Joël and Tea!

Finally home and I could meet Joël and Tea (my nephew and niece). They have grown a lot! Joël is now almost 3 and Tea (in the picture) just a little over a year.

I spent with them few days... Poor Tea she got the cold and had to go to the hospital for a check. It was serious but with the right medicine she could get well again in about a week.

This is the first time with skies for Joël. It will take a while before he will be able to go on his own, but it looks like he enjoyed this new game ;)

Welcome Snow!

I love snow! The next day after my arrival, there it was! some nice and soft snow! Unfortunately it lasted only a couple of days, but it was really nice!

Italian Nightmare: Poor Tourists!

Back to Milan! This picture taken at the airport. Some things in Italy, never change...

Italy is well known for the good food, nice places and open minded people...and for having particular skills in being careless.

Italians have the bad habit to loose your luggage. This is especially true if you have a connecting flight in Rome or departing from anywhere in Italy. We were one of the last flights arriving to Milan and the airport wasn't crowded. Even so, I had to wait about 1 hour before getting my luggange. Why? No idea.

The cart shown above is all lost luggage from another flight....but wait... check this picture...

The people in line here, are there to file a complain for their missing luggage! Amazing, about 30 people didn't get their luggage. I guess that for those tourists, experiencing italy for the first time, it didn't start well...

I was lucky enough, so far, that my luggage never got lost.

Ever wondered what happens to your checked luggage?... Check this video!

On the Way to the Airport!

Time for some holidays! I'm going back to switzerland to visit my parents and relatives. This is the picture before leaving on the way to the airport. The air was chilly but an amazing clear sky day!

It will take about 16 hours to get back home going thru Finland for a connecting flight. What will be the weather like in Switzerland? The forecast said temperatures below Zero and possible snow... let's see!

Kobe Luminarie

Every year in Kobe at the beginning of December, there is a 14 days memorial called "Luminarie". It started the first time in december 1995, the year of the big Heartquake. It is a play of Lights with Italian/Japanese design.

Every year, about 6 Million people come to visit it. All around there are small shops selling all kind of delicious food and candies.

My absolute favorite, is the "Yaki-tori" which means grilled chicken. You can have in two different ways: Salt'n Pepper or Soya sauce. I prefer the Salt'n Pepper style which is really good...
(I think you can tell from my face ;)

This year, one of the big hits, is the followin:

Can you guess what this is? Some people thought is an apple, but it's a potato. A Fried twisted potato called "Tornado Potato" or, to say it in japanese "トルネードポテト" (Torunedo-Poteto).

I really enjoyed the food. I went there 4 times to try different things. Can't wait for the next time!

3D Photography !

We have heard it before, but now 3D TFT screens without the need for special glasses are finally here. The first ones I've ever seen! They are made by Fuji Film that also produces a special 3D cameras that you can use to take pictures or movies in 3D.

It works really nice, even though your eyes might get tired watching it long time. The quality can still be improved, but the effect is really interesting. It looks like the image has depth!

The whole set (Camera and Picture Frame) is sold around 1000 USD.

This is not the only company interested in 3D. Sony has already launched the production of their 3D TV and will broadcast the next World Cup in 3D. (Article Here).

Wireless WC?

The world is changing fast, and everything is now... wireless. Wireless PCs, Wireless phones, Wireless Headsets...and, as in the picture, Wireless Toilet. Yes. This is the remote control for the toilet in a shopping mall near kyoto.

Even for japan, is something that you don't see everyday. That's why, the instructions hanging on the wall, are quite long and complex! You might need about 5 or 10 minutes to read them.

It's important to read the instructions, because they also explain how to flush the toilet the manual way, in case you run out of batteries, which can be a little embarassing if someone is waiting outside ;)

I don't know if you've noticed, but there are a lot of buttons on the remote, and not "Just" one button for flushing it...

There are 3 buttons for opening and closing the lid, two buttons for flushing (for big or small amount of water), 7 buttons for washing yourself (front, back, pressure, positioning, temperature), 1 button for drying and 1 button for extra deodorizing...

Next time you visit japan, don't count of being in and out in 5 minutes, give yourself time for the full SPA service ;)

I've got a Job! (Sort of...)

Up to today I thought that writing a blog would fall into the "Leasure and Free time" category. But there is actually some people out there, blogging, and making money.

How does this apply to me? Well, about 2 months ago, the school posted an ad on its website saying that they were looking for....a Blogger. They required someone to write a blog about the school life and stuff about 3 times a week. In exchange, they would waive the school fees for 6 months...not too bad!

So, I've applied and now I'm the official Blogger of the school. I will maintain the school blog and do translation service for them when required. The school fees, are about the same amount as if I would work about 2 hours/day on weekdays...so, in the end, is like having a "Half, part time job";)

The school's blog is here. I will keep updating my blog, since the type of informations are a little different. I'm happy about this, since I can work but still have time to study...