Broadcasting to an audience of three (and a goldfish)... Comment, ramblings and musings... life through the eyes of a Japanologist...   Wednesday, September 18, 2002 Taiko      In the evening, a rather hurried meeting with the members of the International Club about Sunday's barbecue. It was hurried because I only had an hour before taiko. In the end, we finished in time, but only just. I would be so happy if the members put as much effort into discussing the event contents as they do into discussing whether the event can be called an International Club event or not...      Work      Web sites worthy of mention... Toki Pona A (the?) site for the artificial language called Toki Pona, the guiding principles of which are that it should be 'fun and cute'. Sounds like the ideal language for Japan, where the 'pursuit of cute' ranks above almost anything... More about Toki Pona at a later date, I think, as I find out more.      After the class finished, I had lunch with the top people in the department organising the classes. It was a formal Japanese box lunch, and very good. The conversation, too, was pleasant enough- although all three of the Japanese I had lunch with speak English, they always switch back into Japanese at the first opportunity when they speak to me!      First lesson in the Naval Base today. It went well, but, as ever, there's a quiet class and a more lively class. Undoubtedly things will change as we all get used to each other, but nevertheless I realise every time I take these classes just how much difference having one person as the joker makes. In the second class I took this morning, there was just such a person- even though it was still the first lesson, the two of us managed some excellent banter (about tea, of all things- I ended up calling him a kocha-otaku!), which carried the rest of the class along. I'm looking forward to next week already...      Breakfast Show Staple Randomhaiku of the day (from The Genuine Haiku Generator) broods run, beehives mourn rancorous star shivers, choir praying, returning      © Copyright 2003 Nathan Duckworth. Updated: 8/1/03; 8:40:04 pm.

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