Month: March 2018

Saturday is Another Beautiful Day for Wandering Japan

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Somehow we have been amazingly lucky with our trip to Tokyo. The weather has been overly warm and sunny with only one night of rain last Friday. We came at the perfect time of year to see beautiful Cherry Blossoms everywhere we looked. As well, the people we have encountered have been very kind and helpful with communicating with us and our lack of Japanese skills.

With just over a week behind us and three days left, we needed to tone down our walking. My average steps in a day are around 2500 at home. I’ve done 7 times that at least once so far.

We return daily to the hotel exhausted and sore, just to pass out with bellies full of great Japanese food we had moments before.

Today we traveled to the Sensõ-Ji Temple and went all touristy there. Lots of artsy pictures on numerous cameras. We walked past the shops doing our best to avoid spending money. The temple was our main goal today.

We stopped and got our fortunes. My oldest daughter got a bad fortune, so the idea was to tie it up. While good fortunes you needed to take care of. Inside the temple, we each tossed a coin in and made a small prayer of thanks for letting us enjoy the temple. And we bought souvenir luck charms to take home with us.

Of course we couldn’t pass up the chance to go on a rickshaw while in Japan. Our “driver” took us on a quick tour. Where he showed us the “Asahi Golden Flame” or as people call it- the “Flame Poo”. We got a good laugh. We passed more Cherry Blossoms and stopped for some pictures.

Next we hopped back onto the train and headed towards Ginza to find a KitKat Chocolatory. We picked up some signature flavors including the newest “Sublime Ruby” which is said to be from the 4th kind of chocolate. They sell 300/day/store so we were happy to be able to pick up 5 of them to try out. I also picked up a special “Birthstone” box for myself since my birthday is in March.

Afterwards we hit the Don Quijote store and grabbed some more flavors to bring back home for our friends to try.

Yes, we even picked up some wasabi and sake flavors as well. Maybe we will lose some friends after that….

Odaiba

Posted on by Josef Havelka

We are doing our best to explore as much of Tokyo as possible on this trip. With tons of walking and lots of train rides, I think we are doing pretty good. Sure, we won’t see everything, but we are definitely trying. Our next adventure took us to Odaiba.

Hold up.

Our first adventure was waking up at 8:19am to a 5.0 Magnitude earthquake. Laying in bed, in a hotel, in a foreign country as the room trembled back and forth was an uneasy feeling. I was happy that it was a minor one. It took a few minutes after the rumblings but we calmed down and we just went on with our day.

On our way to the train station, we saw an incredible clock. Just like a tourist- we took a bunch of photos. When we arrived in Odaiba- we immediately began taking tons of more photos. There is a Statue of Liberty and the iconic Fuji TV building as soon as you step out of the train station. We then walked towards the outer edge of Odaiba in hopes of walking the parks, but it was all under construction with signs of the 2020 Olympics. So we wandered back towards finding the Full Size Unicorn Gundam!

Hold up!

But we weren’t going to make it there right away. We got distracted by a lost puppy. She was cowering in between the sidewalk and the fence over a major roadway. Clearly terrified. So I carefully got her out and my wife and I discussed what we should do. We began to head towards the Hilton hotel when we noticed some police just up the road.

Turns out they were looking for the dog for about twenty minutes. I was amazed that something like this is handled by the police, and the fact that they were actively looking for the dog. We waited about five minutes with the officer while another one walked his bike and the dogs owner to us. This is not something we see the police do in Canada. The owner was relieved and thanked us profusely before we went on our way.

Now we made it to the large Gundam. That thing is impressive! Even my wife thought it was pretty cool so she gave me the okay to buy a few limited edition Gundam models from the gift shop. We headed into Diver City and did some more souvenir shopping.

Hold up again!

We found Café de Miki with Hello Kitty and clearly had to stop for a lunch. My wife and daughter love Hello Kitty, so this was a no-brainer. We got to keep a souvenir mug and marmalade as well. After lunch, we went downstairs to the Hello Kitty store and bought some more stuff.

We left Diver City and made our way to Pallete Town and Mega Web. We stopped in at the Toyota showcase and saw some amazing concept cars that run on hydrogen and the kids tried out a VR sports car. This was on our way to the 115 meter tall Daikanransha Ferris Wheel. On the Ferris wheel we saw some amazing views of the city and bay. Then my wife remembered we had experienced an earthquake earlier in the day and was looking forward to the ride being over.

After the ride, we wandered through another mall called Venus Fort with some unique indoor decor. We made a quick stop at an arcade to play some more of the Drum Game, four player Pac-Man and air hockey. Of course we had to stop at a Studio Ghibli store and spend another small fortune on goodies.

Finally we escaped the malls and crammed onto a train to head back to our hotel and unload our goodies. This was our day of shopping which was originally planned for Monday. So now we have a free day opened up on our itinerary.

Hmmm… looks like family has voted for another day to be spent at DisneySea.

Experiencing Japanese Cafes

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today we slept in after two hard days at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. We needed a calm down and decided to take in some other unique experiences Tokyo has to offer. So we took our adventure to Akihabara.

We couldn’t even leave the train station without spending a tiny fortune on tiny capsules filled with tiny toys. We hunted them out afterwards and spent a bit more. But the first real stop was only steps away from the train station. We hit up the Gundam Cafe for a quick lunch (and lots of food photos for Instagram).

After lunch, we wandered the streets walking in and out of shops filled with those capsule machines and anime statues. I also found the “Table Flip” arcade game I was so desperate to play. We gave it a go for fun. My son made the top ten on the scoreboard. Then it was time for us to head out for the reason for our trip to Akihabara.

Then the highlight of our day was spending an hour in the Akiba Fukurou Owl Cafe. Almost hidden down a side street with no real markings except a few small signs on the windows. You need to book in advance, and they give you directions on how to find it.

Once we were there, it was like walking into a zen filled oasis. Classical music, whispered voices, and owls. Lots of varieties of owls. All of which were perfectly happy to visit with us as we marveled at them.

We were each given an opportunity to hold two different owls. So of course we took it! And we took hundreds of photos! This was one of the most unusual and gratifying experiences we have had. I even got to “hold” a Burrow Owl. This is my favorite Owl ever since I saw a Cartoon of it. I want one now more than ever!

That pretty much ended our day on an extreme high. We left Akihabara feeling fulfilled and could not stop talking to each other about the experience in the Owl Cafe.

If you make it to Tokyo- check out Akiba Fukurou Owl Cafe it’s worth it.

Tokyo DisneySea

Posted on by Josef Havelka

The day before we went to Tokyo Disneyland and it was great. Like a mini version of California’s original Disneyland (Minus The Matterhorn). Today we went to DisneySea.

We didn’t expect much after the day in Disneyland. Maybe just a few different rides or variations on the classics. But nope. That’s not what we encountered. We walked into DisneySea-

It blew my freakin’ mind, man!

As you can tell by these few panoramas- the place was HUGE! Every time you entered a new “land” you couldn’t even tell that you had left the previous one. Like switching a channel on TV. It was amazing to say the very least.

Our first ride was Journey to the Center of the Earth followed by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea on Mysterious Island. Afterwards we wandered through Mermaid Lagoon and Arabian Coast. If we spent a second day in DisneySea- we would’ve seen the shows in the theaters and still not hit every ride.

After that, we made our way to Lost River Delta and got a FastPass for the Raging Spirits Ride. Well, Ok- everyone else got a FastPass but me. I was too damn tall. But the family had fun when we returned.

We hopped onto a Steamship and headed back to Mediterranean Harbor where we grabbed lunch and another ride on the water. This time on the Venetian Gondolas. It was a lot of fun- like the Jungle Cruise.

After the Gondolas- we wandered back to the other side to use our FastPasses on Raging Spirits and Journey to the Center of the Earth (for a second ride). Once the rides were over, we decided to walk around the Fortress Exploration where we ended up watching an Easter Show on the water.

As the evening started to settle in, we headed through Port Discovery and rode the Aquatopia ride. After that, we wandered through a mock-up of a Cape Cod town as we made our way towards American Waterfront.

It was starting to get late, so we ended up going for dinner in an old steamship in a place called The Teddy Roosevelt Lounge. It was decked out with T.R. memorabilia. It was set up like an old smoking lounge with booth tables and large leather chairs. We were placed in the center of the lounge at the large fireplace and treated like American Royalty. It was a great experience.

We ended our day with a walk towards Toy Story Mania and bought some “Little Green Dumplings” as dessert. Wandering through the shops on our way to the exit was absolute chaos. It seems that “Duffy” the bear is HUGE in Japan and everyone wants some of the merchandise that the employees were having a tough time keeping the shelves full.

All-in-all it was one of the greatest Disney Resort trips we have ever experienced. I already want to return- so does my family!

Tokyo Disneyland

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Tuesday was spent exploring a crowded Tokyo Disneyland.

We awoke early to catch a couple of trains in order to arrive 30 mins prior to the park opening. As we shuffled through the gates, a sea of people were everywhere. I was amazed at the initial entry and how amazing the structure was.

Our first ride was Star Tours- with an already 20 minute wait. Just before it- I had zipped out to get a Fastpass for the Monsters: Ride and Go Seek (which was surprisingly a good ride!) Even though it was shortly after we entered the park- the second ride we tried to get on already had a 3hr stand-by line.

But that ride was Space Mountain. A ride we have been on in California numerous times. As we were about to get in line, a lady took my daughter and I aside to see if we would even fit in the ride. (We did!-but 3hrs is too long to wait.) So we wandered over to Tom Sawyers Island for a little walk around.

Of course we tried different rides and shows that aren’t in California. Lee-Anne made us go on the Beaver Brother Canoes. So I made her go see Stitch in the Tiki Room. They gave us translation devices to enjoy the lyrics in English.We also enjoyed the PhilharMagic this time in Japanese.

Of course no trip to Disneyland would be complete without a train ride, turkey leg, and a bunch of pictures in front of the castle. It made for a busy and fun adventure!

Next stop- DisneySea!

Studio Ghibli

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Studio Ghibli was on our list of places to see for ages now. It took me months to get tickets for it. And we could only get a time slot of 16:00 to get in. Was it worth it? Yes.

The downside- no photos permitted inside the museum. Only the outside in the courtyard and garden. So we took advantage of that opportunity.

Inside the Museum was very interactive. And well maintained. It was so clean and pristinely well kept inside. Lots of art and descriptions of how the filming was done. Even old school 35mm style films were used in the demonstrations. (I felt like I was doing my projectionist job back at the theater.)

We also got to watch a short film called “Boro The Caterpillar”. No words or music in the movie, just sounds made by a person’s mouth. The audience laughed at the cuteness of the film. We each received a souvenir “movie ticket” with a small film cell inside. Pretty cool.

I also spent a small fortune in the gift shop because hey- when will we ever be back here? I amused some people with my arm full of soot sprites.

It was a great day that was filled with smiles and joy for the family. If you like Studio Ghibli- this Museum is for you.

Sunday Was Made for Walking

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today I wrote on our itinerary: “Walking Tour”. Which meant we were going to walk around and explore wherever the family wanted to go. We hit up a small grocery store nearby and grabbed some sushi and fruit for a picnic lunch.

The first place we wandered towards was back to the spot near the Tokyo Tower. I really wanted to see the Zōjō-ji Temple in the daytime. It was gorgeous. The building is fantastically preserved. We walked around before heading to the park next to it for lunch.

We found a shaded bench and enjoyed our lunch. Having a beer in public in Japan is completely acceptable. Who am I to not want to blend in? We bought cans of Asahi with lovely Cherry Blossoms on it since we are here to enjoy the Cherry Blossoms! During lunch we discussed what to do today. We had no big plans, so I suggested going to an arcade to play some video games.

We chose to walk the 5km with a plan on taking the train back. It seemed like a great idea at first. Using the pocket WiFi I had picked up- we all played Pokémon Go on our journey. Gotta catch ’em all! On our walk we also saw people on Mario Karts doing a tour.

After a long walk we made it to the High-tech Land Sega and enjoyed some games. Even though we can’t read Japanese- the kids figured out how to play by guessing and watching others. A good battle of Mario Kart ensued between them! We did terrible at the crane games, so we left and wandered over to the other arcade across the street.

You could smell the cigarette smoke before even walking in. It was an instant throwback to my youth. Hazy arcades filled with secondhand smoke. We didn’t last very long inside- not even long enough to play a game.

So we headed to the train to go back to the hotel. THE TRAIN WAS PACKED. But only for a couple of stops. Then it cleared out and we found some seats to relax in.

After we did a pit stop at our hotel, we headed out for our first Ramen of the trip. My wife has been kind enough to let me figure out everything on this trip. From the ticket machines at the train stations to ordering dinner at the Fukki Ramen- I’m guessing at what to do, and being pretty successful as it goes.

The Ramen was delicious and exactly what we needed to end our day. Full bellied and happy. We all had a good night sleep. Soon we will be off to find out next adventure!

Ueno Zoo

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Saturday in Tokyo was a journey up to the Ueno Zoo. This was a place our son had chosen to see on our visit to Tokyo. I’m glad we did. We had a ton of fun taking selfies and joking around.

It seemed crowded at first, but it wasn’t so bad once we were inside and wandering around. The large lineup moved quickly through the main gates. It seemed most people wanted to see the newborn pandas. We were “ok” to pass on that- as cute as it may have been. Even though I do not like crowds, the Japanese groups are almost pleasant to deal with.

The Zoo itself was pretty amazing. Lots of healthy animals not being pestered by people. Fairly large habitats as well.

Seems my son has an affection for polar bears, penguins, turtles & tortoises. He was constantly taking photos and videos of them. He now wants to use my old empty fish tank and get a turtle. We shall see about that one.

Everyone was still full of smiles at the end of the day. It proved that we had a great time at the zoo.

Sore feet and all….

Tokyo and Tokyo Tower

Posted on by Josef Havelka

On our first full day in Tokyo, we journeyed around near our hotel. We found some shops and restaurants. Then we ventured off towards the Tsukiji market to check out the fish.

After wandering around the market sampling foods and taking tons of photos of fish, we saw a sign pointing towards a temple. Since there was no big plan today, so we walked over there.

It was a lovely building that we entered and I performed a Buddhist prayer as respect. The chanting and the incense inside added to the spirituality of the temple.

Then we walked towards “Don K”- a store filled with cheap junk. We laughed at the merchandise- my kids thought it was funny that dad was a shit head. I was mesmerized by the over stimulation in the store. Noises, sounds, videos, and colors attacked my senses. We picked up some bento box lunches and went back to the hotel.

After lunch, we all had a quick nap- the time change was still hitting us. By dinner, we were up and out the door making our way towards Tokyo Tower. On our way there we stopped at the Zojoji Temple. But as it was getting dark, there was only some of the outside to see. Lovely white cherry blossom trees were all around. (We plan on walking back during the day sometime this trip).

Once at Tokyo Tower, we went inside and checked out the stores. Our middle daughter loved the Hello Kitty merchandise. I had pre-purchased tickets for the Tokyo Tower Top Deck Tour since it had just reopened at the start of the month -they had limited tickets available. We were each given a device and ear piece that described the history of the tower as we slowly escalated to the Top Deck through a series of elevators.

Once we were at the top deck, it all became so much more than just a visit to Tokyo. Inside the top deck were angled reflective panels that gave a look of shattered glass. It was a beautiful expression of art. The 360° views of the city were stunning. I had timed out our tickets for the 8pm slot in order to view the night lights and the Disneyland Fireworks.

This was a great way to end our first full day in Tokyo- overlooking this amazing city.

Big in Japan

Posted on by Josef Havelka

We made it to our destination. For some reason, I kind of stand out. Probably because I’m 6’8″ or a bit over 2 meters tall. I’m big in Japan.

We are excited to be here. There is so much to see. And I guess we have become a sight as well. Oh boy. Big In Japan is going through my head over and over. I tower over the crowds already just coming off the plane.

We arrived at 6:30pm Japan time. Which to us was 3:30am. After getting our bags and clearing customs, the first leg of our journey began. The part I was worried about- figuring out how to get to our hotel.

After a few moments of staring at the ticket machine for the monorail- I figured out what I needed and where we were heading. Luckily for me- my wife stayed away with the kids instead of crowding me. She knew I need a few moments peace to get it.

The monorail wasn’t too busy and it spoke in English at each stop. Ours was the final stop where everyone had to disembark. Smiles were showing up on our faces as the shock of being in new country overcame us.

Relief was coming over me. Off the train and we had to get to our hotel. This was the next part I worried about. The printed map was not very helpful:

As we walked, my son asked how I knew where we were going. I told him I had memorized our route using Google Maps and Google Street view. Figuring out how far from landmarks (7-11 and Denny’s- the ones I’d recognize). In about five minutes we were at the hotel and checking in. Our Tokyo adventure was continuing even in the lobby.

There is a little robot in our lobby named “Pepper” who was kinda neat. It was there as a sort of assistant to help if you had questions. It would follow a person’s eyes as it got near to them. The little guy looked at me and stared up. I think it was “blinking” in astonishment- the lights around its eyes were changing color.

After getting settled in our room for a few minutes, two of the kids and I wandered out to the 7-11 and grabbed a snack. Our day/night ended at 9:30pm Tokyo time/ 5:30am Vancouver time. We all passed out.

First day done. Now to explore more of this city.

This Flight Tonight

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Holy crap. The day is upon us. Time to hit the skies over the wild blue yonder. My wife’s anxiety and fears have turned to excitement and fun. Now it’s my turn for the stress…

We did online check in yesterday and had an early arrival at the airport today. Our bags were dropped off 3 hours early and our stress level was turned down. I grabbed a candid shot of my wife and son as they waited in line.

We enjoyed a late lunch and we were off to pass through security. We were first at security and my wife got a secondary screening. But it was still quick. We found our departure gate and grabbed a seat by a large chessboard.

Our kids kept themselves occupied without the use of electronic devices (even though we had those with us). Lots of smiles and smack talk as they challenged each other. People watched from the distant sidelines as the games went on.

At one point, I chose to take my shoes came off for a breather before we boarded the plane. No one wants to have smelly feet for ten hours. Only a few minutes remain now until we board. Last chance to use the restroom and wash up. I want the stress feeling to go away.

I’m not worried about the flight- which is good. I’m worried about every other aspect of our trip. Argh! It’s almost time to board! Stress sweats… ugh. No! We can do this. It’ll be fine. It will be fine.

And fun. We have companions. So a bit of silly photo fun is being had. These guys will make a few more appearances during this trip.

Off we go! See you on the other side of the world!

Spring Has Sprung

Posted on by Josef Havelka

First days of spring. Time for more sunshiny days and a new lease on life. Green grass and baby animals. Ah, spring. So I’m going to share a favorite childhood poem of mine. And a fun photo.

Spring has sprung

The grass is riz.

I wonder where the birdies is?

Oh lord ok there’s one up in the sky.

Oh no! It whitewashed in my eye.

But I’m a big boy- I don’t cry.

I thank god that cows don’t fly.

Tee-hee.

Tokyo Yummy

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I’m looking forward to our trip to Tokyo (counting down the hours until we leave). Mostly I’m excited for the sights and the experience, but also for the food. Mmmmm Japanese food…

I love Japanese food. Not just sushi. Although sushi is up there in one of my top spots for favorite foods (I’ve even made sushi myself). The food in restaurants I have been to in North America are so flavorful and beautifully laid out- it makes me hopeful for an even better experience abroad.

From what I have seen online, there is also a lot of fun offered up in presentation as well as flavors. Choosing meals will be easy at first for my family. We all share similar tastes, but by the end, we may argue over which ramen place to go to or what snacks to buy.

I’ve brought a lot of spending cash for our meals, which is rare for when I travel. Usually we like to pack food and only eat out a couple of times. But since we are flying and can only take so much baggage- this trip will involve a lot of restaurants.

Can’t really complain- I’ve only ever heard good things about eating in Japan. Maybe this trip will have us Instagramming our meals more often!

Follow along with my food adventures at binarydigit01 on Instagram.

Treat Yo’ Self

Posted on by Josef Havelka

On Friday I decided to buy a new iPhone for myself. I was really bad with my last phone. The 6+ was too big. I broke the screen 3 times (four if you count the pixel lines that appeared down the side). It pissed me off one time that I had to write about how stupid I was: Aw Dang. I never broke my iPhone 4! I treated that thing like gold. I took some Parks & Rec advice:

Since we are going on a trip I don’t want a piece of poop iPhone with a broken screen or dying battery to try and make memories with. I wanted something that works. Convincing my wife was easy… I had to buy her one as well.

This time around I bought the phone in white. Last year I mentioned how I associate white cars with Luxury so I figured, maybe I should do the same with my iPhone. I should be able to treat it better now. It’s smaller and easier to see. It feels slick and clean as I type today’s blog post. I had to spoil myself for my birthday…

I’m also excited to utilize some of the new features available for video and photos. I’m going to force my children to participate in some fun while we are gone!

I love my new phone.

Sober Seventeenth

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I plan on spending it sober. What???

It may surprise some of my friends. I do enjoy a drink (or five) from time to time. But tonight, I just don’t want to. No reason. I’m just not in the mood to be out there with a bunch of people getting drunk and rowdy.

Those of you who do want to enjoy in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations- stay safe. Make sure you and your friends have a ride home. Having fun doesn’t mean you have to be irresponsible.

So whatever green beer or Irish kissing you do tonight- enjoy yourselves.

Wish Granted

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Yesterday was my birthday. It was perfect. My family did exactly what I wished for- nothing.

Well, not exactly “nothing”. They took me out for sushi dinner. Then they gave me 42 homemade cupcakes. I received a few bags of candy with 42 pieces in each. Then we went to the drive-in movie to watch “Black Panther”.

It was a perfect birthday. Exactly what I wished for. No big party. No extravagant gifts. Just my wife and kids having fun.

Perfect.

The Great Question

Posted on by Josef Havelka

The answer to the Great Question… of Life,the Universe and Everything… is…

42.

Today I turn Forty Two. My life has been pretty darned good so far. This year I am planning on making the most of my 42. First is my bucket list trip to Tokyo. I’ve always wanted to travel there since my childhood for many different reasons.

Next will be to meet a couple of my childhood icons at the Calgary Expo at the end of April: Paul Reubens and Wil Wheaton. I dressed as Pee-Wee one Halloween and I loved it. I almost had the opportunity to meet Wil Wheaton, but I chickened out. Not this time! I even wrote about it two years ago: One Day.

I’m also blessed with extra vacation time off this year. I am going to try and make the most of my time by relaxing and traveling. There is so much beauty to see and experience in the world. I may even venture off on my own without the family. Just because.

Here I am, age 42. It’s an important year to me. Not 40 or 45 just because they end in a five or zero. No midlife crisis planned either. Just enjoying 42 years of the earth’s rotation. Especially the last 17 years. Life has been full of off-set plans, like being married on a Tuesday just because. Or naming our first born daughter Random from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series.

42 years of just trying to make my world a better place.

“Forty Two!”

“Is that all you’ve got to show for seven and a half million years’ work?”

I guess so.

Pi Day

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I love fake celebratory dates. “Star Wars Day” is the best one. (May the 4th). But today is also a perfect example of made up celebration days.

It’s “National Pi Day” or “Pie Day”. Whichever dad joke you want to use to share 3.14 is ok with me. I like pie.

Time to go out and spread some silly joy and plaster social media all about pie and Pi. Math and dessert go hand in hand.

I’m going to get me an apple pie later on. That’s my favorite pie. What’s your go-to pie for celebrating today?

Walk It Off

Posted on by Josef Havelka

For the past five days or so, I’ve decided to start taking walks around my neighborhood. Usually my wife walks with me, sometimes a child or two joins us, but I always take the dog along. The weather has been exceptional lately. I’ve been taking the walks in the afternoon most of the time to clear my mind.

Driving home, listening to the news radio after my shift last night I heard it was going to rain later today. This would put a damper (hahaha I made a funny) on my afternoon walk before work today. With the time change last weekend and a beautiful morning, I got home grabbed a quick coffee and took off with the dog. The clouds and sun caused a beautiful pink hue over the countryside. It reminded me of summer mornings from my childhood in Edmonton.

Lex has also enjoyed the past few days. His excitement shows every time I head to the door. He’s a wonderful dog who walks next to us without a leash. He sniffs the air and genuinely looks like he’s smiling while we are out. Even though we have an acre for him to run around in, he still loves smelling the air of the neighborhood.

Besides clearing my thoughts, there is more to the reason for my walks. My wife got me into Carrot Rewards a while back. I use the points earned for free movies. Download the app and you can enter my User Code: josefh8436 to get me some bonus points! Besides my wife getting me into walking, I’ve been inspired by a coworker who rides his bike to and from work. My step goal is low so it makes it easy to achieve. Lastly, I want to be able to walk around Tokyo without much issue, so getting some practice walks in are good for my muscles.

These walks are healthy for me both physically and mentally. The fresh air and the small bit of exercise are great. I’m hoping to keep it up for the foreseeable future. I forgot how much I missed walking.

Standardized Automation

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I was driving home from my night shift and just wanted to get home. I was fairly tired and zoned out for a bit. This was because my car isn’t a manual transmission. I kind of miss it.

My old 2003 Honda Element is a five speed manual transmission. The gear shift is in the middle of the console at the perfect height. I always enjoyed driving my box on wheels. I stayed alert and felt like I had more control over what the engine did. I think I shall take this SUV out of storage for the summer! It’ll be great for camping as well.

My 2016 Rogue is an automatic. But it has buttons. Buttons on the side to “ACTIVATE SPORT MODE” or lesser cool, but completely practical “ECONOMIC MODE“. I usually use the second one since gas prices are skyrocketing and my commute one way is 55km (round trip is 110- GO math genius Josef). But once in a while I like to pretend to be sporty.

I wish I could’ve bought the higher end model of my car in standard, but alas it was not to be. Maybe the next car we get will have a gear shift again. That makes driving a bit more fun.

Twenty Four Little Hours

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Yesterday was a good day.

The sun was out. The weather was warm and inviting. And my family was getting back into its groove. Because of this, I decided to take advantage of the situation.

We started off with a walk around the block. We made it to our neighbor’s house, where we began to talk with him. After a bit, he offered to take our old toilets to the dump when he went on his dump run. Cool- and mighty neighborly of him. We left his driveway and continued on our walk with the dog.

As we walked, we waved at people passing by. Everyone was smiling and being courteous as we walked down our rural road. With every house at least an acre apart- it was strange to see so many people out. But mowers, chainsaws, and leaf blowers were in full force being used. We even met a few other dogs along the way that needed to come say “hello” to our dog.

Once back home, our old toilets went next door and the kids filled seven yard waste cans. I cleared off the roof and finally took down our Christmas lights. After all this was done, I even got to wash my car. You could see a huge difference in our home’s “curb appeal” by the end.

Life was back to a semblance of normalcy by the end of the night. Four of the five of us celebrated “Mario Day” with a few rounds of Mariokart. (Mario Day is Mar10– check out the Google Map app for this week as well to be Mario for the directions.) I may have lost repeatedly at the game, but I enjoyed the time with the kids.

I’m going to end today with a link to an old song. A couple of the lines resonate with me and how I feel. Please enjoy.

What a Diff’rence a Day Makes

Hang On ‘Till Tomorrow- Come What May

Posted on by Josef Havelka

A good night sleep was really needed. As tough as it is dealing with one’s own emotions, it can be even more difficult dealing with your family’s as well. Thursday and Friday were stressing the limits in our home. But we made it through somehow- without hurt feelings, anger or cruelty. It took strength and time.

I knew yesterday that I would just need to be patient and wait for tomorrow (which is now today). Things are better. Not the best- but better. It makes me able to see an end in sight. The inspiration I get to push through these tough times often comes from movies or songs. Someone, somewhere, shared their heartache with the world through art. It encourages me to know that the struggles aren’t limited to just my life. Last night, the song “Tomorrow” from Annie was going through my mind.

And it worked. The sun is out, I’m alive and awake, and people in the house are smiling a bit more than yesterday.

Cheesy? Maybe. Hopeful? Definitely.

1982’s Annie was an integral part of my life growing up since I saw it in the theater at age 6. Being able to get through the sadness and tribulations of life- all the while remaining positive- is a strong characteristic of mine because of this film. I never thought that over 35 years later it would help me in raising our teenager. But it did.

“I just stick out my chin and grin and say…”

What To Give…

Posted on by Josef Havelka

The last 24 hours has been a bit emotionally rough in our household. There’s something going on with our teenager and she isn’t willing to share. She is creating a struggle in our home with no right way to resolve things. So I’m feeling pretty beat down- and so is my wife. I’m being left with a choice:

I can give up.

I can give in.

Or I can give it all I have.

I’m not sure where I am at currently. My mood is full of curse words and frustration. I’m trying to keep a positive attitude towards life. But at this moment, I feel like I can only think about myself and nobody else. I’m not playing “good cop bad cop” with my wife- that won’t work this time around. I’m also not wanting to say something to our daughter about how she is acting that I may end up regretting later.

So here is today’s Friday blog post- a crappy feeling shared on the World Wide Web. Parenting is tough. Not much more to say about it. I’ll just wait and see how things are tomorrow.

After all- tomorrow is another day.

The Women Who Matter Most To Me

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today is International Women’s Day so I felt it was important to write about it and what it means to me from a male point of view.

First of all, I have a mother. She gave me life. She did her best to raise my sister and I- all while working towards her own career goals. This was done through the 80’s/90’s and was not an easy task by any means. Kudos to you mom!

Secondly, I have a wife. She has been a partner to me and a great friend for nearly two decades. She gave up working outside of our home in order to focus on raising our children and starting her own business. Throughout our partnership, we have shared responsibilities and I have never expected her to give up on her dreams or do my bidding in any form. A mutual respect has been formed between us. I’m lucky that she is in my life.

Thirdly, my wife and I have two intelligent and strong willed daughters. I don’t want to describe them as “beautiful” because most people tend to use that statement as a way to describe looks instead of skills. Our daughters are kind and caring towards most everyone and everything. They are extremely smart and will become successful in whatever avenues they pursue. I can’t limit the future of their lives to how they look by any means.

As much as I’d like to think I’ve been supportive of women’s rights- there is so much more I could be doing. I share chores and raising of our children. I never look at it as “babysitting” or “women’s work”. It’s how to make a successful household. Outside the home, sometimes all it takes is telling my friends that a sexist joke really isn’t funny. I don’t participate in marches, but I also don’t ignore problems. Having a healthy dialogue about the Me Too Movement goes a long way in acknowledgement and prevention as well.

So a big shout out to all the women out there making a difference- be it big or small. To my wife and daughters and all the other women I know- I’m lucky you are a part of my life.

Happy International Women’s Day!

WiFi

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I can’t live without technology. Over the past 15+ years, I also can’t live without access to the internet!

Ya I know I could “live” without it. But it has become an integral part of my daily life. In fact, once I got a smartphone- I have been unable to remain offline for extended periods. I’ve come to terms with this. I do however know when not to go online or use my smartphone; for example- driving.

Since the world is connected and Google is everywhere- I figured that our trip out of the country to Japan would require some sort of access to the World Wide Web. After speaking to some people at work who have been to Japan recently, I came to the conclusion that access to Google would be a necessity.

I’ve been using Google Maps on my computer and my iPhone for the past few months studying up on Tokyo. I’ve been trying to get my bearings of where we are staying in relation to the various sights. I’ve already printed directions and train times for each day. But I know that I will also need access to a live map periodically.

Having access to “Google Translate” also seems like a great idea. Since none of us speak Japanese- nor can we read it- having quick translations both written and in speech will be handy. Knowing my personal limitations when it comes to other languages and cultures is humbling to say the least.

It all comes down to the question, “How am I going to access the Internet abroad while on the go?” I had a couple of options:

The first was to fork over $12/day on my personal cellphone to “Roam Like Home“. The second option was to get a SIM card or a “Burner Phone” and pay as I go for the twelve days we are there. But the option I liked best was “Pocket WiFi“. This is $7/day and I can connect up to 10 devices. This will also allow my wife and children unlimited access to the internet as we travel around Tokyo.

This option seemed like a no-brainer. I pre-ordered the Pocket WiFi from Econnect and it will be delivered to our hotel the day we arrive. I had the option to pick up at the airport, but it was on the far side of the airport at the Domestic Terminal. I have decided that we will try and manage a 15 minute train ride from the airport to our hotel without use of technology. This may end up being the longest 15 minutes of my life as I stress about what stop we are getting off at and which way to walk afterwards.

The benefits of having WiFi in a foreign country won’t make me feel so nervous. It’s a common ground that most of the civilized world understands. Who knows, after this trip I may try and venture further out of my comfort zone.