My goal of completing kanji gold is almost finished - It will be done by the end of the year and I am very happy. Since early childhood I hated the stupid education system - the stupid essays, the stupid, idiot people getting higher marks than people who had read the subject. I can honestly say that at certain times I felt homicidal - it was my beloved subject and yet it was turned into a mockery by the education system.
I am glad I made the videos - I typed college degree burning into YouTube and on one of the many videos it said something along the lines of that if an achievement did not mean anything to you personally then it was not an achievement - I wholeheartedly agree with this.
I wasted years at Sixth Form and University for people who had no interest in the subject I loved to be given qualifications. I was close to tears on a number of occasions.
Going through kanji gold has taught me about motivation - after I finished university I lost motivation because I looked at other people and not myself. I realised that only setting and breaking goals that meant something to
me would make me happy...
Monday 12 December 2011
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Sunao Kato and Magi Shigematsu
When i was at Sixth Form I was lucky enough to study taster lessons in Japanese. The two women who taught me were called "Sunao Kato" and "Magi Shigematsu". I am grateful that they introduced me to Japanese.
Kanji Gold
When I was eighteen I got to university and couldn't turn a computer on. I stayed up all night in the university library learning how to use one and did this several nights in a row. On the university library there was a programme called kanji gold.
This program tested all the JIS kanji which are round about 6000. I loved this program and played with it for hours. It introduced me to the joys of JWPce and reinforced my passion for kanji.
Roll forward five years: I have graduated university, lived and worked in Japan, been praised by a senior figure in a Japanese company but still feel inferior because of my childhood experiences. i wanted to do something which I could look back upon and say: That was an achievement.
My mind cast back to kanji gold, the program which was my first love. I assumed that someone, somewhere, must have filmed themselves clicking through all of the kanji correctly... but I was wrong.
This program tested all the JIS kanji which are round about 6000. I loved this program and played with it for hours. It introduced me to the joys of JWPce and reinforced my passion for kanji.
Roll forward five years: I have graduated university, lived and worked in Japan, been praised by a senior figure in a Japanese company but still feel inferior because of my childhood experiences. i wanted to do something which I could look back upon and say: That was an achievement.
My mind cast back to kanji gold, the program which was my first love. I assumed that someone, somewhere, must have filmed themselves clicking through all of the kanji correctly... but I was wrong.
Thursday 10 November 2011
Japan
My first job as a translator was a flier for Torifune Butoh Sha. I did it as best as I could. I then got asked to do a one page article which I did. After several other jobs I was asked to translate the second half of a book which I did.
I was then asked to come to Japan to translate an entire book and doctoral translation that no human being had ever been able to translate. i jumped at the chance but didn't know anything about how to get to fucking Japan.
When i was in care we used to go on trips out to airports just to... look at airports. I used to walk around fascinated by the rich people who inhabited an alien world. They were like another race to me. I had no notion of traveling. I went to see a mate who had travelled world wide and he talked me through how the airport worked. I then bought a ticket and the bank put a fraud check on my card which meant I couldn't withdraw money. I went berserk, running towards the bank arms waving like a lunatic.
Luckily I didn't get arrested and got to the airport. I didn't sleep the night before, I was so excited. I changed at Finland and decided to study Finnish on the plane. I was terrified of flying but I didn't care - I seriously thought men would rape me from a young age so I just went with it.
Learning Finnish was great fun and I seriously impressed the Finns! I crammed a massive amount in. I bought a Garfield the Cat book in Helsinki airport and learnt just how sparsely populated Helsinki and Finland are!
When We got to Japan I took a train to Kanagawa where I was working. I got on very well with Dr Mikami who I was working for until she asked me what my dad did for a job.
I became enraged and seriously considered killing Dr Mikami and her entire family. Who was this woman to insult me?! I saw a carving knife, but then I realised that she wasn't to know I'd been in care and was just being friendly.
I got a load of books in Japan such as an onomatopeia dictionary.
Coming back from Japan I questioned whether I was living authentically - I was certainly translating one of the most complex texts ever written but there was a mountain I had always wanted to climb - Kanji Gold!
I was then asked to come to Japan to translate an entire book and doctoral translation that no human being had ever been able to translate. i jumped at the chance but didn't know anything about how to get to fucking Japan.
When i was in care we used to go on trips out to airports just to... look at airports. I used to walk around fascinated by the rich people who inhabited an alien world. They were like another race to me. I had no notion of traveling. I went to see a mate who had travelled world wide and he talked me through how the airport worked. I then bought a ticket and the bank put a fraud check on my card which meant I couldn't withdraw money. I went berserk, running towards the bank arms waving like a lunatic.
Luckily I didn't get arrested and got to the airport. I didn't sleep the night before, I was so excited. I changed at Finland and decided to study Finnish on the plane. I was terrified of flying but I didn't care - I seriously thought men would rape me from a young age so I just went with it.
Learning Finnish was great fun and I seriously impressed the Finns! I crammed a massive amount in. I bought a Garfield the Cat book in Helsinki airport and learnt just how sparsely populated Helsinki and Finland are!
When We got to Japan I took a train to Kanagawa where I was working. I got on very well with Dr Mikami who I was working for until she asked me what my dad did for a job.
I became enraged and seriously considered killing Dr Mikami and her entire family. Who was this woman to insult me?! I saw a carving knife, but then I realised that she wasn't to know I'd been in care and was just being friendly.
I got a load of books in Japan such as an onomatopeia dictionary.
Coming back from Japan I questioned whether I was living authentically - I was certainly translating one of the most complex texts ever written but there was a mountain I had always wanted to climb - Kanji Gold!
University
At university I had one intention and one intention only. To train in the gym like a madman. I was on £50 a week at college and I saw the student loan as a massive source of money. I was studying japanese but I really just wanted to bench press 120 kg
On the first day of uni the man in charge of the department asked us to play a parlour game to get to know each other. At this stage I had about 1 friend and had no intention of making anymore. I just ignored him and told him where to go. Shortly afterwards I attacked another student who laughed at me for being in care.
I was suspended from the university - what could be better? Time to train, money to spend on powdered milk... I had it all.
The only real problem was that my mum wasn't happy - she wanted me to get a degree...
When I was suspended I had a mark of 83 in one module which is ridiculous - 70 is considered excellent. I saw a psychiatrist whilst being guarded by two men and I was let back into university.............................................................................................................................................................................and I got suspended again. i basically got let back in ONE MORE TIME because I was exceptionally good at the subject, particularly in reading Kanji. In the second year the opportunity presented itself to go to Japan. I saw this as being time away from the gym and refused to go. Eventually i finished my university degree without going to Japan which my native Japanese tutor said was a miracle. Kanji which are my strongest point were not even in the exam - people could use electronic dictionaries!!!! If kanji were in the exam I would probably have got 90%.
The fact that kanji in the exam pissed me off but i focused on getting a job as a translator. I eventually got one!
On the first day of uni the man in charge of the department asked us to play a parlour game to get to know each other. At this stage I had about 1 friend and had no intention of making anymore. I just ignored him and told him where to go. Shortly afterwards I attacked another student who laughed at me for being in care.
I was suspended from the university - what could be better? Time to train, money to spend on powdered milk... I had it all.
The only real problem was that my mum wasn't happy - she wanted me to get a degree...
When I was suspended I had a mark of 83 in one module which is ridiculous - 70 is considered excellent. I saw a psychiatrist whilst being guarded by two men and I was let back into university.............................................................................................................................................................................and I got suspended again. i basically got let back in ONE MORE TIME because I was exceptionally good at the subject, particularly in reading Kanji. In the second year the opportunity presented itself to go to Japan. I saw this as being time away from the gym and refused to go. Eventually i finished my university degree without going to Japan which my native Japanese tutor said was a miracle. Kanji which are my strongest point were not even in the exam - people could use electronic dictionaries!!!! If kanji were in the exam I would probably have got 90%.
The fact that kanji in the exam pissed me off but i focused on getting a job as a translator. I eventually got one!
Great Achievements
As a young child I spent years in police cells, group homes, absconding across the countryside and fighting on the street. I dabbled with alcohol, drugs, self harm and the underworld. I was labelled one of the most dangerous children in Britain and it would often take 3 men to restrain me. I was different from many of my peers in that I had and still have an extraordinary skill with foreign languages.
I entered education at sixteen despite having had any formal education due to my beloved mother nurturing me when I was younger. At around this time I met a powerlifter who encouraged me to take up the sport and live an "authentic" life.
I was greatly disappointed by college but enjoyed French and Spanish. I got recommended to SOAS which is the most prestigious language school in the UK, and I often got 120% on tests - I'd write extra questions on the exam paper.
I spent all my time in the gym and when it came to the end of college, (high school in America) the man who taught me French asked me if I was proud of anything I achieved and I replied "no" with a hard-faced callous expression whilst staring at a corner of the wall.
The his teacher, who was extremely sarcastic and hard to please turned round and said "well I'm proud of you." At 18 years of age I just sneered at the man and he looked sad. He then asked "well what do they say?" whilst motioning to the other students.
"I don't know"
"what i take it you've never spoken to another student?"
"S***** and one other person"
"What two people out of two thousand people"
(I pause to think) "Yes"
"that's sad, yes that's sad"
The teacher left the room and he looked truly distraught. Though I was too hardened to show it at the time the fact that this teacher was proud of me meant a massive amount to me, and if I ever see him again i will tell him exactly that.
At around this time the Prime Minister sent me a letter. I just tore it up and went to university.
I entered education at sixteen despite having had any formal education due to my beloved mother nurturing me when I was younger. At around this time I met a powerlifter who encouraged me to take up the sport and live an "authentic" life.
I was greatly disappointed by college but enjoyed French and Spanish. I got recommended to SOAS which is the most prestigious language school in the UK, and I often got 120% on tests - I'd write extra questions on the exam paper.
I spent all my time in the gym and when it came to the end of college, (high school in America) the man who taught me French asked me if I was proud of anything I achieved and I replied "no" with a hard-faced callous expression whilst staring at a corner of the wall.
The his teacher, who was extremely sarcastic and hard to please turned round and said "well I'm proud of you." At 18 years of age I just sneered at the man and he looked sad. He then asked "well what do they say?" whilst motioning to the other students.
"I don't know"
"what i take it you've never spoken to another student?"
"S***** and one other person"
"What two people out of two thousand people"
(I pause to think) "Yes"
"that's sad, yes that's sad"
The teacher left the room and he looked truly distraught. Though I was too hardened to show it at the time the fact that this teacher was proud of me meant a massive amount to me, and if I ever see him again i will tell him exactly that.
At around this time the Prime Minister sent me a letter. I just tore it up and went to university.
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