Manuel D. Valencia III's past comments

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIMay. 20, 2013 - 08:55AM JST

  Get rid of the program. It sucks eggs!

  Posted in: Strengthening the JET Program

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIApr. 30, 2013 - 09:11AM JST

  My advice to the Japanese - Stop promoting suicides through tv programs. I dare you!

  Posted in: Depressing suicide prevention posters cause controversy in Kobe

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIApr. 25, 2013 - 04:51PM JST

  I do work, but I don't "give" my salary to my wife. She has her account and I have mine. It doesn't make sense to me if I work for the money while she doesn't and takes a weekend with her friends. She has her account since childhood and uses that. Now, if we're both working, then she can do what she wants with it.

  Posted in: Don’t like drinking with the boss? No promotion for you

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIApr. 04, 2013 - 10:03PM JST

  You used to be able to hit them a few decades ago and they'd suck it up, learn and persevere. I miss those days... >

  If anyone did that with me, I would either submit a possible law suit for battery, or take it out myself can call it self defense, even if it was a slap.

  Posted in: How to scold employees in this age of power harassment

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIMar. 18, 2013 - 07:24PM JST

  Yea ... the Japanese don't help each other if they collapse in the street either.

  I once witnessed an old guy have a heart attack in a train station, not one person (except me) stopped to help, call an ambulance or alert station staff.

  A friend of mine saw a salaryman getting beat up by a young guy, and the guy ran off and left bleeding in the street, no-one did anything, except my friend who offered some tissues and waited with him until the ambulance came.

  Japanese can be very cold hearted, especially in the cities during rush hour. >

  That happened to me, too. I came to the aid of some older person when most everyone went about their business. I was also knocked off my bike by an old person who took off. Same thing happened. only a couple of ladies stopped and checked on me when everyone else went about their business. Talk about a thoughtless society.

  Posted in: Japanese travelers abroad lack street smarts

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIMar. 16, 2013 - 09:42PM JST

  Yeah! Congratulations!

  Posted in: Baez hits 2 HRs as Cubs beat Japan 7-5

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIMar. 11, 2013 - 09:38PM JST

  i can use the money, but not this way. Life is more precious than money, especially if you're a father and raising kids. You don't want to expose them or the family to this.

  Posted in: Big money available for doing manual labor at Fukushima disaster site

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIMar. 09, 2013 - 10:53PM JST

  My thought was foreigners had a "geisha" complex about Japanese women, in that they viewed women as behaving like geisha. Boy, was I wrong! Only in the movies! I did get one thing right. People commit suicide a lot in Japan. I was right about that one.

  Posted in: Survey among expats: What did you think about Japan before you started living here?

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIMar. 05, 2013 - 09:49PM JST

  It was YOU! You broke my heart!

  Posted in: Identity of Osaka elementary school bandit discovered

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 18, 2013 - 10:14PM JST

  apan's Income Tax filing seems quite simple when compared to the USA system. In the USA, individuals are responsible for filing their own income tax paperwork. You either do it yourself, or pay someone to do it for you. The only thing companies do is supply the individual worker with an income statement and report that income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

  mdepaiva - Are you surprised by this. I hate to admit, but the U.S. makes many thing complicated that Japanese make simple. This is a good example. Another example is Japanese immigration at airports. Simple, quick, without much fuss. I can also add that medical care and giving birth here is much better, too.

  Posted in: Gov't starts accepting income tax returns

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 17, 2013 - 10:11PM JST

  Just about all the research done in the last 50 years has proven that positive motivation is far more effective than negative. The old strict days of nuns and rulers has basically been scienfitfly proven to not be as effective as a kind teacher who simply cares about your well being. I can understand the need for negative motivation at certain times, but mostly only in a military training context.>

  Hey Robert! I can definitely relate to nuns' use of rulers for corporal punishment. My formative years were spent in parochial schools, most of which were taught by nuns. Unfortunately, I've seen it happen too often when I was taught by nuns in elementary school. I was not hit by them, but I've seen it happen to others. To this day, it still leaves a stigma. At that time, I was afraid to tell my parents for fear that they might say, "It's your word against theirs." When I later told this to my parents, they told me that they were sorry if I thought they felt that way. Maybe students here feel the same way. I don't know. As a teacher now, I try to see the individual gifts and talents in my students. It's not always easy to do this, but better than hitting them. This kind of punishment will stay with the students to their adult years. Like you, I'm also doing a Masters. Good luck to you, Robert! I just have my final project. My journey was a busy one, but well worth it. All the best!

  My apologies if I might have come across as a little wacked in my previous post. But, stories like this really get me upset. If they don't want to be there, send them out. Otherwise, when students come into a classroom, there are manners and rules to be obeyed.

  Posted in: 72 Osaka teachers confess to hitting students in questionnaire

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 16, 2013 - 07:04PM JST

  Of course, the teacher was reprimanded and the kid's parents received a formal apology, bu he should have been facing criminal assault charges.

  Formal apology? How about exposing the teacher to the media and suing that person's **s off big time. I come from a PR background and that is exactly what I would do! Otherwise, two hits - Me hitting him and him hitting the floor!

  Posted in: 72 Osaka teachers confess to hitting students in questionnaire

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 15, 2013 - 06:18PM JST

  Actually the romantic notion that a sacrifice will appease others is well written in Japanese fiction, including manga. This lad while probably not the most emotionally stable lad was probably fully rational in his decision to kill himself. Unlikely to be a bully.>

  How is suicide a form of romanticism? That is BS! Just plain stupid! I would kick **s than to kill myself!

  Posted in: 11-year-old boy throws himself under train near Osaka

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 14, 2013 - 09:18AM JST

  I'm surprised that no one mentioned Kabukicho (in Tokyo), Juso and Tennoji (in Osaka) as these places remind me of Japanese toilet bowls.

  Posted in: Top 5 worst places to visit in Japan

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 11, 2013 - 02:15PM JST

  For me, it's a few things. No. 1 answer - Women who smoke.

  1. Women who cling to material things as security.
  2. Naming or treating their cars as pets.
  3. Choosing to care for pets over their loved ones.
  4. Expecting men to make the money while the women sits at home or with friends.
  5. Women acting like teens.
  6. Women using department shopping bags (especially from high-end stores) like regular handbags.

  Posted in: Poll asks men what behavior by women turns them off

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 09, 2013 - 01:57PM JST

  **Some thoughts.

  Women of Japan isn't it about time you fended for your own incomes instead of waiting for prince charming to come along? European and American women have been moving in that direction for over 40 years. Time to catch up don't you think? And cash in that Cinderella complex.

  The global economic outlook means that even that guy with the "right" income is going to have a high probability of losing it one day to layoffs or restructuring. So that financial security you dream of, especially in Japan, may no longer be a realistic expectation for either sex going forward. The writing on the wall is that we all need to be a lot more creative in how we provide for ourselves and our families in the future.

  Family is everything. Yes I know you want money in the deal, but there is a lot more to it. 3/11 should have taught you a big lesson on this front. Security for your happiness can come from support during a crisis by someone you love. Poor, rich or ordinary. Also once you have built a family around you, chances are you have a net to catch you should point 2 hit you and your hubby one day. Think about it.

  Bitter old OLs. I know and have met a lot of unhappy bitter OLs who are still holding out for Mr. Perfect at an age where Mr. Ordinary is losing interest in them and the door to finding anyone is rapidly closing. See Mr. Perfect at 40 plus years old is dating miss Kawaii who is 22 years old, genki, hot and probably less pissed off at the world than you are. Not to mention more flexible and easier to manage. Mr. Ordinary has probably found Ms. Ordinary and gotten on with having a life. That 30 something percent are the lucky ones who married for love and family over money. Meanwhile these OLs go through their days angry, lashing out at an unfair world and isolating themselves more and more. End result? You die alone.

  But don't feel bad, there are enough of you to form support groups.

  So moral of the story? Marry for love and find someone who makes you happy and makes you laugh. Or a tine percent of you will get your dream guy. 1/2 of those will see him laid off in the future and the money go away anyway. The rest of the holding out for money crowd will end up in the point #4 category. And when the big quake comes, guess what? You will be there all on your own.

  Wise up ladies. ** ......................................................... Here! Here to that! We were married in a Catholic Church. Before that, we had to take marriage preparatory courses as a prerequisite to getting married in the church. My wife (J-wife) was okay with that. Later in the course, things such as money and responsibilities came up, which made things shaky between us. I consulted with my dad, who is a Catholic Deacon. He told me that is the purpose of the course, to bring up challenges, such as this. Most of the time, people cancel marriages because of this. So, my wife and I had some differences, but were able to work them out. After 5 years of marriage, there are some issues that pop up, such as using Western or Japanese values to raise our 2 great beautiful kids. We agreed that it depended on the situation. This economy has also challenged us too, but we've been able to work things out together.

  After we were married, by the local city hall in Japan, she asked me to give her my bank book and credit cards, but I said "No, we can manage our own finances. Whatever I make or buy is for everyone, not just one person." Little by little, she's been moving away from her gender biased values, like the man's duty to make money while the wife stays home, or women to serve men. I tell her that I will help around the house and serve her because I want to, not because of duty. I also told her that if anyone tells me to serve because of duty, I will tell them to @#%k off and get lost! In return, she told me that some Japanese are that way. In return, I told her that I don't need people like that in my life. It's my life and no one else's business!

  Other than that, I would say that there are very nice and down to earth Japanese women who care about a good mannered guy for his personality rather than his pocketbook. I have met a few of them. Guys, they're out there!

  Posted in: What Japanese women think about money and marriage

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 05, 2013 - 03:40PM JST

  It's cases like this that give me reason to always give and pay attention to my kids. They definitely need it in their formative years! However, I feel sad for the kid and the parents. Too sad!

  Posted in: 14-year-old girl apparently leaps to death from apartment rooftop in Fukuoka

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIFeb. 02, 2013 - 12:52PM JST

  Big deal! What's the point? She did this to herself. Are we suppose to feel sorry for her?

  Posted in: AKB48 singer shaves her head as act of contrition for dating

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIJan. 20, 2013 - 08:19AM JST

  Cool deal!

  Posted in: McDonald’s Japan giving away free breakfasts

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  Manuel D. Valencia IIIDec. 09, 2012 - 07:00PM JST

  I certainly don't want my kids to remember me like this guy's RIP Salaryman father (not "Dad").

  Posted in: Photo album features flying Japanese office workers