Ohkenada

Although he was a dominating force on the ice during the early to mid-nineties, Jaromir Jagr's mullet put him squarely at the lower echelons of respectability of North American society. I mean, you're a guy making millions of dollars, you can hire the best fashion consultants around. Hell, you don't even need to hire a fashion consultant. Pick anyone off the street could tell you for free that the mullet went out with leggings over leotards, the band Dokken, and parachute pants. Yet there Jaromir was, night after night, flying down the ice with a huge tail of hair flowing after him like he was some sort of furry comet. And oh how we North American sports fans chided him for it. However, since arriving in Jaromir's native Czech Republic, I've come to realize that we ... read more

It really was a fling: one day to run wild along the streets of Singapore, soaking in all the pleasures and delights the city has to offer. Not much more I can say at this point, as time is running out on me here. Enjoy the photos for now and hopefully I'll be able to come up with a composition more in keeping with my usual eloquence at a later date.... read more

A brief history first. When we were young, my sister Kelsey and I were loaded up into the old GMC Safari along with all the necessary provisions and whisked away for the great family summer vacation somewhere in continental North America. It was an annual tradition, one Kels and I could count on as reliably as the arrival of Christmas or Easter: once exams were over and school was done, it was family vacation time. I hope I’m not sounding ungrateful here, because I’m not. Just as my parents prophesized before we set out for yet another trip to some place I had no interest in, I have come to cherish those vacations now that I’m older. Actually, even back then I think I can say I enjoyed every single vacation we went on—even the Science ... read more

I was awakened Monday morning at the rude hour of 5 am not by my alarm or an errant phone call or even by the persistent din of ambulances on their way to the hospital down the street from my apartment, sirens wailing, loudspeakers booming polite suggestions for motorists to, “please move to the side because we are turning left,” but by the force of my bed, my room, my apartment, my building and indeed the entire city shaking violently. When I arrived in Japan I was keenly aware that it is a country susceptible to earthquakes. Moreover, I can hardly forget the images of the 1995 earthquake that left much of Kobe, a city 4 hours to the east of Hiroshima, leveled and burning. As such, I was quite bothered by a nagging and somewhat ... read more

It should have been a terrible day yesterday. The Oil lost game 1 of the Stanley Cup final after taking a 3-1 lead into the third period. Plus they lost the services of Dwayne Roloson, who for all intents and purposes was responsible for getting the team to the finals in the first place. Both losses were tough to stomach (I reckon all Edmontonians feel this way), and while I mourned for a while, it was difficult to stay dejected. Not when I had tickets to the Ben Harper concert at Hiroshima’s intimate Club Quattro the same evening. Wow, what a show it was! First of all, Ben Harper, who could easily sell out venues of several thousand back home, played for an audience of a few hundred here. Plus, the club is so small, it ... read more

Oh cruel, cruel fates. Why is it you doom me to being in this country where hockey is as foreign as bearded, afroed white men. Why now, when the Oil are going to their first Stanley Cup final in 16 years? Oh woe, woe betides me. Okay, I’m done with the melodramatics now. Yes, it does suck to be so far away from the action while the Oil are within four victories of hockey glory, but my thanks goes out to everyone who has kept me updated about the Oil’s progress throughout these playoffs. Rest assured though, that despite the fact I can’t booze up and riot on Whyte Ave. with all the other crazy, boozed up, riotous Edmontonians, the distance hasn’t diluted the excitement of this cup run any less. I haven’t quite started up ... read more

Bland concrete office buildings and tenement-like apartment complexes are opaquely visible against a smog-obscured horizon; power lines propped up on looming metal relay towers cut a swath across mountain tops; rivers, in addition to having their ebb and flow regulated by concrete banks, suffer the further indignity of being home to discarded bicycles, tires, umbrellas and other unwanted debris. These images are hardly what any sane person would consider beautiful. Unfortunately, they are all too prevalent in, and moreover indicative of, modern Japan. It’s a shame that for a population which claims to revere nature so strongly, they’ve done an absolutely terrible job of preserving it. To put it quite frankly, Japan is an ugly country. Or so I thought. While it’s undeniable that there’s more cement and concrete in this country than is warranted, there ... read more