You know what this is?
It’s a break-and-bake sugar cookie with a square of pink sugar on the top. I’m not going to say who sugared cubes of raw dough and put them in the oven, but they were delicious!
Square Sugar on a Round Cookie
Sex In Shanghai Returns?
The Sinocidal crew rants about cross-cultural, uh, romance but with Chinabounder posting again, can they even compete?
Meg vs. Mandarin, again.
Yesterday I started taking a beginning Chinese class. I’d forgotten how much better I liked my life without anyone saying “no, no, is zh not zh“. At least the prof doesn’t giggle when she says it.
She has the same frustrations as I do when trying to teach basics in a native language. I am completely baffled when my English students, here or in China, can’t identify a verb. It’s the word that’s doing something, how could I possibly make this more clear? I think my Chinese teacher feels the same way. There are four tones, except when there are five, how could I possibly make this more clear?
Our text seems to be well-organized, and I’m excited about having classmates on my level. But I still have such basic questions about Mandarin. For example, some Chinese nouns need zi on the end but it doesn’t have a meaning but you can’t leave it off. Or certain word order seems to change the tones (or I’m just saying ti wrong, which is probably just as likely) and I don’t know how that works. I think I really want to learn Chinese in a Westernly logical way.
(Please try to keep the ???? emails and comments to a minimum this time, ok?)
Posted in Chapel Hill
Tagged China, chinese, frustrations, mail, mandarin, Meg Vs. Mandarin, teaching language
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Cougar Chasing
This morning, Stick and I got up really early to pick up his car from the mechanic. We drove down in our borrowed car, ransomed his Cougar, then I took his newly-fixed car and he took the loaner. I followed him back to the highway, and then we headed in different directions. I was just pulling into his mom’s driveway when I heard my phone ring.
“Slow down! You missed the exit!”
I said something witty and affectionate along the lines of huh?
“You’re doing at least eighty and that’s not safe and also you flew past the exit and now you’re heading to Holyoke!”
“Stick? I’m at your mom’s house.”
“You’re what?”
“Unlocking the door.”
“Oh. Then, I’m chasing a different blue Cougar down 91. &#%!#, I’m late for class again!”
Animal Farm
Chinese New Year is this month, and next year is 4705, the Year Of The Pig. The CCTV censorship crew has recently banned pigs from TV advertisements for fear of offending Muslims, who are prohibited from eating pork. If you’re not familiar with James Chou, Da Shan, Eve Bower and the rest, CCTV is the Chinese national television network.
At the same time, the Chinese post office is also producing Year Of The Pig commemorative scratch&sniff postage stamps. The picture smells like sweet-and-sour pork and the glue tastes like it. One Man BandWidth points out that they taste just like Year Of The Chicken.
Apparently, Chinese Muslims don’t lick stamps.
(Thanks to Humanaught and One Man BandWidth, respectively, for tipping me off to these two stories.)
Posted in New York City
Tagged cctv, China, chinese, Chinese life, e3, Humanaught, New York City
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As Seen On Route 9
The ones with the correct spelling cost extra.
Paris In Azeroth?
I just heard a web rumor that even Paris Hilton is in WarCraft. Personally, I thought she’d be more of a Second Life porno avatar than a WarCrafter. She’s an NPC Blood Elf, of course. Typical. The forums say she’s in Shattrath City, hanging out by the bar, refusing to talk to anyone. No word yet on whether “Haris Pilton” will leak a sex tape to lucky gamers, or send players on a quest to find her missing panties.
I vaguely dislike Paris in the way that nerdy girls don’t like pretty, popular girls. My real English Teacher ire is reserved for the stylist who allowed her to make, wear and market Thats hot, your not t-shirts. My students wouldn’t let her get away with that.
Posted in Gaming Culture
Tagged e3, my students, nerd, WarCraft, World of WarCraft, WoW
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Seen Near LCC
Just wanted to let everyone in Yantai know that my plan to bring legwarmers back has been successful.
Unfortunately I also brought home year-round Christmas decorations.
Universal Game Culture
My students were having trouble with the difference between an action in the present and a habitual action. The book seemed a little technical here, so I pulled out my cell phone. “I’m going to call my boyfriend,” I said. “I’m going to ask if he is taking a shower now. What will he say if is he is?”
At this point my class motormouth told me “Not say nothing — he won’t take his phone in the shower!” which is much funnier than where this story is, but it’s my blog so I’m the center of attention. (Actually, I think the world is my blog…) One of my other students said “Yes, I am taking a shower.”
“Right. What if I ask him ‘Do you take a shower?’ What will he say then?”
“Yes, I do take a shower.” said the half of the class who got it. The other half looked at me blankly.
I prodded them to explain that if he says ‘No, I’m not taking a shower’, that means he wasn’t in the shower when I called. If he says ‘No, I don’t take a shower’ that means my boyfriend is smelly and dirty.
“What if I ask ‘Are you eating dinner?’ What if I ask ‘Do you wash the dishes?'” I practiced with them. They answered perfectly, until I asked “What if I ask ‘Are you playing computer games?'”
Then the quiet guy piped up. “Then you know why he don’t take a shower.”
Only Because I Couldn’t Spell Draenai
My mana tap brings all the boys to the yard is my column this week at Faster Than The World. It’s the obligatory Burning Crusade article, all about Blood Elves and the Barrens chatters gamers who play them.
