Japan making so many cliques totally works against them. I'm sure it helped in the past when rival townships had to compete for scarce resources, but that is largely irrelevant now, and they need to work together. There's too much unwarranted loyalty in this country. When I showed my friend my new sunglasses he asked …

Unwarranted Loyalty, Faux Friends Read More »

Bought El Suspiro beans at Espresso Aube (エスプレッソオーブ) in Nikaho. I say bought, but actually I got it with the point card, and I'm glad I did! Aube roasts their own beans, controlling the process the whole time, so you know they are good. The dude is pretty serious about his craft, and it shows. …

El Suspiro from Nicaragua Read More »

One lesson I learned doing translation is that it's best to consider even completed jobs as incomplete. As with any art, perfection is impossible, and if you're doing something that demands creativity, the job is never done. I don't mean this in a negative sense at all, I mean it in a 'you can always …

Is the job done? Read More »

I think Japanese people are afraid of losing their culture, that's why they fear outsiders and outside influence so much. While I respect that they want to keep their culture, I don't buy the argument that learning a foreign language or learning partially overseas will lead to a loss of culture. In fact, I think …

Losing your culture, or sharing it Read More »

Recently I have been working Saturdays for the university. I'm completely ok with it, for now at least, besides when we have to do five classes in a day, it can be quite pleasant. The thing is though, working Saturdays means you are working a different schedule to most other people. When you have multiple …

Taking time for yourself Read More »

Came third in the triathlon. First time I've won an award for sport since playing waterpolo more than ten years ago. What an effort. To be honest, I could have done it a little bit faster though, with more preparation. Had I not prioritized work so much. I hadn't been in the water during a …

Third place and a different feeling Read More »

Fish don't know they're in water. Sometimes you gotta get out of the water to see the world for what it is. That's why challenging new things is good. It gets you out of the water. Ironically I'll be going into the water tomorrow morning. I'm hoping for a good time on our triathlon! Wish …

Fish don’t know they’re in water Read More »