Saturday, February 24, 2018

The Olympics and North Korean Spotting

We spotted a whole bunch of North Koreans!
We were close enough to learn their nationalistic hymns!
OMG, one of them waved at me. So star-struck!
The ones across the rink had dance moves too. They did a mean robot. (Does this mean they have robots in N. Korea?)
Barry says we have to show a selfie to show how close we were, but this made his face turn yellow. (It's true that most living humans have not been this close to an actual North Korean).
We met up with our friends Dean, Richard and Michelle, who planned the Olympic trip with us. They are Canada fans too! (It was heavy in logistics planning. At one point we had to impersonate Aussies. Thanks Will and Catherine!)
Barry also made some new friends. They were beavers with maple syrup. Obviously.
Dean and Richard wisely suggested that we go to figure skating. They were correct. Pairs long program is the best event at the Olympics to watch live.
We had good seats. Close enough to the skaters that Julianne Séguin looked up to our cheers! Close enough to the North Korean skater to cause an international incident.
Canadian bronze medalists Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford! We, (including our somewhat less-Canadian friends), were enthralled.

In between events, Korea's future Olympians tidy up the refuse. Inexplicably, the Chinese skaters got stuffed vegetables, including a giant leek, although this is a clue.
We made some good and bad spectator decisions. Canadian women's hockey was a good one. Strangers asked us in Korean for some of our Canada flags. Luckily my Korean is improving.
The United Korea(s) Hockey team scoring their only ever goal was louder than a Tailor Swift concert, I'm sure.
Speed skating is a pretty good spectator sport, with great Korean fans, except for the perpetual breaks to manicure the ice. Canadian Samuel Girard seen here in the front.
While Snowboard Cross is perhaps the best event to watch on TV, this is what it looks like in person. Not a winning choice.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Japanese Discoveries

Now, where were we. Could you please tell me how to get to the escalator?
In Japan, I think I'm all well travelled and well-eaten, but then I discover something called meat-sushi. Who knew?
I flew on the ANA Star Wars BB-8 Plane. I thought this was going to mean special controls and flight attending robots. It was actually just the napkins, and the theme song playing repetitively before takeoff.
This Japanese discovery was even more shocking - the forward leaning (brace position) barber hair-wash sink! I couldn't get closer, but basically you put your head forward into the sink and they wash your hair (while getting shampoo in your eyes?) and then you lean way back the other way for the cut. This is not my favourite Japanese invention...
You need to stay flexible and in shape for that, maybe via a electro-stimulating sixpad!
But remember to wear your snail slime whitener! Mark got us some for Christmas because we got a bit tanned (Ed. note, this is Thai, but we just fit it in there).
And then I went back to translating. Tourists go CRAZY about Tokyo banana in airports across Asia, bringing boxes of tiny twinkies home. This may explain the wonder:
I can now distinguish giraffe from cow flavour.
This is the first and only translation that says what I thought it would, in potato kingdom.
I chipped my tooth on some torque candy.
And I leave you with a word of the day. Callosity: the beans and chips seemingly named after crunchy toe skin.