Shiira.Shiira

It’s Tuesday.  It’s been a long day.  Tuesdays are extended clinic day at the Health Department (where I work) which means we’re on site from 730 in the morn to 6 in the evening.  A weird schedule has me seeing just 3 or 4 clients from 3:00-4:30 which means the majority of my day kinda drags along.  I’m not complaining, mind ya, just stating the facts.

So, after 10.5 hours on the job (9.5 if you don’t count lunch) I’ve managed to find my way home and to the computer … and to the internet … and to Twitter.  Yep, I’m addicted to Twitter.  Love it.  But it was there in the Twitterverse where reality burst in and bit me on the back end today.

In a conversation with fellow twitterer, @kailahana [visit her blog, Otearai Wa Doko Desu Ka?] I found myself once again contemplating the JLPT and whether I will take level 3 this year. Unfortunately, since taking level 4 last year and passing but barely, my study habits have been atrocious and not much progress has been made in my quest for Japanese fluency.  I’ve been a lazy daisy, simply floating around in the breeze, being watered half-heartedly by half-hearted attempts at study and nothing in my soil to make me grow but for the ocassional Japanese drama and/or anime online.This phenomenon, this lack of Japanese study, is nothing new.  As a matter of fact, Ryan over at Caught*Red-handed did an excellent blog post on just such a thing. I, of course, paid no attention to that niggling little voice that said “pay attention, idiot, this is you!!!” while I read it. I simply lamented the turn of events that had Ryan in a tizzy and continued with my lackadaisical habits and attitude.

So here we are, months later and it’s beginning to truly dawn on me how much time I’ve wasted.  What a pity.  What a shame.  But ya know what?  It happens.  Yep, it does.  The question is where to go from here?  Okay, yeah … I’ve taken a sabbatical of sorts and probably lost some good study time.  But I’ve also had great fun seeing some crazy J-dramas, trying to keep up with my favorite anime, Bleach, and oh yeah… spending time with my family and friends.  And Japanese has still always been in the background.  It’s just time to bring it to the forefront again and get my lazy daisy standing up straight and tall.

So, off I go to sun myself with a few JLPT practice tests and even a little conversation practice at the hanasukai coming up at the local college this Friday.  I will not fret for nothing has truly been lost.  Only temporarily placed in another spot.

Arise and grow, daisy.  Arise and grow.