The early years

My story so far . . . .

Right now my wife Noriko and I live in a reasonably spacious (for Japanese standards) apartment in Tokyo. We have a panoramic view of the downtown area of the city on one side and a gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji on the other - if it is a clear day.

I was born on the 8th of August, 1964 in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgebaston, Birmingham, England. The 8th of the 8th is very synonymous with luck, happiness and wealth in the Chinese culture. I really like this date.

 



That's me and my mum, dad, 2 big sisters, and auntie Margo. Uncle John, my godfather, took the photo. I guess we are in Staffordshire where I grew up in the spring or autumn of 1966.


In March, 1970 my family decided to emigrate. We had offers from Canada, South Africa and America, but my parents decided that we would begin our new lives in Sydney, Australia. 6 weeks on the P&O Fairstar seemed like a life time. My memories consist of the endless ocean, the forever present flocks of seagulls and the heaving and throwing as we headed into gales and storms.

Poseidon greeted us on board as we crossed the equator, his trident shining in the sunlight. Finally, on a cloudy morning we entered Sydney harbour and were dazzled at its beauty. We had arrived.





















Dinner time on the boat.1970











The Fairstar in Sydney harbour, the Harbour Bridge in the background. 1970










Life in Sydney at the beginning was a bit tough. 

I was teased of my 'pommy' ascent and because I was the new kid. We spent the first few months in an old army barrack with a mess hall to boot. Finally, after about one year, we moved into our own house and I changed schools. Football, golf, athletics, and cricket took up most of my free time. Time pasted quickly and before long I was deciding what to study at university. I decided to do a double major in Theatre Studies and Modern History with a touch of philosophy thrown in. In the middle of my degree, I took 1986 off and traveled around the world, well, half way. I stayed in a divided Berlin for 3 months, contemplating whether or not, I should do an honors year focusing on Bauhaus architecture. 



After that, I went back to college, completed my Graduate Degree in Teaching and then went down to my favourite Australian city, Melbourne, to teach. During my 7 years teaching in Melbourne, I also kept myself busy completing a Graduate Diploma  of Teaching English to Students of Other Languages, a Graduate Diploma of Drama Education, and most importantly, a Masters Degree of Education. Once my Masters was graded, I packed my old bags and left to teach overseas.

Mum and Dad, Terrigal 2005









That's me in the red shirt playing my favourite sport, golf, at the Blue Hills Course, Phuket, Thailand with Lee Lee, Kyoko, Michael and Guillaume. It's my 40th birthday party.




Favorites

My favorite movies:

The Remains of the Day, anything to do with Hitchcock, Koyanisquasti, Lost in Translation, Taxi Driver, Crash, A Beautiful Mind, Pulp Fiction, Le Grand Blue, The Party, any film with Clint Eastwood, O Lucky Man, Casablanca, Kurasawa's films, Miyazaki's anime, The Coen Brothers, Peter Sellers, Ed Murray, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Casablanca, Robert De Niro, Johnny Depp, Double Indemnity, Film Noir, Being There, My Life as a Dog



Here's a list of some of my favorite music:

The Smiths, Kate Bush, Blondie, Frank Sinatra, Cold Play, Stan Getz, Dead Can Dance, The Cocteau Twins, John Coltrain, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles - of course, Sarah Vaughan, Eric Satre, Shubert, Bach, and anything that's World Music inspired.