The Way to a Ghost`s Heart is to Buy Him a Case of Samuel Adams

If you want to get in my good graces real quick, all you have to do is buy me a case of my favorite beer. One of my instructors, Tony the sailor, understands the value of friendship. When he arrived at work yesterday he presented me with a case of the greatest beer created by the good old red, white and blue; Samuel Adams. I like Tony actually. I have even put my neck on the chopping block for him once. It was worth it because I feel that he has real potential as an instructor. Hell, how can I not like a guy who buys me a case of Sam.

I am, in effect, Tony`s boss. Although, I feel that I have been able to connect with him on a level that other management has failed to do. That is the secret to successful management; you have to make the personal connection with people. They have to feel that are working for you, rather than the company. Lets face it, most people hate the company they work for. Many people would rather stab their company in the back than take one for the team. This attitude can be changed and manipulated if you, as a leader, can make a personal connection with the workers. They will forget about how much they hate the company if they like you. They do things against their better judgment if they feel they are doing it for their friend rather than the company.

So, after receiving such a graceful gift from an instructor, I assume he feels that I am his friend. In truth I really am his friend. I know about his personal situation and what is happening in his life. I have taken the time to care about this fellow human. I buy him a beer from time to time,let him relax, and talk a little shit about various things. I try to get a good laugh out him. I want him to be a success. Although, I have had to bitch him out a few times about some professional things, he understands who butters my bread.

I hope to make these connections with as many instructors as possible. Hell, it improves moral greatly and give me a much more healthy social life. Sometimes I can talk an instructor into hanging with me totally removed from work; i.e. when we both have the same off day. This is good for them and good for me. We can have a good time and network about certain happens within the company.

So, here is a salute to Tony the sailor. May he become one of the best instructors in the company!

Communist Japan?

The idea of Japan becoming Communist truly boggles my mind. I am aware that the Reds have had a foot hold in Japan for decades. From my understanding they had been put in their place by Yaks after WW2. Yet, as I was reading an interesting article at makepolicy.com about the recent raise of the Communist party in Japan, it appears that the Reds far from gone in the land of the raising sun.

It seems that the recent economic down turn is being seem as the reason for the increase in membership of the JCP. The people are worried about having a stable job and the future of their society. With a government that has been controlled too long by a failed political right; many Japanese youth are turning to the Communist for leadership though these tough times. The truth is the JCP has been increasing in numbers for the past several years. Not just from following the news but from my own experiences with the Tokyo punk/rock a` billy scene, there are more Communist living in Tokyo than one might expect.

For example, one evening I was hanging-out at a punk bar deep in the heart of Tokyo. I had this Japanese gal, who had been running around with me a lot at the time, with me. She sees come guy wearing a commie hat and says, `Communist are cool. They care about the people. I like Reds.`As shocked as I was by her statement, I was not surprised considering we where in a punk bar filled to the brim with Japanese youth. The JCP is using the same tactic others Communist groups across the globe have used in gain influence in society; win the hearts and minds of the youth. Mao`s cultural revolution is a classic example of how Communist will employ the discontent of the youth to gain power and influence over society. Currently, the JCP seems to be recruiting members from the `freeters` and the Japanese youth punk scene.

So, one has to wonder if the Communist party of Japan will ever gain strong enough influence in society to be in the drivers seat of the government? I would like to say no but considering the unstable government of Japan; anything is possible. For now the JCP holds a minor number of seats in the Japanese government. The majority of people are still smart enough not to give in to the lies of Communism.

Create your very own Pandemic

With all the talk of Pandemic these days, you might be wondering how something like this gets started. The wonders of the internet provide us with a way to experience the thrill of infecting the world with a deadly illness. Enter Pandemic 2 the game!

Oh yes! Enjoy the excitement of creating your very own Pandemic and killing off the world`s population. This game provides hours of fun featuring three different illness types and lots of options to make a Pandemic the world have never seen.

Japan is actually kind of hard to infect because it is an island. You can challenge yourself to see if you can wipe out the land of the raising sun. I know featuring such a game may be in bad taste at the moment, but I just cannot resist a game which brings reality to shocking life.

Go ahead and try this game out. If you are not worried about the swine flu yet, you will be after playing this game.

The Americans got Pig Flu

It looks as if a deadly flu is spreading across America. I am shocked but not surprised by this latest development. I mean, old glory has fallen on some hard times. The fatherland has been hit by the worst economic down turn in the nation`s history. Some people are losing everything. Near a million jobs have disappeared and children are going hungry. If America has not hit rock bottom yet, a deadly flu should make the country sink right to the bottom. I can only hope for the best in these dark days.

Lucky for me, I live in Tokyo where is no sign of the pig flu at all! The Japanese are so picky with their food that they are able to keep the pork flu free. I do wonder if there is any real risk of it landing on Japanese shores? I mean, Godzilla attacked Tokyo many times so what is stopping a little pig flu?

I know one thing, if a air born pig flu attacks Tokyo it will spread like wildfire on the trains. Trains are usually pretty packed during the morning hours. Those sleepy and pissed off salary men will pass that shit to each other in a matter of days. Even if they do get it I am willing to bet they still will not be late for work. They might show up squalling like a pig, but still early enough to have a cup of coffee.

All joking aside, this whole pig flu thing looks to be kind of serious. A lot of people are getting this shit. Hell, even a few nations in Asia are reporting cases. Japan has started turning away folks from Mexico as a way to prevent the disease from spreading. I hear that is no real cure for this nasty swine flu. If you get it you have to tough it out and hope you don`t die. At this point I am not extremely worried because it is not killing people world wide so much yet. We should be careful here in Japan because the pig heave love to screw, which could spread the flu faster, as evidence in the video below.


Pigs Have Sex During Japanese TV Broadcast - The most amazing home videos are here

Yanki Boy

So had to go do a shake down on a branch school heading from Shibuya half way to Yokohama. Not the kind of place I really wanted to go, but it was for my job. The area was actually not bad; except it was kind of far from where I live. I could tell it was not the kind of place which has a high gaijin population. I had one old man bark gaijin at me in a rude manner. I simply laughed at him and that was that. Although, is not the area which is important to this blog post; it is what happened at the branch itself.

This branch has a rather low student number. This fact is not so surprising considering that it is a small branch in the first place. None the less, there are enough students for our company to take a vested interest in it. After doing a little work on the place, the teacher arrives and classes begin. The day was going by as normal until this one rather unique student shows up. A 16 year old gal, horny as hell, very loud, and almost bouncing off the walls like a bunny turns up ready for English. I have no idea why she even comes for lessons. She made no effort to learn anything. She raised hell and messed with the teacher during the entire lesson. The chick was addicted to trouble. Her skirt was hiked up around her ass and she had slightly modified her uniform. The teacher tried to maintain his composure but it was obvious he was struggling.

After the lesson she decides to hangout for a while. As I was talking to the teacher she interrupts and starts asking questions about me. Again, making no effort to practice her English. After a few question/answer go around with her she says, `You are Yanki.` Not knowing what the hell she meant, I headed to a table in the back where I had my paperwork set up. She keeps talking to the staff, at the same time, trying to sneak a peak of me working. After a while she comes to the back and sits down besides me; as if she owns the place. She kept trying to touch my arms get my attention. Getting any work done was impossible, so I had to have staff attend to the young lady.

After catching up with work, I took the time to look up the meaning of Yanki. It seems that Yanki is a subculture which got its start in the 1980`s. Their look is greased up hair, leather, customizing school uniforms, and causing general trouble. In short Yanki is nothing more than a damn greaser! I had been trying to find the correct Japanese word to describe greaser to the general public in Japan. Yanki appears is their word to no good, drinking, fighting, fucking greaser lifestyle.

The only difference I really see between `Yanki` and `Greaser` is most people drop the Yanki habit when they enter the work force. There are not so many lifelong Yanki`s in Japan. Of course, you can still see the Rock a` Billy dancers at Yoyogi park on the weekends. There are also still plenty of Rock a` Billy bands performing nightly in Tokyo.

Lost in the Fast Lane

Hello world! As of late I have not been blogging. It looks as if I have abandoned my dear blog and those who come by for a read from time to time. Truth be known, I have been busy as a bee in recent weeks. Work has been keeping me busy as ever. I have been doing a lot of traveling around for work. I have been to please in and around the Tokyo area that I have never seen before. This has been a challenge but I have enjoyed myself for the most part. I have ran across some interesting people and gotten myself into some odd situations. It has been adventure for sure.

The biggest problem I am facing currently is my schedule. Finding time to do everything I want to do is a struggle. Not having any free time until around 10 pm or later, during my work days, really sucks. It seems as if I only have time for work, drinking, and sleep. The fast lane in Tokyo can be a real bitch at times. So much crazy shit happens in one day that when I get home I have a desire to shut myself off from everything. Too often recently, when I get home I eat, have one last drink, spend some a little time with the gal, and simply pass out. The next day the same crazy shit starts all over again.

Despite trying to hang with a very hectic schedule, I am having good time. Like I said, I have had some very interesting experiences recently. I will start blogging on a regular basis again. My life is just too weird to not make a record of it.