Hiroko's Hitokoto

It's said that the people are seeking better forms of relaxation and relief from the stress of working. The engineering department of Ibaraki University made some firefly robots. They even tested the robots effects on the public and the result was that people did indeed relax. Actually, many of them were surprised when they were told that the fireflies were not real. The boom of aibo and the other pet robots is probably because people are looking for alternatives to their current life style. Particularly, they're looking for easy-to-be-around pets, but without the inconvenience in their small apartments of having to feed and take care of them. I'm still scared of robots because they're not natural. Think about it: 20 years ago, robots couldn't walk by themselves, and now Honda has one that even walks naturally. Maybe we'll be able to make an Astro Boy in the 21st century....?!

I had a chance to go to a small pearl trading company to help one of my friends do some Christmas shopping. It's run by a foreigner who's been here for about 38 years, and they offer pearls with pretty much your own design for a very reasonable price. The owner told us a story while we were waiting for my friend's pearls to be set. Apparently, one day, a 15 year old kid came to the store, looking for a present for his girlfriend. He could afford only 10,000 yen which was a little short for what he could get at the store. Of course he was hesitating, but the owner was a real smooth talker and said to the kid, "You know, sonny, of course you could buy her nice clothes, bags, or books... but you're not going to win her with something so common. If she wants a real pearl, how badly do you want her?" Of course the kid bought the pearl (with help from his mom), and the shop owner successfully made another sale. I had to smile at the story, when it comes to women get...

I went to the wedding of one of my old friends from kindergarten last weekend, and found it very interesting. I'm happy that she found someone good for her, and can share their lives together. But at the same time, I had this haunting feeling that I didn't belong to their culture anymore. The ceremony was a typical Japanese one. She married a man whom she met at the office, which is the Tokyo Waterworks Department. They're both government employees, and of course, there were many people from their office. Both their bosses gave long, dry Japanese speeches (you know what I mean...), started karaoke, etc. All the guests looked like they were enjoying themselves with the conversation, food, and drink. Of course the older Japanese guys forced everyone to drink beer even though the person didn't or couldn't do so. Many of my old friends were there, and I enjoyed meeting and talking with them a lot, but I also felt like a stranger. Half of the girls are married, and what ...