My friends and I woke up early on a gloomy Sunday (December 4,2011). The weather doesn't look good. I was thinking that maybe it's a bad omen for some of us who will take the JLPT on that day. I didnt even study for the exam. So what is JLPT?
JLPT in a flash
Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a test to gauge an individual's understanding about the Japanese Language (Nihongo). The test has 5 Levels (Previous JLPT Exams only have 4 Levels). The levels are N5 to N1 where N1 is the highest level. The test includes listening (Personally my favorite base on my performance on the actual exam), reading comprehension and grammar. All subtests includes several Kanji characters so giving an equal attention to memorizing Kanji characters is advised. The exam is usually held in De La Salle: College of Saint Benilde for Luzon examinees. You can learn more about JLPT here: JLPT Website.
JLPT in a flash
Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a test to gauge an individual's understanding about the Japanese Language (Nihongo). The test has 5 Levels (Previous JLPT Exams only have 4 Levels). The levels are N5 to N1 where N1 is the highest level. The test includes listening (Personally my favorite base on my performance on the actual exam), reading comprehension and grammar. All subtests includes several Kanji characters so giving an equal attention to memorizing Kanji characters is advised. The exam is usually held in De La Salle: College of Saint Benilde for Luzon examinees. You can learn more about JLPT here: JLPT Website.
Going back to our story. The assembly time for the exam is 12 NN. We must make haste because we still need to commute a long way to Metro Manila because we are currently staying in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. For those who are curious, the trip only takes an hour on a regular day and it would only cost around 85 Pesos on an Airconditioned Bus. Ill be detailing our trip to help others that needs to go somewhere near De La Salle: College of Saint Benilde. We toook a bus and dropped by in Magallanes. After that we took a MRT going to Taft Ave. The MRT Station is just a walk away from the Magallanes bus stop so better use the MRT than commute through a Jeepney. After unboarding the MRT just walk your way through the LRT - MRT connected bridge. On the LRT Station buy a ticket until Vito Cruz. When you disboard at the Vito Cruz Station, just walk your way down the station and you will quickly see DLS-CSB. Hurray. So there we are at the DLS-CSB. Ill be honest, I was a little shocked on how many people are present on the venue to take the JLPT Exam. I never realized how many people want to take and try to PASS the exam. The system was so organized and good that in only a short while we are in our respective examination rooms. You can never get lost unless your drunk. The assembly time is 12 NN and the official start time of the exam is 1 PM. The whole exam does not take a lot of time. You won't even notice you are finished until the proctor tells you to go home. The exam is not that difficult but it also cannot be passed without studying. Hence I will fail the exam. Better luck next time for me.
Let's Go To MOA
On the middle of the exam I was already thinking of MOA (Mall of Asia). So after the exam, we took an LRT back to Taft and went down the staion. We took a Jeepney to MOA and in just a few minutes we are already there. Woot2x. We were lucky that it is already Christmas season that is why there are number of nice christmas themed decorations like an oversized Snow globe where you can go inside and have a picture and a lot more. There are also christmas light tattered trees, a Christmas House and it would not be complete without a (Imported) Santa Clause. We walked around for a while inside the mall until some of my colleagues knees backled so we have no choice but to rest. While resting we noticed it was already dinner time. We walked around to find a cheap place to eat so we ended up eating in the food court (The food there is not cheap but its better than other restaurants there). After eating we went at the back of MOA where a nice baywalk is waiting. It was nice there. The breeze was cool and fresh. The mood was fun and lively. There are several activities you can enjoy there including Zorb, Zip Lines, Mini rides and others. There are also several food stalls there where you can eat more (Its like street food stalls but expensive). We went to Nido Science Center and enjoyed the free displays. We really had fun there. We really enjoyed our day there but sadly we need to call it a day. We need to travel a long way back to Batangas.
Let's Go To MOA
On the middle of the exam I was already thinking of MOA (Mall of Asia). So after the exam, we took an LRT back to Taft and went down the staion. We took a Jeepney to MOA and in just a few minutes we are already there. Woot2x. We were lucky that it is already Christmas season that is why there are number of nice christmas themed decorations like an oversized Snow globe where you can go inside and have a picture and a lot more. There are also christmas light tattered trees, a Christmas House and it would not be complete without a (Imported) Santa Clause. We walked around for a while inside the mall until some of my colleagues knees backled so we have no choice but to rest. While resting we noticed it was already dinner time. We walked around to find a cheap place to eat so we ended up eating in the food court (The food there is not cheap but its better than other restaurants there). After eating we went at the back of MOA where a nice baywalk is waiting. It was nice there. The breeze was cool and fresh. The mood was fun and lively. There are several activities you can enjoy there including Zorb, Zip Lines, Mini rides and others. There are also several food stalls there where you can eat more (Its like street food stalls but expensive). We went to Nido Science Center and enjoyed the free displays. We really had fun there. We really enjoyed our day there but sadly we need to call it a day. We need to travel a long way back to Batangas.
Let's Go Home
So this will be the ending of my story but I just want to share our experience inside a jeepney. The congestion is really bad as always so we took a lot of time inside the jeep. We talked about our experiences on the exam and MOA in our native dialect which is Bisaya. Everyone was staring at us but we dont care. One of my colleagues even joked that it would be ok because they can't understand us but unknowingly a nice lady answered back in Bisaya. We all bursted in laughter after knowing she can also speak bisaya. We were sort of thrilled to see another Bisaya in a Tagalog dominated region. We talked a little and shared stories but we have to go down because we are already at the bus station. So we went home and this day would be really remembered.
Let's GO EK!
This one is a spoiler but we are planning to go to EK before the year ends. Hopefully we can go there and I would be happy to blog about it.