Christopher Kobayashi: Personal

blog.oreno.org

Sun, 14 Mar 2004 16:36:53 GMT

Moved my blog to blog.oreno.org, but not my comments yet ....
Haven't designed it either. Default MT templates. Wireframing a new layout.

New Half Vs Janet's Nipples

Mon, 02 Feb 2004 15:12:35 GMT

I didn't get a chance to watch the SuperBowl again :( And didn't get a live thriller of Janet's nipple ring. The New Half's nipples are nicer ;)
Found via Justin's Links

My morals online, My Internet morals ...

Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:48:56 GMT

I've been purchasing music CDs instead of downloading MP3s off of unnamed P2P networks. I remember a blog post that the creator of FeedDemon, Nick Bradbury, wrote titled On Piracy and since then I've noticed a new awareness. I know, I'm kind of late to realize this, but at least it's a start.

I haven't actually uninstalled the 'Acquired' apps on my systems nor burned the copied CDs, but there's definitely a moral struggle in the back of my mind. I wonder if they preach this type of thing at church .. Maybe that's how to minimize piracy. Preach it at a young age before a kid gets onto the net and starts downloading away.

Recent CD buys:

Burnside Project's The networks, the circuits, the streams, the harmonies. I'm loving it. This will be my iPod goto album on my commutes.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Greatest Hits. Classics.
Grandmaster Flash Essential Mix Classic Edition. CLASSICS.
Velfarre Cyber Trance 10. I skip alot of songs. I can't sit through the whole CD.

GEEK To Do List Before the New Year

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 17:45:36 GMT

Some peronsal projects that REALLY need to be pushed forward:

Wiki - Here's a link to what kind of Wiki I'm thinking about.
Wiki Blog - learn how they work together. Base technology behind them.
moblog - view by category, date, time ... and maybe someday by mobile photo color. This is an idea I picked up from Andreas Schneider. Note: I bet he's got the first moblog w/ GPS on the planet!
Keitai RSS reader - I would love to read RSS feeds on my commute to work on the train. This could be a web-based keitai site, or something that gets emailed.

Blake Nitta

Tue, 09 Dec 2003 13:31:55 GMT

My cousin passed away a couple of days ago and I wanted to post this as a small token of my appreciation for what he did for me. I hope his name gets into the search engines and never forgotten.

Blake, thanks for everything! You helped me alot during my troubled teen years, and I never got to thank you. I know that you're in a better place without anymore suffering. I picture you now with that huge smile and unforgetable laugh. I see that huge Blakey smile :-)

So much memories are filling my head, and I'm cherishing every one of them. Blake Nitta, my cousin, my best friend, rest in peace Blakey ...

Exploring While Commuting

Sat, 29 Nov 2003 01:46:40 GMT

Just finished Bang! and now onto The Power of Full Engagement. I have noticed that listening to audio books gets my brain working by seeing how the ideas fit into my life. Alot of times I'll just phase out and not really listen. They give me new insights on past experiences, or help me to sort out current issues.
I wonder what my eyes are doing, or maybe I have them closed to help me envision.
I do the same thing while I'm reading. Maybe that's why I read so slowly and get sleepy.

The commute has given me this thinking time and I am enjoying it. Exploring new ideas and revisiting past experiences in a train packed full of suits and OLs. I never would have imagined this would be my timeout place.

IBM PC Jr

Sun, 23 Nov 2003 17:55:10 GMT

It must've been around 1983-84. I remember my good friend Brandon had a Apple IIe with all kinds of bootlegged games. I used to visit his house every chance I got. His older brother used to get irritated, because he figured the only reason for my visit is to get my hands on the computer.
The game that I remember the most was Ulima 3: Exodus. More links:

My very first computer was the IBM PC Jr. I vividly remember the first time I got Ultima 3 on it I acted sick and didn't goto school. The PC Jr came equipped w/ a wireless Infrared "chicklet" keyboard. Advanced stuff in the mid 80's. Also, came equipped w/ a optical mouse that needed a mouse pad w/ a blue grid on it. I remember my dad maxing the RAM to 512KB. Speed demon!

The other game that I loved was Sun Tzu's Ancient Art of War by Broderbund. I used to spend hours playing it, and trying to beat the AI. It was my first RTS (Real Time Strategy).

Kisami Oohama

Sun, 09 Nov 2003 01:24:23 GMT

There's a beautiful white sand beach next to the Ernest House called Kisami Oohama. I have often heard that the beaches in Japan are packed with people and polluted, but this spot was cleaner than many beaches in Hawaii. Also, there was only 10 other people on this beach. Most of them in the water trying to surf ankle snapers. I would've loved jumping in the water. The weather was also a key factor. Clear blue sky and nice sea breeze. There are three beaches in the Kisami area and this one is the largest; that's why it's called Oohama, Oo coming from the kanji for big and Hama is the word for bay.

There was no surf, but I learned from the local who owns the eatery, Sunny Side, that they get good waves at certain times of the year. Note to self - come when there's nice surf and off season, oh yeah, and bring shorts/spring-suite ... I learned the best period, but that's my little secret. If you get a chance to come down to Shimoda, please stop by Sunny Side for a nice BBQ dinner or breakfast right in front of the beach.

Found out from the clerk @ the front desk that a musician from Hawaii stayed @ the inn a couple of weeks ago. He came to write songs and bodyboard. Said he couldn't write songs in Tokyo. The ojisan from Sunny Side also mentioned this when we bumped into him on the beach. Word of mouth .. the fastest way information flows in small communities. Online small communities ... maybe IM, email, BBS, newsgroups, and blogs are the fastest way micro content flows. Seems like the same thing.

Kentaro mentioned that this area has many people who got burnt out in Tokyo. I am starting to relate. I think that as long as I can get some weekend getaways once in awhile I'll be ok. I realize that with so much happening in Tokyo, it's hard for me to relax and just think about life. This realization started to come to me on my way to Hawaii last month.

Another thing that I just realized is that I didn't do too much thinking while I was there. Too busy paddling out in the morning and partying in the evening. The flight over and back gave me time. Now I'm on a train thinking. Maybe commuting time is my thinking time. Stuck sitting. Maybe I need to be forced to sit and then I'll start thinking? ;)

Ernest House

Sat, 08 Nov 2003 02:58:10 GMT

We're staying @ a cozy inn near the ocean called Ernest House. It feels like an inn run by surfers who are now designers. There are posters of Endless Summer, a Russ K longboard w/ Koa wood finish, and Apple computers all over the place.

The front desk is lined w/ Apple 22" Studio Displays. Another kewl thing about this place is there's broadband access to the rooms connected to iMacs. The lobby area's got wireless.

The bar outside of the inn, Paradise Cafe, is like something you would find on the North Shore of Oahu. Hawaiian, Jawaiian, and Reggae music in the background. Nice camp fire area right outside of the bar where you can chill out under the moon and 'talk story'.

In fact this town is like a Japanese version of Haleiwa.

I think I found my little paradise not too far from Tokyo. My weekend escape...

PowerPlant Shimoda Offsite Meeting

Fri, 07 Nov 2003 06:49:54 GMT

It's nice to stop everything and go offsite to think once in awhile.
BA has a small office in Shimoda and that's where we're plotting to take over the world.

Business Architects was originally going to be based in Shimoda. They have a small office here that handles administrative stuff and a computer training facility. You can see the class behind the PP boys (Dai and Hori).

Away from the hussle and bussle of Tokyo. Breathe in the ocean air. Hear all kinds of birds ... not just crows.

How long is boot camp?

Fri, 31 Oct 2003 15:46:25 GMT

Somebody once mentioned to me that the first year living in a foreign country is like boot camp. Everyday is training. You scratch the surface of understanding the culture, and your surroundings. You get used to things in your second year and start finding yourself. Your voice gets louder. Recover from your mental wounds. Healing brings strength. That's why the third year is interesting.

Question is can I last for three years...
Maybe I need to get onto an express plan.

There and Back Again

Sat, 18 Oct 2003 15:11:29 GMT

Ok, as you can tell I'm not a hobbit. Though I do love them and the movie series.

Hawaii was great. I can finally relate to Hawaii expats about appreciating the beauty of the islands and weather. The trip really made me think about where I want to end up. Hawaii, Tokyo, NY, LA, SF ...

My partner in crime is not too thrilled about the idea of living here, because she's been here for the first 17 years of her life. For me it's a new adventure everyday.

Off to Hawaii

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 03:39:52 GMT

I'm flying to Hawaii today. It's gonna be my first trip back there since I left in January of this year. Alot memories flying through my head. My day feels like a huge dream. Zoning out into memories and back into reality. How things have changed ...
With alot of time to think I'm sure my flight will be interesting. Reflection time.

My New BBQ Area (Mini Back Yard)

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 17:11:20 GMT

We've got a small area behind our apartment. About 15' x 10'. We never took care of it and let the weeds take over. Now it's time to take it back! Let the fight begin. BBQ area coming soon ...

Going Up The Family Tree

Tue, 09 Sep 2003 17:53:33 GMT

Went to visit some family in Sendai this past Saturday. It was a nice day trip. It has been awhile since my past/first visit. Something like 19 or 20 years. The reason for the past Sendai visit was to honor the death of my mother. It was nice to reconnect to a memory location in my tiny brain again.

My pops pushed for the trip. His aunt became bedridden so he wanted to visit before she got worse. He looked really happy to see her and was reminiscing alot. I was surprised how mentally sharp she still is. She remembered our last visit and even goes back to memories of the plantation days on Maui where she grew up. Even has 'Pidgin English' Maui-style. 'Bambai'.

Found out that the Sendai family, my grandmother's family on my dad's side, were some Samurai family, Ujiie. There's even a cress and polearm. The katana was taken by the government after WWII.

Onsen at Kinugawa

Thu, 07 Aug 2003 17:33:25 GMT

The food served at some of the Ryokans attached to the Onsens are a league of their own. As you can see the attention to detail is just amazing. You eat with your eyes. There isn't that much volume compared to the states, but I managed to gain 3 kilos. It's the *VICIOUS* cycle of lounging around, eating, relaxing in the hot springs. I'm now a believer of quality (looks, taste) over quantity. To accompany the beautiful and delicious meals ... you must have excellent Sake. I've always been a believer of good food must be accompanied by excellent drinks.
The farther north you go, the better the Sake gets. Good water + good rice = AWESOME SAKE.

The view from the room was a sight to remember. Especially since I'm surrounded by more concrete and people than I'm used to. It was nice to relax my eyes and have space around me. Away from my laptop. I must admit I had 'net access from my keitai.

For me .. relaxing in the hot springs from the volcanoes is one of the most rejuvenating experiences. Had to recharge myself.
The Onsen vases (forgot the name) and Rotenburo (outside baths) can't be beat. Especially at night when it gets cooler.

Would you lick my balls

Wed, 16 Jul 2003 15:12:10 GMT

Classic line. OK .. We're here in Tokyo watching DVDs of Sex and the City. What's with women and this show. Hmmmmn. Shirley-chan bought three seasons of this 'STUFF'. It's funny and gives a new perspective that I'm clueless on. The episodes just entered the Japanese market on cable. I wonder how this'll affect Japanese women.

Now there's this episode of 'The Rabit and The Hare' ... Rotating, pink, vibrating objects are fashionable in NY. I gotta see what this city is like!

www.oreno.org

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 20:35:05 GMT

Finally got an Alpha of the top page for my new personal/work blog + calendar + photo album + etc. It's at www.oreno.org. I got it XHTML 1.0 Transitional valid, but I'll need to play around a little more to get the CSS to validate. I didn't use any tables for the layout, but coded Div tags and CSS Absolute positioning. It's my first attempt at both XHTML and CSS so please bear with me until I get a decent Beta out.

Next step is to code a RSS reader to grab my Radio blog titles w/ their respective dates .. then recode my moblog, create RSS generator for it, and finally the RSS reader for the moblog to add the most recent photo to the top page.

This SUCKS

Sat, 21 Jun 2003 17:58:42 GMT

Damn. This is irritating. Not being able to post. Like stuck shit!

Credit Cards for Procrastinators

Mon, 16 Jun 2003 17:31:02 GMT

I'm always procrastinating and paying bills last minute. This is bad trying to pay bills from Tokyo. We have a PO Box that a good friend checks on a regular basis and sends us the mail, but naturally everything gets here like 5 days later. So my window to pay is like 5-10 days, cause I gotta send it from here adding another 5 days .. to be safe. That's where I got this idea for the procrastinators .. isn't there a loan/credit card company that caters to people who don't pay ontime, but will pay a little late. Is that unreasonable? If you look at our credit history, it's bad compared to people who pay everything ontime, but we pay. We PAY F*KAZ! .. my little rant of the week.

New Jersey NETS!

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 17:10:02 GMT

F*CK .. I'm missing the finals. I'm usually a L.A. fan, but since they got creamed by the Spurs I'm now a Nets fan. Danny, a Beijing bradah and a great guy I used work with is a diehard Spurs fan. He's probably happy with just the fact that they beat the Lakers. I remember the heated converstions we used to have after playing some ball. He used to live in this killer condo in downtown Honolulu. It had a full gym, pool, the biggest jacuzzi I've ever seen, indoor raquet ball court, and an indoor b-ball court. I gotta play some ball again ... anyone for a game?

Loco Moco

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 15:14:40 GMT

OISHIKATTA!

Hamburger is good. Burger meat on white steamed rice is bettah. Hamburger patty on rice w/ gravy is more bettah. Patty on rice w/ gravy topped w/ sunny side up is the Bomb! Photos coming soon for peeps who don't know what a Loco Moco is.

Depraved .. who does'nt know!

Happy Birthday Jeanne

Mon, 28 Apr 2003 16:58:30 GMT

Saturday was Kentaro's daughter's school teacher's birthday party at Motown 2 in Roppongi. I know, I know .. it's a long story. Motown is like Hard Rock Cafe, except a Motown version (duh!). The party started pretty mellow. Good food, good conversations, and a few drinks. Jeanne received a nice Louis Vuitton belt (Takashi Murakami design .. STOP mentioning his name!) from all the parents. Got a nice cake with ALOT OF CANDLES ;)

The ladies decided to goto a male strip club. OK, fine. Hung around Motown for about an hour. The place was starting to get packed. Our table got invaded by Chinese and Canadian people. Then the ladies returned .. WASTED! The Chinese and Canadians were swept aside by girl power. I felt like we were in a new club. I guess the strip club got their blood flowing or spiked their drinks. More madness ensued.
(click to see larger photos) ** Got more photos, available upon request **

Here's what I remember: Flamenco dancer romancing Jeanne, strangers from all around joining in the craziness, Canadians buying a round of Kamikaze shots.
Then for some reason we decided to go eat. We crashed a restaurant across the street from Almond (pronounced Ah-mondo in Japanese). Stayed there until about 5AM .. Jeanne's passed out, barely making it to a taxi. She ended up crashing at Kentaro's place. Shirley and I got home after transferring at 2 or 3 stations. I couldn't sleep the next morning cause had the bug inspector, and bed delivered .. ahhh, at least I got to sleep in a bed FINALLY.
NOTE: If you plan to party in Tokyo and don't have a car, you'll end up partying till the morning. One reason is that most trains stop around midnight. Once you're past the 12 o'clock mark, you're in for a wild evening. It amazing how many people are catching the first trains back home. All hung over with red eyes.

X2: X-Men Unlimited Clips

Sun, 20 Apr 2003 15:12:23 GMT

The MauiBoy sent me a link to some X2 movie clips, 13 to be precise. I was an X-Men fan in Jr. high school and for period after that. In my collection phase .. comics, sports cards, thinking about keeping these things in "Mint Condition" for a hundred years and then making a fortune. Actually, if I remember correctly I started collecting comics with a series called "Secret Wars". Natsukashii! Friggin NERD.

Federal Taxes are Due!

Mon, 14 Apr 2003 18:00:28 GMT

AHHH! It's tax time again and I've procrastinated till today again!?! I'm using Intuit's TurboTax for the Web, but it seems like I can't file an extension electronically. The IRS's site must be swamped, cause I can barely access it. OK .. finally finished my extension by calling E-file by phone.
Why do we go through this ritual every year? What's it like in Japan? I hope not the same.