First snow 初雪

First snowfall this winter (is it winter yet?) in northern Japan comes earlier than usual. First time in 6 years Oct sees any snow. It looks to be a tough one this year.



purple: snow
blue: rain
(latest weather map 10/26/2010 4pm Japan time)

Oct means the smell of kinmokusei

kinmokusei (キンモクセイ／金木犀) (Eng: Osmanthus fragrans a.k.a. Sweet Olive, Tea Olive and Fragrant Olive)

There is one of those trees in our backyard. At the end of summer it releases a subtle first scent one can detect with a keen sense of smell. Increasingly the subtleness is replaced by a sure but elegant aroma. It fills the chilled air with signs of fall, a constant and steady flow of nature's perfume.

someone's youtube video

F1's last 4 races

Or 3 remaining if not counting Korea.

The closest driver's championship race since, err, since forever. How can Button, the underdog champion, make a run for it? Personally I think he should go for all or nothing. With what's he's been doing the last 4 races, his current strategies aren't going to put him on top, so why bother?

Current ranking after Singapore before Japan, drivers - points
Mark Webber 202
Fernadno Alonso 191
Lewis Hamilton 182
Sebastian Vettel 181
Jenson Button 177

25 points up for grasp with each remaining race (25 * 4 = 100), it's really everyone's guess. One crash, strategic misstep, that's all it takes, but it won't happen to all 4 of them above Button. So all or nothing.

Aggression, more, thanks

If the Brits don't make it this year, PLEASE let Webber take the crown. PLEASE! Vettel will have his (many) championships when he's finally ready. While Alonso does deserve credit where it's due, he's stopped being amazing.

racing games

There are at least 4 racing games that look incredible on PlayStation 3 coming out near end of this year. It's a car enthusiast's heaven but with so little time, how am I going to play all these games?




The no-brainer: Gran Turismo 5
(place holder for vid)
merits: best simulation series for a decade




The look-at-me: NFS Hot Pursuit
(place holder for vid)
Merits: all the new super/hyper cars. Veyron, 918 Spyder, Zonda F




The free-world roamer: Test Drive Unlimited
(place holder for vid)
Merits: roam the island of Hawaii and drive the best cars in the world




The F1 lover: F1 2010
(place holder for vid)
Merits: the latest F1 season with all drivers and all tracks