. . .Finally back. Gonna do some major updating later, regarding my trip to Japan. In the meanwhile, craziness happening all around. I'm glad to be free from Waterloo, but I fear that I won't enjoy my time in Taiwan; the taiwanese youth are notorious for their falsehood in sincerity. In other words, they appear nice but they don't mean it. Well, off I go to work in my sketchbook. I'll be sure to scan stuff once/when it's finished and I'm satisfied with the final product. (though I think that ship has sunk; I already screwed up.)
. . .Not quite suffering from withdrawl, but definately suffering from something -- I know not what exactly. Took some awesome pics of sky. Clouds are pretty in Japan. Either that or I was lucky during my stay there. The entire experience taught me that one shouldn't travel alone and that the travelling experience is enhanced with an abundance of money. But enough with the summative thoughts. Gotta save that for the actual major update. (which'll require a lot of editing of my actual diary.)
. . .Yay! I have access to pencil crayons again! And after visiting that Art Gallery in Vancouver, I feel like painting and getting conté... For this, I blame the Italians! (笑)
... ... Oh yah. For those of you who're looking for the poem I wrote about Waterloo, it's on the July 23rd post.
2003/08/31
2003/08/17
Happy, Happy
Heh. I'm happy again. (doesn't take a lot to make me happy from depression... does this make me emotionally shallow?) Hmm... Aaaannyways. Yah, gonna go to Kyoto today! :D Gonna see the Golden Pavilion and some other temple... which means I'll get to take pictures and stuff. And I went to Kariya the other day; got to see Kamiya-sensei. She was sooo nice to me! (paid for everything... and wouldn't let me pay... T_T) Claimed it was payback for when she was in Toronto and I accompanied her to the ROM, U of T, etc.
^_^ My physical diary has so much more detail, but I promised myself not to spend all my time on the internet here so that I can maximize my time exploring Japan. :D *grimaces* The Japanese here still use gas-stoves; I can smell it from some other apartment in this building... (is my sense of smell sensitive? or is it like my hearing; only 'efficient'? In any case, I pick up far more than the average bear...)
I haven't been getting as many stares as I thought I would... though it's probably because I was with my gaijin friend... (In Asia, an asian guy with long hair doesn't seem to attract quite the same amount of attention as a red-haired white guy wearing a Yukata (kinda like a kimono...only significantly less formal and worn during evening festivals, etc). Ehehe...
Nothing *funny* has happened to me yet... but we'll see.... Well, I almost got lost on the trains trying to get to Kariya from Kizu (an incredibly small town with next-to-nothing). The people and stores here are a lot more clean than Taiwan and HK. ^__^ If only I had the same intuitive grasp of the Japanese language that I do on Mandarin/Cantonese...
Well, anyways, shouldn't spend too much time here... until next time~
^_^ My physical diary has so much more detail, but I promised myself not to spend all my time on the internet here so that I can maximize my time exploring Japan. :D *grimaces* The Japanese here still use gas-stoves; I can smell it from some other apartment in this building... (is my sense of smell sensitive? or is it like my hearing; only 'efficient'? In any case, I pick up far more than the average bear...)
I haven't been getting as many stares as I thought I would... though it's probably because I was with my gaijin friend... (In Asia, an asian guy with long hair doesn't seem to attract quite the same amount of attention as a red-haired white guy wearing a Yukata (kinda like a kimono...only significantly less formal and worn during evening festivals, etc). Ehehe...
Nothing *funny* has happened to me yet... but we'll see.... Well, I almost got lost on the trains trying to get to Kariya from Kizu (an incredibly small town with next-to-nothing). The people and stores here are a lot more clean than Taiwan and HK. ^__^ If only I had the same intuitive grasp of the Japanese language that I do on Mandarin/Cantonese...
Well, anyways, shouldn't spend too much time here... until next time~
2003/08/15
Insouciance
Suddenly hit with a wave of nonchalence, I've decided that perhaps I should start recipricating the icy receptions I get from would-be friends.
Gonna go to Nara again today; this time with a (ideally) more tactful crowd.
Gonna go to Nara again today; this time with a (ideally) more tactful crowd.
2003/08/14
Wolf and Flower
My stay in Japan is starting to get interesting.. It's been really rainy, so haven't been able to explore much. But hopefully tomorrow, I'll get to go to the grocery store and stock-pile on some stuff. :P
Finally got things planned for my stay; gonna visit Kariya on Saturday and then Nara on Tuesday. Hoping to see some of Osaka and Toyko the week after and the weekend following'll be Kyoto. Whee... Yes, I'm taking plenty of pictures. Both scenic and anecdotal. (e.g. took a pic of their wacky 'western' toilets and their awesome microwaves.)
dodedodoodoo...
living with a white guy isn't helping my Japanese immersion effort. But haven't been able to find any conversation partners just yet either. Ah well.
'til tomorrow... (Japanese ime is 13 hours ahead of Toronto time. so...)
:D
Finally got things planned for my stay; gonna visit Kariya on Saturday and then Nara on Tuesday. Hoping to see some of Osaka and Toyko the week after and the weekend following'll be Kyoto. Whee... Yes, I'm taking plenty of pictures. Both scenic and anecdotal. (e.g. took a pic of their wacky 'western' toilets and their awesome microwaves.)
dodedodoodoo...
living with a white guy isn't helping my Japanese immersion effort. But haven't been able to find any conversation partners just yet either. Ah well.
'til tomorrow... (Japanese ime is 13 hours ahead of Toronto time. so...)
:D
2003/08/12
Mysterious
I don't know if it's my lack of confidence in my own linguistic ability, or just the intimidation of being in a foreign country, but I definately don't feel comfortable going alone to the grocery store.. o_O; I got so many stares, it was kinda funny.. ... well, funny for you readers; I was rather uncomfortable. Man, I wish there were someone else here to drag me to places...
but I don't have anybody's contact info... 'cept e-mail, but nobody's ever online... T_T Ah well...
Had the weirdest thing for lunch today.... gonna try to wash it out with something else... like rice. good ol' rice. ^_^
but I don't have anybody's contact info... 'cept e-mail, but nobody's ever online... T_T Ah well...
Had the weirdest thing for lunch today.... gonna try to wash it out with something else... like rice. good ol' rice. ^_^
2003/08/11
Guuhh...
. . .First blog since returning to Toronto. Lotsa stuff happened, all which'll get posted at another time. I've just been traveling for a good, solid, consecutive 24 hours, so I'm feeling a bit ill... (that and it's 2:09am in Japan right now)
. . .Which means, of course, yes, I made it! :D Public transit is just like Paris; crazy exchange thingys, differing train companies in the same city, etc. But here, on the Shinkansen, you get to reserve seats for a specific train; it's almost like an airplane on the ground! Ahaha... I had lotsa fun on the Shinkansen. The schedules here are freakishly precise; down to the minute. And they play weird circus music instead of the three-chord chime that every Torontonian is accustomed to. And the public phones here take quite some getting used to. It doesn't ring properly; so wrong... Got too many options; I was very confused at first. Well, more to come when I've more energy...
. . .Which means, of course, yes, I made it! :D Public transit is just like Paris; crazy exchange thingys, differing train companies in the same city, etc. But here, on the Shinkansen, you get to reserve seats for a specific train; it's almost like an airplane on the ground! Ahaha... I had lotsa fun on the Shinkansen. The schedules here are freakishly precise; down to the minute. And they play weird circus music instead of the three-chord chime that every Torontonian is accustomed to. And the public phones here take quite some getting used to. It doesn't ring properly; so wrong... Got too many options; I was very confused at first. Well, more to come when I've more energy...
2003/08/06
希望破滅
. . .I wonder how much you guys are missing by not reading my titles... The only one who can, probably never reads my blog anyways... =/ Well, anyways, the title translates to "Shattered Hopes". I got a wake-up phone call this morning, as well as a message of ill-news. (a double-punch, as it were.) Apparently, I won't be able to return to civilization for another day, which kinda thwarts my plans of having some semblance of a social life.
. . .The person I'm supposed to be meeting for lunch on Thursday, henceforth refered to in this blog series as S. Shade, is a dear old friend of mine, one who still owes me photos from 3 years ago, but also one whom I haven't seen in a very long time. :'( And since S. Shade has quite a busy schedule, this means that I won't get to see him again for another year... *sighs*
. . .I was also supposed to meet up with someone else for the evening, but that's kinda scrapped too. Unless someone out there would be benevolent enough to drive me and all my stuff back from Waterloo... Pretty please? :D
. . .On a bit of good news, it doesn't take a few days to get the JR Pass; I can get it in a day. (YAY! Go me and my evil plan of going to the head office downtown... :P)
. . .And back into my blackhole of dispair. What was originally conceived to be a better deal to live off campus than on campus has quickly been proven wrong. Not to blame my roommates (though it'd be soooo easy), the cost of utilities and internet, on top of over-priced rent (for the summer, anyways), has resulted in a very big void in my already financially destitute situation. And while I *could* go on about how poor I am, I'm sure that people really
. . . . .1. couldn't care less
. . . . .2. don't like to listen to me whine.
So, I'll do us all a favor and just shut up.
. . .Meanwhile, the world continues to revolve...
. . .The person I'm supposed to be meeting for lunch on Thursday, henceforth refered to in this blog series as S. Shade, is a dear old friend of mine, one who still owes me photos from 3 years ago, but also one whom I haven't seen in a very long time. :'( And since S. Shade has quite a busy schedule, this means that I won't get to see him again for another year... *sighs*
. . .I was also supposed to meet up with someone else for the evening, but that's kinda scrapped too. Unless someone out there would be benevolent enough to drive me and all my stuff back from Waterloo... Pretty please? :D
. . .On a bit of good news, it doesn't take a few days to get the JR Pass; I can get it in a day. (YAY! Go me and my evil plan of going to the head office downtown... :P)
. . .And back into my blackhole of dispair. What was originally conceived to be a better deal to live off campus than on campus has quickly been proven wrong. Not to blame my roommates (though it'd be soooo easy), the cost of utilities and internet, on top of over-priced rent (for the summer, anyways), has resulted in a very big void in my already financially destitute situation. And while I *could* go on about how poor I am, I'm sure that people really
. . . . .1. couldn't care less
. . . . .2. don't like to listen to me whine.
So, I'll do us all a favor and just shut up.
. . .Meanwhile, the world continues to revolve...
2003/08/04
歡天喜地
. . .Ahaha. Today was fun. Woke up at around 11:00am, felt a bit disoriented, had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and then set about to work. Navi came over at around 1:15pm (that is to say, somewhere between 1:00 and 1:30). He set to studying Japanese while I slowly and practically unproductively worked on my bibliography, until a dear old friend gave me a shout.
. . ."Hey, do you know where I can get stuffed animals?" Apparently, he was looking for a gift to get his girlfriend, and since I'm uhh... special, he decided to ask me for suggestions. We agreed that a jar filled with paper stars (made from long strips) would be an appropriate present. The only problem was, he didn't have any idea how to make them. And I had no idea how to give instructions over ICQ. Thus, via Labatt Blue Line, I phoned him up and spent a good 30 minutes walking him through it. He was so cute about it all, "the things I do..." and "This is so difficult..."
. . .Ehehe. And all the meanwhile, Navi was trying to give suggestions too like, "use origami terms" and "go buy a set from Pacific [Mall]". The fact that my dear friend couldn't hear me very well over the phone didn't really help matters either...
. . .Well, he eventually had to go, and I was getting hungry, so Navi and I sauntered down to the living room where we played a bit of PlayStation to retain some sanity (from studying), while I had two pilsbury pizza pops for lunch. Then back to my room for more Japanese joy. Why is declension so much easier to understand than Japanese particles? I mean, it's practically the same thing, but... Ah well. I had a lot of fun explaining (and figuring out different ways of explaining) things to Navi, while he bravely toiled ahead and completed his review exercises from the textbook.
. . .And I'm struck with the sudden realization that I'm totally unprepared for Japan and Taiwan. AHH!!!! Gotta write e-mails to Universities located in the vicinity of Taipei and see if I can't get a job as an English-language TA, thereby getting a working visa, which would allow me to work (and legally make money). Of course, if I did that, that would mean that I'd have to start filing income tax reports and stuff. Yes, I know, it's amazing that I've made it thus far without having to deal with that bureaucratic clap-trap. *nervous laugh*
. . .Thankfully, there's no set day when I must be in Taiwan, so I have some breathing space between Japan and actual school. And I still gotta think up an academic plan for the next two terms. Or even just next term. Hmm... Learning Mandarin and discovering the differences in modern Taiwanese culture might be a fun topic of research. But I still gotta do more linguistic-related thingys. Afterall, my ultimate goal is attaining a PhD in linguistics. (lord above only knows why I find linguistics infinitely more appealing than math.)
. . .And while I anxiously wait for more editor comments, I'm gonna go draw in my sketchbook; haven't drawn in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong while.
. . ."Hey, do you know where I can get stuffed animals?" Apparently, he was looking for a gift to get his girlfriend, and since I'm uhh... special, he decided to ask me for suggestions. We agreed that a jar filled with paper stars (made from long strips) would be an appropriate present. The only problem was, he didn't have any idea how to make them. And I had no idea how to give instructions over ICQ. Thus, via Labatt Blue Line, I phoned him up and spent a good 30 minutes walking him through it. He was so cute about it all, "the things I do..." and "This is so difficult..."
. . .Ehehe. And all the meanwhile, Navi was trying to give suggestions too like, "use origami terms" and "go buy a set from Pacific [Mall]". The fact that my dear friend couldn't hear me very well over the phone didn't really help matters either...
. . .Well, he eventually had to go, and I was getting hungry, so Navi and I sauntered down to the living room where we played a bit of PlayStation to retain some sanity (from studying), while I had two pilsbury pizza pops for lunch. Then back to my room for more Japanese joy. Why is declension so much easier to understand than Japanese particles? I mean, it's practically the same thing, but... Ah well. I had a lot of fun explaining (and figuring out different ways of explaining) things to Navi, while he bravely toiled ahead and completed his review exercises from the textbook.
. . .And I'm struck with the sudden realization that I'm totally unprepared for Japan and Taiwan. AHH!!!! Gotta write e-mails to Universities located in the vicinity of Taipei and see if I can't get a job as an English-language TA, thereby getting a working visa, which would allow me to work (and legally make money). Of course, if I did that, that would mean that I'd have to start filing income tax reports and stuff. Yes, I know, it's amazing that I've made it thus far without having to deal with that bureaucratic clap-trap. *nervous laugh*
. . .Thankfully, there's no set day when I must be in Taiwan, so I have some breathing space between Japan and actual school. And I still gotta think up an academic plan for the next two terms. Or even just next term. Hmm... Learning Mandarin and discovering the differences in modern Taiwanese culture might be a fun topic of research. But I still gotta do more linguistic-related thingys. Afterall, my ultimate goal is attaining a PhD in linguistics. (lord above only knows why I find linguistics infinitely more appealing than math.)
. . .And while I anxiously wait for more editor comments, I'm gonna go draw in my sketchbook; haven't drawn in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong while.
2003/08/03
古興新趣
. . .And now that I've some time to blog, I have no idea what I want to say... ...looking over my past posts, it's apparent that social etiquette is more important to me than I initially realized. So, moving forward, webpage layouts! I'm seriously gonna give this place a good make-over when I get the luxury of not having the guilt of needing to study weigh heavily on me. And after that (or simultaneously), I'll be co-renovating my reg. homepage with my new, benevolent host, Navi. (new URL = http://y.iam.sketchy.ca) Hehe. I know, I love it. Not much there at the moment, so don't hold your breath.
. . .Meanwhile, I'm running across a serious dilemma; should I go for the ultra-traditional, or the ultra-futuristic? Both are equally appealing, but both are also easily made tacky and cheesy. I guess I'll have to play around with thumbnails in my sketchbook and see which one I like better.
. . .A thought just came to me; a forest/spirit theme! :D Hmm... More thought needed... ...and it's approaching an ungodly hour of the night... which means one of two things: Sleep, or................... PLAYSTATION! ehehe...
. . .Meanwhile, I'm running across a serious dilemma; should I go for the ultra-traditional, or the ultra-futuristic? Both are equally appealing, but both are also easily made tacky and cheesy. I guess I'll have to play around with thumbnails in my sketchbook and see which one I like better.
. . .A thought just came to me; a forest/spirit theme! :D Hmm... More thought needed... ...and it's approaching an ungodly hour of the night... which means one of two things: Sleep, or................... PLAYSTATION! ehehe...
2003/08/02
華語試驗
. . .YAY! Took a test on www.clavisinica.com! According to them, I now know about 1500 Chinese characters (in contrast to the 300 that I knew just 4 months ago). It just goes to show how much more I learned from translating from Chinese to English. (of course, those tests aren't 100% perfect; I'm sure that I know less than that... but I like my results. ^_^) Although, to be considered literate, I'm supposed to know around 3000~4000 characters, so I still got quite some distance to go before officially becoming bilingual.
. . .Hmm... What have I been up to recently? Bumming around, mostly. Spent most of today with Navi; studied Algebra (when it seemed convenient) and did some other stuff (DDR, Chrono Cross, dinner, etc). To my horror, I've discovered that no matter how introverted I am at heart, I still need the company of living souls to make life bearable.
. . .Meanwhile, I should be finishing my documentation for my lil' translation. I pray that I'll survive my Algebra exam... ^^;
. . .Hmm... What have I been up to recently? Bumming around, mostly. Spent most of today with Navi; studied Algebra (when it seemed convenient) and did some other stuff (DDR, Chrono Cross, dinner, etc). To my horror, I've discovered that no matter how introverted I am at heart, I still need the company of living souls to make life bearable.
. . .Meanwhile, I should be finishing my documentation for my lil' translation. I pray that I'll survive my Algebra exam... ^^;
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