http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en Jimbon2@mac.com Mon, 26 Dec 2005 18:34:01 -0500 Mon, 26 Dec 2005 18:34:05 -0500 iBlog 1.4.6 Jimbo Feel, don't think, use your instinct! Thoughts of the day, for discussion, arguments or memories. Jimbo Jimbon2@mac.com Feel, don't think, use your instinct! Arts & Entertainment http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C1735627491/E20051226143526/index.html This is a never ending topic people continue to argue about.

What I am talking about here is just my personal opinion of a comparison between LA style that breaks on1 and NY style that breaks on2 (the Eddie Torres way). And, I am just referring about my preference and not going to say something about “good or bad”. Also, I don’t know about Cuban, Puerto Rican or any kind of styles other than this and am not talking about those styles.

I don’t think it is just a matter of the count of the foot you break (step wide and change directions), but something much deeper.

Many on2 dancers talk (or you can find this on some web sites) that on2 dancing fits music more than on1 dancing. This is explained as the breaking point on2 (and on6) is designed as the timing when conga player makes the strong beats so called “Slap”, and that makes us feel it fit with the music. Well, it might be true that it is the reason they feel on2 better. But on the contrary, some can say there is always strong emphases on1 in any kind of music and we used to it so much that ones can feel on1 better. Also it is true sometimes the music emphasize on1 (usually by cowbell) more than on2 of conga or anything. I guess this is the reason why people tend to say “I enjoy dancing both on1 and on2. Both feel good to me. Don’t you notice some music fit with on1 and others fit with on2. You know it depends on the music. If I feel on1 in the music, I dance on1. If it’s on2, I dance on2.”

But whenever I heard either of these opinions, I say “ Yeah, you’re right!” But I am sorry…. It’s just a white lie. All are true to me from a certain point of view, but also doesn’t explain all. I notice the conga players make strong beats on2 in most of salsa music. But it is still possible to make emphasis on1 or on some other timings with my feet, just the other music instrument than congas do. Or, I notice some music is emphasized on1 though, I still can feel on2 (or 3, 4 or whatever I want to hear). Namely no matter what kind of music it is, I can feel on2. I just would like to feel on2. I like to feel on2 in any kind of music. I like the feeling that I feel when I am dancing on2. I just feel it!

A famous San Francisco dancer once told me something like this, “You know what? I switched on2 from on1. It is obvious to me the on2 fits better than on1 with music. On2 is just like counting on the back beats, like jazz musicians do. It gives us more swingy feeling or groovy feeling. Whereas, on1 is like counting on the top beat as you can see in rock music, which gives us stronger pulse though doesn’t give us the flow or stream of the rhythm.” This gave me a hint why I like on2 better. I like jazz music and feel that jazz feeling, which is more groovy nice sexy flow (that I feel). I think this feeling is essential or necessary in my dancing. I feel as if this flow could be stopped by emphasizing on1. This is only my preference, and I understand you may think in a different way.

By the way, the above-mentioned-theory “I enjoy both timings and dance either one depending on the music” is always heard from LA style on1 dancer. I have never heard of this from NY on2 dancer. I don’t know this is just only for me or for many people? The other day in Boston, a world-renowned LA female dancer stopped me as soon as we started dance on2, saying like “I am sorry, I don’t feel on2 with this music. Shall we dance on1?” I just said “Sure” with my perfect smile. But in my heart, I felt like “Excuse me. I am the leader and I feel on2 anyway. How could you stop me like that?” Well… I know, I know. I shouldn’t have felt in that way. I am sure she didn’t mean anything offensive or rude.

There is another reason why I like on2 better than on1. It is the way we step, not about the music. When I dance on2, the movement or flow of dancing stops at twice in a bar (8 counts) on 2 and 6, where we break (where we change the direction). But when I dance on1, I feel as if this stop happened 4 times, and I don’t like it. In addition to the breaking timing on 1 and 5, I feel my body stops at 3 and 7, where we are in the center of our pendulum move.

Either style, we go back and forth. But the difference happens when we are in the center of this back-and-forth move. In on1 dancing (this is the count 3 and 7 though), your both feet are getting together in place. This makes you feel as if you stop and sit there for a while. I feel like this stop terminates my body movement. But in on2 dancing, you are in the center on the count of 4 and 8 though, there is no step on these counts and your feet never get together side by side in any counts. So, those count when you are in the center, which could be widely interpreted as count 3, 4, 5, and 7, 8, 1 though, your body still continue to move (slightly though) and I can feel more flow. I think it makes me easier to feel the stream of the music and I makes me think like I want to put some tricky steps on those counts like I do in Cha-cha (Cha-cha moves happens on those counts). In short, I feel more flow in dancing on2. I feel more stop (pulse) in dancing on1. And, I like the flow type of feeling. This is actually the explanation that my mentor, April Genovese pointed out first, then I noticed this difference more clearly.

In addition, I would like to mention the style so called power on2 (step on 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8). You might interpret as this is just shifting each timing of LA on1 steps to one count behind. So, people sometimes say “this is more like on1 than on2 (ET style) even though they break on2”. Just like I wrote above, it has a moment to get both feet together in the center of the back-and-forth movement of your dancing slot. But I don’t think this style is closer to on1 than on2 (ET style). I found it is actually very similar to on2 (ET style). Do you notice the steps on 2, 3, 6, and 7 are exactly the same steps and timings between both “Power on2” and “ET on2”? Only the difference is on the counts 4 and 8 (of power on2, 1 and 5 in ET on2). So, when I dance this power on2, I step the counts 4 and 8 a little bit late, like 4.5 and 8.5, So that you can feel those as if they are little syncopated one on 1 and 5 in ET style steps. Actually many instructors in our ET on2 world counts these counts 1 and 5 with a little syncopated manner, just like 4.5 and 8.5 (both on-purposely and unconsciously). If you count in that way, actually you might be able to feel little more groovy feeling than usual (that is actually the bass player does in salsa music). So, those power on2 and ET on2 is very similar to me.

I still don’t know if I like on2 better either because it fits the music or I got used to it. I just like the way I feel when I am dancing on2. But don’t get me wrong. I dance on1 when I social-dance with somebody who feels on1 much better. This is because I would like to feel more conversation from my partner than from the music. I put my priority on adjusting myself to my partner rather than on feeling music better for me. I have been enjoying dancing on1. Just not as much as dancing on2 with NY people though.

Do I have a prejudice, a stubborn attitude to dance on2? Absolutely yes, I do. Why not? But I know a lot of people more stubborn than me.

]]> Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:35:26 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C1735627491/E20051226143526/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C367674734/E20051202002016/index.html 先週の金曜日から日曜日までNYはBrooklynで、NY/NJサルサフェスティバルに参加してきました。今回、ウェブサイトによると結構いいチームが世界各地から出揃う感じで、割と期待して行ったんだけど、思った以上に僕としては良かったです。

アメリカ以外の国ではイタリアとイスラエルが多かった気がするけど、Performanceのレベルは僕がこれまで見たコングレスの中では最高だったと思います（日本人は割と少なめだったか）。ま、レベルの高さは僕にとってはそんなに大きなファクターではないんで、以下には好き嫌いというまた別の観点から感想を述べたいと思います。僕は割と偏ってるので、いろいろ違う意見はあるだろうけど、単に僕の好みの問題で何が正しいとか悪いとかそういう事ではないので、宜しく。

まずは、師匠若菜っち（普段は師匠などと呼ばないのに急に師匠よばわりするな！と苦い顔をする方もいるかもしれませんが。。でも自己紹介する時はWakanaとAprilに習ったと言ってるつもりだけど。。）が師匠の師匠Eddie Torres御大とPFしたのが印象的でした。もう一人Melissaもいたんだけど、若菜っちは楽しそうというか嬉しそうで良かったです。堂々と踊ってました！
僕が一番良かった（＝好きだったの意味）と思うのはYamulee！LAと同じ振り付けで、あの時も良かったんだけど、もっと失敗も少なく洗練されてまとまってて良かったです。知り合いが多いっていうのもあるけど、振り付けがダイナミックでポジションの交換が激しいの部分が好きです。それからCandyが光ってた（Yamuleeには今の師匠Aprilが去年までいたんだけどね、辞めちゃった）。。。
Karismaもいつも通り良かったです、僕にとっては。新しくGaby (Mr. DetailsとEddie Torresに命名された人）が入ってました。なんかVictorは少し間違えてた気がしたけど（リーダー＝一番間違えないハズの人）、ま、それもいつもの事かもしれないです。。。
勿論、御大ETとET dancersも良かったです。日曜のオオトリはEddie & Mariaだったんだけど、なんかSalsa Romanticaなゆっくりな曲で踊ってました。彼らがTito Puente以外の曲で踊ったのを見たのは始めて。
その他、Victor & Gaby, Los Rumberos, Mas Brava, Tropical Gem, Swing Guys, Cobo Brothers, Hacha Y Macheteとかいいチームはいっぱいあったんだけど、僕の最近の好みはやはりStraight forwardなNYon2 styleの様です。それ以外のチームは「凄いねー」とか「上手いねー」とは思っても、「あんな風に踊りたい」とは思えないケースが多いです。そうそう、Juan Matosは来ませんでした、DRに帰省中とか。。。Vitticoも来てたけど、PFはしてなかった。。

WSはEddie TorresとKarismaを受けたけど、Eddieの熱意というかエネルギーはアッパレですね。それにしても、昔はメモとる事すら許されなかったのに、今はビデオ取りたい放題（みんなビデオ持ってるし）。。。時代は変わりますね。。若菜っちはまたEddieにステージ上へ呼ばれて、上で踊ってました。良かった良かった。そうそう、Eddieに若菜っちは新しい名前までもらっていた。確かこんな様な事をEddieは言っていたと思う。
「昨日やったシャインには名前があるんだ。ワカナパチャンガって名前だ。。これは若菜にちなんで作ったシャインなんだよ。。。。さて、みんな勿論Juan Pachangaっていう曲は知ってるよな？Fania All StarsでRuben Bladesが歌ってる名曲だよ。これからは、もうひとつ"名前＋パチャンガ"のパターンを覚えてくれ！そう、これからは彼女の事を"若菜パチャンガ"と呼んでやってくれ。いや、まてよ、"セクシー若菜パチャンガ"の方がいいな！いいかいみんな！"セクシー若菜パチャンガ"だ！」

Social Danceでは、最近on1で踊ったり本場NYの人と踊る機会が少なかったんで、「よし、今回はNYのタイミング（on2の）を取り戻そう！」と意気込んで踊りましたが、結構日本の人やNY以外の人と踊る機会が多く、かえって「相手に合わせる」という気持ちがなくて「僕（のon2）に合わせてね」という気持ちだった分、全然上手く踊れませんでした。ある人には「リードが全然変わった！強くなった！」とか言われて嫌な顔をされてしまった。。ま、やはり自分の事だけ考えてるとダメですね。

カズちゃん（NYの）靴売りを少し手伝って暇な時間を紛らわしてると、結構日本人が集まってきて、懐かしい人、見知らぬ人、いろいろお話しました。。。。しかし「これは買わないだろう？」と思うような靴も売れるものですね（日本人ではないです）。。タデクウムシモスキズキですね。

全体的には、とにかく結構踊る時間を多くしたんで、鈍った（なまった）体のリハビリになったかと思います。今月からMelaza （April師匠のチームの名前）に戻る事にしたので、少し鍛え直さないとね。。

写真は横のリンクからSalsafrenzyかMamboston2に行って見てみてください。僕自身は全然写真取りませんでした。

じゃ、またね！　　　　

]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:20:16 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C367674734/E20051202002016/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C1735627491/E20051122210157/index.html Do you know how many people say "yeah, Jimbo is my drinking buddy!"

I like to drink! Not as strong as before though, I still have a big capacity to consume alcohols. (But in NYC dance clubs, I don’t drink that much (still drink a few though). It's only in this city. This is just because it is more intense and technically difficult for me to dance in the way they dance in NYC. I have to focus and work really hard when I dance in NYC, otherwise I got screwed.)

But other than New York city, I usually go straight to the bar counter when I get into dance clubs even before I take off my coat. For example, in Tokyo, it normally requires 3 drinks before starting feeling really comfortable about dancing (of course, it depends more on other circumstances like whom I go with or who the DJ is).

Maybe I am just an alcoholic (sometimes people call me with this nickname, and I try to ignore them when they do it.) though, I just would like to explain how I feel dancing with drinking since people sometimes wonder why I do that.

Alcohol makes me happy. That is basically it! It makes me forget everything I don’t have to think or I should not think. If I had something bad at my workplace on the day or if I just had a bad conversation with my girlfriend, I might not be able to stop thinking about it even at the night in the club. But alcohol can enable to get rid of those negative thoughts out of my head. In addition to that, since I don’t have to think about those things, I can use my brain cells to focus on only the things I can feel happy.

For example, alcohol can influence on my vision. You know your distorted vision sometimes makes you think an ugly girl as a beautiful one. Usually it happens in a bad way though, we also can use this illusion in a good way. Not about the beauty of your partner, but some awkward moves or mistakes your partner made can be felt less disgusting with the help of alcohol. In my case, the most important thing is that I even feel like I can really really focus on the music, like the music going through into my body. I think I can feel music more instinctively with the primitive part of my brain and can less think of it logically.

Believe it or not, I am a kind of perfectionist, tend to criticize everything, and tend to think things logically (since I am a scientist), if I don’t drink. In other words, I just think too much. Without alcohol, I am usually worried about a lot of unnecessary things like these.
- “Woooo, I make this mistake again. Stupid!”
- “Ouch, I always do this shine! I should be tired of this… Why am I doing this?”
- “Why this girl always doesn’t follow? I was not going to lead you in that way! What the hell are you trying to do? Hello? I’m here. Could you dance with me?”
- “Shit, I could have done it better. That was not beautiful”
- “OK, now I should use the pattern that I have learned last week.”
- “Oh, thank god! She has come! (a hot chick just get in at the door of the club)”.

Yeah, I think too much, right? If I drink enough, I can go like this.
- “I did a mistake again! Well…. Whatever. The more mistake I make, the less chances I will make the same mistake again.”
- “This shine again? Well, it’s OK as long as it fits with music.”
- “Oh, I knew you are not going to follow my lead. OK, I will adjust myself to you.”
- “I could have done it better. Well… That might have looked beautiful for people…”
- “Next move.. OK, let’s just try to follow my instinct. Here we go!”
- “Oh, another hot chick just comes in!! I’ll go get her after this hot one.”

To me, it is good to drink when I am dancing because I can think of things more in a positive way. So..... anyway, please allow me to drink, OK? It's my money. But I would have to add this for the other ones who drink when they're dancing. I have been practicing really hard to be able to dance well with getting drunk, as well as when I dance without alcohol. You may need to practice before you start doing this.

]]> Tue, 22 Nov 2005 21:01:57 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C1735627491/E20051122210157/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C501467244/E20051121013606/index.html When I moved here in Boston, I weigh like 152 lb.

This was one and half a year ago. In Japan, I have kept this weight like for 5-6 years. But as soon as I got here, I started dancing in the team and kind of had practiced hard. I also try to avoid to eat too much carbohydrate, run sometimes, or doing dumbbells to get rid of my excess fat around my belly... Then, in 3-4 month, I was getting around 144 lb. People didn't notice right away though, in the next half a year, people told me that I definitely got slimmer than before, especially around my belly..... I was happy....

But recently, I have stopped dancing seriously. That was actually in August though, and since then, because I had more time to go out, my alcohol consumption was even more than before..... (this costs!)... Then, now I can feel my old love handles are coming back now.... My weight is like 146 lb, and not that different though, I look terrible! I've got to start training.

]]> Mon, 21 Nov 2005 01:36:06 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C501467244/E20051121013606/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C427765476/E20051121012034/index.html I would like to continue to explain what I am doing for living here.

So, I was sent to Boston to learn something and had spent 2 years and 3 months. After that I went back to Japan and go back to the original job again. But somehow, I didn't like the situation in the company (I'll explain this in the other time). Then, after 1 and half year of working in Japan, I was back in Boston for doing a basic research in April 2004.

Well, on the second thought, let me explain a little bit about the difference between working in the company and in the academic lab.

Working in the company with the goal to make a product with people was fun. But these days, the product cycle to launch in market is so fast, and I felt like we, people in R&D section, could not make a product as we we could be satisfied with, because of the time constrict. Of course, nothing would be 100% perfect though, I was tired of making my effort on doing something I knew I was not satisfied with.

On the contrary, the academic research, which is I am doing now, seems to be a little more boring though, we can do whatever (almost) we are interested in. The salary is not that good though, I can have more of my time to do what I want to do.

Anyway, I am back in Boston and started working at the academic position. Most of researchers in this institute are, so called, Pos-Doc. They have doctors, and are working here to establish their own research area. But I only have masters, so that my position is called Research Assistant, which I cannot apply most of the research grants that the government offers. So, I need a boss to hire me, whereas the Pos-docs will eventually be able to get money from government by themselves.

Well.... I don't know why I am writing this now..... Next time, I'll write about my research now.

]]> Mon, 21 Nov 2005 01:20:34 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C427765476/E20051121012034/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C1735627491/E20051120031447/index.html If you are the hard-core salseros/salseras, you know that nobody outside of this salsa world could understand why you are so crazy about Salsa.

I actually sometimes have been asked why I am such addicted to salsa. I always try to explain, but I don’t think they can understand. They nod as if they could understand though, Naah, I don’t think so. I am tired of this. And, I now avoid talking about salsa to non-salsa people. But once and for all, I am trying to explain it here again.

What is so fun or interesting about Salsa? What brings you going out every night and spending money to do the same shit? How come did you hook up with salsa? Well… Officially I always answer like this.

Probably it is because I can enjoy many aspects of life from the salsa and activities related to that, such as the musical aspect, the sport like aspect, the social aspect, the artistic aspect, and, yes of course, drinking aspect (my major contribution to the salsa world).

I like salsa because, of course!, I can enjoy the music. It is so rhythmical, emotional, passionate, stimulating, and improvising. All of those makes me high, passionate, stimulate my instinct, and joyful. I used to play the guitar, and I liked it very much. But the difficult part of playing instruments was that I had to practice everyday by myself to keep me at a certain level. After I graduated the college and started working, eventually my job got so busy that it was so difficult to keep me practicing everyday. Dancing is a little bit different. Although you have to practice hard if you are a pro, but it doesn’t have to be everyday for us, normal social dancers. It was right after I quit playing guitar when I stated dancing salsa.

I like salsa because it is like a sport. It makes me sweat (actually I do a lot). It burns my fat (hopefully). It blows your stress from your daily life. Sometimes, you’re gonna get hard to breath. Sometimes (now it is very rare to me though) even you can feel sore muscle on the next day when you danced hard. Sometimes people even get cramp! Yeah, it is a sport.

It is a sport like thing, but at the same time it is an artistic activity. If you are good enough, you can express your emotion, feeling, or any kind of inner part of you (oh yeah). Through dancing, even if it was in a dark shitty club of a nameless small town in a frontier world where you don’t even understand their language, you can make an art and make people admired, impressed and pleased (only if you are a good dancer). This requires skills, knowledge and practice. But this is definitely an art, which is a challenging and interesting thing to do. I like it and would like to do it.

I like salsa because I can have a lot of friends from all over the world in many kinds of people. From Japan, Boston, NYC, San Francisco, LA, Paris, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and of course, DR, PR those Latin countries. Their job types are very different too, like lawyer, taxi driver, scientist, marketing person, musician, accountant, person who doesn’t want to talk about his job, person who doesn’t have any jobs, mother, student and artists. Their ages are different, from 7 years old girl to I don’t know the oldest age. It is absolutely interesting to have a conversation with different kind of people.

And of course, I like salsa because I can get close to those beautiful ladies. Many times it is just a relationship for a few minutes during one song. But sometimes you can pick a girl friend from a club, sometimes people marry people who met in salsa world. Or sometimes you can have just a one night stand or, two or three…

And, I have to add this though, one good part in salsa is you can do this with drinking. Drinking makes me forgetting everything I dislike and I just can focus on happy things. (I am going to talk about this later in the next chapter.)

All right. Things written above are all true, and those are surly the reasons that make me continue to be in the salsa world. But…., if I were to say one most reason why I do so, what keeps attracting me is the dancing itself. All above are related to this part, but that is not all.

I always feel dancing is like a conversation, and I like to enjoy this good conversation with my partner through our fingertips, palms, eye contacts, or even the move of her ass! You can have a conversation with your partner without speaking any single word. It could be just like a fun conversation with your long-time best friend. It could be very nice, stimulating, fun interesting, heart-warming, excitiing and/or comfortable. Sometimes I heard the good dance could be even a better pleasure than sex. It is like your body and heart is melting into your partner. Yes, you can fall in love from just one dance, even though it is just few minutes long. This is the very difficult part for me to explain to the people who don’t dance. But this magical moment, chemistry between your partner, or you can say instinctive relationship is definitely there. I don’t think people who doesn’t salsa can understand ever. Some precious privilege only we, dancers, can experience. I don’t even try to explain this to people since they would never understand this.

]]> Sun, 20 Nov 2005 03:14:47 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C1735627491/E20051120031447/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C1735627491/E20051120030156/index.html Tonight I went out to an event held by SalsaBoston.com. It was a nice venue and there was a band.

Well, actually both are just OK, I'm sorry. And I kind of knew that....

So, I was a little bit reluctant before I went there, but on the contrary, I had a kind of fun. That may be because I met some of my good friends over there. Few good dances, few good music, and many OK drinks were there, but I could have had fun. As always, I drank a lot (means I spent unnecessary money a lot). I should cut this alcohol consumption, just because of cutting my expenses. As a matter of fact, I wen out 4 nights in this week. All nights are a kind of fun in spite of every night I dance in the same way with same people, and even on the same musics. Why am I doing this? Am I not supposed to be tired of this? Well..... it was not like 100% happy to go out every night though, I did that. Am I so addicted?

Well... a brief description of the reason why I got in salsa is given in another page (http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/Personal11.html). Please take a look at this if you have time. I am going to upload why I was hooked up with salsa next!

]]> Sun, 20 Nov 2005 03:01:56 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C1735627491/E20051120030156/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C367674734/E20051119040048/index.html 最近友達の多くがブログやHPを始めてるし、僕も少しずつ何か日記みたいなものを書いて自分の足跡を残してみようかと思いました。

実は７月にブログを始めようと、一度トライしたんですが、なんかHTMLは難しいし、わかんない事だらけで、全然続きませんでした。今回またもう一回リニューアルして始めてみようと思います。アメリカと日本の違いというか、いろいろ感じた違和感とか驚いた事なんかを書けたらと思います。

最近の友達はサルサ（ダンスの種類）を通じて会った友達が多いので、特にサルサに関してアメリカ（東海岸の話ですけどね）と日本の違いを書く機会が多くなると思います。英語のページの方が頻繁に更新されると思います。なかなか更新がなくても、まあ諦めずに気長に待ってみてください。或は英語の勉強も兼ねて英語ページも読んでみると面白いかもしれません。僕の英語は勿論日本人英語なので、日本の人には理解しやすいと思います。。。

じゃ、そんなわけで応援してね。いろいろフィードバックをくれるとやる気が出ていいかもしれません。

]]> Sat, 19 Nov 2005 04:00:48 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C367674734/E20051119040048/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C427765476/E20051119035259/index.html Most of my friends now are from my night-life world. So, you may not know what I do for living..

As a matter of fact, I am a scientist working in a private research institute. Let me briefly introduce my job at this time.

My major was chemistry (organic and little bit of inorganic) in college, and I wore the white lab coat everyday... After I got a master degree in chemistry, I went into a company in Japan, which makes some of toiletry goods, like shampoos, detergents, or even cooking oils. My job at the company was to make toothpaste and mouthwash. Sometimes I made those day by day. sometimes I interview people asking how they feel my products. Sometimes I went to the factory, and observe and discuss how it should be made as a actual product to sell. Sometimes, I even think of the name of the product or did discussion with the marketing people.

But one day, at my 6th year in this company back in April, 2000, I was chosen to learn some experimental techniques on tooth decay research, and was sent to Boston. It was my second time to step into this country, and first time to live here. The place where I was sent was a private research institute, which is where I am working now.

]]> Sat, 19 Nov 2005 03:52:59 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C427765476/E20051119035259/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C16303588/E20051119031601/index.html For those of you who hate Star Wars, I am sorry, I love Star Wars.. Let me write down some of my fanatic thoughts about this religion, SW world!

On your browser, the title of this web site should be shown as "Feel, don't think, use your instinct!" You know this is from a dialogue of Qui Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I, "The Phantom Menace". Right before the little boy, Anakin Skywalker is about to start the pod race on his home planet, Tatooine. Qui Gon's last words to him are those. "Concentrate on the moment, feel, don't think, use your instincts."

Since the first time I saw this movie, I have liked those words very much! Because I am a scientist, my job is to think! I always think too much even on the non-scientific subjects. I always have wanted to live with more intuitive and instinctive. It is, sometimes, actually important to listen to your instinct or intuition. Our heart can think faster than our mind. It doesn't give me a detailed explanation, but most of the cases, the conclusion that the heart tells is right. Sometimes, we don't notice how but we notice what we want or don't instantly, and that feeling (not a consequence of thinking) is usually right. We should use our instincts, particularly when you are doing some artistic activity or dealing with human relationships.

So, I pick this sentence on the top of this page. You know what Qui Gon Jinn said to Anakin after he said this, don't you? Yes.... "May the force be with you!"

]]> Sat, 19 Nov 2005 03:16:01 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C16303588/E20051119031601/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C501467244/E20051118224628/index.html Hi, This is Jimbo! This will be my first entry, and I am going to test a few things in here.

...Anyway, I managed to make a top banner picture tonight, and called this site as "Jimbo's throw up", and would like to restart it again now.

As a matter of fact, I have tried to make my blog site before in July though, I just noticed that my first entry that I made in July was somehow disappeared. I have no idea where it's gone....... Sad..

Anyway, I managed to make a top banner picture tonight, and called this site as "Jimbo's throw up", and would like to restart it again now. Probably the main topic of my talking will be about salsa dancing, if I can have enough energy to keep doing this... Please please give me a feedback to give me a motivation to write this... HTML is soooo tiring, you know? All right, that's it for now. I don't have much time now, got go to dancing tonight!

]]> Fri, 18 Nov 2005 22:46:28 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/jimbon2/iblog/B1595213991/C501467244/E20051118224628/index.html