So, in the United States, I'm assuming that many people enjoyed their turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and perhaps egg nog. I was fortunate enough to enjoy my last Thanksgiving in '05, but that was the last time I experienced such a feast. I've been splurging in my shopping recently. I think I have some sort of shopping addiction. Especially when it comes to golf. In my last post, I said "healthy hobbies", but perhaps it's getting to the point where it's "unhealthy". Well, with the side-jobs that I have, I can technically afford them so I suppose it's not so bad after all. My dilemma at this moment is, yes, shopping related. I'm looking into getting a sports watch, mainly for golf.
Nike Mens Torque Watch, Silver
Nike Triax Swift ADX Watch
These are the 2 watches that I've boiled down to. The great thing about it is that both of them are under $100. Please give me your input.
These are watches that I already own:
This is why I want to get a digital watch for once. All of the watches I own now are analog. All of your input would be greatly appreciated. Torque or Triax?
I've been told many times, "You really like the word 'mediocre', don't you?"
It's not that I necessarily LIKE the word, but rather a feeling that I often get with life in general.
AGE:
Right now, I am 26 years old. 26 is definitely not a kid anymore, but neither is it really a FULL adult. Not only that, for me specifically, I don't like the taste of alcohol and really enjoy my milk and soda(separately, of course)... and am not a big fan of black coffee.
In business, I would think that there would be a pretty significant difference if I were to visit a new/potential client alone vs. visiting with a supervisor. The chances of gaining trust or a new business opportunity is MUCH higher WITH the supervisor, unless of course the supervisor really sucks.
And, this may cause a ruckus with those in their 30s and 40s saying "WHATEVER MAN!", but I honestly can feel deterioration in the body. Yes, I must admit that I've become more "plump" than before, but as a whole, I know that I don't have as much energy compared to when I was 18. Of course, this may be cured with simple exercise...
CULTURE:
As in my XANGA profile, I would easily be described as "Not American enough, Not Japanese enough." This does sound a bit pessimistic, and it's not that I'm a negative thinker, it's just that I sort've get annoyed when I come across people who consider themselves "bilingual" or "bicultural", speaking either broken English or broken Japanese, and/or complaining about how Americans do this, or how they hate the way of the Japanese mentality. Therefore, I would prefer to humble myself than be proud of something that may be false hope. The reason why I say this is because most of the people that come across saying that they're "bilingual" or "bicultural" often don't realize that they're not fully up to par.
By saying all of this, I may be coming off as quite the ass, but this is just a field that I feel very passionate about. I honestly think that there should be a grading system for bi/multi-lingualism or bi/multi-culturalism. Then we can credibly put it in our resume "Level 5 Bilingual - Japanese/English" or something of the like. But then again, I do grade myself in my own resume for languages I speak (i.e. English - Fluent / Japanese - Fluent / Spanish - Communicable). Now that I realize it, I should really take off that Spanish part. The Spanish section of my brain has completely flown away. Or maybe I can just add in the word "slightly". For those that took Spanish in High School, do you still remember all that preterite or changes in verbs and what not? The only Spanish I could speak fluently would be whatever words necessary in a taco shop.
Yo quiero ocho carne asada tacos por favor. Para aqui.
Mas cebollas por favor.
rojo y verde por favor. separado.
Yea... I guess we can add in the final phrase "Gracias, amigo" I've also noticed that some Mexicans seem annoyed when encountering an Asian "trying" to speak their language.
Speaking of culture, in our company, we are just about to hold an Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting soon, in Tokyo. I, personally, will not be attending the meeting, but have done my part behind the scenes. In this, there is a section where we will be slightly covering the Japanese culture.
Distinctions of the Japanese Culture:
As stated earlier, I consider myself "Not American enough, Not Japanese enough", but most of my friends beg to differ. American friends telling me that I've gone a few notches up on the fob scale, and my Japanese friends telling me that they wouldn't have known that I was American until I told them.
So, I would like to SIMPLY cover a few cultural aspects of Japan that I've noticed.
This is a major factor of the Japanese culture. In other Asian countries, I've learned that it is much more formalized, only being done as a sign of respect in very formal situations such as weddings, funerals, etc. and/or as a sign of deep apology, but done rarely.
In Japan, it is much less formalized. I've been told that I bow a lot. Even when I worked at Express, I bowed to customers, and this was in CA...
There are different forms of bowing:
Eshaku
A tilt of the head, often used as a greeting or "Yes, I noticed your presence"
Ojigi
Pretty equivalent to the understandings of westerners. Perhaps after a piano concert/recital, people would either bow or curtsy. This is also a more formal greeting than the Eshaku. The deeper the bow, the deeper the respect.
As seen in this picture, the depth/angle of the bow differenciates the level and there are actual names for each. 15 Degrees - Eshaku (same as above) 30 Degrees - Keirei - Most common in business situation 45 Degrees - Saikeirei - Formal situations such as wedding/funeral, meeting person in charge of client's side, or deep apologies 90 Degrees - When meeting someone in a very high position such as the emperor.
Dogeza
I believe that the image itself is pretty self-explanatory, but for those who have difficulties imagining the situation, it is used out of desperation of either guilt, or perhaps at a time when you REEEEEEEEEEALLY need something and feel that you cannot leave without the other person agreeing to your request. Or an extremely deep expression of respect.
Ok... I was going to go into more details of things I've noticed in Japan... but perhaps I'll save it for another occasion. I sort've forgot the reason of why I started this in the first place....
These are some anime that I have been watching these past weekends. I was recommended these anime by a former student of mine.
Kanon:
Very interesting series. Something I couldn't stop watching. It has a slightly mysterious feel to it. I highly recommend this.
Clannad / Clannad After Story:
Clannad, at first, seemed identical to Kanon. Please do not watch the movie unless you REEEEEALLY feel like you're just wasting your time with the series. Clannad, is ALRIGHT, but in order to truly appreciate Clannad After Story, I strongly recommend watching it in order. I haven't cried watching an anime in a long time, and this series did it for me. Honestly, I can't recall the last anime that made me cry...
Higashi no Eden
K-on
AIR
Higashi no Eden:
The image has that "Honey and Clover" feel to it. But the story has this sort of "Born Identity" mixed with a Japanese pure love story. I only watched the first DVD so far, but look forward to the coming episodes very much.
K-on:
This is something most Japanese would call "Honobono-kei"(translated as "relaxed" or "warm-hearted"). Something that makes you feel happy, just watching. Again, I only watched the first DVD so far, but look forward to following episodes.
AIR:
This series, unfortunately, I have not seen any episode of, but is in the same category as Kanon and Clannad. Hopefully, this series is just as good.
Community
so... I saw that there was a sort of buzz going around on facebook about this TV-series. Because I live in a different country, I'm pretty much OUT OF THE LOOP. But then again, I wouldn't be surprised if I were out of the loop even if I DID live in the same country...
Well, I must say I am also looking forward to coming episodes of this series as well.
Ok.... I guess, I don't give that many bad reviews... Anything that takes me out of reality helps.
Wow... the comments for this article are pretty harsh.
Again, I consider myself a Christian. A real Christian. Whatever other people would define a "Real Christian", I have no idea.
I don't think I'm a "Sunday Christian", nor a "Buffet Christian". After the "Da Vinci Code", I've come across many people who say "I'm Christian/Catholic, but I only believe in parts of the bible." And I ask.... "What in the world are you talking about?"
Christianity is based on the bible. It's not something you believe in half-assed. Neither is it something to believe only bits and pieces of.
This may be very extreme, but it's like saying:
"Yeah, the bible says a lot good stuff, but I don't believe that murder is bad."
Of course, we can switch the word murder with pre-marital sex, stealing, lying, etc.
However yes, back to the original topic, "Evolution vs Intelligent Design".
It really sucks to admit it, but I also agree with the stereo-type of a Jesus-freak. Close-minded, stubborn, ignorant, illogical and most of all, hypocritical.
Ok. God created everything in 6 days? Yes, God could have created everything in 6 days. Is that a literal sentence? I have no idea.
Adam and Eve lived til how old? As did Noah, Abraham and Isaac?
Are there ages possible? SURE! But is it logical? Unfortunately, not. Especially considering how short the lives were of people back in the days.
Now is it possible that God created the heavens and the earth in 6 "GOD" days? (however long that may be).
Or perhaps, that Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham and Isaac could have been based on a slightly different calendar, rather than being like 200 or 300 yrs old?
Couldn't God have somehow used his miraculous, omnipotent powers and created the logic of science, and utilizing it in creating the earth? Is it not possible that God might have incorporated science in creation?
Does science have to DISPROVE God?
This is my opinion, but I don't think so.
Science is awesome! The Universal Theory of Gravity. Some people even say the "Law of Gravity". Unfortunately, it is not a fact!! But I surely believe it. If you don't believe in gravity, be my guest, jump from the grand canyon, jump from the empire state building. That is surely not my responsibility.
The theory of evolution, again is not a fact. But Darwin did have a good point with the Finches. Micro-evolution is all around us.
Macro-evolution may be the difficult part.
Now, "Macro Evolution", this is the challenge. This is the hard part to truly believe in.
I guess we can start from humans. Did we really come from apes?
Did it really go from single-celled organisms to fish to amphibians to reptiles to birds to mammals?
Did a single-celled organism evolve both into a plant and animal? If that is true, I wouldn't be surprised to see a talking tree.
Was there REALLY, the exact amount of necessary gas molecules at exactly the right temperature, creating the perfect amount of amino acids, combining together perfectly to create proteins, and then the perfect amount of proteins, come together perfectly to create a single-celled organism?
Not just once, but a million times?
We must also remember, that the big bang theory and spontaneous generation: These 2 theories are like the following example.
Imagine, taking apart a watch. All the small little gears, screws, nuts and bolts. They're very small.
Put it in a little box. Shake it around.
How long will it take for your watch to come back together?
How many tries would it take for you to throw paint on a canvas and get a mona lisa?
In these arguments, I can honestly say that these theories are pretty much "religion".
I dunno... Creationism or Intelligent Design is not science.... I'm sorry. It is a mere belief.
I am not against the idea. I just don't think it's science.
And here I go again, writing a little too freely. With no structure....
So I thought this film was pretty interesting. To be honest, I don't fully understand the moral of the story, but I still did find it interesting.
"What have I contributed to this world?"
Have you ever asked yourself that question?
I find it quite sad, that I can't seem to just "forget everything and have fun." I can't even understand that concept anymore. How do people do that?
That whole "I don't care about anything." cool guy. I thought that all finishes in high school.... Does that continue on all throughout our lives?
Because I've been venting so much, many people have been telling me to "relax" or "don't stress out so much" but if that were even possible, I totally would.
I would love to take a break. More so than the wedding ceremony itself, I'm looking more forward to the golf round the day after the ceremony, and the week after, I plan to full-on, relax at the beach.
