Directly indirect

I've gotten into a pattern of working from home in the mornings that is quite refreshing. Something about clocking in in the sunshine of my room and then clocking out for lunch and a walk to work makes me far more productive as a whole for the day. Add to that the fact that I am not in a cubicle for hours on end, and voila--a secret for success (that's maybe not so secret after all). I definitely am taking lessons from my dislikes associated with work (one particular coworker, cubicles, and bureaucracy) and putting them in my knowledge bank of things to do/not to do if/when I own my own company. I've experienced a lot of difficulty with a recent venture I've pursued at work (which I won't specify for obvious reasons), and looking at it as an opportunity to learn has definitely helped me not get overexcited about the difficulty of progress in an institution that is supposed to enable and encourage such things. I suppose this situation is true of many institutions.

My Asian culture fun fact for the day today came from preparing to teach on the differences between eastern and western business culture. Western cultures are more likely to promote independence and to use contracts as the way to do business. Eastern culture has more emphasis on the group as a whole, confronts issues less directly, and bases business deals on relationships as opposed to contracts. To negotiate the specifics of a deal before agreed upon would be inconsiderate in eastern society, whereas in the west it would likely be unheard of to enter into a legal contract without knowing anything more than the businessman behind it.

I presented about my IEBF to business students, had language exchange with Poppy and Cora, started planning my primary school classes for the week I get back, and ate Subway today (for the first time in Macau). It was quite delicious, but I was also quite hungry.

I accidentally made 2 cups of coffee tonight when I tapped the container too hard and ended up with loads of instant coffee in my mug. Even after that though, I am still tired. I suppose that means it's time to turn in. After a 36 hour celebration of you know what (2 time zones), I'm ready to eat normal and get some z's again.