User Comments - illyria1013

Posted on: Qipao Dresses and Marathons in China

Wow, I had no idea that the qipao had such "baggy" origins. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ChinesischeFrau_ausHongkong.jpg

Learned something new. :)

Still trying to figure out how to properly link images...

Very pretty dresses chanelle77 and Amber. :)

Posted on: Lesson Preview, New Team Member

Good to know I'm not the one one who mixes up her vocabulary. :)

]frances, is Spanish your primary language?  I'm trying to learn Spanish too in addition to improving my Mandarin - so I signed up for Spanishpod too. 

There's definitely not enough time in a day to indulge in all of one's interests. :)

Posted on: Lesson Preview, New Team Member

A bit late in the welcome, but better late than never. :)

Glad to have you aboard Pete and looking forward to your contributions to the community.

I would very much love a Japanese addition to the available language lessons.  The grammar structure is completely different so there would not be much (if any) confusion there.  However, learning the Chinese characters, along with all the various kanji readings, could be a bit daunting.

Oddly enough, when I took Japanese a few years ago, Spanish words and phrases would pop into my brain instead. :)

Posted on: Trip to the Vegetable Market

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_melon

My grandmother would often make chicken soup with it and add shitake mushrooms.  Yummy stuff. :)

You have to be careful to avoid the fuzz though, it would often embed in your fingers and prick a bit.

Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod

Hmm, seems I'm doing this all backwards with posting in the forums first before introducing myself.  I suppose better late than never. :)

I'm an ABC who can speak Cantonese.  I took two years of Mandarin in college, but have grown VERY rusty over the years.

I stumbled onto Chinese pod after discovering "Dear Amber" on iTunes.  Praxis should give her a raise for all the new members she brings in. ;)

Anyhow, after signing up for a trial subscription, I decided that Chinesepod was well worth the investment, and ended up subscribing to a paid account.  The learn on your own time format seems to work well with my busy schedule. It will, however, be a challange to 're-learn' the characters in simplified form, since I originally learned traditional.

I'm hoping to improve my Mandarin, learn more about Chinese culture, and even make some friends in the process. :)

I do have one question/suggestion.  Right now when you post something, there doesn't seem to be a way to find out if someone replied to you question -- short of checking that page periodically and often.  Am I overlooking any features on the site that would help with this?  Does linking to a previous poster's comment send an email to that person notifying them of the reply?

Thanks!

Posted on: At the Hair Salon

Sorry, had one more question for anyone who can help answer.

Is 洗头水 (xi3 tou2 shui3) an acceptible alternate name for shampoo?  Or did I totally learn the wrong vocabulary growing up? :)

Thanks!

Posted on: At the Hair Salon

Yes, thanks for the very quick response Amber!

If 干洗 (gānxǐ) translates roughly to "dry wash", could this term also be used to describe "dry cleaning" for clothes?

:)

Posted on: At the Hair Salon

Is washing the hair first at the chair a new salon technique? Or is it a Shanghai thing?

Love the ending. :)

Posted on: On Location at the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Thanks for the info sushan! :)

Posted on: On Location at the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Hi.  New to the forums, so my apologies if this has already been asked in another thread.

I was just curious whether airport security has tighten considerably with the Olympics and whether that has caused more delays with flights and checking-in.

Amber had mentioned that surprisingly things were more calm and serene in Beijing...just wondered if this transferred over to transportation to and from the city.

Cheers! :)