In Japan, or at least where I live, I was surprised by the number of solely-run small businesses in the area. Well, that's not exactly surprising judging by the track records of Japanese companies (so-called 'Black Companies run rampant here), but what was surprising was that basically all of these places have one day off […]

Is always the toughest. When I swim 800m, the point where I most often feel like giving in is about the 600m mark. 3/4 in, you know it'd be such a waste to stop then. But then I know I can rely on adrenaline to get me over. The same thing happened with my MA, […]

If it's true that when you go against the grain, when you do the opposite of what everyone says you should do, that you have to take responsibility when things go wrong, the opposite should also hold true. When you do exactly what everyone else does, when you simply follow orders, this doesn't mean you […]

Confrontation looked down on? Check. Large-scale acquiescence? Check. Japan's culture makes it easy for control freaks to take control. I feel that part of Japanese culture is knowing when not to take advantage of other people, a bit of self-constraint. But sometimes, for some people, that's just not possible. Giving them free-reign to do so […]

'For me money is important, yet I didn't want to spend my life working for it. That is why I didn't want a job.' -Robert Kiyosaki, Cashflow Quadrant Exactly how I feel, but not what I'm doing. I'm waiting for more stability I guess. I wonder if that's necessary though? Does part of you not […]

Use your pencil with caution. Don't let it tempt you to edit things in search of perfect. In the time it took you to erase and re-write that sentence, making it 'perfect', you could have written out another idea. Perfect doesn't exist, but more ideas can help you get closer to it. Pencils are excellent […]

Everyone who lives has an impact on the world in one way or another. Every life has a meaning, and every meaningful life that affects the world affects every other meaningful life. So, the question is, how is your life being meaningful to other lives? It’s a question we should be asking ourselves every day. […]