Apr 27, 2008
Just finished switching back to Ubuntu. I have been using Linux for a long time now it seems, starting out with Redhat back before they went “professional” and turned into Fedora, then I used Mandrake for a while, until they too went “professional” and became Mandriva. I think there is a pattern there.
After that I started using Ubuntu, and then when we moved to China, I bought a Mac and used OS X. I thought it would be easier and more reliable to use in China where I wasn’t sure how good the internet connections would be. As it turned out Linux would have been a better choice as Apple still haven’t made much inroads into the Chinese market (at least not in the province we were in), and the internet connection we ended up getting was faster than Jesse Owens.
After a bit over a year using OS X, I went back to Ubuntu. Using OS X was Ok, never really had a problem with it, but it was a bit like waltzing across the floor with a stylish but slightly forbiding great aunt that one didn’t really want to get ones hands dirty with. So, back to Ubuntu. Used that for a while before feeling adventerous, and missing KDE, I installed KUbuntu. Not a bad operating system, but I had a lot of problems getting Japanese input to work (as others have had), and not finding a solution, went back to Ununtu.
I toyed with giving Fedora 8 a run, but the install DVD I have has a lot of problems and kept crashing at different points during the install. Funny really that even though it has been such a long time since I have looked at that American offspring it really hasn’t changed that much - at least in terms of the installer. Not the prettiest thing out there.
Ubuntu’s installation is pretty easy. One thing though, if you are in Japan and wish to give it a go and you have a fibre optic connection from a provider like Plala through to NTT (like any self-respecting space-cadet) you will need to open up your synaptic package manager and install the pppoe tools which are on the cd, but aren’t installed by default, to get your internet connection working. Running pppoe-config as root from the command line will get things working.
All in all, it is nice to be back. And nice to have Japanese input again. I should catch up on some email now.
Apr 2, 2008
Happy April Fools for yesterday! Yesterdays post Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Announces Retirement was of course a joke. Although whether him becoming a bikini pin-up idol would be more beneficial for the Japanese economy than his current performance is a question very much open…
Got my boss yesterday too - telling him I had found another job and asking him if he could find a replacement by that afternoon. Ah the look on his face:)
Chooch posted on mixi.jp that we were moving to Greenland! and quite a few people fell for that. She wrote that because of difficulties maintaining a car in that climate I would have to cross-country ski to work. And she was worried about the lack of vegetarian food there.
All in all a good laugh.
Feb 9, 2008
Found that over at Life in the Land of the Rising Sun. Amusing really. But I don’t normally think of myself as bloodthirsty. More like coffee thirsty.
Feb 9, 2008
Results are now out for the 2007 Japanese Language Proficiency Test held last December. I passed 3rd Grade in 2001 which seems like a very long time ago now, and this time I passed 2nd Grade which made me really happy. Third time lucky! 2nd grade is quite a step up from 3rd grade and required quite a lot of study for me to pass. Not using Japanese at work means there is quite a large swath of vocabulary that I don’t use in my normal life. It would be nice to use more Japanese at work - that would help improve my Japanese I think.
I think I will have a go at 1st Grade this year - and that is an even bigger leap than that from 3rd to 2nd grades. But they only hold the test once a year, and having missed the exam a couple of times travelling and whilst living in Xinjiang I don’t want to miss it this year. I don’t imagine I will have enough time to study all the kanji that are necessary to pass (you need 2000!) this year, but at least taking the exam gives one something to aim for and is good for ones motivation.
I just had a look at the website for the JLPT, and this years application period has not been posted yet. But if past years are anything to go by the application period for the 2008 JLPT will be around August.
Jan 31, 2008
Well, working on a new look for this site… still tidying it up at the moment, as time allows. It felt like time for a change! Hope you enjoy.
