So I'm in the process of teaching myself French due to my trip to England (and subsequent side trip to Paris). Not to generalize an entire country's population, but every person I talk to that's been to France says they're not too fond of Americans. Am I going to hold that against them? No. But if I'm visiting their country, I want to be as respectful as possible and try to learn the basics so they know I've put an effort into this.
Here's my plan of attack: Every day, I'm reading one chapter of French for Dummies on my iPad and reading the French conversations in the book out loud. I'm going to watch one movie a day I'm familiar with (or, if time is too restrictive, four movies a week) in French with no subtitles, I'm going to download some French music and I'm going to read fan fiction in French.
Now, I've taken two French classes before. One was in eighth grade and one was my freshman year in college. I have a pretty good grasp of the language and can read it relatively well. It's the speaking part that gets to me.
I'll let you know my progress.
This should be interesting.
So far, I've watched: She's the Man and 10 Things I Hate About You. Today, I'm hoping to watch Legally Blonde (since I know the entire movie by heart).
I've listened to: Vanessa Paradis. You might know her as Johnny Depp's long-time love (and no, they're not over). I love her, but I'm going to need more.
I have yet to read fan fic.
We'll see how this turns out.
What do you guys think? Have you attempted to teach yourself another language? What did you do and did it work?
--
In honor of Memorial Day, me and my family went up to the LA Veteran's Cemetery yesterday in order to avoid the hoopla currently taking place (and I don't mean any disrespect by my choice in diction). We like to avoid crowds and traffic and have time together with my grandparents and great-grandfather without worrying about being in the background of the news or being interviewed by a personality.
Please take time out to remember the fallen, to remember those who came back, and to remember those who are still out there, fighting for us. Thank you.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunshine Sunday
1) The real first week of school. I know, I know, I'm a nerd. But once you're done with your general education, you get classes that focus on your major and, at least, for me, I'm really psyched to learn more about mine. Oh, and since I'm a nerd, I finished all the reading for this coming week over the weekend so I don't have to worry about that!
2) Hockey. When am I not excited about hockey? The Ducks play their cross-town rivals the Kings tonight, Wednesday they head back to Vancouver, and Friday they play the Kings again. I know it's just preseason, but I'm still excited!
3) Birthdays. My dad's birthday is on Tuesday! He'll be 51 this year. He looks, maybe, like he's in his forties though. Good for him.
4) Music. blink-182's new album comes out on Tuesday as well. I love them. I can't stop listening to "All of This" (especially the bridge - it gets me every time!) and whenever "First Date" and "All the Small Things" come on, I get ridiculously, goofy-happy. I dance in my car. Definitely looking forward to this album.
5) Braces. My brother gets his braces off on Thursday. He's ecstatic. He's had them on in what feels like forever and I'm just so excited for him.
Anything you're excited for this week?
2) Hockey. When am I not excited about hockey? The Ducks play their cross-town rivals the Kings tonight, Wednesday they head back to Vancouver, and Friday they play the Kings again. I know it's just preseason, but I'm still excited!
3) Birthdays. My dad's birthday is on Tuesday! He'll be 51 this year. He looks, maybe, like he's in his forties though. Good for him.
4) Music. blink-182's new album comes out on Tuesday as well. I love them. I can't stop listening to "All of This" (especially the bridge - it gets me every time!) and whenever "First Date" and "All the Small Things" come on, I get ridiculously, goofy-happy. I dance in my car. Definitely looking forward to this album.
5) Braces. My brother gets his braces off on Thursday. He's ecstatic. He's had them on in what feels like forever and I'm just so excited for him.
Anything you're excited for this week?
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunshine Sunday
Sundays are usually reserved for relaxation, for groaning because Monday brings school or work or waking up early to take your brother to school... But I digress. So I wanted to talk about things this week that have made me happy and what I'm looking forward to this week. Ready? Okay!
1) Hockey is BACK! Well, almost. I attended the Ducks' training camp the past two days and it gets me super-excited for the season. Getzy and Perry were pushing each other (playfully, of course!), Bobby Ryan was goofing around with his teammates, Hiller was nearly back to his best (but vertigo is scary to have for a starting goalie), and my personal favorite Dan Ellis, is on top of his game! I also found a couple of players to watch out for (crossing my fingers that they make the team): Andrew Gordon and Mark Bell.
2) I start school on Thursday. I'm a bit nervous (I know an actual university is different from a community college but I'm not quite sure what those differences are yet and as such, can't prepare) but the closer it gets, the more excited I am. I am planning to go to sporting events (Why can't UCI have a football team? Why?) and socialize. I'm hoping that UCI is where I'll belong, not just for academics but because I care about the school as a whole. Plus, there's a bunch of cool activities during Welcome Week including screening X-Men: First Class on the Green.
3) Demi Lovato's new album comes out on Tuesday. I love her, her voice, and her songs, and I am looking forward to hearing what she has to offer.
4) TV. I'm a confessed couch potato who works out, okay? All my favorite shows premiere this week (Community, The Office, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family) and new shows that I'm looking forward to checking out (Whitney, Two Broke Girls, The New Girl, The X-Factor, Last Man Standing) and new shows that I checked out last week that I like (Free Agents, Up All Night). Granted, I will/have watched a lot of these on my computer because I can't watch everyone at once. I'm sad that I have to wait until October for Bones and all year until True Blood. But I'm sure some shows (and hockey) will tide me over.
5) Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper by Geoffrey Gray. You know my love for Depression-Era gangsters. D.B. Cooper is kind of like that, but for the 1970's. He's polite and charming and jumped out of a flying airplane with two hundred thousand dollars strapped to his chest on a rainy night after threatening to blow up said plane with a bomb. No one was harmed and to this day, nobody knows who Mr. Cooper really is. I love this stuff. Especially when the author wrote about an old woman who compared D.B. Cooper to John Dillinger. The gangster-geek in me squealed like a school girl! If you're into this kind of stuff, I definitely recommend it!
What about you? Any things you're looking forward to this week?
1) Hockey is BACK! Well, almost. I attended the Ducks' training camp the past two days and it gets me super-excited for the season. Getzy and Perry were pushing each other (playfully, of course!), Bobby Ryan was goofing around with his teammates, Hiller was nearly back to his best (but vertigo is scary to have for a starting goalie), and my personal favorite Dan Ellis, is on top of his game! I also found a couple of players to watch out for (crossing my fingers that they make the team): Andrew Gordon and Mark Bell.
2) I start school on Thursday. I'm a bit nervous (I know an actual university is different from a community college but I'm not quite sure what those differences are yet and as such, can't prepare) but the closer it gets, the more excited I am. I am planning to go to sporting events (Why can't UCI have a football team? Why?) and socialize. I'm hoping that UCI is where I'll belong, not just for academics but because I care about the school as a whole. Plus, there's a bunch of cool activities during Welcome Week including screening X-Men: First Class on the Green.
3) Demi Lovato's new album comes out on Tuesday. I love her, her voice, and her songs, and I am looking forward to hearing what she has to offer.
4) TV. I'm a confessed couch potato who works out, okay? All my favorite shows premiere this week (Community, The Office, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family) and new shows that I'm looking forward to checking out (Whitney, Two Broke Girls, The New Girl, The X-Factor, Last Man Standing) and new shows that I checked out last week that I like (Free Agents, Up All Night). Granted, I will/have watched a lot of these on my computer because I can't watch everyone at once. I'm sad that I have to wait until October for Bones and all year until True Blood. But I'm sure some shows (and hockey) will tide me over.
5) Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper by Geoffrey Gray. You know my love for Depression-Era gangsters. D.B. Cooper is kind of like that, but for the 1970's. He's polite and charming and jumped out of a flying airplane with two hundred thousand dollars strapped to his chest on a rainy night after threatening to blow up said plane with a bomb. No one was harmed and to this day, nobody knows who Mr. Cooper really is. I love this stuff. Especially when the author wrote about an old woman who compared D.B. Cooper to John Dillinger. The gangster-geek in me squealed like a school girl! If you're into this kind of stuff, I definitely recommend it!
What about you? Any things you're looking forward to this week?
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