Word o' the day
One of several terms for earwax is 耳糞 (mimikuso), literally "ear-sh*t".
Read more...June 27, 2006
June 23, 2006
Last day of term
So that's the end of the first term. Quite sad really. Now I have two weeks with absolutely nothing to do before the next one starts. I'm slightly dreading it to be honest - many people I know (of the ones who are going to be here next term, anyway) are going off travelling here and there, but as I'm broke I can't really do anything much. I intend to pour my efforts into job hunting as of tomorrow.
I got my term-wide results today. Out of a ratings system spanning A+ to D, I got a B overall. I'm slightly baffled as I think I was rated A in everything apart from speaking (which was a B), yet I still end up with a B overall. Hey ho.
So I am sad that my little class is no more. Even so, I'll probably be with most of them next term, but we'll have different teachers and such.
Also I am a bit sad that Japan is out of the world cup...it's quite big here and the fans seem really into it, but that fat git Ronaldo had to go and put two away, and now Brazil will go and win like they always do. Yawn.
June 19, 2006
Argh
Quick post to whinge about the heat. At least it's not too humid today but all that will no doubt change. Aiieee, dwelling on the weather, how very British.
Actually I was just looking on the NHK website (NHK is roughly the Japanese equivalent of the BBC) for a weather report and I found this frankly intruiging page dedicated to English language study. The cat/dictionary thing is pretty freaky. Also it's very comforting to discover that the Japanese probably have as much trouble with English particles (to, for, of etc.) as we (or at least I) do with Japanese ones (は、が、を、に、で etc., curse them all).
Also I was sent this picture of the three musicians from the gig I went to on Sunday and it made me chuckle.
http://ic3.mixi.jp/photo/diary/54/77/157555477_58.jpg
June 18, 2006
Rain & tests
Tsuyu (the rainy season) has well and truly kicked in it seems, so the weather at the moment is usually rainy and humid. Although very occasionally it's not rainy but still humid. Goddamnit I love aircon.
Once again I haven't been up to much, but yesterday evening I braved the rain to take myself to go see some music at a club in Nagoya called the Tokuzo, which bills itself as "good booze, cheap foods and hip music". Cool place, quite intimate (about 150-200 people capacity). I went because Nakayamafutaba (a sweet Osakan girl who plays twee songs by herself on a half-size guitar), Jojo Hiroshige (longtime lynchpin of the Japanese underground) and Keiji Haino (another longtime lynchpin of the Japanese underground) were playing and I like all three of them very much. Hiroshige and Haino's music is hard to describe but is usually experimental and noisy. I won't bore you with a review but Haino in particular was in fine form, and I had a great evening.
What also struck me was how reserved the audience (consisting mostly of Japanese hipsters; I think I was the only gaijin there) was. There was no cheering, no real movement (not that this was really music you could dance to) - just polite applause.
Anyway I have a couple of tests tomorrow so back to the books...sadly one of them is a conversation test, which I always dread...hey ho.
Oh yes, I am also now the proud owner of a "witty" trash can. Seriously, the 100-yen shops here are real Engrish goldmines.
June 12, 2006
Tum tee tum
So I thought I'd post and say that, erm, not much has been happening recently. Just lots and lots of study, really. I feel that things are definitely progressing, skill-wise. I've so far learnt to write/recognise about 200 kanji (the squiggly character things) - just another 1800 to go then!!! Hard to believe term is almost over (week after next, I think).
So yeah, haven't been up to much. I seem to have been doing a lot of aimless wandering about town and Nagoya for this reason and that, shopping and stuff mostly. Any anime nerds in the audience will no doubt be pleased to note that I bought myself a Catbus (see pic). Yes I'm a huge gay.
Went out with the class & teachers last Thursday, which was fun (see other pic).
June 1, 2006
Hayaguchi kotoba
I've been learning several Japanese tongue twisters. Give 'em a try -
- Aka-pajama, ki-pajama, cha-pajama (red pyjamas, yellow pyjamas, brown pyjamas)
- Namamugi namagome namatamago (Raw wheat, raw rice, raw eggs. "Mugi" pronounced "moo-ghee" and "Gome" is pronounced "goh-may")
- Kono neko koko no neko no koneko kono koneko ne. (This cat is the kitten of the cat here, this kitten!)
- Niwa no niwa ni wa, niwa no niwatori wa niwaka ni wani wo tabeta. (In (Mr) Niwa's garden, two chickens suddenly ate a crocodile)
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