10 Day Challenge: Progress

Hello my dears,

It has been some time since I last posted, I know. Lets just say a lot of things have been going on in my live, like work, love, hate, confusion and just plain chaos. There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to (positive things) and an equal lot of things I do not look forward to (negative things). For one, I'm going to meet a person again, whom I'm afraid of, in the very near future. Not something to look forward to.

But! School is also starting soon. And as weird as it might sound to some of you, I'm really looking forward to it! I can't wait to get started again and learn new things, get to know new people! And to show myself (and others) I can actually do it!

After some fighting with myself I finally started the 10 day challenge. It has turned out to be a lot harder then I thought. To think up all the details I want my "perfect day" to have. Not to mention, my "perfect day" sometimes changes from day to day. But at least I started. I'm working on my "perfect days" and I already learned a thing or to about myself.

I have changed my mind about posting them though. I AM still going to post them, just not on my blog. The 10 day challenge posts will be posted on my Live journal (yes, very oldschool, but you got to love it) and I will posts the links to them in a combined post about the end result! How does that sound?

An other thing I changed: There are going to be 10 days, but not 10 days right after each other. Sometimes I'm so confused about things that I can hardly write about them. So I'm just working on things until I finished an other "perfect day". I'm just doing it the way I think will help me best , so... None will blame me for it, right?

I'm just going to do it the way I think is the best. I think thats the best way to go, don't you?

There are a lot of things I want to write, and want to do right now. But I think the best thing for me to do, is to try to study a little, and after that to maybe write about my perfect day again.

Love you,

Chibi Ohimesama

(Re)learning concentration

Hello my Dears,

I have finally found the will to post something again. I still have a hard time realizing I actually passed. I don't think I will actually realize it until I have my first day of school as a Ninensei (second year student).

Even if I'm still in a bit of a cloud, finally having some peace and time for myself, I try to keep going with my studies. I need to keep repeating my Japanese (all of it) in order to not forget it during this summer holiday (I know I will) and to improve it (I really need to). But, I noticed I have a really hard time concentrating on one thing at a time!

Lately there are a lot of articles on how the internet screws and changes our brain. Articles like this one is an example of those articles. The point is: internet is shortening our attention span. The first time I read about this (about 2 years ago) I didn't believe it. I mean, why should I? I read the whole twilight serie, and the last harry potter book, in one week. But this year I started noticing, I could not concentrate on my homework, or my studies, for much longer then 30 minuts (and even that was stretching it). I get bored by long blog posts, when I'm reading fanfiction I switch from fanfiction to facebook to twitter to tumblr and back to my fanfiction. I've gotten so used to quick information, short messages and changing screens, that I have a hard time keeping to one thing at a time!

Within a year time I've shortened my attention span AND become a social media addict!

I'm sort of at a loss on what to do about this! And internet stop would be an idea, but everything I have is on the internet! e-mail (both personal and for school), msn (with my family), facebook (for friends AND school), school information, bank account, moving to a new room, we need the internet!!! Sure I still have my cellphone, but none of my friends call anymore! They use smartphones, so we use facebook and msn for that! I could send out letters, but as cute and fashionable old fashion it is, I will most likely get my very late response through mail, facebook or msn.

Being online less is an option, an option I'm trying, but what to do in the meantime?

So I have gone back to reading books. I've started reading books again before going to sleep, and I'm trying to read about an hour per day for now. Which I noticed already isn't quite as easy as it was a year or so ago. I keep wanting to check facebook and twitter and my e-mail.

But what else to do? So besides reading books I have started to do write in my dairy. I just start writing and continue writing until I have nothing to write about anymore, or until I feel content. I use it to release the thoughts in my head, and to concentrate on something! It is actually quite funny to do. I realize a lot of things while being busy with free writing. One of those things? My head is a complete and utter mess! One more reason to (re)learn to focus on one thing at a time.

The last thing on my list of "ways to (re)learn concentration" is a list of things I need to do for Japanese homework each day. 1 whole A4 page of kanji per day, and when I can do that without to much distractions, 1 hole A4 page of words per day, and so on. This way I keep busy with my studies and maybe expand my attention span again.

I want to (re)learn to concentrate for a longer time period, like I could do before I became a social media addict. If you have the same problem, if you have any tips, or just a comment, please leave a message!

Love you,

Chibi Ohimesama

(picture source: Tumblr.com)

Need for study....

Hello my Dears,

I want to start with a happy note: I PASSED MY JAPANESE SPEAKING RETAKE (and I seriously have no idea how). I'm super happy :D because this means I still have a chance. I'm on my way to my 4th blok period tests now. So I got 4 more Japanese tests to go. Which means that I have to study like hell!!

There are a lot of things I need to do: I need to study English, I need to study Japanese cultural knowledge and I need to study every aspect of the Japanese language we have had up until now. So that means I have to study Japanese grammar, Japanese Kanji, Japanese listening, and Japanese speaking. Thats a lot of studying, believe me on that.
I only have a few more days for everything, and I'm kinda freaking out. Okay, I'm really freaking out. I'm really glad I have my Japanese speaking test 2 weeks from now, instead of coming week. So I have more time for that. But I really just want to pass it all.

I really want to become a second year student. I want to have cute little kohai (students of a lower grade then me), and just really get to my goal! I want to stay and have fun with everybody, and feel like I'm finally doing what I like! Which is this study!!

But sadly, I get distracted really fast -I am, after all, typing this blog entry instead of studying, aren't I?- so I have to get rid of my distractions. How am I going to do this??? I'm going to cancel my number one distraction: The Internet.

After I finished this post, I'm going to exit my browser. So that means:
- No more facebook
- No more tumblr
- No more twitter
- No more blogging (after this one)
- Lots and lots of studying
- Small little fun breaks in between, but only when I finished a subject. And no longer then 10 to 20 minutes
- 2 or 3 big breaks of 30 to 60 minutes MAX

And I am going to try my absolute best!! I WILL become a second year student of the Japanese language!!

Please with me luck, cheer me on, and I will come back to you after my tests are over to update you on the end results!

Love you guys!!

Until next time

Another Quick update!

Hello my Dears,

Just a quick update today!
I bought a curl iron for my new haircut. I saw all these cute messy curl hairdo's for short hair, and I wanted to try it out. But I needed a curl iron for that, and I didn't have one yet. A curl iron has been on my want-list for ages, so this week I finally got one!
This is the end result:

I know all my facebook followers already saw it, but... It's so super cute I just wanted to show it in my blog, as well!

Lets see. One more week until I have to do my retake on Japanese speaking. I'm super nervous about it. I really don't know if I can make it, but I'm going to do my best!! Really I am!
I have been listening to our Japanese listening CD every moment I'm pretty much doing nothing. I'm even listening at it as I'm typing this! I'm listening to the grammar and I'm trying to translate it, sort of.

After next week I also have my new exams. Once again I have Japanese speaking, Japanese Listening, Japanese writing and Japanese reading. I'm not as confident about these exams as I have been about the last ones. I feel like I didn't do enough to be able to pas them. Even though I actually have been doing quite a bit if I think really hard on it. But I'm going to study super hard! I already decided to put even more time in my studies. Maybe even get a little less sleep every other day or so, and drink coffee. Well, drinking coffee is something I actually like, but normally don't do because it keeps me awake if I drink it after 2 PM or so.

I really really really hope I pass my exams. I really want to stay and learn more, to become a PR person in a Japanese fashion magazine or brand. That would be so cool!

aah. Did I mention I bough sneakers? I don't think I did. Here they are!

I know it isn't the prettiest picture but, these are my new babies. They are a bit hot for summer weather but they are so pretty! And comfi! I'm planning on getting new summer shoes as well. But I haven't found my perfect pair yet. I will keep looking, when I have time, besides studying, haha.

I think that is my update for now. I will keep my dear readers (you) updated about my exams the coming period, and the results, of course! Please wish me luck!!

Until next time, my dears!

Stress..

Hi there...

As the title says this entry is about stress.

Something I am, sadly, dealing with right now. And not just this moment, no, I have been dealing with it for the past one and a half, maybe two years. And its really frustrating.
Stress makes me sad. Stress makes me tired. Stress makes me even more stressed and stress hurts my body...
It makes me feel insecure, it makes me feel like everything I do takes a big chunk of energy out of me. It makes it hard to focus.

There are lots of things that stress me out right now.
Not being able to follow school all to well because of stress is one of them. Why can't I follow school all to well because of the stress? Because stress makes me tired. Which, in turn, makes that I stress about not being able to follow school. Do you notice the lovely little spiral in this?
Not being sure about the people around me is an other stress factor. And I don't mean my friends (and some of the classmates I already consider friend) but the people outside my little friend bubble. There are just some people I can't handle right now and that gives me stress as well. Like some of my housemates. Or some other people.
Homework kind of gives me stress to. I really need to make a list on the things I should make, because I keep forgetting (being extra chaotic is a side effect of stress, too) and then I end up stressed because I forgot to make it.

And the 'best' thing about stress? It can leave its mark on you for about half a year, sometimes even a year. Yay, great.

I'm really happy that I have so many people supporting me. They keep me going and keep me from being a coward and running away. Love you girls (and guys).

~

On a happier note. I really love my Japanese classes. The Japanese teachers are all really nice and I love the way they teach us they're language. I am trying my best with studying.
Living on my own is going really well as well. I love cooking. When I have time I am going to try out baking too.

Thats it for now,
*waves* baibai
chibiohimesama