Moving Scams
If you're about to move or need to move, then watch out for the moving companies. Lots of them scam people, because the government agency that's supposed to help the consumer consists now of two people. Congress agreed to let that agency go in 1995. More details can be found on the listed link below.
Check out www.movingscam.com for more information about being alert and aware.
Also, check out the MSN article here
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Front mission 3
In an attempt to study Japanese, I found myself very unmotivated. I just couldn't open a book or read an article today. I'm getting really tired of studying kanji and not applying what I know. There's a point where you just want to do something different than the usual.
I've gotten my hands on a copy of Front mission 3, the Japanese version. If you're into strategy and into robots then I'd reccommend this game. Granted it probably doesn't compare to Mechwarrior for the X-Box, but if you like Final Fntasy, then you'll probably like this game.
Overall it's a pretty interesting game. Squaresoft, now Square-Enix, made some games with lots of depth and storyline. But reading the Japanese has gotten frustrating from time to time, because the kanji characters don't look as good as they do on paper. I've had to bust out my huge kanji dictionary and guess at how many strokes the kanji is from the blurry and sometimes omitted strokes on the tv. But it's all good. I just hit the button and read what I can.
The battles are pretty fun. They take about 10 minutes each and have a variety of weapons from missiles, shotguns, rifles, knuckles, grenades, etc. You equip each of them inbetween battles and can buy them off the internet in the game or shops that you come across. The game would be impossible or very hard to beat if the game acted as a real life situation. Let me explain.
1. Enemies further away start attacking after a certain amount of turns has passed
2. The missiles replenish after each battle
3. You can repair damaged parts or restore destroyed parts with certain items
4. Infinite ammo for guns
etc. etc.
Despite the unreal parts of the game, it still is a fun game. The bonuses in the game, such as pilot skills that your characters learn come in handy and make the game much more interesting. Skills such as "pilot damage", "1.5 times the damage added on", "tackle (for fists or knuckles)", etc.
Yeah, that's what I did all yesterday. Play that game. Too addicting, I must say. Anyway, I'd enjoy it a lot more if I understood more of the Japanese and didn't have to keep on looking up kanji in my dictionary. But, I'd rather play the Japanese version just in case they might have omitted something from the US version.
Anyway, I doubt anybody cares about this section. But yeah, if you're a FF gamer, then try Front mission 3. I hear Front mission 4 for the PS2 is not as good. Anyway, that's all from me. I have a long way to go.
In an attempt to study Japanese, I found myself very unmotivated. I just couldn't open a book or read an article today. I'm getting really tired of studying kanji and not applying what I know. There's a point where you just want to do something different than the usual.
I've gotten my hands on a copy of Front mission 3, the Japanese version. If you're into strategy and into robots then I'd reccommend this game. Granted it probably doesn't compare to Mechwarrior for the X-Box, but if you like Final Fntasy, then you'll probably like this game.
Overall it's a pretty interesting game. Squaresoft, now Square-Enix, made some games with lots of depth and storyline. But reading the Japanese has gotten frustrating from time to time, because the kanji characters don't look as good as they do on paper. I've had to bust out my huge kanji dictionary and guess at how many strokes the kanji is from the blurry and sometimes omitted strokes on the tv. But it's all good. I just hit the button and read what I can.
The battles are pretty fun. They take about 10 minutes each and have a variety of weapons from missiles, shotguns, rifles, knuckles, grenades, etc. You equip each of them inbetween battles and can buy them off the internet in the game or shops that you come across. The game would be impossible or very hard to beat if the game acted as a real life situation. Let me explain.
1. Enemies further away start attacking after a certain amount of turns has passed
2. The missiles replenish after each battle
3. You can repair damaged parts or restore destroyed parts with certain items
4. Infinite ammo for guns
etc. etc.
Despite the unreal parts of the game, it still is a fun game. The bonuses in the game, such as pilot skills that your characters learn come in handy and make the game much more interesting. Skills such as "pilot damage", "1.5 times the damage added on", "tackle (for fists or knuckles)", etc.
Yeah, that's what I did all yesterday. Play that game. Too addicting, I must say. Anyway, I'd enjoy it a lot more if I understood more of the Japanese and didn't have to keep on looking up kanji in my dictionary. But, I'd rather play the Japanese version just in case they might have omitted something from the US version.
Anyway, I doubt anybody cares about this section. But yeah, if you're a FF gamer, then try Front mission 3. I hear Front mission 4 for the PS2 is not as good. Anyway, that's all from me. I have a long way to go.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Sometimes you've got to say no
I have no idea why I was called to help someone move out three hours before they start to move tonight, but I was. Maybe it was because I'm a fairly big guy and can lift a good amount.
I sort of wanted to help out, yet didn't want to help out. I felt like my parents would go balistic if I just went out without telling them. So, I ask them and my mom is reluctant and says to ask my dad.
My dad is worried about this and that. They're good reasons, but it's obvious he doesn't want me to go.
I guess I feel kind of bad for not helping out, but still, if they had asked me during the day, I would have said yes right away. I have no idea why we didn't do it yesterday (Sunday) or during the day today. Hmm...
But my thinking is going, they probably weren't asked to do this until today. People willingly volunteered to help out tonight on such short notice. I say, despite the lack of planning, my pastor and other people who are helping are getting beyond good intentions. That, I say, when I find my own place, and start living on my own, I will do also. Right now, I don't have control of my life.
Thinking about things, there's times when you have to say no out of respect for the people who are helping you right now. But then again, I wonder if it wouldn't have been too much trouble to help out for a couple of hours.
Anyway, without any explanation at all and no background as to why this operation is happening at night and in the rain helps me to say no. I don't know if they're getting evicted, or if they move in the middle of the month (which is unlikely).
Still, regardless of this, people help out someone else just because they need help. I guess that's a lesson to learn despite how inconvenient it is. Anyway, got to not worry about it. I think that they have enough people to help out.
I have no idea why I was called to help someone move out three hours before they start to move tonight, but I was. Maybe it was because I'm a fairly big guy and can lift a good amount.
I sort of wanted to help out, yet didn't want to help out. I felt like my parents would go balistic if I just went out without telling them. So, I ask them and my mom is reluctant and says to ask my dad.
My dad is worried about this and that. They're good reasons, but it's obvious he doesn't want me to go.
I guess I feel kind of bad for not helping out, but still, if they had asked me during the day, I would have said yes right away. I have no idea why we didn't do it yesterday (Sunday) or during the day today. Hmm...
But my thinking is going, they probably weren't asked to do this until today. People willingly volunteered to help out tonight on such short notice. I say, despite the lack of planning, my pastor and other people who are helping are getting beyond good intentions. That, I say, when I find my own place, and start living on my own, I will do also. Right now, I don't have control of my life.
Thinking about things, there's times when you have to say no out of respect for the people who are helping you right now. But then again, I wonder if it wouldn't have been too much trouble to help out for a couple of hours.
Anyway, without any explanation at all and no background as to why this operation is happening at night and in the rain helps me to say no. I don't know if they're getting evicted, or if they move in the middle of the month (which is unlikely).
Still, regardless of this, people help out someone else just because they need help. I guess that's a lesson to learn despite how inconvenient it is. Anyway, got to not worry about it. I think that they have enough people to help out.
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Then, the drug dealers come around...
Drug dealers have apparently come close to home in our neighborhood. It's nothing new, but it's the first time that I've seen someone who actually deals drugs.
Drugs are nothing new in this neighborhood or in the schools that I went to. But I would like to keep drugs out of our neighborhood if possible.
At our high school, someone died from drugs and caused a ban of any type of drug at all. I thought that that was extreme, but the reality is, this stuff can really hurt you or other people. If it doesn't kill you, you'll end up damaged in some way from the junk put inside of that crap.
My old roommate could point out who he knew had tried marijuana or did drugs at the time in the year book of our senior year. I was pretty shocked that there were so many people who had done these things. He said about 70 percent of the senior class had tried drugs. People that I knew and some whom I respected had done stuff that was dangerous and stupid.
Drugs are nothing new, but man, these things ruin people's lives. What you put into your body can cause damage. Just look at Michael J. Fox! I heard a rumor that he got Parkinson's disease from doing drugs when he first started acting. I don't know if that's true, but the guy who told me is in medical school.
Anyway, if I see them again, then they'd better watch out, because I'm not afraid to call the police. hehe. But yeah, seriously, if you see anything out of the ordinary, don't be afraid to call the police. Better safe than sorry I always say.
What I will do is pray for them that they will change from this dispicable practice, or that they will come to see the error of their ways and change.
Jesus loves drug dealers too
Despite the evil in this world, God loves all people. Even drug dealers. I hope that God will be working in them to change them into people who will create something good instead of something harmful. Jesus ate with tax collectors, sinners, and prostitutes. He never did the same things they did, but He spent time with them, and they changed because of Him. That's real power, changing human hearts to be better people and live for God.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you should go out there and find people whom you can change for the better. That is noble, but it is dangerous. If you're not properly trained or with a missionary group of some kind, then you might get hurt. Bad things happen to good people too. Anyway, depending on your faith, you'll need to include God, and also be wise and safe. Jesus said when He sent out the 72, "Be shrewd as serpents, but as innnocent as doves". That's only part of what he said, but He's not calling you to be naive.
Anyway, be wise and not naive. I'll hold my tongue about these things. I really don't know who reads this, but, don't come to me looking for advice. You can't really find out how to live your life by reading someone else's blog. You've got to make your own life through what you have and where you need to go.
Drug dealers have apparently come close to home in our neighborhood. It's nothing new, but it's the first time that I've seen someone who actually deals drugs.
Drugs are nothing new in this neighborhood or in the schools that I went to. But I would like to keep drugs out of our neighborhood if possible.
At our high school, someone died from drugs and caused a ban of any type of drug at all. I thought that that was extreme, but the reality is, this stuff can really hurt you or other people. If it doesn't kill you, you'll end up damaged in some way from the junk put inside of that crap.
My old roommate could point out who he knew had tried marijuana or did drugs at the time in the year book of our senior year. I was pretty shocked that there were so many people who had done these things. He said about 70 percent of the senior class had tried drugs. People that I knew and some whom I respected had done stuff that was dangerous and stupid.
Drugs are nothing new, but man, these things ruin people's lives. What you put into your body can cause damage. Just look at Michael J. Fox! I heard a rumor that he got Parkinson's disease from doing drugs when he first started acting. I don't know if that's true, but the guy who told me is in medical school.
Anyway, if I see them again, then they'd better watch out, because I'm not afraid to call the police. hehe. But yeah, seriously, if you see anything out of the ordinary, don't be afraid to call the police. Better safe than sorry I always say.
What I will do is pray for them that they will change from this dispicable practice, or that they will come to see the error of their ways and change.
Jesus loves drug dealers too
Despite the evil in this world, God loves all people. Even drug dealers. I hope that God will be working in them to change them into people who will create something good instead of something harmful. Jesus ate with tax collectors, sinners, and prostitutes. He never did the same things they did, but He spent time with them, and they changed because of Him. That's real power, changing human hearts to be better people and live for God.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you should go out there and find people whom you can change for the better. That is noble, but it is dangerous. If you're not properly trained or with a missionary group of some kind, then you might get hurt. Bad things happen to good people too. Anyway, depending on your faith, you'll need to include God, and also be wise and safe. Jesus said when He sent out the 72, "Be shrewd as serpents, but as innnocent as doves". That's only part of what he said, but He's not calling you to be naive.
Anyway, be wise and not naive. I'll hold my tongue about these things. I really don't know who reads this, but, don't come to me looking for advice. You can't really find out how to live your life by reading someone else's blog. You've got to make your own life through what you have and where you need to go.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Studying for the Noryoku shiken
Okay, so I've put off studying for today. I will get to it after I finish writing this.
Anyway, I was taking the third part of the Japanese Proficiency test from one of the old tests and realized that this third part starts out with articles from a newspaper. They asked questions about what a certain phrase meant according to the context.
I found that interesting, because it reminded me of the tests that we were given in grade school. Questions that aren't really hard, but ask if you are paying attention to what you read. Some good books will not spell out everything for you but get you to find out what they're talking about.
It took me a long time to get some of the answers for the first 14 questions. Then I skipped to 41, the last section of the third part and tried to salvage what easy questions I could. So basically, I failed the practice test. heh. I guess it's harder than it looks.
But, I'm hopeful that I can get a good score if I study long enough and pay attention to what I'm studying. I've bought some books to help me prepare for the test, but the real test looks like it will come in the form of the newspaper articles.
Ugh...
I read an article in the Japanese newspaper about a girl who murdered her classmate because her classmate took her diary and gave it to everyone in the class. I first saw the article on GC's website. Reading the same exact article a couple months later in Japanese shocked me a second time as I was looking up the Chinese characters (kanji) for the words in the article. The girls were 12 (murdered), and 11 (person who did the deed). It's sad. What is this world turning into?
I think that they were saying that the center still can't fathom this act, in the article. I can't either. However, the things that kids are seeing on the media could be a factor in why they do things like this at an early age.
Kids are very impressionable, and they do take in things that they see and hear. I guess the media can't be all to blame. There are probably other factors not seen in the article. Anyway, I'm going to get studying again.
Okay, so I've put off studying for today. I will get to it after I finish writing this.
Anyway, I was taking the third part of the Japanese Proficiency test from one of the old tests and realized that this third part starts out with articles from a newspaper. They asked questions about what a certain phrase meant according to the context.
I found that interesting, because it reminded me of the tests that we were given in grade school. Questions that aren't really hard, but ask if you are paying attention to what you read. Some good books will not spell out everything for you but get you to find out what they're talking about.
It took me a long time to get some of the answers for the first 14 questions. Then I skipped to 41, the last section of the third part and tried to salvage what easy questions I could. So basically, I failed the practice test. heh. I guess it's harder than it looks.
But, I'm hopeful that I can get a good score if I study long enough and pay attention to what I'm studying. I've bought some books to help me prepare for the test, but the real test looks like it will come in the form of the newspaper articles.
Ugh...
I read an article in the Japanese newspaper about a girl who murdered her classmate because her classmate took her diary and gave it to everyone in the class. I first saw the article on GC's website. Reading the same exact article a couple months later in Japanese shocked me a second time as I was looking up the Chinese characters (kanji) for the words in the article. The girls were 12 (murdered), and 11 (person who did the deed). It's sad. What is this world turning into?
I think that they were saying that the center still can't fathom this act, in the article. I can't either. However, the things that kids are seeing on the media could be a factor in why they do things like this at an early age.
Kids are very impressionable, and they do take in things that they see and hear. I guess the media can't be all to blame. There are probably other factors not seen in the article. Anyway, I'm going to get studying again.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Nihon...ka? (Japan...)
Okay, so I just signed up for the Japanese proficiency test level 2, level 1 being the toughest. They ask you how many class hours have you put in? Man, it's crazy how many I've put it. I should be fluent by those number of hours, but, I'm not.
I used to love Japan so much as a kid. Going to college and experiencing how good things can be in the US has changed that love in my heart from "a love of Japan only", to "a love for the US and Japan". I've been exposed to the bad history of the US and Japan from classes that I've taken. Seeing Japan and America at their worst has given me ideas that things could be worse in my life. Definitely things could be worse than they are now.
Back to why I'm writing about these things...
For some reason, I've always saw my identity in Japan. After college, my identity changed. It's no longer in Japan anymore. But part of me still feels a connection with that old identity. And part of me has no idea where I'm headed now that my identity has changed. I've changed for now...but, it might change back to what it previously was, only different than before.
Reality shakes people up. It causes doubt, uncertainty, and redirection (if you weren't on the right direction before). It's different for everyone though. But ultimately, I believe that if you know what is right, it will cause a next step. I've seen that Japan, like any place it has its share of difficulties. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stay there long term, but I think that even though I don't want to go, I should. I've gotten too comfortable here.
The proficiency test will be a way of testing how I'd be able to hold up in Japan. As of right now, I can barely make myself understood to my conversation partner, because I just do not have a way of hearing and learning how people speak Japanese. I have anime, which I watched for about 6 hours with and w/o subtitles today. Also TV and cassette tapes which I can listen to, but other than that, I think that if I am to use Japanese, I'll need to go to Japan.
We'll see if it's possible. Maybe this is just talk right now. But as of now, I'm going to put a lot of effort into learning Japanese. And of course, I'll need to find a job as well.
I don't plan on staying in Japan forever though. I don't think that I could stand it being that things are so different over there. It's a nice place to visit, but a hard place to live, in my opinion. But we'll see. Maybe a year or two would be good for me.
Okay, so I just signed up for the Japanese proficiency test level 2, level 1 being the toughest. They ask you how many class hours have you put in? Man, it's crazy how many I've put it. I should be fluent by those number of hours, but, I'm not.
I used to love Japan so much as a kid. Going to college and experiencing how good things can be in the US has changed that love in my heart from "a love of Japan only", to "a love for the US and Japan". I've been exposed to the bad history of the US and Japan from classes that I've taken. Seeing Japan and America at their worst has given me ideas that things could be worse in my life. Definitely things could be worse than they are now.
Back to why I'm writing about these things...
For some reason, I've always saw my identity in Japan. After college, my identity changed. It's no longer in Japan anymore. But part of me still feels a connection with that old identity. And part of me has no idea where I'm headed now that my identity has changed. I've changed for now...but, it might change back to what it previously was, only different than before.
Reality shakes people up. It causes doubt, uncertainty, and redirection (if you weren't on the right direction before). It's different for everyone though. But ultimately, I believe that if you know what is right, it will cause a next step. I've seen that Japan, like any place it has its share of difficulties. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stay there long term, but I think that even though I don't want to go, I should. I've gotten too comfortable here.
The proficiency test will be a way of testing how I'd be able to hold up in Japan. As of right now, I can barely make myself understood to my conversation partner, because I just do not have a way of hearing and learning how people speak Japanese. I have anime, which I watched for about 6 hours with and w/o subtitles today. Also TV and cassette tapes which I can listen to, but other than that, I think that if I am to use Japanese, I'll need to go to Japan.
We'll see if it's possible. Maybe this is just talk right now. But as of now, I'm going to put a lot of effort into learning Japanese. And of course, I'll need to find a job as well.
I don't plan on staying in Japan forever though. I don't think that I could stand it being that things are so different over there. It's a nice place to visit, but a hard place to live, in my opinion. But we'll see. Maybe a year or two would be good for me.
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