Andrew Currie Online

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  Andrew 8:15 PM on January 6, 2006 Permalink
  Tags: Asia ( 59 ), Coffee ( 4 ), Food ( 13 ), Tokyo   

  Tokyo Food and Drink 

  So far the LinLyn and I are three for three in Japanese meals… After we checked in to our hotel Thursday night I successfully re-traced my steps to my favourite Shibuya sushi bar. The next morning I treated her to the hotel’s decadent western-style breakfast buffet.

  

  Last night we decided on some kind of cooked Japanese food, and ended up at the CoCo Curry House. This was the special of the day, deep-fried pork on a bed of rice, perched on the shores of a large pool of curry. The photo doesn’t do it justice—it was delicious!

  

  I got my after-dinner coffee here, at the Excelsior Caffé. LinLyn remembered that this coffee chain was written up in the TimeOut guide back in our hotel room. Apparently it’s a direct knock-off of Starbucks and they had to change their logo slightly to avoid a lawsuit, which only made it taste better in retrospect…
  

   
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  Andrew 10:09 PM on January 5, 2006 Permalink
  Tags: Asia ( 59 ), Tokyo   

  DoCoMo Woes in Tokyo 

  

  LinLyn and I on the NEX from the airport, me a little punchy and her a little asleep after our thirteen-hour flight…

  While the internet connection in my hotel room is rock solid, our pair of rented 3G handsets are a bit of mixed blessing. I’ve been able to text my buddy Kevin Hilditch who’s vacationing in Hong Kong with his wife, and I can access my voicemail back in Toronto. But even though our phones have advanced features like video conferencing, we can’t call each other and I can’t get on the mobile internet.

  Maybe it’s for the best… I won’t be whipping out my phone too often on these crowded streets; compared to what the locals have it’s just too big and ugly!

  Andrew Currie and Daniel Chun are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Daniel Chun 1:43 AM on January 7, 2006 Permalink | Reply

    As supected.. the different signalling standard on roaming, internetwork msg, and J-standard on everything will bring complicities. I should have asked u for your HipTop2 as a loaner for me, in exchange for sending u to the airport, and for me to evaulate whether i should buy one. wiffy says no right now. Rgds, enjoy the j culture, the ultra mini bunk hotel would be nice to just try out.. hehe..
    rgds
    Daniel/LittleScientist

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    Andrew Currie 3:19 AM on January 8, 2006 Permalink | Reply

    Hey Daniel,

    What’s a wiffy?
    

    Actually, even without a functioning radio my hiptop is still usable here, mainly to play games while waiting for my missus to finish up with her shopping!

    And did you know that you can get a hiptop from Fido for a free 15-day trial and pay only for the airtime you use?

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  Andrew 5:56 PM on January 3, 2006 Permalink
  Tags: Asia ( 59 ), Before Facebook ( 2 ), Tokyo   

  Advice on Men from Hello Kitty 

  

  In advance of my departure for Tokyo tomorrow I’ve been harvesting links on Japanese culture. This one arrived in my Del.icio.us inbox this morning—an interactive Hello Kitty questionnaire that will yield your ideal man.

  Post your results below if you like. Apparently I’m into bad boys…?

  Andrew Currie and Lord Wat are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Lord Wat 8:21 PM on January 3, 2006 Permalink | Reply

    Looky looky, I’m into bad boys, too. Or, as Kitty says, “you are often attracted by the evil side of mankind.”

    BWAAHAHAAAAAAA!

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    Daniel Chun 11:04 PM on January 3, 2006 Permalink | Reply

    Bon Voyage !! AC, GSM phones doesn’t work in Japan and nor does canucks own berry…guess u will be quiet then.
    Enjoy ! Daniel

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    Andrew Currie 11:20 PM on January 3, 2006 Permalink | Reply

    Not to worry, Daniel… I’ve got that covered:

    http://roaming.nttdocomo.co.jp/service/detail.html

    Not as sweet as phone as those Japanese keitai but at least I can text from my own number!

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  Andrew 1:01 PM on December 26, 2005 Permalink
  Tags: Asia ( 59 ), Tokyo   

  My Incredibly Foolish Christmas Gift… Revealed! 

  

  For everyone who’s been wondering what was up with that cryptic message in my sidebar, I can now reveal all…

  Yes, it’s a Christmas present for my girlfriend and no, it’s not an engagement ring!

  What she’s getting instead is a free ride to the mecca of my rebirth as a semi-fearless international traveller. That’s right, on January 4th, 2006 Ms. LinLyn Lue will be joining me on Air Canada Flight #1 for a seven-day trip to Tokyo, Japan. It will be my third trip there (entries on trip 1 here & trip 2 here) and her first. Rest assured I’ll be posting from our hotel… I may even convince her to post some comments of her own!

   
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  Andrew 12:00 PM on August 26, 2001 Permalink
  Tags: Asia ( 59 ), Japan ( 13 ), shenmue, Tokyo   

  Sunday, August 26th, 2001: 

  I posted photos and a treat from Tokyo this morning, right after I finished playing Shenmue. I had given up on the game last January when my character (avatar, whatever) — Ryo Hazuki — got a job as a forklift operator; every time I played I had to put in a full day of work! But my infatuation with Japanese culture, boosted by my trip, lured me back. I can’t tell you how happy I was when Ryo got fired!

  Shenmue really is a landmark event in the mostly bullshit world of new media, half game and half epic movie. One of the things I enjoyed most about it was that it was so earnest — no cynicism, post-modernism, parody… Just a well-told (if trite) story that you can interact with. It is precisely what makes me want to get into the videogames industry.

  At the same time, the traditional discipline of corporate whoring calls, with bookings for upcoming Second City industrial shows. My first one this year (!) comes in September with a trip to Vancouver. I’m hoping to stay over an extra day and score an interview with Electronic Arts.

  I also found out I’m a second-stringer for a tour of Canadian consulates in Asia. If someone on the A-list gets another gig, I could be going to Hong Kong, just like Ryo Hazuki will be doing in the Shenmue sequel! Keep your fingers crossed…