赤ずきんチャチャ

Growing up, 赤ずきんチャチャは　(Akazukin Chacha) おきにいりアニメですした。

When I was younger, I would always enter a period of incredible excitement whenever the show wold come on. The trio of チャチャ、 リーヤ、and シーネ was something incredibly different from the デクスタースラーボラトレートジャニーブラーボ everyone would watch as a kid. This show had a funny, awesome plot - granted, it was not necessarily the most sensible at times. The familiar bulging eyes and expressions characteristic of アニメ never ceased to interest me, nor did the countless numbers of sticky situations this dynamic trio would escape.

If you haven't seen this アニメ (which is probably incredibly likely because an English dubbed version was only aired in Southeast Asia and Malaysia), here's a video for the opening sequence.

じゃあまた！

Nom nom nom...日本のしょくひほん

よく　週末に　りょうしんときょうだいとぼくは　レストランに　ばんごはんを　たべに　いきます。どんなレストランのぼくのおきにいりですか？　日本のレストランは　ぼくのおきにいりのレストランです！

ぼくだちは　日本のレストランに　ごごしちじにはんからくじはんまで　いきます。たいてい、おいしに(Oishi is the name of the レストラン)　いきます。　そして、おいしいは　コルドストーヌクレーメーレのまえに　あります。このレストランは　いいです　ぼくだちは　今週の週末に　おいしいに　いきました。たのしくておいしかったです。
でも、ときどき　いちばんにも　（いちばん is the name of the レストラン)いきます。いちばんは　こうそくどうろのとなりには　あります。そして、このレストランは　ぼくのおきにいりのレストランです。でも、いちばんは　たかくておいしいレストランです。

ぼくだちは　日本のレストランに　いって、ちゅうもんします。そして、ぼくが　すしを　ちゅもんします。それから、おちゃを　のみます。そのあと、うちに　かえって、うちで　きょうだいといっしょに　スーパスマシューブラーダルスのゲームを　して、りょうしんにしつもんをします。それから、うちで　ゆっくりして、へやで　ベッドのうえで　ねます。

日本語のスペーチュ

セントルイス

Ah, the long awaited あきやすみ is finally here. So long to the birds singing incessantly outside my window at ごぜん　はちに while I'm debating whether or not I ought to skip chemistry class. So long to my へやのりょお, the cramped soldier's quarters that smells like the fetid trails of my least favorite Pokémon, Muk, as a result of my roommate's overly sweaty and dank feet. For those of you who don't know Muk, one of the most worthless creatures in the Pokémon universe, it is pictured below.

Even though at the present moment, we are about halfway through あきやすみ, I feel as if something is missing. I mean, I've had my fill of playing DotA nonstop and eating various foods that I've missed. I've visited my friends, teachers, and people from high school. What could it be? Oh yes, I know what it is. 

Okay, I don't necessarily miss にほん, for にほん is about as familiar to me as your neglected tube socks sitting next to the denim overalls in your clothes drawer from the time you went to that crazy eighties workout party many years ago. It's にほんご that I miss. I'm sure many of you can relate to that.

It's incredibly bad for me, bad to the point where it is evident that I'm having withdrawals. For instance. My parents have observed me walking around our house mumbling phrases such as えーと and そですね to myself, as well as pointing at random things and saying これは　にほんごで　なんと　いいますか. Yes, my ごりょおしん must think I'm mentally unstable and may very well scheduling me for some time at a psychiatric ward, but until then, I will enjoy pretending that I am a にほんじん that can speak にほんご very well. 

And now, it is time to bore you, the audience, with my incredibly honed にほんご skills as I talk to you about my break thus far. Just imagine me speaking in (insert celebrity's name on whom you have a crush on here)'s voice to make it seem like your celebrity crush is talking to you about his or her own あきやすみ。

*ahem*

にちようびに　ごぜん　はちはんごろ　セントルイスのうちに　かえりました。そして、ごご　さんじごろに　ヂムスムを　たべました。そして、ごぜん　いちじごろ　ねました。

げつようびに　ごぜん　ろくじはんに　おおきました。そして、ろくじよじゅっぷんに　コーヒーを　のみましたと　こうこうに　いきました。　そして、ともだちいいいと　はなしました。そして、ごじごろ　うちに　かえりました。そして、video gamesを　しました。そして、ばんごはんを　りょうしんと　たべました。そして、ごぜん　さんじはんに　ねました。

かようびに、ごご　はちじはんにガールフレンドと　タイのばんごはんを　たべました。(For the record, I didn't mention any of the other things that happened on かようび because nothing really happened. Also,  we went to go get Thai food because my ガールフレンド and I celebrated our third year anniversary.)

すいよびともくようびに nothing really happened. しゅくだいを　しましたと　video gamesを　しました。Of course, I ate and performed other basic human functions as well, but nothing of interest.

I lied. Something interesting is happening. ぼくのガールフレンド　is over and we are hanging out with my family. I think we are going to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and have dinner together. Mom suggested watching Pretty Woman, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. 

Until next time!

じゃあ、また！

Note: I'm sorry if I offended anyone with saying that Muk is "one of the most worthless creatures in the Pokémon universe". The truth hurts.

きのうのしゅうまつ

きんようびのばんに　すうがくのしゅくだいを　しました。　そして、ともだちのへやで　ごご　くじさんじゅぷんに　あにめのえいが　みました。ごぜん　よじにじゅっぷんに　ねました。にちとうびのあさに　ごご　じゅうにごろ　おきまあした。South Dining Hallで　いちじに　ひるごはんを　たべました。そして、へやで　にほんごを　べんきょうしました。そして、South Dining Hallで　ばんほがんを　たべました。そして、ともだちのへやで　いきました。りょうで　ごご　くじはんに　かえりました。へたで　にほんごのしゅくだいを　べんきょうします。ごぜん　いちじごろ　シャワーを　あびます。そして、いちじはんい　ねます。

まいにちの せいかつ

こんばんわ！

ぼくわ　まいんち　ごぜんはちじに　おきます。つき、たいてい　こひを　のみます。ぼくわ　ときどき　あさごはんを　たびません。ごぜんはちじはんに　じゅぎょうが　あります。つぎ、　ごぜんくじはんい　にほんごの　じゃぎょうが　あります。つぎ、ひるごはんを　たべます。つぎ、ごごいちじはんい　すうの　じゃぎょおが　あります。つぎ、ばんごはんを　たびます。つぎ、にほんごの　びんきょうを　しあす。つぎ、しゅくだいをします。つぎ、しゃわを　あびます。つぎ、ごぜんいじに　ねます。

じゃあまた！

This is all probably wrong, which saddens me. I guess I'll learn how to speak well soon!

こんばんわ。アやらです どおぞよりしく。

こんばんわ。アやらです。ぼくわ　いちねんせいです。せんこうは　こうがく。フィりぴんじんです。どおぞよろしく。

Yes, it's me again after my second full week of にほんご！I like it enough that I'm considering minoring in Japanese, but I'm not sure how much of a possibility that will be with my taking Chemical/Mechanical Engineering as well. Yikes. 

This week and last week we spent time learning a few introductory phrases, including はじめまして。アやらあです。どおぞよろしく。and ぼくわ　フィりぴんじんです。It's been a lot of fun, but sometimes it's difficult to repeat the especially long phrases, like ~じゃありません。ハなぶさせんせい also taught us to say that we attend the University of Notre Dame, but I couldn't repeat it in にほんご in class and therefore can't remember what it was. But I'll be sure to get it down to put it in the next post. 

Anyway, I mentioned in the last post that I like some Japanese things, like すし。My favorite kinds of  すしare とろ and scallop (which I don't know how to say in にほんご, unfortunately. Here are pictures of them: 

I also really like えび　てんぷら as well, but I'll stop talking about food for now.

I really admire this Japanese man: 

This is 秀雄小島。He designed some popular video games like Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania. I must say that without him, my childhood would have been pretty dull.

That's all for now I suppose. Until next time! じゃあ、また！

Tagalog, English, Greek, Latin, Spanish, and now Japanese!

I suppose some may be wondering why I decided to take Japanese. Well, ever since I was little, I've been intrigued by the Japanese culture - the food, the language, the people, and everything in between. I spent my early developmental years in the Philippines, an archipelago in southeast Asia fairly close to Japan. As a result of this proximity, a lot of fads, foods, and other such things crossed the seas and reached our shores in the Philippines. Certainly, Pokémon, Digimon, and other fads reached American shores as well, but games like Dance Dance Revolution, Tekken, and Beat Mania found homes with an eager audience in various malls and arcades of the Philippines. All of my fond childhood memories of arcade games and restaurants (for example,　さいさき[Saisaki] and つきじ, (Tsukiji) were those of Japanese origin. And so, presented with the opportunity to reconnect to my childhood obsession with the Japanese and the desire to learn the language itself to better communicate and understand Japan, I am now taking Japanese at the University of Notre Dame. Here's a little bit of what I've learned so far:

こんばんわ。(Good evening) (ko-n-ba-n-wa)

はじめまして。彩らです。ドオゾよりしく。(How do you do? I'm Chris. Pleased to meet you.)

お葉や小尾　ございます。(Good morning [to a superior]) (o-ha-yoo go-za-i-ma-su)

こんにちわ。(Good afternoon) (ko-n-ni-chi-wa)

しつれ絵します。(Goodbye to a superior) (shi-tsu-ree shi-ma-su)