Stacked Deck

Destined For The Cupboard After 2 Weeks

2008-07-03T09:08:00.002+09:00

I am not a chess fan by the slightest measure or a Tic Tac Toe aficionado in any of my dreamtime landscapes. I pretty much gave up playing Tic Tac Toe when I realized that every game between halfway intelligent people ended in a draw and my weekly chess forays result only from a deprivation of net access at one school I work at and let me tell you, I suck at chess. I really do.

That said, I have an illogical attraction and confounding desire for what I discovered today.

Mirror Tic Tac Toe (from Peleg Design)is a set of half-pieces that become whole when you place them on the mirrored playing board. Even though the game itself is hardly entertaining for prolonged periods and ultimately a collosal waste of time, you can always admire the design.

The Alice Chess Set on the other hand involves more than 63 braincells and is also super cool.
We've all seen glass chess sets before. See-through board and chesspieces but the similarities end there. These chess pieces, when in play, are clear and a negative space showing the traditional shapes can be seen. However, remove them from the board and they turn opaque.
To quote a certain Mr. Clarkson, "I am now nursing a semi!"

Sesame Street Japan Style!

2008-06-13T13:41:00.002+09:00

You see a laughable proficiency of English.

I see job security.

Wallet, Check ... Cell Phone, Check ... Kevlar, Check

2008-06-09T08:55:00.003+09:00

What the frack is wrong with the world?!

By now, news would have trickled out to all major worldwide media outlets about the stabbings in Akihabara. Some 25-year-old nut-job drove a truck through a crowd of pedestrians in the electronics mecca then jumped out and started randomly stabbing people. WTF?! He was apparently "tired of life" and that he "came to Akihabara to kill people. It didn't matter who (he) killed". The casualties total 7 dead and at least 11 injured.

There's been a spate of murder-related headlines recently about people who go off the plantation due to stress or depression or other flavour of crazy.

Now see here. I have plenty to worry about as it is. I don't need the added stress of potential random acts of violence when I might be out for my constitutional. When I leave the apartment, I should not have to check to make sure that I haven't forgotten to put on my police-grade, slash-resistant tunic. Bloody nutters!

Risking possible distress on my mother's part, I used to have a night class in Akihabara. To her infinite relief (as well as Ets'), she'll be glad to know that that ended about a month ago.

Holy Mother of ...!!!

2008-06-06T08:27:00.003+09:00

A glimpse of this mutha just made me shit myself. I don't know about you but I am deathly afraid of huge insects ESPECIALLY those with sharp bits sticking out of them. True, this 5-inch elephant beetle may indeed be as harmless as a cabbage but it's still enough to make all the hairs on my neck stand on end. I mean look at it! It's as big as a grown man's hand! You could set a place for it at the dinner table!

Link (via Boing Boing)

Once You Pop, You Can't ... Oh Wait ...

2008-06-04T10:17:00.004+09:00

By now, I'm sure that it has come to the attention of a few of you that the designer of the Pringles can has recently shuffled off this mortal coil and his preferred conveyance into the hereafter was a Pringles can. No word whether his family bought some Pringles, ate them and then threw a few spoonfuls of his ashes into the makeshift urn.

Rest in peace, Fredric J. Baur. He pops no more.

Gee ... I really hope that some 'reality-enhanced' college kids don't find that pringles can during one of their bong sessions.

Stoned kids with munchies + Pringles can filled with dead person = Not good

Hair Trouble?

2008-05-29T10:29:00.002+09:00

Assuming the human body knows what it's doing, I have yet to discern the need for increased nasal hair as I develop in years. It has been suggested that it's a stopgap solution that addresses the problem of living in Tokyo i.e. air pollution. Nevertheless, I find that I periodically have to thrust tiny blades into my nose to trim the filtres naturel lest they result in the topic of conversation being focused solely on their protrusion.

Enter the Groom Mate!

This electronic wunderkind promises to trim those unsightly nose and ear hairs (although I saw one guy with some amazing plumage erupting from his ears and I don't think anything short of a weed whacker will take care of that).

Despite the promise that it "is designed to never pull hair thanks to its two-handed design", you'll forgive me if I approach this with some trepidation having witnessed firsthand the effects of other so-called "no-tug" hair trimmers.

Besides, even with it's Lilliputian size, saying that I use a two-handed nose-hair trimmer sorta implies that it could just as easily be solved with garden shears.

The Travel Bug

2008-05-16T08:30:00.002+09:00

For most of us, the procedure with which we check if our luggage is over the limit is three-fold:
1) we hop onto a bathroom scale, noting (possibly reluctantly) our weight
2) we pick up our bags and note the combined weight of body+bag
3) subtract (1) from (2) and get the magic number

optional step (4) repack as necessary

Some bright spark has devised a much easier way to do this without all the chicanery.
This little tension spring device weighs your bag without the need for bathroom scales and the hopping on and off it entails. I suppose this is useful if you don't already have a bathroom scale and have the tendency to overpack. Not so useful if you already have a scale and can't really be bothered to pick up a dedicated luggage-weighing thingamabob. Hmm ... maybe you could weigh other things around the house ... like small children ... or like checking if that pound cake you bought really weighs a pound.

For the Germaphobic Among Us

2008-05-09T18:14:00.002+09:00

I saw this on sale at Tokyu Hands in Ginza and immediately thought of my mum. This set of cutting boards are colour-coded to prevent all (well, except colour-blind people) who worry about cross-contamination. It's a very simple system, really. Red for meat, white for cooked food, blue for fish, and green for fruit and veg.

To be fair, I thought of mum because we had a discussion once about cross-contamination. She's really not a germaphobe who'd rather live in a bubble. Wait ... I just remembered that my parents drink distilled water too ... AND take a whole battery of vitamins ... AND don't eat much carbs ...

Shake & Bake Part 2

2008-05-08T08:31:00.002+09:00

I was rudely woken last night by quite a quake. No gentle rousing by a swaying of the room leaving me wondering if I was inebriated at the time. No, this was a jolting-out-of-slumber level quake that lasted a good few minutes and actually sired a small portion of terror.

Just as I was about to say "This is it! The Big One!", the quake died down leaving the Greater Tokyo area like a Bond martini.

Upon checking the relevant websites this morning, it looks like the epicenter was somewhere in Ibaraki at a magnitude of 6.7. Tokyo, or more accurately my part of Tokyo, was at around 3 in comparison and it still shook stuff around enough for Ets to truly worry. It also probably doesn't help that my apartment is on the 7th floor.

No mention on the news sites yet though.

Finally! A Decent Hiding Place For Por... err ... Valuables!

2008-05-02T17:13:00.003+09:00

When you come across a company called Creative Home Engineering, you would be forgiven for thinking that they specialize in unique water features for your garden (with perhaps a koi or two), or even some low rent prefabs.

To that, I say "No, Sir! Creative Home Engineering will blow your mindgrapes".

Take a look at these pics:

Secret passages!!! They build secret passages into your house!!! Rotating fireplaces, swivelling bookcases, flip-up staircases ... makes me wish I was a Bond villain.

I guess you'd have to be careful not to overdo the whole thing or people would notice that the house seems a lot larger from the outside.

I didn't even know a company that did this existed. To be fair, I am very unlikely to be needing their services in the foreseeable future, or even my entire life. Which is unfortunate.

Bonus points for their website containing this quote:
A thief cannot burglarize a room he can't find.

Shake & Bake

2008-05-01T07:37:00.003+09:00

In all my years here in Japan, I've experienced quite a few earthquakes. I've been woken up in the middle of the night by a temblor that rattled the doors and made my cell phone dance across the table, and there've been a few which have crept up on me and the only sign that anything was amiss was a little jiggling of the TV. However, today was the first time that there was an earthquake at the precise moment I was busy riding the porcelain bus.

The only thought in my mind was, "Oh God! I don't want to die like this" that is, on the crapper with my pants around my ankles.

Stabby Stabby

2008-04-21T12:47:00.007+09:00

Gleaned from the pages of some UK-based self-styled "superboutique" are TC Studio's Knife Hooks. Personally, I love 'em. They lend a touch of the macabre to any residence and makes it look like a circus knife-thrower lives there.

Too bad they're 25 quid a pop. That's just a bit too much money for what is essentially a coat hook that will undoubtedly end up in the hallway. AND ... get this ... there's also an inexplicably exorbitant shipping charge of 20 more of your english pounds. Honestly, it'd actually be cheaper to buy real knives and start flinging them around the apartment.

Hey, TC Studio people, I'd like to show you where I'd like to stick a knife.

Yokoso Japan, 2008!

2008-04-01T11:36:00.002+09:00

In the continuing saga of the Wong family's traipsings around the world, we bring you part 2 in an open-ended journey of Japan.

Better Than Hallmark

2008-02-15T15:22:00.004+09:00

I have stumbled across a resource overflowing with possibilities. The Bureau of Communication facilitates the amazingly easy customization of letters in the form of fill-in-correspondence. Need to profess your undying love? Need to send holiday greetings or convey a begrudging apology? No worries. Just fill in all the pertinent information and click in the appropriate spots and you're golden.

The Forgotten

2008-02-15T08:52:00.003+09:00

A decade ago, an unknown toy designer (at least to me) pitched some designs to Lucas right before Episode 1 came out and most of them didn't make it to market. Heaven knows why as I would love to have these adorning my living room/balcony/person ... if I was firmly committed/resigned to leading a bachelor life ... and having only Star Wars nerds as friends ... and believing that I could subsist entirely on barbecued meat, Death Star gumballs and carbonite-chilled Pepsi.

I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan by any stretch but it's still fun to see these.

My personal favourite has to be this:

Beans, Grinds, and Brews

2008-02-13T08:31:00.002+09:00

In recent months, I have become something of a coffee afficianado (despite being cursed with a low tolerance for caffeine and can't drink the stuff after 6pm) and have spent no small portion of my abundant free time delving into the dark depths of this roasted world garnering information on everything from the types of beans available and degrees of roasting, to the various methods of coaxing that magical elixir from said beans. Being something of a gourmand herself, ets has also taken an interest in my dabblings, albeit that of an observer who benefits from my experimentations.

My Hario Nouveau vac-pot will be arriving soon and my eager hands already have in their grasp a bag of whole coffee beans and a ceramic burr grinder. I am assured somewhat indirectly by others that the vac-pot is the way to go and has the added bonus of looking like something a mad-scientist might use. It seems like the ideal trade-off in terms of time, hassle, and end-result for me. I draw the line at actually roasting my own beans which seems a bit too fanatical for me.

Since the grinder arrived in the post yesterday, I woke up extra early today (all of 30 minutes) to grind myself some beans and use ets' French press in lieu of the vac-pot. Following numerous accounts found on the net and adhering to coffee canon, I ground 20 grams of beans for the 2-cup (allegedly) French press which actually fit in my regular-sized mug. The resulting concoction has me still riding the crest of an epic caffeine high 2 hours on. Thankfully, my hands aren't vibrating themselves into oblivion.

I don't know if it's just that cold here or whether it's because of the coffee but I can't feel my face.

That said, the coffee was remarkable and so unlike the supermarket coffee we usually imbibe that I felt even more justified in sinking a bit of money into the new toys. I already intend to make my earlier-than-usual waking a regular occurance just to make a fresh cup of joe and head off to work brighter-eyed than before. I doubt I'll use the vac-pot and instead use the press for my daily pre-work fix and save the gravity-defying feats for the weekends when ets and I will also most likely have some fresh bread to go along with it. Good times.

In Hot Water

2008-01-22T13:56:00.001+09:00

A little over a week ago, Ets and I took advantage of the rare occurrence of coinciding days off to head out to the hot spring town of Hakone (again) to enjoy the wintry chill and the steaming water that gushed from sources underground.

We bought to tickets on the very strangely named Romancecar train to whisk us away from Tokyo.

After we arrived, we took a quick walk around before buying the Hakone Free Pass to grant unlimited use of most modes of public transportation in Hakone. With that sorted, we then proceeded to take in a little history. This being Hakone, and having heard quite abit about it, we headed to the Sekisho, the checkpoint that policed traffic between Tokyo and Kyoto.

Stairs going up the hill led to the lookout post from which you could see the entire Sekisho and most of Lake Ashi.

Here's Ets being all look-outy for ... something.

And the silliness that we have come to expect from such excursions.

By that time, it was about time for us to head to the ryokan to check-in and have the first of several baths followed by dinner. It was snowing quite heavily when we made it to the ryokan but unfortunately, the weather cleared up when I went to the outdoor bath (>_< ) I have yet to successfully take a bath outdoors whilst it was snowing. Dinner consisted of a selection of tiny things, sashimi, nabe, and a big bowl of crab soup. Each.

Ets was determined to scrape out every bit of crab meat that wasn't boiled away that she could from the shell.

Breakfast was just as grand and almost ended our plans for an early start.

We left before 9 so that we could arrive at the Hakone Gora Park Craft House and finish making our cups with plenty of time left to do everything elso on our list. Like the evening before, it was snowing again and the air was crisp and fresh, the polar opposite of what we usually breathed in Tokyo.
After looking at the options available, we both decided that we didn't need any more normal cups or glasses and opted to make our own ...
wait for it ... BEER CUPS.

We had complete freedom as to what we wanted our beer cups to look like and Ets' ended up looking like this.

I don't quite share the same artistic talent as Ets although I seem to be more able at making a cup that didn't resemble a vase. I present my sad attempt at a sakura-themed beer cup complete with imperfection at the base to indicate its amateur hand-made nature.

After finishing our masterpieces, we bade farewell to the artisans that would fire our cups in the oven and send them to us, and took the cable car up to Owakudani.
I love cable car rides and it began simply enough with us rising above the cable car station and surroundings and proceeding further up the mountain.

Hey, is it getting foggy?

Within moments ...

The car seemed to slow to a crawl and we'd inch our way through the white blindness until finally, through the fog (cloud?), we saw our final stop and got out at the Great Boiling Valley, Owakudani.

Upon disembarking, we could immediately detect a slight odour in the air. A strange mustiness that smelled like sweat and eggs. Sulphur.
This particular part of Hakone is famous for only one thing. The area is carefully cordoned off because some 'injurious' volcanic gases might suddenly erupt. There are no hot springs in which you can take a bath. So what is so famous around here?
The eggs. Specifically, the black eggs that purports to extend your life by 7 whole years for each that you consume. As the eggs are sold in bags of 6, most tourists end up eating 42 years worth in one sitting. The little shop at the source was a good 15 minutes up the mountain on foot and with each footstep, the foul stench grew stronger.

Once we got there, we lined up, bought a bag and went off in search of a place to lengthen our lives. Here we are with our haul. They even come with a little sachet of salt to flavour your eggs.

And here I am in the process of scalding my fingers with the fresh-from-the-volcano egg. Truth be told, they tasted exactly like normal hard-boiled eggs although the supposed rich taste is a "gourmand gift from the king of hell".

3 eggs each later, we took the cable car back down to Lake Ashi and boarded a comically funny pirate ship for a cruise to the other side of the lake ...

... and then went down to the Suzuhiro Kamaboko Museum with the intention to join one of the classes on making our own kamaboko. We arrived 10 minutes too late and had to settle for watching others make their fish paste products.
The museum had their own little snacking area where you could buy a kamaboko-sake set, sit down and enjoy its Zen-like tranquility ... and I suppose fight the urge to pee because of all that running water.

Even after that, we still had an hour before our train so we went to a cafe and afternoon tea comprising a sweet potato pie and some matcha.

The cafe was very much like Craft House in that both were very arty farty. I suspect that all the plates and cups originated from the very place where I fashioned my own cup not five hours ago. The chairs all had strange phrases carved into the back. Some were in English and yet others were in a tongue unknown to me. One such chair made me laugh.

The doors to the facilities were also appropriately decorated.

Finally, the hour drew near and we took the new Romancecar back to the concrete jungle of Tokyo.

The Heat of a Thousand Hells

2008-01-22T08:46:00.000+09:00

In my visit to the konbini to pick up a coffee, this particular snack food called to me and one glance hinted at the evil emanating from within its depraved depths. The 103 yen 「大魔王ジョロキア」 (Demon King Jolokia) is adorned with the devil spice plucked from the ninth level of hell itself and flanking it, displayed like trophies of war, are what I can only imagine are the closest approximations of the scorched spirits of the damned departing their now well-spiced carcasses.
The packet promises, nay, declares mouth-searing levels of spice as the foremost ingredient in this forbidden alchemy is the "World's Hottest Chili Pepper". I have yet to open it and test my mettle but I strongly suspect that prior to doing so, some form of tribute, perhaps even a sacrifice will be required before I am deemed worthy of unsealing it and partaking of its unholy maw.
Despite its "World's Hottest" claims, the concentration of Jolokia is as yet unknown and as such, I can not yet discern if it is deserving of my wary respect. One day, soon.

Breakfast of Champions

2007-11-08T12:59:00.001+09:00

The right cup is a bowl of rice and the left is a bowl of miso soup and this linger-icious take on a traditional Japanese breakfast even includes a pair of collapsible chopsticks. If you look closely enough (and you know you want to), there's even a removable chopstick rest between the bowls (or cups).

(From the Mainichi Daily News)

Busier, Older, and Actually Feeling Like Blogging

2007-10-29T09:49:00.000+09:00

Another birthday's come and gone and my impending membership of Club 3-0 is drawing ever nearer. Not that I mind that much. I keep reminding myself, and ets, that she'll be in that prestigious club a full year and a half before I am.

Work-wise, I think that from today, I shall actually be working full Monday-Friday work weeks until Dec 7, which is a strange feeling as I haven't had to work a full week since the first term ended in the first week of July. I'm also keeping busy with my night classes three times a week. Gives me something to do and also nicely pads the pocket book.

And here's something nice. I know, I know, summer has long since come and gone but I got this to complement my birthday prezzie from ets. She got me a beginner's bartending set (sans alcohol) although I suspect that she got me that only so I can throw together her favourite libations.

I also got one of these. A nice funky toy but what am I going to do with it after the first week? Robert? Still looking for a robot?

Beyond Fast

2007-10-01T15:03:00.000+09:00

On a whim, I decided to do an internet speed test from my broadband connection at home.

Which I thought was pretty good. Until I ran the test at one of the schools I'm working at.

Pics from the trip

2007-09-05T22:59:00.000+09:00

Back in KL

2007-08-16T09:37:00.000+09:00

I arrived last night and actually made it through customs remarkably fast. Either my fellow passengers were in transit or they were lost as I was the first person at the Autogate and at the baggage collection carousel.

My schedule remains quite free except for the required relaxings at home and catchings up with the fam.

Off the bat, I notice that Malaysia is quite a lot cooler than Japan. Funny that. Didn't even break a sweat throughout the night and a quick glance at my weather gadget tells me that as at 8.30am, it is actually 6 degrees cooler here.

How to Dance at a Rave

2007-08-10T16:08:00.000+09:00

Ultimate Simpsons Intro

2007-07-22T13:56:00.000+09:00