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Fer Martin Age:
27 Location:
Singapore Company:Fusion Sytems
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@guykawasaki Ahh, the previews look much cooler b&w :) I think the popurl concession on "tech" was too much of a price for a start! ganbate! »on 2008/02/20
@Gellar Wow, eslpod.com looks very interesting! I love the accent of Olivia (dailybuzz.mobuzz.tv/) as much as i hate Iria's (dosisdiaria.~)! »on 2008/02/20
@guykawasaki Celebrities is pink on white..is that cheap marketing 4 followers? c'mon! :) btw, black on white is better for a preview ;-) »on 2008/02/20
Living in Singapore made me realize how different work environments are depending on the country you work. It’s an amazing experience to get to work in different parts of the world and grasp the subtleties that arise in daily life.
I would like to introduce to you my work environment in Singapore, but for now, I will let you get a look-n-feel of how are in Japan.
I know how offices are in US & Europe, and still learning and enjoying about Asia here. How are offices in your country? Do you have any cool experience to share? What’s the coolest office in the world?
Flapy in Japan introduces his laboratory in Nara, where he is doing Research on Network Protocols and many interesting things! (Spanish)
Microsoft Japan. Some Japanese trying to get an intern jobs at Microsoft Japan! They try to cross the language barrier and for that, they have to create a proposal/presentation for the board to pass! Will the individuals fail or succeed?
Cool Office in Tokyo. Presentation about a really cool Real Estate company in Tokyo. You can see the wicked interfaces they have in the meeting room tables; May be not as cool as the iBar(the largest multitouch touchscreen in the world), but still is pretty impressive for an office.
Godzilla! Now it comes the Geek side of the Japanese. Can you imagine how it would be to be working with Godzilla?
I just saw a very interesting video in frikis.net. Its a fight between some rappers-breakdancer-capoeira guys against a group of skinheads who are taking advantage of a defenseless couple in an empty train station.
Some of the movements reminded me a lot to my Capoeira class in Las Palmas and it brought a big smile to my face. There are a few places you can learn and enjoy capoeira in Tokyo. If you are interested, please check this interesting article from Metropolis and drop me a line!
I recently found another web 2.0 application that it may seem quite silly in the beggining… but it’s worth a try. What is Twitter? Well, Twitter is a new site that provides real-time blogging with really short posts and a strong social network. It’s like a live diary for you to share with the world, or just with your friends.
Is it a new idea? Absolutely not. It doesn’t have any new technology at all. I think this website can be cloned in less than 24h with ruby on rails, excluding the CTO-side of the project to handle so many requests as they do. Then we need to find what makes this site special enough to be mentioned here.
Ok, if it’s not the technology, what makes Twitter so good? The social side of Twitter is very interesting. I have found really important people in there (Bill Clinton (Former US President), Joi Ito (THE internet man in Japan), Steve Jobs (Apple’s president) or even the guys from Adaptive Path (the fathers of AJAX…). In Spain, we have mini.d, fernand0 (Barrapunto) or even kirai blogging real-time. We love to know what people like that are doing, and so there is people always wondering what they would be up to. A Famous People Big’s Brother!!
I think blogs like Joi Ito, or even Martin Varsavsky (FON founder) are really popular because they give us a dream to look at. They live a life of private jets, talking with the most interesting people every day and always keeping positive and happy. Their blogs are a streamline of their lifes and this makes other people -who admire them- really have a motivation to do more things.
I set up an experiment in this blog, I’m going to post real-time bits of my life on the right-hand sidebar. Named Geekly as “Fer’s Core Dump”, I will try to keep you posted more often there. I’ve seen people posting just about their life, but I think it’s much better to share about things you like, music you just found or even spreading a bit of gossip from time to time
Now it’s your turn! What is the Twitter effect for you? Do you have any interesting use for Twitter? Do you think it’s just a waste of time? Are you going to tweet soon?
Just a short post to apologize for not writing anything in the last month or so. My life is full of challenges and short-deadlines to accomplish, and I really need some time for myself to finish all this work.
That said, my blog probably will be down for another month or so. Sorry for the inconvenience to my loyal ones… I’ll be back with new and better stories soon!
For the curious ones, here are a few key highlights on what I’ve been up to in Christmas in Tokyo:
I spent the whole Christmas in Tokyo with Yuko, and it was awesome!
I worked debugging a new PSP game called Valhalla Knights; Never thought I could be paid for playing PSP, but it was a nice experience with a great team.
My interview with Booz Allen went quite bad (my japanese level *is* a problem for strategic consultingin Japan)
I watched “Eragon” at the cinemas, and I really liked enjoy this dragon film! Thanks Yuko!
I had an interview with a headhunter and a few interesting opportunities in Finance Banking may arise soon (fingers crossed!)
And Yeah! Almost forgot… I’m moving to Tokyo in March …
Had an interview in with a Telefonica’s executive in Tokyo and it was great, seems that a lot of good ideas and projects are arising in the spanish blue-chip
For my second year, I went to meijijingu’ shrine and threw my 5yen coin with a wish on Jan 1st
And had a cool party at home with kirai invited and singing karaoke!!
Hope your Christmas went great and I wish you the best for 2007! It’s our year, our time to make difference in the world and be happy!
Lots of people ask me about drugs in Japan. The first thing I tell them is that in Japan drugs are not popular at all. If you are coming to Japan and you are thinking on getting some, please do it at your own risk and be aware of the consequences, which can be really harsh.
Whereas in other countries in Europe it might seem something normal to consume soft drugs such as marijuana or cannabis, in Japan the only allowed drug is Alcohol.
Alcohol is not purely a salary men drug, but sake (酒) is a part of the Japanese culture and is drunk socially all over the country. It is said that the Japanese lack an ethanol metabolizing enzyme that makes them go really drunk at high speeds.
To exemplify this, I would like to quote you an article from The Japan Times:
NHK director caught with marijuana
A director at public broadcaster NHK has been arrested for allegedly possessing marijuana, police said Tuesday. Kimiaki Inose, a 46-year-old director at NHK’s program production department, reportedly told police the drug was for his own use, they said. Police say Inose was carrying 7.1 grams of marijuana around 5:45 p.m. Monday on a street in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward when police officers confronted him.
An NHK spokesman said Inoue, who was in charge of education programs, was on sick leave at the time he was arrested. “It is truly regrettable that our employee has been arrested. We will confirm the facts and deal him harshly.“
There is an urban story about Psychedelic mushrooms (Magic Mushrooms-マジック マッシュルーム) in Japan. I have friends who tried them years ago in Shibuya, but in all the time I’ve been in Tokyo, I’ve never actually see them anywhere. They are illegal now in all Japan.
Just a final reminder, I would advise you not to talk about this with the Japanese -unless you really think you have a very good rapport with them-, since it’s a taboo topic in the society and they won’t admire your curiosity, but rather your lack of commitment with social values.
I just received a job offer that might be of interest to some of you, it’s actually the kind of job some people would literally Kill to get: Getting paid for Playing PSP in Tokyo this Christmas.
What???
Yeah, you heard it right, if you are planning to be around Tokyo from December 18th until 30th, you are a Spanish (Spain) citizen and you are deep into videogames, I might have something interesting to offer you.
But… How?
Sony just finished the development of a new strategy game for PSP, and they are currently debugging the translation in Spanish before they can release the game. If you like playing with PSP, you are a serious employee, native spanish and you are able to communicate in english, take a look at the first comment of this post for further information.
Ok but… are you serious?
Absolutely!! For this project, they are looking for 2 debuggers, the dates are already fixed [Dec 18th-30th] and it will be paid with JPY1.500/hour.
It won’t make you rich, but you can get a working-holiday in Tokyo sort of paid… and I’ll be there working too!
Good luck to everyone!
Fer
[IMPORTANT UPDATE] Due to your requests, they have chosen already the candidate! Congratulations to the winner! They are looking for a GERMAN candidate on the same conditions. I must tell you that you will need to be in Tokyo those days if you seriously want to apply for the job.
I just found these pictures I took one day in Osaka. I took them in a visit with kirai to the Umeda Sky Building. If you ever have a chance, I do recommend this visit, specially at sunset time I hope you enjoy the pictures.
For the last months I’ve been getting ready to enter the Japanese market. In the upcoming year, I will go to Japan and get my career started there. It’s a very challenging and exciting adventure and I have the best partner to jump into the water.
As anyone who starts his/her career, I have to define my path and go all the way in that direction if I want to have any chances in the tough job market. Because of this, I had given myself quite some time to think deeply, and analyse my opportunities, weaknesses, threats and strengths -known as SWOT analysis.
After writing the obvious stuff in your CV -personal data, tag line, working experience, education, languages- you have to go deep inside yourself and define what you really are based on two key terms: soft skills and hard skills.
Disclaimer: I know it’s an oversimplification of the theory of multiple intelligences, but this classification can help identifying and expressing our own skills throughout the CV and it’s a worldwide standard.
Hard skills are easier to identify. They refer to skills that have to do with specific knowledge or abilities, that are usually acquired through theory. Examples of this can be your software skills or budgeting skills.
Soft skills refer to a cluster of personal qualities, habits, attitudes and social graces that make someone a good employee and a compatible co-worker. Companies value soft skills because research suggests and experience shows that they can be just as important an indicator of job performance as hard skills.
The top 10 soft skills you can own -or work harder to master- are:
Strong Work Ethic
Are you motivated and dedicated to getting the job done, no matter what?
Will you be conscientious and do your best work?
Positive Attitude
Are you optimistic and upbeat?
Will you generate good energy and good will?
Good Communication Skills
Are you both verbally articulate and a good listener?
Can you make your case and express your needs in a way that builds bridges with colleagues, customers and vendors?
Time Management Abilities
Do you know how to prioritize tasks and work on a number of different projects at once?
Will you use your time on the job wisely?
Problem-Solving Skills
Are you resourceful and able to creatively solve problems that will inevitably arise?
Will you take ownership of problems or leave them for someone else?
Acting as a Team Player
Will you work well in groups and teams?
Will you be cooperative and take a leadership role when appropriate?
Self-Confidence
Do you truly believe you can do the job?
Will you project a sense of calm and inspire confidence in others?
Will you have the courage to ask questions that need to be asked and to freely contribute your ideas?
Ability to Accept and Learn From Criticism
Will you be able to handle criticism?
Are you coachable and open to learning and growing as a person and as a professional?
Flexibility/Adaptability
Are you able to adapt to new situations and challenges?
Will you embrace change and be open to new ideas?
Working Well Under Pressure
Can you handle the stress that accompanies deadlines and crises?
Will you be able to do your best work and come through in a pinch?
Remember that writing this list down on your CV straight away would be worth nothing and you might loose your integrity if it’s not true.
Every single point in this list requires lots of effort and you might need to prove every single line with some actual fact from your past experiences. Be aware that double-checking with your past companies is a standard procedure for some companies.
Hoy he tenido una buena visita: héctor ha venido a mi casa en sus vacaciones y lo he cogido en un momento de improviso… aqui tienen al auténtico, al genial, al indiscutible lider de masas, al gran kirai en un momento de debilidad etílica…
I recently found another web 2.0 application that it may seem quite silly in the beggining… but it’s worth a try. What is Twitter? Well, Twitter is a new site that provides real-time blogging with really short posts and a strong social network. It’s like a live diary for you to share with the world, or just with your friends.
Just a short post to apologize for not writing anything in the last month or so. My life is full of challenges and short-deadlines to accomplish, and I really need some time for myself to finish all this work.
Lots of people ask me about drugs in Japan. The first thing I tell them is that in Japan drugs are not popular at all. If you are coming to Japan and you are thinking on getting some, please do it at your own risk and be aware of the consequences, which can be really harsh.
There is an urban story about Psychedelic mushrooms (
I just received a job offer that might be of interest to some of you, it’s actually the kind of job some people would literally Kill to get: Getting paid for Playing PSP in Tokyo this Christmas.
For the last months I’ve been getting ready to enter the Japanese market. In the upcoming year, I will go to Japan and get my career started there. It’s a very challenging and exciting adventure and I have the best partner to jump into the water.
