Not So Amazing Race...

I want to formally announce that I'm boycotting the Amazing Race since Rob and Amber are gone. I will always love you Rob and Amber! The only reason I'll watch now is to watch Mirna and Shmirna go down in FLAMES! I HATE THEM! I don't care if the midget gets CBS more viewers! They are ridiculous and stupid and why would anyone want to watch them except to laugh at her fall down?

Ok, before I get more offensive, I better shut up.



**p.s. Seriously, I'm sorry for being so non-PC here. I shouldn't have written this right after watching the show. I'm still mad, and that's never a good time to write about how you feel.

Interstyle Yokohama

I went to Yokohama to see Braddigan perform a few weeks ago at Interstyle. What is Interstyle? I'm so glad you asked. (Huh? You didn't ask? What? You don't care? Well guess what--I don't care if you didn't ask. I'm going to tell you anyway, because it's my blog and I'll tell you whatever I want.) It's a tradeshow/business expo for extreme sports, such as, surfing, skateboarding, etc....
Want to know more? I doubt it, but if you do, look here: Interstyle

I shot some video of Braddigan playing, skateboarders showing off their mad skills, and of Rey and Tiago showing off their mad music skills. I decided to just put them all together, instead of posting them as 3 separate videos. It's a bit rough, so no commenting on the camera shaking--I'm not a perfectist--at least not when it comes to things I'm not good at; i.e. shooting video



And for your further enjoyment...or if you just don't want to watch the video, here are a few pictures.

Tiago, me, Rey, and Brad


Me and Rey


Tiago jamming


Rey on the drums


These guys are awesome. If you ever get a chance to see them live, you should go.

Malaria, Dreams, and Maureen

Japanese people, in general, seem to be very on top of things. I've learned recently that this is just a front--all an act to fool us stupid gaijin.
At Narita airport, there is a sign posted that says: Beware of malaria when traveling.
That's helpful, right? Except wait--how can you 'beware' of mosquitoes? In most civilized countries you would be able to get malaria pills, to hopefully guard you from the disease. In Japan, you just get a sign. To actually get the pills is a pain in the butt, and way expensive. Now, most of you that know me well, are probably wondering why I even care. You know I'm never worried about anything like that. I never get sick, so why would I get shots? take pills? Well simple--I wouldn't, because you're right--I'm not worried about it. However, my traveling companion has turned into a hypochondriac--at least when it comes to malaria.
Fact: Maureen said the word malaria AT LEAST 10 times within a 5 minute period today.
Another Fact: Maureen actually said this sentence: "If I get malaria, I'm going to be so mad."
I can't make this stuff up--and why would I?

Now we've all taken to telling Maureen the 'signs' that your more susceptible to getting malaria. You know, like, if you eat chocolate covered almonds for breakfast, you're at a higher risk (because that is what she ate for breakfast this morning). We actually had quite the list going. Maureen is definitely going to get malaria. (NOT REALLY! CALM DOWN MAUREEN!)

Even after I gave her some hard-core proof that she was going to be fine, she is still worried! What was the proof? Well, our Japanese teacher, Misaki-sensei, went to Vietnam and she's still alive! What better proof is there?!

Unrelated note: When I left tonight, she said this: "Sweet dreams. Of me."
I really hope I don't dream about Maureen having malaria tonight, but I'm afraid there's a very good chance of that happening. Luckily for her, my dreams don't seem to be psychic like Sam's.

How I spell classy...

When I was leaving school today on my bike, I heard someone yell, "Hey baby!" I'm pretty sure it was the first time that has ever happened to me in Japan. I just laughed, but I didn't look in the direction of the yelling, mainly because that would have required me to look backwards, which isn't an easy task when riding on a narrow sidewalk.
In general, Japanese people don't yell at complete strangers. This led me to conclude that it had to be a baka gaijin (crazy foreigner). Another clue that it was a foreigner: They said it clearly, without a Japanese accent. I'm so glad that this is the kind of person representing the American people in Japan.

In an unrelated event, someone said this to me today: "I hate you. Call me."
(Yeah, you know who you are--and of course I'll call you!)

Today was a good day.

I love my brother

This is what you get when you have a great idea, and then realize you have no skills in video making. I love you Cory!!

Gmail Theater: Why Use Gmail?

I didn't really need another excuse to love gmail, but after watching this video I can tell you another reason I love gmail: because a Japanese dude helped create it

Vietnam is a country? I thought it was just a war.

I was talking to George a few weeks ago about my upcoming trip. I told her I was thinking about putting up a map of Southeast Asia on my blog because some people don't know where all the countries are that I'm going to. Her reply: "When you say 'some people', do you mean me?"

Later, when I mentioned taking a train from the north to the south of Vietnam she said, "How can you go there? I didn't know Vietnam was a place. I thought it was just a war." I'm so glad George is a math teacher and not a geography teacher.

So, for all of you that don't know where Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are located, here is a map just for you!

I want this bike.

The land of the rising sun...

Sayonara old friend...

My desk was falling apart. It was held together by a bungee cord.


Action had to be taken. I bought a new one (that looked almost identical to the previous one--not because I particularly loved the style, but it was cheap).


I had to put it together myself. I was very proud. I love putting things together.

Old desk, New desk...it's the circle of life in desk form.

Please resume the regularly scheduled comments

Ok, so I lost the picture at the top, but I'm slowly getting over it. I'll work on the layout again later, but for now, simplicity is bliss...and now you can comment. Or continue not commenting. Whatever suits you...

Comments on the frizz

Ok, so I realized recently that my comments aren't working. I know most of you never comment anyway, but I'm sorry to those of you that have tried to do so and failed. For now, if you have a comment, just email me. I'll try and work on the comment problem, but I honestly don't have the slightest idea why it's not working. Any HTML guru reading this and know how to fix it?

Kyoto-the capital of the west

Kyoto was formerly the imperial capital of Japan. It is one of the most visited spots for tourist in Japan, therefore, I wasn't in a hurry to get there. Yes, there is a ton of culture and some pretty amazing things to see there, but knowing it's a top tourist spot, usually makes it unappealing to me. I hate being around foriegners here--especially the ones just here to visit. Anyway, not the point of my post...I digress.

Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavillion) is the best known temple in Kyoto, and probably in Japan.




Kiyomizu-dera--this place is up for one of the 'new 7 wonders of the world' Do I think it should win? No, but against the statue of liberty, yes--it should.






No, these aren't real geishas. They just do this for the tourist--and we were suckers and took pictures of them.




The view of Kyoto looking out from Kiyomizu-dera




Ryōan-ji is a zen garden. This place was pretty cool, but there were a lot of people there so it was difficult to become enlightened.

The garden consists of raked gravel and fifteen moss-covered boulders, which are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle (other than from above) only fourteen of the boulders are visible at one time. It is traditionally said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder.



And I saved the best for last...
Fushimi Inari-taisha, a Shinto shrine, was my favorite spot in Kyoto.







In true Japanese form, there is a vending machine in the middle of this incredible place.

Keitai are the coolest

So, Maureen gets bored at school. I have to give her projects. These are her 2 latest masterpieces.

She based Cory's motif on all I've told her about him. I think she got it right.


The title of Lindsey's picture is "Waterworld sans Kevin Costner".