Blank Canvas WordPress Blog, how long has it been since I’ve written here?! Maybe too long to the point where I’ve forgotten how to write. Please do excuse any instances of rambling, incoherence, incorrect grammar/punctuation, and or random thoughts that seem to make their way into this post. Clearly I’m just getting back into the swing of blogging. You know that quote “done is better than perfect”? Yeah, I’m trying to embrace that as I write this one, so bear with me. I figured it was finally time to kick this blog back into gear, and ain’t no better way to do it than to start off with a blank canvas. “Blank Canvas“, which by the way, is also the name of the current theme my site is now using, and is also what I want to share and write about in this post. Continue reading “Blank Canvas”
WordCamp Tokyo 2019: tsunageru Fourth WordCamp in the books, woohoo! If you’ve been following me, you’ll know that so far my WordCamp attendance has all been in Japan: WordCamp Kyoto 2017 “connect to_”WordCamp Tokyo 2017 “Join”WordCamp Tokyo 2018 “Challenge!” This year’s theme went off of the Japanese word “つなげる” (tsunageru). The quick translation of the word would be to “connect”, “tie”, or “fasten”. It’s interesting to see how many of the themes involve words surrounding “connection to something”, or the “bringing together” of people and things. And in many ways it does make sense. WordCamps bring people together, where we can meet and connect. It’s a positive place to share ideas, learn, and network with others, all under the common interest of WordPress. It’s what we call community. Like last year, I attended this year’s WordCamp as staff for Automattic’s WooCommerce & Jetpack booth(s) once again. So unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend any of the sessions. However, I had a great time staffing with my colleagues and meeting folks who visited the booth nonetheless! You’ll notice in this post my lack of photos, and quite admittedly, things to say and write about. But, for good reason! In recent day, I’ve taken a liking to sharing my moments through video format. In fact, it’s not a new hobby, I’ve been at it for a while — video content editing & creating that is. It’s only recently that I started putting more focus on it and honing my skill. At any rate, here’s a small clip of some moments we had at the WooCommerce & Jetpack booth at this year’s WordCamp Tokyo, enjoy! NOTE: For a more “behind the scenes vlog-ish” look at my weekend in Shinjuku, check out my full video in this post 🙂
Automattic Grand Meetup 2019: Sunshine State (Part Deux) What’s up everyone! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated this thing. As you can imagine, a lot has happened since the last time I published a post. Today I want to highlight my most recent trip to Orlando, Florida (yes, again!), which was for Automattic’s 2019 Grand Meetup. I failed to take any pictures this year… BUT, this is only because I was much more focused on shooting video this time around. In fact, video editing is something that’s been a passion of mine for a long time. Now, that I have a decent camera, I’ve been putting it to use. Quite. Extensively. FUN FACT: My last team meetup was in Seoul, Korea. Check out my video recap on it! The hotel we stayed at was literally across the street from where we stayed at last time. We of course had different keynote speakers, classes to take, swag to be gotten, food to be eaten, people to meet — the whole shebang was there. With that said, I don’t think I can provide much more commentary on what was different compared to last year. Go check out my last recap on the 2018 GM if you haven’t already 🙂 Instead, I present to you my little three part video series of my journey from Sapporo to the GM for this year! EPISODE#01: Sapporo to Orlando EPISODE#02: GM Highlights PT.1 EPISODE#03: GM Highlights PT.2 Bonus Clip I wouldn’t be doing this post any justice if I just leave at it that without mentioning the best part of the GM… which is the people. Above, you’ll see me with my fellow Asiamatticians, Japanmatticians, and my team. Eventually, I’ll update this post once our company photo comes out. So, until then… Check out some more Grand Meetup pictures and updates snapped by other Automatticians! We’re on: Instagram: #a8cgm | Twitter: #a8cgm | WordPress.com: #a8cgm Annnd… We’re hiring!
One Year Of Being Part Of A Fully Distributed Workforce Wow! Has it really been a year?! If time keeps rolling this fast, I’ll have my ‘W’ branded laptop in no time… (SERIOUS GOALS) CLICHE ALERT — time flies! Continue reading “One Year Of Being Part Of A Fully Distributed Workforce”
PEAEB Weekly Update #005 Quote Of The Week Words are powerful instruments. Handle them and your understanding level of new information will grow in a spectacular way.Kim Kiyosaki, spouse of Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad) Assorted Fish Highlights Mos Burger Google Maps Tobikiri Cheese & Katsu Burger Google Maps The only two items I get on the menu whenever I go to Mos Burger. Snow Sculptures Google Maps Winter Street Food Google Maps Park Air Hot Ginger Mojito Now this was a drink I was not going to pass up! Catchin’ Up With An Old Friend Thanks for coming up to visit buddy! Pork Soup Curry Google Maps Hishita Google Maps We ate at a local sushi restaurant conveniently located near our place. Excellent quality sushi. Pictures can’t do justice here. However, one thing we didn’t like was that it was not a smoke-free environment. Aside from that though, everything was super! Fifth Anniversary Keimei was growing impatient with all our picture taking. When were both looking away he grabbed the cake off the table and this is what happened… For Her Hibiki Suntory Whisky: Japanese Harmony Surprise anniversary gift from Kosato <3 Samurai Wapuu Sticker Bomb I finally decided to sticker bomb my laptop. However, I still wanted to keep it minimal, relevant, and most importantly badass. There was only sticker that came to mind… Overview Spoke to the folks over at GoRemit about my pending money transfer. Told me it was gonna be another week or so before my new address change is registered, and following that my ‘my number’.Strolled briefly through Odori Park to see the Snow Festival and take some pics.Present for Keimei from Grandma received.Got a much needed haircut.Sekisui House peeps came over to remove our 2nd floor toilet and see if there’s something in the pipes that is causing this perpetuating smell from affecting that only area. It’s been there since we moved in, and have no idea where it’s coming from.Old time friend came up to Sapporo to visit for a short while. Always nice to have visitors from Cali.Kosato & I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary (and nearly 7 years of being together) — yet again, another topic that deserves and will have a post of its own.Downloaded ‘Overlord‘ which I’m quite excited to sit down and watch the moment I get some free time. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a proper zombie flick.Stumbled upon a neat mini documentary series by MailChimp titled “Wi-Finders” — They’ve left offices behind. They work from anywhere and everywhere. And they’re transforming the world around them.
One, Two, Three The older we get, the more milestones we have to look back on. So the farther and faster they appear to recede. So if sometimes the clock may seem to have stopped, the calendar always continues racing ahead. Philip Yaffe, Why Does Time Go Faster As We Get Older? My. Oh. My. Three years it’s been. Over the weekend, we celebrated Keimei’s third birthday! On Saturday, we went over to visit the folks in Ebetsu since Jiji & Baba prepared a cake and lunch for everyone. Keimei received a pretty cool gift from Baba — an RC car. It was his first time playing with one, so naturally he got a kick out of that! The next day on Sunday, Keimei’s actual birthday, Kosato prepared a chicken (one that was sent to us from Okinawa) and a homemade cake. Nothing beats her cooking, that’s a fact. We also invited over our two of our good friends, whom we frequently invite to come to our house, and go out on trips with 🙂 Fun times! Recently, Keimei watched his first Hayao Miyazaki film on TV maybe a couple months ago and has since been quite engulfed in it (since we recorded it). Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, in case you’ve never heard of it, it’s this epic fantasy adventure that takes place in a post-apocalyptic war zone, and there’s this this conflict between humans and giant insect creatures. Yeah. Anyways, the point I’m getting to is I figured since Keimei really enjoyed that film, I thought I’d show him another classic, My Neighbor Totoro. And we let him watch that later in the evening, and sure enough, he was way into it 🙂 Finally, at the end of the night, as per tradition, we ‘celebrated’ setusbun. Kosato took an interesting video of that, but that’s one for the books!
PEAEB Weekly Update #004 Quote Of The Week People don’t take opportunities because the timing is bad, the financial side unsecure. Too many people are overanalyzing. Sometimes you just have to go for it. Michelle Zatlyn, Co-founder of CloudFlare Assorted Fish Highlights Sapporo Miso No Ramen Google Maps Not bad, but not out of this world either. If you’re in need of a quick ramen fix, this joint would be acceptable. Chococo Current addiction. I only wish they didn’t wrap each cookie individually. Massage Chair The Ito Yokado I pass through on my way home every day seems to have installed a massage chair station on their 2nd floor. You best believe I’m hitting up that “outer-space” massage experience they’re toting here. Cheese Chicken Katsu Curry Bowl This monster beast is from Katsuya. Sashimi Sagayama Google Maps This old looking shack serves the best sashimi you can get around these parts. Don’t expect it to be cheap either. Oni Wa Soto, Fuku Wa Uchi! Celebrated setsubun on Sunday, but more importantly, celebrated Keimei’s 3rd birthday! That of course deserves a post of its own, which I’ll be publishing soon. Overview Worked mostly from home this week (at least in the mornings). Finished up Punisher Season 2. Solid show! But was bummed to read right after that it might get cancelled. Netflix won’t be doing anyone any favors if this show gets cancelled. Just saying. Continued reading of Rich Dad Poor Dad. My financial literacy has widened substantially ever since picking up this book. I think I’m on track for finishing it up this week. May write a more comprehensive review on it later on. And the highlight of my week — Keimei’s 3rd birthday over the weekend! It’s unbelievable how fast kids grow. I think it’s because you no longer think about your own age when you have a child. Time is kept tracked by your kids. Separate post on this soon.
PEAEB Weekly Update #003 Quote Of The Week Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them. Marissa Meyer, CEO, Yahoo! Assorted Fish Highlights Rakkyo Hokkaido Soup Curry Google Maps Lego Sapporo Subway I’ve never gotten around to taking some decent pictures of this scene, but I’ve always admired it. Here they are! My Sofa & Foldable Desk When I’m not at my main desk, or I’m not out and about, you will probably find me working at my secondary desk. Usually snuggled up in the corner of my sofa. And with a coffee or two. C.R.E.A.M. Cash Rules Everything Around Me A coincidentally relevant song to listen to while reading Rich Dad Poor Dad. Overview Ordered and received my new ‘desk‘! I first saw this product from an ad on IG, CozyDesk was the name I believe. But if you search for foldable or portable desk on Amazon, you’ll find that there are a million other clones that are literally the exact same thing — all being private labeled. With that in mind, I just went for the cheapest deal and was able to cop mine for 2980 yen (est. 27 USD). To put that in comparison, there were others being sold at higher prices, some reaching to even $200 USD! At any rate, I’m very satisfied with my new desk and am now able to comfortably lie on my sofa or bed, and work at the same time! Put ‘Narcos’ Season 3 on hold, and started binging on ‘The Punisher’ Season 2 (so good). The only thing I’m somewhat confused about is your face, Billy… I would’ve imagined it would have been a lot more messed up after what Frank did to it in season one. Or maybe you just had one helluva surgeon… Went out to eat sushi at Hanamaru with Kosato’s good friend and their family. Met with our financial planner. Applied to some new health insurance schemes. Our FP by the way is freakin’ AMAZING. It’s difficult to find a good one around these parts. Spent a total of 6+ hours over the weekend shoveling a week’s worth of snow buildup around our house. At first it was all fun and games. Now, the amount of snow we’re getting has gotten to a point where my body is now dying from all the shoveling.
