"Believe Me" (by Linkin Park): Checklist for Hanami (花見: flower-viewing)

Just like the Central Park in Manhattan, the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a great park with 58.3ha of beautiful botanical gardens and fine grass. 200 yen admission fee is worth paying. The only problem is the park is open for such a short time from 9:00am through 4:30pm - thank you so much for being very very bureaucratic!! As a frequent user of the park, I'd like to have a free ticket (sounds like Free Tibet?!) or longer open hours!!

Still to me, the park is a hideaway from the Metropolitan Tokyo, but it isn't today. I'm not sure whether I've been to the Park for seeing cherry blossoms or the flood of people.

Here are my checklist for hanami (花見: flower-viewing):

A cup of coffee: Tully's coffee shop is located at the entrance of Shinjuku Gate

Nice company: Don't be late!! Right, Tomi?

Lunch: I prepared Katsu (deep-fried pork cutlet) Sandwich - Katsu's special -


Also, check untrustworthy weather forecast: Seeing is believing, or believing is seeing!?
Last but not least, don't bring alcohol, or don't get drunk too much: それが大人のマナー! Promise!!

My Playlist

I've already posted "Best Songs of the Year 2007" last November, but here are my favorite "Best Eleven" songs for now:

1. "Bittersweet Poetry" by Kanye West Feat John Mayer
2. "Mr. Lawrence / Heart Music - Volta Masters Remix" by 1773
3. "Shadow of the Day" by Linkin Park
4. "Dream" by Common feat. will.i.am
5. "Because of You (remix)" by Ne-Yo feat. Kanye West
6. "Can’t Relate [Cradle Orchestra Remix]" by Saint
7. "The People" by Common
8. "Blooming Sounds" by the Poems
9. "Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna
10. "Invisible" by will.i.am
11. "You Know I'm No Good" by Amy Winehouse

"Sweet Child O' Mine" (by Guns N' Roses)

Welcome back, Darling.


白い恋人: Hokkaido's most wanted.
But, like 赤福(Akafuku) its life story is as if "Bittersweet Poetry" (by Kanye West).

Democracy is Hypocrisy

Let me remind you of the fact that American presidency has been governed by Bush and Clinton dynasty for a score of years starting from George Bush Senior's presidency in 1989. Plus, taking into account that Senior was the vice president of Reagan administration, and suppose Hillary takes the Oval Office in 2009 (and in 2013), it's gonna be over a generation!!

No wonder Barack Obama has enjoyed such huge supports all over the US until the recent defeats in Texas and Ohio. Obama's campaign has been characterized by two key words: change and hope. Until recently, it seemd to work. However, now it is himself and his campaign strategy to change. Otherwise, his speech only sounds only hopeless. Yes You Can.

Democracy is hypocrisy. It is not democracy but farce that Putin solidified his czar in Russia. Also, as seeing helpless fights (it's not even discussion!!) over the governor of Bank of Japan and the extension of "temporary" tax in the Japanese parlianments, politicians are just wasting time, and not listening to the voices from its voters and the world. During the Bush and Clinton dynasty, Japan has had 12 or so prime ministers. Considering Britain had only four prime ministers, Thatcher, Major, Blair, and Brown now, the cause of such shuffling rumbling political leadership in Japan is not in political system itself.

Plato was right in the case of Japanese democracy.

Double White: White Plan on White Day

As long as I know, Korean, Taiwanese and Japanese are the only ones who celebrate "White Day" on March 14. Unlike US, girls (not boys) give chocolate to boys on Valentine's Day (February 14), as an expression of love, and vice versa on White Day.

However, this year's White Day is special to me. It's not that this is my very first White Day to have chocolate from girls and I have to give 'em flowers/cookies, or that I've been too shy to express my love to a girl. It is today that I quit my job.

As quiting my job after having worked for 7 years, I became 백수 (白手) on White Day. 백수 is unemployed - literally, it means white (or empty) hands. I haven't yet found my new job (just started to google one. Wish me luck!), but I've been thinking about leaving the company ever since I got this job.

My take-home income is not bad. I like my job. The company has global business opportunities. I had chances to travel around New York, Kansas, San Francisco, Detroit, Seoul, Beijing and Delhi. Colleagues are real nice (and most importantly girls are pretty).

Yet, I've never imagined that I was gonna work in the Tokyo office for 7 years. I was expecting to work in Tokyo for the first couple of years and then abroad. This never happened even though I've kept saying I wanna work abroad.

Secondly, the company is too Japanese. Japanese are everywhere not only in the Tokyo office but also in overseas branches. As having started to work in Tokyo, I was disappointed with this lack of diversity. Later, as visiting overseas branches, I was even more disappointed to learn most of colleagues are fluent in Japanese (but no English).

Not sure yet whether I can find my dream job. Still, I'm so thrilled tonight. This is my brand new White Day. Happy White Day to y'all!!

PS. "Boys, be ambitious!!" Will anyone play "Softbankごっこ" (Sofbank Game) with me?