Kris in Hokkaido

Low calorie, low carbohydrate, low fat day.

2011-06-19T17:35:00.003+09:00

Today's food in numbers:

Calories: 1447.7 kCal
Fat: 43.6 g
Carbohydrates: 197.3 g
Protein: 84.6 g

Dinner was a bigeye tuna pepper steak with veggies and whole grain rice.

Diet and exercise

2011-06-17T22:39:00.003+09:00

Todays food in numbers:

Calories: 1533.8 kCal
Fat: 38.7 g
Carbohydrates: 255.6 g
Protein: 54 g

With a helping hand from:

www.mapmyride.com/ (food log)
nutritiondata.self.com/ (nutritional values of many food items)

Also spend some calories while riding my bike for approx. 10 km after work (too much uphill...) I didn't start my iPhone tracking software in time, so cannot present you with a route. Will make sure it is recording tomorrow.

Mount Yotei route.

2011-06-15T19:48:00.001+09:00

Nog een route voor wanneer ik al terug een beke conditie heb.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/37621494"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Circling Mount Yotei&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Kutchan, Japan"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Kutchan, Japan&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Fiets route

2011-06-15T09:56:00.003+09:00

Nu dat ik mijn nieuwe fiets gekocht heb is het tijd om wat routes uit te werken hier in de buurt. Waar dat ge dat vroeger op goed gevoel, met een papieren kaart, enz... moest doen zijn er deze dagen meer interessante mogelijkheden. iPhone en online route planning... Here we come. Hieronder een voorbeeld route (zal onderdeel zijn van mijn route naar het werk als ik met de fiets zou gaan werken).

&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/37587798"&amp;amp;amp;gt;From home to Hirafu and back.&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Kutchan, Japan"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Kutchan, Japan&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Dinsdag 16 Oktober

2010-11-17T15:05:00.001+09:00

Dag 49 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Brood
Avond: Avondje op stap met de mensen van 't werk.

Maandag 15 November

2010-11-17T15:04:00.000+09:00

Dag 48 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Onigiri
Avond: Wortelsoep met brood

Maandag 8 November

2010-11-08T20:10:00.001+09:00

Dag 41 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Pompoensoep
Avond: Rozijnenbrood met kaas

Zondag 7 November

2010-11-08T20:08:00.003+09:00

Dag 40 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Half frans brood met kaas en hesp.
Avond: Thai curry met 鳥むね肉 (kip), なす(aubergine) en 竹の子 (takenoko oftewel bamboe scheut)

Zaterdag 6 November

2010-11-06T18:43:00.001+09:00

Dag 39 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Half frans brood met kaas en hesp.
Avond: Renkon kinpira met gebakken kip en rijst.

Vrijdag 5 November

2010-11-06T18:42:00.002+09:00

Dag 38 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Verse pompoensoep.
Avond: Croque monsieur.

Donderdag 4 November

2010-11-06T18:42:00.001+09:00

Dag 37 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Brood met tonijnsla.
Avond: Restje spaghetti van dinsdag.

Woensdag 3 November

2010-11-06T18:40:00.004+09:00

Dag 36 van mijn dieet:

We zijn een dagje op uitstap geweest naar Otaru. Van dieet was dus niet echt sprake.

Ontbijt: /
Middag: McDonalds.
Avond: Groentensoep, pizza en chocoladetaart.

Dinsdag 2 November

2010-11-06T18:40:00.002+09:00

Dag 35 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Brood met tonijnsla.
Avond: Spaghetti

Maandag 1 November

2010-11-06T18:39:00.000+09:00

Dag 34 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Brood met tonijnsla.
Avond: Kan het me niet meer herinneren.

Zondag 31 Oktober

2010-11-01T19:14:00.001+09:00

Dag 33 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Brood met tonijnsla.
Avond: Varkensgebraad (gekruid met rosemarijn en thijm) met een aardappel / spinazie puree op smaak gebracht met een kruidenkaasje.

Zaterdag 30 Oktober

2010-11-01T19:13:00.001+09:00

Dag 32 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /
Middag: Vers gemaakte brocoli soep.
Avond: Frans brood met verse tonijnsla.

Vrijdag 29 Oktober

2010-10-29T18:15:00.002+09:00

Dag 31 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: Brood (v/d supermarkt) met geraspte worteltjes en Kiri kruidenkaas.

Avond: Rijst, miso soep en gebakken vis.

Pringles

Donderdag 28 Oktober

2010-10-29T18:14:00.001+09:00

Dag 31 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: Pompoensoep.

Avond: Ramen, gyoza, chaahan

Yoghurt

Woensdag 27 Oktober

2010-10-29T18:12:00.001+09:00

Dag 30 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: Volkoren brood met geraspte worteltjes en kaas.

Avond: Pompoensoep met brood en kaas.

Appel, Yoghurt

Dinsdag 26 Oktober

2010-10-26T19:16:00.001+09:00

Dag 29 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: volkoren brood met niks

Avond: rosbief sandwich met vers geraspte wortelen, tomaat, augurk, mosterd, mayo, rucola (moest mijne Bamix SliceSy toch eens proberen...).

Maandag 25 Oktober

2010-10-26T19:15:00.000+09:00

Dag 28 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: Restje aardappelen van gisteren

Avond: Nabe (gekookte groenten, kip, udon)

Zondag 24 Oktober

2010-10-26T19:14:00.001+09:00

Dag 27 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: Boterham met kaas en verse pompoensoep

Avond: Aardappelen met spinazie (op z'n Indish) en gebakken zalm

Zaterdag 23 Oktober

2010-10-23T17:44:00.001+09:00

Dag 26 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: brood met camembert

Avond: Indische gehaktballen (met helft van het vlees vervangen door tofu) met rijst en saus op basis van groenten en kruiden

Vrijdag 22 Oktober

2010-10-23T17:43:00.001+09:00

Dag 25 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: boterham met ham

Avond: frans brood met rucola, tomaat, augurk, ham, kaas, mayo en ketchup

Yoghurt

Donderdag 21 Oktober

2010-10-21T18:30:00.002+09:00

Dag 24 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: boterham met ham

Avond: bento van de supermarkt (rijst, gebakken zalm, groentjes)

Appel

Woensdag 20 Oktober

2010-10-21T18:30:00.001+09:00

Dag 23 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: boterham met ham

Avond: boterham met mosterd, rosbief, rucola en tomaat

Appel

Dinsdag 19 Oktober

2010-10-19T18:57:00.001+09:00

Dag 22 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: boterham met ham

Avond: soep uit de diepvries met gebakken vis en boterham

Appel

Maandag 18 Oktober

2010-10-19T18:56:00.001+09:00

Dag 21 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: volkoren boterham met ham

Avond: soep uit de diepvries met boterham

Appel

Zondag 17 Oktober

2010-10-19T18:55:00.002+09:00

Dag 20 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: Restje spaghetti van gisteren

Avond: Kip Tikka Masala met rijst

Appel

Zaterdag 16 Oktober

2010-10-16T16:48:00.001+09:00

Dag 19 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: broodje met kaas van de konbini

Avond: spaghetti! (mjummie)

Vrijdag 15 Oktober

2010-10-15T19:16:00.001+09:00

Dag 18 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met ham

Avond: rijst, chili garnalen en groentemengeling

Donderdag 14 Oktober

2010-10-15T19:15:00.000+09:00

Dag 17 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met ham

Avond: Rijst met stukje kip van KFC (jaja, ik weet het... da is nie echt dieet eten) en groentjes

Appel als fruit van de dag

Woensdag 13 Oktober

2010-10-15T19:14:00.000+09:00

Dag 16 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met ham

Avond: rijst met nog iet (kan me het niet herinneren) wat Kazumi haar mama heeft klaargemaakt

Appel als fruit van de dag

Dinsdag 12 Oktober

2010-10-15T19:13:00.002+09:00

Dag 15 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met ham

Avond: rijst, gebakken zalm, gewokte groentemengeling

Appel als fruit van de dag

Maandag 11 Oktober

2010-10-11T19:47:00.001+09:00

Dag 14 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren rozijnebrood met kaas

Avond: subuta (varkensvlees en groentjes op zoet-zure wijze) met rijst

Sinaasappel als fruit van de dag

Zondag 10 Oktober

2010-10-11T19:46:00.001+09:00

Dag 13 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes brood met ham

Avond: rest van de soep van gisteren tesamen met volkoren rozijnenbrood met kaas

Appel en kiwi als fruit van de dag

Zaterdag 9 Oktober

2010-10-10T09:00:00.002+09:00

Dag 12 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes brood met kaas

Avond: "Oostendse garnalensoep" op z'n Japans (wortel, tomaat, ui, selder en garnalen)

Appel als fruit van de dag

Vrijdag 8 Oktober

2010-10-10T08:59:00.002+09:00

Dag 11 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes brood met rauwe ham

Avond: groentenmengeling / kip in een tomaten bouillon met rijst

Appel als fruit van de dag

Donderdag 7 Oktober

2010-10-07T21:05:00.001+09:00

Dag 10 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes brood met rauwe ham

Avond: koolrolletjes (koolblad met daarin mengeling van van varkens en kippegehakt) in bouillon met rijst

Kiwi als fruit van de dag

Woensdag 6 Oktober

2010-10-06T20:58:00.001+09:00

Dag 9 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes brood met ham

Avond: brood met tomaat / gebakken ui en varkensvlees

Dinsdag 5 Oktober

2010-10-06T20:56:00.002+09:00

Dag 8 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: Tas groentesoep van gisteren.

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met ham

Avond: Rest van de soep van gisteren met 2 sneetjes volkoren brood met kaas

Maandag 4 Oktober

2010-10-04T22:28:00.001+09:00

Dag 7 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met ham

Avond: verse groenten soep met 2 sneetjes brood en rauwe ham

Zondag 3 Oktober

2010-10-04T22:27:00.004+09:00

Dag 6 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: broodje ham/kaas van de bakker (enkel ham en kaas)

Middag: /

Avond: zelfde soep als gisteren (deze keer zonder kip) met 2 sneetjes vokoren brood

Zaterdag 2 Oktober

2010-10-03T09:27:00.001+09:00

Dag 5 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren notenbrood met margarine en ham

Avond: verse groenten-kippesoep met een sneetje volkoren brood

Vrijdag 1 Oktober

2010-10-03T09:25:00.003+09:00

Dag 4 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met margarine

Avond: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met margarine en rauwe ham

Donderdag 30 September

2010-09-30T22:11:00.001+09:00

Dag 3 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 4 sneetjes volkoren brood met margarine

Avond: Donburi (sashimi op een bedje van rijst)

Woensdag 29 September

2010-09-29T18:03:00.002+09:00

Dag 2 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 2 sneetjes volkoren brood zonder iets extra

Avond: Oden (Japans gerecht met gekookte groenten, tofu, konyaku en eitje) met rijst

Dinsdag 28 September

2010-09-29T17:49:00.004+09:00

Dag 1 van mijn dieet:

Ontbijt: /

Middag: 3 sneetjes volkoren brood met margarine

Avond: 3 kleine aardappeltjes met een ontvelde, gekookte kippenbout (gekookt met wortel, selderij , shiitake and ui)

Nieuwe auto

2009-07-29T12:00:00.002+09:00

Na al de problemen met onze huidige auto hebben we besloten om een andere auto te kopen. Geen nieuwe auto vermits dat net buiten ons budget valt. Per chance verkoopt het bedrijf waar ik voor werk net een van zijn wagens. Een Mazda MPV bouwjaar 2005. Vanaf eind Augustus zal dat de onze zijn.

Nieuwe computer

2009-06-30T13:15:00.002+09:00

Volgens de Dell order status pagina zal m'n nieuw speeltje zaterdag arriveren. Kan amper wachten. Ondertussen hier op 't werk nog maar eens een website in elkaar steken. De oude website heeft al heeeeeeel lang geen update meer gehad. Dus een nieuwe site is zeker aan de orde.

Zomer

2009-06-25T13:28:00.002+09:00

Momenteel zomert het hier in Hokkaido. Blauwe hemel en temperaturen tussen de 25 en 30 graden. We mogen dus niet klagen. Heb me gisteren ook ne nieuwe computer besteld bij Dell. Met da 'k vanaf volgende maand maar 4 dagen per week moet werken (besparingen vanwege de crisis) heb ik me voorgenomen m'n web design skills bij te schaven gedurende 1 dag per week. Gewoon algemene kennis over XHTML / CSS, maar ook meer specifieke skills zoals bijvoorbeeld templates maken voor Joomla. Ik zie er al naar uit. :-) Kan niet wachten totdat nieuwe pc er is. Heb me er een leuk 24 inch scherm van EIZO bij besteld. Meer bepaald de Japanse versie van dit scherm. Meer dan ruimte genoeg voor mijne Dreamweaver. :-)

Regen.

2009-06-11T12:58:00.003+09:00

Vandaag nog eens genieten van typisch Belgisch weer. Regen en nog eens regen. 'k Had misschien beter de kajak genomen in plaats van de auto deze morgen. Dan verhuist een mens al eens naar de andere kant van de wereld en nog steeds hetzelfde armzalige weer...

Laten we hopen dat het vlug betert.

Einde van de economische malaise nog niet in zicht...

2009-06-10T19:08:00.002+09:00

Zoals de titel al zegt zullen we de komende maanden de buikriem nog wat gaan mogen aanhalen. Firma gaat nog meer moeten besparen. Zullen nog zien waar we gaan uitkomen...

Nieuw leven in Oud-Turnhout.

2009-06-04T21:25:00.002+09:00

Ne dikke proficiat voor An en Bart met hun eerste zoontje Casper!

Spring Charity Golf Classic

2009-06-02T18:48:00.001+09:00

Zaterdag is het tijd voor de Spring Charity Golf Classic. Een golf en bbq evenement georganiseerd door de bedrijvengroep waar ik voor werk. Wie in de buurt is moet zeker afkomen!

Potverdorie weer autopech.

2009-05-30T16:36:00.002+09:00

Donderdag rond 1 uur in de namiddag was het weer zover. Auto wilde van geen kanten starten. Lijkt net hetzelfde probleem als de vorige keer. De startmotor dus. Da heeft ons vorige keer redelijk wat geld gekost om te herstellen, dus da zou dus nie mogen gebeuren he. Ben dan onmiddellijk met auto van het werk Kazumi gaan oppikken en dan samen naar de garage gegaan om eens te horen of da wel normaal is. Dan samen met kerel van de garage naar den auto (die nog op 't werk stond) gaan zien en die kon er precies ook nie aanuit waarom de startmotor weeral de geest gegeven heeft. Maar soit, em zou het gratis herstellen. Dus ben ik content. Voorlopig kar ik rond met auto van het werk (Toyota Hi-Ace).

Otaru

2009-05-06T08:16:00.006+09:00

Gisteren was een van de zeldzame keren dat Kazumi en ik dezelfde dag verlof hadden, dus zijn we er even op uit getrokken naar Otaru. Hieronder enkele plaatjes:

Brugje

Otaru by night

Kazumi @ KFC

De rest van de plaatjes kan je bekijken op mijn Flickr account (Klik hier).

Nieuwe website

2009-05-01T08:08:00.003+09:00

De laatste 45 dagen ongeveer heb ik zitten knutselen aan een nieuwe website voor West Canada Properties (WCP). WCP maakt deel uit van het groepje bedrijven waar ik voor werk:

West Canada Homes: verantwoordelijk voor de constructie van nieuwe woningen.
West Canada Properties: verantwoordelijk voor het makelaarsgedeelte.
The Niseko Company: verzorgt het management voor de eigenaars die hun eigendom willen ter beschikking stellen aan toeristen.

De nieuwe website is gebaseerd op het TYPO3 CMS met een custom design. Dit was mijn eerste projekt met TYPO3 en 'k moet zeggen dat het me goed is bevallen. De leercurve was redelijk steil, maar 'k ben toch tevreden over het uiteindelijke resultaat (zeker gezien dit de eerste website is die ik van de grond af heb opgebouwd).

Bekijk de website hier.

West Canada Homes Video

2009-04-27T19:07:00.005+09:00

Een promotiefilmjpe gemaakt voor West Canada Homes, het bedrijf waar ik werk. Klik Hier

Economische malaise...

2009-04-15T11:16:00.002+09:00

Het is weeral een tijdje geleden sinds mijn laatste post, waarvoor mijn excuses. Veel bijzonders valt er ook niet te rapporteren. Buiten de economische malaise dan. Net zoals zowat overal ter wereld worden we hier ook getroffen door de crisis. Verschillende mensen zijn al ontslagen binnen het bedrijf waar ik werk (vergelijkbaar met een Belgische KMO) en de overige werknemers hebben ingestemd met een loonsvermindering van 20% voor de volgende 3 maanden om het bedrijf te helpen voortbestaan. Veel zal afhangen van hoe de buitenlandse munten (Australische Dollar bijvoorbeeld) evolueren ten opzichte van de Japanse Yen. Zowat al onze klanten zijn investeerders uit het buitenland en door de sterke Yen zijn onze producten (luxe woningen) relatief ten opzichte van die buitenlandse munten een stuk duurder geworden. Met als gevolg dat we een hele rij klanten hebben die staan te wachten totdat de wisselkoers gunstiger wordt. Wachtende klanten brengen ons natuurlijk geen geld in het laatje, met als gevolg allerlei besparingen om het hoofd boven water te houden. Eens de wisselkoersen terug wat gunstiger worden zouden we geen problemen meer mogen hebben. Ik hoop dat de toestand eerder gisteren dan morgen verbetert.

Snowboard

2009-02-28T18:53:00.006+09:00

My new snowboard and bindings arrived today. Here's a picture.

Also went out to get me some snowboard boots. Picked a pair of Salomon Synapse. Now let's try out all this new gear tomorrow.

誕生日おめでとう～

2009-02-26T20:17:00.002+09:00

Broertje,

Ne gelukkige verjaardag. Geniet er nog van nu dat ge nog twintiger zijt want eens de voordeur verandert gaat het toch wel bergaf zunne. ^.- Alle, feest goed en laat de hot dogs smaken he!

Kris en Kazumi

Shopping time.

2009-02-23T20:25:00.004+09:00

Nu dat Maart dichterbij begint te komen werd het toch wel tijd om me een snowboard aan te schaffen. 'k Heb me via rakuten.co.jp hetvolgende aangeschaft:
* K2 Formula Bindings (rakuten link)
* K2 Podium Wide Snowboard (rakuten link)
Schoeisel ga ik in een gewone winkel kopen vermits de maat toch wel redelijk heel belangrijk is. ^^

No longer king of the hill

2009-02-17T18:50:00.002+09:00

Na ongeveer anderhalve maand kamperen op den heuvel was het toch echt wel tijd om naar de bewoonde wereld terug te keren. Hier zijn we dus weer. Internet, een warm bed, een wasmachien, alle comfort die de moderne Belg in Japan zich maar kan wensen.

't is Hier ondertussen nog steeds winter (den hill is al serieus gegroeid). 'k Ben al een tijdje niet meer gaan snowboarden wegens een gebarsten helm. En da is dus niet goedkoop he zo ne helm. Ik ga me er toch nog eens aan moeten wagen voordat de lente arriveert (da duurt natuurlijk nog wel effe). Misschien tegen het einde van het seizoen mijn eigen board kopen (aan sterk gereduceerde prijzen) zodat ik volgend seizoen nie meer telkens naar de verhuur shop moet trekken.

Gisteren was dus bompa Kuringen zijne verjaardag. Proficiat! 'k Ben een dagske te laat, maar op den heuvel had ik dus geen internet he. ^.^

Op 't werk is het relatief kalm. Voor het moment hou ik me vooral bezig met het computer park draaiende te houden (dank u wel Kaspersky voor de bijzonder slechte service naar jullie klanten toe >.<).

Alle, 'k moet dringend nog ewa Six Feet Under (dikke aanrader) gaan zien dus 'k ga het hierbij laten.

Slu~

King of the hill

2009-01-01T15:49:00.002+09:00

It's snowing!

2008-12-28T16:03:00.004+09:00

Stormy weather today with lots of snow.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-24T20:06:00.008+09:00

It's the 24st of December today. My first Christmas eve in Japan. Here are some pictures of our dinner and my present (lovely Belgian beers).

ps: Check out www.belgianbeer.co.jp if you're in Japan and want to get some beer.

Snowboarding

2008-12-14T17:47:00.005+09:00

Went snowboarding for the first time in my life this weekend. The first day was rather hard (I really cannot get up on my heel edge). But the 2nd day was a lot more fun. I can make turns so I use that to get on my heel edge. ^^ Here are 2 pictures:

Snow

2008-11-20T07:50:00.001+09:00

Got quite a bit of snow overnight. Here's a picture of our car.

Sapporo Shopping

2008-11-16T12:34:00.004+09:00

Kazumi and I went shopping in Sapporo yesterday. Got out of bed around 7AM (too early for a Saturday) and left for Sapporo at 8AM. Took route 5 from Kutchan to Otaru and drove the highway (Sasson) from Otaru to Sapporo (Kita Hiroshima exit). Arrived at Costco around 10AM. Costco is a large warehouse and they sell a nice selection of imported items.

Most Japanese supermarkets only offer a very limited assortment of cheese, so I had to get me some in Costco. Not quite cheap, but so very delicious.

After shopping at Costco we had lunch at McDonalds. Finished lunch around 12:30 and were all set for some more shopping. First we needed to find a parking spot though. We decided to park the car in one of the Sapporo Station's underground parking lots.

From the parking lot we went on foot to an outdoors sports shop (Shugakuso 札幌市北12西3). Bought me some winter gear (boots, snow goggles and ski pants and gloves).

Next stop: Yodobashi Camera. Had been looking for a decent set of PC speakers for a while now and decided to buy some finally. Got me a pair of Edirol MA-15D speakers.

By the time we left Yodobashi Camera it was time for dinner. We went for a simple bistro somewhere below Sapporo station.

To finish up the day we went to see a movie (Leatherheads) and drove home around 8:30PM. Was raining all the way from Sapporo to Kutchan. Soon this rain will turn into snow. Still a little bit warm for snow at the moment, but according to the weather forecast this will change soon.

Winter in Hokkaido

2008-11-08T11:30:00.008+09:00

Went for a walk at 7 AM this morning to enjoy the winter landscapes. Bit chilly (0 degrees Celcius, but seemed colder because of a strong wind) but very enjoyable. Here are some pictures.

Our car (putting up the wipers is standard practice during winter):

Road in front of our apartment:

Fields and mountain in the background:

Car Trouble Part 2

2008-11-07T13:38:00.003+09:00

We got our car back last Friday (31st October). Cost us around 90000 JPY (slightly over 700 Euro) to get it fixed (had to repair the starter engine). And since winter is coming close we also had to get some winter tires. Another 80000 JPY (approx 650 Euro). Expensive times for car owners here in Hokkaido.

Our car is 10 years old and we're planning to get a new one. But first we need to save up money of course. Let's hope our current car doesn't experience anymore expensive breakdowns.

The new car we're looking into is the Nissan X-Trail. A car that seems very suited for the harsh winter conditions we experience over here.

Car trouble

2008-10-25T11:21:00.002+09:00

Yesterday my car wouldn't start after visiting one of our construction locations. Tried like 5-6 times but the starter engine would not come one. Contacted JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) and asked them to come help me out. The guy arrives and.... is able to start my car without any problems. He checked the battery and generator and they both are ok. Nothing more he can do for me.

Today I took the car to a car repair shop and we got it diagnosed. Apparently the starter engine is no good. Getting it fixed now before winter really starts.

Hopefully no more car trouble after that.

Japanese Driver's License Part 2

2008-10-07T19:04:00.003+09:00

Yay, got a call from the license center today and everything is in order now. Will be going to Sapporo next week to get the license. ^^

Japanese Driver's License

2008-09-29T12:31:00.002+09:00

I need to vent a bit, so here it comes.

At the moment I'm driving a car in Japan using a translation of my Belgian driver's license. Using this translation I'm allowed to drive a car for 1 year. After that I'll have to use a real Japanese license.

So some weeks ago I went to the administration that can change my license. If you have a Belgian license you can just switch it to a Japanese without any exams or tests. You only need to proof that you have been in Belgium for 3 months after obtaining the driver's license.

No problem it seems... I got a nice document from the local authorities in Belgium stating that I had lived in Belgium all my life till departing for Japan (lived in Belgium full-time for approximately 10 years after obtaining my license).

However...

The clerk at the license center in Japan refused to accept this document. I got a new travel passport before going to Japan (got passport somewhere in February). And based on the issue date of the passport and my entrance date in Japan... I haven't been in Belgium for 3 months. Unfortunately I don't have my old passport anymore, so I cannot use that to proof that I really was in Belgium for more than 3 months after obtaining my driver's license and before going to Japan.

No problem I thought, let's just ask my embassy to write a document stating that I really really was in Belgium for more than 3 months.

After a week a received this document and faxed it to the license center. Again they refuse to accept the document. Now they're saying they need a document that states from day to day (for a period of 3 months) that I was in Belgium. Like for example a time registration card from a previous job in Belgium. Hmmm.... Only time card I ever used was a digital one and I don't have printouts for that. >< According to the clerk rental contracts stating a start and end date are not sufficient to proof that I was in Belgium. Same goes for my university diploma, etc ...

At the moment of writing the license center is in contact with my embassy trying to sort things out.

In my opinion this situation is rather ridiculous. I obviously lived in Belgium for a long time... Why not accept it?

I can only hope that this get sorted out. I need my driver's license for my job. According to the clerk I would have to start from zero if I cannot prove I was in Belgium for more than 3 months after obtaining the license. But I really don't have enough time to get a license from zero.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope I'll get a positive answer soon.

Will keep you updated.

2008-09-28T11:15:00.002+09:00

Wow, it's the 28th of September already. Time really is flying by. And it's been 3 weeks since my last blog post. Mainly because there's nothing really special to write about. ^^

Been going to work on weekdays and just relaxing at home during the weekends. Saturday is my homemade spaghetti day. ^^

Last Sunday Kazumi and I went to a BBQ in Hirafu (Niseko Cycling Week BBQ). The weather was great. It has become a lot colder since then.

First snow was seen on top of Mount Yotei last week. Not long before this place will become a winter wonder land. My first winter in Hokkaido. I'm looking forward to it. Kazumi on the other hand isn't a big fan of all the snow. Well... I've never experienced the gigantic amounts of snow of Kutchan before, so I'll have to wait and see.

I also started playing FFXI again. So if you're playing on Phoenix server... say hi to Feisei. ^^

Lunatic Asylum

2008-09-07T14:09:00.001+09:00

Old skool rave from Lunatic Asylum. This stuff is great.

Lunatic Asylum Live - Nostromo 1993 - Part I
Uploaded by DrMacabre

Lunatic Asylum Live - Nostromo 1993 - Part II
Uploaded by DrMacabre

倶知安

2008-09-07T12:26:00.002+09:00

I wanted to show my readers what Kutchan looks like, so I made 2 short video clips while going shopping today. Enjoy~

Going from home to the local supermarket:

Going back home:

As you can see from the video clips Kutchan is a rather small and quiet town. This will change during the winter season though.

登別地獄まつり

2008-08-31T16:04:00.007+09:00

Kazumi and I visited a festival in Oboribetsu (famous onsen town) last Saturday. Here are some movies. Check out my Flickr page for the pictures.

Modeling career?

2008-08-18T19:18:00.003+09:00

盆踊り

2008-08-17T09:43:00.000+09:00

Went to see the 盆踊り (bonodori) in 倶知安 (kutchan) last night. Here's a short impression of the kids dancing.

Obon

2008-08-15T23:00:00.004+09:00

It's Obon in Japan and that means I had (and still have a few to come) free days. The holidays started last Thursday. Kazumi and I went to Otaru. Exploring the canal area a bit and going out for tabehoudai and nomihoudai in the evening. That means all you can eat and drink during 90 minutes for a fixed price. We paid approximately 8000￥ for this feast in a yakiniku restaurant (yakiniku looks like a mini bbq that's put in the middle of your table). It was delicious.

Before going to the restaurant we also visited 天狗山 (tenguyama). It's a famous tourist spot in Otaru and the view from the top of the mountain is breathtaking. Here are some pictures.

Today we went to Sapporo. A big new store opened in January and we decided to have a look at what it has to offer. Before being allowed to shop at this store you need to become a member. Kazumi's mother (she's too kind) paid the membership fee for us.

The store can be compared to Macro in Belgium. It also carries a lot of foreign items. I was able to score me some Stella Artois. ^^

After scoring the beer Kazumi and I went to see "The Dark Knight" at the movie theater located in Sapporo Station. I really enjoyed the movie. We got quite hungry afterwards, so we stopped at ビックリドンキー for dinner.

Evil property owner

2008-08-09T15:27:00.002+09:00

Got a phone call today from the owner of the previous apartment we stayed in. Telling us there is damage to the flooring and we need to pay to get it fixed. Hmmm.... Why didn't the the real estate agent mention anything while inspecting the place when we left it? I don't remember seeing any serious damage. According to the owner the damage went through the protective wax layer on top of the flooring and damaged the actual wood. Hmmm.... Definitely don't remember anything like that. On top of that, there was no "current state of the property form" made when Kazumi moved in. So the owner can basically say what she wants. I really don't like this. I'm prepared to pay if it's not too expensive (just so we can forget about it and don't have to deal with this evil person anymore). But I would have to think twice before paying a big sum of money.

Weekend again

2008-08-09T09:04:00.002+09:00

The weekend has arrived again. Lots of free time for 2 days in a row. Lucky me.

Last Thursday our new washing machine arrived. It's a Toshiba washer-dryer combo. Our previous one couldn't dry the laundry and this is a problem when living in a small appartment with almost no possibilities to dry your laundry.

I wasn't able to wash my clothes for 2 weeks since we sold our previous washing machine before moving to Kutchan, so I've got lots of washing to do during this weekend. ^^

Today it's my turn to cook dinner. Let's make spaghetti. Will have to go grocery shopping. Might as well pick up some more shelves while doing that. At the moment the appartment is just too messy because we don't have enough space to put things.

Mount Yotei

2008-08-05T19:12:00.002+09:00

I took some pictures of Mount Yotei while at work today (part of the job is driving around and taking pictures at construction sites). The weather was really good today so the mountain is very clear.

Still unpacking

2008-08-05T12:22:00.002+09:00

Moving isn't fun. (; ;) All our stuff has been moved from Asahikawa to Kutchan, but it will still take a while before we manage to put everything into place. Our new place is smaller than the previous one and as a consequence we're having serious storage problems. I already went out and bought some shelves last Sunday, but will probably have to buy some more this weekend.

At work everything is going on as usual. I'm trying to get a hang of AutoCAD at the moment. Adding furniture to architectural drawings and so on. And of course the usual system administration work.

Got internet connection

2008-07-31T21:50:00.002+09:00

When I got back from work today the "ADSL" led on my modem was burning with a bright green color. Meaning the phone company switched my subscription from my old address to the new one. And even faster than they said they would (they told me I could use the internet again from the 4th of August).

Seems the connection here in Kutchan is also better than in Asahikawa. My upload speed has tripled. ^^ Haven't really had a chance yet to test download speed, but I guess that will be ok also.

Tomorrow I'm driving back to Asahikawa after work. It will be the last night I spend in Clione (that's the name of the マンション where Kazumi and I live in Asahikawa). The movers are coming on Saturday to take our things to Kutchan. Kazumi and I will then go to visit her mother in Sapporo. And after that we will go to Kutchan.

There's a festival in Kucthan on the 1st and 2nd of August. I hope we'll be able to go see the fireworks on Saturday evening.

Just another day in Kutchan/Hirafu

2008-07-28T16:02:00.002+09:00

It's Monday again. The start of what without any doubt will be another exciting week. (^.-)

Very quiet day at work today. I'm alone in the office and only 2 peeps in the building across the street (the offices are spread through the town of Hirafu). Been doing some basic system administration duties. I arrived early this morning, so I'll be leaving a bit early also. Going straight to Max Value (local supermarket) after work to buy me some dinner and ingredients to bake some bread.

Don't think I wrote about that before. But I bought a bread maker real soon after arriving in Japan. Most Japanese buy bread in the supermarket. But I don't like the supermarket bread that much (it's different from Belgian supermarket bread). And hence I decided to bake my own bread. Been experimenting with various stuff available here (normal flour, rye flour, raisins, yogurt, ...) and most of the time the result is acceptable. ^^

At the moment I'm still living alone in Kutchan and as a consequence I don't really feel like cooking dinner. That's why I buy dinner at the supermarket. It's not that bad actually. ^^

I went back home

2008-07-26T10:13:00.003+09:00

after work on Friday. And so here I am posting on my blog in my favorite chair.

My first week at West Canada Homes was without problems. The work is interesting and the colleagues are all very friendly and helpful.

During the weekend I'll be preparing our move to Kuchan. Still need to pack up a lot of things. Also need to notify the post office, phone company, internet provider, ... So I'll be pretty busy.

Going out to buy a new washing machine tonight. Our new place doesn't really have a lot of space to dry our clothing, so we need to buy a washer/dryer combo. This is going to hurt my wallet. ^^; I'll also need to buy a new fridge. But I guess that can wait for a bit. Our current fridge is working fine, but it's a bit small. That's no real problem if you have time to go grocery shopping every day, but unfortunately that won't be the case once Kazumi starts working in Kuchan also.

At the moment Kazumi is still working at Bestom (this is a rather large supermarket in Asahikawa). She'll quit working there on the 31st of July. We both hope she can find a job soon in Kuchan. She's very confident that this won't be a problem though. ^^

Lunch break

2008-07-23T13:03:00.002+09:00

Having my lunch break at work and decided to write something on my blog. Now what to write about. Hmmm... Let's talk about work.
I started working at West Canada Homes yesterday. At the moment my primary task is to take care of the IT infrastructure. Been going around the company and checking computers for anti-virus software and such. Basically just getting used to the system. Luckily my predecessor left me some information to work with.
Today I'll also be visiting some project sites. Learning how to make reports about progress and such.
Something else. It rained this morning. Not just normal rain, but like we say "it rained cats and dogs". I had gone to the bathroom for like 5 minutes and when I got back a small flood had already occurred. I'll have to remember to close the windows if I leave the house. It's different from our previous home in Asahikawa where I could just leave open most windows without much harm.

Internet connection

2008-07-21T11:08:00.002+09:00

A consequence of my move is that I won't be able to access the internet for a while. I'll have to sign up for an ADSL contract at my new place. Not sure how long this will take. I'll probably be able to access the internet at work but for obvious reasons I'm not going to be posting on my blog while at work. I'll give information about my work email address on a need to know basis once I have one.

Final Fantasy XI

2008-07-21T08:09:00.003+09:00

I've been a dedicated FFXI player for the last couple years. But to all good things comes an end. I decided to quit the game and concentrate fully on my new job and family. Perhaps I'll get back to the game at a later time (perhaps during the long cold winter), but that is still left undecided.

I'll be moving to Kuchan all by myself (; ;) today. Kazumi still has to work at the supermarket till the end of July. She will be moving to Kuchan somewhere near the beginning of August.

I'm really lucky to be able to move to our new place already. We received the keys even though we didn't sign any contracts yet. This is highly unusual and we probably should thank my mother in law for this. She's the one that contacted the real estate agents in the first place and made it very clear to them that we were very urgently looking for a home.

Everything went very smoothly. Get a new job on Thursday, make phonecalls to real estate agents on Friday and Saturday, have a look at the available places on Sunday and then already moving in on Monday. Don't think I ever did that so fast before. ^^

New home

2008-07-20T21:49:00.002+09:00

Me and Kazumi went to Kuchan today to look for a new place to stay (one that's a bit closer to the offices of my new job). And we found one.

First we had a look at an apartment above a 7 Eleven in Niseko. The place was very spacious, but had no air conditioning and wasn't very clean. Marks on the walls, bit smelly toilet, ... So we decided to have a look at 1 more apartment (there were only 2 available in the area).

Over the phone we were told that this one had "bad light". So we weren't expecting too much. However, it turned out to be a very nice one. A little bit smaller than our current apartment, but lots nicer than the more spacious one above the 7 Eleven. This one is clean, has air conditioning, toilet with washlet, ... The light indeed isn't the best in the world since the windows are facing the wall of our neighbours. However, this has as an advantage that the rooms won't heat up so much during summer either.

Rent is 61000 Yen/month and 67000 Yen/month during winter. It's more expensive during the winter because someone has to come to clean the parking lot. Yup, you read that right. Clean the parking lot. Because there's lots and lots of snow in winter.

I'll have to get used to snowy winters. I did experience some snow in Belgium, but you cannot compare that to the amount of snow they get in this area of Japan. 2 meters of snow versus something like 5 cm in Belgium...

Busy days coming up

2008-07-18T07:53:00.004+09:00

Starting a new job far from my current address of course means that I have to move to Kuchan. I'm not going to spend 8 hours a day commuting, that's for sure.
View Larger Map
Had a quick look on the internet yesterday, but unfortunately not a lot of information about real estate for rent was available. However, my mother in law made some quick calls and as a result we're going to check out some places on Sunday. Hopefully we find something nice so we can start preparations for the big move.
I'll be living in Kuchan by myself for a short while since Kazumi cannot quit her current job before the end of July. Not looking forward to being alone by myself again, but I'll hang in there. After all it's only for a short while.

Kris has a new job!

2008-07-17T17:52:00.004+09:00

Had to drive 500 km through pouring rain in order to visit the company West Canada Homes in Hirafu. But it was worth every single kilometer. I got hired. ^^ I'll start working there next Thuesday.

My main tasks will be taking care of the IT infrastructure and working on project progress reports.

There's a trial period of 3 months after which my contract will be evaluated. So let's work hard!

New software

2008-07-15T11:19:00.004+09:00

Today I'm learning to work with Microsoft Publisher. I decided to use the very popular trial-and-error method. I'll need to use this program if I get the job with West Canada Homes. So I downloaded the 60 day trial version from Microsoft's website and dived right in. So far it seems simple enough. ^^
I'll probably also have to use Autocad, but seems I cannot download a trial version while being in Japan. No idea why the trial version is only available in certain locations. Guess I'll just have to learn to work with this program when I get the job.

Pakje

2008-07-13T12:53:00.002+09:00

Uw pakje is aangekomen! Bedankt!

Job interview

2008-07-12T15:58:00.002+09:00

Today I had an interview with the president of West Canada Homes. It's a Niseko based company and I hope I can work for them in the near future. The initial interview went fine I think. Next Thursday I'll be visiting the company so I can meet some of the people working there and have a general tour of the company.

They are looking for a Junior Project Manager. That basically means someone to assist the Project Manager with different duties. I really would like to take on this challenge with both hands and work hard for my future.

Of course working for a company in Niseko would mean that I have to move out of Asahikawa. And Kazumi would have to quit her current job. Well, we're not that far yet. Let's first wait and see how things evolve.

Gelukkige verjaardag papa!

2008-07-11T20:42:00.001+09:00

Het is wel een beetje vroeg, maar gezien ik morgen niet thuis ga zijn, zal ik u nu al maar ne gelukkige verjaardag wensen!

英会話のＣＭ

2008-07-08T17:08:00.003+09:00

こんにちは。私はクリスと申します。旭川に住んでます。とりあえず旭川で英会話を教えます。英語を勉強したがっていったらハックルベリーのサイトを見てください。