Everyday is a Learning Journey.

I managed to apply for a day of leave on 10 March 2011 and within that day, I gained quite a bit of knowledge. Some of these knowledge can be found or seen in our daily lives, but more often than not, we tend to take them for granted.

- Sometimes, a single phone call can save us quite a bit of inconvenience. Furthermore, an answer could be obtained on the spot.

- Shops and stores need to constantly upgrade in order to survive the competition. Upon speaking with the store owner after having my photograph taken did I learn that negatives are no longer provided; instead a soft copy will be issued within a CD-Rom.

- Waiting for others may not necessarily be frustrating, especially if one is anticipating the upcoming activity. In addition, the surroundings may provide some form of entertainment, perhaps in the form of animal (and human) behaviour.

- Is it true that males do not really like to consume sweet foodstuff? I should conduct a survey among my peers. Otherwise, I may be considered an anomaly or outlier.

- Depending on the situation, it may be impolite to speak while eating. Quite obvious isn't it, but most of us fail to take note of such behaviour... or is it only me? O_o

- Someone convinced me about how troublesome it would be to use an umbrella or raincoat, especially if the rain is still bearable. I am quite amused by the analysis provided. :) However, how can I abandon my trusty umbrella, who has gone through thick and thin with me over the years?

- Even though I am not very music-literate, I am impressed by how passionate and happy others can be while studying said subject. The same can be said of other fields of studies. Just take a look at your surroundings when entering the local libraries. That being said, is music performed by chinese instruments as widespread as its western counterparts? Looking back, I believe quite a few secondary schools would have chinese orchestra as a co-curricular activity.

- Perhaps I am indeed too mindful of the opinions of others. Instead of simply going along with their views (and/or words), I could be more pro-active by making a decision first, and subsequently informing the other party. The chinese saying "先斩后奏" comes to mind.

- Lastly, time always flies by when one is having fun. I do hope to spend more time with certain individuals, be it family or friends, assuming I am given the opportunity to do so. Now that quite a number of us are working, and some in relationships (I feel the envy rising within me), opportunities for us to meet up can be limited, even more so in a big group.

The above sums up my particular Thursday.

Moving on, I am sure most of us would be aware of the disasters which struck Japan recently. An earthquake of a huge magnitude occurred in Japan, and the subsequent tsunami, added to the woes of its residents. As I write, Japan is also facing another potential problem with its nuclear plants, which were damaged by the earthquake. Hopefully, with help from the international community, Japan and its residents will be able to rebuild the affected areas as well as their lives.

Last but not least, on another unrelated note, I just learned how to type sentences out in Japanese using my laptop. The following would be a simple test to see if they can appear on my blog.

熊さんは可愛いです。

あなたはとても可愛いです。

Thoughts on Reservist.. and An Upcoming Test!?

I had wanted to write this post on Monday, 28 February 2011, my first day back at work after reservist. As the day went by, I was surprised to find myself missing reservist, most probably due to the backlog of tasks I had to clear in the office. I wonder if my fellow camp-mates and friends felt the same way?

To a certain extent, I have to say that my 6th In-Camp-Training was quite enjoyable. Throughout this period of time, I learned that there are some people whom we can never work smoothly together with, but yet we can still have fun together. The 1/3 lunch incident, dessert incident, banana jokes as well as the unfortunate event where I slipped and knocked my head were quite memorable. Hopefully, I will be able to see my fellow camp-mates and friends soon, possibly at a clubbing session since they seem keen on the idea. The only problem - I don't club nor drink. Maybe orange juice will be a wise idea.

In addition, my Japanese test for the Elementary 2 level is just a week away. I have a friend who has not attended classes for quite a while, but intends to sit for the test. I can't help but imagine the looks on the faces of our fellow classmates, even more so if my friend does well for the test. What will our Sensei say? :D

That being said, I should also make an effort to revise and study hard over the next few days.