Monday, November 24, 2008

Yubz- Talk BIG!


ay-phone
Originally uploaded by zambales_EYEMD

Do you miss the retro style of answering the phone? Yubz is connecting to your mobile phone and you can talk BIG, or go home :D It can used it wireless via Bluetooth. From my point of view it would be handy to have it on the mountain sometimes. If I am in the powder and wanting to use the phone or answer a call it is such a pain in the ... to take the phone out of the pocket. In order to do that I need to take my gloves off too.

山で滑ってるとき、YUBZがあれば携帯の使え方が便利だと思います。

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Sun on slope

八甲田シーズンOPEN
56cmの積雪で朝から12時ぐらいまでに滑りました。着いたときは晴れてったんだけど、滑ってる間に雪が降り出しました。11時ぐらいに風と雪が強くなって、八甲田の頂上のようなな天気でした。ゲレンデで一回だけ滑って、9回ぐらいはリフトのずっと右側のパウダーを楽しみました。
一年はあというまだね。

今日からスノーボードのレッスンをここに乗せます。それでは、今日のスノーボードレッスンはこちらです-ターン:
Today's snowboarding lesson- How to turn:

頑張ってね!
Let it snow!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Garra Rufa Fish Therapy

Am trecut de multe ori pe langa el. Este asezat intr- una din onsen- urile mele preferate din Aomori. Chiar langa scari, la vedere, insa mojoritatea vizitatorilor nu vor sa- i fac o vizita "Doctorului Peste". Este un peste mic, care traieste in Turcia, Syria, Iran sau Irak, protejat impotriva comercializarii, pe nume Garra Rufa.
Si cum spuneam, trecand pe langa bazinul cu apa calda in care se afla pestii, nu am ezitat si de data asta sa nu le fac o vizita. Am primit un ceas care indica 13 minute, timp in care sa ma pot "imprietenii" cu pestii. Mi- am asezat picioarele in apa, si imediat ce au venit pestii, as fii vrut ca prosopul care il aveam in mana pentru a- mi sterge picioarele sa mi- l fii bagat in gura ca sa nu rad cu gura pana la urechi. O senzatie destul de rara, sa simti multi pestisori ca te "pupa" pe picioare. Din cate am inteles trateaza multe boli ale pielii, hranindu- se cu bacteriile si pielea moarta de pe picioare.
Au fost 13 minute de rasete innabusite. Am trecut pe langa acelasi mic bazin si saptamana trecuta, pestii erau mari insa nu pot spune acelasi lucru si despre numarul lor. Oare ce s- o fi intamplat intre timp?

Garra Rufa on wikipedia

Monday, November 10, 2008

Autumn Clouds

Two or three more weeks before the new snowboard season. After a busy night at a local snowboard event I spent a few hours taking pictures in Aomori. Playing with my camera, I discovered how to make the sky appear with all its details in a photo. I need more time to play with it.

2 busy weeks have passed. Two more big events coming up. One of them is "Christmas Memories" a fundraising event we are preparing for the 14th of December.

"How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever. "

David Norris

Monday, October 20, 2008

Snowboarding season opened

Sambata, 18 octombrie in Snowtown Yeti, Susono, prefectura Shizuoka Japonia, s- a deschis sezonul de snowboard. Am gasit ceva despre eveniment pe Youtube -> vizioneaza

Ski season › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

Posted using ShareThis

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Toyota IQ - Micul gigant japonez


Toyota IQ Concept
Originally uploaded by jalopnik
Mai mica de 3 metri insa supra dotata in ceea ce priveste siguranta, consumul ( 23 km la 1 litru) si manevrabilitatea. In micul gigant japonez vor putea incapea trei persoane si un copil, respectiv un bagaj pe cel de- al patrulea loc.
Toyota iQ va fi pusa in vanzare in Japonia din 20 noiembrie( ~$14.000) si incepand din 2009 va fi la vanzare si pe piata europeana (~10.500 euro).
De ce iQ? "i" este pentru inteligenta, inventie, individualitate, iar "Q" este pentru calitate( quality)

Mai multe detalii despre TOYOTA iQ

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

"Strabunica"

O zi plina insa destul de obositoare datorita racelii care nu imi mai trece. Se facuse ora 8 seara, terminasem servicul si ma indreptam spre masina sa ma duc spre casa, cand o mireasma m- a oprit din mers. M- am uitat spre cer si am vazut o luna plina usor acoperita de nori cenusii grabiti. M- am oprit, stand asa cu privirea atintita spre cer, am inchis ochii si am inspirat adanc; am continuat sa inspir adanc de cateva ori. Era o adiere de vant care aducea o mireasma familiara mie. Atat de familiara incat m- am intrebat de ce am senzatia ca sunt asa de aproape de meleagurile unde am copilarit, de bunicii mei. Masinile care continuau sa circule pe drumul alaturat, farurile orbitoare, m- au facut sa deschis ochii si cu sufletul incarcat de bucurie m- am indreptat spre masina. Ajuns acasa mi- am adus aminte ca azi "strabunica" implineste 71 de ani. Am sunat- o si am ascultat duiosenia glasului ei.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Snowboard Hands- Free Camera


Helmet Cam Setup
Originally uploaded by Christopher Bailey
Bineinteles ca poate fii folosita si pentru alte sporturi, insa cand am vazut- o mi- am si inchipuit- o legata de casca in timp ce arunc zapada in drepata si in stanga in coborare. Destul de scumpa, in jur de $700, insa rezistenta la apa si soc, 30 fps, ecran LCD, rezolutie mare si atasabila mai peste tot. Telecomanda iti lasa mainile libere insa din cate am inteles, pentru ca body- ul camerei va fii undeva in rucsac, sunetul care declanseaza sau opreste filmarea nu poate fii uneori auzit. Banuiesc ca nu ar fii o problema :)

Something I would like to have on the mountain- V.I.O. POV.1

Friday, October 10, 2008

Cyberdyne HAL


Cyberdyne
Originally uploaded by DirtHerder
Incepand de vineri, in Japonia HAL se va putea inchiria contra sumei de aproximativ $2200/luna. Este destinat personalor cu deficiente locomotorii si persoanelor in varsta. Hal este un costum- robot care odata imbracat va putea citi comenzi date de creier si va ajuta la efectuarea anumitor miscari. Este dotat cu o baterie de 10 kilograme iar computerul este situat in zona centurii.
Nu se stie exact cand va fi pus spre vanzare. Costumul poate fi inchiriat in functie de marime( S,M,L). Varianta castumului cu un singur picior poate fi inchiriata pentru aproximativ $1500/luna.


Am gasit o demonstratie HAL pe Youtube

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Nikon UP300 x

Dupa revolutia I-POD, Nikon a prezentat marti noul headset UP300 pentru continut digital. UP300 va fii pus in vanzare incepand cu luna decembrie( comenzile incepand din 15 Octombrie) si va costa intre ~$600(4GB) si ~$700(8GB). Nikon spera ca pana in anul 2013 sa vanda in jur de 3 milioane de bucati, barbatii intre 20 si 30 de ani fiind principalii cumparatori. Oare de ce si- au stabilit deja piata?

Nikon unveils wireless headset for digital content › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

Posted using ShareThis

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Toyota Land Cruiser

Released in 2008 and also known as the 200 series is a "lady" of the roads and the king of the mountains- from my point of view :D


Honda CR-V


2008 Honda CR-V EX-L
Originally uploaded by ianris
A redesigned CR-V was launched for the 2007 model year. The third generation CR-V is powered by the latest version of Honda's standard K-series 2.4 L 4-cylinder engine, similar variants of which can also be found in the current-generation Honda Accord and Honda Element.


New Nissan Murano


Nissan Murano, 2009
Originally uploaded by MobyDee
New Nissan Murano released on Monday in Japan it` s a luxury SUV, already released in USA in January.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Kanji Reader Device


Red Flags of Kanji
Originally uploaded by Jim Atwood
Somebody interested in learning kanji would be interested in the Kanji Reader. A litlle device with a bilingual interface, a high precision optical scanner able to digitize kanji and other Japanese characters( around 3000). It seems that it can do both E-J and J-E.
It is not that expensive and I think it is very handy considering that it is the size of a pen. Personally, I still need to learn the "analog" way and then I would like to have a device like this to help me when I need it.

More details about the device here

Saturday, September 27, 2008

New Yahoo Messenger

The new Yahoo messenger 9.0 came with this new application called Pingbox among others. You can edit it first on the Yahoo Messenger page and then copy and paste the html to your blog, profile or website. It looks very handy and easy to use. The ones who will send you messeges through it will appear as Visitor 1, 2...an so on. I added it and will test it for a while to see how it is. You can read more about the new messenger and its new features on Yahoo Messenger Blog.

Today


Rice field
Originally uploaded by Mihai Florin Apostu Oota
This photo is relaxing me, and I need it after today`s event. Hiromichi Sato came to Aomori for an event and we were there too. I` ve seen him a few times at the TV and on DVD`s and he is still good at his job. Without special preparations but with a very simple and well thought plan, kept the audience( moms and children) busy for an hour, and I mean BUSY. Simple is Best!

Hiromichi Sato`s blog ( ひろみちお兄さんのブログ)

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Burton Supermodel `72


For almost 3 years I`ve been using the board that made me love powder and Hakkoda. Lately I`ve been checking the internet for THE powder snowboards and looked at several boards like: T. Rice Banana Hammock , Burton Supermodel, Burton Fish , Gentem and a few others. I was about to buy the Banana Hammock to enjoy the powder 100%- but then I thought what will I do on the slopes.

Yesterday, the weather in Aomori changed and today was really cold. It won` t be long until the snow will be here. :) Where will you snowboard this year?

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

2008 International Events

After coming back from Romania, where me and my son have spent an unforgettable 1 month holiday together with the grandparents from Romania, we continued the preparations for the ISE 2008( International Summer Event).

We are a volunteer association in Aomori interested in organising events where people all over the world can join us and share ideas, happenings, talent and cultural aspects.



The first event took place on July the 13th at the International cultural exchange house situated near the Aomori Public University Aomori. A big number of students helped us make this event happen. Both the guests and the participants were excited to be there.

The participants coming from countries like China, Phillipines, Japan, Korea, Malaisia, Russia, Romania, Thailand, Vietnam made their own speech in Japanese, presenting something relevant about their own country. During the break romanian cheese and snacks were served( I wish we could have offered wine too).

After the speech, talented singers from Russia, Phillipines, America, Australia and Japan gathered in a piano, guitar, violin and beautiful voices concert.


On August the 17th 2008, Aomori city hall in collaboration with different companies and associations from Aomori organised the annual 触れ合い広場( Open Space Contact). The main route in Aomori that goes to the Train Station was opened only. One of the many groups organising the event presented a world traditional clothing fashion show. Among other countries around the world( around 30 where presented), Romania was presented by me and a romanian friend of mine living in Hatinohe. At the end of the Fashion Show we danced holding hands with the viewers on romanian traditional songs like Hora and Brasoveanca.

This day was a special day for me for two reasons- ①I would have never thought that on my 27th birthday ②I will be dancing on traditional romanian songs in Japan.


At the moment we are preparing for the second event that our volunteer association will organise on December the 14th. " Christmas around the world" is what we would like to present in this second edition( probably this will be the name of the event) and hopefully foreigners living in Aomori( and other prefectures) will make Christmas in Aomori be felt like it is in their own countries.

If YOU are a foreigner living in Aomori( Japan) and would like to be present at this event as a guest or collaborator don` t hesitate to contact me.
Let` s spend an unforgettable Christmas in Aomori!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Horseback Archery Contest 流鏑馬大会 青森

Every year in September, on the Gappo Park beach, a horseback archery contest ( 流鏑馬 大会) is organised and contestants from all over Japan are gathering here. It was my first time to see an archery contest and I really enjoyed watching it, taking pictures and even speaking to the contestants. The weather was kind to the contestants( but not to me)- the sky was covered with grey clouds all the time. The horse that Mr. Oomori was riding was the attraction of the day( to me it was) - it was all spotted like a dalmatian.



Preparing
Originally uploaded by Mihai Florin Apostu Oota
The contestants had to ride the horses on a 200 meters long track and hit three targets set on their left side on the way. The distance from the track to the targets was about 5 meters.

River of light

This evening I went on a bridge in the city to see how to do long exposures. It was hard enough to keep the camera steady for 20 seconds without moving it. Just ordered a tripod and can`t waitfor it to arrive next week. Still have to learn more about the camera.


And this is how Oirase river looked like last week with a tripod under the camera. The long road to the river was worthwhile.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Woody&Ultraman


Woody&Ultraman, originally uploaded by Mihai Florin Apostu Oota.

I have been away from this blog for a long time so, soon, if not today, I will make an effort to write a review of this summer. I have been taking tons of pictures, most of them not that good- still learning how to use the camera.

I WILL BE BACK!

Cheers

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Golden week

Golden week is celebrated in Japan. Beautiful morning on May the 3rd. I met my friends at Natsudomari.
It was hard finding the spot where there were, but I managed to find them after a few calls. As soon as I arrived I started putting the meat on the already prepared fire.


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Having a barbecue in a long while has been a really good stress relief.


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It wasn` t that hot but some us took advantage of the early summer.


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Arond 5 p.m. we decided to return home, finished eating the red pepper and packed up. On the way to Hiranai I stopped to take this picure. A little foggy but the calm and relaxing colors were reflecting that day` s "colors" .


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The next day I` ve been working around the house, making a locker, watering the flowers, cleaning after my mess.
Yesterday I went shopping and could` t go home before investing in my heart- Canon.
After a long over night charge, today, I made myself some time to test my lens. Around the house and most of the time near Aomori` s Ferry port. Got there just before Natyan left for Hakodate.


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Bay Bridge was covering half of Hakkouda.


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While cleaning the water in my son`s turtle tank, this guy stood on the table watching me all the time...


Who is there?


The water in the vase is getting blue after putting the roses in.


Blue Roses


Pale rose


Tommorow the party starts again! :D
Take care!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Snowboarding on April the 27th

This time on Iwaki Mountain, near Hirosaki. Before going to sleep I played with my phones alarm option so much that it didn` t go on at 5:45 in the morning. My friends woke me up by calling me at 6:30.
"Where are you Mihai? Still sleeping?"
"Oh, NO, what`s the time?
" It`s time to GO!" ( sorry about that)
I met them after 12 minutes and we were on our 45 minutes drive to Iwaki mountain.
This is how Iwaki was like at 16:00. I wish that this weather continued all day long.


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I had the pleasure to sit in the back of the car and enjoy the road to Hirosaki and back.


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Watching ザ・ドリフターズ all the way we arrived pretty soon on at Ajigasawa` s Ski resort parking, where we met one of our friends, and after going round the mountain taking 69 curves, near the top of Iwaki.


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Some of us were jumping with joy


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Some of us were thinking about the cherry blossom


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But the reality was this, and we were on our way to the top.


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The weather was rainy, -2 degrees, wind of speed of 18-20m/s. No way for the lifts to move. So we started preparing to climb.


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We hiked for about an hour between bushes, trees and climbing rocks.


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Finally on the top. With the strong wing blowing with power the snowflakes on our faces made it hard to set the camera and take this picture.


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And we started climbing round the mountain.
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Ready to go down the mountain. The clouds are still surrounding us, making the mountain hard to see. But not for long...
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We were soon out of the clouds and enjoying the view.


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In this video I took you can see how fast the clouds are moving.




This is where we came from- you can see in the far left the car in the parking lot.


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An avalache is showing some signs. From what we`ve heard it was like that since the beginning of april. Hope it stays the same until it melts.


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Yotin going first to prepare the camera.


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Today`s snowboarders were:
Kayoppe


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Sizu


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Shibu


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Ten


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Mos


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And Yotin in the middle


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Before arriving in the parking lot it started to rain heavily, but it felt so warm and so nice. Just like a spring shower after a cold winter.


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Some of us were still having fun until the very end of the slope covered with snow.


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After going up the mountain to take Mos` s car we headed for Agigasawa again and Hirosaki. Couldn`t let the beautiful scenery pass without immortalizing a few sceneries. You can smell the spring without looking at the beautiful intense green that is appearing here and there.


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Today has been better than I have been expecting it to be. All week I have been checkin the weather forecast and for for my disapponting Sunday was always near the rain mark. On top of the mountain it snowed almost all the time and while descending the sun was appearing now and then. Good timing!


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Mos san was so kind to make a video selection of that day. He even caught on me on camera when I am having a big fall sliding. Too much speed




Mos and Yotin wrote on their japanese blog about that day. Click on name to visit.
モスさんよちんさんはその日の日本語の日記を書きました。良かったら名前を押して下さい。


See you next year Iwaki!