It’s now March. Folks, I think it is safe for me to recall 2018 and welcome 2019!
2018 was, to put it lightly, a pivotal year.
In 2018… I had my first son, left Amazon, traveled 20+ hours (with kids) to visit family in Florida stopping by Canada after four years of absence and went back to the agency side. It’s is sobering to look back at so many changes in so little time.
Here are some thoughts addressing some of the top milestones for last year.
A Message for My Son, Leon Keisuke
Welcome buddy! Your mom and I are sooo happy to have you with us. You’ve been a fantastic baby, so happy! You made the trip to Florida visiting Akka pretty great. You were always smiling and making everyone laugh.
Your happiness is very contagious and I keep hearing that this is going to be your personality when older. I look forward to that. On the other hand, you have one of the highest pitched screams I’ve heard and and it’s quite possible you will develop this into a super-power to fight crime 🙂
To sum, we love you. That’s what you should know.
Leaving Amazon
Oh Amazon. I really thought I was going to be able to address you with a cool mind at this time, but not yet. I can say that I’m sure everyone has a different yet marking experience at Amazon, I’m just very glad I left. I’ll write some thoughts when the time is right.
One thing is for certain, I learned a lot – the best and the worst. And I wish all the best to the good people I had the pleasure to working with this during my time there.
Miami (Actually, Fort Lauderdale)
Man… those were good times. We had a family reunion where Akka (nickname my daughter gave to my mom) was able to play with Elisa and Leon, also have arguments with Elisa. It’s easy to say one should not argue with a 2 year old, until you have to.
I loved that my family was able to experience Miami, my family, the beach and mom’s food. It’s a bit stereotypical but my mom like to cook, and we like that cooking!
We also went to Disney. It was great but so busy! We’ll have to go back when the kids are older 🙂
Oh Canada, and In Particular Vancouver
Going back to Vancouver for a visit was very meaningful. It was an opportunity meet with friends, which I did and loved to do. But being there als made me reflect on life changes. I left Vancouver in 2014 and in only 5 years a lot has changed – more than I expected, actually. Some things have been great, others hard to digest. Among all these changes, something I really miss from Vancouver are my friends and the squash crew.
It is funny that being one of the biggest cities in the world connecting with people is more challenging than ever. I can’t say if the challenge connecting with people is only because of the city. Being a parent takes quite a bit of time and perhaps would have been the same in Vancouver. That said, the social dynamic is Tokyo is quite different than Vancouver… or anywhere else I’ve been.
Joining an Agency
Last December I approached Ayudante to talk about business. I would consider them one of the best web analytics agencies in Japan and I had worked in small projects with them in the past. I ended up joining full time! So far it’s been great. They are a great group of highly talented consultant with very interesting projects to work on. I look forward to some of the things on the radar while at Ayudante.
To Wrap Up
2018 was a year of extreme highs and extreme lows. It was good but I’m glad it’s over. It feels a little silly that we use the arguably arbitrary concept of years to close a life chapter or to move on, but that is exactly how I feel. 2018, you were great but I’m glad you’re over.
Leave a Reply