I’m just lurking around..
I spent around 12 days on vacation with my girlfriend. First we went camping in Nagano-ken for 3 days. We met up with some of her friends at a rock festival called Kiso-Kodo. It was fun and relaxing. Highlight of the camping was the food. Fresh grilled
seafood and wild boar.
After that, we spent the next 5 days in Okinawa. We flew in on a monday night, Naha then to Ishigakijima. We were on the tail end of a typhoon this night, so it was overcast and raining. The next morning we hopped on a speedboat and took a 45minute ride to Iruomotejima.
Continue reading ‘Been a busy past month.. Where to start? Vacation’
RANT:
Working in a international company in Tokyo, I am afforded the opportunity to work with people not only from Japan and American, but from all over the world. I recently had a discussion with both a partner of the company and my girlfriend in regards to the way people approach situations and the reasoning methods. Not only from a technical approach, but in general.
Continue reading ‘Logical vs Illogical reasoning.. Native vs Nonnative english speakers?’
At the Enterprise 2.0 conference (which I didn’t attend), Don Burke and Sean Dennehey from the CIA gave a talk on Intellipedia, the CIA’s internal wikipedia. As part of their talk, they cited a manual, including, this from page 28:
(1) Insist on doing everything through “channels.” Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions.
(2) Make “speeches.” Talk as frequently as possible and at great length. Illustrate your “points” by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences. Never hesitate to make a few appropriate “patriotic” comments.
(3) When possible, refer all matters to committees, for “further study and consideration.” Attempt to make the committees as large as possible — never less than five.
(4) Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.
(5) Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions.
(6) Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to re-open the question of the advisability of that decision.
(7) Advocate “caution.” Be “reasonable” and urge your fellow-conferees to be “reasonable” and avoid haste which might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on.
(8) Be worried about the propriety of any decision — raise the question of whether such action as is contemplated lies within the juris diction of the group or whether it might conflict with the policy of some higher echelon.
This is pretty much the way all business run in japan….
Sitting at the hospital, waiting for my mom to come out of heart surgery… In the waiting room, there are 19 other people ranging in age from 17 to 70. The 17 year old kid is the only one in here that could be considered a good normal weight. Everyone else is supersized and overly annoying.. for example..
The 45 to 55 year old women sitting next to me, on skype, chatting with a friend about the latest Britney Spears pictures. Literally, she turned the news down so she could talk to her friend. Even after I asked to be considerate of others she is still being annoying as hell. If she wasn’t using her edge card for access I would be up in her shizznitaz. SO ANNOYING.
Next, there are is a gaggle of fat women here discussing their exercise routine. Which I think really consists of them making laps around the buffet during lunch… and dinner. *sigh*
Since I am sitting at work on my last day, with nothing to do.. I upgraded the ole blogaroo and a few other things.
I went to the embassy this morning to have more pages added to my passport. I have to say I was impressed with the efficiency of the citizen services group. Perhaps the visa group isn’t so efficient though.
Not looking forward to the flight back…
Where the gun play ring all day nananana…
Coming back to StLouay! Between switching jobs and my mother’s heart surgery, I figured I can spend some time in the hometown.
I will be in town from the 4th to the 25th. Anyone up for meeting up? I will be bringing a guest, so there will be some obligatory tourism; Art Museum, AB Brewery, Zoo, Arch, Delmar, Magic house.. Anything else?
Hit me up.
Been busy as of late. An old honorable friend is in town and staying with me for a few weeks as he tries to make his re-entry back into this country. I am juggling with starting a new job that will be amazing, in every sense of the word and also dealing with those day to day japanese annoyances.
Which huge corporations own the small organic companies.. HERE.
This is really a interesting read.
Article copied from: http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/03/am-i-a-torturer.html.
Am I a Torturer?
Ben Allbright watches The Daily Show, worships Dave Eggers—and still wound up “softening up” prisoners in Iraq.”