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Nov. 7th, 2010 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blodeueddIf I were an insect, I could type and knit at the same time. Imagine how many socks I could knit in a month!
Whatever's been going on with my brain and my body lately, it's made me fantasize about sleeping. Sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. I just want to curl up in a pile of warm blankets and sleep, then wake up, doze off again, and stay horizontal for as long as possible. The thing is, even though I slept in fairly late (for me) yesterday, and was tired last night, I woke up this morning at 8:30, after under eight hours of sleep, and was wide awake.
Bloh. Anyway, I'll start getting ready for bed now, right after I finish my tea.
Day 07 - Which Japanese words do you use in English? (hanami, shinkansen, etc.)
Top of the list is definitely food, though many of those have been adopted in English, so they don't really count. I do use nashi (Japanese pear) and kaki (persimmon), though, and it's much easier to say kabocha than "green pumpkin". For fish, many of the fish people eat here have English names, but seriously, would you know what "sea bream" is? Didn't think so. There are also such weird loan words as "" (chou-cream) which for some inexplicable reason combine French and English, so I just leave those as is. And to me, it's important to distinguish between kaki furai and fried oysters; the former are breaded and deep fried, the latter are not.
Other words that get frequent use are conbini (convenience store), onsen (hot spring), koban (police box), sen (line, as in train line), man (10,000, when talking about money), sakura (cherry blossoms), and of course shinkansen and hanami. Others, like toujitsuken (same day/last minute tickets), don't come up as often, but they're still useful.
There are also the words that express a concept that does not exist as a single word in English, or is slightly different from the usual translation, like ganbaru (to try one's best, to keep going at it), gaman (to patiently endure something), mendoukusai (bothersome, annoying, a pain).
Finally, there are the words that it's just funny to use while speaking English, even though there's a perfectly good equivalent, like kokoro (heart) and fuwafuwa* (fluffy and airy).
* I'd like to point out that to my mind, fuwafuwa is one of the few Japanese onomatopoeia that actually sounds like what it describes.
Day 01 - A picture of you "in Japan". (doing or wearing something "Japanese")
Day 02 - Describe your neighbourhood in Japan.
Day 03 - Most interesting person you've met.
Day 04 - What's your favourite place that's not in any of the guidebooks/lists of places to visit?
Day 05 - Which, if any, Japanese mannerisms or expressions have you adopted?
Day 06 - Food that you swore you would never eat but now love (or tolerate).
Day 07 - Which Japanese words do you use in English? (hanami, shinkansen, etc.)
Day 08 - Are you a Herbivore or Carnivore? S or M?
Day 09 - Favourite stores/shopping centers.
Day 10 - Something about Japan that sets it apart from anywhere else.
Day 11 - What did you find most overrated and underrated about Japan?
Day 12 - Describe a fail!gaijin moment. (Where you did something wrong or completely misunderstood because you couldn't ~read the air~ or just plain had no idea what you were supposed to do because you weren't born and raised here) Describe a gaijin!smash moment (Where your foreignness was to your benefit)
Day 13 - How is daily life in Japan different from how it was back in your home country?
Day 14 - What is the hardest thing about living in Japan versus your home country?
Day 15 - Weirdest food item you've seen, and weirdest food item you've actually eaten.
Day 16 - How you realised you'd acclimated to Japan. (if you have)
Day 17 - Your karaoke top 5, your sushi top 5, your conbini top 5.
Day 18 - Post some amusing/cute/faily purikura.
Day 19 - Your favourite Japanese character(s) and Gachapon/UFO Catcher toys
Day 20 - Favourite Japanese festival or folklore.
Day 21 - Favourite and least favorite Japanese fashion trends.
Day 22 - Your favourite Japanese saying or kotowaza (proverb).
Day 23 - What is something you have/do in Japan that you wish you had/could do in your home country?
Day 24 - Your favourite Japanese slang or borrow-word (外来語), e.g. セフレ "sex friend"
Day 25 - Most interesting vending machine find.
Day 26 - What's your favourite/least favourite train line?
Day 27 - Place you avoid going to if at all possible.
Day 28 - A picture of you looking like a weaboo/A picture of you trying to blend in and failing.
Day 29 - What's the thing you [will] miss the most about Japan when you leave (either on vacation, or move away)?
Day 30 - Did Japan meet your expectations, both good and bad? What has been the most surprising thing about Japan for you, or the thing you least expected?
Day 07 – Your best friend
Remember when you were a kid, and the question "Who is your best friend?" could ellicit only one possible answer, though it might not be the same a week or two later? Or when you got a little older, and the answer to that question might change -- or stay the same for a long time -- depending on who you wanted to keep on your good side? Thank god those days are over.
I don't think I can say any of my friends is my BEST friend. How do you judge that? By how long you've known them? By how well they know you, and vice versa? By the things you share with them? By how often you see them? By whether you'd want to be stranded on a desert island with them? There are some things that I'd confide to one friend and not to another -- not because I don't trust them, but just because it's not a subject that ever really comes up between us, or simply because there are some things I don't feel like sharing with more than a couple of people. Some activities I'll want to do with certain friends and not others, just because I feel that will be the best combination of people to have a good time doing whatever it is. It all depends on the circumstances, really. I'd rather divide my friends into "close friends" and "friends I'm not as close to".
Day 01 - Introduce yourself
Day 02 - Your first love
Day 03 - Your parents
Day 04 - What you ate today
Day 05 - Your definition of love
Day 06 – Your day
Day 07 – Your best friend
Day 08 – A moment
Day 09 – Your beliefs
Day 10 – What you wore today
Day 11 – Your siblings
Day 12 – What's in your bag
Day 13 – This week
Day 14 – What you wore today
Day 15 – Your dreams
Day 16 – Your first kiss
Day 17 – Your favourite memory
Day 18 – Your favourite birthday
Day 19 – Something you regret
Day 20 – This month
Day 21 – Another moment
Day 22 – Something that upsets you
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry
Day 25 – A first
Day 26 – Your fears
Day 27 – Your favourite place
Day 28 – Something that you miss
Day 29 – Your aspirations
Day 30 – One last moment
Whatever's been going on with my brain and my body lately, it's made me fantasize about sleeping. Sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. I just want to curl up in a pile of warm blankets and sleep, then wake up, doze off again, and stay horizontal for as long as possible. The thing is, even though I slept in fairly late (for me) yesterday, and was tired last night, I woke up this morning at 8:30, after under eight hours of sleep, and was wide awake.
Bloh. Anyway, I'll start getting ready for bed now, right after I finish my tea.
Day 07 - Which Japanese words do you use in English? (hanami, shinkansen, etc.)
Top of the list is definitely food, though many of those have been adopted in English, so they don't really count. I do use nashi (Japanese pear) and kaki (persimmon), though, and it's much easier to say kabocha than "green pumpkin". For fish, many of the fish people eat here have English names, but seriously, would you know what "sea bream" is? Didn't think so. There are also such weird loan words as "" (chou-cream) which for some inexplicable reason combine French and English, so I just leave those as is. And to me, it's important to distinguish between kaki furai and fried oysters; the former are breaded and deep fried, the latter are not.
Other words that get frequent use are conbini (convenience store), onsen (hot spring), koban (police box), sen (line, as in train line), man (10,000, when talking about money), sakura (cherry blossoms), and of course shinkansen and hanami. Others, like toujitsuken (same day/last minute tickets), don't come up as often, but they're still useful.
There are also the words that express a concept that does not exist as a single word in English, or is slightly different from the usual translation, like ganbaru (to try one's best, to keep going at it), gaman (to patiently endure something), mendoukusai (bothersome, annoying, a pain).
Finally, there are the words that it's just funny to use while speaking English, even though there's a perfectly good equivalent, like kokoro (heart) and fuwafuwa* (fluffy and airy).
* I'd like to point out that to my mind, fuwafuwa is one of the few Japanese onomatopoeia that actually sounds like what it describes.
Day 02 - Describe your neighbourhood in Japan.
Day 03 - Most interesting person you've met.
Day 04 - What's your favourite place that's not in any of the guidebooks/lists of places to visit?
Day 05 - Which, if any, Japanese mannerisms or expressions have you adopted?
Day 06 - Food that you swore you would never eat but now love (or tolerate).
Day 07 - Which Japanese words do you use in English? (hanami, shinkansen, etc.)
Day 08 - Are you a Herbivore or Carnivore? S or M?
Day 09 - Favourite stores/shopping centers.
Day 10 - Something about Japan that sets it apart from anywhere else.
Day 11 - What did you find most overrated and underrated about Japan?
Day 12 - Describe a fail!gaijin moment. (Where you did something wrong or completely misunderstood because you couldn't ~read the air~ or just plain had no idea what you were supposed to do because you weren't born and raised here) Describe a gaijin!smash moment (Where your foreignness was to your benefit)
Day 13 - How is daily life in Japan different from how it was back in your home country?
Day 14 - What is the hardest thing about living in Japan versus your home country?
Day 15 - Weirdest food item you've seen, and weirdest food item you've actually eaten.
Day 16 - How you realised you'd acclimated to Japan. (if you have)
Day 17 - Your karaoke top 5, your sushi top 5, your conbini top 5.
Day 18 - Post some amusing/cute/faily purikura.
Day 19 - Your favourite Japanese character(s) and Gachapon/UFO Catcher toys
Day 20 - Favourite Japanese festival or folklore.
Day 21 - Favourite and least favorite Japanese fashion trends.
Day 22 - Your favourite Japanese saying or kotowaza (proverb).
Day 23 - What is something you have/do in Japan that you wish you had/could do in your home country?
Day 24 - Your favourite Japanese slang or borrow-word (外来語), e.g. セフレ "sex friend"
Day 25 - Most interesting vending machine find.
Day 26 - What's your favourite/least favourite train line?
Day 27 - Place you avoid going to if at all possible.
Day 28 - A picture of you looking like a weaboo/A picture of you trying to blend in and failing.
Day 29 - What's the thing you [will] miss the most about Japan when you leave (either on vacation, or move away)?
Day 30 - Did Japan meet your expectations, both good and bad? What has been the most surprising thing about Japan for you, or the thing you least expected?
Day 07 – Your best friend
Remember when you were a kid, and the question "Who is your best friend?" could ellicit only one possible answer, though it might not be the same a week or two later? Or when you got a little older, and the answer to that question might change -- or stay the same for a long time -- depending on who you wanted to keep on your good side? Thank god those days are over.
I don't think I can say any of my friends is my BEST friend. How do you judge that? By how long you've known them? By how well they know you, and vice versa? By the things you share with them? By how often you see them? By whether you'd want to be stranded on a desert island with them? There are some things that I'd confide to one friend and not to another -- not because I don't trust them, but just because it's not a subject that ever really comes up between us, or simply because there are some things I don't feel like sharing with more than a couple of people. Some activities I'll want to do with certain friends and not others, just because I feel that will be the best combination of people to have a good time doing whatever it is. It all depends on the circumstances, really. I'd rather divide my friends into "close friends" and "friends I'm not as close to".
Day 02 - Your first love
Day 03 - Your parents
Day 04 - What you ate today
Day 05 - Your definition of love
Day 06 – Your day
Day 07 – Your best friend
Day 08 – A moment
Day 09 – Your beliefs
Day 10 – What you wore today
Day 11 – Your siblings
Day 12 – What's in your bag
Day 13 – This week
Day 14 – What you wore today
Day 15 – Your dreams
Day 16 – Your first kiss
Day 17 – Your favourite memory
Day 18 – Your favourite birthday
Day 19 – Something you regret
Day 20 – This month
Day 21 – Another moment
Day 22 – Something that upsets you
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry
Day 25 – A first
Day 26 – Your fears
Day 27 – Your favourite place
Day 28 – Something that you miss
Day 29 – Your aspirations
Day 30 – One last moment
