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Page of Swords & The High Priestess, vol.3

Before I tell you about my reunion with Barry Epstein, let me tell you a story from my days as a go-getter entrepreneur.

I went to Leland Stanford Junior University in 1993 and studied business there. In November 1995, I started "Nu-Era Pics", a website development company in Silicon Valley with a classmate, Angie Kendall, who was into "Computer Online Services". In other words, Windows 95 was introduced and the "ICT Revolution" was underway. Angie saw a tremendous opportunity and approached me.

It's great! It's a great opportunity! We definitely need to start a business now!

I was an international student, so I could start my own business, but I was not allowed to get paid for it. So Angie offered me to live with her. She also offered to take care of my meals. I would not have to pay rent and food and other living expenses.... It was quite an attractive offer. Angie also promised to save my fees until after graduation when I would be allowed to earn full compensation through the business with that track record.

Business was very interesting.

It is no surprise that Angie is strong when it comes to web-related technology. I kept track of the cash flow of "Nu-Era Pics," set up an investment strategy for tax purposes, and directed the transfer of money. So I had a perfect idea of how much the rewards were stacking up now for me in the future, and I was excited to see it build up.

In 1997 we graduated from Leland Stanford Junior University. The day after I graduated I bought a "Schlesinger" 115. It was the briefcase used by Tess McGill, the secretary played by Melanie Griffith in "Working Girl". I used to listen to a lot of singer-songwriter albums to practice my English hearing, and Carly Simon's third album "No Secrets" released in 1972 was one of my favorite albums, so I was happy to hear her "Let The River Run" used as the theme song for "Working Girl". When I hear that song, it makes me want to "get it done"!

I bought this bag because I was determined to succeed in business. I had a good track record. I had done so much for the state and the commonwealth that the United States was willing to accept me as an outstanding business person. And Angie was willing to hand over my reward.

We were a small website development company started by just two people, but once we received an order to produce a website, we needed to manage the maintenance of the website. This meant that we were in charge of marketing. This naturally led us to play the role of management consultants to our clients, which eventually led to us being approached to participate in joint projects. "Nu-Era Pics" was already involved in several big projects when we graduated. We went out on a limb.

We made some incredible acquisitions in rapid succession. It was called "Seiten-No-Heki-Reki," which is the Japanese translation of "a bolt from the blue". The "Nu-Era Pics" movement was sensationalized in "Forbes," "Fortune," "BusinessWeek," "The Wall Street Journal," and elsewhere.

We got a lot of lucrative investment information, and both the company and the individuals were very successful.

I moved three times in San Francisco, and each move was like raising the Tower of Babel. I was known in the business world as "Successful Yukiko Shimada", or "Princess from the Land of the Rising Sun". I was also known as "HIMIKO," "Jin-Gu-Ko-Go," an ancient Japanese queen, or, with the utmost malice, "Tsuji-Giri OYUKI," a name that made me look like a skilled assassin. My rivals feared me to the core, and my allies, on the contrary, always sought my opinion, and only after hearing it did they proceed or retreat hastily.

Yes, of course. I understand exactly what you are saying. In other words, this me, who was surely maligned behind my back as a Japanese "narrow-eyed, yellow-skinned bitch," would not have succeeded in this United States of America without my comrades. Angie Kendall has protected me so that I could use my talents to the fullest. She is my business partner, my guardian angel, and above all, my best friend.

There is a movie that Angie and I share a fondness for called "Rich and Famous," George Cukor's last film from 1981, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen. The film was released in Japan in the winter of 1982, I believe. I watched a lot of American movies to practice my English, so I watched "Rich and Famous" at the movie theatre, although I was then 9 years old, probably a little too young to understand the content. Movie theaters in Japan at that time did not have a changeover system. They showed "Rich and Famous" repeatedly throughout the day, and I probably saw it four times. It is about a female friendship that changes over the years, and I later recorded it on videotape when it was shown on TV and watched it many times. In other words, it's my favorite, favorite movie. When I was a student at "Leland Stanford Junior University," I found a used videotape in town and happily bought it. Then I watched it with Angie. She didn't know about it, but she loved it. We saw our future in Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen.

My friendship with Angie and I has changed in form, but we have yet to have a crisis. If our friendship ever reaches a crisis, Angie and I will watch "Rich and Famous" together and then we will discuss it. Now, I wanted to bring Angie Kendall a huge fortune as well. I am very grateful to her, so I focused on business and kept working single-mindedly.

But in the 2000s the business wars began to wear me down….

I don't mind looking at the numbers of my customers, competitors, and of course my own company every day. I even find it interesting. Balance sheets and cash flow statements. EBITDA. What does the "acid-test ratio" look like? What does the "AR aging list" look like? I have never been weary about analyzing these numbers. I was thrilled to see innovative pitch decks of challenging ventures and new project presentation notes.

But thinking about what to wear tomorrow, for example, was very exhausting….

Yesterday I wore Tom Ford's GUCCI. Today I wear Christian Dior by John Galliano. Then tomorrow? Will I wear MANOLO BLAHNIK today pumps or MICHEL PERRY?

I have to beat others by borrowing the power of high-end brands/Luxury brands, and I have to get ahead in business at any cost. For this reason, I dressed up and made myself look tens of thousands of times more intimidating, and attended charity parties where successful people gathered, with my back straight and my chest out. Here, in addition to my good looks, I had to impress the crowd with the amount of money I could donate. I had to have enough money in my pocket at all times to give away these large donations with an angel's face and without a flutter in my heart, so I had to invest in securities and real estate to increase my assets. So, in my spare time, I met with my investment advisor.... Money! Money! Money!!!!

I'm a Material Girl!

I was tired of living like that….

Such a state of my body and mind obviously affects business. Fortunately, I have not made any major errors in judgment, but I have seen a decrease in reaching the numbers that I had planned. I am not in business alone. The livelihood of Angie Kendall, co-founder of "Nu-Era Pics", my executives and employees, and business partners at other companies is at stake, and I cannot afford to make bad decisions. I tried my best to act like I was passionate about the business, but at home, in minor situations, I began to make different mistakes than I had in the past. For example, I hit my little toe on something and injured it. No, I didn't break the bone. LOL. What I used to do was spill food and stain my clothes. I dropped some plates and cups on the floor and broke them. I even cut my finger with a knife while cooking. I am a very tidy and love of cleanliness, and I love to clean my room on my days off, but I noticed many times that there was dust in the corners of my room that I had never seen before. I was also caught speeding. Frustrated, I ate something one after another, began to gain weight, and felt sad when I saw my face. I don't eat because it tastes good; rather, I simply eat even though it doesn't taste good. Then the appliances in my home would start to break down. The state of the human mind is accurately reflected in what we experience. It is very interesting.

In August 2000, Madonna had hit it big with "MUSIC," which would be considered the most important single of her career, comparable to "Holiday" and "Vogue," but I was so busy that I had never been to a single Madonna concert while in the United States.

When I was a student, I used to arrange my own clothes. But now I rely on High-end brands/Luxury brands.... It was not supposed to be like this.

God, I want to do DIY and patchwork again.... God, I miss that Montana air and water so much.... Is this me now? Is it me? Isn't something different? Isn't something wrong? When I was crazy about Madonna's music, I tried to be different from everyone else. But I was doing all the common-sense things that everyone else was doing to succeed in the business world....

#TheYukkinStory

Continued story : Sentimental Education - The day repressed emotions flared up. -