I biked this morning with my father; it was just about 15km ride, but it was fun as usual. Bike riding, people my age never know or just forgot how fun that is. Especially people, over 20, in rural place, like Tokushima, ride a car. They never think bike is useful, some how…well I don’t know. Anyway, I love biking; if you know me well you know that.

One thing good about bicycle is that you won’t be disturbed by noise with mortar or engine or whatever. I feel I am cutting through the wind that’s a big reason I ride bike. Another thing, it takes me really far. One you believe a bike, it will show you how much they can do. When I was in high school, I hit on an idea that going to neighbor prefecture and would come back same day. I asked my friend to do with me. I had a mountain bike, pretty much heavy. And my friend just had a Mamachari, a type of bicycle which is particularly used by people biking around neighbors, not for neighbor prefecture. We didn’t have any idea how long it would take and how far. To tell you the truth, it was over 400km long and we took exactly 25 hours to come back. 1.04 day it was eh? It was winter, and we had to pass a big mountain. We got there alright; as soon as we got to the destination, headed right back. It was heck. But also super fun and we realized that probably not too many people would die without knowing this fun.

I still bike that long occasionally. This May, I did 380km for one day. There were lots of mountain passes. I’ve done in 17 hours. And this summer, two of my friends and I did 713km for three days—started from Shizuoka prefecture (looking out on pacific ocean) to Niigata (Japanese ocean) and then came back to Tokyo. And we biked up at the point of 2000m high. People who drove up there were looking at us. Their faces were as much as to say “Why in the world are you biking up to the top?” They never get answer. It was not about getting the top, of course that was part of the reason, was about riding bike itself. We know how fun riding bike is, and we want to feel bike, destination is just to know how much we have done.

Well I guess my writing getting less made sense, I will stop here. But here is the thing, if you are tired of your town, you will see something new when you bike around.

I biked this morning with my father; it was just about 15km ride, but it was fun as usual. Bike riding, people my age never know or just forgot how fun that is. Especially people, over 20, in rural place, like Tokushima, ride a car. They never think bike is useful, some how…well I don’t know. Anyway, I love biking; if you know me well you know that.

One thing good about bicycle is that you won’t be disturbed by noise with mortar or engine or whatever. I feel I am cutting through the wind that’s a big reason I ride bike. Another thing, it takes me really far. One you believe a bike, it will show you how much they can do. When I was in high school, I hit on an idea that going to neighbor prefecture and would come back same day. I asked my friend to do with me. I had a mountain bike, pretty much heavy. And my friend just had a Mamachari, a type of bicycle which is particularly used by people biking around neighbors, not for neighbor prefecture. We didn’t have any idea how long it would take and how far. To tell you the truth, it was over 400km long and we took exactly 25 hours to come back. 1.04 day it was eh? It was winter, and we had to pass a big mountain. We got there alright; as soon as we got to the destination, headed right back. It was heck. But also super fun and we realized that probably not too many people would die without knowing this fun.

I still bike that long occasionally. This May, I did 380km for one day. There were lots of mountain passes. I’ve done in 17 hours. And this summer, two of my friends and I did 713km for three days—started from Shizuoka prefecture (looking out on pacific ocean) to Niigata (Japanese ocean) and then came back to Tokyo. And we biked up at the point of 2000m high. People who drove up there were looking at us. Their faces were as much as to say “Why in the world are you biking up to the top?” They never get answer. It was not about getting the top, of course that was part of the reason, was about riding bike itself. We know how fun riding bike is, and we want to feel bike, destination is just to know how much we have done.

Well I guess my writing getting less made sense, I will stop here. But here is the thing, if you are tired of your town, you will see something new when you bike around.

My father abruptly said if I wanted to study “illustrator”, a PC soft. According to him, there is one person who teaches how to design that kind of stuff in neighbor. I didn’t have any interest in designing, it doesn’t mean my imagination sucks, before, but I thought it’s good to learn that technique. We went to the place and made a reservation, when to have a class and all. But when we got on the car heading home, I realized what I would do with “illustrator”, even though it was well know to people as quite useful. As soon as I got home I checked web pages about the soft. They read that I can draw pictures for ad, book cover, POP. Okay, might be “ad” and “POP” are similar in meaning. I made out that it was going to be useless if I didn’t use it for commercial. If I ever have a chance to publish book, I can use it but when? And a professional does better job for sure.

What is more, the soft will cost me about 80,000 yen—$750. Who on earth will pay that much for making a future book cover? None. But later I found I could buy it cheap in at Amazon; it’s second hand, about $150. It’s still expensive.

A piece of news surprised me after work. I just started reading “A Series of Unfortunate Events 10th”, I was getting slower to read recently. I have about 40 pages left. I flipped some pages, then somehow I wanted to read news of today on the web.

“Itoen— one of the biggest companies of Tea—obtained 36% of FXG’s stock.” This article popped into my sight. Well I guess I have to explain about FXG a bit here. This company owns KOOTS GREEN TEA, which is my former workplace. I quit there this April. I kept writing about this company around March through April. They gave me a false charge of stealing money from the café’s safe. Actually this was carried by my former Manager and his comrade and they kept stealing money and making the false charge against workers, I was one of them. I won’t write about it, because it makes me furious as erupted Mt. Fuji as I remember.

What I thought when seeing the news was like they worth taking over. When I was about to quit, I told my superior that the company would worse under if they allow people, like the manager, to pilfer money—technically, then the company didn’t seem doing well—but they didn’t hear me; on the contrary, they jumped to a conclusion that I was the stealer—actually they knew the manager was stealing money. The manager was the guy made the whole system of the tea café so the company men needed him for a while. Note: the manager resigned his job recently and the guy, who regarded me as a thief, was fired for their inaction. Then the whole company was in danger. For companies, to be owned 36% of stock by one stakeholder means they were practically owned by one.

I didn’t feel sorry for the company at all, to tell you the truth. First, it’s no doubt their slackly management paid; second, from my personal feeling toward the company. I don’t say every single worker was slacker or dirty. I know some were really nice, to get it straight. But it is also true, there is a feature in the company to go contaminated.

The company must to be slim, and clean now.

If you know the feeling “reunion”, feel warmth when it crosses your mind. I felt some kind of those feelings today. My former co-workers visited this afternoon.

I’ve worked for some companies after I graduated from Asia University, was 22. I didn’t much like to work before, though now am too. The first place I’ve worked was Himeji Flower Auction, inc. As the name says, the deed it does is auction of flower. In many countries, out of Japan don’t have—I guess—auction company for flower. I doubt if Japanese know about it.

The company lies in Hyogo, next to Osaka, surrounded by rice fields. Somehow I’ve got a job from there. To be honest, I didn’t have enough units to graduate when was about to be senior. I’ve got to earn about 50 units—we needed 128 for graduate and most guys finished when the junior year was over—but I finished only 40% when the others were in job seeking. When I was certain, most jobs were taken. I didn’t have any choice, although I didn’t actually feel like working. But the reluctance turned into joy; the job was really fun to do. I’ve worked there almost 2 years till I went to the U.S.

My close workers came, three of them. They came as an outing; they were supposed to check how well plants were growing, but they didn’t. We just talked till my mother finally said I should work. One of my superior was married but many not yet. It was good reunion.

Today’s journal was pointless…….

I decided to right journal everyday yesterday. But I already didn’t, now have to wake up early and make up for it.

Writing dairy isn’t easy; if you are doing so, you know it. What makes it difficult is to find a topic to write down. Not too many new things show up everyday. Marriage, pregnant, and meet a celebrity are worth writing, but you cannot be pregnant everyday, even every year wears you out. Marrying every single year is far more difficult to do. You have to keep seeking someone to be in love all the time, even you are still married to somebody else. What is more, as your marriage experience increases, it gets difficult. If I were a partner’s parent position, wouldn’t allow my daughter to be with that abnormal person. Meeting celebrity is the easiest thing of three. You just have to be one of them or work for TV station. But you soon loose interest writing about meeting them. When anything goes part of your daily life, your nerves is numb.

What skill I need to keep dairying, is finding interest in my life. When I move my chopsticks, I have to find something funny or strange in it.

I found my chopsticks, around grips, were covered with rubber for friction. But I don’t thing they aren’t needed.

Dumb…

Another thing, I need gigantic number of readers so I can be motivated all the time. Well then somebody will comment like this

“Your English sucks. Why don’t to just live with friend monkeys, you Pearl Harbor.”

Well, then I have to start to persuade the person that Japan tried to tell the states we were about to attack, but the ambassadors were too drunk to translate. Commenting back and forth will be longer than the actual journal of the day. Having too many readers will be as bad as being too drunk, seems like.

Oh I’ve got to go for work.

I was tired today…and I didn’t get why I was till work finished. The reason is I went to the wedding on Sat. I had to drive to the location; it took me about 2 hours to get there, what was more, I arrived 2 hours earlier in case would be late for the schedule. I am a worrier sometimes. Punctuality frazzles my nerves; I’m so Japanese time after time.

Since last Sunday, my sister’s family moved in our house. They are going to stay for a week till they actually move to an apartment house this weekend—are they really going to move? That also made me and my parents worn out. My young niece is of course annoying of course; she is a baby, understandable. But my sister, 30, is the most annoying object in the house now. She complains a lot of anything. Especially about her husband, for instance she was argued about his smoking. My sister demanded her husband not to smoke at the new apartment. In her opinion, smoking ruins walls so they have to pay additional money for replacing new ones. The husband retorted to her that she kept wasting money on no-need stuff such as clothes. If you know human’s instinct you understand. She never admits does wrong thing, try to protect. My parents are sick of her excuses so am I, her husband too.

I subscribe TIME and the latest one arrived here a couple days ago. This is the third one since I started reading it. Always I found good articles I could take interested in, and as usual one issue caught my eyes. That is about diarrhea.

Do you know Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death in children? 1.9 million Kids die from diarrheal diseases. The article indicates some reasons why it happens as well as a good solution (drink water which has sugar and salt). But the thing really caught me thinking are not many people recognize diarrhea causes lots of deaths.

I know many touching charity events take place in Japan. But most of them are for most of famous diseases, like HIV, or disasters. As far as I know there is no donation for diarrhea children. I consider it sounds better if you declare starting gather money for AIDS, but diarrhea. The most important things are not flashing; people won’t look at them closely.

By the way, 6 cents can help a kid from the death of diarrhea. Did you know? But it sounds cheap but when you try to help some million of them, will be $114,000. Well that costs a lot. …did I miss-calculate? If a wealthy man gives up a Ferrari, he saves quite a few of kids, and cause famine or global warming then. Probably survived children increase AIDS. Am I sarcastic? But I guess it’s true.

My mother bought a pack of milk today, and the taste was awful. “Awful” is the right word to the milk and honestly it was the worst taste I ever had. Where she bought it was at a super discount store, their sales pitch is “for Business”. It’s supposed to mean that we can buy stuff with “good deal” not “cheap, but bad”. It’s not true of every single goods, but I would say 70%. My mother keeps shopping there anyway; people choose cheapness regardless of quality, especially for food.

You never had like that milk. It says “low fat”… it tastes weak, as is often the case with low fat milk, however it has thick feeling. It’s strange, you can feel weakness and thickness meantime, and the harmony is gross. I studied the back side of the pack and found the produced place was near my house. Hey I never saw a cow anywhere around? One doubt crossed my mind…is this cow’s milk or even actually milk?