Besides resonating with the Zen philosophy, another reason why I chose Zen as the name for this blog is also my affinity with Japanese culture and language.

Having been a fan of J-dramas for many years and a struggling language learner for almost as many years, I have never progressed enough to be able to converse fluently. This may be because although I have had a lot of input, I had never tried to output any of the materials I passively absorbed over the years.

It is both frustrating and embarrassing to admit, and the feeling is intensified each time I promised myself that this time it’ll be different.

Hence, my intention for this year will be to increase the amount of output (verbal and written communication) in order to speed up my language absorption.

One thing I would like to attempt is to record interesting phrases I encounter while learning, in order to help me recall them better. As I improve my reading, writing and speaking ability, I hope to create more output in Japanese as well. That may be a pretty far-fetched goal, but a journey of a thousand steps has to start somewhere, right? 😊

Here’s my first phrase:

“Three-Day Monk” (三日坊主) – mikka bouzu

This refers to someone whose enthusiasm fizzles out after a short period of time. Heard about this phrase in a podcast about motivation, and somehow it really resonated after I googled it.

Have to admit I am guilty of being like that, and maybe that is the reason why I am a Jack of all trades in my career. This trait is something I don’t like about myself, so it is also a reminder to correct this habit by sticking to things I start.

More details about the concept here: