Tip 230: Shichi-Go-San Studio Photo

Shichi-Go-San simply means Seven-Five-Three and is a rite of passage celebration for children in Japan observed around November 15. The ceremony is to celebrate the growth of children into healthy, strong children since in the past around the Heian period (794-1185) , there were young children who faced various health hurdles in their growth. Girls who are three and seven years old, and boys who are three and five years old would dress up. In the past, children in Japan were only allowed to let their hair grow at age 3 years old onwards and thus this celebration to mark their age. It is customary in Japan to take studio photos and then offer prayers in a shrine, but we only resorted to a photo package of SGD240. I am sure this wonderful experience is a good addition to Haruka's childhood memories.

Haruka followed various steps in wearing a kimono, did her first make up and was treated like a princess for a day. The process started when Tomomi saw an advertisement in the weekly Japanese magazine she read. We then went to the home of the Japanese who own the wardrobe of Japanese kimono for kids to try the ones we like (and asked Haruka for her opinion as well). She tried various kimono and even Western dress. But daddy decided that we will just select a minimal photo package and not need to have too many varieties of dresses at this stage. We can have that when we later do a family package when Haruka is close to seven years old and her baby sister is past 3 years old. We decided on the photo taking date and time and waited anxiously for Haruka's "big day".















That day came and it was a very exciting day not only for us, but a few other families who waited in line for their kids at the make up queue. This Japanese business started 10 years ago and have established a good system. They were very precise in the time that we should arrive. We came a little early and had to wait for Haruka's turn to curl her hair and put the Japanese hair clips. Then, an elderly Japanese lady (obaachan) dressed Haruka up with care and praised Haruka in Japanese. I think this was a meaningful Japanse tradition. It is akin to having a relaxing soothing Indian barber hair cut for men in Singapore/Malaysia/ India. The dressing up starts with the under kimono (jubam). Then the outer kimono and little padded jacket without sleeves will be worn on top. Haruka also wore the split toed socks (tabi) and the Japanese platform sandals (zori).














After dressing up, Haruka had her first lip stick and blush on her cheeks. Then, she was ushered to the photo taking studio and the staff praised Haruka for her photogenic ability requiring very little coaxing unlike other kids her age. I think this is partly due to daddy's camera practice with her and her various experiences across the globe having people praise her for candid shots. When she was young, strangers would come up to Haruka and ask for a photo of her to be taken. The grin of Haruka on the day she tried out the different dresses and the day of actual photo taking was priceless.

Check out another blog I write: http://lifenewcreation.blogspot.sg/ to find about keeping your family healthy.














(Photos show Haruka trying out the various dresses. Photos of her make up and step by step kimono wearing process is on the next blogpost).

Tip 229: Lifestyle engineering for sustainability

What is a sustainable lifestyle? To me, a lifestyle that is sustainable is adaptable to different cultures, different income levels, different environments, so that for better or worse, for poorer or richer, we are able to live together joyfully. The things we have and the comforts we enjoy, ought not to condition the way we live such that the family falls apart when it faces a situation of poverty or war or sickness.














Yet, the family if given a choice will always yearn to live within its comfort zone. Hence, the need for a little engineering to create situations when we move out of the comfort zone. Quite a handful of jargon in this blogpost, enjoy.














I do not play God in determining the circumstances of my family. Yet, each of us make different choices in life. We switch channels on our remote control or decide what we wish to eat for the day. Do we constantly choose convenience, comfort, speed and material enjoyment all the time? Or do we sometimes choose that which is strenuous, uncomfortable, slow and simple? By adapting to different situations, do we grow better as a person? Or should we be spoilt with convenience and comfort, till we be obese couch potatoes choosing to live for ourselves alone?














It is actually not as complicated. It is as easy as choosing to walk or take the bus when you can conveniently flag a taxi. You may probably hear a few complaints from your wife and child in the beginning, but after a while, they see the value and fun in taking time exercising and begin to build their stamina towards a little hardship. Same goes for carrying and wearing your baby when you can use the stroller. Or delaying purchases and seeking good bargains and avoiding impulse buying all the time. There is a time for everything. Time for hardship and time to splurge and treat ourselves to some comfort. Yet, often we forget to schedule some slow time, some hardship and inconvenient time to make us better stronger people. The key is not making quick decisions for easy way out (unless you get free gifts or free help). Try out the hard way. Only when you have tried it and know your limits, you can consider other options in the decision making process. Then, aim for those limits again at another time. Surprisingly, it may find less resistance and be a breeze for the whole family then.

The bible in James 1:2-4 states, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". It would be ideal for a family to not lack in anything and develop the necessary perseverance to sustain through time. Of course, God's grace be with us as we grow. And if we lack anything, may we remember to seek after Him for wisdom.

(Photos show Haruka at Singapore Universal Studio, a treat after bearing with daddy's whims and fancies :)

Tip 228: Withdraw Japan Pension Lump Sum

Check out another blog I write: http://lifenewcreation.blogspot.sg/2013/05/how-resveratrol-and-red-wine-activate.html to find about a new opportunity to do business anywhere besides building your family's health and wellbeing.

I blogged previously on the need for daddies to know daily business processes in a new land, as well as the cash gift I received from the Japanese ward office. After leaving Japan, I applied for the lump-sum withdrawal of my Japanese pension and after waiting for over a year, I was pleasantly surprised that I got 1.2 million yen in my bank account.

I will attempt to outline the steps that any foreigner ought to do to take advantage of this privilege of being a foreigner in Japan. It is a proud statement from the Japanese government that they do not need outsider's help to support the local aging society.

First off, to qualify for this scheme, you need to have previously contributed to the pension scheme for a minimum of 6 months and have received a blue book. For full time employees, pension is automatically deducted from your salary every month. When you leave Japan permanently, no longer own any address and submit your gaijin card at the airport, you are entitled to submit an application form by mail from outside of Japan to the pension office to withdraw a maximum of 36 months of your pension contribution.

This seems pretty straight forward, but knowing the Japanese bureaucracy, there are many do's and don'ts in order to get your withdrawal approved faster.

The fastest approval can take 2 months, while the average is around four and a half months according to this website. The withdrawal form stated that the office would take 6 months to process the application.

Mine took much longer as the pension office wrote to my Malaysian address through snail mail stating that my passport photocopy was not clear and that I should contact the ward office where I was previously registered since they have no records of my departure. The reason being I did not surrender my gaijin card. I had not done so because I had wanted to keep my marriage visa active since it was still valid for another 1.5 years. I then wrote a Japanese letter to the ward office and the pension office stating my departure date clearly and proof of residence outside Japan. Alas I was successful and managed to find a way around Japanese bureaucracy.

If you pay attention to detail when filling the form, you do not need agents to do the job for you and can get the payment quick. First, decide if you want the payment made to a bank in Japan or a bank overseas. Whichever the case, you need a bank stamp/seal on the form as proof that the bank has endorsed your application. If your bank does not have a seal, then get them to write a letter identifying your bank account.

As I routed payment to my Japanese bank account, I had to bring the form to the bank before leaving Japan. I still use my Japanese bank to pay my mortgage, plus I would not lose any exchange rate fees routing to a bank overseas. The pension office would not know the existence of your properties if you do not state it in your application form.

You can download the lump-sum withdrawal form from the official website here. English instructions are stated clearly so you need not call the office in a language other than Japanese :)

As I blog, I just discovered that the 20% tax imposed on the payment can be claimed in full from the tax office. It can take as quick as 1 week, but you need to provide the pension payment receipt, as well as a Japanese bank account. Foreigners have been advised to get a representative living in Japan to act on their behalf, but I will try to write to the tax office with my Japanese bank details. If I am successful, I will report on its progress.

You can download the Japanese form for tax refund of your pension. Address of all tax offices in Tokyo can be found on their website here.

Check out another blog I write: http://lifenewcreation.blogspot.sg/ to find about a new opportunity to do business anywhere based on stem cell technology.

(Photos show Haruka a little moody in the hot weather with daddy's lingering photo taking at the Singapore Universal Studios).

Tip 227: Get a job in 1 month

It is sad to read about the persistently high unemployment rate in the U.S.A. These days, nothing is constant. Gone are the days of life-time unemployment and family owned enterprises with free home cooked lunches around a common dining table with the owner. Hence, daddies need to be equipped with the necessary nimble skills to search for another job if the need arises being the breadwinner of the family. I have my share of stories and tips since it must have been not easy to secure different jobs abroad in Japan, Hong Kong and now Singapore. No time was wasted when I saw signals that the job environment was not rosy. Each time, I succeeded in getting a better job within 1 month or immediately, thanks to God for His grace to accompany my applications.

One method to get a job within 1 month of resigning or being laid off from your existing job, is to prepare in advanced an online resume of your career. It takes time to update your resume and it should not be delayed till you need a job. It takes a while to start on your first thorough resume. After that, you just need to reflect on your career regularly to update new milestones and skillsets on your resume. The next step is to build a foundation of connections. Be proactive in contacting recruiters within a locale or within the industry. First, send them an email with a short introduction and if they would like to review your resume. If they respond, make a point to meet recruiters who likes your profile. Even if you do not have an immediate need for a job at that moment, it helps to be on a databank of a headhunter. Even if the recruiter is overseas, do not hesitate to reach out to recruiters there if you have preferences to work abroad.










Do not expect headhunters to hunt you down if you are not searchable. During the search process, there could be many application forms to fill as a means to knowing you. There could also be many advice to update your resume. Yet, all these processes will only improve your applications.













During my 3 month internship in Tokyo as part of my MBA program, I was determined to secure a job abroad instead of returning home to Malaysia. I spent time searching the internet of the hundreds of recruitment firms in Tokyo and contacted them. I used LinkedIn as an impersonal means to mass email recruiters who have provided their email address to be contactable. As it turned out, 50% of those contacted responded with a thank you and 20% out of those who responded were willing to meet with me. No hard work was in vain as I found out that even those who did not respond have kept my resume and contacted me later. I made a target to meet with a recruiter or any local Japanese friend every day after my job at the intern company. At the end of my 2nd month internship, I finally secured an interview and secured the job in Tokyo, a foreign land that I have only 2 months living experience. Keep applying and keep up the hard work.

Check out another blog I write: http://lifenewcreation.blogspot.sg/2013/05/how-resveratrol-and-red-wine-activate.html to find about a new opportunity to do business anywhere besides building your family's health and wellbeing.















(Photos show the family at the Universal Studios in Singapore, sponsored by AIA)

Tip 226: Live on 50% of income

I previously blogged about ensuring a cash pile of 1 year's income is available in today's volatile economic environment. I do watch The Suze Orman Show, a show about managing money. Suze like me says that she did not grow up with money. The key to managing money is to not let money manage our lives. One method is to only live on 50% of our income. This is a safety net in case one of the spouse loses his/her job, the other spouse's income will be sufficient to cover family expenses.

It is neccessary to build a strong foundation of savings and then only start spending and enjoying money after that. This can possibly go against preferences and philosophies of certain people who believe in living for the moment. But reality is that you cannot be envious of others, but build your own wealth yourself. It really is not that difficult. It just takes some determination to live within your means, or rather 50% of your means.

Be determined to settle all your existing debts with high interest rates. Also, be determined to cut all unnecessary wants and delay them till you have sufficient savings. This can be done with any amount of income. Only invest when you have sufficient savings and the investment money set aside is not for emergency use.

I still remember saving my scholarship allowances every month during my 1 year MBA stint in Hawaii. I cooked meals every day and even volunteered for events to enjoy proper meals and trips. Every month, I will set an unrealistically high target of savings and put all my income into a step up savings account, and be determined to delay my wants till the next income cheque and not withdraw from my savings account. Towards the end, I saved enough for a trip to all the islands of Hawaii and also a cash pile of savings together with a flight ticket to Japan for my next job.

Then, during my job in Tokyo, I saved enough to buy an apartment in central Tokyo within 2 years. I saved enough to get married and now being able to support a family of a wife and 2 kids. All the experiences represented in the photos on this blog are through the most optimised way of spending. I only travel when it is free or through the cheapest available means. None of my wealth is inherited either from my parents or from my spouse. I am the only one working in the family and support my wife's and kid's expenses. Anyone can do it. It is through living within your means - or rather 50% of your income.

(Photos show Haruka goldfish scooping, a traditional Japanese game and playing water at her alma mater, a Japanese playcenter near our previous home in Tokyo).

Tip 225: Fully toilet trained at 2 yrs 9 mths

Halleluyah! I did not expect that day to come so soon when I need not buy diapers anymore. Not quite though, since my diaper purchase starts again in 2011.

I have to admit that I was too anxious, impatient and wanting to rush Haruka to be rid of diapers. It truly is a natural process when reason will take the better of the child as the child understands that if they grow older, they would not want to wear diapers.

Now, even when Haruka has diarhea, she controls it so well that she keeps asking me to take her to the toilet. Dad's job doesn't end. When there is no longer the task of buying and carrying diapers, a new task emerges.

It seemed like only yesterday when I blogged about Haruka being potty trained at 16 months. Yet, even when she could do it, she later refuses as it is convenient when she has well absorbent diapers. Yet, after a few nags and encouragement, one day she just decides to be diaper free.

I think one breakthrough is that Haruka begins to be more comfortable with toilet seats. It may require some courage initially to reach for a high toilet seat and sit firmly on a large bowl. As she could start a habit of using toilets outside the house, she need not depend on using only the potty at home. This habit improves bowel control throughout the day. Hence, parents may be able to quicken the process by encouraging the child to use the toilet seat at home once the child is potty trained. It took Haruka just 2 years and 9 months to be 100% toilet trained and I am very proud of her.

(Photos show Haruka with new found friend, Mihiro-chan in Tokyo at Inokashira Park during her short 5 days stay in Tokyo. Mihiro-chan is exactly 1 year older than Haruka).