What’s happening with Mii?

Its Mii!

Small but important note: Check out SKYPE. If you have a microphone on your computer you can use it to speak with other people on Skype for free. It is quite different from MSN and works more like a personal phone service. It is super. You can also make really cheap call sout to phone lines. Read to the bottom to find out why I’m pushing this!

I finally understand what’s happening! People don’t care about the text… they only care about the pictures…!

What’chu talking about?

OK, here is what I have noticed. If I post once every week or so, and include a neat picture or some sort of graphic I found on the web: it’s all good. However, if I post fairly regularily only using text and no pretty pictures, I get an angry e-mail from our 2 (maybe 3?) regular visitors.

This leads me to believe that it’s all about the pictures.

Its Mii 2!

Aren’t they cute? There name is Mii. Or one of them is Mii… I don’t really know. But suffice it to say it makes my title for this entry very clever. I gave a medium sized one to my sister Tracy for Christmas. They are super cool tiny-bean pillows. They are super, soft, smooth and addicting. I have seen a few of them pop up in Canada, but these, by far, are the cutest. Kiko really wants to get one for herself.

Now that I have your attention:

What the hell is happening with the site?

Kiko and I are both really involved with the site, and both really want to keep it updated regularily, and more importantly, have you guys visit regularily. Unfortunately, Kiko broke my computer. (hahahah… I am only sort of joking.) So when I get my computer fixed, expect the following:

New and Improved entries such as:

– Kiko’s New Bread Machine and First Bread Pictures
– Pictures from Canada – family, friends, Christmas –
– Pictures from our new house!

That’s right! We are moving. It will be to a super-fabulous place that unfortunately has a shitty ass Internet connection. There is a large possibility that our 416 phone will be out of commission but we will keep you in the know.

Also expect to see the long-promised davidandkiko.com 3.0 which will be rolled out before I move.

– New and pretty colours.
– More neat stuff and animation.
– More organized menus and pictures.
– Other cool stuff which I haven’t thought of yet.
– A where is Kiko game… (when I become less lazy.)
– Actually, Elizabeth, please program a whereiskiko game with her picture dancing around. Please & thank you.

OK… that’s it for now. My computer is almost fixed so when I get photoshop back on, expect to see a ton of pictures.

David & Kiko: out. (that’s my new cool sig.)

Our Computer Blew Up…

So… after 25hours in transit I walk through my door, turn on my computer and it blows up. Everything is gone! all my pictures, music, movies, e-mail, website stuff.

We are back in Japan, we are safe, but it will take a few days longer than I expected to update the website. I have to rebuild my computer first. 🙁

We are both back to work tomorrow, so wish us luck! Expect an update soon!! Lots of pictures and stuff…. (Kiko has also promised to write more entries herself!)

It was great to see everyone back in Canada, and I’m sorry we didn’t have more time to meet up with everyone.

Love, David & Kiko.

Happy New Year!

It’s painful that I haven’t been able to update the site while in Canada, so please forgive me. Kiko and I have been discussing many changes that we hope to implement in the New Year, so look forward to that and keep on checking back!

In the meantime:

HAPPY NEW YEAR

It has been an amazing year with lots of ups and downs. We have made some new friends in Japan, and have been thrilled to see old friends while in Canada. We wish we could have seen more of you!

From finishing my MA, to our move to Japan, and the wedding in between, it really has been a crazy year. Hopefuly we can use this site to keep in touch with all of you, and as a homebase for getting in touch if we ever fall out of it.

Take care, have a great year, and drop us an e-mail or a comment here when you have time!

love,
david & kiko

Imagine: Christmas Colours!!

ARG!

Well, Kiko and I are now safe in Canada. We are happy to be back, but are super jet-lagged. I promised myself to update this site at least once a week (preferably everyday! -which I will start to do in the New Year) but between the Tokyo Business Trip, the racing back to Chunan to catch my bus to Osaka, to flying to Toronto, to sleeping, to buying Christmas presents, –I have had absolutely no time.

To be honest I have a whole Christmas theme lined up and ready to implement. Alas, from my crappy-ass dialup modem in Brampton, it is not going to happen. If I am lucky I can get to a broadband connection before Christmas and rollout the Christmas version of the website. If not… well… please pretend that the site is full of christmas colours, and CONTINUE TO CHECK REGULARILY!!!

The website will constantly be updated, and there will be tons of pictures and fun stuff. We miss you all. We thank you for stopping by, and we will enjoy our ime back in Canada and be sure to let you know how it all went.

So assuming that I won&t be able to update this site before Christmas:

Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

– David & Kiko

ps. I just read: Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde: really fun! It’s a series. Read it.

The Gingerbread House Project

I am off to Tokyo for a 5 day business conference and will then be heading back to Canada! (Yeah!)

But I am super thrilled to say that the Gingerbread House Project is finished! 274 Houses were built, and none of them collapsed. Every child in my town got to make (and bring home!) their house. I am their god.

These are my ingredients and my lovely assistant:

Gingerbread house picture #1 Gingerbread house picture #2

These are my disciples and their constructs:

Gingerbread house picture #3 Gingerbread house picture #4

This is the little girl who I have a crush on because she is so cute.

Gingerbread house picture #5

-That’s it for now. Expect updates from Canada, a christmas edition, and a massive overhaul when I am not so lazy.

It’s face.

215 ginerbread houses down, 44 to go.
It’s the final lap.

Maybe it’s because my brain/head/arms hurt, but I found this really funny/interesting.

It's a face!

See? It’s a face using characters from the Japanese alphabet. Those Japanese… they are so inventive.

GO KIKO’S PEOPLE!!! (and jotaro)

ps. I am going to Tokyo on Friday for a business trip. I come back on Wednesday at 8:30pm where I proceed to pick-up my lugggae and go to Canada. I will be updating the website, but I will also be very tired. Who want’s to see more Kiko messages? I do.

What have I got myself into?

I have one week of work left before we go to Canada!

Next Monday I will be going to Tokyo for a 3 day business trip/conference. I hope to see Shane there. After that I take the long trip back to Chunan-cho, and then off to Canada.

So in my last week of work, what do I go and plan?

A picture of a graham cracker house

Well, that’s what it should look like anyways…

That’s right. Despite the fact that I am horrible when it comes to crafts, and I can’t cook anything, I have to make 259 gingerbread houses with every elementary aged child in my town. I am very excited. Mind you, I brought this upon myself so I can’t complain too much. I have had to order everything, plan everything and starting this Tuesday carry it out. I am freaking out. I will let you know how it goes at the end of the week with pictures etc… wish me luck!

What else have I been up to recently?

Remember how I said I was a terrible cook? That didn’t stop me from organizing banana bread day (Thanks Nikki!) for the “Wives Club” in my town. It actually went pretty well… Take a look:

Banana Bread Picture #1 Banana Bread Picture #2

Banana Bread Picture #3 Banana Bread Picture #4

Japanese Castle Visiting!

Kiko and I recently went to the big city of Marugame.　As some of you may know, I think Japanese Castles are super, so we had a chance to visit the Castle that stands in the center of the town.

Marugame Castle #1 Marugame Castle #2

Japanese Chess and Ping Pong

I have been meaning to write an entry about the Japanese game of “shogi” or chess. It is absolutely fantastic. It is similar to Chess but you can capture your opponents pieces and drop them anywhere on the board, and your pieces can also be promoted in enemy territory (kind of like a pawn.) At any rate, I will write more about that soon. The important part of this entry is my good friend Jim. He tries very hard, but he still can’t stop me from destroying him in anything we do. (This includes ping pong and shogi.) I might be exaggerating, but you aren’t here so you will never know. 🙂

Ping Pong Picture Shogi Picture

That’s it for now… don’t get too excited, but I am planning another huge update for the site. Hopefuly I can get it done before I go to Canada, if not, expect it in early 2005 🙂 (And I know you will still be visitng the site daily then… right!?)

Japanese Hiking Season.

The Fall Foliage in Chunan

Yes, I am a photo taking genius.

Well, no one told me, but apparently it’s Hiking Season here in Japan.

Their tend to be many opportunities to go out and see nature at various times throughout the year. For instance, you can see the Cherry Blossoms in April, and here in Chunan, the Sun Flowers in June. As Fall approaches Japan goes out to see kouyou, the fall foliage.

So in the past three days I have been hiking twice (turned one down) and have been invited to many more.　My first hike was quite exciting.

I was invited to go with the Senior’s Club. So 18 older people and me climbed up a fairly steep mountain to the site of a castle that once existed in the area where we live (Fujime Castle). We sat on top, heard a lecture about the castle, sang town songs (!!??), drank wine and looked at the foliage. I also got to eat rice from chopsticks that I made out of a bamboo tree, and see the lone cherry blossom tree that is atop this mountain. The highlight however was when a balloon was strapped to my arm, I was given a rubber sword and told to beat the hell out of the old people. Apparently we were recreating the battles that were fought in this area. It was complete with coloured smoke bombs and old people.

My Chunan Hike #1 My Chunan Hike #2 My Chunan Hike #3

My next hiking trip (Kiko was tired… boo…) was with a bunch of JET friends. We went to Kotonami, the neighbouring town where Nicole is the leader. She took us on a hike to see red and yellow colours. She built it up to be spectacular, but forgot to mention the hike was crazy long, hard, and all the trees were finished blooming (or whatever they do in fall. Turning?). (I’m just joking Nicole!) It was actually a lot of fun and very pretty. Here, see for yourself:

My Kotonami Hike #1 My Kotonami Hike #2

I should preface this by saying two things.

1) I will be updating the site a lot more (ie. every 2 or 3 days) so if you are bored and need something to look at, come visit. Besides, it’s about david and kiko. We’re super.

2) I just went and saw Howl’s Moving Castle, the latest release by famous anime director Hayao Miyazaki. He has also done: Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and a number of other famous movies that have all won various awards. It was fantastic. When it comes out, take a look. Here is a picture below!

Howls Moving Castle