The change of my project The last month, the project I had worked for several months suddenly halted due to the client's financial struggle. It forced me to find a new project to get paid as soon as possible. I was disappointed because it was just when I got used to it and felt comfortable. I was also worried whether I could find a good new one in the corona virus rampant. Why did I have to change my project at that timing? Without any of my fault? In this month, I finally managed to found the new project and joined it. The workplace changed. The coworkers changed. The current project is more challenging than the old one. I have to learn a lot of new things. And it's... really fun! Now I realize that the old one was a bit boring for me. Why did I lament the change so much last month?

Making a lot of mistakes "Making a lot of mistakes" is my resolution of this year. No one loves making a mistake. Of course I don't, too. It pains and makes me embarrassed, so I want to avoid it anyway. At the same time, I understand that my life would be boring without challenging a new thing. My spirit will be drooping if I dodge any mistakes and do easy tasks I know a lot already. To embrace mistakes, I can face a challenge that I can't predict whether the outcome is successful or not.

Worn Out My current project is complicated. Though I enjoy it, there's a problem. It wears me out so much that I can't think of other complex things well now. I realized it when I played some games of Japanese chess, one of my hobbies, a few days ago. I picked many blunders like a newbie and lost all the games in a blink of time.

Tax increase Today, the consumption tax in Japan is increased from 8% to 10%. Until yesterday, as expected, most stores had put big advertises and tried their customers to rush buying items before the increase applied. I also planned to buy a new iPad, but I eventually changed my mind. The extent of the increase is just 2%. Is it worth to commit impulse buying? Also, I realized I didn't have clear use cases for a new iPad in my life. It shouldn’t be a wise move at all to take a risk of buying unnecessary things.

The renewal of my renew driver's license Today I renewed my driver's license. Drivers who have no accidents and traffic violations like me need to renew their licenses every five years in Japan. Comparing with the old license and the new one, I'm deeply impressed how long five years are. My photo on the old license was taken when I was over 60 pounds fatter than now, so it looks like a different man's.

Google Maps for Japan Very recently Google updated its Maps app of Japan. The most significant change is that they replaced their map data from the one provided by Zenrin, a long-established Japanese map survey company, to the one made by themselves. Unfortunately, a lot of Japanese include me, think the outcome is disastrous because many details of roads and terrains vanished on the new map. I'm surprised even Google made such a blunder.

A rule for police officer's costume In Japan, no one is allowed to wear a police officer's costume in public except police officers. You are fined if you violate this rule. I guess many countries have similar rules because, without such rule, con men would try to disguise police officers for tricking innocent people and harm the police's authority severely.

Seishun 18 Seishun 18 is a train pass provided by the East Japan Railway. It allows unlimited rides on local JR trains with very cheap fare. How cheap is it? Let's take a ride from Tokyo to Kyoto. If you use Shinkansen, the bullet train that Japan boasts of its speed and safety level to the world, it takes under two and a half hours and costs about 13,000 yen ($116). With Seishun 18, however, you only need to pay 2370 yen ($21)! It's a bargain if you don't mind to use several local trains in the connections with one another.