22 In Korean learning journey (:

i.CAN.do.this

Blogging is interesting. Sometimes I will write a post and think that it will receive more attention / be popular with the readers but in the end it’s a flop. On other occasions, I just write up something without thinking and it turns out to have the most people discussing the issue xD And sometimes I put in a lot of effort in one post (like all the KDW translations) and end up I think I’m the only one that is ridiculously happy and proud of it hahaha.

It’s 9pm now and I’m feeling soooooo tired. D: No particular reason. I didn’t exactly use up a lot of energy today but somehow I’m damn tired. It’s been going on for quite awhile now, so I haven’t been blogging. I keep wanting to study Korean at night, but I always end up surfing a few websites and staring at my notebook. I really admire people who are working and studying Korean at the same time. I think that’s impossible for me. I’ll be the kind who will go home, bathe and sleep straightaway. And spend the weekend catching up on more sleep 😛

I really want my TOPIK Level 6 this time round. This is also the first time that I’m putting more effort (than usual) into preparing for the test. Normally I can’t be bothered.

January zoomed past and I can’t let February be the same!

I think I need to work mainly on the advanced grammar points.

2 hours. I can do this.

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22 Comments

  • Reply
    Vanessa
    4 February, 2013 at 9:16 PM

    파이팅! ㅋㅋ
    Sometimes we want to do many things, but at the same time it looks like we don’t have time/energy. Sometimes it’s just the case of taking one day JUST to totally relax, stare at the horizont, so on the next days we can gather up more energy and focus more on a thing we want to do, even if we’re still kinda tired.
    Sometimes even getting a bit desperate is good, because we can do more things even if we’re really tired hahaha Well, not desperate that makes you feel depressed, but the desperate “I’ve already lost a lot of time, so LET’S DO THIS!!” 😀
    And sometimes we need to think on this way:
    “Ok, I’m very tired, but I need to do this. So I’ll just start doing it, like for just 5 minutes” and then, after this 5 minutes, you’re already on the rhythm of doing it, and you won’t realize another 15, 30 minutes has passed and in the end you’ve done more than you first planned 😀
    I try doing this to at least down my anxiety a little bit, because then I have that “oh I did something!” feeling, and it’s very good.

    I hope you find your way to do what you’re planning, Shanna 😀 Even if we are exhausted of like… life lol we still can get some willpower theeere inside of us, but don’t forget the fact that we all need to rest at some point 😀

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:46 AM

      ahhh I know what you mean! 😀 Sometimes I really need to feel that desperation ^^;;

      Will take a rest and then work even harder!! There’s a Chinese saying that goes “rest is in order to walk a longer distance”

  • Reply
    alodia
    4 February, 2013 at 9:37 PM

    You ca do it!

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:44 AM

      😀

  • Reply
    Koreanlearner
    4 February, 2013 at 11:32 PM

    When I was younger I was always told that learning is like pouring water into a glass. If you never rest, the glass will over-flow and you don’t know which of the water molecules you’re missing out on. A strategic break can never hurt the big picture, you will be more efficient afterwards 🙂

    I have these phases where for some weeks I’m super efficient and those are then followed by a while where I feel like I walk around in a daze, and I have no clue how the days pass so quickly – for instance after exams. If I really need to get something done in the down-phases and need to wring out a few extra hours, I usually set up a little study in the kitchen and have an espresso (read double), some water, and maybe a little (healthy) snack at around 5 pm while studying. Then it’s late enough that I also feel energetic enough to study at night, but early enough that I can sleep at night without problems. I know some people have a very low tolerance for coffee or really dislike it so it might not be the way for everyone, but it works for me 🙂

    • Reply
      Vanessa
      5 February, 2013 at 10:35 AM

      That metaphor of the glass of water is great! I’ll keep that in mind 😀 Thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:44 AM

      Thanks for sharing! Really like that metaphor too XD

      It’s the same with me too. I have my productive periods and then periods when I’m just moping around and simply not touching the books 😛

      hehe I’m one of those people who can’t drink coffee.

  • Reply
    Regan
    5 February, 2013 at 12:01 AM

    I often feel the same way. I know I need to do more reading in Korean when I get home from work, but I’m so tired I usually fall asleep with my face in the book 🙂 .

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:42 AM

      ㅋㅋㅋ

  • Reply
    Christian
    5 February, 2013 at 1:38 AM

    Yeah I agree with one of the comments above me about setting aside a day just to relax. I usually just sleep, watch tv, do a bit of reading, basically just be really lazy, but I don’t feel bad cuz I’ve set aside time for it. I think it’s all about how we look at it, sleep or relaxation is vital for our mental health, if we forego one of these things, eventually we’re gonna crash anyway, so why not just think of these as a requirement. As far as balancing work and my other interests, sometimes I’ll just crash after work, but usually I’ll take a hot shower, take like a 10 minute nap, eat a snack, and then im usually ready to do whatever I wanted to do, like studying Korean. But I admit it’s hard, most people seem to slowly lose hobbies or interests after they’ve worked for so many years, I hope that doesn’t happen to me.

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:41 AM

      yeah I was quite upset yesterday so I just relaxed the entire evening and I felt much better already 😀 Yeah seeing all my working friends and how they are just so focused on work only makes me a little.. apprehensive. Don’t want to lose my interests in the future. ><;;

  • Reply
    Dusky
    5 February, 2013 at 3:04 AM

    Good luck with your studies! Goodness, I feel the same way about January. I have just been so exhausted for some reason and because of it I haven’t been studying like I should. And not studying Korean isn’t my only problem. >.< But I like what some of the others said! I think I’m actually going to try some of them out. ^^ That, and change my mind set to a more positive one. XD Studying is seriously hard work (in my opinion XD) but nothing easy is worth the effort! 😀 Again, good luck with studying, as well as TOPIK! ^^

    • Reply
      Vanessa
      5 February, 2013 at 10:38 AM

      I agree that nothing easy is worthy. We have to keep in mind the great feeling we have when we finish something very hard! And you too good luck with your things 😀

      This is like a therapy blog post hahahah

      • Reply
        Dusky
        8 February, 2013 at 5:45 AM

        Haha, yes I think this is like a therapy blog post. One I needed to. XD

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:39 AM

      Yeah I need to inject more positivity in my life too! (: Feb started out pretty rough for me but hopefully everything will get better soon! ^^

  • Reply
    Chantelle
    5 February, 2013 at 4:08 AM

    Yes, you can do it. You’ve done it before with the other levels, so you’ll do it again. 🙂

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:38 AM

      😀 😀 Thanks!

  • Reply
    Thorsten
    5 February, 2013 at 6:13 AM

    안녕하세요 여러분
    I’m new here 🙂
    First off all, thank you for your blog!
    I have been reading here for a while now and for me it’s a source of motivation to keep learning Korean. Without your blog I might even think self-learning is entirely impossible.
    I’m one of the unfortunate ones who have to work every day but I try to learn for at least one hour per day. Progress is slow but noticeable. The hardest part is not to get distracted by the urge to watch Korean Dramas or my favourite KPop Group instead of learning 🙂

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:36 AM

      Hi Thorsten! 😀

      Thanks for reading!! Yeah, consistency is really difficult when you have a full time job and loads of other stuff on your plate. Great that you are keeping up with it! hehe the “distraction” is also another form of learning – listening practice 😛

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:38 AM

      Hi Thorsten!

      Thanks for reading 😀 It’s definitely not easy to keep up with Korean learning when you have a full time job and also other things on your plate. Great that you are doing well! Don’t think of them as distractions, they are actually listening practice 😛

  • Reply
    faeleia
    5 February, 2013 at 5:01 PM

    I think you need to go back to why you learnt Korean in the first place. If I’m not wrong, you learnt it because you like the language and what it embodies, the culture that comes with it. Don’t forget it!

    This TOPIK is a gauge to test your proficiency with the language, but what I’m trying to say is, married couples won’t last long if the wife kept testing if the husband really loves her.. Don’t let TOPIK stress spoil your joy with the language. That’s the wrong way round.. 🙂

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      6 February, 2013 at 10:34 AM

      hahaha I like your analogy! 😛 Yup I’m going to enjoy studying and taking the test! ^^

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