Totally Crazy Weekend!!!

Merry Christmas everybody!!! I can't believe it but here I am...another Christmas is here and I'm still surving despite all the hard work and partying I've been doing this year. Talking about parties, last night I went to a great party...in fact one of the most fabulous parties I've been to in recent years.

My weekend started on Saturday morning very early. In fact I had to get up at 7am to get to an appointment at 9am in Shinjuku. After meeting with a prospect, I had a quick lunch of hot chocolate and a bagel with cream cheese. Met another prospect at 12noon and rushed back home to teach 2 classes before getting ready for the party in the evening.

I met my friend at Kudanshita station at 7:30pm and we walked together to the party. Now I must mention the fact that we did not know the guy who was having the party until 2 weeks ago. We knew he was rich, but didn't expect him to be this rich! Wow, his apartment was on the 5th floor overlooking cherry trees along the river right next to the emporer's palace. In fact, my friend worked on the brochure for the apartment complex a few years back and tells me the starting price is just over 1 million US$!!! After passing through a doorman and two security doors, we were greeting by two maids who gathered our belongings and took care of our gifts of champagne. The apartment was already filled with guests from around the world, including this one Chinese guy from France, 3 Taiwanese guys, a straight couple with their daughter, and a very cute dog(I love dogs)! The only drinks available were Veuve Cliquot (my personal favorite), Moet Chandon(my second favorite) and Dom Perignon(one of the best) champagnes(my preferred drink)!
There was a huge turkey (I was dying to eat turkey)with all the trimmings as well as fresh ripe strawberries and ice cream for dessert. The people there were actually very friendly with interesting backgrounds. I got caught up in conversation with one woman in particular. She lived in Hawaii for a number of years in addition to living in Singapore, London and San Francisco.

At 10:30, we had to leave to our second party at AGEHA. We told the host we had to leave and he said that he would meet us there later. He then escorted us downstairs, where a chauffered car was awaiting us to whisk us off to AGEHA! Yes, his private driver and car!!! By this time I was thinking...can things get any better? We arrived at AGEHA where I met a friend who had a free VIP pass for me. Yes, I was in a very happy mood! An hour later, the rest of the people from the party arrived with the host. We immediately gave them a tour of the place as it was their first time there. They thanks us by buying us more drinks, which we were more than happy to accept! We then started to play this game of passing drinks to each other mouth to mouth! There were some women in the group so I ended up giving her drinks a few times and she started getting drunk and we started kissing( a girl for goodness sakes!) and I swear I don't remember how many people I kissed!

The rich guy kept asking me to go home with him, but I was able to avoid him later on. The Chinese guy from France suggested that we meet again after that playful kiss and the young kid kept trying to kiss me in the dark.

I stumbled home around 8:00am and went to bed without even taking a shower. Got up at 2pm and went to Aoyama with my boyfriend to buy the Christmas cake we had reserved. It was a delicious chocolate cake created by the one and only Pierre Herme, which we had reserved a month in advance. My roast pork turned out perfectly moist and delicious. The cake was to die for and I seriously journeyed to chocolate heaven...in fact I can honestly say that was the best chocolate cake I've ever had in my lifetime and God knows I had many!

Did I have a good weekend? You bet your ass I did!!!

One little problem...now the rich guy keeps calling me!

Talking with Lucy

Last night I missed talking to Lucy on the phone. He emailed me today to tell me why I was ignoring him so I knew he was worried about me. I didn't want to worry him too much, but I had a full day today. I had a haircut appointment, then a student came over. After my student left, I was starving so made dinner and ate it. My dinner consisted of a char siu bao and 5 pieces of siu mai and a bowl of chicken soup. Strange dinner I know, but I couldn't wait for a proper dinner to be prepared so just settled for whatever I had in my fridge.

I decided to finally log on to my computer when after exactly 5 minutes later, Lucy skyped me.

'Hey, what happened to you last night?'

'So sorry Lucy, I was so tired last night I fell asleep.'

'Ok, I was just worried and I thought that maybe you fell asleep next to your computer.'

'No, no, I was just tired and fell asleep in bed. I forgot to turn my computer off.'

'Ok, I just was worried that you'd catch a cold. I know you are always cold.'

'Don't worry. I'm fine.'

'You know what I was thinking? I was thinking that I'd like to put a blanket over you while you are sleeping to prevent you from catching a cold.'

'Gee Lucy, the only people that ever put a blanket on me were my mother and a Korean Air flight attendant.'

'So which one do you want me to be, your mother or the flight attendant?'

'I'd prefer you to be the flight attendant I think.'

I got a haircut today. I haven't had a haircut in months so I feel like a brand new person.

Lucy asks again

After posting on this blog, Lucy reminds me that I haven't answered his question. So he asks...

'As your circle of friends get bigger, will I still be special to you?"
'Of course you would.'
'Can I always be special to you?'
'Of course you can!'

Now Lucy is rephrasing his question.

'Will I always be special to you?'
'Of course honey bunch. You know you will!'
'You put the word honey bunch there?'
'yeah'
'Honestly, if you put the word honey bunch there, people would know who I am, but then again, I don't think so.'
'Really'
'yeah, well, let's see.'

Lucy correcting me again

'I said, if someone has been reading your blog, that person would know who Lucy is, so let's see who figures it out.'
'Ok'
'this is so cool, but yet so funny, yet embarrassing. '
'Why'
'Because you're making me a joke and making fun of me.'
'NO I'm not.'
'Yes You Are'
'NO,I'm not, really.'
'Yes You Are'
'No I'm not really!!!'

And then we laugh at the funniness of it all!

Lucy

"Can I always be special to you?" was the phrase that was uttered by Lucy. I will let you all guess who this Lucy is as this is not really his real name. I have recently learned that Lucy is a term used to describe a person that asks questions such as, " Do you really really really love me?" or "How much do you love me?" and then after saying "I love you a lot", Lucy responds by saying, "How much?" and you tell him "More than the number of stars in the universe" and he then responds by asking, " Is that all?"

This is Lucy and just for your information, Lucy is special...very special!

Hawaii 2004

Universal Studios Osaka

My Osaka trip

By the way, did I mention that I went to Osaka and Kyoto 2 weeks ago? I know I shouldn't have gone and I should've been working, but it was worth it. I've never been to Universal Studios Japan during the Christmas season and I really wanted to go and see the place all decorated for the holidays. I felt like a kid all over again and could hardly sleep a wink on the midnight bus on the way over. We arrived at around 7am in Osaka and although I really wanted to get a cup of coffee and something to eat, my partner was getting antsy and was already checking the time for the next train to Universal Studios. He's always that way and never notices how hungry/tired/thirsty/irritated/horny I am. I insisted that we find a public restroom so I could brush my teeth and wash my face after the bus ride. I mean we just sort of woke up and isn't that what normal people do? Sheeeshh!

Anyway, I did manage to steer him away from the train timetable and allow me to wash up. I got myself a can of hot tea from a vending machine as we speeded through the turnstiles for the train to Universal. We got there in about 20 minutes and it seemed like everyone was heading towards the same place. The park was not open yet so we checked into our hotel. We were staying at one of Universal's official hotel and it looked really nice. It was too early to check it so we had them keep our bags and were told that we could check in at 3pm. We had some time so we went to Starbucks where I got myself a steaming cup of non-fat latte and a strawberry creme scone. It was good, but I really should have gotten myself a chocolate one. It wasn't as good. As we sat there, we could see people rushing to get to the parks even though it wasn't open yet and we anticipated the park to be crowded today.

Sure enough as we got to the gates, there were massive lines. Were got our tickets and decided to splurge for the fast-pass add-on. Sure they cost money, but hey we could save a lot of time this way. I love Universal Studios because it reminds me of America. Now only if they had real American food, I'd be in heaven. We easily went on most of the major attractions, took in a couple of shows, and had a mediocre hamburger for lunch. I was determined to buy myself the Santa Claus sweet bread that was on sale after 4pm as I checked for it on the internet. I was so excited to have it in hand and although it didn't taste that great, it was just too cute! In fact I saved it until the next morning...I mean it was Santa and I just couldn't make myself bite into his cute little head! By the way, the hotel was very nice and the rooms were beautiful. They were not deluxe accomodations, but it was more than I was expecting. I'd definitely stay here again.

By the way, the decorations were beautiful especially on the main street of the park. I must admit though that Disney does a better job with Christmas decorations. It seems as though they spent all the money on the main tree. It is one huge tree and it's awesome at night! I just wish they had put in somewhere more central where people could see it from all angles. It's at the end of a small and narrow road so to go and see it, you really have to sort of get in line. It was kind of troublesome and we decided that it was still ok from a distance and didn't go through the trouble of getting up close. The tree changed color...one moment turning blue and the next a fiery red color! It was one of the most spectacular trees I've ever seen and this alone made my trip to Osaka's Universal worthwhile.

Cool weekend

This past weekend started out with me feeling kind of depressed due to my partner passing his exams. Yes, he's taking an exam for something I really don't know...it's just too difficult to understand and my brain is just not willing to try and digest this not-very-interesting subject. All I know is that he's decided to cram for the test...again! I hate it when he does this since I figure he should've just studied on a regular basis. That way he wouldn't have to cram weeks before the exam. There are two reasons why I hate this. One, he refuses to do anything with me, even go out to have lunch as he's too busy studying. Two, he's totally uninterested in sex whatsoever.

So it was Saturday and I was depressed thinking I have absolutely nothing to look forward to. A friend from Singapore was in town and he was planning on going to a club. It was cold and rainy during the day so I really wasn't in the mood to go out, but he persuaded me and besides, I had no reason to stay home. I emailed a couple of friends and guess what? They said they'd go! I didn't have enough money on me for a night out and so I borrowed 10000yen from my partner. The decision was last minute and the ATM for my bank was closed. So with a total of 15000yen in my wallet, I left at exactly 11pm arriving at my destination at 12:00 midnight.

Seriously, I was in no mood to party and I was already in relaxation mode after the comfortable train ride. I met up with my buddy and as soon as we got in, undressed into our tank tops(the national gay attire), crammed our personal belongings into the incredibly tiny locker, got our tequila cokes and found a spot on the sofa. Remember I was still in relaxation mode and wanted to just chill out. 15 minutes later, we bumped into our Singaporean friend and his friend, then another friend...then another!

After our first tequila shot at around 1:30am, we started to feel good and started making the rounds in search of familiar faces. I was glad to see many familiar faces...I really needed to feel the love...even if they were mostly the superficial kind. Sure my partner loves me, but then he doesn't really show it and he's cramming for that stupid exam. So I thought superficial, mass love was in order. After two more shots of that wonderful tequila, we were feeling no pain and the night passed really quick. My friend was so drunk he was telling me that I should find someone and fuck. It was an odd conversation really...

'Hey Shinichi, if you're horny, please don't mind me.'
'What the fuck are you talking about?'
'Seriously, who do you find attractive here tonight?'
'Um..,,,no one....hmmmm....seriously I don't find anyone attractive at the moment.'
'Come on, you have to find someone attractive'
'Well, it's dark and I'm drunk so I can't really tell...besides I already masturbated tonight.'
'Well, that never stopped you before'
'Uh....'
'Seriously, don't mind me ok. I can take care of myself. You go and do your thing.'
'Why are you insisting that I find someone to fuck?'
'Because that's you and I never want you to change.'
'Are you implying that I'm a big slut?'
'Hahahahaaaaaaa!'
'Oh, so you are saying I'm a slut!'
'No...it's just that I think you really need to fuck tonight.'
'Um...right. Ok, I think you had enough to drink for tonight.'

Then another friend came over.

'I want to introduce you to my friend.'
'Ok. Who is he? Your new fling?'
'No, but he's super rich, I mean richer than that guy you used to date...like ten times richer.'
'Uh,..,,so why are you trying to introduce me to him?'
'Because he's fucking rich that's why!'
'Uh...ok well, I guess I could meet him. '

So he introduces me to this super-rich guy. He's actually a nice guy and we talk and dance and because my friend is so persistent on me getting along with him, I decide to be friendly. The guy seems to appreciate my friendliness or maybe he's had too much to drink I don't know...but he starts to touch my nipples over my tank top. Hmmmm.....

My friend talks to me again.

'Glad he likes you. He really is super-rich'
'Stop saying that. I know he is but unless he buys me something now, what's the point?'
'Well, maybe he'll treat us to a bottle of champagne?'
'Uh...'

Anyway, I'm too drunk by this point, I'm not really in the mood for anymore alcohol. He should have introduced me to this tycoon much earlier, before my numerous tequila shots. The super-rich guy does offer and I accept some water. Seriously, that's all I could take in at this moment.

So we ended up being invited to a party at the guy's house, before the AGEHA party on the 23rd. That should be fun. I really hope he has good champagne then! Yeah that would be cool!
And caviar maybe? hehehe....

I met some other people there and seriously I was glad I went. My friend doesn't seem to remember the latter part of the night. As soon as I got on the train, I felt sick. I had to keep taking deep breaths until I got home. When I got into bed, I hugged my big teddy bear and asked him to make me feel better. Fortunately I didn't throw up and I seriously had a terrific time!

This Friday night, I go to another party and then another one on Saturday. Next weekend I have two parties on Saturday. Then another party on the 29th. There are three more parties, but had to cancel, I mean how many parties can one go to?

Good times

One of my friends from Malaysia made a visit to Japan. This was the first time I met him and it's amazing how much we hit it off. We had skyped each other and chatted with each other online a few times. We always had great conversations but you never know how it's all going to turn out when you actually meet the guy in person. He always had a way of making me feel comfortable over the phone and in person, he didn't disappoint. He was just as nice in person...in fact I found him to be such a nice person to be with that my hour of coffee went by too quick. Anyway, we made plans to meet again for dinner after he came back from Wakayama and other Japanese cities.

We met up on a Friday night for dinner and decided to eat Chinese food in Roppongi, since he told me he's never been there. I thought it would be nice because the place is decorated for the Chrismas holidays and is one of my favorite places to be in this city. It was a good decision as he seemed to really enjoy the whole place. We went to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants where all the waiters and waitresses are Chinese and are usually unfriendly. Amazing thing is that my friend got them to smile!!! What a miracle because my friends and I always tell people how unfriendly the staff members are here. It must be a language thing ( he spoke Chinese with them) or he must be really good with people in general.

After dinner, we went to get something warm to drink since we were both practically shivering and shaking in our pants. I got a caramel latte and I think he got an orange juice. We then moved on to Shinjuku to hit some gay bars. We bar hopped all night. One of my English students joined us around 2am and we all had a great time.

Then on Monday, we spent the day at Disney Sea. It was his first time ever at a Disney theme park so I was looking forward to showing him around one of my favorite places. He was totally scared to go on any of the thrill rides but he went on all of them except for one(it was not operating...lucky him!)attraction. He handled them all very well and I plan on taking him to Disneyland next time. We had some good meals and deep, meaningful conversations. It was a perfect day and I was sorry to see him leave the next day. I miss him already...

A good start to November

Two good thing happened to me at the start of November. First of all, I met a guy online that I totally click with. It's funny really. I mean we've never met before and I've only chatted with him a couple of times. He lives in Vietnam which is not a place where I can take a train to. However the truth of the matter is that we clicked. It feels as though we are on the same wavelength and I don't meet people like that too often. I honestly believe that we will be friends for a very long time.

Today, I met a guy from Malaysia who I also met online and have chatted with a few times. He and I have both chatted before and today was the first time we met face-to-face. I only had an hour before having to head back home. However I was so happy to finally meet him. This guy and I, we also got along extremely well. I don't know if this is due to his experience in sales and that he's just a smooth talker...whatever it is, it works for me.

Getting to know two fellow humans that I feel I can become very close to. Can' t think of a better way to start the month!

Dear Blog

Well it's 3am here in Tokyo. I've worked really hard in October and the fruits of my labor finally shows. In the 3 months with my business, I've reached rank as Manager! This is a huge deal. I learned so much about the business these past months especially in October and I'm proud of myself. However it doesn't mean that I can sit back and relax,,,not just yet. This month, I will do my best to get to the next rank as Senior Manager...yes, in one month's time! I know I can do it if I want it.
I am becoming more confident and more sure that I've chosen the right career.

After seeing my success, my boyfriend has joined me in the business. This is another huge deal for me! He is not only my life partner, he is also a business partner. This is a dream come true for me and things will only get better.

By the way, yesterday I went to a place called Sea Paradise in Yokohama. It's basically something like Sea World where you can see fish and other marine life. However there's this one free-fall type of ride called Blue Fall. I swear to God, I thought I was going to die!!! It was so fucking scary I almost peed in my pants! Well, that's exaggerating a bit, but seriously, it was the most terrifying ride I've ever been on. The funny thing is that I would go on it again!

Okay, I finally worked myself to the limit

I've always been a perfectionist in everything but especially when it comes to work. The day I get everything down perfect, I will be happy. The morning I wake up when my work is perfect and everything's going as it should be, I will be happy. The day I master everything that's required of me, I shall be ecstatic! However that's not the way life goes does it? No sir...far from it. There always seem to be obsbacles in the way. If it's not one thing, it's another and I guess this is kind of a law of life in general. I swear, every month I go through the same thing. When one thing goes right, two things go wrong. Every single month! However I know that everything has a reason and what doesn't kill makes me stronger.

This time, I caught a bug...yes I caught a cold, goddamn it! And I don't like it one bit!!! It's the end of the month for me. I gave up going to Nation! I worked hard and stayed up all night! No matter what, I was deterimined to do what I have to do NOW! Then all of a sudden what's this? In the middle of work, I start to feel cold and my body starts to ache all over. Fuck fuck and double fuck!!! If only my body can keep up with me and if only I didn't need sleep, things would be fine and dandy!

Obviously, this cold is making me very unpleasant. Maybe I can will this cold to go away! Or maybe...just maybe, God will give me a break and make it go away by tomorrow morning! Yeah, think positive. Oh, positive thinking might work! Right! That works all the time right?

Oh, just fuck it! I need to get some rest!

A very busy week

The weekend started out with mostly rain and continued all the way until today. This morning I woke up to a beautiful morning with clear blue skies. I must say that I had a difficult time sleeping last night. I had so many things on my mind that my mind just wouldn't shut down. My body was physically tired, but my mind was 100% alert and excited. Have to learn how to control this or else I will have insomnia again.

It's been a busy and productive week for me. Working on my business, making sure I fit a workout or two in between and attending social events as not to alienate my friends. Oh, did I forget my partner? Oops, almost forgot about him. We've both been so busy doing different things I sometimes forget he's even here. Hmmm....that's not such a good thing.

It's quite obvious that I have nothing meaningful to write about so I will just stop babbling right now.

Another good day

Today was a wonderful day. The weather was fine and work went well.

I met a friend that I haven't seen in a long time. Just as I remembered, the conversation was comfortable and enjoyable. I'm glad we met today.

I went to the gym to take the POWER RUSH class with a friend. No panic attacks today. In fact, I felt great after the work out.

At 6pm, I had to meet 3 team members in my group with AGEL. The meeting was helf at Osaki and my upline, David, came to support us. He's a fantastic guy and we have the opportunity to become successful because of him. He is such a success in his field and I have a lot to learn from him. My group and I went home feeling fired up and ready for another day.

Teamwork makes the dream work! That's my motto for the day!

PIcture gallery updates

1999
Euro 2000
2000
2001
past pics
2002
Thailand 2004

Great week

What a great week it's been! After a lot of grey and gloomy rain, this past week was filled with sunshine and warmth. I finally got myself to the gym and felt great about it. I had no panic attacks whatsoever and lost all the weight that I gained during my Osaka trip. That's right, I gained exactly 3 kilos after that week-long trip. So I started taking my FIT twice a day and lost it all! I made a new friend this week as well. He's a much older guy but he's sincere and sweet and it's always good to be able to learn from someone older and wiser. I can use a different perspective now and then.

Yesterday my partner and I found this great Italian restaurant near our place. It's run by this lesbian chef. At first, I thought she was a man but when she spoke and I looked at her more closely, I realized she was a woman. She didn't talk much and wasn't personable but I made an effort to tell her how delicious her pasta was and asked her what the sauce was made from. I mean it really was that good! After that she was all smiles and had the cutest smile I've seen in a long time...this coming from a gay guy is a big deal. Anyway, I'll probably visit her again sometime next week. I don't know what it is about her, but her smile was very attractive and it makes me want to see her again...not to mention try out her other culinary creations.

Change is Good

It's almost time for Nation and I'm NOT going to be there! I was so looking forward to going. But I made up my mind a few months ago that I have other priorities right now...mainly working with my distributors so I can help them succeed in their businesses. I made a committment to myself and to my team and you know what? I'm actually feeling good about myself already! In fact, if I go to Phuket, I would probably be thinking about my business all the time and that's not good. I think I made a good decision.

I feel like I've come to a turning point in my life. For the past 3 years I feel as if I was on a long break. I was taking it easy and enjoying life as it was. Simple and easy. After three years, I feel it's time to move on to a new chapter in my life. I'm 40 years old and I realize there's more to life than parties. Mind you, I still love parties...I mean what is life without parties? But I started thinking about things like responsibilities, taking care of other people like family, making sure the people I care for are looked after and other adult stuff like that. Yeah, I know, it sure doesn't sound like me...but it is. It's always been a part of me. I just needed a break. A three year break. The time has come...the turning point in my life...the time to change my future in a big way!

Picture gallery

I had a bunch of pictures lying around the house. Decided to put them all into a box. Got them sorted out and decided to put some in my blog. Just got done with the year 2002. Wow, I sure have a lot of pics to put up!

A restful weekend

Yesterday my partner and I went to get a nice cup of coffee and a slice of cinnamon toast at our favorite coffee place near our apartment. I love Starbucks, but this place is very old-fashioned...the interior looks retro and the music is classical. Most of the customers are old but for some reason, I love the place. The coffee is made to order so you do have to wait while they grind the beans and make your coffee. The cinnamon toast is another marvelous concoction. They slather real butter mixed with cinnamon and a large sprinkling of rock sugar on a thick slab of white bread and toast it in the oven, resulting in a hot and soft interior with a crispy crust on the top. It's a wonderful way to start the day.

At 9pm, my friends came over for some wine. Just a small gathering of friends who live close by. They ended up staying until 6am as always, and I finally got to bed around 7am. I woke up at 1pm. My partner wanted to have brunch so we went to a wonderful Italian trattoria near our place(yes we have a lot of neat places in our neighborhood). Today's menu was a pizza with pumpkin soup and a cup of espresso. We always seem to have great conversation there...maybe it's the relaxing atmosphere...maybe it's the good bread...whatever it is, a visit to the trattoria does wonders for our relationship.

A great a restful beginning to our 3-day weekend.

MIchael's trip

My best friend Michael came to visit me 2 weeks ago. Today is his last day and it sure feels like we've been partying hard for 2 weeks. I feel kind of worn out and have to admit, I've been slacking off work since he's been here. I've also haven't been able to check my emails as often as I should. Lost of catching up to do.

Let's see what we have done these past 2 weeks...

We went to Osaka and Kyoto for 5 days via overnight bus.
We went out on the weekends and stayed out until morning.
Visited Tokyo Disney Sea...again!
Saw the Madonna concert twice!
Hardly slept at all!

Tonight he wants to go out again to the bars and wants me to go with him. So I'm here trying to recuperate and catch up with work so I can make it tonight.

I finally got to post some new pictures on my blog. Lots of them actually...all from the past. Future pictures will have to wait.

I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. Not a bad one. Have to take a double dose of AGEL. In fact, I haven't had a major cold in years if I think about it.

Confessions Pics

Madonna

Madonna's concert was fantastic! Her last stop on her world tour was in Tokyo and I was able to attend both of her two concerts here. It was extremely expensive. She started one hour late. I was tired. Was it all worth the trouble? The answer is a resounding YES! The place was packed for two nights with no seats empty. There were so many gay people there, it almost felt like a night out at a gay club. Bumped into so many of my friends there, my partner said that it was like being at a social function rather than a concert! Funny guy!

Her concert started out with the song Future Lovers mixed with I Feel Love for a refreshingly new version of the song. After watching huge disco ball descend down from above onto the stage, the ball opened revealing the pop queen herself. This scene gave me goosebumps and sent chills down my spine. Most of the songs she sang came from her latest album,
Confessions on a Dance Floor but she did manage to mix in a few old favorites as well. Her finale was HUNG UP, my favorite song from the entire album. The concert ended too quickly for me and even though my feet hurt and my throat was hurting from screaming the entire time, I wasn't ready to go home.

Events galore

The day I've been waiting for has finally arrived...well not actually. It's actually tomorrow, yes, Madonna...the queen of pop, is finally arriving to Tokyo for her world tour. I have premium seats that cost 50000yen and I'm so looking forward to seeing her! The last concert I attended was 13 years ago when she came to Tokyo.

Actually the celebration began 2 weeks ago when I had a Confessions Party at my house with 30 people in attendance. Then, last weekend I attended a party at a friend's place with people from all over the world, mostly here to see Madonna in concert. After the party, it was off to AGEHA, the most fabulous nightclub in Tokyo, where we partied until 6 am.

So, tomorrow is finally the day! I'm so excited I'm not sure whether I would be able to sleep or not, but hey, she's coming and if that means I won't have any sleep tonight, that's ok. I'd stay up all week to see my queen!

A cold autumn day...well not quite autumn yet

We are officially still summer here in Tokyo but today it felt really cold like the middle of autumn...I mean cold to the point where it feels like winter will be here in a matter of weeks. I had to wear long sleeves today and drank hot tea most of the day.

Highlights of the day:

My distributor in Fukuoka became an executive team member! His mother also decided to do the business. Yay! I guess hard work paid off! I swear, I can just see him walking across the stage one day telling people how he got started when AGEL was so new. I swear, I will make sure that happens. Now that would make me happy!

I worked out without my heart getting weird on me. So that's very good. I'm going to the hospital next week anyway to get myself checked...hope nothing's wrong with me.

Did my laundry and actually enjoyed doing it. Don't ask me why...I just had a great time doing this very simple and mundane chore.

That's it for today. Oh, I also updated my blog with new pictures of the year 2000. That took a long time but hey, tomorrow I can work on 2001!

Rain, rain go away!

I woke up this morning to a grey and rainy day. It's not so bad because it lets me stay indoors to finish up work. If it's really sunny and a beautiful day, it's hard for me to resist leaving the house for a bike ride. Besides I had a pretty busy day today. I had to teach English, do some translation work and did some work for AGEL. Very busy day indeed.

This weekend I'm looking forward to going to AGEHA for Shangri-la with friends. I need to unwind with a couple of tequila shots...mind you, I am not an alcoholic...I mean I hardly drink at all these days. However I feel like I really need a drink.

This is the first year in a long time that I haven't been abroad. I've pretty much decided not to go to Nation this year since there are other priorities in my life these days. Also getting kind of bored with the club scene as well. I need to find something else to keep me occupied, besides my work that is.

Tomorrow I will head down to the gym to work out in preparation for the clubs!

Lightning and thunder

I woke up to lightning and thunder at 5am yesterday morning. So now I lay here wide awake although it's almot 4am. The thunder was so loud I swear the lightning was hitting the building next to us. My friend in Fukuoka told me his neighbor's house was struck by lightning yesterday. Fortunately no one was at home and although there were damages to most of their electrical appliances, no one was hurt.

Speaking of disasters, there was a major fire near our place. About a month ago, a house and shop was engulfed in flames at around 2am. We could see the flames burning bright from our windows. It was scary and I feared that someone might have died in the fire. I was right because the next day, it was in the news. An elderly couple were sleeping while the fire had started downstairs. Their son escaped unharmed however the couple perished in the fire. It was said that the elderly couple were about to retire and enjoy the rest of their lives just relaxing and maybe taking a vacation. Their plans were cut very short and the police suspect arson.

Everytime I walk past there, I cannot help but feel sorry for the poor couple. I make it a point to pray when I walk past and wish that they are in peace and together in a better world. I also pray that they find the son-of-a-bitch who caused the fire.

Changing the subject, I just finished watching the final season of Queer as Folk. I was crying throughout the last 3 episodes and was sad to see it come to an end. I felt the same when Sex and the City ended. For some reason though, I cried today more than I ever did in a long time. I'm not sure what it was, but I swear, it was totally weird. I thought to myself...am I having a nervous breakdown or what? Or was I possessed by some kind of demon?

Oh well, almost 4 am now, I feel better and I am so ready to go to bed.

My partner is an alcoholic

Just kidding...he's no alcoholic! However he did come home stinking drunk tonight at exactly 1:15am. In fact, I can't understand how he could have left me at home on a Friday night!!! That's what really gets to me! Here I was planning my entire evening around him debating whether or not we should catch a movie or something. Nope, he decides to go out drinking with friends and doesn't even invite me!

As you can probably tell, I've had a pretty shitty day. I didn't have time to go to the gym today and I had to have dinner all alone. Not alone that, I purchased some shrimp tempura and one was spoiled!!! It was just one of those days and nothing seemed to get me into a positive mood.

Though I must say, there were two good things that happened today. First one of my dearest friends called me to ask how I was. That was nice and made me feel better. Second, my distributor in Fukuoka finally got his mother really interested in the business. For those not into network marketing, you'll never understand how significant this is, but small things that seem trivial like this are all very important in the grand scheme of network marketing things. That may have been the best news I've heard all week!

Gee, that sounds pretty pathetic, doesn't it? Okay, no use writing today...not really in the mood.

Another fine day!

I woke up to find that it was another sunny day here in Tokyo. This summer didn't seem as hot as previous summers and I found it to be quite bearable, especially compared to the intense heat in Singapore and Thailand. I'm not sure if it's just the fact that I've gotten used to the summers here, or because of my travels to other hot areas around the world that I found this summer to be quite nice. Whatever the reason, it was comfortable and frankly, too short. Summer is over and I can already feel autumn ready to make an entrance. Mind you, I love autumn. On the other hand, winter comes after autumn and the winters can be long and cold here in Tokyo. I just don't really care for winter at all. Maybe it's just my age, I don't know.

Today my student came for his weekly lesson as usual. He's a fairly new student of mine and I must say that I look forward to seeing him every week. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is never short of unique and funny stories to tell me. Needless to say, I always have a great time.

I worked out for about 30 minutes today at home to clear my mind and to keep in shape. I haven't been going to the gym regularly these days. Tomorrow is gym day so I will definitely be going.

For dinner, I made myself a plate of whote-wheat pasta with fish roe, a specialty in Japan. I know it sounds gross, but really it's quite tasty! For dessert, I had a cup of yogurt. Yeah I love yogurt and can't live without it.

In the evening, I spent an hour and 21 minutes talking to a distributor in Fukuoka. He's still having a difficult time with explaining the compensation plan, so I plan to made him a DVD for him tomorrow. This should help him with recruiting more members for his team. I really want him to succeed and he's trying his best.

My second student arrived at 8:30pm for his English lesson. During last Saturday's party, he got totally wasted and he says he doesn't remember the latter part of the party. Gosh, he must have really drunk a lot! I was just so damn busy during the party, I don't really remember talking to people all that much. All in all, it was a fabulous party.

My boyfriend came home and I prepared some pasta and a salad for him. We chatted a while and I gave him a 20 minute massage to relieve tension. Yes, he's been having a hard week at work. I only hope that he would join me in my AGEL business because I know he would be happier and be making much more money with it. Just give it time Shinichi...he'll come around!

It's almost 2am so I think it's time for me to go to bed.

A new month, a new beginning

Well, it's September and I must say, time sure flies by really fast. This month is surely going to be one of my busiest months this year. I have a party tomorrow with over 30 people attending. Originally it was planned for about 20 people or so. For some reason, the number is up to 32 so here I am panicking getting ready for the event. This year's summer party is themed to Madonna's World Tour: Confessions Tour and she will be here this month. Naturally we are all going to be there and after dishing out more than $500US, I am ready to totally enjoy myself.

Like I said, tomorrow it the party night. I started to prepare for the party last week. It started out with shopping last Saturday. However back then the guest list was only 18. Then all of a sudden, last minute calls and boom! 32 people. So tonight I had to practically beg my boyfriend to drive me after work to buy more cases of beer and wine and more food. Last night I ended up staying up until 6am decorating my apartment, preparing food and doing a few 3-way calls with my downline. I got up this morning and taught English for an hour. I ended up talking to my student about our products and he seemed very interested in the product UMI. Apparently he went through the internet searching for information regarding FUCOIDAN, the main ingredient in UMI and found a lot of interesting information regarding the ingredient. So perhaps he will purchase the products.

After he left, I had to do some more shopping for ingredients to make my thai vermicelli salad and coconut jello. Then one of my new downline members came to my place to do a new member training...yes, a personal training but he really deserves as he lives so far away from me...a 90 minute flight away. He's trying his best so I really wanted to give him some personal attention.

So what are the highlights of this month? Tomorrow's party, Madonna's party, the AGEHA party and reaching the position of Senior Manager this month! Yes, I am aiming high! Helping my downline members reach the Manager position this month is also a goal. Wish me luck everyone and success to all network marketers out there! We deserve it!

Computer crash

Exactly two days ago, my computer crashed probably due to a virus that somehow creeped into my computer. So for two days, I haven't been able to access my email box and my bookmarks in internet explorer. Really bummed out about this. There are two things that are problems for me. First, I'm a new Windows user and second, I don't read Japanese kanji characters that well. I have always been a Mac user and this is the first time I switched. My partner suggested switching to Windows as there are more applications and softward that are compatible. I have to say though, that it sure is difficult getting used to the Windows controls. It seems as if there are additional steps involved in doing everything. Another thing is that I never encounter viruses during my Mac days. I'm thinking maybe I should revert back to using a Mac after another year with this computer. About learning Japanese characters, that's another thing I planned on doing a long time ago, but it seems as if I just keep putting it off.

My partner has been working on fixing my computer since last night. Hopefully it should be in working order by tonight.

Weatherwise, it's been a beautiful day today. Other than the fact that it's extremely humid and hot, it's no different from being in Singapore I guess. I won't complain though because the skies were clear and after several typhoons, this weather is a pleasant welcome.

Tonight will try to get my AGEL website finished for my Japanese distributors. Again it's taking me a very long time in getting this tedious job done, because of the Japanese characters and all but hey, someone has to do it right?

This coming Tuesday, I train a new recruit at my home. Let's see if he becomes a leader.

The OBON holidays

Today is the last day of the OBON holidays in Japan. OBON is our summer holidays here in Japan. It is a time when everyone returns to their hometown to pay respects to their relatives that have passed away. The fact that my family lives in Hawaii and the other fact that I have no dead relatives in Hawaii, there is no reason for me to go back home. However it does get kind of lonely as all my friends are gone. Last weekend I went to Tokyo DisneySea with my partner and had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures that I took with my cell phone camera. Oh, we ended up buying annual passes! It cost us 40,000yen each but hey, we deserve it, don't we?

Outsource Secrets

This is just too cool.

These guys are giving away a great package
called Outsource Secrets by Mike Filsaime
and Carlos Garcia.

I just listened to it and it was awesome
and I wanted to share it with all of you!


OutSource Secrets

Finally got myself to the gym today

I finally got myself to the gym today. Why is that such a big deal? Well first of all, the weather sucked big time. Second reason is because I had a serious panic attack two weeks ago at the gym during, of all things, my warm up exercises! I was hardly breaking a sweat. It was the first panic attack I had this year. I felt faint, dizzy, nauseous and my heart was racing. I ended up leaving the gym in about 5 minutes and hopped on the train, where my attack got worse. I had to get off the train because I really felt like throwing up and I didn't want to faint in front of everybody. I got off and sat on the bench. I called my boyfriend at work just in case something happened to me. I always think that I might die so I wanted to tell him I love him. How dramatic can I get? Sheeesh! Well, I decided to take a leisurely stroll back home and it took me about an hour. I had to take a nap after that and it took me about three days to totally recover. I swear, what the hell is wrong with me?

So ever since that incident, I was scared of going to the gym again, fearing another attack. I'm glad that I went today. I knew my friend was going to be there so I felt better. I took a pill to prevent any attacks from happening just in case, and I made it through my workout. I did lighter weights than usual and skipped the aerobics class.

Well there is one thing I've learned about myself and the attacks. I noticed that when I get really stressed out about something, it triggers a more intense attack. I was working myself really hard...,maybe too hard. I guess finding the right balance is crucial for anybody, including myself. For some reason, I thought I could push myself, which I did...ended up staying up until 4am every night for two weeks working. That was not a good idea.

Tomorrow is another new day and another opportunity for me to become a better person.

Time goes by...so quickly

I can't believe how quickly time passes. I just made 40 yrs old this January and it's already August? I thought I just turned 40 last month! What does this mean to me? It just means that I will be 41 in less than half a year! I can't say that I'm happy about getting older, but he that's just life right? So I just have to eat healthy, exercise on a regular basis and keep my skin youthful by using the best in skin care! Strangely enough, I do look younger than a year ago so it must be the STRIVECTIN I've been using for the past two years. Well, it had better work as it claims to be better than BOTOX. Well, I'm satisfied with the results. Hopefully it's not just temporary and my face doesn't dramatically fall with gravity as soon as I turn 41.

Going on to a different topic, I joined a business forum today called WAHM. It's a forum for "work at home moms"! I stumbled upon it by accident and realized it after I registered. I felt so awkward as I am NOT a stay at home mother, but more like a stay at home dad, with no kids! The only kid I have is my partner of 6 years. But for some strange reason, I felt so comfortable there and more so than any other forum I've ever participated in. Maybe it's because I'm gay and I can relate to everyone there. No talk of sports or cars or beer! The topics are more my style like dieting, shopping, husband problems...it's really enjoyable and I can't help smiling just thinking about how funny it is. I never though I would be making friends online with work-at-home mothers. This may be one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had in recent years.

My online marketing is going well and I am starting to learn quite a lot with results to show! I always thought online marketing was too much of a hassle to learn. Fortunately for me, I found this site, which has been the only information that has really given me results. I am extremely grateful to have found this site. I don't really remember how I found it, but I'm just glad that I did.

Today was a really hot day here in Tokyo. Yesterday, summer had officially started in Japan. Yes, summer is finally here.

Learning about online marketing

For the past week, I've been learning a lot about what works and what doesn't about online marketing. I now realize that online marketing is a science and if done right, can give great results. Here is what I have found out about this topic.

1.Most people just give up after a few tries.
I have been guilty of this myself in years past. However, this time around, I wanted to learn as much as I could and finally learn what the successful people were doing. It all came down to marketing right! Unless you are using marketing techniques that work, you will never get to where you want to go. Learn from the successful people and just do it!

2.A lot of people are doing it backwards.
When you start your business, it's important to get your hands dirty by just doing it. However it's also important to know what's working and what's not so you don't waste a lot of precious time wondering why you're not getting the results you want. Plan your work, then work your plan. Get the right information and then start working smarter, not harder.

3.Consistency
Being consistent in what you are doing is paramount in this business. Don't be a quitter and don't procrastinate. Just do what you have to do and you'll start seeing results.

I feel like I've learned a lot this week and I am starting to see results. Here are some things that any network marketer could use for their business.

This is the best place to learn about online marketing: They give you step by step instructions on how to succeed and has been working for me:
http://www.payitforward4profits.com/shinichi

If you want to build an online presence, why not create residual income from it? Get your website here!

http://www.website.ws/myagel

Here's one of my favorite lines:
Teamwork makes the dream work!

Oh, I almost forgot! A picture of me. By the way, this is a picture I took about a month ago before my haircut. My hair had grown too long and I was having a bad hair day, so I had my friend take it without my hair showing too much. Yeah, hair is one of the most important aspects in my life. So there, I admit it, I am vain! But aren't we all just a little bit?

Love, Dreams and Passion Part 2

Dreams, Passion and Love! Without these things life doesn't exist for this Japanese guy...who was born in Japan, lived in Hawaii for more than half of his entire life, then came right back to Tokyo. Being gay didn't make life all that easy. Trying to find my place in this thing called life, I've been blessed with great friends, a loving and supportive family, and a network marketing career I have learned to love. It's not always easy working in the so-called "straight" world for us gays. However I find that having your own business such as network marketing lets you work with people you can have fun with! I've never been closeted in my entire adult life and I'm not about to start now either.

Love, Dreams and Passion!

I first started building a website about 8 years ago so that I would have a place to keep all my memories and to help me remember the ups and downs of life. I thought that looking through my own story would help me in the future, to find and to know myself better. It became a huge website full of stories and pictures, but became very difficult to update on a regular basis. I then became a member of a couple of online communities that helped me stay in touch with some of my online friends. Writing in my diary was a habit I couldn't break so I kept writing with the limited amount of space in those communities. Then I started to hear about blogging and that it's all the rage these days, which brings me here today...a newbie to this blogging world and my new journey starts here...today!