Start Here: Welcome to the Curious Gaijin Chronicles!

Actually, I Am The Curious Gaijin!

Let me tell you what my content, website, and my socials are all about. Before getting to the Curious Gaijin part, I’ll address the “elephant” in the room – or “ANGEL” would be more to the point, I suppose. I’m sure you must be wondering why I have wings???

Well, the wings are to do with my name – ANGELINO – which means little angel in Italian. I’ll explain more about that  in The Curious Gaijin Chronicles going forward. For now though – I’m hoping you’ve started here. I mean the START HERE up in the title is a bit of a giveaway. In any case, you’re very welcome!

Let’s Get to Know Each Other: A Bit About the Curious Gaijin

I’m Angelino, the Curious Gaijin – also known previously as the Bearded Blogger, or the Ex-Journo. I think I’ve finally figured out that, wherever I’ve been – wherever I’ve lived throughout my life I’ve felt like an outsider, someone who doesn’t really belong. I’m totally good with that, and that’s why I’ve finally settled on the Curious Gaijin as a “stage name” identifier.

GAIJIN because I happen to have lived a large portion of my adult life in various countries – especially here in Japan. If ever there was a place on the planet where a European-Aussie might identify as Gaijin, this place is it!

I’m both fascinated by the culture and frustrated by how analogue many aspects of life are here. I’ll explain more about that in future content too. For now, I can say that I have discovered my own little bit of paradise on the planet that suits me. Life is good, and I am overwhelmingly blessed!

That takes care of the Gaijin part, so what about the CURIOUS? Well, for most of my career I was a broadcast journalist and presenter. I’ve worked all over the world, and had many truly amazing experiences. I’ve always been naturally curious about pretty much everything, so becoming a journalist was a bit of a no-brainer! I suppose I’ve always been the Curious Gaijin, really.

I am old school though, one of those annoying Generation Xers that isn’t at all shy about calling “bullshit!” on any human who regurgitates a media release (otherwise known as PR, propaganda) almost verbatim and thinks they’ve done journalism. Well, they haven’t! What they have done is Churnalism – with a CH.

in the mid-2010s, I reached the end of my rope with 20-something-year-old Chief’s of Staff trying to teach me how to write a news story!

They wanted a series of passive phrases beginning with verbs ending in ‘ing’ – and to do it in a package of 55 seconds or less. I decided: “I’m Out!”

Embracing Change: Uncomfortable, But Not to Be Feared

These days I create my own content (for others and for myself): blogs, vlogs, podcasts, various topical writings, bits of proper journalism, important notes attached to pigeon’s legs – you know the sort of thing – where usually I say out loud what probably most people might be thinking.

Ever since blogging and podcasting became a thing, I’ve started and deleted many blogs, vlogs and, well, you get the picture. It’s taken me many years to figure out what I should share and how to do it.

I thought I’d figured out what my online presence should look like but the last few years – the Covid 19 years – has highlighted just how alarmingly fragile humanity (and our planet) is. Not that life hasn’t always been fragile. However, the totally global and shocking effect of the Pandemic on humanity has changed us forever!

Putting the COVID 19 pandemic aside for a moment, there’s so much that’s whack in our world as we head fast towards the mid-2020s. I suppose my use of the word whack dates me a little. I’m not a Boomer, but the point is that our world continues to become an even more insecure, confusing and stressful place to inhabit as time goes on.

So, I’m adding my voice to the conversation in hope that I, that we, might find a way to make sense of the things going on around us.

And it’s within this framework that I step forward into the blogosphere once again with content about the things that float my boat (and maybe float yours too), featuring my various perspectives, ideas and analysis on world events, what it’s like to live and work here in Japan, and matters of faith and truth. I’m inspired to communicate real and important things to anyone who will listen.

Rise & Resist: Pushing Back Cancel Culture, PC, Fakery & the Woke Wave

In a world where humans seem so obsessed with being woke, fearful of being ‘cancelled’, and dominated by fakery, we’ve become sheeple! We seem to follow whatever is popular at the moment. We are hellbent on accepting every kind of weird philosophy dangled before our eyes.

For years, we’ve been progressively conditioned to accept the idea that there are no wrong answers, that everyone’s a winner just for participating. Bullshit! In every competition, there are winners and losers – why participate if there’s no distinction? It’s how we hone our skills and get better at what we do.

And apparently, these days it’s okay to identify as a cucumber or potato if that’s how you see yourself! And the list goes on.

People, this is NOT reality at all! This is the kind of crazy psychobabble that has the human race so confused about gender identity and self-image. And now, I’m supposed to refer to someone with a pronoun?! Away with you!!!

My response in real conversations? I make light of it, responding with “Oh, I identify as invisible: I’m trans- parent!”

Fact or Fiction? Truth is Out there, but Hard to Know with Ever-Blurring Lines!

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction in our brave, new, AI-driven world. That’s why I seize every chance to engage with humans of all kinds. Today might just be the day that a seemingly ‘random’ conversation changes my life – or theirs, if they choose to engage with me.

What’s really grinding my gears lately is that so many people insist the truth is a somewhat fluid concept in the postmodern world. I insist that facts are not! The facts are not fluid.

Some wierdos will try to push the philosophy that the truth in one person’s mind can be something completely different for another person. For example, let’s call her Amber, whose version of the truth might be influenced by factors such as socio-economic circumstances, upbringing, societal influences, or the philosophies of parents, friends, educators, and so on.

On the flip side, let’s call him Gary, strung out on the drugs he’s been injecting into his eyeballs for the better part of the last decade – whose concept of the truth is going to be more than a little hazy!

For sure there are people who create their own reality, belief or truth, but it is not a correct state of being.

1+1=2 will always be true and 1+1 will NEVER be equal to 3!

While some things might be open to interpretation, there are some basic facts/truths that are non-negotiable.

Will the REAL Angelino Please Stand Up!

You might have noticed I used the word concept earlier. That’s right. Yet another example of how life is in the post-modern era – dominated by cancel culture idiots and patrolled by the Politically Correct-ness Police (if that’s even a thing). The world doesn’t seem willing to accept the truth for what it actually is anymore.

I suggest interpreting the truth to fit the circumstances is a form of narcissism, a selfish justification to frame the things that are said and done in the light that a person wants them to be seen and accepted.

And don’t get me started on how those who oppose the status quo or popular view are summarily dismissed, accused of hate speech and other incendiary terms that invalidate them without any consideration. All you need to do is look around on various social media channels and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. And the COVID 19 pandemic made things worse!

The amount of self-indulgent, narcissistic bullshit that’s out there: people craving attention and who will say anything “clickbaity” to get views, likes and followers.

And before the naysayers start accusing me of doing the same, let’s be clear about something.

Ditching the Ego Trip: Why I’m All About Substance, Not Selfies…

There are two types of content creators on social media:

1. Self-focused people who share every waking thought and emotion, drawing attention only to themselves. Those people who force us to become voyeuristic, looking in on every up and down moment of their lives.

Frankly, it’s a bit like watching the worst kind of reality TV.

I’ve enough stuff to deal with in my own life without taking on the emotional rollercoaster of some look at me, it’s all about ME content creator as well. And:

2. Outwardly focused content creators who actually contribute something positive to the lives of others.

And that’s the group I want to be in.

So let’s flip this into something a little more positive. Have you ever heard the expression you are what you eat? Well, I reckon we are what we think about. Kinda. Just like the food we consume contributes to our physical being. What we put into our heads, what we spend our time thinking about, focusing on, contributes to who we are inside our heads.

When I realized that fact, mind blowing!

Truth and Honesty Under Attack!

I’ve always worked in the public eye, so I used to be fairly focused on how I came across to the public. My looks, my level of popularity. Especially living and working in Tokyo, the attention from fans, the pursuit of career success and money, fame, material things.

Utterly meaningless in the end! We come into the world with nothing, we leave with nothing.

For me, the shit hit the fan one day when I collapsed. Pretty much on my deathbed, there was emergency dialysis and eventually a kidney transplant. My story isn’t unique, though. There are people who have gone through far more dramatic experiences than I have.

But my experiences do make me want to contribute something more thoughtful to the Internet and to humanity going forward.

So here we go. In the content to follow, wherever you’re connecting with me – on my website, YouTube, or one of the social media platforms, I want you to know that I am all about actual reality, the facts!

I’ve already been a bit famous. Didn’t like it much. That’s not what I’m here for.

I hope that you’ll understand and appreciate my frustration with how people often manipulate the truth of a matter to serve ulterior motives. I’m not pointing the finger at any particular public speaker, influencer, entertainer, or government just at the moment. But I do appreciate honest people who conduct themselves with integrity.

Anyone who can’t do that is on my shit list!

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