bigstick-freshturd-hotday

almost there....

2009-09-30T20:26:00.005+09:30

I love ch3rry boys

2009-09-05T19:49:00.003+09:30

though im more of a TDM (team death match) this new mw2 multiplayer footage looks sw33t....chk out the joy right at the end

\m/^.^\m/

W00t W00t

2009-07-28T20:07:00.004+09:30

I'm dreaming of a RED Christmas

2009-07-24T13:18:00.004+09:30

If you're a filmmaker you'll know what this means to the filmaking community.
If you dont then shame on you and get yourself over here www.red.com

SWEET

This one says it all

2009-07-19T00:08:00.000+09:30

A letter to my students

2009-07-17T13:28:00.005+09:30

picture by "Adrian Koh"

I was talking to a friend the other day. She was in a bit of strife as she had just been "laid" off and she couldnt seem to find another job. She had been working as a data entry proccessor in a big international firm. I asked her if she really wanted to work in data-entry for the rest of her life. She said "no" She had studied international commerce at university. So i asked her why she didn't get a job related to her studies? Apparently she was never really interested in international studies. So why did she study a course that she had no interest in? What did she really want to do?
"I really wanted to study jewellry design, but the entry requirements were to difficult so I chose international commerce" was her reply.

How often and how many of us have so easily given up on our dreams? That is, the few of us who are lucky enough to have dreams.

I know a sad few that don't even know what they want in life.
Those that go through life day-by-day going to work, earning-a-buck, going home, eat, sleep, shit...maybe go on the occasional holiday...is this life?

Granted, it takes a certain amount of courage to decide to live this kind of exsistance...but think about this...
dont we all owe to ourselves to live out our life to it's fullest? To be the best at something we love to do?

Life is like a game...there are players and there are spectators.

Spectators, dont have much to lose. they risk nothing, sit in the stands they cheer, criticise and all-in-all they just make alot of noise without contributing much to the game. Many times in life we will encounter spectators who will either try to put us down or cheer us on...but never willing to really really show up when the time comes...we all know spectators in our life. They may be the ones we work with, family members, friends...etc

Players, work hard and train themselves for the big game. They dedicate themselves for that one moment, that one game so they can have the oppurtunity to have their team win. They are willing to risk everything for that one moment.
Yes , there will always b one team that wins and one that doesn't...but im sure all players on both teams will have worked hard and given their 100%. For many a player it is just a question of how badly they want to win and if they are willing to face the many obstacles in their way. Did they let the "bullshit" excuses of life get in their way of their goal?

I was once a teacher. I have to admit I was probably not a very good teacher. I was never trained to be a teacher and the college that hired me probably wanted me more for my "piece of paper" than for my skills or lack thereof. I dont know what contribution I ever made to my students but this is the contribution that I can make to them now.

" Find your dream and go for it with everything you got. Sure , you need to do the stuff you hate to survive but you do it because you know it will bring you closer to what you really want to do. Life's short, be player in your own life, not someone elses life. Don't give up"

Dearest students,

if i ever offended or hurt any of you during my time as your teacher I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart apologise to you and humbly beg your forgiveness.

your ex-teacher, now filmaker

JH

It's a long way to the top (if u want to Rock and Roll)

2009-07-04T17:37:00.008+09:30

Dear readers pls GUESS the SCENARIO that accompanies the following pics:

The truth will b revealed soon...

A time to give thanks

2009-06-09T16:04:00.006+09:30

OMFG!!!! Modern Warfare 2

2009-05-26T06:58:00.008+09:30

christmas has come early for me this year.

http://modernwarfare2.infinityward.com/

MSY technology - Would sir care for some lemons...?

2009-05-20T14:41:00.015+09:30

it's sad sometimes when one loses a friend/acquantance. Just imagine...you knew this person...and though sometimes they were rude and couldnt really careless about you unless it was of benefit to them you still dealt with them as you also gained some benefit from dealing with them....such is the case today.

I love computers. I love building and upgrading computers. Not only my own beloved machines but i love helping friends build and upgrade their machines....that being said i buy alot of computer components, which sadly brings me to todays events...

...which can be read in this letter of complaint.

the damaged heatsink

...and warped...clearly this item has been used before i bought it...

proof of purchase

what can i say...but y the hell would i want to damage merchandise that i bought for my own use and then waste time driving back and forth from my residence to the store just to get a refund or replacement?... it's a sorry state of affairs when we live in a developed nation and we have to deal with third-world mentality...we should should b more careful...and i definitely won't be going to MSY technology in north Plympton ever again.

update 21-05-09

looks like im not alone. I just found out about this review website. You read more about MSY technology here

Thats no moon...its a space station

2009-05-13T18:18:00.004+09:30

It's that time of the year for computer upgrades. Though the time of the yr doesnt really stop me from a pc upgrade i picked up this Gigabyte gtx 275 yesterday on the back of the new "modern warfare 2" video.

This excellent card replaces my trusty XfX 8800gt xxx edition that has served me well for the last 2 years and which will be serving its remaining yrs in my new edit suite which i will be building in the next few days.

The gtx 275 is supposed to give near performance levels to the gtx 285, even more so if u overclock. But look at the size of this beast when compared to the 8800gt.

Gtx 275 on top is slightly longer than the and 8800gt at the bottom

Gtx 275 on the left and 8800gt on the right. 8800gt looks kinda anorexic in comparison. Cant wait for modern warfare 2...run nOObs

Malice and Stupidity

2009-03-27T15:09:00.003+10:30

Was in K-mart Kurralta park today.

When proceeded to chk out were 3 counters open. 1 counter was a express lane and had the longest queue. The other 2 counters had no-organised queue. Just a herd of people waiting so i went up and asked a plump, caucassion, bogan female at the front of the herd, which counter she was queuing for, her reply...."i'm in both queues" ... at that time i remembered an appropriate saying

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."

i joined the express lane.

Toilets of the world unite...

2009-02-23T19:08:00.005+10:30

Came across this quirky little article whilst on holiday.

On the very same day in a public toilet in Kuala Lumpur, i came across another quirky little article.

I don't know what he means by a "world-class" city or what world he is refering to. Maybe it is "The Planet of the apes"

The Standby Assassin Ep1

2009-02-21T14:27:00.007+10:30

My finger on the trigger I whisper to myself

a. Stumpy
b. Malaysian-Taxi driver
c. Nigerian internet scammer
d. Gold Digging Whore
e. All of the above

disclaimer : "the standby assassin" is a work of fiction. All characters and persons mentioned are works of fiction. Any resembelence to persons living or deceased is purely coincidental.

My worst game ever

2008-12-07T15:28:00.004+10:30

6:1 KDR (kill death ratio)

This probably means nothing to the general public and only really concerns the 103 that died by my hands. To them this might sound familiar :

"OMG my worst game ever"

Little Tokyo

2008-11-25T15:04:00.005+10:30

Modified some of the pictures i took whilst in Tokyo so that they look liek little models. Do they look like models that Godzilla would trash?

click on pics to enlarge

Free-Binta film company

2008-11-02T15:16:00.004+10:30

its official...im finally a registered business in australia. with the gearing up of my 1st feature film to start production next yr. i have registered a business so that all expenses, profits and so-on can be handled with the minimum of fuss....like i said to my producer, im becoming more so a business person than artist.

I got the name free-binta from the good ole "tokyo Milk babys" (see below) of which the lead singer is always holding a free-binta sign.

what does "free-binta" mean?

binta : slap in the face
free: i'll give to you for absolutely no monotary cost

"Free-Binta" anyone want one? take a number, get to the back of the queue.

tokyo milk babys

2008-11-02T14:25:00.003+10:30

sometime early this yr (which seems like such a long time ago) whilst wondering aimlessly in shinjuku i came across this public performance by the "tokyo milk babys"
If i wasnt such a gaijin i'd understand what they were actually singing about, but they say say music transcends all and the energy and fun of the "tokyo milk babys" certainly did just that. A mixture between performance art and rock+roll the underlying subversivness of the whole spectacle is one not to be missed.

you can find out more about "tokyo milk babys" here http://sound.jp/0720/

The death of excellence

2008-09-22T19:01:00.004+09:30

When we settle for poor service and an equally poor product, we give others the permission to perform below excellence.

Which brings me to the review if Bazu Szechuan Chinese Restaurant.
On arrival i was "welcomed" by the rudest and most arrogant manager i have ever met. A few grunts were that he could muster on arrival. The staff were equally grumpy and unprofessional.

The food was very very average. the vegetarian dumpling was mostly dough with little inside.

Pumpkin porridge...featuring the new genetic-enhanced-invisible-pumpkin from china

All i can say is that i will definitely NOT b recommending this place to any1. I can understand that folks from china would frequent this place if they were homesick for being treated like shit. Frankly, if u want to run a business in a service orientated economy then learn how to serve or face going out of business.

You can find Bazu restaurant somewhere in adelaide...

Dummies and Idiots ptII

2008-08-24T00:30:00.003+09:30

this is the "almost-final" piece for "dummies and idiots" there's no audio yet and i'd like to put in more 3d stuff in 1 scene (i wont say which scene) But other than that, thats how most of the short film goes. I originally posted this up onto youtube to see if increasing the bit-rate would improve the picture quality...seems to b a bit better from the last video i uploaded....what do u think?

Dummies and Idiots

2008-08-14T18:56:00.005+09:30

Havnt been posting much as ive been focusing on my short film "Dummies and Idiots"
After a slew of pre-production and production issues (way to many for such a short film) production is over and i'm almost done with post-production. Here are some stills. Stay tuned for more.

Do it at home...pt2

2008-08-04T16:20:00.004+09:30

new game..."Guess where the above pics were taken"...no-prizes for the right answer.

Anatomy of otaku pt2

2008-07-10T17:28:00.006+09:30

Not really, this is a set ive been building for a short film that starts production tomorrow.
Will post more of the production stills etc in the comming days. I am now writer, producer, director, and set dresser... i really dont like having to do everything but luckily its only for a short film and not a full feature...stay tuned

Who is I....?

2008-07-02T11:00:00.007+09:30

hello dear reader(s). well, it's been a long time since my last post. There's been so much going on in the last 3 weeks or so. First of all, after many years of procrastination I have finally taken a step to bcoming a true brown aussie otaku....yes, much to the despair of some, ive taken the "dreaded" and "controversial" citizenship test.

This is the book that they sent out to me to help me familiarise myself with Australian "values" and "culture".

Needless to say, i really dont know what all the fuss was about. They give 45min to do 20 multiple choice questions. Took me 4min and 37secs. Yes, they have a timer to time you as you do the test. I can understand how folks who dont speak "the England talk good" might find it a bit difficult, but there was a Scottish family of 3 who went in b4 me and all 3 of them failed....but all-in-all it was a good day and fun was had by all.

After the test, which incedently upon questioning is valid forever, you can apply to be an Australian citizen simply by filling in the following form, where they will ask you various question for the sercurity of the nation.

Here's an interesting little footnote i found at the bottom of the page. I'm on my way to being a Australian citizen. Though I always belived I was a man(otaku) with no-home...a citizen of the world etc all i can say is "I still call Australia home."

This one always brings me to tears...

I love Tokyo...Otaku tour 07/08 video

2008-05-31T19:04:00.016+09:30

GIVEAWAY UPDATE

2008-05-29T15:38:00.006+09:30

And the lucky winner is...no-one. Since nobody bothered to put in that 1 last comment the toy goes on ebay and ill donate the proceeds to charity.

Here is what the giveaway actually was. Yes it looks nothing like the blured pic, but that was just to throw you off. Youd have received this excellent "Major Kusunagi" figure from "Ghost in the Shell" which is now highly sought after.
Well, dear readers...you've done a good thing as the proceeds will go to charity.

GIVEAWAY UPDATE

2008-05-29T15:38:00.005+09:30

Japanese Toy Giveaway

2008-05-21T15:13:00.009+09:30

Last years Otaku tour 07 was all about me and consumerism in Japan. This year I made Otaku 08 to b all about others. So 90% of my purchases in Japan this year were for friends and family. Of course I cant force anyone to accept the gifts that I had bought or obtained for them and therefore the start of this giveaway. So today is the first of possibly many giveaways that ill b holding.
It's a little toy/figure that i have purposely blured so as to keep it a surprise for the winner. It is brand new and still in its plastic wrap.

Winner u say...? Yes I will send the toy to the person who submits the 5th comment to this post. The comment can be on anything, but hatemail etc will b deleted. Reader(s) can post multiple times but not in a row.
The reader who submits the 5th comment can email their postal address to me at jonhohx@yahoo.com and I will send the item at no cost to them. The readers address will b kept in strict confidentiality and will b discarded immidiatly after the item has been sent. Giveaway will end a week from posting ie 28-05-08 then i will give it to charity.

Japanese wanted posters...then and now

2008-05-19T19:40:00.002+09:30

then...

and now...

Japanese schoolgirls and crepes

2008-05-18T00:44:00.003+09:30

What more can one ask for? Maybe Maids serving crepes.
:)

JAPAN Tower of Joy

2008-05-13T06:51:00.005+09:30

3 floors of PORN...I mean Stock footage of Adult erotica. Located in Akihabara AV factory (AV = audio/video) is 3 floors high and has a tonne of smut...i mean health related materials. A must visit when visitin Akihabara. Would u visit AVfactory if u were in japan?

Japanese "social club" ... for women

2008-05-10T17:34:00.003+09:30

same as below only for women. I think i prefer the choices below.

Japanese "social club"... for men

2008-05-10T16:15:00.004+09:30

Some of u may have heard of these kind of hostess clubs in Japan where lonely salarymen can go to meet and talk to young ladies. The salaryman will go to the club. Some may need to pay an enterance fee some dont charge. In these clubs girls will talk and flirt with salarymen and get them to buy drinks and generally spend money. I guess this is the the more "mature" version of a maid cafe.

There have been some recent "horror" stories of hostesses being stalked and murdered. In the new recently a Filipino Hostess was murdered and dismembered by one of her customers who was also her flatmate.
Also, the infamous case of the English language teacher (from the now defunct NOVA language school) who moonlighted nights as a hostess and was also found murdered and of which the killer is still at large.

Japan Idol Photoshoot

2008-05-06T16:42:00.004+09:30

Taken outside a dvd shop in Akihabara. This shop sells everything from Japanese to international titles and of course anime, and idol dvds. Pasted on the outside of the shop are pictures of idols and their dvd release date, and also a time and date where you can go to photograph the idol if you buy a dvd ...if i'm not mistaken.

Wall of idols

Close up...hmmm i choose Erina

Maid in blue

2008-05-03T15:45:00.004+09:30

I,m probably not as "otaku" as i say i am...but i sure like girls in maid uniform, especially like this one. She only ever made that one appearance in Akihabara and the Ive never seen her there again after that. Sadly i only have these 3 pics of her.

Japanese Road Vehicles

2008-05-02T18:44:00.004+09:30

Japanese police car - picture taken in Akihabara

Otaku scooter - Picture taken in Akihabara

Colourful Otaku mini van - picture taken outside new mandrake shop - Akihabara

Small scooter - Picture taken in Harajuku

Black Van for kidnapping Schoolgirls - Picture taken in Shibuya

Little Suzuki - picture taken in Yoyogi

Nameless vehicle - picture taken in Akihabara

Japanese Ambulance - picture taken in Akihabara

The ones I left behind...

2008-04-30T19:20:00.010+09:30

Back in Adelaide now. Whilst im really glad to have my internet connection back, I really miss Tokyo. It was really good and I met up with some really nice folks which i won't soon forget.

KEN さま the guy that looks like a movie star. Thanks for your hospitality and thanks to your family who brought us to all the yummy places to eat.

Chan Siew Fongさま Neko woman who showed us there is more to Kyoto than just a fox temple

Danny Chooさま Professional Otaku who showed me all the secret otaku places and a yummy lunch.

May u all b well and free from suffering

yummy, yummy, Ive got love in my tummy

2008-04-23T12:22:00.004+09:30

In malaysia now. After Tokyo's zippy Hakari wireless internet access malaysia's 512k wireless broadbank is super slow...if u can find an access point. Had to post this frm starbucks.

Was in penang for a few days. When im in penang I always go to this place. The "World Peace Cafe" formally know as "Secret Garden" Most Penangites dont know jack about food. But this place is excellent. Healthy fresh cooking。たべほだい buffet style at lunch for only RM8.90 so u can eat till u burst. They actually have fresh raw veges...a rare find from the normal penang fare of carbo and msg.

たべほだい。。。すごい！！！

Fresh green veges and brown rice!!!

Do not seek hapiness by causing unhapiness to others.

The "world peace cafe" can b found at

16 jalan Irrawadi. 10050 Penang. Tel: 604-2290852

わたしわあきはばらじんでね

2008-04-17T19:21:00.008+09:30

On my last day in Japan. Spent most of my last day in Akihabara after a really nice lunch with Danny Choo of Dannychoo.com Here are some of the pics of Akihabara I have been saving till now. I'll realy miss Akihabara but the best thing about leaving Akihabara is that I know I'll be back. I shall return!!! Akihabara:Otaku tour 2011

Next stop Malaysia...

Japan Under Attack!!!

2008-04-16T10:54:00.006+09:30

It seems people in Japan have been infected by a virus that turns them into mindless Zombies.

A train driver was infected by the virus that caused this delay. Heaps of Japanese folks waited for a train that never arrived.
Japan under attack!!!

"Go for future??!!" thats what got us in trouble...are the futurist correct??

Even nature has turned against technology

"oh God...why us...?...who will save us ?"

The military has been called in to deal with the Zombie threat.

Nooo...nuclear weapons are not the answe...

akihabara from above

2008-04-15T22:37:00.004+09:30

Taken from the 6th floor of the new "Mandrake" building in Akihabara

Looks like there will b a new buiding to visit next time im in Akihabara

MAIDS!!!!

new maid cafe=new maids

2008-04-14T00:32:00.006+09:30

There's a new maid cafe soon to b opening in Akihabara. There were 3 maids out and about Akihabara on Sunday handing out flyers. The one in blue was my fav. I found her to b some what adorable and took a on of pics just of her...i think it was her blue uniform and quite possibly her legs.

Pervert-cam view of the maid in blue

If i was still in Tokyo on the 25th i'd go to that maid cafe everyday just for her.

sweet

This is not Zen 4

2008-04-13T10:56:00.004+09:30

Yesterday is history
Today is all that matters

Shooting from the hip 2

2008-04-11T22:04:00.002+09:30

women picking up dogs turd...who's the superior being now??

This is not Zen 3

2008-04-10T20:56:00.003+09:30

Tokyo from above

2008-04-09T22:04:00.005+09:30

Tokyo Tower

2008-04-09T22:02:00.003+09:30

The post with no-name

2008-04-08T22:58:00.003+09:30

Japan Food

2008-04-07T23:25:00.005+09:30

Went to this burger joint for lunch today. Its situated on the rooftop of this building and one can sit outside if one so wishes but it was raining today. Dear readers would b wondering what would i b doing in a burger joint being that i b vegetarian...

they had this excellent salsa, avacado and fish burger. yes, i do occasionally eat fish when there is nothing else to eat. I hear fish are the "vegetables" of the ocean anyway.

A few days ago went with friend ken-san to this cool Japanese restaurant in Ikebukuro. Being it is the restaurants xxx aniversary we got this huge bowl of food (veges, mushrooms and prawns...i hear prawns are the "vegetables" of the ocean) and soup for only 200yen. I think the dish was called "chanco" the stuff sumo-wrestlers have for breakfast.

Deserts in Japan have varied from "el cheapo" 7-11 ice cream to this over-the-top desert i had today at Times-square in Shinjuku. This little slice of blueberry cheesecake (and i mean little)
set me back 525 yen.

This was a yummy roasted rice ball with a bit of spice on top. Its half eaten has i started on it and only then remembered to take the picture

Tempura, rice and soba noodles from a chain outlet called "Tenya" Very filling and one of the cheapest in Tokyo. This lot set me back 480 yen....there's actually alot more to it but i was real hungry and...well u know...

...and if i really miss home then there's always imported Tim-tams from good ole Oz made at the very same arnotts factory, from the very same conveyor belt in marlestone-South Australia that I once worked at many years ago.

akihabara 2

2008-04-07T09:32:00.003+09:30

What a great day it was. Sunny and warm...perfect for going round Akiba. Girls in maid uniforms and skimpy outfits. excellent.

A nice blue maid uniform.

BOING!!!

BOING!!! BOING!!!

U can buy old cameras and lenses at this stall located down a back street in akihabara. Had to put that one in so as not to give the impression that Akihabara is all maids and girls in costume.

Tokyo Midtown

2008-04-06T00:17:00.007+10:30

Spent most of the day at Tokyo Midtown today. Tokyo midtown is located at Roppongi. It seems kind of upmarket from the outside but the food was pretty good and prices are reasonable.

A yakuza driver fixing his bosses car outside Tokyo Midtown.

People use escalators in Tokyo Midtown

'~'

Also, went to an exhibition called "XXI c" at 2121 Design Sight. As usual "no photographs" allowed.

Folks love their dogs in Tokyo. This one brings a new meaning to the term "doggy-bag"

If im ever re-born as a dog i want to b reborn in tokyo and have myself styled at this doggy saloon in Tokyo Midtown.

they'll even clean your dog's @55* while they're at it...whos a lucky dog now??

House Ikebukuro (House Ike-baka-ro)

2008-04-05T11:35:00.007+10:30

This is "house Ikebukuro." The hostel im staying at for the nxt 3wks. Run by a Taiwanese woman - Mrs Chen who speaks no English. The clientel are usually from Singapore, China, Malaysia...

There are 2 floors in this place. After last year I learnt to always ask for a room on the top floor.
The reception area...where they promise you a double room (booked 3 months in advance and confirmed 2 wks b4 departure) and stuff it up so that one receives a store room converted to a single room.

The Kitchen...

Human waste disposal unit. Tiny but it works.

Computer area with internet access.

Personal hygiene enhancement cubicles, also tiny but they work.

Some of the rules posted around the hostel of which everyone ignores. Me thinks the proprietor Mrs. Chen is afraid to tell the tennents to STFU at 3am lest she lose some customers. I had to do it last yr and I did it this year ie yell at really inconsiderate b!@tCH$ that insist on yakking till the early morn. The walls here are really thin.

If you need a clean and reletively cheap place to stay and are adept at putting up with really selfish individuals then this is a good place to stay in Tokyo.

Sadly to say i am not adept at tolerating noise at 3am and I will NOT recomend this place for folks who want a good nites sleep after a long day of treking around Tokyo.

I will definitely b looking for alternate accommodation next time im in tokyo if i dont have my own house here by then.

Yokohama

2008-04-05T00:48:00.006+10:30

This is the bullet train that goes to Yokohama.

This is the inside of the bullet train that goes to Yokohama

Ramen museum - Yokohama. for those of u that like ramen

Inside the Ramen museum...its built to look like a small 50's Japanese town

Making Ramen in the Ramen museum

Otaku have exsisted since the dawn of time

One for the boys at Somerton Park DC...1950's Japanese posty scooter and mailbox.

This is so cool. After a hard day of consumerism you can just pop your packages into one of these cubes, enter your address and swipe your card and your packages will mysteriously appear at your home.

Yokohama is home to one of japans largest chinatowns. kinda boring and similar to every chinatown ive been to.

"The stairs...They go up"

A day in Tokyo

2008-04-03T23:44:00.003+10:30

Ist stop of the day...Akihabara for "morning prayers" ie went to buy a lens hood for my DSLR.
This is the sight that awaits you as you exit the JR akihabara station from the "electric-town" exit.
Its the 1st sight that all otaku wish to see when they are born.

This is the 2nd sight that all otaku wish to see when they are born.
Over-worked salary-man (?)

View of Rainbow bridge from Odaiba.

Toyota showroom at Ikebukero. I use this place as a short-cut to get to Animate. Sometimes i stop to look at the cars.

This is not Zen 2

2008-04-03T23:23:00.003+10:30

Shinjuku at night

2008-04-03T01:33:00.006+10:30

the office for whale "research"

"all your base are belong to us"

'~'

Otaku@HOME

2008-04-03T01:21:00.003+10:30

Some say that u r not true Otaku till u have attended A maid cafe so I guess today was my right of passage.

The enterance to @home maid cafe which consists of 3 floors

Fellow Otaku discussing which floor they would prefer. Sadly no cameras are allowed in the cafe but...
this is the result...i am now officially otaku

This is not Zen

2008-04-02T01:50:00.003+10:30

Shooting From the Hip (Harajuku)

2008-04-01T00:03:00.004+10:30

Tried experimenting with a new method of composing. Using autofocus for the 1st time i thought i'd try walking and estimating the shots that i wanted but not looking at the lcd or the viewfinder.

Harajuku

2008-03-31T23:52:00.003+10:30

Harajuku crowd never seems to go down. Its packed and i love it.

UniQlo in Harajuku which sells only limited edition t-shirts in canisters. The floor is a huge comic

Coffee-shop-in-a-van in harajuku

Wetopia has been upgraded

Akihabara maids...and then some

2008-03-30T23:28:00.002+10:30

pretty self-explainatory dont u think?

Akihabara I pt1

2008-03-30T23:18:00.004+10:30

This is akihabara on a sunday. They've blocked off the roads so one can basically walk anywhere. No cars or bikes allowed. It a bit overcast cold and drizzly so there wasnt much action (plus probably everyone was at Tokyo Anime Fest of which I was to tired to go to)

nice

naughty...but nice

Still there were a few cosplayers around. Lets see how it is nxt sunday. In the mean time u'll have to make do with these maids.

the view from above...?

2008-03-30T22:52:00.004+10:30

what a day. I didnt think 18 hours flying would be so stressful. But as it stands i think ive been up for more than 24hrs. 7hrs 30min Adelaide - Kuala Lumpur. 3.5 hrs transit time in Kuala Lumpur. 6.5 hrs Kuala Lumpur - Tokyo.... :p Upon reaching tokyo at 7am I couldnt check into hostel till 3pm...so it off to Akihabara.

Some where over Adelaide

Somewhere over the red center

Went to a really crappy restaurant in KL international airport. Ordered a the vegetarian noodles as shown but was told it was not "original" vegetarian noodles as it had chicken inside. So i asked if they could just make it and not add chicken..."NO"
Didn't eat there.
Tried to set all the hompages to dannychoo.com on all the comps in klia but,sorry Danny, apparently the Malaysian Gov seems to think your website contains hardcore porn.

adapters, cables and chargers

2008-03-29T02:06:00.004+10:30

This is like the behind-the-scenes support for Otaku tour 08. Various adaptor, cables and chargers. I tried to cut down on power cables by taking just a few that fit the same device but for Natsumi (yes, my MacBook Pro has a name) I need to take a complete power supply/charger for her.

Above is the bare-minimum i can take to get by. The devices they support are

1. Digital SLR
2. High-Def Video Camera
3. MacBok Pro
4. Mobile phone
6. Ipod touch
7. Portable HDD
8. Memory card reader

Actually they all have names, but i wont say for fear of being branded "a crazy Otaku" as an ex-Japanese teacher once called me.

can you guess which cable goes to what?

Anatomy of Otaku

2008-03-23T21:14:00.004+10:30

>:)

The Hung Jury

2008-03-21T19:47:00.006+10:30

Happy Easter...whatever that means. Was out today testing the digital SLR and came back with these. Some weird crash-test-dummies that seem even more weird with the crane in the background.

popularity...

2008-03-20T12:45:00.006+10:30

one knows when one is gaining popularity when one receives hate-mail. Yes, once again my popularity stakes are off-the-scale. Look at all this lovely hate-mail i received albeit most likely from the same person.

You can view the limited vocabulary hate-mail here

Like all good supporters of Nazi-China he wants to remain anonymous. I dont blame him I would too if i supported a greedy oppresive society. With such an extensive vocabulary he must be really "high" up on the evolutionary ladder. Of course to remain "anonymous" one usually doesnt end hate-mail by putting ones name at the end...isnt that right Lim?

doesnt matter...may u b well and happy...

Joy to the world the king is born

2008-03-19T19:31:00.006+10:30

>:) everyone loves new- gadget-day and i'm no different. In preperation for Otaku Tour 08 I bought this Canon Eos 40d. Having been without a camera for almost a year now, I thought it would be great to get my very 1st digital SLR. This one is a sight gheavier and larger than my old Nikon fm2. I havnt had a real chance to play or test it out yet, but that'll all change in about 8 days time.

I was going to go for the Nikon d300 but at half the price this was an offer too good to resist. So please be expecting more japanese schoolgirl and maid pictures.

The sound of death

2008-03-15T15:02:00.002+10:30

Came across this really cool compilation of sounds from COD4 on youtube.

Codname "THELMA"

2008-03-14T23:21:00.004+10:30

Dear reader(s) I have stumbled across another "Dear Thelma" article. I have deliberately removed Thelma's response hence giving you the opportunity to assume the role of "Thelma"
It is your civil responsibility to post a response in the comments to aid this poor girl in her plight.

Apple i-pod Touch 32gb

2008-03-11T19:25:00.004+10:30

It's finally here. Actually it arrived about a week and a half ago. After a 3 week wait, it finally arrived. Yes, i got many excuses from Unibooks-adelaide University campus, But finally it did arrive...my very first Apple i-pod touch.

Schoolgirls love big balls and i-pod touch 32gb.

I bought a leather case to protect the it from scratches as this unit may be visiting ebay at some stage of it's life.

Mihiro loves i-pod touch 32gb

My i-pod touch compared to my old sony mp3 player.

Initially i was going to go for the 16gb ipod-touch but sometimes procastination pays off when apple announced the release of the 32gb model and the $200 rebate for students.

bringing up baby...China style

2008-03-08T20:51:00.003+10:30

stumbled upon this little scorcher the other day and thought that it is a must to share with all my faithful readers.

**WARNING** VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!!

http://video.news.sky.com/skynews/video/?&videoSourceID=1266788

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=506153&in_page_id=1811&in_page_id=1811&expand=true

Boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics!!! Fracking animals!!

Self-introduction in Japanese

2008-03-08T18:22:00.009+10:30

Less than 3 weeks to go till otaku tour. I think it's going to b a killer. We're comming close to the end of term at school and since im skipping school 12 day early Im required to get all the assignments done and handed in b4 i leave. Whatsmore with all the lazy-bastards on night-shift at aus post (well just one lazy-bastard- we all know who he is don't we) i'm constantly being called in on school nights. At least it'll make my holiday seem all that much better, that is if i dont spend all of it sleeping.

As well as school and work, im also attending my Japanese class. Above is my self-intrductory in Hiragana. If u can read Hiragana then u can find out all my dirty little secrets above. If u cant read Hiragana...well...to bad.

The little red stamp is from Sensei cos i got it all correct...i think she likes me....

speechless or a mouth full of...

2008-03-04T20:34:00.003+10:30

I cant remember where i got this from, but it is frekin' excellent. An excerpt from "dear Thelma" off the Malaysian newspaper "The Star" Thelma must have the best job in the world. I think I gotta write in to Thelma one day...enjoy ...

Promotional promotions

2008-02-23T17:29:00.004+10:30

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

There used to be a cute l'il game i used to play online called "STAR WARS : JEDI KNIGHT"
Today I play a different game called "Call of Duty 4" Same concept, same user name (lynch_mob_0) different guns.

Last week I got promoted...

When you get promoted to lieutenant general u get a a big gun

... a .50 calibre sniper rifle...sweet.

Lynch_mob_0 = otaku??

A little song i like to sing before playing:

You may b king or street sweeper
but sooner or later
everybody dances with the grim reaper

K.E.Y.s

2008-02-09T23:39:00.002+10:30

went down to central mkt to view the "chinese new year" festival and to catch friend Erina's band K.E.Y's performing Japanese songs. Sorry I didn't catch the whole performance , but Erina has a really strong and melodious voice. All-in-all it was a great day.

Chocolate overkill

2008-02-09T23:36:00.002+10:30

"mmmm...Chocolate..." - Homer Simpson

"I never met a chocolate that I didn't like" - Deanna Troi

The big China RIP-OFF!!!

2008-02-02T17:14:00.001+10:30

The other day i wanted to buy one of these...Apple ipod touch 16gb (not Godzilla)...

Godzilla loves Apple ipod touch 16gb

So i went here and ordered from a "gold supplier"

www.alibaba.com AVOID!!!

BIG MISTAKE!!! after many assurances from the supplier all i got was 1 of these...(not giant robo)...a weird alien mp4 player

Weird mp4 player 1gb

Of course the supplier no longer replies any of my emails. I did eventually get my ipod touch 16gb from the apple website.A good thing apple was offering $200 cash back on ipods for students.

The moral of the story...beware of CHINA and their greedy, evil, cheating netziens....thanks China for helping me purify some of my past karma....DMFs'

School daze

2008-01-18T21:27:00.002+10:30

Our tax dollars at work

2008-01-11T21:12:00.001+10:30

"yes... yes... it a note pad alright"

Otaku Tour 2008

2008-01-01T09:52:00.001+10:30

88 days to go

Penang's Legacy - Malaysia's Shame

2007-12-28T15:01:00.001+10:30

once again Malaysia proves to the world that "malaysia boleh..." This happened over xmas a few days ago in the now infamous Gurney Drive,Penang. I guess it wasn't such a merry xmas for the folks in their cars, or those cops. A great way to end "visit Malaysia year 2007" A developed nation by 2020?...evoultion takes a bit longer than that.

christmas spirit....malaysian style

Monkeys and apes have shown intelligence and the capacity to form limited societies'

The adults shake their heads in dissapointment only to realise that this is their result

THINK GOOD THINGS AND GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN

Merry X-MAS and a happy new year

2007-12-24T13:23:00.001+10:30

Mihiro's xmas wishes:

1. free Aung San Suu Kyi and re-instate her as the rightful democratic elected leader of Burma

2. Free Tibet and re-instate the Dalai Lama to his rightful position as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and the immidiat withdrawl of the illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet.

3. May all species of the planet that we know as "Earth" be free from suffering, fear, and ignorance.

to all my reader(s) you know who you are...may u have a merry xmas and a happy new yr

May u b well and happy.

A day to remember

2007-12-15T16:35:00.002+10:30

DECEMBER 15TH 2007...A day to remember. The day i got my 1st ever 13 kill streak in COD 4 (call of duty 4). I guess 13 really is an unlucky number...for those who were on the receiving end of my m15 carbine...who dares wins

My Kingdom for a horse...or a film

2007-12-15T14:34:00.000+10:30

Robert Rodriguez sold his body to science to make is first film...I'm selling my house to make my 1st feature film (more about that later). Had the 1st round of inspections today and needless to say, there was a tonne of cleaning and prep work that was done in the last couple of weeks. Here are the results...

The beautiful Kitchen

The beautiful toilet with polished tiles that cant b seen in this pic

Lounge room which has been converted to a big studio type area. (yes i need all those computers...watashi wah otaku des!!)

I really need to get a camera with a wide angle lens or i'll be taking pictures on the diagonal for the rest of my life.

kool stuff....

2007-12-09T13:42:00.002+10:30

Look at this cool device...

The blender is connected to the bicycle such that when the the person starts cycling it also turns the blades of the blender.

This guy sells delicious fruit juices and smoothies outside the markets every saturday. Just make your choice of fresh organic fruits, add some fresh plain yogurt, then some milk and cycle away...there u have it...your very own freshly blended smoothie...no electricity required.

You can find this outside this organic store located at : 57A Gouger street, Adelaide. SA5000

Woo Hoo!!

2007-12-05T21:44:00.001+10:30

its that time of yr when a young mans thoughts turn to flights of fancy, weird technology and cute Japanese girls in maid uniforms...OTAKU tour 08

weird Japanese dance

2007-12-03T21:20:00.001+10:30

I shot this weird incident earlier this yr in Ikebukuro during otaku tour 07.
It looks like the old guy is teaching the cop ballroom dancing.

eXperiments went wrong

2007-11-15T12:00:00.001+10:30

Taking a page out of "Rebel without a crew" here's a "preview" of another short film i made some yrs bck. There's more to it but it'll probably go to the grave with me.

Also, if u notice the shot of me aiming down the rifle was shot in Adelaide and the rest in in Malaysia. If u look close I had really long hair when i was in Australia.
The shots are also really static, as i had no camera operator or actor, so it was a one man show all the way...

Ive got a lot of crap short films in the closet...but Robert Rodriguez says its "ok" cos u gotta have a ton of crap so as to iron out all the mistakes...so beware...more crap coming your way!!

Inccidently, for all my non-malaysian readers who might see this (all 2 of you) the sound that wakes the guy up comes from that truck. In Malaysia these trucks with loud speakers go round the suburbs calling for your unwanted newspapers and magazines. I applaud their efforts to recycle, but these guys go round the neighbourhood every 30mins for the entire afternoon in the hope that if u didnt have any old newspapers the 1st time round, you might have some on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time round...

Well to all my Malaysian readers (the ones who've been sending me all the hate mail) you know what i mean...come to think of it, some of you would probably be the ones driving the truck.

I wonder if they know that the amount of petrol they use superccedes the benefits of any recycling that may actually come their way.

Citi Zen Restaurant

2007-11-10T19:25:00.001+10:30

Found a place in Adelaide where you get good food and above average service. Citi-zen Restaurant is open daily for Dim Sum or "yum Cha" as they call it over here in OZ. They are located at 408 King William St. Adelaide, SA 5000 ( there's a plug for them) A bit pricier than other places but the food is different(in a good way) and I guess sometimes, unfortunately we pay for better service.

10 minute film school

2007-11-10T19:03:00.002+10:30

Been looking for this book for a while now and i didnt want to pay the high postage fees over on amazon.com. Well I finally got it a the local "borders".

Robert Rodriguez is really inspiring, how he took $7000, went to mexcico and made his 1st action film..."El Mariachi". I dont feel so bad about all the crap that i made at uni and shortly there after, as what he says, all filmakers have a ton of crap that they made till they got to the decent stuff...so according to Robert Rodriguez, im on the right track. There's so much stuff in that book that parallels some of the experiences ive had, i think mayb i got put off alot sooner than he did though, hence my lack of success....for now.

B-grade goodness

2007-11-03T13:42:00.001+10:30

Many of todays mainstream filmakers and directors have either started out working on films such as these or were involved in some stage of the production of these type of "b" films. And many of todays filmakers cite these films as part inspiration for them "making" it in the film industry. Out of curiosity i borrowed a few from my local dvd store to see what all the fuss was about...and i really cant imagine how anyone can draw inspiration from any of these films. Maybe i'm being overly critical considering the time and age that they were made, but if that isnt the case then there is hope for me as a filmaker...i guess everyone has to start somewhere.

Prisoner for Freedom

2007-10-29T16:44:00.000+10:30

FREE AUNG SAN SUU KYI

Aung San Suu Kyi...leader of the BURMESE National League for Democracy (NLD), Nobel Peace Prize winner 1991 has been under house arrest by the military dictatorship of the Myanmar military junta since 1990.

A brief biography of Aung San Suu Kyi here

FREE TIBET!!!

2007-10-27T22:56:00.000+09:30

Remove the oppresive regime of the Chinese Gov from Tibet. Yes, China may b an up and comming superpower, but just remember this...nothing last forever and even more so...WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND...

China, America, Burmese Military Junta etc...your time will come.

A history of the Chinese occupation of Tibet

1950

Radio Beijing announce that: "The task of the People's Liberation Army for 1950 is to liberate Tibet." 40,000 Chinese troops invade Tibet in October, unprovoked and with no accepted legal basis for claims of sovereignty. Fifteen year-old Tenzin Gyatso given full powers to rule as the 14th Dalai Lama - the Tibetans' spiritual and temporal leader.

1951
China undertakes 17-Point Agreement to refrain from interfering with Tibet's government and society following negotiation by the Dalai Lama.

1953
Mao Zedong promises the Dalai Lama that the Chinese will leave Tibet once 'liberation' is complete.

1959
National Uprising - explosion of Tibetan resistance resulting in severe crackdown by the Chinese and widespread brutality. An estimated 430,000 Tibetans are killed (Chinese estimate: 87,000 killed). One hundred thousand Tibetans flee with Dalai Lama into exile in India.

1960 - 1962
340,000 Tibetan peasants and nomads die in Tibet's first recorded famines following the destabilisation of the economy after an influx of Chinese settlers and forced agricultural modernisation.

1965
Chinese formally inaugurate one of Tibet's three provinces as the 'Tibet Autonomous Region' (TAR).

1966
Thousands of Buddhist monasteries destroyed and tens of thousands of Tibetans sent to labour camps during the Cultural Revolution.

1980s
The Dalai Lama starts to make political speeches abroad and international support for Tibet starts to grow.

1987
Tibetans begin a new era of protest. Since 1990, the number of political prisoners has doubled.

1988
The Dalai Lama puts forward the 'Strasbourg proposal' in which he calls for genuine autonomy for Tibet rather than independence. The following year the Dalai Lama receives the Nobel Peace Prize.

1995
Six year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognised by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, and his family disappear. China selects and enthrones another child. Gedhun's location and safety remain unknown.

1996
China launches a patriotic re-education campaign, removing photos of the Dalai Lama from monasteries.

1999
The 40th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising marked by protest in Lhasa.

2000
The 17th Karmapa flees Tibet.

Free Tibet Campaign uses the term 'Tibet' to refer to the three original provinces of U'sang, Kham and Amdo (sometimes called Greater Tibet). When the Chinese refer to Tibet, they invariably mean the Tibet Autonomous Region or TAR, which includes only U'sang. Amdo and Kham were re-named by the Chinese as the province of Qinghai and as parts of Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan provinces, respectively.

What a wonderful world...

2007-10-23T17:40:00.002+09:30

Went to this new Japanese eating place in Adelaide today. Why would i go here, aside from the fact that i love Japanese food?...they advertised that they were "tabe hodai no mise"...all u can eat from 2pm -4pm..."happy hour" as the waitress claimed.

Alas when i got there this was what i was faced with. Of course it was "all you can eat" especially when there was nothing to eat! The conveyor belt was as above for most of the 2 hours. What few dishes they had on the belt were grabbed by the folks sitting at the start of the belt...needles to say i was sitting at the end of the belt. In their defense...i did get to eat after ordering, but of all the dishes i ordered i think i only got 2% of my orders and after that i just got fed up and left.

For most part i sat there and I thought to myself "what a wonderful world..."

World Telegraph Foundation

2007-10-21T15:31:00.001+09:30

Revolutionaries of the World Telegraph Foundation.

click here to join the revolution

Stay tuned for more...

Poppy-eye-buldge

2007-10-21T15:27:00.000+09:30

2 films i bought this month...Planet Terror and Death Proof by Robert Rodrigez and Quentin Tarantino...Rose McGowan and Zoe Bell r absolutely amazing...

Viva la revolution

2007-10-10T19:55:00.001+09:30

Che Guevara was an Argentinean-born, Cuban revolutionary leader who became a left-wing hero. A photograph of him by Alberto Korda became an iconic image of the 20th century.

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara. And like a certain "rapper" who considers himself a revolutionary, Che Ernesto Guevara was the real thing. A man willing to give up all for the cause...to die for the cause...eat that namewee.

Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, known as Che Guevara, was born on 14 June 1928 in Rosario, Argentina into a middle-class family. He studied medicine at Buenos Aires University and during this time travelled widely in South and Central America. The widespread poverty and oppression he witnessed, fused with his interest in Marxism, convinced him that the only solution to South and Central America's problems was armed revolution.

In 1954 he went to Mexico and the following year he met Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Guevara joined Castro's '26th July Movement' and played a key role in the eventual success of its guerrilla war against Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Castro overthrew Batista in 1959 and took power in Cuba. From 1959-1961, Guevara was president of the National Bank of Cuba, and then minister of industry. In this position, he travelled the world as an ambassador for Cuba. At home, he carried out plans for land redistribution and the nationalisation of industry.

A strong opponent of the United States, he guided the Castro regime towards alignment with the Soviet Union. The Cuban economy faltered as a result of American trade sanctions and unsuccessful reforms. During this difficult time Guevara began to fall out with the other Cuban leaders. He later expressed his desire to spread revolution in other parts of the developing world, and in 1965 Castro announced that Guevara had left Cuba.

Guevara then spent several months in Africa, particularly the Congo, attempting to train rebel forces in guerrilla warfare. His efforts failed and in 1966 he secretly returned to Cuba. From Cuba he travelled to Bolivia to lead forces rebelling against the government of René Barrientos Ortuño. With US assistance, the Bolivian army captured Guevara and his remaining fighters. He was executed on 9 October 1967 in the Bolivian village of La Higuera and his body was buried in a secret location. In 1997 his remains were discovered, exhumed and returned to Cuba, where he was reburied.

article taken from bbc world service

War is hell...

2007-09-30T22:45:00.001+09:30

.
War is hell...then came Company of Heroes : opposing fronts. Went into town today to pretend i was in akihabara and picked up the long awaited "COH : opposing fronts" (pictured right) the sequal to "company of Heroes" (pictured left).

cant blog now, have a battle to fight...war is hell...

floating jesus

2007-09-28T19:29:00.002+09:30