Howdy all. The long hours of labor seems to be welling up very fast. I'm on my thrid cold, and this cold weather is really not helping me gain momentum to recovery. I left earier, but much later than I wished. My overall conclusion is that we have corporate culture consists of too many people who are far more self-conscious and all too eager to parry blame for sake of self-image. But then again, little can be said at a reputable organization where the brand name comes first....

Work is very consuming. I finished filming for the new Tokyo recruiting video. It was three consecutive days on my feet managing the camera crew through the floors and characters which buttress the Goldman Sachs culture. I'm happy to say that I no longer have to do the 6 am mornings... only to carry on through work til midnight to complete my own responsibilities.

That aside, corporate culture trains hard. There's a lot of leeway as being Goldman Sachs yields A LOT of leverage. You learn to get spoiled and demand. People listen, and obey. I'm getting chummy with the head of HR in NY and with the president of the GS tokyo office... mainly for the lack HR people in Tokyo. I doubt this means any verticality any time soon, but I'm gaining tremendous leverage to do whatever I want...

The wacky thing is... you meet a lot of people as the HR recrutiing "face." As the only male with a "true" Japanese voice in the department, all external calls get forwarded over to me, and I make the arrangements to meet. The lucky thing is... without an immediate boss to overlook, I can expense almost anything that's within feasible range to recruiting, and I'm beginning to get headhunter calls. It's very interesting how this headhunter world works... from the recruiting end... it's nothing more than another talk with an used-car salesman... but from the pov of selling yourself... you've got to go to the right headhunters. wacky stuff.

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work aside, i purchased a new CD player to listen to old material. I still think J-pop is crap, and you've got to wonder when you see people loving music sung by 14 year-olds. Lolita is surely back, but I surely have no fancy to be Humbert Humbert. Walking along Roppongi, it's no surprise to make such encounters, and I confess it's rather fun to strike up conversations with random individuals in this unique region... you defintely hear many versions to the same story... Nonetheless, one German dude compared it to the West End of London. I've not been to London, but the immediate image that comes up with Pet Shop Boys. Perhaps you Brits can enlighten me on this remark, but to me... it's 22nd street in NY... or O'Farrell in SF.

It's always a culture shock when I get out of this area. I rarely take the train, and whenever I trek out to the skirting city like Shibuya or Shinjuku... the city is a total circus. Everyday is Halloween, and the people seem to be all made up in some costume fashion. I've always gathered this 90s culture to be a reinvention of Mr. Warhol, as every lolita looks the same with her boots, coat, and make up. Every boy looks like Kimutaku, and everybody else has black hair in some mode fashion. Even the Lisa TV at the Shibuya corner looks like a silver screen. but I guess... that's a different story.

On a more cheerful note, the weather. Actually, I can't gather the proper description, but this winter chill is absolute bewilderment. I'm getting a lot of heat as a genuine Califnornian, but this snow factor... is the most amazing spectacle that I've ever encountered. My first experience to witness occurred at Matsushima two years ago. Overlooking the beautiful island and sea, gentle snowflakes flew in a whirling twirl before its embarkment upon my cheeks. It stung, melted, and trickled into endless streaks of watermarks before falling prey to gravity.

My tokyo experience was much in the like.

I just stepped outside of Emporio Armani in Shibuya. (Yes, I was shopping for some warmth in high fashion. However, I left without success) Before me was snow snow snow. Everywhere!!!! It fell as though the German soldiers marched toward the dream of the Third Reich. (In Shibuya, appreciation for such beauty becomes quite crass in less than 10 minutes time... as I quickly noticed) Nonetheless, the idea adhered too much with the Japanese essence of beauty... evanescence ... for it fell no differently from cherry blossoms in April. The entire scene reminded of the "white-out" scene in the Trois Color series. For those who never saw the scene, don't recall, or just missed this point, this sight of divinity was absolutely orgasmic.

best,
Euge