Out of hiragana, katakana and kanji, the 3 forms of japanese writing, I have the least affinity with katakana. I do not know why I find it so difficult to remember how they are written and even after I recognize them, it is difficult to make sense of what they mean!
Katakana is used for direct translation of foreign words based on how they sound like. But seriously.... can you guess what the following words mean?
1. iyahon
2. u-ru
3. epuron
4. raion
5. bideo
6. kashimiya
7. kuizu
8. nekutai
9. goru
10. gurasu
11. arerugi
12. sa-bisu
13. se-ru
14. taoru
Sigh.........
Answers
1. earphone
2. wool
3. apron
4. lion
5. video
6. cashmere
7. quiz
8. necktie
9. goal
10. glass
11. allergy
12. service
13. sale
14. towel
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Travel Bug
I really love to travel and explore new places. I am going to start a map to tag where are the places I have visited in Japan!!!
My map
My map
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Multi Tasker
When we use the above term for our life as teachers in Singapore, I think that the teachers in Japan are true multi taskers. I really admire them for their hard work and dedication!
First, the working hours are really long! Even though lessons start at 9am officially, most teachers are in school by 7.30am to conduct morning supplementary classes. Then, they are rotated on night duties where they take turns to patrol the school, make sure all students have gone home and all doors/gates are locked. There are no such things as school servants in Japan. So I was shocked that some teachers go home as late as 9 or 10pm, especially before exams where night revision lessons are conducted and they have to lock up the gates and arm the security system.
Next, CCA. Over here, it's called clubs here and joining a club is means strong dedication to your club. They have club activities EVERY DAY. Yes. Including Sundays. So as I hear the baseball club / tennis club / brass band etc etc training on saturdays and sundays... I wonder about the poor teacher in charge...
Then, the next shocking thing to me is that because there's no school servants, the whole school's cleanliness depends on the school teachers and students. Every teacher is in charge of an area to clean and they supervise the students in the cleaning period which occurs every school day. So you have kids coming into the teachers' room to empty your bins etc. And the staff toilets, are cleaned by teachers themselves! They have a duty roster and the female teachers will clean the female toilet while the male teachers will clean the male toilet.
I really salute them!
First, the working hours are really long! Even though lessons start at 9am officially, most teachers are in school by 7.30am to conduct morning supplementary classes. Then, they are rotated on night duties where they take turns to patrol the school, make sure all students have gone home and all doors/gates are locked. There are no such things as school servants in Japan. So I was shocked that some teachers go home as late as 9 or 10pm, especially before exams where night revision lessons are conducted and they have to lock up the gates and arm the security system.
Next, CCA. Over here, it's called clubs here and joining a club is means strong dedication to your club. They have club activities EVERY DAY. Yes. Including Sundays. So as I hear the baseball club / tennis club / brass band etc etc training on saturdays and sundays... I wonder about the poor teacher in charge...
Then, the next shocking thing to me is that because there's no school servants, the whole school's cleanliness depends on the school teachers and students. Every teacher is in charge of an area to clean and they supervise the students in the cleaning period which occurs every school day. So you have kids coming into the teachers' room to empty your bins etc. And the staff toilets, are cleaned by teachers themselves! They have a duty roster and the female teachers will clean the female toilet while the male teachers will clean the male toilet.
I really salute them!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Natural Disasters
With the recent spate of natural disasters, it is no surprise that Japan will also get its fair share.
So here, I have experienced tremors and upcoming, a typhoon. According to weather forecasts, typhoon 18 is headed our way and we are expected to get strong gale and high waves.
I wonder how it will be like. But for now, I just know that I am very cold. Last night, I wore a wollen long sleeve turtleneck to sleep. And it's just the start of autumn! Lol.
So here, I have experienced tremors and upcoming, a typhoon. According to weather forecasts, typhoon 18 is headed our way and we are expected to get strong gale and high waves.
I wonder how it will be like. But for now, I just know that I am very cold. Last night, I wore a wollen long sleeve turtleneck to sleep. And it's just the start of autumn! Lol.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Updates updates! I am so sorry for not posting!
Hi all,
When I first started this blog, my idea was to update this daily. However, I just got lazy because there are so many things to share and I figured that uploading photos often on facebook will more than suffice!
But of course, I should really give you more details! But as I said, too many things! So I shall just summarize some for today's post.
Living in Fukuoka
I've settled in pretty well. I can take the public transport without fear as I've gotten all the cards and know the routes that can get me to the major places. I've memorized my home address and I can walk around the neighbourhood without getting lost. I love cooking for myself and I think my cooking skills have improved or mainly soup boiling skills. Lol. I love buying udon/ramen and then putting them into the soup that I cooked. I love making pasta too! I love grocery shopping and 100 yen shops. I get along very well with one of my neighbours - Lori and she's like my the other half these days since we hang out with each other often.
The only negative things are the bugs... I've met a big spider in my bedroom... it cast a shadow on me when I was watching tv and I freaked out when I saw it. Lonely Planet Japan was a good weapon to smash it to bits. I've also seen the dreaded mukade (Japanese centipede) in my shower room. It was lucky I didn't step on it when I enter the shower room. I can still visualise the way it wriggled to hide under my tub. ARGHS! Luckily I sms my only male foreign neighbour Mahendar who's a 3rd year ALT from India and he rushed over with his girlfriend and the mukade died of many slaps from a slipper. (actually the grossest thing was when Mahendar picked it up to throw away, it was still alive!!!!!) There's a cricket living in my ceiling which I do not know how to get rid of because it jumps so fast and I do not want it to land on my face. Met another gross spider while I was showering and it died under endless sprays of hot water. And a gecko(lizard) decided to sneak into my house when I opened my door to enter the apt. I saw a shadow dart into the porch but as it was the same colour as my porch's stone floor, I couldn't really see it until I used my long umbrella to poke the area and out flew the lizard. ARGHZ! I didn't kill this as I figured he will be useful to help me eat up the numerous spiders along the stair well so I took a long time to chase it out of my apt. Oh, there's a dead cockroach on my balcony after it scared me while I was hanging clothes and it died under bubble foam insecticide.
Working in Fukuoka
Work life has been pretty good. Boring sometimes because I have so much free time to play with that I get sleepy and tired often. So by the end of the day when I reach home, I am really tired... strange to say.. from doing nothing much! My working hours is that I muz report by 8.30am and I can go back at 4.15pm.
This is my timetable:
Monday:
10.00-10.50 Class 1-4
15.35-15.40 Supervise cleaning in Language Lab
16.00-17.00 English Speaking Society (CCA)
Tuesday:
No lessons
15.35-15.40 Supervise cleaning in Language Lab
Wednesday:
09.00-09.50 Class 1-1
10.00-10.50 Class 3-4
12.00-12.50 Class 1-6
13.35-14.25 Class 1-2
Thursday
11.00-11.50 Class 1-5
15.35-15.40 Supervise cleaning in Language Lab
Friday
11.00-11.50 Class 1-3
12.50-13.25 Lunch with English Speaking Society members
13.35-14.25 Class 3-4
15.35-15.40 Supervise cleaning in Language Lab
So there's lotsa free time but I spend much time planning lessons because over here, they don't really use IT equipment to teach. Strange for a country with such advanced technology! So for me who's used to using powerpoint, I find myself having to DIY posters/cards/display boards for teaching and having to think of ideas that doesn't require me to use the projector but only the chalk board. Yeah... CHALK board. I hate breathing in the chalk dust. The only projector is a portable one which I have to lug around and set it up in class which takes much time. So.... sigh. Back to basics!
The students are generally ok, I haven't met any scary or horrible kids (hopefully not) since my school is supposed to be a pretty good academic school and since they are 16-18, they are quite mature.
That's all for this post... will try to update more...
When I first started this blog, my idea was to update this daily. However, I just got lazy because there are so many things to share and I figured that uploading photos often on facebook will more than suffice!
But of course, I should really give you more details! But as I said, too many things! So I shall just summarize some for today's post.
Living in Fukuoka
I've settled in pretty well. I can take the public transport without fear as I've gotten all the cards and know the routes that can get me to the major places. I've memorized my home address and I can walk around the neighbourhood without getting lost. I love cooking for myself and I think my cooking skills have improved or mainly soup boiling skills. Lol. I love buying udon/ramen and then putting them into the soup that I cooked. I love making pasta too! I love grocery shopping and 100 yen shops. I get along very well with one of my neighbours - Lori and she's like my the other half these days since we hang out with each other often.
The only negative things are the bugs... I've met a big spider in my bedroom... it cast a shadow on me when I was watching tv and I freaked out when I saw it. Lonely Planet Japan was a good weapon to smash it to bits. I've also seen the dreaded mukade (Japanese centipede) in my shower room. It was lucky I didn't step on it when I enter the shower room. I can still visualise the way it wriggled to hide under my tub. ARGHS! Luckily I sms my only male foreign neighbour Mahendar who's a 3rd year ALT from India and he rushed over with his girlfriend and the mukade died of many slaps from a slipper. (actually the grossest thing was when Mahendar picked it up to throw away, it was still alive!!!!!) There's a cricket living in my ceiling which I do not know how to get rid of because it jumps so fast and I do not want it to land on my face. Met another gross spider while I was showering and it died under endless sprays of hot water. And a gecko(lizard) decided to sneak into my house when I opened my door to enter the apt. I saw a shadow dart into the porch but as it was the same colour as my porch's stone floor, I couldn't really see it until I used my long umbrella to poke the area and out flew the lizard. ARGHZ! I didn't kill this as I figured he will be useful to help me eat up the numerous spiders along the stair well so I took a long time to chase it out of my apt. Oh, there's a dead cockroach on my balcony after it scared me while I was hanging clothes and it died under bubble foam insecticide.
Working in Fukuoka
Work life has been pretty good. Boring sometimes because I have so much free time to play with that I get sleepy and tired often. So by the end of the day when I reach home, I am really tired... strange to say.. from doing nothing much! My working hours is that I muz report by 8.30am and I can go back at 4.15pm.
This is my timetable:
Monday:
10.00-10.50 Class 1-4
15.35-15.40 Supervise cleaning in Language Lab
16.00-17.00 English Speaking Society (CCA)
Tuesday:
No lessons
15.35-15.40 Supervise cleaning in Language Lab
Wednesday:
09.00-09.50 Class 1-1
10.00-10.50 Class 3-4
12.00-12.50 Class 1-6
13.35-14.25 Class 1-2
Thursday
11.00-11.50 Class 1-5
15.35-15.40 Supervise cleaning in Language Lab
Friday
11.00-11.50 Class 1-3
12.50-13.25 Lunch with English Speaking Society members
13.35-14.25 Class 3-4
15.35-15.40 Supervise cleaning in Language Lab
So there's lotsa free time but I spend much time planning lessons because over here, they don't really use IT equipment to teach. Strange for a country with such advanced technology! So for me who's used to using powerpoint, I find myself having to DIY posters/cards/display boards for teaching and having to think of ideas that doesn't require me to use the projector but only the chalk board. Yeah... CHALK board. I hate breathing in the chalk dust. The only projector is a portable one which I have to lug around and set it up in class which takes much time. So.... sigh. Back to basics!
The students are generally ok, I haven't met any scary or horrible kids (hopefully not) since my school is supposed to be a pretty good academic school and since they are 16-18, they are quite mature.
That's all for this post... will try to update more...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The start of the introductory speech seasons...
My introductory speech to all the teachers in the staff room
Hajimemashite
Yip Siew Min to moushimasu
Singaporu kara kimashita
Singaporu dewa watashi wa chu gakko de chiri o oshiete imashita
Nihon ni kuru no wa hajimete desu
Hetana nihongo de sumimasen
Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu
My introductory speech to the whole school
Hajimemashite
Good morning!
My name is Yip Siew Min.
Please call me Siew Min.
I am the new "Anna" but I am not American.
I come from Singapore, a small country in Southeast Asia.
This is my first time in Japan.
I am very happy to be placed in Yahata Minami Senior High School.
I am poor in my Japanese but I will try to do my best.
Please talk to me anytime, anywhere.
Over the next year, let's study English and Japanese together.
I hope we will have fun.
Thank you.
Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu
Hajimemashite
Yip Siew Min to moushimasu
Singaporu kara kimashita
Singaporu dewa watashi wa chu gakko de chiri o oshiete imashita
Nihon ni kuru no wa hajimete desu
Hetana nihongo de sumimasen
Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu
My introductory speech to the whole school
Hajimemashite
Good morning!
My name is Yip Siew Min.
Please call me Siew Min.
I am the new "Anna" but I am not American.
I come from Singapore, a small country in Southeast Asia.
This is my first time in Japan.
I am very happy to be placed in Yahata Minami Senior High School.
I am poor in my Japanese but I will try to do my best.
Please talk to me anytime, anywhere.
Over the next year, let's study English and Japanese together.
I hope we will have fun.
Thank you.
Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Finally a new post! (photos to be added later)
Hi everyone!
I finally found some time to type out a blog entry.
I am settling into my new town pretty well.
It’s been kinda crazy from Tokyo to Fukuoka and to KitaQ with so many new things and experiences that I barely had time to sit down to think.
Tokyo was packed with seminars and workshops where basically, I was stuck in the hotel room. The only time to see Tokyo was during dinner time where we walked out to explore interesting areas, with the help of Xianna for the first night where we checked out Kabuki-cho. This was a street famous for its many lady’s shops. Lol. Kinda realized what I have gotten myself into when we were about to order our dinner and I can’t read the menu! Yvonne had to go over to ask Xianna for help. It was funny. And whatever that came, was not what I had in mind but it was still good. Haha…
So then the next day, it was the start of orientation programme where we reported to our respective prefectures etc etc and attended all the briefings and workshops.. Kinda boring but necessary part of the Tokyo Orientation programme. And here’s my Fukuoka prefecture group photo of the participants in Group B orientation. (There are so many JET participants every year that the orientation programme is divided into 2 main groups so that the logistics will not be so crazy!)
At night I was really dead tired from the workshops! So we only walked around Shinjuku area… had dinner at a shop with a vending machine to purchase meal coupons and order our food (their version of fast food).
Walked around a supermarket and jaw dropped at the prices… Eg. 1 box of grapes for S$115. Any takers?
And finally to a nearby electronics department store where I bought the English-Japanese dictionary software for my Nintendo DS. Getting to the section to buy that was another set of challenge itself because the electronics store was so big, it had sooooooo many sections and not within one building but all around the streets! Luckily I had my friends who are more fluent in Japanese to help me! That’s when I realized I am so dependent on my Singaporean friends! =x The Nintendo section was big and filled up with interesting games. That’s when I was thinking that Xiangjun will go crazy in the shop! Lol.. especially with the crowd of guys standing outside the shop playing free game demos on the wifi network!
The 3rd day’s early morning at 5am, I met Shane, Yihua and Anne to check out the famous Tsukijishicho (Tsukiji Market).
Interesting place where we missed the live auction of really huge slabs of tuna by 10 minutes as the market was huge and we were trying to find the place.
We kept taking photos of everything! It was really interesting.
And then, for the first time, I had sashimi at 7am in the morning! But it was realllly yummy. My fav dish will be tuna with egg yolk and sesame oil. Totemo oishi desu ne! (Really very delicious!)
In the late evening, I met Rita & her family for drinks and snacks @ a nearby Krispy Kreme! =) I finally fulfilled my promise to visit them in Tokyo. =p
At night, we attended a dinner hosted by the Singapore embassy where all of us ended up smelling like beef as it was a beef tepanyaki restaurant. Food was good but all of us were choking from the smoke… teary eyed welcome dinner. Lol. Check out the before and after photos.
But it was a good gathering.. last night to see each other before we departed for our respective prefectures! Most of us attended the dinner and it was a good catching up opportunity.
And on the 4th day, I bade farewell to my Singaporean friends and headed for Fukuoka prefecture. Thus, if you ask me what’s my impression of Tokyo… I can’t tell you much because I didn’t get to see much.. other than there are lotsa bright lights and people!
Upon arrival in Fukuoka Airport, all of us were bundled off in various cars by our supervisors. My supervisor, Yasuki sensei seems very nice! We spent an hour to drive to my school in KitaQ City and I was introduced to the vice principal etc. Then my supervisor brought me around the neighborhood so that I will memorize the route home and where to buy groceries and we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant which was opened… by Chinese. =)
Then back to my new apartment. Frankly speaking, it looks really old and spooky from the outside. Especially the rusty playground with the lonely tree and the building opp which is due to be torn down and really looks like it’s been abandoned for a long long time. View of the playground from my apartment.
In my building, there’s space for 16 families but to date, we only have around 10 apartments that are used. I do not dare to imagine what lurks in the empty apartments. Yikes!
But on the inside, my apartment is great… comfy bed and air con! That’s enough for me! =p
My apartment is on top of a hill. So it is quite a challenge going up and down the hills which are nicknamed “death hills” by the current ALTs staying in the building. They are all really very steep!! The photos look deceptive!
My school is just beside my apartment… 5 mins down one of the steep death hills and I can reach it pretty fast. This is a view of my school from my balcony.
But it is now summer holidays in Japan and many of the teachers are on leave. Thus, I’ve been just sitting in the staff room and doing reading and typing this. All the teachers will be back by next Monday for extra lessons. Hopefully I can help out more next week!
My neighbors are pretty nice. Just watched Harry Potter 1 again with Lori & Cecilia since we have nothing much to do anyway. Quite funny. I’ve been meeting people and going out for dinner every night since I reached KitaQ. And I have taken express buses, “baby trains”, subways, JR etc… learning in progress but it was all fun and I will need to take some time before I can figure out the complicated train system!
I’ll type more next time… a little tired already. Counting down… 30 more minutes left to stay in the staff room… Can’t wait to get home to meet the internet man who will get my internet up and ready!
I finally found some time to type out a blog entry.
I am settling into my new town pretty well.
It’s been kinda crazy from Tokyo to Fukuoka and to KitaQ with so many new things and experiences that I barely had time to sit down to think.
Tokyo was packed with seminars and workshops where basically, I was stuck in the hotel room. The only time to see Tokyo was during dinner time where we walked out to explore interesting areas, with the help of Xianna for the first night where we checked out Kabuki-cho. This was a street famous for its many lady’s shops. Lol. Kinda realized what I have gotten myself into when we were about to order our dinner and I can’t read the menu! Yvonne had to go over to ask Xianna for help. It was funny. And whatever that came, was not what I had in mind but it was still good. Haha…
So then the next day, it was the start of orientation programme where we reported to our respective prefectures etc etc and attended all the briefings and workshops.. Kinda boring but necessary part of the Tokyo Orientation programme. And here’s my Fukuoka prefecture group photo of the participants in Group B orientation. (There are so many JET participants every year that the orientation programme is divided into 2 main groups so that the logistics will not be so crazy!)
At night I was really dead tired from the workshops! So we only walked around Shinjuku area… had dinner at a shop with a vending machine to purchase meal coupons and order our food (their version of fast food).
Walked around a supermarket and jaw dropped at the prices… Eg. 1 box of grapes for S$115. Any takers?
And finally to a nearby electronics department store where I bought the English-Japanese dictionary software for my Nintendo DS. Getting to the section to buy that was another set of challenge itself because the electronics store was so big, it had sooooooo many sections and not within one building but all around the streets! Luckily I had my friends who are more fluent in Japanese to help me! That’s when I realized I am so dependent on my Singaporean friends! =x The Nintendo section was big and filled up with interesting games. That’s when I was thinking that Xiangjun will go crazy in the shop! Lol.. especially with the crowd of guys standing outside the shop playing free game demos on the wifi network!
The 3rd day’s early morning at 5am, I met Shane, Yihua and Anne to check out the famous Tsukijishicho (Tsukiji Market).
Interesting place where we missed the live auction of really huge slabs of tuna by 10 minutes as the market was huge and we were trying to find the place.
We kept taking photos of everything! It was really interesting.
And then, for the first time, I had sashimi at 7am in the morning! But it was realllly yummy. My fav dish will be tuna with egg yolk and sesame oil. Totemo oishi desu ne! (Really very delicious!)
In the late evening, I met Rita & her family for drinks and snacks @ a nearby Krispy Kreme! =) I finally fulfilled my promise to visit them in Tokyo. =p
At night, we attended a dinner hosted by the Singapore embassy where all of us ended up smelling like beef as it was a beef tepanyaki restaurant. Food was good but all of us were choking from the smoke… teary eyed welcome dinner. Lol. Check out the before and after photos.
But it was a good gathering.. last night to see each other before we departed for our respective prefectures! Most of us attended the dinner and it was a good catching up opportunity.
And on the 4th day, I bade farewell to my Singaporean friends and headed for Fukuoka prefecture. Thus, if you ask me what’s my impression of Tokyo… I can’t tell you much because I didn’t get to see much.. other than there are lotsa bright lights and people!
Upon arrival in Fukuoka Airport, all of us were bundled off in various cars by our supervisors. My supervisor, Yasuki sensei seems very nice! We spent an hour to drive to my school in KitaQ City and I was introduced to the vice principal etc. Then my supervisor brought me around the neighborhood so that I will memorize the route home and where to buy groceries and we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant which was opened… by Chinese. =)
Then back to my new apartment. Frankly speaking, it looks really old and spooky from the outside. Especially the rusty playground with the lonely tree and the building opp which is due to be torn down and really looks like it’s been abandoned for a long long time. View of the playground from my apartment.
In my building, there’s space for 16 families but to date, we only have around 10 apartments that are used. I do not dare to imagine what lurks in the empty apartments. Yikes!
But on the inside, my apartment is great… comfy bed and air con! That’s enough for me! =p
My apartment is on top of a hill. So it is quite a challenge going up and down the hills which are nicknamed “death hills” by the current ALTs staying in the building. They are all really very steep!! The photos look deceptive!
My school is just beside my apartment… 5 mins down one of the steep death hills and I can reach it pretty fast. This is a view of my school from my balcony.
But it is now summer holidays in Japan and many of the teachers are on leave. Thus, I’ve been just sitting in the staff room and doing reading and typing this. All the teachers will be back by next Monday for extra lessons. Hopefully I can help out more next week!
My neighbors are pretty nice. Just watched Harry Potter 1 again with Lori & Cecilia since we have nothing much to do anyway. Quite funny. I’ve been meeting people and going out for dinner every night since I reached KitaQ. And I have taken express buses, “baby trains”, subways, JR etc… learning in progress but it was all fun and I will need to take some time before I can figure out the complicated train system!
I’ll type more next time… a little tired already. Counting down… 30 more minutes left to stay in the staff room… Can’t wait to get home to meet the internet man who will get my internet up and ready!
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