Test

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is this weekend, and I've spent the last week or so studying more specifically for it. I took a practice test for it last weekend and got a good feel for what I need to focus on. The two biggest obstacles are kanji (the more complicated characters borrowed from China associated with meaning) and the rarely-used grammar. There are all kinds of grammar forms that no one uses in daily conversation that are on there, so similar to kanji, it really just takes memorization. I've made a huge stack of kanji flashcards (just like old times) and just plan on going through them a bunch of times throughout this week. People say the only sure things in life are death and taxes, but I've always liked to include "more kanji" on that list too. There's always more kanji. It's said you need to know 2,000 kanji to be considered fluent and/or read a newspaper, and I think I'm getting close to that number, but I still have trouble with the newspaper. In time, in time, just like Sly says.
Good News: I've managed to carry my camera around with me more than I was, and have some more pictures on their way. But for now, I have to finish morning preparations for school.