• Long Walk Down a Longer Road

    Long Walk Down a Longer Road

    Peder and I left our pousada in Trancoso and started out for our day’s 30 km walk at around 11am. The plan was to follow the coast all the way to Arraial d’Ajuda, a neighboring […]

  • Bushido and Jump-Rope (VIDEO)

    Bushido and Jump-Rope (VIDEO)

    “They are an intriguing people. From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such discipline.” -The Last Samurai. Seeing that fantastic archery demonstration the […]

  • Mostar

    Mostar

    Although I’d suspect that most people have never even heard the name “Mostar,” a relatively small town in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia-Herzegovina, it turned to be one of the most intriguing places I’ve ever […]

  • Magnificent Petra

    Magnificent Petra

    At long last, I made it to Petra. Petra is a place that’s intrigued me since before I even knew its name – since I first saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as a […]

  • A Different World

    A Different World

    Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to announce that this post officially marks the first time in almost two years that I’m actually writing about the country I’m in! Welcome, at long last, to Cambodia 😀

  • KaZantip 2011: Black Sea Paradise

    KaZantip 2011: Black Sea Paradise

    Warning: This post contains a few NSFW photos. View only in good company 🙂 The Republic of KaZantip, the legendary Eastern European Shangri La of parties, lasts for just one month a year in a […]

I was last seen 5 months ago in Los Angeles, .

The Grand Canyon, Part 1

 Public, USA  4 Responses »
Aug 052006
 
My dad and I at the Grand Canyon, 1983 (age 1) My dad and I at the Grand Canyon, 1983 (age 1)

One of my life’s first vacations was a trip to the Grand Canyon in September of 1983. I was just over a year old, riding comfortably on my dad’s back with a granola bar in my hand. The story of that granola bar is perhaps the most frequently told from my entire childhood – I’d grown so attached to it that whenever I dozed off I’d wake up in a panic if it had been lost. Thankfully, my parents were always there to retrieve it so that I could resume my sightseeing with confidence.

Don’t ever say I was spoiled.

My dad and I at the Grand Canyon, 2006 (age 24) My dad and I at the Grand Canyon, 2006 (age 24)

With two months to kill while waiting for the approval of my Japanese Work Visa, I thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit my roots with another trip to the bottom of the canyon.

So at 7:30am on July 15th, Nick, my dad and I started the 7-hour drive from Los Angeles to Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
Continue reading »

Killin’ Time

 Public, USA  3 Responses »
Aug 022006
 
Since I’ll soon be returning to Japan, and will no doubt have countless Kyoto shots to populate these posts, I’m going with a slightly different photo scheme this time: Random pictures from my other international adventures. First up is Chichen Itza, Mexico. Since I’ll soon be returning to Japan, and will no doubt have countless Kyoto shots to populate these posts, I’m going with a slightly different photo scheme this time: Random pictures from my other international adventures. First up is Chichen Itza, Mexico.

Well, these past two months without a single blog post have marked my longest run of silence since I started this page way back in 2004. Part of the reason is that I didn’t want to reveal anything about my new job until it was 100% in the bag. But perhaps a larger part is the fact that my life hadn’t been particularly interesting; just lots of studying and work-related efforts.

A beautiful little town called Werfen, nestled in the Austrian Alps. A beautiful little town called Werfen, nestled in the Austrian Alps.

Once the job was all locked up, however, a question arose: what should I do until it actually starts? Even outside of the usual time killers (programming for Dean, working out, spending time with friends and relatives, etc) I’d have nearly two months free until my departure.
Continue reading »

Dare to Dream

 Public, USA  20 Responses »
Jul 212006
 
The rock garden at Ninnaji The rock garden at Ninnaji

Somewhere around six months ago, I was sitting in my apartment talking on the phone with my mom. From just outside my window I could hear Buddhist monks chanting at Ninnaji, an enormous wooden temple that’s stood in the same spot since its founding in the year 888. It was a beautiful sunny day in Kyoto, and the last of the bright red fall colors were slowly making their way onto the earth below. There was nowhere else in the world I’d rather be.

Nintendo’s corporate headquarters in Kyoto. It’s not the most elaborate sign…but hey, does a company like Nintendo really need to advertise their presense? Nintendo’s corporate headquarters in Kyoto. It’s not the most elaborate sign…but hey, does a company like Nintendo really need to advertise their presense?

“Mom, I don’t know what to do. My dream has always been to work as a video game developer, and I’ve geared my whole education towards that goal. But now here I am, loving life in Kyoto so much that I just don’t want to go back to the US. It would be an incredible waste to throw away all of that education and stay in Japan as an English teacher…but…I just don’t want to go back…”

“Well, if your dream is to be a video game developer in Kyoto, envision it happening. Believe it’ll happen. If you want it bad enough, you’ll make it come true.”
Continue reading »

E3 2006 (VIDEO)

 Public, USA  5 Responses »
May 132006
 
The front of the convention center readies for the first day of E3 2006. The front of the convention center readies for the first day of E3 2006.

E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is the video game industry’s biggest event of the year, worldwide. It takes place right here in my little hometown of Los Angeles, California.

Upon hearing this, one might think “Pshh, a video game convention. Big freakin’ deal.”

WELL IT IS! 🙂

The games themselves are presented on two-story tall televisions, THX sound systems, often with floor actuators to literally shake the room when something explodes. I’ve spent quite a few posts trying to express the insanity of some of Tokyo’s districts. Well, just imagine taking all of Tokyo…and cramming it inside the LA Convention Center. That’s about how E3 feels (I wouldn’t be surprised if a single E3 costs about as much to put on as Tokyo cost to build).

How INSANE is this! How INSANE is this!

But even aside from the games, E3 is chocked full of movie stars, pro athletes, and playboy bunnies. This year I kicked off the convention by parking my car as the US army parachuted down Pico Blvd and landed right in the middle of Downtown, LA. Soon after I was watching Tony Hawk on a halfpipe and live music accompanied by some fire-breathing performers. E3 is, to put it simply, awesome.

To give you a better idea, here’s a video I clipped together after the conference.
Continue reading »

Fashion and Programming

 Public, USA  8 Responses »
May 052006
 
This is what happens when Justin tries to get artistic with his camera. Front-to-back: Jeff, Noz, and Shahin…three of my oldest and closest friends. This is what happens when Justin tries to get artistic with his camera. Front-to-back: Jeff, Noz, and Shahin…three of my oldest and closest friends.

First off, congratulations to Jeff…one of my best friends in the world just popped the question and she said yes. It’s a bit scary to think that my friends are already starting to get married, but then, we all knew Jeff would be the first to go 😉

His wedding is set for August 2007. Count me in, buddy.

New York Public Library at dusk New York Public Library at dusk

For those of you long-time readers, you may recall awhile back when my “friends” decided to leave me some constructive criticism regarding my wardrobe. I admit, such teasings came with good cause. I probably haven’t gone clothes shopping in over three years.
Continue reading »

1 2 … 115 116 117 118 119 … 143 144
Contact | Terms & Privacy
©2004-2026 Justin Klein 		whos online
Feedburner 		HTML5 Valid
04-30-2026 10:17:12UTC 0.31s 65q 29.14MB