Still blogging today

A girlfriend once marveled at how I could still keep up with blogging after all these years. I told her 'nothing to it, you just keep on finding something to write, anything'.. tongue in cheek.

But I must admit that I've not been updating this space regularly enough - those of you who have been regular readers would have noticed that. Ooops!

And I've told myself (not once) I shall do better, and I will. I will post more regularly from now on, maybe not daily like the Blog Challenge I did last April, but certainly more frequently from now on.

For starters, here's something wow-worthy, 'The most awesome Omurice in Kichi2, Kyoto, Japan'. Enjoy!

Friday Frolics - What Kind of Pie Are You? and 9/11

Today is September 11. Does it ring a bell? I watched a two-hour documentary on Nat Geo last night about the day before September 11, 2001. Didn't know the World Trade Centre had such a beautifully done up bar and surroundings as well as a great private collection of artworks.

Today marks the 14th anniversary of that tragic day. A minute of silence will be observed the morning of the day (Eastern time) in New York.

In Japan the news reported that it's been raining for some 72 hours that it has caused massive flooding in the Tokyo area. My thoughts go out to bloggers I know there. Please stay safe.

Here in KL, we are not having it good either, although on a much lesser scale. Air quality is really bad today and for the first time it's affecting breathing - never before in all these years. My eyes are also smarting and itchy. Got to quickly dash in and out of my car to avoid being exposed to this bad air quality. I read the reading in Petaling Jaya and the Klang Valley is at 104 today. That's a bad reading on the API. *Cough*

But then again on the other hand, a heavy downpour or a change in wind direction will render our skies blue and clean again. Fortunately, this hazy condition is close to coming to an end, maybe in two to three weeks time.

Whatever it is, Happy Friday! May you have better conditions wherever in the world you are.

You Are Mud Pie

You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth. You are overpowering and dominant - and that's what people like about you. You bring energy and a new direction to most interactions. People crave you in a serious way. You're that important to them. Those who like you give into their impulses. You don't represent reason. You represent pure temptation. People get addicted to you rather easily. You offer people a dark side that is very hard to resist.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Fun, Free Quizzes!

Last week's The Cute Monster Test

Image source of 9/11 above is Wikipedia

Visa-exemption for short-term visit to Japan soon

Preparation for travel to Japan for Malaysians will soon be a step easier as Malaysians will soon be exempted from visas for short-term visits.

The Japan Embassy in Malaysia said yesterday the process is currently under preparation and will be implemented in the near future. The embassy is expected to announce the details on Monday, so watch out for updates on this space.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government approved on Tuesday the exemption of visas for short-term tourists from Malaysia and Thailand, according to Japanese media.

In a bid to boost Japan's tourism industry, the country is also set to allow multiple-entry visas for visitors from the Philippines and Vietnam.

Japan-bound travellers from Malaysia and Thailand are currently issued multiple-entry visas enabling holders to enter Japan as often as they want during the validity period.

Source: The Star..Japan to exempt visas for Malaysian tourists on short-term visits

Second Anniversary of the 3.11 Japan Earthquake

Yesterday, Mar 11, Japan marked the second anniversary of the 9.03-magnitude earthquake that hit east Japan off the Pacific coast of Tohoku.

Relatives of the victims offer flowers during a national memorial service in Tokyo. Junji Kurokawa, AP - USA Today
According to Wikipedia, the earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5 metres (133 ft) in Miyako in Tōhoku's Iwate Prefecture, and which, in the Sendai area, travelled up to 10 km (6 mi) inland. The earthquake moved Honshu (the main island of Japan) 2.4 m (8 ft) east and shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between 10 cm (4 in) and 25 cm (10 in).

On 12 September 2012, a Japanese National Police Agency report confirmed 15,881 deaths, 6,142 injured, and 2,668 people missing across twenty prefectures, as well as 129,225 buildings totally collapsed, with a further 254,204 buildings 'half collapsed', and another 691,766 buildings partially damaged.

Below are a few more photos from USA Today..

People pray for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami on March 11 in Arahama district in Sendai, Japan. Japanese are marking the second anniversary of the disaster that claimed 19,000 lives and triggered a nuclear accident. Toru Yamanaka, AFP/Getty Images

A man attends a memorial ceremony in front of a destroyed government office in Ootsuti, Iwate Prefecture. Ken Ishii, Getty Images

Vehicles destroyed by the 2011 tsunami sit in a field of reeds in Namie. Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP/Getty Images

People gather around a disaster-control center destroyed by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami as they observe a moment of silence March 11 in Minamisanriku. Shizuo Kambayashi, AP

Buddhist monks march on the seawall as they mark the anniversary in Miyako, Iwate prefecture. AP

People offer prayers in front of a memorial dedicated to tsunami victims on a beach in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. AP

A woman lights candles during a service for the victims at a park in Tokyo. Itsuo Inouye, AP

Baseball players from the Netherlands, top, and Cuba offer a silent prayer for victims during a ceremony at the World Baseball Classic tournament at the Tokyo Dome. KJazuhiro Nogi, AFP/Getty Images

A tsunami thunders ashore on March 11, 2011, top, in Natori, Miyagi prefecture. Destroyed homes and debris have been removed, as shown on March 6, as repair operations continue along the coastal area. Kyodo News Service via AP

A ship rests on a wharf on April 10, 2011, left, after it was washed ashore during a tsunami at the port in Kamaishi, Iwate prefecture. The ship has been removed and repairs to the damaged port continue.

A street in Miyako, Iwate prefecture, left, is clogged with destroyed cars, buildings and debris after an earthquake and tsunami on March 12, 2011. The same road has been cleared of damaged buildings and is open to vehicles on March 1, 2013. Kyodo News Service via AP

Related article:
- Remembering Japan - One Year Later

Japan tunnel collapse

Oh dear! I just read about the tunnel collapse in Japan.

The Star reported that:

At least seven people were trapped inside a highway tunnel in Japan after it collapsed on Sunday, setting a car ablaze and raising fears of another cave-in that forced a halt to rescue efforts.

Two vehicles were crushed in the original collapse and one other was set ablaze when large concrete ceiling panels fell in inside one of Japan's longest motorway tunnels at nearly five kilometres long.

A comprehensive rescue effort was launched but more than five hours after the incident, workers pulled out of the tunnel because of concerns that more of the roof might collapse, a fire official told AFP.

The cave-in happened on Tokyo-bound lanes of the Sasago tunnel on the Chuo Expressway, 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of the capital, at around 8:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday), an official at the expressway traffic police said.

More..The Star..Seven trapped in fiery Japan tunnel collapse

CNNGo's list of World's 10 Most Loved Cities

Hey Rurousha, your city from yonder made it to the World's 10 Most Loved Cities on CNNGo's list coming in at No. 9! How cool! Wait, there's more. Your (Hero) city tops the list. Not fair, you get to live in two of the world's most loved cities!

Apparently, all cities are not created equal. CNNGo trawled the Internet for media "best of" praise, solicited recommendations from local correspondents, bloggers and travelers, scraped the bottom of every Internet and press barrel we could find for reasons not to include these conurbations, and still come up with what we think is a definitive list of the world's most loved cities. They found out that:

San Francisco has its Tenderloin, food snobs and bridge tolls.
Cape Town has its great white sharks and 17-hour commutes from New York City (which has its own issues).
Montreal has an underperforming hockey team and ridiculously cold winters.
And let’s not even get started about Tokyo.

Bottom line: travelers love places in spite of all their imperfections. Or perhaps because of them.

Here's the list of the World's 10 Most Loved Cities. Are you living in one of them..

10. Barcelona, Spain


9. Cape Town, South Africa


8. Montreal, Canada
7. New York City, United States
6. Paris, France
5. Petra, Jordan
4. San Francisco, United States
3. Santiago, Chile
2. Shanghai, China
1. Tokyo, Japan


Read more about the cities on CNNGo's World's 10 Most Loved Cities..

Dock from Japan washes up on Oregon beach

We have read about messages in bottles that get washed ashore. Something as small as a bottle is believable that it can float across the oceans to reach a shore on the other side. What about something as huge as a dock? Not possible? Read on..

A huge dock unmoored during last year's Japanese tsunami washed up on an Oregon beach this week which is having the authorities debating on how to remove it as well as who will be bearing the cost.


According to The Star article, the catastrophe swept an estimated 5 million tons of debris out to sea, but most of it sank. Japan has estimated that as much as 1.5 million tons of debris could still be afloat.

The 66-foot-(20-metre-) long dock is made mostly of concrete and metal, with a small metal plaque with Japanese writing attached. It washed up early on Tuesday morning on scenic Agate Beach, just north of Newport, Oregon, about 110 miles (177 km) southwest of Portland.

The dock tested negative for radiation, which was a concern because of the major radiation release at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following March 2011's 9.0 magnitude earthquake which caused a tsunami that killed nearly 16,000 people and left over 3,000 missing on Japan's main island of Honshu.

From soccer balls and buoys to building materials, they have floated across the Pacific and washed up on shores across the U.S. West Coast.


Source: The Star..Dock from Japanese tsunami washes up on Oregon beach

Children Full of Life - A Must-watch video

If only teachers across the world are like Mr Toshiro Kanamori who truly understands what teaching children is all about and who certainly made a positive difference in the lives of his students.

This is a must-watch video, especially for teachers. Thanks to Pandabonium who allowed me to 'borrow' it from his site.

"In the award-winning documentary Children Full of Life, a fourth-grade class in a primary school in Kanazawa, northwest of Tokyo, learn lessons about compassion from their homeroom teacher, Toshiro Kanamori. He instructs each to write their true inner feelings in a letter, and read it aloud in front of the class. By sharing their lives, the children begin to realize the importance of caring for their classmates."



I don't know about you but I had to stretch for tissues. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Remembering Japan - One Year Later

March 11 2011 will forever be remembered as the day a devastating earthquake and tsunami changed the lives of thousands in Japan.

One Year Later, Pain of Tsunami Lingers (New York Times)

Teruko Sto, 73, prayed at the site where her son's body was found in Kesencho, Japan, following last year's earthquake and tsunami. Shoichi Sto, 47, died while helping evacuate elderly residents of the village.
By HIROKO TABUCHI
Published: March 11, 2012

NIHONMATSU, Japan — Nobody knows whether Hiroshi Yokoyama’s elderly parents tried to outrun the tsunami waves that engulfed their home in Namie on the Fukushima coast a year ago.

But Mr. Yokoyama does know that he would have searched for them high and low, if not for a second disaster that unfolded at the nuclear power plant just a few miles away, forcing him to abandon his search.
More..Effects of Japan’s Disaster Are Still Unfolding


Japan marks quake and tsunami anniversary (BBC)

Emperor Akihito: "We shall never forget those who gave their lives in rescue missions"

Japan is marking the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami which struck the north-eastern coast, leaving 20,000 dead or missing.

The magnitude 9.0 quake, Japan's most powerful since records began, also triggered a serious nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Thousands of people were evacuated as radiation leaked from the plant.

There were memorial services, and a minute's silence was observed at the moment the quake hit, 14:46 local time.
More..Japan marks quake and tsunami anniversary


Japan: A Year After the Tsunami, A Coastal Town Comes Together (TIME)


Driving into Minamisanriku, it’s hard not to feel a little discouraged. A cold drizzle falls over what used to be a thriving, picturesque fishing village but is now a barren swatch of gray cement foundations. The twisted hulks of smashed cars are piled up at the edge of town, still waiting to be hauled out. A helix of painted metal from some long-gone building floats in a waterway that runs through town.
More..Japan: A Year After the Tsunami, A Coastal Town Comes Together


Japan mourns tsunami dead; grapples with aftermath (The Star)

Taketo Endo (R), 12, and his brother Haruto, 10, offer prayers for their parents, who were killed in the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, at a seaside which was damaged by the disaster in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, March 11, 2012, to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

With a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear rallies, Japan marked on Sunday one year since an earthquake and tsunami killed thousands and set off a radiation crisis that shattered public trust in atomic power and the nation's leaders.

The magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed a wall of water that hit Japan's northeast coast, killing nearly 16,000 and leaving nearly 3,300 unaccounted for, and the country is still grappling with the human, economic and political costs.
More..Japan mourns tsunami dead; grapples with aftermath

Grow Sunflowers

Probably next year, the northeasterm region of Japan will appear attractively yellow seen from space. This is because, folks in that region have been asked to grow sunflowers. The call to plant this radiant yellow flower is related to the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed March's earthquake and tsunami. Sunflowers can help decontaminate radioactive soil.

Volunteers are being asked to grow the flowers then send the seeds to the stricken area, where they will be planted next year to help get rid of radioactive contaminants in the plant's fallout zone.

Thousands of sunflower seeds have been sold including to the city of Yokohama, which is growing sunflowers in 200 parks.

On the home-front, yellow is no longer a tricky color to wear as yellow attire but without the Bersih logo is now allowed according to Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar.

For foreign readers, Bersih means Clean in the local language. The rally recently held on July 9 is a call by Bersih, an NGO, for Clean and Fair elections advocating electoral reforms.


Image source: Wikipedia

Understanding the Actual Effects of the Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown

The Mayan Calendar says the world will come to an end on Dec 21, 2012. That is roughly 585 days away. I counted. Will this prediction come to life? Your guess is as good as mine though we all hope that it's just a fallacy, a false notion, concocted to break cinema box-office records for the movie, 2012.

Fast-forward to present times. The world has recently witnessed a natural disaster off the coast of northeastern Japan, an earthquake on March 11, so powerful that it has now made the history books as being one of the 5 strongest in the world at 9 on the Richter scale. A tsunami followed, wiping out a big portion of that part of Japan that in some parts, water still fills the land around homes discouraging residents from venturing outdoors. The coastline has withdrawn inwards and the Earth has shifted some 8 inches on its axis reducing her revolution to a fraction of a second.

Lives lost and properties destroyed, life has changed forever for many, and is still changing with the nuclear plant meltdown. Just as we speak, more villagers from as far as 30km away from the nuclear site have been asked to evacuate.

How bad is the effect of this Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown, really? We know of the Chernobyl disaster. Up to today, the effects are still being felt. 80% of babies born around the area are born abnormal. Experts say this Fukushima nuclear plant disaster is even worse. I'll leave you with this video. Watch it to get a better understanding of the repercussions.




Related article:
Japan utility head resigns over nuclear crisis

Japan quake - A Story of a Generous 9-year-old boy

There have been many stories circulating online about how the Japanese people conduct themselves so commendably well in the recent quake, tsunami and nuclear radiation catastrophe. Below is one more touching story..

The email said..

This article is real and has a good spirit.......For your reading pleasure.


*EDITOR’S note: THIS letter, written by Vietnamese immigrant Ha MinhThanh who works in Fukushima as a policeman to a friend in Vietnam, was posted on New America Media (NAM) on March 19. It is a testimony to the strength of the Japanese spirit, and an interesting slice of life near the epicentre of Japan’s crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It was translated by NAM editor Andrew Lam, author of “East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres.” Shanghai Daily condensed it.*

Brother,

How are you and your family? These last few days, everything was in chaos. When I close my eyes, I see dead bodies. When I open my eyes, I also see dead bodies.

Each one of us must work 20 hours a day, yet I wish there were 48 hours in the day, so that we could continue helping and rescuing folks. We are without water and electricity, and food rations are near zero. We barely manage to move refugees before there are new orders to move them elsewhere.

I am currently in Fukushima, about 25 kilometres away from the nuclear power plant. I have so much to tell you that if I could write it all down, it would surely turn into a novel about human relationships and behaviours during times of crisis.

People here remain calm despite the devastation– their sense of dignity and proper behaviour are very good – so things aren’t as bad as they could be. But given another week, I can’t guarantee that things won’t get to a point where we can no longer provide proper protection and order.

They are humans after all, and when hunger and thirst override dignity, well, they will do whatever they have to do. The government is trying to provide supplies by air, bringing in food and medicine, but it’s like dropping a little salt into the ocean.

Brother, there was a really moving incident. It involves a little Japanese boy who taught an adult like me a lesson on how to behave like a human being.

Last night, I was sent to a little grammar school to help a charity organisation distribute food to the refugees. It was a long line that snaked this way and that and I saw a little boy around 9 years old. He was wearing a tee-shirt and a pair of shorts.

It was getting very cold and the boy was at the very end of the line. I was worried that by the time his turn came there wouldn’t be any food left. So I spoke to him. He said he was at school when the earthquake happened. His father worked nearby and was driving to the school. The boy was on the third floor balcony when he saw the tsunami sweep his father’s car away.

I asked him about his mother. He said his house is right by the beach and that his mother and little sister probably didn’t make it. He turned his head and wiped his tears when I asked about his relatives.

The boy was shivering so I took off my police jacket and put it on him. That’s when my bag of food ration fell out. I picked it up and gave it to him.

“When it comes to your turn, they might run out of food. So here’s my portion. I already ate. Why don’t you eat it?”

The boy took my food and bowed. I thought he would eat it right away, but he didn’t. He took the bag of food, went up to where the line ended and put it where all the food was waiting to be distributed.

I was shocked. I asked him why he didn’t eat it and instead added it to the food pile. He said, “Because I see a lot more people hungrier than I am. If I put it there, then they will distribute the food equally.”

When I heard that I turned away so that people wouldn’t see me cry.

A society that can produce a 9-year-old who understands the concept of sacrifice for the greater good must be a great society, a great people.

Well, a few lines to send you and your family my warm wishes. The hours of my shift have begun again.

Ha Minh Thanh

PS: When a country can produce a nine-year-old boy who can think like that and we, in this country, have a political party driven with adults who think nothing but corruption, theft, greed, sex, rape, racism and exploitation, you can see how deeply troubled we are. Worst still some teachers teach how to torture, discriminate and in extreme case murder the defenseless children...

Radiation from the Japan nuclear blast

The Star today reported..

SOMA, Japan (AP): The second hydrogen explosion in three days rocked a stricken Japanese nuclear plant Monday, sending a massive cloud of smoke into the air and injuring 11 workers.

Hours later, the US said it had shifted its offshore forces away from the plant after detecting low levels of radiation.


Was told there is an SMS that is going around today. Perhaps you would have received it too. I got it from a concerned friend. It says:

"A nuclear power plant in Fukumi, Japan, exploded at 4:30am today. If it rains tomorrow or later, don't go outside. If you are outside, be sure that you have rain protectors. It's acid rain. Don't let it touch you. You may burn your skin, lose your hair or have cancer. Please pass, stay safe and remind everyone you know."

What do you think? Do we over here have cause for concern? Any experts reading this can shed some light?

Btw, good to have an idea of Travel warnings after Japan's earthquake


Update: Tues, Mar 15:

Perhaps this would help to allay fears..Group: No need to monitor radiation here. The article says:

PETALING JAYA: It is not necessary for Malaysia to monitor the possible radiation fallout due to a nuclear meltdown in Japan at the moment, said the Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia.

Its president Nithi Nesadurai said that given the distance of the country from Japan, it was not of immediate concern for the Malaysian Government to monitor the possible fallout.

“I am sure countries closer to Japan such as the Philippines and China are monitoring to see if the possible fallout will reach their shores.

“We can always look at their results and decide our next course of action later,” he said.

Click on link above to continue reading.

However, food and food products coming in to Malaysia from Japan are being screened for radiation contamination after explosions at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Health ministry is concerned that the explosions would affect perishable exports from Japan. Fish, fish products, fruit, fruit products, cereal, beverages and meat in both fresh and canned form were imported from Japan last year.

Satellite Photos of Japan Before and After the Quake and Tsunami & How You Can Help

Cities and towns in northeast Japan hit by the tsunami as a result of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake Friday afternoon are now in ruins. What they were before is a stark contrast from how they are now after the disaster. *gasp*

Below are satellite photos of two cities showing them before and after the tsunami. You can go to NY Times for photos with interactive feature of other cities where you can move the slider to compare satellite images, taken by GeoEye, from before and after the disaster.

Image source: NY Times


If you are wondering how you can help, here's
How you can help

Image source: CNN

Japan post-Tsunami - in pictures

Let's look at some pictures of the devastation caused by the tsunami that hit northeast Japan on Friday, Mar 11. Radioactive danger from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has become an added concern.

Some pictures... Don't these look like Lego bricks or some kids building blocks? They are actually displaced cargo containers in Sendai after the tsunami.

This is heart-wrenching. Residents evacuated to a shelter in Natori city, Miyagi prefecture.

Homes burned and ships were piled in a mass of debris in Kisenuma city, Miyagi prefecture.

More Boats

An aerial view of Sendai's airport.

A boat and cars swept by the tsunami on a street in Miyako City.

Overturned cars amid piles of rubble in a residential area in Oarai, near Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.

Police officers patrolled near the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture on Saturday.

A worker cleaned up debris at a hotel in Nakaminato, Ibaragi Prefecture, on Saturday.

More pictures available in the NY Times..

Japan earthquake, tsunamis cause widespread destruction

Watching CNN videos of the waves sweeping across paddy fields, airports, displacing cars and boats is giving me goosebumps. My heart and prayers go out to everyone affected. Below is a CNN video..


According to CNN
• Thousands feared dead after tsunami
• 8.9-magnitude quake triggers huge waves
• Evacuations near nuclear power plant
• Tsunami alert for 50 countries, territories

The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history struck off the island nation's shore on Friday, collapsing buildings, touching off widespread fires and unleashing walls of water up to 30 feet high.

The waves swept across rice fields, engulfed towns, dragged houses onto highways, tossed cars and boats like toys -- reaching as far about six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.

Hundreds of people were dead and hundreds more missing, Japanese media reported, citing local and national police. Tens of thousands of people were displaced, according to Japan's Kyodo News agency.

More..Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis

Of Presidents and Prime Ministers

I was looking at Barack Obama last night on CNN and realised he has a lot more white hair now than when he first took office. I missed checking out the wrinkles though.

And in today's papers, there is news that eight months after taking office, the Prime Minister of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, would step down over broken campaign pledges to remove an American base from Okinawa.

All this goes to show that it's not only lonely at the top, as cliched, it's a tough job up there. Politics sure is not fun, but somebody's got to do it.


Image source: NY Times