Consumer Whoring

Warning: This post sells out.

Some accessories I became particularly attached to this year:






Some Toys I Bought






Products I helped get on the shelves:

Top 8 of 08: Books

Image Source: bestsellerauthors.com/blog/

Warning: Don't judge this post by its cover.

Travelling a lot and commuting to work has given me a chance to rekindle my love of a good novel (I generally can't/don't read non-fiction), and I manage to work my way through a good 16-odd of them on the train, plane and Chinese taxi. In order for me to finish a book it has to be at least 3-stars until midway through; after that I'm likely to tough it out even if it deteriorates, just in case the author happens to pick up the pieces at the end.
FYI, The worst book I ever read was Peter F. Hamilton's Misspent Youth - I had faith in him but he betrayed me. Luckily we've reconciled over the last 3 mammoths he's written (he has an average novel length of around 800 words). John Marsden has yet to redeem himself, however, as his "Ellie Chronicles" feel more and more like he's pulling a George Lucas, ie. milking it for all it's worth.

Top Books I Read in 08:(in reverse order)


8. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
The reviews all call it a masterpiece, but for me it's kinda just another post-apocalyptic commentary on the human psyche. A damn good one, mind, but it loses half a star for a lack of originality (and also refusing to bring its grammar up to a level above "....and then....and then...").


7. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
An awkward but unavoidable scenario as seen from the eyes of all involved. Smooth and enthralling dialogue and a unique perspective on a common topic - what more can one ask for?


6. Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus - Orson Scott Card
I do love authors who can combine entertaining fiction with lessons in history or anything else for that matter (NB: Da Vinci Code fails in the fiction, not the lesson). OSC (one of my favourite authors) achieves just that - Pastwatch tries to pinpoint the one moment in history that had the most effect on where we have stuffed up in this world, and sorry Mr. Columbus, but apparently it's your little boat trip. It's not gospel, but it's food for thought.


5. Blindsight - Peter Watts
Watts redefines the 'First Contact' story, says one reviewer. Certainly it's a novel take, bursting with suspense and new, cool technology (like all good SF should have) and a sense of unpredictability. Watts sometimes gets lost in his own jargon, but if you can sift through it the ideas he is proposing are pretty neat, in a really geeky way.


4. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
Quaint, young adult-ish take on relationships and logic, delivered with pacy wit and oddball characters. Maximum points for prose style, and Green does well to attack the often over-exaggerated emotional trials of teenagers, without letting his main character become entirely unlikable.


3. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
This book reestablished Margaret Atwood as one of my favourite authors. Her characters are vivid, her antagonists (in this case, a 19th Century accused-murderess imprisoned at the age of 16, and the doctor examining her) are flawed and human. The book is loosely based upon the true story of Grace Marks and the two murders she was charged for, and Atwood does an artistic (and creepy) job of sewing together the pieces that are missing from any official records, or perhaps anyone's knowledge.
I have never read Atwood I didn't like - and this continues that trend.


2. Shantaram - Gregory Roberts
Amazing tale of a man who flees to Bombay, only to fall in love with it. Attacks concepts of wealth, love, honour, and right and wrong, on a journey of self-discovery that is all the more impressive for its roots in the truth. He's perhaps a little simple in his writing style and when he tries to glorify his language it comes out a bit forced, but he more than makes up for it with the story he has to tell. In the end, it speaks for itself.


1. Number9dream - David Mitchell
Beginning with disorientating, fantastic blend of fantasy and reality, number9dream is a brilliant piece of work. The reasons I love it are diverse: firstly, many gaijin write about Japan, but Mitchell actually writes Japan. His POV of Tokyo is so spot-on that many points I hadn't even considered unique until he brought them to my attention. His dabbling with original metaphors, shying away from cliche, makes it all the more memorable. Take this, his protagonist in a rather pitiful Eiji Miyake, and his twists and turns, and you have Mitchell at his best. This may be a book about a boy who's trying to find his estranged father, but it's no heartfelt coming-of-age piece. It's an exploding 3D neon alleyway as seen from a speeding car driven by a drunk: you often feel you caught just a glimpse of the vivid depths of the Japan he describes. His later novel Cloud Atlas is more timeless, but Number9dream is a real gem.




Honourable Mention: The Book of Everything - Guus Kuijer
A novella translated from Dutch most expertly, but maintains a quaint style of prose that feels distinctly like a foreign language. One of those books that pervades age ranges and genres to create a timeless, sad and sweet story.

Merry Christmas (Part 2)

Warning: This post treats Christmas like Valentines.

So my fourth Christmas in Japan rolls around (previous three being '04, '06-'07). Japanese don't do Christmas like Westerners do (though, if you think about it, do Westerners even do Christmas like Westerners "did"?). It's much harder to sucker parents into buying gifts for their kids when New Years (and it's gift-giving traditions) are just around the corner.
So JapaXmas takes its leaf from the other book of holiday marketing, and plays it up as a romantic occasion. As a friend told me yesterday, she feels lonelier on Christmas Eve without a boyfriend than she does on Valentines. At least on Valentines you can give to multiple people without the need to be dating. On Xmas Eve, everything's a bit more "couples only". That is, good luck getting into an Italian restaurant without a reservation.

I do despise commercialism of tradition, but I do enjoy a night out with the missus, and it's a good excuse to splurge a bit (what recession?). Last night it was a slightly over-priced pasta restaurant and a bottle of savignon blanc. Very nice.


Was nice to get in a hello to the family this morning too - we didn't get the connection speed to be able to do a webcam present-opening session, but I still got to see their lovely faces, including Caleb (my 6-month-old stand-in).

I, for my part on the receiving end, got a bag, a belt, a tie, a novel and a sweater. Now all I need is slippers, socks and a dressing gown and I think I'm ready to fastforward to my 40s. Nah, they were all awesome gifts and I'm very lucky to get anything.
My gift from me to me was a new digicam - Canon Powershot IXY 920IS - which was on special thanks to this lovely dip in the economy. I'll probably regret it later when I lose my job and have to scrounge for cash.

Feliz navidad a todos - I wish I could be with everyone I know! Especially because then I could probably score some free food ;)

Merry Christmas (Part 1)

Warning: The war probably isn't over.

I'd put more Sudan and Zimbabwe footage, but it's not my video. Nice work though.

Top 8 of 08: Destinations

Warning: This post is going places - or went them, at the least.

So I went a few places this year. A fair few. Everywhere from the local supermarket ("Super Tamade") to Vegas. I also attended my share of musically-orientated assemblies - where much fun was to be had.
Here's a bunch of lists.

Top Places I Went of 2008 (grammar intentional)

1. San Diego - Wonderful city. If I can get past the aging hippies and the gange infatuation, this may be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

2. Melbourne - More crazies than SD, but even more fun. Saw more bar fights in one night than I have in my other 24 years. Beautiful & (essentially) friendly though.


3. Hong Kong - The insane town that it is. Hotter and more bustling than anywhere I've ever been - and this was in autumn. Always makes me feel very very poor.


4. Sapporo - I was in Hokkaido for less than 24 hours and didn't see much more than Dora's apartment, an izakaya and the bottoms of a very large number of Kirin bottles, but it seemed like a wonderful place. Plans to go back have already been made (and shelved due to lack of time & money).


5. Wellington - Can't beat it on a good day huh? Was nice to be back home, especially for long enough to feel sad when I was leaving.


6. Bali - Bar the rubbish and the extreme UV, was very beautiful, and the hotel our boss had us up in for the 2 nights on a company vacation was exorbitant and fantastic. Hagglers were a bit of fun too - if irritating eventually.


7. Morioka - a small town in northern Tokyo, my 3 nights in Morioka consisted of drinking, karaoke, sleeping and beginning the cycle again. Wonderful town from a part of Japan I almost couldn't imagine - the attraction lies in that it has no "attractions".


8. Tokyo - well who doesn't love Tokyo? I've been there 5 times this year; twice I stayed less than 6 hours (flight transfer), twice were only for an evening, and once for a whole weekend. That's kinda how we stay friends - moderation. Plus I don't want Osaka to think I'm cheating on her.

Top Gigs/sets of 2008


1. Mr. Oizo @ We Love Sounds (Melbourne, June) - I think enough has been said about this, but it was a defining hour of my musical life. I think I kissed a man too.


2. Boys Noize @ Ganban Night, Makuhari Messe (Tokyo, October) - 3.30am, I'm about to pass out, and this guy mixes up a storm. Noone else could have kept me on that dancefloor and leave me feeling more genki than when he started.

3. Radiohead @ Osaka Municipal Gymnasium (Osaka, October) - The lights, the sounds, Thom Yorke's giant, drunk-faced screen projection, all of them in rainbows.

4. Jason Mraz @ Namba Hatch (Osaka, July) - Finally. The most happy-feeling concert I've been to since Ben Harper.

5. Soulwax @ Black Chamber (Osaka, October) - Dressed in suits with undone bow ties like they're playing at an after party, Soulwax took the evident (re)merge of electronica and rock one step closer to fruition.

6. South Central @ Summer Sonic (Osaka, August) - hard and dark and irresistible. Yum.


7. Cut Copy @ The Forum (Melbourne, June) - This is the kind of music that feels like neon lights and avante garde photography. Seeing it up close with a bunch of fanboys in the band's hometown only made it more beautiful. Worth the trip to Melbourne alone.

8. DJ Hype @ Triangle (Osaka, July) - While Triangle had many a fantastic gig this year, DJ Hype stood out as being something rather special. I don't know what it was - the long hiatus of drumnbass, the superb mixing skills, or just a nice level of drunkenness, but those involved all agree it was quite intense.

Other: Gigs I wish I'd gone to:
- Digitalism + Shinichi Osaka (February)
- Modest Mouse (March)
- kap10kurt (May)
- Simian Mobile Disco (June)
- The Black Ghosts (July)
- Underworld etc. @ Fuji Rock Festival (July)
- The Prodigy (Tokyo, August)
- Ladyhawke (Tokyo, August)
- Autokratz (September)

Other: Places I'm Glad I didn't go:
- Zimbabwe
- Sudan
- The coast off Somalia
- Walmart on Black Friday
- Sichuan on May 12

Top 8 of 08: Music (Artists)

Warning: The following 8 don't paint.

In a year where everyone was clambering over Coldplay, Katy Perry and M.I.A., who was I being wowed by?
Top 8 Artists of 2008

Fake Blood
Everything this man touched this year turned to remixed gold. The intrinsic sound of 2008 - I could have included any of his remixes in my previous post's list. Underworld's Ring Road, The Count & Sinden's Beeper, and of course Little Boots Stuck on Repeat all come out all the better under Theo's watch. As it says on his myspace:
"I MAKE MUSIC - AND I TAKE YOUR MUSIC AND DO WHAT I WANT WITH IT.
IF SWALLOWED SEEK MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
WILL STAIN CLOTHES.
WILL SOUND SPECTACULAR."
Yes, yes it will.

Boys Noize
So Oi! Oi! Oi! came out in 2007, but Herr Noize has been equally busy this year, with touring and remixes further installing him as a powerhouse in electro. His Suck My Deck mix under Bugged Out was probably my favourite mix album of the year, and his performance at Ganban Night in Tokyo in October was just...damn.

Radiohead
The In Rainbows tour did for Radiohead what Alive 2007 did for Daft Punk - a culmination of the greatest things about them in a palimpsest of sound and light, showing that Radiohead really do what they do best.

Jason Mraz
Mr. A to Z is back! Jason's most poppy track ever - I'm Yours - has propelled him to renewed fame, so much that it's mildly irritating. In the typical "I knew him first" vein, hearing people go "I love that song" irks me, especially as it's not his best work. The album has grown on me over the year, but seeing him live for the first time in July was just amazing (see fanboy rant here).

Cut Copy
The boys from Melbourne were a mild blip on my radar a year ago, with their Fabriclive release sparking my attention but paling in comparison to the Evil Nine mix directly before it. 12 months and a trip down to see them later, and they've effectively changed my attitude towards electronic music. In Ghost Colours is a solid album, and they're not half-bad live either. I haven't really got into the remix side of their work, but I'm sure I'll come around.

Mr. Oizo
As far as I knew, Mr. Oizo was dead. Who the hell was the guy who made Flat Eric with the epileptic weiner smoking muppet, and where'd he go? Finding him was akin to Where's Wally - he popped up in a crowd of people in a hard-to-see scene in Melbourne, disguised in a massive beard and homeless-guy white shirt. Some fiercely beaten and scratched 60 minutes later, and I couldn't understand why we had ever parted ways. His new album for 08, Lamb's Anger is something truly special - challenging to listen to, but God is it good.

Santogold
Santogold is everything good about the underground hip-hop scene mixed with just the right amount of electronica, and retro fashion. Good debut album, good gig, and damn that woman is hot.

Sebastien Tellier
How can a guy who looks like a clone of Mr. Oizo make the sexiest album of the year? Easy: Be French. Admittedly all I got on Mr. Tellier is that and his Eurovision performance, but it's enough to make him one of the biggest guys in 2008. If you can't get laid to Sexuality, then you might as well become a monk*.


*All is not lost: My friend tells me Top Gun is the number one movie to watch with someone you want to sleep with.