User Comments - Purrfecdizzo

Posted on: Difficult Cake Choices

Dear Bababardwan,

Would you please kindly tell me what Mdg is?

sincerely,

George

Posted on: Rich and Poor

I am from the US, but never heard of a 'bed sitter' or a 'granny flat'.

Posted on: Rich and Poor

Mr. Trendy,

I must sincerely apologize... I am not an expert on this topic, and therefore not that knowlegable... I only wanted to give a basic idea, and some examples of usage, just so you would have an idea.. but these questions go beyond my understanding... Perhaps someone else may be better informed.

Most respectfully,

George

Posted on: Rich and Poor

Although this may not be a precise definition, I can give you a general idea... when I think of a condominium (often shortened to 'condo'), I think of a single family home, usually having 1 - 3 rooms that people will buy. I don't think I have ever heard of someone renting a condo. Perhaps, the easiest way to think of them is as originally a larger property sliced up (figuratively) into smaller units then sold. Here is an example... in my hometown, a developer bought a building that was originally used as a factory. They rebuilt the infrastructure, remodeled it, and built walls and such to divide the space into smaller units, in a way that someone may think of apartments in an apartment building. The developer then sold the units, and provides services to the building as a whole. I have seen this with old factory buildings, but also old colonial houses in my hometown. Colonial houses are normally pretty large and spacious, and were normally used to house one family. In recent years, developers have purchased old colonial houses and the houses end up becoming 2 or more condos. Here is another example that I have seen. Sometimes smaller houses will be divided up as condos. You will sometimes see a smaller house that is built in a symetrical way, and made into two condos (just hope your neighbor is cool, or it will suck). Anyhow, I hope these descriptions help you get the basic idea on how I have seen this word used.

Posted on: Hamsters, Snakes, and Owls

I don't know if it is just me, but Japanese seemed so hard to learn when I was studying it. I am not sure if it is actually harder, or if I just had a bad learning method.

Posted on: Hamsters, Snakes, and Owls

As far as the 'inbox me' comment, I don't expect or want anyone to inbox me simply over a disagreement, what I meant was if I say or do something in the forums that rubs people in the wrong way in terms of respect or behavior.

i.e.,

What I am not asking....

"George, I disagree with you about this topic so I am going to inbox you. I believe rats are actually cats, and a mouse is actually a house. lets talk about it over email as to avoid embarrassment"

What I am asking...

"George, when you posted that comment telling all the subscribers to 'go fuck themselves', and posted naked photos of your dog, it was not cool..... "

Basically, that is the type of thing I am talking about. I don't expect or want anyone to coddle me if they disagree with me, I just simply hope not to ever be involved in any type of drama that I have found in this thread.

Thats all I got.

Visualize whirled peas!

George

Posted on: Hamsters, Snakes, and Owls

Dear Chinesepod staff and fellow Chinesepod subscribers (the fact that I am replying to RJ should not indicate that I am directing this solely to him, but rather that I would like to address his comment and reply to everyone.)

I believe that in one culture, a snide remark may only have a minor reaction, but could be interpreted in much stronger degree in another culture, this is why I am very careful to try to avoid confrontation and arguments as much as possible. No, I am not perfect, and as you say, everyone has their moods, and I sometimes get roped in as well. I aspire to keep this to a minimum. Basically, I have heard people say things in forums like this that I believe that they wouldn't have the nerve to say to someone's presence. I don't understand this, or some of the things that other people write (meaning why they would write such a thing).

I find this type of thing all over the Internet, not just on Chinesepod. I sometimes get very angry, almost to a rage when I read some of the comments, and this is especially true if these type of comments are directed to me. My first impression is to sense that these people were not taught respect - that maybe they were not raised right. After I think about this some more, I realize that there are other factors, such as the ones that RJ mentioned.

In recent weeks, I have been more active on the Chinesepod website, and have begun to get more familiar with some of the more frequent posters. I will continue to aspire to avoid disrespect to the best of my ability.

With this being said, if anyone should find disagreement with anything I say or do, I would kindly request that they inbox me their malcontent rather than post it publically on this site. I do slip up and say or do something that is 'off', but I would prefer to not be embarrased publically.

Thats all i've got right now,

Most sincerely,

George

Posted on: A Trip to Shanxi

"You can get there from Taiyuan 太原 the provincial capital by train or bus. "

You can also bike it. I did it in three days, but it can be done in less time if you are in better physical condition. The ride is actually pretty smooth, and the roads are good. You can find public accomadation all along the road, and there are things to do, if you just want to take a break from riding for a few hours. As far as the foreigner situation, I encountered problems everywhere I went. I fortunately didnt have to depend on taxis because I had my bike, but sometimes restuarants have a minimum spending limit that they seem to only enforce with foreigners. Toward foreigners, my experience is that Shanxi is not the best place for traveling.

I actually liked Taiyuan, but mostly because I didn't have high expectations for it. It is a typical large Chinese city, but it makes for good exploring if you are so inclined. I suppose that I may not necessarily say that I liked it, but I didn't think it sucked either.

I arranged a hostel beforehand, so that when I arrived to Pingyao, I just showed up at the railway station and called for a pickup. Very convenient, and it helps that I had a bike to avoid having to take taxis. Near Pingyao is (maybe not the exact name) the twin temples, which is a short bikeride from Pingyao. It lies south of the city, and pretty interesting for what it is.

Thats all I got for now.

George

Posted on: Hamsters, Snakes, and Owls

do the Japanese also use 老鼠 (except in traditional script) as well?

Posted on: Hamsters, Snakes, and Owls

" Amesburygeorge, you an exceedingly polite gentleman (maybe a little too polite :-)) "

Maybe so, but I would rather error on being too polite... My natural nature is to be a douche, so it takes effort not to behave in this way. Because it is my natural nature, I figure that If I am polite most of the time, then people may excuse me for the times I slip up and say something wrong. I happen to be one of those who have somewhat fixed, passionate and inflexible opinions across an array of issues, but also an intense fear and dislike of confrontation. I think that this is a bad mix. For the most part, I try to be friendly, polite and this is especially true on a website like Chinesepod. This is a place where people can come to talk about things they learn - in this case, a subject that can be very difficult -in a safe and encouraging place. As far as the 'backpatting and male bonding', I know that this comment is intended to be specific to an interchange that does not involve me, so I don't want to comment on it directly. I want to talk about the idea in an indirect way. (please believe me when I say that I don't want to get involved in that situation. It doesn't involve me, and by mentioning that reference should not imply that I am taking one side of the other. I mention the term because I feel it will help me in my explanation on why I feel I need to be polite.) I think that sometimes things like this happen on Chinesepod because people understand how difficult this language can be, and how hard it can be to diligently study Chinese everyday. I don't mean to speak for everyone here, but I can say that this is the feeling that I get. To me, it seems that most people here tend to avoid 'drama' and try to be helpful. Maybe my analysis is wrong, and it isn't for that reason. I don't know. Really I don't. At any rate, I just try to be polite because it seems like the right thing to do and be.

That is all I have to say on this matter at this time.

George