Amongst the many things Alex and I talked about, I remember discussing learning new languages and how it changes the way you think about the world. When I was 12, I developed an interest in learning French because we had one of those touristy "learn French" books at home, but I told myself I was too old, I mean, there were kids who've been learning it since they were born - that's 12 years ahead of me and I'd never catch up.

So as ridiculous as it seems (imagine if I actually did start learning French when I was 12), I won't let being "too old" ever be an excuse again. The thing about learning languages is that there is no downside. No one will ever react to you negatively for trying to speak their language, if anything, it opens up doors and helps you connect with people. I say this with first hand experience, having an acquaintance turn into a new friend because of a shared interest in a language (Norwegian, ahem, hi Beverly); speaking to strangers randomly and seeing their eyes light up in gentle amusement when I ask them if they are German in deutsche.

Honestly, I was so horrible in Chinese I believed myself for years to have zero flair for languages and still, I don't think I have any kind of natural ability - just a desire to learn, and that's the most important thing. I wish I learnt more relevant languages to where I live but I guess we can't choose what we are passionate about.

What next? Cantonese? French (finally)?