kyonoki

Caveman Husband!

Yeah, tell me about it!

31 01 06 - 10:51 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

The Boy Wizard...but not as we know him

Just this second I finished reading Ptolemy's Gate, the final book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, following on the heels of The Amulet of Samarkand and The Golem's Eye. Before I gush about it, in a nutshell it concerns a boy wizard called Nathaniel and the djinni he commands to do his bidding. Imagine if you will London as the hub of a mighty empire controlled by wizards, who enslave djinnis to work their magic for them. The common people are suppressed, countries under the British yoke are slowly trying to free themselves, and a small band of resistant fighters are springing up in the capital, causing mayhem. The books follow Nathaniel as he grows into the mould of wizard, enters government as a powerful minister and unravels dark plots to bring down the Prime Minister himself. (more)

25 01 06 - 07:36 - kieren - kyonoki| three comments - § ¶

Forecast

Snow is forecast for the next couple of days. You can just make out the cloud-shrouded mountains, ghostly in their winter garb.

19 01 06 - 11:54 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Hammer Time!

It has to be said that my work rarely gives me any of those laugh-out-loud moments, the kind where you become immobilised through fits of silent guffaws and blinded by tears. Oh sure, it offers up enough eye rolling insanity and sighing disbelief, but giggles that you fear may have you pissing in your pants? Too few.

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19 01 06 - 09:42 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Friar *uck

If priests are so enlightened, so close to that fierce light of understanding, then please tell me why they live in such eloquent luxury, why they drive SUVs and look nicely rounded, and wanton for nothing. Is it fair that the costs of dying for the Japanese are astronomical, the burden in priestly fees and gifts straining many families to breaking point.

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18 01 06 - 08:54 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Torture According to Ki

Torture...is listening to the theme from Titanic (her of the gross mispronunciation and Afghan-hound look) forty-three times in a single day for a school exercise. The whole time I was thinking that if only Kate Winslet had jumped then none of this would be happening. Two ears stuffed full of mashed up paper and six classes later and I am still shaking from the horrific ordeal. The words are burned into my mind. Oh I wish there was such thing as a memory wipe.

18 01 06 - 08:36 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Mad, Mad World

More than once, I have turned to Rhod and asked if he considers that there are more people in Japan with mental disabilites, or if it just my lack of contact with them in the wilds of Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk growing up. On the subway, sitting drinking coffee, shopping through the maze of stores, anywhere it easy to observe the to and fro of people, I am often surprised by the sheer number of people with disabilities or learning difficulties. Even writing this, I feel awkward about what words to use, and I really don't mean any offense. Genuinely I wonder if Japan is different, or if it is just my perception.

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17 01 06 - 10:36 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Crime and Punishment

For those avid readers who more often than not ponder the fate of those school urchins known as the Red Button Gang, look no further than these few words. What goes around comes around. If ever you were thinking of taking up the mantle of thief extraordinaire then a few simple rules should be followed. Don't shit in your own back yard, and don't ever commit a crime in Japan. For Japan is still in the Victorian mould of death penalties and hard labour.

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17 01 06 - 09:46 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Godzillaroach

What with it being the dead of Winter, I feel a lot safer walking the streets at night...not from mugging or chavs in their hoodies, but insects. I don't expect to turn the corner and see down the deserted stretch of linoleum a cockroach walking casually through the school. I say walking, because this is what the roach was definately doing. Not scuttling, because this thing could easily have driven a van or crow-barred his way into our apartment.  (more)

12 01 06 - 11:05 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Preston To Win!

Preston to win Big Brother! What is such a nice, cool, sweet guy doing stuck in the worst TV show you could imagine. Not sure if any of them are celebrities as such, and in my defence Preston is the only reason I tune in, though I am not sure we are close enough yet for me to watch him throw up after eating 50 liquor chocolates in 2 hours. Nice. My advice is that unless you are working out or taking a cat nap, there is no reason your TV should be switched on this melodrama.

12 01 06 - 10:44 - kieren - kyonoki| two comments - § ¶

Drunkerest

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10 01 06 - 11:23 - kieren - kyonoki| two comments - § ¶

Drunker

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10 01 06 - 11:22 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Drunk

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10 01 06 - 11:19 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

A new day dawns.

So those back to work blues are finally catching a hold and throttling my happy-go-lucky mood. (more)

09 01 06 - 13:48 - rhod - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Back to Work

Oh joyful, joyful...fake snow (school newspaper sports shoot, what else), fake tan, and the over-privileged students of Neptune High are back to school. (more)

09 01 06 - 12:43 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Buffy meets Twin Peaks in the O.C.

First of all, Veronica Mars is like totally awesome. I mean, totally totally awesome. As ideas go, there is not much new, but Veronica is so damn smart, cynical and dry that you have to love the girl. (more)

09 01 06 - 06:51 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Mike is Here!

Mike arrived last night, fresh from Ben and Emily's Sydney pad, and today we have been on a whirlwind trip around Kyoto. Instead of a mad dash from temple to temple, we opted to just go with a long visit to one of our favourites, Nanzenji. After that? Shopping of course. Mike has done his bit for the Japanese economy today. This evening we're taking him to our regular haunt, Chikyuya, for delicious eats and drinks. And possible karaoke, who knows?

07 01 06 - 09:35 - kieren - kyonoki| two comments - § ¶

For All The Forwards...

A little New Year message from Tom Finnegan about all those 'forwards' we get from friends in our e-mail boxes...

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05 01 06 - 12:21 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Doest My Eyes Deceive Me

Doest my eyes deceive me, or are these chaps dressed up as Elvis, hip-jiving away to the beats of the King outside the City Hall? Oh well...must be Sunday lunch-time. Man, Kyotoites are crazed for the dance. What's next? Twenty students in leg-warmers and leotards prancing across the parade ground as if they had just seconds before leapt from the doors of the school in Fame...oh no, that's Saturday nights.

04 01 06 - 13:23 - kieren - kyonoki| one comment - § ¶

Snowy Mountains

Cycling to the immigration office today, we stopped at the Kamo river to take some pictures of the snow dusted mountains to the north. Just beyond the mountains everything is snowy along the Sea of Japan...I feel a little like cycling up there, but it would be ill-advised in this season.

04 01 06 - 06:44 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Hard Gay

For those of you who don't follow trends in Japan (I am assuming that's most of you), we thought you should see this:

It's 'Hard Gay' - a do-gooding celebrity who dresses up in zip-covered PVC and surprises store and business owners by turning up to help them out. And embarrass them greatly in the process. We can't work out where it fits with regards to equality, exploitation and human rights, but like most of Japan, we just watch, intrigued.

03 01 06 - 14:08 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Reasons to Delay Sex

1. No, no, I have to play my new killer zombie, typing game.

03 01 06 - 13:50 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Nekomusume (Cat-daughter)

How better to advertise your tasty food treats, than with this delightful little doll? Taken from a famous Japanese folk tale, how nice to chew on your noodles while looking upon the fangs of this Devil Girl from hell.

01 01 06 - 08:09 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Hatsumode

The first visit to a shrine on the first day of the New Year. Mitsuko decided to pray at a small deserted temple close to Tenmangu Shrine, wrapped up despite the surprising warmth of the day, a few metres away from thousands of people thronging towards the main precinct. Food stalls lined the avenue, funnelling people into a crushing frenzy of coats, scarves, black hair, and wafts of squid, noodles, candy floss, sweet potato and roasting chestnuts. Wave after wave of revellers washed through the grounds, and I sat observing the mob as Rhod and Mitsuko battled for pancakes.

01 01 06 - 08:03 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶

Omedetou Gozaimasu

You know it must be the New Year when your mum and dad are calling a few minutes after you fall asleep to wish you a Happy New Year from England, when the dangly thing at the back of your throat is stuck to the roof of your mouth, and when your old housemate is rolling over you to wake you up. One minute I was comfy in a little oasis of warmth, then suddenly the blankets were being ripped off with a far too genki 'Good morrrrrrrrrrning'.

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01 01 06 - 03:29 - kieren - kyonoki| No comments - § ¶