Dictionary: To Buy or Not To Buy

I'm craving for an excellent (paper) dictionary to help me with vocabulary. I own a mini dictionary from Collins but now I want something more. ㅎㅎ  If I have a reliable internet connection, Naver and Daum  online dictionary will do more than enough for me.

Since moving to Bandung, I can feel my frustation build up. I've been meaning to start learning the vocabulary for Pegasus Society's GoGo class this coming December. I plan to rewrite the sample sentences from Naver/Daum in my notebook but sometimes loading a page takes such a long time that I begin to worry whether I could attend the GoGo class peacefully. I have used the service for about a year and a half and it works rather wonderfully in Bali but I think I should start looking at other internet service provider.

When I was browsing available paper Korean dictionaries out there, I realized the disadvantage of shopping online, especially trying to buy a dictionary online. The pages preview is so scarce and fewer people review dictionaries. I have to hear it from others and at least see some pages to know if it's suitable for me or not. Like when I was about to buy the Integrated Korean series, I read the reviews in forums/blogs plus the comments too and took a peek at the book in Google Books. Dictionary is too expensive to get one randomly. ㅠㅠ

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반둥에 이사하기

인도네시아 반둥은 재 사는 것입니다. 반둥에 이사하기 전에 발리에서 3 년 동안 살았습니다. 발리가 반둥보다 더 유명하겠습니다. 많이 사람들 아름다운 바닷가 보러 발래에 갑니다, 그리고 한국 드라마 '발리에서 생긴 일' 있습니다. 

발리에 술루반 바닷가

발리에서 사는 것을 정말 좋아하지만 우리 엄마와 우리 여동생가 반둥에서 살고 있습니다. 작년은 재  휘사가 반둥에서 사무실을 마련해서 이사 할 수 있습니다. 많이 일 때문에 그냥 지난달에 이사 할 수 있습니다.

반둥에서 사는 것도 좋습니다. 재가 사랑하는 사람들 있고 어릴 때부터 반둥에서 살았서 친구 많이 있고 서점이 더 많이 있고 맛있는 음식도 더 많이 있습니다. 

재가 좋아하는 사람이다

오늘 쓰기는 이제까지 끝나겠습니다. 잛은 쓰기밖에 못 해서 열심히 공부해야 되겠습니다.

^^

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September 30 Days Challenge!

I just reported my last month challenge result and now try to come out with the challenge for September. I don't think I should stop doing challenge just because I couldn't complete my first challenge and it already past 1st September. ㅋㅋ

I've decided not setting up the challenge at daily phase but instead number of time I should do something. Well, that something is to post a full 한글 blog post here and the number is 3, each for every 10 days in September.

But hey, today is 11th of September! Yes, that means I should start drafting my first challenge, right? I shall post it by the end of today~!

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Last August

Ouch! 

This is me, admitting my failure in completing the 30 days TTMIK challenge I set up last August. I listened to only 11 podcasts, it's not even 50% of the challenge. ㅠㅠ 

The fastest way to close this report challenge is to say that I don't know what happened back then. It just happened. But I prefer doing a bit of flashback to track when I started going sideways and eventually stop my engine. 

I think it began around the time of my project closing (btw I work as a software engineer). It was mentally draining so even if I didn't work overtime that much I didn't touch any Korean material at all in my leisure time. There were times when I took learning Korean as a leisure activity but that wasn't one of them. My mistake was that when the project did finish, I continue ignoring Korean in my spare time. Then I got my relocation approval (I asked to be relocated to the branch office in my hometown, Bandung - Indonesia) and found myself preparing this and that. 

I'm glad that I am self studying and not in the middle of a formal education class so there's no formal punishment (read: bad score) when I get weak-willed like this. I feel like I have to be careful because I think I'm beginning to run out my euphoria fuel. I still love Korean shows but clearly it's not in the same state as it when the first time I know of them. That and the fact that I get bored easily are actually enough to get me stop learning Korean or so I thought. 

Remembering a bit from my past, it has always been this way. I stopped learning various skills at the beginner phase with various reasons and in the end I always try to comfort myself by saying that they are not for me. Now that I'm thinking about it again, I couldn't help but feel that it's only half or less true. I think I avoid hard work.

So what about this Korean journey? Honestly I don't know. Don't mistake me, I still have quite spirit to become fluent but I need to keep looking for what makes my fire burning. I've been trying, so far I already got myself the intermediate books of Integrated Korean to motivate me stepping up to the next level. Currently I'm still halfway the Beginning 2 book. I signed up for Pegasus Society skype class. I'm excited and can't wait but it's still in December. Language exchange partner? 

I found several fellow bloggers doing this language exchange and I actually get curious about it. I want to do it too but I don't feel like I have strong bargain on my side. My native language is Indonesian, my English is not that bad but I doubt it's that good to help someone. What if I lead my partner to wrong direction? ㅋㅋ If you know any Korean-speaking people who wants to learn Indonesian and a language exchange partner for that, please please do tell me! xD 

Anyway, while I'm looking for the alternative (any ideas are welcomed!), I'll finish my Beginning 2 book and hopefully I can take the Intermediate 1 book starting October. *fingers crossed

여러분, 좋은 하루 보내세요~ 그리고 화이팅!

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