Davo

That's tough if they're exercising some kind of a targeted effort at you. My wife used to say that she was her sister and that her sister was away and she didn't know anything about it. She had received wopping bills from them but just ignored it. I have heard that there is actually no way they can make you pay if you just refuse-somehow I don't see the police ever getting involved. I have CCTV if anyone buzzes my house and the only people I ever answer are the postie,delivery co.s and friends-anyone else is either annoying or trying to get something. It's funny watching the ones who keep pres

I put on 2kg in 2 weeks last year when I went home for Obon. Must have been the cold weather urging me to eat 1 or 2 meat pies every day I was there.

Sorry, I meant miteyak.

Agree with you there Miyatek- no one can see you either which is a bonus. It's great doing the same run over again and seeing your lasrt tracks disappear. The other good thing is that you know it'll be primo the next day as well. Plus there's no need to hurry so much cause it'll never get tracked out.

Finally got up to Biwako yesterday for a day of wakeboarding and it was fantastic. This was only my second time and as my first time was 2 snowboarding seasons ago I was much better at it. It's dead easy really once you get over the initial standing up bit-it seems really similar to boarding even though it's totally different. I am pretty sore today-had about 12 sucessful rides of up to 2 minutes before I canned it. Totally exilerating and right up there with powder riding euphoria. I can't wait to go again, do it soon if you can.

Can you dish out some more details like how to get there, size and costs. Sounds interesting.

The Jam, The Clash, The Dead Kennedys, The Cure, The....too many The bands to remember reaching full maturity in The 80's. Birth of Acid House and bigtime rise of hip-hop etc etc etc. Pretty farikan boring eh? Well I guess it was shit if you were listening to La Toya or Bananarama. Oh yeah and The The-I love The 80's.

Yes if you have a full time job and are sponsored by a compny they will require you to be covered by insurance. I was covered by travel insurance for 10 months and that was all the co. which gave me a 3 year visa wanted to know (they never asked for evidence). I just don't see how any foreigner who isn't married with kids would get more benefit from the National health. My wife avoids it because she realizes that by the time she retires there won't be any pensions as a kickback for her years of contribution.

The highlights are ok I guess, but it's a piss-poor substitute for rugby and cricket if you ask me. I once saw a smaller guy leap over the top of a huge mutha when they did the launch into each other bit. He got the big fella off balance and pushed him out of the ring but it's an illegal move and it ended in a draw I think. K1 is far more interesting.

I was with Global over the season but have been tempting fate since March ie no insurance. My wife has found something from American Family which covers you for accidents and more at around \3000 a month-guess it'll do for boarding,and a 10th of the cost of National Health from what I hear. If you are youngish and healthy you only need insurance for when your totally forked up. I should get my act together and get covered. Never ever go with the National health thing-if you're on it and want to get off or getting pressured to get on it, my advice is to get a lawyer to get that hungry dog o

Went to Nankai artificial beach yesterday which I would say is worth a visit, though maybe not in weekends if you can't make it to the real thing from Osaka. Anyway they were playing the ex seargent major ditty ocean 11 mentioned. I go to another pool usually and they do the same thing. I'm sure it's purpose is to periodically clear the pool so the lifeguards can see if anyone has drowned. I always enjoy the spectacle & the music reminds me of the crappy folk dancing we used to do at primary school.

You can't fault Rotton Ronnies in terms of value for money compared to most of the other stuff sold on the mountain. If I splash out at Happone I usually go to Bankok-ya which does good thai curries, tom yam ramen & other good stuff at decent prices. Just the thing to set you up for the rest of the day-located just below the big half pipe on the skiers right of the mountain. Have to try that Mexican place-those beans could create a problem for those following me up the mountain. Gotta love KFC at Tsugaike as well.

Yeah I had a great time working on a building site-had nothing to do most of the time except sit around and read the Sun in the tearoom with all the other people skiving off. But 2 weeks was plenty long enough to sit around reading the Sun-shit jobs are the best. I've often tried hard to see the funny side of them, but they're always much funnier in retrospect.

I don't have any real horror stories, just digging for other peoples really. A while after I got to London I was out of proper work for a few weeks and used to go to this crappy little agency which would send me off to do fun things like washing dishes or stuffing envelopes. I particularly remember at one place being yelled at by the head diswasher(no joke) for screwing up this weired ass conveyer belt dish carrying thing, and not being able to tell him to go #### himself cause I was broke. Teaching jobs? Best lesson was teaching using video excerpts from an episode of A Little House on the

Snoflake I assume the kid in question was walking with the board off-meaning the leash would be off as well cause you can't really walk around with the leash still attached. In this case it is potentially dangerous-I found a kids board on Goryu this year off the trail so I guess something similar had happened for it to slide all the way there. But for a grown up without stepins a leash is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

You lucky muckas-I want to go back to NZ where it has been dumping and they look set for an awesome season. There is one place which just does backcounty snowcat runs and they have a 150cm base already. I went home last August and it was the perfect escape.

In lovely Osaka which seems to have just turned the corner into the real summer. Studying over the Internet has about as many good points as it does bad ones. It's very flexible but it can be difficult to motivate yourself to spend a weekend in front of the computer. I see you are a Kobe-ite xxx- nice place with a lot more going for it than Osaka in some respects, especially in summertime.

I am-it's back in the water supply system, hope you're using a filter there fella.

I'm doing uni papers online and have just finished my exams so I am stoked. Has anyone else been or still going through exam/paper hell-if you are good luck hey. Now-where's my beer then?

I try to make it down to Yoshinoya every time I get a chance. Mmmmmmmmmmmm gyudon again! [This message has been edited by Davo (edited 04 July 2002).]

Yeah I did finally work out they were not bears when I saw them close up. I've never seen a bear so I thought (and still do think) that kamushkas look like bears from a distance. You really have a lot of time on your hands don't ya Cheeseman?

Definately Goryu if you're misbehavin-epic powder runs and a sharp turnaround on the gondola.

ditto the jealously about the Southern snow season. I went home to NZ last year and got 5 days in which was the perfect answer to the evils of summer. Can't go this year so I'm just going to have to concentrate on saving for December. Seems so far away but when autumn comes I get happy in anticipation.

Thailand-not the best season for weather but I've been in July and it was still pretty sweet compared to here at the same time. Koh Chang is pretty good and probably great for someone on a budget in the off season. If you go to Koh Pahn Gan-bottle beach is good but Haad Rin kind of blows if you ask me. This is just beach advice and a little dated-things change but if you stay on one good beach you don't need that much cash. BTW I'm jealous.

I'd probably go with Happo.