Big earthquake hits Iwate/Miyagi

post from Japan Probe on 13 June 2008 08:11:10 PM. © Japan Probe

There was just a strong earthquake in Northern Japan (6-upper on the Japanese scale, 6.9 on the Richter scale):Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures appear to have been hit the hardest. Not a lot of information is available at this time, but judging by how this quake is as strong as the one that hit Niigata [...]

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Japan Photo of the Week: Just a Little Bit More

post from Japan Probe on 13 June 2008 08:09:18 PM. © Japan Probe

I was atop Mount Misen, on the island of Miyajima, when I found this boy who really wanted to use the binoculars. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t realize that he just wasn’t tall enough.When he pulled them down towards him, all he could see was the sky, but if he pointed out towards the [...]

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Siegfried & Roy To Debut New Tiger Cubs at The
Mirage

post from Las Vegas Logue on 13 June 2008 07:33:47 PM. © Las Vegas Logue

Earlier this week, The Mirage welcomed some new residents to the resort — six-week-old white, white-striped and golden tiger cubs. The cubs will be part of Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat attraction and the public will get its first chance to see them starting today, June 13th, 2008, which is also Siegfried’s [...]

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-the-mirage.html

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Takeru Kobayashis Canadian lottery commercial

post from Japan Probe on 13 June 2008 05:58:15 PM. © Japan Probe

Professional eater Takeru Kobayashi recently made a commercial for Western Canada Lotteries:[via EatFeats]

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Tabloid report: Japan number two says Obama wont
win due to race

post from Japan Probe on 13 June 2008 05:53:17 PM. © Japan Probe

The Associated Press is reporting that a Japanese weekly tabloid has an article claiming that a top LDP politician doesn’t think that Americans will vote for Obama:The Shukan Bunshun weekly quoted chief cabinet secretary Nobutaka Machimura as saying, “No matter what it looks like, the United States is a very conservative country.”“Obama is black and [...]

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Weird Cucumber Leaf

post from Japan Probe on 13 June 2008 05:41:01 PM. © Japan Probe

I don’t know much about cucumber plants, but since NTV thought this cucumber in Tottori was strange enough to report about, it must be rare:

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Memory Lane

post from Ferroever on 13 June 2008 05:38:00 PM. © Ferroever

Malaysia - Right! Now Where's The Airport?
I thought I was going to hit the sack but then I got perspired to write about life. I'm not sure why I am so addicted to writing about life; I mean, I've been doing this since 2004 via blogging, but before that I had a page at http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/807ed/
which is what really got me started. And I just can't stop this damn digital diary.
Part of the reason why I write is because I know that folks enjoy this blog; just like I enjoy other blogs that I pop into each day, because I love keeping up with the real life going on with certain friends, who are doing it, thinking it, living it.
So now, here I am, in lieu of settling down to read about the end of the world, instead taking a peek at my old website, the photos on it and well, memories have been stirred, and along with such memories, fine, fine stories to be told.
The year is 2004. August 30th. Kuala Lumpar. Malaysia.
I am en route back to Japan from my second trip to South Africa.
I had a 16 hour stopover in KL, a city I know well; so well that some people in train stations and the airport recognise me when I sweep through.

On the plane from Cape Town a dashing Malay flight attendant fell in love with me.
"How come you are still single at the age of 35", he queried.
"I live in Japan. That's why"
"Come and live with me in KL", he said
"But I work in Japan, I can't do that right now"
Anyway, he brought me a bottle of champagne from First Class, a First Class goody bag and uh, we ended up snogging at the back of the plane, with me taking his number so that I could meet him in KL later that day, cos, like, I had 16 hours to kill.

Upon arrival at the airport, I took the bus and train to downtown KL and checked into the Malaysia Hotel. It was dead cheap, like $15, but I still haggled cos it was 8am and I would be checking out at 10pm, but alas, I ended up having to pay the $15.
I'd been in Africa for 7 weeks and I was gagging for some Asian style noodles so I went out onto the early morning streets to find a cheap restaurant.
I sat down, ordered and then dug in, all the time looking around me and smiling at people cos I was so happy to be having such great, stimulating food again, in a hot, muggy, exotic climate.

Upon leaving, I turned to take a pic of the restaurant and this caught the attention of a patron who was getting into his car. He turned to me and asked, "Are you Italian?"
"No, I'm British but I live in Japan"
"Do you want to have lunch with me today"
"Sure"
Long story short, by 1pm I was being driven to KL's best dim sum restaurant in the back of a limousine that had the Malay flag flying from it's bonnet.
Turned out that the man enjoying noodles at the cheap street eatery was a member of the Malaysian Senate.
My grandfather had died a few months earlier so over dim sum I started crying whilst telling this kind man about my grandfather. Mr Datuk, which means 'Sir', I mean, this guy was VIP, was sooooooooooo sweet to me.
He told me that he had never been married and so was able to legitimately flirt with flight attendants whenever he travelled but that they never believed that he was one of 5 members of the Malay senate who were still bacholors, and so was never successful at scoring a date. I mean, this man was very, very genuine.
Not that he came on to me. Far from it. He just enjoyed the company and loved the fact that I had so freely accepted his offer of lunch. I mean, we spoke like old friends from the start, such was our feeling in each others company.
After lunch Datuk took me to a private bar in the Hilton Hotel full of rich Arabs. We sat in two big armchairs, a bottle of wine on the table in front of us, a view of KL's biggest skyscrapers ahead.
"See those two skyscrapers?", he quipped
"They are mine. You are very welcome to stay in the penthouse suite whenever you transit through KL"
He then offered his chauffeur to me to take me back to the airport but as I had learned that he was being driven to Singapore that night, I declined his kind offer and instead said that I'd go and get a couple more massage sessions Malaysia - Just Try To Relax! before boarding my midnight flight back to Japan. Tee hee. The folks in the pic are laughing cos I was giggling so much because my feet are so ticklish.
Boy oh boy, what a great afternoon and early evening was had.
And we are still in touch.
Cool huh.
Anyway, after saying goodbye to Datuk, I went for a walk and bumped into this American guy.

We had a beer and then I went for my third massage of the day.
Wow. That was my best stopover ever.

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Serendipity in Phnom Penh

Just 30 minutes ago, I was taking a walk along the main boulevard of the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. They call it the Sisowath Quay. Darkness has embraced the riverside and the few lights that light the park infront of the spectacular Royal Palace doesn't give enough illumination to the walk beside the Tonle Sap (the "Great River" that joins the Mekong).

I was conscious of the long row of flags lining the riverside. Flags from all over the world, waving on Khmer winds. The whole row must have more than a hundred flags. A blind old busker is beating his drum, singing...chanting a dissonant "song" that seems to come from some distant land. I sat there watching people walk by. Beggars asking for spare change. Tuktuk drivers offering their rides. A tall Khmer woman repeatedly walking past me, singing her own song. She was lost in her own world, insight has obviously escaped her. The wind was blowing against my hair. I decided to sit facing the river. When I looked up beside me, there it was! A hymn running inside my head. Flapping proudly against the Khmer winds, the Philippine flag was standing beside where I was seated. Wow. sniff!

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Weekend on tap: Summerstage, Tony Awards, Mets

post from NewYorkology: A Free New York Travel Guide on 13 June 2008 05:21:44 PM. © NewYorkology: A Free New York Travel Guide

There are several free summer concerts this weekend, the Mets are at Shea, there's an Atlantic Tunnel tour on Sunday -- and the Tonys. The colors on the Empire State Building will be white all weekend. For ongoing events and...

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nd_on_tap_25.php

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