Remember what I learned

16th day 28Aug2007 Tue
I have little time to write a diary today, because my teacher told me to rewrite my essay, today’s the deadline though.

17th day 29Aug2007 Wed
I have little time to write a diary today, too. I have to prepare for the oral assessment, but I have no idea now!

18thday 30Aug2007Thu
I don’t remember when I got up yesterday. I ate sandwiches as breakfast.
Then, I went to the Office of my college where is on Davies St.
I paid the fee of my accommodation. I could pay it online, but the start date on the agreement was wrong and I’d like to ask about it. The staff told it’s not a problem.
After that, I called at Waterstones that it was the largest bookstore as long as I knew, to search for the guidebook of London published by TimeOut. It was there, but it’s just the version for 2007. I would like to have bought that for 2008, so I got out the store and went to my college.
I arrived there, I entered the library to think about the theme of the oral assessment of my English class. Basically, the theme must be related with your work, but I had no work. I had thought using my pictures of architecture, but I couldn’t conceive a good idea. The beginning time came, so I stopped thinking to go to my class room.
In class, when I told my class mates that I had no work, one of them said to me, “Let’s make it”. I hadn’t thought it, but suddenly I felt I could do it and I answered “It’s ok”. Then, she asked me which is the your favorite 3D software, Maya or 3D Max, but I didn’t know because I didn’t use both of them. I answered so, one of other classmates was surprised because his major is product design and he knows how difficult it is to show presentations of design without them. When I told him I would try it with drawing, he changed his face as if he said “unbelievable”.

2 weeks have been passed

12th day 24Aug2007
Sometimes I feel that I use a lot of time for unimportant things. If so, you should not do, but they are sometimes what I have to do.
I would like to sell my stock option and stock. It has took a lot time to just set up my account. The U.S. companies are NOT excellent!!
At the evening, I went to the Jazz bar that my friend taught me. I looked for it on Last Friday, but I couldn’t. This time, finally I found it! The reason why it is hard to find is it is in the basement of a church. I don’t know about Jazz well, but I felt it was a good play. Jazz is very free style music. Very, very free.

13th day 25Aug2007 Sat
I went to Chelsea and visited my college, but he guard man talked to me and taught it was closed. Next to my college, there is tate Britain and I entered there. There were some works of Francis Bacon. They were very impressed on me. I feel Distorted human body in his works as somehow real. I feel sympathy.

14th day 26Aug2007 Sun
When I move around London, I always ride my bicycle. In London, bicycles are treated as cars, so I have to change my lane, but it is difficult for me. I’m gradually used to it, but it’s hard.
Carnival was held in Notting Hill, I went there. There were so many people! It looked as if you couldn’t move an inch!
At night, I saw “Fahrenheit 9/11”, it was very interesting. Why isn’t there such a kind of Documentarians in Japan? Or just I couldn’t find them? I’m very impressed on some scenes. A mother who had been a ardent patriot but she lost her son and groaned aloud, solders who looked like good citizens but were negatively influenced by war experience etc.

15th day 27Aug2007 Man
Today was bank holiday. In the U.K., holiday is really holiday. Most of the shops are closed. In the morning I went to a library which I usually used, but it also was closed. I changed my mind soon and went to tate modern. When I went there last time, the exhibition about cities and I thought that it might be useful to make my theme for the oral assessment of my English class, but there was a problem that it was closed today. If I want more information about it, I can’t any more. Maybe, other good ideas are needed.
Then I went to Waterstone’s at Piccadilly Circus and looked for some text books for English Pronunciation. Among from some kinds of the books, I chose Cambridge. The reason I chose it is that it pays attention to both speaking and listening. I must try it every day from today.

days in London

4th day
When I woke up, there was a paper on the floor in front of my entrance.
On the paper was some message in Japanese.
I heard a girl who lived in next room was Japanese.
The message was from PK, and she was a messenger for me because I was absent when PK spoke to me about it.
I thought I should say hello to the girl, because I lived there later than her.

When I went out my room to school, I knocked her door and she appeared.
“Hello, I’m Mwayat, I live in the next room, thank you for the message…”
I also asked her two questions about laundry and Internet Access.
Her answer about laundry was that there is laundry machine in B1 but it’s not fee free, so she clean her clothes herself.
That about Internet Access was that the system was prepaid, so if you hadn’t pay the fee yet you couldn’t use it.
Maybe I misunderstood about the system.

On the way to school, I found a local library where wireless network is available free.
At last, I could contact with Japan…

In the English Class, the theme of the writing assessment was announced.
There are three categories, Media, Fashion and Fine Art.
Each one has three options, so I could choose one from nine.
All of them seemed to be interesting, but I thought Media is the closest to Architecture, so I chose among three Media themes “Advertising is the greatest art form in the twentieth century”, that is quoted from Mcluhan.

During evening and night, I thought about this theme.
My interpretation depends on what art forms mean.
If it means styles of art, such as Music, Literature, Picture etc., my hypothesis is “Art is the greatest Ad form”.
But if genres, such as Impressionism, Romantic etc., I have to make construct other acceptable hypothesis.
In order to know which is right, I have to read the original text, but is it in the school library?


5th day
I decided my theme was “Art is the greatest Ad form of the 21st Century”.
But in English Class, such kinds of titles weren’t expected.
Our teacher asked us to plan our schedule for the writing assessment.
I also think it is very interested. I must manage my schedule more strictly.
Today, I felt lack of my English skill, especially hearing and speaking, keenly. I have to change the embarrassment into my motivation for English study.

In the night, I went out to Jazz club which my friend told me, but I couldn’t find it…
I approached it so closely, but I returned the street earlier.
I’ll try it again last week.


6th day
I tried to make spaghetti.
Anyway, I could do it, but the taste of meat sources was too weak.
Today, I planned to go to Jessie’s party, but E-mail from her hadn’t arrived although I asked her to tell me more detail map… I should have sent a respond mail earlier.
I would like to change my residence because the facility and location is not so good, but when I think about cost I feel I should stay my current room…Above that, I found some useful place there…

6th day
Since my class mate taught me the place of Japan Center which is in Piccadilly Circus, I went there.
Almost all of the architectures around there are classic style, so it is very impressive site for me, because I’m not used to seeing such a road.
In Japanese center, there are Japanese Restaurant on the ground floor, Japanese books & goods shop on 1st floor, and Japanese food shop on B1 floor.
I didn’t find how much Japanese books cost, but most Japanese food is about 1.5-2 times as expense as in Japan.

After that, I went to the National Gallery, which is available free.
It’s too large to see every floor in few hours.
There are Holbein, Rubens, Botticelli, Rembrandt etc…
Holbein’s the ambassador was very fine, I didn’t notice it when I saw it on paper in my English class.


7th day
I think I have to plan moving seriously.
There seems to be better and more reasonable place.
As usual, I went to library and connected the Internet.
I search for places to let and found a flat that seemed to be good in central London.
I sent to the Agent e-mail that required more detail information.
Then, I actually went there. It is near Tottenham.
There were a lot of book shops, which included many second hand books store.
I’ve come to like there!

Walking around there, I found the National Portrait Gallery, but I was not so interested in it, so I got out there soon.
In a shop near there, I bought “Voom”. It is like a nutrition drink in Japan and contains raisins and some grains etc. It had a strange taste but I was used to it soon.


8th day 20Aug2007
In the English class, every student had a time to make our essay reviewed by our teacher.
I made a basic mistake, which is changing the title.
I thought I must change it but I misunderstood.
My teacher suggested me that I change my theme, and I decided to follow it.
I couldn’t express my opinion clearly in English.

After class, I went to Canada water with a classmate to purchase a bicycle.
In the conversation with her, I couldn’t understand her easy question.
The cause might be that I have a bat habit of getting rid of some information that I don’t think is important.

9th day 21Aug2007
In the morning, I tried to fix mud guard on my bicycle, but I failed because tools I purchased were not fit into the fix parts.
In the shopping centre at Elephant & Castle station, I checked some drivers and wrenches were sold, so tomorrow I’ll bring my screws and investigate which size is best.

10th day 22Aug2007
I have some trouble with communication yet. I can’t find the best way to improve it.

11th day 23Aug2007
In the English class, teacher told us that there was oral assessment, which was a presentation.
Basically the theme of presentation must be about your work, but I have no work, so I’m going to ask my teacher if the analysis of architecture or Interior Design with some pictures is O.K.

At the night, for studying English, I saw a movie which has the title,” Adaptation”. The main character, who Nicolas Cage acts, is completely coward, but I felt strongly sympathy for him.

Now, my cell phone, which I intend to use as a address book, hasn’t worked. Losing this means losing the way of contact with my friends in Japan… It seems to be trivial thing, but actually a big problem…

I finally arrived at london.

0th day:
I became nervous.
For a while, my concern was that I had no concern, but it was not true.
It was just because of the shortage of my imagination.

Malaysian Airline is good, because all the sheets have VoD service.
“Spiderman 3 was very interesting.


1st day:
I arrived at Heathrow, then I went to Elephant & Castle, where is my language school, on tube. It took about an hour, so Heathrow is closer to the center of London than Narita to Tokyo.

English class has nothing at 1st day but introduction, so it’s boring.

After the introduction, I went out to my Hall of Residence, but I had only a print out of Google Map and the leaflet which has a vague map, so I lost my way.
Then I found a man, who looks like a visiting cleaner, and asked him the way.
He didn’t know that, but he had a sort of PDA, which can search for some place form an address, so he found my way and taught me.
He’s very gentlemen, but I forgot to ask his name…but I never forget his kindness!

At last I got there, but next trouble was waiting.
The gate was locked. I couldn’t enter. I pushed the bell, but it seemed not to work.
Looking for the other gate, I was walking around the residence when a man, who seemed to live around there, told me that I should just wait because someone passed buy.
At first I couldn’t believe it, but after waiting for about 15 minutes some student came there and unlocked the gate.
She asked me how long I wait here. When I answered about 15 minutes, she said “you’re lucky”.
In return I asked her if everyone stayed there until someone passed by, she answered “yes”.
Oh, what excellent operation it is…

Then, I entered the room of the manager, who called PK, but he isn’t.
The girl who unlocked the gate told me to wait here and went upstairs.
For a while I waited here, but he didn’t come.
Other girl passed by and spoke to me.
“Are you waiting for PK?”
“Yes.”
“Call this number.”
She indicated the number on the wall.
“But I have no phone…”
“Ah…just wait.”
She brought her mobile phone from her room and called him.
Then, he came there and gave me my room key.

My room is large enough to live alone, but Internet Access was not working well…




2nd day:
I went to school in early morning because I was going to be told about when my class started.
My class was to start from 2 a.m., so by beginning my class, I went to south bank.
I walked around westwalk station and visited tate modern.
Here, some exhibition held and almost all the exhibition was fee free.
One of the themes was City, and other was UBS collection.
Former focused on the visual expression of comparison between some large cities, such as Cairo, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles, etc…
I wonder when people started to be interested in cities.
From the early 20th century? From ajge? From Sander?
For most of people, cities are already usual things.
Does the comparison between each other make new meanings?

I’m interested in percentages of immigration in each city.
That of London is about 30%, Los Angeles is about 35%, but Tokyo is just few percent.
Tokyo is mega city, but it seems to be take a lot of time that Tokyo becomes an international city.

I found a photograph of Las Vegas.
The city is strictly gridded, the inside is very confused though.
The gap is very interesting.


3rd day
I decided to try to go to school on foot.
On the way, I found a flea market. It seemed to be useful.
There were a mobile shop and I took out a leaflet.
In the UK, there are 2 plan, monthly and pay as you go.
Monthly seems to be more reasonable, but it require you to have a bank account.
I don’t have it in the UK, so maybe I have to contract a “pay as you go” plan…

In my English Class, I’m less at English, especially Listening and Speaking, than other students. I must study hard.

On the way to go home, near my residence I discovered a good supermarket.
500g pasta is just 27p (about 68yen)!

Guide to Going oversea to study

Sep 2006
I went to an agent company of overseas education and learn about basic knowledge for that.
Dec 2007
I take an exam of IELTS in Tokyo.
Jan 2007
I went to other fee-free agent company of overseas education, but I couldn’t get useful information. Best point of this visit was that I found my purpose was not so clear yet.
Mar 2007
I went to other (it means third!) fee-free agent company of overseas education. This agent seems to have a lot of knowledge about how to support students who want to study art oversea. I felt it is a good agent for me.
Apr 2007
Fortunately an interviewer of UAL was going to come to Tokyo in April, so I interviewed with in Tokyo.