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Recently finished reading my second García Márquez book, News of a Kidnapping.  Riveting stuff.

News of a Kidnapping tells the story of a number of kidnappings carried out in 1990 by the Colombian cocaine cartel, Medellin; led by billionare drug baron, Pablo Escobar.

García Márquez, in his amazing way with words, describes with intricate detail the effects the kidnappings have on the victims. He draws you into the depths of Escobar’s cruel mind and gives an good look at the sociological issues the kidnappings bring about and details the political control that Escobar exerted on all aspects of Colombian society during that time.

Drawn from interviews, diaries, media reports and other sources, it is a frightening yet tremendously insightful look at the history of the country during a very painful period in Colombia.

For anyone with the slightest interest in recent Colombian history and society it is a valuable read.

Ever wondered how the small arrow on your computer monitor works when you move the mouse?

With the aid of a high powered screen magnifying lens, the underlying mechanism becomes apparent.

The image may take a minute or two to download and when it appears, move your mouse over the light gray circle and you will see how the the movement of the mouse comes into being.

http://www.1-click.jp

What is it with names? 

I have a simple name, 4 letters. 2 vowels, 2 consonants.  Yet somehow I still get so many different permutations in the spelling (and pronounciation) of my name.  Have a go at these, Here are just some of the names that have been attributed to me recently.

Got any others?

• Luck
• Luke san
• Fluke
• Luc
• Like
• Licke

Recently I was describing what I thought of this book to good friends.
I told them, while I was reluctant to attribute such a grand assertion to my reading of this novel, I went ahead and stated that;

“….it is probably the best book I have ever read, to date”

During my reading I found it very difficult to pause at times, when I reached the last page, I was tempted to return to the beginning and commence over again.   I just could not put it down, and wanted to continue reading day and night.  Often I had to force myself to put the book down and go to sleep, else I’d had been up all night.
No doubt I will re-read this book in the near future.

I had seen the film The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which was based on the book, over 10 years ago and I really enjoyed that film, but wondered if that has just a little to do with the magnificent acting by Daniel Day-Lewis & Juliette Binoche.
While the film is still an great work, the book is a masterful achievement beyond comparison.

Kundera is a genius wordsmith. His ability to draw you into the detail of the complex relationships between people and depth of thought is unlike anything I have read before. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a book that deserves greater attention, it forces the reader to not only understand the characters and their story, but to reassess ones own life and existance.

I cannot recall ever reading a book prior to The Unbearable Lightness of Being, that put a lump in my throat and made my eyes well up.

Following on with the unplanned musical theme of films I have seen this month, I recently had the pleasure to see, La Tourneuse de pages (The Page Turner)

I really enjoyed this film. 

The Page Turner is a cleverly crafted French psychological thriller. It kept me in suspense throughout the entire film, I was twisting in my seat at times wondering what surprises would come next. 
There are some amazing sequences of classical piano in this film, of particular note is the Shostokovich piece, so dramatically played, even with the mistakes which were required of the film.
Mélanie (who is played by Déborah François) completely draws you into her mind and her mental contortions as she corrupts & destroys those around her.

A wonderful film, one that you are well advised to see.

What a disappintment.  This movie is really crap.

Acting : D-
Storyline : E
Casting : D (apart from Ed Harris, who was well placed)
Music : A (The 9th Symphony was excellent in Dolby surround)

I had read a number of reviews before seeing this film, most of which were accurately critical of the film.   Therefore I was reluctant to even go and see the film, but thought I should really go and make up my own mind.  I’m not going to bother writing much about why is was so crap apart from; the American accents, the boring dialog, the screenplay that didn’t exist, the stupid blond moments.
And what really confused me……  The “wash me” moment that came out of nowhere.
You can use Google to locate those reviews.

My advice, don’t waste your time on Copying Beethoven.

I’m back from my stint in Tokyo.

Summary:

• Over 150 pairs of disposable chopsticks used (apparently from Chinese forests)
• Approx 120 bowls of rice consumed, but only 3 potatoes (this ratio would normally be inversed)
• One very sore head http://www.doherty.net.au/wpress/?p=375
• 2 Earthquakes
• Completed disaster training at the Bosai Kan (firefighting, escape from smoke filled building & earthquake simulator)
• Managed to down raw chicken sashimi
• Got lost on numerous occasions
• Caught the metro during peak hour (very, very squishy)

Photos from Japan can be found in the Gallery here
There are various sections: Niseko, Kyoto, Tokyo, Kamakura, Karuizawa, Hakone
(Note: Click into each album to view the entire album)

Wow. What can be said about Niseko that isn’t all good?

- Some of the best powder snow in the world, and certainly
the best in Asia
- 3.6M snowbase with regular top-ups daily!
- Great quality & affordable Japanese food & beer
- Decent length & huge wide open runs
- Skiing between the trees
- Skiing view a view of an active volcano (Mt Yotei-san)
- Making first tracks

The snow absolutely dumps on Niseko, really DUMPS. This is due to super chilled air that blows off the Siberian plateau, picks up moisture over the Sea of Japan and then falls in buckets as fluffy white powder, all over the mountains of Niseko.

On a Friday afternoon we headed out to Tokyo’s Haneda airport for the flight up to Japan’s largest northern island of Hokkaido.

Two silly gaijin (foreigners) and 300 or so Japanese packed into a Boeing 747 like sardines for the 60 minute flight north.
After landing at Sapporo Chitose airport, we had 2 hrs to kill before our bus departed for Niseko. Dinner at a noodle bar, before jumping on the bus for the 2.5 hr ride up to Niseko.

The entire 2.5 hour trip we were driving through snow. Deep enough snow to require the roads to be cleared, we passed through intersections where we could’t see around the corner for the height of the snow, and were weren’t even on the mountain yet!
We arrived in Niseko at around 11:30pm, and straight to bed. We woke on Saturday morning to a light dusting of snow, and reports that the previous 2 days skiing had been knee-to-waist deep powder.

We skied hard all day Saturday, apart from a short break for lunch, skiing opposite an active volcano was a real sight to see.
At the end of the day we headed to an Izakaya for beers and a feed that could not be beaten.
Hokkaido is known for it’s love of good food and commonly referred to as the food bowl of Japan. In particular the humble potato takes pride of place in Hokkaido, even the logo of Niseko is a potato on skis!
After dinner, we visited an Ice Bar.  Yes, it was cold. The vodka came served in a ‘glass’ made of ice.  The walls, table, chairs, made of ice illuminated by lights internally.  It was quite an experience. (at a price to match)

Day 2 and we were up early and first 2 skiers on the lift, which meant first tracks through fresh powder down the mountain. Skiing that morning was unlike anything I have ever skied before. So deep, snow so dry & light, making wide fast turns down the mountain devoid of any other skiers.
Of course there were a few huge falls, goggles lost, skis all over the mountain. but thats all part of the fun.

Sunday afternoon had us skiing the Hanazono ski area, on the Strawberry Fields run through the trees. Again, amazing deep snow and tight turns through the trees.
At the end of the day, as the snow continued to fall, we made a visit to the sento (public bath) to soothe those tired leg muscles before back on the bus, and sleep for 2 hours before boarding the flight back to Tokyo.

Photos from Niseko can be found here in the gallery and the moblog.

This morning I climbed out of bed at 9:45am.

I walked into the dining room to investigate some creaking noises coming from the kitchen.  I felt strangely dizzy and had to stop taking forward steps. In my semi-awake state, I noticed that the lamps were swinging from the ceiling. 

Only then did it occur to me that we were having an earthquake in Tokyo, and the creaking and clicking I could hear was the building flexing and swaying with the seismic motion. (I’m on the 33rd floor of a highrise tower)

As it turns out, the quake was a magnitude 7.1, and centred a few hundred kilometres north-west of Tokyo.  This was the second quake this week, after the little shudder (4.2) we had in the office on Thursday morning.

Quite an experience and somewhat disconcerting to know its such a long way down to the ground.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald today, Sydney is to gain 55 kilometres of dedicated bike paths, as part of the City of Sydney cycling plan.

Bike-only lanes let cyclists shift into a new gear

It’s been a l-o-n-g time coming, but the plan is due for approval by council on Monday, with construction to commence in June 2007. Lets hope it goes through unopposed.

This plan could be a great leap forward for the city of Sydney, with cycle infrastructure in the CBD, we can hope this leads to outlying councils doing more to promote safe cycle transport within the greater Sydney area.

Along with all the benefits cycling brings, healthy community, clean efficent transport, safer streets, less traffic congestion.