MMI

Long Time No See

2009-04-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would throw a post up on here for old times sake. If only there was a way of combining the old and the new MMI so that you could read posts back as far as this one started. For anyone who found themselves here by accident, I can be found at http://mmi.vox.com/ and on twitter at http://twitter.com/aarontaiwan. I'd forgotten my password for this site for a while but all is recovered.

Til Next time,
This has been a misplaced MMI

19.12.2007 - Wii fit

2007-12-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

Well the inevitable happened and out on a routine weekend trip to subway I picked up Wii fit. Maybe it was the guilt, or weight of that foot long cheese steak which swayed me but there you have it, I bought it. So far, I can't comment on the effectiveness of the work out since I gained body mass on the second day of using it, It does however work up one heck of a sweat after about half an hour. The actual balance mat is pretty large, although only just large enough to accommodate my huge western feet, I'm not sure whether that gives me an advantage in balance over our dainty eastern friends or not. Guess I'll have to challenge someone to a fitness war.

But when I'm not busting out some sweet ski jumps or recovering in the foetal position from ten sit ups, I've been managing to play some Mario galaxy with the nunchuk behind my head under a cushion and the Wii mote resting on my fat belly. Just proves how versatile the old Wii is.

Til next time,
This has been MMI

11.12.2007 - The north wind doth blow.

2007-12-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

MMI "Since 181 posts ago
Now available in a collectible ring binder.
"Be the envy of your friends this Christmas!"

Well, it's that time of year again and being out here doesn't mean you can ignore it. Taiwan seems to have gone Christmas crazy, more so than last year. The department stores have switched to carol CDs, trees are popping up all over the place and turkey pre-orders are already popping up in the expat magazines. Christmas is funny here, since no one knows why or what they are meant to be celebrating except buying gifts. The Christmas songs are incompressible, Christmas cards are in English yet they go shopping like maniacs, flooding the 20 story department stores and telling their kids that Santa is coming. On second thought, is it very different from home? I forgot.

I myself put a little tree up in the corner of my flat, complete with paper craft star and when the kids wake up this afternoon we are going to put up the tree and decorate the class room, happy times! I'm reading them a Christmas story about a family who hangs fruit and nuts on a fir tree in the forest every year to feed the animals. Then we're going to make popcorn and hang it outside on an evergreen to feed the birds. Of course the school say don't focus too heavily on Christmas and for the love of Santa don't mention the meaning behind it, but I overcompensated for not being home last year so I'm sure I can get away with it again.

My life at the moment has been filled with thoughts of the future, having successfully escaped boredom in my life for a long time now, I am thinking carefully about the next move. My time at this school ends in July, at which point I shall be returning home to ponder my predicament. I have to say, teaching has been one of the most challenging and character building choices I have made in life. July will be two years at this school and I will really be ready for a break. Being home will tell me how I feel about the prospect of work in the UK.

But having such a great life out here and getting paid so well and living so cheaply has surely spoilt me. So much so, that the choice to settle into a job I dislike is going to be much more difficult to make. Regardless, a month or so of seeing family and friends will be worth making the trip alone. Therefore the next few months are also going to be spent hammering away at my UK debit and credit card balances so that when I return, it shall be with a clean slate financially plus enough to support me when I am home. That way I can take it easy and plan my next step. I am actually really excited to come back and have it be longer than 5 days this time and look forward immensely to seeing everyone again.

Well, I've got to get back to it,
these decorations aren't going to hang themselves,

Til we meet again,
This has been MMI

18.11.2007 - Out and about.

2007-11-17T22:23:00.000-08:00

So, once again returning to the blog after a break means I’m faced with the difficult task of filling the blanks. Well, events in no particular chronological order:

I bought Mario Galaxy for the Wii and I’m about 50 stars into it. I hear you can complete the game once you get 60, although there are 120 stars to be found in total. The game is a joy to play, its colourful, well designed and really nice to look at. This time, along with Mario’s usual repertoire of moves and silly noises, the Wii remote is used to shoot. I personally love this feature and it seems so natural although kind of like playing two games at once. The shooting will stun enemies and the cursor is also used to pick up items which you can use as space monies. The game has some of the best plat forming game playing sequences I have played. Although I don’t know if it can be described as plat forming since you run around spheres and planets for the most part. I especially like the way the Wiimote is used to pull and catapult you about the galaxy like a pinball.

Other stuff I have been briefly messing around with is the “Mii contest channel”, yes it’s not called “Check Mii Out” here either and the super difficult “Castlevania Dracula X chronicles” for the PSP. I really like the idea of the new channel and I do find some of the creations to be incredible based on the limitations, but the same limitations are present in the options available. Everything put out seems so simplistic and restrictive, which although user friendly, I’d rather have a more tangible online service, maybe it will shape up over time.

Castlevania has three games built into it and the 3D one is so much fun to play through, it just so unforgiving from the outset, especially the bosses and the fact that there are almost no health items. The controls of the main character are pretty alien to me and take some getting used to, like the way you cannot aim your whip up or down or diagonally only forward, and the way you traverse stairs is a pain. Aside from that it’s clearly a game of substance and the dialogue is so fantastically cheesy. For the PSP version they have rendered new 3D cut sequences which look great. That along with Crisis core, and Metal Gear are games I really need to invest more time in. Perhaps it’s because I don’t take it outside much and most of my playing is done here in the apartment plugged in the wall.

Well, aside from gaming which actually amounts to just sitting moving my fingers I have been out and about since I last posted. My friend out here makes music and wanted to put together a kind of stop motion music video and for the location he chose one of the coolest places I have ever visited on this Island. About a half an hour’s drive out from Taichung central lies an amusement park that time forgot. It is overgrown, ravaged by earthquakes and abandoned for years but aside from that, amazingly intact and a great place to wander around. The ghost house, the roller coaster, big wheels, bumper cars, carrousel are all still there and the whole place has this post apocalyptic feeling as if you are the last people on earth. Check out the pictures of Flikr as soon as I throw them up.

Yesterday we had an open house of sorts at the school and once it was done we all went for something to eat. The restaurant was in an area of the city called "First Square" or the old hub of Taichung before the action moved down here. This area is where all the Thai, Vietnamese and Pilipino workers live, shop, eat and drink after a very hard day’s work. On Sundays the area is awash with this people all finding ways to relax and socialize. The area then is host to some of the greatest foreign food Taichung can offer and a work colleague who speaks fluent Thai brought us to a tiny but popular restaurant tucked away in one of the tiny corridors on a third floor of somewhere. That end of town has a completely different feeling to the area where I live. It has such a great atmosphere, grimy, disorientating and noisy but great and the food we ate was superb.

Of course the food we ate was about five times cheaper than in town, I had a Thai curry and some imported Singha beer. Even for me the spices were almost too hot and my face was so red, luckily the dusky loft lighting meant the only thing we could really see was the glowing screens of the Thai karaoke. The whole area was so huge and packed to the rafters with stalls selling everything from spices to mobile phones that being whisked through it all didn’t really give me a chance to take half of it in so I’ll head back there soon with my camera.

I’m back home now after quite a busy weekend gallivanting about visiting new places. None of this would have been possible without my trusty scooter and I’m so glad I bought a decent full helmet despite it costing me about 45 quid, it makes me look like a spaceman but a safe on at least. Now it’s time to relax at home doing nothing. A weekend should never go by without a fair share of home time and I think I hit just the right balance this weekend and once I have had a hot shower and a cup of tea, everything is going to be just right. I hear a high pitched Italian voice calling me from that white box next to TV.

Hope everyone is doing great back westward as I always look forward to your comments and any information about what has been going on in the UK. I am more than a little disconnected from life and events back home and I keep thinking I am going to wake up any second in the queue at Sainsbury’s having dosed of temporarily having all this been a dream. Getting out of the house to rural areas always reminds me where I am and how different it can be at times.

Til next time,
This has been MMI

02.11.2007 - ooh what do we have here?

2007-11-02T03:39:00.000-07:00

28.10.2007 - Supporting Taiwan's "C-POP" scene

2007-10-27T01:01:00.000-07:00

Just got back from seeing F.I.R. play some songs across town. It was pretty hot, shouldn't have worn my jacket out. There was a pretty good turn out in the end, about 200 people. Only one of them was from England though. The squeeky voiced announcer girl shouted, "Let's say hi to our foreigner friend" into the mic, a bit uncomfortable but I'm used to it by now. They started singing and in typical Taiwanese fashion found time to play silly parlour games with the audience between songs.

When they had finished they cleared the gear off the stage and set up a table where the three of them could meet and greet the fans. I went up and got my poster signed, took a bunch of pictures and bumbled my way through "hello, well done", shook hands and then scurried back to my cave with my swag in tow. The lead singer asked me where I was from, they all looked a bit suprised to see a foreign face coming up. I didn't have the heart to say I had nothing better to do with my Saturday morning.

Anyways I'm off to find a Halloween costume!
Til Next time,
This has been MMI

26.10.2007 - And now this...

2007-10-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while since I posted but life has been a bit hectic. Went to the beach again this weekend, managed to stay sunburn free and have a great time. Aside from work I've pretty much been sleeping. I've been listening to the new Radiohead, broke a string on my guitar on account of a really cheap and crappy capo I bought in a department store, been playing Tomb Raider Anniversary for PSP and drinking crazy amounts of Tea and Coffee.

Too much internet this week, become addicted to Kotaku.com, which updates about 5 or 6 times a day. I hooked up a wireless mouse and keyboard and a second monitor upstairs so It feels like I have two computers and I picked up a 320gig USB drive which glows neon blue, super cool. Makes me feel like the laziest person in the world.

I bought a new matress the other day and the change from hard metallic springs to soft fluffy comport has buggered my spine and now I'm in agony. I went to the blind massage parlor (thats right! just like zatoichi) and that helped for about 2 hours but now I just have to bear it and get used to the new spine positioning.

But now for the good news:

Firstly, its only six days until Super Mario galaxy come out in Asia! Also since I've played through RE4 about three times in a row now it's high time for a change to something new, and less violent. Plus, Mario in a bee suit.. utter brilliance.

Secondly, some may remember me bringing home some CDs and DVDs from Asian super group F.I.R. from my travels a long while ago and how awesome they were. Well, Tomorrow they are performing in Taichung and I'm off to watch get my swag signed by them.

Thirdly, There is a huge Jazz festival here all weekend with free music and loads of food stalls.

Lastly, It's Friday and It's Halloween weekend which means there is all manner of spooky fun to be had as well as equal amount of lounging on the sofa. Happy times!

Til next time,
This has been MMI

08.10.2007 - Persistent precipitation predicaments

2007-10-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

Its chucking it down again I'm afraid. Whatever water got launched into the atmosphere by the recently departed Typhoon is now coming crashing down on our heads. Not much fun to be had when it's so wet. I should really buy a towel to dry the seat of my scooter if this keeps up. No fun in a wet bottom. I could have slept better last night too, weird dreams which I've all but forgotten, must have been the pesto and cheese sandwich I ate before I hit the hay. Was up playing Wii til about 1am and then I listened to pod casts before drifting off.

I felt fine until I got to class and then the dreariness hit me. I gulped down two cups of Nescafe brown wake up acid and set about putting up a bulletin board. The typhoon had torn a hole in the one next to mine, lucky I didn't put mine up until today. The entire wall had been wired down to stop It flying around in the wind and now I had to find some wire cutters. Having unchained the wall I slapped up my poster. I cautiously stepped up to the stage in the rain only to find it wasn't quite straight. I called the head teacher to take a look but I guess I was the only one to notice. The precarious ladder I had borrowed wouldn't close, the latched were all rusted so I had to carry it back as it was. Hoping no one noticed I scurried off for another cup of coffee.

I bought a bottle of red wine for the guy who helped me to sort out the whole tax rebate thing. He said he was only kidding but I think he appreciated the small kick back from the whole ordeal, however small. Shopping last night I saw so many things I wanted to buy, Mac book, FFVII:Crisis core, X-box 360, Mobile Phone, Sony Bravia TV. I resisted them all and left with only groceries. Bought some more Hokkaido milk, as featured many moons ago on a video of mine. I also ate when I was out shopping but I haven't for the life of me been able to find one decent steak on this whole Island. They are always completely under cooked and have a texture more akin to a jelly fish than a cow. I asked why this was once, someone told me the Taiwanese add some chemical to the beef which makes it all soft and gooey. Bleauh! I also heard that a lot of the meat is imported from china, make of that what you will.

Well, at least I get fed at school for free, and we never get steak but at least its free. Free food is the best kind of food. There's no monetary or physical investment in free food and therefore no margin for disappointment. Taichung does have great Indian restaurants though, and with all this wet weather a good curry may be just the thing I need.

Til next time,
This has been MMI

05.10.2007 - Moon Cakes and Tax Rebates.

2007-10-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

So whats up with the lack of blogging. Seems being here doesnt seem all that unique to me any more. What a selfish attitude to take, just because I have fallen into routine doesnt mean the folks back home dont appreciate details from out here on this rock.

So a couple of things have gone on of note. It was recently Moon festival, or mid Autumn festival which is one of the few times which I get a long weekend. I went down to the very south point of Taiwan to Pintung, a national park with lots of white sands and clear oceans, although it rained for the first of two days we made the most of it under our canopy. The campsite was right on the beach, surrounded by palm trees andaside from the occational deadly snake (not kidding) it was our own little Island paradise. When the sun eventually came out it was beautiful, I got pounded by huge waves and was on the bottom of the sea bed more often than catching waves, good times were had. I have spent every day since then peeling strips of sunburnt Aaron jerky off my back and shoulders.

So now its back to school, I saw Ang Lee's new film Lust Caution at the cinema and it reminded me of which I love films, something I had forgotten for a suprisingly long time. Fantastic acting, beautifully shot and compelling story. High five for Taiwan Mr Lee. Nice to see Tony Leung again even if he is getting old and grumpy. Other news, I got my Tax rebate from the Taiwanese government to the sum of "alot", must resist Halo 3, Macbook and such, at least I have a bank account now which helps to stop cash burning a hole in my pocket. Although my cash card is yellow with Astro boy on it, I like making him fly into the slot of the ATM.

Not much else to report except I finished Ada's side mission on Resident Evil 4 last night, Mario Sunshine must be coming soon, still wondering where the heck the new Wii channel is? Also, it friday! Woo and since I had to work Saturday last week Im going to enjoy this one to its fullest, that meaning sleep through it!

Til next time,
This has been MMI

(P.S Pictures from the beach on Flikr soon)

2007-09-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

Well its about time that I threw up a post. Ive been spending my entire weekend nursing my sore throat and playing through Resident Evil 4 which I finished about two hours ago. I always have every intention of doing some kind of work at the weekends but it always turns out as a gigantic sloth fest. This weekend I hooked up the cable to the TV in the bedroom and bought a super cheap DVD player from the supermarket. Last night I watched Death Note again and fell asleep watching bad TV. When I woke up my voice was gone. I took a trip to a local breakfast shop and got a pork sandwich and a cup of coffee. Once RE 4 was done, it was time to eat again so I went downstairs to get a pizza. That brings us up to date.

Til next time,
This has been MMI

15.08.2007 - Wii fat

2007-08-14T23:00:00.049-07:00

Well, I'm back blogging again for the first time in what seems like an age. Second attempt at this post too. Now back in Taiwan I have a new house which is very nice and fancy. Ive set up cable TV and 8mb wireless for the laptop, PSP and Wii. I've also picked up a classic controller so been using up the Wii point scratch cards I bought in Tokyo the last few days. The latest Wii update adds a digital clock to the channels menu (woo!) and USB keyboard support, plus the disk slot LED lights up when you put in or take out a disc now. I've also been playing the heck out of "Wipeout Pulse" for the PSP, "Monster Hunter Online" and "Brave Story: New Traveller".

Aside from what has been amusing me whilst I am kicking around the new house not much to report. The only exception is that I am performing at open mic two days a week now at different places. I'm just getting confident enough now to relax and enjoy it, although still a little nerve wracking at times. I'm happy to be developing a skill I wouldn't have otherwise back home. Speaking of which I need to start looking for a chinese teacher since I'm out here for another year. Ive also noticed I'm getting pretty tubby lately, eating more and since I stopped going to the gym have grown quite the impressive pot belly. Time to renew that gym membership or at least make use of the pool in our building.

Lastly I have a whole bunch of pictures and videos I want to share when I get organised. Expect that probably this weekend.

Til next time,
This has been MMI

24.07.2007 - From yet another net cafe.

2007-07-24T01:51:00.000-07:00

This one seems a little different from the others though. When I went in they asked me if I wanted a "flat floor" room. I agreed asuming that anything other than a flat floor would make me feel disorientated. What it actually is apparantly is a padded box which you climb into and sit down. The whole floor is cushioned so right now I am hunched over the key board realising once again that every time I type a comma,　it switches to Japanese input. Aside from listening to the drunken japanese businessman snoring in the next cubicle, its pretty homely.

My thoughts on the holiday so far? Japan has not really changed over the last year. Indeed aside from the banners Akihabra seems to be just how we left it. I've really been able to take my time and explore Tokyo,　especially the parks and temples of which I have discoverd a bunch. Its past the point where I can give a day by day analysis of my trip so far but tomorrow I hope to head to another big park a little away from the centre. I still havent visited Odaiba again yet but the weather was so hot this morning I didnt want to risk it without a hat. Much to do yet heres hoping I have time to squeeze it all in. Well I'm off to take advantage of the free soft drinks and coffee. Sayonara everyone!

Til next time,
This has been MMI (In Toky0)

23.07.2007 - Well I survived a week!

2007-07-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, now its monday in our neck of the world which means all of the touristy things have been done. There is still much to be done however, however Tokyo is far more expensive than I remebered it, so the pace of the next week will be much slower, time for sleep and catching up with TV shows I havent touched for a while。Lord knows I might even hammer out a bit of work on the old notebook on a slow evening, One thing I know is that this trip has really solidified in my mind the things which are important to me. Being out here on my own, no matter how much fun it has been, has reminded me of how important family and friends are. Im pretty stupid to have not worked out the dialing codes for England and Taiwan by now and even my phone which holds all of my addresses has died. It also made me miss Taiwan, something which I never thought I would feel. The big lights and shiny coating of this city have made me feel lonesome for the sleepy town of Taichung. I saw Martin Freeman of the office fame today in the street. I couldnt think of anything to say to him but it reminded me of England. Not much else to say except all these photos and phonecalls will be made soon. Love to all, Aaron

Til next time,
This has been MMI

19.07.2007 - Net Cafe in Shibuya

2007-07-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

I feel kinda helpless without a secure internet connection. Not only am I behind on my podcasts but also kinda cut off from the ones I lovｅ。Well, as I said before, things are going fine. Ａｓｉｄｅ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｋｅｙｂｏａｒｄ　ｂｕｇｇｅｒｉｎｇ　ｕｐ．Ｃａｎｔ　ｇｅｔ　ａｎｙ　ｐｉｃｓ　ｕｐ　ｓｏ　ｆａｒ．　Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ　ｋｅｙｂｏａｒｄｓ　ｓｕｃｋ！　Ｈａｖｅ　ｔｏ　ｔｒｙ　ｌａｔｅｒ！．　

Ｔｉｌ　ｎｅｘ　ｔｉｍｅ
Ｔｏｏｋ　ｍｅ　ｈｏｕｒｓ　ｔｏ　ｔｙｐｅ　ｅｖｅｎ　ｔｈｉｓ
ＭＭＩ　ｂｅｅｎ　ｈａｓ．

17.07.2007 - Somewhere sometime in Tokyo

2007-07-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

I am a wanderer in a strange land, so far its going pretty good. Relying on the kindness of strangers and the knowledge of kobans. Japanese people are pretty nice to you once you break that thin sheet of ice. I played guitar with a couple in Yoyogi park yesterday. I also nearly met guns and roses, not much of a story I know. I am finding it hard to get regular internet access at the moment but im sure I will remedy that situation soon. Im having the time of life so no need to worry. Many photos have been taken and aproved. So many nice people have shown me the way. Very shenmue. Although no black car, rain though, we narrowly avoided the typhoon. Yesterday was a public holiday, they opened the streets in Akihabara, things were going on, again until I find a stable internet terminal things are stuck on a memory cards. I miss everyone so much, So until next time, Ill keep wandering and enjoying my time off.

Til next time,
This has been MMI

02.07.2007 - Moving

2007-07-01T23:07:00.000-07:00

Well, only 11 days before I head off to the land of the rising sun. Most of my children have already gone off on vacation and that leaves a kind of peaceful final stretch of work to finish off. I am signing a contract for my new house this afternoon and will be moving in on the 1st of August. The new place is a world apart from my current house, closer, newer, safer, bigger and nicer in every way. I expect to spend a happy year in there. All that is left to do is to refresh my memory of Japanese before I leave on the 14th.

28.07.2007 - Japan Kitaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

2007-06-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

A two week holiday is coming up and I couldn't be happier with the idea of a break. The flight and hotel are booked and once my visa is renewed, Im all set to go. Im going to Tokyo again, seeing Mt Fuji and riding the bullet train. To eat real beef curry and generally relax before the new year starts. So If anyone has the cash and desire to join me out there from the 14th to the 28th of July let me know and I will be more than happy to meet.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

P.S Threw up a few pictures from Taipei on flikr so check 'em out.

13.06.2007 - Mid week crisis.

2007-06-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

How is it that after sleeping for an hour I feel worse than before.

It hasn't rained so far today.

I'm hoping it stays dry until I get home so that I can take my washing in.

It now Wednesday lunch time...

...and if ever a week has felt like peddling uphill, this is the week.

This isn't based on any real obstacle or situation,

just internally
I feel like every action is met with resistance.

Although to get through to the weekend is going to be a momentous occasion since I have a four day mini holiday to look forward to. It couldn't have come at a better time really and all of the moaning I'm doing now will be irrelevant in two more days.

I need someone to slap me on the back and say cheer up.
Guess, Ill do it myself.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

11.06.2007 - Dragged kicking and screaming back into the week.

2007-06-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

The rain seems to have stopped and with it the heat has returned. My skin has reacted by breaking out in heat rashes. Aside from that we are back to a normal week like any other. Last night's open mic went pretty well and more people are turning up on a weekly basis. It is also pay day today which is always nice. I finally finished my dentist appointments on Saturday, no more work to be done which is a relief. She told me I can no longer eat hard food or my lower right molar will shatter. Kind of a worrying scenario to leave me with, it's either sacrifice hard food or my tooth. The dentist didn't go into specifics of what constituted hard food though.

Oh, well I just looked outside and the rain has started again. Feeling kind of burnt out today and it's only half way through Monday. It's going to be a long week, got to stay positive and think about the long 4 day weekend coming up. I also need to spend less time thinking about things that need to be done and just do them. I think I'm going to go out and eat something really great tonight to cheer myself up. I should also go play some arcades. To my readers I wish you a brighter Monday than this one.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

08.06.2007 - Waterworld only worse.

2007-06-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

I practically had to swim my way out of Mos burger this afternoon as the torrential rain and thunderstorm which has been gaining strength over the week had created a small river down the high street. My umbrella keeps my hair dry but thats about it. The sheer volume of rain coming from all directions is a sight to behold. My socks are hanging up to dry, my trousers rolled up to my knees and my shoes are like sponges. Welcome to the rainy season folks.

On my way to school this morning I picked up my breakfast and found a veranda to sit under in a tiny park around the corner from school, where I could sip my coffee and wake up before I clocked in. Even at that time of the morning the rain was pretty fierce. As I approached the meagerly sheltered area I became away of a small cardboard box discarded on the floor. There was a kitten inside. I felt instantly bad that someone would dump the little guy on such a crappy day as this. So bad that indeed I could not stay and drink my coffee, feeling guilty since I had no place to take the kitten to. When I went back later to give him some milk he had gone. I hope someone gave him a good home.

Till next time,
This has been a very soggy MMI

07.06.2007 - Twilight, I only meant to stay a while.

2007-06-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

I woke up pretty early this morning and the obligatory cold shower made me feel pretty peppy. Heading into the living room I realised my Godzilla poster had fallen off the wall like it does every day. Refusing to stick it back up another time I checked to see if I had the last nine episodes of the Sopranos ready for me, all was good.

Thursdays are like little Fridays. Fridays are the day when we have the most fun at school. We alternate weeks between sandbox and field trip followed by P.E. Its the most fun because regardless of how interesting the topic of the week may be, deep down all kids want to do is run about for no reason other than the fact they are kids. I have no problem with that, since field trips mean a temporary change of scenery and Sand box is sand box.

The only problem this week is the weather, in that it has been chucking it down every day this week and there is all likely hood that field trip will be canceled. So tommorrow, as with everyday this week, mother nature has deprived the guys of outside playtime. What does that mean, it means the kids have all this energy usually spent bombing around the playground and nowhere to expend it. At times it makes me wish I had a huge hamster wheel in the classroom but alas, I do not. I need to think of something fun for them to do which doesn't involve being in the rain before they tear the place to bits.

I look outside and the sky is dark, as if it is evening and it makes me feel as if the day is nearly over. Every day though, just as nap time finishes the sun comes out to remind me that the day still has a good few hours left in it. It is a really odd phenomenon. I didn't sleep today, usually I will have a nap and fill these twilight hours with a blog entry after about an hour's sleep but today I had work to do. It's an odd period of time if you are awake for the whole two hours, the whole school shuts down, lights are switched off and a quiet falls upon the classrooms. I sit here typing by the light of the screen and a tiny florescent lamp, listening the gurgle of water running through the AC, its a peace that is soon to be broken once the children are up, although I feel like the quiet time is more than enough.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

06.06.2007 - A game is for life, not just for Christmas.

2007-06-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

Ive had Metal Gear: Portable OPS for a long time now, I bought the Japanese version it when It first came out in Taiwan. I later got hold of the English version but since the game has no auto save function, much like cooking mama, meant that every time I revisited it I was playing through the same bits over and over. Surely in our day and age of gaming, constant auto-saving is a no brainer, especially on the PSP where the battery has a tendency to die when you least expect it. Well, last night after I got home from work, still feeling sick in stomach, I put away my washing and lay down on my sofa to give portable ops another try. I found you could skip the codec sequences I has seen a million times before by holding triangle and skip the cutscenes by hitting start. Lo and behold after about 20 minutes of constant saving and skipping I got to the furthest I had been before, which wasn't all that far.

The new mission I found myself on saw big boss/naked snake heading for a harbour which was on the other side of a barricaded bridge. Col. Campbell tells you that the only way to clear it is by creating a distraction, a real "light show" as he puts it. So heading back to your map the game requires you to deploy spies to various adjacent locations in order to check out via able spots where TNT might be detonated, tankers, trucks and so forth. After a few days the guys you have recruited by knocking out, bungling into your van and convincing to do certain jobs come back with the intel you need. Once the reports come through it's your turn to detonate these changes over four different locations and once done the bridge is clear.

The spies are the most interesting thing about this game so far, not only do they report on new campains to be attempted they also, depending on where you place them, inform you of new swag which arrives at each location. Just before I finished detonating the last diversion they told me a shotgun could be found in a cabin by the bridge and it was ready to collection at any time. Based on the information they give you drive your truck to the location and get to work on the salvage mission. After three hours of game play last night, describing this one small aspect of the game does not do justice to how much I am enjoying this game right now. Nor how attached I have become to my recruited comrades, they could be because I give every one a name of a bleach character.

What with this, Lumines and Bleach Heat the Soul 4, we are in a golden age of PSP and based on at least 30 more games I would saw are exceptional, I implore everyone I know who does not own one yet to go out and buy one. and If the incentive of being able to meet my portable ops Bleach crew in head to head wifi deathmatch isnt enough then I dont know what is.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

05.06.2007 - Useless Tat

2007-06-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

Another day like any other. Our school meeting was canceled today so I'm awake during nap time once again. Last night I went for a curry at the usual place, it way cheaper when you aren't with a big group. The curry was great but I was paying for it this morning. These past few days however, Ive been feeling kind of sick after I eat. It started after I took some medicine given to me at school, supposed to aid digestion, seems it just made feel sick.

Ive been collecting bleach Soul card battle trading cards from the convenience store. They never put out many until I buy them and they replace them with one or two more packets. I guess I'm the only one. The big 7/11 promotion at the moment is when you spend 77 dollars you get a stamp to put into a book and when you get ten you get a hello kitty statuette. The collector mentality is something exploited frequently and successfully by 7/11 although this month the procurement of the toy is based on spending 10 times the amount you usually do. Nevertheless I myself am still collecting the things along with everyone else I know. The stupid thing is, it makes you send just a little extra than you usually would in order to get 77 dollars of drinks, snacks etc, and once I get my hand on the toy, I know I wont even want it. Well, thats that for now.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

04.06.2007 - Raining again.

2007-06-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went to see a friends band at the pub downstairs and then tootled off to another friends house to say happy birthday. He had a big HD tv and I played a little motor storm and ninja gaiden on his PS3. I also watched a couple of High Def movie trailers before I realised what I had suspected a few times before, high def makes me feel a bit sea sick. Not only that but when I'm watching 1080p or i my eyes start to dry up and sting. Its pretty odd since Ive never been sensitive to anything like that, even watching the porygon episode of pokemon. Good job I bought a Wii instead.

On Saturday I woke up early and got to work on a podcast and anime backlog and headed out for a hot dog around noon. On the way back, the guys who work downstairs were burning ghost money. I hung out with them for a while until I couldn't take the smoke any longer. The bin they were doing it in fell over a couple of times and the ashes were going everywhere. I threw a few notes in and after we had finished I got a free bag of crisps. Seems you only symbolically offer food to the gods and at clean up time its up for grabs! "Jurassic park!"

Around 5 I traveled a little further afield to the posh department store where they have everything except an Arcade. It is way bigger than SOGO and Tiger city and it sucks you in and spits you out 12 hours later without any money. I went to the Vans shop and bought some new shoes then the Diesel shop and bought some new jeans. I toyed with the idea of seeing a movie but there is not much on except the pirate movie and the second one was a bit rubbish, everyone here is going nuts about it which makes me want to see it even less. I got home on Saturday, updated my PSP firmware to 3.40 and played a whole load of the new bleach game which is just amazing both visually and game-play wise.

On Sunday I cleaned the flat but lugged all my clothes downstairs to the laundrette only to realise they don't open on Sundays. Lugging it back upstairs I started washing the whole lot, which to my credit I got done in one day only to have my washing line unceremoniously snap whilst it wash chucking it down with rain this morning... Sunday night I played at open mic again, I added "Here comes your man" to the very short rotation and got a free drink! I should write a book about how to get free stuff in Taiwan! As usual my friend kicked ass and we all enjoyed the evening. On the way back I saw my two Japanese friends and I ended the night by kicking their asses at Bleach Wii.

Right, now your up to speed, I've got to get back to work!

Till next time,
This has been MMI

01.06.2007 - Back in the MMI

2007-05-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

Happy June everyone! Hope people have been behaving themselves and the UK is just how I left it. June means that its coming up to a year in Taiwan which seems to have gone so fast. I remember celebrating my last birthday in a tiny punk rock bar in a attic somewhere in Shibuya, drinking real Asahi and trying to come to terms with the fact that real life was upon us. Lucky for me I stayed in Asia and the odd adventures seem to have continued.

Although, much like the first year of University (lots of cash, new places to spend it) things are starting to wind down now and get a little more sensible, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It means I have the means to save a little cash, pick up some more Chinese, venture further afoot than my own front door and generally explore this Island with a sense of security. I no longer fear the fact that I understand little of what goes on around me, I have learned to embrace it somewhat. And when you find friends, you can laugh about it together which makes it much easier.

So next year I will be staying at the same school I am at now, moving to a new classroom but teaching the same group of kids and perhaps a few new guys. The system change and having to deal with the closure of my old class took a long while to get over for me. I guess I was more torn up about it than I thought which meant for a long time I didn't commit to making a connection with the new children. But all that is behind me now, our class is actually great and I couldn't be happier as their teacher. They have made huge progress over these few months and I look forward to the next year. Assuming they don't mess us about again.

About the biggest update to add is my purchase of a Wii. I really didn't imagine myself buying a console, I had mulled the idea of buying a PS3 over ever since it hit these shores but they didn't have any games back then and they still don't have any now which strikes me as really stupid. I guess it was Super Paper Mario that sold the thing to me, the game just looked so much fun. Having bought the thing I quickly realised I was going to have to get a wireless adapter and a composite cable for my TV box. I already had a 1G SD card with my camera and that seems to be enough for now. Actually playing the thing is often really intuitive and sometimes really tiring although as a machine to play together with about seven people it has no equal.

Ive been playing guitar a whole bunch recently and I'm thinking of putting a cd together of all the children's songs I have written and recorded over the last year. Based on the fact that I have recorded a song to cd every week for the last eleven months means there is a whole truck load of songs which I would like to collect together in one place. I write poem's for school every week too, just a shed load of resources I have either pooled or created in order to do my job here. So maybe I'll just make a Year 1 DVD of my work.

Besides the playing I do for school, Ive been strumming away at an open mic night on Sundays outside a nearby bar along with a friend of mine. At the moment there are only about three or four people doing it but hopefully it will really get good. It's just great to watch people playing on a Sunday evening a really relaxed atmosphere and if you sing a song you get a free drink! I'm still kicking around a few ideas for this Sunday I'm aiming to add two songs to my rotation every week until I get about ten songs I can do pretty easily. Last week I played "Rock and Roll Suicide", "Where is my mind" and "Creep", It went down pretty well so we will see how it goes.

Well, It's Friday and all my work for this week has been done. The weather was fantastic this morning but I can feel a tropical storm coming. This weekend I have to pay another visit to the dentist who is on a mission to fill every cavity in my teeth. She has already drilled and filled six, yes, six! of my molars and it going for the full set tomorrow afternoon. The last appointment took an hour of drilling to get done but I figure after she has finished with the other to there is no more places to drill! and I'm not the type to be afraid of the dentist but it's just so tiring to go through the pain for such extended periods of time. As part of my Visa renewal process I have to make another visit to the hospital for my medical examination. It's a little drawn out and a little invasive but once it's done, its done for the whole year.

At the moment I am without transport, although I'm working on that as soon as I get paid. I'm also still working on where I'm going to be living after July. All unavoidable crap that has to be done, unfortunately even odd adventures like mine are still dotted with mundane tasks.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

05.05.2007 - Extreme pokey trauma

2007-05-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

So last night I clocked off, walked home and got back the abode. Ive decided to honour my contract untill the end of july and then, with any look ill be able to pick up a house in the same building i looked at when that time comes. So after making the call to the incredibly nice landlord of said building informing him of the delay I parked my ass infront the computer and picked up the coments from the last post. in response to the query, yes I cut my hair about two weeks ago and its effectivly serving as my summer coat. The only downside is that coupled with a clean shave, I look about 17 years old again.

Rooound about 7:30 I headed out to Bollywood, and indian movie themed curry house about five minutes trot from the SOGO department store. Since last week was incredibly expensive because everyone had shared, plus I got a bad stomach, I opted to sit in a corner and eat my own Tika Masala and enjoy a corona or two. Good choice it seems since I saved about 600 dollars in change because of the separate bill. There were bats circling wildly outside the restaurant and another British guy way playing with a parrot which I guess was owned by the restaurant. All in all a good friday night. It makes me want to eat curry again right now. I think I might.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

03.05.2007 - What the world needs now is MMI

2007-05-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Omatase shimashita! I know I have been gone for a while but really I havent been in the frame of mind where I wanted to blog. This could be because I've been too busy or just too lazy to put into words the hazy blur that is my Taiwan life. Well Im back and about time too, It feels good to revisit these dusty pages and let folks know how I am. Life is all about big changes at the moment, work has changed, friends have changed houses will soon be changing, the year has changed and will soon be restarting and even my hair has changed. It really feels like grown up life now too, whereby no shred of similarity with my university life remains save the TV shows and the clothing (Yes I still troll around in the NERV tshirt) and things have no clear direction. But for the first time in a while thats not such a bad thing.

Things I do know: Im going to be out here for at least another year teaching at the same school. Also I am negotiating a month long break during July in order to clear my head and get a well earned holiday. I've already begun saving for that break, that it may come to fruition. I also know that I will be moving house either before or at the end of my contract since Im sick of my apartment. It may look nice when clean, but something about that place just sucks the life force out of you and makes you instantly tired. This could be down to the strip bulb prison lighting which has to be turned off at all time. Because of that I am living by lamp lights when the sun goes down, a kind of coma inducing yellow glow. I actually look forward to being at work since it gets me out of that house, I never get anything done there, just crash and feel depressed. No wonder I havent blogged recently, its all the house's fault. Im blogging from school now and I feel fine.

Enough of that jabber. Work is really coming into its own now, and its helping me grow as a person. The challenges it presents on a weekly basis coupled with the infinite patience it required keeps my brain super active. Two days are never the same and although sometimes it feels like hardest job in the world and sometimes you have a terrible fruitless day, there are equal amounts of great days to keep you in it. So it looks like I will be sticking around and getting better at what I do.

As for life outside of school. I no longer have any extra curricular activites since I have just been too flippin busy. Drum lessons finished, I couldnt make time for Japanese and I havent been to the gym in weeks, I think my trainer has given up on me. I need my free time, and in it, I need to do absolutely nothing of value. Ive found I can socialise at my own pleasure at weekends but as far as scheduled activities are concerned, the amount of work I do at school just doesnt allow me the energy for anything else. Even watching TV, reading, listening to music have all been put on the back burner of late. I do listen to alot of podcasts though, thats pretty much all I do in my free time, listen to podcasts, play taiko occationally when I get outide and find interesting places to eat. Today I went to eat bad ramen for the second time because I didnt want to eat lunch at school. I wont be going back a third time.

So after work today, I going to check out a prospective new dwelling and try and get to the dentist since I have a huge hole in one of my back teeth. Not looking forward to that much. After that Ill go back to my energy sucking abode and feel tired as always, damn you house!

Till next time,
This has been MMI

My Pokemans - Let me show you them.

2007-04-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mum!

2007-04-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

04.02.2007 - Impending Waste of Time

2007-04-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Happy April everyone. Hope it finds you well. Im back to work for three days then a long weekend which after a while of net surfing seems like its going to be completely wasted. Seems everyone is off to Tokyo and Okinawa since I cant get a seat on any of the flight times I wanted. Another option would be to head back down to kenting for the big music festival they have got going on, but from what I have heard, its always rubbish. The thing is, time off is such a rarity that It would be a crime to stay home.

I could get the high speed train up to Taipei and stay up there for a few days but I dont really know the area well enough to move about on a tight schedule. I guess Im just feeling that any of this would constitute way too much effort when all I want to do is relax. Ive saved more than half of my wage this month so I could just keep the money. If I had planned ahead I could have been back in Tokyo, at least I know my way around and could maximise the time spent. Im forever putting things off, I hate that.

Well, It could be an ideal opportunity to remedy that situation: clean up my apartment, do my washing, do a real shop, get my hair cut, go to the dentist etc etc etc. But then it wouldnt be a holiday would it? Well if I intercut the activites with arcade visits, cinema trips, good food and such, I might be able to make it happen. Well, I have two more days of work to mull it over anyway, ill let you know what happens.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

MMI Shopping Bag #1

2007-03-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

Just a daft idea that struck me this afternoon.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

MMI - Podcast Number Two

2007-03-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Forty five minutes in your ear hole!

Featuring:

My lack of HTML Skills
Naptime and Blogging
Websites
Crash Bandicoot 2
Mario on Nes Emulator
Every Extend Extra
Problems with Ratchet and Clank
Outrun 2006
Klonoa - Empire of Dreams

My Mos Burger Rant
Talk of the Weekend
Gym Apathy and Time Management
Anime Backlog
Stalked by a dog
Last Words

Pick it up here

21.03.2007 - R.I.P Turtle No 3

2007-03-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

Yes its my sad duty to inform you that we lost one of our class turtles this week due to the negligence of workers who seem to constantly have it in for my property. See the turtles have always been moved to an upstairs greenhouse any time work is being done to the classrooms where I assume they will be safe. Last time I put them in there, workers boarded the turtles up inside a shelving unit using ceiling panels from which took me 45 minutes to rescue them. This time they decided to bug spray the turtles and the fish without thought and their actions killed my turtle. The other two were a little groggy but after I cleaned their tank and gave them some new ornaments to play with they seem to be fine, albeit grieving for their brother. I buried him amongst the trees downstairs and vowed to keep my property where people can not find and destroy it in the future since it seems no one gives a crap around here. I plan on seeing the CGI turtles movie in memory of my loss.

On a lighter note, we have reached Wednesday lunch time and the majority of teaching time has been completed. Its been good fun this week and we have talked about some interesting topics in class. Ive been using a bunch of Eric Carle books as well as watching "The very hungry caterpillar" animation. Since spring is practically upon us, its all about changes in the world around us and I have a huge meeting to prepare for next Tuesday based on work for the month of April. Aside from that I'm going to be catching up with the housekeeping I failed to do last weekend and playing Every Extend Extra until I can see through time. Oh and putting out a podcast, I have just been sent a great transition noise for segmenting the thing so just hold on a little longer folks!

Till next time,
This has been MMI

19.03.07 - Where the hell did my weekend go?

2007-03-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

So now that it is lunchtime on a monday and all the kids are tucked fast asleep I am forced to wonder what happened to my much promised productive weekend of sorting all these loose ends out. Granted I made it to one of my three intended appointments, that being Japanese, not surprisingly, but all in all, I must have just sat on my sofa spacing out and playing PSP for an entire weekend. About the only achievements which I can speak of are catching up with Bleach and the O.C.(R.I.P). listening to a ridiculous amount of podcasts and working my way through Loco Roco and Every Extend Extra. I feel so lazy at the weekends after a week of teaching and it seems like I dont have the willpower to get anything done at weekends. This has to change, either that or I make time during the week for all of these extra curricular duties and have no guilt about crashing out on a friday afternoon.

I did make it out for St Patricks day on Saturday night with some of my friends. It seems our American counterparts take the occasion way more seriously than I ever have and I disappointed many by not wearing green on said night. I dont think I own anything green anyway, its not a colour that seems wearable comfortably. Anyway, It was good fun although a little short lived since my friends had been celebrating the night before whereas I had been sitting on my sofa throwing rolled up balls of paper into an imaginary dustbin hoop. I postponed my gym meeting for yet another week since I havent been going. Its really difficult to summon up the power to get my ass there and when I do I feel so out of place I want to leave ten minutes later and scamper back to my nest.

I must say though, the urge to lay about on weekends is all the more encoraged by the fantastic world of the supermarket down the road. Its so well stocked with savoury snacks and also hosts the bakery I have raved about on many a post, and since I have discovered where they keep the curry rice I dont think I need to shop anywhere else. The other day I discovered a drink which I thought only existed in the vending machine outisde Ueno Zoo in Tokyo since Tom, Ade and I partook of it last Summer, called Bubble Man Soda. I have to buy another and photograph it for you all since it such a rare delight. I wonder what it would taste like if you mixed it with boss coffee? Theres an experiment for the wee hours of the morning im sure.

So im closing Id just like to say that Im still working on the podcast and fine tuning the music and intros still. Im probably going to add some more content since what I do have at the moment is a little out there. Im curious to see the effect of a podcast made over several takes on several different nights. Whether or not it forms a cohesive product will be entirely coincidental but a podcast nontheless. I really dislike my lack of skill with regards to keeping contact with everyone. Not to excuse myself but it feels as if work is all I can focus on at the moment in order to keep my head above water. This is something I promised myself I will work on, that and time management. I do feel that the amount of responsibilty placed on my at the moment is good for me and helps me become better at what I do. The next week is going to be super tough at work, meetings, planning and paperwork but it wont be like that forever.

As always, still here,
This has been MMI

15.03.07 - Introducing Pan-kun and James

2007-03-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

Google is your friend for this one!

Incredibly busy at work.
Im working on those podcasts I promised, recorded tonight.
Sorry to keeping you hanging

28.02.2007 - Back to Asia

2007-02-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

So here we are again. After traveling 6000 plus mile for close to thirty hours I finally find myself settling back into life as I have come to know it. The cold which I had contracted in the UK has unfortunately failed to be shaken off so easily and has resulted in my taking a day and a half off the beginning of a new term. Not the best timing I know, but at least I made it physically back to be able to work once this bronchitis medicine does its thing. Luckily tomorrow is a national holiday, which gives me another day to rest up. The medicine the doctor gave me is making me incredibly lethargic and aside for trips out for food and supplies, my time post UK has been mostly spent playing PSP and watching South Park season 10 in its entirety.

The morning period I did spend in my new class however was very promising. I felt incredibly bad to be in such a sickly jetlagged state but I was relieved to find that the children, classroom and the co teacher were all really nice. It’s a difficult situation for anyone to deal with, having to start everything from scratch and I really feel that the Chinese teacher is handling it extremely well, at least on the outside that is. It’s hard to explain the way that a very individual routine and structure is built up in a classroom environment once a teacher takes a class upon themselves. I’m sure this is the case with my old class and it’s incredibly evident with my new one. Once I get back into the swing of things teaching wise, its going to have to be a case of working around what work for them already and subtly guiding things into a routine that works for me whilst firmly keeping the mantra “If it aint broke don’t fix it” in mind. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a daunting task, but I’m sure once I get back in good shape ill be up for the challenge.

Well, I buckled and ate one of my prized British canned foods today in a moment of weakness, maybe it was because I’m in sick mode but I just needed some big soup to make me feel better. It did make me feel better and then instantly worse when I realized it was the last can in Asia. One can of baked beans and two cans of stag chili remain in the “break out in case of homesick emergency” cabinet. How long this metaphorical cabinet will remain intact remains to be seen. I’m guessing the first to go will be the stag since there are two of them.

One final thing, I will be working on my pod cast once I get my voice back, I really feel like I should give it a shot since it means I can cast a sort of distant stone into the pool of people I know and care about overseas. I do think there are huge possibilities for the medium based on what I get up to and I have recently become starkly aware of how massively different British and Taiwanese lives are. So expect the resurgence of that little MMI offshoot as soon as I get better.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

Farewell my nakama!

10.02.2007 - Saturday

2007-02-10T00:17:00.000-08:00

Just checked the date and its seven days till I make my first leg of my journey back to motherland. One final week of school to get through unlike some of the other schools in the area. Been feeling a little ill this weekend but im sure that will be out of system by tomorrow and I can get on with packing and organising the thing. Its time to encode some junk to mp4 to keep me busy on the flight and also make a shopping list of food to bring back from sainsburys. Ive already had a bunch of requests from fellow brits but stag chilli is top of my list.

Not a great deal to report since the past post. Been playing Advance wars 2 obessively and beginning to realise why it comes so highly recommended online. Listening to ICRT, Taiwan's only english radio station and getting gradually more depressed by their choice of music. Its good to have background noise on these lazy pointless Saturdays where aside from laying about, I never usually get anything done. Its starting to get hot again here, especially at night which means there was no really middle ground weather to enjoy between freezing and what will soon become sweltering heat.

Mostly been watching Anime as usual, still working through Welcome the the NHK and of course bleach.Its good to have Bleach back on top form, the animation is fantasic again and the character designs are looking really sharp, unlike the malformed wooden puppets that starred in the filler episodes. My friend upstairs is long gone to his new country and I have inherited quite alot of his stuff when he left, the list including a new chair, speakers and yet another turtle with whom I am yet to properly bond.

Well, detirmined to make something of this saturday before the sun goes down, Im going to put on some washing and clean my apartment. Its not all fun and games you see.

Till next time,
This has been a rather lackluster MMI

27.01.2007 - Walking is the new driving.

2007-01-27T02:18:00.000-08:00

This weeks MMI brought to you live Live from that ass groove ^

Yesterday after coming home from work I sat down at my table but my usual knee jerk reaction to fire up the computer was hampered by the required effort to take it out of my bag and set it back up. Instead I picked up my PSP and set about recrutingmore hapless souls for my slowly growing team of soldiers in Metal Gear. After this became tiring I put on my coat and headed downstairs to the pub. When I got there they were in the midst of their chinese new year cleaning and strewn about the floor were boxes of junk which one of the two guys working at the time was idly nosing through. After a while he gave me a stack of sketch pads to check out. The artwork contained was that of an ex employee whos paintings constituted the entire decor of the room. My friend hates these painting but I dont mind them so much. Even so, I didn't stay long since the place was empty and my usual appetite for complimentary pretzels was strangely absent.

Instead I decided to use my free movie tickets to go see NANA2. After failing miserably in my post movie Taiko spree I scrambled to my seat and let myself relax and absorb. The trailers were pretty good and I always feel like I am in the right side of the world when cinemas advertise things like Tales from Earthsea and Naruto before the main feature. And so the film starts and I chuckle to myself about the obsurdity watching something like this without subtitles on a huge screen on opening day, the only white guy in about 300 faces. The film opens with a huge overhead camera pan of Shibuya by night, just the way I remember it, magical and insanely busy every inch covered in glowing neon signs which difuse in the thick air to create a collage of coloured mist. (The effect of which is multiplied by ten if you are sleep deprived and blurry eyed). So I put my Japanese head on and sat through what must have been 2hours plus of wonderful NANA brand emodrama. After it had finished I realised just how tired I was. I cought a glimps of myself in the bathroom mirror and prescribed myself a good long sleep to shake off the teaching week.

But as soon as I put my key in the lock of my apartment door I got a call....

It was my freind upstairs who is leaving next week out with his work colleages for a drink. Partially woken up by the cold night air and also torn that I would seldom have a chance to spend some time with my friend I threw on another layer and headed out once again. The walk out there was quite peaceful, despite the fact that Taichung is not designed to be walked through since there is technically no pavement that isnt taken up by shop fronts and parked cars. The level of the pavement you are able to traverse takes steep drops and inclines without warning so its best to just drive. But since my scooter died about five days ago I have been walking everywhere. Arriving at the bar it seemed the entire foreigner population had accumulated in this one watering hole and much to my amusement they were all smashed. I found a corner to hide in with my friends since I was in no mood to join in with the already far escalated rowdiness. Instead I enjoyed the ambience and took some pictures. The band were doing almost all english songs of almost all genres they could think of. I must have been the only one sitting quietly and I was in no mood to dance around but all in all it was a fun little place.

After a while the party moved somwhere else and my friends an I took our leave of the crowd. On the way home we stopped into a little place to place darts and since I was tired but complely sober I gave everyone a sore beating. One of the guys I was playing against knocked my bottle of corona all over the Fusball table and in a typically polite Taiwanese kind of way quickly went to buy a replacement. Once again I was having a pretty good time but it was getting stupidly late and on closer inspection the friend I was walking home with had fallen asleep. It was time to go and luckily we were mere yards from home so I woke him up and helped him up the stairs to the safety of his room. Now I was wide awake and on my own so before turning in I headed downstairs once more to pick up some food. Another great feature of Taiwan is the abilty to buy anything at any hour.

After placing my order I stepped outside to take a breather. The same pub from earlier had its doors wide open and the staff, were just milling about. Something I did frequently with the staff of all the bars I have worked at do after a long shift. I asked how the night had been and chatted to a girl who must have been a friend of the staff. She had with her one of the high fashion cosmetically enhanced cats which always seem to be drugged up and incredibly dosile. It was wearing a tarten jacket and being held like a baby. She told me his name was Neko, japanese for, you guessed it, "cat". I picked him up and held him in the way he was accustomed to. It had a really pathetic sleepy meow as if it wanted to disagree with the way it was being pampered and emasculated but could not muster up the energy to move. If he could have talked he would have said something along the lines of, "Come on, im a cat, stop dressing me up and spraying me with perfume and let me free". But alas, he could not.

And it was time for me to pick up my Kimchi beef and fried rice and secure myself a comfy seat on my sofa, eat and then hit the sack.

I woke up around 10am to realise i had been bitten about fifty times by mosquitos. I ate breakfast and played Castelvania for about an hour before It was time for me to head to my drum lesson. The weather was miserable and the drissle falling from the skies made it impossible for me to play my PSP. Instead the long walk out gave me lots of time to think, to think about everything and take in some views. I grabbed a can of hot coffee from 7/11 and headed in just on time. My drum lesson was very long and challenging today and I always seem to arrive whilst someone half my age is tearing it up in the practice room. I really need more time to get better so I have decided to rent out the practice room a couple times a week when Im not going to the gym.

The weather had not improved after I started out for home. I stopped into the same 7/11 again to purchase a cheap umbrella. The confines of the daft pavement meant I had to keep taking said umbrella up and down to weave in and out of shop front debree. Passing a building site the umbrella got snagged on some barbed wire and I remembered why I dont use these things in the first place. On the way home I found a little music shop and picked up the latest Mika Nakashima album which i am currently enjoying as I type. I called up my friend to meet me for some Teppanyaki on the way home and we ate for about half an hour. In the restraunt I used Portable Op's Wifi recruitment thingy to secure another soldier before we left. His name was EEL, a rookie, but I see potential in his eyes. I stuck him in Bravo team since alpha team is full, picked up my bag and headed in the direction of home. One final stop before heading up was made at the Japanese supermarket since I needed toilet paper and mouth wash.

That brings us to now, where all is quiet and peaceful at home. I have no plans for the evening since I have to get some school work done. I still need to watch this weeks bleach but I might save that for post work reward.

Till next time,
This has been MMI.
Where were are happy to say Welcome back Arcadefinger.

17.01.2007 Who needs PS3 anyway!

2007-01-16T15:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick picture of my latest swag. Metal Gear Portable OPS and Taiko no Tatsujin 7 for PS2. It doesnt get much better than this especially since the PS3 has no games yet besides XBOX 360 ports, sigh.

First impression of Metal Gear, absolutely great, you can recruit an army of soldiers, battle with troops over the net and it looks and plays just like the PS2 versions only with really slick cut scenes.

Taiko 7 is awesome, with the Suzumiya Haruhi track I posted a while back, also been playing the brand spanking new arcade version 9 down at the arcade I found at the weekend. Not much time to post anthing of length right now, Im off to see NANA2 on the big screen next week.

Till next time
This has been MMI
(See you on Feb 18th)

Bleach Filler is OVER!!!!!

2007-01-06T04:37:00.000-08:00

Just finished watching this week's bleach and after 59 weeks of filler episodes it is finally over! Make way for the most essential television the world has ever seen starting from next week!

"We are without form, thus we are awestruck"

"Thus the blade is brought down a second time..."

"Under the name of a mask"

06.01.2007 - Back from the Expo

2007-01-06T02:32:00.000-08:00

Well despite the freezing cold weather the thing was very good. I visited every stand to get my card stamped and entered into a prise draw to win a bunch of stuff. There were tons of people playing PS3 and I saw some of the best looking tvs I have seen in my life. I met some ape escape monkeys, learned that Metal gear four does actually contain the young Snake we know and love and watched a slew of hyper enthusiastic girls tell me how my life is incomplete without all of these Sony brand products. The main stage was a revolving house of the future which showcased the many aspects of Sony product, the games, the screens and the cameras. The idea was that everything is HD, anything less is out and we all need to jump on the bandwagon. At least thats what I grasped with my limited understanding of chinese. Nevertheless, a fun afternoon.

Rest of the pics are here

Till next time,
This has been MMI

06.01.2007 - MMI hits the Sony Expo

2007-01-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Yes today I will be kicking it with the sweaty consumers to dribble over the latest and greatest our Japanese neighbours have to offer us this year. MMI will be giving you extensive coverage of the event held at the prestigous Tiger City department store and hopefully get to play some Metal Gear 4. With any luck I ll be able to snap some good Hi def pictures on my camera and let you know how it goes. The event is held today and tomorrow.

Here is the incomprehensible translation of the flyer courtesy of online translation:

Sony HD Gao Huazhi entertainment world exhibition tour activity time: On January 6, 2007 on ~7th active content: Sony HD Gao Huazhi in the entertainment world exhibition tour except demonstrates entire series Gao Huazhi the product, but also provided PLAYSTATIONR3 to try to play the experience as well as color make-up Xiu performs. In addition, the scene also provided has overcome an obstacle the game, so long as collection full seven unfolded in the field in active period to rush respectively the checkpoint seal, had the opportunity to be possible to pull out PLAYSTATIONR 3 ultra to dazzle the dynamic mechanical games, the Cyber-shot several cameras or Walkman. Welcome everybody to go to the visit to experience.

Also be sure to check out my photos at Flikr, I also added a link in the sidebar.

Till next time,

This has been MMI

Welcome everybody to go to the visit to experience!

涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱 (Taiko no Tatsujin 7)

2006-12-31T05:29:00.000-08:00

And now for the original:

27.12.2006 - Calm after the storm

2006-12-27T04:37:00.000-08:00

We had three earthquakes yesterday. The whole room was shaking pretty heavily and i felt it was best to stand under the door way arch for some reason. I dont know why I thought to do this, I must have seen something somewhere. Also the weather is said to be the coldest so far tomorrow so I might have to strap the arctic gear back on before I head out of the house tomorrow morning. School has been going pretty well so far this week. We visited a quaint little Tea shop as part of our field trip and the children were very well behaved. I drank some cherry tea and a cup of coffee before returning to class to find out it was Japanese curry for lunch! It made me extremely happy and once I had taken care of the prep work for the afternoon I was able to squeeze in a thirty minute nap.

Tonight I plan to get some work done for the week and then generally relax for a while. Tomorrow is a pretty easy day since I dont have time to teach in the schedule of the day. I really feel that whatever feelings on loneliness and boredom brought about by the christmas holiday are behind me now and I can get back to normality, at least until the new years celebrations kick in. Im not sure what I'm going to be doing for "our" new year but the fact that I dont have to go to work on new years day means that at least I can go out and have a good time with my friends. I am still pretty strapped for cash this month though and the last few dollars I have have to go on some drumsticks come saturday. I'm kind of hoping I can find a way to explain to them that I cant pay for sticks until pay day comes around. At least that isnt so far away now.

One of the upsides of having very little money to go out for fun is that I'm dipping into all sorts of new anime and TV shows to fill the hours spent sitting on my sofa in the appartment. I have just finished re watching episode five of chobits with english dub and I also have a couple of things cued up for me. Three new promising series, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Welcome to the NHK! and "Now and Then, here and there" look like they will be entertaining time fillers. All that and bleach fillers only last for one more episode it seems. What's left of my free time has been taken up by playing Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island on the Snes emulator which is a great game and so visually striking for its time. Its actually alot like Yoshi Touch and Go, just on a grander scale with a story, bosses and such. I am really enjoying that one.

I also hope to get around to putting out another podcast when get around to it and post up some of the pictures I have been taking on my lovely new IXUS camera.

Hope everyone is doing great back home!

Take care!

Until next time,
This has been MMI

24.12.2006 - Lazy Sunday

2006-12-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

Another Sunday morning spent sitting on my sofa watching TV and not doing work it seems. Sunday definitely has a different atmosphere to the rest of the week; time stands still especially if you shut yourself off from the outside world. I always debate whether a venture outside to window shop would be a good idea but I guess the sensible thing to do would be clean up. I’ve been putting allot of thought into how to manage the MMI enterprise of late. Do I continue to blog as I am now, do I go forward with making videos or pod casts and how would this content be delivered in a way more unified than now? I certainly would welcome the opportunity to make use of my new camera as I have fallen in love with it.

So by now you are all probably very excited about the prospect of Christmas. I’m sure the fight for the Nintendo Wii is an amusing sight this year. Christmas day for me will be spent at work trying to do as little as possible and stay cheerful. There are many things I would like to buy if money weren't so tight at the moment. I have my eye on Metal Gear Portable Ops for the PSP. But alas, such things will need to wait for a while now as I rely solely on the appeal of the internet for entertainment. I’ve been watching the second season of Jonathan Ross's Japanorama from BBC3 via you tube along with a bunch of awful movies.

I feel it’s more relaxing to watch movies with absolutely no value or substance to facilitate the brain shutdown process which is required to fill my free time. It’s been a while since I sat down and took a film seriously and it seems like I haven’t exercised any intelligence or individual thought for a good long while. On the upside I have reached a sustainable level of mundanity which feels a little like routine, something which puts me incredibly at ease in my environment. I really feel like nothing is new or different about my surroundings and I am finding my Chinese is getting good enough that I can get by. Someone asked me a question in a restaurant the other day and without thinking I answered them, thinking to myself, "When did I pick up Chinese?".

The answer to that question is gradually and without realizing it. Its still necessary to hide the fact that understand what most people say to me time to time because of the benefits ignorance allows in this place i.e. People will not tell you to stop doing something if they don’t know how to tell you. This has helped me to avoid the restrictions on drinking and taking photographs in shops on many an occasion. And on the off chance someone tries to impart such restrictions by means of eye contact, arm waving or frowning, it pays to simply smile back, wave and continue to go about your business.

But anyway, despite majority of the excitement based on my location having faded away, I am still very happy to be here. I live in a great city with tons of stuff to do and places to go and people to hang out with. Life is still very special, but when you are broke this month and you sit in front of a computer screen for eight hours a day, its hard to remember the difference between south east Asia and south east Staffordshire. Someone told me the other day that they are constantly having "moments" in Asia that wakes them up to where they actually are. I said that I stopped having those a while ago, but then again, maybe I should take responsibility for that. Moments don’t occur when you are sitting on your sofa drinking tea and watching family guy, they occur when you are out there in the neon lit streets, buying capsule toys and drinking green tea. I used to remember that but somewhere along the way I just forgot. I guess now that I have my new camera I can take on the mission of finding images which epitomize the uniqueness of my situation. Well at least that would be something worth posting up right?

Till next time,
This has been MMI
Merry Christmas Everyone!

24.12.2006 - Merry Christmas!

2006-12-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, the day before christmas. I just thought I would pop up to give seasons greetings to my readers back in England. Hope you all have a great time and santa brings you everything you want. Here in Taiwan were not exactly overcome by the christmas spirit but at least I am happy. The self bought christmas present of my digital camera is giving me enough christmassy joy to make up for it. So until next time, happy holidays folks,

This has been MMI

17.12.2006 - Foray into Podcasting

2006-12-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Enjoy!

Pick it up here

Till next time,

This has been MMI

10.12.2006 - Back to Bleach

2006-12-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

I moved my computer into my bedroom last night which was a great idea. Not only does this allow me to bask in the morning sunlight whilst slowly waking up on a sunday, listening to music and watching the winamp visualisations but it has also afforded me time to catch up a great deal on all my favourite moving images and a few new interesting ones. The most promising of these of late has been the series Eureka 7. High production values throughout its 50 episodes, a great sub, great story and mech robots on air boards really brought anime back to the forefront of all things which are entertaining. As I grow up I'm really finding anime to be one of those last bastions of childlike drip feed programming which prooves hard to shake off, simply because it seems to be getting better. I also had time to catch up with bleach, especially the manga which has such a huge unbelievable story arc going on that it seems imposible that the anime will do it justice, although I hold that hope in my heart, remembering how great Bleach used to be. The latest episode of bleach bumps it usual OP and ED titles to showcase footage from the Bleach movie which looks great, if suffering from the same kind of self contained story which plagues filler episodes. But when it looks that great It cant go wrong.

This morning I was actually woken up by someone drilling continually for an hour in one of the floors upstairs. It sounded like a dinosaur wailing and knocking its head against a wall. I actually stood up to see if something was happening in my living room since it was that loud. The noise pollution in this area really gets to you sometimes and it all seems to be the kind of stock sound effects you hear in movies. Shouting, revving of engines, a dust bin falling over and a sound of clinking bottles following closely by a cat wailing and then a dog barking back in response. The neighbours are also incredibly noisy, chatting at all hours and opening draws and shutting them again repeatedly. When it gets too much I just get the Taiko out and beat out a defiant rythem right back at them to the tune of some sickly sweet Jpop gem.

So what has been happening this week despite vegetating in bed infront of a screen. Well, I bought a 120GB usb stick from nova and consider buying a PS3 or a camera next week when I get paid. I also took up drumming propper at a music classroom across town which looks like its going to be great fun. I felt like it was a time to learn a new instrument and it was a toss up between that or the ocarina, the fiveteen ocarina melody Cds we seem to have inherited at school must have gotten into my brain somehow, at least its not the Cd of little kids reinterpreting rock classics or I might have taken up choir. Drumming is actually harder than I thought, I started off doing everything wrong, especially with the way I would imagine someone would drum as far as holding the sticks and positioning yourself in front of them. I hope it works out for me.

Ive been watching some movies too, some good, some bad, some downright depressing. I watched MI3 which was better than I thought it was going to be, I watched swingers again which was great as always, I watched you me and dupree which reminded me how much more I expect from those group of people not helped by the fact that I watched Talladega Nights the week before which I consider a comedic masterpiece. Finally i watched An Inconvenient truth, the Al Gore global warming documentary which just made me feel guilty. Were all going to fry unlike Al Gore gets more power seems to be the over riding message of that one.

So as today is Sunday, its my day for cleaning and work which never actually comes to pass. For the next two weeks we are celebrating christmas and the classroom looks great already. The christmas tree is up, I turned the white board into a chimney and next week the over compensation for missing the holiday season out here will continue. Hopefully the excess decoration and lights wont proove too much of a fire hazard.

Well, that all for me for now, Im going to attempt to do something productive without leaving the house since i spent all my budget this month, luckily I get paid tomorrow and I spent my last 50 dollars on a big bottle of sprite, my new favourite drink.

Till next time,
Take it easy guys
Enjoy the holiday season!!
This has been MMI

02.12.2006 - Appearing as suddenly as the programmer of Mortal Kombat 3, "Toasty!"

2006-12-02T05:09:00.000-08:00

Saturdays always get wasted. You think about all the work you can get done and then end up watching TV or catching up on some much needed relaxation. Today was no different. After spending the morning in a trance potting about here and there, I retired to my home and watched a bunch of worthless TV shows. And now as the hits nine, I feel it could be just about time to do something productive. So here I am, firing up the old blog one more time.

Alot has happened in this last month, I put on a school play, I got the internet which is as much a hinderence to work as it is a blessing. Although I do feel like Im slipping back into the cocoon like repetition of university evenings whereby I line up the day's shows and just vegetate contributing nothing to my actual life and improving nothing about my situation. But, its comforting, its comforting to watch mindless drivel in my own language for a change.

There is no way to recap all of the blogging I could have been doing during my month long break so the best thing to do is just pick up exactly where I left off. So, right now i am contemplating getting something to eat since I dont have the drive to cook for myself, or get bitten by the mosquitos waiting in my kitchen. But Im not sure what to get. I know I dont want to go out tonight, or for that matter drink any alcohol since I really want to dedicate my sunday for planning for the week.

I do however want to eat a comforting western style meal. There are many options, although nothing spicy. This is due to that fact that I just spent the last two hours watching Talladega Nights and eating Kimchi from the jar and now my stomach feels like it has been stripped down a couple of layers. I might try my luck at getting a roast dinner at the American diner, although its a little late. Hmm, what to do...

Well, Im sure I will think of something, the best idea is just to hop on the scooter and buzz around until I see something shiny and inviting. This place really comes alive at night, especially for food stalls. If you find the right street corner at the right time you will find yourself stumbling through some market or another with people serving all types of stuff. The great thing is that you can usually just point at something you want and nod. Things like that, noodle stands or whatever are all so cheap you really dont feel like you are spending any money on eating at all.

Regardless of my need to eat, I would quickly like to say that I hope everyone is happy and good and glad to see that I am back blogging, Its been so long since I thought up a pretentious subtitle that I feel there is no way I get back on form. Wait Ill give it a shot..

Till next time,
Still here, Still alive,
Still finding the O.C. essential viewing,
This has been MMI,

(01.11.2006) - November Rain

2006-10-31T22:12:00.000-08:00

Well no sooner had the month hand struck 11 when Taiwan started to look like the muggy distopia of many a childhood dreams once again. As I drove out to school I was met with some satisfying rain and cold winds to make me feel at home once again. About time too since Ive been out here for five months already. They say home sickness really starts to kick in around the six month mark but to be honest I have been feeling it for a while. I think it really happens when the wow factor of your new surrounding begins to fade away and you are forced to adapt almost entirely from the mindset of a tourist to a full blown working resident. I have my own house, job, scooter and friends and the sensation of feeling comfortable finally out here I think is what wakes people up to think, "wait didnt I have a similar life to this all the way across the other side of the world too?"

Neverthess I persevere, especially as the workload and organisation required at school is beginning to increase, which keeps me from slacking off in my free time and also from being led too far astray by Taiwan's nightlife. The local bars and pubs are great places to kill an hour of five since people are just so hospitable. Take last night for example, I found myself ordering one drink and as a complimentary beer snack was given a whole plate of pretzels, some chilli covered snails and a plate of nachos with two bowls of homemade salsa. I had no place to put my elbows but had a heck of a great time talking to the guys who work there. This is the place literally downstairs from me that hosted one of the great halloween parties of Saturday night. One wednesdays they have live jazz and throughout the week they generally sell drinks incredibly cheaply and play great music. But allas, work is picking up speed so I might have to wait a while before my next visit, or at least until I get paid again. Nine days time it seems, one day before PS3 launch, why must there be so many temptations to blow my wage!!!

Till next time,
This has been MMI

(30.10.2006) - And so it comes to this..

2006-10-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

Well there is no other way I could make good on my promise of a new blog within a week if I was forced to wait for internet in my house so here is me, blogging from work on my lunch break, Something I wasnt too keen on doing but I have no other choice at this stage. So with that out of the way I would like to extent to my readers a warm welcome back to MMI.

Life at the moment is pretty good, work is really good fun and Halloween out here was a real blast. Never before did I realise just how many foreginers are living lives practically identical to mine, although I often feel like I still have my teaching training wheels still firmly attached, especially when it comes to the fine art of partying, something which I saw in abundance on Friday and Saturday.

Although I do not have direct access to the internet I have been lucky enough to catch a few breif moments with the net connection round at the girlfriends house. Although what I did have has now been watched to death and I swear if i dont get hold of episode 4 of the new family guy soon I am going to flip my lid. I went poster shopping the other day in one of the trendier ends of town, I picked up some amusing signs for the toilet along with some anime posters to remind myself and everyone else that I truly am a massive anime nerd at heart. This posters, along with the state of my new living conditions will surely be posted up here when I eventually get connected at home. When I was out shopping I saw some items which I would have given a kidney for but unfortunately I kind of overstretched my budget this month, one was a glossy 2007 bleach calendar which looked fantastic, the other a Suzumiya Haruhi promo poster which they only sold alongside the DVD box set. Next month I have nothing big to pay for so my entire wage is pretty much mine. What I did pick up from NOVA this month was a TV box for that monitor I showed you all a while back, that means I can flip between pc, tv and ps2 at my leisure, Onimusha 3 is back on!

Finally, we are a mere two weeks away from PS3 now and as soon as my wage gets through im going to assess the situation. I would love to get it and plug it into the HD monitor and forget the fact that I cant afford food by playing some MG4, if that happens, dont expect to read anything else except PS3 reviews on here for months.

I could go on and on about all the cool anime, gaming, film junk thats happening out here as we approach the holiday season but Ill save that for another post and maybe my other blog.

And honestly my final point, looks like im coming back to england for a week in Feburary to pick up DVDs, stag chilli and a decent cup of tea as well as spend some much needed time with family and friends,

Till next time,
This has been MMI

"I am the gatekeeper of my own destiny, I will have my glory day in the hot sun!"

21.10.2006 - Just a little longer....oh wait, you've all gone

2006-10-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

Look im still alive! Growing out my beard to play a farmer in the Thanksgiving play!

Well, since the I won’t be getting the internet in my house for about another week now, my scheduled anime downloadathon has given me a brief chance to post a little entry on my site. No, I have not abandoned it, I am actually really looking forward to letting you guys know what I am up to but right now, not having the net where I hang my hat is what is preventing me from posting.

As Halloween approaches and the festivities begin, the mind wanders to our great celebrations back at university, the costumes, the excitement the copious amounts of booze and general rowdiness. I hope those of you who can share the holiday together back home will try your best to recapture some of that spirit. I have lots of Halloween preparation to do with the kids at school and much of my original week plan has been bumped to a later date so we can celebrate the holiday. In my free time I will be heading to various places with friends to take advantage of the free drinks and food offers available to those in costume. How unsubstantial and cheap I can make such costume remains to be seen.

When I update again, I hope to give you a virtual tour of my new pad, Today I bought a clock and generally bring you up to speed about life here in Taiwan, it seems to be getting more interesting than I originally thought, having met lots of new people and frequented lots of cool new places I am beginning to warm to life here and in my new home.

So give it a week, if I don’t have the internet or haven’t posted by then you have every right to call me lazy and counterproductive. Also I will be participating in another website, a kind of online magazine for foreigners in Taiwan, when asked if I could help out I suggested I handle film reviews since the current crop of articles in all of the expat magazines here are a bit rubbish. So anyway, I’ll let you know as and when that happens.

That all for now,
Sorry to keep you guys waiting so long,

Miss you all!

Till next time,
This has been MMI

08.10.2006 - A good blog is about due.

2006-10-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

But since I am moving house today you will have to wait a tiny bit longer for something substantial. Just a quick hello to those I have managed to bore to tears waiting for this things to become active again. Yes big changes have happened and are still happaneing and since they are changes which have to be dealt with rather than lamented by way of a blog, your MMI author has been rather busy dealing with these changes. As I mentioned before I up and move this evening to my new apartment something else which was overdue. So my things are packed and I am about to go eat my lunch and get my head in the right place.

This may take a while since I feel my mind is the most fragmented and confused it has been in a long long time dear readers. Once this move have been completed and can sit on my couch, make myself a cup of tea in my new kitchen, mill about, sleep and throw a tennis ball repeatedly at the skirting board I think I will be able to safely attempt to get back on this horse and see what I can make of it. Im pretty scared about making out here on my own but I have to keep reminding myself that Im a big boy now and home is but a flight away.

Which would be a good time to introduce the new charity drive which is being set up here at MMI. Its called the, "Come and visit poor Aaron" fund and its aimed at people who want to do just that. If you or anyone you know have it in your heart to come and meet me for a drink out here in Taiwan and make my day that little bit brighter then start putting a little aside each week for a flight. All food and accomodation will be provided for your trip and I promise I will let you play on my PSP. So make a difference to someones life today, "come and vist poor Aaron".

till next time,
this has been MMI

28.09.2006 - Self doubt and a change of location, make for good bloging material.

2006-09-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

Ok since these things always lose momentum when I actively try to make them big im just going to begin by detailing some of the things that have happened since I last blogged.

Trivial Things:

I bought three new PSP games, Finder Love, Taiko no Tatsujin Portable 2 and harvest moon.

Earl and Family guy are back on TV and awesome as ever, this really helps with the home sickness, especially as it helps me to reminise about the wonderful weekly TV round up Tom and I would have back at university.

I found the perfect beer snack today.

Important Things:

Im moving out of my current location and moving into a place on my own in thirteen days. Its still pretty close to work and has a nice feel to it. The reasons, I just feel its time for me to start out on my own, try to take full responsibility for my existance here now that I almost can.

Im making friends out here now. Not only did I spend one saturday round at one of my co teachers houses but I also met a couple of really cool canadian guys who are also teachers and seem to be cool guys. We chatted about all things televison and how difficult kids can be. Its a nice feeling to know that you are not alone, I hope I can maintain some friendships out here since it really takes the edge off the culture shock.

Thats all for now!

Till next time!

23.09.2006 - Console Yourself

2006-09-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

Well, another week is over and I finally get around to blogging. I wouldnt so much call weekends an escape from my work life, because the nature of the job means you never really feel like you are doing physical work, but they are a time when you can sleep easy, safe in the knowledge that even if you wake up early, you didnt have to so you can spend those blisful quiet morning hours all to yourself. I like to have a cup of coffee, check the email to see what I have been forgetting to check or download and generally centre myself. I also take the time to charge the phone, the ipod and now the psp. I get my podcasts in there for a weekly dripfeed of mundane chat and now I am rendering an entire weeks worth of downloaded anime and TV shows in mp4 format so I can watch them on the PSP at my leisure. Im not going to sing the praise of the PSP again like I did last time but I never realised you could browse the net on them too, and not like restricted WAP net, I mean the whole net via wireless and when I find someone else with a PSP, possibly my girlfriends little sister and going to be playing some wi fi ad hoc tekken and bleach. I love my PSP.

Which saddens me even more to think how many new games and gadgets I am missing right now at TGS 2006. It worse because I know I could have gone had i just planned a little further ahead of the date. Truth is I could decide now to go, and be there just after lunch if work commitments and common sense were no objects. I have promised myself that I am going next year and console myself that everything that is getting shown, ie PS3 and Wii are going to be out in the shops shortly after. I think I have decided on getting PS3 when It comes out. Simply because all of the playstations so far have been great consoles and stood the test of time whilst other consoles wavered. Lets go back a little and look at my history with gaming machines shall we....

The first console I ever had was the SEGA Master System. I loved it to death and alot of my primary school memories are based around the games I played or traded with my friends. Some of the most engrosing and playable games of memory were Alex Kid, Micky Mouse and the Enchanted Castle, Cloud Master, Double Dragon, Donald Duck's Lucky Dime Caper and R-Type. This started an on going love for SEGA consoles. Allthough I would never actually own a Mega Drive I often coveted it as an infinatley powerful big brother to my master system. I remember playing other peoples mega drives alot though and remember just how wonderful the Sonic games were and how chunky and usuable the pads were. Similarly I never owned a SNES but played other peoples, I loved super mario world for its cartoony visual style and character design but never likes the SNES until I grew up and learned how to work an emulator.

I still play Mario and Donky Kong to this day and I think they are great achievements. Post playstation the market was awash with daft and pointless so called next gen consoles like the Jaguar and the Panasonic CDI. The Mega CD and 32x were the console of only the richest kids when I was growing up and the Transformer like plastic obelisk which was constructed from all three consoles was made all the more pointless with the sheer lack of games released in England. When the Playstation came out, everything changed. It was small, quick and had the best control pad I had ever seen. It had CD games and videos, and had the best visuals I had ever seen. It had final fantasy VII and Metal gear Solid, two of the most imortant titles of my game playing experience. Needless to say the Playstation changed the gaming world for the better and everyone loved it, I was a houshold name and it was given the support it needed and backing by Sony to give us thousands of great games.

Now right now I was about to talk about the Sega Dreamcast but I felt like I couldnt express in words how much I loved that console. Instead that is a story for another day.

Wait, where was I going with this, oh right, so playstation one was great, playstation 2 was even better. Everyone knows this, this is why it is continually the top selling console around the world and even if PS3 didnt come out, it would continue to sell and we would all continue to play. They say that final fantasy 12 is the swan song of PS2, but for me, it has to be Taiko no Tatsujin. Not it doesnt push the machines hardware with fancy effect but for sheer gameplay and creative imagery, Taiko no Tatsujin on Ps2 is the best Bemani game I have played on any console. Its adictive, I cant stop playing when I start, Its impossible, I have tried, once you finish one song song you have to play another 25 before something drags you away. I know this now, so I avoid playing it when I have anything to do during that entire day. Its dangourous I tell you.

I forget where I was going with this really and ive been typing for a long time now. oh yeah, Playstaion and sony are awesome. Im sure the Wii will be good too, but you have to make a choice right. Maybe I can convince my girlfriend to get a Wii since she bought a DSlite when I got my PSP. Im really hungry and I need to make that coffee I was promising myself and find food from somewhere. Right, Ill excuse myself until next time, hope evryone is good and pleased that I ranted in no paticular direction with no structure for a while. At least Im posting again.

Ok, bye!

17.09.2006 - Anyone for a Thermos?

2006-09-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

I bought a PSP the other day, I had been looking at them for a long time and all but ignored them when I saw them in the UK, but I guess thats because the game selection is not really to my taste back home. The two games I got were Bleach: Heat of the Soul 3 and Tekken Dark Resurection. I also wanted to get Taiko no Tatsujin Portable too but they only had the sequel which doesnt have Natsu Matsuri by Whiteberry plus to be honest playing it without a drum as I have witnessed on the PS2 as player 2, is not half as fun and way too easy. Having made friends with the little machine for about two days now, I can only say, wow. What an awesome little thing it is. The games, especially Tekken are just phenomenal to look at, the mind boggles at how on earth tekken can look so good on a hand held console.

Secondly, it does everything. I can watch all of my movies and anime on it and listen to music and browse the net. Also, the screen is so sharp and precise, it looks like it is leaping off the screen at you, it really is an incredibly high resolution. The menu system is great too, simple yet stylish with a customisable background, its a joy to use. If I knew PSP was this good I would have got one a long time ago. Although having access to Japan's gaming library rather than the west's really sold the purchase to me, being able to choose anime games and creative little japanese indie games rather than whatever EA sports title is being crammed down Englands throat any given week is a pleasure to behold. Last thing on the topic, Bleach is awesome on it. Sharp, stylish cell shaded charcters and animation, original voice actors, glossy cutscenes from the anime, about 50 characters to choose from, and really satisfying to play, I couldnt be happier.

So, anyway, back to real life for a minute, today is filled with a great deal of planning for the new topic I am about to embark on at work. I went to the local foregin book store and picked up a few transport themed kids books that caught my eye. I dont care how long I have to stay up tonight to get this planning done, Im going to sail through this next month completely prepared with a plethora of great ideas to keep us busy. I really still trying to find my feet with this whole teaching lark, but one think which I discovered quite quickly is that a day needs to be fast paced, active and interesting in order to get positve feedback from the little guys. I trying to get them to do as many physical activities as possible during this following topic, because there is no worse feeling than when you can see that the kids are bored. Lots of running around and speaking English as much as possible but keeping it fun and upbeat is my ultimate aim. That and also trying to supress the shadow of doubt which Im sure plagues all teachers who are relatively new to the game. Im getting pretty good at this blind self confidence thing. I think its a neccessary skill needed in order to maintain sanity here.

So, what else has been going on since I last came on here. Ive visisted a new department store twice this past week. Its huge but has no arcade, which is a critical handicap in my book, but its size does mean you get happily lost in there. They have some cool music and clothes shops but really it is too big to browse if you have no true agenda. The other day I got lost in one section the size of a whole store back home which was dedicated entirely to thermos flasks. We also saw a massive line of kids waiting for autographs from some pop singer. In Taiwan and Asia, famous people flock to department stores for impromptue performaces and signings and here was obviously no exception, I am yet to catch anyone outside SOGO but I have seen the advertisements for upcoming performances. Whoever is next, i will try to catch it on film and share this rather bizarre occurance.

Well, regretfully I have to get back to work now, but I shall return, Hope all of my readers are happy and well wherever you may be.
Till next time,
This has been MMI

14.09.2006 - Magical Sound Shower

2006-09-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day, I had a good meeting, the weather was nice and my kids, although mad as a bag of spiders were generally well behaved. So coming home I found the cleaning lady finishing off what looks to have been an all day job. She must have broken her back all day long and yet been paid less than a quarter of my salary. What injustice in this world. Although surely I would have to be willing to take her place if Im to complain about injustice. Although before now, my employment record has been dotted with some equally shite jobs. I used to clean the crap from under every seat in meadowhall's cinema at 6am in the morning. Who would have thought I would be here now eh? My advice to you readers: go to Asia and teach english!

Getting back to the point, the cleaning lady didnt see me when I came in, and loitering my room I got a real paranoid fear that because she hadnt seen me enter, or ever seen me before to know who I was, she would freak out completely if she saw me now. And to look at me, sweaty as hell from a days work, ruffled hair, unshaven for a day, I would think I was a burglar too if I saw me. Working myself up with this ridiculous thought, I figured I would head out for a bit until the coast was clear. I tiptoed out into the hall and closed the door quietly.

Long story short, I ended up getting some Heiniken green tea and heading for the arcade on the 17th floor of SOGO, a place I used to frequent almost every day until I got TNT on the PS2. I played some Tekken and couldnt for the life of me figure out how the button placement on the cabinet related to the playstation controller setup, hence Yoshimitsu was failing around like a drunken idiot for the best part of my game. What I did finally play however was Outrun 2.

I was lured in my the striking simplicity of this game. I had "Outrun" more than ten years ago on my very first PC and it was only after playing this strikingly faithful follow up that I remembered why I loved it in the first place. Firstly the music, it was so catchy and awesome that you had to keep going just to hear it longer. Two of the most memorable tracks have been recreated in the sequel along with a bunch of new ones. Secondly it was the entire nature of the game, pure escapism. The sequel captures the spirit of the orginal perfectly, in that you are just some eighties surfer dude, setting out to drive seemingly forever with no aim except to enjoy smooth grooves and watch the sunset change from blue to orange to pink with your girlfriend in tow. Yes, its worth checking out, im not sure if this came out for any consoles, but you could always just download the original from somewhere, tune the radio to magical sound shower and cruise off into the sunset. I know I will be.

Tell next time,

This has been MMI

(13.09.2006) MMI: Where we always forget to put the new cover sheets on our TPS reports.

2006-09-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

Poor time management is the bane of my existence at the moment. If effects the quality of my work and it effects the stability of this blog. I’ve started to create a schedule which as much contains necessary jobs as it does necessary fun stuff. A schedule the likes of which have never been seen, complete life management, allocated time periods of action which is going to drill into me a sense of order in this hectic bizarrely paced life. Actually no wait, scratch that idea, Ill just try a little harder.

So anyway, after my rather downbeat last blog I have decided to come back with a more positive one. My parents evening went off without a hitch and every party was happy with progress and such. I thought I was however sweating so profusely on the way over, I feared I was going to have to say I got caught in the rain! That bad. Rather than acclimatizing to the heat of this country I am getting sweatier each day, drenched even. Luckily I always find time to take multiple showers, but the sheer amount of liquid that leaves my body sometimes is astounding. Obviously it doesn’t help that I don’t go to the gym or do any sports or any physical activity, the four minutes to work on bike don’t really count either. How is that description a positive one? Oh well, nothing is making sense so far..

So now its mid week and I have that midweek feeling, you know that feeling when you’re best laid plans wear a little thin and your best ideas don’t seem like they are going to stretch all that well until Friday. It is for this reason that planning for next month will be solid and meticulous. Every detail will be planned ahead, so that all that needs to be done is deploy the already sorted resources and ideas without having to do so much on the spot brainstorming. I know I’m still pretty new at all this but a little more forward planning could help me avoid this mid week feeling of flapping in the wind.

That said, I know I will be fine now. I don’t want to tempt fate but I look back on old blogs where things seem so worrying and daunting and I come on here and moan about it. And it’s nothing in the end. And I worked myself up and wasted breath on something which was well within my capabilities in the first place. So enough of that. Now, I have to get back to work.

Skip forward eight hours and I am at home about to post this up. I wasted an evening doing pretty much nothing and now I have to think about planning the rest of the week in the wee small hours before bedtime. I will truly and honestly work on that time management thing.

Till next time,
Where you never know I might actually talk about something other that myself,
This has been MMI

PS. Thanks for the continuous support for the blog, it seems like a fair few people are reading it, which makes me want to improve the quality of the content. Allthough ive always been told that I want never gets.

11.09.2006 or "The Day I stop putting "or" after the date"

2006-09-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

Warning: Readers of an already depressed disposition are adviced to stop reading now, the staff at MMI are not held responisble for any damage caused by the apathy and whiney nature of this post.

Well, here we are, post 74 and Im still yet to make any sense out of this situation Im in. What I do know is that I miss socialising, alot. Life out here leaves little time or opportunity for anything which resembles the carefree visits to the pub with my university friends which now seem forever ago. How long before I get something like that back again? Also the few people I do speak to seem a world apart from the people I know back home, different priorities, different interest's different sense of humour. I feel like havent truly been able to have a decent conversation with anyone since June. So we find other outlets, such as this page, but even then poor time management and tiredness often puts a dampner on my motivation to do a blog, as you may have noticed recently. Yep, nothing has become clear or stable, so I wait, and try to do the best I can, and wait some more, then think for a moment that vast amounts of money can replace friends, but it cant, as any morally grounded person will warn you. Well, maybe it cant until the PS3 comes out eh?

Tomorrow is parents evening at school and words cannot describe the fear this instils in my heart. Remembering my own parents evenings makes this seem all the more strange, plus there is the whole language barrier which may either work for or against the flow of the proceedings. "Bite the bullet and face it head on" seems to be becoming the mantra for my life at the moment. Hope for the best because frankly you have no examples to measure any of these new experiences up to. I need a more optimistic outlook though, I never actually end up making a complete fool of myself in these situations, maybe just underwhelm slightly, something which I have been comfortable with most of my life.

As always I will keep you posted on events as they unfold.

09.09.2006 or "Dorayaki and Heineken"

2006-09-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

(Bleach Episode 1 Dub is up on the Anime Page)

Today I slept in late, woke up, messed about on the net, started some downloads, took a shower and headed off to feed and wash the turles back at school. But when I arrived there, there was no one in the office so I couldnt get in. A call to my co teacher added the argument that they would ok for just one day and so. Not to waste a day I decided to go for a cycle around Taichung. I was actually looking for a place called Joes Arcade, or something like that, a place where I had been before but had no idea about how I got there. Today I still didn't find it but I did wander into some other cool places. In one direction I found a Subway and needed some food so popped in for a tuna sandwich. Everything was exactly the same as when I worked in Subway, they asked the same questions, all the fillings were the same, it was kind of depressing that the corperate hand of subway had turned these people into exact copies of the Sheffield subway branch employees. It seemed like everything they were doing was so unnatural for regular Taiwanese people I felt like saying, it's ok, take your time, we're in no rush here. The sandwich was also exactly the same, although aparantly you dont get chilli sauce in Taiwan, did we have that in England or did I just imagine it?

Anyway, driving up past the firestation with the cute anime sign, I located NOVA for the first time for myself. Parking up my bike in a place i'm pretty sure could have got it empounded, I took the opportunity to survey the area. Electronics shops seemed to have congregated around NOVA in an attempt to cash in on the similarly minded through traffic of nerds, of which I was also one. So I found a really cool gaming store which, as seems to be the norm here, politely requested they hold my bag in a pidgeon hole whilst a perused the store. The strangest thing though was that upon seeing my face they all immediatly started speaking in Japanese. Obviously they only learnt one foreign language for dealing with non Taiwanese customers and that was it. Not minding too much, my Japanese is a darned sight better than my mandarin, I headed into the store to look around. I was actually after Taiko no Tatsujin 5 or the Anime special that came between five and six but there seemed to be a distinct lack of playstation games. I was reminded of somthing which is glaringly apparant in this country: people love PCs. They love making them themselves piece by piece and souping them up so that they can outpace any console on the market. One other by product of this mindset is the prevelance of the online game. Korea apparantly has the highest count of online game subscribers in the world bu I wouldnt be suprised if Taiwan came in second. In this store they were thousands and they are even in 7/11. Gaming Cafe's are the same, everywhere and really cheap too, but they take their online gaming seriously.

Heading back into NOVA on a saturdaywas a mistake, I got mobbed by hundreds of serious shoppers haggling over god knows what, I started think, if just one of my friends from back home who appreciated computers was with me now, they would flip their lid. I however had had enough and wanted out. I headed home via my new favourite place in Taiwan, a tea shop called third year second class. Its owened by these three guys who have been made into anime characters on their sign. The whole school theme was pointed out to me by my girlfriend when we noticed that they had stolend almost and entire Asian classrooms worth of parephenalia and stowed it away behind the counter. They are allways playing really loud music and trying to make people laugh by shouting welcome to passers by in increasingly bizzare voices. I am a big fan of the whole act. I am an even bigger fan of the heineken green tea they make. Image how nice it is on a boiling hot day to have an ice cold container filled with lemon juice, ice, chinese green tea and heineken lager all shaken together and sealing into an anime monagramed cup. It was so cold and refreshing that I almost fell of my bicycle.

Heading home I played Taiko for hours upon end, and have only just finished, time to settle down watch lots things I have downloaded. Tomorrow is going to be filled with school work and preparation so I need to make the most of these last few hours. Rest assured I will do my best,

Untill next time,

This has been MMI

08.09.2006 or "And Breathe"

2006-09-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

"If ever he was going to go, we always said it was going to be the ocean,'' "On land he was agile, quick-thinking, quick-moving and the ocean puts another element there that you have no control over.'' (John Stainton, Irwin's manager)

So why is it that even out here steve irwin being killed is still such a hot topic. Did anyone really talk about him before this happened or did people just see him as a joke. The fact that the Steve Irwin death video is one of the most searched for clips on Youtube would seem to suport the latter theory. Nevertheless, It seems to be the biggest news since the Twin Towers over here, aparantly due to the popularity of the discovery channel. Or maybe it was the mysterious nature of it all, sckewered by a stingray, and how the imediate press releases stated that the footage was caught on film. Why even mention that? Why stir the pot of internet speculation. They say the police needed to watch the tape? Is it a murder investigation? Do they need to identify the guilty stingray and make it stand trial. It seems like such a wierd turn of events that I wouldnt be suprised in the slightest if it was a massive publicity stunt. Imagine how many viewers the show would get if they aired it, just to have him wake up and point and laugh at the camera just to say haha, got you, you morbid bunch or media junkies.

Today has been pretty awesome, half due to the fact that its a friday and the coming of the weekend seems so glorious. Its becoming the standard now that the sky blows up with thunder and torential rain right around home time. I managed to make it ok nonethess and we went out for yakiniku at around five. I ate way too much meat, as is usually the case in places like that, you eat so slowly but for such a long time that your stomach is decieved, kind of like taking your time packing a tent away properly, incidentalty something I have never done. So coming home, I started reading Anne of Green Gables to my girlfriend, its full of gripping drama and violence, as the back of the book explains.... " and she hits him over the head with her book. Life in the sleepy village of Avonlea is never boring". Ooh I bet its not, it sounds devilish, I must read on! Well, I wasnt reading it for myself anyway.

Ah, Now I have the extreme pleasure of being able to relax for the first time all week. Im going to watch some anime, play some taiko, watch a movie, sit down, sleep in late, potter about, play some video games, all the things which I love to do but have been put on the back burner for too long. If I can do these things for maybe one day a week, I think I can live a happy and well adjusted life.

Till next time,

07.09.2006 or "Back from the dead and other revelations"

2006-09-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

No Im not dead, no nothing terrible has happened, I am however in the thick of job related tomfoolery some of which has been bordering on the obsurd lately. Needless to say, Im back now and you dont have to worry about such long absences again. You see life out here is a balancing act between complete unpertebment with regards to my situation and location and other times, as in the case of the past three days or so sheer confusion. You see, I find myself awake at night, or in a situation where my brain goes, where the hell am I, what am I doing here, who are these people, what have I become, what am I going to do? And all of these questions are usually acompanied by days of complete disorientation as I grasp at straws of sanity. Also just when I think I have things sorted, or I get into any kind of routine, the rug somehow gets pulled from under my feet and I am left trying to sort everything out again. I felt like I had no time to do anything I enjoyed because I thought I was losing grip of the important things I need to do. What was really happening was that I was panicing.

So now I have decided to stop, slow everything down, stop worrying about what people thing of me for the sake of my own mental health and just do the best I can do in what is a very alien and alienating situation. I keep telling myself Im very new at all this and not to push myself too hard. Maybe I should listen to myself.

Anyway, through all the madness I have found yet another calming past time to get me through the day. Turtles! No not the cartoon or the excelent arcade game but real, baby freshwater turtles which I purchased the other day! Yep, they are in my classroom and they are the most adorable little guys you will ever see. Whenever I get stressed out, i just play with the turtles, pick them up, let them run and swim around and generally find them very amusing. I got the kids to name them, one is called Carol, the other SaaSaa and the other TurtleCrab. Well I couldnt really tell them no when they were trying so long to think of them. I will post some pictures of them soon.

I realise this entry has no kind of structure or consistancy, but I mainly just wanted to post something, anything to let you know Im still here. Expect normal posts from tomorrow onwards and thanks for sticking around.

Till next time,

03.09.2006 or "Recovery Day"

2006-09-03T04:39:00.000-07:00

SG Updated! Head on over!

So today was really set aside for nursing myself back to health so that I had the physical capacity to deal with the upcoming week. The good news is I feel much better today and as long as I take it easy on things like Taiko (Bending forwards and Self inflicting RSI) I should be fine. The other thing I was doing today was preparing work and researching material for my new topic at school. Amusingly enough when searching for videos of crabs on the beach I came across this. Needless to say I still havent been able to find anything of real use. Today I also spent alot of time observing the nightmare weather conditions outside and looking down on the people below, struggling through the storm like little ants with umbrellas. Im not quite Howard Hughes but im getting there. I have been banned by my girlfriend from eating any more instant ramen as It will probably be the end of me. I reluctantly agree with that point of view since its composed almost entirely from chemicals.

Last night was an interesting one. Being in need of a doctor I caught a taxi over to my girlfriends place of work and then headed down south to Changhua. It was there where I took in three types of therapy in an attempt to alleviate my pain. First off I went for some physical therapy, think of it as a massage but really really painful. It left my back with massive red marks but didnt really fix the pain per say, its suposed to take effect a day later so it might have actually worked. The other two methods were found at a local clinic where I was prescribed a coctail of drugs to help my back and also the cold I had recently seen the back of. The other was a big injection of painkiller. This took a while to take effect, surprising because it seemed like loads when they put it in. When It finally did, it just made me feel a little drunk rather than actually alleviate the pain. So I sat on the sofa, doped up trying to forget about my back when the cowboy bebop movie came on TV. I am still amazed at how great the animation is in that film, so stylish and gritty, it really sets itself apart from the flock. But as I made myself another page for topics such as that, I guess I should leave it at that. See if you didn't read my other page, you could almost pretend that I wasnt a massive anime geek.

Well, its coming up to eight o clock and I still have lots of work to do, but I thought I would take a breather and say hi to you all here at MMI. Till next time,

02.08.2006 or "Ow! My poor god damn back!"

2006-09-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

SG Updated - Check it out!

Yesterday round about lunchtime I managed to hurt my back somehow, I forget exactly what It was but by last night I was in quite alot of pain. When I went to bed I put some heat packs on my spine to see if they would get better. It hasnt and it is still really painful. The best way I can describe it is the sensation of being winded in your stomach transfered to the back. Its hard at move and breathe and the only think I can do is try and rest enough so that it gets better. I have had this about three of four times before and it think it started because I am quite tall and prone to slouching which gives me back ache. What I usually do in that scenario is try to stretch out my spine somehow resulting in a comfortable crack crack cracking sound. This time no amount of stretching seems to help, I will have to ride it out as a pretty bad case of back ache until I can get to a doctor.

So because of that im pretty immobile this weekend. I am on my own in the house but I have lots of things I can be doing. Firstly Im going to get back into my Japanese studies finally. There are just too many opportunities to read, play and watch Japanese language things here to pass up and I really need to work on building my vocab and learning more Kanji. This in turn will benefit you the reader since I will be able to talk about things I have read or played which you may not have heard about. I will be making use of the infinately useful Japanesepod101.com podcast and my own books to aid my learning and maybe ask one of the Japanese people I see if they know of any tutoring programmes in the area.

I know my posting has been slightly sparse and sporadic lately and I am working on fixing that. Thanks to all my readers for coming back and listening to me moan,
Tell Next time,

(Update: Im off to see the doctor later on in the day to find out what is up)

31.08.2006 or "Diablos Tormente"

2006-08-31T02:54:00.000-07:00

I barely made it home on my bike today as the heavens opened to a monster storm again. For some reason these things only come at home time but today was one of the few days I decided to brave it. Even now it sounds like chairs and desks are being moved around above the sky, it might be a dragon, they have those here right? So anyway, seems I missed a day yesterday, and for anyone who was checking I apologise. I wont lose sleep over it, much on the conterary I gained sleep over it with the time it would have taken. Life continues to continue, everything seems fine, despite a wierd sense of integration into this society which my brain seems to be fighting. I get flashes where I realise, Oh my god Im a teacher, and I have all this responsibility and I need to do all these new things.

None of these things are out of the range of my capability however, its just I realised the other day that I have never worked straight monday to friday all day before in my life. Once the panic passes I can easily get on with what I want to do and look see, here I am, finding time to write a blog and after that, maybe Im going to play some Taiko, and watch some Japanese drama and have another beer. I am relaxed and it didnt take long, I was able to come home on time, change out of my sweat drenched clothing, switch on the fan, fire up the laptop and generally set about removing any cares the day may have brought. Because of all that I can be content, which makes me very lucky.

Enjoy the calm before the storm people, or enjoy the calm whilst the storm is going on, but be calm indoors. Failing that ride out the storm and find the calm in a small wooden shack for small period whilst periodically checking on the storm to see how much damage has been done. The last option would be to accept the storm for what it is, realise that there are always going to be storms and feeling guilty about feeling calm is a futile venture. The choice is yours.

Till next time,
This has been MMI

(P.S The Anime page has been updated, check it out if thats your bag)

29.08.2006 or "Nostalgia"

2006-08-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a day like any other. Except at lunch time I went out for about an hour to kill time. I got on the bike and peddled home, Its only about a four minute ride, but the guy who works at the lobby obviously wasnt at his desk since he couldnt see me on the security camera to let me into the back to park my bike. Rather than walking around the front to bother him I decided to change my plans. I cycled around the area and checked out a place which had caught my eye the day before because it has film posters on the doors and walls. Turns out it was little cafe retaurant which serves mainly pasta. I am yet to assertain whether it serves as a bar, I assume it does since it is open quite late and it looks like a cool little bar. I hope to return there and have a drink once I find some friends! Thats right, no luck in that department yet, which made this afternoons activities all the more nostalgic. See whilst at work listening to the radio I heard that song "Forever young" and joked to myself that If I were ever to make a montage of old friends and memories that that song would be a delightfully amusing song to do it to. So rather than giving up on the idea which I probably should have done, I went ahead and tried to make one.

It started off as a bit of a laugh but as I looked through all those old photos from my three years at university I started to miss those times. I miss the carefree days of the first year when we had no idea how much money we were spending and cared even less than that. I miss the second year when we all realised how much trouble we were all in financially and academically but we still stuck together to maintain the party spirit. I even miss the third year when everyone started to get serious and the cold hard fact of reality creeping up on us meant that partying wasn't as easy as It used to be. But even then we persevered and through everything found time to socialise and stay good friends. I also feel that I am incredibly lucky to have ended it all in the best way possible; with a two week party in Tokyo, even if I never came back...

So ive decided to share this monatge with you, the readers of MMI in hope that it brings back some memories for you as i did for me. If you are reading this and these aren't memories you share, I feel through the medium of 80's montage you can relate to the concept of a timeless period in your life, one which can never be captured again but always treasured. Anyway, enough of my jabberin, roll the tape....

28.08.2006 or First Day Back, Video Update

2006-08-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. Normality has resumed its course and feel like things are finally under control. Just thirteen more days until I get paid, I’m sure I can wait that long. It will be nice to actually be in a position of financial security for once. There are numerous things which need paying off back in England and the next two pay checks will allow me to settle a sizable chunk of that whilst still having enough to live pretty comfortably. Yep, things are ok and I hope they can stay that way for as long as possible. Its weird the sense of home I got when I returned to Taiwan, although that way maybe reactionary to feeling completely lost in Hong Kong. I spent some time making my room tidy and added some little trinkets and what not to the desk. A strange sense of calm is here now. Like everything is going to ok.

Back home I put together some videos on the computer but nothing which could constitute work since I covered most of it in the later hours of the day. I ate at the American diner, read Empire and peddled home for a much needed shower. What I put together in video form is firstly a brief slideshow of the Hong Kong pics and secondly an experiment in editing based chiefly on the fact that throughout my entire trip I was listening to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on my I-Pod. See what you think and oh, enjoy the new MMI corporate logo.

Till next time,

27.08.2006 MMI Chapter 2: Hong Kong and Beyond

2006-08-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

(Note 1: The diary never materialised, its seemed impractical!)
(Note 2: Photos and Videos will be up tomorrow, its late, sorry!)
And now, on with the show.....

I woke up from a catatonic combination of illness and sleep depravation and opened my eyes. The scenery outside was alien to me, giant tower blocks surrounding a massive expanse of water. The train I was riding, the MRT from Hong Kong airport was announcing in a broad British accent that we would soon be arriving at our destination. So I forced myself out of the slumber, switched off the I-Pod and pulled my luggage through the metal doors onto the station. Taking up a passive position in the navigation I merely carried and observed the surroundings. It was dark now, and heading out onto the streets was incredibly disorientating. We hopped in a Taxi and hoped for the best. I spotted our hotel over the back of some buildings, its bright neon sign towering over most of the others. I noticed the driver was sitting on the right hand side of the car, it took me a surprisingly long time to notice this however.

We pulled up to the hotel lobby and the staff helped us take our bags. They all spoke impeccable English. I noticed a sign in the lobby for the featured entertainer of the night. Listening closer the singer was already doing her thing, riffing on some Beatles song or another in a way which suggested jazz but also suggested she was secretly enjoying the fact that she could sing absolutely anything and in any way so long as it was low key and lounge like. Finally finding our way up to the room I couldn’t rest for long until there was a knock at the door, it was the bell boy with our one bag. I tipped him awkwardly, it was necessary here but not something I have ever done before or will ever feel comfortable doing. Which is not going to be that often as most other Asian countries see it as somewhat of an insult, fine by me. The room was really comfortable and had a great view, high tech too. There was a telephone slash console panel in the room which welcomed us by name when we stepped through the doors. There were speakers in the toilet which piped the television sound through. Hong Kong TV has a lot of English speaking channels, at least that’s the impression I got from the selection in the room. I thought to myself that I would make it a personal mission to investigate just how much England had affected this small island, but at the same time I was feeling so ill and groggy that things were mostly a blur.

The next day I awoke, took care of all the morning things and gathered my documents for my Visa application to be taken care of that day. A taxi ride out to the business complex where the Taiwanese embassy was located took far longer and was way more expensive than I had bargained on. When I eventually arrived and located the place it seemed like a relatively quick process, show this, pay this come back later. So I entered the rest of the day in a pretty carefree state of mind, ready to sightsee and generally relax. Breakfast came courtesy of the nearest McDonalds where everything was neatly displayed in English and Chinese. I should probably make it clear that in Hong Kong the native language is Cantonese. Neither I nor my girlfriend speak Cantonese but because of the occupation, the school systems and the geographical location an undisclosed number of the population can speak English and Mandarin.

Now I was confused and still am as to why only some people speak Mandarin. Its not as if some enthusiasts had taken it up, but a seemingly random demographic of people could either speak mandarin fluently or not at all. The same went for English, although I had a great deal more success in communicating in my language than my girlfriend had in hers. This could either be because of the rift between Taiwan and China, although I was always under the impression that capitalist Hong Kong tended to have its own ideas about that matter. I this were the case then people either didn’t want to speak to my girlfriend in Mandarin because A) they thought she was Taiwanese or B) She thought she was Chinese. But then why would they know it in the first place. Or it could be that a wider amount of the population learnt English under the occupation or have been influenced by or are in contact with or desire to consider themselves English than I initially imagined. Anyway I am none the wiser on the subject so I will continue.

Shopping in Hong Kong city was aided by the MRT line, similar if way less subtle and clean than the Tokyo subway line or London’s underground. Using this service made Hong Kong seem incredibly small and sparse. There aren’t that many stops and even then Disney Land gets its own line and station. The shopping which was sought out by my girlfriend was probably what many people see as a selling point of this place, high fashion towers of consumerism. Of which they were many but once this was out of the way, you don’t want to hear about those aspects of the trip is you are a reader of this blog. No, the first small glimmer of interest which appeared in my somewhat shaky state lay out in the cramped streets which as it began to rain had all the hallmarks of the moody smoky neon Hong Kong of my imagination. Maybe it’s because I never intended to make this trip a holiday and that such a short amount of time here could never give me the right to pass judgment on the place. But as I stood under a small electronics shop veranda taking shelter from the rain and watching the world go by, I felt I had achieved everything I ever could here. If I was to make a statement of opinion, I would say that Hong Kong is not a nice place to be, its drab, its dirty, its obnoxious, cramped and wet and yet, I felt like having seen this small area, I could somehow take a fond memory away with me, even if I was never to go back again.

Looking around the markets the term bootleg as a comparative term becomes redundant. I would hesitate to say that anything is what you could call official products. DVDs, Clothes, consumer products are all a fifth of the original price because they are fake, made in Hong Kong or china and sold without fear or reprimand. Not one to have any qualms about such matters I happily looked around every corner of the places but trying to avoid being roped in by many an enthusiastic shop keeper. I came home with some stuff, a cool Chinese traditional shirt, a bleach wall scroll for about two pounds and about the only thing which was official, something which is so great I can hardly type it Taiko no Tatsujin 6 for the PS2 with the TaTaCon drum controller. Something which has eaten up my entire day today.

Once the shopping had come to an end I headed off to meet the appointment to pick up my passport and new visa for re entry to Taiwan the next night. Now this is the first time I had ever had to do something like this, and I was not sure of the procedure although I knew it was relatively common having spoken to people in Taiwan. What I didn’t know however is how stressful and difficult the rest of my evening was about to get up in a small room on the 40th floor of some tower block in Hong Kong. Now I really don’t want to go into all of the details but needless to say when I went back to pick up visa it was not ready waiting for me. It would take hours of talking, interrogation, producing documents and generally gut wrenching trauma before I would lead with anything close to a visa. I was really broken down by the whole ordeal. I wasn’t feeling well and this place took the last of my energy, I was a wreck for the rest of the day and I couldn’t do anything except walk and space out until we eventually got to our hotel.

The last of my energy got me to the Disney land connection station entitled Sunny Bay. I chuckled to myself at the irony of about the greyest, wettest and grimmest looking scenery I had ever seen out of the window. It was a bay alright, although the entire airport and Disney land complex had been built on reclaimed land which took four years to complete. The only other time I had heard of reclamation was on an episode of Mega Structures where the sultan of Dubai built an island shaped like a palm tree on which to house hotels and casinos. Back then it looked like a difficult task and how on earth they had achieved it here was beyond me. The sheer size of such a task seem implausible but again, I was feeling too ill to give it too much thought. Instead I just sat back, slumped down into my Mickey Mouse shaped train carriage and continued my journey into capitalism and the American way.

That night I slept like a baby. The medicine I had been taken seemed to really be helping and by morning the physical tiredness had gone away, leaving only his buddy wheezy flemmy cough to fend for himself. I had energy to walk around now which was a good thing since I was spending the day in a theme park. Just as Hong Kong’s fashionable shopping districts looked exactly like parts of London, Hong Kong Disney land looks like every other theme park I have ever been to and despite minor regional adaptation, I believe it is exactly the same as every other Disney Land save the newly opened Disney Sea in Tokyo. I am never one to admit I enjoy Disney and don’t expect any such statement now, but in a place like this, it highlights just how much of our culture had been in someway influenced by this corporation. The whole time I kept thinking how forcefully the whole thing was engulfing my entire being and there was no escape, once you were inside they had you, and you would enjoy it, because it’s everything you have known since you are a child.

Even if Disney has only been something in the background of your life, you will know it intimately because of it’s stature in society, unlike the brilliantly understated Miyazaki museum, this place houses some of the most prevalent characters and assimilated values and stories (Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh) which at least I can say featured quite heavily in my childhood. It’s a big bad, powerful place which has you in the palm of your hands. But in my state of physical health and state of mind, it struck just the right balance to help me feel safe and relaxed, at least for a few hours.

The flight was at 9 and we made it back with plenty of time to spare. Hong Kong airport was way more western orientated than Taiwan CKS or Narita. I even found this week’s copy of Empire in the bookshop which I bought and look forward to reading during lunch tomorrow. We ate at a very weird place called Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits. Never heard of it myself but from what I could gather its some kind of American chain emblazoned with the image of the jovial spinach eating sea dog. I have not idea what sector of society felt it necessary to add the biscuits but the chicken was pretty good. The actual flight time between here and there works out at about 70 minutes, just little enough time to make the air staff run around like headless chickens trying to get everything done. I don’t mind, I hate having to wait too long with my tray on my lap after eating because you are pretty much trapped there immobile under that fold out tray until they take it away from you. The coach back from the airport took a grueling two hours and we had to carry our luggage a fair way to the house at 2am. When we got to the building the doorman wasn’t there so we couldn’t get in for a while. Some unsavory types were sitting across the way and I didn’t feel all too safe. Luckily the doorman eventually came back from wherever he had been and we could finally put down out bags and rest.

Morning came, as it does and the world seemed a little more quiet than usual. Today had been set aside as R and R after the traveling. Everything which needed to be accomplished had been accomplished and add to that sitting in a bag in the next room was a shiny unopened box which contained Taiko no Tatsujin Wai Wai Happy Roku Dai Mei as this latest version is enthusiastically entitled. I sat myself down inches from the screen, snapped together the stand for the drum. Fired it up and played most of the day away. Not all of it however. At lunch time we went to my girlfriend’s place of work and ate some pretty awesome buffet and for the first time in my life I got to eat what Jonathan Ross never stops raving about “Okonomiyaki”. Yes sir, Japanese DIY savory pancake. It was really nice actually in a sort of wholesome bland kind of a way and I would definitely seek it out again. As far as Japanese food is concerned however, nothing will ever top beef curry in my chart of tasty goodness.

In the afternoon we headed out to Tiger city again, my girlfriend and her sister went shopping whilst her sister’s boyfriend and I played in the Sega World. We were in there for a long time, I really had a good go at Samba de Amigo for once, something which has been around for years and years and yet I have never had the chance to realize how fun it is. It is really well made and the motion sensor is very neatly made use of. Motion sensoring in arcade games is something quite widely used but seldom done properly. The bemani games and that police shootout game are two which come to mind, all with various degrees of success. I for one have often felt they are sometimes too physically demanding. Try playing the PS2 eye toy for more than half an hour and you will see what I mean.

And with that my day came to an end. And I sit here in my room typing about one of the longest blogs I have ever written. I wanted to let everyone know what I had been up to since I feel like I have to come to the end of the first chapter in the weird adventure. With my new Visa and a re entry into the country once again, It feels like life and daily activities have a chance to start all over again. I have my very own Taiko here in the house so it seems there is no need for my daily pilgrimages to the department store anymore. Also this damned cold which has been sapping all of my energy seems to have finally dissipated leaving me with a new wave of enthusiasm for school life. From tomorrow there will be nothing standing in the way between me and a sense of daily normality. Of course I will always return here to document my activities but at least I won’t be back peddling as far as I did today. As always I hope everyone is safe and happy and healthy and you enjoyed reading the blog.

Till next time,

This has been MMI

24.08.2006 (Round about Lunchtime)

2006-08-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ok so Im back from work and Im about to pack my bags. The only way I can think of keeping you guys updated with the details of this trip is to make a written diary as I travel. That way I can scrawl notes pretty much at my leisure and make them on the spot rather than retrospectively which makes a change. Of course I will be taking photos and what not, there should be some pretty cool sights out there, although I have made absolutely no attempt to research or even think about what Hong Kong is like. I guess i will find out soon enough. The plane leaves in just over five hours but the flight takes less than an hour. Which kind of makes geographical sense when you think Japan is three hours away. I wonder if such a short flight warrents any kind of snack or beverage?

Im still feeling pretty rough from this cold. I feels like my whole body is weighed down and moving about doing things is really tiring. Hopefully I will have some opportunies for power naps on route to the airport. So, expect a massive update probably at the weekend where I transfer my diary and photos to their rightful place here with you at MMI.

Until then, I bid you farewell.

22.08.2006 or "Certification"

2006-08-22T04:43:00.000-07:00

Praise the lord after over a month of waiting my graduation certificate arrived in the mail. The final piece of the jigsaw falls into place and even though the mystery illness which is working itself through my system makes everything spin, things are looking a damned sight brighter than they were over the past two days. Today It pelted it down again tropical style, I left my bike in school and caught a lift. Feeling pretty pleased with myself we headed to SOGO for some food and Taiko. In celebration I ate terebi champion ramen from the place Im sure I have talked about before. Fueled by that Taiko came next, I played two rounds in order to wear myself out to play against my girlfriend. As a handicap I only used one stick and my left hand, what can I say, its the only thing I am good at.

During the course of the session however I noted some really wierd noises coming from my drum. It must be because it is worn out from too many games but the rim, the one than goes "ka" as apposed to "don" in the centre, seemed to keep getting stuck, resulting in a kakakakakakakakakaka machine gun tyoe noise whenever you hit certain areas. Needless to say the only one who seemed to care or notice was me. Im a little worried because I use that machine every day practically and I have never been comfortable using the right hand one. I need to either find a way to let them know or go somewhere else like Tiger City, although I wouldnt go so often because it much further away. This one was on my doorstep practically, grrrrrr. I'll just force myself to learn to use the right hand one until that breaks too.

In other news, Arcadefinger has a podcast out! I listened to it last night and found it to be most entertaining and since the promise of more now stands lets all support the young podjockey in his future efforts. It instantly made me want to do one too which is always a good thing. Day after tomorrow I fly out to Hong Kong for the weekend, going to find Andy Lau and shake him down about the whole urinal fiasco. Might also eat a bunch of expired pinapple chunks and chase after some doves in slow motion. Still haven't packed, should probably think about doing that.

Till next time,
Eat your greens,

21.08.2006 or "The Most Tired Day"

2006-08-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

Publish thoughts says bloggers front page. Ok then I will. Today I am knackered. So knackered my brain has gone numb. See I spent all day worrying about something which was over in about 2 minutes and as a result only said about a quarter of what I wanted to. No point worrying now anyway, time to just carry on and learn from it. Feeling tired and run down I had a shower and felt I needed to do something which always helps me when daily life stress and worry gets a little too much to handle. Beat the hell out of a Taiko drum. All care and frustration is washed away for the small fee of NT$20 (32 Pence) and I can leave feeling physically and mentally cleansed and return home, place my sticks back onto their ceremonial plynth and live to fight another day. I do now have to take another shower not an hour after my last since I sweat so much. Sorry about the lack of big posts but I am missing the energy to type them. Things will be back to normal soon im sure.

Till Next time,

20.08.2006 or "Forgotten Duty"

2006-08-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Left it too late to post anything of substance. Today was all prep work for a meeting I have to go to tomorrow. Ill fill you in with details later but for now sleep prevails.

Take care all,

19.08.2006 or "Caught a damn cold, I hate Alaska"

2006-08-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

My body is not stupid. It knows when I have time to sit around and be ill and figured that my two days off would be agreat time for my throat to feel like scratchy garbage. I know I caught something from the children since they all seem to have had or have colds at the moment and my proximity makes it unavoidable that the Asian super germs, those still a stranger to my flimsy western immune system, would run rampant. Nevertheless, today was all about lethargy and inactivity and to that end I did you proud folks.

I woke up and my first instinct these days is to switch on the computer. Computers got to be on for me to feel active, figure on a day off I spend about 14 hours of it infront of the computer since It substitues not only the time I watched TV and listened to music back home but also any time I spent talking to friends or family. About the only thing the internet doent replace is food and on a day off, its only ever going to be instant ramen something which people keep telling me is going to be the death of me. I took some into work last week when I knew I wasnt going to be able to find anything else for breakfast, I might as well have been eating a puppy for the looks I got. The thing is, the ramen which I eat (see earlier post for details) is really tasty and substantial and since I bought a bulk supply of the polystyrene bowl version complete with disposable chopsticks, its far too easy to make and eat and far too satisfying.

So my day off was filled with anime of all shapes and sizes. I finally got around to updating School Grumble my anime blog with the order of the day so all the geeky details have been syphoned off into there. That does mean however that the details of actual events are pretty limited short of sitting down, standing up, going to use the bathroom and sitting again all the while glued to the screen. Now is no different, I just woke up from a five hour nap and my initial reaction was to turn on the PC (it never actually got turned off) and get my diary for the day done so as to save myself from a guilt ridden explanation tomorrow. Tomorrow is Sunday and I need to get some planning done so It was best that I get most of the mooching done today. I am however on my own infront of the computer all day so I dare say Ill find more than the average person's amount of time to watch/listen/play some kind of mindless junk. Ah, weekends, got to love them.

Till next time folks,

This has been MMI

18.08.2006 or "Fun with Numbers"

2006-08-18T02:50:00.000-07:00

59 is the current number of posts on MMI
6 is the number of days before I go to Hong Kong
7,182 is the number of views this video has now accumulated
2 is the number of new taiko playing sticks I have:

1 is the loneliest number
2 is as bad as 1
1 is however the amount of cool new monitors sit infront of me:

0 is the amount of money I have
43 is the amount of episodes of Bleach filler I have had to endure for almost a year now.
43 is probably the amount of Bleach filler episodes still to come. Ill hate them but still watch anyway.
2 is the amount of days in a weekend that I am about to enjoy
Thanks for sticking with MMI folks!

17.08.2006 or "Oni Mode"

2006-08-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

So I made the transition. Im not saying its an easy one or one which makes me look particularly dignified but its done. I am there. Im not comfortable there yet and Its not easy to do it infront of other people but im staying there and there is no turning. Today was the day I made the transition from difficult to Oni difficulty on Taiko no Tatsujin eight. I can say that it is brutal and after one song it feels like your arms are going to pop but the level of satisfaction gained even barely qualifying a song and getting a second chance is a world apart from the somewhat tame offerings of difficult mode.

If you are a new reader to the blog do this and you will know what I mean. Find a Taiko no Tatsujin Machine (Taiko drum master in the west) and make sure it is number eight. You will pick the left hand option which picks the overall difficulty setting for the songs. You will be presented with a cute drum guy who bounces onto three platforms easy, middle and hard. Hit the right rim until you get to the hardest setting on the screen. Then keep hitting many times until the drum guy leaps into the air and teleports to a new setting which looks like a demon. Done that? Right, now choose a song any song and try to hit some notes. See, see, now do you understand why it has taken me so long to be able to even try to do well on this setting.

Everything else in the day pales in comparrison so Ill leave it there. Tomorrow is Friday, nearly the weekend again yey!

16.08.2006 or "MMI Drift"

2006-08-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Today in the wee small hours of the morning, I was up on a stage in the middle of a tiered courtyard playing my guitar with one missing string and urging my kids to sing infront of the school. It was their first time taking part in this weekly activity and they did extremely well. The rest of the day went off without a hitch. When I got home there was pizza and coke, so I ate and drank. Later on we headed out to Tiger City to catch a movie. In the arcade I bumped into my Taiko no Tatsujin sensei, ripping it up on number 6. 7 and 8 are more expenisve respectively. I played 8 attempted Glamourous Sky on Oni difficulty and got thrashed, but in a good "Theres hope for you yet" kind of way. After all, it is Oni mode.

The movie we ended up seeing was Fast and the Furious. Try to ignore your recoil from the screen at that revelation but it was actually quite good. I too thought it was going to be the worst movie ever but it was really entertaining and well paced throughout and I dont even like cars. I think the camera work was what sold it, really slick solid effects and incredibly intricate action sequences which make really good use of the scenery. The final race in the mountains was great and there is one camera shot, if you ever dare to see this movie, which sweeps over the edge of a cliff and back round to a lower road which blew me away. Another reason I thought I was going to hate it was the setting. I thought, oh god its a hip hop movie set in tokyo, and if anyone has been to Tokyo you will know how hideous the hip hop culture is. But no, its really lightly dealt with and it's tongue in cheek enough to get away with most of it's excesses.

Its just my oppion, I was pleasantly surprised is all, and it shows how quick I am to judge something based on it's peers. Its like when we were in the high of the Japanese horror fad and every country started making 50 knock offs a week, i.e girls in white dresses walking backwards, little boys in pants with panda eyes, hair in the kettle that kind of thing. Back then, I, like most people with half a brain sell started to get incredibly sick of it. But then one day I watched "phone", expecting the worst, but the fact that it used all of the cliches in such a perfectly crafted way and was so slickly produced made it the perfect bookend to what had been a pretty rubbish fad of a genre. I not saying Phone was a great film, but the fact that I expected so little and got something quite palpable made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

There was a trailer in the cinema before the film for a movie called One Missed Call final, I believe the third in the series. It stars amogst other people the girl who played Densha Otoko's sister in the TV series, as aposed to the rather inferior movie. Anyway that is besides the point. The film was represented in the wierdest sence in a theme park in Odaiba in Japan. Me and two buddies had paid for all access tickets to the Sega Joyopolis at the Odaiba decks which meant we needed to go on everything to get our moneys worth, which was no task because everything was great and to go into detail about how much fun I had that day would take far too long. If you ever get chance to go there in your lifetime then please experience it for yourself. Im rambling again, anyway, this particular ride was a walk in ride, I will try to break it down as best I can remember it because it was one of the best and wierdest experiences I have ever had.

Ok, so we walk up to the counter swipe out tickets and wait outside. A cheerful looking lady explains the intructions to me, she is dressed in a flatcap and overcoat, like a kind of tiny Japanese columbo, but a girl. The she hands me a mobile phone? I ponder this for a second but we we enter the door way. We find ourselves in a room (If it seems a bit like Knightmare then I apologise. The room is pretty sparse and we are just three guys looking a little confused holding a mobile phone. The phone rings with a wierd sinsiter tone. At this point I was jovial about the whole thing, not aware of how dark a turn this ride/walk wa going to take. "Moshi Moshi" I said, picking up the phone. "Click" nothing. I check the missed call number but its in Kanji so Im not really sure. I notice there is a computer in the corner of the room. The screen is fluctuating wierdly, I lean over to use the mouse. Something grabs hold of my hand for a second and I screech like a girl. The other two didnt see it, they just laugh at me. Suddenly a long haired, twisted figure slams against the door frame. My friends are standing right next to it, they think its animatronic. We hurry away, but again, being the only one who sees, the thing is jauntly walking behind us. And all I have is a phone. We run round to the next room, Im really disorientated at this point and I know the thing is still after us. The phone rings again, I pick up, some horrible noise comes through. The next room a class photo of some school children, I move closer to it, It changes into a horrible twisted face, the thing is getting closer, I had had enough, I ran, in fact we all ran right out of the ride and almost run into Columbo who is laughing at us sadistically.

So no, maybe the Japanese horror things is not really dead, you just have to have it actually happen to you in real life to feel why the ring scared you in the first place. Not bad for a glorified Trailer anyway.

Tell next time,

15.08.2006 or "Best laid plans"

2006-08-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a jaunt and a half. I woke up and said goodbye to my girlfriend as she left for work, about an hour before I do. Her work had put on a surprise for her and I was in the loop, strangely enough since I barely talk to anyone let alone my girlfriends work colleages. Nevertheless, on my lunch break someone came to pick me up and they had laid on a massive birthday cake and such and it was very sweet. She had no idea how I got there and I had no idea how to get back to work but one long confused taxi journey later I was back in class before the kids had woken up. Coming home I did a little prep work and she slept. About an hour later we headed out to a local Japanese restaurant called sasano. It was packed with drunken japanese businessmen but the food was really good. We drunk some beer and then felt a little drunk so we came home. That brings us up to speed,

Til next time..

14.08.2006 Part 2: Spice Weasel

2006-08-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

So the end of another day comes around. Conterary to my earlier post I am not writing this in the daytime but at night. I guess I should never make promises that my future self is unlikely to keep. Today was normal, normal weather normal activites, everything was really... normal. I went to SOGO to get some presents for my girlfriends birthday. Being the considerate boyfriend that I am I bought her manga. I figured It would bring us closer, giving us one more thing to talk about, even if that thing is my three of my favourite manga/anime series. Yes, I bought issue 1 of Bleach, School Rumble and Full Metal Alchemist in chinese for the little lady. She read Bleach in about 20 minutes after I advised her that it was a good one to start with. She said it was quite good, which was nice.

When I was in SOGO I had a bit of a geographical head spin for a second when In search of a book, I suddenly realised that everything was in Japanese. I dont just mean a shelf either I mean every shelf in a 10 meter radius. I had a panic attack for a second and I honestly thought these past two months were a dream and I was actually still in Japan. It all seemed to plausable, that I had been so hungover and sleep deprived one night in Tokyo that I had stumbled into a 24 hour manga cafe and just hallucinated two month in on an Island three hours away. Turns out I was just in a Japanese book shop and I am actually a bit mental. I am after all in Taiwan, I think.

Tomorrow is a normal day, except a Birthday, although having given her the presents early the linch pin of my plans has already been deployed. I guess we will go out for a meal, relax, forget about the struggles of working life. Her working life not mine.

Not much to say or do now sept try and put some pictures up once again...

Nah, no such luck! Damn you bloggeeeeeeeeerr!

Till next time,

13.08.2006 or 14.08.2006 Part 1

2006-08-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

Wow these titles are really starting to get confusing. If you hadnt noticed the aformentioned post detailing the events of the 13th never appeared. Thats because I never wrote it. Yeah, after I put together the back dated post before, I kind of ran out of steam on things I actually did in the day which wasnt much really. This serves as a good reminder that I cant really write two days content in one day, its just a bit to much to give. So instead I will just try not to leave a post till the next day unless It is entirely neccessary and even then I may just skip it over.

So in short,

13th.

After writing my blog about Nova and being annoyed with the photo situation I quickly realised that in waking at 1pm and milling about for a bit, my day of planning for the coming week had quickly dissappeared behind me. After getting some food and watching some TV I took a nap for a few hours, awoke and got to planning. After that I showered and then went back to bed.

14th

As I type this I am listening to the second bleach soundtrack and finishing off a fried chicken sandwich and iced coffee. The time is 07:15 am and I need to be at work for just before 8. It only takes be 4 minutes by bike to get there so im taking my time. I am taking my computer to work with me so today's actual blog will be written in my lunch hour.

I know this catching up format seems a little clinical and obsessive but I really do hate to miss a post, it pains me so I need to write posts like this that justify my absence. Until tonight then, have a good day folks.

P.S once again I was unable to put up pictures from yesterday, something which increasingly irritates me.

12.08.2006 or "Nova"

2006-08-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a propper day off. Slept in really late and woke with only one concern which was getting Breakfast/Lunch. When we set out we were heading in the general direction of NOVA the electronics department so an adjacant KFC was deemed the best place to fill the gap. KFC is different here in lots of ways and I am yet to figure out if these are improvements or not.

Firsly the texture of the chicken and chicken related products is different. In its favour it is way less greasy, but it is really flakey and seems to lack the flavour which gets soaked in with all the fat in KFC in the west. I noticed they did have the choice of two types of coating. They had the origial recipie and also a spicy chilli and lemon coating which was also quite good. I settled for a filet burger and a coke. For dessert they make these awesome little egg custard things which are hot and and you can choose normal or coffee flavour. Overal its a good eating experience and you get the benefit of being treated really well by the staff, the absence of which is something I know puts alot of people off fast food in my country.

So after lunch It was time to get stuck into some geek shopping. The walk down to NOVA sets the theme for this area of town, like a little Akihabara minus the sin. Outside people were putting all of their receipts into a raffle counter which aparantly gets you some more cool tech stuff if you win.

Heading inside the place was pretty busy, more video screens than you can count and a varied mix of shiney showrooms and bulky wholsale stockrooms. On the first floor the order of the day was mostly digital cameras and mobile phones. Sony has just released three new digital cameras recently and they are being marketed together in a big advertising campaign, each of them aimed at a different demographic aparantly.

The first, the DSC-W100 is aimed at the family man, cause it has a propper zoom you see, but its not fashionable enough to seem unsensible. The second, the DSC-T30 is aimed at the young female Asian teenager who lives a crazy go getting lifestyle. Thats cause it doesnt have a propper zoom (no time for zooming) and it is sleek and fashionable, and small so it can fit into ridiculously small handbags. The last of the three is the DSC-H2 which has a bloody great zoom on it and it looks more like an art student camera. I can tell this is aimed at such a character because the guy on the adverts has a scarf on! Man, thats subversive, especially in this heat.

And he is wearing jeans, and he has slightly spikey hair. Ironically this was the first camera which caught my attention which means I identify with the fashionable social misfit rouge type and therefore must have this camera. I must have it so I can take pictures of things from cookey angles and take pictures of social injustice from really far away with my massive zoom lense. Then I can go home and write an ironic blog, listen to some coldplay and smell some flowers, cry a silent tear and sleep curled up on my hemp rug. Damn you Sony for telling me so acurately how I live my life.

The second floor was all about making your own PC from the constituent parts scattered around this floor. It was here that I wished I actually knew about hardware and could stick all the best bits together and have a monster PC. One thing I could tell is that everything was really cheap and that if I had any money whatsoever this is where I would spend it. The amount of machinary up there was inumerable and all the more impressive for being in such a compacted space.

On the way out of the shop after much wandering my eye was caught by a really cool looking monitor, 22 inch flat, widescreen, HD monitor which just looked the business. I pointed it out to my girlfriend and after telling her what HD was and how the size and clarity would make anything we watched on the computer pretty awsome to look at she engaged into heated bargaining with guy in the shop. I of course was useless to this end and instead waited and watched the japanese idols which had been set on a rotation screensaver on all 50 of the monitors in front of me, pretty hard to avoid. After a bit and a much reduced price the deal was sealed and I took upon myself the task of lugging the thing back to the car. Now it sits snuggly infront of me as I type this entry and it makes everything seem so much more epic. Well actually ironically because the resolutution is set so high the desktop has become so huge that most things seem under whelimg until you make them full screen. I never understood the benfits of a widescreen desktop until now. When blogger lets me put more pictures up I will show you what it looks like along with the rest of the picturs of NOVA which were denied to you by blogger. Thats all for saturday, see you in 9 hours for Sundays entry

11.08.2006 or "Misdirected Efforts"

2006-08-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, the site does a little better now. Yes it did take me forever trawling through the HTML to get that banner at the top and not just the title and still keeping the name of the site on the webpage. No I will not be making any more changes because the extent of what I know about HTML was exhaused just doing that and also sticking my links in the sidebar. All in all I am happy with how the site looks now which is good.

Today has been pretty cool. We made the journey down south again to run some errands. Ate some food and came home, pondered the idea of going out for a drink and then rejecting the idea as quickly because we are both really tired. However, tomorrow is a weekend which means lye ins and lethargy. We're going to look into the prospect of buying Taiko no Tatsujin for the PS2 from the local electronics department. Whether or not we do or not is irrelevant because I enjoy going to this place so much it is worth the trip just to look round. Firstly its huge and secondly it specialises in all manner or gadgets and toys at rock bottom prices. Take every consumer product you have ever bought in the west, update the technology by five years and take off 50% of the price and youl get an idea of what this place is like. Im going to be taking the camera so expect coverage of the trip.

Like everyone else ive been watching the news lately to see whats been happening to our country. It reminds me of last year when I was out here and the London bombings happened. Its really strange that I witness these things from such a skewed angle but I am always suprised about how poiniant these matters are even to people in Taiwan and Japan. Last year, I was outside Asakusa Kannon Temple in Tokyo and an old guy selling Ice Cream knew about the bombings and was asking me if I had any family in London. I guess that would be the equivilant of our news coverage of the Tokyo saris gas attacks on the rail network all those years ago.

Sometimes I underestimate how much of an influence the UK and the US are on the rest of the world. But then again it all becomes apaprant when I think about how desperately everyone here wants their children to grow up and speak English. Luckily this time, so far, nothing of that scale occured this time but who they hell wants to fly any more, especially to and from the US. There is no way I would argue with someone telling me I couldnt have cabin luggage if I knew it was going to make me safer but all the same isnt it nervewracking enough flying without all of this other worry on our heads.

Anyway, enough of that, its time for me to kick off my weekend with a shower, a cold Taiwan Gold label beer, the latest episode of school rumble and then sleep. That seems to be the essence of true happiness and enlightenment. Take care everyone

10.08.2006 or "Business as Usual"

2006-08-10T05:05:00.000-07:00

It is very easy to look back on a day, in search of memorable events and anecdotes and be put off by the fact that there werent any. Usually it just means you need to think a little harder

Today after I awoke I walked through to the kitchen and saw a huge tub of something called "CLIM". I was a little too sleepy to heed it any attention and I as of yet still havent actually looked to see what it actually was. Instead I laughed at the fact that because of the L in CLIM, It could also be titles CRIM, which would make even less sence save sounding like its an all purpose powedered food stuff developed especially for criminals. Im sure if I actually got off my ass I would find out it is something really mundane, but that would spoil the illusion and the joke wouldnt it. On the way out I grabbed a garbage bag full of ice, shoved it in my bag and peddled like the clappers through the busy Taiwan streets in order to make it to school in the blazing morning sun before the ice melted all over my back, down the back of my trousers, onto the peddles causeing me to slip and fly straight under an articulated lorry. Thats the second time now Ive expressed that irrational fear, I wonder where that comes from.

So why the ice? Well we were studying ice today. Well not ice in particular but the sun and how it melts things. I pretty sure by the end of the day no one was any the wiser on the topic but we had fun nonetheless. On the way home I swung by the house and played with the kitty a bit.He had just woken up but after a quick stretch he was back to his old tricks again. He walks on his hind legs so often now I think he has make a concious decision that it is just more effecient to do so. It alows him to box and swipe and run all at the same time. He got up onto the counter and started feverishly scratching at the other laptop, I took my eyes off him for two seconds and he rips off the F8 button and then runs off. Luckily I managed to fix it back on but he would'nt listen to my scolding.

So after that I headed out to the American diner to get myself some food. I had a chicken burrito, which I have never had before but it's very similar what us litteral British folks call a wrap. I chose it because like a burrito, I wasn't really sure what I would be getting if I ordered a quesadilla or enchilada. Maybe Ill try each over the next two days. They have walls of American food stuffs in the restraunt which you can buy. I like to look at them, and seethe. I dont know why they anger me so, maybe because the names and the pictures on the boxes and cans are just so stupid. Such meathead American Joe products like "Potatoe buds", since when did potatoes come in buds. They call rice crispy sqaures(our name, literal, factual) rice crispy treats. What are they for Dogs? Dont get me started on the word treat, I hate it. And the breakfast cereal, so obvious and clumbsy and in such hideous 1980's packaging. I could never live in America because I could never bring myself to put the stuff in a shopping basket. And what the hell is produce, it's fruit you bloody morons. huff huff huff. Sorry. I honestly cant tell you where that came from, I dont mean to offend and I am even more confused about why this particular strand of American culture irritates me so much.

So after Tea, Taiko, two games. I started trying to get perfect scores and in persuit of that quest I stopped caring the moment I missed a note and just whacked the drum for the remainder of the songs and made a bored face as if the game was dead to me now. I still love it though, im just finding new ways for it to be entertaining.

Now Im home, got some stuff to plan but after tomorrow its the weekend again yey! I t came around so fast. Lets hope this weekend is more cheerful than last. (See "Idle Hands") and I can get some quality relaxation and anime going on.

Until tomorrow folks,

マイヤヒ

2006-08-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

Some things just cant be explained by anyone!

I'll give you a hint, say what you see!

09.08.2006 or "The Squatter"

2006-08-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

Ah dont you just love comically misleading blog subtitles. It makes all of this seem so much more epic dont you think. If you cant tell from my tone Im feeling fine today and seem to have miraculously returned from deaths door. Today was a day like any other bookended by some food and a quick game of Taiko.

Now im home, Blog in one eye, TV in the other. Its some kind of cop drama, of course I have no idea what they are saying. All I can figure out is that they really want it to look like Infernal Affairs but since its a daily "Neighbours" syle show, the obvious restrictions on the budget are always amusing. Yesterday they tried to stage a massive fight scene around one coffee table. They were going at it crouching tiger style but all shot on what looked to be one DV camera. See its the little differences, image Carl Kenedy doing the one inch punch on Harold. See its always the same two groups going after each other every week, some gangster and some police agents. You would think they had more than one set of criminals to attend to. Like I say, I have to interpret the pictures rather than the dialogue so Im sure there is more to it than Im giving credit for. I know, when I get time, Ill rip it, subtitle it and post it on the website.

So I needed to use the toilet today in the department store. I was on the 15th floor having my tea and I decided to make use of the facilities. The toilet looked great, more like a work of art than a bathroom, Im talking chrone, cobbled stone sinks, big high taps, glowing glass pannels lining the walks, plants.... the works. My concentration at that point however was dealing with an imminant bowel movement. It was at this point I encountered an old enemy, one which strikes fear into the hearts of any foreign visitor to Asia. The Squatter. Now I have always associated the squatter with maybe the less lavish bathrooms, where space and budget was an issue. At least that was usually the case in Japan. But not here, not in flushingham palace, where dreams are born and released into the ocean through pipes of hope. Now at this point I should probably make it clear Im talking about a type of toilet. Its basically a porcelain trough in the centre of a cubicle. Now I will breifly outline some of the problems I have with the squatter without going into too great a detail.

The first is evident in its name. You need to squat to use it, but the hole is literally ground level. Just try to imagine using the toilet, at ground level with no support for the rest of your body and a pair of jeans on, whilst simultaniously trying to keep balance and relax enough to get the job done. Now imagine trying all that whilst people repeatedly try to open the cubicle door to see if its free. Now imagine that the moment you realise there is no level of separation between you and what you have just squeezed out. Thats right readers, when you get up to wipe, you have to deal with the fact that until you flush the contraption, you have pretty much taken a dump on the floor. And if you are like me someone who likes to wipe pretty thoroughly, you are going to be staring at your matter on it's little white display shelf for some time.

Now I write this whilst chuckling to myself about the complete obserdity of it. When you do flush, the poop just gets unceremoniously blasted backwards, where it slams into the wall and eventually makes contact with the water that takes it away. The whole sequence of events just makes you feel like you will never want to use the bathroom again. But maybe thats it, maybe they just want to discourage people from using them because they are so damn awkward and disgusting. But if that were the case then the normal urinals, which they have everywhere would be all they need right. Its like saying ok, you can wee here, but first you have to wee into a cup, look at it, wash your hands with it and then we will take it off you, its that disgusting.

See, when there is nothing real to talk about each day, I will just make everyone too sick to care.

08.08.2006 or "Fathers Day"

2006-08-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

I was sick today, But whilst I was chucking up my soul in the School toilet, which is child sized making it impossible to puke comfortably or even succesfully, my body temperature reached a critial level and I caused myself further damage. Once I had finished being sick, I had to get out but by that point it was too late, my breathing got laboured my vision blurry, I knew if I didnt lie down I was going to faint. I was pretty worried so I swaggered back to the class room to help me find the nurse. I got the nurses office but she wasnt there so the best I could do was crash out on the bed and try to get my breathing and vison back. Then I passed out for a bit.

My co teacher woke me up and said I needed to go down to the first floor. By this point I was just feeling really groggy and stupid. I dumped myself in a chair down in the lobby whilst my co teacher talked to someone. Heading back up to class took all the energy I had, luckily the last of the kids were just leaving and I grabbed a pillow and just lay down on the tatami mats and closed my eyes. I woke up about an hour later kind of disorientated. I sat up from my spot in the middle of the classroom to see my co teacher working and once again felt pretty embarrased that my entire system had gone into meltdown. I got up, said sorry, what else could I say, and made a very woozey bike journey home, trying not to drive under any lorries.

When I got home, the sickness and the heat and everything else nesecetated yet another sleep. Food was off the cards for a while yet. I woke up about 2 hours later, ate some medicine and ordered some ramen, non spicy and eat it slowly. Only now I seem to be ok. My head is still pounding and I still have no idea what caused it all. I can rule a pretty obvious things out and it wasn't sunstroke because I was inside the cool, shaded AC classroom all day. What I put it down to is a domino effect of something bad I ate, followed by the extreme heat. But even so, it was entirely out of character and not something which would ever happen to me under normal circumstances. I really feel drained now.

Aside from that my day was pretty good and luckily I only got sick once it was pretty much over. The rest of my night is pretty much dedicated to resting up and gathering all the energy I have left in order to work tomorrow. So Ill get to that. Normal service will resume shortly.

07.08.2006 or "Melting Stuff"

2006-08-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quick hello to people who read this, I know of at least three. Not much out of the ordinary happened today, the weather today was nice so we traced our shadows out in the sun. I melted a wax crayon with a magnifying glass but then everyone wanted to do it so I think that was probably a bad idea. I thought I was making a useful scientific point but kids will be kids. I ate at a pretty swanky restaurant, wrote that the water wasnt cold enough (in chinese, Im trying hard) on the feedback form and signed it John Voight. I like to think someone in there knows who John Voight is and it will send them on a bit of a rampage like that episode of Seinfeld. Probably not though right.

Tommorrow they celebrate fathers day and we are doing all types of cute stuff in celebration. See the date is 08/08 which in chinese is baba (daddy) . Awwwww. So were going to make crowns and read a book and poems about it, then were getting back to our proper topic, cant stray too far from that. Errrm. So, no I cant really think of much else to say. Oh im off to Hong Kong in 17 days. That should be fun. I have no idea what it will be like outisde of my knowledge of Wong Kar Wai films, and since we are going to be staying a night in DisneyLand(TM), im sure its going to be much different. It's another Asian country to add to the list I guess and it should be really good fun. Expect wacky pictures and videos from that trip. I really want to go to South Korea too, although I dont know if work commitments will allow it.

Right im off to tie off the loose ends of the night, shower and sleep. Sincerely hope everyone is doing well back home. I know it must seem like I have disappeared off the face of the earth a bit but rest assured my heart and my thoughts are always back home with friends and family. With that sentiment expressed I can continue my self centred and selfish attempt to find fame and fortune in the east completely guilt free. As always Ill let you know how I get on...

P.S I just randomly checked Youtube and one of the videos of me playing Taiko no Tatsujin has been viewed 4,253 times!!! And I made that when I couldnt actually play the damn game! What the flipping heck is going on? I think I might have discovered one possibility for my fame in Taiwan?

P.P.S- Further investigation seems to reveal that the words Taiko and Taiwan only bring up three entries on youtube, two of them are mine, one of them is the one of me walking to the department to play the game. Ulp.

P.P.P.S- Further thought on the matter makes me think I could exploit this and actively seek fame and then become some kind of cultural oditty. Hmm, Let me think. Who is clever? Someone tell me where I should take this from here.

06.08.2006 or Taiko Terror

2006-08-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

It always gets a little confusing when I type the date into the blog entry. My brain sort of stopped counting the years after they started to seem silly and futuristic. Also im never sure if its 2006 or 2007. Well, I guess now that my education has come to an end, well for the moment anyway, there are no overshadowing divisions by which to mark the passage of the years. And when you get older, Birthdays seem to get less important too. Well as the folks in Japan say, "Shouganai na" or :"theres nowt that can be done about it".

Today has been a good day off, lazy and unproductive but pretty carefree which Is how days off should be. Staring into the face of a working week doesnt seem so bad and Im feeling pretty grounded now which is good. We sat down and watched the Keroro movie today which was suitably mental. Not much to say other than that. Oh, I got pretty freaked out in the department store today. I kept noticing these two girls shadowing me when I was walking round from having lunch to heading up to Taiko. When I got up to the machine and waited my turn it was clear that they were following me and I was feeling really uncomfortable at this point.

As I got back to observing the game I felt a little tap on my shoulder. "....take a picture", said one of the girls. "Sure Ill take your picture" I said, hoping for the best that they weren't actually stalking me. "No, No" they replied. Turns out they were stalking me and they inisted that they take my picture. "Why?" I asked them. I got no response. Reluctantly I agreed to let them take one picture, my brain still trying to work it out. When they asked for a second one I just flat out said no. I turned around and about twenty seconds later I glanced back to see if they were still there and they had completely vanished. I assumed the worst, that they had taken my soul, or they were going to do some unthinkable thing with that picture. Now Im keeping my eyes out for any goofy looking westerner on Billboards and TV to find out who the hell they thought I was. That way I can maybe clear my name and feel at ease In the department store. Because I need that place, thats where Taiko is!

05.08.2006 or "The Show Must Go On!"

2006-08-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Ok so the mindless violence and comedy of Devil May Cry 3 cheered me up a little. I took my leave of the house and headed out in the night air to McDonalds, about a ten minute walk away. Once I had eaten I figured I had nothing else to do except try and patch up my realtionship with Taiko no Tatsujin. The time was around 8:30pm and the department store closes at 10.I still had two games worth of Tokens in my pocket from the session I walked away from in a strop earlier in the day. The Arcade was a little quiter now and it was relatively easy to get my game on, although busy enough that the usual people would crowd around the machine like they usually do when they see that someone can actually play the game. It went pretty well I guess, I stuck to songs which were enjoyable and familiar and eased myself into remembering why I started playing this game in the first place, for fun. I didnt attempt any Oni setting songs this time and I might not for a while now but it seems there is hope for me and this game yet.

Coming home and having a good long think about why I am so wound up lately, I think it boils down to more than just sweat and fluffed Taiko games. Ive been away from home and friends for a long time now, by my count about a month and a half. For me this means im almost always fine and happy but when I get tired, any stress or problem is multiplied. The neccesary dependancy on others is also another factor which is really starting to build in my mind as a kind of claustrophobia. I am in a position where I am eternally grateful to a lot of people but as a counterbalance to that, any problems, worries or issues generally need to be kept to myself for fear of sounding ungrateful. Luckily as time passes, I can start to take on more and more resposibility for my existance here but at the moment, its difficult having no choice than to rely on the power and resources and abilties of others, things which I, as of yet do not possess. Hopefully as my self reliance in this country grows, financially and physically I will be able to repay all of the people who have helped me and maybe then I can begin to feel less like a house cat and more like a human being.

Wow, did I get a little serious there for a moment? Well it cant all be smiles and Pokemon here a MMI now can it.

05.08.2006 or "Idle Hands"

2006-08-05T03:27:00.000-07:00

Man, I know today was my day off and all but if inactivity makes one this depressed I would rather have been at work today. I woke up around 12 with that awful feeling like your skin is going to peel off your body. From what I have gathered this happens when you forget to shower the night before and you sleep with the AC on full blast all night. This occurance is usually accompanied by complete and utter stomach malfunction and a sense that you really shoudlnt have got out of bed today. So once I had showered and dressed I sat down and felt all new and exciting layers of sweat forming within minutes. Around 1pm I knew I had to eat otherwise I would not move at all, all day so I cooked some ramen. After this I decided that the best course of action to save the day was to go play taiko.

I instantly regretted the idea when my brain put together the fact that it was a saturday and that the arcade would be packed. Nevertheless I persisted and played like utter crap and and was constatly battling people for a place on the machine. Some girl kept putting more and more money into the machine and then shouting something in Chinese whenever anyone came near the adjacent area. To be fair I think there was something wrong with her brain, but still, she played better than me and I wasn't in the most sympathetic of moods. After my second awful game I just couldn't get my arms to do what my brain was telling them and I thought it was because I wasn't awake yet. So I headed down a couple floors and bought a can of coffee, "Mr Brown" brand, not a touch on Suntory Boss but I pretty sure they dont sell that outside of Japan.

Heading back up, I felt my knees were going to give way and my stomach, not half full from the ramen felt soulless and hollow. Again, after watching two guys who had clearly been playing it for years deftly kick ass on the machine (the worst possible act to follow) I tried my hand once again. First song: I picked the wrong song and ended up losing! :O I could'nt beleive it, this is almost unheard of and I felt incredibly folorn, luckily I managed to win another round of redemtion on the wheel of fate but just whacked out a lack luster and by this point pretty sorry looking performance. I dropped the sticks back on the plinth and vowed never to play the game again!

And all this on what is meant to be my day off. I came home and figured that the anger which had been building throughout the day just needed to be chanelled into something productive, such as work but it seems like the anger beast is no match for the apathy beast on days like this so I just sat sweating, angry and exhausted in my chair and waited for my girlfriend to come home. We sat down and watched the Nana movie. Then I used the net, and that brings us up to speed on my pointless uphill struggle of a day. Every movement or idea has been met with a force of equal resistance. I guess that pretty acurately describes your typical run of the mill bad day.

Still, I dont mind writing it off as such. For the remaining hours of the day I plan to escape into some playstation and let my brain shut off.

04.08.2006 or “Weather: Smiley Face”

2006-08-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

It suddenly dawned on me that the reason why my blog entries have been so sparse in detail of late is solely down to the time which I choose to write the things. It always seemed fitting to me that the creation of a new entries should fall into the category of tasks to be dealt with before bedtime, when all of the things of note which happen have already happened. However, due to the fact that it seems that I am always going to be pretty tired during weekdays when I return home, I have decided to use what free time I have during the day to see if the quality of my blogs improve somewhat. Based already on my legibility it seems that this might be a good idea. For one, it’s cooler, quieter and much more relaxing during mid day naptime to tell you what I’m up to. Also, I have just woken up myself from about an hours sleep, feeling refreshed and ready for the afternoon’s activities.

Today so far has been pretty good. I woke up pretty easily and managed to grab some breakfast on the way in to work. I had a chicken sandwich and some iced coffee which I ate hunched over my tiny desk whilst waiting for school to start and the children to finish their own breakfasts, which needless to say were a sight healthier than mine. The rough weather we have been having recently seems to have dissipated and today brings and cool breeze and sense of calm which I enjoyed during break time. I cannot stress how much better it is not having to suffer the effects of hay fever out here. I’m not sure of the scientific reasons as to why the pollen in Asia doesn’t make me ill and the flowers at home do but Its a great relief. Unfortunately things like dust still get me and my eyes started itching a little on the tatami mats so I think Its about time I gave them a hoover.

So I roughly three hours time, the conclusion of my first week of school will arrive and I get to spend two days pottering about to my own devices and sleeping. I have no cause to complain about work whatsoever mind you, It never feels like work in the sense of menial work, it feels like a challenge but in a mentally stimulating fun way which has to be good in a job right. Unlike all of the other jobs I have done in my life, my soul is still entirely intact at the end of the week and I feel fulfilled rather than degraded or physically exhausted. Next week real school life kicks in to gear, which means real topics, real experiments and more hard work, but ultimately a more interesting work day. Hopefully the daily routine will click into place with my mental gears and I can learn to be more awake at the right time. All in all, I survived and think I have gotten over the worst part of the integration process.

(Late Night Addition to What I wrote before this point)

True to my aforementioned statement, there is no way in hell I could have produced that many words in the tired state I am in now. This is about all I can muster, I went to TGI Fridays, it was very good, I did lots of things which I was way to tired to do and now I must collapse. Night Night

Aaron

03.08.2006 or "Dont bother reading this, really, come back tomorrow"

2006-08-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Yawn, is all I can say, I just feel really knackered today. School was really good and quite funny today and I also managed to get a nap in although for some reason im still really tired. Now the sensible person would not complain and just take a shower and go to bed but no not I. I choose instead to sneak in a quick, if wafer thin post just incase anyone checks MMI. I dont like missing days now, the hole which stands on the 1st just seems to tarnish an otherwise pretty good run of post so even if this is a bunch of waffle at least I can say I was here, falling asleep at the keys.

I going to go now, if you read this then It was a bit of a waste of time, but rest assured, I will sleep, work and hopefully come back with enough energy to put up a real post. At least tomorrow is Friday and the weekend is reserved for relaxing and doing sweet nothing. I look forward to that immensely.

Seeya

02.08.2006 or "Forget about the 1st"

2006-08-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

Well its a new month and I'm still here writing what is apparantly my 41st blog entry here at MMI. Im suprised really, I dont think I have ever maintaned any type of internet past time for this long before, I usually just get bored and find something else to play with. Im sure its that this site serves such a cathartic purpose in my overseas life that I just have to keep coming back. Well, lets hope we see 40 more in the future.

Its about 9pm and after I finish this entry I really need to do some planning for tommorrow's school day. Today was good but as soon as I hit home time, the skies opened and it started chucking it down by the bucket load, and thunder and lightnight followed. We had to change the weather on our class calender twice in the space of five minutes from miserable rainy face to angry storm face. I had to leave the trusty bicycle at the school because it would have taken a braver man than me to attempt the journey home. Instead I got a lift and we went out to get some pasta nearby. Returning home I watched some Anime on TV about a possesed violin, creepy. Im not going to talk about Anime here anymore since just five minutes ago I updated my Anime Blog with an entry.

Umm, what else, aside from being pretty wiped out(I didnt have my nap today) I havent really got much non work news of note. Tommorrow is busy all day, probably just come home and collapse again. Friday too, Saturday we go to a Theme park of some kind so expect a Blog of higher standard around that date. Not that I wont post when I have absolutely nothing to say (Because I do, you have witnessed this), but I think it should provide ample rant and photo oportunities to share with you, the reader.

Im going to go now and do some more work and then slip into a deep deep sleep. I hope everyone on the other side of the world can do the same thing when your bedtime arrives. From everyone here at MMI sweet dreams.....

31.07.2006 or "Chinese Valentines Day"

2006-07-31T04:51:00.000-07:00

(Added Link to Anime Blog Site above, do I have time to do that?)
(Removed Link to Myspace cause all the cool kids are jumping ship)

Today was my first day of school and since I am typing this message then you know I survived. It has been a long and tiring day but Im glad to say that it was worth it. The children in my class are funny and energetic and all seem to get along with each other very well. Noone in my class was unhappy for the whole day so I count myself very very lucky since I know some of the new teachers in the other classes had a pretty rough time of it. I learnt alot from today, namely how much work needs to go into planning in order for a day, with my particular age group to go smoothly. That would be lots, lots of planning because the thing is, one idea on paper can be done and over with within a matter of minutes.

What I quickly noticed was how short and attention span five year old children have and It takes all of your energy to come up with things to constantly amuse them. To that end I tried my best today but I can see lots of room for improvement. There is one major upside to my job however and that the fact that when the children sleep, you can usually sleep too, which meant I was able to have about a 1&1/2 hour nap after lunch. I can go into school tomorrow with a foreknowlege of what the children are like, what resources to arm myself with and a better vantage point from which to plan my day, something which I did not have until I actually met them. In conclusion, today went very well and I am very grateful for the comments of encouragement I recieved in reply to yesterday's blog, its nice to see so many people have my back even though I am over the other side of the world.

Anyway, enough about work, Im sure there is still some remenants of normal me left underneath the work centric beast I have been shaping myself to be over the past couple of weeks. Today is Chinese Valentines day and unfortunately we have been unable to celebrate it pretty much at all. We are both so worn out from work and this accursed heat that all of the drive and motivation to do anything of substance in our free time tends to get sapped away. I really have become quite accustomed to being out here which is something which I seldom say. Even though I speak no mandarin, im meeting enough English speaking people that I feel myself inhabiting a bubble of my own creation, a bubble made from routine and a shaping of this culture to my own whim. I feel quite at easy cycling around the area both in the day and at night.

I was cycling home the other day and It was dark but the neon lights which are pretty unavoidable out here created this wierd purple and green haze. It is really odd to pass through the streets and shops like that, its unlike anything I have experienced and only ever seen in movies. At the same time, the crowding and the neon dont intimidate me any more, you just kind of learn to accept it as part of the scenery. It's like I mentioned before, it can be a little odd poking your head out of the window at night and seeing a spralling neon sea and giant towers but I have always loved that kind of thing ever since I saw Blade Runner when I was little. That comparison is even more acurate here in Taiwan where things are just a little dirtier than in Tokyo where the buildings and streets are clean and organinsed like big neon circuit boards rather than a smoggy distopia. I really should take more pictures.

Im going to leave you now with the intention of doing at least one thing of value with my free time rather than sitting infront of this screen. I hope all is well for everyone. Please continue visiting arcadefinger in its new home as I see our boy Dave has recently updated with a rather detailed blog on his latest activities. If you are at all inclined towards anime please visit my newly created anime blog schoolgrumble. And finally, keep coming back here where I will attempt to maintain as much content as I can whilst I become increasingly busy elsewhere,

Till next time,

30.07.2006 or "Andy Sellout"

2006-07-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Cant talk for long cause I need to get to sleep. Today has been a full day of cleaning and preparation although strangely enough I still found time for a very sleepy game of Taiko, sans new sticks but I figure I have more pressing matters at hand. One being my first actual school day tomorrow! I have no idea what to expect, im just going to throw myself in headlong and see how it goes. Hopefully well, but I still need everyone's mental powers to send me confidence and gusto so that I can get through the day. Im taking my guitar with me so if all else fails we can sing some songs. No, I actually have things planned but its just a little stressful not knowing exactly what Its going to be like. I hope it's awesome.

Im reading back my Clerks 2 rant and maybe I was a little too harsh on it. Throughout the day, my mind kept wandering back to some of the Randal dialogue and how great it was. He really is the star of the film and I think based on those jokes alone, the film is elevated to a level which I didnt give it credit for. Sure the film is sullied by sentimental pap, but the jokes provide just adequate enough a counterbalance to stop it from going under. Only just enough mindyou. I say this because I think I could actually watch it again and enjoy it. Which is more than I can say for some recently "actually" bad films like Pirates of the Carribbean 2. I keep seeing adverts for Snakes on a Plane. Could someone tell me if this is meant to be a joke, because it seems to be being marketed here in Taiwan as a serious action movie and it cant possibly be can it? The trailer I saw had Samuel L. Attacking these tiny snakes with a shotgun, it looks and sounds like it could be great if its meant to be a joke, if not, it might be great too, im not sure, im intrigued.

In other unrelated news, Andy Lau reered his cheesy corperate face again and you know where.. On every single urinal in my classroom bathroom. Do the children I teach really want to see several times a day whilst they are trying to take a whizz? Honestly, what did he physically contribute to the creation of those urinals? By the looks of it, just a signature, it not like he has time to do anything substatial like design the things because he is too busy advertising every other product made in this country. Believe me, I will get to the bottom of it, and this time, its personal.

29.07.2006 or "Last day of leisure"

2006-07-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Since today was relatively free I decided that It was best spent mooching around. I watched Clerks 2. (Possible Spoiler warning, highlight to read)

I didnt have massive expectations but I was quite excited about the prospect of this film. I dont want to sway anyone's oppinion because amusingly whenever anyone tells people, me included that a film is good/bad there is a knee jerk reaction to find the opposite argument whenever they/ I get around to seeing it. So if anyone of that disposition is reading, then stop here. Well, for me, a couple of things stood out as being a little off kilter. The balance between shock and emotion was really shakily drawn wheras in the original clerks I felt they got it just right. Here they ask you to be so fond of the characters that you can empathise with situations which are either a) exactly the same as the first movie or b) so thinly explained or justified that you feel you have missed an entire other plotline. Some sections which intend to invoke some emotion in the audience just seem plain strange. As usual im sure there are plenty of counter arguments to these points but its just how I felt.

On a positive note, the dialogue and rants within are suitably hillarious and Randal even though he seems to have become much more evil in his old age, still makes a couple of great blunders. Its clear from this that Kevin Smith's forte is truly comedy banter and like most people I know, the Evening with Kevin Smith videos and his audio comentaries and DVD extras are where his best material can be found. As for being a director, a filmmaker, Clerks 2 is ok although not a very good movie.

So anyway, after that I sat down and played Onimusha 3. What a great game! Why did noone tell me how good it was? Its been out for ages. Where else can you be Jean Reno in feudal japan whipping flying monkeys with a chain. Where else can you be Takeshi Kaneshiro laying down some Samurai justice to battle tanks in modern day paris. Nowhere I tell you and this game is awesome. It just feels so solid and fun to play. I hope I get some more time to carry on my game later in the week, although it seems a little doubtful.

Tommorrow is busy, the week following is even more busy, I will keep you informed.

Bye Bye

28.07.2006 or "Apathy and Raw Meat"

2006-07-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Long long day again. I thought I could catch some breakfast at the American diner before I went to school but It was closed. I went without food until about 12 when I ate at school. The day consisted of more classroom contruction and copious amounts of sticky back plastic. Towards the end of the day I lugged around a classroom of Tatami, boy those things are heavy.

In the evening we went out and I ate steak and chicken, steak was really good and I found the best hot sauce in the world. Unfortunately the chicken was pretty undercooked so I had to leave it. Later we went to a book shop and I got a bit lost. I found a book called Akiba walker which I thought was quite amusing. I was going to buy a CD of kids songs aranged for the Ocarina, but it was a bit expensive so I left it.

Coming home I toyed with the idea of hitting TNT but I was a bit too knackered and I still haven't bought any sticks. Tommorrow is pretty much free, Im going to relax, watch Clerks 2 and generally veg out while I still can.

These blogs aren't getting shorter by the way, it just seems that way.

Seeya

27.07.2006 or "Nothing happens"

2006-07-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I come to end of another long and tiring day. Spent most of it at school making things and generally walking around scratching my head as to how and when I can get everything in order. I made quite a fancy progress chart which looks like a cross section of the ocean on which little laminated dolphins can swim across eating fish. It took me bloody ages so I hope no one throws it away whilst I have gone. I still have no idea how we are going to sort the ant problem, maybe someone will sort it. Breakfast this morning came courtesy of the American diner. I had a cup of English breakfast tea which was instantly beneficial to the system. I also had eggs and bacon with HP brown sauce, what more could you ask for. Lunch came from 7/11 again, although this time I managed to find some actual hot water and noodle goodness was had.

After work, we ate at a Sukiyaki restaurant. The only discernable differences I could find with this and regular hot pot is that the soup was way too salty to eat and the meat was pretty oily. The best part of the meal in my opinion was the starter, gherkins with cold octopus, strange mix but really good, especially if you like seafood.

After the meal, I headed on over to Taiko no Tatsujin, but you must be sick of hearing about that, I was rubbish today anyway, the strings kept getting tangled around the sticks when I was playing and like a child I kept stopping mid song to register my disgust. The only answer: join the elite of TNT players who bring their own sticks with them. I’m not playing again until I get them, and that’s that. Or maybe I was just tired and stroppy.

Spent most, well all of my evening working on stuff for school and as a result I am neglecting everything and everyone around me. I guess I should relax a bit, but it’s better to be over prepared. Or maybe not, I’m just babbling. Tomorrow is more of the same but moreso. I’m sure if one was to plot a graph of how much work I do versus how interesting this blog is then It would show a steep downwards curve. Hopefully when I actually start working then I will have things to talk about, as of now, I find myself in the boring planning stages. Stay with me folks, I’m sure something will happen.

P.S This appeared

26.07.2006 or 君にジュースを買ってあげる！

2006-07-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today I cycled into School and trotted up to class. I couldn't figure out whether the ants had gone or they were just hiding from me. I quick phonecall to the Co teacher revealed that the Typhoon had prevented her from coming in today. Rejigging my plans a little, I hit the 7/11 and then the library where I set about finding books. Luckily this task kept me busy all day and was a drawn out but much needed task which I will thank myself for doing in the future.

At teatime I cycled to McDonalds and had my tea. Then I went home and hung up the washing I had put in before I left for school in the morning. (This blog is becoming very literal). Then sat around and watched TV and then It was time for Taiko no Tatsujin. I walked there, this is what it looked like:

I played about four or five rounds of TNT8 and played suitably well. Ive recently added a new song to my practice list, the Opening to Keroro (About EP 50 Onwards) which has a really great rythym to it. My very last song of the evening was the only "Oni" mode song I have ever managed to finish properly without fluffing it all up. It was the Doraemon theme and I loved every moment of it. This to me marks the beginning of the incredibly hard transition process from Difficult to Oni but at least I have one song (the easiest) pretty much down.

Returning home, I typed up my booklist, drank some Taiwan beer with ice because I had forgotten to fridge any. Now its time for me to relax, sit back and watch at least 2 hours of anime which has been sitting in my downloded box for too long.

Take care everyone,

25.07.2006 or "Day off"

2006-07-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

The second Typhoon is coming, you can feel it in the air. When you look outside everything seems to be grey and muggy. I think the children had a day off school today on account of the Typhoon although it didnt amount to anything much here today except rain. As usual for some reason the people in the South are getting the brunt of it. I watched on the news how the streets were flooded and the sewers were erupting out on the streets. I guess its just tempting fate to say I havent experienced any of it yet so Ill just stop talking about it.

We had lots of free time today and I got up pretty late. I went to make my Blendy and realised that there were only nine left! I dont think they sell it here yet so Id better get someone to bring some more. Lunch was at a local Dim Sum restaurant, although I dont like dimsum. In the morning I had built myself a Taiko practice drum from cardboard box which I was merrily thwacking away at with some chopsticks whilst watching the songs on Youtube. It works suprsingly well although the chopsticks are too small and light and to everyone else, I look a little silly. In the afternoon I played on the real thing for about half an hour before realising I was very tired and my legs were giving way. I drank some green tea and headed home to crash out on the sofa.

That brings us up to speed folks, it been a really slow day. Hope everyone is still good and happily getting on with their lives. Speak to you tommorrow.

24.07.2006 or "Ants"

2006-07-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Today started like any other. I woke up, took a show, cup of blendy, wiped the sleep from my eyes and headed out in search of food. My ultimate destination was school but I felt the need for burgers, which is strange for 9am in the morning. So I made my way over to McDonalds, casting all notions of a healthy diet aside and putting up with the sweltering morning sun. I should have really known I was too early for proper menu stuff but I made the mistake of asking for a Big Mac anyway. Long story short, I went to Mos burger which is right across the street, no big problems there. Mos burger looks like a fast food chain but in reality the food is really good quality and the food takes a while to come, i.e. they give you a number rather than a soggy cheeseburger which has been sitting on the hotplate for hours.

I had the spicy Mos cheeseburger which was great. Filled with jalapeños and the special Mos burger sauce that looks a bit like puke but tastes really good. A bit like mashed up baked beans and onions, only problem is, it never stays in the burger for more than one bite, leaving you with a napkin which looks like you or someone else has puked in. Maybe i'm the only one who has these kind of thoughts.

So, onwards to School. I really had no ideas what to expect of my new classroom. A walked through the lobby smiled politely and was greeted by a strange warning. "Watch out, bees" the kind lady said. "Sorry?" I replied. "There are bees, be careful" she added. I tentatively poked my head round the door and looked out onto the open air courtyard and saw two workmen waving branches around in some kind of effort to enrage/ calm down the bloody huge hornets which were floating round the middle of the stairwell. The children were going about there business without fear but I legged it up the third floor, patting myself down like a big girl and finally shut myself into the classroom. It was hot in the classroom, really hot. I switched on the lights and two ceiling fans but the air conditioner looked way too big and intimidating to play with unsupervised. I set up my laptop stood on the tatami mats with my hands on my hips and had my first real glance at the classroom.

It was about this time, or possibly when I sat down to use the computer that I realised we had a pretty serious ant problem. There were hundreds, everywhere, and they kept coming, from the cupboards, from the Tatami mats, from the computer monitor, I spent about ten minutes just trying to get as many as I could to clear a path for myself to sit down and work. After a while I stopped caring about the ants and started caring about how I was going to transform this bare shell of a room into a Kindergarten class within the week. Luckily I have my co teacher to help me after Wednesday and since I let the school know about the ants, it might be sorted or reduced by the first day of class.

The more time I spent milling around the classroom, finding old scraps of work, photos and such from the previous teachers class the sadder I became. It was a very strange feeling. I met the guy who preceded me and he seemed like an incredibly genuine and resourceful guy and he spent his time building up a class and relationship with his kids and they spent every day together for a year. And now, it was all gone, taken down and ready to be replaced with whatever I felt fit. All of a sudden I became aware of the enormous shoes I was going to have to fill to do a good job here. On one level the thought of that inspires me to do my best, on the other, it scares the hell out of me. I guess the trick is to make yourself believe that you are the most capable person in the world; I better get working on that.

Once my work for the day was done I wandered home. I spaced out for what must have been hours, playing on the net and chatting to friends back home. It seems like I’m missing quite allot. We ordered some food in and then mustered up the energy to head to the department store. After spending a while choosing some new jeans I left everyone else and headed up to the trusty 16th floor for some Taiko no Tatsujin. (And also Mr. Driller, is that game as boring as it appears to be?). I must say, after a really disappointing set last time in Tiger City, I was on my best form tonight. I started off slowly, if you can call difficult mode slowly, and I was concentrating less on perfect songs but more about the drumming variations. You see a veteran of two years schooled me on the importance of variating the hands and never using the same hand twice. Its all about the rhythm and maximizing the time you have to follow each note, building up a constant stream of hits which you can variate the speeds accordingly.

Anyway, at one point, about the third song in, something just twigged in my brain and I no longer had to think about which notes to hit, the circles became a constant stream of commands which my arms were following. I have experienced this before when I played games like Beat mania and Gitarooman, you just get to certain level where you are able to read the commands much faster and without thinking. All of the great Bemani game players have to reach this point, it’s like a pain barrier. Its like the first week of playing a guitar, if you quit before then, then you will never learn, but get over that first hurdle of getting your chord changes fast enough then you will get better and better from that point onwards. Anyway, I am making far too many analogies, what I’m trying to say ladies and gentlemen is from this point onwards, I think I can become really good at this game. Asia good, Oni level good, and once I do, I will film it and show you guys.

Phew, that was tiring. If anyone is getting really sick of hearing about this game then let me know. It probably won’t stop my obsession but let me know anyway. I will leave you all today with a rather bizarre video I put together from footage which was floating around on the memory stick. Hope you get something out of it, next time I might try and make something that has cohesive links between the scenes and subjects, until then, enjoy then nonsensical mish mash of images.

Seeya!