Wednesday, May 5, 2004
Here we are, at Sendai, Northern part of Honshu, my wife's hometown.
It's nice to be back at "home." Full of foods, foods, and foods. The king, queen, and princesses live happily with foods and foods and foods for the whole continuous golden week holidays.
We just went to a Japanese hotel ryokan where it has beautiful sea view. And picked wild vegetables called sansai (mountain vegetable) for pickles and tempura. It tasted good; plain and healthy.
We are going back to Tokyo today. I felt as if I have been here for more than a week when it was only 5 days past.
Today is children's day in Japan.
My 100th Note and RSS
Wednesday, May 5, 2004
This is my 100th note since I started using Tinderbox. Well, no specific meaning though. Just a record.
But, RSS doesn't seem to be working well. Why? This is troublesome. And why the master of the software doesn't seem to have the problem, and only the users are having it? I am only using the default template, actually.
Here is The Solution
Thursday, May 6, 2004
Dave sent me the template for RSS. Am trying it out. It should work, I presume.
Yes, it is working. Thanks, Dave.
Something About Tinderbox for Japanese
Thursday, May 6, 2004
I found that I can make notes in Tinderbox with Japanese—before the new version of 2.2—but it didn't allow me to export notes to html, I mean without corruption. So, I use FileMaker Pro for my Japanese writing. But, as the map view and multiple windows that open at the same time on Tinderbox gives me a better look at my note, so being hopeful that the day will come, that's why I continue to use it. Yet, the support for Japanese cannot be that hopeful as it is not built with that platform.
Anyway.
Recently lots of website has started to publish multi-language viewable encoding, UTF8. I thought of it too. But, there are too many little little things that I need to check it out before I got for it. Firstly, who are the readers who need multi language at one weblog? It's the writer himself basically, and not the readers. This is dangerous as writer himself though writes in public but at some point he is living in his own world. That's why I don't see the convenience of the UTF8. Not to show off, but I write in English, Japanese and Chinese, and I do write in Cantonese, and I don't think I need such helpful tool. Why? My readers are not multi-lingual, that's why. You got me?
Anyway, with Tinderbox that it will support UTF8 sooner or later—and I am running Mac OSX now—it helps me actually to take notes in any languages that I want—provided if I want to. But, the convenience that I have in mind is personal, not for public. The way of communication doesn't change much.
Yet, I think this software needs some excitement from Japanese users in order to get some feedback to improve it. I personally think it will be a great software if it supports Japanese. Got to look into it again.
They Say It's the Trend Now, But Where Do Colours Come From?
Friday, May 7, 2004
Consciously or not, any human activities has its intention at the back of it. Nothing is natural, except human nature. Read between the lines.
There is a body called Intercolor (International Color Association). Check it out here if you want to know something about Intercolor. Paris is the headquarter, I suppose. This is the body that decides the trend colour twice a year, for the world or in the world. And a year after that, there is an expo for material in Milan and Paris, also twice a year.
So, when it is said "it's the trend now," which means two years ago, the colour had been decided at Intercolor, and a year ago the colour appeared at material expo in Milan and Paris, then half a year ago the big five collections (Paris Collection, Milano Collection, Tokyo Collection, London Collection, and New York Collection) came up for each theme, color, material, details, and silhouette for you to name it as the trend "now," may be two year later. Tones of people work for you to keep you in fashion.
Think of it, can the manufacturers just make something out without having a schedule? No, right? We all need to work for a living and without any schedule we won't do anything. We all need to have a confirmed schedule in order to move on, no matter how it will suddenly changed by rain or by any nature disaster. In between, there always someone who tries to control someone else in the world. Same in fashion. That's the beauty of art.
Anything wrong with that again, Mr Ken Loo? Nope. The thing that we think "it is nice," is a kind of appreciation of art. That involves all the activities of humankind. That's the trick.
Still, isn't it a bit too old-fashioned when one starts to realise that, "Hey, it's the trend now!"?
That's the trend, ma'n.
A Better Way of Communication with RSS and Comment Feature
Saturday, May 8, 2004
After using a few weblog tools—MT, pmachine, wordpress, and Tinderbox for html export (this software's not for weblog purposes only though)—one thing I find is that, MT has the most good design for community discussion, whether the design, pop-ups, or the comment feature. So, in order to have a topic to be discussed or to get a sort of centralized discussion for a topic, MT is good. ExpressionEngine, pmachine's newer version, might be good but I have had yet tested it out. Pmachine default design is not that good to comment, I personally feel that. Well, I only used it on my Japanese site, so it might be different in English, more user-friendly, may be. Wordpress which uses php has a lot similarity with pmachine, and itself is powerful. But php is so much to learn for me and I hate learning nowadays.
The reason why I write this post is that, some discussion about UTF8 and multi-lingual system has been brought up by M Sinclair Stevens and I commented, but I wonder anyone who reads my site through RSS feed will notice, of course nobody will. There should be a better communication way to do this.
Yes, writing it down like this is a way.
Goldfishes Say Hey to Me but I Turned Them Down by Having a Bad Cold
Saturday, May 8, 2004
Aah. Ooh no.
Watched Two Weeks Notice on DVD. It was good. Sandra Bullock seems to have done a good job as producer as well as actress for this one, compared to the last one in Dangerous Beauty. One the other hand, I think Hugh Grant isn't that great on this one. I don't know, may be he was too busy and tired. His British sense of humour is not as great as I expected (what?). Perhaps he tries to suit the Hollywood production, could that be? I guess there will be better script waiting for him out there even in the States. Let's be hopeful. Writing bad about him isn't good, too many female fans out there. Oh yeah, I should watch Love Actually, right? And where was SQ? How are you doing?
One question, is that common to give notice in two weeks for any post in an office? Other than part time, my notice period always at least one month, and up till now, the shortest I gave was more than 2 months. Not about been a management stuff, but I guess there is this thing called trust between you and the boss, also plan. You got to stop other responsibilites from coming to you. Two weeks notice is rather dry.
Number Eight Means Prosperity in Chinese, so Buy that Number
Sunday, May 9, 2004
I have this "hobby" every year. When or before summer comes, I will start to get stuff to keep goldfish. In Japan, there are summer festivals everywhere where there are lots of stalls that sell foods or games. One of my favourite games is, scoop goldfish with a paper net. Any goldfish that you get will be yours, of course you got to get it before the paper gets totally wet or lose its strength.
Every year whenever I come across it, I will try it, when I only get one, then I will go for another try, just to get at least two. Yeah, one is too lonely. It might die the next day due to solitude.
The problem was, it all died before even autumn started. As if it is just an one-coin game that you play, just a fun game for the summer.
I am sure it wasn't that, but I have been figuring out the secret of longevity for them, and yet I haven't found one. Should I go to Sugamo to ask those elderlies there how they maintain their longevity all the while? Oh, sorry, it's about fish, huh?
Anyway, so this year I started with getting a bigger tank with a proper pump that's silent and effective, that also really makes the tank cleans with filters in it. And to avoid death due to solitude, on one go I got 10. They were on sale. The next day one died, and few days later another one died again. I expected that will happen soon, but didn't expect it was so soon. But, number eight means prosperity in Chinese, so I think it is good. You got to be positive in thinking, right?
Then for about a week, we went to Sendai. I left them just like that, but bought some extra food that could last a couple of days. When I came back, they were prosperously alive. All survived under the keeper's cruel text. These are the real survival.
In fact, I bought a pack of sand but I didn't put it in before I left for Sendai. So, today I rinsed it and poured it in. God blesses me, and blesses the 8 of them to live in prosperity.
Hope you will hear more about goldfish from me before summer ends. If not, you know what's going on. Send me condolence with flowers, so that I can do some ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) with the tank.
Walking Through the Park
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
This morning, I went a bit early to the office so that I could have some time to pass Hibiya Park, a huge park in central Tokyo. It's right in front of my new office now. We just moved. It's really nice. And I am thinking if I can get a foldable bike and ride it at noon. I love walking around the new office area. It's a nice area, with the Park, and with Hibiya library, it really encourages me to get out of the office nowadays.
My colleague had lunch today at the park. She said she is going to do that everyday. It seems a bit crowded in the park, everyone is there. All seats are taken before you arrive. But, will go and have a look tomorrow.
I am thinking what to bring for lunch.
Late at Night, I Can Hear the Lake Whispers
Monday, May 17, 2004
On Saturday, I bought a new bike, a foldable one. It seems the trend now that all the new bikes are foldable. Well, I don't think I am going to fold it, but it seems the prize is cheap due to the demand. So, I got one. The old one will say sayonara soon.
My wife and I used to ride together before the kids were born. When she got pregnant, I kind of stopped, till now. I never really have a bike in Malaysia. It's only I came to Japan, then I start to have my own bike—a racing type—when I arrived. I used it for almost 6 years before I left Japan.
My second visit with my present job, I got a mountain bike, a second hand one though. My wife got one as well. It's nice to take a ride around the area where you live. Lots of things seldoms come into view will pop up as a surprise.
Saturday evening I took a long ride with my new bike. Up in the wind, I rode alone a river and a motorboat-race park. I felt great. Lots of things in my mind came up and started to talk to me. I felt the similarity. I had the same experience before. Yeah, I did have it.
Yesterday night, it was drizzling. I put up my windbreaker, and headed to the lake. Nobody was there. Only shadows of orange-road light and buildings on both sides in the lake. To and flo, I took about half an hour.
I don't really recall, but I don't seem to see orange light in Japan so often. It's really silent, only the cars that passed by. It reminded me a kind of fear that I used to have towards the darkness. I started to think what happen if someone come up and attack me, can I do my defence? I then found that I am totally unprotected.
It's always said that Japan is a save country. It is. But what prize it pays for it is that, the whole nation has become no immunity to danger. Japanese are not arguable like American or Indian when comes to debate. Basically they are not violent. So, when a simple danger arises, high possibility they might call the whole community for discussion, what to do?
I think it is not about Japanese, but people who live in such a society are basically going to become one Japanese.
At first I was thinking to fold my bike and bring it in to the house. But, seeing so many are actually having the same bike due to the prise, I just lock it on the ground floor. If someone really want to take it, take it. My old bike has been there for ages and yet nobody wants it.
Am going to the lake again, hopefully everyday.
Feeling Like "One" Hemingway at a Japanese Guest House Named Ernest House
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Never really read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, but am now staying at a guest house named after Heminyway, Ernest House, at Shimoda, the Izu Peninsula. It's built with totally European style, I would say, the bar, the restaurant, and the hall. Nothing Japanese except the people who work there.
The reservation system is made with FileMaker Pro. If one asks any company or programmer to set up a reservation program, it most probably costs at least 2 million yen. If so, then I rather make it with FileMaker on my own. That's what the owner thought, 16 years ago. And now they have made the reservation program available for others, which costs about 50 thousand yen, and light-version that cater for guest house or the like that has less than 20 rooms. They have improved the system throughout the years. At the hall, it has 2 G5s and a G4 powerbook. Mac people knows what to do with Mac. FileMaker Pro was available only on Mac, it was a few years ago FMP started window version.
Anyway, I am writing this with my ibook though, but there is an iMac DV in the room. Just switch on, it's online. Anyone who wants to runaway from the daily schedule to finish any deadline, it's the place. There even scanner up to A3 paper size, colour copy, and G5 at the hall. 31 static IP addresses for those who really want to get the whole crew to work on something. But, too relax and comfortable, one might not be able to concentrate on work at all. The sea is 5 minutes walk away. We went. Full of surfers there. It's a really nice guest house.
And, what a coincidence. I saw the poster of M. Hulot's Holiday. It's in French, but as M mentioned it just the other day, it came to me as a surprise.
We are looking forward to the breakfast. Sandwitches in a basket. If the weather is good, then we will be having our breakfast at the beach. That's exciting. May be I can write a book, titled The Young Man and the Sea???
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea
Thursday, May 27, 2004
I came across the above title in a Japanese novel. As you know, it's a book by Arthur Ransome. Have you read it? I feel like reading it in English for this one. Nowadays I hardly read any English book. I really want to read more in English. Sometimes there are so many good titles which have been inviting me to their world, and yet I have passed the stage where I need to use dictionary. Dictionary! Did you hear that? It sounds so heavy.
We didn't mean to go to sea.
I sometimes have problem switching writing in Japanese or in English. Whether I concentrate one and write more with one language, if not I cannot think properly. What I have in mind—in a language—cannot continue doing the thinking after the switch. So, I lost in translation.
We didn't mean to go to sea.
Sometimes writing in English is kind of an escape, something which I think only the English readers would know but not the Japanese readers. But it seems there are many bilingual readers here where they all know what's going on at the next door. So, I am just telling a small lie to myself.
We didn't mean to go to sea.
Someone are leaving the company. The love or the passion (really?) will never get its appreciation. That's work. It's not a hobby or something you can do it without arithmetic. It's sad when you cannot really leave a company after you have been working too long. You feel lost in translation. Yesterday once more. Those were the best time ever. But the new comer never think that way. It's money that moves actually, not the human being. When you know the truth, you are a new-born person. Knowing is changing. And changing means, you got to return all the belonging to the company.
We didn't mean to go to sea.
If there is a storm, and there isn't anything to stop you from going to sea, what would you do? Especially when you aren't prepared for that, you can't be panic all the time. There isn't time. Sorry, no time. The only thing you got to do is, go to the sea with your little boat. You can have your ship, of course. Call me insane, I always dreamed of that, of having in the being left-without-any-help situation. I think I would feel damn great to witness the timely challenge that rolls on in front of me. Don't give the stupid dolphin wizard. I don't need correct answer though.
I just got back from the sea. It was a nice break. But work makes me feel guilty because it was left behind. I mean it. We went, and we're back into normal. The life we called it, reality.
We went to the sea, I mean it.
A Malaysian Family in Japan
Friday, May 28, 2004
Came across a site in Malay by the word Japan under Malaysian category. Here is the link, for personal record.
Fendi Family: A Family from Japan.
The site is written in Malay by the wife. The popup of ad is a bit distracting, but the content is nice to read.
I have not really check out how many Malaysian who live nearby Tokyo. I guess when the need is there, I will be doing it soon.
I don't know, I never feel the need to check it out at the Malaysian Embassy, as I don't know what kind of help they really can offer other than diplomatic administration. Perhaps I feel odd to been asked, what language do yo speak to your kids? You mean you don't speak your mother tongue to them? My goodness. Oh lord.
Where Has All the English Books Gone to, I Wonder
Monday, May 31, 2004
I have spent almost a day on the net to find a French movie and an English book, both are not new release. And it was a surprise that basically only Amazon Japan has the information and not other sites. Perhaps old titles are still in the analog world, so the possibility to find it on the net (in Japanese) is still rare.
For the book, actually it was We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome. I don't have credit card issued in Japan, so I don't buy books from the net. Well, except for softwares and other things, I use my Malaysian credit card.
So, I was wondering.
If this country allows the kids to have more chances to expose to foreign books, the kids might not be able to read it, but I think kids can just read it, and the foreign language skills might be improved as well. If there is more exposure of foreign language books around, and if the kids find it interesting, I don't see why they won't go for it.
In fact, I read quite many English books when I was in my secondary school. I would copy each word out of the novel, wrote in down on my notebook and looked for the meaning. Though my vocabulary didn't seem to improve at all, but I think in some way, it helped me to pick up the rhythm of English sentences. Yes, I know, it doesn't sound convincing, but I think it helped me in some way.
How I wished I am in England and just buy books! And if possible, visit some of the printing factories to see how they print books. If I really want to do so, I think I got to do it fast. Digital publishing world has made the craftmen disappearing from the analog printing world, I think.