Shari Creates

Books, languages, things I make and notes from everyday life.

Author: Shari

  • Uncovering a Mandarin Learning Gem: MandarinBean

    Embarking on a journey to learn Mandarin can be both thrilling and daunting, especially when faced with the myriad of resources available. Having relied on DuChinese for the past year, the recent price hikes left me in search of a more budget-friendly alternative that still delivered quality content. Enter MandarinBean—a hidden gem that has not only exceeded my expectations but has become an integral part of my Mandarin learning journey.

    Graded Reading Lessons: A Breath of Fresh Air

    One of MandarinBean’s standout features is its extensive collection of graded reading lessons spanning from HSK 1 to 6. Each lesson is meticulously crafted to cater to learners of varying proficiency levels. What sets MandarinBean apart is its engaging approach to teaching. The lessons, presented in a blog format, are not only informative but also intriguing, making the learning process enjoyable. It encourages interaction, allowing learners to comment and engage with each lesson, fostering a sense of community among Mandarin enthusiasts.

    The inclusion of both traditional and simplified versions of Hanzi, along with toggleable pinyin, provides a comprehensive learning experience. Whether you’re a beginner navigating the basics or an advanced learner seeking a challenge, MandarinBean’s graded reading lessons offer something for everyone.

    Grammar Points with Exercises: A Practical Approach

    Mandarin grammar can be a maze for learners, and MandarinBean excels at simplifying complex concepts. The platform seamlessly integrates grammar points with interactive exercises, allowing users to reinforce their understanding through practical application. This hands-on approach sets MandarinBean apart, transforming grammar from a tedious task into an accessible and manageable aspect of the learning journey.

    Test Preparations: Elevating Your Proficiency

    For those aiming to test their Mandarin proficiency, MandarinBean offers an array of test preparation materials. From HSK exam preparations to custom quizzes, the platform ensures learners are well-equipped to tackle assessments with confidence. The inclusion of detailed explanations and insights enhances the overall learning experience, making test preparations less intimidating.

    The Free Package: Quality Without the Price Tag

    One of the most appealing aspects of MandarinBean is its commitment to providing quality content for free. Graded reading lessons, grammar points, exercises, and test preparations are all accessible without spending a dime. Well, with a bit of limitation of course.

    Premium Perks: A Worthwhile Investment

    While MandarinBean’s free offerings are substantial, opting for the premium upgrade proves to be a worthy investment. The nominal cost opens up additional features, such as the ability to save progress and gain exclusive access to test preparation materials. For the serious Mandarin learner, the premium subscription provides a seamless and personalized learning experience.

    Compared to Duchinese, the price is way reasonable.

    Price as of Dec 2023

    Final Thoughts

    In the realm of Mandarin learning resources, MandarinBean stands out as an affordable alternative to pricier options like DuChinese. Its combination of engaging graded reading lessons, practical grammar exercises, and comprehensive test preparations make it a one-stop-shop for Mandarin enthusiasts. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned learner, MandarinBean’s user-friendly interface and quality content make it a valuable addition to any language learning arsenal.

    The only thing that I could wish for is that Mandarinbean to have it’s own app. The site is of course accessible from my phone but the format isn’t as attractive as Duchinese reading app, which is a bummer. But not a deal breaker.

    So, if you’re ready to elevate your Mandarin learning experience without breaking the bank, give MandarinBean a try. Your journey to mastering Mandarin just got a whole lot more interesting.

  • Is it worth it? Everand,Scribd & Slide share – Unveiling the Ultimate audiobooks,ebooks, documents and presentation haven.

    Since June, I’ve been on a digital journey with Everand, Scribd, and Slideshare. These platforms have become my go-to for everything from reading to sharing docs and jazzing up presentations. Let me share why this trio is my internet happy place.

    Everand is my not-so-secret weapon for diving into ebooks and audiobooks without burning a hole in my pocket. From classics to the latest releases, my Everand subscription, at just $9.99 a month, gives me access to a world of stories without breaking the bank

    Scribd, the sibling of Everand, is like the chill spot for documents. It’s not just official papers; it’s where the community shares all kinds of reads. Scribd keeps it down-to-earth, making the document-sharing scene feel like a laid-back hangout.

    Slideshare, the funky cousin in this trio, is all about presentations and visuals. Whether you’re a student, a pro, or just into pretty slides, Slideshare is the visual party that’s part of the gang. And hey, it’s all bundled up under the same subscription.

    Let’s talk subscription smarts. Everand, Scribd, and Slideshare are all under one subscription, and at $9.99 a month, it’s like having a backstage pass to the whole show. Now, here’s the cool part—I’ve decided to switch to a yearly plan at $84.99 next billing cycle. Why? On top of having unlimited ebooks and audiobooks, that’s a saving of $34.89 a year. Simple as that.

    Oh, before you go, here’s a little gift for you! Dive into Everand, Scribd, and Slideshare with a 60-day free trial. Just click here to unlock the doors to this digital wonderland

    Everand, Scribd, and Slideshare aren’t just websites; they’re like my digital hangouts, each bringing its own vibe. Whether I’m lost in a book, sharing docs with pals, or jazzing up my presentations, this trio’s got my back. Here’s to more digital adventures and discovering the wonders of this content-packed crew! 🚀✨

  • Preply or iTalki

    I have used both the learning platforms for learning 2 different languages for some months now. Preply for Mandarin and iTalki for Hungarian.

    They are both online platforms for finding a personal tutor who can help you in your language learning journey. Both similar in a way that you can choose when you want to be tutored. I love the fact that it is very flexible and very convenient than finding someone locally.

    What I think of iTalki:

    Let’s start with the good parts. Easy to use website – It’s pretty standard and very easy to find what you need. The tutor of your choice may offer discount packages – you can opt to buy a package of few hours lessons that you can use anytime, instead of paying by the hour. This way you save a bit more.

    There are quite many teachers to choose from and languages that you can learn. Even the not so popular languages. Like Javanese or Esperanto. They also offer an option for group lessons. So far they only have those for English, Japanese and Spanish. The teacher provides the level, the time and cost, and you can choose if you’d like to participate. It is much more of a group conversational practice I believe. There is also the ‘Community’ area where some tutors would share some language quizzes and you can try them out to test your knowledge.

    So those are the good things about italki that I rather like.

    Now, what I do not really like about the site is that you can only cancel or reschedule your classes within 24 hours. Well, I do think it is reasonable to give notice for the tutor to schedule something else in their lives, 🙂 but still I do not like it too much.

    It seems pretty complicated to get a refund or transfer the credit to another teacher if you are not satisfied with the current one. Especially when you bought a discount package. If you cancel before you can use up all the credits from the package then you would have to pay in full the lessons that you had earlier. Which means that you will get less refund as they deduct that from the balance.

    What I think of Preply:

    Just like italki the website is also easy to navigate. I also like the concept that you can pay for monthly subscription of 1 to 5 hours a week. So monthly it will just charge you automatically and you will get the balance hours in your ‘wallet’ to schedule. I usually subscribe for 2 hours a week.

    There are many teachers to choose from to learn. I think there are about 48-49 languages. Further, you not only can find tutors for languages but also for other things as well e.g. Python, Web design, Music , Maths and others.

    Easy to transfer balance from on tutor to another, in case if you are not satisfied with the current teacher and you would to have a new tutor you can easily cancel and transfer the balance to book the time with another teacher. Which I had done a couple of times.

    I like that you can cancel or reschedule up to 4 hours to the time of the lesson. I usually would tell the teacher at least a day before but there are sometimes unforeseeable things like when I was out and thought in the end that I may not be able to get back in time, it was really good that I could reschedule even then.

    Now, what I don’t really like is the subscription option is not very flexible. I could not simply pause my subscription to a later date because I have an excess of monthly hours right now. When I would rather change the charging period to a later date till I can use up my hours, but I have to cancel my subscription instead and renew it later. Not a big deal, but it would have been better. 🙂

    Preply or iTalki?

    I would have to say Preply here. Though both websites are easy to use but Preply had never given me any problems which iTalki had when I just couldn’t enter the ‘classroom’ a few times. Until I used a different browser.

    I feel that Preply gave me more flexibility – when I need to reschedule or when I needed to transfer the credits to another teacher.

    In case you’d like to give it a try yourself you may sign up using my referral link and get 70% off your first lesson. Click here

    Hope this helps and thanks for reading!

  • What’s up in Hungary

    What’s up in Hungary

    It has been a while since the last time I blogged. I have been working from home close to 2 months now since the start of the 3rd wave of CoVid here in Hungary. About 40% of the population is vaccinated, although I hadn’t had mine yet. But I did register to get it this coming Thursday. I opted for the AstraZeneca.

    Well, on a lighter note, Spring has been upon us for sometime now. Things are starting to cheer up and people are expecting more warm days ahead.

    For 2 weekends we had spent a bit of time away from the city and headed out to the countryside. Not only to enjoy the sunny weather but also to do some garden work.

    We were in a little village called Domoszló, which is about 45 minutes drive from Budapest. Located North-East of the country. We have a little house there that we go to when the weather is warmer and when we need to do some maintenance work. The small field we have there is usually full of “pitypang” or “Kutyatej” (dog’s milk) which are Hungarian for Dandelions, around this time of the year.

  • A New Job and Trying to Find My Balance

    A New Job and Trying to Find My Balance

    It has been a while since I last wrote anything here. Life has been busy as usual, but quite a few things have changed since my last update. One of them is fairly major: I started a new job in November.

    I am now working for a non-profit organisation, which is a completely different sector from my previous job. I like the work, but there has been a lot to get used to. It definitely feels like stepping out of my comfort zone.

    Courtyard view from my office
    Courtyard view from the office.

    I do love my job, although I also find it quite draining. I still have not worked out the right balance. My hours are only 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but compared with my previous job, it somehow seems to take much more out of me.

    I am paid more now, which is certainly nice. 😁 But during the working day I tend to go straight through in an almost zombie-like state, with very little rest in between. By the time I finish, I am usually exhausted and mostly want to go home and switch my brain off.

    So the challenge now is not the job itself. It is learning how to have a life around it.

    We have also made quite a bit of progress on the house. So far we have had a new roof, new windows and new electrical wiring installed. This week, the gas was connected as well, together with a new meter.

    There is still plenty left to do, and plenty more money to save before everything is finished, but at least it finally feels like we are moving forward.

    Our village house with its new red roof
    The house with its new red roof.

    Spring has just started. Today was especially sunny and pleasant, and even a simple walk to the post office felt rather wonderful. 🙂

    Tree branch with buds beginning to appear in early spring
    Soon to sprout leaves.
    A house in my neighbourhood on a sunny spring day
    A neighbourhood house.

    I am hoping to write here more often again. Part of finding some balance has to mean making room for creative things as well, rather than letting work use up all of my energy.

    Blogging is one of those things for me. So perhaps this is my attempt to find my way back to it.

  • Covid, Round Two

    Covid, Round Two

    As soon as my home office and holiday were approved, guess what came knocking on the door? Covid. Again.

    This was the second time I got sick with it. Friday was my last day of work, and on Saturday morning we left Budapest for Mosonmagyaróvár. By Saturday evening, I was already feeling pretty awful.

    On Sunday morning, I took a self-test and there it was: positive. So much for spending the week going for walks and enjoying my holiday. Instead, I spent most of it in bed and in quarantine.

    Before long, the whole family was infected too. We were all dealing with some combination of coughing, body aches and headaches.

    What surprised me most was how long it dragged on. I am used to getting a cold or flu, feeling miserable for a few days and then gradually bouncing back. This time, almost a week later, I was still aching, still coughing and still getting a sore throat in the evenings.

    Thankfully, none of us seemed to be seriously ill. The symptoms were manageable, but the illness itself was stubborn. That was the part I found most frustrating — waking up each day expecting to feel noticeably better and realising I was still not quite there yet.

    So yes, my second round with Covid was less dramatic than it could have been, but definitely longer and more exhausting than I expected.

    And there went my holiday. 😑

  • Up my Mandarin learning game

    Today I took the first Mandarin lesson on preply. I have been learning for years but my speaking ability is not even up to par. Simply because I have no one whom I am brave enough to speak mandarin to.

    My first experience was good. The teacher seems kind and sympathetic to me. She helped a lot with my pronunciation. Something that I don’t really get when I was in the classroom. I did take weekly lessons which was paid by the company. It was just 1 hour a week and during the weekdays. And because it was not enough, I also attended classes which was twice a week at the Confucius center. The class would start at 6pm while work ended at 5:30pm. Then I would have to rush over to the class which I was always the last to arrive. In the class there were about 13 of us so one can imagine how much one would have the chance to really practice speaking.

    I am quite happy to find this because the rates are good. And having lessons over the weekend is good for me. Not to mention it is way comfortable to learn online and it is flexible.

    I registered myself and searched for a tutor – one can choose by how much they charge, where they are from and their availability. Some of the tutors are newcomers so they usually start at a much lower rate. And once they gained more students they would eventually raise their rates as they also gained more experience teaching online. The tutor I chose mentioned to me that after 20 lessons or so she would increase her price. I am actually ok with the price she suggested because from what I am paying right now, I didn’t even bother to get a free trial lesson. After the first lesson, I immediately bought more hours and scheduled for 8 more lessons. For 2 hours over the weekend.

    Look forward to the next class actually. 🙂

  • So Speaks the Heart — Johanna Lindsey

    So Speaks the Heart — Johanna Lindsey

    Book cover of So Speaks the Heart by Johanna Lindsey, showing a medieval couple embracing beside a campfire.

    Categories: ,
    Author:
    Brigitte de Louroux, a noblewoman reduced to living as a servant under her cruel aunt, is mistaken by Rowland de Montville for a woman of far lower status. Deceived about who she really is, Rowland takes Brigitte away with him and treats her according to those assumptions. As the truth about Brigitte’s identity begins to emerge, hostility and coercion gradually give way to a romance that asks both characters to reconsider what they believe about…

    So Speaks the Heart is not my first Johanna Lindsey. My first was Prisoner of My Desire, and that was the book that got me hooked on her work. That novel also has a very uncomfortable non-consensual dynamic, but somehow it worked for me in a way this one absolutely did not. Rowena is forced by her stepbrother into using Warrick to produce an heir, and although what she does to him is still rape, she is acting under terrible duress. When I first read it at about twenty-three years old, I also remember being struck by something I had probably never really considered before: yes, a man can be raped by a woman, even a man physically strong enough to tear her in two if he were not restrained. Warrick later turns the tables on Rowena in revenge, but the obsession between the two of them is so strong that, however messed up the relationship is, I somehow never found them completely repulsive as a couple.

    Unfortunately, So Speaks the Heart gave me a very different reaction. Brigitte de Louroux is a wealthy heiress who has been reduced to living like a servant under her aunt Druoda after her brother Quintin is believed dead. When Brigitte tries to escape, Rowland of Montville mistakes her for an actual servant and takes her back. Things only get worse when Druoda manipulates the situation further and convinces Rowland that Brigitte is Quintin’s mistress, which leads to him taking Brigitte away with him under a completely false impression of who she is.

    And this is where the book lost me. The words “Stockholm syndrome” kept coming to mind the more I read it. Rowland has scumbag written all over him. He sees Brigitte as someone beneath him, someone he can control and use, and the romance asks me to eventually accept that this develops into love. I simply couldn’t.

    The fact that Brigitte is actually a noblewoman does not make Rowland’s behaviour any easier for me to accept. If anything, it makes the whole thing worse. He has already shown me how he is prepared to treat a woman when he believes she is beneath him. Finding out later that she has the “right” social status does not suddenly make him a better man. As the saying goes, when someone shows you who they really are, believe them. Rowland showed me. I believed him.

    Brigitte frustrated me as well. I wanted considerably more resistance from her than I got, especially considering how strongly the story initially presents her as someone determined not to be anyone’s slave. Instead I spent too much of the book wondering why I was supposed to root for her attachment to this man. With Rowena and Warrick in Prisoner of My Desire, however twisted their circumstances were, I could understand the attraction and obsession. Here I mostly wanted Brigitte to get away from Rowland.

    Perhaps this is simply one of those older bodice-ripper romances whose hero-heroine dynamic has aged particularly badly for me. I can tolerate a lot in fiction when the chemistry convinces me, but this one never managed that. Instead of passionate, I found the relationship unpleasant; instead of romantic, it felt disturbingly close to Stockholm syndrome.

    Not my cuppa tea. I honestly could have given this one star. The second star may simply be because it is Johanna Lindsey, and I know from Prisoner of My Desire that she can make even a completely outrageous premise work for me.

    Rating: ★★☆☆☆

  • Bustafellows

    Bustafellow_switchOLED

    I have been a fan of the “choose your own ending” text-based games and romance novels for a long time. So this genre is just perfect for me. It is the only kind of game that won’t take me years to finish. Just like how I would read books right before bed, I would read a visual novel on the switch instead.

    The first Visual novel game I tried on the switch is “Bustafellows”. It is a noir mystery crime busting visual novel. Here you will play as ‘Teuta’ or what ever name you choose to give the girl protagonist. I am not even sure if it can be considered a game because you get to make very few choices. Some chapters would go on without you having to make any choices at all in fact. Few but important choices that would determine which route you will take and which Love interest you would end up with.

    What I like about this visual novel is that, there are many stories to unfold. Good endings, bad endings, and side stories as well. The character designs are nice as well in my opinion. My Love interests here are Shu and Limbo. The least being Scarecrow and Helvetica. I suppose because the characters of the first two guys I mentioned are not over the top. I also enjoy the good endings for sure.

    Now what I do no like much about it is that the stories can be pretty dark. There would be some mention of ‘suicide’, ‘violence’ and ‘murder’. Heck it is after all a mystery crime novel after all, but I wasn’t expecting it to be a little disturbing to be honest. So I would usually go over the bad ending first and later go for the good ending to clean my system with more positive emotion.

    All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend to anyone getting into visual novels. Out of 5, I would give it a 4.5. 👌

     

  • We bought a house

    We bought a house

    It’s amazing how things work sometimes. While I was missing in action here, things were happening in real life. 😀 We were just looking around to see what are the prices are these days for flats and the next thing we know, we were signing papers for a new house in a place we never heard of until last month. In a little village with less than 400 registered residents, located right at the border of Hungary and Austria. It is one hour to Vienna and about 45 mins to Bratislava, about an hour to Győr and 2 hours to Budapest. To think we were actually looking at flat prices in Sopron and not actually looking hard to buy something immediately. Looking at how quickly it all happened, a few days really, we actually asked ourselves if we did the right thing. 😆 Anyway, no regrets. Just a little shocked. 😃

    Front of house

    How we ended up buying it? It was at a good price and we just love it the moment we saw the pictures. And even more after we saw it in person. The thing is, it is actually a house with two parts. The story was that it was owned by two business partners. And once they split, they decided to split the house to become 2 flats. One part owning about 700sqm of the garden while the other part owns 1300sqm of the garden. We actually saw just one half of the house but decided we should get the other half as well. It would be a no deal if we couldn’t get the entire place. I just could not imagine to share a garden, if we are lucky we get a reasonable neighbor if not then we will have to suffer the entire time. And we were lucky enough that the other flat’s owners inherited the place recently and they wanted to sell so all three of them would get their inheritance money.

    So I bought one half of the house and my other half bought the other half of the house.😆 His half comes with tenants – though the previous owners asked them to find else where to live within a month, we decided to let them continue the lease until next year when we are ready to start renovations. We not so enthusiastic about it really, but since they said it is hard to find a place around the area with that rental price within such a short period, we decided to just let them stay on and give them more time to look. Even if they leave earlier, that would still be fine for us. My half of the house is not livable yet although it is the best looking one of the two. 😆

    Wind turbines

    And here is another reason, at least for me, as to why I like the place. I love the wind turbines that are near by. 🙂 I guess because we don’t have any in Budapest? Or simply they are majestic looking and mesmerizing as the blades go round and round? I don’t know. But I do like them indeed.

    We will only start to get it renovated in Spring next year as we are too busy this year and we need time to find the right people to do it for us. It’s all so exciting really, and I am feeling blessed.

    Till next time… Thanks for reading. 🙂