Tuesday February 14, 2012

sk4ek's past comments

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    sk4ek

    Sick, sick, sick.

    As a recent article somewhere pointed out, though, these mega-menu items are just a lead-in--some people might try it once, but it's not going in anyone's regular lunch routine, and really, it's a psychological game. They want people to come in, see this ridiculous sandwich on the menu, and feel better about buying a double cheeseburger, which will look perfectly reasonable by comparison.

    Still, the KFC "Double Down" chicken heart attack has been so successful they're keeping it on the menu.

    Posted in: Bite this

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Yokohama’s Chinatown, the largest in both Japan and Asia

    Funny, one would think China is the largest Chinatown in Asia...

    Posted in: Yokohama and steamed dumplings

  • 0

    sk4ek

    As a college exchange student from the U.S. in the 1980s, I spent a year in an immersion-type Japanese language program at one of Japan's top universities, and came out of it functional but less than confident. I have never regretted spending an additional year after that to build my language skills--I just knew if I had gone home after the first year, my speaking and comprehension would have deteriorated more rapidly. Generally, I think two years is about right for gaining fluency--if you are motivated, have a good, structured curriculum, and get lots of daily, real-life practice.

    The nurses my client (a major hospital group) now recruits and brings over (legally, of course) from China all arrive with JLPT Level 1 certification (some study Japanese in parallel with completing their 4- or 5-year nursing education); they spend another 12-18 months studying under a custom-tailored curriculum that focuses on both the Japanese national nursing exam, and on language and culture-specific issues in the Japanese health care environment. To date, all but one of the 40+ candidates who have sat for the national exam have passed, and are now contributing as professionals in a wide variety of workplaces here.

    Without the mental barrier involved in dealing with kanji for the first time, these Chinese nurses have some advantage in reading and writing Japanese, certainly, but other than that, I think many of the challenges they face are no different than those faced by candidates from the Philippines or Indonesia. As Terry notes, it is the approach being taken in preparing them that makes a significant difference.

    Article Unavailable

  • 0

    sk4ek

    "gubbins" ????

    Posted in: 3-in-1 fry-up

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Roger Ebert called it the worst movie at Cannes this year.

    I guess that's publicity, of a sort.

    Posted in: Cannes Beat

  • 0

    sk4ek

    It'd look perfectly fine if he didn't have it tucked into a pair of dress slacks, maybe as an over-shirt with some jeans.

    Posted in: Hatoyama's style

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Nice to see a real book review for a change, instead of a marketing blurb. Ogawa is an interesting--and somewhat underestimated--writer, and her off-kilter themes are perfectly in keeping with the off-kilter track on which this society seems to be progressing.

    Posted in: Hotel Iris

  • 0

    sk4ek

    For someone with such a dark imagination, he looks remarkably wholesome.

    Posted in: Shane Acker thrives on self-destruction, grenades and the end of the world

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Wow, revolutionary. A new page in the history of ice cream flavors!

    Posted in: Ice cream treat

  • 0

    sk4ek

    If they want to really provide a useful service, they should consider tie-ups with companies like LifeLock and Entrustet, which deal specifically with the issues of managing your "online life" while you're alive, and after your dead. What happens to one's online presence after death is an increasingly real concern, as more of us put more and more of ourselves and our financial, professional, and personal lives on the internet. Integrating such services would be of greater value than any data links between social network services.

    Posted in: LIFEmee: A time and a place for all things

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Was in the first Star Trek club in Honolulu back in the 70s, was a lot of fun--and led by Michael Okuda, who went on to design many of the sets for later series and movies. Only know one other Trekkie here though, about my age (and I'm recovered, in any case).

    Posted in: Japanese Trekkie community expanding at warp speed

  • 0

    sk4ek

    That's one heck of a koala.

    Posted in: Kyoka Suzuki relishes detective role and single life

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot squid-on-a-stick.

    Posted in: Pros and cons of visiting Shanghai Expo

  • 0

    sk4ek

    A: They are indeed. Extension Style (2-24-7 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku; 03-6233-9433), is the place, if you’re interested.

    Specializing in the Haystack Look.

    Posted in: Riddles of the changing city

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Nagoya, with its wide, relatively uncrowded streets and flat vistas make it a great place to try something like this out. And really, from the middle of the city, there is not a whole lot to occupy four hours of cycling time anyway.

    Posted in: Hilton Nagoya offers complimentary bicycle service to guests

  • 0

    sk4ek

    I saw "Avatar" at the Kawasaki theater. The PROJECTION/sound system is IMAX, certainly, as that is what gets the "IMAX" imprimatur, but the theater itself was part of the existing multiplex at the LaZona shopping mall. It may be nit-picking, since the movie looked great, but not having the IMAX-style seating and screen does make a difference once you've seen a movie in a full IMAX environment...

    Posted in: IMAX signs new theater deal in Japan

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Too bad they have yet to build a "true" IMAX theater here. The ones they have now just shoehorn a larger screen into a standard movie theater (usually by removing a couple of rows of seats), so you miss the immersiveness (??) that comes with a "true" IMAX theater's concave screen and raked seating... Avatar did look pretty good, nevertheless...

    Posted in: IMAX signs new theater deal in Japan

  • 0

    sk4ek

    Well let us all remain mindful of the thought that "twitter" may have been preceded, etymologically, by "twit".

    "twit" (noun) An insignificant or bothersome person (orig. 1920-25) "twit" (noun) To taunt, tease, reproach

    Either would seem appropriate.

    Posted in: The downside of twittering as Japan goes at it 24 hours a day

  • 0

    sk4ek

    In five years and almost 100 cross-Pacific flights with JAL, I have experienced only two minor delays (of about 20 minutes each) flying out of Narita, and only three delays (two minor, one major but caused by an unseasonal snowstorm at Narita) flying back to Tokyo out of Honolulu. Their punctuality is one thing that makes flying with JAL internationally a stress-free experience.

    Posted in: JAL named most punctual major global airline in 2009

  • 0

    sk4ek

    I remember stopping in Kiso-fukushima (which no longer exists, having been merged with three other villages in 2005 to form Kisomachi) many years ago on my way with a friend driving from Kyoto to Tokyo via Nagano. In the same region as Narai, and--at the time--little known as a tourist destination. But the area was famous for its sake production, and we stopped off there with the express purpose of buying several bottles of their best as gifts for friends in Tokyo. Some of Japan's best small distilleries still operate in the region.

    Posted in: Tradition meets modernity on ancient highway in Nagano

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