I took this test to see how familiar I am with Japanese words. Then again, this test fails in that a user who knows Chinese will rely on his/ her knowledge of Chinese rather than of Japanese and thus defeats the purpose. On a positive side, it helps in acquiring new vocabulary as one sees the range of Chinese-inspired words. I for one, increase my vocabulary by means of association with known words from different languages.
One suggestion though is that futagana be used so that those who need to brush up on their kanji may learn how to pronounce the words while taking the test.
Oh, and I stopped because it's already late and I don't know what time I will finish with an almost 5,000 item test. I guess I'll just have to look for other quizzes available online.
Kakatapos ko lang ng kursong Arkiyolohiya sa graduadong nibel noong Abril. Pagkatapos noon, nangako ako sa sarili ko na huwag munang mag-enroll nang basta basta, bagkus ay magsimula nang maghanap ng trabaho. Alam kong hindi madali ang pasyang ito sapagkat labis na akong napamahal sa UP at tila doon lang ako makakatagpo ng purong kaligayahan kapiling ang mga libro sa iba't ibang silid aklatang nagkalat sa unibersidad. Pero minsan ay kailangang maging praktikal. Ni hindi ko alam kung bakit ako sinasabihan ng mga tao dati na napakapraktikal ko, e sa aking palagay ay napakaromantiko't idealista ako.
Ngayong semestre ay hindi ako nag-enrol sa kahit na anong kurso. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, tama lang din iyon upang mabalikan ko rin ang mga bagay na inaaral ko nang mag-isa lang. Halimbawa na lamang ang Nihonggo na sinimulan kong aralin nang malaman kong mas madali iyon para sa akin gayong magaling ako sa wikang Tsino. At nakita ko sa sarili ko na mabilis ako matuto ng mga wika. Siguro isang faktor na rin doon ang pagiging mahilig ko sa anime at dahil na rin doon, sa mga kantang hapon. Sinimulan kong mag-aral ng Nihonggo sa bahay noong hayskul pa lang ako. Nang umapak na ako sa kolehiyo ay unti-unting nawalan ako ng oras para dito.
At ngayon na mas may libreng oras ako habang wala pang trabaho ay binuksan ko muli ang mga librong binili ko dati at nag-aaral muli ng Nihonggo. Medyo mahirap pero kakayanin. Ako naman yung tipo ng tao na hindi mabilis sumuko. At kahit na minsan ay parang sasabog na ang ulo ko, tuloy pa rin. Alam ko namang makukuha iyan sa tiyaga at determinasyon.
Bukod pa rito ay kinuha ko ang ilang libro ng mga kapatid ko upang magbasa-basa tungkol sa iba't ibang bagay. Medyo maswerte ako dahil nagkalat sa bahay ang mga libro sa fisika, matematika, at negosyo. Sayang lang wala ni isa sa amin ang kumuha ng IT o computer science. Sa ngayon ay inaaral ko ang mga may kinalaman sa negosyo, lalo na sa accounting. Sa aking palagay, magagamit ko iyon panigurado sa aking pagpasok sa corporate world.
Bakit nga ba ako nag-aaral nang kung anu-ano? Iyan ang madalas na tanong sa akin ng mga tao. Isa lang ang masasabi ko, hindi natin alam kung kailan natin kakailanganin ang mga bagay na tila walang halaga. Mabuti nang maging handa kaysa magsisi sa huli. Kung kaya't para sa akin, bawat segundo ay mahalaga, at ito'y inilalaan ko sa pag-aaral ng kung anu-ano. Maaaring galing sa libro ang impormasyon, maaaring aktwal na pagppraktis nito. Ang mahalaga ay alam ko kung paano ko gamitin ang mga bagay na natutunan ko.
Yesterday I accompanied my mom to the wet market, acting as her PA and also as adviser on what to buy. While buying chicken breast, I saw chicken liver and asked her to buy some and she did. So upon arriving home, when she asked me what we'll be having for dinner, I promptly replied, "Chicken liver adobo!"
Now to be honest, I never liked chicken liver in my younger days and it used to be included in my list of disgusting foods. That is, until one day I tried it out just for the sake of seeing if maybe I can give it a chance. And well, I liked the texture and the taste and the rest is history.
How to cook chicken liver adobo (or adobong atay ng manok)? Basically I sauteed a few thin ginger slices and one whole garlic bulb (pounded of course) in a cooking pan. When golden brown, I put in half a kilo of chicken liver. When the liver was slightly cooked, I added soy sauce, cane vinegar, some laurel leaves, and slightly pounded peppercorns for that wonderful aroma. Now I don't use any measuring tools, I am the kind of cook who uses her taste buds to adjust the amount of condiments.
Put in a little water, approximately 2 cups. Cover the pan. You have to check once in a while if the sauce is already at an acceptable level. I turned off the stove once I see that some liver melted into the sauce and personally, I like this a lot since it gives an extra flavor to the sauce.
Chicken liver is actually healthy. In fact, animal livers are healthy because they are rich in Iron and it's good for people who are anemic. Other nutritional benefits that one may get from chicken liver include Vitamins A, B2, B6, B9, B12, Niacin, and essential amino acids. The only downside is that chicken liver is high in cholesterol content and people at risk for heart diseases should control the amount of chicken liver they eat.
I started to cook at home last month. Before that, it's very rare that I cook meals for the simple reason that twice I was traumatized at seeing the flames rise from the pans while I am in charge of the kitchen. One was when I attempted to fry something. The other was when I tried to make buttered popcorn. I do admit that I am a disaster in the kitchen so I told myself, okay this could be the one thing I will never excel at.
Boy, was I wrong. The first day was like an initiation of some sorts and learned how to properly saute garlic, ginger, and onions. It wasn't that easy for me because I don't like using cooking oil. Tell me to cook rice or make a soup and I will willingly oblige, but NEVER EVER ask me to fry... PLEASE. Unfortunately, one can never escape fried foods... And I am one of those who like eating fatty greasy food (unhealthy I know and so I am controlling what I eat now). And sooner or later I will have to learn how to face those damn frighteningly popping oil which occasionally explodes. (No wonder I always have my shield, the trusted wok cover, to somehow protect me from the evil oily projectiles.)
So now they do trust me to cook vegetables. But really, soup is my specialty since I like mixing ingredients that I fancy and throwing them into a pot of boiling water and then I call it SOUP already. Yesterday while raiding the refrigerator, I happened to see several packs of tomatoes and one basket of really red tomatoes, the kind that makes you think of pasta and salsa... YUM! Seeing that some of the tomatoes are already rotten, I went on a rotten tomato hunt and collected all the still good ones. I told my mom about it and proposed to make TOMATO SOUP (what else?).
So I did a quick research on the Internet but since most of the recipes involve microwave oven to roast the tomatoes for that extra flavor (they said and I do believe them though as of the moment we still haven't found a place for the microwave oven and can therefore not use it yet.) So I relied on what we have--- that is, saute lots of garlic, onions, the add the halved tomatoes. Really nice smell though I could imagine in my mind the smell and flavor of roast tomatoes (DOUBLY YUM!!!)
After that, I shot everything into the blender and made a puree. Then off to the pot again to boil. For added texture (and to make MY tomato soup less boring) I added small carrot cubes and malunggay leaves. Of course, the usual salt and pepper which I have learned, are indispensable in cooking. It's a good thing that my mother reminded me to use herbs and I opted for oregano and basil, which made the soup taste a little like pasta sauce but which I LOVE, so there.
Today for breakfast I had leftover tomato soup with sotanghon. Really nice combination. I suddenly had this idea of putting sardine flakes the next time I get to cook tomato soup. Texture plus a fishy taste... can't wait!!!
(Leftover tomato soup needs to be kept in the freezer since tomatoes easily spoil.)
Now there are a few tomatoes left and they have this beautiful red color so I'm thinking of making salsa since people here were surprised last April when I made my first ever salsa as dip for nachos. They loved it and they couldn't believe I could create something like that. Well, I'm rather good at knowing what goes well with which. All I needed was to look at the ingredients of ready made salsa at the grocery store and the ratio's already up to my taste buds.
********************************************************************************
This is my first attempt to write a short essay in Japanese. Since I have been studying the language all by myself and since I have had no formal schooling on this, I am not sure if my grammar is correct. And I know I have a long long way to go before I can master the language.
But for now I am happy to find that I read and write faster now. Yay!!!
Lately I have been watching Batman movies, starting with those directed by Tim Burton. Those are just well, Burtonesque, with dangerously playful madness pervading the atmosphere. Christopher Nolan's on the other hand, are more serious and darker in a different sense.
A notable difference is the sudden lack of witty lines. The previous Batman films which saw Batman battling Joker, Riddler, Posion Ivy, Bane, Mr. Freeze, and Two Face had more pun-intended quotes which would certainly delight those who find wordplay amusing.
Today I watched Batman Begins (2005) which was directed by Nolan. It looks more like a psychological thriller than an action flick. But well, Batman is deeply psychological. Bruce Wayne has always been managing his fears. Bats used to frighten him, but then later on,, he turned that fear into something positive: by becoming one with his fear and become Batman, the costumed hero feared by the bad guys in Gotham City.
There are lots of flashbacks to Bruce Wayne's childhood, which are of course, necessary because the film is about the beginnings of Batman. We see in this movie why Bruce Wayne chose to be Batman instead of any other animal-inspired hero. It also gives a glimpse of what his parents were like. Altruism must run in the family blood! Moreover, the movie emphasizes the importance of using one's powers for the good of mankind and of standing up to evil especially when one has the means to do so.
As usual, Alfred Pennyworth is there to give sound advice to his young master. In particular I like his inspiring line:
"Why do we fall, sir? So that we might learn to pick ourselves up."
This was also what Bruce Wayne's father told his son when the latter fell into a deep hole and was traumatized by bats. And this is what I should tell myself whenever I fail in something: that it's meant to happen to teach me a lesson or two about determination and the human will.
I'll be watching The Dark Knight next. And I hope to watch The Dark Knight Rises on the big screen.
It must have been one of those days when I had nothing to do and then I surf the internet on the latest trending things the youth of today are attracted to. A few months ago, there was the movie Hunger Games which was based on Suzanne Collins' book of the same title. I haven't seen the movie yet but I guess I will have to one of these days just to see for myself the similarities and differences of that movie to the Japanese Battle Royale.
Battle Royale itself was based on a manga by Koushun Takami which tempted me to read it, too, especially after watching the film. The story revolves around 42 students who were gassed while inside a bus on a fieldtrip. They woke up finding an electronic collar around each student's neck and were briefed on the Battle Royale, a result of the Millennium Educational Reform Act meant to "reform" the students who were becoming more and more uncontrollable in the eyes of the adults. The rule is simple: the students kill each other until only one survives. If more than one survives after three days, everyone dies.
The 42 students were comprised of different personalities. Most opted not to participate in the game and they form small bands trying to find a way out of the grim situation they were in. Still, others like Kazuo Kiriyama and Mitsuko Souma were more than eager to win as they unhesitatingly killed anyone that crosses their respective paths. The movie explores the different reactions of people under a situation when only one can emerge as winner: paranoia, manipulation, deception, and mistrust. On a more positive side, it also considers cooperation and overcoming trust issues as a way to get out of the game.
One group of girls were found to be working together until one of them puts poison in the food supposed to be given to Nanahara, the main protagonist of the story. Paranoia had crept into the girl as she had seen Nanahara "kill" one of their classmates. The food was eaten by another girl who died in front of the other girls and which immediately triggered mistrust among the group that they ended up gunning down each other. This is one of my favorite scenes, seeing these girls suddenly becoming experts in ducking and aiming guns at each other like trained soldiers.
If there are two characters I would have liked to win, it would be Hiroki Sugimura and Shinji Mimura. Armed with just a GPS tracking device, Sugimura goes off alone to warn his best friend Takako Chigusa and his crush Kayoko Kotohiki. But he met a tragic death in the hands of Kotohiki who thought he was dangerous and fired at him nonstop. Still as he lay dying, Sugimura warns her of the coming of Kiriyama who soon afterward kills Kotohiki.
Shinji Mimura on the other hand is a computer genius who infiltrated the system's computers thus making it impossible to track the students in the game. Before he was killed by Kiriyama, he managed to detonate the bomb he and his friends made which gravely injured Kiriyama. Mimura is quite bossy but being also quite resourceful as to find a computer and a generator in a remote island, not to mention being able to hack into the military's computer system make me admire his character. It is such a pity that he would die.
In the end, it is the kindhearted couple Nanahara and Noriko who survived everything. They were just lucky though to be able to trust each other and to demonstrate that trust so effectively throughout the film. And they were doubly lucky to be aided by the experienced BR participant Kawada who wanted to seek revenge for the death of his love interest when the two participated in the program sometime before the present storyline.
Grim, violent, and full of suspense, Battle Royale is not for the fainthearted. While thrillers and horror movies are not my cup of tea, I find myself liking this film for shallow reasons. I like Shibasaki Kou and Kuriyama Chiaki's performance. Both are pretty.. and well, deadly. The movie lacks more background info on each character though. For instance, I would have loved to know why Kiriyama and Mitsuko were like that. Also, why pass the BR Act? Why not any other act? Or is it just another instrument to propel a plot in which students are made to kill each other to feed the consumer's desire for action and strategy?
I would have loved to see an anime version of Battle Royale...
