千百五十四：it’s Friday again!

another week is gone and I got only one week left b4 having to go back again. I don’t want to.. seriously I don’t. but at least he will be coming in a month’s time liaoz.

This morning I slept until 7.30am? actually I woke up at 4.50am. cos he had to go Tokyo on business trip today. And to be on time for the 7.20am flight, he had to wake up at 5am to prepare and then catch the bus to the airport. Argh. So he made me wake him up. Since I wake up like at the slightest disturbance from his irritating alarm clock, but yet he sleeps through the sharpest noises like a log. Haizzz.

It actually takes less than an hour to reach the library here. So his house isn’t that far from the city after all (if I take the express train that is) I left the house at 8.30am (was watching morning news and they had the time on the top left corner of the screen.. why huh? To let people know they are going to be late for work? ) and took the 8.44am express and I was entering the library at 9.30am. fast hor? I even had to change trains at the subway. Hmm.

I’m going to bring him to see the house tomorrow. (or wats there) .. after intensive searching through realtors’ websites and all, it’s impossible to find anything built after year 2000, with 2 bedrooms or more, that costs less than 80,000yen per month and is near his parent’s place. So. This one is really the best one liao lor. I feel la. And I quite like the feeling I got when I stood there looking at it except the back of the house is near industrial area. And no large supermarket nearby, unfortunately. But there is a convenience store only across the road, the ok sized type with a carpark. Hopefully, he’ll agree to this place. (he is the one who’s going to pay the rent.. me can’t work in Japan and can’t contribute financially until I can properly move here after my bond is over..) yay! So happy! If I get a permanent residential address in Japan, I can finally join the SMAP fan club liao. woohoO!

On the topic of SMAP, I saw Jaclyn’s post of her fav SMAP song from the new album and I listened to that song. MOAI. Hmm. I prefer this other one. 星空の下で　(hoshizora no shita de) Under the stars. Dunno..i prefer this kind of sentimental romantic types, rather than motivational songs bah haha.

I’m reading Newsweek now, the issue of August 28, 2006 “The World’s Most Global Universities” and there’s a short article inside about Japan on page 4:
“Japan may be the 2nd wealthiest country in the world, but according to the Washington, DC-based Center for Global Development, it’s also the stingiest. This year’s Commitment to Development Index, just released by the CGD and Foreign Policy magazine, ranked Japan last, for the third year in a row. So what did Japan – the world’s largest aid donor just six years ago – do wrong? The CDI rankings of the world’s 21 richest countries judges how well they help improve lives in developing countries by looking at their policies not just in foreign aid but trade, investment, migration, environment, security and technology. Japan has high barriers on imported goods – its rice tariffs average 900 percent – and a low tolerance for immigration. Its foreign aid is the smallest as a share of its income and it has a poor environmental record. Still, Japan’s not the only one falling short. Says CDI7s David Roodman,:‘ Even the best could do better.’”
I’m feeling like a big “HUH” after reading this. Japan has a poor environmental record? It has one of the most active recycling programs in the world. Industrial wise, is it doing that badly? Fyi, the top 3 in the ranking were Holland, Denmark, Sweden (in order from 1 – 3), and the bottom 3 were Italy, Greece and Japan (in descending order of cos).

Another feature article, the global university article, lists the top 10 global universities as:
1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. Yale
4. California Institute of Technology
5. UCBerkeley
6. University of Cambridge
7. MIT
8. University of Oxford
9. UCSan Francisco
10. Columbia
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14. University of Tokyo
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24. Kyoto University
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31. National University of Singapore
and so on.

Global universities meaning with a high population of foreign students? Or just that it is more skewed to attracting foreign students, with good grant programs to attract top foreign researchers etc? hmmm.

Oh my god, sniffling in the library today. Have decided to watch Beautiful Life, and at episode 7? When the girl finally brought Kimura Takuya home to show her family, and her protective elder brother was like saying “why, she could be happy because she is with us. We have brought her up for so long. It could be she was turning happy because of us!!” when he was in denial that it was kimura takuya who was making her happier. So sad!! The sister is like finally growing up and the bro is so sad about it. very touching.