This day undone

I am supposed to be preparing for a mock job interview test on Monday (For JP writing class. That's right, WRITING class) but I've been procrastinating for 2 days now, so I think a little more procrastination by writing this blog wouldn't hurt that much.

I got a small package with a college name printed T-shirt and a ceramic cup yesterday from a friend in Vermont. Oh, and a letter that started with "How have you been, dear?" and ended with a drawing heart. Sweet, isn't it? This is probably more sweet than what my boyfriend would do, a kind of person who said "Sorry, but writing a letter is not my kind of thing" (though he did write me one *gasp*) He is always a bit mad when I mention the stereotype of engineering students who are not good with words and expressing their feelings and when I said "feelings can't be explained like physics, you know?" he answered "think of me as a robot, why don't you?"

Sorry, too much information here. I just wanted to say there's always some truth in stereotypes, more or less.

I just finished midterms. Overall it was okay. Japanese advance reading was pretty easy, so easy that I thought it wasn't worth the time I spent studying, even though I did not stay up until 2-3 AM studying like some of my friends. Japanese tourism, that one speaking test when I had to go to campus before 7.30 AM, was also pretty good. I wasn't that nervous and could give Ayuttaya period in Thai history presentation like I had wanted to.

I did turn my business card upside down during roleplay in Business Japanese though, and this is like...MAJOR mistake for business culture in Japan. I felt almost like I should have performed Harakiri for making this stupid mistake. And there was a disastrous moment (or moments) in translation exam, which we had to translate the description of some sort of local instrument in northern part of Thailand that I'm pretty positive that 90% of Thai people wouldn't know it exists. Out of curiosity, afterwards I Googled the instrument's name "Nae" to see what it looks like, but instead what I got from my search was pictures of "Nat", a Thai porn star performing various positions with men. No jokes. One minute I was confused why I got boobs all over my screen before the realization settled in. See, I told you this instrument is pretty much non-existent.

I plan to finish a lot of assignments within this week; 4 articles on translation homework ( I do think the Sensei mistook us as a translation machine, not human), a presentation in Japanese modern novel class on Nagai Kafu.What? You've never heard of Nagai Kafu? Neither have I. But I'll have to find out about him soon. I probably have more homework/assignments to do but can't think of them now. I want to finish things in advance because the boyfriend is coming to visit soon. I don't want to sound too obsessive by counting down the days so...Well, okay, in 8 days. EIGHT DAYS!!! Now don't make me start counting down the hours...

I've found some favorite things this week!! (Why do I sound so excited out of a sudden?) First, it's the novel One day by David Nicholls. Beautiful story of two people and I finished the book in about a day. It's not a chick lit either so I feel quite proud of myself. Second, it's the song Santa Fe by Beirut. Go listen if you haven't yet! A Candle's Fire is pretty awesome too if you ask me. Third, the short story Yabu No Naka by Akutagawa Ryunosuke, something that left me puzzle and want to ask Akutagawa himself what the truth behind the story is.