Neil Duckett

Lamb On A Spit

Neil — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:21:23 +0000

Last weekend to celebrate the AFL Grand Final we had a party at a mates places …. the beers were flowing but more importantly the lamb was rotating on the spit.

With the belly stuffed with spuds, peppers, onions, garlic and all manner of herbs and spices the only thing left was to stitch it up and get it spinning

A little over 2 hours later and it was pretty much done.

Believe you me, It tasted every bit as good as it looks.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Lamb On A Spit

Karon Beach Phuket

Neil — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:32:59 +0000

It`s been a while, but now i`ve finally got some regular internet access i can post a few things i`ve been up to.

On the way back from Japan i stopped by Phuket and caught up with what turned out to be 8 mates in total, all keen to spend some time in the sun, drinking, eating and relaxing.

Mid week we booked a fishing charter andspent the day cruising in the Andaman Sea. We only caught 1 fish but the day was still deemed a success.

Phuket Fishing Charter from Neil Duckett on Vimeo.

With the other lads coming from winter in Australia there was alwasy going to be lots of poolside activity.

For 5 consecutive days i sat in the pool from 12 until 5pm ….. drinking as many cocktails from the list as humanly possible.

We did manage to get down to Bangla road 1 night for some Muay Thai action.

All up the boys had a great time and there`s talk of making it a yearly event, i know i`m up for it.

One place i didnt`t get too was the Steroe Lab in Surin Beach. The others got up there for a day time drink but didn`t stick around to see wha it was like in full swing.

A quick search on YouTube gives me the impression it`s well worth a look after dark.

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Post from: Neil Duckett

Karon Beach Phuket

Shibuya Street Dancer

Neil — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:50:47 +0000

I had cause to visit Shibuya one last time the day before i left Japan.

I ran into this fella, dancing to the tune of “It’s Raining Men” and drawing quite a crowd just near the Hachiko exit.

His moves were OK, his enthusiasm was spot on, my only suggestion would be a less revealling pair of shorts.

Shibuya is full of interesting sights, both during the day and at night and was home to one of my favourite photos.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Shibuya Street Dancer

Hyatt Regency Tokyo

Neil — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:27:17 +0000

There`s an overwhelming sense of dejavu as i write this, sitting in the same hotel i stayed in 3 years ago when i moved to Japan … only this time, it`s the end of the journey.

I stayed in this hotel for near on 10 months before i was made a local employee and before i had a gaijin card, working visa etc … all the stuff you need to rent an apartment.

This time round the stay is only 3 days and having copious amounts of points from my semi permanent status a few years ago … i am able to cash in and use them so it`s free.

It`s been a stressful last week and depite living a minimalistic lifestyle i still managed to acquire far too many possessions that all needed to be disposed of.

The countless amount of tasks needing to be done prior to exit is far reduced with only some minor things outstanding. If you find yourself in the same situatiuon soon hit me up for some advice if you need any.

Saturday i head off to Phuket for a holiday, meeting up with my brother who i haven`t seen for 18 months and a few mates. Looking forward to it like you wouldn`t believe.

It`s bitter sweet leaving Japan, there`s lots i`ll miss, plenty i won`t too … but most of all i`m happy i had the chance to live in a place most people desire to visit for a holiday let alone live for a few years.

For the people i didn`t get to cacth up with before i left … i apologise, it`s been a hectic month.

What`s next for me? Not really sure. I won`t rule anything out and have a few ideas and a few irons in the fire as we speak.

My immediate plans are to kick back and spend time with family and Friends who i`ve seen very little of the past 3 years.

I`ve got a few bits and pieces of travel coming up for the remainder of the the year, after Thailand i`ll be off to Hamilton Island and have a few other trips in the wings too.

I`ll be sure to post pics of interest but in the mean time … until at least early August things will be quiet round here … while i sit on the beach and ponder the future.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Hyatt Regency Tokyo

Nihonshu

Neil — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:11:19 +0000

Nihonshu 日本酒, or sake as most people know it, is found in most bars and restaurants in Japan.

I generally lean towards atsukan 熱燗 which is hot sake but last night at Sushi in Shibuya I went for the cold stuff, served in a masu which is a wooden, box-like cup.

Whenever it’s served in a masu it’s also accompanied with a saucer underneath as it’s tradition to overfill the cup, great value for money.

As you can see it’s necessary to get you head right into the cup to kick things off, some salt placed on the corner first makes for a tasty sip.

Nihonshu is not all that strong, this was about 17%, it’s gets things though going that’s for sure … and things went downhill considerably as the night progressed, lucky i didn`t have to get up for work today.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Nihonshu

Modern Samurai

Neil — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:47:32 +0000

My cousin sent me this link on the weekend, some pretty unbelievable skills with a sword i`m sure you`ll agree.

Didn`t see it on Japanese TV at the time but glad i was able to check it out … the clip has subtitles too. Cheers Cuz!

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Modern Samurai

J-Babe Of The Week #30 Mai Nishida

Neil — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:20:16 +0000

My my my … J-Babe Of The Week Mai Nishida was suggested by reader Matthew Rowe a few weeks back and was a topic of discussion between myself and Steve from Really Cute Asians more recently … you should be able to see why.

There`s many great things about Kyoto and Mai Nishida 西田麻衣 is one of them.

Turning 20 this year Mai is gaining in popularity amongst the Idol enthusiasts in Japan.

Her profile was lited by winning the 2006 Spacecraft swimsuit competition.

Mai beat outsome stiff competition to win over 3,000 other contestants.

She`s now released several DVD`s and is starting to feature on Japanese TV.

G-Cup in case you were wondering.

I`d love to be stranded at sea with Mai.

Absolutely stunning in so many ways.

Cheers to Steve for the pics and if you want to see a few clips of Mai then head over to Japan Sugoi.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

J-Babe Of The Week #30 Mai Nishida

Factron Quattro For iPhone

Neil — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:10:17 +0000

The ultimate in iPhone cases would have to be the Factron Quattro as seen on Engadget Japan.

Not only is it built from Aluminium and bolted together with metals screws it comes with a range of bolt on lenses from a fish eye to wide angle and macro.

It looks very well built but i can`t help to think the weight would be significantly increased.

As for putting it in your pocket, it`s only going to be harder with these sharp corners.

I`d be interested to see how the camera add-ons perform … but at the end of the day it`s still a phone camera.

At a price of about USD$175 for the case and between $15 and $50 for the lenses it`s probably too highly priced for most.

All things considered, I`ll just stick with my iPhone as it is.

Check out the manufacturers` site, only in Japanese, for more info on the Factron Quattro and other accessories for lots of Apple products.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Factron Quattro For iPhone

This Is Japan!

Neil — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:57:03 +0000

If you`ve been to Japan you`ll recognise lots of these images, if you haven`t then this is a great video showing many different facets of Japan.

This is Japan! from Eric Testroete on Vimeo.

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This Is Japan!

HP Mini 2140

Neil — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:10:38 +0000

I’ve had cause recently to pick up a new laptop. I didn’t want to go to the expense of buying a hamburger with the lot and truth be told, i don’t need that level of computing at the moment anyway.

With a combination of size and performance being the major concerns i started shopping around the increasingly popular “Mini PC” market and after some due diligence settled on the HP Mini 2140.

How’s that for a headline too by the way, MJ dying this morning?!

It takes a while getting used to the lower screen resolution and the keyboard is probably 80% if not more the size of a full size PC.

It runs on XP although lots of people seem to have opted for Mac OS, which is an after market install.

Spec wise it’s got a 1.6Ghz processor, with 1Gb memory and a 160Gb hard drive. It does the job.

For the price they’re a great little PC.

You can get them from about 30,000 yen and up to 80,000 depending on what you’re after, the HP Mini 2140 from yodobashi costs a bit under 60,000.

For more info check out the CNET Reviews on Mini PC’s in the market today.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

HP Mini 2140