English

Today I met one of my friends and we talked about his English, Japanese people's English in general, learning English, etc. we often talk about this, because that is what my friend's job is about. I mean, I guess it's what my job is about to, but it's a bit different.

Anyway, I went into a bit of a rant because I had recently come across people who get all pissy because a Japanese person doesn't speak English. If this is at some place that specifically deals with foreigners - like immigration for example - then, yes I can see your complaint being valid. Japanese bank? Post office? Supermarket? No, you don't get to complain about them not speaking English.

I think from the Japanese side, it would be beneficial for the individual to know some English, for their own personal careers, experience, opportunities, etc. And it would definitely be good for businesses and organizations to have English speaking staff on hand. But for a foreigner to expect, or worse demand, that there be someone to aid them in English is awful imperious, don't you think? You're in Japan. The language of Japan is Japanese. Japanese people use Japanese. You should expect to hear Japanese from Japanese people who live and work in Japan. What right have you to come to Japan and demand that they speak a different language?

I, of course, am not good at Japanese. There're some things I don't think I could do in Japanese - like open a bank account or deal with contract stuff - without a friend's help. So I'm grateful to the English speakers who have helped me - both staff and friends. I realize they are under no obligation to me to speak English. So I appreciate that they do even more.

Okay, rant over.

The wonder of to-do lists

I often write to-do lists, though I seldom use them after writing them. I guess it's merely just a way to clear my mind a bit. Ive got a butt-ton to do these days and I'm not sure where to start. I feel like I need a mountain home that I can escape to and work without distractions. Like writers do in the movies. But those always turn out to be horror movies, and that situation is in no way relaxing. Or conducive to work.

So I'll just suck it up, write some to-do lists, and attempt to follow them.

First item of the evening:
Check out my friend's new blog - WTF People?

The end draws near......

That's how it sounds to me when I say I'm turning 30 this month. It's weird because I don't think it's old for others, but it sounds scary for me to be entering my 30s. It sounds like the start of the terrifying decent into an abyss of nothing but deteriorating bodies and lost dreams and time. Okay, it's not nearly that dramatic. It's more like - oh wow, my age starts with a "3" now.

I would like to use this as a perfect time to start taking care of myself - both mind and body. I was doing well about body last year but then I got busy, and then I moved and I just haven't taken care of myself lately. With my amazing rice cooker, I'm able to eat actual food again. I ought to be able to balance that out with some smoothies and water. I'm riding my bike more often (when it's not raining) and I'm planning to try out different physical activities this summer.

As for mind - I'm trying to challenge my abilities more often. I want to focus on my work, but I want to do things for myself as well - language exchange, writing, etc. This month I'll be presenting at Pechakucha, and that'll be a huge challenge for me. I'm quite nervous, but I want to create more chances to step out of my comfort zone this month.

So, I'm going to try to blog - here or on my other blogs - at least once a day. Wish me luck!