beautiful speech that can inspire and give hope to an apathetic youth
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Barack Obama
I am very excited about Barack. His victory speech was so moving, and he is a man with morals and values. He has a strong following, and can bring real change fast to America. There are many people around the blogging community that, like everything else political, dismiss Barack as a puppet to the "real" people in charge.
This is quite upsetting to me. I understand, especially in todays age, how many youth can become apathetic and develop a disdain for anything political. But this is not the way to the truth and to real change. Dismissing every politician as a puppet and every voter as sheep who are blinded by the media is not only not correct, it is deconstructing all the progress made in the world and working against peace. Youth becoming disconnected from the political process is a real threat to our future, and I hope that people could find truth and justice within our political systems, and not rely on conspiracy theories and videos of grand new world order schemes. These theories have historically always turned out to be false, and will continue to be just that. They are easy answers to all the world problems, and don't require a lot of intellectual thought, which caters to the quick-fix masses of today. Please don't be fooled.
This is quite upsetting to me. I understand, especially in todays age, how many youth can become apathetic and develop a disdain for anything political. But this is not the way to the truth and to real change. Dismissing every politician as a puppet and every voter as sheep who are blinded by the media is not only not correct, it is deconstructing all the progress made in the world and working against peace. Youth becoming disconnected from the political process is a real threat to our future, and I hope that people could find truth and justice within our political systems, and not rely on conspiracy theories and videos of grand new world order schemes. These theories have historically always turned out to be false, and will continue to be just that. They are easy answers to all the world problems, and don't require a lot of intellectual thought, which caters to the quick-fix masses of today. Please don't be fooled.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Ten Years Since Nagano 98'
Its been a decade since the Nagano 98' Olympics, so to mark the occasion Spencer and I decided that we should test the slopes out for ourselves. We set out on an overnight bus, a Japanese custom, to Nagano for 2 days of high speed, adrenaline pumping excitement. Although a harsh opinion of pain and anguish are prevalent among gaijin about overnight buses, I found them to be quite relaxing, allowing me to listen to my ipod, study japanese, and rest. I was able to get a lot of sleep too, which may be attributed to the fact that I had only had three hours of sleep the previous night, due to a long night of drinking and an early morning start at work, but I believe it's just that people have low tolerance.
We found a great winding trail to race down, and although Spencer had the edge for most the races, I was able to take the Gold for our final race (he might of let me win). I almost killed myself at one point, where I lost an edge on a sharp turn and went straight for a cliff. I landed one inch from the edge! I was happy to be alive. The drop would have broken something for sure.
The best part of our trip is how cheap everything was. Roundtrip bus fair (8 hours each way), one night stay at a Ryokan, two quality meals, 2 day lift ticket pass, 2 day ski equipment rentals, all for just 210 dollars! the same thing back home would cost double!
Once we arrived, we soaked in a hot bath to freshen up, and then we hit the slopes at 8 am, for a fresh run down untouched snow. The mountain was quite impressive, being over a kilometre long from top to bo
ttom, which allowed for a 20 min runs down the mountain. Happo one, our resort, was the location for most of the ski events during the Olympics. As the day progressed, the temperatures rose to a high of 10 degrees, which made for some enjoyable skiing. The snow conditions were great, real soft snow which allowed for easy maneuvering. Spencer and I were loving the hot sun while skiing, and the backdrop of the beautiful Nagano mountain range made for a picturesque setting. Having a beer while taking a break from skiing, in hot weather, is probably one of the most pleasurable things one can do. A McDonald's at the top of the mountain was the greatest surprise ever, it was always a thought in my head "how cool would it be to have a McDonald's at the top of a mountain" and in Nagano my idea became a reality. We had it twice!
ttom, which allowed for a 20 min runs down the mountain. Happo one, our resort, was the location for most of the ski events during the Olympics. As the day progressed, the temperatures rose to a high of 10 degrees, which made for some enjoyable skiing. The snow conditions were great, real soft snow which allowed for easy maneuvering. Spencer and I were loving the hot sun while skiing, and the backdrop of the beautiful Nagano mountain range made for a picturesque setting. Having a beer while taking a break from skiing, in hot weather, is probably one of the most pleasurable things one can do. A McDonald's at the top of the mountain was the greatest surprise ever, it was always a thought in my head "how cool would it be to have a McDonald's at the top of a mountain" and in Nagano my idea became a reality. We had it twice!We found a great winding trail to race down, and although Spencer had the edge for most the races, I was able to take the Gold for our final race (he might of let me win). I almost killed myself at one point, where I lost an edge on a sharp turn and went straight for a cliff. I landed one inch from the edge! I was happy to be alive. The drop would have broken something for sure.
Our hotel was real nice. A Japanese style hotel, called a Ryokan, is quite different. You take your shoes off before entering, and walk in socks or slippers everywhere. It's quite the cozy feel. We got served an extravagant dinner and breakfast, and we were able to enjoy a rooftop hot tub. By night we realized how burnt we were from the sun, and I couldn't stop laughing at Spencer's goggle burn, even though I had the same ridiculous burn. We look like
owls. Work has been funny, explaining to students why our faces are two-toned, while they laugh at us.
The best part of our trip is how cheap everything was. Roundtrip bus fair (8 hours each way), one night stay at a Ryokan, two quality meals, 2 day lift ticket pass, 2 day ski equipment rentals, all for just 210 dollars! the same thing back home would cost double!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Arima Onsen, Hiroshima, Osaka Aquarium
So it has been a while since my last post. I have been continuing my streak of discovering new and exciting places, foods, people, and realities. I am now living in a new apartment with a new roommate in addition to Spencer, as well as using my new computer. I am pumped because the winter (if you can call it that) is almost over, and spring is just a short time away. Everything is kicks guy! My japanese has been steadily improving, I am now literate in Hiragana (one of three japanese scripts) and if i am able to free some time away from this electronic crap, hopefully i'll continue improving.
Back a month or two ag
o i decided to use my day off to go to Arima Onsen, my second time there, to relax is some rusted iron and salt water hot springs. It was a great day, as i got to have my best bowl of Ramen yet! It was sooo good. There were thick pieces of meat, very sweet, in a salty soy based broth with ramen noodles, seaweed, mushroom, onion, and water sprouts. delicious. oishii yo! I must go back for that ramen while it's still cold. There is no other feeling like ramen in the winter, and then a hot spring after.
I did an overnight trip to Hiroshima with a co-worker. I have read and learned about Hiroshima, but never imagined I would ever one day be going there. Japan itself was never on my list of places to go, and how lucky I am now that I happen to end up here. You never know what you are missing out on until you experience it. The peace museum was not the best museum i have ever been to, but still very informative, yet not shocking to the extent i expected. It was crazy to learn that most people died fro
m the heat of the blast, some 10,000 degrees, and not radiation, which is what i always imagined in my head. The blast, which occured some 300 meters above a bridge that crosses a river in Hiroshima, created a ball of fire almost as hot as the surface of the sun for about 5 seconds. What is scary is that hydrogen bombs are now capable of creating a blast 1000 times the magnitude. The bomb killed over 100,000 people. The people of Hiroshima have experienced something that nobody else could ever begin to understand, which has made them the most genuine caring people in the world. The experiences from the war will be passed on from generation to generation, and hopefully the tragedy never forgotten. What was once downtown prior to the bombing has now become all dedicated to a peace park. Underneath the peace park lies all the rubble and ashes of the people that once roamed Hiroshima's streets.
The second day we spend going to Miwa Jima island. It was quite beautiful. Deer were roaming everywhere
, domesticated, it was quite the site. There lies a temple there that rests above water. It was a breathtaking view and very relaxing and peaceful. I was very happy to be there and enjoy the beautiful nature of Japan. We got to go on one of the rare days where you get to see snow settled on the roof of the temple.
I got to go to the first aquarium i've been to since adulthood. I was sooo amazed. It's unbelievable how many crazy amphibians there exists. I had never seen a blowfish live before, as well as rays. and otters! my new favourite animal! they are crazy! It was nice going around and being able to open your eyes to what exists in this world. It makes you really appreciate the earth that we live on and everything that roams around without us really realizing.
Afterwards we went for nabe in Osaka's Umeda district. Its like Japanese stew, where they put all these vegetables and meat in a pot and boil it in front of you. It is in a hot kimchi spice that is so delicious. It was amazing. I loved it. I can't wait to have it again. Below you see prawns, meat balls, beef, tofu, noodles, potatoes, cabbage, onions, and the list goes on and one. the broth is sooooo good.
About a week ago I went with my roommates (Andrew and Spencer), as well as phil and genna for kani (crab) in northern Hyogo. It was a package tour, including bus and Onsen and a big crab course. It was a lot of fun. really relaxing. I had never had crab before, and it was real complicated at first. I was fustrated, had no idea how to open the damn thing, but after i got settled it was smooth saili.JPG)
ng. A japanese family sitting next to us, in the background of this image, really helped us, for we had no fucken idea what we were doing. They helped us with the crab nabe, told us to put the rice inside the nabe instead of eating it straight from the bowl (what pathetic gaijin we are). After dinner Phil bought a beer that tasted soooooooooo amazing. Its the best tasting thing i've ever had. It was so great. After we soaked in an outdoor hot spring, which had a waterfall. Really connected in a masculin way. (onsens in japan are nude). My co-workers at work really busted my balls for going on this trip, telling me they've never heard of any gaijin booking such a trip in all their life in japan. well it ended up being great, and the obaasans (old ladies) were great company. I would go again!
Back a month or two ag
o i decided to use my day off to go to Arima Onsen, my second time there, to relax is some rusted iron and salt water hot springs. It was a great day, as i got to have my best bowl of Ramen yet! It was sooo good. There were thick pieces of meat, very sweet, in a salty soy based broth with ramen noodles, seaweed, mushroom, onion, and water sprouts. delicious. oishii yo! I must go back for that ramen while it's still cold. There is no other feeling like ramen in the winter, and then a hot spring after.I did an overnight trip to Hiroshima with a co-worker. I have read and learned about Hiroshima, but never imagined I would ever one day be going there. Japan itself was never on my list of places to go, and how lucky I am now that I happen to end up here. You never know what you are missing out on until you experience it. The peace museum was not the best museum i have ever been to, but still very informative, yet not shocking to the extent i expected. It was crazy to learn that most people died fro
m the heat of the blast, some 10,000 degrees, and not radiation, which is what i always imagined in my head. The blast, which occured some 300 meters above a bridge that crosses a river in Hiroshima, created a ball of fire almost as hot as the surface of the sun for about 5 seconds. What is scary is that hydrogen bombs are now capable of creating a blast 1000 times the magnitude. The bomb killed over 100,000 people. The people of Hiroshima have experienced something that nobody else could ever begin to understand, which has made them the most genuine caring people in the world. The experiences from the war will be passed on from generation to generation, and hopefully the tragedy never forgotten. What was once downtown prior to the bombing has now become all dedicated to a peace park. Underneath the peace park lies all the rubble and ashes of the people that once roamed Hiroshima's streets.
The second day we spend going to Miwa Jima island. It was quite beautiful. Deer were roaming everywhere
, domesticated, it was quite the site. There lies a temple there that rests above water. It was a breathtaking view and very relaxing and peaceful. I was very happy to be there and enjoy the beautiful nature of Japan. We got to go on one of the rare days where you get to see snow settled on the roof of the temple.
I got to go to the first aquarium i've been to since adulthood. I was sooo amazed. It's unbelievable how many crazy amphibians there exists. I had never seen a blowfish live before, as well as rays. and otters! my new favourite animal! they are crazy! It was nice going around and being able to open your eyes to what exists in this world. It makes you really appreciate the earth that we live on and everything that roams around without us really realizing.
Afterwards we went for nabe in Osaka's Umeda district. Its like Japanese stew, where they put all these vegetables and meat in a pot and boil it in front of you. It is in a hot kimchi spice that is so delicious. It was amazing. I loved it. I can't wait to have it again. Below you see prawns, meat balls, beef, tofu, noodles, potatoes, cabbage, onions, and the list goes on and one. the broth is sooooo good.
About a week ago I went with my roommates (Andrew and Spencer), as well as phil and genna for kani (crab) in northern Hyogo. It was a package tour, including bus and Onsen and a big crab course. It was a lot of fun. really relaxing. I had never had crab before, and it was real complicated at first. I was fustrated, had no idea how to open the damn thing, but after i got settled it was smooth saili
.JPG)
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
All is quiet....on New Years Day. NOT! TOKYO baby
Well all was quiet during the day, that is true; and in Tokyo terms that means the pop dropped from 30 mil to 25mil, which means it wasn't quiet at all. shit i have already confused the reader. okay. Sooo... first contact with a boy from back home since I came to Japan. Kevin met Phil, Spencer, and I at the Shinkansen terminal. The train ride there was hype, with the training reaching speeds of 300 km/h and delivering us to our destination, 550km away, in 2 hours 50 min. What! There was a smoking cart on the train which was bomb, and the seats were real spacious. I was excited for this trip, even though i imagined Tokyo to be a real large, crowded, and fairly ugly city; but i was wrong. Tokyo ended up being an amazing scene!
We bought train passes for all three days we were there, which allowed us to travel on this 13 subway line transit system. yes, 13 lines, and over 282 stations. that is a whole language to learn on its own, respect to anyone who could name all stations. Our hotel the first night was tops, and a real value. we toured the city the whole day, checking out the harajuku people (which we found when phil asked one of them where the 'crazy people' were, and he laughed and said 'here') they really were crazy, dressed like it was halloween. We met this 18 year old girl from Sweden, who had flown all the way to Japan by herself to check out this concert of some J-Pop singer. What the fuck! respect for being cool enough to go by yourself, but for J-Pop? come on girl. We went to Shibuya, where you can witness the worlds most crowded interesection, which is also featured in Lost in Translation, fucken ridiciulous. People turned into ants. Ginza district was impressive, 10 story high Dior and Armani stores. Biggest shopping district i've ever witnessed. Kevin and I also checked out the illuminari that was going on for christmas, which was nice. picture like 200,000 led christmas lights all in one area. Imperial Palace was a joke, you can't even see it. I dont know why it is mentioned as a tourist site, but thats tourism for you, pretty random. At night was got hammered and experienced a street filled with bars which used to be the old Tokyo railway, and also a spot where war deserters hid during the 2nd world war. The rest of the night was a blur, but lets just say some people got mixed up with some prostitutes, and some got pulled into grungy spots that sold 100 dollar grams of weed.
The second day was more of the same of walking around. I had my favourite meal since I came to Japan. We went to the japan's largest fish market and I went with Phil to a real nice Sashimi Bar (raw fish). It was so delicious, I have been introduced to a whole new spectrum of food I never knew was so delicious. The preperation and the way its served was awesome. I know i will miss sashimi when i go back home. I tried raw whale, I know animal rights activists im sorry, but it wasnt that great. it tastes like cow. Whale is the cow of the sea.
So new years night was at hand. started off with a dabble into some chu-hi (jap alcoholic spirit), and off we went to Shibuya, where the Womb, a renowned club, was located. Before walking in one would never guess that it would be bumping. After buying our tickets and going into the first floor, we were all shocked, wondering `can this be it?' luckily it wasnt. we found our way upstairs.. and kaboom! light, beats, the whole shebang. it was off the chain. i had a wicked time, especially dancing to the drum and bass of the dj on the third floor. he was mixing all kinds of shit. michael jackson mixes, daft punk. this song, Drumsound & Bassline Smith - Harder Faster (Dub)was what got me off my tits. this song is the way forward. drum and bass is the way forward. dabble dabble. And Phil that lucky bastard got to shake one! Enjoy!
Our last day in Tokyo was mellow. we chilled around. We went to a shrine which is a japanese new years custom. It was so packed, and there was a long street that led to the shrine which took an hour to get through, but i didnt feel like i was waiting in line. At night we took an overnight bus back to kobe. I had ramin outside the bus station while i waited for the bus. met some cool friends.
overall tokyo was bomb, too many jokes to list, and everyone had a great time. suck a dick guy!
We bought train passes for all three days we were there, which allowed us to travel on this 13 subway line transit system. yes, 13 lines, and over 282 stations. that is a whole language to learn on its own, respect to anyone who could name all stations. Our hotel the first night was tops, and a real value. we toured the city the whole day, checking out the harajuku people (which we found when phil asked one of them where the 'crazy people' were, and he laughed and said 'here') they really were crazy, dressed like it was halloween. We met this 18 year old girl from Sweden, who had flown all the way to Japan by herself to check out this concert of some J-Pop singer. What the fuck! respect for being cool enough to go by yourself, but for J-Pop? come on girl. We went to Shibuya, where you can witness the worlds most crowded interesection, which is also featured in Lost in Translation, fucken ridiciulous. People turned into ants. Ginza district was impressive, 10 story high Dior and Armani stores. Biggest shopping district i've ever witnessed. Kevin and I also checked out the illuminari that was going on for christmas, which was nice. picture like 200,000 led christmas lights all in one area. Imperial Palace was a joke, you can't even see it. I dont know why it is mentioned as a tourist site, but thats tourism for you, pretty random. At night was got hammered and experienced a street filled with bars which used to be the old Tokyo railway, and also a spot where war deserters hid during the 2nd world war. The rest of the night was a blur, but lets just say some people got mixed up with some prostitutes, and some got pulled into grungy spots that sold 100 dollar grams of weed.
The second day was more of the same of walking around. I had my favourite meal since I came to Japan. We went to the japan's largest fish market and I went with Phil to a real nice Sashimi Bar (raw fish). It was so delicious, I have been introduced to a whole new spectrum of food I never knew was so delicious. The preperation and the way its served was awesome. I know i will miss sashimi when i go back home. I tried raw whale, I know animal rights activists im sorry, but it wasnt that great. it tastes like cow. Whale is the cow of the sea.
So new years night was at hand. started off with a dabble into some chu-hi (jap alcoholic spirit), and off we went to Shibuya, where the Womb, a renowned club, was located. Before walking in one would never guess that it would be bumping. After buying our tickets and going into the first floor, we were all shocked, wondering `can this be it?' luckily it wasnt. we found our way upstairs.. and kaboom! light, beats, the whole shebang. it was off the chain. i had a wicked time, especially dancing to the drum and bass of the dj on the third floor. he was mixing all kinds of shit. michael jackson mixes, daft punk. this song, Drumsound & Bassline Smith - Harder Faster (Dub)was what got me off my tits. this song is the way forward. drum and bass is the way forward. dabble dabble. And Phil that lucky bastard got to shake one! Enjoy!
Our last day in Tokyo was mellow. we chilled around. We went to a shrine which is a japanese new years custom. It was so packed, and there was a long street that led to the shrine which took an hour to get through, but i didnt feel like i was waiting in line. At night we took an overnight bus back to kobe. I had ramin outside the bus station while i waited for the bus. met some cool friends.
overall tokyo was bomb, too many jokes to list, and everyone had a great time. suck a dick guy!
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