Hung out with Steven on day 2.  We did some Cherry Blossom watching & lots of eating.

You see some strange things in Japan... Ice cream burger pie anyone?

 

The building with the gold drop is Ashai's HQ.

 

The Red Sox opened the 2008 season in Tokyo giving those of us doing time in Asia a once in a life time chance to see our home town ball club in a real game.  Needless to say... with the help of Hawaii classmate (Steve-o).. I got tickets and got my ass to Tokyo.

My coworker Tony took this pic at the airport.. Flight 804 to Tokyo left at 720am.

 

 

Next stop (right off the plane) was a quick dinner with Steve.  We went to a little Japanese joint under the subway tracks.  They had cheap beer.

 

  

 

On the subway to Tokyo Dome

 

The sign above says.. "Don't run on the field."  

 

Thanks Beer Girl

 

 

Hot dogs Japan style

Other food stuff at the game

 

The ride home proved pretty interesting.  My lovely friends convinced me to buy the child ticket from the ticket machine.  A then drunk me had to pay the difference from the ticket man when we got off.  I love having friends.

Please sir... im just a drunk gai jin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is an election year in the US (and Taiwan) so I'm thinking a lot about politics these days.  Ever wonder what the national income distribution in America looks like?  Wonder no more.  Notice how all of the states at the top of the list are blue and all of the ones at the bottom are red.  Interesting list.  Those rich liberals.. but at least the good conservative folks have their values and morals right? Wrong.   I've also posted a list showing the state by state divorce rates.  Surprise... all the ones at the top are blue too.  I guess the rich liberals have better marriages too. 

 

1.       New Jersey  66,752

2.       Maryland 63,082

3.       Hawaii 61,005

4.       Connecticut 60,551

5.       New Hampshire 60,411

6.       Alaska 57,071

7.       Massachusetts 56,592

8.       Minnesota 56,102

9.       Utah 55,619

10.   Virginia 55,368

11.   California 54,385

12.   Colorado 53,900

13.   Washington 53,515

14.   Delaware 52,676

15.   Rhode Island  52,421

16.   Vermont  52,174

17.   Nevada 51,036

18.   Illinois  49,328

19.   Wisconsin 48,903

20.   Nebraska 48,820

21.   New York 48,472

22.   Georgia 48,388

23.   Pennsylvania 48,148

24.   Iowa 48,075

25.   Michigan 48,043

United States national median ($ 48,023)

26.   District of Columbia  47,473

27.   Arizona 46,693

28.   Wyoming 46,613

29.   Oregon  46,349

30.   Idaho  45,919

31.   Ohio  45,776

32.   Maine  45,503

33.   Florida 45,038

34.   South Dakota  44,996

35.   Indiana  44,618

36.   Missouri  44,487

37.   Kansas  44,478

38.   Texas 43,044

39.   North Dakota  42,311

40.   North Carolina 41,616

41.   Tennessee  40,696

42.   South Carolina  40,583

43.   New Mexico 40,126

44.   Montana 39,821

45.   Oklahoma 38,859

46.   Kentucky 38,694

47.   Alabama 38,160

48.   West Virginia 38,029

49.   Louisiana 37,472

50.   Arkansas 37,458

51.   Mississippi 34,343

  

SOURCE: US Census Bureau, 2005/06

 

<sup>Rank     State      Number    Rate    
---------------------------------------

  1   Massachusetts  14,530    2.4    
  2   Connecticut     9,095    2.8    
  3   New Jersey     23,899    3.0    
  4   Rhode Island    3,231    3.2    
  5   New York       59,195    3.3    
      Pennsylvania   40,040    3.3    
  7   Wisconsin      17,478    3.4    
      North Dakota    2,201    3.4    
  9   Maryland       17,439    3.5    
10   Minnesota      16,217    3.6    
      Louisiana         ***    3.6    
12   Illinois       43,398    3.7    
13   District of     2,244    3.9    
      Columbia
      Iowa           10,930    3.9    
15   Nebraska        6,547    4.0    
      Vermont         2,316    4.0    
17   Michigan       38,727    4.1    
18   South Dakota    3,022    4.2    
      South Carolina 15,301    4.2    
      Hawaii          4,979    4.2    
21   California        ***    4.3    
22   Maine           5,433    4.4    
      New Hampshire   5,041    4.4    
24   Ohio           49,968    4.5    
25   Virginia       30,016    4.6        
26   Kansas         12,093    4.7    
      Utah            8,999    4.7
28   Delaware         3,385   4.8
29   Montana          4,153   4.9
30   Missouri        26,324   5.0
      West Virginia    9,179   5.0
32   North Carolina  36,292   5.1
      Colorado        18,795   5.1
34   Georgia         37,001   5.2
35   Oregon          16,307   5.3
36   Texas           99,073   5.4
37   Alaska           3,354   5.5
38   Washington      29,976   5.6
39   Mississippi     15,212   5.7
40   Kentucky        22,211   5.8
      Arizona         23,725   5.8
42   Florida         82,963   5.9
43   New Mexico       9,882   6.0
44   Idaho            7,075   6.2
      Alabama         26,116   6.2
46   Indiana            ***   6.4
47   Wyoming          3,071   6.5
48   Tennessee       34,167   6.6
49   Oklahoma        21,855   6.7
50   Arkansas        17,458   7.1
51   Nevada          13,061   9.0</sup>

Robert and his wife are in Town from Jakarta.  I took them to the seafood restaurant near my house: 新海山.

Shrimp, Veges, & Eggplant

 

 

 

Chili crab, Peper crab, and what the table looked like after we were all done

 

I tried to hike Gunung Belumut today... but the guards tried to make me pay for a 150 RM permit.  I think they were trying to hustle me.  I didnt bite.  All I have to show for the trip are some pics of the palm oil plantation leading up the Mtn.

Sunday dinner time again;

 

Made my first 豬腳 today.  Here are the results

Cooked my own 三杯雞 for the first time tonight.  Here is the result:

Samantha & Anne flew back to Taiwan today.  Before they left, we all had a last lunch at the Banana Leaf

Samantha also taught me how to cook 三杯雞 (again)

Samantha taught me how to cook 豬腳

Samantha, Anne, and Sherry are visiting to check out schools in Singapore.  I took them to the neighborhood seafood joint.