M@Blog

Google never ceases to amaze me. I frequently cut and paste snippets of text I find interesting from websites, articles, etc; they all go into a desktop Stickie designated for this collection of quotes. Unfortunately I’m not as thorough in tagging the quote with the source. But not matter how long the [...]

Oh how I miss the streets of SF.

Checked out the 2004 World Orchid Fair last weekend hosted at Tokyo Dome. Goes on until this weekend. Quite a crowd, but mostly of grandmas and grandpas so if you’re 5′6″ or taller you’ll see things fine. Quite a collection of vegetation, with some serious designs and interesting things for sale, as [...]

From NGG comes this article blaming the Japanese media for putting the crown princess under too much pressure to produce a male heir.
(NGG note: For some reason the British media seem much more interested in this topic than the Japanese media.)
If anything, it’s the crown prince that should be under pressure, if I remember my [...]

Funny spoof on a classic ad; thanks Mel :)

Made it to Sapporo for this year’s Snow Festival. Although cold, it wasn’t excruciating; in fact, some were crazy enough to be wearing high-heels! Saw lots of sculptures, as expected; from ice buildings, snow buildings, Snoopy and even an amazingly detailed triceratops. Some really strange creations too. The buildings were most [...]

Apparently Japan has raised its terror alert to the highest level, which is interesting because nobody — and I mean nobody — where I work who is a native Japanese is aware of this. French colleagues who work next to me are aware of it through their French news sources, American colleagues are aware [...]

Score one for Sony (…Computer Entertainment, more likely) in keeping up with Ando’s declaration that the TV will rule.
No further comment, though :)

Companies in Japan which contribute to the national social insurance (Shakai Hoken) program, which is almost all of them, are required once a year to subject their employees to a medical check rendered by a local contractor. For newcomers to Japan these checks are almost quaintly primitive, both in testing technique and as an invasion [...]

Here’s a question I was asked during work today,
Would it be weird for you to date someone with the same name as your mom? i mean, if you were a girl, wouldn’t it be weird to date a guy with the same name as your dad?
Yeah, it’d be weird….