My factory is being sold!Today one company visited us who is supposed to buy the factory I'm working for.Such M&A is becoming much common in Japan because of activated restructuring like other countries.What we're worrying most is if our salary will be cut down since my company's standard has been kept higher than averange.I think unreasonably high salary should be corrected but my salary is not so high due to my past low performance when I was suffering mental disease.I hope the company would take my private affair into consideration.And I also hope that our business will keep on running decent business even after the management is succeeded to another company.

Research about the function of a brain that I watched last night on TV was interestingThe researcher found out that simple calculation has good influence on activating a part of the brain,whose function is to maintain good mental condition.So it also said that this simple practice showed good result for mentally disabled people to keep them from behaving in bad manner.That program also referred to brain's functional difference between men and women.According to the researcher's comment,physical difference between them makes women to use both right and left sides of the brain more evenly than that of men.

Since I'm proud of myself being more balanced men than others,my brain must be more like that of women.Though many people complain that they tend to lose their flexibility as they get older,I think this theory doesn't applied for me since I seem to be expanding my possibility year by year especially after getting married.It's up to us whether we keep on advancing our skills or not.

Today is my birthday and this year must be great for me!

Continued from previous topic.I didn't know that drama was controversial about how to describe that mortal disease.Some people criticize that sad ending will discourage patients who really now are suffering the same disease.Also,there must be some problem about privacy since this drama exposed every real name,starring person,his alma mater etc.

The TV director should have been more considerate before making it on air,though it touched many TV viewers' heart.

Last night TV drama was based on a real story about a high-school student who suffered a cancer but keep on studying and finally passed the most difficult entrance exam of Tokyo university while struggling against the mortal disease.He was unfortunately could attend the university only one day and passed away at the finale.Both my wife and I couldn't help crying while watching it and I'm sure people who watched it were all the same.

THere was special reason for me to cry since that boy coincidentally graduated and entered the same school and university with me,and furthermore,I also had hardship in my university days suffering terrible mental disease.So I overlapped his image with mine when I even thought about committing suicide worrying about my disease.Besides,what impressed me was his incredibly positive and patient attitude to tackle against the disease without showing any true feeling of his uneasiness nor worry to his family members,that can't be never the same with the case when I was in his situation at the same age.

I should like to give deep condolence to him and I'm also proud of such great junior,swearing to myself that I will live more fruitful life for him contributing much more to the society.

Yesterday was really fantastic day for Japanese by winning the worldwide championship in WBC game.On a personal basis,however,there was another reason for celebrating that memorial day since it was my last day of going to the English conversation school which I've attended for twelve years!It is nearly the same span with that from the first grade of elementary school days until the end of highschool ones,though the speed of developing my skill was much slower.I owe it so much to the school that I now can have better command of English ,meanwhile I could also enjoy additional benefit like meeting some nice guys and having some romance with other female student.

Anyway my memorial day's being coincidended with Japan's having such a glory must be a good omen for my future.

What's a true love?This morning I watch the TV about old famous tragic story which once became popular about more than 40 years ago.This is a pure love story between young couple whose female partner suffered sad death because of cancer.After that the bereaved male partner published the book writing about her.I didn't know until today,however, that this was a true story and still the male partner is alive.What surprised me besides it was that he married with another woman and was criticized severely by mass media for his betrayal conduct even though he in that book declared to her what we call "pure endless love".

In my opinion,the real world can't be so strict and sincere and the dead woman must be happy of his marrying and find another new life.

My parents is staying with us coming from Tokyo.Last night my father told me the story about his job covering the top page of our major Asahi newspaper when he was working for securities company dealing with stocks and bonds about 30 years ago.

Unfortunately that news was negative one related to stock trading technique which reminded me of recent money game scandal caused by an IT company in Japan.Though my father's case was just he was involved in teamwork scandal,I thought people are likely to do something bad with less sense of guilty when others are also doing so with no moral standard around them.

Following after his telling the story my mother commented that causing such scandal is the evidence of one's being great and, as she always does,she complained me that I'm not climbing the corporate ladder like my father while at the same age he was already the boss of a section.

As I told you in my previous posting I went through roundabout way by suffering mental disease which made me much less competitive that put me behind the promotion race in my job performance.However,I'm convinced that I learned something more important than just sticking to promotion.I hope that may come to light in the future.

Yesterday I visited the Shiga medical university for volunteer activity.We volunteers play a role of fake patients for medical students so that they can learn more practical situation.My pretended disease is a depression which I've ever actually suffered about a decade ago.

Unlike other disease,this disease is much harder for students to treat since it requires not only medical knowledge but also consulting skill.It's like their Achilles heel !I advised them referring to recent background situation that doctors are tend to be concentrated on major cities,they should pay more attention to cover what is lacking in things they face like offering onself to be a rural area's doctor.THen such an attitude may lead to fill the blank of patient's mind more effectively,as well.

My graduated highshool was a subsidery of a medical university in TOkyo,but to my great disappointment most of my colleagues who became doctors are concentrated only on metropolitan district.

When I was suffering it,I really worried if my life from that time might be all ruined because of my being totally helpless with few motivation and energy for things I should do.However,it's also true that what I am now owes much to my past hardship I faced and managed to overcome.

THough I'm fully recoverd now and became more active and energetic than others on the contrary,our society seems to be directed opposite way by increasing the number of such patients.People are seeking more profit with harder business situation that made them sick with much stress.

One thing I learned from my past hardship is being "Only One" is more important than being "Number One" as popular Japanese song says.

Again about our gold medal skater Arakawa.When she met the boss of Japan's education ministry for courtesy visit,he said to Miss.Arakawa that he was really pleased when her competitor took mistakes by falling down.

Though it's our natural character to be delighted with the victory of our country,I think it such a comment doesn't fit with the sportsmanship.It's true that her victory owes some way to her rival's mistake since she doesn't have any super performance like quad jump,but the glittering of her gold may be faded when we laugh at other's mistake.

Besides,when we take it into consideration that he is the top man who control our education system,such comment may have negative influnce,I worry,that young students regard it as a good virtue to take advantage of rivals' mistake,which may accerelate more of our tough entrance examination hell.

Moving along the way,I'm practicing Tai Chi and it doesn't stick too much of winning,that's one reason I like it.It weighs more on harmony with the opponent.

The minister's such comment also reminds me of his attitude toward how our high-school textbook of history should be.THey tend to describe in favor of our country,which ,you know ,offended other Asian country. I think people should be more impartial whatever they do.

P.S.What I'm criticizing wants not to be against the sportsmanship I mentioned,though it's contradictory that I speak ill of someone while I insist such behavior should be refrained.

This weekend I had two new experiences I've never done before.THe key word for both might be "Peace".
Among many temples in Kyoto where they pray for achieving worldwide peace,the Higashi-Hongan-Ji temple has one specific slogan close to the idea "Think globally act locally."When I happened to visit there on my walk way back to Kyoto station,I noticed there was a volunteering group who serves for wiping tatami mats with cloths inside a hall of the temple.Since I was not in a haste and felt like joining them, I asked the organizer then he was willing to accept my offer.I've never thought that I could serve for such a famous peace-related temple though on a tiny scale,and while I was cleaning the floor I felt that inside myself seemed purified and was filled with peaceful mind,too.There are many foreign sightseers in Kyoto,but don't you think there must be potential visitors who want do something more that just visiting to feel the native community more vividly?

Another new experience is that I sang and played guitar in front of the station attached with our peace movement which aims at protecting our war related constitution.Such public performance was once very widespread in Japan around the Vietnam war period which produced many anti-war songs.So I intended to bring that atmosphere back to our current society.

Apart from peace thought,I like challenging new things that I've never done before.When I do such things,I always build a image that a part of my brain is stimulated and dust in it might be removed. I don't want to force you peace idea but I just wanna suggest that doing something new brings about new breeze into your mind.Coinsidentally spring breeze is also coming.

Last night I saw a dream in which I was talking with Japanese Empress as if we're close friends.We know that our dream is sometimes unrealistic,but I've never seen a dream where a royal family member appeared.I hope that must be an omen of good luck.

Last night I read an old comic book whose theme was also a dream.There is a company worker who has strong desire to get promotion in the story.One night when he fell asleep however,there appeared a haunted ghost whose name is a "pillow turner".It sneaked up to him and have his pillow turned inside out.Then,the man started seeing a dream that he was steadily stepping up the social ladder,but at the final stage there was a sudden reversal which made him poor on the contrary.When he woke up and learned from his dream that devoting his too much energy on promotion is not a good idea,he has become just a dull worker.

This was written by Japanese famous cartoonist whose typical work is also a haunted gohst.Anyway we can also learn from this cartoon that we should refrain from being too greedy that may result in losing something more important.

By the way continued from previous posting,I show the example from this topic that we have sometimes two contradictory proverbs.
"Great pains but all in vain. " v.s. "Perseverance prevails."
I think it's wise to think and choose one of these proverb depending on the situations,in order to reduce fruitless effort.

And I hope I can achieve something good in the future by getting the momentum from the dream I saw with good omen.Amen!