Iroiro na Mono 2

Hello. I'm quite sick of this background for my blog. My new year's resolution will be to change it.

I didn't realize that my last post was the one I made the night before JLPT. I was so traumatized post-JLPT that all I wanted was a cup of tea and some high-calorie cookies. I took N4 in the morning and N3 in the afternoon. The wait was so...hot. And I was wearing jeans. Uuugh. N4 was easy enough. But N3 slapped me left, right, upwards, downwards and diagonal.

After N4 my friend and I decided we will just take N3 for the experience. It wasn't that hard. I was just lazy to memorize all the kanji. As well as ill-prepared for the ridiculous time allocation. But N3 was a nightmare for more than just the content of the paper itself. Firstly it was set during the hot afternoon sun. Secondly, it was freaking postponed by 30 minutes because we had to wait for candidates who haven't arrived due to traffic! And despite that, our classroom had at least one empty desk at every row. Thirdly, we had to fill in an annoying questionnaire egged on by a predictably boring 'omiyage from Japan'. Fourthly, because of the annoying questionnaire, we left quite late. I walked out of my desk at exactly 7pm. The school didn't deem it necessary to turn on the lights, and although there was still a little bit of sun, all shaded areas of the school (stairs) might as well be nighttime.

So I walked down the 9 storeys stairs because it was too dark to be waiting for the lift on my own.

But things went up from there. Petaling Street was disgusting. There was pork and people spitting everywhere, yet I had to check out their game store. 5 ringgit PS2 games are still sold there after all. When I was done, I went to the head of the Street and contemplated my transportation home. Ideally wanted to drive, but being unfamiliar with the area, I decided to take a cab that morning. There were only two ways; bus and cab. Cabs are smelly but busses are infrequent. Walking would take close to an hour, and I was in need of a bathroom.

So I went to the Kotaraya side and stood by the roadside, contemplating. Then suddenly, a couple of haggard-looking tourists came up to me. There were two girls. One short, one Tall.

Short Girl: Excuse me, do you speak English?

Me: Oui. (Just kidding) Yes, I do?

SG: Do you know where is the monorail station around here?

Me: Ah, unfortunately there is no monorail station in the area. There are only the LRT stations...somewhere nearby. I've never actually been there.

SG: I see. *looks around desperately*

Me: May I know where you're going?

SG: We're going to Bukit Bintang. The Pavilion, you know.

Me: Oh. Well, from here there are only two ways to get to Bukit Bintang. Taxi or bus. Or walking. But that would be very tiring.

SG: *said something about how hard it is to get taxis* well, anyway, thanks for your help. *remains standing around*

Me: It's no problem. *contemplates, contemplates* You know I'm also going to Bukit Bintang. You wanna share a cab?

SG to Tall Girl: Hey you wanna share a cab to Bukit Bintang?

TG: Really? You would? Sure, sure!

Me: No problem. It's easier for me to get a cab since I'm local hehehe. Now stand back.

So we ended up sharing a cab. The two girls were Australians who are not quite tourists. They were on some internship program arranged by their college. Their actual internship was only for 1 week, but their college put them up for 3 weeks at the Renaissance Hotel. Prior to meeting me that night they got lost while walking on the highway. Thus, their haggard appearance. We chatted a lot in the cab and in addition to covering the fare (only 4.60 hehehe I'm good) They gave me a banana!

Funny how I didn't even ask for their names. But they were totally fun. I like such encounters. No attachments, just pure fun. Like one-night stands hehehehe. We parted ways at Pavilion which turned out to be a boon for our taxi too because he came to a long queue of tourists when he dropped us off. The moment we said goodbye I dashed off to the toilet.

I like American and Australian tourists in general. They are very friendly, and readily admit their own ignorance or shortcomings in a foreign country. And are willing to accept help. Unlike those European tourists.

Well then. I'll stop here before this post gets too long. Ta'ra!
p/s Klops: Yyes it's kinda nice getting back to exercising. I'm not going to lose to funny looking guy who thinks he's such an expert now even though he ran only ONE half marathon! and thanks for the suggestion!

Long Holiday That Should Not Be

I am still reeling back from having tea squirt out of my nose when I choked while watching 'Sonny with a Chance'. It's incredible, really, since I already watched that episode. The one where Chad Dylan Cooper was making a movie about himself but did not want to cast Sonny as herself in his movie. Instead he invited Selena Gomez to play Sonny. The ending where Chad said "So you think I have sparkly eyes?" was what got me. Man. My nose tastes sweet. Also, the Camp Hip Hop parody and the 'Jonas Brothers' at the end was hilarious.

Anyway, I noticed that I need to type in shorter sentences. Thus, shorter paragraphs. It makes my point clearer. And gives more impact. And I need to stop starting sentences with 'and'.

I asked for the week off from work due to JLPT this Sunday. I kept forgetting that I was taking two levels which meant I had to be there at both the morning and afternoon sessions. Sighs. I am not even sure of the exact location. At least everyone knows where UPM is. Far thought it may be. I supposed it's better for it to be in KL itself. Closer to home. And no, I have totally not been studying. I just had a test last Tuesday. Studying is the last thing on my mind. Though I supposed I should endure some anime tonight to redeem myself. It's good practice for the listening test.

Physically, I have been exercising for a full two months. I started early October, seemingly out of the blue, but really, there were several contributing factors. As I'm sure you people are interested to know.

REASONS WHY I STARTED EXERCISING AGAIN:

1. I picked up reading SHAPE magazine again. And that is always a motivator to start working out. No arguing there.
2. A colleague I label 'funny-looking guy' (F-LG) went on the Penang Bridge Marathon and I'm jealous. Therefore I decided I should join a marathon next year. F-LG made a comment where it's just so easy to just change into your running clothes and run at the KLCC park after work. Well excuse you for your ignorance. You don't have to wear a sport's bra. And of course, I told him that to his face. Hmph.
3. Since I made the decision to join a marathon next year, okay, more like a 10km run, since all marathons usually have a 10km event. I asked sensei to join me. He said yes and asked when. I said every month next year so he should start preparing. Since you know, there's always an event every month. And he lives in the neighbourhood so it's easy to meet up. So now that I have a marathon buddy, I have to train for a marathon, which includes losing weight. You can't train for a marathon and not lose weight, really.
4. Because people have been mistaking me for colleagues who wore at least two uniform sizes bigger than me! And they laughed as they said it, as if it was funny. Well of course they found it funny. Funny how I don't. I'll say more about this later.
5. Because it's cool. The scale hadn't budget much, since I got a new electronic scale that weights to the grams, I wouldn't call it a change until I could keep off 1 kg for two weeks straight. I am not expecting anything until the end of this month.
6. Because I just want to lose weight! And not complain that my uniform is getting too tight. It's not.

Going back to point 4, yes, it was insulting when people mistook me for someone who was fatter than me because I know I'm not the skinny type. Even when I lost 10kg, I was still curvy because I was made that way. What differentiated me from those people is that I'm taller than them. So even though I'm not as broad as they were, when I sat down I looked broader. I want to say that I'm not complaining, and I do like the way I'm built, but if I was happy with my weight I wouldn't be trying to lose them would I? Also, it must be said that it's very offensive and insulting and it hurts my feelings when people, even in good spirit, commented how "cuter" you look after they haven't seen you in a while. DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO MAKE COMMENTS ON HOW FAT PEOPLE LOOK EVERY YEAR YOU SEE THEM!?!?

If you have been at the receiving end of this comment before, you know how it feels. You try to just brush it aside and focus on how happy you are to see your friends/relatives and not concentrate on how fat they think you are. Now that you know, from now on, stop making such comments to other people. I don't. I used to do that just to annoy that person, but it's such a habit to these people now that they just do it without thinking. Now start thinking. Don't do it. Find something else to comment about! Their hair, their clothes, anything!

On the subject of fitness, everyone has an opinion. Even people who have only been jogging for half a day fancy themselves fitness expert. For example, some time ago, there was a jogging phase at work. I saw a few cashier staff changed into their jogging gear and went jogging at the KLCC park. After a few days I asked what's up and they explained just that. So I asked them where do they put their bags when they jog. One girl said they put them in a colleague's car before they set off. So I nodded my head and said 'I see'. After all, when going jogging you want to be as light as possible, right? and then this bimbo just had to say something so stupid as:

'or we just bring them along sometimes'.

I was flabbergasted. "But they're heavy!"

"Itu bagus lagi lah!" (that's even better you know!)

I stared at her, bug eyed, as I received a lecture on the benefits of carrying a one-shoulder bag on your run. Of course, I didn't even get to bring up the point where you will only strain your shoulder and ruin your lower back due to the uneven weight, because they left soon after, bags and all. Like I said, experts. The jogging fever lasted for only two weeks. :P

And they were still fat.

I'm not calling myself an expert, but I have enough experience and enough knowledge to know what is safe to do, at least for my body type, weight, and sex. And if you know as much (or as little) as I do, you'll know that you have to be a certified expert to be imparting fitness knowledge on other people. So if you have enough sense in your head, you wouldn't be imparting fitness knowledge on other people. You can advise them on what is generally safe, but for anything further, you must refer them to the experts.

Now, if you really want to know the basics, as a female, here are a few things I vouch for:

1. Never run alone at a secluded or non-populated area. It's dangerous.
2. If you do have to run alone, do not use ipods or anything similar. When alone you need to keep your ears peeled for possible perverts or attackers.
3. Wear light clothing. Bags, unless they are small hip pouches to keep your essentials ie car keys, cellphones, etc, are not necessary. You may think you are losing extra weight by carrying those weight, but you're doing it at the expense of ruining your muscles and doing permanent damage to your back. Some people run with leg weights or arm weights. Do not do so if you're an amatuer. Women have more tender muscles than men. The weight could tear your muscles easily.
4. Wear suitable shoes. If you've been running for a month, and enjoys it, then go buy yourself a good pair of running shoes. The shoes must be labeled 'running' shoes. Cross-training shoes are ok too, but never substitude them for those plasticky-soled shoes meant for mall hopping rather than sports.
5. Wear socks. No argument.
6. SPORTS' BRA! Unless you're an A cup, then forget it.
7. Let someone know where you're going for your run and what time to expect you back. So important when running outdoors.
8. Stay hydrated. Drink before, during and after your run/jog. And it must be water. Not sports drink, carbonated drinks or lemonade. Drinking water does not cause that tightness at the side. Nobody knows what causes it, so drink up.
9. STAY SAFE. And enjoy.

I've met my share of perverts outside that's why I prefer doing my exercises indoors.

My Kujong has finally kicked the bucket and swallowed my FF12 DVD. He will be retired. Although I'm planning to get a ps3, I am still getting another PS2. A small silver PS2. I've always wanted one hehehe. Right, now time to endure some anime. Uuugh. I don't know just what sort of anime interests me anymore these days.

Wish me luck! Ta'ra!

Kanji Will Be The End of Me!

It's done. I registered. I paid. I'll be taking N3 and N4 both this end of the year. After I found out on the website that N3 and N4 are going to be in separate times, I pounced! I mean, I just have to register anyway, as long as I didn't pay it's not official. But I paid. I knew it was RM80 each, but in case I saw it wrongly and it's RM120 instead, I only asked for RM120. But I ended up paying RM160. Uugh.

Not surprisingly I am not the only one who registered for the N3 class but is taking N4 as a safety net. On last count my JLPT preparatory class had 8 people. I missed the last two classes on purpose (sleeping) mostly because I felt that the sensei wasn't really teaching us anything new. Outside students might find it useful, but for someone like me who is currently attending a course there, I'm better off asking my own class sensei.

But 7+7+14 pages of revision per week!?!? SERIOUSLY!? I'm already falling behind, needless to say. The grammar and vocabulary exercise are 1 page a day each, but the kanji is 2 pages a day and can be finished in 6 weeks. Because I have three months, I am taking my time on purpose. When I first got the kanji exercise book, I found that there are only about 300+ kanji inside it. N3 has 600 basic kanji, so where did the other 300 went? Well apparently the other 300 are all N4 kanji. Therefore studying for N3 assumes that you are acquianted with the N4 kanjis as well.

600 kanjis...I'm having problems with just 10 kanjis a week T_T. Kanji will be the end of me.

Ta'ra!

Redang Prologue

Yes, I've been too lazy to update my blog these days. No reason. I am simply lazy. No wonder my mental state has not been very good lately too. Anyway, I ralized my two-year dream of going to Redang the weekend before Ramadhan. I'm just wasting time before going to class, so here's a picture of me holding up a baby turtle. O_O <<--my eyes. My eyes aside, the baby turtle is just too cool. It kept on swimming even as I held it up out of the water. It was like *swim swim swim* *looks* *swim swim swim*. Too cool. I'm still vigorously attending my Japanese classes. I must have spent a fortune on it I think. But this year just when I thought I was ready to finally take on JLPT, a new syllabus presented itself and I just HAD to register for the brand spanking new level N3 instead of N4 which is a guaranteed pass at my level. But noooo, I just had to burden myself unnecessarily. So in order to help me pass, I signed up for the prepatory class and was smashed down to earth by the realization that it was probably out of my league. Probably. I was practically shot dead and became a zombie throughout the class. We did three tests. At least I know as long as it doesn't involve reading (kanji) I actually did well in listening.

But that's little to celebrate about. I have to memorize 600 kanji characters, which is double the amount of the previous JLPT 3 now JLPT N4. The sensei already warned us that its not going to be easy, and the classes only help little, and we have to put in the effort EVERYDAY. With NO BREAK. She told us to go buy the kanji workbook ourselves seeing as we don't have enough class time to cover kanji. Only Kino sells those kanji workbook and I have staff purchase to cushion the price.

In addition to the kanji workbook I also bought a new Japanese-english dictionary. I wanted only Japanese words you see. Now that I think about it, maybe I should buy a kanji dictionary too, pending I could learn how to use it. Raaawr. I'm SO glad I decided to forfeit my cousin's wedding for this. She is so not worth it.

Okay time for class. I'll post up Redang pics later tonight. Ta'ra!

p/s I need a new theme for this blog. The sushis have gone way past expiration.