How do I want to keep developing as a writer in the future?

    I really want to keep developing as a writer in the future. I will keep developing in the following ways. Firstly, I will keep diary on Blogger. I will continue to write some creative topics in 100 or 150 words. When I become used to keep writing, I will write in 200 or more words. Secondly, I will write 1000 words academic essay in each term. It is because I am planning to get into MBA course after graduating from ICU, so I have to become used to write in academic style. Thirdly, I will use the website, Lang-8, a language-exchange social networking website. By checking journals each other, your writing can be supported by native speakers, and at the same time, you can support other user’s learning of language with your mother tongue.

                                            

http://www.lang-8.com/

How was SE? What did I learn/discover during this course?

     I really enjoyed SE. I learned a lot during this course. I discovered the interest and difficulty of writing. It was very interesting for me to write different genres and different themes. Compared with academic writing, I was able to write what I really want to write through creative writing. At the same time, I found it very difficult to write what I really want to write. It was very tough for me to confront myself. However, it was am important opportunity for me to think about myself deeply. I am shy and not good at expressing myself, but I think I could overcome my shyness a bit through this course.

FUKUOKA – one of the best places in Japan

     Here, I want you to know about Fukuoka more. Fukuoka is famous for ramen, especially tonkotsu ramen. You can eat good tonkotsu ramen everywhere in Fukuoka. I think tonkotsu ramen of Ippudo is the best. You can eat it in Kichijōji. I really want you to eat it. Also, Fukuoka is famous for Mentaiko. You can enjoy eating Mentaiko with white rice. It is the best. There are much more delicious foods in Fukuoka, so you can be satisfied. Moreover, there are many places to visit. You can enjoy sightseeing. You can feel about the culture of Fukuoka by walking around Hakata. If you have not decided your plan in autumn vacation, I really recommend you to visit Fukuoka!

http://www.ippudo.com/index.html

http://yokanavi.com/

My plan to develop my English

     The other day, I took IELTS exam and my overall score was 6.5. I am planning to study abroad next year by myself, so I have to improve my English skills much more. I researched some people who got higher score in IELTS or TOEFL, and I made a list of some ways to get higher score. The most important thing to develop English skills is to read, write, listen, and speak about many things, many times in English in daily life. Especially, I am not good at speaking, so the way to improve my speaking is read sentences written in English aloud over and over again. Then I have to pay attention to my pronunciation. This is because it is not good to read with wrong pronunciation. Also, extensive reading is very important. By reading a lot, I can increase my vocabulary by checking unknown words. There are some useful websites. “Breaking News English” or “TED” are very useful to improve English skills and ways of thinking.

In order to realize my dream, I have to keep learning and it is necessary to keep my dream alive. 

My favorites YouTube videos

    I like watching You Tube videos. The other day, I found videos that teach us "Fight of the Century" by rap song. These two videos are very interesting, and we can learn about what Keynes and Hayek say. In the videos, two characters who are alike Keynes and Hayek fight against each other by rapping their own theories. By the videos I uploaded here, you can enjoy watching their battle. The videos have Japanese subtitle, so you can understand more easily, I think. There are famous quotes of them like “In the long run we are all dead” (Keynes) in the videos, so you can learn more deeply.

Keynes vs Hayek Round 1

Keynes vs Hayek Round 2

What do I want my obituary to say?

Ryo Shinkai, resident of Munich, Germany, passed away on May 5, at the age of 70, at his house in Munich.

Mr. Shinkai was born on June 9, 1991, in Fukuoka, Japan. After graduating International Christian University, he got into German Sport University Cologne. He got the license of football manager for professional football clubs there, and decided to dedicate his life to working as a staff of professional football club. He was the first Japanese who took command of a football team in Europe. In the first place, He worked as a football coach for 20 years. Then he became a football manager of Borussia Dortmund. He worked in some clubs in Germany. He worked many years as a football manager in Germany, and he could not lead his team to the champion, but he has been noted for growing younger football player. He quit his job on 2059.

Mr. Shinkai is survived by his wife, his son and daughter. At Mr. Shinkai’s request, the funeral will be held in Allianz Arena in Munich.

What is my reaction to THE GAME

     THE GAME is written about PUA, pickup artist, by Neil Strauss. Pickup artist describes a man who considers himself to be skilled, or who tries to be skilled, at finding, meeting, attracting, and seducing women. Neil Strauss writes about his career as a pickup artist and tells how to be PUA. I read this book not because I want to become a PUA, but because I can learn the ways to become more confident when I communicate with people. This book tells us the ways to show our values when we meet other people. I think this is very important for job hunting or business.

What's my view about religion?

      I do not believe in any religion. However, there are some unique religions which you might feel powerful pull to. I will show you two of them.

1. Jediism

Jediism is a new religious movement based on the philosophical and spiritual ideas of the Jedi as depicted in Star Wars media. It has no founder or central structure.

2. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism, a satirical movement celebrating lighthearted irreligion and opposing the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools.

3. Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac is a term used for devotees of products made by Apple Computer. This has been compared to a religion. The book, The Cult of Mac, described how Mac users show their devotion to the products.

Religion is universalistic throughout the ages. There are numerous religions in the world. I think it is necessary to know about the religion to understand global situation.

What do I hate more than anything

     I hate cockroaches. It is because the form and motion of cockroaches make me very uncomfortable. The brown color form is visually discomfort and the speedy motion, running and flying make many people horrible. Before I came to Tokyo, I was in Fukuoka Prefecture. In Fukuoka Prefecture, cockroaches appear in summer. When I was an elementary school student, I often encountered them at summer vacation. They appeared everywhere in my house. When I stayed in my house due to the absence of my parents, a cockroach appeared in living room. I could not take action. All of a sudden, it flied toward me. I cried because of fear. Fortunately, it did not touch me, but I cannot remove this memory. Because of that experience I hate cockroaches. It is no exaggeration to say that I want to extinct them.

What "love" means to me?

     It is very difficult for me to define what love means to me. When I think about love, I come up with a feeling of love for my lover in the first place. Love for my lover sometimes makes me happy or comfortable, but sometimes makes me depressed or upset. In the second place, I come up with a feeling of love for my family or friends. Love for my family or friends is different from love for my lover in terms of the extremes of my mind. Put simply, my mind is wavering in love for my lover, but it rarely happens in love for my family or friends. I think love for my lover is passionate, and love for my family or friends is static.

What is "happiness" to me

     I feel happy with various timing. 

I like my family, so I feel happy when I stay with them. They bring comfort to me. 

I like friends of mine, so I feel happy when I chat, drink, have a great fuss with them. They often inspire and help me. 

I like books, so I feel happy when I read any kinds of books. They give me intelligence. 

I like chocolates, so I feel happy when I eat chocolates. They make me work well.

It is difficult for me to define what is happiness. However, I believe happiness is always around me. 

What is my favorite movie

  I love Sono Shion's films. One of my favorite his films is HIMIZU. His movies have so much energy. When I watch his movies, I always feel overwhelmed. According to Whatculture.com, Himizu is based on a Japanese manga that tells the story of young Sumida who fights for his right to lead an ordinary life, with no need nor desire of being special. It is hard for me to tell the story accurately, but you can understand the message of this movie when you watch. I love the performance of main characters. I was really enchanted with their performance.  I really recommend you to this movie!


  Sono Shion

What is my greatest strengths and weaknesses?

     One of my greatest strengths is optimism. I am an optimist person and I often think that everything will be all right when I have tons of things to do. However, when I am fall in love with a pretty woman, I become very pessimistic person. Another strength is that I do not have likes and dislikes. One of my greatest weaknesses is shyness. I am very shy, and I usually be shy with new people. It takes me lots of time to get friendly with new people. Another weakness is that I often loosen my wallet when I find something I want to buy. I have to manage my money before I become bankrupt.

If I had a billion yen, what would I use it for?

     If I had a billion yen, I would use it for gamble. I encountered with the casino, called CROWN, last summer in Melbourne. Once I entered in the casino in Melbourne, I was very fascinated by the casino. I love it! During my stay, I often went there, but the amount of money that I could use was limited. Therefore, if I had a billion yen, I would use it for gamble. In CROWN, I often played roulette and never tried poker, so I want to play poker next time. Last summer, I took a loss by 30 dollars, but I have a feeling that I will win and get a lot of money next time.

What is the most precious thing in my life?

     It is very difficult for me to decide what the most precious thing in my life. If I have to decide, the most precious thing in my life is my family. Of course, friends of mine or other things are precious in my life,too. However, I cannot live without my family. It is because my family always support me, and cheer me up. Additionally, I live in Tokyo alone now, leaving from Fukuoka, so both my parents often send me money, food or anything like that. It is very helpful for me. Moreover, they pay so much money to ICU, so if not, I cannot go to ICU. My family is with me all the way, and they are priceless.

Who am I? How would I answer that question?

     Who I am? This is very difficult question for me. I have lived by being influenced by others since I was an elementary school student. I did what my parents or others said. So I did not have so much time to think about myself and find an answer to my interest or anything like that. However, one thing I can say is that I chose ICU from my own motive. I think ICU is the place to change myself and create new myself. I'm not outgoing person, so it is hard for me to start new things. However, I am taking a step toward the new world now.

What's my favorite TED video

     I like to watch TED videos. I can learn a lot of things and English by watching many amazing videos. In TED talks, there are various kinds of videos and all of them are very good materials to learn English. Here, I want to recommend one of my favorite TED video. This video is about the technology of six sense of human beings and the presenter introduces a unique device and tries to connect the physical world with the digital world by it. I really hope that this world will become reality and I want to enjoy using this device as soon as possible.

Do I like to write? Why or why not?

     I like to write for following reasons. Firstly, I can organize my ideas or thoughts by writing both in English and Japanese. Especially, writing in English is useful for me to think logically, compared with writing in Japanese. Writing is like making a flowchart of thoughts for me, and I can make my thoughts clear by writing. Secondly, once I can organize them, Ill remember them strongly and longer. Thirdly, I am not good at expressing myself by speaking, so it is easier for me to express myself by writing.  In this class, I want to try various kinds of writing and master them. 

What is creativity?

     What is creativity? Different people have different definition of creativity. There are many quotes in the world. By mixing them, I can define what creativity is.

• Creativity is just connecting things. -Steve Jobs
• The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. -Albert Einstein
• The chief enemy of creativity is "good" things. -Pablo Picasso
• For a creative writer possession of the "truth" is less important than emotional sincerity. -George Orwell
• Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine. and at last, you crate what you will -George Bernard Shaw 
• Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas. - Donatella Versace

     Therefore, according to famous intellectuals, the definition of creativity is that the beginning of creation is imagination. Then, creativity comes from a conflict of ideas and connect things.  The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your  sources and the chief enemy of creativity is "good" things.

Why did I decide to take this class?

     I decided to take this class for following reasons. Firstly, I want to know who I am and I am interested in creative writing. Secondly, in freshman year and the theme writing class, I wrote some essay only in academic style, so I want to broaden my writing style through this class. Thirdly, I think it is useful to find who I am and pose a question to myself for job hunting and interview next year. I am not good at expressing myself, but if I achieve new style of writing, I will be good at expressing myself and I can overcome my shyness.