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1:49-3:06

Today's Thursday. Somehow, recently for me, Thursday is the day I'm looking forward most. It's because there's an advice column on the newspaper, and there's a new episode of "And you though there is never a girl online?" at the streaming site. Perhaps I couldn't live if there's no Thursday.

I think I need to organize with my opinions on several topics before I take the exam. Such as follows:

  • The cause of Brexit: or prevalence of isolationism among the world
  • Gun control in U.S. and the difference from Japan
  • Usefulness/harmfulness of AI, self-driving car
  • Surveillance of society or IoT and computer's cognitive capability
  • Hydrogen energy vs fossil fuel

I wrote about Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima on the writing test, so I supposedly am safe if I omit an effort to research about world peace kind of things. Other hot topics like "broaden voting right to youth" and "Free trade and tax aversion" may become a question, but I should lower their priority because they are much difficult and not so interesting.

Well, I'll prepare on them tomorrow. 90 minutes for each would be the utmost limit for me. Good luck, me.

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1:58-2:44

I left my workplace a bit earlier than usual day, and returned home early today. Definitely I should study today too. Unfortunately, instead, I found that English version of Project Itoh's The Empire of Corpse was already released, and found the streaming site of the movie online. Of course, I suspect that might be an illegal streaming but, well, I know in Japan, at least watching streaming video isn't illegal now, at least with me. Thus, I think I can write this here, maybe?

  • Do you think the movie interesting?

Well, it's difficult. The concept of Corpse Engineering is fairly interesting. But, with story structure, I feel it somehow shallow. Perhaps that because the movie overusing parodies of some classic names and settings (especially at the climax, where the soul of the people all over the world absorbed into a one big malicious device, I can't help but I feel it's a hackneyed concept today, and it wasn't depicted in not so much interesting way). I only felt the story is one of those Full Metal Alchemist type story. So, I couldn't say it was really interesting.

  • Which part of the movie do you like most?

Well, the scenes which Miss Hardaly speaking, dah.

Time was up. The word count was 214. It's bit short. Until tomorrow, then.

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1:08-1:40

Well, I didn't write yesterday. And I don't have a lot of things to write today too. Umm...The good thing was that Kadokawa's stocks unexpectedly rose today, so it covered my loss on this year around 10% or so. I hope the trend of the stock continue for a while. And, I noticed that the stocks of banks are fairly attractive these days. But, I don't have enough capitol anymore...

Well, writing about stock is depressing me, so I wrote something else. My work...is tedious, boring as always. So I don't have much to write about it. Eh, have I written that I played Crash Royal on smartphone these days? Yes, recently I played the game all the time when I have a break at work, but I feel I'm becoming obsessed to it, and I already reached a point where I cannot go nowhere if I can't pay some money to the maker, almost at reached level 7. So I feel it's almost time I should uninstall that game...

Umm...well, and for the purpose to prepare the 2nd exam, I found a good blog site about psychology, so I'm reading articles while I have time. Perhaps some knowledge will be useful on the exam, like White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic people, abbreviate to WEIRD people, and such like that. In that blog, people feel guilty tend to perform higher than when they don't feel guilty. I'm kind of able to agree to that, when I feel guilty at the workplace, such like arriving late at the office, I often perform better than I arrived normally. Maybe it become a useful tactics if I have to elicit greater performance.

Time's up. The word count was 284. Until tomorrow, then.

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23:57-0:38

At last, the interview test is waiting on next Sunday. I can stop studying English if I pass that...

I spent almost whole time of this weekend for preparing the interview, but I don't know it's whether effective or not. In the end, I am skeptical about its usefulness that I memorize all past exam's exemplary answers. Of course, there's a pattern which most sample answers employ that express your opinion first, then explain yourself using two to four reasons or examples. I think knowing its patterns is enough for me, but important part is how I construct actual sentences with reasons...But I don't know which practice is actually effective to improve my conversation skill, in somewhat sophisticated way (at least it makes me pass on Eiken 1st grade).

I thought maybe it's good that I read newspapers a lot, but I don't really think only reading newspapers is enough to make, or build your own opinion. Maybe keeping diary is the best way to improve your speaking skill if you have to do it on your own, but actually, keeping diary every day is almost impossible unless you are leading unbelievably eventful life, and usually you don't have enough time to keep it every day. However, this is the only way to improve my skill to command English language. Uh, yes, whether I can polish myself up enough until next Sunday or not, I can only do this way. That's obvious to me for a long time...

Well it's a complaint. And time for today is up. The word count is 263. I have noticed that using Microsoft Word is pretty convenient to check your misspell and miss sentences. That was one fruit I obtained today.

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2:09-2:45

I should write some today, too...Urm, I wrote I shall continue to write about Brexit today on yesterday? Then should I? Umm...

Apparently, after U.K. leaves from EU there will be two countries which could seize a moment, acoording to media, it's China and Rossia. It was a rather easy assumption that Russia would take an advantage on this situation, that it's imminent rival western Europe weaken. I don't really understand why China can take advantage on the situation, as some people say, and not India? Maybe I should have more research on this matter...

And, also according to media, apparently there's a hate speeches happens 50% more than before the vote. I don't know why but recently I see the word "xenophobia" more often. Not only in the news about U.K., but also about Turkey. Maybe the world around Middle East reached its limit. Maybe, in a sense, we could say it's a kind of win on those terrorist movement?

And, I forgot about circumstances about in-land matter in U.K. They will definitely reconsider about independence of Scotland and Northan Ireland? Oh, thinking farther more, it really has really many consequences on the matter. Umm...should I do more research further? But I'm becomming to think it maybe wise that I
avert the topic as exam preparation.

Well, it's time. The word count was arount 225.

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2:29-3:02

Since I need to gather materials or topics to use for the interview, naturally I'm watching closely about Brexit. I think it's good that I tidying up ideas about it.

  • Why did that happen?

The British prime minister and most of all other western countries and Japan wanted that U.K. would remain in EU, but, in spite of those intent, British people decided they leave. I could hear there were at least three reasons why British people wanted to leave from EU. One, they couldn't stand of the strength of German's influence. They came to know they stood no longer a chance to become most influencial part of EU, so they resign being a part of it. Two, many people, mainly in England and Whales regions, not including London, felt immigrant people were becoming their threat. Although, I don't have the precise knowledge what type of threat those immigrants imposing, it was at least second largest reason for them. Three, the businesses in London apparently had been fed up with bunch of clerical works to comply EU standards. Perhaps, leaving from EU felt as a freedom from those restrictions. A sense of becoming free was felt as a good catch for British people, it seems.

Well, I've reached the 30 minutes already, so I should finish this for today. I may continue the topic tommorow. the word count was about 230.