Tea With Tarvos - Tarvos' Log 2019

[tarvos]

I have almost finished 饥饿游戏， 就是Suzanne Collins最有名的书。那么，我现在要告诉你们我的印象怎么样。是这样呢，我现在觉得我真的会看中文书。只有一只问题：我看书看的很慢。那我需要很多时间就看完了这本书，所以我真的觉得我快需要读书的更常，之这样真的会快点。

My Japanese is progressing slowly, and I booked a Basque class for tomorrow, just for dabbling. We'll see what comes out of it...

One thing that's for certain is that I failed in reading 50 books this year (but I will still manage the reasonable amount of 40, which was my goal last year). I think the reason quite simply is the amount of foreign language books, because it slows my tempo and therefore means I need to spend more time on certain books than I would necessarily do in English or Dutch or even something like Swedish.

[tarvos]

New year, new name, more tea for all of us; this should be good for everybody. You should drink a cup of tea with me and have a chin-wag about languages.

In this log you can speak in any language you like, by the way; I'm not too fussed about what people speak in, Japanese or Romanian...

I forgot I was halfway in a T-drama, and I've picked it up again. Seems like my Chinese isn't half bad, but I don't understand everything... yet.

And I'm reading Russian Fantasy, which is easy enough by now.

I'm going back to having a cold and sneezing my lungs out. See you all when the filth in my sinuses subsides.

[tarvos]

I am still alive, don't worry. I read an entire Russian book in a few days (also must be a record), and I haven't done that much with languages otherwise. Slow maintenance is a thing.

Actually, I am reading Stephen Hawking's latest book, but it was a gift, and it's the Dutch version (so translated). Normally I'd prefer the English, but you don't look a gift-horse in the mouth, now do you?

I also read a Swedish book about self-harm in two days, but this was a bit harrowing for me to read as it hits very close to home, so despite me learning from it, I don't really want to re-read it.

There will be some more English and Russian after I finish with the late Mr Hawking. And I might watch more Taiwanese drama.

[tarvos]

I've finished all that Hawking stuff and also finished A hora da estrela in Portuguese (a very short novel, so no surprises there). But I've been busy with other things, so the only thing I've really done is spoken a lot of Portuguese to a new friend I made lately (she is from Portugal).

[tarvos]

Not done much with languages this week, except spoken some of my languages during class and writing them to my friends. Social use, basically.

[Expugnator]

I misread it as Stephen King the first time, but then I realized it was Stephen Hawking, so a really good gift.

How did you like A Hora da Estrela? It has acquired a much stronger symbolism of resistance the past years. Everything about Clarissa, but A Hora da Estrela in particular.

[tarvos]

Didn't really like the characters in it. I understand why it was written and what it is meant to show (the poverty), and it does a good job of that, I just found Macabea totally unlikable and Olímpico even worse.

[tarvos]

Ok, the past week I haven't studied languages at all really. I've watched some more episodes of Taiwanese drama, and I've spoken and chatted in a few languages, but I haven't really studied anything. I did download the Esperanto version of Pippi Longstocking to read (so I can read in Esperanto this year as well). But I'm currently reading something in English called Lilith's Brood (feminist science fiction by a woman of colour) and it's pretty much the best thing since sliced bread, so there's that.

My obsession with languages continues unabated, and I have written some Polish and gotten annoyed I don't really speak Basque.

[devilyoudont]

Ok, the past week I haven't studied languages at all really. I've watched some more episodes of Taiwanese drama, and I've spoken and chatted in a few languages, but I haven't really studied anything. I did download the Esperanto version of Pippi Longstocking to read (so I can read in Esperanto this year as well). But I'm currently reading something in English called Lilith's Brood (feminist science fiction by a woman of colour) and it's pretty much the best thing since sliced bread, so there's that.

My obsession with languages continues unabated, and I have written some Polish and gotten annoyed I don't really speak Basque.

I actually have Lilith's Brood but I haven't gotten around to it yet due to life getting in the way. Love to know your thoughts when it's done and maybe I can start reading in my Native Language again one day.

[tarvos]

I'm not even done but I can almost say that it's the best book I've read in years already. Five star material.