Thursday, March 26, 2009

wandering in Nanshan

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On this Thursday morning,there was a thunder storm here in Shenzhen.It hadn't rained this hard for a long time,so everybody seemed to enjoy the terrific view.But it didn't last long.
I went around to the Nantou acient fortress which was totally a boring place.Everything was being renovated,so I wasn't able to get in those sites.I was there when in primary school,and the fortress felt so different.(To be honest,it sucked~><)
(Groups of pupils were having their class trip there.Adorable~)
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Since I read the post "Chinese Guerilla Advertising",I've been kept my eyes on those street ads.And just on my way back to uni,I found two street ads that made me mad.

As you can see in the following pics,the left one says "false coin available" while the right "hallucinogen available".What's going on here!!!This is so outrageous!!!If people can sell these things openly,what else don't they dare do?Screw them--it's the first time I say this.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Sarah & Fabian

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I couldn't find the right word to describe how much I love them.Let the pictures speak for me.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

coupon crasher

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What are you capable to see when you're at canteen?Various dishes,numerous people and now a coupon printer at my university.This machine's made the scene since last week.Actually I saw the same thing at some metro station a few weeks ago but I didn't expect it to show up on my campus.




First,you're supposed to pick whatever kind of couponappearing on the screen of the printer.Then print them out and use them as regular ones.Let me show you how it works(take McDonald's as an example).





Step One:Press the "food label(美食餐饮)" and enter a new page.




Step Two:Click the McDonald's Label and you'll see a couple of sets.




Step Three:Choose one and submit.




Step Four:Input your cellphone number and you'll get a message with a verification code.




Step Five:Input the code and what you choose just now will be printed out in terms of words(which means it won't print out the picture).




Tada,here comes the coupon.



In addition to the off-hand coupon printer,you can also find the digital coupon online.Like McDonald's,the coupon is already put on their official website waiting for you to get them slip out.[click here]You can see how despareately those businessmen are trying to encourage us to consume while there're actually quite a few people blindly doing shopping for those coupon(as if they don't have to pay a penny).However,I suppose this time,the website owner who supports this sort of machine is the real winner.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Modern Babel : Is Chinese language too Chinese? ( 1 )

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“有些吃饱了没事干的外国人,对我们的事情指手画脚。中国一不输出革命,二不输出饥饿和贫困,三不去折腾你们,还有什么好说的。”——习近平


1)"There are some well fed foreigners who have nothing better to do than point fingers at our affairs......."
2)"There are a few foreigners,with full stomachs,have nothing better to do than try to be backseat drivers of our country's own affairs......?"

When I first read the remark of vice-president Xi Jinping,I felt my anger somehow vented because what he said just hit the spot.But later I read the English version and found those sentences were translated literally.I was totally overwhelmed.The second one is way too outrageous!it's common sense that it's wrong to translate Chinese idioms word by word.That journalists must understand Chinese so I think the they did it on purpose.It's one of those cheap means for the media to mislead the mass.

Anyway,I really gave it much thought--is Chinese language too Chinese?I suddenly understand why the government are trying so desperately to spread our language outside China because if you don't understand our language better,you'll never read our mind.Chinese idioms or slangs are really culture-specific,thus I suppose the language itself builds up some kind of invisible boundary between us and the outside world.What sacarstic is that,on several occasions,it's us who mislead others by using inappropriate English words to define us.For example,we always call ourselves "Yellow people/黄种人",but as far as I know,yellow means yellow-belly or something like that.FYI,as for yellow,we also have different definition:a "yellow" joke=a blue joke;"yellow" VCD= blue VCD.

In addition,I think the way we translate other language unconsciously give people some personal impression.When it comes to countries name,basically we just transliterate them.But if you literally translate them back to English,you may find the characters we choose to represent them can make a huge difference to us Chinese people(maybe you think my translation is a bit eisegetical).

1. America=美洲 (continent of beauty)
2. Africa=非洲 (not a continent)
3. Germany=德国 (nation of virtue)
4. the UK=英国 (nation of hero)
5. France=法国 (nation of law)
6. Mauritius=毛里求斯 (seek for something inside a feather)
7. Egypt=埃及 (touched by dust)
8. Madagascar=马达加斯加 (add more motors to this)

The other day,a foreign friends of mine said,50 years later,maybe there was no one speaking Chinese but English in China.I know,nowadays,we say byebye more often than Zai Jian(再见),but it's impossible for any other language to replace ours.If Chinese language died out,Chinese culture would disappear.In English,YES can't be NO,nor NO YES.But in Chinese,YES = SHI (是),NO=NOT YES = BU SHI (不是) .You see that,we don't deny completely--we have to mention "yes" when we say "no".It might be the reason that Chinese people are described as tactful.On many occasions,I caught myself inevitably adding Chinese element in English which make me sound like beating around the bush.

When my foreign friends try to speak Chinese to me,they say Ni Hao(hello) and Ni Hao Ma(how are you) together.Then I have to reply them as "Ni Hao,We Hen Hao,Ni ne",but I feel it really weird.It's because,unlike English,we Chinese just say Ni Hao(hello) and reply Ni Hao(hello) when we greet to each other.It's sorta formalization and we don't actually ask or answer any question.As for me,when I run into someone,the first thing I say is "这么巧!你去哪啊?"(What a coincidence!Where are you heading?) rather than "Ni Hao/你好"(hello).

Some people,including Chinese,say that Chinese are not as good-mannered as Japanese or Korean because we don't have honorific in our language.But I think they're seriously mistaken,we don't have honorific but we show our respect by using or adding different words or names which you're not capable to tell the difference unless you're local.You may understand the complexity when you know there're many ways in Chinese to ask about age:a.你几岁了;b.你多大了;c.你是属什么的;d.你几几年时候出生的;e.您多大年龄了;f.您贵庚;g.您高寿……It could be a joke or an offense if you use the wrong one.Well,don't panic.We don't mind your mistake if you're not Chinese.^^

To be continued......

Saturday, March 14, 2009

draft

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The other day,our American teacher showed us the very 1st episode of 'HEROS".Then he threw us a question "Do you think Simone likes Peter?Why?".We answered "yes,of course" but couldn't give any reasons.We just felt it.Finally,he told us "yes because she cheked out his butt" and displayed the scene again.We laughed,especially me--it's so culture-specific and is a typical Americanism question,I think.One of the delightful things is that I found the book of "Sex and the City" in my school library.I almost screamed out when saw it.I never expected to read the legendary book in my uni!Well,I don't mean I worship or look forward to the lifestyle of the four characters but I kinda have the SATC complex like other women do.I think what the four women have gone through is quite inspiring--women gotta live on ourselves no matter how your love life goes......Aw,I miss this show so much.

Speaking of which,I miss High School Musical too.I spent some time reviewing all of them.I cannot choose which one is my favourite but I know I'm not that looking forward to HSM 4 because there will be some new characters which is unbearable to me.



The other day,I was in the mood of getting those little fellas in my dorm room so I brought them back.But almost everyone told me "It's not easy to keep golden fish.They'll die soon one by one".I didn't care what they said because I didn't think I wasn't so terrible.However,after I took the following pics,a couple of hours later,one black fish became the first victim.I wasn't that spoony to be sad.But I couldn't believe it happened so fast.In case of killing more innocent little creatures,I'll be done with the golden fish thing when they all die. (-_-')



I got an interesting meme via facebook.It's created to help you pick up the name of your band. "Go to “Wikipedia.” Hit “random” and the first article you get is the name of your band. Then go to “Random Quotations” and the last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album. Then, go to Flickr and click on “Explore the Last Seven Days” and the third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover. "
The pic on the right hand is what I got eventually.AWESOME!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

blah

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Lately,rather than loneliness,I feel I am in emptiness.However,I really don't want to be a part of a group activity,whereas,I like every single one in it.Though I'm sure I won't be a wackodoodle instead of a eccentric.^^ I was planning to reduce the time I spent on internet because I needed something solid.That's why,in the past days,I stayed in the library more often than before.

Last year,I watched Pride and Prejudice(1995),one of the BBC mini drama but I really didn't like those endless balls and Lizzy's extremely delicate sister Jane.Finished "North And South"(2004) last Sunday and I love it.I meant to write a review about it but I didn't dare to assert anything unless I go throughit first-hand.So I've been giving myself a headache--it's not a breeze for me to read the original English book.I'm not done with the whole book yet but I feel literarily comfortable reading it hitherto.There's no four-letter words or insulting saying in the book and what I read is all beautiful and elegant English.(I've learned English for a couple of years but been avoiding those so-called stylish but insulting slangs like what most of the American urban young people say.)


When Mr.Thornton and Margaret met at the station,I got so upset because I was afraid that Henry was gonna make trouble to the poor couple;or say something embarrassing to make Margaret indebted and change her mind.But I knew that I was being very Chinese--Margaret wouldn't give up her true love no matter what happened and Henry did let go as a decent gentleman.Margaret felt shy when Mr.Thornton looked at her amorously and pretended to talk about business,without looking in his eyes.I was tearful when Mr. Thornton took Margaret's hand and she timely kissed his hand.It's the very moment that they both eventually opened up to each other.This drama made me want to fall in love.Well,I know I'm so not insightful because love is the just one of the themes in the book.And is the South Britain really so picturesque?I was impressed by the place named Helstone.


1.Factory
2.I've Seen Hell
3.Thornton's Walk
4.Milton
5.Boucher
6.Horseman
7.Watching
8.Beginning
9.She'll Take You From Me
10.Look Back
11.Opening
12.Irishmen
13.Come Up Smiling
14.Northbound Train

Sunday, March 8, 2009

wonder ect.

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I'm not capable to leave everything behind,instead,I just have some sort of skill to disremember and put those issues aside for a while.Yes,just for a while which means I gotta pay them off sooner or later.When the paying off phase comes,I can't fall asleep in bed but think about everytime.Sometimes it feels like a movie showing in my head.I know it's definitely a bad habit.

I think I kinda picked up some sentimentality which explains my blue lately.Well,I'm rest assured that my lost optimism will return soon.I am still looking forward to the future, I'm also looking to the recent past so as to better understand my current feelings.The other day,I noticed something changed in my mind about someone.I feel disturbed but there's no point revealing my feeling.When find out all saved-up wishes start coming out.But I suppose I'd better pretend that nothing's ever changed and sing the "Auld lang syne".

Friday, March 6, 2009

our Thursday out.

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According to The 24 Solar Terms/二十四节气,it was The Waking of Insects/惊蛰,which means the hibernate insects begin to wake up gradually.Shenzhen doesn't always go with the terms but yesterday when me and my friends had fun at Happy Valley,we were showed the other side of weather in Shenzhen.

It should have been a "low season" for Happy Valley yesterday,since it was a weekday and the weather didn't seem pleasant.But we still met quite a few people and had to queue.Once again,we realised how big our population was.Good thing that it didn't take much time to queue,and like always,I venture to everything except the haunted house.><

It rained for several time and we got wet,but it didn't spoil all the fun.It'd been several years since last time I was at Happy Valley,so this time I meant to look for my childhood there.However,I ended up exhausted and dizzy when came back,it told me nothing but I'm too old to indulge in pleasure and forget home and duty like kids.