When I was young, I was a spoiled child. I wanted everything my way, and if it wasn’t, I would complain. Sometimes I would complain for no reason at all. Thankfully, I grew out of it.

I’m currently “in-between jobs” and looking for new “opportunities.” You know what I mean. I’m unemployed. Jobless. Trying to find work. But despite that, I’m still happy, though I do find myself a bit bored. However, since coming back from Japan, I feel I’m at one of the happiest points in my life. Want to know the secret? Life is no fun if you spend time worrying and complaining about things.

A few weeks ago I started reading Stephen Covey’s 21-year-old book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” It’s not a long book (a modest 300+ pages), but I do tend to take frequent, often prolonged, breaks. Anyway, it’s a book that I recommend, despite only getting to the third habit. It can be a well-needed and refreshing wake-up call to your life. Learning to take charge of your life and to live your life, and not just go through it, is a wonderful thing.

Many people want more money, more time, more skill, more something. Why don’t people go after it? Most of the time these people are lazy. Let’s look at the issue of time first. Continue reading People are interesting →

Since returning, I have been asked many of the same questions, one of them being, “What’s it like to be back?” Until last night, the answer I replied with was truthful, but rather negative sounding:

It’s bittersweet. I’m happy to see friends and family, but I’d rather be back in Japan.

While it’s true, perhaps a better way to express my feelings is to say I’m happy to be back so that I can increase my desire to be in Japan ever more.

In the meantime, I’m homeless and jobless. Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds. I’m staying with friends until I find a job, and I have some money saved up to help me.

Speaking of which, that’s sometime I don’t understand–why don’t people these days understand how to save money? Many people I know live paycheck to paycheck and complain about their financial situation. Yet, these same people go out to bars or clubs several times a month, buy $40+ videogames, go to the movies, have $50+ cable bills, eat out every day. If you cut all that back, or even cut it out completely, you’d be in much better shape. And if you charge things to a credit card, make sure you have money to pay off the balance in full each month.

To use the word that a friend gave me that perfectly describes the situation, this post will be bittersweet. I am moving back to Texas. After 7 months in Japan, the first five of which were spent teaching English, I must bid a temporary goodbye to the place I’ve come to call home. Continue reading じゃまた！Not さよなら →

Almost every Japanese adult I’ve met during my time here has 名詞 (めいし, or meishi), the equivalent of business cards. When I went to E3 back in 2007, I made sure to create some of my own to hand out, and it’s a good thing I did. Here in Japan, I’ve been without any my entire time. Until today.

Since arriving in Tokyo, printing up some cards has been a goal of mine. They’re great for various networking events, and to some people can even be impressive. Of course, with myself looking for work, this is a great way to tell people a little about myself. Much handier than carrying a resume with me all the time.

I think almost every single card I’ve received here has been two-sided. Many time, though not always, one side of the card will be composed in English while the other side is in Japanese. Mine follow this format. Some cards though have a logo or name on one side with pertinent job and contact info on the other side, such as the one for YMCK and Slate in the pic at the top of this post. Continue reading Business cards in Japan →