SOFTWARE, JAPAN, SELF-ACTUALIZATION AND

So, any guess what these things are on top of my microwave?

How about a better angle:

Yep, this is a milk carton that was pulled apart. In Japan, it is normal to break these cartons (for milk, juice, and other specialty drinks) down in order to drop them off at recycling boxes at the local grocery […]

In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln
Although psychological theories extend many centuries back, it was in 1879 that psychology as a science was birthed as an independent realm of study. In Leipzig, the German physician Wilhelm Wundt dedicated the first university laboratory […]

Tomorrow (Thursday) is a holiday in Japan… it’s really interesting having at least 1 holiday in 10 out of the 12 months in the year (only June and August do not have holidays, and some months have 2 or 3 days off as national holidays). I recall holidays in the US were really special events… […]

This weekend was a 3-day weekend. Monday being a holiday known as “Respect for the Aged Day”
Not only was the weekend a holiday weekend, but it was our 1st Anniversary of our wedding date. 9-19-2009 was the date of our ceremony in the USA, and - as my friend duly reminded me - is also […]

Why oh why does Burger King get so much time on my blog??? Probably because they do things like this:

おかわり　＝　Refill
Yes, that’s right… a refill on your WHOPPER!!!!
Check this out:

This says “BK Viking” (remember i mentioned that “viking” in Japan means an all-you-can-eat restaurant). And this viking is for Whoppers.
The fine print essentially says you […]

When I was in the US, I did a quick trip from New York -> Philadelphia -> D.C. by train. In my 5 hour stop in Philly, I was on a mission to eat an authentic cheese steak sandwhich after seeing the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
The place I went was called Jims Steaks, and […]

Well, this weekend was a milestone. I don’t play games much anymore (not like those days in college), but I occasionally dust off one of my Nintendo Wii games to make a little progress in the storyline.
After 3 years of playing this game, I have finally beaten it. Its name is “Okami” (大神 / 狼)

Okami […]

Bikes are everywhere in Japan. Schoolkids ride bikes to school while men in suits and women in skirts ride bikes to work. One thing that I recall being a “wow” experience my first time to Japan was the sheer number of bikes everywhere. Even in New York I never saw as many bikes as I […]

I haven’t finished posting photos from the trip to the US, but I am taking a break. Today’s quick post comes after a very long day of work. Preparing and migrating a complete site into a new design / structure / code base takes a lot of effort. Now that the majority of fires […]

Willis Tower is the new name for the famous Sear’s Tower in Chicago. Before having a family reunion at my brother’s house, we got a chance to quickly tour the city for the day.
Places we went: Navy Pier, Downtown (for pizza and a little stroll), Buckingham Fountain, Grand Central, and Sears / Willis Tower Skydeck.
Here […]