Ouch, my head hurts is all I can say.

It’s been a while since I had to hold open a book and take it all in,… page by page, trying to figure out what it’s trying to explain, with all the words, and lack of pictures. How bad is that? I’m in need of pictures with my tutorial.

And not having the same version of software can also make things just a bit more difficult, as the menus, layout and buttons are all different. Hmph, I sound so much like a bloody pansy…

Also, unfortunately, I find myself getting quite easily distracted… checking other references, ebooks, pdf files, online videos, and library books for the answer I’m looking for, as some of the books I have with me now, just doesn’t seem to be explaining everything the way I wish it would.

I’ve also found that it’s quicker to learn things by trial and error with me. Though, that’s not always the case, when things go terribly wrong. Definitley realised that I’m more of a hands-on person, and not a bookworm no more. If only the literature I have explained exactly what I wanted. Though, I guess there tutorials and manuals are written in a particular way, so that it’d be quite useful.

In anycase, my adveture with learning Joomla continues.

Currently reading: Joomla! A User’s Guide: Building a Successful Joomla! Powered Website (Barrie M. North) and Joomla! For Dummies ( Steve Holzner Ph.D. & Nancy Conner) amongst other Joomla litertaure.
Today’s bit of happiness: Saw awsome lightening last night

Okay, got my first mobile phone bill for Canada. It’s not bad, as I’m hardly using it. But, I guess that it’s better to have a number so you can be contacted than not. Though, whatever happened to the days of just waiting for your friends or family to show up, and wonder where the frak they are. Doesn’t leave much to our imaginations anymore. Then again, I reckon that we’ve gotten really impatient these days.

Anyways, back on topic. After spending 3 years living in Japan (I left Japan back in July 2008), I’m quite surprised to see how sh*ty the mobile phone service, fees and phone options are over here. It’s sorta like going back in a time machine. Sure, the iPhone and other other various smart phones are out, but the fees for their use here are just ridiculous. I hate doing the whole, “Well in Japan… the UK, Asia,the rest of the world…” kind of statement, but here are a few mobile phone services, item differences which have caught me off guard. I won’t list features which are the same. Oh yeah by the way, most mobile phones in Japan are smart phones. And I will also continue to say “mobile”  phone, instead of “cell” phones.

In Japan…
Costs: CallerID, voicemail, etc… pretty much all included. And flat rate for calling. (within Japan, mobile phones calls all cost the same)
Number: All mobile phones start with the same number. So you know if you’re calling a landline or a mobile phone.
Web charges: Usually charged by the packets sent and recieved. Though, for a small fee you can have unlimted upload and download.
Screen size: Screens are a tad larger, and some have more resolution.
Text/email: In Canada we make a difference between texting (SMS) and emailing. But pretty much all phones in Japan only do emails, hence it’s easy to send attached video, audio and image files to other mobile phones and onto computers.
Blog: Plenty of people write their blogs on their phone, as you can write text and catpure video and images all with your phone.
Matrix code: All phones can capture QR codes. A two-dimensional bar code that can be captured with the camera on the mobile phone, and then the screen jumps to a particular webpage (URL) to provide whatever info the bar code was one. (ie: bus schedule, movie info, product info, cost, games, etc)
Mobile payment: Charge up your phone or tie it to an account, and use it as your electronic wallet. Just swipe your phone on a payment pad and pay for your purchases. (Currently limited to train, bus, airplane tickets, groceries, shops, movie, events, certain parking meters, certain vending machines, etc) But don’t lose it, or someone could do a bit of shopping (though, wallet function is lockable in some models)
Television: With all the digital channels and programming, watch your favourite telly show on your mobile phone. And rotate your screen so it’s landscape, not in portrait mode.
Pedometer/GPS: See how far you walked or how many calories you burned. (not all models)
Fingerprint/face certification: Secure your phone with other methods than just a PIN code.
Kids phone: Track your kids with GPS and on-line map. (usually for little grade school kids)
Mobile services: ie; Hear a tune you can’t recognize the title or artist? Call up a number, and play the music into the mic. And voila, a computer deciphers the tune and you’ve got the name of the tune.

Plenty of other cool stuff with mobile phone differences, but I’m too arsed and tired to list the rest.

Wikipedia: Japanese mobile phone culture

Currently reading: The Wild Muir (John Muir), read it before, but just going back to some of my old books.
Today’s bit of happiness: Had some Thai food

Okay, last time… much of my time was spent making backups of many years worth of digital images. Makes me sorta wonder how the formats might change in a few years time, and all the work done is going to waste. I say this as I look back at the stack of burnt digital photo CDs which are stored away in CD sleeves at the moment. Should I spend the next wee while, re-burning them all into DVDs, DVD-DL? Or dump them into a large HDD? A waste of time? Saying that, I have realised that a number of backed up photo CDs have become unreadable due to wear and tear. Or simply because the CD itself was pretty cheap with crappy silver alloy or easily scratched label that cuts into the material components.

Anyways, on top of making backup of my digital images, I’ve been properly labeling my images, by going through my recent travel books. Sorta in hopes that in the near future, I’ll be able to post some informative travel into stuff on my renewed homepage, which is yet to be touched. I’ll get to you, just you wait.

Oh yes, with regards to doing something useful. I’m reviewing my web skills, and slowly getting started with PHP. I think that I’ve got Wordpress under my best, though I’d like to begin designing my own themes… a good review of CSS and first attempt at PHP. Also, will be installing Joomla soon enough… while I also look for flexible part time work, and try to update my portfolio. (Not financial, art work and photo stuff)

Currently reading: Economics for Dummies (by Sean Masaki Flynn)
Today’s bit of happiness: Watched Top Gun and Back to the Future for the nth time. (I’ve been going through a wee 80s movie binge)

Okay, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve returned to the great land I can call my… my… the place where I grew up and… I guess my home. What the heck has been Paul doing?

Well, the first few days were spent looking for a place to live which doesn’t come by very easily, and also enjoying the wonders of unpacking the gear I have been traveling with, along with boxes I mailed home to myself after 3 years of living in Japan. Trying to find room for them. And to find room for them also means spending plenty of time going through over 30years of family stuff (parents and myself included), getting rid of stuff which haven’t been touched since the 70s, 80s and 90s. And here lies much of the problem. These days, you can’t simply toss out bags and bags of random stuff anymore. Where my parents live, you’re limited to 1 bag of rubbish a week. And when you’ve got over 30 years of memories, junk and unused and unfasionable furniture…

And, when I’m not at my parents, I’ve been busy organizing, editing, labeling, (given up on photo tagging, as that’s too much work) and burning approximately 4 years worth of digital photos, which are scattered amongst a number of external HDDs, memory cards and discs. (3 years in Japan, and plenty of traveling inbetween and after) All in all, this takes quite a bit of time. Also making 2 backup DVDs of each set, assigning one external HDD to store them all for immediate access. And on top of that, scavenging my parents basement for older digital photos to store on my designated external HDD. And with whatever 35mm, medium-large format negatives and printed photos I wish to use,.. I’ll slowly incorporate them into my collection. I’m not crazy enough to scan them all now. I’ll be doing this on a use by use basis.

And there goes hours, days of my time. On top of trying to have a so-called normal life. Whatever that may be.

As of May 1st, 2009. I’ve begun to call North York (just north or Toronto) my new home. The only reason why I’m here is because I will attempt to go back to school come this September. Yup, that’s right. You’ve heard me. I’m attempting to so-called settle down for a wee bit. Trust me, I not putting my hiking shoes away, nor my bicycle forever, nor my passport for that matter. I still have plenty of hiking, cycling and traveling days left in me. But the call to engage in a real so-called career and job has been resonating in my head for the past couple of years.

Sure, I’m all up for traveling and working dead-end jobs as long as it continues to feed my itchy travel feet. But, alas… during my recent 3 years of living and working in Japan, I’ve come to see that there might be an opportunity for me to start up my own wee business venture. Of course, I’ll need to get some business smarts, hence the return to school. But I’ll also definitely need some income to keep my wee project going, and to keep at least a few crumbs of bread in the basket.

Also, the opportunity to engage in a proper relationship is always quite difficult when you are constantly on the move. Cheeky I know. But hey… I’m starting to feel a bit lonely and old damn it! tee hee

Today’s bit of happiness: Watched the film The Goonies (1985) for the nth time

After a number of attempts of maintaining an updated self promoting, ego bloating diary on my own webpage, before the days of blogs, which was waaay too much work, and blogging on yahoo’s version of a blog (yahoo 360°) and blogger, I have finally gone back to my own website, where it’s now (well, as in a few years ago) possible to install simple to use blogging software which can be cutomized. Yey!

And now that I’m actually in one location for some time, I reckon that I’ll be able to give more frequent updates. Though, I’m not doing anything too special at the moment, other than learning how to use Wordpress and Joomla. I also hope to get around learning some other useful computing programming language when I find the opportunity.

Currently reading: Old issues of The Walrus which have accumulated during my travels.
Today’s bit of happiness: Ate, homemade chinese dumplings (thank you my landlady!)

Well, the past month or two have been pretty much a whirl wind for me. Getting back to Canada after being on the road for half a year, spending much of my time cleaning out and sorting out my parents place, so I can store a bit of my own crap. Heading to Japan (actually just in time for the Sakura -cherry blossom- season) to catch up with friends, pick up left luggage and make business contacts. And during the 3 weeks I was in Japan, boy did I make some contacts… The next few months is gonna be quite busy for me, working on various projects, in hopes to bettering (if that’s even a word) my business contacts and in hopes of actually getting paid for what I’m doing…

Yup, that’s right, I’m starting off by doing things for free for the time being. Japan is all about past work experiences and accomplishments… so I figured that getting a few clients and doing some work for them for free to build up a portfolio would be good. Also, when not being paid, you don’t have too much pressure with regards to dead lines. This’ll also be a good time for me to get caught up on what’s been going on around in the online world, and brush up on some web skills… or at least finally get some…

Well, after 2 months in India I think that I’m getting to understand a bit on what the regulations are here in India. By watching a few Western films on telly and Western sitcoms, I noticed that there were the occasional weird skipping of scenes. And what I realised that it was all bedroom scenes, love scenes and kissing scenes, etc. Then one day on the telly, there was a news cast of police brutality towards a couple who were caught embracing each other in public. Oh my! Looks like PDA (Public Displays of Affection) is taboo in India. Especially if you’re not married to each other. Once in a while, I found myself having a bit of difficulty following certain films and telly shows due to the constant cutting of scenes. Oh well…

PDA seems to be frowned upon in India, but there’s plenty of crouch grinding Bollywood dancing, skimpy saree wearing actresses whithering about in the rain. Every country has their censorship and it’s actually quite fun to find out what they are, and how each country goes about pushing the envelope with regards to the censorship.

Of course, nothing equal or comparable with censorship in India, but just for memorysake, I recall in the past that in the world of art films and pornography in Japan, the display of pubic hair was censored by using a mosaic blur. But I believe that after the debut of the French film,
“La Belle Noiseuse” by Jacques Rivette or something like that, the display of pubic hair was permited. Of course, during the years of public hair censorship, the Japanese porn industry created new techniques of showing filth. Hence I’m believing the act of bukkake was formed. If you don’t know what that is… don’t bother looking it up. It’s totally NOT work-safe.

Violence in the media is also an issue in many countries, how much blood and gore is one allowed to show? I find that North America is much more censored when it comes to actual violence and so-called respect for the dead is reported on the news. When in Thailand I recall watching a report on a drowning incident, and the bloated rigid body was shown on television. In Japan, from a now defunct News magazine, I also recall seeing images of a bomb blast that took place in the middle east and the scattered body parts and internal organs were clearly shown. Just recently in Nepal and in India, there were posters of dead children (victims of the Gaza genocide as it was told) posted on shop windows and telephone poles. Censorship sure works in different ways. Going back to Japan, when one is arrested, in the media the handcuffs are censored with a mosaic blur, just in case the perpetrator is found innocent, so the media is covering their behind so they can’t get sued. Even with language, in North America… at certain times certain languages can be used. (after 9pm in Canada I believe) Heck in Canada one could hear expletives such as “beeep-fucker” but in the States it becomes “mother-beeep” interesting…. I think that it was something to do with offending and associating “mothers” to the expletive. Then again, I’m probabaly wrong, as I most often am.

Anyways, I off to cycle to the Chennai airport in a couple of hours. Off to catch a flight to Toulouse, France. Hope that I won’t have any problems checking in my bicycle and gear. In anycase, see ya later!

As I cycle down the south west coast of India, I’ve come across a number of beaches. All in all, I’ve come to a few conclusions about them.

1. They’re not actually beaches, but free use toilets for the locals

During the day, many people can be seen enjoying the sun, or splashing in or along the waters of most beaches. Fishermen casting their nets or fishing lines. In the evening, people just chilling out by the water, and the fishermen fixing their nets and hauling in their bounty.

But in the early mornings, as I found out recently by Kollam beach (where during the night, I was surprised to see hundreds of 4-6inch crabs running up and down the beach, also enjoying the coming and going of the waves), there were many man-made dug out holes to be found everywhere. And what do I find? dootie. Morning duty, whatever you call it. Pretty much, holes with sh*t everywhere. Just by the tidal water line. And looking down the beach, I can see number of people down the sandy beach, crouched down flexing their buttocks, releasing their evening meals to sea. Finishing off the job by washing their happy anal sphincter and then walking back home.

2. Only westerners bathe the sun

Not all beaches are for sun bathing, nor for westerners. Sure, there are plenty of beaches around Goa, Varkala, Kovallam, where countless bodies of westerners lie on the beach, slowly cooking themselves under the south-Indian sun like a nice roast. But where are all the locals who enjoy the sun. Most of the time, (beaches where westerners are seen beach bathing) amongst the crowd of pasty white skin, male and female there are groups of fully clothed Indian men who slowly weave their way between all the flesh exposed bodes. Probably imagining some fantasy Bollywood dance sequence where the foreign girls start pawing at them or something like that.

3. It’s not just a toilet, but also your rubbish bin

Wherever you go along whatever beach, it’s everywhere. Rubbish that is. And if you’re ever here, do be surprised to see shop, restaurant owners, walking across the path, to the beach and simply dumping their daily rubbish (oh yeah, for some of you… rubbish also means garbage, trash, crap) by the back of the beach. Not quite sure if they’re locals, but many Indians enjoying the beach can also be seen throwing their finished lunch, dinner, picnic, whatever into the water. Sure, I can understand biodegradables being tossing into the water, in hopes that some of the marine life might consume them… but purposely tossing plastic water bottles, plastic bags, aluminium foil, essentially non-burnable rubbish into the water? I just don’t understand the environmental education system here. I’m sure that we’re not all perfect, but to see this every time I’m at the beach is simply unbelieveable.

But somehow, we all end up at the beach swimming amongst all the trash. Heck, then again… a few weeks ago I bathed and swam in the Ganges up in Varanasi. Talk about toxic.

Jeez, I never knew that writing blogs could be such a chore. Though, reading other people’s blogs are much easier. If time was permited, I’d write in details of the places I visited and what I’ve actually done, but at the moment I won’t, so please forgive me.

In anycase, since the last time what has happened? I traveled to Nepal, hike the Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Sanctuary, Everest Basecamp (Kala Patthar), Gokyo Ri, and the Langtang valley during the months of November and December. After my wee stint with hiking, I hopped back onto my bicycle and cycled from Kathmandu down to Varanasi, India. Along the way, I stopped at the Chitwan National Park in south Nepal, where I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a Bengal Tiger and unfortunately be charged by an Indian Rhino (I safely got away) while hiking and also visiting Lumbini, Nepal (the birth place of Buddha), Kushinagar, India (where Buddha passed away) and Sarnath, India (where Buddha first taught about his enlightenment).

From Varanasi, I hopped onto a train with my bicycle and headed down to Mumbai where I met up with an old close friend and spent the month of January travelling the southern part of India. Visiting sites such as the Ellora caves, the beaches of Goa, the old Portuguese city of Panaji, the village of Hampi (dedicated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site), Mysore (where I originally thought to do my Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training Certificate, but as the costs were pretty much the same as Europe and N. America… and funds are getting low, I opted not to), Ooty (to ride the Nilgiri Mountain Railway another UNESCO WHS), and Fort Cochin before returning to Mumbai to see my friend off to the airport (also watched Slumdog Millionaire in Mumbai while I was there).

Since then, I took a train down from Mumbai down to Mangalore and have been cycling the south coast of India since. I’m currently in town called Alappuzha (which is also known as the Venice of the East for their canals) recovering from some weird ailment. Been to the local Indian government hospital yesterday (an experience in itself) to get checked up, as I’ve got some weird swelling on the right side of my neck, very sore, painful to the touch, and unable to move my neck. A quick look, and I’d say that it almost looks like a misplaced goiter, but my thyroid glands feel fine.

Anyways, I’m here in Alappuzha for a few days to see if the drugs I’ve been given will work. If not, I guess I might have to make a quick return to a different hospital or back to Canada. Unfortunately, this trip around, I seem to be encountering a number of unfortunate events. Anyways, who ever is reading this, I hope that you are well.