Hard Things

Yeah, so I think I mentioned I was trying to learn Japanese a post or two ago. I'm using a program called The Rosetta Stone Japanese explorer CD-ROM. It claims to have over 3 million users worldwide though I think that's for the whole Rosetta series. But let me tell you something, this particular learning system is hard. I'm not stopping by any means. It's just hard.

It's gets right to the meat and potatoes of the language, skipping the typical stuff you might learn up front like individual words and how to work with the language. What this system does is give you a phrase and tries to associate that phrase to a picture. Sometimes the pictures are hard to discern properly. Also they have a particular word meaning one thing in one picture and it looks to mean something different in the next picture. It's very confusing. True in our own language, we have a whole bunch of weird things going on. And I admit since English is the only language I really known all my life, these things are second nature to me.

Another problem I have with the software is that there's no way to hear each word in turn. You have to hear the whole phrase or nothing at all. The speaker is also talking fairly fast (I think), another problem since some letters sound different to what I'm use to. I think I hear one thing but my mouth want to go "blah".

Now I mention plural things. Here's the second. Trying to keep focus on one or two things so you don't spread yourself like butter on toast. I find it difficult to try to keep on one thing for very long. I might come across a second thing that may take my interest and I go and do that for a while, then a third thing might come sniffing around and I go and do that. While I'm doing the 3rd thing, the first two and just hanging back unfinished. Lately I've just trying to 1) find a job, 2) learn more Java, and 3) learn Japanese. Those are my three most current white whales. Aye, great whites they are. Errr Anyway...

So, that's it for the time being. I hope I've been entertaining for all three of you. So, until next time.