PE 6: Reflection and Goal Statement

This semester my main goal for PE is to improve the naturalness of speech, use a variety of grammar structures to say longer sentences, and get used to casual speech. I have tried to keep up with the following:
1. Go to Japanese table every week. Now I start to go to the Forbe's table on Monday too, it is really helpful for training my listening skills and improving the speed of my speech. I also learnt a lot of useful short phrases.
2. Watch one anime episode every week. Currently following Kaiji, and sometimes I would watch drama episodes like Hanzawa Naoki. But recently I have been a bit slack on this, need to keep up.
3. Go to sensei's office hours every week. I have tried to make it twice each week, one to practice casual speech and the other for general conversation. But near midterm period I have been slack too.

What I will do for the next half of the semester:
1. Continue the above practice and don't slack.
2. Self-study some Nakama 2 chapters and try to practice the grammar structures with sensei.
3. Have more conversations with friends.

Miscellaneous:
Some preparation work for continuing to learn Japanese after graduation (if possible), such as asking sensei about what materials to follow for the 2nd year and up classes.

故卿（３）ーーお花見（はなみ）

三月に春になって、いろいろな花が咲（さ）きました！
今週末、祖母といっしょに湖（みずうみ）のそばにある公園で散歩したとき、たくさん桜（さくら）が咲いていてビックリしました。

花見をした人が大勢いましたけど、うれしかったです！

ほかの自然も美（うつく）しいですね！

この橋は一番いい花見のところです。でも桜はまだ咲いていませんけど、残念ですね。

さあ、いつか写真を撮るのを習いたいね。。。

故卿（２）ーー山

ウーシーに低い山がたくさんあります。その中に有名なのが二つあります。父は山に登るのが好きだから、暇な時山の公園に行きました。

山に登る前に、ふもとで古い通りを通りました。ここにたくさん店があるから、お土産を買うことができます。人は散歩したり、買い物に行ったりします。

この山は'Hui Shan'という山で、４００ｍの高度(altitude)です。３０分ぐらい登りました。自然はとてもきれいで、空気がよかったですよ。

山に登った後で、美味しい食べ物をたべるのは気持ちがいいです！＾＿＾

これは故卿の一番美味しい食べ物(Xiaolongbao)です。みなさん、食べたいですか。

今度ウーシーの近くの町に旅行するのを書きます。じゃあ、また！

故卿（１）－－梅見（うめみ）

春休みに帰国しました。故卿(Hometown)はシャンハイ(Shanghai)の西の方にある小さいまちのウーシー(Wuxi)です。今ちょうど春です。故卿にたくさん自然があるから、祖母といっしょに旅行して、楽しかったです。

This is the beginning of the series of my hometown entries.

故卿にたくさん公園があって、入園料もあまり払わなくてもいいです。今日梅園（ばいえん）に行きました。梅の花は一年に一度咲きます。咲く時間はよく二月の終わりから三月までです。いろいろな色があります。たとえば、白やピンクがあります。緑（みどり）もありますよ！

みなさん、どう思いますか。

禅（ぜん）と習字（しゅうじ）

４歳（さい）から習字（しゅうじ）を練習（れんしゅう）しています、今もときどき書きます。
Calligraphy to me is a form of training the mind. The usual style I practice requires rigorous attention to symmetry and structural layout of both individual characters and the whole piece. Hence, we restrain our mind to be peacefully balanced and focused throughout the writing process.

Recently, due to my interest in Japanese culture, particularly Zen, I started to look into another way of mind training by Bokuseki.

墨跡（ぼくせき）, a form of Japanese Zen calligraphy, is often characterized by assertive and abstract brush strokes to demonstrate the calligrapher's pure state of mind.

The work below is by a Zen calligrapher, 一休宗純（いっきゅ　そうじゅん）. There are no restrictions as to the structure or style of each character. His work shows the free flow of thoughts and the undisrupted nature of his mental state.

My favorite Chinese calligrapher, also the most well known in history, Wang Xizhi, wrote his best piece while he was drunk and mentally free, the Orchid Pavilion Gathering.

I grew really interested in this form of calligraphy and practiced a bit. Below is a quote I found online from my favorite Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami (春樹村上).

While practicing, it does make you feel your thoughts are flowing more freely!

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.