tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90994178053939402182024-02-20T08:48:49.336-08:00ShogakushaAn insight into one man's love affair with all things Japanese. I'm aiming to convey what I love about the language, culture, cuisine and style, as well as why - I hope I can do all that justice!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-74162481001604545402012-04-24T14:54:00.001-07:002012-04-25T04:50:47.712-07:00The Book Q&A<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Hello! It's been a little - ok, a <i>really</i> long while since I've written here. This is partly because I've been focusing on Ohayou Tokyo over <a href="http://www.ohayoutokyo.blogspot.co.uk/">here</a>, partly because I've not had a great deal to say, and partly (mostly) (almost exclusively) because I'm really lazy and a bad blogger. </div>
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But anyway, I thought I'd nip back from OT in order to fill out this fun reading Q&A, which my lovely wife at <a href="http://nekomentsu.blogspot.co.uk/">Nekomentsu</a> tagged me in. </div>
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I'm supposed to tag people into this too, but I don't want anyone to feel obliged. However I'd love to hear any and all responses - so consider this an open invitation! </div>
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Here are The Rules.</div>
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1. Post these rules<br />
2. Post a photo of your favourite book cover<br />
3. Answer the questions below<br />
4. Tag a few people to answer them too<br />
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you've tagged them<br />
6. Make sure you tell the person who tagged you that you've taken part!<br />
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<a href="http://theasylum.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/cover_6001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="http://theasylum.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/cover_6001.jpg" width="210px" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's not just the front cover of this wonderful book</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">that I like, although it is good...</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The back and inside of the cover too is beautiful, evocative, wintry.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I enjoyed judging this book by it's cover.</span></i></div>
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<b>What are you reading right now?</b><br />
I have two on the go right now - one fiction, and one non-fiction. I've just started reading The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, which is entirely not my usual kind of book - however since I came into possession of it through World Book Night, which aims to broaden people's literary horizons, this seems apt indeed.<br />
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I've also just started reading Cuckoo In The Nest by Nat Luurtsema. I'm very few pages in at the moment, as it was only delivered today and I've been at work for most of the day. But I know it's going to be good - Nat is a stand-up and sketch comedian I've been following for a while. Her stand-up is great, as is her work with sketch troupe Jigsaw, and I know from her blog that she has a wonderful turn of phrase.<br />
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<b>Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?</b><br />
I'm torn between The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King, and To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Two very different books offering interesting perspectives on American life. I hold no specific interest in Americana - or at least I didn't think I did - but it appears to be creeping in to the things I read, watch and listen to.<br />
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<b>What 5 books have you always wanted to read but haven’t got round to?</b><br />
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller<br />
Empire Of The Sun by JG Ballard<br />
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin<br />
Smiley vs. Karla by John Le Carré<br />
The Stand by Stephen King<br />
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<b>What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now?</b><br />
I only really read Olive, the cookery magazine from the BBC, as well as the occasional Private Eye. But also, thanks to my lovely wife, our house is well-stocked with copies of <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic,</a> <a href="http://www.ohcomely.co.uk/">Oh Comely</a>, <a href="http://molliemakes.themakingspot.com/">Mollie Makes</a>, <a href="http://www.discoverwildlife.com/">BBC Wildlife</a> and<a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/magazine/"> Lonely Planet</a><br />
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<b>What’s the worst book you've ever read?</b><br />
I found <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Saga-Stephenie-Meyer/dp/1904233651/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335259299&sr=1-1">Twilight</a> by Stephanie Meyer to be alarmingly sub-par. Considering the level of acclaim it 'earned', it's actually in my humble opinion rather badly written. Or overwritten, I should say. Each sentence is infused with superpowered adverbs and adjectives; characters never "speak", they "mutter intensely". I could go on, but I feel I'm in a minority here and don't wish to alienate anyone kind enough to read my thoughts here.<br />
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<b>What book seems really popular but you actually hated?</b><br />
Oh dear, I think I may have answered this one already. Never mind. Two birds, one stone and all that.<br />
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<b>What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?</b><br />
On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft, by Stephen King. He gets a bad rep, but King is a staggeringly good novelist, and writes well on the subject. In my job, I meet a lot of people who want to get into writing, and whether they aspire to pen a novel or simply rattle out a few 300-word theatre reviews, I always urge everyone to read this book. It's invaluable to anyone who wants to write - or read - at any level. </div>
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<b>What are your 3 favourite poems?</b><br />
If by Rudyard Kipling<br />
The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe<br />
This Be The Verse by Philip Larkin<br />
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<b>Where do you usually get your books?</b><br />
I have a part-time job which pays, conveniently, in Amazon vouchers rather than cash - so plenty of my books come from there. I also love old bookshops, and charity shops - I'd say it's an even split between those, with the occasional foray into Waterstones.<br />
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<b>Where do you usually read your books?</b><br />
More often than not in bed, either before sleeping or while delaying getting up.<br />
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<b>When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits?</b><br />
I had a nasty habit of reading whatever's the most new, leaving the old one unfinished. I was impatient like that. I'm ashamed to say that I still am, to an extent.<br />
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<b>What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?</b><br />
The last one I stayed up late reading was 11.22.63 by Stephen King, but recently I began reading The Old Man And The Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, one weekend morning. I'd woken up early, and intended to read a few pages before getting up and doing something useful. Unfortunately for the chores, it was so absorbing I just read the whole lot in one go, instead of getting up.<br />
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<b>Have you ever “faked” reading a book?</b><br />
I have never said I've read a book which I haven't, if that's what you mean. However I have, shall we say, created the impression I've been reading a book when a particularly interesting conversation was taking place on the seat next to me on a train...<br />
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<b>Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover?</b><br />
I bought a book for my wife based on the cover - The End Of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas. The edges of the pages were dyed black, and the cover was an enticing deep red, fading to gold in the centre... It looked glorious. And it was the worst book she has ever read, even to this day (and she's read <i>Twilight</i>...).<br />
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<b>What was your favourite book when you were a child?</b><br />
The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula K. LeGuin. Both me and my older brother were obsessed with the first instalment at a young age - A Wizard Of Earthsea. It's tale of light and dark, good and evil, and everything having its place or use in the world probably prepared me well for life - it's certainly made me philosophical and pragmatic. Oh, and my dad made us both staffs too.<br />
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<b>What book changed your life?</b><br />
Hard to narrow this down to just one, so I'll indulge myself and mention three - for three very different reasons.</div>
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Practically speaking, the aforementioned On Writing by Stephen King has given me the tools I need to be able to string a sentence together - which has earned me a job as a features writer. </div>
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Emotionally, 11.22.63, again by Stephen King, somehow fills me with confidence when I remember certain scenes. If I'm facing a challenge I think back to that book, and it seems less daunting. I'm not altogether sure that this is normal... </div>
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Finally, for a very different reason, The Dark Winter by my friend and colleague David Mark has had a big effect. Not only is it an excellent novel (I was privileged to read an early bound proof), but since it was picked up by Quercus last year, and released this month, it's shown me that these great successes do happen to real people. Plus, I'm covering his work while he swans off on book signings and whatnot for the next few months, which is an added bonus!<br />
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<b>What is your favourite passage from a book?</b><br />
There are many, but the one which springs to mind is from The Hellbound Heart, by Clive Barker (the book that became the movie Hellraiser):</div>
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<i>The seasons long for each other, like men and women, in order that they may be cured of </i></div>
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<i>their excesses. </i></div>
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<i> Spring, if it lingers more than a week beyond its span, starts to hunger for summer to end </i></div>
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<i>the days of perpetual promise. Summer in its turn soon begins to sweat for something to quench its </i></div>
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<i>heat, and the mellowest of autumns will tire of gentility at last, and ache for a quick sharp frost to </i></div>
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<i>kill its fruitfulness. </i></div>
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<i> Even winter-the hardest season, the most implacable-dreams, as February creeps on, of the </i></div>
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<i>flame that will presently melt it away. Everything tires with time, and starts to seek some </i></div>
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<i>opposition, to save it from itself. </i></div>
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<i> So August gave way to September and there were few complaints. </i></div>
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<b>What are your top five favourite authors?</b><br />
Stephen King</div>
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Ursula K. LeGuin</div>
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Ryunosuke Akutagawa</div>
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Raymond Chandler</div>
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Tsugumi Ohba<br />
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<b>What book has no one heard about but should read?</b><br />
The Dark Winter, By David Mark. I wouldn't say no one's heard of it, but if you haven't - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dark-Winter-David-Mark/dp/0857389181/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335354440&sr=1-1">acquaint yourself</a>!<br />
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<b>What 3 books are you an “evangelist” for?</b><br />
Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. A wonderful manga series: dark; twisted; well-plotted - and a fascinating morality tale.<br />
The Elements Of Style by William Strunk Jr - Almost 100 years old now, this style manual is just as - if not more - relevant than ever. And it's remarkably witty in a dry, knowing way. </div>
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Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - The film was a wonderful blockbuster, but the book was a lot more thoughtful, considered and - yes - realistic. </div>
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<b>What is your favourite book by a first-time author?</b><br />
The Dark Winter by David Mark (and no, I'm not just saying that - it really is superb!)<br />
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<b>What is your favourite classic book?</b><br />
Rashomon And Seventeen Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa<br />
<b><br />5 other notable mentions?<br /><br />The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson - it's more than just a nice cover!</b>The Great Teacher Onizuka series by Tohru Fujisawa</div>
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The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger (I know, I know - but it really is good)</div>
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Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett</div>
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The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui</div>
</div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-36981349209598162332011-01-18T02:23:00.000-08:002011-01-18T02:23:55.076-08:00New Blog - Ohayou TokyoI'm excited to unveil the project I've been working on with the lovely Louise at Nekomentsu ... <drum etc="" roll="">:</drum><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://ohayoutokyo.blogspot.com/">Ohayou Tokyo!</a></i></span></b> </div><br />
As the name suggests it's all about Tokyo, with a mix of articles that draw both from our own experiences and (hopefully) from an objective, informative point of view. We're hoping to get each page linking to several others so what we'd like to create is less a linear, journal-style blog (although there is also that aspect to it), and more a network of interconnected articles.<br />
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I won't go on about it too long, but I'm really pleased with how it's shaping up... Do go have a look, and I'd love to hear what you think!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-77581724744920905992011-01-09T00:50:00.001-08:002011-01-09T04:06:41.161-08:00Coming Soon...Dear My Blog,<br />
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I realise I've been ignoring you a lot lately. And I'm sorry - that was not my intention. But I have been preparing for some exciting news: very soon, you're going to have a new little blog-brother or blog-sister!<br />
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I've been busy working with Catface over at <a href="http://nekomentsu.blogspot.com/">Nekomentsu</a> on a new project that's all about Japan. More details will follow when I have more details to give, but for now suffice it to say I'm really excited. <br />
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And of course, little blog o' mine, I promise you'll stay just as important to me in the future so there's no need to be jealous!<br />
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All best,<br />
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Rob.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-75278653425509379172010-11-22T09:51:00.000-08:002010-11-22T10:23:41.411-08:00Russia Of Yore<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1oHnlIVFy82zcptK8j3KtmCoIo3NgUJ5kXgIBxk7qtTRWlI2R3fqIfK4ooADT8ezhzexylJ4AqckUY5tUsiON-Jgjr2dq0njw6NA-kGw-gf6EG6zeruMis6zuj4ZgsesnBj4rqLtng0/s1600/Russia+5.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></a>Wow.<br /><br />In a complete deviation from my usual content, I'd like to share some incredible pictures of Russia from 100 years ago which I just stumbled upon over at <a href="http://www.boston.com/">The Boston Globe</a>.<br /><br />Between 1909 and 1912, a photographer by the name of <span class="blogText bigText"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Mikhailovich_Prokudin-Gorskii">Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii</a> used a revolutionary new system in which three monochrome photos were taken in quick succession, each with a red, green or blue filter. Putting the three (glass) plates on top of one another created these stunning pictures.<br /><br />It's impossible to judge the age of these pictures from their quality. And it completely boggles my mind to think that the people featured, even the children, may have grown up to have children, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren and so on.<br /><br />It's worth viewing the full article <a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/russia_in_color_a_century_ago.html">here</a>, as it's completely fascinating. But here's a few of the 36 pictures featured.<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1oHnlIVFy82zcptK8j3KtmCoIo3NgUJ5kXgIBxk7qtTRWlI2R3fqIfK4ooADT8ezhzexylJ4AqckUY5tUsiON-Jgjr2dq0njw6NA-kGw-gf6EG6zeruMis6zuj4ZgsesnBj4rqLtng0/s1600/Russia+5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1oHnlIVFy82zcptK8j3KtmCoIo3NgUJ5kXgIBxk7qtTRWlI2R3fqIfK4ooADT8ezhzexylJ4AqckUY5tUsiON-Jgjr2dq0njw6NA-kGw-gf6EG6zeruMis6zuj4ZgsesnBj4rqLtng0/s400/Russia+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542439068965278690" border="0" /></a>I wonder who he grew up to be...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivX4dXNy_GRhE11j-DyiSe4wdKbmURUM4J-PruWgozmEnF0bJ0wC1HvfXKlDAVC-u3R5AMDpmgmD8VNTu6k8TdRrmis5ujRWZp5KbvwjpASb8CQSNEs0o1AgkihizmSAcCCwZSI6Gg8WA/s1600/Russia+4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivX4dXNy_GRhE11j-DyiSe4wdKbmURUM4J-PruWgozmEnF0bJ0wC1HvfXKlDAVC-u3R5AMDpmgmD8VNTu6k8TdRrmis5ujRWZp5KbvwjpASb8CQSNEs0o1AgkihizmSAcCCwZSI6Gg8WA/s400/Russia+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542439063956798626" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Even history had its history...<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdBvZ8MGtIUoxggVWKHdqW0JRcv1HXgyKLiXoSNybisiJTEMlocpPAlkJZhBJEZg971P-aemlRDLpqz9TnZGrMcRrev6ba4bEkMa3b_9l-4kNcSdYaGR_u-6bSYeqnyD1E5FuqufNj0g/s1600/Russia+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdBvZ8MGtIUoxggVWKHdqW0JRcv1HXgyKLiXoSNybisiJTEMlocpPAlkJZhBJEZg971P-aemlRDLpqz9TnZGrMcRrev6ba4bEkMa3b_9l-4kNcSdYaGR_u-6bSYeqnyD1E5FuqufNj0g/s400/Russia+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542438938911014914" border="0" /></a>If you look <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> closely, you can see the ripples in the water are different colours, due to their movement between the stages of process mentioned above...<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j2YnY-yIvbKUSiWJ8wUJ8LGoWSsBBe8eYue6RTzeSQi_X62DR7gV7DlnZs1t_QfNHYrQP25E5xdWGB2pZqt-OBOQ-C38B0gYGB1J8JEZxccFexf3D5VRs1f6GL-xzLbgZnpZwiOFk80/s1600/Russia+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j2YnY-yIvbKUSiWJ8wUJ8LGoWSsBBe8eYue6RTzeSQi_X62DR7gV7DlnZs1t_QfNHYrQP25E5xdWGB2pZqt-OBOQ-C38B0gYGB1J8JEZxccFexf3D5VRs1f6GL-xzLbgZnpZwiOFk80/s400/Russia+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542438923022702562" border="0" /></a>I love this picture. The water looks so smooth, almost as if it's ice. Probably a byproduct of the photography technique again.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKYca0hQeUh9A_b606tYt7ZDm4XqHSu18ZNTQPpg3IeekbmrbjzhmJQiud4YR4oZ8T-1FJfk1y6gLHwH-WiwDYyrqknxoJlov4DuAw3V2XihCcYrIDfIe8UgLKtsK7_N00yxoDbgLDbU/s1600/Russia+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKYca0hQeUh9A_b606tYt7ZDm4XqHSu18ZNTQPpg3IeekbmrbjzhmJQiud4YR4oZ8T-1FJfk1y6gLHwH-WiwDYyrqknxoJlov4DuAw3V2XihCcYrIDfIe8UgLKtsK7_N00yxoDbgLDbU/s400/Russia+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542438888495740322" border="0" /></a>The detail in this image is staggering.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3CsnZFgQn4AitcgFj4njKQu_AhRN1xcjFkBifgvlKPEexNIWANfOIwRF9NKvZHJfM96GZgmL7DkSgMLD53j8j6MGWjoVqvBV-Fg7R8ECYlyiBtFVD-ue_zaNwtixWn1b3k_EsyORMsA/s1600/Russia+6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3CsnZFgQn4AitcgFj4njKQu_AhRN1xcjFkBifgvlKPEexNIWANfOIwRF9NKvZHJfM96GZgmL7DkSgMLD53j8j6MGWjoVqvBV-Fg7R8ECYlyiBtFVD-ue_zaNwtixWn1b3k_EsyORMsA/s400/Russia+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542439334743424466" border="0" /></a>Look closely - some of the people in the background moved between the three pictures being taken. Little imperfections like this show just how precise the process was in order to have taken such crystal-clear clarity in the rest of the picture.<br /><br /></div><span class="blogText bigText"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(All images are out of copyright, but reproduced here with thanks to The Boston Globe and the LOC)</span><br /></span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-31553620122919074462010-11-14T12:11:00.000-08:002010-11-14T13:47:18.898-08:00Oh, I Do Love Ghibli<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">株式会社スタジオジブリ</span><span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">,</span> </span></span><br /></div><br />Hi!<br /><br />I was thinking. Sometimes, when you distill the big decisions or themes in your life down to their very very beginnings, they can seem quite ridiculously trivial. I thought I'd share today the specific circumstances that actually started me out on my fascination with Japan...<br /><br />A good few years ago, me and <a href="http://nekomentsu.blogspot.com/">Louise</a> had just started getting into martial arts films after watching a few good ones (House Of Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, Hero). When we came across an Amazon voucher, we thought we'd use it on another, similar DVD.<br /><br />My job involves making TV listings magazines and film guides, so I tend to be fairly clued-up on movies, and one which I'd heard about and was hoping to see soon was Ong-Bak - the Thai film starring Tony Jaa. For some bizarre reason, instead we elected to go for an animation called Spirited Away - something we'd both only vaguely heard about but heard it was kinda quirky and very good. A quick<click> *click* and it's ours - I remember hoping I don't regret it...<br /><br /></click><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWus7iqs37MGtBS3LudVdP8Wuo7-Sv0sZtQ6Md3aDIuxhTPiXFzBQwEGshEhn7DL_uThCJlY0OKH5TUY8T1UQ4Vl9uw9asu9f8fFN5IKiClrCQCHRl6S4qWgFodVLri7s_WamAWmjXjM/s1600/Spirited-Away-wallpaper-spirited-away-400845_1024_768.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWus7iqs37MGtBS3LudVdP8Wuo7-Sv0sZtQ6Md3aDIuxhTPiXFzBQwEGshEhn7DL_uThCJlY0OKH5TUY8T1UQ4Vl9uw9asu9f8fFN5IKiClrCQCHRl6S4qWgFodVLri7s_WamAWmjXjM/s200/Spirited-Away-wallpaper-spirited-away-400845_1024_768.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539519981732928658" border="0" /></a><click>It arrived on a Friday, and we watched it that night. It was nothing like anything either of us had - ever - seen before. It's sheer unaldulturated genius. I got in touch with our (work's) film critic and asked him for similar titles, and he informed me that Spirited Away was made by a company called Studio Ghibli, and he provided me with a list of some of their other highlights. Christmas came, and I tracked some of them down for Louise's stocking. By the next Christmas, I think we'd got just about all of them! We're complete addicts.<br /><br />Funnily enough, Studio Ghibli, through its fantastical, magical worlds, actually gave us a reason to delve further into the very real aspects of Japan and other Japanese films, cartoons, manga, culture, food, etc.<br /><br />We joked about going to the <a href="http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/">Ghibli Museum</a>. We didn't know that just a short while later, we'd <span style="font-style: italic;">actually be going</span>...<br /><br /></click><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82msZM9mVbPkNAVQA9y6SNDRUCrgMpiAz4K68BQy-UhFf16w43qMOYdWAwsNk5vXmlUypHfBhsS4PdyQDbhYA_DSotLllxF0tB7rDwf7uvKq9hXDLZwiR5PEAYc_-ErJBKiOsDnOOvFs/s1600/Ghibli+Trip.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82msZM9mVbPkNAVQA9y6SNDRUCrgMpiAz4K68BQy-UhFf16w43qMOYdWAwsNk5vXmlUypHfBhsS4PdyQDbhYA_DSotLllxF0tB7rDwf7uvKq9hXDLZwiR5PEAYc_-ErJBKiOsDnOOvFs/s200/Ghibli+Trip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539521094915947714" border="0" /></a><click><br />It's interesting to consider that if we had gone for Ong-Bak instead (I subsequently saw it: it was ok; good, not great) I may not have ever gone to Tokyo or eaten ramen or listened to Macdonald Duck Eclair or read GTO or <span style="font-style: italic;">anything </span>fun like that!<br /></click>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-35330725229152071062010-11-06T08:32:00.001-07:002010-11-06T08:39:34.615-07:00Fireworks and Bad Photography<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4GXCrsDyRlo/TNV1OxOnqyI/AAAAAAAAAF0/UqQcBMrqSxE/s400/Fireworks%20and%20Bad%20Photography_img_1.jpg?source=androidclient"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4GXCrsDyRlo/TNV1OxOnqyI/AAAAAAAAAF0/UqQcBMrqSxE/s400/Fireworks%20and%20Bad%20Photography_img_1.jpg?source=androidclient" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I've got a new Blogger client for my phone, so I'm hoping this post comes out okay.<br /><br />Last night being Bonfire Night, we went to a fireworks display put on by a local charitable organisation called the Beverley Lions. They do it every year on the Westwood, a historic common pasture on the edge of town, and every year I'm surprised by how good they are (and how busy it is!).<br /><br />The bonfire was lit by the time we got there, and we just had enough time to queue for some chips (which were really good) before the display starts with a BIG bang.<br /><br />They were stunning, so naturally i tried to take some pictures, and naturally they came out really badly. But don't take my word for it, judge for yourself!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-9051400846998021642010-11-04T15:22:00.000-07:002010-11-04T16:16:11.169-07:00Sumi-eHi!<br /><br />A recent trip to York saw me in a craft shop. Nothing unusual about that - <a href="http://nekomentsu.blogspot.com/">Catface</a> is a very crafty lass, so we spend ages picking up supplies for her <a href="http://www.catfaceandpancakes.com/">business</a> - but this time, I thought I'd treat myself to something. I've never really had any ability with art whatsoever (my hands are the hand-equivalent of tone deaf, as to which my atrocious handwriting will attest) but I do enjoy calligraphy, even though I don't count myself as any good.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrskYZIXBFVod1s17aaeuxhs3rTVA1WrZ8e2rgkuynt3ooT3QtbyFup5ghGtu405_k85lPiwheKLm790gfk5ZFmsUoOK4aPoWwrktcWHU0YGok7sIo-mKdS78jWbm5XgR_Ve6isdL5Fek/s1600/brush.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 28px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrskYZIXBFVod1s17aaeuxhs3rTVA1WrZ8e2rgkuynt3ooT3QtbyFup5ghGtu405_k85lPiwheKLm790gfk5ZFmsUoOK4aPoWwrktcWHU0YGok7sIo-mKdS78jWbm5XgR_Ve6isdL5Fek/s200/brush.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535830729518029042" border="0" /></a>The shop in which we found ourselves had a large selection of Chinese and Japanese brushes of all shapes and sizes, so I selected a small-ish squirrel-hair brush that seemed to feel right and speak to me. I know that may sound strange, but there's a great quote from <a href="http://www.trueart.info/oriental_brushes.htm">trueart.info</a> about brush selection, which I hope they don't mind me copying here:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >"In the west, a brush is considered simply a tool for self-expression; it needs little character of its own ... In the East, however, there is a tradition of treating artists' materials as friends, rather than as slaves to artistic expression. Artwork is a cooperative process that involves the unique characteristics of the tool as well as those of the artist."</span><br />Certainly, I have no truck with Western art, so maybe this approach will suit me better. It definitely makes a change to hold an artistic implement that feels natural and comfortable, so already I'm ahead of where I've been before.<br /><br />In the past I've used my calligraphy set to write kana characters, but that's not really all that it's made for. This time, I decided to be more ambitious, and try kanji (which I can't really read yet), in cursive style (which is possibly silly of me since I <span style="font-style: italic;">definitely</span> can't read cursive!). I had a think about what to try, and I settled on the phrase "water's sound", which is the last line from a Basho poem I like.<br /><br />I really enjoyed making it in the end. Although this is just a rough draft (I'd quite like to put it on three canvas blocks once I'm confident enough), I think it's come out looking quite cool. Although since I can't really read Japanese, I'm probably not the best judge... Anyway, this - I hope - is <span style="font-style: italic;">Mizu no Oto:<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKUu6pGpvAOn9fVm0OhajiYB8DP4MRdlKfcL-bJZMFpChi6PXebMwj7bZN8M9PTBlL4kpMgsqL4JxocVFHJYq7dueSOQHfLgLWMNK89V2essqSdE3vjdCjwVt4lnrL_st_UoYKXZiVjw/s1600/2010-11-01_22-41-07_691_Cottingham.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKUu6pGpvAOn9fVm0OhajiYB8DP4MRdlKfcL-bJZMFpChi6PXebMwj7bZN8M9PTBlL4kpMgsqL4JxocVFHJYq7dueSOQHfLgLWMNK89V2essqSdE3vjdCjwVt4lnrL_st_UoYKXZiVjw/s200/2010-11-01_22-41-07_691_Cottingham.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535835782784205474" border="0" /></a><br />I'd really love to hear some opinions. I'm genuinely not fishing for compliments or anything - if you happen to be able to read Japanese and could tell me where I'm going right/wrong, I'd very much appreciate it!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-29464113267976378622010-10-23T13:55:00.000-07:002010-10-24T15:03:35.548-07:00Soup, Soup, A Tasty SoupHello!<br /><br />It's been a while since I added anything to this blog, due to a combination of having little to say and little time in which to say it. Anyhow, I'm back again, and with a new load of recipes from which to draw.<br /><br />I came home to a nice surprise the other day. Christmas shopping has started early this year, and Louise mailed me at work to tell me she'd already got some of my presents (now <span style="font-style: italic;">that's</span> organised!). However she was also busy with college work and <a href="http://www.catfaceandpancakes.com">some commissions</a> for her business, and by the time I'd got home she'd not got round to hiding them (that's much less organised, granted...). As a consequence, since I saw one of them, I got to have it early. Hurrah! It's a recipe book by my favourite Japanese chef Harumi Kurihara, of <span style="font-style: italic;">Your Japanese Kitchen</span> fame on <a href="http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/">NHK</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bo_VEt7Y1oGr-sU2yTEIqyWFGoxV7Z2GwxO0tFVbBslvy2TYjCvh45k32mUuIb2WVzqs9DxwFdzUjDpNsorCpQYI_7ISJt1kg1j8zroasmYwi0UHPQe-1nbMCc9Mq4b6qmCptAGOxZw/s1600/Everyday+Harumi.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 325px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bo_VEt7Y1oGr-sU2yTEIqyWFGoxV7Z2GwxO0tFVbBslvy2TYjCvh45k32mUuIb2WVzqs9DxwFdzUjDpNsorCpQYI_7ISJt1kg1j8zroasmYwi0UHPQe-1nbMCc9Mq4b6qmCptAGOxZw/s400/Everyday+Harumi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531352588519725570" border="0" /></a><br />It's full of great recipes and brilliant photographs. It's one of those books that never fails to make you hungry as soon as you open it. I'm no fan of shellfish, but even these dishes look amazingly tempting.<br /><br />The first recipe I made out of it - well adapted from it, as I was missing some vital ingredients - was egg-drop soup. It's originally a Chinese dish, but it's been given a very Japanese twist by Kurihara-san with a dashi-stock base. I didn't have access to the bonito or konbu required for dashi, so I used a chicken stock. I also added dried ginger since I think chicken stock is a little plain on its own - leave it out if you're using dashi. So here's my jerry-rigged version:<br /><br />900ml good chicken stock<br />2tbsp mirin<br />4tbsp light soy sauce<br />1/2tsp dried ginger<br />1tsp cornflour or potato starch mixed with a bit (50-100ml) cold water<br />3 large eggs<br /><br />Mix the eggs in a bowl and put to a side.<br />Bring the stock to the boil (merely heat it if it's dashi, but boil it for a spell if it's chicken stock). Add the mirin, ginger & soy sauce.<br />Once it's fully heated through, add the starch & water mix, and stir well. This gives the soup a really nice, silky thickness. After just a few minutes, it's almost ready...<br />Drop in the eggs, and stir, quickly (cooking chopsticks are awesome for this, as I think a whisk would mix it too finely), and almost immediately take it off the heat. The eggs need almost no cooking, since the stirring will break them into tiny strands - the greater surface area means greater contact with the hot liquid, so the heat transfer is more efficient. Wow, that was surprisingly boring and sciency of me - apologies!<br /><br />Anyway, I was thrilled when mine came out looking like this:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJuqfCdMtZ_BMVBZO3msjt60UaiAGd79gRXww17pPtvUOzw8h296RaXpibln_tDnhsg6hP4PjPR1Xo4Pb1i_35Kzi-urf-MZRpqOZGgK4JuI9wRfLFN0CvQP4bx5n1Mk5_oxujyYcY7s/s1600/2010-10-09_13-29-58_727_Cottingham(3).jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJuqfCdMtZ_BMVBZO3msjt60UaiAGd79gRXww17pPtvUOzw8h296RaXpibln_tDnhsg6hP4PjPR1Xo4Pb1i_35Kzi-urf-MZRpqOZGgK4JuI9wRfLFN0CvQP4bx5n1Mk5_oxujyYcY7s/s320/2010-10-09_13-29-58_727_Cottingham(3).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531730727452902386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's almost exactly how it's supposed to look, which is rather unusual for me. I would have got a better picture, but I was too hungry at this point to bother finding my camera, so just snapped this with my phone.<br /><br />I hope this recipe's useful, and that it inspires people to seek out more from NHK's excellent <span style="font-style: italic;">Your Japanese Kitchen</span>, which is on Mondays, NHK, wherever you are in the world (here in the UK it's on Sky channel 516).<br /><br />Coincidentally, NHK is also the home of <a href="http://jibtv.com/">JIB</a> - another, smaller, Japanese broadcaster, who recently employed me as a programme monitor. I'm getting paid in Amazon vouchers for watching Japanese documentaries - it's my perfect job! If only it was full-time... So far I've seen all sorts of fascinating programmes that I'd never have seen otherwise. And I'm getting paid for the privilege! I feel pretty lucky sometimes...<br /><br />Here's to soup, telly, and good old Japan.<br /><br />All best to all,<br />Rob.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-51369266182822141002010-06-16T10:22:00.000-07:002010-06-16T11:22:38.896-07:00Good? Bad? OK? Not?I've been fuly immersing myself lately into my Japanese studies. For one thing, I'm <a href="http://www.phuketfundraising.com/">on my own</a> now for while. For another, I'm almost entirely stuck indoors - I've managed to earn myself an 'intercostal myalgia' which is basically a torn muscle in my ribs. So I've been off work for a good coupla weeks, with no real ability to go out, and with no one else in the house. Fun...<br /><br />As a consequence I've been watching NHK and playing my <a href="http://www.androlib.com/android.developer.istudycampus-qtF.aspx">Nihongo games </a>on my phone almost constantly.<br /><br />One thing that's cropped up, that I'm not 100% sure about, is this: good/bad. Which is dame/ii, right? I always thought it was, but now I see "dame" can mean "closed"; "ii" open. I'm now hoping that the closest comparison is that "ii" could be said to mean "cool" whereas "dame" could be "not cool". Can anyone confirm/deride this? The reason I ask, is that since I always believed "dame" to mean "bad", I have used the phrase "watashi no Nihongo wa dame desu" to mean "my Japanese is bad", yet when I put it into Google Translate, it (rather ironically) read "I do not eat my Japanese". No idea where that came from, so either me or it (likely both) need more lessons...<br /><br />Now, having used this phrase many a time (to a generally mixed response), I hope Google have dropped a ball here. But having used Google even more times than I've spoken (or tried to) Japanese, I know them to be pretty damn good at most things. So I'm having a crisis of confidence here -what actually does "dame" mean? And, for that mattter, what means "good"?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NWRGWIT8D7oBM0L16x7owG2c2ywPvjUw4xIEh_UKYJ8irMcWryJYC5hKaKot5q9F0tU6OGNa_LMrg9mvAdAd-svN6vkvpYi0AYBT3xCRZfYy4k8snRZPiDduqF0_P6N_5RWbk0MZjwQ/s1600/Welcome_to_the_NHK_01.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NWRGWIT8D7oBM0L16x7owG2c2ywPvjUw4xIEh_UKYJ8irMcWryJYC5hKaKot5q9F0tU6OGNa_LMrg9mvAdAd-svN6vkvpYi0AYBT3xCRZfYy4k8snRZPiDduqF0_P6N_5RWbk0MZjwQ/s320/Welcome_to_the_NHK_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483437846944204658" border="0" /></a>Another great thing about <a href="http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/">NHK </a>(if you're in the UK it's found on Sky channel 516) is the documentaries. I'm currently watching a lovely short film about the pilgrimages made on the isle of Shikoku - I recently watched the J-horror film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0213245/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Shikoku </span></a>which was about the same thing (albeit with an horrific twist), and thoroughly enjoyed it. And this brings a whole other level of legitimacy to the story.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It's hard to describe my feelings about Japan, beyond the obvious (love). I feel an outsider when I'm there, of course. But every single other time I've felt 'outside' of something, it's been because I've had no real connections to it. I guess I have no real connections to Japan, but still, I feel ... involved. Attached. It sounds entirely ridiculous, but in this World Cup I find myself experiencing national pride towards the Blue Samurai. I don't just mean I want them to do well; of course I do. That's natural. But I get defensive towards criticism of the team, and - perhaps more importantly - I am moved by the national anthem. It's a 'national' anthem - and I'm nationally British. So why would <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Kimi_ga_Yo_1930.ogg"><span style="font-style: italic;">Kimayago</span></a> hold sway over me? I have no idea, but it apparently does.<br /><br />Of course, I am hoping for an English victory in the World's Greatest Sporting Tournament Ever. The wonderful outcome in 1966 was a long, long time ago, and it deserves to be repeated. But nothing would make me happier than our method of victory being, say, a 5-4 victory over the Blue Samurai at Jo'burg on July ll...<br /><br />All this is exceedingly unlikely of course, but on the offchance, C'MON EN-GER-LAND and GANBARE NIPPON!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-65956552797770643212010-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:002010-05-05T10:53:12.538-07:00Watashi wa ... struggling desu!<div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ohayo!<br /></span></div><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxjPTCrPywGgm4347ibFBIZXDrxZWrurWt4HeXqKG1vpCuHpc87DlYjWirvtAVVsLGCHrQmkL2-qusWnp3tvjOCVdAYUEOdoNEsj6wmBznWhJ0hSL8WszUc-1AyAkXi7a_BpSAzbFQtg/s1600/benkyou_thumb_200.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxjPTCrPywGgm4347ibFBIZXDrxZWrurWt4HeXqKG1vpCuHpc87DlYjWirvtAVVsLGCHrQmkL2-qusWnp3tvjOCVdAYUEOdoNEsj6wmBznWhJ0hSL8WszUc-1AyAkXi7a_BpSAzbFQtg/s200/benkyou_thumb_200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467844979950219826" border="0" /></a> I had been making decent progress with written Japanese lately, but then I realised I'd been neglecting the actual language. I went back over some of the stuff I learned some time ago, but I've still got a long, long way to go. It's an odd feeling, as I realise with pride that I can read something written in hiragana, katakana, or some (very few) kanji - only to find I don't understand the words I can read. It's quite hard to strike a balance. Does anyone have any tips - vocab vs writing?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> We've just had a busy Bank Holiday in the kitchen, baking bread and cooking mochi. Or rather, trying to cook mochi. I think we've got the wrong type of rice flour, as it turned out quite doughy and not at all springy, like actual mochi. However it's still quite nice, just closer to a kind of pastry sweet from India I had once than it is to mochi. The bread, however, was fantastic - I can't take any credit for that though; it was all Louise's handiwork!<br /><br /> It's been a while since I've posted any recipes, so I thought I'd include one. Not mochi - I think I have a lot of work to do before I can claim that one's finished! - but something suitably Japanese. I've developed a kind of simulacrum of ramen which I'm quite pleased with. It's not quite the real deal, as we have no access to bonito or kelp with which to make dashi, and I don't have much of a proper recipe to go from anyway. But I had some amazing ramen in Tokyo, and ever since I've been using what I do know about cooking to try to make something similar tasting. So here goes (I apologise in advance if I'm way wide of the mark and it's an affront to the good name "ramen"):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients</span><br /><br />Soup:<br />Fresh ginger<br />Garlic<br />Onion<br />Pork stock<br />Vegetable stock<br />Noodles (par-boiled)<br />Cayenne pepper<br />Shichimi togarashi<br />Black sesame oil<br /><br />Toppings:<br />Egg<br />Spring onions<br />Pork (I have a recipe for choshu pork, however it takes so long and makes such a lot, I tend to just marinade a few slices of ham in soy sauce and ginger and fry for a few seconds each side - cheat!)<br />Nori (one inch squares)<br /><br />Method:<br /> Fry the ginger, onion and garlic (all very, very finely chopped) for a few moments in a hot wok. I use vegetable oil, but anything with a high smokepoint is good. Once it starts to caramelise slightly, add the spices, the sesame oil, and then the stock, one after the other. Let this simmer a while - the longer the better, although since there's no meat in here it doesn't matter if you only give it a few minutes. Keep tasting as you go, and once you've got something you're happy with, and you're close to serving out, add the noodles and, depending on the type, cook for another minute or two.<br /><br /> The toppings can be arranged in each bowl after serving. The egg looks best hard-boiled, sliced, and placed on top - but I think it <span style="font-style: italic;">tastes </span>best if you drop it raw into the wok along with the noodles and poach it in the soup for a minute.<br /><br /> This is where a proper recipe blogger would have a picture. But I've never photographed my own ramen, so until I make it next, here's one I stole off Google as a placeholder:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFefdkpxWOqkQAm81eyJC1K5nFCS0mvTQC_6pYg5RkvPCyX-hT3c1UoGVrVNvB9-eXei-561dqlPHmihdCXFmvP4D5lOvOH8fp8LGJDep0rJBV7TO50p4RRSRGO1RNyW1VHZ-hapD9go/s1600/ramen.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFefdkpxWOqkQAm81eyJC1K5nFCS0mvTQC_6pYg5RkvPCyX-hT3c1UoGVrVNvB9-eXei-561dqlPHmihdCXFmvP4D5lOvOH8fp8LGJDep0rJBV7TO50p4RRSRGO1RNyW1VHZ-hapD9go/s400/ramen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467843678417466834" border="0" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-70011962498801733882010-04-06T13:11:00.000-07:002010-04-06T14:23:43.375-07:00Early April Resolutions<div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:webdings;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">日本語</span></span><br /></div><br />This year is flying by...<br /><br />I think I've been too relaxed about things lately, and it seems like life is beginning to pass me by. I don't particularly want these next seven weeks or so to pass me by, because at the end of them my <a href="http://www.phuketfundraising.com/">life will be changing</a> quite a lot for quite a while, so I intend to make a bit more of an effort to enjoy, and make the most of, my remaining time with Louise.<br /><br />We have resolved to redouble our efforts to learn Japanese - that's the main thing. We'd been learning in different ways, and at different speeds, independently but now we've promised each other to help each other out with our studies. I'm coming on quite well with written Japanese (or at least well by my standards!), while Louise has been more focused on the spoken. We're aiming for at least three hour-long joint lessons a week, where we'll share with each other what we've been learning.<br /><br />I'm also going to make more of an effort to keep my blog up to date - and, remembering why I set it up in the first place, I'll be sharing what I'm learning here, too.<br /><br />One topic I've always struggled to remember has been days of the week - for some reason, even though there's only seven of them, they just won't stick. Louise dug <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Japanese-Days-of-the-Week&id=278918">this </a>out of the internet, which really helps a lot. I'm aiming to have them - kanji and all - remembered by the end of the week, and to have taught Louise colours in the same time frame. By the time Louise goes away at the end of May, I'm hoping to have helped her master hiragana (which I've pretty much completed now), and to have learned sentence structures/verb conjugations myself. I reckon that's a healthy target to have set.<br /><br />We've also set up a Tumblr site focusing on Japanese style & culture, which you can find lurking behind this <a href="http://japanesestyle.tumblr.com/">link</a>. It's a photo blog, with a new theme every week; the current one is bento. It's nice being able to share the myriad quirky pics we happen across here & there...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-qbgs4_F5Dmj0_5FMD5z6vqnvez50FBMiEMg6L0fufQtV3IyiLrSQaomfJ8kH25AtrFPRxEYF_Wcv8tqnRKMWS1NOTHY6bI2TZqHDW7tlUnQuIwaezGF_UdfHD3rUZKG0Z8eEpOdYrc/s1600/android.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-qbgs4_F5Dmj0_5FMD5z6vqnvez50FBMiEMg6L0fufQtV3IyiLrSQaomfJ8kH25AtrFPRxEYF_Wcv8tqnRKMWS1NOTHY6bI2TZqHDW7tlUnQuIwaezGF_UdfHD3rUZKG0Z8eEpOdYrc/s200/android.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457137475159401714" border="0" /></a>Finally, at the risk of sounding like a bloody advert, I have to once again extoll the virtues of smartphones, in particular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28operating_system%29">Android </a>phones, as a fantastic resource when learning a second language. An app by iStudy Campus called <span style="font-style: italic;">Survive! Japanese</span> has done absolute wonders for my progress. And they're not even paying me to say that!<br /><br />So it's back to the books and the blogs for me. Wish me luck - Watashi wa ganbarimasu!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-30813289896442087512010-02-21T05:06:00.000-08:002010-02-21T07:54:27.893-08:00Phuket FundraisingHowdy!<br /><br />So Louise, my better half, is doing something incredible this Summer, and I feel I must spread the word. She's leaving her job and going half way around the world, to Phuket, Thailand, to volunteer at <a href="http://www.soidog.org">The Soi Dog Foundation,</a> who look after sick, mistreated and abused cats & dogs. Unfortunately, in Thailand, strays have a rough time - they are often poisoned, beaten and otherwise persecuted by business owners and residents. I won't go into too much detail because it's actually very upsetting, but those who would like to learn more can do so <a href="http://www.lantaanimalwelfare.com/about/">here</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px;" src="http://www.soidog.org/assets/BeforeAfter/Scratchy%20Before.jpg" width="200" height="200" /> <img style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; outline-width: 0px;" src="http://www.soidog.org/assets/BeforeAfter/scratchy%20after.jpg" width="200" height="200" /><br />Scratchy before treatment Scratchy after treatment<br /></div><br />Louise is self-funding her trip, but because of mounting costs (she found out today, after booking her flights, that her budget accommodation has just fallen through) and an already very basic budget, she needs help. She's set up a website, <a href="http://www.phuketfundraising.com">www.phuketfundraising.com</a>, on which kindly folk have been donating. There's also a link to her <a href="http://www.folksy.com/shops/catfaceandpancakes">shop</a> on there, where you can buy Louise's handmade amigurumi animals, with all proceeds going to her cause. The local papers have been great, too - the East Riding Mail and Beverley Guardian have both promised to run articles. In fact, the former sent a photographer round yesterday and will be conducting an interview shortly.<br /><br />If you can, please donate or buy a knitted animal. And if you can't (there is a recession on after all) but you do support the cause, then please tweet or Facebook about Louise (she's <a href="http://www.twitter.com/catface85">@Catface85</a> on Twitter) and <a href="http://www.phuketfundraising.com">www.phuketfundraising.com</a>, or even just leave her a message of support. She's doing such a wonderful thing, and I am so proud of her, but there are so many obstacles at the moment that any help - moral, fiscal or otherwise - would be very gratefully received.<br /><br />I hope you can help.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-36179544016815646072010-01-19T14:31:00.000-08:002010-01-19T14:38:32.761-08:00Quiz Time!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDEJy_83i2vv3HBdMIytT-hV1SOkZ4MYHyQEN3KzEu-X-5adEVgF_sFAUY9dwPRuaGF-GAhLDhDqCwM_ZZIaQ75Dm-AZhYCXT0O8qx8b7G4Gi0yrFRWcdNAk97S2V_eHJgvoWXdHGY2E/s1600-h/fu.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 86px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDEJy_83i2vv3HBdMIytT-hV1SOkZ4MYHyQEN3KzEu-X-5adEVgF_sFAUY9dwPRuaGF-GAhLDhDqCwM_ZZIaQ75Dm-AZhYCXT0O8qx8b7G4Gi0yrFRWcdNAk97S2V_eHJgvoWXdHGY2E/s400/fu.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428583961547346258" border="0" /></a><br />Okay, I've been discovering the joys of quizzes today. In a quiet patch at work I set my team a grammar quiz, with the grand prize of a bag of skittles going to the winner(!), and then I got home and found one for myself: <a href="http://www.realkana.com/">http://www.realkana.com/</a> This is a great, and oddly addictive given its simplicity, little game that's helping my kana nicely. I particularly like the different fonts... Enjoy!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-64658738951553219622010-01-16T04:33:00.001-08:002010-01-16T04:44:56.255-08:00Happy New Year!January ... Meh. <p>So Santa's been 'n' gone, the snow's been replaced by rain (actually, that's kind of a good thing - more on why later!) and work is back to normality.</p><p><br />I shouldn't moan - I've had a really great Christmas, and was off from the 23rd Dec-4th Jan, which is pretty good. I got some fantastic gifts, many of them Japan-related (and many of those were Japanese sweets - brilliant!). The candies included some DIY sushi-style sweets, with little sachets and moulds that you used with water to make jellies that look like rice, ikura, tuna and other fish, as well as black icing to roll out (with the mini-rolling pin included) as nori. Not only was it delicious, but it was very fun, and clever, too - I was particularly impressed by the ikura, which was made by mixing up a sweet, red liquid, then dropping it with a pipette (also included!) into a sweet solidifying solution. This satisfied the amature physicist in me as well as the candy-loving child in me! </p> <p>I won't list every one of my gifts here (as much as I may want to!) but I would like to thank everyone for picking such great gifts and making it a wonderful Christmas. I hope i was able to play a part in doing the same for them. </p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCWdlq8JXgMj74-QKMeercflgO1erQWSUT5QieS4uns36UpsjAf7INlxn6sR1C5G3c3bWCVhVkAeCybXW3qctHZx31ed5xWRtAh_gy5zDOu7LjQmJsrm8KlpfibcxUpSn18onHrJQiVk/s1600-h/kanji.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCWdlq8JXgMj74-QKMeercflgO1erQWSUT5QieS4uns36UpsjAf7INlxn6sR1C5G3c3bWCVhVkAeCybXW3qctHZx31ed5xWRtAh_gy5zDOu7LjQmJsrm8KlpfibcxUpSn18onHrJQiVk/s320/kanji.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427317201176676114" border="0" /></a>I began the New Year with a renewed determination to learn katakana, and to my surprise I've done really well! Thanks to the 'Survive! Japanese' phone app on the Android Marketplace. In just two days I've pretty much got it. Compared to the two months it took me to learn hiragana... I really am very impressed with this game - cliched though it may be, it actully does make learning fun. This means I'm able to move on to kanji, which is more of a challenge to me, as my handwriting is terrible. Louise got me a kanji practice book though so I'm having fun trying (no matter how childish my scrawl may be).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p> <p>Mini Blog-In-A-Blog: Snow. </p> <p>Normally, I love the snow. My last post was testament to this (wow, that was a long time ago now i think about it). But last week the UK's Big Freeze really upped the ante. We'd already had our share of disruption, before six inches fell in under an hour, which is rather a lot for here. the Councils just aren't geared up for it, and started running out of grit. The roads ground to a halt. We left work three hours early at 4.30pm but still didn't get home until gone half-past 10. And I'm sure there's people out there who had it even worse, too. So as beautiful as snow may be, the fact this particular bout has turned to steady torrential rain is not necessarily a bad thing.</p> <p>On the plus side, I did see this incredible satellite photo on the BBC last week. No PhotoShop or colour-correction here - this is genuine!</p><p><br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7Gtdh2r53zhhzhqgs0gkZg7fDNdPZrKDj0PXwyO9OkodRfnPz7SQJnwms_DtbUYgljngr2XdT2gndC-v0_yTekknvUBiDkWn3qxnO8P0wVo6imfJFT6341L3QVyHlPijHUmxiFfWxdQ/s1600-h/_47061196_greatbritainjpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7Gtdh2r53zhhzhqgs0gkZg7fDNdPZrKDj0PXwyO9OkodRfnPz7SQJnwms_DtbUYgljngr2XdT2gndC-v0_yTekknvUBiDkWn3qxnO8P0wVo6imfJFT6341L3QVyHlPijHUmxiFfWxdQ/s400/_47061196_greatbritainjpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427316367026401618" border="0" /></a></p><p>I hope you all kept warm and safe wherever you are - Rob<br /></p>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-59868754807577049392009-12-20T08:29:00.001-08:002009-12-20T08:29:17.005-08:00Snow Day!So the BBC website told us that we'd have no snow this weekend after all, despite previously announcing we'd get a shedload. We wound up getting quite a bit on Friday, which was great except we didn't get back from work while about 9pm. Then last night we got the motherload - flakes like dinnerplates covered everything! from then on Louise & I have spent pretty much every waking moment playing in the snow like kids. <br /><br />We did take time out to go to our local Chinese supermarket to pick up some Chinese, Japanese and Korean sweets 'n' treats for Christmas, and to start a series of Japanese language tests. We'll be quizzing each other as we learn from now on to make sure we don't skip over bits in our studies - for instance I found out I need to go back over the days of the week as I'd forgotten almost all of them...<br /><br />Anyway, here's the fruits of last night's labour - a rather magnificent(?)-looking snowman!:<br /><br />(hope this comes out - I'm blogging off my mobile and don't fully understand the app yet)<br /><img src='http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/50987220.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1261326962&Signature=VAbdgA8UFocRGyIpp%2B5IE%2BuI8K8%3D' /><br />Happy winter everyone!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-82998807704959053532009-12-17T11:56:00.000-08:002009-12-17T12:33:22.291-08:00It's Nearly Here...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OoLWY-F4NzIj-galgpN7QsJPRdCiKWn-WmZfVh0ZlTayqwsvkQRDB_n9J9tLZxPCzqhVYTgr9ggvDpZ5uQOLvR8BQQHi90yGBH6o-0LQV11c7E_BaL421jD2WPTwaJ0aQTn5PuU_dX0/s1600-h/lights06.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 13px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OoLWY-F4NzIj-galgpN7QsJPRdCiKWn-WmZfVh0ZlTayqwsvkQRDB_n9J9tLZxPCzqhVYTgr9ggvDpZ5uQOLvR8BQQHi90yGBH6o-0LQV11c7E_BaL421jD2WPTwaJ0aQTn5PuU_dX0/s400/lights06.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416305678201804498" border="0" /></a><br />I'm getting really excited about Christmas now. Work's been so hectic but there's only four more days left before we break up, then I'm off until the 4th Jan, unless I choose to take some extra Football Live shifts. Sadly Louise is back at work on the 30th Dec for two days, but we still get a good amount of time off together.<br /><br />Christmas brings out the kids in both Louise & I, and now we have a house to ourselves we're probably a bit badly behaved - no grown-ups to keep us in check. Christmas Eve is now, by tradition, spent moving bedding downstairs so we can sleep by the tree and presents and watch Christmas films all night.<br /><br />This year will probably feature The Polar Express, The Muppet's Christmas Carol, and A Christmas Story. The latter is one I barely remember from my childhood, but I do recall quite liking it and I managed to pick it up at a bargain price from Tesco recently. Louise has been almost entirely put off by how creepy the kid, played by Peter Billingsley, looks on the cover:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpW-sxM1UJ0mnfZ-QaK4c9Pf5sIlY4WeYI1571QjaKPK4JlRuvI929qtsVa2JBXotv3zhxfKzerKWvh6flDXgQxKO2ktXT-8Dv081DKu5ITXokGZ3y9BbEvGkpFS55pfCrKHGC03QgZs/s1600-h/A+Christmas+Story.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpW-sxM1UJ0mnfZ-QaK4c9Pf5sIlY4WeYI1571QjaKPK4JlRuvI929qtsVa2JBXotv3zhxfKzerKWvh6flDXgQxKO2ktXT-8Dv081DKu5ITXokGZ3y9BbEvGkpFS55pfCrKHGC03QgZs/s320/A+Christmas+Story.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416300683763142898" border="0" /></a>In fairness, he does look awfully creepy...<br /></div><br />Random Blog-End Note: We've been lucky enough to sample some delicious far-Eastern treats recently in mochi and bubble tea. Mochi, a traditional Japanese sweet made from sweetened rice paste and filled (in this instance) with red azuki-bean paste, is thoroughly delicious. I hear it's a traditional New Year thing in Japan, so I think we'll try making some in a few weeks. Bubble tea is sweetened flavoured tea with large tapioca pearls in, which is very unusual but equally delicious. I heartily recommend both!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-17851029339947046592009-11-29T07:43:00.000-08:002009-11-29T08:52:13.237-08:00Christmas Shopping, Christmas Crafts, and Christmas Everything!Hi!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQLdOZAjKI-EL8TL-sv7zG90arVweEkYcXHAT_YqWDM187d99cacy9sEKXXy7X9WxpWAu5N2GZRRsRaEADx2XnS3P7hPD7RhNV-F1EJiOl_dhyphenhyphen1rJjGd-DZh-BHisYR4s0C16Z5Ybty8/s1600/Conker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQLdOZAjKI-EL8TL-sv7zG90arVweEkYcXHAT_YqWDM187d99cacy9sEKXXy7X9WxpWAu5N2GZRRsRaEADx2XnS3P7hPD7RhNV-F1EJiOl_dhyphenhyphen1rJjGd-DZh-BHisYR4s0C16Z5Ybty8/s200/Conker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409563867167361298" border="0" /></a>It's been another busy weekend, working on my second job<br />on Saturday (learned a new skill there too - it's always fun<br />to keep trying new things!), and had to have a quick trip into<br />Hull today. However, I had forgotten it would be so busy, with everyone rushing to the retail parks to stock up for Christmas,<br />so it wound up being quite a hectic afternoon. But how could<br />I forget about Christmas shopping? Well, I'm in quite a<br />fortunate position this year, as my lovely fiancee Louise<br />started up an online craft shop recently (shameless plug alert!: <a href="http://www.folksy.com/shops/catfaceandpancakes">http://www.folksy.com/shops/catfaceandpancakes</a>)<br />so we're uniquely placed to stock up on gifts.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Hello, my name is Conker the Red Panda!<br />I was made by Louise, who blogs <a href="http://catfaceandpancakes.blogspot.com/">here</a><br /></span></span></div><br />On the road into Hull there's a big garden centre, all under glass, that has the best display of Christmas decorations and lights that I've ever seen. Every year I know it's time to start looking forward to Christmas when I see their lights on as I drive past. Fortunately it's not on a corner, or I'm sure it'd be an accident blackspot from the end of October 'til the New Year!<br /><br />The rest of the weekend has been spent preparing for a craft fair in Bridlington next Saturday. We're selling some of Louise's items there, and we're going for a festive display. This has meant we've had to get the decorations down early, and we spent last night going through them all. As they're all wrapped up in newspaper it's like opening presents early.<br /><br />We've been hitting Billy Idol's <span style="font-style: italic;">Happy Holidays</span> and Bob Dylan's <span style="font-style: italic;">Christmas In The Heart</span> albums pretty hard too.<br /><br />And it's not even December yet...<br /><br />Happy Winter!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-56750788108458807542009-11-27T12:38:00.000-08:002009-11-27T13:32:21.410-08:00Suntory Time!Hi!<br /><br />I mentioned recently that I've been busy at work, and here's why. At least, the first of a long line of reasons...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQ4_WihvC87ntcuWd2gXeDLNc5put55hBdGtyW7oHVz6WhqYlsSdxtzTSWJH2eD7c6-J0qCyidxMTdNyouuxQ16tLKEczGI4WngoEuSsD6r7h_9CH5-y68k1SNVkZ0XCIHspgL1fQkfg/s1600/2009-11-26+09.16.46.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQ4_WihvC87ntcuWd2gXeDLNc5put55hBdGtyW7oHVz6WhqYlsSdxtzTSWJH2eD7c6-J0qCyidxMTdNyouuxQ16tLKEczGI4WngoEuSsD6r7h_9CH5-y68k1SNVkZ0XCIHspgL1fQkfg/s320/2009-11-26+09.16.46.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408892831615157234" border="0" /></a><br />My weekday job basically involves making TV listings, and so in the run-up to Christmas, when the papers and TV networks have their big rush to get the festive schedules out, we have to do some pretty crazy shifts. This was the first of our special editions, which we did for the Daily Mirror. It was on-sale on Wednesday, and came out looking pretty good I think - which has given me a lot of confidence about the rest of the products we have to get out over the next month. It's still a daunting task though!<br /><br />I also continue to find it tremendously satisfying to see the end product in the newsagents the morning after a late shift, even after doing it for so long (I'm on my ninth Christmas in this job!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7aWUgPw3cJLO5qHPNZ-U71R2SZMhrwRhx7MOjVBNG7doKwNvchpxnKNIsG2yq0q43OXVbhzjC6BlESc29aGeouTp8J0_TZW2URcWqX8TMXKftI6NUgWPoDDtfbUiXQOOUYd5yis4s-w/s1600/2009-11-27+21.26.09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7aWUgPw3cJLO5qHPNZ-U71R2SZMhrwRhx7MOjVBNG7doKwNvchpxnKNIsG2yq0q43OXVbhzjC6BlESc29aGeouTp8J0_TZW2URcWqX8TMXKftI6NUgWPoDDtfbUiXQOOUYd5yis4s-w/s320/2009-11-27+21.26.09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408897928424245650" border="0" /></a>In a fitting celebration, Louise and I picked up a bottle of something nice this evening... We're neither of us particularly big drinkers but we both fancied a drop of whisky, and our local supermarket has the Yamazaki by Suntory on special offer. Besides, it'll keep while Christmas (or most of it will), so it's an investment! I'd never had a Japanese whisky before but I'm very partial to a Scottish single malt, and I'd heard they're very similar in style. After my first taste I must say I'm very impressed. Puts me in mind of a sweet Speyside malt like Glen Moray, only better finished. Certainly much easier-going than most.<br /><br />So, 'til next time, Kanpai!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-23390607074077439462009-11-22T11:52:00.000-08:002009-11-22T12:59:29.942-08:00Tokyo Holiday - Vol 1In my line of work, Christmas preparations begin early. This means I've spent the past week being rushed off my feet and doing overtime, which has left me little time to keep up my Japanese lessons. I'm still finding time to play the odd game on my trusty DS so I don't forget what I've already learned, But still, I feel as though I've ground oddly to a halt. Similarly, my progress on the language-based mobile phone adventure Survive Japanese has stalled, as I've reached a point where I need to know kanji for the colours to move to the next level. And kanji and me don't seem to be getting on... Is there a trick to learning kanji of which I'm not aware?<br /><br />However, having nothing new to report gives me the chance to do one of the things I've wanted to do since beginning my blog - a trip down memory lane to my Japan holiday last year. I quite like the idea of occasionally revisiting that holiday, a day at a time, here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aqkoxhA-lYlqvrtf6hybh6fzwp6Wxbg1RlQfROyVyJSxpLtyzHfW9f_jvlDa-AWoKwZDSEyXIzS1uu4J-t7luopB_vie1D9ixgPdbpp8KA9g52Zyo3Zy65mAswVm0wX2uEtIX1fW5GI/s1600/034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aqkoxhA-lYlqvrtf6hybh6fzwp6Wxbg1RlQfROyVyJSxpLtyzHfW9f_jvlDa-AWoKwZDSEyXIzS1uu4J-t7luopB_vie1D9ixgPdbpp8KA9g52Zyo3Zy65mAswVm0wX2uEtIX1fW5GI/s320/034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407033285228230578" border="0" /></a><br />Back in October 2008, me and Louise (my decidedly better half) finally got the chance to go on our dream trip to Tokyo. It would be the first time that I'd ever set foot on a plane, and so I was slightly nervous - after all, if I didn't like it, a 15 hour flight was not the time to discover the fact! I think Louise was a bit worried I'd turn out to be scared of flying or airsick, too. Although we needn't have worried - as soon as our little 'City Hopper' to Amsterdam took off, I was enraptured by the whole experience. Yeah, it was kinda cramped (ok - really cramped! I'm well over six foot...), but the vistas and the feeling thrilled me. Louise still laughs at how, even after changing at Amsterdam and spending the best part of a day in the air, I was still beaming out of the window at the views of clouds...<br /><br />Arriving at Narita was something of a blur. Never having been on a plane before means never having been through customs before either. To be honest I still don't know what really happened and why, I just sleepily allowed myself to be herded about until eventually it felt like we were free to explore the country. We got the limousine bus to Shinjuku, and enjoyed the scenery on the way. As we got closer, we could see Tokyo growing and growing on the horizon, but nothing prepared us for the sheer scale of the place when we actually got there.<br /><br />Finding the hotel proved tricky. I realised that reading how to say, for instance, "where is the hotel?" in a foreign language is one thing; actually trusting my pronunciation, and understanding the response, was quite another. I think it was these early difficulties that made me all the more determined to keep up my studies.<br /><br />When we got there, we were immediately blown away by the view. Then, we were blown away by the room itself. And then by the futuristic toilet (it doesn't take much to impress a hick like me)... And then by the view again!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uPLqcVZhtlSxpfm1-gv7nH_48eVCJ-Z36V6wavK97DzmppJH0EOfiFDr_TevefyH90hQZSm_y8uz6yq5STuWmTDRpVIssJvYiOt7f5k1AtD3PjFxH3LtvyPe4C_x9nEmZPGANPTjICY/s1600/040.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uPLqcVZhtlSxpfm1-gv7nH_48eVCJ-Z36V6wavK97DzmppJH0EOfiFDr_TevefyH90hQZSm_y8uz6yq5STuWmTDRpVIssJvYiOt7f5k1AtD3PjFxH3LtvyPe4C_x9nEmZPGANPTjICY/s320/040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407034421315702770" border="0" /></a>We slept fitfully for a while. Jetlag won over excitement, but only just. Every time I woke up, I just wanted to look out of the window some more. We were both really excited about getting out there after a rest and exploring. And explore we did - but that will wait 'til another blog...<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-77685582239924031102009-11-14T09:53:00.001-08:002009-11-14T14:43:59.383-08:00In Cars....I'm currently sitting in my car in rainy Hull, waiting for 6pm when i can do my last job of the day, and listening to some rather good electro music (Ladytron - underrated).<br />Eerily, as i sit, and the windows begin to mist up as the rain pours, some ghostly Japanese characters are forming all around me. Now I know that this is just because Louise & I like to practice our hiragana when we're stuck in traffic and the glass makes a good temporary (or so I thought) surface for this. But nevertheless I feel as though I'm in a creepy scene from a J-Horror film of some description...<br />As Gary Numan sang, "you can lock all your doors, in cars" - but am I locking things out, or locking something in...?<br />So although I'm feeling quite freaked out, I thought I'd take the opportunity to try out the new blogging app for my phone. If the formatting & casing's a bit off, that's why.<br />If it's not been fixed by tomorrow, that'll be because I've been eaten by the Grudge...<br /><br /><br />(Edit: I got out alive - hurray!)Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-57169954191813123412009-11-13T15:25:00.000-08:002009-11-13T16:03:59.259-08:00Something Wicked That Way Went...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOaaa9DQehyphenhyphenAI0sEsubk8ZRf_5qURFgSKE2fFO0TO0acowqZyXVL84Cy8pDGg4KnJN4JVADTN3ijgLaEW42nxSLRFaU9tgPEuDrng9-B3YPKlM6AVY3q6hltaNExzZotHJkyW5m5j9_o/s1600-h/Macbeth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOaaa9DQehyphenhyphenAI0sEsubk8ZRf_5qURFgSKE2fFO0TO0acowqZyXVL84Cy8pDGg4KnJN4JVADTN3ijgLaEW42nxSLRFaU9tgPEuDrng9-B3YPKlM6AVY3q6hltaNExzZotHJkyW5m5j9_o/s320/Macbeth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403742562186994722" border="0" /></a><br />Living near Hull may not sound too glamorous (Hull has something of a bad rep in the UK) but it has its advantages. Chief among which are the two excellent theatres - Hull Truck and Hull New Theatre. Hull Truck has the history and the reputation - John Godber is artistic director, and its productions often tour the country - and it was to Hull Truck that we went tonight for a Friday 13th performance of Macbeth.<br />I was really impressed. I was concerned to begin with as it was a modern-dress production, and the last Shakespeare play I saw in modern dress missed the mark in my view (Lear at the Sheffield Crucible). They either keep the original dialogue, in which case it seems anachronistic, or they update it, in which case it's just not Shakespeare. But Hull Truck managed to keep it neat and other-worldly without conveying a specific era, so it tied in nicely.<br />Impressively, the minimalist effects included scented smoke that was evocative of musty Highland castles, the sound was fantastic, and - most importantly - the whole thing was acted impeccably (it strikes me that many actors find it hard to deliver Shakespeare's lines convincingly as they're too busy focusing on how it sounds, rather than what it means).<br /><br />And it's a brave theatre that puts on the famously cursed play on Friday 13th...Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-21243582231787874842009-11-10T14:58:00.000-08:002009-11-10T15:21:24.136-08:00Ueno ZooI've been thinking today about our trip last year to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. Asides from being a brilliant day out, and a great zoo with well looked-after animals, it also holds a special place in my memory because it was the first time I successfully ordered something in Japanese without relying on pointing, gesturing, and speaking English. I'm sure my grammar was poor, and pronunciation a bit off, but I got what I wanted without flailing about or speaking in that irritating slloooww, LOOUUD English that English people think makes foreigners understand them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_9PaINICT1YULv0DdTjuqUmzvQQ7Icu41MSvhthb-EA87c_pCoHWPbcYD0gb7w8EFMsABzjqemuG_qumryftYtk7kQrZli_nVmcdePzkjpPdaNC4_Dh54S0CwIzA70ae7nj8y7HZwOY/s1600-h/C4+Ident.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_9PaINICT1YULv0DdTjuqUmzvQQ7Icu41MSvhthb-EA87c_pCoHWPbcYD0gb7w8EFMsABzjqemuG_qumryftYtk7kQrZli_nVmcdePzkjpPdaNC4_Dh54S0CwIzA70ae7nj8y7HZwOY/s320/C4+Ident.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402617853485788226" border="0" /></a>Another big milestone for me came some time later - I was at home, watching something (probably The Simpsons!) on Channel 4, when their Tokyo-set ident came on. For the past few weeks I had been trying to drum Hiragana into my thick skull and thought I was getting nowhere, when I suddenly realised I could read one of the signs! There, on the right, in big bold Hiragana and clear as day - Tonkatsu!<br /><br />It's great to have moments like these two; they really show you you're on the right track. I doubt either one is particularly impressive in the grand scheme of things, but they demonstrate that inspiration, and motivation, can come up on you from nowhere.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-17960853142933006882009-11-08T15:02:00.000-08:002009-11-08T15:17:40.836-08:00PronounsHello!<br /><br />My Japanese learning tends to come in two forms - I tend to think of them as 'formal' and 'informal' lessons. The textbook approach is great but doesn't give you any idea of actual everyday usage. I therefore find blogs and online lessons really useful, in particular <a href="http://www.japanippon.com/japanese/classroom.htm">these</a>.<br /><br />In my regular studies I've been learning I (watashi/boku), you (anata), he (kare) and she (kanojo) and placing them in sentences as we would in English. Today I learned that's wrong. Well, not <span style="font-style: italic;">wrong </span>wrong but not really the done thing either. It seems that the word "you" can be considered impolite and impersonal, while "he/she" are actually taken to mean "boyfriend/girlfriend" in Japanese.<br /><br />So what this has left me wondering is: are there any other such quirks out there, waiting to trip me up? Part of me hopes so - it's the quirky nature of English that keeps me fascinated with my mothertongue even after 28 years, and why would a foriegn language be any more straightforward?Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-59509080654630892742009-11-08T12:27:00.000-08:002009-11-10T12:47:31.309-08:00Fire Walk With MeHello!<br /><br />I've recently finished rewatching Twin Peaks season two - Louise hadn't seen it before so I begged/borrowed/stole (ok I didn't actually <span style="font-style: italic;">steal</span>...) the various DVDs from friends and family. Thirty brilliant episodes later (well, maybe 28.5 brilliant episodes - some of Ben Horne's storylines were a little weak!) and now I'm left with a renewed sense of opportunities lost, and questions unanswered. It was so very good, yet I get the impression the studio limited David Lynch so much with what he could or couldn't do, and with the time in which he had to do it.<br /><br />After the first half of series two heralded a conclusion to the original whodunnit mystery, many people thought it went a bit off the boil. But I wonder whether it was more a case of having a vast story arc to bring to a conclusion, while knowing it's unlikely that you'll get picked up for a third series.<br /><br />The film helped a little, but again it was a case of too much to say in such a short length of time. I heard rumours that Lynch may be working on a new series or another film pre/sequel, and I'm holding my breath...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIxc3kXPJuwl4OKfnutDt6JHcR8bhM3dJze9NDO9Q28K3M0l57JVtpABPUdU5wQ1Evi1Mc__9K7_NBN4e_Ch6_EIz9omNmCiyVY0I72TqpRofhHMRdfOISfWGwHBLaB_Pevznl-66h6I/s1600-h/tonkatsu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIxc3kXPJuwl4OKfnutDt6JHcR8bhM3dJze9NDO9Q28K3M0l57JVtpABPUdU5wQ1Evi1Mc__9K7_NBN4e_Ch6_EIz9omNmCiyVY0I72TqpRofhHMRdfOISfWGwHBLaB_Pevznl-66h6I/s320/tonkatsu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402206933358623122" border="0" /></a>In other news, I have scribbled down my recipe for tonkatsu, one of my favourite Japanese dishes. Now I should probably mention that this is not a 'proper' recipe as such - just something I figured out, half from watching a cookery show with the sound off in the hotel in Tokyo, and half from experimenting. I also use five-spice and cayenne in the breadcrumbs, which neither of which are very Japanese, but I think the flavour works really well. Finally, I believe this would normally be deep-fried but for health's sake I figured out how to roast it instead. Hope it works out for you!<br /><br />2 x pork cuts (flattened tenderloin works great, or loin/chop/etc)<br />1 slice stale bread<br />pinch cayenne<br />1 tsp five-spice<br />2tbs cornflour<br />2tbs soy sauce<br />2tbs mirin<br />toasted sesame oil (in a spray if possible)<br /><br />Mix the cornflour with the soy & mirin until it's entirely liquid. Make breadcrumbs from the bread and mix in the spices. Prepare the pork as required, and soak it in the cornflour mix. Remove, and coat fully with breadcrumbs. Put on a baking sheet and lightly spray with sesame oil. Cook at about 200c for about 25mins (longer if you're using a big cut of meat - trust your judgment!).<br /><br />Cut into slices and serve atop a bed of shredded sweetheart cabbage, with a bowl of rice.<br /><br />Hmn, my first-ever recipe - let me know how you get on, and please feel free to give me any tweaks/improvements!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9099417805393940218.post-82214473832234614722009-11-08T08:34:00.000-08:002009-11-08T09:25:11.437-08:00Soon Be ChristmasI've just had a lovely Autumnal afternoon, involving putting the fire on, and some sandalwood incense (we have a gas fire but I miss the log-fire smells), while listening to a fantastic CD Louise recently got me - Bob Dylan's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Heart-Bob-Dylan/dp/B002MW50KO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1257700662&sr=1-1">Christmas In The Heart</a>. Yup, the folk legend has released a Christmas album! It takes pride of place with Billy Idol's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Holidays-Billy-Idol/dp/B000JJS5RM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1257700569&sr=8-1">Happy Holidays </a>(another unlikely but great Yuletide gem), and it's really getting me in the mood for that most wonderful time of the year now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROqIkmp4bQq6TVIbWS00AhKMAVypJ4z5jGJ4r9KaAA4hYTCkdlTf_owGbcp842zuWn2xrnEkY5nx8qYcr8bWaTqd99ZeERZ25wKODEsjke81geQhmhy3341eDo1a2oX-sqrjHu89V7uI/s1600-h/Dylan+Christmas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROqIkmp4bQq6TVIbWS00AhKMAVypJ4z5jGJ4r9KaAA4hYTCkdlTf_owGbcp842zuWn2xrnEkY5nx8qYcr8bWaTqd99ZeERZ25wKODEsjke81geQhmhy3341eDo1a2oX-sqrjHu89V7uI/s320/Dylan+Christmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401784071913937954" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Unfortunately in my line of work Christmas heralds the busiest time of year, and we've started working overtime in preparation for it already. The nights are drawing in and the shifts are getting later - and there's another six or seven weeks of that to go before the main event itself. Sigh... Still, it'll be worth it in the end - all said, it really is my favourite time of year!<br /><br />Here's hoping for a white Christmas!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842399349216354440noreply@blogger.com0