17 Mar On Journeys Through the Australian States
Time passed writing about passing time in an airport coffee shop...
16 Mar The 108 Steps of Perfection
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PycZtfns_U Karate, kata, perfect form and perfectionism in Japan At the age of seven, the result of an I don’t know from where interest in Japan, I began learning karate, lessons undertaken at my own insistence, my mother’s weary acquiescence. Perhaps she sensed that it would be...
14 Mar Buddha Bob Munden
Bob Munden is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest man with a gun who has ever lived, and we're not talking about a 4x100 metre relay with gun in hand. Of the eighteen world records you can hold in fast draw...
04 Jan The Language of Humility
Honorifics and keigo in Japan—the language of politeness Different from the major Western languages, and a further refinement of the systems used in other Asian languages, Japanese has an extensive, complicated system of honorifics—keigo—to explicitly express politeness, humility and formality. Relationships are seldom equal in Japan, and...
03 Jan Fear has four legs and walks in circles
Rhino attack drill at Tokyo Zoo Fear has four legs, walks in circles and is covered in paper and glue in Tokyo, Japan. But is Japanese nonetheless, following the direction of public signs and never moving faster than a brisk walk. Should you meet Fear—say on an...
06 Dec Muppet-hand drive
Muppet makes German police look like one Muppets. Beloved children’s television puppets of the late 70’s, and slang for a grown up person who resembles one. Both definitions are true in Germany, where police have had the fur pulled over their eyes and their speed...
04 Dec Ninja in the Woods
While I certainly remember being so bored at High School that the imaginary was a sole relief, and really did once see a student running on the roof, convinced she was a cat and chased by teachers, students in Barnegat, New Jersey went completely off...