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Note: I'm sorry, but there are no pictures in this post. It is also very very long, though broken down into sections for easier reading. Unlike most of the fare on the pandablog, this deals with a subject that is rather important and of great personal concern to me. If you choose to read, thank you for your time. If not, do not fear, we will soon return to lighter fare. Thank you for...
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Posted on: 12/07/2007 10:28 PM
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I try really hard to like Japan, but sometimes, Japan makes it really hard to like it. As a foreigner in Japan, it's difficult to find an appropriate "tact" to take when dealing with the various obstacles and "cultural differences" one encounters in day-to-day life. The more strong willed type-A personalities among us might find themselves constantly clashing outright with the way "things are". Accustomed to the more aggressive head-to-head confrontational North American style they'll...
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Posted on: 08/01/2005 12:22 PM
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I've always had a sort of love hate relationship with the summer - it's wierd, I know, coming from Panama you'd expect that I'd be one of those sun-worshipping types: running about with my head in a tizzy at the slightest hint of heated rays pouring down through cracks in the clouds, going on and on about beaches and sand and surf and sports, barbecues and road trips - all that mess. And while being...
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Posted on: 05/01/2005 08:44 PM
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"Japan is not a friendly place to live if you are a foreigner..." "When push comes to shove, Japanese are not a very nice people..." As it says in the little profile box to the right, I had never intended the pandablog to be a soapbox for any sort of firmly held convictions I might care to pontificate about to the masses. This was always supposed to be a fun, light-hearted blog detailing my merry...
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Posted on: 12/09/2004 03:31 PM
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I've always been very sensitive to my environment - the people, places, noises, smells, things and sounds that surround me have had a direct effect on my disposition and well being since I was very young, though I supposed I only really figured this out a few years ago. In university, I noticed a direct effect on my "performance" - whether meaning productivity, academic marks or workplace efficiency - depending on the multivaried temperments and...
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Posted on: 11/18/2004 03:31 PM
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We will.. we will.. KILLYOUALLYOUEVILBIKEHARASSINGBASTARDS! Interesting. I have been here less than 4 months and already I seem to have made a mortal enemy in my apartment building. As some of you may know, my quite nice bike got stolen a few weeks prior. At first I sort of chalked it up to a random occurance of bike theft, ignoring signs to the contrary. Anyway, I got my bike back and sort of forgot about...
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Posted on: 10/30/2003 03:31 PM
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Tuesday was the vernal equinox day, and a beautiful day at that - I woke up at an appropriately panda-like lazy 11 am, took a leisurely shower (primarily for Denise and Kent`s benefit) and then strolled over to meet some friends for lunch at a beautiful outdoor cafe. I wish I had taken pictures of it - it was gorgeous, with dark stucco walls, wrought copper trellises coated with green patinas, arching gates and crisp...
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Posted on: 09/25/2003 03:31 PM
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I am not lance armstrong. I did not win the Tour de' France. These words were running through my head this past fourth of july, as I found myself meandering, lost somewhere in the dense foliage of south-western madison. On the surface, the plan was deceptively simple. In the midst of painting a huge oil painting for my mother (of two parakeets - the canvas is huge) I suddenly ran out of linseed oil....
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Posted on: 07/05/2003 03:31 PM
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The Enigma of Japanese Power In it's "fighting spirit", it's compulsory togetherness, its consciousness of rank within the company and more especially its proprietary treatment of the employee as a 'family' member, in a way that hinders his development as an independent individual, 'salaryman life' is clearly reminiscent of the military tradition. Indeed, most walks of Japanese life are hihgly regimented. It is ironic that the only country in the world whose constitution deprives...
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Posted on: 07/03/2003 03:31 PM
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i am at work for 14 hours straight today. i didn't get enough sleep last night, so as a consequence my vision is starting to blur. also, i had a major fight with satoko. the long and short of it: disliking many aspects of her personality, I decided it would be in our mutual interest if I stopped tutoring her. of course, my japanese not being sufficiently up to the task of subtly nuancing...
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Posted on: 04/20/2003 03:31 PM
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