Ozawa Expecting Next PM from LDP

昨日、麻生首相と小沢代表の初めての党首討論が行われた。小沢代表は冒頭、自らの代表就任以来、新首相就任は３度目で、「このままだと、近いうちに４回目のお祝いを申し上げる状況になりかねない」と挑発した。ん？政権交代を目指す民主党ではあるが、次の首相も自民党からだとすでに思っているようだ。奇怪である。

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The name and registered address of the company changed successfully. Now I need a new company stamp.

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On Friday and yesterday, I made absolutely zero progress with my translation… because Photoshop work is so much fun!! But a BIG problem is scanning with the printer makes other PC operations almost IMPOSSIBLE.

Rushing Day & Scanning Work

Monday morning, I went to Cecil Street for an appointment at a lawyer’s office to help some people explain their business plans and ask the lawyer to write up contract and application documents. I also had a cursory look at a thick document that the other party had prepared for a court case they are involved in. Then I rushed to Tai Sen to return a security card that I had forgotten to bring there on the last day of my interpretation work. Back in Tiong Bahru, I had a quick lunch at BK and arranged sofas for an appointment at 2:30 with the visitors from SMBC, who came here to set up a software program for managing the company account. The program looks straightforward but I know I will make errors.

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I made scanning faster by lowering the dpi level so I could manage it more easily and started replacing photos that I took with my camera months ago and should have been scanned in the first place.

Noisy Printer/Scanner & Mistaken Identities

After a few days of consideration, I got a new printer. An all-in-one Epson partly to appreciate Mr. F. But… printing creates loud mechanical noise and scanning a small color photo takes about 20 minutes! I almost called him in heaven to complain!

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Late last night, I thought I found someone I know when drinking shochu at CC. She was looking at me at some distance. We greeted each other by lightly bowing. She said, “Have you changed your hairstyle?” I replied, “It’s been this way for long.” It seems we were mistaking each other as someone else.

End of a Work & State Indoctrination

The interpretation work that lasted for three weeks ended yesterday (on Friday). It was eventful three weeks with them, on and off work. I truly hope that those happenings, good and not so good, will become memories they will miss for whatever reason. I also wish to see all of them again in Singapore, Taiwan or even in Japan.

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Lectures and QA sessions Noam Chomsky gave at the University of California in 1988 are so incisive, even harsh. “The Economist” used to be a very good source of information, but I’m losing interest in reading all news magazines. What a significant difference he is making to my life! PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, WAKE UP! Those in power always try to indoctrinate you to suit their way of thinking. So be careful.

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Browsing through the Borders bookstore this afternoon (on Saturday), I got a collection of essays by George Orwell, “All Arts are Propaganda.”

Wishing for a Reunion, Stifling Tropical Island & the Old Braves

The 3-week interpretation work is coming to its end. Yet again, I’ve seen and learned many things. Just as was the case with the NTT engineers, I will miss them and hope to have a “reunion” someday somewhere.

During this period, I went to “Vivo City” for the first time (after its completion) and returned to “Junction 8” in Bishan after so many years.

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Today’s “Today” printed two letters on the one-party system in its “Voices” section. One of them, from a Gerald Glam, says, “If the PAP ever becomes corrupt, there will be absolutely no time for a viable alternative party to suddenly “spring up,” since political organisations take years to build up credibility… [A] corrupt government with a firm control on the levers of power will tend to use that power to entrench itself, stifling any potential opposition from arising…

Another, a Yak Chin Hua, writes that “[the] very preaching in favour of a one-party system contradicts the basic principles and the real beauty of democracy – that such a decision should be left to a politically mature electrate to decide…

Quite true. But, a government will stifle any potential opposition from emerging? It’s not “will.” It’s been this way here for so many years by manipulating the drawing of constituencies, including the introduction of package-deal ones, and forcing serious and ernest but disobedient guys to bankruptcy. Being corrupt or not is not a fundamental issue. At the same time, those elite people seem to deplore a lack of talent. Why? That’s exactly because they, clean or corrupt, are stifling spontenious creativity and different perspectives. This lack of talent, imaginary or real, is their own creation. Nurturing of talent requires a “politically mature” electrate. This is just a “kintaro-ame” nation.

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昨日の夕方、仕事の帰り。「阪急ブレーブス」最後の帽子をかぶった駅からプラザへと向かう男性を発見した。シンガポールに来てまだ間もない頃には、阪急のビジター用ユニフォームを着た人も見た。背番号14。背中に「YAMAGUCHI」とあった。「山口高志」やないかぁ！

So Much to Do, and This is the 1000th Entry

Very much tired. I needed three more days than I’d originally thought to finish a translation job due to the PC condition and my own health. PC settings seem okay now. December should be rather quiet, which is not so desirable for my finance but welcoming for me to allow time to settle a few things about the company. Tonight, I prepared two cheques to make “legacy payments.” I can do only so much by myself. My “Hawks blog” is becoming dormant.

Sayonara to My Old Buddy

November 6 (Thursday): Deeply frustrated with my PC, I decided to buy a new one and acted on it quickly. The previous day, I couldn’t proceed with my work at all as the PC was totally crazy. The browser and Word had no problem starting up, but they were not responding to my requests. Or rather the PC seemed even hostile to me. A virus and spyware check detected nothing. But I truly appreciate the continuous hard work my old PC did for me for more than five years.

And this new PC with Vista… Oh so hard to handle. Real shit. It appears that heavy security burdens are being passed to consumers in the form of poor operability. I can’t even change the name of a “User” now.

Two Impossible Taxi Drivers

October 31 (Friday): From Centennial Tower to Lippo Center by taxi. For this short distance, the driver went on the expressway. Wondering where he would take me… Saw Lippo through the window. No way to stop until the next exit. He was taking me to “Vivo Center” at Harbor Front! “Vivo Center”? There is no such place.

November 3 (Monday): It was already past midnight, so November 4, actually.
“Tiong Bahru, Jalan Membina.”
“Geylang?”
“I said Jalan Membina!”
“I thought you said Geylang… From which way? Orchard and Tanglin?”
“River Valley (and fuck you)!”

Help Wanted

I had four appointments last Friday from late afternoon to evening, including one with a banker. One of the nice things about my work is that I don’t usually have to see people at meetings. Then, this time, there were some remaining things I got to finish regarding the company and I needed some more work to survive the rest of the year.

The latter two appointments involved drinking. Though I was still very much okay when I arrived for the third one, at the end I couldn’t tell a person from a dog, a dog from a cat for that matter. I was not talking straight. Nor was I walking straight. There are still a few issues… and I wouldn’t complain if I got help. A 3-week interpretation work starts tomorrow.