I completely agree on that. fun during the semester. Killer to study for an exam... (it's like all you've remembered during the year disappears only to reappear after your exam when you no longer need it immediately)

Well. I missed all of last year, part of 2013 and most of this year so plenty of lovely events (including the wonderfully long awaited halloween knuffel and some amazing sets like the banshee sets and anubis, pisces, long mu and arctic fox. I'm slowly gathering some items along the way, but most will have to wait much longer still...

My master's thesis was about classical/traditional elements in edo-period kosode... (loosely translated)
What are you studying?

Aw, that's a lot :( But I'm sure you'll manage to collect all the items you really want.

Erm... That might be translated, but I still have no idea what that means :o But it sounds cool :D
What's your field of study? It sounds like art history or something of the sort?

I'm studying computer science. I started with physics though and switched, so I only just finished my first year. That's why I have so many exams now, in the first year we don't have exams in between and then all of them at the same time after the year. Then they take the average of your exam grades and if that's a pass, you have passed the year, else you have to repeat all of them.
It's only like that in the first year though, afterwards the exams are just for single courses.

We call that system (of all points linked) a chain system...

I'm actually a *tries to remember full title* : 'master of arts in oriental languages and cultures, area East-Asia, Japan' (better put I'm just a Japanologist)
I wanted to go into biochemistry or genetech, but I ended up choosing for a language... Go figure...

And better put, I look into the kimono's ancestor to see if they had elements from older periods in the period right before the kimono itself replaced it. (does that make more sense?)

Haha, yes, that is more understandable for me :D
It sounds really fascinating. I didn't even know there was something like an ancestor to the kimono! But I just don't know that much about asian cultures in general, so that might be why.

What are you doing with it now? Are you still researching at a university?

Edit: Btw, I love your current avi :) Nice composition of greens and nature!

Thanks. I remember talking about leaf green and decided I wanted something with that colour.

And at the moment I'm still looking for a job... I have been for a year now...

It turned out really pretty :)

Ah, I see. Good luck on your job search!
I imagine it's probably not easy to find a job where you can actually use your experience in? What are the options? Museums? Maybe something like journalism, writing about what happens in the area and how that is to be understood in their culture?

I wish that was possible, but no. For journalism it's better to have that as a degree than Japanology. Even then, they don't provide enough space to mention a cultural standpoint (a friend tried) she had to cut the article so much in the end and all she was allowed to keep was something that was no longer neutral but looked completely prejudiced (the explanations were cut out as unwanted making a 'point' that was very xenophobic)

That's sad :(
I think articles like that would be really interesting to read, because I think it's often hard to fully understand what's going on in other parts of the world when you don't know much about the specific culture there.

Same here, but the editors don't like adding it in cause it's not news, but 'educational' and therefore a waste of space to them

Anyways. I'll be off now! See you on sunday!

Hm, I think they should have space for that as well... It is important information, too. Maybe not something for the front page, but it should exist, imo.

Have a nice week then!

Edit:
I did it!
Here's my quest thread: