Owner: Chip In URL:http://chipinwade.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 22 May 2007 07:34:00 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Life and Poker In Japan Site statistics:Click here
Back in the flesh 2007-07-17 06:06:00 My word has it really been two weeks since I last posted.Well since then we have decided the flowers for the wedding and chosen the style of the bouquet etc and we have also printed and sent out the remainder of the invitations to the Japanese residents.The flower meeting was almost a no goer as I was sat in the $500 freeroll that Skinski put on when it came time to go. The place is and hour and a half away and our appointment was at 11am and I was doing well in the freeroll and didn't want to sit out and leave. So I had Rieko call up the place and change our appointment time. Unfortunately I didn't make the cash finishing two places off in 5th. My AQ came up against JJ. I hit an ace on the flop and felt good then came crashing down when one of the two remaining Jacks hit on the turn. Wasn't to be. I think if I had of doubled up then I would have easily cashed and could have gone on to win it but the powers that be decided against it.Then in the family game that evening I played wel Read more:flesh
WARNING TO ALL WEDDING GOERS 2007-07-18 00:30:00 As you should know by now if you are attending the wedding, there is a ceremony in the morning and then a reception around lunch time. Once this has finished we will be heading back from Fukuoka to Iizuka where there will be a few hours rest either at mine or Rie's families place and then we are off out for the second gathering somewhere in Iizuka (to be decided...) for a family only party.It is the plan, in a very traditional Japanese way, to continue the celebrations after this party in a place that should bring a feeling of dread to all members of the Wade family...karaoke.As a family we have many talents but singing was obviously an optional extra we decided to pass on when we were designing our DNA. We just don't sound good. However there will be an expectation for everyone to have a go and to rock out at least one tune. Hopefully enough alcohol will have been imbued for this to be a painless process but here are my tips for a successful karaoke song:1. Don't sing a song by any
The day finally came... 2007-07-28 03:20:00 I have seen it happen to a few people from the forum and finally today the day came where I played poker and didn't enjoy it even a bit. The atmosphere at the table was unpleasant and the cards were worse. Had aces beaten by 10 / 8 offsuit after raising from second position with the bb calling with his wonder cards. The flop gave him a gutshot and my 3/4 pot bet wasn't enough to get him out. The turn gave him a pair of 10s and again 3/4 wasn't enough for him. And of course the river fills his gutshot upon which he bets out and I call.It isn't necessarily the bad beats that have turned me off but the general attitude of the other players. They reinforce my assertion that 90% of the people in the world are assholes. I have had misguided racist comments hurled at me repeated times because it says my location is Japan (always from people in America unfortunately) and there is no reason for me to continue playing when I don't gain any pleasure from it.I will continue with the family ga
A question for those who know 2007-07-29 21:12:00 I have decided to try and pick up some blues harmonica. I have messed around with a few harps before but never made it far. Managed to get a bend of the 4 note but never really grasped any blues licks and had a real time of it trying to play single notes and then doubles or triples after let alone tongue blocking...So we are going back to it and I am going to search a few sites to see if I can't find some free instruction pages on the net but in the meantime I was after recommendations for some people I should be listening to to pick up on some technique. I know both Earl and my dad are both readers here and both are blues fans too so have either of you two got any tips and hints for the great blues harp players?
The Voice 2007-08-02 20:01:00 Lots to say but no motivation to arrange the thoughts into coherant passages so the posts are few and far between.I think there are rumblings in the volcano inside me that are either precursors to an eruption or just reminders that there is alot of pent up emotion stuck down there that needs a bit of attention. Feeling a bit reckless and destructive...normally end up causing more problems for myself when I get this way so will just have to wait and see which way it goes.Think I might watch Al Gore's movie to direct some of my anger and feed the feelings of futility...what can be more futile than our relentless destruction of our own inhabitat. Even a dog won't shit in its own den...says alot about us doesn't it.By the way, I watched Dreamgirls last night as I thought it would be nice for Rieko...AVOID at all costs. The most boring and uneventful movie I have seen in years. Read more:Voice
Limbo 2007-08-08 20:45:00 I was listening to a Chris Daughtry song and heard the line "I'm going home to the place where I belong" and it struck a chord with me. I think most people who have made the decision to live large parts of their lives in very different cultures will tell you that there is a strange feeling of dislocation and a distinct lack of belonging.When I was studying for my degree I wrote an essay on a novel by V.S. Naipaul who was an Indian who was a victim of the process of colonialisation; a by product of the British Empire. In his novel he spoke of the state of limbo one ends up in through this process of cultural transition. You can never truely assimilate to the new culture and can never return to the old one fully. In essence you exist in a space between the two countries and never find the state of belonging most people associate with the word home.I feel I am there to a point. When I think of the word home, I know my birth home is England, my physical home is Japan, and my spiritual hom
Rummy 2007-08-26 09:36:00 Thanks to Earl bringing it up in the forum I have recently learnt how to play Rummy
(more specifically Gin Rummy at the moment) and am enjoying the change of pace and stress from poker.Earl found a site and posted it on the 5th Street Forum and I went over and had a look and after reading the rules I gave it a go on some play money tables and so far am in profit. I am not certain I want to go down the route of playing for money yet as I think it may then lose some of the fun so am just going to play it for the game itself.I only learnt how to play two days ago so the rules are still settling in and the tactics are yet to come. From what I have seen it looks like a game of keen observation and a dash of luck. But it is fun learning a new game and eventually I will move on to the traditional runny and kaluki (?) versions.I just got back from the soon to be in-laws for dinner and I got out a pack of cards and taught them how to play and we had a good time messing around with the game. A c
Nothing much 2007-10-16 07:52:00 It has been so long since I have posted anything I think I have forgotten how to do it!!Well the wedding is done and dusted with as is the honeymoon and I am firmly back into the old routine of work. It is different having Rieko live with me and we are still finding our feet when it comes to various things but we will get there without too much trouble I think.The wedding was great and I am grateful to all the family who came over. They made it a real special occasion for me. However I don't want to do a 'wedding' post until after we get our photos through. I don't know when that will be but I am hoping it shouldn't be too long.So what to write about...I suppose October 1st was a big occasion as it was the first ever Wade family live game. We have battled it out on the cyber-felt for a while now but that was the first time we have really sat down for a live game. 6 players....1 winner and it wasn't me. Congratulations to Matt aka Da Git for beating me in the heads up with a king Read more:Nothing
Wedding Photos 2007-11-13 19:04:00 I have been waiting and waiting for our photos to come through from the photographer but they are still not here so I am going to use some of the ones I have from friends and family.Our wedding already seems so far in the distant past and we are settled into a new routine with the two of us (three if you count maron) getting used to each others habits. The only problem we have now is with winter approaching and the temperatures dropping...who gets to drive the car and who ends up on the scooter... Read more:Wedding Photos
Chameleon 2007-11-23 20:43:00 I have been hanging around in Japan for about 4 years now and throughout that time the thing I have learnt to do the most is change my skin in the space of a minute.It sounds like a deceitful thing but I don't mean it to be that way. In any day I am faced with an array of students ranging from 3 year olds to 60 year olds. They are from all walks of life and all have their own approach and reasons for studying English.At first I was very rigid in my delivery of the lessons and followed a strict plan. However as time has passed I have become more adept at reading the situation and adjusting my personality to fit the student. In effect I have become a great chameleon. One second I can be a child playing games, the next an intellectual debater and the next a chatting housewife. It is scary sometimes how easy it is to pretend to be something you are not...for if I were to display my true feelings and personality to the students I think I would be out of a job because 90% of the time I wish
Poker update 2007-11-29 01:09:00 As the title of the blog says...this is about Life and Poker
in Japan.When I started the blog it was 99% poker related posts. I was playing everyday and logging my results. However I really don't play that much poker anymore so that side of things has slowly been disappearing from the blog. I don't know whether this is a good thing or not for my few readers but the fact of the matter is that poker has ceased to be the fun it was so I don't play anymore.Personality is in my opinion one of the most crucial aspects of playing poker long term. And my personality is just not suited to it. As a bit of entertainment on the side I will play every now and then. I play the 5th Street games with Earl from The House of Poker and the family game when it is on but I have decided that when my bankroll runs out by playing in those games then I won't be redepositing unless I really get a major urge to play again.So for the meantime this blog will be more focused on the Life side of things.
紅葉 The leaves are changing 2007-11-25 08:36:00 The weather was great today. The sun was out and it was about 20 degrees so Rieko, Maron and I headed up to a mountain near us called Fukuchiyama to have a look at the trees changing their leaves
. The trees in the mountains are a mix of deciduous and evergreen so there are some amazing colours to be seen. I think there are alot of Japanese Maples which produce some amazingly vibrant red leaves...check out these photos:Rieko and MaronThis Japanese Maple had incredible colour on it.The three of usI like this shot as it shows the contrasts in the tree colours...red, green and yellowThe BeastAfter we were done checking out the leaves I persuaded Rieko to come snake hunting with me in the forest. We didn't find any but it was good fun anyway. It really made a difference to my state of mind to get out there and away from home.Spot the snake....
Pro360.com 2007-12-04 18:55:00 It has been a while since I have done any reviews but I found a site that fits with my blog.Pro360.com is online casino/poker room review site that goes into great depth about the different casino sites and sets out all the pros and cons in an easy to read comparison table.The section on Poker tells you whether US players are welcome, the gaming commission that regulates the site, max amount of bonus along with editor and player ratings and an in depth review of any of the sites on the table. The site covers a large amount of casinos and poker rooms so you are sure to find the thing you are looking for.Just as you can check for poker specifically, all the other games are there to search for by themselves including Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, Backgammon and Sports Betting. If you have 5 minutes why not check out the site.
The Dynamics of Relationships 2007-12-03 00:31:00 Whenever I allow myself time to fall into a contemplatative frame of mind a consciously examine the day to day interactions I have with other people, it often surprises me how complex and essentially distant these exchanges are. This is also true of the dialogues that other people create between each other. Whilst in recent posts I have intimated that I am not a people person, I do find a lot of pleasure in people watching. The best places I have found are ones where people have many distractions and temptations such as department stores and shopping malls.Before I go into my commentary I must make the disclaimer that I am as fallible as the next person and only use other people as a means for expressing my point because they are much easier to analyse than myself.Anyway it strikes me that for the majority of the time people are on what I would call autopilot. They exist and perform action but rely on something unconscious to guide them through the swamps of life and trials of interact Read more:Dynamics
, Relationships
Beowulf 2007-12-02 06:29:00 Not much to say but I wanted to say something so will post about my day. We decided to go and see a movie and when we checked out the schedule at the movie theater it was between The Bourne Ultimatum and Beowulf. I am personally a great fan of epic historic films such as Troy, Braveheart, King Arthur, Gladiator and Alexander to name a few. Movies that portray combat with honour and valour not like the type of warfare that is prevalent now where technology is normally key in deciding the victor.Anyway, just recently I have been a bit more interested in the heritage and ancestry of the UK and have learnt alot about the Jutes, Danes and Germanic peoples that invaded and conquered all through the north and east through to the kingdom of Wessex. I don't know how to trace my ancestry but I would be very interested to find out where my roots lie. I have read a few books by a guy called Tim Severin regarding the Danish invaders and also some fiction by Bernard Cornwell on a similar subject m
Smorty 2007-12-07 20:37:00 Thanks to a post over on a friends blog I came accross a new site that helps bloggers get rewarded for spending their time posting about their lives. Smorty is a site whereby you can get paid to blog through blog advertising. The best thing about this particular site however is that they pay you weekly so there are no month long waits to get you money.They recruit advertisers who wish to advertise on blogs and then offer opportunities to those bloggers who want to get paid to blog. Depending on the level of your blog you can receive varying amounts for each post you place. There are many different opportunities for people so you are more than likely able to find an opportunity that fits in with your blog so that you don't have to really compromise the integrity your site. Luckily for me the topic of my blog is 'life' and since getting by is part of life I am happy to post about most topics that don't interfere with my moral opinions.Making a few bucks here and there by blogging fo
Bits 2007-12-07 20:27:00 One of my favourite bands in the past year or two has been Show of Hands. They are an English folk group made up of two talented musicians called Steve Knightly and Phil Beer. Steve Knightly writes most of their songs and being from the South West of England (where I grew up for most of my life) his lyrics really hit the nail on the head sometimes when talking about country living.Anyway I am on the mailing list for the band and recently a mail came out saying that Steve's 6 year old son had contracted a form of leukemia and so he won't be joining the tour of England. It is a real shame to hear such a young lad has been inflicted by something so immense so my thoughts go out to Steve and his family. I hope they find the strength to overcome the illness and take hope from the fact that the particular type of cancer his son has is often curable.On the poker front, this weekend has more 5th Street League games and with the remergence of Per onto the 5th Street forum I am hoping that he
Unlock Me 2007-12-23 08:58:00 It is a strange thing but Chritmas is a time of mixed emotions for me and I often get a lot of soul-searching urges during the festive season. In japan as I maybe posted last year, Christmas is a time for couples and there is no real celebration. Everyone goes to work as normal and for me it is a huge nonevent.When I was younger I remember being excited for days before the big day. Now it is almost Christmas Eve and I don't have so much as a tingle. I know this year I will be spending it with Rieko and Maron but in my mind Christmas has always been more of a family celebration where people would come back home from wherever they were in the world for a couple of days of eating and self-indulgent behaviour. And, even though Rie and her family do their best to make me feel good, it just isn't the same.So todays song. I am not certain the idea behind it but I interpret the words as they apply to me and I think anyone who has ever felt lost or tormented in their identity or peace will re
Country Folk 2007-12-20 00:03:00 I mentioned one of my favourite bands, Show of Hands, a few posts back. Being that they are from my neck of the woods their songs are quite close to home when I listen to the lyrics.So I though I would put some of the lyrics up and comment on them. For no particular reason I chose to do a song called Red Diesel first as I heard it while I was walking the dog this morning and it brought back some memories. Anyway here are the words:Red DieselTerry always puts red diesel in his tankHe'd rather get paid in cash than kindKeeps his money in his pocket and never in a bankTerry writes all his records in his mindHe's got a still in the back of his shedHe'll brew you up some vintage country wineJust half a glass could raise the deadI like to think Terry is a friend of mineI like to think Terry is a friendHe's never seen a car he could not mendHis yard is full of his machinesOne night in the dark I didn't make the bendAnd Terry was the first one on the sceneWith hands as rough as a farm dog Read more:Country
Beefcake...BEEFCAKE 2008-03-25 08:14:17 Since it has been over 3 months since I last posted anything I doubt there are too many readers still around but I felt like posting today for the first time in a long while. Maybe the winter does that to me...it is a real motivation killer.But the birds are singing, the air smells good, and spring is here in full bloom (not quite but maybe next week).So what to write about? I am going to go with something I have found some inspiration from and has given me an idea for a future venture when times are more settled. It centres around dreams and goals and is the reason for the title of the post for who can forget Cartman's most classic line "Follow your dreams, you can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake...BEEFCAAAAAAKE!".When I was a kid I always wanted to be a vet. We have always l
Getting ready to go 2008-04-20 04:51:48 Tomorrow Rieko and I are beginning our long journey back home to the UK for a couple of weeks with an added stop over in Paris for a few days. It should be good once we get there but I really dislike flying so am not looking forward to the 12 hour journey at all.We bought a new video camera to take with us and it arrived this morning so I have been playing around with it today to see if I can make any videos. I want to serialise our trip when we get back in short video excerpts over the next month or two so I made a tester video today.The quality is really reduced when you change it for internet viewing. Anyway here it is.If anyone watches it can you leave a comment as to how quick it streamed for you and whether it was smooth or stuttering as I need to work out what size of movie is good. Read more:ready
The Trip Part 1 - Getting to Europe 2008-05-09 10:11:19 I did a little bit of the video editing tonight and came up with a five minute excerpt of our trip.This is before we ever get to Europe
and is part of our journey from Iizuka, our home town, to Kansai Airport in Osaka.I am extremely averse to flying...I hate it. So most people would fly from Fukuoka Aiport (an hour from us) to Osaka and then just take another flight from Osaka to London. But since I really don't like to fly we had to catch a train up late the night before we were to fly and then stay in a hotel overnight before catching the plane at 10 the next morning.DISCLAIMER:As stated I am a terrible flyer. Whilst this may be so, I do not wish that to be used as an excuse for my behaviour in the latter half of the video...I am one grumpy badger. I was so focused on my impending doom o
A generous Queen? 2008-05-14 00:48:23 I came across this in the news today and it provoked a few thoughts: -myanmar-weather-cyclone-britain-aid-a56114e.htmlAs I was reading it a number of thoughts came to mind:Did the Queen
really decide to give a personal donation or is it PR?Where does the Queen get her money from anyway? I always thought she was kept in pocket from taxpayers loot.If she did decide to give to the disaster, why is th Read more:generous
Poker?!? 2008-05-16 18:59:02 It has been a long time since I have posted anything about poker on this blog and it took a win to get me to do so.Over at the House of Poker
Blues Forum we were given a freeroll at Carbon Poker by skinski the boss over at the forum. The cards ran well for me today and after a monstrous heads up with YellowRoses I managed to get lucky on the river in a vital hand where she had me crushed after the
Online Casino Blues 2008-05-23 22:57:45 One of my online friends, Earl aka Skinski, has set up a new portal bringing all the best deals on Casino
sign-up bonuses and ways to make a buck off of the casinos. The site is called Online Casino Blues
and is the partner site to The House Of Poker Blues.There are some great deals on the site and I already signed up through one casino to get 10GBP free and managed to turn that into 140GBP playin
The Nerd in me 2008-06-16 10:21:59 When I think about my time at school and even until this day, the one thing that stands out most to me is that I was never completely part of any of the 'groups' of people. I seemed to be a bit of everything. I am still the same to this day. I like the 'cooler' things in life such as sports and music, I am fascinated with the intellectual side of life and love to learn new things, am also in touch
A new venture 2008-06-20 01:13:43 In follow up to the previous post I have decided to start a painting service which I have named MaronMinis.I bashed up a quick little website over the past couple of days and am in the process of translating it to Japanese with Riekos help.Have a look at the site and tell me what you think or if anything needs changing.
What does PM stand for? 2008-08-12 04:59:01 Drove to Kitakyushu today. I was relaxed. It has been a while since I felt that way. Was confident that nothing bad would happen. Lost my centre when Rieko called. She wanted to go to dinner with some of her family. Restaurants don't sit well with me. No control. The meal was tough and I ate little. But I survived. I nearly left early...but I survived.Afterwards we played Mahjong. It was fun even
Nandemo-ation 2008-08-11 04:14:06 The Olympics have started. Something I can watch on TV. It doesn't matter if I understand it or not. Mainly Judo and swimming on here. The strange thing is, when I look on the net for medal winners, I am checking the Japan team first. Don't think I could name a single member of the Great Britain team. When did I become Japanese? The Japanese have more medals than the Brits at the moment. Think I w
The lengths we will go to 2008-08-09 07:12:08 Decided to change the blog. Green isn't my colour. I like blue. I tidied it up to boot. Took off all the poker ads for places that don't serve a purpose other than making my blog run slow. Dumped most of the networking crap aswell. Never got me any readers so can't be doing with the mess it makes on the blog. Been a experience this week. Having to find ways to amuse myself. Rieko is leaving before
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