Practicing Both Accents Now

It was a relatively uneventful day at the office yesterday, which is actually a good thing. It probably has to do with the fact that all three of us who handle our clients’ orders are back at work. I was able to perform my tasks at a calm pace without feeling stressed, which felt fantastic for a change.

During lunch break, I went home to prepare dinner for the upcoming two days. This time, I chose pork, ginger, garlic, mushroom, black fungus, and a Chinese vegetable that I don’t know the name of as the ingredients. I cut them into thin slices and stored them in the fridge.

When I came back in the evening, I stir-fried them together in a frying pan. Typically, I cook my meat and vegetables on a low heat, as I previously learned in a book that heating food at low temperatures for an extended period of time allows the flavors of the ingredients to fully come out.

As expected, yesterday’s dinner turned out delicious, and what’s more, I’m going to cook the exact same dish again tonight. Although my repertoire is still very limited, I’m proud to say that my cooking skills have been improving slowly but surely.

Yesterday evening after work, I stopped by The Coffee Bean near the office to study some English. I reviewed my previous journal entry and compared it to the proofread versions in American and British English generated by ChatGPT.

I not only copied my preferred proofread version into my notebook, but also practiced reading the different versions aloud using both American and British accents. Since I’m less experienced with a British accent compared to American, I searched for sample sound clips on the YouGlish website whenever I felt uncertain about how to pronounce certain words and phrases in British English.

When I was having my English lesson last night after dinner, my Canadian teacher, Sean, commended me for the improvement I’ve made in my British accent. It was hugely encouraging. My pronunciation practice is obviously paying off, and I’d like to continue perfecting both accents.

Still Having a Cold

My cold symptoms are still persisting, and I spent most of yesterday lying in bed, trying to recuperate. Fortunately, after a good night’s sleep, now my head is feeling a bit less fuzzy and my muscle pains have somewhat subsided.

Speaking of muscle pains, on the very rare occasions where I feel extreme tightness of muscles around my shoulders due to stress, I visit a massage parlor for a full-body massage. It does make my muscles feel much more relaxed, but I don’t think I should go there this time as I believe that my muscle pains are triggered by my cold instead of stress.

If I went ahead to get a massage, it might even make my condition worse, by helping the pathogen circulate throughout my body. The best thing to do at a time like this is stay as inactive as you can and focus on resting.

By the way, it’s my personal belief that if you don’t have much of an appetite when you’re unwell, you shouldn’t force yourself to eat anything. I’m not a doctor, so I could very well be wrong on this, but as a practitioner of intermittent fasting for nearly five years, I believe that being in a state of hunger can do your body a whole lot of good, like clearing the fogginess of your head and facilitating production of the growth hormone.

Since I didn’t feel up to doing anything mentally taxing yesterday, apart from writing a journal entry in the morning, I didn’t do any studying. Instead, I watched a few YouTube videos on learning how to practice English pronunciation.

My favorite YouTubers who specialize in teaching English are Antonio Parlati from Italy and Inna from Belarus, both of whom speak English with remarkable fluency with virtually zero accent, despite being born and raised in non-English speaking environments. I value their learning tips from a non-native speaker’s perspective.

In terms of methodology, both of them mention the shadowing technique, which is obviously the most go-to method for perfecting your accent. Apart from that, Antonio also stresses the importance of recording your own voice and listening to it to identify areas for improvement in your accent.

I have tried the shadowing technique before, but have been reluctant to record my own voice as I find it extremely embarrassing. But to achieve my dream of speaking English with no accent, maybe I really need to pluck up the courage to take that additional step. Facing and overcoming your fears is the secret to attaining success in any endeavor.

Having a Cold Today

Since yesterday morning, I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather. I must be having a cold - my muscles are mildly aching, and my head feels a bit fuzzy. I took it easy at the office and performed my tasks a little more slowly than usual, so that I wouldn’t make a mistake. Given my physical condition, I obtained permission from my boss to work from home in the afternoon. Thankfully, my work-from-home setup functioned properly, so there wasn’t much impact on my work quality.

Typically, on Friday, I do three major housework tasks - to vacuum my apartment, to do the dishes, and to wash the laundry. Fortunately, I rely on machines to complete all these things, so all I need to do is wake up a bit earlier than usual and make the necessary arrangements in the morning for the machines to work successfully.

Take vacuuming, for example. To make it easier for my Roomba, the robotic vacuum cleaner, to move around in the apartment, I put away several pieces of furniture. While I am at the office, I operate the Roomba remotely and vacuum the apartment twice in a row. When I go home during lunch break, I put my pieces of furniture back into their original positions. It’s a rather tiring process, but it’s still a lot less work than if I had to do the vacuuming myself.

Yesterday, despite me feeling a bit unwell, I completed all these housework tasks, so there are no additional things to do around the house over the weekend. I will focus on recuperating and refrain from doing anything strenuous, including working out at the gym. I’m thinking of reading The New Yorker magazine that I bought a few days ago. The issue I bought features articles on Jim Jordan and Xi Jinping, both of whom I find fascinating.

Other than that, I’m thinking of studying some French using the textbook I bought in Japan. This textbook focuses primarily on grammar, without much emphasis on vocabulary. Since it comes with complimentary MP3 sound files of recordings by a native speaker, it’s an excellent material with which to practice French pronunciation. I’m roughly halfway through this textbook now; when I finish it, I’m thinking of learning vocabulary in earnest.

My goal is to become able to read novels and enjoy movies in French without feeling the urge to look up words in the dictionary. While I’m fully aware that my French knowledge does nothing to boost my professional career, understanding French does enrich my life immensely, so I’m determined to keep on learning.

Came Back from Melbourne

Last night, I flew back to Singapore from my week-long vacation in Melbourne, Australia. The flight was about seven hours long, and it was mostly smooth and turbulence-free. I flew with Qantas, Australia’s most popular airline, both to and from Melbourne. The service level was quite decent, and I will definitely consider flying with them again.

One thing I liked about Qantas was that they provide an in-flight high-speed wifi service free of charge while flying in Australia’s airspace, which is a significant amount of time given the massive land mass of this country. During the flight, I got a WhatsApp message from my new friend Chris, whom I got acquainted with in Melbourne this time. It warmed my heart to hear from him, and I shot back a message to him immediately.

Another thing I liked was that their fold-out table comes with an ergonomically designed metal flap against which I can place a smartphone or tablet, allowing me to view the screen at a comfortable angle. With this feature, I had quite a pleasant experience reading from my mobile Kindle and watching Netflix shows on my iPad.

Speaking of reading, during my stay in Melbourne, I read an interesting book by Shion Kabasawa (樺沢紫苑 ), a Japanese psychiatrist. The book, titled 脳のパフォーマンスを最大まで引き出す 神・時間術, which translates to Miraculous Time Management Method to Optimize Your Brain Performance, is about how to use your brain power in the healthiest and most effective way within the 24-hour time frame of the day.

According to Kabasawa, the several hours after you wake up in the morning is the most precious time of the day because your brain is the freshest, and should therefore be reserved for creative activities, such as writing and studying. From this perspective, it makes more sense for me to write my journal entry in English in the morning, as it’s quite an exacting activity that requires substantial brain power and creativity.

Another thing that I found interesting was the significant roles that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems play, in terms of switching your body between activity mode and rest mode. When you wake up in the morning with sleepy eyes, you’re still in rest mode, and your parasympathetic nervous system is dominant. It gradually gives way to activity mode as your sympathetic nervous system gains dominance. The opposite occurs when you go to bed at night.

In the book, Kabasawa mentions that one relatively easy way to switch your body from rest to activity mode is to take a hot shower right after you wake up in the morning. A hot shower helps you raise your body temperature by a few degrees, facilitating the activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

Following his advice, this morning, I hit the shower right after I woke up, and immediately afterward, I began writing this journal entry before doing anything else. This journal entry is already stretching longer than my usual entries, so maybe this method works, though it needs to be tested several times to verify its efficacy.

Now that I’m concluding today’s journal entry, I need to get to the daunting tasks of unpacking my suitcases and washing my dirty laundry from the Melbourne trip. Luckily, today is Sunday, so I can rest for one day before returning to work tomorrow.

Melbourne, Here I Come!

This evening, I am flying to Melbourne, Australia for a week-long vacation. My plane is taking off at 11:40 p.m., so I need to get to the airport at least two hours in advance, at 9:40 p.m. I’ve always been a slow packer, and typically, I pack until the very last minute. However, this time, I want to pack well in advance for a change, and get to the airport earlier. I’ve always liked to hang around at Singapore’s Changi Airport, where there are numerous nice shops to browse. I’ll probably chill at Starbucks at some point, doing some reading while savoring a latte.

By the way, I won’t be renting a car during this trip, unlike my previous two trips to Melbourne. Initially, I wanted to drive to the Twelve Apostles via Great Ocean Road, but unfortunately, no car was available for renting for the dates I wanted. So, I’ve decided to participate in a guided bus tour to the Twelve Apostles instead. While the bus tour won’t allow me to enjoy the sights at my own leisurely pace, it does free me up from the burden of driving, which is really good, given that I’m not that skilled at driving. Aside from the Twelve Apostles, I’ll take another bus tour to the Yarra Valley to visit a few wineries. Although I’m not exactly an oenophile, I do like red wine, so I’m looking forward to the winery visit.

On top of these bus trips, while in Melbourne I’m planning to visit a gigantic suburban shopping mall to purchase some clothes. It’ll be a good opportunity for me to improve my wardrobe, so I might stay there for an extended period of time to engage in some serious shopping. Sure, I could do the same thing here in Singapore, but somehow I never get to do it over the weekends as I prefer to avoid crowds. Plus, other priorities always get in the way, like grocery shopping and visits to bookstores. I don’t know if I’ll ever become a good dresser, but I won’t become one unless I try, so we’ll see how it goes at this shopping mall.

Apples of Different Sizes and Shapes

Yesterday, we had a particularly busy and stressful day at the office, since there were only three of us to cover the desk. To make things worse, our systems didn’t work very well, so we wasted quite a bit of time trying to accomplish some very simple tasks.

I had to shorten my lunch break from the usual two hours to just one to handle the increased workload, and stayed overtime for an extra hour just to make sure that I’ve completed all my tasks. Fortunately, no major errors occurred yesterday.

I usually go to the nearest coffee shop after work to relax and do some reading, but I went straight home last night since it was already late. I cooked penne for dinner, which turned out quite delicious. I’ll cook the same thing for dinner tonight, since I cut the meat and vegetables for two portions yesterday.

While preparing dinner, I caught an episode of an old Japanese television series, named ふぞろいの林檎たち Fuzoroi No Ringo Tachi, which translates as Apples of Different Sizes and Shapes in English. Season 1 of the show was aired in 1983, when I was nine years old.

Back then, I couldn’t watch the entire series because I missed the live broadcast of an episode here and there, but I remembered it being very interesting. Last night I watched the final episode of Season 1, and at one point I was moved to tears.

Once again, I was impressed by its excellent quality, whether it be the convincing performance of the actors, the intriguing plot, or the messages conveyed to viewers. It made me want to watch the season from beginning to end.

Although I went to bed by midnight, I somehow woke up at around 4:30 a.m., so I applied for the visa for Australia in preparation for my upcoming trip to Melbourne commencing this Saturday. The application procedure was not difficult at all, and I was granted a tourist visa in a matter of a few minutes. Now that I have arranged my plane ticket, hotel reservation, travel insurance and visa, I’m almost fully prepared for the trip. I am eagerly anticipating this journey.

Watched House of Cards Again

Yesterday evening after work, I headed to the Starbucks at the Bugis Junction shopping mall near my apartment, where I studied some English.

As usual, I transcribed my previous journal entry into my notebook by hand. What I transcribe is not my original writing, but the version that’s been proofread by ChatGPT using natural English. This act of transcribing by hand enables me to identify areas for improvement in my own writing far more effectively than if I just glanced through the proofread version.

When I am done transcribing, I commit all amendments to memory by reading the proofread version a few more times. I stop only when I can reproduce the proofread version perfectly by merely looking at my original version. The whole process takes me at least an hour.

Afterward, I went upstairs to the gym and had a workout. It had been a while since my previous gym visit, so I avoided any strenuous workout for fear that my body wouldn’t be able to cope. I walked on the treadmill while watching an episode of House of Cards, a Netflix show.

Speaking of which, for me personally, House of Cards is a great show with which to study spoken English. Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, who play the two central characters, speak with remarkable enunciation that can serve as a model for my own speech. I’m currently watching Season 3, so I still have a long way to go before I finish.