The Last Post

Despite my efforts to remain anonymous I’ll let you have a little personal insight into my psyche: apart from mood swings, and some fairly compulsive habits, under the influence of the classics and paranoid introspection I am also quite a melodramatic extremist. This blog was never meant to last in perpetuity; I’ve always had my own motives for writing it. But today I’m laying down the pen, or more accurately pushing away the keyboard on Japanmanship.

There are several reasons for this, none of them extreme or important. It’s certainly not a defeat or a forced decision made under hardship or pressure, quite the contrary. I’ve simply decided I need to refocus my extracurricular activities on more pressing matters and long-postponed ambitions and hopefully cut the umbilical on a high. Up until recently the writing of posts has come fairly easily and required little soul-searching or subject hunting. An idea would hit me, I’d flick off a quick post during lunch breaks and that, as they say, was that. As I have exhausted all avenues of useful information to write about and have started leaning heavily on critical and often unfair views of Japanese life the search for new subjects has become somewhat of a chore. I can’t and won’t break NDAs and won’t compromise my company, so writing about work in too much detail, though possibly interesting for the reader, is simply not a possibility. Nowadays I spend evenings in bed, sleepless, agonizing over future subjects to cock an eye at, or become paranoid about becoming too recognite and being ousted and dooced. And when I look at my other side projects, all of them have been waylaid and neglected.

This blog, reluctantly started but written with much enjoyment, has taught me a few things. Firstly, I like writing, and I certainly hope to do something more with that knowledge. The overwhelmingly positive responses from my ever-growing circle of readers has certainly been very gratifying and has been immensely good for my confidence, though the posts given most praise were also the one written most effortlessly, so I still question your opinions somewhat. Nevertheless, the ego-stroking, though not a purpose of this blog, has been helpful and, let’s not be coy about it, fun.

Secondly, writing a blog can be hard work, especially, if like me, you have forced yourself to write regular updates. I’ve managed to post on average once every other day, which isn’t bad going. Of course it was much easier at the start, and a little of my current burnout may be attributed to this, it clearly isn’t sustainable for a lone writer. This is even more the case when posts become more intricate and require actual research. I have tried to write as little as possible about my personal opinions on games and design issues, as there are plenty of blogs out there already doing that at levels of insight and professionalism I cannot hope to match.
I am also fully and hatefully aware that my recent batch of posts have all covered my solipsist and sweepingly negative views of Japan and the Japanese which, though liberating to write and not entirely without merit and truth, is hardly fair to subject a whole nation to.
Of course there is a case to be made for lowerig the post frequency, but I always thought if something is worth doing it’s worth doing to glorious excess, or not at all.

Thirdly, apart from personal satisfaction there is almost no percentage in keeping up a lone blog. Google Adsense revenue and CafePress income, or lack thereof, at some point can’t justify the amount of time you put into writing. This is not a fault of the readership, bless your hearts, but of the way internet advertising works great wonders for the advertisers, the advert organizers but hardly for those hosting them. Unless your have a daily readership of a several hundred thousand extra revenue like this is simply vaporous, and though this blog has had a surprising number of visitors in a relatively short time, it, naturally, falls far short of such high figures.

This aggressive full stop, which I hope won’t disappoint too many people too grievously, has certainly lifted my spirits in anticipation of spending more time on learning C#, working on those other hobby projects and finally putting more real time into writing something of consequence. It is also a suitably dramatic gesture, something which my compulsive mind always enjoys; a bit of a shock, an extreme action, it’s fun and, hopefully, unexpected. I’m like that. I guess Japan’s wishy-washy attitude towards hard decisions has prompted in me a more extremist, contrary stance. It’s nice to be able to put your foot down on something when in real life you have to run circles around every obstacle. Or maybe it’s just the weather; sudden spring warmth and sunshine can play on a man’s mind. An air of renewal and the casting off of old things certainly seems to be a springtime activity.

I thank everybody for visiting so regularly and writing so many interesting and supportive comments. I also owe a debt of gratitude to the websites that linked here. I’ll keep the blog on-line until traffic drips to a standstill at which point I’ll probably remove it and have it done with. People with an interest in working in Japan in the future should probably save local copies of the more informative posts for future reference. I intend to keep the moniker for my other writing pursuits, so if in a few years time you ever wonder what happened to the game industry’s version of Ed Reardon, Google the nom de plume and who knows what you may find.

I remain, forever, your humble and obedient servant,

78 comments:

  1. It's really sad that you stop.
    Maybe I really find you one day ¬_¬
    残酷なわたぬき冗談だね。

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  2. I've enjoyed your blog tremendously for the brief time I've known about it. The time and hard work you put into it was obvious.

    If this whole game developer thing doesn't pan out you should look into writing.

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  3. I'll miss reading your great blogs, but I wish you all the best for the future. It's been a real eye-opener about life in Japan (as well as a good laugh).

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  4. This is my first comment, but I've been reading your blog for a while. I find it very interesting. I've been to Japan before, but never worked there. I've also worked in the game modding community, though never professionally. My wife is Japanese and there is always the possibility I might be working in Japan someday, maybe even in the game business. I've found your blog very informative and interesting, and tend to agree with most of your assertions on cultural differences.

    However, at the risk of looking like an idiot, I can't help but point out that this post was made on April 1st, April Fools Day. I think that "laying down the pen" is only a joke. If I'm wrong, well the I'll be one sad reader indeed. But I'm betting I'm not wrong. ;) Good Luck with the future either way.

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  5. BTW, I posted the Above comment and if you ever want to chat about Japan, having a Japanese wife, the gaming biz, or whatever, feel free to email me at velvety@velvetycouch.com. I've always been a fan of yours and believe we have much in common from reading your blog.

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  6. I've been here since day one (or maybe it was the second post--but that's not so dramatic) and really I've never enjoyed a blog so much, indeed it will take some time before I stop compulsively checking for updates.

    It's a good move going out on top, blogs like this can devolve into sloppy pop-commentary while yours was always sincere and personal, though also quite anonymous. It's nice to look back through a blog you can call 'a body of work' rather than having it gasp and flop around, diminishing its worth.

    Thank you for writing it.

    (funny though, I never did click on a single ad!)

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  7. Pulling April's fools jokes across time zones? Reprehensible if true.

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  8. I have had a wonderful time reading about your ideas and perspective on japan and the video game industry. Good luck with the future and heres hoping that maybe someday you may want to write up on the blog.

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  9. I did post this article on April Fool's Day on purpose, but I guess the only joke is that it isn't a joke. Like Andrej says it's best to shut it down before it becomes too tedious. I personally think it jumped the shark a few weeks back.
    I'm glad it has been useful and fun for people while it lasted. At least I proved to myself I can do it. The best part about personal projects is that you can end them when you want.

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  10. This makes me sad! :( Your blog has been one of the most fun to read. You've been giving us an entertaining and informative look at what goes on in Japan and the games industry.

    I will miss your posts, and I've not felt any of those to be boring, quite the opposite.

    I will miss your insightful comments and funny illustrations. Good luck in the future! :)

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  11. Aww, when I saw the date I had a brief flash of hope that it was just a joke and now that small hope has been crushed into dust T_T

    Thank you so much for this highly entertaining blog. I will definitely miss reading it but you're right when you say it's better to go out at the top than fizzle out in a sea of poo. I hope you will continue to write and eventually release it on to the unsuspecting public since you do have a knack for writing funny and easy-to-read (and I mean that in the best possible way) texts. Best of luck with your other hobbies too, maybe one day we'll see a small game from you? ;)

    Oh yeah, I need to thank you for pointing me to Doukutsu Monogatari, I've been playing it for the last couple of days and it's awesome. You've managed to waste my time quite well!

    See you around

    Peter

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  12. Welll, it's been nice to be reading you, really!

    Here I have learned interesting stuff about gamedev in Japan and I really thank you for sharing your experiences :)

    Bye man!

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  13. Thanks for all the interesting posts.

    Otsukaresama deshita.

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  14. As both a fledgling game designer and a lover of (almost) all things Japanese, I've found your blog illuminating, highly amusing and even a little heartwarming. I wish you every success with your future endeavors.

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  15. I was hoping it was a joke, but unfortunately I guess it isn't.

    Twas a great ride while it lasted. I'm sad to say I'd only recently stumbled on your blog some 3 or 4 months ago (Maybe even less, my memory is fuzzy) but I've been following it daily ever since.

    Perhaps if there's a way to keep in contact, we still could, because your insights into the Japanese psyche and their gaming culture et al really helps someone like me who 's striving to understand them.

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  16. I still say this is a joke. There's no reason to totally stop. Even once a week or twice a month would be fine.

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  17. One thing I will miss about the blog is recommending things to the reader, as if my opinion mattered. So, for those who suddenly find themselves in need of new reading material:

    I saw Tim Moss, Director of Technology on the excellent God of War series, started his blog. Good show!
    http://timmoss.blogspot.com/

    There is also a fairly new PDF magazine out collating the best and most interesting of bloggers' posts: CRAM
    http://www.cram-mag.com/
    The April issue may or may not contain a Japanmanship entry, but either way it's worth a look; I enjoyed the previous issues.

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  18. C'mon JC! You can't be serious! I know posting everyday can be such a chore. But maybe, stopping completely is also not the answer. You already have a pretty solid following and it would be really unfortunate if, all of a sudden, you force them to find their daily japanmanship fix somewhere else. I know it seems selfish for us (or for me) to demand so much of your of time, but to stop completely? Don't you think that's just a bit too...er...drastic?

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  19. Well, JC, we had some really good times and I fondly read your blog ever since I got to know it about half a year back. I enjoyed it greatly and I'll certainly miss my bit of Japanmanship every few days. Here's to you!

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  20. Well I'm sorry that I'm wrong (about the April Fool's thing). That's too bad you're stopping for good. Personally, I'll be missing your insights into living and working in Japan as a gaijin. Your posts on cultural differences always interested me.

    Don't be afraid to start the blog up again, even at a weekly post schedule or something, if you ever feel like you miss it. We'll be here whenever you do. Ganbatte JC.

    GDavis
    www.velvetycouch.com

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  21. I've really enjoyed your blog. Good luck and I hope you'll periodically update us with how you are doing!

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  22. I was waiting until after April 1 before saying anything. I can't believe this. Your blog is seriously one of my favorites and I'm sad to see it go. As far as the cafepress thing goes, I gotta admit none of the designs suited my liking and I was waiting for more to come out before placing an order. This is sad news but I hope you make the most of it. I also stopped running a website this year, after close to 10 years... so I understand how you feel.

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  23. I've really enjoyed your blog.
    You have talent, nourish it :)

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  24. I wish you good luck! Reading this blog has been one of my best daily moments, and at some times I wondered how you could keep it up all the time. Thanks again for the insights about your work and culture, and good luck!

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  25. I understand completely.
    Not enough time to do everything !
    But i'll miss your posts, on what is the best blog i know...

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  26. It was fun while it lasted friend. I'm sure this won't be your last post ever but good luck in all your ventures.

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  27. C# - Bit of an XNA side project going on? :)

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  28. Even quitting in good style, sir ;)

    Thanks for everything - great stuff, great insights... When you're ready for an indie-gaming studio, I'm right here :)

    Thanks again!

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  29. 残念!

    I'll be sad to see you go, but hope you have tons of fun doing the more interesting things on your list.

    Like pretty much everyone that's commented so far, I'd really like to see you continue, even if it was much less often. Solely for the fact that this is the least whiney 'Japan-blog' that I've come across, sure you write what looks like a lot of negative things, but from my experience - 'accurate' is a better word to describe those posts:)

    Anyway, good luck with whatever you end up doing, keep us informed at least a little bit, especially if you're going to start writing your own little indie games on the side:)

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  30. this was the only blog i read, and now you're shutting it down, Noooooooooooooooo.. oh well, i can understand though. I will miss it, your posts was really funny to read, and i loved your illustrations. Good luck with your future works! Ganbatte! Mata ne.

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  31. Sad to see you go. Your blog cheered up otherwise (usually) dreary work days. Good luck with all your other endeavours!

    Fredrik S

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  32. Goodbye forever friend JC Barnett! This is where you do that seppku shit, right? That is japanese.

    I'm going to miss the blog, but you're right. It's better to stop on a high than to jump the shark and peter out.

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  33. All the best for the future

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  34. This read will be sorely missed.

    'Wish you all the best.

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  35. So... not an April Fool's then?
    How sad.
    Oh well, I'll read back through your catalogue of posts -- I'm sure there's plenty of insight I can learn from an old & jaded industry insider.
    In other words, I'll learn from you so that my time may be more fun & industrious! ;)

    Cheers JC,
    Kiki

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  36. I`ve never commented before, but I found your blog a few months ago while searching for something random about Japan, and I have enjoyed it immensely ever since. I`m living in Japan right now, and I have had numerous really good laughs reading/identifying with your portrayal of Japan. I think of this blog when I get packed into a train, and some old salary man wants more than his fair share of space. Thanks very much for writing.

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  37. i enjoyed reading your blog very much, and I'm sad to say I'll no longer have a conversation piece relating back to Japan.

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  38. Oh a sad day :( The potential joke that sadly wasn't.

    I, like so many others it seems, have been silently reading your interesting and insightful blogs with the fervour of no other blog. Even using a web proxy when it was apparently blocked for a stretch here in China (as so many interesting places are).

    Also from Britain, also in the games industry, though just across the water from you in Dalian, China. It's been fascinating to read about the cultural differences between there and England, and some of the similarities or nuances between there and China.

    Still, I'd rather it cut off completely for two reasons, one selfish, one more selfless. I'd rather it ended abruptly and go 'cold turkey' than have it leave me frustratedly checking for a possible future update (though no doubt I will for a short period anyhow), and as many have said, 'it's better to burn out than fade away' letting the blog shine as it has without it slowly falling or flailing.

    I wish you plenty of success and hope that you find the time for all those side-projects. I'm still trying to find time for most of mine - and that's without the added pressure and time-consumption of keeping a regular blog, so kudos to you for managing that part at least.

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  39. Guys, guys, hush you. It's getting embarassing! I'm really glad that in its short life-span the blog has provided some entertaining respite from the daily grind to so many. I did get some new ideas for posts but this is a decision I'm going to stick with. I need to refocus. And as some people rightfully pointed out on Fucked Gaijin I'm in danger of becoming too much of a moaning old git, living and working in Japan but hypocritically pointing out all the flaws while doing nothing about it. I mean, it's fun to do but a little stupid and counter-productive.

    As for side-projects, I have a little priority list and indeed an XNA homebrew project is on there, but don't hold your breath; it's far down the list and still wiould take a lot of time. I'd like to coninue writing somethin but I'm going to have to have a good hard think about what and wherefore.

    Toodle-pip,
    JC

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  40. Eeeee. Are you going to leave the blog up?

    You could always just scale the updates back to "whenever I have something I really want to say."

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  41. Its the end of an era man. I respect your decision and wish you all the best.. you blogs and comments have helped me a lot. Thanks big time MAn.

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  42. Dude, you're a legend, thanks for many an evening's good reads.

    Good luck in whatever you do next with your spare time and if possible resurface again, we would all love to hear from you again!

    -Dani

    http://www.tomo-dachi.com

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  43. Sorry to see the blog end, but I really enjoyed the read while it was going. Good luck with future endeavours!

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  44. Well I'm sorry to see you go friend, yours is one of only two blogs I visit on a regular basis and provided a much needed respite from the daily grind. I understand your reasons and wish you all the best for the future, as others have said, if you wish to return, even if it's to make posts on a weekly/monthly basis, we will be most pleased. Good luck JC

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  45. Good luck JC, thank you for your refreshing insights.

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  46. Eek! Noooo, I love your blog. You are an excellent writer.

    Even if you never post here again, please don't take the blog down. It's too good to remove from the internet completely.

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  47. Good luck to you JC - your blog was the only one that kept me coming back for more.

    Will miss it...

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  48. I really enjoyed your posts and humorous outlook on the culture. I'll definatly miss reading it.

    Good Luck!

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  49. 50th reply in the attempt to get you to keep blogging ;)

    Pretty much everything has already been said - thanks for the info, the laughs and everything Gamesmanship related. Will miss checking here regularly, it had become a regular visit to me. Hope you get around to writing that book someday! Best of luck with the future.

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  50. It was a great time, I love to read your posts.

    Yet I guess I understand your decision and I wish you the best for the future.

    You're a gifted writer and I thank you very much!

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  51. Go figure. Just as I find this, it's all over and done with :P.

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  52. hey JC

    being a spare time extremist myself i totally understand your move. all or nothing is and likely will always be my choice too, at least on the non-work frontier.

    still, its sad to see one of my daily mainstays go to the abyss.

    i surely hope you will someday find the time and energy to do your writing side-project. please consider me a free proof-reader :)

    Ganbatte

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  53. Bummer. I actually just found your blog today. Which, given how much we have in common, is a rather embarassing commentary on how I've not been keeping up. While I'm Stateside now, I both went to college in Japan and worked in the game biz there for many years. When I was doing the Tokyo thing, the number of foreign game guys (and it was all guys) was pretty durn low. I'm guessing that hasn't changed much. Anyhoo, I'm off to read your old posts!

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  54. Double bummer from me. I just surfed over here today (can't remember where from) and am sad to hear it will be no more.

    I lived and worked in Tokyo in the games industry for 5 years (1 of only 3 foreigners in Sega at the time, plus a bit of NEC salaryman for contrast) so the few entries I just read brought back memories.

    Contrary to what most people are saying, I think you are doing the right thing. It's all too easy to become cynical after a few years in Japan, when in fact there are so many beautiful things about the place to contrast that feeling.

    Time to read the archives methinks.

    All the best JC.

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  55. Congratulations to your collaboration in the Gamasutra article.

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  56. I JUST found your blog and I'm already sorry to see it go. Take care and good luck with your alternate endeavors.

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  57. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  58. I just discovered your blog today.
    I'm honestly impressed and I'll enjoy reading every last post of it.
    You're a damn good writer with a really keen eye for people and culture.

    And if you should ever get your creative juices flowing again (it could happen, you know), I'll definitely be a frequent visitor.

    Best of luck for the future!

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  59. Oh, and if you're still reading this, would you please delete the omar cruz post before mine?

    I hate to see such blatant spamming on such a good site.

    Please delete this post too then :)

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  60. I, too, found you via Gamasutra's article, only too late. While I have no dreams of entering the Japanese game industry, I would like to spend at least a short stint there doing something, if only to learn culture and language firsthand.

    I'm sure I also join many of your readers in hoping you'll reconsider. Surely you could find a balance between "every other day" and "never again." Perhaps monthly, or after each project's end, or even "when you can be arsed to sit down and knock something out." I always preferred the "Gamesmanship" and "Japanese for _____ _____" entries, myself.

    In either case, I offer my congratulations -- not only are you one of the few foreigners who've made the transition and chosen to stay, but you got your fifteen minutes as well. How many can say they've achieved both?

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  61. I'd just like to say - thanks for your blog - I enjoyed reading it.

    And I'll agree with everyone else in saying that I'll miss reading it - and your thoughts about what it is like to live in Japan.

    I hope someday you'll take it up again in the future! I really liked your style of writing.

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  62. Awesome blog; I just discovered it and looked through many of the posts. It's very informative, and extremely hilarious. I think I may know how you feel just a teeny bit, because I'm an American going to a college in Asia atm, and am one of the 3 or 4 white people there.

    I do agree about the massaging thing, people in Asia tend to just give you massages out of nowhere, and I don't like it either.

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  63. KNMHo9 Your blog is great. Articles is interesting!

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  64. I6KPGX Nice Article.

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  65. SoajFx Please write anything else!

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  66. actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

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  67. Thanks to author.

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  68. actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

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  69. Thanks to author.

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  70. actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

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  71. Thanks to author.

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  72. fyF4eB Please write anything else!

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