Matsunaga's Odyssey

Back to normal with Ghost 4.0

Finally Matsunaga's Odyssey is back online. I migrated from the last WordPress site back to Ghost 4.0. Ghost 4.0 was released right before I decided to move this blog to WordPress. I regretted it after seeing the release. Ghost 4.0 is amazing. Just look at the Google

News

Back Online

I finally got Matsunaga's Odyssey back online. I decided to return to Ghost. The latest update is awesome! I have much to do as you can tell as follows: Remove Ghost original posts Edit former posts and re-add photos Edit former pages and re-add photos Fix header and footer navigation

Weightlifting

Nikolai Ge - A great Weightlifting trainer

In August, 2015, I got to meet one of the great weightlifting coaches from Kazakhstan. He was a Korean Kazakhstani named Nikolai Ge. I met him at my Reactor Crossfit in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where I worked out. He taught a Weightlifting class every weekend. After fixing my Snatch in just

Expat Life

GoHalalTours! Memory

This site brings back a lot of memories. GoHalalTours! was a travel site that I maintained for several years as part of GoHalalVietnam!. I had operated GoHalalVietnam! since 2010 which served as a halal directory for Muslim tourists visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Part of the directory offered halal

Finding Japan

A train ride through southern Japan

DW Documentary film just released this good video about the different train lines in Kyushu, the southern most island in Japan. A very interesting documentary that takes place in Hakata (Fukuoka), Mt. Aso, and Kagoshima. You get see some of the interesting tourist attractions as well as some historical places.

Matsunaga Hisahide

Ashikaga Shogun will kill Matsunaga

I have been watching the historical Japanese known as Taiga dramas in Japan. They are aired twice yearly portraying key historical figures and events that took place in Japanese history. What has been interesting is that as of a couple years ago, Taigas have been trying to "correct" the historical

Saigon Ride

Saigon Ride 5 (Thao Dien to District 1)

Come join me on my late afternoon return ride from Baba's Kitchen in District 2 (Thao Dien Ward) back home to District 1 in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. I decided to take the route over the Saigon River through the Binh Thanh District. This will give you the

Expat Life

Saigon Ride 4 - District 1 ride to District 7 (alternate route)

This is my morning alternate route to Evo Strength + Fitness. It is actually the nicer route going through the more developed part of the city in District 4. It is a nice ride but you have to deal with more stoplights and heavier traffic with this route. Towards the end

Finding Japan

Final year for Japan's F-4EJ Phantom II (JASDF)

You will see many posts here about aviation. Besides motorcycles, I have a love of airplanes. I am particular fond of the Japan Air Self Defense Force's fleet. One of the theme for videos of Aviation Vloggers last year involves the retirement of the F-4EJ Phantom II in Japan. It

Expat Life

Saigon Ride 3 - Sunday ride from District 7 to District 1

Sunday ride from my gym in District 7 back to District 1. Sundays are always a great time to ride a motorcycle in the morning. The traffic is always light making riding a bit more enjoyable. Very few bottlenecks makes for a joyous ride. As you can see, whenever possible

Motorcycles

Kawasaki Ninja ZX25R (Japanese)

In Southeast Asia, big talk is about the Kawasaki Ninja ZX25R. A parallel quad 250cc bike with lots of sound and power. It is making its rounds around Japan now and will probably be a popular bike for Asia. Especially for guys and gals that want a powerful bike but

Tech Musings

Solved: Fix to "No sound" with Paired Bose Mini II SoundLink with MacOS

Seems that many online are having this same issue. They can pair the Bose Mini II SoundLink to their Macbook Pros but they cannot hear any sound. Even worse, you see the SoundLink listed in the Bluetooth window but see nothing in Sound Presences. Most were told to clear the

Expat Life

Baba's Kitchen in Vietnam

Had to do some work for Baba's Kitchen in Vietnam today. In my profile you will notice that I handle the social media marketing and all deliveries (GrabFood, GoJek, Baemin, etc.) for the restaurant. These involves asking the restaurant to occasionally update the photos of food items. Below are some

Expat Life

Kazakhstan - Heart of Eurasia video

When I was offered several positions in Almaty, Kazakhstan, back in 2013, this promotional video was airing on YouTube. I still consider it one of the best promotional videos the government of Kazakhstan used to promote the country. I liked it so much, I added to my presentation when I

Expat Life

Saigon Ride 2 - District 1 to Evo Strength & Fitness (Q.7)

My ride from District 1 of Saigon to Evo Strength & Fitness in District 7 during the morning weekday traffic jam. As you can see from the previous video, I drive a bit more aggressive when I head to District 7. If you cannot be assertive in your riding skills

Tech Musings

Difference between Blockchain and SQL/NoSQL Databases

I am researching using blockchain as a database instead of the traditional SQL/NoSQL that is commonly used today. I originally chose blockchain more for security purposes then for mining cryptocurrencies. I was introduced to Bitcoin in 2010 but at the time, the value of Bitcoin did not justify the

Expat Life

Chain Lube comparison test

When owning a motorbike in Saigon, Vietnam, you are actually lucky enough never to worry about cleaning and lubing the chain. For the majority of motorbikes and scooters this is the case. One you get to a motorcycle which actually has chains, cleaning then lubing them will become more important.

Чокубаев Ашырбек

Ashirbek Chokubaev (RIP)

Back in late 1999, I spent four months with the American Councils (Accels/ACTR) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where I worked as a Program Recruiter for the Future Leaders Exchange Program. I was offered this short term contract after I finished my Peace Corps service in Kazakhstan. During the four months,

Expat Life

Saigon Ride 1 (From District 1 to Baba's Kitchen - Thao Dien)

This is a commute on my Kawasaki Z300 on the "back roads" to the Thao Dien area of District 2 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). I am headed to Baba's Kitchen where I help out with social marketing and IT related work. The ride starts in District 1, the

Expat Life

Custom made leather shoes by Zee's Leather Co. in Hong Kong

I decided to give a plug on the best custom made, bespoke, leather shoes I ever had made for me. Zee's Leather Co., in Hong Kong, have been making custom leather shoes for over 50 years. I originally knew about them based on reviews. When I visited Hong Kong in

South Korea

A view of North Korea from the DMZ

In the summer of 2016, I made a short stopover to South Korea on my way to Shanghai, China. During this trip, I decided that I wanted to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) so I could view North Korea. Due to some confusion, I was not able to book a

Expat Life

Almaty and the Alatau Mountains

One of the biggest joys of living in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is that on any typical day, you get a good view of the Alatau Mountains. These photos were taken in May, 2016, right towards the beginning of spring time in Almaty. Snowfall lasts from late October to mid to late

Expat Life

Riding a Kawasaki motorcycle in the Saigon rain

Rain is one of the worse things I try to avoid while living in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). I normally time my visits to my gym to avoid the rain which predictively tends to fall between 11 am and 1 pm. Most of the time, during the rainy season,

Expat Life

Noon traffic on my motorcycle in Saigon

Just a blurry video today. I apologize because I forgot to take the plastic cover off on my GoPro holder. I just removed it so the next videos will be clearer. I am planning to do more edited motorcycle rides in Saigon. Possibly 10-15 minute pieces with commentary. Not many

Expat Life

Getting stopped by the Vietnamese traffic police

This has been one of my favorite videos. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), it is always good to wear a GoPro camera when on a motorcycle. Not so much with a motorbike but when I am on my Kawasaki Z300, I alway have my GoPro with me. It is