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Comments Posted By Kalima

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New PlanetPOV Parody Video – Sarah Palin and Intelligent Denial

My mother-in-law is typical of her generation here, my father-in-law would be missing for days on end, no one knew where he was. When he returned we would find out that he’d gone off to Taiwan, Korea or even China with a bunch of friends. I was always concerned and asked my mother-in-law why she didn’t notify the police, she’d just smile and say that he was like a pigeon, he always came home.

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 11:04 pm

To your first sentence, thank you. To your second “Whack-an- Admin!” 🙂

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 10:54 pm

I think he was making cocktails, we all got quite sloshed except for my mother-in-law who doesn’t drink, and he just rolled into the waiting taxi still wearing it. He was another Taurus like me and we love having fun.

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 10:52 pm

Hi there, you are twisting my arm. 🙂

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 10:23 pm

Thanks “boss” you’ve been waiting 6 months now and this house is not that big but just full of junk. I’m having a clear out since Jan, the trash guys think we’re moving out. Still looking. 🙂

New Year’s family knees up would be hilarious if it wasn’t so painful. Years ago the day was rounded off by drunken karaoke with prizes. I one won a bright red “Kiss The Chef” apron for a Bossa Nova song. It disappeared from my kitchen one year I invited the in-laws for Christmas Eve dinner, a few years later, I saw my father-in-law wearing it over there, so I had to plant a kiss on his cheek.

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 10:19 pm

Oh, ok *standingtoattention* Aye aye Captain! 🙂

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 10:05 pm

I’ll bear that in mind for future story reference. 🙂

I also love your posts but tend not to comment much if I feel I either don’t know too much about an issue in your country or have had no experience with it myself, but I do read each one.

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 8:58 pm

Ok Cher, I’ll see if I can include a few stories or observations in MB now and then and hope that you will understand Japan, it’s people and their sometimes odd idiosyncrasies a little better through these “gaijin” foreign eyes. I’m a bit of a loon, I admit. 🙂

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 8:34 pm

The thread was fun right?

Thanks, I’ve only missed two family get-together’s since I came here 30 years ago, not bad really and one was this year.

About stories from Japan, I had been planning since before we opened the Planet, to write about the culture shock and some of my embarrassing and often hilarious adventures in the land of the rising sun. Even had a title picked out, “The Adventures of Calamity Kalima.”

I had been taking notes for years shortly after each experience and after promising AdLib that I wanted to do this, searched the whole house for those notes and couldn’t find them. They are here somewhere, I know that I would never have thrown them out, I’m still looking.

I wasn’t all that sure if it would interest more than a few people, so I have just shared a few comparisons now and then in comment as I’m still not sure what people would like to hear about. I’ll certainly think about it.

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 7:57 pm

😆 Maybe Sister Sarah could burn her bras to learn a little about gravity. As for the rest, I would shake my head all day long if it didn’t make me feel terribly dizzy and nauseous.

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 7:01 pm

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy New Year!

Hi Cher, to answer your questions about Japan in order, here goes.

Depending on which area they live, almost every ward in Tokyo has an abundance of supermarkets and stores for everyday shopping. Even here in the heart of Tokyo a mobile veggie vendor comes once a week, his stuff is good and much cheaper than most places but he’s only here for an hour so I often miss him.

Most people buy their clothes in the smaller shops or if they can afford it, go to Ginza, where almost every brand name you can think of has their shops within walking distance.

The area we live in Harajuku, has the most famous street in Tokyo for the younger generation. The street istself is called the Japanese ” Champs-

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 5:01 pm

Kanji is the Japanese word for Chinese characters adopted by the Japanese in the 4th century. They then introduced their own written language of Hiragana and later Katakana which is often used to translate other foreign languages.

Most official documents and even simple everyday things are a mixture of Kanji and Hiragana. People brought up in the 60’s read most of the Kanji but the younger generation have difficulties so they often use only hiragana except for their own names which are all written in Kanji.

For people like me who didn’t come here to study or become an English teacher and was too busy building up our business to study the written language, there is Romaji, a romanization for English speakers using the alphabet, it come in very handy for emails and letters to Japanese friends who don’t speak English.

There are quite a few English speakers here who learn basic English at school but are not taught the art of conversation. They are sometimes people in their 60’s and 70’s who are quite shy but would try to help me when I got lost on the transit system, ending up in places I had no intention of going to. Many in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s speak enough English to have short conversations.

Japan is an island with an island mentality, for many people there will never be the chance to live or study abroad, so learning English is not a priority, those that do study it here, move on to either studying, working or living abroad.

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 4:14 pm

Take no notice of the thumbs up in my comment, I’m playing on my IPod and my finger slipped when I pressed the Edit button. 😳

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 6:43 am

Japan adopted Buddhist teachings and the Zodiac animal calender in 604AD. We entered The Year Of The Tiger on the first of January. Although nowhere near as festive as the Chinese celebrations, it’s is a time when families get together on the 1st to eat specially prepared “Osechi” comprising of tables so full of different traditional dishes that it might be a good idea to fast for a few days before you go.

Everything comes to a standstill except for public transportation as many people are not from Tokyo and go back to visit elderly parents, relatives and friends. Most businesses open from the 6th again, with smaller neighbourhood shops opening their doors from the 2nd. It used to be that if you had forgotten to buy everything you needed on the 31st of December, you had to wait until the 4th before a small shop opened within walking distance Now almost every corner has a 7/11 or a Lawson’s opening from the 1st of Jan, great for a new year’s shopping scatterbrain like me, who has cat food written everywhere in bold letters on Post-Its and might forget the milk. 😳

Tokyo has always been a bustling city, the only time to enjoy peace and quiet here is during New Year and when it snows, it’s just started to snow. 🙂

» Posted By Kalima On February 16, 2010 @ 3:45 am

Harry Reid Filibusters Democracy

😆 True colours no less, the man is a wimp and I have mentioned before exactly what I thought of his dirty bribes, not exactly leadership or awe inspiring politics either.

» Posted By Kalima On February 12, 2010 @ 12:03 am

Ok, I just looked at the picture of “Hairy” again and is he flipping someone there and who is it, the right or the left or even clever Photoshop?

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 10:37 pm

Who’s side are you on “Hairy” and do wear your small pair to the right or the left. It’s time for “racist innuendo guy” Reid to pack his saddlebags and ride his darned skinny horse out of town.

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 9:59 pm

Americans United

I’m stomping my dainty feet in a Huff too.

Just because I’m a bloody “furriner” doesn’t mean I can be ignored. Stomp! Stomp! *Sniff. Sniff*

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 8:02 pm

Escribacat, hi, it’s an English pudding with raisins

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 7:56 pm

It speaks to crazy Bachmann’s “Internment Camps” fantasy don’t you think?

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 6:03 pm

I remember that, sounds promising but there are so many in your country, you would have to build a ” For The People” facility in the desert to house them all.

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 5:36 pm

I like Underground, was toying with it myself half an hour ago.

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 5:33 pm

There is also “Spotted Dick” “Toad-in-the-Hole” and a few assorted gems it’s far too early for me to remember this morning.

Oh, “Pig-in-a-Blanket.”

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 5:28 pm

A serious plumbing problem?

Sorry, actually it’s a warming Scottish soup.

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 5:07 pm

Sounds up our street so to speak.

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 4:41 pm

Merci monsieur!

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 4:35 pm

Oh even in Europe we take to the streets and it’s televised don’t you know.

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 4:23 pm

Lots of croutons and snipped chives for me. 🙂

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 4:21 pm

If this were France, I would suggest “Vive le r

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 4:16 pm

Just took out the trash and my knees were knocking together.

Cat hairs, I’ve got enough on me to knit a small rug.

Two days ago we suddenly went up to 21C, now it’s 3C and starting to snow. Hard to type.

» Posted By Kalima On February 11, 2010 @ 3:33 pm