Viewing Category: Miscellaneous
2011 Aug 18
Cycles South appeared in my Netflix queue and it looked pretty fun so after the kids went to bed I watched it. It’s a travel movie made in the early 70’s and has the feel of a Bruce Brown film like On Any Sunday. The plot is basically three friends take off from their jobs and ride motorcycles down from the west coast of the US (maybe Northern California?) all the way down to Panama. They complete the journey spending about $60 each. It’s a fun journey and extremely interesting in how it shows how much times change.
From the view of motorcycling, the bikes are small UJM streetbikes. They look like Honda CBs. They ride them like dirtbikes, going off jumps, off pavement, bushwacking, and on railroad tracks. I hardly ever seem them standing on the pegs either! They mainly just bounce along. Kind of cool that they don’t worry about the machine or gear so much (or at all), unlike these days when there is so much focus on the type of equipment and bike you have. I like that kind of “ride what you got” attitude.
Culturally, the movie is funny and potentially disturbing (depending on your lifestyle) when they happen upon an old town/commune and proceed to “recreate” with the locals. There’s quite a bit of free-love and partaking of illegal drugs going on. Then they go out on a psychedelic joyride on their bikes. It’s all pretty amusing, but that joyride scene went on for way too long, and had some really annoying “spacey” sound effects.
I really enjoyed the movie after they traveled south of the border. They camped on the beach and went spearfishing for their food. Kinda strange when they killed and ate a sea turtle, but it just goes to show you how times change. There are a couple really cool scenes where they go surfing and hang out on the beach playing with fireworks. Looks like so much fun.
I’d recommend checking this movie out especially because it’s available for streaming. It’s not as polished or charming as a Bruce Brown classic, but it’s still a fun flick.
2011 May 21
One thing that I’d like to have is a good shoulder-bag to carry all my daily stuff. You know, things like papers, pens, camera, a book, and laptop. I’ve owned several over the years but I haven’t found the perfect one. The first one I can remember with any detail was a Timbuk2 messenger bag circa 2002. It cost about $100 and was very basic. It was really meant for bike messengers, and had an extra strap to keep the bag aligned in the center of your back. It was tough and waterproof, plus it looked cool. The problem was that the inner pocket was just a big unpadded space, with only a couple loops to hang keys, and a couple pockets for a wallet.
In 2008 I bought a Case Logic bag from Fry’s for about $50. It is pretty good in that it has a dedicated padded space for a laptop, and you can access that via zipper without having to open up the main flap. On the inside, it had several useful pockets and even a zippered one on the side which can be used for a point & shoot camera. On the other side is an elastic pocket with is good for a slim water bottle. The main inner pocket is pretty spacious and could fit my dSLR. It was a little cramped, but is fine for the body/50mm and a couple smaller lenses. There are also various-sized zippered and un-zippered pockets for lots of things like iPods, wallet, business cards, etc. Lastly, the main flap itself has two side pockets to stash thin items. Those little tissue packets that people hand out in Japan for instance.
The downside to this bag is that it is a little big depth-wise, so when I am not carrying a dSLR, it’s just added bulk. And with all those pockets, padding, and zippers it is on the heavy side.
My current bag is something I stumbled across at Target, and was only about $25. I was going to Japan for a couple weeks and had dedicated to myself to traveling light. This included downsizing from a dSLR to my Panasonic DMC-TS2 point & shoot and from a paperback novel to a Kindle3. The Embark bag (which I think is one of Target’s house brands) is just about perfect for this. I like the plain grey outside, and the single large buckle snap for the main flap. There’s a zipper on the flap where I can take stuff in and out quickly like my walled and keys. Inside, there are three main compartments. The one closest to the body has a securing strap and I guess this is the good for a laptop. The second one is just plain and open and I have a folder in there with papers and printouts. The third space has elastic pockets for various things (iPod/earbuds, medicine, money, etc. There are also two zippered pockets one of which is perfect for the point & shoot camera and the other is perfect size for the Kindle. You can actually get to these pockets without opening the main flap, which is really convenient. The bag itself is really lightweight and the elastic pockets work well. I feel that a more complicated series of zippered pockets on the Case Logic is unneeded.
The downsides to the Embark bag are that there isn’t very much padding for a laptop (I need to find a padded sleeve to put in there) and it could use an elastic outside pocket for a drink. To remedy this last part, I have a little hook to carry a small MSR bottle. As a lightweight bag, the Embark is hard to beat, especially for the budget price!
Now I have my eyes on an REI Quantum bag. It’s got some good things going for it, but my Embark still handles the stuff I need a bag to do. Plus I still have the Case Logic in case I need it. Still, it’s fun to shop around!
2011 Apr 30
I’ve had The World’s Fastest Indian in my Netflix queue for a while now and decided it was finally time to watch it. It’s based on the life of Burt Munro, a New Zealander who travels from Invercargill to Utah with his Indian motorcycle. Sir Anthony Hopkins stars in the leading role and he is absolutely perfect in it.. Well, almost perfect since he didn’t have a Kiwi accent. However, one of the greatest actors in the world in this small indie-style film is pretty cool! He’s so good, you just get into the character of Munro and forget about the actor. Munro is old, funny, good-hearted, and determined to live out his dream — to set a land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. There are a few parts in the movie with a little bit of tension, like when he arrives in Hollywood and is taken advantage of, but it’s all pretty harmless. I’m usually fine with movies where there’s a lot of tension, but the Munro character is so likeable and innocent that I just didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Thankfully, all of the problems that he encounters in his journey he is able to overcome and the ending of the film is satisfying. I also loved the style of the film, the characters were all interesting, and the recreation of the 1960’s was well done. Of course I love the motorcycling parts too! This film is on Netflix streaming, so go and watch it!
FYI, the trailer above is not a good representation of the mood of the movie. Whereas the trailer might make it seem like an action-packed, rebellious story, it’s really a quiet, introspective study of Burt Munro.
2010 Aug 11
If you are in need of a public Notary, check with your local bank. Our Capital One has a notary service that is free for its customers. So convenient! I also read that you can check with your local library as some of them also provide the service. Can save a bit of lunch money.
2010 May 04
In case you didn’t know, I have another blog dedicated to my motorbikes. Oh, and I got a new bike! Vroom vroom.
www.motofuji.net
2010 Apr 16
The theme song from Magerarenai Onna. I’m becoming a big fan of Aiko.
2010 Mar 22
I’ve been watching a few older doramas starring Kanno Miho lately, and have also been following her show that has just concluded. Magerarenai Onna is the story of an idealistic woman who is in her 10th year of trying to pass the bar exam to become a lawyer. With that underlying plot, the story unfolds with her finding a couple friends, having troubles with her boyfriend, the resolution of her relationship with her mother, and ultimately her taking the bar exam. Kanno Miho is a pretty good actress, and the supporting cast do a good job as well. There isn’t a whole lot of character development in the main character, but all the supporting cast are affected by her idealism in one way or another, and their lives change dramatically. This dorama has a lot of funny scenes, and is pretty lighthearted, so if you are looking for something realistic and serious, look elsewhere. However, Magerarenai Onna kept me interested the whole way through, and the conclusion was satisfying and fun. While not an excellent dorama, I’d still recommend it.
Show info at D-Addicts Wiki
Official Site
2010 Feb 12
I’m not sure how I missed this dorama when it first aired, but I’m happy to have found it and watched the whole series in a couple days. (A couple long nights, actually) I’m a fan of Miho Kanno and thought she did a great job as Kiina, a detective who handles the odd cases that the regular detectives find either too goofy to take. Each episode is about a single case, usually involving some kind of supernatural angle, but ultimately is solved by some kind of scientific explanation. It’s pretty easy to figure out who the culprit is but the interesting part is how they explain how the crime was done. What makes Kiina (the character) special is that she has a photographic memory, and picks up on obscure clues throughout the investigation. She’s also very idealistic, and her partner serves as a counterbalance to her personality. It’s a pretty good dorama, and I recommend watching it. My only complaint was that the subplot involving the chief wasn’t very interesting, or the resolution of that subplot wasn’t as fulfilling as it could have been. But still, each episode is pretty fun to watch. Also, each episode features a different guest star who will be familiar to regular dorama viewers.
Kiina site at DramaWiki
Official Kiina Site
2009 Jan 26
This year we celebrated Chinese New Years at the Hsiang Yun Buddhist Temple. Koa performed with his Kung Fu class, and there was an amazing Lion Dance. In the evening we ate a great vegetarian Chinese dinner, then went to the Lantern Dharma service. It was a long day, but lots of fun!
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