Jun 2009 Newsletter: Yumi's Monthly Note
Hello, everyone!Swine flu reached Japan. Japanese authorities confirmed cases of swine flu in the Kansai Region, including the prefectures of Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyogo. Because our office is located in Kyoto, plus we have activity sites inside and outside Japan, we have been forced to change our plans in order to secure our safety. It was a very tough decision for us to make, but we canceled the May Webcam Activity connecting between Kyoto and Seoul. Additionally, we have voluntarily restricted our activities in Kyoto. The upcoming Webcam Activity, networking between Malaysia and Kyoto, was moved from June to July. Those critical decisions were made quickly with support from the Pangaea Emergency Management Committee. The committee consists of our board members and staff, as well as of individuals outside of our organization. It was formed at the end of last year with a sense of urgency. To determine the best course of action for Pangaea, Toshi and I have been excluded from the committee. This is because both of us have a very strong sense of mission, and it can impair our objectivity and judgment in terms of risk management.
I guess you might want to know what else we have done during the swine flu outbreak. Looking on the bright side, we have had plenty of time to review and assess our organization so as to improve our financial structure. Toshi and I have been discussing our midterm plan as many details as possible. That is a grueling task, but we know for sure that we can't move forward without completing the process. So, we will continue to strive.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, our headquarters has moved. We
officially opened our new office on May 1, 2009. In order to solve our space
issues (more staff and more stuff), we had been looking for a large room
to accommodate our 6 staffers. Then, we eventually got a spacious room,
located next to our previous office, to move in.
To make our workspace more organized, we obviously needed to buy some furniture - ideally at IKEA. So, our staff and Mr. Okano, our board member, arranged our shopping tour to a local IKEA store. Mr. Okano drove his pick-up truck to the IKEA store, on the other hand, Pangaea staff traveled by a rental car to meet up with Mr. Okano at the store. While strolling through the store, we got 2 used office desks and some self-assembly shelf units to organize a large wall in our new office. In the outlet section, we found a conference table which seats up to 8 people. Surprisingly, it cost only 14,000 Japanese yen (roughly 140 US dollars). We learned that IKEA has its own strategies - self-service, self-transportation, and self-assembly - to keep prices low. We followed the "do-it-yourself" concept and put all furniture together by ourselves. All our books and materials were put on the brand-new shelf units. Happily, everything went according to plan, and we could create a functional workspace.
To tell the truth, it was the first time that we spent a huge amount of money(although it cost a little over 100,000 Japanese yen) on furnishing our office. "Wow, we did something we had never done before...," Toshi murmured. I know he has done so many favors toward Pangaea. To give him something as a reward, I want to meet more people to promote the Pangaea Project. Please back me up!
Well, do not forget to wash your hands and gargle!
This month Pangaea Ring writer is Alvin, from the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. He is one of the main staff at the Malaysia site. I appreciate his understanding of Pangaea activity. I also love his three pretty children.
Yumi
To make our workspace more organized, we obviously needed to buy some furniture - ideally at IKEA. So, our staff and Mr. Okano, our board member, arranged our shopping tour to a local IKEA store. Mr. Okano drove his pick-up truck to the IKEA store, on the other hand, Pangaea staff traveled by a rental car to meet up with Mr. Okano at the store. While strolling through the store, we got 2 used office desks and some self-assembly shelf units to organize a large wall in our new office. In the outlet section, we found a conference table which seats up to 8 people. Surprisingly, it cost only 14,000 Japanese yen (roughly 140 US dollars). We learned that IKEA has its own strategies - self-service, self-transportation, and self-assembly - to keep prices low. We followed the "do-it-yourself" concept and put all furniture together by ourselves. All our books and materials were put on the brand-new shelf units. Happily, everything went according to plan, and we could create a functional workspace.
To tell the truth, it was the first time that we spent a huge amount of money(although it cost a little over 100,000 Japanese yen) on furnishing our office. "Wow, we did something we had never done before...," Toshi murmured. I know he has done so many favors toward Pangaea. To give him something as a reward, I want to meet more people to promote the Pangaea Project. Please back me up!
Well, do not forget to wash your hands and gargle!
This month Pangaea Ring writer is Alvin, from the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. He is one of the main staff at the Malaysia site. I appreciate his understanding of Pangaea activity. I also love his three pretty children.
Yumi
Posted by: kumakinoko | 3. Newsletter
