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Everything is better in Japan!
That's according to my daughter, Michelle who accompanied me on my recent trip to Japan. All the air travel I've made over the last 2 years allowed me to earn enough Aeroplan miles to get tickets for Michelle and her boyfriend, Chris on this trip. By far this is the best business trip in recent months, not to mention I also made 2 people very happy. This is like the trip of a life time for them.
That's not all. I managed to upgrade to business class both ways. Ahhh ... the joy of travel by business class. More space, a fully reclining seat at the push of a button, your own menu for dinner and breakfast, bigger screen for your video on demand, and extra attention by the crew to make sure you're well looked after. With 11+ hours in the air, falling asleep isn't a problem in the comfy seat! It reminds me how much I missed my previous employer (PwC)'s travel policy of business class for any flight over 5 hours in the air, regardless of your position in the firm. We don't get that with my current employer's travel policy. No Siree! Unless you're an executive, the best you can hope for is a usable upgrade certificate from your frequent flyer program. You then pray that you'll get the upgrade. So, naturally, I consider myself very lucky on this trip!
We worked long hours as usual, but we also had time to relax. We stayed at the luxurious Hotel New Otani, right in the middle of downtown Tokyo. The hotel's Japanese Garden is simply breath taking. You almost forget that you're in downtown Tokyo. We did some shopping at Tokyo's electronics shopping area. On a Sunday, we visited some temples at the ancient town of Kamakura. The highlight of our visit was The Great Budda which was simply remarkable. The guided tour is conducted in Japanese so we kind of had to rely on the handouts in English. Duh!
There's so much we can learn from the Japanese. Their politeness can be quite overwhelming if you're not used to such hospitality. There's a staff standing virtually everywhere in the hotel lobby area greeting you with a smile and a bow, and providing directions or assistance. I don't think I've ever felt safer in any large city than in Tokyo. I mean you can walk just about anywhere in Tokyo feeling safe and secure. These guys don't chain their bicycles to a permanently stationed object like we do in North America. They put a lock on it and it just sits there in designated areas on the sidewalk. If you do the same in Toronto, I bet your bike will be gone within 30 seconds. Did you know they keep their vending machines outdoor? These things would've been vandalized in any city around the world. But not in Japan. It's a country of people with a culture of respect, trust, honour and integrity. On the flip side, you just never know if you should offer the handshake when introduced to somebody. Apparently it depends on whether or not the person you're greeting is someone with a position more senior than yours. Afterall, it's a hierarchical society in Japan. There are some seniors who have experience with Western cultures, will offer you the handshake anyway. I've learned that to play it safe, always bow only, and shake hands if the other person offers first.
Oh, while you're out in Tokyo, you better be prepared to pocket your own trash. There's hardly any garbage bin in public places. Yet the streets are incredibly clean. Japanese don't leave their trash around. They even take their own trash with them after a public event like a concert. Seriously, as my "kids" will tell you after they saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Tokyo (wow!). In North American cities, we pay people to clean up after us and our streets are still no where as clean as those in Tokyo.
As expected, communication is a challenge if you don't know the language. Well, their limited English is certainly a lot more than my Japanese. Being Oriental myself, it's understandable that the local people often assumed I spoke Japanese. 
Like my daughter said to me, how would she find me in a place full of "Asians". 
Finding places to eat is basically not a problem. Although Japanese food is just fine by me (where else can you find the best Sushi?), my colleagues and I did enjoy Indian food in Japan.
For all of you single guys, pay attention! There's plenty of beautiful Japanese women in Tokyo. As a matter of fact, Miss Japan recently won the Miss Universe 2007 title. Go Tokyo, young man! By the way, they eat horse meat too in Japan, and raw! I was told they serve it in thin slices like bacon. Yummy!
Perhaps Michelle is right. Everything is better in Japan! Well, it's back to North American reality for the moment before I head for Switzerland again.
Posted by Ba on Sunday 10 June 2007 - 12:11:04
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Swiss trip
Did you know horse meat is a delicacy in Switzerland? Well, I had no idea until I went there. Just got back from a 2 week trip to Switzerland near the French border. As a matter of fact, our hotel is in France, while the client site is in Switzerland. When you're getting used to the increasingly tight security along the Canada-United States border, it's truly amazing when you see how open the border is between Switzerland and France. We'd drive through the border that is often unmanned on both sides of the border. Once in a while you see a police officer at the booth (no they don't use border guards). Of course they speak French and we wouldn't know what they want. But at no time did we have to show our passports. Oh, on another country road (and there's probably more), there's no booth at all. Go figure!
We did manage to find time on Sunday to visit Geneva, which is about a 30 minute drive. Took a one-hour boat cruise on Lake Geneva. Absolutely beautiful! Makes you wish you could live at one of the gorgeous houses around the lake. Overall, it was a good trip. No, I didn't try the horse meat.
Posted by Ba on Monday 07 May 2007 - 11:39:25
France, again!
Just returned from yet another trip to France. I worked there for 2 weeks including the weekend. So once again, there was no time for anything remotely interesting. No "wow" and not "cool". However, the view from my hotel room, as seen here, is beautiful. After all, it is the Golf National in Saint Quentin which hosts the French Open.
Despite the unexciting trip, the good news is the client went live on the system we implemented. I also did get to decide when to have dinner compared with my first time in France. But finding a restaurant to have dinner is a challenge every evening. The first thing is to check if the menu has English translation. If not, look for some French words that I recognize. ... It's a damn handicap when you don't speak the language. Driving in France is no fun either. Without the GPS, I'd have been totally lost. I still can't get over the French rationale for not having stop signs at a 4 way intersection. Also, it takes some practice to get used to the roundabouts. And I swear motorcylists on the highway going between vehicles at more than 100 km per hour could've given me a heart attack! On the bright side it was fun to drive a car with manual transmission again. I haven't done that since I traded in my Honda Accord 5 years ago. It's good to know I still haven't lost my touch of the manual shift and the clutch.
On the trip home at the airport in Paris I met a friendly, good looking, blond Canadian woman who's in the fragrance business (where else but France!). Nine out of ten times I don't strike a conversation (other than "elevator chat") with a stanger, whether it's a man or a woman. It takes two to have a good conversation and we seemed to have a good rapport. We spent some time chatting at the Air Canada lounge while waiting for our flight home. Before I knew it, I was telling her about my family. It was nice to meet someone whom you can talk to. I hope the feeling was mutual.
Now it's back to EST time zone, cold Canadian weather, and to Boston next week. Next European trip is to Switzerland!
Posted by Ba on Saturday 07 April 2007 - 10:33:04
Travelling job isn't all that glorious
For the last 2 years I've been travelling on my job. Recently I started working on a project based in the suburb of Boston, U.S. that requires some international travel. Last week I went to France for the first time. If there's one thing I regret when reflecting on almost 3 years as a student in the U.K. in the late '70's, it is that I neglected to visit other countries in Europe. Anyway, when I tell people I'm going to France for a week on business, I hear "Cool!" or "Wow!". Upon my return, the question is "did I see Eiffel Tower"? Well, I'll tell you what I saw: Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, the highway, the tunnels along the way, the hotel in Saint Quentin (30 km from Paris), the client's site at near by Plaisir, the highway again, and back to the airport for the flight home. There's nothing "cool" about the trip, and there's definitely no "wow". Not to mention having to adjust to the 6 hours time difference.
Boston is a historic town, but the suburb is basically boring. Before you say why not spend some time sight seeing while I'm there, our job consists of long hours at the office, at the hotel and at home too. As for food, I try to eat at the first opportunity, because I never know when will I get my next meal. And I'm not talking about affordability here. It's sad, but such is the state of our job. Mind you, travelling doesn't bother me. It's what I keep telling people that doesn't sink in: we're not in the business of saving lives! Work hard, but you should be able to take some time out to relax. We just don't do that enough, and sometimes not at all.
There you have it. Next time I tell you I'm going to some European country, remember it's not cool and there's no wow!
Posted by Ba on Sunday 04 March 2007 - 11:03:22
Promising young star?
I seem to recall reading a clip somewhere about Naomi Striemer. But until I heard her single, Cars from her album, Images, I had no idea she's such a talented musician. What a beautiful and powerful voice! With guitar collaboration in her song by music legend Carlos Santana, as reported here.
You can download Cars here.
Posted by Ba on Thursday 21 December 2006 - 20:46:17
