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Hey guys, first of all I realise i've not exactly been updating this baby, truth be told I'm not really a blogger and life is generally to consuming to even start writing about it. So maybe a little update for starters.
Exams, a lot of people have 'em and even more people still have nightmares about them. I on the other hand just soldier on and take it all in. First of all a word about what it is I do at University, I study Japanese Cultural Studies, this includes language (not only japanese, next year it's also korean) and everything and anything remotely tied to Japan this include geography, politics, modern art and the likes. All in all I'm having a ball all year long, you know the drill, a little work a lot of play, needless to say exams equals crunch-time. I lock myself away in my room with my books and what not far away from the internet and all it's many dangers.
So on to the results, first of, I'm not a genius when it comes to Japanese, I can read and write sufficiently but talking is really my weak point. This being said it's obvious that we have an oral exam as well, and that write before that the stress is so intense you could feed starving children in africa with it. And here is where the real problem arises, just before I need to take the exam I sand in front of the door, the sensei comes to get me and then my stress is gone. A good thing I hear you thinking but this has a not so pleasant side-effect, I completely black-out, and then I just sit there trying my best not to make a complete fool out of myself. Most of the time this works out and I barely pass but passing is enough in my book. And then the moment I step out of the room I remember everything I did wrong, I can guaranty you that my brain just leaves my body, walks to the pub gets a beer or two and sits around waiting for my return.
Ok so far the rant and everything to do with exams, now on to some other things I just need to get of my chest. I have been dating a girl for years strait and well it has finally come to an end, partially my own fault but mostly we just drifted apart to the point you just don't have any power remaining to fight for the relationship. And again worst timing is my best friend, this all happened the week before i have to start my exams and all that. Long story short after almost years of almost complete disregard for beer, I have once again thrown myself into the dating circuit accompanied by my long lost love beer. (I live in Belgium, so for those who think it is the capital of Brussels or have never heard of it, beer is a way of live here with more choice than you can even care to imagine)
So that's the personal stuff out of the way and now on to the post I was hoping to write, Japanese author Haruki Murakami. I do not know if a lot of you have read his work or even heard of the man himself. A little word about the man himself, born in Kyoto 1949, has won the Yomiuri Literature Price and currently lives in Tokyo after a long stay abroad. Unlike some other authors he writes fiction that anyone who is willing to accept some strange things and can live with nonsensical explainations, talking cats, protagonists that are seriously flawed and much much more, can read and I would recommend reading some of his books.
Allow me to give you a couple of books that are worth your trouble, and please if you have read some of his books please comment. The first book I read was 'Norwegian Wood', not his first book but absolutely the best book he has written till now and also the one which lead to his breakthrough in Japanese literature. A description well just google, I would not even know where to begin. The second book is 'A Wild Cheep Chase', detective-novel with the appearance of the mysterious Cheepman, need I say more. A third book would be Hard Boiled Wonderland and the end of the world, a little more psychological then all the others but then again Murakami has a tendency to really focus on the psychological aspect of the character development which in my opinion is very important and makes a very interesting read. Two other books I can recommend are, 'The Elephant Vanishes' and 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman', both are a collection of short stories with all sorts of theme's: love, hate, stress, stealing monkies that can talk, an elephant that vanishes (duh) and a weird tree the Blind Willow.
Ok that was all for now, hope you enjoyed the read, and I'll try updating more frequently.
Greetz,
Kai
Exams, a lot of people have 'em and even more people still have nightmares about them. I on the other hand just soldier on and take it all in. First of all a word about what it is I do at University, I study Japanese Cultural Studies, this includes language (not only japanese, next year it's also korean) and everything and anything remotely tied to Japan this include geography, politics, modern art and the likes. All in all I'm having a ball all year long, you know the drill, a little work a lot of play, needless to say exams equals crunch-time. I lock myself away in my room with my books and what not far away from the internet and all it's many dangers.
So on to the results, first of, I'm not a genius when it comes to Japanese, I can read and write sufficiently but talking is really my weak point. This being said it's obvious that we have an oral exam as well, and that write before that the stress is so intense you could feed starving children in africa with it. And here is where the real problem arises, just before I need to take the exam I sand in front of the door, the sensei comes to get me and then my stress is gone. A good thing I hear you thinking but this has a not so pleasant side-effect, I completely black-out, and then I just sit there trying my best not to make a complete fool out of myself. Most of the time this works out and I barely pass but passing is enough in my book. And then the moment I step out of the room I remember everything I did wrong, I can guaranty you that my brain just leaves my body, walks to the pub gets a beer or two and sits around waiting for my return.
Ok so far the rant and everything to do with exams, now on to some other things I just need to get of my chest. I have been dating a girl for years strait and well it has finally come to an end, partially my own fault but mostly we just drifted apart to the point you just don't have any power remaining to fight for the relationship. And again worst timing is my best friend, this all happened the week before i have to start my exams and all that. Long story short after almost years of almost complete disregard for beer, I have once again thrown myself into the dating circuit accompanied by my long lost love beer. (I live in Belgium, so for those who think it is the capital of Brussels or have never heard of it, beer is a way of live here with more choice than you can even care to imagine)
So that's the personal stuff out of the way and now on to the post I was hoping to write, Japanese author Haruki Murakami. I do not know if a lot of you have read his work or even heard of the man himself. A little word about the man himself, born in Kyoto 1949, has won the Yomiuri Literature Price and currently lives in Tokyo after a long stay abroad. Unlike some other authors he writes fiction that anyone who is willing to accept some strange things and can live with nonsensical explainations, talking cats, protagonists that are seriously flawed and much much more, can read and I would recommend reading some of his books.
Allow me to give you a couple of books that are worth your trouble, and please if you have read some of his books please comment. The first book I read was 'Norwegian Wood', not his first book but absolutely the best book he has written till now and also the one which lead to his breakthrough in Japanese literature. A description well just google, I would not even know where to begin. The second book is 'A Wild Cheep Chase', detective-novel with the appearance of the mysterious Cheepman, need I say more. A third book would be Hard Boiled Wonderland and the end of the world, a little more psychological then all the others but then again Murakami has a tendency to really focus on the psychological aspect of the character development which in my opinion is very important and makes a very interesting read. Two other books I can recommend are, 'The Elephant Vanishes' and 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman', both are a collection of short stories with all sorts of theme's: love, hate, stress, stealing monkies that can talk, an elephant that vanishes (duh) and a weird tree the Blind Willow.
Ok that was all for now, hope you enjoyed the read, and I'll try updating more frequently.
Greetz,
Kai
