Notes to Myself

Summer Break

At last, my summer holiday! I can't believe it has finally arrived but I've finished at school until September! The last couple of weeks have been a really hectic time and I'm totally exhausted. I think I'll go back to bed :)

Name Statistics

Darren is the #243 most common male name.
0.064% of men in the US are named Darren.
Around 78400 US men are named Darren!

Cheng is the #2460 most common last name.
0.005% of last names in the US are Cheng.
Around 12500 US last names are Cheng!

I'm not from the US, nor have I ever been there but anyway... why not give it a try?

Name Statistics - How popular are your names in the US?

Digital TV

When the J-com man came to check my 'TV box' he presented rather interesting information and an unrefusable offer.

The J-com man prompty turned up with his array of tools and started testing the little white box that my TV is connected to. After no time at all he announced that all the channel frequencies were fine as he showed me different numbers scribbled on his note pad. This only took 5 minutes but then he said he had something to explain to me. Let me summarise:

"Some time next year across the whole of Japan, analog Japanese TV will cease to exist and will be replaced by digital TV."

This was a shocking statement! In England, when digital channels started to become available we were not forced to make the switch and abandon traditional TV: we can still watch the old analog channels. The J-com guy informed me that it's Prime-Minister Koizumi's plan. It will help to boost Japan's economy; unfortunately anyone who wants to continue watching TV will have to switch to digital TV!

Sour Skittles

My favourite! Beware, their sourness may surprise you; however, persevere, for there is much sweetness hidden inside.

[Credit to Yaz for introducing these to me]

Fake Invite

Often people say to me, 'Oh, please come over to my house some time!' in a friendly way. 'Oh, ok,' I think, but more often than not that is the end of it. This kind of language in Japanese often isn't actually a real invite but it throws me off until I think about it. I get frustrated by this and wish people just wouldn't say it to me in the first place!

At a new school I am teaching at this happened with one of the teachers. We were having a nice conversation and she started telling me about her family. One of her daughers works for a video game company so I told her about my major being in computers. 'Oh, you really should come over one day,' she said. Now, just because of the feeling of the conversation it felt like a real invite. Later I remembered not to trust these 'invites' and to forget about it.

The next day the same teacher suddenly said to me, 'How about at during the first week of August?' She had really meant her words and I was actually invited to her house for real.

This post is something I am really writing with pleasure because after the first conversation with the teacher I was ready to write, 'Never believe a Japanese invite to actually be an invitation!'

Don't Flick

BBC: Flick mosquitoes away say doctors. This struck me as a very interesting article. It basically says that by squashing mozzas flat when they land on you there is a minute chance that you can smear the bug into your skin so badly that you can catch nasty things that you wouldn't from a bite alone.

So the advice is to flick them away - but someone quickly points out that if you do that the mosquitoes soon come back. My favourite line from the end of the article:

"I think it is better to swat the brutes and take the microscopic chance of developing this infection."

Blog Street

If you are looking for another Blog to read then look no further than Blog Street. I recently stumbled across the site on one of my web walks and was quite surprised by it. The site is a directory of blogs with lots of information. Notes To Myself is listed.

In addition to the directories there are even tools for blogging people that you may want to check out. I wonder if there are lots of these types of sites around?

On Speed

The sun was setting and the sky was quickly growing dark. Something was compelling me to dash to take a picture of a unseen building far away. The reason for my haste was unclear but I knew I had to hurry. This was on a dirt country track; open with few trees; there was a metal fence on my right side. Time was running short so I turned on my heels and abandoned the photo opportunity.

Even though I can't drive that didn't matter. I was suddenly seated in my car at a large junction with a large flyover overhead. I tried to reverse and turn around which took time and patience - there were many cars rushing by and my driving skills were less than disireable.

On the car radio a caller was talking to the radio DJ. The caller was on his mobile phone and he pressed something so that we couldn't hear what he was saying. The DJ challenged other listeners to guess what the caller had done wrong.

My car vanished but I had a new vehicle; a better vehicle. It felt like a motorbike as my body was in a very horizontal position but it was deadly silent and didn't seem to make contact with the ground.

Rice Bowl

By accident I've stumbled across an interesting site called Rice Bowl Journals. What is it?

Rice Bowl Journals is a celebration of the "Asian Experience" through online journaling and blogging...
... [Rice Bowl Journals] is now gathering place for the Asian journaling and blogging community.

Hopefully my site will be accepted into the directory.

Update: On Sunday 25th of July 2004, Notes To Myself was added to the Rice Bowl Journals directory.

Japan Weather

Notes To Myself now has its very own weather pixie!

Currently residing in the right bar of the site she displays information about the weather in Japan - actually at Narita International Airport, Chiba-ken (not that far away). Now you can keep up with the Japanese weather!

I considered putting a London weather pixie up too, but there is too much happening on the site index page already.

Note that the time displayed is not the current time but the time of the last weather report.

Banner Image

The site now has a new banner image. My goals: keep it simple - one graphic and a simple title.

I'm quite pleased with the way it looks but we'll see if it becomes a permanent addition to the site or not.

Musclee

A mix of old a new memories created this bizarre dream. There is only one thing I can remember about the dream, probably because it was so vivid and unusual...

My old mate Lee, quite a small guy around my height and build, suddenly had biceps that Arnie would be proud of. But the rest of his body remained as it is normally - an unforgetable image that I wouldn't mind forgetting.

Japan Bloggers

Do you have a blog? Are you a member of a web ring? Are you a TypePad user or are you in Japan? Then maybe you are a member of the rings I belong to.

For the Japan Bloggers Web Ring I've changed my text links to graphics like those of the TypePad Users Web Ring:

<< ? Japan Bloggers # >>

If you would prefer a graphical display for your ring links instead of the standard text version then this is your answer: my japan bloggers' buttons!

Site Design

The bright sparks among you hopefully spotted the site has a new colour scheme and other minor tweaks here and there.

Just for the records, let's take a look at a few of the last major image changes of Notes To Myself.

Actually the new 'blues' theme is very similar to last year's original colour scheme. The design of the site at the time was probably cleaner then, with less to distract the eye.

I haven't actually decided whether or not to keep the current theme but I think it's fresher and feels more open than the last one which was starting to feel heavy and cluttered.

LL Room

Every junior high school in my city has an Language Laboratory room. Though my last school had one, I never got to use it. I didn't even know exactly what it was. At my current school, at last I've had the chance to try it out for myself.

In the LL room every student has a headphone/microphone, a small control unit and a video screen (the video screen is shared one between two people). Using the unit students can listen to audio recordings of their textbooks and practise their pronunciation by recording their own voice.

Everything is controlled fom the master teacher control at the front of the room. The teacher can use his/her headset/mic listen to individual students and can offer students comments via an intercom system. Also, the teacher can use a 'Call All' type button to talk to all students. Personally I love listening in on the students, in particular when they stop studying and start having interesting conversations! Suddenly I say to them 'Hello! Please study!' which really surprises them.

Another interesting feature of the system is 'pair work'. In this mode only the paired students can hear each other. Using this mode the students can even be paired randomly to practise asking each other questions. This is great practice and often very entertaining.

Apart from audio, the system can show DVDs, Videos and so on using the projector at the front of the room or the mini-screens in front of the students. Basically any device can be hooked up to the master unit to be played back. Very nice.

The LL room is especially popular during the summer due to the air conditioning unit in the room. The same probably applies to the PC room. I've noticed more and more English lessons being scheduled in the LL room of late. I can't say I blame the English teachers for trying to escape the intolerable heat and humidity of late. In winter I suspect the LL room may also be a hit: I've been told the air conditioning unit also functions as a heater.

Routine Faces

On the way to school each day I keep seeing the same faces. Depending on how early or late I am, I see each person at different places along my route but normally they are in roughly the same order:

• 3 high school girls cycling to school.
• My ex-student, now 3rd year of high school, cycling.
• 'Big' junior high school girl walking. I played tennis with her when her tennis club came to my school.
• A tall blond American exchange student walking.
• A lady in her 40s. Nice style, complete with parasol.
• High school girl waiting for a friend at zebra crossing.
• Sometimes a girl waiting at end of alley.
• I overtake a student or two of mine before the railway.
• A 3rd year JHS student waits on the other side.
• A man runs to work in his suit. I admire his craziness.
• At 7-11 a man smokes his fag and drinks coffee.
• Inside 7-11 a 3rd year boy reads. I buy lunch.
• On my bike I pass more students; same order.
• At school I always see the PE teacher before going in.
• A group of 3rd year girls say hello. I reply happily.
• I reach the staffroom and school starts.

Nostalgia

My new empty photo album had been left in its unwrapped state for a couple of weeks. Finally I found time to sort out all my photos and started sorting.

I ordered each of the albums by date and opened the first album. The first picture was of my friends by the River Thames. Before I came to Japan, in probably July 2002 I went for a bike ride with them along the riverside.

Then there were pictures of other friends at Picadilly Circus station in London and other photos of my family. The last picture of England in the album is of me and my mum at the aiport. The following picture was taken in Shinjuku - my first day in Japan.

Looking at the old photos made me very nostalgic. I am not sure if I'd go so far as to say I was homesick, but looking at the pictures brought back some good memories. Even if I leave Japan, I'm sure my Japan pictures will stir similar fond feelings.

Bad Gomi

It was only just milliseconds after I'd thrown my rubbish in the staffroom bin when the vice-principle pounced.

"You can't put your personal rubbish in the school bins," he said.
"As from next time, please take your rubbish home with you," I was commanded.

I can't believe I have to take home my little bag of rubbish everyday. Does it make that much difference in the grand scheme of things? I mean, when I get home I'll only be throwing it in my bin - won't it end up in the same rubbish dump?

If I don't order a bento box lunch at school then I normally buy something to eat at the combini (convenience store) on the way to school. So, if I take the combini option, it looks as though it's not so 'combini' after all.

Defiant Heat

Someone told me that the temperatures in some places in Japan were up to around 36 degrees yesterday. It's still supposed to be 'rainy season' in Japan, but this year is apparently out of the ordinary.

Today feels equally as hot as yesterday, but perhaps a little less humid. I'm sure the temperature I felt when I left my house this morning at around 8 a.m. is easily on par with England's highest summer temperatures.

Today the classroom thermometer read 33 degrees Celcius and 50% humidity at 10:30 a.m.

Looking around the classroom I counted an incredible 13 out of 16 female students wearing their pullovers over their shirts. During a class activity I asked one student if she was hot and I gestured at her jumper. 'I'm OK,' she said, in a 'don't question it pal' defiant kind of tone. Her friend eagerly backed her up.

After the lesson I talked to the Japanese teacher of English about this phenomenon. She simply said, 'It's fashion.' At 33 degrees such fashion is just pure craziness in my eyes.

I'm thinking of adding a temperature/humidity watch to my posts, just to keep track of this all.

Fierce Heat

The heat today is just unbearable. In the classroom the temperature is over 30 degrees and that combined with intense humidity had sweat running down my back - no word of a lie.

The students look like they are suffering too. In fact, one of the teachers told me that some of the students have become sick with the heat. Nearly every student has either a hand fan or improvises one with an anime themed plastic writing sheet which everyone seems to own. I stole a fan from a sleeping student for the remainder of one class; hell, she wasn't using it!

But the one thing that I just can't fathom is that an incredibly high number of girls continue to wear wooly pullovers (without the arm types) over their shirts. Aren't they going to die?!

Then there are the men in suits walking around outside and whom I often see on trains. I would probably black out if I wore a suit jacket in this kind of weather. Japanese bodies must be made differently from those back home. Either that or the Japanese just put up with almost intolerable heat, sweat and pain. But actually, it can't be that - you can tell pretty well just by looking at people how much they are suffering.

Meiji Jingu

These are pictures of the famous Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo. Actually, they were taken on the same day as the photos from the Sakura - Yoyogi Koen gallery back in April of this year (April 2nd 2004). Meiji Jingu is just next door to Yoyogi Koen but in sakura season the two places feel distincly different: While Yoyogi Koen is overflowing with sakura, Meiji Jingu bearly has any. That being said, I did take a couple of sakura photos at Meiji Jingu.

Spot the guy walking towards you?

Meiji Jingu is definately worth a visit. I'm not sure why but I've been there about three times already. Often you can see wedding ceremonies going on which is interesting. I didn't dare take any pictures of brides & grooms but maybe next time I should.

> Meiji Jingu Gallery

Tennis Tip

This tip of the day comes from a professional Japanese tennis coach.

When trying to hit a ball hard it can be difficult to control your backswing. The natural tendency is to keep the racket head high during the takeback phase of the swing resulting in a flat looking swing. Try to avoid this and produce a good swing with a standard low to high stroke no matter what the speed of your shot.

When I looked at the coach's play it did occur to me that his shots all look the same, regardless of speed. This sounds simple but carrying properly it out is actually very difficult.

Federer Fight

Congratulations to Federer for winning Wimbledon 2004. I finally got to watch on TV; my first time of the championships! With so many chances Roddick could easily have had a better scoreline but in the end Federer was just amazing. How does he produce those backhands?

Refreshing Hair

A recent trip to the hair dresser turned out to be quite interesting. One of the reasons was a new product (to me at least). After my cut and rinse it was time for the complimentary styling. Before the wax was applied, however, I was offered something else. My hair dresser asked if she could apply it and I agreed. Actually, I thought it was just hair spray. Anyway, she put the nozzle to my scalp and sprayed. She did this several times while rubbing whatever it was into head with her spare hand.

I said, 'What's that?'
She said, '...suu...!'.
I replied, 'Huh?'

It soon became apparent that it was some kind of 'refreshing' spray. My head felt all cool and fresh - perfect for the sticky humidity outside. I want to buy some of that spray but can't seem to see it in the shops.

English Trains

Like JR Yamanote Line (山手線) trains etc. Odakyu Line (小田急線) train announcements are now also in English besides native Japanese!

The next stop is < station name >.
Change here for the < line name >.

So far, however, this only seems to be for stations with connecting lines.

[Live reporting from the Odakyu Line, Kanagawa, Japan.]

ATRAC3 Plus

My VAIO system is up and running again and at last I have reinstalled Sonic Stage 1.5 and restored my music library backup (4+ GBs of Sonic Stage files). This got me thinking about mp3 vs ATRAC3 and also ATRAC3 Plus. In the past I think I used ATRAC3 files wih Sonic Stage. Why didn't I use ATRAC3 Plus? Also, if I do use it, can my NET MD stereo play these files? Hmm, time for some experimentation.

I stumbled across an interesting series of comparison tests ATRAC3 Plus Vs Mp3 & WMA. According to these results ATRAC3 Plus seems pretty darn good, even at 64kbps.

The official Sony ATRAC page has lots of information, not to mention a beautiful design. Check out this quick overview.

ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus technologies have been designed to realize the secure transfer of audio content with high quality sound over the Internet, their storage, management, and listening on personal computers...

ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus are advanced technologies based on ATRAC (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding) that originated with the Mini Disc. ATRAC3plus is the latest development in codec technology; while keeping compatibility with ATRAC3, it compresses audio data to 1/20 the original CD source and maintains extremely high quality sound.

As I used 128Kbps when encoding and downloading mp3 files, one of the most useful sentences I've found:

ATRAC3plus 64Kbps sound quality is equivalent to MP3 at 128Kbps. A four minute music track would be approximately 1.94MB as an ATRAC3plus file at 64Kbps.

Still, the anti-piracy features built into ATRAC/Sonic Stage can be a bit clumbsy and inflexible compared with mp3 files. As I have bought a Sony MD walkman, Sony NET MD stereo system and Sony VIAO laptop, however, I guess I've already pledged my alligience.

Domain Up

Loyal readers may have noticed the site downtime. Things are up and running again and hopefully there shouldn't be any further problems.

Clean Cut

It's dream time again! This was a pretty gruesome dream. All I remember is the gruesome part, actually. For some reason I took a blade to my lower leg and started a sawing action. This continued until I'd gone clean through my bone; my foot came clean off in my hand.

All I can think of that this is related to is the Japanese film Audition. That scene in the film was so nasty I found it funny. A lady saws a mans foot off with cheese wire and then simply hurls it across the room. With other forms of torture involving needles this is not a film for the faint-hearted.

Domain Down

Just a quick note about the site. I am in the process of changing various parts of the site including the domain name host. While this happens, typing www.notestomyself.net into your browser may serve you up a 'page not found' page or a 'parked' page. If this happens hopefully it won't be for too long. Thanks in advance for your patience.