Small Things in Life (3)

Finally wrapping up my work (and helping others' work) this week, I am really bored at work. I kill time by reading novel in lunch time and eat my lunch at business time. I like the coffee in Canteen, not so expensive and with very good flavor.

I went with my novel and ordered the drink in my broken Japanese "hado late onaigashimasu". The barista seemed amused and asked if I am the new apprentice. Ha ha ha ha ha, it is hard to believe that I can pass as a 20 something. But very interesting, should note it down as a record.

Small Things in Life (2)

I was sitting in the client's office as usual, and heard a scurried running sound behind my back. I turned my head and let my eyesight fellow that hastely running back. That's the head of this department, surprisingly, a woman. However, something is not very right about his skirt. Wait a second... Oh, she's got the light fabric skirt stuck inside her black pantie hosts, half of the behind was revealing.

She had no idea what's going on and I do not suppose in this all men office someone dare come by and tell her to sort it out. Without thinking too much, I rushed over and stood behind her, at least to cover a bit. Then I pulled the skirt out and said to her in low voice "your skirt got stuck". I soon moved back to my seat, with my heart pounding. Shit, what if she didn't understand what I was doing?

Those Small Things in Life (1)

Riding home, having a very bad feeling about the evening rain forecasted by news in the morning. When walking out of the building, the sky was darkened and it was drizzling. Too lazy to leave my bike in Shinagawa, I got on riding thinking I might be able to beat the odds.

It turned raining like crazy when I reached Tsukiji, another 20 minutes to go, I was soaking wet and the freezing temperature didn't help. I started to really worry about my leather gloves and handbags. Most of all, is my computer bag waterproof? Getting really annoyed being stopped by red light, even angry. An umbrella came over to my head, a guy was also waiting to cross and giving me a half of his shelter. I was very delighted but couldn't find the proper Japanese to express my gratitute - "domo aligado" was the only think I can say before running into the rain again.

What is True Love

Joey with bad hair cut
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I went out drinking with my friends in the last night of my stay in London, I might not come back to London again in January at all. Hanging out in a crowdy pub, with all our laptop bags on the floor, after finishing the last sip of our drink, my friend produced a candy from her pocket and handed it over to her boy friend.

She is known for hating sweets like candies or cakes yet she kept a candy handy so she can surprise her boy friend anytime. Seeing the delighted face on him, I guess this is true love.

Precision

I had these 2 gel package freebies from my nail polish purchase in Tokyo a while ago, didn't get a chance to use them until I am in London. Since they are gelly like, and pink (the other set is dark pink), I assumed they must be for the lips.

Only today I was trying hard to decode the Katagana, it turns out "a-- i-- ka---la--". "pu-- si---shu--" Holly sh*t, I have been applying the eyecolour on my lips for 2 weeks.

Outliner

Finished reading Melcolm Gladewell's outliner in 3 days. This is really cheating, double spaced and thick papers (but I also complain if the words are too small, women are hard to please). The ideas are pretty much very Melcolm, I mean, just like his previous "Tipping points" and "Blink", what he said in those books are very very common sense. However, he is just a very good story teller, who organized the idea in a better way such that the dull, mundane common knowledges become very interesting.

In one of the chapers he said that the middle class family tends to train kids to speak with adults with ease, thus, they tend to conform with the society better (knowing how to deal with the authority, filling up the forms to apply for scholarship, etc). However, kids grew up in poor family tend to be against the authority because they have been rejected all their childhood. Anti-social, or has difficulty to communicate or to bargain for a better deal for themselves in school, or in life.

It took me a long long time to talk to adults with ease, ha ha ha ha, even after I have turned into an adult myself.

Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots

Sorry about not writing much this month. I found this great Odenya (Oden house) in Ginza, featuring Kyoto style cooking. After being in Tokyo for a while, you can feel that somehow everything in Kyoto is more elegant and most people do agree. Tokyo people are feeling cultural inferior to Kyoto despite the booming economy

That's the power of culture. It has no obvious meaning of all the ceremonies and rituals or decorations. But without them, life seem so damn boring.
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The story of an unwanted daughter in a Chinese family. The whole book was filled with self-pity and insecurity. Even when the author was around 50 something, successful career woman with good family, she is still begging for her step mother's acceptance and love. WTF! I cannot believe this. She has wasted all these year living in fear, reciting how badly she was treated in her childhood and how proud of herself she was because she put herself through the difficult time.

Wake up, move on, and stop writing/thinking about your childhood (maybe too late, she's published a book) and pitying yourself.

I have no idea what type of people would spend money to buy the book, trying to satisfy their curiousity about China before after WWII? Or they would like to know how Chinese women's feet were bounded. Ok, I have to admit I started to read it because of that. After chapter 3, I only want to know how bad this book can be. Thank god this bad read didn't take me too much time, finished it on my flight to London.

I want to create a category "IMPOSSBLE TO READ" in my blog just for this book.

How to Degrade Your Enemy

Asking your colleauge to prepare for snakes and drinks for a meeting seems to be the way to do it.

Facebook is Evil

I got an email from Thang's family via Facebook saying that he was in the intensive care unit, and we have to expect the worse last month.

I got another message today, the sister of my university friend, Michael Thorsley, wrote to me saying that Michael has lost contact with his family 3 years ago, she was wondering if I have heard anything from him since. Damn, I thought he is only playing seek and hide with me, I hope everything is ok.

Credit Crunch Theorya

Was chatting with my friend Cathy in California. She said tha she just figured out one theory after the stock market crash, spend as much as you can while you can enjoy it. You lose money faster in stock market than buying a Gucci bag or Burberry shoes. Besides, as you get old, it is more and more expensive to make yourself happy. Do it while you can afford it.

I guess I am going to buy the most expensive shoes in my life this weekend.

Self Development and Growth

I do not particularly like these types of books. One of our family friends has turned herself into sort of a cult leader, giving talks, publishing books and hosting a blog to answer questions. People truely admire her, follow her advise and sincerely want to elevate their spiritual level such that they can separate themselves from unsatisfactory realities.

My dentist in Taipei was her faithful follower, so keen and eager to discuss her books with everyone who set foot in his clinic. He was so much like to get in touch with her once he realised she is our family friend. My mom turned to me for help. Oh gee, we haven't seen her for almost 15 years (after she divoiced my father's friend). I wrote her an email, hoping she still remember me and introduce my dentist to her.

I have never understood why people spend money on this type of books. Her writings are simple, story-like, without deep philosophy. The deepest is that "oh, you have to look into your innerself to ask what you want" Man, I am doing that everyday, I seriously ask myself what I want to eat. All these are bloody straightforward, everyone-understand concepts, but few people achieve. People just buy them to give themselves a false hope that they will be able to let go desire and temptation?

TV shows

Coming back to London, one of the things I am very happy about is that, finally, I am in touch with English speaking TV programs again. I spent my Saturdday night watching CSI New York, CSI Miami, CSI Vegas, then Law & Order. topped with Agatha Christie's 2-hour long program, OMG, I am in heaven. It is no longer the programs that I can only guess (Japanese TV shows are also quite interesting, I only had to guess 80% of the time). I can understand the plot, how the director want your attention to drift, wow, amazing.

I no longer able to do my manicure, iron my shirt, cook/eat dinner while the TV is on. That's the only shortcoming of it.

Agatha Chrstie's England

I am a big fan of Agatha Christie's detective stories, read most of them in both Chinese and English. But seeing BBC's production of it is another thing. It is not easy to imagine those stiff-upper-lip, Eton graduates's life was like in the pre world war II London or Oxfordshire. Though human natures are pretty much not surprising in every culture (love, hate, desire and fear), the BBC series gave a fair images. No Brits myself, but I quite enjoy the England depicted in it.

Women dressed in puffy skirts and skin tight tops, the waists are so tiny almost like a part of their bodies have stayed in the age of 10. They look confident, flirtatious and humorous, regardless of their age (Miss Marple is the exception, but I think that's her camouflage). Men are dignified and calm, even when the killer was identified at the end, rarely the killer lost his/her cool. Everyone seemed to have a story but no one is telling (English is very private), suspension arises, hard to find any better setting for detective stories.

Scent of Woman

Al Pacino's "Scent of Woman" was one of my all-time favorite movies. Oh, I don't remember most of it, but I am going to talk about scent. I used to think the medieval Europeans must be mad, they would exchange a ounce of peppers for gold. They sailed into the uncertain angry sea in search of fresh exotic spices and fragrance. Who needs those stuff? Growing up in a Chinese family, my parents never used colong, perfume. My father smelled of ciggarrete, toothpaste (in the morning) and tea. My mom smelled a bit of sweat and light body odour. Our clothes smelled of detergent and camphor. The most exciting spiece we used in our foods are ginger and chillies.

After turning 30ish, I start to rediscover my body, It is perhaps we were so distracted to explore the surroundings when we're young that we had no time to see (really seeing) ourselves. Now we were to bored with the world, so we look at ourselves to find some entertainment.

I do not think I have strong body odor, but perfume has become something I must wear before going to work. It is almost a statement and a hint of my existence. It is part of the dress that day. Of course, it has a percentage of attention attracting purpose. I started to realise why those Europeans were obsessive with scent. Before all the chemical engineering makes fabricating smells easy, what they can do about creating a good smell? Right, colonize the tropical lands! Oh well, it is all economics, business men found it is lucrative to sell the spices and parfume, let's lobby the royal family to build a big ship, money can be a pretty strong motivation.

Software Production

Party, party, party, Susie likes to have me in her parties.
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I started to realise that you dont need to be a super smart, rocket scientist to produce software that clients will accept. It is all about expectation management, planning and quality assurance. There is no bullet proof software, it largely relies on how well we educate our users. Everything is possible, if you use the software the right way.

To Help or Not to Help

The Infinity people


I feel like a queen of East Europe!


A couple of drinks in the old Hog's head in St Mary Axe, wow, it is all like the old days.
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When going through the UK immigration, I volunteered to help an old Chinese man to answer immgration officer's inquiries. Amoung all oriental looking passengers (I came out of a 747 loaded with Japanese), I stepped out because I hope someone would also step forward to help my father or mother when they are traveling abroad alone.

I was tired and exhausted after 13 hours flight, but trying hard to keep my cool. The old man was from GuangXi, a retired teacher. I filled out the landing card for him, patiently waiting in the queue.

However, the old Chinese man is annoying in a brutal mannerless Chinese way. I did not feel his appreciation (it is not like I want him to thank me, but if he can put a little bit of thoughts for me, sweet but useless comments like "I am sorry to take your time, but..." I think I would be much more than happy to help him through). Of course his attitute was really his best weapon, I did admire his fearless and nothing-to-lose bluntiness. Nevertheless, that annoyed the hell out of me. As if he deserved to be served.

Although he has got a full set of documentation to allow him to get into UK, the immigration officer's attitute was not of his best. Question: How long is he going to stay? Answer from the old man "5 months" So I immediate translated but the old man added "maybe 6 months". So I faithfully ferried the answer to the officer, who was not amused "5 or 6 moths?". "Can you just put down 6 months to be sure" "I was expecting a truthful, concise answer when you replied". After the routine examination, he was let go and my passport was handled. The officer was not able to find any empty page to stamp, he was giving me the nagging about my lack of attention to my travel document, the old man standing behind the line raised his voice in Chinese "Why don't they let you through?" Immigration folks hate people talking in language they don't know, especially they thought we are traveling together. Dirty looks exchanged, oh god, I just want to get to my apartment and rest.

Finally I went through, though the old man is annoying, I worried that he won't be able to find his luggage from the laggage reclaim bells. I lead him to the reclaim area and pointed to him where he should find his luggages then I went to find mine. Again, he was sticking to me, nagging "what should I do, what should I do" Totally not using his brain cells but hoping I would find his luggages and pamper him all the way out. To this point, I was most annoyed to a point I want to run. But he really had no options without knowing anything. I ran around to find his bags (with him in tow), just before he got the chance to get on hold of me again, I quickly ran toward the "Nothing to claim" exit and shouted "You should also get out from here". I was worried he might catch me so I really walked very fast.

Broken Heels

I was such a violent walker, especially when wearing my 3 inch heels (these are really my favorite heels, they are so comfortable though very high, classic style, they go with any outfit). When crossing the busy street near Liverpool street station, I thought my heel was caught between the cobble stone. It turned out that the heel on my right foot has broken into half.

I quickly calculated what my options are, plan A, I limped to the shoe and key making shop next to the station. Pleading "Can you do something about it?" handing my poor shoe to the shoe expert "I just need it to hold up for one day, just let me pass today". The shoe expert was so cool, he explained "love, this cannot be fixed within one day, you need to have the whole heel replace." "Can you just tape it up or glue it together" "Nope, I have seen many stressed ladies like you, but the good news is that you get to do some shoe shopping".

Sex and Men

Reading another film critic's work about Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution". She described Tony Leung's performance in the film astonishing, especially the sex scene. "Have not ever seen any actor expressing his distress and loneliness during sex to a degree that you feel painful as if your heart is torn. At fierecely violent and aggressive moment, his thighs trembled because of fear and excitment. This devil who dictated many innocent lifes let out his deepest anxiety and insecurity during sex."

What a powerful description, I regret I didn't have the chance to watch it carefully. However, this makes me think about the relation between males and sex. Is it the incredibly unfulfilling desire not to be lonely pushing men to be more sexually aggressive than women? That's what makes men different from other male animals? The desire has surpassed the need of survival?

Where is the Post Office

Yummy Japanese beef, Sandy and I got really full just a couple of pieces of these highly fatty meat, Uncle Thomas had another 3 or 4 plates all by himself.
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I need to send out some document to my bank in Japan, trying to find the post office nearby the client which is right next to Bank of England. The building is certainly historical, but the interior sucks. I feel like the living maid in the movie Gosford Park, working in the dark mezzanie.

Anyhow, I quickly googled the post office near by bank station, keyworded "post office bank London". The result came very satisfactory, I am in 30 something Lambard street, and the post office is 10-15 Lambard street. I farewelled the group from lunch and walked toward the post office. The address numbering system is very confusing, the number jumps from 82 to 21, I started to have bad feelings. I walked the same segment of road up and down twice, I still cannot see the 10-15 Lambard. Desparate, I went to ask for direction from the newspaper guy. He didn't even look at me when saying "straight down". I kept walking on Kings William's road, very confused. I thought the post office is in Lambard street? A couple blocks passed, I gave up and retrieved back to the office, thinking I shall return tomorrow morning with clear idea where the post office is.

Checked on the google map the next morning (10-15 Lambard street is really hiding near King William's road side), I was all confident in finding it this time. However, failure hit me again. Frustrated, I went to the Pret-a-manger to buy a crossiant to cheer myself up (also wanted to ask where the hell the post office is). The nice lady behind the counter say "Post office? You have to walk toward Monument, it is right next to the Tesco". "But the google map says there is a post office on Lambard street". "Oh, that's the name of the road, Post Office Court!".

Critics

I was really shocked to realise that an ex-colleague of mine who always looked so confident, talked so well, and damn knowledgeable of everything about progamming actually collapsed when being pressed to produce a piece of software.

I guess we all need a bit of silliness in life, I was silly enough to think I can do certain things and I go ahead thinking optimisitcally that I will finish it within 2 weeks. I think he is too obssessive to create the perfect software, no silly thinking like mine.

London Seems Strange

Standing in the Ginza crossing in Tokyo, autum is in Tokyo.
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Returning to London again, walking on the street, I suddenly find that people are bigger in size, women are not really paying attention to their looks (trainers with dressing suit? Oh My God, London is turning into American), and there are a lot of rubbish on the street. Look carefully, it is lacking attention to details everywhere. Most of the Victoria era buildings have been converted to modern dwellings, such as office or pubs or apartments. But the bathrooms or kitchens are just not completed (of course, they are not meant to be functioning that way when the whole living space was designed in 19 century). I cannot believe that I am getting used to Japanese standard so fast and I started to understand the culture shock hitting Irene when she first came to London. London is rough, yes. I walk on Fenchurch street feeling that I am really small and fragile.

My French colleague made an very interesting comments about women in London. He can feel their sexuality, very obvious, whereas you do not feel so much about it with women in Tokyo. I have to agree with him. In London, women are more like an open book showing their desire, wants and dont-wants. In Tokyo, women, though dressed very girly, are playing down their sexuality as much as they can. They are cute, but not sexy. Perhaps that's what a harmony, balanced, smooth social operation needs. It is just a bit of less fun, maybe that's why Japanese men have to find their lovers in Ginza with money.

Unstoppable

My friend, Thang, passed away last Sunday. I was hoping to see him again in London before I boarded on the plane, planning buying another set of DVDs so we can watch together in his Newbury Park flat. Just 2 days before my trip, I received the emails from his family saying that he's in the intensive unit back in his hometown Phileadaphia and it's going to be his last few days alive on this planet.

31 of the age, he struggled with this acute lymphatic luekimia for 1 and half years. I was very angry when knowing he's fallen seriously ill last year, he had every right to live, to have a normal life, fighting with his wife, kids, getting old, wrinkly and naggy, then die with all his family and friends around him. As time progressed seeing him being tortured by chemo theropy and god-knows-what drugs the doctors gave him, I still had hope that all these pains and suffer will pay off one day when he is healthy and building up his muscles again.

I am not sure how to feel, feeling happy that he is not suffering anymore and, at the same time, feeling truely depressed because there is indeed no hope for his recovery.

Office Politics

I feel like the queen of India

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Have read about office politcs in novels and seen that on TV, never had a chance to be set up or back stabbed, it was quite an interesting experience to realise how vulnerable and trusty I have been. Perhaps I have been lucky, on the other hand, perhaps unlucky because I am not at all prepared.

It is interesting to find out that I could have this type of emotion (I always thought I do not care too much), but it is not very pleasant. This is useful, I am thinking more how to protect myself and trust people less.

Another Day with 4 Meals

Intersting cow.
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We had brief and short breakfast in Excelsier, than went to the Tapenyaki place for good Japanese beef lunch. The beef is tendor, but not as good as we had anticipated. After a long walk in the imperial palace garden and Yasukuni shrine, we set out our quest to find the deep fried pork cutlet in Shinjuku. Lucky we were, we found it before Sandy went crazy (she is again hungry). We walked around the town, I was showing Sandy those pretty boys walking on the street (those with pretty faces, long and dyed-golden hair, in suits) are usually those working in the pub, entertaining female guests. Sandy was shocked and we went to Shibuya as part of our condense Tokyo tour.

Until now, we have walked for almost 6 hours and were all exhausted. Uncle Thomas wanted to have really good Japanese beef, so we again went to the Yakiniku place which sells the Yamagata beef. The meat is so rich and juice, we ended our day with the 4th deal of the day.

Traveling with Huen's Family means Nonstop Eating

All tourists in Tokyo's must have. We took pictures before leaving for Nikko. Sandy is such Huen's family's girl. Keen for foods/cooking, can-eat-alot and strong... stomached.
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We set out to Nikko because the weather on Sunday is going to be bad. Food is aways important, and my uncle vowed to spend all Japanese yen he has brought with him. So I took them to the stand-up soba parlour (the place where cute young girls refuse to eat). Each of us devoured a bucket of soba with delicious cold flake fish dressing. We drank it up with the soup from cooking soba, yummy. (Oh, also 2 bows of rice with grilled pork bellies).

We went to Asakusa, getting reading to board the train. However, we visited the department store and bought the most expensive Unagi bento box and a couple additional unagi and grilled salmon jaws to eat in the train.

Thank god that we were not distracted by food when visiting temples and hiking (because there is no food around). However, after 2 hours of walking around, Sandy claimed that she is hungry. (The way she puts it is "um... I can eat something"). We strolled along on the Nikko street, sat down to take a break to eat the grilled rice cake with delicious black sugar coating and green tea, still feeling not satisfied. But it is too early to go back to Tokyo, we ate another couple of onsen menshu made of Chestnut paste in front of the train station, and came to the conclusion that we should eat the famous Yoba tofu cookings in Nikko.

The restaurant I remember doesn't open for dinner so we turned into a little Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki restaurant. We had tepanyaki and a pancake. Sandy and I down 2 bottles of hot sake to get warm (it was really cold in the mountain and we were not well prepared).

After 2 hours of train ride, we were finally back to Tokyo but then Uncle Thomas claimed that he is hungry and demanded me to come up with a choice of snack. Running out of idea of restaurant still opening at 10pm, we went to Tsukiji for the 24 hour sushi shops. We sat down and had a huge sashimi platter, sushi, fishhead stew. We walked out the door and Uncle Thomas cannot believe how cheap the meal is for such a good quality food (compare to Hong Kong), he almost wanted to turn back in again to have another plate of Otoro sashimi. Too tired I was, I stopped him and promised we'll come again tomorrow.

Uncle Thomas and Sandy are in Town

We are studying the menu, it is actually not difficult at all as we can pretty much guess half of the items with the Chinese characters. We later found out that our waitress is Chinese, great! We spoke in Chinese and had very pleasant meal. This is a D.I.Y. deep fry restaurant, you control the timing of your frying.
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After the tempura, we continue walking to the middle age man's hang out, Yarakucho. The street is crowded with people eating grill screwers. We sat down and ate again.

Swim across Sun Moon Lake (4)

My sister Grace. My mom thinks Grace is more real a daughter to her than I to her. One day I went fish shopping with my mom in the traditional market, the stall owner asked "is this your daughter?" "Yes", "Oh, you have many daughters" (Because Christine, Irene, Grace all had been shopping with my mom before). I sometimes wonder whether the stall owner would think that my mom had a lot of different boy friends that's why all her daughters look different.

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I forgot to mention the scary journey of sending Akiko to the airport the day after we finished the swim. We had happy DimSum with my whole family including the Golden Pig. When we realised it is about time to leave, it was already 30 minutes overdue. Grace drove us to the bus terminal nearby, but we rarely took the bus to the airport since driving is the most convenient way (and it is always possible to find some free hand to drive). The bus terminal has changed since the last time I took the bus 15 years ago. We were almost near the end of the bus terminal drive way but still cannot find the ticket booth.

Grace stopped in front of the gas station, I jumped out and asked people around. The time is really running short, if it takes 1 hour to get to the airport, Akiko would be there only one hour ahead of her departure time. As I was panicking looking around, there is an airport bus leaving. The driver saw me being disappointing and nervous, he stopped the bus in the middle of the road and opened the door!

I ran back to Grace's car and pulled Akiko out. Pushed her into the bus and threw her lugguages while the cars behind us honking like crazy. My heart was ponding after we both drove off and waited in front of the red light. Grace turned to me "Are you sure this bus going to the airport?" Holy Shit! I ran off to the bus, knocked open the window on thd driver side, shouted at the driver (because it was raining and noisy) "Are you going to the airprot?" He knodded. "How long would that take" "75 minutes".

My heart sank, but there is nothing we can do. Chances are Akiko is going to miss her flight. I went back to our car and Grace threw me another question "Does Akiko know which terminal to go to?" Shit! I ran to the bus driver again (Thank God the red light wait is long enough) "The Japanese lady is going to Terminal 2, please help her" He knodded again.

Grace and I then went to pick up my mom and Golden Pig, on our way to shopping, I was still worried and kept checking my phone if Akiko might call. Smart Grace suggested maybe Akiko's flight is not exactly 4 o'clock sharp, after consulting our travel agent, the departure time is 4:30. What a relief.

Thesis not yet Finished?

There are small mountains stacked by slacks of stones everywhere in this mountain. I was helping out.
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I had a terrible dream this morning, I was on the way to California visiting a friend. Getting on the bus then I realised that I had not finished my thesis, and didn't talk to my supervisor about my trip. Everything seemed undone and unfinished, how am I going to get my degree and start to make money? I was anxious, nervous, upset and tired. Yet I didn't know the way out.

Chopping it off

My boss in London is really an ecentric character. He told me he would cut off the hair if it is sticking out in the morning. I am generally very happy with my haircut but for some reason, the hair on my right side seemed to have the perfect opportunity to be rebelious. That might have something to do with my strange hair current. But the unruly hair really drove me mad. I chopped them off as my boss in London did.

Swim across Sun Moon Lake (3)

The Swimming 3
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It took us 2 and half hours to cross the lake. I was a bit in a hurry (oh well, I want to check whether my dad is OK, and also, I am a very impatient person). However, I'm also worried about Akiko, what if she diappears in the lake? I didn't abandon her the whole trip. However, there is no rush, really, the slower the better since you are not able to enjoy this water and this scenary if getting on the shore. I was too bored waiting, so I invented a number of way to sit, sleep, hold our floating device. I almost like sun bathing in the lake (the result is not very good, my back has a big X from my bathing suit).

When reaching the shore, I held no anticipation to find my dad in the gathering point, but to my surprise, he came up to us in the finishing line. What a relief, I thought there is going to be some work to find him in the crowd.

Just like last year, I polished the whole lunch box (what a waste not to finish the food in your plate, it is not environmental friendly, either). Feeling all good, we took the boad ride back to where we started. I recovered Akiko's bag with all our clothes miraculously from the side of the street (I really had no choice but leaving it in the side of the road).

Finishing the swimming without any glitches. But I found that I have bigger balls than most of the guys attending this swimming acticivty in our group. Some of them is worried about swimming in the place that you cannot touch the floor (hey, this is a lake, what do you expect?) Some of them whinning about the coldness, some of them wondering where to put the eye glasses. Oh my god, be a man, purse your lips and try out the adventure yourself. There sure would be unexpected, but that shouldn't be anything unhandlable for a 40 something old.

Swim across Sun Moon Lake (2)

Not really worrying too much about my father, because I was a bit angry. He wasn't really listening to the briefing last night, yet he appeared to be very into the game and the plan. He even raised questions and had conversation with the captain, how could he not understand everything? I have told him to practice swim like 6 months ago, how can he drop out midway through? Unprofessional and lazy butt, I was angry because he is just using his age as an execuse, not to be strong and train himself. He thought that's the way to get attention? Ha ha, sorry, I do not like weak people. Sorry, you get no sympathy from me. Go rest in the shore, see you later.

I swam slowly with Akiko, it is not like last year, where a large quality of people ran into the water, it was much better controled this year. I remember last year, I had to kick and being kicked in order to get forward. My goggles were wacked a couple of time, it is like playing Rugby in water. The water is cool and nice, we can see the green mountain hidding in the fog. However, Akiko cannot swim long distance, we needed to stop every 100 or 200 meters.

At the 1100 mark, I got Akiko to get on the floating platform where we can have chocolate and water. It is all very interesting scene, because getting on the platform required some energy. Many swimmers just hopped around the platform to rest, and the life guard broke the chocolate into pieces and fed the swimmers in water one by one.

While we were resting, Akiko waved and shout "Liao Pa" to the boat driving pass us. Oh my god, that's my dad on the boad, who is also waving like mania to us. Oh great, at least he was ferried to the other end, I should be able to find him there.

My Conversation with Mom

禤妙云 says:
女兒，睡了否？
Joey says:
還沒啊
Joey says:
吃了嗎
禤妙云 says:
吃飽}
Joey says:
暑假放完了,還是要 果汁給廖小文喝
禤妙云 says:
我現做二十四孝的娘
Joey says:
那是廖小文的福氣
禤妙云 says:
今天開始弄果汁
禤妙云 says:
對你好像有虧欠，你會吃味否！
Joey says:
不會啦,我是女超人啊
Joey says:
女超人不用人家疼哦
Joey says:
還要拯救地球
Joey says:
很忙的
禤妙云 says:
我在心疼你的
Joey says:
挨游
Joey says:
以後要你幫忙的地方多的哩
禤妙云 says:
但能盡我所能來疼你，
Joey says:
已經很好了啦,我覺得很滿意,你好好的,開開心心,廖小文,廖老爺少氣你一點就好了
禤妙云 says:
但我會先照顧好自已來疼惜你
Joey says:
你肉麻的話講完了沒有,手有沒有酸
Joey says:
去玩麻將啦
Joey says:
聽得我都不好意思了
禤妙云 says:
很好
禤妙云 says:
拜拜

Swim across Sun Moon Lake (1)

I went back to Taiwan for the annual lake crossing swim in Sun Moon Lake. I decided to get my dad to join because I think we have been ignoring him, it is not fair to take mom out traveling all the time (oh well, mom is a much more pleasant companion and she cooks). Taking my dad has another plus, that is, I can fulfill my dream of driving a broken car, with a dog sitting in the backseat and blasting Beatles or Beach Boy's music in summer time. I don't have a dog, but my dad has.

We set out our adventures on Saturday afternoon, of course, dad's nagging about life accompanying us the 3 hour trip to the lake. That's OK, I had Beatles and the dog (though Ilang is not very friendly to anyone but my father).

Dad and Akiko were not paying attention to the instruction, we had a bit of fuss about where to put their clothes and wallets. In the briefing the evening before, we were clearly instructed not to bring anything to the meeting point. I had to put everything into Akiko's bag and then begged strangers to allow me leave the bag with them. I know why my dad refused to go with only swimming wear, he wants his cigerattes with him ALL THE TIME.

We jumped into the cool lake after an hour of queueing and waiting. I was responsible for Akiko and my dad, however, no pressure at all, they all have insurance. Dad dropped out 2 minutes into the water. We climbed up to the floating platform, I was eyeing Akiko in the water, saying to my dad "Ok, get your clothes, keep warm, I will come back to look for you". I then jumped into the clear lake and swam off with Akiko.

Summer Vacation

Our family memebers are all into this veggie drink fashion recently. Grace, Kevin, my mom, my brother and I are drinking fresh made fruit and veggie juice in the morning religiously. It does work very nicely for me, my terrible eczma on my face went away. My mom goes to my brother's house to take over my nephew, Golden Pig, from my sister in law by 6 am. Then she makes the fruit juice for my brother (making him drink up the juice while he is still half sleeping, he then drops back to the bed). My brother's eczma comes all over his body in a very severe form. Little blisters filled with blood, and he often scratches until they break. It is so hard to see some good piece of skin part from his face and it is so hard to imagine the condition is remedied by daily fruit juice.

While I was in Taiwan, chatting with my mom, she said that my brother's eczma attack came back again. "Why?" I asked "If the fruit juice not working anymore?". My mom said "Oh, because I am on summer vacation, no one is making him fruit juice every morning".

Phantom in Our Brains

I am reading "Phantom in the Brain" by doctor Ramachandran. It is really amazing, we think we know it all? We know nothing, completely nothing about our brains. The chapter about the zombie in our brains is very interesting. The case study is about a girl who was in coma for a while because of CO poisoning. The portion of her brain to receive image into her brain was damaged. She is literally blind. When asking her to put a letter into a letter box, she unconciously tiled the envelope horizontally and slided it into the slot without difficulty. The portion of "what" is damaged, however, the portion of "how" is not. Her brain coordinated the image with action perfectly. The Zombie in our brains might be the key for any sport, do not let your seeing decieves you, what you feel is often more true than what you feel is right.

Our brains also does a lot of tricks to "fill in the blank". With all the information we receive from hearing and seeing, nevertheless, we are not the almighty who can understand everything. Our brains extends the available situations and creates a reasonable explanation so we can make sense of the world. Of course, the ultimate goal is to survive, the guessed answers are meant to help us to make decisions at the moment in order to avoid danger.

Silent Beach

There was actually no sun at all, I put on my hat only to keep my hair in one place.
_______________________________________

We went to the beach in the north east of Tokyo, 2 hour drive north. Though the weather is not sunny, we didn't cancel the trip. The wind was strong. The wave seem grayish because it was cloudy. I took a stroll along the shore, one side of the beach, standing the cliff and a couple of caves underneath. No one is around but seabirds. The water was cold but clear, the scenary was beautiful.

We quickly changed into the bathing suit, thinking there is no way to back out (hey, we work very hard to get ourselves here), we dived into the cold wave. Life guards switched on the silent speakers, broadcasting the water temperature and be careful that sort of stuff.

It is all very interesting experience to swim in the cold, light gray green and quiet sea. There is no human sounds can be heard but the waves. I swam to my heart's content in silence.

Value Added Service

During our trip in the mountain, we were again discussing how Japanese family lives. With Irene in tow, we can have a great inside of everything. Again, breakfast topic was brought to table. Since most Japanese mothers wake up at 5am, cook the rice, nicely cut and arrange the veggies as salad and grill fish. The beautiful and ornated breakfast was presented in the table by 6:30am. Wow was their reaction, both my mom and Grace were sleep-in moms. Breakfast was usually a piece of cookies.

Kevin's thought about it was that Japanese mothers complicate simple matters so to show their value in the family. How typical MBA graduate answer.

Conformity is the Mother of Stability (3)

Of course, we are very curious why the education and culture mold people this way. Kids are super well behaved and girls are so proper (according to Irene, this is most of the case).

When Mai came to our house for dinner (yes, we manage to fit in 5 adults and 1 jumpy kid in my small living/dining room, though 2 of us had to sit on the couch), we started to grill Mai about what we saw. Mai's answer is that most Japanese are taught not to be different from others since childhood. Restrained, endurance and control are highly praised.

This is the way of stability. If everything and everyone is predictable, others would easily find the way to corporate, interact with each other. If you think it from this point of view, it is not surprising that Japanese is the langauge with a lot of classes. The same idea needs to be expressed differently according to your gender, age and social status. This is largely accepted as manner, but I would rather think it is a rule which helps people to work and communicate with each other.

Getting a peace of mind has a higest piority in Japanese society.

Conformity is the Mother of Stability (2)

In our Kamikochi trip, we lodged in a small hotel in the woods. The hotel is run by a couple, they also teach how to dry and preserve flowers. Very cute little wooden ryokan with western style decor. When having dinner, Irene, my mom and I sat in one side of the table and Grace, XiaoHo, Kevin the other side. XiaoHo as usual was making a fuss of intaking any food into his mouth (he just does like to eat). But my mom's attention was drawn to 2 young ladies sitting in the table behind Grace, XiaoHo and Kevin. Irene and I particlpate in observing them.

The young girl's back was straight as log when sitting down. She didn't move or leg or change their posture. They moved elegantly, gracefully using the knives and forks to send the foods into their beautifully opened mounths. Talked in low voice, everything is so proper to the extend that ordinary Taiwanese would find impossible and entertaining (at least my mom was very entertained). Looking at our table, XiaoHo is putting his toy dinasours into the rice, insisted they need the rice more than he does. I was using my hand to pick up the unwanted Tomato from Irene's plate and asking for another glass of wine.

My mom's feeling is the 2 young ladies' restrained and controlled motions (and emotion, maybe) are very uncomfortable. They cannot even let off their guard when sharing a meal with siblings (we later found out they are sisters, Irene heard them calling each other. Because we cannot imagine why people would want to be so polite in front of your own family members). We even observed the plates after they have done their food and left. Wow, the fruit scrapes are set at the 9 o'clock position and the used knife and fork were pointing at 10 o'clock. The finished plates looks identical. Wow, we again gave our admiration. But if we are going to do the same? No way, our table is so messy after we are done, ha ha ha. We are so Taiwanese.

However, this 2 girls gave us a lot of fun. The next day, I kept my mom company in the yard when she played her Taichi, then we sat down chatting around 6:30, with my back facing the entrace. My mom suddenly said to me "The 2 freaks comes back.". It took me a while to realise who she was talking about. Kevin was not seeing those 2 girls during the dinner time, he was so curious that my mom exchange seats with him for breakfast. Again, the way they eat the unruly salad amazed Kevin (they used the fork to comb clean the shreded cabbages, until they are stable enough to be sent to the mouth).

During our trips, various questions were raised. Such as when we were eating ice cream cone, question like "would those 2 ladies lick the ice cream in public?", or "Would whose 2 ladies use the flushing sound to cover their peeing sound".

Conformity is the Mother of Stability (1)

It is definitely not easy to go around Tokyo with an uncontrollable 4 year old kid. Tokyo people are not very forgiving with kids, some restaurants even post a sign saying kids under 6 are not welcome. Everywhere we went, XiaoHo's behavior was under strict scrunity of Japanese eyes. You rarely see kids in Tokyo, even if seeing one, he/she is usually well behave. Otherwise, the eyesights shooting from other people are strong enough to pierce your heart.

I was quite annoyed at a point of time. Because, in fact, I am a very displined person, I tried my best to live healthily and respect the environment. I never sleep in, do not over eat (sometimes over drink a bit), religiously participate in recycling, exercise as much as I can, avoid taking public transportation as much as I can. Watching adults spoiling XiaoHo's requests makes me furious. How is it possible for them to raise a real man that way? I respect strong people and kids are really so weak and needy, yuck!

I was a bit angry and had been very cold to XiaoHo for a few days. We made peace with each other at the end because of our love to insects. We watched life in the undergrowth together, and I found out, XiaoHo is quiet if I keep telling stories. So I spent 2 hours tell him the insect stories I learnt from Dave Attenbourogh while Grace and my mom went shopping.

One Mountain cannot Acommondate Two Tigers

Old Chinese saying, meaning 2 strongheads cannot work together in one place.
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I always suspect that my mom sabatages my cookings whenever given a chance. It is very hard to explain, I am not a bad cook and I do understand what is good food. Many thanks to my mom, she trained me well (used to cook for my dad's factory workers during my summer vacation, my food was not too impressive because I remember people sneaking out of the table without comments). That's another story.

Ever since I started to develop my culinary talent and have lived in a couple different cities, naturally my foodie horizon has grown broader. Everytime I tried to bring the new spices/cookware/new tastes into my mom's kitchen, catastrophic events followed without fail. I start to wonder whether my mom destroy my dishes on purpose yet she looked so innocent.

One time I was trying to cook Aloo Gobhi (Indian Vegetarian Curry). I meant to use only one half of the onion, but my mom insisted she has no use of the rest half and I should chop it up and throw them into the dish. The curry turned watery and overly sweet. No one ate it but myself in order to be responsible.

The other time I wanted to make the Thai cucumber salad. I would like to seed the cucumber and thin julian cut them. But my mom came to the kitchen, seeing me clumsily slicing the cucumber. She took over the task and said "silly, it is faster to cut cucumber this way". She quickly finishing the cutting by diagonally slicing them then julian cut. However, the soft and watery cucumber seeds got into the dish, which diluted the flavor. When I wanted to use fresh lime juice, she gave me the bottle of artificial lemon juice (you know those kind bottled in bright light yellow lemon shape plastic). My dish was ruined again.

This time when we ate in my small apartment in Tokyo, I would like to make the cold spinach with grounded seasame sauce. Since I had guests to entertain, after I finishing preparing the sauce (grinding seasame is so fun to do), she confidently said that she will handle the rest. The dish came out with boiling hot spinach, the water was not drained completely and my sauce was floating on top of yellowish green leaves.

Path to the Eternal Truth

A well respected monk once said the path to enternal truth is to eat when eating, and shit and shitting. Easily said but hard to do well. Most people think about work when eating, think about lovers when sleeping with wives, think about moral issues when sleeping with lovers.

Old Flame

My mom came to Tokyo with a small luagage, filled with my Chinese books (ecstatic I am). I finished reading Feng Tong's "Everything Grows". What a sharp and hullarious writing, I am so glad that I am chinese who can enjoy the sacastism and twist because I understand the language and culture heritage. Though I have read his latest work, and found that his style hasn't changed much since 5 years ago. Perhaps that's all he can do but I am still very very entertained by his work.

Feng was reciting his dog's years in medical school in Beijing. From his eyes, Beijing all of sudden become so attractive. The careless remorseless barbarousness is so appealing. Nothing can be seemed exciting as in the old Beijing, couple of hundred of years living undernearth of the emperor's feet. They have seen changing of dynasties, killing innocent civilians, invasion by other countries. Ha, quite a good read. Hard to imagine this type of metality in Tokyo, Kyoto might have got a bit of it, or perhaps it is the Kansai people metality of being careless and open?

The protagonist was the medical student who is fasinated by literatures, had a the most healthy girl friend you can imagine (it is odd that there are so many stern mind and strong head women in China). She knows exactly what she wants, how to take care of herself (and the boy friend). She is hard working as the fellow medical student. She broke up with him because, she said, "You will never love me as much as I love you". Her rational sense was singing victory but her emotional right hemisphere brain was torn into pieces. The protagonist's weak protest stood no chance of protesting the girl's strong will. They split and he brought her back everything she prepared for him. The duvet (hard to imagine but pretty pratical thinking for poor medical students studying in Beijing in the 80s), the bento box, the tea cup, etc. That's the way to cut things out.

Quite an interesting read, I burst out giggling in Shinkanshen all the time while reading it. Speaking of returning your ex-lover's stuff, I think most man would not have the sense to do as the protagonist's done. Unless their girl friend on duty forces him do to so (man are just so not having the complete set of nerves). My first love gave me a whole paper bag of letters I wrote him 2 years after we broke up. I was shocked to realise how naive and passionate I was in my 17. I reviewed each one of them sitting on a bench in a park after our last meeting. I laughed and tore the letter into pieces by hand, their final destiny can only be the dumpster, no where else.

Being Average

Taking a nap! The weather is really hot. Mom and Grace's family are coming to Tokyo tomorrow, yay!

_________________________________________


I started to realised that our clients and the IT company their employed are not composed of very shockingly brilliant people. You can be normal, ordinary and survive in the same company for more than a decade. Being smart, sharp and aggressive doesn't give you the edge to succeed in Japanese group. You need to be smart enough to show your intellengence in the right place and right time in order to climb up the ladder. Of course, being a woman doesn't help that much.

This is really unthinkable for me. In the company I work for now, the shining stars are all mean and impatient. They are admired for being able to deliver results based on their individual merit. At the same time, the venom of their teeth are ingored and sometimes falsely praised. I pity those who are less characteristics and less agressive, they are treated like shit. There is no corporatinve culture, everyone is trying to be a leader so he/she can show off how important it is to have this person around in the organization. It is truely impossible to hire person who has been in the same organization in the same position for more than 5 years. Something must be fishy, is he/she that unemployeeable? Obviously, this case has a different reading in Japan.

On the other hand, you cannot deny that Japan is still the second largest economy body in the world. They must be doing something right. I suppose they do not exploit individual's talent but rather taking the sweet time to get things work out in a group (you know how long it is to iron the politics when doing a project). There is no hero (even if you are, you will conform to become a less pronounced person in time), the organization has piority number one.

Do Not Get Joey Angry

Water fight in the BBQ party. I guess I was half drunk and got really angry that someone poured the whole bucket of icy cold water from my head. I was soaking wet from head to toe. Furious but couldn't find the proper containers (bottles, cups, too small to show my determination of revenge). I lifted up the plastic pool, used all strength as I might, chased the guy who was responsible.
____________________________________________

We skated for 3 hours from Shinagawa station to the seaside park near Haneda airport. Too many people and you have to watch very carefully where the foods are coming from, otherwise there is no beef. Playing too hard to notice that the sun was really strong, I went home with burned shoulders and heavy head (too much alcohol is not very good for you on Sunday afternoon).

Sleepy Head on My Shoulder

I have not felt so sleepy for years. I was trapped in a meeting, sitting next to the translator, the topic was the integration test plan. Oh well, I was struggling trying to keep myself staying awake but my attention drifted constantly into the flurry eternity. Trying to wake myself up by reading the handout to no avail. It is so interesting what a meeting can do to you.

If Romeo is a Middle Age Man

He carefully weights what is the benefit to play this suicidal plot. Would he be able to leaverage this threat so he can get more supporters from his family or even holding Juliet as hostage so her family would give him a hefty ransom in order to keep him away from their innocent, pretty daughter?

Romeo not only wants the wealth but also is very careful about his reputation. However, playing suicide with a teenage girl doesn't give him a very good name. People would think how could a sophisticated middle age man be crazy like a testosterone-filled, sex-drive-everthing youngster? There must be something fishy about him. This certainly impedes his chance of landing another woman in the future, or getting an important position in this community (oh well, guess not many places are like France).

Unsurprisingly, he successfully convinced Juliet that he loves her but he cannot participate in this plan. He married to a woman whose profile helps him to climb higher in the social ladder and regularly meets up Juliet who also married to a guy her family arranged.

The sad thing is that everyone thinks the arrangement is the best they can have, and thank god no one died.

Life in the Undergrowth

Isn't she beautiful?

_______________________________________

I first watched the series when in London and my jaw dropped for one whole hour. I am always fasinated by BBC's high quality TV drama, documentary and news (there was a series about cosmetic surgery, have seen some scene that American audience would not even dream in their wildest dream, that deserved another blog). The cinematography (uh... there is no script) and music were definitely at the top of the game.

That episode, invasion of the land, has the scene about slugs. A slug is both male and female, however, it has to receive another slut's sperm to be impregnated. They move slowly and gracefully, tangled by each other while hanging by their slimy fluid from the tree bark. The reproductive organ sprung from the back of their heads, transparent and moist. Again, those interwinded elegantly while both of their bodies swirling, rotating in slow motion. Wow, this is almost as sensual as porn.

David Attenborough is another reason why the series is so successful. Born in 1926, it is amazing that he was close to 80's when making these series. You can feel his passion toward these beautiful creatures. He's passionate but subtle, he acts but not to the degree you feel annoyed or embarrassed for him. The dull science suddenly becomes so mysterious that you want to know more about it. That's what a great educator should be.

Okutama Hike

Before rushing out to take the train, I quickly grab the rain coat without really thinking why. I paddled like a mania to Tokyo station, from waking up to jumping into the rapid service to Shinjuku station, 25 minutes. That's really the best I have ever achieved these years.

The hike was pleasant despite our tendency of losing our way (struggled for 1 and half hour before getting the entrance to the 10 km trek). Things were nice until it rained. The rain came abruptly and we were all soaking wet. I tried my best to stay dried under my raincoat. At the same time, scolding everyeone who didn't listen to me preparing for the rain. Though I am worried very much about my hiking mates. Gee, do not go back to the office again saying that you are injured or catch a cold, I am already famous in hurting people while taking them out for rock climbing, sea swimming or hiking.

Save Water and the Earth

I am getting more interested in thinking of ways to preserve water resource (at least in my household). The only thing I can do right now is to use the waste water to flush my toilet. My little bath bucket has become my best friend recently. After coming back from work, I wash my face and catch a bucket of water, good to use for flushing the toilet later. The shower in the morning is the great time to collect a couple of buckets to flush and wash the toilet. When washing veggies in the kitchen, the waste water is saved, then down the toilet. It feels nice to be able to contribute a tiny bit in saving the planet.

Snail on Lettuce

This book cover is really classic.
________________________________________

Mentioned more than once before that living along is a great place to develop certain habbits. One of those is to remember what object is supposed to be where the last time I place them. I think this sprung from my insecurity and wariness about my space being intruded or altered without my knowledge (I remember reading Stephen King's Misery, the crazy nurse, Annie, would skillfully placed her hair on floor so that if the poor captive, Paul, came out of his room by unlocking the door with a hairpin, she knew!).

I even remember how my books are arranged or whether the toilet seat cover is up or down (I pull it up to scrub the bow every morning, it is not like I can do my business standing up). I meticulously make sure my kitchen is clean, everything is in order, including my fridge.

One morning I took out the juicer jar from the fridge in which contianed the processed veggies prepared the night before. Thought it was only a second, my corner eyesigt caught something unusual was lying on the floor of the fridge divider. It looks like a small streak of tea leaf but I quickly dismissed the idea because I am quite sure that I washed my thermo thoroughly last night. That's a foregin object that wasn't registered in my brain.

That's a tiny slug! I picked it up and carefully put it on the celery leaf, place it on top of my speaker box. Thinking it would be quite cool if I have a slut as a pet. I then start to get worried that maybe I have blended quite a few its friends in my morning veggie juice. Unfortunately, the tiny slug dried and died with the leaves when I returned from work. I guess I am no good in having any pets.

Derman

After reading "Trader, Guns and Money", "My Life as a Quant" was the living proof of Amazon's business model. I ordered this book simply because it says "People who possess Das' book also bought it". Shopping online for books though hard to replace the joy of finding a good read in bookstores, I still reward myself of new books every months by ordering from Amazon Japan (their English books are usually 10% less than Kinokuniya or Maruzen).

Derman implemented the famous BDT (Black-Derman-Toy) model for bond option valuaiton. Not consider myself a hardcored Financial Engineer, but I am very curious about how the serious academic transit, adopt and perform in the dog-eat-dog investment banks. Almost finishing the book, quite interesting in reading it as if it is a story since the stories, names, mathmatical equation and concepts are so familar. Even the experience of jumping ships (transfer from one company to another) is damn similar.

I am not sure what Derman is doing now, given a chance in particle physics academia research, would he ever wanted to end up in Wall Street? Or would he surrender to the reality and money?

The Buddhist Saying

All pain and stresses are originated from our desire. When unable to satisfy our desire, pain and anxiety arose.

Earthquake

I finished an episode of the life in the undergrowth. It is about insects relying ont each other in the game of survival. The grey blue butterfly's lavas give out the same smells like ant's lava. The ants dutifully clean and feed them, in despite their twice of the size and different colour. As I was surprised by the cleverness of the lavas, the wasp ran into the ant's nest and release a sort of hormon which makes ants to fight each other. During the chaos, the wasp found the butterfly's lavas and lay one egg in each of them. Damn, the line of incident has more twists than most of the movies I have seen recently.

I surroundered to the hot and humid summer night in Tokyo and finally switch on my air condition. I lay in my bed, enjoying the dry and cool air. As I turned to my side, my bed was shaking violently. I was thinking oh gee, my bed is really not strong enough or I am too heavy. Only a couple of seconds later then I realized it the earthquake. Wondering what could happen if the building collapses, I fell asleep again.

Concussion

The conversation I had last night with my dad (he finally learnt how to use MSN, the best way to catch his daughter)
_____________________________________________

我是廖爸 says:
坤兒
Joey says:
你會上網了哦
Joey says:
你好嗎?
我是廖爸 says:
我前天晚上和孫子打球摔倒撞到桌角，右耳骨斷了，有腦震盪，入三總急診，今天會走路了。
我是廖爸 says:
老爸要睡覺了。
Joey says:
那真是太可怕了
Joey says:
好好睡
Joey says:
明天就會好了
Joey says:
保重
____________________________________________

My dad was playing throwing balls with my 10 month old nephew and XiaoHo after dinner, XiaoHo threw the ball high up in the air and my dad jumped up, trying to strike the ball with his head. He landed on top of another ball and fall, his head smashed the table, broke his left ear bond and had minor concussion. He was driven to the emergency room and had stitches.

Amazing that he learned how to MSN me to complain his condition after the tragedy.

28 Celcius

Most offices in Japan are obsessive with economical living. Our project room temperature was set to be 28 degree, most foreiners (including westerners and indians) cannot tolerate it. But amazingly that most Japanese are OK with it, some girls even need to put on the shawl. Anyhow, our project manager can no longer being bullied by this temperature, she wrote to the top guy in the bank management and complained. A couple minutes after the email was sent, the admin guy came up to adjust the temperature (the thermometer is locked).

We now enjoy the 26 degree air. The bank manager came to the project room with a fan, fanning, dressed in shirt and tie, "Are you feeling better now?" He said "Our floor is still 28 degree".

Vegetarian and Stability

I agonize everytime going out dinner with our Indian colleagues. They are not carnivorous, some of the Jain cast are even not allowed to eat anything grows underneath the ground (thus, potatoes and carrots are banned). Not all of them can drink alcohol. Musilum collegaues cannot take anything that's not halal. They are so used to the strong flavor and spice-filled foods. Tokyo foods which mainly focusing the delicated taste and original flavor of food ingredients is like drinking tab water for them. Sitting in a Japanese restaurant, they can only drink bland water and eat Salad. Even the salad dressing is not interesting, they require salt on top of the grounded daikon soy sauce.

Things are not any better if going to western style restaurant, they can only eat french fries (I didn't want to tell them that the oil might be made out of animal fat). Dining with them is like seeing them being tortured in an interrogation room. Not only that, they have to pretend things are fine to be polite with us.

However, I think that's the only way that India can sustains 9 billion of population with a large percentage of vegetarians. Ever since Chinese economic starts to pick up speed, the demands of seafood and meat has gone up hugely, the rich Chinese's stomach is like the blackhole sucking in all expensive delicacies that used to be consumed by Chinese other than Mainlanders. Resources are eaten away in a faster pace. It is truely worrisome, and perhaps it is a good idea to be a vegetarian. I guess I should pay my vegetarian colleagues more respect.

GString san in France

This is too funny not to post on my blog.

90210 - Akagawa Version

Temperature 32 Celcius, Humidity 86%, we bladed for 20 km from 10 to 1, I am very much like a cooked shrimp toward the end of the day.



There is nothing better than a pint of icy cold beer after 4 hours under the beating sun.

PS. 90210 is the TV drama very popular in my university days. That's the story about a group of rich (and pretty) kids in high school in California. The plot is always evolving around who is sleeping with whom until all possible permutations and combinations are exhausted.
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I rollerstaked slowly back to where we started this morning with L. It was around 3pm we set out our run, it is getting cloudy but still quite humid. Along the way, L was telling me about his difficult divoice process with his Japanese wife (L is from New York, very eccentric New Yorker). As I couldn't really say anything then he quickly jumped into a story that he is seeing another woman. Though he makes it clear that he eventually want to get back to his wife to this woman. They sat down, they talked, and the woman cried.

I asked, why are you seeing another woman if you try everything you can to get back to your wife. L said that I need companionship, I am only looking for short-term relationship. Yeah, damn you complaining that you cannot find anyone who wants to fill in your vaccume. No sympathy, and I curse you never ever be able to be back with your wife.

However, I am very entertained by all these stories. He is rivaling with another skating over a girl. The other skater had huge crush on her (a single monther of an 13 year old who moved to Tokyo and left her husband in Osaka). The other skater has a wife and just being promoted into grand father recently. I was really really amused. The other skater is the second to the leader of our skating group (the amount of politics in this seemingly naive weekly activities was also amazing). He is ultra nice to the girl that everyone can see. And he became hostile to those men who approached her. Ha ha ha ha ha ha, this piece of juicy gossip really made my day.

Strange Characters

I always think that I am quite a strange character comparing to my peer. However, as I grow olders, I have met more and more weird, quirky, eccentric people around me, then I come a realization that I am actually quite normal. Chatting with a friend in a train about Miyazaki Haoyo's work. I am a super fan of his work, I like his crazy and fancy idea about flying, imagination of the world after the 3rd world war, huge insect like beasts who suffered from the pollution. My friend alleged that he doesn't like any of his work because he simply felt scared by it. He doesn't like the idea that some human beings can turn into pigs (spirited away) and he hates the ugly-looking giganic cockroaches roaming around (village of wind). Grown up in Japan, he's never watched Ultra man because he is afraid of the beasts and Gozilla. Even til now, he cannot take those movies because it gives him creeps and nightmares.

Life should be safe and peaceful, he claimed, those movies which depict things cannot be normal in everyday life is not his cup of tea because it raised his anxiety and nervousness level. I am very amazed. Isn't that's why movie is movie? Movie makers create the world and situation that cannot be seemed in reality, it brings us an experience that we cannot easily obtained via our every-day life. Through movies, you can see the world from others viewpoint and, perhaps, understand what makes of this world a bit better. However, this doesn't interest my friend at all.

I am reading James Oliver's Affluenza (painfully repetitive, I think Oliver' failed to pinpoint the cause and outcome of "keeping up with Jonses" phenomenon sweeping of English Speaking world). Distress and anxiety are not middle-class's specialty, everyone has to some degree crooked mind and dark side of emotion. Oliver's stressed too much about why the multi-millionare screwed different woman every night is also a drug addict and bored all the time. (To be honest, that's the most interesting topic in the book to me). People with weak mind and low self esteem would have problems no matter which class they are in.

However, the down side of reading this book is that I started to trying to analyzing why my friend is so strange. Marketing Character syndrom?

Hot and Humid Summer

Though the rainy season, we had a very sunny weekend. We set out for a hike in somewhere north of Ikebukuro, but some friends missed the train, while waiting for them to catch up in a station, we decided last minute change to hike in a nearby route. The map we picked up from the very station looks very interesting.

The route is near the river, after a hard walk across the small town. The sun was beating down on us and the humidity is so unbearable. However, the map lead us walk away the river, we placed our trust heavity into it, and followed the instruction religiously. We continued walking along a unknown road hoping to see a nice, beautiful trail at every turn. However, it never turned up, we ended up walking in the heat for almost 2 hours for nothing. We were lost!

Feeling unjustified not to see anything pretty after setting out for a hike, we boarded on a bus and headed toward west and ended up in Okutama mountain. It was raining hard after we reached the top by bus. Things don't seem running in our favor the whole day.

Our luck finally stroke, the rain stopped and we were able to have lunch peacefully sitting next to the Okutama lake. The air was refreshed and mountains looked greener after the rain.

Very Nice Police Officer

Party again in the Buba Gump restaurant in Korakuen.

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It was a sunny Friday afternoon that we decided to leave the project room early for a farewell party in the Korakuen, which is only 4 stations away from Marunouchi. The project room temperature was set to 28 celcius (which is close to 82F). Everyone has a small fan. We needed to fight to get the temperature is set to 26 in our project room. Anyhow, in the sunny afternoon on Friday, this temperature still felt a bit too high.

I decided to bike to the restaurant without checking the map, I was biking purely based on my intuition. It is only natural that I found myself in a place that I don't know. It was hot and humid, I was already sweating lots and reeking.

Very much reluctant to ask for help, I had no choice but bike to the small police station, Koban, nearby. "Juodo Sumimashen!", I tried my Japanese to the best of my ability to ask for direction toward Tokyo Dome. The 2 police men obviously not very busy, the middle-age one didn't reply my inquiry but rather examing my bike. I thought he is going to ask me for my bike registration which I don't really have. Instead, he pressed down the rear tire and exclaimed my tire is so flat. He squated down and removed the plug and the air soon all released. I was like, shit, a soft tire is better than a flat one. He replaced the piece of rubber inside the plug. I felt very obliged and also squarted down to see how he fixed my bicycle and kept nodding my head when he spoke. He signaled the young police man to bring out the air pump and started pumping up the tire. Wow, what a service.

After the rear tire, the front tire, he was fixing. The young police man chatted me with limited English and me replying with my limited Japanese. "Last year October came Japan", "Japanese study little", "Korakuen Company Party go". Finally got the direction and waved them goodbye, I continued my quest to Buba Gump with 4 mosquito bites.

What are They Doing There?

Sorry, there is no picture provided because I really do not know what is going on in the 9 sqrt feet space.

I still continue my loud pee protest in any toilet in Tokyo. I refuse to use the "sound queen" to play the flushing sound in order to disguising my peeing noise. I pee as loud as I can in train station, office, client site or restaurant. What is the point of covering your sound of having a relief? Everyone makes sound when peeing, do you think if you cover the sound, no one is going to realise that you are peeing in the toilet? Phony. I cannot stand it. Of course I am not saying that I am OK with Mainland China ladies who can pee in public, but I think Japanese ladies have taken this resentment of we are all human and we need to pee and poo into an annoying level.

The other thing I cannot tolerate is that those delicated, cute Japanese ladies spend very very long time in the small space. The flushing sounds continue, what are they doing there? Washing themselves or pick their noses? There is always a long queue in the ladies room around noon time, which makes me angry.

Crystal Skull like Cheap Plastic from 100Yen Shop

I am not sure what it is making me so disappointed about the latest Indiana Jones movie. Maybe I have read too many Chinese advantures exploring the ancient tombs. The writing is so good that the protagonists are so vivid, as if he is your next door neighbour. The author has very good knowledge of old Chinese customs, fairy tales, folk legends. A bigger suspicision was elaborated on top of those facts or stories we have known before. Damn, so hard to tell whether it true or fictional.

There are so many mind games the tomb designers played with the tomb thefts. Some planted the arrows inside the body, triggered by tugging the gold or jade inside the body's mounth (Chinese believe that Jade can help preserve the bodies from rottening. The jade from ancient tombs can be very very expensive, it is said that it can fend off evil spirits). Some stories described the deceased deliberately planned to be buried on top of some innocent victims, so those dead bodies can absorb the ill CHI. The entry to the tomb is far more complex than Indy's heroic entrance. The Chinese tomb is obviously more interesting because the dead body sometimes turned into living dead (too much bad CHI) who has no sense only know to kill. They are nick named "sticky rice ball". Only the black donkie's trotter can scare them away (no one knows why).

Watching this Indy's funny not so adventurous adventure, I deeply sighed, both Georgie Lucas and Harrison Ford are too old to play new tricks.

Scorpian

I watched "Juno" on a website whose slogan is "Movie should be free". Very well made, the kid, Juno, has sharp tongue and fearless attitute toward the world (I wonder what is behind her upbringings). She is no-nonsense, rational and 140% certain what she wants and doesn't want. The reviews describe her as off-beat, oh well, it is indeed unusual to see a teenager so sure about what she is after. The unplanned pregnancy didn't beat her down, she searched for the perfect parents to adopt her unborn kid, continued going to school, library, shops with big belly. After the kid was born, she and her boy friend (fathered the child) didn't even want to see it. She just wanted to get it over with and get back to her own life.

The only time she lost it was when she realised the perfect couple is not so perfect. I think she is angry because things ran out of her control. Was she attracted to the sophisticated and handsome Mark (the husband of the perfect couple)? I guess so, she rationally calculated her odds and what she might be getting out of it, she backed out, keeps playing her bold, playful and do-not-care pregnant teenager role. I like her.

Was reading an article about Scorpians (though I don't really believe in horoscope, this novelist refers to it a lot). Scopians are like fire, quiet fire, can be too angel sweet and horrifically evil . Once irritated, the Count of Monte Cristo real life version would be activated, and the one who suffers is definitely not the Scorpian. Scorpians are sensual, that doesn't mean that they all have huge dicks or super boobies, just sexy and highly active, not shy away from taking action. Scorpians can put their lifes on stake when chasing things they like.

For some reasons, I think Juno is very likely to be in my Scorpian family.

Successor of World's Ugliest Dog

This competition was on for 20 years. We have another hairless dog this year.

Tumor in my Brain

I swear I wash my shirt every week, it just happens that the light blue polo shirt came in handy everytime I need to go hiking.

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It took me a couple of seconds to realise that I am OK after waking up. In my dream, I was found having a brain tumor and immediately needed medical attention. I was in the doctor's clinic with my friend, T, who was suffering from the acute lymphatic leukemia. The nurse came to me and gave both of us some pills, huge as candies, saying this is the ones that could supress the cancer cells. T took the candy-like pills obediently, and waiting for the surgen to take him to the operation room.

I clearly know that these type of medication results in all kinds of side effects. Yet I was weighting the pain if letting the cancer slowly eats away my brain. I walked out the room and do not want to be treated.

On my way to work this morning, I started to think people do want to live less if childless. There is less obligation and responsiblity. Is that a recipe to a care-free life?

I am reading James Olivers' Affluenza. The selfish-capitalism epidemic spreads in English-Speaking world. Young people who have wealth, youth and widely accepted success are depressed. It is quite interesting when Oliver explores why young Chinese do not suffer as much as their western counterpart. He thinks, Chinese do not think too much beyond the material world (I disagree, I think that's because Chinese are just getting the taste of Capitalsim. When materials are abundant enough, this viewpoint can easily be challenged). He also thinks that Confusious' teaching which make us (yes, I am Chinese) think less of self, and attribute glory and failure to the society.

Concise English-Chinese Dictionary

This book was another surprise of the year. I never really like reading novels in English because I read much faster in Chinese. I guess the other reason is that I don't quite buy into the western way of thinking. Western fiction is more fictional if reading the translated version, further away from my real world. My English reading is mostly non-fiction or work-related. I think I am still in the exploring phase of English literature. The message expressed in English is only informative rather than entertainment.

However, this book quickly drawed me into this tiny Chinese girl's world in London. This 24-year-old, broken-English woman came to UK for 1 year English study. She is like most stereotype young generation in China, blunt, rude and not refined. She fell in love with a British guy. The whole book was her own monologue. There are questions everywhere at the first half of the book. Seeing the English world via a pair of Chinese girl's eyes, what privacy is? Why everything is old? Why women with kids living without a man? Her curiosity drown her into this 20 year older English artist's life. Her love to him was suffocating, she is constantly demanding attention and security. When he cannot provide enough, fighting started yet there is nothing they can change because they are still hooked into each other. The relationship was like storm, like fire, it came with all the destructive power.

All these are too familiar, that was me when I was in my twenties. It is too hard to imagine myself being in this type of madness again, too cynical and rational to avoid the embarrassment.