← Day #5 30-Day Challenge Home Base Day #7 → Inspiration: Michael Phelps I’ve previously written on the power of using your brain’s neurological cravings to form habits to aid your language study. Today will we look at another exampleContinue reading 30-Day Challenge: Day #6 – Use ‘Keystone Habits’ to create a chain reaction of Success like Michael Phelps
30-Day Challenge: Day #5 – Jackie Chan’s multi-disciplinary approach to language learning
← Day #4 30-Day Challenge Home Base Day #6 → Inspiration: Jackie Chan In the above video, Jackie Chan talks about how he learned English and demonstrates some of the skills he’s learned in English. Talking on the phone (2:16)Continue reading 30-Day Challenge: Day #5 – Jackie Chan’s multi-disciplinary approach to language learning
30-Day Challenge: Day #4 – Prime your brain for greater memory retention
← Day #3 30-Day Challenge Home Base Day #5 → Inspiration: Josh Kaufman Today’s inspiration comes again from the Personal MBA. Have you ever been interested in a particular type of car, only to start noticing them everywhere? I certainlyContinue reading 30-Day Challenge: Day #4 – Prime your brain for greater memory retention
30-Day Challenge: Day #3 – Try, Practice, FAIL, Succeed
← Day #2 30-Day Challenge Home Base Day #4 → Inspiration If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived. Life = risk. I have a two-year old son. He’s probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s soContinue reading 30-Day Challenge: Day #3 – Try, Practice, FAIL, Succeed
30-Day Challenge: Day #2 – Change your Reference Level
← Day #1 30-Day Challenge Home Base Day #3 → Inspiration Read the following notes from Josh Kaufman’s Personal MBA (1st edition, pg. 193-198): Action comes about if and only if we find a discrepancy between what we are experiencingContinue reading 30-Day Challenge: Day #2 – Change your Reference Level
30-Day Challenge: Day #1 – Step out of your Comfort Zone
← Day #0 30-Day Challenge Home Base Day #2 → Inspiration Watch the video. Are you aware of your Korean Speaking Comfort Zone? This Challenge is going to ask you to step outside that Comfort Zone. Comfort Zone: Your habits, routines,Continue reading 30-Day Challenge: Day #1 – Step out of your Comfort Zone
30-Day Challenge: Day #0 – Guidelines and Getting Properly Equipped
← Korean Kafe 30-Day Challenge Home Base Day #1 → Introduction & Overview Welcome to the Introduction and Overview of the Speaking Korean 30-Day Challenge (한국말 30일도전). In order to start off on the right foot, some guidelines for the ChallengeContinue reading 30-Day Challenge: Day #0 – Guidelines and Getting Properly Equipped
Learn Korean onomatopoeia and improve your reading skills with Naver Webtoons
One of my students recently introduced me to this smartphone app. I’ve known about the Webtoons for a while now because my high school computer students constantly want to read those in class when they finish their work (since theContinue reading Learn Korean onomatopoeia and improve your reading skills with Naver Webtoons
Vocabulary List for Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – Week 3
Here are the third 108 words (#217-324) from Part 1 of the Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic. You can find the first 108 words here, and the second 108 words here. More are forthcoming: Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – WeekContinue reading Vocabulary List for Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – Week 3
How to register for the TOPIK Test
So you want to register for the TOPIK? The above PPT was put together with the specific purpose of helping you navigate the TOPIK website, join it, and register for the TOPIK test, even with minimal Korean ability. Oh, andContinue reading How to register for the TOPIK Test
Key to Korean #8: Challenge yourself, or be doomed to sleep through life like Rip Van Winkle
The greatest danger for most of us lies in not setting our aim to high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. — Michelangelo The best decisions I ever made were those thatContinue reading Key to Korean #8: Challenge yourself, or be doomed to sleep through life like Rip Van Winkle
Rock on Korea! The Greatest Korean History Lesson You’ll Ever Learn: Shin Joong-Hyun and the Origins of Korean Rock
** Video updated: 5.13.2014 Rock music took off in Korea in the 1960s and became the foundation for Korean pop music. In a sense, Kpop as we know it today, is a legacy of the earlier days of Korean rockContinue reading Rock on Korea! The Greatest Korean History Lesson You’ll Ever Learn: Shin Joong-Hyun and the Origins of Korean Rock
My Winding Path to Korea and Korean
Over the years, people have asked me how I came to be in Korea. What brought me? Why did I stay so long? What does the future hold? In response to those questions (and a previous blog post), I thoughtContinue reading My Winding Path to Korea and Korean
Retrace Your Steps to Plot Your Path Forward
The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see. — Winston Churchill On Monday, I did a bit of reflection about my university life and a Japanese friend I met there who spoke English soContinue reading Retrace Your Steps to Plot Your Path Forward
Learn Hangul: Round-up of the 4 BEST Apps for Android and iDevices
So, you’ve decided to study Korean. Step #1 is to learn the alphabet. This may seem counter-intuitive if you’re more familiar with other East-Asian languages. Compare: Chinese (10,000 characters to learn – 5,000 to be literate) Japanese (with 3 separateContinue reading Learn Hangul: Round-up of the 4 BEST Apps for Android and iDevices
Vocabulary List for Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – Week 2
Here are the second 108 words (#109-216) from Part 1 of the Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic. You can find the first 108 words here. More are forthcoming: Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – Week 2 Vocab These words consistContinue reading Vocabulary List for Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – Week 2
TOPIK Writing Evaluation Policies + Examples
All the following information is freely available on numerous TOPIK websites, some with analysis. The following is a basic Beginner level (초급) rubric. This one doesn’t include “Formality of Language Use” like the Intermediate and Advanced rubrics do. TOPIK WritingContinue reading TOPIK Writing Evaluation Policies + Examples
Key to Korean #7: Check your Motivation, it’s what drives you
Why do you want to learn Korean? Is it to get a girlfriend? To get a job in a Korean company? To go to school in Korea? To pass an exam? To speak with your in-laws? To understand Kpop? ChancesContinue reading Key to Korean #7: Check your Motivation, it’s what drives you
Korean Rock: Pia (피아) Covers Cho Yong-Pil’s (조용필) “Hello”
Pia is a high-energy rock band that is always a hit at rock festivals and on rock contest TV shows. They have quite a unique sound and have gradually become one of my favorite rock bands in Korea. Cho Yong-PilContinue reading Korean Rock: Pia (피아) Covers Cho Yong-Pil’s (조용필) “Hello”
Give yourself permission to stand up, take a look around, and reassess your progress
Your life is a lot like farming. Yesterday, I went to my in-laws’ house during the national holiday and worked. Here are three of the lessons that working the land has taught me about life: 1. Planting Planting involves a lotContinue reading Give yourself permission to stand up, take a look around, and reassess your progress
6.6 – Memorial Day in South Korea (현충일)
Today is Memorial Day in South Korea (just in case you thought it was “National Fun-in-the-Sun Day”). You get the day off from work or school, you sleep in, take a trip, eat out, and watch all the specials orContinue reading 6.6 – Memorial Day in South Korea (현충일)
Vocabulary List for Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – Week 1
I’m getting ready to take the 31st TOPIK on July 21, 2013, so I wanted to prepare a list of the vocab I found in Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic that isn’t on any of our other vocabulary listsContinue reading Vocabulary List for Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – Week 1
Little by Little TOPIK Practice Apps for iPad and iPhone
A while ago, I reviewed the TOPIK One apps for Android that André Graziani has created. Unfortunately, those apps are currently only available for Android (although André did let me know in the blog comments that he’s working on porting those to iPhoneContinue reading Little by Little TOPIK Practice Apps for iPad and iPhone
Key to Korean #6: Follow my example for setting and tracking SMART Goals
What gets measured gets done. – Peter Drucker Previously, we’ve looked at the importance of planning and how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Today, we’ll look at my specific goals for learning Korean, as well as the third critical step toContinue reading Key to Korean #6: Follow my example for setting and tracking SMART Goals
Rock on Korea! Indie Bands (Review and Featured Artists)
I recently stumbled across this TV program on Arirang TV (Korea’s English-only broadcasting channel). **Video updated: 5.13.2014 I do NOT like Arirang TV for a number of reasons: The English narration is emotionless and flat. It’s very clearly enunciated –Continue reading Rock on Korea! Indie Bands (Review and Featured Artists)
Baekje Cultural Complex Wallpaper (June 2013)
Baekje Cultural Complex Wallpaper Our family recently traveled to Buyeo, the ancient capital city of the Baekje kingdom of Korea. Its original name was Sabi and the Baekje capital city was established there in 538 by King Seong. The entireContinue reading Baekje Cultural Complex Wallpaper (June 2013)
SMART Goal-setting: Don’t let Life just carry you out to Sea
On Monday, I talked about the need for planning in order to effectively study Korean. Today, I’ll go into further detail about S.M.A.R.T. goals, and how they relate to my life and plan for studying Korean because without goals, weContinue reading SMART Goal-setting: Don’t let Life just carry you out to Sea
Round-Up of 6 Browser Extensions for Instant Hover Translations
Anyone who’s used a Korean-owned computer in Korea (say, in an Internet cafe, school, or private abode) probably has noticed that a good number of them (particularly when using Internet Explorer) have a nifty little Translate feature that pops upContinue reading Round-Up of 6 Browser Extensions for Instant Hover Translations
FULL Low Intermediate Vocabulary List
Here is the complete collection of vocabulary papers from the Low Intermediate Class (including a few hundred words in the Complete TOPIK Guide book). The total amount of vocabulary contained here is 1260 words. So, including the additional 900 words containedContinue reading FULL Low Intermediate Vocabulary List
TOPIK Leveling UP: Developmental Milestones along your path to Second Language Acquisition
So, you’re considering taking the TOPIK test? Here’s a breakdown of the evaluation policies and expectations posted on the StudyTOPIK website. Think of these as your developmental milestones along the road to Korean maturity. (Or unlockable achievements in the videoContinue reading TOPIK Leveling UP: Developmental Milestones along your path to Second Language Acquisition