SOFTWARE, JAPAN, SELF-ACTUALIZATION AND

I’ve recently noticed an interesting trend with stamps and payments / receipts in Japan. There are two types of stamps you tend to see used quite a lot here.
The first is the ink stamp that comes from special instruments, that everyone here has, called hanko. We actually have 3 of these special hanko stampers. […]

Yesterday, at work we (2 of my coworkers and I) attempted to make falafel. I’ve sorely missed falafel since starting work at Cookpad, particularly the falafel shop with fresh made pita’s found near ILL’s office in Akasaka.
Every Monday, the 3 of us, and anyone that stops in to join, cook a recipe we find on […]

A couple months ago, the Tokyo Rubyist Meetup was held at COOKPAD’s office. I, as is usual the case, attended the event to socialize with other engineers in the Tokyo area.
However, to my surprise, this event had a special guest whom I believe most other Ruby developers would recognize (especially if they are Ruby on […]

The majority of my time lately (before work, during my lunch break, during the commutes, after work at home) has been spent on memorizing vocabulary. I’ve got 1 more week, and about 200 more words that I’d like to be confident I know… time is short.
On an unrelated note, my wife and I cooked up […]

I’m tired, and can’t think of what to write at this moment. All I can think of is that July 3rd is right around the corner. Yes, I said July 3rd instead of Independence Day.
July 3rd is the day I’ll take the JLPT. I’m on track to take and pass the N2 level test in […]

Last weekend, I cooked dinner with Ayako. This is what we ended up with for the main dishes:

Steamed broccoli and chicken with melted cheese sauce, spicy grilled chicken salad, and fresh cucumber.
Makoto stopped in for a visit and I decidedly invited Mr. Captain Morgan over as well:

And, I happened to find these photos on my […]

“A snack for nights” is what it says on the box. It is indeed a tasty Japanese treat, and a popular gift item. I happily received this box from my friend Abe-san.

“nom nom nom” - i ate them all

The weekend was rather long. Fortunately, it wasn’t boring - instead it was rather fun. Makoto stopped by for the weekend, he had a certification exam to take in Tokyo on Sunday. Out of 1000 people that take the exam only 40 will pass it and the follow-up interview. I wish him the best.
In other […]

I can’t think of anything eloquent to say; the last month or so has been an emotional roller coaster, but that’s life, and I have to move forward.
It’s time I dust the blog off and get back into the routine of writing. Besides, there’s no better time to focus on some positive news from the […]