Coming back to Mandarin after a hiatus, I needed something to bridge the gap before jumping back into tutoring sessions. HSKcourse.com came at the right moment, and it feels less like an online course and more like having a tutor actually walk you through the material. After almost a month with it, here’s my honest take on whether it’s worth it for self-learners.
HSK 1-3 Character progress sheet
I needed to do a bit of review on the Hanzi from HSK 1-3 and used Claude to help me create a list that I could track my own practice. Feel free to try it out.
Getting into Claude
I’ve been experimenting with a bunch of AI tools lately – ChatGPT, Grok, Copilot, Gemini, and most recently Claude – and I have to say, I’m genuinely impressed. What I enjoy most is that even without being a coder, you can still create surprisingly polished “artifacts” like this one. I’ve been generating a few comprehension…
A glimpse into Myheritage.
I was fortunate enough to meet three out of my four grandparents. On my mother’s side, the stories were quite clear. My maternal grandparents came from Javanese and Bugis backgrounds, both cultures rooted in the Indonesian archipelago. From my father’s side, my grandmother was Telugu Indian. These parts of my heritage were always known within the family.
The person who remained something of an enigma was my Japanese grandfather.
When life was put on hold
It has been quite a while since my last post. The past few months unfolded quickly — exams for an accountancy certification, long evenings of studying, workplace projects, a promotion, a new team. Life did not stop. It accelerated. Somewhere in that acceleration, I pressed pause on Mandarin lessons. What started as “just for a…
My Du Chinese Experience: Two Years and Counting!
I’ve been using Du Chinese for the past two years, and it’s been an incredible journey! I initially took advantage of the Black Friday sale and snagged a subscription at 50% off, which was an amazing deal. I’m seriously considering getting the lifetime subscription with one time payment. They usually offer this during the Mid-autumn…
Return from the abyss
Life has a way of pulling us in unexpected directions, and before you know it, a whole year has flown by. But, here I am, back at the keyboard, ready to share my thoughts. My mental health had taken a toll. Anxiety and stress became daily companions, often leaving me feeling overwhelmed and unable to…
Ai generated lessons for learning mandarin.
I am rather new to Ai. But hey, it’s better late than never. 🙂 I’ve been studying Mandarin Chinese a while now, so I thought why not integrate my learning a language with Ai. And I want to share with you how I used AI to create stories for learning Mandarin. As you may know,…
BR: Tell yourself a better lie
Categories: Books, Hobby, Learning program, Paradigm shiftTags: Book review, Self-helpAuthor: Marisa PeerGenre: Self HelpTell Yourself a Better Lie is a book that teaches you how to change the bad and limiting stories you tell yourself, and make them good and empowering instead. The book is based on ten real stories of people who did RTT sessions with Marisa, and how they changed their lives by changing their stories.I discovered Marisa Peer from a mindvalley video on youtube, where she explained how to heal your body and mind. I was intrigued by her approach and decided to check out her book if she had any and found “Tell Yourself a Better Lie”. I searched for her work on Everand and was grateful to have found the audiobook. The audiobook was narrated by Carlyss Peer, who is Marisa’s daughter and a trained RTT therapist herself. I enjoyed listening to her voice, as she has a beautiful, crisp, and clear British accent. I find it rather soothing. Tell Yourself a Better Lie is a book that teaches you how to change the bad and limiting stories you tell yourself, and make them good and empowering instead. The book is based on ten real stories of people who did RTT sessions with Marisa, and how they changed their lives by changing their stories. The book also has audio guides for each story, which you can listen to online. The book has three parts: The first part tells you what RTT is and how it works better than other kinds of therapy. The second part shows you the ten stories, each one about a different problem, like depression, eating disorders, weight loss, fears, and addictions. The third part gives you the main lessons and tips from the book, and some exercises you can do to use RTT in your own life. The book was really interesting as she used lots of examples through real stories of patients who had successfully overcame their traumas. Though the stories and people were different but somehow it felt a bit repetitive. However, Marisa seems to be very sympathetic, kind and supportive, and she also shares her thoughts and experience. I feel that the book is not only informative, but also inspiring and motivating. It shows you how you can change your life by changing the way you tell the story to yourself (hence telling yourself a better lie), and how RTT can help you do that quickly and effectively. The book is good for anyone who wants to feel better about themselves, more confident, happier, and healthier. It is also useful for therapists, coaches, and anyone who wants to learn more about RTT and its benefits. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars, and I would suggest it to anyone who wants to tell themselves a better lie.
Navigating mandarin with Preply – A year in review
Alright, so around July 2022, I decided to switch things up in my Mandarin learning routine and gave Preply a shot – the online tutoring gig. After flying solo in the world of Chinese characters for years, I figured it was time to bring in a real pro to help me out. Fast forward a…