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彩門先生 Simon Sensei in JapanLife's too short to sit on yer arse so go do something amazing!
November, 2008 Mushi HuntWell, it's November here in southern Japan, and yet the weather is it's usual glorious self. So what else should one do when it's your mother's birthday, 10,000km away and you're killing time before being able to call up and wish a Happy Birthday....?
Answer: go on a "mushi hunt".
"mushi" is the general term for "insect" in japanese and is written something like this 虫 Kind of like a 5 year old's drawing of a yacht. But kids here, from birth so it seems, are crazy for insects. And being sub-tropical, we get some pretty juicy ones. Creepy-crawlies that can push aside objects in their way...spiders that make a "thump" if they fall to the floor! Nothing like those in England!!!! But I've been here approaching 4 1/2 years now, so I guess my "eeeuuuuugh" factor has reduced somewhat.
Well, back to the afternoon's wander, and as you can see on the picture file with the same name, our "mushi hunt" was a big success. I managed to find a Canon Macro lens 2 weeks ago going cheap (unlike my "L" lens that I use for sports pics!!!) so today was the first proper outing with it. The great thing about today's hunt, unlike the 'Boxing Day to remember' trip, we just had to cross the road, rather than the city. And in fact, we only walked about a kilometre in total, albeit, mostly on our hands and knees, looking for the tiniest things for me to point my camera at.
So, if you don't mind insects, I hope you enjoy what we found, and the flowers and berries etc. were just calling out to me to photograph as they seemed so UN-like anything back in the UK....or maybe I've just never really looked as closely before.....
Bye for now,
 November, 2008 Kyudo, in a blurry world!What a long time it's been!
Well, that's censorship for you. I've taken a load of pictures recently at all sorts of events, such as sports festivals at my schools, but due to the ever-present fear of sick people perving over pictures of school-kids (may you rot in Hell, whoever you are!), I've not been able to post any!
But these pictures from a kyudo competition were just too, well, "Japanesey" not to do some tweaking to, so that I could give you some idea of life here.
Ok, so you can't see much (there's a lot more on my Facebook account, but if your names not down, you can't see that!) but you get an idea.
Enjoy the pics for their "intrinsic artiness" and check in soon, as I'll be doing some Xmas type shots soon - missed out last year due to no free time, and my city at Xmas is a hoot!
Take care for now,
Simon-sensei  August, 2008 A quick trip for our summer break Hello all, Here's a little entry about our summer break. We've just come back from Kumamoto where, if you do a search, you'll find is home to a big ol' volcano, a castle and many more things 'Japanese'. I would write more but I'm knackered from editing WELL over 100 photos, and I need a sleep! Have a look at the pics and I'll do a bigger update later in the week as we're off to see the Bolshoi Circus who're in town too! Byee for now!  July, 2008 Missus Simon goes to Oz.Hello all,
Well, this is an entry on behalf of my wife who recently had to take some of her students to Australia on an intensive English Language training exchange program. When I say she "had to", on her return, I didn't notice any kind of stress from having to go all that way... Somehow, I think she had a fantastic time in Australia. Maybe it's because she's still, two weeks later, not stopped talking about Sydney, or maybe because she's still talking about the trip next year (she has to go again with a new group of students), or maybe it's because she said that Sydney is "the most beautiful city she's ever been to" - and that includes ALL of Japan and when she visited the USA a few years ago. I just hope that when we make it to Europe, she'll see where Sydney got it's ideas from, and she can adapt her view that Sydney will be "one of" the most beautiful cities she'll have visited! We'll see......
Anyway, back to the trip, and as you can see from the pictures that she took during her stay, Sydney - even in winter as it is now - looks wide, well styled, mixing old with new. Apparently it was also very clean, relaxing yet bustling, with a great transport system and shopping was excellent too. She and her students took part in "homestays" which means they didn't use hotels. My wife's "host mother" was an older lady of Asian descent, who loves having Japanese to stay. She cooked for my wife every night, and even arranged transport from and to the rendez-vous point when she arrived and left Australia, respectively. Maybe it was no surprise then, that when my wife returned, she looked VERY relaxed, despite it being a "business-type" trip.
Back to Sydney though, and I've downloaded a good selection of the pictures she took to give you as much of a flavour of the city as possible.
Meanwhile, it seems that next year, the plan is for ALL of us to go along with her. So, check out my blog in 12 months as there could be a bigger entry with my pictures from a trip to Sydney!
On top of that, if there are enough 'yen' in the bank, our planned trip "back home" to England (and possibly France too) could mean that next year's entries are pretty special!
That's all from me for now, as I can't really comment on the exact details of my wife's trip because I didn't go!!!!
Keep safe wherever you are....
 June, 2008 Our big monkey playing piano at schoolWhat a shock! Just three pictures from me....is this a first? I think so!!!
Yep, due to censorship issues, I can only put these pics on here to show our monkey playing brilliantly at school. It was all part of a school open-day event, and Kouki practised for a mere 7 days to play some music (without the score) for his chums to sing to in front of all the parents and the rest of school. We were very proud of him! If you've got access to my Facebook account, please do take a peek as there's a lot more on there.
More soon, with, I expect, a lot less hassle about showing human faces in photographs! What a dumb world we live in these days!!!!
Simon  June, 2008 Ruggers - Japanese style!Hey everyone,
What a weekend!
While one of my most special friends was getting married in the UK, I was stuck over here feeling a little "outta the loop". Sad, but what can you do? Well, the answer came in the form of an invitation from one of my daughter's friend's dad. He's someone important at the Kyushu Electrical company and he heard I like rugby. Well, being British, what else? (No, don't say "what about football?" or even worse, "...baseball?" - those barely count as sports these days...more like TV soaps!) So we went a whole 400 metres from our home to the local sports ground to meet him and his daughter and watch the match together. It was Kyushu Electrical Company's team versus Ricoh (the camera company). As you can see from the pics, it was a lovely day and so I managed to take a few fun snaps. Sorry about the captions, but some of the expressions on the players' faces were too 'classic' not to be a bit cheeky.
Well, I hope you like the snaps and there'll be more soon I expect...
Take care all,
Simon  May, 2008 Kagoshima Flower ParkHey everyone!
Hope your spring is going well. Here's a quick entry from me to accompany my latest pics from yesterday's trip to Kagoshima Flower Park, way down at the southern tip of Kyushu.
Unfortunately it took some time to get there due to the Golden Week traffic, but the gardens are quite stunning this time of year, so I think it was worth the effort. Our littlest monkey has a friend over to stay too, so that gave us a good excuse to get out of the house and take the kids somewhere they could expend some energy and see something of the area they live...while avoiding TV, which I'm beginning to realise is quite a seriously scary waste of people's lives!
Luckily, Koa-chan is a very active girl, so she was happy to get out of the house, on such a beatiful day.
My wife and I made a big picnic in the morning, so we simply pulled off the road - having spotted some shade next to a stretch of beach - and scoffed ourselves with European-style French-bread sandwiches (made by me!) with Japanese rice-balls and other yummy things, made by Koyuki. Some iced tea and cookies made it a delightful rest-stop!
On to the gardens and at the mo' it costs 600 yen for adults and 300 for monkeys to get in, which I think is ok.
Well, I think that's enough from me as the pics speak for themselves, but suffice to say, if you like flowers and are in the southern tip of Kyushu in summertime, I'd recommend a trip to see the gardens. Very beautiful!
More from me soon....and keep smiling!
Simon x(`0`)x April, 2008 Mum & Dad's 2nd visit to Japan! Well, it's been a while but here's an update.....why? Because my parents made it all the way to Japan for the SECOND time!!! How's that for making an effort?!
It'd been almost three years to the day since last we met, and so they came over from Ol' Blighty to see our new(ish) home and have a tour in the south - where it's flatter - as opposed to their last visit when I made them climb volcanic caldera, etc!
Obviously there were tears all round when they left, but my pictures tell you a little of their trip. We went to see various places in the city (which I couldn't photograph) such as the History and Culture Museum, which is cramed with all sorts of info' about southern Japan from the year 'dot' up to the present day. Well worth the 300 yen entrance fee! I took mum and dad to the Pacific Coast too, where we stayed in a trad' Japanese style hotel with tatami on the floor and futon for sleeping. Unfortunately, dad had to use the reclining executive chair to sleep in due to his body being a tad out of shape these days. Sorry dad! But their indoor and outdoor onsen were a real treat! Plus, I simply LOVE the Pacific coast with its seemingly endless views.
Perhaps another one of the highlights was having a wander around the Peace Park in Miyazaki City with many Haniwa figures dotted around the place. The temperature was perfect, the sun shining, and the tourist coaches still missing!!! We could chat about all sorts of things and enjoy the wonderful 'feel' of the place.
Back at home, we went on various outings to places more local to us, including the Kamikaze Museum in Chiran Town, plus the Samurai Village which is part of Chiran Town which has on display old samurai homes from the Edo Period (1603-1868). All very interesting; and such a calm place compared to modern cities!
While my wife was working, another friend of mine, Take-chan (pronounced 'ta' - as in tap, and 'ke' - as in ken) took us to a flower festival/market which had all sorts of stuff-horticultural on display including some stunning bonsai (miniature trees) up to 160,000 yen in price (about 800 pounds!) Eeeshk! I think dad took a load of pics there, so I might try to grab a few of his photos to add here later....
Well, I'm now feeling a little reminiscent so I think I'll stop there, but enjoy the pics of the same title as this entry, and keep looking in!
Byeee for now! March, 2008 Oh how I love hawks!Hello all.
Another short entry from me because when I got home from work this week I couldn't help but notice a cast of hawks (yes, I checked out the collective noun!) circling right outside my home! Not a very common sight....but this is Japan where I've come to expect the unexpected.
Well, my camera was fully charged so I rushed out a whole 5 metres from my front door to have a look and take some pics for you to see. Oh how I'm REALLY yearning for a new lens for my camera which would've brought me even closer to these wonderful birds-of-prey, but since they seem to be showing up more and more, hopefully when my wish is granted, there'll be more opportunities to take better pics later this year....we'll see.
Anyway, back to last week, and hopefully you can see from the linked photos that the hawks were not simply feeling like coming down to earth to be sociable - no, they'd spotted some old chap throwing food, just a few metres in front of his parked-up bicycle. That was all it took.
When I can get my new, faster, and longer lenses, I'm thinking to myself, "that's not a bad idea for some potentially awesome shots of one of my favourite creatures up close and personal!"
Keep checking in folks, as around June/July these pics could be eclipsed in a big way!
Bye for now!
Si  March, 2008 Koa chan gets her Yellow BeltJust a quick entry today as I'm off to bed, but I wanted to post pictures of my little Koa chan because she got her karate Yellow Belt yesterday. If you know anything about karate you'll understand how you need to master certain moves to go up in 'belt' colour. Koa-chan did really well, and we are both very proud that her efforts have paid off. Now, I have to pass my test in June to become 'brown belt' (one down from 'black') otherwise the competition between us will be far too much in her favour!!!
More soon,
Si :-) February, 2008 A special trip to the AquariumHello all,
Time for another update as yesterday was a fun day for me and Koa-chan.
As you know - if you've seen my blog before - I'm an Englishman who has settled in southern Japan. Been here for a few years now, but it still amazes me how wonderful the vast majority of the Japanese are towards us "gai-koku-jin" (that's "foreigners" to you and me). Well, a few weeks ago I was having a lovely dinner with some of my ex-"Adult English Conversation Class" students, and a friend said he'd seen Koa-chan on TV when she made her speech on "Half-coming of age day" about wanting to be a naturalist. He reminded me that another ex-student works at the Aquarium, so why don't we all meet there for a look at the fish, but teach Koa-chan some extra information.
Well, what an opportunity to encourage Koa-chan, especially as she's fast approaching the "terrible teenager" stage!
We had an excellent time. So, a huge THANKS to my wonderful Japanese friends for taking the time out to be with us yesterday, and to teach us both about the wonderful fish in the Aquarium.
More from me soon, so keep checking in....especially as next month, my parents will come for their second trip to Japan! Bye for now,
Simon  February, 2008 Wind Surfing in the cold.Well hello!
Here's another little update from me because I went to see some wind surfing with a matey of mine yesterday....where we took some pics! Sorry about the low quality but it was a bit rainy, but enjoy what I managed to take!
Catch you soon dudes!
(*o*) January, 2008 Han-sei-jin-shiki 半成人式Hello all,
So, what's this entry all about?!?!? Good question...
"Han-sei-jin-shiki" literally means "half coming-of-age ceremony".
Still no clearer are we....?!?!? Well, in Japan, when you reach 20, you've "come of age", which basically means you're considered an adult - whatever THAT means?! So therefore, logically, "half" coming-of-age must be that you're half an adult, right? Only joking...of course it means you've reached the grand old age of 10!
And since our little monkey is now 10, this January saw her take part in her own ceremony at school. In fact, this is quite a new thing in Japan, and apparently Koa-chan's school is famous for starting it here, way down south. What was also kinda cool was that the News people were all there, and because Koa-chan is a 'top' student, she was chosen to do speeches etc, and was on the News on all the channels at lunch AND dinner-time. Obviously my wife screamed a lot with delight at that! Cute!
As to the ceremony itself, it was rather fun, and all us parents got to go to a very posh restaurant overlooking the city afterwards to have a sumptuous meal - after which I didn't need anything to eat at night!
That's it for this little bit of culture here in Japan-Land.....more soon I expect, as the weather is turning glorious already and I'm itching to get out and take some more pictures, especially when the flowers all come out! "Yay!" for springtime!!!!
Bye for now,
Simon  December, 2007 A Boxing Day to rememberHello all!
It's me again!
Yes, it was "Christmas Day" yesterday (whatever that means?!), but living in Southern Japan means that I'm at least 1000km from any sick-making Christmas over-indulgence, so today's (Boxing Day) entry is about a little Nature Hike that Koa-chan and I undertook this afternoon.
She says that her aim is to be a naturalist, so I'm quite happy to encourage that aim by taking her out and helping her get grubby, mucky and covered in cobwebs (or worse!) as I think that's a very healthy state for a 10 year old to be in in today's hyper-worried-overly-protective-anally-retentive society. And besides which, watching my 10 year old walking slowly, in silence, while absorbing her surroundings, looking for beasties and birdies is rewarding in, and of itself!
Oh the joys of The Great Outdoors!
If you're not doing something (anything!) similar if or when you have the opportunity, I recommend you give it a go.
Well, enjoy the pics and catch you soon.
Si
December, 2007 A decent ascent to Yoshino Park - by bicycle!Hello all...
I think I'm really getting into this whole 'being healthy and enjoying it' thing. My weekends seem to be more and more about keeping hold of my current level of health after years of slowly turning into a podge, back in Blighty!
So, after my usual session at karate yesterday, today was another chance to get into the ol' saddle and see where my legs could take me.
Well, we - as a family - have been to Yoshino Park a few times and I'd always wondered if I could cycle there. Since we live at sea-level, the only real challenge is the height I'd have to cycle up. And Japan, being a non-too-friendly-to-cyclists kinda country, I'd also have to cope with cars, trucks and buses on the winding, busy roads up to the top of the ridge where the park is located.
But, as you can see from my pics, I made it!!!!!!
And wow! was it worth the effort. I hope you'll agree, the park and views are gorgeous.
My next venture should be to somewhere a bit further I think, as the park is only about 15km each way......
Hmmmm, where will Simon-sensei get to next time.....???? Keep checking in to find out, and see what a normal life is like (if such a thing exists?!) in Japan.
Be good! And if you can't be good, be careful ;-)
Simon November, 2007 Everyone out in the sun (*-*)Well hello again....
If it seems there's a bit of a theme at the mo', it's because there is. I've finally lost enough Western flab to start building up again on a decent frame, and in winter, I've found the best way to do this is to get out cycling at the weekends. So, because I'm a generous type of geeza, I always take along my trusty Canon to see what I can see.
This weekend's jaunt took me into the city looking for sights that the average chap might just pass by without much of a second glance. I hope you like what I found whilst on my cycle ride........?
The main thing I noticed today was that, apart from it being wonderfully warm (27 degrees C in the sun), the atmosphere felt so friendly. Sometimes, when my camera emerges from it's backpack, I can almost feel a bubble being built around me as people seek NOT to be photographed. I still find this both fascinting and disturbing at the same time. Fascinating, because usually I'm photgraphing places - not people - and disturbing because almost everyone and their dog in Japan, so it seems, has a 'keitai' (mobile 'phone) which typically has 5+ megapixels and 2X or 3X zoom. These are whipped out with incredible ease and click away without anyone batting an eyelid. But a "real" camera creates an odd reaction in people.
So, as I said earlier, today wasn't one of those 'suspicious faces everywhere' days - nope! Today was a day of smiles, laughter everywhere, and people simply saying "hello" as they walked past me - even when I had my camera pointing in their general direction!
Anyway, back to my ride and I think, as usual, the pics pretty much speak for themselves. Oh and the 'dudes' on their skateboards all gave me express permission to take and post their antics, so I guess I was right a few entries earlier, when I became annoyed at the sudden restrictions on picture-taking. With permission, I can carry on as usual! :-)
Enjoy the pics and I'll try to put more on when I can...hopefully before the start of 2008! Wow! Doesn't time fly!?!?!?!?
Keep safe,
Simon November, 2007 Going in search of stuff along the riverbankHey all!
This is just a quick entry to share my bicycle ride with you. Why? Well, why not?! Missus Simon is very busy at the mo' (even as I type this!) because she's sitting another exam soon, so I decided to put my legs to work and headed off on a modest-but-enjoyable 22km ride up and down a nearby river. I think the pics speak for themselves, and I must say that even though you might find it "ordinary", I really enjoyed riding off the road, where I could stop and "look" at what sits near my home that I've never spotted before. I mean, I found crows in the river!?!?! That's a new one to me! And I also found lots of naked women too! Ok, so they're all statues, but in Japan?! Nudity these days is kinda "behind closed doors", or in onsen, so I was very happy to see that European-style art is ok here too.
Well, enjoy the pics, and no doubt I'll have more soon.
Take care and keep being happy to wake up every morning!
Simon November, 2007 We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!!!!!Hello again fellow bloggers.... We start out today with an explanation: If you've been in and out of my site recently, you might realise I've removed a big chunk about life in my schools.....well, it's now being replaced with this entry from my local zoo, which, let's face it, does have quite a few parallels! Why the big-delete? Unfortunately, the world we live in is so full of sick, perverted people that my students' parents might "freak out" and cause some poo at my office because pictures of their children at various festivals or practice events will attract the wrong attention....and thereafter some horrid legal action. Oh dear. What a sad world we live in. I have, up until now, really enjoyed trying to share with everyone who drops into my blog some of the highs and lows of this amazing country. I'd always thought that the simple images of happy, smiling kids - instead of gang-violence, threatening behaviour or worse - could help some people out there to see that the world is not all bad. But, it's now clear that such a wonderful thing as that might be too risky. So, you'll just have to take my word for it that Japan IS still full of happy, smiling kids. I just can't show you any of them.......unless I get picture-release forms signed by them and their parents. Maybe I will, just so that I can keep on promoting to you all that life IS still valued somewhere; school-life IS still seen as something "fun"; and that happiness does still exist without the need for anything negative or destructive. Anyway, enjoy the pics of the animals, and my own little monkey - whose pictures WILL still be appearing!!!!!!!! Take care and keep checking in...... Simon October, 2007 An Autumn Lunch.Hey folks,
Time for another update as the previous two, politically-motivated entries were a bit heavy really....and besides, my blog isn't here to point out the problems with Japan because they're pretty-much the same as everywhere else, but with more heat 'n' humidity!
So, today's entry is about my lunch! Easy huh?
Yep, I'd just finished my adult class in the morning and thought I needed some fresh air before the afternoon class, so I popped to a super-market, picked up an "obento" (Japanese pre-made, usually rather healthy, packed-lunch) and drove up to Shiro Yama Park (城山公園) which means "Castle Mountain", even though there's no evidence of a castle there these days.....
Once there, I sat on a bench looking at the pretty view (pic #1) and as usual, had my camera with me.
"Very pretty, indeed!", I thought. So I snapped a pic and wandered off around the park. And you know something...the more I looked, I mean 'really' looked, the more I realised that normally, we just don't "see" what's around us. Or more accurately, maybe we don't make time to see what's around us...
I think it was Louise Gluck who said in her poem 'Nostos', "We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory." Well, I get that she's trying to be all 'poetic', but it sounds like rubbish to me. The ability to open our eyes, physically and metaphorically, is available at every moment of every day. All you have to do is stop thinking about daily crap for a moment. Forget about your worries. Leave your modern-life-created stresses alone for one second, and "Hey Presto!" - you can really take in what's around you once more.
Isn't life great?!
So, my challenge to you is to stop. Take a "breather". Look around you - where ever you may be - and find something you hadn't noticed before. You might be surprised....
Have fun, and don't stop being happy to still be alive!
Bye for now.
Si  October, 2007 Ugly JapanTime for a slightly political entry which I've ironically called "Ugly Japan". Why? Well, if you're up with Japan and her news, you'll know that the recently kicked-out Prime Minister - Abe Shinzo - made a great fuss about wanting to make Japan "beautiful" again, so that the Japanese could be proud of their country.
Personally, I don't know how much of his speeches were bull, and how much he really believed, but he's gone now, and Japan hasn't changed much.
Moving on, many foreigners - and Japanese alike - comment that this country is not exactly "traditional" in style. Certainly the planners of most cities should be taken out and shot; or maybe that's too kind? So I thought to myself; I have to drive for about 85 minutes each-way, to work every day......so can I, at every traffic light or jam, find something worth taking a picture of?
That was my challenge, and the photos are my efforts...
Judge for yourself. Is Japan simply the result of deranged half-wits with too much control and yet the design skills of a one-legged octopus? Or does Japan still retain some of her natural beauty?
Obviously, like all "developed" countries, I could equally find truly ugly things to photograph, but that's not the point of the challenge...
So, see what you think.... Byee for now! September, 2007 Anyone for a spot of sailing??? September 2007Toodle-pip-pip-hoorah!!! Is that a sailing expression? I've no idea, even though I've a Day-Skippers licence....anyway, time for another little update. Monday just gone was one of Japan's odd little extra days off. So a friend of mine said, "let's go sailing on my yacht!" Never one to say "no" to an offer like that, off we went, around the bay to Hayato port where Captain Typhoon and the gang were waiting. Again, the pictures pretty-much say it all, so I'm not going to ramble on. It was a lovely few hours sailing, made all-the-better because we didn't have to actually fly to a foreign country to do it! Ho ho!!! Hope you like the pics, and if you get the chance of doing some "messing about in boats" I'd highly recommend you give it a go! Bye for now,  September, 2007 A quick trip to Hakata, and the lunar eclipse - September 2007Hello folks, here's another condensed entry as the pics tell most of the story. Koyuki simply LURVES taking exams, so she had to go to Hakata, in Fukuoka City last weekend. Being the wonderful husband that I am, I said I'd accompany her and thus achieved another little dream - travelling on the Bullet Train! First of all, they really are EXACTLY on time. Second, the drivers really do stop them at EXACTLY the right place, so you can get into, for example, door number 3 if your ticket says "stand at the barrier where it says 'door number 3'". Third, WOW - the train is sooooo smooth. You really don't know you're moving at close to 200mph. Stopping is smooth too...no juddering to a halt here!!! Anyway, I plan on using the Bullet train again, maybe when we manage to get to Kyoto and Nara. After that, there's a picture of a bridge, crossing the bay, pushed/pulled by a fleet of tugs! I just had to include the picture because the sight was so unusual! And finally there are two pictures of the moon, because it really did go into full eclipse the other day. I hope my pictures do it some justice. TTFN!!!! August, 2007 Trip to Tanegashima - August 2007Hey folks, here's a quick entry about our summer trip! As you can see, we went to Tanegashima which is an island about 120km south of Kagoshima Prefecture. It's where we Euro-types first entered Japan in 1543 (I think). We brought guns (oops), and hens which, being from the "English" became called "In-gi-dori" because the "In-gi" sound of the word "English" was all the locals could catch! Oh how English understanding in Japan has(n't) changed!!!!!! Anyway, the island itself is hot, VERY windy and a bit of fun for surfers and others who like splashing around in the sea. Why? Well, Tanegashima is a long, thin island, so you're never far from getting your feet wet! Especially, I think, when there's a typhoon! We stayed in a gorgeous hotel, ate far too much amazing food (Western and Japanese) and generally had a relaxing time, while the kids were at their Grand-parents' home in Hiroshima. All in all, it was a very relaxing place for us and I now feel ready for my 4th year in Japan! TTFN! xxx June, 2007 The Random Album, June 2007As it says, this entry is a bit random.... Basically I was going through my laptop picture folders and found some images I thought would fit together - albeit in a 'random' way. I hope you like the pics and can see the point.............. ............... ........... ........ ..... ... .. . . .. ... ..... ........ .............. ........................ ...................................... If not, here it is in a nutshell - Life goes up and down. You win some, you lose some. But if you keep your head, it can all turn out sweet in the end! My philosophy? Don't get down, depressed, pissed at those who have screwed you over......don't dwell on your mistakes too much - just learn from them. If you (like me) have made mistakes, hurt people, been hurt by people, or whatever.....leave those in the past and don't forget that there is only "now". Yesterday is just a memory, tomorrow a dream. Take care all! Si  June, 2007 Scary stuff???Hello all, Here's a little update cos I felt like it! It was Koa-chan's open day last weekend and so Koyuki and I went along to show our support and see what's what in her school. Since I teach in Elementary School from time to time, it was interesting to see how they run things here in the City as opposed to where I teach, an hour+ drive around the bay. Well, apart from showing us visibly that she STILL doesn't brush her teeth properly, Koa-chan showed herself to be a very well-behaved and keen student! How come the "well behaved" part is often 'bypassed' after she gets home???? Meanwhile, I've been playing a bit with my new camera and took some shots of some hawks that were playing around the port. I'd seen them there before, but with my old camera there was never any point stopping because they move so fast and are so far away that they'd have just looked like blurry, fuzzy blobs! Hopefully you can see that my skills are slowly improving?! Finally, the volcano decided to get in on the action and spat out a few thousand tons of crap into the atmosphere - all in about 20 minutes. Global warming from cars.....??????.....I think Sakurajima, every few weeks, out-does all the cars in Japan added together, as far as CO2 is concerned! Finally (and as an add-on) we've just been today - June 17th - to Kouki's Open Day...so I've tacked on a few pictures for your amusement! More from me as-and-when, but until then, take care and keep living life! Simon 
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