Aiya's 2016 - Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, oh my!

[AiyaLianxi]

Built into the title is why I'm studying. I want to get to those three cities. Navigate my way around, spend a week there every other year (or every year I can afford to) for the rest of my life. However, three languages, a day job, starting volunteer work, and working towards establishing a writing career? Unlike 2013, the year I crashed and burned in TAC on reddit, this year I'm going SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Bound goals.


FORMAL/EXAMS
I will be taking the HSK/HSKK (Mandarin Chinese), the TOPIK (KOREAN) and the JLPT (Japanese) language exams to give me an arbitrary deadline inflicted by someone else to push me towards the grammar goals that...just...haven't happened since college ended. However a certain embassy in a certain city hasn't told a certain university when they are offering one of these tests, so I will elaborate on the grammatical/test side of my goals in a later post. But as it's already the second, I wanted to start my log.

OUTPUT
For output, since I'm focusing on three languages, a different one taking focus every few months, I'm trying to figure out a reasonable amount of verbal output per language. Right now, I'm thinking 5 hours per language. Based on the output challenge here, I'm tempted to say 10 hours per language, but R stands for realistic. I have to a) be able to speak that long B) put up with the irritation of recording myself saying whatever it is and C) find time/energy to share it. So if I aim for 30 minutes of spoken output a month? -gulp- Okay, it's not happening first quarter 2016, but I can at least build the habit. Maybe posting the videos somewhere on this forum would help me keep motivation?

INPUT
I did the math on this a month ago, and I've already forgotten. I think it was something like 50 or 100 hours of input, but math and me and sleep no. Maybe tomorrow I'll come back and fix this.

I want to watch 3 dramas per language. Korean drama are typically 16 episodes, Japanese shorter, Chinese longer. So that arbitrary number I thought of, I think it's 33.33 hours per language? Which works out to be 2-3 dramas per language this year.

But I'm pushing that. I usually watch the first episode of 12 drama, and rarely follow through. I want to finish 3 series per language. Benefit being the language formality level and content will remain similar throughout the series. Still working on how to get audio from drama into my car. Been a goal since 2013, and I haven't managed it yet.

GRAMMAR
I want to work through at least one grammar/text book for each language this year. Books to be determined next week.

QUIZZES/VOCAB
To get 10k on memrise in each language in any course, every week.

Week 0 goals and results in the next post.

[AiyaLianxi]

Week 0 Goals

FORMAL/EXAMS
-Figure out when to take TOPIK/HSK/HSKK/JLPT
-Schedule first Korean italki lesson of year

OUTPUT
-Figure out output goals for year and quarter
-Begin IGLC challenge by handwriting
-Reconnect with intl friends

INPUT
-Figure out input goals for year and quarter
-Decide Japanese/Chinese study intensity for year and quarter

GRAMMAR
-No goal determined before week started

SRS VOCAB
-10k per language in one memrise course


Week 0 Progress

AHAHAHAH. Ahah. Hah.

FORMAL/EXAMS
-Discovered JLPT/HSK/HSKK schedule.
-TOPIK schedule UNKNOWN. Call Embassy Monday, move goal to Week 1.

OUTPUT
-Did Day 1 IGLC challenge in 3 languages. Still debating how to measure verbal and written output.

INPUT
33 hours per language, roughly 2-3 dramas. Per quarter, that's...8-9 episodes by the end of March. Week 1: Decide and start watching shows

GRAMMAR
-No goal determined before week started

SRS VOCAB
Um yeah. Gonna do this tomorrow.


Week 1 will be better. I hope.

[Rotasu]

How was Week 1?