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| My old blog entry from 2005…. |
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| Actually not a photo from a New Year's Party... we do this every night. (photo courtesy of AJ Nagai) |
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| Fatass Hachi can’t wait until Dawn finishes wrapping the Gyoza dumplings |
While I was in Indiana this year on business, I ran into several guys from Japan that I had previously worked with. I hadn’t seen most of them for several years, and I was mostly glad to see them… But after our usual pleasantries, they all commented to the likes of “you’ve gotten fat”, “you’ve gained weight” or “you’ve become rounder than I remember.” (not all Japanese people are ass holes. Japanese people that I work with are.)
I have never considered myself to be overweight in the past. In fact, people used to comment on how skinny I was… Maybe these guys are just comparing me to the sickly skinny me… Or Japanese standards of being “FAT” is a bit skewed… Of course, there was also a case when I went to a physical in which I was noted as overweight… WTF…
A few months ago, my parents subtly lent me a Japanese book titled “病気にならない生き方 (how to live without getting sick)” authored by Hiromi Shinya, MD. He is a pioneer in a colonoscopy surgery, and he discusses in his book healthy ways of living from the perspective of digestive health. I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t do much reading usually, but I read this book quickly and intently.
I don’t want to bore you with all of the details of his observations and theories (you can get his English book if you are interested), but I have started incorporating some (not all) of the practices that he describes in his book:
I found all of the items pretty easy to do. Chewing 30 times per bite took some getting used to. I used to be known as a fast eater, now I usually finish last at the table. Many of the items curb appetite, so I don’t eat as much, and I don’t go hungry during the day, either.
I have lost 10 lbs. so far, and it has been pretty virtually effortless. Fitting into my pants has become less of an ordeal in the morning and Dawn is not sewing back my pant buttons on as often.
I recommend to anybody following Dr. Shinya’s preaching. Some of his recommendations are hard to follow (like ‘daily coffee enema’… wtf?), but most of them require little changes in your daily routine. The book is very convincing, and I can’t wait to show these bastards that I’m not a fat ass anymore.
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| Left to right: Sony Clié T415, Palm Treo 650, Samsung Omnia, HTC Droid Incredible |
My obsession with smartphones started with a practical necessity at work several years ago. I needed something portable that would allow me to keep track of my schedules/contacts and to take notes. I had a company standard issue of “Franklin Organizer”, but I kept forgetting to take with me the notebook whose thickness was of a dictionary whenever I left my desk. I concluded that my forgetfulness had nothing to do with it, but everything to do with the lack of its portability.
Searching for a solution, I started from a pocket-size organizer and eventually ended up with my first PDA Sony Clié. I even had a foldable full-size keyboard for it and I was able to take notes during meetings. I was totally geeking out and proud!
Clié was definitely the solution to my issue… BUT now I was dealing with another one… Clié is a PDA, not a smartphone so I was also carrying a personal cell phone (Motorola StarTac, if you care). I was also carrying a company-issued pager. Imagine Clié holster, a cell phone, a pager, and office badge hanging from my belt… I needed a geek tool belt!
Enter Palm Treo. A PDA and a cell phone in one “compact” unit! This is the first smartphone that I owned. I found a used unit on eBay at a good price (at least, I thought so). I didn’t subscribe to a data plan at that time. I just used it as a phone and a PDA, and my pants felt a whole lot lighter.
My entry into the mobile data plan was with a purchase of Samsung Omnia in 2008. Getting Omnia meant having to subscribe to a data plan and $30/month (Verizon Wireless) but my Treo was starting to earn a “dinosaur” status around the office, and I figured that I would get a new smartphone since Dawn was getting a new phone as well. I liked the slim and simple form factor and the 5MP camera that took a very decent photos . Negatives: awkward Windows Mobile 6, faulty touch screen, and slow data communication.
My latest gadget: HTC Droid Incredible. Coming from Omnia, this Android smartphone is excitingly fast and intuitive. No more drooling when I see an iPhone! (Camera is a disappointment, but It DOES come with 720p HD video 
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I remember paying $3000 for my first PC back in 1996. It ran on a 200Mhz CPU with a 2GB hard drive. It had a dial-up connection at 56 kbps… It was the cutting edge, then! My $150 phone runs on a 1Ghz processor and has total of 24GB of memory. It has a 3G wireless connection at 1Mbps. It’s amazing how far the technology has advanced in the last 14 years… For a geek like me, the future looks like so much fun! … if I don’t get left behind…
Back to Narragansett, we tried the famous NTB (Narragansett Town Beach) this time. Spending the afternoon like a couple of beach bums and topping it off with a good dinner… Mm, mm…
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| Tourists at The Narragansett Tower by NTB |
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| Hachi says “Let there be waves for all to enjoy...” Farmer’s tan is “in”, btw. |
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| Happy Dawn at NTB & other vacationers who tolerate us… |
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| Seagulls fighting over Dawn’s french fries… |
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| Dinner at “Coast Guard House”, an old Coast Guard headquarters converted to a restaurant, located right by the Tower. My Clam Bake, Dawn’s Chicken Franchaise were wonderfully delicious. The view to the ocean was also nice. |
A near-perfect day. Sadly, we will be heading back to Kentucky in the morning concluding our vacation… : ( Well, at least, this has been a good idea, and we will definitely do this vacationing thing again!
Today, we did Boston. Traffic jam and drizzly weather slowed us down, but we got there in the end.
My idea of getting the most out of a short day in a strange city was a “Duck Tour”, an 80-min tour on a modified WWII amphibious bus with a wacky tour guide or a “ConDUCKtor” (how clever).
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| Our ConDUCKtor, Ace Bandage |
Our guide did a good job keeping us entertained throughout the tour with his wit and wealth of knowledge about the city and its history while we inched our way forward through the city traffic.
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| Copely Square |
After the tour, we raced through the famous Boston Museum of Science. We purchased the “Combo” tickets for the Duck Tour and the museum, but by the time the tour was over, we only had a couple hours until the closing time… Good planning, I know… I think we did a pretty good job covering most of the exhibits. I do wish that we were able to view everything without being rushed…
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| Full scale T-Rex model and full scale Hachi |
Dinner is at the Daily Catch. The restaurant is located at the water-front and most of the seating is outside under a large covered area. The breeze felt a bit chilly at times, but the view of cityscape, marinas and ocean was spectacular. Calamari for appetizer, Monkfish Marsala & a glass of Valpolicella for Dawn, Swordfish with a vinaigrette sauce for me, and obligatory Tiramisu for dessert. Probably the best dinner of the trip so far! The restaurant was rather busy and the server’s service was disappointingly sporadic.
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| View from our table. Even the clouds were starting to clear just for us! |
Another good day! It’s so easy to get used to a good thing.
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| A seagull on a rainy pier |
We had a slow start today, but still made it to Scarborough Beach in Narragansett, RI, before the rain started. The water was rather cold, and sun was elusive this afternoon. I think we will make a return trip on Thursday if the weather is better.
George’s at Galilee was the restaurant of choice for the dinner tonight. I had a “scrod and scallop” and Dawn had “seafood pot pie”. While we enjoyed the dinner, it left us wondering, “are there anything better around here?” We are still waiting for something that would knock our socks off, but perhaps, our expectation might be a tad high…
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Starbucks breakfast at CVG Airport. Let the spending begin!!
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Legal Sea Foods, right by Providence Airport. I said she could have anything she liked, but jeez! Look at that plate! And this is just the starter!
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| Dawn & Cat: Ready for Attack |
The war against terror in our backyard ensued as our archenemy mole decided to open an all-out offensive over the weekend: 5 mole mounds in 2 days!
As we were trying to plant the poison peanuts to battle the bastard, this neighbor cat snuck up on us (I think the whole subdivision heard Dawn yelp when she sensed something approaching behind her).
I am severely allergic to cats so I don’t care for them at all, but this cat quickly assessed what we were doing and went into hunting mode for the mole! It aggressively reached into the mole hole trying to claw it out. The cat didn’t really get anything, but I’m pretty certain that the burrow was filled up as the mole pooped itself.
I don’t know the name of this cat yet, but it has already earned my recognition as a “friendly” despite it being a cat.
UPDATE: Click here for a video! It’s my first attempt to edit a video clip… (8/4/2010)
