Guilt much, but
no, I’m not neglecting this blog. At the end of July I had my last big trip,
which I’ll write about soon. It’s just that the moment I came back, I had
finals/end of term to deal with and this Wednesday all people in my program had
a big day: we were presenting our research results. And, as usual so far, I was
put to speak first, so I focused all my energy on that. But I promise that trip
stories will come soon. In the meantime I’ll share a few snaps, both related to
the presentation and related to, well, nothing really. :P
Since the presentation's about tattoos, it was only fit that I present with a big tattoo on my arm.
Photo by Mohammad Ali.
Photo by Mohammad Ali.
Part two of the presentation, which I was sort of leading (announcing the next speaker, asking for comments etc.) - the friend behind me just finished hers and I guess this was how she was getting rid of any leftover stress. :P
Photo by Mohammad Ali.
Presentation leader, that is me. :)
Photo by Mohammad Ali.
15/19 of people in my class, just before lunch break.
Photo by Mohammad Ali.
These are not just firefighters - these are Super Rescue Kanazawa firefighters!
Not as nice as 'just' Lipton Apple Ice Tea, but since that one's difficult to get hold of lately (no idea why), the green apple one works nice as a replacement.
Yuck!
Mmmm, quite nice, great for this weather (FYI: about 36°C on average)
Cupcake Kamisama
Monday, 10 February 2014
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I was quite
quiet recently, I’m sorry. This was mainly due to a studying overload, which in
turn meant that I had neither chance nor the energy to go anywhere.
Eight pages of notes for my kanji exam.
Correcting the questionnaire which will form the basis of my research.
But fortunately all this is now over. I did all my exams and all my presentations, I
finished the part-time job at the hospital a while ago, and now I’ve started my
two months of spring holiday. So far I’m just resting and sleeping the term off
(Oxford definitely spoils you with short terms), but my plans are ambitious: to
travel as much as possible. I already bought a ticket to Korea and this time in
two weeks I’ll be back in Osaka, before heading North for Hokkaido, and in the
meantime I don’t mean to waste too much time in Kanazawa either, so have no
fear, I am back. :)
Right now,
though, that’s all the announcements and explanations, I want to rest a little
bit more.
Cupcake Kamisama
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
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Stories from
Tōkyō and around shall be posted soon, I promise. In the so called meantime
though, since it is January the 1st, I’d like to wish you all the
best in the New Year. 明けましておめでとうございます！[Akemashite
omedetō gozaimasu, literally: congratulations on “opening” (of the New Year)].
This year,
instead of New Year resolutions (as “resolutions” seem to me too goal-focused,
while the road to the goal is just as important), I have plans for each month
of the year. But while wandering around the Japanese capital I had a few
reflections, saw a few commercials and I realised how rarely I watch Japanese
media. Films, TV shows, comic books, books – if I do watch/read them, they’re
usually translated and it’s only the stuff that gets relatively famous in the
West. And there is so much more! So to my New Year’s plans I’m adding some
smaller, simpler ones that are basically just “watch/read X”. And I’d like to
share these with you, along with explanations as to why I chose this.
To read:
* 「１リットルの涙」(Ichi
rittoru no namida, eng. One Litre of Tears), novel – I’ll finish that in
literally a moment so I’ll share my reasons in the review, which will no doubt
be posted here.
* 「パラダイス・キス」(Paradise Kiss), manga – I like teenage girls’ manga
(a bit of silly romantic stuff and comedy, no, I did not grow out of such
things), and I heard a lot of good things about this one. And also it’s short, only
5 volumes, so easily done.
To watch:
* 「カノジョは嘘を愛しすぎてる」(Kanojo ha uso wo aishisugiteru, eng. She loves a
lie too much [translated by me]), film – it is based on a manga, but the film
is in cinemas around now and looks quite interesting. >trailer<
* 「テルマエ・ロマエ」(Thermae Romae), film – also
based on a manga and also, looks interesting. On
top of that, while in Tōkyō, I saw a trailer for a sequel, so it’d be nice to
see that one in the cinemas. >trailer<
* 「花咲くいろは」(Hanasaku iroha, eng. Home Sweet Home), anime – I
first heard about it from my Japanese family, as the characters of this anime
became a sort of symbol of Kanazawa. Basically, the hot springs where the
protagonist works are based on real Yuwaku Hot Springs right here in Kanazawa. >trailer<
For now I am
excluding catching up on Studio Ghibli films from the list, since they are a
little obvious and in this case I sometimes prefer a dubbed version (say what
you want, but nothing beats Christian Bale voicing Howl in „Howl’s Moving
Castle”!).
So far that’s
all the things I’ve found. Yes, things to watch do outnumber the ones to read,
but that’s because they take less time and I’ll need time to read stuff for my
dissertation, so I’d rather save that time if possible. That doesn’t mean
though that if I find something else interesting, I won’t read it.
Meanwhile, once
again, all the best in the New Year and I’m dashing off to write about my Tōkyō
trip! And to start 2014 on a positive note, here is the Japanese Lady Gaga,
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu!
Cupcake Kamisama
Saturday, 21 December 2013
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Tonight I am
setting off for this massive, crowded monster-that-never-sleeps usually called
the capital of Japan, Tokyo. So expect a break here, while I’m off having
adventures, exploring the strangest of strange and generally enjoy this time
off right until my return on the evening of the 30th of December.
Afterwards I’ll do my best to bombard you with posts about all these strangest
of strange, adventures etc.
Cupcake Kamisama
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
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お久しぶり Japanese Embassy
お久しぶり Japan Centre
And btw, as
someone might’ve noticed, I changed the tags in the last posts. I’m not going to
make a mess out of “everyday life” with little pre-flight stuff.
Cupcake Kamisama
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
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As they say, shit’s getting real. On Friday I got an
email saying that within a week I’ll get my visa documents (mainly the
Certificate of Eligibility, which is issued by the Ministry of Justice just to
say that I’m ok to study and/or work in Japan) and today they arrived safely
right into my hands.
I think someone must’ve made a trip from the office to
the campus gift store or something because the documents arrived in a Kanazawa
Daigaku folder. (FYI, the Japanese really like that kind of folders, often you
can get them for free as part of some advertising campaigns – for example I have
one advertising ATMs at train stations – but you can also buy them: with cute
animals, with nice views, with celebritie etc.)
It’s a bit of a pity that the actual handing in of the
application has to wait until next week, when I’m back from Poland, but better
late than never and it still should all be done comfortably in time before the
flight. So on Tuesday the 10th of September I have an adventure
called day trip to London (5 hours coach drive one way, about 5 hours in London
and 4 hours coach drive back – coz any other way is not tough enough!), my
second trip to the embassy and then…
Jesus, and then last minute shopping and packing, and
I’m flying out! O.O I still can’t fully process that it’s so close…
Cupcake Kamisama
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
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When I don’t make my life difficult, I often find that
everything is really a lot simpler than I imagine it (in my blackest thoughts
as well as in the brighter ones).
Flights bought, visa not obtained yet (and we try not
to stress about this, no, no!), but for example halls of residence are already sorted.
Woohoo, I have somewhere to sleep, let’s be happy because of the little things!
Kanazawa Daigaku International House doesn’t look too bad, at least according
to me (and after seeing one or two halls of residence in Poland I am definitely
not picky and don’t have unattainable requirements), and it’s also the cheapest
and on campus, so I’m happy and am not complaining, at least as long as it
doesn’t rain on my head.
International House facilities
When I don’t make my life difficult, it sometimes also
turns out that all the previous worries related to getting there were also
pointless. You see, I land in Japan on Monday morning, the 30th of
September – but I won’t be able to sleep in the halls until the 1st
of October. So then came the times of Massive Brainstorming: to find a hotel
near the airport and take the chartered coach the next day or to go to Osaka
for the day, “impose” myself on my friend there, and then make my way to
Kanazawa the next day? And then came the Revelation: there’s nothing stopping
me from going to Kanazawa straight away, on Monday, and then finding a nice
hotel there, right? From this thought right up to Google, I managed to find and
save, though not yet book, all the connections (from the airport to the train
station and from Osaka to Kanazawa), and the hotel (Lonely Planet’s Top
Choice!), and also get back some of the positive thinking. Always look on the
bright side of life – and suddenly everything seems to be in its proper place.
Pongyi Guest House
And when I don’t make my life difficult at all, suddenly
it turns out that I haven’t yet sat my bum on the plane and I’m already getting
e-mails from people whom I will spend this upcoming year with.
Not making your life difficult really helps a lot. :)
The biggest thing's sorted. I admit that for the last few days I've been on Finnair's website like a maniac, comparing prices and dates of flights, reading all the FAQs, contemplating whether I'll need an extra suitcase (how on Earth am I supposed to know that?!)... And finally, literally a few minutes ago, the flight was booked, there's no turning back now.
Cupcake Kamisama
Saturday, 13 July 2013
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It's only the beginning of a long road of All The Things To Sort Out Before Flying Out, but still, every step makes me happy. It means that something's ready, even if only a little something, and that I'm closer to getting there. :)
