Life Without a Camera
27 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
It’s been…3-4 days since I turned in my camera for repairs. I’m already getting sneaking thoughts of buying another one (used, specifically) to pass the time by while waiting for my travel comp-…I mean camera, to come back from the shop.
I’m sure we’ve seen those documentaries on Dateline or some other prime-time/late-night news show, about taking a cell phone, computer, or some device away from someone for a while, observing their reactions, and getting the subject’s opinions and thoughts. I feel like I’m in one of those experiments.
Your eyes are your best camera, but my memory card (brain, har har) doesn’t have the capacity to hold all of those pictures. That’s why my camera is my lifeline to remembering everything I do, every place I go, and everyone I meet.
Sure, I live in Japan, the country that somehow is able to throw in a high-megapixel, decent-lens camera into their phones, but I still like to have my Pentax in my hand with the sound of the shutter. Also, I’m pretty sure DSLR > Cell-phone camera, anyday.
But life goes on. Not smoothly without the camera, but it goes on, nonetheless.
Without a Camera…?
23 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Photography, Troubleshooting
The other day while taking pictures for the photography club, the autofocus started to fail on my camera. Checked the contacts and the lenses, and after taking it to the store (still within warranty time), it seems that the button, when pressed halfway doesn’t trigger the autofocus.
There are tons of fireworks festivals coming up soon, and repair time will be about 3 weeks, so I may have to either 1. keep the camera and use manual focus for the fireworks and turn it in later, or 2. turn it in and pick up a cheap dslr or toy camera (maybe the Blackbird Fly Twin-reflex camera or D40/D60) for the time being.
If anyone has any suggestions (I have a pentax k-x), feel free to comment.
Pictures of the Day #5
16 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Japan Tags: Ghibli, Japan, Photography
These pictures come from the roof of the Ghibli Art Museum in Mitaka. Tickets are somewhat difficult to obtain because you have to reserve in advance, but luckily I recently befriended someone who lived in the city, and residents can get tickets anytime. At this point, I’ve got a grin on my face, and excitement running through my veins, knowing I’m getting into the museum of my favorite animation studio.
If you don’t know about this robot, it comes from the movie “Castle in the Sky” (天空の城ラピュタ). For anyone who hasn’t seen the movie and wants to, I won’t go into the details about the robot, but to see this 1:1 statue of it, the scenes of the movie just go through your mind. Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli know how to animate and convey a good message at the same time. So does Pixar, but I can’t compare both since they have different animation styles. I love both animation studios anyways.
Who Needs Concerts?
16 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Japan
So, I’m currently watching BS2, and there’s a Monkey Majik concert airing from the studio. I love their music, but I definitely don’t like the prices for concerts in Japan. If you don’t know, most prices for concerts/lives start around 5000yen or higher.
There’s usually some kind of concert like this twice a week, so it’s a cheap alternative. You sacrifice the atmosphere, but you get to save 10000yen or so. I say it’s a good trade-off, seeing that I”m still a college student.
Picture of the Day #4
15 Jul 2010 1 Comment
in Japan, Travel Tags: Japan, Photography, Takao
Today’s picture is again from my treks into Mt. Takao. This picture was taken on the Inariyama Trail (稲荷山), which is probably the advanced course on the mountain. This part of the trail has you hop across stones to go upstream to reach the next part of the path. The only pinch occurs when people come from the opposite directions, and everyone has to hop onto different stones to avoid jumping into someone…resulting in both people getting wet and sliding down the brook, lol.
Picture of the Day #3
14 Jul 2010 1 Comment
in Japan, Travel Tags: Japan, Photography, Takao
The next few posts will have pictures from my various climbs up Mt. Takao (高尾山). It’s a mountain easily accessible from Shinjuku station, and there are various trails to take and tons of wildlife to see. Popular with both tourists and Japanese. This picture is from the course most people take; although it’s paved, there are some steep spots.
Picture of the Day #2
13 Jul 2010 2 Comments
in Japan Tags: Japan, Photography, Sakura
Today’s picture also comes from April, but in a different area – Naka Meguro (中目黒), all along the Meguro River (目黒川). Sakura are lined up all along the river, and when in full bloom, create beauty that only nature can come up with.
Picture of the Day #1
12 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Japan Tags: Japan, Photography, Sakura
With a Pentax K-x that I bought just a few months ago, in addition to restarting my blog, I figured a picture a day would be good for anyone who ends up on my blog.
Today’s picture was from April, at Chiba Castle/Museum. 50 yen admission, interesting exhibits and artifacts found from excavations, plus a decent view from the top. Lots of people having sakura viewing parties (Hanami) and vendors selling food at the base, where I took this picture from.
Revised JLPT – Impressions
04 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Japan, Japanese, JLPT
So, as for taking the newly revised JLPT, and taking the previous version last year, there are some differences in tackling the revision.
First of all, if anyone’s kept up with the revision, the Vocabulary/Kanji and Reading/Grammar were separate before, but now are combined into one section. I will say from my experience in taking this exam today, a lot more concentration is needed to go through 105 minutes of straight testing. I’m glad that we were taking practice tests in class, in order to get us accustomed to this.
Next, is time management. I don’t have much to say about the listening section, because it feels like it hasn’t changed much from before. But the first section of everything else is where time management matters, especially when it comes to reading. Best way is to be prepared to breeze through the vocab/kanji, take some time on the grammar, and then give yourself sufficient time (perhaps an hour or so) to do all the reading.
So, with that, my impressions of the revised exam are that it feels shorter (2 sections). I’ve heard that the scoring changed from an overall 60% (N5-2) or 70% (N1) to requiring a corresponding score or higher for both sections; but not sure if that’s true or not. Time management is key, and practice reading!
