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?

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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.
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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)
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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
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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.