Hopefully hopeful signs

[nnozomi]

・Unexpectedly Y and I got our first vaccine shots on Thursday (Moderna). No serious side-effects so far except a sore arm and a (possibly unrelated) tingly toe; I woke up yesterday with a bad headache, which still remains in dribs and drabs, but I think that has more to do with the three typhoons hovering off in the Pacific fucking with the atmospheric pressure.

・Yu-jie, a former coworker originally from Fujian, has agreed to give me weekly Chinese conversation lessons; eventually we will go hang out at a kāfēitīng in person, for now it’s over Zoom, which has turned out to be surprisingly workable with the chat sidebar where we can type characters when my reading/writing skills outstrip speaking/listening, which is basically always. Chinese pronunciation is so hard I don’t even know where to start, but she is very patient, we have plenty to talk about, and thanks to 朱一龙 and 刘畅 and their compatriots, my listening skills are not as awful as my speaking—it’s satisfying to be able to hold even the most basic conversation. I may never be able to speak halfway fluently but it’s still fun. (Japanese tends to end sentences with a kind of “-you know?” word, でしょう or ね or じゃん (やん in our dialect), and while Chinese has 吧 and 嘛, they’re not really used the same way and I keep finding myself short a particle at the end of the sentence and caught off-balance. Language instincts are very weird.)
Also two more highly relevant practice cards, one silly and one sad.


・I finished a knitting project, see photo below: in quality it's amateurish to a degree, like a seven-year-old's work, but it's a functioning lap blanket and the colors are pretty. I can't help thinking of it as my cdrama afghan, since I only knit when I'm watching things and that's been cdramas lately, so it's courtesy of Guardian, Lost Tomb Reboot, and The Rebel. (Probably the dropped stitches could each be ascribed to a particularly gripping moment onscreen, but I didn't take notes.)

・Watching bits of the Olympics because it's on TV anyway; I realized that the sports I like watching most are the ones that are the best attempts at flying, like trampoline in the summer and ski jump in the winter.

・Photos: mostly assorted flowers, also a pair of quasi-kitten twins (the second one is there if you squint).




Be safe and well.

Comments

[chestnut_pod]

Congratulations on the vaccine and the blanket! It seems like the latter may help with the former, if your reaction worsens. I hope the next dose goes smoothly :)

[nnozomi]

Thank you! ;) Excellent idea re the blanket.

[china_shop]

I realized that the sports I like watching most are the ones that are the best attempts at flying, like trampoline in the summer and ski jump in the winter.

Hee! {\o/}

Love the photos, especially the second one of the street. Congratulations on your vax!

[nnozomi]

many thanks!
(also for your ZXC comment, welcome any time! I'm a bit scattered right now but will come back to ramble more on that point later on...)

[trobadora]

Congrats on the cdrama afghan! And yay vaccination! :D

when my reading/writing skills outstrip speaking/listening, which is basically always

Envying you your reading skills! Of course mine might improve if I actually practiced more, oops ... *g*

Also, ha, that 值得 Anki card!

(What deck is that, if you don't mind me asking?)

[nnozomi]

Thank you! I can't take that much credit for any Chinese reading skills, they come with the Japanese cheat code (when it's not confusing me with false friends, lol).
The Anki deck is one based on my favorite Chinese site, the Chinese Grammar Wiki (https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Main_Page) . The deck is huge, almost 6000 cards, with tons of grammar points (plus most of the lower-level sentences have pinyin as well as English), though sadly no audio.

[trobadora]

The Chinese Grammar Wiki is great! I need to take a look at that deck. Maybe the lack of audio is a benefit in my case; it'll stop me from relying on it so much. I mean, there's still the pinyin, but nevertheless. *g*

[nnozomi]

I'm pretty sure you can find the deck with a quick search on the Anki site; if not, let me know!

[trobadora]

Got it, thanks! :D

[nnozomi]

Glad to hear it! (And impressed on reflection that you can rely on the audio at all; I wish my listening were more helpful...).
(also sorry I haven't been around elsewhere, I've been reading other people's posts but a bit too out of it to comment, talk soon)

[trobadora]

Heh, it's mainly because 90% of my vocabulary is osmosed from dramas. I know way more words than I do characters. *g*

(Also, no worries, I know how it goes! I'm sorry you're feeling out of it, and I hope things get better soon. *hugs*)

[clevermanka]

Congrats on the language learning progress!

What are the orange flowers in the field? SO PRETTY.

[nnozomi]

Thank you! I don't know their English name, but I'm told they're called "yellow cosmos" in Japanese (why yellow? why not orange? no idea).

[clevermanka]

Looks like they're just called "cosmos" here. I love them!

[nnozomi]

glad you like them 🌼 (reading your posts but a little bit too out of it to comment elsewhere right now but thinking of you)

[clevermanka]

Thank you, bb. 🧡

[yaaurens]

Congrats on finishing your knitting project! And yay for getting stabbed!

猫！可爱！花很漂亮！

[nnozomi]

谢谢啊！小猫好可爱吧。

[umadoshi]

So much yay for vaccination! *^^*

[nnozomi]

Thank you <3

[elenothar]

Probably the dropped stitches could each be ascribed to a particularly gripping moment onscreen

Such a mood. Whenever I miscount my cross-stitch project, it's because I got too distracted by what I was watching.

Language instincts really are SO weird and I love hearing about them, so thanks for pointing that one out. I'm currently visiting my parents and having the 'first language vying with second language' problem. I've vaguely been tracking when/why I accidentally slip into English for a word or two, which has been interesting.

[nnozomi]

Whenever I miscount my cross-stitch project, it's because I got too distracted by what I was watching.
Yes, exactly. I need to find a new craft project which will let me turn my brain off sufficiently...

I've vaguely been tracking when/why I accidentally slip into English for a word or two, which has been interesting.
These first/second language interactions are always fascinating, definitely keep track and tell us about it!

[tinny]

I keep finding myself short a particle at the end of the sentence and caught off-balance. Language instincts are very weird.)

That is such a cute way to put it! :D

I'm happy you have someone who practices conversation with you, that's extremely helpful. Go you! <3


I love your blanket! Rest assured that I could never knit a blanket. <3

(Also love the field of flowers! Snagging it!)