11:46 PM

endings and beginnings

Also, IUC is over!
waaahhhh.....
But, here are some pictures from the end, courtesy of Matsumoto-sensei, IUC's resident photographer. At every IUC event, he's forever popping out of corners and snapping so many photos that when you flip through them, they play almost like a movie. >_<
Anyway, here's me giving my final presentation:
The group of us (most of us anyway) who took shodo
And receiving my graduation certificate.

Which, this time, they didn't forget! Lol (unlike a certain HIF graduation ceremony I attended)...

Oh yeah, and I did really well on my final test!!! ☆★☆

Oh, and speaking of endings/beginnings, in a few short hours, my parents will be arriving in Tokyo! Whee!! Along with my 幼なじみ Rebecca and her mom. \(^_^)/
So, just to let you know, I probably won't be making many posts on here for the next couple of weeks, as we'll be travelling around Japan. Needless to say, I'm sooooo excited!

Oh, and I suppose I should change up the PV, hmm? Let's see, I've got to pick a good one, since it might very well be up for a good long while.
OK, I can't resist. What else, but the new PV by DoReMii's favorite twins, ON/OFF.
<3

11:17 PM

Job Stuff

So, it seems like the job stuff is getting going a bit more. ^_^
Thursday I had my interview at Metropolis. The building is in Omotesando, which is an incredibly ritzy area of Tokyo--on my way to the interview I walked by Prada, Cartier, Dolce & Gabana, Nanette Lepore...and those were just the names I recognized!
Anyway, I got to the station 20 minutes early, but さすが me--I got horribly lost. It was a pretty easy route: walk down the street from the station, and turn right at Prada. First I overshot the Prada store--which being Prada, was too fancy to be labeled properly--and had to turn back. Then, cause I was all turned around, I went the wrong way at the corner, and ended up in 5丁目 instead of 3丁目. *sigh* With the result that I was about 10 minutes late.
Not. Good.
I mean, that's not exactly the way to make a good impression.
And the interview itself was really short, because I'd been supposed to come in at 11, and they had another person coming in at 11:30.
Other than that, though, I felt like the interview itself went fairly well. They said that they had liked my resume and cover letter, and seemed like they were interested in talking to me more, if there had been time. Also, I feel like I was able to show off my Japanese a bit, too. One of the editors--probably half (perfect Japanese, perfect English)--started talking to me in Japanese; 日本語、大丈夫ですか, that sort of thing, and I think I carried it off pretty well.
Before I left, they gave me a sort of a writing test to take home: a sort of promotional flyer from a restaurant, outlining their new menu (in Japanese, of course), and then I was supposed to turn that into a 100-word blurb for Metropolis's "Word of Mouth" section. They told me to get it to them by the weekend, but I sent it in the same day--hoping to impress a bit with speed, I guess. ^_^
Anyway, they said they would be making a decision within the next two weeks.

Also, I found out that I get an interview with the Japan Times, too! That's the major English-language newspaper in Tokyo. They asked me to come in on the 19th, when I'll have to do the combo test-interview thing again. But, this time I was told that I'm allowed to use my dictionary!!! Which was such a relief. I mean, hearing that, I feel like whatever they throw at me, bring it on! You know?
^_^

So I'll let y'all know how that goes.

10:25 PM

fun stuff

Let's see...what have I been doing lately?
Lots of fun things. ^_^
Molly, Jason, Misa and I finally got to meet up with some of the HamaDai kids again, and we all went to a Yokohama Baystars baseball game! About time, too. For all that I live practically next door to the stadium, it was my first time actually going. We got the cheap seats, and the Baystars lost (apparently they're not very good this year) but it was lots of fun! In the picture is Jamie, Naoko, and Molly. Yeah, I'm really not sure what that face is about....
The next weekend I went out to Enoshima, which is a small island near Tokyo--it only took about 45 minutes to get out there, but felt like a whole other world. The weather was beautiful, and there were palm trees everywhere--it felt almost like Hawaii! lol. Got a lot of exercise, too, cause there were a LOT of stairs. >_<
A little further up the stairs...
At Japanese temples, there's usually a donation box out front, where you throw in a few coins, clap your hands, and say a short prayer. This one was a little different... The sign says "Coin-Washing White Dragon. In this pure golden water, wash and purify your feelings and the coins, and make them reach it."
Lots of people out boating.
The other side of the island looks a little different.
Isn't this guy amazing? ^_^

12:16 AM

御無沙汰致しております。

So, I'm not dead. Not in the literal sense, anyway. I've just been super busy, and before I knew it it had been over two weeks since my last blog post. Ouch.
But, things have been a mix of fun and stress lately. IUC is over--well, almost entirely. Classes have ended, and we took the test last Monday. I actually really appreciate the way IUC handles the exit test: for the written part in the morning, they give the exact same placement test that kicked our asses at the beginning of the program. Which makes it really easy to gauge how far you've come. Don't know how I did for sure yet--we find out at the final evaluation session on Friday--but it was SOOOOOOOOOOO much easier this time around! Especially the kanji section, because this time, I actually *knew* most of them! (^_^)d
So, all that's left now is the Final Presentations, which take place Tuesday and Wednesday, and then we'll be done for real!
I promise to post another, more detailed IUC wrap-up post later.

In other news....
On the Job Front:
I've been applying for jobs!!!! And starting to get some results. A lot of my resumes haven't been making it past the initial screening by the recruiting companies, but I actually had a real live interview last week (which sadly, also ended in a rejection, but!). It was an editorial position with a company that publishes textbooks to teach English. There was an interview, and a test, all in Japanese. See, it's standard practice for Japanese companies to administer a test as part of the interview/hiring process--and since they're designed to test the Japanese abilities of Japanese people, they're....um.... "hard" is something of an understatement.
But, it was a good experience, to sort of get the first Japanese-interview nerves out of the way a bit.
And even MORE importantly, I have another interview on Thursday! And this time, it's in English (i.e. I actually stand a fighting chance). This next interview is for an Editorial Assistant position with Metropolis, an English-language weekly magazine in Tokyo. It's an Arts & Entertainment, resaurant reviews type of thing, sort of Time-Out style. Crossing my fingers extra hard, cause this seems like it could be a really good thing.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted. And I promise to write more later, with some pictures and potentially some updates on the "fun" part of my last few weeks. But now for sleep, cause I have to get up in the morning to practice my presentation.

Lastly, finally getting around to changing the PV.
For the first time, I will be featuring the wonders of Japanese girl-idol groups. This one, Perfume, has recently taken IUC by storm, with their peppy blend of electronic-synthesized-pop.
The song is "Polyrhythm," which shot the group to fame after it was chosen to feature in...I kid you not... a recycling commercial.
See how long it takes before the synth makes your head explode. (^_~)