SOFTWARE, JAPAN, SELF-ACTUALIZATION AND

Just a couple weeks ago, Ayako and I traveled back to Akihabara in Tokyo on a Saturday to look at laptops (i was in the market for a new laptop at that time). Akihabara is the electronic, computer, and geek mecca of Tokyo. Definitely worth a visit, or 3.

I previously posted about the new Gundam Cafe, and this last time we decided to stop in for a taiyaki (grilled waffle-like treat with sweet paste inside). Their taiyaki is shaped like the Gundam in the manga. We tried a non-standard taiyaki, ours was bacon-mayo

On another note, i found this great tasting Fanta - and then just 1 week later they stopped selling it in the local vending machines

Pineapple Fanta!

Currently I am in the States. This weekend has been extremely busy, but my schedule will settle down a bit after today. More posts will come this week with more photos about life in Japan - including a few interesting photos from a festival that happened the weekend before I left Japan

Seeing friends and family is nice, but it can definitely exhaust a person.

Here is a menu in Japanese. The kanji in the top middle say “meat!” which is very important for any westerner looking to eat in Japan. Fish and rice can keep the stomach satisfied only so long… eventually the carnivore inside most of us must be satiated by niku.

And here is the famous Takoyaki from a restaurant chain named Gindaco. I think I took this photo several months ago - because I can’t quite remember the last time I ate at Gindaco.

Takoyaki is a grilled dumpling with a small piece of octopus tucked inside. It is delicious!

Finally, since it is Friday, I leave you with one last photo. This one of a local Burger King advertisement. This year marks the 3rd year that Burger King has been open in Japan (not entirely true… BK was here once before, but then they closed up all the shops and left… and now just 3 years ago returned. It reminds me of Wendy’s - which just recently closed all its shops in Japan).

By the way, I’m in the US now… time to visit a real Burger King

Sushi is so tasty. 3 years ago I had never eaten sushi, but now I enjoy the occasional trip to the store just to pick up a fresh pack of sushi.

Last week Ayako and I were at the grocery store and saw this lovely pack of sushi marked down by 20%. The sushi was still fresh, but the store was going to close in 1 hour so they wanted to sell it. Good strategy for them and a good treat for us

I took 2 snapshots of this Yakisoba shop’s decor. I didn’t take any photos of the entire place, because it was a shared seating area with several other shops and not particularly interesting.

What was interesting was this really old Toshiba television set that they had wired up to play a clip about how the shop was around several decades ago.

In this second image you can see the yakisoba noodles getting grilled

Picture post from today. I was quite surprised when a lady approached our dinner table and offered everyone sitting there a free pack of cigarettes as part of some promotional campaign. Smoking and tobacco are widely accepted in Japan, and just about every restaurant allows smoking at the tables (with no real smoking or non-smoking sections). But having someone pass out free packs of cigarettes is definitely a new one to me.

(for those that don’t know, I am not a smoker… i personally hate that habit)

Jacob Hudson and his girlfriend Porscha are my first American guests in Japan. We had a nice dinner then retired to the apartment for a few beers and chit-chat.

Tomorrow I’ll be busy with work, but it was nice to see a friend from the States today. He will be traveling around Japan this week, so I probably won’t see him or Porscha much over the next few days

:) The book is now on sale. :)

Normal posts resume on Wednesday

Today I am extremely excited to announce that my book is ready for preview. I’ll be providing a link to download the book right here.

“The Two-Minute Challenge” is about self-actualization. Not only is this topic interesting to read about, but it can change your life when you seriously think about it. What are the driving forces of life? What is your strongest motivation? Where is your life going, and in what direction should you be steering?

From the book’s back cover:

What does a Prussian king, pre-Roman warlord, Sir Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus, a stand-up comedian, and a bunch of caterpillars have in common with you?

Goals.

However, not all goals are made equal, and some people reach their goals, while others never cross the starting line. Do you sometimes fall into that latter group?

So why do some people reach their goals while others don’t? What motivates a person to achieve great things? How can you turn a dream into action, and why is it imperative that you start chasing your dreams today?

Enter the Two-Minute Challenge. This is going to be both the easiest challenge of your life and, perhaps, the hardest challenge of your life. If you want to lose weight, build muscle, learn a language, write a book, change your outlook, or just reach your full potential, then you need to start here. The Two-Minute Challenge will get you quickly moving toward your goals, all while blending a bit of history, psychology, and personal reflection together to shed light on the secrets to goal pursuit.

Join the journey for self-actualization, and learn what exemplary people do differently to help them reach their full potential. Don’t procrastinate, open this book and start your Two-Minute Challenge today!

My final proof for “The Two-Minute Challenge” was approved a few days ago and it will show up on Amazon.com for purchase within the next 7 days. But, what can you do today?

Go the newly launched companion site Mind over Motivation (mimoti.com) and sign-up with your email for a direct alert when the book goes live (and also receive a special extended preview).

Or, download the normal preview PDF here:

Final note: The book is not available on Amazon yet (will be in the next 3-5 days).
ISBN 1452888892
216 pages, 22 chapters, ~53,000 words

Special thanks to Matthew Braddick for superb developmental editing.
Special thanks to Laura Roberts for excellent proofreading.

Wooohooo!

So this past weekend my basketball team played in a tournament. It was a Saturday morning tournament starting at 930 AM (warm-ups before that). We were both nervous and excited - and ready to prove that the last 4 months of weekly practice had helped

About four months ago we played in our very first tournament. In that tournament 4 months ago, out of 12 teams, we placed 9th… not bad, especially considering that all but 1 of my teammates have never played basketball before 2009 (they played other sports like snowboarding, martial arts, baseball).

However, this weekend we came out with a better team strategy. Better defense, and much better rebounding skills than the last time (the main focus of our practice has been defense and rebounding).

We placed 2nd this time! Next time, we will be the champs!

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Here a short video clip showing an offensive play we practiced. Pass to the high-post for a jump shot. Great job Anada san! I hope to have more video later.

We even had 1 girl play on our team, she made six points (good 3-point shooter!).