New Years Resolutions 2019 - June Edition A new years resolutions post in June? Huh?See my previous post for context. I'm catching up on the backlog and well, better late than never.Looking back on 20182018 wasn't the Roger
Blog Update (or, what happened to this blog?) So I've been on a pretty long hiatus from blogging, as a couple of people have noticed. This wasn't due to any lack of things to say, but more a combination of work
travel Streets of Sapporo I tripped over to Japan for the third time in February of this year; yes I know this is a few months late. Besides just needing a holiday in general, I wanted to
Book Review - Start With Why In the past I've been dismissive of people who watch a lot of TED talks and then treat them as gospel. Last time I quizzed someone on a point they learned from a
essays New Years Resolutions 2018 I set goals at the beginning of each year, to help keep some direction and track my progress. In this post I'm going to evaluate how I went for 2017 while setting new
japanese Learning Japanese - 1 Year In Previously I spoke about my experience after studying Japanese for 6 months. It's been a little over a year now, so I'm writing this update to reflect on my progress so far, what
essays Grades don't matter I've often heard - and said - that grades don't matter. What's interesting about this is that two people can both say 'Grades don't matter' and mean completely different things. What different things
travel Things to do in Kyoto at night I got a bit 'templed out' in Kyoto - while the many temples and shrines scattered through Kyoto are beautiful, I was craving variety by the end of each day[1]. To top
travel Japanimals 3 -The Deer of Nara Park Nara is a city near Osaka and Kyoto. Nara is famous internationally for the deer; they live wild in the city and especially in the huge Nara Park. Nara Deer Once you get
travel Japanimals 2 - Arashiyama Monkey Park Arashiyama Monkey park is a short hike up a mountain on the western outskirts of Kyoto. If you're in the area, definitely check it out, it was one of my favourite stops in
essays Design 101 A talk I gave at work[1] on 'Design' - A somewhat vague concept to many, that is actually more concrete and practical than many expect. This is meant to be given as
travel Japanimals - Okunoshima, Rabbit Island My girlfriend Shannon adores animals of all shapes and sizes, the fluffier the better. As such, we made it a mission to visit as many of Japan's animal attractions as possible. Japan is
reviews Genre Review - Investment What do I mean by a 'Genre Review'? From time to time I get an itch for a topic and want to learn everything I can. This usually results in me reading 5-10
japanese How I'm learning Japanese - 6 months Previously I spoke about what I learned studying French, and how Japanese differs. In this article I want to talk about how to actually learn Japanese, or at least, how I'm learning it.
japanese Learning Japanese and what I learned from studying French I've been learning Japanese for the last six months and I'm writing a couple of posts on how I'm going about it. My aim is both to help others who want to learn
travel US Trip 2 I spent two weeks last month in the US for work, not the first time I've done so if you remember a post from last year. I've been pretty busy with work, actually,
exchange Should you go on Exchange to France? I've been asked about my experience living in Lyon and whether I recommend exchange. I thought it was worth writing down. Pros Exchange in general These are true of any international exchange You
Celebrity deaths will be worse in 2017 This is in response to the current trend going round of saying 2016 was a terrible year, particularly with regards to celebrity deaths. There are a few images floating around with captions like
essays New Years Resolutions Despite it being seen as a silly exercise by some, I like to make a few new years resolutions each year. I do it because I think setting a few goals to try
essays On the Prisoners Dilemma (Part One) I. The Prisoner's Dilemma is something that you've almost certainly already read about if you have the slightest interest in psychology or economics. When I looked at the half formed idea for a
reviews Book Review: Warren Buffett's Ground Rules Another book in the 'how to invest' genre, probably the last I'll read for a while. After a few, it's just rehashing the same few ideas in different ways - which is good
essays Just Check Yourself (or, being wrong less) I. With all the post election hubbub, fake news is getting a bit of discussion. There are claims going around that the outcome of the election is a result of: The 'filter bubble'
essays Automation, The Unnecessariat, And The Rise Of Trump I can’t not write about the election and the shocking outcome - four years of Trump. A lot of people are discussing how this could have happened, and what this means. This
essays A Moral Ladder I was having a conversation this morning in which a friend who happens to enjoy the occasional cannabis use was expressing frustration that he had to hide it from his family. His parents
essays The Predator (Shopping) Instinct Ever stop to wonder why we, the human race, like shopping so much? It doesn't seem to match with any behaviour or instinct we've evolved over the last millennia... or does it? Here's
