Input and Output

To keep up and develop your language skill,
you might think (or at least i used to think just simply) the best way is to speak in that language when communicating with others.
but you start forgetting that language because you don't live in that country anymore and lost opportunity to speak and listen so that your hearing skill would be maintained naturally.
well, that was MY own excuse of being too lazy to stick with language learning for the past 3 years till now when Mr.N gave me some training advise:
it is certainly important to speak in that language (output) but there is always a limit of vocabs and phrases if the communicators are not native speakers.
so this is where 'input' plays its role.
just read, read, read, read, read... whatever you're interested in to start with (input) in order to enrich your vocabs and expressions you might need for communicating.
then write, write, write, write, write... (output) so that you can easily find the missing expression you might want to use and forced to go and get the missing word you're looking for (in a dictionary etc).

so here is the 4 basic ways that everyone knows already...
(but is annoyed to continue because you can't see the result).
#1 speak with friends/family with that language > output
#2 listen, listen, listen > input
#3 read, read, read > input
#4 write, write, write > output

here is what i do ...
#1 speak > try to find and speak with native friends (once a month)
#2 listen > films, news (3times a week)
#3 read > TIME magazines, novels (everyday)
#4 write > mails (everyday), BLOG!!

Quitters never win, winners never quit.