頑張ります

久しぶりです。

It’s been a while since I last updated.  Not much progress has been made, although I have been trying out my skills using Ruby on Rails to come up with something.  A little bit of a quizzing program, along with a list generator.  Not sure how well that’s going to go, but I think I’ve still got plenty of time left.

Class starts this week as well, so there’s a little bit more of my time being taken up.

But I haven’t given up yet.  I’m hitting a bit of a rut, but I still have plenty of time left.  I managed to get my grubby little hands on the 2006 JLPT, so I’ve got more study material to go through.  Almost too much, though.

Never did think that this was going to be a cakewalk.

良い年をお迎えください

It’s an entirely new year, and here I am slacking away. I haven’t been studying much, although I have tried to keep up with at least reading something to keep me going. Hopefully things should pick up more in the next week…till then I just threw this thing together on honorifics. The formatting is kind of screwy but hell, as long as it’s readable, I don’t care.

	honorific	irregular conjugation	extra modest
いる	いらっしゃる	いらっしゃいます	おります（おる）
行く			参ります（まいる）
来る			参ります（まいる）
見る	ご覧になる　（ごらんになる）
言う	おっしゃる	おっしゃいます	申します（もうす）
する	なする	なさいます	いたします（いたす）
食べる	召し上がる　（めしあがる）		いただきます（いただく）
飲む
くれる	くださる	くださいます
寝る	お休みになる
〜ている	〜ていらっしゃる	〜ていらっしゃいます	〜ております（〜ておる）
ある			ございます（ござる）
〜です			〜でございます（〜でござる）
	* others = お+stem+になる		* humble = お+stem+する

学期が終わった

The semester is now officially over. I picked up my final today, 148.5/150.

Any progress is good progress, no? Now if only I could stop making stupid little mistakes.

Now 4 weeks to go until next semester. I guess I should finally get to studying those week 1 lists I made up, eh?

Week 1 Grammar Points

Starting a little slow this week…

• に際して (L2)
  • Meaning: when; on the occasion of; at (the time of); in
  • Noun + に際して
• させる (L3)(G22)
  • Meaning: make, let someone do something
  • ru-verb: drop る, add させる
  • u-verb: drop final ーう, add ーあせる
  • 来る: こさせる
  • する: させる
  • (director) は/が (cast) に (action)
• どうして (L4)
  • Meaning: Why? How
  • Use with んです
  • Example: どうして来なかったんですか？

Adventures in vocabulary

I almost figured I’d make a post outlining the grammar points for the week, but with an exam happening today (I guess I did okay on it) and the final in my Japanese class coming up next week, studying for the JLPT takes a bit of a back seat. Not much of one, mind you, but enough where I can’t really concentrate on it. I am finding, however, that I have the memory of a sieve sometimes. I’ve gone through about 50% of the vocabulary list I posted a couple of days ago (I’m using Genius on my Macbook to study the vocabulary, along with a printed list) and for the most part I can remember what I’ve come across…until I see it a second or third time. And then the part where I stare blankly at the screen arrives.

For some reason the words just don’t stick very well. I hope it’s not a symptom of my getting older. Hopefully it’s just because

I just haven’t really had an opportunity to sit down and concentrate fully on the words on the list and the cards that Genius flashes in front of me. I do remember a bit more than I thought I would, so I guess that’s a good sign.

Then again I haven’t even started in on the kanji itself yet. Maybe that’ll go a little smoother. Hell it might even help with the vocabulary.

Until tomorrow…

361 days 12 hours 53 minutes remaining.

好きな所

One of the final assignments I had for class was to put together an oral presentation concerning a favorite place of mine.  I chose a bookstore.  It was the first thing that came to mind…

The presentation is tomorrow, but I figure since it’s still part of my studies, here it goes onto the blog.

The assignment called for the following:

• what is the favorite place
• where it is – describe the location using the direction words you’ve learned
• what do you do there – describe two or more activities using te-form verb(s)
• why you like the place – use ~から and explain
• a suggestion for the audience to do something

I hope I covered everything.
私の好きな所は本屋です。好きな本屋は町の東があります。暖炉のそばで勉強して、おいしいチーズケーキを食べます。 もちろんたくさん本を読みます。あそこは休める、静かな所ですから、でも静かすぎれば、よく眠ってしまいます。いつか一緒に良いコーヒーを飲みながらおもしろい本を読みましょう。

Week 1 Kanji

Kanji	音読み	訓読み	Meanings	Level
婚	コン		marriage;	2
午	ゴ	うま	noon; seventh sign of Chinese zodiac; sign of the horse;	4
現	ゲン	あらわれる あらわす	present; existing; actual;	2
悩	ノウ	なやむ なやます なやましい なやみ	trouble; worry; in pain; distress; illness;	2
般	ハン		carrier; carry; all;	2
怒	ド ヌ	いかる おこる	angry; be offended;	2
見	ケン	みる みえる みせる	see; hopes; chances; idea; opinion; look at; visible;	4
世	セイ セ ソウ	よ さんじゅう	generation; world; society; public;	3
程	テイ	ほど	extent; degree; law; formula; distance; limits; amount;	2
税	ゼイ		tax; duty;	2
光	コウ	ひかる ひかり	ray; light;	2
速	ソク	はやい はや- はやめる すみやか	quick; fast;	2
馬	バ	うま うま- ま	horse;	2
奥	オウ オク	おくまる くま	heart; interior;	2
然	ゼン ネン	しか しかり しかし さ	sort of thing; so; if so; in that case; well;	2
汚	オ	けがす けがれる けがらわしい よごす よごれる きたない	dirty; pollute; disgrace; rape; defile;	2
更	コウ	さら さらに ふける ふかす	grow late; night watch; sit up late; of course;	2
材	ザイ		lumber; log; timber; wood; talent;	2
表	ヒョウ	おもて あらわす あらわれる あらわす	surface; table; chart; diagram;	2
退	タイ	しりぞく しりぞける ひく のく のける どく	retreat; withdraw; retire; resign; repel; expel; reject;	2

Week 1 Vocabulary

Kanji	Kana	Definition
表面	ひょうめん	surface;outside;face;appearance
目指す	めざす	to aim at;to have an eye on
遅れる	おくれる	to be late;to be delayed;to fall behind schedule
寂しい	さびしい	lonely;lonesome;solitary;desolate
死亡	しぼう	death;mortality
	ニュース	news
商人	あきうど	trader;shopkeeper;merchant
お洒落	おしゃれ	smartly dressed;someone smartly dressed;fashion-conscious
儲ける	もうける	to get;to earn;to gain;to have (bear beget) a child
唯	ただ	free of charge;mere;sole;usual;common
最中	さいちゅう	in the middle of;height of;in course of;midst
向く	むく	to face
系統	けいとう	system;family line;geological formation;lineage;ancestry
数学	すうがく	mathematics;arithmetic
増やす	ふやす	to increase;to add to;to augment
随分	ずいぶん	extremely
ご馳走	ごちそう	feast;treating (someone)
座敷	ざしき	tatami room
羨む	うらやむ	to envy
記念	きねん	commemoration;memory
	ざっと	roughly;in round numbers
徹底	てってい	thoroughness;completeness
経る	へる	to pass;to elapse;to experience
型	かた	mold;model;style;shape;data-type
休養	きゅうよう	rest;break;recreation
部品	ぶひん	parts;accessories
	モノレール	monorail
後	あと	after;behind;later;rear;remainder;successor
株	かぶ	share;stock;stump (of tree)
体系	たいけい	system;organization
日	ひ	sun;sunshine;day
自動	じどう	automatic;self-motion
農家	のうか	farmer;farm family
合計	ごうけい	sum total;total amount
直接	ちょくせつ	direct;immediate;personal;firsthand
居る	いる	to be (animate);to exist
続ける	つづける	to continue;to keep up;to keep on
色	いろ	colour
殿	しんがり	rear;rear unit guard
突然	とつぜん	abruptly;suddenly;all at once
目眩	めまい	dizziness;giddiness
洗面	せんめん	wash up (one’s face);have a wash
	スーパー	super;supermarket
玩具	おもちゃ	toy
文句	もんく	phrase;complaint
理想	りそう	ideal
大切	たいせつ	important
夜	よる	evening;night
其方	そちら	over there;the other
	ブラシ	brushy;brush
馬鹿	ばか	fool;idiot;trivial matter;folly
次	し	order;sequence;times;next;below
流	りゅう	styleof;method of;manner of
似る	にる	to resemble;to be similar
受ける	うける	to undertake;to accept;to take (lesson test damage);to undergo;to experience;to catch (e.g. a ball);to become popular
人造	じんぞう	man-made;synthetic;artificial
刺激	しげき	stimulus;impetus;incentive;excitement;irritation;encouragement;motivation
印刷	いんさつ	printing
現実	げんじつ	reality
済まない	すまない	sorry (phrase)
	ゼロ	zero
墨	すみ	ink
表す	あらわす	to express;to show;to reveal
縁	えん	chance;fate;destiny;relation;bonds;connection;karma
消費	しょうひ	consumption;expenditure
締め切る	しめきる	to shut up
輸血	ゆけつ	blood transfusion
	ライター	lighter;rider;writer
	センター	a center
抵抗	ていこう	electrical resistance;resistance;opposition
	テンポ	tempo
捨てる	すてる	to throw away;to cast aside;to abandon;to resign
触れる	ふれる	to touch;to be touched;to touch on a subject;to feel;to violate (law copyright etc.);to perceive;to be emotionally moved
危険	きけん	danger;peril;hazard
大半	たいはん	majority;mostly;generally
	パイロット	pilot
尖る	とがる	to taper to a point;to become sharp;to be sour;to look displeased
	イコール	equal
詩人	しじん	poet
刷る	する	to print
下らない	くだらない	good-for-nothing;stupid;trivial;worthless
立ち止まる	たちどまる	to stop;to halt;to stand still
願う	ねがう	to desire;to wish;to request;to beg;to hope;to implore
埋める	うずめる	to bury (e.g. one’s face in hands)
	ステージ	1. stage; 2. performance
重力	じゅうりょく	gravity
不満	ふまん	dissatisfaction;displeasure;discontent;complaints;unhappiness
四季	しき	four seasons
語	ご	language;word
枯れる	かれる	to wither;to die (plant);to be blasted (plant)
夜間	やかん	at night;nighttime
狙い	ねらい	aim
牛乳	ぎゅうにゅう	(cow’s) milk
機械	きかい	machine;mechanism
然して	そして	and
整う	ととのう	to be prepared;to be in order;to be put in order;to be arranged
退屈	たいくつ	tedium;boredom
発育	はついく	(physical) growth;development
速達	そくたつ	express;special delivery
飽きる	あきる	to get tired of;to lose interest in;to have enough

And so it begins…

Here I go throwing yet more detritus onto an already clogged network.

What’s the purpose of this blog? To help me keep track of my progress as I study for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2. Why Japanese? Why not? Why level 2? Because I’m a glutton for punishment.

I’m planning (whether or not I actually follow through with this is another story) to put what I’m currently studying for the week as one post. Some other posts will deal with just what is going on during the course of my studies. Not particularly interesting for anyone, I’m sure, but hell, I’m doing this more for me than for anyone else. I figure if I put this up, for one I can edit my progress from anywhere I have a connection, and two I’m hoping it’ll be some sort of motivation to actually get in gear and study.

So there it is, the purpose of this particular blog in a nutshell. And now here I am committing myself to actually studying for the JLPT. And what happens after I take it and pass/fail? If I pass, well I suppose I’ll just have to throw myself a party. And if I fail? I keep on going with the blog, studying away. As disappointed as I would be, I guess I’d just need to “just keep swimming.”

My plan:

• 100 vocabulary words a week
• 20 kanji a week
• a couple of grammar points here and there
• a lot of caffeine and praying

Of course this is in addition to taking Japanese at UAF. Hoo boy this is going to be something else.

The countdown begins…364 days 9 hours 53 minutes to go.