our first tagalog class starts today. i am quite excited as it will provide the basic framework upon which i can build using supplemental materials and an array of acquaintances with varying levels of proficiency. it should be a lot easier to make sense of the books i bought after i learn basic sentence structure and placement. vocabulary shouldn't be a problem, but i should probably get a more comprehensive dictionary. my friends who are taking the class with me are concerned that the class might be too basic and not cover anything more than basic greeting and words. this would be a disappointment. however, seeing that it is an adult education course, there's a good chance that it would aim towards a higher proficiency than what they would teach kindergarteners.
two of our escrima classmates who joined quite recently (only about two or three months ago actually) have been very hard on themselves recently. they are always worried that they aren't "getting it" or aren't as good as they should be. they feel they're not on par with everyone else in class. while i empathize with them, i have to make it clear that they just started - of course they aren't going to be at the same level as everyone else. not to mention, our class has gotten progressively more complex in terms of technique and skill sets. while most of us started at the same time and have gotten supplemental lessons from another teacher, they haven't had that benefit and can't be expected to perform at a high level right from the get-go. i think they just need to relax and not beat themselves up too much about it. the skill will come, but after a lot more practice.
my nmat studies seem to be wavering. it is hard to get the motivation to spend hours at a library (or anywhere for that matter) face deep in textbooks and review materials. however, i have less than a month and a half to fully prepare myself. i'm sure that when the time comes, i will be ready. however, i need to get out of this funk/rut and return to my studies at full force.
my portfolio is looking better. it's been a year since the whole economic crisis thing and it seems as if everything's starting to get back on track. however, the one thing that really pisses me off still is how low they are still keeping interest rates. the interest i'm earning on all my accounts is near rock bottom and it looks as if the rates are still dropping. i don't see how this can be possible - all other rates are more or less at 0%. what more could they do? what needs to happen is for the rates to start climbing as they should so that savers can be rewarded a little (since it's clear that spenders won't be saving the economy like they used to). the housing market's still a mess, wall street's still volatile, the only thing that's still growing is my savings account. however, if the rates keep dropping, i'm better off stashing all that money in a piggy bank. but that's that.
Shigure: "You young people, if you'd only stop struggling, you'd see that you float."
Haru: "Yes, but it's only after we keep struggling until we can't struggle anymore that we get to that point..."
currently: reading up on interview tips
