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The above video has been removed, so here's a replacement. I must warn you that the second half has nothing to do with the ass-biting bug...But it's also pretty funny.

the most accurate personailty test EVER!!!

oh my god! This blew my mind. It even shed light on things for me. Unbelievable...

graeme took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Needs to feel identified with someone or something..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

lightning storms

Recently, we've been having some severe thunderstorms in Kanazawa. Actually, it's very unusual, because thunderstorms are more associated with winter in this region. The first time it happened, I stood on my balcony watching the lighting behind the clouds. It was kind of magical — this pink, red, blue flashing behind the grey clouds. Then the thunder struck and I was deafened for a moment. It felt like the whole world shook.

This morning again, there was a thunderstorm. I was woken up by a continuous rumbling sound, like the sky had an upset stomach. Then the loudest crack of thunder. These strikes would continue to occur and eventually, I heard sirens, and then some people yelling outside. I got up to check things out, since it seemed like this whole scene was unfolding outside my apartment. But by that time the rain had started to fall so densely, that it was difficult to see anything except the red rooftop next to my house.

When I went back to bed, I heard the emergency broadcasting system come alive. I heard "Kanazawa citizens, don't panic! Kra-KA-koooom!! ...rain. Please stay inside and be careful." And then some tones you might hear in an airport or train station.

under the sea

While in OZ I actually managed to see a whale breaching the surface in the most spectacular way. I was standing on an immense cliff next to an old lighthouse when someone noticed it. The guide I was with took out some binoculars and I managed to find the exact spot at the right time. It was a spectacular thing to witness.

We also saw some wild dolphins jumping beside us while we were driving on the beach. But I wasn't able to take any photos of those.

So, here are some pictures from snorkeling/diving instead. We went to Moreton island, which is basically like a paradise of beaches, forest, and activities you can do.

There were a number of wrecks off the shore and we snorkeled around them. The broken ships were really interesting and I took as many pictures of them as I did of the fish.



Some coral shielding us from any big, dangerous fish.

I took this picture as I emerged from the water. There was some kind of cactus growing on the loading mechanism of this wreck. It's interesting that a cactus can grow so far from shore. But I guess in a country where it rains about every 2 years, that kind of thing is possible. (Yes, actually they have pretty severe water restrictions in effect in Brisbane and you can only take 4 minute showers...and then some people save the shower water to water their plants.)

Here's a deeper dive, with a flipper in the background. There were so many fish. I think it was a feeding ground because they weren't even afraid of us. You could literally grab a fish if you wanted to. Like swimming through a cloud of colourful fish.

australian wildlife

When I visited my aunt Lorraine, she took me to a wildlife park. It was good to visit family. And I got a pretty good tour of aussi animals.

A small kangaroo. This one is about knee-height. Small and cute.

Here I am feeding it. They were very soft.

The Koala`s were also cute. My aunt asked me if I wanted to take a picture with them, but they smelled really bad. Kinda like a dirty men`s bathroom with a hint of eucalyptus. Later a guide told me that they smell because they are a "perfect creature". Of course I asked him to explain and he told me that they are so specialized that they don`t even have to drink water. They get absolutely everything from the eucalyptus they eat — even all the water they need. So when they pee, it`s concentrated eucalyptus juice.

Then there are the crocs! There were so many of them all lying in the sun. We counted about 12 of them.

Then of course there are the cousins. Cute little things. Here they baked some ginger cookies for me. It was wonderful because it reminded me of my grandmother. When I was young, I grew up on those cookies. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! yummy!

This is a picture of me and Keagan and Celine. Nice kids.

interlude

I was planning to do a post a day, but conveeeeeniently my keyboard broke. So yesterday I bought a new one! Yay! this one is much cooler and also has Japanese characters on it. (Kinda motivates me to type some new blog posts!)

Anyway, I was walking through a part of the city I hardly ever go. and I found a series of rice paddies tucked in between buildings and streets. It`s very Japanese to combine city and farming like that. I`ve even seen that kind of thing in Tokyo!

When you walk on the sidewalk next to the paddies, you can hear the slush slush of water rushing beneath and filling the fields.

The thing is, it really made me think about time. I stood there looking at this beautiful green — total green. And I realised that it`s been a year since I started blogging. Time has gone by so fast, but it`s not until I look at nature that I fully understand this. When I took this picture, I was surrounded by the cicadas` song, music that represents the heat of summer. If heat could make a noise, it would be the buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz of cicadas.

It was a beautiful day, though. And it ended in the perfect summer moment. I felt overwhelmed by happiness sitting on the beach at a table, eating nasi goreng with some friends, while fireworks fizzled and popped above our heads. It felt both tropical and Victorian, like a Seurat painting.

Red Canyon

I went for a drive on the beach with this guy in a HUGE 4x4. While we were driving the guy, Terry pulled over and guided us through the bushes to a huge rift between the sand.

"This," he said, "is Red Canyon." And continued to explain how there's some ore in the sand that was compressed by the glaciers in the last ice age. Now it's bleaching out of the sane because of erosion. This canyon was carved out by a long-dead river.

I thought the colours were really cool. Such beautiful contrast!

PROOF!

ok ok ok! I've been back a day or two now, and I've still been unable to post anything about australia. I took so many pictures it's going to take a while to sift through them all. So for now, I'll post 3 pix, which proves beyond a doubt that I've been there.

The famous Steve Erwin zoo. Australia Zoo. I didn't go in.

This one is pretty incredible! Only in Australia would they name a bank 'Nab', right?

A beautiful sunset with a strange plant. Very un-Japananese, un-Hawaii, and even un-Tropical...so it must be Australian...

As I got through the photos I took, I'll gradually fill everyone in on Australia.

the lizard king!

In one of my last posts I mention an encounter I had with a gecko on a Samurai wall in Japan. Well, the level of co-incidence is insane! Flying in from the north, I looked down on the country side, scouring the landscape for tell-tale signs of where I am on a map. The country looks a bit like a nicer version of Mordor. I mean, it's all dry and there's litte plant life. And from the plane you could see these MASSIVE volcanic cores that jut out from the earth. Like evil spires, I say! Anyway, the Brisbane city is built around a river, which looks JUST LIKE a gecko from the sky! It's truly unbelievable. I'll try to find an arial picture for you...later. (hehehe enjoying the spring again! Check you suckers latah!)

But Mordor is an overstatement. This place seems to be a strange mengelmousse of Canada and South Afrika. The cities remind me of Canadian cities, with their victorian architecture overgrown with the vines and roots of modern skyscrapers. But the savanna is so Afrika. The people are also mixed like this. There's still an African idea of macho-ism, but they are safety-focused, and make rules important. And also, they are clean!

Anyways, right now I'm sitting in my aunt's house. I met my cousins who I've never seen. They're cute! And felt what extended family feels like -- a feeling I've forgotten. I have no idea what my plans are for today, but I will start doing the seriously touristy stuff on the weekend.

By the way, I forgot to bring my camera's cable so I can't load any pictures. Doh!

down under

Tomorrow, I leave Kanazawa to begin my trip to Australia. It's all happening so fast! Just yesterday, I was buying the tickets, and wondering how long a flight to Brisbane actually is. As always, my room is a mess right before I travel, which will guarantee I enter some kind of travel withdrawl once I return. I've never really had any desire to go to Australia. And actually, North Korea was higher on my list of "Places To Go"! So I'm pretty much sure I'll love it, considering my expectations are so low.

Anyway, I'll meet my aunt, whose children I've never met. Encounter long-lost friends, and make new ones. All in all, this will be a pretty experimental trip for me, but it will be good to be in an english speaking country for a while.

I'll try to keep updating my blog from there. But I'm not sure I'll be able to find a chance. Either way, keep checking back.

culture tip #12

This is a picture of a Japanese gecko. There are two kinds of lizards around here. One is a SUPER-fast, grey-ish lizard with a long tail. The other is this sandy-brown one. Japanese people favour small lizards and will even tolerate them inside the house, since they catch insects.

By the way, this was the first time I've managed to get close enough to get one on (phone)camera. They usually run away so fast. I guess it was night time and his blood was cold...maybe.

So if you want to see a better picture of it, you can click here.