"China Road" by Rob Gifford

Still feeling under the weather...ahh, I absolutely hate coughing.
I hope I don't cough my way through my presentation tonight, my
first Japanese speech on Miyashita Sensei's class.

Anyways, China Road is such a fun and thought provoking read.
I want to write a longer book report on this book someday, but
I always have trouble gathering my thoughts quickly, need lengthy
organization and deliberation before I can say anything sensible.

So expect the book report sometime (indefinitely) in the future. ^.^

软实力与硬实力

第10级日语果然是现在的我无法胜任的。不过，能够听懂6、7成，汉字帮了大忙，所以依然觉得
非常有希望。心里想着，真想尽快能够那样流利地说日语啊。
昨天课堂的主题是“捕鲸”（ティマーは捕鯨、ほげい）。我们看了一段关于是否应该捕杀鲸鱼
的辩论节目，由日本一方（支持方）和澳大利亚（反对方）组成，观众席上有几十个国家的代表，
也参与发言讨论。（顺便说一句话，这些老外的日语真是pera pera的好啊！）
各国代表畅所欲言地谴责日本的捕鲸行为，日方为自己从容地辩护，甚至于到节目后来，
主持人还提问，“外国人认为日本人还有哪些方面的毛病/习惯还是改掉的好？”（外国人としては、日本人は、ほかのこと、なにが直したほうがいいとおもいますか）
这又引得观众席上的各国代表夹七夹八地提出了各种指责，包括性骚扰，
问外国人愚蠢的问题，岛国狭隘思想等等话题都被无所顾忌地抛了出来。

我当时忽然想到软实力和硬实力这两个词。我想所谓的硬实力这种东西是比较容易衡量的，也是
相对来说比较容易做到的，例如GDP，奢侈品购买力，外汇储备，鳞次栉比的
摩天大楼，主办多少国际会议/活动/运动会等等。
但是软实力却不那么好衡量，甚至于不那么好定义，我想这也是真正体现一种整体自信的表现吧。

Some random jewels, the little things that keep you sane

What am I, Life? A thing of watery salt
Held in cohesion by unresting cells,
Which work they know not why,
Which never halt,
Myself unwitting where their Master dwells?


(Quoted - original author unknown)


^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.......@@@.......^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^



hickory... ... ...山核桃
teak ... ... ... ...柚木
ash ... ... ... ... .白蠟樹
poplar ... ... ... 白楊
birch ... ... ... ..樺樹


=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/


heather... ... 石楠花
posy ... ... ... 小花束 (I'm so happy I found this word!)


Note to self: arrange book/stuff-shelf by color, results may be amazing...

This Magic World

"You live in a magic world. If you look around you and watch carefully you can see the
magic...


Do you suppose that a caterpillar knows he's a baby butterfly, as he crawls by on his
funny little feet? Some day, he will fly on magic wings. He'll carry his own tiny,
rolled-up straw so he can reach and drink a flower's honey.


What magic bits are flower seeds! They travel far and wide. Wherever they go, they
always seem to now just what flower they should be-a poppy or pansy, a dandelion
or daisy."


(Quoted - original source unknown)

Three days after contracting seasonal flu

Working with head swirling, vision murky.

Reading "Sin and Syntax" by Constance Hale

If I have all the time in the world
I'd wrestle with every word til the perfect one comes along
But the real world is urgent
So perfection remains a myth
and every piece is scarred
with its own imperfect lessons and charms

陷入日语语法地狱

不知不觉，已经到了第10级，敬语是座大山啊！