Been a couple of months and really just been rather busy with things to update but apologies for that. Max is bigger and has just passed the 3 KG mark.


He seems to be growing into a good looking cat...well he was a good looking kitten too :-)
Stay posted, will try to post more in the next week or so.

Cat Tower

Who knew they made such things as cat towers.....



of course you have to build them but Max seems to think its worth the effort.

It did take him a while to get the courage to go all the way to the top... after all he is still rather small...
Once there though he could see the benefits of being able to look down on everything and everyone....
Unfortunately most of them seem to be really awful colors - yellow, pink etc.. which while might look good in a nursery school does little to "blend in" Luckily there are some which are a little more subtle...

Max Update

Yes he seems to be getting bigger already and braver... trying to climb the room and enjoying himself in the process.... still he is worth the effort.




His color also seems to be changing slightly and some tiger stripes are showing.. what will he look like when fully grown... interesting!

Max

So the new addition to the family has arrived. Max is an American Shorthair and Scottish Fold mix cat although to be honest I am not exactly sure I can see both in him.
Anyway there will be more entries on him over coming weeks but for now enjoy......

Army Of Two - Update

Army of Two: Good, but too short.

As promised an update on the game, overall it is enjoyable. The weapons being extensively customizable and the missions being fairly varied make for an entertaining experience. As probably others have said it is mainly a co-op game and is best played with others to make full use of the aggro system. (read all about the game here)

The main disadvantage is the length of the game. Having finished it in about four hours it leaves you wondering about the value concept.. (compared to Call of Duty 4 for example). It also limits you on the amount of weaponry you can accumulate.

Army Of Two

Picked up "Army Of Two" (Home page here) the other day. Basically a first person shooter with an emphasis on co-op play and using your partner to the best effect. Review coming soon...




Oh yes also picked up Lego Star Wars.. fun

Kawaiso Cat

Kawaiso, meaning "poor" is a word commonly used in Japan. This cat in a pet shop is particularly kawaiso.. but he is very also Kawaii meaning "cute". I am thinking of getting him..... stay posted for details. UPDATE - unfortunately he was gone the next day... so ill keep looking... Its good he found a nice home anyway.

P.S. - Wondering about the tiger ------> Went to see "The Golden Compass" or "ライラの冒険" as it is known in Japan. Its not bad.... but a bit "kiddy" Anyway the premise is that the people in this world have their souls on the outside of their body and can appear in the form of an animal of different sorts depending on the character of the person.. take the test and decide your Daemon on the official website here

The perfect gentleman

So you aspire to be the perfect gent. sophisticated, suave and debonair.


Now you have the beer to match, the perfect combination! ermmm.....

Setagaya Line 東急世田谷線

The Setagaya Line is a short train line running though... well Setagaya of course....

It is actually not a train but a tram (street car) so it often crosses a street and the actual carriage doesnt really look like a train...



The Setagaya Line is only 5km is is one of only two trams in the Tokyo area (the other is 都電荒川線) and also has its own smart IC card system ( I have to do another post on Japanese Smart cards but please wait for now or request in the comments). You can see an example of the card here which can be bought as a prepaid , top up card or a monthly pass....they can be actually used as both..






Check out the website (in Japanese) here :-)
,

Cornish Pasty

Made this today, it was a little too big but other than that pretty good...






Will have to experiment with different recipes and sizes/shapes in coming weeks..


Cornish Pasties originate from Cornwall (obviously), they were a food kind of like a sandwich that miners could take to work with them down into the mines. The thick crust that is supposed to be on the edge is where the miners could hold the pasty with their dirty fingers.. they then eat the filling and throw away the crust.
There are a huge number of recipes available for pasties, today's variety was the original one with potato, onion, carrot and beef as a filling..... :-)

Flip Flap フリップフラップ

So what is it?....... Its a small solar powered plant.











What does it do?.... Well it just...kind of moves a bit.






Does it need any care?..... No, just since its solar powered you should put it somewhere in the light.



Why do I need it? .... Don't ask stupid questions!


Where can I get one? .. aha well they are made by TakaraTomy, see here for details

Flatpack Fauna

So you feel you need a little bit more nature ( nature = Polar Bear.....ermmm )in your life, don't have enough cash or energy to go to the North Pole.. don't despair! There are now a new range of flat pack animals just for you! :-)













Enjoy...





Hours of entertainment for you and your family :-)


The full troop.

100% Design Tokyo

Went to the 100% Design show in Tokyo today. Pretty interesting and since today was day one it was also pretty busy!











Some of the stands were good many just 'ok'. There does seem to be a real lack of new creativity these days and I was a little disappointed with products which, although nice, lacked any inspiration or new thinking....
















One of the good areas was the section for student designers from universities and colleges.










My goodies from the show.

Its been a Beary long time.......

This keyring/key chain is made by a German company called Lumibear. The design is by Elmar Flötotto and the original one is about two feet high and has a light inside...


Anyway I used to have one of these...maybe about 8 or 9 years ago now but it was stolen and since then i have been looking for the same colour and type.. finally found one in Fukuoka (福岡市). Great
...............


Oh, and I know what you are thinking.....are those MORE penguins? Ermm well yes and since you want to see them so much, here they are :-)

Shiseido

Went to an exhibition of art work for the cosmetics company Shiseido last weekend at Setagaya Art Museum

Couldn't take any photos inside of course but here is the link, it was certainly interesting, the company seems to tend towards Art Deco style designs. The Museum itself is an interesting design too and is also in the middle of a large park. Very relaxing :-)

Chimney

The Chimney is a room humidifier.... the air gets very dry with air conditioning and also in Japan its extremely dry so something like this will help your throat, nose, and general feeling.

The good thing about this one is that it also has a cool design unlike most of the horrible little box ones you can get in electric shops.....

The tank holds about two litres of water which will keep it working for about 8 hours... not that I need to leave it on for 8 hours, my house fills up with a cool water mist hanging in the air...its interesting but you have to be careful that you don't raise the humidity too much, otherwise you can get mold and other nasty bacteria growing everywhere...

Hedgehog

Picked up this rather interesting wooden hedgehog a while back from Muji. Actually i think i was more attracted by the box but that said once open i kind of like the actual thing too.. and at 990yen a bargain....





What's it for? Hmmmm well its a toy for kids, I'm sure not enough kids get to play with wooden hedgehogs ............................................. don't you?