The wolf moon

I was surprised by its name as I came across the Yahoo! News on the biggest and brightest full moon of 2010. Among all 12 full moon names, I found this "wolf moon" particularly cool. It's kinda story-like as I read "werewolf" in Harry Potter series and Twilight. In fact, I noticed this exceptionally bright, big, yet not-yet-full moon a night before. Then, it came to its best beauty on January 29. I guessed it's just my luck that I happened to see and capture the "wolf" as I got out of the school's central library which I visited once in a long while.
Well, a sense of homesickness did prevail over me upon the view of this full moon. Not until I am away from home do I feel so from time to time. That's why I've come to realize the notion of "distance makes hearts grow fonder."
However, I bet I'll claim the same when I get back to my home sweet home [grin]. Still 2 months to go before getting to miss life in Japan.

The LINE is DEAD

Submitted!!!

[phew]






Note: these are not mine, but L's.

The 1st round

This was the 1st round, done without a second look. I'll enjoy my days before getting back to work, maybe next week. So, there will be no winter holiday for me. Yet, I have some visitors to host... Hum... not a problem, though. I'm gonna survive...

Wish me...

Nagoya Kouchin

"Nagoya Kouchin" is the pride of Nagoya people when talking about chickens. It is licensed and limited in number. Guess what, this small plate of grilled "Nagoya Kouchin" with green onion costs around 1,000 yen. I'm wondering if it is enough for 3 people as they said or not. My professor called it "legendary chicken" because it is too expensive. But for one reason we temptingly justified, we ordered this "legendary" dish - once in a life time, my professor said. He also said that the chicken tastes more tender than the normal one, yet he couldn't tell the difference unless he is told that this is "Nagoya Kouchin" lolz... Surely, me either even if I am told so.

The 50th NU Festival

Last year's painting of a lady with a greenery background was replaced by this one, right at the same place, opposite to the Higashiyama Campus.

Prof. Otsubo Seminar, Spring '09

A notice...

This party has one more theme: welcoming newly registered research students to GSID.

2 weeks in Chiang Mai (Oct 1-14)

Just some highlights...

Sites and Activities

Food & Drink

@ Orchid Farm

Look fun huh?!

Actually, it was super tiring because of those sleepless nights (...got up late almost every morning... lolz). Fieldwork in the day time and group meeting @ nights, esp. those before the 2 interim presentations. Got stuck... and some tense and pressured... a lot of workloads with little fun. 5 of the 30 students went to hospital because of fever and food infection; my group (WG1) kept no record there (that's what should be cheered for!!!). A final report + presentation are waiting for everyone... 頑張ろう！！！

That's so called fieldwork. No reason for complaint. Anyway, I got back to Nagoya in a whole piece. Do appreciate all those concerns (for some obvious reason) from many friends and seniors both in Japan & Cambodia.

A lot have been learned, I'm sure. Well, gotta fight harder for semester 2... Just what I've always told myself. Lolz... Wish me luck then!!!

To Prof. Otsubo,

Wishing you a Ha-Ha birthday in Chiang Mai!!!
May you be filled with happiness and healthiness for always...

From WG1, OFW 2008

Written in Nagoya, 29 Sept. '08
Posted in Chiang Mai, 04 Sept. '08

Graduation Ceremony

Nagoya University's graduation ceremony for foreign students in special course

For B. Sokun (Graduate School of Medicine)

For Bophanna (Graduate School of Law)

For B.Panhha (Graduate School of Law)

For ME... not yet graduate, though.

A Farewell to Alms - Gregory Clark

A brief economic history of the world??? Any connection to its title?
Well, the book mainly talks about how economic and social development have been evolved through out the Malthusian era and the Industrial Evolution period in England, together with the great divergence in the world afterwards. To me, the connection between the book's title and its contents is rather subtle in a way that it need more the kinda beyond-the-line interpretation. When the world started to grow in 1800, why did divergence begin since then? The answer is very obvious. Some may say that it is because of a list of differences among countries, ranging from geographical location and population to capacity in development. However, it should be noted that the divergence has always been there, just that it is invisible (or maybe neglected somehow) until the industrial revolution took place, when the industrialized nations kept growing fast leaving the traditional societies far behind. This marked a new era in which divergence is so great that development cooperation among the developed and developing countries has come into sight. In Clark's book, England's story is served as a sample to see how best a country could do upon its own prevailing conditions and characteristics for the nation to grow.
Yet, the title is still vague. Whether it is a farewell or a welcome?

29.08.08

Such a day!

.Morning & Afternoon - the last Development Cooperation class at JICA Chhubu (Thansk P & R for telling the direction and sorry for waking you guys up) + lunch at the canteen there (with Kanha, the host... lolz)
.Late afternoon (after the class) - skipped the course-end party @ JICA and went shopping @ AEON with L
.Evening - dinner @ Yume-an (Hoshigaoka) with other friends
.Late evening - bowling @ Hoshigaoka (result: G1-107, G2-107, G3-77 & Avg.-97; A lot of 7's, the 2nd number after 13 I dislike the most)
.Midnight - a surprising birthday cake (made by B.KS) for L, whose real DOB is 2 months later. So sweet!!! I've got a wish from her. Big thanks ne!!! Ehe... L, may your dreams come true SOON. Lolz...
..............................................

PS: Happy belated birthday to D!!!
... Be filled with the best of all
... As always

Apples or Indians

It is just the title of the chapter in Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (1999) I reported in Development Cooperation class today. The chapter discusses the reasons why some peoples of some regions failed to domesticate plants at the earliest stages of development. The question is whether it was because of the apples or the Indians (i.e. the Native Americans). As raised by the author, three contrasting areas - the Fertile Crescent, New Guinea and eastern U.S. - in terms of geographical differences suggested the differences be lying on the differing suites of wild plants available for domestication. So, it was concluded that neither the apples nor the Indians were to blame; rather, it was the biota and environment.

What do you think?

Done with PCM

After these 4 days, I've successfully completed the intensive training course of Project Cycle management (PCM) conducted by Okada Naomi sensei and Jun sensei from FASID at GSID today. No credit is given for this course although there is a test; grade is determined and shown on the certificate. I'll see how well I did it. Em... "C"??? Hopefully, not "F". Those who fail will be announced on Sept 1 for supplementary test.

My group's Project Design Matrix (PDM), nearly completed

I like the way the course was conducted - participatory approach, which is one of the characteristics of PCM itself. Yet, I don't like the testing contents - too textbook-based.

One complaint: it would be great if the 2nd part of PCM course - Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) - were also conducted in English. Too mean to just do it in Japanese...

Semester-end seminar party

"Don't say anything; just stand by me!"

Cool, isn't it?

F8, GSID

Back from getting a bentou for my dinner, I found no one in the room. Then, I knew what happened...















Everyone was on F8 seeing firework display @ Nagoya Port, maybe some kilometers away.





















Ah-ha! We love PEACE!!!
*** Big thanks to Taka for climbing so high for this shot.

It was too dark to catch the shots of the super small, hardly viewed fireworks. So, this shot came instead. Ehe...
















Em... should be back to my term papers... due tomorrow @ 17:00.
=(

My July-August Calendar

There is still one more week to go before summer vacation, but I seem to need more time. You know why, I bet.

July 18: Presentation on questionnaire survey in I2QI
July 19: Coconut dance rehearsal @ IR (?)
July 22: Term paper (Microeconomics) due + last DE class
July 23: Term paper (Macroeconomics) due
July 25: Make-up class in Microeconomics + Reports for Development Statistics
July 25: B. PR moving in (?)
July 26: Hikoza Festival @ Kota town (coconut dance)
July 28- Aug 1: Intensive course on project evaluation
July 30: Term paper (Development Economics) due
Aug 2: Tutoring TRIPS (aquarium, Tokukawa park & museum...)
Aug 3-18: Planned visits to Mnt. Fuji, Kyoto (GSID's subsidy), Osaka (for Thai Visa), ...
Aug 19-22: Intensive course on PCM
Aug 25: Term paper (I2QI) due
Aug 25-29: Intensive course on Development Cooperation

There will be reports for intensive courses, which may be due some time in September. Oh, my......

There are still few sessions on OFW seminar in September before the departure on October 1-15. I'll spare some time to visit Tokyo (Disney Land!!!), as promised, in September. There may be a plan to rock Nagashima Spa Land in Mie Prefecture, where I went on quite few different kinds of roller coasters, including the one with its peak of 97m from sea level and an over 2km length, last year. Oh, how about going to beaches??? Not yet any plan, though.

Hopefully, this super hot summer (about 41ºC as last year's record) won't kill my traveling enthusiasm. It'll be getting cooler and windier in September, I think.

Hmmm... gotta work harder, smarter and more by heart!

Open Campus '08

About time to apply for the new academic year of Master's Program @ GSID. For more details, read HERE.

49th NU Festival (名大祭): Day 2

Don't know what this is for.

Tomorrow's classes

- Dev. Macro.:

IS-LM Model
(The interaction between the goods and assets markets. Spending, interest rates and income are determined jointly by equilibrium in the goods and assets market.)

- I2ID:

CDM, climate change and sustainable development: Methodological framework for evaluation

- OFW Zemi:

. "Social and Economic Development" in Chiang Mai, Thailand
. Site Introductions III (site #9 ~)
. Q&A session for preparing Field Research Proposals