I just wanted to write a quick thank you to everyone who has been visiting my website. I put a lot of work into it, and I am glad that there are people who appreciate it. I am very excited that I have people visiting this site multiple times a day. Thank you for that!
Please, keep enjoying the site, and feel free to contact me here, or in the social media links provided above. I would love to hear from you!
I have decided to begin uploading my Japanese diary entries, or some of them anyway. I think that I am becoming a lot more comfortable with the language, and a little less scared about making mistakes in front of people.
I also post my entries on to Lang-8 so that native speakers can correct them. I think that is helping me improve, and become more confident. So please, if you are learning a language, I would recommend writing a diary in that language, and then, when you feel ready, uploading it to Lang-8. Everyone there is very friendly, and all learning other languages, so they know how difficult it is!
I really cannot recommend Lang-8 enough. I have found it so useful. And, it is easy to make friends on Lang-8. Many users also have Skype specifically for learning their target language, so if you are able to do that, then you can chat easily with a lot of people, and if you want to practice speaking, many people like to use the video chat function!
Today my friend Amy and I went to have fun at an arcade in Sydney, near Central Station. I cannot remember the name of it, but it is one of the better arcades, if you like the crane machines. It is a Japanese arcade, with Japanese machines, and I have noticed that I win a lot more on Japanese crane machines than on other ones. Maybe they are rigged to pay out more often? And, they are usually a lot cheaper. Many of the smaller crane machines are just $1 a play, and the rest are $2 a play. The cheaper ones are a bit easier to win, perhaps because the prizes don't cost as much?
Well, anyway, we went there today, and both came out happy. I won two toys, and Amy won one. We actually traded toys with each other. I won one of those really popular alpaca plushies, and she won a Neko Club plushy. She really wanted the alpaca, and I preferred the cat, so we traded.
I also won a Rilakkuma plushie dressed in a Yamamote Line train conductor's outfit! And, I managed to press the button on the machine in time to activate the claw's 'MAX POWER'! It was actually really cute when it happened. The claw opened and closed twice, as if it was flexing it's muscles, and then it lowered. When you get max power, assuming you aim properly, you are guaranteed the toy, as the claw will be strong enough to lift the toy, and will not open as it is moving back to the prize box!
So, we were both very happy. And, my good luck seems to have continued. I won four toys in arcades in Japan.
My prizes- a Neko Club plushie, and a Rilakkuma plushie. Rilakkuma is dressed as a Yamamote Line train conductor! I love Rilakkuma so much : ) These guys were both out of the $1 machines.
Hooray! I passed my speaking test! I can't believe it. I thought that I had failed it. What should I do to celebrate?
I am honestly surprised that I passed. I didn't understand the last question the teacher asked me. He asked 'What would you want to do if...?' But, I wasn't sure what the if was... so my reply:
デザートを食べたいです。私はショートケーキーが大好きです。でも、私の夫はスウェツが好きではありません。。。 I would want to eat dessert. I love short cake. But, my husband does not like sweets...
Yay! I am officially finished uni for the semester as of just now! Honestly, uni has been very difficult for me lately. My health problems have been getting worse... But, at least I found out exactly what is going on.
I have fibromyalgia, scoliosis, Scheuermann's disease, and hypermobility... On their own they are bad enough, but together they are nearly unbearable...
Anyway, my holiday to Japan was a lot of fun! I will make a few separate posts relating to that in the near future, probably separated by day, or by location. Not sure just yet.
Oh, and I have made a friend named Saori. She is going to help me with her Japanese while I help her with her English! I always seem to manage to make friends with international students. It is not intentional... but, I like learning about other languages and cultures, so it isn't a problem.
OK, well, I am officially rambling now, so I am going to finish up. がんばって!
It is strange. I have lacked motivation to study for months. I am not sure what it is. Stress probably.
But, all of a sudden, I am just in the mood to study.
I think it really helps that I have been hanging out a lot more (I am talking every weekend) with a friend lately who loves anime (more than I do). He prefers to watch the Japanese dub with English subtitles, so it makes me want to sit down and study a bit.
Then, I decided to catch up on all of the Youtube channels that I am subscribed to. Most of them are video blogs of people who are living in Japan, such as Kanadajin3, Jyuusankaidan, and HannahinJapana.
They are very motivational, because one of my goals is to live in Japan. I have sort of given up on it lately. I have just been too stressed to really be able to focus and crack down on myself. I hope to one day live in Japan and be fluent with Japanese.
I need to surround myself with more positive feelings, and trying hard to remind myself how much I love Japanese. Perhaps I will print off some photos of Japanese things that I love, to remind me.
Sorry that this was essentially just a rant, but I think I have needed to vent for a while.
Hello everyone! I just wanted to write a quick blog entry to let you know that I have started a Youtube Channel! I am going to include videos about my experiences studying Japanese, everyday Australian life, my own personal experiences and other such things. I hope that if you are interested you will check it out and possibly subscribe. I already have two videos up. One is the obligatory introduction, and the other is about colour coding notes. I will most likely link to these videos straight from this site to make it easier for you, if it is relevant!!! I hope that you enjoy them.
I am very sorry that I have not updated the website recently, but I have been very busy.
A lot of stuff is happening in my life lately, that is very exciting. I finished Summer classes (and passed them!) and am now back to regular classes. I am a little tired already, as I didn't really get a break (and I have been sick).
On Valentine's Day, my boyfriend of six years proposed to me! As if that wasn't exciting enough, we are actually having the wedding in October this year!!! I have a lot of preparation to do.
And, my fiance and I are moving out of my parents' home in a few weeks. We will be living alone together for the first time, and in a month or so, we have a friend of mine moving in with us.
So, that is an update of my life. Right now I am procrastinating from kanji practice. Hehe...
I am a Japanese Studies student, and I am very much enjoying the experience of learning about another culture and language. I would like to share my experiences with you : )