Are both the same? I caught them in an inappropriate way the other day. I walked in on them in an inappropriate way the other day.

A piano teacher asked me which song I was working on. I showed her the notation. She asked what language it was, and I said it was Mandarin Chinese, but written in the Wade–Giles romanization system. She then asked the name of the song. I answered, “Secret Fragrance.” “Sha Baoliang’s?” she asked. “Jiang Kui’s.” “Such an old song,” she said. “From the Southern Song dynasty.” Indeed. Every single winter, I can’t help myself from reciting Jiang Kui’s “Secret Fragrance.” “I sigh that the road is too long to send a blossom, and the evening snow begins to pile up.” She asked what instrument he had originally composed it for. I said, “The xiao flute.” “Jiang Kui was truly talented,” she said. “But it’s rare for someone as young as you to admire him so much.” “You can’t fully understand his lyrics,” I said, “unless you’ve experienced the life of an unemployed wanderer.” “He Xun now is gradually aging, And entirely forgets the lyric brush inspired by the spring wind.” Then she played another score that Jiang Kui had rediscovered (Nishang Zhongxu Diyi). I especially love the lyrics to this one, which he wrote when he was nearing his end. However, this classical music had seriously declined.

So to start my mother's 20s were full of responsibilities. She got married off very young. After marriage she had to give up many things as life became about duties. Back then and even now to some extent women were expected to live for others. My mother lived exactly that life. She wanted to study further and pursue her interests. After marriage, she did try but as expectations from the extended family grew, those things stop, there was no space left and no encouragement either. She gave me a very different upbringing from the one she had. Maybe that’s why, if I could go back in time, I want her to experience this side of life too. From my memories and photos of her from that age- she was slim, big dark eyes, long black wavy hair and mostly wore sarees and kurti, and red bangles. She didn’t wear much makeup, if any at all. I’d want her to try things which were different from norm. I’d want her to cut her hair short and try western clothes (maybe western dresses). I’d want to travel to western countries with her and experience a different kind of world where society is different and women have more of independence in daily life. And perhaps she might connect with that culture and feel more emotionally safe in that society than this like I do. She has been deeply spiritual from a young age, and I’ve often wondered what made her that way so early in life. Maybe circumstances or the need for strength when life didn’t give many choices. If I could go back, I’d want to understand that side of her better. I’d want to ask her what she believed in and what gave her peace. When you’re a child, you don’t really see your parents properly..you just know them as parents. I’d want to understand her personality, and how she saw the world back then.

Tips for Learning Russian Effectively Learning Russian can feel challenging, but the right approach makes a big difference. Here are three simple tips that help learners stay motivated and make real progress. Start with Light Content Begin with easy and enjoyable materials like cartoons, short videos, or simple shows. Visual context helps you understand meaning without translating every word, and it makes learning feel natural rather than overwhelming. Listen to Russian Songs Music is a powerful learning tool. Songs help you get used to pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation, while common phrases are easier to remember through repetition. Even passive listening builds language intuition over time. Take Regular Lessons Consistency matters more than intensity. Regular lessons help you stay focused, correct mistakes early, and build confidence step by step. Even short but frequent sessions are more effective than rare, long ones. Learning Russian is a journey, and small daily habits lead to big results. Which of these tips do you already use in your Russian studies?

Have you heard of the idiom, "to hit the hay"? Check your understanding with this quiz question.

Japanese is T+P. It's often said that English is S+V+O, while Japanese is S+O+V. Sometimes it happens to be that way. Then how do you explain this sentence? “Cherry blossoms 'wa' beautiful.” This is correct Japanese. It's not an omission. This sentence has no verb 😮 S+V+O is a Western way of thinking. You shouldn't force it onto Japanese. Japanese is Topic + Predicate. T (topic, theme) + P (predicate) Once you understand this, sentences like “Tokyo 'wa' 3 o'clock.” “I 'wa' an eel.” make perfect sense. The foundation of Japanese is Topic + 'wa' + Predicate + (da, desu). “da” and “desu” are auxiliary verbs, not verbs. Furthermore, as in the example above, sentences can be formed without “da” or “desu”. Once you grasp this, you won't need to ask “What is 'wa'?”

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