3:03 p.m. Pain in my throat better after a good night's sleep. Cow is playing the theme of Dragon Quest on his PC, played by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Mmm. Wonderful. Makes me want to check my arms and protective gear and set out on an adventure. Not that I have any.

By the way, Cow has done a quick test to see if I had atopy or allergies. He got a mechanical pencil and lightly scratched a line from the inner side of my elbow to my wrist. If you see a red line where the mechanical pencil had scratched, that means you have allergies of some sort, while people with atopic skin gets a white line instead, according to Cow. He'd probably picked it up on TV.

Cow's arm showed an unmistakable bright red line, whereas mine showed nothing. We almost decided that my constitution has been improved over the years, when we saw a blurry red line hesitantly emerging to the surface of my skin. Must have been my weakened immune system...

The End

Caterpillar

2:39 p.m. My daily biorhythms have dropped to the ground and has not yet resurfaced, so cannot be confident about Yasuda-Kinen.

Cow says he's going to buy Apapane, linking her to Vodka when he won the Yasuda-Kinen in 2008, Glorious Days, linking him to Armada also from 2008, and Real Impact, being remimnded of Super Hornet from 2010.

Personally agree with the idea of Real Impact because he performs well in Tokyo mile. From the same viewpoint, think Rose Kingdom might also have a chance since he's come in second when he run the Japanese D'erby in 2010.

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Caterpillar

10:03 p.m. Unfortunately, history didn't repeat itself and Apapane, Glorious Dyas and Real Impact sunk in 16th, 14th and 6th place, respectively. Too bad for Cow.

As for myself, I keyed Strong Return on my wheel of Lucky Nine, Sadamu Patek, Apapane, Donau Blue, Fifth Petal, Glorious Days and Rose Kingdom, so have added another loss on top of my spring G1 losses.

Might as well stop buying betting tickets, though I just can't stop since there's more to horse racing than than just winning the race. There's a whole drama unfolding before you when a race is run, involving not just the horses but their riders, trainers, the stable crew, the owners, the breeders and, of course, the fans.

The End

Caterpillar

1:59 p.m. Have just heard on the radio that we're having a partial lunar eclipse this evening. Much more excited than the previous ringed solar eclipse, which everyone got so stirred up about by the media. When exactly, are they going to use those solar eclipse glasses again?

Thankfully, the lunar eclipse can be observed from around seven to nine this evening and, you won't have to buy special glasses to watch it. Think I'll stop for a moment on my way home to enjoy the celestial show.

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Caterpillar

2:28 p.m. When I looked up at the sky suddenly remembering about the partial lunar eclipse around eight-thirty yesterday, the moon was veiled with what seemed like cloud. I was barely able to make out the shape of the moon, but couldn't see where exactly the moon had been eaten.

The cloud had cleared by the time I got out on our roof veranda around midnight, though the eclipse had apparently finished, leaving the ball of cream yellow happily shining in the dark night sky. Well, at least I remembered.

The End

Caterpillar

2:54 p.m. As I was dragging my feet to get on the train home yesterday, a man with dark rimmed glasses stopped me. I reluctantly pulled out the earpiece from which Def Leppard was ringing out, to listen to what it was this guy wanted to say to me.

"Nihonjin desuka?" he asked. "Yes?" said I. "Ocha shimasenka?" said the guy. Felt fatigue double inside me. No way. Why should I? What's in it for me? Not to mention I left him standing there with a brush of my hand.

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Caterpillar

2:15 p.m. Woke up too early, around 7:30 this morning. Thanks to the early start, am getting terribly sleepy.

3:41 p.m. Got over meeting somehow. Hope my client didn't see me drooling... That reminds me of an Anime called Mystery Girl X. Wonder if the author caught me drooling in my sleep on the subway.

Have got two more sessions, though. But the last session has miraculously cleared my head and I have a feeling that I can get over today without further drooling.

The End

Caterpillar

3:10 p.m. Cow and I came across a video of this stupid dog, so I'd like to share it with you. Stupid Dog

How did you like it? It's short, simple, too familiar that you can guess the punch line, but extremely funny.

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Caterpillar

1:52 p.m. No grade ones until next weekend's Takaraduka Kinen.

The fan's popularity pole for the summer Grand Prix race has pushed Orfevre up in the first place by a sizeable margin, giving him 72,253 votes out of 1,016,839, though his entry is still mystified by his trainer.

If Orfevre scratches off, it would discredit the race to a common open grade, otherwise, the race would keep its qualification as grade one, but still it would be difficult to call, given the horses previous two races' performance.

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Caterpillar

3:55 p.m. Have written yesterday that Takaraduka-Kinen would run THIS weekend, but have just learned from TV that it was a week later on the 24th. Oh, god, can't even get the dates for the grade one races right.

Also, have been working on a Python program to cut up a text file into several different text files, though haven't been able to write a proper script. Feel like am totally useless.

The End

Caterpillar

1:37p.m. Have finally come to realize that what's easy to see through human eyes are not always easy to see from a computer's point of view. Must tell them wehere to look, what exactly to look for, etc., etc.

I thought I knew it in my head, though apparently I didn't. Guess I'll have to think over the process of the task and start the script all over again... Good thing I still have two more weeks before Takaraduka instead of just one.

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Caterpillar

2:39 p.m. Japan Meteorological Agency has announced the beginning of rainy season for the Kanto area last Friday. So am not surprised by the drizzly weather however, it's become cool and it feels like we're back to March or April again.

Thanks to Python programming, have realized my stupidity for the millionth time. Today have realized yet again how stupid I was. Can almost marvel at how bottomlessly stupid I can be.

The fact is, that I'd forgot to set my HDD recorder to record tonight's soccer game. The Asia Regional Preliminaries, Japan versus Australia, very important game. Unfortunately, my schedule for the evening is jam packed with meetings until 8:00 p.m., which gives me no chance to even take a glimpse. Lord, have mercy.

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Caterpillar

3:01 p.m. A lot of things are said about the judge of the Saudi Arabian referee. Perhaps he didn't want either Australia or Japan to win the game (considering that bothe teams are going to play against Arabian teams in the next game), so he made the game land in a draw.

It is sad, but all games that involve referee judgement more or less follow the same fate. Remember Mejiro McQueen, remember Kawakami Princess. They both won, obviously, but got set back and we didn't even have a chance to protest nor have our money back.

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Caterpillar

3:41 p.m. Japanese celebrity Seiko Matsuda has announced her third marriage two days before yesterday. The lucky (or unlucky) husband seems to be an associate professor at Keio University.

Because the announcement was made on Monday, I remembered that Cow had once told me about Seiko Matsuda making important announcements only on Mondays, in order to put her news on the front page of all the Tuesday papers. A while ago, we didn't have any baseball games on Mondays.

Times have changed and we have various sports games on Mondays nowadays, though she still seems to stick to her own style, which I think is the very reason she's active in the Japanese show-biz world after all these years. Shrewd.

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Caterpillar

5:37 p.m. Was infuriated by bank ATM. Have popped in to make a payment on behalf of Cow who never goes out on his own except when he has to.

I was going to pay with cash, but the machine just kept on displaying the same message that I cannot and must go to the counter instead and, that was after I'd been kept waiting in line for some time. As I was re-trying for the third or fourth time, I happened to realize a small round sticker on the machine, about one inch in diameter. On the sticker it said, "Payments in cash cannot be made by ATM machines."

Why couldn't they simply display that on the screen? Let alone, why can't I pay cash? It may have been a countermeasure to prevent bank transfer scams but if so, then what's the use of ATMs?

The End

Caterpillar

2:22 p.m. Drizzling. They say the rain is going to get heavier as it gates late. No problem since have brought rain poncho. Don't actually believe them that much, though. Do you?

By the way, have learned from Cow yesterday, that John Travolta owns a jumbo jet, an ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138 which he flies himself. Wow. Sounds like a world-class celebrity.

The End

Caterpillar

7:55 p.m. Guitar played unexpectedly smooth after a weeks of skipping practice, due to consecutive grade one races. Perhaps my left hand has finally learned the correct form?

Maybe I needed a break. It's true I get too enthusiastic. Maybe I should not practice so diligently every weekend after all.

Maybe I should take a break on my Python program. You know, sleep on it a while? Then I might come up with a brilliant way to write it next time.

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Caterpillar

2:00 p.m. As we all know from the sensational recent capture of THE wanted fugitive, there are cases when security camera footage plays a huge role in capturing criminals on the run. However, security cameras do catch lots of other things.

Here are some of the nicer things that security cameras have caught, most of what we didn't expect to be watched, let alone recorded on a camera. Coca-Cola Security Cams.

Very much like Coca-Cola, don't you think?

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Caterpillar

2:10 p.m. It was a terrible start. Left home twenty minutes earlier than had to, just to be on the safe side and I got kept waiting the train for over ten minutes, while the train I finally went on abruptly came to a stop in the middle of two stations and didn't move for over fifteen minutes. The incident had ate up my twenty-minute lead completely, and as a result, I was fifteen minutes late for an important meeting.

As I waited inside the train, frustration driving me crazy, I learned that the train delay was because of a fatal accident which occurred at a station somewhere along the line.

I really think we should pull out before us whoever has caused this incovenience, so that each of us victims can throw stones at that person.

The End

Caterpillar

2:55 p.m. Yesterday's typhoon was relentless. Had to give up my umbrella for fear of breaking it. Rain soaked through my rain poncho and dripped into my rainboots, wetting the rim. The wet rim of my rainboots scraped against my outer calf leaving a raw red mark on that part of the skin.

No one greeted me when I got home drenched. JoOusama always tells me that she gets "worried" when I'm late, however, there was merely an unconcerned voice from the living room, acknowledging my return. Apparently, she was too busy watching TV.

Over the years, I figured that her being "worried" actually meant "annoying."

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Caterpillar

2:05 p.m. Watermelon hell has started again. When summer comes, JoOusama buys whole watermelons to have my nieces and nephew to eat. Since the kids can't eat a whole watermelon, Tono and I are subjected to leftover watermelons for dinner.

It started from last Sunday, resulting in three consecutive days of watermelon hell until Tuesday. Yesterday, we were blessed with an occasional sweet biwa (loquats), thank God, perhaps because JoOusama has run out of watermelons.

Though the watermelons are sure to be back as the weekend approaches. Sigh.

The End

Caterpillar

3:13 p.m. Extremely heavy rain in the morning. Think we've had anough rain for a year or so in the past couple of days. Have learned in school that Japan has a moderately mild climate but things seem to be changing lately. We might as well go for sub-tropical.

After all the fuss about being out of form, Orfevre's trainer has finally announced the horse's entry in Takaraduka-kinen, and he's drawn post number eleven at the barrier draw. Not an ideal position for the horse, I believe, though you never know what's gonna happen, just like the weather.

The End

Caterpillar

4:14 p.m. Orfevre, most favored by 3.1 to 1 as of 4:14 p.m. Am not putting complete trust in the horse, though. I did some research and came up with the result that there were actually two horses in the past ten years' history of Takaraduka-Kinen, that had risen again from the fatal losses of their previous races.

The two horses, Lincoln and Narita Century, both lost in Tennou-sho 13th and 12th place, respectively, but had countered Takaraduka in 3rd and 2nd place. So Orfevre still has a chance.

But to be on the safe side, am thinking of putting Orfevre on the wheel. The key horse that I have in mind right now, is Win Variation. The horse has been performing well constantly and, if he can't win Takaraduka, am afraid he'll never get another chance in the top category.

The End

Caterpillar

9:38 p.m. Orfevre has made a triumphant come back. Win Variation, on the other hand, sunk in 4th place.

Okay. I was wrong. I should've keyed Orfevre.

The End

Caterpillar

3:06 p.m. After I'd come home from the off-track betting booth and the regular consolation meeting with Mr. N-jima (he won, F.Y.I.) and Cow, I watched the English version of the batman movie, The Dark Knight on TV in my sullen state.

It made me feel even more bitter to realize that I couldn't keep up with the English. Have been thinking that my English skills have been failing me, but this is serious. Must do something about it.

The End

Caterpillar

2:17 p.m. A bright, sunny day today. Lots of women putting up UV-proof umbrellas, which is supposed to protect skin from ultraviolet radiation.

I read an article a couple of days ago, about doctors warning UV-obsessed people who slosh sunscreens all over their face and body, protecting themselves clad in UV-proof clothes and goods could in fact, suffer brittle-bone disease when they get older, because moderate exposure to UV radiation is what makes calcium work to strengthen your bones.

Protecting oneself from UV, germs, cigarette smoke... Sometimes I think things are going too far.

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Caterpillar

2:40 p.m. Seemingly workmen in blue jumpsuits and helmets are cutting plantings on the sidewalk right outside our office door. The roar of the cutter and generator they're using has been distracting me for some time.

Couldn't they have done this in a little more undisturbing manner? I mean, the roads are much narrow compared to that in the States, so it's pretty unbearable when they're operating their electric device, one of those with round saw blades at full power. I'd like to see my hard-earned tax money better spent.

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Caterpillar

4:13 p.m. Have worn rain boots and brought my umbrella because the forecast had said it would start raining from around noon and the rain would get heavier as it gates late.

Have also brought my rainparka just in case and, worn leggins in spite of the sticky weather, just so that I won't scrape my calf with the rim of my rain boots again. Am full-armored with rain gear.

But the afternoon forecast on the radio says the rain cloud is moving slow and more far south than they had expected, so the rain won't be falling until later this evening, plus it would only be slight... Couldn't they have predicted or announced that earlier?

The End

Caterpillar

4:09 p.m. Cow is playing music on his lap-top again; AKB, as usual... Well, guess it brings him up.

Thought about songs that'd bring me up. There are many songs I like and would make me happy just by listening to them. But when it comes to bringing me up, sort of like kick starting, there's only one song I can think of.

The End

Caterpillar

2:02 p.m. No grade one races until Sprinters' Stakes in September.

Think should restore faith during summer, but have no idea how. "Jump" can bring me up for sure, though keeping up the tension is a whole different story, I'm afraid.

The End

Caterpillar