By kevin | Published: January 18, 2011
OK…my haiku quality must be dropping because people aren’t visiting Blang as much lately. Therefore, this week I am going to do a more traditional haiku. Read More »
By kevin | Published: January 11, 2011
Haikus with headaches
just aren’t the same. I mean,
are headaches like spring?
Disclaimer: Today’s haiku isn’t a cop-out just because I have a headache. However, it is inspired by it. I’ll make up for it next week.
By kevin | Published: January 4, 2011
What does the cold have to do with fun language learning, you may ask?
Everything and nothing. In this case, it’s leaning a bit towards nothing. However, the weather outside is cold lately, and therefore it seemed like a fitting topic for this week’s haiku.
Can’t think in this cold
But, as pogs in the 90s
It will blow over soon
There you have it – 90s fad imagery. Warm up the comments with your own weather haikus! They don’t have to be as silly as this one.
Also, I don’t know if it’s the holidays, but it seems like fewer of you are reading than before following my return. Did I let down your anticipation? If you have feedback or want to see more of a particular kind of post, let me know!
By kevin | Published: December 28, 2010
I promised I’d give all of you who come here looking for haikus en français something, so it’s time to deliver! Plus, this column will probably be doubling as my weekly place to communicate with you a bit about what I’m up to. I’m thinking that I’ll have time to write more this week, but I will at least keep up with good ol’ Haiku Tuesday.
The way I’ll do this is that I’ll write the haiku in English first, and then I’ll translate this whole post (including this part about me translating it – hopefully the fabric of the universe holds together) into French. It’ll be kind of a lazy translation, but I have a suspicion that some of you who are searching for haikus in French are, in fact, French! Therefore – correct me at your leisure in the comments. Don’t hold back.
Can you write that down?
I know the words you’re saying
At least on paper
—–
J’ai vous promis que je donnerais quelque-chose à tous qui viennent ici en recherche des haikus en français, alors c’est l’heure de le faire ! En outre, cette section fonctionnerait probablement aussi comme un lieu hebdomadaire pour ma communication avec vous sur ce que je fais et tout ça. Je crois que j’aurai du temps pour écrire d’avantage cette semaine – de toute façon, je continuerai avec mon cher Mardi d’Haiku.
La manière de laquel je ferai ceci est d’ecrire premièrement l’haiku en anglais et puis de traduire ce post entière (incluse cette partie sur que je le traduise) en français. Elle sera une traduction un peu paresseuse, mais je suspecte que quelques de vous qui cherchez des haikus en français êtes, en fait, français ! Donc – corrigez-moi comme vous voudriez dans les commentaires. Ne soyez pas trop sympas.
Pouvez-vous l’écrire ?
Je connais ces mots, au moins
Sur le papier
Posted in Features, Original Haikus | Tagged compréhension orale, français, french, haiku, haiku tuesday, Language, language learning, mardi d'haiku, poésie, poetry, speaking comprehension
By kevin | Published: December 21, 2010
Coming soon! But for this week, it’s just a normal Haiku Tuesday because the classics are the best.
A friend once told me that haikus must have nature imagery. I always enjoy putting the same in haikus where you wouldn’t expect it, such as:
My new Chrome notebook
Has battery power like
The king sun at dawn
In case you haven’t been reading my tweets, I received a Cr-48 Chrome Notebook from Google for free as a tester on Monday. This blog post is being written on it.
And with this, Haiku Tuesday has officially returned. I’ll write another post this week if I have time, but probably just see you next week. And, just once, you can leave a comment if you have a Chrome Notebook and just want to let the world know. Other than that, do try to keep them on topic.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and (insert appropriate adjective) (insert appropriate holiday noun) to everyone else.
Actually, maybe I should write a Christmas Haiku? If you want one, you’ve got to let me know in the comments!
By kevin | Published: December 20, 2010
Good news! I’ve finally freed up some time and am going to start writing in Blang again. The first thing I want to bring back is Haiku Tuesday; people liked that.
Time permitting, I’ll aim to post something related to fun language-learning (or language-learning insights I’ve gained over the years) at least once a week.
So stay tuned…for the return of Haiku Tuesday!
No promises yet on improving the blog theme, haha…but it will happen.
By kevin | Published: July 5, 2010
Yep, that’s right. I’ve gone and done it. I’ve changed the theme. I was just so tired of looking at the old one.
At some point, I’ll make it nice and add some color, but for now…it’s just changed. It’s definitely easier to read, if anything!
2010 is the year of Web site redesigns for me, I guess. WizOne Solutions got its overhaul a few weeks ago.
Blang will be next! Or next-ish. Maybe. Drop me a note if you are still out there reading! Obviously it’ll encourage me. I’ve picked up some more tips to share for learning languages, but it takes time to write them down. Even a simple hello would do 
Take care,
Kevin
By kevin | Published: May 17, 2010
Hi all – the brave ones of you who may still be out there
I’m just writing to say hi after a period of a silence and give you a bit of an update on things.
I’ve mostly been busy with my business, WizOne Solutions. There’s a lot going on, so I haven’t had much time for side projects. When I do get back to Blang, though, it’s definitely going to get a new look.
As for me and languages, I’ve found myself focusing primarily on French and Spanish lately. Having moved to Los Angeles, Spanish is as relevant as ever…and French just begs to be finished. I actually feel like my French has come a long way from feeling half-done, but it’s still not quite “there” – I need to learn more expressions and practice it more. On the bright side, though, a recent LiveMocha chat revealed that my French spelling is more accurate than that of a 13-year old! Gotta start somewhere, right?
When not studying those two, I try to keep learning more Russian. It is a bumpy and slow road, but fortunately the people from whom I have gotten feedback on LiveMocha have been rather unforgiving. Hey, it lets me know where I stand and encourages me to watch my spelling and pronunciation, so it’s all good.
That’s about it from me for now – gotta get back to it, but I’ll try to write something every so often. Get in touch with me or leave a comment if you want to hear more; it’s a big encouragement. I know from my stats that a few people are checking out this blog; I want to hear from you!
After all, who wants to talk to nobody?
Take care,
Kevin
By kevin | Published: December 25, 2009
Hi all – yes, I’m still alive
An interesting question came to my mind yesterday: “When am I actually done learning French?” I thought about it for a bit; was it when I could understand it fluently? When I could speak it without a problem…as good as Spanish or Norwegian, maybe? How could I even measure how “done” I was?
Before I share what I decided, I want to hear from you! In your opinion, when is the study of a language complete, or at least complete enough?
Looking forward to seeing what you think!
Kevin
By kevin | Published: November 18, 2009
Hi all,
I came across an offer to get a 6-day long taste of Rocket French for free recently. This course/software package is pretty cool. The presenters are engaging, and the lessons keep you interested. It also comes with the full shebang – support on forums straight from the course creator (!) and a whole Member’s Area for being able to download the course (assuming you take that option) any time.
If you’ve already been shopping around for language-learning software for French, add this one to your list of potential purchases. It puts a lot of emphasis on speaking, which I think is cool and useful. It aims to be a complete French course.
When I first looked at Rocket French, I thought the whole description was a bit overblown. Upon actually using it, though, I saw I was wrong, and that it really was a viable way to improve my French. I think actually seeing the course author posting in the forums (and recently!) really sold me. You can see it yourself at the Rocket French Community.
Also, just to disclose: if you do like it, and you buy it, you will be helping support Blang…because I’ll have more time to write (and really want to)! Check it out and see what you think! And again, definitely try out the free 6-day French course first – you need but give your email address, and voilà, Day 1 in your inbox!
