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Nyan!
And so it’s drawing nearer – the 2009. In 6 hours the clock will chime 00.00 and the year of the cow will begin. Time to summarise and evaluate what one has accomplished during the fading 2008.
It’s boring to brag here just for oneself – but I can’t help but be impressed with my own accomplishments – relocated to Japan, achieved Japanese 3kyu in roughly 7 months, and in December was offered a position within a Japanese outsourcing company.
All this sounds impressive indeed, however one’s own head is never satisfied – I didn’t have a chance to travel and photograph as much as I wanted and long awaited EOS 5D Mark II is so far out of reach, I haven’t had a chance to play records with my friends here in Nagoya. I neither had a chance to spend the time with my family nor minimise the time I spend with imbeciles….
…but what is the coming year without goals?
Happy New 2009! May all your wishes come true (just be careful what you wish for!)…
I have been to few clubs in Nagoya but never managed to write anything about those. Perhaps it is a right time now.
Nagoya today has a rather interesting club scene which reminds me a lot of Stockholm at the time I was residing there. Well, there are certain differences.
Dropped by new Canon Plaza in Nagoya today in order to calibrate my horrid 16-35mm F2.8L USM and had a chance to play around with the new EOS 5D Mark II. I was not allowed to use the CF card I had with me and only able to share this with you in words.
First impressions are very positive:
Start-up is a bit slow, with “Sensor Cleaning” message popping up. Likely to be disabled through Custom Functions, I however did not have enough time to venture there.
Shutter trigger is not spongy at all (something quite a few 5D users experienced). The body is rather heavy especially with the 24-105mm kit lens attached, however very ergonomic. Daily using 350D I struggled to find the power switch to my great embarrassment – I would personally prefer it to be located in a manner similar to 350D/400D/450D bodies, but this is individual.
The menu navigation using the dial and joystick (both located at the back) is a bit tricky at first, but something one can easily get used to after few days of shooting. Although I shot in Full Manual mode, I had to choose neutral preset in the menu to disable all in-camera PP.
The screen is simply great. Initially being sceptic towards the LiveView I found it very handy and am really looking forward to using it in the future.
Image quality (IQ) is great and equally the colour reproduction. It felt as one could almost do A1 prints straight from the camera with no post-processing. The IQ is obviously affected by the lens’s optical quality and the kit EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM is contributing well.
As I am not interested in the video recording capabilities of the 5D MkII, I haven’t tested it at all.
Overall impression is exciting. I didn’t have a chance to use the original 5D and obviously cannot compare both side by side. I had a chance to compare the 5D Mark II with the 1DS Mark III and must say that my preference is with the first. 1DS MkIII stuns with the price tag, focus points, and AF intelligence (actually less than intelligent as many already experienced) but the 5D MkII has better overall feel to it. Don’t call me on this one – it’s just a personal preference.
I posted previously the official Canon 5D MkII demonstration dates and if you are in Japan around that time you have a good chance to play with it yourself.
It looks as if I have spoken to soon. JLPT2 exam is only once a year – every December. And registration for the test is available from August to September 7th of each year. So, I guess I will have to remain at level 3 for now.
So, just to summarize the requirements for JLPT2: 1000 kanji, 6000 words (equivalent to 600 hours study). The test itself consists of total 3 parts at 400 pts:
The test is absolutely not impossible, however in order to fully understand the word structure and successfully apply it one needs to think more like Japanese. So far all Western grammatical logic failed to deliver the meaning.
Time to get busy.
It has been 8 months since I relocated to Japan. So far language study proved to be rather challenging indeed. To be fair Japanese language is of a rather challenging type, yet I can’t help but occasionally question my language abilities and whether I am truly trying hard.
About a month ago I finished JLPT3 or 3kyu if you will, and so now the task of attempting JLPT2 or 2kyu as it is referred to, is dawning. Level 2 Japanese is a most common language requirement for those who wish to emerge onto a path of working in Japan in industry other than teaching foreign language.
Personally I refuse to become a language teacher due to few very obvious reasons. Firstly, English is not my mother tongue, albeit I master it to native level. Second, I lack teaching experience. Finally, the salary is not good enough to support my luxurious lifestyle. And as it turns out by moving to Japan I embarked on an adventure of a lifetime (probably my last).
JLPT2 requirements in my understanding are: Minimum 1000 characters (kanji), approximately 6000 words in vocabulary. Not to mention grammar and expressions. If you are curious about all the required characters, visit http://www.yamasa.org/ocjs/english/programs/jlpt_kanji2.html page and have a look. Keep in mind that most of the kanji has got 2 or more readings.
The national test is held twice a year in December and June and I am aiming to attend the December 2008 one. Will I pass? Who knows, but I certainly want to give it a go.
Should I pass the test, I believe I can feel proud of mastering one of the most difficult languages from scratch in less than a year….
It’s typical isn’t it? You sit in front of your PC and press F5 with Canon site open in order to get the news on the new 5D and nothing happens. But as soon as you decide to go to Gifu for a day, Canon will make a breakthrough announce!
When I bought this little cute Bonsai tree, I was told that it flowers every June, however only once a year. Imagine my surprise when few days ago the little guy started sprouting flowers. The flowers are few – so far I counted only 4 of them. It is a rather nice surpise. I take it the plant likes it’s new home.
I must say that most difficult part of looking after the bonsai tree is watering it correctly and making sure it receives right amount of sunshine. Additionally, there is moss growing near the root of the tree and requires less sunshine and more moisture. This adds to trickiness of keeping them both happy.
Last sunday I visited Centrair, Aichi for the first time since my arrival in Japan (back in February 2008) in hope to acquire my favorite sweets – Kurikinton (chestnuts mashed with sugar). Traditionally, those are enjoyed with green tea throughout autumn. Unfortunately, they are still not on sale yet and so a box of “Raisin Sand” had to suffice.
These sweets native to Nagoya has very little to do with sand, instead Japanese “sand” is nothing other than shortened English “sandwich”. Each of the sweets is a two soft buttery biscuits with a creamy filling between. The usual variety can be easily obtained in many gift shops around Nagoya – particularly in the massive underground shopping centre in Sakae. Once bought they should be consumed within 2 weeks.
This particular variety deviates slightly from the original due to addition of raisins. Box can be only purchased in Centrair (possibly in Toyota City), so if you are passing through I would recommend grabbing a box or two, as it is not only enjoyable to eat yourself but also makes an excellent gift. Price for 12pcs box is 1550 Yen, alternatively 1050 Yen for 8pcs box and 550 yen for 4pcs box (although the latter escaped my attention).
Happy Munching…
Last Sunday my in-laws and me visited Tokoname, Aichi (near Centrair airport). The Tokoname Boat Racing centre was turned into a pottery fair. To be fair (no pun intended) it was a rather modest fair market type of fair sporting pots, vases, mugs, etc. Tokoname is famous for pottery, and besides all sorts of pottery a fair deal of Tanuki and Manekineko were on display. Tokoname is proud of it’s huge Manekineko statue, which recently became famous thanks to “Nanikore Chin Hyakkei” variety show.
If you are stuck in Centrair waiting for some reason, and maybe you even brought your camera with a tele-zoom, visiting boat racing grounds during the show can be fun. It is only one train station and about 15 minutes walk away…
But, in order not to deviate from the topic for much longer – I bought a Bonsai tree. His newly acquired name is Tomodachi-kun (The Friend). So far, he (indeed “a he”) is living next to my computer screen in a rather modest fashion. He is not a whingeing type, although is not very talkative either, I must admit.
Today we had a first photo shoot. Being an excellent model, he understood straight away what the photographer was after and did his best trying not to move much around. I think it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship…
