So, 2011 is upon us. What are YOU going to do this year? Got your New Year's Resolutions all figured out?
Here's a suggestion from The Universe. It's one that I'll be following because it makes a lot more sense than doing it the "traditional way". After all, how many resolutions have we seen fall to the wayside in our life, eh?
1. Give thanks that life is... just as it is (and that it's been... just as it's been). Because of it, you're now "READY."
2. Define what you want in terms of the end result. Don't worry about the hows, or even the course. KNOW that what you want is ALREADY yours in spirit, by divine LAW, just focus on the certainty of this ownership, understand it, claim it, and "it will be on earth, as it is in heaven (spirit)."
3. LET THE UNIVERSE show you the way via your impulses and instincts that appear as you take inspired action. Don't worry that your first steps seem silly or futile. And if you don't know what to do, do anything! Go! Get busy! Do not insist on intermediary successes, only upon the end result.
4. Know that 2011 already IS your year.
Are you ready?
Let's Jump!
I'll be there to hold your hand if you need it, OK?
I love you!
Happy New Year.
Cam
I left work an hour early today to use up a bit of my overtime, as I didn't have that much to do. When I got home I took a detour to the drugstore in my neighbourhood and asked them if they could fill the prescription I got from the doctor the other day for the pain in my lower back.
Little did I realize it would be this huge!
As the pharmacist gave it to me I burst out laughing, and promised her I would blog this baby.
I have to say, I have never, in my life, received a prescription this Ginormous.
And I thought I would share these "shippu" or plasters, with you.
*laughing*
I love you!
Cam
Cam
P.S. Here is a GREAT creative commons Copyright (free for download, use, and distribution) Christmas music album from "Frozen Christmas". Grab it if you like, and throw it onto your music players for the festive seasons! (It is what I used for my latest video).
I have a question regarding the UPS courier service, and I would like to hear from anyone who has used their services.
To Americans: How do you rate UPS as a courier service in the USA?
To non-Americans: How do you rate UPS as a courier service in YOUR neck of the woods?
Here in Japan, as a delivery service, I have to say, UPS is strange. Let me give you a bit of background.
UPS delivers directly to Japan, but they also have contracts with a variety of overseas postal services so that whenever stuff is delivered by... say... um... Lichtenstein Post Express (like EMS) to Japan, UPS picks it up here and delivers it. When cheese is sent from Italy, it is sent using Poste Italiane express service (similar to our EMS), but it arrives at my door as UPS.
That, in itself, is not a problem at all. BUT, here is where it gets weird:
UPS only delivers up to 4pm (16:00) on weekdays.
They will not deliver on weekends and they will not deliver on holidays.
I have run into this problem in the past, because I am not home on weekdays. So we worked out an agreement that they would call me and ask when they should deliver so that I don't keep getting missed. How nice of them. Really. I appreciate that rather than getting delivery notices left, and being unable to reschedule deliver for a time when I can be here.
Since UPS only delivers during "regular working hours", and I am not an at-home housewife, I can never get their packages when the UPS truck comes. When that happens for a few times, they then transfer the parcels to either the post office, or to a Japanese courier (KuroNeko Yamato) for delivery outside their regular hours.
BUT, the catch is that in order for them to transfer the packages, they need an extra day or two. Here is an example of where that can cause a problem.
If UPS leaves the delivery notice on a Friday, since they do not work on weekends, I need to call them on Monday, and ask them to transfer it to kuroneko because I won't be home when they try again on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday during their regular business hours.
The transfer will take an extra two days for that to happen. When I come home from work two days later I will get a delivery notice from Kuroneko saying I wasn't home, on Wednesday or Thursday. So I will call Kuroneko the next morning, ask them to delivery it either that night late (skip the gym, or bath, or whatever and come straight home), OR, ask them to hold it until Saturday to deliver it in the morning.
In that example it takes a week after the first attempt from UPS to get the parcel in my hands.
Here is a real live example:
I was busy in meetings from 9am to 18:00 last night. I went to the rest room, and came back to find that UPS had called my keitai to ask me when to deliver. That call came at 18:10. I called back at 18:17 but the phones were shut down for the weekend. Drat. Missed them.
I came home last night and there was a delivery notice from them in my post box saying that the 12kg of cheese I ordered through Sox in italy had arrived. They came at 10:07 in the monring. The notice said that it would be transferred to Kuroneko for delivery since the next attempt (today) onThursday, is a holiday.
I called the number that called me last night (it was a keitai number), but alas, they are closed for business.
I called Kuroneko and gave them the delivery number to see if they knew when they could deliver the cheese to me. They said that the 12 digit number from UPS gives them an error in the system and suggested I call a 24 hour 365 day of the week free dial number FOR UPS that they provided. Kuroneko said that UPS would be able to track that number and solve the issue for me. OK.
So I dialed. An answering machine came on and said that they were closed for business today and would continue again tomorrow, Friday. Today is a national holiday (Emperor's birthday).
Tomorrow if delivery is attempted, I won't be here as I have to go to the Canadian Embassy to apply for a new passport (we have to apply for a new-one, not reapply, so it's a real pain in the ass to be Canadian when you want a new passport as you have to supply all the original documentation that you provided five years ago, and 10 years ago, and 15 years ago, etc.). In the afternoon, I have to go to the hospital to get some tests done because of the pain in my ab muscle, and the ensuing back pain that I have staved off for 10 years due to gym workouts that I haven't been able to do for the past three weeks due to pain in my ab muscle.
So, tomorrow there will be another delivery attempt notice left, and finally next week I should be able to get it IF I can get home early enough, as they don't deliver on holidays. From the 30th to the 3rd are holidays, and UPS won't deliver. Which means, if I miss the chance, my 12 kg of cheese will be sitting in the UPS warehouse for two weeks or more, undeliverable.
Lovely service, don't you think?
I'm not pissed, or angry, or venting or anything like that. I'm just trying to explain the bizarre way this courier operates in this country. For businesses that function during regular work hours, I'm sure the service is just fine. But when UPS tries to deliver to the homes of people who work, it becomes a logistics nightmare. That seems so very strange to me, since a courier service is based entirely on SERVICE. That is what makes or breaks couriers.
Advice to everyone: if you are sending any packages to Japan, to friends you know, my advice is to either avoid the transfer to UPS if you can, or to contact the person in advance and let them know you want to send a package, and ask them if you should send it to their work office instead of their home.
I can hardly wait to get my next 12kg of cheese because the last 6kg is gone gone gone!
Merry Christmas!
I love you!
Cam
Lobsta gangsta!
And on sale from 17,000 yen to 9,000 yen! What a steal (for a j-gangsta wannabe)!
I love you!
Cam
Last night after work, I was late.
I needed to leave the office about 18:00 to make it in time for a gathering (of 8) from the gym for a party that "Kyaron-Ojisan" had set up.
I didn't make it.
We have a big presentation with an overseas company next week Monday through Wednesday all day, each day and my job is to put the presentation together; however, one of the big bosses didn't do his job so I had to keep pushing, and waiting, and collecting data myself. Finally at 19:00 I got what I needed, printed out presentations for Monday morning, and left the office around 19:20.
I arrived at Funabashi station (different line, same direction) about 19:55 and emailed "Kyaron-ojisan" to let him know I had arrived (I told him about 18:00 I wouldn't make it in time for everyone to hold hands and walk to the restaurant together).
While I was waiting for him to come and get me (I didn't know where the restaurant - Chinese - was located) I found a little booth set up in the middle of the station milling grounds, selling ...
wooden cutting boards!
Yes, they looked lovely, and were expensive, and hand-made, but not something I really needed.
However (#2)...
Next to that booth was a little "Hakodate (Hokkaido) Christmas" Booth. As I needed to kill some time, I looked around at the decorations. Chinese of course, but what isn't these days, right?
Then the Santa caught my eye! Two of them, actually, standing side by side. On was all decked out in red with an ornate (plastic) staff, while the other was garbed entirely in white with a star-studded (plastic) staff. I chose the white one, and finagled my way down from 5,000 yen, to 2,000. Good deal!
Then I thought that since I only have a little christmas tree this year for Christmas (see photo below), I should also get myself a wreath to hang outside the door to my abode. So I did. And this wreath I haggled down 50% to about 1,500yen. Good deal!
The owner of the little booth wrapped them up for me, and put White Santa in a jumbo Christmas bag. As I carried it to and from the restaurant, everyone (and I DO mean everyone) was staring at this huge colourful bag I had tossed over my shoulder like a giant Christmas sack that Santa might carry (see photo below).
...
And that. is. that.
Have a Merry Christmas.
I love you!
Cam
P.S This is my Christmas this year. There are two wonderful parcels for me from my parents, and two for Mayu. Thanks Mom & Dad! I love you!! The Diesel bag is my Christmas present to Mayu.
