Wednesday 18 July 2012

Random Encoutners and Random Reminders


I was riding the bus yesterday absentmindedly watching a woman flip through a book. She started out concentrating, but by the end she was just flipping through the book, not really looking at it. Because I was trying not to look, and because I wasn't wearing my glasses--who's kidding who? I was trying to look, but because my glasses were safely packed away in my bad I had to squint pretty badly, and I still couldn't make out what she was looking at.

I had a feeling, a sixth sense (without the dead people) that she was looking at a Japanese book. Maybe it was the layout of the book... I am not really sure. I squinted very hard, but I couldn't make it out.

When we neared our destination, she closed the book and I saw the cover had only two things written on it. It read N2. Aha (or as they say in Japanese Yappari!) it was a Japanese textbook, specifically for the second level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Normally, or at least usually, I wouldn't try to bother people but I felt I had to ask her.

I asked "Are you studying for the Exam?"

She replied, (being somewhat surprised) "yes, but the test isn't' till December."

We only had a brief conversation about it, but I was feeling good about he coincidence. What struck me the most, and serves as a catalyst for this blog, is that she said it was her hobby.

It is also my hobby, but I have neglected it for a while. So many other things seem really important right now. I am not sure any of them really are, but that is just the way things are stacked up right now. This brief encounter has reminded me that I need to spend a little time working on my Japanese, if only not to become rusty, and prepare for one of the levels of the exam.


2 comments:

  1. what a huge coincidence, Anthony!
    I'm not used to bother strange people when I find some coincidences, but I recognize a coincidence that you feel that it's so big that you have to bother the person, hehe

    how many 'that' I used? haha

    a coincidence can make you feel different along the day, of course, feeling better, not worse, hehe.

    I know what I will talk about now it's nothing about this sbject but it was really funny:

    yesterday I fell asleep on the couch, watching tv. at 1:00AM my mother woke me up asking me "Darwin, are you sleeping there?"
    I answered, sleeping: I don't know, the guitar player said that the tone of all the songs are the same! (talking about my band)
    she didn't understand asking me with "whaaaaaaaaaaaat?"
    I answered her: I think I was sleeping when I told you that (hahaha ow really that I was sleeping? I felt I was stoned and I laughed a lot of this situation after all, and couldn't sleep anymore for a long time. Very funny

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  2. I'm glad you did that. It's always good to meet other people, even if for some minutes.

    I'm a huge people watcher. And I often start a conversation...

    Who knows what life will bring us... a new friend, a new romance, a new job, somebody who met the father of the cousin of your former neighbour. Usually good surprises, good stories.

    Have a nice weekend.
    Patricia

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