First we got up "early" to go to lunch with Hyun-joo's family's friends. The parents live in Waikiki and their son lives in Philadelphia. Both families had lots to celebrate since their son has recently become engaged as well.
After that wonderful Japanese lunch, we took off to the jewelery store to get Hyun-joo's ring fixed. Unfortunately we had to wait 30 minutes for the jeweler to show up, but once he arrived the job only took him 2 minutes!
Then Hyun-joo and I took off to Namdaemun to look around for new glasses. I was interested in getting a second set because mine don't fit me that well. I love them, but I heard that you could find perscription lenses really inexpensively in Korea. And the rumors were right! I bought a new pair of Calvin Klein Titanium frames with lenses for only $200! Wassup?!!
Finally we swung by TGI Friday's for some chow and went to check out an old hang-out of Hyun-joo's: a sweet live Jazz club not far away. It was Funk night and the music was crankin'.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Thursday, December 29, 2005
War Museum of Korea
After lunch with Na-young and Han-gyu, we all went over to the War Museum. It is located right next to Itaewon, not far from the Seoul Tower.
There are three distinct levels spread over a huge area. The lowest level covers neo-lithic until pre-Occupied Korean times. The second level covers recent history and the third level basically covers current deployment of the ROK.
We didn't really know how big the place was and ended up spending more time in the lowest level. Han-gyu and Na-young had to take off only a quarter of the way through the museum. Hyun-joo and I briskly walked through the rest of the exhibits.
Give yourselves at least three hours to go through the entire museum. The exhibits are pretty good with multimedia, replicas, and decommissioned samples from Korea's past conflicts.
The museum really gave the impression that out of 5000 years of successfully repelling foreign invaders, Japan's outrageous occupation of Korea is a very dark page in their history. Koizumi's gesturing at Yakusuni Shrine to appease the far right in Japan, not suprisingly offends the Korean sense of decency.
Click to view the slidehow for all the pictures from our trip so far
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
KONG
After hanging out with Ja-young in Insadong, Hyun-joo and I raced over two subway lines to get to the COEX Mall for our showtime. We picked up tickets earlier this week and we just barely made it to the start of the movie.
I though it was very entertaining, a little over the top (even for a movie like this), told the story well, and was casted very well. I can't wait to see what kind of project Peter Jackson takes on next!
Shopping at Insadong
Click to view slideshow
We went to Insadong today to buy some gifts and meet up with Ja-young. Insadong is a great market place for folks looking to buy traditional Korean gifts and handicrafts. There are good restaurants and street-side vendors as well. You won't be able to do much haggling, but I don't mind since I'm not a big fan of the whole process.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Lotte World
Click to view slideshow
Hyun-joo and I spent a FULL day at "Lotte World". It's an indoor/outdoor amusement park in downtown Seoul. I highly recommend the place. Here was our hitlist:
- The Conquistador
- Atlantis Rollercoaster
- Gyro Drop
- Gyro Spin
- Drunken Teacups
- The Flume Ride
- The Pharos's Fury
- Sinbad's (bad) Adventures
- Bungie Drop (Hyun-joo only)
- The Monorail
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Kickn' it in Korea... Kristmas Style
I still can't believe it takes 12 hours to fly a few hundred miles. Seoul is so close to Kanazawa if you look at the map, but it seems that traveling anywhere from Kanazawa isn't easy. Well, the weather has been pretty crappy.
HJ and I left a little late. I drove HJ and the luggage to the local bus stop and planned to walk to the station since it's only a 10 min walk. The roads were horrible and I slid around on the street in my dress shoes. I was lucky not to fall in the slush.
The flight from Komatsu airport was delayed over an hour, but we were finally able to take off. It was great to be back in Seoul. I could smell the calbi, brugolgi, and other treats from around the city.
I practiced "anya-hasosa-yo" all the way home. I was determined to greet HJ's parents properly. You should have heard me. It was perfect Korean. Of course I blew it once I saw her parents. Man, I know how my students feel. My mouth totally froze. The pressure was too great. Talk about an affective filter. Thankfully her parents didn't seem to hold it against me. They're great.
We've been having a nice time. HJ's Dad already planned out a bunch of stuff for the week. Unfortunately the DMZ is off the schedule since we needed to apply 3 months in advance for permission to head up there. Oh well. Next time. There's a music concert planned. A day at the church for Christmas. Time with HJ's sisters and their significant others. I'm looking forward to the rest of my stay here.
I thought I would be a little more stressed out, but I feel very comfortable and they're making me feel right at home. I know my parents would kill to get a chance to eat like I've been eating. I even got to eat dolsot-bibimbap for lunch!
I gotta remember to take more pictures. It'll be relatively easy to get them on the web I think. I hope they have a USB cable here for me to use. I should have brought one myself. Speaking of which, I gotta remember to bring some Korean plug adapters as well. I forget that they use the round plugs here!
Merry Christmas... where ever you are!
HJ and I left a little late. I drove HJ and the luggage to the local bus stop and planned to walk to the station since it's only a 10 min walk. The roads were horrible and I slid around on the street in my dress shoes. I was lucky not to fall in the slush.
The flight from Komatsu airport was delayed over an hour, but we were finally able to take off. It was great to be back in Seoul. I could smell the calbi, brugolgi, and other treats from around the city.
I practiced "anya-hasosa-yo" all the way home. I was determined to greet HJ's parents properly. You should have heard me. It was perfect Korean. Of course I blew it once I saw her parents. Man, I know how my students feel. My mouth totally froze. The pressure was too great. Talk about an affective filter. Thankfully her parents didn't seem to hold it against me. They're great.
We've been having a nice time. HJ's Dad already planned out a bunch of stuff for the week. Unfortunately the DMZ is off the schedule since we needed to apply 3 months in advance for permission to head up there. Oh well. Next time. There's a music concert planned. A day at the church for Christmas. Time with HJ's sisters and their significant others. I'm looking forward to the rest of my stay here.
I thought I would be a little more stressed out, but I feel very comfortable and they're making me feel right at home. I know my parents would kill to get a chance to eat like I've been eating. I even got to eat dolsot-bibimbap for lunch!
I gotta remember to take more pictures. It'll be relatively easy to get them on the web I think. I hope they have a USB cable here for me to use. I should have brought one myself. Speaking of which, I gotta remember to bring some Korean plug adapters as well. I forget that they use the round plugs here!
Merry Christmas... where ever you are!
Monday, December 19, 2005
New snow tires for everyone!
I tried out my new "snow tires" today: a brand new pair of rubber boots to keep my legs warm and dry as I march to school each morning. The slushy snow is a bitch, but much more tolerable now that I have my boots. I just throw on a pair of slippers when I get to my classes and all's well.
When I got home, I shoveled out in front of my car - out into the street. I didn't bother as much with the stuff around the car since my back has been bothering me a bit. It was slow going. I've been using this small plastic thing that Hannah and Tyson gave us when the left us with the car. When I finished with the shoveling, I went around back and grabbed my snow tires and chucked them into the back of the car. It was time to get them on the car. Unfortunately, I got stuck not more than six feet out of the driveway. I knew the worst snow would be there. Our road, like many in these parts, doesn't get plowed and no one dares to shovel the roads in front of our apartment. So the guy next door was nice enough to give me a hand and we got my car out after a few minutes. Then, I drove to Yellow Hat, a service center. They said they wouldn't change my tires since they were closing in 30 minutes. So, I ended up chaning my front tires right in their parking lot. It was a pain in the ass, but I finally finished. The new tires make all the difference. I hope to get chains too, but they're freaking expensive here. I'm looking at least a hundred dollars! That's like a third of the price I paid for the car! Oh, well.
We've been getting snow every day now for the past week. It's incredible. This is a totally different season than last year. I can't wait to go snowboarding!
Well, only a few more days of classes left and then off to the icebox of Korea. Boy, I'll be missing the chance to go diving this year. I guess there's next summer.
When I got home, I shoveled out in front of my car - out into the street. I didn't bother as much with the stuff around the car since my back has been bothering me a bit. It was slow going. I've been using this small plastic thing that Hannah and Tyson gave us when the left us with the car. When I finished with the shoveling, I went around back and grabbed my snow tires and chucked them into the back of the car. It was time to get them on the car. Unfortunately, I got stuck not more than six feet out of the driveway. I knew the worst snow would be there. Our road, like many in these parts, doesn't get plowed and no one dares to shovel the roads in front of our apartment. So the guy next door was nice enough to give me a hand and we got my car out after a few minutes. Then, I drove to Yellow Hat, a service center. They said they wouldn't change my tires since they were closing in 30 minutes. So, I ended up chaning my front tires right in their parking lot. It was a pain in the ass, but I finally finished. The new tires make all the difference. I hope to get chains too, but they're freaking expensive here. I'm looking at least a hundred dollars! That's like a third of the price I paid for the car! Oh, well.
We've been getting snow every day now for the past week. It's incredible. This is a totally different season than last year. I can't wait to go snowboarding!
Well, only a few more days of classes left and then off to the icebox of Korea. Boy, I'll be missing the chance to go diving this year. I guess there's next summer.
Monday, December 12, 2005
First Snow of the Season!
We got a bit of the white stuff yesterday afternoon. It kept falling all day today, mixed with rain of course. When I left school, there was a beautiful slushy whiteness covering the ground. Adam has been skiing and I'm seriously considering a season pass to Seymour Ski Area myself. Not too expensive from what I hear.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Lotta homework this weekend
Click to view
Man, seems like we did a lot of homework this weekend. Whew. We were at Hyun-joo's office until 9:30 on Friday night doing grading and preparation for the next week. HJ's been doing a killer job, but I worry about her sometimes.
Got the X-mas shopping done! Yahoo. Now I just gotta try to send it out before the holidays...
Great news! Casey and Chieko BOTH got hired at KIT! Gonna party soon! It'll be great to have them around to go hang with. Looks like the crew is coming back together.
Friday, December 09, 2005
TGIF
Made it to Friday. Whew. It was a longer day than usual. On top of six straight periods of classes, we had a 1.5 hour assembly right after school for the "Speech Contests". If we teachers didn't have a task - judge the speeches - I would have been asleep in 15 minutes.
I might be doing a lot of complaining today. We've been getting some butt-ugly weather recently. It's been hovering just a couple of degrees over the freezing point, so it's all been rain. Cold, windy, and rainy. It makes going out a real chore. Especially since I don't want to drive everywhere. Ah speaking of which... it's about time for the snow tires. They're kinda essential around here since there isn't any plowing to speak of in these parts. It can be a real problem with the amount of snow that's common to this area.
Whoa, negativity warning! Well now for some positive news. We have the weekend to ourselves and even though it won't be a vacation, we'll have time to do everything we need to and get some time to kick back and watch some movies that we're trying to catch up on.
Not much else to report on. Hopefully we'll hear good news from Chieko and Casey about their interviews from KIT. Until next time... Merry Christmas.
I might be doing a lot of complaining today. We've been getting some butt-ugly weather recently. It's been hovering just a couple of degrees over the freezing point, so it's all been rain. Cold, windy, and rainy. It makes going out a real chore. Especially since I don't want to drive everywhere. Ah speaking of which... it's about time for the snow tires. They're kinda essential around here since there isn't any plowing to speak of in these parts. It can be a real problem with the amount of snow that's common to this area.
Whoa, negativity warning! Well now for some positive news. We have the weekend to ourselves and even though it won't be a vacation, we'll have time to do everything we need to and get some time to kick back and watch some movies that we're trying to catch up on.
Not much else to report on. Hopefully we'll hear good news from Chieko and Casey about their interviews from KIT. Until next time... Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
KTC Dinner
Went out after work tonight with the school. Kocho-sensei (our principal) threw a party to thank everyone for the hard work. Assumingly that's for everything folks did during the accreditation process and Robocon events. It was a nice gesture.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Casey's coming in tonight
HJ and I head to the station this evening to pick him up. He's got his interview with Lewis and Mamoru tomorrow at 11:30 am. We'll go grab a nice meal downtown and then head back for a good night's rest.
It's dumping today. Lots of hail and slushy rain. Cold too. Strange thing is we're getting thunder and lightning as well. I was told that these atmospheric conditions are rather rare. Whatever. We're just getting wet.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Chieko in town
Click for slideshow
Our old friend, Chieko, came into Kanazawa for the day to interview at KIT. After the interview we took her out for a yakitori dinner. We weren't that suprised when she took us for a second dinner to CoCo Curry. Man, that girl can eat. We ended up crashing at Starbucks around 10:30 pm. It was great to see her. It's been about a year now. And her boyfriend, another good friend of ours - Casey, will be coming in on Monday night!
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Phil to the Rescue! - Plane Crash in Kanazawa
Japan Today
A light single-engine plane made an emergency landing on a road construction site in Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture on Friday afternoon. The plane, which was piloted by a 60-year-old British man, was on a flight from Niigata to Hiroshima.
A friend of ours, Phil, saw the crash and searched online for information about the crash and followed an electronic bread-crumb trail to information about the pilot. Eventually he was able to contact the pilot and even assist him with his abrupt stay in Kanazawa. Apparently the pilot was a bit of a wanker, but perhaps I can get Phil to comment on that himself.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
School Festival 2005
One of my students, Tomonori, just gave me some pictures he took from our school festival last month. The kids work really hard to put together exhibits of their work, entertainment, and lots of festival-type foods. I really love the weekend. It gives us a chance to see the students in a totally different context.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Back to work
- whip crack -
Well, so far so good. One more class left to go today, and thankfully it's with my M1 class - they're a great bunch of guys. We're starting the future tense in class. Yea! I almost forgot, Happy Thanksgiving.
What am I thankful for?
I'm thankful that (as things look so far) the wedding is still on for next summer.
I'm thankful that my back hasn't given out in the past year and a half.
I'm thankful for a great family back home (most of whom are having a killer dinner together).
I'm thankful that my G4 laptop is holding together.
I'm thankful for my job.
I'm thankful that our three newest fry (baby fish) haven't been eaten yet.
I'm thankful that my cold is slowly subsiding.
I'm thankful for having discovered Bittorrent this past year.
I'm thankful that the American public is waking up to the incompetence of George W.
I'm thankful for mikan (Japanese oranges).
Well, so far so good. One more class left to go today, and thankfully it's with my M1 class - they're a great bunch of guys. We're starting the future tense in class. Yea! I almost forgot, Happy Thanksgiving.
What am I thankful for?
I'm thankful that (as things look so far) the wedding is still on for next summer.
I'm thankful that my back hasn't given out in the past year and a half.
I'm thankful for a great family back home (most of whom are having a killer dinner together).
I'm thankful that my G4 laptop is holding together.
I'm thankful for my job.
I'm thankful that our three newest fry (baby fish) haven't been eaten yet.
I'm thankful that my cold is slowly subsiding.
I'm thankful for having discovered Bittorrent this past year.
I'm thankful that the American public is waking up to the incompetence of George W.
I'm thankful for mikan (Japanese oranges).
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Vacation! -?
Well, I officially have the next three days off... to do whatever. Hyun-joo and I went for a quick ride yesterday to Katya's for brunch.
Maybe I'll go for a long bike ride today. It's cold, but very sunny out. Then I'll have to go to work to get stuff finished for Thursday and Friday classes. Ugh.
Crashed after Brunch
No, not physically thank goodness.
I just finished vacuuming after I got back from Katya's. We went out this morning to have brunch over at her place. She made (lots) of whole wheat waffles. We brought stuff for strawberry-bannana smoothies and Sheryl brought the mimosas.
Mary Lynne, who also works at KTC, was there and we just hung out, ate, and chatted on a beautiful Fall Sunday. Strange, if I were back home in Vermont, I might have easily taken off for the woods to go hiking, especially on a day like today. Well, I'm still trying to kick this cold. Crap this thing had me whipped. I just gotta get rid of it before classes begin this Thursday.
And lots to do... get ready for the new term, finish a project for Bunch, digital errands, etc. But all's well... and I just found out that I CAN call my brother on his cell phone. Aside from the time difference, it's so easy to keep in touch with the VOIP phone lines. Yahoo for technology!
The Wedding Site?
Got up pretty early for a Sunday... 8am. But it was worth it. Hyun-joo had to get in touch with a wedding coordinator about our newest plans. Looks like we're gonna have the ceremony and reception at the Blue Sky Villa. It's a package deal that now requires lots of customizing to get it to our liking. Hyun-joo is doing a fantastic job and more than I'd imagined.
She really likes the feel of one of the weddings they showcase on their website.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Daily Yomiuri Newspaper Article on JALT 2005
Doreen found an article in the Daily Yomiuri Online website about the JALT 2005 Conference in Shizuoka.
I co-presented at the The Japan Association for Language Teaching Conference with Doreen Gaylord. It was my first experience presenting in front of fellow teachers and others related to the language education field here in Japan. Our presentation was titled "Karaoke in Your Classroom". Here is an excerpt from the article:
The presenting process required a lot of preparation, but was a definitely positive experience. I look forward to presenting again.
I co-presented at the The Japan Association for Language Teaching Conference with Doreen Gaylord. It was my first experience presenting in front of fellow teachers and others related to the language education field here in Japan. Our presentation was titled "Karaoke in Your Classroom". Here is an excerpt from the article:
A unique presentation titled "Karaoke in Your Classroom" was given by Doreen Gaylord and Kent Matsueda of Kanazawa Technical College. They used karaoke-like song presentations to teach grammar, vocabulary and culture. They showed how they had made their original teaching materials using PowerPoint and demonstrated how to teach the present perfect using the song "Never Been to Spain." Another song, "Saturday in the Park," was used to explain Fourth of July traditions in the United States.We had a great time presenting together. About 30 folks showed up including about 8-10 friends of ours from the Kanazawa area. We handed out printed and electronic materials on CD-R's so that everyone walked away with samples of the project.
The presenting process required a lot of preparation, but was a definitely positive experience. I look forward to presenting again.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
What is time?
Hyun-joo and I were having an interesting discussion about the nature of time and the possibility of time travel. I found a couple articles on the subject...
Traveling Through Time
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Time
How Time Works
A Brief History of Time
A little something on Superstring Theory
Traveling Through Time
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Time
How Time Works
A Brief History of Time
A little something on Superstring Theory
Kent's Movie List
Updated 28 March 2007
Legend:
(mpg) - movie is in MPEG-x format, various qualities
(VCD) - Video CD, another MPEG format
(å—幕) - movie is DVD quality and features Japanese Subtitles
(quality) - "Thailand Special" DVD
(PSP) - an MPEG-4 video formatted for viewing on the PSP
(PAL) - as opposed to NTSC, warning not playable on American TV's
* - not yet burned to archive
101 Things Removed from the Human Body (mpg)
2010: The Year We Make Contact
24 Seasons 1-2, 4 (mpg)
24 Season 3: Disks 1-9 (å—幕)
28 Days Later (å—幕)
40 Year Old Virgin (mpg)
A Bug's Life (å—幕)
The Abyss (å—幕)
Aeon Flux 101-310 (mpg)
Aeon Flux 2006 (mpg)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (å—幕)
The Alamo (å—幕)
Ali G In Da House (å—幕)
Alien
Alien III
Alien: Resurrection
Aliens: Special Edition
Alive (å—幕)
Alfie (mpg)
Amelie: Disk 1 & Disk 2
American Movie
The Amityville Horror 2005 (mpg)
Anaconda (å—幕)
Anchorman (PSP)
Armageddon
Arrested Development: MTV Unplugged (jimaku)
Apocalypse Now (jimaku)
Apollo 13 (jimaku)
Asteroids - Serenity (mpg)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (jimaku)
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: Goldmember
Avalon (mpg)
The Aviator (PAL)
Babel (mpg)
Back to the Future (jimaku)
Back to the Future Trilogy (VCD)
Bad Boys 2 (mpg)
Bad Education (mpg)
Band of Brothers Series
Baraka
Barrier Reef Scuba Dive (PSP)
The History Channel: Battleships (mpg)
Battlestar Galactica 2003: TV Mini-series Parts 1-2 (mpg)
Battlestar Galactica 2004: 101-220 (mpg)
Battlestar Galactica 2004: Inside (mpg)
Be Cool (PSP)
Before Sunrise (VCD)
The Benchwarmers (mpg)
Best in Show
Bicentennial Man (jimaku)
Big Fish (jimaku)
Black Hawk Down
Blade (jimaku)
Blade II: Disc 1 & Disk 2
Blade Trinity (mpg)
The Blair Witch Project
Blood Diamond (mpg)
Blow (jimaku)
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch II
Boondock Saints (mpg)
Born from Ice
The Bourne Identity (jimaku)
The Bourne Supremacy (excellent)
Bride of Frankenstein (jimaku)
Brokeback Mountain (mpg)
Brotherhood of the Wolf (excellent)
Brothers Grimm (jimaku)
Bruce Almighty (jimaku)
The Blue Planet (mpg w/ jimaku)
The Butterfly Effect (full screen, excellent)
The Butterfly Effect 2 (mpg)
Cars (mpg)
Casino Royale (mpg)
The Cell
Charlie's Angels
Chicken Little (mpg)
Chocolat
Cliffhanger
Closer (jimaku)
Cold Mountain (jimaku)
Commando
Conspiracy Theory (jimaku)
Contact
Contact (å—幕)
Control (mpg)
The Count of Monte Cristo (jimaku)
Cradle 2 the Grave (jimaku)
Crank (mpg)
Crash
The Crimson Rivers
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
CSI Episode 514 (mpg)
The Daily Show 10/4/05 & 10/6/05 (mpg)
Dawn of the Dead (jimaku)
The Day After Tomorrow (jimaku)
DaVinci Code
Deadwood Seasons 1-2 (mpg)
The Deer Hunter (jimaku)
Deep Blue (jimaku)
Deep Impact (jimaku)
The Departed (mpg)
The Devil Wears Prada (mpg)
Doctor Who Season 101 (mpg)
Dodgeball (mpg)
Dogma (jimaku)
Domino (jimaku)
Donnie Darko (jimaku)
The Doors (jimaku)
The Dark Crystal
Dracula
The Dream is Alive
The Dukes of Hazzard (mpg)
Dumb and Dumber
Dungeons and Dragons: 101-12
Eddie Murphy: Delirious (mpg)
Eight Below (mpg)
Electra (PAL)
Enemy Mine (mpg)
The Enforcer (Jet Li)
Enterprise Season 3-4 (mpg)
Envy (excellent, promotional copy)
Epoch
Equilibrium (jimaku)
Eragon (mpg)
Eternal Rays of Sunshine… (mpg)
Everest
Everest: The Death Zone
Excorcism of Emily Rose
Faith Rewarded
Family Guy 101-410 (mpg)
Fearless (mpg)
Fever Pitch
The Fifth Element (jimaku)
Final Fantasy: Disc 1 & Disc 2
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (jimaku)
Finding Nemo (excellent)
Finding Neverland (VCD)
Firefly Season 1 (mpg)
Flags of Our Fathers (mpg)
Flight Plan (å—幕)
Four Brothers (mpg)
The History Channel: Forbidden Places (mpg)
Galaxy Quest
Garden State (jimaku & mpg)
Gattaca
George Carlin Clips Collection (mpg)
Gladiator: Disc 1 & Disc 2 (& PSP)
God & Diva (jimaku)
Gone in 60 Seconds
Gothika (poor)
The Green Mile
The Grinch (jimaku)
The Grinch (for classroom)
The Good Shepherd (mpg)
Groundhog Day
The Grudge 2 (mpg)
The Guardian (mpg)
Happy Feet (mpg)
Harry Potter: Sorcerer's Stone (jimaku)
Harry Potter 2: Chamber of Secrets (jimaku)
Harry Potter 3: Prisoner of Azkaban (jimaku)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (mpg)
Heckler & Koch MP7A1 (mpg)
Hero (jimaku)
History of Violence (mpg)
Hitch (mpg)
The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy (screener)
Hostel (jimaku)
The Host (mpg w/ English subtitles)
Hotel (jimaku)
Hotel Hibiscus (jimaku)
Hotel Rwanda (mpg)
Howl's Moving Castle (mpg)
House of Flying Daggers (jimaku, excellent video, acceptable subtitles)
An Inconvenient Truth (mpg)
The Incredibles (PAL)
Indiana Jones 3: Last Crusade (jimaku & PSP)
Inside 911 (mpg)
Insideman (mpg)
The Interpreter (jimaku)
Into Thin Air
Iron Monkey
iRobot (jimaku)
Jackass: The Movie (excellent)
Jackass 2 (mpg & PSP)
Jarhead (mpg)
*Junkyard Wars: The Catapult Parts 1&2 (mpg)
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World
Kikaida: Vol. 1-2
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (excellent video, poor audio)
King Arthur (full screen, acceptable)
King Kong 1933 (mpg)
Kingpin
Kiss of the Dragon
Koyaanisqatsi
Kung Fu Hustle (mpg & PSP)
Labyrinth
Lady in the Water (mpg)
The Ladykillers (jimaku)
Laputa (jimaku)
The Last Samurai (jimaku)
The League of Extraordinary Men (jimaku)
The Legend of Drunken Master
Leon, The Professional
Lethal Weapon
The Life Aquatic (mpg)
The Lion King Special Edition (jimaku & PSP)
Little Miss Sunshine (mpg)
Lost Season 1 (mpg)
Lost Season 1: Desinations (mpg)
Lost Season 201-22 (mpg)
Lost Season 2 Special: Revelations (mpg)
Lost in Translation (excellent)
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring: Ext Ver. Disk 1 & Disk 2
LOTR: The Two Towers
LOTR: The Two Towers: Ext Ver. Disk 1 & Disk 2
Lord of War (mpg)
Lucky Number Slevin (mpg)
The History Channel: The M-16 Rifle (mpg)
MacGyver: 57 (mpg)
The Machinist (mpg)
The Matrix
The Matrix 2 Reloaded (jimaku)
The Matrix 3 Revolutions (jimaku)
Me, Myself & Irene
Meet the Parents
Meet the Fockers (mpg)
Memento
Memoirs of a Geisha (mpg)
Miss Congeniality (mpg)
Mission: Impossible (jimaku)
M:I2 (jimaku)
Mission: Impossible 3 (mpg)
Monster House (mpg)
Monsters, INC: Disc 1 & Disc 2
The Motorcycle Diaries (mpg)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (mpg)
Mt. Fuji 26K Longboard (mpg)
The Mummy (jimaku)
The Mummy Returns (jimaku)
Munich (mpg)
The Muppet Show Clips Collection (mpg)
The Muppet Show Season 1-5 (mpg)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Mythbusters Season 1-2
Mythbusters Season 302-12
Mythbusters Special Myths Revisited 2
Mythbusters Special: Jaws
Nacho Libre (mpg)
National Treasure (mpg)
Nausicaa: Disk 1 & Disk 2 (jimaku)
Nightmare Before Christmas (mpg)
Nil By Mouth (mpg)
Ninja Scroll (PAL)
Oceans Eleven (jimaku)
Ocean’s Twelve (poor)
October Sky (jimaku)
Office Space
The One (jimaku)
One Night with Blue Note (jimaku)
Onmiyouji (jimaku)
Onmiyouji 2 (jimaku)
Open Season (mpg)
Open Water (jimaku)
Orgazmo (mpg)
Out of Time (jimaku)
Outlaw Josey Wales (jimaku)
Over the Hedge (mpg)
Over There 101-113 (mpg)
Pale Rider (jimaku)
Phuket Homevideo (mpg)
The Pink Panther Collection (mpg)
The Pick of Destiny (mpg)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pitch Black
Poseidon (mpg)
The Postman (jimaku)
Powaqqatsi
Predator
The Prestige (mpg)
Pride and Prejudice (jimaku)
Princess Mononoke (jimaku)
Promises (mpg, full screen w/ subtitles)
Pulp Fiction (jimaku)
The Punisher (mpg)
Raising Arizona
Ran (jimaku)
Ray (mpg)
Reign of Fire
Resident Evil (jimaku)
Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse (excellent)
The Ring
Robots (screener)
Rocky Balboa (mpg)
Romeo + Juliet (jimaku)
Run Lola Run
The Running Man
Sahara (DVD & mpg)
The Saturday Night Live Clips Collection (mpg)
Saw (jimaku)
Saw 2 (jimaku)
Saw 3 (mpg)
School House Rock: Disk 1 & Disk 2
School of Rock (excellent DVD & jimaku)
Scrubs Season 1 (mpg)
The Score
The Secret of NIMH
The Sentinel (mpg)
Serenity (mpg)
Seven (jimaku)
Seven Samurai (jimaku)
Shallow Hal (jimaku)
Shark Tale (excellent, laptop playable)
The Shining
Six Feet Under Seasons 1-508 (mpg)
Shootout! Battle for Baghdad (mpg)
short6 (jimaku)
Sideways (mpg & VCD)
Signs (jimaku)
The Silence of the Lambs
The Simpson’s: Season 1-4
Sin City (mpg)
Slam
Snakes on a Plane (mpg)
Sniper (jimaku)
The History Channel: Snipers, One Shot, One Kill (mpg)
The History Channel: Snipers (mpg)
Solar Challenge Videos (mpg)
Something’s Gotta Give (jimaku)
South Park: Season 1-9 (mpg)
Spanglish (mpg)
Spawn (jimaku)
Spider-man: Disc 1 & Disc 2
Spider-man 2 (excellent, full screen)
Spinal Tap
Spirited Away (jimaku)
Spy Kids (excellent)
Stan - Eminem (mpg)
Stargate: Director’s Cut (mpg)
Starship Troopers (mpg)
Starship Troopers 2 (mpg)
Star Trek, The Next Generation: Season 1
Star Trek: Vol I-III
Star Trek Voyager Season 1-7 (mpg)
Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones (PSP)
Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith
Starsky & Hutch (poor)
Stealth (jimaku)
StoreWars (mpg)
Stuck on You (excellent)
Sublime (mpg)
Super Size Me (excellent)
Superman & The Mechanical Monsters (mpg)
SWAT (jimaku)
Swimming Pool (jimaku)
Swordfish
Taking Lives (jimaku)
Talledega Nights (mpg)
Taxi (excellent, promo copy)
Team America (mpg)
Terminator 2 (jimaku)
Terminator 3 (jimaku)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (jimaku)
That 70's Show: Season 2 (mpg)
Thirteen Days
Titanic (jimaku)
To Maui (PSP)
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (jimaku)
Total Recall
Touching the Void (mpg)
Traffic
Trailer Park Boys Season 1 (mpg)
TransAmerica (mpg)
The Transporter (jimaku)
Troy (jimaku)
Typhoon
Typhoon (mpg w/ English subtitles)
The Twilight Zone: Vol 1, Disks 1-9
The Twilight Zone Movie (mpg)
U-571 (jimaku, no subtitles for spoken German!)
The History Channel: UFO’s, The Day After Roswell (mpg)
Ultraviolet (mpg)
Unbreakable w/ Special Features
Undercover Brother (jimaku)
Underworld (poor DVD & jimaku)
Unleashed (mpg)
V for Vendetta (mpg)
Van Helsing (jimaku)
Vertical Limit
The Village (excellent & mpg)
Wanted Season 1 (mpg)
War of the Worlds (jimaku)
Wasabi
Waterworld (jimaku)
Whale Rider
Whole 10 Yards (jimaku)
The Wizard of OZ
X-Men (jimaku)
X2: X-Men United
X-Men: The Last Stand (mpg)
The X Files: Season 7 (jimaku)
The X Files: First Person Shooter (mpg)
XXX (Vin Diesel)
Y Tú Mama Tambien (subtitled)
You, Me and Dupree (mpg)
Zatoichi (jimaku)
Zoolander
Legend:
(mpg) - movie is in MPEG-x format, various qualities
(VCD) - Video CD, another MPEG format
(å—幕) - movie is DVD quality and features Japanese Subtitles
(quality) - "Thailand Special" DVD
(PSP) - an MPEG-4 video formatted for viewing on the PSP
(PAL) - as opposed to NTSC, warning not playable on American TV's
* - not yet burned to archive
101 Things Removed from the Human Body (mpg)
2010: The Year We Make Contact
24 Seasons 1-2, 4 (mpg)
24 Season 3: Disks 1-9 (å—幕)
28 Days Later (å—幕)
40 Year Old Virgin (mpg)
A Bug's Life (å—幕)
The Abyss (å—幕)
Aeon Flux 101-310 (mpg)
Aeon Flux 2006 (mpg)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (å—幕)
The Alamo (å—幕)
Ali G In Da House (å—幕)
Alien
Alien III
Alien: Resurrection
Aliens: Special Edition
Alive (å—幕)
Alfie (mpg)
Amelie: Disk 1 & Disk 2
American Movie
The Amityville Horror 2005 (mpg)
Anaconda (å—幕)
Anchorman (PSP)
Armageddon
Arrested Development: MTV Unplugged (jimaku)
Apocalypse Now (jimaku)
Apollo 13 (jimaku)
Asteroids - Serenity (mpg)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (jimaku)
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: Goldmember
Avalon (mpg)
The Aviator (PAL)
Babel (mpg)
Back to the Future (jimaku)
Back to the Future Trilogy (VCD)
Bad Boys 2 (mpg)
Bad Education (mpg)
Band of Brothers Series
Baraka
Barrier Reef Scuba Dive (PSP)
The History Channel: Battleships (mpg)
Battlestar Galactica 2003: TV Mini-series Parts 1-2 (mpg)
Battlestar Galactica 2004: 101-220 (mpg)
Battlestar Galactica 2004: Inside (mpg)
Be Cool (PSP)
Before Sunrise (VCD)
The Benchwarmers (mpg)
Best in Show
Bicentennial Man (jimaku)
Big Fish (jimaku)
Black Hawk Down
Blade (jimaku)
Blade II: Disc 1 & Disk 2
Blade Trinity (mpg)
The Blair Witch Project
Blood Diamond (mpg)
Blow (jimaku)
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch II
Boondock Saints (mpg)
Born from Ice
The Bourne Identity (jimaku)
The Bourne Supremacy (excellent)
Bride of Frankenstein (jimaku)
Brokeback Mountain (mpg)
Brotherhood of the Wolf (excellent)
Brothers Grimm (jimaku)
Bruce Almighty (jimaku)
The Blue Planet (mpg w/ jimaku)
The Butterfly Effect (full screen, excellent)
The Butterfly Effect 2 (mpg)
Cars (mpg)
Casino Royale (mpg)
The Cell
Charlie's Angels
Chicken Little (mpg)
Chocolat
Cliffhanger
Closer (jimaku)
Cold Mountain (jimaku)
Commando
Conspiracy Theory (jimaku)
Contact
Contact (å—幕)
Control (mpg)
The Count of Monte Cristo (jimaku)
Cradle 2 the Grave (jimaku)
Crank (mpg)
Crash
The Crimson Rivers
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
CSI Episode 514 (mpg)
The Daily Show 10/4/05 & 10/6/05 (mpg)
Dawn of the Dead (jimaku)
The Day After Tomorrow (jimaku)
DaVinci Code
Deadwood Seasons 1-2 (mpg)
The Deer Hunter (jimaku)
Deep Blue (jimaku)
Deep Impact (jimaku)
The Departed (mpg)
The Devil Wears Prada (mpg)
Doctor Who Season 101 (mpg)
Dodgeball (mpg)
Dogma (jimaku)
Domino (jimaku)
Donnie Darko (jimaku)
The Doors (jimaku)
The Dark Crystal
Dracula
The Dream is Alive
The Dukes of Hazzard (mpg)
Dumb and Dumber
Dungeons and Dragons: 101-12
Eddie Murphy: Delirious (mpg)
Eight Below (mpg)
Electra (PAL)
Enemy Mine (mpg)
The Enforcer (Jet Li)
Enterprise Season 3-4 (mpg)
Envy (excellent, promotional copy)
Epoch
Equilibrium (jimaku)
Eragon (mpg)
Eternal Rays of Sunshine… (mpg)
Everest
Everest: The Death Zone
Excorcism of Emily Rose
Faith Rewarded
Family Guy 101-410 (mpg)
Fearless (mpg)
Fever Pitch
The Fifth Element (jimaku)
Final Fantasy: Disc 1 & Disc 2
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (jimaku)
Finding Nemo (excellent)
Finding Neverland (VCD)
Firefly Season 1 (mpg)
Flags of Our Fathers (mpg)
Flight Plan (å—幕)
Four Brothers (mpg)
The History Channel: Forbidden Places (mpg)
Galaxy Quest
Garden State (jimaku & mpg)
Gattaca
George Carlin Clips Collection (mpg)
Gladiator: Disc 1 & Disc 2 (& PSP)
God & Diva (jimaku)
Gone in 60 Seconds
Gothika (poor)
The Green Mile
The Grinch (jimaku)
The Grinch (for classroom)
The Good Shepherd (mpg)
Groundhog Day
The Grudge 2 (mpg)
The Guardian (mpg)
Happy Feet (mpg)
Harry Potter: Sorcerer's Stone (jimaku)
Harry Potter 2: Chamber of Secrets (jimaku)
Harry Potter 3: Prisoner of Azkaban (jimaku)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (mpg)
Heckler & Koch MP7A1 (mpg)
Hero (jimaku)
History of Violence (mpg)
Hitch (mpg)
The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy (screener)
Hostel (jimaku)
The Host (mpg w/ English subtitles)
Hotel (jimaku)
Hotel Hibiscus (jimaku)
Hotel Rwanda (mpg)
Howl's Moving Castle (mpg)
House of Flying Daggers (jimaku, excellent video, acceptable subtitles)
An Inconvenient Truth (mpg)
The Incredibles (PAL)
Indiana Jones 3: Last Crusade (jimaku & PSP)
Inside 911 (mpg)
Insideman (mpg)
The Interpreter (jimaku)
Into Thin Air
Iron Monkey
iRobot (jimaku)
Jackass: The Movie (excellent)
Jackass 2 (mpg & PSP)
Jarhead (mpg)
*Junkyard Wars: The Catapult Parts 1&2 (mpg)
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World
Kikaida: Vol. 1-2
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (excellent video, poor audio)
King Arthur (full screen, acceptable)
King Kong 1933 (mpg)
Kingpin
Kiss of the Dragon
Koyaanisqatsi
Kung Fu Hustle (mpg & PSP)
Labyrinth
Lady in the Water (mpg)
The Ladykillers (jimaku)
Laputa (jimaku)
The Last Samurai (jimaku)
The League of Extraordinary Men (jimaku)
The Legend of Drunken Master
Leon, The Professional
Lethal Weapon
The Life Aquatic (mpg)
The Lion King Special Edition (jimaku & PSP)
Little Miss Sunshine (mpg)
Lost Season 1 (mpg)
Lost Season 1: Desinations (mpg)
Lost Season 201-22 (mpg)
Lost Season 2 Special: Revelations (mpg)
Lost in Translation (excellent)
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring: Ext Ver. Disk 1 & Disk 2
LOTR: The Two Towers
LOTR: The Two Towers: Ext Ver. Disk 1 & Disk 2
Lord of War (mpg)
Lucky Number Slevin (mpg)
The History Channel: The M-16 Rifle (mpg)
MacGyver: 57 (mpg)
The Machinist (mpg)
The Matrix
The Matrix 2 Reloaded (jimaku)
The Matrix 3 Revolutions (jimaku)
Me, Myself & Irene
Meet the Parents
Meet the Fockers (mpg)
Memento
Memoirs of a Geisha (mpg)
Miss Congeniality (mpg)
Mission: Impossible (jimaku)
M:I2 (jimaku)
Mission: Impossible 3 (mpg)
Monster House (mpg)
Monsters, INC: Disc 1 & Disc 2
The Motorcycle Diaries (mpg)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (mpg)
Mt. Fuji 26K Longboard (mpg)
The Mummy (jimaku)
The Mummy Returns (jimaku)
Munich (mpg)
The Muppet Show Clips Collection (mpg)
The Muppet Show Season 1-5 (mpg)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Mythbusters Season 1-2
Mythbusters Season 302-12
Mythbusters Special Myths Revisited 2
Mythbusters Special: Jaws
Nacho Libre (mpg)
National Treasure (mpg)
Nausicaa: Disk 1 & Disk 2 (jimaku)
Nightmare Before Christmas (mpg)
Nil By Mouth (mpg)
Ninja Scroll (PAL)
Oceans Eleven (jimaku)
Ocean’s Twelve (poor)
October Sky (jimaku)
Office Space
The One (jimaku)
One Night with Blue Note (jimaku)
Onmiyouji (jimaku)
Onmiyouji 2 (jimaku)
Open Season (mpg)
Open Water (jimaku)
Orgazmo (mpg)
Out of Time (jimaku)
Outlaw Josey Wales (jimaku)
Over the Hedge (mpg)
Over There 101-113 (mpg)
Pale Rider (jimaku)
Phuket Homevideo (mpg)
The Pink Panther Collection (mpg)
The Pick of Destiny (mpg)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pitch Black
Poseidon (mpg)
The Postman (jimaku)
Powaqqatsi
Predator
The Prestige (mpg)
Pride and Prejudice (jimaku)
Princess Mononoke (jimaku)
Promises (mpg, full screen w/ subtitles)
Pulp Fiction (jimaku)
The Punisher (mpg)
Raising Arizona
Ran (jimaku)
Ray (mpg)
Reign of Fire
Resident Evil (jimaku)
Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse (excellent)
The Ring
Robots (screener)
Rocky Balboa (mpg)
Romeo + Juliet (jimaku)
Run Lola Run
The Running Man
Sahara (DVD & mpg)
The Saturday Night Live Clips Collection (mpg)
Saw (jimaku)
Saw 2 (jimaku)
Saw 3 (mpg)
School House Rock: Disk 1 & Disk 2
School of Rock (excellent DVD & jimaku)
Scrubs Season 1 (mpg)
The Score
The Secret of NIMH
The Sentinel (mpg)
Serenity (mpg)
Seven (jimaku)
Seven Samurai (jimaku)
Shallow Hal (jimaku)
Shark Tale (excellent, laptop playable)
The Shining
Six Feet Under Seasons 1-508 (mpg)
Shootout! Battle for Baghdad (mpg)
short6 (jimaku)
Sideways (mpg & VCD)
Signs (jimaku)
The Silence of the Lambs
The Simpson’s: Season 1-4
Sin City (mpg)
Slam
Snakes on a Plane (mpg)
Sniper (jimaku)
The History Channel: Snipers, One Shot, One Kill (mpg)
The History Channel: Snipers (mpg)
Solar Challenge Videos (mpg)
Something’s Gotta Give (jimaku)
South Park: Season 1-9 (mpg)
Spanglish (mpg)
Spawn (jimaku)
Spider-man: Disc 1 & Disc 2
Spider-man 2 (excellent, full screen)
Spinal Tap
Spirited Away (jimaku)
Spy Kids (excellent)
Stan - Eminem (mpg)
Stargate: Director’s Cut (mpg)
Starship Troopers (mpg)
Starship Troopers 2 (mpg)
Star Trek, The Next Generation: Season 1
Star Trek: Vol I-III
Star Trek Voyager Season 1-7 (mpg)
Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones (PSP)
Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith
Starsky & Hutch (poor)
Stealth (jimaku)
StoreWars (mpg)
Stuck on You (excellent)
Sublime (mpg)
Super Size Me (excellent)
Superman & The Mechanical Monsters (mpg)
SWAT (jimaku)
Swimming Pool (jimaku)
Swordfish
Taking Lives (jimaku)
Talledega Nights (mpg)
Taxi (excellent, promo copy)
Team America (mpg)
Terminator 2 (jimaku)
Terminator 3 (jimaku)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (jimaku)
That 70's Show: Season 2 (mpg)
Thirteen Days
Titanic (jimaku)
To Maui (PSP)
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (jimaku)
Total Recall
Touching the Void (mpg)
Traffic
Trailer Park Boys Season 1 (mpg)
TransAmerica (mpg)
The Transporter (jimaku)
Troy (jimaku)
Typhoon
Typhoon (mpg w/ English subtitles)
The Twilight Zone: Vol 1, Disks 1-9
The Twilight Zone Movie (mpg)
U-571 (jimaku, no subtitles for spoken German!)
The History Channel: UFO’s, The Day After Roswell (mpg)
Ultraviolet (mpg)
Unbreakable w/ Special Features
Undercover Brother (jimaku)
Underworld (poor DVD & jimaku)
Unleashed (mpg)
V for Vendetta (mpg)
Van Helsing (jimaku)
Vertical Limit
The Village (excellent & mpg)
Wanted Season 1 (mpg)
War of the Worlds (jimaku)
Wasabi
Waterworld (jimaku)
Whale Rider
Whole 10 Yards (jimaku)
The Wizard of OZ
X-Men (jimaku)
X2: X-Men United
X-Men: The Last Stand (mpg)
The X Files: Season 7 (jimaku)
The X Files: First Person Shooter (mpg)
XXX (Vin Diesel)
Y Tú Mama Tambien (subtitled)
You, Me and Dupree (mpg)
Zatoichi (jimaku)
Zoolander
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Happy Halloween!
Well it's a little late, but here's a great site Chieko linked me to for making your own virtual jack-o-lantern.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Hokuriku Robocon 2005
Kanazawa Technical College just hosted the Hokuriku region Robocon 2005. It's a competition for Technical Junior Colleges in the area.
- I believe each school is allowed to enter two teams.
- Each team had to make two robots.
- One was designed to pass through an obstacle course and the other was designed to climb a wall.
- The competition was a head-to-head round-robin single elimination format.
- The races were a relay format so that the first robot had to "hand" off a baton to the second robot.
- The robots' goal was to insert the baton into a hole at the top of the wall.
- The first robot to achieve that goal or make it closest to finishing the goal would win.
- The winner would move on to the National Robocon in Tokyo this December.
- Three additional teams would be chosen to advanced based on votes from a panel of judges.
The English department went to join a small number of genki students to cheer on the robot teams. It was a fantastic event. All of the teams obviously worked very hard to create unique robots to accomplish the tasks.
KTC's "B Team" was lucky to make the cut because they had the only robot to successfully climb the wall and insert the baton into the hole.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Gotta get organized for the wedding...
I spoke with my folks this past weekend. I had more pent-up stress than I knew about. They offered some great advice. I gotta remember my place in this whole thing. My priority is to support Hyun-joo with her decisions and to make the planning process easier - no matter what. We also can't hope to make everyone happy at all times. We just have to plan something that we'll be happy with and hope will be fun and let folks do their own thing. Ultimately, there's not much to be worried about. I know both families well enough that I'm confident that nothing psycho will happen. And as long as Hyun-joo and I are there for the ceremony, it'll happen.
There is a lot to think about, but we just have get things prioritized and organized. The wedding planner is next. I was saying that we'll have to try and find someone who can be sensitive to the fact that we're not tourists and we don't want a tourist's wedding. But I think that'll prove to be difficult.
Ultimately the distance and time zone differences are the most difficult right now. I wonder how that'll play out over the next few weeks.
There is a lot to think about, but we just have get things prioritized and organized. The wedding planner is next. I was saying that we'll have to try and find someone who can be sensitive to the fact that we're not tourists and we don't want a tourist's wedding. But I think that'll prove to be difficult.
Ultimately the distance and time zone differences are the most difficult right now. I wonder how that'll play out over the next few weeks.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Get ready for the winter!? (with a snowball fight)
Bring it on! This little Shockwave-powered game let's you run around in the snow and kick some a$$, no matter what season it is!
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Tateyama
(click on the pix above to see more!)
Adam, Katya and I went hiking this past Thursday. We had the day off, but it felt like playing hookey. We left fairly early in the morning to try and beat the traffic and get a head start. We were headed to an area that Adam likes to go off piste. Tateyama is listed in the Lonely Planet Hiking guide and there's a full-day loop that traverses a wonderful ridgeline that's entirely above tree line. We lucked out with some fantastic weather. We even caught a rare glipse of Mt. Fuji. I highly recommend the hike in good weather.
Friday, October 14, 2005
The Wedding Planner
What do we want of a wedding planner?
What "special things" do we want for the wedding?
How many people? 60 people at Hale Lele.
Yon-ju
- getting photographer & videographer, justice of peace, flowers, musicians, translators
- pre-wedding activities: tee times, suggestions for acommodations for other guests
- arranging the rehersal dinner
- arranging reception and setting up, caterers, etc...
- formal wear shop for guys, HJ will take care of bridal shop stuff
- wedding ceremony: getting place and setting up
- wedding: be there to handle immediate needs
- legal stuff: marriage license, public use permits, etc.
- some one who can handle an "international" wedding planning
What "special things" do we want for the wedding?
- bi-lingual justice of the peace
- translators to be around before and during the wedding
- a "Korean" segment of the wedding that we'll arrange
- Korean food in a buffet setting
How many people? 60 people at Hale Lele.
Yon-ju
Monday, October 10, 2005
Wedding: Found a Place?!!
Good news! Hyun-joo and I might have found a place for our families, wedding, and reception! It's called the Hale Lele and it'll sleep everyone in our families (we hope) and will acommodate up to 60 people in the reception. We're considering the idea of having a follow-up "wedding party" for those who can't be fit into the reception. Jury's still out on that one.
Now we just need to book the dates with a deposit, call the wedding planner, and so forth. Whew. Keeping our fingers crossed.
Now we just need to book the dates with a deposit, call the wedding planner, and so forth. Whew. Keeping our fingers crossed.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Maui Vacation Home Rentals for the Wedding
Well, it's been a pain in the a$$, but we've found a couple of nice places that we might be able to rent for our families during our wedding week. Above, is a picture of the Lahaina Travis Home (link removed) which looks pretty good... except for the bedcover pictured on the website.
This one looks great too! It features a main and guest house! The Lahaina Breakwater Estates (link removed) looks big enough for all of us. Another link to the Lahaina Breakwater Estates.
This one is the Hale Kuau Sunset Estate (link removed), in Kuau... which I've never heard of even though I've been to Maui over a couple dozen times. It looks like it's right next to Kahului on the very small map provided. This one is big enough but not as fancy as the Travis Home. Another link to the Hale Kuau Sunset Estate.
So who are we trying to make space for?
- My parents
- Hyun-joo's parents
- Lynn and Cole
- Kent and Chase
- Hyun-Jung and Scott
- Hyun-Joo and Na-Young
- Lee and Elise
There are still so many things in flux. NONE OF THIS IS SET IN STONE. We're just trying to get some ideas down.
Now, keep in mind that we haven't set a date yet and we're "negotiating" the possible size of the wedding. International weddings are complicated! So many different traditions to honor. It's hard for me when I know so little about American weddings to begin with. Well, my goal is to just have fun doing the planning and not to get stressed out. Well, I already blew one goal... guess I can just focus on the "having fun" part, right?
Already, I want to thank our parents and Heather for giving some ideas and passing on information.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Defending Human Rights in Iraq!/Defending Human Rights in Iraq? (You choose, I can't)
Someone shared with me the position that one of the more important aspects of the war in Iraq was in defending the Human Rights of Iraqi citizens. So, I'm going to look for some of my own answers.
My pre-disposition: this statement was downright silly, because of the well publicized and weekly (if not daily) violations of basic Human Rights of the greater Iraqi population.
In a few hours of research, I'm having a very hard time finding people talking about America's beneficial contributions to Human Rights in Iraq. I retract my previous statement, "downright silly". I do think that my friend's statement was unfounded, and much to his credit I didn't take the time to hear more about his views. And this I do regret. Thankfully, I still have time to find out.
An unrelated article I wished to link for future reference:
Democracy cannot coexist with Bush's failed doctrine of preventive war
My pre-disposition: this statement was downright silly, because of the well publicized and weekly (if not daily) violations of basic Human Rights of the greater Iraqi population.
- Which Human Rights are we talking about?
- What's Bush's stance? What's the dissenting stance?
President Bush Discusses Iraq Policy at Whitehall Palace in London
The deepest beliefs of our nations set the direction of our foreign policy. We value our own civil rights, so we stand for the human rights of others. We affirm the God-given dignity of every person, so we are moved to action by poverty and oppression and famine and disease. The United States and Great Britain share a mission in the world beyond the balance of power or the simple pursuit of interest. We seek the advance of freedom and the peace that freedom brings. Together our nations are standing and sacrificing for this high goal in a distant land at this very hour. And America honors the idealism and the bravery of the sons and daughters of Britain.
Since the liberation of Iraq, we have seen changes that could hardly have been imagined a year ago. A new Iraqi police force protects the people, instead of bullying them. More than 150 Iraqi newspapers are now in circulation, printing what they choose, not what they're ordered. Schools are open with textbooks free of propaganda. Hospitals are functioning and are well-supplied. Iraq has a new currency, the first battalion of a new army, representative local governments, and a Governing Council with an aggressive timetable for national sovereignty. This is substantial progress. And much of it has proceeded faster than similar efforts in Germany and Japan after World War II.
US ignors Human Rights Lessons
International security depends on containing these conflicts, and doing so requires clear rules about whether, when, and what type of "humanitarian intervention" may be justified to protect human rights. Here are four:- First, large-scale genocide or crimes against humanity are being committed.
- Second, the conflict is creating major regional instability, which the neighboring countries want to contain by supporting a multilateral intervention sanctioned by the United Nations or a regional organization like NATO.
- Third, intervention is not likely to lead to wider conflict -- for example, by stimulating increased terrorism or provoking other countries to enter into the hostilities.
- Fourth, the planned scale, duration, and intensity of the intervention are sufficient to achieve the objective of saving lives and rebuilding the country.
Bush's preemptive regime-change invasion of Iraq failed to meet these criteria. The military operation was conducted unilaterally by the United States and Britain and was strongly opposed by countries throughout the region, the Muslim world, and beyond. Despite Saddam Hussein's appalling history of human rights abuse, there was no evidence last spring that his regime was engaged in continuing genocide that required immediate military action. (Saddam's genocide against the Kurds and Shi'ite Muslims following the Gulf War should have been prevented by international forces in 1991.) In fact, Saddam's human rights record was used by Bush largely as an afterthought to make up for his administration's failure to produce evidence of weapons of mass destruction. [continues...] - What signs does the Iraqi government show with their regards to defending Human Rights?
Amnesty International deplores the removal of a key human rights provision from the final draft Constitution
Amnesty International is concerned that an important human rights provision contained in previous versions of Iraq's new draft Constitution was excised from the final draft, which was handed to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in Baghdad this week for printing and distribution. - Which Human Rights were Saddam and his regime voilating?
- Which Human Rights are being voilated now?
- Can voilations of Human Rights be measured to the degree that we can say that Iraq is better or worse off now?
In a few hours of research, I'm having a very hard time finding people talking about America's beneficial contributions to Human Rights in Iraq. I retract my previous statement, "downright silly". I do think that my friend's statement was unfounded, and much to his credit I didn't take the time to hear more about his views. And this I do regret. Thankfully, I still have time to find out.
An unrelated article I wished to link for future reference:
Democracy cannot coexist with Bush's failed doctrine of preventive war
Iraqi Blogs pt. 2
Neurotic Iraqi Wife
This woman lives in the Green Zone and she sees the reconstruction going forward. She shares and defends her position that what they need is safety, a sound infrastructure, and a caring government... not ongoing politicizing of the constitution. She doesn't feel that anything is better than when Saddam was the one murdering people. And yet, she deeply appreciates the freedom that she and her husband now have.
I don't think I'll be keeping up with posting direct links and thoughts on journey through Iraqi blogs. I'm finding that even within a particular blog there are so many different emotions and stances on the horrible-hopeful situation there. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface. After a couple days, I'm left with an overall appreciation for the struggling hope of the bloggers of Iraq.
This woman lives in the Green Zone and she sees the reconstruction going forward. She shares and defends her position that what they need is safety, a sound infrastructure, and a caring government... not ongoing politicizing of the constitution. She doesn't feel that anything is better than when Saddam was the one murdering people. And yet, she deeply appreciates the freedom that she and her husband now have.
I don't think I'll be keeping up with posting direct links and thoughts on journey through Iraqi blogs. I'm finding that even within a particular blog there are so many different emotions and stances on the horrible-hopeful situation there. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface. After a couple days, I'm left with an overall appreciation for the struggling hope of the bloggers of Iraq.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Iraqi Blogs
Hyun-joo and I spent and evening last night with friends and we got to the subject of a very controversial topic, the war in Iraq. I'm respectfully leaving our friends anonomous.
If I understand his position correctly, it was morally obligatory for the US to invade Iraq on the basis of human rights violations. The ongoing war is necessary to hopefully plant the seeds of democracy that has the potential to spread through out the region in a stabilizing effect.
He asked whether I had actually read any Iraqi blogs. (My friend is an avid blog reader.) I admitted that I hadn't. So this post is about just that. And what have I begun to find?
First off, I am suspect of the bias of any blog that I am able to read. Of the Kurds, Shiia, Sunni and vast number of others, how many of them are able to communicate the thoughts of the average people in their communities?
Secondly, it is essential that I understand my own pre-judgements and level of awareness of those involved in Iraq.
Upon the recommendation of my friend here is the breadcrub trail of my blog journey:
Here are some useful resources I've found along the way:
Establishing a Stable Democracy
Iraqi History
Democracy in Iraq?
Previously I thought it was overly optimistic to think that the democratic model that is forming in Iraq today is the key to peace in the region. There are too many parties involved in Iraq with so many deep scars from the many years of war and oppression. And yet, the Israelis have pulled out of Gaza and Zarqawi may be struggling to fight the elections... perhaps there is more to be optimistic for in the distant future of Iraq. Whether America can live up to its future as "non-occupational, non-exploitive" force of guidance still remains to be seen and in that I have little belief.
The present danger is excess of benevolence; we might undertake yet another selfless mission of mercy, failing to understand that "there are limits to what outsiders can do" and that "the armies we dispatch to foreign soil for humanitarian reasons" may not be able "to save people from others or from themselves." -Noam Chomsky, 1994
If I understand his position correctly, it was morally obligatory for the US to invade Iraq on the basis of human rights violations. The ongoing war is necessary to hopefully plant the seeds of democracy that has the potential to spread through out the region in a stabilizing effect.
He asked whether I had actually read any Iraqi blogs. (My friend is an avid blog reader.) I admitted that I hadn't. So this post is about just that. And what have I begun to find?
First off, I am suspect of the bias of any blog that I am able to read. Of the Kurds, Shiia, Sunni and vast number of others, how many of them are able to communicate the thoughts of the average people in their communities?
Secondly, it is essential that I understand my own pre-judgements and level of awareness of those involved in Iraq.
- I believe those that we label as terrorists or act with violence against the western aggressors are islamic extremists and do not represent the majority or essence of islamic teachings.
- I believe that I war was improperly initiated. I also believe it is impractical to argue the premises of the war to a degree and focus on the immediate and future needs of those involved. I believe that it is right for Americans to fight a war in Iraq until they are able to build up enough internal security forces to protect themselves.
- I believe that there is a difference in democracy that is chosen by the people and one that is established for them on the basis of the readiness of the people. Like tragedies at high altitudes with climbers using guides to take them to places they could not go on their own is a situation fraught with potential disaster.
Upon the recommendation of my friend here is the breadcrub trail of my blog journey:
- Where is Raed ? I wanted to know first "who is Raed?"
- Iraq the Model begins with praise for the overthrow of Saddam. A blogger who honors the Americans fighting in Iraq and dislikes the protestors of the war. I was surprised by the optimism of the birth of the "New Model" in Iraq but found it difficult to assess credibility of the posts being unable to determine some basic information about the posters.
Here are some useful resources I've found along the way:
Establishing a Stable Democracy
Iraqi History
Democracy in Iraq?
Previously I thought it was overly optimistic to think that the democratic model that is forming in Iraq today is the key to peace in the region. There are too many parties involved in Iraq with so many deep scars from the many years of war and oppression. And yet, the Israelis have pulled out of Gaza and Zarqawi may be struggling to fight the elections... perhaps there is more to be optimistic for in the distant future of Iraq. Whether America can live up to its future as "non-occupational, non-exploitive" force of guidance still remains to be seen and in that I have little belief.
The present danger is excess of benevolence; we might undertake yet another selfless mission of mercy, failing to understand that "there are limits to what outsiders can do" and that "the armies we dispatch to foreign soil for humanitarian reasons" may not be able "to save people from others or from themselves." -Noam Chomsky, 1994
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Wedding Planner
We gotta start getting some stuff together about the upcoming wedding.
When: Summer 2006 - ideally
Where: Maui
What: Umm, party!
Who: relatively small wedding
When: Summer 2006 - ideally
Where: Maui
What: Umm, party!
Who: relatively small wedding
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Three weeks in and I'm whipped.
It's been a long series of days... re-adjusting to Japan, adjusting to both Hyun-joo and I working, getting used to driving around in a car, new folks, extra classes... whew. I could really use some good exercise along the way.
We just had a huge typhoon pull through the area. It was forecasted to be strong enough to get the guys running the show to close down school for the day. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a show. Yesterday turned out to be windy with some clouds. Nothing like New Orleans.
Man, those guys are screwed. I hope the right people get pinned to the wall for that one. Not enough evacuations, support or rescues. It was Bush's responsibility. He really dropped the ball on that one. There should have been enough resources set in motion days before Katrina hit to get EVERYONE out of there. Someone said that they just didn't know. Bullshit. They knew it was Cat5 and headed straigt for LA. They can't even handle an evacuation... what happens when the next terrorist strike happens?
I don't seem to have many pleasant thoughts now days. Not much pleasant going on. And it does bother the hell out of me.
We just had a huge typhoon pull through the area. It was forecasted to be strong enough to get the guys running the show to close down school for the day. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a show. Yesterday turned out to be windy with some clouds. Nothing like New Orleans.
Man, those guys are screwed. I hope the right people get pinned to the wall for that one. Not enough evacuations, support or rescues. It was Bush's responsibility. He really dropped the ball on that one. There should have been enough resources set in motion days before Katrina hit to get EVERYONE out of there. Someone said that they just didn't know. Bullshit. They knew it was Cat5 and headed straigt for LA. They can't even handle an evacuation... what happens when the next terrorist strike happens?
I don't seem to have many pleasant thoughts now days. Not much pleasant going on. And it does bother the hell out of me.
Friday, August 12, 2005
A little bit stcheemeah (steamy).
Made the mistake of biking around Princeton today. Ugh. I'm pretty ripe by now. I believe I'm offending the woman sitting next to me.
Not much to report today. I helped dad cut the lawn right after I "straightened up" some more stuff down stairs.
I didn't want to drive up to Vermont or Boston. I really wasn't in the mood to spend the time on the highways. It'd be nice to see Lee again before I take off. It's been nice to hang out with mom-folks for the past couple of days. I gotta change my jun-ken-po tactics though since dad's beaten me two nights running.
I'm supposed to be doing more research for ideas for my computer classes this semester. I have the syllabus from last year, but I've already begun to deviate from the lessons that Bruce and Hannah were doing - which is natural.
Not much to report today. I helped dad cut the lawn right after I "straightened up" some more stuff down stairs.
I didn't want to drive up to Vermont or Boston. I really wasn't in the mood to spend the time on the highways. It'd be nice to see Lee again before I take off. It's been nice to hang out with mom-folks for the past couple of days. I gotta change my jun-ken-po tactics though since dad's beaten me two nights running.
I'm supposed to be doing more research for ideas for my computer classes this semester. I have the syllabus from last year, but I've already begun to deviate from the lessons that Bruce and Hannah were doing - which is natural.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
"Over There" somewhere...
Here I go... mouthing off about something I don't really know too much about. I've recently been seeing ads about a series on FX about the war in Iraq.
Not having seen one episode, my gripe is the principle of the show fictionalizes the war to an extent that appears to be evasive of the real suffering of the conflict. I'm talking about the suffering of the Americans who have lost loved ones and those that have made sacrifices to stand up for what the believe in and the innocent civilians who now live in a war zone. I'm not sure it's a good sign that Americans can turn to a fictional account of the war to have to understand the implications of the real one going on out there.
I'll watch and episode and see how I feel afterwards.
Not having seen one episode, my gripe is the principle of the show fictionalizes the war to an extent that appears to be evasive of the real suffering of the conflict. I'm talking about the suffering of the Americans who have lost loved ones and those that have made sacrifices to stand up for what the believe in and the innocent civilians who now live in a war zone. I'm not sure it's a good sign that Americans can turn to a fictional account of the war to have to understand the implications of the real one going on out there.
I'll watch and episode and see how I feel afterwards.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Bye Hyun-joo!
Hyun-joo left today for Kanazawa. We had some problems when we arrived at Northwest. They cancelled the flight because of "maintenance" and it took them a while to re-route her. Instead of flying from Newark to Detroit to Nagoya... she had to take a taxi to JFK Intl. Airport in NY to fly directly to Tokyo. From there she'll hopefully get the airlines to buy her a train ticket to Kanazawa. I spoke with her on the phone when she was waiting to board in JFK and she sounded well. I just hope she doesn't have any other surprises.
I packed a little... cleaned up some stuff in the basement... and thought about what else I'll need to do before I have to return to Kanazawa. I have to start replying to all the wonderful emails from folks congratulating Hyun-joo and I about our engagement.
I'm a little concerned about the wedding... I have no idea how we're going to work this with folks coming from Korea and all around the States. I would like to do it bilingually for her family. We haven't even set a date, so I guess there's no rushing around just yet. I think the only thing we've decided is that we're not going to get married in Korea or Japan. I suppose somewhere in the States makes sense. I dunno.
I packed a little... cleaned up some stuff in the basement... and thought about what else I'll need to do before I have to return to Kanazawa. I have to start replying to all the wonderful emails from folks congratulating Hyun-joo and I about our engagement.
I'm a little concerned about the wedding... I have no idea how we're going to work this with folks coming from Korea and all around the States. I would like to do it bilingually for her family. We haven't even set a date, so I guess there's no rushing around just yet. I think the only thing we've decided is that we're not going to get married in Korea or Japan. I suppose somewhere in the States makes sense. I dunno.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Engaged
On August 5th I asked Hyun-joo to marry me and she said, "Yes!"
I took her to the top of Mount Philo in Western Vermont and while looking out over Lake Champlain I proposed to her. Actually her first response was "Oh, My God!" and then she started crying. It was only about a few minutes later that I was able to get a real answer from her. We just told my parents last night and they were nicely surprised.
No plans yet on a wedding. That seems a little far away right now. I think we'll just focus first on getting back to Kanazawa and get settled into the new semester.
I took her to the top of Mount Philo in Western Vermont and while looking out over Lake Champlain I proposed to her. Actually her first response was "Oh, My God!" and then she started crying. It was only about a few minutes later that I was able to get a real answer from her. We just told my parents last night and they were nicely surprised.
No plans yet on a wedding. That seems a little far away right now. I think we'll just focus first on getting back to Kanazawa and get settled into the new semester.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Back in Burlington
Hyun-joo and I are in Burlington again. The past few nights, we've been camping out at Little River State Park. Tonight we hope to stay at a friend's place and then the next couple of nights, we're out at North Beach park in Burlington. That'll give us the option to hang out around town and see friends, etc.
Hyun-joo was successful at getting her work visa from the New York consulate. We ended up going to NYC instead of Boston because we couldn't find a cheap hotel to stay at. In the end it was much easier to just hop on the train and make the trip into the city.
We've been camping, kayaking, hiking, shopping, catching up with old friends, and even catching a few movies. We hope to see "March of the Penguins" later today before we cruise over to Marc's for his movie night tonight.
Only one more big push planned!
Hyun-joo was successful at getting her work visa from the New York consulate. We ended up going to NYC instead of Boston because we couldn't find a cheap hotel to stay at. In the end it was much easier to just hop on the train and make the trip into the city.
We've been camping, kayaking, hiking, shopping, catching up with old friends, and even catching a few movies. We hope to see "March of the Penguins" later today before we cruise over to Marc's for his movie night tonight.
Only one more big push planned!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
At the Stroke of Midnight: Harry Potter
Hyun-joo, my sister, my brother, and my nephew went to the local Borders bookstore to grab a copy of "Half-blood Prince". Hyun-joo bought him a copy as a present. Even at 25% off it seemed a little expensive to me, but it was worth it when I saw my nephew. I didn't get to go, but would have liked to just to see the crowds. Not surprisingly there were a lot of folks there. One of the employees used a megaphone to count down to midnight then folks who didn't reserve a copy for themselves were able to grab one. The long wait didn't come until the check-out. Everyone had to take a number which a clerk would call out when it was your turn to pay for the book. Here in Maui, there were about 600 copies sold in the first hour.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Back from Kauai
Lee, his girlfriend, Hyun-joo, and I just returned from three days in Kauai. It was our first time to go there. Of the dozens of times we've been to Hawaii we've never made a trip out there. We didn't have a lot of time (or money) so we decided to go the fun and adventurous route and camp out. We also decided to focus our efforts on the NE area of the island. We spend one night car camping on the beach and the next night was a wilderness trek along the coast to a campsite next to a river that flowed openly into the ocean. It was fantastic! We were all a bit tired from the trip, but we've hit the ground running again.
Lee and his girlfriend are off to Hana. Hyun-joo and I are sticking around to go diving with my sister and my cousin tomorrow. My sister and her family leave on Sunday and then Lee and his girlfriend leave on Monday. We only have a few more days together. I'm happy for the time. It's been a fantastic vacation so far.
Hope yours is going well too.
Off to the beach!
Lee and his girlfriend are off to Hana. Hyun-joo and I are sticking around to go diving with my sister and my cousin tomorrow. My sister and her family leave on Sunday and then Lee and his girlfriend leave on Monday. We only have a few more days together. I'm happy for the time. It's been a fantastic vacation so far.
Hope yours is going well too.
Off to the beach!
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Haleakela Bound
Time has been flying by. Everyone went to Paia for their O-Bon festival. Chase, Cole, Elise, and Lee joined the dancers for the festival. The food was wonderful as usual. We're looking forward to the Makawao O-Bon this upcoming Friday, especially since a lot of my cousins will be in town for a short spell.
Tomorrow we're doing a little hiking in the crater. Then we're off to Kauai for three days. Then we're spending time with our cousins. After that Lynn-folks have to leave and then Lee and Elise leave the following Monday. Finally Hyun-joo and I are off to the East Coast for the second part of the vacation. It's been fantastic so far. I think Hyun-joo has been having a good time. It's great to just hang out with everyone again.
It's so nice to understand what folks are saying around me. It's nice to take a break from Japan. Thank goodness for vacation!
Tomorrow we're doing a little hiking in the crater. Then we're off to Kauai for three days. Then we're spending time with our cousins. After that Lynn-folks have to leave and then Lee and Elise leave the following Monday. Finally Hyun-joo and I are off to the East Coast for the second part of the vacation. It's been fantastic so far. I think Hyun-joo has been having a good time. It's great to just hang out with everyone again.
It's so nice to understand what folks are saying around me. It's nice to take a break from Japan. Thank goodness for vacation!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Maxin' out in Maui
It feels like we've been on the move since early this morning. The gang packed up every thing we had into 16 check-in packages among the nine of us and cleaned up the house in Kailua by 10 am. With some wonderful help from Aunty Winnie we lugged everything over to Honolulu International Airport.
It's about 6:30 in the evening and we're slowly unpacking the gear. The little ones have discovered the Playstation2 and now they're fighting away with each other, virtually and in reality. We're going to have to keep an eye on them in the next couple of weeks.
I can't think very clearly right now, but I guess we'll begin making preprations to go diving soon. The vacation is turing out pretty well. I think with the nine of us here, we're going to be getting on each others' nerves sooner or later. Thankfully it's always nice enough out to go for a walk and get some space.
I'm actually roasting right now since the air conditioning isn't working in the house. We keep blowing out the fuses around here! Yikes.
It's about 6:30 in the evening and we're slowly unpacking the gear. The little ones have discovered the Playstation2 and now they're fighting away with each other, virtually and in reality. We're going to have to keep an eye on them in the next couple of weeks.
I can't think very clearly right now, but I guess we'll begin making preprations to go diving soon. The vacation is turing out pretty well. I think with the nine of us here, we're going to be getting on each others' nerves sooner or later. Thankfully it's always nice enough out to go for a walk and get some space.
I'm actually roasting right now since the air conditioning isn't working in the house. We keep blowing out the fuses around here! Yikes.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Chillin' in Narita
Well, I have to say that it hasn't been so bad here. There's a fantastic Public Lounge on the lower level of the No. 2 Satellite, Terminal 1 (take note Hyun-joo!). It has CNN, big open benches, recliners to sleep in, and even massage chairs. I've been reading, browsing around the Duty Free areas, and snacking from time to time. It's almost time to start thinking about leaving here. Looks like we depart at 20:55, a little earlier than I thought. No problem. I've slept so much I wonder if I can sleep on the plane. I've been doing some serious catch up from this past week. Hanging out with the elementary school kids was pretty tiring. So, keep your fingers crossed for me - that it'll be a smooth flight. Back to you soon, probably from Honolulu!
Early start... Late train...
i've begun my long wait until my flight tonight. my train was 45 min late today! crap... i thought i was going to miss my flight. all's well now. i have a 7 hour wait here. lots of reading and walking around the airport for me. i'm just glad i made it.
excited to be finally off to the states.
i hope everyone's well! bye!
it's only marginally cooler here in tokyo. still wicked humid. it's like thailand here. the airport is comfortable enough for some exercise. i plan on doing a lot of laps to get some exercise before my flight this evening.
i was really hungry earlier and stopped for some tempura udon. expensive but quite nice considering it was airport food. i wonder what's for dinner?
excited to be finally off to the states.
i hope everyone's well! bye!
it's only marginally cooler here in tokyo. still wicked humid. it's like thailand here. the airport is comfortable enough for some exercise. i plan on doing a lot of laps to get some exercise before my flight this evening.
i was really hungry earlier and stopped for some tempura udon. expensive but quite nice considering it was airport food. i wonder what's for dinner?
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
At last!
Didn't shave, didn't wear a tie.
No more classes. No more class preparations.
No more packing.
Just some final touches on my grades and one more day in the office. I just need to find out when my bus should come by and then I'm off to Hawaii! I'm excited for Tyson's wedding. I hope it'll be a real party. Lots of family are headed to the islands. It'll be good to see everyone again.
I hope everyone has a fantastic summer. I'm outta here.
No more classes. No more class preparations.
No more packing.
Just some final touches on my grades and one more day in the office. I just need to find out when my bus should come by and then I'm off to Hawaii! I'm excited for Tyson's wedding. I hope it'll be a real party. Lots of family are headed to the islands. It'll be good to see everyone again.
I hope everyone has a fantastic summer. I'm outta here.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Where the heck will we be?
6/30 T | Oahu | kent arrives at 09:25 NW022 |
7/1 F | Oahu | wedding, diving, beach, pearl harbor |
7/2 S | Oahu | |
7/3 S | Oahu | |
7/4 M | Oahu | |
7/5 T | Oahu | hyun-joo arrives 09:00 |
7/6 W | Maui | we leave oahu 13:55 |
7/7 T | Maui | diving, haleakela, hana, good-eats, kauai?, aquarium, golf |
7/8 F | Maui | |
7/9 S | Maui | |
7/10 S | Maui | |
7/11 M | Maui | |
7/12 T | Maui | |
7/13 W | Maui | |
7/14 T | Maui | |
7/15 F | Maui | |
7/16 S | Maui | |
7/17 S | Maui | |
7/18 M | Maui | |
7/19 T | Maui | |
7/20 W | Maui | |
7/21 T | Maui | we leave kahului 13:34, arrive in oahu 14:05, then we leave oahu at 17:30 NW098 |
7/22 F | New Jersey | we arrive 10:42 NW1090 |
7/23 S | New Jersey | un-packing and re-packing |
7/24 S | New Jersey | |
7/25 M | Boston | lee, madeleine, red sox?, japanese consulate |
7/26 T | Boston | |
7/27 W | Boston | alicia's birthday |
7/28 T | Vermont | camping, chillin' out with friends, road-trippin' |
7/29 F | Vermont | |
7/30 S | Vermont | |
7/31 S | Vermont | |
8/1 M | Vermont | |
8/2 T | Vermont | |
8/3 W | Vermont | |
8/4 T | Vermont | |
8/5 F | Vermont | |
8/6 S | Vermont | |
8/7 S | New Jersey | meet alicia |
8/8 M | New Jersey | |
8/9 T | New Jersey | hyun-joo leaves :-( |
8/10 W | New Jersey | |
8/11 T | Vermont | solo-trip into the woods ?? |
8/12 F | Vermont | |
8/13 S | Vermont | |
8/14 S | Vermont | |
8/15 M | New Jersey | packing/shipping |
8/16 T | New Jersey | |
8/17 W | New Jersey | |
8/18 T | New Jersey | leave 12:34 NW071; land in japan 8/19 18:00 |
- Packing List:
- stone pots, presents for the boys, etc.
digital camera, extra battery, charger, av cableuw housing, suunto stinger, mask, finsiPod, charger, Bose headphones, battery pack, iTripClie, battery chargerdress pants, shoes, shirt, beltshorts, tees, pack pantssandals, shoesvisor, hat, X6HR, binocularstoilettries, contacts, razorpassport, mapsPS2 games
Holy crapper... not a lot of days left before I leave. I'm still jamming on school stuff. I'd better think more clearly about what I'm brining with me!
Well, it's the last night of packing. I kinda forgot that I needed to finish and HJ and I sat down to watch a 2.5 hr long movie! Oh no. So it's just before midnight and I'm finally done. The suit case is heavy, but manageable. I think it'll pass the weight limit. Only one more day of elementary school visits. Thank goodness. Then I finish the final touches on the grades and I'm outta here!
Last weekend
We're getting down to the final push here. We ran errands downtown today with Phil and Jessica. It was good hanging out with them, but we were all a bit knackered from the heat. HJ picked up some omiage and I just grabbed some food-stuffs.
I've got almost everything set aside to pack up. Because I've chosen to go on the train light and ship my luggage before hand, I have to pack everything up Monday night. That shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's just in the middle of elementary school visits, grading, cleaning, and final errands. Whew. It'll be nice to finally be in Oahu. I can't believe I'm headed right over to the wedding. It'll be a lot of fun though.
I've got almost everything set aside to pack up. Because I've chosen to go on the train light and ship my luggage before hand, I have to pack everything up Monday night. That shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's just in the middle of elementary school visits, grading, cleaning, and final errands. Whew. It'll be nice to finally be in Oahu. I can't believe I'm headed right over to the wedding. It'll be a lot of fun though.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
The End?
I finish teaching the last of my classes today, at least the ones here at KTC. Normally we'd be busy with grading final papers and tests. Then we'd finish up the grading and say "Have a nice summer" and take off on our different paths. This year is a bit different.
Someone got the fine idea of "offering" our teaching services to a large number of elementary schools in Kanazawa. We had to cut off the requests because there was so much response. Two of our "Exam Days" are now filled with visits to 1st, 2nd, and 5th grade classes. Teaching at elementary schools makes no sense for us what-so-ever. When we do special visits to JR High schools I can understand that, since it is a recruitment visit. What 1st grader is going to remember that teachers from KTC came to teach them English, and more generally why would an engineering student choose a school based on their English program anyhow? Why don't we send math, engineering, and science teachers out more? Just because they might suck at teaching doesn't mean that we should have to go galavanting around Kanazawa as the PR saviors for this school.
OK, not all of this rant is fair, but on the other hand, they aren't really that concerned about fairness in our favor. I understand now why some folks can't wait to start a business of their own: just so they don't have to obey the stupid orders of "the man".
Someone got the fine idea of "offering" our teaching services to a large number of elementary schools in Kanazawa. We had to cut off the requests because there was so much response. Two of our "Exam Days" are now filled with visits to 1st, 2nd, and 5th grade classes. Teaching at elementary schools makes no sense for us what-so-ever. When we do special visits to JR High schools I can understand that, since it is a recruitment visit. What 1st grader is going to remember that teachers from KTC came to teach them English, and more generally why would an engineering student choose a school based on their English program anyhow? Why don't we send math, engineering, and science teachers out more? Just because they might suck at teaching doesn't mean that we should have to go galavanting around Kanazawa as the PR saviors for this school.
OK, not all of this rant is fair, but on the other hand, they aren't really that concerned about fairness in our favor. I understand now why some folks can't wait to start a business of their own: just so they don't have to obey the stupid orders of "the man".
Thursday, June 16, 2005
PodShirt for Hyun-joo
I totally forgot to post these cool shirts that I'm buying for Hyun-joo's iShuffle. 
They feature some kind of magnetic clasp system to keep the iShuffle in place. Apparently it's strong enough for active wear, but doesn't affect the operation of the iShuffle. They just released their original shirt to the public again after an initial 1000 unit offering. These are so cool I might just buy an iShuffle to go along with one of these shirts!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Tax time!
I finally finished my 2004 taxes.I really milked the automatic two month extension. I don't know why since I had no reason to. My folks were nice enough to send me the forms I needed and I found the rest online. Hyun-joo was a god-send helping me with some of the forms.
I used TurboTax again since I has been a great piece of tax software for the past few years. This year, I had some problems though. I couldn't finish all of the procedures since I kept failing the "check" phase.
Turbotax had to update to download the newest version of form 2555 except the program kept locking up and failed to upload. I ended up doing half of my taxes manually and I'm just crossing my fingers that I did them right. I consider myself a relatively educated person, but some of the instructions on the taxes are difficult to understand. What a royal pain in the butt.
So, now I wait. Next year, I'm going to keep to the April 15th deadline and finish these up earlier. I'm done!
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Summer means shopping in America!
OK, I've had to set a limit for myself because I could just keep buying and buying stuff that "I need" to bring back here.
- "sporting" stuff from Vermont
- ONE new PS2 game: Champions (Return to Arms)
- SCUBA refresher video
- First Aid masks
- "Das Boot" on DVD
- And then there's stuff that I'd love, but can't justify
- a replacement for my 5 year old PowerBookG4
- Garmin GPSMAP 60CS
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
On my SH!T List...
Yeah, it's stupid. It's immature. But christ! I find it so annoying and rude when the Japanese teachers here ignore me when I say "good morning" to them in Japanese! There are a handful of friendly teachers, but the majority of them treat me like I don't exist or worse! So here are teachers my SH!T List (in no particular order):
- HJ suggested that I leave names off the list and I think that's a good idea
Monday, June 06, 2005
Forget "The Forgotten"
Hyun-joo and I biked out to Saty to check out Julianne Moore in The Forgotten this weekend. Unfortunately it wasn't very good. Very X-files, but not as developed. It falls short in the thriller department, but it was mildly entertaining.We hardly get movies out here. The movies change every couple of weeks, but there are only four or five English movies at any given time. Thank goodness I have a projector to watch DVD's and Divx movies. I think I'd die out here.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Phone home!
Just talked with Lee last night. It'd been almost a year since we last talked! Geesh. I waited too long. It was great to hear his voice again. We talked about summer plans. Sounds like there's a lot of stuff going on. Folks have been thinking about what they want to do in Oahu/Maui. I've just been thinking about going back to the States and seeing everyone again. I guess it's the feeling of being so far away. I could do anything, but I'd better start thinking about what we'd like to see exactly. Looks like this weekend is the time to get crackin' on some ideas.
- Oahu
- USS Arizona/Pearl Harbor
- Diamond Head Hike
- Punchbowl Cemetery
- Polynesian Cultural Center
- Sea Life Park
- Honolulu Symphony
- Kauai
- ????
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Break in at Hannah's!
Last night, someone broke into Hannah and Tyson's apartment. The burgler broke a window of their first floor apartment and rummaged through their apartment looking for money. There wasn't anything missing thankfully. What a bummer. Lock up folks.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Monday, May 09, 2005
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Thursday, May 05, 2005
For all you folks out there who need a smile
Because not all days are good ones. Sometimes we need a little more to get through the day. I'm not just trying to be f*ck'n cheezy here. Say true... for the good stuff.
Make your own South Park characters!
Kent in South Park
Hyun-joo in South Park
Well, I should have been working on my lesson plan for my 5th year computer class... but this just seemed to be too important to procrastinate on.
Hyun-joo in South Park
Well, I should have been working on my lesson plan for my 5th year computer class... but this just seemed to be too important to procrastinate on.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Fight water with fire?
I've been having a problem with one of my second year classes (16-some year olds): low energy, bad attitudes, and tardiness. I was beginning to get some bad feelings about how this class will go for the next year. I had a rough day: I forgot materials on my way to class, I tore the side of my pants on the door, and my energy levels were low... so I figured that my last class (the problematic second years) was going to be a total flop. But I tried to take the problem head on: muster all the energy I had, pop a candy bar, and run in like it was "go time"! It worked! They took a little while to warm up, but I had them interested and energized for a race game we did in class. Looks like I gotta keep that up now. I think two solid weeks of high energy classes will begin to make a good impression on the kids. Frankly, it's a pretty easy class and once I begin to challenge them more, I'm hoping to mold them into a really good class.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Movie List
Some of the titles I'm looking for...
Finding Neverland
Closer
Orgazmo
Hotel Rwanda
Team America
National Treasure
Bad Education
Step into Liquid
Ray
Eternal Sunshine...
Return of the King
Touching the Void
Spanglish
Finding Neverland
Closer
Orgazmo
Hotel Rwanda
Team America
National Treasure
Bad Education
Step into Liquid
Ray
Eternal Sunshine...
Return of the King
Touching the Void
Spanglish
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Welcome Home Hyun-joo!
Tomorrow, Hyun-joo finally comes back to Japan! (We hope... as long as the stupid immigration guys don't deport her.) She will pull into Komatsu airport around 14:00. See you when I get home from work!
Monday, April 11, 2005
Friday, April 08, 2005
FUK?
This has to be the best Airline Baggage Tag I've seen. Talk about "flyin' the friendly skies" (sorry).
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
First Day of Classes!
Whew,
I'm feeling great this year! I feels so good to be a part of the start of a new academic year. I was totally jazzed to get going this morning. The weather has been great. A lot to feel good about.
I began the day with setting up the Multimedia Room on the first floor here at school. I had a lot of intro stuff planned. They are a great group of kids. I've taught two of them previously when I was a Practicum Student. We started off with a Human Knot icebreaker and they did a great job and we almost got through the entire knot!
I've got lunch now and my first year students this afternoon! After that, a lot of planning.
Note to self: I gotta remember to make my plane reservations today!
I'm feeling great this year! I feels so good to be a part of the start of a new academic year. I was totally jazzed to get going this morning. The weather has been great. A lot to feel good about.
I began the day with setting up the Multimedia Room on the first floor here at school. I had a lot of intro stuff planned. They are a great group of kids. I've taught two of them previously when I was a Practicum Student. We started off with a Human Knot icebreaker and they did a great job and we almost got through the entire knot!
I've got lunch now and my first year students this afternoon! After that, a lot of planning.
Note to self: I gotta remember to make my plane reservations today!
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Hiya
This past month I've made four blogs. The first was for my podcast. Then I made one for my class. The third was a technology blog to help me keep notes on troubleshooting issues and new trends. The most recent one was for my nephews - I'm using audioblog.com to post videos there.
Now for my fifth blog, this one's for my daily life here in Kanazawa, well at least for the time being. Now I can use flickr.com's services to post images to my blogs!
Now for my fifth blog, this one's for my daily life here in Kanazawa, well at least for the time being. Now I can use flickr.com's services to post images to my blogs!
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