35the age I got serious about English
~950,000Anki reviews of English words
6th trypassed Eiken Grade Pre-1 (Nov 2024)
Since 2021talking with native tutors online
TOPICS
What I write about
Four main topics. Start wherever you like.
🖥️PC and office tricksFolders, Excel and Windows. Small ways to make everyday office work faster.Desk Work →
🇬🇧Relearning English from 35The Eiken test, dictionaries, Anki and places to practice speaking.English →Conversation →
🗄️NAS, gadgets and travelMy Synology at home, phones, and a first solo trip to the UK.Synology →Tech Talk →Travel →
POPULAR
Popular posts
The English posts people read most last month (updated monthly).
ROADMAP
My English journey in five steps
How I have been relearning English since 35, in the order I would read it.
STEP1
Test
Check where I stand with the Eiken test
I failed Grade Pre-1 five times and passed on the sixth try. What the test is like, and what I did between attempts.
STEP2
Words
Look words up well, then keep them
The learner’s dictionary I settled on, and shadowing cards in Anki made automatically from English news.
STEP3
Speak
Use the English out loud
Living in Japan, you have to look for places to speak. Here are the seven I have actually used.
STEP4
Study
Find a place that keeps me going
Sometimes I take a train to a town I don’t know and study English at a quiet café.
STEP5
Travel
Finally, a first trip to an English-speaking country
Eight years into English and never been abroad to use it, so I booked a solo trip to the UK.
NEW
New posts
New English posts show up here automatically.
- JAL Card and Google Wallet: Why My JAL Visa (and QUICPay) Won’t Work on Android
- Shadowing English News with Anki: Auto-Made Cards in 3 Accents, Updated (Part 5)
- Edge TTS 403 Error Fix: When openai-edge-tts on Synology Stops Making Audio
- How to Pass Eiken Pre-1: A Working Adult Who Failed 5 Times Passed on the 6th Try with S-CBT
- Claude Code Security: I Moved Every Key to the macOS Keychain
- How to Update Tailscale on a Synology NAS: The Package Center Won’t Do It for You
ABOUT
Written by Suitman
An office worker in Japan who has worked in three very different fields: education, manufacturing and sales. Once I get hooked on something, I keep at it every day. I have been reviewing English words in Anki for almost nine years.
