User Comments - trevelyan
trevelyan
Posted on: 八卦周刊：大闹现场
March 10, 2008 at 6:35 AM我觉得那个照片里的羊胡子真的有一点儿丑！
Posted on: MSN and QQ
March 4, 2008 at 1:19 PMI hate QQ. Installing it trashed my laptop. True story, you've all been warned.
Posted on: Registering with the Police Station
February 24, 2008 at 9:25 AMI've found through personal observation that the police in Shanghai are much more corrupt than those in Beijing, and actively look for ways to extract money from foreigners during the registration process. In Beijing showing up with a passport and the phone number of a landlord was usually sufficient. Here I've experienced demands to see contracts, backdated registration forms, photocopies and other types of documentation that are not specified in any legal documents I've seen concerning registration (ie. the documents given at customs simply state that a passport is needed and that registration must be completed in X hours). You can't change the system, but one strategy I've used successfully when faced with impossible demands for strange documentation has been to politely ask for a written note confirming that I came to register and outlining why they refused. The person across the counter will usually do this... which is when you ask for it to be stamped. Understand that this is a doomed request. No-one will EVER give you that piece of paper. But it is a reasonable request which puts the official in a very difficult situation. They cannot refuse without creating a problem for themselves - if you can't register at the local police station you would have to go to the city-level visa office, which will have little patience with THEM for having to deal with a problem that should have been avoided at the district level. The local police branch has an enormous amount of flexibility in getting things done, and for all of the bureaucracy involved, there are very few hard and fast requirements about what is needed beyond a passport and a smile. The easiest way to get anything done is be friendly and develop a relationship with your local paichusuo, but if push comes to shove you can make to easier for them to just register you ("just bring the documents next time!") than figure out how the registration process is actually supposed to work. Whatever you do, remain friendly and don't be rude.
Posted on: #38
February 23, 2008 at 6:32 PMthx bbjt. I'll just take it as a compliment. 超棒。
Posted on: #38
February 21, 2008 at 5:11 PMMy heart is crushed. The going market price for my affection is apparently less than $20 a month. What's a guy to do?
Posted on: #37
February 14, 2008 at 7:59 AMHalf of the guesses were right??? Wow. I thought that one was really difficult.
Posted on: #35
February 5, 2008 at 4:00 AMhmm.. we know lujiaojie -- the question is why is 上 used for such different activities (and not 去)
Posted on: #35
February 3, 2008 at 5:59 AM"I thought of another common usage for 上 on my walk to work this morning: 上厕所. Is this verb used (instead of 去 for example) because of the...ahem..."periodic" nature of the action, or is it just a random idom?". This is a really good question. I have no idea, anyone else?
Posted on: Group Photo
January 28, 2008 at 5:06 PMLike Changye, I'm an absolute convert to the power of the peace sign. It solves the problem of what to do with your hands during group shots, and gets people to smile. Guys look less sullen and girls look more beautiful. That said, I think the whole approach comes off best if you manage to leave the viewer uncertain if you're doing it tongue-in-cheek.
Posted on: #42
March 21, 2008 at 8:28 AMreal question is what's more melodramatic, the Chinese dubbing or the original.