Notes to Myself

Back Home

Yesterday I arrived home safely, though at times I wondered if I'd ever arrive. This time the problems started before boarding the BA's 747.

A technical problem was announced. Just as on the journey to Japan there were announcements every half an hour promising we'd be boarding soon. They said there was a technical issue and that they had to find a spare part, replace the old one and perform tests.

Delays are hard enough to swallow but when you see the next BA flight take off before you when it was supposed to take off 3 after, you really get frustrated. That's two times in a row the earlier plane was the worse option.

A few hours later and the plane which was scheduled to use our departure gate arrived. In a stroke of genius, BA moved their plane out to another area of the airport. We had to walk to another gate, wait another half an hour and then get on buses to take us to the plane.

On arrival at Heathrow the pilot praised his staff and as if to seek thanks said that they were under no obligation to have been on our flight and had they not swapped with the crew from another flight our service may have been cancelled. I can't believe he even mentioned it.

That was one of the worst holidays in terms of pure bad luck. Here's hoping the next one will be better.

Mario Kart Wii

It so happened that soon after my arrival in Japan Mario Kart Wii was released last Thursday. I was surprised to find that it was released just one day later in the UK - and from what I can see it doesn't seem to be sold out. The US IGN website says there are still 10 days to go until the game is released - what's going on there, then?

The game here is readily available but the steering wheel, or 'handle' as the Japanese call it, is sold out. I wonder how good the game will be with these controls. Also, I can't help but wonder if it's going to be too similar to previous games.

I've watched the intro video a hundred times in Yodobashi but it's hard to tell how good a game is without actually having a go for yourself. Have any of you bought it yet? Any impressions concerning the controls or the games in general?

Octopus Golf

On Saturday the poor weather that had plagued my trip to Japan lifted to reveal blue skies and warm sunshine, perfect for golf. My friends keep taunting me about how I've brought the English weather with me, but in that case this was the second time I'd also brought perfect golf weather!

We drove passed Tokyo Disneyland on the way to Tako Golf Course in Chiba, very close to Narita International Airport. Tako can mean octopus in Japanese and although the real meaning in this case was different I guess most of the people who first go there have the same little chuckle about the name.

Golf in Japan is totally different from my experiences in England, so far at least. Everything is about perfect service and it really is a smooth not to mention quick blaze across the perfectly refined course.

We got in our 'electro-magnetic' golf buggy, pressed the start engine button and off we went. The buggy follows a preset course on a little path so all you have to do is hit start and stop. Compared to the other day this round of golf was physically no effort at all!

My only complaint is that you can finish 9 holes in less than 2 hours and you have little choice as there are other people behind you. I wanted to take my time and enjoy the sounds of the birds crying and frogs croaking.

After the first nine holes you have a lunch break whereas in England you play straight through. Very luxurious.

Even though I knew the cost beforehand it still shocked me when I handed over 20,000 yen - 100 pounds for a round of golf and a sandwich!!! I can't get over it.

At Last

My luggage finally arrived today - a whole week late and with half of my holiday already finished. What a joke.

I feel sorry for another lady who was in the same predicament who said that she was going to leave Japan last Friday... I wonder if she`ll ever see her bag again.

I`ve got so much blogging to catch up on, but where to start?

BA Blunders

When I heard that a full service was going to resume at Heathrow's Terminal 5 yesterday, the day of my flight to Japan, I had a feeling things wouldn't run smoothly.

Arriving at the new terminal by car it certainly didn't look like anything special. When you get inside, though, it's much more impressive. It's most unlike most people's image of Heathrow in that it's clean and well presented.

Checking in was painless and boarding went smoothly as well. It was only once everyone was on the plane that we were told that something wasn't right - all of the luggage onboard had to be 'security checked' one by one which would take around 45 minutes. We were kept content by a drink and customs declaration forms for our arrival in Japan. After 45 minutes we were then told that it would take another half an hour. Not surprisingly, that time elapsed and that plane still hadn't budged.

Two and a half hours after our scheduled departure we were allowed to take off. The flight was the usual long and gruelling test. The most interesting point of the flight for me was that the man sitting next to the window near me didn't get up to go to the loo the entire time. That's 12 hours and believe me, he was drinking quite a lot! I'm sure he must have been about to explode but just didn't want to ask if he could get passed.

At Narita a list of 40 passengers was pinned to a board near the conveyer belts for British Airways flight BA005. It said that each of the listed passenger's bags was not on the plane. Guess who's name was on it?

I queued up and was told that my suitcase had been forwarded on to the next British Airways flight, which was due to arrive within an hour (because it hadn't been delayed before take off it effectively caught up with us). Some of the other people weren't so lucky as they were simply told that their suitcases would be forwarded to their hotels when they arrived in Japan - just not today.

One British guy said to his Japanese wife, 'It's at times like this that it makes you proud to be British.' His wife simply answered 'Kawaisou.' which means something like 'I feel sorry for you.'

The next flight arrived and the conveyer built piled up with bags but my suitcase didn't appear. So it turned out I was in the same position as the people who'd left without their bags but was delayed by an extra hour! In all, I reckon I was delayed by a total of five hours and ended up leaving Narita without my suitcase.

All my clothes and toiletries are in my case, not to mention tennis gear including my racket.

Terminal 5

Have you heard of the madness happening at Heathrow's brand new Terminal 5? They had better sort out the problems soon - I'm supposed to be flying with BA from Terminal 5 in a week's time. Why didn't I choose another airline? Oh yes, because there were possible strikes on the cards at the time... Grumble, grumble.

Hot Water

The Easter weekend has brought strange weather to London. Yesterday we had hail in the morning but I decided to go to tennis anyway. The sky was blue by the time I arrived but after an hour we were playing tennis in the falling snow!

Needless to say, it's been a cold couple of days, just when you don't need your boiler to break down... My house was without hot water for two and a half days. Say goodbye to hot baths and warm radiators.

On Friday I filled a small bucket with boiling water from the kettle and washed myself with a cloth whilst sitting in the bath. People must have done this in times gone by, only without the electric kettle, I thought.

My mum grew up in the country in Ireland and I still can't believe it when she tells me that they had no running water! How we take things for granted.

Toblerone

Take a look at the size of this Toblerone! 100 years? Is that really true? What a great chocolate. In case you are wondering, I included the tennis ball for a sense of scale.

Play.com Live!

Here are a few photos from the Play.com Live games exhibition that was held at Wembley over the weekend. It was the first time I'd visited Wembley Stadium so it was good just to go to see it! A freezing wind and drizzle didn't make for ideal conditions so it was straight inside to see what games were on show.

On arrival there weren't that many people but the place soon filled up. It was held over three main floors, though the third was pretty hard to find and contained the 'over 18 area'.

It was a shame that most of the games there are already available in the shops. A few previews were on display, though. A Sega tennis game was playable on both the 360 and the Wii. Though the controls on the Wii might end up making for a better game the 360's high resolution graphics made the Wii version pale in comparison. Other than the tennis game, there was very little on show for the Wii - predictable but disappointing. The show was dominated by the XBox 360 and Playstation 3.

There was also a playable version of the Soul Calibre 4 and the new Gran Turismo game. Apparently Ron from Harry Potter was lurking near one of the games machines being pestered by children.

Capcom's showing was sorely lacking: just a video being played back on a large TV. The video itself however was stunning, showcasing the upcoming Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5. It was the first time I'd seen SFIV in motion and to some extent I wasn't that impressed. While it looked great I wasn't convinced by the interaction of the characters. Resident Evil looked absolutely incredible and the footage has apparently yet to be released online.

Upstairs next to a sci-fi shop a 'race queen' posed on a Ducatti motorbike. Around the corner was the 'over 18s' area. It turned out to be a little more than a load of already on release shooters, mostly for the 360. There was actually one red ring of death (XBox 360 in meltdown)!

A massive queue had formed for some kind of Farscape 2 exhibition but we didn't bother waiting.

I came away from the event thinking one thing - I need to get a high-res TV and then something to plug into it...

London Sakura

It's not just Japan which has cherry blossoms. I guess this must be a different variety from those in Japan but here's a road lined with cherry trees which have just started to blossom near my house in London.

I am looking forward to the 'real' cherry blossom experience in Japan though.

Fibre Optic?

Have any of those of you in London/UK noticed Virgin's new fibre optic broadband service? Have fibre optic broadband connections finally become a reality? I would be about time, but all is not what it seems.

Thinkbroadband has an article on the subject entitled ASA rules on Virgin 'fibre optic' broadband claims

Apparently the service isn't fibre optic all the way to your computer which is a little misleading when you read the adverts. A 100% fibre optic service is called fibre to the home (FTTH).

In any case, I should be changing my current ISP as its 8Mbps connection provides quite poor performance during peak hours. I've just been too lazy to get around to it. Also, I do worry that if the transfer didn't go smoothly it would disrupt my night shifts and any possible over time.

Many of my friends all moved to Be a while back - I wonder if they still recommend it?

Nosey Parker

At the coffee shop I stood up and surveyed all the tables. Where was my language exchange partner? Had he arrived late but sat down elsewhere?

Momentarily I was distracted by the man at the table next to me. He shut his laptop in haste as if to say, 'Don't be reading anything on my screen!' and he left his table. Was he being paranoid? Evidentally so as he didn't leave. He moved to another table right the corner of the coffee shop!

Personally, I understand how he feels but maybe he shouldn't have his laptop out if he is looking at confidential information. I wasn't even looking but because he moved I can't help but wonder what he was doing.

Working Hard

When I came across this article I was quite surprised. Do managers in London really work that much overtime? I wonder how many people were involved in this survey and in which sectors they work.

Then I thought of my 'poor' Japanese friends who work at least two hours overtime for no extra pay every day. I'm sure they think that English people are slackers. In terms of giving good service to customers I can see why Japanese people sometimes think that English people lack professionalism.

What I'd like to know is the productivity of the average Japanese worker. Surely it cannot be possible to work close to maximum efficiency for 12-14 hours a day. Is being at work more important than doing work?

Mishi Mishi

The last couple of times I've called home on the phone my dad has answered, 'Hello, mishi mishi.' He has taken quite an interest in Japan lately and must be getting a little eccentric in his old age. I don't have the heart to tell him that he should be saying, 'Moshi moshi...' which is how Japanese people answer the phone.

Where on earth did he learn that, anyway? Should I correct him or continue to pretend that I haven't noticed? I'm hoping he isn't answering the phone like that all the time!

Freaky Trains

Owing to severe delays on the District Line this morning I found myself on the train at a much later time than normal.

I was standing up and quickly became aware of strange noises me. The guy sitting behind me was making odd sounds, at times was breathing heavily and at others muttering to himself, most of the time wearing a twisted looking smile, half hidden under his untidy moustache. His oddness was enhanced when he pulled out an old style tape Walkman!

Just before he got off he stood up and reached forward and was groping for something near a lady's pair of legs. For a moment I thought he was going to get a good slap in the face but he stood up holding a newspaper which was on the floor. Weird.

Watch out for this guy on the District Line - this wasn't the first time I've seen (heard) him. He gets off at Embankment but I can't help but think he is going to an imaginary job. Could he really be employed?

Lost Property

I jumped off the train and patted my right pocket. I was expecting to feel my Sony mp3 player next to my phone but it wasn't there. My heart sunk. It had taken me just two weeks to loose my latest gadget.

The train pulled off and all I could do was try to peer through the window at where I'd been sitting. A man seemed to turn around and see me - had he noticed what I'd left behind? I searching my bag pointlessly until I gave in to the truth: it was gone.

At that point a friend called me. After speaking for five minutes I made my way down to the ticket office. The member of staff on duty started making numerous phone calls once I'd explained my plight. It turned out that he was actually calling each and every station along the line and needless to say I was surprised by such an efficient and helpful service.

Shockingly, he paused while on the phone and leant forward, 'What does it look like?' It's been handed in? I couldn't believe it. No, hold on, contain your relief until you actually get it back! I described my mp3 player in an eloquent sentence, 'Small, thin, black, Sony.' To which he replied, 'It's been handed in at Chiswick Park Station.' Maximum relief! (Too much Crysis?)

When I eventually arrived at Chiswick Park the guy behind the window at the ticket office started playing games with me. Even after I'd explained what the mp3 player looked like he smiled and asked, 'Name some of the music on it.' I started blabbering on about Japanese music but eventually he said, 'It begins with 'e'?' 'Oh... Evanescence.' Ah, the greatest gym music on the planet, perhaps bar Rocky.

I'm eternally grateful to the kind soul who handed my mp3 player in. You could have kept it for yourself or even sold it, but you've made me believe there are still kind people in this world. Thank you!

Sony NWZ-A818

Though I've been content with my Sony Ericsson W850i Walkman phone as my mp3 player for some time I've fallen in love with another device, the Sony NWZ-A818 Media Player. Look how small and slender this piece of kit is!

Last year my heart wavered slightly and I considered buying the ever-popular iPod or iTouch but there was one thing which bothered me about them - the fact that you can't control them easily without taking them out of your pocket. Call me fussy, but being able to skip tracks and control the volume through my pocket is one of my main requirements for an mp3 player.

Things were great back in the days of MD players which had those neat remote controls which you plug your earphones into, but for some reason that's gone out of fashion.

Though you can check out the specifications of the Sony NWZ-A818 on the Sony website some of the key features are:

-Transfer media via Windows Media Player or drag & drop
-2.0" QVGA (320x240) screen
-30 fps video playback + JPEG viewer
-8GB capactity
-Plays MP3, AAC, WMP and WMA
-Plays MPEG4 & AVC (H.264) Baseline video
-Battery life of approx. 33hrs music!

The player can play your music from folders on the device - unlike the w850i and I suspect iPods, too. This is great as you have the best of both worlds. If you've got your mp3 tags sorted then you'll have access to your music by artist, genre, year etc., while if you don't you can still simply drag and drop your music onto the player and play it with no problems without all the tracks being listed solely under 'Untitled'.

In short this is a fantastic media player!

Japan Results

I was reading a message board earlier today and found out that the JLPT results have been released in Japan. That's about a day or so earlier than last year.

I guess this means that those of us in the UK will have to wait until the end of the month until we find out our results just like last year. Fingers crossed the system will be faster this year - I don't want to wait any longer!

Mario Galaxy

I bought Super Mario Galaxy on a friend's recommendation and so far it hasn't disappointed.

The controls feel natural after a few minutes of play. You've got all the usual Mario moves plus an additional spin attack activated by a brief shake of the controller. The ability to point at the screen adds to the game, too.

On top of the controls, it's the quirky 'hyper 3D' graphic worlds and and great Nintendo presentation that really impacts your experience. Jumping around on tiny planets and flying between them constantly changes the flow of game, even if you are chasing stars within the same galaxy.

The only downside I can find in the game so far is that it's easy. Mind you, I've only just started playing so perhaps the difficulty gradually increases. Also, I think that Mario Sunshine suffered from being too fiddly and time consuming. Maybe gamers these days really do require quick satisfaction or do I just have a decreasing attention span?!

Though the game is only just unfolding I can still already say one thing of Mario Galaxy - creative genius!

ShopTo

A special note must go to www.ShopTo.net who held up to their promise of 'Shop late - play tomorrow'. I ordered at 5:20pm and Mario Galaxy arrived the next morning - with free registered delivery!

Aussie Accent

I had a surprising conversation with a travel agent of which a small snippet is as follows:

'Will you be travelling with an Austalian passport?'
'...No. Do I sound Australian?' I replied, surprised.
'Yes, a little.'

What? How can I possibly sound Australian? Either my accent or changing or that travel agent has hearing issues.

Marathon Money

As I swivelled on my chair I was puzzled trying to work out who the guy standing beside my desk was. I'd seen him around but had never met or spoken to him before. He seemed to catch my puzzled look and held out a sheet of paper, announcing his intention to run the marathon.

The penny dropped - so he was after sponsorship. Talk about being put on the spot. Half the time I'm sure people sign away their money just out of courtesy. After all, it's hard to just say 'no' without feeling like a stingy uncharitable miser.

While I felt obliged to sign I have to say that I felt a bit irritated that somebody who didn't even know me was asking me for money. Isn't that a bit cheeky? Or is it normal to go around the whole office and ask for money from people you don't even know? Was I just being stingy?

I asked him to come back as I was just leaving for the gym. Hmm, what to say if he returns? 'No.'

Note to myself: If I ever get a place to run the marathon for charity I must remember not to put people I don't even know on the spot like that.

Head Hunter

'Darren, there's a call for you,' called my colleague. 'Strange, on my old number?' I thought, as I picked up the phone.

'Hi, is that Darren Cheng?'

This is where alarm bells started ringing. A while back the exact same thing happened - it wasn't somebody from work.

'Who's speaking?' I asked.
'Is that Darren.'
'Who's speaking.' I stubbornly repeated.

The guy on the other end of the line told me his name and company. He went on to explain that he was a head hunter and that he'd been told I was good at my job and wanted to talk to me.

I told him that I wasn't interested but he was predictably persistent and wouldn't give up. He asked for my number and e-mail but I said that if I'd never sent a CV to his company in the past that I wasn't willing to give out such information.

'How did you get this number?' I enquired.
'By a referral.'
'And you can't tell me who this person is?
'No, like I say, it's a referral.'

Other people would have just said, 'Sorry, I'm not interested. Thank you.' and hung up the phone, but I make a point of not doing that kind of thing. But this guy didn't know how to take a hint. I kept talking even if my patience was wearing very thin.

'Even if you are not interested now, you might be in a few months,' he protested.
'No, I don't think so.'
'So you want to work at your current company forever?'

For the last time I started to tell him I wasn't interested but mid-way through my sentence he hung up! He hung up on me! The cheek.

How do these people get your number? Doesn't it freak you out?

Paper Power

When you get on the train do you ever choose not to sit on a seat because there are newspapers sprawled over it? Many people do this when there are a couple of Metro newspapers on seats, particularly when they are open and untidy looking. People get on the train and you can see them scanning the carriage for a free seat but it's almost like the 'messy newspaper seat' isn't there at all.

Do you think it's some kind of human behaviour designed to avoid dirt? I've noticed myself doing the same sometimes. Something just tells me not to sit down.

So what can we learn? To avoid some big smelly man sitting down next to you, for a number of stops at least, just put your newspaper on the seat next to you in a messy looking fashion.

Murray Bashing

The time difference between the UK and Australia meant that by the time I started work this morning Andy Murray had already lost in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Of course, this prompted my colleagues to launch into their usual tirade of comments against Murray and indeed poor old Henman. I do my best to defend the British players but I think this just encourages my colleagues to bash them even more.

Murray may have lost in the first round of a Grand Slam but he's still only 20 and is already ranked 9th in the World. Credit where credit is due!

Skipping Home

Leaving work on Friday I felt happy and was looking forward to the weekend. Evidentally I wasn't the only happy person around. The guy walking in front of me suddenly started skipping! He did this a few times before breaking into jog toward the station. It reminded me of my primary school days.

Frosty Sunrise

A frosty winter morning brought a beautifully warm feeling sunrise to London. These photos were taken this morning at about 8:16, just before teeing off on hole 1 (or 10 in our case) at Stockey Park Golf Club, London.

The ground was frostry and our spikes picked up ice like we were walking in a massive freezer. As the sun rose the frost and ice began to melt and by the time we reached the last hole the course was a beautiful green.

Today was the first outing with my new clubs and on the whole it went really well, with a couple of miraculous long puts, in other words flukes, good irons and an improving feel for the driver/woods. My putting in general is awful, though.

My score was approximately 106, though I forgot to mark my score for one hole and another hole was reduced to a par 3 due to green improvements. In any case, it was a marked improvement over scoring 125 last time on the same course.

I think I'll make it my goal to be consistently scoring around 110 before the year is out. Hopefully I'll be able to play golf at least once every six weeks. Practice, practice, practice!

Pain on Ice

Fancy a spot of ice skating just two minutes from Liverpool Street Station in London? Then head over to Broadgate ICE before it closes this coming Sunday.

I took a few photos as I walked by and took a couple of shots (pictured) which showed that it's not all fun and games. Be careful, now.

You can also ice skate at the Tower of London until Sunday 13 January. Just make sure you don't mind shelling out £12 if you go during peak hours.

Spring Cleaning

Even though I 'dusted' my PC not long back just look at the state it was in when I opened it up this afternoon. It was time for some early spring cleaning.

A Japanese friend asked me why we have 'spring cleaning' whilst in Japan everyone has a big clean up over the New Year. My answer was that it's a time for starting afresh and that it's starting to get a little warmer so you can open all the doors and windows. What would your answer be?

New Year (UK)

Happy New Year!

Did any of you in London join the masses by the River Thames for the fireworks last night? I was working from home but did watch all that money go up in smoke on the TV.

I took this photo last week on Boxing Day but today seems appropriate for beautiful sunrise photo, especially as London is overcast today!

May your 2008 be as good if not better than 2007.

New Year (Jp)

Japanese New Year

A bit like taking the JLPT, New Year's Eve gets me thinking about the World time differences. As we speak Japan has already thrown aside 2007 to welcome 2008. If you are in Japan then I wish you a Happy New Year. Hatsumode at Jingu, anyone? Enjoy Oshougatsu!

For people in Europe there is still the whole evening to party until and indeed through the countdown. How are you spending New Year's Eve? Whatever you do I hope you have fun and that 2007 brought many good things.

How was your 2007?

Personally I've a very positive year. I set myself a few challenges and whilst I still don't know the results of some of my ventures, I'm more than satisfied with the effort I've put into most parts of my life this year. There is always room for improvement, mind you!

Work has been good, with an internal job move; relationships have developed and I've made new friends; and my hobbies have all developed to some degree, particularly tennis, photography and a commitment to the gym. I also treated myself to two visits to Japan and have made efforts to maintain and advance my Japanese.

I'm not a great fan of New Year's resolutions but I'll definitely have to reconsider my focus for the New Year.

A few messages:

Japanese friends,
Thanks for all your help with Japanese this year. At times I miss Japan but I having good friends here too really helps and I appreciate the fact. To those of you in Japan, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again in the near future...

Tennis friends & nakama,
As small as it may seem, one of the most defining moments of the year for me was when one of you said my backhand was better than my forehand. I finally feel comfortable and have got a grasp of the double handed backhand. 2008 is the year my serve will also mature and that's a promise.

University friends,
I wish I could be with you all tonight but have fun! Thanks for putting up with me and my occasionally outspokenness during the year. The pancakes were a good idea in the end ;)

Colleagues,
It's a cliche but without you guys work just wouldn't be the same. Keep the laughs going into the New Year!

Family,
As always, thanks for all the support. May the New Year bring you much happiness.

Kill Bill

It was the first time that I had the chance to see Kill Bill the other night. It was a strange film and the experience was made even more weird watching it with a group of Japanese friends, as a great deal of the film in set in Japan.

We were half watching the film whilst having a Nabe party. When everything the action moved to Okinawa everyone suddenly took a greater interest in Kill Bill.

The finale was set in a strange restaurant and had all my friends saying, 'You don't get any shops or restaurants like that in Japan. It looks like something from Studio Ghibli's Sen to Chihiro.' Apprently Quentin Tarantino is an anime fan so these comments might not be far from the mark.

Everyone was in hysterics at Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu speaking Japanese and to be fair it was funny. Lines like, 'Our battle hasn't yet been finished!' needs a certian amount of fluency and force to carry off. When I thought about it though, they were doing really well, especially if they don't speak any Japanese at all.

Wii

I've finally got a Nintendo Wii!

It's great fun, perhaps worth buying just for Wii Sports! Ok, so I've only played it for half an hour so far but I'm already sold on the idea.

Empty City

Being Boxing Day the City was deserted today. I cycled to work along almost traffic-less streets and stopped to watch the sunrise over the River Thames.

From the direction I'd come in I could see Big Ben and the London Eye while in front of me I could see St. Pauls, the 'Erotic Gherkin' and Canary Wharf sparkling in the distance. The pink/purple sky and whisps of cloud made it quite a sight.

Under a bridge I spotted a platform up some stairs from which I thought I could take the perfect photo. I scrambled up the steps but froze as I found myself standing in front of a couple of homeless people buried in their sleeping bags. I backed down the steps as quietly as I could and found an alternative position to shoot from.

I nearly lost track of time as I stopped at the Tower of London for yet more photos. Across the River Thames the stylish City Hall contrasted against the old stonework of the Tower of London and again, the sky made for a stunning view.

When searching for lunch there was barely a single shop open. I walked along Fenchurch Street where there was barely a soul to be seen. In front of Fenchurch Street station the square stood empty but for an obtrusive Starbucks stand. What an odd feeling.

On the way home I cheated and took my bike on the Tube, by which time of course the District Line was actually running. Well, you can't blame me after just shelling out £950 for my new annual season ticket. What a joke!

Xmas Horoscope

Every day this year I've been tearing a day off my little horoscope calendar. I haven't opened my presents yet but I wonder if I'll get one for 2008.

Today's Christmas horoscope is particulary vague and covers practically all eventualities with a typical get out clause, 'It could become clear'. Is it time to reassess the way I tackle goal accomplisment?

Oh yes, Merry Christmas, by the way! After some complex finger counting I've come to the realisation that this is my first Christmas in London for six years. Blimey.

Christmas Eve

What a great day. The train to work was half empty and even though I left far later than normal I arrived at my usual time.

A short morning of work followed by a short but sweet gym session left just the afternoon shift. As is tradition the developers and people on support were allocated half hour slots to cover the afternoon with two managers covering the final shifts. Luckily, I got the first shift and was able to leave the office at 1:30!

I ended up in the West End for dim sum with a couple of friends. I'd expected the streets to be thronged with last minute shoppers but it was no different from an average Saturday. The effects of internet shopping?

Distressingly, most of the Chinese restaurants in China Town were closed. Thankfully, London China Town was open and doing a roaring trade. After stuffing ourselves silly with dim sum we stumbled out into the cold (actually, it was relatively warm today).

With owning a Wii still lodged firmly in my mind I did have a quick look in HMV and Virgin Megastores in Piccadilly Circus but there were none to be found. It's all for best. Yes, it's all for the best. It just wasn't meant to be.

I'm home early and am about to settle down to watch the Transformers [2007] DVD, something I haven't seen yet.

Have a great Christmas Eve!

London Fog

London was covered on fog for pretty much the whole weekend. Here you can see a photo I took in a park fading into nothingness.

The Japanese have an unrealistic image of 'foggy London' but having said that, this is the second Decemeber of fog in a row now. Thank heavens I'm not supposed to be taking any of the cancelled flights unlike last year.

When I was ready to go outside this evening to take a few foggy photos I looked out of the window and the fog had all but gone. That's good news for travellers anyway, at least unless the fog returns by the morning.

My Old Dutch

If you fancy a massive 'old dutch' pancake with a choice of toppings then I recommend a trip to My Old Dutch. I've just come back from the Holborn restaurant and boy, am I stuffed!

Just look at the size of that thing. Yes, it's thin but it's also surprisingly filling. When we asked for the dessert menu the waiter looked dumbfounded!

Christmas Wii

Yesterday seemed to be my lucky day. Firstly, I secured a nice bit of Christmas overtime which should go some way to making up for an expensive December. Secondly, one of my colleagues has a Nintendo Wii going spare and agreed to sell it to me!

A brand new Nintendo Wii just before Christmas? What are the chances of that? This colleague pre-orded a couple of Wiis and managed to get them both! Is that possible a week before Christmas? Things which seem to good to be true often are, but you've got to take these opportunities when they present themselves.

It's true that because of Wii stock being so scarce (though things seem to have improved slightly) being offered one makes you go for an impulse buy. After all, was I trying to buy one throughout the year? No.

We'll see if it actually comes off but it would be pretty nice to have a new console for Christmas. Just like the old days... R.C. Pro A.M. on the NES. Classic.

Update: My colleague forgot to bring the Wii in! That's the end of that, then.

Valuables

When commuting and when travelling around London in general for that matter, I keep a close watch on my bag. Maybe I go too far but when I think I might nod off on the train I hook my bag around my leg so no one can just grab it and do a runner. When I do this I'm reminded of Japan.

When I was there at the beginning of November I was surprised again and again by the way people leave their belongings lying around. For example, at coffee shops people who are on their own leave all of their possessions on the table or on their seat while they pop off to the toilet.

On one particular train ride a girl sat next to me sending e-mails(texts...) on her mobile phone. She decided to go to sleep and just left her expensive phone perched on top her bag which was on her lap! Unbelievable. I almost felt like telling her she should be more careful but then again perhaps she doesn't need to be.

Prawns

Near work there's an interesting billboard.

Get into the Christmas spirit with some prawns!

Decorations

At the end of last week we put up some Christmas decorations at work. Our team clearly outshone the rest of the department, though perhaps more in tackiness than anything else. I think these decorations get used over and over each year. Still, it's better than nothing!

Over the past few weeks everyone has been using up their remaining holidays and I don't think there'll be many people around over the Christmas period. As for me, I'm working much as normal apart from one half day off before the new year.

In fact, I'm also scheduled to work on Boxing Day and and through the night on New Year's Eve. Hopefully that should take the sting out of such a expensive December when my January pay packet arrives. I'm not that bothered about missing New Year's as more often than not it seems to be a let down.

Night Bus

Tennis, Chinese, Beer, Wine & Whiskey

I must say, I'm not a big bus fan. I wouldn't say there are no people with class on buses but wouldn't you agree there is quite a lot of riff raff? When it comes to night buses where you have the added pleasure of loud, obnoxious drunk folk, just what you need weary travel home. I'm moaning because I took the night bus home on Friday.

After a late dinner after tennis, a friend invited a few of us back to his house in Pimlico. Normally, I would tend to opt for the last train to avoid said night buses but this friend is heading back to Japan for good in a couple of weeks so I decided to tag.

Over recent months this friend has kept telling me that his wife is a 'fan' of my Japanese blog and that she'd like to meet me. Just by being told something like that you feel some kind of pressure. I started wondering what type of person she thought I was. Just like her husband had thought for about a year (!), she thought I was either Japanese or half-Japanese.

Night Bus

We ended up leaving at 3:30 and the three of us found our respective night bus stands at Victoria Station. At that moment a taxi approached and my two friends, who live very close to each other, jumped in and waved me farewell.

Apparently Friday night was the biggest night for company Christmas dos (is that a real word?) and there were lots of well dressed men and women waiting for courtesy cars outside the station. Besides these people a couple of tarted-up girls stood waiting for the same bus as me, complaining about the cold, which to be fair was biting. Another man chomped away at his kebab but seemed to leave half of it on the floor.

The highlight of the cold wait came when a couple of police officers walked up the street towards me. A taxi driver hooted his horn, turned on his hazard lights and came to an abrupt stop. He called the police over as evidentally he was having an issue with his passengers. The police got the two young lads out of the taxi and gave them a talking to. This was hardly thrilling but watching them argue was the best entertainment on offer.

The dispute got settled without any arrests - how dull - and the taxi drove off. The police approached a bag next to the bus stop. I had been avoiding standing too close to it, positioning myself behind other objects in a direct line with it - like that would help me if it were actually an explosive! There turned out to be nothing but clothes inside it, though this time I was please with the dull outcome.

After about 45 minutes to an hour later the bus I was waiting for finally decided to show up. It was packed and full of loud foreign students who felt the need to sing and talk nonsense non-stop. Oh joy.

I got to bed at 5 and thought to myself, 'Don't find yourself at Victoria Station, or anywhere in London for that matter, at 4 a.m. in the morning waiting for a night bus.' Haven't I said that before? Why do I have the feeling this won't be the last time?

Christmas Money

How are you all enjoying the run up to Christmas? Are your livers and wallets holding out?

I'm totally freaked out by how much Christmas is costing me, not just in terms of buying presents but all the Christmas parties. I never used to spend all that much on going out, even to restaurants, but I've noticed my bank balance dwindling particularly quickly of late.

Companies have been footing the bill, too, of course. Apparently last night was the peak for company Christmas parties. I have to wonder whether my company saved money by having their party on a Thursday.

Does everyone get their pay packets early in December? I can already feel January being a very long and money-sparse month. Plus no parties!

Chips and Curry

This week I saw someone eat chips and curry (or is that curry and chips?) for the first time ever! Now that is just pure class.

Japan Centre II

The Japan Centre in the West End of London must be doing a roaring trade as they've opened up a second shop right next door. I took this picture a couple of weeks ago but forgot about it until I was looking through the photos on my phone.

The strangely named Value Store is the new home for Japan Centre's travel agent, Japanese supermarket and book shop. Apparently, the old building has now got a bigger restaurant and sushi bar.

I went into the new shop today and it was much more spacious. The book shop massive much less cramped and there seems to be a larger selection of magazines - great if you are willing to pay £12.50 for a magazine which costs 700 yen in Japan. I found some 1500 yen JLPT past papers for £16!

Wii Crazy

A year on from the Nintendo Wii's release in the UK and people are still facing the same situation. The Wii is sold out everywhere!

I'd expect this to happen with a new console, but come on, there have been problems sourcing Wiis since its release. Is this issue simply a case of console sales far outstripping what Nintendo had predicted? Surely this couldn't be a ploy to increase demand?

One of my colleagues managed to buy a Wii last year and has just sold it for £50 more than he bought it for on eBay. He played it for a year and still made a profit - madness!

Other people in the UK have cleverly cashed in on the situation by importing and selling on European Wiis. The laws of supply and demand are staggering.

Although I've never had a go on a Wii (isn't that amazing?), I wouldn't mind having one just for a laugh. When my parents said they were thinking of getting me one for Christmas it brought back memories of when they bought me a NES for Christmas. Time to think of another present this time, mum.

Prison Break

Some poor soul at work has seen one too many episodes of Prison Break.

Christmas Spirit

Things have calmed down since the exam at the weekend and my brain is returning to normal. At last my cold is fading away and I'm feeling in much better spirits, much helped by progress at work and the fact that tomorrow brings the first of many Christmas parties. Let the drinks flow!

JLPT 2007

At last the day of this year's JLPT arrived and it was time to test our mettle. It was warmer than the past couple of years but the rain soon started to fall, casting an even gloomier atmosphere over the exam site. Still, a bit of rain never hurt anybody.

The exam papers were a really mixed bag full of tricks and surprises, some good, some bad. My vocab study really paid off and I actually had a good stab at the words/kanji paper. On the other hand, the 100+ homonyms I learnt in preparation for part of this paper proved fruitless!

Again the listening paper seemed harder than I was expecting - did I underestimate it? Part of is that I expect to score very heavily and a lapse of concentration for even a split second means you your chance of getting the right answer.

Finally, the reading and grammar paper surprised me. The grammar section was very easy compared to last year, not nearly as many little tricks and most of the grammar appeared to be from the standard lists (bar a couple of sneaky questions. To make up for this, I can't say for sure how I faired on the long reading passages. There was something about them... perhaps just the pressure? Last year they seemed difficult until I bought the paper mid-way through this year and tried the questions again.

All in all, I feel like it went better than last year, but it's very hard to tell. It all depends on the longer reading sections. Fingers crossed!

At the end of the test I got talking to the exam invidulator. He was an Italian guy with a strong accent. I can only imagine his Japanese accent - he told me that he studies Japanese at SOAS, where the exams were being held in London. The last thing he said was,

'I was looking at you guys' answer sheets and everyone gave different answers.'

I guess that goes to show that level one is no walk in the park. That reminds me, the guy next to me kept looking over at my desk - I got my revenge by blowing my nose ;). He was either finding things very tough going or a piece of cake. During the reading/grammar paper he finished remarkably early and was just staring at the walls. Come to think of it, this time around was the first time I finished the reading/grammar paper.

How did the rest of you fair? Only 3 or 4 months until the results come out and we all know for sure.

JLPT Cramming

JLPT takers: I just wanted to wish you luck with your final day of preparation. Are you going to cram the whole day or take it easy like I intend to do? I'm not overly-confident, far from it, it's just that I'd rather relax a little the day before the exam.

My cold is a little better today which is great. The weather is better in London, too, brightening my spirits. I can't wait till I'm all better and this test is over!