This is posted from my n900 via bmobile / docomo FOMA network. Yes, this is the very same n900 that I bought in Australia. No softbank bullshit.

Deal & pricing

• data-only: no sms or phone calls. which sucks. but at least i can do skype IM, browse facebook, upload photo to facebook, sync my calendar and so on. It’s not bad in that regard. The speed is capped at 300kbps up&down and you can’t do streaming. This mans you can’t do skype call either.
  
  
• pricing: http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/sim/charge_plan.html

• purchase: Note that for the 1 month prepaid SIM, you need to order online from here. The 6-monthly ones, you can get from BIC CAMERA (see below)

• continuation: I don’t really know how to ‘extend’ it, I would imagine since this is a data only sim, just buying another one won’t be a biggie.

How to get the 6-month B-Mobile SIM from BIC CAMERA

Bic Camera is a mega electronic store – their sign looked like this, they are easy to find.

Just rock in there and say you want B-mobile Sim card. They don’t ask for any gaijin card or anything like that.

You can ask “BI-MOBAIRU SIIMU CAADO ARUKA ?” – Or if you want to be less adventurous, simply go to this page and print it out, then bring it to the shop.

They will give you this booklet, with a bunch of information in japanese and within it is a card (within the card is the SIM card). Take the card out, turn it around, behind you should see 2 set of number. The first one is the number to call, the 2nd one, is your number.

Call the first number, choose english, follow the prompt, and activate the SIM card. You’ll need the 2nd number, which is your mobile number to activate it. Activation takes about 10-15 minute.

Then, pop in your SIM card into the trusty n900.

“SIM Card Registration Failed”

Unfortunately it won’t work just yet. But fear not – if you see this msg,  open the XTerminal, elevate to root (sudo gainroot) and then type in the following cmd (credit to @tesuri for figuring this out ):

dbus-send –system –type=method_call –print-reply –dest=com.nokia.phone.net “/com/nokia/csd/gprs” org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Set string:com.nokia.csd.GPRS string:AttachMode variant:string:WhenAvaiable

Then, let’s set the APN

For quick reference, here it is. But check with the latest one here in case it changes: http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/sim/setting.html

APN: dm.jplat.net
Username: bmobile@u300
Password: bmobile

Done!

Once done, reboot the phone. And you should be in

Good luck and have fun.

So what’s it like to live a Japanese life? many people ask me such questions, how do I feel, is it nice over there, etc. To be honest, I don’t know. Strange as it may seems, my circumstance is not that much different than when I was in Australia, I work with a bunch of Australian blokes, still working as full time geek (which I thoroughly enjoy), only that I am now in a different geographical location.

I guess that is what happen when you have studied enough Buddhism, things doesn’t shake you in a majorly dramatic way. Japan is a country. My apartment is a place to live. It is not insignificant, but it is not very special either. Suffice to say that given my circumstance, I am fortunate enough to say that my few days in here have been very comfortable indeed.

How long will I be here for, I don’t know. But this experience, just the act of going through the negotiation, the interviews, the preparations, have made me grew in ways I couldn’t imagine.

Let’s see where this wave will take me.

Just got a phone call from Japan, my visa is approved. They are sending the certificate of eligibility (COE) over. Im going to need to come over to the jap embassy with the thing before I can have the visa physically labelled in my passport (?).

But things are starting to gel nicely together. The situation in japan is cooling down (just!), I have successfully completed my work with my previous employer, have just managed to sell my piano, still trying to sell the car, and my replacement tenant is ready to move in.

I haven’t been this excited in ages. There are still many things to be done and resolved, but its all coming together. Back then, I was too close to see the pattern in the fabric. But now, stepping back, it all starting to make sense.

I’m glad I didn’t gave up back then and persisted. I hope this will all work for the best.

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.

And indeed it is – there is something magical in the way we commit, the way we determine to do something no matter what that allows things to unfold in the most naturally serendipitous way.

Take for example this piano, I’ve been trying to sell it for years and I just can’t find anyone who wants to buy it. People are too picky, they can not appreciate the value of the piano and everyone thinks that it is way overpriced, that it should be priced below the range and so on. But I was sure that this is a decent price for it, and also I am not happy to sell a music instrument to someone who does not appreciate the true value of it. To me, music instruments are more than just furniture, it is a means by which music can be conveyed, and music is magic.

So this guy rang me yesterday, asking about the piano. He came around at 3pm today, and he drove all the way from Geelong to Murrumbeena, just to inspect the piano. He is trying to buy one for his son, and he has been considering a Clavinova for almost 3 years and haven’t found a suitable piano. In Gumtree, my piano is like on page 26. I don’t know what compels this man to click on my ad – which leads him to our encounter.

He is such a nice guy, and he definitely knows the value of the CVP-201, I ended up selling it to him lower than my target price – but I am more than happy to do it. I even showed him how to open up the piano and replace the keys and stuff. I knew then that the piano have been waiting for this person, as much as this person have been waiting for this piano and I am merely an agent for the transaction. But all that didn’t happen until this sense of urgency arise from within. It just didn’t click until this determination becomes crystal clear, that “I want to sell this piano to a good owner and there must be someone out there who want this piano”

I suppose it is all summed up nicely by this line in Faust – possibly by Goethe:

Such is life, eh?

Looking back, there were many beautiful moments I had and surely enough it’s not about the company, but the people within it. I’m glad that I have not left the place with regret. If anything, I’m quite proud of what I’ve done – not necessarily in terms of the work I’ve left behind – but rather by the fact that I’ve always given everything I’ve got at whatever I do, and it couldn’t have been better. Whatever the outcome is, I’m happy with it.

It feels like it was just a moment ago that I drive all the way from Southbank to Clayton and parked outside the GOC at 9.30am to start my first day working as a full-time employee of an IT company. There I was yesterday consuming obscene amount of alcohol throughout my farewell parties (all the way up to 11) with my work mates celebrating good times – And here I am now preparing for my next journey.

Eckhart was right, we never do experience time linearly. Things are never as they seem.

I am in transition at the moment from one job to the next. But what is not in transition? everything is ever-changing anyway, safe for the change itself.

I hang out with a bunch of young graduates, who, exactly like how I was 5 years ago, are all struggling to secure a job and obtain the Australian permanent residency. When I was in that situation, I knew what went through my mind but I never knew what my friends were thinking, how they cope with the challenge and so on. Coming and meeting all these young graduates and students from various university, I gained tremendous insight into the sort of challenges that many international students are facing today.

What surprises me (or didn’t surprise me, actually) – was how many people actually lacks the confidence to simply be themselves. When they failed to get an interview or failed to get the job, their insecure self takes control very quickly. Is it because I’m a girl? Is it because I’m asian/indian/<insert_race_here>? It is funny how that works because in my 5 years of working outside the university, all of the biggest opportunity, the biggest help and support I have received career-wise came from my Australian friends. And it’s sad because I know this is very commonplace, I was like that too once.

Very rarely do we ask ourself: If I want a job as a Business Analyst / Software Engineer, how far am I from being a worldclass Business Analyst / Software Engineer? What does it mean to be a wordclass Business Analyst / Software Engineer?

Also, like how I was 5 years ago, many have a lot of preconceived idea about certain things, and they are so convinced that it is the truth even before they see the situation. For example, I speak to 4 young graduates who wishes to get a job as a Business Analyst. I asked them, what makes a good Business Analyst, what is the role of an analyst, and why do we need a good Business Analyst in a team? all 4 of them, coming from the same university gave me exactly the *same* answer. The claim is: developers are no good at communicating with clients, so they can be the medium. This is true on the surface and with a lot of rookie developers, but all experienced developers will overcome this shortcomings sooner or later.

What about those developers who worked freelancing job and liaise directly with client in their free time? What about all the open source developers, who have to face the whole open source community, getting bugs, requirements, suggestions and so on? If Business Analyst is all about communication – how come it’s not called Business Communicator? It is sad how our education system never teaches us to think outside the box. We are simply constrained by the horizon that we paint ourselves. Can we perceive beyond the skin and see the essence of what we want to achieve?

I did my best to tell them that anything is possible in this life. Focus on growing your skill and character, and everything will fall in its place – it’s that simple. It’s common sense, right? Great people with great skill attracts great opportunity. Even kids knew this – and yes, we knew this once, but we just forgot about it, or chose not to believe in it anymore.

Yet common sense, like they say, are not common after all. We are constantly fighting our fears, our anxiety, our suspicion, our dilemmas. Breaking through this is the key to making the change. Perhaps the message I can share is this: That so far, all of the biggest challenges I face in life and career are not won by strategizing. They are won by making that switch within. This revolution in our heart. When that is done, the wave of change will flow through, and things turns for the better almost immediately. Help will come in the most unexpected ways, because I have stopped putting expectation on anything and everything I do, and all I can do is to just be a better me, to manifest that worldclass from within myself, and that worked great so far.

So for all of you who are struggling to find a job, all of you who are struggling to obtain your permanent residency, all of you who are struggling in your career and seeking fulfillment in what you do – I wish you all the best. I sincerely hope you can find all the pieces of the puzzle soon enough. It is not mission impossible.

In zen buddhism there is a saying:

Preoccupied with a single leaf, we missed the whole tree.
Preoccupied with a single tree, we missed the whole forest.

Yesterday, I had a very contributive day. Did my bits at work, even did a talk on the australian computer society. Came back, I joined the buddhist group disucssion and encouraged my fellow friends. I even helped one of them to brush up their resume so he can apply for job. I tought that was a very, very great day, until I realized that I have missed to congratulate my girlfriend on her birthday. It was her birthday on that day (and it was her who tipped me too), and I haven’t got it on my calendar.

I thought to myself, after all this talk about saving and helping people in need, how could I had forgotten about it!!! She had a big heart, temendous capacity to appreciate – she knew what I have gone through and she supported me all the way that day. We reconciled and learned from this experience. Never for once is she angry towards me, never for once she said: “how could you?”. If any, she knew how bad I felt when I realized the situation, she forgive me. And in doing so I felt so much more dissapointed in myself, and swore not to let this happen, ever again.

But here is the lesson: know your priorities, never lose sight of the forest. In doing so we will keep tabs of all the tree and all the leafes. Otherwise, all is for naught. On that day, despite all I did, I didn’t mark it as a day of victory, but rather one of defeat.

But one thing for sure, I am so glad that I have her on my side.

So there. I hope this can be of help to someone in the future.

The future of Japan is still very uncertain (and with it, my job opportunity). Over the weekend the australian government have issued a very stern warning against travelling to Japan. And yet, like this moon, it shines still against the darkness.

This week will be a very decisive week.

My preparation to leave for Japan is underway, and I can’t but be concerned by the latest development in the country. Japan is in an uncharted territory, it has survived the biggest quake, followed by a tsunami, and now – the possibility of a nuclear meltfown.

A lot of my friends told me that going to Japan is not such a good idea. But I didn’t go to japan just to have fun. I am going there to seize an opportunity. As of now, I have yet to receive a red light to stop me from going. The road ahead is not yet 100% secured, my visa is not granted yet, and my packing is not yet done. There is also the logistics and selling of assets (such as car); the closure of my current work in the project I work on and so on.

Yet I am not daunted by all this. Since when do things run perfectly anyway ? no pain no gain, and I’m ready for the challenge. If anything, the philosophy of Buddhism taught me that nothing is permanent. Even this job in japan, it could well dissapear because of this catasthrophy, or not. Point is, there are a lot of things we can not control, we aught to just let go.

Things we can change though, such as our day to day activity is another matter. I will not let this event upset and throw me off-balance. What doesn’t kill me will make me stronger, I have to persevere!

Wu Wei is like the Ocean.
Effortlessly she breathes,
wave after wave.
One breath, one wave.

Sometimes it soothes,
Sometimes it crashes,
Sometimes it gives,
Sometimes it takes.

In truth, she sends her wave
not because she wants to,
but because it is in her nature to do so.
and so it is done effortlessly.

It does not soothes, but we perceive it to be so.
It does not crash, but we perceive it to be so.
It does not give, but we perceive it to be so.
It does not take, but we perceive it to be so.

This effortless doing
is what is referred to as
doing without doing,
acting without acting

When one is one with the essence,
no merit is gained, nor any value lost.
Like waves from a great sea.
or the breathing of a newborn child.

Filling, and emptying.
In, and out.

effort-less,
eternal.