你明白我在写什么吗？

Although Chinese has been my “to-learn language” for several years, I haven’t been able to improve much simply because my level of motivation was not that high.

Having known myself, I knew I was not going to take actions to establish my Chinese study habit quite soon, so I just found registration info on the exam called “HSK”, and before thinking too much, I signed up for it and paid, so there would be no way but to study for passing.

The deadline was in 1 month, which was descent timeline (as opposed to X years). In this entry, I am sharing my journey, including what HSK is, why I took and how I worked on to pass it in 1 month.

Continue reading →

5 simple ways you can apply right away to find happiness

Leave a reply

English, 日本語, Español , Français , Português

Another week comes in. You work hard, study hard, take care of your families, and try to find time for hobby or personal project if you can.

In the midst of busy life, it is important to stop rushing and ask one question.

Am I happy?

Sometimes we try even harder to be happy, because we think happiness comes from success, and success comes from hard work. This entry aims to let us all reflect that point, and take a stab at some of the actions you can take immediately…for what? To find happiness.

Continue reading →

5 Reasons to watch TED and 10 Recommended TED Talks

Leave a reply

English, 日本語, Español, Français, Português

When was the last time you got excited with any story? When was the last time you learned something interesting? Did you know that so many great stories are compiled in one place?

To me, that’s TED talk. I used to watch it occasionally. But in 2021, I decided to take challenge of watching 1 TED per day! And let me share some of the key learnings and my favorite talk in this entry.

Continue reading →

5 Things Good Facilitators Have in Common

Leave a reply

English, Español, Français, Português, 日本語

One of the most needed skills in the 21st century skill is facilitation, which is critical for leaders, educators, supervisors, parents, you name it.

Just because you know the content well, it doesn’t mean you can facilitate/educate others.

At the beginning of the year (yes, 1/12 of the year has passed) I had a chance to participate in 7 day training facilitated by more than 10 people. The topics covered are diverse including leadership, communication, remote work, job interview, etc. From there, I came across 5 main key points that were common among great facilitators.

Continue reading →

Happy New Year 2021 for 育

2 Replies

English, Español, Français, 日本語, Portuguese

Happy New Year 2021 from Kobe, Japan!

Please receive my warmest greeting and attached new year card I drew, hoping that your 2021 will be the year of “raise/harvest” as shown in Japanese calligraphy “育 (Iku)”.

The year of the ox (2nd Zodiac cycle animals) is said to be a symbol of the harbinger (buds) that will grow/move forward albeit slowly. Although 2020 was a tough year and in many ways an “increasing” year (増).

I hope you and your loved ones will have a wonderful 2021, both physically and mentally. I look forward to seeing you in person and/or online this year.

PS: Maybe you might see something in the drawing.

Warmest greeting,

Review 2020 to survive and thrive in 2021

Leave a reply

English, Español, Français, 日本語

This year already finished? Time flies!

I am sure you heard or said this phrase recently. But the truth is, time does not fly. In fact, it is one of the few things, if not only, that is equally distributed to everyone, so we need to keep reminding ourselves of it.

How was your 2020?

You might come up with some events or images in your mind or challenge caused by COVID-19, and so do I. But if you reflect more deeply, I believe there are lots of learning and takeaways. In that sense, Year-end is a great moment to review what you did and who you are, to thrive and even survive in the next year. In this post, I will capture my examples with new method, hoping you might get something out of it.

Continue reading →

10 reasons to go to Comic / Internet Cafe (Manga Kissa) in Japan

Leave a reply

English, Español, Français, 日本語

“I love Japanese comics/anime!” I’ve heard it from foreigners over and over. There is no doubt that Manga (comics) is a big part of Japanese culture.

“I love Japanese comic internet cafe (manga kissa)!”. However, I rarely hear it neither from foreigners nor Japanese.

As I believe Manga kissa has so many things to offer from around 20 years of experience, but seem to be unknown to many people, I will try to explain what it is, how I enjoy, and why I recommend it. I hope this will be useful for anyone who likes Japanese comics, culture and interesting/unique experience. I will also mention some of the manga I personally recommend.

Continue reading →