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nnozomi·I think most people on my f-list have seen it by now, but chestnut_pod has an extremely thoughtful and constructive post up about what to do with the OTW, including a huge discussion in the comments (mind the content warnings added).
·Last week I went up to Fukushima to play in a concert of 500 cellists, amateur and professional, in memory of the earthquake. Y tagged along and we did some sightseeing in advance, see the suspension-bridge pictures below. Dreamlike, gorgeous, all green and stone, like wandering into an ink painting. It was raining and cold, and we went into a souvenir shop where the lady cannily served plum-and-chili-pepper tea, and I bought a bag of teabags… . Lunch at a traditional noodle place where he ate soba with a huge leek, and I ordered tempura and took a bite of what looked like a shiitake mushroom, which turned out to be a red bean bun…shock. But tasty.
The concert was kind of an experience one is glad to have had, but not hugely satisfying for me in musical terms—partly because all the music was boring and partly because five hundred people is just too many, you can’t hear or see properly what’s going on. I was glad to be there, though.
·I am struggling lately with Chinese; not working as hard as I should on the Anki etc. I already have, not figuring out how to get further. I really don’t want to take an in-person class, but I’m not sure what the next step is. Among the latest Zhu Yilong videos posted by the blessed Wenella, I watched the same 10-minute interview three times in a row, once with no subtitles, once with C-subs (and then once with English), understanding going from 5% to about 75%. Listening is impossible.
(Relatedly, a drinking game for anyone who wants to get drunk: take a sip every time Zhu Yilong says 还挺 when he’s being interviewed. It just means “quite,” but he’s very fond of it.)
·I have one more scene to go in book 2 of my original thing, an epilogue really, and I’m very stuck; in terms of personal issues, all three protagonists are very much in a To Be Continued status, I’m not sure how to wrap it up in a way that feels like the ending of a book even if not the ending of a series. Also I have provided myself with sixty zillion assorted plot lines that have to be touched on in some way. I think at this point I might should just start writing and let it happen. When/if I do finish I have so much revision to do, aaargh.
Photos: Suspension bridge environs as above. A couple of nice roses and a somewhat less hidden koi. Turtles sharing rock space, and the "turtle rock" in Y's hometown, of which it's said that if it ever changes the direction it's facing, trouble will follow. Many cello cases all lined up. A very fortunate cat which lives in a stall next to the butcher's.
Be safe and well.
·Last week I went up to Fukushima to play in a concert of 500 cellists, amateur and professional, in memory of the earthquake. Y tagged along and we did some sightseeing in advance, see the suspension-bridge pictures below. Dreamlike, gorgeous, all green and stone, like wandering into an ink painting. It was raining and cold, and we went into a souvenir shop where the lady cannily served plum-and-chili-pepper tea, and I bought a bag of teabags… . Lunch at a traditional noodle place where he ate soba with a huge leek, and I ordered tempura and took a bite of what looked like a shiitake mushroom, which turned out to be a red bean bun…shock. But tasty.
The concert was kind of an experience one is glad to have had, but not hugely satisfying for me in musical terms—partly because all the music was boring and partly because five hundred people is just too many, you can’t hear or see properly what’s going on. I was glad to be there, though.
·I am struggling lately with Chinese; not working as hard as I should on the Anki etc. I already have, not figuring out how to get further. I really don’t want to take an in-person class, but I’m not sure what the next step is. Among the latest Zhu Yilong videos posted by the blessed Wenella, I watched the same 10-minute interview three times in a row, once with no subtitles, once with C-subs (and then once with English), understanding going from 5% to about 75%. Listening is impossible.
(Relatedly, a drinking game for anyone who wants to get drunk: take a sip every time Zhu Yilong says 还挺 when he’s being interviewed. It just means “quite,” but he’s very fond of it.)
·I have one more scene to go in book 2 of my original thing, an epilogue really, and I’m very stuck; in terms of personal issues, all three protagonists are very much in a To Be Continued status, I’m not sure how to wrap it up in a way that feels like the ending of a book even if not the ending of a series. Also I have provided myself with sixty zillion assorted plot lines that have to be touched on in some way. I think at this point I might should just start writing and let it happen. When/if I do finish I have so much revision to do, aaargh.
Photos: Suspension bridge environs as above. A couple of nice roses and a somewhat less hidden koi. Turtles sharing rock space, and the "turtle rock" in Y's hometown, of which it's said that if it ever changes the direction it's facing, trouble will follow. Many cello cases all lined up. A very fortunate cat which lives in a stall next to the butcher's.
Be safe and well.
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Date: 2023-05-26 04:58 pm (UTC)Pesky acronyms. The other day, I saw the acronym WAGs turn up in several reviews about the penultimate Succession episode. I didn't get it, and googling finally revealed it to be something rather clean, if a quick summary of a plot point late in the episode. Then, two nights later the same plot point turned up in the penultimate Ted Lasso- more proof I'm just watching one immense streaming show.
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Date: 2023-05-27 11:31 am (UTC)It stands for the Organization for Transformative Works.
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Date: 2023-05-26 06:20 pm (UTC)I‘ve had chestnut‘s post bookmarked for the long weekend, thank you for reminding me to read it.
Thank you for sharing that idiosyncrasy of Zhu Yilong, it suits him.
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Date: 2023-05-27 11:32 am (UTC)I literally had to crane my neck!
I do a cello workshop once a year with basically the same people (mostly students of a former teacher of mine). We are a small group of 8-15 depending on people‘s schedules.
Oh, that sounds lovely, just the right size to enjoy ensemble playing with familiar faces <3
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Date: 2023-05-26 06:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-27 11:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-26 10:02 pm (UTC)And congrats on almost finishing your book, and I'm sure you'll get there with the last bit as well! *cheers you on*
I am struggling lately with Chinese; not working as hard as I should on the Anki etc. I already have, not figuring out how to get further.
*hugs* I feel you on this a lot. You're vastly more advanced than I am, and I have the opposite issue in that my listening comprehension is ahead of my character recognition, but the problem is the same - I'm stuck where I am, and not really doing anything to improve. Here's hoping we can figure out what to do about that!
(Relatedly, a drinking game for anyone who wants to get drunk: take a sip every time Zhu Yilong says 还挺 when he’s being interviewed. It just means “quite,” but he’s very fond of it.)
♥ ♥ ♥
Your photos are lovely as always - great landscape especially!
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Date: 2023-05-27 11:38 am (UTC)Thank you for that phrase! I like it a lot. And thanks for the good wishes.
I don't think I'm especially more advanced than you are, apart from having the advantage of Japanese, but yeah--what do we do to get to the next step? Knock wood it will work out.
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Date: 2023-05-27 08:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-28 08:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-26 10:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-27 11:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-27 04:20 am (UTC)I watched the same 10-minute interview three times in a row, once with no subtitles, once with C-subs (and then once with English), understanding going from 5% to about 75%. Listening is impossible.
I feel like Zhu Yilong sort of mumbles a lot, so... it's not like he's making it easy! <3
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Date: 2023-05-27 11:37 am (UTC)A "normal" cello ensemble might be about a dozen lol. (For reference, the largest normal classical ensembles are probably the late Romantic orchestras, Mahler and so on, which can reach a hundred players or so with all the instruments combined...)
I feel like Zhu Yilong sort of mumbles a lot, so... it's not like he's making it easy! <3
lolol, you have a point. He is either mumbling in his "don't notice me" way or talking nineteen to the dozen about acting...
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Date: 2023-05-27 06:24 am (UTC)Oh wow, 500 cellists sounds absolutely chaotic, but powerful. I’m glad it was an experience worth having.
I have one more scene to go in book 2 of my original thing, an epilogue really, and I’m very stuck; in terms of personal issues, all three protagonists are very much in a To Be Continued status, I’m not sure how to wrap it up in a way that feels like the ending of a book even if not the ending of a series.
Ack, that’s such a frustrating place to be in! Good luck, I hope you’re able to sort it out to your satisfaction / that the editing process isn’t too excruciating. (“Start writing and let it happen” is such a valid approach, honestly, my attitude towards my one monster-length work has so often been “I wrote myself into this corner, I’ll write myself out of it…”)
And omg, the turtles all stacked on top of each other—love them, and the landscapes (and the cat, aww).
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Date: 2023-05-27 11:35 am (UTC)my attitude towards my one monster-length work has so often been “I wrote myself into this corner, I’ll write myself out of it…”
I really need to adopt this attitude more...
the turtles all stacked on top of each other
It's not like all the other rocks were occupied! Either they liked being stacked up or they were just very insistent about sunning on this one rock...
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Date: 2023-05-27 10:35 am (UTC)I ordered tempura and took a bite of what looked like a shiitake mushroom, which turned out to be a red bean bun…
I am imagining this as a Japanese equivalent of a deep-fried mars bar.
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Date: 2023-05-27 11:34 am (UTC)Pretty close! I meant to post a picture but it got lost somewhere. Once I got over the shock of the red-bean sweetness, it was delicious, and very sinful.
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Date: 2023-05-27 01:17 pm (UTC)Fingers crossed for your epilogue!
And the photos are gorgeous. *^^*
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Date: 2023-05-28 08:44 am (UTC)o_o is right lol :)
and thank you for the good wishes! <3
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Date: 2023-05-27 03:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-28 08:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-28 03:22 pm (UTC)Ah, thank you! I just sank half an hour into this and didn't get through the majority of comments. But what I saw was very constructive.
partly because five hundred people is just too many, you can’t hear or see properly what’s going on. I was glad to be there, though.
Makes sense. I was once part of a huge choir, and you just can't see anything. :/ Not a very fun experience.
·I am struggling lately with Chinese; not working as hard as I should on the Anki etc. I already have, not figuring out how to get further.
Ah yes, it comes and goes in waves and there are so many ups and downs. I finally managed to find a way that works for me and I'm finally learning vocab again after two years of... just not doing it. None of the anki things I personally made are the ones that are working for me, sadly. But maybe I'll be able to phase into them now that I have a stable daily routine, who knows?
understanding going from 5% to about 75%. Listening is impossible.
I try to focus on the few new words I learn and try to motivate myself by realizing I recognize a few more words now than I did before. Watching anything without subs is still impossible, so I try not to dwell on it. Eek.
I think at this point I might should just start writing and let it happen. When/if I do finish I have so much revision to do, aaargh.
<3<3<3<3
Suspension bridge environs as above.
Very cool, I love the first three in particular. And the cat omg!
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Date: 2023-05-29 12:35 am (UTC)yup, and at least singers (pre-corona anyway) can stand right next to each other and take up less space!
I finally managed to find a way that works for me and I'm finally learning vocab again after two years of... just not doing it.
That's good to hear! And hopefully your various neat Anki things are waiting in the wings until you feel ready for them.
I try to focus on the few new words I learn and try to motivate myself by realizing I recognize a few more words now than I did before.
Good advice. Got to remind myself, oh dear.
and glad you liked the pictures! <3
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Date: 2023-05-28 11:36 pm (UTC)That third picture is incredible. Like a brushpainting.
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Date: 2023-05-29 12:32 am (UTC)That third picture is incredible. Like a brushpainting.
Yes--exactly what it felt like!
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Date: 2023-05-31 04:01 am (UTC)What do 500 cellos sound like all playing together? Is it the sort of thing where you can feel it in your teeth?
Sympathies on the language-learning woes! I remember hitting a really rough plateau when learning Spanish many years ago, and just feeling so frustrated. I do have a friend who takes online tutoring for language, if that's un-class-like enough to suit you. She says she likes that it gives her structure and an opportunity to converse easily real-time.
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Date: 2023-05-31 02:28 pm (UTC)Glad you liked the photos! And that they managed to evoke the "almost unreal" sensation of the place itself.
What do 500 cellos sound like all playing together?
I found it more of a crowded sound than a really big one--it was hard to hear any of the other parts, which for me was unsatisfying.
I do have a friend who takes online tutoring for language, if that's un-class-like enough to suit you.
Yeah--I do a little bit of online conversation with a friend of a friend, but so far it's just been free conversation. Should maybe ask her to help me more with grammar etc.?