User Comments - bababardwan

Posted on: Feelings

Thanks Changye. I was thinking how we use capitals for peoples names and that it'd be nice to have some indication [like lines ] to indicate it. I think the other thing is that it seems more common in Chinese than English for a name to also be a word that can be used in everyday speech. Some English words are the same, but while they all have meaning ,many are not part of everyday speech. I can't speak with authority on the Chinese side,but at least this is how it seems to me.

Posted on: Lessons, Customized Courses and Jobs

"Before I started picking pockets, pockets were just pockets..."

lol ! ..but this one might be the exception....do pockets ever become just pockets again? ....might get stuck eternally on:

"what's he got in his pocketses?"

hehe,now there's another thing that I think would defy a good translation without something being lost in flavour.

也许 ：他在他的“口袋斯”里有什么？

Posted on: Lessons, Customized Courses and Jobs

I haven't seen the movie but will have to check it out.

..hehe, yeah well maybe you should have checked out the movie at the time; I think it helps in those situations where the book is not to your liking [dunno how the English teachers feel about skipping the book and just relying on the movie though] ;). It had a great lineup and I think was stylishly done though it's very hazy for me now.Still worth a look I reckon. Some things are timeless classics.

Posted on: Lessons, Customized Courses and Jobs

thanks mate. You know ,much respect for Bruce Lee, but I always felt that at the very least it was likely an adaptation of something much more ancient. Obviously a very close similarity though it is possible that it could be a coincidence as it's not a complex concept [as much as I do like it]. It'd be interesting to know if he ever did recognise a source behind this quote [such as the one you're citing ] attributed to him.

btw I presume you are referring to Ch'an Buddhism [the Chinese equivalent of Japanese Zen ] Anyhow,thanks for your quote..I like it and that's a very interesting connection you've made. You may well be right that that is the original source.

Posted on: Where are you from?

Maybe this lesson answers that deeper question:

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/where-children-come-from

...if not,maybe this one:

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/%E4%B8%8D%E4%B8%80%E6%A0%B7%E7%9A%84%E3%80%8A%E9%98%BF%E5%87%A1%E8%BE%BE%E3%80%8B

Posted on: Feelings

Hey Bill, I like your new avatar. I'd love to know where it is and what it represents [I'm sure I should know,hehe ].

Posted on: Feelings

你就是说《我感觉很满意，你呢？》，对吧？

Posted on: Lessons, Customized Courses and Jobs

yeah,iwatachief is right ...I've morphed into a pensive,debonair Jay Gatsby [played by Robert Redford in the film],hehe. This was inspired by tal,whose prowess for English has convinced me to give The Great Gatsby a second chance.Actually I can't remember the details of Gatsby's character so I'll be interested to hear how I'm gonna turn out [but I hear ..all right in the end ;) ] but these avatars sure are fun. I did like the first few lines though:

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.

"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

..I think this tolerant attitude can be applied in a broader sense and applied to cultural and language learning...."just remember not everyone will have your cultural frame of reference,remember the potential for misunderstandings due to language and cultural barriers,deng deng"

Posted on: Lessons, Customized Courses and Jobs

This reminds me of Bruce Lee's famous quote:

"Before I learned martial arts, a punch was just a punch and a kick was just a kick. When I studied martial arts, a punch was no longer just a punch and a kick was no longer just a kick. Now I understand martial arts, and a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick."

..for me a le is just a le...I like to throw it in now and again,hehe...whether I'm doing it right or not is a whole other matter ;)

Posted on: Nearby Tea House

Sorry John,this is what I meant:

http://www.recycle.ubc.ca/tetra-pak.jpg

..we commonly refer to them as "poppers".What do you call them? More importantly ,what would they be called in Chinese ?