The countdown is on

Well, it's really starting to hit me that I'm leaving. I'm now thinking in terms like, "only five more shaves till I finish work," or "I should really eat at this restaurant today as I might not be back in this neighborhood again before I leave Japan."

My group took me out for lunch today as a little goodbye party. I hope whoever comes after me takes good care of them. I don't think I was very nice to them because I was always so stressed out dealing with my boss. But we must have made some sort of connection: they clubbed together and got me the pen below as a parting gift. I don't know if you can really see the detail, but the pen is inlaid with red and gold dragonflies. You see, I once told them that one of my happiest memories of Japan was a trip to Yamanashi prefecture where I sat in the garden of a restaurant beside a reservoir in early summer with my sister and some friends and just watched hundreds of dragonflies fly in the blue sky around us. Just remembering that makes me smile, and now I'll feel the same way whenever I use the pen.

Second in a series: things I'll miss about Japan

Well, the move is really happening. My last day at work is March 2 and then I leave Japan on March 31. As the reality of what I am doing is setting in, I'm trying harder and harder to focus on the good things about my last few years here so that I'll say goodbye on happy terms. I'm finding it helpful to continue to jot down the things I'll miss. (None of which have been about work... so far, hahaha!) So here come three more:

Uniqlo


I may as well be sponsored by Uniqlo at this stage. Almost all the clothes I own come from there, and you cannot beat them for simple, good quality, inexpensive casuals. And they are far and away the best place for foreigners like me who don't fit the traditional Japanese size templates. The mothership in Ginza is currently being renovated and will open just before I leave as the world's biggest Uniqlo store. Luckily I'm not a compulsive shopper or I'd be planning to clean the place out before I send my shipment back to Ireland.

Japanese presentation


The attention to detail and thought that goes into presentation in Japan boggles the mind. Appearances count for so, so much over here. I will miss how even a 6-euro fast-food dish like the one above will be served with thought, care and artistic flare. However, I also now know very deeply how much effort and discipline is required to achieve these Japanese standards of quality. I will not dwell on the (many) times I have been scolded by a superior for not folding a piece of paper correctly or stapling a report in the wrong place, and don't even get me started on the deficiencies in my stamping technique. But these negative associations aside, living here makes you really appreciate quality and precision.

Open spaces





I bet you never thought anyone would say that about Tokyo. But to be honest, the city is extremely well served with parks and plazas and places to enjoy the outdoors. Here is just one example I passed through today by the Imperial Palace. All the people who come to Tokyo expect thronging streets, mad neon-filled crossings, and buildings packed one on top of the other. And the city has all that in spades. But the longer you live here and the more exploring you do, the more places you will find that allow you to get a bit of space outdoors. I think it must be because homes are so tiny - people would go really crazy if there weren't some public areas to get away from it all.

Conversations with my mother

Me: so yeah, the woman I was out with last night, I hired her...

Mother: say what now?!!

#thehiddenperilsofworkinginHR(makingyourmotherthinkyoupayforit)

Today is a big day in "2012: a year of changes". I just submitted my first funding application to do a Ph.D. later on this year, so the whole thing i

Today is a big day in "2012: a year of changes". I just submitted my first funding application to do a Ph.D. later on this year, so the whole thing is starting to feel real. You have to really big yourself up in these applications, so I ended up writing the thing as if I was going to find the cure to world hunger. In reality, I feel much more like image below. (P.S. This post was really just an excuse to show the cute dog to my sis and mam.)