March 2024 Reading List

March 2024 Reading List 📚🎧☕

Done:

All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr (Decided to re-read this before giving the mini-series a go. A brilliant but sad book imo.)

Current:

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (I gave up on the original version and switched to the English translation, Russian literature: 1, Me: 0)

To-read:

48 Laws of Power by Robert Green (I still haven't gotten around to finding the time to read this)

Beartown by Fredrik Backman ( I decided to restart reading it, as I was quite busy at the time and lost the hang of the plot)

女人就是要有钱/ Women just want money by 刘忆如 - Liú Yìrú (My first proper book in Chinese! This book appears to be a self-help/financial advice book and judging by the plot description it's definitely worth reading - I have an online copy for those interested btw! The target audience seems to be for those in their 30s so I guess I'm getting an early head start)

Classes have started so I'm taking this month easy whilst I try to ease back into my usual routine. But do feel free to recommend me some books for April please!

This kind of went a bit off the rails. Just a tad. At 11pm Tuesday night I decided that I at least should try to do the exam, as the textbook material was challenging but doable. And how else can I improve if I don't challenge myself? Yes, the past semester was not easy, but my chinese level had significantly improved. Sure, I could repeat the semester and study the higher class material by myself but I owe it to myself to do what's best for me, not what's easier.

So I signed up, only to find out that my name wasn't on the exam candidate list when it was announced on Thursday evening and after going to the office to ask our coordinator about this on Friday, it turned out that I don't even need to do said exam because I can automatically go up if that was the level after my level last semester.

The next several months are going to be most likely filled with non-stop studying but honestly I think I'll be able to handle it.

Yes, I'm probably not going to be at the top of my class (some of my new classmates are apparently preparing for hsk6!), but as long as I put in the work and keep going, I have a decent chance of doing okay, which honestly all things considered is pretty great.

So we got our class schedules today and it turns out that I'm in the same class as I was last semester, probably because I requested to stay in the same level in the survey that was sent out without actually thinking everything through.

To be fair, this survey was before I got my exam results back and honestly I think did pretty well for someone who was initially placed 2 levels below because I didn't do too great on my placement test (although I evidently redeemed myself on my swap out test).

This upcoming week we're allowed to try out other levels before either staying or doing the swap test to go to a higher level, which I might do if the next level is manageable.

I feel like the main issue is that despite being really out of my depth in the beginning, this level ended up being challenging enough, but what if the next level is too difficult and this level is too easy? I don't want to waste this semester, but I also want to thrive rather than try to survive and constantly be stressed out about studying.

I guess the upcoming week shall reveal its secrets so there's not that much sense in obsessing over it. I for one will try to make the most of the remaining days before classes start.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Pondering whether or not to re-take the HSK4 exam (without the speaking this time) since I failed to meet the passing mark by around 10 points last time and I refuse to believe that the past few months of studying wouldn't be able to give me that boost.

The V for Ü trick

I only recently discovered that you can type in v to get the letter ü when typing in the pinyin for chinese characters.

Thank you for the tag @ghiblilesb! My name is kind of long, so here are several recommendations!

Second Chance by Peter Bjorn and John

Les Voiles (Christine Remix) by Poom

Annie You Save Me by Graffiti6

Volcano Girls by Veruca Salt

I Remember You by Juri Pootsman

Changing by The Airborne Toxic Events-

Rival by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

O@sis by 2Z

Old Yellow Bricks by Arctic Monkeys

Tiny Dancer by Elton John

Shine on me by HIT-5

Worthy by Jacob Banks

Everybody wants to rule the world by Tears for Fears

Superfly by The DNC (ft.Yoni)

The Journey Home by Suld

Excuse me by B.A.P

Rain Down by Robin Loxley

Nothing by Tesla Boy

My Hulunboir by Nine Treasures

Innocent by Our Lady Peace (A banger imo)

Ninety by Pomepeya

Different from the Outside by Denniyah

Tagging: @study-with-aura, @thelastneuron,@ros3ybabe, @dearest-lula, @wandering-whisperer, (no pressure!) and anyone else who wants to join in!

url song title game, tagged by nobody but I am bored and I want to do this again with different songs!

g - guāng 光 (enno cheng)

h - head cut (siouxsie and the banshees)

i - i saw a light (bat for lashes)

b - bedroom hymns (florence + the machine)

l - liân-hue khong-hīng sin jiám ài 蓮花空行身染愛 (collage)

i - i go to sleep (the pretenders)

l - lullaby (the cure)

e - eden (hooverphonic)

s - simon says 大風吹 (no party for cao dong)

b - blue monday (new order)

tagging: @gdlavzo + @slavic-roots-western-mind + @akitabite + @effervescentwoman + @sunandmoon-sonatas + anyone else who sees this so I can check out your music ~

What textbooks do you use for learning Chinese?

I noticed that my current textbooks at my exchange uni in China are noticeably different from the textbook used back at my home uni, and now I'm interested in knowing whether the content varies drastically overall.

I'm curious to see what are some of the other textbooks that used for learning Chinese and how effective you would consider them to be, so please feel free to share your thoughts!