User Comments - calkins
calkins
Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 11: Wang in the Doghouse
May 23, 2009 at 1:52 PMpaulinurus, point taken.
raygo, thank you, that was my basic point when I said "what purpose does that serve us here and now?" It has nothing to do with this lesson. It was bobt's second identical posting (after posting it in the QW thread) that led to my response. It drives me crazy when people copy and paste the same comment into multiple lessons...especially when they have absolutely nothing to do with that lesson.
My apologies to all for clogging this lesson with irrelevant crap...I won't post anymore about the subject :)
Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 11: Wang in the Doghouse
May 23, 2009 at 12:02 PMpaulinurus, I don't claim to know what Amber's reasons for leaving Chinesepod were. Frankly, it's none of my business, or anyone else's really. People leave jobs all the time, for countless reasons (better pay, better opportunity, better location...the list is infinite).
Do you really think that "defect" is the appropriate word here? If you left your company to work for a competing company, would you say to your family and friends, "I defected from company a to go work for company b"?
Defect would imply that things were pretty bad for Amber at Chinesepod. Maybe they were, I don't know. Can you or bobt really speak for Amber? Sure, anyone can make assumptions based on what happened when she left. I'm beating a dead horse but I'll ask again...what purpose does that serve us here and now?
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Taiwan
May 23, 2009 at 9:05 AMHi greasy8, I'm not aware of any sites where you can listen to spoken 國語 (standard Mandarin in Taiwan), but here are some useful links showing some differences in pronunciation, grammar, etc.:
http://www.zhongwen.com/x/guopu.htm
http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/mandarin-differences.php
I also highly recommend buying a hard copy of Chinese Characters - A Genealogy and Dictionary, by zhongwen.com. It's a great dictionary that distinguishes Mandarin standards in both Taiwan and the Mainland.
P.S. I forgot about this...you can listen to some streaming 國語 on this Taipei radio station:
mms://liverec.ner.gov.tw/FMLive
You need to use Windows Media Player, VLC, or similar to listen. It's a great station, with music, talk, and Mandarin/English dialogues. I listen to it whenever I'm sitting at the computer.
Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 11: Wang in the Doghouse
May 23, 2009 at 8:20 AMbobt, my problem is people who post before using their brain. I didn't say that it's not true that Amber is working for another Chinese language site. I've known that for days, as you so accurately pointed out. I was saying that it may not be true that Amber "defected" from Cpod to work there. If you don't know the definition of defect, look it up.
Don't make statements that you have no idea whether they are true or not. Again, it serves no purpose here, other than to piss people off and create unnecessary waves.
(Other site edited above, by author...thanks to bobt's brilliant comment below).
Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 11: Wang in the Doghouse
May 23, 2009 at 6:49 AMOff-topic and probably not true. Even if it is true, what's the point in stirring up this kind of trouble?
Amber is no longer with Cpod, bottom line, and there's nothing we can do about that. The last thing she would need, with her new job, is this kind of negative "publicity." Let's give her the respect she deserves, and wish her well.
Posted on: Subway Announcements
May 21, 2009 at 12:22 AMSydcarten, I learned that word the hard way when I first moved to Taiwan:)
月台 yuètái
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Taiwan
May 20, 2009 at 12:01 AMPOP...can of worms ;-)
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Taiwan
May 19, 2009 at 1:01 PMThanks all for appreciating the photos!
Alice, I was kicking myself the other day for not mentioning this restaurant to you while you were in town. It's perfect for a large group and I'm sure you and your family would have enjoyed it. It's also a quick cab up the mountain from the 新店 MRT 站。
If anyone in Taiwan is interested in the restaurant location, feel free to send me a message.
Posted on: Olympic Excitement
May 19, 2009 at 12:05 AMmiantiao, I don't dispute your points, we're just talking about different things. I was talking about the commercialization of the games, as it related to the opening and closing ceremonies and overall cost of the games.
Even though I really enjoyed the art that China created during the Olympics, I agree with Tvan that the Olympics should focus more on the sporting events, athletes, and host countries. Like most everything these days, it has becoming far too commercialized.
Regarding Taiwan not participating in the torch relay, I can fully understand why it wouldn't want to...especially when Beijing requires Taiwan to use the name "Chinese Taipei" on their uniforms, flags, etc. Can you imagine going to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa (for example), and instead of waving the Australian national flag, you had to wave the Union flag?
Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Taiwan
May 24, 2009 at 3:51 AMmiantiao，我知道你住过台湾，但不知道是住哪里。你说得对，新店真的是个有好山好水的地方。还有热闹的夜市。
去台湾的有空，带你的女朋友一起过来玩。我们可以在上面餐厅吃晚饭。
不好意思，我不大会撰写中文！