A Smile is like warm Sunshine

Mae chan is such a beautiful child. I know all parents, probably say this, but she seems to have the cuteness factor of both Western and Japanese genes. As she approaches 3 months, it’s amazing that time has moved so fast for us, but she is still so young.

When thing that gives both, myself and my wife, unbridled joy is when Mae actually smiles at you. This isn’t the pursing and slight raising of the mouth and lips of the first month or so, when she was passing wind. This is a full on, eyes wide open smile full of happiness and love. She smiles not only with her mouth but with her eyes, and its a wonderful thing to behold.

Blinded by the light…

So, first off an apology for being away for so long from this blog. I had hoped to keep this running consistently this time, but life took over. So many things have happened to me in such a short space of time that it’s hard to make the time to sit down, digest them, filter out all the garbage then put them into a coherent blog post.

So, I am now a father, and have been since February 27th 2010. It’s an amazing experience that has left me speechless, overjoyed, intruigued, flabbergasted, tired, happy, stressed and full of love. Mae chan is a beautiful baby. I love her and my wife with all my heart and feel complete in a way I never thought possible.

We’ve moved to a bigger place in Myoden, and we feel like a proper family. Rie is a brilliant mother, organised, calm and loving. Mae chan is a lucky girl, to have such a great mother and I am lucky to be married to her. She is the yin to my yang, the sunshine to my clouds, the white to my black.

Well, I hope to keep this blog updated more often in the future….Life is great.

Review – Doctor Who ; The End of Time (Part 2)

So this IS it. The last ever episode starring David Tennent as the 10th Doc. After Christopher Ecclestone revitalised the show in season 1, Tennent has been the heart and soul of it’s growth into the best thing produced by British TV. He has given the 10th Doctor humour, brilliance, soul and compassion in equal measure. And Matt Smith has some impossibly big sized shoes to fill.

After the excellent, yet flawed first part, I was praying for a great, epic finale fitting of Tennant’s Doc and of Russell T Davies tenure as head writer. However I was also aware that RTD writes great set up and usually flaccid, slightly disappointing second parters. What I got was beyond all I could have hoped for. Yes, TEOT part 2 does have it’s flaws, but they are minor quibbles, and should not be placed above what is almost a Return of the King style end for the 10th Doctor. The scope and grandeur of this episode was unlike anything I’d seen produced by British TV. The effects were top-notch, the music bombastic and calm in equal measure and the emotional content, pitch perfect.

Again the three leads were sublime. Tennant was mind-blowing in this. His emotional range veering from desperation, humilty, anger and sadness. Never has there been a better actor in the role. This is where RTD also got a lot of things right in this episode. Just like the quieter moments in part one, the character arcs were beautiful. Take the Doctor’s conversation with The Master where he claims the Universe doesn’t have to be owned, or the tear-inducing moment on the alien ship with Wilfred.  John Simm’s Master was much less manical in this episode, much to it’s benefit. His performance as the Doctor’s nemesis, friend, rival, brother was beautifully layered. Bernard Cribbins, the star of part one, again excelled here. His gentle, emotional nature was the anchor of these final episodes and his role in the Doctor’s demise was simple, understated brilliance.

The other actor here who shone and chewed out scenery like gum was Timothy Dalton’s Rassillon. Here was a villain, far more belivable than Davros or the Cybermen. His presence on screen was immense and when he finally shared space with Tennant and Simm they seem dwarfed (as they should be) by this Time Lord President.

The annoyances of part one were gone. The Naismiths were thankfully footnotes and the Cactus Aliens turned out to be kid friendly allies of the Doctor. The plot hung together really well and enough questions were left unanswered for Steven Moffat to run with.

Tennant’s death was beautifully played and here was a regeneration as an emotional experience. His visits to past companions was great and Ood Sigma’s line “We shall sing you to your sleep” was truly hair raising stuff. The 10th Doctor’s last line was also sad, desperate and true of his character.

All in all, pitch perfect Who (if not without minor flaws) that truly canonises Tennant as probably the greatest Doctor ever.

10 out of 10

Christmas in Nippon

So my Christmas/New Year’s holiday is almost at an end and I return to work tomorrow. Actually, as you may know, the Japanese observe Christmas but don’t actually celebrate it as National Holiday, so both December 25th and 26th were full working days for me.

It wasn’t too bad, to be honest. We had the Kid’s Christmas party on Christmas day which was fun and involved me and my co-worker Rivonne dressing up as Mr and Mrs. Claus.

Myself and Rie prepared a Christmas dinner, as you can see from the photo. We didn’t have Turkey, but managed to get a roast chicken from Carrefour in Makuhari. We cooked up some vegetables, made gravy and stuffing and washed it down with some light bubbly. It was pretty darn good! We also had chocolate fondue with marshmallows and fresh strawberries! De-Licious!

We had New Year off together which was wonderful. On New Year’s eve we had a traditional meal of soba noodles with Tempura (shrimp, pumpkin and sweet potato in light batter) which was really simple yet magical. To see in the New Year as a married man to the most wonderful person I’ve ever met, made me feel really blessed, especially with little baby Mae chan on the way for 2010.

On New Year’s day we headed down to Gyotoku (about 10 minutes by train) to Rie’s parents. They are really nice people and it was a pleasure to spend the day with them. Rie’s mum had made so much food! Fresh mochi sembai (homemade Rice Crackers), homemade pickles, and Osechi (a special New Years bento, see the photo above) that included fresh smoked salmon, hams, sweet shrimps, tamago yaki (Japanese omlette) and other foods.

I have had a truly great week. We also went to Nikko in Tochigi but I will fill you in on that in a different post.

Happy New Year all and have a wonderful 2010.

Review – Doctor Who : The End of Time (part one)

So here we go. Tennant’s final foray as the 10th Doctor. I’ll try to avoid any spoilers, but sadly they might be inevitable.

The End of Time marks the end not only for Tennant, but also for Russell T Davies as head writer. Davies has to be commended for bringing back Who to a whole new audience and making it addictive, emotional, fun and vital. Sadly his writing has veered between the brilliant and the excessively bloated and silly. So where does TEOT part 1 sit ?

Well actually somewhere in the middle. It has moments of excellence, emotion, humour, excitement and shock. Sadly it also contains some poor dialogue, silly, cliched moments and, like Christmas dinner, a feeling of overindulgence.

Right , first what is great about this episode ? The acting, for the most part, is top notch. Tennant again proves his worth, by ditching most of the goofiness and shouting that grated during the regular series and plays most of this episode with a quiet, understated desperation. The Doctor knows his final days are coming and it shows. Despite the fun and witty banter in his opening scene with Ood Sigma, the Doctor of TEOT is serious, focused and taut with internal emotion. Bernard Cribbin’s Wilfred Mott is the gem of the episode. His scene with the Doctor in a quiet cafe is one of the best RTD has ever written and it is a fine character moment for both of them. Cribbins also carries most of the episodes humour (which is isn’t overdone and fits in perfectly with the tone of the story). John Simm, also does well with a more manical, desperate reborn Master. His madness and desperation was perfectly potrayed in my opinion. Here is a man that has lost everything and has nowhere to go, except into the arms of his greatest nemesis.

The episode also packs a punch in it’s final ten minutes which will divide fans and then pull them back together again. Personally, I thought this was silly, but absolutely brilliant at the same time.

One the downside, not all of the acting is on a par with Cribbins, Tennant and Simm. The Master’s Resurrection scene contained some awful acting and really poor dialogue. Shame on you RTD!

Also at times the episode felt bloated with the Joshua Naismith/Cactus aliens feeling all incident and only existing as plot devices or expositional characters.

I would say that TEOT 1 is a good set up episode for what could potentially be, the best Who yet. Any scene that involved the 3 principles was as good as anything in the whole series, but it also contained all of the flaws renowned in a RTD episode.

7 OUT OF 10

Wedding Photos

Rie and her Dad enter the chapel.

Albums of 2009

 

So every year, I try to sift through the plethora of new music on my I-Pod and distill it down into my top 10 albums of the year. So these are my recommendations to you. Ladies and Gentlemen, Justin Buckley’s albums of 2009.

10 – MONO – Hymn to the Immortal Wind

Instrumental Japanese rock four piece, MONO, create another wonderous, epic and filmic soundtrack of shimmering noise, lulling melodies and creative brilliance.

9 – The Fray – The Fray

Excellent PopRock sophomore debut. Catchy choruses, timeless hooks and emotive songwriting make this a vast improvement on their debut.

8 – Grizzly Bear – Veckatimist

Low key, yet brilliantly produced left of centre album by Radiohead faves.

7 – Doves – Kingdom of Rust

Another melodramatic, sepia tinged masterpiece after a hiatus of 4 years. This band should be massive.

6 – The Temper Trap – Conditions

Melodic, dense moods and swirling instrumentations make this one of the most impressive albums of the year.

5 – The Swell Season – Strict Joy

Frames frontman Glen Hansard and Once co-star, Margeta Irglova produce one of the most honest and disarming albums about the breakdown of a relationship.

4 – John Mayer – Battle Studies

After the brilliance of Continuum, Mayer takes a deft step back and produces an understated pop/blues odyssey.

3 – The XXs – XX

A mellow techno version of the Weepies, with the vocals given room to breathe and feel organic.

2 – The Low Anthem – Oh My God, Charlie Darwin.

Superb record that seems to chart Americana in music from Neil Young to Leonard Cohen to Bob Dylan and make it sound refreshing and vital.

1 – Mutemath – Armistice.

A masterpiece of virtuoso musicianship, feeling and emotion, honesty and downright catchy music. Probably the most underrated band on the planet.

Tied the knot!

So, firstly, apologies for not writing on here for a while. Rie and myself were insanly busy up until Friday night (the 18th) preparing everything for our wedding that took place on Sunday the 20th. The preparation itself was immense and Rie was amazing. I did as much as I could and we had help from the planners at Petit Wedding, but it was still A LOT OF WORK.

For those of you who are married then you’ll know what I am talking about. For those who haven’t tied the knot yet, then let me warn you of how much work is ahead. A LOT! But it’s all worth it. Rie and I made a lot of things for the wedding, which of course saves money, but not time. However this does allow for something unique and personal.

How about the day itself ?

Well, I woke at 7:15 to the sound of my Dad calling me from the UK on my mobile. It was a nice moment, and I was happy he called. Luckily, I prepared everything the night before, and Rie had taken most of the stuff to her parents as she was going by car. My brother and his wife, rang me too, just before I left, which was really cool (thanks guys!) and it was nice to hear their suppport.

On the train from Nishi Funabashi to Odaiba, I had one of those blissful moments when you know everything is going to be okay. I was listening to the album “Takk” by Sigur Ros, when across Tokyo and against the clear blue sky I could see Mount Fuji. I have never seen this, because usually the “smog” affects the view, so I felt this calm come over me and felt truely blessed.

At Odaiba, I had to use my Japanese to negoiate my way into the building, as it didn’t open until 11am (I arrived around 10). This went well, and I think Rie’s parents were surprised to see me when I appeared from behind a curtain like a Magician in Vegas.

Of course I didn’t see Rie, until I was fully dressed and she looked absolutely beautiful. She had this amazing glow about her, and I was in awe at how lucky I was to be in that situation. We had a brief rehearsal, photos taken by a very stoic and unfriendly cameraman, and were then whisked away so that the guests could take their seats.

The ceremony itself was amazing. I had to enter first, then wait for Rie and her father to enter. I then met them halfway, took Rie’s arm and walked slowly to the front of the chapel. It was a very beautiful and emotional ceremony and even though I couldn’t fully comprehend all of it, I didn’t need too. Rie’s letter to her parents was moving and beautiful; the cake cutting and champagne toast was brilliantly uplifting (thanks to Miho and Ed); my English/Japanese speech went down well. I can’t have any complaints.

It was an amazing day. I am truly blessed to be married to the one true light in my life. Thank you Rie.

A “virtually” perfect wedding ?

Only in Japan eh ?

Well aparently the problems and differences between the sexes in this country doesn’t apply to the virtual world, where a man has married his virtual girlfriend.

Sal9000 “married” Nene Agegasakai, a character from the Nintendo DS game, LovePlus at Tokyo Institute of Technology and included a real priest, a real audience and a slideshow of the couple’s happy memories.

I think this shows the real and growing issue amongst the Otaku (nerd) subculture in Japan who have real issues in forming relationships with the opposite sex. LovePlus has given the Otaku the chance to form relationships, however these are, literally, virtual relationships. As the population ages in Japan, causing real problems for the Economy, LovePlus and Sal9000′s “marriage” has only compounded the problem.

Another lazy/busy weekend

My weekends usually have a relaxing quality about them. But that’s not to say Rie and I don’t deserve them. Rie travels into Kyobashi, near Tokyo station everyday which takes about 30 minutes each way. In the morning she’s usually lucky and some Japanese gentleman will offer her up his seat (trains in Japan have special seating for Pregnant, Elderly or Infirm people), yet at night the Tozai line is a horrid mass of bodies. God knows how she manages.

Me, on the other hand has a very short commute to work. A 5 minute bike ride to the station, followed by a 2 minute train ride. Yet my work is intense and demands concentration and focus. But it’s fun, and the place I work at is great, so I am not complaining. When Saturday night rolls around it’s time to kick back and have some R and R.

On Saturday night, me and Rie had lunch at a Tori (chicken) resturant in Nishi Funabashi. The chicken was from Miyazaki prefecture and was cooked in it’s own unique way right in front of us. Lumps of chicken meat were placed in a large flat pan and then placed of some intense flames that seemed to fire up like a volcanic eruption. Seasoning was added and it was really good.

Sunday was very lazy. We stayed in bed until 11, then I cooked brunch. We wandered on down to the Hyaku yen shop (100 yen shop) for a few bits and some fresh air. We also took the opportunity that night to organise the wedding especially regarding the music. Thankfully we planned it all out, and with no arguements or disagreements, which is one the reasons why I love Rie so much. We don’t argue much at all…in fact we don’t argue. Sometimes there maybe a little disagrement but we are on the same page for most of the time.

Monday was a National Holiday, so we met up with Rie’s parents for dinner that night at a Viking restaurant (an all you can eat buffet style) near our appartment. I bought gifts for her parents, and I think they liked my choices. I didn’t eat too much..well it didn’t take much to fill me up…one trip to the salad bar, some bread, and a small steak….Rie’s parents are really nice people, who love her without putting too much pressure on her.

So all in all another lazy/busy weekend!