9:30 p.m. I spot a lot of things strewn on the roadsides. Most of the time they're just candy wrappers, metalic tokens from game arcades or slot machines.

A couple of days ago, I spotted something shiny on the dark road. I wasn't sure since it was dark, but as I picked it up in my hand I realized it was a 100 Yen coin! Don't laugh it off because it's just 100 Yen. Who knows, this 100 Yen might buy me a long shot. Finders keepers!

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4:15 p.m. Yesterday, as I idly spent the hours watching TV, I saw a lot of reports on Prince Williams' visit to the Tohoku area. It made me smile just watching them.

How encouraged those people might have been! Imagine a member of the Royal Family actually visiting you! It's like, "What honor do I owe you, Your Highness?" As they say, actions speak louder than words and Prince William seems to know that very well. Many thanks to all the people who made this happen, and of course to Prince William, for the kindness he's shown to our people. I'm sure his Mum would be very proud of him.

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5:24 p.m. It's been pretty cold today and it felt like we were thrown back into winter. But this morning, I smelt the rich, sweet fragrance of winter daphne in the air, and found some blooming.

Winter daphnes are popular garden trees here in Japan, which you can find in many gardens or at entrances and approaches. When it starts to bloom filling the air with that fascinating smell, it always reminds me of graduation season, as our school term usually ends in March. Hopefully, it'll get warmer in a couple of weeks!

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3:00 p.m. Neighborhood kids dropped by the office on their way home from school. It's been sunny and warm today, so they must have been in a good mood.

It's nice to hear the lively voices of young children, and I don't mind a bit chatting with them as long as they don't interrupt me while I'm having meetings. The girl that used to barge in on us has learned to pass quietly by, after I made a sign telling her that I was "in a meeting" and hanged it whenever I had meetings, together with a picture sign. The picture, I drew myself with colorpencils, and wrote, "Please pass by quietly when the ‘in a meeting’ sign is hanging. See you again tomorrow!" Since then, she has been trying to follow the rules although it sometime slips out of her mind when she's too excited.

It always amazes me to see how children learn. Every child is a great learner. They learn tons of things as they grow up. They can learn anything, as long as we adults can get our message through in a form that is understandable to them. And I take it as a privilege to be able to see how they learn and grow.

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4:02 p.m. The jeans I bought last year has been torn. It's a pity they lasted less than a year, but that probably can't be helped since jeans today are mostly made from 100% cotton denim, but from a mixed texture of polyester and cotton. I wonder if polyester wear out faster than cotton?

Anyway, I had to get myself a new pair. So I've dropped by a used clothes shop to see if I can find comfortable (and durable) jeans for a bargain price. And I did! I was lucky enough to spot a LEVI'S for 1,024 Yen, consumption tax included, just before the shop closed for the day! They're not vintage jeans or anything, but they're comfortable. I was hoping to get a slightly larger size, so I can wear them as boyfriend jeans which was exactly what I got. So it's been a satisfying shopping detour for me.

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5:03 p.m. I have finally been to the dentist for my check up.

They've been sending me a postcard as a reminder about once in every 3 or 4 months for years now. And I've been dutifully making appointments and showing up. This time however, I've been putting it off for more than two months. I was supposed to go in January, and it's almost mid-March. It's time I gave up trying to get away. So I've made my dreaded call to make the appointment on Wednesday, and finally got over the daunting visit yesterday.

For me, the regular check ups are always discouraging because they are automatically linked with additional expenditure. But I love to eat! And I do want to keep my teeth as long as I can to enjoy it. That means I have to go for those check ups no matter how dreadful they are.

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2:12 p.m. Buchiko is appearing in today's Tulip-sho, a prep race for Ohka-sho.

Buchiko is an albino with dark spots all over her body who has been rapidly gaining attention. The secret of her recent popularity is not just her rare appearance resembling dalmatians, which is drawing out a chorus of "kawaii!" from female fans. Buchiko also has a remarkable career. Although she had lost in 5th, 2nd and 4th place in her first three races respectively, on turf tracks, she started winning as soon as she changed her stage to dirt tracks from the next race with the outstanding gaps. Her 4th race on dirt 1800m she won by 7 lengths, so she upgraded to the next category and won another dirt race by 3 lengths! These performances were enough to make her trainer consider entering her into a turf trial race for the fillies' classics.

Unfortunately, Buchiko has drawn the most outside barrier which is usually a disadvantage on Hanshin turf, but you never know. Especially with Yutaka Take on her back. As of 2:29, turf condition seems slightly soft due to some rain. Here's something encouraging. The race runs at 3:35.

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9:22 p.m. Buchiko has sunk in 14th place. She couldn't make it to Ohka-sho. But then, it was her first time racing among grade race winners. Also, considering that she had a slight weight loss, she might have been a bit tired.

Today there was Yayoi-sho, the male horses' prep race for Satsuki-sho. The winner was Satono Crown, earning three wins in a row since his debut. He seemed like a tough horse with good speed. Wonder how he would perform against Real Steel? Satsuki-sho is getting interesting. As for Ohka-sho, my key horse stays the same. Rouge Buck.

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2:51 p.m. Although it's disappointing to have another rainy day, it's the time of year when every rain is supposed to bring warmer air, so I shall be grateful. Indeed, I don't feel the chill of mid-winter now.

According to Japan Meteorological Agency, the cherry blossoms in Tokyo are predicted to start blooming around March 26th and reach their peak around April 2nd this spring. And I realize I'm only a couple of weeks away. Can't wait to take photos of them to send to my friends!

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4:48 p.m. I got drenched in the rain yesterday. My down jacket has been soaked that my shirt sleeves got wet.

The wet clothes made me feel miserable, though there was one thing that cheered me up. I discovered that "Close To You" by the Carpenters went unexpectedly quite well with spring rain! The soft voice of Karen matched the soft spring rain so much, having a soothing effect to my weary heart. Perhaps rainy days and Mondays might have gotten her down, but I couldn't help wishing she had known how much she's healed us with her angelic voice.

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4:10 p.m. Yes! Have finished my tax report!

I've got all the necessary documents in the envelope addressed to the local tax office, I've put stamps on the reply envelope and sealed it in with a cross mark on the flap where I'd sealed. There! All I have to do now is to drop this envelope in the post box on my way home. Feeling very light. Think I can skip all the way home.

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4:02 p.m. It's become sunny and a bit windy today. So for those of you who are suffering cedar pollen allergy, it might have been a tough day.

Cheer up, allergy sufferers! Your allergy symptoms can be relieved! Recent scientific reports say that balanced intestinal flora helps relieve allergy symptoms. I believe this because my own condition has improved since I started taking Miyarisan. Miyarisan is the name of antiflatulent tablets widely sold in Japanese drugstores. It contains butyric acid bacterium which help to keep your intestinal environment balanced.

I'm only taking three tablets every other day instead of the instructions that says three after every meals, just so I wouldn't have to buy them too often. And my lifestyle hasn't changed much in the past couple of years as well as my eating habit. Still, my sneezes don't come endlessly like it used to. Nor do I have to suffer nasal voice because of nose congestion or eyes clogged shut with eye mucus. I do blow my nose and have itchy eyes, but that's about it. And they're not unbearable, as long as I don't scratch my eyes. I can almost call them "slight symptoms" of allergy.

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3:26 p.m. Many Tokyoites might have been daunted by the morning weather forecast, seeing Tokyo blotted out with red which meant that huge amounts of cedar pollens were expected to fly.

I did write that my allergy symptoms have been considerably relieved, thanks to Miyarisan, still that didn't save me from having a couple of sneezes this morning. And, my eyes itched. At a time like this, I put some Mentholatum on my nose and eyes. It works especially well with the itch in my eyes, when I apply Mentholatum along the lower lashes and the inside corner of my eyes. I'll have to check the descriptions once again, to see if I should avoid putting it on membranes, but it sooths the irritating itch so well I don't think I could live without it.

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3:20 p.m. It's march 14th today which means today is the so-called "White Day" in Japan.

Here, the guys are expected to send sweets or gifts to women in return for the chocolates they've received a month ago on February 14th, St. Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I don't get any goodies because I haven't sent anything a month earlier. To me, today is more of an anniversary for the newly opened Hokuriku Shinkansen. Yay!

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7:04 p.m. As some rain is being expected this week, I decided to mend my favorite Bird Association rain boots. Last time it rained, I felt water seeping into them eventually wetting the bottom of my socks. After close inspection, I found a small slit about half an inch long along the rim of the inside of each sole, just about where the feet bend when walking. I wasn't exactly sure how to fill the gaps, but I decided to try and find out. I'd already bought a tube of Shoe Goo, not to mention I needed to summon up my courage for another 1,400 Yen expenditure before payday. Ouch.

7:30 p.m. The instructions said to wet the wooden spatula with water before starting the mending. Done. I squeezed out a bit of the black content from the tube, and tried to push it in between the gaps with the spatula. I waited 3 minutes, dutifully following the instructions, drew the rubber together to cover the gap, and pressed them with my fingers.

9:33 p.m. Have just checked the slits. It appears to be filled all right. Though I'll have to wait until tomorrow evening when it dries off completely, to see whether I have succeeded. Hope this works!

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2:44 p.m. I haven't had the time to check on my rain boots this morning, but the slits must have been covered by now. I'll save it for tonight after I get home.

In the meantime, I'm wearing sneakers and crossing my fingers so that the sky would hold for today. If rain is unavoidable, well, then I hope it doesn't rain too heavily. A pair of dry socks on a rainy day is one of the things that make me happy.

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12:41 p.m. Oh, God. I've been late for work, thanks to someone who has gone around the crossing gates onto the tracks. The subway got delayed, and it took me more than an hour to cover the distance where I usually need 30 minutes.

It was very difficult holding down my anger, while I was stuck in the subway car aimlessly waiting for it to move on. Today of all days! I have been preparing for today's meeting for days and now everything is ruined because I have been late. Well, at least it wasn't rainy.

3:33 p.m. I've got some sweets from a Kagoshima business trip, yay! So one door closes and another one opens!

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5:15 p.m. Two warm days in a row. And when I say warm, it's warm enough you can walk around in short sleeves! Though we're bound for cold weather again next week :-(

Cow is planning a rewarding small party of wine and food some time next week. He's asked me what would I want to eat. Sushi! Pizza! Chicken Kara-age! Tenpura! Gosh, I can't stop! I hope cold weather doesn't cast a damper. Well, if ti gets cold, we can always switch to a pot party.

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5:25 p.m. The time has finally come! I've been waiting for the release of Sony's new sim-free Xperia model for months now. The news has been delivered today that Sony is going to release the device from Monday, 20th April! Pre-orders start from Friday, 27th March.

Oh, this is the ideal device I've been waiting for! I'll come back with more details later, but it has everything I need on a single device. The trouble though, is the price. The devices sold from Aeon would have 3 types of sim card plans together, ranging from 3,563 Yen per month to 4,863 Yen per month, all including device fees.

Looks like I'm going to have a sleepless week!

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3:53 p.m. The newly announced Sony Xperia J1 Compact itself costs 59,184 Yen (tax included), 2,466 Yen per month on a 24-month installment plan. As previously said, the device cannot be bought alone and you will have to pay for the So-net sim card plans, which vary in three types. They are, respectively, 1,382 Yen per month for 70MB a day, 1,760 Yen per month for 120MB a day, and 2,580 Yen per month for 200MB a day, all tax included. When summed up with the device fee, each plan would amount to 3,848 Yen, 4,172 Yen, 5,252 Yen. Plus, you will need to pay an additional 3,000 Yen to start this sim card service which all support audio line based phone connection.

Drrrr, are you kidding? Anyone who knows a bit about smart phones and don't need sim free devices would rather buy Xperia Z3 Compact! I'm not going to ramble on about specs here because you can easily get them if you simply Google. But considering the cost for value, I can't think of a reason why one should pay so much while one can get a better device for about the same price.

The Kyocera device S301 announced at the same time, seems to be a better buy. Screen resolution, memory capacity and camera quality might not be as good as Xperia J1 Compact, but they seem to be sufficient as a middle-ranged smart phone. And it also has it's own distinctive sales points of waterproof, dust-proof and shock resistance. The device price is 32,184 Yen, which would only be 1,341 Yen per month on a 24-month installment. Together with the set sim card plans provided by BIGLOBE, 1GB-a-month plan costs 2,799 Yen, 5GB-a-month plan costs 3,123 Yen, all tax included. You will need a starting fee of 3,000 Yen, but BIGLOBE plans also support audio line based phone connection and comes with a free wifi service, with which you can access some public wireless access points. Reasonable.

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9:40 p.m. I've found an inexpensive flower shop! It's between stations and not exactly on my commuting route, so I'll have to make a detour to get to the shop, but I think it's worth it. Why? Because you can get a hundred roses for just 1,980 Yen!

I was planning to visit the family grave today as it was Higan (spring equinox), so I stretched my legs a bit to buy some flowers there. I've bought a bunch of bulky chrysanthemums for 398 Yen and some flowers I didn't even know the names of for 298 Yen, becuase they were both distressed merchandise. I didn't need anything fancy, so this was fine with me. Besides, the chrysanthemums seemed to be more lively than the ones sold in supermarkets for about the same price in smaller bunches.

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9:37 p.m. Cherry buds are fattening up. The cherry blossom prediction might prove right this year.

Weather forecast says the temperature will take a dip until around Wednesday or Thursday, but it will get warmer toward the end of the week. This dip is said to be the key to the blooming of cherry blossoms. Cherries need to feel the temperature drop once. It becomes a sign for them to get everything ready for the last minute, before they burst into blossoms. When it gets warm again after the dip, cherry blossoms go into full bloom. And that's when the last of the cold air is swept away. We rarely have cold days after the cherry blossoms.

Getting excited! Can't wait till the cherries start blooming! A couple more days, just a couple more days, and there'll be cherry blossoms all over, wrapping everything in soft pale pink. It's going to be all pale pink. Pale pink season is right around the bend!

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3:03 p.m. Another thing I'm looking forward to is the release of the newly announced Kyocera sim free smart phone, Kyocra S301.

The device is water-proof, dust-proof, shock resistant (satisfies MIL-STD-810G), with Android OS 4.4.4 KitKat, Quad-core Snapdragon CPU of 1.2 GHz, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of ROM are its weak points, yes, but the price is 29,800 Yen plus BIGLOBE's sim card plan fees of your choice. The spec seems to be enough for my use, though I'd wait and see till somebody actually buys this device and upload the review.

It's going to be sold through AEON retail shops from this Friday, the 27th so I'm counting fingers to hear from the fist buyers!

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5:28 p.m. It's getting chilly again and I find myself repeating the mantra, "until Thursday, until Thursday." As a matter of fact, JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) has announced yesterday, that the cherry blossoms in Tokyo have come into bloom. Though the trees in the neighborhood are still in buds. They've made it such a big event to announce the coming of bloom, but they make official announcements when the first five flowers are spotted blooming within the grounds of Yasukuni Jinja.

Repeating the mantra, I've also found a reasonable pizzeria on my way to work. Haven't checked the price list closely yet, but it seems they sell pizza from a bargain price of 380 Yen! The name of the shop is Sempre Pizza which seems to have franchised shops all close to train stations, with some shops having a small eat-in space. The shop I found seemed to be to-go only, and no deliveries. Who cares as long as the prices are true and the pizzas taste good! More information coming up as soon as I get the price list.

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5:04 p.m. Okay. I got the price list from Sempre Pizza. Pizzas are all in medium size (25cm in diameter) and prices range from 410 Yen to 961 Yen, tax included, according to the toppings. The cheapest is the marinala pizza with tomato sauce, oregano, basil and garlic. My choice is the margerita pizza, with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil and parmigiano for 572 Yen. I've taken a flyer from the shop I found yesterday, and it has two coupons stapled to the top left corner each offering a 50 Yen discount! Great!

Meantime, Cow has realized his humiliating mistake of putting his home phone number on our office sign board. It trasnpired by the call he took in the back room, which turned out to be a business call. Cow is so embarrassed, he says he wants to hide in a hole for the rest of his life! Ha-ha, take it easy! EVERYBODY makes mistakes.

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5:01 p.m. The cherry blossoms nearby have only started to bloom so it might be too early for viewing parties, but we decided to have it tomorrow anyway.

That means I have to order pizza and sushi today and, pick them up tomorrow on my way. Hmmm... I'll have pretty much to carry. Oh well, I can get over it if I can eat them later.

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3:51 p.m. Cow and I have enjoyed some early blooming cherry blossoms, pizzas from Sempre Pizza, and a takeout sushi with beer for starter and a bottle of red wine we saved up for today.

Mmm... the pizzas tasted good! We were afraid there won't be much cheese on the pizzas regarding the price, but that proved unfound. True, the pizzas weren't flooding with cheese, but enough to enjoy the taste. In my humble opinion, Sempre Pizza provides fine pizzas for a reasonable price. Very cost-effective, effective indeed! Cow and I definitly reccomend Sempre Pizza. Though we might buy the cheepest one next time, and top it up with pepperoni, tomato slices and cheese.

The sushi was also good. Yesterday, I dropped by Midori Zushi in Shibuya Mark City to check if I can order a takeout for the next day. But the staff there had been quite blunt, almost to the point of rude that it nearly made me change my mind about buying sushi there. However, as I dropped by the shop today to order and buy the sushi which weren't accepted yesterday, the same staff who attended me yesterday remembered my face and told me that he's got my order ready the minute he saw my face! He told me that I can get the cheapest takeout sushi if it was around this time, which probably meant that it would be sold out by dinner time. Perhaps he was simply exhausted yesterday, after having a long busy day at work. The sushi tasted wonderful to me, so think I'll forgive his bluntness. :-)

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2:26 p.m. Tomorrow we're having the spring sprint G1, Takamatsu-no-miya Kinen.

I was going to key Daiwa Maggiore, but decided against it after the barrier draw as he drew the outer barrier. Instead, I'm keying Robe Tissage because she is still fresh after having run only one race this year. A bit of rain is expected, so if the turf condition becomes soft, that also might work in her favor. Others, I still haven't made my final decision yet, but the names currently on my list are: Aerovelocity, Sudden Storm, Majin Prosper, Red Oval, Daiwa Maggiore, Kopano Richard and Straight Girl, just in case.

I am not going to give Cow any advice this time, as he overslept and was late for work this morning. He deserves a punishment.

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10:53 p.m. Oh, no. I've been too caught up in shredding old mail. I've been doing this for 2 hours now. I realize I went too far.

I was determined to do some cleaning, and knowing that I won't be able to do much in what time I can spare, I decided to start from shredding old mail to make some space for the ones that are not yet delivered. I've dilligently shredded old mail though I couldn't finish all of them today. But it does make you feel good when you get rid of unnecessary things, even if it was just a small pile. I'll try to keep this going so that some day I'll have myself a purged room. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day.

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3:07 p.m. Takamatsu-no-miya Kinen finished in another loss but I've learned something this year. That Miya-hai either finishes with the front group sliding past the wire, or with the back runners sweeping them all. That means, the result depends on a lot of uncertanties; the track condition, the lap, the number of front runners, which horse is actually going to take the lead, the barrier, and each horse's condition. I'll have to come up with a way to call the race based on more solid facts. Well, by next year.

This weekend, Sankei Osaka-hai would be run. It's a G2, but is a race to see as there will be G1 champions like Kizuna, Isla Bonita and Spielberg, running. My guess for now is that Kizuna would win followed by Spielberg and Lachesis, a 1, 2, 3 finish of Deep Impact descendents. Perhaps some other horse might squeeze in, so am not planning to buy tickets. Am going to watch on TV.

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4:34 p.m. Every time I try to log in to my Internet banking system, I get bounced off at least once. The username, passcodes and PIN numbers that I have, somehow don't seem to match the ones I'd registered, and I end up scurrying out of the webpage to check them one more time from fear of security-locking my account. You need to change and remember the passwords and PIN numbers ever so often for so many different accounts these days, that I'm afraid I'm way in over my head.

I've had the same trouble yesterday, only to discover that I was using the old passcodes which I'd replaced some time ago. Oh yes, I had changed it to be on the safe side, complaining endlessly at the time. I guess I've forgotten to cross out the old ones. I didn't even know that. Well, but now I do. Thank god my account didn't get locked!

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