Your Blog Is So Pretty And Interesting! I'm Thinking About Keeping A Digital Diary Like You

170325

Too much to talk about, undoing my hair rn, did a sudoku puzzle 😝, might do 1 more b4 bed, I'm enjoying this.

Hi Bloommmmm ^¬^!

It's Angel! I've also been trying to learn Italian, :D

I use Duolingo, LingQ, and StudyStack. LingQ is a bit more helpful though.

I just wanted to know what resources you use to study Italian. I feel like while what I use is helpful, I'm not actively learning something. It'd be nice to get your recommendations on how to effectively study the language — including Chinese!

hiii pokiiiie sorry for this laaate answer I've been really busy with school and stuff but here I am !

How to actually learn a language

Learning a language is exciting at first, then frustrating, then exciting again, then you feel like you’re not learning anything, then suddenly, out of nowhere, you understand something and it feels magical. But for a lot of people, that "magical" moment never really comes because they get stuck in a cycle of half-learning a little bit of Duolingo here, a few YouTube videos there, and months later, they still can’t form a full sentence.

I’ve been there. And I’ve learned that the secret isn’t just "practicing every day" or "using the right apps" it’s about knowing how to learn. Not every language works the same way, and the way you approach it changes everything. So let’s break it down properly.

1. Why Are You Learning? This Changes Everything

Before anything else, you have to ask yourself: Why do I want to learn this language? Because different reasons need different strategies.for example

If you're just learning Italian for a trip, you don’t need deep grammar knowledge. You need to train your ear, memorize key phrases, and practice pronunciation so people understand you.

If you’re planning to study in Italy, then a casual "Ciao! Come stai?" won’t cut it. You need a structured approach, real grammar knowledge, and at least a B2 level to survive in an academic setting.

If you're learning Chinese just for fun, you can take it easy with apps and light immersion. But if you ever want to work or live there, you must take it seriously Chinese isn't a language you can just "pick up" casually.

Knowing why you’re learning changes how you learn. If you only need basic conversation skills, focus on listening and speaking. If you need full fluency, you have to do the hard work grammar, writing, and structured learning.

2. The "App Trap" Why Most People Feel Stuck

A lot of people get stuck at the beginner level because they rely too much on language apps. I did this with Italian at first. I spent like the whole summer in WLINGUA and thought I was making progress, but when I tried to form a sentence on my own and yeah I found nothing stored in my brain

The problem with apps like Duolingo, LingQ, and Memrise is that they teach you words and phrases, but they don’t teach you how to think in the language. You memorize sentences, but you don’t really understand why they work the way they do. yeaaa I can say Duolingo is the like N1 app for me and it's the best for Chinese in my opinion cuz it help u memo the characters cuz they keep repeating them for u and Chinese is all about memorizing so I guarantee duo for this one

So what’s the fix? You have to combine active and passive learning:

Apps (Passive Learning) → Great for exposure but won’t make you fluent.

Textbooks (Active Learning) → Boring but necessary for real grammar and keeping ur mind organized

Speaking & Writing (Real Learning) → Forces you to produce the language, not just recognize it.

For example, when I started learning Italian seriously, I switched from just using apps to actually writing short journal entries in Italian every day. Even if my sentences were simple and full of mistakes, it forced my brain to think in Italian instead of just recognizing words. That’s when I really started to improve

3. How to Learn Based on the Language Itself

Not all languages are learned the same way. Some are easy to pick up, others will absolutely fight you every step of the way.

European Languages (Italian, Spanish, French, etc.)

🏷️ If you're learning a language that's similar to English (or another language you know), you're lucky. The grammar is different but still follows familiar patterns.

🏷️ You can skip textbooks if you just want casual fluency.

🏷️ Immersion works really well watching shows, listening to music, and reading will naturally help you pick up structure.

🏷️ The hardest part is usually verb conjugation (french have the hardest conjugation 🦅) so focus on mastering the most common tenses first.

Asian Languages or characters based languages (Chinese, Korean, Japanese .. )

🏷️ Now, if you're learning something like Chinese or Japanese, it’s a whole different story. You cannot learn these languages the same way you’d learn Italian or Spanish.

🏷️ Textbooks are necessary. Asian languages don’t follow English patterns, so you need structures (u don't have to buy them there are pdf and online one )

🏷️ Pronunciation is critical. If you don’t learn tones early in Chinese, for example, you’ll struggle to be understood.

🏷️ Characters matter more than speaking at first. With Chinese, if you only focus on speaking and ignore characters, you’ll hit a wall fast

I learned this the hard way when I started studying Chinese. At first, I tried learning the way I learned Italian listening to native speakers, trying to pick up words, avoiding grammar at first. Big mistake. Chinese doesn’t work like that. The best way is to follow a structured course with a teacher (even if it’s online) and make sure you're learning characters alongside everything else it's tiiiring at first but it worth u will found teachers in YouTube who explain Chinese course module by module don't go straight to vocabulary or trying to force yourself into writting ，start with tones and pronunciation of initial and finals (mā , jiē ... )

then u will start learning how to read pinyin the more u revise the textbook the more u listen to the language, and greetings phrases for ex the more u will start to memo the words in Pinyin u will see the real characters and u will be like yes this is how nihao look like (nihao - 你好 ）and step by step u will rise from beginner to intermediate ..

4. Speaking: The Hardest Part (But The Most Important)

Most people avoid speaking because it’s awkward and scary. But here’s the truth: If you don’t practice speaking, you will never feel confident using the language.

The trick is to start early. Even if you don’t know much, just try.

Talk to yourself. Describe what you’re doing, even in broken sentences.

Use voice notes. Record yourself speaking and compare it to native speakers.

Find a language partner. Apps like busuu (I use it for Italian ) or HelloTalk are great for casual practice.

With Italian, I was scared to speak at first. I felt like I’d sound dumb. But when I finally forced myself to have a real conversation (even though it was full of mistakes), I realized people don’t care if you mess up. They just appreciate the effort.

For Chinese, it was even harder because of the tones, but practicing with a tutor helped a lot. When learning a tonal language, you cannot guess pronunciation you need feedback.

5. The "Lost Motivation" Phase & How to Get Past It

Every language learner hits a point where they feel stuck. You’ve been studying for months, but you still don’t feel fluent. What do you do?

Switch up your method. If you’ve only been using apps, try writing. If you’ve only been writing, try speaking.

Make it fun. Watch something you actually enjoy. I watch cdrama and I try to pick random words / phrases and I keep repeating them and use them for daily talks

Track progress differently. Instead of measuring how much you don’t know, look back at what you’ve already learned.

I hit this phase with english after like it's been 2y I felt like I wasn’t improving. But then I found a book I had tried reading at the beginning and realized I could actually understand the 60% . That’s when I knew I had made real progress so to improve try to not compare urself to fluent ppl !

sources for chinese and Italian

Chinese textbook (pdf download textbook and workbook)

buusu the app (the best for Italian if u don't know how to start )

youtube channel num 1

youtube channel num 2

@bloomzone

190225

Entry +extra!!!

Nothing remarkable happened today. I went to town, hoping to find one of those portable mini magnetic chess sets—something small enough to keep in my bag, ready to unfold on a round café table for a spontaneous game with a stranger. But that idea remained a daydream.

On a serious note, I really need to get back into chess and other brain-stimulating games. Speaking of which—guess what? I solved a Sudoku puzzle today! It reminded me of my pre-smartphone days when I was a teenager obsessed with listening to the radio on my button phone (no, I’m not joking), hoarding newspapers just to cut out the comic strips, check my horoscope, and tackle the puzzle section. I was a genius back then. We love the fast-paced internet, don’t we? :D

Why Chess Should Be as Essential as Your Phone

Think about it! How often do you reach for your phone in moments of boredom, waiting, or awkward silence? Now imagine if, instead of scrolling, you pulled out a mini chess set and invited someone to play. The game becomes a conversation starter, a test of wit, and a window into the way another person thinks. You could be sitting across from a stranger, a friend, or even an elder with decades of experience, and through the game, you'd share a dialogue that goes beyond words.

Chess isn't just a pastime, it’s a tool for patience, strategy, and creativity. It sharpens your ability to plan ahead, recognize patterns, and make calculated decisions, skills that translate into everyday life. It’s like strength training for your brain, keeping your mind flexible and engaged.

We often talk about the lost art of deep conversation, but chess naturally invites it. A single match could lead to discussions about life, philosophy, history, or just casual banter. It breaks down social barriers and brings people together in a way that mindless scrolling never could. So why not make chess as essential as your phone? The connections, the stories, the lessons. It’s all there, waiting on the board.

130525

Need to be my mc since yesterday, she's gorge I wanted her more than matthias 😻😼

Yes I play interactive games like THTH, episodes and choices or wtv AND LADS<3. What else was i gonna say bout it.... Speaking of, I should get episodes again, I'm done with too hot to handle already 😝.

It’s All About Perspective:

Sometimes, all it takes is a quarter turn.

That dried paint blob: smeared, ugly, accidental — can become a dancing figure with big shoes, a biker, an abstract expression, if you just tilt it. And what if your life is the same? What if you’re not broken, lazy, or lost, but simply looking at your own story from the wrong side?

We’ve all been there. Hair greasy, phone hot from hours of scrolling, a million open tabs and zero opened dreams. You’re rotting in bed, flicking from one TikTok to another, laughing, then crying, then dissociating, watching other people live out the things you swore you’d do. It’s addicting. Comfortable. Even aesthetic. "Girl rot" became a moodboard, for Christ's sake but no one tells you that staying there too long leaves you hollow.

But here’s the truth, my dear angels: you’re not the paint blob. You’re the hand turning the page. You decide the angle.

So how do you shift perspective when everything feels heavy? When life is a loop of doomscrolls, late-night existential spirals, and the occasional burst of fake motivation?

You start slow. You start small. You turn the page.

Maybe I'll post something about this topic tomorrow :)

Trolling sm rn

Angela ¦ "05 ¦ Her ¦ Bi ¦ INFP ¦ Artist ¦ Did I say artist?

ABOUT :

Call me Angel / she-her. this is @angelaness — the essence of me in pixels and words.

Currently 19. Black asf. 180cm tall and very proud of it.

artist, muse, menace.

i draw myself so the world never forgets what it lost when it tried to shrink me. self-portraiture is my love letter to existence. yes I'm obsessed with art like it’s religion.

currently: painting w acrylic, cutting up old jeans, passioning my project (coming soon x) and daydreaming about a future lover I already miss.

.a shrine to girlhood that bites back.

.thoughts too tender for main.

LIKES :

graphite-stained hands. old art masters. kpop, krnb, gl + bl (biased, unashamed). vintage cams + handycam diaries. jazz loops in dim rooms. sims 2 aesthetics, messy art desks, cigarette ash in candle jar. pretty men n women who look like heartbreak. dirt, rex rats, glass hearts, and everything chicly broken. fashion that's slashed + stitched with story. solo dates, long showers, secret blogs. the art kids nobody gets but everybody wants to be. baking. pinterest + spotify combo. stray kids. ive. red velvet. DPR IAN.

DISLIKES :

✧ art theft ✧. nosy people who don’t listen. when people make me explain the magic. over-filtered lives + over-sanitized thoughts. “why don’t you smile more?”/“i don't like what you're wearing”. boys who think height intimidates me; babe, i love towering over you. always. Subconscious bigotry. when 2+ ppl are talking to me/trying to get my attention at the same time irl 💔. bad handwritting. weaponized incompetence.

DNI (DO NOT INTERACT) :

racist, ableist, queerphobic, transphobic, fatphobic, misogynistic, islamaphobic etc (obviously). if you mock kids, art, or dreams. fetishizers (i see you. i block you.). anti-oc / anti-self ship / anti-whimsy. cops + copycats. no age-inappropriate behavior. keep it classy or keep it gone.

BOUNDARIES :

i am not your therapist, your savior, or your fetish. you can trauma dump but plz provide/tell me b4 hand a warning for graphic details. don’t repost or edit my art. ask before using, actually don't use my art for ANYTHING. respect my silence. you can flirt, but know your place. don't be a dumb keyboard warrior spreading hate on my blog, you're just a fictional thing in my phone and i bite back. not gently. usually.

if you stay, stay sweet.

stay strange. stay whimsy.

stay #angelaness.

if you vibed, reblog. if you didnt, scroll. (leave a like blessing tho)

Ehhh

May is here

Today went out tried to sketch no motivation, nothing interesting really.

Ok but can we talk about how different each phase of the menstrual cycle feels?? like you’d think it’s just “period = sad” but no babe, it’s a whole seasonal shift in your body every month.

bleeding days? emotional fog. kind of dreamy, kind of raw. i wanna disappear and reappear as a wiser version of myself.

then suddenly i’m glowing?? follicular phase hits and i’m making playlists, plotting my entire life, falling in love with strangers on the street.

ovulation? don’t talk to me i’m the sun. i could seduce gods. i’m flirty, social, magnetic, and fully convinced i’m that girl, Angel!

but then luteal phase slaps me with a cosmic “slow down.” i start overthinking, wanting to delete my whole internet presence, (the amount of times I've deactivated my insta is crazy) crying over a tiktok of a dog getting a new toy or that one guy who lost is mom, held her funeral pic with his dad, then the next slide is him holding his dad's funeral pic, that devastated me, this phase makes the world feel loud.

and the wildest part? it’s predictable. it’s a cycle. we’re not crazy, we’re syncing with an inner calendar nobody taught us how to read.

there’s so much i wanna say on this. like how to work with your cycle instead of fighting it. how to rest, create, reflect, and thrive depending on the phase you’re in. but i’ll save all that for the full post.

just wanted to say: you’re not lazy, moody, clingy, or cold. you’re probably just in a different phase. and that deserves softness, not shame.

x

0280225

Woke up - sink routine - skipped stretch - breakie was delicious 😫 #frenchtoast - admired my artworks - watched Lucifer a bit too immersed - had crazy art block - 'played' against a 5-year-old in chess (bless her heart lol) - late lunch + hibiscus tea - listen to substack - read classic - take fat nap - dinner - shower - didn't finish ep2 of hannibal so will do it tonight aka rn.

open.substack.com

The Digital Camera Will Not Save You: Self-Surveillance, Camp-pensation, and The Internalized Voyeur

things i notice partying 5 days a week, reflections on newfound attraction to men (and how yall got me fucked up)

070525

Today was boring tbh, worked out. Being forced to study something I know I will be shit at in uni, deadline for applications is 19th. I'm NOT thrilled, I mean at least my friend will be there but other than that Id rather km$, hoping to do a minor in art so that during graduation I'll put a real smile of pride holding my art degree 🥹🥲.