What's in a (Business) Name? Ochenta y uno

Do they have Chickenjoey here?

Spotted in the Port of Allen (Northern Samar)

For more amusing business names, please visit Go Random.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches

The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches
Matsuo Basho

To me, Matsuo Basho is a name synonymous to haiku. The first time I read a book of Matsuo Basho's haikus was Lips Too Chilled, from the Penguin Little Black Classics series. And I was: okay, meh. So, if I wasn't impressed by that, why did I read another one of his works: The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches? Because of the second to the last word on the title: travel.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches contains his travel narratives, interspersed with haiku poems he had written during those travels. The book is only 160 pages long, and 40 of it was for the introduction alone, which was essential in understanding Matsuo Basho's narratives. There were so many passages and poems in this book that I could relate to (which prompted me to re-read and appreciate Lips Too Chilled the second time around). One of my favorites in The Narrow Road is: "Indeed, one of the greatest pleasures of travelling was to find a genius hidden among weeds and bushes, a treasure lost in broken tiles, a mass of gold buried in clay, and when I did find such a person, I always kept a record with the hope that I might be able to show it to my friends."

When I grow up, I want to be like Matsuo Basho. A traveler and a writer.

For more book recommendations, please visit Go Read.

Wisdom from the Road #74

On feeling overwhelmed

When feeling overwhelmed:

Keep your wits about.

Take deep breaths.

Be calm.

You can do this. 

Nagoya Station is Japan's (and the world's) largest station. JR, Shinkansen, Kintetsu, Meitetsu, and Nagoya Subway lines all converge here. Different train lines, different gates, different levels, different exits. I found myself in the belly of this beast of a station and I felt like I was in a computer game: I had to figure out how to get to the next level and the next level and the next level until I could go out of the station. Yes, it took me quite some time, but I finally found the right exit. Without going crazy.