My host family roommate, Ham Young Woo

We were outside Taejeon in the summer of 1973.

Nanbokusen ni noritai

LOVE, IT'S EVERYWHERE!

The Indian Kokopeli

In the hotels in Mumbai there is art everywhere. The halls of the first floor of the ITC Marathra had folk art posters with scenes of village life. In the middle of many of them is a person playing a flute that looks remarkably like the Pied Piper of the Southwest United States - Kokopeli. Coincidence?

The instrument is called a sha'nai. I searched for one on this trip, but couldn't find the time to get into a music store to buy one. Next trip. It'll be a good addition to my Izu musical instrument collection.

The typical sha'nai band has two flutes, cymbals players and a drummer playing a dullard (sic). A bit like a Japanese Chindonya; they play at parties and celebrations. We'll need to get one for the launch of our new indices.

Indian Friends

I had spent three days talking to fund managers and investment banks in Mumbai with staff from MCX-SX. Ranjan C. is head of research and dead keen to get the indices up and running.

Giacometti, Rothko, some woman

This is one of the best photos I have taken with my NEC mobile phone. A couple of my favorite artists and some woman...

I won't win any photo contest, but I sure am happy about it.

I wonder what Joel would say?

New Year's Blessing at Sensoji in Asakusa

This year, despite being My Year - the Tiger, is actually a "yaku" year for me. So when we went to Asakusa for the annual blessing, I paid extra to have a ceremony to bless me to prevent any bad things happening. I hope it works. I also picked up an amulet for good travel. Even though I have $1,000,000 worth of insurance with IAPA, you never know if an extra Buddhist blessing won't prevent a disaster! Anton and Thor like getting their fortune told. They are both Kichi. Figure it out!