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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 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.
But in the 2000s the business wars began to wear me down.
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….
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....
Continued story : Sentimental Education - The day repressed emotions flared up. -
Carey Corrpro
Commented 15 Dec, 2023
Yukiko, you clearly have lived, to this point, an interesting life. Now, it seems, you have become a seeker and on the journey to find an answer to the age old question: Who am I? You are not alone on this journey there are many of us here on "the path." Interconnectedness is what happens here and I'm glad to be sharing this experience with you.
Yukiko Shimada
Replied 15 Dec, 2023
My husband Masato Shiraishi and I are greatly indebted to our mentor Hiroshi Ohuchi and his wife Janet. He was the translator of one of the three Japanese translations of "A Course In Miracles" released in Japan. Before his death, he often said to us:
To love is to share.
To share is to love.
This is one such attempt. I am talking about my life now, but it is also about my husband. He has graciously allowed me to speak to him/her about his life, if it will help someone else. I will tell you/him/her how he began to practice "Forgiveness" as "A Course In Miracles", an extraordinary "Forgiveness" textbook and workbook, recommends he do.
What will happen as a result of this? Exciting, isn't it?