Enjoy Japanese: They Have Cute Characters

If you're new to learning the Japanese way of writing, know that there are four types of writing that is used in Japanese: Kanji, hiragana, katakana, and Romaji, which is the Latin alphabet that we all already know. Hiragana and katakana altogether is referred to as kana.

If I were to pick which one of these four that I enjoyed learning the most, it would definitely be hiragana. Mostly because of their aesthetic appearance, and how they're just so distinctly Japanese. So hiragana is what I'll be featuring in this post.

I learned these the generic way too - PRACTICE. Really, I too wished I had an amazing shortcut to store all these characters in my head at once.

Well, without further ado, let me expose you to the wondrous characters of hiragana!

Random Rant #1: Pronunciation of My Name?

Hey there!

A while ago I was surfing the web and out of the blue, thought to search for the meaning behind my name. But I was dumbfounded when the other Alicia's who commented on the page said that they HATED it when their names were read the way I've always read my name.

Just in case you haven't already seen the profile on the right side and read the first paragraph up there, my name is Alicia.

I've always pronounced it "A-LEE-SHEE-AH", with the "SH" sound clearly emphasized. But according to said website and other Alicia's around the globe, it's pronounced "A-LEE-SEE-AH".

So does this mean that all my life, I've been pronouncing my own name wrongly?

I've never had a problem with the "SH" pronunciation. In fact, people rarely ever call me by my real name cause I go by a variety of nicknames. Even my own mom switches back and forth between the two pronunciations when she decides to call me by my name (which is a rare occasion). I've also had my fair share of spelling mishaps.

Although indeed, thinking about the phonics of where I live, it's easier for people to call me by the "A-LEE-SEE-AH" pronunciation. I wouldn't have doubts about it if my name was Alisia and not Alicia.

Now I am faced with the fact that this seemingly foreign pronunciation might be the correct way to read my name. The possibility that to the countless relatives and people that I've met, I may have, every single time, introduced myself incorrectly. Am I really someone who can't pronounce her name right? And it's not even that weird a name.

I don't know anything anymore. I won't blame you if you fail to see how dire of a situation this is, but I will definitely appreciate your opinion! How would you pronounce my name? Help me! Comment!

アリシア ← Even this is read A-REE-SHEE-AH

Now listening: Yasashisa no Riyuu (優しさの理由) - ChouCho

Picture source: http://twiinklex.com/tag/meme/

Essential Korean Phrases for Travel

Hi!

So you might have read from my last post, that I've recently been to Seoul. Technically it was a four-day "transit" so we didn't stay very long. It was my first time in Korea, and although the weather was far from desirable (more like a tourist's worst nightmare really) it didn't stop us from enjoying the sights of Seoul. Except for the Namsan Tower. Guess we'll have to come back for that! (haha ;D) I would love to explore Korea more in the future (not just Seoul).

Now for what the post is all about!

Btw: I'm a learner of Korean, not a native speaker. However, I am a fellow traveller/learner, so here I am sharing my knowledge with you :D Here are some essential phrases you might want to keep in mind as a tourist in Korea!

* "Key Words" are the most crucial/focal words of the sentences.

1. 화장실이 어디에요? (hwa-jang-shil-i eo-di-e-yo?) = Where is the toilet?

2. 길을 잃어버렸어요. (gil-eul ee-reo-beo-ryeo-sseo-yo) = I've lost my way.

3. 길을 좀 가르쳐주세요. (gil-eul jom ga-reu-chyeo-ju-se-yo) = Please show (lit. tell/teach) me the way.

Recap of Summer 2013 - My Favourite Places

Hey!

Finally I'm back! I was very busy taking care of school and other matters. Plus I had some problems with my pictures and weren't able to upload them on the site :(

This post will also be dedicated to my summer trip, although I know it's long over. Within the course of 31 days, my family and I went to Canada, Florida, and Seoul :)
The title is self-explanatory. Here's a list of my most favorite places during the trip, in no particular order:

1. Walt Disney World Epcot, Orlando

What looks like the world's biggest golf ball is actually Spaceship Earth, the symbol of Epcot.

Actually I really loved all the parks in WDW. I'm a big Disney girl. I grew up watching the Disney classics, my favourite being "Mulan". I spent my birthday in Epcot, and although at first I was a little doubtful of whether it was the right place to go to that day, I swallowed up all my hesitation as soon as I saw the world showcase across the lake.

If I had to rank the ones I visited, it would be: Epcot, with Magic Kingdom a close second, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.

My favorite Epcot pavilion? Japan. (Yes I'm partly biased) I also loved France!! It was so beautiful :D

However, biased as I am, it is not without reason. Let me tell you why!

Miyuki Sugimori, also known as Candy Miyuki, a candy artist. She's the only female candy artist in existence. We were marveling at her skilled hands sculpting a white taffy dough into various animals, each done in less than a minute. I requested a purple unicorn. See the picture below :)

In addition, the staff at one of the Japanese restaurants we ate at sang to me and gave me a slice of cake with a candle on top, plus a pink origami ring which was really cute. I also got to see the 4th of July fireworks display. Left me speechless.

2. Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls City

I was presented with a most wonderful sight when I arrived at Horseshoe Falls. I was in awe at the sight of it roaring its way down, crashing down at the water below. Simply one of the most wonderful things I'd ever seen. We bought the full adventure pack and experienced everything Niagara: Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk, and Niagara's Fury.

Later in the day, a full rainbow appeared, and our cameras were snapping away despite the struggle of the attacking mist.

For more Niagara Falls pictures, please check out Summer 2013: Niagara Falls

3. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando

So far my favorite land of the park. I adored the way it was made. I felt like I was really in a snow-capped town in winter even though it was a burning hot summer day. It's also home to one of the best rides I'd ever been on - Harry Potter the Forbidden Journey. Totally awesome!! We were lucky enough to be able to ride it twice!

I LOVED the Butterbeer there (you should definitely try it). It's pretty sweet, but not sweet enough that you it would make you sick. I'm not that big on sweet stuff myself, but I just had to buy another one because I loved it so much. I personally preferred the frozen one over the regular one :)

For all Harry Potter fans (and non-fans all the same), this is a must-visit place!

Summer 2013: Niagara Falls

Hey there!

Seeing Niagara Falls in person was breathtaking. A lot of people have said that the views from the Canadian side is better, although I can't exactly attest to that because I haven't seen the falls from the American side. Tell me what it's like in the comments if you've been here or the American side!

We were blessed to see a full rainbow over the falls in the afternoon. Truly, it was a wonder and a sight that we would never forget.

The beautiful Horseshoe Falls and all the spectators. 

Summer 2013: Toronto

Hi!

In this post I'll be sharing more about my trip to Canada. Now on to the capital, Toronto! 

Toronto was a awesome place to be in. It lived up to its title, and was bustling with people. Although there were some traffic jams every now and then, they're definitely nothing like the ones in Jakarta :P

Here are some pictures from our trip :)

Toronto Zoo! This zoo was HUGE and had a lot of animals from various parts of the world. Though we walked out with tired feet (like we did every day during the whole trip), it was definitely worth it. A few of the animals we saw were gorillas, cool reptiles, penguins, rhinos, and a Komodo dragon. We also saw a wombat. I love marsupials! They're so fluffy I'm gonna diee!! XD There were also a few peacocks (I believe we saw three that day) that popped out in random places throughout the zoo, and it was fun to see them strutting their (sadly closed) tails, blending with the humans like it's nobody's business :D We got to see some white lions, which was a quite the rare sight :)

At the queue (yes, there is a queue) for the Giant Panda Experience. The zoo has just recently revealed to the public their two newly-arrived pandas Da Mao and Er Shun, the latter being the female. Both are on loan until 2018.

BUT. Both were sleeping! :-/ Well, pandas sleep more often than not anyway. Smaller than I thought they would be, but still adorable :3

Wise-looking orangutan. It was so playful, and I stood there for a while just admiring its strong arms. Another one was sitting near the window, having a staring contest with a kid :)

Ontario Science Centre :) A lot of interesting and informative exhibits. There's also a rainforest-like enclosure with some colorful venomous frogs on display.

 Toronto's CN Tower :D

The view from a point on the observation deck. There was a game about to go on in that stadium there, and it was filling up pretty quickly. It looks empty here, but after we explored the area some more and came back to this point, the stadium was pretty much full already.

The glass floor. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a teeny bit scared :P

Casa Loma! Former home of Sir Henry Pellatt. Due to financial misfortune, he was forced to abandon this mansion. Among my favorite parts of the mansion were the room with Chinoiserie, Lady Pellatt's room, and surprisingly, the underground tunnels.

Summer 2013: Vancouver

Hi there!

More delays. I know. Once again I apologize *bows*

So I've recently went on a 31-day trip with my family to Canada, America, and Korea. I had an AH-MAZING time. My birthday was also unlike anything I'd ever expected :D

We took some 15 000 pictures, and some are just pure stunners - the kind that makes you start playing Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" in your head :') and here I am to share some of these marvelous pics with you! And also to show my friends the highlights of the trip.

Welcome to Part 1 of the Best Summer Eva 2013 series of blog posts! Part 1 shall consist of the first city we visited in Canada - Vancouver!

I loved Vancouver :D My whole family did. Quite the laid-back city, and we really liked that. The weather was a bit chilly for summer, but it was all good. I'm not that much of a hot weather person myself, so I didn't mind it in the least. So here are some more pics to show you what I saw in Beautiful British Columbia's largest city!

Japadog. A must-try if you pass by the cart while it's open. Instead of the usual mustard-and-ketchup 

combo in the regular hot dog, a Japadog contains onions, teriyaki sauce, mayo, and seaweed. I happen to be a huge fan of Japanese food so I immediately jumped at the chance to try this :9 The sausage was out of this world! So warm and juicy.

Poutine is a Canadian dish that consists of french fries, hot gravy and chunks of cheese. I loved this, as I am a fan of gravy and cheese. I found that the ones we had at the cafeteria at the Ontario Science Centre were the best! Very generous on the gravy and cheese. Yum :9

My First Novel!

Hi!

As I've previously mentioned in my last blog entry, I'd been busy writing my first novel.

I'm ecstatic to announce that it is now complete and the first eight chapters have been posted on Wattpad! :D
 
I'm so excited to have finally finished my first book!! Please do check it out, and leave comments/give votes. It's very important for me to know because I do want to become a better writer! If you are a fellow Wattpad user, I may read your story and/or follow back when requested :)

 

Me on Multitasking

Greetings!

I have irresponsibly abandoned my blog for two months.

Surely one will find this excuse overused, but I'm busy. I'm not kidding though, I really am. I'll have you know that I am writing my second book. (See, gap year students are not without activities)

Here I am about to go on yet another ramble about life skills, qualified or not. :)

A month ago, I decided I had to get back on my laptop and stop killing zombies on another computer, where my brother's stash of snacks are at reach. So, I decided to put on hold my trilogy project and work on a single, sequel-free book for now. I also challenged myself to finish it in one month. The rule was simple - a chapter a day. Surprisingly it's going really well, with only one more chapter to go! :D

I am a student in my gap year, therefore I find it crucial that I learn to manage my time properly. Of course, nothing is ever easy at first. But there is always hope, and clouds have silver linings. Feel free to come up with any other saying that elaborate on the existence of hope.

So, anyway, today blog post is about the vital life skill of multitasking.

In the workforce or school (maybe just life in general), people expect you to be everything they want you to be. They will want you to do many things at once, but will not want you to be so frizzed out you go for sick leave and trouble them. Thus, they will want you to be a multitasking humanoid.

Nobody is born with it. It is an acquired skill, perfected through years and years of practice, self-motivation through guilt, and numerous guilt-inducing snack bars.

There are various kinds of multitasking. Allow me to show you three of the more prominent forms. (Note: Difficulty decreases with number)

1. The Good Kind of Multitasking

What parents expect their hardworking children to do. The utilisation of a laptop as a learning tool is shown. In this form of multitasking, one is expected to take notes, search the Internet for information, memorise facts, and cover as many subjects as possible within a short time frame.

If possible, they want you to do your homework while studying for that test you have tomorrow. For that you'd need to possess a multiprocessor brain, of course.

Language Learning: The Art of Perseverance

Hello again!

You know, I learned something today. (Yes, one of my current pastimes)

It's not easy to get rid of a bad habit. In this post I shall talk about this one: giving up too quickly. This is a topic that is close to my heart. Let me just say, in all honesty, that I'm not one to speak when it comes to this. There, I've said it.

It's always easier to talk about how you want to improve. Talk is cheap.

There are still times when I experience a sudden loss of motivation/interest in a particular language (I'm looking at you, Chinese). You can say my interest sort of fluctuates if it's not strong.

This is why I can be prone to stopping after learning a few basic phrases.