Day Eight - Getting Tired

Posted on 2006/12/07 01:05:06 (December 2006).

[6th December 2006]

Wednesday (i.e. today) was meant to be a quite busy spot in this trip as there were more than three presentation scheduled.

In the morning I risked a very serious injury in the train, there were so many people pushing that I was forced against one of the posts in the train and my arm got caught between the post and me.
Of course the more people pushed the more the arm was hurting, I stopped to behave like a good gaijin boy, and did pretty much what HULK does when he transforms, gaining those precious centimeters that I needed to get my arm out of that awkward position.

The presentations are quite boring, I really don't know what to say, and to be honest it seems that these people care very little about my "stylistic comments".
On the other side this is very typical of the Japanese Society, where you have to be fed info by a lot of routes so that you can happily unload the burden of having to take a decision by yourself, with the risk that you might make a mistake...

So here comes my figure in, a strange gaijin who can eat everything, speaks a staggering, informal and funny Japanese, and is always covered when he talks crap because in the end "Japanese eyes are different".

Lovely, now please pay me.

In the evening (of course) we had to have YET another meeting, this time within the company where basically we re-run the presentation and explained what this client liked and what he didn't like.
After that apparently the vice-director allowed us to go out for dinner on the company account.

I thought it to be quite a strange occurrence, and on the top of that I was quite tired for the day, but I had to go anyways.
Only men were allowed, and on the top of that I witnessed a very strange "editing" of the people that were meant to be present, plus the choice of restaurant that was clearly aimed at finding somewhere "not so expensive".

I don't know if it is my boss who is particularly stingy, or if it is a custom, but I tend to go for number one rather than number two.

Anyways we got the free dinner and as soon as I arrived home I collapsed on the bed, I am almost at half of this trip and I feel quite knackered, I hope that I can bring my ass home allright, also because it seems that they want me to come back at the end of January again...

But that's in one year's time (technically speaking), so I shouldn't worry about it...

Wow! They are cetainly working you hard, Lox!! I wish I could have seen the transformation into the Hulk!!! :)) Or did you just go a little green, given the restricted space you might have been feeling sick...?

As for the return visit... Does this sound hopeful in it's own way? At least they don't seem to want to loose you.

However, your line: "Lovely, now please pay me." really carried so much weight I want to shout at these guys!!!

:))))

Posted by Nigel at 2006/12/07 06:49:07.

Packed train, hu. Cattle receive a better treatment.
Japan is a crazy country, filled with neurotic people...

Posted by Sheri at 2006/12/07 07:48:53.

A concrete and alienating beehive

Posted by Sheri at 2006/12/07 09:11:23.

Sheri: You are right, the fact that it's strange is that it is SELF INFLICTED, I mean if four people would share a taxi from A to B they would probably end up paying the same, more or less.

Nigel: What can I say? I am starting to have doubts about this new job, I feel useless and it's not easy for me to be in that position. As for the phrase I imagined myself telling this story in a movie, with a half eerie and half sad voice, and then all of a sudden the punchline, said in a serious and more grave tone, but calm and a bit sarcastic, like when something bad happens and you have little to do about it but to think that life is not easy... :D

Posted by Lox at 2006/12/07 09:22:45.

Well you could go back to Italy and speak to those other guys who offered you a job... You could say: "Sorry I had to postpone my start date with you, but it was important I open up this new channel for future business. Now I am ready to bring this important breakthough over to you! When would you like me to start?"

:)))))))))

Incidentally, has the message-board broken again? I'm getting no joy with it. I seem to remember John said there was something we could do ourselves to fix it, but I can't now remember what?!? :(

Posted by Nigel at 2006/12/07 09:53:57.

I sent a message to him a couple of hours before when I was that the page was down, but AS USUAL, he didn't reply, although he might be engaged in the preps for the wedding... I hope that he can take a look at it tonight though...

As for the job, I am thinking along the same lines, and I don't like it. I have to give this job a fair go, at least one year maybe more before saying that it's all shit...

Posted by Lox at 2006/12/07 10:24:53.

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