It's My Life

Lord Stanley's Cup

Tuesday, May 22

The life of a busy blogger (or a blogger too busy to blog). For all these modern conveniences, we still run around rushing to go places and get things done.

Enough boring, self-reflective crap. The Sens are in the Stanley Cup!!! Woo Hoo!!! (For those who fall into the long suffering fan category, hopefully you will remember that chant from the first ever playoff appearance 10 years ago.)

For those who know even less than the long sufferers, The Sens are in fact the Ottawa Senators, my hometown professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League. After being one of the dominant teams for the past 10 years, they have finally gotten stronger and made it to the cup finals for the first time, where they will face either Detroit or Anaheim for the Stanley Cup, the only trophy in sports that champagne is drunk from after victory and the only trophy to have the names of the winning players and coaches engraved into it (over 100 years of names; that's a lot!).

So, I just wanted to write a note to show my happiness for them and wish them good luck in the finals. The challenge will now be to find a sports bar in Tokyo that will be showing some of the games!

(Not So) Golden Week

Monday, April 30

Well, it has been a while since my last blog entry, so I thought I would just catch up here, although there isn't much I have to say.

I have been so busy since my return from Thailand that I have barely had time to sleep and everything else has fallen by the wayside, even yoga!

But...tomorrow is the first of May. New month, new start, and since it's Golden Week (a string of national holidays in Japan that most people have off), minutely less busy. Relaxation, here I come!

There Is A Frog In My Shoe

Saturday, April 14

No mysterious or fancy titles today. There quite literally a frog in my shoe when I was getting ready for qork this morning.

I opened my shoe cupboard this morning as I was getting ready to head out the door and reached for my shoes. I went to put my left shoe on but something was stopping the usual smooth entry.

So, I took my foot out and looked to see what was in there and a good-sized frog was staring back at me. Imagine my shock (and Em's when I showed her!). So I had to pour him out of my shoe and into the bushes beside our apartment. After checking on him 5 minutes later, he was gone.

So the real mystery is where he came from. My best guess is that he smuggled himslef to Japan from Thailand (where frogs are plentiful) in one of our bags and was undetected when we were barraged by drug-sniffing dogs and while unpacking. But we arrived on Wednesday and I wore these shoes on Thursday, and the shoe cupboard is always shut. So where did he come from and how did he get to where he did?

I guess the only other obvious question is whether this mystery is more appropriate for the X-Files or CSI!

The Black Curtain

Thursday, April 12

During my new morning meditative practice this morning, I has a very surreal experience.

While trying to focus on my breath, my mind wanders, as it often does, and especially with people who are new to meditation like myself, until one learns to calm the mind, supposedly. But this morning, when trying to get rid of a thought, instead of just stopping that thought, it was as though a black curtain blocked the thought out and I was able to truly focus inwardly.

It was a rather powerful feeling and one that I hope happens again sooner rather than later!

Sleep, Glorious Sleep

Wednesday, April 11

I accomplished something today that I thought not possible: slept on an airplane!

We boarded our flight from Bangkok to Tokyo just before midnight Tuesday, and after sitting down and buckling in, fatigue started to set in. Next thing I knew, I was out. I awoke briefly as we took off (I had been asleep for about half an hour at this point) and woke up again three and a half hours later. And because we were travelling downwind, the flight was only four and a half hours.

Fingers crossed I'll be able to do that on future flights.

Traffic Countdown

Thursday, April 5

Today, I saw the coolest invention for traffic control that I've seen for a long time. You may have seen a photo of it in the Bo Phut Photo Gallery (which may have led you here!). I call in the Intersection Countdown. A couple of the major intersections here on Koh Samui have them, and they appear to be a great idea for keeping road rage somewhat in check.

The way they work is that when the light is red, the countdown clock tells you how many seconds remain until it turns green. And when the light is green, the clock tells you how long until the light turns yellow.

Imagine the mindset of drivers knowing exactly how long it will be before the light changes, and also how much calmer they'll be knowing the exact number of seconds they'll have to wait. No more feeling that they will have to gun it once the light is green. Reality is staring them in the face.

Of course, since it has been a while since I've driven regularly, I could be way off. But I am interested to hear your thoughts. Send me a note with your opinions to philbett at mac dot com.

Juicy Entry

Tuesday, April 3

Not much has been happening over the last few days. Em and I have just been spending a lot of quiet time on the beach and in the sea at Yoga Thailand. We have been doing a lot of yoga as well (One class from 7:30am until 10 or 10:30am and another class from 4:00pm to 6:30pm), which has been excellent. Any stress I had from work has now completely disappeared, and I have really enjoyed not shaving or wearing a suit for the last week.

But the best part of spending time on the retreat grounds has been the Namaste Juice Bar (Click here to see some photos of the juice bar). Em and I have been enjoying the fresh coconut water, coconut shakes, fruit shakes and raw frozen desserts that they have here. So, while I am on holiday and am enjoying food, I am not pigging out on junk food at all. So wins all around.

Actually, Em and I popped into town yesterday and there was actually a Dairy Queen, so I thought I would treat myself to a Blizzard, but it has been so long since I have had such sweet junk food in my system, it actually left me feeling a bit queasy. So, to summarize, raw food and juices, good. Dairy Queen, bad!

A Dog Day of Spring

Friday, March 30

Quite an interesting day today. Hot, hot, hot! That wasn't the interesting part. That's pretty usual in Koh Samui.

No, the interesting part was spending a couple of hours at the Koh Samui Dog Rescue Centre. Em and I went there to volunteer our services for a few hours, as they are always looking out for volunteers. However, when we arrived, we were told that several volunteers had been there in the morning and that there was nothing we could really help with. But they did encourage us to walk around and look at the dog and cat enclosures.

So we did. They informed us that there are currently around 250 dogs at the centre as well as about 100 cats. We were like the rock stars of the place. That's what it felt like, like celebrities who go around to childrens' wards of hospitals. We went into the cat enclosures for a while where we were treated like jungle gyms. We spent time in Puppy Corner, where there were a couple of really tiny, young pups who got so excited to see and play with people.

In the end, we only volunteered our time and hearts, and the animals seemed to enjoy the attention and affection, which they get so little of in that environment. Sure, they are fed and sheltered but that can't replace the attention a pet owner can provide. So, my policital statement of the day is to call/visit animal rescue centres when looking for a pet, rather than support pet factories like pet shops, who pry offspring from parents much too young in the name of making a buck. Chances are the rescued pet will provide just as much appreciation and enjoyment as a store-bought one.

A Good Day of Travel

Wednesday, March 28

I was quite skeptical with incredibly low expectations approaching the airport today. When one mentions top airlines, images of Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Thai Airlines spring to mind.

But not Air India. So expecting nothing, I was absolutely amazed to have the most original and flavourful vegetarian dish served to me in a seat with at least 50% more leg room than any other economy class I can remember.

But the clincher was the unbelievably genuine and cordial air hosts on the flight. The were smiley, talkative, interesting and not pushy in any way, shape or form. So if anyone asks, mention Air India your next discussion of top airlines.

Arrival at Bangkok gave us a few surprises too. The entire airport has been rebuilt and is completely modern, and the international and domestic terminals are now very close together, instead of being a 2km walk down a sun-baked hallway. Nice surprise. And the new international-flavoured shops and restaurants gave it a really nice atmosphere.

But the really interesting thing is that in the domestic terminal, each gate has its' own security checkpoint and is closed off from the rest. What a difference this makes when travelling! No more long waits to go through security.

Let this airport be the model for other cities considering revamping their airports.

Chapter One

Monday, March 26

I am on the train now writing my first blog entry on my new MacBook. What a great machine. And better battery life than any other laptop I've ever seen or used. And easy to use! So many great shortcuts that can be cumbersome on a Windows PC.

This blog link is being sent directly to Steve Jobs so if I suddenly seem to have come into a lot of money, you know why!

Em and I are off to Thailand on Wednesday, and could well be there already by the time I manage to get this styled and posted. Heck, I could be in Thailand by that time!