Sunday March 17, 12:15 p.m.
St. Patrick's Day again....or Don't-You-Dare-Drive-In-Downtown-Toronto Day. Because of the annual parade and the fact that one major long segment of the TTC is out of commission, driving downtown must be a huge migraine....even more than usual. A couple of my old friends who used to love putzing about in their cars have basically had their love leached out from them due to the horrors of navigating badly-maintained streets, chronic construction, few and pricey parking lots and incompetent drivers. Ah, and we do have those Pan Am Games in a couple of years, right?
Having the windows open in a number of the rooms here just to clear all the stale stuff out. My brother's family is popping over for dinner tonight, so I don't want my niece making any remarks since kids are very straightforward about their opinions.
Met up with The Egg and his wife for lunch out in North York yesterday. We went to the local branch of Asian Legend, one of the popular Chinese food franchises. The Anime King and I often head out to the branch near his place where we usually just nosh on some soy milk soup and perhaps some potstickers. But I was kinda surprised that we all went a bit wild on the quantity of our choices. The Egg and I were champion eaters in our day, and I can still surprise even myself at times but, I think our best days are well behind us now.
I've sorted out my tax stuff so that I can hand over the numbers to my brother since he's got some whiz-bang software. If I were still in Japan, I would've done this a month ago since the due date is actually right now there for returns. Aside from the kanji, it was never all that bad filling out the forms.
The Leafs lost another heartbreaker to the Winnipeg Jets in a shootout. But the news media isn't exactly getting too upset since losing teams in a shootout still earn a point. But that's 5 in a row for the Buds, and so I'm just wondering if recent history is gonna repeat itself, and the players will have to don disguises when they go shopping locally. In any case, I have a feeling that they're probably gonna make the playoffs by the skin of their noses.
I guess the other big news here is this looming pachyderm known as the Big Casino Debate. The casino conglomerates have been courting Toronto like really desperate bachelors, and Mayor Rob Ford has been more than happy to show them inside the house. Meanwhile, a lot of us are not feeling too good about having a bit of Las Vegas (or as my old high school History teacher used to say it, Lost Wages) or Detroit/Windsor/Vancouver/Niagara Falls plunked down in downtown. Sure, jobs may increase but at best, I think it would be a Faustian victory. There was a job fair for jobs that don't yet exist for this casino that doesn't yet exist yesterday somewhere which struck me as somewhat odd. And as it turned out, the turnout was indeed sparse and the so-called job fair was really a badly-disguised group of lobbyists trying to show the merits of having a casino. Supposedly, some of the officials who did come on out were caught off-guard themselves when confronted with the question about this "job fair". The pro-casino side is having a tough enough time of trying to convince a very skeptical city, so false advertising on this level isn't exactly going to help their cause.
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Anxieties Everywhere
Thursday January 17, 9:36 a.m.
The latest translation is coming along slowly but steadily. However, I'm not a huge fan of TRADOS or at least the learning curve for me seems to be a right angle. I tried to send over a sample file to the boss only to be told that the file didn't have any translation along with the source. Well, I have 16 hours of solid work to prove that I was working on it! Something similar happened to me when I did my first translation on the software, so using another trick, it was able to pull through. I'm hoping that the same thing did the trick this time. In any case, the deadline for this one seems to be rather distant and amorphous so neither the boss nor I are particularly in panic mode. But I'm still unsure.
Japan has been having to deal with a couple of crises in the last few days. The new old Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, would only have had to deal with the usual economic woes infiltrating his country if these situations hadn't happened. But both ANA and JAL have grounded their Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleets like itinerant teens since the batteries on some of the planes have been turning into (smoke) bombs at the very least. Of course, Boeing stock has been going boing at the news....and that is in the bad way. And then there is the ongoing hostage incident in Algeria in which some Japanese nationals have also been taken, although I may have heard that some of them have been released.
Buried within all that is the 18th anniversary of the Kobe Earthquake. Some events will always be remembered....the people in Kobe and the surrounding region certainly haven't forgotten. And as someone who had felt a fraction of the Tohoku Earthquake a couple of years ago in Tokyo (and that fraction was enough to sear itself into my memory forever), I can attest to that.
At the end of this, I also have to mention that Conrad Bain from "Diff'rent Strokes" has passed away. To be honest, I hadn't heard anything about him for years so that I thought he had already left this mortal coil, but he was able to live a good long life. I had no idea that he was actually born in Lethbridge, Alberta. I used to watch the show with him, Gary Coleman, Dana Plato and Todd Bridges on Thursday or Friday on NBC. It's a pity that Bridges is the only surviving member now from that series.
Now that I know Bain's connection with Canada, I can understand a bit more about his brother, Hank, being brought into that old "SCTV" sketch involving the station and alien cabbages.
The latest translation is coming along slowly but steadily. However, I'm not a huge fan of TRADOS or at least the learning curve for me seems to be a right angle. I tried to send over a sample file to the boss only to be told that the file didn't have any translation along with the source. Well, I have 16 hours of solid work to prove that I was working on it! Something similar happened to me when I did my first translation on the software, so using another trick, it was able to pull through. I'm hoping that the same thing did the trick this time. In any case, the deadline for this one seems to be rather distant and amorphous so neither the boss nor I are particularly in panic mode. But I'm still unsure.
Japan has been having to deal with a couple of crises in the last few days. The new old Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, would only have had to deal with the usual economic woes infiltrating his country if these situations hadn't happened. But both ANA and JAL have grounded their Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleets like itinerant teens since the batteries on some of the planes have been turning into (smoke) bombs at the very least. Of course, Boeing stock has been going boing at the news....and that is in the bad way. And then there is the ongoing hostage incident in Algeria in which some Japanese nationals have also been taken, although I may have heard that some of them have been released.
Buried within all that is the 18th anniversary of the Kobe Earthquake. Some events will always be remembered....the people in Kobe and the surrounding region certainly haven't forgotten. And as someone who had felt a fraction of the Tohoku Earthquake a couple of years ago in Tokyo (and that fraction was enough to sear itself into my memory forever), I can attest to that.
At the end of this, I also have to mention that Conrad Bain from "Diff'rent Strokes" has passed away. To be honest, I hadn't heard anything about him for years so that I thought he had already left this mortal coil, but he was able to live a good long life. I had no idea that he was actually born in Lethbridge, Alberta. I used to watch the show with him, Gary Coleman, Dana Plato and Todd Bridges on Thursday or Friday on NBC. It's a pity that Bridges is the only surviving member now from that series.
Now that I know Bain's connection with Canada, I can understand a bit more about his brother, Hank, being brought into that old "SCTV" sketch involving the station and alien cabbages.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Pulling the Trigger, Making the Change
Thursday November 15, 1:02 p.m.
Well, treated my parents to lunch at a Chinese buffet place and then later on, my parents brought home a pizza from the Metro supermarket. I paid the price later on....gastrointestinally speaking. But that's not what the title refers to.
Nope, I decided it was time to hand in my resignation to the school. A couple of weeks back, I did my weeklong session subbing for a teacher....nice students and all, but it was far from a home run with them in terms of rapport....basically I felt like it was the Blue Jays 2012 as a teacher. I could actually see myself in Ricky Romero's cleats and just look skywards. "Why me?" I've been doing this for a quarter of a century with some good success but when it came to this school, I might as well have stuck on a piece of paper to my chest which says "WARNING: ROOKIE TEACHER ON BOARD". There was also the fact that my other work in translation was finally starting to clash with the teaching requests. I had to decline 2 or 3 requests in the last fortnight because of translation assignments. And with that last one, I told myself that it was time to make the call.
So, I sent the e-mail about an hour ago....carefully crafted so that it was polite and apologetic....to the powers-that-be that it was time to move on. Translation is not a walk in the park, by any means. But at least I'm getting more well-earned experience, satisfaction and income. Plus, at least I will have some time back to return to pure writing....aside from blogging.
I still have my lone student back in Japan for the Skype teaching, so that's OK. And perhaps in the future, I may be able to help some other student on an individual basis. But on the organizational level, I'm done.
Well, treated my parents to lunch at a Chinese buffet place and then later on, my parents brought home a pizza from the Metro supermarket. I paid the price later on....gastrointestinally speaking. But that's not what the title refers to.
Nope, I decided it was time to hand in my resignation to the school. A couple of weeks back, I did my weeklong session subbing for a teacher....nice students and all, but it was far from a home run with them in terms of rapport....basically I felt like it was the Blue Jays 2012 as a teacher. I could actually see myself in Ricky Romero's cleats and just look skywards. "Why me?" I've been doing this for a quarter of a century with some good success but when it came to this school, I might as well have stuck on a piece of paper to my chest which says "WARNING: ROOKIE TEACHER ON BOARD". There was also the fact that my other work in translation was finally starting to clash with the teaching requests. I had to decline 2 or 3 requests in the last fortnight because of translation assignments. And with that last one, I told myself that it was time to make the call.
So, I sent the e-mail about an hour ago....carefully crafted so that it was polite and apologetic....to the powers-that-be that it was time to move on. Translation is not a walk in the park, by any means. But at least I'm getting more well-earned experience, satisfaction and income. Plus, at least I will have some time back to return to pure writing....aside from blogging.
I still have my lone student back in Japan for the Skype teaching, so that's OK. And perhaps in the future, I may be able to help some other student on an individual basis. But on the organizational level, I'm done.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Back to School and Out of Work
Wednesday August 15, 3:57 p.m.
Well, just a few hours after getting that bank form to hand into the hands of the payroll officer of my school, I got the call from the supervisor there to sub for a teacher on Friday morning. When I called him up, I got his machine. Just from his voice, I knew exactly who he was. He's one of the more interesting characters in the school; I've seen him from time to time rumbling around like a mix between Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. Kinda wonder what his students must be like after a full first week with him. In any case, I've got my 'in' to get that form into Payroll. I was asked about Monday morning as well, but I've got my doctor's appointment on that day.
Back at the BBQ at CG's place on Sunday, CG regaled all of us about what a horrible idiot his boss was at his latest job. It was a venting situation at Force 5. Well, The Entrepreneur and I know a little about his situation so we kinda calmed him down. The Entrepreneur gave him some professional advice. And so, today, CG contacted all of us to say that he told the boss to take that job and shove it. From the way he was telling it, CG's boss was Rob Ford and Oscar Madison smashed together. I gave him my good wishes although I wonder what he's gonna do with a full family and a big mortgage to handle.
Well, just a few hours after getting that bank form to hand into the hands of the payroll officer of my school, I got the call from the supervisor there to sub for a teacher on Friday morning. When I called him up, I got his machine. Just from his voice, I knew exactly who he was. He's one of the more interesting characters in the school; I've seen him from time to time rumbling around like a mix between Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. Kinda wonder what his students must be like after a full first week with him. In any case, I've got my 'in' to get that form into Payroll. I was asked about Monday morning as well, but I've got my doctor's appointment on that day.
Back at the BBQ at CG's place on Sunday, CG regaled all of us about what a horrible idiot his boss was at his latest job. It was a venting situation at Force 5. Well, The Entrepreneur and I know a little about his situation so we kinda calmed him down. The Entrepreneur gave him some professional advice. And so, today, CG contacted all of us to say that he told the boss to take that job and shove it. From the way he was telling it, CG's boss was Rob Ford and Oscar Madison smashed together. I gave him my good wishes although I wonder what he's gonna do with a full family and a big mortgage to handle.
Bank Stuff and Linda Ronstadt
Wednesday August 15, 3:13 p.m.
It's a pretty quiet day today. But this morning, I went over to my local bank to do some housekeeping, so to speak, concerning my account. Nothing too bad....got everything done within half an hour. I will have to go down to the school....if and when I'm called for duty....to hand them another form so that they can send my pay to the new account.
Listened in bed last night to Linda Ronstadt's "What's New?"CD. I have to say that it's the first disc in a while that I've been able to listen to every track without falling asleep. Such is the magic of Nelson Riddle. I read some stuff on Wiki about the album....I was quite surprised to read so much acclaim for it. Basically, it's been hailed as the saviour for The Great American Songbook after it nearly got snuffed out by The Beatles and rock music. Well, I like my disco, AOR, R&B and New Wave just fine, but it's nice to know that jazz and standards can still claim a place in contemporary music. Harry Connick, Jr. and Michael Buble ought to make that pilgrimage to Ronstadt's house.
I like the title track but I've got a crush on "I've Got A Crush On You". And I have to say that Linda hasn't looked so ravishing than when she appears in the video.
It's a pretty quiet day today. But this morning, I went over to my local bank to do some housekeeping, so to speak, concerning my account. Nothing too bad....got everything done within half an hour. I will have to go down to the school....if and when I'm called for duty....to hand them another form so that they can send my pay to the new account.
Listened in bed last night to Linda Ronstadt's "What's New?"CD. I have to say that it's the first disc in a while that I've been able to listen to every track without falling asleep. Such is the magic of Nelson Riddle. I read some stuff on Wiki about the album....I was quite surprised to read so much acclaim for it. Basically, it's been hailed as the saviour for The Great American Songbook after it nearly got snuffed out by The Beatles and rock music. Well, I like my disco, AOR, R&B and New Wave just fine, but it's nice to know that jazz and standards can still claim a place in contemporary music. Harry Connick, Jr. and Michael Buble ought to make that pilgrimage to Ronstadt's house.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Editing
Wednesday August 8, 12:01 p.m.
Spent most of the morning in my pyjamas editing a translation assignment. Whew....man...pharmaceuticals. Glad I wasn't actually the translator. Would've gone nuts. In any case, I've sent it over to the boss so hopefully, it passes muster.
Been listening/watching the latest round of Olympics coverage. The Women's Wrestling was pretty good, although Carol Huynh has lost to Hitomi Obara. It's always tough when Japan and Canada are up against each other. But apparently Canada has picked up a couple of more medals.
Well, I'm done for the day although I've gotta step out for some bank business later this afternoon.
Spent most of the morning in my pyjamas editing a translation assignment. Whew....man...pharmaceuticals. Glad I wasn't actually the translator. Would've gone nuts. In any case, I've sent it over to the boss so hopefully, it passes muster.
Been listening/watching the latest round of Olympics coverage. The Women's Wrestling was pretty good, although Carol Huynh has lost to Hitomi Obara. It's always tough when Japan and Canada are up against each other. But apparently Canada has picked up a couple of more medals.
Well, I'm done for the day although I've gotta step out for some bank business later this afternoon.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Opportunities?
Tuesday March 20, 12:39 p.m.
The last couple of days have been fairly interesting. My sister-in-law sent me an address for this opportunity of a lifetime for a foodie out in Vancouver. Apparently, the city of Richmond B.C. has sent out an all-points bulletin to anyone on the planet who would be willing to live there for an entire year and blog about 365 restaurants with photos and video (http://365daysofdining.com/), and it's a paid position of $50,000...which is far more than I ever made per year as a teacher in Japan. I must admit that it's rather tempting, but it would mean uprooting myself once more, and frankly speaking, I'm not sure if I'm up to that anymore. Plus, it's like the JET Programme...rounds of interviews and eliminations. Still, I'm thinking about it. I've come across a couple of folks who are really trying hard to get that position...they've already got the blogs and video.
The other tip was from Shard. There's some communications company based right here which is looking for freelancers like to me to talk on stuff related to Toronto: fashion, movies, FOOD. And since I am a foodie, I think I have a better chance there. Not sure how this would work but I'm going for anything I can that doesn't involve digging ditches or selling life insurance.
The last couple of days have been fairly interesting. My sister-in-law sent me an address for this opportunity of a lifetime for a foodie out in Vancouver. Apparently, the city of Richmond B.C. has sent out an all-points bulletin to anyone on the planet who would be willing to live there for an entire year and blog about 365 restaurants with photos and video (http://365daysofdining.com/), and it's a paid position of $50,000...which is far more than I ever made per year as a teacher in Japan. I must admit that it's rather tempting, but it would mean uprooting myself once more, and frankly speaking, I'm not sure if I'm up to that anymore. Plus, it's like the JET Programme...rounds of interviews and eliminations. Still, I'm thinking about it. I've come across a couple of folks who are really trying hard to get that position...they've already got the blogs and video.
The other tip was from Shard. There's some communications company based right here which is looking for freelancers like to me to talk on stuff related to Toronto: fashion, movies, FOOD. And since I am a foodie, I think I have a better chance there. Not sure how this would work but I'm going for anything I can that doesn't involve digging ditches or selling life insurance.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Labour Pains
Friday March 23, 11:09 a.m.
Looks like we're all suffering from a Spring of Our Discontent right now. Toronto is undergoing labour disruption from multiple angles. A wildcat strike by baggage handlers and ground crew at Pearson is making things miserable for passengers, the city's librarians have been locked out for almost a week, inside workers may be going on strike tonight. Plus, City Hall is locked into this transit debate and the NDP Leadership Convention is taking place here for the next couple of days. And by the way, the TTC will be shutting down a major part of the subway this weekend for repairs. A great time to be a journalist in this city....for other people, not so much.
Looks like we're all suffering from a Spring of Our Discontent right now. Toronto is undergoing labour disruption from multiple angles. A wildcat strike by baggage handlers and ground crew at Pearson is making things miserable for passengers, the city's librarians have been locked out for almost a week, inside workers may be going on strike tonight. Plus, City Hall is locked into this transit debate and the NDP Leadership Convention is taking place here for the next couple of days. And by the way, the TTC will be shutting down a major part of the subway this weekend for repairs. A great time to be a journalist in this city....for other people, not so much.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Bummer
Tuesday March 13, 10:20 p.m.
This morning, I got the news from Cozy that I would be liable for one more year's worth of Residents' Tax to the Ichikawa government. I almost was on the verge of typing his head off in frustration since I'd been looking forward to that remaining amount from my bank account. Now, at this point, I will end up owing money to pay off my final debt. I sent a letter to the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo only to have them tell me that I should contact Ichikawa Tax Office directly. But I left a message on one of the Japan forums and got some useful, if not good, news. Apparently, the government calculates the Residents' Tax based on the previous year, so, yep, it looks like I gotta pay some more money.
If there is good news, I won't be getting the bill until June. That was always the case when I was living in Japan. And I'll have some time to make up the balance via Mr. Moriya's lessons and perhaps any other job I can scrape up. Not quite sure if I can still pay via installments like I did back in Japan.
Still not a happy state of affairs.
This morning, I got the news from Cozy that I would be liable for one more year's worth of Residents' Tax to the Ichikawa government. I almost was on the verge of typing his head off in frustration since I'd been looking forward to that remaining amount from my bank account. Now, at this point, I will end up owing money to pay off my final debt. I sent a letter to the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo only to have them tell me that I should contact Ichikawa Tax Office directly. But I left a message on one of the Japan forums and got some useful, if not good, news. Apparently, the government calculates the Residents' Tax based on the previous year, so, yep, it looks like I gotta pay some more money.
If there is good news, I won't be getting the bill until June. That was always the case when I was living in Japan. And I'll have some time to make up the balance via Mr. Moriya's lessons and perhaps any other job I can scrape up. Not quite sure if I can still pay via installments like I did back in Japan.
Still not a happy state of affairs.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Winter Cancelled On Account of Spring
Monday March 12, 5:06 p.m.
We broke records yesterday with the warmest March 11 in Toronto history....hit the big One-Six C. For this time of year, that's a sign of a heat wave. When I headed out for a few minutes to buy the paper at the nearest convenience store, I heard birds chirping, the sun was shining and an eerie sense of well-being consumed me....for a short time, anyways, then I remembered I was still jobless and the Leafs lost again....then I returned to my default misery.
Meanwhile, in this year's meteorological version of "Freaky Friday" starring Japan and Canada, my former country of residence was shivering with cold and avalanches had become a regular part of the news.
Locally for me, it's been a little better. My taxation proxy, Cozy, has been able to handle the processing of my final tax return to the Japanese government and he was able to get my somewhat suspicious former real estate agency to deposit the portion of my security deposit that I had been owed for my old apartment in Ichikawa City into my account...just in time for him to send off the return with my taxes. There will be some left over from my old account to send back to my PayPal as well. And I also got another translation assignment from him, although this is a smaller job. I'm gonna have to send him some sort of package to him to show my gratitude.
We broke records yesterday with the warmest March 11 in Toronto history....hit the big One-Six C. For this time of year, that's a sign of a heat wave. When I headed out for a few minutes to buy the paper at the nearest convenience store, I heard birds chirping, the sun was shining and an eerie sense of well-being consumed me....for a short time, anyways, then I remembered I was still jobless and the Leafs lost again....then I returned to my default misery.
Meanwhile, in this year's meteorological version of "Freaky Friday" starring Japan and Canada, my former country of residence was shivering with cold and avalanches had become a regular part of the news.
Locally for me, it's been a little better. My taxation proxy, Cozy, has been able to handle the processing of my final tax return to the Japanese government and he was able to get my somewhat suspicious former real estate agency to deposit the portion of my security deposit that I had been owed for my old apartment in Ichikawa City into my account...just in time for him to send off the return with my taxes. There will be some left over from my old account to send back to my PayPal as well. And I also got another translation assignment from him, although this is a smaller job. I'm gonna have to send him some sort of package to him to show my gratitude.
Friday, February 17, 2012
My First Paycheck
Friday February 17, 8:32 p.m.
Well, about a week after doing my 3 days at the school, I actually got a receipt telling me how much I'd earned for my time there. It was actually somewhat more than I'd expected, and I'm glad that they're doing direct deposit. Considering how quickly it got to me, I'm not quite sure if they're just kissing me off. Well, we'll just have to see if there are any further SOS calls.
I've also gotten started on doing my final tax return for Japan. Since I started my freelance English-teaching business several years ago, I've been very diligent in recording any sort of income and expense for deduction purposes. And I brought the ledger back with me, so it was time-consuming but not difficult. I found out because of the drop in revenue due to the effects of the quake last year, I will definitely not be paying nearly as much tax as I did last year. Not to say that I paid a whole lot, but the amount will be smaller.
Actually doing the paperwork for the tax return isn't all that difficult at all, and just about every salaried employee in a company in Japan will never have to put pen to paper or even touch a key when it comes to taxes. The accounting department does all the heavy lifting.
Well, about a week after doing my 3 days at the school, I actually got a receipt telling me how much I'd earned for my time there. It was actually somewhat more than I'd expected, and I'm glad that they're doing direct deposit. Considering how quickly it got to me, I'm not quite sure if they're just kissing me off. Well, we'll just have to see if there are any further SOS calls.
I've also gotten started on doing my final tax return for Japan. Since I started my freelance English-teaching business several years ago, I've been very diligent in recording any sort of income and expense for deduction purposes. And I brought the ledger back with me, so it was time-consuming but not difficult. I found out because of the drop in revenue due to the effects of the quake last year, I will definitely not be paying nearly as much tax as I did last year. Not to say that I paid a whole lot, but the amount will be smaller.
Actually doing the paperwork for the tax return isn't all that difficult at all, and just about every salaried employee in a company in Japan will never have to put pen to paper or even touch a key when it comes to taxes. The accounting department does all the heavy lifting.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Fiscal-In-Your-Face
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| courtesy of [Jim] at Flickr |
That was a major dose of tough love from The Drummond Report last night, wasn't it? For those who are not in the Canadian news sphere, Don Drummond is the chairman of a commission on public-service reform, and he was drafted by Premier McGuinty to find out what needs to trimmed to save Ontario money. Well, his tome (tomb?)-like report recommended things like charging kids to use the school bus, slashing kindergarten hours, disbanding the Maple Leafs (just kidding on the last one...only feel like that when they go on a losing skid). In any case, we will all have to tighten our belts to wasp-like figures.
The Japanese feel our pain. They're in the 3rd decade of economic doldrums after The Economic Miracle and The Bubble. There has also been a commission on how to cut costs, led until recently by the far lovelier-looking Minister Renho, a former half-Taiwanese/half-Japanese former model/newscaster. Still, I was watching NHK this morning, and the news is not heartening. Decades ago, the average senior citizen could fiscally be supported by a small army of the working class. Currently, the cute graphic (even NHK likes to use cute graphics) showed just three people supporting that retired person. And it is predicted that within 40 years, there will only be one person to support one retiree. Of course, it is due to the fact that Japan is the fastest-aging country in the world. Not particularly happy news on the other side of the Pacific.
I am far from any economist...being part of the working poor illustrates that. But I am wondering if it's time for Japan to make another major paradigm shift at every level of society, and gear itself toward a 21st-century model of a good geriocentric nation. Maybe it will need to give up its current perch as the 3rd-largest economic power, go down a few notches and just become either more Canadian or Swiss...at least in terms of welfare. When I was living in Japan, I had to make 8 monthly payments a year of approximately 30,000 yen each for National Health Insurance...and we still had to pay 30% of the medical bill on visiting the doctor. I think OHIP is still a relative godsend...at least for now.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
They're all here!
Wednesday February 1, 4:01 p.m.
Already into the 2nd month, I see. At this rate, I should reach retirement age by the end of the week.
Nippon Express came and delivered all the goods....12 packages...without any fuss or muss and with all possible speed. Incredibly, they were all done within 10 minutes. Our movers were both Japanese and bilingual, and it almost felt like I was back in Ichikawa. And strangely enough, the boxes got into the apartment without taking too much space. They're still unopened until I figure out how I'm gonna arrange all these CDs, DVDs and books.
Meanwhile, it looks like Japan is getting our weather in spades. Even for a typical northern Japan winter, the guys up in places like Aomori and Iwate Prefectures are just getting hammered with snow. The news is even hitting CNN and our local CP 24. So far, 52 people have died from falling off of roofs while trying to clear snow by themselves...three-quarters of whom were elderly.
Already into the 2nd month, I see. At this rate, I should reach retirement age by the end of the week.
Nippon Express came and delivered all the goods....12 packages...without any fuss or muss and with all possible speed. Incredibly, they were all done within 10 minutes. Our movers were both Japanese and bilingual, and it almost felt like I was back in Ichikawa. And strangely enough, the boxes got into the apartment without taking too much space. They're still unopened until I figure out how I'm gonna arrange all these CDs, DVDs and books.
Meanwhile, it looks like Japan is getting our weather in spades. Even for a typical northern Japan winter, the guys up in places like Aomori and Iwate Prefectures are just getting hammered with snow. The news is even hitting CNN and our local CP 24. So far, 52 people have died from falling off of roofs while trying to clear snow by themselves...three-quarters of whom were elderly.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Nippon Express Part 2
Tuesday January 31, 3:23 p.m.
Well, made the drive to Brampton on the west end of the city to meet that lady at Nippon Express to clear my packages with Customs Canada. It wasn't too bad in terms of traffic since we went there at noon. The 401 was clear sailing. Nippon Express was located in an industrial park just off of Hurontario.
Got there 15 minutes ahead of schedule which means that we were on schedule. My sales rep came out and made a couple of copies of my B-15 form that I'd gotten from Pearson Customs when I got home 6 weeks ago, and my passport. She predicted that things would go as smooth as silk, thanks to the B-15. Actually, the longest part of the whole thing was the drive from NE to the Customs centre nearby the airport and back which was a 30-minute round trip. The actual talk with the uniformed agent was only 1 minute. A bit of a waste in time and gasoline but as long as there were no hassles, I was grateful. The sales rep, Ms. Anderson, was a friendly young lady so the drive between NE and Customs went more quickly. Despite the name, Ms. Anderson is a Japanese woman who got married in her home country and then emigrated with her husband several years ago. We traded some of our war stories. She told me of some of the problems that she's encountered when transplanted Japanese businesspeople with very little English ability come to her office without the B-15. So, the moral of the story is...you're coming here to stay for a while, at least? Welcome to Canada.....BRING THE B-15 FORM!
On the way back, we discussed about the delivery for tomorrow. She had quite the hangup about whether or not the truck would be allowed to drop the stuff off in the visitors' parking. But I reassured her that I would talk to the super as soon as I got home. I didn't think we would have a problem. And sure enough, once I got on the phone with him, he was actually a bit surprised that I would even call him about it. I've sent Ms. Anderson the good news.
And so, 940 CDs will be arriving on my doorstep to adorn my room...and probably to aggravate my parents.
Well, made the drive to Brampton on the west end of the city to meet that lady at Nippon Express to clear my packages with Customs Canada. It wasn't too bad in terms of traffic since we went there at noon. The 401 was clear sailing. Nippon Express was located in an industrial park just off of Hurontario.
Got there 15 minutes ahead of schedule which means that we were on schedule. My sales rep came out and made a couple of copies of my B-15 form that I'd gotten from Pearson Customs when I got home 6 weeks ago, and my passport. She predicted that things would go as smooth as silk, thanks to the B-15. Actually, the longest part of the whole thing was the drive from NE to the Customs centre nearby the airport and back which was a 30-minute round trip. The actual talk with the uniformed agent was only 1 minute. A bit of a waste in time and gasoline but as long as there were no hassles, I was grateful. The sales rep, Ms. Anderson, was a friendly young lady so the drive between NE and Customs went more quickly. Despite the name, Ms. Anderson is a Japanese woman who got married in her home country and then emigrated with her husband several years ago. We traded some of our war stories. She told me of some of the problems that she's encountered when transplanted Japanese businesspeople with very little English ability come to her office without the B-15. So, the moral of the story is...you're coming here to stay for a while, at least? Welcome to Canada.....BRING THE B-15 FORM!
On the way back, we discussed about the delivery for tomorrow. She had quite the hangup about whether or not the truck would be allowed to drop the stuff off in the visitors' parking. But I reassured her that I would talk to the super as soon as I got home. I didn't think we would have a problem. And sure enough, once I got on the phone with him, he was actually a bit surprised that I would even call him about it. I've sent Ms. Anderson the good news.
And so, 940 CDs will be arriving on my doorstep to adorn my room...and probably to aggravate my parents.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Nippon Express
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| courtesy of Flick nespodzany |
Well, when it rains, it pours. Not only did I get the next batch of translations from Cozy, but I finally got THE call from Nippon Express, my movers, whose Toronto branch is in Mississauga. The 12 boxes have arrived, and tomorrow Dad and I have to head on over to get them cleared through Customs. Dad's rather grumbly about it since he had assumed that "Door-to-door"meant what it said. But the Canadian government made sure that it's not so. Also, I got word from her that the truck cannot use the visitor parking to unload when the truck comes over on Wednesday morning. Well, where are they gonna unload? I've got the feeling that it could be a long 2 days.
Anyways, I had to cancel Wednesday's lunch with The Wild Guy and The Egg with the next opening on the following Tuesday.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Interview
Wednesday January 25, 8:56 p.m.
Well, I put on that Zegna suit that I'd inherited from my student's now-slimmed-down husband a few years ago and went downtown. My first stop was City Hall to apply for that Social Insurance Number card since I will need it for work. The officer there was pretty good to me; I told him that I was going to a job interview afterwards, and he immediately put my application onto the fast track. It cost me $10 to set things in motion, but it sure was a whole lot easier than getting the OHIP reinstatement started.
I spent the next couple of hours at the Chinatown Starbucks at Dundas and Chestnut. Just wanted some time to go over the notes for the interview (don't laugh...it's been 15 years since my last one) and have a bit of lunch. Outside, we had our noontime entertainment in the form of a scruffy, somewhat unhinged-looking guy being patiently interrogated by the cops.
The interview itself went pretty smoothly. I answered any and all questions posed to me, and , explained my 25-year career and its motivations as best I could. I wasn't expectant about any job offer, but initially anyways, I was slightly deflated after my explanations and her encouragement when the best she could offer was a spot on the substitute teacher list. Beforehand, she had mentioned that the faculty was all unionized, so I could imagine that it would take a rather desperate situation before the school would call me up. Union teachers will probably take the Japanese route and come to work with as much medicine and tissue as possible before having me come in.
All I can say is that I got it over with. And I'll keep on going.
I spent the next couple of hours at the Chinatown Starbucks at Dundas and Chestnut. Just wanted some time to go over the notes for the interview (don't laugh...it's been 15 years since my last one) and have a bit of lunch. Outside, we had our noontime entertainment in the form of a scruffy, somewhat unhinged-looking guy being patiently interrogated by the cops.
The interview itself went pretty smoothly. I answered any and all questions posed to me, and , explained my 25-year career and its motivations as best I could. I wasn't expectant about any job offer, but initially anyways, I was slightly deflated after my explanations and her encouragement when the best she could offer was a spot on the substitute teacher list. Beforehand, she had mentioned that the faculty was all unionized, so I could imagine that it would take a rather desperate situation before the school would call me up. Union teachers will probably take the Japanese route and come to work with as much medicine and tissue as possible before having me come in.
All I can say is that I got it over with. And I'll keep on going.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Prepping
Tuesday January 24, 8:25 p.m.
Today was a major shopping day for me. Now, I have no connection with "Sex And The City", so my idea of a major shopping day and that of those ladies are far and wide. For me, getting dress shoes and a belt counts as a major. Where I used to live in Ichikawa City, there was a discount shoe store with a big shoe section, and a Daiei department store (kinda like a Walmart), so getting clothes didn't make a huge dent in my wallet...rather strange considering the country I lived in.
So, shucking out $90 for a pair of dress shoes was a big deal for me, since I only paid about half that for a similarly-sized pair. Mind you, these new ones may actually last me beyond a year. And luckily, I was able to bring back my Italian suit with me in my suitcase. I inherited it from my former rich student whose husband dropped a ton of weight which therefore negated his need for it...and activated my guilt about my own weight.
All this for my interview tomorrow at that language school. I was happy to get that covering letter and list of references out to the school's director of programs, especially with my haunted computer. This hand-me-down from my brother has been erasing, suddenly expanding and shrinking my fonts, and just throwing new screens in front of me every few minutes. I'm keeping patient but I think when I can afford it, it'll be time to get something nicer. Getting back on topic, it's been a long while since I had a job interview so I've been going over the school's website doing my research and getting my questions ready to pose. Keeping my fingers crossed although I'm not so desperate that I will immediately grab any offer.
Today was a major shopping day for me. Now, I have no connection with "Sex And The City", so my idea of a major shopping day and that of those ladies are far and wide. For me, getting dress shoes and a belt counts as a major. Where I used to live in Ichikawa City, there was a discount shoe store with a big shoe section, and a Daiei department store (kinda like a Walmart), so getting clothes didn't make a huge dent in my wallet...rather strange considering the country I lived in.
So, shucking out $90 for a pair of dress shoes was a big deal for me, since I only paid about half that for a similarly-sized pair. Mind you, these new ones may actually last me beyond a year. And luckily, I was able to bring back my Italian suit with me in my suitcase. I inherited it from my former rich student whose husband dropped a ton of weight which therefore negated his need for it...and activated my guilt about my own weight.
All this for my interview tomorrow at that language school. I was happy to get that covering letter and list of references out to the school's director of programs, especially with my haunted computer. This hand-me-down from my brother has been erasing, suddenly expanding and shrinking my fonts, and just throwing new screens in front of me every few minutes. I'm keeping patient but I think when I can afford it, it'll be time to get something nicer. Getting back on topic, it's been a long while since I had a job interview so I've been going over the school's website doing my research and getting my questions ready to pose. Keeping my fingers crossed although I'm not so desperate that I will immediately grab any offer.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
IKEA
Wednesday January 11, 7:20 p.m.Went up to the IKEA up in North York this afternoon to pick up a TV stand for our new flatpanel. I finally found out what the prime name in home furnishings stands for....something that I will never be able to remember. All I can say is that the inventor of acronyms should have gotten that Nobel Prize.
IKEA has been a mainstay in this part of the hemisphere for decades, but it had only encroached Japanese shores within the last 5 years. Foreign brands seem to have a 75/25 chance of making it big in Japan. Some enterprises, such as Sephora and Boots, for whatever reason, don't last more than a couple of years. Others such as Starbucks and Century 21 become fully welcomed into the Japanese commercial world. IKEA is definitely one of the latter. In fact, customers there have given the Swedish giant's name a distinctly Japanese pronounciation: i-ke-ya...as if the founder were named Mr. Ikeya. Probably there are a lot of folks who think that IKEA is a Japanese firm.
The picture above is not of a Toronto branch, but of the branch in Makuhari-Messe, one of Tokyo's premier convention sites, in Chiba-ken. I'd never been there since I never owned a car during my time in Japan, and I think a driver's licence is pretty much a must to get inside. As with all successful foreign imports, the crowds flooding into the IKEA parking lot rival those entering Tokyo Disneyland every weekend. In a way, it's kinda like touring a museum of Swedish furniture exhibits except that the patrons can actually buy the art at low, low prices. And the modular nature of the goods is a perfect match for the small and austere apartments that the local demographic live in.
Just kinda wonder if the Japanese branches sell hot dog combos like they do over here.
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