Life Update June
Life Update June It's been a few weeks since I've added to my weblog. Here's what's been up.

First we had finals at school. I did okay but of course not at the level I want. Listening particularly sucked. I got 30%. It's easy to rationalize, if I don't know just a couple of words then I don't usually understand any of it. Other then getting a buddy or a girlfriend (or a job) I don't know how to fix that. I can try to watch more TV. My current schedule makes that hard though. Maybe I should stop working at Digital Hollywood since I get very little practice there but of course that's up to me. If I could just get myself to be more outgoing I could probably get lots of practice there.

So, This week I'm off. I've done almost nothing but sit at home. I had wanted to go somewhere but I'm bad at planning travel. In fact I'm not sure I've ever taken a vacation that somebody else didn't plan for me. I've got 3 weeks off in August so I should plan something for then but that's only 4 weeks away so I'd better decide quick. Any suggestions? It will of course be alone which I'm really not too excited about but wha'cha' gonna do?

In leu of going somewhere this week I thought maybe I'd go to a cafe everyday for lunch or something and try to read some Japanese. It's really hit summer this week meaning it's so hot and humid you can see the humidity in the air even inside the subway train station. That means no going out unless I half to since the sweat will be dripping within minutes.

So, I've spent most of these last few days working on Thumbs, reading and writing e-mail, watching "One Piece" and playing games.

Comments:

Travel [ e ]

You could always check out Australia. The exchange rate makes it a pretty cheap place to visit. It is winter here, but in Sydney this means cool and very sunny. And New Zealand is even cheaper yet.

Cheers, mate.

posted by tonebyteJune 27, 2001 at 19:31

Travel and language advice [ e ]

Why not be adventurous and travel to a place you haven't been before? Even if you have no one to go with, if you plan it right it can be a lot of fun and very relaxing, especially if you take it in a "the-devil-take-all ExplorerMan" type attitude. If you like to ski or simply want colder weather, Australia is a great place to visit this time of the year.

In terms of the language, don't fret, it is so much more difficult to learn the verbal/auditory part than the reading.. Do you listen to Japanese music? I find that listening to jpop (the ones that I can stand, that is -- i.e., voices are not too "cutesy" or screechy) helps a lot in recognition, at least in terms of recognizing speed &c. Sakamoto Maaya has a nice voice and I particularly enjoy her music. You can listen to some samples at: http://www.maayasakamoto.com
/ (Her best album to date is Hodgepodge.)

Good luck in your quest!
^^ Madbunny
P.S. - Don't worry so much about people; there's nothing wrong with being picky about company and we all go through slumps of not finding people that we enjoy being with.

posted by madbunnyJuly 12, 2001 at 13:26