Reverse Culture Talk

This article is from 2007 but I read it again today and I think I identified with more list items this time around. Feel free to hazard a guess or add to the list.... ; )

Click on the title of this post or copy and paste to go here:

http://i.gadling.com/2007/09/18/big-in-japan-33-reasons-why-youve-been-in-japan-too-long/

(And don't forget to go to part 2 after finishing!)

Human Crayons

I was teaching a group of older ladies the other day and I asked, "What is the most significant news event of your lifetime?", in the context of new stories like the J.F.K. assassination, 9/11, etc. One of the less talkative students misunderstood slightly, and answered, "The death of my husband." I told her I thought that was a great answer and thanked her for it. Then I explained that I was referring to world news stories, and that I wanted to know how one particular event had impacted her individually. She still didn't get my meaning so she continued on the same track, saying, "Life has no color anymore."

Wow. Such a poignant statement from one with such a limited vocabulary, let alone grasp of the language itself.

iPhone Blogging on the Train about Nothing

Ian thinks I should blog and he's probably right. 2009: Yeah I pretty much hate you. Good riddance. Happy new year everyone! Going to Costco now to buy cheese.

Happy New Year, Part 1

Hello all. I just got back from my winter vacation travels and thought I would pay a visit to my long-neglected blog. I traveled to Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. It was a long, good, interesting trip, but not without some hardships. The most notable being my New Years Eve and New Years Day. Intense pain prompted a trip to a dentist in Taiwan, and then another, and then another (all in the same day).



In the end I was told that I needed immediate oral surgery at a hospital. I had to have two wisdom teeth removed, and since the bottom one had three curved roots, they had to cut my gums. Needless to say it wasn't pleasant, and it took about an hour and a half. After the anesthesia wore off I felt what I think might be the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. And this all happened right in the middle of my vacation. Doh! So I took a lot of medicine and lost a bit of weight since I couldn't stand to eat much, but I did my best to keep moving. Now that I am back home and have slept a lot and spent some quality sofa-time, I am doing much better. Yay.

Aside from all that, though, it really was a great trip. I don't want to try to put it all in one entry, but I will talk about Malaysia a wee bit and leave the rest for later.

My favorite memory from Malaysia was from the Batu Caves. This is a large cavern with a large statue and a large community of monkeys, one of which swiped my can of juice and drank it right in front of us as if to say "What are you going to do about it?" He then waited for us to leave so he could throw the empty can at our heads. Classic. I almost bought another juice to try to repeat it and get it on video. But I resisted the temptation, partly because I was able to get a picture of the symian in question in the act.









And of course the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur were really beautiful.



I also really enjoyed the friendliness of the people in the laid-back historical small-town of Malacca. I sang at a bar and took two rides in a trishaw (bicycle taxi). Note: when choosing a bicycle taxi driver, look for youth and strong legs.





















Okay, I think I will leave it there for now. Next time I will tell more about Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Hopefully someone still checks this blog once in a while... ; )