Entries by tag: school
So yesterday I had my first Korean class. The class is 40 minutes away by train and walking, which is a bit of a pain, but at leaves it give me an incentive to wake up early. I also look forward to sleeping in much more when I don't have to go to class...
Anyway, the first day we spent most of our time learning Hangul, the Korean alphabet. I'll be honest now, I hate Hangul. I hated how you have to piece together the different "letters" and how they change appearance. Even after studying hangul, I still don't like it; actually, I like it less. There are three ways to spell "we", all of which have the same pronunciation. So you not only have to memorize the sound of the word but also the spelling so you don't embarrass yourself and put in the wrong "we"; and that's not the only one. There are two different k symbols, two different t/d symbols, and etcetera. Korean is sort of weird because they make no distinction between t/d, k/g, and b/p.
Anyway, one thing I'm kind of dreading is that the classes are in Korean only. This is not good for us since we're beginners and don't know a lick of the language past "thank you", "hello", and "excuse me". There are eight of us total in the class. Three took a test and apparently didn't pass, so they have to retake the intro level, two others are Asian and know some Korean already, and then there are two of us who are from the Western world and know no Korean whatsoever.
Andrew reigns from Canada and I, well, you know where I am from. He says he sees a lot of teachers from my area. We talked a bit about our jobs. He teaches at a different hagwon, and his boss can only be described as crazy. He doesn't let them hang out outside of work, or even make small talk. That is so contrasting from our branch, which has one married couple and another couple who got engaged here in Korea and are planning on getting married when they go back to America.
Anyway, I'm not sure how well the class will help, but at least it will keep me motivated to keep studying Korean and to get up at a decent time, right? XD
Anyway, the first day we spent most of our time learning Hangul, the Korean alphabet. I'll be honest now, I hate Hangul. I hated how you have to piece together the different "letters" and how they change appearance. Even after studying hangul, I still don't like it; actually, I like it less. There are three ways to spell "we", all of which have the same pronunciation. So you not only have to memorize the sound of the word but also the spelling so you don't embarrass yourself and put in the wrong "we"; and that's not the only one. There are two different k symbols, two different t/d symbols, and etcetera. Korean is sort of weird because they make no distinction between t/d, k/g, and b/p.
Anyway, one thing I'm kind of dreading is that the classes are in Korean only. This is not good for us since we're beginners and don't know a lick of the language past "thank you", "hello", and "excuse me". There are eight of us total in the class. Three took a test and apparently didn't pass, so they have to retake the intro level, two others are Asian and know some Korean already, and then there are two of us who are from the Western world and know no Korean whatsoever.
Andrew reigns from Canada and I, well, you know where I am from. He says he sees a lot of teachers from my area. We talked a bit about our jobs. He teaches at a different hagwon, and his boss can only be described as crazy. He doesn't let them hang out outside of work, or even make small talk. That is so contrasting from our branch, which has one married couple and another couple who got engaged here in Korea and are planning on getting married when they go back to America.
Anyway, I'm not sure how well the class will help, but at least it will keep me motivated to keep studying Korean and to get up at a decent time, right? XD
So I talked to my mom last night and she told me it was A-OK to buy Pokemon Heartgold online. Thanks for making me feel worse about doing it, Mom. The biggest problem is that it goes over my $50 budget. It may have free shipping to Korea, but that doesn't justify paying $60 for a game I could get for $35 in English. But the other problem is that I don't want it in English. I've played the game years ago in English, and this time I really want to play the game in Japanese. But my biggest concern is my family's lack of money. My mom says it's okay and I can just pay her back later, but I'd feel bad draining her credit card when my dad's not working. My bank account does have my mom's name on the pass book, so I'm hoping that she can just withdraw money herself from my account. That would make me feel infinitely better. But I need to talk to Omi first before I even think about hitting the purchase button....
So my mom's thinking about going back to school to get her master's, which has prompted me to think about my future again. My mom suggests I go back to school and get my master's, but in what? I was looking at Purdue's Master's program and there wasn't anything that I really wanted. I took the opportunity to look at Valpo's list too. I couldn't find any master's classes there, but I did get hit smack in the face with Japanese again. I couldn't originally take any classes there because they interfered with my work and class schedule, and then in my senior year I just didn't have any time, but I'm kind of tempted. If I study very hard, especially on kanji, I could probably test into intermediate Japanese, at the very least. The program also allows you to get a chance to go to Oosaka, which would be really cool. Oosaka's not exactly where I want to go since I don't know much about the kansai dialect, but I'd love to go to Japan and study. After Korea it might be refreshing since I know at least some Japanese.
But I don't know. The more I play Japanese games and the more I'm in Korea the more I want my Japanese to improve, but I'm not sure if going to Valpo and taking classes would reap any benefits long term. I could get a minor in Japanese and take the JLPT, but would that help me get a job involving Japanese? Could I do it without a master's in the language? I don't know... that'll be something to look into. But at the same time, isn't it okay to do something you like like that, even if it doesn't reap rewards? Is there something wrong with finally pursuing something I like even if it gives me nothing but satisfaction in return? That's also something to think about.
So, my wonderful f-list, what do you all think?
So my mom's thinking about going back to school to get her master's, which has prompted me to think about my future again. My mom suggests I go back to school and get my master's, but in what? I was looking at Purdue's Master's program and there wasn't anything that I really wanted. I took the opportunity to look at Valpo's list too. I couldn't find any master's classes there, but I did get hit smack in the face with Japanese again. I couldn't originally take any classes there because they interfered with my work and class schedule, and then in my senior year I just didn't have any time, but I'm kind of tempted. If I study very hard, especially on kanji, I could probably test into intermediate Japanese, at the very least. The program also allows you to get a chance to go to Oosaka, which would be really cool. Oosaka's not exactly where I want to go since I don't know much about the kansai dialect, but I'd love to go to Japan and study. After Korea it might be refreshing since I know at least some Japanese.
But I don't know. The more I play Japanese games and the more I'm in Korea the more I want my Japanese to improve, but I'm not sure if going to Valpo and taking classes would reap any benefits long term. I could get a minor in Japanese and take the JLPT, but would that help me get a job involving Japanese? Could I do it without a master's in the language? I don't know... that'll be something to look into. But at the same time, isn't it okay to do something you like like that, even if it doesn't reap rewards? Is there something wrong with finally pursuing something I like even if it gives me nothing but satisfaction in return? That's also something to think about.
So, my wonderful f-list, what do you all think?
- Current Music:Azu feat. SEAMO- Jikan wo Tomare
My Schedule
Mondays and Wednesdays
9-10:50 Advanced. Writing (work)
11-12:20 Advanced. Writing (work)
2-2:20 French 101
Tuesdays and Thursdays
8:30-1:30 work
3:50-4:50 SI session (probably)
5:00-6:20 Japanese 102 (work)
6:30-7:50 Japanese 202 (work...I guess?)
Friday
8:30-1:30 work
Man... there goes my sleeping in on Mondays and Wednesdays. *sighs*
I really did not expect them to give me two classes for mentoring, especially since everyone else has only one class. Bugger. Writing was not a class I especially wanted, but whatever. I'll just have to deal with it. ^^;;
I started my first class in French today and already we've been giving homework. Our teacher seems nice enough. She's actually Chinese, which is pretty interesting. Her English is pretty good, though I can definitely tell it's not her first language. But she's easy enough to understand, so it's cool.
We spent a majority of the day going over introductions and greetings. We're also going to be watching a movie periodically. The textbook is based around the movie, actually. Sounds like it might be more interesting than an average language class.
The things that worry me the most is not comprehension but spelling and pronunciation. It seems like French throws in consonants at the end of their words that don't end up being pronounced. Take "salut" for example. They pronounce it 'sah-lue'. It's going to take some getting used to...
It seems like a lot of students have taken the language before in high school, though there are a majority that haven't. The teacher promises to adjust her speaking skills to our level, but at the same time she's going to rush it up a little when we get comfortable enough hearing the language spoken.
In addition to the movie and textbook, there is also an online site with explanations and audio tracks to help with pronunciation. I have a feeling I'll be using those a lot.
--
I didn't really have much to do after school today so I sat down and played more Time Hollow. I'm on chapter 6, near the end of the game.
I can't really say how I feel about this game since I haven't beaten it yet. It's a game more about story than actual game play, so it's difficult to really judge it yet.
So far, though, I would say it's more worth a rent than a purchase. It's very addictive, but it's also very short. The majority of the game is solving cases and trying to figure out clues to fill in events that the main character Ethan sees in flashbacks, so there's not much running around killing things like most video games.
But I'll give more detail once I beat the game. Omi's already beaten it, and I'm sure she'll give you a much better description than I could hope to. ^^
Might play a little more Vesperia tonight. We're up to the part where I get to make Karol seduce some guards.
...I wonder if Karol will dress up in drag. XD
Mondays and Wednesdays
9-10:50 Advanced. Writing (work)
11-12:20 Advanced. Writing (work)
2-2:20 French 101
Tuesdays and Thursdays
8:30-1:30 work
3:50-4:50 SI session (probably)
5:00-6:20 Japanese 102 (work)
6:30-7:50 Japanese 202 (work...I guess?)
Friday
8:30-1:30 work
Man... there goes my sleeping in on Mondays and Wednesdays. *sighs*
I really did not expect them to give me two classes for mentoring, especially since everyone else has only one class. Bugger. Writing was not a class I especially wanted, but whatever. I'll just have to deal with it. ^^;;
I started my first class in French today and already we've been giving homework. Our teacher seems nice enough. She's actually Chinese, which is pretty interesting. Her English is pretty good, though I can definitely tell it's not her first language. But she's easy enough to understand, so it's cool.
We spent a majority of the day going over introductions and greetings. We're also going to be watching a movie periodically. The textbook is based around the movie, actually. Sounds like it might be more interesting than an average language class.
The things that worry me the most is not comprehension but spelling and pronunciation. It seems like French throws in consonants at the end of their words that don't end up being pronounced. Take "salut" for example. They pronounce it 'sah-lue'. It's going to take some getting used to...
It seems like a lot of students have taken the language before in high school, though there are a majority that haven't. The teacher promises to adjust her speaking skills to our level, but at the same time she's going to rush it up a little when we get comfortable enough hearing the language spoken.
In addition to the movie and textbook, there is also an online site with explanations and audio tracks to help with pronunciation. I have a feeling I'll be using those a lot.
--
I didn't really have much to do after school today so I sat down and played more Time Hollow. I'm on chapter 6, near the end of the game.
I can't really say how I feel about this game since I haven't beaten it yet. It's a game more about story than actual game play, so it's difficult to really judge it yet.
So far, though, I would say it's more worth a rent than a purchase. It's very addictive, but it's also very short. The majority of the game is solving cases and trying to figure out clues to fill in events that the main character Ethan sees in flashbacks, so there's not much running around killing things like most video games.
But I'll give more detail once I beat the game. Omi's already beaten it, and I'm sure she'll give you a much better description than I could hope to. ^^
Might play a little more Vesperia tonight. We're up to the part where I get to make Karol seduce some guards.
...I wonder if Karol will dress up in drag. XD
- Current Music:Kerry Livgren- Dust in the Wind
This morning was a flurry of activities as I hurried to get my paper together for mentoring. Found out that Word pretty much killed my image page, and I had to redo the whole thing once I got at school. I guess that's what I get for using Open Office instead of MS word. I tried to download open office at school and open it in that to print, but the computer was being a major hassle. Kept trying to install some kind of d drive and wouldn't let me install OO. So I worked as hard as I could to salvage my paper, but I had to scrap one of the pictures to make it look normal.
After that I sprinted to the teacher's office to hand it in. The project was due at 10 and I had finished printing at 9:55, thanks to my problems with the computer. I handed in the papers to the professor and he asked me if I wanted to work next semester. I told him yes, and then he told me he would contact me with details later on. He has my e-mail, so I'm not too worried about that.
To be honest, I kind of half expected to get the job next semester since my teacher and one of the other heads of the department recommended me, but it makes me happy all the same.
--
On my way out I sold the majority of my books back to Efollet's and left. While I approached my car I noticed something very bad. The car has a flat. Again. The flat wasn't very bad and I was able to get home, though I drove very slowly and tried to avoid bumps. This irritates me because I just had this tire fixed a few months ago, and now it's acting up again. I wonder if the cork thingy they put in there fell out...
This, in addition to my broken visor and doorknob frame that's coming off, is really irritating me. Why can this stupid car behave for once?!
--
the outline for my kor review:
( outline for kor reviewCollapse )
After that I sprinted to the teacher's office to hand it in. The project was due at 10 and I had finished printing at 9:55, thanks to my problems with the computer. I handed in the papers to the professor and he asked me if I wanted to work next semester. I told him yes, and then he told me he would contact me with details later on. He has my e-mail, so I'm not too worried about that.
To be honest, I kind of half expected to get the job next semester since my teacher and one of the other heads of the department recommended me, but it makes me happy all the same.
--
On my way out I sold the majority of my books back to Efollet's and left. While I approached my car I noticed something very bad. The car has a flat. Again. The flat wasn't very bad and I was able to get home, though I drove very slowly and tried to avoid bumps. This irritates me because I just had this tire fixed a few months ago, and now it's acting up again. I wonder if the cork thingy they put in there fell out...
This, in addition to my broken visor and doorknob frame that's coming off, is really irritating me. Why can this stupid car behave for once?!
--
the outline for my kor review:
( outline for kor reviewCollapse )
- Current Location:home
- Current Mood:
annoyed
My first class got canceled, so I sit here instead going through all my LJ friends page, catching up with everyone's news and so on.
I'm really sorry to everyone I've been late with responses for. Homework and my obsession with the Tales games has really kept me from coming on as frequently as I normally do and reading/replying to everyones' posts. It's a bad excuse, but that's basically all I've been doing for the past two weeks: do homework or play VGs. I'm behind in practically everything else because of it. >_<
It should get a little better after this week, as I'll have my dumb JET app out of the way (*needs to finish that tonight*) and my upcoming Econ test I've been stressing about. Even with kor I will still (most likely) be keeping my regular hours.
--
So the elections are over and Obama has won. My folks aren't very happy about this. I'm a little irked because I have to be careful with what I say about Obama. People ask me what I think and I tell them that I hope he's ready for the presidency, what with all that's going on and the fact that he's awfully unique, and they jump down my throats! JEEZ. It's not like I dissed the guy; I just expressed my concern. I was concerned for his safety, darnit! XD
Actually, I'm not a real big Obama supporter, but he's in now and there's nothing I can do about it, so why complain? As long as he doesn't totally screw up our country I think I can live with it... but the 'changes' he proposes do make me a little nervous, and there are definitely some things that I don't agree with him on. But I guess we'll see what happens.
--
Christmas is less than 2 months away, and I'm starting to think about what I want present-wise. I already told my folks I don't want anything from them for Christmas because my dad hasn't been working for three months and I would rather they spend the money on the house, but my mom just pursed her lips and said, "we'll see". You'd think she'd be happy that I don't ask for anything, but she probably feels guilty.
My current wish-list as it stands consists of:
this is all stuff that comes out before Christmas
Anime
Code Geass hub, part 2 $35 (on rightstuf)
Ouran High School Host Club, part 1 $54 (rightstuf)
Manga
DNAngel, volume 13 $6.50 (on yesasia)
Videogames
Tales of Innocence $30 (yesasia, playasia)
Star Ocean $40 (on gamestop.com)
Radiata Stories $20 (amazon)
extra nunchuk? $20
I'm still riding the fence about Eternia... I don't know whether to get the Japanese or try to find the European version...
Anyway, any one got any recommendations, be they RPGs (preferably PS2) or cheap anime? I should only be getting about $50 this year from my grandparents, and another $20-30 from one of my siblings, so I want to stay in those two price ranges. If my parents do decide to give me money I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
There are a few games I don't really want, mostly because I can borrow them easily enough from my cousins who have beat them or just don't really care about them.
Listed games are:
-FFX
-Star Ocean: till the end of time
-FFXII
-Kingdom Hearts
Other than that, I'm mostly into Tales-like games. No strategy RPGs, please!
I'm really sorry to everyone I've been late with responses for. Homework and my obsession with the Tales games has really kept me from coming on as frequently as I normally do and reading/replying to everyones' posts. It's a bad excuse, but that's basically all I've been doing for the past two weeks: do homework or play VGs. I'm behind in practically everything else because of it. >_<
It should get a little better after this week, as I'll have my dumb JET app out of the way (*needs to finish that tonight*) and my upcoming Econ test I've been stressing about. Even with kor I will still (most likely) be keeping my regular hours.
--
So the elections are over and Obama has won. My folks aren't very happy about this. I'm a little irked because I have to be careful with what I say about Obama. People ask me what I think and I tell them that I hope he's ready for the presidency, what with all that's going on and the fact that he's awfully unique, and they jump down my throats! JEEZ. It's not like I dissed the guy; I just expressed my concern. I was concerned for his safety, darnit! XD
Actually, I'm not a real big Obama supporter, but he's in now and there's nothing I can do about it, so why complain? As long as he doesn't totally screw up our country I think I can live with it... but the 'changes' he proposes do make me a little nervous, and there are definitely some things that I don't agree with him on. But I guess we'll see what happens.
--
Christmas is less than 2 months away, and I'm starting to think about what I want present-wise. I already told my folks I don't want anything from them for Christmas because my dad hasn't been working for three months and I would rather they spend the money on the house, but my mom just pursed her lips and said, "we'll see". You'd think she'd be happy that I don't ask for anything, but she probably feels guilty.
My current wish-list as it stands consists of:
this is all stuff that comes out before Christmas
Anime
Code Geass hub, part 2 $35 (on rightstuf)
Ouran High School Host Club, part 1 $54 (rightstuf)
Manga
DNAngel, volume 13 $6.50 (on yesasia)
Videogames
Tales of Innocence $30 (yesasia, playasia)
Star Ocean $40 (on gamestop.com)
Radiata Stories $20 (amazon)
extra nunchuk? $20
I'm still riding the fence about Eternia... I don't know whether to get the Japanese or try to find the European version...
Anyway, any one got any recommendations, be they RPGs (preferably PS2) or cheap anime? I should only be getting about $50 this year from my grandparents, and another $20-30 from one of my siblings, so I want to stay in those two price ranges. If my parents do decide to give me money I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
There are a few games I don't really want, mostly because I can borrow them easily enough from my cousins who have beat them or just don't really care about them.
Listed games are:
-FFX
-Star Ocean: till the end of time
-FFXII
-Kingdom Hearts
Other than that, I'm mostly into Tales-like games. No strategy RPGs, please!
- Current Mood:
bored - Current Location:school
This week is going to be super crazy since I have a field trip, an Econ test, an assignment in magazine journalism, the JET thing to finish...and the list goes on and on. So sorry if I'm not online that much.
I can't wait until this semester is over and this craziness is done. I haven't even had time to study for the JLPT. It's really frustrating. I guess I should've remembered the Econ test because it comes out the day before kor's release, but I completely forgot. XD Whoops? So now I will have to be studying for that all weekend. The pits.
On a better note, my assignment this week for English is so much fun. "Examine two or three characters from an interactive project you are familiar with to determine whether or not you consider them successful in their environment. Then, in 600 - 750 words, justify the qualities, aspects, or components that you think go into making an effective character?"
I already know I want to talk about Luke because he is one of the most intriguing game characters I've run into, and he grows and experiences the most, but I'm not sure who I want to do for the other two.
My other homework in this class this week was basically to talk about your favorite game and tell everyone why you like it.
I love this class so much. I just wish I had the time to enjoy it more.
--
I'm trying to figure this out... on my first playthrough of Kor do I want to do a walkthrough script right away, or do I want to wait until my second playthrough? I'm not really sure, but I'd love your opinions. How interested is everyone in reading a walkthrough script, anyway? I'd be doing this mostly for my own benefit, but I'd be posting it on here if anyone was interested.
And now onto the massive amount of homework that awaits me. No more gaming for this week, I guess.
I can't wait until this semester is over and this craziness is done. I haven't even had time to study for the JLPT. It's really frustrating. I guess I should've remembered the Econ test because it comes out the day before kor's release, but I completely forgot. XD Whoops? So now I will have to be studying for that all weekend. The pits.
On a better note, my assignment this week for English is so much fun. "Examine two or three characters from an interactive project you are familiar with to determine whether or not you consider them successful in their environment. Then, in 600 - 750 words, justify the qualities, aspects, or components that you think go into making an effective character?"
I already know I want to talk about Luke because he is one of the most intriguing game characters I've run into, and he grows and experiences the most, but I'm not sure who I want to do for the other two.
My other homework in this class this week was basically to talk about your favorite game and tell everyone why you like it.
I love this class so much. I just wish I had the time to enjoy it more.
--
I'm trying to figure this out... on my first playthrough of Kor do I want to do a walkthrough script right away, or do I want to wait until my second playthrough? I'm not really sure, but I'd love your opinions. How interested is everyone in reading a walkthrough script, anyway? I'd be doing this mostly for my own benefit, but I'd be posting it on here if anyone was interested.
And now onto the massive amount of homework that awaits me. No more gaming for this week, I guess.
- Current Mood:
busy - Current Music:Seal- Crazy
- Current Location:home
- Current Mood: bored
- Current Location:school
( As requested...Tales of Abyss imagesCollapse )
Yesterday Omi and Jessie-chan came over, and Omi spent the night. Sunday we watched some of Goong, a Korean drama, and basically just hung out. Monday was spent mostly shopping, and I actually bought something not related at all to videogames. I'm so proud of myself *rolls eyes*
It was really good to see you guys this weekend. I really missed everyone.
Got grades today. Overall they were pretty good. I made honors or whatever for this semester, which was pretty cool. Only class I didn't ace was, of course, History of English, but I DID pass that class, so no worries there.
I wasn't worried too much about Japanese and Creative writing, since my CW teacher told me I'd aced the class in our conference, and I've always gotten As in Japanese, but Stats was a little worrisome since the final was very difficult. But thankfullly, I aced it, erasing that nasty F from my GPA. So yeah, I'm a bit happy about that. ^_^
Well, off to go picture hunting. Ja ne
Yesterday Omi and Jessie-chan came over, and Omi spent the night. Sunday we watched some of Goong, a Korean drama, and basically just hung out. Monday was spent mostly shopping, and I actually bought something not related at all to videogames. I'm so proud of myself *rolls eyes*
It was really good to see you guys this weekend. I really missed everyone.
Got grades today. Overall they were pretty good. I made honors or whatever for this semester, which was pretty cool. Only class I didn't ace was, of course, History of English, but I DID pass that class, so no worries there.
I wasn't worried too much about Japanese and Creative writing, since my CW teacher told me I'd aced the class in our conference, and I've always gotten As in Japanese, but Stats was a little worrisome since the final was very difficult. But thankfullly, I aced it, erasing that nasty F from my GPA. So yeah, I'm a bit happy about that. ^_^
Well, off to go picture hunting. Ja ne
- Current Mood:
bouncy - Current Music:Diggin'- Cowboy Bebop
- Current Location:home
Last day of classes!! Whoot! And my teacher's letting me extend my paper to the 9th.
I feel slightly more relaxed.
Please anticipate the next chap of Saiyuki Gaiden soon, along with another Tales of Symphonia character profile. I've been waiting till I had a free evening to work on that...
(Oh, and omi, I WILL get back to yami this summer. I promise)
I feel slightly more relaxed.
Please anticipate the next chap of Saiyuki Gaiden soon, along with another Tales of Symphonia character profile. I've been waiting till I had a free evening to work on that...
(Oh, and omi, I WILL get back to yami this summer. I promise)
- Current Location:school
- Current Music:Abracadabra
I won't be on much this week until after Wednesday. I've got an English history test and I don't want to screw it up! gomen nasai, minna-san...
P.S. Has anyone watched 'Darker than Black'? What did you think of it?
P.S. Has anyone watched 'Darker than Black'? What did you think of it?
- Current Location:home
- Current Mood:
sad
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