You are not allowed to take their photo or ask them on a date.
Some Maid cafes will allow you to have a photo taken with the maids, but there is a cost for that, but the maids you had your photo taken with will take the photo and decorate it before giving it to you.
I have often asked myself the question 'Would Maid Cafes exist if it was not for the culture of Geisha or Maiko in Japan?' OK, they maybe on opposite ends of Japanese culture but there are similarities between them both. They both entertain with music, dance, etc. They both treat their customers with deep respect and politeness. Both are non-sexual (despite what a lot of people outside of Japan think)
I have saved all the flyers I received for Maid Cafes. One that stood at was '@Home Cafe'
http://www.cafe-athome.com
So take a look, and if you ever fancy visiting a Maid cafe, then do so. It will only add to your experience in Japan. And don't worry, ladies, there are also now 'Butler Cafes.' But it is also worth noting that a lot of tourist with families visit Maid Cafes.
So what is a Maid Cafe?
Well a Maid cafe is a theme restaurant which arose out of the otaku culture in Japan. The first Maid Cafe was 'Cure Maid Cafe' which opened up in Akihabara in 2001.
The main purpose of the cafe is roleplay. The waitresses dress in maid outfits and treat their customers has if they are the master. They will address them 'sama' which is an extra-polite form of 'san.' The experience is extra-special for the guest because they get more politeness and pampering than they world at a typical restaurant and Japanese restaurants are typically very polite.
The menus are very similar to any other cafe, but the maids will often decorate a dish with cute designs. I guess this service adds the image of an innocent and Kawaii maid.
The Maids will welcome customers by saying: Okaerinasaimase, goshujinsama (Welcome Home Master)
Some of the maids will perform a song or dance routine. You also have the option of playing games, such has card games or video games, with a maid or have a shoulder massage (fully clothed.)
There are some don'ts, mind you. You cannot touch a maid. You cannot ask for any sexual favours, you cannot ask for contact details or wait outside to met a maid when she finishes work. You are not allowed to take their photo or ask them on a date.
Some Maid cafes will allow you to have a photo taken with the maids, but there is a cost for that, but the maids you had your photo taken with will take the photo and decorate it before giving it to you.
I have often asked myself the question 'Would Maid Cafes exist if it was not for the culture of Geisha or Maiko in Japan?' OK, they maybe on opposite ends of Japanese culture but there are similarities between them both. They both entertain with music, dance, etc. They both treat their customers with deep respect and politeness. Both are non-sexual (despite what a lot of people outside of Japan think)
I have saved all the flyers I received for Maid Cafes. One that stood at was '@Home Cafe'
http://www.cafe-athome.com
So take a look, and if you ever fancy visiting a Maid cafe, then do so. It will only add to your experience in Japan. And don't worry, ladies, there are also now 'Butler Cafes.' But it is also worth noting that a lot of tourist with families visit Maid Cafes.
Monday, 1 March 2010
Must say things in Japan part 1.
You're in Tokyo and you can't find a 'First Kitchen'? Then ask for directions, but remember the Japanese have a habit of shortening words so you will have to ask where the nearest :- ファッキン is.
最寄りのファッキンはどこですか。
Moyori no fakkin wa doko desu ka.
最寄り : 'Moyori' = Nearest.
の : 'no' this is a particle meaning something like 'of.'
ファッ キン : Fakkin (First Kitchen) The Japanese often shorten words for example the Japanese band 'Asian Kung Fu Generation' is often shortened to 'Ajikan.'
は : 'wa' is the subject particle.
どこ : 'doko' = where.
です : 'desu' = is / are
か : 'Ka' is the question particle. To make a sentence a question add 'ka' at the end.
Yes, I know it is childish and immature to want to go to a First Kitchen just so you can say the word 'fakkin' Just because it sounds very similar to the 'F' word, but it has to be done.
Actually it is also often referred to just 'FK' (Efukei) and they redesigned their logo in 2005 to emphasize this.
.jpg)
最寄りのファッキンはどこですか。
Moyori no fakkin wa doko desu ka.
最寄り : 'Moyori' = Nearest.
の : 'no' this is a particle meaning something like 'of.'
ファッ キン : Fakkin (First Kitchen) The Japanese often shorten words for example the Japanese band 'Asian Kung Fu Generation' is often shortened to 'Ajikan.'
は : 'wa' is the subject particle.
どこ : 'doko' = where.
です : 'desu' = is / are
か : 'Ka' is the question particle. To make a sentence a question add 'ka' at the end.
Yes, I know it is childish and immature to want to go to a First Kitchen just so you can say the word 'fakkin' Just because it sounds very similar to the 'F' word, but it has to be done.
Actually it is also often referred to just 'FK' (Efukei) and they redesigned their logo in 2005 to emphasize this.
.jpg)
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
A Biker Girl and a Lolita Girl
Yay! I just watched 'Shimotsuma Monogatari' again better know in the UK by the title 'Kamikaze Girls' I forgot how cool and beautiful this film is. The film is...well...it's got to be about 5 or 6 years old now. Anyway, here is a trailer I found on You Tube for the American release of the film, so please excuse the annoying and somewhat cheesy voice over (which does the film no justice at all)
Here is what was written on the IMDb website at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416220/plotsummary
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416220
Momoko is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life. Ordinary, that is, if you define ordinary as wearing elaborate lolita dresses from the Rococo period in 18th Century France. A complete fish out of water in her rural and sleepy Japanese town, where everyone buys their clothes (and everything else) at the same store and no one understands her, Momoko's life is one of sugared sweets and frilly treats. Desperate to make some money to pay for her expensive indulgence, Momoko tries selling bootleg Ver*ace and Uni*ersal Studios clothes left over from her Dad's yakuza (gangster) days. However, when punk girl and self-styled 'Yanki' Ichiko comes calling, her days as 'ordinary' are most certainly numbered... Road movie, buddy comedy, deeply insightful and surprisingly touching, the surreal world only further highlights the all too real friendship that brings these two unlikely girls together.
Here is what was written on the IMDb website at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416220/plotsummary
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416220
Momoko is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life. Ordinary, that is, if you define ordinary as wearing elaborate lolita dresses from the Rococo period in 18th Century France. A complete fish out of water in her rural and sleepy Japanese town, where everyone buys their clothes (and everything else) at the same store and no one understands her, Momoko's life is one of sugared sweets and frilly treats. Desperate to make some money to pay for her expensive indulgence, Momoko tries selling bootleg Ver*ace and Uni*ersal Studios clothes left over from her Dad's yakuza (gangster) days. However, when punk girl and self-styled 'Yanki' Ichiko comes calling, her days as 'ordinary' are most certainly numbered... Road movie, buddy comedy, deeply insightful and surprisingly touching, the surreal world only further highlights the all too real friendship that brings these two unlikely girls together.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
I'm in Hot Water......
Don't you just hate it when you have come home from a spinning class all sweaty only to discover that there is no hot water? Well that happened to me this evening. If there is one thing that is sure to put me in a bad mood it is not having hot water to have a shower or a bath. Thankfully there is a shower where I work so I went there but I cannot keep using the shower at work so I will have to call British Gas Home Care to get them to send some one out tomorrow.
Mmmmm! I will need a shower in the morning so what do I do? Heat up a couple of saucepans of water or get up earlier and use the shower at work again? Well if I can wake up earlier I will use the shower at work but I am not a morning person. Mind you......if it rains tomorrow morning......No, no that's a stupid idea.
Mmmmm! I will need a shower in the morning so what do I do? Heat up a couple of saucepans of water or get up earlier and use the shower at work again? Well if I can wake up earlier I will use the shower at work but I am not a morning person. Mind you......if it rains tomorrow morning......No, no that's a stupid idea.
Monday, 22 February 2010
The Start of Random
Well, I thought I would try a blog but too nothing in particular, just random stuff. Some blog about their day to day lives, some blog about their hobbies, some blog in the hope of imparting some of their worldly wisdom to others and some just blog, even though, they seem to have very little knowledge of the things they are trying to blog about. So I though I would jump on this blogging band wagon but instead of blogging about one subject, I would just blog about lots of different things, whether it be about something that has happened to me, or just embedding a video I discovered on You Tube, which I want to share, to maybe just sharing some photo's or linking to a website I find interesting. Either way, do not expect anything to intellectual.
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