Posts Tagged ‘Enjoy’

Well, I got the the design up. It took a while to find something I liked and even longer to make customize it, but I have finally uploaded it. I hope that you like it. Please leave comments with any feedback that you may have. There may be some things that aren’t working. To be quite honest I am not a pro at this at all and was able to accomplish this by a lot of web searching.

Something that stuck out in my mind while working on the site was that in order to really focus on something, you need to really want to accomplish it. The most difficult part of creating this new theme was the photo. I had to create it myself and have absolutely no experience with manipulating photos. I have tried working with Photoshop and Gimp before to manipulate photos, but have usually given up because I did not really have a good reason to accomplish it.

This time however, I was more focused and knew clearly what I wanted to accomplish. I spent the extra time to get over the curve and was able to create the image on the page. In addition, I actually enjoyed the challenge. The free and full featured program I used was Gimp. Though I have to admit, if you just wanted to accomplish this type of task (and don’t actually enjoy it), then it would make much more sense to outsource it.

The top image and the bottom image are photos from Miyakojima, Japan and the middle photo from a scuba trip to Cozumel, Mexico.

After a really cool June, we have finally had our first feel of summer here in Tokyo. And while we don’t have a 4th of July weekend like the US, I figured a would give 5 things you can do that will keep you out of the heat, on a small budget, and having fun. The big key is to get out of your own house so you don’t have to run the AC.

1. Go to Karaoke- Most of us love to sing, and if you search around you can even find great deals during the weekend. There is a place near me that costs about 1,000JPY (about $10) for all day on Saturday or sunday) and it comes with a free drink. It would cost that much to run your ac for a couple of hours.

2. Take a train to the Ocean- One of the nice things about living in Japan is you are always close to the ocean. Even if you don’t like to swim, you can get away from the city to relax and enjoy the cooler temperature near the ocean.

3. Activities in the park- Let’s face it, when it gets hot and muggy in Tokyo you are gonna sweat. So why not have some fun and get some exercise out of it.

4. Spend a day visiting art museums and other cultural spots- Most are cheap to enter, they have air conditioning, and is very relaxing. Many also have small cafes where you can have a meal or a cup of tea.

5. Visit the local mountains- Since Japan is made of mostly mountains, there is always one close. You can get to a cooler temperature, get some exercise, and have a great view.

Set a budget to make sure that you don’t overspend and stick to it.