Poinsettia

Well, you probably don’t know what I’ve been doing since I came back to Tokushima, my hometown. Did I write about it? I’m growing plants, so called flowers. Now this is the time of poinsettia—it’s almost finished exactly. This flower is well known to people as Christmas flower even though the plant isn’t made for winter. A number of farmers of poinsettia are, I guess, increasing. So, you know, what happened, the price goes down, naturally.

My farm used to be good at that plant. I should say it was more than a decade ago. But the species improvement is prosperous. Every year, new kinds turn up and fade out. For all my parents’ experiences, it’s hard to keep up with the speed of change. Besides the charge of price-busting discourage farmers’ interest in poinsettia. However, they cannot stop growing that plant casually for the thought that “In Christmas time, people want it after all”. With knowing the silliness of hanging up on the fantasy, people keep producing. According to my parents, this year they could make the best quality, yet the price remaining low.

Enough gloomy talk, I need a pep.




In these days, I’m shipping poinsettia to a JA market, made for antitype of farmers to sell their products. It is mostly composed of veges—yeah, farmers, what else should I expect? Only a few guys and I ship flowers; and I’m the only one with poinsettia. Since last week the sales of poinsettia there gets better. It seems finally people thought they needed the Christmas flower for living room. You may not know the circulation system of flowers in Japan. We don’t directly sell flower to flower shop, but flower Auction Company which provides retail. So there is the demand gap in poinsettia between Auction Company and the public. As I said, now people started wanting, yet most farmers sold all it out or have only trash-like one. As natural, retailers want it—it’s the time— yet there is anything or at best sucking one. Better quality poinsettia was sold out; they are now out of shape.

Well probably, what I wrote so far wouldn’t make much sense… Well what I want to say is I ship not-so-good quality poinsettia to the market, but the sales is good, at least no problem. One conclusion hit me, which is that consumer seems doesn’t care about quality at all. They don’t care how good-looking it is. They just need a poinsettia at their living room.

There are various kinds of people whose life styles are unpredictable in the world. And there is one very young president in Tokyo, so called “Gal President”. She established her own company in 2005. The company deals with products (cosmetics, perfume, shoes and clothing) specifically for Gals. She just had published a book called “Gal revolution”

“Gal”, this word which in Japan is used to describe a type of girl who is deep tanned, garishly dressed young women who wander the streets of especially Tokyo, Shibuya. This kind of people appeared since late 1990. It consists of high and college students; sometime even grown-ups too. However, for all their appearance, people, including young age, think they are bad with no good reason. The president herself was once called prostitute, experienced difficulty landing a part-time job. In brief, they aren’t welcome to Japanese society, on opposite to the number of young girls willing to be “Gal”

The president, Fujita, braced herself against the stereotype. She found a strong sense of togetherness in Gals and thought she could improve Gal’s position with telling people their thoughts. Now Fujita is taking a role of missionary of Gal. Her long term aim is setting up a vocational school for Gals. However, the company is doing really well. Next year the company’s sales will be 100 million yen, and the year after 300 million. Her products are very welcomed to the Gal society.

I think an ascendant of young odd people provides economy with energy. And I am happy with Fujita’s success. Nevertheless, one thing makes me worry about her. Probably, most people don’t notice yet, or just they don’t want to talk about. What I am worried about her is, if the trend of “Gal” is no longer cool for young girls. Then what she would do? Because I am pretty sure, a fashion must vanish in no time. For instance, ten years ago every single girls were wearing loose-socks whose length are very long, but girls shrank them to make its looks worm. But the boomlet didn’t last even 3 years. If you wear those out-of-fashioned socks in this 21st century, people will laugh at you or think you are crazy who they might think should don’t talk with. I am not kidding. So, I wonder if the “Gal” boom is just like epidemic parotitis, who on earth cares about “Vocational school”?

One thing I am pretty sure is Fujita is going to make some money and never worry about the rest of her life. I wonder if she actually consider and just saying that she is dedicated to Gals.

“EU nations vote to ban trading of cat, dog fur”
“Celebrities Elton John and Eddie Murphy have lent their names to petition the European Union to follow suit”
“In Europe, as you know cats and dogs are considered companion animals and nothing else,”

I was reading today’s The Japan Times and found this article that gave a pain in my head. So this article about EU people trying to kill poor Chinese. Am I wrong? No I am not. According to this issue, there are lots of factories making fur out of dog and cat. They ship to Russia.

Well I always wonder why developed countries people can be so arrogant like that. Elton Something, and Eddie Donkey Murphy need a bit more brain to think about it of course Europeans too. How many people have cats and dogs helped Chinese surviving so far? They never thought about it huh? If they lose their jobs, it will cause famine—am I saying to much? At least I am sure those wealthy people have to care human beings before four-feet animal. Don’t forget developing your common sense, will ya?

Driving car is painful isn’t it? For me yeah it is. Especially when I drive alone; I hate it. In these days, 2 or 3 times per week I go a to farmer’s market; I deliver flower. Unless I have enormous flowers, do by myself. It here means I drive alone.

It’s only 10 minutes for each way, but pain in my neck. Besides it falls on commuting time, so it easy to get traffic. I put my chin on the right hand to wait for the signal change to blue always. But one day I happened to see a girl picking her nose wildly. I was stunned as a statue on a stupid park. I stared at her for a while, because I was waiting for the signal. She dog her right one first and pulled the index finger out and saw the thing—if you don’t mind me calling it booger, I appreciate—then balled it up with fingers and filliped it against the windshield. Of course she began with the left. I clapped my hand and started laughing as a moron.

Then I started watching people in my car; started betting if people were doing weird, like picking nose that kind of stuff. I make believe it will be happy day if I saw one. Today I saw a guy singing hard like William Wong—from “American idle”. When I saw him he opened his mouth opened wide like a dog yawning. I could tell he was concentrating with his frowning eyebrows. I sort of worried if he would hit a car ahead of him. But he gave me a laugh and happiness. Thanks to him.

Now I’m okay with driving alone. However, I don’t think I am looking at the direction where I’m going.

A not funny thing is, when you finish writing a journal and it vanishes without leaving a reason. 2 days ago, I felt I did good job when I wrote one, but it disappeared. Probably, I did something wrong, yet still it made me frustrated.

Currently, I got cold, seemed going away, and felt not too good. Yesterday, when I went to bed, my body was shaking for cold. I thought it was flu, because my joints felt aching. In the bed, precisely it was Futon, I curled my body like a small bug protecting its body from a evil experience-less kid trying to fiddle around with me without knowing what the gory will happen. Anyway, I felt sick when I was in the bed, yet I could not go to sleep right away. I started watching NARUTO on Youtube. It is an anime made in Japan. The author’s name is Kishimoto, Satoshi; it’s close to my name KISHIMOTO, Takashi. And the main person’s name is UZUMAKI, Naruto. Naruto is a city in my prefecture, and Uzumaki means whirling current, you can see in Naruto city. I am pretty sure the author is from my prefecture and might be my relative!! You should not say “so what” or “what the heck is NARUTO, anyway?” It’s like, say, for instance, you discovered that Michael Jackson was your childhood neighbor and you might be his relative. So, now you can see what I am saying, eh? No? Okay, another example, you were an archaeologist, I’m just giving you an idea, digging something old at somewhere in Europe, and you found an old building and it was built by your distant ancestor. You would be surprised.

Okay, I still have cold, apparently. I should go to bed, Futon now. Anyway, what I wanted to say was, I lost my previous journal and it made me sad.

I found that today was the first day of November this afternoon. I, we, only have 2 months left this year. 2 months!! What have I done till this moment this year? Worked hard at the café till April; changed a job; came back to Tokushima. Well, this year some astonishment freaked me out. One thing, my friend was promoted in a staff agency company this year and came to Osaka for establishing a branch. She was a year younger than I. She was not doing well till started working for the company. However, having a nature of radiant helped her enriched quality life started. And now she, from the view point of stereotype, really went out into the world. Another thing, some of my friends were either married or engaged. The third, my sister sold her house—she says her neighbors came close to drive her crazy—and moved to our house, even though, she and her husband have an apartment somewhere. So as usual they have fights over new their new house. My parents and I drop our jaws; want to say “do it at your apartment.”

Alright it’s time to do something productive this night. Tomorrow I have to go to a class to learn how to use “illustrator”.

Now I just finished correct my one story and