Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The big 3-0.
Well, its my birthday. I have turned 30 years old today and.......don't really feel any different. My 20's were fab - especially my late 20's and I can only hope that my 30's are just as good. Wish me luck everyone!!!!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Where's the freakin' snow?!
There are certain things I expect in life; good manners from strangers, toast to land on my floor on the buttered side if it falls, and for snow in winter!
Living in Kansai is really pissing me off. I can't celebrate Christmas or Hogmanay without the white stuff on the ground; it's one of my must-haves. With this in mind, I'm heading north for a few days to hunt for the stuff. Wish me luck.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
And the prize goes to...
Osaka Jock here.
There's a free monthly magazine in Kansai called Japanzine. Every year they have a photo competition to encourage amateur photographers to submit their works for all the world to see and judge.
It seems that one of mine was chosen to be in the January issue. Yeah! I'm a little surprised by this, as everyone else's seem so beautiful and of a much higher quality than mine. I guess it just comes down to personal taste...
Here are a small selection of the pictures I submitted. Enjoy, and please leave a comment about them if you have time.
The one with all the statues is my favourite. Someone spent hours knitting hundreds of hats and scarves for all them. When you consider that these statues are for the souls of dead children, it does seem a little creepy.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday, August 08, 2008
Sooooo, I had a baby!!
Here are some pictures of little Noa Quinn Tang. She was born on June 20th, 2008 at 6 lbs exactly. She was 3 1/2 weeks early so I can't imagine how big she would have been if she'd been on time.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Gion Matsuri
Summertime in Japan is full of festivals and celebrations designed to help you forget about the unbearable heat and humidity. One of the most famous in Kyoto is the Gion Matsuri. It consists of 2 dozen floats (or 
Yamaboko as they're know - 山鉾) being paraded through the heart of the Shijo area of Kyoto (which is odd when you consider that Gion is on the other side of the river next to Shijo). Each float represents a specific area in the city and people take great pride in decorating them and wearing amazing traditional costumes.
I had some free time on Tuesday, so I decided to check it out and take a few photos and movies to show you.
Yamaboko as they're know - 山鉾) being paraded through the heart of the Shijo area of Kyoto (which is odd when you consider that Gion is on the other side of the river next to Shijo). Each float represents a specific area in the city and people take great pride in decorating them and wearing amazing traditional costumes. 
I had some free time on Tuesday, so I decided to check it out and take a few photos and movies to show you.
Monday, June 09, 2008
I was on the train the other day...
I work out in the middle of the countryside in Nara prefecture. Sometimes I see really funny pictures beside the railway stations and tracks. This one is a prime example of why I don't trust doctors in Japan. Ouch!
I think I understand the kind of medicine this clinic specializes in.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Zombie
This blog is not dead. Some of us survived the great exodus from Osaka and remain, fighting the good fight against boredom and being sober. Osaka Daze lives again!!!!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Ko Pha Ngan
Ko Pha Ngan. What can I say about it? A beach paradise. We checked into our bungalow which was located on the slightly quieter west side of the island, and rented a motorbike to get around on. Our bungalow was right on the beach - literally you opened your door and there was sand outside. The beach had several hammocks and beach chairs available for anyone to use and we did! The food at the bungalow was awesome and cheap. We had a couple days to ourselves as Matt and Steph were still in Borneo, and Adair and Sarah hadn't come from Bangkok yet, so we just laid back and relaxed. The beach was gorgeous. The water, a clear clear blue. The weather was sunny and perfect for just laying around but not so hot as to burn.
Everyone managed to show up on the island at the same time on the same day! What a coincidence! So Rich and I headed to the pier to pick everyone up. The bungalows next to ours had an available spot so we were all right next to each other - how convenient! Rich and I decided to go fishing that day. Our bungalow manager found a local fisherman who was willing to take us out on his little longtail boat. We fished for a couple hours and I managed to catch 3 fish! Rich didn't catch any, but he was far more interested in trying to keep the contents of his stomach IN his stomach. He got quite seasick and we headed back with 6 fish (3 that the fisherman caught). The bungalow restaurant was more than happy to cook them up for us and we dined on our catch that evening. It was an early night for us.
The next day we went snorkelling in Ko Mah on the North West side of the island. Its famous for having lots of coral and cool fish. Its connected to the main island by a sand bar. We spent most of the day there, and Rich and I headed back because I had a massage booked for 5PM at my bungalow. Wow. It was awesome! Gao was my new best friend for the next 5 days as she came to my bungalow every evening to fix various problems with my back and shoulders.
The days kind of blur together here. Basically we biked around a bit on our motorbike, hung out on the beach and just relaxed and got massaged until the big night! New Years Eve!!! Ko Pha Ngan is famous for its full moon parties which draw as many as 30,000 people every month to the big beach extravaganza. There were 60,000 people at the New Years Eve one. It was crazy!!!!! DJ's playing various types of music, food stalls and paint tattoos were available all up and down the beach. Drunk (and high) people were dancing everywhere and preparing for the countdown. Fire Dancers and glow sticks lighted up the evening as the tide washed in. People lost their shoes, wallets, clothes and other belongings on the beach and to the ocean. It was a crazy, awesome, wonderful mess! Rich and I headed back around 3AM but the party was going long after dawn, we heard from our friends.
We woke up the next day to the cries of our friends swimming outside our bungalow. They had been dosed sometime during the night and were still going strong. They had swam all the way out to the rocks and had climbed up to the top and were shouting at the top of their lungs :D We took some pics and headed back to bed for a couple of hours. We just chilled the rest of the day (recovery) and prepared to head back to Bangkok the next day....
Everyone managed to show up on the island at the same time on the same day! What a coincidence! So Rich and I headed to the pier to pick everyone up. The bungalows next to ours had an available spot so we were all right next to each other - how convenient! Rich and I decided to go fishing that day. Our bungalow manager found a local fisherman who was willing to take us out on his little longtail boat. We fished for a couple hours and I managed to catch 3 fish! Rich didn't catch any, but he was far more interested in trying to keep the contents of his stomach IN his stomach. He got quite seasick and we headed back with 6 fish (3 that the fisherman caught). The bungalow restaurant was more than happy to cook them up for us and we dined on our catch that evening. It was an early night for us.
The next day we went snorkelling in Ko Mah on the North West side of the island. Its famous for having lots of coral and cool fish. Its connected to the main island by a sand bar. We spent most of the day there, and Rich and I headed back because I had a massage booked for 5PM at my bungalow. Wow. It was awesome! Gao was my new best friend for the next 5 days as she came to my bungalow every evening to fix various problems with my back and shoulders.
The days kind of blur together here. Basically we biked around a bit on our motorbike, hung out on the beach and just relaxed and got massaged until the big night! New Years Eve!!! Ko Pha Ngan is famous for its full moon parties which draw as many as 30,000 people every month to the big beach extravaganza. There were 60,000 people at the New Years Eve one. It was crazy!!!!! DJ's playing various types of music, food stalls and paint tattoos were available all up and down the beach. Drunk (and high) people were dancing everywhere and preparing for the countdown. Fire Dancers and glow sticks lighted up the evening as the tide washed in. People lost their shoes, wallets, clothes and other belongings on the beach and to the ocean. It was a crazy, awesome, wonderful mess! Rich and I headed back around 3AM but the party was going long after dawn, we heard from our friends.
We woke up the next day to the cries of our friends swimming outside our bungalow. They had been dosed sometime during the night and were still going strong. They had swam all the way out to the rocks and had climbed up to the top and were shouting at the top of their lungs :D We took some pics and headed back to bed for a couple of hours. We just chilled the rest of the day (recovery) and prepared to head back to Bangkok the next day....
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