The Last Entry From A Past Generation

Many things have happened in the past month, but it's all central to getting a new job. The Japanese have an expression that fits my current situation:

一期一会 (Ichi-go Ichi-e)
literally: One Time Period, One Meeting
closest meaning: Once In A Lifetime

So I got a new job. I got this job because I interviewed well, perhaps because I've been teaching students how to interview well over the past 3 years. I got this job because I had the knowledge they needed, which I got from following my interests and hobbies from middle school until today. I got t
his job because I found it online, entirely due to feeling like I needed a life change after travelling with my friend in Malaysia.

After being hired, my company helped me search for an apartment. We looked at a few, but the place I liked was owned by an old man. In Japan this usually means "not foreigner friendly". I think this man was also on the fence about letting me rent from him or not. Well, I closed the deal purely by c
hance! After warming him up through small talk (called "bean grinding" in Japanese) he revieled a shocking truth about his past. He went to Purdue for 6 weeks when he was young!!!

This is amazing because there is a very good chance he saw either my mother or father while there. He's around the same age, and my parents went to Purdue over the course of 6-7 years, split into two periods. Well, instead of telling him that unbelievable story, I explained that my grandparents are
living in Indiana. The look of disbelief on his face was tangible. I swear he thought I was just faking it to get on his good side. Honestly, I was equally shocked. Now he is my landlord. I need to give him some goods from Indiana so he knows I'm not a liar.

To finish, I should explain the title. This is the last entry on this blog from my phone I got 3 years ago. I figured a new job deserves a new phone too. It is my first smartphone (yeah, I am behind) so I am excited to be more up-to-date on everything digital.

Perhaps I will start to twit (twitter) my life.

Alright phone. say your good-byes.

サ‥ヨ‥ウ‥ナ‥ラ

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sent from W-ZERO3

つづく

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伊勢崎(Isesaki)

Here is Isesaki, my new home.
It's very different from Yokohama and Tsurumi. If anything, it is similar to a place like Salem or Medford. Perhaps it was some kind of "fate" for me to return to a simpler city, much like the towns I grew up in.
I am interested to see how the weather will be different out here.

つづく

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The Beat Goes On...

A few days ago was the first day I've seen my old Aoyama friends since before the Earthquake. We were in Shibuya to celebrate a friend's wedding - post-ceremony party. Compared to when we were all at University, we've all change. Some more than others.

As I was listening to everyone, I could see many characteristics of old women students in my young friends eyes (and words). I've taught well over 200 people in my career so far, and I've begun to see paterns in certain people and faces. Anyway, I got a little laugh from imagining my friends in the
ir 60. Shockingly that is only 32 years from now.

On the way back to the station, I stopped to listen to a street band.

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sent from W-ZERO3

つづく

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Damn phone!

I was half-way though a heartfelt post about the revelations of my friends growing old and never seeming to have enough time to get to know everyone, however my phone decided to not save my draft before exiting the mail program when I accidently hit the "End Call" button (located next to the arrow k
eys)!

So... main point I wanted to state: you can never tell what other people think of you, because you can never read their brains. However, you can listen to music together and get a feeling for what kind of character they think they are. However, only I know who they really are - to me.

つづく

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Business is a Jungle

"Business is not a game, it is more of a jungle." This is what I said to a hard-working millionaire.

I was speaking to one of my regular students today about the business world. This student was recently laid off by his company. It didn't matter to him though. Losing the position of CEO/President didn't mean his lifestyle was in danger. He was already a millionaire even before taking-up his positi
on.

He lost his job due to the pushing of an investment firm that owned a large part of the company's stock. Long story short: profits don't equal good business.

The investment group wants to turn the company into cash, that can be used to invest in other high-risk companies. Not too dissimmilar to skinning a cow. To do this, they must first kill the cow.

We wish business was like a game: set with rules and goals. However, it is not so organized. The business world is more like a jungle. It is chaotic and unthinkably complex. There will always be something bigger or faster than you that will take you down from out of nowhere.

This jungle is made from human nature. The trees are greed - for power, for acceptance, for money, for more. These trees are reaching towards a sky that can never be touched. The soil is security. To get security for food, security for a home, you must start at the bottom and get dirty. Some of us
climb trees or ladders hoping to get out, but no everyone. Most are forever stuck looking for some kind of security.

We all want security. We all want to feel important, or have the things that make us feel important. These two things can be accomplished within a company, within capitalism.

Can we change human nature? No. Can we stop capitalism? No. Then what can we do? Perhaps the only thing we can do is be ready and willing to fight for ourselves in the jungle. We need tools and knowledge. We need friends and family. And, most importantly, we need to remember our humanity. These wil
l help us in the jungle, in business, in our life.

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つづく

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