Hugs! If you need recommendations for guaranteed friendly and chill italki teachers I worked with a bunch last year during my 30hrs/30days speaking challenge and can point you to some good people
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I’d appreciate it! 
Can’t hurt I think, maybe I can come back to it once I feel better.
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[SRS] Renshuu Stats:
Words: 9572 (~500 more than last time I checked)
Kanji: 1875 (36 new ones learned)
I finally finished the Shin Kanzen N3 series, though now I have to go through grammar again and work on my weak points. I made good progress with the order/star questions, these feel much easier now than previously. I think working on modifying clauses helped a lot.
I’m going through the 日本語の森 playlist as well, I really like their videos with the consistent structure, it’s easy to understand even though it’s in Japanese, though sometimes the explanations are a bit short, some of the nuances and details of a grammar point are not really explained further.
So complementing a lot with the grammar dictionaries.
SKM Listening was relatively fine but I struggle a bit with the longer sections which have a lot of keigo. Definitely need to brush up on those expressions too.
After JLPT next month I want to get back to Tobira, and ease a bit on new vocab.
Still reading through 美しい彼 but started 憎らしい彼 too simultaneously, since plot-wise I’m already spoiled by the CD Drama.
Recently I watched another BL drama: 永遠の昨日 S1 | L33.
It’s a general recommendation, even though I had problems getting into the story for the first episodes. It was pretty touching and the end had me by the tear ducts.
We have a high school setting with a gloomy guy and a cheerful guy, and things take a turn when cheerful guy is hit by a truck but seemingly unharmed. Their relationship is very sweet and I like the fact that they are already in an established relationship when the events unfold.
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I’m struggling working through the Shin Kanzen Master N4 series at the moment. If it’s ok to ask, did you find that working through the series in a certain order helped you to internalise more of it or did you just work through them concurrently or based on what you wanted to work on at the time?
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Hmm, I worked in the order Vocab, Grammar, Reading, Listening, but Grammar took the longest and I finished it last, studying it concurrently with the other books.
Since I did a lot of outside studying with Renshuu and reading in general, the order did not matter that much (since it was mostly review), but some people recommend going Kanji > Vocab > Grammar > Reading, since they build up on each other.
Listening is kinda separate, though it also needs some good grammar foundation as well, especially keigo and giver/receiver, active/passive forms.
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Work is slow atm, so it’s update time!
I finally finished 美しい彼, so that’s my second novel done! This time I felt like time passed much faster compared to the first one. Maybe because I felt like the second half had more pace , compared to Semantic Error where it kinda was the other way around. I really came to love Kiyoi’s character, for me he’s such an interesting figure, because on the one hand, he’s very proud and arrogant, but on the other hand freely admits to himself his own patheticness, but is also hardworking and powering through hardships (Hira definitely counts as a hardship).
I haven’t gotten through with my vocab deck even though I already suspended a lot of words that weren’t in any frequency lists, and decided to drop the deck for now (only merging the vocab I already studied). It’s been getting a lot and I want to take it a little slower (saying this 1 week before JLPT deadline).
Speaking of, I’ve been leisurely practicing, doing old tests and this practical little app to focus on the Listening questions. I’m still having a hard time with those long まず、何をしますか？ questions. I lose focus halfway through and then forget the entire passage. I don’t really feel any sense of improvement by practicing, that kind of makes it hard to gauge progress. But at least I manage the sample tests getting around 2-6 listening questions wrong each time (which should be sufficient for a pass I believe).
This week I can’t actually study that much because my brother came to visit, but I’ll use that time to relax a bit. Recently I’ve been double-teaming all my activities with some kind of Japanese (listening to podcasts, taking grammar book into the train, watching vlogs with JPN subs). I feel like I have to control it a bit more so I won’t get burned out.
I wonder what other hobbies people on here have apart from Japanese? My impression is that it’s a very creative community, naturally bookworms, but probably also some writers on here? I don’t have a lot of hobbies, I used to crochet years ago but can’t find myself making time for it now. I go to a Spanish class once a week, and a dance class once a week (ballroom dancing) which is lovely because I don’t really move a lot otherwise.
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Well done on your second novel 
and good luck for the JLPT.
Personally speaking I have a lot of creative hobbies that seem to get put aside for long periods of time then certain times of year will bring them back, aside from the reading, studying Japanese and Gaming.
I do write though never feel I’m good enough of a writer to be published so my ideas live in note books and journals on one of my book shelves. I also draw and paint, though my realism drawings are better than those from my imagination (different skill set), as well as pyrography, book binding, leather carving and crafting (made a dice bag for a friend and then recently made a handbag though that was a kit rather from my own craft stock), quilting, cross stitch, make real silver rings and such from fine silver art clay and also paint miniature models (haven’t done that in a few years but do go back to it from time to time).
I did use to practice Karate but since 2019 I haven’t been able to find a new club near where I moved to.
Ballroom dancing sounds fun, though it looks like it takes a lot of skill and gracefulness. I doubt I could ever do it justice (I can’t dance normally so I’m quite sure I’d make a complete idiot of myself if I tried it 
). What do you like about it most?
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Oh actually I have terrible body control (how to say this, I have issues perceiving myself in the physical world)
but since we’ve been doing this for so long-my partner and I have been in and out of classes since uni times- it kinda became muscle memory.
I still have problems translating new formations into my body limbs but we have a good instructor who loves us (since we are about 25 years younger than the average of the remaining couples) and he gives us a lot of helpful technical tips.
And when I’m dancing with someone else than my partner I’m really helpless, I rely a lot on his leader cues. But that’s fine, we’re doing it for ourselves. Last summer we tried a bachata course and I haaated switching partners.
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True facts. 
I loved their dynamic so much, though. The second volume has even more humor if you keep reading! 
I was laughing out loud constantly!
Besides Japanese my other hobbies are Korean and crochet. 
Ballroom dancing seems like a lot of fun, though!
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It’s cool that it’s been a long standing hobby for you both and yous are enjoying it (with the exception of the issues changing dance partners causes). And it’s nice to find an instructor in anything that is accommodating and encourages you to do your best without judging you. It does sound pretty cool 
Thank you for sharing.
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Prior to the last few years, I played music full-time, and would have considered programming a hobby, however now I’ve stopped playing music (色々な理由) and don’t program outside of work. If I did, I’d be going down the game dev rabbit hole. Otherwise I merged my hobbies w/ Japanese - reading, watching anime, playing games, etc. - same gyst, just now I do them in Japanese (tho the reading selection has changed somewhat).
I have gotten a little into cooking now, cuz of JP
It’s been probly 7 years, but I did used to do contra dancing - which was a lot of fun back in the day. Anyway, I’ve gotten a lot more boring over the last 3-5 years, which personally I’m really enjoying. It’s nice being a settled and comfy NPC 
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I go hiking quite a bit in the warmer months (I’m not a desert hiker so winter is out).
Other than that I do volunteer work occasionally, sometimes for long stints and sometimes for short. I’ve volunteered with libraries and schools, since I work in STEM I enjoy teaching it to kids. I prefer ages 5-12 or so, but I’ve taught up through college age.
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A big one for me is language learning obviously, and I am indeed a bookworm . Other than that, I really enjoy genealogy, there’s something about the mix of research/uncovering mysteries and paleography (and bonus language learning, between my foreign branches and old records in latin) that really keeps me hooked.
I also write and paint (specifically with oil paint) from time to time.
I used to do a lot of ballet, but that’s no longer possible currently, I’m having enough trouble walking as it is. Same with violin, which I played for around 10 years, but my nerves aren’t cooperating with me enough for me to do so now.
Hopefully I’ll be able to come back to those hobbies again, but in the meantime, I’m sticking to less physically demanding ones.
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It’s really interesting to hear about everyone’s favorite pastimes
BTW this was exactly the level of eccentric crafty hobbies I was expecting 
What’s pyrography?
Yay, another crochet-er. Were you the decorative/ornamental, wearables or the amigurumi type?
I resonate with that a lot, though it doesn’t sound to me that you’re particularly 地味 like an NPC 
That sounds amazing, thank you for your work I sometimes think about dropping everything and try teaching but then I remember that I’m not really good with people…
Wow, any specific interesting tidbits you found? My family tree would probably be very extensive, since I’m half’n’half. Though some things I don’t really want to know…
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I’ve definitely come across a lot of interesting things over the years, both for more recent and farther ancestors.
For example, I knew that I had some family in the US, with my paternal grandfather’s uncle. What I didn’t know is why he ended up there, as he was Ukrainian. As it turns out, I found some documents showing that he was deported to Germany during the 2nd world war for forced labor, and opted afterwards to move to the US instead of returning. It’s not something my grandpa had ever heard about. (Here’s the Wikipedia page on that btw, for anyone interested).
I’ve also found out other things, like my 2nd great grandfather that got indebted from lots of gambling and disappeared shortly after the birth of my great grandfather in the early 1900s? He was in fact very much alive as he fought in the first world war and was arrested (and put on trial) several times.
I’ve also realized through making my tree that pedigree collapse is very much real, and more and more present the farther you get. More broadly as well, I’ve found at that one branch of my family was composed baker-sailors (you read that right), with a mix of the two each generation. That was until my 2nd great grandfather I mentioned above sold everything. It’s the little things as well, like finding which towns my ancestors were from, documents of my ancestors fighting over a small inheritance (genealogical gossip)…
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yeah, I’m a Jack of all trades, master of none. Pyrography is the art of wood burning using a wire tool, stylus, sunlight and a lens or a flame torch. I use a wire tool or stylus and burn designs into book marks, coasters or small signs. I’ve considered doing pet portraits like I do with my drawing and watercolour but I’m not quite at that level yet.
I have tried my hand a crochet as well a few years ago (can’t knit though) but I’m a complete noob at it so I’ve only done one or two things with it. And I did pick up a hand poke tattoo kit during lockdown for tattooing leather (alongside the leather carving) but haven’t tried tattooing yet 
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I tend to see myself that way, but it’s all relative I suppose (NPVs vary too!). At the very least, I find plenty of things to keep myself interested/entertained.
You may have seen in one of the other threads, I’m play A Link to the Past rn. So the block made me smile
Anyway, those are great!!
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Smattering of everyone else’s: knitting, cooking, thinking about things I want to write or draw and never doing them. I started a watercolor class in October, but my last day is Wednesday and there aren’t any new ones until after the holidays so we’ll see if I carry that on as a hobby between classes. I’m going to give masters swimming a try next month; I swam team in high school but that was a million years ago. I’m hoping that there’s someone on masters who hasn’t been swimming the whole time since childhood that I can be slow with
Oh and I started a latch hook kit the other day after seeing a latch hook hanging on the wall in a movie that we were watching. I can’t imagine that I’m going to make many/any more after I’m done with this one, but it’s been fun and nostalgic.
Lack of proprioception.
Not to say that most people know that word, but it is a good word
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Thanks
Also, awesome game choice. LoZ series of games (link to the past and it’s off shoots are one of all time favourites in the series) is top of my favourites list alongside anything FF7.
These are aways fun for something different. I’ve seen people turn them into rugs, padded quilts and also cushions. Would be good to see once you’re finished (If you would like to share it ).
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Awesome! I love everything N64 era and earlier, and also BotW (tho it’s a little large and complicated for my taste). I haven’t played the ones in between.
I’ve played like an hr of FF7 remake and really loved it, but can’t really stand the original. At least for me it’s one of those “if I had played it first/back then” sorta things (FF9 was my starting point, and it’s hard to go back to the earlier graphics and stuff). My friend got me the スーパーファミコン thing that has FF6 on it, so I may try after I beat link to the past
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