Ocean11

Make sure you do some snorkelling, and make sure you protect your back from the sun. I saw some fantastic fish in Miyakojima, then all the skin fell off my back in a ghastly mess of lymphatic fluid and dermis. So every time I leaned back in my chair, I screamed and spilt my Orion.

Originally Posted By: Goosie that was invented in Ealing, innit. Yeah, I fink you're white about that mate.

Ever since I learned to touch-type, I've had something of a fetish for keyboards. I can't get enough of that rattling sound.

You know what Tip-Ex is like. Mr ~, that's very interesting about the Acer thing. If your goal isn't games specifically, I have a feeling something like this might be better for someone on the go than a tablet.

Either two with lunch and one with dinner, or the reverse, for a relaxed three a day easily puts you over 40. Pushing the boat out after dinner of course opens up all sorts of possibilities. Gambarimasho.

40 pints in 3 weeks? You're not setting the bar very high there are you? If you're going to be so half-hearted about this thing, somebody should be sent who's prepared to do a proper job. Personally when I go back to the country with the best beer in the world, I won't touch a drop of wine, despite the earnest entreaties of my brother-in-law and other well-meaning but misguided people. Time and opportunity has to be spent wisely.

Wow, that really reminds me of the llama that attacked me on a farm in Kyushu. I asked him if he was naturalized and he tried to head-butt me, spat at me, and aimed a vicious kick at my chest. He missed every time, but it was a powerful lesson in the emotions that the question of citizenship can evoke.

Originally Posted By: pie-eater Ah, but does it have a nice badge on it depicting an apple with one bite taken out of it? No, but the price differential would allow you to purchase enough bottles of Tip-Ex to paint your own on there for the lifetime of the product.

Originally Posted By: pie-eater Do the insects get bigger and even more alien the more south you go in Japan? No, I don't think so. I was trying to talk on the phone the other night when I heard a terrible crashing and thumping against the window as if someone was trying to break in. It was a female rhinoceros beetle experiencing a gross navigational error. Every time it crashed against the window, I swore under my breath. The poor girl on the other end of the phone call must have thought I really didn't like her.

I've always thought that rides in the UK are just more violent and sickening than anywhere else. Like you haven't had your money's worth if you can't walk straight afterwards (much like other UK entertainments).

The only TV in our house is 21 inch. Just how big do you need to see Mino Monta anyway?

Originally Posted By: BagOfCrisps I'm so glad we don't have big alien insects here. I used to go to Bristol Museum and see all the huge insects from hot countries pinned in cases and think to myself "Jesus Fncking Christ! How do people live when the very air is thick with these monsters?" Now I know.

Had a play with a friend's MacBook Air the other evening. Something about its design tempted me to try throwing it like a boomerang. (My mate is a marsupial, so hearing that accent might have placed boomerangs in my subconscious.) The poor guy might as well build a pipeline from his bank account to Apple so they can just suck up all his money more efficiently. He buys everything they make.

These umi budo are good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caulerpa_lentillifera Apart from goya chanpuru, not much else in Okinawa is really special, in my admittedly limited experience. I translate a lot of promotional material for Okinawa, and all the food looks as poor as I remember it. Pigs feet are interesting to look at, but not a great joy to put in your mouth. I do like a drop of Awamori though. But you're asking about places - dunno. I've only been to Miyakojima. Mrs 11 went to Okinawa recently and said there are yanks in uniform everywhere, so good luck avoiding that.

They probably make good bahjis. The empty cases would be good mixed with sesame seeds and seaweed, sprinkled on rice.

Originally Posted By: Mamabear Originally Posted By: Ocean11 Doctors say that they're good for you because they allow you to get steady exercise at the same rate of effort. In contradiction to that there is also a lot of research to support the benefits of interval training - which riding the fixie or a regular geared bike will give you. Yes, I'm aware of that. I take care of that side of things on my evening runs. The fitness aspect of cycling is not my major concern, although it all helps.

Originally Posted By: Jynxx I think I stick to a scootie... the one´s with a handle and brake. Bit like a longboard with handle and break. Can take it on the bus, no prob. Jynxx, I have a micro Original kickboard which I take with me on the train to town. (I live about 20 min by train from town). This has generally served me well, but I've been getting into the habit of missing the last train, and getting home on the kickboard would take most of the night. I've had some crazy dashes through town on the kickboard before pumpkin time... So I was thinking to do the whole thing by bi

That looks like a jolly frightening lorrel coaster.

Thanks for the further comments and advice! The Apollo Salt looks pretty much what I'm after in one sense. That will definitely be worth a look. Here's the thinking behind the assist; Doctors say that they're good for you because they allow you to get steady exercise at the same rate of effort. A steady rate of effort is good if you're riding into town on a summer night for a few bevs, and you don't want to wring out your fancy shirt before you make your appearance in the bar. A steady rate of effort is good on the way home when you're slightly unsteady. I understand that th

Thanks for the tip. What sort of bike(s) do you have?

I'm looking to get a new bike. About 15 years ago, I bought a Miyata Ridge Runner road/mountain bike cross. It has big thin wheels, and a thin frame, but mountain bike gearing and brakes. It's been a pretty good bike, onroad and off. But now it's getting rusty, its wheels need replacing, and I'm not sure of the need for 21 gears or whatever it has. I'm quite keen on the idea of electric motor assist, but the good ones are about 130,000 yen. Alpen does one for 59,000 yen, but it isn't reviewed very highly. I've seen some nice looking road bikes with just one gear. I used to have

Originally Posted By: TubbyBeaverinho ok, so all this talk has got me thinking......if you HAD to become Japaese and they MADE you change your name to a Japanese name, what would it be? I've always thought Asahara Shoko has a nice ring to it, so I'd opt for that. I think it shows a stronger commitment to throw away one's old persona and adopt a fully Japanese name instead of some katakana bastardization of a foreign moniker.

Originally Posted By: Go Native Look I have no idea why you seem to be getting defensive about this. LOL. I'm just stating facts. The 'natural' thing in this case is to go with the flow instead of jumping through unnecessarily complicated and degrading hoops. And besides, I'm not committed to any country. Why is commitment to a country even necessary? I might want to live in Iran one day. Originally Posted By: Go Native I think it would be interesting if instead of just a handful of applications each year there were thousands. Can't tell me that wouldn't be symbolic and be a

"Tiger say from now on you must do everything Japanese style." "Everysching?" That's probably why he got fed up and went back to pies eh?

Originally Posted By: Metabo Oyaji I'm with those who think naturalizing is, well, natural. Perhaps just the result of brainwashing, having been raised in a self-styled "nation of immigrants." Aye, there's the rub. Japan isn't a nation of immigrants, and they don't consider it natural.