“Japanese” for the iphone, update.

I’ve been slow posting on this one (it dropped while I was still on hiatus) but “Japanese” for the iphone has updated to 2.0. I mentioned Japanese in my round-up of iphone Japanese dictionaries a while back, at the time saying that it was one of my favourites. Well, the 2.0 update has improved an already stellar app, adding “persistence” (app opens in the same state in which it was closed), a clarified menu system, a new input method for unknown kanji, built-in Spaced-Repetition learning, and the holy grail: example sentences! This is, to the best of my knowledge, the best Japanese dictionary for the iphone, and well worth the asking price. Go and buy it.

How to buy a laptop.

A few months ago, a friend of mine asked me for my advice on what laptop to buy. I only use macs, and I hadn’t looked at PC laptops in months/years, so I couldn’t give her any advice on models or brands. I did give her some advice on looking for a laptop though, and she thanked me later, so maybe it’ll help you too. Here goes… (This is intended for less-techy people, of course, but if you’re techy and you have an opinion, feel free to comment)

I’M BACK!

In actual news, I’ve been on hiatus longer than planned. I took a brief run at writing a daily zombie poetry blog (“Verse of the Living Dead”) which you can find over http://zombiepoems.tumblr.com. I’ll still submit stuff there when the mood takes me, and you can too, but I’m finding these days that I have more thoughts suitable for this blog.

On the topic of this blog, I have plans! I’m planning to broaden the focus a bit (or stop pretending that it was ever narrow) and write more personal stuff, and posts that relate to other topics. I’m also going to change my post schedule a little bit – henceforth I promise you a guaranteed one post a week, probably on Saturdays. I may exceed that though. Anyway, hope you’ll stop buy and read.

paused.

Obviously, despite my assurances that I was “back” I haven’t posted here in forever. Fear not – I haven’t abandoned this blog. I have a head full of posts, just haven’t had the time or inclination to write them. The summer vacation has provided some rare opportunities to spend some time with my girlfriend, and anyone who chooses blogging over spending time with their awesome girlfriend or boyfriend, needs to get their head checked

I also have a fantastic idea for a reasonably ambitious Super-Secret creative project, which should take up most of September. Details as soon as I decide upon them, but I’m hoping it’ll be awesome.

See you in October!

Link: Japan Times

Koichi Ko at the Japan Times mentions a few good online flashcard apps, including my favourite.

Welcome, new JETs!

This is a quick shout-out to any and all new JET Programme participants reading this blog- welcome!

If you’re here looking for the digital copy of the Japanese Study Resource Guide, here it is. Also, I’d like to say an enormous thank you if you were one of the people who came and watched the Independent Japanese Study presentation at Tokyo Orientation A or B.

Finally, I hope you enjoy the blog. It’s still young, but this blog is a place where I hope to write some interesting stuff on approaches to language learning, my own progress in Japanese, and other stuff. Now that I’ll be back to a semi-regular update schedule, I hope you’ll stick around, and find something that interests you.

Stress.

Okay, this being an insanely busy time, this blog is going on temporary hiatus.

I’m sorry people – the fact is that I’ve been so inconsistent of late due to a large number of changes in my work and personal life occurring pretty much simultaneously. I don’t have many readers – but I do hope that those of you who read my posts on a regular basis will stick around after after I come back in a weeks time.

Dating in Japanese

If you’re looking for “how to pick up Japanese girls”, look elsewhere. Even if I were inclined to answer that, I’ve no grounds to be telling you how to pick up anyone, anywhere. Nor am I selling myself as an expert on dating here.
This post is a personal one, on the state of my Japanese, and my experiences trying to date in Japanese.

So on that topic; I’ve been feeling pretty good about my Japanese, recently. My comprehension seems to be coming along pretty well – I’ve been feeling even more like I can track what’s going on and understand the majority of what is said, without needing to strain my brain to the point of cerebral haemorrhage. One thing that’s seemed to go surprisingly well for me is dating in Japanese. That’s not a boast, but for all that I was more-than-usual terrified before my first date with a Japanese girl (one who spoke little or no English), it seemed to go pretty well.

A lesson in Japanese workplace bureaucracy

In which I describe the events that threw my week into upheaval, and caused me to be too ANGRY to blog

Essentially, last week was an object lesson in an aspect of the JET programme often bemoaned by unhappy JETs – that in as far as you are still on the programme, you are not in control of your own destiny, totally subject to the dictates of your contracting school or local Board of Education.

The prodigal blogger returns…

…back after a week or so of unplanned, unannounced hiatus. Sorry for that – a week full of ups and downs, personal and professional. That is to say, my personal life got interesting (in a good way), and my professional life exploded. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.