Mental Tools

Language Is Acting

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This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series Secrets of Speaking

This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series Secrets of SpeakingAt university, I was in a comedy troupe. No, the comedy troupe. The best comedy troupe at my school. The greatest comedy troupe since the previous greatest comedy troupe. And I was in it. And I loved it. By the time I’d gotten…

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Are You a Three-Day Monk?

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Some people, no — a lot of people — have asked me, “18 months? WOW! But that’s a miracle! Isn’t that a bit short? Are you BSing us? You must be really smart”. Well, let me tell you three secrets. First, I am not BSing you. Second, I am not preternaturally intelligent. I’m just normal,…

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No Speak English

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When you first set out to learn a language, it’s an act, a game. A game whereby you acquire a habit of writing symbols and making sounds in a certain way, a way that is called [insert name of language]. Unfortunately the word, “game”, carries with it a negative connotation, one implying a lack of…

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Language is Like a Video Game

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Specifically, fighting games. You know, Mortal Kombat, Tekken(鉄拳）, Soul Calibur — the good ones. Anyone who’s played these before has seen (or experienced first-hand) complete beginners defeat advanced players. Just yesterday a make-up-wearing non-video-gaming girrrrrl ripped me to shreds in Tekken 5 on a friend’s PlayStation 3. I told her it was because the “X”…

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How To Learn Japanese In 1 Second

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I’ve figured it out, people. I finally brought a magic bottle of Japanese special sauce from down from the mountain. You can learn Japanese in one second, and I will show you how… Sort of. OK, so I really wrote that title to make you look (Haha! Made you look!), but it actually has a…

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