1:46 p.m. In order to clear up my confusion of whether or not I could use the self-made recovery discs to install the system onto a new hard drive, I resorted to the manufacturer's customer support service via telephone. Although I had been put on hold for 20 minutes before I got through to the technical support person, I decided it was worth the wait since this Mr. Wang who attended me turned out to be enjoyable.

As it probably said so on the manual, Mr. Wang asked me to tell him my personal information such as name, address, phone number and e-mail address. The problem occurred when we came to the e-mail address. Perhaps because he was a non-native Japanese speaker, Mr. Wang mistook the alphabets of my e-mail address. He said, "N for New York," while reciting my address where it should have been "M" and unfortunately, my address contained 3 Ms. I corrected him that he should replace all the "N for New York" with "M for Michigan," but then he replied, " Yes, M for milk, youmean?"

My bad. M for Michigan might have been too obscure. M for milk, then.

The End

Caterpillar

2:03 p.m. My new HDD has arrived.

After I decided to replace my lap-top's seemingly damaged HDD with a new magnetic disk, I spent nearly all day Thursday to find a 2.5 inch non-AFT hard disk drive. Although Mr. Wang had confirmed that I could reinstall the system with my self-made recovery discs unfortunately, the damaged hard drive was an old type with 512K sectors, and there were literally off the market. I'd finally found one at Amazon for twice the price of 4K disks, and click-bought it reluctantly.

Now that it has been delivered, I will go through the replacement tomorrow. After that awaits the daunting task of updating Windows...ugh.

The End

Caterpillar

11:32 p.m. It was a looooong day.

After breakfast, I started tackling the lap-top to replace the HDD. Though unexpected accidents popped up occasionally, the replacement finished in a success. The physical part of the recovery of my lap-top was finished.

From late afternoon, I started the system recovery process. This too, was met eith a couple of troubles, but I got over it on my own and am now downloading and installing basic softwares I need as soon as possible. Others can wait until next week.

The one thing that concerns me though, is that I can hear clicking noise quite clearly from the newly replaced HDD. I hope it's not a bad sign. I've had enough bad luck for 2 weeks already, with Toho Jackal sinking and Lovely Day unable to catch Shonan Pandra.

The End

Caterpillar

1:47 p.m. Time flew past while I've been juggling work and pc recovery and am once again facing Ohka-sho, the first in three fillies' classical races.

Should be easier than last year I assume, as all I have to do is to figure out which horse would come within 2nd place, if Major Emblem weren't in the race. A simple game.

The End

Caterpillar

3:31 p.m. Enjoying a much-needed temporary respite as there are no meetings today, yay!

There are lots of things to do, though. Plan, decide and prepare for the big meeting coming up on Saturday, replying to messages, catching up on the drawing practice which I've skipped out on several days last week.

Well, guess I can start from crossing out the horses with less chances from the list of Ohka-sho entries.

The End

Caterpillar

2:33 p.m. A new semester is starting for students today, and one of the boys from the neighborhood has left home to stay in a high school dormitory.

It's not that he lives too far, actually his house is in about 2-hours' distance from his school, though I think it was good for him to go stay in a dorm. Japanese boys seem to lack independence an activeness, so I think it would be a good occasion to learn such things. It might turn out to be a huge challenge for him, though. Cheers and support for the young adventurer!

The End

Caterpillar

2:12 p.m. Spring rain today. And once again I'm struggling to keep my feet dry since the birdwatching boots have been long since cracked and leaking.

I have no idea why the rain boots I wear keep cracking, perhaps it's because my walking positions are somewhat different from others? Anyway, Over the years I've tried many things to mend those crack in my boots. All of them were, or at least suuposed to be rubber, so I've used specialized adhesive for rubber which all turned out to be a mess.

As I knew it was going to rain today, I tried mending the cracks with a 100 Yen shop vinyl tape in a vain attempt. It couldn't keep my feet completely dry, yet it's performed the best so far. Well, better than adhesive that cost 1,000 Yen.

The End

Caterpillar

2:54 p.m. Although I had said I can start from crossing out the horses with less chances from the Ohka-sho entry list, I haven't done it yet up until now.

It looks like the past 2 weeks' worth of fatigue is now taking a tol on me, and I haven't been able to get up at the time I wanted to, or have been falling asleep against my will. Last night I've finally fell asleep in the bath.

So I'm thinking of calling the race this evening after work, but as I've said, I wouldn't go against Major Emblem this time. If there's a chance she should lose, that would be a case like Artemis Stakes when the lap slacks down and the whole race becomes an instantaneous power contest. In that case, there may be a slight chance for horses like Lavender Valley with fewer race experiences.

The End

Caterpillar

2:36 p.m. Have only had a brief moment of sleep and couldn't get up in time to drop by the off-track betting. Thus, my place ticket for At The Seaside still remains unexchanged in my pass case...

As of this afternoon, the win odds for Major Emblem has dropped to 1 to 1.3 as expected. No use buying a place for such a favored horse. Think this time I'll bet my bottom 100 Yen from my win - place game on a win of Major Emblem. As for my own betting tickets, will key Major Emblem on a trifecta wheel of Jeweler, Win Fabulous, Lavender Valley on 2nd place, and Blanc Bonheur, Red Avancer on 3rd place.

The End

Caterpillar

5:41 p.m. The win-place game I've been managing to keep going since the beginning of this year has finally come to an end. Major Emblem has sunk in 4 th place, not even able to make it within the place ticket range.

The race has become the instantaneous force contest that I'd feared, so it must have been a disadvantage to Major Emblem. Looking back though, I can't help but think she'd run one race too many. If she'd come to Ohka-sho directly from Hanshin JF, prehaps shemght have reached the 3rd place. But that's what you call wishful thinking, something you hear so often in horse racing. Let me take a good look at the results and analyze it later. That is, after the Windows updates have finished. Well, my computer is currently installing the 166th updating program out of 206 in all. Seems I still have a long way to go.

The End

Caterpillar

4:16 p.m. The lap for Ohka-sho turned out to be 34.8(3F)-59.1(5F)-34.3(the last 3F), a moderately average lap. This must have made it easier for horses like Sinhalite, Jeweler or At The Seaside, that were running with less than 4 weeks' interval since their last races.

On the other hand, it was unfortunate for Major Emblem that the lap dropped to a mere average, as she performs better in highelr lapped races. But then, the rider could have taken the lead himself to speed up the race and win. That sure is a pity since the horse has good potential.

Despite my loss, I actually don't feel so bad because I've found out how to recover my e-mail data into the newly installed mailer.

The End

Caterpillar

2:12 p.m. My good mood didn't last long. After being met with some unlucky events, I gave up thinking it just wasn't my day and went home earlier than usual to recover my e-mail data.

Only to discover several hours later, that I've backed up a wrong folder... All the profiles and mail data of my mailer was put in one folder, so I've been dutifully making back-ups once a week of that folder. Though unfortunately, there was another folder under the same name, on the same layer, in a different folder shown just above my aimed folder. For over a month, I've been keeping a back-up of this wrong folder never suspecting my mistake. I'm crestfallen.

The End

Caterpillar

12:32 p.m. I just remembered I've said here before that I would say only about good things, things that are nice and encouraging.

And I've just realized that I hadn't said anything of the kind for as long as I can remember... Oh geez, here I am grumbling again.

The End

Caterpillar

3:57 p.m. The barrier draw for this weekend's Satsuki-sho has been announced, so will have to go and check it out!

Just thinking of the race with 2 undefeated horses and 6 horses that has never been under 4th place, isn't that exciting or what?

Just trying to say something nice here after re-discovering my puny little willpower.

The End

Caterpillar

3:58 p.m. Makahiki has drawn post number 3, while Mount Robson drew 5, Satono Daiamond is in 11, Lord Quest is in 14, Air Spinel and Leontes snuggled together respectively in 15 and 16.

Additionally, the most favored in win odds was Leontes with 1 to 2.9 last night, but seems to have been replaced by Satono Diamond's 1 to 1.2 as of this afternoon. Smells of big money. Or it could be that he's been favored for his good performance in soft track condition. Rain is predicted for Sunday on the weekly forecast FYI.

The End

Caterpillar

2:08 p.m. Grrrrr. This is complicated. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking and yet I still can't even pick my key horse.

Usually, I try to find and cross out the horses that have less chances to come within 3rd place among the top favored. But this time, the task seem extremely difficult. Makahiki ought to have at least a little damage from Yayoi-sho, whereas Satono Diamond is uncertain if he could perform well against all these tough horses. Leontes must have less damage when in compariosn to Makahiki, though he seems to perform better in slow-lapped races so far. Air Spinel has a problem of control. If the lap becomes tough, Leontes will have more advantage than Makahiki, but otherwise it will be the reverse. Grrrrr...

Perhaps it may be a better idea to take the middle and go for Mount Robson, putting him in the 3rd place after all?

The End

Caterpillar

9:06 p.m. Ahhh, so it was Dee Majesty.

Mount Robson my key horse, kept a good position throughout the race though unfortunately, the lap was slightly too fast for him, 58.4 seconds at the 5th furlong. He didn't have any strength remaining by the time he was even half way up the hill in the last stretch.

I thought that Air Spinel should come before Leontes considering the damage from Yayoi-sho, but in the end it turned out that way, so I am convinced in that sense.

The End

Caterpillar

1:02 p.m. Looking at the results of Satsuki-sho, I can tell that it sure was a high-lapped, tough race. I don't know how much rainfall there was in the area where the tracks are so I can't be sure, but perhaps the inner side of the tracks were more soft and sticky than the outside. Otherwise, it won't explain the finishing record 1 minute 57.9 seconds, and the reason why horses that swept the outside performed better.

The way he swept the outside must have worked as an advantage to Makahiki, still he performed better than I'd expected considering the damage from Yayoi-sho. Seeing Leontes and Air Spinel losing under 4th place, the only reason he'd come in 2nd must have been that the horse hadn't used all its strength in Yayoi-sho, in other words, has higher potential thatn the former two. That leaves a difficult question; should I buy him at the Japanese D'erby or not?

The End

Caterpillar

2:39 p.m. I've accidentally got up at 5:37 this morning.

I didn't meant to of course, but I'd accidentally fallen asleep last night and the next thing I knew was it was 5:37. From fear of accidentally oversleeping, I gave up going back to sleep and stayed up. That's why I'm terribly sleepy right now, though I can't afford to accidentally fall asleep during work, so I'm doing my best to stay awake.

The End

Caterpillar

1:22 p.m. We all know that huge earthquakes have hit Aso, Kumamoto last week, and that there has been repetitive aftershocks. People in Aso are spending sleepless nights with victims of economy-class syndrome appearing.

Perhaps because we didn't have any earthquakes here in Tokyo unlike the time of the Great Eastern Earthquake, honestly I feel detached from the tragedy unable to realize what is happening and how people there must be feeling. As I see concerning messages pop up on the TV screen I find myself wondering, whether these people really feel as their words say they do.

I cannot truly imagine what hardships the people of Aso must be facing now, as I am now far away and have not shared their experience. All I can say is that I believe in them. We are Japanese and Japanese can be tough when we need be. We have lived through terrible times, we can do it again. People of Aso, you are not alone. We are always here for you when you need shoulders to cry on.

So please, do not think of the past. Do not dream about tomorrow. Please feel now. Please live today. As 92-year-old Mr. Henry Flescher, the survivor of the Holocaust says, "We live day by day, and I always say: yesterday is history, today's reality, and tomorrow's a dream." There will surely come a day when you look back and will be able to say, "those were hard times, but we're okay now."

The End

Caterpillar

5:01 p.m. It has been announced that Major Emblem who lost in 4th place in Ohka-sho, is entering NHK Mile Cup instead of Japanese Oaks and Cow is grumbling.

The reason for Cow's grumbles are clear, why not try a longer distance when the horse is still 3 years old? Who knows, she might perform well, is Cow's opinion to which I agree.

The End

Caterpillar

3:55 p.m. The Lyrids meteor shower is said to have its peak tonight!

Look tothe northern skies after around 11 tonight, and you might be able to catch a glimpse or two of shooting stars. However, we're having a full moon and possibly cloudy skies, so that could be some obstacles. Still, a chance is a chance. Wish you luck!

The End

Caterpillar

12:44 p.m. The cloud had covered the bright full moon but so did the meteor shower, and I couldn't see anything last night. Too bad.

I was about to buy Earthrise running in the Fukushima Hinba Stakes just because the rider has been changed however, as I studied the racing form closely, I realized that this was going to be a slow race just as her previous one when she miserably lost in 8th place. I decided not to drop by the off-track betting today.

As a matter of fact, the subway I hopped on got delayed because the train crew were making a fuss trying to wake up a sleeping drunk fellow. That gave me enough time to study the racing form and make a right decision, so it's thanks to the drunk should I say? Well, at least it would be better to buy Pearl Code running in Flora Stakes, Japanese Oaks trial.

The End

Caterpillar

(SUN) April 24th, 2016

4:32 p.m. I've been to Tokyo Dome to watch the Giants - Baystars game with my friends yesterday. It was my first time going to the stadium to watch a game as I usually prefer to watch on TV, and I enjoyed it very much! The Giants lost the game last night, but that didn't let me down so much since I had a great time with my friends. It was a night of respite in my otherwise stressful life.

As for Flora Stakes, my suggested Pearl Code has come in 2nd, though I hadn't bought the betting tickets as I've said earlier. I have a feeling that the horse is not for Oaks, though. She might perform better in a tougher race on a track that has a hill in the back stretch or on smaller local tracks such as Chukyo or Kokura. The tough fighting spirit she showed today makes me think so.

The End

Caterpillar

5:10 p.m. Already guessing which horse is going to be favored in the spring Tennno-sho.

Cow's guess is that Kitasan Black won't be the most favored, rather there's a better chance for Gold Actor. Though he thinks Kitasan would be the champion.

Well, I'm personally not so concerned about the most favored, as I probably would buy both. And I would put horses that have run 2,000m races in their previous races on my wheel.

The End

Caterpillar

3:31 p.m. Fine weather today. The almost hot air reminds me of the time I went down to Kyoto to see the spring Tennno-sho with the usual clan.

It was a hot day despite the fact that it was only early May, and I remember feeling revibed with cold beer. Specail Week had won at the time, Mejiro Bright and Seiun Sky in tow. I'd put everything I had into Seiun Sky, and the delivery car parked outside Yutaka Take's house seemingly delivering congratulatory messages had annoyed me very much.

This year I'm going to win. Can't wait till the barriers are announced.

The End

Caterpillar

3:07 p.m. I've finally recovered from the terrible hangover I had this morning.

Last night I went to a Karaoke box with my friends but didn't have time to grab any food. I thought of ordering food at the Karaoke, though we'd used Groupon so I didn't want to pay extra for the food. Besides, I didn't want to waste time eating. Not to mention I cursed myself this morning for thinking that way...

Thought I was old enough to know better. It seems I was terribly wrong.

The End

Caterpillar

5:51 p.m. I am drained after 3 hours of meeting and Cow is chatting me up with Tennno-sho talk.

Kitasan Black has drawn post number 1 and looking rock-solid as a key horse, that's true. If Yutaka Take wins Tennno-sho with Kitasan, it will give a boost to his 30th Anniversary exhibition at Mitsukoshi, Nihonbashi.

Hmmm... perhaps I can pay a visit. But before I go, I need to win the race.

The End

Caterpillar

9:10 p.m. Thought I could spend the whole day thinking about Tennno-sho, but as a matter of fact, I ended up preparing for tomorrow's meeting, drrrrr!

Well, I am thinking of buying win for both Kitasan and Gold Actor, and a place for Satono Noblesse tomorrow on my way to work for now. Can check, think and decide the others later. I still have some more time until the race actually runs.

The End

Caterpillar

12:42 p.m. I had my morning meeting cancelled but could not make use of the time because Cow had been dominating the computer almost all morning.

I think the key to winning would be how you treat Cheval Grand. The horse is tracing the steps of its predecessor from the same stable Admire Jupiter, who won the Tennno-sho in 2008 and have run in the same races in the previous two. He hasn't lost below 3rd place in the past 6 races since last August and the question is, whether stress and fatigue are taking a toll on him or not. If they are, he might not perform as well as his predecessor, whereas if not he can win.

Though I've just discovered that Cheval Grand is owned by Kazuhiro Sasaki the ex-MLB pitcher, trained in Tomomichi stable. That rings a bell. Isn't this the same as Virxina who screwed up my victory in both Takaraduka Kinen and Victoria Mile? Think I'll put Cheval Grand on the edge of my wheel just in case.

The End

Caterpillar