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When food quality is high, Food qty is low... and so are obesity levels

Food presentation in Japan is amazing, and I'm not just talking about in the restaurants. Here in Tokyo you can buy better food in the convenience stores than you can get in your average deli back home.

United Nations University Farmers Market

Perfect present for White Day? (Japanese Valentines day for men)

Its not just presentation though, its quality. I'm not sure what happens with the 'damaged' stuff but it certainly doesn't make it to the shelves. Given the Japanese penchant for efficiency, I imagine it makes it way to a cannery somewhere or maybe the huge variety of dried fruits they have. 

Huge array of Mushrooms! Yay!

 This high food quality, low quantity consumption is in direct contrast to the USA, UK and Australia. Also in direct contrast are the obesity statistics. In the latest obesity rankings for the OECD USA (1st), UK (3rd) and Australia (6th) all rank in the top 10 with over 20% of the population considered Obese.  Japan ranks last - 28th with only 3.5% considered obese. Eat better, eat less.

Statistics ourtesy of Nationmaster.com

The finished product, with some help from the local butcher

Japanese apartment: Very small but very cute!

 Study / Lounge / Bedroom

At least I fit in the bed completely

Kitchen & bathroom

 Almost always worried about banging my head on something!

1 year!? Just may go a little stir crazy.

New beginnings and different endings

For as long as we have clouds, sunshine
We will have sunsets and sunrise
For as long as we have early morning risers and star gazers
We will have an appreciation of infinite possibilities.

For as long as we have the crimson, gold
and pink delicacy of a tropical sunset
The azure, green and gold where jungle, sun and sea meet
We will have an appreciation of chance creation

For as long as we have the misty blue haze of mountain silhouettes
and sparkling fire water
The piercing sparkle, razzle dazzle rays and invigorating warmth of an airborne sun
We will have an appreciation of new beginnings and different endings

For as long as we have an appreciation of sunsets and sunrises
We will have an appreciation of infinite possibilities

Climate Deniers strategy to take over the Aussie press

For those that thought this blog post was a touch cynical, it now appears that Gina Rinhearts play for Channel 10 and Fairfax Media has recently been exposed as being highly aligned with a media strategy dreamed up by well known Climate Change denier 'Lord' Monckton and the mining Industry funded Free-market and climate deniers think tank Mannkal Economic Education Foundation. 


Read the ABC article exposing the plot here: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3807130.html


View excerpts of the board-room meeting where they come up with the plan to take over our media here: Scroll down for YouTube Video


After becoming informed, you may even want to make a donation to GetUP to fight the infiltration of our media from self-interest groups.

Our Pollies are so cheap

Seems like Gina Rinehart is set to become Murdoch Mach 2 and our politicians still don't have any back-bone.

Gina Rineheart makes play for media influence

Although the prospect of Gina Rineheart using Fairfax media as her personal mouthpiece is worrying what really astounded me was just how cheap our politicians really are:

"After all, if you really want to buy influence in Australia, the going price is peanuts. The mining lobby spent around $20 million in its campaign against the Resource Super Profits Tax; its most effective media presence was in fact a single salaried lobbyist, the Minerals Council of Australia’s Mitchell Hooke. 


Clubs Australia has managed to roll back poker machine reform for a lousy few million, ruthlessly targeted at Labor MPs. 


The total donations across all the Australian political parties, at $230 million, still only slightly exceed what Rinehart spent for a slice of Fairfax."

Maybe the problem is not the politicians though, maybe its the constituents. Maybe the Australians that are happy earning 14,556 times less than Rina on average have it good enough that they are too apathetic to care.

Leads to the age old adage that all you need to do is feed the peasants to keep them happy.

PS. That will be changing soon too > 'Climate Change precipitates food shortages & unrest'

Review: The ides of March

Watched the Ides of March (Ryan Gosling & George Clooney) the other night.. a good but not exceptional movie. Some things just didn't sit right. A very sharp look at US politics with a very bleak message for idealists like me that may one day consider a career in the great game.


Hated the Ryan Gosling character by the end, much as he did himself as well I suspect.

Enjoying the feel of things

I'm enjoying the feel of things at the moment. I'm not sure if its extra sensitiveness in my hands, or particular focus on the here and now. Maybe its the awareness of an impending departure. I'm not sure, I'm just enjoying the feel of things at the moment.

Enjoying the feel of things


The rough yet soft touch of freshly washed, low-thread count cotton sheets pulled tight every morning
The tiny, rapid percussion of air on my ear drums as the rain beats the roof
The goose-bump inducing caress of a fan propelled breeze over my belly

The contrast between the worn-out smoothness and the grain in the hewn boat boards on my bare feet
The unexpected splash of fine sea spray from the bow on my face and hands,
The heaviness of dew droplets clinging to my eyebrows and eyelashes, the sea trying to close my eyes

The soothing, swaying displacement of fluid in my ears and brain from the swing of the hammock
The inconsistent, gentle buffeting of the storm breeze, tugging at clothes as if demanding attention
The warm play of light through clouds and trees on insistent, relaxed, thankful, closed eyelids

The thick, creamyness of the air in my nostrils in the afternoon
The aroma of impending rain, the fresh bite of cleanliness shortly after and eventually the breathy sigh of the land as it accepts the water into its body

The smooth and deep feel of freshly washed, high-thread count cotton sheets pulled loose at night
The trusting heaviness of a head on my chest
The tickle of tussled hair in my nose

By Special Request

All you muso's should check out Alex Dean:

http://www.tripleJunearthed.com/AlexDean

As an aside: How cool is TrippleJ! Very Very cool. Can you name me another government run media company that dedicates a portion of its budget to youth music and spends months of every year collecting, compiling, testing, supporting and promoting young, upcoming artists?

Price points (Bali & Tokyo)

This time, its refreshing to be in Bali. For my wallet anyway!

Price point comparison of Bali to Tokyo:

	Bali	Tokyo
Cheap accommodation (per night) including pool / onsen	$12	$120
Feed (Entrée + Local staple + Beer)	$6	$23
Back & neck massage	$5	$60

All prices in AUD and estimated/averaged.

Food in Bali: Satay sticks, Nasi Goreng & Bintang (375ml)

Food in Tokyo: Salmon Sashimi, Ramen with Miso sauce, Sapo (330ml)

There is no doubting though that the quality in Japan is much, much higher, although I never bothered to pay the $60 for the massage there. As a travel destination it boils down to what you want, either:

A decent, relaxing but not superb back & neck massage 12 days in a row from a girl who probably learnt from her mum and knows nothing of biology, in a sightly seedy place where you probably never feel comfortable taking your eyes off your wallet or taking your boxer shorts off for fear of sending the wrong message; 

Or

One massage, including complimentary foot scrub, hot face towel and where the massues has a degree in physiology and forces you to take a shower because they don't want to touch your sweaty body. Kimono's are provided after the shower to prevent you trying to send the wrong message.

Apply the same concepts to food, accommodation and public transport and then decide which travel destination is best for you. 

Jung & Climate Change

Compare these two quotes and tell me what you think?

"As a child I felt myself alone, and I am still, because I know things and must hint at things which others apparently know nothing of and for the most part do not want to know." Carl Jung.

"As a climate change consultant I felt myself alone, and I am still as a Sustainability Consultant, because I know things and must hit people over the head with ice melt figures, predicted sea level rises, biodiversity tragedies and the death of the great barrier reef to get them to think of things which they apparently know nothing of and for the most part do not want to know." Damian Fuller.

I must admit, the climate change argument is a little old, circa 2009.

Quake? Damn, missed it!

I was in Kyoto on New Years Day with friends visiting a few Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples and not so much praying and wishing for good fortune as gobling up delicious Japanese street food.

As a result, I missed the quake experience in Tokyo, which was apparently pretty mild.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Quake+rocks+Tokyo+region+Year/5933751/story.html

I'm sure I'll catch the next one. Or the one after that.

Japaneseish

A small selection of the weird, wonderful & tasty that only the Japanese would invent.

 Mmm, Hot Soba with whitebait & seaweed! The book - "Reimagining Japan" by McKinsey, an excellent collection of essays from those who should know on what the future of Japan should be and what is needed to get there. 

 Cabbages that look like flowers or flowers that look like pretty cabbages?

 Soba noodle making in action

 Soba noodle appetite building!

 Some places remind me so much of that cult classic - "Ghost in the Shell".

 Earthquake while in Roppongi Hills Tower - Not - Just a zoom photo.

 Tokyo Tower from Roppongi Hills Tower

 Funghi Soba with Pork, beer and notes. How do they make it so tasty?!

Notice anything special here? 2WD bicycle!

Day 2 / 3 Tokyo Bike ride

Went back to Ofuna, fetched up the bike and set of for Kamakura. At teh outset, I intended to return the bike to Tokyo, then I realised - whats the rush? Japan has such a low crime rate, people leave their bicycles unlocked and all over the place - I could just head to another train station at the end of the day, park the bicycle and head home.

Oh yeah, why don't I just take the bike home on the train? Although Japan is a really bike friendly place did I mention your not allowed to take a bike on the train unless it is in a carrier or bag. Helps explain why there are so many foldable bicycles here.

 One of many temples in Kamakura

 The path to enlightenment?

 My temple!

Mt Fuji on the right

Was a wonderful day of cycling today, although the slightly hilly atmosphere killed the battery, which I had been conserving for a while. Plus, also worked out that the train tickets are costing me +$10 each way... Japan is a great place but oh so expensive! 

Day 1 / 3 Tokyo Bike ride

Headed out on Christmas day for a little bike ride on an electric assisted bicycle. Started a bit later than anticipated and whilst the target was Kamakura and the many temples in that area, I was so busy taking in the surrounds - the beautiful narrow streets, bicycle-ways, tiny 2 story houses that just seemed so Japanese for no reason I can describe, I never quite made it!

The fruit and vegetable markets, the huge factories, the triple layered motorways, the neatness in general. All of it very Japanese. On this beautiful Sunday it was eerie quiet as well, with many of the roads and sidewalks I went on deserted. Then you would go around a corner and the road would be flooded with people and I would have to walk the bicycle. It seems every popular road in Japan has at least 2 or 3 smaller roads directly behind it going in the same direction.

On the road

 A game of baseball on the river flats just before Kawasaki

The woman, the dog, a fag (if you look closely at her left hand!), moccasins, and the shopping.

 Many many streets like these in Tokyo

Top of the hill

 I never got to Kamaura on this day. Lack of direction was probably the reason! So parked the bike at Ofuna station bicycle parking station (cost me $10 for over-night bicycle parking!). Thinking I'll return to pick it up tomorrow, ride to Kamkura and then back to Tokyo.   

Tokyo - Zen, Sustainablity

Arrived Tokyo last night. Very peaceful yet vibrant place. How do the Japanese manage to be relaxed, energetic and quiet? For now I'll put it down to Zen. Here to meet with some of the rapidly growing PwC Japan Sustainability Services Team to talk about their recent success.

Tokyo Tower Park in Autumn Splendor

Did you know Zen is a form of buddhism that travelled to Japan and America from Nepal? Well that is according to Peter Maththiessen, famous explorer and author of such informative books as 'The Snow Leopard' which is a must read for those searching for work / life balance.

Did you also know that the "ka" used at the end of sentence in Japanese to denote a question is also used in Tetun, the national language of Timor-Leste, for the same purpose? Strange.

Japan has a unique role to play in International Development and Sustainability in general. It has large financial and technical capacity to assist developing companies and is the unenviable economic position of wanting to assist these undeveloped economies in order to support its own struggling system. There is hope that in the future the role Japan takes will have a strong sustainability focus, for the benefit of developing countries and Japan alike. I like what I see so far.

Autumn Garden at Tsurutaro Kataoka Tofu Restaurant

Great big read

I love reading
Stimulating the imagination or stimulating the mind
Theres nothing quite like
A good blog find.

http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com

Needs a decent Sunday afternoon to do it justice,  it is good for stimulating the mind, or trying to understand it, or to marvel at its complexities and nuances. It is a blog that does a much better and focused job of explaining philosophy and in particular the philosophy of the mind.

Recently, they even got onto Climate Change! Check it out.

The world is small (& round)

The world is small. When viewed in parts.

I'm in Bali again. Flight over gave a great view of the part of the world that is Atauro and Timor, Wetar and the Alor islands, and the rest of Nusa Tengara Timor - Flores, Komodo, Rincha, Sumabawa, Lombok and Bali. Got me a little nostalgic about the amazing kayaking trip I did with dad in 2002 through those islands and also made me realise how close all these islands are, including Timor. On a clear day you can see Alor from the beach in Dili. For sure you can see Alor from the hills south of Dili on the way to Ermera. Got me thinking that if I had my kayak I could kayak across to Atauro and even onto Alor or Wetar.

That got me thinking if I could do it, for sure the Timorese and Indonesians at one stage before they were Timorese and Indonesians had done it. Whats that Noam Chiomsky / Max Weinreich said about a dialect - it "is any variety of a language spoken by a specific community of people. ... with an army and a navy."

Then I had dinner on the beach in Bali and got talking to the mother of 2 little kids. Turns out she had grown up in Maroopna and had even gone to school in Cobram for a year or two when she was growing up. Now she lives in Bali (since Tuesday!).

The world is small. When viewed in parts. Can't we all just get along?

PS. The last US troops pulled out of Iraq yesterday...

A lil present for Charlotte

It started as a simple map but got a bit cluttered when I added all the trips!

East and West Map yet to come! East Map includes the Maliana Hot Springs trip with dad. The trips are not actually in chronological order, just drawing order!

Trip 1 - To Turiscai and back in the rain. Read the blog post here.

Trip 2 - To Hatu-Builico (oops, wrong name on map!) at night. Climbed Ramalau. Read the blog post here.

Trip 3 - Haha, Whoops! isn't there something about bad luck and 3's? Great attention to detail Damian.

Trip 4 - The Energy Needs Assessment with Renato on the back of the bike. Read the blog post here.

Trip 5 & 6 - Two seperate trips to Liqudoe, one when it was red/yellow & dry and once when it was green!

Trip 7 - This weekends planned trip to Hatu-Builico and beyond. Going to be remote! Post soon.

I got my helmet back!

I was riding home from a joy ride to Liqudoe with Paolo on the weekend when I spotted my very precious stolen helmet! I was very very annoyed when this helmet was stolen and this frustration and anger bubbled out of me when I spotted the helmet on the street. I promptly locked up the back wheel in front of the Presidents Palace and the crowd assembled for the Independence celebrations. Dropped a U-Turn and roared off after the Helmet. I raced passed a truck load of transit police, over the canal on Comorro Road and finally caught up with the culprit outside Tiger Fuels. It was definitely my helmet, albeit with a few new stickers.

I hemmed the other bike rider behind a taxi and some other bikes and screamed at him to pull over, waving my left arm to tell him to pull over. He tried to duck around the inside of the taxi then the outside but luckily a parked car and myself kept him on the straight and narrow. More yelling and hand waving and with me guiding him to the gutter he pulled over.

He was riding a 125cc Yamaha motorbike but by no means looked rich or tough. His pillion passenger was a bit bigger but I hardly noticed him, he was grinning. I was making a scene and he looked pretty shocked. Still yelling, somehow some rational thought got through to my sub-conscious and after telling him that he was wearing my helmet which had been stolen 3 months before, I asked him where he bought it. Of course, he had bought it from a friend and it had cost him $60. I explained it was my helmet, showed him the Australian Standard sticker and demanded it back. He rather feebly said that he had paid $60 for it. I had paid $50 for the best helmet I could find in Timor, and I told him he could have it in exchange for my helmet. Amazingly, he accepted, I got my helmet back!.

At this point I calmed down a lot. Then, I explained that his 'friend' also had my gloves and that I would be willing (not really) to pay $10 for the other glove (read the full story on why I have one glove and his friend has one glover in this blog post). I gave them my number but never expected to hear from them. 

The next day they called me and wanted to meet. It seemed like they had the other glove. We arranged a meet and I gathered a 'crew' for the show-down. Paolo and James were back-up and we headed to Timor Plaza for the meet. Unfortunately, they didn't have the gloved and just wanted another $10 because he had paid $60 for the helmet and I had only paid $50 for the one he ended up with. Fat chance.

When I re-tell this story I'm surprised at my own stupidity and the amygdala reaction to fight. I've never been in a fight in my life and I don't harbour much frustration or anger normally. I'm not sure why this is different, but I guess the blatant act of crime right under my nose might have been the reason. I guess in some situations, you can never know what you would do until it happens.

Moral of the story: don't buy stolen goods. if you don't buy it, they wont steal it.