I've been long interested in learning Chinese but only started making a serious attempt at learning it around December 2013. My main motivations for learning have been as a way to improve myself; additionally my mother is of Chinese ethnicity so for me it fills what I consider to be a cultural gap in my life (Cantonese can wait until afterwards!). I've spent most of my learning time working on learning vocabulary and listening to dialogues, as well as occasional reading. I've so far avoided using textbooks to learn but I may consider going to them if they will help me improve. However speaking is the thing I want to be best at; it also happens to be the worst for self-study - that's why I'm here! I work in London as a software developer, and my commutes are usually devoted to learning Chinese. So if you set me homework that's probably when I'll do it!