Gettin' Around

Ok..so this is like every bike in Japan. I still don't quite get it. Japan is SO advanced in technologies like cell phone, electronics, etc.. but when it comes to bikes, it's our 1950s standard bike, the kind Grandma used to ride. Maybe the bike is just seen as utilitarian or something..that's theonly thing I can think of, but EVERYONE - young, old, man, woman..has this kind of bike, for the most part. You do see some sportier models once in while, like the one to the right, or a mountain bike, but they are few and far between. I guess its a case of "if it's not broke, don't fix it" kind of thing. Also, no one rides in the streets - its all sidewalk and you know when one is coming up fast on you when you hear the tinny-sound of that old bell...watch out, they ride fast!!

Champagne at the movies?

Not that I indulged in that at 2000 yen/glass (about $18 US), but you can also get a beer for about 8 bucks!! Pretty cool! I went to see my first movie here at The Roppongi Hills Toho Cinema. Sin ce there are lots of foreigners, so there are lots of English movies (not dubbed) with Japanese subtitles. It was really a shock to watch a movie in a theater where the patrons were actually QUIET during the showing (no cell phone talking, shootings, or talking to the screen)! That is/was a big pet peeve of mine, so its nice to know I can go back to the movies. The seats are someone smaller (no huge American butts to fit into them and also more people/unit of space probably) lol. But the drinks and snacks were just as expensive, if not more so. Oh well, for the other benefits, I will pay more for my champagne at the movies any day!

New Canon Job

Thought I'd post some progress shots of latest 3d project I'm working on ... should be a nice spot, but the render times are killing me!! these images took about 15 minutes each for my PC to render... ok, but multiply that by 30 images/second for 80 second spot. If you do the math, then if I am lucky, it will be done before my visa expires! lol : )