Reservations, Boujeaulais Nouveaux, i-phone...

Reservations...I read an article the other day in the paper about reservations. How early do you make reservations? For example, to reserve a table at a popluar restaurant, to order a christmas cake, to get a room at a hotel for New Year's Eve. For restaurants, most people said they made a reservation between one week and one month in advance. The same goes for Chrismats cakes. For hotels, some people replied that they make a reservation ONE YEAR in advance in some situations(for a special occassion, i.e. New Year's Eve, Christmas Eve, Fireworks Festivals...)

How about you?

How many days or weeks or months in advance to you usually make a reservation?

Last week was the "release" or "opening" of Beau Nou. Did you try it? Mr. K is a wine salesman and he told me he was really busy last week because of Beau Nou. If you tried it, what did you think? If not, what are you waiting for?!

Below is a pic of Mr. L's new i-phone. He loves it, and thinks all the gadgets and functions are great! On a side note, Mr. K ran the Fukuchiyama Marathon the other day. I was very proud of him, because I have run that marathon two times. It is not easy...And I really respect his work-ethic and strong will. Good Job Mr. K!

Nara, the diet, and 1kg=7200kcal...

How was your three day weekend?
Mine was extremely nice. I took it easy, ate some good meals, drank some nice beer and shochu, exercised, took a long bath, read a book, read the newspaper while drinking coffee, watched a dvd...all basic, simple, not-so-interesting things, but for me, those "not-so-interesting" things are really important...I cherish them.

To change the subject, as many of you know, I used to live in Nara. I lived there for 3 years and taught English in two different Junior High schools. I lived in the suburbs for one and a half years, and in the country for the other one and a half years. I really liked Nara a lot and on my days off I often went to Nara Park for a stroll. There are temples, shrines, deer(believe it or not, good-mannered deer and bad-mannered deer...)...just loads of culture. I haven't been to Nara in a while, so now I am planning a trip to visit my Japanese "hometown" again...I am looking forward to it.(Look below for Nara photos)

And, before I forget, I want to continue on the topic I spoke about last week; Mr. F's diet. According to Mr. F, "1Kg = 7200kcal. And, this calculation comes from the following formula: 1kg of 100% fat is 9000 kilocalories. But inside body fat has 20% water. So it's mean 9000kcal times 80% = 7200kcal(inside body fat)."
If you are a scientist, maybe you can understand the above explanation. To be honest, I can't...

But, last week and last weekend, I exercised a lot. In total, I ran about 20 kilometers in 7 days. Not bad for a 35 year guy with a little beer belly. I will get on the scale and weigh myself today or tomorrow, but I know that my goal, 75kg by the end of this year, is definitely within reach.

Hope ya all have a good week!

Books and a tear-jerker movie

I was talking to Ms. A the other day about books. She said that she loves to read books. Me too. We have this in common. And she said that she reads them whenever she can; on the train, on the bus, on the track while waiting for a train, at the bus stop while waiting for a bus, before sleep, and while waiting for the street lights to change...When I heard this last one, "while waiting for the street lights to change...", I said "Hold your horses!! Wait a minute! That is dangerous and you shouldn't do that!!" And I am serious. I see too many Japanese people reading while they are walking on the street! How can they see around them? How can they protect themselves from dangerous people, or dangerous cars...I can't understand it, and it is beyond me, but here is some advice. When you walk on the street, anywhere, in any town, city, or country, you should always look ahead, and look around you. Don't look down, and don't read a book!! Because it is reall dangerous. That is today's tip. Hope it was helpful.

Below is a photo of the poster for the movie "Hachi." I haven't seen it yet, but I want to. Because I love dogs. But I heard it is a real tear-jerker...

Bounty money and Happy Photo

Good morning. How is your week going so far?

After two more days, it's the weekend...

Hang in there!!

It's a little over a week since the big arrest of the fugitive Ichihashi. I am sure everyone saw it on the news or net, so I am not going to go into the details (but, I did predict that he was in Okinawa...I was close!! He was going to Okinawa...)

I found an interesting article about the bounty money for his arrest. read this: "Informants to split 10 million yen bounty"

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20091112a2.html

Who do you think should receive the lasrgest split of the bounty money; the Osaka port ferry terminal worker, the plastic surgeon in Nagoya, the ferry terminal worker in Kobe, the informant from the construction company in Osaka?

Let me know your opinion.

And to change the subject, below is a very happy picture.

I like happy pictures and happy news more than unhappy and sad news.

Please share that happiness and look at Ms. J and her dog! Cute!!

The Blues

I like jazz, especially the blues. If you don't know what the blues are, check here for an explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues

Recently, Ms. R told me about a bar near her office in Yodoyabashi. It is a British Pub/Restuarant, and often on Fridays or Saturdays live jazz concerts are held there. If I have time one day, I want to check it out. I haven't been to a live concert in a really long time...

"the blues" also has another meaning. For example;
I have the blues.
I am blue.
=I am depressed/down/sad/upset.

There are many reasons to get blue, like today's weather. It is a miserable, rainy and cold day...but let's be hopeful and optimistic and remember this:
Tomorrow is another day, another start!

November rain...

That's the weather today. Dreary and grey and wet...Ms. A told me that she lost her favorite umbrella the other day. She thought she left it on the train so she asked the train officer "Did you find a pink umbrella?" But he said "I am sorry Miss. No we haven't." She was disappointed because that umbrella had sentimental value for her. It is a shame, but something like that has happened to all of us at one time or another in our lives I think. So anyway, please be careful on the slippery roads today and don't forget your umbrella on the train!

Below is a professional level photo of some very delicious and popular cake in Honmachi these days. "Straberry Milk". It looks delicious!!

The flu and Mr. F's diet

Here are 3 tips to try to protect yourself from getting the flu.
I got them from an acquaintance of mine...

1. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water or Listerine. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive, and powerful preventative method.
2. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamins C and D.
3. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can.

And, on to another topic, I want to talk about Mr. F's amazing, successful diet. He lost about 9kgs in 4 months. But he didn't do any execerise. Or practically no exercise. And, he also continues to drink shochu daily, multiple drinks, but he has cut down on beer. About his diet, he only watches what he eats. And he also calculates his calorie intake of every meal(he eats 3 meals a day which is healthy) and each day. He told me the other day how many calories equal one kg of fat. It was some ridiculously high number...I froget it though. And he hopes to get to 80kgs by the end of the year. Then he plans to become lighter than me. (right now I weigh 78kgs. But, by Dec. 31st, I will weigh 75 kgs.) DREAM ON IT MR. F!!! It will never happen!!! Even though I admit his diet has been successful until now, I believe his diet is flawed. It has at least one major flaw. That one flaw is NO exercise I think. I don't understand how he can do NO exercise, and still lose that much weight. I believe that exercise is necessary in a diet. But sometimes if you exercise, you actaully gain weight, because exercise builds muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. Did you know that?

Below was a my favorite waterfall and bridge from University.

Winter...and more from hot Uganda

I believe it was last Monday...That was when I felt that winter had officially arrived. Cold. Bitter cold. And Monday morning was the first time I wore a winter hat since last winter. And luckily, my brother gave me 4 winter hats, so I have one to wear to work, one to wear when I go joggin outside, one to wear when I sleep, and one to wear when I am here...Just joking! I don't wear a winter hat in the classroom!! Well, at least not when anyone is here...

But today, and the past two days, are a little warmer...it is nice.

In addition, to prepare for the winter I already bought a new heater and a new carpet for the electric mat too. And soon, I am going to have to bust out(=take out) the long-johns(=long underwear)!! That's right! Every day I wear long-johns! They are a must in the winter!!! If you have never worn them, then you don't know what you're missing!!

Yesterday, the World Series ended. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Matsui was a monster...It will be a long winter without baseball, but I am already looking forward to next season.

Below are more shots from Ms. T in Uganda. These shots are quite unique I think...What an experience!!

Good morning.
How was your day off yesterday?

I went for a LDSR in the morning. This means a Long Distance Slow Run. It was the first time I have done this in a while. The reason is: there are only two more months left in this year. When this year began I weighed 75 kilograms. But now, I weigh 78. I think I put on some muscle weight, because this year I began lifting weights again, but when I look at my stomach, otherwise known as a neer belly, I think...maybe it is the beer. So I want to trim down, and get to 75 kgs before December 31st of this year. As many of you know, as we get older it is more and more difficult to lose weight...So I have to get on it, work out hard, and jsut do it!! No pain no gain!!

Below are Ms. e's email explanation and photos of her trip to Okayama the other day. I have heard a lot of good things about Okayama, and I like nature, so one day I want to make another visit there.

My trip to Okayama was wonderful.I enjoyed walking under the sunshine,sight seeing and had a wonderful timewithfriends.As I told you yesterday,we have a unique relationship for long time.Recently,I often go to Tokyo but not go to country place,so I could relaxand wasrefreshed.I like Okayama prefecture because it has mountain areas , Inland sea andmany historical places.In the mountain area,there are some hot springs. about the pictures: ・The big stones:there are along the mountain side in Sohja (not soldier)city.The stones were lifted up by "Oni" (Japanese devil) by old folk story.Do you know the story of "Momotaro"?He was born from floating peach and he went to Onigashima towipe out of devils with his buddies. It is an old famous folk story forkids in Japan.Many legends of the story are at some places in Okayama. ・Beautiful sunset and the famous five stories tower ・And some pictures of Bittyu-Matsuyama castle.I was a little surprised because the doctor (I don't know his name) doesn'tknow about the castleeven though he grow up in Okayama.

The World Series

Now in America, the World Series is taking place. My hometown team, the Phillies, are playing the New York Yankees, which is the team Matsui plays for.
It is a best of seven series, and right now the Yankees are up 3 games to 1...

Speaking of competitions, if you can answer 8 of the 10 questions in the below quiz about Philadelphia and New York food, I will buy you a beer!
And because I am kind, I will tell you the answer to the first question.
The question: How many pounds of pretzels does the average Philadelphian eat?
The answer: 12 pounds!!! Yes, that's right. The average American eats only 1 or 2 pounds a year, but Philly people eat 12!!!
Good Luck and since tomorrow is a national holiday in Japan, hope everyone can take it easy and have a good day!

http://www.delish.com/food-fun/quizzes/world-series-philadelphia-new-york-food

Maybe tomorrow, Mr. S will go for a drive and end up at another cafe like the one he went to last month in Ashiya (see below picture)

BBQ memories, and more of Okinawa...

Good morning. Yesterday was the last day of October. It was Halloween? Did anyone go to a Halloween Party? I stopped by a bar in Osaka on my way home and saw some people dressed up in a costume. Most of the people were foreigners, but I also saw a few Japanese too. People dressed up as Ultra-man, Superman, Superwoman, a cowboy, An-pan man...and more. It was funny and remined me of my childhood days when I used to get dressed up and go around to all the neighborhood houses saying "Trick or Treat!" I got a lot of candy back in the day. The Halloween bar scene was also a nice change of scenery. Next year, if ya have the time and are interested, I recommend that you check it out.

Below, is one of my next memories of the summer. A BBQ with Ms. M. We blew bubbles and had fun...I can't wait to do another BBQ next year...But next summer is a long way off.

One story from Okinawa. The only unfortunate thing of my Okinawa trip was the weather. Because of a typhoon which came near Okinawa, the weather was cloudy and rainy and windy for four of the five days I was there. But, because of this bad weather, I could have some unique and good experiences. One was: I could go snorkeling in the middle of a monsoon! It wasn't actually a monsoon, but it was like one. It was really cool to see the mountains covered in fog, and the clouds rolling in so fast! But, I think it was a little dangerous. Because after that tour, it was an afternoon tour, all of the snorkeling tours were cancelled for three days...
I was lucky!

From today is November...I wonder what kind of month it is going to be...
Hope it is a good one for everyone!!!