The 2008 Aims and Objectives Progress Thread

[roddy]

So, New Year is almost upon us. Many of us will be making resolutions to motivate ourselves through 2008 and no doubt some of us on here will be resolving to study Chinese more or better in some way. So speak up, go on record, and then we can all laugh at ourselves in late February when our grand plans have amounted to naught.

I'll start:

1) Ironing out of skill imbalances: Made some progress in this direction in 2007, still plenty of work left for 2008 though. I need to be able to talk more competently on a wider range of issues, and stop relying on elementary and intermediate language to express advanced-level ideas. Chinese has lots more words, I should use them. Made a fair bit of progress on (hand)writing in 2007, as evidenced by going from virtually zero to an HSK Advanced C in the writing section, need to build on that.

2) Very happy with progress made in pronunciation in 2007, but I've still got 7 years worth of bad habits that need worked on. I'm working on it.

3) Do more stuff in Chinese. I still tend to turn to English language sources for news and recreational reading, movie watching, etc. Should attempt to spend more time in Chinese-space.

In Non-Chinese relevant resolutions, I plan to run more and eat less. However, the supermarket now stocks bacon and frozen pizza, so the outlook is not good.

Who's next?

[heifeng]

Ok, here are mine...umm. I should first say I am quite fond of lists, so I usually have a ton of items, so get yourself a coffee and get ready to read, haha just kidding, I only wrote about 1/10 of them here.

Language:

1) Work on pronunciation big time...specifically tones. Need to find tutor first or track down my previous one, prepare for putonghua ceshi..actually pass it this year, and eventually beat my classmates score (on-going friendly competition:mrgreen:)

2) Keep a blog or some type of long term Chinese writing project. Somehow when I'm not in China I am better at this, but I need to push myself to write more more more. Or, maybe start translating old tv shows into Chinese. I was thinking "In the heat of the night" or "Matlock". I mean it would probably take me forever for even one episode, but it might be fun. Might actually find others to work on this together, make it a nerdy/semi-social/language exercise. Otherwise just translate some of my favorite dianshiju into English.

3) Practice translation and interpreting in both directions on actual news worthy topics. If I actually stick to this it helps me in my general studying. Attend another CATTI exam at least in November again, maybe sit both a translation and interpreting exam depending how much money i want to give 'em.

4) Read newspaper in full minimum 2-3 times a week and actually keep organized notes.

Random and Non language learning resolutions, but kinda related to living in China.

1) Less TV, except for news. More radio.

2) Practice doing stuff with left hand just for fun. Start with brushing my teeth and blow drying my hair, using chopsticks.

3) Cook. Eat a balanced diet consisting of actual meals. Drink more water. Never eat frozen dumplings again ugh.

4) Work out, boost endurance. No more elevators. Stand up/Sit up straight. Go to sleep at a reasonable hour.

5) Do a better job of keeping in touch with people.

6) Once I get back to Beijing after the new year, find a way to get out of Beijing hehe!

ok...I'll just stop here, but like I said I like lists:mrgreen:

[roddy]

blow drying my hair, using chopsticks.

You're a constant source of amazement and inspiration.

Good list though, do we get to see the remaining 90% at any point?

[heifeng]

hahah yeah, I actually mean just use my left hand to do more things so it doesn't feel like a useless claw that can only hold heavy things.... but if you read it the weird way I wrote that, it does seem like using chopsticks and blow drying my hair at one time would be interesting.

hmm. the other stuff is really random. I'll give you a hint, and then you can tell me if enough is enough.

category III: completely unrelated to life in China

7) Work on oversplits, particularly left side, and actually do a good illusion without falling on my head. Find a good work out location to actually work on these. FYI BNU track is really too windy in the winter...burr.

8 ) Moisturize more. Deep condition hair weekly. Use straightening iron less.

9) Give up chocolate and mengniu xiao buding. Eat more fruit.

10) Refresh memory on fracture mechanics and old material selection coursework. Read up on the happenings with SAE and SWE. See if I can get a student edition of pro/E wildfire, solid works...or find my old ones, but that's really unlikely.

by they way anyone interested in translating tv shows into Chinese for fun? the end result couldn't be much worse than whats already out there. We could even correct some of the screwed up battlestar galactica or sci-fi ones that someone had complained about before:wink:

[owshawng]

Let's see. For Chinese related

1. Study Chinese at least 30 minutes a day.

2. Be able to understand the Intermediate lessons on Chinesepod on the first or second listen.

3. Start working on upper intermediate lessons on Chinesepod by the end of the year

4. Learn to read at least 1,000 hanzi. When this is reached start reading some children's books and tabloids

5. Enter all hanzi that I don't know from Chinesepod transcripts into Pleco flashcards

6. Try to speak in full sentences and have longer conversations then just 2 or 3 lines.

Non-chinese.

1. Cook more and a wider variety of dishes. My cast iron skillet and dutch oven miss me.

2. Enjoy my life and family more and worry less.

3. Work out 3 times a week. I was planning to start this 2 weeks ago but then caught the flu and a cold.

4. Every weekend try to do something fun for the family like a day trip to New York or go to a great restaurant. Great being good food, cheap, and family friendly.

5. Take at least 1 great vacation. Right now the leading contenders are Toronto (summer) and Taiwan (probably not till December) .

6. Stay in touch with my long distance friends.

7. Join an outdoors club that does nature hikes and such. Want to get outside more and on the couch less.

8. Spend as much time as possible on things I enjoy, and as little as possible on things that I don't enjoy..

[imron]

I don't really like to make New Year's resolutions in the belief that if you're serious about something, there's no need to put it off until the new year before deciding to do it, hence the reason a while back I started to do more reading in Chinese, and hence the more recent posts in BOTM. I'm also planning to take cooking classes sometime in the new year, but putting that off was because I didn't want any course to be interrupted by my current trip back to Australia.

If I can get my act together, I might even get around to taking the HSK.

[Hero Doug]

While I agree that there's no time like the present, I like the idea of New Year's resolutions. It give us a chance to examine our lives and see what we can improve or do differently.

For non Chinese stuff, nothing too big for me.

Keep going to the gym; not really a problem, but it's always on the list (as in I always do it).

Eat MORE FOOD. I've been eating too Chinese lately. I need more calories to start making real progress at the gym.

Chinese Stuff:

I'm thinking that I'll keep my tutor around for 2008. It's definatle not the way I'd teach the lesson, but it does force me to study, and that's good motivation.

By the end of 2008 I'd like to have conversational Chinese (even though it won't be about politics). I think it'll be a lot easier to find/make opportunities to use Chinese if I'm not limited to talking about fruit and vegetables and giving directions. It's starting to wear a little thin ;)

[ezpar]

Hey, interesting thread.

I've only been studying Chinese for about four months now, but I think I've done a lot in that period. In 2008, I'd like to become relatively conversational. I'm going to work hard to be able to hold a (simple) conversation with a Chinese speaker about things other than ordering food or asking their nationality -- I'll focus on strongly developing my listening skills and my vocabulary. I think good conversation and being able to put the grammar together (albeit roughly) will come with those.

Also, I have the typical resolutions that most everyone has. I'd like to start working out again, but I know that probably won't happen. Hopefully I will get my life organized and apply to law school in the next year. I'm doing AmeriCorps right now, so I'd like to find a higher-paying job when it ends in the summer. Maybe I'll actually be able to move out of my mom's house! And it would be nice to begin to tackle all of my debt from college.

[cdn_in_bj]

Good thread! Although I use Chinese (oral) on a daily basis through work and friends, recently I have begun to feel that I've reached the point where my progress is slowing. I suppose that part of this is because my coworkers and friends have little trouble communicating with me now and no longer need to take on the role of the "Chinese tutor". Now don't get me wrong - I am still learning a lot of new things in my everyday interactions, but while I'm at work especially I don't have a lot of time to ponder these language revelations and by the time I get home I've usually forgotten about them. Some things do stick, but it's become apparent to me that I really need to focus more on self-study in order to pick up the pace. Improving my language skills is important not only for my personal life but also for my professional development. So here are my learning resolutions:

1) Spend more time studying Chinese - my focus will be on vocabulary/grammar and reading. I am not going to worry about handwriting for now. Of course, if I end up doing some writing as part of my learning process, I won't stop myself from doing that. I am hesitant to set a schedule because with work sometimes I get home late, and other days I just feel like doing nothing when I get home, but something like 3-4 days/week for 1 - 2 hours each time (1 hr on weeknights, longer on weekends) would seem reasonable and realistic.

2) I also like the "read 1000 hanzi" goal from owshawng

3) As a yardstick, I will strive for the HSK intermediate level, excluding the written requirements. I will determine this through practise tests, but if I feel that I have a chance of passing the "real" test with whatever writing skill I've achieved by that time, then I will go for it.

As for non-learning resolutions:

1) Cook more, and eat out less (already have started doing this)

2) Get through the year without having to buy new pants due to size issues. I don't think I'll have time to work out regularly during the week, but I'll definitely try to do some physical activities on the weekends. Some gyms here let you pre-pay for x number of visits, rather than having to sign up for a yearly plan. For the gym in my building it works out to be about 70 RMB/visit, and these "credits" are transferable to others (ie- I can bring friends) so this seems like a better option for me.

3) Figure out "the plan" for the next 2-3 years. As I stated in another post a while back, I've reached the point where I need to do some heavy thinking about my goals with respect to my stay here.

4) Do a better job of keeping in touch with friends, family, and colleagues back home. I find that in China if you're well-integrated, it's easy to forget about things back home. On my recent flight home, I read an article about some expats in Shanghai. In that article was the following quote: "after 3 years [of being away], you lose your business contacts; after 6 years you lose your friends". It's sad but I think it's very true.

5) Take up a hobby (photography). I don't think I need to tell you why this is important. It's also a good way to meet new friends as well.

[floatingmoon]

1) Regular cleaning, sorting of room (I did some sorting, cleaning, organizing of my room. Still a lot to do, or may be I am a perfectionist)

2) Fitness

3) more regulate life style

4) self study

5) ..........................

[OneEye]

I also like lists. Here's my overall list, although I have more detailed text files for each section for both myself and my wife (except she doesn't have a Chinese list).

I think goals like "get better at speaking Chinese" are useless without a plan to achieve them. So most of my goals for this year relate to the process rather than the outcome.

Fitness

Exercise 3-4 days per week

Only 3-4 "junk meals" per week

I have specific performance goals but I'm not sure how well people here would relate to them

Chinese

Listen to at least 5 "easy" (whichever level that is at the time) ChinesePod lessons per week

Always be working through at least 1 "difficult" ChinesePod lesson

Finish Beginning Chinese (textbook and readers) and start on Intermediate

Work all the way through HSK "A" list and start on the "B" list in Pleco

Work through 三国演义 TV series

Put all useful new vocab from CPod lessons, textbooks, TV shows, movies, etc. into Pleco flashcards

Financial

Max IRAs and 401(k)s

Minimize spending on food (besides groceries) - cook more often and bring food to work (I love cooking anyway)

Go after promotion - should happen by April

Music

Practice composing at least once per week

Practice trombone 2-3 times per week

[Radial]

Okay... I will make some commitments...

I want to push up through to HSK level 10...

So I will...

• get a new tutor to work with me on a daily basis
  
• do my flash card in chinese... this will require some updating of my ZDT system
  
• get my news in chinese... radio, television, newspaper
  
• start doing speeches and presentations in Chinese... revise powerpoints and practice with tutor first
  
• more QQ and google chatting... try to make sure it is chinese practice and not english training.
  
• Daily writing exercise... 1/2 of writing on a topic of interest
  
• sign up for Advance HSK
  
• work on my tones... just found a great book... "Easy way to the correct Chines Pronunciation" by BLCU Press... with tapes... just need a teacher to work with me
  

I am getting tire just looking at all these resolutions...

[floatingmoon]

For learning and practicing Chinese, I think watching movie / tv is a good idea.

Also, listen to Chinese songs and sing karaoke! (learning and while doing something fun!! )

It works the same as for learning any language.

[Guest realmayo]

i) learn to write 50 hanzi a week for the next 30 weeks (though I should already know the first couple of hundred)

ii) don't stint on vocab either

iii) listen to chinesepod etc rather than music on my ipod on my commute.

[Rrina]

I doubt I can finish FSI this year but I certainly want to complete several more modules.. I'm only on the second now. I'll also try to get the courage to speak more Chinese to the native speakers I know... something beyond ni3 hao3 and xie4 xie4 I mean...

[character]

- Stay caught up with Chinese class and homework. The past few weeks have been spent trying to get caught up.

- Struggle through a wuxia novel (probably Gu Long's Lu Xiao Feng Chuan Ji).

[wushijiao]

I'm not too sure what my exact plans will be, but here is a my general thoughts:

1) Continue to listen to RFA, BBC, (and sometimes 德国之声 and Chinesepod) podcasts daily (I think my listening really, really went up in 2007 because of this).

2) Thoroughly read my 亚洲周刊's (have subscription/ I think it is a great magazine).

3) Read more great magazines like 争鸣，开放 and the like.

4) Try to do at least a book a month.

I think my reading and listening skills are as strong as they have ever been, but my writing and speaking might be sliding a bit, so:

5) Do more writing (not sure in what form yet)

[Meng Lelan]

Here are mine in very basic form:

1. Study more Chinese.

2. Train harder in wushu (I do staff and broadsword now)

3. Get a job teaching high school Chinese, preferably in Houston, TX - after all San Antonio doesn't have a sufficient Asian population to support my goals.

4. Practice piano every day.

[roddy]

Ok, it's the first of February - time for our first monthly status report.

Myself . . hmmm, let me refresh my memory of what I said I was going to do . . .

"1) Ironing out of skill imbalances:"

Well in retrospect that looks like a ridiculously fuzzy goal, doesn't it? However I did do a complete run Pleco flashcards run through of the entire HSK lists trying to better associate pronunciation with characters - basically going from 'hmmm, I think that's yun, but not sure of the tone', or 'no idea about the pronunciation but I know it means zinc', or 'that's gǎng. Wait, no it's not.' to getting it right and not having to think about it. I'm now doing something similar but for writing, which is much more time consuming. Also doing an hour a day of transcribing stuff from podcasts in order to try and actually use knowledge of the characters rather than just let it rot in my head.

"Pronunciation"

This is still going well, the challenge now is to go from being able to actually transfer that into real life conversations, preferably without slowing down to the extent that I appear to be consulting voices in my head. Or conducting an orchestra.

"Use more Chinese language sources"

Not bad on this one. My podcasts and RSS feeds are now entirely Chinese. I still have a bad Guardian addiction though.

"Running more"

Had a week off mid January due to sub-zero temperatures, but apart from that I've been pretty disciplined.

"Eating less"

Will bump this on a monthly basis, assuming there still seems to be some interest, and that I haven't completely failed myself. Who's next?

[imron]

I didn't make any new years resolutions, but I'm still keeping up on reading one book a month.