User Comments - light487
light487
Posted on: Language Exchange
July 18, 2009 at 10:22 PMHee hee.. language exchange partners in China.. oh the memories I have of those experiences. Some good, some really good and then there were those moments when you wish you had never made eye contact with the person! :) ha!
I got most of my language exchange in the hostels I stayed at, with the staff there who were serving because they needed to better their English to serve better and they were also gracious and considerate hosts at the same time so they would not bombard me with English questions.
@Briancox: I have heard similar stories from friends. You're probably better off going and playing chess or mahjong in the park than trying to get your wife/girlfriend to teach you Chinese. :)
Posted on: How're You Doing? 得
July 18, 2009 at 10:12 PMThank you, thank you, thank you...for doing the grammar at the start of the show. There was no boring over-explanation, just the basic grammar and sentence structure. Then the first example sentence was broken down in detail to show the grammar in action.
I think that after you have done the first example or two with full explanation, that you should roll back the grammar explanations a little so that the show flows a little more fluidly except for when there is a new concept of course (eg. when you got to the bit to do with getting up early). Maybe I am being a little too critical of this new format since we were the ones begging for more grammar but I did feel that it was a little grammar heavy throughout the whole show. Whereas it, in my opinion, should get less grammar as you go through it with less and less explaining so that there is more intuitive learning occuring rather than you giving all to us on a silver platter. Of course at the end of the show, with the wrap up, it is important to reinforce the lesson with extra explanation I guess.
A little refinement is all that is required and with any new format, it takes a little while to get it to a perfect balance. :)
加油ChinesePOD.
Posted on: Pinyin Section 4: R
July 18, 2009 at 9:53 PMAhh I often wondered about the weird grouping of the pinyin. Also, I made a comment to John when I met him that the "leisure" thing really nailed down my "r" in Chinese. It's these types of tips and tricks from the experts (especially those who have struggled with the same things learners of Chinese struggle with) that make things so much more accessible.
The thing I notice though is that depending on the vowel (or final to be more correct in terms of pinyin) that follows the R sound, the R sound changes a little. This is no different than in English.. as unfortunately, for the learner, language is a fluid thing where there is not just one sound in isolation but many sounds grouped together. However, by learning the correct pronunciation in isolation, the learning should be able to group the sounds together more effectively.
Definitely keep going with these Pinyin shows, as RJ pointed out they are not as sexy or funny as the other shows but they are 100% useful!
加油ChinesePOD!
Posted on: Hate is a Very Strong Word
July 6, 2009 at 8:08 PMHaha.. the guy who sits next to me at work is a Manly supporter and we always give him a hard time about it.. :) (For those not in Australia: Manly is a Rugby League "football" team based in Sydney.)
Posted on: Hate is a Very Strong Word
July 5, 2009 at 12:07 PMHehehe.. I got away with the cell-phone recharge rather lightly everytime I had to. I just walked into a proper ChinaMobile store and feigned ignorance and had them recharge it for me over the "business customer" counter.. hehehehe... Tourist: 1, ChinaMobile: 0. :)
Posted on: Name-Calling, Chinese-Style
June 30, 2009 at 9:45 AMHehe.. I used the 你这个笨蛋 phrase on my good friend today.. she laughed :) Yeh.. so it can be used to play around with :p We have fun with the language :)
Posted on: Hot Pot
June 28, 2009 at 1:59 PM
Hehe.. here's a picture of Matt and John when ChinesePOD graciously took me out for Hot Pot. It's the same restaurant as seen in the video, I remember the layout of the place :) It's called 南华火锅 and it's only a short distance from the Praxis Language offices. :) Marco and Leo were there and a couple of other people who will remain unmentioned for the sake of privacy. :)
The order of the meal went something like this:
1. Order lots of beer and start drinking.
2. Order HEAPS and HEAPS of various vegetables, tofu and meats.
3. Drink more beer.
4. When the food arrives, chuck in as much food in the hot pot as possible.
5. Yup! Drink more beer! :)
6. Food is cooked, so start eating.
7. About halfway through, order another 5 or 6 bottles of beer and smoke some cigarettes.
8. Put the rest of the food in, drink more beer, smoke more cigarettes.
9. Drink more beer, smoke more cigarettes and order dessert.
10. Go home.
Yup yup! :) Lots and lots of beer is consumed at almost every place I had dinner in China.. :) Smoking inside is something you get used to fairly quickly and if you don't smoke, you just have to put up with the fact that everyone smokes everywhere in China (except subway/buses).
Posted on: How Long Has This Been Going On?
June 28, 2009 at 1:44 PMI guess this is a little like measure words. You need to use the right way of asking age for the specific object or thing you are asking about, just as with measure words you need to use the correct measure word for the specific object or thing you are talking about.
As tricky as it might seem, I don't see it as tricky but just another lesson in how to think in Chinese.
Posted on: Hot and Cool 热, 烫 , 凉 , 冷
May 16, 2009 at 9:38 AMThe PDF for this lesson is here:
Posted on: Pinyin Section 4: R
July 19, 2009 at 2:56 AM@Changye: You can try this link: http://movie.5050.jp/video/watch/7075d115f931ddeb Not sure if it's referencing YouTube or not.
Sounds like a pretty cool (and open-minded) guy :)