Happy New Year everyone!
The New Year came her to Japan as peacefully as ever. Only real change here is Aliena is older and more independend than ever. She wen to a part with her friends last night and came back here very late after visiting a shrine located close to where my part time job is. This morning we had a smaller version of the usual New Year's traditional meal and a glass of sake. Ali is out again again visiting a different shrine with her friends.
The next couple of days will be quiet and I'll spend most of my time reading and relaxing around the house.
Again a Happy 2007 to all.
Ar Este Pi
Monday, January 01, 2007
Saturday, August 26, 2006
The Qatar Experience
Short of a positive accident, nothing could have been much worse than this trip. First of all, the first leg from KIX to Doha, Quatar, began at 11:45 pm, QR 821. The flight lasted 11 hours and forty-five minutes. Nothing surprising bout that and everyone knows how hard a long flight is. The other strange thing is it arrived at 4 am. This is bad because I had to wait about seven hours till the connecting flight to Milan. I thought the Doha airport would be a ghost town but no, everything was quite busy and open, Tax Free shops, souvenir shops and four restaurants. One below and there in a row upstairs at a food courts. Nothing gourmet, but adequate.
Then strange things happened. I went to the Connections desk and he authorized the connecting boarding card for the 12:45 flight to Milan. He also gave me a voucher for breakfast. I said thanks and the voucher said Quatar Airlines was pleased to give it to us and it would supply us with breakfast. Unfortunately, it did not say which restaurant. So I check the Starbucks like place downstairs and they sent me upstairs. I went two the middle restaurant upstairs in the row of places, and then sent me to the one on the right and I finally saw the small sign they had. She said the service would start in 15 minutes at six. So I sat and waited and at six a line of about fifty people suddenly formed and she started serving them a large microwave chicken sandwich with their choice of drink. I was not going to wait is such a line, so went a side and watch to see if the line would diminished, and it did in about forty-five minutes. So I got in line of about five people and breakfast had become two triangles of crusted white bread with a slice of cheeks and a square of fried eggs all scrambled together. I had the eggs with salt and paper and a few bites of sandwich. The problem I saw was a good number of people did not understand the system, especially the Japanese girls, and many probably never got it. Suppose Qatar give that voucher because people will be waiting for hours and not have the local currency, the rial.
Well, I read and killed time looking at the stuff for sale and sometime in the morning I noticed the coming flight was listed as delayed, but he departure time remained the same followed with “est 20:30." I assumed "est" meant estimated as in ETA. And kept that way till noon, boarding time. The sign and gate 11 read the next flight would be to Doha. No one was there till around 12:10 and I asked they guy, and he said the flight would not leave till eight-thirty in the evening. I was shocked telling him we already have been waiting about seven hours. He said go to the Transfers desk and get a voucher for a hotel. Why had this not been posted? There was no announcement on the airport paging system? I say many people coming to Gate 11 to look at the board and wonder what happened to the Milan flight, and there was no one there to ask. Well, I went to the Transfer desk and he introduced me to a guy I had to wait for, and a woman came by a bit after with the vouchers and took me to immigration and outside I met the guy to take me to the Mercure Hotel in downtown Doha. In waiting for more people to show, I met Renata, a lovely Melbourne clothes designer in her late twenties who was going to Milan, too and a Minalese man who was good company. In total, only five of us went to the hotel. Were told of a large group of Italians who did now know what was going on and would staying in the airport till the evening site.
The voucher included a single room, lunch (fantastic smorgasbord with every think you could imagine, fit for a gormet) with refreshments, and transportation. Again, the lack of information left 95 percent of the passengers wandering around the small airport. Well we enjoyed our lunch, Renata took in the pool, I took a shower and washed up and we were all brought back to the airport at 6:00 and had to go through the whole process of checking in, check, checking bags, passport control etc. When we checked in, the woman said there was a further delay of an extra hour, no explanations did we ever get for the delays.
Then strange things happened. I went to the Connections desk and he authorized the connecting boarding card for the 12:45 flight to Milan. He also gave me a voucher for breakfast. I said thanks and the voucher said Quatar Airlines was pleased to give it to us and it would supply us with breakfast. Unfortunately, it did not say which restaurant. So I check the Starbucks like place downstairs and they sent me upstairs. I went two the middle restaurant upstairs in the row of places, and then sent me to the one on the right and I finally saw the small sign they had. She said the service would start in 15 minutes at six. So I sat and waited and at six a line of about fifty people suddenly formed and she started serving them a large microwave chicken sandwich with their choice of drink. I was not going to wait is such a line, so went a side and watch to see if the line would diminished, and it did in about forty-five minutes. So I got in line of about five people and breakfast had become two triangles of crusted white bread with a slice of cheeks and a square of fried eggs all scrambled together. I had the eggs with salt and paper and a few bites of sandwich. The problem I saw was a good number of people did not understand the system, especially the Japanese girls, and many probably never got it. Suppose Qatar give that voucher because people will be waiting for hours and not have the local currency, the rial.
Well, I read and killed time looking at the stuff for sale and sometime in the morning I noticed the coming flight was listed as delayed, but he departure time remained the same followed with “est 20:30." I assumed "est" meant estimated as in ETA. And kept that way till noon, boarding time. The sign and gate 11 read the next flight would be to Doha. No one was there till around 12:10 and I asked they guy, and he said the flight would not leave till eight-thirty in the evening. I was shocked telling him we already have been waiting about seven hours. He said go to the Transfers desk and get a voucher for a hotel. Why had this not been posted? There was no announcement on the airport paging system? I say many people coming to Gate 11 to look at the board and wonder what happened to the Milan flight, and there was no one there to ask. Well, I went to the Transfer desk and he introduced me to a guy I had to wait for, and a woman came by a bit after with the vouchers and took me to immigration and outside I met the guy to take me to the Mercure Hotel in downtown Doha. In waiting for more people to show, I met Renata, a lovely Melbourne clothes designer in her late twenties who was going to Milan, too and a Minalese man who was good company. In total, only five of us went to the hotel. Were told of a large group of Italians who did now know what was going on and would staying in the airport till the evening site.
The voucher included a single room, lunch (fantastic smorgasbord with every think you could imagine, fit for a gormet) with refreshments, and transportation. Again, the lack of information left 95 percent of the passengers wandering around the small airport. Well we enjoyed our lunch, Renata took in the pool, I took a shower and washed up and we were all brought back to the airport at 6:00 and had to go through the whole process of checking in, check, checking bags, passport control etc. When we checked in, the woman said there was a further delay of an extra hour, no explanations did we ever get for the delays.
Leonardo's Horse
Visited Leonardo's Horse on the 25th of August 2006. It is 24 ft tall, I am about 5'11". It is in the Cultural Park in Milano, Italia. Leonardo designed it and wanted to complete it in his lifetime but never did. It was finally created by retired pilot Charles C. Dent, Allentown, PA.
For more information.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
The Saint Blogs
Here I am again in Milan. Did some forced shopping and did not get much done but eyed some bags. Spent two weeks in Spain and an afternoon in Gilbraltar. Have not even seen but a tiny bit of the Andalusian section of Spain, not to mention the vast other spaces of the Spain. The folks are laid back and easy going. Did not get to go to Morocco, Africa, but did get to Gilbraltar for fish and chips were were not bad at all for British style. Ale was as always.
Though Spain had virtually no rain in August, there was one day of absolute downpours, getting the average rainfall for August in but an hour or so. One day's day trips had to be cancelled as a result so I forwent Tangier with much regret.
Though Spain had virtually no rain in August, there was one day of absolute downpours, getting the average rainfall for August in but an hour or so. One day's day trips had to be cancelled as a result so I forwent Tangier with much regret.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
End of Summer 2005
Finished my ACC comments just now and all ready to head back off to the States. Going to New England and Utah this time around. There is a conference in Utah about teaching language using Technology. The Foreign Language Education And Technology Conference is sponsored by the International Association For Language Learning Technology (IALLT), and the Japan Association for Language Education and Technology (LET). Brigham Young University us the venue. Sounds like it might be interesting.
I will be leaving tomorrow afternoon, and the flight is around scheduled to leave just after before 6 pm. I fly to Chicago, then to Boston where I will have to stay one night at a Holiday Inn. I will spend some days with my family in Attleboro, then up to Boston, staying with my friend Richard, then off to Utah on the sixth.
Got a horrid blah, blah, blah, in a couple of hours but will console myself with the fact that it is my last duty of the first semester.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Friday, October 08, 2004
School Started
Here in Japan the second semester started and I'm about to finish my second week. Learned that next year my schedule will be changed, so I'll fininsh classes on Tuesday at noon, but will have three classes on Thursday, periods 1, 2 and 3, then followed by the usual meetings. So Thrusday will become my bad day, but Tuesday will be easier. I guess it will be come the day I go to Osaka to visit Kanatani for his monthly lesson.
New Members
So far only my friend Lily and I are members of the Saint Bogs, but today I invited several people to join. Let's see how many do. *Hopeful look crossing my fingers.*
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Ending July
It is coming on the end of July, by Saturday I want to have everything done that needs to be done to complete the previous semester. Just have to correct the Speaking Course listening test (which I missed my mistake) and the ACC and a paper or two...I finished up the grading for KC at home today.
I have been getting e-mail from Ali everyday.
I have been getting e-mail from Ali everyday.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Finished Wednesday
The day at Shoin is now finished. Had a Student come to English Island, one of my regulars. We watched Sayonara and I left the tape for the LL Girl to watch to.
Last of the Penultimate Week
Today, July 7th, is the last day of the penultimate week for me at my full time job, one class and English Island with my private student as a bonus. Wonders what this summer will have in store for me. I suppose I should start some kind of project.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
End of the tunnel
July 4, 2004
Looking now at the approaching light at the end of the tunnel. It wil lnot be long now before the end of the semesters is here, just next week on the 14th essentially, but for one class a KC and some testings. As a rare circumstance I have no plans this summer for trips of any kind. Ali will be travelling to the States on her own and I think it is a great idea for her to be in a totally English speaking environment on her own for three weeks. I wonder if she will be any changed when she returns.
The Saint
Looking now at the approaching light at the end of the tunnel. It wil lnot be long now before the end of the semesters is here, just next week on the 14th essentially, but for one class a KC and some testings. As a rare circumstance I have no plans this summer for trips of any kind. Ali will be travelling to the States on her own and I think it is a great idea for her to be in a totally English speaking environment on her own for three weeks. I wonder if she will be any changed when she returns.
The Saint
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
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