Thursday, October 22, 2009
Moved to a new blog
I moved the blog to http://aikanoh.wordpress.com/. Please visit there for the latest updates. The new blog is bilingual and English and Japanese contents are posted alternatively. Please subscribe the new blog if you like it. Thank you!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
By Chance
Note: I moved the blog to http://aikanoh.wordpress.com/. Please visit there for the latest updates. The new blog is bilingual and English and Japanese contents are posted alternatively.
I got my current job in March, 2007. I was applying a few companies abroad, mainly in India at the moment.
I luckily got an opportunity of job interview. There was a problem; I could hardly speak English. So I asked an English teacher to create a common Q&A list for English job interview and put the paper on the wall. When I got a call from my future boss, I repeated his questions changing the subject from “you” to “I” in order to make a little time to find my answers on the wall.
I came to India only after a few weeks from the job interview. I was wondering why I have passed the interview, and after all, simply understood there weren’t many job candidates at that time. Now there is more Japanese staff in the company, and the hurdle to be hired is getting higher and higher. If it was now, it was a physical interview, or there were other better candidates, I wasn’t here.
I am not a spiritual person so much. But I sometimes use this phrase, “called by India.” Among the foreigners, there is a too common question; “Why India?” People exchange this question every time when a new staff joins. For people who decided to come to India, it’s interesting to know others’ answer of this question. I have an answer, but the answer is just one of the possibilities. I am not telling a lie, but I say to myself, “It may be not all, but I don’t know the complete answer, exactly.” I believe other people don’t know, too. So I say “OK, you must have been called, too.” Reasons are not always necessary.
I guess understanding why you are called may be a little more important. The characters of Haruki Murakami’s novels would say, “We are not selecting anything in our life.” I agree. I am passive to my life, even when I believe I am selecting by myself. Who I am selects where I go unconsciously. That’s how I left Japan. That’s how you love someone beyond arm reach, or spends all your money for an uncertain business. You cannot decide, but your nature decides where to take you. I have been feeling how powerful this something inside me is, and which never listen to my words. Inside, there may be no difference between chances and decisions.
I got my current job in March, 2007. I was applying a few companies abroad, mainly in India at the moment.
I luckily got an opportunity of job interview. There was a problem; I could hardly speak English. So I asked an English teacher to create a common Q&A list for English job interview and put the paper on the wall. When I got a call from my future boss, I repeated his questions changing the subject from “you” to “I” in order to make a little time to find my answers on the wall.
I came to India only after a few weeks from the job interview. I was wondering why I have passed the interview, and after all, simply understood there weren’t many job candidates at that time. Now there is more Japanese staff in the company, and the hurdle to be hired is getting higher and higher. If it was now, it was a physical interview, or there were other better candidates, I wasn’t here.
I am not a spiritual person so much. But I sometimes use this phrase, “called by India.” Among the foreigners, there is a too common question; “Why India?” People exchange this question every time when a new staff joins. For people who decided to come to India, it’s interesting to know others’ answer of this question. I have an answer, but the answer is just one of the possibilities. I am not telling a lie, but I say to myself, “It may be not all, but I don’t know the complete answer, exactly.” I believe other people don’t know, too. So I say “OK, you must have been called, too.” Reasons are not always necessary.
I guess understanding why you are called may be a little more important. The characters of Haruki Murakami’s novels would say, “We are not selecting anything in our life.” I agree. I am passive to my life, even when I believe I am selecting by myself. Who I am selects where I go unconsciously. That’s how I left Japan. That’s how you love someone beyond arm reach, or spends all your money for an uncertain business. You cannot decide, but your nature decides where to take you. I have been feeling how powerful this something inside me is, and which never listen to my words. Inside, there may be no difference between chances and decisions.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The House Lizard of My Bombay Flat
The first city is the best city. Bombay is being my best city. Although I only lived two cities in my life, I just know it, like how you know your wife is your best without testing out other girls.
Some people prefer a life of traveling; seek the best in a lot of choices. I am not that kind of person. I am a Shepard more than a Traveler. If something grabs my heart and I love it, I just want to stay to watch and understand every little thing. Now everywhere I travel, I miss Bombay and feel like coming back soon, even on a short trip to Japanese home.
Bombay is not the cleanest place in the world, actually could be one of the worst. One of my friends who traveled a lot says Bombay is the dirtiest place. We can say it’s because Bombay is a big city, but even we keep the fact aside, it’s dirtier and inconvenient than other big cities. Water and electricity supply is short. Guys spit, pee, or throw garbage everywhere they want (of course not all guys). While you are eating in an open air restaurant, you can see a few big rats are running into a corner.
When you get out from the city to somewhere nice, like Kerala or Goa, you would be surprised how beautiful this world was. Green woods, coconut trees, clean air, the blue sky without smog, and clear water in rivers. People seem happier and are calm, living slowly. You can eat coconut curry and spend time on the shore, a clean shore without garbage.
But all the time when I take a time off from Bombay life, a part of me always wonder why I miss the city so much and want to go back. Could be because of the better service in restaurants, more choices of shopping, or I don’t know. I wonder. I conclude it’s the house lizard in my flat room, which makes me feel to go back home.
So, I am in love with the house lizard of my Bombay flat, and live my choti-choti life. My family and friends ask how long I am going stay here, and I always say “Just a little more.”
Some people prefer a life of traveling; seek the best in a lot of choices. I am not that kind of person. I am a Shepard more than a Traveler. If something grabs my heart and I love it, I just want to stay to watch and understand every little thing. Now everywhere I travel, I miss Bombay and feel like coming back soon, even on a short trip to Japanese home.
Bombay is not the cleanest place in the world, actually could be one of the worst. One of my friends who traveled a lot says Bombay is the dirtiest place. We can say it’s because Bombay is a big city, but even we keep the fact aside, it’s dirtier and inconvenient than other big cities. Water and electricity supply is short. Guys spit, pee, or throw garbage everywhere they want (of course not all guys). While you are eating in an open air restaurant, you can see a few big rats are running into a corner.
When you get out from the city to somewhere nice, like Kerala or Goa, you would be surprised how beautiful this world was. Green woods, coconut trees, clean air, the blue sky without smog, and clear water in rivers. People seem happier and are calm, living slowly. You can eat coconut curry and spend time on the shore, a clean shore without garbage.
But all the time when I take a time off from Bombay life, a part of me always wonder why I miss the city so much and want to go back. Could be because of the better service in restaurants, more choices of shopping, or I don’t know. I wonder. I conclude it’s the house lizard in my flat room, which makes me feel to go back home.
So, I am in love with the house lizard of my Bombay flat, and live my choti-choti life. My family and friends ask how long I am going stay here, and I always say “Just a little more.”
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Smile 0 yen @ Japanese McDonalds
Japanese McDonalds has “smile” on their menu. It’s free. Coke: 100 yen, French fries: 180 yen, and Smile: 0 yen. You can order a smile of the McDonald staffs as a side menu of the value meal.
It’s quite awkward to order like “One happy set with extra cheese and smile.” So I have never tried to order it nor have my proper friends. I don’t know what happens if you order ten smiles; whether ten staffs come to smile at you or one staff smiles at you ten times.
I don’t know if other countries’ McDonalds have smile on their menu boards. At least Indian McDonalds doesn’t have this menu. So this feature could be only for Japanese market.
You might say staffs in McDonalds smiles all the time without you ordering, or Japanese people always smile to anyone anytime. I thought so too. But not any more. Japanese McDonald staffs didn’t smile when I went back to Japan two months back. The shop was empty, but they had I-don’t-have-no-extra-energy-to-smile-in-my-life faces. It must be tough to live in Japan now.
On the other hand, Indian McDonalds staffs are very powerful now. Always smiling, shout orders loudly, even though they are very busy to deal with a long line of customers in front of the cash counter. Staffs are young, looking proud of being a part of a big economic growth of India. They say “Have a nice meal! Please visit again!!” So I feel good and I visit again. An easy customer.
It’s quite awkward to order like “One happy set with extra cheese and smile.” So I have never tried to order it nor have my proper friends. I don’t know what happens if you order ten smiles; whether ten staffs come to smile at you or one staff smiles at you ten times.
I don’t know if other countries’ McDonalds have smile on their menu boards. At least Indian McDonalds doesn’t have this menu. So this feature could be only for Japanese market.
You might say staffs in McDonalds smiles all the time without you ordering, or Japanese people always smile to anyone anytime. I thought so too. But not any more. Japanese McDonald staffs didn’t smile when I went back to Japan two months back. The shop was empty, but they had I-don’t-have-no-extra-energy-to-smile-in-my-life faces. It must be tough to live in Japan now.
On the other hand, Indian McDonalds staffs are very powerful now. Always smiling, shout orders loudly, even though they are very busy to deal with a long line of customers in front of the cash counter. Staffs are young, looking proud of being a part of a big economic growth of India. They say “Have a nice meal! Please visit again!!” So I feel good and I visit again. An easy customer.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Describe your character
This is a common question you are asked in interviews or self-introduction, “Describe your character in short words.”
I often say my strength is being positive, and my weakness is thoughtlessness. One of my friends said it’s a good one as it has unity. A positive person can be thoughtless. But I am not sure if companies or organization want that kind of unity in their staffs’ characters. They surely want a thoughtful positive person.
However, as some says, no people are perfect. So I think my thoughtlessness should be acceptable. I just need a careful person around me and warn or question me. I started thinking this way after working in a company with more than 150 people.
When I was working in a much smaller group, there was some pressure on me that I should be perfect, or my lack affects the entire group. But now I think in this way – other people can cover my lack and may have better idea. If you know who is strong in what, you can just ask them. Build a better network is being more important than making myself a better person. This is a big change in my way of thinking in the past two years.
In a company, there can be many mannerists; one could be mean, one could speak too much, one work very slowly, self-centered, etc. etc. At the same time, the ones can be very speedy, patient, and skilled in particular fields. It seems to me that people are working very peacefully accepting each other’s character. I don’t want to imagine how people working with me describe me in this way, though.
This atmosphere is a little different from Japan; where people care of their characters or background quite a lot at work place. Being a nice person is sometimes much more important than working efficient. Being nice take lots of effort; we can use the energy for other parts of the work.
Do I not get self-improvement in this way of thiking? Maybe so.
I often say my strength is being positive, and my weakness is thoughtlessness. One of my friends said it’s a good one as it has unity. A positive person can be thoughtless. But I am not sure if companies or organization want that kind of unity in their staffs’ characters. They surely want a thoughtful positive person.
However, as some says, no people are perfect. So I think my thoughtlessness should be acceptable. I just need a careful person around me and warn or question me. I started thinking this way after working in a company with more than 150 people.
When I was working in a much smaller group, there was some pressure on me that I should be perfect, or my lack affects the entire group. But now I think in this way – other people can cover my lack and may have better idea. If you know who is strong in what, you can just ask them. Build a better network is being more important than making myself a better person. This is a big change in my way of thinking in the past two years.
In a company, there can be many mannerists; one could be mean, one could speak too much, one work very slowly, self-centered, etc. etc. At the same time, the ones can be very speedy, patient, and skilled in particular fields. It seems to me that people are working very peacefully accepting each other’s character. I don’t want to imagine how people working with me describe me in this way, though.
This atmosphere is a little different from Japan; where people care of their characters or background quite a lot at work place. Being a nice person is sometimes much more important than working efficient. Being nice take lots of effort; we can use the energy for other parts of the work.
Do I not get self-improvement in this way of thiking? Maybe so.
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