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danieru in tokyo
Saturday, December 31, 2005
 
Predictions for 2006 year end
This post is all for me. In 360 days, I will ponder about where I was looking. And maybe learn.

World:
Noise from {Iran, North Korea}
Fearmongery towards {Russia, China}
Futures bright for {Brazil, Germany}


Finance:
Short on Dow. Heavy rate rises + Bernanke + Bond yield quirk + GM
Long on FTSE. Murders and Executions. Strong banking sector. Strong Euroland.
Long on South American Equities. Brazil power + Argentine recovery + Venuzuela & Bolivia
Long on Emerging Markets. Asian demand for raw materials soaring
Short on Dollar. 2005 repatriation watershed over + Decifit + Decifit
Long on Euro. Stronger reports from Germany + manufacturers + banks + telco M&As
Hold on Land. No major changes in market conditions to force obscene change.
Long on Commodities. Increased global consumption.
Hold Nikkei. Inflation + rate rise + stronger yen.
Long on Banks. M&A fever.

Postured for charge. The Bull.


Me & Family:
Leave Nippon. End up in Londres, fearing Zurich. Discover peace. Siblings and parents to hold on location.


We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us.

- posted by Daniel @ Saturday, December 31, 2005 0 comments
Friday, December 30, 2005
 
The End is Nigh
I would have liked to call this post The 3.5 Mule Riders of the Apocalypse. Because i'm nearly there - at the end. Although I am still defined by the trait "All ideas and no execution" (domo arigato gozimasu Bicu-san). things have improved a damn sight this year. I am one of the many lucky inhabitants of Earth, as every year of my life is better than the last. This year, I have:
-gotten somewhere to live
-entered the commodities market (albeit in an exceptionally small form)
-run 10k
-been to new several places (Firenze, Rosnov, Steornabhagh, Toronto, Chicago).
-been to an old place (Wroclaw)
-lived in three cities (Edinburgh, London, Tokyo)
-develop an interest in Anthropology


But the two most important:
-looked at life through the eyes of some fascinating individuals, who I have been fortunate enough to meet
which resulted in
-defining my life by means of pleasures, however transient or fleeting, rather than the dark, but necessary, negative moments.


next year, i hope to (NOT in order of preference):
-climb Mount Fuji
-go to more new places (NZ, HK, China, S Korea, DPRK)
-visit some old places (KL, Dortmund)
-read more books
- become more active (more excercise related pastimes)
- take An Idea out of my head, and fry it up with commitment. Smokin. The process has begun, oh god, let this one complete....
- foster my creativity. I just heard a story about an ex-DBA who quit to film for a canadian TV company. interviews and stuff. me jealous.

- posted by Daniel @ Friday, December 30, 2005 0 comments
 
Psychopaths and Homosexuals.
A lot of people out there complain that the only girls they meet are lesbians and psychos. In my case, i seem to attract them, like a high voltage magnet. So far, i've encountered 2 psychos (the one that just jumped out of his 40th floor window doesn't count, as I never met him). I'm not that bothered about the homosexuals - although there does appear to be a danger of becoming a reverse fag-hag. Quite literally, there have been countless that I have crossed paths with. Anyway, yesterday, I was walking through Triton enroute to the bar to kill some time before meeting Sachin. Paul and I bumped into each other and shot the breeze. Then some Japanese woman, in her 40's, walks up to us, and speaks in English. This is a condensed version of the story:

Woman: do you know any French
Daneiru: a little
Woman: I need some help with some French
Danieru: ok, well, show me, and i'll see if i can translate it
Woman: Well, it has to be the right accent
Danieru: i'll have a go, do you have a lot, or just a sentence
Woman: no, i need to learn
Danieru: well, i can make a guess at how it is pronounced
Po-e-ru: We can try and help - what do you want?
Woman: I need French lessons.
Po-e-ru: well! oh - ok, well, you need to get someone to teach you. We thought you needed something small translated
Woman: do you know any french people?
Po-e-ru: well, JP could probably help her - Danieru?
Danieru: yes, and i know someone else as well, who could teach, they are tri-lingual
Woman: who?
Danieru: a girl, she lives in Ikebukuro
Woman (visibly disappointed, but pretends to be disappointed by the distance to Ikebukuro): err, that's too far. Where do you work?
Daneiru and Poeru make up stories about where they work.
Woman starts complaining about Al Italia not speaking French, when she was in their offices earlier today
Danieru and Poeru now convinced she is a fruit loop
Woman starts complaining that she got kicked out of an office earlier today because she didn't have any ID.
Daneiru and Poeru looking to quit the scene asap.
Woman continues complaining about not finding any French people to teach her French.
Woman: Can I have an email address?
Danieru: Err - I dont have her contact details on me, I can leave them at the cafe here for you, tomorrow.
Po-e-ru: yeah - you can come pick them up tomorrow
This ridiculous conversation continues for a few minutes, and I keep insisting that I will leave an email address for her at the cafe. No more.
Woman: well, can I have your email?
Poeru frantically waving his hands behind her, signally "NO NO NO" to me.
Danieru: Sure. {danieru invents fake email address and gives it to her}
Woman: what time are you going to be at the cafe?
Danieru: I dont know.
Woman: Can I have your mobile number?
Danieru: No, i dont think so
Woman: Can I have your office direct line?
Poeru cuts in. Agressive: Look. We've been patient. He said he was going to leave you an address, what more do you want?
Woman: to learn french.
Poeru: Go, like everybody else, to a f-ing school. Dont hang around office building harrassing people like us - go sign up to a f-ing class and learn. What are you doing?
Woman: But I want to learn the real pronunciation
Poeru: Well, get on a f-ing plane, and get yourself to France. You can't learn by hanging around here and harrasing people.


Finally, after 20minutes ish of harrasment, we depart company, and Paul and I go downstairs for a beer, to put some distance between her and ourselves. Then we leave, Paul walks home, I walk to the subway. My phone goes off:

Poeru: you wont believe this. she lives in my apartment.
Danieru: What?
Poeru: yeah man, she's here, looking for her post. I saw her, told her to f-off and now i've come outside. i dont want her to see which place i live in.
Danieru: she may not live there. she may just be going through the post, looking for french names
Poeru: well, i've never seen her before. Jesus. what am i supposed to do?
Danieru: come over to Kotta Dori and have a beer with me.
Poeru: no, i'm going to wait a while and go back in. If she starts anything, i dont know what i'm going to do.


went and met Sachin in OmoteSando. damn posh area. Bars were so posh that they are hidden, and impossible to find. Complain about the overwhelming number of psychos (RA: no explanation needed; Britney: "i'm in Hokkaido, this Japanese boy is annoying me. how about you and I embark on a torrid affair" my reply: "err - i'm gay"; and now the nameless japanese woman who wants to learn French). Then, of course, Sachin introduces me to his lesbian friend. Hang out for a beer. Get the train back home. It was an absolute riot, there wasn't even place to stand on the platform. Finally get squashed into the train, and get talking to some Aussies. One was gay.

- posted by Daniel @ Friday, December 30, 2005 1 comments
 
The Two Days of Christmas

Woke up early for Saturday. Maybe 7am. Got on a train from Shinjuku to Shimoda, and met Jeff and his other half on the platform. Because I had a reserved seat, I passed out for the first half of the 2.5 hours. Woke up to the scenic beauty of the Japanese coast enroute to the Japanese the Izu peninsular. There are a whole series of active volcanic islands on the way down, puffing up fumes, and causing smelly sulphuric chaos for the locals. Get to Carl's place. Stand in awe at the sight of a house. Stand in amazement at the talk of luxury resorts around the world. Stand patiently waiting for more steak from the bbq. Met a software salesman. Got his attention, got his meishi, got to get back to him.

About to take the train back home again, but hitched a ride with two guys. I only caught one name. Interesting conversation, and made me realize the import of socratic irony. I need to talk less and hear more. Sleep.

Then the 25th. Woke up, went to church. it has been a long time since i've gone to church, and i did think carefully before i went. i decided to go. it was busy. like an open air marketplace. not such an enjoyable experience. also, the vatican did not get any of my money. since i've stopped going to church, i have slowly begun to develop irritation towards the way that the catholic state conducts its business. Anyway, headed back to the flat, and ate a big lunch, cooked by Fanny. A few phonecalls, headed down to meet PK, Jaime and others for a Christmas dinner in Shinjuku. Not Shinjuku-Itchome, thank god. Met a British guy who moved to Tokyo 6 months ago, and sits around all day playing computer games. He sells them over the internet, and makes a fortune. Despite the fact that he has awful hair, i'm still jealous.
Half the people departed, and I struck a deal with the Karaoke guys: 1500Yen per hour for Nomihodai. Sang stupid Christmas pop songs for an hour and tried to get value for money from the drinks deal. A Japanese Christmas, and entertaining too.

All the Christmas stuff comes down in Japan on the 26th. The season is over. It's crazy, the 25th isn't even a national holiday. they go mad with the consumerism, but consider christmas to be a season rather than a day. so nobody wishes each other merry christmas on the day, or even around it for that matter. but you see the trees, the snowmen, and even the odd Pere Noel.



- posted by Daniel @ Friday, December 30, 2005 0 comments
Friday, December 23, 2005
 
Shorts
They banned blogger at work. Totally. I guess I could still email posts, but it just doesn't feel the same. I must forget the old and love the new...



If you commit suicide under a train in Japan, the costs incurred by the railway company in the disruption to service, the cleanup operation, the psychological damage incured by the driver etc., is billed to the family of the perpertrator. In the UK, perhaps this would be a sure method for encouraging the act. In Japan, people stopped jumping in front of trains.

Went snowboarding last weekend in Nagano. Twas fabulous, the snow was amazing. I have never seen so much snow before. Was also a good time to yabber with Joshua, who I hadn't seen in a while. To be repeated.

I've spent a lot of my working time this week shooting the breeze with Monsieur Bee, and am now convinced that Equities are riding the bull for a good few months to come.

Went to Toki yesterday and met Po-e-ru who dragged me down to a 300 Yen bar in Ginza. An amazing find in Ginza, of all places. Got on the train to go and meet Vitaly/Diana/Donavon in Shinjuku. Meet some random american kid who we take to the bar with us, and later unwittingly takes us to the gay part of Shinjuku (Poeru and I displeased) and abandons us in a bar, which despite being an excellent bar, had a thoroughly annoying patron whose skull I wanted to burst, after he tried to start a fight. I hope not to go back in hurry. Donavon passed out on the bar, and even Vitaly couldn't lift him up. Donavon's woman kept calling Paul's phone until I finally told her that 'if you're really concerned, come and collect him'. The calls stopped. Got back home at 7am. I've written it like I didn't enjoy the evening, but it was different, so I did.

Damo and Sandra have just departed, having spent a week shopping in Ginza. Everyone is playing a make believe game in this make believe world, that we are someone. Damo's found that the sound of numbers flying through VISA do it - it's his schtick. I'm going to miss them. Most outlandish purchase was a Zegna jacket. We spent their last evening in Shu, eating and drinking far too much. Damo appeared mildly concerned about what I would write about him here. How flattering. We even had a drunken 3am heart to heart discussion. However, their generousity is similarly disjointed with reality, and I was presented with a pair of Cohibas, which is the only Christmas present I am to recieve this year, as no parcels have arrived for me :(

I made it to work 2 hours after I was supposed to sent out a report.

As with all plans, it's best left to fate, Christmas appears to be working itself out nicely.

- posted by Daniel @ Friday, December 23, 2005 1 comments
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
 
Did you know?
With recent events in Australia, it might be time to remind ourselves that they dismantled the white-Australia immigration policy in the late seventies - full completion around 1981. And you thought Texas was crazy.

- posted by Daniel @ Tuesday, December 13, 2005 0 comments
Saturday, December 10, 2005
 
Sacramento

Like buses, social gatherings all appear at the same time. Friday evening, and just as I was leaving work, got news that Seattle Matt was leaving, and so I needed to go to Roti for a swift three. Then onto Sachin's place miles away in Meguro, and get there in time to drink G&T, text Ricky to tell him that i'm not going to make it out to Roppongi, undoubtely leaving him in the hands of temptation. Met a Pakistani citizen who has spent his entire life out here. Fluent in three scripts. No identity complex - it's all about you, and what you let happen. Drunk gin, ate pizza, talked banter, watched movie.

Spent a lot of the next morning in bed, watching Der Untergang and Hotel Rwanda. I felt an incredible degree of empathy towards the general facing imminent defeat in Berlin. It is one thing to fail an exam, or miss a mortgage payment. But it's quite another to be humiliated into surrendering your country through a war which you invoked. Finally got myself into gear and headed down to Toki, then on to another bar, where I had a beer from a lead mug. Fantastically medieval, presumably posionous. Jet down to Ageha, Shinkiba on the last train, ask directions from some American kid wearing shades at midnight, and make it to the queue. We've all got gaijin cards, but Abe, being the only Japanese gets rejected for not having another other than cash. Dave and I go in anyway, and pay 4000Yen each to get into a club. I've never paid anywhere near that before, and i didn't even blink. The money spending thing here is really starting to confuse me - i have no idea why I am so ready to part with cash out here. Maybe because it's counted as 4 thou, which is only 1 more than 3 thou etc. So i guess I should divide by 100 instead, and think in USD. Which means I spend 20US on lunch today. But I thoroughly recommend Asterisk, Akasaka to everyman and his dog. If you've been there once, they will ask you what you want to drink. From there on, they just bring it to you. The three guys I was with hadn't been there in a year - she remembered their drinks. Stayed in Ageha overnight, Diana arrived later in the evening having had dinner with a bunch of guys she knows. Apparently, Tokyo comes after Sydney and San Francisco for gay capital. From what i've seen, this doesn't surprise me. So when a guy started talking to me later in the evening, I introduced him to my wife, Diana. Conversation quickly dried up. Deep Dish, who were the whole reason to go to Ageha, kicked off their set at about 4am, and i heard the one track I was waiting for - Sacramento:
I can't help but feeling that love is always dealing me a losing hand, california's sleeping and you've got me weeping, i am just a man; i am just a man; i am just a man.

stuck around for another hour, and got the train back,and blacked out.

Sunday was rather more productive than I imagined, and I managed to buy some clothes. Also, got an email from Karena which made me think that, perhaps, the Y100 store was not the place to buy Christmas presents. Amazon.co.uk is a far better idea. I agree. On the case now.

- posted by Daniel @ Saturday, December 10, 2005 1 comments
Friday, December 09, 2005
 
Warning, fat overload
Went to the gym today, and discovered that I have a body lard composition of 24.0%. That means i'm in line for death soon. Really. So I guess I better stop going to the gym, if that's all they're going to tell me.

Got a job tentative offer from Vodafone, but it's in Newbury. God knows you’re lonely souls.

Dipped my toes in the commodities market. I don't care if it's too late. That's what they said about property in 2002. Found a possibility for the trading of Japanese equities. About time too. The yen has fallen to 210 against sterling. I'm going to start cooking my own food soon, if this continues.

Karena pulled off a stroke of genius diplomacy, and I doubt she understands the full implications. "paid you back for the interest you tried to pay me"

Got my Soleil Dix host on the network. Time to start doing some work and getting the skills up to date.

Decided to stay in Tokyo for Christmas.

Found an interesting new word: kakehiki

- posted by Daniel @ Friday, December 09, 2005 0 comments
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
 
The Canadian Government Formally Apologizes for Bryan Adams

Woke up this morning in a studio flat. Now, space is at a premium in Tokyo, and few more so than in Akasaka. But I was still shocked to see the size of this place. It was, quite literally, a small room with a itsy bitsy bathroom, a sink for a kitchen, and a bed. I thought my cousin's flat in Mumbai was small, but woah, this was more compressed. The bathroom was so small that you cannot change your clothes inside. You could not swing a cat in this apartment. And at over 100,000Yen a month, there is a large price to pay for squashing your life so much. I am quite certain that if two or more people can live in an apartment like this, with unemployment, they can survive through anything.

Extraordinarily drunk in the morning (barmaid was either bored or enjoyed our company. We got many free shots, and I consequently missed the last train home), wearing spare clothes I kept in the desk drawer. Then head down to Tabei Hotei for lunch, and see the Pork message on the gioza. I have submitted it to Engrish. Sober now, and waiting for day to finish...

Signed up to the gym temporarily yesterday, and got asked to sign a declaration stating that I had no tatoos.

- posted by Daniel @ Wednesday, December 07, 2005 0 comments
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
 
Advice

- posted by Daniel @ Tuesday, December 06, 2005 0 comments
Monday, December 05, 2005
 
Odd weekend
I did not: get my haircut, buy any clothes, update CV, finalize the ever pending tax returns, discover why France is obsessed with Japan and vice versa, come to terms with the local obsession with LV and Hello Kitty.

I did: managed to get sake with Gerald, try to buy ski-wear, have that conversation with Vic (Bicu in Japanese), get drinks on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, watch a couple of films, download a few more, buy a new ketai (v800, crippled by greedy voodofone), send emails that have pended for too far long, eat at an awful Indian buffett, run briefly.

Snippets of two email threads I want to remember:

1.
Also, I have decided what I want for my stag do - as I have no friends and do not like drinking or staying up late, you and I are going on a high quality track day as my stag do.

 2.
> are you interested in working out here? no cursory answers please.

 Dan - I've attached my CV. Do they have C18 out there?

- posted by Daniel @ Monday, December 05, 2005 0 comments

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