Old post

So you might be surprised to get notified of a new blog entry.  Here's the reason why:

I was rereading my old blog posts because some of my friends from SNC will finally be going over to Japan, four of them going to Tsuru, and one of them asked me to link them to this blog.  Anyhow, I was reminded that there was an entry that I never released, from back in May 2012 in case it messes with the posting date.  You can find the entry below.  I'll also be linking to any blogs my friends start so that anyone so inclined can go read them.  Until then I bid you adieu.

So readership of this blog has pretty much fallen off a cliff, understandably because I haven't posted on it in over a month.  In fact, I've managed to not post anything at all in the entire month of May.  So why do I have 63 pageviews two days ago, when every other day this week has around 2?  Anyway, thanks for that, whoever that was.

This entry is a product of Nick asking me to make a new entry and my finally deciding--without additional reason--to do so.  Hence it will not be covering any major/interesting events, probably.

Lately things have been... interesting I guess.  While I've gotten to feel somewhat at home in Japan, homesickness still sometimes strikes, particularly when I remember that I perpetually have trouble sleeping here.  I've gotten so used to small Earthquakes that I've ceased to mention them whenever they happen, and I usually continue whatever I'm doing and pay them no mind.  In addition, I've gotten used to the challenges my limited language ability presents, and enjoy speaking two different languages on a regular basis, albeit one of them less skillfully.  I've more or less decided to buy a text book to study over the summer, and hope that will suffice for the most part to satisfy my Japanese.  That and perhaps Skyping with some of my closer friends.  They're mostly the people I would want to talk to anyway. =P

Recently, I've started to try to read manga again.  Between colorful language and a slew of words I just plain don't know, it's probably the most difficult Japanese exercise I do.  The only thing that's possibly more difficult is the stories we read in what I think is supposed to be our history class, for the same reasons, plus the fact that a lot of the language is a little bit dated.  At least the manga I happen to be reading is written in modern Japanese. -__-

(It's ハヤテのごとく (Hayate the Combat Butler) by the way, in case you were wondering.  It's my favorite manga in Engish, but the Japanese volumes are currently much further along than the English.  Because of that, the recently released "Volume Zero" comes in a boxed package with volume 32.  Fearing that it might never be released in the US, I quickly bought it.  Now I have absolutely no excuse.  Now I need to learn enough Japanese to read all 32 volumes, and of course whatever comes after that.  The difficulty doesn't matter.)