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Post by spindrift on Oct 8, 2009 21:27:13 GMT
I shall look for Michel Thomas in the library. Thank you.
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Post by rikita on Oct 8, 2009 21:33:34 GMT
i must say for me it works best to mix things, at least when i am teaching myself... well depends on the language though - for swedish i followed one cd rom course that i found surprisingly good (it had text-book type lessons: a dialogue, then grammatical explanations, then exercises). for most other languages, i had teachers so i followed whatever they did. for japanese now, i started out with following the "basic japanese 1" courses on youtube (if you don't know them yet, writeon, they might be a good way for repeating things, too). then i got a book from the library that i am almost done with now, paralell do pimsleur occasionally, and signed up on japanesepod101.
i must admit one problem for me with pimsleur is that i get bored with it quickly and thus stop paying attention - or sometimes get annoyed when the alloted time for giving my answer is too short (i guess i could pause it, of course). the podcasts of japanesepod101 just somehow manage to get my attention better, and working with a book gives me a better chance to follow my own pace - i think aditionally there i have an easier time remembering things i see rather than just hear...
don't know michel thomas...
tried an assimil course once for czech, to remember some stuff again, but wasn't all that impressed...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 21:34:57 GMT
That warms my heart, Kerouac. Has it been a long time since you've seen him? I've seen him maybe 5 or 6 times in my life, never for more than 3 days. However, I did see him for one day about 3 years ago, and it made him realize that he and I have more in common than he and his father or brother.
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Post by spindrift on Oct 8, 2009 22:37:41 GMT
Rikita - I usually listen to Pimsleur when I'm driving - it's a relief from the boredom of the motorways!
*how many languages are you learning and why are you learning Japanese?*
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 23:26:00 GMT
That warms my heart, Kerouac. Has it been a long time since you've seen him? I've seen him maybe 5 or 6 times in my life, never for more than 3 days. However, I did see him for one day about 3 years ago, and it made him realize that he and I have more in common than he and his father or brother. It's funny how it sometimes works out that way.
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Post by rikita on Oct 9, 2009 0:31:52 GMT
well since i never drive that isn't an option. i sometimes listen to it when sitting in a car though (travel to my bf's town usually via car-sharing) but then i tend to fall asleep while listening to it...
well japanese is the only language i am actively learning right now... kind of got to it by coincidence, just wanted to read a bit about japanese history, ended up reading also something about the language, and somehow i got stuck with it... well, i had always been wanting to learn a non-indoeuropean language, though i hadn't thought it would be japanese - i had started out with quechua before, and turkish would also be a logical choice seeing i live in an area with a lot of turks... well, but the cool thing with japanese is that there are a lot of learning materials available online (especially compared to quechua).
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welle
member
Offline
om sweet om
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Post by welle on Oct 9, 2009 8:39:01 GMT
What makes me smile?
Horses, waves...animals in general. As long as it's not a cow. They make me uneasy somehow.
The smell of freshly cut grass
Stand up comedy
My crazy Russian friend
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Post by tillystar on Oct 9, 2009 10:11:03 GMT
Tube journeys!
People who snarl at everyone around them on the tube in the morning as if everyone else is there by choice just to squash them up a bit really make me laugh on the way to work.
Seeing a pregnant lady drinking Gaviscon out the bottle on the seat by me made me chuckle lots today.
Tourists declaring loudly “how can people live like this, like animals?!”
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Post by tillystar on Oct 9, 2009 10:17:52 GMT
A cup of tea
Getting home at the end of the day
Little Star's smile when I wake her up
catching sight of the Green woodpecker that lives near my bedroom window
Cold sunny days
other people smiling in the street
Stamping in leaves
New pyjamas
Freshly painted toes
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Post by spindrift on Oct 9, 2009 11:41:29 GMT
Rikita - I hope you'll have an opportunity to visit Japan one of these days....
I like learning languages because it helps to exercise my neurone connections.
* seeing a good friend in the hairdressers' today made me smile. * friendly staff in supermarkets * the bookshop owner who phoned today saying he's keeping a book for me; the subject being 'Indian Cows'.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2009 13:14:50 GMT
I'd like to read that book too. I have so many questions about Indian cows, how they survive, how they are fed etc. What else makes me smile: That my eldest boy is coming home from University today for the long Thanksgiving weekend I miss him a lot. That my phone is working again.
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Post by imec on Oct 9, 2009 13:18:44 GMT
Mrs. I, looking like a million $, bringing morning coffee to me bedside.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2009 13:25:41 GMT
That's so romantic
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Post by imec on Oct 9, 2009 13:31:12 GMT
That's so romantic Actually, not enough time for that - and the kids are up anyway ;D.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2009 13:34:06 GMT
;D
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 9, 2009 14:07:16 GMT
catching sight of the Green woodpecker that lives near my bedroom ........ other people smiling in the street All of yours are lovely, Tilly, and I want to co-opt the second one, if you'll let me. What is a green woodpecker? Ooooooo!
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Post by tillystar on Oct 9, 2009 14:17:30 GMT
Of course, that means if we saw each other in the street we'd probably both smile This is the noisy neighbour:
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 9, 2009 14:20:26 GMT
As long as we don't smirk and point!
What a great-looking bird. It's old-world, and I've never seen one.
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Post by traveler63 on Oct 9, 2009 15:13:03 GMT
What makes me smile is the unconditional laughter of a small child!!!
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Post by auntieannie on Oct 11, 2009 11:15:11 GMT
Meeting friends by chance walking around town yesterday, Knitting for my family, Talking to one of my numerous cousins on facebook, Witnessing that man at Boston Tea Party, reading a french language book with a french/english dictionary to hand, Mending bf's clothes.
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Post by spindrift on Oct 11, 2009 15:09:00 GMT
Deyana, I'll be picking up the Indian Cow book tomorrow night at the Uni bookshop. I'll send you the correct title and ISBN.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2009 23:10:00 GMT
Great, thanks, spindrift.
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Post by auntieannie on Oct 12, 2009 17:29:16 GMT
cycling to work early this morning, when the sun wasn't out yet, but its light was already beautifying everything...
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 12, 2009 20:48:59 GMT
Your lovely word picture made me smile with vicarious pleasure, Annie.
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Post by auntieannie on Oct 13, 2009 12:27:19 GMT
bixa, take more or less the same for this morning, add some mist. it was rather lovely. There usually is quite a few cyclists about and we either smile or say hello to each other.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2009 16:06:15 GMT
Different things at different times. Sometimes loud music, and sometimes just silence.
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Post by BigIain on Oct 13, 2009 21:39:30 GMT
Smiles are guaranteed from old holiday pics!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2009 22:02:09 GMT
This photo of my mother and her grandson that I took today makes me both smile and cry, because she has no idea who he is. Yes, I took her to the hairdresser this morning.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2009 0:49:51 GMT
The exchange of smiles they are sharing is very touching and indeed made me smile. Bittersweet as it may seem. Your mother is very beautiful.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 14, 2009 2:38:21 GMT
Oh dear. That photo really touched me.
It truly does not matter whether she knows he is her grandson or not. Look at that rapport!
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