Category Archives: Ramblings

Ramblings

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year!

Man, 2016 was a long year. Not only did a lot happen in the world that was emotionally taxing, but my own personal journey was made all the more difficult last year. Potentially one of the most difficult years to date, I’m not sad to see 2016 come to an end. Granted, there was a lot of good that came out of this time, too. Instead of droning on about how deeply I struggled with depression, loneliness, and career changes, I’m going to focus on the cool stuff I did this year. Continue reading →

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Ramblings

Under Construction!

Currently, I’m in the process of moving this blog over to my own server. Rest assured, I have no plans to put my blogging dreams to bed! I shall persevere.

As of late, I’ve done a lot of thinking about what “type” of blog I would like to maintain. Simply, I’ve decided to continue as I have. Topics such as travel, fitness, and so on.

(Featured image is some recent artwork!)

Continue reading →

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Ramblings

Welcome Back; Tidal Waves and Rainbows

My try-hard, ganbaru face

My try-hard, ganbaru face

You may have noticed an absence over the last year. Or maybe you didn’t (I won’t be offended). Well, I have good news for you: I’m back.

The last year has been quite the roller coaster for me. My previous post marked the final turn in my father’s health, and subsequent rapid decline. The prior November, in a last-ditch effort, he underwent a difficult procedure to “replace” his immune system to beat the Lymphoma. Remember my “Thankful for Superheroes” post? Well, that post was made just after he completed that treatment. He was such a trooper, the true image of strength and a positive attitude. I’m still learning these lessons from him, and will continue to do so for a long time.

It’s been nearly one year to the day since his passing.

Continue reading →

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Ramblings

Thankful for Super Heroes


Super hero and Isu·per /ˈso͞opər/ adjective
 1. exhibiting the characteristics of its type to an extreme or excessive degree
he·ro /ˈhi(ə)rō/ noun
 1. a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Last year, made a rather lengthy list of all the things I am grateful for. And that list still stands (mostly), but this year, I want to focus on one thing in particular that I am thankful for. If you’re as clever as I think you are, you’ve already deduced that this post is about super heroes. Just maybe not the ones you are used to.

Sure, Batman is brave. Superman is strong. Spiderman is agile. Green Lantern is fearless. But we already know this.

No, what I am thankful for are the ones that slip seemingly unnoticed through life. Unnoticed to all but those whom idealize them. All who believe that they, by the very definition of super hero, exhibit courageous, outstanding, or noble characteristics to an extreme or excessive degree.

In my life, when I think of super hero, I can only think of one person: my father.

Continue reading →

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Ramblings

Ellipsis

EllipsisI’m sure you’ve noticed a certain lack of post. An absence, if you will. Funny how life sometimes swoops in and takes you off your feet– not always in a feel-good sort of way either. It’s been a long, trying 4 months that I’m surprised I came out of without embracing some horrible vice.

There are a few things no one warns you about when you return home from a stint like mine. First and foremost, reverse culture shock. Ok, so people do warn you about this, but reading about something and experiencing something is entirely different.  Continue reading →

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Ramblings

Dropped the Ball

As the title suggests, I’ve officially done so. Life in Florida is fun only if you are me, seeing all of my old friends. Nothing to write about, however. Aside from trying a Zumba class and finally accepting the truth that I can’t dance. Other than that I’ve just drank a ton of chai lattes from Starbucks and sat on the couch working on my resume/portfolio. Shameless self-promotion link.  Continue reading →

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Around Koga, Ramblings

Farewells

Omotesando PartyLast week began the farewells, as I said good-bye to my third-years at my other school for the last time. It took some coaxing to get them to understand that they won’t see me again, but once they got it, they were clearly really sad about it. And these guys would get a “good-bye” whether or not I was staying.

It’s been a lot harder than expected! I’m not one to cry, but I can feel my self getting emotional at the farewell parties for the students. They gave me those lovely flowers and a small board with notes from students saying how much fun they had with me. The kids were honestly the only reason I really loved teaching here. I like my schools and my company, but what made me smile, what made me love it, were the kids.    Continue reading →

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Ramblings

A Bit of Extra Blogging

teaching-dinoJust to stretch my blogging legs (fingers), I’ve started writing a little bit for GaijinPot.com. It’s a great site filled with all kinds of resources for those wanting to live in Japan or for us already living here. My first with them went live a few days ago, please check it out! It’s all about the strange relationship I have with my students.

Originally, when arriving at my school, I was like a rock-star. Students would scramble to get a look at me, or hang out of windows to get a “Hello!” Those who had more yaruki (doing spirit) than others, would run up and try to say in broken English various points about my appearance.

Read the rest here.

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Ramblings, Travel

A Year in the Life

Ha Long BayTomorrow marks one year since I embarked on this journey. Well, it would be if it was a leap year and February 29th existed. But rather than dwelling on the mysteries of the Gregorian calendar, let me take a moment to highlight some of my favorite parts of this journey.  Continue reading →

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Ramblings

First World Problems

GinzaThe tag #firstworldproblems has been making it’s rounds for quite some time now. If you don’t know, it’s basically the issues we have living in a first world country. The silly things we get upset over. I.e. not having internet for 2 days. For me, that’s similar to torture. I love #firstworldproblems cause it kind of reminds you where your priorities lie in the scope of things. It’s also a bit of a chuckle when you think about the fact that, in all honesty, those stupid #firstworldproblems matter to us.

Of course, living in Japan (a first world country), I’ve uncovered some interesting problems that cause me grief regularly. If I sit back and think about these problems on a whole, I should probably admit they are simply #firstworldproblems.

So, here’s my list of fresh #firstworldproblems acquired in the Land of the Rising Sun.  Continue reading →

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