Fit for Office?!

After a long, long coffee break, I'm back to work now.

Ever since I quit my job, Nikkei dropped by approx. 40%; Sony, Toyota and numerous, other companies announced thousands of jobcuts each. The unemployment in Japan has been up to 3 million, or by 0.5% to 4.4% last December. For those living in a country with unumployment rate of 6% or higher, the figure isn't that impressive, but this is the highest monthly jump in 41 years. Economic outlook is so dim that IMF has just lowered Japan's GDP growth rate in 2009 to -2.6%. Given such circumstances, I'm grateful to my employer for giving me this job opportunity.

I'm not as "fit for office" as Obama. From Day One, the new president of the U.S.A. immediately implemented his new policies by shutting down the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and working on $800 billion sitmulus package. On the other hand, I did nothing but greeting my new colleagues and reading some employee manuals on my first day. Still, I felt extremely exhausted. Hopefully, I'm fit to work physically like Obama's shirtless photo in Hawaii, though.

After only a week at a new office, it's hard to say I'm fit to the job, and able to get along with my colleagues (esp. my boss). At least the business is quite similar to my previous job, and the people are likable. I'm doing my best to be more polite and more respectful than usual. After all, one thing for sure: weekend's coffee break is, priceless even though such a break is far shorter than that long, long one.

Thank You for Reminding

As a Japanese, I'm used to an earthquake. It's a part of our daily life. We have been trained how to escape and protect ourselves since six. But, this one is enough.

It was the last week of 2008 when a group of workers drilled and paved the nearby roads at day and night. A night! Every single night for a week!! Thanks to their hard work, our apartment was shaking and the windows vibrating. The shake and the noise of drilling sometimes woke me up at 3am.

As a descendant of patient samurais, I endured that, hoping for a happy, peaceful new year. I was wrong. They're back to my neighborhood again. A couple of days ago, a flyer was slipped into my mail box. It says they are laying a new underground water pipes. Drilling again!!

Bring in Da Noise

They are unwelcome Santa Clauses, coming back every year and doing similar work. A couple of years ago, the roads were paved neatly. Then, somebody else came to lay water pipes or something just in a year. So, the roads are a mess now. I wonder why they can't do all the work at once.

Bring in Da Bump

A civil servant once said all these constructions around this time of year has one specific purpose: spending the money to keep up with their budget. Otherwise, the budget will be cut next year.

Yet, this time it might have anothe objective: a reminder for us a week before Barack Obama's inauguration. George Bush is still in White House, but everyone's eyes are on Obama. John McCain was always (if not sometimes) in a top news story just until a couple of months ago. Now nobody wonder where and how Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber are. Well, here they are! The female mayor (no governor) of my city must be a wanna-be Sarah Palin with the same slogan "drill, drill, drill!!" Joe the plumber and his friends are her big supporters laying water pipes. Sadly, the mayor's initiative is neiher for profit-making nor for national security.

スタバカ日誌 - Bean Around -

A friend of mine told me the other day that Starbucks' Christmas Blend is getting worse year by year. I totally agreed with her. Last month I tried not to order drip coffee of the blend. But, it's not the only problem. Seemingly baristas don't know how to brew good, tasty coffee lately (I'll discuss it later).

Now Christmas is over, and I assumed I would have no more problems with that lousy blend. Until next December at least. I was too optimistic. The blend is still around with a different label: "Holiday Blend". I haven't specifically checked it, but it tastes almost same with the awful Christmas Blend.

Last year we, Japanese, were shocked by such news reports that meat processors labelled a different meat and food packers changed expiration dates and origins. I'm not saying that the specialty coffee brewer is making the same fraud. But, I am just disappointed. The only good news for now is that Starbucks stopped playing all those Xmas songs.

スタバカ日誌 - Caffeine and the Effects -

"Who the hell do you think I am?!"

Everybody at a coffee shop turned where the yell came from. A woman sat with her arms folded across her chest. She was staring at a man in front of her.

Perhaps it wasn't exactly what she said, but it seemed to me that's what she meant to say. She was blaming loudly on her fiancé that he gave her only a gift for her B Day and Xmas, and also that he booked their wedding without asking her schedule. In the end, the hysteric lady even mentioned he's got to cancel their wedding and to pay all the costs.

spitfire

I wanted to advise them, "why don't you drink a cup of coffee first?" Cold coffee tastes lousy. A drip of caffeine only makes this fabulous, stylish, gorgeous fashion model-like girl even more untouchable, but it does have some effect on her boyfriend to relieve his pain: the pain of heartbreak. Or they shouldn't come to a Starbucks shop in the first place. That's why it is dubbed "the third place" not a battle field. Caffeine only helped flame on her anger.

"Survivor" (by Destiny's Child)

We still have two weeks left, but the past one year has been a full of surprises and changes. No one can blame on those - except economists and fortune-tellers - who predicted the would-be 2008 events (The 10 Worst Predictions in 2008, Foreign Policy). They ain't Nostradamus. But, it's even surprising we're now immune to such surprises as Lehman's bankruptcy, all the baliout packages to financial and possibly to auto industries, layoffs, volatile stock and oil prices, America's new president-elect, etc.

Personally, I had some changes and a surprise this year as well. I quit my job, and passed U.S. CPA exams at last. And surprisingly, I haven't found a job yet. Given today's economic conditions, it's not surprising, but I don't regret my decision. Rather, I feel lucky not to be working at a Titanic company, and even feel excting and fun to be exposed to the stormy ocean.

We shall overcome!!

Best Albums of the Year

According to Digital Music Report 2008 of IFPI, an international music industry association, digital music accounted for 15% of music sales in 2007. This new business has been growing rapidly, up by 40% from the previous year. Well, yes, downloading music is easy, instant and convenient. Upon watching MTV or listening to radio, one can buy a song at any time, even at midnight. No one will be lost in a huge HMV.

Yet, CDs (not credit-default swaps!) could be an insurance. With my computer frozen, I lost hundreds of music files several times, and had to upload them. While it's economical to buy a specific, favorite song at iTunes Store, some CDs like listed below are worth buying.

"The DEY Has Come" (the DEY)
A good news for those devastated with the Fugees' breakup and patiently waiting for a new album of Black Eyed Peas. !Muchas Gracious! Can't name favorite tracks 'cause almost all the songs are grrreat!! But, "I Need You" (M3) and "And I Miss You" (M4) make me cry.

"Seeing Sounds" (N.E.R.D.)
Speechless. This is the state-of-the-art music. Don't know which genre it belongs to. Rock? HipHop? Whatever. The best is the best. "You Know What" (M11) is my most favorite track.

"Hard Candy" (Madonna)
This is the first Madonna album I've ever purchased in my life. Well, she's a great performer, but it's Pharrell and Kanye who are doin' a fantastic job!!


If the credit crunch somehow had an impact on your budget this year, here are some songs you should check out at iTunes or any other online music stores.

"Live Your Life" (by T.I. feat. Rihanna): O-Zone's "Dragostea Din Tei" ("Words Of Love" or "恋のマイアヒ") was reborn.

"Change" (by T-Pain feat. Akon & Diddy): This year's keyword! Eric Clapton wrote "Change the World", the original song, in 1999, but did he expect somebody would "change" (i.e. arrange) his song?

"We Made It" (by Busta Rhymes feat. Linkin Park): My anthem of this year.

Bonus track:
You can check this "激ヤバ (Dangerous)" mashup at YouTube.
吉幾三×Capsule×DaftPunk×BeastieBoys　StarrySky - IKZOLOGIC Remix

"Change" (by T-Pain feat. Akon & Diddy)

I have "apple" allergies. My throat gets itchy when I eat an apple.

Can't scratch my throat

Also, I've barely used an Apple product like a Mac computer or an iPod. I've been a Catholic Sony user for long time. Having purchased an iPod Nano a couple of weeks ago, however, I decided to moonwalk away from Sony's "walkman" brand. I warned you, Sony.

Can't scratch. No turntable

Now, I am able to download a lot more choices of my favorite HipHop songs, music videos and enjoyable Podcasting stuff from iTunes Store. The software automatically download the album covers unlike I had to manually copy and paste all my collection while using Sony. Plus, many languages are diplayable on the screens. I really appreciate this because I don't have to translate and typewrite hundreds of Korean songs into Japanese or English titles.

Of course, I have to bear some costs. Given incompatible formats of Sony's and iPod's, I spent my weekends for uploading hundreds of CDs. Not surprisingly, iPod has a shorter life of the battery than that of Sony's. I have been struggling to appropriately tune the volume since it is a bit intuitive in turning up or down just by using the click wheel in a rotational manner. Last but not least, it looks so ordinary. It's a little sad to accept the fact that I ain't a "like.no.other" any longer.

But, as Obama says, it's time to "CHANGE", isn't it?