Maybe it isn’t a scam this time.
But Facebook is a very thinly disguised (if at all) MLM-style operation.
What’s with being forced to invite ‘friends’ to join stuff just to be able to use an application?
I’m so disgusted that I can barely comment.
And the goddamned repainting’s yet to be done. And I still don’t fucking agree as to why those old folks decided to do it (and cause me so much trouble).
Goddamn it.
My place is getting repainted right now, so there’s a lot of packing and moving to be done.
And given my potentially 20+ or maybe even 30 cubic meters of stuff it’s proving to be quite a nightmare.
Not to mention that I’m feeling feverish (actually I feel cold - something that just DOESN’T happen on this baked piece of dirt unless I’m ill or something.
Anyway, that’s the story for now.
Well, I won the Japan Quiz with my memory, but as I was sifting through my video collection, I realised that I could recall many of the stories in them vividly.
That reduces their rewatchability. Especially for series that I gave up halfway, I find it extremely hard to pick them up unless I can forget whatever I have watched.
But I suppose I’d generally prefer to have a good memory.
Hmm. It’s 3.55 now. Guess Ayako-sama’s asleep by now. It feels a little strange that her voice is now pouring gently from the desktop speakers. But I suppose that’s just my random thoughts.
I do hope she’s getting enough sleep. Her schedule does seem pretty packed this season. But at least she won’t be poor, at least for this season. Not very, at the very worst. I hope.
I got my results for the HSK.
362/500.
B (高级) = 10 (Highest is 11)
That means I must retake the exam.
Goddamn it.
I was randoming around when I came across this article written by what seems to be a Waseda graduate on the state of the school.
To be honest, walking around the Waseda campus was a pleasant experience, but the class I sat in at SILS (a course on economics; the topic happened to be on stock and bond valuation) struck me as exceptionally elementary. My eyes (which were more active than normal) also noted that many students don’t seem to listen, and spend much time using their mobile phones. Also many students came in very late (not just foreigners; Japanese were also included).
While this might just smack of RJC, I would venture to say that the folks who come in late and use their mobile phones are hardly ever the true elites. I simply cannot imagine (and have never spotted) Qianqian or Juanhe doing such things in class. Even I try to avoid it. But needless to say many don’t do what they are supposed to do (reasons are irrelevant for now).
Back to the point. I would say that while the writer of the article does have a rather pessimistic view, I cannot help but agree very much with him. But I would venture to say that Waseda students are better than students at many other colleges, maybe even including Todai: at least they’re in an environment that encourages people to be independent (”学の独立” is a line in the Waseda anthem after all), and that it is at least a progressive sort of school which breeds progressive people (somewhat).
While SILS may not be composed of very elite students (and indeed some struck me as pretty average), but they are DIFFERENT. They might not be scholars, but interacting with them is probably much more educational and enriching than it is with say normal college students. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on it - it’s just started. Perhaps in a few years’ time it will be selective enough to turn down my application. But just in case, don’t expect your classmates to help you with your homework. Best to do it yourself. And avoid writing a graduation thesis that can be done as PW.
I was enjoying the December ‘07 issue of Voice Newtype, and for those who actually buy the magazine (or read gawk at the scans; something I disapprove of), it’s probably pretty obvious as to why I am pretty fixated on pages 36 and 37. But that isn’t really the issue (though I did notice that Ayako-sama has a small mole on her upper right cheek and seems to have some sort of hair highlighting [something I disapprove of in principle but which I am forced to tolerate due to so many people I would otherwise think almost perfect engaging in the disgusting practice of hair dyeing/highlighting]). I was more concerned with Romi Park (朴 璐美 ぱく ろみ), who in two of the pictures was standing to Ayako-sama’s left (from her perspective).
Now those who know me pretty well and have good memories will know that I don’t have too many good feelings for Romi Park, mainly because she stole won the 1st Seiyuu Award for Best Female Leading Character from Ayako-sama. But that’s not terribly relevant here, and neither is the fact that her hair (at the time of the photoshoot) was dyed brown.
Well she IS pretty, to be honest, but the immense surprise that I got when I was looking at her features carefully and comparing them to Ayako-sama’s (who obviously is the prettiest by far of the three) and Mizuno Risa’s (水野理紗), I realized that she doesn’t look all that different. In case anyone doesn’t already know, Romi Park is of Korean descent (and has even studied for a while at Yonsei University), but this is what made me draw this rather simple, unsurprising, yet I feel to be profound conclusion:
WE ARE ALL ALIKE.
Be it Chinese (the PRC variety or the overseas types), Korean (both using and not using Hanja, both north, south or far away from the MDL), or Japanese (any type of any origin), or by extension, any other type of people (though they aren’t exactly my concern at the moment), we’re all pretty much the same. Not just in feature, but in aspiration, desire, evil and hope.
Well, it isn’t a surprise to me, after all. I did enjoy the Small Small World ride at Disneyland very much after all.
It’s actually the one ride I’d recommend everyone to go on, but I guess that’s up to the individual.
That’s it for now.
I finally received a letter from the HSK office in Singapore.
I just hope it’s a level 11.
And on another note, my poor hostee, Watanabe Takahiro, wrote to me on November 20 (sent to my unused gmail account).
I replied him, but I guess he’s too angry to reply. >.<
Sorry~
Yes, I am back.
I’m not exactly weeping about being back on this tiny island (it’s like smaller than Sado Island), but I must admit that my eyes are in pretty bad shape. Hope they recover soon.
Oh and I bought a nice 900g pack miso among other things. I’m looking forward to the soup that’s possible with it. :3
Now Night Wizard is on air.
TV Saitama really rocks.