Big smiles all around...

[akujunkan]

...for the students I coached last week, who all passed their interview tests and got into their high schools of choice. This is a big freaking deal in this country, and very competitive. My face hurt from grinning with these kids, who all came up to me with glowing eyes to thank me for helping them. And really, I didn't do that much - just corrected their grammatical mistakes and ran through loads of practice interviews with them. It really is a confidence thing more than anything else, I think, because I have my doubts as to whether or not the people interviewing them are aware of correct English grammar in many cases.

I'm now teaching two private Japanese lessons - one beginner level and one 2kyuu level. It's actually quite fun, and I enjoy it much more than teaching English. It's fun watching my students catch on after I've explained something to them, as well as a great grammar and kanji review opportunity to boot. My father is hell bent on me being a university professor and takes this as another sign of the inevitable, but I'm not certain how similar the two are; after all, private students are much more motivated than people filling a language requirement in a lecture hall of 75 students.

In other news, damn microsuck and their insecurity patch 2, which has cursed my computer with a firewall I don't want and can't seem to turn off, with the added bonus of a system crash every 3-5 minutes. This makes computer gameplay and internet browsing hell. It recently took me over 90 minutes to limp through about 10 minutes of gameplay. Man, does that suck. Oh, and that thing where the service pack automatically wipes out my older version of windows media player and replaces it with a version that sends information about all the media files on my HD to microsuck and also sets itself "as the default player for playing your digital media content, including music, videos, CDs, and DVDs" in the process, thus causing winamp, quicktime, divx, and all my other preferred media players to crash in the bargain? Way not cool.

And finally, to all the Spanish speakers out there - I'm hoping one of you can help me out. I'm trying to find information on an Andian folk song on a mixed CD we used to listen to at work. The English translation of the title was "I Am Sad and Alone," but I can't seem to pull up anything relevant with a google search, and I really, really want to find a CD with this song on it so I can buy it and listen to it again. (I believe the actual title was something like "Triste et Solidad" - you there; stop laughing at my crappy Latin/Spanish.) Does this ring any sort of bells with anyone?

That will be all.

Comments

[jewel12281.livejournal.com]

so i know we haven't talked in a bazillion years, but i think i may have figured out your song.

there's one called "recuerdos, tristeza y soledad" which means "memories, sadness and solitude". it may or may not be what you're after.

hope this helps.

oh, and this is thea holsman, btw.

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Oh, heya! What are you up to these days? Anyway, thanks for the song - it's more than I was pulling up on my own. I'll check it out once I'm home & hopefully it'll be what I'm looking for.

REJOICE!

[amasugiru.livejournal.com]

For I have found your camera! The woodland critters stole it and hid it under/beside my bed. I think you might have put it there and I didn't notice it when I folded the bed down. Gomen!

Re: REJOICE!

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Excellent. I was really worried - the naked pictures could have very easily destroyed my good name, you see.

Of course, the question is, how will it find its way back home?

Oh, and HAIL SATAN!

[metal-dog5.livejournal.com]

Check your email - I've sent you some walkthrough things which may help with the firewall and WMP. Your other players should have the option to make them the default media player under their options/preferences panel.

ttyl

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Thanks a bajillion - I'll check them out at work tomorrow when I can print them off. Interesting thing about the fucking wa-- I mean, firewall, is that it automatically turns itself back on even when I turn it off. ::sob:: bill gates, why do you hate me so?

[metal-dog5.livejournal.com]

If it does it again, I will ask the brain coral Peter if he knows how to remove the bloody thing.

::hugs::

[ishuka.livejournal.com]

when i move to Japan, may i join your Japanese lessons? XD

... that is, if i ever as soon as i graduate from college >.>;;

compy problems suck T____T mine has been dead for weeks now. >.>;;

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! I love meeting SD fans in the flesh:) College is tough, but you'll miss it once you're out - I do! What are you studying, btw?

[ishuka.livejournal.com]

hmmm... long story ^^;; but to cut it short, i took up economics but i shifted. so now i'm taking up marketing. business courses are what my parents want me to take up.

... i wanted to do fine arts/multimedia arts or literature, but what the heck. i'll think about it after i graduate ^^;;