schlepping onward

[nnozomi]

Daily life: At least one thing that is not (knock wood) depressing, my veranda plants this year so far. I think it was salamandras who kindly suggested growing spring onions/green onions from rooted ones, and so far (see photo below) it's worked a treat, although it feels like getting a free lunch. My first chili pepper plant of the year dropped dead in two seconds flat, a disappointment after I had such a good crop last year, but I've replaced it and am holding my thumbs. I've ordered a not!lime thing online which I'm very curious about, details to follow; also I just got a brand new habanero and some basil, we'll see. Then there's this year's cherry tomato plant, which is like--I take my eyes off it for two seconds and it doubles in size. One day I'm going to wake up and find it posting on DW instead of me.
Very little happening otherwise; rain, some volunteer stuff, not enough work to keep me distracted. I might post about my own putative translation projects in a day or two.

Music: Brahms piano quintet opus 34, another piece I should have known long ago, courtesy of smalin on YouTube (a guy who provides visual renderings of classical music which are very soothing to watch as well as listen to).

Books: Mostly rereading favorite fics, a delayed version of my usual yearly habit. I wish there was a "Reread, still great" button next to the kudos one on AO3 for already commented fics.

Chinese: I will use any expedient to memorize tones, including drawing shamelessly on Guardian etc. 糖 tang2 (sugar), rising, as in Zhao Yunlan offering a lollipop (棒棒糖) to little!Shen Wei; 醉 zui4 (drunk), falling, as in Shen Wei's reaction to getting drunk; 支持 zhi1chi2 (support), steady-rising, as in Chu Shuzhi jumping to his feet to declare "I support Changcheng!" in an SID argument; 床 chuang2 (bed), rising, as in Zhao Yunlan looking up at Shen Wei from his bed...(I think there's a theme here)...

Writing: Struggling. I want to get back to where it's fun...

Photos: The usual flowers, a half-melted cat, a sign that just says "It's OK," some loquats (someone else's), and some spring onions (grown by me).



Be safe and well.

Comments

[elenothar]

Oh, that's interesting that that kind of memorisation helps you - I need to know the 'subject matter' of the mnemonic (or whatever you want to call it) really well before it becomes at all useful to me but they can be so handy.

I think my favourite bit of vocab I ever learned with that kind of crutch was the Latin 'coniuratio' which means 'conspiracy' and my friend went, hey, that iu sound in the middle sounds like a lightsaber, which led to Sith to conspiracy. Never forgot that word again, ludicrous as it sounds.

[nnozomi]

the Latin 'coniuratio' which means 'conspiracy' and my friend went, hey, that iu sound in the middle sounds like a lightsaber, which led to Sith to conspiracy.
That is DELIGHTFUL. When I was teaching I came up with a lot of silly memorization tricks for my kids, telling them that as long as it worked it didn't matter how dumb it was. And of course fandom-related ones make the process more fun ;)

[china_shop]

Then there's this year's cherry tomato plant, which is like--I take my eyes off it for two seconds and it doubles in size. One day I'm going to wake up and find it posting on DW instead of me.

Hee! <3

I love your mnemonics. <3

*gazes at pics for a long soothing moment*

[nnozomi]

<3 I mean, I wouldn't be studying Chinese at all if not for Guardian-related stuff, I might as well put it to use!

[clevermanka]

I have got to plant these basil seeds...

Love the "it's OK" sign. Humans can be so good to each other.

[nnozomi]

I have got to plant these basil seeds...
do it! :)

Humans can be so good to each other.
Yes! The sign was outside a restaurant, so I don't know if they meant "we have not gone out of business yet!" or "it's okay in general," but I appreciated it either way. Pretty calligraphy too.

[laireshi]

Your mnemonics are great!

I know Chinese versions of all those kanji in the poster and it was confusing :)

I wish there was a "Reread, still great" button next to the kudos one on AO3 for already commented fics.
I get comments like this sometimes and they bring me a lot of joy!

[nnozomi]

I know Chinese versions of all those kanji in the poster and it was confusing :)
LOL yeah, daijobu in Japanese and da zhangfu in Chinese would not be the same thing at ALL...

I get comments like this sometimes and they bring me a lot of joy!
That's lovely. I'm still trying to be better about commenting on fics I like the first time around, but I should keep this in mind.

[trobadora]

I will use any expedient to memorize tones, including drawing shamelessly on Guardian etc. 糖 tang2 (sugar), rising, as in Zhao Yunlan offering a lollipop (棒棒糖) to little!Shen Wei; 醉 zui4 (drunk), falling, as in Shen Wei's reaction to getting drunk; 支持 zhi1chi2 (support), steady-rising, as in Chu Shuzhi jumping to his feet to declare "I support Changcheng!" in an SID argument; 床 chuang2 (bed), rising, as in Zhao Yunlan looking up at Shen Wei from his bed...(I think there's a theme here)...

I love this. :D

[nnozomi]

<3 It's all Guardian's fault (to its credit) that I'm studying Chinese at all, I might as well make it work for me!

[chestnut_pod]

Fandomnemonics is a great idea!

[nnozomi]

So much more fun to study that way... (also "fandomnemonics," I love it)

[luzula]

Hey, I hope you get that writing energy back! One does miss it, when it's gone...

[nnozomi]

Thank you! I think I'm just not a natural reviser, and it's hard to convince my brain that revising counts as writing too, even though I know it needs to be done.

[falkner]

That cat is very cute, it looks almost as if it's wearing little elbow/knee protections.

[nnozomi]

lol, it really does! Cats are so hard to resist.

[salamandras]

That's wonderful, I'm so glad growing from the roots worked for you! Your onions look delicious.

Your Guardian memory devices are great. I'm getting closer and closer to giving in and starting to learn some Chinese, and then I'm reminded about the tones and get intimidated again. But with your technique it starts to seem possible.

[nnozomi]

Thanks again for advice! Green onions are a favorite of my husband's, and he's now watching the planter with an eagle eye to see when they'll be ready for eating next ;)

I'm getting closer and closer to giving in and starting to learn some Chinese, and then I'm reminded about the tones and get intimidated again.
I avoided studying Chinese for YEARS for exactly this reason, and I still have no confidence that I'll ever be able to pronounce the tones properly, but I'm finding that at least in passive memory, they yield to rote practice a lot more easily than I expected.

[tinny]

I've replaced it and am holding my thumbs.

I thought that was a purely German idiom. Huh. :D

Then there's this year's cherry tomato plant, which is like--I take my eyes off it for two seconds and it doubles in size. One day I'm going to wake up and find it posting on DW instead of me.

Lolol, it might be the "mean green mother from outer space". :D (in case you don't know it, that is from my fave musical)

as in Zhao Yunlan looking up at Shen Wei from his bed...(I think there's a theme here)...

"Is everything concerning Zhao Yunlan second tone?" ("do all philosophers start with a K?")

:D

Writing: Struggling. I want to get back to where it's fun...

*HUGS*

Great pics! Yay free lunch! Love the loquats (never seen any or even heard of them :D).

[nnozomi]

I thought that was a purely German idiom. Huh.
I had no idea it was a German idiom! No kidding. I think I learned it from the old Noel Streatfeild books, you know, Ballet Shoes and so on.

"Is everything concerning Zhao Yunlan second tone?"
Well, it could be! Yúnlán, after all. ;)

I have never eaten loquats either, but they're not super uncommon around here--枇杷 in Japanese.

*hugs back*