Ka'boink

London skyline time lapse

2007-06-28T11:39:00.001+01:00

St Vincent

2007-01-23T13:06:00.000+01:00

I realised that the last two pics of me on here showed me raising great big mass glasses of beer (that's why I have such lovely muscle definition in my right arm, natch) and realised it was time to show my more delicate side...Here in Burgundy you get looked at funny if you order a beer, no more pints for me then, over to the rouge we go.
The 22nd January is La fête de St Vincent, patron saint of winegrowers who, legend has it, once stopped by the edge of a vineyard to talk with the men working there and while he was at it, his donkey nibbled at the young vine shoots. Come the next harvest, it was discovered that the vine stock that had been browsed had produced more fruit than all the others. Maybe we should really be celebrating the donkey? Whatever, there are loads of theories as to why we celebrate St Vincent and why he's the patron saint of wine, but at the ned of the day who even needs an excuse to drink wine??!
We didn't, so in celebration we headed to the lovely Nuits-St-Georges, bought a wee glass and 6 tickets for dégustations, and off we toddled, merrily filling our glass with red wine as we went. The town was decked out in flowers and people were drinking, singing and dancing, Karolina and I tried to make Guillaume eat snails but he was having none of it and bought us a crèpe instead, and oh yeah - it was freeeeeeeeeeeeezing!!! now i know what the wine's for!

The neglect continues

2007-01-14T14:22:00.000+01:00

aaaawwww, i feel guilty. i'm a terrible mother. i've neglected this baby so much recently. i have no excuses, i just don't have that maternal instinct that most normal women nurse. and the longer i leave it the harder it is to start it up again, it'll look at me with those puppy dog eyes and make me feel all guilty, and i'm not sure i wont crack. i do try, honestly...but between my brain fries and lack of technological know-how and equipment the odds are stacked against me. enough excuses, promises to try to be a better blogger from now on, a belated new year's resolution if you will. (strange sense of déjà-vu here, sure i've posted this before...)
so after an all too brief stint in my beloved munich i decided i'd had enough beer to last me a lifetime and have moved on to pastures new...ie Beaune in burgundy, wine capital of wine country. not bad, not bad at all.
new job in a new field (travel) makes life interesting, i'm enjoying learning the tricks of the trade and hope to get to travel to some interesting places sooner rather than later. have my own place, small but atmospheric with a few strategically positoned t-lights, and am discovering the joys of having my own kitchen and cocotte minute, or pressure cooker...although i will admit to that gathering dust in a cupboard somewhere. the people here are lovely, the food is fab and there is more wine than you can shake a stick at...i think i'm gonna like it here

September in Munich can only mean one thing...

2006-09-20T13:48:00.000+01:00

oooh, did I mention the Oktoberfest?? Contrary to popular belief, it's not in October, but now, it started last weekend. And in honour of the amber liquid, here's a quote from a bloody genius....

"A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo and when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive drinking of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. "

Prost to that!

Servus!

2006-09-01T15:02:00.000+01:00

here I am back in good ol'Munich! i knew i loved this city for a reason....now that i'm back it feels like i never left, although i'm amazed i ever thought the sushi here was good

that said, found the best little japanese restaurant just over from the HB so i can still get my natto fix

not much has changed here, same faces same places, great to be back in a land where my feet are a normal size and i can buy clothes that fit me!

sayonara nippon

2006-08-18T13:52:00.000+01:00

sniff sniff, that's it...the end is finally nigh!! although i have throroughly enjoyed my sejour in the Orient, enough is enough and it's time to say goodbye. I'm not gonna rose-tint everything and say it was all fabulousness and pink and fluffy, cos it wasn't, but I sure as hell am glad I came out here. and I still have a three year visa, so look out, I may well be back!!

mata ne!!

CAMPIONI DEL MONDO!

2006-07-10T04:13:00.000+01:00

Congratulazioni azzurris!!

Dommage pour les Francais, j'etais avec vous! :o(

Vielen Vielen Dank an Euch, die Deutschen. Ihr habt uns alle eine tolle WM gegeben!

World Cup fever...

2006-06-09T04:26:00.000+01:00

it's not fair. Can't believe I'm so far away from all the fun and games back in Munich, and all over Germany. Talk about bad timing! Not looking forward to the evening games, shown at a very unsociable 4am out here! urgh.

My money's on the Germans....

Good World Cup everyone!

Spring has sprung...

2006-05-05T03:32:00.000+01:00

...and about time too! Finally the sun has shown it's face and the mountain is warming up nicely. Everything smells different, the birds are singing, the rice paddies are flooded, people are smiling and the bikers are already tearing up the roads. And best of all the sakura is in full bloom clinging to the trees like freshly popped popcorn...

I love spring!

it's Carla's birfday innit!

2006-04-29T16:41:00.000+01:00

Another birthday, another fancy dress party! Unfortunatley (or fortunately, depending onbhow you look at it) this one was lost on most people, except us English it seemed : Chav night. Order of the day were Chavs, Neds, Westies, Bogans, Hoods....Get yer Burberry on!

Happy Anniversary to me!

2006-04-06T00:23:00.000+01:00

it's official, i've been in japan one year today! i can't believe how quickly the time has gone by! i always thought that today'd be the day that i'd be coming home, but as it goes i'll be here for another 4 months...bit more to see n do. it's been an interesting year, lots has happened, and it's not always been easy, but i'm still here, and enjoying it, don't regret for a moment coming out here.
still, good to know that i'll be back soon, older and maybe even a little bit wiser
xxx

sakura sakura, where for art thou sakura

2006-04-02T00:40:00.000+01:00

will someone please tell the weather it's spring!! while the rest of the country is basking in the fisrt rays of spring sunlight and hanami partying it up, us suckers are stuck up here freezing our proverbials off! it's April for goodness sake! -5 and snow from a-hole to breakfast time!!!maybe i took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in siberia??

i know most English pubs are zoos...

2006-04-02T00:16:00.000+01:00

but this is taking things a bit far!

one by one, the animals are leaving the ark...last night we said goodbye to Steve Urwin (far right), otherwise known as Mitch, or Devil Spawn, or Manko Rash (please don't ask) depending on your mood that day. The youngest of the bunch, and by far and away the craziest. Complete looney. This place just won't be the same without him; we'll all be able to sleep safe in our beds!
Dumbo too, aka Alex, or Devil Woman (there seems to be a theme here...) is deserting us, heading for the even bigger zoo that is Tokyo! Matt and Tim (not pictured, didn't wanna do that to you so early on a morning) have also left the building. They're picking us off one by one...wonder who's next...is there anybody out there??

yikes....

2006-03-24T12:08:00.000+01:00

exactly 184 days since i added a single word to this thing...when i started out in March of last year i had such high hopes for my new baby blog. well obviously my maternal skills just don't cut it, but as i don't have a mini me to worry about, then i guess it's not such a big deal. that said, i did have major technical issues (computer exploded in a rather spectacular fashion) but that's just not good enuf i'm afraid young lady and i apologise profusely to those of you bored enuf to check this thing once in a while. promise to be a better blogger from now on.
the problem of taking such a long break is getting back into things. it's kind of like going back to work after Christmas, you just don't wanna! and where the hell do i start...since i left you i've settled in well at my new job, as most people have left i'm one of the most senior teachers, strictly in terms of lenght of service; not like i get to boss people around or anything...even though life can be tough stuck on top of a mountain, the classes and the students liven things up, and there still hasn't been a moment when i've woken up and thought "man, i hate my job and sooooo don't wanna go to work today". so i don't hate mondays anymore, which can only be a good thing.
friends and family have come and gone, taking me to wonderful places such as kyoto, osaka, kobe, and back to tokyo, and it was a learning curve and experience for all involved. japan is such a contradiction, and i'm really glad to have seen so many sides...still not even scratched the surface. check out the rest of the site for more pics...they say an image is worth a thousand words, and bloody well glad of it, cos i'd bore you all to tears and my hand'd drop off if i had to tell you everything. so i'll let the pics speak for themselves.
nuff said.

the fires of autumn

2006-03-24T11:57:00.000+01:00

and then it all went white...

2006-03-24T11:40:00.000+01:00

Kyoto: temples, tea ceremony, shrines and geisha, it's what Japan's all about

2006-03-24T11:36:00.000+01:00

kiyomizudera, my favourite ever temple

kinkakuji

kyoto...full of surprises

2006-03-24T11:28:00.000+01:00

an alley way!! blink and you missed it

maybe not the most elegant form of transport...

if you can fit through, you'll find true love...

2006-03-24T11:24:00.000+01:00

moment of doubt when it came to the bum...but i
made it!

not a panda in sight

2006-03-24T11:22:00.000+01:00

lost in translation

2006-03-24T11:19:00.000+01:00

from the zen gardens of kyoto...to the madness of tokyo

2006-03-24T11:01:00.000+01:00

zen...

...not so zen...

pimps n hoes...out in style for Paul's birthday

2006-03-24T10:30:00.000+01:00

lock up your daughters...

or was that just a regular Friday night..??

strawberries, champagne and bacon sarnies...

2006-03-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

bird came to japan...

and we celebrated christmas in style...

well, almost...

:oD

2005-09-21T07:03:00.000+01:00

motley crew

neglect....

2005-09-21T06:33:00.000+01:00

try as i might, i cant seem to keep up with this thing...and to be honest, its not like i dont have the time. up on the mountain time is so strange, i feel like i have so much of it and yet not enuf. its condensed and compressed, one week seems to pass so quickly and yet it feels like a month has gone by. maybe its cos you see the same faces everyday, not just at work, but cos you live with them too.
good bunch up here, not complaining. mainly australians and kiwis, only 3 brits holding up the fort. days are spent teaching and sleeping, time to visit japan on weekends, but not so isolated, actually learning more japanese here than i was in tokyo.
not so many photo opportunities have passed...in 4 weeks i get 2 weeks off and plan to travel about a bit, so watch this space...

2005-09-18T06:57:00.000+01:00

half a yard of ale anyone?

british hills

2005-07-30T14:03:00.000+01:00

just when you thought you had things all figured out, you go on a two day break and land yourself the job of a lifetime! eh oui, i'm leaving good old Tokyo and heading for the hills, got me a job on top of a mountain! that (above) is what i'll be seeing everyday!
goodbye skyscrapers, hello forest, lakes and trees...heaven! all you skiiers out there get your boots polished for the winter, i can see the pistes from my bedroom window!
i'll be teaching everything from English to cooking (errm...) to orientiering to jewellry making in a fabulously surreal place called British Hills
It is little britain...I can visit Japan on weekends

modern technology

2005-07-28T14:31:00.000+01:00

it seems anyone can use it out here...

am i on trigger happy tv or something??

highstreet pics from the part of tokyo i call home

2005-07-26T13:26:00.000+01:00

my favourite store

cont...

2005-07-26T13:25:00.000+01:00

the local butcher's

cont... again...

2005-07-25T13:33:00.000+01:00

surely there is only so much you can do with tofu

Bon Odori

2005-07-24T09:42:00.000+01:00

On my way home from a normal day at work and I stumbled across this right next to my house, that's the thing I love about this country, just when you thought you knew what to expect...

folks in kimonos and all the get-up, the dance looked very easy but old Mrs 2 left-feet here still couldn't pull it off, maybe I wasn't wearing the right shoes...

Expanation: over a two day period July or August many Japanese celebrate the Bon Odori Festival. This Buddhist dance festival is celebrated as a reminder of the gratefulness one should feel toward their ancestors. Bon Odori originates from the story of a Buddhist disciple who envisioned his deceased mother in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts where she was endulging in her own selfishness. Greatly disturbed, he went to Buddha and asked how he could release his mother from this realm. Buddha advised his disciple to perform some charitable act in memory of his mother. The disciple did this and, thus, saw his mother's release for the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release and grateful for his mother's kindness, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes Bon Odori or Bon Dance, a time in which our ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated.
Today the Bon Odori Festival participants continue this custom as they dance in traditional Japanese dress, including kimonos, yukata (cotton kimonos), and hopi coats (short coats styled like a kimono top). The dances may include the use of fans, castinets, straw hats or cotton towels and recall both daily life in Japan and rememberance of ancestors.

2005-07-22T04:12:00.000+01:00

gate to the entrance of sensoji enshrining Buddhist teachings and a statue of Kannon (goddess of mercy) fished from the nearby river by two fishermen in 628 AD

2005-07-22T04:07:00.000+01:00

asakusa...

lost in translation...and a bit more

2005-07-21T11:53:00.000+01:00

a sign for teapots reads:

A teapot cracks easily and treats politely, please. Please make amends when cracking.

i kid you not. and then I went on a river cruise and wound up a bit lost myself...

ami and yasuo

2005-07-21T11:36:00.000+01:00

very productive day! woke up bright and early and set off for Asakusa to see another temple, getting jaded already, seen one seen em all...but i didn't bargain on making 2 new friends, these little cuties are Ami and Yasuo, and they're just learning english so their mum sent them over and asked if they could take a picture with me...finally my 15 minutes of fame!

Got a nice little japanese origami balloon as a thank you gift too...awwww! i think japanese kids just might be the cutest in the world! Kawaii desu ne!

japanese food is good for you...

2005-07-05T15:33:00.000+01:00

all of my students tell me that natto (see pic) is not only traditionally japanese but also very healthy and good for you, so i decided to get into the swing of life out here and see what the fuss was about...if only i had found this website beforehand.... http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000373.php

Steve, Don't Eat It! Vol. 6
Natto
I recently came across a container of fermented soybeans in the supermarket. I don't mean an old container of soybeans some stockboy forgot to toss. These are fermented-on-purpose soybeans from Japan. That's what Natto is.
I remembered hearing about this stuff on Iron Chef one time when it was the secret ingredient. The judges in the show were commenting on what a great job the chefs had done to "supress the smell" of the natto. I'm no Iron Chef, but I've got a clever way to supress the smell. Don't put it in your fucking food. I might not win "Battle Natto," but I promise you my dinner won't smell like stank-ass soybeans.
I found it slightly unsettling that the sealed styrofoam container had creepy little airholes in it. As if what was inside needed to breathe. I dared to lift the lid, which made me regret that I needed to breathe. The natto was coated in some kind of sick slime and had the complex yet playful aroma of a dumpster in July.
Actually, the little pile inside looked kinda like baked beans. It also smelled kinda like baked beans. If they were baked in the filthy heat of Satan's asshole.

This particular batch was made by a company in Japan called Shirakiku. I haven't been able to determine if Shirakiku is a food manufacturer, or just a store that sells gag gifts and practical jokes. It might be both.
Not unlike Michael Jackson, these harmless soybeans had undergone some kind of hideous transformation. They were now a freakish version of their former selves. (Which, coincidentally, should also be kept away from your children.)
The most disturbing aspect of this stuff is it seems to get "activated" when you stir it. What I mean by this is, (and I may actually weep, but...) the slimy coating on the beans develops into stringy, stretchy, marshmallow-like strands that will forever haunt my dreams.

Basically, if you move it back and forth enough, you're left with a gross, sticky mess. (Hey, natto and I have at least one thing in common!) And now that I think about it, that's exactly what it looks like the pranksters back at Shirakiku did into my beans. You guuuys!
I force-fed myself a big ol' spoonful, and found it to be slightly rancid and extremely bitter. Unfortunately, swallowing didn't help dissipate the flavor because the strings of bean jizz melted, coating my mouth and lips with a glistening sheen of sadness.
The entire experience is difficult to describe, but if you can remember back to the very first time you made out with a hobo's ass, it's a lot like that.
What I find most hilarious is that there is an expiration date on the package. What could they possibly expect to happen to the product on this date THAT HAS NOT ALREADY OCCURRED?!!!
Also, nestled in this mound of compost was a li'l packet of mustard. In its place, I would strongly suggest a written apology.
I do have one last theory about the date on the package. It may be an expiration date, but not for the beans. If you finish the container, that's the day you die.

just to let you know, i survived my first experience...but natto is sold in packs of three...

shibuya

2005-06-27T14:35:00.000+01:00

this place can really freak you out, heaven forbid anyone on the verge of a nervous breakdown out here! even though there are thousands of people on the streets 24 hours a day, you can easily find yourself the only westerner in a sea of japanese, with wave after wave of curious asian faces surging towards you. disorientating to say the least...

le Paradis est un fromage...

2005-06-26T22:31:00.000+01:00

enfin!!! je n'ai toujours pas trouve les accents sur les claviers japonais, mais j'ai bien trouve mon bonheur : en guise de comte!!
alors le Japon: les chaussures sont trop petites; la biere est trop chere; mais au moins ils ont du bon fromage!

c'est la merde...

2005-06-14T17:29:00.000+01:00

et vous, vous en auriez confiance?!

Ginza

2005-06-14T17:23:00.000+01:00

the Beverley Hills of Tokyo, from the 42nd floor

sake barrels at the meiji shrine....

2005-06-14T14:47:00.000+01:00

couldn't find a hole in any of 'em! :o(

2005-06-14T13:11:00.000+01:00

is the blue one a famous melon perhaps??? it should be, it costs 40 pounds!!

2005-05-27T01:49:00.000+01:00

we are the champions!!

l'auberge japonais

2005-05-22T11:13:00.000+01:00

my bestest flat mate has moved out leaving a big echoey nothing where her sunny "good morning poppit!" used to be...i cannot live like this so have decided to move. as luck would have it i've somehow stumbled upon the japanese version of l'auberge espagnol (francois, jerome: il y a meme un anglais super con comme le frere de wendy dans le film!! si si, c'est vrai! malheureusement ils existent! la honte!!) and i move in in 21 days and counting! i'll be living with 20 people and another 17 in the house next door, from all over the world - aussies, kiwis, japanese, germans, brits and americans make up the count so far...not forgetting a transylvanian!!
so in a little over 3 weeks time life is gonna get crazy and i can't wait!
plus, 24 hour internet in my room so get your MSNs ready!

i have a

2005-05-20T11:08:00.000+01:00

bike! and i love it! as much as i enjoyed the croggies home from the good old twisted, i have to say it is wonderful to be in charge of my own destiny rather than it be in the hands of some crazy "can't see if there are any cars coming, so just cross your fingers and hope for the best" texan with a hood over his eyes! ;oP
in the last few days i have spent hours just meandering through the back streets of tokyo peering into people's houses and gardens (better than being crammed in their armpit on the crowded subways i can tell you!) you see so much more on a bike than you do on foot or whizzing past in a car
saddle ain't very comfy tho...

yoga in yoyogi park

2005-05-10T09:24:00.000+01:00

and no sign of yogi bear...

i had possibly the happiest day of my tokyo existence on sunday...started of in harajuku where everyone goes mad and dresses up in craaaaaaazy sylees, literally anything goes; transvestites, goths, hello kitty fans, mad axe murderers, you name it! the dancing elvi (plural of elvis?!) were particularly exciting!
into yoyogi park and people are doing sunday things, playing badminton with the kids, walking dogs, having picnics...then there's a bongo circle of about 15 rastafarians next to a guy playing a didgereedoo next to some guys practising tai-chi next to a hacky-sack contest next to people having an outdoor rave...the list goes on, live music, rickshaws, skipping, dancing etc etc etc.
not to be outdone my friends and i got together for some outdoor yoga, barefoot and in the mud, great fun! talk about getting back to nature, very hippyish!
to make sure i didn't get a little too smug from my wholesome sunday afternoon joined the guys from work in a nomehodai or however you spell it, basically all you can eat and drink and then some...and then... karaoke!!
it's official: i'm a fan!

2005-04-18T12:26:00.000+01:00

would you eat in this guy's restaurant?!!

2005-04-18T12:25:00.000+01:00

thirsty anyone?

2005-04-18T12:18:00.000+01:00

Helpful map in Shinjuku...

Tokyo...

2005-04-11T21:25:00.000+01:00

where people are small and the toilets make fake flushing noises to cover nature's own. this place is craaaaaaaaaazy. there could not be enuf a's in that word. been wandering around in gob-smacked wonder for the last 4 days, like i'm a 5 year old again.
they say that children are like philosophers in that they haven't yet lost the ability to wonder at the world...anyone who fears they may have, come to Japan
What a place.

survived

2005-04-10T23:30:00.000+01:00

my first earthquake today...slept thru it actually. bit of an anticlimax, was kinda looking forward to it in a morbid way...woke up to feel my futon swaying from side to side as if i was on a boat, thought nothing of it and went back to sleep.
be great in an emergency I would...

Airports...

2005-04-05T13:30:00.000+01:00

always thought they were like hospitals for some reason, strange and clinical, never liked them. Somehow Heathrow is different, something to do with the abundance of shops and Pret a Manger sandwiches maybe...or maybe just because of the promise fo what lies ahead. Having torn myself away from Munich, probably the hardest thing i've done in years, i'm really looking forward to what lies ahead. I've got a couple of hours to hang around, and feel strangely serene considering i'm about to fly off to the other side of the world, then again, plenty of others do it everyday, why not me?
time for a taco

2005-03-24T21:20:00.000+01:00

dirty eyebrows

blog virgin

2005-03-24T20:54:00.000+01:00

finally i am amongst the cool kids. or maybe on the edges looking in...whatever, i have my very own blog.
my baby, to screw up in my very own special way. So if any of you who know me are bored enuf to stumble upon this little thing, then treat it with care.
my days in munich are numbered...japan awaits, kawasaki (tokyo) to be precise...so bear with me, KaBoink will soon become exciting, at least i hope. there is immense pressure (probably inmagined) to compete with all those funny, entertaining and interesting blogs out there...can i keep up? doubtful, but those of you wanting to share my experiences in the land of the rising sun, stick with it...
you have been warned