Christmas soon ok it's almost x-mas and a lot of things have happened. I will post about the K1 World GP event I went to see early this month as soon as I get the photos from our Icelandic friend.

school is taking up much of my time.. Japanese homework everyday.. + meeting all kinds of people, going out eating, drinking, "normal life."

went x-mas shopping today. found lots of nice things, for once. I can't stop being amazed by all the young ladies in shorts (extremely short) or miniskirts.. it's not below 0 degrees, but still damn cold! it causes a conflict in my small brain; is it sexy or just stupid?

good times either way.. just two more days of school before the winter holidays, which last until january 8th. haven't planned to do anything special, I just want to relax.. sleep until late, play some computer games, maybe go out to drink or eat or do a bit of shopping (since I'm in dire need of new clothes).

a question ppl often ask me is "how is your Japanese?"
I guess I'm much better than when I got here in August, naturally, but I've still a long way to go. I'm starting to feel comfortable in most everyday situations, as I understand at least the basic message in most situations where someone is talking directly to me.
reading is still a problem, however, with all those damn kanji characters, but I'm steadily memorizing more each week, so I'm pretty sure that by the end of my stay here I'll be able to read manga and novels without much trouble.

most other foreign students I've met seem to be more reluctant to speak Japanese, so I suppose I've become more confident.. I rather say something gramatically incorrect (or just plain weird) than keep quiet. speaking to Japanese people, whether friends or strangers, always teaches me a few more things. if I'm unsure of a word or expression, I can usually get them to tell me the proper word, which really helps to speed up my learning process.

ok like I said, I'll write more soon.. oh yeah, it was my birthday on Dec 1st.. guess I'll post some photos from that evening.. went to an Italian restaurant with some friends.... anyway..

¶ 19:14