Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Mundane, ennui, meh.
I have a confession to make. I've been collecting all of the papers I've been handed since the beginning of the year. I used to put them in the recycling bin or trash, but now I save them. I either put them under my laptop to increase it's height because it was too low and hurt my neck, or use them as scrap paper for practicing kanji.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
RtK- I did that too.
I'M DONE! I FINISHED REMEMBERING THE KANJI! IT'S OVER! This is my replacement for screaming in the office, which would probably confuse my coworkers.
I did it! I learned 2042 Kanji, all of the "necessary kanji" for daily life in Japan. Oh yes, I see and understand Japan.
Well, sort of. I know all of the English meanings associated with the kanji. But, really, when I see 今日, and my brain says (今=now, 日= day), I fully understand it means "today," and further, since I have around 2,000+ words in my vocab, I can read it as "kyou." Most importantly, from here on out, learning Japanese will go much quicker.
I'm going to regale you with my story. I started last winter, when Weldon told me about these books. I originally didn't even want to learn kanji, I just wanted to learn how to speak. But, anyways, he told me about these books which make kanji learning a breeze, and even help you increase your vocabulary and reading speed. So, I gave it a try, and really liked it. I got more and more into it, and more and more separated from other Japanese study, that it became the only thing I studied for the past two months. I just had to finish this before getting back to grammar and vocabulary. And, now I'M done! Woohoo! Only about 6 months, not too shabby for a writing system that is supposed to go from years k-12.
Well, now I suppose I'll celebrate a bit more, and LEARN it up.
Greg, over and out.
I did it! I learned 2042 Kanji, all of the "necessary kanji" for daily life in Japan. Oh yes, I see and understand Japan.
Well, sort of. I know all of the English meanings associated with the kanji. But, really, when I see 今日, and my brain says (今=now, 日= day), I fully understand it means "today," and further, since I have around 2,000+ words in my vocab, I can read it as "kyou." Most importantly, from here on out, learning Japanese will go much quicker.
I'm going to regale you with my story. I started last winter, when Weldon told me about these books. I originally didn't even want to learn kanji, I just wanted to learn how to speak. But, anyways, he told me about these books which make kanji learning a breeze, and even help you increase your vocabulary and reading speed. So, I gave it a try, and really liked it. I got more and more into it, and more and more separated from other Japanese study, that it became the only thing I studied for the past two months. I just had to finish this before getting back to grammar and vocabulary. And, now I'M done! Woohoo! Only about 6 months, not too shabby for a writing system that is supposed to go from years k-12.
Well, now I suppose I'll celebrate a bit more, and LEARN it up.
Greg, over and out.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Fuji- I did that.
Fuji Fuji Foo-ji. San.
I did climb Fuji-san a few weeks ago. It was sort of a "last friend adventure" type thing. We started climbing at 9:30. Spirits were high. People were happy. The stars were beautiful, and so clear. We could see the lights of Tokyo from far away.
It got colder and colder as we ascended, though. The oxygen, too, was thinning out. Even after a couple of steps, we were breathing heavy. The higher up we got, the more the girls were having trouble. Tina was getting dizzy easily, Natalie wasn't doing too well either. Luckily we brought some oxygen, which was very helpful.
I was about 50 meters from the top when the sun started rising. Seth and Tina were about a ridge-back down, and Natalie and I were so close to the top. Natalie, who had been struggling beforehand, and always complains about how bad a hiker she is, was actually in the front! At about 50 meters away, I couldn't keep up the pace, and I sat down. Natalie joined me for about 1 minute, then "I have to pee."
"Ok, I'll meet you at the toilet."
I saw the sun rise from near the top of Fuji. It was beautiful. I've never seen it rise so clearly. The red tip of the sun peaked over the horizon, and it climbed at a very steady rate. "Bonsai, bonsai, bonsai!" I heard.
At the top, there were a few "restaurants" (a nice term I use for the refugee food tents that they actually are). I'll never forget Natalie and Tina sitting next to the toilets, me going up to them and saying, let's go somewhere warm and get food. Natalie looked up at me, wide-eyed and with blue lips, and she stammered questioningly "warm?" I held her hands and walked her and the group to the food area. In actuality, it wasn't warm, it just wasn't as cold as outside.
We all struggled (except the chipper Seth), to get some food down.
On the way down, it was much easier. People were getting more lucid, and more able to walk and talk. Natalie burst into tears at how beautiful the site was on the way down.
All in all, it took us about 7-8 hours up (mostly due to the huge lines of people, Fuji was crowded, man!), and about 4-5 down.
When we got down, we took the bus and then the train back into Tokyo. We really didn't have much time, so we stayed around Tokyo eki. Got some food, relaxed, then boarded our Shinkansen (bullet train) home.
We went to Disney Sea the day before, which was really awesome. I highly recommend it, it was like stepping into another world. I don't even like roller-coasters, and I highly suggest it.
I'm a bit tired and lazy, so all you get is this uninspired writing. Deal with it!
This weekend I'm headed to Tokyo. With all of the old people that just left, the new people coming in, and my recent break-up (yes, I hid it from you, I had a girlfriend for a little while), I need a break, gotta get out of this crazy city! So, I'm off to Tokyo tonight. I'll night bus down and shinkansen back. It'll be good to get out, forget for a bit, and come back refreshed and revitalized!
So, that's about it for now. Told you, smaller pieces more frequently. I'm trying to sate your hunger.
RaNdOm JaPaN:
Did you know they sell square watermelons? A friend alerted me to this fact. Yes, square watermelons. I really want to eat one now. I know they taste the same as regular watermelons, but there is something so satisfying about how they look, how we could probably maximize the amount of watermelon eaten, from each watermelon.
I did climb Fuji-san a few weeks ago. It was sort of a "last friend adventure" type thing. We started climbing at 9:30. Spirits were high. People were happy. The stars were beautiful, and so clear. We could see the lights of Tokyo from far away.
It got colder and colder as we ascended, though. The oxygen, too, was thinning out. Even after a couple of steps, we were breathing heavy. The higher up we got, the more the girls were having trouble. Tina was getting dizzy easily, Natalie wasn't doing too well either. Luckily we brought some oxygen, which was very helpful.
I was about 50 meters from the top when the sun started rising. Seth and Tina were about a ridge-back down, and Natalie and I were so close to the top. Natalie, who had been struggling beforehand, and always complains about how bad a hiker she is, was actually in the front! At about 50 meters away, I couldn't keep up the pace, and I sat down. Natalie joined me for about 1 minute, then "I have to pee."
"Ok, I'll meet you at the toilet."
I saw the sun rise from near the top of Fuji. It was beautiful. I've never seen it rise so clearly. The red tip of the sun peaked over the horizon, and it climbed at a very steady rate. "Bonsai, bonsai, bonsai!" I heard.
At the top, there were a few "restaurants" (a nice term I use for the refugee food tents that they actually are). I'll never forget Natalie and Tina sitting next to the toilets, me going up to them and saying, let's go somewhere warm and get food. Natalie looked up at me, wide-eyed and with blue lips, and she stammered questioningly "warm?" I held her hands and walked her and the group to the food area. In actuality, it wasn't warm, it just wasn't as cold as outside.
We all struggled (except the chipper Seth), to get some food down.
On the way down, it was much easier. People were getting more lucid, and more able to walk and talk. Natalie burst into tears at how beautiful the site was on the way down.
All in all, it took us about 7-8 hours up (mostly due to the huge lines of people, Fuji was crowded, man!), and about 4-5 down.
When we got down, we took the bus and then the train back into Tokyo. We really didn't have much time, so we stayed around Tokyo eki. Got some food, relaxed, then boarded our Shinkansen (bullet train) home.
We went to Disney Sea the day before, which was really awesome. I highly recommend it, it was like stepping into another world. I don't even like roller-coasters, and I highly suggest it.
I'm a bit tired and lazy, so all you get is this uninspired writing. Deal with it!
This weekend I'm headed to Tokyo. With all of the old people that just left, the new people coming in, and my recent break-up (yes, I hid it from you, I had a girlfriend for a little while), I need a break, gotta get out of this crazy city! So, I'm off to Tokyo tonight. I'll night bus down and shinkansen back. It'll be good to get out, forget for a bit, and come back refreshed and revitalized!
So, that's about it for now. Told you, smaller pieces more frequently. I'm trying to sate your hunger.
RaNdOm JaPaN:
Did you know they sell square watermelons? A friend alerted me to this fact. Yes, square watermelons. I really want to eat one now. I know they taste the same as regular watermelons, but there is something so satisfying about how they look, how we could probably maximize the amount of watermelon eaten, from each watermelon.
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