Wow... today started as a very strange day... First I got a call saying my class at Kobuchizawa was cancelled. Then I get to work and my Global Biz boss tells me to stop all of my work and wait until 15:30. Then Kyoko comes down to the lunchroom and tells me to stay there. Then the entire company assembles. Then our president tells us that the entire group was bought by our rival CMIC. Wow... It has been a very strange day. The funny thing is that for about a month I have been telling my Global boss that the way the pharma industry is changing these days SMR would be best to be bought out by a rival CRO in order to compete with the global CROs who are restructuring like crazy... I was right! Wow... How cool is that! I get to experience a brand new happening!!
2011/04/22
Friday night...
Friday night.., I just finished 30 minutes on the reclining stationary bike with P1 (to prepare for four days of Shangri-la with Max) and then another 30 minutes of floor work with P2 (looove P2). I had a good long bath and now I'm on the train heading home to do my laundry, cook dinner and have a good night's sleep... Tomorrow is Mayu's dad's memorial service and I will be attending in my black suit and black tie as is appropriate for sch an event... Friday night... The inebriated young sarariman has passed out on the platform chair while awaiting his ride home. His Pocari Sweat has fallen from his flaccid hands and lies useless between his legs. Drool runs from the side of his mouth and slimes his necktie which rests on his unbecoming paunch which has arrived seemingly 20 years too soon... Friday night... A pretty, young woman in sweats and white crocs with a massive girl-wallet stuffed in her back pocket, pulling her sweat pants down and making her short legs look even shorter walks past me while talking to someone on her keitai. She is exclaiming to her partner that the person is now able to read! It makes me think she might be talking to a gaijin. Suddenly my height catches her attention and as I walk by she does a double take, possibly wondering at the possibilities of talking to a gaijin while another passes her by... Friday night... The neck sweat stains have all been applied with sweat stain remover and my work shirts have been placed in the laundry machine with the other non-fuzzies of the week. The second load (fuzzies) will come in 50 minutes after this load has been completed and hung... Friday night... An email from Mayu arrives, discussing tomorrow. I'll call her back in a big; right now the hunger is too intense to have a meaningful convo with anyone important... (pause) The meat is in the frypan and some cheese to take the edge off the hunger has reached my stomach... Friday night... Happy Easter to those of you in Christian countries. I love you.
Cam
Cam
This breaks my heart
A photo of a beautiful shiba-ken walking in the deserted town of Futaba in Fukushima.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/all-gone-2#comments
This town is in the 20km illegal-to-enter zone.
It will eventually find water, but food will likely be a different matter. And dogs are domesticated; they do best with human interaction. This breaks my heart. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/all-gone-2#comments
This town is in the 20km illegal-to-enter zone.
It will eventually find water, but food will likely be a different matter. And dogs are domesticated; they do best with human interaction. This breaks my heart. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.
'Divorce ceremony' gives couples chance to make clean break
Make no bones about it divorce is HARD. In fact it is quite likely the hardest thing one might ever undertake and for so many reasons. Here is a very interesting concept for those struggling with the anger and rage that often accompanies divorce...
'Divorce ceremony' gives couples chance to make clean break
TOKYO Some divorce-bound couples in Japan are smashing their wedding rings at ‘‘divorce ceremonies,’’ vowing to make a clean break and a fresh start in front of friends and family.
"Congratulations on your divorce.’’ Guests wish the former bride and groom well on their separate lives at the ceremony, which involves smashing wedding rings using a wooden hammer, held by the soon-to-be ex-spouses, a ritual antithesis to cutting the cake at weddings...
Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/SmashThatWeddingRing
You can read my comments on this as TheBigRiceBowl in the comments section. In a nutshell? Well, aside from being overpriced (most ceremonies in Japan are), I think this is a very good idea; it actually allows the divorced couple PHYSICAL CLOSURE which is often missing from divorce. It allows them a link to actually let go of the anger, rage, and ugliness that builds in 95% of all divorces. Since divorce rates in the US are 50% (1st marriage), 60% (2nd marriage), 75% (3rd marriage), if someone imports this to the USA and adapts it to American culture, it could actually be a good business. I'm serious; it isn't exploitation. It's hard to admit but most divorced people really do have a lot of pent up anger, frustration and rage inside them that is rotting them. Who wants to have a new relationship with a rotten person? If you can physically release this anger, you can renew yourself, move on, stop living in the past, and begin to rebuild your life. I personally know people who could have used some serious closure ...
I love you!
Cam
'Divorce ceremony' gives couples chance to make clean break
TOKYO Some divorce-bound couples in Japan are smashing their wedding rings at ‘‘divorce ceremonies,’’ vowing to make a clean break and a fresh start in front of friends and family.
"Congratulations on your divorce.’’ Guests wish the former bride and groom well on their separate lives at the ceremony, which involves smashing wedding rings using a wooden hammer, held by the soon-to-be ex-spouses, a ritual antithesis to cutting the cake at weddings...
Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/SmashThatWeddingRing
You can read my comments on this as TheBigRiceBowl in the comments section. In a nutshell? Well, aside from being overpriced (most ceremonies in Japan are), I think this is a very good idea; it actually allows the divorced couple PHYSICAL CLOSURE which is often missing from divorce. It allows them a link to actually let go of the anger, rage, and ugliness that builds in 95% of all divorces. Since divorce rates in the US are 50% (1st marriage), 60% (2nd marriage), 75% (3rd marriage), if someone imports this to the USA and adapts it to American culture, it could actually be a good business. I'm serious; it isn't exploitation. It's hard to admit but most divorced people really do have a lot of pent up anger, frustration and rage inside them that is rotting them. Who wants to have a new relationship with a rotten person? If you can physically release this anger, you can renew yourself, move on, stop living in the past, and begin to rebuild your life. I personally know people who could have used some serious closure ...
I love you!
Cam
TEPCO Really Deserves a Ginormous Spanking
TEPCO seeks 20% cut in employees' annual salaries
Friday 22nd April, 07:00 AM JST
Tokyo Electric Power Co is considering cutting annual salaries of its employees by around 20% as part of its restructuring effort to make compensation payments over the emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex, company sources said Thursday.
The utility is now under negotiations with its labor union to reach an agreement by the end of this month, they said.
The proposal targets around 33,000 union members and does not include a workforce cut, the sources said, adding that TEPCO is also considering reducing remunerations for company executives.
The utility, meanwhile, is mulling selling off its assets to secure funds to pay compensation for people affected by the nuclear crisis, triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
TEPCO, for example, will try to acquire hundreds of billions of yen by selling securities it holds such as KDDI Corp stocks and real estate it owns, the sources said.
The link is here: http://tinyurl.com/TEPCOisUGLY
My thoughts are in the comments section as TheBigRiceBowl (that's me! - Until I leave Tokyo)
Have a great day.
I love you! (but I don't love TEPCO)
Cam
Friday 22nd April, 07:00 AM JST
Tokyo Electric Power Co is considering cutting annual salaries of its employees by around 20% as part of its restructuring effort to make compensation payments over the emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex, company sources said Thursday.
The utility is now under negotiations with its labor union to reach an agreement by the end of this month, they said.
The proposal targets around 33,000 union members and does not include a workforce cut, the sources said, adding that TEPCO is also considering reducing remunerations for company executives.
The utility, meanwhile, is mulling selling off its assets to secure funds to pay compensation for people affected by the nuclear crisis, triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
TEPCO, for example, will try to acquire hundreds of billions of yen by selling securities it holds such as KDDI Corp stocks and real estate it owns, the sources said.
The link is here: http://tinyurl.com/TEPCOisUGLY
My thoughts are in the comments section as TheBigRiceBowl (that's me! - Until I leave Tokyo)
Have a great day.
I love you! (but I don't love TEPCO)
Cam
2011/04/20
I KNEW that one day my notebook computer would serve a legit purpose!
It makes the perfect music stand! I can angle it as I like and the music books aren't suddenly going to slip off the stand and fall to the ground!
Praise the gods for the invention of the notebook computer!!! Love!Cam
Fukushima heros are treated like dogs by their employer TEPCO
This is a very sad, sad article, showing the seedy underbelly of the largest power company in Japan: TEPCO.
I am embarrassed to even show this to the world, but you need to see, that the big, money-hungry companies in Japan are not so different from their counterparts around the world. Rather than giving the Tepco employees risking their lives to solve the Fukushima Nuclear Radiation problem a hero's welcome, the company treats them like... well, like Japanese dogs.
"Nuclear plant workers at risk of depression, death from overwork: doctor"
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/nuclear-plant-workers-at-ris...
I am embarrassed to even show this to the world, but you need to see, that the big, money-hungry companies in Japan are not so different from their counterparts around the world. Rather than giving the Tepco employees risking their lives to solve the Fukushima Nuclear Radiation problem a hero's welcome, the company treats them like... well, like Japanese dogs.
"Nuclear plant workers at risk of depression, death from overwork: doctor"
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/nuclear-plant-workers-at-ris...
Ticker-Tape Update on Japan for Wed, Apr 20th, 2011
Here is a quick Ticker-Tape Update on Japan from NHK World News as of Wednesday morning, April 20th, 2011.
* Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun transferring highly radioactive water from the No.2 reactor to a waste processing facility at the damaged Fukushima plant.
* Tokyo Electric Power Company says radioactive debris and high humidity in reactor buildings are hampering the investigation by robots at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
* Delegates have discussed nuclear safety at an international conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster on April 26.
* A senior official of Japan's Foreign Ministry says that although the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant is ranked at the highest level of severity, it is less serious than the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
* SDF personnel sent to nuclear zone who flees in panic has been dismissed on disciplinary grounds.
* The IAEA will send a team of experts to investigate the cause of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
* French nuclear firm Areva says it has agreed with the Tokyo Electric Power Company to build a facility to decontaminate radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.
* Electronics maker Toshiba has developed a TV set with a rechargeable battery to help Japanese viewers cope with expected power outages this summer.
* The world's oldest man, who lives in the prefecture of Kyoto in western Japan, has turned 114.
* The vast majority of deaths (92%) in the March 11th disaster were caused by the tsunami and most of the victims were seniors.
* The northeastern Japanese city of Sendai has started removing wrecked vehicles from tsunami-hit residential areas.
* It's a nice spring day in Tokyo (and the election candidate's loudspeaker announcements are very annoying) **
To see more news and video visit: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/
** This was not a paid news brief from NHK World News (as if you couldn't guess).
* Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun transferring highly radioactive water from the No.2 reactor to a waste processing facility at the damaged Fukushima plant.
* Tokyo Electric Power Company says radioactive debris and high humidity in reactor buildings are hampering the investigation by robots at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
* Delegates have discussed nuclear safety at an international conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster on April 26.
* A senior official of Japan's Foreign Ministry says that although the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant is ranked at the highest level of severity, it is less serious than the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
* SDF personnel sent to nuclear zone who flees in panic has been dismissed on disciplinary grounds.
* The IAEA will send a team of experts to investigate the cause of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
* French nuclear firm Areva says it has agreed with the Tokyo Electric Power Company to build a facility to decontaminate radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.
* Electronics maker Toshiba has developed a TV set with a rechargeable battery to help Japanese viewers cope with expected power outages this summer.
* The world's oldest man, who lives in the prefecture of Kyoto in western Japan, has turned 114.
* The vast majority of deaths (92%) in the March 11th disaster were caused by the tsunami and most of the victims were seniors.
* The northeastern Japanese city of Sendai has started removing wrecked vehicles from tsunami-hit residential areas.
* It's a nice spring day in Tokyo (and the election candidate's loudspeaker announcements are very annoying) **
To see more news and video visit: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/
** This was not a paid news brief from NHK World News (as if you couldn't guess).
2011/04/18
Meeting Strangers
As Tokyo is always too warm for me, on Kobuchizawa Mondays I carry my dress shirt in my pack and commute in the excellent UniQlo Silky Dry Under which looks like a good quality t-shirt. A tight good quality t-shirt. Today at lunch another customer shared my table. He sneezed. That was my opening for talking about the sugi pollen to have a conversation roll in. We had a good chat. He even commented on how good and muscular my upper body looks. I have to admit, the hard work really is paying off as my pecs, back, biceps, triceps and shoulders really are quite pronounced. Especially in this UniQlo under that I wear during my Kobuchizawa Mondays... Sometimes a body's gotta give himself a pat on the back for a job well done. After all if you can't love yourself then you certainly won't be able to love others. I love me!
Cam
Cam
2011/04/17
My Mt. Everest
Today on my calendar from the Universe, it says, "Don't let the dazzling heights you aspire to scare you from getting started. After all, few could climb Mt. Everest tomorrow, though virtually all could begin preparing." I like to think that when I finally die at a ripe old age of 202 I will be abe to say that I have no regrets. Thirty years ago my mom told me that she regretted quitting the piano and she warned me I would regret my choice to stop playing the guitar. At that time, I was 15 and didn't enjoy the music I was playing on my guitar. I had been learning for about eight years but was never able to play by ear and none of the music I might have liked to play seemed available on sheet music. I had no interest in rock music (still don't) and all the traditional classic stuff one learns for the basics was no longer appealing to me. So I quit. And I have regretted it ever since. Ten years ago I bought a DVD to relearn how to play the guitar but my heart wasn't in it and I never took the next step of getting a new guitar. Tonight after spending about 40 minutes practicing on my skates I took a ride to the recycle shop just to see what was there. It is amazing what you can find in Japanese recycle shops. I decided it was time to begin preparing. I left with an old Yamaha acoustic guitar ($50) and carried it home on my bike with a big bag of skates and padding strapped to my back. It's time to prepare for my Mt. Everest. I love you.
Cam
Cam
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