Monthly Archives: August 2006
Puppy blogging
I’m not one to regularly write posts about my pets, but I’ll make an exception because our shih tzus just had puppies. The ultrasound predicted 5 of the little guys, but we ended up with 5 females and 2 males. Here’s little “Killer” being born. He is clearly the most vocal of the group. Molly … Continue reading
Impossible Fish Tank
I don’t know how this fish tank works exactly, but from what I could understand, the tank on top that joins the adjacent tanks works as a vacuum. The result is that there are feeding holes in the side of the tank, and the water does not flow out. I could not wrap my mind … Continue reading
Yufuin Taco Truck
Mexican food is not very popular in Japan, so I was surprised to find a taco truck (a broken down k-jidosha) while walking around the quaint town of Yufuin, Oita. My father orders a taco from the old lady, and finds out that she learned how to make tacos in Mexico. Tacos don’t get much … Continue reading
Mambou portraits
The Oita Marine Center catches a bunch of oceanic sunfish every year, and puts them into their salt water pool. Visitors are encouraged to feed the mambou, but it is best done from a distance. You have to be careful when you feed them, because their razor sharp teeth can easily chomp off a finger … Continue reading
School of Hard Knocks
The year before I taught at Engei High School, the previous English teacher had only made it a few months into her contract. From what I heard, she tried to discipline the students and lost. It all culminated on one day when the students acted up to such an extent that they made her cry … Continue reading
8 Day Tour of Kyushu
Right before I moved back to Southern California, my father and I embarked upon an eight day road trip, touring our way through the Southern Japanese island of Kyushu at breakneck speed. Each day, we traveled through an average of exactly 2 prefectures. It is impossible to enjoy more than a fraction of what Kyushu … Continue reading
Before Lonely Planet
Inside a book called “A Pocked Guide to China”, there is an interesting comic that shows one how to differentiate between Japanese and other Orientals. As Angry Asian Man would say, “that’s racist!”.
Were you born in a barn, owl?
I love wildlife photography, but I refuse to become a birder who totes around gigantic lenses and a tripod everywhere I go. I refuse to wear a Tamron backpack, or be part of a group of people shooting the same thing at the same time from a slightly different angle as the people next to … Continue reading