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B1rd's Study Blog

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B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
3/5. Currently about 100 pages into my exercise book "Japanese for Busy People". I'll probably order volume two and a kanji book sometime soon.

Foxtrot wrote:

If you ever feel like practicing writing to someone in Japanese feel free to do so with me. I only know the basics, but it'd be a good practice. Or write to Khelly
Thanks. Once I gain some basic competency I'll look into writing/talking with people, as well as probably paying for an online tutor. Though I think I'm gonna focus on the written aspect.

I'll write some more tomorrow.
Luqanted
825 posts
Joined November 2013
Luqanted
B1rd what does gago means
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
4/5. Spent the day revising kana stroke order, vocabulary, and numbers.

Just put myself in debt for the next two decades by buying some new textnooks: Genki 1 and 2 + workbooks, The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering 2300 Characters, and A Guide to Japanese Grammar
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
5/5

about 100 pages in and one exercise book filled in.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
1/5
kai99
1,123 posts
Joined July 2013
kai99
dam, going strong!
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
sorta

2/5
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun

B1rd wrote:

sorta

2/5

BORING
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
My life is boring.

As it seems I've broken my record for sleeping, went to sleep as soon as I got home at about 5pm and woke at 1pm the next day, I missed studying yesterday, but I'll catch up today.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
3/5
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
No. You MUST comment with more than just a number.
DJ Enetro
88 posts
Joined January 2017
DJ Enetro
Posting what you learned will be a good idea, as it turns book knowledge into applied knowledge
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
5/5. Procrastinated a bit this week so I did 2 hours of study today. I feel more motivated to study when I'm away from home and all its distractions, so I've been going to a cafe.

Writing what I've learned is more boring than studying itself so I'm not gonna do that all the time. But today I did some stuff on いいand　な adjectives, and also just general stuff like putting together sentences, for example えいが　は　ぜんぜん　おもしろくなかった　です。　(tell me if that's wrong)

And before you get on my case, yes I'll learn the kanji and verb conjugations soon enough. I didn't have the money to buy the textbooks I wanted this week but I'll get them soon.
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
な adjectives aren't actually adjectives. They're nouns. な is an old form called rentaikei that doesn't exist in jp anymore. In these cases, it stands for だ. That is why it is conjugation with things like だった etc. I guess you're still going to interpret them as adjectives from an English perspective, but they're really really not. "静かな人 Quiet is person. Person that is quiet. Quiet person." I'm assuming at this point you're not used to head nouns so it'll make less sense. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Your sentence is fine but you don't need the です. If you want to be polite, it's おもしろくありませんでした。Look closely at the negative state. " なかった" This is past tense for nai. What is polite for nai? It's arimasen. What's negative past for this? ありませんでした. Exactly.

Yes I am aware that not ending such a sentence with です technically means it's ending with an adjective and not any sort of verb or copula. But I see this happen ALL the time where people end in actual adjectives. If you were to end it with a noun-"adjective", you would definitely need a だ though.


Also it's cool to note that two of your main words are ones that're like 20/80 written with/without kanji. You can basically get away with only using kanji for eiga and no one would bat an eye. Although personally I would use kanji for eiga and zenzen because the less amount of hiragana in a row the easier it is to read.

映画は全然面白くなかった for full kanji.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
2/5
Rwyta
91 posts
Joined September 2016
Rwyta

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

No. You MUST comment with more than just a number.
johnmedina999
296 posts
Joined October 2016
johnmedina999

Allmynamestaken wrote:

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

No. You MUST comment with more than just a number.
He wrote two.
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun

Allmynamestaken wrote:

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

No. You MUST comment with more than just a number.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
By the way, I might do 10 hours of study this week. I'll pay out $50 if I don't meet that goal.
DJ Enetro
88 posts
Joined January 2017
DJ Enetro
K go, follow your dreams
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Yep, I'm gonna force myself to follow my dreams whether I like it or not.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Okay, I didn't have the money last week but I just ordered the Japanese textbooks, the ones I mentioned earlier + a Kodansha furigana dictionary, $365 AUD total.

I also decided to add some more pending actions to my routine, starting next week:

-20 minutes of calisthenics 3-4 times a week
-20 minutes of bow-related exercises 3-4 times a week
-60 minutes of housework a week
-bed by 1am, up by 7:30am each day of the week
-limit of $30 of takeout food/drink a fortnight, excluding coffees from cafes when studying

As always, failure to complete any of these will result in a $50 penalty to me as per the instructions in the OP. I'm also gonna change the format from daily updates to a weekly report.
Foxtrot
1,165 posts
Joined April 2012
Foxtrot
hopefully doing weekly reports will give you more time to sit down and write more detailed information about what you learned so far. as always, good luck on your study
johnmedina999
296 posts
Joined October 2016
johnmedina999

Foxtrot wrote:

good luck on your study
Also, how fluent do you think you are currently, at least when it comes to reading a text you haven't seen before?
lol
145 posts
Joined November 2014
lol
this thread is cool but also makes me worry about my life
kai99
1,123 posts
Joined July 2013
kai99
maybe you should study japanese too.
DJ Enetro
88 posts
Joined January 2017
DJ Enetro
Flip that I already am having three new languages on my plate, plus helping a spelling bee out
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
10/10 done. Still got 20 minutes of my teen years left before deadline.

johnmedina999 wrote:

Foxtrot wrote:

good luck on your study
Also, how fluent do you think you are currently, at least when it comes to reading a text you haven't seen before?
If you're talking to me, I still don't know much, I'm still earning basic vocabulary and sentence structure. I wouldn't know enough to understand the majority of basic conversation very well. I haven't been doing much reporting on what I've been learning because it's fairly tedious, I may do when I have time though.

Also, I'm gonna cancel the bed time schedule, until I get some sleeping pills from my doctor.


lol wrote:

this thread is cool but also makes me worry about my life
It can hardly be worse than mine.
Rwyta
91 posts
Joined September 2016
Rwyta
Bump
Endaris
5,282 posts
Joined June 2010
Endaris
rip study blog
johnmedina999
296 posts
Joined October 2016
johnmedina999
rip studying
Serraionga
11,487 posts
Joined November 2014
Serraionga
kai99
1,123 posts
Joined July 2013
kai99
it's b1rd u.. u...... u imbecile
Serraionga
11,487 posts
Joined November 2014
Serraionga
You Can't Use Numbers On 1st gen,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Best Regards,

Serra1onga
kai99
1,123 posts
Joined July 2013
kai99
oh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

serraionga i love you
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
5/5 hours of studying done, did the exercises, housework, etc. I just went to sleep straight away afterwards on Sunday night then forgot about it this morning.

I'm gonna change it from 20 min to 10 min since 20 mins is a bit excessive just for pushups and stuff, and I'm gonna add 1 hour of sorting about my computer files
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
I have to admit, last week I didn't really study properly. I procrastinated a fair bit and left the last 3 1/2 hours to the last minute, and when I finally had to do it I was tired so I spent most of the time dozing with the textbook in front of me. Since I effectively didn't do 4 hours, I'll have to give $200 to Allmynamestaken since he was the only poster in that week (sorry if you've posted a lot and you don't get anything, just following what's in the OP).

I'll try to keep up with the study in the future. I've done 125 mins of study this week and I'm gonna do another hour today.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Completed: 5 hours of study, 1h housework, 1h sorting computer files, 3 exercise sessions, 3 bow related exercise sessions, and I haven't spent more than $30 on takeaway food this fortnight.

I was pretty motivated midweek, though a cold killed my momentum a bit, so I only did the bare minimum and it make exercising a bit difficult but I still got through it. I've finally got the Japanese books that I ordered, the Genki book series, a Japanese dictionary, a grammar guide, and a Kanji learner's course book. I started on the latter tonight, I spent an hour and I still haven't finished the intro/preface/foreword and all that good stuff. I'm not a very fast learner so it'll probably take a longer while still to memorise the 2300 kanji characters afterwards.
johnmedina999
296 posts
Joined October 2016
johnmedina999
Good luck, memorizing kanji can be slow and frustrating but don't give up!
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
You don't memorise; you use until it becomes learnt naturally.
DJ Enetro
88 posts
Joined January 2017
DJ Enetro
How''s it going?
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Status Report:

Everything complete. I've been studying the book I got that has about 2300 of the most common kanji, I'm studying 8 a day so I should have it done in less than a year. 44 done so far. Obviously I don't memorise all of the readings and vocabulary of every kanji as memorising something without context would be inefficient and would take far too long, so as the book suggests I just memorise the generalised meanings and one or two of the readings. Learning the kanji systematically should give me a headstart in actually being able to read Japanese text, which will have huge practical benefits in that I'll be able to practice Japanese just by reading stuff off the internet.
I've also started on the A Guide to Japanese Grammar by Tae Kim, which looks very promising in that it seems it will teach me all of the fundamentals of grammar, rather than just teaching me the Japanese equivalent of English phrases, which textbooks seem mainly to do. Though I still think textbooks will be useful for practice and learning practical words and phrases.

Of course I've also been doing exercises 3 times a week, just basic calisthenics and stretches. I've improved a bit since I've started, now I can do 35 pushups (with my chest touching the floor), 12 pull ups, 40+ squats etc., and I can get my palms on the floor with my legs straight. I've been thinking of joining a gym, but I don't really want to pay the membership costs. It's something I'll consider.
Taj
48 posts
Joined December 2015
Taj
You shouldn't have HD.
gaming epic
47 posts
Joined August 2016
gaming epic
Damn i have respect for you. Best of luck B1rd. (y)
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd

UltraHenzie wrote:

You shouldn't have HD.
What's HD
johnmedina999
296 posts
Joined October 2016
johnmedina999

B1rd wrote:

which looks very promising in that it seems it will teach me all of the fundamentals of grammar, rather than just teaching me the Japanese equivalent of English phrases,
This is what you want, nice job finding this.
Taj
48 posts
Joined December 2015
Taj
Hard distance, the equivalence of wonky aim.
Aim is usually the most important balance in skill, although skill is not important.
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun

B1rd wrote:

Status Report:

Everything complete. I've been studying the book I got that has about 2300 of the most common kanji, I'm studying 8 a day so I should have it done in less than a year. 44 done so far. Obviously I don't memorise all of the readings and vocabulary of every kanji as memorising something without context would be inefficient and would take far too long, so as the book suggests I just memorise the generalised meanings and one or two of the readings. Learning the kanji systematically should give me a headstart in actually being able to read Japanese text, which will have huge practical benefits in that I'll be able to practice Japanese just by reading stuff off the internet.
I've also started on the A Guide to Japanese Grammar by Tae Kim, which looks very promising in that it seems it will teach me all of the fundamentals of grammar, rather than just teaching me the Japanese equivalent of English phrases, which textbooks seem mainly to do. Though I still think textbooks will be useful for practice and learning practical words and phrases.

Of course I've also been doing exercises 3 times a week, just basic calisthenics and stretches. I've improved a bit since I've started, now I can do 35 pushups (with my chest touching the floor), 12 pull ups, 40+ squats etc., and I can get my palms on the floor with my legs straight. I've been thinking of joining a gym, but I don't really want to pay the membership costs. It's something I'll consider.
Tae Kim's guide to Japanese - that's a name I haven't heard in 5 years.

So you found what I used when I was a first day learner.
DJ Enetro
88 posts
Joined January 2017
DJ Enetro
This isn'tis probably what Railey2 means when (s)he was saying "give feedback in addition to receiving"...
kai99
1,123 posts
Joined July 2013
kai99
good god this thread is reminding me to learn japanese too. soon (tm)
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Comfy Slippers
194 posts
Joined April 2015
Comfy Slippers
I remember having an android app for kanji. It was really useful.
kai99
1,123 posts
Joined July 2013
kai99
hahhahahahhaha that pic got me.
kanjis are impossible. people should start using spaces, not a different set of letters
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun

kai99 wrote:

hahhahahahhaha that pic got me.
kanjis are impossible. people should start using spaces, not a different set of letters
There are spaces between the words and if you can't see them you're illiterate.
kai99
1,123 posts
Joined July 2013
kai99

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

kai99 wrote:

hahhahahahhaha that pic got me.
kanjis are impossible. people should start using spaces, not a different set of letters
There are spaces between the words and if you can't see them you're illiterate.
correct me if im wrong, but as far as i know isnt kanji use to indicate the end of a word???
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
My point is that if you know how to read it's damn well easy to tell the ends of words.

Let me go find some random article and mark them.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
A while ago you were complaining about how hard it was to read without kanji.
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun

B1rd wrote:

A while ago you were complaining about how hard it was to read without kanji.
What's the contradiction here?
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

B1rd wrote:

A while ago you were complaining about how hard it was to read without kanji.
What's the contradiction here?
You can work it out.

I've done everything, completed studying, housework, exercise et cetera. Not much to report, still getting into the swing of using my new studying material.

Some changes though: change general exercise sessions to 12 minutes, and bow-related exercise sessions to 8 minutes. Now I also have to complete 1 page of my kanji course before I go on the computer every day, and this will not count for the obligatory 5 hours of study a week. Though I won't penalise myself if I don't do this, I just won't be able to go on the computer (since this is my #1 time sink)
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
It's hard and slow to read without Kanji because nouns and homonyms and particles all blur together without spacing


With Kanji, it's easy to tell where words begin and end and what the parts of speech are at more of a glance.


What's the contradiction
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Finished all the tasks for this week, though I overshot the mark on Sunday by about 20 seconds or so, so I only got 4/5 hours done, so consequently I'll have to pay Khelly $50. Although including the kanji study I did do more than 5 hours. After today, I should have over 148 kanji characters memorised. I don't think that I've completed my general goal of 1 page (8 characters) a day, though I should be close to it and I reckon I'll get all of the 2300 done in less than a year.
DJ Enetro
88 posts
Joined January 2017
DJ Enetro
Don't give up. That's the worst thing you can do
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
I wasn't planning on it.

Some other things to note, I've decided I might disconnect my internet, so it doesn't distract me and I can save some money, and use some of it to get a gym membership. Also regarding my fortnightly budget of $30 for takeout, I've decided that for every hour of overtime I can increase my budget for $5. That way I might be able to treat myself to a nice restaurant meal for working hard. Finished 2 hours of study today.
kai99
1,123 posts
Joined July 2013
kai99
sounds like a plan.
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
The internet shouldn't distract you from study - it should be the largest tool of study giving you access to a large variety of Japanese media. (And by media I mean everything/stop thinking just anime people.)
DJ Enetro
88 posts
Joined January 2017
DJ Enetro
TBH tho it can do both, but then again it's all up to you to decide what the internet does to you BC you control your thoughts and actions alone
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
I didn't expect to really get money, but b1rd is actually serious. Good luck
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Did everything. Did last week too but I didn't write an update.

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

I didn't expect to really get money, but b1rd is actually serious. Good luck
Didn't you expect me to do what I said I was going to?
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
I did not, but it retroactively paid for the book I ordered.
SPOILER
abraker
Global Moderator
8,355 posts
Joined July 2014
abraker
Wow still ongoing. Good luck, b1rd!
Rwyta
91 posts
Joined September 2016
Rwyta
頑張って。
Blitzfrog
389 posts
Joined March 2016
Blitzfrog

abraker wrote:

Wow still ongoing. Good luck, b1rd!
DJ Enetro
88 posts
Joined January 2017
DJ Enetro
We support you all the way ;)
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Finished. I'm not gonna stop my internet connection or get a gym membership anytime soon. Though I'm going to make a schedule so I can study more consistently, I haven't been making much progress recently. I'm also going on a 10+ water fast starting now, I'll post updates on how that goes.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Update: I'm not gonna go on a fast today, I've realised I've still got quite a bit of food in the fridge that I don't want to waste.
Blitzfrog
389 posts
Joined March 2016
Blitzfrog
So what are you studying atm?? I'm confused
Foxtrot
1,165 posts
Joined April 2012
Foxtrot

B1rd wrote:

Update: I'm not gonna go on a fast today, I've realised I've still got quite a bit of food in the fridge that I don't want to waste.
what did you cook then? I'm interested in that
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
Eat food
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd

Foxtrot wrote:

B1rd wrote:

Update: I'm not gonna go on a fast today, I've realised I've still got quite a bit of food in the fridge that I don't want to waste.
what did you cook then? I'm interested in that
Beer.
Foxtrot
1,165 posts
Joined April 2012
Foxtrot

B1rd wrote:

Foxtrot wrote:

what did you cook then? I'm interested in that
Beer.


Okay then. What kind of beer?
johnmedina999
296 posts
Joined October 2016
johnmedina999
Most likely this.

Foxtrot
1,165 posts
Joined April 2012
Foxtrot
Johnny.... that's whiskey.
johnmedina999
296 posts
Joined October 2016
johnmedina999
Eh, I was hoping B1rd would react to his six-month-old picture.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
I'd live off that stuff if I could afford it.

I'm drinking Morrison Brewery English Bitter, it's a local beer.
Foxtrot
1,165 posts
Joined April 2012
Foxtrot
How bitter is it? From the reviews I've seen, not so much. A little bit fruity, too
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
Like se-
DaddyCoolVipper
342 posts
Joined July 2012
DaddyCoolVipper

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

Like se-
that doesn't taste bitter, you should know that
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
Depends on the guy
Foxtrot
1,165 posts
Joined April 2012
Foxtrot

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

Depends on the guy
You mean, yours is.
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
That hurts
Foxtrot
1,165 posts
Joined April 2012
Foxtrot

Yuudachi-kun wrote:

That hurts

Good
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
The beer is definitely bitter and also quite dry. Though now that I think about it, I think I've been drinking it a bit too cold to get all of the flavours. Anyway, I've started the fast now.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
So, I haven't had anything today except for a coffee with cream, I've pretty much spent the entire today in my room looking at food videos on Youtube.
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
You could have read something
johnmedina999
296 posts
Joined October 2016
johnmedina999
You could have studied some more Japanese.
Blitzfrog
389 posts
Joined March 2016
Blitzfrog

johnmedina999 wrote:

You could have studied some more Japanese.
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Not when I have low blood glucose and I'm too hungry to concentrate.
Yuudachi-kun
5,434 posts
Joined August 2014
Yuudachi-kun
So what's the point of this fast
B1rd
2,974 posts
Joined December 2013
Topic Starter
B1rd
Well, besides losing some excess weight, it's supposed to have a profound list of health benefits. https://besynchro.com/blogs/blog/the-pr ... -autophagy

I don't think that humans are meant to eat 3+ times a day, 365 days a year; it's probably only very recently that we've had such consistent access to food, so it's good to fast occasionally for good health.

I'm not feeling as hungry today, which is good. By all accounts, once you've used up your body's store of glycogen and start metabolising fat - which takes about 48 hours - it's smooth sailing from there.
Blitzfrog
389 posts
Joined March 2016
Blitzfrog

B1rd wrote:

I don't think that humans are meant to eat 3+ times a day, 365 days a year;
I'm interested in how you came to adopt that view
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