Wicked good winter travels...

I've begun the official countdown...in 4 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes I jet off to Oz and then Vietnam for almost a month of vacay! Whoo hoo, I'm ecstatic to eat mouthwatering mangoes and macadamia nuts. And, I'm even tossing around the idea of tasting kangaroo! M.S. and I'll fly into Sydney and spend Christmas with the Surrys. Then, on the 26th we'll pick up our rockin' rental at Avis and head north for the Woodford Folk Festival! Note: this incredible international fete includes much more than funky folk tunes. It's a 6-day PARTY with live musical performances, dance and art workshops, political discussions, guest speakers, and outrageous eats from all over the world! I'm going to be belly dancing my booty off, bush-walking bare-naked...whoops, barefoot I mean, and belting out be-bop to blues by Eric Bibb, The Big Easy, and 8 Ball Aitken. For more info. check out the following site: http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com

On 01.04.06 we'll fly into Ho Chi Minh City, and have a week to trek around the jungle on elephants, tour the Viet Cong caves, and scuba dive off the southern coast. Don't worry, we've not yet booked accommodation, but we promise to steer clear of chicken coups! I don't know the exact dong - dollar exchange at the moment, but I do believe we'll get the best bang for our buck at backpacker bunkhouses. I've just finished reading the Lonely Planet guidebook and I'm especially keen to get an ao dai custom made, visit the War Remnants Museum, and see the great Cao Dai temple in HCMC!

Happy holidays to all of you family and friends. I wish you peace, many blessings, and lots of love!

Holiday hullabaloo at Stefan's flat... 

Greg, Brian, Stefan, Natalia, Me, Melanie and Ryuko at Jazz Dance Eve.! 

An autumn's reflection... 

"When in Rome do as the Romans do..."

This was said to me within the first week of my arrival in Aomori in August of 2003. Initially, I believed the statement to be entirely unjust and ethnocentric. It was a Toyama teacher's reaction to my nose ring. At the time I felt that I was being forced to surrender my individuality to become a cookie cutter stereotype of Toyama's idealized JET program ALT living in Japan. However, in hindsight I realize that I was probably overly sensitive as I was trying to transition and adjust to my new situation in Aomori. And furthermore, a recent encounter with "shokuchudoku" or food poisoning, has even convinced me that this assertion has some validity attached to it.

The "sashimi" raw scallops I oinked out on Tuesday night were tasty, but definitely not worth the terror they put me through from 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. I awoke in a startled panic and instantly knew something was amiss. I was slick with sweat and it felt like someone had grabbed my gut and turned everything 180 degrees. I dashed for the toilet, but instead ended up in fetal position on my tiled black and white leopard shower room floor for the next two hours. I don't need to disgust you with details, but allow me to say this was definitely the lowlight of my week!

To return from my wild tangent, connect the dots, and explain the veracious value of today's title; yes, it is sometimes wise "when in Japan to do as the Japanese do". Wasabi and ginger are not simultaneously served solely for decor. Rather, they are meant to be consumed to counteract any unpleasantries that could arise from not-so-fresh fish. I've heard this before, and will indubitably heed the advice in the future.