I was last seen 5 months ago in Los Angeles, .
Nov 062008
 

Hello from Busan, South Korea!

I can now claim (with relative confidence) the ability to read the full Korean alphabet…albeit very very slowly 😉

I have to say, Hangul truly does live up to its reputation as one of the most ingeniously designed alphabets out there. And I say “designed” because unlike most of the world’s scripts, which changed and developed over many generations, Hangul was actually invented at a fixed point in time: 1446. Its structure is based on how the Korean syllables are constructed from vowels & consonants, and graphically designed after the physical shape that the speech organs make to produce the various sounds. It’s really really clever. Which is one of the reasons it’s so easy to learn. Continue reading »

Nov 012008
 

Note: This entry was originally posted on November 18th, but I moved it back to fit the chronology of events.


Halloween this year was magnificent. I’m so glad Peder convinced me to stay and do it in Kansai rather than leave a few days earlier for Korea. It was without a doubt the right decision.

So I’ll bet you’re all wondering what weird costume the two guys who go out in top hats and bunny ears for no particular reason dressed up as on the day when everyone dresses up?

Fairies. 3 year-old fairies.
Continue reading »

Oct 292008
 

What the hell is this? Are you serious? 90 yen to the dollar?

Give me a freakin’ break.


I’ve officially moved out of my Kyoto apartment and am once again living out of a backpack.

For the next week I’ll be staying with various friends around Kyoto and Osaka until Peder and I catch our boat to Korea on the evening of November 3rd. I’ll remain in Seoul for roughly two weeks, making my way over to China sometime around the 18th. Continue reading »

Oct 202008
 

As I’ve mentioned once or twice in the past, whenever I have an interesting little experience or observation I like to jot down a short personal note so I can come back and blog about it whenever time permits.

For well over a year now I’ve maintained such a document, whittling away at it about as quickly as I add. It’s the document that results in posts like this one in Brazil, or this one in Egypt.

Here are a couple notes that’ve been lingering ever since last time I was living in Japan: Continue reading »

Oct 172008
 

After Tokyo Game Show concluded, it became a fairly standard trip to Tokyo – which is to say, “freaking awesome.” By total coincidence TGS fell on the front end of a three-day weekend, so a whole group of friends were available to hang out: JingJing, Matt (from Osaka), Herbert and George (two super-cool Tokyoites we met out on Kiyamachi a few weekends earlier), Kitti (a former coworker, who was nice enough to put me up in his place), Andy (another former coworker), and a pile of new friends we met while out on the town.
Continue reading »

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