February Current Events

Phew...! Now that that's out of the way, I can get back to blogging unhindered. So what's going on in Nikola and Natalie land?

• We've recently made the decision to stay in Japan for an extra year. However, we'll be moving to nearby Hiroshima. I'm really excited about this because me and Nat will be so much closer. Also, Hiroshima is a true city. Yeah, it's not huge but it feels bigger than it actually is. There are too many times when Okayama and Kurashiki just feel like a morgue. Nothing to do. The only thing really keeping us here are a couple of friends that we've made, and hey, Hiroshima is still close! It was a tough decision but we feel like staying in the far East is best for our mental health and for our future. The money is fantastic. Quality of life is great. We're healthy. And most importantly, we're happy. This way, we'll have more time to get our things together so that when we do step back into the western hemisphere, we'll be in a better place.
• Speaking of the state of things, we recently watched a documentary called Zeitgist. I think it's about 4 or 5 years old but it's just as relevant now as it was back then. It talks about the state of the world and where the world is headed. It's a fascinating movie. It really gets into the science, economy, and psychology of why our world is broken and why it's headed down the path that it is. I'm not going to go into any details but I highly recommend this documentary to anyone who is even remotely interested in what's going on in the world today. Our situation is dire and although ignorance is bliss, it's also important to be informed. Needless to say, I am highly worried about where our world is headed and I can't say I have much faith in human resolve (and that includes me). Also, check out inside job for a good documentary. 
• After 2 months of being essentially headphone less, I finally decided to splurge and get myself some nice headphones. Man, I sure missed music. I love music and I can't believe that I went so long without some jams in my head. I've kind of always secretly wanted to do this but here are my top albums and songs of 2011 (in no particular order)
• Albums (Artist - Album Name):  Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Radiohead - The King of Limbs, Destroyer - Kaputt, Cults - Cults, Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues, James Blake - James Blake, SBTRKT - SBTRKT, Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde, M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, Cut Copy - Zoonoscope
• Songs (Artist - Song Title) - SBTRKT - Wildfire, Cults - Go Outside, Destroyer - Chinatown, James Blake - Limit to Your Love, Radiohead - Lotus Flowers, Radiohead - The Daily Mail, Girls - Love Life, M83 - Midnight City, Smith Westerns - Weekend
•   Winter has come and has hit us in the face full force. Now, I know that this has been mentioned numerous times and in numerous places but FUCK, Japan, get with the program! It is the year 2012. Not 1220...B FUCKING C. Seriously, I mean, Japan, the third strongest economy on the planet. Inventors of making raw fish taste good and of sneaking around with star shaped throwing apparatus. Inventors of Obese Italian Mustachioed Plumbers who save the planet and of 80 foot tall robots who have laser swords. Inventors of Instant fucking Noodles. Okay, rant over, but Japan, why haven't you installed insulation into any of our homes. I mean seriously. How hard is it to essentially insert some cotton balls in between our walls. And don't get me started on the lack of central heating. Why do my nipples have to suddenly be able to cut glass cleanly every time I go to the bathroom? Aye. I'm cold. That is all. 
• Been watching Season 6 of Dexter. It has been great so far. I'm loving that show. I'm sad that we'll have to wait another year for a new season but we'll start Breaking Bad soon and then Game of Thrones Season 2 is coming in April. I cannot wait for that. I also recently finished Oliver Twist. It was a good book and it definitely went into the "dickensian" aspect of life in the 1800's. Well, it was written by Charles Dickens. I thought the book was obvious brilliantly written but there were times when the book just put me to sleep. I give it a solid 7 out of 10. Brilliant dialogue but not much happens. I'm almost done with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I've really been enjoying that one. It's quite fun. The only con is that the author loves to describe the indescribably infinite amount of fish in the ocean, of which I've heard of about 2 species; Tuna and Salmon. What to read next?

Wow, long blogging session today. But I've got a lot of things to look forward to again. Next weekend, for Valentine's day, me and Nat are splurging on Traditional Japanese Luxury hotel complete with a private in bedroom hot spring bath. It should be amazing. We also might go skiing and we are for sure going to get a visit from one of our  best friends from Korea: Lou! I'm excited for this month and then Spring is just around the corner.