How to fold a t-shirt

I got a very interesting clip from Yahoo! It is in Japanese though but very understandable.

Things I learned inJapan (part 1)

1. The art of bowing. I think it somehow has gotten into my system. I will continue to do it even if I will be somewhere out there after here. I love doing it and wont hesitate to offer it to anyone as a greeting. It has always been a sight to behold for me to see men in suits, bowing to each other as low as they can in the lobby of a very modern building, amid skylines. It is like seeing somebody who has gone on to become ultra modern, very rich and powerful yet retained the basic core values (i.e., did not allow his social status to corrupt his values or himself).

2. Braving the rain in bike with one hand while holding an umbrella on the other hand. Well, I got no choice unless I get a taxi. Not all buses and trains here reach every corner of the city. Certain roads in the residential zones are even off limits to private cars but not to taxis and emergency vehicles. In my neighborhood, there is a designated parking area for private cars. Not all cars sleep with their owners in the residence. Only those who are "rich" enough to have their own garage can park their cars beside their houses.

3. Coming on time. It is a crime to be late here. If public tranportations with routes that span hundreds of kilometer can arrive at their bus stops on time, why can't I when I only have to travel a few kilometers? Everything here is calculated. There is no room for "ifs" and "buts".

4. Learning to be patient and obedient to protocols. Here, doing smart doesnt always pay. It is the "working hard" that does. They have low regard to people who love shortcuts, in my own opinion. They always want every thing done thoroughly and methodically. You try deviating from one established protocol and you'll drive them crazy. Even if there are a hundred ways of killing a cat, if they prefer only one method, that is what you should only follow. This kind of attitude may be cumbersome at times, but I have learned to appreciate it. After all, this this is how they prospered. There must be some kind of ancient wisdom behind doing every thing step by step. Some reasons are obvious--could be less costly in the long run. But on the etheric level, it is a training for the spirit and the soul. The love of path of lesser resistance makes for crooked rivers as it is for crooked men.

5. This is corollary to #4. I love their way of thinking of others first before one's self, of seeking the comfort of others before his own. This is pretty obvious in service oriented businesses. Be fickle minded in your choices, decision, and they just obey you--with matching smile and gracious bow..YOur wish is their command. DO that to salesgirls at SM City or anywhere in the Philippines. YOu might still get your purchase but expect a dagger look, a word of complain, or anything just short of throwing the merchandise at you. If I get into business, I would like to emulate the same kind of service and graciousness to my clients or customers.

Tis the season of invasion

Pro-Moslem friends (or Palestinian sympathizer-friends or anti-Israel friends) said that it is just fair for the Arabs to hate the Americans for condoning the land-grabbing acts of the Israel. Okey, fine. But how does this hating in sympathy to the Arabs fit into the numerous Moslem-sponsored bombings in Malyasia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and the genocide in Darfur Sudan by Islamist militiamen?

Recently, Turkey--another Moslem but liberal country up north of Iraq--is being intruded by factions from northern Iraq and wanted to "defend" themselves like Israel did but they were being told by the US to just have a little patience. Question: why is this Iraqi group attacking another Moslem country? Aren't the wars in the middle east supposed to be anti-Israel only in honor of the Palestinian's cause for a homeland? Why are some Moslems attacking fellow Moslems then?

Is this hating (in sympathy bwith the Palestinians) thing the real reason? or just an excuse to wage war for an ulterior motive that only the powers-that-be know? I have this feeling that this propaganda to wage war against Israel in revenge for the Palestinian brothers is just an excuse. The real reason is "divide-and conquer" and weaken those Mid East countries that are pro-US. When this happens, it would be easier for the "powers-that-be" to create a pan-Islamic state--which is I think the bottomline of all these chaos involving Moslem fundamentalists. It is not sympathy for the Palestinians.

Things I like about Japan (part 2)

The following listing is actually an addition by Electric-Japan-san (http://myspace.com/electricjapan) which I also fully agree with. Read on:

9. Convenient stores that are truly convenient. These stores are open 26 hrs a day, 8 days a week and it sells just anything you had forgotten to buy at the grocery stores.

10. Hot Ramen in the winter. Well not only ramen, but also odeng, nabe, shabu-shabu--hot delectable and nutritious soup that is quick-cooking and entertaining to prepare. I particularly like the tonkatsu. Uhm..Yummy.

11. Onsens, hot spas and places one can go to relax, like your local park. Japan places high regards and importance on being able to get away from it all, even if just for an hour some afternoon.

12. Hot can coffee in vending machines in the winter, cold can coffee in the summer.

13. Students who earnestly try to learn a foreign language, even if they see no need to at that moment. Students who work hard.

14. Adherence to tradition. We tend to forget this during our bust lives, but I noticed many instances where tradition played an important role in Japanese life.

WHy Japanese women have low self-esteem

LOOKING AT LOOKS: Complexities of beauty (MASAMI ITO - The Japan Times)

The tall, handsome foreigner took a seat next to a Japanese woman. Drinking in her delicate beauty, he leaned over and asked in a gentle voice: “Would you mind if I talk to you?”

A large panel-screen billboard in Tokyo’s Ginza district shows faces of
“regular people” as part of soap-maker Dove’s worldwide “Beat Beauty ".

The exotic Asian beauty tossed her long, silky black hair over her shoulders as she faced the stranger, her dark, deep, almond-shaped eyes piercing into his. Her lovely red lips curved into a demure smile, encouraging the man to continue in his faltering Japanese.

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”

A woman as cool and confident as she seemed to be might have laughed at his cliched question. But instead, that flower of Nihon suddenly lost her composure.

“No, no, no, I am not pretty, there are so many prettier women than me,” she said quietly, looking down to the ground. “I need to lose more weight, my legs are too fat … “

According to a recent survey by soap brand Dove, the picture this scenario paints would apply to many modern Japanese women — and it’s primarily a picture of women with extremely low self-esteem.

The May 2005 survey of 2,100 women from 10 Asian countries, including 200 Japanese aged 15-45, found that when they were asked “When was the last time you felt beautiful?”, 67 percent of the Japanese answered, “At least more than a year ago.”

Not only that, but 54 percent of Japanese womanhood declared themselves “dissatisfied” or “not very satisfied” with their looks; and 69 percent felt they were “overweight” or “slightly overweight.”

Can this be true? Are most Japanese women fat and ugly?

“Of course not,” said psychologist Akira Ito. “Look around, there are many beautiful and fashionable Japanese women.”

However, he said that he wasn’t surprised by the survey’s findings. A specialist in social psychology, Ito explained that one of the main reasons for many Japanese women’s low self-esteem is the lack of flattery they receive from the other sex.

“Maybe some Japanese young men make an effort until they can get the girl into bed,” Ito said, laughing. “But usually, they find it very difficult and embarrassing to compliment women, as if men who freely praise women are frivolous.”

As a corporate consultant, Ito often visits companies to teach employees and their bosses how to compliment each other. During these sessions, Ito asks the group to pair up and gets one person to praise the other for a full five minutes.

“People can’t handle five minutes, or even a minute,” he said. “I was aghast at how rare it is to be flattered in Japanese society, whether at work or at home.”

But, according to the Dove survey, receiving praise boosts your self-confidence.

In comparison with Japan, for example, the survey found that out of 200 women from the Philippines, 81 percent said they had been complimented on their beauty in the previous week; 71 percent had “felt beautiful” within the last week; 87 were “very satisfied” or “quite satisfied” with their looks; and 61 percent said their weight was “just right.”

But flattery is not the only source of a glowing self-image, Ito pointed out. He said that many Japanese women have no inner standard of beauty for themselves, and always compare themselves to others.

“Many women are actually not enjoying fashion, but are being forced to dress fashionably from fear,” Ito said. “Their fear of standing out or fear of embarrassment drives them to spend so much money to become ‘beautiful.’ But they still don’t feel they are beautiful because the original purpose was to save face.”

So why don’t these women feel they are beautiful — at any price?

A key reason, Ito said, is that the main beauty icons are models with small faces, long legs and extremely skinny bodies that are flamboyantly presented by the media.

“Comparing themselves to those beauties in magazines and elsewhere,” Ito said, “women tend to deduct points against themselves. Instead of emphasizing the positive, they dwell on the negatives.”

To break down this stereotyped standard for beauty, Dove has launched a worldwide “Real Beauty” campaign to scout “regular people” as models. In this, members of the public are being asked to look at pictures of “ordinary” women and vote on their appearance, alloting points for whether they are “sturdy or sexy” or “past it or glamorous,” for example.

In Japan, the campaign started Aug. 1, via the Internet and mobile phones. That month, too, there were two large panel screens in Tokyo’s Ginza and Osaka’s Umeda districts on which voters could see the real-time results of the ballots. The vote is expected to continue on the Web site until the end of the year.

“We want women to realize or remember again what ‘real beauty’ is,” said Haruka Maeda, Dove’s campaign manager. “Because true beauty lies inside each person.”

“Until Japanese women do realize their unique inner beauty, they’ll only be ‘clones,’ dressing and looking exactly the same,” Ito added. But at the same time, he is optimistic that one day Japanese men and women will be able to praise each other naturally and gain self-confidence in their appearance.

“If people begin to realize their own true beauty, I believe Japanese society will change,” he said. “Changing politics or the economy may be one way to transform society, but changing things like this can also change Japan.”

Backing up Ito’s theory was Sakiko Yanagihara, a 29-year-old who just returned to Japan from a year’s studying in Taiwan.

“I felt beautiful when I was in Taiwan — but I don’t here,” she said.

“Why? The answer is simple — the difference in men’s attitudes.”

Everywhere she went in Taiwan, Yanagihara said, the men showered her with compliments. But not here.

“Japanese women don’t know how to respond to compliments because they are not used to them,” she said. “That’s why when they go abroad and are showered with flattery, many fall for men quickly — and some get labeled as ‘easy.’ “

In Japan, though, she said that her “gorgeous looking” friends are hardly ever complimented by male friends — though they are often told to lose weight.

“I used to compare myself to other women, and I had all kinds of complexes about my figure and my face, feeling the need to lose weight or wishing I had sharper features,” Yanagihara recalled. “There are just so many beautiful women here that I think everyone sets their beauty standards too high.”

On her return, Yanagihara also said she was astonished at how much Japanese women spend on their appearance — from bags and watches to shoes and cosmetics.

“In Taiwan, I saw a woman on a date and she was wearing shorts with elephant prints all over them,” she said with a laugh. “Taiwanese men are even kind enough to go on a date with a woman wearing elephant-print shorts!”

Try that in Japan. Your date might never forget you — but he’d never ask
you out again.

The Dove poll is at www.dove-realbeauty.jp/

The fanatic and I

It is not difficult to see, understand, feel fanaticsm in Islam. I have had many close encounters with this kind of thing. In recent years, no fanaticsm other than this one has grabbed international attention and sowed fear to the world. Whether this "obscession" is due to economic background or faith or society or product thereof, one is not sure. But understanding the rootcause may not be important anymore. When one person, who is known to be always involved in a quarrel, gets into another quarrel again, it is no longer news. Anyhow, I still wonder how preaching is done in this religion. I am beginning to think the book "The Haj" may be correct. I have read this book, cover to cover. I should say it is a "must read" for all members of the United Nations.

My high school friend is right in saying that fanaticsm exists in every religion. True. But nothing has grabbed international notoriety and sown terror as this group has done. Whether the cause is legitimate or not, it is not an excuse not to notice it and comment on it. I just can't understand why they can't go beyond "destroying Israel". The Jews have been oppressed also before but they did not dwell on hating nor taking revenge. Instead, they strive to be better and to excel in any field they are in. Now, think of any field of endeavor, from science to Hollywood. I bet you will find at least a Jew there. Now look at the Arabs. They are still locked in bitterness and desire to revenge. I do sympathize with them sometimes but their obscession to wipe out Israel is turning me away. No matter how many heads they will cut more, they should realize their strategies are not working. Rather than wasting the money on arms and amus, they should instead use it to buy food for the people or better yet, build more schools and educate them. When their stomach stops grumbling, they would forget their desire for revenge.

Fanaticsm also exist in Buddhism, I was suprised to learn last night. Never did I think that a gentle Japanese friend of mine with whom I have shared some of my lunches and dinner is actually a die-hard follower of another sect of Buddhism. I was surprised to hear her say that my religion is wrong. Islam is wrong, and even the Buddhism brand of common people (Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese Buddhism) is wrong. Her religion is the best, seconded only by the other kind of Buddhism. Christianity and Islam are the lowest classes (ouch!). They are poisons. They cause people to suffer". I didnt expect she'd state these words with such a strong conviction and emotion so strong she was literally fuming. She is a white-skinned lady but last night, she was burning red. Her palms too became as red as the paw of newborn kitten (or mouse). Since she was silhouted against a street lamp, I could almost see her aura glowing in red. Suddenly I felt the urge to end the discussion and went home. Well, it was nice of her somehow to give me a lift. She set another date with me. But, uhm, well, still thinking whether to avoid her for the time being.

UPLB kong mahal

the entrance to my beloved UPLB, one of my memorable places.

Things I like about Japan (Part I)

Thing I like about Japan (part 1)

Here are some things I like about Japan (not necessarily in a particular order) as a fitting tribute to the society that gave me an uncommon opportunity.

1. HOnesty, courtesy, and politeness of the people. I guess no society can beat Japan in this respect. I have lost my credit card several times, my cellphone, my wallet, even umbrellas. BUt they always find their way back to me. One time I left my wallet and cellphone on a bus that was going to a suburb town (which means that it would be dark by the time the bus completes its journey). But some kindhearted individual went out of his way to go back and return my things at the main office.

2. The buses and trains are always reliable. They are always on time. They'd be late by not more than 3 minutes if ever. MOre than this is highly exceptional.

3. It is safe and clean here. I go home any time, any day even leaving my apartment unlocked. But never did I ever feel being in danger and never a thing got lost from my apartment. The diamond ring is still sitting in splendid glory on its black velvet case.

4. People always think of the common good. THey always think of others first before themselves--even if it is "rightful" to think of themselves first. IF they catch colds, they wear masks to minimize contaging others.

5. Resilient people. Hardly complaining and very hard working. You wont hear people here blaming each other here.

6.Law-abiding and respectful of authorities. They never challenge their leaders even if they think they have better ideas. THey follow rules even if nobody's looking. In our lab, if our professor wants us to clean, he'll just write it on our bulletin board and the people will gladly oblige without being reminded.

7. People would promptly apologize if they have disturbed you no matter how minor. SOmetimes, they make me feel like I am so rude and uncultured.

8. Clean public toilets with abundant supply of toilet papers. This makes going around and just eating anything easier for me..I love to eat. It is the other side of the equation of going out. However, I tend to get stomach upset when I go out and eat a lot outside. Thanks for the abundant toilte papers, I have less need of going around with complete set of tissue papers and hand sanitizers.

more to go..

Welcome

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