There are many reasons why you need to prepare to teach conversation classes. It turns out that conversation classes are more demanding to teach. Plus it’s harder to keep students engaged and happy.

A successful interview lesson plan ideal to get students who are new to each other talking.

From the moment I came across the Japanese language, I was hooked on Japan. Learning a little of the language allowed me to do two month-long trips by myself - a solo female traveller in Japan - and I could not have enjoyed them more.

I've had to taper down from or suddenly stop a number of medications now. Each medication is very different in the tapering and withdrawal effects (or lack thereof), and each time it seems to get harder.

Back when I had a nine or so month bout with urticaria (hives), I tried all sorts of things to soothe the itching, to prevent infection, and to speed up healing the skin. One of the rabbit holes I fell into was aromatherapy.

My GP has agreed with me - methotrexate isn't working. In fact, it's made my life a lot worse through the headaches. Movement and sunlight leave me in whimpering heaps, worse after taking each weekly dose.

Having moved overseas, now twice, I get asked a lot of questions from my language students, mostly about why I decided to move, how I organized the move, what things I miss from my home town.

This is my true story of how a bookworm and budding fiction writer stopped reading and was shocked at how it affected and stunted her writing.

Being understandable is a good thing, even if your academic supervisors criticise you for it.

In recent months (or years), it has felt like the Evernote interface and apps have stalled. I've documented the switch to remind myself how painful software developers make change.