A Chinese proverb says that “If you want to be happy for an hour, get a drink. If you want to be happy for three days, get married. If you want to be happy for life, do some fishing.”
There might be some arguments about the degree of how long for the 1st and 2nd ones. However, the 3rd one holds absolutely true at least for me, my wife and our mutual friend.
Perth has so many wonderful fishing spots. I never realized this until recently because I had hardly ever caught any fish at a nearby river. I was a loser.
All things have changed when my friend took me to an excellent fishing spot in Fremantle (20 minutes drive from Perth) and we caught 80 fish in just two hours. The very moment we caught a fish, we felt the adrenaline flow. Someone describes “Fishing” as KING of hobbies. We readily admit it. Not only it is exciting but also it gives us a reward of fresh seafood!
Since our first successful fishing day, it has captured the hearts of us, including my daughter who is now not afraid of catching fish by hand.
How crazy we have become about fishing? You can’t beat us. Despite heavy rain on and off for every 10 minutes, it didn’t stop us from fishing. We took cover every time heavy rain came and went back to the fishing place again and again while getting soaked to the skin. Our little daughter was very excited. She probably thought that we all were playing hide and seek or something.
We have been going fishing nearly every Saturday afternoon for the past few months. Don’t ask us whether we are going this coming Saturday. You bet we will! I have a premonition that this trend will continue… maybe for life.
True. My wife is absolutely right when she complains that something goes wrong with her husband's investment strategy in the garden.
I easily admit that I am a bad investor at least in my garden. I do not know how much I have spent on it, and have no idea how much profits I am making out of it. People might say that it doesn't really matter because that is one of my hobbies. That's true. However, it would be even more exciting if I know the real benefits of it, or not?
Investment in the garden includes such items as fertilizers, soil, seeds and seedling. The problem is that even myself cannot expect when I want to buy them. I just buy them whenever I feel like it. In recent months, as long as fertilizers and soil are concerned, I am happy with my strategy. These have been solely produced and brought to my garden with the help of a friend of mine "Mimi-chan (compost worm)" since they went into full activity a few months ago.
After all, when it comes to gardening, one of the most important key words is sustainability. I am now considering to bring this idea of sustainability into seeds and seedling as well. By doing this way, my garden will complete the whole sustainable system by itself. Is this a pipe drem?
It was on one of those Perth Saturday afternoons when I wondered "What is my Soul Food? Where does it come from?"
I had no idea how this question came to me. It may have come from the fact that I now live in overseas and have lived outside my hometown for a very long time. Whatever the reasons, they did not bother me much.
At first, I made an attempt to define "Soul Food". This sounds very similar but not quite the same as "Favorite Food". I define "Soul Food" as one's particularly favorite food which arouses a strong feeling of one's hometown.
When I think about my "Soul Food", I will name "UDON".
I love UDON since my childhood. It was probably because of my grandfather and my father's influence. They used to take me to UDON restaurants quite often. I still remember when my father spent an hour or two just to look for one UDON restaurant in an area where all we could see were "SOBA -buckwheat noodle" restaurants while we all were starving.
I inherit my father's passion for UDON. When I was hungry after school, I would often go to a UDON restaurant with my friends. When I started living in Perth, I missed UDON the most. There is availability of UDON in Perth but not high quality one. UDON has always been with me for a very long time, it is no wonder that I look for good UDON whenever I live.
In spite of my love for UDON, little did I know that where the ingredient comes from. When I got involved in the wheat business here in Perth, I have learned that the most important ingredient of UDON actually comes from where I live now "Perth" in the past and still now. This is an amazing fact. It jolted me.
I immediately gathered information on how to make UDON and made it by myself. It was my first try but my friends said "It tastes great!" Since then, it has become one of the Japanese dishes we serve at our home to our guests.
UDON making is very simple. All the ingredients you need are flour, salt and water. Even beginners can make delicious UDON from day one. Perhaps, you might want to give it a try even from today.
Having been a heavy SKYPE user for more than 5 years, the one thing I can say for certain about this innovative software application is that it can change the way we relate to one another. It has certainly changed the way I communicate with my family and friends.
SKYPE is a free software application that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. You might have heard of the name or already are a heavy user of it.
I am compiling this list of Pros and Cons about SKYPE so that people who are still in two minds can decide whether or not to use this technology.
Pros:
- Easy to setup & use - It is very easy to setup. The whole process of downloading, installing and joining SKYPE does not take more than 10 minutes. It does not ask you for much configuration at all. All you need is a microphone and an Internet connection. The use of software application is simple too.
- Free face-to-face Video Calls- SKYPE lets you call anyone else on SKYPE absolutely free. My parents and sister (in Japan) are thankful to SKYPE for giving them the chance to watch my daughter (who is in Perth) grow up. Because there is no need to worry about time, distance or cost, we can stay connected with someone we love whenever they are. I use SKYPE to catch up with my friends in Japan from time to time too.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I have a netbook and always carry it whenever I go. It means that, whenever the location is, as long as there is an Internet access, I can do SKYPE calls from anywhere around the world for free.
- In-expensive calls to landline and mobile - Calls to landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee but at low per-minute rates. (to Japan-landline: US$0.026/minute) You can also send SMS to mobile phones via SKYPE. (No more hassles typing on a mobile!)
- Conference calls - I frequently use this feature and find it awesome. Just to give you an idea, while I am at a hotel in Tasmania, Australia for business (5 hours by air from Perth), I call my wife & daughter (at home in Perth) via SKYPE. If my mother (in Japan) calls me at the same time for something to discuss with myself and my wife, she can join and start a conference call with Perth, Tasmania and Japan all connected.
Cons:
- Calls drop randomly – Although it is not frequent, this can happen sometimes for some reasons. Much improvement over the recent years, and more advanced technology is always on the way.
- Background noise - Unfortunately, this can happen sometimes. It is possibly due to wrong settings of microphone / speaker, or due to slow Internet access. Sometimes, there is so much background noise that you cannot hear what the other person is saying.
- Intrusive sometimes - When you are online, other parties can see your contact. This can be intrusive. However, I personally leave it set to invisible unless I am truly in the mood for conversations.
HAVE YOU MADE YOUR MIND YET? IT'S FREE ANYWAY. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
At last, I watched the famous Japanese animation film called となりのトトロ (“My Neighbor TOTORO” in English title), when my wife borrowed it from a friend of hers the other day. This film is enormously popular among children and adults alike in Japan. I have always wanted to watch it but never have got a chance to do so.
Surprisingly enough, Perth City is no stranger to this animation film. It is believed that the director of the film had an inspiration for "Neko bus (means CAT bus)" when he visited here. In Perth, we have a free public transportation called "CAT (Central Area Transport) bus". So even from this fact, this is a must see film for me for a long time.
The film follows the two young daughters (10 year old Satsuki and 4 year old Mei) of a professor who have recently moved to a countryside. Satsuki and Mei discover that the nearby forest is inhabited by friendly forest spirits called TOTORO and befriend with them. Only children can see TOTORO.
I watched the film with my two year old daughter. The interesting thing is that, despite our big age difference, we both enjoyed watching it thoroughly. For my part, it reminds me of my childhood’s feelings, like how I felt about everything happening around me at that time. I remember how excited I was about a little adventure with my elder sister when I was a little boy. My little daughter probably sees herself in the movie and feels something too.
The scene where my daughter and I both like the most is when Satsuki and Mei join TOTORO at midnight in a ritual dance around the planted nuts and seeds, whereupon the seeds sprout and then grow into an enormous tree. Those planted nuts and seeds are given from TOTORO to the girls in return for Satsuki’s favor to have offered him an umbrella on a rainy night at a bus station.
Every time this scene comes, my daughter and I enjoy imitating the ritual dance to grow the tree while humming the film’s background music, and we do it again and again. I like this scene so much that I start thinking about planting some nuts in my little backyard hoping to grow them big.
I believe that in this film there is the underlying theme of living in good harmony with nature while having a feeling of awe. This is something we may have forgotten but important to remember.
While writing this blog, I thought it would be nice if my daughter will be able to see TOTORO someday here in Perth.
I don't know... I had never imagined myself feeling so sleepy at 9:30 when I was in Japan. However, I frequently do now. The thing is that... I am talking about 9:30PM! Not 9:30am.
YES. Life is a lot busier in Japan. Shops and restaurants there are open until very late. Perth's night life is much quieter even compared with the countrie's other cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, though we are proud of living a more relaxed life in here. Just to give you an idea. Most shops in Perth (except restaurants & pubs) close at 06:00pm.
A more compelling reason why I feel so sleepy at 9:30pm comes from my own backyard. My two year old daughter asks me to go bed with her around that time. It is so nice to be asked such a request by a cute little one. Besides, it is your own daughter. How could a father say "NO", when asked? The problem with me is that, when I go to bed with her, I fall asleep much earlier than she does, regardless of whether I have something I want to do within the day.
I have tried so many times to make her sleep and then get out of bed to have my own time, like reading books, sending e-mails...you name it. In spite of my tireless efforts, I have never been successful so far, which I regret a lot but cannot help. I fall asleep within literally a couple of minutes, according to my wife who never sleeps before my daughter.
As a result of this, I become awake at 05:00am. Considering the amount of sleep per day from 9:30pm, I guess I have plenty of sleep time. Now, I get used to waking up early and using this morning time for myself. To put it differently, I begin to like this lifestyle.
Everything sounds great, you think? They say, "An early bird catches worms." Not quite. There is one problem. According to an eyewitness (my wife), even during my friends' visit to my home for dinner and coffee, I start to nod off for a couple of minutes at around 9:30pm even during the conversation. This is really embarassing.
Having said that, it is always so hard for me to fight off the urge to sleep...Zzz...
Yes, we can.In fact, it wouldn't take much time before we start calling them by their nicknames. I first could not believe it if this would ever happen to me. It has been almost a year since I started worm composting. Now I call them by their nickname "Mimi-chan". Yes, we can.
An Aussie couple I know showed me a worm compost system about a year ago. They explained to me how this system works and said, "We can do our part in saving the Earth starting from our own little backyard. These worms recycle kitchen waste into an excellent soil amendment called worm compost. We can reduce our garbage and grow veggies by becoming a friend with worms." I immediately liked the idea and thought to myself, "With a worm compost system, it maybe possible for us to save the Earth." Yes, we can.
Although I liked the concept of saving the Earth, the idea of paying money for worms, keeping and growing them still prevented me from getting into action for a while.
Then, one Saturday morning, just out of the blue, I wanted it and rushed to a nearby hardware store for a worm compost system and live worms. The price for the system didn't surprise me, however, it almost knocked me out when I saw the price tag for 1000 live worms (appropriate number to start worm compost system) was US$50! I was struck dumb.
When my noble aim to save the world from my backyard was almost swayed, the words from the couple whispered into my head, "We can do our part in saving the Earth by becoming a friend with worms.Yes, we can."
Led by this voice, I bought a worm compost system and 1000 live worms. When I got home, my wife was appalled and could say nothing. I could not blame her, because I paid a total amount of US$75 for them. What a big money to spend on for just worms and its home!
You might want to know if I ever regret it. No, Not even a bit. I have become a friend with worms and call them by their nickname "Mimi-chan". Also, even though it may just be a little contribution, now I know, if we can put our efforts together, we can change something. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
Yes, we can save the Earth by becoming friends with worms.
This was how we got started a drawing competition among our friends. There were 3 of us. Two fathers and one mother. We all have one thing in common. We all have a child and need to practice drawing animals to appeal to the child. In other words, we all did have a motivation.
Tigers, koalas, dogs, elephants. We showed our piece of work to each other after drawing. Then someone said, "Let's draw a giraffe!" and so did we. I noticed that the other father had drawn a giraffe's angle just like an antenna sticking into an alien's head. I jeered at it and said, "There is no such thing in a giraffe." He insisted that he was telling the truth and promised me to send a proof the next day.
As promised, he sent me a picutre of the proof, which really made me laugh. He sent me a giraffe's image (the above picture), telling me that he had searched for it with Google and picked the best example. I searched for a giraffe picture with Google but no such image came up on the 1st page, not even on the 2nd and 3rd. Imagining the time and efforts he has spent on to choose the best laughable picture, I just could not help myself laughing. He has a really good sense of humor. The picture made my whole that day really happy.
I love Netbooks. A netbook is a small portable laptop computer designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet. This new type of PC can change the whole concept of what is a mobile PC. Unlike previous mobile PCs, this new breed carries relatively in-expensive price tags (ranging from A$500-1000) and that is why it has appealed to so many people. In fact, netbooks have started to take market share away from Laptops. I believe that this trend will continue, given the current global economic slowdown.
Netbooks typically run on Windows XP operating system rather than more resource-intensive operating systems like Windows Vista. This has many advantages. Firstly, it does not need a cutting edge but un-necessary expensive processor to operate its Operating System. Secondly, the software distributor Microsoft offers much less purchase price for Windows XP. These advantages, as it turns out, all come back to one point again. In-expensive PCs.
Some tips to buy Netbooks.
It is important to consider thoroughly what you require the most in your Netbook other than price. Is that lightness or compactness or durability or wider keyboard or wider screen or more disc space, or longer battery life? Some models have started to accommodate such customers' requests as many as possible. However, you must make your own judgement, as it is simply hard to have everything in your PC. Therefore, my love with Netbooks will continue for good...
I missed my flight with Tiger Airways from Tasmania to Melbourne this morning.
How could this happen? I usually give myself allowance of 30 minutes or more prior to my departure time to get to the airport. This time, I was there 40 minutes before. Anyone would think that this should not be a problem, as I was not carrying any check-in luggage at all.
Wrong.
Check-in desks close strictly 45 minutes before scheduled departure time, regardless of whether you only have carry-in luggage or not. Any passenger not having completed check-in formalities will forfet their seat and no compensation will be given.
This extremely strict rule is no easy to be noticed on their website nor their ticket! While writing this blog, I checked my own e-ticket for that. It says ,, at the very bottom end of the ticket in very small print where you will never ever pay attention. This is ridiculous.
Given the current flight rules with other airlines not that strict, it just does not make sense that only one airline can have such strict rules. Besides, if they wish to do so, this special rule has to be clearly depicted on their tickets.
There are some pitfalls behind something, especially when it is something you have not tried before. I have learned that lesson the hard way. One thing is certain. I will never fly with Tiger Airways.
I have recently become a big fan of Mango Beer. I am proud to say that this handcrafted beer is made in Broom, Western Australia. With the combination of 100% mango juice & beer, one cannot resist its desire to to drink more of it. Now you can purchase this excellent beer from a nearby liquor store. Bon appetit!
Since the collapse of the share markets around the globe in late 2008, a great many of Australia's mid-to-small mining companies are feeling the pinch in the hardest way. Most of them are at a finishing-up stage where their initial productions are expected to start somewhere in 2009. Then came the world's economic downturn. It is likely that more and more mergers & acquisitions will occur this year. This year will be quite interesting to watch the Australian iron ore industry.
Bread making should be a lot of fun. When I made my first bread, I was 14 years old. I was very excited to see plain flour transforming its shape into something delicious by my own hands. I made a lot of breads during those days. I even gave away my bread to my neighbours and they all loved my bread. Those were the days.
This same feelings should have come to me when I tried my bread making for the first time here in Perth, Australia. However, I failed. I did not know what went wrong, eventually found out that it was all due to the flour I used for bread making. The one I used in Japan was different from that of Australian made. However, my hardship still did not go away... when I used a Japanese bread flour which my friend brought for me and still failed.
My wife was a winner after all. She has never done bread making before. But she made the first bread perfectly,,,, with Australian made bread flour. What can I say more?
In recent weeks, it appears that there are a lot of reports from around the world with regard to swine flu. Here in Perth, as there is no direct flight from the U.S. or Mexico, we do not have much tense feeling. Having said that, there are some suspected cases reported in Western Australia too. The Australian government has implemented thermal scanners at its major international airports.
I have a client who had planned to visit Perth but have cancelled his trip to Perth totally. When he called me about his cancellation, I wanted to say to him, "I am living in Australia! The very destination you have just cancelled to go to." Of course, I shut my mouse and said, "I am looking forward to your next visit" and hung up the phone.
After the call, I thought to myself. "Wait a minute, I am actually very lucky that he has cancelled his trip to Perth, as I will not need to look after him." Sometimes in life, something unexpected happens at an unexpected occasion.
This was achieved on a happy sunny Saturday afternoon. My wife took me to a nearby park where Family Day party took place. It turned out to be such a enjoyable day, because they gave face painting for free and that I have always wanted to try it. I loved it so much that I had not washed my face on the day until I went to bed. Happy Family Day!
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