Blog Feed: Martial Thoughts

Sentences 101

Published on 2012-03-26 07:00:52

Sentences are a great way to learn Japanese, especially once you've already finished RTK (obviously, you should still be doing your RTK reviews! ). But it can be hard to know where to start or even where to continue after you've finished whatever sentence pack/book you started with. My method may not be perfect, but [...] Related posts: Weekly Summary – August 12th, 2011 > read more

Read the Kanji

Published on 2012-02-27 09:00:07

Most of you probably already know about ReadTheKanji.com, but I'm going to explain to those of you who may not have started using it yet, why you should. There are a few reasons this site kicks ass and provides tons of motivation to continue on without getting too tedious. What is it? I'm not going [...] Related posts: Tadoku: Get your read on! The 3 Best Ways to Read Digital Manga > read more

5 Ways to Keep Motivation High

Published on 2012-02-20 07:00:24

Most everyone can get motivated very quickly over something, but when it comes to actually sustaining that motivation, it's a whole 'nother story. Here are 5 things that I do to keep my motivation high and not allow myself to become too overwhelmed with learning Japanese. Drowning in English The goal with immersion is obviously [...] Related posts: The 3 Best Ways to Read Digital Manga Tuesday Tips: Generate Motivation > read more

Stop Playing Catch Up

Published on 2012-02-13 07:00:00

We’re in such a rush all the time. Busy, busy, busy. We’re often busy even when there isn’t really anything to be busy about, but then when we fall behind on things, instead of taking a positive position, we take the position of punishment. We condemn ourselves. For instance, if you’ve got a month to [...] No related posts. > read more

Realizing I Know Japanese

Published on 2012-02-06 07:00:00

For some reason there has always been this mysterious gray area between not knowing and knowing Japanese. There is this tendency to believe you are either fluent (know Japanese) or you aren't. But life isn't all 1's and 0's. We tend want to believe you either know Japanese to the native/fluent level or you don't [...] Related posts: Go Big or Go Home: Japanese OS > read more

How to find Japanese Media Online

Published on 2012-01-30 07:00:55

Obviously, to make Japanese media easily accessible, you have to know where to get it. Over time, I've accumulated a few sites that I scour around every now and then. Though I already have plenty lined up for me to watch. I'm sure there are some great places I missed, but here are some of [...] Related posts: Too Lazy to Enjoy Japanese 5 Great Android Apps for Studying Japanese > read more

Too Lazy to Enjoy Japanese

Published on 2012-01-23 07:00:46

Every one gets lazy at one point or another. But when we think lazy, we think of people that don't do their work, don't do their chores, don't do their tasks, etc. We rarely think of people who are too lazy to do something fun. But, laziness can even stop someone from having fun. I [...] Related posts: Play Video Games You Lazy Bastard! Go Big or Go Home: Japanese OS 5 Great Android Apps for Studying Japanese > read more

Shortcut Your Way to Fun

Published on 2012-01-16 07:00:52

Just recently, I covered how you can create task fun reminders to remind yourself throughout the day to stop and have fun (in Japanese, of course!). This time around, I'm going to show you how to add shortcuts to fun to make it even easier and more convenient to get to all that fun! Windows [...] No related posts. > read more

Stop Scheduling Tasks, Start Scheduling Fun!

Published on 2012-01-09 07:00:44

One thing we've probably all eventually learned (or will learn, if you already haven't) is that fun is what creates the best progress. When you're enjoying something, you're more likely to continue doing it. Hence how good habits are formed (most of the time). I'm going to show you how I schedule my fun!    [...] No related posts. > read more

XBOX 360 Controller for Windows

Published on 2011-10-17 09:00:51

I've owned every (popular) game system, since the original Nintendo, at least once. Yet, I pretty much ended up getting rid of them all for PC gaming (except for DS and PSP). I prefer being at my PC playing games, so I can multi-task. Now I've finally bought myself a proper controller to play games [...] Related posts: Play Video Games You Lazy Bastard! > read more

Weekly Summary – August 19th, 2011

Published on 2011-08-19 15:46:25

Haven't posted anything for a week, because I've just been running more in maintenance mode. I'm doing my sentence reps, RTK kanji reviews, etc. All while remaining immersed. But haven't done anything new or profound lately. Japanese A couple of days I wasn't able to add sentences as I was too busy. Went to PA [...] Related posts: Weekly Summary – August 12th, 2011 Weekly Summary – August 5th, 2011 Weekly Summary – May 27th, 2011 > read more

Weekly Summary – August 12th, 2011

Published on 2011-08-12 11:31:05

This past week has been amazing, simply for the fact that I'm enjoying having completed RTK1 and not having to learn any more Kanji at the moment! That and the fact that I've started a new 4 week workout program. Japanese Well, since I've finished RTK (still doing reviews every day, of course), I might [...] Related posts: Weekly Summary – August 19th, 2011 Weekly Summary – August 5th, 2011 Weekly Summary – May 27th, 2011 > read more

Getting Rid of English Sites and Subs!

Published on 2011-08-10 09:00:16

Part of immersing yourself in Japanese involves limiting your contact with your L1 (native language, which is English for me), and replacing it with Japanese contact. An instance of this would be visiting Japanese websites instead of English websites, reading JP books instead of ENG books, etc. We already covered video games earlier this past [...] Related posts: Unlock Blocked JP Games & Sites: VPN Unlock Blocked JP Games & Sites: Japanese IE > read more

Tadoku: Get your read on!

Published on 2011-06-30 06:47:24

Tadoku is an event that is going to be starting again tomorrow, July 1st, and running for the entire length of July. Tadoku is a reading competition, where people see just how much text they can possibly read of the language they are learning. How It > read more

NihongoUp Charts and Posters!

Published on 2011-06-20 08:00:00

Pretty recently, NihongoUp created some new projects such as charts and posters. They are sold as packages, with three different packages being available. I ended up buying two packages, cause I love charts, posters, etc. I thought I'd share with you > read more

Weekly Summary – June 3rd, 2011

Published on 2011-06-03 20:45:59

This week has been a bit of a drag, but I haven't let it keep me down completely! I've been semi-sick. Sick in the "cold / runny-nose" sense, but I've been exercising/training regardless. However, it's put a damper on my studies a bit and just overal > read more

Weekly Summary – May 27th, 2011

Published on 2011-05-27 18:29:56

Coming off of the fast that ended last friday, I decided to jump off the keto train and back onto the (good) carbs train. I realize the benefits of keto, but I'm not aiming mainly to lose fat, I'm aiming to become much stronger, faster, better, etc. > read more

Unlock Blocked JP Games & Sites: Japanese IE

Published on 2011-05-25 09:00:53

Generally, for the most part, all you need to access blocked Japanese Games and Websites is a Japanese VPN. However, there are times when having a VPN is not enough. The game or site will detect what language the browser is using and block you if you > read more

Succeed by Failing

Published on 2011-05-24 09:00:39

The majority of people hate to fail, at anything and everything. Failing is despised so much that most people, including myself for a long time until more recently, that we often limit ourselves to only doing things that we are already at least decen > read more

Unlock Blocked JP Games & Sites: VPN

Published on 2011-05-23 09:00:46

I'm here to show you how to get past that pesky IP block that a decent amount of Japanese sites and video games seem to use. First, you need to understand what exactly is happening behind the scenes so you can comprehend how and why these methods wil > read more

Weekly Summary – May 20th, 2011

Published on 2011-05-20 15:30:48

On Tuesday night, at around 11 pm I decided to randomly do a fasting period. So far I've been able to keep my Japanese studies on track though, by making sure to not slack even though at times I had a headache and was drained. It felt good to cleanse > read more

5 Great Android Apps for Studying Japanese

Published on 2011-05-18 09:00:14

A while back I acquired an Android phone, more specifically a Sprint HTC EVO, which I have been in love with ever since. So far, I've found a good deal of apps that can help when learning Japanese, but there are 5 apps that stick out for me. These ar > read more

Shadowing: Child’s Play

Published on 2011-05-16 09:00:32

Shadowing is a concept that I've recently started to actively employ after Khatz had us doing it as a part of our AJATT SS lessons. Chances are you've done shadowing before, even if you didn't realize it at the time. By realizing it now, you can focu > read more

Weekly Summary – May 13th, 2011

Published on 2011-05-13 19:40:00

I took 3 days off of work this week, which actually lead me astray in some ways but in others it only served to increase my motivation. My diet got put on the back burner (not ruined, as I still ate clean), but my Fitness and Japanese got plenty of f > read more

ペンギンの問題

Published on 2011-05-11 09:00:00

A while back I had bought some cheap Japanese manga that I found at a local Half Price Bookstore. Using the concept of doing things you enjoy but in Japanese, from Khatz of AJATT, I decided to choose a manga from my lot and read it. Among them, on th > read more

Acquiring Manga

Published on 2011-05-10 11:59:50

If you happened to see my recent post on Immersion at Work, then you probably know I've got at least a decent (for someone who is still a beginner ) amount of Manga collected/stored up. In my search for the best places to purchase Manga, I've got it > read more

Immersion at Work!

Published on 2011-05-09 07:03:39

If you're like most people, you have a job that requires you to work 40+ hours a week. Luckily my job allows me to be a cube dweller. I love it because of how much it allows me to immerse myself in Japanese. If you're going to become serious about le > read more

Immersion at Work!

Published on 2011-05-09 07:03:39

If you're like most people, you have a job that requires you to work 40+ hours a week. Luckily my job allows me to be a cube dweller. I love it because of how much it allows me to immerse myself in Japanese. If you're going to become serious about le > read more

Weekly Summary – May 6th, 2011

Published on 2011-05-06 11:36:00

Hurray! I've made it through week 1. This will constitute as my first ever weekly summary report. I'll be posting one of these every Friday, that will cover where I'm at in my Japanese studies and along with my updated Fitness stats. Hopefully, you'l > read more

Weekly Summary – May 6th, 2011

Published on 2011-05-06 11:36:00

Hurray! I've made it through week 1. This will constitute as my first ever weekly summary report. I'll be posting one of these every Friday, that will cover where I'm at in my Japanese studies and along with my updated Fitness stats. Hopefully, you'l > read more

Smart Keyboard Pro

Published on 2011-05-05 05:52:57

Simeji used to be the best (really the only) Japanese keyboard application out there for Android phones. Things have changed. Smart Keyboard Pro goes far beyond what Simeji would/could/should ever be. Smart Keyboard Pro does cost a few dollars, but l > read more

Smart Keyboard Pro

Published on 2011-05-05 05:52:57

Simeji used to be the best (really the only) Japanese keyboard application out there for Android phones. Things have changed. Smart Keyboard Pro goes far beyond what Simeji would/could/should ever be. Smart Keyboard Pro does cost a few dollars, but l > read more

AJATT SilverSpoon

Published on 2011-05-04 16:32:32

AJATT SilverSpoon is a new program that was recently released by Khatzumoto over at All Japanese All The Time (AJATT). The program is designed to take you from being a noob at Japanese to Japanese fluency in exactly 595 days. Obviously, if you meet y > read more

AJATT SilverSpoon

Published on 2011-05-04 16:32:32

AJATT SilverSpoon is a new program that was recently released by Khatzumoto over at All Japanese All The Time (AJATT). The program is designed to take you from being a noob at Japanese to Japanese fluency in exactly 595 days. Obviously, if you meet y > read more

Amazon Cloud Player – 20 Gigs for $0.99 or Less!

Published on 2011-05-03 16:45:00

Amazon Cloud Player launched just a little while back and so far I'm loving it! The Cloud Player is essentially just a music player, like iTunes or Song Bird, but built into the browser. Granted it doesn't have near as many features, but all the basi > read more

Amazon Cloud Player – 20 Gigs for $0.99 or Less!

Published on 2011-05-03 16:45:00

Amazon Cloud Player launched just a little while back and so far I'm loving it! The Cloud Player is essentially just a music player, like iTunes or Song Bird, but built into the browser. Granted it doesn't have near as many features, but all the basi > read more

ただいま – I’m Home!

Published on 2011-05-02 08:35:00

Alright, so it's been a VERY long time since I've actually posted anything here on this blog. My life went all hectic and got off track for way too long. My Japanese studies slacked and I've had to start a lot of things over, but what can you do? Try > read more

ただいま – I’m Home!

Published on 2011-05-02 08:35:00

Alright, so it's been a VERY long time since I've actually posted anything here on this blog. My life went all hectic and got off track for way too long. My Japanese studies slacked and I've had to start a lot of things over, but what can you do? Try > read more

Tutorial: C# XML Serialization

Published on 2010-01-06 14:31:53

Almost every decent sized project in any programming language winds up having at least one configuration file. XML is a standard we often rely on because it's generally perfect for the job. However, most people end up simply working with the XML file > read more

Tutorial: C# XML Serialization

Published on 2010-01-06 14:31:53

Almost every decent sized project in any programming language winds up having at least one configuration file. XML is a standard we often rely on because it’s generally perfect for the job. However, most people end up simply working with the XM > read more

LangFreQ Beta v1.1 – New Features

Published on 2010-01-01 20:52:25

I haven't been posting much at all lately and mostly it's because I've been so busy with the holidays, but also because I wanted to crank out the new LangFreQ Beta v1.1 with new features. I've been working hard to get these out and while I think thes > read more

LangFreQ Beta v1.1 – New Features

Published on 2010-01-01 20:52:25

I haven’t been posting much at all lately and mostly it’s because I’ve been so busy with the holidays, but also because I wanted to crank out the new LangFreQ Beta v1.1 with new features. I’ve been working hard to get these ou > read more

LangFreQ – Beta

Published on 2009-12-14 23:56:57

Lately, I haven't been as active as I would like. Part of that is because I've been so busy on a new little project of mine, the other part is that I'm studying Japanese so much. I'd like to share with you the project I've been tinkering with, it's c > read more

LangFreQ – Beta

Published on 2009-12-14 23:56:57

Lately, I haven’t been as active as I would like. Part of that is because I’ve been so busy on a new little project of mine, the other part is that I’m studying Japanese so much. I’d like to share with you the project I̵ > read more

Introduction to Google Hacking

Published on 2009-12-07 09:12:11

I recently just taught my first class on EduFire, called "Introduction to Google Hacking". From the feedback I've been getting, people seemed to enjoy it, so I'll continue teaching it. I don't know about the future, but for right now, I've decided I' > read more

Introduction to Google Hacking

Published on 2009-12-07 09:12:11

I recently just taught my first class on EduFire, called “Introduction to Google Hacking”. From the feedback I’ve been getting, people seemed to enjoy it, so I’ll continue teaching it. I don’t know about the future, but > read more

NihongoUp – Practice, Practice, Practice!

Published on 2009-11-30 18:36:13

Everyone needs to practice. I suppose that is what makes it hard to learn a language. Most of us in today’s age are looking for a quick return and with a language like Japanese, you usually can’t get that. It takes many times going over t > read more

Kana Reading Material Resources

Published on 2009-11-20 15:00:07

I was asked earlier this week on twitter if I knew of any Kana reading material resources. The question was in reference to materials such as books, magazines, websites, etc that are written in Kana, rather than lots of Kanji, so that beginners like > read more

Tutorial: Minimal CSS Image Hover

Published on 2009-11-18 12:00:26

Text link hover are quite common, but becoming even more common is image link hovers. Why is this? Well, because you can make things look much nicer(cooler, cleaner, sharper, etc) using an image. Problem is that it can get messy with all the CSS that > read more

Live Learning/Teaching with EduFire

Published on 2009-11-16 12:34:58

One of the best things you can do for your self when trying to learn something new, whether it be a language or how to develop computer applications, is to join a class. But not everyone has the time, resources, or even money to do that. That’s > read more

5 Things Every Beginner Should Know

Published on 2009-11-13 15:11:37

There are always more tips and tricks that can be learned, but this is a list of what I consider to be some of the most important things a beginner should learn when studying Japanese! These are things I wish I was taught the first week I started. 1 > read more

My Japanese Coach

Published on 2009-11-11 12:00:22

I think these series are fairly familiar to those of you who are studying a language, but if not, “My Japanese Coach”(comes in other languages) is a video game for the Nintendo DS. The game itself, as in control/menu, is in English but it > read more