Oh man, I am pissed. I know I should have been backing up my hard drive all along, but I’ve got remarkably good luck with computers. But John B and Carl convinced me to reinstall Windows using XP Corporate edition in English, since the language support is all there anyway. I also wanted Office XP. I also wanted to reformat my hard drive and get off of the FAT32 file system. So I had to back everything up.
Well, wouldn’t …
So another Christmas has come and gone. Despite my feeling that “Christmas just doesn’t exist this year” I still tried to celebrate it somehow. I knew I’d be in Shanghai on Christmas Day forking over the first three months’ rent to my new landlord, so I wanted to celebrate Christmas Eve with my ZUCC co-worker buddies. It was my idea to go to Banana Leaf, a relatively new addition to Hangzhou’s restaurant scene.
Banana Leaf is a chain, …
It’s hard to believe that last year at this time I was arriving home in Florida for a surprise visit. Prior to last Christmas, I had been in China two Christmases in a row. Yet this year I feel more divorced from this “Christmas” thing than ever before. This year Christmas is just that Western holiday between the HSK and my move to Shanghai.
Speaking of the HSK, I think I did “OK.” I think I’m borderline between 7 and …
I have a new favorite piece of software, and the Republic of Korea to thank for it. It’s called NPC TV. The technology isn’t exactly revolutionary, but it provides me with a very welcome breath of fresh air here in China. You see, NPC TV lets you view live digital broadcasts from countries all over the world, in one easy application. It’s really quite amazing. Here is a list of countries with broadcasts currently on NPC TV (and …
最近在社会概览课上我们看了一篇叫《饮酒漫谈》林语堂的文章。对我而言林语堂写的文章有一定的难度。老师说这是因为这篇文章比较老，受了文言文的影响。虽然我不太喜欢文言文的味道，但文章里讲到谜语的部分我觉得特别有意思，想跟大家分享：
大有人在； 人有它大，天没它大； 春雨连绵妻独宿； 据土为王； 无木之本； 石头
对中国人来说这种谜语应该比较简单，但外国人猜谜语的思路不太一样，尤其是这种谜语。我当然知道谜底，但到现在还是不太懂第三行的谜面。…
Zhejiang University City College, the university where I have taught for 3 1/2 years, is currently looking for new foreign teachers for the new semester beginning February 9th, 2004. Absolute requirements are (1) native speaker of English from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or the USA, and (2) a four-year degree (B.A.) or its equivalent.
Preference is given to: 1. Females (we love ‘em, but we currently lack ‘em!) 2. Brits (we love ‘em, but we currently lack …
I will take the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi — Chinese Proficiency Examination) this coming Sunday, December 21st. Taking the HSK was part of my plan all along to study Chinese full-time this semester. Thus, in addition to my 20 hours of Chinese classes per week, I’ve also been taking 4 hours of optional HSK prep courses (well, usually).
Throughout this semester I’ve been faced with a question of study method: should I take my classes the “Chinese way” or …
The conclusion of Phil’s Asia Weblog Awards is still a ways off, and I hear even more Asia weblog awards are in the making. I figure it’s time for the Sinosplice Network to steal the award spotlight. Yes, all 23,529 votes have been secretly counted, and unlike Flyingchair’s version, no PHP programming was even needed! Also, you’ll note that unlike Flyingchair’s version, on Sinosplice every category begins with the same word: “most.” Every one. That is our promise to you. …
I rarely watch Chinese TV (because it’s dumb and boring), but I watched it last night. I was rewarded for my bravery.
Last night I happened to catch part of CCTV 2′s Televised Model Competition (模特电视大赛). Like I said, I rarely watch Chinese TV, but if I do happen to go for a flip through the channels, if there’s anything that’s going to catch my attention, it’s a whole bunch of hot women. So this competition did the trick. I’m …
John has lived in China for
11.5
years. He is a linguist focused on SLA and tech.
All Posts