Mournings

Of late, there has been many disappointments.

First, there was the plan to drag the daughter along with me to visit her mother in the Great Southern Land during the former's school break. Unfortunately, her mother's work schedule had her going North this month instead of South. So that plan evaporated swiftly.

Secondly, there was a plan for some of my fellows to travel to the Pearl of the East, to study some of the methods in use by our colleagues there, against their foes, so that we may apply some of their lessons learnt in our own arena. Unfortunately, due to the events that just took place here last week, many of these plans had to be shelved, in order for some of my fellows to deal with the situation. Hence, this plan too, was held in abeyance.

Thirdly, there is a plan for me and some of my colleagues to skip North at the end of our workday today, to learn what can be found in our neighbour's. Hopefully, this last, simpler goal can be fulfilled.

Sigh. It is hard to work with one's fingers crossed.

Ave Blackbirds!

Doctor Who Revisited

I mentioned my daughter joining the ranks of the Doctor Who fandom before. Well, it has been more than a year and a new Doctor (with the requisite new Tardis, new companions, new bad-guys, etc) later, she's still as mad about the whole thing : )

Of course, it helped to have both parents Doctor mad as well.

Having said that, I must point out that it is nigh impossible to find stuff on the Time Lord here in Lyonesse. Go to any assistant in any major/independent video/book shop and ask for Doctor Who, and the answer invariably will be 'Doctor Who who?'. And that's just for the DVDs and books. Other merchandise are always absent.

Which is why this last trip to the Great Southern Land was so satisfying - Doctor Who toys!

Yes, there are now more than 10 sonic screwdrivers (different models with some repeats - both the missus and I wanted the functional screwdriver version) at home. Not to mention 3 die-cast Tardis(es), 2 plush ones, and 1 rolling-along version (that doesn't work very well, unfortunately). And assorted other stuff. He he he.

Of course, the sonics saw some use during the vacation itself. There was the Ghost Tour at Port Arthur, where it got really dark and scary. When the guide started to get to the truly spooky part of the tale, she must have been shocked to see three (yes, me too) sonic screwdrivers whip out of our pockets!

Ha ha ha. That was fun!

Japan

Prof Tommy Koh published an essay entitled Why I Believe in Japan recently. In it, he praised the Japanese people for their resilience, unity and civic-mindedness, and attributed their survival through Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster to the same.

Yet, at the same time, he mentioned that it was time for Japan to 'open up and embrace the world'.

I do not disagree with his assessment.

I have spent a little time in Japan, and found that theirs is a culture that was founded on very strong traditions. Every japanese that I had met was excruciatingly polite, some to the point that I was wondering if I was being mocked or pitied. There also appeared to be certain unspoken signals which passed between, which I, as a 'gaijin' was unable to decipher.

And despite my ability to understand (in a limited fashion) kanji and (in an even more limited fashion) hiragana and katagana, I was often lost whenever I tried to find my way in the Tokyo railway system. According to friends of mine from Kyushu who were with me then, they had a smiliar problem. It was the system and its layout that made it complicated, sometimes beyond the explanations available on the maps.

Then there was the culture shock that I received at Akihabara. Needless to say, the presence of young women dressed in diaphanous replicas of schoolgirl uniforms was unexpected. Yet, everyone elsed passed them by as if they were a normal sight. Perhaps they were, just not to me! And imagine how I felt when I visited Harajuku after that!

To a tourist, or someone taking a course there, these were all little quirks of the country that made for good stories. But it also shows how closed off Japan has become. It is as if its people live in a separate world. Even Tokyo is distanced from the other parts of the country.

So, yes. Japan needs to open up further. And perhaps it will.

But not in my lifetime, I think.

December Will Be Magic Again

I travelled North this morning, just as the sun rose over the City. It was a mission that no one else desired, to tell the truth. But someone needed to represent the interests of my Order at the Confluence of the Rivers, so I had be chosen. Of course, the true work does not begin until tomorrow morning, and I have had the larger part of the day to prepare myself, and to visit the sights, such as they were.

The journey itself was pleasant enough, and a part of me wished to see the Muddy River Valley again. The last time I had visited that place was shortly before I was we'd, and I was curious to see how much it had changed.

Well, the changes were many. Indeed, it now greatly resembles the City that I call home.yet, there were differences aplenty; enough to make me miss the land of my birth. And my family.

Back from the Old Country

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Hong Kong. Especially the food. *grin*

Unfortunately, this last trip to the Pearl River Delta did not pan out entirely as planned, and I've had to forgo my beloved roast goose (from Yung Ji), and roast pigeon. Sigh... I did get some traditional Cantonese soup, so I wasn't utterly devastated.

Doctor Doctor

My daughter is a Doctor Who fan!!

And I am, of course, elated! Indeed, I am so distracted by this revelation that I squandered 500 thalers on the DVD box sets for Seasons 1 through 3 in one afternoon! Sigh.

On reflection, I wonder if I should have paid another visit to the Pearl River Delta & got them there. The total cost would have been approximately the same, but I would have at least had a (few) good meals thrown in. And a relaxing break from work as well.

But back to the situation at hand:

It was one of those cliffhanger episodes from Season 4 that was screened on BBC Entertainment that sparked the little one's enthusiasm. The episode was The Stolen Earth, in which the planet was snatched from its location in space and relocated in a region which it shared with 26 other planets/planetoids. The Doctor arrived too late to see it go, but began to track the Earth as quickly as only the Doctor can. Yet, it was the antics of those former companions of his, left in dire straits on the world, that fascinated my daughter so.

She didn't know who these people were, of course. She wasn't even sure what was happening. I believe she was just humouring her old man & her mother (both of us are fans, btw). But the shock and despair on their faces when the enemy was revealed had her completely hooked from that moment on. The initiation of the long-awaited Doctor's regeneration sequence also helped to put her in a frenzy. She went around shouting 'Exx-Termin-Nate!' for a good 10 minutes after the show ended, and immediately demanded that we watch the next episode at once.

We explained, as patiently as we could, that she would have to wait a week before the conclusion, shown in Journey's End, much to her disappointment. I had half-expected her to forget about the whole thing, to tell the truth. But when show came around again, she was right there, cheering the Doctor & Rose on as they sought to thwart the nefarious schemes of the Daleks!

Then came the deluge: Who is the Doctor? Why is the show called Doctor Who? Why doesn't Rose get the credit she deserves? How does the Doctor do that? It goes on it that vein for a good while. It was worse than the week before, when she was making us go through the history of each character in the Stolen Earth. Fortunately, the missus had recorded the episode, which made things easier & harder at the same time.

Finally, I rushed out to hunt down the DVD sets. HMV's prices were exorbitant, but given the typical person's propensity to watch US rather than UK television, it was not surprising that there's no market for BBC shows.

Well, she's gone through Box 1 - that's the one with the Ecclestone bloke - and about to embark on the second - the Tenth Doctor, the Tennant Chap. Hope it fires her mind like the old series did for me when I discovered it. All things considered, I really wanted to be like the Doctor when I was growing up. I can think of worse dreams, I suppose.

The Road Goes Ever On

I have just been reminded that I am due to make a journey, to the Beautiful Land, no less. Not of my own account do I travel there. Indeed, I do not lightly travel - loads of luggage! That's the way I do it! It is a flaw in my character, I suppose, and quite besides the point. The crux of the matter is that I have been tasked to make this voyage. Which means work there, and more work when I return. Not to mention the work that I would have done had I not gone.

A deluge of work awaits.

Sigh!

So to the State of Virgins I must go. From all that I have heard, there is absolutely nothing to do there, and nothing to see. Well, the last is not exactly true: there is some exhibition of sorts, pertaining to the uprising against the Sceptred Isle. A decisive battle, it is claimed. But I shall not let my spirits be uplifted by this small thing, for fear that I shall be dissappointed as I usually am, by the loud claims and bombast of the Eagle people.

Nor do I expect other recreation. All I can pray for is a suitably endowed library. And perhaps, some(?) alcohol. I wonder what are the rules regarding drunkeness? I shall have to find out before I go.

Boredom, in all likelihood, beckons.

Double sigh!

But wait, there is one more nail to hammer home: the period that I am to be away coincides with my wedding anniversary!

I fear my wife shall not look kindly upon me when I break this news. Those of you who were witnesses to that happy(?) event shall undoubtedly remember that this year marks the tenth that I have been wed. I have been planning for some small celebration - provisions have been made to have my sister babysit. Now, it seems all has gone awry. What good can come out of this now? I am despondent.

Pray for me, my friends.

Beyond sighing.