tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36766412012-01-07T22:38:16.158-08:00Turtle PowerAlexnoreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-72839161100471800962006-11-24T00:35:00.000-08:002006-11-24T00:40:49.601-08:00Apparently, somebody who have tons of timee plan to show off his Wii (mind you, Nintendo Wii) and the gameplay around the clock, except sleeping and going to rest room breaks.Another interesting thing is that I just discovered how easy it is to broadcast live webcam video on blogsites! The service is called stickam. Pretty amazing stuffs. Pretty much a YouTube- Live!Alexnoreply@blogger.com83tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1161191299461834402006-10-18T10:01:00.000-07:002006-10-18T10:08:19.540-07:00eat_drink_man_women_769eat_drink_man_women_769 Originally uploaded by Turtle Power.Issue 769 of the magazine "Eat Drink Man Women" 「飲食男女」 interviewed me... Too bad, my illustration was not shown in the article...Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1156844848258936812006-08-29T02:47:00.000-07:002006-08-29T02:47:28.303-07:00Gundam vs Great MazingerI always think Mazinger is a stronger robot than Gundam. This proves it! (Amazing robot wrestling action...)Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1156220274118928712006-08-21T21:17:00.000-07:002006-08-21T21:17:54.166-07:00Death StarI guess its a little bit late forr Star Wars parody... but what the heck, this is a really funny puppet show starring The Emperor in his office/throne...Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1155797433623469452006-08-16T23:50:00.000-07:002006-08-16T23:50:33.663-07:00みんなのうた とのさまガエルThis is one of my favorite children song mtv from the NHK programme "Minna no Uta" (Everybody's Song). Like the style of thee drawing and its offbeat humor.Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1155198158329006822006-08-10T01:10:00.000-07:002006-08-10T01:23:44.543-07:00The latest animation by Satoshi Kon (今敏) Paprika is coming to japan 2007 january. I like Tokyo Godfather a lot and looking forward to this as well. Captioned from the official site:"Some people say that the legacy of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick has revolutionized world cinema, far beyond Hollywood. Or is it, rather, the alternate realities of Japanese manga and anime, which have proved Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1153467164465814752006-07-21T00:15:00.000-07:002006-07-21T00:33:54.340-07:00Here is the wiki site that talk about the 港女 phenomenon...http://evchk.wikia.com/wiki/港女To some extends, I feel sorry about the male population in HK as "sexual discrimination" is actually happening the other way around, with male the real victims.Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1152893754110695822006-07-14T09:11:00.000-07:002006-07-14T09:15:54.166-07:00angry_faceangry_face Originally uploaded by Turtle Power.an angry emotion icon by me...Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1152692393267540662006-07-12T00:55:00.000-07:002006-07-12T01:19:53.316-07:00Streaming live TV through InternetThere are more and more options available now for streaming live TV through internet. For me, my household has been using Sony's LocationFree, mainly because I wanna watch live Japan TV and this is a Japanese product (better supports?). Overall, I am a happy user, but the setup was somewhat painful for those without enough internet concepts. I encounter a router Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1152553807703656802006-07-10T10:40:00.000-07:002006-07-10T10:50:07.736-07:00MOS Burger coming to HK?According to newsgroup.com.hk message, the Japanese burger chain MOS Burger is apparently employing people in HK. Kind of looking forward to a shop here! Not a big fan of burger, especially the lack of choices in HK makes burger eating = McDonald dining. My current favorite in HK now is Triple O, an Aussie chain. But still, its overpriced and far from my favorite burger Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1152259795126146352006-07-07T01:09:00.000-07:002006-07-07T01:09:55.133-07:00Monster AbuseMan, this is hilarious! If you change your perspectives and see the ultramen as bad guys, you feel really sorry about the monster being mobbed.Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1152259553269165432006-07-07T01:05:00.000-07:002006-07-07T01:05:53.320-07:00BumpTop 3D Desktop PrototypeInteresting desktop analogy, although it maynot be a good idea for managing files this way, this could serve as a nice window manager... one step further than the Mac Expose'Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1151898603934026772006-07-02T20:45:00.000-07:002006-07-03T09:17:04.983-07:00Nintendo bit GenerationsLooking forward to this series of games from Nintendo for Gameboy Advance. Nice, abstract visual design and the gameplay looks interesting. This is game supposed to be evolved to if the 3D engines didn't caught on... Hopefully, things like these can be successful enough to become the new genre.Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1151467261164560832006-06-27T21:01:00.000-07:002006-06-27T21:01:01.206-07:003D GUNDAMThis is totally hilarious! For those of you, the Gundam otakus! Make sure you see till the big cannon and the space tank debut!Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150861570069353642006-06-20T20:15:00.000-07:002006-06-20T20:49:34.220-07:00CNN: Why Hong Kong is one of the rudest places on planet a.k.a. 人人害我, 我害人人？Shame on us! CNN is striking another blow to tarnish Hong Kong's image. While I am not completely agreeing with the report from reader's digest: Hong Kong rank no. 25 among 35 places researched while New York is no. 1 (notable except are cities in China and Japan), I do think we are quite rude many of the time (and of Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150704664380465442006-06-19T01:04:00.000-07:002006-06-19T01:11:04.390-07:00JR Yamanote Line Station Melody Alarm ClockI always wonder how many chimes are there for the various stations in Yamanote Line. Now, this may solve the mystery. This actually reminds me my mother-in-law's comments about how annoying the warning beep in the Hong Kong MTR stations. Hong Kong is still far from getting above the mind set of being functional and efficient is ALL there is about stuffs.Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150650427140376242006-06-18T09:49:00.000-07:002006-06-18T10:07:07.176-07:00Japan draws with Crotia in WorldCup and Zico blame it on the weather!Disappointed with the performance of Japanese team in the World Cup. And Zico, the japan team coach comments that its a crime to play soccer at this time in the afternoon, because its just so hot. But the TV station wants it (two of Japan's match starts at 10pm Japan time, the optimal time slot for maximum audiences). Sounds Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150569595382726262006-06-17T11:01:00.000-07:002006-06-17T11:44:18.860-07:00Watching "Always Sanchome no Yuhi" again"Always Sanchome no Yuhi" ＡＬＷＡＹＳ 三丁目の夕日, the movie that swept 6 Japanese academy awards, was a tear jerker and I like it a lot (not that I like tear jeaker in many cases). I guess I just got attracted to all those Showa period japan settings, as it somewhat looks like Hong Kong in the 70's. Looking back also make people treasure all the things that that we Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150481948075488752006-06-16T09:43:00.000-07:002006-06-16T11:19:08.136-07:00Streaming Steve Hawking and multitasking live chatSteve Hawking is visiting Hong Kong and gave a talked in HK University of Science and Technology. I was watching live stream and chatting with my friend as the same time, commenting and joking. That was actually lot of fun. Reminds me a bit of the live blogging in kotaku.comProbably, I should do the same with Worldcup, doing live chat and watchingAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150307204013570032006-06-14T10:33:00.000-07:002006-06-14T10:52:34.170-07:00Japanese Canned Coffee ReviewsSurfing along some of my usually vist blogs, came across a site that review Japanese canned coffee.Used to be the case that my best past time at work was consuming can UCC coffee. Not just for the caffeine, but also the sugar!Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150216448106809162006-06-13T09:30:00.000-07:002006-06-13T09:34:08.146-07:00LoVision World CupP1010532 Originally uploaded by Turtle Power.The broadcast right of World Cup 06 was bought by Cable TV Hong Kong this year and as usual, I am denied to watch World Cup at home because Cable TV simply denied its service to our apartment building. But this year, I managed to watch it thru Sony's LocationFree streaming from Japan!But wait! It all comes to the mercy of the internet. And today, I wasAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150096111153913642006-06-12T00:04:00.000-07:002006-06-12T00:37:34.003-07:00Brazil ties with Japan in WorldCup! (well... ant's version at least)An offbeat news from Mainichi Shimbun. They make ants fighting each other by feeding them different different food. Now, I know where are all those discreminations may came from...Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1150095813553131832006-06-11T23:58:00.000-07:002006-06-12T00:18:31.196-07:00Hello China?According to a friend of mine, this blog site is inaccessible in China. I wonder if its anything to do with the weather? Its SURELY nothing to do with censorship, pollution, japanese manga or even keywords mentioning homosexual... Or wait, let me google that... :-(Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149962693650596842006-06-10T10:32:00.000-07:002006-06-12T00:17:29.773-07:00Has to cover the Bus Uncle now, as CNN has also done so...Its officially a world phenomenon for the Bus Uncle episode as CNN is covering it as well... "You face pressure, I face pressure, why do you provoke me?" Hong Kong people should look more seriously at pressure control, which I think tightly linger with the living and work culture here. I really think people are obsess with being Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149774917991904682006-06-08T06:32:00.000-07:002006-06-08T07:04:42.633-07:00Ronaldinho and Karen Mok Links?I have been joking about it for a while. So, here comes the judgement time...=?Keywords: crossover, lookalike, soccer, hk actressAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149701934046155192006-06-07T10:34:00.000-07:002006-06-07T10:38:54.056-07:00Avatar Icon from my WifeMy wife has been using off-beat weird icons for her avatar in various blog/group sites. Here is one of them, which is actually taken by me:Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149701207455425552006-06-07T10:11:00.000-07:002006-06-07T10:29:58.853-07:00Google Regrets Its China Policy? :-XAccording to the CNET blog site, Sergey Brin, google's co-founder admitted that its China censorship compromised Google's principle and thinks that "Perhaps now the principled approach makes more sense,"Apparently, google.cn censor sites related not just to anti-PRC materials, but also teen pregnancy, homosexuality, dating, beer and jokes.More about China's Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149692837684523472006-06-07T07:42:00.000-07:002006-06-07T08:07:17.736-07:00China Air Pollution a Global Problem?(Or, don't mess with the U.S.)Apparently, the CNN China/HK air pollution reports (as previously stated) carry some weight. The U.S. Embassy in HK made comments referencing it, claiming the air pollution from China is affecting the West Coast of the U.S.! Geeze, one less reason to envy about the California weather in the future?Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149614822722262732006-06-06T10:27:00.000-07:002006-06-06T10:27:02.743-07:00gashaaaan - konami go ballistic !During my daily routine of browsing kotaku, I discovered a ball throwing arcade game called "To Kyu Okoku Gashaaaan!", loosely translated as "Ball Throwing Kingdom Smaaaash!". Seems like a lot of fun. This could be good interface for baseball game or snow fight... wait until they implement a way to make you dodge for the incoming balls.Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149531556927284892006-06-05T11:02:00.000-07:002006-06-05T11:45:42.140-07:00Ainori: Japanese Love Reality Show by Fuji TVThanks to my wife, I am recently hooked to the Japanese match making reality show "Ainori" (loosely translated to be "Love Bus").The rules are simple:A mini-bus travel around the world which takes 3 pairs of men and women who won't know each other. If a match making is done (a formal proposal by one party need to be made), the couple can come back to Alexnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149439633920750582006-06-04T09:37:00.000-07:002006-06-04T10:06:14.913-07:00Opening of my illustrated blog《港日夫婦善哉》I have just opened an "illustrated blog" site called 《港日夫婦善哉》. Its about funny things (and not so funny things) that I have found after my international marriage. This also serves as a testing ground for me to test on releasing illustrated works on internet.Please go and visit if you have time. Hopefully I can keep pumping new illustration every week onto Alexnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149319605684585432006-06-03T00:17:00.000-07:002006-06-03T00:30:44.686-07:00End of 20th Century Boy?According to ComiPress, the Japanese manga "20th Century Boy" has ended... At least temporarily (and abruptly).Alexnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149312016191042262006-06-02T21:49:00.000-07:002006-06-03T00:31:30.406-07:00Man Moo Temple in Shenmue IIWhile I am at the Hong Kong x Japanese Comics topics, those who play Shenmue II may realize the Central's "Man Moo Temple" in the backdrop in one of the scenes...you tube Shenmue II promotional trailerAlexnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149309036151720942006-06-02T21:27:00.000-07:002006-06-03T01:08:02.353-07:00HSBC building in Death Note?On another "note", I wonder if people realized that N's base is in a building that resembles the HSBC main branch building in Hong Kong??picture clipped from vol.9.Alexnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1149143778357219902006-05-31T23:22:00.000-07:002006-06-02T21:18:27.126-07:00So, the movie version of the recent mega-popular detective manga "Death Note" is coming to Hong Kong this August. 《死亡筆記》真人電影決定亞洲8地公映I think the casting of actors playing Killer and L are both good portraits of the characters in the book. Also, digging thru Wiki, I realized the manga is banned in some school in ShengYang, China, apparently students are making up their own "death note". Wonder who Alexnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1148970686844212862006-05-29T23:22:00.000-07:002006-05-29T23:39:12.893-07:00OK, another CNN coverage about air pollution, in HK this time...Apparently, expats are moving away from HK because of the air pollution problem.Some figures: 1/3 of everything China exported comes from the Pearl River Delta Region, and 80% of HK air pollution contributes by the factories there. And, the power plants in HK burning coals contributed to the pollution as well.Really, I always wonder Alexnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1148888565949713912006-05-29T00:36:00.000-07:002006-05-29T00:42:45.956-07:00China home to world's most polluted city, according to CNN.At one point, I thought that they are referring to Hong Kong... but there are far worst places.Alexnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1148836422252491052006-05-28T10:08:00.000-07:002006-05-28T10:20:26.900-07:00Amazing japanese national soccer team coach Zico's Bento Box (japanese lunch box)!Done by a Japanese housewife...http://ricocoblog.seesaa.net/Look out for Evangelion lunch box there as well...Alexnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1124419277035060072005-08-18T19:37:00.000-07:002005-08-18T19:41:49.370-07:00Sony has lost his mind?I think the industrial design of Sony is going downhill lately, look at this latest ipod contender: the bean like network walkman -- it just looks pretty dumb .Alexnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1112725806080688652005-04-05T11:30:00.000-07:002005-04-05T11:30:06.080-07:00Myself (when I was 10 years old)Alexnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1111417766126949842005-03-21T07:09:00.000-08:002005-03-21T07:09:26.126-08:00Toei TV anime theme songs collection 1 DVD Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1111117921449896732005-03-17T19:52:00.000-08:002005-03-17T19:52:01.450-08:00Lord of the Ring Illustration from the Pure Magazine of Japan Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1073832539220902462004-01-11T06:48:00.000-08:002004-01-28T18:53:21.890-08:00I am surrendering myself to the world of Middle Earth. Now that I have seen the movie "Return of the King" twice, I want to know more about that world and start picking up the novels and other reference books. My favorite punchline from the movie was the one said by Gandalf in "the Return of the King" trailer:
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you."
too bad Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1070300528483922942003-12-01T09:42:00.000-08:002003-12-01T09:47:13.030-08:00Browsing around bookstore in the weekend and came across an illustrated book called "a day, a dog" by Gabrielle Vincent.
I was very impressed by the emotions that conveyed through almost draft/storyboard like sketching of a dog that got abandoned by a family. A impactful way of telling more with less. My recommendation.
BTW, recently, I have become an otaku (introverted fan) of illustrated Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1068053789364538052003-11-05T09:36:00.000-08:002003-11-05T09:36:46.390-08:00Downloaded the demo of Halo for PC a few days ago. As I heard so much rave review about the Xbox version and actually respect the developer company Bungie much, I was expecting the game to be eye-opening. But after I play a bit, I was not quite impressed. It looks not much better than a beef up 1st person shooter. And for the story line/ plot flow, I was actually more impressed with Half-Life. Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1067448243925735752003-10-29T09:24:00.000-08:002003-11-05T09:39:18.670-08:00So, I have finally setup my remote cable TV system (see post on 21 Oct) on my Dad's computer. Now, I am facing the noise problem...
My Dad's computer is in the bedroom and since I need to keep the computer on all the time for the recording, the humming sound of the fan keeps my parents awake in nite. So, I finally have to resolve to a scheduled power on/off scheme. I have set the BIOS on the Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1066670704280349582003-10-20T10:25:00.000-07:002003-10-20T10:29:13.046-07:00The Cable HK company has been denying cable TV access from my apartment since the day I came back to HK from the U.S.. Here is my master plan to watch it despite the incompetence of the cable TV provider:
First, buy a TV capture card for my Dad's computer, then plug in the cable channel onto the TV-in plug. Set the PVR (personal video recorder) programe to record all the programs that I wanted Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-1066583914394740332003-10-19T10:18:00.000-07:002003-10-19T10:18:34.260-07:00Just watched "Kill Bill" volume 1 tonite and was enjoying it much! I could see the passion and love from the director on the HK kung-fu/Japanese yakuza, samurai movie genre. The "form" rather than the "content" take the day in this movie. Its a funny, beautiful and violence blood bath that brings back the good times that we had watching those old HK/Japanese action movies... Can't wait to see howAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-926594702003-04-15T09:54:00.000-07:002003-04-15T09:56:11.000-07:00There are rumors from aint-it-cool-bnews.com that the next James Cameron project may be "Battle Angel Alita"!! "Battle Angel Alita", which in Hong Kong and Japan is known as Gunnm (or "Gun's Dream) is one of my all time favorite manga.
Its a story of a cyborg girl who was discovered from a junk yard by a professor. During her course of life (in the first series), she met friends and foes, got Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-919255642003-04-03T09:41:00.000-08:002003-04-03T09:41:09.843-08:00SARS making almost everybody in Hong Kong equipped with mouth mask on the street. As I have been on mouth mask on most day time for the last 2 weeks, I earn more knowledge of these mouth mask. My current favorite becomes the "duck beak shaped" Kimberly-Clark PFR95 "N95 compliant" mask. The mask could be folded into a few papers' thickness when not in use. It comply with the N95 standard, meaning Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-917794942003-04-01T08:29:00.000-08:002003-04-01T08:29:06.246-08:00Sad news of Leslie Cheung's suicide shocks me tonite! He was one of the singers that I become more and more respect to, in terms of his music and his acting. May he rest in peace...Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-917165952003-03-31T08:47:00.000-08:002003-03-31T08:47:04.560-08:00Last weekend, I have been staying at home, avoiding the odds of getting infected by SARS. Mostly, I was playing Nintendo Game Cube's "The Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker". One of the best game that I've ever played. The story was interesting, game play of very fine tuned and enjoyable, but what capture my heart most was the sense of adventuring in a huge world. I actually feel like emerged in oneAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-916507582003-03-30T07:29:00.000-08:002003-03-30T07:29:27.200-08:00SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) has been causing major disturbance in HK. Almost more than half people are wearing masks when they are out on the street. Its sad that the government and the hospitals weren't doing enough in earlier time to confine the spreading of the virus! Its even more sad that mainland China weren't giving out enough news and warning when the outbreak occurred thereAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-825502352002-10-05T00:11:00.000-07:002002-10-07T10:35:33.000-07:00Some useful information about taking shuttle buses from Osaka Kansai International Airport or the Osaka Itami Airport to popular places in Osaka.
http://www.okkbus.co.jp/eng/
Also, a list of hotels in Osaka:
http://japanhotel.net/hotels/osakaAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-820032962002-09-23T11:04:00.000-07:002002-09-23T11:04:59.340-07:00Hollywood's Ending -- yes, at least it may look so in Hong Kong. The HK theatre admission rate has been going thru a downward spiral for long time. This year, I can't even remember if I have seen a HK movie in the theatre! Movie tickets on Tuesday and Wednesday have been discounted from HK$65 to HK$25 (yes, more than a 50% discount) but still not much people go to the theatre! Blame it on piracy Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-820029822002-09-23T10:57:00.000-07:002002-09-23T10:57:31.893-07:00It has been a long break for me from the blogging scenes. Last week, I went to Japan to prepare for my wedding. Having some headache on assigning people to table and inviting children/baby for the wedding. In some sense, the wedding was meant to be PG-13, not that it has content not suitable for children, but because of the solemn and quiet nature of the Japanese wedding ceremony and banquet. AndAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-814122742002-09-10T10:25:00.000-07:002002-09-10T10:27:48.000-07:00Defining yourself with a top 10 list of stuffs, sounds like the main character in the book "High Fidelity"?... Right now, I need to pick my top 10 favorite photos used for my wedding banquet. To add regrets to the hassle, I didn't really organize my photo albums that well. Someday, I have to scan all my photos into my computer! Yes, someday...Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-814003162002-09-10T04:38:00.000-07:002002-09-10T04:39:10.000-07:00The great wall of China fences off Google and Altavista! Hong Kong is unaffected yet. People of China now need to get government's special permission to travel to foreign territories both physically and virtually. I believe people deserve to know and to choose. While the talk of the town (HK) is how to go up north and make big bucks, its this kind of "parental guidiances" that makes me worry Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-813119062002-09-08T05:35:00.000-07:002002-09-08T05:59:06.000-07:00My all time favorite temple to visit in Kyoto is "���t��" Ginkakuji (or, in English, the Silver Pavilion). The scenery is just fabulous, especially against the autumn maple tree backdrops.
Direction: Take the City Bus No.5 or 17 from the Kyoto Station bus terminal to "Ginkakuji-michi".
Also a Kyoto city bus route page from the city of Kyoto website is here!Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-811977062002-09-05T11:09:00.000-07:002002-09-05T11:12:48.000-07:00"��������"(Zuboraya) restaurant serves globe fish (in Japanese: ���� fugu ) with a comparatively economical price (for a basic one set meal, cost around 1,700 yen). Globe fish is very poisonous and can be lethal to your life if eaten with the inards. Restaurants who serves globe fish in japan bear licenses (to kill?).
Personally, I think it taste like snake. The fugu sashimi is served with Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-810933042002-09-03T08:42:00.000-07:002002-09-08T08:19:20.000-07:00Hearton Hotel Nishi Umeda in Osaka is an inexpensive and decent accomodation options. Its within walking distance to the JR Osaka Station. Its a pretty new hotel. And did I mention its inexpensive? (around 8,000 yen for a single room and 8,500 for a double room) Reservation can be made online at here!Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-810910642002-09-03T07:47:00.000-07:002002-09-03T09:52:32.000-07:00Hotel Monterey Kobe is modeled after a medieval Italian monastery. When you want seek santuary from the tempting Kobe beef, I recommend you to consider there. The lobby, escalator as well as the courtyard were such a treat!
A Chinese page with the hotel info
An English page with the hotel info
Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-810901812002-09-03T07:25:00.000-07:002002-09-04T00:13:09.000-07:00While I have only eaten Kobe beef once, that restaurant that I went to was pretty good and comfy. Its called "�O�c��" (Sanda Ya). They also sells delicious marinated plum. Tips: go there for lunch to get a bargain price!
map and address of one of the Kobe shop
map and address of the one of the Osaka shopAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-810368872002-09-02T10:25:00.000-07:002002-09-03T04:46:14.000-07:00My PDA, Sony CLIE NR70V, broke down on me today. The soft reset just keep looping when I press on it. So, finally, I have to do a hard reset and thereby erase all its content. Fortunately, the backup restore software works seamlessly when I sync up with my PC. Phew! That was close.
I was a previous owner of a Apple Newton MessagePad 130 (by the way www.newton.com still points back to the Apple Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-808788432002-08-29T10:50:00.000-07:002002-08-29T10:52:00.000-07:00Finally catched the movie About a Boy. I have been holding off reading the novel, just hoping that I can get the story from the movie first. And it was a pretty good movie. People have been telling me that I have the "peter pan syndrome." There are several things that I can identify with the main character, Will (played by Hugh Grant). There are times that I think being a bachelor is hip and trueAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-808565862002-08-28T21:36:00.000-07:002002-08-28T21:36:03.983-07:00Ever think of being a CIA agent that got thrown into a mission in HK? Most likely, you will be briefed during your flight with this info. Now, I know Hong Kong is "six times the size of Washington DC" and its tagged as "a hub for Southeast Asian heroin and regional stimulants trade..."! (-_-!)Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-808300882002-08-28T09:59:00.000-07:002002-08-28T10:04:58.000-07:00The Octopus Card, a radio frequency activated smartcard, has been wildly adopted by the Hong Kong for electronic transactions. Pretty handy when you are taking a bus or the subway and find out that you haven't carried any changes. The standout point of this smart card is that its contactless. As far as its within the range of the card reader's radio frequency effective proximity, transaction can Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-808292222002-08-28T09:37:00.000-07:002002-08-28T09:38:23.000-07:00Franc franc is a life-style/furniture chain in Japan. It bears some interesting mix of euro-japanese design goods. I especially like those 80's retro-look home appliances (a microwave oven shown below)
There is one in Osaka Umeda area. Here is a mapAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-807850862002-08-27T11:03:00.000-07:002002-08-27T11:10:29.000-07:00"���S" (Uoshin) is my favorite sushi place in Osaka. They got things backward: the sashimi (raw fish) portion are much larger than the rice. Because the sashimi is too big, they actually prepare a brush for you to "apply" the soy sauce onto your sushi. Its yummy and its inexpensive. There are several shops in the Kansei area (Osaka - Kyoto - Kobe). Check out their website for direction to the Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-807383702002-08-26T11:35:00.000-07:002002-08-26T11:36:11.000-07:00Dropped by the local Blockbuster yesterday and rented a copy of the Enemy Mine DVD.
First time I watched this movie was in the highschool days in one of those huge theatre in the Mongkok area. It left me a deep impression. Similar to other sci-fi hungry nerds, I was tricked by the marketing campaign then and went in expecting to see another "Star Wars" or "The Last StarFighter" (hey, the alien Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-806206882002-08-23T10:17:00.000-07:002002-08-23T10:18:24.000-07:00So many people are getting exhausted by their work here in HK, while others can't even get a job! Surely, worklife in HK is getting more and more unhealthy. To many here, work is life. Many say they work for the money, but asking people what they are gonna do when they are rich, many would just say "re-invest the money to get even richer", or "start a business to get even more wealthier" That's Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-806202942002-08-23T10:06:00.000-07:002002-08-23T10:06:43.790-07:00Finally bought a 4 joysticks multitap for my PS2. Main reason: to play the soccer game "Winning Eleven 6" with friends. With it, 4 of us can actually chasing the ball together (play like the primary school soccer way)! What's still missing now is just that the tee-shirts won't got torn off half of the time, nor a referee that's been extra generous whenever Korean team is playing... Maybe that Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-804835832002-08-20T10:49:00.000-07:002002-08-20T10:49:35.590-07:00Picked up a manga called "�L�[�`" (ki-chi) today. The comics was a decent surprise. The straightness and bravery of the 3 year old main character captured my heart. Bringing up a child is really not easy...
Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-804827342002-08-20T10:28:00.000-07:002002-08-20T10:28:57.300-07:00The trailer of the U.S. release of Miyazaki Hayao's "Spirited Away" has finally come out!
I am a huge fan of his work and I loved "Spirited Away". Judging from the trailer, the English dubbed version seem to be done admirably right. Its opening on 20 Sept in selected theatres. Hope that it can be rewarded with a U.S. wide opening, scoring much better than Princess Mononoke!!Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-804360372002-08-19T10:27:00.000-07:002002-08-19T10:30:32.000-07:00Bought Ryuichi Sakamoto's album "MORELENBAUM2/SAKAMOTO: CASA" in one of the trip to Japan's Tsutaya music shop.
The album has been growing on me. The soothing effect that it gives to me is almost on the same par as going into an onsen or sipping coffee on a lazy afternoon.
While not a fan of Mr. Sakamoto, his opinion opposing the U.S.'s recent "war against terrorism" gain my mindshare. Here is Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-800332252002-08-09T10:09:00.000-07:002002-08-09T10:09:26.730-07:00Watched "The Sign" yesterday with a couple of friends. Like the movie quite a bit. The atmosphere of the whole film was very well controlled. Plus, I just like how more and more information were given to you as the story proceed. And I like the ending. That's as much spoiler free as I can get to describe it. While some of my friends complaint about the pace, I also hear other saying the plot as Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-799464882002-08-07T11:35:00.000-07:002002-08-07T11:36:29.000-07:00This coming Saturday, my fiancee's parents will meet with my parents for the first time. Not noticing until recently that the gifts suppose to be presented from the family of the husband-to-be to the family of wife-to-be varies so much between the Japanese culture and the Chinese culture.
In the Chinese culture, we are supposed to present coconuts with red double happiness character painted on Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-798955582002-08-06T09:14:00.000-07:002002-08-06T09:17:32.000-07:00Watched my Criterion Collection edition of "The Royal Tenenbaums" DVD yesterday nite.
Enjoy the comical illustration on the cover and in the inside brochure. This is my favorite movie of this year (well, at least up till now). I enjoy the story telling skill and the approach used on portraiting the wide spectrum of characters in the movie. Some of the really short cut scenes brought me lots Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-797792222002-08-03T11:19:00.000-07:002002-08-06T09:39:09.000-07:00Shopping for curtains for my new home. The local IKEA in Hong Kong is having the annual sale and its jampacked with people. Wondering why the curtains that has to be dry washed are usually those that attract lots of dirt?Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-796968132002-08-01T11:05:00.000-07:002002-08-03T04:41:17.000-07:00Bought the Japanese manga 漂流教室" (Wandering Classroom) by Umezu Kazuo.
Never really like his drawing style, but have been curious about this famous manga that was drawn in the 70's. Its a dark story
about some primary school students getting stucked in a school that was mysteriously teleported into an unknown dimension. It portraits how kids and adults reacted differently under such Alexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-796961212002-08-01T10:48:00.000-07:002002-08-01T11:07:15.000-07:00This month has been really exhausting workwise. Hope I can claim back my long losted weekends soon... (-_-)zZZZAlexnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3676641.post-796952932002-08-01T10:28:00.000-07:002002-08-01T10:28:17.156-07:00My first blog.Alexnoreply@blogger.com0