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[Jul. 5th, 2009|09:50 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  okay | ] |
Today, I spent all day at Dokkyo University.
Why, you ask? Why would I waste my sunday at a remote Saitama based educational facility?
Well, to take the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) Level 1 (The highest available, duh).
Up until recently. I didn't really see the point in taking these, as neither my education nor my career required it, but when I heard there was a test event for level 2 and 1 today, I thought, ah, why not. Never know when it'll come in handy. Besides, I kinda felt compelled to prove to myself that I have a good grip on the Japanese language. Self-gratification, basically.
I thought I noticed a higher density of foreigners from the point when I got on the Musashino Line, but it might be imaginary.
But when I got off at Matsubara Danchi station, whoa, loads or people headed for the university! Only it was hard to tell which were foreigners and which not, since most of the examinees were Asian, and apparently there was another exam at the same site for Japanese.
Unsurprising considering it was the highest two levels, but all but 10 or so people I saw were Asian. Most Chinese, some Koreans and various Southeast Asians, probably several hundred all in all. In my assigned exam room, there was one white guy, and one British looking white chick, apart from that all Asians...
The test considered of three units, the first two 45 minutes, the last 90. First up was Kanji and Vocabulary... Or it would've been, if it hadn't been for the EXCRUTIATINGLY long preparation period. After playing back a recorded set of instructions (Basically the same that was in the application booklet, as well as printed on the examinee card), then waiting for a few minutes, handing out the marksheets, then (separately) the question booklets, then making another walkthrough to check everyone's faces against the examinee data, then standing around and waiting for another several minutes before starting the test.
But that's not all... they did all that at the beginning of EVERY unit. Took over 20 minutes each, several of them just being the instructors standing around looking at their watches, to keep on schedule at all costs. I'm used to Japanese being thorough, but that was fricking ridiculous.
Additionally, after being told like FIVE MILLION TIMES in the booklets and spoken instructions to SHUT OFF THE FUCKING CELLPHONES, one dimwit still managed to have his ring in the middle of the Vocab part. Lucky for him, he only got a yellow card. I would've voted to kick the jerk out.
Upon starting the Kanji part, I kinda freaked out, because it looked harder than I'd expected (based on a practice book I'd gotten and went through). I guessed my way through the first 4 or so questions, before I calmed down a little, and marched through the rest of the Kanji and Vocab parts reasonably confident. I had time to recheck the entire thing, and I'm pretty sure I didn't mess up too many (although a few were still guesses, but usually I had a 50-50 joker).
The listening part was easier, since I have been living here for 2 and a half years now, speaking Japanese every day. The problems are formulated in a pretty tricky way, but I did 45 or so practice ones from my test book, so I knew what to look for. I'm fairly confident I didn't miss more than 2 or so of the 50-ish listening problems.
I was also kinda taken aback by the length of the first reading assignment. My practice ones were like half a page each, and they throw this 1,5 page mammoth at me with like 5 questions attached?! Took a good while on that one, did another one, then realized I should do the Vocab part before I ran out of time. Might've rushed that one a little, especially since it's my least favourite part (consisting largely of really obscure connections and stuff). I did rehash a lot of my weak points from the practice book on Saturday and on the train, which was surprisingly handy.
I finished about 15 minutes early, but didn't recheck all of the Grammar part.
All in all, I'd say I probably got around 80something%, hoping for 90. The one thing I really wanted to get to was 100% on listening, but I'll have to wait til September to know...
I've of course taken a break from TCOM writing for exam studying, well mostly for that I guess.. I have chapters 1 and 3 done in an ok draft, and the first page of 2. I've decided to do alternating chapters, focusing on Tom and a different character each. (chapter 2 is a Brock chapter btw :)
I feel extremely humbled reading Nova Swing on the train to work... I am consciously choosing a simpler, more straightforward language for TCOM, but man... Harrison can write the most absurd stuff, and you just take it at face value. Such graceful, elegant (which is a synonym for graceful I guess) prose... I wish I had his ability to assign that sort of extreme detail to everything though. I want to write more detail and make things seem more visceral, more real. It's kinda depressing to write a full chapter and then find that it's 3 pages long ;)
That said, I enjoy Nova Swing considerably less than Light.. Partly cause it doesn't have Seria Mau, who was my favourite character in the book. Something about that little girl at the same time being a ridiculously powerful machine thing. Also how you got a clearer picture of her little by little throughout the book, at the beginning you have no idea and then you realize how little is left of her.. Another thing that really impressed me about Harrison's work.
Seria Mau might be one of the biggest reasons I picked up TCOM again, cause she provided inspiration for a certain other girl wired into a machine :)
Have also been watching Enterprise. I never managed to catch most of it on TV... Although I'm not so sure anymore that's a bad thing, it is pretty awful. I'm basically just watching relevant episodes, after quitting halfway into the first season. I liked the first opening theme... I understand how people wouldn't enjoy it as much, but the faster paced version is ridiculous. Yergh.
Oh, and I got Tower of Aion, but apparently I can't create an account yet. Boo!
Meh, work tomorrow... |
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