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Apr 25
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…is the number of Playstation 3’s sold in Japan this week. Pretty impressive–it’s almost 4 times the PS3 sales of the previous week (16,701), and almost 3 times the number of 360’s and Wiis sold. But I digress.
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Apr 24
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Apr 24
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This is an old favourite of mine, although more by the name “James James Morrison Morrison” than its proper title, which I rarely remember. Copying the text here purely as an exercise in self-indulgence and childhood nostalgia.
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Apr 20
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This is awesome. Watch it first, then we’ll talk.
I love how this keeps upping the bar on itself–revealing more and more impressive time-stopped elements (the money, then the bullets, then the glass, etc, etc). And then it tops it all off with the “plot twist” and loop. Brilliant stuff.
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Apr 16
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There was one other small thing at Himeji Castle which made me laugh, and which I thought I’d share.
Play School @ Himeji:
“Which window will we look through today?”
“How about the circle window?”
[ More photos on Chi's flickr – Hanami @ Himeji Castle ]
Try as I did though, I could not find the rocket clock. /sadface
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Apr 16
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As we had another “weekend” of cherry blossoms we headed out again, this time to Yasaka Shrine/Maruyama Park and Nijō castle in Kyoto on Thursday, and then out to Himeji Castle on Friday. Himeji castle in particular was amazing.
[ Himeji by day and by night - more photos on Chi's flickr – Yasaka Shrine and Nijou Castle, and Himeji Castle ]
It was my first time inside Himeji Castle, which was amazing - especially being able to climb the 46-odd meter main tower and look out over the gardens from the top. We stuck around until well into the evening as well, when they lit up the castle and one of the main gardens, which was also amazing. We’d been to the the lighting up of Nijō Castle the night before, but it pales by comparison–Himeji Castle really does have a certain majesty about it.
By now, almost a week later, the cherry blossom season is all but over–while you can still see a lot a blossoms around, the trees are now also leafing, so they don’t have quite the stark white and pink appearance that they previously did. It’s still amazing to see all the trees here leafing and flowering though, I really don’t think I’ve ever really noticed spring being the vibrant and marked contrast with winter that it is here. You really do get the feeling here, both from the plants and from the people, that this is a time for new life and new beginnings.
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Apr 11
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Apr 06
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So it’s now been about two and a bit weeks since I declared Phase 2. I thought I’d share generally what’s been going on since then.
My days look a little different now. I’ve been getting up, plugging away for an hour or two on my iPhone stuff, as well as keeping up to speed with industry news and commenting on a few blogs and stuff where I have opinions I want to make known. Then I go to work, and do my thing there, and come home. Eat, relax, have fun (and honestly, on more than one occasion that’s meant more iPhone work, ’cause it is fun), and spend time with Chi.
I can tell I’ve made progress with the iPhone stuff–some parts of it have really become second nature to me now. And I’m having more and more ideas, and refining the existing ones. Awesome Stuff is definitely coming in the future.
But outside of that is where the real magic’s been happening. I’ve been so much happier. Things with Chi have been a lot better too–I know I’ve been more affectionate, and we’ve been a lot closer the last fortnight or so. I’m paying more attention to when I’m grumpy or short with her, and I’m doing something about it.
I can look forward to going to work too. I’m having fun, no matter what the students or the lessons are like, I’m really enjoying it a lot more. And I’ve had people comment on how I look really enthusiastic and good, even on those days where I feel really exhausted. It’s been great.
Stuff in the future’s looking good too. Next Thursday we get our new apartment, and a couple of weeks after that Chi and I head off for a one week vacation in Thailand.
Of course, there are time’s when it’s not been so great. The last week or so my morning’s have been busy, and my iPhone work has been really fragmented. There hasn’t been any “flow”, and it’s been tough, but today I’m gonna go over all that stuff again. The changes to my diet haven’t happened yet, not the gym, but I’ll look at them when we move. And there are still times I get shitty and don’t catch it, and am a bit of a short-tempered prick to Chi and others. All that means is that for now I still don’t have to go searching for the next thing to work on, ’cause I already know what it is 
Anyways, thats all for now. Back to work!
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Apr 04
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It’s cherry blossom season! Those few, short weeks of the year, where cherry blossom trees across Japan bloom, and tens of millions of Japanese and foreigners rush out to see them. Ourselves included.
[ Check out more photos on Chi's flickr – Sakura viewing (2 April 2009) ]
It’s really amazing, seeing these trees in bloom. When they bloom, they all bloom at once, and after seeing them barren through the winter, it’s hard to not notice them. Maybe they stand out all the more for my own conception of Japan as a country largely without trees.
And for me at least, there really is that sense of a new beginning now. Sure, it’s reinforced by this being the start of our new work year, and how much of a non-event (relatively) Christmas and New Year’s were, but it really does feel like now is the start of the new year.
If nothing else, it was one more thing I get to cross off my list of “things to do and see in Japan”. And yes, they were everything I was expecting and more.
Of course, in a few weeks, they’ll all be gone; their poetic statement on the transient nature of life made. But while they do last, they really are beautiful.
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Apr 01
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This is a little old now, but it’s a brilliant example of advertising turning a weakness into a strength.
First, the glitch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h42UeR-f8ZA (”Jesus prevails!” lol)
And then, the (brilliant) response: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ1st1Vw2kY
Genius.
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