learning a new language

i'm taking up japanese again with the hope that i can converse well in japanese with my japanese friend but i realised i'm still a long way from my goal. i realised its really difficult to learn a new language. i really wonder how i managed to learn english and chinese in the past. just start to feel that i am back to kindergarten learning abc again. but again, i guess with little practice, its hard to master a language. so i hope to go japan and put my nihongo to use. :). but of coz it has to be when i am at the intermediate or advance stage before i have the guts to put my pathetic vocab of nihongo to use. so in the meantime i just have to ganbatte!!