Notes to Myself

Ferrero Rocher

A while back I was given a box of my favourite chocolates, Ferrero Rocher. In order to savour the experience I brought one a day to work which I carefully ate after lunch. I say carefully as obviously you have to eat the chocolate and nut coating first!

This behaviour struck my colleagues as odd but it would cause the usual fun of quoting the old TV adverts:

"The Ambassador's receptions are noted in society for their host's exquisite taste that captivates his guests"... "Monsieur, with these Rocher, you're really spoiling us."

After coming back from Japan I heard that one of my colleagues had searched for my stash of Ferrero Rocher but obviously hadn't found any.

I spoke to my colleague about the search and then thought nothing of it until he later returned from a trip to the shop across the road with a broad grin on his face. He pulled out a massive box of Ferrero Rocher and enjoyed getting his own back by handing them out to everyone but me. Even I had to admit it was pretty funny.

Privacy Filter

The last time I was in Japan I was looking for a 'privacy filter' for my PSP. They're basically the same as the plastic sheets you can buy for keitai in Japan - they stop you being able to see the screen unless you are looking at it more or less straight-on. But the only one I could find was 1200 yen - what a rip-off!

But after a further six months of annoying people sitting next to me peering at my PSP screen on the train, enough was enough. So this time I shelled out the £6 for this wonderous piece of privacy kit!

I have to say it works pretty well, though it does obscure the screen output very slightly. I'm sure I'll get used to it and take satisfaction in blocking out those unwanted viewers.

Yoshino Sakura

Following my visit to Kobe, next on the list was Yoshino in Nara. Yoshino is mountainous area famous for sakura blossoms which gradually move up the mountains during the spring.

The train journey from Kyoto to Yoshino was spectacular. As you move away from the city and into the mountains you are suddenly surrounded by fields, beautiful bamboo forests and rivers.

Yoshino itself wasn't bad either! Take a look at the amount of sakura that was blooming on the lower parts of the mountain. Again, it was a shame about the cloudy weather but even so it was well worth the trip.

Dirty Keyboards

In the Metro this morning there was an article about how grimy computer keyboards can be. Here's a similar BBC article.

One of the keyboards tested in the survey was had more germs than one of the toilets tested! It certainly makes you think if you eat in front of your computer each day.

Although the keyboard I'm using at work is relatively new looking - not much falls out when I tip it upside down like the last one I had to use - I gave it a scrubbing with some washing up liquid. Don't get me started on the office phones...

Association

At work today I got out some sembei I brought back from Japan. They didn't go down so well with my colleagues but I love sembei!

Anyway, when I started biting into that crispy goodness I almost immediately felt the urge to have a cup of coffee. Why? Because every week I used to have coffee and sembei after calligraphy lesssons with my teacher in Japan.

Even after many years have past I imagine this associative thinking will still be present. It's such a powerful sensation. I imagine it's because it reinforces habitual behaviour, something familiar and comforting.

That reminds me, even though I make a cup of tea at work every morning I barely touch it. Why do I bother?

Kobe 2008

Here are some of the photos I took a few weeks back on my first visit to Kobe.

Early in the morning I 'scaled' Rokkousan, the mountains overlooking Kobe. Where the cable car stopped, buses waited to take sight-seers right to the top of the mountain. The weather at the top, however, was absolutely atrocious and you could bearly see 30 metres in front of you with the mist and cold swirling winds, nevermind a beautiful view. A real shame.

Back in Kobe city I visited 'Merikan Park', named can you believe after America - what kind of spelling is that? A memorial serves to show the destruction caused by the huge earthquake that hit Kobe. You can see concrete ripped apart and lamp posts at uncomfortable angles.

In the end I didn't go to the famous 'foreigners town' or China Town but instead headed to Osaka for a friendly tennis match with a friend. I got a real lesson losing 6-2, 2-2. After that, I arrived in Kyoto after midnight. Quite a hectic day.

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