The words of truth are paradoxical

2021/03/18

It's been quite a while since I posted anything here. The workload got so crazy that I had to stop posting for a while. I honestly still don't know how I made it through that crazy semester.

But now I passed all my exams, and finished writing my first paper, which I'll hand in for proofreading tomorrow. Hopefully.

I've been taking it slow these days; I've been making my slow way through this Korean poetry collection, fully aware that my Korean is nowhere near good enough yet to understand most of it. My mum's homemade kimchi is my trusty companion through it all.

📖: Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Co and The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

2020/01/09

Today was a pretty calm and uneventful day and I actually managed to get everything done I absolutely needed to despite taking many breaks to start a new K-drama and watch VLives. Totally on brand, I know..

I managed to:

~ start studying for my media studies exam by typing up the notes

~ studied Korean

~ finished my Japanese homework

~ worked on my history project

Currently reading: Becoming by Michelle Obama and Black Butler Vol. 7

2020/01/08

Yesterday was my mum's birthday, so apart from attending classes I didn't do much in terms of studying in favour of spending time with my family celebrating her birthday.

Today, however, I tried making up for lost time, finishing my review of this weeks media studies lecture, answered the exam prep questions, revised the Japanese we did this week and finished half of my homework, reviewed Korean, and also did research for my history project (I love reading about this topic way too much, this is getting out of hand).

Also I thought I'd feature this year's fortune cookie "wisdom".. I don't know whether I want to laugh or cry.

2020/01/05

I just did my yoga flow for the day. I set myself the goal of getting back into the habit of doing yoga every day. Which I did last year until December got the best of me, but I really missed it.

I also finished my first Japanese class of the year just a little while ago and it went surprisingly well. I'm surprised how much briefly going over the vocabulary of the new chapter before class can change.

Apart from that I took notes on the reading for a class that did not happen, got through 2/3 of the reading for my media studies seminar and did my Hanja homework.

2021/01/03

Today was the last day of my Christmas break. I tried being productive, but my anxiety got so bad I could barely concentrate on anything.

I still managed to practice some Hanja characters and my Japanese writing. I find that I can't remember vocabulary well unless I'm using it in sentences. So that's what I'll be trying to do more in Korean and Japanese this year.

I'm also currently reading Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.

2020/01/01

새해 복 많이 받으세요, 여러분!

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you had a great start into the new year.

I started the year on a pretty productive note, finishing the research for my media studies presentation that's due at the end of January. I also started (and finished) reading Guestbook by Leanne Shapton, a truly eerie and fascinating book of mixed media storytelling.

2020/12/29

Long time no see. I didn't study at all during the holidays, then I drove upstate to our other house with my parents on Sunday.

This holiday season definitely was different, but the same can be said of this whole year,a o that doesn't surprise me. It definitely made me realize how important family is and how privileged I am to have been able to spend this Christmas with my parents.

So, long story short, I haven't sat down at a desk for a few days, and thus took it a little slow today.

I only worked on my presentations for Media Studies and History of Korea. And also on my Japanese and Korean vocabulary.

On a different note, I started watching The Tale of the Nine Tailed a couple days ago, and am absolutely loving the drama so far.

So.. This year may have been a shit show in every other way, but it was a stellar reading year for me.

In 2020 I read a total of 105 books.

But now to the stats:

1st Goodreads goal: 70 books (completed 2020/09/03)

2nd Goodreads goal: 80 books (completed 2020/09/30)

3rd Goodreads goal: 90 books (completed 2020/10/24)

100th book: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (finished 2020/12/06)

Biggest reading accomplishment of the year: reading the whole Genji Monogatari and the Odyssey

Total pages read: 40.030 (taken from Goodreads and not 100% accurate because I read a lot of random vintage editions I find at second hand book stores and flea markets)

Genres read (very roughly categorised):

Fantasy/Sci-Fi: 16

Thriller/Horror: 17

Literary Fiction/other: 18

Non-fiction: 15

Classics: 21

Manga: 18

Best books of 2020 (re-reads and series I started this year not included):

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

2. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

3. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

4. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostojewski

5. The Good Son by Jeong You-Jeong

6. Uzumaki by Junji Ito

7. Utsubora by Asumiko Nakamura

8. The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

9. Brave New World by Aldous Huxely

10. Demian: Die Geschichte von Emil Sinclairs by Hermann Hesse

11. Animal Farm by George Orwell

12. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

13. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

14. Rose Madder by Stephen King

2020/12/23

I had to resist the temptation of just watching my drama and reading my book the whole day, not gonna lie.

However, I did manage to practice Japanese and Korean grammar today. And I used TTMIK for the first time in ages and did the Level Test again. I tested into the 7th level. When I last did the test, which was in September, I got into the 5th level. So this is a great improvement for me.

I also worked on my assignment/project for history and started the research for my media studies presentation that's due in January.

So I'm feeling good about today, overall.

2020/12/21

I handed in my last Japanese homework of the year, and lord does it feel good.

I also worked more on my history project, because that's apparently my life now. This time I was accompanied by instant ramen and another Vlive.

2020/12/20

I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days, hence the inactivity. I've been extremely anxious, which always affects my physical health as well.

Today I felt a lot better, so I actually managed to study and not just wallow in self-pity.

I focused on my Japanese homework and research for my history project (while watching The Boyz Jacobs Vlive), so today was only mildly productive. But at least I got back into studying.

I also started a new drama (시카고타자기/Chicago Typewriter) and it's amazing so far.

2020/12/16

I am so ready for the holidays. I'm so exhausted, I just want this week to be over already.

I studied a lot of Japanese and Korean today in-between my classes. I also got feedback on my topic proposals for my final paper in my History of Korea class and tomorrow I'll have a appointment with my professor to talk about it. I really hope it goes well and I can do this project for my paper.

In other news I read more of Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt (still enjoying it) and I started The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates during the weekend. I'm close to finishing it now and it's so good.

2020/12/12 & 2020/12/13

This weekend somehow passed in a blur of work and anxiety.

~ did my Japanese homework for the week and learned vocabulary

~ finished rewriting my notes for last weeks media and communication studies lecture and answered the practice questions (while rewatching Yanan's and Yuto's VLive. I can't be the only one watching lives while studying)

~ finished half of the excerpt practice for the tutorial

~ started the translation work for next week

~ wrote out my final paper proposals for History to discuss with my professor and TA on Thursday

~ and I also studied so much Korean grammar, it's all muddled in my brain.

🎶~ A Book in Memory by Onewe

2020/12/11

A messy desk for a messy mind. I completely lost it over the realisation of just how much I have to get done and study.

This is me trying catch up on Korean grammar. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH GRAMMAR.

I didn't even have the energy to close my Japanese textbooks, smh.

2020/12/10

Final Japanese class for the week done and I am so ready for the weekend, it's unreal.

Things I got done today:

~ Listening to the presentation for Korean History we were discussing in class today

~ Practiced Japanese

~ started my reading for next week's Ethnography class

~ finished the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (which I loved)

I also started a new K-drama a couple of days ago and I'm absolutely loving it so far. It's been one of the few things keeping me sane. That and books.

2020/12/08

I have been super anxious lately, so I've been taking it kinda slow, listening to my mental and physical health. I'm still trying to be productive and staying on top of my uni work, but nothing I do feels quite enough.

Either way, today I have

~ continued working on a timeline for the Gwangju Uprising. I spent the morning double checking the dates

~ listened to a presentation for my media studies seminar on Thursday

~ worked on a Hanja power point. Here's to hoping it will make learning easier

~ revised the text from translation class yesterday and rewrote my notes on the translation

I also learned today that the common jewish-christian conceptions of the afterlife probably originated in the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt.