Tuesday, July 10, 2007

The Weekend to Wake Up

Have you ever had one of those weekends where things just seem to fall in place and you begin to really appreciate the track you are meant to be on? Well this would be the best way to describe my past weekend.

A friend from Sydney was in town for the weekend, and me being me volunteered to show him around this wonderful city, which has sadly become more of a living hell for me in recent times. First of all, it was really refreshing to take a look at Tokyo again through the eyes of a first-timer... made me really appreciate what a wonderful place it is, and reassure myself that it's just my situation and not my location that's coming down on me heavily of late. Adding to this was the light at the end of the tunnel that he provided through the discussions we had of Sydney, Australia and the alternative career that has featured in my mind prominently for the last 18 months. The circle of light is certainly getting bigger, and this makes everything on the way there that much more achievable. Instead of going into the sites we saw (as you can see a similar story on a previous entry which I have yet to take down) I am going to delve back into what it is that makes us make the choices we do (apologies... I know it is very self-indulgent).

I know I am a very lucky person, and I am very appreciate of that. I work pretty hard, but even all the hard work in the world doesn't guarantee success unless the circumstances are right... and this is where I am so lucky... as my circumstances thus far in life have been mostly very good. Earlier this year something happened at work which resulted in me almost doubling my salary (if you can't work out what, take a look at 'Hong Kong Heat Wave' for a hint. In the 6 months since that happened, the main thing I have realised is that money doesn't make that much of a difference - especially if you have no time to do anything with it. When I reflect on the way I have chartered my career path, I can see that a lot of it has been to do with earning potential... I'm more convinced than ever (and this is not a direct result of this past weekend but more a culmination of many months of confusion) that everyone has a magic limit after which their life is not really changed that much. Obviously the number will be different for everyone based on their individual circumstances and is likely to fluctuate over time. It's very helpful if you can work out what this number is and where it is moving, because it can help you focus your life and career on things much more important than money. In my case for example I am fairly confident I know what I need to earn to have a life that is fulfilling... so now I would be happy to pursue something else which, at least in the short-term, will earn me a lot less but give me the satisfaction I need out of life. But making the jump will be difficult and may take a few years of savings first.

So how did I get onto this idea for a post based on the friend I spent the weekend showing around Tokyo? He's in the career I see myself in... and very patiently took the time to answer any and every question I had. Thanks to him I have such a clear view of where I am eventually headed 5 to 15 years down the track, and this is really helping me deal with where I am at the moment. Life is short and sadly the grass always seems greener doing something that you currently aren't. In my case it definitely is greener... I'm confident the grass I am standing on now is not and will not be as green as where I am going... when I finally get there. So thanks very much to Mike for tying up the loose ends in my train of thought in terms of where I see myself going. Not sure when I will get there or even start on the journey... but I definitely know it is ahead of me and look forward to it a lot.

Ok enough self-indulgence... what I have learned this year is that I need friends to come and visit me for two reasons - firstly, so I can show them a fantastic time in Tokyo that is not as easy to experience when you are alone acting like a contestant in Amazing Race with a bung compass... and secondly because it helps me enjoy the place too. So the rest of you lazy bastards who have yet to visit me... hurry up!! And for the sake of work commitments please discuss amongst yourselves so you can pace your visits out to once every 2 months for the rest of the year :p

Seriously though guys... come up and see this fantastic place... you won't be disappointed.

Good night...

Justin.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Night Attack: Crazy Man in My Apartment :S

Sorry, it's been a while since I updated this... amazingly some of you have even emailed to ask what's going on. Either you are very sad, bored individuals... or maybe what I write is actually interesting. I am going to be nice to all concerned and assume the latter.

So... something happened last night that certainly deserves a blot entry. First of all to give you some background I need to establish how tired I was (and thus validate the mistake I made that allowed the below events to ensue).

Yesterday was a usual nasty and very early Monday morning, and the entire day was equally nasty with issue after issue. On a positive note it went so fast as I literally had no time for myself and as I walked through the door it felt as if I had only left 10 minutes earlier. Anyway, so I got home around 10pm (straight from work... no drinks honest!) took off my shoes and dived into bed for a little rest before intending to get back up and 'do the necessary' as some of my Singapore colleagues say (basically shower and clean my teeth). No surprises I fell straight asleep without doing any of this... 'oh the morning breath' I hear you say... but not to worry... as I was to be very rudely awaken only a short hour later.

So as I am happily sleeping away in my suit pants and business shirt, suddenly a tall dark figure bursts into my apartment, kicks my shoes into the hallway ('oh no, not the shoes' I hear all my Japanese friends say) and then proceeds to trip over my laundry basket and fall onto my kitchen floor. I jumped out of bed not knowing what had happened... remembering I do live in Roppongi so there are lots of freaky people around... but my building has 3 security guards... so I had no idea what I was facing.

So I jump to my feet and switch the light on... all I see is this big Caucasian guy flat on his face on my floor, clearly very drunk without that faintest idea of where he is (was nice to notice I wasn't the only one dumping in my pants). I was a literal hysterical and went for the cricket bat in my closet (yes I have one and had played with local Aussies in Yoyogi on a few weekends). By the time I had it in hand he was back on his feet... and then I realised it was my neighbour, now looking very worried on account of the fact that I was holding a wooden killing stick of some sort that he has never seen before (he's from the US). He apologised and very quickly left my apartment.

Turns out I had forgot to lock my door after getting home so tired... and I am just assuming that my neighbour was very drunk and went for the wrong door... what a relief (even more so that I was so appropriately covered in clothing). As luck would have it I bumped into my neighbour the next morning as I left for work... the nasty bastard saw me, didn't say a word, and promptly returned to his room so he didn't have to endure taking the lift with me. Needless to say, I will be locking my door (all three locks) henceforth.

Time for bed... work in 5 hours :(

Friday, June 1, 2007

Hong Kong Heat Wave

Well not much has changed since I last posted here... still living to work as opposed to working to live :( Just got back from a week-long trip to Hong Kong. It was a really interesting trip and I got to see the 'outside of work' side of two very senior traders who I work with on a daily basis. If you ever get the chance to go to Hong Kong you should jump at it... it's an amazing city with so much to see, do and eat!! I will just give a brief run through of the highlights of my trip... then outline the dos and don'ts of going to HK.

So it all started on a Sunday afternoon when I rocked up to Narita (you know, that lovely airport which services Tokyo but just happens to be 3 days journey out of town). I made my way through ticketing and customs to the Cathay Lounge where I bumped into an old friend (overtly gay) who works at a rival bank and who I hadn't seen in ages. We were having a good old chat about all things that drive us inane (so yes, a conversation mostly about work) when one of the senior traders came long. He introduced himself to my mate, after which he proceeded to eye me over in a very strange way... made me wonder what he was getting at. Anyway, later on the plane he revealed the reason behind his look... you are not talking to [INSERT BANK NAME HERE WHO TRIED TO POACH ME IN FEB] again are you? Phew... I thought he was going to ask something else ;) Told him I was just getting some insider info (which I had indeed done) and put that one to sleep.

Now for HK... arrived and shot through Customs in no time... then proceeded in style to the new Mandarin... what a fantastic hotel!! Checked in, showered, changed and head out on the town with the rest of the crew. Had an awesome time aside from the preemption of the hang over I would have the next day. Woke up next morning at 4am... sure enough head pounding and not wanting to do much. Breakfast arrived at 4:30am along with three Tylenol to help get me off to work. Went to the HK office and met all of my colleagues, and then embarked on a day of meeting clients. Was an awesome day... getting the chance to see how business is done in another country (i.e. NOT Japan - yay!) was a lot of fun... we were received well and for just a moment I was able to feel proud about the amazing brand I work for and almost forget how I am enslaved in a financial sweat shop ;)

Anyway... the next 3 days were pretty much the same, so not going to bore you with the details. On to the fun stuff... each night the crew and I had the chance to eat at some amazing places... of course there was Chinese, but also lot's of other stuff like Brazilian and Spanish - YUMMY! But even better than the food was the wine... awesome stuff - a much better range than what I am used to in Japan. Better than all of this though, was the time I got to spend with the senior traders. I'm not one to be scared of people at work (it's usually the other way around) and I am by no means scared of these guys... but there has always been a tangible barrier here. Well not anymore! Absolute great bunch of guys and am confident I can go back to work and join them for drinks (leaving all the other scaredy cats to do even more overtime than me).

Finally about HK:

Good points...
- food is AMAZING (had Chinese, Italian, Brazilian, Spanish and more Chinese... YUMMY!!)
- bars are very relaxed but also classy (and they mix a MEAN mojito!)
- the view of HK island is amazing... such an organic city in term of it's growth and shape (does that make sense?)
- the people are very friendly and professional
- there is plenty of cultural stuff to see and do... and lots not in the guidebook to ensure a day of just getting lost will be a lot of fun
- the shopping is amazing

Not so good points... (have to be careful here as I have a lot of friends from HK)
- you are very lucky if you get to see the abovementioned view through the 364 days of smog that seem to overrun the city
- it is so damn hot and sweaty, and the smog sticks to you and makes you dirty (stay inside!!)
- people need to take lessons in lining up and not pushing in (this one drove me crazy, but I learned fast that I can just go to the front an no ones says anything)
- the credit card debt after you get home from the amazing shopping (not looking forward to that at all)

So overall a very fun and productive trip... as said, if you ever get the chance definitely go and see it.

Time for bed... work in just over 4 hours :)

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

So OVER This...

Aaargh... I am so over this place... work sucks and I don't get enough sleep. I want a four day week... hell, I want a 9-5 five day week... even a 6-6 five day week would be ok... anything but this :(

Sorry... no time for posts lately... so busy I have cut down showering to once a week and washing undies once a month ;)

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Homogenized Global View

This week was back to more of the usual... work, work, work. Nonetheless, I had the chance to meet a few visitors in from our London office, and similar to a couple of weeks back, was able to see a new comer's reaction to Tokyo.

Why is it so hard for people to get out of their comfort zones?

Heineken
Krispy Kream
Marmite
McDonalds
Hot dogs

All they want is to do what they can already do at home. Why do so many people refuse to step out of their comfort zones?? If you come and visit me (and I hope you do) be ready to not eat/drink any of the above.

Sorry... busy so time to go. Will try to post again soon...

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Finally some life!

Seems like someone was listening last week when I was moaning about my work/life balance issues - this past week has been awesome. First of all, I managed to get out of work most days only having done a 10-hour day, but more importantly I met some great new friends from Spain/Netherlands.

I have always been one to love showing people around Japan, but just haven't had many opportunities lately (most of you have either already been here, or have been too slack to actually make the trip!!). So I was definitely up for the chance to show some new people around the city that I have come to call my home.

Starting 2 Fridays ago we went out in Roppongi and Shinjuku... yakiniku (Toraji) for dinner followed by a night of drinking and all sorts of fun. Sunday we went to Kourakuen to ride the huge city-center roller coaster (Thunder Dolphin) with one of the most terrifying drops in Japan, followed by an evening wandering through Ginza and a dinner of Shabushabu at Shabusen.

Tuesday was the night for Okonomiyaki and Karaoke... got out of work just on 7 (nice change) and headed on over to the guys' hotel, to meet and take them to Okonomiyaki Kiji in the Tokia Building near Tokyo Station. Yakisoba (fried noodles) and Okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza pancake with pork, squid, octopus and a variety of veggies) were enjoyed by all. Then it was on to Karaoke... they asked me to take them there but both also seemed a little hesitant. Once they realised that Japanese karaoke is done in the privacy of your own personal singing booth things settled down and the fun got under way (pics for this to follow soon).

Thursday and Friday were both spent heading out to bars and having a decent dinner at the new Tokyo Midtown complex. The guys partied well into the early hours of Saturday morning before heading off to Narita to catch their plane home. All in all an awesome week!!

Remember... I only plan to be here until early next year... so hurry up and make your plans to come and visit for two reasons... first, to have a great time, and secondly, to give me some sanity and motivation to spend less time in the office!!

Photos to follow...

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Work/Life Balance

I sat down the other day and got to thinking about my life and where it has taken me so far. I've had the chance to live in a lot of interesting places, out of which I have spent by far the most amount of time in Japan. It's definitely time for a change... but where, why and how?

Since I joined my current company my life has been much more about work than actually living, and the sad thing is I haven't minded so much. That is until lately...

I have lots of friends who work in different industries to me, and whilst the money is not as good, their quality of life outside of work is much better. Makes me wonder, at 26, what should I be focusing on?? Is it time to work as hard as I can to build for a better life later, or should I be taking a more relaxed approach to life - still work hard but leave a lot more time for things that aren't centered on work? I have no idea... and get lost whenever I think about this.

I love my job in some respects... I feel challenged, I have great colleagues (mostly), an awesome boss and lots of opportunities for travel and career progression... but is that enough? Lately most of my social interaction has been through work... movies, drinks, clubbing, shopping, weekends away... all with colleagues. It's fun, but we inevitably end up talking about work at least a little... so in a sense I am never actually getting away from work. I am happy with this level of interaction, but it needs to be for a job that I really care about and feel I am making a contribution with (and not just to my own bottom line and that of shareholders!!).

So it's definitely time for a change. I'm aiming to leave
Japan by the end of February 2008... not sure where I will go or for what reason, but I know I have a few concrete options. With my current job I can move to the UK or NY, but lately more and more I am thinking that instead of moving for work I should move for life... just determine where I want to go and what I want to do and focus on the 'work' part after I have the wheres and whys sorted out. Aargh... I so thought I had this all sorted just a couple of months or so ago... and then something came up to change everything... not happening again at the next opportunity.

Anyway... watch this space if you want to see where I end up... and more importantly, this should be a subtle hint that if you are planning on coming to Japan to visit then you had better get it over and done with in the next 10 months!!!