http://learnjapanese.today.com Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:50:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Well, a lot has happened since I posted last. I've officially transitioned back to school, making my base of operations Minnesota rather than Chicago. Also, I broke my nose. It's been a hectic couple of weeks. But. I have a shiny new toy for you. It's called Getting Things Done. Getting Things Done was the ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/09/20/japanese-for-overworked-people-getting-things-done/ デブ Reading: debu (usually written in katakana) Definition: Fatty, or fat. Can be either a noun or a na- adjective. Rarely used in a positive context. I have a special attachment to this word not only because derogatory colloquialisms are the best way to endear yourself to native speakers (sad, but true), but ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/09/09/word-of-the-week-debu/ For all you loyal readers who noticed, the Word of the Week for this week will be tomorrow as I missed it on Saturday. The US Open took its toll on my blogging ability. This song is one of my all time faves. What I really like about The Radwimps is ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/09/07/sunday-sing-along-%e3%81%be%e3%81%99-by-the-radwimps/   In accordance with the whole new Sunday Sing-Along idea, I thought you all should be made more aware of the best way to convert songs into knowledge. Alright, first things first. Listen to the song a couple of times. Don't look at the lyrics yet, they don't matter. Just listen to ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/09/04/make-the-most-out-of-a-song/ One of the best ways to become comfortable speaking in Japanese is to first become comfortable singing in Japanese. It's all smooth sailing after that. Just about everyone is at least a little bit timid when it comes to singing, and combining that nervousness with a general lack of self-esteem ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/09/03/japanese-for-overworked-people-the-sunday-sing-along/ You can visit Denshi Jisho at jisho.org. Some things are just simpler, and easier-to-use versions of other things in a way that makes them immensely successful. Macs did this to PCs, Google to other search engines and the list goes on. You can't build a better mousetrap, but you can ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/09/02/online-dictionary-review-denshi-jisho/ なんぱ Reading: (usually written in kana alone)  nanpa Definition: Flirt, pick up girls, chase skirts... This word doesn't make the cut for most textbooks for obvious reasons. Well, not quite so obvious reasons. If (When) I make a textbook, this word will definitely be in it. I mean come on, it's not hurting ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/08/30/word-of-the-week-nanpa/ Alright, so San Francisco is pretty much fantastic. That's why it's taken me so long to post. It's the kind of place that lends itself to long bike rides, beautiful views, overwhelmingly large lunches and afternoon naps. Definitely my kind of place. I really haven't had a free second until ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/08/28/japanese-for-overworked-people-play-japanese-video-games/ Alright loyal readers, I have some big news for you. Your boy Todd is taking a trip to America's next best thing to the land of the rising sun, San Francisco. I'm taking a much needed break from freelance writing and reporting and I'm going to actually have some real ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/08/25/japan-francisco/ Are you ready for this week's word? You think you are, but you're not. 雰囲気 Reading: ふんいき (funiki) Definition: Atmosphere (of a situation), mood. This is generally used as a broadened use of kanji, meaning feeling, to apply to a setting or situation. For example, you might say an awkward date had a ... http://learnjapanese.today.com/2008/08/24/word-of-the-week-funiki/