Intermission

Another batch of missed posting days. Oops! Oh, well.
Perkins and I have decided to start a 4 hour per day study regimen. I haven't been so successful with that, but it makes me feel good to know what I'm trying more. Back in December and early January I was having trouble just motivating myself to get out of bed. I'm not completely sure why I'm doing so well now, but I'm not going to question it too much. I'm just glad I'm feeling better.
Today was awesome because the weather was so nice that I bought a bento and ate it outside on the terraced grass of the International Student Center (it took me a long time to remember the English for that. Is this bad?). I just sat in my T-shirt in the sun chowing down on a croquet and rice. It was nice and warm. I also noticed how light my arms are from not getting any sun over the winter. I hadn't realized until I was staring at the sun reflecting off of them. O__o
Thursdays and Mondays are my least favorite days of the week. I don't like Monday because I've never liked Monday. The beginning of the week is such a downer. You have the entire week's work ahead of you, and if you had a crappy weekend you don't have anything to be happy about. I don't like Thursday because I have to get up earlier than usual because of kanji class at 8:40. Kanji class is kind of boring, too. I dread quiz days. I seem to be getting worse at remembering my kanji. Maybe I just don't use it enough. That's what I really miss about the Japanese program at Purdue. Everything that was taught was built on all the former lessons, so if you learned some kanji in the previous lesson the chances that you would use it in the following lessons was pretty good. That program was just so organized, and this one seems a jumble of grammar that doesn't have a good base to build on. That's mostly the reason Perkins started his 4 hour study program, and why I'm copying him.
The next time I post I'll be talking about last weekend. It should be pretty interesting because I took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Maibashi in Gunma prefecture to go see Toshiko Ishikura. She's the mother-in-law of my friend Misuky back home. She was super nice! And she had a bunch of awesome things to show me in Maibashi, so I'll have pictures and video of that. Until then, ja!

Not Breaking Any Records

I'm not breaking any records for my consistency quite yet, but this is still a good start.
More Casey Baker, bringing more self-truths to light. When I listen to music, I feel it and I use it to think about many things: life, myself (who doesn't like thinking about themselves?), my friends, school, well, less school than other things.
It's at these times that I can feel my most intense feelings. And late at night, when I'm listening to this music I feel my most intense loneliness. Tonight I thought about my husband. I thought about how badly I miss just being able to see his face, to tell him about how I'm really feeling. I have many friends here, and I care for them deeply, but I'm the type of person who has trouble trusting other people, especially with my personal feelings. I guess I think if people don't know certain things about me, they can't use them to hurt me later. That may seem rather insecure of me, but it's how I function. I don't tell a lot of people about my true feelings. I'm sure that other people don't always tell me the truth either. Of course, it's not so much that I lie. I don't like to lie. Rather, I hold so much back that sometimes I think people don't really know or care for my opinion at all. Doesn't everyone just want someone to ask them what they really think of something? I would like it if someone asked me that. "What do you truly think of so-and-so's relationship with other so-and-so?" Do people ask you those kinds of things?
Even if someone did ask me that, I would probably evade an answer unless I was close enough with them. To me, friends are people you can trust with nearly anything. I say nearly because not everyone needs to know everything. There are some things that are better off being no one's business.
Sometimes it feels like no one is listening. Even worse, sometimes it feels like no one cares to listen. People will go about their lives around you, they will go through their daily grind without even remember that you exist. And when you try to prove your existence to them by sharing your thoughts and feelings with them, they only seem interested in themselves and their own problems, or they pretend to be interested in what you're saying while they're actually planning out the rest of their day in their head or imagining you naked.

Tip of the Day

I was thinking today about the amount of stress I've faced because of my decision to study in a foreign country. A number of my friends have decided to compile tips and tricks for new foreign students back home, I suppose this is my small contribution. If you plan on studying in Tsukuba, the following tips will be very helpful. If you don't plan on coming here, then it'll enlighten you about the kinds of things I've had to face since I've been here. Either way, you walk away with more knowledge. The format for the following is this: "Japanese characters"/ "Romanji"/ "English translation." Please feel free to contribute to and correct my Japanese.

TODAY'S TIP!!!
There are several convenience stores in Tsukuba. There's 7-11, Coco's, Family Mart, and a bunch of other small convenience stores I can't remember. These are called "Konbini," in Japanese (short for convenience market/store). It's pronounced like KONE bee nee. At a konbini, the person attending the counter will ask you a series of questions, all of which are confusing if you've just come to Japan and don't know any Japanese. Fear not! I'll go through these with you.
When you make your purchase and approach the counter, if it is a small purchase, such as a bottle of water or tea, the cashier will probably ask you,
"テープはよろしいですか。"/ "Tepu wa yoroshi desuka."/ "Is tape ok?"
What the cashier is really asking is if they can just stick a piece of tape with the store's logo on it to prove that you bought it so you can walk out with it after you pay for it or if you would like it in a bag. If the tape is ok just nod or reply with, "はい。" / "Hai"/ "Yes."
If you buy a bento (lunch box), then they'll ask you if you want it warmed up. Honestly, I don't remember how they ask this right now. If you just make a regular, small purchase (a snack, for example) they'll ask you if you want a bag. They key word here is ふくろ/ fukuro/ bag. Just listen for that.
To ask for a bag you can just say, "ふくろおねがいします" or "ふくろがほしいです。" / "fukuro onegaishimasu" or "fukuro ga hoshii desu." / "I would like a bag, please."
That's all I have time for today. I have to go to my English Discussion Seminar class. It's from 3:15 to 6:00! There's a 15 minute break in the middle there, but these long classes are the hardest, I think, because I can't concentrate for that long. Later!

Updates (Not Upgrades)

Recently, I've been listening to Casey Baker and the Buffalo Sinners. They're an interesting band. My friend recommended them to me. They remind me a little bit of Jimmy Eat World. When I listen to them I feel elation and peace, even though the songs I have by them are all sad stories.
I noticed that it's a little difficult to keep up with American Pop Culture, but much less difficult than it must've been in the past. Since I have friends at home who talk to me frequently who are interested American Pop Culture, I've been able to keep up fairly well, I think. At least, I'm not completely ignorant about it. I heard about that new Beyonce video with a transvestite in it. It seems like the music industry always does something outrageous, of course, to get attention. Nothing gets more attention than something unconventional. I guess I'm not much further behind on US Pop Culture than I was when I was in the states.
Obviously, it's been a long time since I've updated. Thus the title of this blog entry. I plan on trying to write more often. Hopefully, once a day. I've got some backup entries that I haven't posted yet that are written in my notebook. I'll get to those as soon as I can. For more interesting pictures, you can look at my albums on Facebook. Since blogger doesn't seem to like to cooperate with my posting pictures and videos, that might be a better spot to look.
More updates later. :D