Personal

Humour

Akufu — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:06:00 GMT

Browsing through the shelves of my local bookseller I noticed an unusual book prominently displayed in the humour section between the Calvin & Hobbes and Mad books:

The Holy Bible.

Someone apparently thought that was funny or wanted to make a statement, well, it certainly made me laugh. It is undeniably a source of inspiration, if nothing else:

Merry Xmas

Akufu — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 22:08:00 GMT

to y'all.

For me, it is a bitter one due to a death in the family.

Friday non-random ten

Akufu — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 03:31:00 GMT

These are my current top ten most played according to iTunes:

Smells like teen spirit - Tori Amos
The only acceptable cover of that Nirvana masterpiece. She made this song her own (and you can actually understand the lyrics this time)
Sugar - Superchumbo
Samantha Fox is not dead, sugar
Milkshake - Kelis
'Cause her milkshake brings the boys to the yard...
This is not America - David Bowie
That is funny, because last time I looked out of my window, it is...
Memories of green - Vangelis
I am a geek. 'Nuff said. The Blade Runner Final Cut is in theaters now - and it is AWEsome!
Des armes - Noir Desir
Beautiful song, though Cantat is still a wife-murdering fucktard.
On & on - Erikah Badu
Calms me down and picks me up.
Grandpa was an alien - King Brillo
With a song title like that, what more do you need?
Faint - Linkin Park
Angsty anger as trademarked by Linkin Park. I will NOT be ignored!
Stabat Mater Dolorosa - Pergolesi
See, this list is skewed since I listen to my ipod in my car. Nothing better than a phat beat while driving...

Paradise lost

Akufu — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:04:00 GMT

The inevitable has happened: I have left the Islands for other shores.

It breaks my heart and I will probably never again be able to listen to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's honeyed voice without becoming misty-eyed. Hawaii is truly a magical place, where life has a different rhythm, that of the waves, of the rains and the gentle trade winds. I can still recall the day I arrived, full of expectation. The first thing I noticed was the sweet smell of flowers. The next was the warmth of the people, who, with great hospitality, took care of me and instantly made me feel at home. That feeling only became stronger, thanks to my lovely new friends.

Now that I have left, I have a hole in my heart, part of me is left, staring at the ocean on one of the beautiful beaches, wandering through the rain forest, smelling the plumeria.

My life will never be the same.

Mahalo nui loa.

Not quite more than meets the eye...

Akufu — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:59:00 GMT

...the Transformers movie. But:
Giant robots rock!

(Yes that is the decepticon logo, they get to be the cool stuff after all)

(Still no internets, I am beyond cold turkey, this is zombie turkey...)

Le Gorille

Akufu — Sun, 20 May 2007 19:28:00 GMT

Since reading about the news of the escaped gorilla in a zoo in the Netherlands I keep humming "Gare au gorille" from George Brassens :

Doing my part

Akufu — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:47:00 GMT

In the wah on terra.

You guessed it, I am traveling again. What with the security harassment, the constant speaker message repeating that the security level has been raised to "code orange", flying is slowly but surely becoming a surreal experience. It makes me wonder. How annoying will it have to get before people finally give up and stop flying?

On the road again

Akufu — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 07:26:00 GMT

As I am traveling all over the place and my internet access is spotty at best, my already abysmal posting frequency has dropped below zero. So here's a cute picture of a Tanuki, a Japanese raccoon dog, to show that I am still alive (and yes, the brown thing is what you think it is).

O-Sake

Akufu — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 09:18:00 GMT

Hawaii is literally where East meets West. That has some major benefits, including the variety of food available. Asians are the majority ethnicity, and you'll find about every Eastern cuisine represented here, from Vietnamese to Korean to Thai to Japanese.

Hawaiian food itself has a Asian influence to it; sweet adzuki beans in shave ice, spam musubi and delicious raw fish dishes like poke.

(source: wiki )

I have gotten to know and love so many new dishes here, like Vietnamese Pho and Korean Kimchee.

At the more than excellent Japanese restaurant Kyo-ya in Waikiki, I had, apart from the best Japanese food ever, a pleasant renewed acquaintance. I never liked Sake that much, but it appears I just never had the right stuff. Kubota Sake changed my opinion completely.

So much so, it nearly made me burst out into this song (the end says it all).

Kauai, Na Pali coast

Akufu — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 23:50:00 GMT

A while ago I spent a few days on Kauai, where I went hiking. If you think Oahu is beautiful - and I do - wait until you see what Kauai, the Garden Isle, has to offer. It is less densely populated, and much more laid back. So no bustling night life and city lights but endless stretches of forest, mountain and beach.
Kauai features some spectacular sights, like the Grand Canyon of the Pacific: Waimea Canyon:

Below the fold some more photos I took on a hike from Kalalau lookout on the Pihea trail to Alakai Swamp, a swamp on top of a mountain! This is Hawaii as it once was, before the advent of invasive species, like humans. I wish I could share the sounds and smells too, but you'll have to make do with pictures.
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