i didn`t realize this until a few minutes ago but today is also the 11th anniversary of the big Kobe Earthquake. Ulala and i watched it on the news and i was reminded of how easily all you have can be taken away and how lucky i have been in my life so far. this past year was marked largely by tragedy and disaster around the world. i read an article in one of teh English magazines here that raised an interesting idea. 1%. donate just 1% of your monthly salary to a worthwhile charity or disaster relief effort. it seems like nothing but in fact is something. and when you have nothing (as so many other people do) anything is something. for me it will mean about 2500yen a month ($25 US). not much, really, but considering that one shelter to last the winter in Kashmir (which suffered a horrible earthquake, in case you have somehow managed to avoid that piece of news) is about 3500yen ($35 US) or that one child can eat for a month for about 3000yen, it really is SOMETHING. after a year that monthly contribution will add up to about 30000yen (about $300 US) or more. not too much, but something, none the less. get a couple of freinds to join in the fun and it can add up quite quickly. think about it.
you can read the original article at Kansai Scene`s website: http://www.kansaiscene.com
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
time flies...
so it`s the 17th of January here in Japan and i almost forgot all about this blog. ...again. hehehe, oops.
so Happy New Year to all!! i did diddly squat on my New Years Eve. and you know what? i LIKED it!! last year my gf and i did the whole clubbing thing and it was just too crowded and too crazy. i am so old now... the year before that we went to Todaiji temple in Nara to see the second largest bronze Buddha in Japan. it is one of my favorite places in Japan and i have been there many times. it was especially moving to be there on New Years Eve at midnight. i was impressed by the fact that there were thousands of people there and it still retained a strong sense of the spirituality and some tranquility. there were children playing and laughing, a baby or two crying, old ladies pushing people and families about (that happens a lot in Japan) and even two guys with megaphones down by the gate keeping the line of people orderly. Despite all of this, or maybe somehow because of it, there was a sense of peace and uplifting within the temple. this is something i find at many Japanese temples and shrines, despite being major tourist attractions. not always, but usually.
and on that note, i`m off to work.
so Happy New Year to all!! i did diddly squat on my New Years Eve. and you know what? i LIKED it!! last year my gf and i did the whole clubbing thing and it was just too crowded and too crazy. i am so old now... the year before that we went to Todaiji temple in Nara to see the second largest bronze Buddha in Japan. it is one of my favorite places in Japan and i have been there many times. it was especially moving to be there on New Years Eve at midnight. i was impressed by the fact that there were thousands of people there and it still retained a strong sense of the spirituality and some tranquility. there were children playing and laughing, a baby or two crying, old ladies pushing people and families about (that happens a lot in Japan) and even two guys with megaphones down by the gate keeping the line of people orderly. Despite all of this, or maybe somehow because of it, there was a sense of peace and uplifting within the temple. this is something i find at many Japanese temples and shrines, despite being major tourist attractions. not always, but usually.
and on that note, i`m off to work.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
AND A HAPPY BOXING DAY!!
...or Feast of St. Stephen. whichever you prefer.
i have to teach a lesson tomorrow all about Holiday Traditions around the World. so i spent all last night and this morning (in fact i should still be doing it as i type) researching winter holiday traditions of different countries and religions. there are a lot more than i had previously thought! and i FINALLY know where Kwanzaa comes from!! ...but if i tell you the Panthers might come a knockin`... eep.
...or Feast of St. Stephen. whichever you prefer.
i have to teach a lesson tomorrow all about Holiday Traditions around the World. so i spent all last night and this morning (in fact i should still be doing it as i type) researching winter holiday traditions of different countries and religions. there are a lot more than i had previously thought! and i FINALLY know where Kwanzaa comes from!! ...but if i tell you the Panthers might come a knockin`... eep.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Thursday, December 22, 2005
how is this for a new post-modern definition of irony? i, a young
and healthy Canadian boy, am planning to take my very first
Snowboarding trip next week in Japan. and (get this) i will be taught
to snowboard by (wait for it) A MEXICAN!!! *sigh* the world is a
strange and wonderful place... except for crappy Christmas Trance
re-mixes, which seem to exist in abundance here in JapanLand.
weird.
and healthy Canadian boy, am planning to take my very first
Snowboarding trip next week in Japan. and (get this) i will be taught
to snowboard by (wait for it) A MEXICAN!!! *sigh* the world is a
strange and wonderful place... except for crappy Christmas Trance
re-mixes, which seem to exist in abundance here in JapanLand.
weird.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
i blog?!
so it was brought to my attention recently that i have a blog. this is news to me! apparently sometime back in August i was drunk and bored created a blog. then i promptly fell asleep and forgot all about it through the fog of hangover. at least this is what i am piecing together from blurry fragments of computer log, memory, and empirical evidence (the last of which is how i know it happened in August).
so now, feeling like a rockstar who is faced with the results of a paternity test (Mr. Rossdale, i`m looking in your direction), i must now take responsibility for myself and nurture and care for and blah blah blah.... or delete the damn thing. but since you`re reading this that obviously hasn`t happened (unless you live in a Twighlight Zone episode). any guesses as to how long this`ll last? i don`t tend to spend more than 30 minutes in front of the puter on any given day.
so word to "Word." be what it may. place your bets....
so now, feeling like a rockstar who is faced with the results of a paternity test (Mr. Rossdale, i`m looking in your direction), i must now take responsibility for myself and nurture and care for and blah blah blah.... or delete the damn thing. but since you`re reading this that obviously hasn`t happened (unless you live in a Twighlight Zone episode). any guesses as to how long this`ll last? i don`t tend to spend more than 30 minutes in front of the puter on any given day.
so word to "Word." be what it may. place your bets....
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