Isang--mag-aaral - Sunny

This hit hard. I’m glad they put this bit in, I couldn’t have put my experience in better words. It’s important to step back to think what a success is and do a check. Where do I want to be and why? If I’m not there, am I taking the steps towards that goal?  And a reminder that progress isn’t linear. Sometimes we have other things going on and have to take a step back to take two steps forward. 

Things take time. That’s a reminder. 

I’ve been asked a couple of times now what is my approach to self-study, and this is my messy attempt to answer that question. All of this is true for me, and might not work for someone else; still, I hope it may help somebody!

1. Getting acquainted with the language

When you’re learning a language with a different writing system than your own, that’s the first thing you have to tackle, of course; but I usually try to get some background information even when the alphabet used by my target language is the good old Latin one. One thing I pay extra careful attention to is phonology: you want to get the sounds right from the very beginning, before you develop any bad habits (also, learning IPA changed my life). Having an accent as close to a native’s as possible is not necessarily the goal (I do like to work on that, but to each their own), but being understood is! And incorrect pronunciation can sometimes hinder comprehension, in some languages more so than in others. So don’t obsess over it, but don’t overlook it completely either. Getting to know the sounds of a language right away can also help you understand what people are saying a little quicker, and figuring out how new words might have to be read. Wikipedia is usually not bad when it comes to phonology, and Omniglot is a good resource as well.

2. Finding a good textbook

I’m a free spirit so I often find myself not looking for a textbook right away, and just chaotically absorbing information from different sources (see immersion below). When I do set my mind to choosing, though, I try to stick to one well-made textbook that I like, which should possibly contain clear grammar explanations as well as exercises. The temptation to hoard resources is strong – and I’ve succumbed to it myself more than once haha –, but I usually try to steer clear from using more than one textbook at the same time (although I do have separate, more thorough grammars on the side more often than not). I’d rather use a physical book if I have the chance, but if that’s not your thing or you don’t have money to spend on that, that’s okay: you can find loads of perfectly good books or websites online!

3. Compulsive translation

Anyone who’s been following my blog for a while probably knows that I love translating virtually anything: from songs to poems to short stories. It’s something that has always been a part of my life, and I thoroughly enjoy doing. It’s also an awesome language learning technique, which will help you enrich your lexicon and teach you tons of new turns of phrase in your target language. It works both if you translate from your native into your target language and vice versa: find a good bilingual dictionary (I prefer paper dictionaries because they provide more examples of usage, but again, you do you) and look for equivalent expressions, don’t just translate word for word! It might work sometimes but not always. When it comes to translation, Reverso Context is a great resource for some languages, because it provides translation in context, taken from a massive corpus heavy on subtitles – which you shouldn’t trust all the time, but will help you as long as you put some critical thinking in.

4. Immersion (you don’t say)

What a surprise, right? I usually start listening to music / watching video content right away; I wasn’t that big on YouTube before but language learning has made me change my mind. You don’t have to get everything: even if you understand 3 words out of 20, this will help you grasp the rhythms and intonations of the language. This depends on how many similarities my new target language shares with the ones I already know, but as a general rule I use Italian (or English) subtitles in the very beginning, then move on to subtitles in the target language and finally get rid of them entirely. Some people will argue against subtitles of any shape or form, but I can only speak for myself and they’ve helped me quite a lot in the past. The way I see it, reading is also essential: if I don’t have time to leaf through novels, I usually check out at least an article a day in my target language and write down the words I don’t know, plus their Italian translation.

5. Routine – the good kind

In short words, I strive to make the new language a part of my life. There are a thousand things you can do: change your phone settings? Great! Check out the news? Even better! If you’re out of ideas, here are a few suggestions. And don’t worry if you struggle at first: in fact, the start of this process is a bit rocky for almost everyone. Consistency, however, is the key: once the early, most difficult days are over, all of this will start to come natural and stop feeling like a chore! The more you do it, the faster this process will be.

im not sure if it's already been confirmed, but i'm so excited for yuzu's gala exhibition 👀

what would i do without tumblr romanticism of studying. where would i be. how would i ever like physics.

i love pdfs

little reminders

do you have homework due tomorrow? do it

did you get any homework today? do it

did you get an assignment notification? break it into small chunks, schedule these chunks and make a start on it. 

do you have an exam tomorrow? do some light revision. or if you’ve left it until the last, turn off your phone, put it in your desk drawer and revise until you’re done. make sure you get at least 4 hours of sleep if you’re cramming, 8 if you’re not. 

do you have a quiz tomorrow? do some v light revision, and redo some homework problems or handouts on the topic.

how much tea/coffee/general caffeine have you had today? how much water have you had? switch your next coffee refill to water.

have you brushed your hair? tame that mane.

have you showered? have a warm shower right before you go to bed so you feel sleepy when you come out.

are your feet cold? put on socks.

are you working your hardest? push a little harder. 

when was the last time you allocated relaxing time? pick a cutoff point for your work, whether it’s 9pm or 1am, and spend 15-30 minutes (depending on the time) to wind down by reading a book, talking to family or friends, taking a shower and generally doing whatever you want. 

Quarantine Tarantino: Beginning

Today, I managed to check 1 out of 2 on my to-do list, and honestly? that felt better than not checking anything!

It’s been so long since we had this lockdown, and with the way things are going: the lockdown would be longer. Some provinces are apparently going into a GCQ, but if it’s not needed, please stay at home! At the very least, wear a mask! Still, we continue to advocate for mass testing!

Last night, I had this Big Brain moment. I was wondering what to do during this lockdown, and I realized that I have my studyblr! I thought this might be the best time to actually work on establishing my studyblr since I have nothing much to do. I would probably put up a more concrete introduction in the next few days, but basically this is my way of doing something productive. I managed to clean out my studyblr, and I also managed to clean my room. I may not have made all the progress I would want but, hey! Little progress is still progress.

Quick academic update:

i’m planning to shift to a different course;

i’ve managed to start working on my requirements (yay!!!);

uplb admin is, once again, evident on their anti-student tendencies. 

I’ll post a proper write-up about this soon. I’ll try and head to bed early now since I’ve realized that I can work better on my academic requirements during the day. Here’s to hoping I get up early tomorrow lol.

Anyway, I hope you’re all safe and healthy! To all my fellow Filipinos, stay vigilant! We only have at most 7 days before the terror bill automatically becomes a law. Read up, stay hydrated, and get enough rest!

If you look at the world and say “Yes, there are enough homes for people, yes, there is enough food for people, but if we give it away for free they won’t have earned it and the economy will collapse.” Then you have chosen money (a constructed medium of exchange) over living beings who only want to continue living in peace and safety.

And I have no qualms telling you, that is the wrong choice, and you have been brainwashed by this destructive, exploitative system.

since my writing post was received pretty well, i though i’d make other, to give some insight on the racism in the film industry and why it’s still a big problem now as it was in the past. 

hello :(

i feel like i'm burning up with fever, but i'm actually not sure (since we don't have any thermometers around. lol) but today should be good. i can feel that today would be good, just not to me. 😂 just kidding, i need to go now!

please take care, dress warmly, and don't get sick! 💖