The One With The Orange Ball

22 months in Tokyo and I have yet to see the orange ball.

They are round, colourful and embedded deep in the Japanese retail culture. Every bank and post office has two at each teller’s booth. They are hard to miss at convenience stores, and you wont enter another Japanese “gasoline stand” without seeing one.

Orange balls are the ubiquitous anti-crime tool in Japan used for stopping all sorts of criminals in their tracks, well almost… They are, orange balls, filled with a thick florescent ink that glows in the dark, and has a strong smell. You throw the ball on the robber or on their vehicle and it explodes leaving permanent dye on them. Police dogs in Japan are actually trained to be able to track this particular odour (said to be similar to rotting pineapples), and are taught that it is the smell of a criminal.

From stippy.com

I was even more bewildered when I read the following:

Bank tellers in Japan must now pass an orange ball throwing test in order to get hired. Details are sketchy but an inside source says you have to use an orange ball (filled with water) and throw it at the target of a burglar. Ms. Yin Kim (a perspective bank employee) is quoted as saying, “You get three shots and two must hit the cardboard target or you can’t be employed by the bank.”

From verystrangenews.com

Subliminal Mona Lisa.

Via Flickr. Creepy.

One of the best stop motion clips that I have seen, with Bumblebee decapitating Optimus Prime in the end. Woots.

And finally, to get your nostalgic juices flowing. It got mine flowing alright.

萍聚

作詞：嚕啦啦　作曲：嚕啦啦　編曲：廖世錚　演唱：Witness Feat/蕭淑慎

Come on baby this day had to come sometime you know that
I gotta do my thing you gotta do yours talk to me girl

Chorus：
別管以後將如何結束 至少我們曾經相聚過
不必費心的彼此約束 更不需要言語的承諾
只要我們曾經擁有過 對你我來講已經足夠
人的一生有許多回憶 只願你的追憶有個我

當我跟妳 Hand in hand
走在這條空走廊
我知道
我們的方向不一樣
And when 四目交接時
我一直　想　這是不是我們的最後一次
時間在不知不覺中
一點一滴飛逝
現在妳是否能聽見我的歌詞
我以為我們會看到永遠
可是「永遠」沒來
It’s so hard to say goodbye. Don’t cry 別想不確定未來
Don’t ask 我們到底會不會分開　畢業 What’s next 我覺得很徬徨
但我從不後悔　一起走過這段時光　何嚐不希望　你跟我一起走
But ya, gotta go and I, gotta flow, yo 我要跟大馬戲團一起追求
Hip hop 的夢 And the beat goes on

Chorus：
別管以後將如何結束　至少我們曾經相聚過
(當你坐我旁邊的時候　我都沒有想那麼多)
不必費心的彼此約束　不更需要言語的承諾
(考試卷上的分數　已經決定未來不同的路)

等了這麼久我終於等到這一天　前一夜睡不著因為今天要畢業
心情 Happy to be graduating 可是也覺得有點空虛
Baby you and me 這條路到哪裡去　唯一不會忘記　你我的愛情方程式
但是　鐵定會忘記我的數學老師
Bet you gonna agree with me baby you and me
雖然我們不在一起　我們擁有共同回憶 Please 尒要讓我看見你的悲傷
否則　下一段　不知該怎麼唱

Chorus：
別管以後將如何結束　至少我們曾經相聚過
(當你坐我旁邊的時候　我都沒有想那麼多)
不必費心的彼此約束　不更需要言語的承諾
(考試卷上的分數　已經決定未來不同的路)

Baby 我能做什麼　我能說什麼
讓你不感覺那麼難過　其實沒什麼　有什麼好難過
Not at all 反正生命要繼續喔 Like the beat goes on 男人有淚不輕彈
School 不是傷心處　讀萬卷書　不如行萬里路　畢業　就是夢想護身符
Witness 即將　挑戰不可能的任務

Old skool enough for ya’?