User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Ordering a Fruit Salad

As long as I can remember they've had dessert in Hong Kong and Macao, and elsewhere dessert is a snack; but it is certainly different to the western concept of dessert. Now desserts are common around China - various outlets like Honeymoon Dessert have a large menu with multiple variations on 水果沙拉。 Very good by the way .. I particularly like 西米 (sago) desserts.

Posted on: Ordering a Fruit Salad

Transliterations in general often use a variety of characters, even a variety of pronunciations, as in this case. See also the various expressions for cheese. Variety is the spice of life.

Posted on: Getting a Tattoo

Answer is in very first comment.

Posted on: Hottest and Coolest

The 'furnaces' are also maybe the most interesting cities in China. Pity about the extreme heat.

Posted on: Dream Girls

'cursory glance at my profile'

Can't say that I've looked at more than two or three profiles all the time ive been at ChinesePod; somehow it seems like lurking behaviour although I know it shouldn't. At least it doesnt inform the profile owner like on LinkedIn; I avoid looking there (LinkedIn) because I dont want people to know ive been looking. I don't think that there is yet a shared view on profile writing - is it factual? Fiction? Entertaining? Deprecating? Self-serving? I think I would go for jokey. So you live in Guangxi? Is that uni in the capital?

Posted on: Taking Transportation

yes, from a usage point of view. former is one of those little battery powered cars you might see transpoting people at a museum or a scenic site; latter is the two-wheeled battery powered answer to the bicycle (scourge of the roads?) One has 4 or more wheels (more if a 'train') and the other has two. Strictly speaking they are both battery powered vehicles.

Posted on: For the Kids

'let kids have fun, and parents get exhausted'

We took our grand-daughter to a restaurant on Children's Day, and there were so many balloons I think it sucked the air out of the room. I felt claustrophoebic and had to go for a walk outside to recover.

I was hoping for special prices but there was no discount. :)

Posted on: Earthquake Evacuation

Yesterday I was at the Wenchuan Earthquake Museum established by Fan Jianchuan (see http://www.jc-museum.cn/en/) - a huge collection including videos of the earthquake event taken with mobile phones, several large items of earthmoving equipment (trucks, loaders, boats) used in recovery, crushed cars, school bags of victims, and the pig that lived for a month in the rubble, dubbed 猪坚强. There have been several large earthquakes in this area in the last century, and no doubt many before that.

Posted on: Renting a Car

Ok, must admit I have not noticed that. Maybe it has something to do wih their taste in armchairs. We have one at home that you could stretch right out on - well upholstered. :)

Posted on: English Letters Make Chinese Words

Hey Tingyun, thanks for your usual comprehensive response. Yes, it seems that the standard 3 years would be different if completing a PhD requiring a knowledge of Chinese language, unless the entry requirements include high level proficiency in the language.

I have a friend (a native of Chengdu) who has enrolled in a PhD program in Chinese legal history - if memory serves correct she is doing it in a History department - maybe you could chat to her at some stage, although I'm sure you have more than enough Chinese contacts.

If I have understood what she told me, the requirements for a PhD in a Tier 1 university here are even shorter than in Australia. She was given one year full time on salary, and then I think she has to complete the dissertation part-time. But of course her work-load may be negotiable. I ownder if anyone else on the boards has experence with Chinese PhD programs?