monessay ─ Explorer and Birkenstocks

compilation (of a text)I was in my mid-twenties when I started working as a book collector. . I was invited to go to Hong Kong by a senior colleague who had guided me down this path. It was right after I had worked on a Hong Kong feature, and he asked me to go with him because he wanted to go back.

the last (i.e. immediately preceding) (e.g. "the last mayor")On the night of the meeting, I drank until dawn and returned home after 3:00 a.m. I thought I had enough time before my 10:00 a.m. flight, so I took a nap, which was a bad idea. I was long past my meeting time in Hakozaki, and when I didn't show up at 8:00 a.m., he called me. . I was still in a dream.

flustered. I will write more about that later, since I don't have enough space. Anyway, I took a cab from Nichi-Koren and checked in 20 minutes before. I managed to make it in time. The other member of the group was not able to submit the manuscript in time and joined the group the next day.

present (e.g. government, administration)On the ground, the coordinator of the earlier interview showed us around. If this senior walked up to a stray dog and gurgled down its throat about how cute it was, he said it was not allowed. Not because of hygiene? Not for hygiene reasons, but because they don't taste good. It was a culture shock in the 80s.

diagonal move (in the game of go)There was a Rolex specialty store on Nathan Road in Sha Tsui (Tsim Sha Tsui) . I think it is still there. I found a Rolex Explorer 1 there. The exchange rate at that time was about 110,000 yen. Nowadays, a used Rolex Explorer 1 costs about 1,000,000 yen, which is a world apart.

Japanese dock (plant) (Rumex japonicus)But for a young man in his twenties at the time, that amount of money was not something he could easily overcome. It was a purchase that required as much long thinking as that of Mr. Yasumitsu Sato, a professional Go player.

evening. enjoyed a spinach and chicken soup called Tai Chi soup, a specialty at a Chaozhou restaurant. . I took the Star Ferrini to Hong Kong Island and back many times, and went to the antique market. . But there was always a nagging feeling in my heart.

2After an overnight stay , I returned home. Rolex? Of course, it was a resignation.

that (someone or something distant from both speaker and listener, or situation unfamiliar to both speaker and listener)A few days after I returned to my normal work in Higashi-Ginza, a senior editor named Mr. M told me that he was going to Hong Kong for a visit. He asked me, who had just returned from Hong Kong, what I found interesting.

rowAfter explaining the stores where I had bought the watch and where the coordinator had referred me, I still couldn't give up and asked my senior to help me. . Could you please go to the watch store on Nathan Road and buy it for me?

(in Japanese music) basic phrase (usu. repetitive). I drew a diagram, gave him a general idea of the area, and handed him a piece of paper with the name of the store on it.

a number ofA day later, a senior staff member came to work .

(after noun, adjective-stem or plain verb) just keepsI didn't recognize the store at all. . there was no store with the name you wrote. . There were definitely a few watch shops in a row, but I couldn't find one with that name. He said he wandered around the area many times, and when he entered a store that he thought might be this one, it just happened to be selling watches, so he was able to buy one.

that (someone or something distant from both speaker and listener, or situation unfamiliar to both speaker and listener)I'm sorry about that. Maybe the map was a bit wrong . But I got the package.

side (of a box, etc.). and the deputy editor, who was listening to the exchange, asked me with a look on his face as if a light bulb had gone on over his head.

that (someone or something distant from both speaker and listener, or situation unfamiliar to both speaker and listener)Re, what's the name of the place?

esI'm Rick," I said.

Japanese dock (plant) (Rumex japonicus)I thought for a moment, then grinned, "Isn't that Zurich? Spelled with a Z. .

hand (of cards)The original warranty is also stamped with a "Zurich" stamp.

that (something mentioned before which is distant psychologically or in terms of time)I was looking at the "Birkenstock" on my feet and remembering how I used to walk around Hong Kong in them.