Moshi Moshi

The Earth Awards

2010-03-04T02:45:00.004+09:00

My first post in 6 months! It's been a while and a lot has happened in the past few months- working at a gallery on the Upper East Side, finishing my Masters of Architecture applications, getting a scholarship to go back to Japan, and now working at a documentary film company. What's exciting is that the film company is also producing a design competition, the Earth Awards, which looks for design/innovation solutions to sustainability and/or social justice problems and today was our official launch day!

Check it out here:
http://www.theearthawards.org/

I'm also in the process of learning wordpress/html/css/php/mysql so be prepared for a new blog as I start my next adventure in Japan.

Until then!

Radio Lab: Moment

2009-08-18T09:36:00.003+09:00

Some video content from my all time favorite radio program: Radio Lab. Now if only they would give me a job. Then again, considering my screed of a cover letter, I wouldn't hire me either. I still love you Radio Lab.

Favorite Work

2009-08-13T09:34:00.002+09:00

Of course, there's also the cut/fold diagram, the plywood site model of the high line, and the mangled, safety-pin tux. They're like my children. I love them all.

Intro to Arch: Done

2009-08-09T12:24:00.002+09:00

With mixed emotions I'm here to say that my 5 week exploration into architecture has come to an end. Not that I won't be glad to do something other than spend 14 hours in the studio every day, but something really great and perhaps indescribable happened in my time at Columbia. Maybe it's because I've started to find a career path that really excites me, or maybe it's that I've worked harder than I've ever worked before and I love it, or maybe it's the amazing people I met in the program. In any case, I could start an MArch program tomorrow and be happy.

I'm now out of the dorms and living in my TA's room while he is out traveling for the next month and will start my mad scramble for a job on Monday.

One more not on the Arch program. We had a final party on Friday where everyone pinned up their best work. It really was an inspiring event. Here is most of my final project (minus the model I made in chipboard). The assignment was to make a dual purpose building that incorporated a tailor shop and another program of our choosing. We could only use 600 sq. ft. of surface area for the whole building and we had to incorporate a model we made previously that was based on a man's suit we mangled to mimic the movements of a transformer toy. So to recap the progression: transformer, man's suit, abstract model, tailor shop. Yeah...pretty nuts.

My project is about the realization of form and space through folds. I fashioned my building (a kimono tailor and tea house) out of a single folded piece of paper. There are no freestanding elements and nothing that needed to be glued together. On the right side there is a diagram of how forms arise from folding. In the middle is a diagram of the flattened piece of paper that became my model. At the top is a one-point perspective of my building on the site (the High Line), and at the bottom is a isometric projection of my building. I'll get a pic of the actual model online ASAP.

Week 2

2009-07-15T07:05:00.002+09:00

Here's the latest work I've done for intro to architecture. As mentioned, it's based on the plans and sections of Gary Chang's Honk Kong apartment. We had to draw a total of 18 drawings and while many others judiciously spaced out their plans and sections, I embraced the complexity and cacophony of Honk Kong and the beautiful mess it creates. It's my attempt and creating a visual representation of biography, complexity, luxury of space, and an apartment building as a microcosm of a city. Egads....I'm speaking in theory speak...I hate theory. Anywho, here's a detail of my work. Enjoy!

Columbia: Week One

2009-07-11T12:51:00.003+09:00

It's been four days since I started the Intro to Architecture program at Columbia University, and it's been quite a week so far. On my first day in NYC I ran into my friend Annie almost IMMEDIATELY after getting out of the cab from LaGuardia, which was fun and almost impossibly good timing.

Work has been crazy hectic, but fun. It's been a while since I had this much mental stimulation, so I suppose I should be grateful. Lots of time has been spent in the studio, but I've also been attending lectures and workshops and hanging out with the eclectic and talented members of my studio group.

For our first project we had to visit the new High Line park, an abandoned, elevated railroad that was recently converted into a city park. For the assignment we had to take a cross section of the railroad and add 100 lines to emphasize a theme based on rules instituted by the parks department. We also had to make a collage from ONE picture based on the same theme. We then had to combine the two into one, coherent presentation.

Here's my final work. My rule was no wheeled movement and I imaged a vengeful, angry park that searched for NYC hustle-and-bustle types and mercilessly destroyed them. It may be more surreal nightmare than architecture, but I like the results.

For our next project we have to draw 15 plans and cross-sections of Gary Chang's Hong Kong apartment on a single sheet of Mylar. More to come.

Bored

2009-05-20T08:47:00.002+09:00

Now that I have NOTHING to do I've reached a level of boredom heretofore unknown. I've been trying to fill my time with lots of going to the gym and trying to teach myself HTML/CSS/JavaScript with varying degrees of success.

I've also been catching up on old episodes of 'Chuck' that I had missed. The show is sooo good...thank god it got renewed for a third season. It's an odd thing, it's not superbly well written like Mad Men, brutally real like The Wire, crazy funny like Arrested Development, or action packed like BSG, it's just amazingly entertaining and watchable.

The music is also pretty awesome on the show. The show's theme song is by Cake, they've had songs by The National and several by Bon Iver. Hell, one of the shows I just watched had a plot point that revolved around 'Tom Sawyer' by Rush. They've also used not ONE, not TWO, but THREE! songs by Huey Lewis and the News.

Then again, there's only so much web development self study and addictive TV can do to chase boredom away. Looking forward to being home for a few weeks then off to Columbia to learn me some architecture.

Spring 09 Drawings

2009-05-12T14:05:00.004+09:00

New Camera

2009-05-10T07:17:00.002+09:00

After months of patiently scouring ebay, I finally found what I had been seeking: a shiny new (read: 55 years old) Voigtlander Perkeo II. BEHOLD!

The Perkeo is one of the smallest and most well-built medium format folding cameras sold around the middle of last century.

I purchased the camera from Jurgen Kreckel, the guru on medium format folder restoration (who knew such a niche hobby existed?).

People keep asking me why I would want something that has NONE of the niceties of today's DSLR cameras. You don't need to worry about me abandoning digital photography, I just want to dabble in the range of possibilities still offered in the analog realm; to remember what it's like for photography to take time. Also, since I'll probably be picking up a Holga soon, the film will be interchangeable. If I dig the camera, I've already planned out future cameras that would complement the collection.

Also also...this fits into my recent obsession with all things mid 50s through early 60s: 2d art, 3d art, architecture, typography, movies, historical fiction TV programs.

Drawing Class

2009-05-09T11:40:00.002+09:00

I'm going through the time devouring process of digitizing/editing my drawings from my art class this semester. I'll probably finish them all over the weekend, but until then, he's a sample of what's to come.

Photo Contest

2009-03-12T11:27:00.003+09:00

My buddy Evan is putting on a contest to help improve traffic to his multitude of websites. Since the contest awards more points for more contributions/redirects to his website, I fully expect to crush the competition. Fear me mere mortals!

A Little about Evan

Why should you care about Evan and his photography? Because I care, that's why! Also, the guy has chops. Check out this little gem taken in Tokyo a few years back:

He's also been kind (or perhaps greedy) enough to use some of my photos on his site. He's even used some of my hack job writing.

He's even got a new fancy pants blog to feature some of the photos from his new soirée into professional photography. Check out his profile here. Isn't he adorable?

In short, if you're a fan of photography, Japan, or reading about my desperate search for a bathroom on top of Mt. Fuji, then Evan's websites have something to offer you.

Now about that contest... MONEY PLEASE!

Tokyo! Trailer

2009-02-06T05:56:00.002+09:00

I want to go to there!

Which reminds me...have you seen "The Host?" You really should.

There comes a time...

2009-01-27T10:29:00.004+09:00

...when every grown man realizes they're too damn old to be cutting their own hair. For me, that day is today.

Sure, I've cut my hair dozens of times, maybe 50 times or more, and things usually go pretty well. I may be a bit uneven now and then, but it's usually not bad enough for anyone to notice.

Well...today I was using a razor comb (a tool I've been pretty good with in the past) and the next thing I now there's a canyon, a bypass, an abyss running down the middle of my head; an inverted mohawk if you will. I tried for a few minutes to even things out, but it was pretty clear that my fate was sealed.

So I walked my chapeau-ed self down to Supercuts to have a professional clean up the 'incident.' I ended up with a rather brusque Asian lady who didn't speak a whole lotta English. She got to work with the clippers and got things evened out pretty quickly. She cut it a little shorter than I would have liked, but honestly, what was she going to do, make it look worse?

I'd like to put photos up, but I left my card reader on the mainland. So, in lieu of that, I've prepared a series of alternate photos that acts as a timeline for 'dos past and present.

Greg two years ago:

Greg last year:

Greg now:

I gotta tell ya. Looking back at these photos...I think I look pretty damn good with all three hairstyles. As long as I have my tattoos and British accent, I'll be irresistible. Well....in any case, as long as this doesn't happen in a year, I think I'll be alright.

Yikes!

I got a fever...

2008-12-16T04:19:00.002+09:00

... and the only prescription is more photoshop tutorials!

Wordle

2008-12-02T13:26:00.002+09:00

Wordle illustration of some of my blog text. Neat huh?

What have I been up to lately?

2008-11-25T12:30:00.004+09:00

Reading Photoshop tutorials....that's what.

They're still a bit rough around the edges, and I'm basically just following directions (nothing original here), but I've learned more Photoshop in the past 24 hours that I had in the previous 5 years. So yeah....holler at some progress.

More and more

2008-11-19T04:01:00.002+09:00

Now that I'm sans job, I've had lots of time for photo play. Here's another one I like.

More Photoshop Phun

2008-11-01T12:09:00.007+09:00

Just when you thought I was done with the blog! I've been playing around in Photoshop CS3 and here are some of the things I've put together.

Here's a panorama I stitched together from photos I took on the top of Fuji. If you're interested, here's a post I wrote for my friend Evan on his blog Japan Photo Guide on why climbing Fuji is the greatest thing ever.

Here's a graphic I made from a photo I took of a Maiko in Kyoto near Kiyomizudera. It's a bit rough still, but I think I'm on to something.

Finally, my favorite, is a pic I took in Shibuya last summer. I've selectively blurred the photo to mimic a tilt-shift lens. This, combined with exaggerated contrast and saturation creates a miniaturization effect. It's like I've made a teeny tiny model of Shibuya. Aww...it's cute.

ONE MORE! I'm on a roll! First, I did a gradient blur, like in the photo above (though this one is circular, not reflective). Then I blurred out the corners to make it Holga-y. Finally, I added some noise to make it look like I used I high ISO film.

Fuji

2008-08-23T08:49:00.003+09:00

Tanabata

2008-08-23T08:47:00.000+09:00

Hanagasa

2008-08-23T08:45:00.001+09:00

Kanto- Night Time

2008-08-23T08:43:00.001+09:00

Kanto- Day Time

2008-08-23T08:42:00.000+09:00

Neputa

2008-08-23T08:39:00.000+09:00

Nebuta

2008-08-23T08:38:00.002+09:00

Goodbye Naruse

2008-08-23T08:30:00.002+09:00

Where in the Hell is Matt?

2008-07-02T20:31:00.001+09:00

In keeping with my recent theme of embedding videos instead of really writing anything, I bring you this. Seriously...watch it.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

I can't hear you! LALALALALALA

2008-06-26T18:58:00.001+09:00

See the NY Times full coverage here.

WTF Fact of the Day

2008-06-20T16:55:00.003+09:00

I was listening to a piece on NPR's Talk of the Nation today on China's Three Gorges Dam. During the talk Yung Chang, the director of the upcoming movie Up the Yangtze, mentions that the weight of the water in the reservoir created by the dam will be so great that it will cause the Earth to tilt ever so slightly on its axis.

Check out the trailer:

Choice Photos from my May Vacation

2008-06-12T21:43:00.003+09:00

Phun wih Photoshop

2008-05-11T10:37:00.003+09:00

Before:

After:

Angkor

2008-05-11T10:12:00.005+09:00

Yamagata panorama

2008-02-14T17:01:00.002+09:00

Went to Yamagata for the three day weekend. Spent the first day checking out the famous Zao snow monsters, the second day causing myself immense pain attempting to snowboard and the third day hiking at Yamadera. Here is a series of 4 photos taken from the top of Yamadera that I stitched together in Photoship. Click the picture for a larger version.

Yum!

2008-01-30T22:09:00.001+09:00

Check out these futomaki my tea lady made. The faces are made of cheese, sausage and nori, the hair from pickled carrots and asparagus, and the face color from sesame and ume (pickled plum). ごちそうさま！

Conspicuous Consumption

2008-01-29T16:38:00.000+09:00

Haven’t blogged for a while, but recently I’ve stumbled on a number of sources on the subject of conspicuous consumption and thought it was a topic worthy of discussion.

Perhaps the most concise summary I’ve seen on the subject can be seen at the website The Story of Stuff. The opening video is a bit long (20 minutes) but well worth a watch. In the video Annie Leonard’s thesis revolves around the idea that WE (as good consuming Americans) aren’t actually paying for the goods we purchase; people in third world countries pay for it with stripped natural resources and cheap labor. This same argument is the backbone of the documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Cost. A microcosm of the larger problem, Wal-Mart strips its sweat-shot workers of rights, its employees of benefits, and the towns it inhabits of charm.

Although I’m a little behind, it’s worth pointing out that we’re just exiting the most consumer driven time of the year- the holiday shopping rush. It’s a sad state of affairs when the time of the year we most associate with peace, family and community is also when feel most obligated to buy unneeded neckties and scented candles. What would Jesus buy? Gift cards? Harry and David fruit baskets?

Taking it all in, I can’t help but wonder where this desire for stuff comes from. Well, as it turns out, we have a certain predisposition towards buying unneeded crap. Not only do we need a constant input of new junk due to planned obsolescence (think about the capricious nature of fashion or how you computer becomes useless in 2 years), but also from the age old need to keep up with those proverbial Joneses. It’s also been shown that people with low self-esteem often turn to material goods to improve their mood. Suffice it to say, this is not a long term fix.

Conspicuous consumption is a pervasive, all-consuming beast. It can be seen in our general accumulation of goods or in our retarded automobile preferences and production standards. (Check out this fantastic article about building uber-efficient cars)

What captures my interest most is the world’s unsustainable production and consumption of food. It’s no surprise that Americans are getting fatter. This alone should be an indication that we consume too much (literally!) But, if that weren’t enough, our current food system is slowly (or perhaps quickly) killing us and our planet. Take meat for example. According to this current article from the Times, the average American consumes 200 pounds of meat per year (likely 8 times what the body requires). More than that, meat production is extremely resource intensive (especially beef), and high demand requires that animals live like commodities in claustrophobic feedlots, gorging on a constant supply of grains.

“So what,” you say, “I wish I could sit around all day and binge on corn.”

Well, for starters, it’s likely that you already do. But, more importantly, cows weren’t made to eat grains; they are ruminants, meaning they use their double stomachs to digest complex, fibrous materials (namely cellulose) found in things like grass or hay. This perversion of the cows’ diet makes them gassier than Thanksgiving at the Logan house (methane from cow farts produces greenhouse gasses than the entire transportation industry). It also makes them incredibly sick, meaning that ranchers are required to pump their cattle full of antibiotics to prevent disastrous conditions like bloat. These antibiotics trickle into the meat we eat and the water we drink (from animal waste seeping into the water supplies) and finally into our bodies.

But I thought antibiotics were futuristic super-drugs designed to keep us alive forever.

Well….yes and no. Used judiciously, antibiotics are wonderful tools, but abused, either through overprescription or through slow absorption via the food we eat, they can lead to antibiotic resistant super-bacteria, like the most recent staph out break. The moral here is that not only do we eat too much, but we eat too much of the wrong stuff, which hurts our bodies, tortures our livestock and creates a supply-demand system so fucked up, that’s only a matter of time before we reach a critical mass. I’m pissed just thinking about it, and I’m not even a vegetarian.

I’ve gone on for quite a while, but if you’re truly ambitious and are looking for a more compressive view on the subject, check out Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma or his more recently published follow-up (which gives more practical advice on how to eat) In Defense of Food. Or, if you’re in a hurry, I can summarize the book the way Pollan opens it: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

In the bigger scheme of things, there are countless ways to reduce your consumption (and subsequent disposal) profile. Like I said, I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t eat as much meat as many people. I drive a car, but I don't drive a Hummer. I’m certainly no saint (I loves me some long showers), but I’m working on living a simpler, less consumer driven life everyday. Check out ways to live with less and to live more simply. Once we break the cycle of working to consume the sooner we can get back to working to live life for things that matter. Like a 727 limo.

Wacky Wednesday: Origami Money お金の折り紙

2007-12-05T19:18:00.000+09:00

Here's a funny little website I found on a fresh spin on origami. Hasegawa Yosuke uses internationl banknotes instead of traditional washi (和紙) paper. As you can see, his style is to whimsically isolate the face of whatever national figure is found on the note (nice hat Khomeini!). Check out the website for more examples. I wish I could tell you more, but my computer didn't have support the particular Japanese font Hasegawa-san used on his site; so instead of gibberish I only partially understand, it was gibberish that noone could understand. Oh...and if that whet you appetite for far eastern paper folding techniques check out this New Yorker article on physicist-turned- origami master Robert Lang.

Foodie Fursday: Happy Belated Thanksgiving

2007-11-29T16:36:00.000+09:00

Last weekend Kat and I whipped up a respectable Thanksgiving dinner, even though we had Chicken and ate it on a Saturday night; it’s the spirit that makes it Thanksgiving, right? Anywho, Kat handled most of the meal, while I played sous chef for the evening. Here’s what was on the menu:

Honey/Thyme/Apple brined chicken
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes with dill and carrots
Greek style braised grean beans
Carrot leek soup with thyme
Baguette
Spiced persimmon brulee
Mulled apple cider

There were some successes: the potatoes and the cider were particularly popular, some things that fell short of the mark: the beans were a bit spicy and the chicken a bit salty, and some outright disasters: I still have the persimmon “brulee” in my fridge. In all though, the meal left me fat/content and stocked with leftovers that lasted me for the next few days. Oh…and to top it all off, we watched Elf while we dined. Not too shabby.

Prepped veggies

Rosemary that we may or may not have stolen from a bush outside the supermarket.

Kat stirrin' beans

Things I like

2007-09-16T14:29:00.000+09:00

1. Spoon
2. Tokyo
3. Amorphous dancing robots

Well what do ya know....

Nara Deer

2007-08-12T15:30:00.000+09:00

Some pictures of everyone's favorite map-eatin', camera-sniffin', hat-wearin', squealin' deer. If there was ever any question as to why these little scamps are considered sacred, observe:

Summer Vacation- My favorite Pics

2007-08-12T15:01:00.000+09:00

Over the break my brother Ryan and my sister-in-law Lissa came to visit and explore the country. Here are some of my favorite photos from the first week.

Nanzen-ji, Kyoto

Imperial Palace, Tokyo

Mori Building, Roppongi, Tokyo

Moss Garden, Hakone

Tenryu-ji, Arashiyama, Kyoto

YES!!!

2007-07-25T13:06:00.000+09:00

Lord knows that, at any given time, I have a slew of movies I'm excited about. That being said....YES!!!

Watch the trailer

COVET!

2007-07-20T10:49:00.000+09:00

I'm surrounded on all sides by rice paddies. Why can't they be as cool as these? That's all I'm saying.

Click here to see more

Don't Panic...

2007-07-18T16:49:00.000+09:00

Typhoons, earthquakes, nuclear power plant leaks. All within 48 hours. Dare I say…”Yikes” But, like the title suggests, I’m still here and in one piece. The typhoon was pretty tame by the time it got up north. That’s pretty typical around these parts; nothing flashy, just abnormally rainy and windy. The earthquake was more of the same. Although it took place only 150 miles away, I didn’t even feel the quake, though maps suggest that I should have. I did, however, feel a pretty hearty aftershock about 12 hours later. Again, nothing terror inducing, just enough to get my attention. Take a peek at the maps- the first is a map of the first quake and the second is of the aftershock. On both, I put the purple dot in to represent where I am. What's impressive about both is the total area that each covers; thems big quakes. So, to recap: not dead, not blown away, not glowing with radioactive waste. If you feel the need to be concerned, I do have a headache.

Didn't feel it.

Felt it.

You're eating what?!??!

2007-07-06T16:27:00.000+09:00

I’d like to relay an experience I go through every time I visit an elementary school (usually twice a week). Now, I understand that interacting with a foreigner must be a pretty interesting experience for them and the attention they lavish on me can be a solid ego massage, but occasionally their enthusiasm borders on the absurd. Take lunchtime. Long ago I gave up paying for the school lunch, primarily due to dietary restrictions but also because it occasionally made me kinda gaggy, and started packing my own lunch. Since that time here’s a pretty typical conversation I have with the little sprats. I have, of course, translated it for everyone to enjoy.

Student 1: What’s that!?!

Me: It’s a sandwich.

Student 1: A sandwich!! AMAZING!

Student 2: Did you make it yourself?

Me: Yep, sure did?

Students: AMAZING! GREG-SENSEI IS AMAZING!

Thinking to myself: Yes, truly perfecting the art of layering sliced bread and cold cuts was a daunting task. Learning how to portion mustard to bread cost me nearly a year of your life. Don’t go down this road kids. It’s not worth it.

Student 3: What are those?

Me: They’re plums.

At this time a crowd usually begins to form around me. Often this culminates in kids lifting the top off of my Tupperware and peaking in. I’d say my favorite thing is when the kids touch my food. Awesome….just awesome.

Students: PLUMS!?!?! You’re so lucky! I want to eat plums for lunch!

Thinking to myself: You know you can get a dozen of them for about 4 bucks this time of year. They’re practically giving them away. Go tell Mom and Pop.

A little later-

Student 4: Is your food delicious?

Me: Yes…yes it is.

This is when I congratulate myself for packing food I like instead of utter crap.

Now, in their defense, sandwiches and even fruits are relatively uncommon foods to have for lunch, so I suppose a little surprise isn’t unwarranted. Oddly enough, the truly esoteric items (e.g. cous cous) usually leave them so nonplussed that they don’t know whether they should be covetous or not. (They should’ve been…it was delicious) What’s truly baffling is when I elicit this reaction with Japanese food. Take soba (buckwheat noodles) for example. I’ve had the exact same interaction as above with soba even though you could close your eyes and run into a soba shop here. They also point out how delicious soba is and how they wish they were eating it instead of their lousy school lunch. I can’t help but wonder why though. As good as soba is, it’s certainly not a unique flavor savored only on special occasions. While good, in the Japanese milieu I’d say soba is fairly pedestrian. I often wonder if I took the school lunch from the day before and repacked it into Tupperware containers if they would be as amazed and envious. I suppose the grass is always greener.

New Hotness

2007-07-05T20:52:00.000+09:00

So my recent obsession has been news binging. I was skeptical of news aggregators at first, but I was shown the light a few months ago when Bloglines entered my life. As great as it was I was eventually wooed away by the unstoppable behemoth that is Google. So now, in addition to handling my email and my blogging, they now provide me with my news. What I'm getting at is that, in lieu of actual human contact, Google has become my new best friend. The next step in this relationship is integration; now when I think a story I read via Google Reader is particularly interesting I can post it on the blog for everyone else to judge its worth (and my own by proxy I suppose). And what story did I choose for this historical day in information synergy? The closing of the last Rax in Indiana. If you don't know what Rax is (or was) then you've lived a sheltered and meaningless life. RIP Uncle Alligator.

Hakone Trains, Trams and Gondolas

2007-06-26T21:02:00.000+09:00

Hakone Open Air Museum

2007-06-26T20:56:00.000+09:00

Tokyo Disney

2007-06-26T20:53:00.000+09:00

The Philippines

2007-06-26T17:56:00.001+09:00

So...the first big trip I took recently was to the Philippines. I went with a number of other JET participants during Golden Week, a group of holidays that coincide roughly within the same week. The Philippines is an amazingly beautiful country if not a bit odd due its hodge-podge of cultural influences. Nearly everyone speaks at least some English (many quite well), Spanish cultural influences are also pervasive as are Southeastern Asian and native cultural artifacts. The trip was both a vacation and a volunteer opportunity as we spent the majority of our time building houses for Habitat for Humanity. This gave the trip a distinctly odd feel; we would spend half our time doing distinctively altruistic things followed by uber-touristy things like trips to the beach. I had a great time doing both, it was just an odd mix of activities.

For transportation we relied nearly entirely on Jeepneys, a remnant of the US military presence in the Philippines. These outfitted Jeep/Buses made for an interesting (read: harrowing) commute everyday.

Thanks to Kelso Gordon for the picture.

Of course, the bulk of our time was spent building. This was a ground-up operation where we did everything from make our own bricks, to fetching water from the near-by river to mix our own cement, to creating intricate relay teams to transport the aforementioned bricks and water.

Thanks to Kelso Gordon for the picture.

Thanks to Johnathan for the picture.

Not surprisingly, the Philippines was damn hot. A number of us came out with some rather impressive sunburns, or for the lucky ones, extreme tan-lines. To beat the heat, we drank enough water to drown the city of Manila. It's good to know what good we did for the world was grossly offset by the pollution we created via our bottled water.

It may not look like much, but this is our final product. Keep in mind that we started with a whole in the ground and, as I mentioned, did everything from scratch. The foundation work is, without a doubt, the most time consuming work. I would say our house is probably 60% done. In the background you can see a more complete house.

As a side trip we went to an orphanage one night to play with the children there. This was, by far, the most poignant moment of the trip; as we didn't have any real contact with the families whose houses we were building, playing with the children was a more concrete manifestation of how our work can make a difference. Here I am juggling for the kids. I should mention that, although they enjoyed this, they were far more amused when I made my arms into a circle and pretended to be a basketball hoop for them.

Thanks to Aiko Harman for the picture.

Of course, we didn't work the entire time. We were on vacation after all. We took two notable side trips during our stay. The first was to a waterfall at the foot of a dormant volcano. After a 20 minute hike or so, the forest opened to a beautiful pool where we took in the scenery, did some swimming and some waterfall diving for the bolder members of the group. The second trip was a day at the beach where, after a short boat ride to an island, we partook in snorkeling, feasting on grilled fish and general, well-earned relaxing.

Thanks to Nigel Dixon for the picture.

Thanks to Adam Taylor for the picture.

Hey....remember that one time....

2007-06-26T17:03:00.001+09:00

...that I actually updated this thing? Yeah....me neither. Anyway, it's been a while hasn't it? Early April by my reckoning. A lot has been going on. I admit this is a lame excuse for a lack of communication, but it is what it is. My next two posts will cover the two big trips I took over the past few months: one to the Philippines and one to Tokyo. If, by the grace of God, I can be more diligent, I'll try to start posting more.....don't hold your breath. Hope everyone is well. Holler at me with what's new in your respective life. I promise to get back to you before the rapture.

Himeji

2007-04-06T17:51:00.001+09:00

Arashiyama

2007-04-06T17:50:00.000+09:00

Nara

2007-04-06T17:49:00.000+09:00

Kyoto

2007-04-06T17:44:00.000+09:00

Happy Belated Valentines Day

2007-02-17T23:30:00.000+09:00

Capsule Hotel

2007-02-17T23:24:00.000+09:00

Sapporo at Night and Otaru

2007-02-17T23:13:00.000+09:00

Sapporo

2007-02-17T23:08:00.000+09:00

Early in February I took a long weekend trip to the city of Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan's northern-most island. Sapporo's biggest draw is their annual Snow Festival, bringing visitors from all over the world (including myself). Highlights from the trip included the famous snow sculptures, visits to beer and chocolate factories, and Satoland (a winter wonderland with such novelties as a giant snow slide, a snow maze and an army of snow men, which can be seen below). Other memorable moments include dropping 8 dollars on one plate of king crab sushi (as delicious as it was expensive), staying in a capsule hotel and a beautiful lantern festival (see above posts). That's a lot of lists for one post....my apologies.

Expressions/States Take 2

2007-01-17T20:08:00.000+09:00

Back by popular demand. Not really.

Hungry

Thirsty

Sleepy

Merry Christmas　クリスマス　おめでとう

2006-12-30T15:30:00.000+09:00

Hey everyone. Merry Christmas! Actually....I'm just getting around to writing this post in late February. Oops. Anyway, as you can see below, Japan isn't completely devoid of Christmas celebrations. However, things here are, not surprisingly, a little different. For example, gift giving is a very small affair between people in a relationship (usually boyfriend/girlfriend), and Christmas cake is a really big deal (they were really confused that no such thing existed in the States).

Sendai City celebrates the season with a festival they call the Pageant of Lights, during which they line the streets with countless Christmas lights. The final product was rather lovely.

Christmas time is also the time for special holiday themed lessons at my Elementary schools. The lesson plan was more or less the same for all grades, with some variations made for age/ability differences of course. First, we sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," followed by a quick game that introduced holiday vocab words, and finally we finished by making Christmas trees out of cutouts of our hands. On one side, students would decorate the hands to look like a Christmas tree and on the other half they would write want they wanted to receive. This years most desired gift? The Nintendo Wii.

Holiday English Boards

2006-12-30T15:17:00.000+09:00

Nikko

2006-11-05T17:05:00.000+09:00

This weekend I went to Nikko with my friends Evan and Satomi. Not only was this my first big trip out of Miyagi prefecture, but it was also my first trip on the Shinkansen (Japan's famous bullet train). It was pretty cool to be moving so fast, but because you accelerate so gradually, you don't really notice how quickly you're going. That is, of course, until you pass another Shinkansen going the other direction.

We spent 2 days and 3 nights in Nikko, spending one full day exploring Nikko's natural beauty and one day exploring its cultural heritage. Nature day involved pleasant walks through woods, strenuous mountain climbs, and scenic waterfall viewings (Nikko has more natural water running through it than any other place I've ever seen). We were hoping to catch the changing leaves, but because we were in the mountains we were, for the most part, too late. Nevertheless, Nikko does have a lot to offer in terms of the outdoors.

Of course, what Nikko is primarily know for are its temples and shrines. Arguably second only to Kyoto in regards to its concentration of religious landmarks, Nikko is teaming with beautiful architecture and points of cultural interest.

I don't have any pictures of the more famous landmarks such as Toshogu or Shinkyo (sacred bridge) because a) you can see them elsewhere, and b) I like these pictures better. Deal with it. But I think the pics will back me up when I say Nikko is a beautiful city that makes for a relaxing and interesting weekend.

Bunkasai (School Festival)

2006-10-29T18:19:00.000+09:00

Yesterday was our school's Bunkasai. Literally, 'Cultural Festival,' but I think 'School festival' is a far better description. The day started with each class giving a short skit about the school year which usually included several humorous impersonations of teachers (luckily I was excluded), and replays of important events over the past few months.

Next were several speeches given by the students, two of which were English speeches given by students I had been working with. They were, needless to say, awesome. After that came a brief recorder concert, whose highlight was, in my humble opinion, a breathtaking rendition of the Beatle's 'Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da.' Actually, I think everyone appreciated the ironic value of the concert as each song was following by clapping and quiet chuckle.

After lunch was a choir concert. Actually, a better word would be competition, as at the end of the concert, two groups were crowned winners. This was apparently a rather big deal as there were a few joyous tears shed. After this the whole 'festival' got noticeably more casual as kids got on stage and tried their hand at rapping, playing the guitar and, for some, just jumping around on stage.

With the rise in informality also came a rather substantial dip in quality, but the kids were having fun. (A LOT of fun) Actually, maybe my favorite moment of the day was when two students sung a song with teachers playing the background instruments. Not only were they good, but it was funny to see our head teacher shredding licks on the guitar.

Naruko

2006-10-23T20:05:00.000+09:00

This weekend my friend Evan (see Japan Photo Guide in the links sidebar) and I went to Naruko. Known for its Onsens (hot springs) and its scenic gorge, Naruko is an ideal place for Koyo (Fall foliage viewing). Another pleasanty Naruko offers is the pervasive smell of sulfur thanks to its natural mineral springs . Aside from its distinct funk, Naruko does offer some beautiful landscapes. Unfortunately, I think we hit the gorge a little early; the leaves probably won't be in full effect for a few more weeks. But since it was such a perfect day, I'm not complaining. After spending a few hours walking through the gorge, we hit up a famous lake in the area. It's claim to fame is that it is one of the most acidic lakes in the world with a pH of 1.4, which I believe is on par with stomach acid. Yum.

Sports Festival Redux

2006-10-15T15:03:00.000+09:00

Recently, we had another 'sports festival' in my area, although this one would be far more recognizable to western eyes. Essentially, the way the festival worked was middle schools throughout the Higashimatsushima area got together over the weekend and competed in a number of sporting events including soccer, volleyball, basketball, kendo, baseball and probably a few more that have slipped my mind. I personally spent the day driving around the city with my school's principal to watch a number of the sports. Because my principal had to make an appearance at most of the happenings I got to see a lot of different events, but this also meant I never stayed more than 30 minutes to watch one specific thing, so to be perfectly honest, I have no idea how we did in any of the events we participated in. I can only assume that won handily in each case. That is, of course, the most logical conclusion.

Jazz Festival

2006-10-07T22:17:00.000+09:00

I honestly don't remember when this was. I think it was the first month of September, but who's to say. In any case, this was the second Jazz Festival I've been to in 6 months (the other being in New Orleans). Not surprisingly, the two are slightly different. The Jozenji Jazz Festival is a two or three day event (like I said, it was over a month ago) that takes place over several blocks and a few parks scattered around Sendai. Bands are placed in a number of places, some more formal than others. Some simply set up shop in front of a building while others get proper stages. Music ranged from Soul/R&B/Funk covers, a sort of Asian Blues Brothers if you will, to more 'traditional' jazz. The first day I went it was a bit rainy, but main for a somewhat subdued atmosphere that I thought strangely complemented some of the chiller Jazz ensembles. The second day was fiendishly hot, but was the only sunny day in the period of about three weeks. Typhoon season isn't as fun as Lonely Planet made it out to be.

On second thought...

2006-09-30T20:28:00.000+09:00

I've decided to keep the pics from the previous post up for a host of reasons:

1. Popular demand. (i.e. Evan)
2. Shameless self-promotion
3. I post far too infrequently. It would be a shame to destroy such a rare creature.
4. To remind myself that when I forget to shave I look like a middle-schooler trying to grow his first mustache.
5. To remind myself and the world how painfully handsome I am. (see point 2)
6. They make me laugh.

Facial Expressions

2006-09-28T21:01:00.000+09:00

It should be noted that I am merely uploading these photos so that I can print them out at school tomorrow for a class on facial expressions. By this time tomorrow night they'll be gone. I guess what I'm trying to say is, catching this post might be roughly akin to witnessing Haley's Comet while having diarrhea: A once in a lifetime experience that you'd probably rather forget.

Sports Festival

2006-09-06T21:16:00.000+09:00

Well. Seeing as I have ANOTHER sports festival coming up this weekend I thought it might be prudent to sit down and write about the first sports festival. It was a few weeks ago, so details might be a bit fuzzy. The basic format of the festival was that the students were split into two teams, one red and one white. From there, the students competed in a number of sporting events, most of which would be quite foreign to the American sports enthusiast. The most recognizable events were various relay races. There was also a tug of war, a game similar to chicken where students get on others shoulders and try to steal hats from the other teams shoulder-sitters, mass jump roping, and kendo (traditional Japanese sword fighting) to name a few. The whole day was really fun. I had a good time cheering the kids on. I started the day rooting for the red team and the switched during the afternoon to team white. Unfortunately, when the event results were tallied up, the red team came out on top. Whoops! This weekend, apparently, the sports festival will be a little more straight forward: kids playing their respective sports and competing against other schools. Gambatte Naruse Daiichi chuugakko!

NO FREAKIN' WAY

2006-09-06T20:58:00.000+09:00

So...I'm sitting at my desk at my elementary school, doing god knows what, when the first grade teach next to me pulls out a giant book that she says she would like me to read to the students in the near future. On seeing the book a rush of pre-pubescent memories socked me in the face like a sack of nickels. Hmm.....that sounds about as painful as my attempts at metaphors. ANYWAY....A quick once-over of the oversized atlas confirmed my original suspicion: I had this exact same book as a child. I alerted my fellow teachers to this rather unlikely coincidence, prompting the question, "Is this a famous book in America?" "Not that I know of," I told them. I've never seen this book outside the confines of my room in the late 80's. Has anyone reading this seen/owned/read this book? I'm heading back to the elementary school tomorrow. Maybe they'll pull out that awesome boat I always used to play with in the tub....man that thing was cool.

AIRSHOW!

2006-08-29T20:56:00.000+09:00

Man oh man.......

Once a year the sleepy little town of Higashimatsushima decides to let its hair down and have itself a good ol' fashioned air show. Ya know, the kind where jets, closer to each other than I care to be to some people, swoop by the crowd doing maneuvers that boggle the mind? THAT kind of air show.

The show lasted the better part of the late morning and early afternoon on Sunday and included helicopters, parachuters and speedy jet airplanes. The jet group, known as Blue Impulse (a Blue Angels homage?), are local celebrities especially among the little ones.

What was REALLY cool was, in the week leading up to the show, Blue Impulse would practice during the day. I would be biking to work, minding my business, when WHOOOOOOOOOOSH. Of course, this led to numerous close calls on my bike as I have come to find remembering how to ride a bike is like......um..... well, it's a lot harder than some people would lead you to believe.

In addition to air theatrics, we also had a chance to watch Blue Impulse Jr., a group of motorcyclers with their rides decked out to look like jets who also did tightly choreographed shows, earthbound of course. It's times like these that I think to myself, "Hey, that's pretty neat," or, "Well, if China decides to invade at least I can sleep well knowing that we're prepared."

English Board

2006-08-27T20:31:00.001+09:00

On Thursday I put up an English Board in the hallway of my middle school. As you can see, the board is mostly pics from my recent road trip with Eric and some from around Richmond, all with simple English captions that, hopefully, the children will be able to read at some point. As I was putting it up my fellow teachers would walk by and exclaim "sugoi!" (great/awesome/etc) It was fun to see how excited they got to see my friends, family and life. They also alerted me to the fact that everyone pictured was very attractive. I assured them that America had its fair share of homely people but I simply lacked the time and inclination to associate with them.

Matsushima

2006-08-21T20:42:00.000+09:00

Yesterday a group of ALTs visited the town of Matsushima, one of the three most scenic areas in Japan, and roughly twenty minutes from my apartment. The town is small, but fairly tourist due to its reputation. Usually one goes to Matsushima to take a boat tour around the pine-clad islands that dot the bay, but we had other objectives; we were here to see the interior of Godai-do, a small Buddhist temple that is only opened once every 33 years. The interior itself wasn't anything spectacular, but it was well worth the wait in the GIANT line in the sweltering heat to experience the crowd and the festivities. Afterwards, we grabbed some soba and stopped by a zen garden. I'd put some pictures up but my battery ran out about half way through the day and the pictures from the first half are rubbish, so I guess you'll have to see it yourself in 2039.

At home in Higashimatsushima

2006-08-18T16:08:00.000+09:00

I'm back! Hey everyone. Sorry for the rather sizable gap in my postings- I just today got internet access in my apartment. Until now I've been shooting out quick emails from the Board of Education every few days, but things should be gravy from here on out.

So what's new? Well....Unfortunately, since so much time has passed, I'm going to have to edit out a fair amount of what's been happening with me and just give you some highlights. Let's review the past two weeks, shall we?

Tokyo Orientation- Met lots of new people, had a lot of fun, and collected enough useless paper work to cover all of Hokkaido. The true shame of orientation is that, after meeting lots of new people, you're torn away from them and scattered about the country.

Luckily, the people in my area are also very cool. I just got back from a prefectural orientation where I got to hang out with them. (oh....and receive more handouts)

Everyone here, locals and those in the JET program, have been really great. My supervisor is a clerical wizard. The teacher who I am assisting has been open and very helpful. And the kids seem really excited to have me around. Although I haven't seen much of them yet as we're still on summer vacation.

I go to Sendai quite often. It takes an hour by train, but it's worth it as it's a pretty happening place. We recently had a festival here known as Tanabata. I'm pretty sure it's Sendai's biggest festival. The main thoroughfares are lined with huge lanterns and there was a pretty impressive fireworks show one night.

The other day I traveled to the prefecture west of Miyagi known as Yamagata to a famous temple called Yamadera (literally- Mountain Temple). To reach the aforementioned temple one must climb a rather lengthy staircase, but it's well worth it as the temple itself is quite lovely and the view it provides of the valley below is amazing.

I think that's enough for one post. Obviously, there's been a lot more going on with me but I don't want to bore you with too much detail. If you'd like to know more, you can always email me.

Oh....and what you've all been waiting for- pictures!

In Tokyo I went to a party with old friends from Sophia (the university I went to while in Japan last time)-

Here are some pics from Tanabata. The first is an up-close of the origami work on one of the lanterns and the second is from the fireworks show.

And here are two pics from Yamadera. The first is of me, two of my local friends from Sendai (Harumi and Aiko), and my buddy, and closest neighbor, Hashmatt. The second is of a small temple with the valley in the background.

In Japan

2006-07-31T23:57:00.000+09:00

Tokyo! I made it.....after a VERY short sleep in Chicago and a VERY long flight to Japan, I made it. The first day of orientation was today, with another coming tomorrow. After that, it's off to my contracting city: Higashimatsushima. It's pretty late though, so I'm going to keep this short. Meeting lots of cool people and getting increasingly exited about settling down in my city.

Welcome

2006-07-25T02:22:00.000+09:00

Welcome everyone. If you're looking for Greg Logan's blog on his time in Japan, then you've come to the right place. Of course, I'm still in the states for a few more days so I don't have anything exciting to mention yet. This is just to make sure that the site is up and running and that all you folks know that you've got the right address (or wrong one I suppose). In any case, things are about to get quite interesting and I'm going to try my best to keep everyone informed of what's new with me. Stay tuned.....