Tag: Chinese

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5 Things to do When You\’re Bored in Taipei

The last few days have been pretty darn boring here in Houston Texas.

Why, you ask? Because it's been pouring down rain constantly, and my wife and I are running out of movies to watch. I mean, it feels like we've seen everything on Netflix!

Do you ever get bored? If so, what do you do to keep from going crazy? Whether withstanding, here's a list of five things to do when you're bored stupid in Taipei. Read, and enjoy!

 

1. Purchase an MRT day pass and ride the lines from one end to the other. There are tons of stops, do why not check them all out! Who knows, you may just find an interesting place that you never knew existed. 

\"oneday_1010701\"

 

 

 (Picture from Taipei MRT)

 

 

2. Go to the ESLITE department store in Xingyi District.

There are always exhibitions going on, good foods to eat in the food court, lots of interesting and novel stores, and of course   the largest bookstore in Taiwan! They're usually open to 2AM(just the book store), so it's great for those of you who suffer from insomnia. 

\"DSC01709\"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Go to the night market. Any of them. Heck, make it a night market night and hit up all of them! Everybody loves going to Shilin Night Market, but that's not the only good one. I used to love going to Tonghua Night Market and Shida Night Zmarket, since they were the closest ones to my home. There's also tons more that are worth a visit.

\"下載\"（Picture form here）

 

 

 

 

 

4. Take a walk through the beautiful Da'an Forest Park. It's a fun place to go in the morning on weekends, since there are always lots of families there, playing, laughing and eating. It's even easier to get there now that they gave finished constructing the new(ish) MRT station there.

\"images\"(Picture from here)

 

 

 

 

 

5. Call up a friend and go to an all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant. It's fun, because you get to barbecue everything yourself. It's a lot more fun than just eating out, since you're  doing the cooking, and it's a great fun with a group of friends telling stories and joking. You can conveniently find places like this in Gonguan and Ximen. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

These are just five suggestions of fun activities for when you're bored in Taipei, try them out and let me know what you think. Also feel free to share with us your favorite thing to do when you're bored to tears! 

\"DSC02673\"

Posted on

5 Things to do When You\’re Bored in Taipei

The last few days have been pretty darn boring here in Houston Texas.

Why, you ask? Because it's been pouring down rain constantly, and my wife and I are running out of movies to watch. I mean, it feels like we've seen everything on Netflix!

Do you ever get bored? If so, what do you do to keep from going crazy? Whether withstanding, here's a list of five things to do when you're bored stupid in Taipei. Read, and enjoy!

 

1. Purchase an MRT day pass and ride the lines from one end to the other. There are tons of stops, do why not check them all out! Who knows, you may just find an interesting place that you never knew existed. 

\"oneday_1010701\"

 

 

 (Picture from Taipei MRT)

 

 

2. Go to the ESLITE department store in Xingyi District.

There are always exhibitions going on, good foods to eat in the food court, lots of interesting and novel stores, and of course   the largest bookstore in Taiwan! They're usually open to 2AM(just the book store), so it's great for those of you who suffer from insomnia. 

\"DSC01709\"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Go to the night market. Any of them. Heck, make it a night market night and hit up all of them! Everybody loves going to Shilin Night Market, but that's not the only good one. I used to love going to Tonghua Night Market and Shida Night Zmarket, since they were the closest ones to my home. There's also tons more that are worth a visit.

\"下載\"（Picture form here）

 

 

 

 

 

4. Take a walk through the beautiful Da'an Forest Park. It's a fun place to go in the morning on weekends, since there are always lots of families there, playing, laughing and eating. It's even easier to get there now that they gave finished constructing the new(ish) MRT station there.

\"images\"(Picture from here)

 

 

 

 

 

5. Call up a friend and go to an all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant. It's fun, because you get to barbecue everything yourself. It's a lot more fun than just eating out, since you're  doing the cooking, and it's a great fun with a group of friends telling stories and joking. You can conveniently find places like this in Gonguan and Ximen. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

These are just five suggestions of fun activities for when you're bored in Taipei, try them out and let me know what you think. Also feel free to share with us your favorite thing to do when you're bored to tears! 

\"DSC02673\"

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Chinese Lesson 17: Weather

Hi, Ruby here, today I want to show you how we say weather in Chinese. We like to keep class short, so you can learn more easily.

1.晴天

 Sunny day

qíng tiān 

2.陰天

Cloudy Day

yīn tiān


3.霧天

Foggy Day

wù tiān 


4.下雨天

Raining Day

xià yǔ tiān 


5.颱風天

Typhoon Day

tái fēng tiān 

 

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We are back!

Hey everyone, sorry for such a long lapse in my posting, life has been crazy! I just wanted to let y'all know that I'll be back to writing soon, and we're also going to have a new co-author on the blog...my wife Ruby! Also, my Chinese learning book that I have been working on since last year is nearing completion, so keep checking back for more information. That's all for now, stay tuned! 

Also we like to know what new things you want to hear from us.

1. Travel

2. Language

3. Cuture

4. Others

Please leave us comment in the below then we can get into it!

Have a awesome day!

Logan and Ruby

[popdom id=\’2\’]

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5 Things I don\’t like about Taiwan(WHAT?!???!)

Living in a foreign country offers many unique and exciting opportunities. You get the chance to really get to know your new "home" a lot better than you would if you had just visited it for a week or two of travel. You will get the chance to see and do things that people who are merely visiting will never get the chance to do or see. You'll get to know and appreciate your host culture, discover new favorite foods, and have the best possible chance for succeeding in learning a foreign language. This sums up nicely my time spent in Taiwan.

 

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. As fun as it is living abroad, It can be equally frustrating.  As often as I spend time talking about all of the things that I love in Taiwan, today I will be sharing my top 5 "complaints" about what has become my "second home". Enjoy, and as always please share your experiences/opinions below!

 

1. Random old guys backing you into a wall and forcing you into endless conversations:

\"photoI love a good conversation as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's just not a good time to chat me up. But this happens pretty often. You know that feeling you get when you are reading a really good book, intently turning the pages to see what happens next? I love reading, and always brought a book on the train ride from Taoyuan county to Taipei for my weekly martial arts classes. It's a great way to kill the time you are otherwise wasting in transit. Can't tell you how many times I've had a well meaning elderly man sit next to me and interrupt me every few seconds, even after I tried as tactfully as possible to disengage myself from conversation. The results? Me still on the same page ten minute later! This used to drive me nuts.

 

2. People don't understand your Chinese, because you look funny:

\"photoI like to think that I don't have a huge ego problem, but I know that my Chinese is pretty darn good. So it always annoyed me when someone didn't understand my fluent Chinese, because they saw me and expected English to come out of my mouth. It also used to drive me nuts when I was with my wife and someone kept asking her questions about me, even after I displayed that I was more than capable of speaking for myself. I know it's not meant to be rude, but it kinda is!

 

 

3. The lack of concern that many people have for the environment:

\"photoOf course this is getting to be a problem everywhere these days, but I felt it was more so in Taiwan than it is back here in Texas. True, the rapid rate of Taiwan's industrialization has had some negative consequences for the environment, but that's not the whole story. People throw their trash all over the place: streets, bushes, gutters, rivers…no place is safe! I remember vividly one time while I was waiting for my bus, an old man walked by me and casually shoved an empty pack of cigarettes into a bush. Seriously, go hard is it to find a trash can?

 

4. The casual rudeness that people often display:

\"unnamed\"In the big, metropolitan city of a Taipei, people are conditioned to lookout for themselves, and to disregard others around them. When you're in a crowded street, or MRT  station in Taipei, you will get shove, pushed, stepped on, elbowed, and much more. Some of this is, of course, due to the dense population, unavoidable. What I don't like, is how the majority of people won't even give you a simple "excuse me" when they jab you in the kidney as they squeeze by.

 

 

5. The crazy traffic!:

\"photoThis one is pretty self explanatory. There are countless cars, and especially scooters in Taiwan, and only a limited amount of space. This leads to heavily congested traffic, a scarcity of parking spaces, an extremely high rate of deaths on the road(especially for those riding scooters) and generally chaotic streets everywhere. To top it off, people generally have very little regard for the laws of the road, , which makes it doubly dangerous, for drivers and pedestrians alike.

There it is. I'm glad I got that off of my chest. Now, don't take this post the wrong way. For everything on this list, there are at least a hundred things I have to say that are positive about Taiwan. I love Taiwan, and it really and truly is my "home away from home", but I'm here to give you the whole story, and sometimes the truth is ugly!

What has your experience in Taiwan been like? Please share below!

[popdom id=\’2\’]

Posted on

5 Things I don\’t like about Taiwan(WHAT?!???!)

Living in a foreign country offers many unique and exciting opportunities. You get the chance to really get to know your new "home" a lot better than you would if you had just visited it for a week or two of travel. You will get the chance to see and do things that people who are merely visiting will never get the chance to do or see. You'll get to know and appreciate your host culture, discover new favorite foods, and have the best possible chance for succeeding in learning a foreign language. This sums up nicely my time spent in Taiwan.

 

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. As fun as it is living abroad, It can be equally frustrating.  As often as I spend time talking about all of the things that I love in Taiwan, today I will be sharing my top 5 "complaints" about what has become my "second home". Enjoy, and as always please share your experiences/opinions below!

 

1. Random old guys backing you into a wall and forcing you into endless conversations:

\"photoI love a good conversation as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's just not a good time to chat me up. But this happens pretty often. You know that feeling you get when you are reading a really good book, intently turning the pages to see what happens next? I love reading, and always brought a book on the train ride from Taoyuan county to Taipei for my weekly martial arts classes. It's a great way to kill the time you are otherwise wasting in transit. Can't tell you how many times I've had a well meaning elderly man sit next to me and interrupt me every few seconds, even after I tried as tactfully as possible to disengage myself from conversation. The results? Me still on the same page ten minute later! This used to drive me nuts.

 

2. People don't understand your Chinese, because you look funny:

\"photoI like to think that I don't have a huge ego problem, but I know that my Chinese is pretty darn good. So it always annoyed me when someone didn't understand my fluent Chinese, because they saw me and expected English to come out of my mouth. It also used to drive me nuts when I was with my wife and someone kept asking her questions about me, even after I displayed that I was more than capable of speaking for myself. I know it's not meant to be rude, but it kinda is!

 

 

3. The lack of concern that many people have for the environment:

\"photoOf course this is getting to be a problem everywhere these days, but I felt it was more so in Taiwan than it is back here in Texas. True, the rapid rate of Taiwan's industrialization has had some negative consequences for the environment, but that's not the whole story. People throw their trash all over the place: streets, bushes, gutters, rivers…no place is safe! I remember vividly one time while I was waiting for my bus, an old man walked by me and casually shoved an empty pack of cigarettes into a bush. Seriously, go hard is it to find a trash can?

 

4. The casual rudeness that people often display:

\"unnamed\"In the big, metropolitan city of a Taipei, people are conditioned to lookout for themselves, and to disregard others around them. When you're in a crowded street, or MRT  station in Taipei, you will get shove, pushed, stepped on, elbowed, and much more. Some of this is, of course, due to the dense population, unavoidable. What I don't like, is how the majority of people won't even give you a simple "excuse me" when they jab you in the kidney as they squeeze by.

 

 

5. The crazy traffic!:

\"photoThis one is pretty self explanatory. There are countless cars, and especially scooters in Taiwan, and only a limited amount of space. This leads to heavily congested traffic, a scarcity of parking spaces, an extremely high rate of deaths on the road(especially for those riding scooters) and generally chaotic streets everywhere. To top it off, people generally have very little regard for the laws of the road, , which makes it doubly dangerous, for drivers and pedestrians alike.

There it is. I'm glad I got that off of my chest. Now, don't take this post the wrong way. For everything on this list, there are at least a hundred things I have to say that are positive about Taiwan. I love Taiwan, and it really and truly is my "home away from home", but I'm here to give you the whole story, and sometimes the truth is ugly!

What has your experience in Taiwan been like? Please share below!

[popdom id=\’2\’]

Posted on

Interview With a Chinese Learner: Ray Hecht

Hey everyone, how's it going? Today I'm coming at you with another interview. Today's victim is Chinese learner Ray Hecht.  He''s been living in Mainland China for years, and has a lot of interesting things to say on his blog about China, dating in China and learning Chinese. Plus he shares some pretty sweet art and poetry as well, so hop on over to his site and check out his writing! Being a fellow comic geek, I can relate to a lot of what he has to say!

Now on to the interview. 

\"螢幕快照Q: What Made you decide to learn Chinese?

I was first interested in Asian culture by way of Japanese manga and anime, being a long-time comic geek in my youthful days (and still a geek in my older days). As I got older I became more interested in film, and after watching many classic Kurosawa I came upon Cantonese films of Wong Kar-wai in my teenage years. Eventually this led to watching the film Farewell my Concubine, directed by Chen Kaige, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. In addition to watching the 90s films of Chinese 5th generation filmmaker Zhang Yimou, I became fascinated by China. However, I studied Japanese in college. Learning kanji did give me me a head start in learning hanzi, although the languages are quite different. I never did end up moving to Japan, just visiting a few times (learning some of the language did help). I later got an opporutnity to move to Shenzhen and I fully embraced it. Currently, Mandarin is the only other language besides English I speak with any fluency, though I always have more to learn. 

 

Q:How long have you been a student of Chinese, and how long did it take you to become conversational?

I've been studying for six years, and in the first year I learned 'survival Chinese.' I've been getting better at being more conversational in the last 3 years I suppose, but on having deep conversations I know I still have ways to go. The problem is that most conversations are the same: "Where are you from?", "Are you married?" "How many years have you been in China?" etc.

 

Q:What was your biggest challenge learning Chinese? And what came easiest to you?

My biggest challenge at first was definitely the tones. Then, the characters although I am always making progress even though it takes years. When it comes to characters, just be patient but make a little progress all the time. In speaking, the grammar of Chinese is easier and I was able to formulate simple sentences quite fast (even if not pronouncing it correctly). "I like…" "I'm from…" and that sort of thing. 

 

Q:What advice would you give to our readers who are just embarking on their journey with Chinese?

I suppose the best advice is to be fully immersive, go to China — or Taiwan, or Singapore — and start speaking. If you are in a big city in China, be careful not to be in the bubble that is the expat scene in which you rarely even speak Mandarin. Push yourself to practice those phrases you studied in real-life, it's the only way!

 

Q:Do you have a favorite Chinese phrase? If so, what is it and why?

Well, 多少錢 duoshaoqian ("How much money?") would be the phrase I say the most often, in going out shopping everyday. Some vocabulary words are fun, when Chinese can be so literal. Technological words such as 電腦 diannao (electric brain: computer) and 電影 dianying (electric shadow: movie) and many more. 

 

Q:What's your one biggest "hack" for learning Chinese?

One trick is to not stress about tones too much, and just try wait you're best until one day it becomes effortless. You can still communicate, don't be afraid to make mistakes. With pronunciation, one can imitate another more advanced learner of Mandarin instead of imitating native speakers. After all, any fluent learner was once a beginner and can offer great advice. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to share with us Ray! I hope everyone will learn from Ray's experiences, and move forward in their own studies. I especially agree with his point on getting out there and SPEAKING. So what are you still doing here? Get out there and practice your Chinese!

[popdom id=\’2\’]

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Lesson 14: More or Less

http://youtu.be/u1G_wqUXctE

Today I'm going to teach you how to use 一點 in Mandarin. This is useful when talking about how you want something, or how you want it done. Such as bigger, smaller, more, less, etc. follow along with the video and make sure to pay close attention to the sentences below. This one lesson will help you to really make your Chinese sound more complete. Enjoy!

 

多一點： 我要喝多一點茶。

duō yī diǎn ： wǒ yào hē duō yī diǎn chá 。

More: I want to drink a little more tea.

 

少一點：媽說我應愛吃少一點零食。

shǎo yī diǎn ：mā shuō wǒ yīng ài chī shǎo yī diǎn líng shí 。

Less: Mom said to eat less snacks.

 

快一點：快一點過來！

kuài yī diǎn ：kuài yī diǎn guò lái ！

Quickly: Come over here quick!

 

慢一點：清開慢一點。

màn yī diǎn ：qīng kāi màn yī diǎn 。

Slowly: Please drive slower.

 

小一點：小聲一點！我不要她聽到喔！

xiǎo yī diǎn ：xiǎo shēng yī diǎn ！wǒ bù yào tā tīng dào wō ！

Smaller: Quiet! I don't want her to hear!

 

大一點：我想吃大一點的牛排。

dà yī diǎn ：wǒ xiǎng chī dà yī diǎn de niú pái 。

Larger: I want to eat a bigger steak.

 

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Lesson 10: At the Post Office

\"2012-08-07
Hey guys, long time no see! I apologize for taking such a long hiatus fom blogging, but life has been chaotic of late! My wife and I have relocated to the USA and have been working very hard to get re-established here, and so I have had little time or motivation to blog. But I know you all would be lost without me, so I'm back!
 
The format for my blog is now going to be a little different from the way it was before. From now on, since I am no longer in Taiwan, I will not be writing as many posts on exploring the island. I already have a fair amount of content on the subject, and I am always willing to answer any of your questions, but for now I am shifting my focus to Chinese. My posts will now be mainly Chinese lessons, with anecdotes of my time in Taiwan strewn in when appropriate. Please let me know what you think of this format, and as always, thank you for reading!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 
 \"2012-08-07
So you're in the post office, waiting in line to send a care package back home. The guy in front of you is playing on his iPhone, and the guy behind you is stamping his feet, looking at his watch and visibly annoyed. He's obviously in a hurry and doesn't want to end up being held up by the foreigner taking forever to get walked through the process by the friendly, though somewhat lingually challenged clerk…or are you? Let's show that guy that he picked the wrong laowai!
 
Ten essential phrases:
 
1. Letter 一封信 yīfēngxìn
 
2. Stamp 郵票 yóupiào
 
3. Package 包裹 bāoguǒ
 
4. Express delivery 快遞 kuàidì
 
5. Registered 掛號 guàhào
 
6. Standard shipping 平信 píngxìn
 
7. mailbox 信箱 xìnxiāng
 
8. PO box 郵政信箱 yóuzhèng xìnxiāng
 
9. envelope 信封 xìnfēng
 
10. postage fee 郵資 yóuzī
 
 
 
In context:
 
 
1. I would like to send a package overseas. 
 
我要寄包裹到國外。
 
2. How much is express delivery? 
 
快遞的郵資要多少錢？
 
3. I want to send this letter as registered mail.
 
這封信我要寄掛號。
 
4. I would like to buy some stamps and envelopes.
 
我想買一些郵票和信封。
 
5. When will my letter arrive?
 
大概幾天會到？
 
That's it for today, practice and we'll see you next time!

Posted on

Every Dog Has Its Day

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP40g_OjxRY]

Have I mentioned that I love dogs? Well, I do, and this week I am going to fill you in on two awesome places that you can bring your dogs for the day in Taoyuan County.

 
The first is called 綠風草原, and it's located in Zhongli. You'll need to take a car there, because its pretty far from any form of public transportation, though you could take a taxi. This place used to be a golf course, but has since been re-purposed into a dog park, though its pretty obvious what it was originally intended to be. The scenery is so beautiful, with trees dotting the walkways and grassy hills surrounding the pond(which must have originally been the water hazard!) your pooch is going to think he's died and gone to doggy heaven. It's a popular place on the weekend, so get there early to ensure that you get a good spot, and watch your worries melt away. Make sure you bring a sheet or towel to sit on, as the grass can be quite damp, and why not enjoy a picnic while you're at it? The entry fee is 150 NT and this can be used towards purchasing food or drinks, though I recommend you bring your own snacks as the food is pricey and not very good.
 
\"IMG_2464\" \"IMG_2463\" \"IMG_2509\" \"IMG_2512\"
\"IMG_2517\" \"IMG_2518\"
(In these pictures you can clearly see the park's golf course roots!)
 
\"IMG_2507\" \"IMG_2500\"
(When I went there were ducks in the pond, and then there were these great big inflatable ducks. Looks like the management decided to cash in on the recent duck-craze that has gotten ahold of Taiwan.)
 
\"IMG_2523\" \"IMG_2528\" \"IMG_2553\" \"IMG_2650\"
(The dogs absolutely love this place!)
 
The other place is called 老爸的後花園 Located in Longtan, you are going to need your own wheels to make it there, but it's worth it! The feel is a lot different from 綠風草原. As you enter the garden and follow the vine-covered walkway to the brick-house restaurant, it feels like you are going to pay a visit to a rich family at their country-side estate. The whole place is surrounded by trees and gardens, and it feels like you're in a small forest, especially for Taiwan (having a large yard is very rare here). The restaurant is beautiful and has a relaxing atmosphere, and oddly you will see dogs freely roaming around indoors. The food is not great here either(though the dessert was quite delicious), but that wasn't really why we went there. The garden outside is awesome, and your dogs will love it. We went on a Tuesday, so there weren't a lot of other people there, but I've been told it is another story altogether on the weekend. It's fun to chat with the other guests and see their dogs too anyway!
 
\"IMG_3239\" \"IMG_3255\" \"IMG_3253\" \"IMG_3293\"
(The restaurant it beautiful, but the food wasn't great…good thing I brought a snack!)
 
\"IMG_3403\" \"IMG_3357\"
\"IMG_3540\"\"IMG_3510\"
(We had a lot of fun with the dogs in the garden. The poster is about supporting animal adoption, something that I hope you will consider after reading this!)
 
I highly recommend making it over to either of these spots at least once (even of you don't have a dog, you can play with the ones you see there!). Let me know what you think if you make it over to one of them, and share your experiences here!
 
 
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 
How To Get There:
 
 
綠風草原– Here is a link to their website, it's in Chinese, but there is a map.
 
 
老爸的後花園- Here is their Facebook page with contact information.
 

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Chinese phrases of the day:

綠風草原= Green Breeze Prairie

老爸的後花園= Dad's Backyard Garden

—————————————————————————————————————————————————