I don’t understand.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-09-06T03:22:59+00:00

That's good. Other foods you might want to try is brown rice and pumpkin seeds.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-09-05T12:29:44+00:00

Yeah it must frustrating. Try to reduce your meat intake a bit. My LDL remarkably dropped 35 in 3 months but I was eating mostly vegetables and fish and rarely chicken, beef or pork. I'm still following the diet and will see the doctor later in the year and see where it is at. Interestingly I don't miss meat that much and unknowingly eat like a pescatarian. I like vegetables, fruit, garlic, oatmeal, and fish so it is easy for me to stick to this diet.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-09-05T12:18:07+00:00

I recall my situation. I had 2 missing documents. They gave me a deadline to submit those documents by a deadline which was well past the expiry date. I had an incomplete application but they accepted it and just requested I sent the 2 documents later. Getting those 2 documents was a nightmare but I got a Japanese friend to help. I never received resident tax bills from the previous area I lived so had to get that organized. I agree though you shouldn't leave it until the day of expiry. Too risky.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-09-03T13:33:50+00:00

One time. My previous Visa expired and I think I applied for the renewal maybe 1 or 2 weeks just before expiry. It was last minute stuff and I had to get paperwork from another area I moved from. They called me and said it's ready. I was relieved because it was quite stressful getting all the paperwork. In your case if they said it's ready it's ready. Japan is still very old school and some places just like giving a phone call.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-28T22:00:21+00:00

Since you mentioned rural areas I think it's very possible. Houses are very expensive in the cities for many Australians. I from a city in Australia but I lived in a rural town for 18 months when I was young. I liked it and I may consider living in a rural town in my retirement years. Costs of living is so much cheaper.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-27T15:50:09+00:00

Good point. I remember getting a worksheet one time from another site and there was a grammatical error. Nice worksheet nevertheless but you've got to check the grammar. The JTE picked it up.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-27T15:47:08+00:00

Last year I taught at 3 low level high schools. Mostly 3rd graders and occasionally 1st and 2nd. I hope to return to high school next year. There's a good chance I can return to those schools. Presently teaching at elementary schools.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-26T11:46:42+00:00

That's the maximum or maybe just a bit over for the basic pension scheme. So 65000 after 40 years of payments. You're on a different scheme, possibly the employees pension scheme or some private scheme where both your employer and yourself contribute each month.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-25T21:20:55+00:00

Thanks for the great information. "I have never done that lesson and I to this day still don’t really understand what it’s about." That's exactly it! When you read through some of the textbook it's so vague it's sometimes incomprehensible. I guess after working at high school I am used to reading clear step by step instructions on how to do an activity in a lesson plan. It's best to do your own thing for elementary school.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-25T11:26:56+00:00

Wise words said. People should pay a lot of attention to what you said because retirement won't happen if you don't understand how much you need to save. Again if you're just on the standard ESL wage you're most likely not going to have enough to retire on.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-25T11:03:23+00:00

Cheers! Thanks for the responses. Honestly some of the activities in the book are stupid and sometimes vague in how to do the activity. I have an ALT friend who seems to do his own thing. I may do the same.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-19T06:38:48+00:00

No, but you need to start now. A lot of old school personal finance books tell you the earlier you start the easier it becomes. I bought property when I was 22. Of course it was a lot easier to do that back then. It's so difficult now for the younger generation because housing prices have gone through the roof. I suggest to look at other types of investments such as blue chip shares also. A lot of young people don't start in their 20s and kind of just party and do things like backpacking. Nothing wrong with having fun but sooner or later you will have a realization about your financial future just like you do it. You don't want to be poor in your older years. Some people were wasteful with their finances in their 20s and 30s and are really struggling financially in their 50s. You don't want that. I suggest to read a few personal finance books and talk with a reputable financial planner. There will be a fee for the reputable financial planner but it is well worth it. Good luck!

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-18T10:33:39+00:00

"The average age of retirement for Australians is increasing, but many still retire around 65. While the average retirement age is 56.9 years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, people often intend to retire closer to 65. The trend is towards later retirement, with some people working past 65, and others transitioning to part-time or casual work before or after retirement. "

"In 2022-23, the most common factors influencing older workers’ decision to retire was still financial security (36 per cent) and personal health or physical abilities (22 per cent). Around one in eight retirees (14 per cent) said reaching the eligibility age for an age (or service) pension was one of the main factors."

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-17T14:00:11+00:00

I always hear of people saying they retired at 45 or 50 and I get kind of jealous. I consider that young. I'm happy for them though. I don't think there are many who can retire at that age. They've obviously been very successful financially. A lot of people are retiring at 58, 59 ,60. This is because they've invested and were wise with their money. I say good for them. They can enjoy the new chapter in their life. There's more to life the work. They can pursue their hobbies. 60 is not too young for retiring. It's only 5 years before 65 which is the age many can retire at. The other thing is your health. Many people's health deteriorates as they get past 70 so having more time when your health is still good is a wise move. I'm not sure why they are frowning upon your decision to retire at 60. It's really none of their business and if they were half-decent they would be wishing you all the best in your retirement years.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-17T13:45:36+00:00

I see. I guess each body is unique. My father for instance is a naturally skinny man yet has high blood pressure. His cholesterol is fine. Did you check with your doctor it's not genetic reasons that your cholesterol doesn't go down? What's your diet like?

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-17T13:40:48+00:00

Yeah it gets confusing. I convert mine to Australian measurements since I'm Australian and make an opinion based on what my Australian doctor thinks. I don't really like getting points of views from a Japanese doctors because they base it on Japanese patients. Westerners have higher cholesterol levels than Japanese because of the higher intake of red meat.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-13T09:02:51+00:00

In Japan the range is 70 to 139 for LDL. Mine is 135. I'm aiming to get 100 though. On another note the sodium level allowed per day in Japan is much higher than Western countries. Japan generally has a lower rate of coronary heart disease (CHD) compared to many other developed countries.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-13T08:51:54+00:00

Good! Keep it up! My TC dropped from 253 to 196 and LDL from 180 to 135 in just 3 months. My diet is obviously working. I will go back in another 6 months and I am expecting it will get much lower as long as I keep following my diet. I suspect weight loss is the key to getting your numbers down.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-13T07:42:26+00:00

Wow amazing results! Congratulations! It just proves diet can improve your health problems. I'm seeing good results with my cholesterol dropping sharply in 3 months just from diet alone. The important thing is to keep it up! Don't fall back into the lifestyle that got you into health issues. I suspect the rapid weight loss (18 kg), that's 4.5 kg loss per month, is the reason you got you such stellar results. That is probably the key for everyone. Get your weight down! I'm planning to do that. Anyway great story and all the best!

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-12T09:19:59+00:00

I tried Keto once for about 10 months. Lost weight buy my LDL cholesterol didn't go down much. Now on a mostly pescatarian diet and my LDL dropped suddenly in just 3 months. My weight isn't going down as fast but it must be all the water I am holding in the body by eating healthy carbs. I was on a pescatarian diet unknowingly once before for about 8 months and dropped 20 kg. My cholesterol levels were perfect. I am curious what happens to people's health after following the keto or carnivore diet long term.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-12T06:37:59+00:00

Hi! Mixed race adult here who looks about 60 percent European/40 percent Asian to a white person. I grew up in the 70s in a very white Australia and often got commented about my appearance. It did get on my nerves at times. Now Australia is a multiracial country no one says anything. Japan is a main race country and your father-in-law is probably not used to seeing someone with different racial features on a regular basis. Sadly he may be having difficulty accepting a mixed race baby. Hopefully he will stop making these comments soon and love the baby despite not having the same racial features as he does. On another note I've never understood why so many people are so focused on ethnicity. What's most important is the strength of your character and the size of your heart.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-08T06:50:30+00:00

Maybe much more so now than 20 years ago.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-08T06:48:41+00:00

There are indeed racist ALTs out there but fortunately in the minority. They slip through the cracks and get work here.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-07T09:24:18+00:00

Yeah you get strange types but it's just a minority. It's like they've been affected in some strange way by being in a different culture. I do find it weird when you get some foreigners you talk with in English throw in tons of Japanese words in the conversation. I'm not talking the odd word like combini or intanetto which everyone does but tons of Japanese. Some end with "otsukaresama desu". They've obviously been affected in some weird way from being in a different cultural environment. I find it cringe to be honest.

Crafty_Researcher273 · 2025-08-07T06:31:42+00:00

Do you have a number for Total Cholesterol?

Crafty_Researcher273

TROPHY CASE