Another way to view Japanese material

So here’s just a tiny dilemma I had that ended with a simple yet satisfying solution.

For the longest time, the only way I could watch anything Japanese was through the computer. I would download countless videos to my laptop, watch them whenever I found the time, and store them on external hardrives. The problem is, while I do like to focus my full attention on shows, especially if I’m watching them for the first time, I also like to do menial tasks or doing some homework while watching TV. Oftentimes, I need my computer for these tasks. This would lead to me turning on the TV (and watch stuff in English) while I checked my email or organized my homework or something. The fact that my laptop is pretty small also made it harder to do things like clean my room while still enjoying a Japanese show, which would also lead to my turning on American TV. This is a habit I do try to get rid of.

My savior in this particular predicament? To my surprise, it ended up being the PS3. I hadn’t realized this until recently, but most of the video files that you store on a hardrive can be read on the PS3 – just plug it into the USB drive! Now, not only can I watch my shows on a bigger TV screen (which is a huuuge plus, I have to say), it also frees up my computer so I can multitask. Also, because of the larger size, it’s easier to watch a drama with your friends without crowding around a small computer screen. I do like the PS3 interface a lot, so everything is just made much more seamless and pleasant and I can free up the space on my computer.

This is just a simple idea if you happen to have a PS3 or similar system as well – who would have thought you could watch Japanese TV with it?

Tweet Log 5 (January)

Continuing my story through tweets... start at the beginning here.

Go back to part 4.
Go forward to part 6.

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My review of the drama Hana Yori Dango - http://culturequirk.blogspot.com/2010/01/drama-review-hana-yori-dango.html

http://twitpic.com/xp4lm - Ah, the streets of Tokyo~

Manga Nostalgia: .hack//sign Legend of the Twilight. Never played the games, but liked the anime ok; the manga was cute but nothing special.

Blog post: Summer Belgian Food Log. Ever curious about types of Belgian food? http://bit.ly/5suzHe

http://twitpic.com/xspn4 - The Sega building in Akihabara

Manga Nostalgia: Absolute Boyfriend. I loved the drama, and really enjoyed the manga too, although the end of it sort of fell flat for me.

Today I'll be celebrating Aiba Masaki's (belated) birthday with some friends! Haha it's a really dorky excuse to have fun XD

Blog Post: Intro to the group and members of Arashi! (嵐）http://culturequirk.blogspot.com/2010/01/arashi.html

http://twitpic.com/y8qmx - Gotta catch 'em all! In Akihabara.

http://twitpic.com/yctnf - Life-size statue of Evangelion character Rei in Akihabara.

Manga Nostalgia: Kingdom Hearts. Loved the games, but the manga... not so much. The story was way too rushed and I didn't care for the art.

Arashi! Arashi! For dream~ http://bit.ly/8sTm31

http://twitpic.com/yiqfr - Sony Aquarium - a really cool spot we checked out in Ginza.

Blog Post: Thoughts on some of the food I had in Japan! :D http://bit.ly/8WQPm5

Moved back to the apartment and school starts today! Busy busy~

Here's hoping I'll still be able to maintain my blog and Twitter account and whatnot! I'm optimistic about it thus far :)

It gets difficult to balance school with studying Japanese. Trying to create some of my own tips to follow~

Blog Post: Tweet log just in case you missed any or are interested in reading through them in mini-blog form http://bit.ly/880Q2q

Come join me! I'm taking: Learn to Read Japanese Manga with Rainbowhill and Natsuk... on eduFire http://tinyurl.com/ybb8e6b

http://twitpic.com/z2jzm - The awesome red gates of Asakusa.

Manga Nostalgia: Imadoki. A very short and sweet school story. It was so simple and cute; I enjoyed it quite a bit.

http://twitpic.com/z9h2m - Another shot of Asakusa~

http://twitpic.com/zea02 - This is where we offered our coins at the Asakusa temple~

Manga Nostalgia: Onegai Sensei – A short manga series about a student who discovers his teacher is an alien. Very odd, but amusing too.

Blog Post: Drama Review of Ryuusei no Kizuna! http://bit.ly/4pcWTc

http://twitpic.com/zkxqz - A shot of the bathroom from our hotel room in Tokyo - it was so tiny! XD

Have you heard about the drama Ryuusei no Kizuna? Read my review~ http://bit.ly/4pcWTc http://twitter.com/CultureQuirk/status/8169009916

Manga Nostalgia: Alice 19th – One of my favorite fantasy manga. The art is great, and I thought it was one of Yuu Watase’s best stories.

Sakurai Sho's birthday today! ^o^ Happy Birthday Sho~

http://twitpic.com/zumzw - The infamous fancy toilets! Although the features on this one from our hotel room didn't work XP