From what I've witnessed in Japan, it appears that there isn't much consideration for the audience in many different places; service industry, schools, presentations, etc. It's more as if the person is doing it for their own sake, not for the benefit of the audience. Whenever I make something, anything, I always consider how the […]

The other day I picked up a SUV that we will be renting for the next few weeks. It’s a little bit different to my Prius, it’s higher, and it has more bells and whistles, it’s also noticeably bigger inside and that coupled with the height makes a huge difference when turning sharply. I’m not […]

Why is it that we connect well with some people, and some people not at all? I have a few friends who I can share anything with, but there are some people who are close to me that I don’t feel comfortable talking to about some things. Maybe it depends on the topic? Or maybe […]

Haruki Murakami was asked what he thinks about when he runs. His answer was that only someone who doesn't run would ask that question. What an awesome response! It's like that whole, if you're worrying about the meaning of life, you're not living thing. Basically, it's the doing that counts, not what to think of […]

Don't change your mind twice if it affects someone else. Recently I was working on a joint project with another group, and that other group claimed full ownership part-way through. They were able to do that because we didn't have a formal agreement, and they did have a rightful claim, but of course I was […]

Why don't locals take the default option? What is it about us that we a predisposed to not rate where we are from? I could be making this up, and it is entirely anecdotal, but I find the same thing in Japan as in New Zealand, where we just think the place we grew up […]

When I was an ALT in Shonai town, I used to play the system in a bit of a sneaky way, but it was the only way I could get my ideas across. Basically, and thankfully, I worked at two junior high schools, and it took me a while to realise this, but I started […]