#or if you look on a specific blog by adding /lara to the end of your url

[rumor-weed]

NONE OF YOU ARE GOING TO KNOW WHY I'M SCREAMING EXCEPT TWO PEOPLE BUT

LAURA

IS A DELIVERY TRUCK DRIVER

i'M SCREAMING its CANON that Laura CAN DRIVE A TRUCK

[miximax-hell]

There have been people, some truly wonderful souls, who have followed my blog during my long period of absence. For that, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don’t deserve that kindness. With that out of the way, hello! Once again, it’s been so long... And that’s exactly we won’t delve in the past now. Let’s get right to it!

Today’s miximax is one that can barely be recognised at all unless you’re specifically told who the vessel and aura are. So, just in case my handwriting is THAT awful, we’ll be talking about Sakuma’s miximax today! For him, I’ve chosen a wonderful character that is, quite literally, part of the history of videogames as a whole. After the news about a new Smash coming soon, the promise of Metroid Prime 4 for Switch, and the very successful (AND SPANISH) remake of Metroid II, it feels like a great time to bring Samus Aran into the battle! The coolest intergalactic bounty hunter there ever was makes for a very simple-looking miximax, but it was still quite tough to draw because of RUST. Ah well. No one to blame but myself.

Anyway, I think this deserves a proper explanation, so let’s see why these two make for a fantastic combo! For more on that, please check under the cut. As usual.

Well, you’ve made it this far, so let’s delve a little in the past now. ww Just yesterday, I finally finished writing my graduation thesis!! That means I’m finally free... for a little while. Just enough to enjoy half a month of debauchery AND SPEND TIME WITH MY GIRLFRIEND, WHOM I MISS VERY MUCH. Oh, and my internship ended about two and a half weeks ago, too. While I am free in that sense as well, I can’t say I’m a scriptwriter and game designer right now, which kinda sucks. But they might still hire me...! And I’m ruminating some exciting ideas of my own. I highly doubt the company I worked for will be interested in them, but, well, it’s worth a shot. And good practice, in any case. So, yeah! I hope you’ve all been well!

Anyway, let’s get right to it. A single paragraph of my life struggles was enough. ww

This is still a fairly small blog with less than 100 followers. And it will always be because of how niche it is. ww Not only that, but most of said (active) followers aren’t even friends of mine, but the aforementioned kind souls who, somehow, grace me with their presence here. That means that, for example, if I were to go on Twitter to talk about my projects for this blog (as I’ve done a couple of times in the past), only one or two of my friends would give a crap about it. And that’s assuming they see those specific tweets at all! Otherwise, the reactions I get are non-existent unless I’m specifically mentioning someone. And even that is far from being failproof. So, whenever I want to share my ideas with someone, develop them through conversation or brainstorm, there’s only one person I can rely on: my lovely girlfriend. She’s patient and super supportive of my work. Bless her soul. I’m so in love with her.

Anyway, thanks to how much I’ve ranted to her about SakuSamus, I’ve already typed down most of what needs to be said about why I think these two work so well together. I can also get away with mostly copying and pasting what I already told her over Skype and simply adjusting it a bit to make it more readable as a blog post and adding some extra details. ww So, let’s get to it!

Coming up with proper combinations for this blog can sometimes be a chore and require a lot of overthinking. However, as the wonderful @miyukiko​ would say, great ideas suddenly come to you sometimes. This had a bit of both. I'll try to skip the uninteresting bits of the creative process, but this is the important part.

Now that we've seen Sakuma in Ares and he's obviously won a lot of... prominence, if you may put it that way, it felt like a good time to take a closer look at him. Sakuma is a forward, and a pretty talented one, at that. When he becomes captain in the Ares timeline, though, his team comes to rely on him on a much deeper level too. Or so it seems, at least. To top it off, his descriptions in the original games say that he helps Kidou and acts as a strategist that coordinates the team. That’s pretty much the base we can build upon.

As a forward, he seems pretty thorough and tries to stay cool and calm, since that's the kind of soccer they play at Teikoku. And, from what we've seen in Ares, as a captain, he worries so much about his team's well-being and about being a good leader for them. You know, the usual "Am I fit to be captain?" thing that IE loves so much. ww

But there's a lot of bad stuff about Sakuma, too.

For one, despite his cool act, when he loses it, he loses it good. We all know how he reacted when he was part of Shin Teikoku and how extremely mad he would get with Kageyama, for example. Also, when he does lose it (and, arguably, even when he’s still somewhat sane), he's very self-destructive.

I think that's somehow linked to his fears: he simply doesn't want to be left alone. He panics when Kidou leaves Teikoku and, again, loses it completely. When his insanity reaches that kind of point, nothing else seems to matter, so he goes all out even if it can cost him his life. Or his legs, at least.

Related to that, and this is much more relevant in terms of sheer gameplay, he is extremely dependent of others.

He's supposed to be some super cool ace striker, but absolutely all of his shots are combo hissatsus no matter what timeline or age you’re looking at. Koutei Penguin 2gou and 3gou, Twin Boost, Death Zone, Deep Jungle... They all need 2-3 people, and, usually, Kidou's involved.

So, tough as it is to say, if Sakuma isn't by Kidou's side, he's subpar. And if he's all alone, he's basically worthless. And to add insult to injury:

He usually depends on people who aren't even forwards to score goals.

He is turned into a defender as an adult because, as I said, he's subpar as a forward if he's alone.

That makes Sakuma a very interesting case: in a universe that is all about the power you get from of your teammates, what he lacks is individuality. ...Especially when you consider that his only motivation to play soccer seems to be to play with Kidou. www

As he is, he's the absolute definition of support character. Pretty sad, if you ask me. (Oh. And many of his in-game hissatsus are very dirty and the referee complains more often than not about them. That counts too. ww)

So, here comes the difficult question: who can give Sakuma the strength, the individuality and, partially, the safety that he needs to be relevant without killing himself? After thinking about it for quite a long time, I felt like he could really use the power of Samus Aran.

(Not to go all BuzzFeed on you guys, but the answer would’ve surprised you if I hadn’t said it from the very beginning. ww)

On a technical level, Samus is strong af. Not only has she survived to and successfully finished every mission she's embarked on (as far as I’m aware), but she's pretty much exterminated full races, DESTROYED PLANETS and killed the same evil pterodactyl alien... thing that wants her dead like 11 times by now.

And what's more: she's done all of this completely alone. (Except maybe for Other M. I haven’t played that game yet, but it looked like there were more people, idk) All in all, she's a beast. But that's not all, of course. There are many heroes who go and do their thing alone. It could've easily been Lara Croft too, for example--at least in the original games.

Sakuma, as I said, seems to be driven by a will to be with Kidou and is very much dependent of other people. And when things go wrong and he loses it, he is... spiteful, to say the least. And I don’t know if you guys were aware of this, but Samus is 120% salt. I read a post about the hatred between Ridley and Samus that when Ridley was announced for Smash and all, but I sadly can’t find it right now. If any of you guys know that post, please let me know and I’ll add the link here because it was SO GOOD.

According to my limited knowledge on the Metroid Series, Samus fights three main things: metroids (you never saw that one coming, I'm sure), space pirates, and Ridley (who is the leader of the space pirates, but is not a space pirate because I, too, would listen to my Evil Pterodactyl Lord if he were to give me orders).

Long story short, the space pirates and Ridley killed Samus’s parents. She was adopted by people from a civilization called the Chozo, but the space pirates killed the Chozo too. And when Samus found a baby metroid that saw her as its mother, the space pirates and Ridley kidnapped the metroid and it eventually died because of them.

Samus doesn't fight for the greater good. Samus fights because she's fucking pissed.

But, unlike Sakuma, she uses that rage against the right people and in the right way: she is still salty as hell, but she stays cool, kicks ass, makes everyone go boom, and she's out. She does what Sakuma does, but better. Even when she's pissed. Oh, and she does things the way they should be done: with legal permission, without turning evil and stuff. And she's super respected and feared because of it, which is precisely what a captain and a forward should be like, respectively.

And the icing on the cake?

In IE3, when Sakuma has levelled up enough, he learns how to use Space Penguin. also, Samus has a visor thing that can replace Sakuma's patch and that sounded cool to me

Anyway, that would be the gist of it! As I said earlier, I’m not the biggest Metroid connoisseur in the world: I’ve only beaten Fusion and Zero Mission, and I’m currently playing Prime and Return of Samus. As such, excuse me if some other game I haven’t played debunks all I’ve said, but I haven’t found any traces of such a thing. ww

However, despite my few experiences with Metroid games, Samus is a character I love and have very fond memories of. This series represent what I love the most about the video game genre: that sense of continuous and hard-earned improvement that only comes from experiences that are constantly giving you new abilities (and even new looks) to reflect your progress. It’s similar to RPGs, a genre I love as well, but RPGs reward you more for personal progress and dedication, such as grinding for levels, and not (usually) so much for just pushing forward and defeating bosses.

Last (and least), for those who have made it this far, here’s a little something you might be interested in knowing: I’ve been inactive here, but I’m still constantly trying hard to come up with interesting ideas for miximaxes! And I think I have found some cool stuff for both Kidou and Shishido, so feel free to tell me on which of those you’d like me to work on next. They’re both very challenging to draw and fiddle with, but I’m always happy to shift my priorities in any way you guys want me to. ww

[mattbrothersscriptwriter]

My Top 20 Films of 2019 - Part One

I’m back and prising open this tomb of a blog like I’m Lara bloody Croft, let’s do this thing.

2019 was a huge year for movies and thanks in part to my ever obsessive Letterboxd account, i chalked up 150 total 2019 movies seen, which is... too many. Thanks again in part to the rise of Netflix originals, broader theatrical releases and a handful of festival showings (Sundance London, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Frightfest etc), I saw as much as I could. STILL some I didn’t catch (Rocketman, Shazam... Cats...) but as always, for my full breakdown, jump over to my Letterboxd ranking here - https://letterboxd.com/matt_bro/list/films-of-the-year-2019/

20. The Death of Dick Long

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this, partly because it’s from one half of the ‘Daniels’ duo, who made the equally expectation-defying Swiss Army Man and also because I saw it at Sundance London back when there was no poster, trailer and barely a logline. Some vague word of mouth from Sundance proper was about it. And that’s how I’d recommend seeing it - as blind as you can - as it’s many surprises are unlike anything I’ve really seen before.

It’s a triumph of carefully balanced tone and pitch perfect black humour. Essentially a Fargo-esque tale of two idiot hillbillys who get involved in the mysterious, titular death of their friend Dick Long (played in a cameo by director Daniel Scheinert), things slowly unravel as they realise that in reality, covering your tracks and getting away with a crime is, actually, pretty damn unlikely. The tension that mounts as hidden truths inevitably begin to come to light can rival any straight thriller and the humour always comes from a place of character. But the genius comes in the film’s ability to maintain said tone with a straight face once a very specific spoiler comes to light. It’s deliberately absurdist but you still find yourself swerving from laughing at it to being wholly invested at the sincere pathos and tragi-comedy on display. The film, for all it’s surreal trappings, never punches down at it’s characters, treating them as flawed and vulnerable as any of us, and the leads Michael Abbott Jr and Andre Hyland remain a wholly tragic and relatable pair - against all odds.

19. The Farewell

Lulu Wang’s immensely crowd pleasing indie sensation manages to be many things - a witty comedy, an ode to family, an examination of another culture’s traditions and a character study of the American-Asian experience. Like most really great movies, it’s universal appeal comes from it’s specificity - telling a unique story based in a human truth that taps into themes we can all relate to: alienation from one’s own family, feeling like you don’t belong, truth and honesty within our closest relationships and our own mortality. Or more specifically still; how we would want to face death should we be fortunate/unfortunate enough to know that is is coming.

Awkwafina really is a revelation here, showing off her dramatic chops with a heartfelt performance that utilises her strengths as a funny everywoman and as a tortured individual trying to understand not only her own relatives but herself as well. The whole cast are equally impressive, especially Chen Han and Aoi Mizuhara as the clueless couple getting married and of course, Zhao Shuzhen as Nai Nai - delivering a touching portrayal of a grandmotherly figure we can all recognise. Definitely one of the most moving films of the year for me, it’s a marvel that never succumbs to easy schmaltz or signposted resolutions.

18. Pain and Glory

I’m a big admirer of Pedro Almodovar’s body of work, having studied him since college but I’d be hard pressed to say I was a proper fan. I went into this off the back of it’s buzz and came out more profoundly moved than I first predicted. This very self reflective piece tackles a lot of Almodovar staples - Spain throughout the decades, the pain of love, film-making, mothers! - but is so strongly rooted in a career best Antonion Banderas, here playing a thinly veiled and somewhat fictionalised version of Almodovar himself.

Like The Farewell, it is deeply personal but incredibly universal, dealing with life long regrets and suppressed trauma and memory. Cruz the Muse is back in magnetic form and the tenderness in both the flashbacks and present day make for a surprisingly comforting watch about an awful lot of self-examination. It also cannot be understated how strong Banderas is here, possibly the most human I’ve ever seen the man known for playing gun toting mariachis, sword wielding masked heroes and... sword wielding, um... cats. It’s possibly his most mature and unflashy role in years but he reminds us why he’s such a consistent and evergreen movie star ten times over here.

17. Dolemite Is My Name

Eddie Murphy is back baby! This was hands down one of the most joyful and life affirming films this year, so much so that I’m gutted I didn’t see it in a packed cinema instead of on Netflix. Still, it’s a huge win for the streamer. Before now, it’s been easy enough to write off a ‘Netflix’ movie as one of three things - the modern equivalent of going ‘straight to video’, a blank check passion project for a headline grabbing filmmaker (Noah Baumbach, the Coen Brothers, Martin Scorsese) or a big blatant push for awards glory (Roma). But this breaks through and hits the sweet spot, being the sort of mid-budget biopic the studios used to put out, a comeback vehicle for one of our most missed stars and as a straight up killer piece of film making all round.

From the writers of Ed Wood and the director of Hustle and Flow, Murphy stars as Rudy Ray Moore, a true over-the-hill underdog who stubbornly chases his dreams of reaching stardom as a middle aged man, who refuses to be put down in the face of mass criticism and overwhelming odds. It’s an empowerment story about pursuing what you believe in and saying fuck you to the haters. It understands that the only judge you need to answer to is yourself. It’s a testament to the power of a minority voice, in finding the unstoppable force who will fight to be seen - not just by his peers but by society at large. 

I’m a sucker for films about a group of people stretched outside of their natural talents who strive to create something that wasn’t there before. Whether it’s Ed Wood or The Disaster Artist, Brigbsy Bear or Bowfinger - these movies never fail to strike a chord with me. I think championing a belief in yourself, often in the face of huge pessimism or swarms of naysayers, is so incredibly important and seeing these central figures who probably shouldn’t have succeeded, manage to do so, is so touching. The scene in the limo when they read the shitty reviews of their movie and all take a moment to arrive at the conclusion of ‘fuck them, we made a movie, it’s ours’ is an antidote to everybad review any creative endeavour may end up receiving. If it’s important to you, that’s all that matters but like all art, even if you reach one person and affect their life for the better, then it’s all been worth it.

Shining a light on the rise of Blaxploitation also helps to champion an era of outsider art that reflected the lives of millions and gave many more than chance to see themselves represented on screen as their OWN heroes and not just reductive stereotypes. Plus... Snipes is also back baby! Cripes it’s Snipes!

16. Monos

What a gargantuan feat this film is. Shooting in some of the most inhospitable locations ever seen, this tense, survivalist story of a band of young soldiers slowly imploding whilst they guard an American hostage is elemental and animalistic - a 21st century Lord of the Flies for sure.

Moises Arias is unrecognisable here as the eventual alpha Bigfoot. A former Disney star, he is most fondly remembered by me as the polar opposite Biaggio in one of my other favourite films of the decade, The Kings of Summer. The rest of the cast are fantastic too, from the captured Dr Watson (Julianne Nicholson) to the morally torn Rambo (Sofia Buenaventura). With some of the most breathtaking cinematography of the year to yet another stunning Mica Levi score, this feels like a lost Herzog masterpiece from the 70s. In other words, the kind of impossible thriller that you see all too rarely these days.

15. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Any new Tarantino is a cause for celebration, especially as he approaches his long-threatened ‘final’ 10th movie. I’m a massive western guy so I’d been loving his detour into the genre through both Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight but was definitely looking forward to his depiction of 1960s Hollywood. And Tarantino being Tarantino, the western influences manage to find their way into most, if not all, of his filmography.

OUATIH certainly ended up a divisive piece. Too much of an aimless character hangout for some, not enough dramatic bite for others. I was initially left a bit cold myself, knowing I’d enjoyed what I’d seen but wondering if it would go up or down in my estimations upon a second viewing. While that second viewing still hasn’t taken place yet, I tend to believe it will be even more favourable knowing where it’s all heading. I’m in the camp that loved where this film ended up and thought it stuck the landing wonderfully and in DiCaprio and Pitt, the film found a truly dynamic and compelling central friendship fuelled by two A-listers back on A-list form. The two veterans instantly deliver some of their best work in years (DiCaprio is 10x more alive here than he was in his Oscar winning turn in The Revenant) and 2019 would go on to be Pitt’s year, alongside Ad Astra. Margot Robbie is luminous in her limited screentime and while some were disappointed she wasn’t more of a major player, he Tate is arguably the lynchpin of the whole piece. Perhaps more as a symbol than a person, sure, but the scene where she gets to witness the joy her big screen clowning brings others (complete with tactfully judged real life Tate footage) is magic.

At first glance, this could seem like QT regressing somewhat but there are moments in here that stand out as some of his best work, from DiCaprio’s stroppy meltdown to Pitt’s visit to Spahn Ranch to the whole bloody climax. If it ends up being the odd duck of his filmography (Four Rooms aside) then it will end up all the more interesting and I am already captivated.

14. Stan & Ollie

Easily the most underrated film of the year in my eyes, I sort of understand most people’s dismissal of this charming biopic as grey pound fodder and even I admit that it falls into a sub-genre quickly approaching cliche: ageing Golden Age Hollywood movie stars have one last stab at fame and redemption by reviving a stage act in the UK - see also Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool and Judy. But this is so sweetly put together in every sense and manages to transcend the biopic trappings to create a more loving portrait of two old friends accepting that they love each other. It’s about male, platonic love and that in itself is rare enough.

Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly are incredible as Laurel and Hardy respectively, both disappearing into the roles completely. Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda provide brilliant comic support as their two very mismatched wives. The decision to focus on the duo’s later years, rather than to speed chronologically through their early days and movie making prime (glimpsed in the opening flashback) means that the film is free to draw pathos from a life long lived. There are mere hints at the history between them; chasms of time that hold so much importance yet are left to us (and to the actors) to speculate about, to draw from and to imagine. The performances are so strong that you can feel the weight of their professional careers in a sideways glance or a barbed retort or an exasperated sigh. It’s so much more interesting and allows practically the whole film to feed off this feeling that their entire lives are about to reach an impasse that we’re about to witness. This is the emotional resolution to the story of Laurel and Hardy and it’s wonderful to know that this is how it went down in real life too - that two lifelong colleagues couldn’t see how much they meant to each other until it was all about to come to an end. 

Ultimately, it’s a story of loyalty and friendship in the face of a fast approaching curtain call. It’s bittersweet and truly sad, watching these two iconic titans perform to tiny crowds and hopelessly chase the dream of a comeback they both know, deep down, is long dead. It also contains two of the most tear-jerking scenes of the year: the very public bust up after one of their shows (”You loved Laurel and Hardy... but you never loved me”) and the ‘turn’ in the climax that wrong footed me so suddenly, despite it’s arguable foreshadowing, that I was almost immediately weeping. A truly touching British film of the highest calibre, it’s much more affecting that you might believe.

13. The Favourite

How does it feel like a million years since I saw this? Man, 2019 was long! Yorgos Lanthimos’ biggest hit yet, this is full of wild, punk energy and gives the period piece a real anarchic streak. Easily the best three hander in years, the ever evolving dynamic between Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone (hot off an Oscar win) and QUEEN Olivia Coleman (heading directly into an Oscar win) is a joy to watch. The dialogue is biting, the visuals sumptuous and the debauched attitude running through it makes it a wicked fun time. It’s influence is already being felt too - just check out that teaser trailer for the new Emma!

12. The Art of Self Defense

Unfairly shafted to VOD, I caught Riley Stern’s follow up to the ace Faults on the big screen whilst in Edinburgh, along with a fellow filmmaker and we had an absolute blast. Playing like a capital D dark comedy mash up of Fight Club and The Foot Fist Way if directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, Jesse Eisenberg utilises his weedy, beta male persona into an effective portrayal of a guy sick of being shit on in life, who takes up karate lessons after a traumatic mugging and slowly descends into a cult-like world of aggressive toxic masculinity. 

It’s a fantastic satire of perceived manliness, with some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen all year instantly flipping into something completely shocking. It’s another great showcase for Imogen Poots, who seems to be most often caught playing students despite being in her 30s (looking at you, Black Christmas) but it’s Alessandro Nivola who utterly owns this movie as the intimidating dojo leader; a truly twisted creation that, in a just world, would be generating some serious awards buzz. Mark my words now that by the time the Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark lands later in 2020, we’ll suddenly all be talking about him.

11. Us

Another one that feels about three years old already, Jordan Peele’s Get Out follow up finds him with free reign to really get crazy (”you wanna get crazy?”) as he uses his blank check on another bitingly original horror social satire. Leaning a bit more heavily into both the straight up genre elements AND the often-times confusing social allegories, Us is a cabin in the woods slasher that evolves into a Twilight Zone ‘what-if’ scenario before going all out with it’s underlying metaphor.

The results can occasionally be mixed but the sheer ambition on display here is invigorating and it’s captivating to sit back and let a writer/director present something to you as unique and multifaceted as this. His love for horror fuels a tense plot that constantly looks to re-shuffle the stakes every twenty minutes, Lupita Nyong’o is mindbogglingly good as two very different versions of ‘one’ character and Elisabeth Moss is the supporting standout of choice, making 2019 her year with this alongside the brilliant Her Smell... (let’s not mention The Kitchen).

COMING UP - a Canadian stuntman, a wheel of knives, space baboons and every superhero ever

[fluentlanguage]

#clearthelist February 2019: Chinese App Reviews and Teaching Welsh in Edinburgh

Welcome to the January edition of my #clearthelist goal tracking post. Clear The List is a support and accountability blog group sharing monthly language learning goals, hosted by my friends Lindsay and Shannon.

I have now been tracking my goals using Clear the List for 9 months. It’s a fun process - a little cumbersome at times to write check-in posts but always worth it for the accountability.

Ever since I created the Language Habit Toolkit I have been aware of how important it is to build a review process into your language learning routine. When you step back regularly and write down what you did, it’s easier to feel accomplished and understand that any lapses are temporary.

What Happened in January 2019?

After so much travel in December (retreat and Christmas), my intention was to have a month of routine, perhaps even a little rest. Now at the end of the month, I do feel a little more calm. But I’m also wondering where January has gone!

The month was focused on planning my year and working on the first project, which is launching a fabulous German course for beginners and “false beginners”. I worked on this course for 7 months last year and can’t wait to open it up for my 2019 German learners.

If you want a free preview, hop on here and register your email address.

On the blog, I shared the 9 Best Websites for German Beginners

This month, I also started work on Women in Language 2019 by contacting over 40 potential speakers. And ended with a trip to Edinburgh to present a lightning talk at Polyglot Pub Edinburgh. More about that in the Welsh section…

The Fluent Show

The Fluent Show was super efficient this month, I recorded 3 awesome interviews, 2 solo shows and ran a survey of over 150 listeners. Listen out for the next solo episode where I’ll share results and plans.

My favourite episode of January was Ask a Linguist, where we got to meet our linguist podcast heroes from Talk the Talk in Australia!

Language Goals and Progress

Let’s start with Mandarin Chinese for this one! Last month, I came out of the Chinese prep phase and decided that yes, I do want to learn this language a little bit.

Studying Chinese

I have been playing around with a bunch of apps. In my mind this isn't really "language learning" in my usual style yet. I feel like “proper learning” will start for real when I get a notebook, set goals and start saying things to people.

Without repetition and a notebook, I only retain 20% of what I see and practice. So I guess this is high level dabbling, and I’m not finding myself particularly rushed to move forward. I spoke no Chinese for 35 years of my life, and now I’m ok if it takes 6 months to start.

Patience is a secret language learning weapon.

Reviewing Chinese Language Learning Apps

Here are my insights on the Chinese language learning apps I've tried so far:

Memrise @memrise is fantastic for teaching the kinds of phrases you'll want to say. The videos with locals are wonderful, and this grammar screen you see here is a delight. Memrise seems to understand where I'm at as a learner. Only downside: I'm not finding it helpful for character study.

Drops @languagedrops is fantastic for learning lots of vocab, getting the hand of characters, and hearing clear pronunciation. It's got the best character/pinyin system for me. I’ve been enjoying the #90dayswithdrops challenge.

Duolingo @duolingo is good at building up each lesson, and has an interesting way of introducing new words. I'm not finding it as enjoyable as the others. The lessons feel too short. That owl is cute, though.

Lingodeer @lingodeerapp is the most comprehensive and I can see myself using this as a study guide. The stories at the end of each chapter are awesome, though I feel thrown in at the deep end with the characters now and then.

Welsh Language Goals

In Welsh, I usually set goals in 4 areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing. In January I hit a special extra milestone by teaching a few words in Welsh to others. Wow!

You can download my notes and recommendations from the talk by signing up at www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/welshtoolkit

Listening

January was listening month and I tried my best to get more practice in. I listened to Nicky and Lara on Mynd am beint gyda. LOVE the casual feel!

I also listened to the radio a few times, but it didn’t stick. My radio time is the morning, and I’m just not into Radio Cymru’s breakfast shows. If you know any better ones, give me a shout.

Finally, I did listen to the Say Something in Welsh listening practices and parallel.cymru’s spoken news.

I don’t think I’m suddenly twice as good at understanding spoken language, but this listening focus has been a great reason for me to look for new and different audio sources. I’m more surrounded by Welsh audio, and that’s automatically going to add more of it into my routine. Neis!

Reading

I had no goals, but I did read quite a bit anyway. Encouraging!

Speaking

My goal was to advertise for a new Welsh language partner locally, and I can report success! I put a post into a local residents’ group on Facebook. You know the one: “what’s that noise on Jackson street?”…but lucky for me, one out of the many people who read posts in the group referred me to Welsh speaker Jane.

Now I have someone to meet for coffee on a regular basis, and I’ve felt exhausted, excited and abuzz after speaking to her. I can make myself understood on any topic we’ve covered, and her talking speed is definitely adding to that listening practice.

In addition, I completed Say Something in Welsh Level 2, Challenge 22.

Writing

I did have a goal here, which was to write 6 pages using writing prompts. Goal achieved…but I’m not sure how enjoyable I found the topics so far. I prefer writing messages to friends in Welsh, and luckily I do this 3-4 times a week now.

Contact Goal

Every month, I log my “daily contact” with the Welsh language using the Streaks app. January was excellent with 20 days of contact. It’s a habit!

If you’re interested in a printable tracking system for your own language routine, have a look at the Language Habit Toolkit.

Goals For February 2019

Exciting times! I think it’s time to set goals in Chinese.

My Welsh level is comfortable and I’m feeling secure enough to share some attention. I will not set listening, speaking, reading and writing goals in two languages for the same month. That seems like overkill.

Chinese Language Goals

While I get used to easing off on Welsh, my February goals in Chinese are simple:

Start a Chinese study notebook so I can play with sentences and practice a few characters

Spend 3 hours studying Chinese in total

Get a textbook or two out of the library to test drive them

Welsh Language Goals

I’ve been enjoying the structure of having specific goals, and for February I’ll still pick on specific areas out of listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Since I have set up a successful Welsh habit and made lots of friends who speak the language, it’s now fairly regular for me to read and write Welsh in texts and books. Yay!!

Listening is a weakness of mine. I can understand 60-100% of the spoken language now depending on dialect and speed, but I want to feel more comfortable. I’ll aim for 5 days of Welsh audio contact every week, using one of these sources probably:

Parallel.cymru Newyddion

Radio Cymru

Mynd am Beint Gyda

Spotify Welsh Music

Say Something in Welsh

Speaking is obviously a key to success at this stage. I want to chat with friends or meet my tutor at least 3 times, and I’ll work on Say Something in Welsh too.

I’d love to make a few videos in Welsh but am struggling for time this month.

Other goals:

Book a place on another Welsh residential course, this time at the higher level. What could go wrong!

Say Something in Welsh! I realised today that I’m 3 challenges away from FINISHING Level 2. I can do it!

WOW so there we have it - a big catch-up on my language learning goals and live documentation of how I’m starting to learn Chinese. It’s arguably my 9th foreign language to be studied in some level of seriousness.

What Are Your Language Goals?

It’s time for a new year - are you studying a new language?

If you have ambitions in German, don’t forget to visit www.german2019.com where my free course is launching next month.

How was your January? Leave a comment below and share how you got on.

[joyfilledwander]

I would say that this is the year that I discovered podcasts. I’d listened to one or two over the years, but it wasn’t until 2016/2017 that I became mildly addicted. I blame Serial. This binge-worthy true crime podcast launched in 2014, and since then, I’ve been looking for it’s replacement. I love that podcasts are diverse in content, creative in production, and created by ordinary people with passion. Sure, there’s a few I enjoy that are star-studded and celebrity endorsed, but I love the everyday stories. I love that podcasts are [usually] weekly, or at least seasonally. A podcast combines the imagination required for reading a book and the anticipation of waiting week to week of old school TV. Living overseas, podcasts have helped me stay connected to American current events and cultural phenomenons. And they are perfect for those flights, train rides, and bus trips that never seem to end. So check out my handy list of podcasts for travel days and download something new!

Mysteries & Criminals Serial This where it all began for me. If you haven’t yet experienced the obsession that is Serial, stop reading my blog and download it now. Come back again in 12 – 14 hours. Sarah Koenig, a producer on another fabulous podcast, is the host & investigator of true crime narrative worthy of legend. In 1999, Hae Min Lee, a high school student in Baltimore, is found murdered. Her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, is arrested for the crime six weeks later. He’s always maintained his innocent, even after all these years behind bars. Sarah Koenig & team set out to try and uncover the truth, or at least answer some questions about the inconsistencies that are glaringly obvious with Adnan’s case. After the twelve episodes of Season One, you’ll join the millions of people wondering… “Is Adnan guilty?”

Recommended Episode: Well, all of Season One, but a standout episode was Episode 5 “Route Talk” where Sarah & team recreate the route police claim Adnan took that day he supposedly murdered Hae Min Lee.

Criminal Criminal, like it sounds, is a podcast about crime. But it’s not a murder podcast. And it doesn’t just focus on one crime. Criminal is a broader look at crimes & the criminals who commit them. New York Magazine says it this way “Criminal is a true­ crime podcast that understands crime as something sociological, historical, even anthropological — that crime is a function of people, time, and place.” Host Phoebe Judge has such a smooth storytelling voice that you’ll want to listen to this podcast for hours. Episodes are usually under a half hour, and it’s great for trying to binge catch up on these episodes. Whether Phoebe is talking to someone about how to fake their own death, the legalities of assisted suicide, or the ramifications of identity theft, Criminal is a podcast that will educate and entertain.

Recommended Episodes: Episode 45 “Just Mercy”, in which Phoebe interview Bryan Stevenson about the prison system and death row in America. This episode was so fantastic that I went out and got Stevenson’s book and devoured it in days. Another stand out is Episode 15 “He’s Neutral”. This is the episode I recommend to people who don’t normally listen to podcasts. It’s about a guy who gets fed up with the crime and downward spiral of his neighborhood, he inadvertently creates the largest Buddhist shrine in his city.

In the Dark In the Dark can be one of those podcasts that tough to listen to. It’s the story about the decades long unsolved abduction of Jacob Wetterling from rural Minnesota over 25 years ago. Host Madeleine Baran talks to Jacob’s family, to law enforcement, and other people connected to this case and begins to ask questions that should have been asked years ago. Could Jacob’s abduction been prevented? Did the police do a thorough job investigating the crime? What impact did this case have on the national level? What can be done to keep this kind of crime happening again. In the Dark is a such a well researched, well edited and well produced podcast. Listeners feel as though they are investigating this story with Madeleine. There’s twists and turns, and emotional heart stirring moments. I can’t recommend this podcast enough. After Serial, this is the most elegant investigative podcast I’ve ever heard.

Recommended Episodes: Episode 3 “The One Who Got Away”. This episode follows a brutal look at what law enforcement didn’t get right the night Jacob went missing in Episode 2. In Episode 3, we get to hear about an attempted crime so similar to Jacob’s, we begin to realize the law enforcement in this county have had problems solving crimes far before Jacob went missing.

Crime Writers On OK, here’s where I get a little meta in my podcast tastes. Crime Writers On is a podcast in which a hilarious & educated panel of journalists & crime authors comment on other true crime podcasts, books, and documentaries. If you are thinking, that sounds pretty dull, fear not. This podcast is anything but dull. Rebecca, Kevin, Toby & Lara are so well versed in the arena of covering true crime as news, and even fiction writing, that their commentary into other true crime productions genuinely adds value to the original material. They review both seasons of Serial, so if you love that podcast, be sure to check out their week by week analysis. They also provide “True Crime Updates” [insert echo here], in which they give news on trials or sentencing of previous cases they’ve covered. Two things I really enjoy about this podcast, is first, their sense of humor. I am often laughing while wearing headphones, causing my husband to look at me strangely. But I can’t help it. It’s so witty. Second, the ads. Almost every podcast has to read out their ads, and I used to think, well there’s no better way to do that! But Crime Writers On took ad reading to a whole new level. Kevin, specifically, will work an ad into the actual story they are covering without anyone know he’s setting up an ad…catching everyone off guard. When they are talking a suspect having to go on the run, Kevin casually mentions he may want to dye his hair using BRAND ABC hair dye. Cue laughter. Cue ad music background track. It’s clever, and I appreciate clever.

Recommended Episodes: Really any episode that you recognize the material they are covering. I discovered new podcasts & documentaries based on their reviews alone. If you enjoyed [or loathed] the S-Town podcast, Stranger Things, the Amanda Knox Netflix documentary, Making a Murderer, and the Jon Benet Ramsey CBS special, they’ve covered all those topics. Pick one you recognize, and give it a listen! It’s pretty great.

Crime Writers On

Criminal

In the Dark

Serial

Society & Culture 99% Invisible This is a hard podcast to describe in a nutshell. Probably because every time I try, I make the nutshell sound incredibly dull. But it’s so far from dull. It’s a storytelling podcast about design, architecture, and about the little things in our every day life that we fail to notice. Hosted by Roman Mars, whose voice is tailor made for podcasting, 99% Invisible is one of the most creative podcasts I’ve ever listened to. Each episode is usually under 30 minutes, which allows it to be a very binge-able podcast. I rarely listen to just one episode. So many fascinating topics have been covered on 99% Invisible, and I’ve learned so much from listening to this show. I find myself telling stories from the podcast in daily conversation. Ever wonder why the US is one of the only countries in the world not use the metric system [a fact that I loathe while traveling the world – Episode 280 “Half Measures”]? Ever thought about those dates on food packaging that tell us when food is about to “expire” [Episode 195 “Best Enjoy By”]? All this and more are tackled in this creative, clever, and often humorous podcast.

Recommended Episodes: Episode 284 “Hero Props – Graphic Design in Film & Television” talks to a designer to creates the physical props that are featured in entertainment. It’s super interesting. Episode 53 “Ten Letters for the President” talks about President Obama’s practice of reading and answering 10 letters a day that had been sent to the White House, admits the thousands. Episode 184 “Rajneeshpuram” is about a weird cult that set up in rural Oregon in the 1980’s. I could list countless episodes to recommend. Do yourself a favor and subscribe, and then go back and catch up on them all. It’s sure to pass the time on a trans-Atlantic flight in no time!

The Memory Palace I first stopped on this podcast because of it’s name. What did it mean? It seemed so cryptic. Then I downloaded an episode called “Picture A Box” [Episode #48]. And then I stopped what I was doing just to listen. The music, the voice of the narrator, the rhythm of the words and the story…I had never heard this type of podcast before. Creator Nate DiMeo crafts works of spoken art through The Memory Palace podcast. Each episode is short, less than 20 minutes, and focuses on a moment of history. Such as Episode #48 “Picture a Box” tells the story of a man, a slave in the South in the 1800’s, who literally packed himself into a box and mailed himself North. I love this podcast because it’s the one you listen to, and it transports you to another place & time. When you put on your headphones, and listen to DiMeo tell you about someone you’ve never heard of before, everything else seems to fade away. For the long nights in crowded hostels or layovers in busy airports, this podcast will help you shut out the world and pass the time with something beautiful. In 2016/2017, Nate DiMeo became the Artist in Residence for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, creating special episodes to correlate with paintings and art in the museum. This podcast is art, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Recommended Episodes: All of them. Or Episode 48 “Picture a Box”, Episode 93 “Local Channels” about Florence Chadwick’s famous swims across the English Channel, or Episode 61 “Orbes Cintilantes” in which DiMeo travels to Brazil for an event in which his podcasts had been written into a book and translated into Portuguese, or Episode 88 “Open Road” about the Green Book and traveling on the road for African Americans before Civil Rights.

99% Invisible

The Memory Palace

Pop Culture The West Wing Weekly If you are a fan of the 90’s-00’s hit political TV show, The West Wing, this is your podcast. If you’ve never seen the show, but have been wanting a new show to binge, this podcast is the perfect complement. It’s hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway and The West Wing & Scandal actor, Joshua Malina. These two a really great pair. Hrishi is a super fan of the show, having seen every episode many times. Josh, having acted on the show, provides “insider baseball” knowledge and real life experience from his time with writers, directors, and creators on the show. They are funny, combative, detailed, nerdy, and all in all, fangirling over this excellent piece of television. I myself am a late comer to The West Wing, having binged it throughout 2015-16. So with the entire series fresh in my mind, I was ready to embark on this podcast journey. Each week, a new podcast episode is released, chronologically following the TV series. Most weeks, Hrishi and Josh bring on guests to interview, sometimes original cast members and show creators, or people who work or have worked in real life Washington DC focusing on the issues that the episode is discussing. I really enjoy how they take a piece of television almost 20 years old, and find modern themes and relevancy. While still bashing the very out of date moments as well! When real life politics is hard to take, turn to President Jed Bartlet…and Hrishi and Josh defending the spelling of his name.

Recommended Episodes: It’s hard to single out an episode of the podcast without talking about the episode of the TV show, because they are directly linked. So I’ll just talk about the guest interviews I really enjoyed in specific episodes. I loved when they’ve interviewed Aaron Sorkin, the writer & creator of The West Wing [and more!] in Episode 2.22 & 2.00. All the behind the scenes info was just fantastic. The live reunion episode of the The West Wing cast is a great episode, and worth the listen if you also loved this cast. Other great interviews include Episode 1.21 with Bill O’Brien, who played the translator to the Joey Lucas character. Also, Episode 3.00 with Former Press Secretary Mike McCurry commenting on the Isaac & Ishmael episode was particularly excellent. See, it’s hard to pick just one!

You Must Remember This This podcast is not for the casual movie goer, but for the cinephile and ardent Hollywood devotee. You Must Remember This is a storytelling podcast about the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century. If you live for Turner Classic Movie channel marathons, and fall asleep to Audrey Hepburn & Cary Grant films, this is the podcast for you. Each season of You Must Remember This looks at a different topic or celebrity in classic Hollywood. The incredibly well researched episodes are written & narrated by the fabulous Karina Longworth. She weaves her own writing & research with vintage film clip audio and guest star narration to bring to a life a specific movie or moment from film history. Past seasons have covered the Communist blacklist of Hollywood in the 1950’s, blonde bombshells who died before their time, and stories from the glory days of the MGM studio. Take a deep dive into cinema history with over a hundred episodes with the glitz & glamour from La La Land.

Recommend Episodes: My favorite season [maybe not surprisingly] is the season called “Charles Manson’s Hollywood”, which is a 12 episode season focusing on the life & the murders associated with Charles Manson, his followers and his interactions in the entertainment industry. It’s riveting, horrifying, and beautifully produced. Part 9, entitled “August 8-10, 1969” specifically covers the murders in which Manson & family is most famous, the murder of actress Sharon Tate.

Myths & Legends I wasn’t actually sure which category to put this podcast into, but finally decided on Pop Culture, because so many of the stories covered in Myths & Legends have been inspirations behind our favorite Disney or superhero films over the decades. Each week, host & creator Jason Weiser takes a story from myth, legend, fairy tale, or folklore, and retells it for audiences today. “This show brings you folklore that has shaped our world. Some are incredibly popular stories you think you know, but with surprising origins. Others are stories that might be new to you, but are definitely worth a listen.” If you love the King Arthur legends, or Greek mythology, or the conquests of the Vikings, this podcast is sure to entertain. Weiser’s creative storytelling ability is really what makes this podcast work. His humor and snark bring a comic commentary to these ancient tales. Myths & Legends is a podcast for the nerd, or the literary scholar, or the superhero fanboy in your life.

Recommended Episodes: I loved all the Disney inspired episodes, such as “Aladdin”, “Mulan”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Hercules”, “Beauty & the Beast”, “Pocahontas”, “Snow White” and even “Frozen”. Not surprisingly, the modern films have taken some liberties from the source material, and it’s entertaining to hear the original origins of these beloved tales. Also, I’ve learned that Japanese folklore is incredibly creepy.

Myths & Legends

The West Wing Weekly

You Must Remember This

Hope this list of some of my favorite podcasts help pass the hours of traveling and layovers and delays with levity and entertainment. Do you have a favorite podcast you enjoy while traveling? Let me know! I’m always looking for more to add to my queue!

9 Podcasts for Long Travel Days I would say that this is the year that I discovered podcasts. I’d listened to one or two over the years, but it wasn’t until 2016/2017 that I became mildly addicted.