After 25 years, I decided to do the impossible. I decided to learn how to swim. Some people find it unbelievable for a Filipino like me to not be able to swim considering the Philippines is a group of 7100 islands, all of them surrounded by water. I find it hard to believe myself.
Author: Enrico Pangan
Filipino in Tokyo
Goodbye Angels
The angel’s most awaited day has come… it’s time for them to go home to their beloved Philippines. I said beloved because I know how excited they are to go home. For some reason, they never really seemed to like Japan but let’s not talk about that. They’re home and presumably happy… that’s what’s important….
Rico Learns To Cook
And who said you can’t teach old dogs new tricks? Look at me. Already in my mid-twenties when I learned one basic human skill… cooking. Back in the Phils, everything was served in a silver platter. During special occassions when it’s not, there’s always Jollibee and McDonald’s to provide for a happy meal. Not that…
Busy as a Bee
For several weeks now, I have been as busy as a bee. Not only inside the office but mostly, outside. Practice here… practice there. Festival here… festival there. Dinner here… dinner there. Give me one more month and I’ll get myself a secretary. Nah! Not really. I believe my Palm will suffice for now. Just…
First Impressions
Last week, two new foreigners arrived in Kagoshima. What used to be a Japanese office with two foreigners is now a Japanese office with four foreigners. Going further down in history, the first time I arrived, there were three… one left for the states leaving two…. one went home to Canada, leaving one… a new…
Sleepy in the Office
So damn sleepy today. I guess this is what I get for staying so late so often. To tell you the truth, I really don’t like feeling sleepy in the office. Pretending to be busy is hard enough… pretending to be awake is even harder. And to make sure this doesn’t happen again, I decided…
The Only Foreigner in the Office
After T left returned to Canada after finishing his one year internship in Japan, I earned the distinction of being THE only foreigner in the office. I will dedicate this article to inform you of the pros and cons of being the lone non-Japanese in a Japanese computer software company. Let’s start with the pros….
Affinity for the Sun
In Kagoshima, I can say I have developed this affinity for the sun. I have learned to “rediscover” the sun, which a lot of people just take for granted. In the Philippines, it is common knowledge that Manila Bay offers one of the best sunsets in the world, largely thanks to the polluted atmosphere that…
Miyasaki Escapade
This week, it’s Miyasaki for us. Miyasaki, together with Kumamoto, are the two nearest prefectures to Kagoshima so going there is no problem, especially if you have friends who own cars, which fortunately, I do. We are going to Miyasaki basically to visit S’ mom but of course you know that’s only one of our…
Saturday Night Fever
I don’t normally go to discos in Japan primarily because they are very expensive. In Manila, 700 yen is all you need to enter a good disco but here, you’d spend close to 3,500 yen. Well, you shouldn’t be surprised. This is Japan… the most expensive place in the world. But on Saturday, two Japanese…
Sailing the High Seas
I am not what you might consider a hardcore mountaineer slash adventurer, who’d stop at nothing to climb the highest mountains and sail the highest seas but what do you expect? I’m supposed to be a computer scientist. But most certainly, I’d never turn down an opportunity to experience the life of these adventurers even…
When Kagoshima met Beppu
This weekend marks the weekend when Kagoshima (T and yours truly) met Beppu (S, L, among others). It’s my first time in Beppu and after that weekend, I don’t think it’s going to be the last.
Enrico in Tokyo 