tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26150553262529758042024-03-07T18:22:37.263+09:00Points of Claire-ificationInterested in writing, Japan, personality theory, Disney, anime, or completed randomness? You've come to the right place!Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.comBlogger578125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-15224860528438914422016-12-20T13:37:00.001+09:002016-12-20T13:37:19.733+09:00The Road Less Traveled... Or losing my first friend<table align="CENTER" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white;"><tbody>
<tr><td>Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—</td><td><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="18"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td>I took the one less traveled by,</td><td><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="19"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td>And that has made all the difference.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
- Robert Frost, The Road Less Traveled<br /><br />I don't consider myself a trend-setter, and I don't really follow them either. But, lately, I find myself longing for a path uniquely my own. Longing, longing, longing...<br /><br />And I think I've finally found it.<br /><br />Like I said last time, I'm gonna start my own business.<br /><br />It's going to be hell. I'm doing this in a foreign country. I'm still trying to raise the insane amount of capital that the Japanese government insists I have. And of course, even in the best of circumstances, starting a business is never easy. I've gotta build a name for this company, and build the company itself. I have to convince people to have faith in me and then live up to their expectations.<br /><br />But I've found my path. I turned 35 on Thursday, and I've just figured out what I'm meant to be giving the world. I can't ignore that.<br /><br />I expected it to be tough. Raising money is going both worse and better than I thought it would. And people I expected would jump at the chance to support me, haven't. And people who I didn't imagine would care have jumped at the chance to help.<br /><br />But I think what shocked me the most was the first time a person I considered a friend just did not support me.<br /><br />I don't mean with financial donations. And I don't mean the play-it-safe types who fear for me jumping off this cliff into the uncertain like a Disney character in the middle of the flagship song.<br /><br />I said to my friend that I couldn't meet in the middle of a work day on a Monday. My friend accused me of worshipping money and letting money change me. I drew analogies about 9-to-5ers taking a break in the middle of their work day to hang out. Or taking a day off in the first week of a new job to chill with a friend. It made no difference.<br /><br />And the more I think about it, the more I can't avoid that I'm going to lose this friend. You can't have a friend that despises children after you have kids. You can't stay friends with people after you find that they're opposed to some fundamental part of you - your race, gender, sexual orientation. And by the same token, I can't be around people who spew poison about my commitment to building my business while I'm building my business.<br /><br />It's a lot like being a writer I guess. Some people you consider close will never buy a book. Some people will try to discourage you because of their own fears. And some people will never understand and make you feel guilty for not making them do so and bad for following your dream.<br /><br />But you have to follow, don't you? As Langston Hughes asked, "What happens to a dream deferred?"<br /><br />Kudos to you all for following the road less traveled. And if you haven't - yet - I wish you strength. Strength .... and the support of those around you. You've already got mine. </div>
Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-19097429716074259292016-12-07T02:58:00.000+09:002016-12-07T02:58:13.974+09:00Independence!Barbados gained independence on November 30, 1966. Just last week, we celebrated our 50th anniversary. Even for an ex-pat like me, it was a momentous occasion. My Dad was a cadet on the first Independence Day parade and returned as the 2nd in command of a special detachment for the parade this year. I pretty much spent the whole week busting with pride.<br /><br />But, of course, I got to thinking about being independent. As a person. About making big changes. And taking big leaps of faith. I've decided to start my own business and with all the obstacles to being a foreigner and starting a business in Japan, I spend a lot of time wondering if I'm crazy...<br /><br />What am I talking about? I AM crazy. This is established.<br /><br />Oh, well. Hang on to your hats, folks. The wild ride has just begun.Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-11008842527242453182014-04-24T22:02:00.000+09:002014-04-24T22:02:11.345+09:00We don't need tickets<br />
My absolute favourite line from Gossip Girl is this:<br />
"We don't need tickets; I'm Chuck Bass." <br />
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I have always wanted to say something even half as cool.<br />
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I've mentioned a few times that I have no money right now. I've quite gotten used to being constantly broke at a level that only a constantly broke person could understand. But, being broke has caused me to realise that pretty amazing things happen to me, and they are completely independent of cash flow.<br />
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Having just got back from Nigeria, it occurs to me that the majority of the coolest places I've been on have been paid for by someone else or heavily subsidised. Jamaica, Colombia, Japan - all not me. Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Morocco, Bermuda, Montreal, 11 US states - I actually got paid to see them.<br />
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Even apart from crazy travel experiences, there are a lot of other ways in which things just fall into my lap. I am the sort of person who gets jobs first and applies for them after. Who gets amazing opportunities to meet really famous/ really inspiring people like Maya Angelou without going out of her way. The sort of person who finds herself in positions people work really hard to be in, without putting in the effort and purely on a fluke.<br />
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And even outside the big things, there are little things that the 'having of no money' usually prevents that I still have access to. But my amazing support system of family friends makes it possible for me not to be a complete recluse. Thank you. (Or as they say in Yoruba "ẹ se" - eh sheh)<br />
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And I say all this not to boast, but to be appreciative of the good things that come my way. My new Yoruba name, Oluwayemisi, loosely translates to "God honours me."<br />
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Fo sheezy.<br />
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So while I may not have enough money to be sure of all the things that should be bought or paid for are actually bought or paid for, I do have a list a mile long of amazing blessings. So much so that I'm able to match Chuck Bass. If only in reverse.<br />
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I don't need money; I am Claire Dawn Oluwayemisi.<br />
<br />
àṣẹ (asheh)<br />
(Yoruba for Let it be so.)<br />
Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-23369114438730388682014-02-14T22:13:00.000+09:002014-02-14T22:13:00.603+09:00World Order- Far Out Friday Every year, after watching the previous year's Danthology, I make a playlist with all the songs. The songs I can't stand eventually get deleted - rap that's too raucous, electronica with no words, Gangnam style... But other than that, it makes an awesome playlist. This year I discovered will.i.am's #thatPOWER. <br />
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I'm jamming along to the track for like three seconds, until... Wait, I've seen that dance somewhere before... Huh? That street sign is in Japanese. Oh my gosh, yes! What's the name of the crazy- skilled Japanese-guy slow-walking dance group? <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/r-qhj3sJ5qs?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br />Yeah, now I remember. World Order. Pretty sure that is NOT them in the will.i.am vid. Unless it's like their second-string team or something. The vid was filmed in Japan. I have no doubt about that. So why aren't World Order a part of it? Were they like, "You cute, but no. We can't be tarnishing our name with the likes of that not-surgically-precise thing you're doing there." <br /><br />Either which way. World Order is amazing. I love how they're like, "We will just dance in the middle of Narita International Airport, the biggest airport in Japan, and one of the most trafficked in Asia. Meh, no biggie." And I love that the world tries to copy it. Even if they come nowhere close.<br />
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Looks like Japan leads the world in more than just technology. <br /><br />One more vid for the road. And yeah, Japanese dating is pretty much like that. <br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/35hCo_grAqw?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe>Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-46163471221127625312014-02-11T23:57:00.000+09:002014-02-11T23:57:00.048+09:00Danthology 2013 - Time Travel TuesdayMaybe, you've never heard of it, but every year this dude named Daniel Kim, mixes together a bunch of music's biggest hits (from a North American perspective). Living in Japan, it's too hard to keep my finger on the Western pulse, so I tend to ignore it. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to know who sang what, and who the new guys in the game are. So every January, it's Danthology time.<br />
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Any tunes on it that you LURVED? Any tunes you think were big enough to be on it and weren't? Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-2552371955498363882014-02-10T22:21:00.000+09:002014-02-10T22:21:00.069+09:00Re-finding my Blog Voice (MomM)Once upon a time, I was an avid blogger. I had a plan. There was a designation for every day of the week. <br /><br />Monday on my Mind. <br />Tell it Tuesday and Time Travel Tuesday. <br />Write Away Wednesday.<br />
Talk Back Thursday.<br />
Far out Friday.<br />
<br />
I was so into the blog scene that I even gave a lecture on the topic at the Japan Writers' Conference.<br />
<br />
Oh, how the Mighty have fallen. <br /><br />Back then, I didn't look for blog topics. I was tripping over them. I'd have 3 or 4 blogs pop into my head almost fully written every day. <br /><br />Hold up a sec, let me repeat that slowly. <br /><br />Every. <br /><br />Single. <br /><br />Day. <br /><br />
I couldn't very well post them all. So I wrote them down, just in case I had a drought. But I never did. Until now. Wish I could find that notebook...<br /><br />Now that I'm not in the practice of belching up my soul every 24 hours, I can't really remember how to do it. I can't remember what you like. Or how I used to be able to tap into that. I hardly even get to read anymore, and I don't know the last time I did any novel-writing. The biggest thing that defined this blog isn't even really a part of my life right now. <br /><br />I feel like the biggest disappointment. I mean, I know noone's crying into their Earl Grey over the state of Points of Claire-ification (except maybe me). I'm just that kind of person. I like to keep my word. And every time one of you comments or follows or even reads all the way to the end of the post, it's a vote of confidence. And in return for that small favour, I make a promise. It's woven into the words the second I click the "Publish" button. <br /><br />I will not waste your precious time. <br />I will try to be relevant. <br />I will interact with you. <br />I will educate and share my world.<br />
I will be fun and entertaining.<br />
<br />I will give you what you want. <br /><br />It's been over a year since I've properly kept any of those unspoken promises. So, in apology, I offer you a new one. <br /><br />I will re-find my blogging voice. <br />
<br />Here's hoping you're along for the ride. Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-67113586783530660852014-02-06T21:53:00.001+09:002014-02-06T21:53:51.378+09:00Translating it isThis month's contribution to the happiness project will be translation.<br />
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How'd I pick it? <br /><br />Well, I'm not one to fight the tide. (At least sometimes.) And the truth is there's a lot of translation going on in my life right now. I've been translating for school and for work. And yes, I work at the school, but I don't work FOR the school, so it's two different things. Plus, the mayor has put me on a committee, so I have a massive amount of translation related to those documents. Just so that I understand what is going on and pull my own weight and stuff. <br /><br />But why does translation get a month? <br /><br />I've been thinking about my Happiness Year, and I realise it's not htat much about happiness. At least not in the Western sense. Maybe in a Socratic sense. I mean I'm manic-depressive. Half the time I'm too "happy" and when I'm depressed it's because I "can't" be happy. So happiness really isn't my problem.<br />
<br />
Unless we're talking Socratic happiness. Because to Socrates had a lot to do with being the best person you can be. And personality-wise, I don't think I do a bad job. But in terms of moving forward in life, I don't feel like I'm growing. At 32, I feel like I'm at exactly the same place as when I finished secondary school. Yes, I've moved from Barbados to Japan, which is literally half the world and all, but still. It's like I'm spinning and spinning and all I get for my efforts is dizzy. <br /><br />So my Happiness Year is really about cultivating the habits and skills that will make me a better person in the future; the sort of skills that will maybe move my career forward when that career finally falls into place. <br /><br />Translation happens to be one of those things. <br /><br />How about you guys? Do you feel like your lives are moving along swimmingly? Is there anything that you really want to improve on? Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-62458001439156675342014-01-31T21:00:00.000+09:002014-01-31T21:00:04.723+09:00Far out Friday - Days by Yoshida Yamada When I came back to my tiny town in backabush Japan, I went to the bank. While there, this song came on the tv. (Hmm, do Western banks have tvs? I think all the Japanese banks do...) The song is called Days. It's about all the ups and downs of love (and life) and it made me cry right there in the bank. I was in a translate-y mood last weekend, so I thought I'd make an English version. The NHK (tv station) animated version and the official music video are both below the lyrics. <br />
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First- two caveats. There are no plurals in Japanese, so some of the "days" might be plural, but I kept them all singular for the feel of repetition from the original. Second, Japanese hardly uses pronouns. So all the pronouns are my own doing. "He" could as easily have been "she" or "they". The bit at the end that's in quotation marks, I've written like the singers are sending a message to the audience, but it could be the grandfather or grandmother speaking to their other half.<br />
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That said, I give you "Days" by Yoshida Yamada.<br />
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Grandfather locks eyes with Grandmother, they hardly speak<br />
They’ve passed the time cuddled together, but it hasn’t always been happy<br />
Thick-lens glasses, wrinkly palms,<br />
There are memories you can’t see in photos that make them laugh together<br />
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CHORUS 1<br />
The day they met, the day they realised they were in love<br />
The day they got married, the day they almost broke up<br />
The day they first held their child, the day they let him go<br />
Tears overflow<br />
These are happy days<br />
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Grandfather never uses Grandmother’s name, even when he calls her<br />
His angry face is his every day face, but he whistles when he’s happy<br />
His favorite knit cap is one she knitted for him<br />
Just like his childhood, he can’t find the words to say thanks<br />
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CHORUS 2<br />
The day he made her cry, the day she left home<br />
The day they embraced, the day they slept backing each other<br />
The day he gave her hope, the day she hated him for it<br />
The tears overflow<br />
Frightfully up and down days<br />
Grandfather gets sick, grandmother cries alone<br />
“You have to tell him how you feel. Always. Everyday. Truly.”<br />
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CHORUS 1<br />
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Just count the tears.<br />
Surely these are happy days.<br />
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NHK animated version. <br />
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Artist Official Music Video<br />
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What makes life happy, is that it's not always happy. Strangely beautiful concept. Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-40571783630487369982014-01-30T22:23:00.000+09:002014-01-30T22:23:00.483+09:00The Happiness Year - JanuaryThis last time coming back from home, I picked up a new book in Chicago. It's called The Happiness Project and it's by Gretchen Rubin. I've only read about 10 pages, since my life is stupid busy right now, but I've read enough to understand the basic concept. <br /><br />Gretchen Rubin was happy. But she wasn't as happy as she figured she could be. So decided to take active steps towards seizing her happiness, but like most of us, she wasn't in a position to drop everything and Eat, Love, Pray her way across the world. And so she decided to make a happiness project. There's a lot more depth to it, I'm sure but, essentially she decided to spend each month for a year improving some facet of her life. <br />
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As I coincidentally picked up the book in January, that wonderful resolution-filled month, I thought it might be fun to try my own happiness project. Of course, then I promptly forgot, and got caught up in watching the Gatchaman (Live Action) movie on the in-flight entertainment system. Following that, I watched two more movies in Japanese. And as I'm not one to halfdo anything, it didn't stop when I got off the plane. <br />
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When I got home I watched the movies I bought for my birthday as well as the series I bought for Christmas. And then I watched the ones I bought last year. And now I'm working my way through rewatching the series from 2 years ago. <br />
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Here's a list of the Japanese movies and tv I've watched in January: <br /><br />Gatchaman -movie<br />The Sunny Girl - movie <br />
I need to buy new shoes - movie<br />
Atashinchi no Danshi (My Boys - More than friends, less than lovers) - 11 episodes<br />
Hentai Kamen - movie<br />Surely Someday - movie <br />
Ikemen Desu Ne - 11 episodes<br />Sailor Moon (Live Action) 49 episodes<br />
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And so without even trying this month has become the month of on-screen Japanese. <br /><br />But what exactly does that do for my happiness? Well, I'm a screen addict. Obviously. So massive amounts of DVD time always make me happy. Apart from that, watching Japanese products in Japan tends to mean no subtitles. It makes for incredible listening practise. Even though it was my 13th time watching Ikemen Desu Ne (yes, believe me, I know) I still heard new words and noticed new grammatical structures. So apart from the instant gratification that is burying myself in a cocoon of Japanese drama, there is an application for future happiness. <br /><br />Also, I'm pretty sure I haven't mentioned it here, but I've decided to get into the entertainment industry in Japan. It will be quite a few years before I can do anything major towards that end, but in the mean time, all the time I spend watching DVDs is almost like an industry internship. Another application towards my future happiness. <br /><br />As I didn't mean for January to be the month of Japanese DVDs, I have no idea what February will bring. I'm going back and forth on a few things. Maybe I'll get back to my efforts to get in shape. Maybe I'll try to do something more tangible for my entertainment future, like intern at a radio station or something. Maybe I'll get back to my writing in English. Maybe I'll start writing in Japanese. Maybe I'll work more on my Japanese-English translation. <br /><br />But I've come this far - even if accidentally - I might as well do something towards my future and my happiness next me. Looking forward to seeing what it will be. <br /><br />PS, You guys are observant so I know you've noticed that the name of the book is The Happiness Project and the name of the post is The Happiness Year. The Happiness Year is actually the name of the year running from April 2013 forward when Tokyo Disney celebrates it's 30th anniversary. <br /><br />Details can have an inverse effect on me, working as demotivation.Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-49213066013648573832014-01-27T21:00:00.000+09:002016-12-20T13:38:22.973+09:00Moments - Monday on my MindI went home for Christmas. Well, I actually went for a wedding. My brother and his fiancee were also in the island for a different wedding. Barring being on two different coasts of North America in August, it was the first time in 6 years or more that my brother and I have been in the same country. Then randomly, my foster sister re-appeared. And close Canadian friends were also in. So my mother decided to have a gathering at our house. It was quite literally a group of people that had never been in the same place together. <br />
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I had a really great time. Reconnecting with my sister and meeting her family. Joking with my cousins. Showing off my banana bread - which came out even awesomer than usual having been baked in an oven and not a microwave with an semi-oven-function. I six-loved my Dad for the first time ever in dominoes. (Won six games to his none.) This is a really big thing because my Dad is a domino-aholic, he's been playing for years and has even managed the National Team! <br />
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Only the next day, did my mother point out that noone had remembered to take any photos. Seriously, an unprecented event and no pics. In the Facebook age of "pics-or-it-didn't-happen" this is pure, unadultered blasphemy. <br />
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For a while, I was quite disappointed. I mean, I'm 32 and my brother is 28, and I don't think there are any pictures of us together as adults. And I don't think there are any pictures of me and my sister in existence. So, it hit me hard for a minute that I hadn't thought to take pictures. <br />
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But then, it dawned on me why I don't have any pictures of that night. I was having way too much fun. It was one of the most amazing nights of my life. I was so full of love and happiness that I felt like I might burst. I'm still disappointed there are no pictures, but nothing compares to a moment that big. <br />
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As soon as I realised that, I could help wishing for more moments. Moments so mesmerising that I don't remember to take myself out of them to preserve them. Moments so deep all the oceans in the world can't hold them. Moments so big, they pierce the sky. <br />
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Because life - it isn't really about years or months or even days. It's about moments.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JzriEXPJ1-k" width="420"></iframe><br />Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-40415188650593643952014-01-10T02:27:00.000+09:002014-01-10T02:27:00.591+09:00Far Out Friday - The spirit of Ganbaru I live in Iwate, Japan, one of the three prefectures (the other two are Miyagi and Fukushima) at the centre of the Great Northeast (Tohoku) Earthquake. One of the things I remember most about the days after the quake is that after there stopped being 100 quakes a day and life started settling into a new norm, was the "ganbatte" messages. <br /><br />Ganbatte Iwate! Ganbatte Miyagi! Ganbatte Fukushima!<br />
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Ganbatte Tohoku!<br />
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Ganbatte is the imperative form of ganbaru. And ganbaru is a really difficult word to explain in English. Sometimes, there are words in one language for concepts that other languages don't have. (Like nekojita in Japanese- cat tongue- meaning that you have difficulty eating or drinking hot foods.) Ganbaru is one of those words. It's often translated into English as "fight," "do your best," and "hang in there." It's often used in situations where English speakers would say good luck, but ganbaru, unlike luck is all about you.<br />
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For example, if your friend was playing in a football match, you'd say "Ganbaru" in Japanese or "Good luck" in English before the game. But if his team is down at half time, you can't really say "good luck," it sounds almost like you don't believe he can win. Ganbaru still applies. Maybe that's because ganbaru has an undertone of "no matter what situation you are faced with, keep your head up." Despite a disaster of an unprecedented magnitude, live each day as best you can. <br /><br />Every time I'm in the West, I notice the differences from Japan. I mean I spend most of my time surrounded by Eastern mentality. And this time, one thing I noticed was the lack of ganbaru spirit. People have problems everywhere in the world -that's a given- and I don't think that you can really say that one person's hardship is greater than another. Different types of hardship hurt different people in different ways. And yet, here in the West, or at least in my little corner of it, people just accept their lot in life. <br /><br />I've lost a leg so I can't go out. <br />The economy sucks so I got a paycheck so I'm going to spend all my time sobbing about it.<br />
A part of my house got destroyed in this weather system so my life sucks.<br />
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I'm not saying that these things aren't terrible problems, because they are. If a guy who's lost his leg goes on to be a paralympic athlete it's impressive, because he triumphed over this huge issue. But it's kind of a norm in Japan. You're kind of expected to ganbaru. Instead of "Poor me" it's more of " So I've lost a leg. How can I deal with this, even use it to my advantage?" So when there's a disaster and people show a certain strength of character and the rest of the world is amazed at how there's no looting, it's kind of a "like DUH!" for Japan.<br />
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It's kind of the flipside of Hakuna Matata. Bad things happen. You can't change that. All you can do is play the hand you're dealt. And whether you complain about it or not, the hand is not going to change. I admit Japanese people sometimes "ganbaru" too hard and push themselves past the breaking point. But I also think that Westerners could learn a lot from the ganbaru spirit. <br /><br />Because all we can ever do is make the best of what we can have. <br /><br />Where you do fall on the ganbaru scale? Do you push yourselves despite all obstacles? Give up at the first sign of trouble? Somewhere in between? <br />
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<br />Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-76141815174166442862014-01-07T02:21:00.000+09:002014-01-07T02:21:34.110+09:002014 - Sunny BondsHello luvvies!<br />
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Happy Year of the Horsie! I hope you all have a stupendous 2014 filled with amazing things that you can't even begin to imagine. <br /><br />I tend not to make New Year's Resolutions as they're notorious for getting broken and I generally have the attention span of a fruit fly. BUT I do like to start my year out with some goals (which I would theoretically look back on and see how I've grown over the year, but never actually do) and/or themes (previously there's been the Year of Living Write and the Year of the Sparkle Dragon). <br /><br />Theme 1: Sunny<br />
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This one isn't quite about 2014. My birthday is December 15, and I also like to theme each year of my life. It almost coincides with the start of the year, so I've decided to mention it in this post. Why sunny? It's from Japanese. I'm 32. 3 is san. 2 is ni. Put that together and it sounds like sunny. And so I've decided to make 32 the year of sunny. I'm going to try to look on the bright side even more, to keep smiling, to keep trying to make myself the best me I can be and therefore make the world a better place. <br /><br />Plus it's the Year of the Horse in the Chinese Zodiac. When better to ride off into the sunset? <br />
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Theme 2: Bonds<br />
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This is going to be my main theme for the year. In the Year of Living Write was about my need to develop my writing, the Year of the Sparkle Dragon arose out of it being the Year of the Dragon. I was trying to decide what I should with 2014 when it decided for itself. On January 1st, my brother arrived at the airport here. This is a big deal because my brother and I have always been like two seperate planets orbiting around our parents. But even moreso because I can't remember the last time I'd seen my brother. He lives in a different country and I live in a different hemisphere, so we kind of play musical countries. <br /><br />If it had been just my brother, I might not have heard what 2014 was trying to tell me. But then my sister came into play. Biologically, there are just the two of us, my brother and I, but years and years and years ago, I had a sister. A foster sister. Things were probably complicated, but I was little and I didn't understand, and I don't really want to ask the tough questions now, so I have no explanations. But for whatever reason my foster sister disappeared out of my life.Then on New Year's Day, after about 20 years, she found me on Facebook. I can't say that I was traumatised to lose her as a kid - my memory sucks - but I was ecstatic to reconnect as an adult.<br />
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For these two things to suddenly occur on the same day; it wasn't something I could ignore. 2014 is about bonds. I'm even getting a new sister-in-law, and I hadn't met her before. I hadn't thought about it until until after January 1, but that's a bond as well. I want to build a better bond with my brother and a new bond with my sister. And I want to extend this bond-building and development to everybody in my life. Who knows, maybe I'll even develop better bonds with you guys!<br /><br />Plus, I caught the bouquet at my best friend's wedding. I suppose I should develop the bond with my boyfriend... when I find him. <br /><br />What about you guys? What are your resolutions, goals and themes for 2014? Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-38505747951885855752013-10-20T13:08:00.001+09:002013-10-20T13:08:46.978+09:00October...You know what that meansYesterday was January first, today it's October.<br />
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Fine by me. I love October. In North Japan it means School Festivals. All the schools display their handiwork, but even level and school has a different flair. At my techie school, it's jaw-dropping the things these kids make. I mean, a go-kart, really? At junior high there are speeches and a singing contest. And at primary school, it's a day full of cute little plays. Today, the 6th graders did a play they wrote themselves, and it was amazing. Not only because the content rocked, or because a kid beat-boxed (I know, right?), but because two 'random' bits from an early scene were vital to the end of the play. <br />
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This ties into the other reason I love October. The countdown to November.<br />
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For writers, November is <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/">Nanowrimo</a>. If you haven't heard about it before, here's a quick synopsis. You write a novel in November. Pretty simple, huh? They count a novel as 50,000 words. And the only real rules are that you start a new story in November and write 50,000 words of it before November 30. It's not absolutely required that you finish the work, but it is recommended.<br />
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I haven't written anything significant since last year, but nano is the one time of year I refuse to ignore my writer soul. If you're a nano-er, or you're interested in joining up, come find me, My user name is muchlanguage.<br />
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Enjoy October guys, and be prepared for November. If you're into nano, then...<br />
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May the words be with you.Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-34302623868901517012013-10-14T18:31:00.000+09:002013-10-14T18:31:00.367+09:00The Perks of a Crappy JobLast week, I talked about how my job kinda sucks (more than kinda actually). But the more I think about it - and I'm a real thinker, folks - the more I realise there are perks to a sucky job.<br />
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1. Feels like I'm forgetting something<br />
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People tend to get all wrapped up in their jobs. Nowhere is that more true than Japan where your average government worker pulls an 11-hour shift every day. And a 6-day work-week is standard. Not being caught up in my work means that when I roll out of school, I can forget about school/my job until the next time I roll back in.<br />
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This frees up so much time to concentrate on other things. Studying kanji. Getting back to writing. Hanging out with my Japanese fam and friends. Being the super designated driver for the ages. Trying to build up my poor dying town. <br />
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2. ABC, easy as 123<br />
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When I like a job, I push myself to be awesome. But with this, I just want to keep my pookies happy. And considering my pookies, that's not hard. That's not to say I put no effort into my job, I just don't push the way I usually do in the love affair most people call work.<br />
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3. It's NOT hard to say goodbye to yesterday <br />
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I know I want to be a writer... or at least an entertainer of some sort... maybe both. But to be either of those things full time, I will have to walk away from whatever job I've been wiling away the hours at. That's really easy when you're not loving what you're doing.<br />
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So I guess the crappy job is not all crap. Any other good things about a crappy job? Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-27664598420017676662013-10-09T18:30:00.001+09:002013-10-09T18:48:18.497+09:00Why my job is crapBut Claire, you can't say that kind of stuff of the internet! You never know who's watching!<br />
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Sure, I can. Read on and see why...<br />
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I'm an ALT - Assistant Language Teacher. Well, actually, I have a more technically correct name, but that's what the majority of the population knows us by. I assist in English class rooms in schools. I used to work for government in kindergarten, primary, and junior high schools. Now I work through a private company in high schools.<br />
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So, what makes my job crap. Well...<br />
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1. I was not made for schools<br />
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A major problem (in my eyes anyway) in most school systems across the world, is the prioritising of testing over learning. I really don't give a salsa monkey what a kid's test scores are. In a way, that kind of works with my current position because test scores are not in my jurisdiction. But testing is more important in high school, and the structure of my current job involves more direction from the Japanese teachers about what I should and shouldn't be doing. So even though I'm not involved in the testing, my lessons are often geared toward it and it drives me crazy.<br />
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2. English<br />
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I can't explain how much it sucks as a pluralinguist to be constantly forced to exist in your native language, despite being surrounded by a foreign one that you'd much rather be using. I suppose it's still a step above an English-speaking country where I'd never get to use anything else. But I'd still rather be teaching a language that's foreign to me too. I want to grow and learn too. <br />
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Also, English is beautiful and all, but I've never been one for technicalities. And a lot of my job involves explaining WHY. I'm not a grammar nazi. In fact, if you're being understood, who cares. And it's not just with English. I feel this way about all my languages. Japanese, the language in which I've had the least formal training, is always broken when I speak it, but I'm never misunderstood. (At least not any more than the natives. Japanese is ridiculously vague.) I think this actually makes me good at languages, the ability to discard why. <br />
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3. Climbing the ladder<br />
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I just said I want to grow and learn, right? Well apart from using a language that literally comes naturally to me, there's also no scope for growth in my job. My role will never change. I will always be the assistant.<br />
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Also, I'm not usually one for practical considerations, but I'm getting a little better about it now that I'm 31. And if I'm not climbing my salary isn't either. Ever. In fact, my old government job was the pinnacle of what you make in this field. I'm capped out.<br />
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4. Not really being a part of anything<br />
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It's important as a human being to fit in. Not always, but once in a while. In Japan, that importance is magnified a zillion times over. Japan is all about my group versus not my group. As a black girl in an Asian country, I know that I'll never fit completely, but that doesn't mean I always want to stick out like a sore thumb. <br />
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At school, I'm very aware that all the other teachers have responsibilities I don't - leading clubs, being form teachers, planning school events. It gives them a sense of camaraderie and makes me feel like Quasimodo in the bell tower.<br />
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There are tons and tons of reasons why my job is crap and I could go on and on all day. But I won't. I just wanted to acknowledge the fact that for the first time I am not perfectly happy in a job. Don't get me wrong, I love my pookies to pieces, but this just isn't my calling. So I've made a promise to myself and I'm now declaring it publicly as well. It won't be forever, but I will stick it for the moment.<br />
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Did you ever work in a job that didn't work for you? Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-14882386420460776892013-09-27T15:07:00.000+09:002013-09-27T15:07:00.796+09:00Ippo fumidaseba - A single stepI moved down the hill. Literally.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQYx3TfLAVFBxArsixmYq0-Zf81IiNoTANy-ulovUkOM34uZyw-RXYyZeYnTiM5hiTqRyzY2R40nicSZwYTvEIdIKmszz9hmXJqF_9CM1G_I7Wa87sLdWsBre-Rdhn4HOoQjOhWMN8W4/s1600/house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQYx3TfLAVFBxArsixmYq0-Zf81IiNoTANy-ulovUkOM34uZyw-RXYyZeYnTiM5hiTqRyzY2R40nicSZwYTvEIdIKmszz9hmXJqF_9CM1G_I7Wa87sLdWsBre-Rdhn4HOoQjOhWMN8W4/s320/house.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I took this picture from the front of my apartment. That green fence is where I used to live. It's so close that I moved a good chunk of my things down the hill by loading into my backpack or suitcase and walking.<br />
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By the way, walking down the street with a used microwave always makes you feel like a thief. Always. Just in case you wondered. <br /><br />So anyhow, my old place and my new place are so close that you wouldn't think much would change.<br />
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Surprisingly everything's different. <br /><br />My new place is on the road that's the shortcut from the train station to the high school. This means though I hardly used to see these kids before, I now trip over my students the minute I set foot outside of my door. The restaurant down the hill is now the restaurant right next door, which means that if I'm outside, I can hear who's in there. This leads to me 'accidentally' running into people all the time.<br />
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Up the hill is just a little gap with like 7 houses, so I hardly saw anyone before. Where I live now, the houses behind me are really dense, so I've lots of neighbours. Many of them are the guys from my festival team. I'm hoping that this leads to more hanging out. The old apartment was kind of at an intersection of routes, you had several choices of which to take. Where I live now, you don't really. This means you walk the same route more frequently. Yet again, more running into people.<br />
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<img alt="イメージ 1" border="0" class="popup_img_383_246" src="http://img5.blogs.yahoo.co.jp/ybi/1/e1/30/t_major_56_k/folder/108671/img_108671_486255_0?1240017297" width="383" /><br />
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One of my favourite Japanese TV shows is Atashinchi no Danshi (Literally: My boys). In trying to get the 'hikkikomori' (shut-in) son to come out of his room, Chisato (the star) says ' If you take one step forward, the whole world changes. ' (Ippo fumidaseba sekai ga kawaru. 一歩踏み出せば世界が変わる。)<br />
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That's what it feels like. I've just moved down the hill, but somehow, I'm miles closer to everything and everyone. <br />
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And there's a writing application to today's post too.<br />
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Point of view. At first POV doesn't seem like a big deal, but it's like my moving down the hill. A different POV means running into different people, seeing different scenes. Some things changing and some things don't happen at all.<br />
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So how do you pick a POV? You could weigh all the pros and cons of what story you end up with depending on where your narrator stands or who he or she is or how he or she talks.<br />
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Or you could just move down the hill and see what the world looks like. <br /><br />Do you have any experiences with the world changing with a single step?<br />
Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-5632384616263228142013-09-23T14:25:00.000+09:002013-09-23T14:25:00.080+09:00On needI don't think it's a secret. The modern world has convinced us that we need much more than we do.<br />
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Like refrigerators.<br />
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I don't have one. I am not starved. Or malnourished. In fact, I eat healthier now than when there was a fridge in the house. Think about it. How much of the stuff in the refrigerator is stuff you actually need? How much of it is good for you? How much of it would rot in less than 5 days if it wasn't refrigerated?<br />
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Maybe not needing a fridge is a little far-fetched for some people. So how about a car? Whether you <i>need</i> a car depends on where you live. How's the public transportation? How far from work/school do you live? Can you get there without a car? If you need something that must be done with a car, is there someone close to you who will do it?<br />
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Now that I've got a Japanese license, friends keep asking when I'm getting a car. Truth is I don't think I need one. <br /><br />I've lived in this town for 5 years. When I came, I didn't have an International license because of the joy that is the Barbados Licensing Authority. I could have gone to get a Japanese license. But two of my schools and town hall were within walking distance. The third school was an easy bus ride for US$2.50. I could walk to the supermarket. Taxis were expensive but not so much so that I couldn't call one if I had a heavy package from the home store. Now, I work at one school I can walk to and my other school is right next to the train station, one stop away. Even after the recent typhoon, when the trains weren't running there was still a bus.<br />
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The trains are an hour apart and the buses are inconvenient. It's hell with a cherry on top to get to any town the train doesn't run to, and sometimes it can be complicated for the ones with trains that aren't a straight shot. But, I do have access to cars. My Japanese Dad's car has taken to parking itself at my apartment, and just last night, the mechanic was like, 'Claire, you can use my carS any time.' I don't really need a car and if do, they are several available.<br />
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My friends who keep asking are all drivers themselves or foreigners. I guess they see cars as infinitely more convenient than the alternatives. But since my alternatives are easy, a car looks like a colossal pain in the in-grown toenail. Buying them, insuring them, filling them up, all cost money. They inform people of your every move. If you run into a parked car with just your body, who cares? Run into it with a car and you're liable. I don't need a car. <br /><br />The third thing I often think of as 'you really don't need this anywhere near as much as you think you do' is a smart phone. To start with, the necessity of a cell phone is questionable. It's linked to your line of work, your neighbourhood, how many people really <i>need</i> to be able to contact you <i>right now</i>. But even if we assume a cell phone is necessary, does your phone really need to be able to plot the entire solar system? <br /><br />I've only recently crossed over to smart-dom. The only reason I <i>need </i>a smart phone now is because I've decided not to get internet at home (to avoid ridiculous broken contract fees if I have to move again) and my family on the other side of the world likes to know that they can find me without having to get on a rice boat. I don't even like it. It makes me feel way to over connected. So it spends half the time at home or turned off, making it actually LESS useful than the idiot-phone I had before.<br />
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The other funny thing about these ''needs'' is that they all have drawbacks. Guns don't shoot people. People shoot people. But without a gun, people - try as they might - can't shoot people. Similarly fridges make people fatter and unhealthier. Cars cause more pollution than they need to because people get used to having them and drive when they could reasonably walk or use other transportation. I also suspect that having smart phones do all our thinking is going to start to atrophy our brains at some point.<br />
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It's a lot to chew on, but I wonder how often people take the necessities for granted. All people really need is air, water and food. After that it's a hierarchy of how much easier life becomes with the inclusion of a particular thing. <br /><br />You think you need it, but do you really? And is it actually doing you more harm than good? Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-52354484830782339642013-09-04T18:45:00.000+09:002013-09-04T18:45:12.139+09:00What is to is, must isBack in January, I posted 'How Happens' about the fact that everything would be up in the air after August, when my contract at the time expired. <br /><br />I don't remember if I said it here, but the Japanese school year runs April to March, and the JET year (the programme I was on) runs August to July. This meant that I would need to break contract to be eligible for most of the teaching jobs. <br /><br />But breaking contract isn't in my vocabulary. The way I see it, keeping promises is one of my few virtues. I try very, very hard never to give it up. So I let April pass. With it, a chance at a similar job on the other end of the prefecture for comparable pay. But worse, I gave up the job at the high school in town. The ONLY other job that I can legally work in my town. By keeping my word, I basically gave up all hope of being where I finally feel I belong. <br /><br />I started looking feverishly for work. I got through with one job in April only to find that they needed me to start immediately. So I waited until June for my next batch of applications. Finally, I bit the bullet and made the exactly 600-km trip down to Tokyo for interviews. There are no words to describe how much I despise Tokyo. But a 3-hour shinkansen ride is a lot closer to my town than the opposing hemisphere of the Earth. <br /><br />I was just waiting to hear back from the jobs in Tokyo, when suddenly the job in my town opened up!<br /><br />It feels like a personal miracle. It is very literally the ONLY way I could stay here, and it was not supposed to be available. I gave it up in April with the finality of signing my own death warrant, and yet here it was knocking on my door again. <br /><br />So, I'm still here. In the town I love. It's nowhere near as cushy as before - but then nothing is as cushy as government - but I'm here. It was not supposed to be possible but it is.<br />
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And I got here without having to compromise my character. <br /><br />What is to is, must is. <br /><br />PS, "What is to is, must is," is from the Samuel Selvon novel, A Brighter Sun. It may just be my favourite quote of all time. Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-51494707340722693272013-06-20T20:56:00.002+09:002013-06-20T20:57:17.427+09:00My Secret to SuccessI did my driving test yesterday. I don't know how many times I've done since I have to take off work to go, and it costs an arm, a leg and 2 manicured toenails. Since I've let 6 months laps between when I started the procedure and yesterday's test, I had to do the whole thing over from scratch. New application, written test, eye exam...<br /><br />I finished all that stuff, and was sitting inthe waiting room killing time until I could do the actual driving test. <br /><br />"Claire?"<br />
<br />Huh, I thought. The Licence Center staff call me, "Gittens-san." I remember it really well because they are the only people in Japan that do. (Way back when, someone told Japan that in the West we go by our first names, and they think it means always. For some weird reason there is one lady at the bank who calls me "Dawn-Marie-san." Not sure what boat she's on...) <br /><br />I looked up to see my friend Ryusuke. I know him through hip-hop dancing. But he's also one of my driving instructors. <br /><br />CRAP!!! He was there for some refresher course with a bunch of other driving school instructors. So much for sneaking off in secret and never telling them if I failed. (Japan's Driving Test has little to do with ability to drive and lots to do with protecting ridiculous rules. I learned that the first time I failed and the examiner was like, "Well, it's not that you can't drive but...") <br /><br />Up until that point, I'd been totally relaxed - or at least relaxed about the driving test. I periodically freak out about my impending unemployment, and all else pales in comparison. But from the moment I saw Ryusuke that changed. Now I had to pass. Otherwise I'd have to step off the course and possibly run right in to him and look him in the face and tell him I suck. <br /><br />Yesterday's driving test may be the worst I've ever driven in my life. It was not at all a smooth ride, but I made a point of exaggeratedly obeying all the rules. And somehow, I passed! As soon as the printed out the license (finally, I understood the pain of people who have mugshot-licenses) I ran over to the restaurant the driving instructors were eating at.<br />
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"Ja-jan!" (Ta-da in Japanese) I shouted as I whipped, out my card!<br />"Yokatta!" (Yay!) Ryusuke's face broke into a smile. He's been after me since I started lessons... When are you taking the test Claire? Why haven't you taken a test lately Claire?...<br /><br />Then I messaged a friend to tell him I'd passed despite my driving instructor being there. But then, maybe not. Maybe it was less "despite" and more "thanks to." I couldn't fail because I couldn't bear having to tell Ryusuke right after the fact while it was still raw. <br /><br />Thinking about it, I'm the same way with Nanowrimo. When I want to throw in the towel, I bite down and dig in, because I don't want to tell people I suck. Failure is not an option. How many other times am I like this? <br /><br />Maybe that's it for me. The secret to success is the absolute inacceptability of failure. <br />Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-56865371459039873502013-05-31T19:40:00.000+09:002013-05-31T19:43:19.501+09:00Are you a writer? When do you get to call yourself a writer?<br />
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Some jobs require a qualification. Noone calls you a lawyer until you pass the appropriate exam. Whether or not you work in a law firm. By the same token, it doesn't matter if you've ever tried a case or not, people will assign you the title once you've got the qualification.<br />
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Other job titles are in the doing. Doing a culinary course does not a cook make. But if you work in a kitchen, preparing food, then people will happily assign you the title. No matter how much or how little you did to get to that position. <br />
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When do you get to call yourself a writer?<br />
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It's certainly not by qualification. If we look at writing certificates alone, many of the industry's biggest names would not make the cut. Is it in doing the job? If so, where's the starting point? Do you get to be a writer because your novel is published? How about when it sells to a publishing house? When you get an agent? When you have a polished manuscript? First draft? When you publish a short story? A single article in a major newspaper? What about self-publishing? <br />
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Years ago when my mind was drawn to this paradoxical question, I struggled with it for quite a while. I call myself a writer, but I've never published a novel. I've written a handful of short work which appeared in anthologies or newspapers. Was that enough? <br />
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Then I was watching some medical drama and one of the characters provided the definition of pain. "If a patient says they're experiencing pain, then they are." I don't know if that's truly the definition of pain, but it makes sense to me. As far as I know, there's no objective way to measure pain. If you think something is painful, I can't tell you it's not. And that's exactly what it's like being a writer.<br />
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It's not about qualifications. For me, it's not even that much about the act of actual writing. Being a writer iss a state of mind. It's seeing things that others don't.
Hearing voices. Loving stories. It's in imaginary people being painfully
real.<br /><br />You're a writer because you feel it. <br /><br />You're a writer because you say you are. <br />
<br />Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-10200479301625194672013-05-03T23:36:00.001+09:002013-05-03T23:36:55.962+09:00Far Out Friday: HikikomoriThere are lots of beautiful, amazing things about Japanese culture and society. I love the privilege of being able to share them with you. But I also believe, above all else, in truth. Which is why I don't shy away from the stuff that might not be all unicorns and rainbows.<br />
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The meaning of the word "hikikomori" falls somewhere between the English "recluse" and "hermit." Hikikomori are people who don't (or seldom) leave home. As opposed to a recluse, who may just not be sociable, but be perfectly functional in society when they need to be. Or a hermit, who's withdrawn completely and lives in a cabin in the woods.<br />
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Why? <br /><br />I think the reason that hikikomori are so common in Japan is partly due to the society. Everybody knows that Japanese society is a very strict one. There are rules governing everything, from the ways you can use chopsticks to the order in which colleagues should sit in when riding together in a taxi. <br /><br />The flipside of all of these rules is an extreme aversion to failure. In Japan, it's not uncommon for a leader to take responsibility for any failure by resigning. It's a major part of the reason that I've seen 6 Prime Ministers in my not-quite-5 years here. <br /><br />Another side effect of the strict society is the hikikomori. Hikikomori have usually failed at something. Some did badly in school. Some haven't worked out well with the opposite sex. Recently, I even saw on a drama one girl who ended up being a hikikomori because a guy called her ugly. <br /><br />Facilitation<br /><br />The thing is I don't think Westerners can really be recluses of the hikikomori variety. If you don't get up and go to work, you can't support yourself. And your parents or whoever else aren't going to keep leaving food on your bedside table if you refuse to brave the 10-minute walk to the supermarket. Not to mention the school-aged hikikomori. What do you mean, you're 13 and you've decided that going to school is too hard? Let me introduce you to my friend the truant officer. <br /><br />Re-evaluation<br />
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When I first came here, hikikomori were bad ju-ju. Not in that they were bad people or something, but in that, somebody should have been doing something to help them. But I'm kind of re-evaluating that. The truth is that lately, I'm leaning (almost horizontal) towards being a hikikomori. One thing led to another, and being around people is kind of painful. <br /><br />I'm not like some hikikomori who CAN'T go out or anything. And it's not like there isn't at least one place I still really enjoy going to. But I don't see the point in making myself go out if it's not fun. Spending my weekends and weeknights, curled up under a blanky (snowed earlier this week- Spring, where are you?) and watching J-dramas is fine by me. In fact, as a Japanese student and a writer, watching the ridiculous amount of dramas that I go through (an average of 11 episodes on the days I'm not at work) counts as studying in more ways than one. <br /><br />I expect I will go back to the real world at some point. I suppose the writer in me doesn't have a choice. Unless I want to write re-hashings of J-dramas or anime, all the material is outside. But for now, I'm not sure that retreat is such a bad thing. Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-36171493620929474752013-04-22T21:08:00.002+09:002013-04-22T21:08:41.458+09:00One Deux Tres Quattro 五 (MOMM) With my impending unemployment, I've started (frantically) trying to improve/ refine/ dust off the skills I already have. Of course my major selling point is always the whole quintilingual thing. Just in case there's a possibility that my next job provides an opportunity to use my languages, I've trying to bring them all back up to par. <br /><br />By using all 5 languages every day. <br /><br />Of course, I don't get it done every day. It isn't neccessarily hard to find the time to get to all five. I think what's hardest for me is to stop what I'm currently doing and start something else. For example, if I'm reading a book in French, I can't just read it until I'm bored, or I won't get to the other languages. <br />
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ENGLISH <br /><br />English is my native language, but ironically, it may be the language I miss most often. I only need to use English if I blog or go on Facebook (which I don't do that much these days), if I go out with the 2 other English-speakers in town, or if I have to teach (which I don't do every day). Any English-speaker who lives in Japan (outside the metropolitan areas) can tell you how much fun it is to forget your native language. <br /><br />Not that you ever completely lose the abilitiy to speak English. Imagine if you were a professional runner, and then for several years, you didn't run. You just walked. If you tried to run, it would feel weird and you wouldn't be as good as before. That's the English of an ex-pat. I forget technical words sometimes. Like "exfoliate." If I needed to use a word like that in conversation, I would probably not be able to pull it up. I'd have to pause and think, or I'd have to explain the term instead of just using the correct word. <br /><br />It's not so bad yet, that I'm seriously worried about my English, yet. But I think I should do something to get it back to it's old levels of shininess at some point. <br /><br />FRENCH <br /><br />I'm actively studying French, that is, going through a Grammar Review book. I'm surprised to see that I still remember so much considering I haven't studied, or really used, French in 6 years. But then, it's my university major, and I did spend 11 years in school and months (cumulatively) in Martinique and Montreal. <br /><br />I'm also reading Roald Dahl's Matilda in French. I call this "passive study." It's easier and more relaxed than studying grammar patterns. I think it also helps you to speak more naturally. My current process is to read books that I'm already familiar with. When you read, there are really two processes going on. The first decodes the individual words and the grammar. The second works on the content of the story. Reading in a foreign language is hard because you get so caught up in the language you can't enjoy the story. But by reading books I'm familiar with I can enjoy the story and concentrate on the language. <br /><br />SPANISH<br /><br />My poor Spanish. Spanish is a very mixed bag for me. I dropped it like someone else's snotty tissue in 2nd form (age 13), and then continued learning it watching TNT Latin America (true story). Then I decided to major in it (along with French) at university.The interesting side effect of not having really been taught Spanish is that my reading and listening are awesome, but my grammar sucks. Which causes my speaking and writing to also suck. <br /><br />I'm passively studying Spanish by reading Stephenie Meyer'sTwilight on my Kindle. (There's a language menu on the left in the book section on Amazon, making your Kindle a valuable foreign language resource.) Obviously Twilight is not very difficult language-wise, but I'm still surprised at how well it's going. I've also been off Spanish for 6 years, and it doesn't have 11 years of formal study to back it up. <br /><br />ITALIAN <br /><br />Sometimes I think I'm only good at Italian because I'm good at French and Spanish. I took an 8-month conversational course five years ago. Then I studied on my own for a month earlier this year. Somehow I've managed to pass an exam that's meant to be taken after 2 years of university study. <br /><br />Earlier this year, I actively studied Italy. But for the moment, I'm just trying to keep from losing the little skill I have. I'm reading Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games. I couldn't find it Kindle on the US site, so I had to buy a hard copy off Amazon's Italian site. (Amazon is a great resource for language learning since they are in so many countries across the world.) Since Italian is my least practised language, it was really really hard in the beginning. But I stuck with it (mostly because I had an exam last month) and it's gotten much easier. In fact, I look forward to my Italian reading the most. Frankly, I think that's a real testament to the strength of the story of the Hunger Games.<br />
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JAPANESE<br /><br />It might be easier to ask what I'm NOT doing in Japanese. There's a language course attached to the programme I work for, and I'm studying that. I also was doing the Pimsleur course, but I haven't done any in a while, because I'm way past the level Pimsleur takes you to. I'm also using a intermediate textbook. <br /><br />For passive study, I'm watching music videos from my favourite Japanese artists on youtube. I also watch tv dramas (rather obsessively). I bought myself a series for my birthday in December. I've watched the whole thing (11 episodes) 8 times since then. Entire sentences will come out my mouth in a most natural way, because I hear them in that series. <br /><br />It takes a long time to get to the reading stage in Japanese. You know, the whole 2000 characters reccommended for daily use thing. But I've managed to pick up about 1500 of them, so I can know read like a 14 year old. I'm reading Harry Potter, which is sort of hilarious, since most of the words are made-up. But my reading skills have improved significantly since I started. <br /><br />I have no idea how many of you blog-reader-type folk are interested in foreign languages or have studied them. But I hope that if you're looking to start one, or improve one you already have, this will help. Plus it's Monday, and that's what's on my mind. <br /><br />PS. The title of the blog is counting to five in my languages. Deux is French. Tres is Spanish. Quattro is Italian. 五 (pronounced go) is five in Japanese. Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-44786428831059845232013-04-03T23:30:00.000+09:002013-04-03T23:30:01.633+09:00Agent Hunter - An Online Resource for International Writers (WAW)It's been a while since I've done a Write Away Wednesday (WAW), but I'm very glad to bring it back today to introduce <a href="http://www.agenthunter.co.uk/">Agent Hunter!</a><br />
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As an international writer, there are many American agencies and publishers that will not even look at my work. Many of the larger ones will point me in the direction of their British counterparts. In fact, some of my work is very much more suited to Britain anyhow.<br />
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For someone who is (or at least, once was) very active online, the British publishing industry is a little disappointing. Many agencies don't accept initial contact by email. Not that many agents have blogs or twitter accounts. And there's nowhere to find a giant list of all agents.<br />
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Or there wasn't until now.<br />
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ENTER <a href="http://www.agenthunter.co.uk/">AGENT HUNTER</a>.<br />
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The brilliant folk at <a href="http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/">The Writers' Workshop</a> have collated a list of all the agents they could find in the UK! You can search agents by a number of terms. Writing sci-fi? You can find only the agents that represent that genre. Since I live in Japan, it's very important that an agent accept email submissions. I don't even want to imagine the postage on 20 partials to the UK. (*shudder*) That's one search term I've always got clicked. For the same reason, it's important that my agent be active online, and you can search by agents with blogs and twitter accounts.<br />
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Here's a list of the other terms you can search by: <br /><br />Agent experience<br />Client list status (are they looking to take on clients) <br />Who represents who?<br />
Specific likes<br />
Specific dislikes<br />
Opportunities to meet (conferences etc.)<br />
Size of agency<br />
AAA member<br />
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And, of course, if you know the name of agent you're interested you can just search for that particular agent. <br />
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AGENT PAGES<br />
<br />Once you've found an agent you like, you can click over to their page. There you'll find all the imformation listed above as well as a short bio. When they were setting up the site, The Writers' Workshop attempted to contact all of the agents in the database. Some of them provided a bio. It's one of my favourite things on Agent Hunter. With US agents, they're all over Twitter and they have blogs. There are some agents who I feel like I know well beyond broad categories like "Accepts YA". That's something that's always been lacking in the UK industry. The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook (published by A&C Black) gives a comprehensive lists of agencies, but it won't tell you which agent would die for a protagonist who's obsessed with yarn bombing. (I haven't come across any yet, but then my protagonist isn't obsessed with yarn bombing either.)<br />
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Another useful category on the Agent Page is "Authors and Books Liked". Publishing is not an exact science. (Not by a long shot.) So once again, the simple genre listings that you may find in the Yearbook or in other resources don't say much. An author may like paranormal, but have had it up to here with vampires. If your manuscript is about a teenage Dracula, then why waste your time and the agent's? Agent Hunter can save you that trouble.<br />
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AGENCY AND PUBLISHER PAGES <br />
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I'm not going to speak much of them (because I'm most interested in the Agent Search) but you can also search for Agencies and Publishers. On the Agency Page you can find more detailed submission details and the average response time. The feature most of interest for international writers is the "Accepts overseas writers" field. The Publishers pages aren't much use if you're a fiction writer, since most publishers no longer take unsolicited submissions. But you can search to see which ones do.<br />
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HOW DO I SIGN UP?<br />
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If you're interested head over to the site. Just in case you can't click the linkies, it's www.agenthunter.co.uk.<br />
You need an account to access the site, but don't worry that's super-easy. And free. You can get poke around and get a feel for the site. And you'll have access to some of the information.<br />
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BUT<br />
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Some of the information will also be blurred out. If you'd like to access all of the database's information, there is a subscription fee: £12 ($18 USD) for a whole year of access. That's less than a month of Publishers' Marketplace ($20 USD) or The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook (currently £12.15 on Amazon UK - on sale). There's a 7 day free trial, so you can dip your toes in and if it's not your kind of pool, you can hop back out. No consequences.<br />
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What are you waiting for? If you're an international writer, you should head over there now.<br />
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I said NOW. Why are you still reading this? ;) <br /><br />
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<br />Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-32988437065376622322013-04-02T23:30:00.000+09:002013-04-02T23:30:00.382+09:00My neighbour's not dead! (and other happy thoughts)I hadn't seen my neighbour all year. I normally see her a lot. She lives directly across the road from me, and she has this weird habit of squatting in my driveway or the one next-door. <br />
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She's almost 80. I've seen her do some pretty out there things, but I'm not sure if it's because she's slightly off, or because she's old and Japanese and therefore has given up on caring what society thinks. Either way, she's been MIA lately. Then, for the last couple weeks, her always-open gate was closed and there were curtains drawn in all the windows and doors. (Curtains are really unusual in old houses since they have shoji- the paper sliding doors.)<br />
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I began to worry that she'd died and I just hadn't seen the black and white bunting around the house.<br />
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I left for work today and her door was open. I thought about going over to ask whoever I found if the old lady was all right. But then I saw my around-the-corner neighbour with some trees in a wheelbarrow, and I didn't want to look strange and stalkery, so I continued on my way. It didn't matter though, because she was in the driveway next-door. She was just standing there talking to my winter neighbour (who lives in a house somewhere in the mountains all summer) like nothing was up.<br />
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"Wow, it's been a while. I was a little worried," I told her. <br />
"Yes," she said back to me.<br />
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(Yay for the Japanese language and the art of being vague.) <br />
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I spent the next 5 minutes practically skipping, humming to myself, "My neighbour's not dead, my neighbour's not dead," over and over. Until I got the house next to the barber shop. With the black and white bunting. The sign in Japan that a house is in mourning. My neighbour was not dead, but someone was. <br /><br />It gave me a weird slice of perspective. I am happy. But someone, somewhere in the world is in a pit of despair. And the reverse is also true. When I am sad, someone somewhere is celebrating. The day that my loved-one died is the day that someone else's beloved child was born. The day I graduate is the same day someone else gets a rejection letter. <br /><br />Two sides of the same coin. Could we even have happy without sad? Would it be worth it? <br /><br />Who knows? <br />
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Happy and sad. <br />Ying and yang.<br />
Life. Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2615055326252975804.post-83054110914979175592013-04-01T22:30:00.000+09:002013-04-01T22:30:02.281+09:00Fly to your HeartI'm currently engaged in two activities that many people all over the world have trouble with. Two activities where people are always searching out magic solutions, or the "best" way, or "foolproof" methods.<br />
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#1 Working out. <br /><br />I've been overweight my whole life. Since I'm not at all a visual person, it doesn't usually bother me. But I've been through a couple of hard-core workout phases. The first was due to the fact that it is hard as heck to buy clothes. I realise now that's more because of my ridiculous proportions. My lower half spans 3 sizes! Recently, I've been working out because of genealogy. Older people in my family seem to have every disease under the sun, and I'm trying to give myself a fighting chance. <br /><br />All of this leads to having been on the work out train forever. So I'm sometimes on fora where people are looking for the "best path" to get in the shape they want to. <br /><br /><br />
#2 Foreign language learning. <br /><br />I'm a pluralinguist. (According to Wikipedia, that's a more accurate definition for someone who kind of randomly picks up languages with little or no formal teaching.) I like languages, and I'm always trying to get better at the ones I speak, while fighting off the urge to pick up more. (Soon, Korean. Soon.) <br /><br />As I browse products to improve my Japanese ability, I come across tons of people who want to know. "What's the best program for my money?"<br />
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Disney's Tinkerbell has the answer. (Because Disney always has the answer!) <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hmoBUUD6j6w" width="560"></iframe><br />(Okay, I realise Tinkerbell was not the first to stumble upon the concept of "to thine ownself be true," but she's definitely the cutest.) <br /><br />How I do. <br />
<br />I've always been an extremist. Love something or hate it. Do something every day, no prob. Or not at all. Sure, I can keep up a middle ground for a while. But it's so much easier to just find the way that works for me. Then, instead of working at it, I can just sit back and watch it all fall into place. <br /><br />So, I've designed a workout program that works for me: <br /><br />A ton of workout DVDs from several big-name workout franchises. (Because I'd get bored of one cast.) <br />Alternating between off-the-deep-end working out and normal-people-pace. (I'd get bored at normal people pace, but I'd eventually burn out going off the deep end.) <br /><br />For languages, generally the market-leaders are two particular programmes: one based on listening, one more visual. Well, obviously, the visual one was never an option. I'm currently doing the listening programme, but I've come across a problem I didn't expect. Just listening bores me out of my mind. I have to do something else while I study. I don't think that's how it's supposed to be. <br /><br />My favourite language programme never gets called in the top 3. It's kind of like the books you probably used in school. Dialogue/ essay-type piece, followed by vocab, grammar break-down and exercises. <br /><br /><br />
Should be obvious. <br /><br />Once you've kind of stumbled onto the fact that stuff is easier once you tailor-make it for yourself, you wonder why it wasn't obvious. Cuz hold up a minute: <br />
<br />Things are easier when they're made to suit you.<br /><br />Which part of that is NOT completely obvious? And yet, it takes us years to discover it. Some of us never do. And even after we have, we keep trying to crawl back into methods that have been proven to work well for others, but don't neccesarily gel with us. <br /><br /><br />
Back to you. <br /><br />All of this of course gets me to wondering. How many parts of our lives are we doing this with? <br /><br />Working the jobs we're supposed to have. But not going as far as we could, because it's not what we want to be doing. <br /><br />Being involved in good organisations. But not taking them forward, because they really don't pique our interests. <br /><br />Writing what we're supposed to. How we're supposed to. Where we're supposed to. But not as well as we could, because it's not the best thing for us. <br /><br />Takes a long time to learn the simplest lesson. <br /><br />Do you. <br />Be yourself. <br />To thine ownself be true. <br />Fly to your heart. Claire Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com0