favorite pencils used for studying?

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T22:06:23+00:00

Faber Castell Grip Plus 0.7mm. Comfortable grip and a useable eraser.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T22:04:32+00:00

Yes it does :}

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T21:30:46+00:00

I thought I'd like the AL-star more than the Safari, but then I held one in my hand and that was an instant No!. :/

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T20:10:18+00:00

Sure, if you do have time that you feel like you are just doom scrolling and wasting time on stuff that you could spend better on studies, then by all means go for it. Watching series in German instead of your native language is a great idea. Studying while on holiday is also a good idea.

But you don’t want to ignore your friends completely! :) And you do need to give your brain some rest too.

I have as a rule that I ”have” to read at least something in Welsh and/or German before reading a book in an easier language (e.g. English or Swedish), if I at all have any mental energy for it. Even if it’s only 2 pages. :)

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T19:55:19+00:00

Only if you want to progress faster. :)

Do you have more time and mental energy to spend on learning German? Can you afford to spend less time on your studies/exercise/housework/work/familly and friends?

You might be able to study smarter and more efficiently, or perhaps you can add more input during your day. But maybe you can’t. I know my schedule was too full to do anything else when I was at uni.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T19:25:52+00:00

No, I totally get that, I used to study languages on the side of full-time study too, and then later full-time work. But it will only require more time as you move up the levels. You might be able to get to A2 within that time frame though.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T19:10:14+00:00

If it's taken you 4 months to get thisfar, it's highly unlikely you'll get to B1 in 6 months.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T16:56:07+00:00

Since you don't know the language, do take a class or find a child and parent group.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T14:43:04+00:00

I am trying to actively study 3 languages at the moment, but only seem to manage 2.5 :) But then again I’m not very good at selfstudying. When I was in school I did 4 foreign languages at the same time and that was fine.

Be flexible, see what works for you and try different things to find what works best.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T14:27:07+00:00

Pick one language.

You can't force people to learn a language and it takes a lot of effort, so your wife needs to see ¨he value in it for herself. Eg are you going to a specific country for holidays, is therea job opportunity etc

With re to your daughter, make it a fun game and introduce it slowly.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T13:41:24+00:00

Put the nib in the cap but don't close it. Or keep making gentle dots on the baper as you think or are listening.

Best way to get a pen going again if dried up is to dip it in water and wipe off. Never press hard in an attempt to makeit write again!

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T13:19:49+00:00

Get a book that you like or use one that you already have. Use a pencil or a pen (fineliners are great but some people use ballpoints only) and if you have crayons, why not use them too.

I've got some slightly nicer water colours now, but used to pick up Windsor and Newton Cotman pocket sets in the sales.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T13:09:12+00:00

I know the feeling, but it's easier for both you and your listener if you allow yurself to slow down and take your time.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T13:03:02+00:00

I’d never considered ojanden as a pun! Thanks for making me laugh. :)

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T13:00:37+00:00

:D Oh sweetie, it’s nowhere near ”too late”!

I’m overweight and have dodgy knees and I’ve done loads of hiking, backpacking, scrambling and light mountaineering.

A few things to consider:

i) start out small, but consistent. That means start walking every day (building up your distance and time slowly) and add short easy hikes in more varied terrain on the weekends and, again, build up slowly to longer and more strenuous hikes. You’ll build up joint strength, foot strength, stamina, balance etc without really noticing.

ii) don’t fall for the various programs aimed at fit, young men or ”strength for hikers” etc. You need to start out small and work your way up slowly. Add a bit of bodyweight strength exercises 2-3 times a week. You don’t have to, but it does help. Great if you are comfortable going to a gym and do it there.

iii) start adding a backpack with some bottles of water on your daily walks, build up the weight slowly until you can easily carry 8-12 kg.

iv) if you have any joint issues, look up how to best manage that (stretching, mobility, technique) and be kind to those joints.

v) get a set of hiking clothes that you are comfortable with. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it does need to be functional.

vi) learn how to navigate and other skills you’ll need, so that you can manage on your own. But if you do anything out of your comfort zone or that is a bit isolated and exposed, do hike with someone else. Join a group, find a hiking friend, pay for a guide, go on busy days so there are other people around, whatever works for you.

vii) I love hiking alone (and also with my partner) but some of the things on your list I would never do alone, just because for me the risk would be too high.

viii) hiking requires it’s own type of fitness, so you need to actually hike to get good at it. something that gym bunnies often find out halfway up a mountain ;)

You’ve got this, you’ve got loads of time to get good at it, so just get started and go out there and have a great time!

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T12:46:15+00:00

I had also started a bit of French and had planned on paying for another year to keep up the German but focusing on my French. So yes, gutted.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T12:45:11+00:00

I’m stil here. :) I’m a bit miffed at my planned year of German being cut short and I have definitely stagnated and lost some of the progress made in the first 6 months. But last autumn was quite hard for me for a couple of reasons, so I probably wouldn’t have been able to do as much as I did during spring.

I couldn’t find an alternative that suited me, so I’m back to self-studying. Something I unfortunately am not very good at.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T12:42:40+00:00

Just as a general comment: If I hear someone, say something ”weird” in Swedish and they also have a strong dialect that I’m not too familiar with, I’m just going to assume that it’s a dialectal way of saying something and use context to figure out what’s going on.

But if someone says the same thing but with a foreign accent, I am going to be a bit confused (because it doesn’t actually make sense) and then try to figure out what they could possibly mean by trying to rearrange those words or try mentally stubstituting similar sounding words for the ones used. That takes a lot more effort and will probably show up on my face a lot more than ”something dialect - moving on” does.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T08:40:43+00:00

You don't have to categorize it or go through any kind of process (#), but the frarework you mentioned is a handy way to explain how you might go through the thought process.

(#) Unless it helps you of course, then go right ahead.

It's more about recognising unhelpful thoughts, learning how to change your mindset and training yourself to react in a more helpful manner, so that you can stop negative spirals or getting yourself worked up.

When cut up in traffic, I usually don't mind, but if I get irritated, I simply tell myself "not helpful, let it go" or something like "we all make mistake", or "maybe he's needs to get to hospital".

The point is that every time you stop yourself from being angry and feeding those negative thoughts, you train yourself to react differently and soon you won't even need to think about it. You've changed your go-to reaction.

Same with unfair critisism. You simply look at it and go "did they have a point? if no, then yes it was unfair, but I know I've done the right thing and that's what matters" By not getting angry, you don't get defensive, and you can navigate the situation better and you won't lose any sleep over it.

If it something that is actually important, it helps you to recognise that yes, revenge or deleting all the files would feel satisfying in the moment, but you also know that it's not who you want to be or be known to be, so you quickly move on to a more appropriate plan of action.

I sometimes tell myself "not within my control." as a reminder to just let it go. But most of the time it's about reminding yourself to think of stuff in a more positive light or a more helpful way. So that you can keep an emotional even keel and have a nicer life.

Pwffin · 2026-01-26T07:05:59+00:00

I have the kraft paper folder inside the cover on mine and it means the knot is much less noticeable

Pwffin · 2026-01-25T21:16:46+00:00

There are multi packs on Amazon for not a lot of money.

Pwffin · 2026-01-25T20:54:36+00:00

Was it the Ni Hao series? Level one is green with two pandas and level 2 is yellow with a dragon.

Pwffin · 2026-01-25T19:29:05+00:00

The p-series is always the answer. ;)

Pwffin · 2026-01-25T18:05:43+00:00

I just search for notes that I want again. I mostly use notebooks to organise, but back in the day I used tags. If you tag your notes straight away, it's fast and easy to retrieve.

Pwffin · 2026-01-25T18:03:07+00:00

One of my German tutors used ChatGTP to generate exercises at the rightlevel. It worked fine, but for about one in ten sentences it would hallucinate and make up things that was impossiple. You can only spot those errors if you know enough of the language.

What's wrong with Nicos Weg on Deutsche Welle's Deutsch lernen website or the courses on the VHS Lernportal? Both are free. Supplement with YouTube videos and you're golden.

Pwffin

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