Downward Economy

Everyone is in panic in Canada after Trump was re-elected as the next United States president and I think they shall be, including me! The only difference is that I'm careless and I'm not responsible for anyone but me! 

Now we're in the last days of 2024, I don't know if I did well or I could've done better because, again, I'm careless but I know 5 years have passed since the year that first I wanted to buy a vehicle to replace my old one and couldn't! Uncertainty is an inseparable part of North American society and they have adopted themselves to it for generations. Thanks to credit card companies! Micheal Moore briefly describes this situation in one of his movies and he says it started from the time J. Carter became the president.

The situation is so bad that in the entire year I only bought red meat once! I know many would say red meat is not good for you anyway but not being able to purchase some once in a while, I bet, everyone agrees it's not good and shows how high the prices might be.

I make steak in a frying pan and simply add The Keg mix, some red onion and garlic and absolutely nothing else. This came out so delicious that I ate them both while in fact I wanted to save the second for later and make a steak sandwich. The pan, by the way is not a normal one. It's one of the Cuisinart conduction skillets

The employer, I heard had some profit share last year and they're not going to have it this year because they have invested a lot! In response they gave everyone a lousy grocery store gift card for the amount that I'd be embarrassed to write it here! The Canadian dollar, at the same time, started a journey to hell! It's going down so fast that I haven't seen it so far. It is at US¢68! I think we all have to wait to see what the Government would do to repel the tariffs and other unpleasant things imposed by the economy! 

(Photo, top: This cartoon shows a few seconds after the failed assassination on Trump)

23 Years now

This past Nov. 29 was the end of the twenty-third year of my life in Canada. It's been mostly downhill and I barely achieved my goals but I live! I believe most of the people who came to this country as a legal immigrant, years after I did, are in much better shape. I know two issues led to my fall:

1) Lack of care about the future. 

2) Unsuccessful Marriage which was my fault, without a doubt! 

I was going to write the plan I had for this anniversary before getting to the details of the two above factors but It was late. I realized I really had no plan! What could I do? With the price of everything so high and then being just by myself, what can one person do to have fun in winter? Go to a bar? Get a massage? Invite friends over for a little party? Everything cost me and it costs dearly! I'm not a bar guy. I'm not much of a drinker. I get massages from time to time. So it wouldn't have been something special, although massage is always good. I don't have many friends and they either wouldn't come or couldn't come, if I had a party, let alone the fact that I never had said about the time I came to Canada, to anyone!
I eventually ended up doing nothing! I also thought if I was travelling overseas crossing the big two ponds  in Jun. and Oct., considering |the weak Canadian dollar (CAN$1 = US$ = 0.69 = €0.65 = ¥104.6), I might as well start saving! For example I went to Lina's, where I usually buy some groceries and I skipped the eggs! Yes! I decided not to buy the most basic and probably the least expensive source of animal protein because I had to purchase a sweater before that and that was a sweater probably after more than 15 years or so but because I had to pay $150 for that, I didn't think I deserved eggs! I also have a big fine: Unregistered vehicle. I have to pay that as well. I will probably buy it when I have the next pay!Long story short: I'm a loser! Don't be a careless and lazy person (not physically) and be careful in your relationships and you won't end up like me. 

(Photo: Lina's is an Italian grocery store with four locations in Calgary. They have everything from bakery to Pizza, packed food to produce. This is their cheese refrigerator. I don't eat these types of cheese as they have lots of fat and cholesterol but that's me. If you're into cheese, this place is where you want to be)

Coming to America: The Alphonse Version

Alphonse, my former(!) friend, who lives in California now, has a funny story about the time he was flying to the US from Europe, for the first time but before telling the story, it might be interesting for you to know why I used the term former before friend. I have known Alphonse since the engineering school days. We were doing different programs but I hung out with almost everyone. Alphonse has always been a hard working fella. Many Armenians in Iran were and probably still are. I ended up here and he ended up in the US and we stayed in touch. I received a call once back in 2006, I think, it was, saying that he wanted to come to stay with me for a short while. He was in Ma. at the time and I think what had happened, as he told me later, had lost his job and now he needed to leave the country and reapply for a work permit. 

I lived in a basement at that time and had a steady job. But why? I was in a different world! In the world of carelessness! I told him where I was and what my situation had been and asked him to come over if he felt comfortable. He didn't. The story is that he went back home, reapplied through the embassy of the US in Dubai, I think, got it and went to the US again! Unbelievable! 

Palm Springs, Ca., This is the front of the hotel I stayed at for rwo days

He then moved to Ca., struggled a little bit and opened a mechanic shop with his brother. They were doing fine by providing service to foreigners, mainly and of course Armenians of Glendale. He then got a position with a manufacturing company, which I know he worked for until about six months ago that we were in touch. During this past, probably, ten years or so, he grew some narcissism and went back to his roots, forgetting where he came from! He bought luxury cars, used of course, from some desperate customers who didn't want to spend as much he was asking them to pay to get their cars fixed, went on European vacations and so! His language and behaviour changed as well, at least toward me. He came and stayed here with me for a few days. We went for a hike which he backed off after half an hour from the start! He wanted to stay in a hotel and I called him over. Then he asked if I was renting the place! Then he asked why my car hasn't been taken to the car wash! We went for a little shopping and then he offered to pay for the items I had purchased for home! And finally when I asked him what he suggested to purchase (a vehicle) later, he suggested buying a Maserati! The next time we met was in Las Vegas and we aimed another summit which we failed to even barely start but he paid for my hotel and our rental car. Here's how cheap and stupid this guy is: We spent at least 1 freaking hour going from here to there in Las Vegas because he wanted to find the cheapest parking for his recently purchased, used but in good shape Porsche SUV and take the road on a rented car! When he comes to Canada we have to take my over ten years old vehicle for our hike but when I go to the US, we have to rent a vehicle while he has a few years old, almost in perfect shape, German SUV! I owed nearly US$ 460 to him after that and I haven't paid to this day! We exchanged a few messages and when I was in Palm Springs earlier this year I told him that I was going and asked him to join. He excused himself and said that he had a family party! That was the end of it! 

Going back to his version of Coming to America, he was in Amsterdam or somewhere in Europe on his way to the States and was stopped by the cops. He is a fat fuck, potbellied turtle! He's there, surrounded by a few security forces in the middle of the terminals where everyone is walking by! They ask for his passport and he hands it to them. The officer goes: What was your name before you changed it?! This is on the account of him being a dark hair man! He responds by saying: This is my original name! Then their supervisor ask one of the guys to search him and since he has a big belly, the officer thinks he might have something hidden under his jacket, like a suicide belt and his hands are visibly shaking when he's trying to search him! He's announced that he was clear after that and let go but he's upset and offended! This dolt now has been living in the US at least for 20 years but still can't speak English properly and has not been changes one bit: Same disgusting fat trash eater he was decades ago and we're no longer friends anymore.

(Photo: South American freeloaders at the US border. Trump has promised to get rid of 11 million parasites when he takes the office)

Thank you, tiny Singapore

When the US led forces crossed into Iraq in March of 2003, That country had the fifth biggest army in the world. How long do you think it took them to wipe them off? A little longer than 5 weeks! With that said, why do you think the US forces cannot overcome drug cartels in Mexico and other places in the world? The answer is simple: They don't want to! 

It's a cat and mouse game with people on both sides who benefit from this dirty game. The funnier part is when they capture these criminals! They either are in jail for a short time and are released or they escape! Was that not a drug cartel leader who escaped the prison, a few years ago?! How could they capture Saddam, put him behind the bars until his trail and then execute him but a drug lord escapes the prison?

How could they capture the Germans who had fled to South America, bring them back to Israel and prosecute them, but the drug dealers escape the prison?! How could they keep Rudolf Hess in prison until his death (that's by the filthiest animals in the world, the British) but the drug dealers and their bosses get away easily?! Do you not wonder?

Rudolf Hess here is seen in Spandau Prison in Berlin. He remained the sole prisoner of the facility for so many years. The nastiest and most disgusting nation on the face of the planet with the long history of crime at each corner of the world, Britain, held the poor man there on suspicious of being aware of the Hitler's plan to attack Britain! He, unbelievably, took his own life at the age of 93 in that prison

The story is read differently in some other parts of the world. There are countries who don't mess around with drug dealers and the losers who consume them. There are countries where pathetic losers such as Canadians who vote for a person to legalize mild-altering substances, are prosecuted and jailed. There are many countries like that. The tiny nation of Singapore in southeast Asia is one of them. They captured a wannabe a short while back! This wannabe, in case you don't know what that means, was the fruit of two other losers worse than himself! An Iranian boy and Singapore girl get together in bed, do their business and boom! Nine months later there's this gift of the world available! The rest of the story is obvious and clear: The couple separate mainly because they just had an urge and it was satisfied and the boy goes back and force between Iran, the birthplace of his cleaver father and Singapore, where his genius mother has been born and lives. Here's where his brilliant mind starts working and he tells himself: Why don't I take some drugs with me to sell and become rich overnight? Isn't that what many people do? And he does. Big mistake. Singapore is no joke when it comes to drugs. They catch the smart fella, put him behind the bars, try him and finish him off! The best way to deal with either a drug dealer or drug addict.

Here's the interesting twist: All these so-called NGOs whom, to this day, I don't know where they get this much money to be active and what their intent really is, start campaigning, before the boy sees his demise! They want him not dead! The funnier part is what the Iranian authorities want: They want him to be released and this comes from the country which has had the most number of executed people per year in the past 10 years or so! This part I truly didn't understand! Anyway this is the end of the story. One down but there are millions and millions of addicts and thousands and thousands of traffickers and this issue will never be resolved completely. Moral of the story: Do not believe 99% of what the Western governments do and say. 

(Photo: The Iranian-Singapore boy is shown here on a ski hill, perhaps before seeing his faith!)

Messing with a Suck up!

The Mumbling Guy sent me a message a few days ago, asking me to give him a call! That's how disgusting he is! He feels he's too important to call others! Others shall always call him! I'm fine with that! So, I called him to see what he wanted! You see? Even if he needs something, he doesn't call you! 

When I call him, he says that he needs to use me as a reference for his new job application! It's a position closer to his place and he doesn't have to drive across the city and I'm sure he gets way more. He claims it'd be north of 150 K. Good for him. I don't have any issue with that. After all he was the one who gave positive feedback when I first applied for this job. 

I then received an e-mail from a recruiter with some 15 questions, maybe! I don't remember exactly how many they were. I started providing answers to all quickly at my lunch break, at work, except for two or three which I truly did not know what he would want to say, including the reason why he wanted to leave this current position and I didn't write anything untrue. The Mumbling Guy, despite being deceitful, jealous, greedy and an asshole(!), has some good attributes! He's good in his area of expertise! I think that is the only thing he's good at! The lady came back to me for clarification on two questions. I called him and told him the story but I decided to mess with him a little bit! I told him that there were as many as seven questions! I read the first two and made up the rest and he provided answers over the phone. I pretended I was writing! I just wanted to give him a bit of anxiety! 

When I got home I saw a thank you e-mail from the lady. Then the next day I sent him a massage and said that the lady had called me after I sent her the response! This time he called me because he was worried about what had happened! I told him that the recruiter had called me after the e-mail was sent to her and I asked her to call me after work! I told him we talked for over half an hour and she wanted to confirm some of the responses that I had provided! He bought it. I could go on and on but I thought it would lose its value. That's enough for a suck up!

(Photo: I remember how he used to suck up to the people he knew he had to when we worked together. I, happily, do not have to do this and never did this. My performance speaks for itself. I just have to keep my mouth shut) 

My Miso Soup

I wasted some money and spent some on my recent trip to Japan. I paid nearly $70 for my phone service which I should say that it was only internet as the Government of Japan does not allow foreigners who come to Japan as a visitor to have a phone, while I only used 25% of my allowable data! While I only ate once in the entire time I was there and that was a small breakfast, I might have saved a lot but my Shinkansen tickets were nearly $1000! I didn't stay in 4-star or higher hotels, although one of them claims to be, all of the hotels I stayed at were 3-star and that was quite an expense.
I did not buy much as a souvenir or perhaps I should write basically nothing but a few small items but those caused a bit of a nuisance. You must do most of your shopping in the last two days of your trip, as I wrote earlier to avoid hauling too much around, particularly if you're traveling to the end of the country like I did! 
One of the things I bought was a box or container of Miso paste for about $3 or so to make the soup. It's nearly 750 g and you can imagine that a lump with that weight, especially when it is at one corner of a bag, a backpack or sack, is not something easy to move around!  
I made the soup last week eventually and it was not too bad. It only had two issues: 1) One of the ingredients, a taste enhancer was missing! 2) I'm not sure if the Tofu was the best.
Then I compared it with the soup I had nearly one year ago when a colleague took us to this Japanese restaurant in southern Edmonton. That tasted better! Either because they knew how to make it and this was my first time and missing an ingredient or I have no idea! 

(Photo: My Miso Soup. I bought the spoon from Japan as well. It works like a scoop more than a spoon!)

Appropriate Insults!

I cancelled a ticket to Denver for Christmas and bought my ticket for the second trip to Japan next year(!) while having another plan for June but have to get a sort of agreement as there will be no vacation.  
Then yesterday I was talking  to myself: What should I do today? I'm a bit bored and tired after jogging.  I ate my lunch. Then the answer hit me: Come up with a list of appropriate insults! What do I mean by that? These are the humiliating ones but not too rude! What do you think about the list. I have to say that the original ones, mean invented by me(!) are followed by a capital O:
1) Go dig a latrine.
2) You have your entire life to be a Jerk, take today off.
3) Why don't you hang yourself from the ceiling? It would be a nice scene! (O). (This might be a little too harsh)
4) When a dog barks at me, I don't kick its ass (O).
5) Go get your six pack and weed (O). 
6) When did you say you would move out of your Mom's house? (O).
7) Did you get permission from your Dad to come here or you don't even know who it is!? (O).
Then I thought I should come up with some new ones regarding these people who claim they're neither a boy nor a girl. That would be another post. 

8) I don't know what your parents did to you (Courtesy of Seinfeld!) 

(Photo: I was once in Downtown Calgary Safeway, I used to go there a lot, sometimes 4 times a week and a silly guy did something that I disliked a lot! I think he was a construction worker. I called him something that I shouldn't have and to this day I feel bad and remorseful, I called him White Trash and I can't recall clearly but I think he ignored me(!) and then another fella and his girlfriend, both of course Caucasians like the construction worker, started to follow me in the isles and gazing at me. You never know what people are capable of doing although it was nearly 11 years ago or more and people have still not become as crazy and insane as they are now, I got the hell out of there after paying for my merchandise. I thought I shall say this as part of the post although it has nothing to do with this picture of two girls fighting!)

Alcohol Addicted Losers!

I met a lady, I guess it was nearly two years ago, in one of Lina's stores in Calgary. Tall, slim, blond, blue eyes. Typical Caucasian desirable woman. She was promoting a product and naturally was nice because obviously she was trying to get more customers. I had a little chat with her which somehow was directed to travelling and she told me she was in this country. When I asked her when she had traveled, she said in her youth, which must have been at least 35 years ago! 
I personally believe if you travel somewhere and that was more than 10 years ago, it barely counts as a recent trip and should not even mention it! For example I've traveled to Germany twice: Once in 2008 and once in 2014. The closest one was 10 years ago! That's why I'm going again. If you traveled somewhere in your teenage years while you were broke and had to sleep with 32 other people in a shelter-like place and ate cheap food, now that you're 55 you must recall that as a nightmare! However, this is common within Westerners. They work low pay jobs in summer to save some money to go to these cheap ass countries such as Toilet-Thailand, nasty pig sty Laos, Full-of-cockroaches Cambodia or the second biggest whorehouse of the world, Vietnam! and shit-holes like that just to take a few pictures, drink cheap alcohol and sleep with a few more guys and gals! 
The fraudulent people of those shit-holes take as much advantage as they can: Just go see what the Government of Canada Travel Advisory says about these filthy toilets that I named three of them above as well as, some of the writings available in the web. A recent example of that are the losers who died in Laos! Just read that again: Laos! Can you think of a nastier place than southeast Asia full of worms, cockroaches and sewer rats in the shape of human beings. What happened to those motherless losers is they died of drinking Ethanol! Wake up from the stupidity and get yourselves together. Your lives seem to be meaningless without alcohol, drugs, the stupid social media, fast food and casual sex! You have no shame and no principles. 

(Photo: A view over Munich, Germany around Olympic Park. I took this back in Oct. 2014)

Too Good to be True (2)

The Mumbling Guy contacted me a few weeks ago and said that he had transferred(!) my contact information to a recruiter for a good and highly-paid position. The salary was $110 K! It was a management position in a manufacturing facility which uses certain material. I won't reveal the details as usual.   
I thought to myself: It's way more than my current salary. I don't have to drive that much and it would be great but why would a company offer that much, especially in that industry. It doesn't seem that they make so much! Then I thought: I've been here for over a year and although my salary is much less but I'm in the right industry for myself, I've been given the opportunity to learn, take courses and practically do whatever I think is necessary to do. Isn't this enough?
All I need is to stay with this company for three to five years and then I automatically increase my chance of being hired by a better employer. 

(Photo: A good joke about a 6-figure salary. That is me, although I earned it once after 4 years of working for an employer. Got kicked out by those motherfuckers, filthy animals, then!)

A Hike of XK

I had my annual performance review this week. I thought my performance was not bad but I had a few issues with a number of dolts! That was mentioned during the evaluation and I made him sure that it would never happen again! An in fact it has not happened again. I have good relationship with almost everyone and shut them down one after another, if they bullshit, professionally and politely. One old bag was saying nonsense a few days ago. I just shut him down and walked away! I know people have needs and cost of living is high but imagine a loser at retirement age who works 3 days a week, say, to support himself and his family and then is asked to increase it to four. He accepts it but he claims that the employer has threatened him to lower his wage if he does not work the fourth day! Who in their right mind believes this shit?! And the loser's frustration over being an idiot in his youth and having to work at the age of 65+ leads to being a pain in the butt and a miserable, disgusting, repulsive creature!

Going back to the evaluation session, the fella pointed at my few slips(!) and I said I guarantee that it would never happen. Then he asked me how much I thought my raise would be! I wasn't expecting that and I did not know what to say. I said it would be up to him.  He said that he considered $X000 annually and he would notify the office to be paid starting the next pay-stub. It's not a bad raise but still after a year that I haven't been able to move closer to work and pay extraordinarily high for fuel and maintenance but that's not their fault!

(Photo: A Dilbert cartoon regarding salary increase. I unfortunately, cannot use this approach!)

The Beautiful Scenes of Ontario

 I I wrote about this crap, multiculturalism, not working a long time ago but in pathetic loser's country, called Canada, where most people do not want to work, there is no other choice but to falsely claim that they are inclusive and welcome everyone just to be able to function! The reality is most of, I repeat, most of the businesses who use these crazy Punjabi or other extremists, are not essential. All these junk food joints and supermarkets, could be easily managed and run without these people. The trucking industry is dominated by these people, simply because Canadians do not think this job is cool! Driving a taxicab and bus has been the foreigner's jobs as far back as history recalls! Those guys all had permanent and steady job, all purchased homes and grew family and these Caucasian guys are still thinking of becoming a Hockey star! Now after decades they have woken and started to complain! 
The funny thing is this recent clash of cultures, isn't even between Canadians and non-Canadians! It's within Indians who are followers of different faiths! I watched the clips and I was filled with joy! They were beating on each other with sticks, throwing punches, kicking cars, uttering threats, you name it. It was quite amusing. But do you know why Hindus are so mad? There are different reasons for that. Here are a couple: 

1) More than 85% of the population of India are Hindus. Sikhs asses would be kicked really badly in there, if they wanted to say nonsense such as independence or other crap. They actually have been kicked a few times. The Government of India raided their temple in 1984 when they first wanted to become important and beat the shit our of them. Operation Blue Star was planned and executed to shut down Sikh extremists and it was successful but later cost the life of the Indian PM, Indra Gandhi. The Sikh terrorists assassinated the poor lady. Now Hindus have realized that the very people who always were a minority and considered inferior, have the upper hand! In addition to that, Sikhs mostly do physical jobs and are in public services including the police, security, corrections, you name it. So they can tell people what to do! That pisses Hindus even more. That was the issue in Brampton! The Police over there have a large number of Sikh people and they are accused of supporting and assisting the people who storm the Hindu temple. One of them is currently suspended.

2) The pathetic, disgusting Government of Canada, has always been the supporter of Sikhs and their evil plans. The PM and MPs always attended their ceremonies, they always praised them and they always admired them so they can get enough votes at the election time! The broken judicial system of Canada, which actually encourages you to keep committing crime, for example if you kill someone, they put you behind the bars for five years and you could be out after only, perhaps, three, on the account of good behaviour(!), acquitted one of the masterminds of the 1985 Air India bombing, they have absorbed many of these people in public service. What more could they ask for?! Have you seen the MP dressing like a Chinese man and go to, for example, a Confucius temple?! Or grow a beard, put a long robe on and go to a mosque! No! I don't know why.

I, for one, truly hope these clashes between Sikhs and Hindus, Arabs and Israelis and other ethnic groups and religious bands, escalates to the point that the streets of this county are unrecognizable from high crime rate countries. That would be the time Canadian people realize that life is not only about Toilet Swift, NHL, Dancing with Assholes and other nonsense they spend the majority of their time. I hope they wake up soon before the streets of Canada become the same as what we saw on the streets of Amsterdam, last week. 

(Photo: Indian Sikhs are armed to the teeth are leaving Harmandir Sahib, also known as Golden Temple in Amritsar, northwestern India. They have succeeded in looking fearsome! Now it's easy to find out what kind of people you're dealing with. Judging is easy!)

The Chubby Chicken

When I first came to Canada, there were many new things that I wanted to try but I was shy! Futureshop, which no longer exists was one of them! I know it sound stupid and hilarious at the same time! So was Chubby Chicken by A&W! I think I tried them years later, only once and that was enough! We all know that fast food is not good for us but some of us have no other choice!
Then this was this new woman at work a few months ago: The Chubby Chicken! Average Caucasian girl: blue eyes, blond, beautiful smile, in short: A peach, but crazy but not too crazy so far! A recently separated woman with a child. I am not prying on her but I have to evaluate my choices: Stay miserable or have someone?! I'm sure you'd encourage me to choose the latter but is that easy? No!  
History shows that many Mom's in situations like back go back to their relationship for one reason or another. I always treat everyone nicely and try to be respectful and polite. I gradually started talking to her on different topics and her reaction was good, smiling and laughing all the time. While it means nothing, the only thing it could mean is that she's trying to put the annoying life aside and just have a little laugh here and there. When I asked her a question and insisted that I didn't intend to ask personal questions, she said: A little personal is Okay. Is she testing me? Maybe. Then I started offering her food and snacks and she always loved them and thanked me. She even said we could go for lunch as colleagues which is a good start but has not happened although I have invited her a few times. When I invited her to do a sport together, which I'm not going to say what it was, in case it leads to identifying her here(!), she said she would let me know when she wanted to do that but that did not happen either. She cited her chaotic life as a reason for that. Instead she said that she would go to watch a professional sport with me, which I'm not saying what she liked, for the same reason. That was the time I realized that she was looking for an ATM! 
What I kept in mind is she's Caucasian after all and they generally don't like foreign men but some don't dislike free food and being taken to games for free. Right? I don't have any issue spending a few ten dollars on a pair of tickets and a meal or snack but I'd like more out of this and I don't know if that would happen! What I do know is sleeping with her would be amazing and I don't care if it takes six months or nine but I have no guarantee. Then I thought to myself: I lived like that with my ex-life for a long time, why can't I provide the same services to this lady?! At the end either I get what I"m looking for or she will go back to her husband or someone else. I get some companionship and she gets free stuff! It's quite similar to what I've experienced earlier. The only difference here is this is a Chubby Chicken! More delicious than my ex! 

(Photo: looks like someone has put hours of work to make this Chubby Chicken metal sign, if I can call it and present it online for sale! Nice work) 

Out after 10 Years (21): Transportation in Japan

Japan is a populated country and more than 90% of its people live in urban areas. Everyone wants to be modern and not fall behind! Tokyo consists of 14 districts and has a population of over 14,000,000. I think I wrote the population was over 37,000,000 in one of the previous posts but that includes the suburbs or I am mistaken. I apologize. You might think it is a very noisy and polluted city with lots of traffic. Wrong! It absolutely is not!

Here is why Tokyo is a much calmer place in comparison with a city in North America, let's name none(!):

Many commercial vehicles, including the delivery trucks are electric. One might ask how much these little vehicles can deliver. You have to remember that there are no enormous supermarkets such as Wal-nasty-Mart or the Real Canadian Superasshole in Japan. All the businesses fall under either small or medium

Taxis are a comfortable  source of transportation but remember that they don't have  the best drives. You are in an Asian country!

SUVs such Land Cruiser are rarely seen in Japan. There is no need for them. Yet some might drive it. This one was on display in a showroom in Nagasaki. One like this goes for CAD $75,000 or more, here

1) There are not many vehicles on the roads: Japan, as much as I experienced, has a great and mostly modern public transportation system. You barely need a vehicle. Trains are regular, punctual and even comfortable. Bus and taxi is available and the subway provides the same quality service as above the ground train. There are bicycle lanes in many areas. Who would need a car?! 

2) Most of the cars are small and the majority of them are either electric or hybrid. One might ask what does the size of a car has to do with traffic?! Small cars require less power to drive. So having them in electric power is easier and consequently results in less pollution. It is very rare that you hear engine raving. Neither hybrid nor electric generates that type of disturbance. 

3) Driving is not that bad. I haven't been to many Asian countries but I know from the media that people are horrible in most countries in that continent. So, you need to keep in mind that you still are in Asia but in a higher version of that.

4) Driving is on the left side of the road. It takes a few days or for some people longer to get used to just seeing vehicles going in the wrong direction! As per driving, I wanted to rent a car but didn't due to lack of confidence and practice. Imagine that you spend thousands of dollars for a 2-week vacation and want to enjoy yourself and all of a sudden you see yourself in the middle of a traffic accident! Stick to the public transportation and you will be fine! 

5) Taxis. There are plenty of taxis available everywhere and many who seek comfort and don't care to spend ¥1,200 and up, use them but they are expensive and generally not a good choice for foreigners. The biggest issue is not being able to communicate clearly. I showed a taxi driver my address and he still took me to the wrong place.So, unless you know Japanese or can make him fully understand, skip the cabs! 

6) Bikes are an excellent choice. Electric scooters are available as well. I think they both are very good sources of travel in smaller cities such as Nagasaki that I went to but I didn't get any. They are not cheap and also you need to know how to secure them, if you're going, say, for a meal or shopping. So, perhaps I shall say that they are good sources if you want to see the outdoors, take pictures and have a sort of picnic.

(Photo, top: Trains, unlike mostly think, are not always contested and uncomfortable. They, as far as I remember, are equipped with a cooling and heating system. That is why they are the best way of transportation in the country) 

Who Shall be held Responsible?

The recent clash between Sikhs and Hindus has been the most entertaining and beautiful event, If I may call it, in the past 10 years or so. There is no doubt it was the Sikh extremist Khalestani separatists who started that and also there is no doubt that there are government who benefit from this, to name Pakistan, who adds fuel to this conflict through ISI, but who is responsible for this act of Barbaric violence? The answer is very simple: The Government of Canada.

One might ask: why? The answer to that is very simple: All that The Government of Canada cares about is money, revenue. For that, they have let flocks of dishonest people in in the past many years and there are many terrorist and extremists amongst them. I remember that there was a documentary about the Sikh extremists in British Columbia on CBC a few years ago. It clearly stated that the many members of the Liberal Party attend Sikh ceremonies and their gatherings to buy votes by themselves. It's a whole different world when you go to British Columbia. These guys are everywhere and dislike everyone: Police, transport, correctional services, you name it. I don't think the documentary said that The Conservatives were clean but there's no doubt that The Liberals have given them more room to maneuver. 

They have the pictures of the Sikhs who were arrested and killed by Indian security forces because of their acts of violence, on the walls of their Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) and the then Premier of British Columbia,k once I remember, left their ceremony as sign of disagreement.  

Malik Singh was acquitted of the Air India bombing chargesd. He was shot dead two years ago 

It's obvious that with Sikh cheap labour force many industries, including fruit and vegetable, trucking, fast food and so would not survive but whose fault is that? Canadians, the majority of them, they don't want to do those jobs. They want to be Hockey Player, Jail Guard, Police Officer, Firefighter and generally what pays well. The industries have to then use Sikh cheap labour or other foreigners but that is the nature of Capitalism: There are multi-million dollar businesses who need simple jobs to be done mostly buy unskilled worker who get paid minimum wage. 

Clark in 2017. She had a reaction to displaying the pictures of killed Sikhs

What would happen, if these businesses didn't exist in Canada, for example: Tim Horton's, Dollarama, McDonald's, Burger King, A&W, and so on? Nothing! Everyone would still be living! These businesses bring millions of dollars to the corporations and CRA and feed, moistly, foreigners!   

The last thing I would like to add is Hindus are not so innocent either. There is a clip of someone who was yelling something like: Let us attack all Sikh temples in India! We all know that Modi's government has treated the minorities unfairly in the past 10 years he has been in the office. What does that do? It provokes other people to react! 

(Photo, top: Khalestani separatist Sikhs in Ontario chanting slogans and pointing fingers at Hindus! What a great country that everyone brings their shit here!)

Out after 10 Years (20): The Sliding Phone

I do not believe in ghosts, paranormal activities, spirits and basically nothing that cannot be scientifically explained and physically perceived. With that said, something happened in the first hotel I stayed in during my trip to Japan which caused a sort of surprise. Japanese hotels are usually small. At least the ones I stayed at, majority of them were small. Let us review them all, one by one. It also helps the people who have a plan to go to Japan to, perhaps, select one of the below ones:\

1) Galois Hotel, Shinjuku, Tokyo: Nice and helpful staff. They understand a few English words. A little issue with cleaning but not bad. Just a little dust. Quiet. Less than three minutes to Shin-Okubo train station that can take you anywhere in Japan. Cheap shopping and cheap eats around. It's not a great neighbourhood but it's not bad either. It's not luxury. Smallest of the hotel. No window opens to the street or yard. Somehow a foreign worker neighbourhood, mostly Nepalese and Pakistanis.  The latter are a nuisance. 

2) Hotel Sagano, Ukyo, Kyoto: Huge room but old building. I have a separate post for this hotel.

3) Hotel CLS-SS, Hiroshima: Great hotel: Clean, specious, lots of stuff including kitchen and all the required appliances

4) Hotel Forza, Nagasaki: Nice hotel, great staff, quiet, close to shopping and some other places that you would want to see, small room.

5) Hotel Tobu, Narita International Hotel: Clean and nice hotel, good room, bigger than other numbers 1 and 4. Food service is not good. Shuttle service is great. 

The house in The Grudge (2004). I did not see many houses as big as this anywhere in Japan. The movie is a remake of the Japanese version which was made in 2002

Now that I have introduces the hotels, lets go to the telephone issue. I took two phones to Japan: My phone which is an old Blackberry and a new phone which bought before the trip a Motorola. The latter was used to navigate after I bought an SIM Card. The old one, mainly, for photography. I kept them both on the desk in the first hotel. A couple of nights, after I went to bed and I don't remember if I was asleep or was going to go, I heard the phone falling on the floor! I was too tired to think about that, usually. So, I'd would go back to sleep! 

You might have seen The Grudge. This is a movie that I cannot watch again even today. It's a very creepy story that happens in Japan and I don't want to spoil it but the Japanese have lots of movies like that and I don't know why I'm saying this but why should something like that happen? The table was not inclined. Why didn't the other phone slide?

(Photo, top: Hotel CSL-SS in Hiroshima was the best and nicest of hotels in my trip to Japan)

Out after 10 Years (19): Lessons Learnt

The recent trip to Japan was great. I put it over the top, over my trip to Bavaria, Germany, perhaps because I saw more places and stayed longer, not that Germany isn't great! However, I made a few mistakes which I would like to list them here, as a reminder to myself, as I'm going there again next year(!) and whoever is travelling soon:
1) Book your JR Pass before the trip, if you're going places, and pick it upon your arrival. I traveled more than 2,900 km (roughly 1,800 miles). It helped a lot. Besides I care about comfort. 
2) Do not haul too much. It will hurt and you won't enjoy your trip. Space is limited, particularly in hotels. When I was leaving Tokyo for the southern part of country, I had three baggage! My big pack, which was not heavy and distributed alongside my length(!), computer bag, this was a mistake as I intended to stay in touch with work and that's a heavy one and a full bag of purchases, including souvenirs! 
3) Leave most of your shopping to the last day, if you're traveling around the country like I did, or you'd haul a lot. Since the majority of flights land in and depart from Narita, you can assign the last day to shopping. 
4) be prepared for the food that you're not used to. I don't eat Rice, Noodles, most of the seafood or perhaps I shall say I don't eat seafood every day, White Bread or anything made of White Flour, raw fish and I basically starved most of the time during my trip! I need to have a plan for the second trip!
5) Have a second mobile phone with you to purchase a SIM Card in the airport. You'd be paralyzed without it! Bear in mind that the Government of Japan does not give you the permission to use that SIM Card for making phone calls! You'd be only allowed to use its internet feature. There were a few times that I needed to use a phone and I couldn't. Public phones are available throughout the country because unlike North America nasty, money grubbing, greedy telecommunications cannot disconnect them! So you still would be able to make a phone call but it's a bit inconvenient. 
6) Dress is very important. I hate heat and can cope with cold easily. I also hate shorts, baseball caps and short-sleeve shirt, but that's the national costume of Westerners! So, if you like to dress like that, go ahead but check the weather before you leave and take the appropriate clothing. 
7) A good camera and film recorder are both must. My camera took a few good pictures but it is old and has had an issue for the past 8 years or so! I should've replaced it or fixed it and did none. I took some good pictures but could've taken much better ones, had I had a good camera. A Clip recorder is important as well. The majority of people use their mobile phones these days. If you're happy with that and or on budget, go for it. You also can buy the best cameras in the world in Japan. However, if you do not know much about cameras, you'd need to go through lots of translation, perhaps using Google Lens, to find out about the features of the camera as the manuals are in Japanese. You might be able to find the manual in PDF format online too. 
If I remember something else, I'll update.

(Photo: This beautiful citrus tree was seen on my way to the resting place of the great Tushiro Mifune in Kanagawa. I took this photo with my Motorola g play, my second mobile phone. If an object or seen requires adjustments, a camera like that would absolutely be useless!)

Near Misses in Japan and Canada

When I was in Arashiyama, a neighbourhood or suburb of Kyoto, just for a short while, I went to what it is known as Bamboo Forest, which in fact is, I would like to call it flystrip! It's a pathway of nearly 250 meters, perhaps, a little more than 800 feet where bamboo is grown, naturally, at both sides, alongside other plants. Most of the area is private property, houses and temples and you obviously cannot trespass, and they even have put signs in broken English to warn people. No one really jumps over the fence as it's quite high and the bush is thick. I was there one early morning, and a few flies(!) were there too! I took a few pictures and carried on. It is a very beautiful and quiet path, but I was not prepared to go to the summit of Mt. Ogura, which the path takes you to, but I went up a little bit. It was hot and humid, and my shirt was stuck to my chest. I could see the whole town from there, despite the fog. I took a few more pictures and head back down. By the time I was down, the path was crowded. I passed everyone and headed back to the hotel. 

A tribute to the departed. That is how it is shown in Japan. This was at the side of the path

There, the lady, at Hotel Sagano, was waiting for me and handed me a small pack of a few sandwiches! I remembered that I had read that it was part of the service, but I pretended that I did not know and asked her how much I should have paid. She said that it was included in the cost of the hotel. We have a proverb in the old country which goes " When you're hungry, you eat sand and rocks"! I was so hungry that I devoured the sandwiches, although I doubted that they were made in a hygiene-concerned facility or anything like that, but they tasted very good! I took a shower and then later that night I went for a walk. 

When I came back to Canada, I felt a sharp pain in my chest area, left side, both front and back but only when I moved. I quickly became worried: I damaged my heart! But how? I didn't do heavy exercises! I didn't do heavy lifting, and my sleep generally was good during the trip. The only explanation for that was that there were two factors involved:

1) I caught a cold when I was coming down the trail all sweaty.

2) My body was weakened tremendosuly due to lack of nutritious food and enough water. 

What else it could've been? So, I made an appointment with a family physician, and he told me that he did not believe it was my heart. He thought it was a muscle and told me to continue my joggings and come back if I feel anything. I went for jogging yesterday and not a thing. I'm not saying that the doctors cannot have a wrong biognosis, but I feel better and I'm going for a run again today. That was danger number one! 

I usually have the radio or the CD player on (I know both sounds very old! That's because I drive a very old vehicle) when I'm driving. I, at times, listen to the news on CBC 1, although most of the time is nonsense! And I get some good songs on different channels from time to time. 

With that said, I was driving home last week, with the music on and up, while I heard a bang! At first, I thought someone just hit me, but it was a quite road! So, I pulled over to see what it was but not right away as I didn't want to, obviously, block the road. I dismounted and there was a line on my rear door! Kind of like a long scrape but not too deep! No vehicle was around! I don't know if I had misheard something, and it was way before that point or what? I'm happy now that there was nothing significant or it would've affected my insurance, especially now that I'm trying to buy a new vehicle. That was danger number two!

Do I deserve a celebration?!

(Photo, top: A sign which points at the trail to Mt. Ogura. I, obviously, found out later. I didn't summit but it certainly is part of my second trip in next year, or perhaps a higher pick in the area)

Out after 10 Years (18): The Return to Narita

I had one night left before flying back to Canada and I was nearly 1200 Km (~750 miles) away from the airport! The only good thing is that I had already purchased all my tickets from Nagasaki to Narita International Airport. My trip from Nagasaki Station to Shinagawa Station was very smooth. That was where it turned out to be a disaster! I rushed and got into the wrong train and instead of going to Narita directly, I ended up in Tokyo Station and had to get into a very crowded train! It was so congested for a few stations that I really felt embarrassed being onboard with three bags! I was lucky that the train almost emptied in the last few stations. I eventually reached Terminal 1 of the airport after nearly 75 minutes! the reason was missing a direct ride by Shinkansen! Trouble was not over in Terminal 1. I still needed to know how to get to the hotel that I had booked. I knew that the hotel provides a shuttle bus but where the hell is the station?! The information booth had a note indicating that I can have a video chat with the attendant! I think she was working from home as the airport would not be considered a safe place(!) or perhaps she lived too far away! Nevertheless what she said was not helpful because I barely understood her! I then decided to follow the map until I reached another information booth with a guy attending it and he told me where the damn bus would pick up the passengers. 
The bus was on time and the trip and checking were all great but the hotel itself was a bit of let down. I was given a 20% discount coupon for tomorrow's breakfast. I think the breakfast something in the vicinity of ¥2500(!) (which equals to approximately CAN $24! but despite the fact that I didn't want to eat that as I knew it would not be something I usually eat, I went down just to see what they serve and I realized that they had a ¥3000 buffet or something like that! This kind of trick, I had never seen anywhere in Japan. The people and businesses are all straightforward, polite and nice. I was a little surprised but didn't bother me as I simply ignore that! The checkout time for the hotel was 11:00 while my flight had been scheduled for 16:45. I think it was another plan of the hotel but it's okay. I checked out around 10:50 and got on the same bus and went to the airport. I think Air Canada accepted the bags around 14:00 or some time after that so I was a little relaxed for about one and a half hour. I wanted to buy something but you know how airports usually are. I ended having something in an expensive cafe: Mediocre food but very expensive for what you pay. It was not even tasty as much as I expected but it's done and I don't have to do that any more! 

(Photo, top: Nagasaki Station is usually not a very crowded station compared to the other stations)

Out after 10 Years (17): Other Beverages in Japan

Vending machines are everywhere in Japan. Even in small towns you can see them on narrow streets. Is that because of the hot and humid weather that Japan has for a number of months or companies simply intend to make more money? These machines sell different types of water (mineral, carbonated, flavoured, etc.), juices and maybe alcoholic beverages, as I never paid much attention to the last.

A small vending machine and the first one I saw in my first hotel in Tokyo

Nevertheless what I was looking for was Sake but since I never went to any restaurant for lunch and dinner (I don't think anyone drinks Sake for breakfast!) never had the chance to have any. I only bought a can from a 7-Eleven store and drank it but it was so strong that I couldn't finish it in one sitting. I knew there're different types of Sake and the good quality shall be expensive but never tried to by a high quality from a teal liqueur store or supermarket as they sell alcoholic beverages just like the American ones do. 

(Photo, top: 300 Ml Sake cans in convenient stores are sold for ¥259.6 which is nearly CAN $2.45, It has nearly 14.5% alcohol. Is it not too much?)

Out after 10 Years (16): Nagasaki

Going south, the next part of trip was to go to Nagasaki, the city which if I had not been to, I would have been deeply regretted it. The city, which if I travel to Japan again, I will visit again, certainly. However, this part of the trip, on train, as usual, was a little bit more stressful than the other parts. If you miss your train, there shall be usually no problem. You go and adjust the ticket, meaning getting permission to get on board another one but still have to go through the process and I don't know what you would do, if you're in a remote area where there's no office. 

When you're going to Nagasaki, you are transferring to Kyushu Shinkansen, which although a different company, you still can use your JR Pass. However, at one point, or two, you need to be fast, jumping out of one train and jumping into another one! 

I, again, decided to get a cab after I arrived at the station. My mistake, from the beginning, was taking the big and heavy computer from work, because I was making sure I wouldn't miss major things from work. Then I bought a few stuffs in Tokyo and by the time I was in other cities, I had two heavy bags in addition to my backpack! The problem was that I had forgotten to register for Mt. Fuji climb. So, half of the stuff in my backpack were useless! 

Nevertheless, the taxi did not make a mistake this time and I was at Hotel Forza in a shopping area of the city. This actually happen to be a good part to land, shopping, dining, seaside park, almost everything was close by. But I'm sure there are other parts of the city that you can stay and enjoy.

Nagasaki was the second city which was targeted by Americans using Atomic Bomb. However, because it's too far away from Tokyo, not as many tourists visit it. I also learnt that Nagasaki was one of the major cities that the foreigners land many years ago and that was Spanish and Dutch, but they never had the same impact that on a country such as the Philippines. There also, appears, to be a neighbourhood that only foreigners from Europe lived and that area was even governed by themselves. Chinese also was part of the city and there still a is small dining and shopping area exists. 

This picture shows a moment that men are pushing a sort of cart while drums and other instruments are being played. I do not know what this, ceremony, if I can call it is called but it was very exciting the way they beat those drums, they were shouting and yelling, throwing their fist in the air and of course Japanese flute is amaxing

It is a beautiful city, and it is also hot because you're closer to the south. In fact, you're 1200 km (745 m) south of Tokyo! Most of my time was spent in viewing what is left from the atomic bomb attack and the related monuments and for that, I walked all the way from the hotel which was nearly 1 hour walk but gave me the chance to see parts of the city as well! I also rested in a cafe near the Peace Statue and had a cup of (horrible!) coffee and a few pieces of (not so appealing!) cake and bought a few small souvenirs. The problem with these tourist spots, in every country, and specially in a populated country such as Japan is that it's just enough that a couple of schools decide to bring the student for a visit, and you're done! That, of course, happened when I was there but I still was able to see most of the things and take a few pictures. The interesting thing about the memorial section for the victims of atomic bomb in Nagasaki was the number of statutes and pieces that the former Eastern Bloc countries, as a sign of opposition to the US, has donated to the City of Nagasaki! 

My rest gave me the strength to go all the way, and, on my way, I checked a shopping mall and its food sections and stores, but I didn't buy anything as the same story was narrated there: The kind of food that I usually don't eat and also expensive! 

This, probably, is not such an important shrine but I was walking around the city in the first afternoon after my arrival and I noticed that. There was an old man whom I approached by saying Sumimasen, which means excuse me. He turned back to me and I showed him the sentence that I had typed on my phone saying: Am I allowed to go up to see the shrine and he confirmed

One of the most interesting things that I encountered, amongst many others in Japan, happened in Nagasaki. There were groups of people who had some sort of street traditional performance with traditional music and dress. I don't know exactly what it was about but I saw them a few times on the streets and people loved them and cheered on them. I know something like that could rarely happen in, for example, in Tokyo, considering the congestion and population. Not that it's totally impossible and I think they have their own street performances and festivals but it was something really interesting. Unfortunately I only can post pictures of that here in this post but I might post a clip to YouTube one day, although the quality of them is not so good as I used a cellphone camera. I'm thinking of buying a video camera and perhaps a new camera to replace my old Canon. Some might say that they shall be purchased in Japan as that where they are designed and manufactured but the electronic equipment that the Japanese companies manufacture for exporting is different from what they make for domestic use. I bought a Casio watch and despite the fact that the store treated me very nicely and even gave me the warranty card, I realized that all the instructions were in Japanese after I unwrapped the box! Besides, it might have difficulty finding battery for that. Nevertheless, if I can't fix the old camera (a sort of hair-like object appears in photos!) I will purchase one before heading to Japan or shortly after my arrival but I need to do a good study.

The other time I went to Seaside Park and then I decided to go and see Magami Bridge but soon I realized that I had made a mistake! My plan, as usual, was to walk to the bridge, cross on to the other side, by walking of course, take a few pictures and then walk back but after a few blocks I realized that I was walking beside Road 499, a very busy highway-like road and it'd not be so pleasant to do that, neither safe! So i simply turned back and headed to the hotel! This already is listed on the To-do list for the time I'm going back. 
Glover Garden is one of the main destinations in the Nagasaki area. I didn't go inside. I simply didn't want to pay the admission but now I think I shall go on my next trip. Apparently it is a complex that the foreigners used to live, as I stated above and now has been turned into a revenue spot for the locals! You shall check the area, even if you have no intention to see the garden. There are plenty of very nice stores where you can buy food and souvenirs. That, pretty much, is all I can tell about Nagasaki. I walked back to the station, It was not hard and since Nagasaki is a smaller station compared to the other major cities, it was not hard to find Shinkansen. My destination was Narita International Airport.

Out after 10 Years (15): Hiroshima

I head south after the one stay in Kyoto-Arashiyama area. I will go back to the area on my next trip for sure. My first destination was Hiroshima. This city is a destination for Western tourists for what happened to it in Aug. of 1945. An atomic bomb was dropped on the city in the 6th day of that month and detonated above the city. It turned the city to ashes, basically. I, as usual, had booked a hotel in the city and I have to write about this hotel a little bit because it was an interesting experience. This was a contact-less hotel! What it means is there was no receptionist. You are given a code, after you book and pay, first, of course and you use that to open the main entrance. Then you enter your information into a screen when you're in and then you use a code to get to your own room. The door then closes and automatically locks behind you!

The best thing you can do is going to a Japanese antic store and buy unique and nice stuff

It is a very nice room: Two beds, which one of them of course was used. A small kitchen with stove, utensils, refrigerator and other required items for cooking, a toilet and a separate bathroom. This is ideal for someone like me who does not eat outside and likes to cook but I didn't get the chance to use it. If you're going to the city then Hotel CLS-SS could be where you rest. This for another reason was my favorite: There's no lobby or bar so you don't see the drunkard and annoying asshole you always see around and inside the hotel handing out! I must add that it was where the stupid taxi driver missed first when he picked me up! So, please avoid taxi in Japan, anywhere, as much as you can and it's not for the cost. It's for not understanding English! Leave the Japan's taxis for the Japanese!

Hiroshima is a very green and beautiful city like everywhere else I have been to in the country

My main focus in Hiroshima was whatever is on display regarding the bombing as well as the temple but the actual temple was vaporized after the bombing! So there was some substitute building! The transportation is done by Tram and for that I was not very comfortable. I went to a major electronic store, which I don't remember the name and bought a DVD set of Kurosawa films! When I asked the fellas whether they had any more of the director the answer was negative! It was mostly raining during those day and it was not very pleasant. People who visit Hiroshima also go to the harbor but I didn't! I just walk around a little bit and took pictures. That was where I saw Hiroshima Expressway and was stunned. The road is located nearly 20 meters above the ground. I think Hiroshima is the city that I would not go back to. It just doesn't have enough for me to make another trip but certainly worth visiting for at least 3 days, once.

(Photo, top: Some victims' ashes are kept here in the city)