4:04 p.m. Okay. So Gold Ship has sprang out the gate. But he's 2, 3 steps behind the rest, as usual. Jockies shouldn't push so he goes at his own pace. What next?

Rule number 2. Guide Gold Ship towards other horses. I can hear people shouting it's not that easy, but that's what the jocky should do. And the rider must keep in mind to do this with easy touch, gentle touch to the reins. Don't force the horse to move. Guide him in the direction of the other horses. Once he's caught up, you move on to the next step.

The reason for this action, I will explain tomorrow as am running out of time.

The End

Caterpillar

3:28 p.m. Oops. I'd fallen asleep for a moment while watching past races of Gold Ship. I've freshened up a bit with a mug of iced coffee, so here we go.

As I've said before, Gold Ship performs best in correlation with other horses. Therefore, he slips out of concentrarion whenever he's left alone in the back, or is sweeping up the outside because he doesn't have any other horses to keep his focus on the race. That's why the horse needs to get closer to other horses as soon as possible after the start. But you can't push him since that could get the horse too eager, which can lead to stamina losses and also makes it harder for the jockey to control him later.

Once you got him running with the other horses, preferably among other horses, the next step would be Rule number 3. Calm him down. This would be the most difficult part for the jockey. Even if you didn't push him during the first two steps, Gold Ship is likely to pull on the reins stimulated by other horses. Keep a firm grip with a gentle touch and don't let him have it his own way, but let him know that you're not forcing him down. Keep a you-can-make-your-own-decision-pal-but-this-isn't-such-a-bad-position-is-it-grip. Nori Yokoyama, I think, is very good at doing this.

The U.S. has played a great game against Belgium, by the way. Think they're gonna be even better in four year's time.

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Caterpillar

4:33 p.m. Okay. So now that Gold Ship has had a good start in his race, and you've got him in the field of other horses, here's rule number 4. Keep him that way until he turns the last corner.

This doesn't mean ths jockey can be idle. It means a jockey doesn't have to pull or push on the reins, but stay on the alert. Stay put, stay calm. Gold Ship is focused on the race as long as you keep him in the field with other horses. If he gets too excited and starts pulling, calm him down. Let him know it's not the right time yet, so take it easy. It's the second crucial moment in a race for Gold Ship. Whether the horse would be able to sweep through the homestretch or not depends largely on this stage. Make sure he doesn't waste his stamina in order not to run out of it when you need it most. Remember, easy does the trick.

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Caterpillar

3:30 p.m. All right. If you've followed the 4 rules, Gold Ship must now be coming out of the corner among other horses, ready and eager to spring out to the top and win the race. So here's the last bit of tips a jockey should follow.

Rule number 5, make sure to choose the course between horses or alongside horses on the homestretch. As I've mentioned a number of times already, Gold Ship will lose concentration when left on his own, so be sure to make him conscious of other horses. That way, he will focus on beating that horse, he will keep on fighting.

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Caterpillar

4:47 p.m. So I've been the know-it-all and presented the 5 Rules on how to ride Gold Ship in order to lead him into success.

As for l'Arc de Triomphe in which Gold Ship is being entered, the crew should have him run a longer distance race before the l'Arc. He doesn't need to win that race, rather it's best for him to lose in around 3rd place, since this is merely going to be a prep race. It would also be better for the jockey to race him in the front, to avoid unnecessary exhaustion. This way, Gold Ship is likely to concentrate on l'Arc de Triomphe and perform his best. Well, that is, in my humble opinion, of course.

The End

Caterpillar

11:08 p.m. Darn! I can't connect to public wifi network from my iPad via my newly bought mobile router. So frustrating!

I've tried everything I could, from updating iOS, deleting network data, updating firmware of the router, to trying to catch public wifi signals in different places. I've even paid 250 Yen for a cafe latte at the nearest fast food shop, just to see if it might work.

Sadly though, I've had no success and am beginning to think it could be that the public wifi signals could be too weak, even inside those small shops. Especially, when you're surrounded by glass walls to separate you from the non-smokers.

The End

Caterpillar

3:11 p.m. I'll have to look up and learn more about wifi signals, though. About bandwidth, how far they reach, and of course, gather more information on public wifi routers, as their not having enough power could be the main reason for my problem.

Well, come to think of it, mine is actually not a mobile router. The device connects to local area networks when you plug it into the LAN sockets in hotel rooms, and works as a wifi accesspoint. So perhaps this device doesn't pick up weak signals. But I've decided to buy it, because it said on the manufacturer's web site that it can also handle public wifi, with two major SSIDs already set.

So far, it's merely served half of its purpose.

The End

Caterpillar

3:28 p.m. I was suggested by Mr. N-jima that I should watch more races for studying, so have taken a quick look at the members of Tanabata Sho, a handicapped grade 3 race held this weekend.

Oh, my. I knew it was going to be a lame race because it annually has been, but the conpetitors are what, six six-year-olds, three seven-year-olds, one eight-year-old, one nine-year-old, and one ten-year-old, with a couple of five-year-olds and one four-year-old.

Wow. I just recalled Mr. N-jima's words to stay away from summer handicap races because they were nearly impossible to win. Think I know the reason why.

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Caterpillar

2:39 p.m. So shocked at the results of the semi-final in FIFA World Cup, Brazil vs Germany. Couldn't instatnly believe my eyes when I saw the score, 7 to 1. Why? What happened? I knew that Brazil was playing without Thiago Silva and Neymar, but was that the reason for their huge loss?

Must check my recording after I get home.

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Caterpillar

2:54 p.m. Yesterday, Cow and I've had a heated discussion over how to take in vitamin C.

I'd heard from a doctor the day before yesterday, that it's better to take as much vitamin C as possible, because vitamin C is soluble. And also that you should rely on suppliments to take in vitamin C, since it is impossible to take in enough vitamin C through food. But Cow insisted that it must be more natural, and thus better for us humans, to take in necessary nutritions through food.

So I did a bit of searching and, following in the footsteps of "the great American philosopher, Moprgan Spurlock," and Matt Cutts from the TED speech, decided to start a 30-day challenge to eat an apple every day.

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Caterpillar

4:38 p.m. In Japan, there's an old saying that "An apple a day keeps you away from diseases." So I decided to start a 30-day challenge to see what happens if I ate one apple a day for the next 30 days. Would it keep me away from mild diseases such as cold, stomachaches, headaches? Would it cure my skin problems? Would it finally cure the pustulosis on my palms that I've been suffering for a over a year?

Although I've made up my mind, I wasn't quite sure what I should do first. I hadn't bought apples in decades come to think of it, they were always peeled and cut, or cut up into small pieces in salads since I started living in my parents' house. What I did was simply drop by a supermarket oin my way to work, buy an apple, and eat one at lunch time.

Yesterday, I'd bought a Fuji, a Japanese variety for 158 Yen. It was firm, not too sweet, not too sour. I thought I might like other varieties better, then recalled that I might have read somewhere that they were mainly used for cooking. Today I splashed out and bought a Jonagold for 298 Yen. But I liked it very much. No wonder, as I've grew up eating Delicious apples in NY.

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Caterpillar

2:51 p.m. I had another Jonagold. Perhaps because they're bit mushy compared to the Japanese variety, Jonagold seems unpopular in Japan. I like them, though. They remind me of Delicious which I used to eat in the U.S. I'm thinking of trying the Japanese variety Kohgyoku, the variety mixed with Golden Delicious to make Jonagold. Unfortunately, my search for them hasn't been successful so far.

Meantime, Tanabata Sho is going to run and FIFA World Cup's third-place match is going to be held. What's the use of a third-place match, anyway? It's a win or lose tournament. Deciding which team comes in third doesn't make sense at all. Why, I'd be more interested in deciding which team comes last. A last-place match would be quite interesting if we have one.

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Caterpillar

9:31 p.m. I did call Tanabata Sho and another race in Chukyo yesterday, despite the unstable wifi condition of my iPad, but I took Mr. N-jima's advice seriously and decided to leave it at that without buying betting tickets. My judgement has been good. I wasn't even close to winning. Must check out what was wrong about it, though will have to do that some time later as other things are on pending.

Had Jonagold again today. Maybe I'll get a chance to look for Kohgyoku tomorrow.

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Caterpillar

3:16 p.m. I couldn't finish all the pending things to do yesterday, so was going to do some at my work place.

4:33 p.m. Have been talked into watching the first episode of the Korean drama just started being broadcasted on NHK last night. When am I going to finish my to-do list? And I had to settle for another Jonagold. Oh, well.

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Caterpillar

3:19 p.m. So the Germans have won the World Cup 2014. Well, I thought they would after I'd seen their game against the U.S. They've got a strong bench, and they have a very flexible team. They can easily change their play style according to who they're up against.

It was too bad for Messi and the Argetines, especially because they hung on until the last 5 minutes. I think their defence worked beautifully, however, you can't win a football game without scoring a goal. Messi is a great player, no doubt about that, though he might need to work together with other players in order to make the team win. Along the line, Argentina might need to enforce their attackers.

The final match was interesting in a lot of ways, and I also enjoyed watching Puyol return the trophy. And as I had bought three apples in a pack for 500 Yen yesterday, again I had Jonagold.

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Caterpillar

2:56 p.m. How come things pop up one after aonther? I was just about to go to sleep last night, when JoOusama demanded help on going on the Internet on her computer.

It turns out that her security software has expired, so I lent her my lap-top to check a Chinese news site. I will have to install a new software tonight, because she wants to go on the Internet to finish some tasks by Friday. Great. Right on top of everything else.

Jonagold again, though must buy some more either today or tomorrow morning, as have ate up all I had.

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Caterpillar

5:32 p.m. Very tired and frustrated. Somehow the anti virus software refused to be installed in JoOusama's computer, and I had to stay up late despite my determination to reset my sleep deprivation.

Also my iPad is not picking up wifi signals very well in certain places, especially not in the coffee shop where I often used to do a lot of left over searching. Now there's no use going there, as I lose Internet connection frequently. I'm suspecting that the staff might have moved the router or something. Perhaps things might improve if I switched to different channels to avoid interference from other users, but my router that still refuses to connect to public wifi signals is supposed to be choosing automatically, the channel with the best condition.

I've been wanting to check the strength of wifi signals in that coffee shop however, there seems to be no iOS apps provided for that purpose. Grrrrrrr....

The End

Caterpillar

3:10 p.m. Hmmm... Must do something to get out of this frustrated situation.

Okay. So I've searched a bit and came up with results suggesting that it could have been the old security software that could have been blocking the installation of the new one. I uninstalled the old one before I tried to install the new one, but it's true that I'd later found some folders in the former security software's name remaining in the Programs folder. As I tried to delete them, Windows demanded that I close the currently operating files, otherwise I can't delete them. Annoyed by this comment, had logged of the computer and have not yet relaunched since then. Will try turning on the computer this weekend and delete those folders, before another attempt on installing the software.

As for the wifi situation involving my iPad, could try changing the channels and see what it's like. Anyway, the key is to get into action, so that I wouldn't have to stay in this frustrating condition any longer. And if things gets worse, well, let's think I've hit the bottom and there's nowhere else to go but up.

The End

Caterpillar

2:38 p.m. The sky seems to be undecided whether to drop rain yet or not. I've worn rain boots two days in a row without getting them wet so far. The tempaerature's a bit lower, though. And we can manage without the air conditioner, so we're keeping the door open and lighted a mosquito coil.

Speaking of mosquito coils, lately there seems to be mosquito coils with special fragrance such as rose, lavender or forest woods. Blimey. Am having some friends visiting from overseas this summer, so might as well consider them as a souvenir.

Oh, and I had another Jonagold. Looks like I'll be having Jonagold until the end of my 30-day challenge.

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Caterpillar

10:16 p.m. I forgot to eat my apple for the day. Must eat it as dessert.

Tomorrow is a holiday in a while, so I'd better make good use of it. But when there's so many things to do, you just don't know where to start. And new things aalways seem to pop up one after another, and you never get to finish what you planned to do. Well, at least I got the anti virus in JoOusama's computer. I struggled for a while, because the installer kept refusing to move on from scanning for incompatible softwares. It transpired, though, that someone (probably the kids) had somehow downloaded the same software with a toolbar in May, and a little search on the computer had revealed that it was still left in in the drive without being installed. The kids must have stepped on somoe link while watching anime on the Interenet.

After I've deleted it and rebooted the computer, things finally went well and was able to install the anti virus. Phew.

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Caterpillar

10:22 p.m. I've finally found some Kohgyoku (Japanese apple variety) at the supermarket near my house. Tried one after I got home.

Am not sure if it wasn't ripe yet or not, but my first Kohgyoku tasted tangy. Well, too tangy for me. But I've bought a pack of four of them, so I'll have to eat three more. Crossing my fingers that the other ones are less tangy. I haven't had a chance to try other varieties besides Fuji, Kohgyoku and Jonagold, as it is not high season for apples, but so far Jonagold has won the seat of my favorite apple variety. Tomorrow would be day twelve of my 30-day challenge. Wonder if I'll get a chance to meet apples that would beat Jonagold.

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Caterpillar

5:28 p.m. Clients are beginning to ask about our summer vacation.

Of course, they should be. It's already past mid-July. Schools have gone into summer vacation and kids are flooding the streets in Shibuya. However, the summer vacation has stopped the torrent of nearby elementary school kids from dropping by our office.

Yes, things always have the bright side.

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Caterpillar

3:55 p.m. Kohgyoku still tastes too tangy, though I'm beginning to thing it might be nice on a hot summer day as today. It freshens you up a bit.

News have broken out that Gold Ship and Just Away is going run in l'Arc de Triomphe and I was in a quite good mood, until Cow kindly reminded me of Takaraduka Kinen which I'd lost because I hadn't bought Virxina. Depressing, really.

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Caterpillar

3:18 p.m. Aw, it's HOT. So hot that I'd uploaded yesterday's Murmur with a typo. The title should have been, "To l'Arc de Triomphe" instead of"Triomhe." I apologize and would like to take this opportunity to correct that error.

It seems Gold Ship is going to run in Sapporo Kinen before he flies to Longchamp. This is good. It will surely stimulate the horse, especially when he's been running in long distance races over 2200 meters since the Japanese D'erby, exactly thirteen races ago, and two years in the past.

As I've mentioned before, Gold Ship does not have to win in Sapporo Kinen, as it is merely going to be a prep race and stimulation to help him perform better in the next race. in order to perform best in the next race, assuming that it's the l'Arc, I think it would be best if Gold Ship races in the front. The results don't matter, but if he wins, it should be an easy win considering the horse's fatigue.

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Caterpillar

4:00 p.m. I had a chance to eat Ohrin today. It's a mix of Golden Delicious and a Japanese variety which I forgot the name of, sorry. It was close, close to the Delicious I used to eat in N.Y., less tangier than Kohgyoku (thank God), and more sweet. Still, my favorite continues to be Jonagold, I'm afraid.

Have been struggling with accessing the Internet via my mobile router using public wifi for nearly a month, and I've finally solved this problem. Brother, that was long. I've finally realized that I'd set the SSID name as "001softbank" instead of "0001softbank". I can't believe why that had escaped my eyes for so long. No wonder I couldn't log in. I've turned off the auto log-in function of my router though, as it didn't seem to be working very well.

It's probably because of the heat. It's even hotter than yesterday and I can almost feel my brain melting.

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Caterpillar

1:23 p.m. Back to Jonagold once again. Mmm, I like it the best of all the apples I had since I've started this 30-day challenge.

Looks like Ash Gold, Orfevre's sibling lost his debut race in sixth place. He's been gathering a lot of attention lately, thanks to his great brother, but well, things aren't that simple in the horse race world.

And although my wifi situation has improved considerably, now I'm met with a new problem with Safari feeding me a server-not-responding-error, when I try to search on Google. Someone had reported a similar case and seemed to have solved the problem, by updating the firmware of his router. Well, what are you supposed to do when you've already updated the firmware, and still getting the error? And the heat is unbearable.

The End

Caterpillar

9:36 p.m. I've tried calling Chukyo Kinen although it was a handicap race, and was going to go out to buy betting tickets in the morniing, but the crazy heat has defeated me completely, and I'd stayed home instead. After all, it ws a handicap race. It must be a little better to stay inside the house rather than walking out in this heat. I was going to key either Majesty Hearts or Daiwa Magiorre on a wheel.

In the evening I learned that Sadam Patek had won the race, with Mickey Dream and Majesty Hearts in second and third. I had Mickey and Majesty both on my wheel if I were to buy them, though I would never have bought Sadam Patek. Daiwa Magiorre which I probably would have keyed, sunk in eleventh place. My idleness that had whispered to me to stay home had done me some good.

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Caterpillar

4:00 p.m. Daiwa Magiorre seems to have run out of energy by the middle of the homestrech, as far as I can see in the JRA video. This indicates that the horse must have been in a not so good condition, or troubled with lingering fatigue from previous races.

As I checked his former race stats again, I realized the horse has been worsening his performance in the past two races, after he came in second in a grade one race, Mile Championship. Which means that his high performance throughout last year is taking its toll now. I should have noticed that before I keyed him.

As for Sadam Patek, he simply performs better if he could race smoothly on the outside in such time-consuming, sticky track condition. And it's probably right to think that the tight pace had helped him take over all the others, too.

The End

Caterpillar

3:30 p.m. Still not able to connect to Google via my mobile router. It seems to have something to do with DNS, though I still haven't got even close to a solution. Must gather more information and learn more about the situation I'm facing. Otherwise, I won't even be able to ask the support center.

Today's Jonagold was a bit too tangy, I almost thought there was a Fuji mixed in. Feel like I'm becoming an apple expert. Well, it's already day 19 of my 30-day challenge. So far my pultosis of the palm hasn't improved, rather worsened. I'm guessing because it got hot and I'm sweating a lot again, that the vitamins and minerals in my body are going out in huge amount in my sweat.

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Caterpillar

4:46 p.m. Unbelievable. Someone had sprayed paint on the riverside grass, to save the spot to watch the fireworks display at Katsushika and it made the news.

How dare they do such a thing! They should arrest that bastard and take legal actions against them. At least, it's something that shouldn't be left to let it pass.

Sometimes I feel that the sense of right and wrong differ so much among us these days. And it's sad to admit it, but it looks like the honest and the righteous always seem to be the one that cries. Hey, what's going on, here?

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Caterpillar

2:35 p.m. Gold Ship has returned from refreshing. He's going to start training for Sapporo Kinen, the last race before he flies to Longchamp for l'Arc de Triomphe.

It's good they're running him in a 2000 meter race, though. As I've said before, it would help raise the horse's motivation before he runs the 2,400 meters in Longchamp.

The news about See The Moon and Taghrooda has reached here too, and it looks like Gold Ship (and Just Away, Harp Star) would be up gainst tough champion horses.

The End

Caterpillar