Lotusblog

I am currently translating a report (from English into Japanese) for an important meeting tomorrow. The report concerns the environmental certification of a certain product that we import into Japan. It’s a very concise report, and it explains the testing methodology, standards and verification processes of the GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) eco-label.

But golly gosh, it is the worst report I have ever read in my life. Every single page (and there are 19 of them) contains a spelling mistake. It’s like GECA are deliberately doing it to break up the dull monotony of passages like…

“The verification procedure is managed via a Documented Quality Management System and Certification Program Manuals which have made significant use of the ISO 14 000 series. The following standards have been adapted to the programs requirements, ISO 14 001, 14 0012, the 14020 series, 14 031 environmental performance evaluation, 14040. The program is self declared to be in conformance to ISO 14 024 as a Type 1 Program. This verification report has been compiled in conformance to these procedures.”

Sadly, I think it’s just badly written. Without a spell-checker. Or a proofreader. Typed by a squirrel.

Mr. P. Johnson (the “undertaker of quality assurance” for this report) should be utterly ashamed of himself.

Too busy to post anything recently- and my plan of bringing all the content from the old blog to this blog has sort of stopped dead in its tracks too.
What the hell am I doing every day?
Well, one thing I did was upgrade the grege site.It’s a lot less cluttered, easier to use and dare I say, nicer on the eye now. I decided to remove the original products that we sell- having everything all on one website wasn’t really helping anyone- in the parlance of the pros, were we B2C? B2B? Who knew?

So I decided to make grege primarily a “corporate” site, an information portal for our business customers. The interior objects, furniture, kitchen and tableware and so on will be displayed on a new site, to be announced soon.

We’re looking for distributors in outside of Japan, so if any of you in Europe, the US, Oceania or Asia know of anyone… let me know. For the time being though, you can still see the ep range (which has always had its own website) right here.

It’s so quiet. Sunday night (well, Monday morning if you’re being pedantic about it) and it’s just before three am. I am winding down for the night. I have been sitting in front of this computer since I woke up at eleven thirty-four this morning. I have eaten four mandarins, taken two showers, one bath (with ten drops of tea tree essential oil) eaten two hot meals (one with pasta, one with brown rice) and spoken on the ‘phone to three people, text chatted to two people, and had a voice chat (via iChat) with one person. I created two spreadsheets, sent more than a dozen emails and coordinated three of my jobs. Part of it involved my overseas schedule for the rest of the year, and I realised I am probably going to be away for about a fifth of the year.

And now I am really hungry again. I think it’s time for bed.

On the way to a big meeting

Greetings all.
It is now Wednesday morning, I am a diesel train speeding towards Wales to Cardiff. I have a meeting there and then I then have to be back in London by 17:00 for another meeting. Busy busy busy, but everything is going well so far.

I am going to be here for a few more days- more meetings tomorrow and then on Friday morning I am off to Glasgow. Come back from Glasgow on Saturday night. Then on Sunday I fly to Bangkok, have another meeting there and then 2 days at a beach to unwind.
Then back to the grind in Osaka.