Younger Hatoyama, You Too Get Out!!

ハトヤマさん兄弟はどうしようもない。弟が民主党は「兄が首相の時はよかったし、小沢さんが代表の時はよかったが、今やもう、左翼政党じゃないか」と述べている（産経電子版12月20日）。左翼って、今の時代に何を意味するのだろうか。お兄ちゃんは「民主リベラルの結集」と言って結党した。「民主リベラル」の意味や定義については、何年も前に民主党にＥメールで質問したことがあるが、何の回答も送られてこなかった。左翼がだめなら右翼じゃないといかんということか。「民主リベラル」は右翼と同義なのか。「友愛」は右翼なのか。この兄弟は思いつきで発言するだけで、思想の深さをさっぱり感じさせない。表現方法にも全く魅力を感じない。さらに30日には同じく産経電子版が、民放の収録番組で同氏が「こんなやつ、生かしてたまるかと思う」と法相時代に死刑執行を指示した死刑囚について発言したと報じている。なかなかの友愛ではないか！兄弟そろって政界引退して、先祖の残した財産で余生を送ってほしいと願う。

Ozawa: Back on Stage, Not Wet Enough Here + Surprising Work Inquiry

Some days ago, Seiji Ozawa came back in New York. In September, he had conducted in Matsumoto, his very first appearance since a cancer surgery. Judging from the headlines, the interest of the Japanese media seems to be how many minutes he conducts, seven in Matsumoto, 40 and 90 in New York. This is certainly not the way that anyone who appreciates music sees it. The impression that those headlines may imply is that shorter pieces are of less importance.

*

On Tuesday, I went to a Tiong Bahru clinic because of a skin trouble. I had the same problem, caused by fungus, more than a year ago. I met the same doctor, who asked me if I had travelled to any wet country. I told him that I had been staying here all along with no overseas trip. Hmmm, he thinks this country is not humid enough.

*

And late Friday afternoon, I received an inquiry by e-mail about an interpretation job. The person got my contact through a TV station bureau I had worked with before. The job is about a 3D editing work, scheduled in early next month, for recorded concerts of a, perhaps the, preeminent orchestra! And one of the pieces recorded was Mahler’s No. 1 Symphony!! I quickly prepared a quote for his consideration, and within two hours, the job was confirmed!!! I felt all my hair stood up with excitement.

Hatoyama Did Change His Mind as I Had Expected

予想通りだったが、ハトヤマ前首相が「皆様のご期待をもらえるなら」と言って、政界引退の決意を翻した。自政権時代の迷走を忘れたかのように振舞い、また現政権になってからは建設的なことをやっているとも思えない。「自分の党」が自分から離れていくのがガマンならんのだろう。日本では誰か期待しているのか？

*

昨日、朝日新聞サイトに掲載された「季節のおいしいコラム／好吃（ハオチー）！中国料理！身体が温まる煮込み料理を召し上がれ」に、いきなり「気が付くと、早いものでもう年を越してしまいました」とあった。日本では暦が違うのか？

*

And Captain Beefheart, a Zappa buddy, passed away at the age of 69.

Showa Disappearing

「正司敏江・玲児」のあのおっちゃん、亡くなったんや。舞台では、九州なまりの関西弁で元嫁はんから愚痴られながら蹴りかましてたあのおっちゃんか。枝雀ももうおらん。馬場に鶴田はもう数年前のことになるけど、ラッシャーに剛竜馬、柴田勝久に小鉄に勘太郎と子供の頃に当たり前にいてた人たちがどんどんと亡くなっていくなぁ。

PC Lock Problem Solved, It Seems

On Tuesday, I changed my keyboard and USB hub to new ones. Since then, no PC locking problem has taken place. And even the web connection speed looks better. The culprit seemed to be a loose wire connection of my old USB hub. I know that the wires inside the connection cord to the PC were in a precarious condition as to get exposed. But then, what things does the USB connection have to do with my net connections?

Hoshino Kantaro

山本小鉄の後を追うように星野勘太郎まで……。 ミル・マスカラスが初来日した時の最初の対戦相手だったなぁ。

Shortening Words Does Not Always Work

先週だったか、あるいは先々週だったか、ある当地日本語メディアで水処理大手企業の「Hyflux」を「ハイフラ」と省略している見出しを見つけた。やり過ぎだと思う。また、日本語メディア全般について言えば、比較的新しいと思える「infrastructure（社会基盤）」を「インフラ」とするのはまだ許せるとして、「流行性感冒（流感）」という日本語がありながら「influenza」を「インフル」と略すのにすでに抵抗を感じる。同メディアでは、見出し語数の制限から「マレーシア」を「隣国」することが多いが、しばらく前にはそうすることがないコラムの中でさえ「隣国」を使い、最後までどこの国なのか結局特定されていなかった。「インフラ」「インフル」「インフレ」「ハイフラ」……。

*

For the annoying “lock” problem, I’m now suspecting my keyboard that’s connected externally.

DO NOT LOCK MY PC

The PC lock problem is happening without “Trados.” So annoying. And my apology to the program. A funny thing is that it occurs overwhelmingly during the day, not at night. It may be a trouble with the wireless broadband connection, which is not really broad and can be frustratingly slow especially in the weekday daytime.

*

State Secretary Kissinger laments about the failure of the Year of Europe partly caused by the reluctance, and covert and overt sabotage, of the West European allies to deal with President Nixon who is embroiled in the escalating Watergate scandal. Dr. Kissinger still manages to organise a conference in Geneva for the Middle Eastern issues, an aftermath of the war of 1973. His comparative analysis into how Japanese politics, and society by extension, works is insightful.
It makes me wonder to what extent the same analysis can be applied to today’s society. If the same system is still controlling there, it can be yet another reason that I shouldn’t go back. This should not be an issue of “either or.” It should be about how much the negative side of the small-village thinking still dominates in Japan’s society. This thinking can be seen through the cover-up of the collision video in Senkaku and the resignation of the Justice Minister today. In fact, the minister was shown the door.

Hello Again, Dr, Kissinger

「サンダカン八番娼館」を数日前に、そして「物語　フィリピンの歴史」を今日の午後に終えて「Years of Upheaval」にまた戻った。「物語　フィリピンの歴史」の最後あたりは、非日本語の文献からの短い引用文のような「……した」の連続で終わる文紋切り型が減って幾分読みやすかった。「Years of Upheaval」を再開したものの、繰上げ選挙から「People Power」までの日々を報じた米誌「TIME」と「Newsweek」の記事を読み返したい気持ちもある。

*

Without “Trados,” my PC does not give me that “lock” trouble. The suspicion is growing even bigger.

Trados Mischief?

It seems “Trados” is making my PC crazy. Two days ago, it entered its locked mode while I was working on a “Trados TagEditor” file. I’ve never set the mode, or changed if it was set by default. I’ve been using the PC for more than two years and this has never happened before. As “Trados” has history of giving trouble to me and this phenomenon of turning the screen all black happens only when a “Trados” file is open, the main suspect is this program. The locked condition appears in a progressively short interval. Every time the symptom appears, I have to press the power button and the “user icon” displayed to return to the normal condition. After a few cases of this cat-and-mouse, the screen starts turning black even before I hit any single key. “Trados,” I’m blaming you with reason. This program, which supposedly assists my work, is bullshit. It doesn’t care how I read documents and inhibits the natural flow of reading. Is any programmer who understands my mother tongue involved in the program development? Or has there been any meaningful progress for a decade or more?

Senkaku Video, "Story: History of the Philippines," + Nomura-san on Money

先週５日、尖閣での衝突事件のビデオが「流出」した。こんな展開を予測できた人はまずいないだろう。政府は全く公開する気がなかったようだ。公開せよという声に抗しきれず、今月１日に衆議院の「予算委員会理事人ら30人」がこの映像を視聴したが、全面的に公開したくない理由は明らかだ。日本の法規に照らして容疑のある者を釈放しておいて、その措置が誤りであったかのようなことを示す映像を見てもらいたくなかったのだ。相も変わらず日本村の解決法だ。しかし、解決にはほど遠かった。一方で逮捕容疑者を無罪放免にしておきながら、映像を流出させた海上保安庁保安官を公務員の守秘義務違反で問うことの矛盾をどう解決するつもりなのだろう。企業の悪行を密告した場合とどう違うのだろう。実は先週連絡してきた某女は、この流出ビデオに中国語字幕を付けたいと言ってきたのだったが（「あんたがやらんでも、もう誰かがやってるわ、そんなこと」とは言わずも、そういう気分だった）、そんなことより日本国民なら日本政府の対応を厳しく批判するのが筋ではないか。

*

「物語　フィリピンの歴史」（中公新書）は読みにくい。「物語」と呼べず、「これ、日本語」と言いたい。

*

産経電子版で読んだ夕刊フジの記事に、岩隈の大リーグ落札金について「13億円はどこに入るんや？　これで星野の（年俸）分が出たな。楽天は完全な金儲け主義」と、ノムラさんのコメントがあった。友人はなくしたが「カネは残った」と言った人がいうことか。

And Then Joe Higuchi

ジョー樋口の訃報あり。山本小鉄に続いて……。

*

産経電子版の見出し：【尖閣ビデオ流出】投稿者特定に限界　“密告用”プロシキならたどれず

「プロシキ」って何？「ピロシキ」？

Japanese in Those Days of Singapore + Unwelcome Call

続いて「シンガポール花街の跡」から引用すると、
「……いま見るかつての日本人花街は、シンガポール人にたいする非礼をかえりみずに記せば、スラムという言葉がもっとも当たっているような街であった」
「伝手がないためわたしは、それらかつての日本人娼館の内部に入ってみることはでなかったが、しかし、この街の近くで育ったという太田さんの話では、二、三階の部屋はいずれも日本の六畳間ぐらいの広さであるという、台所とトイレットの備わっている部屋はひとつも無く、各階に共用のものがあるばかりだというが、そのことは、元来これらの部屋が居住のためではなく娼売用のものであったことを間接的に示していると言わなくてはなるまい、そして現在、老朽したこれらの部屋のひと月の間代は三十ドル前後で、住んでいる人はもちろん華人系に限られ、しかも船員・店員・工員・運転手など主として肉体労働にたずさわる人びとと、いわゆる水商売関係の女性などが多いということだ」
「――わたしが書物や古老の談話などから得た知識によるなら、シンガポールにおける日本人娼婦の第一号は、明治初年にシンガポールで夫のイギリス人が死んだため生活の方途を失った日本人妻だとも言われ、また明治四年にシンガポールへ上陸した横浜生まれのお豊という女性であるとも言われている。このほかにもまだ、黒髪を切り男装してシンガポールへ渡って来たおヤスという女性が最初だとか、サーカス団の一員としてシンガポールに来てそのまま帰らなかった通称＜伝多の婆さん＞が嚆矢だとかいった説もあるが、いずれにせよ明治期も非常に早い頃からからゆきさんの歴史ははじまっていると言わなくてはならない。そして西郷隆盛が鹿児島で死んだ明治十年に、早くもマレー街に二軒の日本人娼館が建ったのを手はじめとして、年を追って日本人娼館はふえてゆき、明治二十年にはからゆきさんの数およそ百人、明治三十五年には娼館八十三、からゆきさん六百十一人、日露戦争の勃発した明治三十七年には娼館百一、からゆきさん九百二人というぐあいに急増して行ったのである」

貧困と性差別を根底の原因とした海外売春だったが、平成も20年を過ぎた今、日本国内では少女によるフリーランス売春がめずらしくない。数年前だったか、「貧困を理由としない売春が存在するのは日本だけ」と言った人がいたはず。女性史にとってどういう意味を持つのだろうか。

*

金曜日が祝日だったため３週間通訳の最終日となった木曜日の夜、「ヴァカ社長」の姿を運悪く見た。そして翌金曜日の午後、その社長と一時期、抜き差しならぬ間柄にあり、自分にとっては社長同様に忌み嫌いたい女性から電話があった。わざわざうちの電話番号を人に確認してまでの連絡だったが、偶然なのか。その話の内容は、政治史を中途半端にかじった人の戯言のように聞こえた。

Hatoyama Considers No Career Change + Karayuki-san

ずいぶん書かなかった間のことだが、鳩山前首相が引退発言から大幅に後退した。驚かないが、ずいぶんと人を落胆させる政治家だなぁ。在任中の泳ぐ目線と説得力のなさはともかく、この人から真っ直ぐな潔さがすっかりなくなってしまった。

*

何で今頃と思われるだろうが、山崎朋子の「サンダカン八番娼館」を木曜日夜から読み始め、その「エピローグ」まで進めた。同書によると、「おサキさん」の夫だった北川新太郎は、「明治弐拾九年五月拾八日、京都府紀伊郡深草町字＊＊参拾壱番地」で出生とあり、「深草」の文字に心が騒いだ。次いで、「昭和参十弐年七月弐拾参日午後参時八分、京都市伏見町深草向畑町官有地で死去」とあるではないか！そこはおそらく国立京都病院の住所だろう。

ちょっと先読みして、併録されている「シンガポール花街の跡」を覗くと、
「……さっきまで歩いていたモダンな大通りとちがってそのあたりは、さして広からぬ道をはさんで両側に古びた二、三階の商店がひしめく街―いわゆるチャイナ・タウンであった。そしてわたしがその街の商店看板などのどぎつい色彩に眼を奪われているうち、太田さんはいくつかの街角を指さして、『山崎さん、ここがその昔のステレツですよ――』といったのである」
「ちょうど眼の前が十字路で、道をへだてた向こう側の建物の壁に細長い街路標があったので瞳をこらすと、一方の側のそれには、『MALAY STREET（馬来街）』の文字が、もう一方の側のそれには、『HYLAM STREET』の文字が読めた。わたしは、胸のとどろくのをおさえることができなかった」
1974年に書かれたものだ。「Malay Street」に「Hylam Street」、そして同じ地区にあると記述されている「Malabar Street」。聞き覚えはあるが、「チャイナ・タウン」にあるように思えず、オンライン地図（www.streetdirectory.com）で確認しようとすると、いずれの通りも検索にかからない。それもそのはずで、どれも現在は1995年９月にオープンした「Bugis Junction」内の「屋内標識」でしかお目にかかれない通りなのだ。あの辺りはチャイナタウンの一部とされていたのだろうか。当地の国立図書館のウェブサイト（http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_297_2004-12-20.html）には、「Malay Street」の呼称について「Chinese: Jit-pun koi (Hokkien), meaning "Japanese Street", referring to the Japanese prostitutes on this street. Yat pun chai kai (Cantonese), meaning "Japanese brothel street"」との記述がある。
「おサキさん」が北ボルネオのサンダカンへ渡ってから90年ほど経過している今でも、人種や出身国の構成が変化しただけで出稼ぎ売春はなくなっていない。

Deep Cut

昨日の夜、買ったばかりのナイフを使った後、洗おうとして左手人差し指をグサっと切り込んでしまった。かなりひどい。ズキズキ痛んで、睡眠にも差し支えた。よく寝てないせいで、「イギリス近衛兵の帽子をかぶって眼鏡をかけたイタリア人の男」がベッドの足元先右側にあるドアから刀を持って入ってきた夢を見た。（本当はそんな場所にドアはない。）「なんや、ナンヤ、何や！」と寝言で叫んで目が覚めた。関西弁で叫んだのが救いか。キズはまだ閉じてなくて、絆創膏に血がにじむ。タイプもつらい。

Rakugo Zanmai & Zappa Dream

おとといの夜、「ニコニコ動画」で桂米朝の「七度狐」「不精の代参」「植木屋娘」「風の神送り」「肝つぶし」、今日は「鹿政談」「貧乏花見」「近目の煮売屋」「親子茶屋」を楽しんだ。昨日の夜はCCにいた。

また昨日の朝は、Frank Zappaがメンバーと大阪平野区のバーで演奏している夢を見た。バーの客には、見覚えはないけど英会話学校の生徒だった人が数人かいて、「何年か振りでみんなと会うことにしたんです」。メンバーは演奏後に客といっしょに気楽に酒を飲んでいた。どうやら話しかけたようだが、よく覚えてない。

No Eulogy from Nomura-san

大沢啓二元ロッテ・オリオンズ／日本ハム・ファイターズ監督が亡くなった。各紙はいろいろと談話を掲載しているが、ノムラさんの言葉を載せている紙面は見当たらず。やっぱりなぁ。

*

産経電子版によると、菅首相が６日の衆院本会議で、「在日外国人が党員となるのは、わが党だけが採用しているものではないが、議論があることも承知している。党内で検討していきたい」と答えたと報じているが、それならそれで、どの他の政党が外国人を党員としているのか明記してほしかった。首相もそれを指摘してもよかったのではないだろうか。

Hatoyama Should Go

首相を辞めたら政界引退とまで言っていた鳩山由紀夫氏だが、友愛の精神を忘れたかのように、自らの失策の結果として誕生した現政権に対する批判がうるさい。「地域主権」と「新しい公共」という政策課題が「一丁目一番地が三丁目の夕日になった」とか、中国漁船船長の逮捕と釈放については「私なら温家宝首相とホットラインで話せた」など。「国民のみなはん」に「思い」を長々と意味不明の語句を羅列して話し、目線の泳いだぶらさがり会見やしどろもどろに近い沖縄県知事へのあいさつが深く印象づけられている。小生のこの人への信用はすでに消滅している。当初の思い通り、引退されるべきだろう。これ以上にうるさくなると嘲笑の対象としての存在がさらに大きくなる。みなはんを再び裏切ってはいかん。

*

"Years of Upheaval": The Nixon Administration is in disarray over how to approach the Soviets in its negotiations for SALT II partly because Nixon is beside himself over the Watergate scandal, which is about to explode.

Kyo no Chazuke & Nagatanien

１年にわたって「京の茶漬」（桂米朝）を繰り返し見たせいで、とうとう永谷園の「お茶づけ海苔」と「さけ茶づけ」を買ってしまった。「お茶がよろしいなぁ」とも、まともな漬物が見つからない当地なので「お漬もんは京都でやす」とはうらやましいが、まぁしゃあないか。チューブわさびをちょっと入れて、ごはんにしよう。「飾りのない普通の」和食をカネをかけずに食いたい……。でまた、「YouTube」に「味の招待席」をアップロードしてくれた人がいて、うれしいような情けないような、何とかしてくれ～という気分。

The Persistent Image: Is It My Own Fault?

I had to get up early today to meet someone from Tokyo at 7:00 am at a Bencoolen hotel lobby. As often happens, I couldn’t sleep because I was already thinking about waking up when I was trying to sleep. In this state, the recently persistent image came back, making putting myself to sleep even more difficult. At the same time, I know that some part of me was actively trying to remember what it looks like. The image which I’m not sure what I should call is troubling me. Or more likely I’m giving trouble to it. I’m old enough to know better.

It appears I have almost recovered my health though feeling some throat irritation.

Feeling Weak

Last Saturday night, I visited one of the clinics around Tiong Bahru MRT station, which was open. I got my nose blocked and runny at the same time (though my nose cannot even walk) and my throat was quite irritating. I was sneezing too. After half an hour of waiting, I met the doctor, who, after rather cursory questions, temp measurement (“36.9, no fever”) and throat examination, prescribed two kinds of tablets for my blocked and runny nose and lozenges for the throat. It was only a matter of a few minutes. Yesterday, I was not feeling very well still. I decided to reinforce the effect of medication with Panadol FluMax. It might not be a wise decision considering potentially adverse chemical mix, but I couldn’t resist doing so as the tablets given didn’t seem to be working fast enough. Last night with this condition, I had to finish a job and I did. Now my condition seems better though I’m still feeling very weak. 36.9 is a borderline temp as at 37.0 and above one is considered having a fever in my country, but not here where the benchmark is 37.5.

*

At around 6:30 am, Friday (or Saturday: memories are going) and after so many interruptions, I came to the last line of the last page of “White House Years.” In January, 1973, Kissinger concluded the negotiations with Hanoi in Paris to end the war in Vietnam, after a breakthrough in October of the previous year, when the Hanoi government demonstrated its willingness to end the war as rapidly as possible. The subsequent stonewalling and cunning tactics of North Vietnam and South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu’s resistance to an agreement with Hanoi greatly unnerved the whole US negotiating team and President Nixon, who resorted a B-52 Christmas bombing to force the North to come back to serious negotiations. It is easy to forget the fact that Nixon and Kissinger inherited the US escalated involvement in Vietnam, which was started by Eisenhower whose Vice President was Nixon ironically. The Nixon Administration seems to have wanted to get out of Vietnam soon in a way that could preserve the honour of America. A near certain fund cutoff by the new Congress strengthened the resolve.

In the second volume, “Years of Upheaval,” Kissinger visits Hanoi, a distressing experience for him. It was clear that, only two weeks after the signing of the Agreement, the North was violating its major clauses. The issues of the neutrality of Laos and Cambodia and the troop withdrawals by North Vietnam from these countries remained unresolved.

Mid West Towns in Taiwan

朝日新聞電子版に掲載中の「クリックディープ旅」（台湾編）に、「僕らもこの電車に２時間乗って嘉義（かぎ）、さらに１時間乗って彰化（しょうか）に着いた」「翌朝戻った彰化駅にもセブン―イレブン。つい入ってしまう」とあった。彰化は2000年初めに２カ月滞在した町だし、嘉義（そして員林）もなじみ深い。彰化駅には、便利商店セブン―イレブンか……。町もずいぶんと変わったことだろう。員林駅前の「黒猫」はまだあるだろうか。

A Job Completed, Visa Renewal and My "Lovely" Vein

On Friday, the 3-week interpretation job completed. Unexpectedly, the last day was the hardest as the explanation continued for an hour and a half. Having said so, the training has been very informative.

*

Because of mismanagement by my accountancy and possibly by MOM that apparently did not acknowledge my original application on 30 July, the process for my visa renewal was delayed. It was finally approved, in principle pending the result of medical exam, on 30 August, three days before the expiry date. On the early morning of 31th, I went to a blood test and chest X-ray before going to the client’s training centre. Again, on the early morning, I picked up the exam result and went on to the Employment Pass Service Centre to submit the in-principle approval letter and the result. A good thing is that it is going to be a 3-year visa this time.

The doctor looking at my vein: “Lovely”
Some years ago, at another clinic, “beautiful” was the adjective for my vein.

Shameless Hatoyama & Yamamoto Kotetsu Dies

鳩山前首相が目立つ。会見で目線の定まらなかった首相在任中とは違って、自信さえ見える。しかし、党代表選をめぐる行動は容易に理解できない。首相を辞めたら引退するという公言も怪しいし、期待を大きく裏切ったこの人こそ静かにしていてほしい。

*

山本小鉄が亡くなった。あんなに元気な人もなかったのに。格闘技人の寿命は長くない。

An Powerful Image That Kept Me Up

An image kept me up most of the night, though I came back drunk after the first day of the interpretation weeks. It was an image that is so nice and, at one and the same time, blush-making. I’ve become an old man.

*

悠仁親王がご訪問になった国立科学博物館でムササビに関心をお示しのようで、これって子供の頃の小生といっしょやん。それから、秋篠宮殿下が白髪を染めてる。

Et Cetera

おとといの朝方やったか、腰あたりまで葦のある川岸が前にあるうちから外を見ていた。その岸には、閉店が決まっている河原町阪急（住友不動産ビル）の仕事でいっしょやったダイモン君がテカテカ光る赤い「Phillies」と胸に書いたジャンパーを着て立っていた。よう見ると、部屋のすぐ外にあるベランダには袋分けされたゴミがいっぱいだった。

*

金曜の午後、当地の最大手通信会社を通訳として訪れた。先方担当者がコンテンツ開発の技術担当でその分野しか答えられず、経営戦略などについては公開されている情報にとどまってちょっと残念やった。その後、オーチャードを歩いていると、世界初の「ユース・オリンピック」の聖火リレーに出くわした。

*

昨日の晩は出かけるつもりやったんやが、落語の誘惑が強すぎた。「はてなの茶碗」「京の茶漬け」「けんげしゃ茶屋」で過ごした。また今日は、「たちぎれ線香」（米朝）と「天王寺詣り」（文枝）「不動坊」（吉朝）を楽しんだ。上方落語の言葉遣いが小さい頃を思い出させるし、やっぱり着物もええなぁ。

明日から３週間通訳の開始。

Sankei Calls Koizumi a Dove

朝鮮併合100年にあたって発表された菅首相の談話について、産経電子版「自民苦しい抗議　過去の談話の呪縛なお」が、宮沢政権の河野談話（平成５年）、自社さ政権による村山談話（平成７年）、戦後60年に発表された小泉談話（平成17年）を例にして、「つまり『反省とおわび』はむしろ自民党ハト派のお家芸だったわけだ」と述べている。小泉政権をハト派なんて呼ぶのは、この記事を書いた人ぐらいだろう。

"White House Years" Restarted

I restarted “White House Years” by Henry A. Kissinger some weeks ago when I finished “Words and Rules” by Steven Pinker. In July, 1971, Kissinger, as Nixon’s national security adviser and with great help from Pakistan, made a secret trip to the People’s Republic of China, the first visit by any US government official, which led to Richard Nixon’s visit there in February the following year. In the meantime, Kissinger dealt with the war between India and its ally, Pakistan, which was to lose its Eastern part. After North Vietnam began its major offensive and the US started bombings on the North, Kissinger visited Moscow secretly in April, 1972, to meet General Secretary Brezhnev to prepare a summit meeting, to advance the SALT talks and to engage the Soviet Union in US effort to solve the war in Vietnam. These cases of back channel diplomacy were necessary because of infighting between the White House and government departments, especially State and its Secretary Rogers and to avoid information leaks. Kissinger says that he is not an advocate of secret channels.

Obnoxious Personality

“人間的におかしい.” No doubt it's a strong statement that I rarely hear and, as far as I remember, I have never uttered about anyone. But this is how A described the character of B. It’s been some time since I myself started feeling something obnoxious about B’s behaviour. As damning is another statement of A’s, “（彼は）媚びる.” I’ve noticed such a disposition of B’s. And the knowledge B seems happy to exhibit is often laughably superficial, to the extent that I, out of courtesy and maybe friendship, am forced to go along not to make him embarrassed. Unless B becomes aware of these and attempt to rectify his behaviour, he will only vitiate his own self further.

*

東京上空の「遊覧飛行」は、どこか１カ所を観光したい、させたいと金賢姫元工作員本人と韓国側から要請があったからだという、中井洽拉致問題担当相の発言を、読売電子版によると韓国政府が否定している 。どっちかが正直ではないということだ。また、賢姫さんが「『（拉致された）横田めぐみさんと田口八重子さんが生きている』とはっきりお答えいただいた。」という同相の発言（朝日電子版）も、賢姫さんが爆破事件以降は北朝鮮に戻っていないことから、どこまで現実を言い表しているものかわからない。だからと言って、彼女の来日が無意味だったというものではない。拉致被害者の家族は、どんなに古いものであっても直接情報は貴重なものだろうから。

*

I received a late night call from Kyoto yesterday. For about 45 years, I’ve been trying to make sense of all. But she has never shown faculty to listen to me and come to terms of any part of all. It’s hopeless.

British Author Arrested

イギリス人作家が逮捕された。出版した著作で司法制度を侮辱した容疑。この国の面目躍如だ。「Yahoo! Singapore」には、「よその国のことにクビを突っ込むな」というコメントも見られるが、「Sea Sheppard」のような活動家ならともかく、物書きを生業とする人に国境なんて関係ない。

*

一方、日本では、首相である党代表が会えない前幹事長ってどんな人？

Feeling Down, a Dangerous Sign

After a party night, feeling down with no appetite. A day has been wasted. I do hope this will be severed by tonight’s sleep.

*

プロ野球ユニフォーム、何とかならんかな。あの引きずるようなパンツ。キリっとしたストッキングはそれ自体が美しいデザインなのに。そして、楽しもうと思っていた「ESPN」のMLB中継が見当たらない。番組表を確認するほどの意欲もないが、開幕直後以降、お目にかからない。次はプレーオフとワールドシリーズになるのか。

Those Who Couldn't Make It to Upper House

30数年前の「奥様は18歳（ママはライバル）」も「飛んでイスタンブール」もダメだったし、自分自身より「長嶋さん」を強調してもダメだった。当たり前やろ！こんなんを売りもんにして国会議員になろうなんて、出馬をすすめた人たちと合わせて見識を疑わざるを得ない。

"Rakuda" DVD

「らくだ」の全編ＤＶＤはないのかなぁ。もちろん上方で。米朝ＤＶＤは、この長い噺の前半だけと言ってもいいし、全編の松鶴版は音だけ。

What a Strange Country Japan Is

参議院選挙が迫っている。突如として消費税率の引き上げが争点となって、年金改革や前政権が投げ出した普天間基地の移設問題が忘れ去られているようにみえる。

産経電子版は、仙谷官房長官が韓国政府による個人補償の請求権放棄について、「～『法律的に正当性があると言って、それだけで物事は済むのか。（日韓関係の）改善方向に向けて政治的な方針を作り、判断をしなければいけないという案件もあるのではないかという話もある』と述べ、政府として新たに個人補償を検討していく考えを示した。
仙谷氏はまた、日韓基本条約を締結した当時の韓国が朴正煕大統領の軍政下にあったことを指摘し、『韓国国内の事柄としてわれわれは一切知らんということが言えるのかどうなのか』と強調」と報道している。

法律を基礎にせずにどうしようというのか？この人は法律を作ることを仕事にしている国会議員ではないのか？こんなことを認めたら、世界中から補償を求める声が止まらなくなるだろう。軍政下が問題なら、中国共産党による一党独裁の中華人民共和国との法律的取り決めはどうなるのか？「韓国国内の事柄としてわれわれは一切知らんということが言えるのかどうなのか」って、あからさまな内政干渉ではないか。消費税率の引き上げを言い出し、国民への負担増を求めながら、外国人に対する生活保護支出を行い続け、はたまた法律で決着している個人補償にかかる費用負担を検討するなどということが許されるのか。こんな国、他にあるか？

"Words and Rules" Found

Yesterday, being in downtown after an interpretation work in Kallang, I found “Words and Rules” by Steven Pinker at Kinokuniya. I had been looking for this book for a few months unsuccessfully. At the bookstore, I only looked at the psychology shelves because other books by him were all there. This time, I used the in-store search engine to look for the title and located it at its linguistics section. I wanted to read it before “The Blank Slate,” which I finished this afternoon.

*

相撲協会の陸奥生活指導部長（元大関霧島）が賭けゴルフと花札賭博にかかわっていたことを認めたそうだ。産経電子版は、陸奥親方が「いずれも千円から２千円程度を仲間内で賭けたと主張している」と報じている。だが、「主張している」を使うのは行動が正当だと言いたい場合についてであって、「悪いことはしていましたがわずかな金額の賭けだったんです」なんていう言い訳には使わんだろう。情けない。

そして、週刊誌報道をきっかけにした今回の調査に何か「今さら……」という気がしてならない。同じことをやっていても、すでに引退した力士や退職した親方は、お咎めなしだ。

"Worst Than Ever Before" -- That's Really Bad

Reporting the flood of yesterday, the website of Channel NewsAsia quotes a shop managing director in the Orchard area as saying, “worst than ever before.” I say to the manager, Go back to school and learn English from scratch. Even Japanese high school kids can detect and correct the mistake.

"Differnet Personalities" Lead to Divorce Here + Orchard Flood

The article of Channel NewsAsia on divorce cases today says, “A higher proportion of males (29 per cent) than females (8.7 per cent) petitioned on the ground of ‘Personality difference.’” If you want the “same personality” in your spouse, marry yourself.

*

The intersection of Orchard and Scotts got flooded this morning. It was quite dark this morning and I thought it was still before dawn. To me, before dawn means night, no matter what time it is. By the time I was out of bed, the rain subsided substantially and it was only a drizzle here. And when I learned about the flood, it was like “Heavy rain and flood? What flood?”

Bug Extermination Campaign & "你来、你来"

I’ve embarked on a dry-up campaign here to kill the book bugs as they love humidity. But what’s funny is that the air-conditioner when it is set to “Dry” seem to push down the temperature lower than when set to “Cool” though the selected temperature is the same or above. Or at least my body feels that way.

*

Early morning, I had trouble sleeping because of shouts of drunken people outside. I even heard a woman’s voice saying “ni lai, ni lai (你来、你来)” apparently to invite a man to her unit. I guess the woman was one of my neighbours who seemed to manage to pay the rent and is continuing to stay here.

Amateur Editor, "JA Post-O Pre-Q" and Book Bugs

It has been an irritating day. Since last night, I have tried to avert attempts to edit my work as I believe the person cannot be considered a pro. What’s worse, when I objected, he suggested consulting “local” people. Nothing could be worse than that! I know the English proficiency of the “locals” better than most people. Eventually, I gave up realizing the futility to convince him otherwise.

And this afternoon, three PDF files arrived for another work. The name of each one of them contained “ja* (after o and before q)-eng.” The parent company of the original sender is a huge U.S. organization. Is her company not educating its staff not to offend customers, colleagues, business partners, etc.?

*

For the past fortnight or so, I see “book bugs” enjoying themselves on my bookshelves. They don’t make serious damages to the books but it is not a very good sight to greet them. Wonder if there is any effective way to get rid of them…

"DON’T PAID RENTAL BY MONDAY..."

I found a notice on the door of one of my neighbours that said, “DON’T PAID RENTAL BY MONDAY WE WILL ERASE UR CARD NO. & TRIP UR ELECTRIC. TKS U.” This is the neighbour who used to live with her son at the unit. The “CARD” seems to refer to the number of the security card assigned to her that is required to enter the building. The message is written in almost the worst Singapore-style English. Why does it have to be written in English when it is done in a very terrible way? Would it be admitted as a piece of evidence should it become a court case? The tenant may say, “I have seen the message but I couldn’t figure out what it meant because it was written in such an unintelligible way. So I ignored it.”

Miserable Language of Departing PM

昨日の民主党両院議員総会で鳩山首相が、「私自身もこの職を引かせていただく」「幹事長の職を引いていただきたい」「壁にWe are the one。我々は一つだと標語が掲げられていた」と上ずった口調で話していた。
「職を引く」なんて日本語があるのか。「職から身を引く」ならわかるが。「We are one」ではなく、「We are the one(s)」なんだから、「我々は一つ」ではなく、「自分たちが主役だ」などの意味だろう。この人、本当に「すたんふぉ～どダイガク」なんだろうか。奇妙極まりない敬語を使いながら、このような語句の誤用をやらかす。前任者は漢字が読めないとさんざん批判されたのに、マスコミは何で見逃してきたのだろう。「loopy」の意味が何だとくだらん話をしているマスコミ自体の言語に対する無知を反映しているような気がする。

Two Starkly Different Meetings

Afternoon of the 26th, when I was walking in Millennium Walk after depositing some cheques at the bank, I received a call from AL. We quickly set up a “Brewerkz” beer session for that evening. It was nice to see him again exactly a year after we worked together in Tokyo. We updated each other and had a nice talk, the kind of talk that is almost impossible to have with my country folks. Two "decent" Filipino women joined us, which made the night even more enjoyable. I appreciate that he contacted me.

*

The following day, I had a meeting at the office of my newest client to sort out the culinary confusion. Though the author of the recipes was a nice middle-aged woman, it seems to me she is unable to talk logically without digressions. She said, “For the dozen years I’ve been here, I’ve visited only Isetan, Meidi-ya (formerly Daimaru), Takashimaya and Japanese school.” Such a person! The contrast was stark with the stories AL and I shared with each other. All points should have been clarified at the meeting, but not very surprisingly I found a few other inconsistencies after the talk, which I managed to solve, thus saved time. I delivered the translated recipes today.

It's Not Been a Very Nice Night and Day

It was a bad night’s sleep. Still unable to sleep, about two hours after I turned out the bedside light, I turned it on again for some more reading. And at around 5 am, I waked up to a mechanical noise and thought that an early morning cabling work had started. But realising it was too early for that, I went to the window and found a bus driver crossing from the other side of Neil Road to his Malaysia-looking bus parked in front of this apartment. Apparently he was coming back from an outdoor urination session. The bus was empty and it seemed he had decided to stay and possibly sleep there with the engine running. I couldn’t stand the engine sound and went out in my pajamas to tell him to fuck off.

Back in bed, I was woken up this time with my own snoring right when I was falling into sleep. It happened a few times and, at the same time I was feeling a bit sick with a sore throat and irritation in the nasal passage.

I knew that it was not that “bad infection” I’m very familiar with. Regardless, I wanted to crush this ominously growing sickness preemptively. With little sleep and though there is some distance from here to his clinic, I decided to go see Dr. G who should know my condition very well. I didn’t have to give my name, the nurse remembered me. It’s been almost a decade since I first visited there. I hope I will feel much better tomorrow.

Damaged "Gurrelieder" CDs & Pig's Legs up Your Cunt

I found another damaged 2-CD set, “Gurrelieder,” last night. I bought it in Kyoto who knows when. The set, an import from West Germany, was priced at ¥8,000. Back then, a CD cost ¥4,200. After my first attempt, I have no trust in the repair kit.

*

Steven Pinker mentions this Japanese imprecation in page 354 of “The Stuff of Thought”: I’ll stick a pig’s leg up your cunt until your back teeth rattle. I’ve never heard of it. I should know the original Japanese version of it.

*

The Tanjong Pagar station of the Malay Railway (KTM) is to be moved to Woodlands by July next year though the station itself will be preserved as a historic site. This is a big removal of the presence of Malaysia from Singapore.

*

ラッシャー木村が亡くなった。

Prime Ministrial Cul de Sac

米軍の普天間飛行場移設問題は、60年安保改定を巡る大騒動のように発展するかもしれない。結末も同じに。首相は、アメリカとの交渉で何とか仕上げた案を国内の圧倒的反対を押し切って実現させた後、辞職するというものだ。しかし、この移設はどのような法的手続きが必要なのだろうか。安保条約には、基地の設置場所まで具体的に規定しているのだろうか。そうだとすると、外国と結んでいる条約の内容を変更するには、新たな批准が必要なのだろうか。

それにしても、日本国の国民感情は60年安保当時と変わっていないようだ。米軍を歓迎するのは米兵相手の売春婦ぐらいで、基地受け入れに前向きな都道府県はひとつもない。そしてそのことをアメリカに言えない政府。アメリカが納得して全基地を撤去したら、浮かれている場合じゃないのに、自衛隊増強などの代替を背負う覚悟のない国民。日本版「NIMBY」か。

「Pidgin English」を「Pigeon English」だと思って、「鳩の英語だな」などと、ときどきおかしなことを言う東京都知事が指摘するように、米軍だって日本のどこでもいいから駐留したいわけではない。北東アジアの軍事的安定とアメリカの世界戦略にとって、沖縄が今でも極めて重要であることに変わりない。首相は強行突破するのか、それとも不可能とわかっていながら、説得するふりをして時間だけを経過させるのか。

Chomsky Denied Entry to West Bank

It is an unbelievable PR blunder of Israel to stop a person, none other than Noam Chomsky, at its West Bank checkpoint that borders with Jordan. The following reports are from Al Jazeera and the BBC.

Israel stops US academic at border (Al Jazeera)
Noam Chomsky, a renowned Jewish-American scholar and political activist, has been barred from entering the West Bank.
Chomsky was denied entry by Israeli immigration officials as he attempted to cross the Allenby Bridge from Jordan on Sunday.
The linguistics professor, who frequently speaks out against Israeli policy in the occupied Palestinian territories, had been scheduled to give a lecture at Birzeit University in the West Bank.
"I entered with my daughter and two friends who we met in Amman the day before," he told Al Jazeera.
"After several hours of waiting and multiple interrogations our two friends were permitted entry and my daughter and I were informed that we were denied entry after much discussion indirectly with the interior ministry."

Chomsky said the border officials were "very polite" as they "transmitted inquiries from the [Israeli] ministry of the interior".

He said that he believed he was denied entry was for two reasons.

"The government does not like the kind of things I say which puts them into the category of every other government in the world," he said.
"The second was that they seemed upset about the fact that I was taking an invitation from Birzeit and I had no plans of speaking to any Israeli universities as I've done many times in the past, but not this time."

'Misunderstanding'

However, a spokeswoman at the Israeli interior ministry, which controls the country's borders, said Chomsky had not been allowed to cross the border due to misunderstanding.

She said officials were trying to get clearance from the Israeli military, which controls access to the West Bank to allow Chomsky to enter.
"We are trying to contact the military to clear things up and if they have no objection we see no reason why he should not be allowed in," Sabine Hadad told the Reuters news agency.
Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian MP who had invited Chomsky to speak at the university's philosophy department, said the scholar had been detained at the border for five hours.
"This act shows the nature of the Israeli government that is against freedom of speech, particularly from such a noted international figure like Chomsky," Barghouti said.
Chomsky, 81, is a professor of linguistics at the US Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has frequently spoken out against Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.

Israel denies US academic Chomsky West Bank entry (BBC)
Renowned US scholar Noam Chomsky has been denied entry to the West Bank by Israeli immigration officials.
Prof Chomsky, renowned for his work on linguistics and philosophy, was planning to deliver a lecture at Birzeit University.
Prof Chomsky, 82, had been trying to enter from Jordan.
An Israeli interior ministry spokeswoman said it was to trying to clear the matter up and allow Prof Chomsky to enter.
Prof Chomsky said the officials were very polite but he was denied entry because "the government did not like the kinds of things I say and they did not like that I was only talking at Birzeit and not at an Israeli university too."
He added: "I asked them if they could find any government in the world that likes the things I say."
Prof Chomsky's Palestinian host for the visit, Mustafa al-Barghouti, told Reuters: "This decision is a fascist action, amounting to suppression of freedom of expression."
The interior ministry spokeswoman, Sabine Hadad, said: "We are trying to contact the military to clear things up and if they have no objection we see no reason why he should not be allowed in."
Prof Chomsky has frequently spoken out against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

*

Some days ago, I found myself in another uncomfortable state. The reason was the same that distressed me a few months ago. He was boastful vacuously about something that clearly belongs to my own field, when it is broadly defined. Apparently, he was trying to present himself as someone that is larger than who he actually is. He may have a success in doing so with people who have only a scant background of the subject as he may have with the people who were also there, but not with me. That he brought up the topic again when I was with him, who should be aware of my occupational knowledge, seems that he tries to compete with me at my own game. No chance and so cheap, man. Is this a reflection of his inferior complex?

*

There must be something wrong with online connection. I see “Problem loading Page: Server not found” repeatedly and when pages can be loaded, it takes so long. I have searched many sites, when they could be accessed, but I still cannot figure out if this happens because of the computer, the provider or the browser.

1973 Lions!

西武ライオンズが復刻ユニフォームを正式発表した。太平洋クラブの初代ユニフォーム４種のうちのひとつで、最も使用機会が少なかったモデル！先日の報道では「ワインレッド」などと書いていたので、実際には濃いピンクだったのに「ワインレッド」と形容された昭和51年モデルだと思った。ただ、会見でヒガシオさんは「当時は山賊打線」と言われていたと語っているが、「山賊打線」は江藤監督になった昭和50年の話。ヒガシオさんもはっきり覚えていない昔となってしまったのか。

This Tough Feeling & Those Impossible People

This should have been a happy day for me with a new client introduced and only a small document to finish. Then I received two calls tonight, third and fourth counting from the one on 28th last month, which compelled me to feel like quitting... The first call of today was incredible as it seemed to display the deterioration of her mental capacity. When I corrected her, she was incredulous, deeply confused believing her memories were going. I asked her to check her dairy to see what she had written on the day. After about an hour, the second call came. She did check her dairy and found in an entry exactly what she had believed and told me, wrongly. She blamed the tranquilizer tablets her doc has been prescribing for this hallucinating episode. Nobody can be sure of anything at this moment, but when I imagine the kind of feeling someone close to me should have realizing her mind is not functioning, it’s tough. And my own feeling is one of confusion and fondness.

*

This afternoon, I was looking for my letters a local paper had published some years ago, not to show my views on anything but somehow to prove how I write, because some pieces of my work were requested. I learned that the paper’s archive keeps its articles only for 30 days. And it ridiculously calls it an archive. Filing is the better word. But I managed to find a letter in whole and a part of another. The other two seem to be forever gone. I found a message board for homosexuals in Singapore that reprinted the whole letter, which was about what I saw at the old Ford Factory. A few people submitted their comments and all of them were rich in an anti-Japanese tone. I can reply in kind. One of the people mentioned that he (she?) would never set foot in any Japanese restaurant. Very fine. Many of those establishments are under non-Japanese management. So you are not avoiding something really Japanese but damaging your country’s business. Very fine, if you want to have absolutely nothing even remotely connected to Japanese in any sense. Do not use water for whatever reason that is recycled using any kind of purifying technology originated in Japan. Do not use any appliance or machinery that contains any part designed and/or manufactured by a Japanese company.Do not believe in your military forces that may include someone who went through training with the SDFJ. Do not go to Takashimaya. Do not feel victorious at Japan’s defeat. Singapore was a COLONY that was still occupied by Japan at the end of the war. What’s happening with the history education HERE?

Another Working Day & Seibu Revives Taiheiyo Club Jersey

今日の仕事もつらかった～。

*

西武ライオンズ。今年の復刻ユニフォームは太平洋クラブ時代最後のものらしい。まさか腹番号はやらんだろうが、期待したい。

A Big Task Done & Bitchy Interpreters

I finished a big task yesterday. I may receive a notice soon for another document to submit. But with no good reason, I don’t think it will be required. It takes some weeks to see if the road ahead is clear or blocked.

*

I was reviewing the talk I had last Wednesday, which reinforced my ideas about those “I feel so good because I can speak English better than you” interpreters. They don’t care about the type of work the situations call for. I still believe that so-called simultaneous interpretation is not appropriate where the interpreter, the speaker and the listeners are present in the same room without any barrier of sound. It only annoys the listeners and maybe the speaker too. Just imagine a situation where two different languages are being spoken almost at the same time and how your head processes the information. I found that an interpreter said No to the request not to do simultaneous word-by-word as it was irritating the listener. Which means she was not meeting the need of the client. And interpreters like her, almost all female, don’t care because they can speak English better than you. Bitches, I don’t want to share the same plane with you.

*

Slow online connection is causing inconveniences.

Still Tired

日本から人を迎えて、昨日久しぶりに酒宴。深酒してしまって、帰宅の記憶がない。今日は夕方まで気力なし。もっと食べればよかったなどとも思っている。

*

いつだったか、先日見た夢のことをもう少し思い出した。マリさんは、ヨーロッパの通信社（AFP？）から講演の依頼を受けていて、６～７センチほどに重ねられた講演資料を抱えていた。自分は「片面印刷だろうな」と思っていた。

*

昨夜の酒のせいだけではなく、最近どうも疲れがとれない。体がだるいというのか、痛いというのか、すっきりしない。暴れていた歯の痛みは消えたが、来週半ばまで仕事が落ち着かない。

*

それから、これもいつだったか、CNAにいた「Richard Lui」がCNNでメキシコ湾の原油流出事故をレポートしているのを見つけた。

Painfully Tired

水曜日から昨日にかけてのひどい気分はかなり改善した。ただ、この翻訳メモリーを使う仕事に納期までの時間の余裕がなくて、昨日の夜、今日と急いだ結果、またもや首と肩が痛い。痛みだけではなく、首の角度によっては背中の下まで神経に触れるような感じ。「休め」という指令だろう。

*

けさの夢にマリさんが登場した。何の話をしていたのか記憶にないが、なぜか親しい間柄で、表面上は元気そうなマリさんの深刻な病状を、同一人物であるはずの別のマリさんに伝えて、ふたりで肩を抱き合うようにして泣いていた。

EXHAUSTION

イライラの激しい、怒りに近い１日だった。元文の内容と言語があまりに稚拙で気分が悪く、また別件には忌み嫌う翻訳メモリーソフトの使用が求められ、おまけにファイルを開くのに手間取るという始末。こういう気分の時は……何をすればいいのだろう。今日がいつなのかもはっきりわからないほどで、午前チェックした産経新聞のウェブサイトが４月30日と示していたので余計に混乱した。

A Wasteful Journey to HMV + A Crap

I tried the disk repair kit I got some weeks ago and it didn’t work. It only created new problems by grinding the disk surface. Before I tried the kit, I had found the same CD at HMV with a different jacket design, which I didn’t want. The original is the best almost always. But given the performance of the kit, I went to the store again today. HMV didn’t have it.

*

A translation job came in this late afternoon. The original PowerPoint material seems to have been done by a large Japanese ad agency. Crap.

*

I think that is a real crap… I feel I’m losing interest in most of the surroundings. They just don’t click. I try to go somewhere and do something to thicken myself, avoiding stuff that I know will bore me to death. If this goes on, I will find myself a deep recluse. Now trying to see all these things in a positive way, not as a way back to Big D.

May I Quit Being Her Son?

Yesterday was the last day of a 3-day customer-service training session for a cosmetics company. For the last few hours, I was crying for more oxygen. Exhausted, I came out of the venue only to be wholly covered with an unbearable level of humidity. Even more tired though, I walked to T.B. through my old neighborhood of Beo Crescent to take MRT to go home.
After two small cans of beer, I decided to fix a simple pasta dinner. When the pasta was almost al dente by my standard, a call came from Japan. Oh no, it depressed me. Though I have been extra careful for using this word, the story was worse than dismaying. I may have to appreciate her honesty, but it was too much. I don’t understand what sort of mind she has in expressing her deep prejudice. Does she think I should agree with her? I must not agree. It profoundly troubled me to find such a prejudice was still alive in the mind of a person to whom I am supposed to feel strong affection. May I quit being her son? And an established pattern is that she changes her heart and mind drastically to disassociate herself from people and organizations that she originally seems to have had favored. “Soka” is an example I will never forget.

*

政府は普天間米軍基地の移設問題をどうするつもりなのか。日本全国に米軍基地、さらに自衛隊基地を居住地域に歓迎する人が何人いるのだろうか。米軍の世界展開に関する戦略や事情にまで考えが及ぶ人が何人いるだろうか。戦後60数年、金儲けに勤しんで、国の安全保障に対する教育や学習を怠ってきたひとつの結果が現状なのではないだろうか。今後も沖縄県の負担軽減という背景から、普天間問題に類似する事態は起こり得るというのに、安保条約と他国軍駐留の是非を問おうという姿勢は、共産党を除いて見ることができない。すっかり解決済みのように扱われている自衛隊の存在とその法的位置についても同様のようだ。一時、高まったようだった９条改正論議はどうなったのか？現政権で言うなら、その一部となっている社民党の主張が政権内野党のようで特に醜い。潔く、共産党のように、他国軍駐留の義務や負担など必要ないと言ってみろ！安保政策への影響力は限りなくゼロに近かったが、石橋、飛鳥田という両社会党委員長がなつかしいと思わせる。

Japanese Language, a la Hatoyama

政治家にとっては、「ある意味」言葉がその人の「思い」を表す命のはずなのに、首相の言葉には魅力を感じるどころか、潔さの欠如があらわになる場合が多い。今日も普天間基地移転に関する岡田外相と駐日米大使の会談を報じたワシントン・ポスト紙の記事について、いったん「この報道は事実ではありません」と言いながら、「必ずしも事実ではない、ということであります」と「必ずしも」の条件をつける（朝日電子版）。本当のところ「一部は正しい、しかし全面否定したい。それができない」という「思い」を表現する意図が透けて見える。そして、このような度重なる言語のいい加減さが信頼を損ねることになる。この才能あるだろう人は職業を間違えたのではないか。

“Bincud, Bincud. Inside Egg One”

Today at “Kopitiam” of SGH, a Malay couple was asking, “What kind of tofu?” The auntie answered, “Bincud, bincud. Inside egg one.” One egg or two eggs, I don’t care. I just hate this kind of tofu language.

Old Age Worries Give Me a Sleepless Night

Last night, I was looking for a date or a month of some years ago to fill out an application form. Because I could find no record especially as the original doc. files of my diary are no more, I decided to delve into the blog. It took me at least an hour to find it. And while searching it, I had to read some lines of the old entries. I felt ashamed of grammatical errors and bad syntax, but more than that, many of them were cries of desperation and cries for help. I was in the midst of another episode of depression. I don't know if those caused it, but in bed, worries overwhelmed me. Worries about old age. For how many more years can I work? How long can I sustain my business? And how can I save enough money? Saving enough money takes many years and how much of business can I get for how many years? And no amount of money can be enough, to be sure. My head was filled with many big $ signs. And I got out of bed to punch the calculator. How ridiculous. I managed to put myself to sleep after jungle birds started their morning calls.

*

スポニチ電子版「日めくりプロ野球」に４月13日掲載の「話 が違う…台湾球界の星・高英傑　すったもんだの末に残留」で、「クリス・メイ」の誤記を発見。「カルロス・メイ（Carlos May）」やろ！当時を知らん若者記者が物知り顔で書いたに違いない。 この欄、懐かしい写真が見られてよかったのに、最近は写真掲載がど～んと減ってしまった。

No Light at the Futemma Tunnel

普天間基地移設問題に出口が見えない。「国民の皆様のため」と言って当選した政治家も、誰も望んでいない他国の軍隊が駐留していることへの疑問は問題にされない。極めて日本的。与党社民党は南太平洋に米軍基地を歓迎する場所を見つけたらしいが、基地をそこに移設させることについてアメリカを説得しようとする気配もない。米軍の撤退を主張しているのは共産党だけだ。期限の来月末までに結論を見出せず、衆院解散、そして総選挙の可能性を指摘する声さえ聞こえてきた。ただ、３月末と同様に「法的に決まっていない」来月末の期限が何の期限なのか、知る人は少ない。

*

共産党つながりだが、米原万里さんの妹のだんなさんが亡くなった。読売電子版には「絶筆は義姉しのぶエッセー」が掲載された。そのエッセーが展示されたのは千葉県市川市で開催中の「米原万里展」。見てみたいが叶わず……。

*

公明・井上幹事長　たちあがれ日本は「参院選に全く影響なし」（産経電子版）
公明党の井上義久幹事長は……「たちあがれ日本」の結党を受け、参院選で公明党が受ける影響について、「全く影響がないといったら言い過ぎかもしれないが、そういう状況とは関係なく党として判断していく」と述べた。

「参院選に全く影響なし」？「言い過ぎかもしれない」て言うてるやろ。

*

昨日、「ESPN」で解説しているボビー・バレンタインを見た。

Dreamy North Korean Movie in Singapore

I haven’t seen the boy, my crying neighbor, for some days now. He does not seem to be staying here anymore though его мама does. Have you abandoned him?

*

After four unhappy nights, I think I slept ok. But the dream of this morning was quite odd as most are. It was a hill over there, colored light green like a pastel drawing and I saw at least one house on the slope, part of which, roof or wall, was painted in the pastel pink. I also saw a railway track much closer to me, left to right or right to left. In this fictional Singapore, I knew there were three railway companies; SMRT (SBS Transit didn’t come to my sub-mind), Keihan Railway (京阪電鉄) and North Korea. Miss Shimizu and I decided to go for a North Korean movie. Who invited whom for what movie is not clear at all. Inside a lift at an old building, presumably owned by the North Korean government, Miss Shimizu pressed “60.” Oh it is a high-rise. I don’t think the dream showed any part of this film we went to see. In a moment, I was at a market, perhaps inside the cinema, that sells drinks and snacks for movie goers. The market was the type I visited in Phnom Penh but much smaller. I bought a cold drink (I asked for a specific type of drink in Korean) from an auntie who manned the shop. Later, I was with my former boss and colleagues who, among other things, was evaluating my performance. The performance card said in Japanese, “Able to handle 'TODAY'” is a plus. Unwilling to act on his own, blah blah blah.”

Calm Down, Mr. Brain

Three days in a row, I had bad night’s sleep. First two nights, I saw similar dreams in which a few of long-lost friends appeared. Though many details evaporated, I remember that a disappeared couple was on a large and color notice board with their photo. And I exclaimed “I’ve just met them!” Last night, I barely slept as my active brain was revising the current work with help from “Sin and Syntax.” But it was not in any dream that I met Steven Pinker in the book. I have committed some of the Cardinal Sins, especially of Dangling Participle. I used to be quite strict about this rule, but it seems that at some point I started to be affected by bad writing by others. No more sins of this kind.

Sinful Syntax

Right after “Musicophilia,” last night in bed I started “Sin and Syntax” by Constance Hale. I intended to read it leisurely, but into about 30 pages now I found this book funny and dead serious. Corporate PR people who spew out sentences that contain too much sugar should read this to realize what sort of garbage they are producing every day. And the book reassures me that I’m on the right track to try to follow what George Orwell said about writing. Thesauruses are useful but more often than not, I refer to one, it’s like, “Oh no, this is not the one I’m looking for.”

*

Ok, I decided to place one of the boards under the subwoofer and I did so. However this subwoofer is far lighter than I believed. I didn’t feel much gravitational force when I lifted it up. It was so light that I almost lifted myself up!

Williams Syndrome

Though “Musicophilia” did not strike me as strongly as, say, “The Noonday Demon,” I read its last chapter, “Emotion, Identity, and Music” with great interest. Especially, the parts that describe Williams syndrome, which I had never heard of and is truly extraordinary, and what magic music can demonstrate with demented people perhaps at the subcortical level are informative and even emotional.

*

The corrective work of bookcase boards continues. Yesterday one of the five boards under supervision was considered good enough and I put it back to where it should be. But the four others are not in shape yet. I am thinking about placing them under the subwoofer that is probably the heaviest standalone object here.

*

鳩山家の弟が「『舛添要一・前厚生労働相、与謝野馨・元財務相をくっつけるぞ』と言いすぎた。坂本龍馬発言で反発が出た」（読売新聞電子版）。何なんですかねぇ、この人は。見た目とは裏腹に重さが感じられない。そして、ずっと思っているが、同家の兄の話し方がイヤだ。絶句を避けようと何とか言葉をつなげるから、文章が意味不明になりがち。答えたくない内容を話す時には「国民の皆さん」が「国民の皆はん」に聞こえる。そんな場合は目線も焦点が定まらない感じで泳いでいる。1999年の民主党党首選挙を前にして生中継された彼の演説だったと思うが、途中で言いたいことを忘れて真っ白になったような一瞬があり、それまでと語調がはっきりと変化してしどろもどろの状態だった。この人の誠実さを疑うわけではないが、どうも重さが足りない。

*

One of the CDs is damaged. No matter how carefully I clean it, when I play it, the sound skips. I know the same title is still available but with a different jacket design. I want to stick to the original. I should get an “ointment’ that cures disk damages.

A Cloudy Day in Winter

冬の曇り空の下、山間の町を歩いていた。だが、建物は見当たらない。何のために歩いていたのかはわからない。枯れているわけではないが葉のない木々が並び、その枝の間から鉛色の空がのぞき、雨上がりなのか、雪解けなのか、道はぬかるんでいた。「この辺りは昔は墓場だった」と案内役の人が言う。気が付けば高さ1.5メートル、幅50センチほどの薄い構造物が整然と並んでいる。表面に光沢はなく、黒い色をした茶葉様のもので包まれていた。墓石だと解釈した。いつの間にかいっしょに歩いていた女性いて、彼女が「地震だね」と言った。また別の女性はこの土地が墓場だということを知らないのか、「私はここにもう家を建てたから」と言う。確かに和風家屋の縁側が見えた。新築なのか、乱雑さは全くなく、縁側もかなり長いようだった。この縁側から10メートルほどだろうか、斜面があって、その下には舗装された道路が、そしてその向うにはまた葉のない木の山があった。色彩のない白から黒の夢だった。そしてけさ早く、スマトラ島北部南西側の沖で本当にＭ7.7の地震が発生していた。

*

I went out tonight to buy “Russian Adjectives.” I couldn’t find it. I believe I’ve seen a book of this title, but now I’m not so sure. It seems Kinokuniya has more books on Russian than a week ago.

Those Minutes in Bed

The somnolent minutes that go by from the moment I first come to awake and I finally get out of bed are a mystery. It seems many thoughts, feelings and images pass through this half-conscious state. They are different from vivid dreams. Those minutes sometimes last more than an hour. Though those remind me of my depressive days, I let it happen believing they are some phenomenon the brain commands, with good will.

Somewhat related to this, I have about 80 pages to go with “Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain” by Oliver Sacks. Almost all who appear in the book seem gifted, prominent musicians. Like his “The Man Who Mistook His Wife as a Hat,” this is rather an anecdotal collection of cases.

*

先週のこと。紀伊國屋で「左腕の誇り」の文庫版を見つけた。ビュフォード、ホプキンスについての記述と「角田」の誤植が訂正されていた。

*

A few days ago at a supermarket checkout, I was called “ma’am.” It used to be “小姐”…

Suddenly No NHK

NHK disappeared tonight as suddenly as it came. What’s happening here?

Baseball Jerseys

I watched live the second half of the MLB opening game, Boston v. NY Yankees, and once again was delighted to see the simple beauty of their jerseys. Meanwhile, in Japan, the jerseys continue to become ugly. It seems that, with the sponsor logos and complicated designs, they are almost exclusively intended for TV not for the people in the bleachers. The home jersey of the Fighters looks like they are in mourning with one shoulder in black. And the black sides of the Tigers jersey are quite damaging for the otherwise nice stripes.

Call the Locksmith!

I did it again… Coming back from some shopping of grocery, I found out that my pocket didn’t have the room key. No panic any more. I knew how to get the help. Call the locksmith!

This Is Gonna Be a Fabulous Film

Yesterday, I had an appointment with FC and EK at Holland Village about their film project that I first got to know last November and did my small part as an interpreter in January. (Ha… I started having beer at 3 pm.) I appreciate very deeply that they sought my opinion. I went through the voice recordings and I found that his speech was wonderful, actually so much better than I had expected. They could make it sound like a professional narrator did the job, better in a sense. But I told them that that would not be him. He is not the kind of person who expresses his emotions like fire, and those who have met him know how humbly he speaks. Yes, he keeps the fire to himself. Even with somewhat awkward a moment’s stops between words and phrases, it is him. I definitely believe that this film will awaken the Japanese public of my generation, and previous ones, and to make them rediscover those days and, of course, him, a man of great principles.

*

My new neighbors seem to have left their flat only after days, a funny place.

Bookcase Trouble

With the bookcase delivered, I immediately began assembling it. It was now a familiar process for me as I have done it with two other same bookcases a year ago. I found that at least five shelf boards are so bent as to require radical corrective works. They are under heavy things to let them remember the original shape. Though I got three extra shelves this time, those bent ones canceled them out. While my books, CDs and DVDs, which were already on the shelves, are more evenly and lightly distributed, the hope to place other things on any of the three bookcases is dashed. They remain where I put them on, that is, on the floor.

Suddenly NHK

午後、ケーブル放送のセットトップ・ボックスの交換があった。何で交換せんといかんのか、「交換に来た」と言われただけで、さっぱり理由はわからんが、ＮＨＫの国際放送が見られるのではないかという予感がした。そのとおりだった。しかし、ニュース/報道番組以外に見るもの多くなし。「天才てれびくん」見ても、しゃあないやん。もっと海外在留邦人が喜びそうな番組があるんとちゃうん？ただ、今日は「デジスタ」表彰番組があって、２年前はホーチミンでこれを見てたなと思い出し、少々感慨があった。

My Place Smaller or My Mind Narrower, Or Both?

I’m finding my place is becoming smaller and smaller. Often I have trouble to find where to be which makes me want to stay home. I mean that I have great difficulty to find like-minded people toward learning. Learning anything that is an intellectual stimulus in a slight sense is a life-long matter. In my case, one of such things is language. One has so many things to learn even with his first language. Or is this something particular about my first language and how I have learned it? And so many more when it comes to his non-first languages. Language learning lasts forever. Unlike learning how to bike, it never ends.
For this reason and because I know the pleasure to be had for communicating in a new language only verbally but also understating written words of it, I said “I don’t wanna quit now” when about a month ago someone saw me review some points of Russian. She then said, “Why?” I wondered what kind of question that was. The same person saw me do the same yesterday and asked, “Still learning?” Oh no… It seems so easy to be content for her about language. In this country, many people seem to believe they are competent, say, with English. But in many cases, their English doesn’t sound like English (keys are all wrong) and sometimes, even often, they ignore the established grammatical rules. I believe that they are in the same position as me as for many of them English is not the primary language spoken at home.
My view is reinforced when I see people who say they wanna learn Japanese. Many of them I’ve met say they don’t need the alphabet. Do they not see the shape of each basic letter interesting? Do they not wanna learn how each letter is pronounced and how they are combined to make words? From my experience with English, I don’t consider them seriously interested in learning the language. Not only making my place smaller, am I narrowing my mind thinking this way?

*

I bought yet another книжный шкаф and arranged it to be delivered on Thursday. I’ve been noticing that some of the shelves are bending because of the weight, just like when I was staying at Kim Tian.

“Москва Слезам Не Верит”

Yesterday, a package arrived from Amazon.com: a CD, a 3-CD set and a film DVD. I watched the movie, “Москва Слезам Не Верит” twice. I managed to understand some simple phrases…

Still "Central Over Pacific"

土曜日にパリーグ公式戦が開幕した。観客動員のためにセリーグとの同時開幕をやめてから久しい。しかし、世の中まだまだ「セ・パ」の順番のようで、あるスポーツ紙のウェブページではパリーグ開幕戦の結果の上にセリーグ・オープン戦の結果が表示されていた。

服装がどうとか、髪型がどうとかとうるさい日本プロ野球への関心は急降下進行中。ノムラさんは現場からいなくなったが、名誉監督に正式就任された。おかしいのは契約期間が３年と決まっていること。名誉教授なら生涯だろう。プロ野球だって、長嶋茂雄の例がある。３年後の契約更新交渉が楽しみだ。今年は来月４日に開幕するＭＬＢをしっかり見たい。

Another Disagreeable Character

Another disagreeable character is of those who love to project themselves far larger than they really are. The collapse of the intention is for many people to see, I guess. But they don’t seem to realize it making the character all the more pathetic. Though there is no reason why one has to belittle himself, when the opposite tendency is very much obvious, the credibility of the person evaporates quickly.

My New Neighbors

最近、隣に宿替えしてきた老年に差し掛かっているような夫婦と見られる人たちの生活音が気になる。バタバタを足音が聞こえる。上階からならわかるけど、隣からとは。どんな歩き方をしてるんか。それから、「コケコッコー」は朝６時に鳴り響く彼らの目覚まし時計だった。加えてけさは、「コケコッコー」の後に、リンリンリンと先日に続いて（昨日だったか）やかましい鈴の音。ガマンならず、うちのドアを開けた。おばちゃんが廊下に立っていたので、「Can’t you stop the noise?」と言うと、「Noise? He is trying to unlock the door」と。そんなこと聞いてるんとちゃうねん。その鈴リンリンリンを止めてとお願いしてるねん。で、ドアって、あんたとことうちとこと部屋の作りに変わりないはず。うちには入口のドアしかないけど……。タンスのドアのことかいな？それになんでそんな時間にやってんねん。はよ、鍵屋を呼んだらどないですか。 明け方、久しく使ってなかった耳栓をしてしっかり眠ろうとしたけど、さんざんな睡眠やった。何にもやる気がおこらんかった。

Rain Is Heavier Than a Decent Meal

I was determined quite strongly today not to work and to have a decent meal for dinner. I succeeded brilliantly in the former, but rain discouraged me to go out.

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Christiane Amanpour moves to ABC News at the end of August.

Too Tired Even for Водка

Late afternoon, I delivered the last file of the work that I had been working on for the past week. I have no idea as to who is going to use these school-education curriculum guidelines for the handicapped…

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I went out thinking about having dinner and some пиво и водка, but feeling tired, I change my mind and came back home after eating a Korean dish, and buying a pair of slippers, some food stuff and three cans of beer. I also thought about taking a seat at кафе for reviewing some русскии словарь. I didn’t do so either. Instead on bus, I did review some and I found myself stupid.

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福島瑞穂さん、どうやら人格の分裂か多重人格のようですね。民主党から誘われたんだろうけど、連立１与党の党首になってしまって、現実の場が厳しいことを痛烈にお感じになっていることでしょう。先日の参院予算委員会で「自衛隊は合憲なんですよね」の質問に、「閣僚としては答えられません」から「そうです」まで、さんざん時間をかけ、結局「合憲」という言葉は一度も口にしませんでした。心中お察し申し上げます。

How Lucky It Is to be a Hatoyama

自民党を離党した鳩山邦夫元総務相に対して、共産党の穀田国対委員長が「何回離党されましたか。ずいぶん数えきれないほどあったと思う」（産経電子版）。自分も全くそのように思っていたところ。自由に行動できますね、失業してもカネに心配ない人は。いつかわからんが、自民党が党勢を盛り返すことがあれば、きっと復党するでしょう。今、「鳩山ブランド」は評判が悪い。ただ、しばらく前に偶然見たＮＨＫの討論番組での穀田さんは、ストライプの上着にストライプのシャツにストライプのネクタイで、かなり異様だった。

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連日、長時間の仕事（読・想・打字）で脳内が酸欠状態になりかかっているようだ。さっき、近所の店でビール代を払っている時、頭の中が揺れた。毎日、しっかりロシア語の復習をしようと思っているのに、10日以降は全くやっていない。余裕がない。昨日まで3日間、仕事を終えてやったのは、落語ＤＶＤを見ること。それはそれで有意義だが、本当は優先上位にはない。

Another Inquiry and No Day-off for a Few Weeks

An inquiry came in from Japan this afternoon about a familiar topic. It is not possible to start it now as I’m going through another volume that is rather large. I hope the client understands the situation. It is always nice to receive an inquiry and even nicer if it is confirmed. But then I haven’t had a day off for almost three weeks. Io can’t say No so casually as heavy rain and snow can come at any time. These days I feel guilty and insufficient not to review the lessons of Russian, especially when the next class is not firmly scheduled and this is a very good time to review and fix it.

Cock-a-doodle-doo from Upstairs

日本の学習指導に関する資料（数学）で、次のような記述を見つけた。
「金銭や時計・暦などの正しい使い方がわかる」
「生活に必要な金銭や時計・暦などを工夫して使う」
「や時計・暦など」を省いた内容にすると、年齢にかかわらず「正しい使い方」がわかってなかったり、「工夫して使う」ことのできない人はそれほどめずらしくない。

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For the past several days, vivid dreams come almost every night, or early morning. Seeing them, I thought, “Well, I should write it down now.” Without bothering to get out of bed to do so, however, most parts of those dreams disappeared from memory.

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And several mornings ago, I heard cock-a-doodle-doo. I was deceived by it that made me think that a live chicken was around in this neighborhood, a very unlikely, if not impossible, prospect. This morning, I heard it again. It was from the unit upstairs. Apparently their alarm clock.

Willy Davis

昨日、朝日、毎日（ともに電子版）にウィリー・デービス（元中日、クラウンライター）の訃報を見つけた。69歳だった。「ロサンゼルス郊外の自宅で遺体で見つかった」という。息子を「Shonin」と名付けたほどの人だから掲載されたのだろうか。そうだとしたら、マスコミへの「そうか」の浸透度のすごさゆえだろう。

Fuck Translation Memory Software

10 Март (среда) 2010
Translation memory software certainly and definitely changes my way of work, adversely. I’ve used only one of them, but I say that it is not a tool for reading and writing/translating. It is only for creating a database for future references. As it impedes my processing of information, naturally the resultant should not be satisfactory, as far as I’m concerned. A problem is that working on whatever that is prepared by this program, it is quite difficult for me to notice how unsatisfactory my work may be because it divides all into individual sentences, which is not the way to process written information. Though the program allows multiple sentences to be connected, I wonder why I have to connect them in the first place by the operation of keys. It is still a pathetically very different thing when I work with it that separates me from a natural flow of reading. Ok, you provide me the original document. And you may say before complaining I should refer to it. What you don’t understand is that it takes me doubly long to complete my work that way. Anyone who designed the product doesn’t seem to have any sense of how the reading process works in the mind. Guys, read more, then you understand.

Is This Some Kind of Friendship??? & Виктор Имантович Алкснис

It seems something I cannot agree to is happening to me. And I’m hoping I’m wrong. I FEEL one of my friends (“P”) has been behaving in a way that I never expected or wished. It may just be the way he speaks in Japanese. But beyond language, the behavior is strange to me, to say the least. Some weeks ago, he “couldn’t wait” for me while I was meeting another friend at a restaurant though he was there too. There was no reason why he had to “wait” for me when there was no secret talk to do between him and me and I didn’t understand why P didn’t join us at our table. I believe that I invited him to join.
A similar thing took place last night. I accidentally learned P was at the same bar through a common friend. I was drinking with three friends. We didn’t arrange any meeting. Nor was the gathering planned. We just came one by one. P was at another table and never joined us though my friends should be familiar faces to him. Then when our moderate boozing session was over and I remained at the table as the last one preparing to leave, P came over to “go home together.” Well, the direction from the bar to our places is the same. Therefore it is economical to ride a same taxi. And P also told me that he came to the bar because “It was Friday when I met last you. And I thought you would come again.” It seems very strongly that he is trying to be ALONE with me. That is so when there is not any kind of reason to be TOGETHER ALONE. He could say straight like “want to join me at such and such place?” A different kind of friendship or something else? I’m truly hoping I’m wrong thinking this way.

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佐藤優の著作で「黒い大佐」として描かれているラトビア出身のビクトル・アルクスニス空軍大佐が、TIME誌にも登場している。1990年12月31日号の“Broadside from the Right”だ。
“One of the loudest reactionaries in parliament, Air Force Colonel Viktor Alksnis has called for the abolition of the presidency and formation of a National Salvation Committee to restore order.” “Alksnis is a leader of Soyuz, as is a follow colonel named Nikolai Petrushenko: Shevardnadze contemptuously described the pair as “boys… with colonel’s shoulder stripes” (both are in their 40s; Shevardnadze is 62). They have talked wildly of such things as an alleged CIA plot to unite national-front movements from the Black to Baltic Seas into a single anti-Soviet confederation. Soyuz claimed credit for Gorbachev’s sacking of the country’s liberal Interior Minister last month, and brazenly announced that the Foreign Minister was next on its hit list.”

Rare "Family" Event and Disagreeable Personalities

Thanks to my friends for letting me experience a family atmosphere last night. It was very nice.

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In the meantime, I have to say that I have recently encountered, disagreeable personalities. One is that can only see materials, objects and more than anything else money. If something does not create money, it must be judged worthless. It is a raw power of money he displays seemingly happily. There is nothing here that even suggests a semblance of culture.
Another is a personality that is so narrowly set that it seems unable to go beyond in terms of gestation and tolerance of pain. It was, may I say, a sight that astounding to me. I am not talking about eating snake meat or live insects. And I am not talking about cutting one’s own limbs. I may be wrong, but any grownup, young and old, sometimes endeavors to try something unfamiliar especially if that is almost universally considered harmless and even tasty.
I am getting tired of these people.

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Strobe Talbott, later to be a Clinton aide, writes in TIME’s “Man of Decade” issue of January 1, 1990, “[the Soviet] system is such an abomination against basic human aspirations, against human nature…” Was that really so? To me, it seems that there were people who were aspiring to be very human, good human beings against human nature that often drives us to the course of greediness. It is only that the Soviet system was ahead of human spiritual evolution.

I Am Not Going to Stop Here

It was SOOoooOo tough on Tuesday. I managed to go to the end of the interview footage and quickly finished домашняя работа, only providing the absolute minimum that was necessary. I felt lack of oxygen in the brain because of the rush and too much smoke. I arrived at class ten minutes late and found no classmate. It turned out that I was the only one for the day! I am in no way happy with my progress has been so slow, but at the same time looking back when I went to the very first class, I should be feeling some satisfaction. I am not going to stop here. There will be some weeks before the next course starts.

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「自壊する帝国」は昨日終えた。あの当時、自分の情報源は多くがアメリカのメディアだった。ほとんどが、Михаил Сергеевичを称賛するものだった。この本からは、そのような、特にアメリカにおけるソ連共産党指導部、また個人に対する見方が悲しいほど一面的だったことを学んだ。ただ、あとがきにならともかく、本書の内容に著者逮捕の話を加えたのは誤りだと思う。著者は、91年８月のクーデター未遂までについて記すと、自ら書いているではないか。

Another Tough Day

It was a wise move to quicken the pace of work. After I delivered the work this morning, I received another subtitle job, this time for a segment of an interview done by the local news channel. Though I was told that the footage was 45-minute long, it turned out to be longer than 60 minutes. Tonight, I stopped at 25 minutes or thereabouts. I should talk to the producer about the extra 20 minutes! Ahhhh, not enough time to review the previous classes and prepare for the next one.

Noisy New Neighbor

夜中に向かいの部屋のドアがバタンと閉められる音で何度か目が開いた。この間までは自分が隣からの苦情の対象だったのに。以前、この部屋からドアを開けたままの酔狂が聞こえてきて、「静かにせい」と叫んだ。おまけに子供の泣き声が１日最低１回は聞こえる。隣のカップルはもういない。自分で自分を締め出した時に助けてくれた１階下の母子もいない。ここは一体何カ月単位の契約なんだろうか。

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おかげでよく眠った気がせず、変な夢を見た。通訳の仕事で、あるイベントの打ち合わせ会議に出席していた。広告会社だったが、どうやらうまくいったようだった。その後、このイベントの冒頭で流すビデオの収録があり、自分にもセリフが割り当てられていた。わずかなセリフだったが、何にも聞かされていなかったので、撮影が始まっても黙って無視していた。すると、その前のセリフを担当していた「やり手」そうな女子社員２人から非難があり、他の人たちからも丁寧だがよそよそしい態度で接しられた。「知らん」と強く主張できるような雰囲気ではなく、微妙につらい気分だった。

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実際の仕事はかなり進んで、納期には間に合わすことができるだろう。

Work That Was Almost Forgotten

ほしい雑誌が入荷していると思って紀伊國屋まで行ったが、なかった。飛ぶように売れたか、まだ入荷していないかのどちらかだが、前者は考えにくい。その後、２時間ほど「自壊する帝国」を進め、またрусский языкを復習しようと思っていたら、仕事のことが突然浮かんだ。納期まで１週間あるので、初日に3/4ページだけ終えて、ほったらかしだった。逆算すると悠長にしている余裕はないではないか。急いで帰ってきて２ページ半ほど潰した。

Завтра Should be Tough & Nightmare "Oh, Oh, Oh"

I had no time to sit down and review today as I received a super urgent same-day delivery job in addition to the one I was originally to finish. Then завтра should be hard.

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It was nightmare, or rather early-morning-mare. It seems there were two stories, but I don’t really remember the details. What I remember was my shouting of “oh, oh, oh!” voiced in sleep.

One Step at One Time

昨日に続いて１時間半ほど、全く覚えられていない単語を集中して復習した。間違いなく前進して気分はいいものの、忘れてしまう恐怖があって、これが疲れる。あんまり落ちこぼれすぎないように、しっかりしないといかん。忘れて当たり前だとわかってはいるが。基礎的な文法知識が整えば、後は語彙を増やしていけばいいだけのはずだ。「TIME」誌を読み始めた時、すでに英文法にはほぼ問題がなかったので、英語学習という意識は希薄だった。周囲には「英語のお勉強」と誤解されていたようだが、それは一義的な目的ではなかった。Пусский языкについては、それが成立せずにドカンと進めないことが悲しい。

"Japanese Literacy is 5%"

「国家の罠」から：「『（信頼する外務省幹部は）新聞は婆さん（田中真紀子外相）の危うさについてきちんと書いているんだけれど、日本人の実質識字率は五パーセントだから、新聞は影響力を持たない。ワイドショーと週刊誌の中刷り広告で物事は動いていく……』と幹部は続けた」
「あるとき田中女史が何の前触れもなく、私が勤務する国際情報局分析第一課の部屋を訪ねてきた。……
田中女史は白いスーツを着て、『この部屋は何をやっているのですか』とにこやかに問いかけてきた。……田中女史はロシア語の新聞を手に取り、私のほうを向いて『これは何語の新聞ですか』と問いかけた。……爬虫類のような眼をしていた」
「金銭に執着のない者は概して自己顕示欲を抑えることができる」

識字率５％。数字の正誤はともかく、印象としてはその通りだな。それから、キリル文字を見てもロシア語だと気づかないあたり、この人の国際感覚のなさが見てとれる。金銭と自己顕示の相関は正しい観察のように思える。背後に金銭をちらつかせる人が見せる態度のうそっぽさと傲慢さ。ガマンならんと感じることがある。

Respect for & credibility of Politicians

朝日新聞（電子版）に、ロッキード事件にからんで、当時の中曽根自民党幹事長がアメリカ政府に裏金を受領した政府高官の名前を公表しないように要請していたことを記す公文書が見つかったと報じられている。
記事によると、中曽根氏は1976年２月18日夜、米国大使館の関係者に党幹事長としての「もし高官名リストが現時点で公表されると、日本の政治は大変な混乱に投げ込まれる」「できるだけ公表を遅らせるの が最良」というメッセージを米政府に伝えるよう依頼した。
同氏は翌日の朝、要請内容を「もみ消すことを希望する」に変更して、文書には、中曽根氏の言葉としてローマ字で 「ＭＯＭＩＫＥＳＵ」と記述され、「田中」と現職閣僚の２人が事件に関与しているとの情報を得ており、「もしこれが公表されると、三木内閣の崩壊、選挙での自民党の完全な敗北、場合によっては日米安保の枠組みの破壊につながる恐れがある」と指摘したとされる。この文書には、これに対して、中曽根事務所は「ノーコメント」らしい。

「交渉術」と、読み始めた「国家の罠」で、政治家の持つ、ハトヤマ風に言うなら、「国への思い」の尊敬が回復しつつある時にこういう報道は残念。

また、産経新聞（電子版）は、竹島にはアメリカの防衛義務がないとする政府答弁書について報じた。
答弁書は「現在の竹島は、わが国が施政を行い得ない状態にある」と指摘。米国が防衛義務を負うのは「日本の施政の下にある領域に おける武力攻撃」と説明した。国民新党の亀井亜紀子参院議員が質問主意書で、「武力によって不法占拠された竹島は（安保条約が規定した）『日本が武力攻撃を受けた場合』に当たらないの か」とただしていた。
これをそのまま理解することを試みると、竹島が日本の施政下にあったと判断される時期にはアメリカに防衛義務があったということだ。ならば、アメリカの防衛義務が維持されたままその施政が奪われていった時期、日本政府は何をやっていたのかということだ。

My Words in a Newspaper Article

On the web I found an article of a Singapore newspaper for which I contributed some by acting as the interpreter for the interview. The last comments are by my translation almost verbatim.

Russo-Japanese Negotiations

終わらせねばならぬ仕事があるにもかかわらず、昨夜買った「交渉術」（佐藤優）がおもしろく、第16章まで進めた。表紙の３分の２ほどを占めて大きすぎの帯には「かつ実用書」と書かれているが、純粋に対ロシア交渉の記録として、また外務官僚の生態を伝える資料として読んでいる。第16章は「米原万里さんの仕掛け」と題されていて、エリツィンの訪日ドタキャン（1992年）に関する後日談に彼女がどうかかわったかを知ることができる。Столичнаяのアクセントが“o”にないことも教えてくれる。「国家の罠」も読んでみよう。

Tide Change?

I was having dinner at a small eating place at Ngee Ann City. Then the PR person at MBS came in with her friend. I met her only yesterday at MBS. And walking toward a bus stop to come home, I received a call from a friend that I hadn’t met for some time. Since December when I met the daughter of my first landlord, it looks like the tide is changing about my loop of people.

Two Kyoto Shopping Complexes to Disappear

数日前に発表された「四条河原町阪急」の閉店に続き、「河原町ビブレ」の閉店も明らかになった。

Another Closed Villege of Japan

１日に行われた日本相撲協会の理事選挙で、立浪一門に属しながら貴乃花親方に票を投じた安治川親方が協会から退職することを明らかにした。なんでこんなに閉鎖的なん？伝統の美しさはこんな閉鎖的な裏面によって維持されているのだろうか。だとすれば、角界は衰退していくだけだろう。また「一門」は制度的なものではなく、師匠と弟子の関係が元になっている慣習上のことという。将来、モンゴル人やロシア人が理事になるようなことは想像できないな。またこれも「日本村」だ。高見山はよく我慢できたな。

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I visited the Singapore bureau of a Japanese broadcaster. This is the broadcaster that gave me a job at the “microfinance” conference last week and this afternoon I went there to say hello and pass the materials provided at the conference, as requested last night. Talks about our future relationship were promising.

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There will be a whole week until the next Russian class. It’s time to catch up and ease my indigestion of information. As someone who belongs to the “Горбачёв” generation, I can’t stop here.

Feather-light Words

首相によると、米軍基地移転問題は、「沖縄県にも、アメリカにも理解してもらえるように」解決するらしい。「基地に残ってほしい」という声は沖縄県から聞こえてこないし、国内の他の地域からも「うちに来てほしい」という話もない。アメリカ政府からも県外移設や国外移設という意見 はないようだ。沖縄もアメリカも納得できる方策がないことを知りながら、このように発言することにとてつもない無責任さを感じる。もっとも、「理解」と「納得」は異なるから、「納得しないが理解する」が結末となる可能性はある。
さらに無責任なのは、相変わらず社民党。「こうしましょう」という具体的な対案を示さず、「辺野古移転は許さない」と言うのは、かつての「何でも反対党」と変わりない。アメリカ軍基地をなくしたいのであれば、そう言えばいい。安保条約に基づいてはいるものの、独立国に他国の軍隊が駐留している是非を問うという態度をなぜとらないのか。覚悟のない言いっ放しでは、何にも進展しない。この問題だけでなく、野党時代のつけが早くも回ってきた民主党に野党時代とさっぱり変わらない社民党。

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I renewed my contract with this place though I have no affection toward it. I did so only because I don’t like moving even more and there are not enough time to search for a new abode.

Frustrating Mess!!

One interpretation job, schedule on 27, was cancelled a few days ago. I thought, “Well, that may be a good thing when I consider the volume for translation I have to do.” Then, tonight, I received a call from a man of a Japanese TV station asking me about my schedule on 26 and 27. He got my number from someone who I worked with last year for programs by the same station. I couldn’t say No to him. As a result, I now have to push myself even harder to proceed with the translation work for which I’m using a translation memory program, which I truly hate. And because of the typing of the past few days, my shoulders and upper back are quite painful. When I was continuing with the translation while uttering woo, ahhgg, ugggrrrhhh, my elbow hit a glass filled with beer! A mess. And I’m quite frustrated!

Free to Express as Far as We Allow You to

Then I watched “Be with Me” last night. I wonder if for him these are the limit of implicitly restricted expression here, artistic or otherwise. On one of his next projects, about a well-known stripper, Rose, I have already found a website that introduced a message that alleged a pornographic nature of the film. Are you ok, folks? If you don’t like a movie, don’t watch it. Nobody is gonna force you to watch it. If you don’t like a book, don’t read it. Nobody is gonna force you to read it. It seems the pedantic bespectacled guy in “12 Storeys’ is still representing the country. Good luck, folks. I’m going to the other direction. And I am aware of one thing that is common with the two guys. They are more appreciated overseas.

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普天間基地移設で「県外・国外」と主張する社民党。どこに移せと具体的な対案を出せよ！首相は社民党大会で、沖縄県にもアメリカにも理解してもらえる解決を目指すと言う。ムリだろう。あぁ、言葉軽し。

Humility and Glamour

Yesterday afternoon, at a café in Botanical Garden, I had the last meeting with the folks. This time, for an interview with New Paper. Rather unbelievably it was my first time to step into there, though I had been thinking about visiting there especially since the meeting of last November with people of a Japanese film production company. I brought the two volumes of the man’s autobiographical work and three DVDs of the director, which I got a few hours earlier to ask for their autographs, embarrassingly.

And in the afternoon today, I went up to a high floor of Republic Plaza, again, for two successive media interviews. All luxurious and glamorous.

What a difference between yesterday (and Sunday and Tuesday) and today. Humility to others and honesty to himself on the one hand, and big and rich business catering to other big and rich businesses on the other.

*

I watched “Mee Pok Man” last night and “12 Storeys” tonight. No doubt, they are quintessentially Singaporean. A real Singapore behind Orchard and Raffles Place hidden from the eyes of happy tourists, especially from Japan. These films involve deep emotions mixed with a set of caricatures, which, in the case of “12 Storeys,” go from an extreme and almost absurd LKY-style correctness to rather benign selfishness of teenagers and impudence of beer-loving folks. Having been here for more than nine years, I myself can see and have experienced at least some elements captured in the movies.

A Day of Inspiration

This has been another day that inspired me. His big principle seems that he refuses to pander to shallow, yet greedy and insatiable, commercialism. For this, he has suffered. But now he has many people, and not many in Japan unsurprisingly, who can appreciate and agree to the kind of life that he has been leading. I have one more day tomorrow to be with him.

*

昨夜、楽天の国外発送サービスを利用した。すぐに「ご注文を受け付けました」メールが来たが、今日になって、販売店から「当店では国内発送は行っていません」というメールが届いた。改めて、日本国内の住所を指定して注文しようとしたら、「売り切れ」となっていた。納得できん！

Egawa: "Ever Sorry"

小林繁に対して、江川卓が「自分の中で申し訳ないという気持ちは、一生消えないと思う」と話している。江川事件とは何だったのだろう。いつ「申し訳ない気持ち」が生まれたのだろう。誰かが巨人退団を強いられることが明らかになった時に生まれたのだろうか。それとも個人への申し訳なさとは別に、「空白の一日」で契約した時点で、悪いと思う気持ちがあったのだろうか。それとも、彼自身が作新学院の船田、蓮見という大人たちの操り人形だったのだろうか。

*

Since December, a series of people have appeared before me after so many years. After the daughter of my landlord, a guy who went through an ordeal together, and a rock band guy who I met at yesterday’s event and, tonight, a few steps from this place, I bumped into a woman who used to be a regular presence at a place I frequented.

Kobayashi Shigeru, People of Same Wavelength

小林繁逝く。
高く上げた左ひざはなかなか下りてこない。頂点で一瞬静止するような投法は、来日した米チームからボークだとクレームがついたほど。しかし、下ろした後は一気に右腕が振られ、ボールが射られる。真夏の蒸し暑い甲子園が想起される。
そして巨人時代の昭和52年７月、後楽園でのオールスター戦。打席の南海門田はこの投法にタイミングが合わず、いったん下ろしかけた右足が地面に付く前に、もう一度上げなおしていた。そうやってはじき返したボールは右翼席に消えた。
54年、無理を通して道理を引っ込ますことを「エガワる」、理不尽さに直面しても潔く行動することは「コバる」と表現された。

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I have a sense of fulfilling after work today even with a big mistake on my part that I immediately corrected. As with some of the comments Mari Yonehara left behind, Mr. Tatsumi’s saying overlaps my own thinking. He said, “To be good, it must be new. If it is new, it must be good. Old things are considered bad in Japan.”

ы, е and э

To me, ы is a trough character to pronounce. And е and э are confusingly mixed up in my head. Well, learning a third language in my second language in a country that does not have a language that can be called its own evokes a similar kind of feeling that I had in 2008 when, in Viet Nam and Cambodia, I was reading a book written by a Brazilian author, translated into English from Portuguese, which I borrowed from my friend from India in Singapore.

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永住外国人に地方参政権を与えるべきかという問題。産経電子版によると、仙谷国家戦略・行政刷新担当相は「今の時期に（法案提出を）行うことがいいのか、じっくり考えなければいけない」、亀井郵政改革・金融相外国籍で参政権を持ちたいなら帰化すればいい」と「閣僚から慎重論」と報じている。しかし、仙谷氏の発言は、「when not if」であって、参政権付与に否定的とは受け取れない。これは、亀井氏が言うとおり、投票したければ帰化すればいいという単純な問題だ。

Uncharacteristic Hard Work

On Wednesday and today (Friday), I worked for more than 10 hours, even close to 12 hours today. Very uncharacteristic of me… Typing, typing, listening and watching, typing and some more typing. Pain in shoulders and upper back and anger resurfaced while watching the video of the first segment of AAC. No time for Russian.

Surprise News of Cancer

けさ10時半頃、読売電子版をチェックしたら、画面トップに「食道がんで公演半年キャンセル」と出ていた。若い時代に海外で高く評価されたがゆえに国内で四面楚歌。リハーサルのボイコットが起こった当時のNewsweekは、「A Japanese conductor is like Buddha. He knows everything, but he says nothing」と書いていた。日本に戻ることはもうないだろうとさえ思ったという。無事復帰されることを祈る。過日、またもや「Russian Night」を見たばかり。

You Are Not One of Us

スポーツ各紙が伝えているが、ロッテに新入団の金恭均選手の身なりについて、「球団側は西村新体制に移行すると同時に茶髪、長髪禁止など厳しい方針を示しているが、石川球団副代表は『外国人選手は別。他球団も同じだろうし、問題視しない』とピアスも容認する構えだ」（スポニチ） だって。日本国籍保持者でないという理由で、主力選手であっても「助っ人」と呼ばれる「外国人選手」。日本野球という世界においては、未だに選手は個人として判断されず、旅券で判断される。こんな世界に発展する能力なし。日本国の旅券を持たない王貞治や張勲や朴鐘律に聞いてみろ！ 日本国籍ではあるが、民族的には日本人やない多くの過去現在の選手に聞いてみろ！あぁ、情けない。報道がロッテについてだったというのも皮肉な話。

When I Stay Home...

“I stayed home (without going to a new year’s party).”
“Nothing to do?”
Why does staying home have to be synonymous to being bored? And I stayed home because I had things to do.

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Struggling to learn simple Russian words. Back to a high school classroom! But I’m already better in Russian than in Vietnamese!

*

民主党連立政権 、情けないと思う。「思い」を連発する首相を筆頭に、外相、幹事長と自民党にいた人が多いにも関わらず、すでに日米合意のできていた普天間基地の移転問題などは、政権を奪取した場合に主張する政策が本当に実現できるのかという見通しがあまりに幼稚ではないか。そして他党と連立したら、どういう問題が生じるのか最初から理解できていたはず。これでは失望が深まるばかりだろう。

Cyrillic Alphabet

The backward prints of N and R and number three (3) are some of the Cyrillic alphabet. And B is pronounced as V, Y as R and H as N. The small letter of D is g. I’m trying to familiarize myself with these letters and learning how to pronounce some easy words. The exercise book I bought covers all topics in the Roman alphabet. I had no way to know it because the book was sealed. It may be wise and efficient, though I’m not very sure, to learn the language in it as it shouldn’t be so difficult to convert with adjustments what has been learned in Roman into Cyrillic, though I have a firm belief that anyone who learns Japanese should turn to its kana characters as soon as possible.