More Fashion Magazines!

Good Sunday morning!

It feels really great to be back on this blog with a new posting!

In my last article, I mentioned that I had recently bought my first copy of Esquire.

In fact, in addition to Esquire, I had also bought my very first copies of GQ, DETAILS, and MEN'S VOGUE.

It is indeed a lot of fun to browse through these glossy American fashion magazines!

Lots of the ads they carry are for the same brands, but it doesn't hurt to see those ads again and again as I switch from magazine to magazine, as these ads are really cool and downright sophisticated!

Volume-wise, the thickest magazine among these three is GQ, followed by DETAILS, with MEN'S VOGUE being the thinnest.

However, curiously enough, in terms of their prices (newsstand price here in Singapore), the order is exactly the opposite, with MEN'S VOGUE costing the most, followed by DETAILS and GQ.

Sadly for the fans of MEN'S VOGUE, I read it on the Internet just yesterday that this magazine is closing its doors (view this article), and will henceforth become a seasonal supplement to VOGUE. The December/January issue will be the last issue sent to its subscribers. I'll be sure to get a copy at the newsstand before it's sold out!

Not being much of a reader, with these fashion magazines I focus mainly on the pictures rather than on the text of their feature articles.

The imagery is indeed inspiring and stimulating for me, and as I leafed through the pages, I've become more convinced than ever that these magazines are indeed works of art, and I definitely get more than my money's worth from these delightful publications.

In the coming weeks, I will look at these magazines again and again, be it during the break from my daily French learning or when I am flossing my teeth before going to bed. I'm sure that the imagery will slowly but surely seep into my subconscious mind, and my sartorial taste will be honed day by day!

I can't wait to make some delightful additions to my wardrobe in the coming months!

Will definitely keep trying, and let my frumpy self become a thing of the past!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and have a prosperous new week ahead!

My First Copy of Esquire!

For the very first time in my life, I bought a copy of Esquire magazine yesterday, along with a few other male fashion magazines.

I've known about this American magazine since I was a teenager, but I never imagined that one day I would become interested in fashion, and would actually buy a copy of Esquire!

I flipped through this magazine from cover to cover twice yesterday. It is full of cool and inspiring pictures, and I'm loving it already! What's more, there are some interesting fashion and grooming tips inside, which can be very useful for a fashion novice like me.

I will go through this copy again and again, until next month's issue of Esquire comes out!

In other news, yesterday I bought (also for the very first time) a packet of oil-absorbing sheets!

The idea of buying oil-absorbing paper came to me when I was riding a bus 2 days ago, when I suddenly saw this teenage guy sitting across from me take out a packet of oil-absorbing sheets and started to wipe his face.

I was really impressed that this guy was actually making efforts to maintain a clean-cut appearance, and afterwards I was so anxious to get a packet for myself! At the age of 35, I still have a lot to learn from those kids who are half my age!

When I actually used the oil-absorbing paper, I was really amazed at the amount of sweat and oil that collects on my face in the course of the day. From now on I want to make it a habit to use oil-absorbing paper from time to time, so that my pimples can disappear one by one!

By the way, ever since I started this English blog, I've been searching for a specific purpose or direction for this blog. Maybe I can make fashion and grooming one of my major topics here, as it is a lot of fun, and it's definitely one of my areas of interest!

We'll see how it goes...

Bought More Fashion Manuals!

Good Saturday morning!

Eversince my last posting on this blog, I bought a few more fashion manuals, as can be seen in these photos.

These are excellent fashion manuals, and I make a point of flipping through them every once in a while.
It is really well said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Just looking at these photos can really inspire me, and the imagery can leave a lasting impression on my subconscious mind. It sure beats plowing through those theory-oriented manuals with tons of text and no photos!

I might look almost the same as last week, but already things are beginning to change.

For starters, I've begun to experiment spraying some fragrance on my torso before leaving for work in the morning.

Currently I am using the male fragrance Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren.

My colleagues gave me this bottle as a gift a few years ago, but back then I wasn't that interested in grooming, so I left it unopened for ages.

Now that I've started using it, I can really feel the difference. Spraying some fragrance in the morning not only makes me smell better, but also lifts up my spirit, and really puts me in work mode before starting the stressful day at the office.

I know that there are hundreds (or even thousands) of different male fragrances out there, and I can't wait to try out more fragrances, in search of the one that suits me the best.

I will keep trying, trying, trying!

Wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Bought a Men's Fashion Manual!

Hello, everyone!

It's finally Saturday again, and I can take some time to update this English blog.

It feels so great to be back!

A few days ago, during my lunch break from work, I was browsing a bookstore in the vicinity of the office and found this fashion manual for men.

I flipped through the manual from beginning to end, page by page, and decided to buy it on the spot. It provides some very useful tips on do's and don'ts on men's fashion items, and seeing as I am too shy to consult my friends when it comes to fashion, I think this manual can really come in handy!

At the price of 50 Singapore dollars (approx. USD 33 or JPY 3,300), I think I can get more than my money's worth from this manual.

Although in the workplace, I have been paying attention to my appearance and am quite proud of the way I look, during weekends, when it comes to wearing casual clothes, I am not much of an expert.

But I'm sure things will start to change with the purchase of this fashion manual!

I aspire to become a dandy, dapper, and downright cool Uncle Polyglot!

Wish you all a nice weekend!

Learned about RSS Today!

I learned this evening in Blogging for Dummies how to track blog updates in newsreaders using RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

RSS allows me to keep track of the new posts of the blogs that I am following, by letting them appear in my newsreader every time there is a new entry in any of my favorite blogs.

Up until now, I have been going through my favorite blogs one by one each day to check whether there have been any updates, and this tedious task has been taking up a humongous amount of time and energy, so I'm really glad that I've found a way to simplify this exhausting routine!

For starters, I went to Google Reader (www.google.com/reader), and registered the whole bunch of cool blogs that I am currently following.

From now on, all I need to do is to access this page to get an update on what's new on my favorite blogs. Going forward, by using RSS, I will be able to save tons of time!

I am sooooo excited!!!

Bought "Blogging for Dummies"!

Look! I went to Books Kinokuniya yesterday and bought Blogging for Dummies!

When I was at the bookstore, I already flipped through this manual from beginning to end at least twice. The more I browsed, the more I felt that this manual is useful, so I decided to buy it.

It would be great if I can use an idea or two from this manual, to make this blog a more interesting read for everybody!

I will keep trying!

Have a prosperous week ahead!

Back to Local Time Zone!

This week, I am working on day shift again, so I need to quickly adjust my body clock in order to switch from the European time zone to the local time zone.

My tactic is very simple: in order to be able to get to sleep early on Sunday night, I sleep a lot less than usual on Saturday, and force myself to stay awake despite the temptation to take a nap during the afternoon.

So this morning, my alarm went off at 6:40 a.m., and I forced myself out of bed.

As I didn't get any studying done yesterday, I will definitely get back to my French learning this morning.

In the afternoon, I'll do my usual Sunday routine, i.e.,going to Orchard Road and checking out Books Kinokuniya, Borders Bookstore, and HMV, which are my favorite hangouts in Singapore.

Wish you all a very nice and relaxing Sunday!

Feeling Fresh as a Daisy!

Good afternoon from Singapore!

My tumultuous workweek has finally finished, and I am right now sitting at my computer savoring the peace and quiet of Saturday afternoon.

Had more than enough sleep last night, and I'm feeling as fresh as a daisy!

Later today, I'll have to finish my chores, including vacuum-cleaning my apartment and the laundry.

In the evening, I am invited to my friend's birthday gathering at his apartment in the eastern part of the city. I will probably get him a bottle of wine.

By the way, this guy who's having a birthday today is a Swiss French, who for some reason speaks fluent Japanese and English, aside from French, his mother tongue.

It feels a bit strange to see this Caucasian guy speaking Japanese so fluently! Maybe I can ask him today how he came to be so good in Japanese.

Talk to you later!

TGIF!

TGIF!

I don't normally use this expression, as I'm not a big fan of acronyms, but this is exactly the way I feel today!

It's been a long, long week for me, and I'm soooo glad that it's Friday today at last!

Come to think of it, the entire October has been a whirlwind month for me (and for people around the world), and I'm really glad that it's finally coming to an end!

Had yet another stressful day at the office yesterday, and I had to stay there until 2:30 a.m. I was able to get a lot done, but there are still some pending issues waiting to be resolved at work!

I hope that in November things will start to calm down such that everyone can lead a normal life.

I have around 1 hour before leaving for work, so I'll get to my French learning as soon as I finish posting this.

Wish you all a nice weekend, and a very prosperous new month!

Passed the Halfway Point!

Good morning!

It's now 11:30 a.m. here in Singapore. (I still haven't figured out how to change the time and date settings, so when I post this, it will show a completely different time on this blog, probably that of the US time zone. As I'm not very computer-savvy, this presents a bit of a challenge!)

I have just woken up, and am sipping coffee now while I dash off this new posting.

It's been a really tumultuous week at the office with my immediate boss away on vacation, but it's great to know that it's already Thursday today! We are already past the halfway point of the week!

As I still have some time today before leaving for work, I'll study some French as usual. It's always a lot of fun to study foreign languages!

Talk to you later!

Finally, There is Some "Traffic"!

I posted the announcement last night in my Japanese blog about the launch of my English-language blog, and went to bed at 4:00 a.m.

I woke up this morning at 11:00 a.m., and the first thing I did was to check whether there have been any visitors to this English blog through the link from my Japanese site, and lo and behold, there has been some traffic, and from so many different countries!

I am really encouraged! Many thanks to everyone for visiting this new site!

Going forward, I will strive to make this blog an immensely interesting site! I hope you feel that it's worth your while to visit this blog!

A million thanks once again to my dear readers for your support!!!

Cheers,
Uncle Polyglot

Taking a Break Now!

Hello, everyone!

Though it's only Tuesday, it already feels like half a week has gone, because I had a particularly stressful day at work yesterday. I even dreamt about it last night!

Went to bed last night at about 4 a.m. without studying French, and woke up this morning at about 10 a.m., after dreaming about the client's order that I was supposed to place. I can hardly stand this level of stress!

Anyway, to make up for last night, I began to make French flash cards at 11:30 a.m. I am already halfway through today's portion, and am taking a break now for just a few minutes, so I can dash off this new posting on this blog. Expect to make around 100 cards once again today, and I will get them memorized over the lunch!

Talk to you later!

Home, Sweet Home!

After a hard and stressful day, I've just returned to my apartment from work.

As I am working on late shift this week, I begin work at 3 p.m., and get off work at 12:30 a.m. (30 minutes after midnight).

But that's when things go smoothly at the office. For tonight, as there was some extra stuff that I urgently needed to take care of, I stayed in the office until 1:50 a.m. I am really exhausted!

Feels really great to be back in my own apartment, a humble abode as it may be!

Tonight, I will rest and surf the Net for a short while, update my Japanese blog, and get to my French learning as usual before going to bed.

As soon as I've mastered how to post a photo in this blog, I will start posting some pictures to visually demonstrate to everyone how I study the French language!

Talk to you again soon!

No Visitors Yet!

I've noticed that there haven't been any visitors yet to this blog.

According to my StatCounter statistics, there has been a page-view by someone in Galicia, Spain, but that page-view only lasted a split-second, so it doesn't really count as a visit.

But I'm sure that there will start to be some visitors within the next few weeks, probably those who follow the link from my Japanese blog. That will be a start.

I think I will buy Blogging for Dummies and learn how to market this blog, so that it will be known to more people.

In the mean time, I will be patient.

This morning, I will study around 100 new French vocabulary words.

Went to Books Kinokuniya Today!

I went to Books Kinokuniya at Orchard this afternoon.

The reason why I went there was that, I was looking for a beginner's manual on starting an English-language blog.

I flipped through a beginner's manual titled "Blogging for Dummies", and found that Blogger.com might be a good place for me to start my first English-language blog.

Also in this manual, I've learned about StatCounter.com, a website which provides a web tracker service. I have just embedded their tracking device into this blog site; it allows me to check how many visitors have come to view my blog site, and where those visitors are from. It's a really cool device!

I have yet to notify anybody about the launch of this blog site, but today I have put a link to this site in my Japanese-language blog (http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/gaikokugo_daisuki_ojisan) in an inconspicuous place, so it's possible that some curious readers will eventually find out about this English blog, and start visiting this blog on a regular basis.

However, I would be more delighted if my readership can grow into non-Japanese speakers of many different countries, as I do not content myself with getting my messages out to Japanese readers only.

In the beginning stages, I am going to take this nice and slow, but when I get into the swing of things, I will start to make serious efforts to make this blog an immensely popular blog among non-Japanese readers!

Started My English Blog!

Hello, everyone!

My name is Uncle Polyglot.

I am a 35-year-old Japanese male living and working in Singapore.

I am a lover of languages, and have so far learned English, Chinese (Mandarin, Shanghainese, Cantonese), Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Korean and Russian, achieving varying degrees of proficiency, aside from my native tongue, Japanese.

In this blog, I would like to share with you my everyday life in Singapore, with particular focus on learning foreign languages.

I hope you enjoy this blog, and share with me the joy of learning foreign languages!