2:16 p.m. Was going to check out PlanetRock.com since Joe Elliott was hosting the show, but forgot to regard the time difference. Maybe next week.

2:17 p.m. The Sprinters' Stakes, the first grade one race of the season is going to be run tomorrow. There haven't been any big names in the short distance category since Durandal had retired however, this year there's a grade one winner from Singapore. The horse's name is Rocket Man. Sounds fast enough. He's won seventeen races including two grade ones out of twenty-one races he's run. The remaining four races, he finished second. That means he'd never sank below third place... Obviously, Japanese horse race fans are admiring his performance since the horse is the most favored by the odds of one point nine to one, as of two o'clock this afternon. Hmmm... He may even sweep all the weaklings from Japan.

The End

Caterpillar

2:41 p.m. After some intensive search, have weighed the importance of the two prep races for the Sprinters' and decided, that Keenland Cup was more high level than Centaur Stakes however, blotted out Karen Chan because I thought she wouldn't be able to perform well after such a tough race. BB Guldan also from the Keenland Cup, I put on my triplet, so my triplet bets were placed on Rocket Man for the first, Lucky Nine and San Carlo on the second, with Dasher Go Go and BB Guldan for the third place.

3:42 p.m. Cannot believe what has happened. BB Guldan has somehow flung off his rider and darted out of the gate while all the other horses were still led into them. He ran a good three laps and was scratched off from "obvious exhaustion" before the race... Not only have my chances become slim, I was as far as I can be from winning the first grade one race of the season.

4:00 p.m. The race finished with Karen Chan from Keenland Cup in first, Pas de Trois also from Keenland Cup in second, Eishin Vergo from Centaur in third. My key horse Rocket Man, didn't actually sweep the race, he was surrounded by several horses and couldn't break through when they were about one third down the homestretch, eventually finishing fourth place. The only good thing was that JRA had paid back my 200 yen which had been bet on BB Guldan.

5:41 p.m. Now my only interest is how Hiruno D'Amour would perform in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

The End

Caterpillar

3:33 p.m. Oh, no. Hiruno D'Amour has sank miserably in tenth place, with the other Japanese horse Nakayama Festa behind. Maybe he'd worn himself out at the Prix Foy. After all, Sarafina who won the prep race didn't do too well either.

3:37 p.m. The fact only seem to cast a light on how great and tough El Condor Pasa was. He'd won two grade races in France including the Prix Foy before finishing second at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

The End

Caterpillar

2:35 p.m. Oh, no. Have sent email saying as though I was free during daytime on weekdays. How could I have been so confused? Lately, have been making such errors pretty often, as you wise viewers might already know from the Respect-for-the-Aged-Day incident. Could I be going senile?

2:42 p.m. Have sent follow-up mail to correct my error. But have drifted to other things am afraid the receiver won't know what this email actually meant... Am obsessed with idea of sending another follow-up mail to explain the situation however, what if it gets the receiver even more confused? Oh, no. Am too confused myself, that don't know what to do.

The End

Caterpillar

3:43 p.m. Cow is listening to? watching? AKB48's Heavy Rotation next to me, while the news of the sudden death of the tripple crown winner Symboli Rudolf has been shaking horse race fans.

Symboli Rudolf was one of the greatest thoroughbreds in Japanese horse race history. Known as the first horse to win the triple crown without any loss, Rudolf always stuck to the front usually cruising at the third or fourth position from the lead. He would break out from the front group at the last corner, and sweep the trophies away from his competitors. Since the horse and his rider, the now retired Yukio Okabe, always had this unbeatable strategy working, the fans loved him so much that Rudolf was always the most favored whenever he was in a race. He ran sixteen races in his career, eleven of which were grade ones. The only three races he'd lost were; the '84 Japan Cup (3rd place), '85 Autumn Ten-no-sho (2nd place), and his final race, the San Luis Rey Handicap in the United States, which he sank in 6th place because of a fractured leg.

My personal memory of him goes back to the Japan Cup mentioned above. Rudolf was not in a good condition at the time, after winning eight races in a row since his debut, including the three-thousand-meter Kikka-sho which actually was the third crown race. He looked weary but still, he ran down on the running-away Katsuragi Ace as close as by one length. That was the time, I realized, how great Symboli Rudolf was, although I was on Katsuragi Ace's side.

4:26 p.m. Rest in peace, great horse. You were the BEST.

The End

Caterpillar

4:01 p.m. Have been to iTunes store to download some Def Leppard songs and was appalled when I couldn't find any songs of Def Leppard on iTunes. How could this be? Why are they not selling on iTunes? Why? Why? It must have something to do with protecting the copyright but...

4:05 p.m. Def Leppard's latest album Mirror Ball seems to be a live album consisting of two CDs with most of the songs I already have in my iPod. There were a few tunes that I found unfamiliar however, do not feel like buying two live CDs for just a couple of songs I don't know, just because there's a chance of the band playing those songs at their show in Tokyo. But the troubling truth is that I'd love to hear some new material after listening to their hit tunes for decades now. Do not know what I should do.

The End

Caterpillar

3:56 p.m. It's a beautiful Friday afternoon, the air is dry, almost too comfortable that am drooling again with my head drooped.

Actually, have slept over and was nearly late for my appointment with a client, though I made it in the nick of time. It seems to be the same for Cow too, who has overslept and had kept a client waiting for more than ten minutes on Wednesday. So here's another point we agree with, besides the movie Stakeout. In fact, we do have some things in common although of course we have our differences.

The End

Caterpillar

2:28 p.m. Apple has released the new version of iPhone, iPhone 4S. To me, it turned out to be less exciting since I was too influenced by all those disconcerted ‘hot topics’ of the media telling that the next release would be a brand new iPhone 5. But Apple has announced that they were having more than two hundred thousand orders for the newly released device in just twelve hours, which made me wonder why.

2:37 p.m. Have thought about it for about nine minutes and decided, that Apple fans must have accepted iPhone 4S as the last work of Steve Jobs, the charismatic former CEO of Apple. Since some people are dedicating apples in front of Mr. Jobs's house which they'd eaten a bite off to pay respect to what the great man has achieved, it is not uneasy to think that they're buying iPhone 4S as a tribute to Steve Jobs. As for me, am going to sit on it for a while as much as I want a device to access the Internet outdoors, at least until I get more information about iPhone 4S.

The End

Caterpillar

5:21 p.m. Have launched iTunes on own lap-top and searched Def Leppard just in case. And there it was. As though their latest album Mirror Ball had been there all the time. They even had a delux version. Then why couldn't I find it on the Net when I searched at the office?

5:24 p.m. Realized there were no other albums on iTunes... What is this? Does it have something to do with the version of my iTunes?

6:03 p.m. Oh, no. Now my security software is turning red and screaming warning. What? Why? Went searching right away, but the only answer I could get was that it might be caused because have not done full scan for a long time. Think haven't done that, come to think. Will do full scan and see what happens later because don't want computer to slow down while I browse or edit Murmur.

The End

Caterpillar

2:57 p.m. Launched computer. Security software still red and screaming warning although have reluctantly gone through a full scan last night. What is wrong?

3:28 p.m. Just talked to Cow about security software. He said to leave it be for a while and see what happens, since have done everything I can at this point. Strongly agree to his idea.

4:30 p.m. Security software had reported I had some updates to make so I obediently did as I was told after talking with Cow on Skype, though I knew it would turn red again and scold me that my computer was in danger, since have been through this processw more than five times since yesterday.

6:27 p.m. Something has happened, I don't know what, but my security software apparently has decided to calm down, showing a your-computer-is-safe dialgue on its green interface as if nothing had happened... So what was all that fuss about?

The End

Caterpillar

2:58 p.m. Since it was a holiday, I mean, since I've worked hard until the holiday, I bought myself an air-tight and liquid-tight food container to replace my old lunch box as an encouragement to myself. Have seen it stacked in carboard boxes at a store front, but too suspicious to pay 230 yen for a conatainer that can keep 0.9 litre. Today have brought lunch in this conatiner and it proved to be 100 percent air and liquid tight as they had been advertised.

3:02 p.m. Being very satisfied with the result, I went searching for the manufacturer's website also to check if they had any instructions on how to clean the container. From the logo on the container, the manufacturer's name seemed to be Komax, so I've tapped that in together with ‘bio-’ remebering that it had a sticker that said bio-something on, and it led me to their website. Though unfortunately, the website was mostly in Korean and couldn't find any instructions on cleaning. At least I've learned it was manufactured by a Korean company.

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Caterpillar

2:51 p.m. Although their website was mostly in Korean, here's some more detail on Komax Biokips, the remarkable food container that I've bought last weekend. "temperature resistant from -40 degrees C to 110 degrees C (-40F to 230F), microwave safe (keep the open in microwave heating), dishwasher safe, covering 100 percent perfect airtight with CEM BIO it keeps up water and vitamin but removes bad smell and germ, easy to see inside thru transparent lines." Well, that's what it said in their English page. The airtight part has already been proven to be true, which also confirmed the fact that it was liquidtight, too.

3:00 p.m. I'd definitely reccomend this Komax Biokips as a new type of Betou-bako (lunch box) for the now increasing Bentou-danshi, young men who fix and bring lunch on their own. You've got my word, it doesn't leak. I couldn't find any distributers in Japan on the Internet, but you will probably able to order through their website, if you can read and understand Korean. As for people who cannot, well, I bought it at a natural-food shop called Comfort Groceries near Meidai-mae station.

The End

Caterpillar

3:44 p.m. Must charge my iTunes account. I had a couple of hundred yen still remaining since when I downloaded some Bon Jovi songs last autumn, but will have to charge to download some Def Leppard songs this year. Have already got new iTunes music card, the low-end not to mention, on my way home yesterday. Right. I'll put it on the top of my to-do list, though will probably put it off until weekend since am enjoying the long awaited Sara Paretsky book so much.

3:56 p.m. Also must drop by fishing goods store to buy rubber boots. I'd found an unexpected tear on the heel of my right rain boot after the last typhoon which explained my right foot getting wet, and have been searching for an inexpensive pair though not too out of place. Have finally found one at a fishing goods store, however, they only seemed to have the sizes half an inch larger than my own and up. Am hoping thick insoles would solve the problem. Gee, life is getting costly these days.

The End

Caterpillar

3:11 p.m. As I reached the fishing goods store, my jaws dropped to see a blank space on the rack where the Water Rocks deck boots that I'd eyed last week had been. No wonder their price were cut down to the bottom at 1,990 yen, they were going to be replaced with warmer boots in a couple of days. I should have guessed. Actually, I'd felt a flash of anxiety but had to give it a pass, because I wasn't carrying enough money at the time. In mortification, I made a mental note not to let the best deals pass by again.

3:25 p.m. I've found Komax Biokips sold at Yahoo! China Mall by the way. Not exactly the same container as mine, but you can order like other items sold at Yahoo! if you shut your eyes to the fact that they're priced at 650 yen (that's nearly three times as much as I'd paid).

The End

Caterpillar

(SAT) October 15th, 2011

2:23 p.m. Desk-top computer has broken again. Cow was fumbling with the graphic board as I came in this morning. I suggested checking if the monitor was working at which Cow tried right away by connecting the desk-top to his lap-top. Zilch. That means something must be wrong with the mother board, possibly, the graphic board.

2:28 p.m. Cow and I both have had a terrible start today, Cow having trouble with the desk-top which also happens to be a trouble to me since cannot use it and, must share Cow's lap-top. I had to struggle in my old riding boots to get to the office,because the rain had been thrashing when I left my house. They were too tight since they were made almost thirty years ago, which have resulted in a pair of sore feet with blisters on each heel. Feeling so bad that cannot think about coming Shuhka-sho.

The End

Caterpillar

3:21 p.m. Seems Cow has finally decided to get a new desk-top. It's been only a year since we've both bought our lap-top, but guess tha can't be helped since our desk-top was about seven years old. He's pondered as usual and decided to get a high-spec machine for a reasonable price. But am afraid it's too high-spec that he's going to keep it busy with online games.

3:45 p.m. My Shuhka-sho has finished in another loss. Have bet on Whale Capture winning or at least, finishing above third which was quite a good guess because she came in third, and the winner Aventure, I also had in triplets however, it was Kyowa Jeanne who slid in second, not Marcelina or Meiner Isabelle or Erin Court on my triplets. Well, I'm just back to square one, that's all.

The End

Caterpillar

2:31 p.m. Oh no. My TV is not working properly. The screen is veiled with red and the channel numbers are all black where it used to be green. What's gone wrong? It's true that it's been in a rather bad form for the past couple of weeks since I'd recognized the first sign with the power button blinking without turning on. We've just given up our old desk-top computer at the office last weekend and now my TV. Why do troubles seem to come in a bunch?

2:38 p.m. I could still manage to watch TV if I didn't mind the strange color, but it may be days before it stops operating and Cow is now going through intensive search for a new liquid-crystal TV that has LED backlight and associated with external hard dsik drive and, of course, with a reasonable price ranging from twenty thousand yen to thirty-five thousand yen, possibly forty thousand (that's my limit). Ouch. That hurts, really. Especially, when I'd paid for my new rubber boots this morning after spending the whole weekend wavering about whether I should buy or not.

The End

Caterpillar

1:39 p.m. Have to get new TV which certainly is a blow to me especially during this horse race season. My TV still has been refusing to display normally, the channel numbers and volume display shown in deathly black as if to predict its life is nearing the end. I hanged my head down in desperation. Sigh. A lark shrieked on the wire across from our veranda. It sounded like a self-destructive shout of some heavy metal band.

1:58 p.m. Two e-mail have cheered me up a bit, though. One good thing whenever a computer breaks down at office is that I could work on my own lap-top, so that I don't have to go through the tedious job of signing in through my Web account to check my mail. My friend in Germany is coming back for another jiao-zi summit, and my rubber boots are on their way, expected to arrive as early as tonight or the night after.

The End

Caterpillar

4:26 p.m. This morning, my TV revived briefly which made me think perhaps it might be good for another couple of months. Though the red veil came back again after approximately thirty seconds... Getting a new TV is now inevitable.

4:34 p.m. Wow. It's only half past four and it's getting dark. Well, it has been gloomy all day, come to think of it. It looked as if rain could come pouring down from the sky any time, but the forecast had said that there would only be a light shower late in the evening, if any. Besides, I'd brought a folding umbrella with me so won't have to worry myself about getting wet. It is unexpectedly cool, though. Speaking of rain, my rubber boots has been delivered and waiting when I got home yesterday. Despite the ‘SS’ stickers on each heel, they seemed to be a fifth of an inch too big as I tried them on. Can't complain since that was the smallest size available, but must drop by a dime store for insoles.

The End

Caterpillar

4:22 p.m. I was shivering in my parka on my way home last night but this morning I thought it was a bit hot and wore a Polo shirt to work today. Now it's getting cool and am having a feeling that I might regret the Polo shirt. It's just like the recent Dow Jones Average or the Dow index, down two hundred and fifty, then up four hundred. Have read in Yahoo! News that some people are trying to make money from the ups and downs, eventually creating the actual ups and downs.

Well, am not so concerned about this news. At least not as much as the babbling of our two neighbors, Mrs.I and Mrs. S, that's been going on for some time right in front of our opened glass door, which has been interrupting my writing and getting on my nerves. Move, ladies. Do the babbling somewhere else.

The End

Caterpillar

3:12 p.m. TV has went out completely. I had a bad feeling when I heard an unfamiliar click as I turned off the TV last night. When I tried to turn it on to check the forecast this morning, the screen went blank. I'll have to buy one as soon as this weekend however, the retailer I was planning to drop by seem to have raised the price.

Well, maybe it's just for the weekend. In that case, I'll go next week. Anyway, I'll have to spend the weekend without TV. That means I'll have to see the historical Kikka-sho at the JRA website, which won't be uploaded until some time after the race had actually run. This year's Kikka-sho is expected to be historical since Orfevre is probably going to become a triple crown winner in a while since Deep Impact. Oh God, of all times...

The End

Caterpillar

It was almost closing time but dropped by retailer anyway, to check if they had the TV I wanted to buy in store. A lean geeky guy came over to me as I was walking through the rows of diplayed TVs. I explained that I wanted to see some thirty-two or twenty-six-inch TVs with LED backlight but not associated with HDD recording device, specifically, a Panasonic thiry-two inch VIERA. He lingered showing me a forty-inch Toshiba REGZA with a price tag way over my budget, but finally decided to go searching for the VIERA I requested. However, he came back saying there wasn't one displayed on the floor. Vowing to come back another day, I thanked him for the trouble just from courtesy and hurried out the store since the doors were being shut and security guards were ushering the customers outside. Okay, okay.

Weary, I dragged myself home after the useless visit to the retailer's. I just hoped that some miracle would happen and my CRT TV at home would somehow revive and turn on when I got home.

12:40 p.m. As I pressed the remote button for one last try last night, my dying TV miraculously came to life again showing figures on its screen though the figures were still behind the mist of red. No problem. As long as I can watch what's broadcasted. Maybe I wouldn't have to rush to buy a new TV after all.

The End

Caterpillar

12:08 p.m. Oh no, have overslept. Must hurry since am going out to WINS for Kikka-sho.

10:32 p.m. Head aching from cheap Sho-chu. Didn't have to worry about TV not working because have seen Kikka-sho out at WINS after all. Yes, was one of those who witnessed another triple crown winner. Cheers for Orfevre. Mr. N-jima said the horse reminded him of Narita Brian, probably influenced by the recent TV commercial run by JRA. I agree. I have a feeling Orfevre could beat the older generation too, if he could only run like today. My bet was in tatters, though. Don't know why but got so confused that I ended up crossing out all the horses with inner post numbers, which was exactly what I shouldn't have done.

10:52 p.m. Head's aching terribly. Must sleep.

The End

Caterpillar

2:21 p.m. Head state much better than last night. Though heart sinking with impending troubles. Cow's client who should have been here at ten this morning, didn't show up. My client coming tomorrow sleeps during session. What to do?

2:37 p.m. Cow has shown me the video of Takaraduka-Kinen to be of reference to the coming up Ten-no-Sho. That cheered me up. Mr.N-jima rates female horses lower than male horses, and also thinks Buena Vista is past her prime. But this time I disagree. Buena is a remarkable horse. I've never seen a fmale horse who has never gone below fourth place in her career (except the previous Dubai) despite the two disqualifications she's had (she was disqualified to second and third place, respectably). I think she could still perform well against Mr.N-jima's odds. Now that I've seen Tkaraduka-Kinen again, I'm positive. Eishin Flash beating Buena? Puuhhh! Get out of town, old man.

The End

Caterpillar

3:19 p.m. Have gone out to get a carton of Echo, my favorite cigarette brand. Looking back on the sold out chaos in May, am happy to be able to buy cigarettes whenever I want them.

3:22 p.m. Have been smoking this brand for some twenty years now, and made a new discovery on the package today for the first time. There was a a dotted line on the side of the paper carton wrapping so that you can tear it open from the dots. Gee, I didn't notice this at all until now. But what's the point when I've never had any trouble opening the paper wrapping from the top? It's rather troublesome to take the packs out from the side... Why don't they forget this useless idea and lower the price instead? It would be worth twenty or thirty yen a pack, I suppose.

The End

Caterpillar

4:32 p.m. Have ordered new TV. After pondering for nearly two weeks I've finally settled for a simplest type, with no LED backlight or functions associated to HDD. Well, I'm gonna have to replace it with a new one in six or so years anyway, and who knows how things might change by that time. Have been torn between cheaper twenty-six-inch and a bigger thirty-two-inch, but decided against the price and got myself a thirty-two. The difference in price was just a couple of thousand yen, so why not get the bigger one?

Was surprised when the salesperson at the retailer told me they could deliver it as soon as tonight. Not so fast. I'll have to get my old TV downstairs before the delivery guy came to pick it up. So I set the delivery date for Friday morning. Ooooh, can't wait to see my new thirty-two-inch TV. But getting the bulky and heavy CRT out of my room and down the stairs, I'm sure, is going to be quite a task that am dreading it already.

The End

Caterpillar

2:21 p.m. Our new desk-top computer arrived yesterday morning. With a brand new Intel corei5 mounted, it was unpacked and waiting on the desk by the time I got to the office with my-new-TV-is-thirty-two-inch news. Cow has been transferring the data from the HDD of the former one, and he spent all morning fumbling with the old email data. He's been grumbling all the way because the old mailing software we used on Windows XP is not corresponding to the new one we're trying to run on Windows 7. Can't see why he doesn't simply set new accounts on the Windows 7 version, then copy and paste the old mail data files onto the new account folders. Surely, they don't change the file protocols each time they come up with a newer version of their mailing software?

2:31 p.m. Have just read on Yahoo! News that triple crown winner Orfevre's next race would be Arima-kinen, not Japan Cup. Hmmm. Smart choice. That should give the horse a chance to win the Grand Prix. Speaking of races, it's about time JRA has announced the barrier draw for Tennou-sho. Must go check them.

The End

Caterpillar

3:37 p.m. My TV was to be delivered on the first shipment this morning. I got a call from the delivery man at eight o' clock, saying that he was coming around ten. So I got up, took a shower, got my lunch ready, had breakfast with coffee, and waited. It was past ten thirty by the time I finished breakfast, but there was no sign of the delivery truck. I'd told Cow that was coming in late today since had to wait for the TV delivery, but never thought I'd be this late. I was about to explode with frustration when the delivery guy finally rang our bell around eleven thirty.

3:48 p.m. Seems Earnestly's crew are embarrassed at the post number they'd drawn. Apparently, the horse's trainer is worried that the post number eighteen he'd drawn could become an obstacle for his horse's victory. Far out as it is, it does affect horses' performance on the 2,000 meter track at Tokyo race course, especially when the horse stays in the back during the race. However, Earnestly is a front runner. He ususally races up front. In that case, I don't think it would be much of an obstacle to him, if the horse is in good condition and ready to win. While the Earnestly crew are worrying about their post position, their rival crews of Buena Vista are counting on transport to get some extra weight off their queen. Hmm... Wonder if I should record the race to watch on spectacularly big new TV screen.

The End

Caterpillar

2:05 p.m. Weather forecast is predicting rain from tomorrow afternoon. That would definitely affect the result of Tennou-sho and the difficulty in handicapping the race, depending on when exactly the rain starts falling and how heavy it would be. This is another target of concern.

2:15 p.m. Another source of anxiety on top of everything else. Have whipped myself into connecting the cables of my new TV to the HDD recorder and setting it up last night, after having to take an hour-long ride on the crowded Odakyu line without a seat to visit Obaba. I was both exhausted from the ride and depressed from the visit, where I found originally plumteous Obaba reduced to skin and bones because she refuses to eat through her mouth. By the time I discovered I should get another antenna cable instead of connecting the recording device with a video cable, my whole body was aching with fatigue. After a short sleep, I had to carry a huge bag of used clothes to the collecting spot for recycling in my tired body this morning, while cars with trunk-full of clothes honked at me endlessly to keep me from wobbling into their way with my heavy load. A couple of minutes ago, I realized that had made a double booking for my clients. I'll have to call one of them and have the schedule rearranged. On top of it all, it's going to rain tomorrow which makes a difficult handicapping much closer to impossible.

The End

Caterpillar

11:41 p.m. Just sent email reply to my friend who's temporarily come back from Germany. We were planning to get together next Sunday around noon, and I was going to spend the whole day with her, but she'd sent me an email telling me that she wanted to go to Ohi race tracks. Well, they're having a JBC week and we could see JBC Classic in which Smart Falcon and Transcend are going to compete, possibly for the last time. Why not go and witness the race, maybe get a payoff to cover the loss of today's Tennou-sho?

Yes, have lost Tennou-sho (as usual). I keyed Buena Vista since I couldn't see anything unusual in her training video or her training record. I was counting on Earnestly and Pelusa, too. But the winner was Tosen Jordan. Buena came in fourth while Earnestly sank in fourteenth, mainly because of the fierce pace SillPort had set. Well, at least Buena had beaten Eishin Flash as I had said earlier. I'll look forward to the JBC.

The End

Caterpillar

3:50 p.m. Cow has gone through surgery of the broken down desk-top, replacing the graphic board and the power unit with the new super-hi-tec (it's not the latest spec but still is to us) desk-top, to find out that the cause of its not working properly came from disorder of both the graphic board and the power unit. We'd both made a guess of which part had led the computer to a dysfunction earlier, Cow saying it was the graphic board while I said there's a slight possibility with the memory.

4:01 p.m. The result of Cow's operation has proved that we both guessed wrong. He insisted that he one-upped on me since he picked the graphic board, but I was the one who suggested to use the parts from the new computer to try them on the old one piece by piece, in order to narrow down the possible cause of dysfunction, so I think that makes us even.

The End

Caterpillar