Join Martin in Scotland

image copyright M Drury/JOIN MARTIN 2008

JOIN MARTIN IN SCOTLAND: Ok, so I'm not the best photographer in the world. The photo is of me wearing the JOIN MARTIN CHALLENGE T SHIRT (designed by my sister and printed by a wonderful shop in Hereford). I'm standing near Waverley Station in Edinburgh. In the background you can see your buses, Princes Street and- if you walked up from where I'm standing- you'd end up on the Royal Mile. Edinburgh Dungeon is a little to the right of me and across the road.

I want to use my trip to Edinburgh as a starting point to begin a discussion on who we really are as people. What stops us from expressing ourselves? Of course, if we all expressed ourselves fully 100% of the time, the world would erupt into chaos. Rules, regulations and laws are there for a reason (most of the time). But stop for a minute and ask yourself this question: who am I really?

Because Edinburgh showed me the person I really was, just as North Wales had done to the younger version of me during the university days. I realised that so much of who I am is contained because I don't trust myself or I worry about what other people think. My sister remarked that I sometimes seem to focus on the negative and happiness doesn't show up in my facial features, even when I'm ecstatic. I'm not about to change who I am for anyone but there is some truth that accusation and the reason behind is that I'm worried. Many have called me a powerful personality over the years and I guess I've been afraid that expressing myself fully and letting go of worries and enjoying myself would somehow hurt other people. And I cannot tolerate even the thought of causing another person harm even in an emotional sense.

But things are changing. The benevolent thump of the Celtic Heart is back and something in the pit of my belly tells me that, whatever happens, Edinburgh is the right place to be. Beautiful, friendly, dramatic, awe inspiring, amazing and breath taking. That is the Scottish capital. Dear Edinburgh, you'll be seeing a lot more of me in the coming months. Thank you for a wonderful holiday.

And to the readers of this blog I say this: it's time to enjoy yourself (within all laws and regulations of course). It's time to let go and bit and trust, even when things seem difficult or challenging. Time to learn a new language, time to make a new friend, time to travel, time to discover, time to reveal the real you.

The Olympics

THE OLYMPICS: The Olympics are nearly upon us and now is good a time as any to start learning Chinese. So get ready for JOIN MARTIN's CHINESE CHALLENGE. I'll be learning as much Chinese (Mandarin) as I can and posting phrases of the day and reviewing the best ways and techniques to learn Chinese. Stay tuned and thanks for your support.

Scottish Spanish?

Here's a Spanish phrase (content copyright BBC) that sounds just a "wee bit" Scottish (well, the translation does)

Un pelín (*) Lit. a tiny hair, meaning a very little bit, often used to soften your statement.
¿Puedes bajar la tele un pelín? Can you turn the telly down a wee bit?

4000 people JOIN MARTIN

4000 people JOIN MARTIN

Great News! Over 4000 people have visited this blog since its creation a few months ago. Hello to any readers from Edinburgh and thank you for a wonderful stay in your wonderful city. I shall return very soon.

After my week long holiday (travelling all over the place and mentioning JOIN MARTIN every chance I got), the blog is back and I've got some great new posts lined up. Stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled.

Passion

image copyright Steve G Jones 2008

PASSION: What is your passion? No, I'm not talking about that. What would you pay to do? What would get you up at 5am even on a weekend? I ask because this has been a week of questioning motivation, confidence, satisfaction at work and a week where one person close to me was forced to question precisely what his passion is. Of course, we've all been there at one or another. Learning as many languages as possible in just 1 year sounds like a mad idea and it is. I knew the risks. I knew I might have so much information in my head that I might crack and lose my marbles. I knew I might fail. Not only that, I knew I might fail in dramatic, spectacular fashion: learning just one or two languages up to a conversational level and barely improving my French.

I knew the risks. I saw the drop from my position high on the cliff...but I still jumped. Even if you fall you were, for a brief, wonderful second, soaring like an eagle.

I'm a stubborn person. Most people are sensible when it comes to starting out as a freelance journalist: they get a staff job, work their way up, network and make contacts they can use to help their careers advance once they take the plunge into freelancing. What did I do? I just decided to set myself up as a freelance journalist. Published in national magazines, a former local newspaper columnist and a piece on BBC Online means I haven't done too badly for myself so far but what was it that made me see all the risks but still jump in? I saw the risks. I have my moments but I am a sensible, methodical, cautious person to the point of OCD: if I tell you the door is locked, it's locked because I've checked it 17 times in half an hour. So why did I throw caution to the wind? Why did I "just do it anyway"?

Well, I'll tell you: the risks were big but not as big as the rewards and the feeling I would get if I succeeded. The opportunities and rewards were worth rolling the dice. The way they drive around where I live, I could be run down the moment I step outside my front door. But I still go outside. I am not advocating senseless disregarding of risks and I urge people to take proper safety precautions and evaluate risks when they present themselves.

Back in 1997, my life fell apart. Everything went wrong and everything collapsed around me. I thought there was nothing left and I thought nothing good would come from my life. But that wasn't the end of the story and, no matter how bad things get, the story will go on and there will be other chapters. There will be good times, there will be laughter, there will be new places, new people, new loves. Whether your run from a challenge or stand and fight, there will be another day and these difficulties which so dominate your life right now will become memories from the past and lose their power to harm you.

So, with that in my mind, why not learn a new language? Why not roll the dice? Failure and feedback are so close together that one can be mistaken for the other. Even if you don't get the desired result, what you do get might be even better. Fortune favours the brave. Be prepared. Be prepared to jump (just to be clear, I'm talking metaphorically here) and be prepared to fall.

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Mary Had A Little Lamb: One of the best ways to learn a new language is through song. So, with that in mind, here's Mary Had A Little Lamb in Japanese.

Girls Aloud

Girls Aloud: Here's the French version of "I can't speak French" by UK band, Girls Aloud. The French isn't great and it is hard to make out some of the words and yes, they are contradicting themselves by saying they can't speak French whilst speaking French but...let's face it...Nadine's in the video so I could personally forgive pretty much anything else in the video. And yes, I own a Girls Aloud album. Just the 1. It was a review copy sent to me. No, I am not 14 or a girl. I don't like all of their songs and I've never been to a Girls Aloud gig. But some of their songs are good. You be the judge on this one.