For some time now, I've been looking for a decent FLV joiner. Previously, I used an application called 'avidemux'. The problem with that application is that the sound was out of sync. Fortunately from a recent internet search, I came across an application called Andy's FLV joiner. It's super light weight and I hope it does the job effectively. Get it here

Lunch with marcus-kun the other day was in a restaurant known for their 'soba' (buckwheat noodles). Probably to attract foreigners, this restaurant even had a English menu. One thing on the menu that made me go eek! was fresh horse meat, what!. The other thing that caught my attention was that this restaurant actually show the video of how they make soba from buckwheat, omoshiroi!

I often see some filming/shooting goin on in this area. Due to the fact that I seldom watch Japanese TV, I can't tell whether this is for some terrestrial broadcast or it's the real deal (dorama or film). From the number of crew they had, maybe It's.. well I don't know. In this particular scene, one of the actress was rather strange, maybe the scene will be funny for the viewers

Sleepless in Internet cafe, Tokyo

..Actually I was sleeping pretty well, I just wanted to rhyme it with a movie title. I even enjoyed my stay here with streaming movies, TV, mattress+pillows, free soft drinks (hehe!) and they even had a shower. I managed to watch the movie 'Dark knight' and 'Elizabeth ..' on a fast forward basis. I couldn't complain more, this was my best option for a cheap accommodation in Tokyo. However, I recalled reading an article stating that about 5400 people with no fixed address spend their nights in 24h Internet cafes across Japan (Japan Times, 2007). According to the article, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry attributes the rise to the increase in job-hoppers who are I quote 'byproduct of the economic crisis that hit a decade ago'. This data was reported in 2007, I can't imagine what is the situation now with the recent economic crisis!

Former Kaichi School, Matsumoto

Former Kaichi School is another attraction in Matsumoto area. At first I was confused for the directions to this school and what I believe as the 'Current Kaichi School'. Luckily I managed to reach the exact location. According to the pamphlet I received, the construction of this school was completed in 1876 with 70% of the cost covered from donations from Matsumoto residents.. Wow! The second pic I believe indicates that the students received music lesson. Holy cow! even I who studied in the modern times did not have the privilege to study music in school

Sakura Season

It's the sakura season once again (that's how i kindly would like to call it). Therefore I rushed to the Kamogawa river to take a few snapshots.. I'm not tired of doing it every year. Actually towards the south side of 'Kamo' river, many sakura tree have already turned green. Only in the northern side, the beauty was intact when I visited, hehe. It was such a beautiful day, tq! tq!

For an average guy from a tropical country, this is the first time I'm seeing a huge 'mikan' (citrus) tree. I've seen miniature citrus plants used as an ornament back in my country, but that doesn't count.. In my country this sort of 'oranges' are generally referred to as 'mandarin oranges'. Oishii! Oishii!