JLPT N2 test-taking tips

I wouldn't have passed the JLPT without practicing test-taking skills that are specific to this exam.

Familiarity
It makes a world of difference to be familiar with JLPT-type questions.

JLPT N2 study post-mortem

The results are out: I passed the N2 with a respectable score of 161 out of 180. (Vocab/Grammar: 50, Reading: 60, Listening: 50)

Earlier, I wrote about what study materials I used to tackle each JLPT skill. This follow-up post is about lessons I learned from the final weeks of study:

• Plan for setbacks.
• Manage energy and motivation, not just time.
• Go wide instead of deep.
• The JLPT mainly tests test-taking!

Reading practice: "Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window"

Just finished reading my first "long" book, Madogiwa no Totto-chan (窓ぎわのトットちゃん).

How I prepared for the JLPT N2

Here, I'll summarize three things:

(1) Most helpful study materials
(2) How I prepared for each JLPT section
(3) My 1 year of erratic study

A DS love affair

A little love story I wrote as a guest writer for Ladiesgamers.com, a handheld gaming news blog for women:

Introducing... JLPT N2!

A week ago, I took the N2 level of JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

I'd like to write several posts on the subject, by and by:

• How I prepared for the N2, over the 1 year that passed between my N3 and N2
• Post-mortem: Lessons learned from the final 10 weeks before test day
• Test-taking tips
• Review of N2 study materials or methods
• Motivation, sustaining it

"Life is Strange"? Yes.

The point-and-click genre goes time-traveling.

Full review (minimal spoilers)

Life is Strange (LIS) isn't the first point-and-click adventure to feature time-traveling as a major theme. Day of the Tentacle comes to mind -- a wacky 1993 LucasArts production and one of the first PC games I ever played.

But LIS actually makes time-traveling a game mechanic. 

Back to Nature with "Horizon Zero Dawn"

Romping with robot dinos in the wilds of future Earth

First impressions (no spoilers)

It's an off-grid, post-survivalist life. The kind without running electricity and ready-made lunches.

You hunt for meat with bow-and-spear in quiet, pristine forests -- not at the local super, 'cos that was destroyed ages past in a mysterious apocalypse. 

Birthday milestone with "Ni no Kuni"

When my birthday drew near, a Japanese friend whose birthday is a day before mine, taught me the word "arasa" (アラサー, "around thirty"). Shortly after, I turned "sati" (サーティー, "thirty").

Two nice things happened as I entered the 30s.

Our own "Uncharted" journey

Though Uncharted 4 is a short game, it's taken us ages to finish: 20 hours spread across 6 months.

Like in real life, my husband did most of the heavy lifting while I did the leisurely puzzles and slowed us down by taking photos like this one.