It isn’t the first day of the school year or even the school term, but it is the first day of school for 2016! It’s technically a Monday schedule, but thankfully, my first period teacher cancelled class, so I could wake up an hour later than what I would have to.

And to ward off the blues….

Wall Totoro approves

I wore my new TOTORO PULLOVER!! which was a gift from my awesome cousin Charmaine <3 I really love it, it’s fairly warm and really comfy. And it’s Totoro. Enough said.

Technically, school finished at noon, but I had to work on one of my zemi essays (actually, I have to work on both, but this one is due first), so I was with my group in the library until about 5 plus, when I had to go home and look up something.

本音と建前 

Ok, the most interesting conversation I had today was about 本音 (honne – basically your true self) and 建前 (tatemae – basically your public self), I decided to ask the Black Zemi about it. Thankfully, they’re already used to me asking weird questions. And yay for almost everyone being in the library at the same time. Yes, we all have essays due XD

So, here are the results of an incredibly informal poll, given to a statistically insignificant number of people whom I’m already quite close (I would hope). Oh, and because I don’t think they know about this blog, I basically gave them ALL nicknames. I’m sorry if that makes it hard to follow along.

1. Doitsu-kun: *tries very hard to explain what the concepts are*

Me: I know, but how do you differentiate between the two?

Doitsu-kun: well, generally students have no need to put on tatemae. I mean, we (IoT nerds) don’t need it among us, right?

Me: we don’t?

Doitsu-kun and Panda Senpai: *she’s joking, right?*

2. Panda Senpai: I’m almost always showing my honne. But N-kun is using tatemae when he talks to sensei.

3. N-kun: When Panda senpai says he always shows honne, that’s tatemae (thanks for confusing me =.=)

4. Popstar-kun (he shares an almost identical name with a very famous star): *starts talking about out classes, leading to a digression where we both lament the upcoming test and papers due*

5. S-Senpai (because I really can’t come up with cute nicknames): Well, remember when you told the teacher that “I know understand our presentation is doomed? (ダメとわかりました)” – that was a situation where you should have used tatemae. Something like “Thank you for the comments (参考になりました – note, I’m translating extremely loosely. Like Message version of the Bible loosely)”.

^Thank you S-Senpai, for that was helpful. Although none of the IoT nerds recall that moment, including me.

6. Y-kun: 俺、いつも本気出してる (I always do my best/go all out) – not even related, but very characteristic of him.

Everyone else basically said variations of the above, but I thought these were the most interesting answers.

And this… had no purpose. I just thought it was interesting and wanted to share. I have thoughts about this, obviously (me having barely any tatemae, and basically show my honne all the time – see response 5), but I don’t think I’ve finished thinking about the matter. Perhaps I’ll make a longer, more in-depth post one day, if I manage to figure out what I think and feel in a coherent manner.