Just updated my “How to Make your Android Kawaii” post!

Go back and check out the last tip!  I found out how to make texting even more cute than before!

How to Be Kawaii~

5 Life Changes To Make if You’re Learning Japanese

1. Change the language of your facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc. to Japanese.  You’d be surprised how much you can pick up this way!  And it gives you practical knowledge, stuff you can apply to surfing Japanese sites.
2. Put Japanese labels on everything.  You don’t have to keep them up if you find you don’t like them, but it’s a great thing to do when you’re first starting out.  Make little sticky notes or smaller paper labels for the objects in your house, so that every time you see them you’ll see the Japanese word for it.  It’ll get you thinking in Japanese, which is a very important thing for learning any language!
3. Think and dream in Japanese.  This is harder to do, but well worth it.  Start by thinking in Japanese every day, as much as you can.  Everything you would normally think in English, try to translate it into Japanese.  After a while of doing this you might be surprised to find you may start dreaming in Japanese.  Practicing in your sleep is a great use of that inactive time!
4. Live Japanese.  I started trying to do this a couple years after I first started learning.  I changed my filthy American diet to one the more traditional Japanese person would have.  I ate tons of rice (mostly brown, but sometimes jasmine), vegetables (both raw and lightly cooked), fruits, seaweed (海苔 - Nori), and fish.  And I ate everything possible with chopsticks (it gets really easy after a week or so, I promise!).  I also tried to dress the way I thought a Japanese girl my age would dress.  I watched only Japanese television, and listened mostly to Japanese radio.  I also made my cell phone as Japanese looking and sounding as I could (see archive).  Oh, and I drank TONS of green tea.  One thing I have yet to do is buy a Japanese futon to sleep on, but I look forward to making that change someday (when I have money XD).  All this helps your mind think in a more Japanese way, which makes it easier to practice the language.  Besides, it’s lots of fun!
5. Super-Clean your room/house!  I bet you didn’t see that one coming!  I don’t know why this is, but it’s always easier to think and learn if your surroundings are clean, organized and uncluttered.  The cleaner my room is, the more efficient my studies are, and I bet it’s that way with a lot of people.  It’s almost as if the state of your surroundings directly effects the state of your mind.  If your room is cluttered, your mind is cluttered.  If your room has lots of free, clean space, so does your mind!

5 Must Haves for Learning Japanese

1. A Nintendo DS and the My Japanese Coach game.  I can hear you now, “but what if I don’t have a DS?” Trust me it’s worth buying one just to play this game.  I know that sounds crazy but it’s true.  My Japanese Coach is the best learning aid for Japanese I’ve come across in my whole five years of learning.
2. A Japanese-English dictionary.  I’d especially recommend getting one on your phone (if you have a smartphone).  It’s great to be able to quickly look up a word you hear.
3. Japanese Music.  A great way to learn is to listen to Japanese music!  Look up the lyrics and the english translation and see if you can make sense of it.  You’d be surprised how often certain words and phrases will really stick with you when you do this.  Find a band or singer you really like!
4. A Kanji Book.  Almost any kind you find will do.  But make sure you look for something that teaches you not only about kanji, but about radicals too.  It’s really useful to be able to understand radicals.  My Japanes Coach teaches you kanji too, but it’s nice to be able to flip through a book, too.
5. Someone to practice with!  This is extremely important! If you don’t practice what you learn, you might lose it.  Use http://www.interpals.net/ to find a native speaker you can talk to.  You can also offer to help your friends learn with you so you guys can practice together.

10 Tips to Make Your Android Kawaii!

1. Get the pixel Tokyo wallpaper!  To do this, download the Zedge app on your phone and use it to search for “tokyo in pixel” under wallpapers and install the only thing that pops up.
2. Get a lacy pink keyboard!  To do this, go to the market app and search for “gokeyboard”, it will be the first one.  Then go into the Go Keyboard settings and choose theme settings, select theme, and then install the “pink” theme.  Make sure you enable Go Keyboard or nothing will happen!
3. Get a cute and useful clock widget!  To do this, go to the market app again and search for “sense analog glass clock”.  Install it and place it in one of your tabs.  You can adjust colors and themes if you like.
4. Get a kawaii Japanese sms notification tone and ringtone!  Go back to the Zedge app and search for Japanese under ringtones and notifications and see which ones you like best.
5. Get a Japanese-English dictionary!  What kawaii phone is complete with out a Japanese dictionary?  Search the market app for “Japanese dictionary” and get whichever one you like best.
6. Get a cute kitty game!  Search the market for “meow!”, you’re looking for the one by votsu ltd.
7. Get a cute camera! Search the market for “picute”, it’s by mit ltd.  With this you can take cute pictures and decorate them.
8. Get the kawaii radio! Search for “kawaii radio” in the market and install.  With this you can listen to a bunch of J-pop, anime music and video game music.
9. Get Go Launcher EX! Search for “go launcher” in the market.  This just generally makes your phone look better and operate smoother.  You can also get a bunch of cute themes for it if you want.
10. Get Go Sms Pro!  You can only do this after you get Go Launcher EX.  After you download it, to make it kawaii, go into the settings and find the theme market.  You want the one called Pink Sweet Theme.  This one goes really well with the lacy pink keyboard you got earlier.