kyonoki

Games

You know, I must be the hardest bastard to design games for (more)

30 11 05 - 07:17 - kieren - kyonoki| one comment - § ¶

The Bus

Morning journeys should be quiet. A calm bustling of bodies all wearily making their way towards the workplace, not careening down hilly roads in a speeding bus, as the driver pursues a car that has pissed him off. Ten minutes later than usual, four stops on from my own, I jumped off the bus (not literally, rolling onto an embankment as the bus careers off a cliff as in any action movie from the 80s), smiling that I am not the only lunatic out there.

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30 11 05 - 06:08 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Brrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmm!

Wow...just, wow! As Rhod Bogarted the first copy of Mario Kart, stealing it from the post box before I got home from work, five minutes ago was my first play. Returned home, ripped open the packet and am still open mouthed with glee at how much fun it all is. Sonic the road-kill! Mario's back.

29 11 05 - 10:19 - kieren - kyonoki| two comments - § ¶

Train Delay

I have to admit, that although I was tempted to push the fat, disgusting pig-of-a-man in front of the oncoming train today (after he shoved a pregnant woman aside and pushed his way through the doors before anyone had the chance to get out), I have no complaints about the punctuality, space or cleanliness of Japanese trains. Pissing, wanking, snogging, cooking, groping...I've seen most things on my journeys. Horribly, some of the most shocking things happen at the most mundane time of day. British trains are a laughing stock, and I wish the government just finally sat down, admitted that they had been having a lark and got down to some serious restructuring. London buses and the Tube have been improving steadily in London, but no matter how hard they try, they could never better the Japanese transport system. It is saying a lot when it is more convenient to take the train than the car.

To lament British transport, these doctored signs should cheer up the gloomiest of commutes.

28 11 05 - 12:21 - kieren - kyonoki| one comment - § ¶

The Boy Who Lived

"although I enjoyed the previous movies, there was something unemotional about the stories, something barring my way from truly feeling for the characters themselves. All this has changed and I felt myself blinking back tears as Harry Potter came face to face with the man that killed his parents."

Possible 'Goblet of Fire' Spoilers follow: (more)

19 11 05 - 14:59 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Happy Birthday!

Well, well, well. The little yellow bugger is 25 today. Happy Birthday Pac-man.

19 11 05 - 14:48 - kieren - kyonoki| one comment - § ¶

Something Wicked This Way Comes

A week and a half to Harry Potter. Well not so. Rhod cycled home and popped into the local cinema last night. The last 2 tickets for the advance showing tonight. And we have them. Glee. I am rooting for Viktor Krum. Wink.

19 11 05 - 03:21 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Bush

The pulsing boom of the clock ticking down, hurrying through ugly urban streets, subtly evading the police, stalking through the diminishing day. It would be small surprise if Keifer Sutherland grabbed hold of me and told me that the President's life was in danger. (more)

16 11 05 - 07:49 - kieren - kyonoki| three comments - § ¶

Gang War

Flashing red ambulance lights woke me up from my zombie-like reverie this morning. As I arrived, a student was carried unconscious into the pulled up vehicle. I peered in as the medics strapped an oxygen mask to his mouth and noticed the red buttons on his uniform. The black germanic, military uniforms of the boys have embossed gold buttons, but gangs often replace them with different colours. Deep maroon denotes one of the gangs at my school. As clever as they think they are, like the FBI dealing with Mafia, the school councillor has carefully recorded files on the activities of the known ringleaders.

Walking in to an empty office, one boy sat miserably close to my desk, unblinking and pale. Ignoring him as a lackey, I asked the clerk what had happened. When walking to school, some elementary school boys had come across the unconscious body of a second grader. His mouth had been foaming and his cheek shattered. Just now the parents were supposed to be at the school, but seemed unconcerned and had yet to arrive.

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15 11 05 - 08:54 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Magic Works

This morning, I delved deep into the closet, pulling out scarfs and gloves, hats and heaters. The lights have been burning all day, and outside the city has been a dark, grey, cold and uninviting place. Winter seems to have leap-frogged Autumn, leaving the days bone-chillingly cold. Today feels more like Christmas than anything, and I have been listening to the bitter-sweet Jarvis Cocker song Magic Works, that accompanies the new Harry Potter film. Wrapped up on my day off, I have also settled down to Season 3 of the Sopranos, and with a heavy heart (in the knowledge of January cancellation) Arrested Development.

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14 11 05 - 07:38 - kieren - kyonoki| one comment - § ¶

Shakespeare Retold

It seems wrong to be gushing about Shakespeare late on a cold Thursday evening. Yet he truly was the most amazing weaver of tales, ever. Even if he stole threads of stories, snatched ideas and pilfered characters, he was still a master of drama and comedy. It is very rare that I sit down to watch BBC dramas, let alone sit still for an hour and a half. But I have truly been glued to the spot, mesmerised by the first of four retellings of famous Shakespeare plays. Today was Much Ado About Nothing, already perfectly captured by Kenneth Brannagh and Emma Thomson on film. Completely modern, (snippets of original dialogue cleverly find their way into the story) aside from the story arc and character names, the production is a complete change of scene and set up. It made me laugh, well up and rage, despite knowing exactly what happens.

Some things didn't translate so well, some dialogue seemed corny, but the acting and comedic/dramatic timing was perfect. I haven't enjoyed a programme like this for such a long time and am eagerly awaiting the other three shows. Please please try to watch them if you get a chance. Even if Shakespeare puts you off, or the idea of a retelling makes you cringe, rest assured the productions are fresh and uncomplicated, and much love and effort has gone into them.

I just hope Hamlet will live up to the expectations I now have.

10 11 05 - 11:26 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Wonderful World of Phlegm

Despite wearily plodding through breakfast and my morning routine, it is a magical time. The morning chill is becoming sharper and more bracing. But the absence of people in the deep greys of dawn, and the silence of many still slumbering, is nice. It's as if I have been let in on a secret, sneaking around at the break of day.
I park my bike and hurry to the subway, marvelling that all at once winter has come and there is a carpet of frost on the ground. But it doesn't crunch under foot and I almost slip. Glistening in the sun, hundreds of globs of spit surround the entrance. Welcome to the wonderful world of the morning businessmen and phlegm. Trails of spit inside as well as out, men unzipping their flies and pissing wherever it pleases them.
As winter colds come, so the rush hour becomes an uncomfortable dodging game. For people so obsessed with cleanliness and keeping healthy, slapping on face masks at the slightest hint of a sniffle, businessmen are foul. Sneezing left right and centre, spitting, heaving great globs of spit, sucking up their snot and swallowing. Gross. Handkerchiefs are considered dirty...ummmm...better out than in. As the season gets colder, my morning seems to be taken up avoiding carpets of bodily fluids, and trying to ignore men peering by the side of the road.

09 11 05 - 09:58 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Shikoku Mura

Maybe not so interesting to most, I added this gallery because I was genuinely impressed at the great lengths Shikoku is going towards saving its heritage. Walking around the old huts, tea rooms and store houses was quite an experience. Piece by piece the houses were taken apart in their original locations all over Shikoku and brought to the slopes of Yashima, where experts reconstructed them in (although not necessarily their natural) rural surroundings. (more)

07 11 05 - 09:38 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶