Last year I made more money than I ever had before. That was through a combination of my normal jobs, plus a few extra translations and a little bit of interpretation. If I were just in it for the money, I would probably be a translator or interpreter. The reason I'm not is that I'm …

Getting over the money Read More »

Like traveling, meeting different types of people is a great way to broaden your outlook. The many ways we all think is as extraordinary and broad as the places we have in the world. Actually, since there's more people, it's probably broader! Anyway, getting to know many different people is a great way to learn …

Traveling and meeting people Read More »

What good is recognition from having the most money as opposed to having your ideas spread? It's about having an idea and sharing it. It's about thinking about who you are serving, and building something for them. Share the idea. The idea of a trip to the Japanese countryside. The idea of living in a …

It’s not about the money Read More »

I have a friend who states that he doesn't like sport. He sees it as useless back and forth (but he also loves games, which I consider a sport, I think he means like rugby, soccer and stuff). Anyway, it's obvious that he wasn't very good at sport, otherwise you probably wouldn't say this. If …

Sport and games Read More »

Japanese hospitality in general is much better than in NZ, but the lack of human emotion can be painful at times. In NZ, people are less fake, meaning that you can usually tell straight away how they are feeling, whether they really want to be in their position, or whether they're just passing the motions. …

Acknowledgement of Tatemae Read More »

In the corner of the table of any Japanese kitchen, more likely near a tv, you will find a pile of snacks. For someone who has grown up with them, they are a great lesson of self control. For someone who hasn't, they are a reminder that you need self control. For me especially, I …

Moderation is for losers Read More »

The aim to learn a language is not to learn a language. The aim to learn a language is to be able to use that language to get things done. This should be the core of language learning, not learning the language for the sake of learning it. Only learning a language for the sake …

The aim in learning a language Read More »