New language learning method

 Exciting news on the language learning front. I was listening to an episode of the Bangkok Podcast from season 1 way back in 2010 and came across a great tip for improving my language learning. The idea is to tweet in your new language each day as a way to improve your skills. Okay I admit I haven't as yet tested the theory but thought that it could be a great way to use my language skills and over time build on the foundations that I learn in my lessons. Obviously I will make some errors along the way but think that this could be a great way to improve my basic communication skills.

Twitter allows up to 280 characters per tweet which is enough to make a basic statement in the target language. Initially I think I may create a couple of new twitter accounts. Maybe one for German and another for Thai. The original Bangkok Podcast episode was episode 32 from season 1 and featured Thai language speaker, blogger and tweeter Hamish Chalmers. I have just set up a twitter account called TweetinginThai and will set up another called TweetinginGerman to get me started. If I start out with some simple tweets just constructing simple sentences I can see where it takes me. 

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post I am a strong believer in having an outlet for you language skills and I hope that this will provide me with just that. Some would say that I could just write a couple of sentences in a diary each day and that would have the same effect but I am hoping that but making my writing public there will be a stronger pull to continue ticking away at the task. 

Only a brief post today but hopefully one that sends me on a pathway to improved Thai and German language communications and with that a more open view of the world. As always happy learning!!!

Podcasts and Audiobooks I've been listening to lately

 

Yet again I sit down to add an entry to my secondary blog and think what am I going to write about? That's it Podcasts and audiobooks. More precisely, the podcasts that have been grabbing my attention and the ways that I listen to audiobooks. 

First things first. When my alarm destroys my hopes and dreams (well actually just my dreams) I struggle around to grab my mobile phone and my headphones, activate the headphones and go to my Audible account and listen to a book. I continue to listen whilst I get ready to leave for work and then on the 40 minute drive to work plus for the first half hour or so of work whilst I warm into my day. How long I listen is dependant on how many books I am listening to on that given day. I also listen on the almost hour long drive home and when doing a bit of tidying around the house and when I am cooking dinner of an evening. All that adds up to quite a bit of listening time and gives me a lot more listening than I could ever hoped to have achieved when it comes to sitting down and reading. Does that last sentence make sense? Summary Listening lots, reading a little.

Yes I still read but this is more of a substitute for radio which is not great between 20 to 6 and quarter past six on a weekday morning. At the moment I have 3 books that I am reading but I usually only get to them 3 or so days a week. Got to make more of an effort.

So, let's start with audiobooks. Plenty of people are sceptics when it comes to audiobooks but if you get a book of interest it can be just as good an experience and turning the pages yourself. I have been a member of audible since 2016 and according to my account I have 94 titles to my name. It costs me $15 a month and that includes 1 book a month and a free book which audible makes available to all readers each month. They also have podcasts and other free stuff but I already have too many things to listen to on other apps. Having said that I did really enjoy the podcast by Marc Fennell called It Burns which is about the contest for the world's hottest chilli. Well worth a listen. I also listen to audiobooks for free on my local library's app "Libby" which has the great advantage of being completely free. They have an every growing list of titles and some great reads.

Podcasts. I listen to podcasts through Ipodcasts and Spotify. Hoping to add my own soon to be created podcast to the list. Podcasts are free and another great modern substitute for radio. 

Alright lets get to the nitty gritty. What do I recommend? What are my favourites? Should I make them top 10s? Yeah, why not?

Okay my top ten oops, make it 15 audiobooks in any order and on which platform did I listen.

1. The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin Audible
2. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall Audible
3. Salt, Fat, Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat Audible  
4. Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle Audible
5. Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes Audible
6. Legacy by James Kerr Audible
7. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts Audible
8. The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card Libby
9. The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff Libby
10. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Libby
11. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Libby
12. The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict Libby
13. The Strange Case Of The Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss
14. Down Under by Bill Bryson Libby
15. Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard Libby    

And now on to Podcasts. Do I dare to say top ten? We will see. 

1. Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Radio 
2. Kurt Fernley's Tiny Island 
3. Rabbitohs Radio Podcast 
4. Oh My Codcast
5. The Bangkok Podcast
6. The Sporkful
7. The Tim Ferriss Show
8. Meat : The Ultimate Podcast
9. The Howie Games with Mark Howard
10. Heston's Journey to the Centre of food
    
    

and an honourable mention to the Tune up Podcast by an old mate of mine from school Joel Curtis. 

Well that just about does it. Hope you can find you next read or listen in amongst this lot. If you have any recommendations for me please feel free to leave a comment. Happy listening!!!

Changing things up - Plans for the future

I have moments where I feel really motivated to put out new content and really feel some energy towards creating my own business and space in this modern internet world. Then other times it all seems like too big a mountain to climb. Then I go to work and think there must be more than this. Is this how I want to spend the next 20 years? You hear in the media about modern workplaces and flexible hours and I am sure that for some they exist, but for me I'm not feeling it. There are so many things I want to try and on the weekend and even early in the week you feel like you can put in the time to build something significant, something than will pay the bills and still leave time to enjoy your life. You charge into the week, Monday, Tuesday getting things done, and then by Thursday you are so exhausted that all you can do is put some food on the table and get clothes ready for Friday. It's a thing of celebration to hear that my wife has an idea for dinner which means one box is ticked to get you through to the next weekend.

It can't be like this. Or at least it shouldn't. Usually it is the starting that is the most difficult so this week I am aiming to put in larger chunks of time into my various areas of personal study and business building. I found a business plan template on a government business site and have decided to work through it one step at a time. At the very beginning it has a space to add my business logo and slogan so I found a free site that I can use to make a logo with slogan and am on the task of creating. Not 100% happy with the slogan as yet but launch of my new Arcadia Glutton branding will have to wait a little longer. Confident it will be this week. 

A multipart business utilising online resources is the goal and I am so keen to make it happen. I have a countdown on my phone which runs out at the end of March. Every step has so much to learn. Committing to the hours is probably the most fundamental step. There is probably an argument to say that I may be spreading myself too thinly but I am hoping that by spreading the income sources that I will not have to be a superstar in any one element and that the small pieces with make the whole. 

What are the pieces? Todays thinking is Podcast, Video Blogging , Blogging, Drop shipping, and food production. Also, if I am unable to generate income from these areas I may also consider buying a food truck or cookbook writing as other options. Is it too much? Should I focus on one piece at a time? 

I just have to make sure that procrastination isn't what undoes me. Every area needs to be putting out content weekly. A weekly podcast, a video each week, a blogpost or two, add an item to a store, add a food product each week. If I am going to pull this off, one thing is for sure I am going to be busy. 

LEARN BY DOING.