JAPN 101

Wow. Can't believe this semester's coming to an end already...!!!

So here's what I think about my Japanese class...
I've been studying in UVA for 3 semesters and honestly, Japanese is definitely the class from which I learnt the most. It's super intense and sometimes really stressful but I definitely learnt a lot. As Sato-sensee said, it's amazing how much we've known in these 4 short months! We can know have simple conversations in Japanese, make a short speech, write essays that are 2 to 3-page long...wow!
The schedule is really hardcore and although I occasionally complain about it on days when I have a lot of work due, I cannot deny that I really enjoyed the course...I enjoyed meeting with my tomodachis every day...enjoyed preparing the funny skits and watching others'...enjoyed speaking with my Japanese friends with my limited knowledge of the language...
But also, there were also moments when I felt really stressed...about my grades usually. Because everything in the course seems to count towards your grades. Like you may have forgotten to bring your homework and you weren't having such a good day in a certain class...and when you log into mallard later you find a really depressing grade and you get all freaked out cuz you don't know if that will bring your final grade down a notch...i know a lot of the policies were set so that it's fair to everyone but it would be really great if i can be altered a bit...so that we don't need to stress out all the time?

lastly, I would like to thank Sato-sensee for being such a great teacher this semester :) I really learnt a lot from you...and everyone could see how hardworking and how much effort you've put into the classes...really really appreciate it. Looking forward to 102 next semester :) meanwhile, good luck to everyone on their finals!!!!

Peer Reading

Woah! Can't believe it's nearly the end of the semester already...!! Done wit all 6 chapters of Japanese...and now stepping into the final stages of the course - oral interview and speech project.

We were assigned group members to help each other on our speech project...and I find that kind of useful. First, since everybody has different perspectives, members can help you point out things that you didn't see as problems at all. Also, as somebody mentioned in class, since members are at the same level of proficiency as you, they probably understand why you wrote something or why you made a certain mistake...so in some ways, peer reading is probably even more useful than feedback from Sensee.

My oral interview's next Monday and speech probably next Thursday...Mina san, ganbatte kudasai!!

私のこどもの時のドリーム

私はこどもの時はまいねん学こうでドリームについてかいて、先生にさくぶんを出しましたから、私のこどもの時はドリームがたくさんありました。大人の生かつが大すきでした。

私は六さいぐらいの時のすきなしごとはきょうしでした。その時の学こうの先生がすきでしたから。私のおとうさんはえいごがぜんぜん分かりませんでしたから、私はおとうさんのえいごの先生でした。まい日おとうさんはしごとのあとでうちにかえって、私はホワイトボードをつかって、おとうさんにえいごをおしえました。でも、私のレクチャーはたいていつまらなかったです。それから、おとうさんはさっきオフィスからきましたから、とてもつかれていました（１）。だから、おとうさんはレクチャーの時によくねました。いい学生はクラスでねてはいけませんから、おとうさんはいい学生じゃありませんでした。先生はとても大へんですね。

私は八さいの時のドリームはスペースに行きました。私はしずかなところがすきでしたから。だから、まい日しゅくだいをべんきょうして、スペースの本を一時かん半ぐらいよみました。NASAとアストロノートの本もよみました。私のドリームの中によくスペースクラフトにのって、月でおりて、エーリアンにあいました。たのしかったです。アストロノートはお金がたくさんありますが、あぶなっかしい（２）しごとですから、おかあさんはあまりすきじゃありませんでした。

みなさんのこどものドリームはなんでしたか。私にはなしませんか。

（１）「つかれている」はえいごでTIREDといいです。
（２）「あぶなっかしい」はえいごでDANGEROUSといいです。

スピーチのドラフト１

私のこどもの時には食べものをあまりたべませんでしたから、とてもちいさかったです。だから、私はよくしゅくだいをして、およぎました。たのしかったですね。スウィミングがだいすきでしたから。それから、私はホッケーもすきでした。よく学こうでともだちとホッケーをやりました。

私はこどもの時にテレビゲームをすきでした。でも、テレビゲームをたくさんしてはいけませんでした。だから、まい日本を二時かん半ぐらいよみました。私のすきな本はサイエンスフィクションとファンタジーでした。それから、私はよくべんきょうしました。とてもいいこどもでしたね。でも、今はあまりべんきょうしません。しゅくだいがきらいですから。

私はこどもの時にしずかな人でしたから、がっこうに行って、あまりはなしませんでした。だらか、ともだちがあまりいません。でも、一人でたのしかったです。よくとしょかんに行って、一人で本をよみました。

これは私のこどもの時のしゃしんです。私の右の人は私のおねえさんです。私はかわいいですか。

(photo from last time)

私のこどもの時

私のこどもの時にはとてもちいさかったです。だから、私はよくおよぎました。たのしかったですね。スウィミングがだいすきでしたから。それから、私はホッケーもすきでした。よくがっこうでともだちとホッケーをやりました。

私のこどもの時には本がだいすきでした。まい日本を二時かん半ぐらいよみました。私のすきな本はサイエンスフィクションとファンタジーでした。それから、私はよくべんきょうしました。とてもいいこどもでしたね。でも、今はあまりべんきょうしません。しゅくだいがきらいですから。

これは私のこどもの時のしゃしんです。私のみぎの人は私のおねえさんです。私はかわいいですか。

日本語のクラス

わたしは日本語のクラスがだいすきです。おもしろいですから。それから、ともだちがたくさんいますから。クラスはいそがしいです。でも、たのしいです。

さっき、わたしはジョウさんのりょうでスキトをしました。ジョウさんのりょうはシェーにあります。わたしはたくさんのともだちのりょうもシェーです。だから、たくさんのともだちにあいました。それから、ジョウさんとはなしました。たのしかったですね。

こんしゅうのスケジュール

月曜日にわたしは日本ごのクラスでクラトロルーのプレゼンテションをしました。日本のおてらとじんじゃをはなしました。これはわたしのプレゼンテションのビデオです。



火曜日のあさはクラスがありませんでしたよ。だから、おそくおきました。でも、水曜日にせいぶつがくのテストがありました。だから、わたしはばんとしょかんでたくさんべんきょうしました。うちでもべんきょうしました。

水曜日にがっこうのとしょかんでアルバイトがありました。としょかんはたくさん本がありますよ。わたしはごご二時にうちへかえりました。それから、二時間半ねました。ばんともだちのうちでばんごはんをたべました。

きょう（木曜日）はびょういんでボランティアを三時間しました。それから、日本ごのクラスでリーさんとスキトをしました。わたしとリーさんのスキトはいいでした。クラスのともだちのスキトもいいでしたね。それから、かがくのラボがありました。はん、わたしは時間がありませんでした。だから、ばんごはんをたべませんでした。

あしたは日本ごのテストがあります（みなさん、がんばってください！）。それから、しゅうまつです！たのしいですね。

=)

wasn't in the mood of anything these few days...but chatting with a few old friends just now soothed my emotions a lot...

my mum went to the hospital and had her first body check these few years...i was kinda worried cuz she gets sick really easily and she has headaches, stomachaches really frequently...
so was really relieved to hear that the results were quite positive. no serious problems, only that her cholesterol levels are a bit high :)

started chapter 4 of Japanese...it's getting much more challenging...i need a lot of thinking before i can form/speak a sentence in Japanese now...gotta work extra hard!

ps. a good blog, in my opinion, doesn't necessarily need to be fancy. as long as those are your true thoughts, and people understand you more through reading it, it's a good one.

mood swings

forgiving is probably the most difficult thing in the world...
especially forgiving yourself.
life is sometimes so good that it seems unreal.
but you eventually realize it really IS unreal - that's why it felt so good.
and then you start beating yourself up because you didn't try hard enough to make it come true.
sighs.

probably returning to HK for X'mas...
my sister's graduating and she wants me in the pictures...
not too excited about it though. not that i wanna stay in C'ville.
but i wanna travel somewhere else...wanna get away from any place that i'm familiar with...

リーディングデイースはべんきょうしません

きょうはすいようびです。あしたはもくようびです。それから、あさってはきんようびです！！リーディングデイースです！リーディングデイースにがっこうへいきません。
だから、どようびはDCへいきます。こうこうのともだちにあいます。それから、にちようびにUVAへかえります。わたしのともだちはUVAへきます。
げつようびはMAROON 5のコンサートをみますね。

Cannot wait.
And can't believe I can actually use Japanese to type everything I wanted to talk about :D

hell week over!

Thanks everybody for the encouragements :D
hell week is finally over...
can't wait till weekend and getting wasted hahahaha

it's exciting that we're starting to learn verbs in Japanese!
we can talk about a lot more things now
but that means more work and revision at the same time...
ganbatte!

went to Japan Club's Atsu Atsu Night~ the food was quite nice...there was tonkatsu, teriyaki chicken and rice balls
good that members get them for free :D
and it was nice seeing Lin-san, Basque-san, Shum-san and Li-san there
I have this special feeling every time I bump into a Japanese classmate on grounds
it's like back in high school, when I see the same people every day in small classes...
this just makes me happy.
:)

a super hilarious Japanese tv show (a Japanese speaking English) WATCH IT!!! i still laugh even though it's like my 500th time watching it


ok...i think i should start commenting on other people's blogs and replying comments...
but god i took 3 midterms, 2 really tedious long labs and had minimal sleep these 2 days...don't i deserve some rest and more preferably some SLEEP first?
so, ja mata!

work work work

This has been a very long week...
Work starts piling up...and I'm starting to feel a lil bit burnt out.
What makes life more stressful is that everything I do for my classes is assessed (homework, lab reports, lab performances, clicker questions, Japanese participation, Japanese skits etc.) It's true that I have more incentive to learn and try harder with such a marking system...but I'm now starting to doubt if I can handle all this work and stress anymore...am I pushing myself too hard? It's just that I always think that 4 years of college aren't long at all and I want to accomplish as much as I can...

3 midterms next week ON THE SAME DAY...wish me good luck.

P.S. Looking forward to the next skit performance...quite satisfied with what Basque-san and I came up with :) thanks partner.

and a "de-stress-er" for everyone...teletubbies bring sexy back haha.

Crying In The Party

Here are two lines from a song I've kept repeating on my iTunes these few days. It's called "Crying In The Party" - a Chinese song sung by my favorite singer, Eason Chan.

或有一天　當你大了　城府　開始深了
年輕的眼淚流光了 　便掛念曾經這樣了



The song basically talks about somebody letting his/her emotions out and crying hysterically after drinking a lot in a party. And the lines above mean
"Maybe, one day when you've grown up and become more shrewd and self-protective, you'll discover that all your tears from the past have dried up and you won't be able to cry anymore. And that's when you'll miss this particular moment of your life."

So true...still being able to cry or still having the courage to cry is probably a blessing.

First Blog Entry

Hello everyone...this is my first entry. Let me first make a short introduction in Japanese.
いらっしゃいませ！
わたしはヴィセント・カンです。
はじめまして！どおぞよろしくおねがいします。
(gosh this is so corny...okay, let's move on...)

Can't believe this is only the 3rd week of classes...I feel like being in C'ville for MONTHS already...However, I still haven't figured out if I'm enjoying this semester or not yet. Feeling so ambivalent - overwhelmed yet lonely at the same time. Hm. Complicated.

Taking Japanese 101 this semester. The course is very intense and we have classes and a lot of work every day - but it's amazing how much I have learned already. I've taken a lil bit of Jap before but just never had so many opportunities to speak and listen.

I'm taking Japanese because I've always been so impressed by Japanese culture. Japan is a developed and modernized country but unlike its peers, it has done so much work to preserve its traditional cultures. People still wear traditional clothings (kimonos) and foreigners all know about ninjas, samurais etc. Speaking of ninjas, I have started watching Naruto (an anime) again recently...it is just too addictive.














One of my favorite / the most touching dialogues in the anime:
Naruto: So what?! I can't die here...I have a dream I must fulfill!
Haku: Dream? Me, for my dreams and you, for your dreams. Please don't hate me. I want to protect someone precious to me, to work for that person, to fight for that person, to make that person's dreams come true - that is my dream...I will kill you.

It's just so cool to be a ninja. You live to fight for your dreams and to protect people who are precious to you. You don't need to care about any other things or distractions in life because they don't mean a thing to you and you just don't give a damn. I wish I could be the same...haha.

Okay, enough rambling (can't believe I wrote this much -_-).
じゃ、また。
(And in case Sato-Sensee is reading this) しつれいします。