L'esprit d'escalier de Yute the Beaute - 独白

Hong Kong

January 2010

Dear Friends,

There is always some uncomfortable smug self-congratulatory one-upmanship attached to this sort of “End-of-Year-Summation” or, to put it crudely, “Just-to-let-you-know-how-our-family-have-enjoyed-ourselves-so-much-this-year-that-we-wet-ourselves-just-thinking-about-it”, or some other variations thereof. Fearing such vulgarity, I have stopped sending one for some time. Besides, (a) I do not particularly feel “one-up” over any of my friends, (b) there are limits to my imagination, presentation skills and, quite frankly, motivation when it comes to adding gloss to my family stories, and (c) too much reality is always mind-numbingly boring with a happy family like ours, as that grumpy Russian writer suggested at the beginning of “Anna Karenina”. Instead, I have preferred for these couple of years to let my half-baked creativity run amok with iMovie-generated picture shows, which have been uploaded onto YouTube for all to see. (Check my channel, if you please, where the latest installment for 2009 has been uploaded: http://www.youtube.com/user/yutethebeaute).

However, this year has been a tumultuous one for myself. My wife feels that I owe my friends an explanation. And who am I to object to whatever she says?

So, somewhat reluctantly, here goes…

The global financial turmoil, which began around the summer of 2008, if you care to recall, kicked me out of a job in November 2008. In my conceited false sense of security, I was beginning to think that the job as a regional counsel for American investment management firm was the last port of call in my professional career. It is always the case with my life that I get slapped hard as soon as I start taking things easy. It is almost like there is some coach watching over my shoulder at all times, like I am forever stuck in the pre-season training. What a curse…

So it happened that 2009 dawned on me as I was coming to terms with my new status of being unemployed. Thankfully, I was in good health and so were my wife, Kim, and our son, Rintaro, and we were to remain healthy for the whole year.

Severance payment was never sufficient, but was nevertheless substantial and I started my job-hunting in a relatively peaceful state of mind in the New Year. However, it became quickly obvious that nobody was hiring, either in Hong Kong or in Japan or anywhere. Resigned to playing a waiting game whilst staying put in Hong Kong, I started around this time to contribute articles to a newly established Japanese public opinion website, “Agora” (http://agora-web.jp/), which has become the top website of its kind in Japan over the course of this year with about 130k view per day. Just the other day, I was surprised to find out that one of my articles, which is a critical indictment of blind environmentalism on the back of Australian bushfire disaster in February, ranked No. 2 in the “Most Read” list. I have probably alienated most of the environmental lobby in Japan and beyond as a result. Oh well… it probably did me no good in relation to my job applications for public institutions.

Just as I was getting serious about my writing, my free and quiet time for contemplation was taken away from me as Rintaro’s summer holiday started almost a month early in the middle of June, thanks to the “alleged” pandemic of H1N1 influenza, jumpy WHO and HK Government.

As the summer holiday neared the end with no job opportunity in sight, not to mention the ever-decreasing bank account balance (and, alas, nobody yet saw me as Japan’s answer to Simon Jenkins), I was rather belatedly beginning to get panicky. Kim, who had hitherto remained benignly calm, was also getting anxious.

Then, totally out of blue, I was approached by friendly contacts to take on some investment fund clients as consultant. I did state in my CV that I had been working as a freelance consultant ever since losing my previous job, but it was merely an excuse, just pretending to be doing something business-like. Now, all of a sudden, I was asked by various fund managers to advise on financial transactions and establishment of private equity funds, and to liaise with external counsels and other professional service providers. Not that I had not been actively (and, probably, desperately) marketing myself until that point, but the randomness of how the events had unfolded just amazes me no end.

I quickly incorporated my first company to take on these business opportunities and named it “Foundation Advisers Limited”, after Isaac Asimov’s classic SF series, with a logo inspired by a traditional Japanese children’s story, “Momo-taro”.

In October and November, I was asked to speak in Japan, at Keio Business School and Roppongi Academy Hills, respectively, which provided me with valuable opportunities to market my new company.

So, as 2009 comes to the end, I find myself in a place I could not have imagined at the outset. It seems that my life is yet to enter calmer and more tranquil water: “…last port of call in my professional career…” my foot!

As for my extra-curriculum activities, apart from writing, I must concede that my rugby-playing days are coming to an end as every joint in my body, especially in my legs, is screaming “Give it up, Fat Boy!” I am desperately seeking other athletic pursuits that would meet my primordial needs for physical outlet. My brief foray into tennis has been thwarted due to the absence of any playing partner that I can beat. I might take it up again once the company starts to run more smoothly (if ever…).

Although I had gone into it rather reluctantly from this current season, I have found coaching Mini-Rugby to be a surprisingly rewarding experience. Watching those children play and train (Rintaro among them), I am always struck by the thought that any one of them could easily be a better player than me. All that they could be and all that I ever was: all that I can still be…

Enough about myself… Kim has finally launched her career in what she really loves, food and photography. She calls it “Food Stylist”. She now regularly contributes her recipe and photos to a HK food magazine (Foodie Magazine: http://www.foodiemagazine.com.hk/recipes.htm) and I must say I am both amazed and proud to see what she manages to create every month out of our small and inadequate kitchen. Big ticket item for next year: a new dining table, as the round one we have is wobbly and not convenient for taking photos, apparently.

We have just celebrated 8 years of marriage and we have known each other for nearly 10 years. I suppose we have become witness to each other’s lives to such a degree by now that we would struggle to find anybody else to testify to our respective lives and personalities other than ourselves. I hope Kim understands, on this basis, that, as her own witness, I cannot be subject to her cross-examination.

Rintaro continues to struggle at the Hong Kong Japanese School, although he hardly seems to understand what “struggle” means. I hope that his marks, other than those for “Enthusiasm”, for which he invariably gets A+, improve, although when I look back upon my own records at his age I have no choice but to put it all down to DNA.

During the summer break, Rintaro auditioned successfully to be featured in a local TV commercial for milk. I was not 100% sure if it was a good idea, given the previous experience where his lack of concentration caused much havoc and frustration in studio. Surprisingly, he managed to turn in some decent performance. Apparently Rintaro was smitten with the female lead. DNA…

As for our London branch, Kae continues her studies at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, leading a life of budding young actress in London, which sounds far more preferable to my own life in London as young budding lawyer, whilst Rio works at a trendy boutique in Notting Hill for her photography studies next year.

So, that was the year that was for the Yazawa family. Here’s wishing you happy and prosperous New Year. We look forward to seeing you again in 2010.

Yours,

Yutaka Yazawa