Another Late Post

Something cool happened to me Saturday night! I went with the Swing dancing club to a live performance geared toward dancers, and I met two Japanese women there from Dance Manhatten, I didn't realize that they were until they said and I was like, "にほんじんですか。” And it was all cool. I talked with one of them for a bit, she said she was very impressed with how much I have learned in a few months. So kudos to you Columbia Japanese Teachers!
Today was the last Kendo practice of the semester...so sad.
And today I had てんぷら for the first time! おいしかったてす。

I've returned!

It's been quite a while since my last post! This is because my laptop was being repaired for a good amount of time so updating wasn't convenient for me...
So there's a lot to say, but I'll start with a Kendo report!
Kataoka-sensei, a teacher at the NYC Kendo club, 7-dan, and president of the of a the Eastern division of the United States Kendo Federation, came to our Kendo Club's practice to teach a lesson. He was considering coming to teach here next semester.
Because of how skilled he is (Here's a bio:http://www.nyckendo.com/sensei.html) I was expecting a really stern type of person, but he's really very approachable and way cool. I get excited when he says things in Japanese (Simple things like, koko, hai, ii desu) and I'm able to understand.
Anyway, it looks as though he's decided he'll teach us once a week next semester, so I'm very excited about that!
Kendo is a lot of fun by the way, if anyone is ever interested in having a look the club meets on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 o'clock in the Dodge Fitness Center, Aerobics room 4. Even if you don't know anything about Kendo you're welcome! (I didn't know anything, ha ha.)
Well, with that said I retire for now!

PS, no hiragana today, I have reset it on my computer...

さくぶん：てがみ

やまださんへ
わたしはフリオです。コロンビアだいがくのがくせいです。せんこはしんりがくです。コロンビアのせいかつはとてもいそがしいですが、おもしろいです。りょうはちさいですが、きれいです。しょくどうのたべものはあまりおいしくないです。ニュヨクはたのしいです。いつもとしょかんでしゅくだいをします。わたしははちがつついたちににほんへいきます。ひこうきでいきます。
よろしくおねがいします。
フリオ

一二三！

こんばんわ！Let's see, let's see...I ended up asking one of the fellows I met at Chat club about Kanji and he agreed to help me out in exchange for helping him with English, so he helped me pick out a practice book to buy and then went through some with me. So I'm working on the numbers and a couple of others now, I'm thinking I'll ask him about the ones I know the hiragana for, like the stuff we've actually been learning in class (わたし、からきました、いしょうに、いまなんじ、etc).
I watched Battle Royale today, it was a pretty freaky movie...but I'm glad I can say I've seen it now.
And I'm really psyched for Tsukimi! Hope to see you all there!

めん！

こんばんわ。
I just got back from Kendo, which is a great deal of fun and puts me in a good mood. It's helpful because there's Japanese involved, for example the parts of the body you strike are said in Japanese, and you have to name them when you strike. So めん is Head!
So, as promised, a Kanji update!
I'll start with saying I was browsing Youtube and I found an interesting little video on tips for learning Japanese! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yCxNRx1bRk&mode=related&search=) There's a Part II as well. If you're just interested in the Kanji, she talks about a few books one of which is Pict-o-Graphix by Micheal Rowling, which I think さとうせんせい put up in a post. It basically helps you learn them by making pictures of them or the like. She talks about a bunch of other stuff too so I recommend you take the 5-10 minutes to have a look.
She said it's helpful to pick up manga, with the kanji in furigana so that you can improve your reading speed, it's true you'll have no idea what you're reading but in just practicing with reading the hiragana you'll be able to read faster, as naturally as you do english at some point, ya know?

Japanese Chat last Friday was a lot of fun! (If you look in the pictures posted, you can see the back of me in my hat!) We sang the Usagi song, and shame on all of you who didn't go.
After the Chat there was the JET information session. I had to go to work so I couldn't stay, but it was a popular topic among people there, so I'm wondering if I should give it some more consideration. Previously I wasn't really interested, I felt that learning Japanese was more important to me than teaching English, and being in a foreign country without being fluent sounds scary to me...but it's that kind of immersion study that really improves your speaking, ya know? I'll have to think some more on it.

Ah...I'm not entirely happy with the test today, I wasn't as sure of myself as on the last one, but in the past my feelings regarding a test after I've taken it can be completely off. But I was completely freaking out toward the end when the phone number came up and for the life of me I couldn't remember the hiragana Ro in　ろく . So I left that part blank and went ahead, hoping it would come back to me or it would show up in other questions. It took going over the first part of the test and seeing る to remind me. I hate it when that happens!

And before I ramble more, I leave you!

Weekly Update

It's funny, whenever I plan a weekend to be full of work I end up getting distracted...
But in this instance on Saturday I met with a Japanese friend to fill out my Anthropology Kinship chart assignment. So I got a pretty good lesson on family terms in Japanese, as well as Palestinian but that's a side note. After that we ended up going to Book Off, a Japanese Used Bookstore. I had been to Kinokuniya this past summer so I was excited to take a look at this place. Unfortunately most of the books in the store were in Japanese, to be expected really. But I had gone hoping to find a book on Kanji instruction. I ended up browsing the English section, there were a lot of neat translations...I wanted to buy Kokoro (Pretty sure that was the title.), but I don't really have time to read for pleasure these days...
Anyway the language instruction books were all romaji, so of no help T_T. But, I did some reading on Kansai, one of the dialects or accents for Western Japan. I was interested because I want to study abroad in Kyoto and I thought I should learn about how they speak there. Afterward my friend told me that the difference was noticeable but not one that couldn't be understood. I think I'll take the search for independent Kanji learning more proactively frome here on out, so look foward to it!
I did teach myself nani. Because it showed up in the textbook, ha ha.

何！？

Late Report

こんばんはみなさん！As I feel like comments made on my previous posts should be responded to, I shall do so before I get into what I intend to post about.
For a while I've wanted to try watching these Korean dramas I've heard so much about, that is to say I've heard they're extremely popular and riveting, but I have no idea how to go about watching them...
For those among us who have not seen a Kurosawa film it is imperative that you do so, perhaps more even than Minkailu's mandate for Battle Royale, although that is my humble opinion, ha ha.
(PS, I've got it on Netflix comign to me this week, if anyone wants to watch it with me let me know!) Anyway as a recommendation, although Seven Samurai is my favorite I think that is a particularly long one and a better introductory film would be Rashomon (らしょもん）。It was very well received in the west, as I recall reading.
My favorite manga probably changes on a monthly basis. Right now I'm most enjoying School Rumble which is slightly dated I suppose...I'm also trying to catch up with Naruto. Ironically I've started watching the School Rumble anime, which I enjoy to no end. I'll see if I can post the picture of my favorite character! On a side note it's difficult for me to get into the Naruto anime, takes so much more time to watch the same amount of content than to read it, plus all those filler episodes...
Now let's see if I can do this!
わたしはすいようびともくようびときんようびははたらきます。I work in Lehman Library, in the Building of　International Affairs. あしたくじからじうにじまではたらきます。もくようびときんようびさんじからろくじまではたらきます。
I think that's right, let me know.
And Yan-san, you seem so proficient already!
わたしわはきにょうびとどようびとにちようびやすみます。If that isn't at all right, let me know.
Ah...already I've written so much. Japanese continues to be so much fun and so much work, today's lesson on も was particularly baffling...all I can do is review review I think. I'm also kind of eager to start learning Kanji, and to my understanding it becomes easier if you learn about things called radicals, so I'm thinking I'll look for a good instructional book on it sometime soon. On a side note, last Friday I went to Japanese Chat Club! I had a jolly good time and made new friends, if you did not go, do try it in the future! It seems really awkward at first but if you stick with a couple of buddies and just go at it you'll be having too much fun to feel embarrassed about how much better the Japanese speakers speak English than you do Japanese, ha ha.
And with that I close,
じゃまたらいしゅ！

Self introduction です！

こんにちは。はじめまして。わたしはJulio Perezです。わたしはコロンビアだいがくのがくせいです。アメリカからきました。わたしのせんこうわPsychologyです。どうぞよろしくおねがいします。

きにょび Ｍｙ favorite!

I went to Language lab for the first time today, it was so new to me I was a little baffled at first, but once all was settled in it was neat using the computers and I found the pictures and videos amusing.
I spent much of my senior year watching classic films as recommended by my art teacher, many of these being Kurosawa films, so he was the one to introduce me to his work which I love.
With that said, I've seen: Seven Samurai, Ikiru (いきる）, Kagemusha (かげむしゃ）, Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, Rashomon (らしょもん）, High and Low, Yojimbo (よじんぼ）, Throne of Blood, Sanjuro (さんじゅろ）, Ran (らん） and Red Beard.
I enjoyed every one of these, and each time I was always amazed as how great what I watched was. Red Beard and High and Low were probably the only ones I wouldn't feel compelled to watch again, the rest I think everyone should see. Especially Ikiru, its message moved me the most. Seven Samurai will probably always be my favorite as well. I'll try and be more detailed in future posts.
As for Takashi Kitano, I think I've seen his Zatoichi film, and otherwise heard his name before but I think that's it. I'll be sure to add some of his films to my queue, though I don't know how that will go as I haven't had to time to watch anything since this semester started...
I don't know if Vista is a disaster, but I certainly liked XP better with the exception of the Japanese option. Actually, the toolbar with post it notes is kinda useful too. But, I'm not really a computer expert, and those who are more fluent usually don't speak too highly of Vista...so I'm not sure what to say on the matter.
I both read Manga and watch Anime, though I tend to read more Manga because it's usually a more convenient activity for me. Also, I dislike most animes based on manga because they're changed to fit that medium, often changing plot and characters, which I'm rarely supportive of.
I have to run to work now, so I might post again soon, but probably not until next weekend I think.

じゃまた！

日本語 です

こんばんわ　みなさん。Julio です。こんばんわ。
Wow, adding Japanese text to Vista is very easy! Much better than XP, this is probably the Vista feature that has pleased me the most so far.
私はいちねんせいです。　あめりかじんです。どうぞよろしく。にんじんじゃありません。
I feel like you don't put spaces between words in Japanese, is that right?
Ha ha, I'm not sure what to put up here.
Until next time!
じゃまた。

Konnichiwa!

Julio desu!
One of my favorite books is Shogun by James Clavell, Anjin-san is a reference to the main character.
I'm studying Japanese because it's a culture that I like a lot. I hope that one day I can watch a Kurosawa film without the subtitles.
The sov and writing systems are giving me trouble...but I won't give up.