Better float that Ark

I know from Glen that his home town of Sheffield has been pretty hard hit by flooding recently. In Niigata now it is rainy season, which means that it should rain everyday for a month (so far not true). Now rain in Niigata is bad. It comes down so hard and fast that of you're caught out in it you will be soaked to the skin in about 30 seconds. (I have not yet tested this statement fully, just got caught out for 10 seconds and prorated).
My drive to work this morning was hampered by a flood under a bridge - I let a little Kei car go through first but despite some steam off the engine all was ok. Bear in mind that because all the country side in this area is rice fields water is managed very effectively (rice needs a specific depth of water to grow effectively) so we don't expect the floods we get in the UK, but believe me I have never seen rain like I have in Niigata!

Looks like they're stuck with me

The MD of the new company visited Japan this week to outline the overall, status, plans and people's functions. It appears that I will be in Japan for some time to come, at least to the end of 2008 and possibly another year after that. Rather pleased about that as it gives me a bit of security. The only draw back is that I will probably have to become a permanent employee in October of the new company rather that a contractor. Being an employee has many benefits, better rights, holiday and sick pay, more security etc, but the salary won't be as good - but it should still be pretty sweet.

So where was my guy in the Chicken outfit?

So I'd finished my sunbathe and thought it would be a really good idea to go for a run down the beach. I've done this a few times so it wasn't some one off crazy notion - it was about a 10 off crazy notion. Normally what I do is run for half the time I want to run for and then turn round and run back. Today however, whether it was the heat, that I wasn't fully recovered from my cold or that it was just the wrong kind of sand, it was a nightmare. I only managed to haul my 93kg carcuss for about 15 minutes before I decided to turn round and then it just seemed that I had run miles. Every foot step sank deep into the sand and I just couldn't find any sold ground. The iPod that normally helps decided to randomly play Dido when I wanted something with a hard and heavy beat and I had no pacemaker - not a man dressed in a chicken outfit (see Glen's marathon account). So to my shame I had to stop and walk the rest of the way back.
Must try harder!

On Japanese Beaches

Sunday we managed to get up at a sensible time - actually in the morning! Shizuka had to cook dinner for her father and Nephew so I was left to my own devices. So as I promised myself, I went to the beach. One of the great things about where I am located in Japan is how close everything is. My nearest beach is maybe 1 km from my flat.
However, Japanese beaches are not that clean - something they blame on Korea and just about anyone else. The Japanese are very good at inventing jobs for people - stick waving parking attendents to tell you to turn - because you were really planning on trying to go through a wall, to name just one. So you would think that hords of people would be there everyday to clean up whatever had been washed up - especially the dead cat I ran past. But no, the beaches are spoiled. Such a contrast to the UK where we travel great distances to get to a beach to find that every square inch (2.54cm2) of what little sand there is, is stuffed with poeple who had the same idea as you because the Sun came out for a few hours.
Anyway, ranting aside, there were a few people on the beach and a few in the water surfing. Normally I would write 'surfing' in inverted commas as the waves are about as high as moles hills, but today they were actually surfable - not tubes I hasten to add, but surfable. So I got the towel, iPod and lay down for a hour of two trying to get some colour to my otherwise typically British pasty blue/white skin.

Wot no Saturday mornings

This weekend I was determined to get to the beach and catch some sun. As per usual I headed into town on Friday night to ensure that the standards of numerous local bars wasn't slipping (well someone has to). Also, as per usual, I ended up at Immigrants cafe - where Shizuka works until about 4 am. I end up here partly because I want to see her, partly because the last train is 23.37, partly because the next train is 5.30am and partly because I'm a bit worse for wear after my rounds.
Problem is that when you finish work/drinking at 4 am and actually get to bed about 5 am, you are not really inclined to jump out of bed at the crack of dawn to go and spend time at the beach - mainly because dawn was an hour before you got to bed. So unfortunately, as per usual, all of Saturday morning is spent trying to catch up sleep - or recover from a hangover. When we did finally rise it was only 3 hours before Shizuka had to start work again. So the beach would have to wait until Sunday.

Aw.....

Had the beginings of a cold last week, my first in Japan. The usual stuff, sore throat and the occasional sniffle, but nothing that would stop me going in to work - actually as I'm a contractor, nothing bar actual death would stop me going into work (no paid sick days!). Anyway I arrived home to find this little note in my corridor.

Aw, how sweet! How lucky am I?

Not just any old ironing board

Oh no, though you would be forgiven for believing so. It's a standy up one! Perhaps I'd better explain the significance: the japanese do their ironing on little tiny boards a few inches off the floor. It's actually quite difficult to find standy up ones, hence the post! So what have I been doing my ironing on all this time? on the bed, which makes ironing even more difficult. So now there is no stopping me - apart from the fact that I still loathe ironing!

What to do, what to do.

So now dare I say it, I am probably happier than I have ever been. I have a great job, a great salary, lots of money in the bank, and last but by no means least a fantastic girl! So with a bit of stability returning to my life (since I went into contract in April 2006 everything has been a bit crazy) my attentions have strayed to the possiblities of improving one's transport.


To get around, I bought - more out of desparation than choice, a Subaru WRX STI despite constantly complaining about how ugly they are. Warthog-esk styling aside, a Subaru is just about the best value for fun you can get in a car. I paid about £1600 for a '93 with 80k on the clock - not in bad condition either. They are also quite fast!

I have had a fair amount of fun in it but now it's dying. The clutch was never particularly good anyway but now it's really on it's last legs and in dire need of replacement. Coupled with this, a small amount of 'aerodynamic restying' has occurred during the snow period, hence providing the HSE officer with some valuable material for next years 'driving in the snow - why snow tyres are a good idea' lecture.

So I have a choice - repair the old dog

Buy a different old dog,




Buy a nice car,





Buy the dream car....

The saga continues.....

For those of you that don't know, my contract over in Japan has been uncertain since the end of November. This was due to the parent company deciding to pull the plug and either close or wind the business down. Technically we finished work in January and although everything was on hold we had to come into work still - we got paid quite handsomely for doing not very much at all. At the end of February all 4 of the contractors were given their 6 weeks notice for a mid March finish, and all the permanent employees were given their redundancy notices. All this time there were talks going on to sell the company and continue the project. However, deadlines passed - whooshed by and it looked like all hope was lost. Glen and myself were given a further two weeks in case the company was to close and all the assets had to be boxed up and sent back to the UK. But still no deal, nor any instruction to pack up.
Then a break through, a last a consortium of European companies came to the rescue and there project CEO visited Japan. However, there were still a lot of issues to be sorted out and time slipped buy. The two other contractors went, and without the certainty of a new contract, Glen made the difficult decision to accept a new position in Norway.
On the 1st of April I received a new 18 month contract from the consortium with the same terms and conditions as before, but this was still subject to all the assets being purchased but the consortium. This was a nightmare process and time after time there were complications and problems.
Finally all the assets required to continue the project have been purchased. We are now in the lull before the storm waiting for the big push and production to start again.
I always said that I would really try and stay in Japan for a while, even working in a bar or something, but it's so much better to be in a contract - and what a contract!
So.... where is that Corvette brouchure?....