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Card Madness Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 8, 2009
Hello Readers! The other day I got into Beijing from Newark and was in for a bit of a surprise. You see, when I arrived at #2 航站楼 (terminal), I needed to withdraw some money from the 汇丰取款机 (HSBC ATM). I didn’t expect for my 卡 (card) to be 吞 (swallowed) by the machine. I…
Family Member Titles pt. 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 5, 2009
What people are there in your family? My family is made up of the following members – there’s 妈妈(mom/mother) 爸爸 (dad/father), of course, and 2 姐姐(older sister)- my 大姐 (big older sister) 二姐(little older sister). My 奶奶(paternal grandmother) is from Poland, while my 爷爷(paternal grandfather) was from NYC of Irish extraction, and both 外公…
Alcohol in China pt. 1 Posted by Transparent Language on May 31, 2009
In China, many people do not prefer to drink 烈酒 (strong alcohol) such as 伏特加 (vodka), 威士忌 (whiskey), 朗姆酒 (rum, also known as 甜酒). Some people will drink 香槟 (champagne) or 白葡萄酒 (white wine) but this is more common among accomplished businesspeople. More and more, people are learning more about things such as 红酒 (red…
Setting Up a Party Posted by Transparent Language on May 31, 2009
For the surprise party, we had to prepare several different things- we needed to set out trays of 水果 (fruits), coolers with 啤酒 (beer) and 果汁 (fruit juice), bottles of 汽水 (soda), big bowls of 署片 (potato chips) and 意大利面 (pasta). For the more health-conscious, we set out 沙拉 (salad) and for those more taste-conscious…
Long-Haul Flights Posted by Transparent Language on May 29, 2009
Hi readers! I 刚才到家 (just got home) from Beijing for a week to see the 毕业典礼 (graduation ceremony) of my oldest sister. Needless to say, when I knocked on the door she 吃惊 (was surprised). On the flight over from Beijing, one of the 空姐 (stewardesses) was going to 退休 (retire) and this was her…
Beijing’s First Techno Festival Posted by Transparent Language on May 24, 2009
Yesterday I wen to a huge 音乐会 (concert) where the only music was 电子音乐 (electronic music). It was held at a 广场 (plaza) in the 798 area, a place known for its new-age 艺术 (art). Notably during the festival, there were very few 垃圾桶 (trash cans) near the areas where people were 跳舞 (dancing), leaving…
Meetings Posted by Transparent Language on May 22, 2009
Hi readers! I’m at a 会议 (meeting) here in Beijing with a lot of high-powered companies present. A lot of 互联网的创造者 (internet innovators) are here, as are 处理器公司 (processor companies), 股市代表 (stock market representatives), 交易平台公司 (transaction platform companies)等 (and more). One of the main speakers was from 微软 (Microsoft), I wonder who’s eying whom here…