tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22408198.post8678605167095196662..comments2023-09-12T10:30:18.485+00:00Comments on Mandarin Student (普通话学生): Passion in language learningAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04553675424803911693noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22408198.post-19828985874212133532010-06-04T08:27:26.902+00:002010-06-04T08:27:26.902+00:00I like your reply to the self-styled "Irish p...I like your reply to the self-styled "Irish polyglot." I'd never heard of him and I really wish I hadn't now, because almost every single thing about his website irritates me, so I'm going to stop browsing it now.<br /><br />Anyway, your reply was mostly spot-on, though Chiro-kun basically said what I wanted to.<br /><br />Best thing your in post: pointing out how negative "Benny"'s post actually is.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18329815468981883498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22408198.post-37917995357242002912010-04-20T15:06:27.288+00:002010-04-20T15:06:27.288+00:00As someone who knows and likes Benny in real life,...As someone who knows and likes Benny in real life, I have to confess that some of his posts make me want to throw things at him and the Crybaby post was one of them ;)<br /><br />Thank you for your post, which restores a vital bit of negativity to the world.<br /><br />I'm sure Benny "speaks" more languages than I ever will, but I think that the sort of existence he leads would be considered by many of us as too high a price to pay. Much as we might whinge from time to time, sometimes our homes, our partners and our jobs are the very things which make our lives fulfilling. Not our mastery of Thai tones.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22408198.post-18313618299417997312010-04-19T21:18:59.333+00:002010-04-19T21:18:59.333+00:00@chiro-kun thanks for the comment, the comment you...@chiro-kun thanks for the comment, the comment you made neatly reflects the variety that makes up the real world :), I take you point about the course, you are right sometimes doing "something" is enough to keep the spark going. <br /><br />My point in this post isn't all correct either, but I thought I should make some sort of stand against the 100% (brook no negativity) approach. Life isn't all black and white and that is what makes it interesting.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04553675424803911693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22408198.post-39221980393170636132010-04-19T16:03:32.274+00:002010-04-19T16:03:32.274+00:00Positivity works because it's helpful. It'...Positivity works because it's helpful. It's because looking at things from a positive perspective will add fuel to your motivation thus enabling you to move on even when you're facing a major slump.<br /><br />Positivity isn't anything special. It's just a different way of looking at things. So no, believing that a language course will make you native-level fluent in Mandarin isn't being positive, it's being self-deceptive. However, if you're in a slump, taking that Mandarin course can provide the incentive for actually going out of your way to look for effective language learning methods. The fact that you're actually taking steps to improve your Mandarin is, in my humble opinion, far more encouraging than doing nothing and feeling bad about it.<br /><br />On the whole though, I do kind of agree with the message you're trying to get at. Life would certainly be bland if all we had were those PD pageboys with glaring "DO IT NOW" placards. Too many sweets will make you sick of sweets, as you said.Chiro-kunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815637939338225027noreply@blogger.com