God, not again..

Currently Feeling: Hopeless.

Got Windows up and running Friday. Spent most of today installing my programs and putting my CD backups onto the computer. And then what happens? FFXI update corrupts. Whatever, that sucks. So I lost upwards of 3 hours. Uninstall FFXI.. and it takes some operating system components with it. Restart comp, bam. Whole thing's dead. Right now I'm reinstalling the operating system and restarting. Everything I've done over the past two days, blown.

I have a headache. Life sucks. People are on my back to go do some trivial labor that is really not important in the least.

Is it fair to say that things feel really hopeless right now? I don't feel like going to school tomorrow. I know I have to/should.. but I don't know if I will.

To add to it, there's the mounting stress of things in general. School work, homework, tests. Get home, and we have yelling, screaming, and crying to listen to as background noises. Look to the people you rely on for companionship, comfort.. and you realize that all you really are in life (and are likely to ever be) is the great background character. I'm losing confidence that I'm a person, much less an important one. People need me. People like me. As long as something more important isn't in their life. I'm the fall back. The guy you go to when you can't turn to those important people. I'm the guy who's been around you for years, and you don't have the decency to look my way anymore because you have someone more fun to be with. That guy who you break promises to once soeone you like better comes along.

I'm the lamp that sits in the corner of the room. The one you ignore until your nifty flashlight burns out. Then, then you like me again. Until, of course, you buy a new flashlight.

I wish I was just upset, and saying these things because I'm annoyed and angry, and things don't seem to be going my way.. but, honestly, it's just the way things are. It's the same pattern that's been going on for years.

I wouldn't even say that I'm angry over this anymore. It's just a kind of.. cold, sobering feeling to realize where you stand with people, where you stand in the world.

I'm that guy who exists for you when you don't have anything else more important.
Jason on 10.30.05 @ 06:29 PM JST [link]

Current Sounds: Hellnight, the movie.
Currently Feeling: Thoughtful

I'm on a PSP right now, so I won't be writing much. Reminds me of being on a train in Hokkaido, writing a long e-mail on my cell.

Then again, I'm rather sentimental right now. Blah. Constantly looking back, remembering. Could be worse, but I don't care for that sense of longing, recalling what I once had but no longer do.

Otherwise, this weekend has been okay. Aside from sleeping and dreaming issues, it's decent thus far.

I'd write more, but I have space limits, and this is hard to type with. Later..!
Jason on 10.29.05 @ 11:51 PM JST [link]

The sun rose again this morning

Current Sounds: Typing, along with people next to me discussing cold medicine and it's uselessness.

Cold medicine is useless. I am now better informed of the prices of cold medicine and how pointless it is due to sitting next to these people. Of course, I knew all this before, but it truly is good to have your knowledge reaffirmed.

I'm tired. How 'bout you? I even almost-kinda slept last night, too, so I shouldn't be this tired. There is one thing that needs to be said, though: Whoever took it upon themselves to walk past my house and bang on the front door at 7~ this morning deserves to have most unpleasant acts brought against them. My, I'm a lovely basket of smiles!

Actually doing okay, I guess. I think I kinda stumbled past the point of really caring. So, hey, not so bad, right? We'll see how long this lasts.

Had to go for a bit of a walk last night (about 90+ minutes) to go pick up a reserved game ("GTA: LCS" [PSP]). The walk wouldn't have been all that bad, if it weren't for the fast that the city doesn't believe in streetlights, I wasn't on a busy street, and passing drivers didn't feel the need to yell degrading remarks and the pedestrian. But, well, that's life. I made it home in one piece with the game and, despite some minor technical issues, the game's quite alot of fun (and to boot, the technical issues don't even have to do with me, this game was for my older sibling). Unfortunately, since there are some problems with walking on my right knee, I think I overcompensated last night. My left leg is really sore now. Stupid leg.

In case it wasn't dreadfully obvious, I'm just killing time until my class starts.

The rest of this week should be fairly low-key. Should be meeting at least one person on Friday (maybe two, depending on what schedules look like) to practice speaking Japanese, and no plans for this weekend. Only homework I need to do before the week's through is a worksheet in Japanese that I half-finished in class, so.. not bad! Next week, need to read three stories and prepare for a test by Tuesday (Japanese test.. always fun). Also of note, next Monday is Halloween. I usually don't care for the holiday, but I'll be going trick-or-treating with my younger siblings, I think I'm attending a Halloween party at their school, and will probably be going to school in costume (it pays to not care if you look like an idiot). We'll see what I can do about getting pictures.

I guess I should get heading to class. Blah. I think mayhaps I've been writing a bit much as of late.. but.. ah well. We'll see when I write again.

Oh, by the way.. I finished my writing website for my writing class (it looks much better now). It contains everything I've been writing this semester (except for my "way too long" art assignment). If anyone's interested in reading these articles and going to the website, post a comment or somesuch and I'll send the URL off.

Gotta run..
School on 10.26.05 @ 10:33 AM JST [link]

Clearly, I can't manage time.

Current Sounds: TWO-MIX - Just Communication (on PSP)

Was going to go home and stare at the ceiling in a lethargic stupor until I went back to school, but I decided to be a good boy and come to the campus to get my homework done, and maybe even pretend to study! All was going well (got the homework done, briefly glanced at those "chapter" things for the test that may or may not be today) and I waltzed to the computer to check my e-mail before class..

... dramatic pause...

Clearly, I can't tell time. I still have well over an hour before my class even begins. Gah! In the future, I truly need to schedule my classes better. Having nearly 4 hours between classes is just inhumane. I also forgot my Nintendo DS back at home, so no luck on playing a game unless I want to use the PSP.. but it's my dedicated mp3 player right now. Blah. At least with the NES, SNES, GBC, and Genesis emulators, I have a large game selection to choose from on the PSP. There's something to be said for an obscene amount of choices.

Don't really have anything important to say right now, just dreadfully bored. If I'm right, I'll have a test later and then get home late again, as per usual. If I'm wrong and there is no test, well, I'd probably prefer to just ditch and go home. I could use the sleep, and I have some work to do with my art class.

I'll go read a magazine or somesuch. Expand the mind, and all that. I'll post again later..
School on 10.24.05 @ 02:23 PM JST [link]

Paint me a picture of the world of your dreams

Current Sounds: Typing, coughing.. ah, a library.
Currently Feeling: The general morning haze

Don't have long until I need to run to class, but it's been a few days since I've written, so.. here I am.

Should be getting my motherboard today (assuming UPS is on time), and then need to obtain a copy of WinXP so I can get the comp running again. I backed up most of my data over the weekend (took about 20~ 700MB CD-Rs for the "must keep" files), so hopefully I won't lose too much when I get everything up and running again. This is all assuming that the processor, RAM, and vid-card aren't fried too.. but I can't really worry about that until I get the motherboard in.

Crashed on my bike on Friday.. my right palm and knee still hurt, but I should be okay. This weekend, I couldn't hold much at all, or even use a mouse very effectively, so my hand seems to be healing up okay. My knee still bothers me to stand or walk on for extended periods of time, but I'm pretty sure that it's just a surface injury from getting dragged along the asphalt. Lesson here? Not really much. Sometimes, you just run across stuff you simply can't avoid. Always wear a helmet, I guess (though in my case, my head never touched the ground).

I might have a math test this afternoon.. not sure, exactly. I wasn't there on Wednesday, so we'll see when I get to class. I don't actually feel prepared, but it (hopefully) won't be too bad.

Have to run to my class now. I don't really imagine it'll be all that interesting (the class tends to just be long lectures on stuff that won't be on the test), but.. have to attend. Fun, fun.

As usual, I'll write later if/when I have the time.
School on 10.24.05 @ 10:34 AM JST [link]

'Dream a little dream of me..'

Current Sounds: A laptop fan, and the sounds of the night.

Up late again. Can't seem to sleep at night.. bleh. I need to be up in a few hours to get ready for my meeting this afternoon, so I should probably keep this kinda short. I've written far too many pointless posts today anyway, wouldn't kill to keep it to a minimum.

I went digging through some files of mine, and some recent e-mails, and I ran across this photo I forgot to post. It was taken the night before I left Hokkaido. The people in the photo are some people I worked/lived with. Not really representational of the majority of my summer, but I spent about half-a-month with some of these people.


ssj_people
(click for a larger version)

I wasn't wearing glasses at the time (it was really late, and I was getting ready for bed). Strange indeed. I wear glasses at nearly all times, except when I'm waking up or going to bed (or sometimes when I'm reading).

Anyway, from left to right, Gerry (from America), James (from Britain), me, and Miho (from Tokyo). Miho and I are still somewhat in touch, which is good.. she was really sweet.

I have photos of other people, but those still aren't scanned in, and I need to do alot of touching up. Bad lighting, unfortunately.

And there's my excuse for posting. I'm going to go try to stare at the roof now and see if that does me any good. Not sure if I'll be writing this weekend, but I imagine that at some point, I'll get bored of pure PSP gaming and will feel compelled to write something pointless.

On a positive note, I'll be speaking Japanese tomorrow afternoon. That's always interesting..

Maybe someday I'll actually write about that..!
Jason on 10.21.05 @ 03:56 AM JST [link]

8-minute break..

Current Sounds: Japanese teacher explaining something to a classmate

Have a 7-8 minute break.. I'd bring out Earthbound [SNES, emu on PSP], but by the time it loaded, the break would be over.. so I nag the journal.

Class is going okay, I guess. Didn't sleep much (and what I when I did sleep, I kept waking up. This really is no good) last night, so I'm not as awake as I could be.

Umm.. so.. what to say..

Not much to say! Break's ending soon, blah. Another hour or so of full-on Japanese action. Everyone out there (all 2.5 of you who read this) who isn't taking Japanese, you truly are missing out, you know. =p That whole "fuzzy, my head's going to explode" feeling that you get from staring at foreign symbols you distantly recall but didn't study far enough (kanji) is really better than it sounds.. I swear!

No plans tonight. Probably just.. play games (shocked?)!

So! I'll be off (I think class is starting).
Insecure on 10.20.05 @ 03:48 PM JST [link]

Posting a quick link..

In my Japanese classroom right now. There's a link I found on the computer in the classroom that I wanted to read through at home, so.. I'm using the journal to transport it (since I don't feel like writing it down, and I certainly don't trust this computer as secure, so that's why I have a completely non-secured account). Nothing much to say..

Boring day.. status quo, really. Just feel the same, impending doom crushing in on me from all directions, but hey.. that's not really new.

Nothing much planned for this weekend. Tomorrow, I'm meeting with someone to practice speaking Japanese, and this weekend I'll probably be leaving town for my father's birthday. Mayhaps I can catch up on some sleep!

Ack.. my teacher's here.. gotta run!
Insecure on 10.20.05 @ 02:25 PM JST [more..]

'God willing and the creek don't rise..'

Current Sounds: Typing, clicking, and Windows' startup sounds
Currently Feeling: Gloomy, rainy day..

ƒ(x)= |x| + 1
Find where x = 10:45

Anyway, have a new motherboard in the mail. I'm pretty much (for lack of a better word) screwed if this doesn't fix the problem. I know the motherboard's faulty, and all signs point to that nothing else is wrong.. but I'm paranoid. I'll back up as much as I can this weekend and then I'll probably have to reinstall everything and load my files from backups. If this doesn't fix it? Well, the money I have left is going to unexpected expenses and Christmas shopping, so I won't be able to get it fixed until December or January. Gah.. this whole computer issue has really been a constant weight on my shoulders.

That aside, as I mentioned elsewhere, today's of the dark, gloomy, and rainy variety. 60%+ chance of rain, cold out, sky mottled in clouds. I really like rainy weather.. but it does definitely do something to your mood. I've been sitting in the library for awhile now, reading through a message board I'm a member of (ASMR.. I've been going there for.. 5 years? Wow) and reading through the problems section (people asking for advice). Why? I don't know.. I find it oddly interesting. Too much psych, I tell you.

Kanji test this afternoon. I can recall the name and meaning of most just by seeing it now (flashcards are good), but I need to know how to write all 30 too, so I'll be practicing that in the hour between classes. Tomorrow, only an afternoon class.. so I'm sleeping in (or, more likely, staying up really late and waking up early because I can't sleep). Yay!

Went to Chuck E Cheese this weekend for someone's birthday, and had my picture taken there. I'm going to scan it in a few minutes, and I'll try to post it tonight. Yes, you all must see, I'm sure.

Joe, I got your address.. thanks. I'll try to get my act together shortly!
Kat, sorry about mentioning the grade. Really, though.. we were probably in similar boats, I just had two things that helped. I had to memorize 3 lists of about 30 art terms (total), what they meant, and how they applied. I managed my way through the test just through raw memorization on the bus, and by writing really important-sounding essays in class that really were just observations of facts rather than insights. (I'd respond in the comments, but I don't know if anyone actually checks the comments for a reply from me)

Gotta get going.. class is starting int 10 minutes. I [i]think[/i] I had an essay due today that I didn't do.. but someone else said it was due Thursday, so let's hope!

I'll write later.

(anyone notice I seem to be writing alot lately..? Strange..)
School on 10.18.05 @ 11:28 AM JST [link]

Watching the water fall down to the earth..

Current Sounds: Typing, talking, library such-and-such.

Only about about 10-20 minutes to get to class. Not so bad, considering I'm on campus, but I usually arrive early.. so, I won't be typing much. To add to the fun, I need to run across campus.. and it's raining. Not too bad, I guess. I figure if I time it right, I can dash through to the Science and Technology building in-between Arizona's classic rain bursts (the rain starts, stops, starts, etc. Basically, as soon as you think you're safe and in a clearing, nowhere near cover, it starts to rain again).

Had my paper's topic approved for my art class today. Also got my grade back on the test and discussed some things about the class. When I got in, I saw (with great horror) a 77.5 written on the test (this was later raised to 78.75). I know I wasn't prepared.. but that poorly? It was quite disturbing. As my brain finally caught up to speed, though, I realized that this was a raw point total, not a percent. So, 78.75/80, so.. 98%. Not so bad, considering I didn't study anything until the night before and on the bus-ride to class. My studying habits are really not-so-impressive.. but they work. I never know what to say when a teacher pulls me to the side and mentions how I study so hard for the class. I appreciate the compliment.. but really, instead of studying, I come home and put 1-year old children on tables and have them dance (yes, I really do this. For those who haven't, you should.. it really is fun. I should also mention that the child thinks it's fun too, so it's not that bad). Now that's pure devotion to studies.

I was going to ramble about Japanese (have a kanji quiz tomorrow), but I don't have much time.

I do have an update on my computer situation, though. After getting a second (and third) opinion, it looks like it might just be my motherboard that's fried. This will cause some problems for WinXP, but getting it up and running at all will definitely be an improvement. I'm going to wait a bit to see if anyone has any suggestions on the board I should get, but I'll be ordering it tonight.. should be here (hopefully) by the end of this week.

Wish me luck.

Gotta go..! I'll write again when I have some time..
School on 10.17.05 @ 03:22 PM JST [link]

Ramble ramble..

Have a few minutes. I think I'm going to go play "The Sims 2" [PC... on the laptop], watch a movie, or something of that sort in a bit. But.. figured I'd write something before the day was through.

On a positive note, I managed to knock my initial price estimates for my PC repair costs down to about $120-$130 (in addition to that evil power supply). So.. hey, that's at least alot better than my original estimates. Still no good, but.. better. Anyone know what the going price for a kidney is..?

If the RAM and vid-card are dead..? Well, I can't really deal with that until later.

Talked to Citlali (I see you.. yes, you. You're reading this) last night and got an e-mail from her. It was nice to hear from her again, but I don't think I'll be able to see her while she's in North America due to a change in her travel plans. Kinda sucks. E-mail and IM is good and fine, but.. hmm. I guess it's just a bit different. A certain "real" factor that people gain when you know them through face-to-face interaction.

Joe, if/when you see this.. can you e-mail me your address? It was on my PC, and.. well, that's not really good for checking right now. I had some stuff I wanted to mail, but I don't have your address on hand right, unfortunately. I'll try to e-mail about this and some other stuff in a day or so, or mail something if I can get your address.

What else is there to say? Life's going on, I guess. Need to write my draft for my art paper, I'll probably work on that tomorrow. Since this is just a drafting, "what do you intend to do" kinda thing, I'll likely just do a rough character-web, maybe some horrid sketches of "characters" (so I look serious about this, even if I've only given it passing thought on the bus), and some bios and stuff. I feel like doing a creative writing project this semester, so I'll be writing a fictional, original story. Should be interesting, assuming he doesn't have any problems with it.

Might be going to church tomorrow. I really, really should (or I feel like I should), but I don't know if I feel up to it yet. We'll see tomorrow.

I'll write later, ideally it'll be more interesting.
Jason on 10.16.05 @ 12:00 AM JST [link]

'We get together ev'ry time we can..'

Current Sounds: Some sort of country music (on "GTA: San Andreas" [Xbox])

So, update. Bought a power supply unit today. Replaced the old one, and now the PC actually powers up. And that's all it does. Power supply activates, light activates.. and nothing else happens. After doing some other tests, it looks like when the power supply went out, it blew out my processor too. This really, really sucks. I was hoping to write my papers on an actual computer this weekend (I hate writing long documents on a laptop.. stupid keyboard). So, I need to go out and get a processor now. Just lovely. I pray the motherboard, RAM, and vid-card are all okay. I'm going to test the vid-card this weekend, but I can't test the RAM until I get a processor.

I was hoping to not have to take out any student loans quite yet, but I might have to if I want to get this completely resolved in the next few months.

In other news, I spent most of the day running around town today. Went by bike for quite a few miles. A bit tiring, but it was nice to go out and do something different (other than sitting around and studying or stressing about something, which is much of my weekly routine). Not sure what I'll be doing this weekend yet, but I want to do something I haven't for awhile. Maybe just sit down and watch a movie or an anime series for awhile. I don't seem to have the time to do that as of late.. kinda sucks. Regardless, I basically plan to just waste my weekend away trying to catch up on some sleep and just try to not worry about things (this will all fail miserably, but at least I can pretend, right?).

Monday, need to have a draft for my 20-page paper on "my movement through change" done (haven't started) and Tuesday I have a 2-page paper due for writing and need to study 20~ kanji. Fun, fun, fun.

I don't really have much to say.. just kinda rambling while people are playing games around me, don't really have anything else to do.

Later, then..
Jason on 10.14.05 @ 11:43 PM JST [link]

Pointless "I took a quiz" post!

Current Sounds: "Mythbusters" on Discovery Channel

And here's the requisite "I took a quiz, look at my results" post that comes up from time to time. Obviously, I usually don't do this.. but, really, it's FFVII!


You are AERIS. Benevolent, beautiful and...well,
hopefully not dead.


What Final Fantasy VII character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I should say something.. but I don't really have anything in mind. Ultimately, I did go home early. Still feel kinda sick and out of it. I need to study my kanji tonight, though, and then again in the morning. I want to sleep, but.. probably not in the cards (as per usual).

I'll say something of note earlier. If you feel up to it, take the quiz and post your results in the comments. I'd be interested in seeing what other people get.
Jason on 10.12.05 @ 09:19 PM JST [link]

Studying at the last minute is a good thing.

Current Sounds: Oasis - Wonderwall [on PSP]

Vincent Van Gogh, "The Starry Night", 1889, oil on canvas.

I can recite that and many more useless art facts on demand now, thanks to quick, last-minute cramming for a painfully stupid art midterm (is it even mid-term yet..? I didn't think it was). Basically, it was a long process of reciting list upon list of facts.. and then applying them. The fact that I suspect I'm running a fever and am getting quite sick doesn't help. I can't seem to think more than a step or so ahead, so memorizing massive lists was a unique challenge. Anyway, I think I did fairly well. I imagine I'll proptly forget everything I forcefed into my brain within the next day or so, too. Probably good, since I need to memorize 15-20 kanji by tomorrow afternoon. Time to break out the flashcards!

Yesterday, I just yanked the covers over my head and skipped my morning class (writing), had lunch at Taco Bell, then went to Japanese class to take my test. Took the test (I suspect I did okay on that one), wasn't feeling too well, so I left early. Yes, I am being a productive member of society.. kinda.

I'll be heading out to buy a PSU (power supply unit) for my PC on.. probably Friday, so assuming that's the problem, I should have it back up and running this weekend. I just hope I don't run across anything else going wrong.

Can't really sleep as of late, other than for a short bit at a time, and usually with some odd nightmares through the night for the time that I do sleep. This isn't helping with the cold or whatever I seem to have caught. Blah.

Should probably sit tight on campus and just play games until my afternoon class, though I'd rather just skip this too and maybe get home early to relax, sleep.. or just plain pick up the PSU early.

Now that I consider the possibilities (and that I can probably get a ride home and skip the bus), I'm going to go home early. My head's spinning anyway. Math won't make any sense.

I'll post later when I have a chance.. ideally when my PC's up and running again (and not dead-ish).
School on 10.12.05 @ 02:46 PM JST [link]

Oh, joy. Just what I needed for this week..

Current Sounds: The laptop's fan..

So, apparently this week wasn't going to be challenging enough. The powers that be figured "You know, Jason's just not having a good enough time."

Right now, I'm still in the phase where I'm almost finding this amusing. Amusing in that bitter way, but still amusing. It's also amazing how mental stress can take form in physical symptoms, like how I feel so terribly sick right now (then again, that might be actual sickness as well.. I suspect I've been getting sick, but I've been ignoring it).

Tonight, for seemingly no reason, my PC died. I think it's the power-supply, which it looks like I'll have to get some money together to replace.. and I pray that's all it is. I can't afford to replace a powersupply right now, much less any other PC components.

I feel so powerless and helpless in my own life right now. A torrential storm just washes through, and I stand here, left with little else to do other than wonder when the next storm comes on through. Tests, papers, books I need to read... and now my PC. Awesome.

I want to sleep right now. I dearly want sleep, but I know I can't. I'm going to lay down after pressing "submit", but I know I'll be met with the roof staring back at me. I hate that feeling. I hate knowing that my best efforts are doomed from the get-go. Once I do get to sleep, I'll be waking up shortly to go take a bus to school. The drummer keeps on drumming, the marchers keep on marching.

I'm sorry I haven't been around and more supportive for those around me. Really, I wish I could. I'll look back on this and realize how little I've done for those who have done so much for me.. and it's a shame.

.. off to bed I go. I figured I'll write.. sometime, but I can't say when. This week's shot, and I have alot of catching up to do to get my most recent projects back to life on my laptop, since I have to start some from scratch. Work keeps you busy.. it keeps you out of your head. Work, work, work.

So.. I'll write sometime later.
Jason on 10.11.05 @ 03:17 AM JST [link]

What do you dream about..?

Current Sounds: Utada Hikaru - Simple And Clean [English]

What do you dream about at night? During the day..? What is it that brings tomorrow through the night?

Anyway..

I'm starting to think that I should write a secondary, shorter journal entry in Japanese. Or maybe even just keep a paper-and-pen journal and just write a short daily Japanese entry. I hear it helps for getting better at a foreign language. Unfortunately, it doesn't help getting better at speaking of becoming conversational, two of the harder things to do when learning Japanese in America.

What else has been going on in life? Not all that much. This weekend was somewhat low-key, but most of my weekends tend to be that way. Met with someone on Friday to practice Japanese, then spent most of the weekend doing some backend website work (adding the GBemulator), playing games ("Lost In Blue" [DS], "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" [Xbox]), watching movies, and working on a game (CCSakura Gradius-style game [pc]). Now that the weekend's over, though, I have two tests coming up, along with whatever else gets thrown on top during the week. I'm not too concerned about the Japanese test, but quite bothered by the Art one. Need to memorize a bunch of technical details about 10 predetermined works of art, and study the elements of art design and principles so I can write several essays on the fly. Honestly, I think the guy's insane if he thinks we're going to be able to hand-write 10-15 pages of essays in less than an hour. I guess I'll update how that goes later this week.

Still not sleeping much, but.. that's not really new. I'm going to sleep slightly earlier tonight.. I hope it has an impact.

When I get some free time (no clue when/if that'll happen. Maybe December.. I'll have a few weeks off), I want to just sit down and do those things I used to enjoy wasting hours on end doing. Maybe start FFVII [PSX] again and play it all the way through.. I've been wanting to do that anyway. I'd also like to code games with a little more regularity. I have enough ideas and I think I have the ability to do it.. I just don't have to time to devote to it right now.

This week will be busy, hopefully next week won't be so bad (just one test next week, unless I get a kanji test thrown at me from my Japanese teacher). Basically, I just need to throw myself at my art book and notes for the next few days and hope for the best. Wish me luck.

But now, I'm going to bed. Or, at least, I'll be laying in my bed. I'll update later, when I can.
Jason on 10.10.05 @ 02:16 AM JST [link]

Quick note..

Current Sounds: Konami - Kiss Me Sunlights
Currently Feeling: Tired.. don't feel like waiting for my next class. 100 more minutes to go.


panda_drive

When I said that I had to "drive for an hour and a half by car" in my Japanese composition.. well, that was a bit of an overstatement. Not the time, no.. the car. You see, I had to drive by panda, as this image clearly shows. panda de kushiro ni ikimashita.

Just scanning in the first roll of film, need to scan in the other two. When I have free time, I'll actually post the photos online. Mind you, there aren't many of me (and I won't even be posting all of me, as photos and me don't get along well. Not sure why yet, but I look so creepy), but that's not really a loss, now is it?

I also have another panda shot, looking a little more dedicated.. maybe I'll upload that later. But seriously, I needed a "Red Baron" scarf or WWI aviator's hat for the image to get the full effect.

And off I go.. I already did both of my homework assignments, so I'm kinda out of stuff to do. Maybe I'll go play more of "Trace Memory" [Nintendo DS]. It's pretty good. Murder-mystery.. on a handheld!

Or flash through more of the evil kanji flashcards. My mind's being taken over by kanji.. it's only a matter of time before I dream in kanji.

Okay, okay.. I'm going.. but first, going to pointlessly post this stuff to MN.
School on 10.03.05 @ 02:13 PM JST [link]

Another month passes by..

Current Sounds: Junko Iwao - Marshmallow Yakero

Kinda tired and incoherent right now, so can't really hope to write anything completely epic or interesting. This is mostly unfortunate because I was hoping to get some work done tonight on a project of mine, but that will require more of my brain than I think I have to freely give away right now.

This week was busy.. though I guess alot of that was due to my own procrastination. As I believe I mentioned earlier, I finished off my second Japanese composition, got it edited, and handed in Thursday (if you're interested in the pointless things I write, the Japanese version and rough translation are provided in the "more" link). Monday, math test.. gah. Don't even want to go into that. Tuesday morning, I wrote two short papers before writing class (in the library right outside the classroom) and studied 20 kanji for the test later in the afternoon. Wednesday, I only managed about 2 hours of sleep, so I skipped classes. Yes, I'm a bad Jason. But I really think it was good. Didn't get much done, but I did get a little more sleep. Thursday, wrote another paper outside class (and read the short story it was based on while riding the bus before to the campus) and then played some "Another Code" (US "Trace Memory") [Nintendo DS] inbetween classes.

This weekend, I'm fairly confident, simply disappeared. Probably because I slept through a decent portion of Saturday. I find that I just run the whole week and then pass out for Saturday before continuing the running. I tend to be tired and nonsensical by the last day of the week (Thursday).

If anyone e-mailed me and is wondering where the reply is.. I made a quick and hasty decision to just boycot my e-mail entirely for the latter half of last week. That doesn't mean that I wasn't checking every 20 minutes, but I wasn't really replying to anything for the past few days, unless it was something life-altering, like "O_O ZOMG!!! Jazon i lost meh eyez1!! plz hlp a n00b wit ur m4d w3b programng skillz nd make them com bak!!". So... yeah. Just so you know. I should be back and doing that "replying" thing tonight or tomorrow.. but I don't think I have anything too important pending, so this shouldn't be much of a problem.

Went to church again today. As fate would have it, it was moved forward an hour, so I sat around and helped prepare breakfast with a Japanese housewife. As for church? Well, it was how church experiences usually go. Need I say more? I'd still like to avoid the situation entirely (there are alot of nice people there, but I really can't say if I'm gaining much, other than learning to pick up and listen to spoken Japanese better. People rarely speak to me in Japanese), but I haven't found a reliable substitution yet, so.. church it is! In case I haven't stressed it enough yet, learning Japanese is important to me, which is why I go out and do these things.

This coming week.. just need to catch up on the classes I ditched, start studying for a test that's coming the week after this, do some homework, that sort of stuff. Mid-week, I'm going to the art museum for a class-related activity. I've already been there before, but should be interesting all the same. I need to see if I can convince someone that they need to go to art museum with me. It's just more fun that way.

Hmm.. ah, and another kanji test on Tuesday. Ideally, it isn't cumulative, as I've forgotten a few that I learned last week in such a hasty manner. All the same, I need to learn how to say each one, how to write it, and what it is in English. Definitely difficult when you have quite a few to learn at once. I've been using flashcards for the past two days, so it shouldn't be too bad (I hope).

Ah, and now that it's October, I can start making Halloween plans. I usually don't do much (if anything) for the holiday, but since it's a Monday this year, I can at least dress up and make a complete idiot of myself in class. Yay? I'll post later with what I'll go as when I figure it out.

And that's about it from me for now.. I'll post later when I have some free time, and/or something of note happens. Click [more..] below for the Japanese composition (it really isn't all that interesting, though).
Jason on 10.02.05 @ 10:51 PM JST [more..]