all things Love

Q: 研究・仕事の内容を簡単に教えてください / What kind of research or work are you doing? A: I am doctoral candidate in the University of Tokyo. My research area is Astrophysics. More specifically, Gravitational-Waves detection and data analysis. Japan operates one of the three Gravitational-wave detectors in the world. This was the primary reason why I chose to Japan for my higher studies and research. The reason for selecting Tokyo as the destination was my university. The research group I am working with here is one of the best groups for my research field. And besides, Tokyo is a nice place to live! Q: 研究・仕事の内容を簡単に教えてください / What kind of research or work are you doing? A: Principally, my research boils down to data-analysis. Unlike the usual case though, the data we analyse comes from the cosmos. Actually, from the merger of massive compactly packed objects called Black Holes. When these really heavy merge, they alter the very fabric of spacetime. When this happens, a gravitational wave is generated an...

In the past few months, three personalities I had grown looking up to over the year, have started their journey towards the heavenly abode, the latest departure happening just the last week. All the three occasions of the news had felt out of the blue. It is not that I had been exceedingly close to any of them, nonetheless, brief touches of their presence in my life had made in such sublime manner that it would hardly be possible otherwise now. It is especially the distant figures such as these that we are prone to assume a constant in our lives. We meet and come across a plethora of people in our life times, yet it is often the transient moments that leave a lasting impression, amplified more so when the impermanence of it all suddenly decides to make itself known. I am grateful that, in varying degree of acquaintance, I had the opportunity to know Mr. Emmanuel Robin, Dr. N Rathnasree and Prof. T Padmanabhan. These succinct lines here are an amateur effort to pay some tribute to them....

The criterion for including people for an all-paid Dinner Party, for instance, should at the very minimum be the people whom I can call and I am sure who will pick up the phone. This then by definition includes almost all, nah, all of my male friends and excludes most of the, if not all, ex-girls I have dated before. Then there is the proximity of location constraint. Plus, inclusion of anyone who invited me to their past celebrations and I know who maybe able to join for this one. Or somebody with whom I was close either in proximity of location or friendship or both or with whom I spent a lot of time together. Now, on top of these, in order to reduce the list to the most closest of the close current friends, I can impose the following additional requirements: 1) Should have met them atleast once this year or in the past 6 months, whichever is longest. 2) We should have had atleast one 1-1 meeting, preferably outing for >1 hour, either for lunch, coffee or dinner or something else....

From a studious introvert during my school days to having dated over 50 girls in the past two years in Tokyo, I sure have come a long way in making myself more engaged socially. (If you are curious about the dating scene, have a look at that post here!) The progress hasn’t just been towards a higher affinity from the fairer sex, but has been much more wholesome and awarding. So, what did change or perhaps, I was the same likable even in school, just not in the right environment? Here are my key insights into what essential in keeping your friends long-term and how to make them in the first place. Also included is some general advice on how to meet new and interesting people wherever you go. - Keep your Promises: If you make a promise to someone, try your very best to keep it. If you are unsure, then say so outright, instead of agreeing to something just to save face and then not committing to what you say. This builds trust and gives weight and credibility to things you say.  - Bor...

First of all, I am glad to know that you have decided to find a relatively long-term accommodation space in Tokyo. It’s a marvelous city and I hope you will have a fantastic time living here ~ The ideal procedure would be to lookup apartments in your desired area on these websites and then go an agency. Most apartments won’t be furnished and will have the initial surcharges and key deposit money, ~one month’s rent. The agency I used for my apartment is ABLE, and I would highly recommend it. I have a contact at ABLE Hakusan, so if you are looking for housing in Bunkyo-ku, near the universities, ping me up and I may perhaps be able to get you a bit of a discount, haha ;) Some relevant links are, https://suumo.jp/sp/ : This is the largest real-estate website in Japan, with the most number of properties listed. Most of the information is in Japanese though. https://minimini.jp/sp/ : The second most popular real-estate website in the country. Suumo is Green, while MiniMini is Red. Both of...

ऐसा हो ही नहीं सकता कि आप टोक्यो में हो और दो महीने पहले से आपकी सारी दिनचर्या तय हो गई हो, आपके ना जाने के सिर्फ़ दो करण हो सकते हैं, एक : आपको जाने की इच्छा नहीं है (संभवतः यह), या फिर दो : आप उस दिन टोक्यो में नहीं हो। आप जापानी लोगों की इस प्रकार की आदतें हमें बिलकुल भी पसंद नहीं है। दुनिया में कुछ ही चुनिंदा लोग होंगे जो हमसे ज़्यादा काम करते होंगे, क्योंकि सभी के पास बराबर का वक़्त है, २४ घंटे। तो अगर साथ चलने की इच्छा है और उस एक लौते दिन या समय इत्यादि की ही दिक़्क़त है, तो फिर ज़ाहिर है साथ मिलकर उसे सुलझाया जा सकता है। यूँ संचिप्त में बेमतलब का उत्तर देना बेहद ही अपमानजनक है। यह हमारी नज़रों में आप जापानीयों की अधूरी परवरिशों का भी सूचक है, जहां आपको यह तो सिखाया जाता है कि बाहरी सुंदरता और गोरा रंग कैसे लाए, मगर इस पर ज़ोर दिया जाता कि दोस्त कैसे बनाए और दोस्ती किसे निभाए। आधुनिक जापानी समाज के अंदरूनी खोखलेपन और इसकी दरारों से सीप रहीं अकेलापन और मानसिक तकलीफ़ों के एहसासों की जड़े शायद यही ग़ैर समाजीपन होना है। चिरंचे, हाल ही में हमारे कम से कम तीन जापानी दोस्तों और परिचित...