Archive for the ‘Self-Expressions’ Category

Girls want to be in a men’s magazine…

While stretching my body and head, I can’t stop myself in thinking of the next topic to boost up my motivations in blogging. And what caught my awareness were those sexy pictures that now scatter in the cyberspace.I’m sure most of us know about friendster, one of the most social networking sites in the internet. And I have been a member of it for around three years, as I remember. I even posted around 50-60 photos there. And some of it, I admit, was bit sexy. But not as bold compared with other members. I don’t know what to say to those people, mostly girls, who put their almost naked photo over there or as if they are a model of some magazine. Some of them really have the face and body to do that, but most of them, only guts. It’s like they are translating the social network into some sort of cyber prostitution. Sorry for the harsh words, just a thought.

Sexy pictures don’t end with the internet’s social networking. It has been a trend nowadays among photo studio to offer naked pictorials for those who are willing to take it off all over. Or girls are having fun time where girls themselves took pictures of their own daringly. That’s why there were lots of photo scandals spread out in the internet or even in the nearby market.rnrnIs this the influence of the present statuesque of local and international show business? Or simply self expressions? It’s no longer shocking to find out that you’re adorable favorite young star becomes one of the girls posing for men’s magazine or be one of the flavor of the month of alcoholic drinks. As they frequently reasoned out, all because of art.

I know I’m not in the right place to judge other people on what they are doing. But based on observation, every girls dream to be noticed and looked upon. And the easiest way to do that is to expose their body and faces in a very bold way. Carelessly upload their photos in the internet or send it through mms to their ‘friends’ disregarding the risk or consequences just to tell the world, “Hey! Look how pretty and sexy I am.”

As a woman, and as I admitted earlier, I also did this sort of vanity picture taking. Yes, I call it vanity because it made me feel how cute I am (it’s ok if you won’t agree with me). It helps me feel that somehow through pictures, I can be a model on my own studio. To unleash the shyness in me and to believe that I can be beautiful in my very own way.

To finish, if it helps you to feel better and be a better you, it’s ok but let’s all be open-minded and be responsible with your acts and to other people around you especially to your loved ones, I’m sure you don’t want to disgrace your family’s reputation.

Study Japanese by Yourselves

Learning a new language isn’t easy. It takes years to fully grasp it. But what more difficult is when you have to study a language with a totally different writing system from what you’ve been used to. Some of these languages are Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, etc.Studying Japanese language is a trend nowadays especially for young professional who wishes to build a career in one of the most progressive country in the world, Japan. For individuals who can’t find time or can’t afford to enroll into a decent language class, you’re left with no option but self studying. I find self studying as advantageous because you’ve got to be the teacher and the student at the same time. However, studying by yourself requires you to be more resourceful than ever, and of course, keep believing in yourself and lots of motivation.

For beginners, I suggest you start first with the basic writing system; Hiragana and Katakana. That way, you’ll know the correct pronunciations and spelling of Japanese word. For Filipinos, like me, Japanese pronunciations is very easy, it’s like Tagalog with a little variations. Try to write the each character with the right stroke and you’ll never hard time memorizing it. Simply picturing it in your head can cause you some confusion especially for those characters that look alike.

When you are already familiar with hiragana and katakana, it’ll be better if you have something to read written in kana. Try to visit http://study.u-biq.org; they have a Japanese tutorial that is plainly written in katakana and hiragana for beginners. I think its best when you’ll study basic Japanese grammar in written in Japanese. It’s learning new things and a practice for your reading skill at the same time. The site also offers online test to measure your progress in learning the language.

If you think you’re ready to move your level up, fill up your heads with kanji! Personally, I love kanji very much! It’s a Chinese character which also comprises the Japanese writing system. What’s so exciting with kanji in Japanese is that each character has the Japanese reading (kunyomi) and Chinese reading (onyomi) and there are about more than 6,000 kanji used in the Japanese language! For people like me who have been used with roman characters (the abc), kanji is really mind boggling but if you’ll just have patience to scrutinize each character and you’ll find out that complicated-looking kanji is only derived from combinations of simple kanjis arranged in a specific manner. These arrangements when disintegrate will give you that meaning of that particular kanji based from the combined meaning of the different kanjis it was comprised of. I really recommend for you to try this, and I’m sure you’ll be amazed with your analytical skill and fall in love with kanji like me! Aside from that, some kanjis are too literal. Their appearance bluntly tells you its meaning, just use your imagination with those stick-like figures.

For kanji practice, I find jlpt-kanji.com very helpful. They just didn’t simply show each kanji’s meaning and reading but also words that are frequently used with the presence of that particular kanji. Besides, it’s also a good training ground for those who want to take the Japanese Proficiency Language Test (JLPT).

Are you afraid of Japanese websites? Or didn’t trust your Japanese reading proficiency? Well, start changing your internet browser and use Mozilla Firefox. Firefox offers use of plug-ins and it’s nice to know that there is a plug-in that can read Japanese when your cursor moves above it. Download rikaichan plug-in and dictionary in polarcloud.com and start hang around and learn more about Japan with Japanese websites. This plug-in will be enable by toggling the rikaichan on (right click your mouse while using firefox) and viola! There will be a pop a tray that will describe you the word’s meaning and reading in detail.

There are also electronic dictionary that lets you write or draw kanji as input and it will search its contents for the all the entries that contains that kanji. It also illustrates example in different situations. I bought my electronic dictionary in kakaku.com, just look for 電子辞書（でんしじしょ）and choose from variety of selections that will fit to your interest and budget. It’s a bit expensive but if you’re a die- hard to learn Japanese, it’s really worth the price. And most of these electronic dictionaries are bundle of with so many features that will help you survive in Japan.

Jazz up your learning capabilities; plunge yourself by watching Japanese movies and anime. But while doing so, try to hide the English subtitle so you won’t be tempted to read it. Enjoy listening to Japan’s fascinating music genre.

Patience and practice are very good ingredient towards perfection. There are lots of websites offering Japanese tutorials, so go and utilize what the world’s widest dictionary can offer you!

皆一緒に、日本語の勉強を頑張りましょ！(Let’s all study Japanese with our best!)