How being able to speak Japanese has changed my life in Japan
I’ve been wanting to write this little post for some time. It’s not aimed at people who are perfectly happy not using Japanese whilst living in Japan (which I think is perfectly OK). It’s aimed at those considering studying Japanese. My hope is that it provides at least one person with a little inspiration. It’s […]
Picking it up again
Another of my favourites from Tokyo – the little pink-hat girl rides high above the crowds (Shibuya’s Hachiko crossing). Posts / pages, pages / posts… Ah, the complexities of the English language. Apologies to those of you who received an ‘About the Tame’ post via my feed, my mistake when attempting to transfer some of […]
Time to grow up?
Changing the bogeys – crossing the border from Russia to Belarus, Sep 2007. Photo taken from an adjoining carriage that’s also jacked right up. Listening to Branson’s autobiography again today has really hit me hard. That, and talk with my colleague George (who is rapidly becoming an entrepreneur extraordinaire) regarding several ideas for ventures here […]
Taking positive action to bring about change
As many of you may know, I’m an audiobook junkie. Due to my attitude towards the use of time, reading physical paper and ink books is difficult. I feel uncomfortable using my time in that way. If friends give me books, I start to read them, but usually by the time I reach page twenty […]
Thought on New Years resolutions
Ri-kun on the tatamiI finished reading Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope” this evening. [Wikipedia] [official site]. The New York Times accurately described it as “much more of a political document. Portions of the volume read like outtakes from a stump speech, and the bulk of it is devoted to laying out Mr. Obama’s policy positions […]
Purpose
My sister Jessie (left) and I, age: quite young Personally, I’m yet to feel the effects of the global economic slowdown. I’ve not been made redundant, my salary has not been cut, overtime is still allowed. But I can feel it’s just around the corner. Local redundancies are being announced on a daily basis, and […]
Meeting with my past
It was good to see my brother and his partner in Devon. There hadn’t really been time to catch up at the wedding; it was important we do that before I leave. I’m so glad I made the trip down there. Likewise with my older sister, whom I met up with here in Bristol at […]
CELTA, and other means of self-improvement
My lesson today didn’t really go as planned. Whilst I think I met my goals as stated on my plan (present models of obligation / no obligation / prohibition and then provide writing practice), I did so in a pretty shoddy manner. Hhm, I may have failed it actually – I’m looking forward to receiving […]
CELTA: 25% down, 75% to go
We made it. First week of CELTA complete. 25% down, 75% to go! The Wikiepdia description is turning out to be spot-on: The full-time four-week course is very intensive, and students taking it must be prepared to dedicate all their waking hours to it for the duration. Even the part-time version of the course can […]
Another step towards openness
Being an Apple fan boy, I am very excited about picking up my iPhone in September. I’ve been finding myself in various situations thinking, “ah, if only I had an iPhone now I could… I know it’s not for everyone, but for someone who rarely goes anywhere without a Macbook, well, an iPhone would mean […]
The secret to forgiving
I’m now into week 7 of my TSI coaching course. Initial goals I set myself at the beginning of the course have mostly been achieved, thus, when this week I was asked to once again identify problematic areas within my life, I really struggled. In the end, I had to contact one of my coaches […]
My coaching course
I’m now in week 5 of my 12-week coaching course with TSI. Initially, I’ll admit I was pretty sceptical, but my friends and I had talked about coaching a little, and I figured it was at least worth a try. Nothing to lose, right? So, I signed up for a free coaching session with the […]
Team management profile – my report
A couple of weeks prior to coming on this ‘Change event’ I, and all other participants, were sent a (60 question) questionnaire to fill in order that a “Team Management Profile” could be drawn up. A TMP is essentially a 25 page report on you, showing your preferred roles within a team, detailing your strengths […]
SeeChange Residential Event: Day 1
It’s been a fascinating day today. Following that early morning jog, I slowly got my stuff together and headed over to the Computing Centre, where I was to met a couple of university ‘colleagues’ for the 50-minute drive down here, the Derbyshire Hotel, from where I’m now staying for a couple of nights (all expenses […]
Spring, Surveillance and coaching course call one
It’s been a great day today. First off, it was the beginning of Warm Spring. You could feel it brewing over the weekend with the muggy rain. It’s been an astonishing 72 hours, with a complete transformation of the trees in the churchyard opposite my house – just like that! Like a switch being flicked! […]
My Life Purpose
One benefit of committing the story of one’s life to a blog powered by Google, hosted by some other company and then sent to you by email (and then burnt to DVD) is that when one turns 90, the chances are there will still be a copy of it somewhere. Why should that be important? […]
Total Success Institute
Great day today. Got that video submitted to the competition – I’ve had that lingering on my to do list for several months now. Then, it was wedding planning. Phone calls made, meetings arranged, all very exciting! Following that it was congrats to my *Twinkle*, who in the month of March saw sales in excess […]
Phone call with a personal coach
Well, that was very interesting. I just had a 30-minute conversation with a life coach based in Thailand, worth $100, or $1000 depending on which literature you check. I paid $1 via Paypal. He’s published a couple of books, he runs workshops in various countries (including Japan), and has that vital appalling childhood story to […]
The ups and downs
I’ve been playing with my zoom lens. 1 second exposure, zoom out whilst the shutter is open. This was yesterday… Strange feeling of finality today. It could be due to my having taken part in my last ever SEAS open day, an event I always enjoy a great deal. As with every time, it was […]
Organic vegetables, Nelson Mandela, and your own thought processes
Ha. It’s another of those nights. Those nights when I go to bed, but feel so excited about everything and nothing that I have to get up again. Part of it’s the music, I know. I’m listening to Everything But the Girl – Walking Wounded. One of the few CDs I ever owned. Bought it […]
Time for a new book
This morning, whilst attempting to do more than 15 press-ups next in the park, I finally finished listening to the 13-hour audiobook version of Steven Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. It’s been a great listen, and I can understand why it has been received so well since its publication in 1989. Naturally, […]
Make the world a better place
One of the few blogs that I follow that does actually belong to a real live person whom I actually know, is My So-Called Japanese Life, written by Shari, a friend whom I worked with when living in Tokyo in 2002. Shari recently wrote a post with suggestions for ways in which one could work […]