How did I get a B1 for the Deutsche Welle German placement test?

So I took the German language placement test [http://einstufungstest.dw.de] from Deutsche Welle today for CEFR Level B1. It had 30 questions that covered listening comprehension, reading, and controlled writing sections. Answers were true/false and gap fill. You could listen to the spoken parts for a maximum of three times. Only speaking wasn't tested.

I scored 76% overall. Took about an hour and twelve minutes to finish the test. Passing mark is 60% overall, if you score 80% or more it recommends you go for B2. For me, it said, "If you would like to continue improving your German, you should enroll for a format that is now starting towards the B2 level."

What does this mean? What implications does it have for me?

Up to now I've never taken any formal classes in German. Everything I've done has been through self-study. I rely a lot on Internet resources although I do have hardcopies of books and some reference material. I've never been to any German-speaking country, I don't have a German girlfriend, and I have no exposure to actual use of the language. All I have is the Internet, YouTube, reference text and audio, plus whatever I can get from online media.

Not being an auditory learner, I only listen to stuff if I have to, and I did a lot of listening otherwise I wouldn't understand the spoken language. Listening comprehension in any language is one of my weakest points and I really have to work very, very hard to stay "alive". Speaking also, because I'm a very quiet person by nature and don't talk unless I have to.

I'm more of a visual learner - I have to see the written text to understand and remember better. That's why I'm more towards reading a lot. Reading has been one of my hobbies since young, specifically in English. So I use my strength in this area to improve my German through reading as much as I can. I choose topics of interest which are the same things I'd read in English, except hardcore technical or classical literature. Normally I don't read entertainment or celebrity stuff in English but I do so in German.

Let's see what I've done to come this far. What worked for me, and what I could have done better?

I got hold of a wordlist with about 2400 German words (the DTZ = Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer.) [http://www.goethe.de/lhr/pro/daz/dfz/dtz_Wortliste.pdf] Available for public use, it's aimed at integration courses for immigrants to Germany and its level is around A2-B1. Every word has several example sentences in simple German to show its meaning in context. And this book is entirely in German - 100% Deutsch. No English or any other language at all.

So what I did was, I copied out every sentence by hand. Yes. I handwrote them all. About 10,000 sentences. Filled in two A4-size exercise books in two or three weeks, I think. At first I wrote English translations in the wordlist printout. As I reached the halfway point, I realised I didn't have to write English words anymore because the repeated exposure had gotten the German words into my mind. I wore out a couple of ballpoint pens in the process. Discovered through trial and error that it's well worth spending a few extra dollars on pens that are comfortable to hold and have better quality ink.

I went to Memrise and found two wordlists:

http://www.memrise.com/course/44392/zertifikat-deutsch-wortliste/
Zertifikat Deutsch Wortliste
The official word list from the Zertifikat Deutsch B1 exam. (About 2400 words)

http://www.memrise.com/course/920/5000-german-words-top-87/
5000 German Words (top 87%)

Then I used the Goldlist Method to learn them.
Summary explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixxq8moh4pg
Detailed explanation: http://berrjod.no/goldlist/
Explanation from the originator: https://huliganov.tv/goldlist-eu/

Luckily I had bought several 200-page A4-size exercise books from Popular bookstore with 35 lines per page for Goldlisting the German vocabulary. I did this intensively over a period of three months from January to March 2016. Yeah, I probably wrote too many words in some days, but I feel it's better for me to cram whenever I can because when I get busy with things later I won't have time.

I opened up the grammar book from Teach Yourself: "German Grammar You Really Need to know" by Jenny Russ. I copied out by hand the "Ten things to remember" for every chapter in the book, and also example sentences, texts, and dialogues into my pocketbook which contains all my German language learning notes compiled from various sources.

I went to https://www.youtube.com/user/smartergerman on YouTube and watched all the videos in Michael Schmitz' A1-B1 German Grammar Course. Highly recommended! Michael has the ability to explain the complexities of German grammar in an easy-to-understand way. He also introduces memory techniques to remember those key concepts and knows what's important at which level.  I took down notes for every video and recopied the notes by hand into another exercise book.

I went to About.com and checked out their articles on learning German.
http://german.about.com/

I checked out http://germanforenglishspeakers.com/ for their grammar explanations.

I also checked out http://www.thegermanprofessor.com/ for its presentation of important areas such as the top 500 German words and top 100 German verbs.

I looked up the preview pages of Glossika's German Fluency 1, 2, and 3 and hand-copied whatever sentences they had in the preview. If you buy their package, you have 3000 sentences in audio and text format to listen and refer to.

I transcribed several Helene Fischer interviews sourced from YouTube. Helene has a very beautiful voice, both in speaking and singing, and I believe it's a good model for language learners in terms of accent, intonation and refined presentation.

I made use of Google Translate, German Wiktionary, online verb conjugators, and good old hardcopy dictionaries.

I read the tabloid newspaper Bild [www.bild.de] every day on my mobile phone. At least a few German news articles a day to keep my reading skills alive.

I went to YouTube and searched for Helene Fischer, Carolin Kebekus, Luke Mockridge, and other celebrities. Songs, interviews, comedies. Documentaries like Die Sendung mit der Maus. Dramas like Tatort, Hilf mir - jung, pleite, verzweifelt!, Das Traumschiff ...

If the people talk too fast I either use Audacity to slow down the speed or just rewind and playback until I get that part right. Else I turn on the subtitles in German if available.

Deutsche Welle [www.dw.de] has a lot of good stuff in their Video-Thema but I haven't gotten to that yet. I've yet to check out talk shows.

I might have missed out some websites or things I did, but this is what I can remember off the cuff for now.

What should I do now?

It would be good to look at the B2 and C1 levels. I've sought out advice on how to study for the B2 and C1 levels respectively, and some people on the Internet have given very helpful information on what to expect and how to study for them.

I would also need to find someone to speak with, otherwise my speaking will never improve. In the meantime I'll just have to do much more active, intensive listening and transcription exercises. Reading is no problem for me so I'll continue doing what I've been doing.

Anni Perka - Bitte melde dich lyrics & video

Anni Perka - Bitte melde dich (offizielles Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS-15hSpp2E
[Length: 3:44]

[I couldn't find the lyrics anywhere so I listened to the music video a couple of times and typed out the song text. It should be 90% accurate, but I'm sure I missed out something somewhere. Let me know about any mistakes and I'll correct them. Thanks.]

Ich hatte niemals gedacht das wieso was passiert
Das mein koolest Herz die verstandt und die kommt verliert
Ich weiß nicht vorhin das so führt
Große Gefühl taeg gefällt ist iniert
Was heiterem hier mö verliebt
Verrückt nach dir

Ab dich hat zu Augen verlor in der Hitze der Rat
Der Wai ja die ich alles der schönes gedacht
Der heb und mittags und gelacht
Die Feuer gespielt und ist angefahrt
Von Flugel in mir nach gelacht
Zusammen aufgewacht

Bitte melde dich
Hörst du mich
Wo bist du
Ich suche dich
Bitte melde dich
Melde dich bei mir

Bitte melde dich
Hörst du mich
Wo bist du
Ich suche dich
Bitte melde dich
Melde dich bei mir

Ich für dich wiedersehen und immer verliert

Ein Stunde lang ohne ein dir ich die Strasse gehört
Mit Tränen in Augen verlor ganz allein nur verführt
Suche nicht und ein Million
Ich find nie ich nur allein mit du dir
Mein Herz hat es polymution 
Die hypnotisiert 

Bitte melde dich
Hörst du mich
Wo bist du
Ich suche dich
Bitte melde dich
Melde dich bei mir

Bitte melde dich
Hörst du mich
Wo bist du
Ich suche dich
Bitte melde dich
Melde dich bei mir

Ich für dich wiedersehen und immer verliert

Bitte melde dich
Ruf mich an
Damit ich wieder schlafen kann
Bitte melde dich
Melde dich bei mir

Bitte melde dich
Hörst du mich
Wo bist du
Ich suche dich
Bitte melde dich
Melde dich bei mir

Ich für dich wiedersehen und immer verliert

Ich geb nie auf (Am Anfang war das Feuer)

[English: I Never Give Up (In the Beginning was the Fire)]

German lyrics and English translation from

http://lyricstranslate.com/en/ich-geb-nie-auf-am-anfang-war-das-feuer-i-never-give-beginning-was-fire.html

Music Videos: [Singer: Helene Fischer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBfbMKNBF7U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYMbWrmeSlc

Am Anfang war das Feuer

In the beginning was the fire

so heiss wie ein Vulkan

so hot as a volcano,

in deinem Blick war pure Zärtlichkeit

in your look was pure tenderness.

und als die Sonne aufging

And as the sun came up

war alles um uns her

all around us

als ob die Welt neugeboren wär.

was as if the world was reborn.

Deine Nähe ist mir heute so vertraut

Today being near you is so familiar to me,

aber wo ist dieses Kribbeln auf der Haut

but where is that tingling on the skin?

Ich geb nie auf

I never give up,

und ich glaub an grosse Träume

and I believe in great dreams,

denn oft ist in der Asche

because often in the ashes,

noch immer etwas Glut

there is always some glow yet.

wenn du es willst

If you wish it

fangen Rosen an zu blühen

roses start to bloom,

komm fang mit mir noch einmal an

come begin with me again,

weil ich an uns noch glauben kann

because I can still believe in us

komm flieg mit mir noch einmal hoch hinauf

Come fly high with me yet again,

ich geb nie auf

I never give up.

Am Anfang war das Feuer

In the beginning was the fire,

nicht nur für eine Nacht

not just for one night

was haben wir für Pläne oft gemacht

What kind of plans did we often make?

wir suchten neue Sterne

We searched for new stars,

die keiner vor uns sah

which no one saw before us

daß so ein Glück für immer hält, war klar

that so a happiness stays forever, was clear

wenn ich heute Nacht in deinen Armen frier

if I freeze in your arms tonight,

bin ich einsam und ich such den Grund dafür

I am lonely and I search for its reason.

Ich geb nie auf

I never give up,

und ich glaub an grosse Träume

and I believe in great dreams

Of gossipers and toxic people

You know what? Gossipers never ask me about things, but they tend to ask those who interacted with me before. And from there they jump to their own conclusions.

-----
M's advice on this topic and related stuff:

Meet new people.
See if you like.
Get out of the old zone of people if you are no longer happy.

No, no, don't think like that.
Don't say that about yourself.
Don't care what other / some / [fill in the blank] people think.

Take up a new hobby, forget [fill in the blank].
Never mind. Move on.
Leave the old. Start fresh.
Start a new life.
Prove the stupid [fill in the blank] people wrong.

If you know who the gossipers are, then stay away from them. These people are 小人。("Xiu Yan")

I never liked the people there actually.
I don't like the vibe there.
Then move away from it.
Do something new.
Forget the past, enjoy your [fill in the blank] and move on.

Before you can (find back some part of your old happy self, the part that can be carefree and accepting of who you are), you have to let go of the unhappiness.

You move on to live happily.

Forget about [fill in the blank].
[Pronoun] doesn't deserve you at all.
[Pronoun] doesn't deserve your compassion.
If [name] had been through that much then [subject pronoun] should know that it is not right to put you down.
If [pronoun] had really been through so much, anything that comes to [object pronoun] should be heaven.
[Subject pronoun] won't be fussy.

If [subject pronoun] is a survivor, [subject pronoun] will work with you to make both your lives better. Not make you feel miserable.

[Name] doesn't deserve your time.
And you definitely should not feel bad about what [pronoun] said. Because [pronoun] is the [adjective] one here.
Just ignore [object pronoun].

Move forward with a positive mind.

Extensive Reading and Vocabulary Range

[From a presentation by Dr Alexander Arguelles]

Types of Reading

. Intensive reading - assisted reading of relatively short, relatively difficult texts, usually for instrumental purposes - initial comprehension is less than 98% vocabulary coverage

. Extensive reading - unassisted reading of long and relatively easy texts, usually for pleasure [and vocabulary growth] - initial lexical comprehension must be around 98%

Non-lexical factors that affect reading comprehension include:

. Grammatical constructions

. Idiomatic constructions

. Reading speed

. Knowledge of content or familiarity with the subject matter

. Knowledge of cultural or historical references

. Stylistic considerations (clarity, sentence length, use of complex clauses etc.)

Defining the word "word"

. "Word" in the sense of the absolute number of units of letter combinations in a text = a "word token"

. "Word" in the sense of the number of different combinations of letters among the tokens in a text = a "word type"

. Example: The sentence, "The cat ate the mouse," contains five word tokens but four word types as the word "the" occurs twice.

. "Word" in the sense of something that you can look up in a dictionary = "headword" or "lemma". Lemmata include not only their base form, but also their inflexions. Thus, most lemmata contain several word types.

. Example: "Book" contains "books," "man" contains "men", "be" contains "am", "is", "are", "was", "were", "been", and "being".

. "Word" in the sense of a fundamental unit of lexical knowledge that allows you to recognize and understand not only inflected forms of a headword, but also related derived forms = a "word family". Many if not most word families contain several lemmata:

. Example: "accept" includes not only "accepts", "accepted", and "accepting", but also "acceptance", "acceptability", "acceptable", "unacceptable", "acceptably", and "unacceptably".

Knowing a word

. Active knowledge = a person speaks or writes a word naturally and spontaneously

. Passive knowledge = a person recognizes, understands, and may even be able to explain a word, but does not use it spontaneously

. Guessing knowledge = a person derives the meaning of a word from contextual clues

. Reading vocabulary knowledge = active + passive + guessing

How many words does a person know?

. Take the vocabulary size test: http://my.vocabularysize.com

. Cervatiuc: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Cervatiuc-VocabularyAcquisition.html

Word Frequency Lists

. Breaking vocabulary into 1000's

. The 1st 1000 word families of most common words give ~80% text coverage

. The 2nd 1000 word families provide additional ~7%

. The 3rd 1000 word families provide additional ~3%

. ∴ the first 3000 words provide ~90% coverage

. Thereafter, the percent coverage provided by each thousand decreases rapidly and geometrically:

. the 4th thousand family provides an average 2%

. the 6th, 1%

. the 8th, 0.50%

. the 10th, 0.36%

. the 12th, 0.25%

. the 14th, 0.14%

Considerations

. With 3000 words, one can begin to function;

. With that plus a specialized list such as the 570-word Academic Word List (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/index.htm), one can begin specialized studies

. With ~6000, one has 98% coverage of spoken language and with ~8000, close to 100% conversational coverage, but

. Written comprehension only begins at 8000-9000: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/staff/Publications/paul-nation/2006-How-large-a-vocab.pdf

. ∴ obviously, lower frequency words are much more common in writing than in speech, and so they can be acquired only by reading

Learning Lower Frequency Words

. The lower the frequency of a word, the harder it is to learn.

. While 98% textual comprehension of books may be provided by the first 9000 words on average, the remaining 2% for 100% coverage is made up of lower frequency families.

. While the 98% textual comprehension provided by higher frequency lists is relatively homogenous, the 2% provided by the lower frequency families is much more diverse.

. In other words, while one may be able to read a given individual book with 99% comprehension at 12,000-14,000 families, in order to be able to pick up and read a variety of different kinds of books at that level, one needs a native range vocabulary (17,000+)

. ∴ the only way to develop an extensive vocabulary is to engage in the systemic extensive reading of progressively more challenging texts.

. As graded readers rarely go past a few thousand words, a language resource learning center for continued advanced development ought to have lists if not actual libraries of books organized by levels of word families that make them appropriate for vocabulary growth through extensive reading.

[Extracted from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbYMZZISPrU]

On entitled and demanding people

I think this is what I experienced with certain people. Whatever I do or did for them is never good enough. Somehow there will be a fault somewhere and I'll get hammered into the ground regardless.

Quote from Jade Joddle:
http://jadejoddle.com/how-and-why-i-help-people-with-boundaries/

"I discovered through my own life experience that when you go out of your way for entitled and demanding people, what you do for them is never enough. Either they come back the next day and ask for something more, or they complain that what they received was not good enough. You could give them the earth, but yet they would feel hard done by and cheated."
=====[END of quote]=====

-----
B's response:

This being the case, it's better to find out sooner than later how nasty someone can be, and clean break away from them so this will limit the damage rather than keep being in the toxicity. People like this are a cancer in a community and relationship. In the beginning maybe people don't know, but later it's definitely not necessary to associate with them after knowing what they're all about.

-----
F's response:

Well, good that you can recognize this type of destructive character. While they're destructive towards themselves, they're even more destructive towards others. Let go and move on. I still feel the pain but time will heal.

-----
Joe: The sadistic voice pops up from time to time, but if I'm busy, it usually doesn't hurt as much. Flashbacks do occur. Some thoughts or dreams trigger it. I feel that a refresher, a "restart" in a friendly setting (remember Tioman diving 2014) can help with healing.

F: You have to have the belief that people are good. Generally people are good. Not everyone is out to put you down.

Joe: I really hope so. Been exposed to too much "reality + pragmatism" school of thought doses.

F: It can be draining but you gotta get refreshed emotionally, mentally, and whatnot.

Joe: Yup, yes, I'll keep that in mind.

-----
K's opinion:

Ask yourself, are you thinking straight? Whose words do you choose to listen to? Are you living a life true to yourself?

=====

The difference between sympathy, pity, and empathy

As defined by the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

I don't want sympathy or pity. I appreciate empathy.

=====
The difference between sympathy, pity, and empathy
from
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

sympathy (noun)
BrE /ˈsɪmpəθi/ ; NAmE /ˈsɪmpəθi/
(pl. sympathies)

1. [uncountable, countable, usually plural] the feeling of being sorry for somebody; showing that you understand and care about somebody’s problems
: to express/feel sympathy for somebody
: I have no sympathy for Jan, it's all her own fault.
: I wish he'd show me a little more sympathy.
: Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the victims of the war.
: (formal) May we offer our deepest sympathies on the death of your wife.

-----
pity (noun)
BrE /ˈpɪti/ ; NAmE /ˈpɪti/

1. [uncountable] pity (for somebody/something) a feeling of sympathy and sadness caused by the suffering and troubles of others
: I could only feel pity for what they were enduring.
: He had no pity for her.
: a look/feeling/surge of pity
: I took pity on her and lent her the money.
: (formal) I beg you to have pity on him.
: I don't want your pity.

-----
empathy (noun)
BrE /ˈempəθi/ ; NAmE /ˈempəθi/
[uncountable]

the ability to understand another person’s feelings, experience, etc.
: empathy (with somebody/something) the writer’s imaginative empathy with his subject
: empathy (for somebody/something) empathy for other people’s situations
: empathy (between A and B) The empathy between the two women was obvious
=====

Min Ji Syu Hou Saai Si Gaan 面子書好哂時間

面子書好哂時間
Min Ji Syu Hou Saai Si Gaan

點解我唔想念面子書？因為佢好哂時間。好多廢柴，廢話，閪人，八公八婆，等等喺呢個網站聚埋一齊。人哋睇咗你播報嘅嘢就會歧視偏見你。自己嘅嘢最好乜都唔好播出。
Dim gaai ngo m seung nim min ji syu? Yan wai keui hou saai si gaan. Hou do fai chaai, fai wa, hai yan, baat gung baat po, dang dang hai ni go mong jaam jeui maai yat chai. Yan dei tai jo nei bo bou ge ye jau wui kei si pin gin nei. Ji gei ge ye jeui hou mat dou m hou bo cheut.

面子書有用處就係如果你有自己嘅生意或者商業，咁先會有啲幫助。除此之外，面子書真係好哂時間。唔會有益，反而有傷害。
Min ji syu yau yung chyu jau hai yu gwo nei yau ji gei ge saang yi waak je seung yip, gam sin wui yau di bong jo. Cheui chi ji ngoi, min ji syu jan hai hou saai si gaan. M wui yau yik, faan yi yau seung hoi.

Closing chapter for You Whom I Shall Not Name

Sometimes it's easy to close a chapter with someone. Sometimes it's not, for a whole lot of reasons. Often it's easier to write off someone who's nasty and destructive compared to someone who's not.

It has taken a long time, relatively speaking, for me to sit down and write the closing chapter regarding you, whom I shall not name.

You aren't a bad person. You have a good heart. You have certain life experiences that affected the way you do things. You are successful in your own way despite the odds and negativity surrounding your environment.

We have had plenty of happy moments, happy memories, and constructive experiences together. For these I appreciate very much and acknowledge that I have learnt something useful. Thank you for all these.

But then, we must come back to reality. It's time to move on. For you and for me. I have reserved myself for you for long enough, and asked the key questions not once, but several times. And you have chosen not to join me. So be it.

If I see you, I shall wish you well, and may you find your happiness wherever it may be. Although I personally think you won't find it so easily, for reasons most closely related to your own self.

All the best to you. Letting go is never easy but I have to for the sake of reality.

(233 words)

=====
NOTE: Do not use Google Translate. It WON'T give you an accurate translation for the Cantonese text.

有時好容易結束一個連劇集。有時冇咁容易。如果嗰個人好𨶙臭又衰又姦嘅話，比較容易放手，佢在生在死都唔關我事。不過通常，我識得嘅人唔會衰到咁極端啦。

我要寫呢個結束集，關於一個人，只稱呼＂你＂。其實我經過好耐時間先寫到呢個結束。

你唔係姦人。你嘅心入便係好嘅。係你嘅生活背景，經過嘅嘢，參到嘅人，長大嘅時候，呢啲全部影響到你嘅選擇，影響到你做嘅嘢。雖然生活俾你好多限制，你都克服到呢啲障礙。所以我都佩服你。

我哋曾經一齊分享好多開心嘅時刻，剎那，同埋一齊學咗好多嘢。為咗呢啲全部，我感謝你。多謝嗮。呢啲真係有幫到我。

講嚟講去，都係要返返嚟現實世界。時間到咗。你要行你條路，我要行我條路。我有問過你唔只一擺，係幾擺，你嘅答案都係咁樣。你唔愛行呢條路。就係咁啦。

如果我見到你，我會祝你好運。希望你會搵到你追求嘅幸福無論喺何方。但係我覺得你唔會咁容易搵到，原因係喺你自己入便。

祝你好運。放手唔係咁容易，不過呢個係一個現實世界，唔理我鍾唔鍾意，都係冇變囉。

Thoughts on my dancing and participation in the local salsa scene

-----
Background Story

In recent weeks I have been having so many thoughts on my participation in the local salsa dance scene. I need to address them and settle what needs to be settled.

I've been finding it hard to feel satisfied after a dancing night out. And this is coming from someone who started salsa-ing way back in 2000, a slow learner who took three to four times longer than others to learn the basics, and used to enjoy it very much especially in the USA. I have been in the local scene since my return in 2003 and yes, I've seen a lot of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I'd say the years from 2005 to 2009 and then from 2010 to 2011 were good overall for me. To summarize, those were the Golden Years. But of course, good times never last, bad times do and will happen.

In fact for a period of time, the year 2012 and most of 2013 specifically, I withdrew myself from the scene due to severe dissatisfaction and disillusionment. Things happened that threw me down to a very low point in my life and I didn't want to be reminded of my failures by seeing those who succeeded where I failed.

Only after my life got better did I come back gradually. But I wasn't the same anymore. I didn't feel the need to dance as many dances as possible. I became picky, choosy, selective about many things - the songs, the persons, the potential connection, things like that. If I got three or four satisfying dances, that fulfilled my satisfaction quota for the night and I would go home unless I felt like hanging around and catching up with acquaintances or friends.

-----
These are the thoughts I've had that bug me (in no particular order):

Why I don't dance often anymore.
Whether I should quit dancing Bachata.
Whether I should take classes or workshops.
Why am I into the salsa dance scene. My motivations and reasons.
When should I stop dancing altogether.
Whether I should go for any major salsa event or not.
Whether I should take up Kizomba.
Why am I not talking much most of the time.

-----
Why I don't dance often anymore. Reasons why I do not dance much at times:

I don't like the music. This is of course a very subjective matter. What I don't like, other people may like, and vice versa. I could say that a particular song is damn boring, repetitive, long-winded, hard to catch and so on, but someone else might say it's damn good.
The gender balance is skewed. Not enough girls, in simple straightforward language.
Not enough people to dance with.
I don't like the person. Again for whatever reason, maybe because we don't have a good connection, or maybe because that person is an asshole or something. But if I'm asked I usually just go through the motions for the sake of social harmony. But I try to avoid if possible.
I'm not feeling well. If this is the case I wouldn't go out unless I want to just meet a friend or some acquaintances.

-----
Whether I should quit dancing Bachata.

At one time I learnt quite a fair bit of nice leadable Bachata moves. But of late, I have been losing interest in Bachata. Maybe there's no connection with my partner? Maybe I forgot how to do some of the moves I learnt? Maybe I feel there's too many Bachata songs being played in a row? Maybe most of the dances I've had aren't satisfying?
I know Bachata is popular, but I somehow can't do it as well as I do Salsa. Perhaps only one dance in three, four, or five is satisfying. Often, none.
Unless I somehow rediscover the satisfaction in dancing Bachata, most probably I'm on my way out.

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Whether I should take classes or workshops.

To be honest, I enjoyed the upper beginner and pre-intermediate classes in those days. But after reaching the intermediate level of classes, I just didn't enjoy the class anymore. To be fair they do have some cool routines, but I hated shines and wasn't interested in half the things in class. So I lost motivation and stopped going after a while.
The short simple answer: Most probably not, because I don't enjoy taking class anymore.

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Why am I into the salsa dance scene. My motivations and reasons.

I should address the difference between these two general categories of dancers:
Those who want to challenge themselves with difficult stuff, do performance, go competition, take advanced stuff and whatnot, and
Those who just want to learn the basics and a usable, leadable, memorizable repertoire of favourite moves and cool stuff that is not too difficult to acquire, and strictly for the purpose of social dancing.

I belong to the latter group. I hate the stress and pressure of forcing myself to be what I am not. I joined dancing to reduce stress levels and I don't need any extra stress to screw me up.
Otherwise what's the whole damn point of dancing? If it gives me more stress, I might as well do something else instead.

I told myself I will not do performance or competition or anything that is difficult to grasp and gives me hell lot of stress and pressure. That's non-negotiable.
I will only do as much as I can take without getting stressed out.
I will only do what I want to do. I pick and choose.

A lot of those who are really into dancing dance because they love the dance, they want to challenge themselves, to perform, to excel, to express themselves and so on. It's all good and I respect that.

But for me, my goals and motivations are not the same.

I go into dancing purely for the social aspect, human connection, and in the good old days, to reduce stress. To get to know people. That is why solo dancing never attracted me. Then again my definition of reduce stress may be very different from other people.

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When should I stop dancing altogether.

If I feel I'm not getting what I want from it, then it's time to get out and do something else.

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Whether I should go for any major salsa event or not.

Again, I doubt I can dance to the maximum for three nights in a row. After a few songs I'll just be recycling moves. And perhaps a bad experience I had during SISF 2010 affected my mind regarding the kinds of songs to expect. Please save me from those damn boring repetitive 8-minute long songs! 
As I'm a guy, I won't benefit from going to major events compared to the girls. They can dance with all the superstars and shine as a result, but I will run out of moves if I were to dance with the stars. The only good thing I can think of for a guy is having to improvise on the spot and hoping for a good connection.
As for workshops during events, it's very draining to go to all of them, and I am not keen on perhaps half of what's offered. And from other people's experience, they end up unable to retain 50% of what they learnt.
Only plus point for motivation is the chance to meet up with acquaintances and friends I may not have seen for a long time.

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Whether I should take up Kizomba.

I like the music. But I don't know how to dance it. What's holding me back is that I have not picked up a new dance for years and I dread having to hit the learning curve again. It took me three to four times longer than others to overcome.
And perhaps my embarrassing experience with West Coast Swing made me very reluctant to start learning a totally new dance. I took a workshop consisting of two parts. The first part I could cope. The second part really killed me.
I couldn't absorb anything. Couldn't get the whole sequence of steps and moves into my mind. You know, it's like when you're studying and nothing enters your brain despite you forcing yourself to do everything to learn it. I don't want that to happen again.
Perhaps a slow, controlled entry into Kizomba would work. Perhaps.

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Now this, and it is not only salsa, is that quite often I don't feel like talking. If I feel like it and can click, then it's okay, otherwise I'm much more comfortable saying nothing.

Reasons why I do not talk much at times: (This is not necessarily a salsa thing, it can happen in any kind of social gathering or event)

The subject matter is something I don't care about.
The subject matter is something too deep or technical or not familiar to me.
The language used is not what I'm comfortable with. For example some people insist on using deep Mandarin with me when I only know basic stuff. Just because I look Chinese doesn't mean I can speak perfect Mandarin with all those indirect allusions and classical language from Confucius' time.
We just don't click for whatever reason.
The people are not friendly.
I'm mentally drained from a long day or whatever reason and the last thing I want to do is force myself to talk when I just want to sit back and relax.

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To Sum It Up

Perhaps I am fed up of the scene after being in it for too long. Perhaps I am rather opinionated on certain matters that affect my satisfaction level. Perhaps I have not been meeting enough of the right people. Of course I have met some nice people, but it's not enough to give me the motivation to continue dancing.

At the end of the day we may have to disagree on certain things. It's okay. I'm not you and you're not me. My motivations may not be the same as yours.