2:03 p.m. Oh my God. It suddenly started raining, and it's not just raining but rather flooding the road in front of our office. Just for your information, the sun was out and it wasn't raining at all merely three minutes ago.

2:10 p.m. The rain has subsided. That's what you call a cloudburst, I guess. I let out a yelp as soon as I noticed the rain to let Cow know about it, so he could save his family's washed clothes drying on the clothesline, but obviously it was too late.

I am feeling a little guilty, because things might have been different if it weren't for me watching Don't Stop Believing (Glee version) when the rain started to fall.

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Caterpillar

11:09 a.m. Out on the veranda having a smoke after brunch. The rainfall in a while since yesterday has cooled the air. Mmm, proper. Most summer days were like today some decades ago, cloudy, damp, but not too hot.

I can see some pigeons perched on the wire that stretches along the road. I usually see them on the same wire every morning, and wonder why they're there. Why don't they stay in the shades of the trees or something? Somewhere a little cooler? I always worry they might get scorched and be turned into Yakitroi under the fierce sun. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but they looked thinner. Yeah, the heat must be hard for them, too.

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2:52 p.m. Have seen the Yahoo!Japan news and been shocked. The news reported that Tosen Homareboshi, that came in third place in the Japanese D'erby, has been severly injured. The horse will retire. That leaves only two horses, Fenomeno and Gold Ship from the top five of the D'erby.

JRA is notorious among the fans for their obsession with fast tracks. They tend to think that speed races are thrilling and exciting and, if they can provide such thrilling and exciting races, it would result in an increase of fans, which would eventually lead them to more money.

Why don't they realize that we don't want speed races? We've never wanted it, and we never will in the future. What's thrilling if there weren't any fast horses in a grade one race because they've all retired due to injuries? What's the point of racing horses if they're racing against time?

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Caterpillar

2:26 p.m. Must drop by an optician on my way home as errand for Cow. A metal part of one of the tiny hinges has been cracked and the temple is about to come off any minute.

Fortunately for Cow, the glasses are still within the warranty period, although by days, so it could be repaired without extra fee, I think.

Cow just told me to refuse payment if otherwise. OK, let me get this straight. He wants to get his glasses fixed, but doesn't want to pay a dime. Roger that.

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Caterpillar

2:36 p.m. It turns out that the building where the optician was located with a bunch of other tenants had been closed (that was a let down), so I had to drop by again on my way to work this morning.

Thankfully, they told me that they could replace the whole frame for no charge. But sometimes you get so fed up, and feel that you just have to let your stress out in some way like the girl in this video. Demonstration of high selfdefence level from young lady.

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Caterpillar

4:09 p.m. There was a phone call from the optician that Cow's glasses are now repaired and ready.

So that's a go sign for me to pick them up after work. OK, I'll go. But forecast has been predicting another cloudburst in the evening. Today of all days.

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Caterpillar

3:36 p.m. Oh no. Cannot view YouTube. Was going to watch a video on YouTube but the display window was blotted out in green though the sound was comng out. Videos on other websites were able to watch without incident, so there must be something wrong with viewing Flash movies.

3:39 p.m. Have rebooted computer. It's almost amazing how rebooting can straighten many problems out.

There. Problem solved.

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Caterpillar

1:48 p.m. It was roughly about twelve hours earlier when I saw the great news coming in. Our women's goalball team has won the final game against China in the London Paralympics. It's their first gold medal and am very happy for the team. Congrats, ladies!

It would have been even better if they'd broadcasted the game on TV. Disappointingly, they only have a one-hour slot on NHK, which cannot possibly report all the athletes in action. And it is also impossible for me to watch the parogram in real time since am usually not home yet at 7:00 p.m.

Suspect that tonight's wheelchair tennis final match will not be broadcasted as it starts around 8:00 p.m.(Japan time), but am definitely cheering for Shingo Kunieda.

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Caterpillar

12:07 p.m. Oh God. I thought the time the final match was going to start was Japan time. Though apparently, it was not, so I stayed up to three in the morning, but still no news about it. I slipped in and out of my sleep while I waited, however, I just woke upa nd realized had missed it completely.

12:12 p.m. Have just confirmed that Shingo Kunieda has won the final to become the first paralympian to win two gold medals in a row. Yes. Yeeessss!

3:53 p.m. Looks like they're going to broadcast the match on NHK e-Tele from four. Just what I've been waiting for.

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Caterpillar

2:28 p.m. Very touching. Have seen a video of a boy being reunited with his long lost friend, a blue stuffed monkey he got from his grandparents as a present when he was only one. Ah Ah's Back.

It's a true Toy Story. It makes me feel like believing in the things that I thought would never happen.

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Caterpillar

2:17 p.m. I saw on the TV news this morning, that a taxi driver has received a certificate of appreciation from Executive Fire Officer, for helping an expectant mother delivering her child while driving her to the hospital.

Wow. A dramatic story just like in the movies. The driver said in a short interview, that he had atteneded a training course for emergency medical care before, and the experience helped him to handle the delivery calmly. Then he smiled, recalling that tears came to his eyes when he held the newborn baby safely in his arms. It was a baby girl.

I wonder if the mother is going to invite the driver for her daughter's wedding. Also think this should go in "Chicken Soup for the Soul" to "open the heart and rekindle the spirit."

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Caterpillar

2:59 p.m. Oh no. Anime song hit parade has begun. Cow has been playing old anime tunes on his computer. Some I haven't heard, some can sing along by heart.

Old anime songs had high quality, come to think of it, e.g. Yamato, Babil the 2nd, Devilman, Majinger Z, Cyborg 009, Toriton, etc., etc. I even think that the opening theme for Yamato should be played by a proper symphonic orchestra.

My favorite is the opening song for Toriton, by the way.

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Caterpillar

3:32 p.m. Apple has finally announced the release of the new iPhone 5, though Cow claims to be "totally uninterested" in this world-wide event.

No surprise, here. I mean, he seldom goes out of this office except for his everyday visit to the nearest supermarket, merely about 5 minutes' walk. He'll never need any devices to use outside of his house.

Whereas, I'm pretty interested in iPad mini which is rumored to be announced sometime past mid-October. Let's just leave the caveman in his cave for now.

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Caterpillar

3:26 p.m. Orfevre seems to be coming out fine for the prep race of Prix de l'arc de Triomphe, held on Sunday. According to his trainer, the horse has been trained as planned and, seems to be in good condition so far.

Christophe Soumillon, who is going to ride Orfevre, has also confirmed the horses condition, pointing out specifically that the horse has a good response. His comment included a comparison to the great British horse Frankel, that Orfevre is as good a horse as Frankel.

Hmmm. I'll take that as a compliment, but still, am flattered to have such a good horse representing our country. After all, I think Orfevre really has the potential to win ":the Arc."

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Caterpillar

2:12 p.m. Rose Stakes, the prep race for Shuka-sho would be held this weekend. Shuka-sho is the 2,000 meter grade one race for the three-year-old female horses, which would be the last of the three female classic races.

All the top three-year-old female horses would be in it, including Gentildonna, this year's Oka-sho and Oaks winner, and her rival Virxina coming in second in both of those races.

They're both siblings of Deep Impact, have good speed, well, at least enough to perform well in the grade one category, though Gentildonna seems to have a better shot. She'd probably win Shuka-sho. Whether she'll win this prep race or not is a mystery, so think this might be the last chance for Virxina to beat her, if any.

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Caterpillar

7:37 p.m. Rose Stakes ended with Gentildonna rewriting our memory how good she was when it came to winning races. Virxina barely made second place although she seemed to be the one with an ideal positioning, which only emphasized the gap between her and Gentildonna.

Now that my memory has been refreshed and rewritten, am sure that Gentildonna is going to be the female horse triple crown winner. So the question is, who will come in second and third in Shuka-sho.

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Caterpillar

4:32 p.m. Cool and comfortable, thanks to the repeating outburst, probably due to the typhoon moving up north off the Kyushu coast. The sun would have been beating down on us fiercely, if not for the typhoon. One good thing though, with this lingereing summer heat is that Myouga sprouts are still coming out, despite the fact that it was already halfway into September, which usually meant that the sprouts were long gone.

I decided to pick some of those Myouga sprouts for tomoroow's lunch, but the second I stepped out of the back door, was welcomed with a swarm of mosquitos. Had totally forgotten that late afternoons after a shower was their favorite time to float about looking for their prey. Too late.

So far have counted up to nineteen mosquito bites on my arms and legs that were thoughtlessly left uncovered when I went to pick Myouga sprouts. Nineteen... Oh, well. Itches do pass with time.

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Caterpillar

3:02 p.m. I've been bitten nineteen places by a swarm of mosiquitos, and my fan switch suddenly refused to respond this morning. As a result, I was sweating profusely by the time I was leaving the house.

However, I was blessed with unbelievable luck last weekend. I found a 10,000 yen bill on the edge of a street. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the first time in my life that I'd ever spotted a bill of such large sum on a road or a street. Someone must have dropped it, but there was no one to be seen within a 50 meter-radius as I looked around. I debated whether I should report it to the police or not, though decided against it since I couldn't recall any Koban (police box) nearby.

Thus, I gained 10,000 yen for nothing. Sometimes, good things just come your way.

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Caterpillar

2:17 p.m. By the way, Orfevre has won the Prix Foy, the prep race for Prix de l'arc last Sunday (Japan time). In spite of the unfavorable conditions of the race that it was run with only five horses, at a slow pace on a turf where Orfevre has never run before, the horse hit the wire first, saving energy for the coming big race. Exactly what his rider, Soumillon mentioned that he hoped to do, prior to the race.

Have already checked out the video and was very impressed by the way Sumillon handled the horse. Orfevre was actually learning as he ran, to control himself under the firm grip of Sumillon's hands. Perhaps an excellent horse needs excellent hands to match.

Now that he's won the prep race, Orfevre seems to have suddenly become the most favorable horse for Prix de l'arc.

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Caterpillar

2:31 p.m. I've been asking Cow for some help but he's been ignoring me because he's too busy looking up the quickest and cheapest route to JEIS (Japan Educational Institute For Seamen), where he's going to apply for his boat license renewal. But he doesn't own a boat.

Anyway, am relieved to have discovered that my fan has somehow changed its mind to cooperate for a little longer. It turned out that I could still turn it on, if I felt for the tiny switch button carefully which lay hidden under the top silicon cover.

Good, good. Think I'll still need it for some more days.

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Caterpillar

3:10 p.m. Two Japanese researchers have won this year's Ig Nobel Prize, an award given to weird and humorous scientific discoveries. Apparently, they've made this unique device called "SpeechJammer," which stops those annoyingly endless speeches by repeating the speaker's own voice at a delay of a few hundred milliseconds, eventually getting the speaker confused and to stop.

Kewl. Wish I had one. Certainly can use one on Obachans that ramble on and on about nothing. I sometimes think that maybe these weird disoveries, in fact, can actually change the world and make it a better place for us all.

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Caterpillar

10:50 a.m. Suddenly cool. That happens with the equinox. As a matter of fact, there's an old Japanese saying, that means something like summer heat or winter cold won't last after the equinox. And our ancestors have always proved to be right somehow, as long as I can remember, even in this changing climate.

Thinking that I should pay them more respect, went to visit Gramp's grave to clean up a bit and offer some flowers.

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Caterpillar

11:30 p.m. One thing led to another and have been struggling with css, to figure out how to show a different image when cursor is put on linked images. It's much easier to use JavaScript, however, it raises a problem when the viewers' computer is set to block JavaScript unless allowed by the user. Thus, using css.

Why do people want to use images for links, anyway? Why can't it be text links? That'd make things much more easy and simple to handle, also less chances of getting confused or making misses while writing. And why don't they figure it out themselves? Why does it always have to be me who struggle to find the right answer, then be super-kind and show how to do it? WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO BE THE NICE PERSON???

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Caterpillar

2:16 p.m. It was an easy win for Goldship, the Satsuki-sho winner. He left behind all his rivals by two and a half lengths in Koube Shinbun-hai yesterday, a trial race for the coming up Kikka-sho (IMHO, he's probably going to win Kikka-sho).

Orfevre seems to be getting ready on schedule for Prix de l'arc, and Sprinter Stakes, the first grade one race of the season is now only six days away. Must get ready for the autumn season, too.

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Caterpillar

1:58 p.m. Speaking of Prix de l'arc, have picked up a rumor that Camelot is going to run. If it's true, the race is going to be more exciting, with the UK's double crown winner.

2:09 p.m. As of today, Camelot is the third favored by the odds of 6/1, under Danedream (4/1) and Orfevre (4/1), according to the British bookmaker, William Hill.

Hmmm... Considering Camelot's weight (lighter than Orfevre) and his characteristic, Orfevre must make the race run just as the St. Leger in order to win. To be specific, the race has to be run at a slow to medium pace (medium would be better), with Camelot positioning in behind, preferably tucked away along the rail until the last furlong.

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Caterpillar

2:02 p.m. It occurred to me that I should rather improve my health condition, before I get ready for the autumn horse race season. So I decided to start from getting up at the same time every day, as a first step to healthy lifestyle.

I was going to get up at 7:30 this morning, but when I woke up it was already past nine... Perhaps I shouldn't have tried a healthy lifestyle in the first place. Shouldn't have tried to be something I'm not.

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Caterpillar

2:10 p.m. I woke up around 7:30 this morning, but fell asleep again before I knew it. Eventually got up around 9:30... Feel like am total failure for not being able to get up before eight. Maybe I should give up my plans for improving my lifestyle.

No, no, no! Don't be such a wimp. Since when did I become such a gutless loser? I might be a loser, yes, but thought I was a loser with some guts.

Come on, show some guts here. Discipline. Let's get over this to make my autumn season more rewarding.

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Caterpillar

3:47 p.m. The barrier draw of Sprinter Stakes has been announced while I was fussing over my lifestyle. Majin Prosper, the horse I was keeping my eye on has drew post number one, to my dismay. Considering that horses from outer posts have been performing well in the past couple of years, post number one is quite discouraging, unless it rains and the track condition turns out to be softer.

The good news is, though, there's another typhoon inching up north this weekend, predicted to be getting closest to the Kanto area on Sunday. That means there's a fat chance of rain. Hope it would be a blessing for Majin Prosper.

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Caterpillar

1:58 p.m. Actually, the weather hasn't been that bad yet, rather sunny and hot in Tokyo. However, Okinawa seems to be facing terrible wind and rain, assuming from the picture of a turned over truck on Yahoo! JAPAN news.

Just can't imagine rainstorms in the near future, though forecasts say that the typhoon is coming up the archipelago to the Kanto area, in the course of the next 24 hours. Still, I wonder if it will really rain aroud the time of Sprinters' Stakes. I wish I knew for sure. The change in weather means a lot since it affects the track condition and, eventually, the results.

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Caterpillar

3:50 p.m. Curren Chan has been beaten by Lord Kanaloa. The last horse I wanted...

Had decided earlier, that Curren Chan, however tough a mare she may be, she couldn't be better than last year therefore, she should be keyed to the second place on exacta. But have changed my mind at the last miniute, forcing myself to add another horse to the key and settle for a trio wheel.

It doesn't matter since I'd kicked out Lord Kanaloa at an early stage, though I had Dream Valentino on my wheel, but I've finally come to realize that the problem was that I totally lacked confidence and couldn't control my fears.

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Caterpillar