Age & Learning Capactity

I took some Japanese Language classes whilst in college, and then promptly went on to neglect and subsequently forget most of it even before I graduate.  Right after graduation, I picked it up again at a private school but was compelled to drop it after I found a job that required me to perform shift duties.

Not having the perseverance to continue pursuing the language had always been one of my biggest regrets in life.  12 years later in Jan 2011, I decided to pick it up again, from scratch.  Till today, everything I’m learning in class was the exact same material I was taught more than a decade ago – I still have my notes from the past to prove it.  Yet, I cannot remember 90% of the repeated content.

Because I’m determined to attain certain proficiency this time, I have been putting hours into revising after classes.  But progress is surprisingly slow and I have great difficulty remembering past grammar that I’ve learnt.  In fact, I’m embarrassed to admit that I have put in much more effort this time round compared to 12 years ago, to much slower progress.  I’m still ahead of my classmates because after all, this is repeated learning for me.  It’s just that I cannot quite accept that my brain has degenerated this much in just 12 years.

I tried blaming it on my current sensei because back then, I had a really good sensei (but she has since left the school).  Ultimately, I cannot deny that age is catching up on me.  And that it has a direct detrimental effect on my learning capacity.

Aging is a scary thing.  It creeps up on you quietly and stealthily.  You don’t even realise it until it hits you.  I think I can deal with looser skin, lower metabolism and balding issues better than gradually losing my brain function.

The Colour Blue

My latest obsession – CNBLUE, a korean rock band who started out as an indie band playing at various train stations and pubs in Tokyo for one year. I’ve picked two of my favourite songs from the band that feature the second vocalist a little more prominently. I like his voice more than the lead’s. Unusual taste I have.

Incidentally these two are not their most popular songs. If you think they are worth listening to, go search for ‘Love’ and ‘I’m a Loner’ by them.

Of late, I’ve been entertaining thoughts of picking up the Korean Language as well. Compared to Japanese, I think I am going to excel in Korean – I watch and listen to far too many Korean drama serials and music. I’ve read up, and learnt that it is possible to be picking up both Japanese and Korean at the same time, but one will get rather confused at times. I reckon it would be like how I confused Italian and French languages when I learnt them within a short space of time.

I’m going to pull the plug before I think further. I should concentrate on re-learning Japanese first, and give it my full attention. Till end of this year, at least.

Proceed

Against my better judgement, I went ahead to take my Japanese exam last evening.  I could have opted to skip the last class yesterday and do a make-up class on another day, given the state of my physical health.  But I preferred to take the exam together with my classmates, hence the decision.

I didn’t manage to complete my revision.  Heck, I didn’t even have time to complete my homework from last week.  I arrived at the school feeling rather giddy, presumably from sleeping too much and being slightly dehydrated.  While my other classmates were cramming in last-minute revisions, I was drinking furiously and trying not to get stressed by the situation.  Stress messes up with my intestines and encourages bowel movement.  Very bad, considering that I am just recovering from a bout of diarrhea.

After doing some revision with us, we were all herded out of the classroom.  It was time for the oral segment of the exam.  Not being able to concentrate, I did poorly expectantly and scored a 7/10.  My teacher told me that on the spot because he was expecting more from me.

Then it was time for the written exam with a listening comprehension component weaved in.  The paper was not as long as I expected it to be, and I thought I knew all the answers to all the questions.  But then again, I weren’t sure.  So I attempted the questions to my best ability, thinking to spend more time checking through.

And then time was up.

I didn’t have time to check through everything, but fared better in that at least I completed all questions.  Some classmates complained that they didn’t even manage to finish the paper.

Class ended early and boy, was I glad.  I was hungry, giddy and tired.  Couldn’t wait to get home.

I was on tenterhooks when I woke up this morning and remembered that I would be receiving my results in the afternoon via a text message, as told by my teacher.  Honestly?  I knew I would clear the 60% hurdle, but being the top performing student, I need to clear it in style.  I am competitive in this way.

Thinking about that gave me butterflies in the tummy.  Either that or I am still not fully recovered.  A visit to the bathroom was in order.

Imagine my shock when I came out of the bathroom minutes later to find a text message…

To be exact, I received a text message at 9.46 am informing me that I obtained 91/100 for the written exam and am cleared to proceed to the next level.  Yay!  Totally unexpected and I was elated because 1) I didn’t expect to received the results this early and 2) I think I didn’t disappoint my teachers.

I’d decided to take a month-long break from classes to concentrate on preparing for my N5 exam in early July.  10 year ago, I was proficient enough to handle the N5 exam but not now.  However I’m not about to give in without a fight – I’ve got myself some guidebooks to prepare for the exam.  This JLPT N5 exam is a bigger hurdle to cross compared to the school’s internal exam.

頑張る！

My Family

A topic simple enough.  Not so when you have to write it in a foreign language.  In fact, it becomes darn difficult to write, if you ask me.  You find that you have to lie a little, just to make the assignment slightly easier to write.

And this is how my assignment looks like after repeated revisions.

父は　ビジネスマンです。会社は　トパヨーに　あるんです。
母は　父の会社に　勤めています。
両親が　毎日一緒に　車で　会社に　通っています。
妹が　一人います。
妹は　会社員です。アメリカの　会社に　勤めています。
私は　結婚して７年います。主人と　３匹の犬と住んでいます。
主人は　航空管制官です。空港に　仕事を　しているんです。
私も　航空管制官だった、でも今公務員です。
疲れたから、１年の休みを　しています。
犬は　ゴールデン・ファンシャーズです。
お名前は　シュガー、パリスと　 ベル。

My father is a businessman.  His company is in Toa Payoh.
My mother works at my father’s company.
Together, they take the car to work everyday.
I have one younger sister.
My sister is an officer worker, and she works for an American company.
I have been married for 7 years.  I live with my husband and 3 dogs.
My husband is an air traffic controller.  He works at the airport.
I was also an air traffic controller, but am now a civil servant.
Because I was feeling fatigued , I am currently on a one-year sabbatical.
My dogs are Golden Retrievers.
Their names are Sugar, Paris and Belle.

我的父亲是一名白手起家的商人，公司坐落在大吧窑地区。
我的母亲待在父亲的公司里帮忙。
每一天早上，双亲都是以车代步一起上班。
我有一名妹妹。
她是一位行政人员，在一家美国公司就职。
我已婚7年，目前与先生和3只小狗同住。
先生是一名空中交通管理人员，在新加坡樟宜机场就职。
我也曾经是一名空中交通管理人员，但现在是一名公务员。
因为时常感到疲劳不堪，所以决定休息1年。
我家的三犬都是黄金猎犬。
三犬的名字是 Sugar, Paris 和 Belle。

I’m sure you can tell that I add bits of information about my 3 furkids just to make the composition look slightly longer.  I wonder if my Sensei is able to tell.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come back to me with too many mistakes.  I did try to write a good composition.

Afternote:  For good measure, I’ve also added in the same paragraph, written in Chinese.  Time to hone my translation skills.

Bragging Rights

Humour me, just for today.

I restarted my Japanese lessons earlier this year, after an hiatus of over a decade.  I’ve forgotten most of it, so it’s back to the basics and I just completed Level 1 the past Monday.  Passing the test was not a pre-requisite to Level 2 but nevertheless, I crossed the hurdle with flying colours and topped the class.

来年の冬に北海道へ行こうと思います。
英語が話せます。中国語も話せます。
しかし日本語で少し話せます。
でも毎週の月曜日に文化ラング一ジへ行きます。
ええ、日本語レッスン勉強おするんですよ。

I am hoping to travel to Hokkaido, Japan next winter.
I can speak both English and Mandarin,
but my proficiency in Japanese leaves much to be desired.
So I have resumed my weekly lessons at Bunka Lang.
Yes, I’m studying Japanese again.

Languages

I have a love-hate relationship with languages.  Like most other fellow countrymen, I’m at least bilingual in English and my Mother Tongue because the education system in Singapore dictates that we be schooled in both.  I am not terribly proficient in both, but am decidedly a cut above many others in that I can read, write and speak in both languages effortlessly.

The Bilingual Education Policy in Singapore has, in recent years, come under much attack.  Even the late Dr Goh Keng Swee expressed some remorse over the success of his Bilingual Policy.  Effective it is, but he wasn’t sure if it was that successful a policy because it eventually almost totally eradicated the usage of Chinese dialects in Singapore.  Most of the younger generation of Singaporeans, myself included, cannot speak much Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese or whichever dialect group we belong to.  For sure, I’d already forgotten most of the Hakka I knew.  And it’s such a shame because the dialects are part of our Chinese heritage.

But I, and many other Singaporeans, will forever be in our forefathers’ debt.  If not for their foresight and bold vision, would we have turned out to be so versatile?  Would we also have been able to travel and relocate for work in so many parts of the world with relative ease?

Take a look at the fellow Chinese living in Taiwan and China.  I am signed up on several Chinese forums and can alternate between typing in traditional or simplified Chinese characters, but I’ve noticed that many Taiwanese cannot read simplified Chinese and vice-versa.  It baffled me because it is after all, still Chinese isn’t it?  And, most have them are monolingual, speaking and writing only Chinese.

On the flip side of the coin, it is widely recognised that China is an awakening dragon with undeniably unmeasurable potential.  Every enterprising being who does not speak a word of Chinese is now flocking to learn the language.

Because of the foresight of our forefathers, we Singaporean Chineses are put in good stead in current times.

The Occasional Jester

I was 5 minutes late for class and feeling extremely exhausted after a long day at work.  After settling down at my desk, I tried to concentrate on the lesson proper.  My teacher was speaking and pointing at some characters on the white board, but none of it registered.  I must have looked rather perplexed, because he asked me if I understood.

Unsure, I gave one slight nod just to appease him.

He proceeded to quiz other classmates of mine – a Physics teacher at a secondary school.  I tried concentrating on the characters he wrote on the white board, and realised I didn’t catch a single word he said.  The mind was too tired to absorb.

I raised up my hand to catch my teacher’s attention, then sheepishly said, ‘Sensei, could you please repeat what you just said?  I was dreaming.’

The whole class burst into laughter, vastly amused by my honest admission.  And my humorous teacher pretended to be vexed with me while patiently going through the concept again.

3 things I learnt/confirmed about myself during class that evening - I can somehow retain my sense of humour even when I am tired;  I should not attend a class tired because it is counter-productive; and most importantly I should never, ever have my Monday evenings occupied.

You see, I’m a chronic Monday blues sufferer.