Having curry noodle for dinner coz had a heavy late lunch.

Had a busy weekend, sorting out stuff and going out with cousins and friends. Finally the weekend means something to me! I’ve edited a lot of my Malaysian trip pictures (about 100 of them!) and am trying to figure out how to put them in separate posts. Maybe Part 1 and 2? Or maybe based on category, i.e. friends, food? Oh the dilemma! Looks like I have to blog about them another day.

I promised Chito-san about a few times already so I feel really bad. He’s actually quite the Malaysian fan. Yea what do you know, a Japanese who loves Malaysian culture ;) Chito-san, gomen! So sorry!

Just a quick update: Life in Square Enix has been a blast! ^_^ I’ve never worked in a giant game corporation before so I got all naive and excited when I saw all the company benefits. Hooray for free coffee! <– See what I mean by naive?

I’ve read up (and even bought a book!) on Japanese business manners and all that, but it isn’t all that strict here in Squeenix. I get to wear casual clothes to work, bosses and colleagues all use the plain form (not even the -masu form) and they don’t refer to each other by position, just -san or -kun or none at all. Working hours are great too.

My boss (not sure if I can mention the name, I’ll ask for his permission tomorrow) has been real nice to me. He has been giving proper guidance on my job, work environment and even drops by my cubicle to talk about culture and what not. He even has given a whole bunch of anime and game freebies. Thank you so much, boss!

I’m surrounded by super experienced people. My boss worked on the scenario for Chrono Trigger and FFVI among many others, and there are also those who worked on Shinobi PS2, Skies of Arcadia, The Last Remnant, etc. We even have the programmer of Guitar Hero who entered the company at the same time as I. And I… created two Flash games. *Gasp* What am I doing here among all these outstanding people?! :O

These very same people are also VERY passionate about their interests. Needless to say, intense passion is key if you want to enter this company. In my team, there’s a dating sim + mech fan, a hardcore Vocaloid fan, a happily married Pokemon fan and a huge fan of western punk rock like Offspring and Smashing Pumpkins. In fact, I’m going to the Summer Sonic with him next month. And this passion is even carried into their work. A colleague of mine who specialized in 3D modeling learned VBScript by himself and programmed his own complex level editor to work with Square Enix’s! Surrounded by geniuses… the pressure!

As you can tell, it’s been a fun and interesting month, not to mention a busy one; I have a lot of work myself. The Malaysian pictures will have to wait :P Until then!

Woke up at 5:30 am this morning so I thought, what the heck, let’s go out and cycle around!

Here’s the latest update about my work: Due to some visa application delays, Square Enix has decided to push my working contract to the following month, meaning that I’ll start work on July 1st. I might go back to Malaysia after I receive my work permit. Will let you guys know.

I finally got my lazy ass to cycle my bike from the old home in Yoyogi to the current one last week. Had to clean it and remove some of the rust, haven’t cycled in a while! Now that the rainy days are over, it’s time to take it for a spin today.

My new home is now in West Shinjuku. It’s a really mysterious place, coz it’s so quiet and peaceful albeit being smacked right in the middle of the city. A city boy such as myself approves of this new enriching habitat ^^

To show you how close it is to the city, that’s the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku, only a 10-minute walk away from my apartment. Feels like living near the Petronas Twin Towers back home!

This is the usual road I take to the nearest train station. I seriously love Japan for its cleanliness and utmost safety, two major reasons why it’s hard for me to stay anywhere else.

Not many are awake yet at this time of the day. The sun is out very early though, this was taken at around 6 am.

There’s a decent amount of greenery in the surroundings, thanks to the people living here.

Some even grow beneath the vending machines!

Tokyoites have to follow a schedule on when to throw out what kind of garbage, you know, being eco-friendly and all. Thursdays are for recyclable stuff (newspapers, cardboards, etc.), Wednesdays and Saturdays are for burnable garbage, and the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month are for non-burnable garbage like glass items.

The nearest postbox from my apartment.

One thing I like about my neighbourhood is that there are a WHOLE LOT of cats around. I so LOVE cats!

Now that’s a lot of potted plants. Nice!

This place is so family-friendly that there are a total of six schools within a 10-minute walk radius from my apartment.

Here’s one of them, the Kanto International High School. The sight of that gate and the tree has already triggered a few anime scenes in my head.

A 2-in-1 special, Nishi-Shinjuku Elementary School and Kindergarten. I’m probably gonna walk my kid here one day hahahaha /delusion

The elementary school might look cramped earlier but its school ground is bigger than most of its Tokyo city counterparts.

Where there are kids, there will be playgrounds. Ooooh, that slide looks fun!

And a little garden for grownups who look after their children.

Ok time for a (canned) coffee break.

The mystery starts here. Leave this peaceful neighbourhood on this path…

…and the road widens a bit…

…and a minute later we arrive at a noisy and super busy highway! Whoa did they install an invisible sound filter or something?

Remember to always follow road rules even while riding a bicycle!

On the other side of the highway is a loooong line of relatively tall apartments.

To save space, some car parks are built vertically.

You can’t cycle for two minutes straight without the sight of another vending machine!

This is the usual street I walk through to do some shopping, eat and take the train.

A nice cute building smacked right into the corner.

Nearest station to my place. Just two stations away from Guinness Book of Record’s busiest train station in the WORLD, Shinjuku station.

Others prefer to take the Keio bus.

All the major konbinis (i.e. convenience stores in Japanese) are here in a row! Lawson is somewhere around the corner :) Talk about convenient!

It’s time to end the trip with some breakfast in one of my favourite eating spots, Matsuya.

Not in the mood for the breakfast set, so I settled with the usual Gyuumeshi (Beef Rice bowl)… and some raw egg, just like Rocky.

If you haven’t noticed yet, this is just an excuse to not post my room pics, since it’s not 100% ready yet :P Stay tuned for that!

Woo, been a while since I had a picture event post, hasn’t it?

A crazy few weeks it has been: from work visas to moving house. What’s more important than all of this though is – When am I gonna get my Internets?!

The answer arrived last Monday as NTT came over to install the 100mbps network. Saved at last!

Oh yea, my mom’s research in Tokyo has ended and now she’s back in Malaysia. Since the previous room was meant for 2 people, I had to move out. Now I’m staying in West Shinjuku, around a 15-minute walk to my new workplace.

I haven’t sorted the place out yet lol. Tons of stuff to do (i.e. ps3 games to play *ahem*). My work/play area is complete though!

The same monitor for my computer, PS3 and Wii. World domination starts here!

Btw I have posted more game idea callouts in my game idea think tank blog, bonkify! Even created a bonkify! facebook page. Look at the sidebar on the right for details!

I wasn’t the only one who got worn out after a week of hard work.

Yes, my great luck with computers has finally run out. My hard disk died out on me two days ago, bad sectors and all. It’s been rendered as completely unreadable. Luckily I backed up my work files, but all my photos (AAAAAAARGH) and my blog files are lost in the partition vacuum.

Downloaded all sorts of recovery software but just like the goblin jumper cables they don’t seem to work. Will send it to a data recovery center tomorrow or day after.

Meanwhile, I’m on my new hard disk so I have to start over. Starting with software. So don’t be surprised if the next posts on the anime awards do not follow the usual graphic format.

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However, not all hope is lost! In-between trying to revive my hard drive and panicking for my digital life, I surfed through NicoNicoDouga on my mom’s netbook and found some cool vids :) It’s an entertaining Dame remix of Shaft and Kyoani anime OPs and EDs! By the way, in English “da-me” means useless, just like my hard disk =_=

They should make more remix videos like this!

(Daitai) Shaft Studios OPED Remix (i.e. a great 11-min artsy feast for your eyes):

Well look at that, it’s my favourite anime studio, Shaft! To be exact, it’s the remix of works by Shinbou Akiyuki till April 2009 (no Bakemonogatari for you), who’s the director for most Shaft series. The video includes his pre-Shaft productions as well. Was really hit in nostalgia by Starship Girl Yamamoto Yoko!

Couldn’t find the non-Nico-comments version though, gomen.

KyoAni remix (i.e. a wonderful rendition of fluid animation, all in one go):

Complete with Full Metal Panic, Key shows and oh, who could forget Haruhi and Lucky Star. It’s the latest DameMixx creation and includes shows until December 2009, so it’s pretty updated. Btw, my favourite KyoAni show is Air :)

Just a little hint, a few of the above are gonna make to my Top 5 opening ;) Look forward to my next post!

Here’s to this hard disk not being another da-me one.

You haven’t lived life till you write a game design proposal in Japanese!

Some game companies need applicants to write a 10-page game proposal (Square Enix needed 2 pages). So I quickly picked up a game design book in Japanese and randomly searched for game titles in the Japanese wiki to obtain some game tango. Words like:

仮想世界 (kasousekai) – Imaginary world
新たな領域 (aratanaryouiki, not zettai ryouiki ok!) – New territory
世界観は信じさせること (sekaikan wa shinjisaserukoto) – Immersed into the world
探索する (tansakusuru) – Explore/Go on a quest
ソーシャルダイナミクス (sousharudainamikusu) – Social dynamics
多人数同時参加型オンラインRPG (taninzuudoujisankakeionrain.R.P.G) – Massively Multiplayer Online RPG

Woo, what a mouthful. And not to forget レベルアップ (reberuappu) – Level up!

After that, it was off to Microsoft Word! I averaged three hours of sleep per day for the past week thanks to this bugger. But finally I’m done. I have to say, I’m proud of myself (ehek) coz when I asked the teacher to check the document, there were less mistakes than I expected. Pretty minor too. I seriously couldn’t believe that I could write a proper proposal in Japanese, but I did :)

Stuff like active and passive verbs still haunt me to this very day though.

Of course, nothing communicates better than drawings. My ugly drawings, that is ^^;;

At least I’m improving (I *think*). Following all my friends’ advice, I used my eyes to follow shapes instead of tracing. Whoa, I sound like an expert :P Greater emphasis on “sound like”.

I’m proposing a new MMORPG mechanism that’s categorically different from WoW, coz in the game design world, if you can’t beat ‘em DON’T join ‘em. Few of you might know what I’m talking about, but for the rest it’s a secret hehehe.

Now that I have patted myself on the back, let’s see whether game companies would pat my back as well. Wish me luck.

Meanwhile, it’s time to get that much needed 8-hour sleep (maybe more?). Good night everyone.

Been busy with job-hunting lately. It was my first time writing a CV/resume in Japanese! Unlike the western approach where you can write and format your CV as you please, the Japanese prefer everyone to fight on equal ground and have you purchase a ready-formatted CV from 7-Eleven and fill up from there. Still, had to write everything in Japanese, so imagine the stress…

I so do love stress don’t I? If it’s not the Japanese exam, then I just hop on to the next pillar of stressful existence. Maybe I’m made to be the M type :P

Have a bunch of edited pictures for a whole lot of events ready, just no time to write the posts. Will do so in due time. Meanwhile enjoy pictures of a ladybug wandering around in my room a few minutes ago.

This is it! The exam that I’ve been waiting for, JLPT Level 2. The exam that would increase the likelihood of me working in Tokyo if I pass.

I might have done well in the mock exams, in fact better than I expected, but you’ll never know how difficult the actual exam will be like. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, you know, that kind of crap.

Now that all my note-taking is complete, I only need to bring two books to study the whole time.

First, the grammar notes. I just need to polish a few corners by memorizing grammars that are hardly used in everyday conversation (or manga/anime :P). This and the listening section are my strengths, or so my Sensei says *blush*

Oh god, vocab. This is the killer for me. I’ve read a bunch of mangas and watched a lot of anime in my life, but I only have a 256 MB RAM brain. So I can only take in adverbs, adjectives and a bunch of verbs. _orz <– also my praying pose, God help me!

Sensei told us that you should divide the adjectives to positive and negative, so that you can already feel whether it’s wonderful or horrible at first glance. From there, try to remember its meaning.

Arrrrrggggggghhhh, kanji!!! Luckily, only 1 mark is awarded per question for the Kanji question, compared to 2 marks/question for vocab. Thanks to the school, all those Kanji drills throughout the year really paid off!

That’s not the torchlight or camera flash; it’s the moonlight seeping through my bedroom window. Good night everyone. See you next week!

And for those who are taking the JLPT exam this Sunday, no matter where you are, all the best! Ganbarou ze!

The Examination for Japanese University (EJU) exam is finished at last! Time to get some emblem of triumphs.

Woo can’t believe it. It’s finally over. It does not really concern me (not planning to enter university), just that it’s compulsory for Yamano students to take the exam. It would be nice if I pass though :)

Just a quick explanation of the EJU test. EJU differs in JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) in a lot of ways:

• There’s only one level in EJU, unlike the 4 levels (5 levels next year) in JLPT.
• Optionally, there’s also maths, science and english tests; some universities need you to pass these.
• In EJU you have to write an essay in 20 minutes, agreeing or disagreeing on a certain topic.
• Comprehension test is hell in EJU: you have 20 semi-long passages to read, and only one question for each passage. You have 30 minutes. Simple maths will tell you that you only have one-and-a-half minute to skim through the passage! Read every word and you lose.

JLPT listening test:
“Hey look, it’s Yamada-san!”
“Which one is Yamada-san? Is it that thin guy with a hat?”
“No silly, it’s the other guy with the hat, Yamada-san can’t be THAT thin!”
“Q: Which of the 4 pictures below is Yamada-san?” *PING!* <– signal to highlight your answer.

EJU listening test:
“In front of you are 4 different types of flowcharts.”
“Flowchart A is used to show a flow in time, bla bla bla.”
“Flowchart B is used to indicate degrees divided by two main factors, bla bla bla”
“Flowchart C bla bla bla”
“Flowchart D bla bla bla”
“Now here’s a scenario: Let’s say that you made a poll and wanted to group similar opinions, which flowchart would you use?” *PING!*

In other words, EJU is used to ensure that you are able to listen to a proper lecture and write a report/thesis, all in Japanese.

Questions may touch on marketing, sciences, psychology, sociology etc. One of the questions today involved the four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma. There was also a nice drawing of a boxy robot!

I was assigned to take the test in Setagaya, so had to change trains in Sengajaya, 5 minutes away from Shibuya (that’s a lot of ya-s). If it sounds familiar to you, you might’ve watched Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. This is where Mari lives with her mom and daughter.

The Setagaya line train is unique coz the station doesn’t have a gate, as you can see above. You pay for the fare inside the train, similar to how you ride a bus.

While walking towards the university, I saw the government municipal office. This is where Dzaid and I applied for our foreign registration card, about a year ago. How nostalgic!

And there it is, the place where I took my exam. Kokushikan University Setagaya Campus.

EJU is known in Japanese as Nihon Ryuugaku Shiken, or overseas study Japanese exam. Hey, I ain’t no translator k.

The exam hall. The moderator took around 30 minutes to explain the rules and stuff. Everything was done in a very systematic manner. I dunno how the modern exam is, but to see my number and name already printed on both my answer sheets is a first for me.

And then it’s done! Look at the joy on the students’ faces. Bet they all gonna log on to WoW after this. No, wait, maybe Aion.

Daniel and his lovely wife arrived in Tokyo last night and brought some nice gifts from Malaysia. Maggi Asam Laksa, Baba’s curry powder and Thai chilli sauce. Thanks dude!

Btw I’ll be busy showing the couple around and I have a national Japanese exam called EJU (Examination for Japanese University Admission) this Sunday, so I won’t update my blog till then. Wish me luck!

Yea today’s my birthday. More importantly, I was born on Moe day!

Don’t know what’s moe? Get with the program, man!

There’s a reasonable explanation for this so-called Moe day:

Reasonable ain’t it?

Today I shall act my cutest, slipping and falling down the floor, rubbing my head with cat paws. And I call out “onii-chan~” in the most pitiful way possible. You’ll want to hug me for sure.

Pictures are from Seitokai no Ichizon, my recommended anime for autumn. A show about a dating game otaku wanting to create a harem out of the student council. Loads of anime parodies including the moe picture above, even the movie Dragonball Evolution got involved. You can never go wrong with the director of Ichigo Mashimaro. Let me end the post with one of its finest moments:

Petanko is flat-chested and petapeta is the sound when a flat thing hits a surface. How convenient :)

Onii~chan, I’m being bullied. Help me *shows shiny eyes*