all i want for x-mas is . . . .

. . . . a retail DNA test. ever wondered what makes you, YOU? me neither. but after seeing this, i did! for the bargain price of just $4oo, you can GATTACA yourself up! woo hoo!
. . . nano solar panels. these are not your dad's bulky-ass solar panels. these are light weight, flexible, durable, and affordable! save the planet in style!


. . . . . the Aptera electric car. Accelerates quickly, has the longest battery life so far, and looks like a space ship! screw gas!


you know, just in case you were stuck on what to get me . . . .

Without the benefit of photoshop to reduce and edit my photos, i am finding that my blog is starting to look a lot like Hiroshi's . . . .

Obama may be Time's Man of the Year but this dude, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, gets my vote. He is doing what many of us WANT to do but don't have the aim to do. good for you dude!


for those of you interested in improving your aim, you can play the throw-your-shoes-at-Bush game! get a high score and see your name in the ranks!

halloween came a little later this year . . .


this could be the creepiest picture of michael jackson yet!

and finally, to get you in that holiday spirit, see the Black Dynamite trailer! He's super cool and he knows kung-fu!

ah, the joys the holidays bring . . .

Things that Suck and Things that Rock

Sucks: your hard drive dies. all your data is lost. all your programs are gone. you can't work. you can't blog. you can't do ANYTHING cuz you suddenly realize that your whole life revolves around your damn computer. even people who barely touch a computer say to you, "didn't you back your stuff up?"

Rocks: computer gets a new HD free under the apple care warranty. you sister uses her shady computer contacts to try to extract your data. hope returns.

Sucks: grandma is really sick again.

Rocks: grandpa isn't bringing home much trash since his back went out. at least no more human heads.

Sucks: flagrantly open racism/sexism/discrimination. (When did this become OK again? and why is it everywhere?) hunting for bushmeat. anything to do with the Hills or anyone on or associated with that show (it's not even ON in japan! let it go dudes). paris hilton. john mayer.

Rocks: youtube. love it, love it, love it! faves so far:
the Bouncy Balls from Sony (NOT CGI! its amazing)
the Paint Bombs from Sony (also NOT CGI)
Indian Thriller
Papa Lazarou from League of Gentlemen


Remember kids, be quiet in the library!

What i'm reading now . . .

this article had me in stitches:

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME KICKS HIS OWN ASS!!

anonymous anger:

#@*!!! Anonymous anger rampant on Internet

just finished Kite Runner and cried my eyes out reading it (which seriously hasn't happened in a long time). i definitely recommend it; it's a fantastic book.

i'm currently reading Wild Swans about 3 generations of women in China. the bulk of it is about communist China. scary shit in there!

and just the other day, i saw this on the news:

Cosmetic surgery addict injected cooking oil into her own face

now THAT is fuckt.

Day trip to Kawagoe

needed a change of scenery so i put my lazy bum on a trip up to Kawagoe, or Little Edo as they like to call it.

First stop was Kita-In Temple:



put your money in, gong the bell, clap twice, and pray:


stone lanterns leading up to the graves of some (probably) very important folks (i really gotta improve my japanese!):



the 500 stone buddhas. i didn't realize you had to PAY to get in. there was no one at the gate and there was no place to put your money. i just thought it was free. oops.




this guy looked freaky!



my favorite one: the nose picking buddha:




a smaller temple on the same grounds:


there was this big chrysanthamum/mum festival thing going on. i clicked a few photos of the ones i thought were very cool looking:




they don't have to be all fancy. i like regular flowers too:



a very short walk from Kita-In temple is Naritan Betsu-In temple:



on to main street! the architechture of old school tokyo is still in tact here:


the symbol of Kawagoe: Toki no Kane (the bello tower):


a quick look at Hikawa shrine. i love these lanterns:



Stay out of the damn water!

ah, but it looks so peaceful!



kawagoe is all about the bright purple sweet potato. check out these yummy steamed buns!


that is one big purple potato:


kashiya yokocho (or candy/snack alley):


i love these bobbley head things! this one was my favorite:



hope the bench doesn't break!


i love the architecture!


and now for something completely different, a walk down Taisho Roman street:


a long exhausting walk but a good day out of the hustle and bustle of tokyo. i was sad to see that a lot of the little japanesey shops that sold paper goods and toys and other old school stuff have out there have closed. the bad economy is taking its toll . . .