Minimalism - Online Income - ESL - Japan
When I was a kid, thirteen to be exact, Was (Not Was) released a song called ‘Walk the Dinosaur’, which was a huge hit in 1988. It’s one of those songs you don’t forget, and I tend to sing it to myself every time one of my elementary school students chooses the ‘dinosaur’ from a bunch of stamps I use for homework and rewarding the kids at the end of […]
Since I found out that I’m gonna be daddy, I’ve been posting pictures of the progress Peanut has been making. Today, Mami and I found out that Peanut is a boy! Neither of us minded either way, but I’m quite excited about the prospect of teaching him to ride a bike and play soccer. We got loads of baby clothes from friends of Mami’s mum, but they’re all pink! Oh […]
In the autumn of 2005 I launched the ESL Writing Wizard and the following spring I added the ability for teachers and parents to ‘publish’ the worksheets they made. While they have the option to make their worksheets public, many of them have. Today, I’m proud to announce that the site has reached a landmark figure of 5,000 published worksheets. I started the ESL Writing Wizard when I was working […]
But I do take a shower. Baths in Japan are quite different from what I was used to in the U.K. Instead of a place to wash, a Japanese bathtub is a place to relax. Famous for its hot springs, Japan also has many public baths, and people here aren’t too embarrassed to strip off and jump in a bath with a complete stranger. At home, the whole family will […]
When I was about nine, my parents bought me a Commodore 16 home computer, the little brother to the hugely successful Commodore 64. This was to be a turning point in my life as I started computer programming, which eventually led to me a degree in Computer Science. While I was never really mathematical, I loved problem solving, particularly when I could create the problems I would have to solve. […]
In my post Ballroom dancing in Japan I told you how I got into dancing, and it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned it again. So for the record, I haven’t given up and I still take lessons once a week. My wife Mami, on the other hand, stopped going when she learned she was pregnant about four months ago. This has caused a bit of a problem because I’m […]
I love chocolate. I want chocolate. I need chocolate. I used to be a skinny teenager, so my mum would keep a stash of chocolate bars in the fridge for me to have everyday to help me gain weight. Unfortunately, I’m still 6 feet tall and weigh a featherly 56kgs! On the bright side though, I can eat as much chocolate as I want and only need to worry about […]
I got news this week that my parents have decided to sell the family home and move permanently to their holiday home in Eastbourne… finally giving my brother the motivation to find a place of his own! Anyway, this has got me thinking about some of the things I miss from home, and since I love Japan, you might be surprised at how trivial some of them are. 1. Family. […]