冬休みがチャレンジ: Progress ３

Today I had an 8 hour shift and so I came home pretty tired and zoned out.
I didn't want to miss out on studying so I told myself to squeeze some in before I passed out.
First I went over my friends corrections again and write them down in my journal.
Writing them down correctly should drill it into my brain.
Then I wrote new vocabulary I learned through this exercise into my memo.
I then wrote about my day and sent it to her.
I feel I wrote even more today.
I'm really enjoying it. It doesn't feel like work.

I haven't been speaking though. I'm gonna focus on actually talking next week.
I'll also put in my vocab/phrases into Anki then too.

One thing I'm happy about is that
I exchange emails regularly with my 先生, but I always write to her in English.
With my last 先生 I did a mix of English and Japanese.
Again, this stems from my shyness using my Japanese.
Today I wrote a quick email to her all in Japanese.
I didn't hesitate. I wanted to.
I hope that when I see her I will also not hesitate to speak.

This entry is short because I am over exhausted and I should have been sleeping hours ago.

お休み。

冬休みがチャレンジ: Progress 2

Day 2:

I worked many hours this holiday weekend, and so I didn't celebrate Christmas
with my family this year. :( I also didn't have time for Japanese.

Since I know I work many hours I wondered how I could fit in my Japanese studies.
I bought a little memo book and have written my vocabulary in it.
Being a cashier, I can have the memo at the register and study during slow periods.
I also have to rip signs during slow hours so it's great time to repeat the vocabulary to myself.

When Monday rolled in though I had no problem making myself sit down and study. It's slowly forming into a habit! I was so focused and in a study trance. I also did something that is hard to do, but something you have to do if you want to get anywhere with your studies. My brother is visiting from UK and my siblings had a sibling-night out, but I declined. I was "in the zone as it where". I knew I would be out all day on Tuesday with my friend. Where would studying fit in between all the fun? It's a choice I have to get used to doing.

My friend has been correcting my grammar, and I'm happily surprised how well I'm doing!
I thought my Japanese has gotten worse, but it has improved. ♪
It has boosted my confidence and I'm trying to express things I would usually avoid.
I also noticed that some things I didn't have to think about. I was quite sure of them, and
felt natural.

My friend has told me to try to avoid using katakana words and use Japanese words instead.
Even though these words exist they're not usually spoken, and mostly used for advertisements.
It's kinda difficult to know when not to use these words because they're so many.

Another thing I learned is that with older siblings you should always add 兄さん or 姉さん after their name.
Just saying their first name is not common, but with younger siblings you just say their names.
I also learned not to say お母ちゃん and お兄ちゃん at my age. It's perceived as childish and not lady like. :3

I asked her how do I end a vlog or a journal entry of I have nothing else to say? She taught me the phrase "今日はこのへんで” or ”今日はこのへんにします”. It means "That's all for today." This phrase is going to become very useful. Because it was the holidays I took the chance to practice conjugation of give and receive. I think I have it down now.  


I need to work on my deck but I haven't had time. Hopefully I can muster energy for it after work tomorrow. I'm gonna have to do a YT vlog soon too. Been so long.

How are you doing with your self challenge?

今日はこのへんにします。

冬休みがチャレンジ：Progress

Day 1:

It was quite hard for me to muster the energy to start my first day of my challenge.
With droopy eyes I forced myself to plow through and I did all three tasks.
First I just wrote down about my day.
I couldn't fully express a few things so it sounded like statements.
Hopefully as my challenge progresses I'll be able to put in more feeling.
I also noted that I really need to go back and review chapters that I have studied.
I emailed my friend and hopefully she can fix my grammar.

When I clicked record I froze up when I saw the red light.
I haven't vlogged in so long that I feel I'm back to square one.
I didn't want to speak.
When I recorded myself I noted I hardly put any emotion in my words.
I blame my exhaustion.
I always stop at particles cause I have to think about it,
and if I don't my tongue gets tied.
I hope this will become a thing of the past.

I do think it's my tiredness, because when I do vlog on YouTube
I do it when I have the most energy and motivated.

I wrote down two new words I learned doing this exercise.
The best grammar learned is grammar you crave/search to use.
I think it sticks better in your brain.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

冬休みがチャレンジ

Winter vacation is finally here!

I couldn't wait for it to start. 
I have so many things I want to do this vacation.
One of them is Japanese of course.
I was so stressed out with my classes and piled up with
work that I'm behind on my Japanese studies. ><

I like vacation because it's a good time to really dive
deep into my Japanese studies. My friend, レイチェルちゃん
has started her own self challenge and it has inspired me to do the same.

The point of these self challenges is to get into routine, make it a habit, gain confidence, and improve your level of Japanese.  I thought it be good for this winter challenge to 
focus on what you most struggle with. 


The biggest thing I struggle with is speaking. 
I have  no confidence and feel very nervous.
I won't even speak in Japanese to my new Japanese teacher!
So that is what I'm going to focus on.


What I plan to do:

First, I'm going to vlog  everyday, but these will be private vlogs.
I hesitate too much when I have to upload a jvlog. I feel
I will quickly quit if I do so. 
This will help me get used to having to speak in Japanese.
I will upload one vlog a week on my YouTube channel.
This will help me to get feed back on my progress and get comfortable speaking to an audience. 


Second, I will write in my Japanese journal everyday.
It will help me to put my thoughts and feelings into words. 
My teacher or friend will check the grammar so that I learn to speak
correctly. 
I will build a phrase deck of sentences I always want to use,
but never remember how to say them. 

My goal will be to be able to record one minute of vlogging without cutting,
speak comfortably in front of my teacher and friends.


I will post regularly of my progress.
Want to join in the challenge?
Commest or leave a link to your self challenge.
It doesn't have to be speaking. It can be reading, writing, anything!
Let's make progress this winter break!

Key Preparations for Studying 1: Sleeping?! Part 1

We've all heard that sleeping is important for our health, but Japanese?
Lack of a restful nights sleep can be a great hindrance to studying. 


One thing that happens is that you're just too tired to study.
Tired physically and mentally.
You have no energy. Lack of energy means lack of motivation.
Lack of motivation means no action. 


Another is that you might not "feel" tired,
but you're a lot more distracted. Constantly daydreaming, hazy, spacey, in a daze, etc.
Things take your attention away much easier,
and that means less likely to be able to focus on Japanese study.


Another problem is what I'd like to call "slothing". 
You might feel fine but it takes you a lot longer to do anything.
Which means time being wasted. 


You'll also have a harder time remembering what you've studied. 


I know work schedule might be a reason or school work,
those are understandable. (unless you were procrastinating)
But how many times did you stay up late watching YouTube or TV?
Or just five more minutes of that video game?
Be honest with yourself.


Some "think" they're night owls, but I know many
that can't function the next day and need energy drinks or coffee to get through the day.
Many have a hard time getting out of bed. Those drinks can't replace the rest of sleep.


Some have no problem and function great! That's fine, but those are the very few.
I'm not saying become an early bird. I'm saying get enough rest.
Maybe only 5 hours is enough for you. Maybe 9 is enough for you. 
As long as you get that rest.


Getting enough rest means having more energy and motivation to study.
It also means you'll feel positive and not pessimistic. 
Many become pessimistic when they're tired.
You'll also feel and look great. 
Your brain needs its beauty sleep too.
You'll feel encouraged. 
You'll think more clearly.
You'll be focused.


Most importantly,


you'll remember and retain the Japanese you've been studying a lot easier.


I will write my experience with this in Part 2.
Look forward to it.
Please share you thoughts in the comments!

Reading Challange: Day 2 week 2

What a week!
I´m currently in Brazil visiting my family after 14 years.

I thought that I´d have plenty of time here to sit back and read.

I brought all of my Hiragana Times magazines.
I thought wrong.
I´m used to a quiet home but here it´s full of life, (not to mention noise).

My family wants my attention every second of the day.
And when their not I´m taking a nap.

I love that here everyone takes naps.

Of course I´m putting my family first.
I´m enjoying spending time with each of them,
but I alo realize that 2 weeks without ANY Japanese will hurt my progress greatly.

My family loves to watch novelas.
So I take the chance to read.
There was some topics I read about in the magazine.

Sign Language
There is a musical playing Tokyo that is using Japanese sign language.
I thought it really cool that they´re making more entertainment for a different demograph.

Exhibitions, babysitting, kimono book, baseball

I read it for practice but I wasnt interested in it.

Little Star

There was an article about a growing star named Ashida Mana.

It was interesting because she seems mature for her age.

I want to watch the shows she´s been in now.

Joshikai

I really dont understand this phenomenon.

Its basically women hanging out, eating, shopping, and chatting without men around.

Its a boom these days and women seem to be happy without the company of men.

Um... women have always hung out together. So why do they act like it´s something new...

Someone please explain it to me.ta

I think it´s just companies trying make something up to make more money.

i.e valentine´s day

I sadly don´t have a dictionary with me, so I can´t look up the words I´m reading.

I can´t have the interent on all day either. I think i´m missing out alot because of this.

I´ve been taking my time reading each sentence.

Pausing at particles, because I tend to fly through without much thought.

Now I´m paying attention to each part I read.

I´ve also noted sentences that end with a noun. A grammar point I´ve been studying in

my lessons.

I´ve also payed attention to easy phrases made more complicated.

I read 9 pages, but one was too short so I will count it as 0.1.

9=4.1pts. 3+4.1=7.1 pts in total.

 

Reading Challenge: Day 1 report

Day 1 (Monday, 8th):
This was the start of a very busy week.
I went to work with my mom, so since she was driving I took the chance
and read in the car. I will admit I was not in the mood to start my day reading Japanese.
Usually I rather listen to my music while I daze off during the car ride.
But it hit me. So many advice blogs about learning Japanese always mention studying when you have idle time.
There's not many times I have the chance to be the passenger.

I picked up a children's book my teacher gave me before she moved away.
「さるかにばなし」"The monkey and the crab".
I knew the story before. This book is bilingual so I enjoyed knowing what I was reading.
I also found interesting how phrases were translated.
When you've come know a phrase to the point of being natural it feels kinda weird to see how it would
be translated. I think that's a good sign when you're learning a language. It means you don't need things
to be translated word for word.

Since each page was half English and half Japanese I counted two pages as one.
So out of 12 pages I read 6. So my total points is 3. ^^

Packing up my luggage today is making me wonder what should I take to read on my trip.
I'm definitively taking my Hiragana Times magazines.
But I'm not sure how many I should take. ^^;;
I'm worried about packing too little or too much.

Have you entered the challenge?
Share your progress!
Don't know what I'm talking about?
Click here 

Reading: CHALLANGE

One of the important things when learning a language is to keep motivation.
With motivation you enjoy practicing.
So here's a fun motivation for all of us!
My friend has started a "Summer End Reading Challenge"!
I like this idea to get into the habit of reading different materials in Japanese.
I also like that you're doing it with others so we can cheer each other on.

Once a week I'll be blogging my progress and experience.
I'll also try to tweet a daily progress.

I'll be going on a 2 week trip but I'm gonna take some reading material with me.
I'm going to try and stuff as much reading as I can while getting from point A to point B.
Especially since I'm going off to Brazil and will be practicing Portuguese.
I don't want my Japanese ability to fall behind again.

Come join me!
To enter: click on the link

Total Study Time for May

v__v I have a bad feeling about this one...

For the month of May
I studied 2 hours and 53 minutes.
Comparing to April (5:48),
I studied 3 hours and 5 minutes less.

</3
Me:3 Life:2

I am really disappointed in myself.
There is no excuse for this.

Must
try
harder.

My total study time now is 23:12.
v_v

Gotta Level Up!

Recently I came upon a blog called, "Japanese Level Up".
It's a really interesting and informative site.
It has helped me to get some ideas on how to improve my study.
One blog post I really enjoyed was "What Level Are You?".


I'm sure every Japanese language learner has wondered where they are on
the learning scale. I have always wondered since my lessons are private tutoring.
I might have passed JLPT N5 but it can't really tell me where I am.
It's a test after all.


This obsession might derive from video games for me.
It'd be great to always have words pop up and a voice saying,
"Congrats! You've leveled up!" 


For myself I would say I'm between level 5~10. 
I'm working on Genki II.
I don't keep track of how many kanji I know. ><


It's nice to have something to go by. 
I always felt I was level 1~4.
You know, that feeling that you haven't improved?
This has definitely boosted my confidence and am using the site a lot.


I recommend it. The blogger, Adshap, posts many helpful material based on level.
That way you're not trying to attack something that's level 40 when you're level 30.
And getting frustrated to boot.


He also posts videos based on level too. Adshap YouTube Channel


What level are you?

Total Study Time for April

I have a good feeling about this one. ^^

For the month of April
I studied 5 hours and 48 minutes.
Comparing to March (3:31),
I beat my score by 2 hours and 17 minutes!
^^v

Me:3 Life: 1

Even though I've been so busy with

school and work I was able to stay on top of my study. 

It really is about time management.

Just have to figure out how to make everything fit.

I'm thinking of posting some blogs about time management.

It's useful in every aspect of life.

I only have a week of school left.

So right now I'm not studying.

Which is driving me crazy because I'm craving to do so.

I rather sit down and study Japanese any day!

Since I can't study I've been trying to speak and think more

in Japanese. I'm always looking up words on my kotoba 

(Japanese dictionary on the iTouch) and tweeting in Japanese.

I also have been watching Japanese vlogs.

I've been talking to my dog in Japanese too hehe.

Once school is over I'm going to fill every hour of my day with Japanese.

I'm so excited!

I'm also going to start preparing for JLPT N4.

Though I'm wondering if I should just do N5 again...

Adding to the total time of the other months,

14:41+ 5:48 = 20:19.

Almost a day!

Total Study Time for March

Another month has passed.
I wonder if I did better this time.

For the month of March
I studied 3 hours and 31 minutes.
Comparing to February (3:06),
I beat my score by 25 minutes!
I'm so happy. ♪


Me: 3 Life: 1


I'm really excited to do better.
Last month was really busy,
but I was able to keep up with studying.
I feel the key factor is time management.
I was on top of my school work, work, and church.
So I had the time to study.


It's the end of the school semester,
which means more school work.
It's going to be hard but I'm going
to try my best.


Adding to the total of the other months,
11:10 + 3:31 = 14:41
It's slowly getting there.

My Study Method Part 4: Speaking

On Thursday's I try to focus on speaking.
Speaking is another exercise for the mouth.
Japanese feels like a tongue-twister for me sometimes.
Things I do that I feel help:


1. Dialogue
This can be from any text you have.
The conversation in these is very simple,
but saying them for me is very complex.
I ran through the same dialogue over 
and over till I can say it flowingly.
I read the dialogue of the chapter I'm currently on,
and one of a chapter I'm reviewing.


2. Grammar
I read over a part of the grammar section I want to practice saying.
So I can refresh the grammar rules in my mind and drill them in.
I know many language learners are against drilling grammar rules,
but it works for me. I have a much easier time conjugating 
what I want to say when
in conversation because my mind goes through the steps.
We all do it in our own language naturally. 
We're just not conscious of it.
If you're going to take the JLPT or plan to study in Japan,
then I recommend it.


3. Genki Practice
After reading over the grammar section 
I do all the exercises in the book out loud.


4. Particle Exercise 
One of the things I always mess up on when I speak is
particles. I'm still looking for good sources to practice this. 
So far I've only found this site that let's me fill in the blank.
Just like JLPT.
Genki Particle Practice

5. iTouch 
I'm not a huge fan of this so I'm not sure if I'm going to keep doing it.
I haven't found any program that I love. I have "JLPT Study", "Essentials", "Japanese Phrases", and "Kids 日本語単語”. If you are a lover of SRS then you might like these programs. I find them more of a chore. The only one I really enjoy is the kid one. The lite version will do, because I bought the full version and they don't add any more words to it. When it comes to flash cards I like my words with pictures, and this one does. The rest are bland text  that make me sleepy. 


6. Vlogs
Since am terrified of speaking I figured the next best thing is to video blog.
I can tell you it is almost as frightening for me as speaking to a person.
Something about pressing record is nerve racking.
It has helped me a lot though.


Some people just say what comes to mind,
some write down a script.
Whatever your comfort level is.
You can post them on YouTube to get
help, feedback, and encouragement from the community.
Or make them private so only you see your progress.
I like posting them because I get real encouragement and
helps me work harder at speaking.


7. Skype
This one is not always possible.
When I can though I talk to my friend Rachel.
It is good because I also have to figure out what she is saying.
I also made a friend in Japan who I will also be practicing with.
If you can find anyone willing to do this go for it.


I hope this gave you some ideas or tools to help study.
Remember this is not the only way.
This is the way that helps me.
I'm always tinkering with my methods to make them better.

Sorry if this post seemed like it was all over the place.
I'm still struggling in this area and feel a little lost. 

How do you study speaking?

Total Study Time for February

Another month has passed.
A busy one at that!
It's time to see how I did.


For the month of February
I studied 3 hours and 6 minutes.
Comparing to January (3:25),
I didn't beat my score. :(
I did 19min worse. ><


Me: 2 Life: 1


It's not a huge decrease,
but more of a red flag.


As usual I don't add the time spent
when I'm at my lessons, or
when I record vlogs.
I also didn't add the time I
spent studying JSL.


I think that's probably why.
I devoted my spare time to JSL.
That shouldn't be an excuse though.
I'll beat my time this month \(>_<)


Adding to the total of the other months,
8:04+3:06=11:10
Every little bit adds up. ^^


I think the most important thing is not to 
feel discouraged and give up.
Just keep going. \(^o^)/ 

JSL 手話

I've been studying JSL real hard these past weeks and it has finally paid off. 
I can now do the song "Iroha uta"





Excuse me for the serious face. 
I was really focused.
I redid this chart to have 
the JSL in the order of the song so I could learn.

After doing that I did a colab with my friend.
We did a JSL skit.
She has a lot of good JSL videos and recommendations.
If you're interested here's her YT channel:
Rachel's Channel




I'm hoping to do the "a e i o u" song using JSL soon too.
JSL is definitely a lot of fun to do.

日記：ブログ3

月曜日にアルバイトの面接がありました。
受かりませんでした。
しょうがないですね。
そのあと、買い物をして、
ネックレスを２つと、
ピアスを３つ買いました。 .
三月一日に兄はひっこしをしました。
兄の部屋はわたしの勉強部屋になります。
昨日学校に行って、アルバイトに行きました。
アクセサリー屋でアルバイトです。
店長は韓国人です。
昨日数学をたくさん勉強しました。
そのあとで、うちに帰ってユーチューブを見ました。
手話の練習もしました。
明日と土曜日にアルバイトがあります。
いつも忙しいですね。
見てくれてありがとうございます！

日記：ブログ

みんな、今晩は。

元気？
私は元気だよ。

大学とアルバイトで毎日忙しいけど。

最近、アルバイトを一つやめたよ。

嬉しい～。
土曜日は親友とモールで遊んだよ。
私はマニキュアを２つ買ったよ。

むらさきとみどり。
奇麗でしょ。
ジャケットも買ったよ。
可愛いでしょ。
月曜日は学校がなかったよ。
私は友達と先生のうちに昼ごはんを食べに行ったよ。
おいしかった！
火曜日は日本語の授業があったよ。
１３章が終わったよ。
昨日は絵本を読んだよ。
面白かった。
12月にJLPTを受けたよ。
最近試験結果を受けとったんだけど、合格してた！
よかった。
たぶん、今年JLPTN4をうけると思うよ。
見てくれてありがとう。

お休み。

いろは歌 (The Basics song)

Lyrics:

「いろはにほへと 

ちりぬるを

わーかよたれそ 

つねならむ

ういのおくやま

 けふこえて

あさきゆめみし 

えひもせすん」

So recently I've been interested in JSL.
(Japanese Sign Language)
More specifically about that later.


I was looking to see if there was a video on the ABC's of hiragana in JSL,
and I found this video of Miku doing it.
I was happy because it makes learning the gestures more fun.
(That's how I learned the hiragana when I started Japanese).


Because I'm just starting it felt too fast.
So I googled the lyrics.
I was surprised to learn that it's a real song.
A poem.
A very old poem.


I was so focused on the signs I didn't realize that she's singing words.
When you convert the hiragana to kanji it makes more sense.
The translation is melancholy but pretty.


Today it's more of a ABC song. 
(At least that's what I've read)


It makes it even more interesting for me to learn it.
I'll be learning a piece of history,
a beautiful poem,
JSL,
and having fun.


For more background on the poem here are some wiki links:
Iroha (English)
いろは（日本語）

Practice on the family

When I started learning Japanese
I didn't have anyone to talk to.
I wondered how I was I suppose to
practice the vocab I was learning?

I thought what better way to practice
than by practicing on my family!
Sure it would annoy them,
but it'd be good practice for me.

It was great because only I would know my
mistakes and could take my time.
So I'd speak first in Japanese.
Then I'd say it in English.

This method helped me a lot.
I learned simple phrases really quick.
Because I was using them in real situations.

For example, When I first started I always confused
「いってきます」、「いってらしゃい」、「ただいま」、and 「おかえり」.
So I would say it to my family. At first I had to always look at my cheat sheet to see if I was saying the right one. My family always asked what I was saying. Soon they got used to it.

Now they are common phrases in my household.
They learned it without wanting to!
Whenever I leave I yell 「いってきます！」
And my mother replies, 「いってらしゃい！」
And vise versa.

When someone returns home I say, 「おかえり」
And they respond, 「ただいま」
And vise versa.

I especially love the phrases because
not saying anything is rude.
And informing in English is awkward or
involves having to have a "good bye conversation".

My mother has learned お休み、お早う、お母さん、and
Many other words because I always practice on her.


The point is to use them in real life situations.
Even now I do this with my family.
It's fun to see them learn the words too.

日記：休み日

今日のクラスはキャンセルだった。 
本当に嬉しい～ 
たくさん眠った。 
それから、日本語で手紙を書いた。 
そして部屋をあとかた付けした。
今晩、教会に行った。

日記：初めてのブログ

With the advice from my friend I decided to start blogging in Japanese.
This will help me speak more comfortably.
Here is the video and below is the text from the video,

始めまして。
このビデオは私の初めて の ブログです。

私の日本語の会話は下手です

だから、ブログはいい練習になると思いました。

この練習方法を教えてくれた友達に感謝しています。
私は二十一歳で、大学生です。

せんもんはコミュニケーションですが、アジアに関する勉強をしたいです。

私は二つアルバイトをしています。

趣味は、日本語の勉強や買い物、けしょう、テレビゲーム、読書、ブログを書くこと、それから友達と話すことです。
よろしくお願いします。

ビデオブログ

Last month I went to a conference.
I was bored so I filmed this random video.
I was embarrassed to speak in English in case someone heard me.
So I spoke in Japanese, but then I was embarrassed too!

Total Study Time for Jan

So a new month has begun which means I get to look back and see how much time I put into Japanese.
For the month of January I studied in total 3 hours and 25 minutes.
Now I get to compare to December
In December it was 3 hours and 2 minutes.
So I beat my old score again!


Me-2 Life-0


It's not a big difference but it is a lot better than if it had decreased.
So I'm keeping up.
I'm going to aim for even longer time.


Please note I don't add my time spend in my lessons, listening to music, or watching media.
Otherwise with just lessons added it'd be about 7 hours.


Adding 3:25 to 4:39 (Total of other months) = 8:04
If someone asked me how long I've been learning Japanese I can now say 8 hours and 4 minutes. 
Won't that confuse them haha.

日記：新しい学期

今日から新しい学期が始まった。 
二つクラスがある。 
コングラ学と数学だ。 
数学が大嫌い。 
つまらない。 
面白くない。 

それから友達に会った。 
嬉しかった。 
ランチを食べてお喋りをした。 
私は友達のiTouchをたすけた。 
楽しかった。 
テクノロジーが大好き。 

新しいアルバイトがある！ 
あしたから始めまります。 
でも、明日吹雪です。 
運転は。。。心配します。 
今、2つアルバイトがある。 

明日： 
大学は１１じ30分から１２時20分だ。 
一番目のアルバイトは1時から4時。 
それから、二番目のアルバイトに行く。 
6時から10時。 
わああああぁぁぁ 
疲れる。

My Study Method Part 3- Reading

On Wednesdays I focus on reading.
There are 8 things for this agenda.


NOTE: It is very important to read out loud.
This will help your mouth get used to the language.
Think of it as physical exercise for your tongue. 
You will find that speaking and reading will slowly become
easier and easier.
It is also important to read in a quitet setting.
So you can focus on what your reading.
Even if you don't understand every single word.


1. Kid Book
My Japanese teacher has tons of children's books.
I borrow one once a week and read through it.
Her son is only 3 so all the books are still hiragana level.
It is great practice for me though because I still read slow.
The books are fun to read and the art is interesting to look at.
Plus children books have many common phrases you can pick up.


2. Manga
I only have one manga and that is my Japanese picture Bible.
Since I know the stories I figure out what is going on through the pictures.
It's fun to act out the dialogue with my voice. 
It makes the difficult reading bearable.


3. Book
This can be any adult level book.
I use my Biligual Bible.
I read one chapter.
First I read the verse in Japanese, then in English.


4. Review writing
The the things I wrote on Tuesday I read it on Wednesday.
It is good review and makes your memory turn its wheels.


5. JLPT books
I have two JLPT books I crammed with for the exam.
Now I am simply reading them out loud to make my brain
remember what sounds right naturally.


6. Quizzes
I read out loud all the quizzes I've taken so far from my lessons.
Good review for upcoming quizzes/tests.


7. Genki Kanji
I study the kanji from the chapter I'm on with these flashcards I printed out.
Genki Kanji

8. JLPT Kanji
I use these online flashcard sites.
JLPT flashcards 1
JLPT flashcards 2

I hope this gave you some ideas or tools to help study.
Remember this is not the only way.
This is the way that helps me.
I'm always tinkering with my methods to make them better.

How do you study reading?

Sometimes you need some

inspiration now and again.
When I'm feeling discouraged about Japanese, my hopes, my dreams, anything;
I turn to Kiyuku-san.
A girl in a documentary that reminds me with hard work, ambition, discipline, and with time that you can
achieve your goals.
The motivation she shows motivates me too.
It makes me excited to work hard.
And let's me know that it's OK to shed a tear now and again.


To watch her documentary click below.
Becoming a Geisha

Before bed method

One of my favorite little study methods I like to use 
is studying a small vocab list before bed.
I either study my core vocab list
or one of my kumon decks.
I like to sit in bed and just go through them
for about 15 minutes.


It becomes sort of a game for me cause
I like to see how many I can get right that night in one go.
I go through them till I get them all right.
With every night that goes by the pile of correct cards gets bigger
and the incorrect pile smaller.


One great affect from studying before bed for me is that
when I wake up. The first thing that pops into my head is a word 
or two from the cards I studied.
It always shocks me cause I don't try to drill them into my brain.
I just have fun with it.


And that's the key.
Just have fun.

Total Study Time for December

So a new month has begun which means I get to look back and see how much time I put into Japanese.
For the month of December I studied in total 3 hours and 2 minutes.
Since I lost my record for November I compared it to October.
In October it was 1 hour and 37 minutes.
So I beat my first score :D
If someone asked me how long I've been learning Japanese I can now say 4 hours and 39 minutes.
Won't that confuse them haha