It's been well over a year since I posted last, begging the question why. Well, one reason is that I was without Internet until September of last year - an experiment in primitive living that included residing in a house without hot water (don't ask). Another reason is that my 7 day week work schedule is hardly conducive to creative enterprise or, for that matter, any enterprise beyond eating and sleeping. But recently I have found myself with some extra time in the mornings and have batted around the idea of re-starting this here blog. One of the difficulties that I face with this endeavour is material. Life in Japan is certainly more comfortable than in Thailand, but not a lot going on, at least with me. Also Japan isn't as picture-worthy as Thailand. In fact, this big Buddha snapshot was taken in '05 before my Thai adventure began. So what will be the premise of Asian Alien in the future? Hard to say, but I think I will try to focus on how the larger world affects/effects my life here in Japan with my Thai wife. I will focus more on world events and less on myself, not in an zany zen attempt to lose the egotistical self, but rather as a means to keep content here interesting because my day to day life is about as bland as plain tofu. So welcome back, my apologies for the long hiatus and I plan to post a minimum of once a week so keep tuned.