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    Thread: Life in Sendai
Post: Life in Sendai

I've been to Sendai many times and have spent extended periods of time there. It all depends on what you mean by "nothing to do". If you are looking for a club scene (or just a lively nightlife in gen...
markal General discussion 8 2,488 2011-10-27, 7:11 pm
    Thread: Jesus ruined christmas
Post: Jesus ruined christmas

TheVinster Wrote:I hope I'm not the only one that is an idiot when it comes to talking religion. You aren't: it's mostly idiots who talk about religion.
markal Off topic 19 3,277 2010-12-02, 7:52 am
    Thread: Someone wants their 2 euros back...
Post: Someone wants their 2 euros back...

ファブリス Wrote:* Block donations in JPY and only accept USD and EUR. Same, I'm not sure it's gonna make a difference. Another fabulous feature of paypal is their atrocious exchange rates--they make regul...
markal Off topic 26 6,122 2010-07-28, 8:04 am
    Thread: IME, Hiragana input by default?
Post: IME, Hiragana input by default?

Thora Wrote:Did you mean Alt+` for Windows, markal? Yes, I did. Sorry to give inaccurate advice and I'm glad you corrected that.
markal General discussion 22 25,571 2010-05-08, 6:19 pm
    Thread: IME, Hiragana input by default?
Post: IME, Hiragana input by default?

hotsw4p Wrote:I currently use ALT-SHIFT to switch between EN and JA input methods, but each time i switch it starts in romaji mode. I have read that if you use the '~`' (tilde) key combined with alt/...
markal General discussion 22 25,571 2010-05-08, 4:15 pm
    Thread: Dating a student. Need to break up. How?
Post: Dating a student. Need to break up. How?

Several years ago a friend of mine tried to break up with a crazy girlfriend. One night she calls up and asks if she can come over. She does, works herself into a frenzy and attacks him with a kitchen...
markal Off topic 91 12,396 2010-04-06, 7:56 am
    Thread: Japanese Readers
Post: Japanese Readers

These are true graded readers (like the Oxford Bookworms, etc. for English learners), i.e. a restricted number of words per level and concerted recycling of words throughout the text. They come with...
markal The Japanese language 19 6,004 2010-04-01, 9:46 pm
    Thread: Vipassana
Post: Vipassana

HerrPetersen Wrote:For me it's also a first time to hear about Vipassana. Just wondering: How is it paid for? I googled that you can chose if you want to pay or not in form of a donation? Is that true...
markal Off topic 23 6,568 2010-02-13, 7:29 pm
    Thread: Vipassana
Post: Vipassana

I've also done three 10 day retreats in the Goekna/Sayagyi U Ba Khin tradition and I found the third one to be the most "productive" and the one in which I was able to go most fully into the technique...
markal Off topic 23 6,568 2010-02-04, 7:30 am
    Thread: Rating you're japanese ability.
Post: Rating you're japanese ability.

you're = you are your= possessive pronoun (as in "your ability")
markal The Japanese language 131 17,401 2010-02-02, 8:32 am
    Thread: Dealing with English Practicers
Post: Dealing with English Practicers

I think the suggestion a few people made to do a little bit of English with the person is probably a good idea. Then, I would definitely not be rude and cut the person off. If you have spent much ti...
markal Off topic 74 14,761 2010-01-07, 4:07 am
    Thread: best way to handle the 24 hr time format?
Post: best way to handle the 24 hr time format?

I haven't read all the previous posts but I have to wonder what exactly is there to "handle" or "understand"? It's really not a big deal unless you make it one. edit = typo
markal General discussion 31 4,347 2009-12-27, 5:32 am
    Thread: Typing the Kanji--RtK-based IME?
Post: Typing the Kanji--RtK-based IME?

First, once you have learned Japanese well enough to be typing it properly you will abandon the system you spent so much time designing and learning because it is inefficient compared to regular typin...
markal The Japanese language 22 6,525 2009-11-19, 7:03 pm
    Thread: Japanese roommate in Tokyo. Any drawbacks?
Post: Japanese roommate in Tokyo. Any drawbacks?

You haven't said you would be doing this, but I would strongly advise against trying to pull one over on a landlord. If the policy of the building is "no foreigners" and you are found out either throu...
markal General discussion 55 12,384 2009-11-17, 12:30 am
    Thread: Recommend a book on Japanese history
Post: Recommend a book on Japanese history

Inventing Japan: 1853-1964, by Ian Buruma is a short, concise, and very engagingly-written history of that period. A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present, by Andrew Gordon, is...
markal General discussion 14 2,841 2009-11-15, 3:36 am
    Thread: Transferring Money To Japan
Post: Transferring Money To Japan

Paypal lets you easily move money between a US and a Japanese bank account but a) their exchange rates are atrocious (at least 1.5 yen below/above the going rate) and b) for the Japanese end you would...
markal General discussion 21 9,579 2009-11-11, 4:52 pm
    Thread: Leaving the forums
Post: Leaving the forums

jacf29 Wrote:i will search and find eating establishments run locally with friendly staff that will talk to me in Japanese. I will hang out at local bars only drinking non alcoholic drinks as more ...
markal General discussion 35 5,826 2009-11-02, 5:34 pm
    Thread: List of correct English meanings?
Post: List of correct English meanings?

xaarg Wrote:First, there was no sarcasm in my words and second, the sarcasm was highly necessary. First, it is rather obvious that you need a dictionary yourself to clarify your lack of understanding ...
markal Remembering the Kanji 41 12,209 2009-10-26, 8:38 am
    Thread: Helping a Japanese student with their accent
Post: Helping a Japanese student with their accent

The problems you indicate are typical for Japanese speakers of English. A lot of pronunciation is mechanical, getting the mouth to do what the brain is telling it to do. For adults it comes down to ...
markal General discussion 64 9,020 2009-07-17, 6:53 am
    Thread: MP3 players
Post: MP3 players

Tobberoth Wrote:Squintox Wrote:Dustin_Calgary Wrote: It's terrible at handling audiobooks though x_x Unless I'm missing something... Not if the audiobooks were bought from iTunes Store... I think norm...
markal Learning resources 37 4,895 2009-07-16, 4:17 pm
    Thread: Trips to japan
Post: Trips to japan

duder Wrote:there is little to see in tokyo for a tourist that you cant accomplish in a day or 2(some of the worst museums of any major city I have been to) and its really pricey - go anywhere where...
markal General discussion 24 2,239 2009-06-23, 7:26 am
    Thread: Start over from scratch or try and continue?
Post: Start over from scratch or try and continue?

I don't think there is any advantage to starting over from a learning point of view. I stopped for more than a year and then picked up again. I don't think it made any difference in my retention rat...
markal General discussion 18 2,116 2009-06-20, 9:04 pm
    Thread: Evening... Eventide... wtf?
Post: Evening... Eventide... wtf?

I see this as a very literal story differentiation. *Eventide* is WATER that comes up/goes out in the EVENING. Of course, you need a good story for *Evening* first so that when you hit *Eventide* the ...
markal Remembering the Kanji 8 5,659 2009-06-18, 4:29 pm
    Thread: Why is Japanese so anal about seemingly insignificant things?
Post: Why is Japanese so anal about seemingly insignific...

Dunabu Wrote:It seems like useless technicality to me. This has become an interesting thread in its own way but... can you say "troll".?
markal General discussion 50 6,505 2009-05-28, 4:48 am
    Thread: Makes me want to learn Finnish...
Post: Makes me want to learn Finnish...

bombpersons Wrote:It's strange to see the what happened to the song due to it's popularity. It went from this [Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJF6YPX4mIM] to this [Video: http://www.youtube.c...
markal General discussion 23 8,162 2009-05-25, 7:39 am
    Thread: Free Handwritten Japanese Font
Post: Free Handwritten Japanese Font

I'm sure you guys are right about it's utility value. I'm not looking at the big picture like you are and maybe that is the way fonts should be evaluated overall. When you look at a word or a sentence...
markal The Japanese language 34 50,158 2009-05-23, 7:13 am
    Thread: Free Handwritten Japanese Font
Post: Free Handwritten Japanese Font

seifip Wrote:10 Beautiful Japanese Fonts Thanks for pointing this out, and the following isn't any comment on your effort. When the blog author writes that "Meiryo (Free) is my favorite Japanese font...
markal The Japanese language 34 50,158 2009-05-23, 6:37 am
    Thread: Brilliant idea to speed reading KATAKANA!
Post: Brilliant idea to speed reading KATAKANA!

I didn't read every bit of every post so apologies if it has already been pointed out that this book has nothing to do with studying Japanese (not that you can't do what you want with it). The book ...
markal Learning resources 36 13,531 2009-05-13, 2:01 am
    Thread: Surprised at some of the content at 2ch
Post: Surprised at some of the content at 2ch

harhol Wrote:markal Wrote:I know it's a generalization, but stereotypes about non-Japanese are bandied about very casually in the media here (Japan) and the "scary foreigner" is a pretty well-establis...
markal General discussion 17 2,921 2009-05-10, 3:26 am
    Thread: Surprised at some of the content at 2ch
Post: Surprised at some of the content at 2ch

I know it's a generalization, but stereotypes about non-Japanese are bandied about very casually in the media here (Japan) and the "scary foreigner" is a pretty well-established one. It really seems t...
markal General discussion 17 2,921 2009-05-10, 2:35 am