Professional Development - PANSIG Conference in Akita

Last weekend Damian & I drove up to AIU to attend the annual PANSIG Conference. Quite a drive, and a very impressive weekend full of presentations, learning & sharing. Damian made a poster presentation, using Luna's experiences with Aurasma to show how we Expand Our Interests at Luna. He put a lot of hard work into presenting your hard work, and I could hear the WOW!!! reactions across the room.

I thought I'd share with you how the Conference played out on twitter, using storify to collate events as they unfolded over the last month, culminating in the big weekend and a lot of really exciting interaction. I enjoyed meeting old friends, making new ones, and connecting with people I've 'heard of' but never met in the flesh before.

I was inspired - I hope you will be too.

Postcard from...Hong Kong

Jim & the Gang

Greetings from Hong Kong, Macau & Lamma Island.

You can speak English with everyone, as well as Cantonese, and in Macao, Portuguese.

From the guy in the red boiler suit who totally made the BBQ a massive success last month with his Green Egg but is not Jim's brother nor in the Red Devils skydiving team, and neither is he very quick over 4 metres, let alone 400m... Michael Johnson

A Chirstmas Carol - A letter to your business partner

Dear Jacob,

I have no words to express my gratitude. If you didn't warn me, I didn't notice what was the most important thing in my life. I didn't imagine what happened to my life. Maybe l went to Hell.

I paid Bob Cratchit only fifteen shillings a week although he had his family to keep. His family! What a nice family was! But poor Tiny Tom! He had not walked since he was born and although he could pull himself and his thin little legs along with the help of wooden crunch. He would die soon. The Cratchit family were very unhappy.

I lived a lonely life and took no interest in other people at all. The only thing that mattered to me was the business, and making money. My heart grew colder and colder until one day I died lonely. I would lay on the graveyard in the cold hard ground and nobody would visit.

But you and three spirits showed me what was the important thing. I did everything that I promised to Bob, did more. Tiny Tim didn't die. I became his second father. Now I can keep Christmas cheerfully and live a happy life. That is what all of us want.

Thank you so much, Jacob. I hope you are already free from your horrifying chain. Your spirit doesn't travel endlessly anymore. Because you helped me and Tom.

See you again in Heaven!

Posted for Olga

Profile of an admired adventurer: Ayako Imoto

The explorer that I admire is Ms. Ayako Imoto. She has a various face and is comedian and alpinist.

Not a very sensible thing to do

She debuted on national TV and was chased by Komodo dragon at first TV program. The Komodo dragon couldn’t catch Ms. Imoto. After the TV program which she debuted, she experienced many dangerous or hard jobs

One of her hard jobs was marathon at 24-hour TV and she run about 126km that was 3 full-marathon distance.

At a regular program that she was on the bill, she climbed the mountain Matterhorn at a height of 4,478 meters in the year 2012.

And in the year 2014, she tried to climb the mountain Everest at a height of 8,850 meters

But before her party tried to climb, some Sherpas who were expert in the mountain and help the party died due to snow avalanche. So, her party decided to drop the plan to climb the mountain Everest. It is said that this decision was sensible.

The point that I admire Ms. Ayako Imoto is as follows.

• She is normal/ regular woman like me. 
• She is unaffected 
• She is funny 
• She makes her dangerous/ hard task to the end 
• She has unbelievable courage 
• She tried to dangerous tasks which I wanted to withdraw my eyes from TV. 

I want to be a person who always challenge and smile like Ms. Ayako Imoto.

The Wind in the Willows - Toad's apology

Dear Ms. Keeper's Daughter,

I'm sorry I don't know your name. But I want you to say the other day of thanks. You have a very kind heart. If you didn't help me, I would still have been in prison. When I was in prison, I cried and cried. I thought that this was the end of everything. All my friends would forget me, and I shall never get out of the prison again.

But, you were there. You saved my life. You heard my story seriously, you asked my home and my old life, brought me nice things to eat and hot drinks. Those kindness made me sit up and wake up. When you told me the plan to escape the prison, I could 't believe and I suspected my ears. Because your suggestion was so unique. At that time, my heart was beating very fast indeed. I hadn't been able to imagine that I wear dress as an old washer-woman. "That's impossible", I thought. But I did it. I could do it. I owed you a lot.

After I left the prison, I walked out of the wood, jumped into a barge, but the barge-woman pushed off into a canal. I swam in the canal. And I borrowed her horse to ride, and I sold it. I borrowed someone's motor-car, but I lost it. At last, I've met my friend the Water Rat after a long way swimming in the river. Now I'm happy to be in my house. Thanks a lot to your kind cooperation. 

Sincerely Toad

Posted for Naoko

The Last Sherlock Holmes Story - Final words from the 'protagonist'

April 1891 Switzerland

I had enjoyed my life with my best friend Watson for a long time before we left England. I always fought against crime. I always investigated the truth of crime.

Recently I have had some suspicion against Watson. When a woman called Flora White was killed with a knife in Whitechapel, the suspicion became a true. When I found my bedroom door was locked in Watson's house, I tried to hit the man who came in, but he jumped away. And then there was the letter telling Lestrade that I was the Whitechapel murderer. What rubbish! How Scotland Yard would laugh!

I took it from the cook's hand while Watson was calling the cab. Because it wasn't Watson. Moriarty had killed my friend and taken his place. Moriarty is very clever. He looked almost like Watson. I knew this man was Moriarty since I had seen him injecting himself with cocaine. My dear friend Dr. Watson would never, never take drugs.

Moriarty has asked me to walk with him to the Reichenbach Falls, which is a wild and lonely place. Since taking cocaine, Moriarty will be getting weaker and weaker. I know he will try to shoot me there, but he will not kill me because I have put blanks in his gun. He is very clever but he always takes drugs. I can kill him. I must kill him. This is the best way for my life.

Posted for Hiroko

Rabbit-Proof Fence - An epic journey (Into the Wild)

I will tell you another epic journey. It is about a young American man who died in Alaska in 1992. This story was become a movie directed by Sean Penn. And this movie " Into the Wild" was nominated to the 80th Academy Award.

Cris was born in a rich family. He graduated Emory University with an excellent results. His parents wanted him to go to Harvard law school. But he refused to go there and donated all his money which supposed to spend for study. His parents always gave him only money, not love. They had a different sense of values from him. He decided to go to Alaska by himself to know the truth of the world.

He changed his name and traveled to Mexico, through the US. As he traveled, he met many kinds of people. Sometimes he wanted to stay with them, but he wanted to go to Alaska to find something. He walked, hitch-hiked and finally he went to Alaska. He survived there for a while, but it was very difficult to find foods. So, he decided to leave Alaska. Unfortunately the desolate river of melted snow disturbed him to go out of Alaska. After 100days in Alaska, he died of hunger alone.

Posted for Yasumi

A postcard from Irabu Island, Okinawa

Hey Everyone,

First dive crew

I've just visited an amazing part of Japan, a small island called Irabu which is connected to Miyako Island via bridge. Before you could only get there by plane or boat, but since the end of January 2015, you can drive across.

Irabu is so quiet and peaceful. Even in the middle of Golden Week, there was almost nobody there! The beaches were beautiful, the water crystal clear with plenty of amazing coral and colourful fish to see, the locals were super friendly and the weather was gorgeous.

The fish that bit me!

During my stay, I got to experience diving for the first time (and getting bitten by a territorial fish!), as well as my first taste of Awamori. I went snorkelling almost every day and got to see some amazing sunsets with a beer in hand of course!

I had an incredible week off and I hope that all of you at Luna had a well-earned break and feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

See you all at Luna soon!

Damian

Sunset at Irabu

Holiday report - Hong Kong

I went to Hong Kong last September with my friend. We flew to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific. We stayed for four days in a small hotel near Yau Ma Tei station and we could walk some night markets.

During the day we took the tour. We visited a food market, ate dim sum, took tram. At night we went to Victoria Harbour to see a Symphony of Lights.

It was very beautiful. We didn't buy souvenirs so much, we enjoyed to eat. I bought a lily oil that is like a Tiger Balm. We had a great time. Hong Kong is very interesting city, dim sum is great and beer is cheap.

But there was trouble. We went to Macau from Hong Kong by ferry. We wanted to arrive at Macau but arrived at Taipa. Besides, when we went back to Hong Kong, we arrived at Hong Kong island. We was going to get to Kowloon!

Posted for Megumi

The Three Musketeers - The Hundred Years' War

The Hundred years’ War was from 14century to 14century. The war continued for about one hundred years with several intervals. The beginning of the War was Edward Ⅲ, king of England, pretended to the French throne. And he sent an army to France. It was just one reason of many things. One of other reasons was that England and France had contended for supremacy of woolen industry in Frandre district. First England was strong and superior for many years, but French girl Jeanne D’arc who had heard the words of God appeared, led French army and relieved Orleans from long siege by England. She is a historic heroine in France but her life was very short. She was soon arrested and was execution by burning. About her life many novels and films had been made. At all England lost possessions in France.

Posted for Yoko

Jane Eyre - a letter to your teacher

Dear Miss.Temple,

How have you been? I married. After you left Lowood School, I left too. And I became a governess of Thornfield Hall. Thornfield Hall was a beautiful house. The girl enjoyed my lessons and I was happy. The owner of Thornfield Hall was Mr. Edward Rochester. He was not handsome but he had a strong face. I loved Mr. Rochester. One evening, Mr. Rochester said ‘Will you marry me, Jane?’ I was very happy. But at the wedding day, I knew Mr. Rochester have mad wife. I left Thornfield Hall. But I could not forget him.

One day, I heard Mr. Rochester’s voice. So I went to Thornfield Hall. Then I saw the burnt, black house. Nobody was living there. I heard that there was a fire at Thornfield Hall, The mad woman burnt the house and she died, Mr. Rochester was blind and badly hurt. And I could meet Mr. Rochester again. Mr. Rochester and I got married. His eyes were better. He could see the face of our first child. Now my dear Edward and I are very happy.

I hope to see you soon.

Jane Eyre

Posted for Reiko